Inside-Out Faith: Purpose, Calling & Hope | Season Six Premiere Artwork

Gladness & Hunger with Leanne W. Smith

Author/Professor Leanne W. Smith sits down with key individuals to mine the magic of their vocational stories. Inspired by Frederick Buechner who said the key to a career satisfying to both soul and pocketbook was to find “where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet," this podcast is geared to writers, students, story lovers, and anyone seeking inspiration for their own vocational journey.

As a fiction writer and business professor at Lipscomb University with a heart to teach students how to build sustainable careers that actually feed their soul, Smith's deep gladness is in sharing messages of hope and inspiration like these.

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Gladness & Hunger with Leanne W. Smith

Inside-Out Faith: Purpose, Calling & Hope | Season Six Premiere

January 27, 2026 • Leanne W. Smith • Season 6 • Episode 1

Each of us seems to have a life song, a theme we’re drawn to again and again. Often, it’s born from pain.

In this season-opening episode of Gladness & Hunger, Leanne does something different. Instead of asking the questions, her intern flips the script, inviting Leanne to reflect on the heart behind the podcast, the season’s theme, and the journey that shaped her calling.

This conversation explores why Gladness & Hunger exists, who it’s for, and how stories have the power to feed the soul, strengthen faith, and help people keep moving forward. Leanne shares how a season of spiritual direction training through Creighton University helped clarify this year’s theme “It’s an inside-out job” and why transformation must begin within before it can flow outward.

Together, we explore:

The purpose and audience of Gladness & Hunger
Why sensitivity, hope, and contribution matter
How pain often gives birth to calling
Leanne’s lifelong love of words and stories
What brings joy, creativity, and meaning in this season of life
How God uses weakness, not perfection
The interpersonal qualities that matter most when working with others
The daily habits that sustain faith, peace, and perseverance

Leanne reflects honestly on fear, perfectionism, comparison, and distraction, and how consistent spiritual practices like prayer, journaling, Sabbath, gratitude, and attentiveness to God have reshaped her inner life. She reminds listeners that God does not require perfection, only faithfulness, the willingness to get up and try again.

The episode closes with Leanne sharing her hope for the season ahead and reading a poem by Ted Loder, inviting listeners to consider how their own painful experiences might be redeemed into something healing and hopeful.

If you’re seeking inspiration for your vocational journey, longing for encouragement, or wondering how faith can be formed from the inside out, this season premiere sets the tone for what’s to come.

0:00 Introduction

0:59 Meet Kianna Winey: Turning the Mic on the Intern

4:41 The Heart of the Podcast: Purpose, Audience & Hope

6:48 Season Theme: “It’s an Inside-Out Job”

11:26 Leanne’s Story & Love of Words

14:48 What Brings Joy in This Season of Life

16:03 Looking Back: How God Prepares Us Through Weakness

18:03 Qualities Professors Look for in Students

20:53 Letting Go of Perfectionism and Finishing Creative Projects

26:44 Habits That Sustain Faith, Creativity & Peace

31:18 A Prayer About Surrender, Honesty, and Being Found by God

Follow Leanne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leanne.w.smith/

Visit Leanne's Website: https://www.leannewsmith.com/

Leanne W. Smith

Host