From Amy S.

My deeply held assumptions about who I was and what was “mine” at work were put to the test as some personal and health circumstances gradually eroded my vocational capacity. My habitual compartmentalization and emotional avoidance were no longer able to bear the weight of the spiritual and identity questions surfaced by my work.  I was honestly so relieved to find Bo in the early part of that season and am grateful for every conversation over the past few years. His questions helped reframe and uncover much in my assumptions. He can identify patterns, speak to the spiritual undercurrents within work dynamics, put words to both vocational resistance and desire, and brainstorm on very tangible practices to bridge the chasm I’d wrongly assumed was between God’s presence and me working at my desk. His expertise and years of pastoral experience means he is a kind, wise, and wry spiritual director for all things work-related. I could not be more grateful. 

The time I have invested on my spiritual-work-formation through Leavened Lives has paid dividends far beyond the time spent in conversation. Given how much time is actually spent at work, I think it’s almost irrational to not intentionally invest time where our vocation intersects with our spiritual growth and development. I think our workplaces and culture will happily catechize us about the purpose and point of work (hint: it’s about outcomes! and being someone important! and changing the world!), and there’s not much countervailing formation. To me, there’s only upside to getting more deeply and firmly grounded in God’s presence, surprising ideas, and heart for our vocational work. And I think that can start by being curious about what He’s actually up to in my vocational story — for which Leavened Lives is a perfect first step!

From Elizabeth F.

Working with Bo through Leavened Lives to integrate my faith with my work has kicked off a wonderful season of personal growth in both this and other areas of my life. It’s opening my eyes to the ways I falsely compartmentalize work off from other areas of my life where the Lord is at work, and helping me view my life in Christ more holistically. It’s been amazing to me to see how many of the things that I’ve learned through engaging with God in my work have shown up in other areas of my life, and vice versa. It’s like opening a new frontier for Him to work in.

It’s encouraging to see the ways that God is ready and waiting to be part of my work with me. My old approach left work flat and stagnant, focused solely on executing tasks and finishing projects. The new approach encourages me to see each day as an opportunity to encounter God. The more I dig into this area, the more I realize there aren’t “work learnings”, “church learnings” and “relationship learnings.” There are just life learnings that God wants to use to change me, and therefore change how I show up to each of these. 

Bo’s approach is personalized, practical, and down to earth, without being constrained by a lot of the cliches, simplistic answers, or common misperceptions that often plague the church. He asks questions, gives feedback, and encourages next steps that have helped me walk sometimes difficult paths to what the Lord is calling me into. Bo truly thinks about things differently, while always being rooted in Scripture and focused on the ultimate goal of knowing Christ more deeply in our lives. I’ve felt very built up and strengthened in the Lord. 

From Keith D (one of the earliest clients)

My sessions have shifted my outlook on prayer and why it matters. Prior to Bo’s pastoral coaching, my prayer life was stifled. I struggled to engage God in what seemed like a one-sided conversation. While I never doubted that God was real, he seemed distant, and his muddled responses left me wondering if prayer was worth the effort. What I found so encouraging during my time with Bo is that he met me where I was at. He didn’t condemn my doubts; he wrestled along with me. He shared his own frustrations. And he pointed me to the truth. Bo answered my questions through the lens of Scripture.

Our conversations (and his blog) have begun to reframe my perspective: Even though God’s answers to our prayers are sometimes frustratingly unpredictable, prayer is never wasted time. God promises that those who seek him will find him. By staying committed to prayer – even when we don’t get immediate answers – we honor God with our devotion and we cultivate a relationship with him, which is a much deeper longing than the things we ask for in prayer. Bo and I are still working through what that relationship and conversation with God look like, but it has been encouraging to have a partner in this journey.

During my initial sessions with Bo, he helped me see my work as a data analyst as inherently God-honoring. God is the source of all truth, and he wants us to live in alignment with reality.  As a data analyst, my job is to use data to show people an accurate picture of reality. But as I continued to meet with Bo, he encouraged me to engage God in conversation about my work, particularly my work as a manager.

I began experiencing a sense of peace in difficult management situations, knowing that God was at work alongside me and that I didn’t have to figure everything out on my own. That settled confidence in God affected my interactions. Colleagues began commenting on the deep compassion and empathy they experienced with me. This provided opportunities to explain that my own compassion was fueled by prayers to a God who is infinitely more compassionate. I am praying that these conversations are planting seeds of faith for some of my unbelieving colleagues. 

Integrating my faith and work feels satisfyingly wholesome. As I am becoming more intentional about it, it seems to build upon itself, encouraging me to continue the work of bringing God into my vocation.