Ready to Thrive

If you have ever struggled with fearful or anxious thoughts this is the episode for you! First of all, you are not alone! Far before the Pandemic I felt helpless and hopeless when it came to fearful and anxious thoughts. I felt powerless against them. They were just happening to me!

I am so glad that is not how God has intended for us to live. But I just didn’t know any other way. I am praying and trusting this episode will give you some aha moments for yourself. Maybe realizing ways in which you have let fear into your mind or how you may have cultivated fear in your life. And I get it, that is what I used to do! I trust you will leave this episode equipped and strengthened in the battle against fearful and anxious thoughts.

If you felt encouraged through this episode please pass it on to someone in your life that may need it as well. We often don’t realize just how many people are battling fear and anxiety privately.

Like any other personality tool, the Enneagram is simply that, a tool. And as AJ Sherrill shares, we can use it to find out a little bit more about ourselves, not just to gain more insight but to experience transformation through Christ. One of the things that has been key in my own transformational moments with Jesus is first a moment of awareness. An aha moment. Which is what I always hope will happen for you as you listen to Ready to Thrive. That somehow along the way you will hear someone else share their story and you will have your own moment of realization that will help you connect with Jesus and experience transformation! And I hope that happens for you today.

AJ Sherrill is an author, a pastor and an adjunct professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he teaches popular courses on transformational preaching and the Enneagram. He just released his latest book, The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation: How Knowing Ourselves Can Make Us More Like Jesus. 

When was the last time you felt fully rested? If you are a mama of young kids you might be going back years to find the answer. I get that!

This episode isn’t meant to add another to-do to your plate but rather to help you let go of some of the things that might be holding you back from deep rest. Learning how to rest well has been a challenge for me and still can be at times. So if it doesn’t come naturally to you I get that! And if you STILL want a little more encouragement in the area of rest - check out episodes 43, 44 and 45, all dedicated to helping you slow down and find rest.

If you want a little more encouragement towards rest check out my 5 Days to Deep Soul Rest right here.

Jenny Randle is an Emmy award winning editor, a national speaker and a chart-topping podcast host. She is also the author of Getting to Know God’s Voice: A 31-Day Interactive Journey. But most notably she is receiving an award as my first ever repeat guest! If you want to hear more from Jenny after this one, check out Episode 29 on growing in your creativity!

This is maybe one of the most important topics we can discuss on Ready to Thrive. Learning to turn down the noise of the world and discern the voice of God is key to walking out a thriving life. I trust this episode will give you aha moments as you listen and that you will feel like you have a better understanding of what hearing God’s voice might look like in your own life.

Guess What?! I am giving away the first chapter of my book Tangled for free! If you have ever felt like you are tangled up in doubt, discouragement, fear, jealousy, and so much more, I get that! That is why I am giving away this first chapter. To help give you a boost towards becoming - Untangled. Click here to snag yours!

And if you want a deeper dive check out my go-at-your-own-pace Tangled course! (In the course you get a pdf copy of the book, weekly videos and 2x month zoom calls with me!

This is one of my favourite episodes to re-release to you because I think so many of us are dealing with the symptoms of junk in our heart but we don’t really know what to do about it. Just like we may have struggled to know how to purge the excess clutter in our home, we often are unaware how to tackle what is going on in our hearts.

Often we feel like not dealing with the junk in our hearts is protecting us, when really it is damaging us from the inside out. This process of facing what is really going on inside and taking it to the only One who can really do something about it is one of the most freeing and life-giving things you can do.

And if you want a deeper dive into this freedom I am giving away the first chapter of my book Tangled for free! If you have ever felt like you are tangled up in doubt, discouragement, anxiety, anger, and so much more, I get that! That is why I am giving away this first chapter. To help give you a boost towards becoming - Untangled. Click here to snag yours!

And if you want an even deeper dive check out my go-at-your-own-pace Tangled course! (In the course you get a pdf copy of the book, weekly videos and 2x month zoom calls with me!

Jamie Grace is a 2-time Grammy Nominated singer and songwriter. She won a Dove award for New Artist of the Year and is the author of Finding Quiet: My Journey to Peace in an Anxious World. At the age of 11 she was diagnosed with Anxiety, Tourette’s Syndrome, ADHD and OCD, and within a few years began to share her joy and her struggles, along with her music on YouTube. She became a “teen star” which in itself has so many joys and challenges. Now as a married mama of a sweet daughter Isabella she is still writing and producing music and learning to find quiet in our noisy world.

This was such a fun conversation with Jamie and I loved the wisdom she shares along the way. She is an example of what it looks like to thrive despite difficult circumstances. I know this episode will move you one step closer to thriving.

Guess What?! I am giving away the first chapter of my book Tangled for free! If you have ever felt like you are tangled up in doubt, discouragement, fear, jealousy, and so much more, I get that! That is why I am giving away this first chapter. To help give you a boost towards becoming - Untangled. Click here to snag yours!

And if you want a deeper dive check out my go-at-your-own-pace Tangled course! (In the course you get a pdf copy of the book, weekly videos and 2x month zoom calls with me!

I find staying on top of clutter to be one of the most challenging parts of running our home. Whenever the clutter piles up it is easy for me to feel defeated, overwhelmed, and like I just want to give up! Anyone else? (Side note - anyone with a baby or a toddler in tow remember to give yourself lots of grace in this area!!)

Getting rid of what we don’t use, need, or like is a huge part of keeping the clutter under control. AND doing our part to manage what actually makes its way into our house is key! I used to have a terrible habit of just shopping during my kid-free time. I always wanted to make sure we had everything we needed and were fully prepared for whatever may come our way. This wasn’t helpful and I don’t think it really saved us much money in the long run. (It may have even cost us more.) I am still learning to purge what we don’t need and not acquire stuff just because shopping can feel like the only option during kid-free time. It’s a process!

Guess What?! I am giving away the first chapter of my book Tangled for free! Click here to snag yours!

And if you want a deeper dive check out my go-at-your-own-pace Tangled course! (In the course you get a pdf copy of the book, weekly videos and 2x month zoom calls with me!

One of the most common sentiments I hear from women is “I don’t think I feel Joy.” Whether it is a major curveball they have been thrown in their life or just the everyday mundane talks that have sucked the life out of them, many women are walking around feeling absolutely joy-less.

Talasi Guerra just released her new book Joy Like a Mountain and I wanted to know from her - someone who has lived through the experience of joylessness to joyfulness, “How can we get there?” “Is it possible to experience joy again?”

I hope this episode inspires, equips and encourages you towards joy in your life. I believe it is possible friends. I believe the God we love and serve can bring beauty from ashes and joy when we can not feel it.

The verse I share in this episode tha t I could not remember at the time is from Jeremiah 31:3-4. “ The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful.”  This is my prayer for you - if you are feeling joy-less that you will cling to this promise as you lean into the One who brings us joy.

In 2007, Talasi experienced radical life-change when God brought her through a period of healing from her long battle with anorexia and depression. Since that time she has been passionate about bringing light and life to the world around her by sharing her story through writing and speaking. Her new book Joy Like a Mountain will challenge, encourage, and inspire you to reclaim Joy in your life.

Are you a fan of de-cluttering or purging? Have you tried it but yet stuff still seems to linger everywhere? I have found that a huge part of my experiencing overwhelm is related to clutter in my home.

Things need places to live in our homes or they become clutter. This is a 2-part episode and today we tackle systems! We need systems in place for paperwork, clothes coming in, birthday party loot bags, gifts from grandma, you name it.

In this episode we ask “What is not working currently in your home” and we step outside of our problem to solve it.

*Also if you would LOVE to clear the clutter but you just don’t have the energy - go back and listen to last Friday’s episode on building momentum first!*

Guess What?! I am giving away the first chapter of my book Tangled for free! Click here to snag yours!

And if you want a deeper dive check out my go-at-your-own-pace Tangled course! (In the course you get a pdf copy of the book, weekly videos and 2x month zoom calls with me!

We spend soooo much time at home, and this year even more so than ever. What if being at peace in our home went beyond our decorating style and de-cluttering skills and moved towards intentionally praying over our space and dedicating it to God?

Like so many of my favourite conversations this one went in a direction I was not expecting. Shannon and I set out to talk about decorating our homes and we ended up discussing how to bless and dedicate them.

And if you have you struggled to decorate or de-clutter in this season, Shannon has some great tips and encouragement for those of us who might have a little less energy towards our home maintenance right now..

Shannon Acheson is a mostly self-taught designer, decorator, writer, and stylist. Although  she has completed her interior design training, she’d much rather teach you how to decorate your own home than do it for you. She is the editor and designer behind the design and lifestyle company and blog HomeMadeLovely.com. Her happy place is in the suburbs of Toronto, where she is a Homebody with a capital H, a Jesus girl, a happy wife to Dean, and a non-traditional homeschooling mom of two teenagers and a twenty-year-old.

Guess What?! I am giving away the first chapter of my book Tangled for free! Click here to snag yours!

And if you want a deeper dive check out my go-at-your-own-pace Tangled course! (In the course you get a pdf copy of the book, weekly videos and 2x month zoom calls with me!