Impossible Beauty

Christyna Johnson is a Dallas-based, Non-Diet Registered Dietician whose nutrition philosophy is rooted in the social justice framework of Health at Every Size (R) and seen through the lens of Intuitive Eating. After years of personally struggling with negative body image, disordered eating, and anxiety, Christyna is thankful that she has now come to find a flourishing relationship with her body and food. She now loves helping others find that same freedom in their bodies and with food. As Christyna puts it, “Life was not meant to revolve around food and thoughts about our bodies. It’s a big world out there just waiting to be explored!”

I loved my conversation with Christyna. She’s so authentic, passionate, and just really fun to talk with. In our time together, she opened my eyes to aspects of cultural beauty and food that I hadn’t thought of before. It’s also so clear that Christyna is a compassionate advocate for her clients and anyone struggling in their relationship with food or their body. My hope is that as you listen today, you might notice any subtle nudges or invitations within yourself to step into more freedom in your relationship with food or body image. Or maybe you’re needing to see the profound beauty in the authenticity of who you are. Either way, Christyna’s voice has been a great encouragement in my life. I hope that her voice may do the same for you.

Daron Babcock is the founder and executive director of Bonton Farms near Dallas, Texas. Starting as a garden in a small lot, Bonton Farms has grown into two fully functioning, organic farms, one in the Bonton community and a separate 40-acre farm south of Dalllas. Before the Farm’s presence Bonton was what was considered a food desert.

The mission of Bonton Farms is “to restore lives, create jobs and ignite hope in a once forgotten and neglected neighborhood with some of the most marginalized people.” So many beautiful things are happening at Bonton Farms, with even more plans in the works. It has been some time since I’ve experienced a mission and a place full of so much purpose and life. Daron’s love for the people there and his passion for bringing about meaningful change is stunning. I truly can’t wait for you to hear more about his story, his heart, and his work at Bonton Farms. I have a feeling that his story may change yours as well.

My time with Allen Arnold was such a gift. He totally breathed new life into the concepts of creativity and living life as a true adventure. Allen Arnold is an author (The Story of With and Chaos Can’t) and speaker. He is also the Executive Producer of Content for John and Stasi Eldredge’s ministry, Wild at Heart.

In short, Allen’s passion is awakening people’s hearts to pursue their dreams and creativity with God. As Allen so poignantly says in our interview, when we bring something new into existence, we are “dancing with God to create good and beautiful things.” As a former fiction publisher, Allen oversaw the launch of more than 500 novels. He has now turned his attention to helping people live a better story. My hope is that by listening to Allen’s words today, he may inspire you and your heart in the midst of your own story as it unfolds in all of its creativity and adventure.

Today’s episode is a little different. Back in Episode 18, I shared a little about my story and why I’m so passionate about beauty and why I even started Impossible Beauty in the first place. In today’s episode, I share a bit more about why I care so much about this topic and why I hope you’ll join me in redefining beauty and seeking after true beauty. So please sit back and I hope you enjoy part two of “Why I’m So Passionate about Beauty.”

Can I just say that Ginny Owens is amazing?! For years, I have listened to and loved her music and in our time together, I experienced firsthand how very authentic and beautiful her heart and her faith are. For those of you who are new to Ginny Owens, she is a singer/songwriter and speaker, who was named the Gospel Music Association’s 2000 New Artist of the Year. Ginny has also won 3 Dove Awards, multiple ASCAP awards, sold over a million records, been a top performer on the Christian radio charts, and impacted mainstream audiences at Lilith Fair, The Sundance Film Festival, and the White House.

Having been blind since she was three years old, Ginny’s unique perspective on life and faith has a way of helping others see with more clarity. For years, she has been inspiring audiences with life-giving songs and stories of encouragement. That same sense of perspective, clarity, and encouragement permeated our conversation. I can’t wait for you to hear Ginny’s perspectives on cultural beauty, as well as true beauty, a beauty that has the power to move us.

My conversation with Bunmi Laditan was so refreshing. Bunmi is simultaneously hilarious and full of wisdom. She also has the invaluable gift of putting you completely at ease in her presence. Bunmi is a writer living in Quebec, Canada whose work ranges from the humorous to the poetic, including titles such as The Honest Toddler, Confessions of a Domestic Failure, Dear Mother, and her most recent book, Dear God: Honest Prayers to a God Who Listens.

In my time with Bunmi, she shares about her fascinating journey of faith; a journey of exploration, hitting rock bottom, and coming to know God in intimate and unexpected ways. She also shares about some of the unneeded pressure on women, from beauty standards to what we eat, and how pivotal it is for us to see ourselves and others as lovingly and beautifully created by God.

The work Ben Higgins is doing in the world is undoubtedly inspiring. While you may know him from ABC’s twentieth season of The Bachelor, Ben has gone on to use his platform to do beautiful things in the world. Alongside a couple of his friends, Ben founded Generous International, a for-profit company that invests 100% of its profits from coffee and apparel into life-changing partner organizations that improve education, create jobs, feed children, and empower communities to eliminate poverty.

Ben also recently released his first book entitled Alone in Plain Sight: Searching for Connection. In his book, Ben shares how he went from feeling deeply alone and dissatisfied to finding authentic connection with himself, with others, and with God. My interview with Ben was so encouraging. In our time together, he reminds us that we each have deeply purposeful lives. As he says in his book, “we need to break out of our silos and come together for something bigger than ourselves.” I’m so excited for you to listen in and be reminded of how deeply beautiful life can be when we connect with ourselves, with other people, and with the God who loves us deeply.

I absolutely loved my conversation with Javoni Cobb. Javoni is an eating disorder recovery coach at the Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland. She has her master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and currently works with teens and adults struggling with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and body image issues. In her work with clients, Javoni seeks to help them break free from disordered behaviors, to discover food freedom, body acceptance, and self-compassion.

In our time together, Javoni and I cover so many important topics: how beauty standards impact our relationship with food and our bodies, the dead end that is comparison, and how “healthy” comes in all kinds of body shapes and sizes. I laughed with Javoni and learned so much from her. I’m so excited for you to listen in.

Kellie Haddock inspires me. She has lived through tragedy and found hope on the other side and now inspires others to do the same. Kellie is a singer, songwriter, wife, and mom. She is a former widow whose music draws on real-life stories of beauty, heartache, hope, and the celebration of life. Kellie has performed in Iraq, Israel, China, and across the U.S. and her albums include Leave the Light On, Wild Love, and her Christmas album Peace on Earth. She has sung and spoken alongside Tim Keller, Christine Caine, Marianne Williamson and worked alongside Sara Groves and Sandra McCracken.

Additionally, in the wake of tragedy and losing her husband, the Thank you Project was created, a short film featuring Kellie’s story. The film has attracted more than 150 million views and has been featured on The TODAY Show, The Huffington Post, and Cosmopolitan. What strikes me most about Kellie is her authenticity; she lives her message. She has gone to the depths of heartbreak and learned to trust God in new and beautiful ways. I’m so excited for you learn more about Kellie, her story and her inspiring perspectives on hope.

Kristy Cambron is a vintage-inspired storyteller, writing from the space where art, history, and faith intersect. She’s a Christy Award-winning author of historical fiction, including her bestselling debut, The Butterfly and the Violin, and nonfiction, including the Verse Mapping series of Bibles and Bible studies. A self-proclaimed history nerd, she loves to chase all things research, going behind the scenes at a Ringling Bros. Sarasota mansion, touring a former TB sanitarium, and exploring the backroads of Ireland.

Kristy holds a degree in Art History/Research Writing and spent 15 years in education and leadership development for a Fortune-100 corporation, partnering with such companies as the Disney Institute, IBM/Kenexa, and Gallup before stepping away to pursue her passion for storytelling. Her work has been named to Publishers Weekly Religion & Spirituality TOP 10, Library Journal Reviews’ Best Books, RT Reviewers’ Choice Awards, received 2015 & 2017 INSPY Award nominations, and received a 2020 Christy Award for her novel, The Painted Castle. Currently, Kristy resides in Indiana with her husband and three sons, where she continues to pen her upcoming novels.

My time with Kristy was such a gift. Her faith and her ability to take the “long view” of life were especially striking to me. In our time together, she reminded me of the importance of staying attuned to God’s leading and attuned to those sacred moments filled with eternal beauty.