Feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or like everyone needs you all the time? You're not actually stuck, you just need a way out. Alan Briggs shares 4 practical pathways to break free and lead with clarity in 2026.

Happy New Year—and welcome to Episode 500!

When we started this podcast, it was just a wild idea. 500 episodes later, we're more convinced than ever: leadership doesn't have to cost you everything. You can lead well and live well.

To kick off 2026, Alan tackles something most leaders are feeling but few are naming: leadership claustrophobia—that squeezed, stuck sensation where everyone needs you all the time and there's no way out.

Here's the truth: You feel stuck. But you're not actually stuck.

Alan walks through the four feelings that keep leaders trapped—overwhelmed, myopic, exhausted, and behind—and gives you a clear, practical pathway out of each one. This isn't theory. It's the same framework Alan uses with the leaders he coaches every day.

If you're heading into 2026 saying "everyone needs me all the time," this episode is your reset.

What You'll Learn

The 4 Leadership Traps + Their Pathways Out:

→ Overwhelmed? You're lacking creativity. The pathway out is space—build gaps into your calendar so your brain can think again.

→ Myopic (stuck in the weeds)? You're lacking perspective. The pathway out is vantage—schedule a Think Day and lift above your leadership.

→ Exhausted? You're lacking freshness. The pathway out is recovery—Sabbath and vacation aren't luxuries, they're necessities.

→ Behind? You're lacking urgency. The pathway out is constraints—small deadlines create the momentum big goals never will.

Key Takeaways

• "You feel stuck, but you are not actually stuck. You have options. You can change things."
• The shift from victim to designer: stop reacting and start creating pathways out.
• When clarity goes up, overwhelm goes down.
• Think Days: a quarterly rhythm to get above your leadership and solve the big problems you keep kicking down the road.
• Sabbath and vacation are always important, never urgent—you won't feel like you need them until you should have had them three months ago.
• Constraints create urgency. Without deadlines, we procrastinate. Without sub-goals, we drift.

Timestamps

00:00 — Welcome to 2026 + Celebrating 500 Episodes
01:30 — What is Leadership Claustrophobia?
02:45 — The lie: "Everyone needs me all the time"
03:30 — From Victim to Designer
04:15 — The 4 Feelings That Keep Leaders Stuck
04:45 — Overwhelmed → Space
07:00 — Myopic → Vantage (Think Days)
10:00 — Exhausted → Recovery (Sabbath + Vacation)
13:30 — Behind → Constraints (Deadlines + Tracking)
17:00 — Recap: Which trap are you in? What's your next step?
18:30 — What's coming in 2026

Reflection Questions

1. Which of the four traps are you most stuck in right now: overwhelmed, myopic, exhausted, or behind?
2. What's one practical change you can make this week to create space, vantage, recovery, or constraints?
3. When was the last time you took a full day just to think? What would it take to put a Think Day on your calendar this quarter?

Resources Mentioned

• Anti-Burnout by Alan Briggs: Amazon Link
• Right Side Up Journal: Alan's tool for weekly reflection—looking backward, inward, and forward.

Connect With H2 Leadership

Website: www.h2leadership.com
Coaching: Ready to break out of leadership claustrophobia? Book a Breakthrough Session
Podcast: www.h2leadershippodcast.com

Help Us Reach More Leaders

If this episode helped you, take 30 seconds to rate, review, and share the podcast. It's the best way to help other leaders discover H2.

Happy 2026. Let's keep climbing.

The H2 Leadership Podcast is your practical resource for becoming a healthy and high-impact leader. New episodes every Thursday.

Merry Christmas!!!!! This episode is Part 2 of our year-end series. Last week, we walked through the internal shifts our team made this year. Today, we hand that same framework to you — so you can reset, simplify, and refocus your leadership as you prepare for 2026.

This conversation is a practical guide to finishing well, regaining clarity, and building momentum without burning out or carrying unnecessary weight into the new year.

You’ll learn:

• Why real momentum begins with subtraction, pruning, and clarity — not doing more

• How to create simple decision filters so every choice doesn’t drain your energy

• The “dance floor vs. balcony” mindset — working on your leadership, not just inside the grind

• Why mature leaders practice necessary endings instead of clinging to what used to work

• How clarity leads to freedom, focus, and healthier impact

Use these reflection prompts as you reset for 2026:

• What is slowing you down right now?

• What is one change that would increase your momentum heading into 2026?

• What are you too close to that someone else should carry or share?

• When you zoom out, what becomes clear about what must stay, shift, or end?

Give yourself at least an hour (two is better) to look back honestly — and aim your energy intentionally toward the year ahead. The real currency of leadership isn’t time… it’s energy.

If this episode serves you:

• Visit h2leadership.com for more tools and resources

• Like, rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast

• Share this episode with another leader who wants to be both healthy and high impact

We practice what we preach. Here's proof.

Alan and Jonathan pull back the curtain on H2 Leadership's biggest moves of 2025: restructuring, rebranding, and the roots work nobody sees. If you've ever wondered whether we actually live out what we teach, this episode is your answer.

If you've ever wondered whether we live out what we teach, this episode is your answer. 

In This Episode:

• Why healthy organizations run toward problems, not away
• The "awkward in-between" of restructuring (and why it's worth it)
• How to build systems that elevate your team and clients
• The difference between survival questions and flourishing questions
• Why the best moves feel worse before they feel better

Timestamps:

00:00 — Year-end reflections

01:07 — Two types of organizations in uncertain times

06:51 — Restructuring and the awkward in-between

12:25 — Elevating through systematization

14:44 — Brand clarity: H2 Leadership rebrand

22:00 — Integration: aligning systems and values

24:44 — Advancement: taking new ground

Resources:

• AntiBurnout by Alan Briggs: https://a.co/d/9Xzn5mJ
• The Sabbatical Journey Field Guide: https://a.co/d/59DGahr

Connect: Website: www.h2leadership.com Sabbatical Coaching: www.sabbaticalcoachinggroup.com

As we continue our Best of series, we wanted to highlight a very timely conversation. Gordon MacDonald—author, longtime pastor, and former Chancellor of Denver Seminary—joins us to share hard-won wisdom on calling, mentoring, and spiritual friendship.

Gordon’s voice has shaped generations of leaders, and this episode captures why. Through stories, insights, and honest reflection, he gives leaders a practical roadmap for building resilient lives and ministries that last.

Whether you’re a pastor, organizational leader, or simply someone seeking deeper impact, this conversation offers clarity, perspective, and hope.

What You’ll Learn

• Why spiritual friendship is essential for healthy leadership

• How to cultivate intergenerational mentoring relationships

• The stages of a leader’s calling—and how they develop over a lifetime

• Why older leaders must invest in younger leaders

• How to build communities that encourage resilience rather than burnout

• The hidden dangers leaders face in midlife and beyond

• What Gordon wishes every leader understood about marriage, family, and calling

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About Gordon MacDonald

Gordon MacDonald is a pastor, author of more than a dozen books, and the former Chancellor of Denver Seminary. For over 40 years, he has invested in leaders across the world through writing, preaching, mentoring, and spiritual formation work. His books Ordering Your Private World and Building Below the Waterline remain foundational leadership resources.

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Timestamps

00:00 — Introduction
02:45 — Gordon’s early calling and formation
07:10 — The mentors who shaped him
12:40 — Why intergenerational friendship matters
18:25 — The role of spiritual friendship in leadership
24:55 — Healthy vs unhealthy leadership communities
31:20 — Calling after 60: why most leaders miss it
38:15 — Marriage, family, and the real “Lord’s work”
45:40 — What the next generation needs from older leaders
52:10 — Gordon’s challenge to leaders today
57:55 — Final thoughts

Connect + Take Your Next Step

For coaching, resources, and tools for Healthy + High Impact leadership, visit:
www.h2leadership.com

If this episode encouraged you, please:

• Rate the podcast

• Review the show

• Share it with another leader

• Subscribe so you never miss an episode

Your engagement helps other leaders discover conversations like this.

As we close out the year, we’re highlighting several of our most listened-to conversations—episodes that continue to shape leaders long after they air. Today’s conversation between Alan Briggs and Jimmy Rollins is one of those episodes: timeless and timely.

Jimmy brings honesty, clarity, and courage as he talks about race, unity, culture, marriage, and the everyday leadership choices that build trust. This is a practical and grounded guide for leaders who want to lead with compassion, stay curious in hard conversations, and create cultures where people feel seen and valued.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to have “family conversations” around race with honesty and safety

• Why unity is not uniformity—and what real unity requires

• How to ask better questions and lead with curiosity, not fear

• Practical language that diffuses tension and builds trust

• What healthy leaders must confront in themselves to lead others well

• Jimmy’s personal story of pain, growth, marriage restoration, and calling

Healthy and High Impact leaders lead with compassion, curiosity, and courage. This conversation is a masterclass in all three.

Connect with Jimmy Rollins:
imjimmyrollins.com
www.twoequalsone.com
Instagram: @jimmyrollins

Connect with H2 Leadership:
For coaching, resources, and tools to help you grow as a Healthy and High Impact leader, visit www.h2leadership.com

If this episode helps you, like, rate, review, and subscribe. It helps more leaders discover the podcast.

If you feel frustrated, disappointed, or stuck right now, you’re not broken – you’re human. The real question isn’t “What’s wrong with me?” It’s “What needs to change, and how do I actually change it?”

In this solo episode, Alan unpacks a simple but powerful idea: only the hungry change. You can’t force your kids to change, your team to change, or your friends to change. You can barely force yourself to change. But when hunger meets a clear process, transformation becomes possible.

Alan walks through a practical framework he calls the Wheel of Transformation – moving from new awareness, to new actions, to new rhythms. He shares personal stories about getting called out on weak hamstrings, losing steam on his goals, and how small, consistent steps have led to real change over time.

If you’ve ever felt like you’ve tried to fix the same thing a hundred times and you’re still stuck, this episode will give you language, hope, and a concrete path forward.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why frustration and disappointment are usually gaps in expectation, not signs that you’re failing

• What it means that “only the hungry change” – and how to honestly assess your own hunger

• How new awareness (internal or external feedback) is the first step toward real change

• Why information alone is not enough – and what has to come after clarity

• How to move from awareness to new actions through courage and small next right steps

• Why the real transformation happens when new actions become new rhythms

• Where most leaders stumble: trying to change without community, accountability, or a clear process

• How coaching, tools, and simple calendars can help you build consistency instead of chasing quick fixes

Key ideas and phrases

• “Only the hungry change. Hunger is the currency of change.”

• “Information isn’t bad. It’s just not enough.”

• “New awareness → new actions → new rhythms.”

• “Great leaders aren’t the ones who take one big step; they’re the ones who keep taking their next right step.”

Resources and next steps

• Wheel of Transformation Tool
  Want a simple visual tool to help you walk through this process? Request the Wheel of Transformation and we’ll send it to you.
  → Visit h2leadership.com and use the contact form to ask for the Wheel of Transformation tool.

• Breakthrough Coaching Session
  If you feel stuck in one area of life or leadership and need clarity on your next right step, you can request a free 30-minute breakthrough coaching session with our team.
  → Learn more and reach out at www.h2leadership.com.

You can have a compelling mission and a sharp strategy, but if your culture is unhealthy or unclear, your team will stay stuck.

In this episode, Alan sits down with culture coach and author Jenni Catron to unpack why culture matters more than we think and how clarity becomes the foundation for trust, engagement, and healthy growth.

Jenni shares her own journey from the music industry into executive church leadership, and the jarring contrast between a life-giving culture and a toxic one. She explains why leaders can’t just “hope” for a great environment – they need a plan to build it with intention.

They talk about the signs your culture is drifting, why people often go quiet long before they quit, how to invite honest feedback without losing your voice as a leader, and why patience and persistence are essential when you start changing long-standing patterns on your team.

If you lead a staff, a volunteer team, or you’re trying to rebuild a culture you inherited, this conversation will give you language, practical steps, and hope.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why great culture is really about clarity of who you are and how you work together

• How the environment leaders create can make or break team engagement

• The subtle warning signs your team has stopped believing their voice matters

• How to ask for feedback when some decisions aren’t actually up for debate

• Why culture change takes 6–12 months of patience and persistence

• Simple rhythms (meetings, one-on-ones, shout-outs) that reinforce a healthy culture over time

Healthy and high-impact leadership doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It happens in cultures that are clear, honest, and aligned around the mission. This episode will help you take your next step in building that kind of environment.

Jenni is the author of several books including Clout: Discover and Unleash Your God-Given Influence and The 4 Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership. She loves a fabulous cup of tea, great books, learning the game of tennis and hiking with her husband. Jenni can be found on social media at @jennicatron and at www.get4sight.com.

Grab a copy of Culture Matters

For more tools, coaching, and resources to help you become a healthy and high-impact leader, visit www.h2leadership.com.

And if this episode was helpful, please like, rate, review, and subscribe to the H2 Leadership Podcast. Every review helps other leaders discover the show.

Most leaders expect failure to be hard — but no one warns us how disorienting success can be. In today’s episode, Alan Briggs takes us inside a live leadership session and unpacks the real, often hidden challenges that come with growth: fulfillment gaps, maturity barriers, identity drift, disorientation, burnout, and the pressure of everyone wanting a piece of your time.

But this conversation isn’t about fear. It’s about forming the kind of roots that can sustain real fruit.

Alan shares practical insights on:

• Why success often feels emptier than we expect

• The surprising truth that what got you here won’t get you there

• How success multiplies options, noise, and expectations

• Why leaders lose honest feedback when they gain influence

• The difference between external fruit and internal roots

• The identity dreams every healthy leader should define

• How to build a life that matches the person you’re becoming

• What it takes to grow without losing yourself, your family, or your soul

If you’re leading a team, building a company, or navigating a season of rapid growth, this episode gives you a framework to name what’s happening beneath the surface — and an invitation to design a healthier, more intentional way to live and lead.

Key Takeaways

• Success reveals weaknesses success created.

• Leaders need pre-made filters to protect their time and energy.

• Roots = identity, health, and formation. Fruits = visible impact.

• Without strong roots, success will topple you like a pine tree in a storm.

• Identity dreams > traditional goals.

• Investment always feels like loss before it feels like growth.

• Healthy leaders design their lives on purpose — not in reaction.

Resources

Include these in your notes for authority + click-through:

• Learn more about H2 Coaching: https://www.h2leadership.com

• Get Alan’s book “Anti-Burnout”: https://a.co/d/9Xzn5mJ

• Follow the H2 Leadership Podcast: https://www.h2leadershippodcast.com

If this episode resonated, share it with a leader who needs it — and leave a quick rating or review so more leaders can discover the show.