The most impactful leaders in the world have one thing in common – they lead to the beat of a higher calling, one that drives them to make a difference in the lives of the people and communities they serve. They are Higher Leaders.
Great leaders and the topic of leadership have always intrigued me. I’ve read hundreds of books on leadership and was blessed to spend significant time leading others in my professional career. The lessons I’ve learned all point to one common truth, and so recently, I jotted this tombstone epitaph in my journal:
Anyone can lead their life at the expense of others and the world.
Be one who leads their life to benefit others and the world.
Join me on the Higher Leading podcast as my guests and I define and discuss what it means to lead for a higher purpose. A purpose that calls us to serve others and to be good stewards of the gifts and resources we’ve been blessed.
Latest Episode
Episode 38 - Tara Hagan
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 out of every 5 adults in America experiences some sort of mental health illness every year. During this Mental Health Awareness month, I’m dedicating two episodes of Higher Leading to bringing much-needed attention to this growing epidemic.
My first guest, Tara Hagan, is a licensed clinical counselor, owner of Hagen Counseling Services and co-founder of the Therapy Collaborative. She is also a family friend whose wisdom on this subject is one I respect and appreciate, and one that I feel fortunate to help share. Our conversation serves as an important reminder that there is hope and help for those struggling to move forward through grief, anxiety and depression.
Episode 37 - Heather Salazar
If you ever needed proof that blind faith paired with passionate action can change the world, then I have it in spades for you today! Heather Salazar, CEO and President of Pink Ribbon Good (PRG), joins me on this episode to share her incredible story of showing up when God called and trusting His plan. It all started when Heather’s path crossed with another young mother struggling through breast cancer treatment. In an amazing leap of courage and faith, Heather showed up in a BIG way to support a stranger in need, and the series of events that followed can only be explained as divine intervention. Today, Heather leads an organization that provides meals, rides to treatment, house cleaning and peer support to cancer patients across the entire nation. This one will give you goosebumps!
Learn more about PRG here: www.pinkribbongood.org.
Episode 36 - ChalkTalk with Jay
Leadership seems to be considered and discussed most often in the context of one’s work or occupation. But being a Higher Leader doesn’t just mean that we lead our employees or our organizations well — it also requires that we lead ourselves well! On today’s ChalkTalk with Jay, I’m sharing what I define as the 5 Stages of Optimal Self-Leadership. As you listen, I challenge you to think deeply about how you can grow from simply having a title to having absolute trust.
Episode 35 - Jim Meyer
Jim Meyer is one of the first Higher Leaders I followed and learned from. He is my mentor and friend and one of my biggest supporters; he is also my big brother! I sat down with Jim on his birthday to talk about family, leadership, service, and of course, basketball. Like me, Jim was a college athlete, and later became a very successful high school girls’ basketball coach who taught the importance of relationships and preparation. Today, Jim continues to serve as a role model for me and others with his bold faith and humble heart.
Episode 34 - Mary Tyler
Mary Tyler is a force, and God certainly blessed me when he caused our paths to cross. As principal of her own consulting firm, Mary is influencing the greater Dayton region in the areas of diversity, inclusion and equity in a big, big way. I’m proud to be walking alongside her currently, as we endeavor to build the capacity of African-American, non-profit leaders in our community. In this episode of Higher Leading, Mary and I talk about the people in her life who helped shape her into the person she is today, and we learn the secret to her seemingly infinite energy!
Episode 33 - Chris Wright
Former NBA player and University of Dayton standout, Chris Wright, is giving back to the community he’ll always consider home with a mission to stabilize communities through sports. Through his Wright Way Foundation and the Flyght Academy, Chris and his team are preparing youth to use their God-given talents to make a difference in their lives and the lives of others, on and off the court. His concept of preparing well for 2 + 22 hours of every day is unique and inspiring! To learn more about the Flyght Academy and the incredible sports space they are building to support their efforts, visit www.theflyghtacademy.com.
Episode 32 - Dick Steineman
Most of us are familiar with the phrase “Thy will be done” from the Lord’s Prayer, and today, I want to share the story of a man whose life is one of the most perfect examples of living that phrase that I can think of. As a professional basketball player, Dick Steineman traveled the world playing the game he loved. During his career, an experience on a hillside in Venezuela opened Dick’s eyes to a need that he felt God calling him to fulfill. Upon retirement, Dick returned to his home state of Ohio and founded St. Patrick’s Soup Kitchen, among several other ministries, and he has been serving the less fortunate now for almost 30 years. His faith that the Lord will provide has proven itself in so many incredible stories that inspire me (and hopefully you too!) to believe in the notion that it is in fact, in giving, that we receive. To learn more about St. Patrick’s Soup Kitchen in Troy, Ohio, please visit www.soupkitchen.org.
Episode 31 - Doug Meyer
For this episode, I invited my friend, Doug Meyer (CEO of Brixey and Meyer), back to the podcast for a well-deserved encore. The December 19, 2022, episode of Higher Leading with Doug is my second most downloaded episode to-date, so you know this guy is saying something you should probably hear! From faith and football to family and business, Doug and I share so many values and interests, and I learn a new nugget of life-tested wisdom from him every time we talk. I invite you to listen and learn from the calm and humbly confident voice of a man who epitomizes Higher Leading, and yet, continues to challenge himself daily to grow into the best version of himself he can be for God, his family, his organization, and the world.
Episode 30 - ChalkTalk with Jay
The first Higher Leading podcast of 2024 is all about setting yourself up to be a better version of yourself this year than you were last year. God gave us all the ability to imagine ourselves as something more, and He also gave us the capacity to design our lives in any manner that we want. Yet, many of us are simply living by default and spending lots of mental and emotional energy longing for something different. If you find yourself experiencing that there-has-got-to-be-something-better feeling, then this ChalkTalk is for you. Join me as I walk you through how to set up B.I.G. goals for the new year.
Episode 29 - ChalkTalk with Jay
I was recently asked a question that encouraged me to think deeper about why I publish this podcast. The very first thing that came to mind was that I want to share the leadership lessons I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way!) on my life’s journey. A less discernable goal, perhaps, is that I’d like to inspire young leaders to be good stewards of their God-given gifts, to find the purpose that drives them, and to give more to the world than they take. As we close out 2023 and prepare for new year, there is no better time to reflect about the kind of leader you want to be in 2024. I hope listening to this episode is thought-provoking.
Episode 28 - Kris Horlacher
On this episode, I want you to meet one of the most focused and purpose-driven people I have ever met. Kris Horlacher is the Executive Director of Shoes 4 the Shoeless, a non-profit she founded that provides new, properly fitting gym shoes and socks to children in need. Kris’s journey from R.N. to Executive Director of this very efficient and effective non-profit is a true testament to following God’s call and having faith that He will guide and provide. Learn with me as Kris shares how she and her team — only 3 staff and 500+ volunteers! — are easing both the physical and emotional suffering of kids in poverty by gifting dignity and hope in a shoebox.
Episode 27 - ChalkTalk with Jay
The tables have turned Higher Leading friends, and this week’s ChalkTalk with Jay is an interview… with me! Earlier this month, I was honored to be a guest on my friend Curt Tucker’s podcast, The Champion Life. Curt’s podcast takes a deep dive into what he has defined as his 5 key pillars of Faith, Fitness, Family, Finances and Fun, and how upping your game in these areas can help you start living life like a champion. Listen to hear a little more about my personal story, as well as my thoughts on what it takes to be the champion God intended you to be.
Episode 26 - Dan Reep
One of the most compelling cultures in the world of business today is that of Chick-fil-A, and I can’t tell you how excited I’ve been to publish this episode featuring one of the fast-food giant’s former directors. Dan Reep is a dear friend from my college basketball days at Ohio Northern University, and on this episode, he provides an insider’s look at Chick-fil-A’s remarkable way of doing business. I struggled to write a summary for this episode because there are SO MANY incredibly good nuggets of wisdom shared and discussed. You’ll just have to listen to hear them all! You won’t regret the time, and you might just learn a little something to put to work in your own life or business from the man behind the milkshake.
Episode 25 - ChalkTalk with Jay
Chances are you have seen or heard the Serenity Prayer somewhere and sometime in your life. It goes like this… “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
There is no such thing as a trouble-free life, so learning to accept and live life on life’s terms is the fastest route to peace. That sounds simple, but we all know it’s not easy, so today I’m sharing how I practice putting the Serenity Prayer to work. And you guessed it, He is at the center of it all. Learn how staying tethered to God’s vine (John 15:5) can bring you serenity on today’s ChalkTalk.
Episode 24 - Alisha Murray
As a young college student working at a youth detention center, Alisha Murray was moved by an encounter with a 10-year-old boy who was caught stealing food. It was in that moment that Alisha started to hear God calling her heart to help youth who struggled to have their very basic needs met. Now, as CEO of Daybreak Dayton, Alisha is living out her purpose by leading the region’s only emergency shelter and enrichment services agency for homeless youth. By intentionally recruiting and hiring a staff with a heart for Daybreak’s mission, Alisha is following God’s perfect example and changing lives in the process.
Episode 23
Elaine Bonner, Chris Adams & the Emerge Recovery and Trade Initiative
The month of September is quickly winding down and so is National Recovery Month. This is my last of 3 episodes dedicated solely to the subject of recovery. Today, Elaine Bonner (Director of Philanthropy) and Chris Adams (Co-Founder) from the Emerge Recovery and Trade Initiative have joined me to share their story of faithfully following God’s lead, as they support men and women in recovery, as well as emancipated youth (those aging out of foster care). At Emerge, FAITH is highest on the value list, but it’s followed closely behind by a belief in second chances and a commitment to effecting lasting change in our community and beyond.
For more information on Emerge and the incredible work they are doing, visit https://www.emergerecoverytrade.com/.
Episode 22
Jessica Zwayer & Joshua Recovery Ministries
This is the second episode of my series dedicated to National Recovery Month, and today I’m talking to Jessica Zwayer, the Executive Director of Joshua Recovery Ministries. This faith-based organization offers housing for men, women and most notably, pregnant women and new mothers, who are 30-days sober and in need of a residential environment that will support them in their continuing recovery journey. As a former gambling addict, Jessica has the unique ability to personally relate to the isolation of addiction and the challenge of lasting recovery, and she feels it a true God-calling to help others build the skills and a community that will ensure lasting freedom from addiction. Jessica playfully calls it her personal mission to build a “Jesus Empire”, one person at a time, and I have no doubt that this Higher Leader is well on her way to achieving just that.
For more information on Joshua Recovery Ministries, visit www.joshualife.org.
The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson –
Meet Your Host
After receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy from Ohio Northern University in 1982, Jay Meyer began working at the local pharmacy in his hometown of Covington, Ohio. For thirty years, he played a leading role in building the business from a tiny corner drugstore into a nationally respected institutional pharmacy.
The leadership lessons Jay learned from the successful growth of the business propelled him toward a new phase in life — coaching leaders and others to make a positive impact on the world by becoming “Higher Leaders.”
Contact Me
Have a question or comment for Jay or one of his guests? Send it here!