Elevate Life Podcast

The Courage to Change | Stepping Into a New Season

Episode Description:

Change is never easy—even when it’s the change we’ve been praying for.

In this episode of the Elevate Life Podcast, Eric Spaulding explores the challenges and opportunities that come with major life transitions. As one cohort of Elevate Life Network Leaders graduates and steps into the workforce, a new group begins their journey toward career stability, personal growth, and meaningful community.

What happens when the familiar season of life ends, but the next chapter hasn’t fully begun yet?

Drawing from the biblical story of Joshua leading the Israelites across the Jordan River (Joshua 3), Eric unpacks a powerful truth: the river often comes before the promise. Real transformation requires courage, faith, and the willingness to step forward even when the path ahead is uncertain.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why change feels so difficult even when it’s good for us

• How community and accountability make transformation possible

• Why faith often requires stepping into the unknown first

• The role of structure, mentorship, and purpose in breaking cycles of poverty

• How career development and personal growth can lead to lasting life change

Through biblical insight, modern examples, and reflections from the work happening at Elevate Life Network, this conversation highlights what it takes to move from survival to stability—and ultimately toward purpose.

Whether you’re navigating a career transition, seeking personal growth, or simply feeling stuck in your current season, this episode will challenge and encourage you to take your next step.

Because sometimes the most important thing we can do is simply step into the river.

About Elevate Life Network

Elevate Life Network is a workforce development and life transformation nonprofit based in Canton, Ohio. Through coaching, community, and career training, ELN helps individuals overcome barriers and build sustainable careers that lead to long-term stability and generational change.

Learn more or support the mission:

🌐 https://elevatelifenetwork.com

In this powerful episode of the Elevate Life Podcast, the Mayor of Canton, Bill Sherer II, sits down with our Leaders to share a hopeful, practical vision for the future of Canton.

Mayor Sherer outlines key priorities shaping Canton’s momentum—citywide revitalization, paving all roads and alleys, expanding job opportunities, and even how the city is managing extreme cold weather right now. Beyond infrastructure, he offers a candid look at workforce development and why the skilled trades remain one of the strongest, most future-proof career paths available.

Drawing from his own journey in the Iron Workers Union, Mayor Sherer explains the real benefits of union trades: competitive pay, excellent benefits, in-demand jobs that are resilient in the age of AI, and a clear path to long-term stability. He also shares the personal influence of his father—a lifetime union member—whose example helped shape his work ethic, values, and career direction.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in:

The future of Canton, Ohio and local revitalization efforts

Workforce development and job growth

Careers in the skilled trades and unions

AI-resistant, high-demand career paths

Leadership shaped by real-world experience and family legacy

🎧 Tune in to hear how vision, hard work, and opportunity are coming together to build a stronger Canton—and how today’s Leaders can be part of that future.

In this episode of Elevate Life Podcast, we talk honestly about one thing every person faces—but few feel prepared for: change.

Whether you’re navigating a job search, career transition, financial pressure, or an unexpected life shift, change has a way of showing up without asking permission. The question isn’t if change is coming—it’s how you respond when it does.

Recorded live at an Elevate Life Network Family Gathering, this episode explores:

The four common responses to change (Denial, Resistance, Exploration, Acceptance)

Why resisting change often keeps us stuck

How embracing change creates momentum and clarity

The role of mindset, resilience, and daily habits in personal growth

What it looks like to move confidently into the next phase of life and work

Blending real-life storytelling, modern philosophy, leadership insight, and practical next steps, this episode challenges listeners to stop waiting for the “right moment” and start engaging the process in front of them.

If you’re feeling uncertain, overwhelmed, or standing at a crossroads, this conversation will help you reframe change—not as something to fear, but as an opportunity to grow, reset, and move forward with purpose.

The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.

What separates a faith that is heard from a faith that is truly lived?

In Episode 52, we continue our journey through the book of James with Part 2 of the opening sermon, focusing on two of the most practical and challenging teachings in the New Testament: being doers of the Word and living without favoritism.

James confronts the gap between belief and obedience, reminding us that spiritual maturity is revealed not by what we know, but by how we live. This message calls believers to examine whether their faith is producing real action and whether their lives reflect the heart of Christ in how they treat others.

In this episode, we cover:

The difference between hearing God’s Word and doing it

Why obedience—not information—is the mark of mature faith

How spiritual self-deception keeps believers stuck

What “true religion” looks like in everyday life

Why favoritism contradicts the gospel

How the church is called to reflect Kingdom values, not cultural standards

This episode is a direct, challenging call to action, urging believers to move beyond comfortable Christianity and live a faith that is visible, obedient, and rooted in love.

🎧 This is Part 2 of Sermon 1 in the James series.

Together with Episode 51, this message lays the foundation for understanding what authentic, living faith looks like.

Key Scripture: James 1:19–27; James 2:1–13

Series: James – Faith That Lives

What does real faith look like when life gets hard?

In Episode 51, we begin a new sermon series through the book of James with Part 1, focusing on the first two foundational lessons James teaches believers living under pressure—lessons that are just as relevant today as they were in the early church.

James challenges us to move beyond comfortable Christianity and step into a faith that is tested, refined, and lived out daily.

In this episode, we explore:

How trials produce perseverance and spiritual maturity

Why James tells believers to consider trials joy

The difference between God testing our faith and temptation pulling us away

How unchecked desires lead to spiritual drift

What holiness looks like in everyday, real-life situations

How to prepare your heart and faith for the year ahead

This message is both encouraging and confrontational, calling believers to examine how they respond to hardship and temptation—and how those responses reveal the depth of their faith.

Whether you’re a long-time believer, new to faith, or entering a new season of life, this episode will help you build a faith that endures trials and resists temptation.

🎧 This is Part 1 of the James sermon series.

Be sure to listen as we continue unpacking what it means to live a faith that is alive, obedient, and mature.

Key Scripture: James 1:1–18

Series: James – Faith That Lives

In this milestone Episode #50 of the Elevate Life Podcast, Travis Pellegrino from The Canton Covenant Group delivers a powerful teaching on The Biblical Family and what it means to live out God’s design in our homes, churches, and communities.

This episode explores the biblical roles and responsibilities of fathers, mothers, and children, emphasizing how a strong family foundation shapes faith, character, and society. Travis goes beyond the idea of the nuclear family to reveal a deeper truth: God is our Father, and His model for family extends into how believers care for one another and live together as the body of Christ.

Listeners will be challenged to rethink family as more than shared bloodlines—seeing it instead as a spiritual calling marked by love, responsibility, discipline, grace, and mutual care. This message offers clarity, encouragement, and biblical wisdom for anyone seeking to build strong families and healthier communities rooted in God’s truth.

💚 Strong families build strong communities—and God’s design reaches far beyond our own households.

👉 Learn more about Elevate Life Network and our mission: Visit ElevateLifeNetwork.com.

In this episode of The Gift of Waiting, host Diana Spaulding unpacks the surprising beauty and purpose hidden inside life’s delays. In a world built on instant results, fast decisions, and immediate gratification, waiting can feel frustrating—or even unfair. But what if waiting is actually one of the greatest gifts we’re given?

Join Diana as she explores how seasons of waiting can:

✨ Reveal what we truly want—not just what we think we want in the moment

✨ Protect us from rushing into situations we’re not prepared for

✨ Strengthen our character, faith, resilience, and clarity

✨ Position us to receive exactly what we need at the right time

✨ Help us see God’s hand in the process, not just the outcome

Whether you’re waiting on a job, an answer, a relationship, a breakthrough, or a next step, this conversation offers comfort, wisdom, and perspective. Diana blends practical insight with spiritual grounding to help you walk through your own waiting season with purpose—not pressure.

Perfect for: anyone facing uncertainty, seeking encouragement, or wanting to understand the spiritual and emotional value of waiting.

Tune in and discover why the delay might be the very thing preparing you for what’s ahead.

In this encouraging episode of the Elevate Life Podcast, Diana Spaulding shares a heartfelt message from a recent Family Gathering with Elevate Life Network Leaders, focused on the power of acts of kindness during the Christmas season.

Diana challenges listeners to look beyond the busyness of the holidays and intentionally live out love through simple, meaningful actions. From everyday generosity to small moments of compassion, this talk reminds us that kindness isn’t just seasonal—it’s a calling that reflects the heart of Christ.

Rooted in faith, community, and real-life application, this episode invites you to consider how your words, time, and actions can bring hope, healing, and joy to those around you—especially during a season when many feel isolated or overlooked.

💚 Kindness changes lives. One small act can open doors, restore dignity, and remind someone they are seen and valued.

👉 Get involved: Learn more about Elevate Life Network or support our mission at ElevateLifeNetwork.com.

In this thought-provoking episode of the Elevate Life Podcast, Eric Spaulding sits down with Travis Pellegrino of the Canton Covenant Group for a deep and honest conversation about one of the most important questions in the Christian life: How do we wrestle with sin?

Together, Eric and Travis unpack powerful topics including:

Are we still slaves to sin—or truly free in Christ?

Is the modern church living out the Acts model of discipleship and community?

How do believers actually overcome sin and walk in holiness?

What is the difference between political Israel and spiritual Israel—and why does it matter?

How do we recognize and resist spiritual battles in our daily lives?

This Q&A-style episode blends biblical wisdom, honest reflection, and practical insight for anyone seeking to understand sin, spiritual freedom, and authentic Christian community. Whether you’re new in faith or spiritually seasoned, you’ll walk away challenged, encouraged, and equipped.

👉 Get connected: Learn more about Elevate Life Network, join our mission, or support our programs at ElevateLifeNetwork.com.

In this heartfelt Thanksgiving-season episode of the Elevate Life Podcast, Executive Director Diana Spaulding shares her powerful Family Gathering message: “Who’s At Your Table?”

Diana unpacks what it truly means to share a table—not just a meal, but your life, your story, and your heart. Drawing from personal reflections, community experiences, and Elevate Life Network values, this episode explores the lessons we learn around the table: gratitude, grace, honesty, belonging, and the courage to make room for someone else.

Discover how opening your table can open the door to healing, connection, and purpose. You’ll be encouraged to reflect on the people who have shaped you, the voices you allow into your life, and how God might be calling you to invite others into your circle of growth and community.

💚 This episode is a reminder: A shared table can change a life. Sometimes, it can even save one.

👉 Connect with us or support our mission: Visit ElevateLifeNetwork.com to learn how to enroll, volunteer, or partner in helping others find belonging and hope.