Best Intentionalleadership Podcasts (2025)

Creekside thoughts about endings and new beginnings in corporate and personal life - inspired by Dr. Henry Cloud's book "Necessary Endings." Intentionally saying goodbye or hello to metabolize an ending and keep moving forward.

1
Field Report-Fly Fishing Storytelling (Unedited) 2:56

Play Pause

5M ago2:56

2:56

An invitation into spacious places of friendship.

1
Bending the Map-Refusing to Face Reality 26:35

5M ago26:35

26:35

A life principle learned in the field. We had to choose between insisting the trail still existed and following our original plan, or admitting that our maps and the terrain were inaccurate.

1
Field Report-Bagpipes and Goodbyes (Unedited) 6:15

6M ago6:15

6:15

I reflect on a cherished memory of a dear friend and the moving farewell during his funeral as bagpipes played Amazing Grace.

1
Field Report-Sabbath Poems Pikes Peak (Unedited) 3:41

6M ago3:41

3:41

Inspired by Wendell Berry's Sabbath series, this is my take on a Sabbath Poem with reflections, outdoor exploration, and meaningful connection.

1
Field Report-The Monk in Me (Unedited) 3:40

6M ago3:40

3:40

I’m built for a monastic life but navigate the corporate world, a challenging balance to thrive in.

1
Field Report-Super Better (Unedited) 8:03

6M ago8:03

8:03

Becoming Super Better while I'm kind to myself in my corporate life.

1
Field Report-The Integrated Life (Unedited) 8:24

7M ago8:24

8:24

Warren Bennis said, "Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple and it is also that difficult."

1
Field Report-When You Feel Destabilized (Unedited) 7:42

7M ago7:42

7:42

How do we keep our heart forward? How do we stay grounded and centered?

1
Field Report-I Choose a Life (Unedited) 6:22

7M ago6:22

6:22

The life I choose was an impossible dream a decade ago.

1
Hunt Your Longings -Sabbath Poem 3:20

7M ago3:20

3:20

1
Field Report-The Outlaw is the Radical (Unedited) 4:45

8M ago4:45

4:45

Be human and remind everyone else of their humanity.

1
Field Report-Strenuous Wholeness (Unedited) 5:14

8M ago5:14

5:14

The hard but rewarding effort to live fully and authentically, integrating all parts of yourself amidst life's challenges.

1
Field Report-Hard with Heart Forward (Unedited) 8:40

8M ago8:40

8:40

Doing hard things with heart is the only way.

1
Analog Mode-Sabbath Poem 3:07

8M ago3:07

3:07

A sabbath poem reflection about a trip in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado.

1
Field Report-Firsts (Unedited) 5:32

9M ago5:32

5:32

Firsts are challenging, exhilarating, and draining.

1
Field Report-To Be Believed In (Unedited) 3:51

9M ago3:51

3:51

The importance of believing in others and telling them.

1
Field Report-Start Here Introduction 3:12

9M ago3:12

3:12

Unedited recordings from the front lines of my journey. Sixteen months ago, I took on a new, all-consuming career assignment—amazing and demanding every bit of me. Along the way, I’ve cataloged ideas, insights, and transformational stories to share. Welcome to Field Reports: raw, real, and simple adventure updates. Keep going, friends. Aaron…

1
Why I Believe Work Life Balance is a Myth 12:39

2+ y ago12:39

12:39

Let go of work-life balance and embrace the unforced rhythms of a fully integrated life. I used to think that work-life balance was achievable. Now I believe it is a myth. No matter how hard I tried, I could never achieve this perfect moment of everything in my life working in perfect Zen harmony and balance. I felt so exhausted trying to stay in b…

1
Friendship-The Journey Impossible Alone 25:38

2+ y ago25:38

25:38

Today, I'm in the interview seat again. Today's topic Friendship and the journey of life impossible to accomplish alone. (Carl Richards) Greetings from the Joy Bus. My name's Carl Richards, and I am your host today of the Work Life Play podcast. I've taken over from Aaron. It was an invitation, but I fully accepted the invitation to interview Aaron…

1
A Decade of Work Life Play Anniversary Edition 57:22

2+ y ago57:22

57:22

In this decade anniversary celebration episode, Morgan Snyder is in the studio to interview me. For me, though, Work Life Play has no periods, no exclamation marks, no hyphens in between. It's all one integrated together story. It's taken me 10 years to articulate what it is I've been chasing the whole time. Enjoy this friends and Keep Going- Aaron…

1
Working Vacations: Why we do it and how to stop 6:42

3y ago6:42

6:42

Friends, I released ten new podcast episodes to celebrate my Decade Anniversary of Work Life Play. I'm proud to share these little gems with you. I know they will help you live more fully in your adventure, explore a well-lived life and find more meaning in your daily experience. A decade agoI began podcasting in 2012 with borrowed equipment, no tr…

1
Reach for the stuff that's real 4:39

3y ago4:39

4:39

Friends, I released ten new podcast episodes to celebrate my Decade Anniversary of Work Life Play. I'm proud to share these little gems with you. I know they will help you live more fully in your adventure, explore a well-lived life and find more meaning in your daily experience. A decade agoI began podcasting in 2012 with borrowed equipment, no tr…

1
Paying Attention to Being On and Off Purpose 6:27

3y ago6:27

6:27

Friends, I released ten new podcast episodes to celebrate my Decade Anniversary of Work Life Play. I'm proud to share these little gems with you. I know they will help you live more fully in your adventure, explore a well-lived life and find more meaning in your daily experience. A decade agoI began podcasting in 2012 with borrowed equipment, no tr…

1
Losing our sense of frontier in life 3:22

3y ago3:22

3:22

Friends, I released ten new podcast episodes to celebrate my Decade Anniversary of Work Life Play. I'm proud to share these little gems with you. I know they will help you live more fully in your adventure, explore a well-lived life and find more meaning in your daily experience. A decade agoI began podcasting in 2012 with borrowed equipment, no tr…

1
Transmission for the Outsider 2:56

3y ago2:56

2:56

Friends, I released ten new podcast episodes to celebrate my Decade Anniversary of Work Life Play. I'm proud to share these little gems with you. I know they will help you live more fully in your adventure, explore a well-lived life and find more meaning in your daily experience. A decade agoI began podcasting in 2012 with borrowed equipment, no tr…

1
570+ Days of Running: The Joy of Being Alive 2:55

3y ago2:55

2:55

Friends, I released ten new podcast episodes to celebrate my Decade Anniversary of Work Life Play. I'm proud to share these little gems with you. I know they will help you live more fully in your adventure, explore a well-lived life and find more meaning in your daily experience. A decade agoI began podcasting in 2012 with borrowed equipment, no tr…

1
We are Not Human Doings 1:38

3y ago1:38

1:38

Friends, I released ten new podcast episodes to celebrate my Decade Anniversary of Work Life Play. I'm proud to share these little gems with you. I know they will help you live more fully in your adventure, explore a well-lived life and find more meaning in your daily experience. A decade agoI began podcasting in 2012 with borrowed equipment, no tr…

1
Why Not Today! Everybody should go big 8:08

3y ago8:08

8:08

Friends, I released ten new podcast episodes to celebrate my Decade Anniversary of Work Life Play. I'm proud to share these little gems with you. I know they will help you live more fully in your adventure, explore a well-lived life and find more meaning in your daily experience. A decade agoI began podcasting in 2012 with borrowed equipment, no tr…

1
Dropping the Rock 5:42

3y ago5:42

5:42

Friends, I released ten new podcast episodes to celebrate my Decade Anniversary of Work Life Play. I'm proud to share these little gems with you. I know they will help you live more fully in your adventure, explore a well-lived life and find more meaning in your daily experience. A decade agoI began podcasting in 2012 with borrowed equipment, no tr…

1
A Brave Conversation with Yourself 1:58

3y ago1:58

1:58

Friends, I released ten new podcast episodes to celebrate my Decade Anniversary of Work Life Play. I'm proud to share these little gems with you. I know they will help you live more fully in your adventure, explore a well-lived life and find more meaning in your daily experience. A decade agoI began podcasting in 2012 with borrowed equipment, no tr…

1
A good story is not a straight line 6:31

4y ago6:31

6:31

Friends, today I wanna talk about how zigzag lines make for a better story. So, good story is not a straight line I heard a friend say just recently. And it really arrested my attention mostly because I wish it wasn't true. Intellectually I know this idea, like, it makes sense. Like when you listen to the arc of a story, the hero's journey, all of …

1
The Integrity of Yes and NO 6:13

4y ago6:13

6:13

Friends, I've been thinking. I've been thinking about the slippery slope, the slippery slope of...as humans, as leaders, we find ourselves in a place progressively over time far from where we intended to be or accidentally just waking up one day and finding that we're in a place that no longer looks familiar or is no longer desirable. I've found my…

1
To Be Lists 3:38

4y ago3:38

3:38

Friends, this is Aaron. And I've been thinking. I've been thinking about to-do lists versus to-be lists. One of my mentors these last few years introduced me to the idea of a to-be list. I really shook my head at first. Like you mean like to be, as in like to be and to not be? What do you mean, to be? Well, she went on to talk about how each of us …

1
Ten years of living forward 7:07

4y ago7:07

7:07

Today I want to share something more intimate with you about pain and living forward. Earlier this year, my family and I we honored the 10-year anniversary of our daughter Hadley's passing and her death in 2011. And I found myself for a couple months, just feeling the... I don't even know if weight is the right word, but just the honoring of the re…

1
Pierce the veneer of outside things 2:59

4y ago2:59

2:59

Friends, today what's on my mind is piercing the veneer of outside things. Ernest Shackleton, infamous Antarctic explorer, at the turn of the century, the 19th century, did this expedition in Antarctica. His men famously were trapped in the sea ice over 23 months, they found their way back home, each of them living. And in his memoirs, he wrote cal…

1
Dream bigger dreams 2:20

4y ago2:20

2:20

Friends, I've been thinking, I've been thinking about dreaming bigger dreams. A friend of mine sent me a poem in the mail, a prayer over the summer. I've kept, keep going back and rereading these lines. And it reads, "Disturb me, Lord, when I am too well, pleased with myself, when my dreams have come true, because I have dreamed too little." So as …

1
The world needs more wholehearted humans 4:29

4y ago4:29

4:29

Friends, I've been thinking about what does the world really need? Our world is pretty complex, complicated place these days, no matter what part of the globe you live on. And I've been thinking about how what the world really needs is more wholehearted humans. Two quotes to get us started. Parker Palmer. "I wanted more than a job. I wanted deeper …

1
The Economy of Presence 3:49

4y ago3:49

3:49

Friends, I've been thinking about an idea that David Whyte wrote about. He titled it "The Economy of Presence." And he told the story in his book about this old sheepdog, Cymro in the Welsh countryside, and this dog, older of the bunch with limp, had a blind eye. He talked about how one ear's flopped over, one ear that's up is raised and black. And…