Get Well, Live Well, and Thrive

We are constantly feeding our brains new information, but when was the last time you actually nourished your soul? I’m sharing a simple, powerful practice of "lingering" that can shift you from a state of high-alert anxiety back into a place of deep joy and strength.

You can’t pour from an empty cup, and you certainly can’t fill a cup that’s moving too fast to catch the water. In this special "meditation" episode, I’m inviting you to step out of the swirl of rumors, stress, and unknowns to sit in the stillness for a moment. We aren't just talking about abstract ideas; I’m walking you through the exact breathing and thankfulness practice I used during my cancer journey to keep my peace up when everything else was crashing down.

Inside this episode, we slow down to explore:

• The Joshua Effect: Learning the power of staying in the room and "lingering" long after the meeting is over.
• The Science of a Breath: How intentional breathing acts as a physical and spiritual reset for your nervous system.
• Beyond the Surface: A challenge to move past "shallow gratitude" and into the deep, honest thankfulness that changes your perspective.
• The "Backpack" Strategy: How to actually receive and take ownership of the grace and strength you’ve been given so you can use it later.
• Thirst and Hydration: Why your soul needs regular connection just as much as your body needs water.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, or just plain tired, take this as your permission slip to stop. Let’s sit, breathe, and linger together.

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little hope today. Until next time, keep growing, keep trusting, and keep choosing to get well, live well, and thrive.

I think sometimes we read historical stories and imagine that everyone involved had it all together, but that’s rarely the case. We’re digging into a moment when a group of close friends received earth-shattering news they couldn't wrap their heads around, and how that messy reality can actually give us a whole lot of peace today.

You don’t have to know the whole story to trust the author. In this conversation, I’m doing something I love—placing myself right into the middle of the story to get a raw, human look at what was actually happening. We’re heading to a dinner table in Jerusalem where the guests were confused, awkward, and totally clueless about what was coming next.

Inside this episode, we explore:

• The "Jersey Nod": How my roots helped me imagine the silent (and very human) communication between Peter and John.
• Hope, Courage, & Faith: My four pillars for every conversation and why being "right" is less important than moving forward.
• The Awkward Dinner Party: Imagining the stares and whispers when Jesus dropped a bombshell (and why we often feel the same in our own lives).
• Peter as a Mentor: Why I love the guy who asks too many questions and isn't afraid to look messy.
• The Power of "Not Yet": Learning to trust God’s timing when you’re stuck in a season of uncertainty.

If you’re feeling stagnant, overwhelmed, or like you should be further along by now, this perspective shift is for you. We’re learning that a deep relationship doesn’t require us to have all the answers—it just requires us to show up with our questions.

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little hope today. Until next time, keep growing, keep trusting, and keep choosing to get well, live well, and thrive.

If your best friend only talked about themselves and never asked how you were doing, that relationship wouldn’t last long, yet that’s exactly how I was treating my faith. Today, I’m sharing how "tiny bids for connection" saved me from a lukewarm life and helped me face my biggest fears.

Stop trying to be a "perfect" person and just show up. In this episode, I’m getting honest about the emotional rollercoaster of publishing my book on cancer and why the "Good Christian" mask is actually keeping us from the peace we crave. We’re moving past the religious jargon to talk about the messy, beautiful reality of life—the curveballs, the pivots, and the scary unknowns.

Inside the episode, we discuss:

• The Wizard of Oz Effect: Why we're often terrified of the very person who loves us most.
• Head Knowledge vs. Heart Trust: The 2003 shift that changed how I live my daily life.
• Tiny Bids for Connection: How 30 seconds of honesty can do more for your soul than an hour of "forced" quiet time.
• The Cancer Perspective: Why hard times make it easier to be real, and how to stay grounded when things are actually going well.
• Authentic Friendship: Why I don't want the "cleaned up" version of you—and why you don't need it to thrive.

Whether you're facing a health crisis, a career pivot, or just feeling a bit "meh," this conversation is an invitation to breathe, trust, and finally be known.

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little hope today. Until next time, keep growing, keep trusting, and keep choosing to get well, live well, and thrive.

I was saying it out loud—
“I believe you, God. I believe you.”

And then one day… He stopped me.

Not harsh. Not condemning.
But clear: “You believe me… but do you trust me?”

That question hit deeper than I expected.

In this episode, I’m sharing a real moment from my own life where God showed me the difference between believing He can… and actually trusting Him with what I’m walking through.

As we head into Easter, this is something I’m still working out in real time.

If you’ve ever said you trust God—but still find yourself holding on, overthinking, or carrying it all… you’re not alone.

Take this back to Him. See what He says to you.

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little hope today. Until next time, keep growing, keep trusting, and keep choosing to get well, live well, and thrive.

This is the final stop on Self-Care Island… and we’re ending with something that matters more than anything else we’ve talked about.

Authenticity.

Because real self-care isn’t just about rest, boundaries, or taking time for yourself—it’s about finally being honest about who you are.

In this episode, I’m sharing what it looks like to:

• Stop trying to fit into someone else’s mold
• Let go of the fear of what people think
• Reconnect with the version of you that may have been pushed down for years

So many of us have spent our lives being everything for everyone else… and somewhere along the way, we lost ourselves.

But here’s the truth:
Taking care of yourself starts with knowing yourself.
And giving yourself permission to be you—fully, confidently, and without apology.

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t even know who you are anymore…
If you’ve been holding back your voice…
If you’re ready to stop shrinking and start living honestly…

This episode is for you.

Let’s wrap this series the right way—by coming home to who you really are.

#self-care, #women's health, #self-care island, #authenticity, self-growth, mid-life self-care, 

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little hope today. Until next time, keep growing, keep trusting, and keep choosing to get well, live well, and thrive.

Today is episode 50 and International Women’s Day, and I wanted to take a moment to honor the women who shape our lives—mothers, mentors, friends, coworkers, and those who have encouraged and supported us along the way.

But in this episode of the Healthy Self-Care Series, I also want to talk about something deeper.

When most people think about self-care, they picture things like rest, a day off, a massage, or getting away for a while. Those things can be good, but real self-care often goes much deeper than that.

Today I want to talk about a kind of self-care that doesn’t get discussed very often:

Radical honesty.

The kind of honesty where you pause long enough to ask yourself real questions about your spiritual life, your habits, your mindset, and the direction you’re heading.

In this episode, I share part of my own story—how hitting rock bottom years ago forced me to get honest with God and with myself, and how that honesty became the turning point that changed everything.

We’ll talk about:

• Why honesty is one of the most overlooked forms of self-care
• The difference between surface-level self-care and real transformation
• How comparison and social media keep many women stuck behind masks
• Why brokenness and vulnerability can become a doorway to growth
• How getting honest with God can bring clarity, healing, and freedom

If you’ve been striving, exhausted from trying to hold everything together, or sensing that it’s time for a deeper reset in your life, this episode is for you.

Sometimes the breakthrough we’re looking for doesn’t come from doing more.

Sometimes it begins with the courage to simply be honest.

Season 2 | Healthy Self-Care Series | Episode 50

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little hope today. Until next time, keep growing, keep trusting, and keep choosing to get well, live well, and thrive.

Most women don’t struggle with knowing what to do…
they struggle with doing it consistently.

If you’ve been feeling off, overwhelmed, or like you can’t stay steady—this episode will meet you right there.

We’re talking about the simple daily disciplines that actually help you:

• stay grounded when life feels chaotic
• take care of your spirit, mind, and body
• build consistency without pressure or perfection

This isn’t about rigid routines or doing more.
It’s about small, daily rhythms that quietly change everything.

Inside this episode, we’ll walk through:

• the habits shaping your life right now
• why discipline is actually a form of self-care
• simple practices you can start today

If you’re tired of waiting for “someday” to take care of yourself…
this is your starting point.

Season 2 | Healthy Self-Care Series | Episode 49

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little hope today. Until next time, keep growing, keep trusting, and keep choosing to get well, live well, and thrive.

I'm so tired." "I don't have enough time." If these are the phrases on repeat in your head, it’s time for an intentional pause.

Host Dana Lions welcomes you back to the Get Well, Live Well, Thrive podcast to kick off a brand-new season focused on "Healthy Self-Care." This isn't another "how-to" list or a set of chores; it’s an invitation to "Self-Care Island"—a space designed for receiving, not doing.

Highlights from this episode:

• Striving vs. Receiving: Why the hardest part of self-care is simply giving ourselves permission to show up.
• Soul Dehydration: How to recognize when you are more than just "tired."
• The Self-Care Island Visual: A 3-part visualization (The Chair, The Water, and The Circle) to help your body and spirit find a safe place to rest.
• Biblical Encouragement: A look at Isaiah 55 and why "coming and taking" is a gift, not a task.

Your Challenge: This week, practice the 5-minute "check-in." When you feel depleted, use that as your alarm clock to head to your "chair" and receive.

Season 2 | Healthy Self-Care Series | Episode 48

Connect with Dana: Visit gritandgraceenterprises.com or email [email protected].

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little hope today. Until next time, keep growing, keep trusting, and keep choosing to get well, live well, and thrive.

This is short and to the point. It's ok to try new things; in fact, we should. It's how we grow and learn. Some of those new things, though good, simply don't work out for a variety of reasons. The original name of this podcast is Get Well, Live Well & Thrive. I decided to broaden the name, and although I still could use it and I believe in it, it didn't feel like the right fit over time, so I made a U-turn and went back to the original name. The message remains the same, no matter the name, but I tried it, and it wasn't the right name or the right fit for me. 

I'm glad you're here. Make yourself at home and let's grow together. 

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little hope today. Until next time, keep growing, keep trusting, and keep choosing to get well, live well, and thrive.

The world is loud, messy, and chaotic—and if we’re honest, it’s only getting more intense. But here’s the truth: I can’t fix the chaos around me, and neither can you. The only person I can truly steward, take ownership of, and change is the one I see in the mirror.

In this episode, I’m slowing us down. I’m inviting you to step off the hamster wheel of stress, fear, and survival mode and take a few moments for yourself—to breathe, to quiet your soul, and to get grounded again. Call it meditation, devotion, self-care, or quiet time—it doesn’t matter what you name it. What matters is that you make space to pause and reset.

I’ll walk you through what I’m calling The Ripple Effect—a reminder that every word we speak, every choice we make, and every attitude we carry creates ripples that reach our families, our friends, our communities, and the world around us. You don’t have to live a reactive and exhausted life. You get to choose your ripples.

This episode is your permission to slow down, breathe deep, and remember: the greatest transformation starts with the person in the mirror.

If this episode encouraged you, please follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little hope today. Until next time, keep growing, keep trusting, and keep choosing to get well, live well, and thrive.