Jeremiah 1–3; 7; 16–18; 20 • Dr. Jeff Thompson • Oct 19–25 • Come, Follow Me 2026

What you'll learn

• 1 (00:00) **Episode Preview** - Dr. Jeff Thompson shares a personal story about learning to let go of hurt and turn to the Savior, foreshadowing the episode's central theme of leading without control.
• 2 (01:42) **Introducing Dr. Jeff Thompson** - Hank and John welcome Dr. Jeff Thompson, director of BYU's Sorensen Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership, who frames Jeremiah as a case study in leading when people have the agency not to follow.
• 3 (03:14) **The Core Question: Leading Without Control** - Jeff poses the driving question of the episode: how can we lead God's children when they exercise their agency to not follow, and how do we let go of the illusion of control?
• 4 (04:42) **Guest Background & The Zookeeper's Secret** - John introduces Jeff's book, *The Zookeeper's Secret*, and Jeff shares his personal journey from a miserable corporate job to studying how people find deep meaning and a sense of calling in their work.
• 5 (08:09) **Jeremiah's Relatable Call** - The hosts read from the Come, Follow Me manual. Jeff emphasizes that Jeremiah is a relatable prophet who served for 40 years without external success, making him a powerful example of faithful leadership.
• 6 (10:54) **Leadership as Positive Influence** - Jeff redefines leadership as any positive influence, not just a title. He introduces the Sorensen Center's logo of a tilted candle to illustrate that everyone has a bit of light to share in building the kingdom.
• 7 (16:17) **Context and the Prophet's Insecurity** - Jeff sets the historical context of Judah's political turmoil. He examines Jeremiah's call (Jeremiah 1:5), where God affirms his identity ("I knew thee"), but Jeremiah immediately responds with insecurity ("I am a child").

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app