Chris Stefanick Catholic Show

Safety first? Not so fast.

In this episode, Chris sits down with Tom Zimmer — outdoor adventurer, professor at Wyoming Catholic College, and founder of CORE Expeditions — to explore why calculated risk isn't just healthy, it's necessary for raising saints.

Tom leads seminarians, college students, and everyday people on grueling 21-day backpacking trips through the Wyoming wilderness — not to make them mountaineers, but to build grit, resilience, and the kind of boldness it takes to live the Catholic faith in a soft world.

In this conversation, you'll discover:

- Why the vocation crisis might be connected to kids not climbing trees anymore
- How "safety first" culture has slowly made us physically, spiritually, and emotionally weaker
-The stunning story of a seminarian who begged to be airlifted off a mountain — and what happened when he wasn't
- Why St. John Paul II's boldness with the communists may have been formed in the mountains
- Practical first steps to introduce more healthy risk into your life and your kids' lives

This episode will challenge the way you think about comfort, courage, and what it really takes to become a saint.

HIGHLIGHTS
0:00 — "Safety second" — Chris's wild story feeding a 16-foot saltwater crocodile
4:20 — How Wyoming Catholic College uses 21-day wilderness trips to form the whole person
8:25 — Why being a Catholic is risky — and why that's a feature, not a bug
13:00 — The vocation crisis and the tree-climbing crisis: are they connected?
17:55 — Three reasons today's society has almost zero risk tolerance (lawsuits, media, and safety culture)
24:15 — What vocation directors told Tom: "Our seminarians don't have grit"
26:54 — The seminarian who offered $10,000 to be airlifted off the mountain — and what happened next

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Sign up for The Daily Anchor to get Chris Stefanick's bite-sized reflections every morning: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP

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Learn about COR Expeditions: https://www.corexpeditions.org/

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Support the creation of this content by becoming a Missionary of Joy with a monthly gift to Real Life Catholic: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0

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The Chris Stefanick Show will soon be premiering on EWTN+ Streaming! You can start watching more great content at: EWTN.com/ondemand/ 

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Living On The Edge
(00:00:50) - Missionaries of Joy
(00:01:27) - Tom Zimmer on Safety First
(00:04:07) - Wyoming Catholic College's Risk-Taking
(00:06:29) - Core Expeditions: Risk in the Outdoor Industry
(00:10:59) - "Don't Be Soft"
(00:11:30) - Mission of Joy
(00:16:59) - Core Expeditions: Making Strong Men and Women
(00:17:38) - Do We Think We're More Dangerous Than We Were in the 90
(00:20:53) - How To Raise Kids Safely
(00:24:14) - Grit in the Spirit of Seminary
(00:27:43) - The Parable of the Backpacking Trip
(00:31:11) - Risk Is Essential For Being a Saint

Happy Pentecost Sunday! ️

Filming this one on the road in beautiful Stillwater, Minnesota — stopped by the river to talk about the Holy Spirit before heading to a REBOOT event in Wisconsin. And I have to say... it felt fitting.

In this reflection, I share about a friend and mentor, Fr. Dave Pivonka — now President of Franciscan University of Steubenville — and the one word that has always described him, even as his responsibilities have grown: chill. Not because he's checked out. Because he's constantly calling on the Holy Spirit.

That's what living in the Holy Spirit looks like. Not a shallow stream making a lot of noise. A deep river — powerful, moving, peaceful.

We also look at St. Bede the Venerable, whose feast falls the day after Pentecost, and what he said about the dove as the perfect symbol for the Holy Spirit — and for us.

Here's the challenge I give in this video: Look up the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5 — love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, self-control — and honestly ask yourself: Do those words describe me? Not in the big battlefield moments. In the everyday ones. When you walk through the front door after work. When someone annoys you. When life is hard.

Two simple steps to get there:

- Pray constantly — "Come, Holy Spirit."
- Get intentional about cooperating with that grace.

Simple? Yes. Easy? No. But if you live that way, you will become a river of peace flowing through everyone you touch.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Chris describes a life in the Holy Spirit as a "deep river" — powerful but peaceful — as opposed to a shallow stream making a lot of noise. Where in your life do you feel more like a shallow stream than a deep river, and what do you think is driving that?

2. Fr. Dave prays "Come, Holy Spirit" hundreds of times a day as a simple, constant prayer throughout his work. Is there a short prayer you already return to during the day — or could you adopt one? What gets in the way of praying constantly?

3. St. Paul lists the fruits of the Holy Spirit as love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). Which of these fruits do you think is most visible in your life right now? Which one do you most need to grow in?

4. Chris distinguishes between stoicism (muscling up virtue by willpower alone) and quietism (passively waiting for God to do everything) — both extremes to avoid. How do you personally tend to lean? Do you rely too much on your own effort, or do you sometimes use "waiting on God" as an excuse for inaction?

5. The reflection ends with a very practical image: the way you walk through the front door after work, and what your face and body language communicate to your family. Where is one concrete, everyday situation — at home, at work, or in your community — where you could be more intentional about letting the fruits of the Holy Spirit show?

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Sign up for the Daily Anchor for free daily reflections from Chris Stefanick in your inbox: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP

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Join the mission to spread the joy of the Gospel! Become a Missionary of Joy to support this free content: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0

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Help support us as we seek to bring our transformative CORE Confirmation program (featuring Father Dave Pivonka himself) to this next generation: https://reallifecatholic.com/confirmation/

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Watch my interview with Fr. John Nepil here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lswNx-HTz6o

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Stillwater, Minnesota
(00:00:37) - A Moment of Honor for Father Dave Pavanka
(00:05:33) - Fruits of the Holy Spirit
(00:09:56) - One Christian's Conversion Story

What if the reason you keep struggling with the same sins, the same patterns, and the same emotional reactivity has nothing to do with a lack of willpower—and everything to do with a lack of interior integration?

In this episode of The Chris Stefanick Show, Chris sits down with Catholic psychologist Dr. Peter Malinoski to unpack one of the most powerful—and underexplored—concepts in both psychology and Catholic tradition: interior integration. Dr. Malinoski explains what it means to be integrated, why St. Thomas Aquinas and the Desert Fathers were already talking about this centuries ago, and why modern Catholics have largely lost touch with it. He introduces Internal Family Systems (IFS)—a psychology framework rooted in the idea that we each have an "innermost self" and a multiplicity of inner "parts"—and shows how this maps beautifully onto Catholic anthropology and even the Trinity itself.

This conversation will shake up the way you see yourself, your struggles, and your spiritual life.

HIGHLIGHTS
1:50 — What is interior integration? Dr. Malinoski defines it—and traces it from Socrates to St. Thomas Aquinas to modern neurobiology
22:40 — St. Paul, Romans 7:15, and why willpower alone can't beat persistent sin
26:50 — What personality did Jesus have? Dr. Malinoski's surprising answer reveals the power of full interior integration
41:19 — The origin of Internal Family Systems therapy—and how it maps onto Catholic tradition
44:07 — "Love yourself as your neighbor": what the Second Great Commandment actually means through the lens of IFS
51:56 — Dr. Malinoski reveals his own 12 inner parts—including one named "Petrus"—and what each one was trying to protect
1:08:20 — Why fragmentation makes us spiritually vulnerable: how demons target our most rejected, isolated inner parts

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Sign up for The Daily Anchor to get Chris Stefanick's bite-sized reflections every morning: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP

........
Support the creation of this content by becoming a Missionary of Joy with a monthly gift to Real Life Catholic and get free access to 9 transformative courses: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0 .

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Listen to Dr. Malinoski's podcast Interior Integration for Catholics here: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/interior-integration-for-catholics/id1503898046

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The Chris Stefanick Show will soon be premiering on EWTN+ Streaming! You can start watching more great content at: EWTN.com/ondemand/ 

........
Join Chris Stefanick on pilgrimage: https://reallifecatholic.com/pilgrimages/  

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Dr. Peter Malinowski on How to Live More Fully With
(00:00:38) - Missionary Joy
(00:01:32) - What is psychological well-being? (Inside Integration)
(00:04:09) - How to Heal from Trauma
(00:08:08) - Mission of Joy
(00:13:42) - Essays on the Integrative Person
(00:17:14) - The 10 Reasons Why Catholic Men Masturbate
(00:20:51) - The Sense of Multiplicity in the Trinity
(00:23:46) - How to Tell When You're Distracted or Incomplete
(00:29:15) - Tapping into the Natural Plan of Life
(00:35:51) - Part 8: The Real Me
(00:41:08) - Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
(00:46:36) - Immunity of the Soul
(00:51:41) - How to Deal With Your Inner Self
(00:55:39) - 10 of My Parts
(00:59:11) - The Problem of Personal Fragmentation
(01:01:08) - How Many Kids Do You Have?
(01:01:19) - How to Cope With a Split Personality
(01:05:01) - The Innermost Self
(01:09:51) - Richard Schwartz on Trauma and the Parts of a Person
(01:17:14) - Crucified Heart

Ascension Sunday — What does it mean that Jesus ascended into heaven in a human body?

More than you might think.

In this week's Sunday Gospel reflection, Chris shares a deeply personal story about a miscarriage 17 years ago — and the surprising consolation that came with it: the realization that a part of his flesh was already on the other side, already with the Lord.

That's not just his story. Because of the Ascension of our Lord, it's your story too.

Jesus didn't just ascend as God. He ascended as fully God and fully man — which means our humanity, our full humanity, is now inserted into the very life of the Trinity. Not absorbed. Not dissolved. But there — a human being in the midst of heavenly glory.

And here's what that means for you: wherever you are today — in grief, in longing, in a midlife crisis wondering why nothing ever fully satisfies — part of you has already made it. The head of the Body of Christ is already in glory, and where the head is, the body will follow.

Watch this reflection and let the Ascension do what it was meant to do: change how you see absolutely everything.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Chris says the Ascension means "a part of our humanity is already in glory." How does understanding that Jesus ascended as fully human — not just divine — change the way you think about your own destiny?

2. Chris shares that the miscarriage, as painful as it was, gave him a consolation that made death "less scary." Have you ever experienced a moment of grief or loss that unexpectedly deepened your hope in heaven? What did that feel like?

3. Chris talks about the deep longing that no amount of success, adventure, or achievement can satisfy — and how this longing often leads to a "midlife crisis." Where do you feel that longing most in your own life? How does the Ascension speak to it?

4. The Church is the Body of Christ — and where the head goes, the body follows. What difference would it make in your daily life if you woke up each morning truly believing you are being pulled toward glory right now?

5. At the end of the video, Chris meets a woman who simply started a young adult group (now 30 people) and another who launched a women's Bible study with 110 attendees — just by doing it. Is there something in your parish or community that needs to be done, where maybe God is calling you to be the one to do it?

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Sign up for the Daily Anchor for free daily reflections from Chris Stefanick in your inbox: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP

-----
Join the mission to spread the joy of the Gospel! Become a Missionary of Joy to support this free content: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0

-----
Help support us as we seek to bring our transformative CORE Confirmation program to this next generation: https://reallifecatholic.com/confirmation/

Chapters

(00:00:00) - The Ascension of Our Lord Into Heaven

In this powerful new episode of The Chris Stefanick Show, I sit down with New York Times bestselling author Tommy Spaulding to talk about his book The Heart-Led Leader—and why the path to real success runs through your heart, not your ego.

Tommy's story floored me.

He was a severely dyslexic kid who was openly mocked by his classmates. He graduated at the bottom of his class. His own guidance counselor told him college wasn't for him.

Today, he's one of the most sought-after leadership voices in the country, training CEOs of some of the biggest companies in the world. How did he get here? One word: love.

Tommy shares jaw-dropping stories in this episode—like the bank CEO who walked out into 100-degree Georgia heat and personally delivered a truckload of seafood so a stranger wouldn't lose his job. That same CEO grew his bank from $220 million to $2.6 billion…by leading with love.

We also talk about the daily practice Tommy calls his "influence audit"—a habit so powerful that I'm going to try it immediately.

And if you're a parent, don't miss the part where he explains why his kids actually want to hang out with him as adults. (Hint: it's not an accident.)

This one's packed with wisdom you can start applying tomorrow morning—whether you're running a company, raising kids, or just trying to be a better human.

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Read Tommy's book The Heart-Led Leader: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Led-Lead...

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Sign up for The Daily Anchor to get Chris Stefanick's bite-sized reflections every morning: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP

........

Support the creation of this content by becoming a Missionary of Joy with a monthly gift to Real Life Catholic and get free access to 9 transformative courses: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0

........

The Chris Stefanick Show will soon be premiering on EWTN+ Streaming! You can start watching more great content at: EWTN.com/ondemand/ 

........

Join Chris Stefanick on pilgrimage: https://reallifecatholic.com/pilgrimages/ 

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Tommy Spalding
(00:01:16) - On Being a Heart Led Leader
(00:06:06) - In Touch With Up With People's Ken Blanchard
(00:09:25) - Mission at Joy
(00:10:49) - A message from the Oscars
(00:11:47) - The Love of the Workplace
(00:15:29) - The Secret to Success: Jackson McConnell's Story
(00:21:50) - Chris Rock: I Run Towards Pain
(00:25:28) - Tom France on Heart-Led Leadership
(00:30:48) - The Life of Leadership
(00:32:42) - Marriage Is More Important Than Family
(00:36:24) - It's not about you
(00:38:57) - Tom Cruise on The Gift of Influence
(00:40:26) - Chris Farley in Prayer