Curious Living

We all endure challenges in our lives. Then, down the road, we face a situation where someone else is having a challenge as well. Do we share our story? Does it matter? Would it really help?

Our stories have power and this is one of the many ways God uses the challenges in our lives to bring about good for us and for others. But, how do we share our story? Should we? And how do we know it will actually make a difference?

Our guest on today's show has recently published a book that can answer these questions and she's gracious enough to share these thoughts on this episode. You will want to listen and take notes as Michelle shares her wisdom and parts of her own story!

Guest Info

Michelle Prince is a best-selling author, sought-after motivational speaker, self-publishing expert, leadership coach, and CEO/Founder of Performance Publishing Group, a "partner" publishing company dedicated to making a difference... one story at a time. She is an advanced certified Human Behavior Consultant and dedicates herself to helping leaders impact the world, using the strengths and talents already within them, to create an extraordinary life and exponentially grow their business. She's helped thousands become published authors through her consulting, courses, seminars, and publishing services, and founded the "Book Bound Workshop." She has also published many successful books, including her best-selling Winning In Life Now, The Power of Authority, and her most recent book, SHINE Through Your Story.

Michelle is also an enthusiastic, dynamic speaker who captivates audiences with her authenticity, high energy, and natural ability to connect with any audience. She has been endorsed by some of the most influential speakers in personal development, including Zig Ziglar. She is a Ziglar Legacy Certified speaker/trainer and is honored to be named the Ziglar Brand Ambassador, representing the values and legacy of the late Zig Ziglar.

Michelle helps people ignite their passion, identify their purpose, achieve balance, overcome procrastination, unlock potential, be more productive, succeed in personal & professional goals, and lead an abundant life.

www.MichellePrince.com

www.ShineThroughYourStory.com

www.PrincePerformance.com

www.PerformancePublishingGroup.com

The concept of the Holy Spirit is challenging for Christians to wrap their minds around, let alone those who are not Christians. Oftentimes we simply choose to ignore this part of the triune God because it can be hard to explain and understand. In this episode we will face this curious question head-on with the lead pastor of Williamson's Chapel UMC - Rev. Wes Smith.

Guest Info

To paraphrase Paul, if we don't have love, then there's no point in anything else we do as Christians. Helping the church grow together in love is what Wes is most passionate about. His hope is that members and guests experience the love of God as we worship, gather in small groups, and work together to serve God. Wes enjoys studying the Scripture and then preaching or teaching about God's Word. If you're interested in learning more about the Scripture or theology, Wes is the perfect guide in your journey.

Our thoughts are powerful and they drive us to do all things in our lives. As followers of Christ we often wonder what is guiding these thoughts . . . is it us? is it society? is it media? or is it God? Our guest on this episode helps us sort through those curious questions and helps us land in a place where we know how to lean into our faith in such a way that it guides our thoughts, and then our actions.

Guest Info

Victoria Lydon is a Christian Author, Certified Christian Life Coach, Podcaster, Entrepreneur, Speaker & University Instructor with nearly 30 years of teaching & advising experience and her mission is to coach others on how to live their best-thought life in the four main areas of life: health, wealth and purpose, relationships, and faith. Over the years, she's blogged, written Bible studies, taught Sunday School, led small women's groups, and authored two books. She currently writes devotionals for Guideposts Strength & Grace magazine and just released her own 365-day devotional and companion journal called Choose 2 Think: Find Peace, Joy, Hope, Health & Freedom Every Day. Her passions are God, family, baking, playing pickleball with her husband Jim, and traveling.

https://www.choose2think.co/

There is so much trauma in the world - much of it is unresolved and carried around with us. It shows up in many ways - most of which are unhealthy. So how do we heal our trauma to move into a healthier life? How does our faith help us heal? We explore these curious questions in this episode with the author, podcast host, and coach Danielle Bernock.

Guest Info:

Danielle Bernock is a childhood trauma survivor who turned her pain into purpose as an international, award-winning author, dynamic speaker, host of Victorious Souls Podcast, trauma-informed self-love coach, and founder of 4F Media. Her energy, authenticity, and humor help others feel safe and empowered to embrace the change from surviving to thriving.

Website Podcast

Books: Emerging With Wings Because You Matter

Communication is hard - especially when you're married. Not only do we bring different personalities to the table, but we bring all sorts of different ways to think, feel, and do. No wonder it's such a challenge at times to communicate effectively to the one you spend the most time with! Our guests on this episode bring not only a ton of wisdom to the conversation, but they bring their own personal experiences as a married couple who has worked hard to figure this out for themselves.

Guest Information

Pastors Wes and Toni Ruth Smith are the senior co-pastors of Williamson's Chapel United Methodist Church. They have been married for 18 years and bring with them a great knowledge of experience and pastoral wisdom to share. You can find out more about Wes and Toni ruth by clicking HERE.

We all experience pain and suffering in our lives. And, we tend to respond with, "why is this happening to me?" The truth is that we may never know the "why" behind things, but we can spend quality time exploring the curious question of "is there purpose to be found within this painful experience?" Our guest today has experienced her fair share of suffering in her young life and is a true inspiration. You will be blessed by her story.

Guest Info

Mary Ana Smith is a junior in high school and a member of Williamson's Chapel United Methodist Church. She is passionate about finding the purpose in pain and looking for the ways God is working through our lives. She has a podcast of her own called Wisdom for the Journey where she explores topics young women and teen girls often struggle with such as faith, body image, and mental health. Links Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5Uu2JAIKUqk7fem8It6t5t Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wisdomforthejourney/

The holidays are not so jolly for many people. Grief, sickness, financial worries, stress, relationship issues, and so many other "life" events can lead us to feel "off" during the holidays. We want to enjoy the festivities and have fun, but we just can't. What do we do about that? In this episode, we will hear from not only a wise pastor but a woman who has struggled with this in her own life.

Guest Info

Pastor Toni Ruth Smith is the co-senior pastor of Williamson's Chapel United Methodist Church in Mooresville, NC. She co-pastors alongside her husband, Wes, and they have two teenage children.

It's one thing to love someone - it's another thing to love them as Jesus loves them. Those who follow Christ feel as though they know what this looks like and practice it daily. But are we TRULY loving them like Jesus?

Our guest on this episode has studied love in a very profound way after experiencing losses and challenges in her own life. Her wisdom comes shining through in this episode. Guest Information

Kim Sorrelle is an entrepreneur, director of a non-profit organization, author, speaker, and lover of all people. Four months after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, her husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, passing away just six weeks later. Kim began questioning the true meaning of love so she dedicated a year to figuring it out. The things that she discovered about love are unlike anything you've heard before and are chronicled in her book, Love Is.

Author of Love Is: A Year-Long Experiment Living Out 1 Corinthians Love Author of Cry Until You Laugh: Real Love, Real Pain, Real Funny Interview with Jack Canfield - Chicken Soup for the Soul

Sharing our faith with others can be intimidating, uncomfortable, and scary. What if they ridicule us? What if we push them further away from God? What do we say? These fears are especially strong when the person we are talking to doesn't believe in God. How do we effectively share our faith with them?

Our guest in this episode is that person who once didn't believe in God. She was witnessed to by her husband and others and shares with us what was helpful in her journey to faith and how we can use those same tools in our own witness journey.

Guest Information

As an atheist who critically thought her way to faith, Wendy Cunningham believes it's important to evaluate where our beliefs about God come from as we consider where we might be mistaken. This is Wendy's first solo book project—she coauthored Success Through Failing—but she's been a writer for as long as she can remember. Her blog, www.gainingmyperspective.com, and her podcast by the same name satisfy her desire to inspire, empower, make people laugh, and share truth boldly. Aside from writing and podcasting, Wendy is an entrepreneur, a wife, and a homeschool mom of three. They're homesteading on 84 acres in Middle Tennessee when they're not traveling.

We hear it all of the time - how important it is to love yourself. This is rule #1 when building (or rebuilding) self-esteem. But to "agape" love yourself is so much more. It's a deeper love. It's the love Jesus has for us and that's a powerful love.

In this episode, we talk about how to truly "agape" love ourselves the way Jesus loves us. Our guest, Amy Connell, guides us through the importance of this practice and how to integrate this level of love into our everyday lives.

Guest Info

Amy Connell is a certified personal trainer who wants you to take a rest day and a nutrition coach who wants you to enjoy dessert. She founded Graced Health in 2016 to equip women with simple and grace-filled ways to take care of and appreciate their God-created body … and enjoy a little chocolate in the process. Amy is the host of the Graced Health podcast and author of Your Worthy Body: Find Freedom in Health by Breaking All the Rules. She lives in the Houston, Texas area with her husband, their two always-hungry teen boys, and her stray-turned princess pit bull, Grace.

Connect with Amy: GracedHealth.com Join the Graced Health community on Facebook! Instagram: @GracedHealth Facebook: @Graced Health [email protected] PurchaseYour Worthy Body: Find Freedom in Health by Breaking All the Rules