Ready to Thrive

Niki Hardy is a Brit in the USA, a rectal (yes, rectal) cancer survivor, pastor’s wife, tea drinker and teller of bad jokes. As a speaker and the author of Breathe Again: How to Live Well When Life Falls Apart (Revell, Aug, 2019) she’s all about meeting you when life’s not fair and helping you embrace the reality that with God, life doesn’t have to be pain-free to be full, then go live it. You can find more of Niki on Instagram, and on her website NikiHardy.com When she’s not speaking, writing, or running trails with her Doodles, you can find her with a nice cup of tea, trying to figure out which remote control actually turns the TV on.

Do you ever struggle to give yourself permission? To do the things you really want to do? Or to just be you? Do you ever get caught up in the ‘shoulds’ of life? Have you felt like you’ve lost yourself along the way? 

This week I want to give you ‘permission’ to go looking for who you are. I can’t tell you who you were created to be but I know the one who can. I want to leave you asking the question: “Where do I need to give myself permission to be who I have been created to be?” 

If fancy permission slips are your thing head over to jaclynweidner.com and click on ‘Resources’ where I’ve created a free download that might help with the process. 

This episode is “off the cuff” but I think has some good truth bombs in it! (if I do say so myself 😉) I think fearful thoughts and anxious ones are close cousins and they can be debilitating. If you’ve ever faced irrational thoughts connected to fear (everyone raises their hand) then have a listen but grab a pen and paper for this one. Write down the verses I share and begin to overcome this battle of fearful and anxious thoughts once and for all! 

This episode is short and sweet and will encourage you to take a nap! I love resting well and it is something I have not always known how to do.  I hope this episode encourages you to see rest in a new way and not as a luxury but as a vital part of living a thriving life. 

In her words Tara Bialek is a JESUS lover, wife, and mom of 3.  She taught high school for 10 years before retiring to run her wellness business.  The past 5 years she has been at home with her children loving most minutes 🤣 and running a business on the side.  This side hustle has helped them make a big move to FL from CT where her husband retired from teaching to pursue ministry in Orlando where they are part of an incredible ministry called Jesus Image.  She shares “God is so good and I’m so happy I can share a little about our lifelong journey with Jesus through motherhood, entrepreneurship, ministry and marriage life ♥️”

This episode is definitely the most personal so far as I share a bit of my experience with Post Partum Depression 2 years ago. My story is a bit unique in terms of how I came out of this season of my life, but it is a big part of why I started this podcast and what God has put in my heart to share. I only share a snapshot here but I hope to do a series on ‘soul care’ soon where we can dive deep into what it looks like to really uproot the things that are keeping us stuck. Similar to de-cluttering spaces in our homes, de-cluttering our soul can help us live more freely and lightly.

This week I talk about the process of beginning to purge. I discuss how a lot of our success lies in asking the right questions, where we begin, and why we sometimes are afraid to let go of things. I also discuss the process of acquiring new things and the importance of changing our mindset about what comes into our house. I also give a few extra purging tips and share some classic purging mistakes!

I am so excited to share this interview with you! Sabrina Schlesinger runs Mommentor.org as well as the Parenting on the Go and Marriage on the Go Podcasts. She drops nugget after nugget of wisdom as she shares about her own struggle to thrive over the course of these past few years.  

My favourite moments:

Enjoy my conversation with Sabrina and then go check out her podcasts! 

Often when we are paralyzed in a state of overwhelm we either don’t do anything or just run around in circles doing things that aren’t helpful. In this episode I talk about gaining momentum with doing the right things and when to ask for help. I discuss taking a good look at how we spend our time and asking for God’s help in renewing our minds.