What does it take to find meaning when you're raised in a culture of ambition-crushing conformity? In this rich conversation, Barry Shore welcomes Rabbi Steve Leder — emeritus senior rabbi of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple and New York Times bestselling author — for an honest, warm, and deeply personal exploration of roots, resilience, and purpose.

Steve opens up about growing up in the tight-knit Jewish enclave of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where nearly everyone on his block was Jewish, yet the broader culture rewarded mediocrity and punished ambition. He reflects on what it meant to grow up in a junkyard family — his father and uncle built Leader Brothers Metal from nothing, picking tin cans out of a vacant lot — and how that blue-collar grit ultimately shaped his character far more than any formal education.

The conversation takes a poignant turn as Steve shares the Greek-tragedy arc of his father and uncle's decades-long rivalry, a story that ends with Alzheimer's, silence, and a painfully ironic final chapter. It's a profound reminder of how unresolved dysfunction can consume a lifetime — and why reconciliation matters.

Barry and Steve also explore the winding road that brought Steve to Los Angeles and to a nearly 39-year tenure at one of America's most prominent synagogues, the role of mentorship in early career decisions, and how creativity is either nurtured or crushed depending on the world you grow up in. This episode is full of purpose-driven wisdom and genuine human storytelling.

Rabbi Steve Leder is the emeritus senior rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, a five-time author, and a two-time Newsweek list honoree as one of the most influential Jews in America.