What if leadership doesn’t start with influence—but with a deep, holy discontent you can’t ignore?

Stan Parker sits down with Jessica, Executive Director of Activate Global, for a conversation that traces the deeper journey of leadership—where it begins, how it grows, and what it costs. Jessica shares how leadership isn’t just about influence, but about responding to that discontent—seeing a gap between what is and what could be—and stepping in with faith. From a backyard “Jesus Club” to mobilizing a movement against human trafficking in college, her story reveals how God often shapes leaders through obedience long before they ever claim the title.

As the conversation unfolds, Jessica walks through the realities that mark lasting leadership: vision formed up close to the problem, influence that grows through invitation, and the very real cost of sacrifice, criticism, and fatigue. But at the center of it all is something deeper—brokenness. She shares how God has used seasons of pruning and dependence to strip away self-reliance and build a leadership rooted fully in His presence. This episode is both grounding and inspiring for anyone who senses God calling them to step into something more—and is learning what it truly means to follow Him there.