Youth Ministry Burnout, Mental Health & Finding Your Life Again with Dane Leake w/ Dane Leake

Send us Fan Mail Youth ministry can feel like a holy adrenaline rush. Packed rooms. Camp. Baptisms. Students responding to the gospel. The next Wednesday night is always coming. But what happens when you start needing the ministry as much as the ministry needs you? Dane Leake joins Zac for an unusually honest conversation about burnout, mental health, identity, and the hidden cost of chasing the next ministry high. Dane shares the story of his 2023 collapse, years of overwork, lack of sleep, caffeine, unprocessed grief, and tying too much of his identity to ministry outcomes eventually caught up with him. After camp, his body and mind effectively shut down. What followed included hospitalization, stepping away from a ministry he loved, and a long season of rebuilding his life. But this isn't just an episode about burnout. It's about learning another way to lead. Zac and Dane talk about the dopamine cycle built into ministry, the warning signs Dane wishes he'd noticed earlier, why a bad Wednesday can ruin your entire week, and the danger of confusing ministry success with personal worth. They also get intensely practical about what changed: real Sabbath, honest friendships, clear personal values, slower rhythms, letting go of outcomes, and learning to lead from conviction rather than KPIs. And the conversation eventually turns toward our students: if we're trying to disciple an anxious, screen-saturated generation, maybe our ministries can't simply offer them another adrenaline hit. This one is for the youth minister who loves ministry—but is beginning to wonder what ministry is doing to them. In this episode: • Why youth ministry can become emotionally addictive • The warning signs of burnout we tend to rationalize • Dane's 2023 mental health crisis and road toward recovery • Why your identity cannot rise and fall with Wednesday night • Sabbath as structure, delight, and resistance • Conviction vs. outcomes in ministry leadership • Why ministers need people who can see the “storm conditions” before the storm • Programming for an anxious generation without manufacturing emotional response • How to work hard without losing your soul Youth minister, you don't walk alone. YMB isn't just a podcast. It's a place to belong. Join a community of folks that share your calling. Support the show Join the community!