Explore every episode of the podcast Meditations on Leadership with Don Carpenter

In today’s episode, “The Stillness That Leads,” Don reflects on the power of contemplation and silence as essential foundations for grounded, authentic leadership.

Joining him is Jack Carpenter — a lifelong mentor, spiritual guide, and Don’s uncle. Jack served with Young Life from 1961 to 2015, including over 20 years as a regional director. He and his wife Judith raised four children, spent twelve years living and working on the campus of Dana Hall School, and later moved to Maine, where they continued their shared commitment to spiritual formation and youth development.

Throughout his life, Jack has helped launch numerous youth-focused initiatives, served on the Governor’s Committee for Mentoring Youth, and founded Youth Forum Maine, a rural leadership project inspired by Youth Forum Minnesota, where he has served as Executive Director for over the past 30 years.

This conversation is a quiet invitation to consider how stillness — far from being the absence of leadership — may in fact be its most powerful source.

To learn more about Don's work, upcoming offerings, and leadership resources, visit carpentercompanyconsulting.com

If something in today’s episode spoke to you, I hope you’ll subscribe and continue the journey with me — because leadership begins within.

Episode #2 – Let Them See You 

In this episode, Don reflects on the courage it takes to let others truly see us, not just as leaders who have answers, but as people still learning, growing, and wrestling with our own doubts. He shares how authenticity deepens trust and creates space for real connection.

Joining Don for this conversation is Professor Dean Borgman - mentor, theologian, and longtime leader in youth work. Together, they explore how transparency shapes leadership, teaching, and walking alongside others. Dean shares hard-won wisdom from decades of love and loss, guiding young people, training leaders, and teaching students, inviting us to consider how the courage to be seen transforms not only our leadership but also ourselves and others in return. 

To learn more about Don's work, upcoming offerings, and leadership resources, visit carpentercompanyconsulting.com

If something in today’s episode spoke to you, I hope you’ll subscribe and continue the journey with me — because leadership begins within.

This episode of Meditations on Leadership begins with Meditation #17: The Broker, Not the Keeper, a reflection on collaboration—why it’s harder than we often admit, and how real partnership requires trust, belonging, and agency.

Don is then joined by Molly Feeney, Executive Director of Homeworthy, the only dedicated homeless service agency serving Knox, Waldo, and parts of Lincoln County, Maine. With a background that spans teaching in a youth detention facility, leading a residential treatment school, and now guiding Homeworthy through growth and transformation, Molly’s leadership embodies courage, equity, and compassion. Together, Don and Molly explore what it takes to meet people where they are, build communities of belonging, and practice collaboration not as competition, but as culture.

To learn more about Don's work, upcoming offerings, and leadership resources, visit carpentercompanyconsulting.com

If something in today’s episode spoke to you, I hope you’ll subscribe and continue the journey with me — because leadership begins within.

This episode of Meditations on Leadership opens with Meditation #9: The Message Is You, a reflection on how true leadership is remembered less for eloquent words and more for authentic presence—the way a leader makes others feel seen, safe, and valued.

Don is then joined by Owen McCarthy, co-founder of MedRhythms, former trustee of the University of Maine System, and now board chair of the Rural Futures Fund. Raised in Patten, Maine, Owen’s journey has taken him from UMaine to Harvard Business School to leading at the intersections of healthcare, education, business, and public service. As he steps into a new chapter, bringing his leadership into a run for governor of Maine, Owen shares what it means to lead with integrity, vision, and a deep love for his home state. Together, Don and Owen explore friendship, transitions, and why leadership at its best is about building bridges and opening doors.

To learn more about Don's work, upcoming offerings, and leadership resources, visit carpentercompanyconsulting.com

If something in today’s episode spoke to you, I hope you’ll subscribe and continue the journey with me — because leadership begins within.

This episode of Meditations on Leadership opens with Meditation #1: The Art of Letting Go, reflecting on the challenge of knowing when to hold on and when to release. Don is then joined by Megan Taft, the first Executive Director of the Rural Youth Institute, a new nonprofit dedicated to advancing rural youth development. Together they talk about Meg’s journey as a relationship-centered leader, the future of rural youth work, and the transition now underway as Don steps back from leading the Rural Futures Fund—a foundation that is sunsetting at the end of this year—and passes the keys to Meg to carry the work forward through the Rural Youth Institute. Learn more at RuralYouthInstitute.org

To learn more about Don's work, upcoming offerings, and leadership resources, visit carpentercompanyconsulting.com

If something in today’s episode spoke to you, I hope you’ll subscribe and continue the journey with me — because leadership begins within.

Episode 3: Ripple of Influence

Every leader carries an energy that ripples outward — shaping culture, relationships, and the sustainability of the work long after they leave the room. In this episode, Don reads his meditation Ripple of Influence, reflecting on the unseen ways our presence becomes the real ROI of leadership.

Joining Don is longtime friend and colleague Joseph Hufnagel, Director of The Landing Place at Homeworthy. Their conversation explores how leaders feed the energies that matter most, the practices that build self-awareness, and the legacy of influence we leave in the lives of others. Together, they wrestle with the deeper challenge of cultivating cultures and communities that can thrive beyond our direct leadership.

You can learn more about Joseph's work at:

https://homeworthy.org/the-landing-place 

To learn more about Don's work, upcoming offerings, and leadership resources, visit carpentercompanyconsulting.com

If something in today’s episode spoke to you, I hope you’ll subscribe and continue the journey with me — because leadership begins within.

Episode 7 — Leading Without Hidden Agendas 

In this episode of Meditations on Leadership, Don Carpenter sits down with Dr. Jacqueline “Jackie” Edmondson, President of the University of Southern Maine. A first-generation college student who grew up in rural America, Jackie’s journey from the piano bench to the presidency of one of Maine’s largest public universities is a story of courage, curiosity, and purpose.

Together, Don and Jackie explore what it means to lead from wholeness rather than need — to show up in service without hidden agendas, and to trust that authenticity is the foundation of real influence. Along the way, Jackie reflects on her early mentors, her lifelong love of music, and what she’s learned about leadership through decades of teaching, writing, and leading in higher education.

If you’ve ever found yourself giving from emptiness instead of overflow, this conversation offers a gentle reminder: leadership that endures begins on the inside.

To learn more about Don's work, upcoming offerings, and leadership resources, visit carpentercompanyconsulting.com

If something in today’s episode spoke to you, I hope you’ll subscribe and continue the journey with me — because leadership begins within.

What happens when leadership is guided not by power, but by love?

In this episode, Don explores the tension between love and control - and what it really means to lead with honesty, courage, and care. Based on his meditation “When Love Leads,” Don reflects on how love, when practiced in leadership, doesn’t soften accountability - it deepens it.

Joining him is Alan Furth, co-founder of the Cobscook Institute and a lifelong educator whose work has been rooted in peace, honesty, respect, and empowerment - with love intentionally at the core. Together, they talk about the difference between control and care, the courage it takes to hold both truth and compassion, and how leadership grounded in love can transform people, organizations, and communities.

Because when love leads, power finds its proper place - and people rise.

To learn more about Don's work, upcoming offerings, and leadership resources, visit carpentercompanyconsulting.com

If something in today’s episode spoke to you, I hope you’ll subscribe and continue the journey with me — because leadership begins within.

In this episode of Meditations on Leadership, Don reflects on Dr. Richard Schwartz’s Internal Family Systems model and what it means to lead from the grounded center of the Self. He’s joined by Bill Burke, founder of The Optimism Institute, former CEO of The Weather Channel, and host of the Blue Sky podcast, to explore how optimism, presence, and inner clarity shape authentic leadership. Together, they consider how the best leaders create safety within themselves - and, in doing so, invite others to do the same. 

To learn more about Don's work, upcoming offerings, and leadership resources, visit carpentercompanyconsulting.com

If something in today’s episode spoke to you, I hope you’ll subscribe and continue the journey with me — because leadership begins within.