Carey Nieuwhof
Carey Nieuwhof is a Canadian leadership author, speaker, podcaster, and founding pastor of Connexus Church whose work centers on leadership, change, personal growth, and sustainable productivity. He is known for the bestselling books At Your Best and Didn’t See It Coming; his leadership podcast has surpassed 37 million downloads.
Biography & Author's Journey
Carey Nieuwhof is a Canadian leadership writer, speaker, podcaster, former attorney, and founding pastor of Connexus Church. He has served in ministry since 1995 and led Connexus as its lead pastor until 2015, while building a parallel body of work focused on leadership, change, and personal growth. His background helps explain the range of that work: he has described growing up in a Christian home, drifting in college, recommitting to faith before law school, and later moving from legal practice into ministry. He also holds degrees in law, theology, and history, a combination that has shaped the analytical and pastoral character of his writing. ((https://connexuschurch.com/our-team/carey-nieuwhof/))
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Popular Books
Didn't See It Coming
Carey Nieuwhof
A pastor's guide to overcoming life's unexpected challenges, offering wisdom for cynicism, burnout, and spiritual emptiness.
At Your Best
Carey Nieuwhof
Discover strategies to optimize your time, energy, and priorities for success at work and home, escaping burnout and thriving.
Didn't See It Coming
Carey Nieuwhof
A pastor's guide to overcoming life's unexpected challenges, offering wisdom for cynicism, burnout, and spiritual emptiness.
At Your Best
Carey Nieuwhof
Discover strategies to optimize your time, energy, and priorities for success at work and home, escaping burnout and thriving.
Discover more
Books Recommended by Craig Groeschel
Explore Craig Groeschel’s top recommended books on leadership, personal growth, and faith-based wisdom for building stronger habits, teams, and purpose-driven lives.
BeFreed team
Lead with Warmth and Competence as a Pastor
Lead with Warmth and Competence as a Pastor
Effective ministry requires a rare balance of emotional intelligence and practical leadership skill. This plan is designed for current and aspiring pastors who want to lead with authentic warmth while maintaining the professional competence necessary to build a thriving, sustainable church culture.
Impactful, respected, and Christ-like.
Impactful, respected, and Christ-like.
This plan is designed for aspiring leaders and believers who want to bridge the gap between personal faith and public influence. It provides a roadmap for anyone seeking to lead with integrity while leaving a meaningful, Christ-centered legacy in their community.
Lead, thrive, and grow in faith and family.
Lead, thrive, and grow in faith and family.
In a world that often separates professional success from personal faith, this plan provides a holistic framework for integrating Christ-centered values into leadership and home life. It is designed for individuals seeking to strengthen their spiritual foundation while fostering deeper connections with their family and community.
Self-Improvement, Productivity & Leadership
Self-Improvement, Productivity & Leadership
In an era of constant distraction, the ability to master one's habits and lead others effectively is a critical competitive advantage. This plan is designed for aspiring leaders and professionals looking to optimize their daily output and scale their influence through psychological shifts and systems thinking.
Inspiration, Bio, Memoir & Innovation
Inspiration, Bio, Memoir & Innovation
This plan bridges the gap between historical wisdom and modern innovation for aspiring leaders and creators. It is ideal for anyone seeking to transform personal challenges into a professional legacy through the study of resilience and systematic creative thinking.
Thrive: Productive, Healthy & Happy Caregiver
Thrive: Productive, Healthy & Happy Caregiver
Caregiving often leads to physical and emotional exhaustion if not managed with intentional systems. This plan is designed for family or professional caregivers who want to provide excellent care while reclaiming their own health, time, and happiness.
Reformed Faith & Sustainable Hospitality
Reformed Faith & Sustainable Hospitality
This learning plan is designed for Reformed Christians seeking to integrate deep theological conviction with entrepreneurial practice, particularly those called to hospitality and community development work. It uniquely bridges historic Reformed spirituality with contemporary challenges in sustainable economic development, making it ideal for Christian business leaders, real estate investors, church planters, and social entrepreneurs who view their work as ministry and want to build enterprises that honor both biblical stewardship and local community flourishing.
Community Voices
"This is brilliantly illustrated in Carey Nieuwhof’s new book, At Your Best"
— Greg McKeown
"Carey Nieuwhof is about to make a lot of workplaces and leaders healthier with the strategies in At Your Best"
— Patrick Lencioni
"Carey Nieuwhof is one of my favorite people on the planet for a few reasons"
— Mark Batterson
"Clear, concise, and highly practical, the strategies Carey Nieuwhof outlines will help you accomplish far more in far less time"
— Nir Eyal
"Carey Nieuwhof candidly addresses seven key life challenges that every leader will face"
— Craig Groeschel
"Carey Nieuwhof brilliantly points out the key areas in life and leadership that make or break you"
— Jud Wilhite
"Carey Nieuwhof makes a convincing case that burnout is not an inevitable consequence of trying to accomplish big things"
— Daniel H. Pink
"In Didn’t See It Coming, Carey Nieuwhof tackles seven life issues that blindside way too many leaders"
— Andy Stanley
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
