The Daily LEAD

Hosted by Brad Otto

Business Education Health Fitness

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Episodes

355

Latest episode

Sep 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

A leadership podcast for any leader who is passionate about leadership development and self-care, and relationships. It consists of two segments a week: Mental Health Mondays, and Everyday Leaders on Thursdays.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 1, 2026Episode 60723 min

Episode 607 Everybody Should Be Able To Talk to Anybody

What happens when the organizational chart starts determining not only who is responsible, but who is allowed to talk to whom? This episode explores why healthy churches and nonprofits need both open communication and clear accountability . We’ll talk about organizational silos, communication vacuums, the danger of making leaders the middleman for every conversation, and why talking to people instead of about them is essential for healthy culture. Great organizations don’t just have good information—they create pathways for that information to move. Because your organizational structure may need lines, but your communication culture needs bridges.

September 28, 2026Episode 60616 min

Episode 606 Are We Okay? The Deeper Roots of Reassurance Seeking

Why do some of us need reassurance again and again—even after we've already received it? This Mental Health Monday explores the deeper roots of reassurance-seeking, from anxiety and uncertainty to attachment, self-trust, and fear of disconnection, plus practical ways to begin breaking the cycle.

September 24, 2026Episode 60522 min

Episode 605 The High Cost of Getting It Right

How much is your organization spending—through time, energy, bureaucracy, missed opportunities, and frustrated leaders—trying to make sure nobody ever makes a mistake? This episode explores what happens when healthy accountability becomes organizational paralysis. For church and nonprofit leaders, the challenge isn’t to eliminate mistakes; it’s to know which mistakes require strong safeguards and which ones we can afford to make, learn from, and fix. Because sometimes the greatest cost isn’t the mistake itself—it’s everything we sacrifice trying to guarantee that nothing ever goes wrong.

September 21, 2026Episode 60418 min

Episode 604 Worst-Case Scenario Thinking: Understanding Catastrophizing

Ever turn one unanswered text, small mistake, or unexpected problem into a full-blown disaster in your head? This Mental Health Monday explores catastrophizing—why our brains jump to worst-case scenarios, how anxiety makes those thoughts feel believable, and simple ways to come back to what’s actually happening.

September 17, 2026Episode 60328 min

Episode 603 Make It Safe To Take The Risk

What if your team doesn’t have an innovation problem—they have a safety problem ? In this episode, we explore what taking risks means for those of us leading churches and nonprofits. We’ll talk about the difference between risk and recklessness, why our response to failure shapes organizational culture, how control can masquerade as responsible leadership, and why people stop bringing us new ideas when we’ve taught them that failure isn’t safe. Great leaders don’t guarantee that every idea will work—they create environments where people have the freedom to try, learn, adjust, and try again.

September 14, 2026Episode 60218 min

Episode 602 When Your Brain Won’t Let It Go: Understanding Rumination

Ever replay a conversation long after it’s over? In this Mental Health Monday Mini, we’re talking about rumination—why our brains get stuck in thought loops, how it affects relationships, parenting, and leadership, and three practical ways to stop circling and start moving forward.

September 10, 2026Episode 60124 min

Episode 601 The Hidden: You Don't Know What You Don't Know

What if one of the greatest dangers in leadership is what you don’t know? As we begin a new season, we’re turning to the leadership lessons found inside one of the most creative organizations in the world: Pixar. Drawing from Ed Catmull’s Creativity, Inc. , this episode explores his powerful warning: “If you don’t strive to uncover what is unseen and understand its nature, you will be ill prepared to lead.” We’ll talk about leadership blind spots, why success can sometimes hide dysfunction, how our position can actually limit what we see, and why the people closest to the work may understand things we don’t. Great leaders don’t assume they have the whole picture—they stay curious enough to ask, “What am I not seeing?”

August 20, 2026Episode 56139 min

Episode 561 When The Church Gets In the Way

What happens when the systems we build to support the mission of the church actually begin getting in the way of it? In this episode, Pastor Brad sits down with Pastor Ryan Dockery for an honest conversation sparked by a provocative reflection on some of the systemic challenges facing organized Christianity. From our obsession with bigger and better to celebrity leadership, constant programming, institutional self-preservation, image management, and the difference between activity and genuine community, we wrestle with some uncomfortable questions about the church we love. This isn’t an anti-church conversation—it’s a conversation born out of a desire for the church to become more faithful to its calling. What if instead of asking only whether our churches are growing, we started asking whether the people within them are actually being transformed?

August 17, 2026Episode 56017 min

Episode 560 Be a Goldfish: When Your Brain Won’t Let It Go

Ever replay a five-minute conversation for the next five hours? Inspired by Ted Lasso’s advice to “be a goldfish,” this Mental Health Monday explores why our brains get stuck replaying mistakes, rejection, and difficult moments—and how to take the lesson without carrying the shame. We’ll talk rumination, parenting, leadership, relationships, and four practical ways to help your brain finally move forward.

August 13, 2026Episode 55925 min

Episode 559 The Leader Who Makes Others Matter

What if the greatest measure of your leadership isn’t the impact you make, but the impact others discover they can make because of you? Inspired by a powerful insight from Vanessa Van Edwards at the Global Leadership Summit, this episode explores the difference between being the leader everyone needs and becoming the leader who empowers others to lead. We’ll talk about trust, giving away ownership, asking better questions, and why great leadership isn’t about becoming the most important person in the room—it’s about creating a room full of people who know they matter.