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The Pastor’s Studio with Paul Basden

The Pastor’s Studio with Paul Basden

By: Paul Basden
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About this listen

The Pastor’s Studio is a space for honest conversations, meaningful questions, and stories that reveal how faith meets real life. Hosted by pastor and author Paul Basden, this podcast brings together authentic dialogue, spiritual reflection, and real-life experiences to help listeners navigate what it means to follow Jesus in a complex world.

Across every season, the aim is the same: to help listeners see God more clearly, understand themselves more deeply, and live out their faith with wisdom, humility, and grace.

Thoughtful, grounded, and full of heart, Pastor Paul invites you to slow down, listen well, and pay attention to the story God is writing in and around you.

Season 1: Uncomfortable Conversations with Christians
Season 2: Why Do I Do What I Do - Exploring the Enneagram
Season 3: This is My Story


Paul Basden is an author and serves as co-senior pastor of Preston Trail Community Church in Texas. A native of Dallas, Texas, Paul earned his BA from Baylor University and his Master of Divinity and PhD from Southwestern Theological Seminary. Paul also served as university minister and a professor of theology at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He and his wife, Denise, have two grown daughters and four grandsons.

Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
Christianity Spirituality
Episodes
  • S3E01: Carly Patterson: Olympic Gold Didn’t Define Me... God Did
    Jan 8 2026

    Carly Patterson was just 16 when she won Olympic gold - then suddenly had to figure out who she was without gymnastics.

    In our first episode of Season 3: This Is My Story, Carly shares the rarely told story after the medals:

    • The identity crisis that followed peak success

    • The pressure to live up to “gold” for the rest of her life

    • Her unexpected faith journey when control slipped away

    • A painful season of infertility—and learning to release outcomes

    • How purpose looks different when the spotlight fades

    This isn’t a story about gymnastics. It’s a story about what we do when our biggest win doesn’t bring peace.

    If you’ve ever:

    • Reached a milestone and still felt unfulfilled

    • Struggled with identity after a major life transition

    • Tried to control an outcome that wouldn’t budge

    Carly’s journey will meet you right where you are—and remind you that your worth was never tied to your achievement.

    🎧 Listen now to hear how faith, surrender, and resilience reshaped life after Olympic gold.

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    39 mins
  • 14: Season 2 Finale - From Inner Critic to Inner Peace: Paul's Type 1’s Journey Toward Spiritual Freedom
    Dec 18 2025

    In this powerful season finale of Why Do I Do What I Do? Exploring the Enneagram, host Paul Basden sits in the guest chair—interviewed by creative pastor and longtime friend Allison Harrell. Together, they explore Paul’s personal journey as an Enneagram Type 1 (The Reformer) and how understanding his type has shaped his spiritual life, leadership, and relationships.

    With honesty, humor, and deep self-reflection, Paul shares how childhood experiences formed his worldview, why he mistyped himself as a Two for years, how spiritual direction and counseling transformed him, and how he’s learning to distinguish his inner critic from the voice of the Holy Spirit.

    This episode also addresses big questions Christians often ask about the Enneagram: Is the Enneagram biblical? Is it compatible with Christian faith? Does it truly help us follow Jesus?

    Paul offers thoughtful, pastorally grounded responses while weaving in Scripture—especially Romans 8—to show how the Enneagram can be a tool for spiritual formation when held in the right way.

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    36 mins
  • 13. Cody Gillespey & Ryan McCully: Enneagram 9 Leaders on Harmony, Stubbornness & Spiritual Growth
    Dec 11 2025

    This episode takes a second, deeper look at the Enneagram Type 9—this time through the voices of two leaders on the Preston Trail staff: Ryan and Cody. With humor, vulnerability, and relatable honesty, they explore what it means to lead, parent, partner, and grow as Nines in a church setting.

    Ryan and Cody share openly about their experiences as Nines working closely together, leading teams, raising young families, and seeking emotional and spiritual health in a fast-paced ministry environment.

    Together, they unpack hallmark traits of the Type 9—harmony-seeking, calm presence, empathy, stubbornness, avoidance, and the quiet strength that emerges when a Nine steps into healthy leadership. You’ll hear real stories, vulnerable insights, and practical reflections on marriage, parenting, ministry, spiritual formation, and how the Enneagram helps them better follow Jesus.

    Whether you identify as an Enneagram 9, love a Nine, or lead alongside one, this conversation offers practical wisdom and heartfelt encouragement for your everyday life and relationships.

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    40 mins
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