Friendship shapes our daughters more than we often realize—and it’s something we don’t want to leave to chance. In this episode of the Courageous Girls Podcast, hosted by Terra Mattson, we’re joined by Rachael Gilbert for a meaningful conversation about one of the most tender and formative topics in a girl’s life: friendship.

Together, we explore why friendship matters so deeply to the hearts of girls, how it connects to identity and belonging, and how we can intentionally guide our daughters toward healthy, life-giving relationships rooted in truth, grace, and courage. With honesty, wisdom, and warmth, Terra and Rachel talk about the beauty and complexity of friendships—and how God meets our girls right in the middle of it all.

Key Takeaways:

🔹 Why friendship matters – How relationships shape confidence, identity, and emotional health in girls.

🔹 Healthy vs. unhealthy friendships – Learning to recognize red flags, boundaries, and life-giving connection.

🔹 Courage in relationships – Helping girls navigate conflict, rejection, and change with wisdom and grace.

🔹 Faith-filled friendships – Encouraging relationships that reflect God’s love, truth, and belonging.

Our heart is to raise girls who know they are never alone—and who have the courage to pursue friendships that help them become who God created them to be.

Website: https://rachaelgilbert.com/

Learn more about the Courageous Girls movement at www.mycourageousgirls.com

Follow along on Instagram: @mycourageousgirls

Read the book: Courageous by Terra Mattson

Download the Courageous Girls App—available on any app store.

Conversations around sex, dating, marriage, and purpose can feel complicated—especially as moms raising daughters in a changing cultural and church landscape. In this episode of Courageous Girls, we sit down with bestselling author, speaker, and podcast host Annie F. Downs for a powerful and honest conversation about singleness, calling, and trusting God with the long story of our lives.

Together, we explore how the church’s messaging around marriage has shaped girls and women, and why it’s time to shift the paradigm—from “when you’re married” to “if you’re married.” Annie shares vulnerably from her own journey of singleness, faith, disappointment, joy, and deep intimacy with God, reminding us that no one is behind, late, or forgotten.

This episode invites moms and daughters alike to release comparison, redefine sexual purity as a lifelong practice, and embrace the freedom of living fully present in the chapter God has us in right now.

In this episode, we discuss:

🔹 Singleness as a valid calling – Why marriage is not the finish line, and how every season holds purpose and dignity.

🔹 Sexual purity as a lifestyle – Reframing purity beyond marital status and grounding it in discipleship and identity.

🔹 You are right on time – How to dismantle the “late bloomer” narrative and trust God’s timing with courage and peace.

🔹 What does this make possible? – Learning to see closed doors, waiting seasons, and disappointment as invitations, not failures.

Our hope is that this conversation helps you raise daughters—and become women—who know they are deeply loved, fully called, and free to live boldly with God, no matter what their story looks like.

Website: https://www.anniefdowns.com/

Learn more about the Courageous Girls movement at www.mycourageousgirls.com

Follow along on Instagram: @mycourageousgirls

Read the book: Courageous by Terra Mattson

Download the Courageous Girls App—available on any app store.

Raising girls in today’s culture means navigating tension—between purity culture and personal freedom, between shame and grace, between rules and relationship. In this episode of Courageous Girls, we sit down with our dear friend and trusted expert Dr. Michelle Watson Canfield for an honest, hope-filled conversation about how we talk to our daughters (and ourselves) about bodies, boundaries, and belonging.

Together, we unpack the impact of purity culture, the pendulum swing toward “it’s my body, don’t shame me,” and the invitation to a better way—one rooted in grace, discernment, and deep identity in Christ. This conversation is as much for moms as it is for daughters, because the work always begins with us.

With wisdom from clinical practice, Scripture, and lived experience, we explore how moms and dads can partner together (even imperfectly) to speak life, affirmation, and truth into the hearts of girls—starting young and continuing through the teen years.

Key Takeaways:

🔹 Beyond rules to relationship – Why the goal isn’t control or permissiveness, but helping girls hear God’s voice and trust His love.

🔹 Our stories matter – How a mom’s own experiences with shame, purity culture, or freedom shape the messages her daughter receives.

🔹 The power of words and presence – Practical ways parents—especially dads—can speak affirmation that protects against lies and insecurity.

🔹 Raising discerning daughters – Helping girls understand their value, their bodies, and the kind of love they were made for.

Our hope is to raise girls who aren’t driven by fear, performance, or attention—but who are confident, resilient, and rooted in grace. And along the way, to become women who are healing, growing, and walking in that freedom too.

Website: www.drmichellewatson.com

Learn more about the Courageous Girls movement at www.mycourageousgirls.com

Follow along on Instagram: @mycourageousgirls

Read the book: Courageous by Terra Mattson

Download the Courageous Girls App—available on any app store.

In this episode of Courageous Girls, we step back into a deeply important conversation that continues beyond the mic—one that sits at the intersection of faith, sexuality, boundaries, and grace. After our time with Dr. Nancy, we felt led to clarify the heart behind Courageous Girls and address the tension many moms feel between purity culture and its pendulum swing. We share why our goal has never been to create “perfect” girls or prevent every hard thing, but to raise daughters who know they have voice, choice, and a safe place to come back when life gets complicated. This is a trauma-informed, grace-filled invitation to discipleship that honors our girls as whole beings—mind, body, heart, and soul—and helps them practice saying no, setting boundaries, and walking with God in freedom rather than shame. Together, we explore how healing happens in safe community, why grace is not the absence of wisdom, and how slow, steady discipleship shapes resilient daughters and courageous moms.

Key Takeaways:

🔹Why Courageous Girls is not rooted in purity culture or permissiveness, but in grace, wisdom, and freedom

🔹How teaching girls to say no builds safety, agency, and resilience at every age

🔹The power of confession, community, and safe relationships in healing shame and trauma

🔹Why discipleship is a slow, relational process—and how moms are invited into their own growth too

Learn more about the Courageous Girls movement at www.mycourageousgirls.com

Follow along on Instagram: @mycourageousgirls

Read the book: Courageous by Terra Mattson

Download the Courageous Girls App—available on any app store.

In a world where our girls are bombarded with confusing messages about sexuality, identity, and worth, we believe God calls us to lead with clarity, compassion, and courage. In this episode of the Courageous Girls Podcast, we sit down with Kristen Miele, founder of Sex Ed Reclaimed, to explore how we can reclaim healthy, biblical conversations around sexuality—conversations many of us never received ourselves.

Together, we talk about why honest dialogue matters, how to navigate our own discomfort, and how to build trust with our daughters so they come to us first with their deepest questions. Kristen brings wisdom and warmth as she shares practical tools for making these conversations ongoing, safe, and rooted in God’s good design.

🔹How our own stories and insecurities shape the way we talk about sexuality—and how God meets us with healing and grace.

🔹Kristen’s simple, powerful framework for responding to questions with curiosity (“What do you mean by that?”) instead of panic or shame.

🔹Practical guidance for creating a home where conversations about bodies, identity, and sexuality are consistent, calm, and biblically grounded.

🔹Why it’s essential to replace online misinformation with intentional, truthful formation that equips our girls to navigate culture with confidence.

With vulnerability and hope, we explore what it looks like to raise daughters who understand their worth, know God’s design, and feel safe coming to us with anything.

Website: www.sexedreclaimed.com

Learn more about the Courageous Girls movement at www.mycourageousgirls.com

Follow along on Instagram: @mycourageousgirls

Read the book: Courageous by Terra Mattson

Download the Courageous Girls App—available on any app store.

In this episode of Courageous Girls, Terra Mattson sits down with Dr. Nancy to explore the beauty, complexity, and God-given design of female sexuality—both for mothers and daughters. We dive into how hormones, trauma, and societal expectations shape the way women experience desire, intimacy, and self-awareness, and how moms can create safe spaces for honest conversation with their daughters.

Together, we talk about:

🔹 Understanding our bodies – How hormonal cycles and natural sexual desire are part of God’s design, and how moms can guide their daughters with knowledge and compassion.

🔹 Navigating shame and trauma – Recognizing how past experiences and societal messages affect female sexuality, and creating space for healing and curiosity.

🔹 Celebrating individuality – Every woman’s libido and sexual expression are unique; learning to know and honor our own rhythms is an act of empowerment.

🔹 Mother-daughter connection – How ongoing, judgment-free conversations and unconditional love help daughters feel safe, valued, and prepared to navigate relationships and sexuality in a digital world.

With wisdom, compassion, and practical guidance, Dr. Nancy helps us see that female sexuality is not something to fear or suppress—it’s a gift designed by God. This conversation reminds us that our daughters—and we as mothers—thrive when we embrace honesty, curiosity, and grace in all aspects of our lives.

Learn more about the Courageous Girls movement at www.mycourageousgirls.com

Follow along on Instagram: @mycourageousgirls

Read the book: Courageous by Terra Mattson

Download the Courageous Girls App—available on any app store.

In this episode of Courageous Girls, we sit down with Dr. Nancy to talk about sex, hormones, and the changing bodies of girls and women. Together, we explore how understanding these physical and emotional shifts can help us guide our daughters with grace and wisdom. From monthly cycles to puberty, PMS, and beyond, Dr. Nancy shares her insights from decades as an OB-GYN and therapist to help us navigate these topics in a way that empowers both moms and daughters.

We also discuss the importance of modeling self-care, celebrating our unique bodies, and helping girls embrace their identity as they grow. This episode is full of practical advice, encouragement, and perspective on how to walk alongside our daughters in these formative years.

Together, we explore:

🔹 Understanding hormonal cycles — the role of estrogen and progesterone through puberty, menstruation, and menopause, and how to respond with curiosity rather than judgment.

🔹 PMS and emotional awareness — how mood swings can reveal deeper truths and provide opportunities for self-reflection and growth.

🔹 Caring for our bodies as temples — practical tools for sleep, nutrition, movement, and hydration, and modeling healthy habits for daughters.

🔹 Celebrating individuality — embracing body diversity, unique hair types, and personal rhythms to teach girls self-acceptance and confidence.

Let’s walk with our daughters in understanding their bodies, emotions, and design—celebrating every stage of life as part of God’s plan.

Learn more about the Courageous Girls movement at www.mycourageousgirls.com

Follow along on Instagram: @mycourageousgirls

Read the book: Courageous by Terra Mattson

Download the Courageous Girls App—available on any app store.

Raising girls today takes more than good intentions—it takes community, intentionality, and courage. In this episode of Courageous Girls, Terra Mattson is joined by Meghan and Stephanie, two moms who have seen firsthand the life-changing impact of Courageous Girls Groups. Together, we talk about the real joys and challenges of walking alongside our daughters, and how a Christ-centered community can make all the difference.

🔹 The heart behind Courageous Girls Groups—and why they create a safe, grace-filled place for daughters to grow.

🔹 How moms can move from isolation to connection through shared stories and prayer.

🔹 Why intentional rhythms help girls build confidence, discernment, and lifelong faith.

🔹 Practical encouragement for starting your own group, even if it feels intimidating at first.

This conversation is full of honesty, laughter, and hope. Our prayer is that you’ll walk away reminded: you don’t have to do this alone. Let’s raise a generation of girls who know who they are in Christ—and become women who live courageously too.

Learn more about the Courageous Girls movement at www.mycourageousgirls.com

Follow along on Instagram: @mycourageousgirls

Read the book: Courageous by Terra Mattson

Download the Courageous Girls App—available on any app store.

In this episode of Courageous Girls, we sit down with author and speaker Laura Smith to uncover the often-overlooked stories of women in the Bible and what they mean for us and our daughters today. Laura’s latest book, Brave Woman, Mighty God, highlights 30 women whose courage wasn’t rooted in themselves but in God’s power. Together, we explore how their stories can embolden us to live faithfully in a culture full of confusing messages.

🔹 Courage redefined – How biblical bravery looks less like self-reliance and more like trusting God to act through us.

🔹 Forgotten heroines – What we can learn from women like Esther, who risked everything to stop genocide, and Huldah, who was sought out for truth in a culture that had forgotten God.

🔹 Messy realities, faithful God – Why God’s heart for women isn’t erased by the broken systems of their time, and how He still redeems our own messy stories.

🔹 Living it out today – Simple, everyday ways we can be known as women who love Jesus—so our daughters know what courage looks like.

Laura’s honesty about her own journey—from believing childhood lies to finding her identity as God’s beloved daughter—will inspire us to do the same. Together, let’s raise girls who know they are loved, rooted in grace, and equipped to live courageously for God’s purposes.

Website: https://www.laurasmithauthor.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurasmithauthor/

Learn more about the Courageous Girls movement at www.mycourageousgirls.com

Follow along on Instagram: @mycourageousgirls

Read the book: Courageous by Terra Mattson

Download the Courageous Girls App—available on any app store.

In this episode of Courageous Girls, we sit down with Sara Pickell, a mom of two daughters and a longtime leader within the Courageous Girls movement. Sara opens up about what it’s been like to walk this journey alongside her girls, and how God has used this intentional time to shape not just her daughters—but her own heart and community too.

Together, we talk about the beauty and the messiness of gathering moms and daughters, and why the courage to keep showing up, month after month, makes all the difference.

🔹 Mother–daughter connection – Why modeling vulnerability and faith matters more than having all the right answers.

🔹 Healing for moms, too – How God redeems our own wounds as we walk with our daughters through theirs.

🔹 Grace in community – What happens when diverse stories, struggles, and strengths come together around the same table.

🔹 Courage in the everyday – Why living out our identity in Christ is less about bravado and more about trust and steady faithfulness.

This conversation will encourage you to see that the Courageous Girls journey isn’t about perfection—it’s about creating space for God to do His work, drip by drip, in us and in the next generation.

Learn more about the Courageous Girls movement at www.mycourageousgirls.com

Follow along on Instagram: @mycourageousgirls

Read the book: Courageous by Terra Mattson

Download the Courageous Girls App—available on any app store.