Some of us feel like asking for help is The Worst, and our reasons for that fall into three buckets: our sin (like pride), wounds inflicted by others when we’ve asked for help in the past, and lies we believe about what it says about us if we ask for help. We don’t want to stay stuck. We want to be helpers and helpees, so what do we do? Today, we’ll work out: why we find it so hard to accept help, and practical tools to help you move away from not asking for help and toward reaching out. Key Quo...
Nov 08, 2022•22 min•Ep. 137
Most moms I know – at one time or another – have said some version of “I’m messing up my kids.” Because we’ve lived the power of words and actions in our own lives with our parents, and because we know the truth of science, and the practicality of much of the messaging, we know our impact is critical and we take our roles seriously. This is good and right and true. And can be crushing to our confidence. We can heap shame on ourselves when we know the facts and read God’s word and learn about a b...
Nov 01, 2022•27 min•Ep. 136
No grace-girl worth her salt wants to be selfish. Women – especially women raised in the church – do not want to be selfish or self-centered or someone who pursues selfish ambitions. Selfishness is a ninja that sneaks up on us and calls us out when we dare to watch a show and sit on the couch instead of doing laundry, sit on the back porch and read a book instead of playing with our kids, or when we turn down a coffee date or volunteer request. In this episode, we break down: What skews our unde...
Oct 25, 2022•23 min•Ep. 135
No matter our temperament or personality type, God designed us to be in friendship with each other. Whether introverts or extroverts, God invites us to come together, spur each other on to good works, care for each other, confess our sins to each other, and build each other up. But what does this look like for introverts who love people AND also need time alone to recharge? I’m so glad Yohonna Smith is here because today, Yohanna Gives hope when you struggle to initiate a friendship, Shares what...
Oct 18, 2022•30 min•Ep. 134
Are your friendships healthy? How do you know if a friendship is unhealthy? God’s heart for us is to have deep friendships, but how do we know if our friendships are healthy and what to do about it if they are not? I’m so glad Licensed Professional Counselor Shundria Riddick is here because she talks to us about seven ingredients of healthy friendships, what boundaries look like in friendships, and five ways to reconcile a broken friendship Key Quotes “Reciprocity is not something that’s selfish...
Oct 11, 2022•35 min•Ep. 133
We’re talking about how to make friends as an adult, especially when you have older kids. God’s heart for us is to have deep friendships, but how do we do that in real life, especially when we have older kids who we drop off and pick up from places? I’m so glad Susan is here because she talks to us about The difference between community and friendship, Finding time to make friends as an adult, And what to do when you feel anxious meeting new people. Key Quotes “It takes such effort to say, ‘Hey ...
Oct 04, 2022•52 min•Ep. 132
How does your Enneagram type impacts what type of friend you are? Our goal here is for you to learn about how God wired you, but also for you to learn about those in your life so you can love them well, show them grace, and be the friend God created you to be. You were created by God with your personality type by design for a specific purpose, so you can be the friend God created you to be to others and so you can be friends with God Himself. For each Enneagram type, we’ll break down: Where you ...
Sep 27, 2022•30 min•Ep. 131
We’re talking about where God’s grace meets us in our anger. Anger is one of those dirty, little secrets no good Christian woman wants to talk about. We don’t like to admit that we can be so easily swayed into an emotion that triggers behavior that is so incredibly ugly. And yet… we all get angry. Some of us give full vent to our anger, and some of us stuff it down, so it leaks out in weird ways in unrelated moments. Amber and I talk through The two types of anger Whether it’s wrong to get angry...
Sep 20, 2022•34 min•Ep. 130
I know that you are a woman who wants to live with intentionality and presence. You want to show up for your people, and you don’t want to miss the good that God offers you right this very minute. And yet… we can’t focus on where we are now because we’re thinking about that hard conversation we need to have next week, OR we are thinking about how unkind and mean to our mother we were our senior year of high school. So how can we stay present? How do we leave distracted living behind? Jeanne and ...
Sep 13, 2022•50 min•Ep. 129
How can we experience more joy in our real lives? Our world seems bent on stressing us out, inducing anxiety, and making us worry. Kimberly and I talk through What may be blocking your joy, Two lies you may believe about joy, And two easy ways to automatically increase your joy. Key Quotes “When I’m looking up, that’s when I experience God’s joy.” - Speaker Kimberly Davis “Joy is a natural reaction to spending time with God in His presence.” - Speaker Kimberly Davis “God’s influence on your life...
Sep 06, 2022•47 min•Ep. 128
Every area of my life is exposed to the toxic element of feeling less-than. In my writing, I feel like others are more reflective and thoughtful. On staff at our church, I feel like everyone else in staff meeting is more spiritually mature. In volunteering, I believe the other leaders connect better with the students. So how can we handle feeling less-than in real life? Richella and I talk through The difference between insecurity and a lack of confidence and humility, Healthy and practical ways...
Aug 30, 2022•52 min•Ep. 127
Ever felt bad because you said “no” to the cell phone or sleepover for your child, even when you knew it was the right choice? Ever felt like The Worst parent because you work, even if it’s a financial necessity? Maybe you’ve been guilted into serving on the PTA Board or spending Christmas with your in-laws. Guilt seems to stick close like a shadow. So how can we handle guilt in real life? Sara and I talk through The difference between guilt and shame, How to tease out if your guilt is warranted...
Aug 23, 2022•51 min•Ep. 126
Shame is both an emotion and a weapon our enemy likes to use to distance us from God, others, and ourselves. Friend, we all suffer from shame. Shame about what we’ve done – or haven’t. What was done to us – or what we did to another. Becky and I talk through What shame is, When you feel like you’re too much, And how to move God’s love from your head to your heart. Friend, please know this is a sensitive and tender episode as we discuss sexual abuse. Key Quotes “Saying this hard thing out loud di...
Aug 16, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 125
Friend, you may suffer from anxiety and depression, and you may not. This is a must-listen episode no matter what because I guarantee there is someone in your life who is struggling with these two emotions and diagnoses. Joon and I talk through If anxiety and depression are a lack of trust in God What’s going on when you’re frustrated that you can’t snap out of your anxiety and depression And two powerful ways the Church can love those who are depressed and anxious. Key Quotes “Depression had a ...
Aug 09, 2022•50 min•Ep. 124
Maybe your grief is that a child leaves for college this month. Maybe it’s that your husband’s new job requires him to travel every week, so you feel like a single parent. Maybe you’re grieving the end of a long-time friendship. As you listen, ask yourself, “What grief do I face today?” Then allow yourself the space and time to talk with your friend Jesus about it. Lisa shares how: God’s grace sustains us in grief, It’s okay if you’re not “over” your grief, You can help your children navigate gr...
Aug 02, 2022•51 min•Ep. 123
Can we agree that all of us are broken, wounded, and hurt in some way? Let’s spend some time together talking about raising kids as you heal from hurts. In today’s conversation, Monet shares gracious truths and practical wisdom when you: Are an angry parent, Crave margin, but aren’t sure where to find it, And when you want to heal AND need to parent at the same time. Key Quotes “How do I raise a child and not be legalistic? - Wife, mom, writer, and entrepreneur Monet Carpenter “Some days motherh...
Jun 28, 2022•51 min•Ep. 122
Friend, whether you are single parenting or not, Latasha fills this conversation with the hard-fought wisdom that only Jesus can provide when He’s seen you through the trenches. In today’s conversation, Latasha shares gracious truths and practical wisdom when you: Feel like God is mad or disappointed with you because of the choices you’ve made, Don’t pray because you feel ashamed, Struggle with an accusatory inner critic, Are overcome with bitterness by how your life is unfolding, And SO MUCH MO...
Jun 21, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 121
When raising a special needs child, what practical ways will help you get through the day? How can you strengthen your marriage? What do you do when you cannot reconcile your good God allowing your child to suffer? We’re in our Grace in Parenting series, and we’re talking all about raising special needs children with special needs advocate speaker, and writer Juli Henderson. In our conversation, Juli shares: one simple, small way to build community, three ways to effectively advocate for your ch...
Jun 14, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 120
How can we help our daughters when they struggle with perfectionism? Body image? Negative self-talk? How can we help our daughters set boundaries and identify toxic friendships? We’re in our Grace in Parenting series, and we’re talking all about raising daughters with Licensed Professional Counselor, author, speaker, and podcaster Michelle Nietert. (We talk so much in fact, that this one conversation spans two podcast episodes!) In this episode, Michelle: How to help your daughter stand up to a ...
Jun 07, 2022•41 min•Ep. 119
What are the top three struggles our daughters face today? How can we raise our daughters to root their identity in Christ? What lies is the world teaching our girls, and how can we combat those lies? We’re in our Grace in Parenting series, and we’re talking all about raising daughters with Licensed Professional Counselor, author, speaker, and podcaster Michelle Nietert. (We talk so much in fact, that this one conversation spans two podcast episodes!) In this episode, Michelle: Reminds us that G...
May 31, 2022•37 min•Ep. 118
How can we raise our boys to be spiritual leaders? How can we love them well? What are the joys and challenges of being a boy-mom? We are back with another round of the Grace in Parenting series. To get the series started, author and boy-mom Jasmine Holmes joins the show. In our conversation, Jasmine shares: How to instill emotional vocabulary and cultivate emotional intelligence in our sons Ways to confront your child with a sin issue in a shame-free way And practical steps to train your son to...
May 24, 2022•44 min•Ep. 117
How can we embrace and accept the body God gave us? I don’t know about you, but I have often wished for a body built very differently from mine. God gave me a body I keep wishing away. So how do we accept and embrace the body God specifically picked for us? How do we find belonging in our own skin? Key Quotes “There was this nagging feeling that being different meant that I wasn’t quite enough.” - Author, speaker, and world-schooling mama Amber O’Neal Johnston “Can I go to my friends and say, ‘T...
May 17, 2022•54 min•Ep. 116
If you are graduating, are the parent of a graduate, or if you’re moving into a new, unchartered season, this episode is for you. May the grace and truth Jesus has taught me be of help to your tender heart. Key Quotes In the midst of celebrations and attention and ceremonies, you can feel grief alongside the joy. Can I tell you the best way to find your people? Figure out who you are. You will bump up against this tension: I am new AND I hate feeling like it. The only way to the other side of be...
May 10, 2022•23 min•Ep. 115
Maybe you are like today’s guest and like me. I have mistreated my body over the years. I’ve deprived it of sleep and calories and nourishing foods. I’ve emotionally eaten my way through hard times, like – just one example here, there are many – when the girls were little and Ryan was out of town for w-e-e-k-s. I have over-exercised by doing too much when my body was sick and too sore in an attempt to reach an arbitrary fitness goal. And I know I’m not alone. In this episode, we are talking abou...
May 03, 2022•54 min•Ep. 114
Aging with grace: What does it look like to be kind and compassionate to our physical bodies when they are not what they used to be? In our culture that values youth and abhors wrinkles, what do we do? In this episode, we’ll walk through What we see in the mirror and feel in our bones What our emotions are telling us as we age How to age with grace And how to age with grace in front of our kids Key Quotes “Aging with grace means reminding ourselves of what God says is true and practicing the act...
Apr 26, 2022•26 min•Ep. 113
Let’s talk about being a grace-giver when your body is in a state of stress. There’s a reason you crave sugar when you’re stressed. There’s a way to tell when your stress has gone too far just as there’s a way to get off the hamster wheel of stress. If you find yourself living in a body overloaded with stress, you’ll want to listen to the wisdom integrative wellness speaker, author, and educator Rebekah Fedrowitz offers you. In this episode, we break down: What wellness is, really What’s going o...
Apr 19, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 112
If you have questions about how to live out the gospel or if sharing it freaks you out on the inside, this is your episode. We’re walking through what it means to “live the gospel,” what that looks like for you in your inner life and what that looks like as you interact with others. What does “living the gospel” actually look like? Let’s think of the gospel-life overflowing into two buckets: We live it inwardly by application. We live it outwardly by sharing. Key Quotes The life we are meant to ...
Apr 12, 2022•28 min•Ep. 111
Your body is pretty incredible, but what about when your body feels like it doesn’t like you or is actively working against you? How do you give your body grace when it feels like it’s betraying you? How can you be a grace-giver to your flesh, blood, marrow, tendons, and cells when you feel as if you’re surviving, not thriving? I’m so thankful writer + cancer survivor Niki Hardy offered her Jesus-centered wisdom in Episode #110 of the Grace In Real Life podcast. In our conversation, Niki shares:...
Apr 05, 2022•49 min•Ep. 110
We’re talking about viewing our bodies through the lens of grace. In this episode, I’ll share my body’s story What trips us up from treating our bodies with grace And what is true Six mindsets we hold about our bodies: Our bodies are machines designed to produce without getting sick, having feelings about anything, or needing rest. We conflate our bodies with sin. Our bodies are to be fixed. Our bodies aren’t a safe place. Our bodies are solely defined by how we look or from what disease we suff...
Mar 29, 2022•29 min•Ep. 109
Grief comes to us for different reasons. Burying someone we love. Sending our firstborn to kindergarten. Signing the divorce papers. Packing our child’s room for college. Returning to work after years of staying at home. Try-hard girls, we all experience loss and grief, yet so many of us push it away. Grief is found at the intersection of accepting our reality and letting go of expectations. Oh, try-hard girls, we are masters at evading grief, but perhaps, friends, that mastery can end here toda...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 108
