International

At the 2025 Global Leadership Summit GLN President and CEO, David Ashcraft interviewed Joni Eareckson Tada—an internationally recognized speaker, author, and advocate who has spent decades leading with grace, resilience, and faith. After a diving accident left her quadriplegic at 17, Joni turned her pain into purpose, founding Joni and Friends, a global ministry serving people with disabilities. Her journey is a powerful testament to the kind of leadership that transcends circumstances—one marked by courage, service, and unwavering hope.

In this episode, we’ll dive into Joni’s journey to become the leader she is today, how leaders can better steward suffering, and other priceless pieces of wisdom from her life. Whether you’re leading in business, ministry, or everyday life, Joni’s wisdom will challenge and encourage you.

There will come a time when every leader experiences pain or loss so great they believe it may crush them — ending in a story they would have never chosen. Joni Eareckson Tada has lived an incredible story and left an amazing legacy, despite the tragedy and pain she has faced.

This month, our focus at the GLN is on leaving a leadership legacy and today podcast host (and GLN VP of Marketing), Whitney Putnam interviews GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft on his experience with organizational transitions and successions. David shares gems from his 30 years of local church leadership, including how to get started planning a legacy, and the one thing that can absolutely derail a positive transition. Every leader should be thinking about what (or who) will follow them, and this episode is a great starting point for your plans.

A healthy and effective team culture is essential to organizational success, but building a culture of excellence is not automatic. Today’s episode is a live recording of a workshop led by GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft. In the workshop, David shares how to establish team culture in a practical and effective way and explains how values and behaviors help drive successful outcomes for a team. In addition, David also runs through some of the specific values and behaviors that currently define the culture at the GLN.

Mercy Chidi Baidoo is the founder and Executive Director of Ripples International in Kenya, which provides a shelter for girl victims of sexual violence. Mercy was inspired by the Global Leadership Summit to fight for the rights of girls who experienced sexual violence. She and her organization won a landmark suit against the Kenyan police that has been referenced both locally and internationally to ensure protection for the rights of children. This is just one of the ripple effects when you donate to train under-resourced leaders!

Mercy Chidi Baidoo is the founder and Executive Director of Ripples International in Kenya, which provides a shelter for girl victims of sexual violence. Mercy was inspired by the Global Leadership Summit to fight for the rights of girls who experienced sexual violence. She and her organization won a landmark suit against the Kenyan police that has been referenced both locally and internationally to ensure protection for the rights of children. This is just one of the ripple effects when you donate to train under-resourced leaders!