This week I speak with Melony Brown, who is a Jeep-loving, book-reading, nature enthusiast. Chocolate is not her friend. Neither is laundry. Inviting overcomers to share their stories and the strategies, mindsets, and habits they relied on during their fight to overcome their challenges is her passion. Melony shares their stories on her podcast, Challenges Won’t Stop Me. Her award-winning books, Challenges Won’t Stop Me and Keep Moving Forward, take readers on an interactive journey to equip and empower them to fight to overcome whatever challenges dare to intersect their paths. We look at her childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in her life. You won't want to miss this inspiring episode!

www.melonybrown.com

*Theme Music "Blessed Time" by Ketsa

This week, I speak with Rose McCombs Jordan, who is the creative heart behind Beneath The Fig Tree, a movement that helps women discover devotional practices they truly love. She also serves as the Director of Tourism for a charming North Texas town, leads worship at her church, and—together with her husband Brandon—hosts at their favorite state park. Married for 30 years, Rose is the proud mom of one son and daughter-in-love. She understands how challenging it can be to balance a busy life with the desire to connect with God. By sharing practical insights and fostering community, Rose empowers women to embrace a meaningful, life-giving relationship with God—one that refreshes their spirit and fuels their everyday journey. We look at her childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in her life. You won't want to miss this inspiring episode!

www.beneaththefigtree.org

*Theme Music "Blessed Time" by Ketsa

This week, I speak with Theresa Miller, who is adventurous at heart and dedicated to pursuing spiritual, mental, and emotional healing for the betterment of future generations. Originally from the wooded East, Theresa now resides in the wide-open spaces of Wyoming, nestled near the Big Horn Mountains. She cherishes her role as a wife to Rob and mother to their four children. Weaving words has been her creative outlet since childhood, bringing clarity to life’s complexities. Theresa is the co-author of “Unexpected Blessings: 40 Days of Discovering God’s Best” and “The Posture of Victory: Finding True Peace amidst Our Everyday Battles.” She serves in women’s ministries as a Bible teacher and a MomCo Mentor in her community. She co-founded Dandelions, Potholes, & Wrinkles and The Sisters on Purpose Podcast. In addition to guest-appearing on several podcasts and blogs, she has been published in Calla Press Literary Journal, Moms Ezine, (in)courage, and various other publications. You can find Theresa encouraging women to dig deeper to reach higher in their faith and calling on Instagram, Facebook, her professional website, and the podcast she hosts with her sisters. We look at her childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in her life. You won’t want to miss this encouraging episode!

IG: @theresammillerauthor https://www.instagram.com/theresammillerauthor 

FB: Theresa M. Miller, Writer https://www.facebook.com/heavenlyglimpses1 

Substack: @theresammiller https://open.substack.com/pub/theresamiller 

Professional website: www.theresammiller.com 

Sister website: www.dandelionsisters.com 

The Sisters on Purpose Podcast: http://sistersonpurposepodcast.podbean.com

*Theme Music "Blessed Time" by Ketsa

This week I speak with Kim Mosiman who is a woman smack dab in the middle of her second act: Her children are grown and joyfully living lives of their own. She enjoys writing, traveling, and perfecting her technique in her new role as Nana. She is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer who closed her small boutique gym in 2017. She thought she was ready to retire and fade into the sunset, but the sudden career change created a lack of purpose in her life. She was alone during the day and abandoned the good habits she had counted on for many years. As a lifelong coach, she recognized the signals and slowly turned her health back around by adding small, sustainable practices into her daily routine. She documented her journey and felt called to share her story. Her first book, Reflections of Joy, was released in May 2024. It is a Christlit Award winner and stands out as a vital resource for women entering their second act. Mosiman nudges readers to let go of the things that have held them back so they can explore the world of opportunities available to women in their middle years. She recently released a companion journal, My Owner's Manual, to help women learn the importance of gathering data in their quest to age well and stay healthy. Kim became a certified Christian life coach in 2023 and has recently expanded her offerings to include wellness coaching and helps new authors launch their books into the world through her coaching business writer-2-writer. We look at her childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in her life. You won’t want to miss this encouraging episode!

https://www.instagram.com/kim_mosiman/

https://www.facebook.com/kim.mosiman/

https://www.writer-2-writer.com/

https://www.kimmosimanwellness.com/

https://a.co/d/dXVxHMe

*Theme Music “Blessed Time” by Ketsa

This week on the "A Cup of Gratitude" podcast, we're having a special episode where I share with you about my new book, "Holy Plot Twists." This book is an overflow of the podcast. God led me to share vulnerable and pivotal times in my life when He came in and worked things out for good, when He turned things around and made them usable. God can take the sharpest, most broken pieces and put them back together in a way that allows us to reach others with our story. I've realized that the way we go into all the world is by sharing our story; it's Unique, no one else in the world has one like ours. It is the way that we can connect to other people and share God's story with them share his goodness and his character this special episode gives you a synopsis of the book explains where it came from and why I put the energy and time into it to give it as a gift to you I also talk about a special contest we're doing where anyone can get a copy of the book take a picture and send it to me and then come on the podcast as a guest this special episode is short and sweet but packed with goodness I hope you'll listen in and have a great day!

Enter the Podcast Contest !!!

Win a chance to be a Guest on a special episode of “A Cup of Gratitude” podcast 🎉🎉🎉

To enter to win:

1) Purchase a copy of Holy Plot Twists 

2)Take a photo holding your copy of the book

3) send your photo via email to Link on acupofgratitude.org or for extra entries, share your photo on FB or IG and tag Amanda and use the hashtag: #holyplottwists

Tag Amanda on 

FB: www.facebook.com/amanda.f.schaefer 

IG Www.instagram.com/acupof_gratitude

Best of Luck to you all!

This week, I speak with Joan Farley, who has been crafting stories and messages since high school, dedicating her gift to uplifting local ministries and churches. As a missionary, her desire is to see the next generation rise above the previous ones, growing in wisdom and godliness to impact the world in profound ways. Her latest work, Letters to Cassie, reflects her desire to empower young women and inspire them to embrace their potential to make lasting change. When she's not writing or traveling for ministry, you'll find her getting lost in a good book, keeping fit through running, and finding treasures in thrift stores and coffee shops. We look at here childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in her life. You wont want to miss this inspiring episode!

www.joanlovestrandfarley.org

*Theme Music "Blessed Time" by Ketsa 

This week I speak with Sherrie Pilkington who enters into various aspects of life as a daughter of the One True God.  She dearly loves her 2 grown sons and 2 daughters-in-love but it’s her 6 grandchildren that keep her young at heart and the sound of joy in her laugh. Known for pondering the hard things in life through the lens of God’s heart, she shares her revelations through her podcast, Finding God in Our Pain. Sherrie and her guests do not shy away from the hard questions about the reality of pain and suffering and the good God we profess. After unexpectedly losing her husband in early 2018, whom she had been with for a little over 33 years, she now knows that God speaks beautiful things in the dark. Through her website (alifeofthrive.com) and her podcast she wants to let people know that they’re never alone in their pain because God enters into the darkest of valleys and will gently shepherd each one through. 

Links:

Website: https://ALifeofthrive.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/ALifeOfThrive

IG: LiveLovedThrive

Podcast - Finding God in Our Pain: https://findinggodinourpain.podbean.com/

*Theme Music “Blessed Time” by Ketsa 

This week I speak with Nicole Roth who empowers the “hard on herself” woman of God to live as a much-loved daughter: held, healed, and whole, and to restore from the damage done due to striving: over-functioning and over-serving. Wife to David of over 20 years, mom to 3 young adult daughters, an autoimmune warrior of 20 years, and former dietitian, Nicole is most at home in her kayak, out on a hiking trail with her dogs, in her hammock, or hanging out in her camper! The means Nicole uses to be a catalyst of change, healing, and growth include coaching, community, and courses plus in person nature adventures and retreats!

Links:

https://youtube.com/@sheabidesinjoy

Her handle is: she abides in joy everywhere

freebie: Abide artwork 

Https://nicoleroth.com/abidegift

*Theme Music "Blessed Time" by Ketsa

This week I speak with Tischa van de Reep who is a Trinidad-born Christian writer and speaker, a mental health and autism mom who brings authenticity and vulnerability to all her teachings on Scripture. Her Bible studies and women’s gatherings bring diverse groups of women together in fellowship and take them deeper into God’s Word. Her work in ministry extends from homeless women in Houston to expat wives in Budapest, Hungary, to rural villagers in Malawi, Africa, and women across the US. Tischa currently lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and two teenaged sons. We look at her childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in her life. You won’t want to miss this inspiring episode! 

http://tischavandereep.com

*Theme Music “Blessed Time” by Ketsa 

This week, I speak with Mary Folkerts, a mom to four grown kids and wife to a farmer living on the southern prairies of Alberta. She is a contributing author in one of Lisa Terkeurst's latest devotionals, Clear Mind, Peaceful Heart. She writes with a desire to push back the dark, especially for those struggling with anxiety and depression. Mary is also an advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world.  We look at her childhood up to the present to find the beautiful thread of Jesus in her life. You won't want to miss this encouraging episode! 

Check out Joy in the Small Things at https://maryfolkerts.com, or connect on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mary.folkerts.37 if you too are
determined not to be defined by your mess-ups and are running after a
deeper, more joy-filled relationship with Jesus. Click here to join her
email list for weekly splashes of joy:
https://maryfolkerts.myflodesk.com/mevhnkmx15.

*Theme Music "Blessed Time" by Ketsa