Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

This episode of the show features one word. Authenticity. My guest today is Danielle Clark, the founder of Unleashed.Life and we talk about living an authentic life. Danielle walks us through what it was like for her as child and the lies she believed about herself. Ultimately, she found that the way God has created her was perfect and purposeful and not something to shy away from. AND because our episode is just moments away from the face-stuffing, holiday THANKSGIVING we also talk about Authentic Thankfulness. Have you ever felt like there are pieces of you that are TOO MUCH? Listen to Danielle's story and see if you can relate. Think of ways that you are uniquely created and bravely own them in your life today! God has created you perfectly and also to be exactly who you are. This means that you don't have to apologize for being introverted, or talkative, needing people, or loving solitude. Remember that these are gifts of your personality and ask God to show you how he can use them in your life today. This episode I get a little personal: While I deeply love my family, the holidays, for me are one of the most stressful times of the year. I have things I very much look forward to and also things that create turmoil and stress in my life. For those of you that feel similar, I wanted to let you know that you are not alone. The struggle is real. Like really real. And I want you to hear this: Your difficulties are valuable. Your trials matter. Your hardship counts. While this episode is one of encouragement of thankfulness, it's specifically one of authentic thankfulness. Life may be really hard for you right now. I've had some pretty rough holidays. One was the year my brother tragically died of a drug overdose. The other was the year later when my 3 year old nephew died and was take from us way too soon. Those first holidays we were all just shells of ourselves and being together while grieving differently was torture for some of us. Maybe you don't have family or the family you have are not the ones you want in your life right now. Maybe you or your loved ones are sick. No matter what time of year. Life can be hard and in the middle of a time of celebration, life is still hard. Here are some encouraging words. It is possible to be authentically thankful when life is at it's hardest. I've got four tips for you:

1. When we don't want to give thanks - acknowledge it. Own it! Be real with your feelings. Don't force fake thankfulness
2. When it feels difficult to give thanks - ask yourself why? Maybe you're justified. But maybe you're not. Dive deeper into your feelings so you can be true to yourself
3. When it looks impossible to have a thing to be thankful for - keep searching. There's ALWAYS ALWAYS a reason to give thanks. Choose to find the positive in your life, even if it is the very smallest thing.
4. When it is just not within your power to be thankful - When you literally say, "I jut can't" Ask God to give you strength. He will.

John 15:16 You did not choose me, butzI chose you and appointed you that you should go andabear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so thatbwhatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. This is what Danielle was talking about with her Authentic life, "You did not choose me, but I chose you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide." The second part of the verse should affirm you in asking God for the ability to be thankful. "So that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." Ask God for the ability to see all the things in your life that you can be thankful for.