Rise to Lead | Grow, Lead, and Inspire

Are you exhausted—even though you're still getting everything done?

You show up.

You work.

You solve problems.

You answer the phone.

You take care of everyone else.

From the outside, it may look like you're doing great.

But functioning doesn't always mean you're okay.

In Episode 18 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson asks an important question:

What are you carrying right now that you don't actually need to carry?

Maybe it's someone else's opinion.

...

You finished the job interview. It seemed to go well.

Then comes the waiting.

You check your email. You check LinkedIn. You replay your answers. After a few days, you start wondering:

Did I get the job? Are they still interested? Should I follow up?

In Episode 17 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explains what to do when you haven't heard back after an interview—and why silence doesn't necessarily mean rejection.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✅ How to write a meaningful post-interview than...

You don't need to prepare answers to 25 different interview questions.

You need three great stories.

In Episode 16 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explains how to prepare for behavioral interview questions like:

“Tell me about a time when you solved a difficult problem.”

“Tell me about a conflict with a coworker.”

“Tell me about a result you're proud of.”

Most behavioral interview questions are ultimately trying to discover a few things: How do you solve problems? How do you work with people? And how do you create r...

“Tell me about yourself.”

It sounds like one of the easiest interview questions you'll ever be asked. After all, who knows more about you than you?

Yet it's also one of the questions candidates frequently struggle to answer clearly.

Some start at the beginning of their careers and walk through every job they've ever had. Others share too much personal information. Some give such a broad response that the interviewer still doesn't understand who they are professionally.

In Episode 15 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson breaks down a simple four...

Are you going through a difficult season at work?

Maybe you're tired.

You feel overlooked or unappreciated. Your environment has changed. Your boss has changed. Maybe you've changed.

And slowly, you've stopped showing up like the person you used to be.

In this episode of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson tackles an important leadership and career question:

How do you keep a bad season from changing who you are?

Every career has seasons—seasons of growth and recognition, but also seasons when you feel disappointed, fr...

Are you accidentally training your employees to depend on you for every decision?

When someone brings you a problem, giving them the answer feels productive. It's quick. It's efficient. And sometimes, it feels good to be needed.

But there's a problem:

If you solve everything yourself, you may be doing the work while missing the leadership opportunity.

In Episode 13 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explains why one of the biggest transitions in leadership is moving from:

“I know how to do it”

to

“I...

What does your team feel when you walk into the room?

Every leader brings a temperature with them.

Confidence or anxiety.

Calm or frustration.

Hope or fear.

Clarity or confusion.

In Episode 12 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explores why leadership isn't only about managing people—it's also about managing yourself.

Your team watches how you respond when plans fail, pressure rises, someone makes a mistake, deadlines tighten, or criticism comes your way.

That's when leadership is tested.

In this episode, yo...

Are you avoiding a difficult conversation because you don't want to create conflict?

That conversation may be more important than you realize.

In Episode 11 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explains why great leadership requires the courage to address problems instead of hoping they'll disappear.

Performance issues grow. Resentment grows. Confusion grows. And eventually, the conversation you're avoiding becomes the conversation you can no longer afford to avoid.

Doran shares a practical framework for handling difficult conversations with both courage and compassion:

✅ Get your heart right before the conversation

What if becoming a better leader means becoming less necessary?

One of the hardest transitions in leadership is learning to let go. We develop people, coach them, encourage them, and tell them we believe in them—but eventually, we have to do something much harder:

Trust them to lead.

In Episode 10 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explains why leaders who refuse to release control eventually limit the very people they're trying to develop.

In this episode you'll discover:

✅ Why control can create dependency

✅ How effect...

The greatest leaders aren't remembered for their titles—they're remembered for the people they develop.

In Episode 9 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explores one of the most powerful principles of leadership: investing in others. Drawing inspiration from Jesus' intentional development of the disciples and Barnabas' encouragement of Paul, this episode reveals why leadership is ultimately measured by the leaders you help create.

Discover how believing in others, equipping them for growth, and intentionally mentoring future leaders creates a legacy that lasts far beyond your career.

If you lead at work, in ministry, at...

Have you ever felt alone as a leader?

Leadership often looks glamorous from the outside, but behind every title are difficult decisions, quiet sacrifices, and responsibilities that few people ever see.

In Episode 8 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explores one of leadership's least discussed realities: the loneliness of leadership.

More importantly, he reminds us that God never wastes those lonely seasons.

In this episode you'll discover:

✅ Why leadership becomes lonely

✅ How to carry pressure without letting it carry you

✅ Why even Moses, David...

What if you've been waiting for a promotion to become the leader you're already capable of being?

In Episode 7 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson shares one of the most transformative leadership principles you'll ever hear:

Leadership doesn't begin with a title. Leadership begins with trust.

Whether you're leading in your workplace, your family, your church, or your community, real leadership is measured by your influence—not your position.

In this episode you'll learn:

✅ Why influence is more powerful than authority

✅ How trust becomes the founda...

Most people think leadership is about gaining influence.

Great leaders know it's about developing character.

In Episode 6 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explains why the greatest limitations leaders face aren't external—they're internal.

You'll discover why promotions reveal character rather than create it, why talent alone isn't enough, and why self-awareness is one of the most important leadership skills you'll ever develop.

In this episode:

✅ Why your greatest opponent is yourself

✅ Character vs. talent

✅ The leadership questions every leader should ask

✅ Why pressure r...

Are you waiting for the perfect moment before taking your next step?

What if that moment never comes?

In Episode 5 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson shares one of the most important leadership lessons you'll ever learn: you cannot move into God's future while holding on to yesterday.

Whether you've been trapped by regret, fear, past failures, or even past success, this episode will encourage you to stop waiting for certainty and start walking by faith.

In this episode:

✅ Why leaders get stuck

✅ Letting go of yesterday

What if the season you're trying to escape is actually preparing you for the leader God is calling you to become?

In Episode 4 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explores why brokenness, setbacks, and disappointment are often part of God's preparation process. Through the stories of Joseph, Paul, and personal leadership lessons, discover how pain can deepen your faith, strengthen your character, and shape your purpose.

🎙️ Listen now to Episode 4

What if the season you're trying to escape is the very one God is using to prepare you?

In Episode 4 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson shares how brokenness, disappointment, and setbacks often become the foundation of authentic leadership.

Many of us pray for success, influence, and opportunity—but overlook the process God uses to build character. Through the story of Joseph and lessons from his own leadership journey, Doran reveals why God often develops leaders through seasons they would never choose.

In this episode you'll discover:

✅ Why brokenness isn't weakness

Have you ever wanted to quit?

Every leader has.

In Episode 3 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson explores the discouragement, loneliness, setbacks, and uncertainty that every leader experiences—but few talk about.

Leadership becomes most difficult when you've done everything right and things still don't go according to plan. It's in those moments that leaders discover what they're truly made of.

In this episode you'll learn:

✅ How to navigate discouragement as a leader

✅ Why leadership can feel lonely

✅ The leadership lessons found in Nehemiah's story

✅ H...

Thinking about quitting?

Before you do, hear this.

Every leader, entrepreneur, parent, and person pursuing a dream will face moments of discouragement. Moments when the setbacks feel bigger than the progress. Moments when walking away seems easier than taking another step.

But what if your breakthrough is closer than you think?

In this powerful clip from Rise to Lead Episode 3, Doran Anderson shares why the most successful leaders aren't the ones who never struggle—they're the ones who refuse to quit when the journey gets difficult.

Don't let a te...

Everybody wants the title.

Everybody wants the promotion.

Everybody wants the influence.

But very few people stop to ask what leadership will cost them.

In Episode 2 of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson shares the sacrifices behind more than 20 years of leadership. From relocating across the country and spending time away from family to carrying the emotional weight of leading people through life's toughest challenges, Doran reveals the side of leadership most people never discuss.

In this episode you'll learn:

✅ Why every promotion comes with a price

...

What if your greatest leadership lessons are being learned right now—before anyone notices?

In the very first episode of Rise to Lead, Doran Anderson shares his personal journey from working as an hourly employee in a textile mill during a recession to becoming an executive leader, HR executive, and leadership development strategist.

This episode explores:

Wh...