The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast CNLP 760 | Your Brain is Lying to You 80% of the Time: Judah Smith and Les Parrot on Why Leaders Self-Sabotage and How to Break the Cycle
70 snips
Oct 14, 2025 
Judah Smith, Lead communicator of Churchome and bestselling author, joins Dr. Les Parrott, a clinical psychologist and bestselling author, to explore the mental challenges faced by leaders. They reveal that our brains deceive us 80% of the time, leading to self-sabotage, especially in ministry. Judah shares personal experiences with ministry pressure, while Les highlights toxic thought patterns and the dangers of people-pleasing. The duo emphasizes the importance of grace over performance and offers practical insights for breaking negative cycles.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Protect Congruence, Avoid Performing Health
- Protect congruence by refusing to perform authenticity on stage when your life is out of alignment.
- Seek honest help so you minister from health instead of hurt and avoid misleading your congregation.
Loss Of Imagination Erodes Hope
- Les sees a loss of imagination and vision as a key problem eroding hope among Christians and leaders.
- Loneliness and weakened relational 'muscle' compound the crisis, reducing emotional intelligence.
Shame Around Noticing Attractiveness
- In Les's office Judah realized he had shame around simply noticing attractive people.
- That moment revealed a buried thought pattern and allowed corrective re-framing in marriage.
