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Meditations on Leadership with Don Carpenter
Leadership begins within.
In Meditations on Leadership with Don Carpenter, author, youth development pioneer, and relational leadership coach Don Carpenter invites you into a weekly practice of deeper reflection, personal clarity, and meaningful connection.
Each episode begins with a short meditation from Don’s soon to be released book, The Inner Work of Leadership: 52 Meditations for a Life of Meaning, Courage, and Growth. From there, Don offers personal commentary and lived insights before welcoming a guest, leaders from all walks of life, to explore how that week’s theme plays out in their own professional journey. The episode closes with two powerful questions to help you pause, reflect, and grow as a leader from the inside out.
Whether you’re leading a team, a classroom, a nonprofit, or your own life, this podcast is a companion for those committed to doing the inner work that sustains courageous outer change.
Meditations on Leadership with Don Carpenter
Tending the Flame
In this episode, Don explores what it means to tend the flame - to lead with passion without being consumed by it. Through the lens of Ronald Heifetz’s “balcony view” and a personal story about navigating conflict with a group of community members, Don reflects on the inner work required to rise above emotion and lead with clarity and purpose.
He’s joined by Julia Sleeper, co-founder and Executive Director of Tree Street Youth in Lewiston, Maine, and a powerful voice in community-based youth development. Don and Julia trace the origins of their shared fire for this work - from their early days shaped by UrbanPromise in Camden, NJ, to years of learning alongside one another across rural and urban communities.
Together, they dive into the heart of grounded leadership: how to stay connected without getting overwhelmed, how to recognize when passion turns into reactivity, and how to cultivate the inner steadiness needed to lead for the long haul.
A warm, honest, and energizing conversation for anyone committed to leading from the inside out.
To learn more about Don's work, upcoming offerings, and leadership resources, visit carpentercompanyconsulting.com
If something in today’s episode spoke to you, I hope you’ll subscribe and continue the journey with me — because leadership begins within.