We try-hard girls are notorious for sacrificing our emotions on the altar of performance and productivity. We don’t have to look very far to see examples of powering through and soldiering on in order to get the job done. Try-hard girls have an inexplicable need to be perceived as strong. Showing any feeling seems to signal weakness in our armor, leaving us feeling vulnerable. Vulnerability is to be avoided at all costs . Yet we know this isn’t right: that our relationships and hearts are paying...
Mar 15, 2022•59 min•Ep. 107
So many of us struggle with our inability to quantify or measure God. While we appreciate His infinite nature and His lavish love and do not want to worship a God we can fully understand, we are far more accustomed to swimming in the sea of: Transactional relationships If this then that statements Of linear and logical progression; for example, When I work hard, I get the promotion. In so many ways, our God is a mystery to us. If you find yourself struggling to comprehend who God is; if you pref...
Mar 08, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 106
Have you ever felt like you are both too much and not enough at the same time? That maybe you got the raw end of the personality deal? Do you feel afraid to be who you most fully are? Sweet friend, if you can only see the downsides of your personality, take heart. If you wish that you could be more like somebody else, there’s hope. Here to offer us hope is today’s guest Sarah E. Westfall. This episode is the fourth installment in our Skill Set series, one in which we’ll take God’s wisdom and ove...
Mar 01, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 105
We want to grow our faith and trust in the Lord, but we aren’t sure exactly how to go about doing it. This isn’t an episode filled with platitudes and shoulds; it’s an episode about Christ meeting us in the hardest, most excruciating moments and in our daily, walking-around life. This is an episode full of practicals. This episode feels less like a conversation and more like a worship service. Author Carrie Rogers shares what it looks like to trust in the Lord in your real life, what might be pr...
Feb 22, 2022•58 min•Ep. 104
If you’ve ever felt like “lowering your standards” was a four-letter word, you simply could not fail, or if you’ve felt resentful when your parenting/work/marriage isn’t progressing as you planned, listen in to writer Kristina Ward point you back to Christ. Writer Kristina Ward tackles the frustration we feel when we aren’t meeting our own standards. Because of the truth, love, grace, and wisdom Kristina offers, this episode is perfect for those of us who think making one minor slip is equal to ...
Feb 15, 2022•54 min•Ep. 103
Why do we battle against receiving our enough-ness in Christ? What’s going on when we turn “shining our light” into a call to be Super-Jesus? What’s one simple way to receive our belovedness? Listen in to this episode with counselor and author Rachael Gilbert as we tackle how not feeling enough leads us to shame ourselves, decide we must perfect witnesses for Jesus, and believe the false narrative that a life with Christ ALWAYS means choosing the sacrificial, hard, morally-obligated task even wh...
Feb 08, 2022•49 min•Ep. 102
How do we fear from the Lord? How do we know that it’s Him we hear and not just our own wishful thinking? What’s going on when we hear silence? Author Jennifer Barnett shares the answers to these questions and more in the fifth and final episode of our Spiritual Health series. Through this series, we’ve walked through five spiritual disciplines: Studying the Bible with writer Amber Palmer (Episode #97) Praying to connect with the heart of Christ with author Kimberly Coyle (Episode #98) Celebrati...
Feb 01, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 101
How do we encounter our suffering without rushing ourselves through to God’s goodness? What is self-sufficiency really ? How can we show our “honest sadness” to others? Author K.J. Ramsey answers these questions and more in our fourth episode of Spiritual Health. Through this series, we’ll walk through five spiritual disciplines: Studying the Bible with writer Amber Palmer (Episode #97) Praying to connect with the heart of Christ with author Kimberly Coyle (Episode #98) Celebrating Sabbath with ...
Jan 25, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 100
How do you keep Sabbath when you’re a mom and constantly needed? What does Sabbath look like when you love working and taking a break sounds like The Worst? What do you do when kids’ activities interfere with Sabbath rest? Author Mark Buchanan addresses these questions and so much more in the third episode of our Spiritual Health series. Through this series, we’ll walk through five spiritual disciplines: Studying the Bible with writer Amber Palmer (Episode #97) Praying to connect with the heart ...
Jan 19, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 99
How do you keep Sabbath when you’re a mom and constantly needed? What does Sabbath look like when you love working and taking a break sounds like The Worst? What do you do when kids’ activities interfere with Sabbath rest? Author Mark Buchanan addresses these questions and so much more in the third episode of our Spiritual Health series. Through this series, we’ll walk through five spiritual disciplines: Studying the Bible with writer Amber Palmer (Episode #97) Praying to connect with the heart ...
Jan 18, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 99
What does it look like to connect with the heart of Christ through prayer? How do we do that in our real lives? How do we talk with God instead of at God? To kick off this year, we’re in a new series called Spiritual Health . In it we’ll walk through five spiritual disciplines: Studying the Bible with writer Amber Palmer was Episode #97 Praying to connect with the heart of Christ with Kimberly Coyle – that’s today Celebrating Sabbath with author Mark Buchanan Imitating Christ as we suffer with a...
Jan 11, 2022•53 min•Ep. 98
We’re kicking off the new year with a new series on the spiritual disciplines. My prayer for us is that through the Spiritual Health series we would grow in spiritual health. That the habits you either establish or continue would bring hope and joy and peace and freedom. That this year, you’ll continue to be transformed more and more in the image of Christ by these practices that shape who you are becoming. In this interview, Amber shares with us: one easy step to take when you don’t have time t...
Jan 04, 2022•52 min•Ep. 97
We’ll enjoy together God’s word about the One who is the Word of God: straight Scripture telling of the birth of Christ. We are just enjoying Jesus in all His simple, glorious, swaddled beauty. Because the story of the Son of Man and Son of God is the story of grace. Because grace is the person of Jesus, everything He does is grace. Grace, grace, it is all grace. We will revisit a well-worn story of a God who loves nearness with us, and whose hallmark and name bear His With-ness. A story that st...
Dec 21, 2021•7 min•Ep. 96
We’ll enjoy together God’s word about the One who is the Word of God: straight Scripture telling of the birth of Christ. We are just enjoying Jesus in all His simple, glorious, swaddled beauty. Because the story of the Son of Man and Son of God is the story of grace. Because grace is the person of Jesus, everything He does is grace. Grace, grace, it is all grace. We will revisit a well-worn story of a God who loves nearness with us, and whose hallmark and name bear His With-ness. A story that st...
Dec 14, 2021•6 min•Ep. 95
We’ll enjoy together God’s word about the One who is the Word of God: straight Scripture telling of the birth of Christ. We are just enjoying Jesus in all His simple, glorious, swaddled beauty. Because the story of the Son of Man and Son of God is the story of grace. Because grace is the person of Jesus, everything He does is grace. Grace, grace, it is all grace. We will revisit a well-worn story of a God who loves nearness with us, and whose hallmark and name bear His With-ness. A story that st...
Dec 08, 2021•7 min•Ep. 94
Whether you’re an empty nester or a newlywed; Whether you’re a mom or littles or teens; or whether you’re a single adult going home for the holidays, this episode is for you because we break down how to love people well and navigate family dynamics into four different categories: How to navigate differences What to do when you feel unsafe How to hold hard conversations well And making plans with love. In this interview, Wendy gives guidance about: How to navigate conversations about gift-giving ...
Nov 30, 2021•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 93
For those of us in America, we know this Thanksgiving week boils down to two realities: Turkey Thankfulness As we gather with people we love most dearly in the whole world and with people who drive us crazy and hurt our feelings, and we break bread and carve a turkey, and share what we are thankful for, let us know deep in our bones that what we are doing -- this act of gathering and eating with people made in the image of God -- is the gospel of grace. Grace is God's gift to us in the person of...
Nov 23, 2021•12 min•Ep. 92
How can you practically slow down without opting out during the holidays? What does it look like to create a sustainable pace, and where do you even start? I’m so glad you asked. In this interview, Jodi shares with us: What stands in our way as we move toward slow living A simple process to help you figure out what’s important to you And -- my personal favorite -- how to say “no” without actually saying “no.” I love how Jodi said that checklists are okay and we can add slowing down to them and h...
Nov 16, 2021•35 min•Ep. 91
Do you ever feel fleh? “Fleh” is a completely made-up word in our house used to describe when Ryan or I feel off. We use it when there’s nothing big going on, no major life changes, but there’s still a sadness that’s settled over our souls. What do we do when all doesn’t feel merry and bright? In this episode, we’re walking through: Where we typically look to determine what’s rumbling in our souls causing us to feel off The “if only” statements we beat ourselves up with And where God is in the m...
Nov 09, 2021•16 min•Ep. 90
What stresses you out about Christmas? Is it trying to meet your expectations and those of others? Or maybe it's trying to do All The Things so people will think you're amazing? Or maybe you find Christmas stressful because you're out of your routine and just hate small talk? Each Enneagram type has a different stressor during the holidays. So what is your big stress, and how can you celebrate the birth of our Savior in a healthy way? Listener, for the month of November, we are getting our heart...
Nov 02, 2021•24 min•Ep. 89
I have a few dreams sprouting in my heart. You have dreams too. Dreams like starting a non-profit, adding a little girl to your family, taking people on high-adventure tours to enjoy God’s creation, going to work at a job that fills your heart and uses your gifts, and owning your own bed and breakfast-- just to name a few. All of us have dreams. All of us hold hopes in our hearts. I’m talking about the in-your-gut, I-can’t-escape-this-desire kinda hopes. But it seems like for every dream, desire...
Oct 26, 2021•26 min•Ep. 88
Our kids fear missing out when they don’t have social media, aren’t invited to certain social activities, don’t have our permission to date, aren’t allowed to watch movies, and can’t go to slumber parties, and so on and so on forever. On the other hand, moms fear that our kids will miss out but on different phases of life: we may want them to say “yes” to every invitation, volunteer opportunity, or resume builder. Fear and parenting seem to go hand-in-hand. The good news is that it doesn’t need ...
Oct 19, 2021•21 min•Ep. 87
Whether we like to admit it or not, we live with a chronic case of low-grade anxiety. We disguise our fear and call it stress , but we know what it really is. The great news is that we don’t have to live this way. We can break free from fear and live in the abundant peace, hope, and joy God promised us. So let's learn about fear through the lens of the Enneagram. What is your type's greatest fear, and what God-centered habits will help you live a life of peace? In this episode, you’ll learn: you...
Oct 12, 2021•29 min•Ep. 86
Maybe you don’t struggle with the desire to be a perfect mom, but you want to be a good mom, and you’re beating yourself up with negative thoughts every time you “fail.” Perhaps you feel like you could do better, that you’re not doing enough, that you’re failing in all the ways, or your previous mistakes are irredeemable. Mamas struggle with carrying the weight and responsibility of loving, teaching, and caring for our kids, and we desire to do the best possible job. Today, we’re talking about g...
Oct 05, 2021•29 min•Ep. 85
What’s the difference between being selfish and living into the Jesus-expression of who you are? How can you tell when you’re living under the weight of unhealthy expectations? How have we misinterpreted “dying to self”? Today we are talking about unhealthy expectations, and don’t we try-hard girls struggle with expectations? We think about them less as ill-fitting and heavy standards and more as “just what we are supposed to do.” We hold expectations about: How we’ll crush our goals, How we wil...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 84
What’s the #1 way to get unstuck from shame? How are shame, conviction, and guilt different? And what are the two main default responses to shame, and how do you get unstuck? Today we are talking about shame, and y’all shame is a place so many of us have stayed stuck. We can feel shame about anything and everything. We can feel shame about: The choices in our past like having an abortion, committing adultery, or having sex before marriage, what our body looks like (or doesn’t), our parenting: wh...
Sep 21, 2021•50 min•Ep. 83
How can you get unstuck from a negative thought life? What do you do when your thoughts seem to spiral? We’re in our second installment of the four-part Get Unstuck series. In this series, we’re tackling where try-hard girls struggle most: our identity in Christ in Episode 81 with Jen Babakhan our thought-life shame and expectations To help us get unstuck from a thought life that isn’t always kind, true, and helpful, writer Lauren Gaines joins the show! In this interview, Lauren shares with us: ...
Sep 14, 2021•43 min•Ep. 82
In this bonus, special edition episode, we’re talking about 9/11 and how God meets us in the face of national trauma and personal loss. To help us walk through what it was like to work one of the 9/11 scenes and how she saw God’s provision in those hard days, former crime scene photographer for the FBI, Jen Combs joins the show. In today’s episode, Jen: shares her story about photographing the hijacker’s car a few hours after the attacks, worked 18 days straight at various locations to photograp...
Sep 09, 2021•42 min
The #1 struggle of try-hard girls is living out of our identity in Christ. When we don’t operate from this foundational truth, we are prone to: Being rushed and feeling frantic on the inside, Trying to do All The Things, Getting caught up in perfectionism + people-pleasing, And wondering if we’re doing enough. We’re kicking off a new series today called Get Unstuck . In this series, we’ll tackle where try-hard girls struggle most: Our identity in Christ, Our thought-life, Shame, And expectations...
Sep 07, 2021•59 min•Ep. 81
Whether your husband travels a lot, works late or unpredictable hours, or is deployed, this episode was designed just for you. We’re breaking down what’s it like for the dad who’s away a lot and practical systems for the mom keeping things afloat. To help us navigate this topic, my husband Ryan McCormick joins the show. In this interview, Ryan and I talk about: the hardest part of traveling for both of us, how we frame Ryan’s work for the girls, what hasn’t worked for us, and practical systems w...
Aug 31, 2021•40 min
