The (Un)successful Podcast with Pete Portal

This conversation with Pete Hughes gets under the skin of Christian leadership. Pete is vulnerable and genuinely pretty funny, as he discusses his discontent with online content, and the difference between making online noise versus sharing a message you feel you're carrying. He also shares his skin care routine and song of choice at karaoke.

Michael Hastings is a cross bench peer in the House of Lords (whatever that means..!), Professor of Leadership at the Stephen Covey Leadership Centre, Chair of the Board at SOAS, and was previously Head of Global Citizenship for KPMG. Sounds fancy hey? But by far and away the most impressive thing about Mike is his sheer kindness. For someone with so many ‘worldly' titles, he's unbelievably humble. We chat about how he visits people in prison, mentors hundreds of young men, and he shares some wisdom on how politics and faith can work together.

MK tells me all about his upbringing, his early struggles without a father present in his life, and other factors that led to joining a gang. We discuss issues of grinding poverty and trauma but also profound hope and transformation. It's a deep dive into one of the most intense stories I've ever heard, and leaves us with all sort of big questions about the witness of the church in the world and how a more meaningful, authentic engagement with those on the margins could be the answer.

My guest this week is Pete Greig, the founder of 24-7 Prayer, a global prayer movement that has been praying non-stop since 1999. Pete has plenty of externally successful-looking things in his life that he could point to, but this conversation centres on the private life of a leader. We cover topics such as integrity, sacrifice, hypocrisy (and beauty) in the church, and how we can live towards a greater congruence between our private and our public lives. Ultimately, asking the question what does it mean to be motivated by God's glory alone?

Pete's guest this week is Langa Mbonambi, founder of We Will Worship, an award-winning South African worship group. Langa has plenty to share on all things ‘worship', including his own wrestles with the industry, metrics of success, and what true worship looks like for the (Un)successful follower of Jesus.

In this episode Pete chats with Craig Westhoff about his career as a presenter on one of the biggest radio stations in the U.S. Craig shares with candour and vulnerability about how professional success just couldn't satisfy his inner need for meaning and fulfilment. He sets out a challenge for each of us to discover ‘what remains' when all else falls away - the way of love.

In the sixth and final session, we'll explore the ideas of resurrection power and participatory suffering: how churches engage with them, and how to balance both in our lives. This episode is a little different from other episodes of The (Un)successful Podcast. This episode is part of a series with three of my close friends where we explore what true success looks like.

In the fifth session, we'll be exploring the idea that to follow Jesus is to be concerned with the social, economic, and political conditions in this world, and that dismantling injustice is actually God's prescription for our own flourishing. This episode is a little different from other episodes of The (Un)successful Podcast. This episode is part of a series with three of my close friends where we explore what true success looks like.

In the fourth session, we'll explore how different ways of dealing with pain can deeply impact our lives – either transferring it to others, or taking it to God and allowing him to transform it.  This episode is a little different from other episodes of The (Un)successful Podcast. This episode is part of a series with three of my close friends where we explore what true success looks like.

In the third session, we'll explore how being kind – even when it makes us unseen or unsuccessful – may be the greatest influence we can have.  This episode is a little different from other episodes of The (Un)successful Podcast. This episode is part of a series with three of my close friends where we explore what true success looks like.

In the second session, we'll be exploring how our desire to feel truly seen can't be met by achieving relevance, but only in deep friendship.  This episode is a little different from other episodes of The (Un)successful Podcast. This episode is part of a series with three of my close friends where we explore what true success looks like.

This episode is a little different from other episodes of The (Un)successful Podcast. This episode is part of a series with three of my close friends where we explore what true success looks like. In the first session of the series, we'll talk about how following God's calling might look to others like wasting your life. But if your calling isn't about what you are going to do but rather who you are going to become, does that change how you think about it? 

Welcome to The (Un)successful Podcast, where real conversations about human flourishing unfold in unexpected ways. I'm your host, Pete Portal, and I appreciate you choosing to spend your time here with me.