Episode Description

If you’re trying to grow on social media but you keep falling off, it’s not a motivation problem. It’s a system problem.
In this episode, pastor and creator Alex Portillo shares the framework that helped him grow from 0 to 10K in 5 months and post consistently without running out of ideas.

We break down the “no weeks off” rule, why growth often plateaus after early momentum, and how to create content that serves the person scrolling instead of making it about you. If you’re a leader or faith leader building trust online, this conversation will reset your approach.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The “no weeks off” rule that protects consistency
• How to build a repeatable content system so you don’t rely on inspiration
• Why 10K → 20K can take longer than 0 → 10K (and how to stay steady)
• The viewer first mindset that builds trust
• Why short form content is disposable and why that should relieve pressure, not add to it

About The Deep Dive:
The Deep Dive helps leaders lead from a healed heart and create high impact in the church, in business, and in the world.

Follow + Connect

• Jose St. Phard (Host): @thedeepdivewithjose on Instagram & TikTok
• Guest: Alex Portillo: @SanBertoAlejandro on Instagram Website: https://deepdivewithjose.com

In this powerful episode of The Deep Dive with Jose St. Phard, Jose sits down with Dr. Kessia Reyne Bennett, a theologian and thinker who helps us wrestle with one of the most critical questions of our time: What does it mean to be human in the age of artificial intelligence?

Together, they explore how generative AI is reshaping the conversation around creativity, technology, and human consciousness. Whether you're a pastor, leader, entrepreneur, creator, or dreamer, this episode will challenge how you think about what truly makes us human. In the age of AI, Jose & Dr. Bennett remind us that human presence and human connection are still humanity's most incredible superpowers.

Watch on YouTube → https://youtu.be/WK0FDkWPaIs

Connect with Jose:
Instagram: @iamsaintphard
Instagram: @ThedeepdivewithJose

Website: www.thedeepdivewithjose.com

BIO: Jose St. Phard is a pastor, executive coach, and speaker. Through his work in leadership and personal growth, he’s guided thousands of people to strengthen their spiritual lives and lead with greater confidence. He’s the host of The Deep Dive Podcast and serves as Lead Pastor at Oasis Christian Center in Vancouver, Washington, where he lives with his wife, Tiffany, and their two children.

Subscribe for more conversations on faith, leadership, and what it means to be human in a changing world.

• (00:00:00) - Human Being: Coram Deo Before God
• (00:01:40) - Deep Dive: What Does It Mean to Be Human in the Modern
• (00:06:58) - A New Technology: Human Blessing
• (00:14:20) - Will AI Replace Poets?
• (00:18:57) - The Need for Personal Human Presence
• (00:23:28) - Does a Social Relationship Make Us More Human?
• (00:25:07) - The Human Value of the Digital Age
• (00:29:52) - Preachers Preaching AI Gospel
• (00:31:40) - Habakkuk on AI
• (00:35:35) - Holiness and the New Humanity
• (00:37:46) - Dr. Essiarane Bennett

THIS IS THE PART NO ONE TALKS ABOUT:

Growth as a faith leader is directly tied to your capacity to carry and process pain well. What you don’t transform, you will inevitably transmit. It will come out in your church, your team, or your family. In this episode, we go beneath the surface of leadership success and explore the real, raw process God uses to shape your soul.

Episode Summary:
Leadership isn’t just about vision-casting, strategic planning, or building platforms. It's about learning to lead through pain. In this episode, Jose shares personal reflections on leadership wounds, the loneliness of responsibility, and how God uses pain as a crucible for transformation. Drawing from Samuel Chand’s Leadership Pain, scripture, and real-world experience, this conversation exposes the often-ignored truths of the leader’s journey and how to make peace with pain instead of running from it. Whether you're a pastor, coach, creative, or organizational leader, this episode is for anyone who’s ever whispered, “I didn’t know it would hurt this much.”

Takeaways:

1. The Deeper the Pain, the Greater the Potential. “You’ll grow only to the threshold of your pain.” — Samuel Chand Pain is not the enemy of your calling; it’s often the pathway God uses. Every level of leadership requires a new level of dying to self, and many leaders quit because no one prepared them for the pain.

Reflection Question: Are you resisting what God is using to refine you?

2. Pain Is a Part of the Process. Pain reshapes your identity. Loss, betrayal, and chronic pressure force us to redefine what success really means. As Dr. Chand writes, “Pain is the classroom where God teaches His deepest lessons.” Transformation is always personal before it’s public. While God doesn't waste your pain, He won’t bypass it either.

3. You Can’t Lead Well if You Don’t Lament Honestly
Church culture often rushes to “hope” while bypassing “hurt.” Leaders need to reengage the lost discipline of lament. David wrote his most powerful psalms from caves, not castles (Psalm 142). Jesus wept before He resurrected Lazarus. True leadership honors emotion without being ruled by it.

Takeaway Practice: Try a 5-minute journaling exercise where you write honestly about your leadership wounds as a form of prayer.

Bonus Resources:

From Leadership Pain by Samuel Chand:

• “You’ll grow only to the threshold of your pain.”
• “Discomfort can be a catalyst for growth. It makes us yearn for something more. It forces us to change, stretch, and adapt.”
• “Pain is a part of progress. Anything that grows experiences some pain. If I avoid all pain, I’m avoiding growth.”

Spiritual Practices for Processing Pain:

• Pray Lament Psalms: Start with Psalm 13, 77, or 88.
• Soul Check-ins: Ask yourself weekly, “What’s bleeding in me that I’m trying to lead through?”

This is the Perfect Listen For:

• Pastors and spiritual leaders battling burnout
• Visionaries navigating disappointment
• Emerging leaders asking, “Is this normal?”
• Anyone carrying silent wounds while trying to lead well

Send this to a leader who needs to hear this.
Leave a review if this hit deep.
And most importantly, don’t walk through pain alone. Let us journey with you.

• (00:00:00) - A Deep Dive Into The Pain of Being a Leader
• (00:00:59) - Leaders Who Are in Leadership Pain
• (00:08:22) - Jesus' Love for Leaders
• (00:14:06) - 1. Letting Go of the Pain
• (00:18:37) - Leadership Pain