Backstage with JamieKBates

Jamie brings you one of her good friends this week to talk about being single in a world that seems to revolve around being coupled up. Christa shares her happy journey of following Gods call across the world without a spouse or boyfriend and on top of that having never seen representation of what she felt she was called to do, preach. You will love this story of how God used her, grew her, taught her AND how she learned, “if God is not enough marriage never will be”. And enjoy a Backstage look into a conversation between two good friends and be encouraged, God has a way of following through.

Jamie brings you a challenging episode this week because it centers around becoming people who wage peace in times of war. Most of us can all agree that we are living in a time of polarizing differences, divides and division. We pass harsh judgments on each other and rarely stop to have a conversation that might cause our self righteousness to suffer and our empathy to increase. That is where this tough love episode comes in! This week Jamie brings you Diana Oestrich, a combat medic veteran who was deployed as a 23 year old woman to the Iraq war. She talks about her journey through war, the costly lessons she learned and how God showed her the value of all life, even her enemies. Diana challenges us to bring this message home to our neighborhoods, in our families, in our churches, on facebook, at the playground...wherever there might be a perceived “enemy”. She also gives a difficult challenge that Jamie accepted and you will hear about that in the intro. Enjoy Diana and let yourself be challenged to love across all enemy lines. Blessed are the peacemakers. Matthew 5:9

This week Jamie brings you the Founder and CEO of Treasured Vessels Foundation, a organization committed to providing long term care and housing for those rescued from sex trafficking. Alicia and Jamie talk about what it’s like to change career paths when God calls, the difficulties in starting a nonprofit from the ground up, and Alicia explains exactly what sex trafficking is and how it happens domestically. Alicia also shares touching and inspiring stories of hope and goodness in the midst of the darkest of places. Enjoy this episode and be encouraged that we can all make a difference when we say “yes”!

This week Jamie brings you a backstage glimpse of all things football! Steven Terrell, a previous college and NFL football player joins her and talks about playing High School football in Texas, getting a scholarship to play at A&M and what is was like - and what it took - to eventually land a spot in the NFL. Steven is transparent about his wins and losses, victories and defeats and what it was like to play in Superbowl XLIX. You will love his stories of hard work, determination, positivity and how faith and football go together. So, enjoy Steven and Jamie as Jamie learns a wholeeee lot about football! :) Oh and… #gohawks

*Trigger Warning* sexual abuse | In this episode Jamie sits down with a mother and son as they share their story and give us a glimpse into their relationship that has been carved out of heartbreaks, hard times and a mother's love that never let go. Debra talks to Jamie about growing up in a fractured home, abuse she suffered, the bad and good choices she made along the way and how she got pregnant with a baby in unexpected circumstances and was forced to choose between the baby or the man she loved. Cameron opens up about growing up without a father, traumas that caused him to spiral into catastrophic living and the unconditional love of a mom that eventually brought him home. Enjoy Debra and her son, Pastor Cameron Andonie.

On Backstage Jamie often references the tools she has learned and the wisdom she has gained from her therapist, Randy. Well, this week you get to meet Randy and get a Backstage glimpse into one of their sessions! Randy talks about neural pathways, the conscious and subconscious, fight, flight or freeze responses to perceived danger and how to de-escalate our brains and emotions from hyper vigilant states to places of rational thought. He uses scripture to walk Jamie through how to strengthen her soul and explains why his approach to Jamie in their first meeting was very different than she expected it to be. Enjoy Randy and come learn, “It’s Not A Bear!”

This week Jamie brings her mother-in-law Backstage to talk all things parenting. Jamie asks Button (we explain the name on the podcast) about establishing a strong family culture while kids are young, how to navigate teenage years and when to trust your instincts as a parent. She talks about the power of blessing, the importance of connecting with your kids in ways they specifically need and she unpacks her monthly blessing routine that she writes and sends us kids at the start of every month. Also, they spill the tea that Button loved Jamie way before Dustin ever did! ;) Enjoy Jamie and Button!

This week Jamie brings you a candid and important conversation about racism between two friends of different color. Katrina shares with Jamie her experience growing up bi-racial, marrying a black man and raising 3 beautiful black girls. They talk about their lives and biases, toss around ideas, ask questions and share stories. Katrina also helps Jamie with how to talk to her kids about racism and gives great suggestions for white people who understand there is a problem - and want to be apart of the solution.

Back by popular demand - Jamie sits down with her husband, Dustin Bates for round two of arguing and laughing. They talk about a recent “near death experience”, their therapist Randy, and being happy-sad. Dustin shares how he handles criticism and the practicals of finding your purpose. And stay tuned at the end when we bring in Dustin’s assistant and our family bestie, Bianca Barja, as she and Jamie roast Dustin...and say a few nice things as well! ;)

As we close SZN 1 Jamie brings you a raw backstage conversation with world renowned worship artist and songwriter, Rita Springer. Rita tells Jamie about a day as an 11 year old that she was practicing the piano as usual when she struck an “unfamiliar chord” and everything changed. She openly shares her journey from that point on; the beautiful moments and the heart wrenching ones. She talks about God’s early call to double down on Presence no matter the cost, she shares obstacles along the way, what she believes every time she goes on stage and dishes on her favorite worship sets (it’s not what you think). She also has a special word for millennials about authenticity and “feels” in worship and she shares the story behind her song (and Jamie’s 2019 anthem) “Defender”. Enjoy this conversation and never forget, “It’s Gonna Be Worth It”.