Not My Story

What if we saw ethnicity as a crucial part of our stories, connecting us not only to each other, but also to God? In episode eight of the Not My Story podcast, guest Tasha Jun talks about how discovering her ethnic identity became a pathway for greater understanding of God, herself, and the world. Tasha encourages us to consider how who we are and where we come from play an integral part in our own spiritual development and sense of belonging. Sarah and Tasha also discuss travel, writing, books, and more.

For full episode notes, to go notmystorypod.com. To connect with Not My Story or Sarah on Instagram at @notmystorypod.

Performance, praise, perfection—what happens when they’re not enough? In episode seven, Nicole Zasowski talks with Sarah about how she had built an identity and a career based on her achievements. She notes how she “treated God like a vending machine,” which even worked for a while—until it didn’t. A cross-country move became the turning point when Nicole’s carefully curated life began to crumble, and Nicole began to ask God some difficult questions. In this conversation, Nicole and Sarah talk about career, loss, identity, miscarriage, and how to hope when your hands are empty.

For more about Nicole and full episode notes, to go notmystorypod.com.

You can also follow Not My Story on Instagram at @notmystorypod.

Former running back turned financial advisor, Willie Smith, tells his story of when football dreams were shattered by injury at age seventeen. Willie and Sarah talk about misplaced identity and how to hold plans with an open hand. Willie also opens up about his experience as a black man in America, especially in the wake of events precipitated by the George Floyd murder. Willie generously shares his own stories and insights and offers thoughtful reflections on how America can continue to move forward toward racial equality.

To get full notes from today’s episode, go to notmystorypod.com, where you can also download your free, limited-time copy of the ebook Show Up.

In episode five, Michelle Krol opens up about what it’s been like to raise five sons (including quadruplets!) and how motherhood has been an unexpected avenue of healing from deep childhood wounds.

For full show notes, go to notmystorypod.com.

For updates, articles, and more from Sarah, you can also subscribe to her monthly newsletter.

Sarah sits down with lawyer and author Seth Haines. They talk about coping with pain, alcohol abuse, embracing a life of sobriety, and how stillness and solitude are avenues into deeper attachment to God.

Seth is a self-proclaimed working stiff who considers himself lucky enough to call the Ozark Mountains home. He has been married to the love of his life, Amber Haines, for twenty years, and together, they have four boys. Seth enjoys good sentences, good music, good food, and good fly fishing.

For notes from this and other Not My Story episodes, go to notmystorypod.com.

Follow this link to find out more about hope*writers and take the 30-second writing path quiz.

In episode three, Sarah welcomes Trevor Atwood to the Not My Story podcast. Trevor is lead pastor of City Church in Murfreesboro, TN, which he planted with his wife Keva in 2011. During this conversation, Trevor talks about how his life and marriage was taken apart and rebuilt by God during his five years in seminary.

For complete episode notes and ways to connect with episode guests, go to notmystorypod.com. You can also follow Not My Story on Instagram for additional news and guest info.

In episode two, Sarah chats with therapist and author K.J. Ramsey about chronic illness, suffering, and showing up for other people in the midst of grief and pain. K.J. also shares about her book This Too Shall Last: Finding Grace When Suffering Lingers.

For detailed notes and links from the conversation, visit notmystorypod.com. You can also connect with Sarah, K.J. and other Not My Story podcast guests on Instagram.

In this introductory episode, Sarah invites her husband Ben Westfall to help kick off the podcast and join her in telling a few of their own unplanned stories. They talk about their faith, family, and the loss that changed them.

For full show notes, go to notmystorypod.com.

Connect with the podcast on Instagram at @notmystorypod.

Welcome to Not My Story—a conversational podcast about faith and the unexpected. Author and speaker Sarah E. Westfall talks with guests about the unplanned pieces of their lives and how those narratives shifted their understanding of God.

Full episodes start May 2020, but you can catch the sneak peak here, where Sarah reveals what you can expect from the show.

To get the latest, subscribe to the show and follow along at NotMyStory.com or on Instagram.