Better Preach

In this episode Ryan discusses with Colleen Vermeulen the lessons she learned in active duty in the US Military that are still bearing great fruit today for her as a teacher in the Catholic Biblical School in Michigan.

In this episode, Ryan shares an analogy that will help make your next talk...better!

In this episode Ryan discusses with Julianne Stanz what it was like be in a room interacting with Pope Leo, Church growth, and what’s coming up NEXT in the Church.

In this episode, Ryan shares a Father's Day story on "being saved".

In this episode, Ryan O'Hara and Gian Gamboa discuss his call to coach and mentor Youth Ministers in speaking.

In this episode, Ryan shares about the four levels of vocal variety you can adjust to immediately be more interesting to listen to.

In this bonus episode, Pete Burak is back and we discuss his new book and what it was like to speak to 20,000 people at SEEK 2026!

In this episode, Pete Burak is back and we each share our Top 5 Merit Badges for Catholic Speakers.

In this episode, in honor of Pentecost, Ryan shares five scriptural attributes of Spirit-led speaking.

Preaching can set the stage for the healing process to begin, to continue, and to accelerate.

In this episode Ryan shares four episode highlights from 2025 and looks ahead to 2026.

In this episode Ryan why we tend to ramble in talks and how to fix it.

In this episode Ryan sits down with Megan Copeland to discuss why a time of prayerful encounter is the perfect way to end every talk.

In this episode Ryan shares the full talk he gave at an Impact Session at SEEK 2025 in Salt Lake City

In this episode Ryan sits down with Dr. James Pauley to discuss why it is so important to evangelize every time you catechize.

In this episode Ryan explores how to use Sacred Art in Catholic talks.

In this episode Ryan and Michael discuss how to give talks that strongly leverages the audience's unique perspective and wisdom.

As a Catholic speaker, what will you do when things go wrong? Stay tuned to find out!

In this episode Ryan and Gloria discuss how she rose to prominence as a prophetic voice for racial justice, a brief history of black Catholics in the US, and what she would say to encourage Deacons, Priests and Bishops to preach better (and more often) on the issue of racism.

In this episode Ryan and Connor discuss three ways every Catholic teacher and preacher can use AI, but also two cautions to keep in mind.

A conversation with my Pastor, Fr. Luke Marquard of St Joseph’s in West St Paul, MN.

Ryan shares about some exciting upcoming episodes and asks you to join him for a special prayer request!

In this episode Ryan explores the overlap of the four steps of Lectio Divina and the way he prepares for preaching on the Scriptures.

A conversation with Tanner Kalina on how lessons learned as an actor helps him and others as Catholic teachers and preachers.

To celebrate 100 episodes, Ryan shares seven messages from listeners on the impact of the podcast on their ministries of teaching and preaching.

To celebrate 100 episodes, Ryan is asking listeners to share the impact of the show and some of their favorite moments!

Ryan shares three principles to make much better slides for your next talk.

A conversation with Fr. Mike Schmitz on bad talks and the spiritual battles he faces in preaching to the whole planet.

Ryan discusses five phrases he loved from Pope Leo XIV's historic first homily.

Ryan shares why you ought use alliteration much more often in your talks, as it aids in understanding and retention.

A conversation with Fr. Craig Vasek on Pope Francis' wisdom on preaching and homiletics.

A conversation with Kristin Bird on addressing a giant pastoral gap in the Church through the practice of accompaniment.

Ryan shares three reasons why you ought to PAUSE more often in your talks.

A conversation with Kim Zember on the what’s required, first, for all teachers and preachers to effectively communicate the Church’s teaching on same sex attraction.

Ryan shares three ways to make the best use of the most precious real-estate in every talk, the first 90 seconds.

Fr. John Burns lays out all the ways that homilies at Mass ought to be connected to a Priest or Deacon's prayer life. To miss this connection is to remove a unique grace and power from this unique moment of instruction and encouragement for the faithful.

I'm excited to share with you, three things that I've been asked to do at SEEK 25 in Salt Lake City. And I'm looking today both to bring you up to speed on some of those things, because it relates to what we talk about here on Better Preach, but I'm also looking for your input and your prayer. Are you down for one or both of those things?

By the end of this episode, you'll have a simple way to get good feedback from Catholic leaders who hire you to speak and or anyone else that you'd like to receive feedback from.

Many talks in Catholic settings. inspire. But do they transform? Do they have a life changing impact on the people who are listening to them? It's true that not every time you listen to a Catholic talk, it's gonna lead, you know, to life transformation. But what if none of the talks that you listen to lead to any change in your life. Something's missing. I want to talk about this, this all important step of making our talks actionable, something that the people who are listening to them can act upon and thus see some change and transformation in their life.

Seven days of different spiritual activities before a conference starts so that your conference experience, the spiritual moment in your life. can really be maximized so as to make a transformation and a change in your life after the conference. So the work we're putting in now is really for our future selves.

You may not realize it, but the truth is, inside of you are an unlimited number of great stories to tell.  For some people, a rare few actually, this is self-evident - stories just seem to flow out as easily as the next breath.  For most, though, it’s a slog - we either keep coming back to the same stories over and over OR we try to come up with new ones, but just can’t seem to recall anything worth sharing.  This is a pain point for people giving talks on a regular basis - BECAUSE stories can often make or break the talks we give.

We’ve got a hot one here folks! So many people are asking the question nowadays “How do I get into Catholic speaking?”  or “How do I become a Catholic speaker?” and so often the line from Jeff Goldblum’s character in Jurassic Park comes to mind in response. He famously says to the owner of Jurassic Park - "your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should” And that’s where my conversation with Marcel LeJeune goes right at the question of whether or not you OUGHT to pursue a career as a Catholic Speaker.

When you're handed a microphone in front of a group of people, I’m guessing you have a plan for what you're going to say. But I don't think we always plan on preparing for what will be heard. In this episode Ryan continues his four part series on “Four Pillars of Great Talk”. Today’s episode is on the third pillar, “Make it Applicable” on knowing your audience.

It turns out that hip-hop and preaching have a lot more in common than one might think.  In fact, at the core of both of them is an incredible (and surprising) overlap.  My guest today, Oscar Rivera, taught me so much about the beauty, authenticity, and creativity of hip-hop culture and how, in him, (and you too) these same gifts need to shine through our ministry of preaching and teaching in Catholic settings.

From discussing “why do we sing?” to how to break down invisible barriers with audiences -  that all leads to “owning the hell out of talks.” In this fantastically unique conversation Abe Gross shares his unique perspective on teaching and preaching from the perspective of a super gifted worship leader (and speaker too!).

You want a surefire way to look like a prideful unprofessional punk as a speaker: BLOW THROUGH THE ALLOTTED TIME GIVEN. :) That'll do it, for sure! In this episode Ryan discusses "why this happens", "why it matters", and "what we can do about it."

In Dostoevsky’s novel, the Idiot, the character Prince Myshkin declares “Beauty will save the world”, This truth and goodness behind this compelling statement has animated such prominent Catholic theologians as Cardinal Hans urs von Balthasar, Bishop Robert Barron, and many others in our day. And if can be so bold “beauty” might just save our talks too. And in my conversation today with Jimmy Mitchell we not only consider the ways in which this may be true in our preparation AND delivery of talks, but also the unique way beauty transforms us and invites us to be all that God has created us to be.

It says in James chapter 3 and I’m gonna paraphrase “If a man is able to control his tongue, he can control his whole life.”  And in my conversation with OG Catholic podcaster Taylor Schroll, the theme woven throughout is how powerful the spoken word can be - both in a really funny story about one of his ‘worst’ talks, but also in Preaching in general.  And more to the point, which WORDS or WORD do we emphasize when we preach.  And do we bring the most powerful WORD to bear every time we speak to Catholic audiences.

Your talks for Catholic audiences are too complicated, And mine are too!.  Ha!  Whether it’s for teenagers, adults, or little kids we are packing way to much information into too tight spaces. Today I am addressing Principle #1 - “Is it Clear”. And for that question, I’ve come up with an equation: SIMPLE + VISUAL = MEMORABLE

Katie Hartfiel is a ‘speakers speaker’.  She was called to speak, has many years of experience, is a mentor to others *and* works really hard on each talk BEFORE she steps on stage. It was the combination of hours of PREPARATION *and* PRACTICE that I think sets Katie apart.  Her process is inspiring and super practical…something for each of us to learn from and imitate.

Jim Beckman has seen it all.  From being a part of the onset of Steubenville Conferences spreading nationally to ministering to Columbine High School students in the wake that tragedy to launching Y Disciple and so much more…he truly has had a generational impact on the Catholic Church in America.  But that “impact” has a cost too…and we dig in to the mark that lifelong ministry can have - and the need for new ways of supporting people giving their lives to serve the Church.

Today is a solo episode where I share my three main takeaways from an article by Christian Smith, Sociologist at University of Notre Dame, on “Improving Catholic Homilies”.

When it comes to speaking to Catholic audiences  where does one BEGIN when preparing a talk?  Where do you begin?  I know too often I begin with: “have I given a talk on this topic before?”  or “whats inspiring me lately?”.  Again, nothing wrong with either of these, but are either of these the most important place to start?  Well my guest today has some convictions around this question, and you’ve got to stick around to hear all about it.

Brian Greenfield and I dig deep into the question of WHEN and HOW to PIVOT.  As you’ll hear, it takes a whole lot of prayer, preparation, and humility to be confident in making a bold move in the middle of a talk - to go a different direction.

Ryan sits down with Ennie Hickman to discuss the impact of the National Eucharistic Congress.

What if there may be talks that I could give in particular settings locally, regionally or nationally? How do I get started?

Ryan and Dr. Swafford discuss how best to reach Gen-Z with the Gospel.

Ryan and Nick discuss the impact the Better Preach Podcast has had in his call and ability to give talks!

in the last year, about 12 months to be exact I took the biggest leap of faith of my life. It all came to pass at a four-day silent retreat last summer where Jesus invited me to “feed his sheep”, to leave  SPO and the comfort of a steady paycheck, and GO full-time, preaching and teaching.

Ryan and Barbara discuss the need for every speaker to ground their messages in God's word and cultivate a deep love and familiarity with the Holy Scriptures.

Ryan and Fr. Alex discuss his book "Preaching on Purpose", focusing in on two key aspects of preaching and homilies at Mass: One Church/One Message and Preaching as a Team.

A conversation with Dan DeMatte, founder of Damascus, one of the fastest growing youth and young adult movements in the country, on delivering and developing great Catholic talks.

How crucial is it that the message you are sharing into a microphone matches up with who you are without a microphone?

What is the interplay, in Catholic preaching and teaching, between the natural gifts of communication and charisma and God’s supernatural power moving through the speaker and audience.  How do these things complement (or cancel out) the other?   For this and more, check out this week's Better Preach Podcast with Deacon Keith Strohm.

The way that you improve is to get feedback and to ask people for their input. So often, those of us who are, are speaking or leading, we have just one perspective. It's helpful but I know that I can't see everything that needs to be seen about this podcast. Your perspective is invaluable. As we prepare for season three, I've put together a very simple listener survey. I'm talking 10 questions, 10 minutes max. Could even be quicker than that. Click the link in show notes!

We love to overcomplicate things.  Let me restate that.  I love to over complicate things.  More of a really good thing - like preaching the Gospel - has to be better right?!? Not always.    In my conversation today with Pete Burds he shares how his approach to giving Catholic talks has shifted and developed over the years. And what he chooses to prioritize in a 30 min talk might surprise you.

I'm convinced that I found, a super sneaky back way to make talks easier to follow, easier to remember,  and easier to apply. And that super sneaky back way is a well crafted handout that accompanies the talks that I give.

in my fascinating conversation with Annie Grandell, Director of YDisciple, we dig into a wide range of topics on speaking and then land on what could be referred to as the seven marks of a great Catholic talk.

I want to give you simple and practical tips to ensure, every time you speak to Catholic audiences, that you absolutely have something to say; something worth listening to and acting on. In this episode I will share four things that need to be true of the words you use when you speak about the Catholic faith.

in my conversation with Brad Pierron we go right at this question - do we speak FROM or FOR a relationship with God? And his view and perspective on it was as well articulated as I’ve ever come across. His outlook on this will comfort *and* convict! So look out my friends, we’ve got a hot one today!

I want to give you a simple and memorable way to craft a one-sentence testimony SO THAT you can share with others the reason for the hope you have in Christ.

In my conversation today with Michael Gormley, aka Gomer, we set our sights on how to actually teach and preach so as to help people, who want to, change their lives.  This conversation was a blast and as we get rolling we jump into the nitty gritty of exactly how this happens.

I love checklists and systems; doing it once, writing it down and then putting the plan on repeat. Why keep reinventing the wheel? When the routine needs tweaking, make the edit, update it, and put it back on repeat. This is especially true for me “Day of” for the talks that I give. I have routines and checklists I follow BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER a talk. Again, this is just my routine. What I hope is that it inspires you to make your own! What do you need “Day of”, at the venue and so on, as a speaker, to be most effective? Be intentional. Decide. The consistency and the extra brain space will pay off!

Giving a great Catholic talk is hard to do. It takes a lot of practice, grace, life experience, confidence, and knowledge to pull it off.  Now try ratcheting up the degree of difficulty a few notches by also addressing difficult and thorny topics, especially hot-button issues today around sexuality, gender, and marriage.    This is a tall task for anyone.  But every once in a while you hear someone speak on difficult topics and they make it look effortless, almost easy, while also packing a punch.  How do they do it?  My guest today, Sarah Swafford is one such speaker.  With deep conviction, boundless energy, and a love for the people she is speaking to, Sarah is the perfect guest to help us learn how to give talks on the most difficult of topics.

If you’ve been listening to the Better Preach Podcast, even for just a few episodes, you know that one of my favorite questions to ask is: What is your process for preparing a talk? This one question, actually, is what drove me to start the podcast and to keep going. I thought - I’d love to know what different speakers do, behind the scenes, to bring great talks to life. So, I thought, I’d love to share my process too - again with the help of my favorite trusty occasional co-host, Connor Flanagan. In this episode we do a deep dive into “my six steps for writing a talk.”

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to go from listening to homilies for many years to giving them - you are in for a treat today . Ryan sits down with the one and only Deacon Bob Rice to discuss his convictions around teaching and preaching, but also a deep dive on what it’s like to begin giving homilies as a Deacon.

Are you confident that you can help others develop and deliver a great talk. Today, Ryan and Connor, break down the four stages of equipping others to prepare and deliver great Catholic talks.

What would it look like for a Catholic speaker to  be dead serious about expecting, waiting, and trusting Jesus to take the lead?   While no one does it perfectly, my guest today, Mari Pablo, shares with great humility and profound trust in God, her conviction the need to to step aside and allow Jesus to bring the opportunities, bear the fruit, and get the glory.

There’s another kind of speaking, in the Catholic world, that is super important and often overlooked and it DOESN’T involve addressing an audience through a  keynote talk, teaching, or testimony.   And that’s the role of an emcee. Sometimes called a host, the emcee plays a really influential and important role for many Catholic events.   But what makes for a great emcee and what skills does an emcee need that isn’t required of other kinds of talks?  Today, I’m joined again by my good friend and occasional co-host, Connor Flanagan as we dive deep into the guiding principles of How to be a great emcee.

In my conversation today with Matt Regitz we went  deep into the how and why of the irreplaceable importance of vulnerability - of presenting not just Catholic truths in your talks, but giving brave access to how you are actually bringing those truths to every aspect of your life.

it's been well-documented that the Catholic church has, historically, had something of a proclamation problem. The gospel, the good news hasn't been a regular part of our spiritual diet. It's not something we hear week in and week out. And yet I'd say that things have been shifting,  things have been changing. And I'd say over the course of the 25 years that I've been in ministry with college students and young adults, the tide has turned and it's really exciting. And yet while we may not have as much of a proclamation problem nowadays. I still think we have a problem. And it's a proclamation and response problem. How do we actually lead people Into evangelistic moments? How do we help them hear the gospel and then make a concrete response to its promises?

Both in his personal ministry as a Bishop and as the head of the Eucharistic revival, my guest today on the podcast, Bishop Andrew Cozzens has great hope that this three-year journey isn't about starting a program, but rather about starting a fire; a fire of faith in Jesus Christ that will spread across the country and well into the future. In our conversation today, we discussed everything from the connection between preaching and belief in Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist, the unique history of Eucharistic congresses in America, what's on his bookshelf this month and why he doesn't keep old homilies on file.

I want to share a simple summary of the good news and what makes it so good! Is it the best one? Is it the right one? I don't know. I want to share it because it's something that’s memorable for me. And if it's memorable I can make it available to others.

As I spoke with today’s guest, my dear friend Fr. Andriy Chirovsky, he shared about the weight and burden that comes along with Catholic preaching.   It challenged me out of thinking that I’m doing much of anything when I give talks and has encouraged me to wait on the Lord, beg for his mercy, and plead with God to speak to his people. Can’t wait for you to hear this episode with my good friend, Fr. Andriy.

I want to offer one small piece of encouragement. When you teach, don’t forget to preach!  If every person who was teaching the Catholic faith, also preached the gospel, our Church and thus our world would be a different place.

Well today we are going to have a conversation of sorts with a great Saint in our Church’s history, a renowned teacher and preacher. St Augustine. And we are going to interview St. Augustine by way of a conversation with a theologian and Augustine expert, Dr. John Cavadini. His knowledge of St. Augustine, the preacher, teacher, theologian Bishop and Doctor of the Church can give us an exacting insight into what advice St Augustine might give us preachers, teachers, and speakers today, lay and ordained alike.

Can you share the truth about God’s action in your life in a compelling and powerful way, and in such a way that it deepens the hearer's relationship with God and His Church?  In this episode I want to share five pitfalls to avoid when developing and delivering a personal testimony.

When we see great Catholic speakers at conferences or giving talks online, we experience a brief snapshot in time, not just of stories, humor, and application of scriptures and Church teaching to our everyday lives, but a whole person. We see it simply as a person with a microphone, but in reality the moment they grab the mic is simply the current state of the journey that began years and years before with countless hours of prep, prayer, and a consistent desire to be a disciple before ever being a speaker. In my conversation today with Paul Kim we dig into the lifestyle of a speaker, and how what we see and hear on stage must be first rooted in the realities of everyday life, ordinary and holy.

Have you ever heard a bad homily?  No clear connection to the readings, it rambled on and on, and didn’t in any way apply to your everyday life. While this may not be the case at every Mass, bad preaching happens more often than it should.  In my conversation with Fr. Joshua Whitfiled, we discuss where this crisis come from, and what can Priests and lay people can do about it, and among many other things - what role might the Liturgy of the Hours, yes the official prayer of the Church, might play in bringing about renewal of preaching in the Church.

Fr. Josh Johnson preaches and lives, lives and preaches the great commission.  He is a bright reminder that we’ve been given a task to get after.  And in his case - this task is taken up one set of parish boundaries at a time. What a great convo - we get into this topic about reaching everyone - not just Catholics - within the Parish Boundaries, we talk about the difference btw personal prayer and work prayer, and finally we dig into the challenges and necessity of preaching on issues of  justice in the midst of the divisions of our time.

As someone who speaks, teaches, or preaches for a living, one of the last things I would want to be called is “unoriginal”.   I associate that word “unoriginal” with words like boring, lame, predictable or unimaginative.  And one of my biggest fears as a communicator, especially one for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is having people use any of those words to describe me or my speaking.  And yet there it is, unoriginal, even with all of it’s negative connotations, is PRECISELY a word all Catholic speakers need to aspire to. My mind was changed through my conversation today with Hilary Draftz, the West Area Director for FOCUS, as she used this word, unoriginal, to describe an important conviction she has about speaking to Catholic audiences.  Stick around to find out what in the heck she is talking about!

Today, I am speaking with a Pastor at the local Catholic Church on campus, at the University of Minnesota, Fr. Jake Anderson.  We dig in to the unique opportunities, challenges, and techniques he uses to preach regularly to college students.

Today we kick things off with Fr. Emmanuel Mansford for a great discussion about GOOD and BAD homilies.   He shares openly and vulnerably from his own experience of both. And what we people in the pews can do to help too! Fr. Emmanuel was born in London, England, and joined the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal in September of 1998. He was ordained in 2007, has served as the Vocation Director and now serves as Director of Formation. Fr. Emmanuel is a sought after conference speaker with a passion for evangelization and recently named one of 50 National Eucharistic Preachers with the Eucharistic Revival; the USCCB's three year effort to renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist. And last but not least also an alumni, from the way back, of NET and SPO.

The principal agent of evangelization is the Holy Spirit.  Today I want to share two convictions that I hold about how to actually follow the Holy Spirit in talks; two ways to think about how we can best be led by the Holy Spirit before, and during the talks that we give. Because after all the Holy Spirit is the principal, primary agent of evangelization. If anyone is evangelized it is because the Holy Spirit has intervened, and helped to make it so!  As I mentioned in the first episode of season two, we’re going to vary it up with our episodes. First, interviews with prominent Catholic speakers and priests. Second, solo episodes with just me and the microphone And third guided conversations about particular topics related to speaking to Catholic audiences with my good friend Connor Flanagan. This episode is that third kind

Confidence (or lack thereof) has a way of shining through the moment you open your mouth to speak.  When it’s there - it puts everyone listening at ease.  When it’s not the audience remains vigilant and alert, worried more that this person makes it to the end in one piece. And forget remembering anything they had to say!

I want to share with you a short clip from an episode of another great podcast called “This Whole Life”.  This show is hosted by Pat and Kenna Millea, good friends of mine here in the Twin Cities.  Pat is a Catholic speaker, leader and podcaster - also a Better Preach alum - episode 21 - and his wife Kenna is a podcaster and licensed marriage and family therapist and their show, “This Whole Life” explores the crucial overlap of mental health and the spiritual life, sanity and sanctity.   Recently they invited me on their show  to share a bit about my experience of the overlap of -  the spiritual life and mental health - from my perspective and experience with foster care and adoption.   We talked about how my wife Jill and I met, our struggles with infertility, the challenges and opportunities of foster care and adoption and in this short clip

So today it's Ryan’s turn in the hot seat. He invited his good friend and previous guest on this podcast, Connor Flanagan , to do the honors.  They talk about the chaos of family life, how it feels to get paid to preach the Gospel, some encouragement to those wanting to do more speaking, and what launched him into ministry in the first place!

Have you ever had to prepare a talk at the last minute?  Like day of or day before?  Not the fault of poor planning, but somebody gets sick or there’s car trouble.  There are any number of good reasons why your number might be called - to give a talk - without a ton of notice.  Well, if you have ever found yourself in that situation and are not sure how to whip up something solid in a timely way - I believe this episode can help.   I’ve put together a simple four-part template that can guide you, even at the last minute, to put together a talk that can be inspiring, and actionable.