There are some people who just ooze leader, and Leah Chandley oozes.
Leah Chandley studied Athletic Training at Georgia College and State University where she graduated with her Bachelors in Science in May 2016. In May 2018 Leah graduated with her Masters of Science in Sports Medicine and Kinesiology from the University of Georgia. Leah’s first year of graduate assistantship she was assigned to the University of Georgia Track and Field and Cross Country teams, and in the summer of 2017, she served as the interim athletic trainer for UGA Women’s Soccer. Leah’s second year of graduate assistantship meant working with UGA’s male and female Swimming & Diving teams. Leah was the primary athletic trainer for the men and women’s diving teams as well as working with the swimmers. While at the University of Georgia, Leah was able to program pre and post surgical rehab and treatments. Whether in an operating room for surgery, the treatment room for rehab, or the weight room for training, Leah strives every day to be the best athletic trainer she can be while constantly learning and researching new techniques and protocols to implement.
Leah currently serves as the Athletic Trainer at Marist School in Atlanta Georgia. One of Marist School’s most famous alumni; Sean McVay, Head Football Coach of the Los Angeles Rams, Super Bowl LVI Champions.
Leah and Stuart have an inspiring conversation regarding Leah’s perspective on responsibility and leadership, how to lead with excellence while following the way of Jesus, and helping the next generation of leaders be leaders worth following. This is a great listen!
INFLUNSR. asked you to read an excerpt from Simon Kjaer: The Heroic Dane who helped save Christian Eriksen’s life; Denmark captain was praised for his quick thinking following his team-mate’s cardiac arrest (UK Story in The Week, June 2020)
The hallmark of Jesus’ life was His willingness to accept the unacceptable: the outcasts, the sinners, the unlovable people. Acceptance was the staple of Jesus’ influence. Acceptance paves the way to influence. Our hearts gravitate toward acceptance. We are open to the influence of those who accept us. We resist the influence of those who reject us.
It is heartbreaking that so many of your peers feel so unaccepted by faith communities. Jesus didn’t make people feel that way. The tension really revolves around the fact that we believe certain things are right and certain things are wrong. But so did Jesus. Jesus never lowered His standards by accepting sinners. Jesus never condoned a person’s behavior or lifestyle by loving them. He was simply doing just that: loving them. He loved them so much that He hated what sin was doing to them.
If you think about it, acceptance is built on the Law of Relationship. We are open to the influence of those with whom we share a relationship with. Proximity creates leverage. Distance, however, erodes influence. This law is so powerful that there are times we are influenced in a negative direction because of the nature of a person.
Acceptance means that we serve those that need God most. Jesus said that He did not come to be served, but to serve. Serving others, whether in great or small capacity, is a living example of the heart of God. Serving can mean something as meaningful as visiting a friend in the hospital or when tragedy strikes to something as simple as holding a door open.
Shane Claiborne of The Simple Way went to Calcutta, India to apprentice under Mother Theresa. The first thing he noticed was that she always removed her shoes when she prayed. Claiborne found that he could not stop staring at her feet because they were so grotesquely deformed. When the prayer time was over, Claiborne asked one of the sisters what kind of illness left Mother Theresa’s feet so malformed. The sister answered him, “Mother Theresa’s feet were not born like that. When people give shoes, she always waits to the very end and takes the shoes that no one else wants.” Over time, her feet responded by twisting and contorting to take the shape of ill-fitted footwear.
By serving, Mother Theresa was paving a path of influence. But it cost her something.
Acceptance means that we listen to those that need God most. Nothing happens without a reason. No one behaves the way they do without a reason. No one thinks the way they do without a reason. Your friends act and think the way that they do for a reason. If you learn to listen to your peers, you will understand the why behind their what. Your friends are open books concerning the issues of their lives. We are just not listening. Ultimately, God desires to heal the why. The “what” will take care of themselves when the “why” is transformed.
Everyone has a story. There is a why behind the what.
Are you active in the lives of those that need God most? You cannot expect to gain sustained influence in the life of a friend by standing on the sidelines of their life. You have to jump in and get connected. How do you do that?
Let’s discuss this in the Circle…
In this Episode’s Version, INFLUNSR. asked you to read the origin story of a longstanding feud between Adidas and Puma and how a lack of forgiveness has impacted n a tiny little town in Germany for decades.
As a next generation leader worth following, people close to you are going to hurt you. The Adidas vs Puma story proves that. Imagine taking bitterness and anger to your grave, all because one or the other was unwilling to forgive.
Being willing to continually give the gift of forgiveness is critical to the health of your heart as a leader, for several reasons. First, where there is no forgiveness, eventually there are no relationships. If I hurt you and you emotionally shut down toward me I am out unless you decide to forgive. It is over. There’s nothing I can do. In marriage, there is not restoration until there is forgiveness. If I hurt Sandra or Sandra hurts me, our relationship is paralyzed and will begin to atrophy unless forgiveness is extended.
Secondly, we are going to be hurt, taken advantage of, by the people closest to us. The closer they are, the more it hurts. The cashier at the grocery store doesn’t hurt you. That guy that gave you the right fist of fellowship during rush hour traffic probably didn’t crush your feelings. No, it is the people closest to us that hurt us the most. The closer they are the more frequent we will be hurt. Learning to continually give the gift of forgiveness is a requirement if you are going to have any long-term relationships with anybody.
Finally, forgiveness is one of our primary exports as believers. We are exporting the message of forgiveness. Our message is “Come meet our God. He will forgive you no matter what.” There is something hypocritical about a bunch of forgiven people assembled to tell others about forgiveness who won’t forgive. That makes as much sense as wrecking your car to get the insurance money to make your car note.
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 NIV)
We are to forgive rather than hold on to our hurt. Paul even takes it to an unnoticeable extreme. The word compassionate in this context literally translates “strong bowels.” No, your ability to exercise compassion is not somehow connected to your colon. Here is what Paul is saying: “Have some intestinal fortitude. Be strong enough not to respond in like kind.” In other words, when someone is bitter toward you, angry toward you, rages against you (yikes!) have enough character and internal strength to resist the urge to return the favor. Respond with kindness. With self-control. Be compassionate.
There is an attitude you and I are to maintain. It is that of forgiveness. The word forgiving in this verse is written in the present tense, indicating that the kind of forgiveness Paul speaks of is a consistent, never-ending state of mind. There are two words in the original language of the Bible used for forgiveness. This word for forgiveness positions forgiveness as a gift we are to be constantly giving. Just like your Grandpa always had a peppermint or quarter in his pocket for you to have, so we are to have forgiveness ready to give as a gift.
Forgiveness doesn’t make any sense…unless you are a forgiven person. We don’t forgive because someone deserves it. We forgive just as God in Christ has forgiven us. That’s the standard. As long as I get to treat you like you treated me, I’m in business. But Paul says, “No, you have been called to respond to others as Christ responded to you.”
Is there someone you need to forgive? Is your heart unhealthy because you hold a grudge? Has bitterness become rooted in your heart toward someone else? Who is it? What is it? What are you going to do about it?
Let’s dive into this in the Circle…
We asked you to watch Encanto. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to heal—every child except one, Mirabel (voice of Stephanie Beatriz). But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family’s last hope.
After Abuela’s abuse of Mirabel destroys the casita, Abuela realizes her sin. She apologizes to Mirabel, saying, “I was given a miracle. And I was so afraid to lose it that I lost sight of who our miracle was for.”
Today many teenagers, like Mirabel, see cracks in the house that raised them and introduced them to Jesus. They point to entrenched patriarchy, white supremacy, partisan politics, and more. But rather than listen to the warnings of these young prophets, those in charge of the house often ignore, shame, belittle, and even remove said teenagers from their faith community.
When Abuela realizes that she, not Mirabel, is the source of the fracture, she apologizes. She weeps, lamenting that the family is broken and she, as the head of the family, is responsible. Mirabel takes her hand and promises, “Nothing will ever be broken that we can’t fix together.”
Abuela recognizes Mirabel is not a threat to the family, but a gift. It is through her perspective and voice that the family can see its flaws honestly. They can turn out and become a balm to their community once again — a balm that doesn’t destroy them as they serve the world.
Our faith communities and our culture need young leaders. Why is the example of Mirabel and Abuela so important in our current climate? To you personally? How does Encanto relate to your own faith journey? What “miracle” have you been given that you need to be responsible for?
Let’s discuss this in the Circle…
We asked you to read Sports Illustrated’s story Cooper Kupp’s Approach to Greatness.
An offseason spent in a kind of scientific exploration of what drives great receiver play led to a historical year from an unlikely superstar who became the NFL’s LVI Super Bowl Most Valuable Player.
INFLUNSR. defines excellence as choosing to create a better future by going the extra mile. Football is Cooper Kupp’s platform and also his passion. How does Cooper Kupp’s example motivate you toward excellence? Is there an area of your life where you need to become a “nerd” so that you can become even more influential?
Time to dive into this in the Circle…
We asked you to read The Christian Post article Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp says he saw championship victory in vision from God years earlier.
Capping an incredible, historic 2021-22 season, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp was named Super Bowl MVP on Sunday night, after he helped his squad to a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
How does Cooper Kupp’s humility challenge you as a next generation leader? How do you handle success? What do you think is the key to walking in humility when everything seems to be going so well?
Let’s discuss this in the Circle…
We asked you to read a TED Ideas piece by Oliver Burkeman titled, “10 ways to get the most out of your time on this planet.”
Accepting our mortality helps us let go of busyness and focus on what’s most important to us in order to live a happier, more meaningful life.
One of the interesting ways presented in this article is to decide in advance what to fail at. You’ll inevitably underachieve at something, simply because your time and energy are finite. But strategic underachievement — nominating in advance the areas of your life in which you won’t expect excellence — helps you focus your time and energy more effectively. How does this idea feel to you? What is an area that you think you should decide now to fail at?
Let’s dive into this in the Circle…
We asked you to read the USA Today article by Pamela Avila, “What Disney’s ‘Encanto’ teaches us about self-worth and overcoming intergenerational family trauma.”
Disney’s first feature with an all Latinx cast, captures the complicated tug and pull between older and younger generations in Hispanic families.
Author Pamela Avila suggests, “It’s not as clear-cut or linear in real life. You don’t just stand up to the big bad, hug it out, sing a song and come out on the other side stronger or happier than ever.” There is work to be done in regards to our own respective families. What work do you need to do build a bridge between your parents and you? What is being left unsaid that needs to be talked about? What is your part of that responsibility?
Let’s dive into this in the Circle…
Disclaimer:
INFLUNSR’s mission is to fuel the next generation of leaders worth following and to help students learn how to think, not what to think. Any articles posted and questions asked are intended for that sole purpose.