Crucifying Expectations to Faithfully Live and Lead with Joanna Meyer

In a culture that promises life will go "up and to the right," we're conditioned to believe that success follows a predictable trajectory of increasing achievement and personal fulfillment. But for Christians who desire to lead more faithfully, our expectations for life and leadership must come from what God says about us, about our calling, and about his kingdom.

In this episode of The Disrupters podcast, host Nicole Martin talks with Joanna Meyer, Director of Public Engagement at the Denver Institute for Faith and Work and author of the award-winning book Women, Work and Calling. As a leader in the national Women, Work and Calling initiative, Joanna brings deep insight into how Gospel-formed expectations become the foundation for authentic calling and faithful leadership.

Nicole and Joanna explore what it means to crucify our expectations and lead from a place of flexible surrender rather than rigid entitlement. They share about their experiences as women who lead and serve in the Church, and how they’ve needed to navigate and sometimes reject the expectations that have been placed upon them in the process. Joanna shares her journey through unmet expectations, revealing how beauty and brokenness have worked together to shape her calling and deepen her relationship with Jesus. Throughout their conversation, they emphasize the difference between being faithful and being fruitful, challenging listeners to align their hopes with what God promises will be rather than their own expectation of what should be.

Tune in now to discover how to develop faithful expectations, navigate disappointment, and remain anchored in the Gospel when life doesn't go according to plan.

This episode highlights the following themes:

✅ The difference between being faithful and being fruitful in leadership
✅ How broken expectations can deepen intimacy with Christ
✅ Moving forward in faithfulness when life doesn't meet expectations

Links from the episode:

✅ Learn more about Joanna Meyer (www.ivpress.com/joanna-meyer)
✅ Check out Joanna's book: Women, Work and Calling (www.ivpress.com/women-work-and-calling)
✅ Learn more about Nicole Martin (www.ivpress.com/nicole-massie-martin)
✅ Read Nicole Martin's book: Nailing It (www.ivpress.com/nailing-it)
✅ Read the transcript here (drive.google.com/file/d/1WcvqQHx4DZa_BzCySMefjpe6Z4oeAVk1/view)

Credits:

✅Special offer: Visit ivpress.com (ivpress.com) and use the code IVPOD25 for 25% off any IVP resource mentioned in this episode.
✅Producers: Jack Reece and Travis Albritton
✅Executive Producer: Helen Lee
✅Sound Engineering: Honest Podcasts (honestpodcasts.com/)
✅Social Media Manager: Allie Noble
✅Production Assistant: Christine Pelliccio Melo
✅Podcast Art: Kate Lillard
✅Theme Song: "Something Else" by Nu Alkemi$t

=== Time Stamps ===

00:00 – Introduction
02:32 – Joanna's Story of Calling
08:05 – Crucifying the Expectation of Marriage
10:54 – How Broken Expectations Drew Joanna Closer to God
12:40 – Leadership Expectations That Need to Be Shifted
14:34 – How to Develop Right Expectations
17:10 – How to Navigate Your Faithfulness and Expectations of Your Community
18:50 – Moments That Defined Joanna's Relationship with God
23:00 – Integrating Women's Public Roles and Faith
28:10 – How Joanna Manages People's Expectations of Her
33:05 – Battling the Wrong Elements of Leadership
35:00 – Just Keep Moving Forward
37:40 – Reconciling Expectations of God's Power and Reality
39:33 – Invitation to Jesus Is the Most Precious Thing

Disclaimer: The comments, views, and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the host and/or the guests featured on the podcast and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of InterVarsity Press or InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.