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Leadership Clearly with Julie Wagner | Faith-Based Leadership & Communication for Christian Leaders
Leadership Clearly with Julie Wagner | Faith-Based Leadership & Communication for Christian Leaders
Leadership Clearly is a Christian leadership podcast hosted by communication coach and corporate leader Julie Wagner. It helps faith-driven leaders lead with clarity, confidence, and conviction while keeping Christ at the center. Episodes offer practical, biblically grounded tools for difficult conversations, conflict, feedback, boundaries, and overcoming self-doubt. The show blends honest teaching, real stories, humor, and Scripture for leaders in teams, ministries, nonprofits, and businesses.
Episodes
Churchill's Wife Told Him the Truth: Are You Adding to the Mess in Your Company?
In June 1940, Winston Churchill stood before the House of Commons and gave the "Finest Hour" speech, setting a steady, resolved temperature for a nation facing the worst.
Nine days later, his wife Clementine wrote him a letter. Someone close to him had come to her with a warning: his staff were finding his manner rough, sarcastic, and overbearing, and he was in danger of being disliked by the ve
The Faith That Cost Her Everything | Renée Bryan on the Morality of Money
Renée Bryan spent 35 years in financial services training advisors and brokerage houses across the country. She was very good at it. Then in 2012 she committed more deeply to her faith, and almost immediately her six figure income dropped to one sixth of what it had been.
She did not walk away from God. She leaned in. What she learned in that season became a book.
In this conversation, Renée a
Surrender Is Not Quitting | Hannah Kuykendall on Leading Through the Worst Year of Her Life
In one year, Hannah Kuykendall's eleven month old daughter was rushed to the ICU with no diagnosis and no promise she was coming home. Her husband's spine was crushed on a landscaping job, leaving him without feeling from the waist down and without the career he had spent ten years building. They lost their home. They moved to a new state with no family nearby. And overnight, Hannah became the onl
Leading Out of Rest, Not Hustle | How to Sustain the Calling Without Burning It to the Ground
Leading Out of Rest, Not Hustle | How to Sustain the Calling Without Burning It to the Ground
"If I just work hard enough, long enough, I can hold it all together." That was Julie's whole operating system, until she hit the wall hustle always walks you into. In this finale of the identity arc, she reframes rest not as the reward you earn after you've proven yourself, but as the ground y
The Confidence Gap | How to Lead With Confidence When the Self-Doubt Won't Quit
The Confidence Gap | How to Lead With Confidence When the Self-Doubt Won't Quit
There's the version of you that's clear and capable in your own head, and the version that walks into the room and loses half her confidence somewhere between the doorway and the table. That distance, between what you're actually capable of and how confident you feel when it counts, is the confidence gap. And so many c
The Calling Question | How to Know You’re Called to Lead When You Feel Completely Unqualified
Who am I to be doing this? If that question has ever whispered at you, or shouted at you at 2 a.m., this episode is for you. Because that exact feeling of "who am I" is not proof that you're not called. Very often, it's the fingerprint of the very people God tends to call.
Julie opens a 3-part identity series with the question underneath all the other questions: am I even supposed to be leading,
Clarity Is Protection | Why Clear, Documented Communication Protects Your People, Your Team, and You
Clarity Is Protection | Why Clear, Documented Communication Protects Your People, Your Team, and You
Documentation. The word that makes most heart-led leaders flinch. It sounds cold, corporate, the opposite of leading with love. By the end of this episode, Julie wants you to hear that word and think care, not cold.
The finale of the Clear and Protected series reframes clear, documented communicati
When They Push Back | Staying Clear and Calm With the Defensive, Unhappy, or Insubordinate Employee
When They Push Back | Staying Clear and Calm With the Defensive, Unhappy, or Insubordinate Employee
What happens when you do everything right, you're clear, kind, and fair, and they push back anyway? They cross their arms. They say it's not fair. They go quiet and cold and then vent to half the team in the break room. This episode is about staying steady when the other person doesn't.
Part two of
The Conversation You’re Avoiding: How to Address an Underperforming Employee With Clarity Instead of Dread
You already know who it is. There's a name, a person whose performance you've been not-quite-looking-at, a conversation you've been carrying instead of having. This episode is about finally having it.
Julie opens part one of the Clear and Protected series with an honest look at why we avoid the hard conversation (hint: it's rarely the noble reason we tell ourselves), what that avoidance actually c
You Are Not the Hero of Your Team’s Story | What Donald Miller’s StoryBrand Gets Right About Leadership
What if the thing that makes you feel most important as a leader is the exact thing keeping your team small?
In this episode, Julie unpacks Donald Miller's StoryBrand framework, the idea that you are not the hero of the story, you are the guide, and what happens when leaders get those two roles backwards. If you're the one solving every problem, answering every question, and quietly proud of how m
Rest is NOT a reward: Overcoming Christian Leadership Burnout and Reclaiming Sabbath Rest
Christian leadership burnout is quietly draining some of the most faithful women in leadership, and the cause is not always your workload. In this episode of Leadership Clearly, Julie Wagner unpacks why rest is not a reward you earn after the work is done, but a command God built into how you were designed to lead.
If you are a Christian woman leader, entrepreneur, or founder running on empty and
What I Wish I’d Known About Leading Women
Nobody hands you a manual for this part of leadership. The part where you're suddenly responsible for women who used to be your peers. The part where being liked starts costing you the ability to lead. The part where you realize the dynamics on your team look a lot like the dynamics you've spent your whole life navigating in every other room you've been in.
In this episode, I'm sharing the honest,
The Nice Leader Lie: Why Being Kind and Being Clear Are Not Opposites
Somewhere along the way, a lot of us started confusing being nice with being good. We started believing that if our team was always happy with us, if no one was ever uncomfortable, if every conversation stayed warm and easy, that meant we were leading well. That belief is quietly costing leaders their teams, their authority, and their effectiveness, and most of them have no idea it is happening.
I
The Vulnerability Trap: What Brené Brown Got Right (and What Most Leaders Get Wrong)
Vulnerability has been called a leadership superpower, and for good reason. Brené Brown's research changed how an entire generation of leaders thinks about being human at work. But there is a version of vulnerability happening in leadership right now that is not building trust, not creating connection, and quietly burning teams down. And most of the leaders caught in it have no idea.
In this episo
The Reason Your Team Keeps Miscommunicating
How much time did you spend last week dealing with communication that went sideways? A direction that didn't land. An expectation you had to re-set. A team dynamic that's been quietly tense for longer than you want to admit.
Most leaders think the answer is to communicate more. More meetings. More emails. More repetition. But that's treating the symptom - not the cause.
In this episode, Julie
You Can’t Lead Who You Haven’t Learned | Leadership Clarity and Christ Centered Leadership
Most leaders believe they face problems with their team’s motivation or commitment, but the real challenge often lies in leadership clarity and truly understanding the people you lead. In this episode, Julie Wagner explores the vital skill of recognizing your team members as whole individuals, not just performers. Drawing on her own leadership journey and the pastoral insights of Craig Groeschel,
Celebrating Holy Week
In this reflective episode of the Leadership Clearly Podcast, Julie Wagner pauses during Holy Week to delve into Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as described in Matthew 21. With a focus on christ centered leadership and leadership clarity, Julie invites listeners to consider the profound weight Jesus carried during this pivotal week. By exploring themes of surrender versus domination, this episode cha
Should Christian Leaders Embrace AI? Insights on Faith and Leadership
AI is everywhere right now, and if you are leading a team, running a business, or building something with your faith at the center, you have probably already asked yourself: should I be using this? Is it okay? Where does it help, and where does it actually hurt?
In this episode of Leadership Clearly, I am getting into all of it. We are talking about why Christian leaders are so divided on AI, wha
Building Scalable Teams with Systems and Leadership Clarity to Prevent Burnout
Don’t hire another person on your team until you do this.
In this episode of Leadership, Clearly, Julie unpacks why hiring more people is not the solution if your systems, structure, and communication are already shaky. Instead of adding bodies to a broken foundation, she walks you through the one thing you must do first: create clear ownership and the systems that support it.
You’ll learn:
The r
The Difference Between Building a Team and Building a Scalable Team
What is the difference between building a team and building a scalable team? In this episode of Leadership, Clearly, Julie breaks down what leaders, founders, business owners, and executive teams need to understand before they hire, expand, and scale. If you want to grow your business, strengthen your leadership, and build a healthy team culture, this episode will help you see why adding more peop
How to Get People to Listen: Christ-Centered Leadership & Communication Styles
Why do leaders feel like no one is really listening to them?
In this episode of the Leadership Clearly Podcast, we explore one of the most common frustrations in leadership communication: getting people to actually hear and understand what you’re saying.
The truth is, you cannot force people to listen. But you can create an environment that invites them to.
In today’s conversation, Julie Wagner br
Leadership Communication Styles: How to Coach and Calibrate Your Team
If you’ve ever thought, “Why is this person so hard to coach?” — this episode is for you.
Most communication breakdowns on teams aren’t about competence.
They’re about calibration.
In this episode of Leadership, Clearly, Julie builds on last week’s conversation about personal communication styles and moves into team leadership — teaching you how to identify different communication styles in your e
It’s Not What You Said... It’s How You Sound
It’s Not What You Said... It’s How You Sound
A Leadership Conversation on Communication Style
Episode Description
You don’t experience yourself the way your team experiences you.
You experience your intentions.
They experience your tone.
In this episode of Leadership Clearly, Julie unpacks one of the most overlooked drivers of team culture and leadership effectiveness: your communication style.
T
Why Hard Conversations Are More Impactful Than We Realize
Hard conversations do not end when the meeting ends.
As leaders, we often underestimate the emotional and psychological weight difficult conversations carry. What may feel like a moment of clarity or correction to us can feel defining to the person on the other side of the table.
In this episode, we explore why hard conversations land deeper than we realize, how silence and inconsistency after tho
Biblical Leadership in Uncertain Times: From Chaos to Kingdom Clarity
Episode Summary:
Biblical leadership in uncertain times requires more than strategy. It requires trust, peace, and faith anchored in Christ. When the future feels unclear and pressure is high, many leaders default to control and reaction. Scripture offers a better way. In this episode of Leadership, Clearly, we explore how to lead with confidence and clarity as a follower of Christ, even when the
Biblical Communication and the Strategic Weight of Leadership
Episode Summary: Leadership doesn’t rise and fall on your strategy or your vision deck—it rises and falls on your communication. In this episode, we move past "personality traits" and "hustle-culture hacks" to look at the architectural power of words. Drawing from the tactical restraint of Esther and the inquisitive leadership of Jesus, we explore how to communicate with authority, precision, and
The Art of Intentional Listening: Stop Fixing, Start Leading
The Art of Intentional Listening: Stop Fixing, Start Leading
Most leaders think they’re good listeners.
They care. They’re present. They don’t interrupt.
And yet—many still feel exhausted, misunderstood, or like they’re carrying far more than they should.
In this episode of Leadership, Clearly, Julie Wagner breaks down why listening is one of the most misunderstood leadership skills—and how the “f
The Power of the Pause - How Strong Leaders Communicate Under Pressure
In this episode of Leadership, Clearly, Julie Wagner introduces The Power of the Pause—a leadership discipline every high-capacity woman needs but few actually practice.
Most leadership breakdowns don’t come from bad intent or lack of skill. They come from fast minds, unprocessed emotion, and words spoken too quickly. In this episode, Julie unpacks why the pause isn’t about conflict avoidance, emo
Why Leadership Feels Heavy (And Why the Problem Isn’t You)
Does leadership feel heavy—not because you’re failing, but because you’re winning?
On paper, everything is working. The business is growing, the team is functioning, and the numbers are there. But internally, you feel like you’re running underwater. You wake up bracing for the day, carrying the weight of conversations you haven’t had yet and responsibilities that have no clear boundaries.
In this
The 2025 Leadership Audit - What We’re Leaving Behind and What’s Coming With Us
As 2025 comes to a close, this final episode of the year invites Christian women leaders to pause, reflect, and lead forward with intention.
In The 2025 Leadership Audit, Julie Wagner walks you through a faith-grounded, strategic review of the year - helping you identify what no longer belongs in your leadership, and what must carry forward into 2026.
This episode is designed for Christian women i
Intentional Recognition- The Faith-Driven Leader’s Guide to Building High-Performing Teams
Stop Generic Praise: How to Use Intentional Recognition to Boost Team Engagement
Are you sick of handing out "Great job, team!" praise that lands with the impact of a spam email? You're not alone. Generic recognition is forgettable, vague, and can actually erode the trust you're working so hard to build. If you lead people—whether in the boardroom, the sanctuary, or your own seven-figure business—
Vulnerability & Vision—Faith-Driven Leadership for Kingdom Impact
Created for This Podcast | The V.I.C.T.O.R.Y. Leadership Communication Series
Welcome to the kickoff of the V.I.C.T.O.R.Y. Leadership Communication Series! If you are a Christian leader ready to move beyond burnout and lead with courage, clarity, and Kingdom impact, this episode is for you.
In this powerful episode, Julie Wagner, executive leadership coach, speaker, and worship pastor, dives int
Gratitude in Business: How to Trust God When Your Numbers Are Low
A faith-based episode for entrepreneurs on practicing gratitude, protecting your mental health, and trusting God with your business when the numbers don’t match your expectations.
When your business numbers are low, gratitude can feel like the last thing you want to practice. But as a Christian entrepreneur, gratitude in business is one of the most powerful ways you can trust God, protect your m
Stop the Hustle: Trusting God with Your Business Strategy (Proverbs 3:5-6 for Christian Women Entrepreneurs)
Are you a Christian woman business owner feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or burnt out by the constant hustle?
In this essential episode, host Julie unpacks the powerful promise of Proverbs 3:5-6—“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
This isn't just theory. You'll learn the practical steps
3 | What’s Holding You Back? Overcoming Mindset Blocks
Banish Imposter Syndrome & Step Into Your God-Given Calling | Faith-Driven Leadership
Are mindset barriers dimming your light and holding you back from your God-given calling? You are not alone! In this heartfelt and powerful episode, Julie- a seasoned executive leadership coach, CEO of brandCREATED, and former woman-in-tech leader—lays bare her personal battle. Hear her candid journey of conq
Divine Femininity & The Proverbs 31 Entrepreneur — Leading With Strength, Grace, and Kingdom Purpose
Welcome to Created For This. In today’s episode, Julie shares what it means to lead with both strength and grace as a woman of faith in business. She unpacks the cultural confusion around femininity, the truth behind hustle culture, and how the Proverbs 31 woman is a timeless example for modern entrepreneurs.
You’ll hear honest conversation about the pressures women face, how to embrace your God
Faith Over Fear- Leading with Courage When You Feel Insecure
Are you a Christian woman navigating the challenges of business, leadership, and self-doubt? In this inspiring kickoff episode, Julie Thomas Wagner- certified business and leadership coach, founder of brandCREATED, and champion for faith-driven women, dives deep into the intersection of faith and leadership.
Julie shares her personal journey of transitioning from a successful photography business
Because You Were Never Meant to Blend In — You Were Created to Lead.
Welcome to Created for This - the podcast for women who are ready to lead boldly, live purposefully, and build brands and businesses that reflect their faith.
Hosted by Julie Thomas Wagner - MBA, CEO, executive coach, worship leader, and creative entrepreneur - this show is your weekly dose of practical strategy and biblical truth for life, leadership, and brand building.
Every Monday, you’ll get
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