James: Hey friends. Welcome to the very first episode of the Live Lead last podcast. I'm your host, James Duvall, and I'm super excited about starting this journey with you. Now, this episode's actually the relaunch of the podcast that my wife and Lisa and I started back in 2020, and we put it on pause because we launched another podcast called The Art of Spousing Geared Around Marriage that if you're married, I'd love to invite you to check that out as well.

But I'm excited to relaunch this because this podcast is specifically for business leaders, entrepreneurs, and creators, and anyone else trying to live with depth, lead with clarity, and leave a legacy that lasts. You know, in a world that celebrates speed and visibility, we're actually gonna slow down to talk about what's [00:01:00] happening underneath the surface.

So I wanna start with this question. What happens when a leader looks successful on the outside, but feels like they're slowly unraveling or even dying on the inside? Maybe you've been there, or maybe you're there right now. You're producing results, you're hitting goals, showing up for everyone.

But inside you feel empty, Misaligned and worn thin. What I've learned is this, you can't lead. Well, if you're not paying attention to what's going on beneath the surface, the unseen parts of your life, your mindset, your health, your internal world, those are what determine your strength, your clarity and your resilience. and if those areas are neglected for too long, the cracks will show up. And when they do, They don't just impact you, they impact everyone around you. But here's the good news, when what's under the surface is healthy and whole, your leadership becomes sustainable and your impact multiplies. 

So before we dive deeper into the framework behind this podcast, I wanna give you a window into why [00:02:00] this matters so much to me.

Because this isn't just theory, it's, it's actually personal, it's lived, and it was born in the middle of a leadership crisis that really almost took me outta leadership. So let me tell you a little bit about myself. Over the past 30 years, I've served as a pastor and executive leader at one of the largest multi-site churches in the United States.

Over a decade ago, my leadership trajectory accelerated very quickly. I went from being an individual contributor at one of our locations to managing multiple departments and leading teams of people across the entire organization.

So my title changed, my influence expanded, and the demands increased. But here's what didn't grow at the same pace. My leadership capacity, see, my responsibilities outran, my internal readiness, and there came a point like it does for so many leaders.

When the crack started to show, the pressure [00:03:00] was under, began to affect the people around me, especially those closest to me. I was achieving big things on paper, felt like everything was growing and up into the right, but beneath the surface, I was tired. Reactive and emotionally underdeveloped. And honestly, it almost took me out of leadership altogether.

Thankfully, I was given the opportunity and the wake up call to do hard, necessary work on myself and out of that painful but transformative season, three words came alive for me. Live, lead last. That phrase actually became my compass, my conviction, and now it's this podcast. Now since then, I've spent the last 10 years becoming a student of leadership. Not just the public face of leadership, but the private kind of leadership. I've actually read hundreds of books. I've done deep internal work and I've tried to ruthlessly eliminate blind spots.

Now, [00:04:00] let's be truthful. Like I still have a lot of blind spots. But I'm always looking for those ways to reveal those things in my life to, to root those things out so that I can be a better leader. But I, I do know this, just like you, I'm a work in progress and that's what this podcast is all about.

Now if you're like most leaders I talk to, you're carrying a lot, You have pressures at work and at home. You have expectations. You have deadlines that sometimes may feel unrealistic. People are depending on you. Your kids are depending on you. Your spouse is depending on you, your boss. Those people you lead are depending on you, and you probably got really good at delivering, right?

You deliver on demand and on schedule, but probably often at your own expense, you're burning the midnight oil. You're maybe getting up early and avoiding things like exercise, and maybe healthy eating becomes fast food, all in the effort to deliver.

because actually we live in the culture that [00:05:00] celebrates. Things that we deliver on, right? It celebrates the fruit. It celebrates growth metrics visibility, while largely ignoring what's going on underneath the surface. The roots. 

When was the last time someone stopped to ask you? What's nourishing your soul? Are your rhythms sustainable? Are you aligned with what you truly value? Are you okay? And the truth is, the higher we rise in leadership, the more authority or responsibility that we have. Fewer people are gonna ask us those questions. It's gonna be harder for us to be vulnerable enough to say, Hey, I'm not okay.

See, leadership isn't just about what you produce, it's about how you stay grounded while producing it. Just like in nature, we experience seasons in our leadership that shape how we lead. If you think about the seasons the year, winter brings stillness, [00:06:00] maybe pruning or burnout. We've all been in those winter seasons when outward results slow down, but it's also the opportunity that inner work can deepen.

There's the spring season that's full of vision, creativity. Fresh energy. Maybe we're planting new seeds, new, new ideas, new opportunities. Summer comes along and it's marked by momentum and visible results, but it can also bring heat and pressure, and then fall offers that time of reflection, harvesting the winds, letting go of what no longer serves you see, each season has purpose. But so many of us try to lead like it's summer all year long, and when we do that, we end up exhausted and disconnected from ourselves and layered over the seasons is the weather. Think about those unpredictable storms, things like transitions, criticism, conflict. We all deal with comparison.

[00:07:00] Let's be honest. We always look at other people's LinkedIn feeds or Instagram feeds and wonder how they're being so successful when we don't feel like we're being successful ourselves. You know, those storms show up without warning and can shake everything, and if your roots aren't deep, those storms alone can take you out.

So the question isn't just what are you producing, but what's grounding you beneath the surface? 

You know, one of the things that's always frustrated me is knowing I should be supplementing my health, but with so many options out there, who really knows what's actually helpful, right? But recently I started taking Life Pack Anti-Aging Formula supplements by Pharex, and I've been really impressed.

It's a comprehensive formula that supports everything from cardiovascular and immune health to your antioxidant network and mental performance, and it's all at the cellular level.

I've also paired it with Pharex age lock vitality, which promotes youthful gene expression and supports energy focus, and even sexual health. [00:08:00] As a regular endurance cyclist, I've noticed a real difference in my energy recovery and overall performance. And it's becoming part of how I live and lead with purpose. You can check out both products using the link in the show notes.

So let's talk about this framework behind the show of Lively. Last, It's a philosophy that comes outta my own experience, and I think it's gonna be really helpful for us as we move forward. The framework is built around this idea of a tree, you know, we recently rebranded Lively last with our new logo of the tree.

And if you haven't had a chance to look at it, there's some really cool things about the design that, I think really underpin my philosophy in personal leadership and development. 

If you think about the word live. Live is represented by the roots. You know, everything visible in your life flows from what's invisible. Your identity, your beliefs, your emotions, your relationships, your [00:09:00] integrity. This is all the underground system that determines how you show up.

Some of us have really bad belief systems. Somebody's told us something we believe lies. we've lived into those lies and, we felt the repercussions of that. Some of us struggle with identity. We don't really know why we're here, or we haven't, figured out the purpose for our existence, relationships, being vulnerable and leaning into intimacy, and then integrity or this integration of life where everything is congruent. We all struggle with those areas. It's the underground system that determines how we show up. In the book of Proverbs, chapter four, verse 23, it says, above all else, guard your heart for everything you do. Flows from it, the Bible has a lot to say about fruit, about trees, about growth, and Jesus actually said, make a tree good.

Its fruit will be good. That's the same for you and I. If our roots are good, the [00:10:00] fruit will be good. Marcus Aurelius, one of the great thinkers and stoics called Character and Contribution, the Fruit of Life. 

and New York Times bestselling author, Dan Siegel says that integration is health.

All of these point to the same truth. fruit flows from root. If we take care of the root. The fruit will take care of itself and in your life. Your roots are the inner world. That's where we start. As a side note, if you look at the logo, you'll see the part of the root structure that is an infinity loop.

Now, one of my favorite personal development tools that I'll introduce you to, along the journey is a tool called the know yourself to lead yourself tool. It's the foundation that actually holds up the trunk. The more we know what's going on internally, the tendencies we have. The better we can actually intentionally live out and show up in the world, which leads the word lead the [00:11:00] trunk.

The trunk is how you show up in the world. It's your daily presence, the habits you live by, and the outcomes others experience from being around you. It includes emotional regulation, consistency, decision making, the courage you have, the boundaries you set for yourself, but it also extends to your overall health and wellbeing.

When your roots are healthy, the trunk grows strong. That means your physical, your mental, your spiritual and relational health directly impact your leadership. So some questions you need to wrestle with is, Are you rested?

How's your thinking patterns? Are your thoughts clear? Are you staying connected to your purpose? Are your relationships built on trust and honesty? see, leadership is not just a title or a role or a position. It's the visible evidence of your inner health. It's your influence. How are you showing up and influencing the world around you?

Here's a truth that I really believe you and I can only [00:12:00] give out of what we possess. When we try to give something that we haven't possessed ourselves, it comes across inauthentic. People can smell out inauthenticity and what the world needs more than anything today is authentic leaders.

Okay, the final word of this framework. is last, and then the image of the tree last is represented by the branches. This is about your legacy. It's about significance. It's about what you're doing as a parent, investing in your kids or a grandparent, investing in your grandkids.

it's the mentoring that you do. Do you have people that you're bringing along that are learning from your successes and your mistakes? It's the things you create. It's the art, it's the writing, it's the content. It's the business that you're creating, things that are gonna outlast you.

Those things create impact. That creates generational legacy. Think about this. The way we live our lives [00:13:00] today, the way we show up, the way we work on the, the hidden parts of our life, it actually has the opportunity to break generational cycles that have held people back.

It's creating new destinies for your kids and grandkids. It's building a marriage that becomes a model for others, leaving a legacy of generosity, wisdom, and faithfulness that shapes lives. Long after you and I are gone. I love what Abraham Lincoln said. He said, character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow.

When you live from the inside out, your shadow is strong and your legacy grows. Again, a slight nuance on our logo that I, I really love when the designers create is the circles around the branches. Those circles represent the influence and impact that you and I have on the circles of influence in our lives.

It all starts with you and I all, leadership begins with self-leadership, but it extends to our family, to the teams. We lead to the organizations, to the community, [00:14:00] and to the world, so my goal is to help you live. Lead last now something I want you to know about me is, I consider myself a learner.

I'm not okay with settling for status quo. I, I wanna stretch to grow, to keep evolving personally and professionally. that's one of the reasons that, uh, at age 52, I actually stepped out of a very secure and comfortable position, really at the top of my career and chose to become an entrepreneur.

Now, that was a pretty scary jump and I'm learning a lot, but I've launched since then. I'm nonprofit. I've started a technology company, and now I'm relaunching this podcast, not because it was easy, but because I believe growth is worth the risk. So in every episode, I wanna bring you along on my learning and my discovery.

I'll share some new practices that I'm learning in the area health and fitness and biohacking. I'm gonna share with you some of the books I'm reading and Suggest that maybe you pick them up and read 'em [00:15:00] yourself.

And I'll talk about lessons I'm learning along the way and. Share tools and, and frameworks that have helped me in my journey of leadership. So this podcast isn't about having all the answers 'cause I can tell you I don't have all the answers, have very few answers. But it is an invitation to grow together in real time.

It's about us equipping each other to live, lead. And last, now you're gonna hear real conversations with business leaders, creators and thought leaders, who are on the same journey to actually live full integrated lives.

We'll talk about wins and failures. We're gonna look at some ancient wisdom and modern psychology. We'll introduce some practices and some really powerful tools that are gonna help you, and not just leading yourself, but multiplying your leadership and others, and my goal is to keep it real because what you don't need is another podcast to make you feel behind. You need one that reminds you that you're not alone and you don't have to trade your soul to lead well. So my hope for you is that if you've ever felt like you're carrying more than you can [00:16:00] sustain, or that your inner world is running on fumes. I hope this could be a respite for you and encouragement. See, you were made to thrive. And you were made to lead from a deeper place, a freer place, and your best days are ahead of you.

You don't have to burn out to make a difference. You can become the kind of leader who doesn't just succeed but truly last and leaves a legacy of significance. So I wanna encourage you to join in the conversation. Go ahead and subscribe to the podcast, follow the show. It would be helpful if you would share this with someone who needs it.

Invite them into the conversation. Also, if you want to go deeper, I'd love for you to sign up for my weekly email. It's a curated resource filled with practical tools, leadership insights, and growth practices that help you live, lead.

And last, well, all you need to do is text the word grow, GROW, to the number 6, 6, 8, 6, 6 to get started, if we're not already connected, you can find me on Instagram and LinkedIn [00:17:00] at the James Deval. Shoot me a message. I'd love to hear from you and learn what resonates with you as we grow together.

Now, next week, I'm excited. We're kicking this whole thing off with a conversation with my friend Jeremy Hick. He's the founder and CEO of Giant Worldwide. Jeremy's a global leadership expert, bestselling author, and the creator of the. Five Voices Framework that we're gonna talk about, identity leading from wholeness, and also a conversation about parenting, which I think you're gonna find really fascinating.

And how to multiply your impact without losing yourself. You're not gonna wanna miss that conversation. It's gonna be great. So thanks for being here. Let's grow together. I wanna encourage you to live deeply, lead boldly, and last intentionally. Welcome to Live Lead. Last.