Lifting Leaders Podcast

Happy New Year! What We’re Creating in 2026: Hope-Driven Leadership, Practical Tools & Powerful Conversations

As we step into 2026, we’re inviting you into a bold new chapter of hope-driven, human-centered leadership, one grounded in action, connection, and real-world impact.
This year on Lifting Leaders Podcast, our focus is clear: Light the Spark. Ignite Genuine Hope. Lead the Change.Together, we’ll explore how leaders can create meaningful change, in themselves, their organizations, their communities, and the world, especially in complex and uncertain times.
In 2026, listening goes beyond inspiration. We’ll challenge the idea that hope is simply optimism and instead explore why hope is relational, actionable, and essential for leadership today. Through candid conversations, practical leadership tools, and powerful stories, we’ll show how hope must be practiced and lived or it fades.
Expect episodes that:
Expand how you think about leadership, purpose, and possibility
Offer practical tools you can apply immediately
Explore leadership as a force for connection, courage, and positive change
Ground hope in intention, action, and human relationships
If you’re ready to lead with intention, spark genuine hope, and be part of a leadership community that believes leadership can truly be a force for good, we’d love to have you with us in 2026.
🎧 Subscribe, listen, and join us as we light the spark together.

Year-End Reflections: Leadership, Hope & Gratitude — Wrapping Up 2025 on Lifting Leaders Podcast

As 2025 comes to a close, we’re taking a heartfelt pause to reflect on a powerful year of learning, leadership, and HOPE on the Lifting Leaders Podcast. This special year-end episode looks back at the conversations and guests who shaped our thinking, inspired our courage, and reminded us what’s possible when leaders show up with authenticity and purpose.
Join us as we revisit the stories and insights that quieted our early-year worries and transformed them into clarity, connection, and renewed belief in what leaders can create even in complex times. Our guests shared extraordinary wisdom this season, helping us see leadership through the lens of hope, resilience, curiosity, and possibility.
Most of all, this episode is about gratitude for our remarkable guests, and for YOU. Your presence, engagement, and commitment to leading with intention are the heartbeat of this podcast. You are the reason we show up, week after week, to elevate conversations that move leaders and the world, forward.
Listen in as we wrap up 2025 with appreciation, reflection, and an inspired look ahead to 2026. We can’t wait to continue lifting leaders together in the new year.

Behind the Lens of Love & Art: Pacific Northwest Photography With Robert LaSelle Chism & Sun So

Lifting Leaders Podcast closes out our 2025 guest lineup with a truly inspiring duo: acclaimed Pacific Northwest landscape photographer Robert LaSelle Chism and his life and creativity partner, Sun So, making her debut on the show.
In this visually rich and deeply human conversation, Robert and Sun share the stories, techniques, and artistry behind Robert’s breathtaking Pacific Northwest landscape photography images known for their vibrant color, depth, and mind-bending perspectives. (Yes…including those “how is that even possible?” puddle shots Sun helps direct.)
You’ll hear how these high school sweethearts found their way back to one another after years apart and built a life filled with creativity, collaboration, and purpose. Together, they offer a rare look into what it means to merge love, art, and a shared vision, transforming everyday moments into extraordinary works of photographic storytelling.
If you’re a photography lover, PNW adventurer, artist, creative professional, or simply someone who loves a beautiful real-life love story, this episode will both inspire and delight.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode
How Robert captures iconic Pacific Northwest landscapes with next-level composition
The creative process and partnership behind his stunning photography
Tips for seeing the world through a more artistic lens
How love and reconnection sparked a powerful creative collaboration
Why everyday scenes (even puddles!) can become extraordinary art
Tune in to enjoy an authentic, heart-centered conversation that blends nature, creativity, and the power of partnership. After this episode, you’ll never look at landscape photography—or love—quite the same way again.

What Brings Us Hope: Top Lessons, Insights, and Inspiration From Our Hope Series

As we close out our “What Brings Us Hope” series, we’re taking time to reflect on the most powerful lessons, insights, and stories shared by our extraordinary guests—leaders, creators, innovators, and everyday changemakers who brought hope to life in meaningful ways.
In this episode, we revisit key themes from the series and highlight the surprising insights, moving stories, and memorable moments that resonated with our listeners. We also share discoveries from our two-year research study on HOPE, including what helps people strengthen hope, sustain it during challenges, and amplify it in community.
Whether you’re new to the series or catching up on episodes you missed, this conversation will leave you feeling inspired, grounded, and ready to carry hope into the future.

Sustainable Thanksgiving Tips: How to Celebrate With Gratitude and Care for the Planet

This Thanksgiving week, we’re sharing what we’re most grateful for and exploring creative, eco-friendly ways to celebrate the holiday. In this episode of Lifting Leaders Podcast, we dive into simple, sustainable Thanksgiving ideas, from reducing waste to choosing Earth-friendly traditions, that can make your holiday more meaningful, mindful, and memorable.
Whether you’re cooking, commuting, or prepping for the big feast, tune in for low-effort, high-impact tips that help you honor gratitude while caring for the planet. If you’re looking for sustainable holiday ideas, greener hosting practices, or inspiration for a more intentional Thanksgiving, this episode offers plenty to reflect on.
Give it a listen before Thursday because your future self (and the Earth) may thank you. Happy Thanksgiving!

What Brings Us Hope? Finding Purpose Through Music with John Ondrasik of Five for Fighting

In this inspiring episode of Lifting Leaders Podcast, we continue our “What Brings Us Hope” series with Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and activist John Ondrasik, best known as Five for Fighting.
Recorded just minutes before he stepped onstage, John shares a powerful reflection on music, courage, and hope in a world facing immense challenges. Through songs that spotlight some of humanity’s most painful struggles, he uses his platform to raise awareness, compassion, and purpose-driven action.
Listen as John opens up about his creative journey and what fuels his mission to inspire hope, lessons he’s learned from some of the world’s most oppressed yet resilient people and the importance of aligning your actions to your values even when it’s difficult.
This heartfelt conversation will move you to think differently about leadership, purpose, and the quiet power of hope in action.
Listen now and be reminded that even in dark times, one voice and one song, can make a world of difference.

Finding Hope When Life Feels Heavy: How to Rise Out of Hopelessness

Feeling overwhelmed or hopeless? You’re not alone. In this Lifting Leaders Podcast episode, Kristal Roberts and Tricia Rhine share practical ways to rise out of hopelessness and rediscover hope through small, intentional actions—like self-care, gratitude, and shifting your mindset. Tune in and learn how to rebuild resilience, nurture emotional wellbeing, and move forward with grace.

Leading with Hope: How Jeni Craswell is Transforming Community Leadership from the Inside Out

In this episode of Lifting Leaders Podcast, we continue our “What Brings Us Hope” series with a powerful conversation with Jeni Craswell, President & CEO of Leadership Eastside.Jeni shares how courageous, values-based leadership can transform not only organizations but entire communities. As co-chair of the visionary team that created the first community-focused adaptive leadership curriculum for LE, she’s helping local leaders build the mindset and capacity to address complex social challenges collaboratively.
Discover how initiatives like Eastside Pathways are creating thriving, equitable communities through trust, connection, and shared purpose. Jeni offers wisdom on aligning who you are and what you value with the work you do, reminding us that real change begins within. Tune in for inspiration on how to lead with hope and courage in times of change, build leadership capacity across communities, and foster collaboration, equity, and belonging. Listen now to be inspired to lead differently, starting with yourself.

The Power of an Intermission: Renew Hope, Creativity & Purpose

This week on Lifting Leaders Podcast, we explore the power of pressing pause. In a world that glorifies busyness, intentional rest can feel risky—but it’s often where hope, resilience, and creativity return. Learn how taking an intermission can restore well-being, spark innovation, and renew your sense of purpose as a leader and human being.

“Hope Is a Verb: Daily Habits for Resilient Leaders & Well-Being”

Continuing our “What Brings Us Hope” series, we explore what our Hope Survey reveals about how people sustain hopein daily life and leadership. Discover simple, research-backed practices that build resilience, strengthen well-being, and help leaders stay grounded when challenges arise.
Hope is a verb — and we all have a role in keeping it alive.