What does it mean to lead with conviction in a time of crumbling certainties?

This week, Carrie sits down with Dr. Erica Brown, Vice Provost for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University and a scholar whose work resides at the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern workplace complexity. At first glance, this conversation seems to orbit around the familiar themes of leadership and purpose—but as with the best questions, the conversation keeps opening, folding in questions of identity, grief, joy, legacy, and resilience.

Erica’s latest book, Morning Has Broken: Faith After October 7th, blends the structure of spiritual meditation with the shock of collective trauma. Today, she offers a theory of leadership that begins not with bullet points or quarterly goals, but with the inner life. It’s about leading with a fully intact spiritual core, one that serves as a center of gravity that steadies you when your compass fails. And in a world where the compass seems to fail more often than not—politically, environmentally, interpersonally—her framework feels not only restorative but essential.

Together, they wrestle with one of the most slippery questions of the modern age: What is truth? Not in a postmodern, navel-gazing way—but practically. Tangibly. What truths do we inherit, and which do we pass on? How do we train ourselves to see the people in our offices, our communities, even our inboxes, not as roles but as souls? And what practices—tiny, daily, almost invisible—actually hold us together?

For anyone who has ever asked: am I doing enough—am I doing the right kind of enough—we encourage you to engage in this conversation. Through Erica’s deeply generous lens, we’re reminded that sometimes leadership is not about standing out but standing firm. It's not about clarity but conviction. It is not about knowing the answer but having the courage to ask a better question.

Links & Notes

Learn more about Dr. Brown and her books

(00:00) - Welcome to Mission Forward
(01:07) - Introducing Dr. Erica Brown
(05:50) - Truth, Trust, and Core Conviction
(12:48) - Feedback
(18:14) - Stamina
(22:34) - Morning Has Broken
(29:30) - On Practice
(31:50) - Voices of Insipiration

On Taking Your Soul to Work with Dr. Erica Brown