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Welcome to Tension. I’m Tim Sweetman. I write essays and host conversations about leadership, faith, hospitality, and the tensions of work and life.

Choose the topic closest to where you are today. Each of these ten paths includes articles to read and podcast episodes or conversations to explore. Start with one piece; there’s no required order.

Not sure where to begin? Read I Am Not My Scorecard, or listen to my conversation with Trevor Hightower. Both explore identity beyond performance.

1. Identity & Worth

For the moments when achievement, comparison, and your sense of self become tangled together.

Read

• I Am Not My Scorecard

• You’re a Fraud

Listen or watch

• Trevor Hightower — Why Clarity of Identity Changes Everything

• Alec McNayr — Searching for Who You Truly Are

2. Hospitality & Care

Explore what it means to make people feel seen, welcomed, and cared for.

Read

• The Hospitality Paradox

• Fighting for Unreasonable Hospitality

• Experience Over Expedience

Listen or watch

• The Soul of Starbucks — an episode exploring Howard Schultz, culture, and comeback

3. Leading & Developing Teams

For leaders working on clarity, accountability, hiring, and the habits that help people grow.

Read

• Three Leadership Habits

• Let the References Speak

Listen or watch

• Josh Etress — Tactical Leadership Lessons, Life Planning, and Time Management

• Dave Kline — What Great Leaders Actually Do (video and written takeaways)

4. Faith, Work & Calling

Consider how faith shapes ordinary work, ambition, and the responsibilities we carry.

Read

• On Planning, Surrender, and Baptized Anxiety

• No Little People

Listen or watch

• Peter Greer — Staying Mission True and Leading with Prayer

• Courtney Moore — Women & Work, Faith, and Biblical Leadership

5. Entrepreneurship & Building

For founders and builders thinking about the long game and what it means to build well.

Read

• Embrace the Long Game

• Chasing Harvard

Listen or watch

• Desmond Lim — Workstream and an Immigrant Success Story

• Gretchen Heinen — Navigating the Tensions of Entrepreneurship

• Andrew Clark — Venturing Differently, Faith, and Founders

6. Rest, Pace & Meaningful Work

For a full calendar, a tired mind, or the question of whether your effort is going toward what matters.

Read

• Real Work vs. Fake Work

• Intentional Inefficiency

Listen or watch

• Why I Quit. — The Sabbath Begins (a short solo episode)

• Josh Etress — Life Planning and Time Management

7. Attention, Creativity & Digital Life

Explore the relationship between what we consume, what we create, and how we spend our limited attention.

Read

• The Feed Is Infinite, My Time Is Not

• Why I Hate YouTubers

Listen or watch

• Samuel James — Digital Liturgies, Writing, and Becoming More Human

8. Thinking Clearly & Embracing Tension

For questions that resist an easy either/or answer.

Read

• 9 Mental Models to Embrace Tension

• Dream State

Listen or watch

• Jodie Hylkema — Embracing the “And”

• Tim Sweetman & Chad Smith — The Random Show: Curiosity and Moral Relativism

9. Courage, Vulnerability & Resilience

For difficult transitions, uncertain choices, and learning to stay open when life is hard.

Read

• I’m Afraid of the Choices I’ve Made

• Mist & Smoke

Listen or watch

• Derek Sloan — Leading With Vulnerability

• Austin Linney — Breaking Negative Mindsets and What Real Success Looks Like

10. Books, Wisdom & A Life Well Lived

A place to explore ideas and lessons worth carrying into everyday life.

Read

• 40 Great Books to Read

• What They Don’t Tell You

Listen or watch

• Man’s Search for Meaning — a book discussion exploring Viktor Frankl

• Truett Cathy — lessons from It’s Easier to Succeed Than Fail

Keep exploring

Browse the full archive, visit The Tension Podcast, or learn more about Tension.

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