Contrary to Popular

Healthy Influence | with Stephanie Alton

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1870960/fan_mail/new] How do you help people grow without making them dependent on you? That question sits underneath every sermon, podcast, book, Bible study, and ministry platform. Christian leaders are called to guide people, encourage people, and point them toward truth. But healthy influence requires more than gathering an audience. It requires helping people develop their own discernment, wrestle with Scripture for themselves, and build a faith that can stand on its own. In this episode, literary agent Stephanie Alton joins Julianne Rhodes for a conversation about influence, platform-building, discernment, and the responsibility that comes with having people's attention. Together, they explore: • What healthy influence looks like in Christian spaces • Why discernment cannot be outsourced to pastors, authors, or influencers • The difference between building a platform and building dependency • How Christian communicators can point people back to God rather than themselves • Why knowledge alone does not produce spiritual maturity • The role of personal responsibility in faith development • How readers and listeners can evaluate the voices they follow • The importance of testing ideas against Scripture and seeking God directly Whether you're leading a ministry, writing a book, hosting a podcast, teaching a Bible study, or simply trying to grow in your faith, this conversation offers a thoughtful look at how influence can remain both effective and healthy. — Learn more about Stephanie Alton and the Blythe Daniel Agency: https://theblythedanielagency.com [https://theblythedanielagency.com/] If you care about Christian communication done with more creativity and integrity, come see what we’re building at contrarytopopular.com [http://contrarytopopular.com/].

Your Discernment Isn't Broken | with Dr. Sherri

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1870960/fan_mail/new] ❝ I felt like I missed out on the good Christian gene. ❞ A lot of Christians wonder if something is wrong with them spiritually. Why does everyone else seem confident, connected to God, and certain of His voice… while they still feel stuck, numb, anxious, or unsure if they can trust themselves? In this episode, Dr. Sherri of Mindset of the Redeemed joins Julianne Rhodes for a conversation about shame, emotions, discernment, and spiritual confidence. Together, they explore: * Why many believers feel spiritually defective or “behind” * The difference between emotional experiences and spiritual maturity * Why constantly chasing feelings can create instability in faith * How shame distorts discernment and identity * What it means to stop outsourcing spiritual confidence * Why faith requires honesty, not performance * The role of the Holy Spirit in developing discernment * How leaders can point people back to God, rather than try to control This conversation is especially for Christians who feel exhausted from trying to “get it right” spiritually and are longing for a more grounded, honest relationship with God. — 👉🏼 Get Biblical Encouragement from Dr. Sherri [https://dr-sherri-mor.mykajabi.com/signup] Learn more about Dr. Sherri  and Mindset of the Redeemed (MOR) at mindsetoftheredeemed.com [https://mindsetoftheredeemed.com/] If you care about Christian communication done with more creativity and integrity, come see what we’re building at contrarytopopular.com [http://contrarytopopular.com/].

Born to Lead | with Suzanne Nadell

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1870960/fan_mail/new] Do women need permission to become who God already wired us to be? For a lot of Christian women, that question sits underneath our people-pleasing, fear of conflict, overthinking, and the pressure to stay “small enough” to be accepted. In this episode, journalist and ministry leader Suzanne Nadell, author of Wired to Lead: Being the Leader the Church Didn’t Think You Could Be, talks about leadership, approval addiction, critical thinking, and the damage done by teaching believers not to question. We explore: * Why many Christian women struggle to trust their own judgment * The difference between humility and learned powerlessness * How approval addiction and lack of boundaries shape leadership * Why critical thinking should not scare Christians * The danger of outsourcing discernment to authority figures * What journalism often gets right about rigor, debate, and asking questions * How fear of conflict creates false peace inside churches * Why people walk away from faith when they are not allowed to wrestle honestly If you’ve ever felt torn between honoring God and fully using your voice, this episode invites you to rethink what healthy leadership, discernment, and maturity can look like inside the church. — Learn more about Suzanne and her work: * suzannenadel.com [https://suzannenadell.com/] * sheleadschurch.com [https://www.sheleadschurch.com/] If you care about Christian communication done with more creativity and integrity, come see what we’re building at contrarytopopular.com [http://contrarytopopular.com/].

Spiritual Guerrilla Warfare | with Athena Dean Holtz

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1870960/fan_mail/new] “I kept saying, ‘I forgive them… I forgive them…’ but it wasn’t working.” That moment led Athena Dean Holtz into a deeper realization: sometimes the conflict we think we’re fighting with people has a different layer entirely. When believers misidentify the battle, we end up exhausted, reactive, and stuck in cycles we can’t seem to break. In this episode, Athena, author of No Longer Hidden: You Cannot Resist What You Do Not Recognize, shares how learning to recognize spiritual deception helped her understand a painful betrayal in ministry — and why discernment, not fear, is the key to standing firm. We explore: * How hidden patterns of deception can quietly shape conflict * Why misidentifying the battle keeps believers stuck in reaction mode * The difference between ignoring spiritual warfare and seeing it everywhere * How knowing Scripture in context strengthens discernment * Why mature believers must learn to test teaching for themselves instead of outsourcing authority * How recognition can change the way we respond to betrayal, pain, and pressure If you’ve ever felt like you’re fighting the same battles over and over, this episode invites you to step back and ask a deeper question: what if the real battle isn’t the one you think it is? — Learn more about Athena and her work at redemption-press.com [https://redemption-press.com/] and athenaholtzspeaks.com [https://athenaholtzspeaks.com/]. If you care about Christian communication done with more creativity and integrity, come see what we’re building at contrarytopopular.com [http://contrarytopopular.com/].

Redefining Hustle in Christian Leadership | with Erin Harrigan

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1870960/fan_mail/new] “I love Jesus. I’m just not sure I want Him to take over this business.” That struggle is real! Many high-capacity Christian women build something that works — a growing business, steady revenue, visible success — and yet behind closed doors they’re exhausted, anxious, and wondering if they want to burn it all down. 🔥 In this episode, Erin Harrigan, author of Redefining Hustle: Navigating Success with Jesus, talks about the deeper struggle beneath burnout: the drive to define ourselves by achievement. We explore: * Why outward success can mask inward spiraling * The difference between diligence and white-knuckling control * The fear that surrender means losing everything * How church culture can send mixed messages to ambitious women * What it actually looks like to wrestle with God instead of just reading another Bible study If you’ve built something impressive and still feel restless, this episode invites you to wrestle with that tension instead of managing it. — Learn more about Erin and her work at erinharrigan.com [https://erinharrigan.com/].  If you care about Christian communication done with more creativity and integrity, come see what we’re building at contrarytopopular.com [http://contrarytopopular.com/].