Midlife Repurposed

While Jerry Dugan was overseas as a soldier prepping for battle, his wife was back home asking God pleading for his life. And though Jerry claimed no belief in God, he was praying anyway, asking God that if something should happen to him in battle to please send his wife a better husband to love her and raise their children. What he didn’t know was that God would make him into that husband.

Jerry is the host of Beyond the Rut, a show about helping you achieve your dreams without compromising your faith, family, or health and live the life you dream of living beyond the rut. Each episode brings inspirational stories and practical advice from those who have come before you. Jerry’s own life growing up through divorce, his dad’s attempted suicide, and combat have built within him resilience and the perspective that life is just too dang short to live it stuck in a rut. Today, Jerry is a Christ-follower, husband, and father living in Texas.

Show notes and resources

Have you ever stopped to ask why you do certain things? Maybe it’s time for a second look at how you use your resources and energy. Explore your motivation by looking at how the small purposes add up to bigger purposes.

• This is the start of season 5 of Life Repurposed. In this season, you’ll find a new cover image and new look for social posts. There’s an updated format to the show notes to help you find the most important nuggets of wisdom. Plus each episode will have a full transcript in the show notes.


• We’re kicking off this year and this season with a question. Why?


• What if you asked that after every decision or plan you made?


• Why start with why? (1) You know where you’re going. (2) It gives focus from distractions. (3) It stops you from making decisions you might later regret. (4) Keeps you going when it gets difficult and you want to quit. (5) Doesn’t only motivate the big goal, it motivates the decisions along the way.


• What would you do even if it didn’t provide any income because it provided something else that fulfills you?


• What would you stop doing because you can’t explain why you do it?


• For today, let’s put a why on the end of everything we do. Why am I buying this? Why am I using my time this way? Why am I eating chocolate right now? Why does that person rile me up so much? Why do I want to change? Why is there so much sand on this floor? Oh, maybe not that kind of why.

Show notes and resources

In this episode: A little bit of gratitude as we wrap up this podcast season. Plus three tips to keep your sanity over the holidays, and a free bonus.  

Show notes and resources

Darla Grieco went as a chaperone on her daughter’s school field trip as a lonely, broken woman, wondering what could possibly be next in her life. It led to rekindling a life-long dream when she decided to chase it!

Darla Grieco wondered what could possibly be next in her life. Then she went as a chaperone on her daughter’s school field trip. She describes herself as a lonely, broken woman, but what happened on the trip pushed her out of her comfort zone. Shortly after returning home, she rekindled her life-long dream of becoming and writer and started chasing it. 

Darla had sat on the sidelines watching other parents participate in games and activities on the field trip until someone pulled her into the action. Darla realizes how many experiences she has missed because she held back on participating.  

Show notes and resources

When Jodie Cooper found out her son was on the autism spectrum, it magnified her struggle with anger. Her marriage was already rocky. But instead of causing everything to fall apart, it forced her to face the challenges head on, and in the process, she found truth faith and discovered hope.

Jodie Cooper shared about how isolating it was when her son was born and her life changed. As her friends’ children hit milestones, she blamed herself, thinking she had done something wrong. But then some people suggested that they see some specialists. When her son was around 2 years old, they received a diagnosis that he is on the autism spectrum. 

She had it in her mind that if they had a diagnosis, her son would be fixed. But when it registered with her that it was going to be a long process, she started to experience the phases of grief.  

Jodie talked about how the challenges as parents brought some of their marriage issues to light more, and more specifically, she acknowledged that she had an anger problem. I love how vulnerable she was with sharing her struggles. Ultimately, pulling together for the sake of their children brought them closer together as a couple.  

Show notes and resources

After trying to keep all the artificial rules that went along with Christian faith, Michele Morin needed a fresh start when she found herself disillusioned. She started over with a renovated version of habits and spiritual practices.

This week, Michele Morin and talked about habits of holiness and healthy spiritual practices. After struggling with her faith, Michele found a new balance with being “intently haphazard” with her routines.

We found common ground as fellow boy moms. Michele said, “A boy home has a certain character to it and a certain decibel level.” She talked about how she learned to chill more with the mud and all of the things that come with boys.

We discussed Michele’s journey from a difficult home life to getting involved in a local church and then going off to college to major in Christian education. While she was there at a Christian college, she started to question her faith. She didn’t doubt the providence of God, but it was “the trappings” of Christianity that she struggled with. It was centered around checking boxes and doing certain things.

Show notes and resources

Robin Seaton adopted a son with autism, and God used some of their most difficult experiences to make significant changes in her spiritual growth and his. Where loneliness and frustration once reigned, now there is peace and joy.

This week, Robin Seaton talked about how she and her husband weren’t able to have children, and they had tried adopting several times before they finally adopted their son. They decided to go the route of adopting a child with special needs. At that time (in the 90s) autism was something that not many people understood, so when they adopted their son, Robin adapted from her initial fear of having a child with autism to really understanding her son’s needs.

When their son’s behaviors and acting out caused people to feel uncomfortable, it became easier and easier not to be invited. This increasing isolation was hard. Even friends who tried struggled. Playdates didn’t go well with her son who didn’t have social skills or verbal abilities.

Robin’s intense loneliness led to bursts of anger as she struggled with her son’s behaviors. She realized that her ability to cope on her own wasn’t what she had expected.

Show notes and resources

Over chocolate cake and lemon bars, Sue Donaldson creates heart connections with others who want to know what she once asked: Is God real? Sue opens doors to communication while she opens her home and has conversations with others around her table.

Sue Donaldson is back for an encore on the podcast as she talks about her chapter in the Life, Repurposed book. When Sue was in college, she wrestled with whether or not God is real, and in voicing those doubts, she found a safe place to process her thoughts. Now, Sue opens doors for others to ask the questions while she opens her home for hospitality and has conversations with others around her table. Over chocolate cake and lemon bars, she creates heart connections that go deeper than baked goods and coffee.

Show notes and resources

Kathy Carlton Willis isn’t waiting for life to become perfect. Instead, she’s asking God to use her broken as she fulfills her purpose and calling.

In this bonus episode, Kathy Carton Willis is back for an encore to talk about her chapter in the Life, Repurposed book. Kathy discussed how God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect before he gives us an assignment. Instead, he uses us broken. We caught up on her latest book too (see the resources below). 

If you’re waiting for the perfect moment to come, you might be inspired by Kathy’s journey! 

Show notes and resources

When Joanie Shawhan needed rejuvenation as a caregiver, she found that practicing gratitude made all the difference. She returns for an encore episode this week.

Joanie Shawhan is back for an encore interview! This time we talked about how she learned that gratitude helped her to find hope in the midst of a tough season of being a caregiver for her best friend in the final years of her life. Joanie herself is a survivor of ovarian cancer, and she has learned to look for the little things to be thankful for if she can’t find anything else.  

This is the first of three episodes with return guests that will air this week as we celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the Life, Repurposed podcast. Joanie has a chapter in the Life, Repurposed book, and we chatted about that in our interview as well.  

Show notes and resources