The Emotionally Healthy Leader Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Most of us were trained to look for God in the big moments — the breakthrough, the open door, the dramatic call. But what if God is most consistently present in the ordinary moments we rush past every day?

In this episode, I want to share a 500-year-old practice that has quietly transformed my leadership, my marriage, and my relationship with God. It's called the Examen — and I believe it may be the single most underused tool in the modern pastor's spiritual formation toolkit.

I'll take you through the history of this practice, born out of the life of Ignatius of Loyola — a soldier brought low by a cannonball who discovered that God speaks through our interior movements. I'll share the 2-question version you can start today, and the fuller 4-movement practice the Jesuits have done twice a day for five centuries.

This isn't theory. I'll be honest with you about the years I spent pushing past the heaviness in my chest — misreading desolation as something to overcome rather than something to hear. What I missed cost me. You don't have to miss it too.

The Examen interrupts the cycle of leading from wounds and repeating old patterns. It teaches discernment, not just decision-making. And it begins with just two questions.

Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)

Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612

Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference

Free Resource: Download the Day Alone with God Guide at emotionallyhealthy.org/sabbath

Most leaders I know have a daily time with God. Very few ever stop long enough to actually hear Him.

There's a difference between a longer quiet time and a day alone with God. One sustains you. The other re-orders you. And if you're honest, you know the difference—because you've felt what happens when your life gets disordered and nothing seems to bring it back into focus.

In this episode, I'm walking you through how to spend a half day—or full day—alone with God, and why this practice may be the most important thing missing from your leadership right now. We'll look at how Jesus, Moses, Elijah, and Anna all built extended withdrawal into their lives with God—not as a luxury, but as a necessity.

I'll also share a simple six-movement structure you can use right away, along with the fears and resistances that keep most leaders from ever doing this.

Your leadership will only go as deep as your life with God. You cannot give what you don't have.

This episode could change everything.

Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)

Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612

Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference

Interruptions. We hate them. They mess with our schedules, our comfort, our control. But what if the interruptions in your life are actually invitations from God?

In this episode of the Emotionally Healthy Leader Podcast, Pete Scazzero unpacks how the Christmas story is filled with divine disruptions—from Mary and Joseph, to Herod, to the Magi, and even the religious leaders of the day. Each response to interruption reveals something profound about our own leadership, our spiritual formation, and the God we serve.

Pete invites you to consider:

• What interruptions are coming your way right now?
• Are you resisting, ignoring, or receiving them?
• And what practices can help you stop, listen, and respond like Mary did: “May it be to me as you have said.”

This episode is a vital listen as we enter the holidays and close out the year. God is still interrupting lives—and He may be trying to get your attention.

Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)

Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612

Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference

Today on the podcast, I share a part of an interview I did earlier this year with the Canadian Church Leaders Network.

I expanded upon what I see as one of God's purposes for pouring out His Spirit - giving us the power to die.

Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)

Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612

Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference

For too many years, I thought being a peacemaker was simply being a nice person.

Because of this illusion, I spiritualized my conflict avoidance and created a culture in my church where everyone pretended things were ok. This is the definition of false peace.

In the second part of this series, we explore how Jesus disrupted false peace by cleansing the temple. If you're a people-pleaser, this is a critical message for our day!

Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)

Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612

Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference

I spent my early years avoiding conflict. True peacemaking, when understood correctly, actually comes through disrupting false peace.

In today's podcast, I share a sermon that goes deeper into this new understanding. I assure you...it changes everything.

Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)

Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612

Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference

Many pastors have been professionally educated and extensively trained.

The problem is – we are facing a massive discipleship crisis. I've found that much of our training doesn't help get at the root of this problem.

Deep change requires a new kind of training.

In today's episode, I cast a biblical vision for why training is not a "once and done" experience but a lifestyle we are called to.

Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)

Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612

Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference

Have you ever stopped to consider what season you are in?

Spring, summer, fall, or winter?

When we ignore the reality of our season, not only do we constantly feel like we're missing it, but we are unable to receive the unique gifts of God.

On today's podcast, together we'll explore how to discern and navigate our unique leadership seasons.

Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)

Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612

Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference

For many leaders, the pain and failure that come with leadership are often too much to bear. 

But the truth is – pain and failure are some of God's greatest gifts to us.

Why? Because it is the only way we will mature into the unique leaders He has destined us to become. In today's podcast episode, I'll show you how to perceive the challenges of leadership as gifts from the Father.

Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)

Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612

Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference

Have you ever returned from vacation tired and empty?

As we enter into the summer months in North America, we have an opportunity to completely re-think the way we take our vacations from a biblical perspective.

On today's podcast, I explore what you must do BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER your vacation in order for you to get the rest and restoration you need.

Reserve your spot at our upcoming Global Leaders Conference.
September 30 – October 1, 2026
14th St. Salvation Army, NYC
(Live Spanish Translation available)

Register Now: https://ehd.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3421612

Learn more about the EH Global Leader Conference 2026: emotionallyhealthy.org/conference