Impossible Beauty

After leaving her childhood home on the island of Bonaire in the Caribbean, author, slow-living guide, and podcaster, Jodi Grubbs, had assumed the rapid pace and hustle culture in the U.S. Soon, she realized that burnout had crept in, and God was inviting her to a return to the "island time" of her past.

In her book, Live Slowly: A Gentle Invitation to Exhale, and in today’s conversation, Jodi invites us to grasp a more sustainable approach to life, anchored by the pauses of spiritual practices and an openhandedness before God. Jodi desires to give us all permission to slow down, to see what we’re missing when we don’t slow down and shares practical ways to adopt more gentle life rhythms. She also kindly shares about more tender parts of her journey, such as learning to trust God again after losing her first husband. 

If you’re ready to take a deep breath and settle into a slower, more intentional way of life, this conversation is for you.

Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

Amidst the pressures and messages of diet and wellness culture, it can be hard to know how to help the next generation establish a healthy relationship with food. And that’s where Oona Hanson comes in. 

Oona Hanson is an educator and parenting coach. Through her writing, workshops, and private consultations, she supports families in raising kids who have a healthy relationship with food and their body. Oona also worked as a Family Mentor at Equip, where she was part of a multidisciplinary care team treating children with eating disorders. She has been featured in television programs, like Good Morning America, and her work has been featured in various publications, including People, USA Today, US News & World Report, Today, CNN, and The Washington Post.

In our time together, Oona discusses what lies from diet culture she sees at work in the lives of the families she works with, how a focus on “healthy eating” can become harmful, myths and misunderstandings about eating disorders, and ideas on how to help kids and teens develop a life-giving relationship with food. If you’re looking for help walking away from diet culture and modeling something different for the next generation, this episode is for you.

Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

Given the pain and suffering in the world, when life isn’t so beautiful, it can be hard to know how to interact and relate with God. In today’s episode, Dieula Previlon helps us see how leaning into our questions with God can bring about healing and transformation in our lives. 

Dieula is a licensed professional counselor, ordained minister, certified life purpose coach, and the founder of the non-profit, ElevateHer International Ministries. ElevateHer works to empower women around the world to heal from trauma and become instruments for healing, peace and hope through large and small group trauma healing training. 

In my time with Dieula, we talk about her new book, Does God See Me?: How God Meets Us in the Center of Our Trauma-Healing Journey. Dieula helps us see the importance of lament, why integrating hope is pivotal in the trauma healing journey and reminds us that we are indeed seen by God.

Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

Words have the power to form us. And that has indeed been the case for author, youth pastor, and podcaster, Micha Boyett. In today’s conversation with Micha, she explains how living with the beatitudes, while raising her son with Down syndrome and autism, has deeply formed her.

In our time together, she talks about the Dream of God, a reality in which everything is defined by the love of God, and how that concept has shaped her. She also talks about a renewed understanding of what ‘blessing’ means and how we hold the tension of longing for the Dream of God, while living in a very broken world. In Micha’s latest book, Blessed Are the Rest of Us, she was invited into a new way of living in the world, a way of wholeness and flourishing that Jesus taught about. And in today’s conversation, she invites into that same way of living.

Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

In today’s conversation, I was blown away by how a popular therapy model demonstrates the image of God in each of us. More specifically, author and marriage and family therapist, Molly LaCroix helps us see the relevance of the Internal Family Systems therapy model on the journey to healing and wholeness.  

In our time together, we talk about her latest book, Journey to Shalom: Finding Healing, Wholeness, and Freedom in Sacred Stories. Molly helps us see the relevance of Biblical stories in our own lives, how our personal healing brings more wholeness in our relationships, and the God-given resources for resilience and healing that are innate in all of us. What I love about this episode is that it speaks to each person’s inherent beauty. I can’t wait for you to listen.

Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

So often diet culture disconnects us from our bodies and from having a peaceful relationship with food. In today’s episode, I talk with registered dietitian and therapist, Alice Baker, MSRD CEDS-C LMHC LPC LDN, about shedding unhelpful beliefs from diet culture.  

Alice Baker has over 27 years’ experience in the field of eating disorders. She currently sees clients in private practice as a dietitian and/or therapist, facilitates support groups, presents locally and nationally, and supervises new dietitians in the eating disorder field. In my time with Alice, we talk about the normalization of disordered eating in our culture, the infiltration of diet culture in the church, and how a non-diet approach is compatible with health. Thankfully, Alice also gives us some practical ideas on how we can move toward wholeness in our relationship with food and our bodies amidst diet culture.  

Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

Dr. Jason Nagata is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, and is an expert in eating disorders, particularly in boys and men. He has published over 300 articles in academic journals and serves as Senior Editor for the Journal of Eating Disorders, on the International Advisory Board of The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Adolescent Health.  

In my time with time with Dr. Nagata, we consider the damaging effects of societal body image ideals among boys and men. We also discuss the lack of research and awareness regarding eating disorders in males, the increasing prevalence of eating disorders in general, the normalization of disordered food and exercise-related behaviors in athletics, and how social media plays into body image struggles and eating behaviors. According to Dr. Nagata, 2/3 of American teenagers want to change their bodies. In today’s episode, he helps us better understand food and body image-related struggles among boys and men. This is such an important episode; I’m so glad you’re here.


Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

Joy Marie Clarkson has learned the art of seeing goodness, truth, and beauty in our midst and she helps us do the same.  

In case you are new to Joy, she holds a PhD in theology from the University of St. Andrews and is the author of two books, Aggressively Happy and, most recently, You Are a Tree. She is also a research associate in theology and literature at King's College London and the books editor for Plough Quarterly.  

In our time together, Joy shares about how teaching a course on the idea of beauty in Western Theology has shaped her views on topic, as well as her study of how art can prepare us for death. Joy also explains the power of the metaphors we use and how those metaphors shape us and our experience. In our discussion, and in her latest book, You Are a Tree, she helps us move away from impersonal, productivity-oriented metaphors to help us live into more life-giving and generative ways of being human.


Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

Heather Creekmore is a podcaster, mom of four, body image coach, and author. In our time together, Heather describes what inspired her to write her latest book, The 40-Day Body Image Workbook, as well as why she’s so passionate about guiding women out of diet culture and into truth. Heather also describes what has helped her improve her own relationship with her body, she exposes lies associated with diet culture, and helps us reframe aging in a helpful way.

If you have ever struggled with body image or beauty ideals, my hope is that Heather’s story and authentic reflections will help you feel less alone and bring you greater freedom.

*This episode mentions eating disorder-related thoughts, behaviors, and symptoms. Please use your discretion when listening and speak with your support system as needed.

Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.

In today’s episode I talk with Dr. Charlotte Markey about body image pressures impacting us and the next generation. Dr. Markey is a body image expert, professor of psychology and director of the Health Sciences Center at Rutgers University-Camden. She has authored several books, including The Body Image Book For Girls: Love Yourself and Grow Up Fearless, Being You: The Body Image Book for Boys, and the forthcoming Adultish: The Body Image Book for Life. 

Dr. Markey also writes monthly for U.S. News and World Report, Psychology Today, as well as other publications, focusing on individuals’ eating behaviors, body image, and health. She has also been featured in and interviewed by The New York Times, The Economist, The Today Show, ABC News, Time Magazine, and Men's Health, among others.

In our time together, we talk about recent trends related to social media use and body image, how to build body confidence in ourselves and the next generation, as well as what’s behind the increasing rates of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders among males. Dr. Markey’s wisdom is a needed voice in our increasingly image-focused society. May we become thoughtful observers of these trends, so we can opt out of the messages and beliefs that don’t bring life.  

Buy Melissa L. Johnson's book, Soul-Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless, here. Learn more about Impossible Beauty and join the community here.