Denise James, joins me around my kitchen table. She is an expat living in a small town in Southeast Asia. She homeschools her 6 kids. In her "spare" time, she produces a podcast and co-runs a blog made for expat woman encouraging them to take root where they've been planted. After hearing that she loves Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake, I knew we would be fast friends. Denise reached out to me when she was state-side to get together and talk podcast shop. After chatting with her, I knew that I...
Apr 17, 2018•46 min
Author, blogger and speaker Elizabeth Oates joins me for Episode 121. Her family tree was plagued with generations of divorce, addiction, abuse, abandonment and brokenness. But Elizabeth has experienced God’s redemption and restoration which is why she has such a passion for women to experience hope and healing. We talk about what its like raising 5 kids, her passion for foster care, how the enneagram has helped her to understand her story, what it was like to experience such dysfunction growing...
Apr 10, 2018•40 min
KariAnne Wood joins me around my virtual kitchen table. And I can’t tell you how much I wish we were able to sit around my actual kitchen table because this girl is golden. You can’t help but like her. She is such a nice person and she makes you feel so special. One thing I love about her is how great a storyteller she is. I learned in this conversation that she talks to furniture way and is a thief—you’ll want to listen to this one! KariAnne is a home decor/life style/DIY blogger. She has autho...
Apr 03, 2018•43 min
Today, my fun friend, Melanie Dale, joins me around the table for another Crossover Episode. Each month we pick a topic and have a conversation about it. Then, you get to listen to one part here on Surviving Sarah and another part over on Melanie’s podcast called Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. We decided to have a little chat about marriage. We talk about how we met our husbands (spoiler alert: Melanie’s story is vaguely similar to Ross and Rachel); we talk about what we wish we had known about m...
Mar 27, 2018•37 min
Kathleen McCarthy Goff Weber joins me around the kitchen table where we get to talk about fashion. You guys know that I love fashion—I love getting dressed. Its like a creative outlet for me. Kathleen owns a boutique in Nashville called K. McCarthy. She has an background of both fashion and counseling. You don’t meet many people with those twos boxes checked on their resume. Listening to her, you’ll see how uniquely wired she is to combine those two passions—fashion and helping people. We talk a...
Mar 20, 2018•41 min
My friend, Mo Isom, joins me again around my kitchen table. She sat around my table over a year ago where we talked about her story and book, Wreck My Life . You can listen to that on Episode 34 . Mo is a married to Jeremiah and they now have 2 little girls. She is a New York Times bestselling author and communicator. There is something about Mo that is contagious—and I’m not talking about germs here. Her energy, excitement and passion for Jesus, life and others is truly contagious. Her latest b...
Mar 13, 2018•1 hr 7 min
Sandra Stanley joins me again around my kitchen table. She was on the show awhile back—Episode 23—and it has since been one of my most popular conversations with listeners. Sandra is a mother to grown kids, wife to megachurch pastor, Andy Stanley, author, communicator and a woman who is passionate about foster care and coming alongside young mothers. Sandra recently released a devotional called Breathing Room . Do you ever feel like you can’t enjoy anything because you are doing everything? Do y...
Mar 06, 2018•56 min
It’s time again for our special crossover episode with Melanie Dale and her show, Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. And today, we tackle the topic of body image—because that isn’t relatable to anyone. When I was in my early twenties, I truly thought that women in their 40’s didn’t deal with this struggle. That is was just a adolescence or twenty-something problem. But news flash, I still want to be attractive. I still struggle to base my worth on something that changes. And that’s why we felt like i...
Feb 27, 2018•39 min
My friend Clay Scroggins joins me around the table. He married to Jenny (who is a faithful Surviving Sarah listener) and they have 5 kids. Clay is the lead pastor for North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. Many of you may have heard of that church because Andy Stanley started it. He wrote a book last year called How To Lead When You’re Not In Charge . And let’s be honest, so many of us are leading somewhere—in our home, in our work, in our church, in our schools. Each one of us has the ...
Feb 20, 2018•50 min
Hannah Brencher joins me. She is a TED speaker, author and online educator with a heart for building leaders. She is passionate about helping others live good and full lives. You may know her for the social movement she created in 2011 called More Love Letters where she wrote love letters for strangers. That small act on her part has spread to over 70 countries, all 50 states, and over 100 college campuses. I enjoyed this conversation so much. And you won’t be surprised to hear us talk about the...
Feb 13, 2018•48 min
Today, Josh Shipp joins me for a really amazing conversation. This was one of those conversations where I just got lost and forgot that thousands of you would be listening. This is a conversation between two parents who both work or have worked with teenagers for many years and have seen the power of another caring adult in a kid’s life. Josh is an author, global youth empowerment expert, and acclaimed speaker. A former at-risk foster kid turned youth advocate is renowned for his documentary TV ...
Feb 06, 2018•1 hr 11 min
If you’ve been listening to the show for awhile, then you know that Melanie Dale and I are good pals. After being guests on each others shows, we wondered how we could hang out more because we simply laugh together. So that’s when this idea was born. We decided to do some crossover episodes for you guys. So every month, you will hear us talk about a different topic. But here’s the fun part: One part will be on her show, Lighten Up with Melanie Dale and the other part will be on my show, Survivin...
Jan 30, 2018•32 min
I was happy to welcome Ashleigh Slater back to join me around my kitchen table. She was my second guest 2 years ago. We have a conversation about braving sorrow. We talk about loss—loss of jobs, houses, dreams, control, and even life. Loss can make for a hard season that we sometimes end up walking through alone. We sometimes don’t feel like we have the permission to grieve losses. We compare our losses and feel like ours isn’t worth grieving. She talks about her “weeping years” where she walked...
Jan 23, 2018•38 min
I am excited to share Anna LeBaron’s story with you today. If you haven’t heard of her, she is a survivor of a Polygamist cult. Her father was a notorious polygamist and murderer. She grew up unlike most of us. Most of us have never been on the run from the FBI. Filled with murder, fear, and betrayal, Anna’s story is shocking. It’s a story of a fatherless girl and her unwavering search for love, faith, and a place to call home. Anna expresses the power of vulnerability and shares her story of su...
Jan 16, 2018•45 min
Today’s guest is Kristy Dickerson. She’s the CEO and co-creator of the STARTplanner and author of the new book, Start Balancing . If you’ve listened to the show for awhile then you know that I love planners. So getting to talk with Kristy was so enjoyable. She is a successful entrepreneur, business woman who is first and foremost a wife and mom. We sat down in her office to talk about how she ended up creating a business around a planner. And as you listen, you’ll hear advice for creative people...
Jan 09, 2018•48 min
My good friend, Merica Stum, joins me around my kitchen table again. She is a married to Jake and they have 3 boys. She is the Director of Girls On The Run for Southeast TN. We had so much fun last year on Episode 55 so I asked her to come back. I think we will just have to make this an annual thing. We do sort of a year in review. We look back at 2017—what we learned, what surprised us and what we read. And then we look forward to 2018 about some of our goals and even some things we dread. What...
Jan 02, 2018•1 hr 3 min
Amber Lia joins me for Episode 106. She is a mom to 4 boys as well as an author and owner of a production company in Los Angeles. Amber and Wendy Speaks have released a new book together called Parenting Scripts: When What Your Saying Isn’t Working Say Something New . I don’t know about you, but parenting has been the hardest job of my life. I am always trying to hit a moving target. And what worked yesterday doesn’t always work today. Many times, I find myself in a situation where I just don’t ...
Dec 19, 2017•51 min
Christy Wright joins me for Episode 105. She is the creator of Business Boutique , a Certified Business Coach and a Ramsey Personality with a heart for helping women step into their God-given gifts. Trust me, when you hear this conversation, you will see how passionate she is about empowering women. If you are a woman who has a side hustle or started a business or has an idea, you will certainly enjoy this episode. Christy gives us advice on where to start, what to do with our fear of failure, h...
Dec 12, 2017•54 min
Alex Kuykendall joins me for Episode 104. She is mother to 4 girls ranging from ages 6 to 15. She is a writer and co-host to The Open Door Sisterhood podcast and retreat. I invited her to join me on the show to talk about her recent book, Loving My Actual Christmas , because the reality is that many of us don't love the Christmas we have. We have expectations that go unmet during this time of year. Christmas isn’t always a merry season. We can have disappointment or pain from loss. Maybe its a g...
Dec 05, 2017•42 min
Natalie Ard joins me for Episode 103. With the turn of the holiday season, it was the perfect time to chat with her about what she does. She is a mother who quickly became an entrepreneur after creating a family tradition product called Star From Afar. She is the owner of Star Kids Company where she creates toys and games that help kids play with a purpose. We talk about why she created Star From Afar, tactical ways to make this Christmas meaningful and how is manages being a working mother. Wha...
Nov 28, 2017•49 min
I was so happy to have Melanie Shankle join me on the show again for Episode 102. Many of you may know her as Big Mama online. She is an author, speaker, wife and mother. You may remember her from Episode 50 where we chatted about friendship . This time, she joins me at the table to talk about small things. You see, she wrote a book called Church of the Small Things which talks about learning to love the ordinary life you have. Do you feel like you aren’t doing enough or that what you are doing ...
Nov 21, 2017•48 min
April Christina Barron joins me for Episode 101. She is a talented vocalist, communicator and therapist who’s passion is to encourage, inspire, and offer hope to women in their relationships with God, themselves, their children, and with others. And she’d tell you that her greatest accomplishment would be overcoming the challenges of being an un-married, teenaged mother. She has successfully raised two amazing young men, one of whom, at 22 years old, is currently staring in a lead role in the na...
Nov 14, 2017•59 min
Cue the confetti because today is Episode 100! And last night friends of the show gathered together at my home in Atlanta to celebrate this milestone with me. Before we jump into the today’s conversation, I just wanted to say thank you for listening. There are women all around who feel like they are alone, as they survive whatever life looks like for them. And this podcast is a place where I hope that women realize that they are not alone. Whether you are single or married; ave children or not; ...
Nov 07, 2017•52 min
Jeannie Cunnion joins me for Episode 99. I have been so excited to share this conversation with you because it was so refreshing and encouraging for me personally. If you haven’t heard of Jeannie before, then you should know that she is a mom of four boys who range from teenager to toddler. She is the author of Parenting the Wholehearted Child and her latest book, Mom Set Free. We sit down and have an honest conversation about freedom and motherhood. We talk about the pressures we face in parent...
Oct 31, 2017•52 min
Jim Burns joins me for Episode 98. I first met Jim many years ago when I worked for Saddleback Church in CA. He is someone that I could have conversations with about parenting, relationships, marriage and faith for hours. He is the President of HomeWord—an organization that exists to equip parents, marriages and families and he the Director of the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family at Azusa Pacific University. He speaks to thousands of people around the world each year and has close to 2 milli...
Oct 24, 2017•59 min
Jonathan and Wynter Pitts join me for Episode 97. I was so happy to invite Wynter back on the show and loved getting a chance to chat with her husband, too. Wynter is the Founder of For Girls Like You and the author of several tween books. Jonathan is the executive director of The Urban Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans. They recently wrote a book called She Is Yours—Trusting God as You Raise the Girl He Gave You . You see, they have four daughters. So their house is loud, messy, busy and fun. The...
Oct 17, 2017•56 min
Kim Biddle joins me for Episode 96. She is the founder and CEO of Saving Innocence —an organization whose vision is to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children and restore the cultural values of innocence and human worth. This organization is doing amazing things to rescue and restore child victims of sex trafficking through strategic partnerships with local law enforcement, social service providers and schools. Kim has earned degrees, credentials and certifications to do this importan...
Oct 10, 2017•1 hr 17 min
Kristen Ivy joins me for Episode 95. This was a special guest for me because we have been friends for over 10 years and we started our motherhood journey together. Not only is she a mother to 3 but she is also the Executive Director of Messaging at Orange and the Director of The Phase Project . She has written several books but most recently published 18 books—one for each phase of a kid’s life. We talk about how we as parents have a limited number of time to influence the faith of our kids. So ...
Oct 03, 2017•50 min
Kelly Flanagan joins me for Episode 94. This was one of my conversations. You guys, I took so many notes when I went back to edit this show. In fact, the conversation itself really did feel like a counseling session for me. Kelly is a husband, father, clinical psychologist, blogger, and author of the book Loveable: Embracing What Is Truest About You, So You Can Truly Embrace Your Life . We talk about the idea of being lovable—that you are enough, you are not alone and you matter by unpacking wor...
Sep 26, 2017•53 min
Courtney Westlake joins me for Episode 93. Courtney lives in Illinois with her husband, Evan, and their two children, Connor and Brenna. She is a writer and photographer with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a passion for storytelling. Her storytelling took on a new life when she began blogging in 2011 after Brenna was born with a rare and severe skin disorder. I asked her to join me on the show to talk about life with Brenna and her book, A Different Beautiful . We talk about how God prepa...
Sep 19, 2017•39 min
