#246 Dr Crystal Hurd: Lighting the Corner You’re In: CS Lewis and Everyday Leadership

Dr Crystal Hurd - an educator, poet, and researcher from Virginia - and host Ruth Jackson explore what leadership looks like through the lens of CS Lewis, not as power or prominence, but as quiet faithfulness in everyday life. Crystal reflects on Lewis’ conviction that most leadership happens far from the spotlight: in homes, classrooms, churches, and communities, where ordinary people shape others through character, humility, and care.

The discussion ranges from Lewis’ fictional leaders such as Lucy Pevensie and Orual, to his warnings about the temptations of authority and the need to remain grounded in God. Crystal also addresses accusations of misogyny, drawing on Lewis’ letters, friendships, and advocacy for women such as Elizabeth Anscombe.

Together, Ruth Jackson and Crystal Hurd ask what it means to “light the corner you’re in”—and why Lewis believed such leadership still has the power to change the world.