Chris Stefanick Catholic Show

In this powerful new episode of The Chris Stefanick Show, I sit down with New York Times bestselling author Tommy Spaulding to talk about his book The Heart-Led Leader—and why the path to real success runs through your heart, not your ego.

Tommy's story floored me.

He was a severely dyslexic kid who was openly mocked by his classmates. He graduated at the bottom of his class. His own guidance counselor told him college wasn't for him.

Today, he's one of the most sought-after leadership voices in the country, training CEOs of some of the biggest companies in the world. How did he get here? One word: love.

Tommy shares jaw-dropping stories in this episode—like the bank CEO who walked out into 100-degree Georgia heat and personally delivered a truckload of seafood so a stranger wouldn't lose his job. That same CEO grew his bank from $220 million to $2.6 billion…by leading with love.

We also talk about the daily practice Tommy calls his "influence audit"—a habit so powerful that I'm going to try it immediately.

And if you're a parent, don't miss the part where he explains why his kids actually want to hang out with him as adults. (Hint: it's not an accident.)

This one's packed with wisdom you can start applying tomorrow morning—whether you're running a company, raising kids, or just trying to be a better human.

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Read Tommy's book The Heart-Led Leader: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Led-Lead...

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Sign up for The Daily Anchor to get Chris Stefanick's bite-sized reflections every morning: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP

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Support the creation of this content by becoming a Missionary of Joy with a monthly gift to Real Life Catholic and get free access to 9 transformative courses: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0

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The Chris Stefanick Show will soon be premiering on EWTN+ Streaming! You can start watching more great content at: EWTN.com/ondemand/ 

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Join Chris Stefanick on pilgrimage: https://reallifecatholic.com/pilgrimages/ 

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Tommy Spalding
(00:01:16) - On Being a Heart Led Leader
(00:06:06) - In Touch With Up With People's Ken Blanchard
(00:09:25) - Mission at Joy
(00:10:49) - A message from the Oscars
(00:11:47) - The Love of the Workplace
(00:15:29) - The Secret to Success: Jackson McConnell's Story
(00:21:50) - Chris Rock: I Run Towards Pain
(00:25:28) - Tom France on Heart-Led Leadership
(00:30:48) - The Life of Leadership
(00:32:42) - Marriage Is More Important Than Family
(00:36:24) - It's not about you
(00:38:57) - Tom Cruise on The Gift of Influence
(00:40:26) - Chris Farley in Prayer

Jesus says something extraordinary in John 14: "If you love me, keep my commands. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you forever." Most of us have heard that word — Paraclete — without ever really sitting with what it means. I guarantee that if you've been Catholic for 20, 40, even 90 years, you may have never heard it talked about quite this way. The word doesn't translate neatly into English. It can mean Advocate, Counselor, Comforter — but none of those words alone capture it. It's the one who comes alongside you. The one who coaches you, defends you, encourages you, and stirs you forward. Jesus isn't just sending a force or a feeling. He's sending a Person — the Holy Spirit — to be with you and in you. And then Jesus says this: "I will not leave you orphans." That's the promise. You are not navigating this life alone. The same Spirit that hovered over the waters at creation, the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead — that Spirit is available to you, right now, in the middle of your ordinary life.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Jesus says, "I will not leave you orphans." Where in your life right now do you most need to hear that promise — and believe it?

2. The word "Paraclete" means advocate, counselor, and one who comes alongside. How have you experienced the Holy Spirit in one of these roles, even if you didn't recognize it at the time?

3. Chris points out that most Catholics have never really heard the Holy Spirit talked about this way. Why do you think the Holy Spirit is so often the "forgotten" Person of the Trinity — and what would it look like to change that in your own life?

4. Jesus says the world "neither sees nor knows" the Spirit, but his followers do. What does it mean to you to be someone who knows the Holy Spirit? How does that change how you approach daily life?

5. The Holy Spirit advocates for us, encourages us, and stirs us forward — even when life is hard and exhausting. Can you think of a moment in your life when, looking back, you can see the Holy Spirit was doing exactly that?

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Chapters

(00:00:00) - The Renewal of the Holy Spirit
(00:00:28) - John 14: Paraclete
(00:02:27) - Advocates in the Gospel
(00:03:21) - What is the Paraclete?
(00:06:18) - How to Encourage Your Wife and Father
(00:12:02) - The Holy Spirit

Buckle up — this episode is packed with jaw-dropping stories of conversion that will restore your faith in God's power and remind you that He is actively moving in the world right now.

Dave VanVickle is a Catholic lay evangelist who has spent decades sharing the Gospel in every setting imaginable — from airport bathroom stalls to living rooms, from airplane seats to underground mission fields.

In this conversation with Chris, Dave shares some of the most remarkable stories of grace you've ever heard, including:
✅ A devout Muslim man in the Chicago O'Hare airport who had been having dreams of a bloody man on a cross for a month — and followed Dave into a bathroom to ask him about Jesus
✅ A missionary in Africa who drove a truck full of Bibles into the middle of nowhere at God's direction, and watched hundreds of people emerge from the darkness one by one to receive them
✅ A Muslim woman on a plane who, while meditating on her own god, witnessed a vision of that god bowing before the Christ child
✅ A 16-year-old Muslim girl in Iraq who, after witnessing a Christian boy's martyrdom at the hands of ISIS, gave her life to Jesus on the spot — and refused to deny Him even to save her own life
✅ A trafficking survivor named Jane whose humanity was restored by the simple, unconditional love of Dave's family — especially his daughter Louisa.

But this episode isn't just about extraordinary miracles. It's a challenge and a call: You can be used by God. All it takes is a willingness to pray, "Lord, if you open a door, I'll walk through it" — and the courage to say something, even imperfectly.

Dave and Chris also unpack how to share the core Gospel message simply and confidently, how to invite someone to personally encounter Jesus (not just know about Him), and why Catholics need to stop skipping the first step of evangelization.

The episode closes with a powerful prayer of surrender that you — and anyone you know — can pray right now.

HIGHLIGHTS
0:00 — Intro
3:11 — The airport bathroom encounter: a Muslim man's month of dreams about Jesus
8:10 — A missionary in Africa and the truck full of Bibles
10:52 — A Muslim woman on a plane has a vision of the Nativity
13:00 — Getting back to basics: the core Gospel message anyone can share
15:49 — Jane: a trafficking survivor, Louisa's insistence, and the power of love
22:28 — ISIS, martyrdom, and a 16-year-old Muslim girl who wouldn't deny Jesus
29:33 — Why Catholics keep getting the order wrong — and what to do instead
30:00— How Dave's wife Amber was transformed simply by reading the Gospels daily
31:30— A prayer of surrender: receive Jesus right now

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Sign up for The Daily Anchor to get Chris Stefanick's bite-sized reflections every morning: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP

........
Support the creation of this content by becoming a Missionary of Joy with a monthly gift to Real Life Catholic and get free access to 9 transformative courses: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0

........
The Chris Stefanick Show will soon be premiering on EWTN+ Streaming! You can start watching more great content at: EWTN.com/ondemand/ 

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Christian Conversion Stories
(00:00:20) - Mission of Joy
(00:01:24) - Steve Milgrad
(00:05:22) - One Muslim man prayed in the bathroom
(00:08:04) - Missionary Stories of Jesus Appearing in Dreams
(00:11:58) - How to Convince a Lost Soul of the Gospel
(00:16:11) - How to Convince a Muslim to Die
(00:20:03) - Give Your Life to the Lord
(00:24:10) - Why Does Liturgy Matter? C.S. lewis
(00:26:57) - How Do I Bring My Child Back to the Faith?
(00:30:06) - Prayer for the Unconfused

What does Jesus mean when He says, "In my Father's house, there are many dwellings"?

This week's Gospel (John 14) contains one of the most comforting — and surprisingly practical — promises Jesus ever made. And it has everything to do with how you live right now.

In this Sunday Gospel reflection, Chris Stefanick unpacks the rich meaning behind Jesus' words — including the ancient Jewish wedding imagery that would have blown the minds of His first listeners — and shares three concrete ways you can start practicing heaven today. Plus: a viral prayer from comedian and podcaster Theo Von that captures something profound about radical honesty with God — and why it just might be the key to letting Him truly dwell with you.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Jesus describes heaven as a "dwelling with" rather than just a place. How does that image change the way you think about eternal life — and does it make it feel more or less intimidating?
2. Chris uses the image of a thimble versus an ocean to describe different capacities for God in heaven. Does that idea motivate you, challenge you, or concern you? Why?
3. Chris says our culture "celebrates busyness." Do you recognize that in your own life? What's one practical step you could take to practice simply being — with God, with yourself, or with the people you love?
4. Theo Von's prayer is marked by radical honesty — even admitting to God the ways he knows he's lying to Him. Is there a part of your heart or your life you tend to hide from God in prayer? What would it look like to invite Him into that part?
5. The Sabbath is described as a weekly rehearsal for heaven. How seriously do you take Sabbath rest? What would it mean for your family or your community to treat one day a week as a genuine practice of "just being"?

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Sign up for the Daily Anchor for free daily reflections from Chris Stefanick in your inbox: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP

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Join the mission to spread the joy of the Gospel! Become a Missionary of Joy to support this free content: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0

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Help support us as we seek to bring our transformative CORE Confirmation program to this next generation: https://reallifecatholic.com/confirma...

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Join Chris Stefanick on pilgrimage: https://reallifecatholic.com/pilgrimages/

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Theoretically Preparing For Heaven With This Prayer
(00:01:14) - Jesus said, In My Father's House There Are Many Dwellings
(00:06:34) - Be With Your Lovely Ones
(00:08:43) - He Invited God Into His Broken Heart
(00:12:35) - Prayer for the Week

What if the hardest moments of your life are exactly what God wants to use?

In this episode of The Chris Stefanick Show, Chris sits down with Gordy Demarais—co-founder of St. Paul's Outreach and one of the founding figures behind NET Ministries—for a conversation packed with extraordinary stories of conversion, raw honesty about family struggle, and one of the most hope-filled messages you'll hear for parents of kids who have walked away from the faith.

Gordy's story begins in tragedy: losing his father at 15, drifting from the faith, and spending a summer desperately searching for meaning. Then a chance encounter—and a youth center that was on fire for the gospel—changed everything. That same renewal sparked two of the most influential Catholic youth ministries in North America.

But this conversation isn't just about ministry. Gordy opens up about the season when his own family hit a breaking point, what it looks like to love a child who is pulling away, and why the only thing that ultimately sustained him was trusting in a Father who loves our kids even more than we do.

In this episode, we cover:
-How Gordy lost his faith after his father's death—and how God found him anyway
-The youth center in Minneapolis that sparked NET Ministries and St. Paul's Outreach
-Why the Gospel is Good News, not good advice—and how that distinction changes everything
-Wild, real-life stories of conversion happening today
-What to do when your family is in crisis and you can't see a way out
-How to stay connected to your kids when they seem unreachable
-A message of unshakeable hope for every parent with a prodigal child

"No matter how much we love our kids, they have a Father in heaven who loves them infinitely more than we do. He is persistent—always pursuing, always pressing in." — Gordy Demarais

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Sign up for The Daily Anchor to get Chris Stefanick's bite-sized reflections every morning: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP

........

Support the creation of this content by becoming a Missionary of Joy with a monthly gift to Real Life Catholic and get free access to 9 transformative courses: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0

........

Learn more about St. Paul's Outreach www.spo.org

........

The Chris Stefanick Show will soon be premiering on EWTN+ Streaming! You can start watching more great content at: www.EWTN.com/ondemand/  

........

Join Chris Stefanick on pilgrimage: https://reallifecatholic.com/pilgrimages/ 

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Chris Stefanick
(00:02:13) - St. Paul's Outreach: The Story of the Ministry
(00:08:35) - Catholic doctrine and the love of God
(00:11:02) - Jesus on the Heavy Burden
(00:14:17) - St. Paul's Outreach: The 3 Ingredients
(00:18:49) - The Struggles of Being a Parent
(00:21:46) - What Went Wrong in My Life?
(00:28:59) - How God revealed His Love for Me
(00:36:35) - How to Love Your Wife
(00:42:10) - Never Lose Hope for Parents in the Struggle