Have you ever felt like you’re leading… while quietly wondering if you’re lost?

What do you do when you’re not where you used to be, not yet where you thought you’d be, and the map feels a little blurry?

In this episode of The Calm and Confident Leader, Jason Stonehouse sits down with writer, educator, and leadership developer Donna Barber, author of Enough for Today: 40 Reflections for Surviving the Wilderness. Together, they explore the leadership reality we don’t talk about enough, the wilderness seasons.

Not the dramatic collapse.
Not the highlight reel success.
But the in-between.

Donna shares what gets stripped away in the wilderness. The props. The image management. The illusion that leaders are somehow above the earthquake while everyone else feels the tremors. She offers a powerful reminder that leadership does not require superhuman strength. It requires honesty, humility, and the courage to admit we are in it too.

You’ll hear them unpack:

• What wilderness seasons reveal about our fears, insecurities, and misplaced hopes

• How to face fear instead of letting it quietly run the show

• Why perception often fuels fear more than reality

• How to rediscover God in ordinary moments, not just big spiritual events

• The danger of victim thinking and the freedom that comes from owning your role in change

This conversation moves from fog to responsibility, from fear to agency, and from waiting on change to becoming it.

Because here’s the thing.

You are not just surviving your season.
You are being formed in it.

Hosted by Jason Stonehouse, leadership coach and counselor, with guest Donna Barber, writer, educator, co-founder of The Voices Project, and author of Enough for Today.

Resources mentioned:

• voices-project.org

• • donnambarber.com
• • jasonstonehouse.com

• If this episode resonated with you, share it with another leader who might be navigating their own wilderness. And be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode of The Calm and Confident Leader.

Ever walk into a meeting where everyone’s spiraling, and one calm voice changes everything? What if you could be that person?

In this episode of The Calm and Confident Leader, host Jason Stonehouse sits down with transformational executive coach and founder of Sawubona Leadership, Susan Inouye, to talk about how presence, authenticity, and emotional clarity can become your biggest leadership advantages.

With insights from coaching leaders in over 600 companies, Susan shares:

• Why most leaders get change wrong and how to fix it

• How to uncover the natural gifts in your team without using a test

• The underrated power of observing people with curiosity

• How one leadership team doubled profits by simply putting the right people in the right seats

You'll also hear why walking slowly outside might be the secret to becoming a better leader. Really.

To grab a free chapter of Susan’s book, get access to her resources, or book a discovery call, visit:
www.susaninouye.com/CCL

Hosted by Jason Stonehouse, this episode gives you simple, powerful ways to stay grounded while leading through uncertainty.

If you found this helpful, share the episode with a friend and subscribe so you don’t miss the next one.

Ever feel like your whole job is just reacting to other people’s bad decisions with a smile? Like you’re less of a leader and more of a glorified problem sponge?

In this episode, we’re flipping that script.

Host Jason Stonehouse sits down with leadership expert and former British military officer Jimmy Burroughes, who’s led in combat zones and corporate chaos and somehow lived to write a book about it. Together, we unpack how leaders get stuck in the hamster wheel of hyper-responsiveness and more importantly, how to get off without everything catching fire.

This one’s for the leaders who are tired of being everyone's backup plan.

Jason and Jimmy dig deep into why so many leaders spend their days putting out fires instead of moving anything forward and what to do about it. You’ll learn:

• Why your constant availability might be the most expensive thing in your organization

• How to diagnose whether you’re dealing with a skill, will, or blind spot problem on your team

• The simple question that could save you hours of meeting time: “What do you suggest?”

• Why doing $20 tasks when you’re paid to solve $500 problems is killing your momentum

• Practical ways to cut through the noise, build trust, and lead with clarity even if your team isn’t “there” yet

And yes, we talk about why most people are promoted into leadership roles without ever being taught how to lead. Being the best at the job doesn’t mean you’re the best at leading others doing the job.

This episode will challenge your assumptions, simplify your strategy, and help you get your time, energy, and sanity back.

Links from the episode:

• Jimmy’s website: www.jblhighperformance.com

• Jimmy’s book: Beat Burnout Ignite Performance

• Jason’s leadership tool: www.TotalPackagePlaybook.com

• More from Jason: www.JasonStonehouse.com

Listen now. Share with a fellow leader. And make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes.

Because leadership is hard enough. You shouldn’t have to do it alone.