Cynthia thinks that this may be her favorite interview with Dr. Ioana so far. They go deep into beliefs as one of the seven levels of freedom. Dr. Ioana shares about her atheist background in communist Romania and their commonly held belief about Christians. Just because you believe something… it doesn’t mean it’s so.  She made the decision to believe there is a God, and He let her know right away that it was true. What are you believing right now that is not true but is affecting your day, your life, your happiness… your salvation?  

Dr. Ioana is the co-founder of the Team For The Soul TM. Team for The SoulTM  supports passionate leaders, healers, educators and caregivers on their life and soul journey to achieve the highest potential while doing what they love toward the betterment of humanity.

Dr. Ioana is not only a physician and life coach, but also an educator, workshop presenter, speaker and program developer. As a life coach Dr. Ioana walks alongside her clients to bring a steadfast hope that change is possible, no matter how difficult. With dedication, skill, professionalism, and warmth, she brings a calm, safe, compassionate and grounded presence, and creates a nurturing relationship in which every person feels heard, seen, understood and can pursue change toward achieving their highest potential in life.

www.teamforthesoul.com

God created our bodies to thrive on certain foods, and scripture tells us what these foods are. We have been given a manual so to speak on how to be good stewards… the problem is, our food supply has been tampered with, and is very different from what it was in the old testament.  Today join Cynthia as she speaks with Maureen Diaz from God’s Good Table.  A former homesteader with 9 children, Maureen has great knowledge and resources that we can all use.

After watching family struggle with health issues and dealing with her own, Maureen knew there were answers beyond the advice conventional medicine gave.  She set out on a journey to learn and study traditional healing and cooking from every book she could get her hands on and every holistic practitioner she could find. She has been sharing what she has learned with her family, friends, and community for over 30 years!  Maureen has a passion for teaching, cooking, kayaking, showing immense love for all the people who join her at the kitchen table, and being an amazing wife and mother to 9 children.  

www.Godsgoodtable.com

https://www.​godsgoodtable.com/god-given-​food-polyface-2023

Cynthia absolutely loved talking with Kari Kapakis about being a mom, and knows that you will enjoy her also.  Taking care of yourself while raising kids is a privilege and a responsibility.  What a gift to be able to be an example of good stewardship for your kids!  But how do you find the time, and what exactly do we mean by self care?  You’ll find out today!

Kari Kampakis is an author, speaker, podcaster, and newspaper columnist from Birmingham, Alabama.

Her books for teen girls, 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know and Liked: Whose Approval Are You Living For, and her bestselling books for moms, Love Her Well and More Than a Mom, have been used widely across the country for small group studies.

Kari’s work has been featured on The TODAY Show, TODAY Parents, Focus on the Family, EWTN, Bethany Hamilton’s Mother/Daughter ‘Ohana Program, Yahoo! News, Grown & Flown, FaithGateway, Jesus Calling, Your Teen, Mother.ly,  For Every Mom, Love What Matters, Ann Voskamp’s blog, The Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and other national outlets. She and her husband, Harry, have four daughters and a dog named Lola.

Learn more by visiting www.karikampakis.com or finding Kari on Instagram, Facebook, and the Girl Mom Podcast.

Today Cynthia wants you to get to know Fr. Ted Paraskevopoulos.  Almost 5 years ago, he realized that he needed to make some big changes in his life for his health, relationships, work, and family.  How did he do this?  Today you’ll find out!  This is a good podcast for all of us, but it also may be especially for any younger priests out there who need some ideas on how to be their best while serving God and the Church. 

Rev. Fr. Theodore (Ted) Paraskevopoulos B.Th., Ma.Th., D.Min. (ABD)

Fr. Ted has been serving in our Archdiocese since 2006 where he was ordained a deacon and served the communities of Saint Nicolas Greek Orthodox Church in Scarborough and Prophet Elias in Mississauga. It was at Prophet Elias that Fr. Ted was ordained a priest, and then was sent to his first community of Saint Demetrius in Winnipeg, Manitoba. After serving for six years in Winnipeg, Fr. Ted returned to Toronto and assumed the leadership of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church, where he continued to serve for the next 8 1/2 years.

Fr. Ted has a bachelor of theology from the Patriarchal Toronto Orthodox Theological Academy, his masters of arts in theology from Saint Vladimir Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York and is currently finishing his doctoral thesis under the same institution.

Fr. Ted is married to his wife, Joanna, and has three children; twins Katerina , and George, and a younger son Angelo.

Today Cynthia had the pleasure of meeting Lauren Joyce… another Christian health coach who works with women to make their lives everything God created them for.  How do we become good stewards of our time and our bodies?  Lauren has some excellent tips today that we can all use!

Lauren Joyce is a mom to two wonderful young boys, wife to a fabulous husband, Healthy Living & Biblical Mindset Coach, BUT most importantly a Jesus-loving encourager! 

Lauren helps Christian moms prioritize their health so they can get to a weight they love, live with more energy and less stress, all while keeping God as the focus on their health journey. 

Lauren believes living healthy can be simple and fun and ultimately allow you to deepen your relationship with the Lord and help you create the mom life you love.  

https://www.lauren-joyce.com

Cynthia is so happy to introduce you to Corey Hatfield. Recently she read an article Corey wrote on finding joy in chaos… beauty in suffering… and knew she had to meet her.  Her story is one of inspiration and her advice and knowledge of biblical truth is sound.  We know you are going to enjoy this episode!

Corey Hatfield is the mother of five nearly grown children (ages fifteen to twenty-one) and has been married to Arin, her college sweetheart, for almost twenty-four years. Together, they live with their youngest daughter in a small mountain town in southern Colorado alongside their two dogs, two cats, six barn cats, five chickens, one lamb, and an occasionally visiting buck, whom the family has affectionately dubbed "Roy." On their eighty-acre homestead, she finds herself continuously and simultaneously loved and challenged amidst the wildness of nature. In her free time, she enjoys reading memoirs and books on holistic and healthy living and Orthodox theology. She recently finished writing her first book, tentatively entitled "Shattered Wheat: A Memoir of Motherhood, Autism, Trauma, and Beauty" (currently unpublished), and her blog posts can be found at www.coreyreaganhatfield.blog. Much of her writing is fueled by her experiences in nature as well as the joy and chaos that has emerged while raising a violently Autistic son. Corey remains wholeheartedly committed to seeking beauty in brokenness and hopes her writing might help others do the same.

Doctor Ioana is back with Cynthia, and this time they talk about regeneration specifically.  What is it?  Why do we need it?  And, how can we do it?  They go deeper into the spiritual aspect of daily renewal today, and Dr. Ioana shares her own practices with us.  

Dr. Ioana is the co-founder of the Team For The Soul TM. Team for The SoulTM  supports passionate leaders, healers, educators and caregivers on their life and soul journey to achieve the highest potential while doing what they love toward the betterment of humanity.

Dr. Ioana is not only a physician and life coach, but also an educator, workshop presenter, speaker and program developer. As a life coach Dr. Ioana walks alongside her clients to bring a steadfast hope that change is possible, no matter how difficult. With dedication, skill, professionalism, and warmth, she brings a calm, safe, compassionate and grounded presence, and creates a nurturing relationship in which every person feels heard, seen, understood and can pursue change toward achieving their highest potential in life.

www.teamforthesoul.com

Cynthia brings back Michael Haldas to talk about self care and stewardship.  Would you go so far as to say that neglecting the body is a sin?  What does neglect look like?  Today Cynthia and Michael explore the holistic nature of how God created us. 

Michael Haldas is an author, a religious educator, and a speaker. He wrote the book Sacramental Living: Understanding Christianity as a Way of Life and Echoes of Truth: Christianity in the Lord of the Rings, which is available in both an illustrated version and a text only version; and a contributor to the anthology Amid Weeping There is Joy: Orthodox Perspectives on Tolkien's Fantastic Realm. Michael also has a long running podcast series with Ancient Faith Radio that is called Sacramental Living. Through the Orthodox Christian Network, Michael does weekly Live Adult Education classes and reflections. He teaches adult religious education at the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Bethesda, Maryland, and has done Zoom classes for the St. Nicholas OCA Cathedral in Washington DC. He has also worked with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Religious Education Department to create educational lessons and materials. Michael also writes poetry and his poems have been included in Tales of Chivalry: A Medieval Anthology, Maryland Bards 2022 and 2023 and Bard Against Hunger Anthologies, Sweet Melancholy of Autumn and From Darkness to Light chapbooks, and the Fellowship & Fairydust website. 

Cynthia enjoys another conversation with a fellow flyfishing guest, but we promise that they didn’t talk about fishing this time!  Social media is the topic today with Fr. Paul Jannakos.  Why do we as Orthodox Christians need to guard ourselves and put boundaries in place when it comes to the internet in general?  Is there a place for social media in our lives?  As Fr. Paul says, “...from an Orthodox standpoint, we cannot help but to recognize how dangerously demeaning and dehumanizing our “internet use” has grown.  We hope you enjoy this frank discussion and the tips that are shared. 

Fr. Paul Jannakos was born in E. St. Louis Ill. In September of 1976 he began his studies as a pre-theological student at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in NY, also taking courses at Concordia College/NY in Bronxville. In 1980 he graduated from Concordia College with a B.A. in Music. He graduated in 1983 with a M. Div. degree from St. Vladimir’s and was married to Michelle (Julylia) Jannakos in Cleveland Ohio, the year before, in 1982. Fr. Paul was ordained to the holy priesthood on March 3rd, 1985 by Bishop Boris in Chicago at Holy Trinity Orthodox Cathedral. He is currently the Rector of St. Luke Orthodox Church in Palos Hills and the Chancellor of the Chicago diocese of the OCA. Fr. Paul is also a licensed Psychotherapist with Ethos Counseling in Oak Brook IL. He loves to compose music, garden, and fly-fish.

Cynthia wants to introduce you to Fr. James Guirguis today!  He is the author of “Ask for the Ancient Paths,” and they talk about his background and journey to the priesthood. But there was a stop along the way while in college when his faith was not his highest priority.  What can we do for our young people as they prepare for college?  Fr. James has some great ideas, and he also has some wonderful self care practices to learn from!

The Very Reverend Father James Guirguis is the pastor of St. Raphael Antiochian Orthodox Church in Fuquay (Few-kway) North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh.  He has been a priest for 15 years.  He is married to Khouria Jennifer Guirguis and they have 4 children.  Father is also the author of "Ask for the Ancient Paths" published by Ancient Faith.  His weekly homilies can be found at https://outofegyptblog.wordpress.com/