There’s probably no better time for a reset than now! Closing the curtain on 2020 seems like the best idea we’ve heard. But, a grit and grace woman knows that no matter how challenging her circumstances are, she finds strength by going through them, not around them. So, this year deserves a proper send-off. And since it was such a tough one, we're probably all due for a massive shakeup. This week, co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Bender offer suggestions on exactly how to do that. Do you feel st...
Dec 29, 2020•28 min
It’s the end of the year, and we’re wondering if it’s genuinely possible to balance all the parts of our life. Especially after 2020! Are we able to do everything that demands our attention, with the hope of enjoying it, too? Heather Brown, creator of the lifestyle blog My Life Well Loved, joins Darlene Brock and Julie Bender for this very conversation. When you listen, you'll gather tips from this inspiring lady on how to grow your faith, keep your marriage thriving, and avoid mommy guilt. Heat...
Dec 15, 2020•41 min
Do women really need friends? Do they need female friendships? What does it take to create a bond that flourishes? How do you know when a friendship should end because the harm outweighs the good, bringing hurt instead of joy? Can women have long-term friendships? Can they be “just friends” with men? These are just a few of the issues that co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Bender consider while unpacking how to deepen relationships with friends who are safe, those you can trust. Also, they'll dis...
Dec 01, 2020•28 min
Sometimes the people who are supposed to love us the most hurt us the deepest. Wounds from dysfunctional relationships left untreated can cripple us for a lifetime. Sarah Mae, author of The Complicated Heart: Loving Even When It Hurts, joins Darlene Brock and Julie Bender to talk about healing. Having learned how to break the chains of hurt, she shares the complicated relationship she had with her mom, her pain after an abortion, and steps to finding lasting hope and change. In Sarah’s words: “I...
Nov 17, 2020•39 min
We women possess innate qualities that make us strong. But did you know that we can do things to grow the power we have within us? Co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Bender share seven ways to do so, whether you're starting now or simply need a reminder. Here are just a few they discuss that we all need to master: respect yourself (and others) go with the flow trust your gut Viewing in an app? Full show notes here! Quote of the episode: "You see I am neither as good as I want to be or as bad as I ...
Nov 03, 2020•30 min
We know that a strong woman has a lot of things she has to do. But did you know that there are some things a woman should NOT do in order to be her strongest self? For most of us, it’s hard to identify what those actions and behaviors are, and it's even more challenging to stop doing them. So, what are the items that you need to erase from your to-do list in life? Co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie (Graham) Bender offer a little help by suggesting a few ways you can set your course to becoming a s...
Oct 20, 2020•29 min
Single ladies, this one is for you! It seems that a lot of the content out there is focused on finding you a man! But we know that a strong woman doesn’t need to be in a relationship to have value. A healthy relationship can be a significant part of your life, but it’s not essential to living a full and rich life. So, we invited Jessica Hutton, author of Own Your Singleness, to bring a little insight into going beyond simply surviving your singleness, but thriving in it. Jessica introduces us to...
Oct 06, 2020•32 min
This one gets personal. Co-host Julie Graham has already shared a bit of her story—a difficult childhood, married at 21, widowed at 33, and spending the last three years as a single, working mom to her spunky little boy. Back in the dating world, she discovered a gap. There wasn’t much for single Christian women wanting to date online, much less for moms. It seemed like the message was that it was wrong or unsafe, to be avoided at all costs. But, she found her way, employing the advice of a frie...
Sep 22, 2020•36 min
Our faith guides us in all that we do. It is what enables us to manage This Grit and Grace Life. Since we believe we serve a personal God who cares about every aspect of our life, we realize that getting to know him better makes a huge difference. Faith helps us navigate all the challenges we face with the assurance that there are answers to our problems. In this episode, we’re bringing it back to the basics. What does it mean to be a Christian? How do you begin and grow in faith? Are there ways...
Sep 15, 2020•32 min
You've probably thought about investing in your family’s future. Perhaps you’ve already created plans and budgets, but you may not have considered what your family’s real priorities should be. This episode’s guest, Deborah Meyer, CPA/PFS, CFP®, and Amazon bestselling author of Redefining Family Wealth, brings a fresh look at creating a plan unique to your family. She tells Darlene and Julie that building real wealth is about so much more than money. If the word “budget” makes you break into a co...
Sep 01, 2020•38 min
2020—the year none of us expected. The fear, isolation, and division created have left us feeling lost and even hopeless. But we don’t have to stay here. At Grit and Grace Life, we believe in community, we believe in us. In this episode, Julie and Darlene step back to revisit the things that will sustain us—rebuilding a community of women who value one another and believe in unity, removing fear, and replacing it with hope. If we could look you in the eyes (over your mask), we would encourage yo...
Aug 18, 2020•24 min
Every woman has a story. You may not think so but, whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or have all the letters behind your name, your journey can always impact someone else. We need each other. When we share life by telling our story, we're offering our hard-earned wisdom to uplift each other. It is in these moments when our grit radiates grace. Your past struggles are precisely what another woman is going through today. It is you she can look to right now in the difficulty; it is your journey tha...
Aug 04, 2020•28 min
You’ve been dating your boyfriend forever, and it doesn’t look like he’s ever going to propose. You’re ready to take the next step, but what if he’s not? He may tell you there’s no rush, you love each other, and everything is good just like it is. Or, that your relationship doesn’t need that piece of paper to be a real commitment. Maybe you are engaged, but that wedding date remains in the elusive distant future. You’re not alone! So, how long should you wait? Dr. Zoe Shaw joins co-hosts, Darlen...
Jul 21, 2020•45 min
2020 has not gone as hoped. We anticipated "clear vision" and big revelations...not fear, isolation, and a complete disruption of life as we know it. Even though we have to stay stuck in this rut a little longer, there is a way to let this modern-day plague propel us forward. Taking with us the lessons we can learn and blessings to gleaned from this unprecedented time in history. If we look to the bright side, the quarantine did give us all a forced fresh-start. Perhaps through deepened relation...
Jul 07, 2020•28 min
We don't often choose the cards life deals us, but we always get to play the hand. At some point, every woman finds herself in a place she didn't plan to be. Youthful dreams and expectations are often interrupted by challenging circumstances, blindsiding you with realities you never saw coming. Inspired by International Widows Day, co-hosts Julie Graham (widowed boy mom from a very dysfunctional childhood) and Darlene Brock (having already played a lot of life's hands) talk about how they’ve lea...
Jun 23, 2020•27 min
Have you ever heard it said, “Life imitates art?" American Idol’s Colton Dixon might tell you, “Life creates art.” He and his wife, Annie, join Darlene and Julie for a casual chat about how much of his new music was inspired by life, their experiences as a couple, and the challenges they have faced. You will hear how they met, how they rely on each other during changes in his career, and the most terrifying—being pregnant with twins during a pandemic. The couple shares the personal stories that ...
Jun 16, 2020•28 min
Everything we do at This Grit and Grace Life is seeking to understand. It is our goal to humble ourselves and listen, to be able to view the world through others' eyes, all eyes. We wanted to hear a voice from the black community and have a conversation allowing us to learn and understand what we may not. We feel we are in a land of emotional minefields; we want to know why and even more than that as women of faith, learn what we can do to become instruments of racial reconciliation. We are spea...
Jun 09, 2020•44 min
It’s time to get “down and dirty,” or, in other words, have an honest discussion about sex! We’ve brought Dr. Holly Miller (board-certified OB-GYN) back to the show for a real conversation about sexual and reproductive health. Darlene and Julie ask questions you might secretly be wondering and are perhaps even afraid to ask your GYN. So, ladies, we’re “going there,” with questions like: -How do you know if you’re ready to have sex with your partner? -How do you talk about his (or your) STI? -Sho...
May 26, 2020•37 min
Motherhood has all the feels: pride, joy, fear, accomplishment, worry, and overwhelm (often with a hefty side of mom-guilt). Juggling these terrifying and satisfying waters can be challenging, especially if you want to master motherhood with both Grit and Grace. Real-life moms, Darlene Brock (who’s raised two daughters, now upgraded to Nonie—her fancy title for grandmother) and Julie Graham (widowed boymom in the trenches of single motherhood like many of you) share practical tips to do this. St...
May 19, 2020•33 min
Can you find light in the darkness of depression? The surprising answer is “yes,” as gained from the personal experience of Melissa Maimone, author of The Radiant Midnight: Depression, Grace, and the Gifts of a Dark Place. She joins co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Graham to share what she learned from the many years she spent battling cycles of depression. There are gifts within slowness, solitude, and even sadness. She relates to those who have felt shame over this misunderstood hopelessness, ...
May 12, 2020•38 min
Christian women often aspire to live that Proverbs 31 life, or what we perceive it to be. But sometimes the expectations are unrealistic, the pressure gets to be too great, and the doubts set it. Are you doing the right things and avoiding the wrong things? Do you feel the need to be better, sweeter, and to live a more godly life? Are you living up to the biblical example found in that text. Is it even realistic? These questions and more are discussed by co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Graham a...
May 05, 2020•29 min
Families are together a LOT these days, and this can be challenging! But blended families? They are facing unique struggles. With this in mind, we invited licensed therapist and relationship expert, Dr. Zoe Shaw, back to share some practical success strategies for blending families. Even if this isn’t your family dynamic, these are insights we all can use, especially now. Co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Graham ask a lot of questions but do even more listening as Dr. Zoe discusses jealousy, heal...
Apr 28, 2020•38 min
There’s no escaping this truth: we all have a past. How we let it shape us, well, that’s up to us. Will we decide to take the drama, trauma, hurt, and heartache and allow it to harden us? Or, will we learn from our struggles and choose to face them with both grit and grace? It takes grit to face the hurt that may feel constant. It takes grace for ourselves (rejecting shame and guilt) and grace for others (extending forgiveness where we find freedom). In this episode, Darlene Brock probes into co...
Apr 21, 2020•34 min
Women love to plan. Some of us had our whole lives planned out as little girls, writing our stories down with brightly colored pens in flowery little journals. Our guest, singer/songwriter JJ Heller, understands this well and took it to heart. In light of our new reality due to COVID-19, she wrote a song reflecting on all the plans that have come undone. Traveling and trips canceled, Easter celebrations changed, and so many plans for the best summer ever—poured down the drain...vacations, partie...
Apr 14, 2020•33 min
Easter happens every April (whichever Sunday they spring it on us!), but the lessons we learn from Jesus’ life as he walked this earth should impact us every day! Whatever month you listen to this episode, these insights from the risen King will affect your right-here-right-now existence. Darlene and Julie shed light on seven incredible lessons from Jesus’ life that will not only inspire but encourage you this Easter and all year round. We learn countless things from Jesus, but the lessons we di...
Apr 07, 2020•27 min
We’re looking to each other a lot these days, for hope, encouragement, and even advice, and we're all experiencing life with some level of anxiety and mounting pressure. These days can challenge our faith or strengthen it, often a bit of both. Looking for inspiration, Darlene and Julie interview Jen Ledger, solo artist and drummer with the multi-platinum, world-touring rock band, Skillet. Jen shares honestly about how bouts of panic and anxiety almost kept her from pursuing her dreams and how sh...
Mar 31, 2020•35 min
Are you feeling anxious, with heightened levels of fear as we all grapple with new concerns that we didn’t see coming? Everything that brings the feeling of security has become uncertain: our health, finances, jobs, even our daily routine. It’s normal to be affected by all of this! But, we know that what is certain in this life is uncertainty. We also realize that we have an opportunity to turn to and genuinely rely upon the One who is certain. In this episode of This Grit and Grace Life, hosts ...
Mar 21, 2020•27 min
Women are so resilient. Even when we face challenges that could potentially take us out entirely, as is the case of our guest Molly Stillman, we tap into our deepest grit. With countless roles and seasons, we are continually reinventing and re-shifting. We give ourselves and others the necessary grace needed to gain strength and wisdom on the other side. Molly faced the death of her mother as a teen, found herself drowning in debilitating debt post-college, was a comedienne, weathered a toxic da...
Mar 17, 2020•33 min
Women have incredible influence. Whether we realize it or not, embrace it or not, or even like it or not, we have the power to affect others' lives for good or for bad. Our life impacts those closest to us, in our homes and our social circles. We even influence across the internet, which reaches all around the world. This fact shouldn’t scare us (although some healthy fear could be appropriate here). Instead, it should inspire us to live a life worthy of imitation in all things—from family to fa...
Mar 10, 2020•31 min
Just as nature cycles through seasons, so do our relationships. No matter what type of relationship you are in, there are four stages that it will cycle through that spiritually and psychologically mimic the four seasons we see in nature. In This #GritandGraceLife podcast episode, hosts Darlene and Julie chat with Debra Fileta who dives into theses four stages and explains how each stage is vital for building a deeper relationship, how we can find hope in knowing we will never get stuck in one s...
Mar 03, 2020•37 min
