Challenges Won't Stop Me

Health challenges don’t only impact our physical bodies. Health challenges impact every area of our lives. When multiple challenges rudely intersected Susan’s path over the course of nine months … well, those challenges exponentially impacted her life.

Having been very healthy up to that point made her feel like her life was spiraling out of control. Doctor after doctor. Test after test. Still no answers. Even though she felt depleted and frustrated, she was determined that the challenges she was facing would not stop her. She continued to fight to overcome the challenges.

I was curious how she dealt with challenge after challenge impacting her life. She shared how a friend gave her a plaque for her 50th birthday with a verse from Isaiah on it.

It said, “But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

She didn’t just read those words. She believed them. She clung to the hope included in those words. “I just had faith that one day I would run, and I would not be weary. And I would walk and not be faint.” She took God at His Word.

Finally, after the tenth medical diagnosis, Susan discovered the root cause of her multiple health challenges. With this information in hand, Susan researched how to fight this infection. Among several things, she radically changed her diet, which improved her gut health and allowed her to regain her health.

Take Susan’s Candida quiz to find out if Candida is contributing to your health challenges at www.candiquiz.com.

Those multiple health challenges tried to stop Susan. But God used them to refine her purpose: to help others reclaim their health. She’s written eight health-related books that will help you reclaim your health. Check them out on Amazon by typing in Susan U Neal.

Want to build or maintain a 'challenges won't stop me' mindset? Check out my book, Challenges Won't Stop Me: An Interactive Survival Guide for Overcoming & Thriving, on Amazon.

Visit www.melonybrown.com for resources to empower and equip you to overcome & thrive!

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After four amazing seasons of the Zigzag & 1 podcast, it was time for a makeover! She got an new name and an unstoppable mindset.

Let me tell you about all the changes. The most obvious change of course is the name change. This change stemmed from conversations about the book I published in September of 2022 titled "Challenges Won't Stop Me: An Interactive Survival Guide for Overcoming & Thriving." After reading it, several readers said, "Oh, I get it! Your book name describes the mindset of the overcomers you interview on your podcast!" YES! EXACTLY!

Their comments led to renaming the podcast and putting a sharper focus on giving the listener more strategies and habits in every guest interview and in my solocast messages. In addition to the overcomer interviews and the strategies/habits interviews, I'm excited about sharing motivational messages via video solocasts. You can listen to them on your favorite podcast app or watch them on my YouTube channel @melonybrown. Going forward on the Resources page at melonybrown.com, I will be adding helpful resources for those times when you're fighting hard to overcome challenges and need more.

Be sure to follow the show on your favorite podcast app and on my YouTube channel. Let's go!

Buy Challenges Won't Stop Me: An Interactive Survival Guide for Overcoming and Thriving HERE. 

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When we face very difficult challenges, our faith in God is challenged too.

Throughout Jody's daughter's ten-year fight against Lyme disease, she begged God to heal Alex. Despite numerous doctor's visits and numerous treatments, Alex passed away. The pain, loss, and grief Jody felt was overwhelming. She gave into the grief so her mind, heart, and soul could process what she describes as her greatest hurt.

But, there came a day when Jody decided she would always grieve the loss of her precious daughter, but she didn't want to be known as the grief girl. Instead of being angry at God, Jody drew closer to God. She praised him for the twenty-two years she was given to love Alex and be her mom. She thanked God for the grace, courage, and dignity Alex consistently showed throughout her battle for seeing these traits in Alex taught her so much.

Alex's very difficult struggle challenged Jody's faith in the hardest of ways and the best of ways. Her faith grew in the best way, which looks like God shining in her.  That light shining in her is filled with purpose, passion, joy, and love.

When you meet Jody Hudson, she will tell you all about her precious daughter, Alex. But, you won't see the grief girl. You'll see God shining in her instead.

Visit The Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation to learn more about Lyme disease and ways to support Jody's mission to increase awareness of Lyme disease, raise money for research, and support patients who have Lyme disease with financial grants for testing and treatments.

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No one would ask for or volunteer for a challenge that would end in one's greatest hurt. But we know that varying degrees of hurt and pain come with the challenges of this world.

Jody's daughter, Alex, suffered ten long years with unusual symptoms that were considered a medical mystery until finally a diagnosis of Lyme disease was given. Throughout those years, Alex experienced unbearable physical pain and unbearable loss. Loss of playing sports, of going to her dream college, of friends who were busy living their lives, and of living a thriving life.  While those losses are truly tragic, Alex gained a fighter mentality, a determination to never give up, a stronger faith and trust in God, and a desire to serve and love others.

Our discussion is based on her book My Promise to Alex: Through Pain Comes Purpose. You'll hear Jody describe the numerous obstacles and challenges she and Alex faced. Yet, each time mother and daughter sought God's direction and then persevered. Both Alex and Jody are courageous overcomers.

Even though Alex passed away at twenty-two, she lives on through Jody's greatest ministry: the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation whose mission is to increase research efforts for Lyme disease while supporting patients via financial grants for their treatments and testing. Learn more at www.alexhudsonlymefoundation.org

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Ever find it difficult to stay focused when you're praying? I know I do!

I believe I'd be hard-pressed to find one person who couldn't admit to feeling distracted while praying. While we know prayer is an incredible blessing because we are communicating directly with God, our brains jump to investigate every stray thought and noise. Determination to stay focused works for a while, but then ... well, you know. You realize you're thinking about what you need at the grocery store, how your daughter needs new cleats for soccer, or how you want those new boots but know they are not in the budget.

My guest, Kathy McInnis, shares a habit she's incorporated into her prayer time that helps her stay focused: prayer journaling. You'll hear her describe how she uses it, but please know it's not a magic formula. It works for her because she started with writing her prayers in a journal and then tried new ways to connect with God using her journal.

If you've always wanted to try prayer journaling or you're just curious how in the world writing in a journal helps you stay focused during prayer, grab a pen and paper and take some notes of the different ways Kathy uses her prayer journal. Make sure to jot down what positive outcomes she's experienced too!

Want to connect with Kathy? Go to ferventgrace.org

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Pause for a moment and think about your companions. 

Are they healthy companions who offer life-giving interactions by encouraging, supporting, and loving you? If so, those companions are priceless. 

Or are they toxic companions who shatter your heart by bullying, lying, intimidating, and threatening you? These toxic companions can be humans, but they can also be beliefs.

Today’s Zigzag & 1 guest, Kathy McInnis, is the author of Companions on My Journey. In her memoir, Kathy describes the toxic companions who invaded her life during her childhood, her college years, and her first marriage and divorce. Shame, fear, bitterness, and condemnation were the toxic companions that convinced Kathy she was unlovable, unworthy, and unforgivable. The pain was so great she wanted to end it all.

Thankfully, Kathy chose not to end her life. A loving, forgiving God took the broken pieces of Kathy’s heart and filled her with love, peace, and assurance that she is worthy. 

 Whether you’ve encountered toxic companions or not, hearing Kathy’s story and how she fought to overcome will inspire and encourage you.

 To invite Kathy to speak at your next event or connect with her, go to ferventgrace.org.

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My guest, Yvonne Taylor, shared her story of being one of the twenty-one black students who integrated into the all-white Hoxie High School in 1955 in episode 63. Make sure you check out that episode as hearing her experiences will emphasize why her mindset of choosing kindness can truly impact the world.

Ever stop to think about the values and wisdom passed down to you from your parents, grandparents, and teachers? You might choose to discard some of it, but some of those values and mindsets are so powerful that they become a part of you and how you navigate life. 

Yvonne’s parents were diligent about teaching her values that pertained to their faith. Those shaped her beliefs about God. They also imparted ways to treat others. It’s one thing to hear your parents tell you how to live a certain way, but Yvonne was blessed with parents who lived out what they taught.

Choosing to show kindness was a value taught and consistently modeled by Yvonne’s parents. A reminder of this value was shared the night before Yvonne and her siblings walked through the front doors of the all-white Hoxie High School. Would she choose kindness as her response when insulted? Would she choose kindness when her white friends from the neighborhood ignored her? Would she choose kindness when a rock was thrown through her kitchen window? Yes. Yes. And yes. Kindness is a choice. And Yvonne chose kindness no matter how others treated her. 

Choosing kindness became part of Yvonne’s values and have proven to be a way she can impact the world. You can bet she passed down the value of choosing kindness to her children and grandchildren. 

What if each of us chose kindness as our response? Imagine the impact we could have on our world!

Buy Yvonne’s book, Momma, Daddy & Me: When Perseverance Prevails, on Amazon.

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The civil rights movement was in full swing in 1955, but fourteen-year-old Yvonne Taylor wasn’t paying attention to the news about activists fighting for an end to discrimination and injustice. Nor was she aware of the Supreme Court ruling in Topeka versus the Board of Education that would significantly impact her education. Until … Yvonne learned she and twenty other black students would be integrating into Hoxie High School in Hoxie, Arkansas. That was sixty-seven years ago this month.

In this episode,  you’ll hear Yvonne describe how she was treated by white students and teachers and how she responded during her year at Hoxie High School. 

Yvonne is an integral part of the history of the civil rights movement in the US. No, she didn't speak in front of thousands like Martin Luther King, Jr. did. Nor did she refuse to give up her bus seat like Rosa Parks. You likely haven’t heard of her name before, but I assure you her contribution is no less important. 

MLK Jr. did something to help blacks gain equal rights. Rosa Parks did something too. Countless others did something, including Ms. Yvonne Taylor.

Helen Keller said it best when she said, “I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”
 Thank you, Yvonne for doing something. Your brave actions and positive attitude paved the way for black students to access the same quality education as white students.

Buy her memoir, Mommy, Daddy & Me: When Perseverance Prevails on Amazon. 

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Ever feel like your head is going to explode? Incessant noise coming at you from every direction—the news, social media, podcasts, YouTube videos, music you’ve streamed. While some of this noise is educational or informative, some of it is mind-numbing entertainment. 

After typing that last sentence, I laughed at my words. Sounds like the explanations I’ve given my tutoring students this summer when discussing how the characters in Ray Bradbury’s book, Fahrenheit 451, consume hours and hours of mindless entertainment coming from the walls of TVs while also listening to their ear shells.

Why do we need silence and solitude (getting away by yourself)? Silence and solitude break the endless consumption of entertainment and noise. They refresh our minds. They make room for new ideas. And they invite closeness with God.

Imagine God trying to compete with all the noise you and I willingly take in. Now imagine purposefully getting away from the noise and listening to and enjoying the silence. Maybe, just maybe, there’s space in the silence for God to talk to you. And me.

My guest, Risa Owens, shares how she seeks silence and solitude in her backyard, at the beach, in the mountains, and anywhere she can be alone. No phone. No disruptions. She invites God to come close, for she’s eager to hear what He wants to say to her.

She also shares several benefits she’s gained by making time for silence and solitude. Don’t be surprised if you feel convicted enough to pull out your calendar and schedule some time for silence and solitude!

Connect with Risa at risascorner.net.

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My guest, Risa Owens, is an author and speaker. While those are interesting professions, what’s most interesting about Risa being an author and speaker is that her educational journey began with the label of mentally retarded*. This label created limits and further ostracized her from her peers.

*This term is used throughout Risa’s interview as it was the terminology used during the years Risa was in school. The current (and less offensive) terminology is intellectual disabilities. 

Risa wrote about her educational journey in her book, The Heart that Grieves of a Little Girl Lost. In this interview, Risa and I discuss several poignant moments in her childhood and how they impacted her. 

Excerpts from her book:

·   “They gave up on me.”

·   “I was totally a little girl lost in the mazes of my own life, not knowing where to go or what to do.”

·   “The majority of my family didn’t want to be around me because of my condition. Not only was I sick all the time, but I was a freak to them.”

When her school updated the educational testing, Risa’s life began to change. In her words: “I turned humiliation into determination.” All these years later, the little girl who was severely limited by an incorrect label is now an author and speaker. She gives God all the credit. 

Check out her website at www.risascorner.net and her books on Amazon. 

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