Strength & Courage Podcast: Recent Episodes
Benjamin Thomas
The Strength and Courage Podcast offers dynamic insight on various leadership lessons from the personal and practical experiences of the host, Dr. Benjamin Thomas, and Co-host, Hassan Kibirango. They both share personal and practical lessons on leadership development, mentorship, and applicable management perspectives for all listeners. This is a podcast for leaders who are looking to grow and develop in their call to lead.
In the final episode of Season 2, we hear from Susie Thomas, the Co-Founder of B2THEWORLD on what her journey of strength and courage look like. Susie shares her experiences over the years including, battling a malignant brain tumor a decade ago, God's healing through it, and moving to serve in Rwanda as a Fith Grade Teacher as well as, Co-founding an organization.
In this episode, we feature a Guest, Elsie Muhirwa, a Senior at Kigali International Community School (KICS). She speaks about her experience as a student just accepted into an Ivy League university, her lessons from heading the Student Council as President as well as, what strength and courage look like as the founder of 'Youth For Youth Rwanda', a nonprofit organization that supports students in low-income schools in Rwanda.
Every year in Rwanda, April 7 marks the start of the 100-Day commemoration period of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi. In this episode of the Strength and Courage Podcast, host Dr. Ben, shares his personal reflection on Kwibuka which means 'Rememberance' in Kinyarwanda.
Creativity is one of the most important characteristics of an effective leader. In Episode 21 we hear from our show Guest, Mr. Fabrice Nzeyimana, who is the Worship Pastor at Christian Life Assembly in Rwanda as well as, the Founder of Heavenly Melodies Africa. He speaks from over 22 years of ministry experience working with creatives across Africa. He delves into how creativity opens up opportunities for collaboration, problem-solving, and inspiring teams to be creative and grow as provided by the example of Christ.
In Episode 20, our show Guest, Pr. Lincoln Serwanga from Liberty Christian Fellowship in Southeast London, shares his insights on leading with strength and courage. Pr. Lincoln is a pioneer leader, pastor, and church planter who faced and overcame life-transforming situations. He provides nuggets of wisdom that are an encouragement to leaders on what it means to trust God and grow in His strength and courage every step of the leadership journey.
Silence and solitude are about intentionally creating space and time to attune your inner self to what is important for life. In Episode 19, Dr. Ben shares about how busy leaders can unplug, rest, limit distractions and slow down so they can lead from a place of Strength and Courage in a noisy world.
Change is a constant for growing organizations. In Episode 18, Co-host Hassan Kibirango delves into why embracing change for leaders gives them the ability to scale organizational growth as they lead with strength and courage.
Living Simply can empower leaders to have the freedom to focus on what matters most. In Episode 17 of the Strength & Courage Podcast, we hear from Dr. Ben as he delves into the aspects of what it takes to live simply with strength and courage at the organizational, family, and personal levels.
The ability to convey information to another in an efficient and effective way makes for effective communication. In this week's episode, we hear from Co-Host Hassan on why leaders need to communicate effectively. This in turn encourages good communication within a team so they can build relationships, minimize errors and improve work productivity.
The global pandemic disrupted the world and the way leaders approached crises. In this episode, Dr. Ben shares key learnings since the onset of Covid 19, two years ago, and how he led different teams as they navigated changes in a period of uncertainty.
Building trust within a team is foundational to the growth and health of organizations. In this episode, discussed are the various aspects of leading with trust. Trust develops a team so it functions with reliability, truth, and ability as it grows.
Reading is a necessary skill for leaders who enjoy learning and growing in knowledge from the experiences of others. In Episode 13 of the Strength and Courage Podcast, Host Dr. Ben Thomas and Co-Host, Hassan Kibirango share some of the disciplines that they usually start the new year with.
In our final episode of Season One on the Strength and Courage Podcast, the topic high on the agenda is Cross-Cultural Leadership. In a diverse world where people from various backgrounds interact, influence others, and make decisions, host Dr. Ben explains what cultural leadership is. Leading across cultures is about aligning the unique differences and contributions that culture introduces into a global community as these contribute toward attaining a common organizational goal.
Leading well involves navigating conflict which is a normal aspect of day-to-day life. In the eleventh episode of the Strength & Courage Podcast, Co-host Hassan explores the various ways leaders can resolve conflict. Conflict resolution is an important leadership skill that cultivates healthy cultures in the workplace and among diverse teams of people who may have differing viewpoints when finding solutions to the same challenges.
Vision is a key component of leadership. In the tenth episode of the Strength and Courage Podcast, Dr. Ben expounds on what visionary leadership entails. Visionary leadership permeates the vocation of a leader and is manifested around them as they clearly communicate their vision, goals, and purposes to ensure the attainment of a common goal.
Servant Leadership puts the needs of others first and helps individuals develop and perform as highly as possible. In Episode 9 of the Strength & Courage Podcast, Dr. Ben explains the aspects of Servant Leadership that help organizations and individuals to thrive.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is an essential aspect of leadership. This is because it requires that leaders develop the capacity to recognize and manage their own feelings, and the feelings of others. In this Episode 8 of the Strength & Courage Podcast, we hear from Hassan who explains why EQ is essential for leading well.
Planning helps leaders move ideas into action. In this episode of the Strength and Courage Podcast, we learn from Dr. Ben on how planning positions leaders to accomplish the goals that they have been entrusted with on a daily, weekly, and yearly basis.
Adopting essentialism for leadership ensures that a leader acts on the things they have been entrusted to accomplish. Dr. Ben Thomas explores the concept of Essentialism as a skill that empowers leaders to manage time and get things done irrespective of their busy schedules.
There is great value in cultivating mentorship in the life of a leader. In this episode of the Strength & Courage Podcast, we explore the various dynamics of building mentor-mentee relationships.
Whether you lead thousands, hundreds, a small group, or just yourself, strength and courage are essential. In this episode, we hear from host Dr. Ben Thomas on why every leader will need strength and courage as foundational traits for sustaining and growing in their leadership walk.
Whether you have a love-hate relationship with Mondays, this is the podcast for you. In our third episode of the Strength and Courage Podcast, Hassan shares chief nuggets from his book, 'The Gift of Monday' where he explains why work is a blessing when rewarded and embraced as a gift.
In this episode of The Strength & Courage Podcast, we hear from Host, Dr. Ben Thomas as he leads us through his journey of leadership. He delves into the formative moments that started him on a journey of leadership from New York, USA to Rwanda, Africa. He is the Co-Founder and C.E.O of B2THEWORLD and Director of Kigali International Community School.
In our debut Strength and Courage Podcast, we introduce our Co-host, Hassan Kibirango, and his leadership journey over the years. He provides inspiration from the various facets that have formed his leadership walk and talk in the context of Rwanda, Africa.