The Ordinary Discipleship podcast with Jesse Cruickshank and the Whoology team is a journey through the fascinating intersection of neuroscience and narrative to ignite the disciplemaker in you. Delve into the transformative power of storytelling, exploring how our brains are wired for transformation and discover the extraordinary in the ordinary. From understanding the biological roots of storytelling to unlocking the secrets of spiritual maturity, each episode offers insights to empower you to become a more effective disciplemaker and deepen your spiritual growth.
What’s the difference between being aligned with someone and being truly connected to them? In this conversation, Jessie Cruickshank, Julia Schmaltz, and Jacob Hoyer explore how attunement to God and one another creates the foundation for trust, honest conversations, and meaningful community. They discuss how naming our fears, practicing confession and forgiveness, and finding safety in our identity in Christ can help repair relationships and move us toward the kind of unity that leads to real belonging and joy.
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FREE RESOURCE:
Not sure where you are in your faith development — or how to walk alongside someone who’s in a different place than you? Download the Identity Formation Theory chart free and see all six phases of how humans grow spiritually and psychologically.
→ whoology.co/identity (http://whoology.co/identity)
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TAKE THE COURSE:
Ordinary Discipleship — 8 sessions that will change how your community makes disciples. Built for the 75% that most discipleship materials miss.
→ Small Group Course (https://www.whoology.co/book)
ORDER THE BOOKS:
Becoming Good News: Reimagining Discipleship Through Identity, Story, and Science
→ Becoming Good News (https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Good-News-Reimagining-Discipleship/dp/B0FVTTC54B/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3IPU80QPAJUXZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.x_0E8RU53mwc0qU9TMPfFePIzce_xO5KXFPMDf73t9qtBex_vJazM-8lBl_Aw-s2WR2rBVsly4y1LZQvQpW430M557zXTjVZWk1JCZOhmdMPN2MDSa2ygK-vmOysJC8yiUhNuNc_0tw9vFECGSQVGIWIi9OHZ90Tp8IvnTDu_Thsis3h1UfG2cAb31hbvLyiML6QCP7XLXdq46BFwLfXR4e9vg1tckTXYAPnCdUyA04.j9mS-iC7MjJ_ugX7yp7Z3XgWAJd-47haZF76ZDBQomc&dib_tag=se&keywords=becoming+good+news&qid=1764891781&s=books&sprefix=becoming+good+news%2Cstripbooks%2C146&sr=1-2)
Ordinary Discipleship: How God Wires Us for the Adventure of Transformation
→ Ordinary Discipleship (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1641587326?ref=emc_s_m_5_i_atc)
FOLLOW WHOOLOGY:
Instagram: instagram.com/ordinarydiscipleship (http://instagram.com/ordinarydiscipleship)
Facebook: facebook.com/ordinarydiscipleship (http://facebook.com/ordinarydiscipleship)
FOLLOW JESSIE:
Instagram: instagram.com/yourbrainbyjess (http://instagram.com/yourbrainbyjess)
Facebook: facebook.com/jessica.s.cruickshank (http://facebook.com/jessica.s.cruickshank)
ABOUT JESSIE:
Jessie Cruickshank holds a Master’s degree in experiential education from Harvard and has spent 30 years studying how the brain actually learns, grows, and changes. She’s the author of Ordinary Discipleship and the architect of Identity Formation Theory, a framework for understanding where people are in their spiritual and psychological development. She believes discipleship was never meant to be a solo journey, and neuroscience backs her up.
5 Oct 2026
Authority
What does it mean to live from our identity rather than letting our roles define us? In this conversation, Jacob, Julia, and Jessie explore authority, responsibility, and the ways our identity in God shapes how we lead, serve, and relate to others. They talk about why authority is something we receive rather than something we have to manufacture, and how staying connected to God helps us know what we’re actually being invited to do.
—
FREE RESOURCE:
Not sure where you are in your faith development — or how to walk alongside someone who’s in a different place than you? Download the Identity Formation Theory chart free and see all six phases of how humans grow spiritually and psychologically.
→ whoology.co/identity (http://whoology.co/identity)
—
TAKE THE COURSE:
Ordinary Discipleship — 8 sessions that will change how your community makes disciples. Built for the 75% that most discipleship materials miss.
→ Small Group Course (https://www.whoology.co/book)
ORDER THE BOOKS:
Becoming Good News: Reimagining Discipleship Through Identity, Story, and Science
→ Becoming Good News (https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Good-News-Reimagining-Discipleship/dp/B0FVTTC54B/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3IPU80QPAJUXZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.x_0E8RU53mwc0qU9TMPfFePIzce_xO5KXFPMDf73t9qtBex_vJazM-8lBl_Aw-s2WR2rBVsly4y1LZQvQpW430M557zXTjVZWk1JCZOhmdMPN2MDSa2ygK-vmOysJC8yiUhNuNc_0tw9vFECGSQVGIWIi9OHZ90Tp8IvnTDu_Thsis3h1UfG2cAb31hbvLyiML6QCP7XLXdq46BFwLfXR4e9vg1tckTXYAPnCdUyA04.j9mS-iC7MjJ_ugX7yp7Z3XgWAJd-47haZF76ZDBQomc&dib_tag=se&keywords=becoming+good+news&qid=1764891781&s=books&sprefix=becoming+good+news%2Cstripbooks%2C146&sr=1-2)
Ordinary Discipleship: How God Wires Us for the Adventure of Transformation
→ Ordinary Discipleship (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1641587326?ref=emc_s_m_5_i_atc)
FOLLOW WHOOLOGY:
Instagram: instagram.com/ordinarydiscipleship (http://instagram.com/ordinarydiscipleship)
Facebook: facebook.com/ordinarydiscipleship (http://facebook.com/ordinarydiscipleship)
FOLLOW JESSIE:
Instagram: instagram.com/yourbrainbyjess (http://instagram.com/yourbrainbyjess)
Facebook: facebook.com/jessica.s.cruickshank (http://facebook.com/jessica.s.cruickshank)
ABOUT JESSIE:
Jessie Cruickshank holds a Master’s degree in experiential education from Harvard and has spent 30 years studying how the brain actually learns, grows, and changes. She’s the author of Ordinary Discipleship and the architect of Identity Formation Theory, a framework for understanding where people are in their spiritual and psychological development. She believes discipleship was never meant to be a solo journey, and neuroscience backs her up.
21 Sept 2026
Relating to Each Other in Our True Identity
What does it look like to build communities where people can discover and live from their true identity in Christ? In this episode, Julia, Jessie, and Jacob explore the difference between being and doing, why transformation can’t be reduced to a strategy, and how healthy community creates space for people to hear from Jesus, experience healing, and learn to see one another as God does.
—
FREE RESOURCE:
Not sure where you are in your faith development — or how to walk alongside someone who’s in a different place than you? Download the Identity Formation Theory chart free and see all six phases of how humans grow spiritually and psychologically.
→ whoology.co/identity (http://whoology.co/identity)
—
TAKE THE COURSE:
Ordinary Discipleship — 8 sessions that will change how your community makes disciples. Built for the 75% that most discipleship materials miss.
→ Small Group Course (https://www.whoology.co/book)
ORDER THE BOOKS:
Becoming Good News: Reimagining Discipleship Through Identity, Story, and Science
→ Becoming Good News (https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Good-News-Reimagining-Discipleship/dp/B0FVTTC54B/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3IPU80QPAJUXZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.x_0E8RU53mwc0qU9TMPfFePIzce_xO5KXFPMDf73t9qtBex_vJazM-8lBl_Aw-s2WR2rBVsly4y1LZQvQpW430M557zXTjVZWk1JCZOhmdMPN2MDSa2ygK-vmOysJC8yiUhNuNc_0tw9vFECGSQVGIWIi9OHZ90Tp8IvnTDu_Thsis3h1UfG2cAb31hbvLyiML6QCP7XLXdq46BFwLfXR4e9vg1tckTXYAPnCdUyA04.j9mS-iC7MjJ_ugX7yp7Z3XgWAJd-47haZF76ZDBQomc&dib_tag=se&keywords=becoming+good+news&qid=1764891781&s=books&sprefix=becoming+good+news%2Cstripbooks%2C146&sr=1-2)
Ordinary Discipleship: How God Wires Us for the Adventure of Transformation
→ Ordinary Discipleship (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1641587326?ref=emc_s_m_5_i_atc)
FOLLOW WHOOLOGY:
Instagram: instagram.com/ordinarydiscipleship (http://instagram.com/ordinarydiscipleship)
Facebook: facebook.com/ordinarydiscipleship (http://facebook.com/ordinarydiscipleship)
FOLLOW JESSIE:
Instagram: instagram.com/yourbrainbyjess (http://instagram.com/yourbrainbyjess)
Facebook: facebook.com/jessica.s.cruickshank (http://facebook.com/jessica.s.cruickshank)
ABOUT JESSIE:
Jessie Cruickshank holds a Master’s degree in experiential education from Harvard and has spent 30 years studying how the brain actually learns, grows, and changes. She’s the author of Ordinary Discipleship and the architect of Identity Formation Theory, a framework for understanding where people are in their spiritual and psychological development. She believes discipleship was never meant to be a solo journey, and neuroscience backs her up.
Who has been a guest on Ordinary Discipleship Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Reyna Martinez
Julia Schmaltz
Neil Cole
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