Your Custom Text Here
How To Be a Leader Who Cares | Joanna Wiesinger
Joanna Wiesinger and Jan Greenwood, aka the velvet hammer, talk about how to be a leader who cares.
Not sure how to get the best out of your people?
Care about them.
Joanna Wiesinger and Jan Greenwood, aka the velvet hammer, talk about how to be a leader who cares. Jan shares her wins, misses, and practical insights on how to be a leader who builds and leads healthy teams that are engaged and winning!
Meet Joanna Wiesinger
As a Strengths contribution coach, Joanna helps leaders and their teams find the right conditions to THRIVE WITH STRENGTHS daily for greater impact. Joanna leans into her own "superpowers" and over 15 years of experience using CliftonStrengths® to reach beyond a one-size-fits all approach.
Do you need some help with developing your team?
Joanna offers one-on-one Strengths sessions, team workshops, and virtual training.
And grab your copy of Joanna’s complimentary Executive Guide to Healthy Teams
Healed by Light and Sound
God reveals His glory and brings His healing through both light and sound.
If you’ve ever had an x-ray or a radiation procedure - or if you or someone you love is facing this kind of treatment - be encouraged.
God still heals by light and sound.
Align Your Body and Experience Healing
Your body is a healing machine. When things are in alignment, it will naturally heal.
Your body is a healing machine. It has a miraculous ability to heal itself. No one has to tell it what or how to do it. Yet, every day many deal with chronic sickness.
Why?
In this video blog, I share why and how alignment is a critical factor for your physical, emotional and spiritual healing. When what is missing, broken or out of place is properly repositioned we can heal.
The First 48 Hours
Receiving bad news is never easy. Shock comes quickly and so many unanswered questions often overwhelm us.
Receiving bad news is never easy. Shock comes quickly and so many unanswered questions often overwhelm us. It isn’t until later - looking back - that we can identify the miracles that were happening all along the way.
I recently shared my “First 48 Hours” with my Equip team at Gateway Church. They encouraged me to share with you this window into the moments following my diagnosis with breast cancer. Join me as I share about my first 48 hours and how God met in the midst of a really hard day.
Celebrating 10 Years of Healing
My health journey reaches an important mile marker.
When I began my cancer journey in 2009, I had no idea all of the struggles - nor the blessings - that lie ahead. Despite the cost and the struggle, I’ve gained much more than I’ve lost.
Are You a Good Listener?
Intentional listening offers many benefits, especially when you listen to God.
I’m not sure how I developed the habit of being a poor listener.
I have several theories:
I am an only child, therefore I have a life-time habit of listening to myself before I pause to listen to anyone else. (This should explain so many things about me.)
I am selfish. Although I am an enthusiastic listener, I am often eager for you to get to the end of your point so I can tell you about mine.
I am impatient. I enjoy conversation so much that sometimes I fall into a dream state where I think we are in perfect step with one another, and that I intuitively know what you are about to say. In eager confirmation of my mind-reading skills, I will burst forth, interrupt and complete your sentence. (I almost never get this right, but somehow I keep right on trying.)
It’s taken me a long time (and a lot of awkward moments) to understand the finer points of conversation and just how far I tend to drift, but it wasn’t until I began to listen to the voice of God that I began to grasp the true value of intentional listening.
Do you need to work on being a better listener? Then sit down with me and we can learn together.
Have you been pruned?
Do you feel like you’ve been pruned? Sharply shaped without your permission? You are not alone.
Do you feel like you’ve been pruned? Cut back? Sharply shaped without your permission? You are not alone. A part of me too is all rough edges, exposed emotions and sappy branches.
In what seemed like a moment, the entire world experienced a sharp and swift pruning of our lives. We were sent home to protect us from an enemy that is invisible and deadly. Our “sheltering at home” will either become place of safety and healing or they will become prisons of pain and fear.
Why would God prune the entire world, all at one time? We can find some understanding In John 15. Jesus reveals the Father as a farmer who cares for his vineyard through pruning so that what is “cut back” will become even more fruitful.
There is only one reason that God prunes a fruitful vine and that is to make it more fruitful. He prunes an unfruitful vine as well, but that vine is clipped off as deadwood, never to reproduce again.
You and I are sitting on the cusp of a great revival of faith in Jesus.
Believers have been called into their personal prayer closets. In private, He is tending to our pruned branches, preparing them to bear more weight - more fruit - more of His glory.
Those who have not yet heard the good news or who might have even rejected or ignored the gospel are experiencing the same pruning as a moment of grace whereby their fear and pain can make way for His healing, rescue and His salvation.
Prepare yourself now to share your testimony tomorrow. The whole world is being “ripened” so that man might listen and believe.
How to Overcome Negative Thoughts
Special guest Nanette Eiland shares how she is standing on God's promises to overcome negative thoughts.
Are you currently facing unexpected and fearful consequences or changes due to the pandemic? Maybe your fears or negative thoughts are centered around concerns for your health, or the stress on your marriage, or maybe you are struggling because there is so much ambiguity in this moment.
Many times we can’t control the circumstances of our lives. Events happen. Changes come. Sometimes we swing “up” in emotion and sometimes we spiral “down.”
My friend, Nanette Eiland, just experienced an unexpected change of her own.
“On Monday, I received a call letting me know my position was being eliminated.”
Nanette, not being one to allow the enemy an opportunity to add his torment to a difficult moment, quickly turned to God’s Word for help.
In this video blog, Nanette and I visit about her journey over the past few weeks. We talk about how she’s coping and what she is doing to keep her fear and negative thoughts from ruling her mind and heart in this moment.
I hope you are encouraged and empowered by this conversation and that you too, will use God’s Word to overcome fear and negative thoughts.
Stay with it all the way to the end and I will bless you with a prophetic word!
Looking for Direction?
“Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.
So keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, mericiful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always. ”
“We can demolish every deceptive fantasy that opposes God and break through every arrogant attitude that is raised up in defiance of the true knowledge of God. We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the anointed one. ”
How to Overcome Loneliness
A special guest video blog with Pastor Chelsea Seaton, a 30-something single coping with the loneliness of the “shelter at home” season,
Are you experiencing loneliness? You are not alone. Millions of people around the world are dealing with a new and uncomfortable reality - They are alone.
Whether you are single, isolated by the virus, a widow or even a single parent suddenly home with your family, the sensation of being disconnected from everything you know can make you feel alone.
In this Vblog, I am visiting with my special guest and long-time friend, Chelsea Seaton, who is a 30-something professional young woman who owns her own home and happens to be single. In obedience to the “shelter at home” order, she found herself home alone for weeks, eventually discovering what it feels like to be lonely.
Chelsea offers a Biblical understanding of loneliness along with some practical tips for how to emotionally connect and engage with others.
This is a little longer than my usual videos so grab a cup of coffee and spend about 20 minutes with me and Chelsea.
How to Overcome Fear
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.
The nurse came flying into the chemo room and handed me my weekly slip of paper that documented my blood test results. “This looks fine,” she said. I responded with the same exact words I used every time she would hand me the paper: “That’s because I’m well.” As I glanced down to confirm that my blood work was good, I read the results. In that moment, a fiery dart of fear pierced my heart.
Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.
Psalm 27:3
According to 1 John 4:18, fear is a tormenting spirit that threatens us with punishment. It comes in various forms—from intimidation to threat to torture. Fear loves to breed confusion and preys upon doubt. It presents itself as powerful and all-consuming, and it never shows mercy.
It was June of 2009 when cancer first called my name. Since then, I’ve had many fights with fear. I’ve had to learn how to align my thoughts, my actions and my body with God’s promises and character in order to keep my peace, walk in faith and receive my healing. I’ve learned firsthand that the Word of God is the only thing that can speak more loudly to me than the fear of death.
When you’re diagnosed with a serious illness, there is an instantaneous moment of disbelief, quickly followed by the first onslaught of fear. You face critical decisions and many invasions of privacy. You must discern your plan of action based upon the input of strangers who may or may not have your best interests at heart. Every decision feels life-threatening, and each day brings a new realization of the seriousness of the situation.
The story of Joshua shows us that God understands how afraid and intimidated we are when the threat of dying is near. The first chapter of Joshua picks up immediately after the death of Moses. Joshua, who had been Moses’ right-hand man, was faced with the challenge of leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land. I’m sure he was wrestling with fear, and I can completely relate. When I first heard the word “malignant,” it felt like a punch in the gut. But God opens His dialogue with Joshua by looking death straight in the face and removing its sting: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready” (Joshua 1:2). God doesn’t linger over the loss of Moses. Instead, He reminds Joshua of His promises and gives Joshua an instruction list for overcoming fear that applies to each of us as well.
First, God tells Joshua twice in a row to be brave and very courageous (Joshua 1:6–7). God required a faith response—an action—from Joshua. He does not make him brave. He commands him to be brave. Joshua had to choose to obey and take courage.
Next, God instructs Joshua to remember His Word (Joshua 1:8). The Word of God has every answer for our questions about healing and how to overcome the fear of death. He clearly states His plan (for long life and health), His heart (He desires for us to live) and His provision for us to obtain our personal promise of healing (by His stripes we are healed).
God wraps up His talk by exhorting Joshua one final time to be strong and courageous; only this time He also tells him not to be terrified or discouraged because He promises to be with Joshua and the people of Israel wherever they go (Joshua 1:9). In order to agree and cooperate with God, we have to disagree with our fear and trust that God is always with us.
Much like Joshua, when we face a serious situation—whether it’s a life-threatening illness, a relationship loss, grief or suffering—God calls us to believe His promises. We are to take courage and resist fear in order to cross over into our individual promised lands of health and restoration.
Despite the evidence of God’s Word, many of us are often afraid to believe for healing. We don’t trust that God is good or that He is willing to heal. Some of us are so terrified of being disappointed that we fail to stretch our faith and exercise obedience. Others of us begin the battle strong but lose our momentum, because fear wears at the corners of our minds and day by day steals a piece of our faith. Sometimes, we listen to our symptoms more than we listen to the voice of God. A hurting body, grueling treatments and many tests simply scream sickness so loudly that we believe the lie. Many of us can’t get past our experiences. We’ve seen a friend or family member suffer and die, and the disappointment stands like a mountain in the way of our hope and faith. Leaping across what is “bad” to believe that God is “good” becomes a seemingly insurmountable obstacle for us. However, if we don’t learn to overcome fear, we will walk in constant anxiety and thwart God’s plan to bring healing and victory to us.
I understand that believing God and choosing to be brave isn’t easy, and it doesn’t mean that we won’t ever have doubt or fear. It simply means that we obey in the face of great obstacles, symptoms and intimidation. Eventually, there comes a season in our battle when we can fully rest in the hope we’ve placed in God, surrender the outcome to Him and trust in His faithfulness rather than in the manifestation of our healing. We know that whether we are healed in this life or not, God is faithful. When we diligently guard our hearts against fear and steadfastly hold to God’s promises, we experience the rewards of peace and hope.
That day in the chemo room led to a week or two of massive instability. I had to reach out to my husband and my friends, confessing my thoughts and asking for prayer again and again. I’ve had many skirmishes like this, and each time, I have to choose to follow God’s prescription to Joshua for overcoming fear: I take courage. I stand on God’s Word. And I use His promises to diligently guard and restore my heart against fear. As I persevere, I am filled with God’s peace. Even though I may leave the engagement bruised and battered, I am not defeated.
I love what David says in Psalm 27:3, “When besieged, I’m calm as a baby. When all hell breaks loose, I’m collected and cool.” No matter how many times fear comes against us, we can maintain our confidence and peace by believing His promise to Joshua and to us: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you or forsake you.”
You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, “I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
Eleanor Roosevelt
How to Overcome the Fear of Death
Are you afraid of death? I was too.
If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord.
So, if we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Romans 14:8
It wasn’t so long ago that I found myself face-to-face with the fear of death. My morality came crashing down around me and the awareness that my life could be nearing its end overwhelmed me with fear. Some days I could hold it at bay, but bad reports or even happy moments triggered my anxiety, and I would walk around acting, talking and looking normal, but on the inside experiencing “death days.”