God Made Dirt Substack Podcast

The Problem Isn’t People. It’s How You’re Reading Them.

If you’re someone who still takes things, and people, at face value, then you’ve already lost. Not because you’re naive. Not because you lack intelligence. But because you’re operating in a world that rarely reveals itself on the surface. Especially in leadership. Especially in organizations. And especially in rooms where power, perception, and performance are quietly negotiating with one another. I’ve spent years in rooms where very capable leaders are trying to solve problems they don’t fully understand. Not because they aren’t intelligent. But because intelligence alone doesn’t guarantee interpretation. You can read every book on leadership and still miss what’s actually happening in front of you. Because books can give you frameworks. But people will always give you nuance. And nuance requires something different. It requires the ability to step outside of your own perspective long enough to accurately read someone else’s. Most people take things as they appear. A disengaged employee? “They’re lazy.” A rigid leader? “They don’t care.” A silent team? “They’re fine.” But surface-level conclusions are expensive. Because what looks like behaviour is often a signal. And what feels like resistance is often a response. A response to something unspoken. Something misaligned. Something nobody has taken the time to truly understand. On one side, you have leaders trying to move the organization forward. On the other, you have teams trying to make sense of the environment they’re in. And somewhere in the middle… something gets lost. Sometimes it’s information. Sometimes it’s trust. Sometimes it’s truth—reshaped by pressure, filtered through perception, or softened to be more acceptable. And over time, that gap becomes costly. This is where emotional intelligence becomes more than a “soft skill.” It becomes a form of leadership intelligence. Because the person who can: * read beyond what’s being said, * interpret what’s not being expressed, * understand how different perspectives are shaping the same moment, * and communicate it in a way that can actually be received becomes a bridge. But seeing beneath the surface requires restraint. The discipline to pause before assigning meaning. The humility to admit you might be missing something. The awareness to ask better questions before forming stronger opinions. In a world that rewards quick takes and loud voices, that kind of leadership can feel invisible. But it’s not invisible. It’s just rare. Because real influence doesn’t always enter the room loudly. Sometimes it listens. Sometimes it translates. Sometimes it brings clarity to things everyone else has learned to work around. If you’re someone who doesn’t need to speak the most to say the most— who values precision over performance, and clarity over noise— you’re not behind. You’re operating at a different level. Because in a world that reacts quickly, the person who can accurately perceive will always have the advantage. Not because they control the room. But because they understand it. So the next time something feels off— a conversation, a reaction, a dynamic— pause. Look again. Read again. And ask: “What am I seeing… and what might I be missing?” Because the difference between good leadership and great leadership is rarely found on the surface. It’s found in the ability to approach people with curiosity— and respond with clarity when it matters most. If this is the kind of leadership you’re working to build, within yourself or your organization, this is the work I do. Quietly strengthening the spaces where communication breaks down, perspective is limited, and potential is being underutilized. You don’t always need more strategy. Sometimes you need sharper interpretation. Media Recommendation If this resonates, I’d recommend listening to “The Power of Listening” by William Ury. It’s a simple but powerful reminder that most breakdowns aren’t caused by what’s said—but by what’s missed. Because listening, at its highest level, isn’t about hearing words. It’s about understanding meaning. And in environments where people feel unheard, misunderstood, or filtered through assumption, the ability to truly listen becomes a leadership advantage. Until Next Time, — Carrie This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit godmadedirt.substack.com [https://godmadedirt.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Taking A Day

This year, I’m taking a day after Black History Month. Black history does not expire at midnight, and for those carrying the hue, it has never been confined to 28 days. The skin remains 365. The navigation of rooms remains 365. The pride, the pressure, and the legacy inherited remain long after February ends. So I’m extending the reflection; not as protest, not as performance, but as principle. Because sometimes the most powerful thing you can do is extend honour beyond convenience. There is something mature about taking a day. The day after a tough interview. The day after someone says something cutting. The day after extraordinary news. That day matters. Taking a day is not avoidance; it is awareness. It is the space between stimulus and response. It is choosing intention over impulse. Taking a day, done the right way, may prevent damage you would otherwise spend weeks repairing. A rushed reply, an emotionally charged decision, an unnecessary escalation, are just some examples of professional regrets born in moments when we moved too quickly. Time and space, used wisely, are power. And this is not a modern productivity concept. In the Book of Genesis, after creating the heavens and the earth, God rested on the seventh day. Not because He was tired, but because completion deserves acknowledgment. Creation deserves pause. Work deserves rhythm. Rest was built into the design of the world itself. Honouring Black history does not diminish our shared humanity, but clarifies it. We are born into different countries, different cultures, and contexts. We inherit different versions of the same story. We carry visible differences that shape how the world meets us. Yet, beneath geography and complexion, our emotional architecture is remarkably similar: the need to belong, the need to be respected, the longing to feel safe, the hope that our lives will matter. Watch the Olympics. Nations line up beneath separate flags. Uniforms are stitched in distinct colours. Anthems rise in different languages. Yet, when an athlete wins, the tears look the same. When one falls short, the heartbreak requires no translation. When competitors embrace after the race, the moment transcends nationality. Under every uniform is a human being. Taking a day after Black History Month is not about division; it is about integration — honouring distinct history while remembering the shared heartbeat beneath it. Maturity allows us to hold both. Of course, taking a day requires discernment. Professionalism matters. Notice matters. Context matters. When possible, communicate early. Be clear. Respect policy. Consider the impact on your team. Taking a day is not about disappearing; it is about stewarding your capacity so you can return sharper, steadier, and more composed. The strongest leaders are not always the fastest responders, but are often the most measured. Knowing when a day is necessary is emotional intelligence in action. It is recognizing that tomorrow’s response may be wiser than today’s reaction. It is understanding that silence can protect relationships. An extra day after something significant — whether painful or joyful — allows wisdom to settle. Even God took a day. Not because He needed permission, but because rhythm is wisdom. This day matters. So I’m taking one. And I’ll leave you with this: When do you know it’s time to take yours? Media Recommendation Growing up, one song that was on heavy rotation and became a soundtrack for “one of those days” is Don’t Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days) by Monica. Released in 1995 on her debut album Miss Thang, this classic R&B hit captured exactly what it feels like to need a moment to yourself: to pause, think, breathe, and just be without explaining it. There’s something uplifting about revisiting it now: it reminds us that needing space isn’t dramatic or selfish; it’s human. Sometimes we all just need a day to steady our hearts so we can return more grounded, thoughtful, and clear. Until next time, Carrie This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit godmadedirt.substack.com [https://godmadedirt.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Not All Money Is Good Money

I’ve been reflecting on how some of the most well-paying jobs come with a cost that isn’t listed in the offer letter. The salary is strong. The benefits are great. Plans for future growth look promising. Yet day after day, the work leaves you anxious, unsettled, or quietly conflicted, because you can see how the product, the service, or the decisions being made are negatively affecting people. That tension matters. Emotional intelligence invites us to pay attention to what our bodies and spirits register long before our minds try to rationalize it away. Persistent anxiety at work is rarely just about workload. Often, it’s the strain of participating in something that doesn’t align with our values, our empathy, or our responsibility to others. The pay may be good for your pocket, but if it’s bad for your heart, something is out of order. In many workplaces, success is framed almost entirely around individual gain: compensation, title, influence. Rarely are we asked to pause and consider the broader impact of our labour. Who is being helped by what we’re building? Who is being harmed? What does this normalize for our teams, our customers, our communities? These questions don’t make us difficult or disloyal; they make us conscientious. This is where God’s economy offers a different lens. Scripture consistently points toward provision that is communal, not isolated; one that accounts for people, dignity, and long-term consequences, not just short-term profit. God’s provision is not meant to arrive wrapped in constant anxiety or moral compromise. Sometimes God works by providing opportunities that allow both individuals and communities to flourish. Other times, He works through holy discomfort; an unease that signals misalignment between what pays well and what does well. That discomfort isn’t failure; it’s information. It’s an invitation to discern whether what sustains our lifestyle is quietly eroding our peace or our compassion. A job that pays well but requires you to overlook harm, silence your conscience, or normalize outcomes that damage others may still fund your life, but it will quietly tax your soul. Over time, that cost shows up as burnout, cynicism, and emotional fatigue that no salary can fully offset. The better question, then, isn’t simply Is this good for me? It’s Is this good for us? For the people affected by the work. For the culture it creates. For the person I’m becoming in the process. Not all money is bad...but not all money is good. The kind of provision aligned with God’s economy sustains both your livelihood and your heart, allowing you to contribute to the well-being of the whole without losing yourself along the way. Coming live from my pile of dirt to yours, this is God Made Dirt: where we remember that success measured only by profit is incomplete, and that we are called to steward not just our careers, but each other. Media Recommendation | Paid in Full: The Battle for Black Music Narrated by Canadian icon Jully Black, Paid in Full: The Battle for Black Music examines how Black artists have historically generated immense cultural and economic value—while being systematically underpaid, exploited, or excluded from true ownership. From the earliest days of the recording industry to today’s digital streaming era, the series exposes how profit has often flowed freely, but not fairly. It’s a sobering reminder that money earned without justice, equity, or regard for community may look lucrative on paper, yet come at a deep moral cost. A timely watch that reinforces the truth at the centre of this issue: not all money is good money. CBCNews: Docuseries Paid in Full exposes history of racism, exploitative contracts in music industry, September 16, 2024 Until next time, Carrie This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit godmadedirt.substack.com [https://godmadedirt.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

A Christmas Reflection on Real Wealth

When life is comfortable, it’s easy to equate security with the amount of stuff we have, both personally and professionally. But when the economy tightens, when jobs are lost, and when certainty disappears, something quieter and truer begins to surface. In those moments, true wealth shows up. To me, wealth, including organizational wealth, is wrapped up in relationships. Yes, companies exist to make money. Profit matters. Growth matters. Scale matters. But none of it happens in isolation. Revenue is the outcome and relationships are the infrastructure. Without trust, care, and mutual respect between people, even the most well-funded strategies eventually erode. Simplicity has a way of stripping away what was never essential in the first place. It brings us back to presence, intention, and meaning. In leadership and in life, bare-minimum moments like a clear conversation, a fair decision, a human response, are often the most sustainable ones. They compound quietly over time. You’ve heard the saying before: some people are so poor, all they have is money. It’s confronting because it exposes a gap many organizations feel but struggle to name. True wealth has never been about what can be purchased alone. It’s revealed in what leaders and teams offer when there’s nothing to perform and nothing to prove; it’s steadiness, clarity, time, and attention. Relationships that aren’t transactional, but grounded in genuine care, mutual respect, and shared understanding. That’s what keeps people engaged when things get hard. This season, the most powerful gifts are often the quietest ones. A moment of recognition when someone feels unseen. A kind, direct word when morale is thin. Make the call. Have the conversation. Sit with a colleague long enough to remind them they matter. Be proof that the most meaningful kind of love, even at work, doesn’t cost a thing. When Jesus entered the world, He didn’t arrive surrounded by excess. He arrived in a simple way, accessible, human, and present. God, the Creator of the universe, with the ability to have anything, chose relationship over spectacle. That choice reframed the concept of wealth forever. Less noise. Less pressure. More meaning. During the holidays, presence may be the most groundbreaking and generous thing a leader can offer. And receiving it and making room for others, may be just as transformative. May this season gently shift how we measure success, and remind us that the greatest luxury in life and in business has always been found in the way we treat each other. Media Recommendation If you’re looking for a song that tenderly captures the shift between childhood expectations to grown-up longing for what truly matters, “Grown-Up Christmas List” is a beautiful choice. Merry Christmas, Carrie This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit godmadedirt.substack.com [https://godmadedirt.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]

Commonplace

This month’s word has been sitting with me: common. Common — adjective. Having no special distinction or quality; widely known or commonly encountered; average or ordinary or usual. “The common man.” On the surface, “common” sounds unimpressive. Maybe even diminishing. But when you sit with it long enough, something beautiful appears beneath the definition. Something grounding. Something that reminds us who we really are. Because if there’s one truth God keeps whispering to us, it’s this: We are all made of the same dirt. But we’re not shaped into the same story. The Same Foundation We all start from a shared place — humanity. A heartbeat. A spirit housed in a body formed from dust. We all know what it is to hope, to hurt, to lose our way, to try again, to want to be seen, to want to be whole. That sameness is not a weakness. It’s the great equalizer. It reminds us that no one is above another — not in God’s design. This is the heartbeat of God Made Dirt: A constant return to humility. A reminder that beneath the titles, the opinions, the wins and the wounds, we are all walking this earth trying to understand our own humanity with God’s help. The Different Expression Even though we share the same humble material — dirt — God forms each of us differently. Same substance. Different assignment. Same origin. Different journey. Think about that. God took something “common” and breathed uncommon purpose into it. Your scars? No one else carries them quite the same way. Your story? No one else can speak it with the same authority. Your calling? Matched to you in a way that fits like skin. So while we are all made of the same dust, we are also divinely specialized. There is nothing “average” about the way God created you to move. Holding Both Truths at Once Here is the paradox of the Christian life: We are common… and called. Ordinary… and ordained. The same… and set apart. And God expects us to walk with the maturity to carry both realities at once: * To treat others with humility because we are all made of the same thing. * To treat ourselves with reverence because God placed something extraordinary inside us. A Reflection for Your Month As you move through November, ask yourself: * Where have I forgotten my common ground with others? * Where have I played small and forgotten the uncommon purpose God breathed into me? * How can I honour both truths with more intention? Media Recommendation The Beauty of Ordinary: A gentle, visually rich video exploring how God uses the everyday, the average, and the common to tell His biggest stories. From my pile of dirt to yours, Carrie This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit godmadedirt.substack.com [https://godmadedirt.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1]