Virtuous Leaders with Dr. Johann D'Souza

Hosted by johanndsouza.com

Business Entrepreneurship

Website RSS feed

Episodes

123

Latest episode

Aug 2026

Language

About the show

Fearless truth speakers. Faith-filled entrepreneurs. Countercultural parents. Conversations with extraordinary individuals. Dr. D'Souza is a clinical psychologist, national speaker, Harvard Human Flourishing Program research affiliate, and author of Saving Teens from Toxic Screens. Speak truth, do good, or die trying. johanndsouza.com

Listen to episodes

60 recent

September 8, 2026Episode 11828 min

Ep.118 - Fr. Carter Griffin on Raising Saints, Forming Priests, and the Phone in Your Kid's Bedroom | Catholic Parenting | Virtue

You lock the door at night. You'd never let a stranger sleep in your kid's room. Fr. Carter Griffin says the phone on the nightstand pulls off exactly that trick, and almost nobody notices. He's a seminary rector, a Princeton convert, a former Navy officer, and the author of Forming Families, Forming Saints. Fifteen years forming future priests has taught him precisely what makes a soul strong and what quietly hollows one out. The same forces are working on your kids right now. Direct, practical, and genuinely useful. Bring a notebook. What you'll hear: The four dimensions of formation, and how to run them at home without a theology degree Why a phone before virtue is the single riskiest thing a lot of good parents do without blinking What destroys a vocation, and why the same thing is coming for your children How to build a home where kids get excited about their calling instead of anxious Why risk, struggle, and failure aren't threats to your child. They're the engine. What still gives this rector real hope after fifteen years in the trenches Follow Virtuous Leaders so you never miss an episode, and leave a rating if this one moved you. It genuinely helps new listeners find the show. Fr. Carter Griffin Rector, St. John Paul II Seminary Author, Forming Families, Forming Saints More from Dr. Johann D'Souza : Clinical Psychologist and Host https://www.johanndsouza.com/ https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ #FrCarterGriffin #VirtuousLeaders #DrJohannDSouza #CatholicParenting #RaisingSaints #SeminaryFormation #VirtueFormation #NewDarkAge

August 5, 2026Episode 11724 min

Ep.117 - Joshua Charles: What You Lost the Day You Got a Smartphone | Eternal Christendom | Catholic Culture | Classical Wisdom

People without smartphones were smarter. Not a little smarter. Way smarter. That is not nostalgia. That is what you discover when you open an old book and actually let it land. Joshua Charles is a New York Times bestselling author, former White House speechwriter, and founder of Eternal Christendom. He has spent 15 years reading the greatest works of Western civilization and is now building an apostolate to get that treasure back into the hands of a generation that does not know what it is missing. This conversation is urgent, convicted, and completely without apology. What You'll Hear: Why reading old books is the single most red-pilling thing a modern person can do right now The three civilizations God providentially prepared for the coming of Christ and why understanding this changes everything What Eternal Christendom is building, from podcast to digital cathedral, and why it matters for the future of the Church Why the excuse that "my parents never gave me this" will not work How to make books the foundation of your home and shield your children from digital destruction Why Joshua believes we are not biologically suited for the hyperconnected world we have built and what he is doing about it personally 👉 Follow Virtuous Leaders on Spotify so you never miss an episode. Joshua Charles, Founder of Eternal Christendom | New York Times Bestselling Author Dr. Johann D'Souza, Clinical Psychologist and Host🔗 https://www.johanndsouza.com/ 🔗 https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ 👇 Drop a comment: What is one old book that changed the way you see the modern world and why? #JoshuaCharles #VirtuousLeaders #DrJohannDSouza #EternalChristendom #GreatTradition #CatholicCulture #ClassicalWisdom #NewDarkAge

June 23, 2026Episode 11625 min

Ep.116 - Katy Faust on Overturning Same-Sex Marriage in the U.S. | Children's Rights | Marriage Law | Greater Than Campaign

Nobody has a right to a child. Nobody. Not gay couples. Not straight couples. Not fertile couples. Not infertile ones. Children are not accessories to be acquired. They are human beings with rights. And the most fundamental of those rights is the right to their own mother and father. Katy Faust has been canceled, called a hate group, and watched her children lose friendships because of what she believes. She has also spoken at the United Nations, submitted amicus briefs to the Supreme Court, and built one of the most credible and courageous children's rights organizations in the world. Now she is coming for Obergefell. And she is not bluffing. This conversation is bold, precise, and completely without apology. If you have ever felt the cultural pressure to stay silent on marriage and family, this episode will give you back your voice. What You'll Hear: Why Obergefell did not just redefine marriage but systematically dismantled children's legal right to their own mother and father The brilliant legal and cultural strategy Katy is using to change the question entirely so the debate is no longer about adult feelings but about justice for children Why heterosexuals started this problem long before gay marriage existed and why that matters for how we fight it The real cost of speaking truth in this battle and why Katy says we are here precisely because too many people refused to pay it How Christians throughout history have always been the ones to stand between cultural predators and vulnerable children and why this moment is no different Why you will never fix suicide rates, teen pregnancy, child poverty, or graduation rates until you are willing to defend children's right to their mother and father Katy Faust Founder, Them Before Us Greater Than Campaign 🔗 greaterthancampaign.com Dr. Johann D'Souza Clinical Psychologist and Host 🔗 https://www.johanndsouza.com/ 🔗 https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ #KatyFaust #VirtuousLeaders #DrJohannDSouza #ChildrensRights #ThemBeforeUs #MarriageLaw #GreaterThanCampaign #ObergefellDecision 👇 If children have a right to their mother and father, what does that mean for how our laws and culture should be organized around family formation?

June 15, 2026Episode 11545 min

Ep.115 - 11 Kids, Zero Regrets: The Catholic Father's Blueprint for Raising Virtuous Children | Large Family | Classical Parenting | Michael Moynahan

He has 11 children. He has watched them dig six-foot holes in the backyard, ride their bikes to Harpers Ferry overnight, and lead decades of the Rosary before they could fully spell their own names. He has also made every mistake a father can make and lived to laugh about it. Michael Moynihan is the Head of Upper School at the Heights, which may be the finest all-boys Catholic school in the country, and the author of Decisive Parenting. This conversation is a masterclass in what it actually looks like to raise children with order, freedom, virtue, and faith in a world that is doing everything it can to steal all four. What You'll Hear: Why the family is not something we invented and how trusting its God-designed structure does more for your children than any parenting strategy ever could The nightly reading tradition Michael built with his children and why it became the most formative hour of their day How to give young children real freedom in the physical world while protecting them from the counterfeit freedom of screens Why every new child you bring into a family is a gift not just to you but to every sibling already there The simple home economy Michael built around firewood, chores, and honest wages that taught his children the dignity of real work What Michael says to parents who believe they cannot give enough attention to more than two children and why he thinks they have it exactly backwards Michael Moynihan Head of Upper School, The Heights School Author, Decisive Parenting Steven Novotny Father of Three Dr. Johann D'Souza Clinical Psychologist and Host 🔗 https://www.johanndsouza.com/ 🔗 https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ #MichaelMoynihan #VirtuousLeaders #DrJohannDSouza #CatholicParenting #LargeFamily #VirtueFormation #ClassicalEducation #RaisingKids 👇 What is one thing your parents did that you are now determined to do differently, and one thing you are determined to do exactly the same?

May 18, 2026Episode 11424 min

Ep.114 - Danny Flynn on Raising 14 Kids Without Screens and Why Our Schools Are Broken

No parent has ever said on their deathbed that they wished they had given their child a smartphone sooner. Not one. Danny Flynn has 14 children and has led some of the most transformative Catholic schools in the country. That line stopped him cold. It should stop you too.Danny Flynn is the former head of St. Jerome Academy, the first diocesan school to implement a classical liberal arts model, and currently Vice President at the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education. This conversation is a masterclass in what Catholic education was always meant to be and what it will take to get it back. What You'll Hear:• Why classical liberal arts education is the antidote to a generation raised on screens and starved of wisdom • The real difference between schools that allow personal devices and schools that do not, and what Danny has observed firsthand• His personal family policy on smartphones for his 14 children and the two specific phones he recommends • Why knowledge without understanding and wisdom is not education at allHow bishops, superintendents, and pastors across the country are finally reclaiming their Catholic schools and what that movement looks like on the ground • What ICLE is doing right now to form teachers at every stage of their career and why it is producing transformation in schools nationwide Danny Flynn Vice President of Diocese Relations, Institute for Catholic Liberal Education Former Head of School, St. Jerome Academy Dr. Johann D'Souza Clinical Psychologist and Host 🔗 https://www.johanndsouza.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ 🔗 https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/ #DannyFlynn #VirtuousLeaders #DrJohannDSouza #CatholicEducation #ClassicalEducation #LiberalArts #CatholicSchools #DigitalParenting

May 4, 2026Episode 11323 min

Ep.113 - Andrea Davis on Holding the Line When Your Kids Push Back on Screen Limits

She gave her daughter a smartphone at 12 and watched her disappear into it. So she took it back. Her daughter cried. She did not cave. Years later that daughter wrote her college essay about finding herself once the noise stopped. Andrea Davis is a mother of five, founder of Better Screen Time, and the author of Creating a Tech Healthy Family. This conversation is honest, warm, and unapologetic. If you are losing the battle for your child's attention and identity, this is where you start fighting back. What You'll Hear: Why early habits and real world values are your most powerful weapon against tech addiction How to talk to a teenager about their phone in a way they will actually hear The family tech plan that transformed Andrea's own home Why fear-based parenting fails and what love-based confidence looks like instead How to bring a resistant spouse on board without forcing a confrontation What your kids are quietly being protected from when they do not have a smartphone Andrea Davis Author and Founder, Better Screen Time Tech Healthy Family Hub Dr. Johann D'Souza Clinical Psychologist and Host 🔗 https://www.johanndsouza.com/ 🔗 https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ #AndreaDavis #VirtuousLeaders #DrJohannDSouza #ScreenTime #TechHealthyFamily #DigitalParenting #RaisingKids #CounterCulturalParenting 👇 At what age did you or would you give your child a smartphone, and knowing what you know now, would you make the same call?

April 13, 2026Episode 11236 min

Ep.112 - Paul Rose on How Catholics Lost the Prayer That Saves the World | Liturgy of the Hours | Sacred Music | Catholic Tradition

Most Catholics have never heard of a prayer so powerful the Church says it saves the world. It is not a private devotion. It is not a popular retreat method. It is the Liturgy of the Hours, and it has been hiding in plain sight, buried under bad formation, bad music, and a Church culture that forgot what worship actually is. Paul Rose is the founder of Sing the Hours, a podcast reaching 700,000 listeners a month across the globe. He is not a priest or a theologian. He is a husband, a father, and a man who found the ancient prayer of the Church and refused to let go of it. What he shares in this conversation will challenge everything you thought you knew about Catholic prayer. This episode goes deep. The rubrics most Catholics have never read. The reason our imaginations have been stolen from us. The ancient warrior tradition of sacred song. And why a two-year-old named Carmella holding a breviary in the dark might be one of the most powerful images of how we rebuild Christendom. What You'll Hear: Why the Church explicitly states that lay people praying the Liturgy of the Hours saves the world, and why almost no one knows it How Satan strategically targeted beauty as a transcendental to hollow out Catholic worship from the inside The shocking rubrics from official Church documents that direct singing, not silence, as the primary mode of adoration Why King David, the Templars, and the Church Fathers all point to the same truth: sacred song is not effeminate, it is the warrior's duty How Paul and his wife pray the Hours with their two daughters, one of whom is not yet two and already humming along, holding a breviary in the dark Why unbridled silent prayer without the Psalms can be spiritually dangerous, and what Saint Teresa of Avila's rule reveals about the proper ratio of song to silence Paul Rose Founder and Host, Sing the Hours Podcast Dr. Johann D'Souza Clinical Psychologist and Host 🔗 https://www.valuesfirsttherapy.com/ 🔗 https://www.valuesfirstcollective.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ 🔗 https://x.com/drjohanndsouza 🔗 https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/ #PaulRose #VirtuousLeaders #DrJohannDSouza #LiturgyOfTheHours #CatholicPrayer #SacredMusic #GregorianChant #CatholicTradition 👇 If the Church says praying the Liturgy of the Hours saves the world, why has no one ever told you that from the pulpit?

February 11, 2026Episode 11133 min

Ep.111 - Cameron Riecker on How the Rosary Transforms Feckless Men into Virtuous Fathers | Catholic Manhood | Daily Thomist | Corda

He quit his teaching job on St. Joseph's Day with 89 subscribers on his YouTube channel. No backup plan. Just prayer and a conviction that this was what his family needed. Cameron Riecker now runs a successful channel helping young men become virtuous husbands and fathers. His secret weapon is the Rosary. Sister Lucia of Fatima said no problem on earth cannot be solved by the recitation of the Rosary. Riecker has seen it work in his own life and in the lives of everyone he has recommended it to. The real problem is not lust. Lust is the symptom. The real problem is that men have no idea what they are for or where they are headed. They have no understanding of what a human person is. Once you fix that, everything else starts to fall into place. Key Takeaways: • The Rosary is the most powerful weapon for our times according to St. Padre Pio and 25 popes • Our Lady will reveal your principle fault and show you how to overcome it • If you make a thousand videos, about 10% will do well and that is enough to build a channel • Perfection is the enemy of progress so do things poorly if necessary to get the reps in • Consecrate your business to the Blessed Virgin Mary and she will never be outdone in generosity • Repetition is essential because people need information presented multiple times before it impacts them Cameron Riecker Catholic Content Creator & Contributor to the Daily Thomist Dr. Johann D'Souza Clinical Psychologist & Host 🔗 https://www.valuesfirsttherapy.com/ 🔗 https://www.valuesfirstcollective.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ 🔗 https://x.com/drjohanndsouza 🔗 https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/ #CameronRiecker #Rosary #CatholicManhood #VirtuousLeaders #DailyThomist #Corda #Fatherhood #DrJohannDSouza 👇 Do you pray the Rosary daily?

February 3, 2026Episode 11029 min

Ep.110 - Andrew Pudewa on Why Screens Are Destroying Your Child's Mind | Institute for Excellence in Writing | Classical Education | Homeschooling

Well over half of high school students have not read a single book in the last year. A good chunk of them have never read a book in their entire life. Andrew Pudewa has spent thirty years fighting to reverse that trend. He is the founder of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and has taught tens of thousands of teachers and parents how to cultivate language in children. The problem is simple. You cannot get something out of a brain that is not in there. And the linguistic input of children has collapsed because media is dumbed down and screens have fractured attention spans. Technology atrophies the skill it replaces. Key Takeaways: • The more screens in a classroom, the lower the reading, writing, and math skills • Technology amplifies character so disorganized children become more disorganized • Memory has been abandoned though it is essential for forming the mind • Read to children at a level above their decoding skills to pull up vocabulary • Follow CS Lewis's rule and read one old book for every new book • Book recommendation: The Restoration of Christian Culture by John Senior Andrew Pudewa Founder & Director, Institute for Excellence in Writing Dr. Johann D'Souza Clinical Psychologist & Host 🔗 https://www.valuesfirsttherapy.com/ 🔗 https://www.valuesfirsttherapy.com/ 🔗 https://www.valuesfirstcollective.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ 🔗 https://x.com/drjohanndsouza 🔗 https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/ #AndrewPudewa #IEW #ClassicalEducation #Homeschooling #VirtuousLeaders #ScreenFree #ReadingMatters 👇 When was the last time you finished a book?

January 29, 2026Episode 10930 min

Ep.109 - Matt Kibbe on Why Fauci Will Go to Jail and Trump Is Failing | Free the People | Deep State | Forever Wars

MSNBC called him the second worst person in the world. Matt Kibbe took it as a compliment.Matt is president of Free the People and one of the leaders of the Tea Party movement. He just produced a docu-series called The Cover-Up about Anthony Fauci and gain of function research. He believes Fauci will go to jail because Rand Paul now has subpoena power and Biden's pardon may be illegitimate.But Fauci was not the architect. Kibbe believes Fauci's real boss may be at the CIA, Homeland Security, or DOD. This was never about public health. It was a military intelligence style mad science experiment. Key Takeaways: • Fauci has two choices when subpoenaed: tell the truth or commit perjury • Trump is not delivering on spending and is attacking Rand Paul instead of Lindsey Graham • Politics is downstream of culture so storytelling matters more than statistics • The Five Eyes countries locked down hardest, suggesting globalist coordination • To resist government oppression you do not need a majority, just brave people willing to speak • Forever wars must end to defund the deep state and eliminate the debt Matt Kibbe President, Free the People Dr. Johann D'Souza Clinical Psychologist & Host 🔗 https://www.valuesfirsttherapy.com/ 🔗 https://www.valuesfirsttherapy.com/ 🔗 https://www.valuesfirstcollective.com/ 🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanndsouza/ 🔗 https://x.com/drjohanndsouza 🔗 https://drjohanndsouza.substack.com/ #MattKibbe #FreeThePeople #DeepState #Fauci #VirtuousLeaders #ForeverWars #RandPaul 👇 Do you think Fauci will actually face justice?