Send us a text It's easy to get caught up in wanting to write in a certain "way." The way you think writers are "supposed" to write. Seriously, the world does not need more bland, over processed writing. AI is already doing an excellent job pumping lots of boring but useful information into the world. The world, in particular, your ideal clients, c…

Send us a text Our "mojo" is what makes us distinct from the many other folks who offer similar products and services. AND it can be challenging to find words that capture the essence of our mojo. Which is why I'm a big fan of creating mojo products that capture not only what we do but the unique way in which we do our work! Here are my thoughts an…

Andy thinks this recent election marked the end of the 20th century. Andy and Derek are joined by special guest Rev. David J. Wood to discuss what the election means for faith communities and how our rich tradition of faith & theology can shape our imaginations to lead congregations during these historic times.…

Send us a text How often does another person say to you "I appreciate you"? Probably not very often. It's not because people don't appreciate you. It's because in our relentlessly results-oriented culture, we rarely take a moment to pause and remember the people who are making a profound, positive difference in our lives. After my dad died I decide…

Send us a text There are so many resources available telling us exactly what we need to do to have a successful business. And yet, there remains a very large gap between what most of us aspire to and where we actually are. In my experience, I first need to tend to my own stuff, to do my root work. Until I do, I can work my butt off and still may be…

Send us a text As human beings we long to belong and be approved of by our peers. However, if you are someone who is mission-focused and wants to make a positive difference you are going to be criticized by some people. It simply comes with the territory. In 2025 I encourage you to take be your authentic self even though it may not feel comfortable…

Send us a text Everyone loves when referrals work out but sometimes they don't. Here's what I learned as a client when a referral didn't go well. And how what i learned applies now as a business owner interested in making sure when I'm the one being referred that every goes well for all parties involved.…

Send us a text There is a crazy myth in marketing world that the minute you launch a new product or service it will take off like gangbusters. This is a myth. It is B.S. It take time and experimentation to create sales momentum. It takes time to gain visibility and it takes time and creativity to come up with a compelling offer. This is the nature …

Send us a text Ah money! You can't have a business without it and money tends to be an especially fraught issue for women. Even for women who are very successful entrepreneurs and business owners. In this episode, Laura offers her practical, compassionate perspective on how she helps and empowers women around asking for, earning, and having money.…

Send us a text You have a wonderful service or creation and you do your best to create marketing that speaks clearly to your right-fit people. Yet, not many people taking you up on your offer. What's going on? Here's one reason your offers may not be getting to "yes."بقلم Judy Murdoch

Send us a text When you are a heart-centered, mission-focused business owner who wants to make a positive difference, your first impulse is usually to share your solution. You want people to know "Hey, I can help you!" Unfortunately when you lead with your solution people tend not to keep reading. Here's why and here's what to do instead.…

Send us a text In our carefully curated, influencer-centric media world, people are hungry for being with "real" human beings. This shows up in our business relationships as well. Although it may feel challenging, your right-fit customers and clients really DO want to experience the "real" you. Your character assets AND liabilities are what make yo…

Send us a text Just about everyone in the marketing world says, "Yes, absolutely!" But I disagree especially when you are the one showing up to promote and talk about your business. Here's why.بقلم Judy Murdoch

With the election in America approaching there has been much talk of churches and pastors being in a "Bonhoeffer moment". Andy looks at Bonhoeffer's time vs. ours and what it means for us in ministry.بقلم When Church Stops Working

Send us a text If you're a mission-focused, heart-centered person like me sales is not your favorite part of having a business. You may like the relational part of business, nurturing relationships but asking for money, ugh. We don't have to be sleazy hard-driving salespeople but we do need to find a way to make peace with the idea of sales and the…

Send us a text One of my favorite marketing ideas is to find ways to package your magic so that your right-fit clients and customers can benefit from what from your work and the unique style you bring to your work. All of us a vast amount of knowledge and expertise and each of us has a very unique way of expressing this and helping others. A great …

Send us a text Here's what this episode is not: I am not going to try to convince you to believe your way out of your situation. Nor am I going to suggest a million daily affirmations will enable you to manifest what you want. I'm am going to share a very practical way to articulate your problem in a way that empowers you rather than leaves you fee…

Send us a text I spent much of my adult life trying to feel better about myself. To feel like, yes, I mattered and could make a difference using my gifts. But not matter what I tried from Course in Miracles to The Law of Attraction, nothing really shifted. Yes, my mind was all in and really wanted what was promised in these programs. My body was no…

Send us a text One of the harder lessons I’ve learned is that sometimes the very best thing we can do is to allow people to fail. It is not our job to rescue clients and customers when they make less-than-ideal decisions. In fact, I’d argue when our motive is to rescue someone because we think they’re making a mistake, it’s all about us feeling goo…

Send us a text Small businesses and solopreneurs often use marketing as a way to make themselves look good; like they've got it together and offer huge value. Ironically, this often has the effect of pushing people away. We're so focused on making ourselves look cool and amazing that we end up intimidating our audience; making them feel unsafe. The…

Send us a text There are a lot of dynamics, internal and external that suggest we should worry about the people who don't like/aren't interested in our creations and services. Unfortunately when we focus on the "no's" we stay small and invisible. To connect with the people who genuinely want our creations and services it's important we focus on the…

Send us a text Becky Lyter McCleery has been creating and hosting summits for years. As a marketer I love how Becky's summits offer lots of visibility for experts, visibility for her own business, and value for the audience. I love when marketing creates visibility and value for everyone involved. Her summits are a win for all everyone involved. Su…

Send us a text When you email or post an offer or invitation, most people will ignore it or forget about it even if they are genuinely interested and would benefit by saying yes. This is because people are incredibly busy and usually pay attention only to the things that are calling the loudest for their immediate response. This means we, business …

Send us a text In this podcast I talk with Reme Mancera, a strategist who specializes in helping her clients create "Personal Brand Stories." In today's noisy, cluttered marketplace it can feel daunting to create a brand identity that is distinctive let alone one that authentically reflects who you are. Reme uses a specific framework to lead client…

Send us a text We all think we know how word of mouth marketing works because it comes naturally to us. I think it's useful to share word of mouth marketing success stories because they bring how how word of mouth works and helps us understand how it can work for our business. My dad was a family dentist for over 40 years. He was an excellent denti…

Derek's peloton has started preaching to him and he feels weird about it. Andy thinks this is because we live in an age of secular mysticism, and it has a lot to do with how the Church can preach to the Secular Age.بقلم New Time Religion

Send us a text To become more visible and connect with more ideal people, I thought being a podcast guest was the way to go. Alas, I discovered it's hard to be a podcast guest when the podcasts that seem to be a "good fit" are steeped in "social influence style" and I strongly dislike this popular trend. Do I suck it up and pitch to podcasts even i…

Send us a text In the world of entrepreneurs it's common to hear the advice "suck it up" and you'll be glad you did when you're making all that money, enjoying fame, etc. But is that true? Do we really have to do things that feel out of alignment with who we are to create what we want? Here's my experience and what I've learned.…

Send us a text There is so much advice out there showing us "how" our marketing should sound. And there are a lot of clever ideas out there telling us how we can be seen and stand out. In my experience, however, what our audience wants most is US; imperfect, a little messy but being who we really are. In this podcast I share my personal journey goi…

Send us a text We tend to think of our inner critic as a kind of "touch love" coach who just wants us to be our best self. But after having a little chat with my own inner critic I learned that, no, what she really wants is to keep me safe as a respected member of the tribe. So how do we help this fierce mama bear back down so we can move forward?…

Send us a text It feels really good to refer people to someone who does good work. Really! People love to send referrals. However, it's quite possible you could be making it a lot easier for people to send clients and customers. In this episode I explain the mistake many of us make in our marketing and what we can do to make ourselves a lot more re…

Send us a text When it comes to doing the things that make our creations more visible in the world, there is no greater obstacle than ourselves. Specifically those gremlins who live in us who want to keep us safe and invisible. How do we get our shadow gremlins to back down and give us some breathing room? In this episode I share a real example of …

It's an interesting time for congregations and Children's Ministry. Andy talks about why a theological turn for Children's Ministry is sorely needed for churches today.بقلم newtimereligion

If you watch a sports event in the US, gambling ads are everywhere. Andy thinks this is a sign that our society is turning to a bunch of pagans. Instead of trying to find happiness in stuff, Andy thinks we should turn to the wisdom of 17th century thinker Blaise Pascal and embrace our own emptiness and brokenness instead.…

Swear words don't seem to pack the same punch anymore, and Andy thinks it all has to do with the decline of protestantism and the "polite society". It turns out that this also has some big ministry implications for those of us here in the Secular Age. With the topic, this episode features some salty language & swear words. Be sure to grab Andy's bo…

Derek's children are addicted to YouTube Kids and Andy thinks it's all connected to the work of Byung-Chul Han and Martin Heidegger. YouTube along with other social media, are vapid reflections of us that don't call us further into our own being, and that's the problem. Andy and Derek discuss. Be sure to grab Andy's book "When Church Stops Working"…

We're back from a hiatus with more new episodes to come! Andy attends a graduation ceremony held in a church where the school papered over God's name on the wall. What does this say about the secular age we live in? What's the deeper meaning for those of us in minisry? Andy's **brand new** book "WHEN CHURCH STOPS WORKING" is out now. Grab it on Ama…

Aliens have been in the news a bit, and Derek wants to know what Andy thinks would happen to the Church if aliens are real. Andy's **brand new** book "WHEN CHURCH STOPS WORKING" is out now. Grab it on Amazon or, better yet, your local bookstore. Special thanks to Baker Publishing for sponsoring our podcast.…

Churches are obsessed with mission statements, but Andy thinks that watch words are even more important. Andy's **brand new** book "WHEN CHURCH STOPS WORKING" is out now. Grab it on Amazon or, better yet, your local bookstore. Special thanks to Baker Publishing for sponsoring our podcast.بقلم When Church Stops Working

Andy thinks there's something deeply wrong with having "bucket lists". Andy's **brand new** book "WHEN CHURCH STOPS WORKING" is out now. Grab it on Amazon or, better yet, your local bookstore. Special thanks to Baker Publishing for sponsoring our podcast.بقلم When Church Stops Working

Andy sent Derek a text at 1:00am about our modern desire to look backward at life. It led them to talk about the Holy Land, cathedrals, whiskey, and the tension in modern youth ministry. Be sure to grab Andy's brand new book - The Church After Innovation - out now. Get your copy on Amazon today along with all of Andy's other books. Special thanks t…

Andy likes a streaming TV show about Jesus and says it's good. Derek is skeptical. This leads to a conversation about art, faith, beauty, truth, and the Church. Be sure to grab Andy's brand new book - The Church After Innovation - out now. Get your copy on Amazon today along with all of Andy's other books. Special thanks to Baker Publishing for spo…

The robots are coming for us all. Andy is worried it has the potential to take away the meaning from artistic expression and end the Age of Authenticity. Derek, on the other hand, uses it to enhance his sermons. Only time can tell who is right. Be sure to grab Andy's brand new book - The Church After Innovation - out now. Get your copy on Amazon to…

Everyone talks about how "different" these times are for culture and for the Church. Andy doesn't think so. In fact, Andy doesn't think much has changed since the 1960s, and this insight has some big implications for ministry today. Be sure to grab Andy's brand new book - The Church After Innovation - out now. Get your copy on Amazon today along wi…

Andy doesn't think that you should say you're "proud of yourself". It's a throwaway phrase that we use all the time, but Andy thinks there's something more going on there. It turns out there's a lot in this simple phrase about how we see our lives, how we engage with church and spirituality, and how we get sucked into the toxic positivity of self h…

It's cold outside which makes it a perfect time for Andy's TV recommendations. This time Andy discusses a new show on HBO which leads to a larger conversation about how to embrace the uncontrollable. It turns out that sometimes trying to control everything squeezes the life out of us and our ministries. Be sure to grab Andy's brand new book - The C…

We're excited for another listener question episode - this time from Matthew Codd. Fundamentalism is rampant on both sides of modern politics, social media, and even the Church. Andy has thoughts on this and what it means for those of us in ministry. Be sure to grab Andy's brand new book - The Church After Innovation - out now. Get your copy on Ama…

Andy has a big problem with saying "you're fine" after someone apologizes. And it all has to do with our culture's desire for singular uniqueness and the constant state of judging each other. It turns out this little phrase reveals big implications for the Church and our society. Be sure to grab Andy's brand new book - The Church After Innovation -…

This week Pastor Andrew Esqueda has a great question for the pod about the tension church leaders feel balancing relevance & resonance. Andy also has a *brand new book* - The Church After Innovation - out now. Get your copy on Amazon today along with all of Andy's other books. Special thanks to Baker Publishing for sponsoring our podcast.…

Ministry is hard in a world of black-and-white divisive issues, political polarization, and different opinions. How can leaders make sense of it all? Andy thinks that Karl Barth might have some clues - especially when we take a step back to let "God be God". Special thanks to our sponsor Baker Publishing. New episodes drop every other week. Thanks …