Serve the City: How Small Acts of Service Transform Leaders and Teams
Episode 42 of the The Leadership Vision Podcast podcast, hosted by Nathan Freeburg, Linda Schubring, Brian Schubring, titled "Serve the City: How Small Acts of Service Transform Leaders and Teams" was published on December 8, 2025 and runs 31 minutes.
December 8, 2025 ·31m · The Leadership Vision Podcast
Summary
Send us Fan Mail Have you ever been part of a weekend that you know you’ll carry with you forever? In this conversation, Nathan is joined by Dr. Linda and Brian Schubring to reflect on their time in Brussels celebrating the 20th anniversary of Serve the City International—a global movement built on a simple idea: many people doing small things together can make a big difference. Leaders from 35 countries across 6 continents gathered to mark two decades of kindness in action. Linda and Brian o...
Episode Description
Have you ever been part of a weekend that you know you’ll carry with you forever?
In this conversation, Nathan is joined by Dr. Linda and Brian Schubring to reflect on their time in Brussels celebrating the 20th anniversary of Serve the City International—a global movement built on a simple idea: many people doing small things together can make a big difference.
Leaders from 35 countries across 6 continents gathered to mark two decades of kindness in action. Linda and Brian opened the event with their keynote experience, “Unfolded: The Transformative Power of Serving,” and led a breakout session on how to approach challenge, change, and uncertainty as leaders who serve.
In this episode, they talk about:
- The energy of bringing together leaders from around the world who are deeply committed to serving their cities
- Why they began the conference with a mindfulness practice—a shared moment of stillness, open hands, and collective breathing
- How acts of service shape leadership: rolling up your sleeves, being in need, and receiving help
- What 3.5 million volunteer hours and 10 million lives impacted in 2024 say about the power of consistent, small actions
- How Carleton Deal and the Serve the City team use simple, repeatable phrases (“serving revolution,” “cross the line,” “know them by name”) to create a scalable, sustainable movement
- The idea of volunteers as “hope artists” in a world filled with uncertainty and negativity
- Their breakout session on challenge, change, and uncertainty, and how to help leaders remember the internal certainty they already carry
- Why serving outside the office can unlock deeper compassion and care inside the workplace
- What it takes to sustain a volunteer movement for 20+ years—and why the Serve the City vision will continue long after its founders
The episode culminates with a powerful quote Brian and Linda wrote in a Paris café as they prepared for their time in Brussels:
“When we serve with open hands, we create a space for something to land.”
Key Themes & Topics:
- Serve the City International – 20-year anniversary
- Serving with open hands
- Leadership and service
- Challenge, change, and uncertainty
- Global volunteer movements
- Sustainable vision beyond the founder
- Compassion, kindness, and team culture
- Mindfulness and preparation to serve
- The “map” metaphor for navigating life and leadership
Chapters:
- 01:30 – Weekend overview: Serve the City in Brussels
- 03:30 – The global energy: Leaders from 35 countries and 6 continents
- 05:30 – Guided mindfulness and open-handed stillness
- 09:00
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Read the full blog post here!
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