Something doesn't feel right. Is that God warning you? Genuine discernment? Anxiety? An old fear being activated? Or simply a feeling that needs more information?

That distinction hasn't always been easy for me.

Growing up, I learned to read rooms, notice moods and adjust myself around other people. Later, therapy helped me understand both how those patterns had shaped me and how years of doubting my own perception had affected my ability to trust myself.

In this episode, I'm bringing those lessons together with the themes of Armed & Anchored to explore what healthy biblical discernment can look like.

We talk about:

• Why fear and discernment can begin with the same uneasy feeling

• The difference between noticing something and immediately drawing a conclusion

• Why urgency can be a clue that fear is driving us

• Why discernment isn't simply “trusting your gut”

• Learning to take your perceptions seriously without assuming they're infallible

• How awareness can tip into anxiety

• Why patterns matter more than isolated moments

• The difference between discomfort and danger

• Why feeling peaceful doesn't automatically mean something is right

• Receiving wise counsel without outsourcing responsibility

• How your past can affect the way you interpret situations

• Five questions to help separate observation, fear and wisdom

• Helping children learn to notice feelings without being ruled by them

Free resource:

Download the Armed & Anchored workbook free through my website www.johewlettauthor.com

You can also find Armed & Anchored and my memoir, Everything But the Past, through my website: www.johewlettauthor.com

Scripture:

James 1:5, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Proverbs 3:5–6, 2 Timothy 1:7

With love,

Jo

For years, I thought keeping the peace was one of the kindest things I could do.

Don't upset people. Smooth things over. Make allowances. Forgive. Move on.

But eventually I learned that peace which requires truth to be hidden, softened or denied isn't really peace at all.

In this episode of She Rises, I'm revisiting one of the central themes of Armed & Anchored — truth — through the lens of what I've learned in my own life.

We explore:

• Why outward calm isn't necessarily genuine peace

• How we learn to self-edit in relationships

• Why truth is foundational to stability

• The difference between feelings being real and being authoritative

• Why truth sometimes makes things feel worse before they get better

• The limitations of “my truth”

• How compassion can become distorted when it requires us to deny harm

• Why clarity isn't cruelty

• The cost of keeping peace at any price

• Boundaries, reconciliation and truth

• What children learn when adults avoid disagreement

• Why truth must also be allowed to confront us

• Four questions to help identify whether you're protecting peace or avoiding truth

Free resource:

Download the free Armed & Anchored workbook through my website www.johewlettauthor.com

You can also find both Armed & Anchored and my memoir, Everything But the Past, through my website www.johewlettauthor.com

Scripture:

Ephesians 6:14, Ephesians 4:15, John 14:6, John 17:17

It's easy to feel spiritually steady when life is going well. But what happens to our faith when circumstances change, prayers seem unanswered, fear rises or we simply don't know what happens next?

In this episode of She Rises, I'm revisiting Armed & Anchored and exploring what steady faith actually looks like under pressure.

Strong faith isn't the absence of fear, emotion or questions. Sometimes it's being deeply shaken and continuing to return to what is true.

We talk about:

• Why strong faith doesn't always feel strong

• What the shield of faith teaches us about pressure

• Why faith can't be built around the outcome we want

• The difference between optimism and trust

• What “standing firm” actually looks like

• Why urgency makes discernment harder

• How slowing down can be an act of faith

• The quiet, ordinary ways faith is tested

• Why spiritual formation happens before the crisis

• The difference between discernment and anxiety

• What children learn from watching us handle pressure

• Faithfulness versus trying to control the outcome

• Three questions to help you return to steadiness when life feels difficult

Free resource:

Download the free Armed & Anchored workbook through my website and work through the reflection questions at your own pace.

www.johewlettauthor.com

Armed & Anchored:

A 7-Week Guide to Reclaiming Biblical Clarity, Discernment and Steady Faith in a Confused World is also available through my website.

www.johewlettauthor.com

Scripture:

Ephesians 6:13, Ephesians 6:16, Isaiah 26:3, 2 Timothy 1:7

After 75 episodes of She Rises, I’m sharing something morepersonal than ever before: my memoir, Everything But the Past: A Family, a Secret and the Courage to Break the Pattern.

In some ways, this book began long before I understood thestory I would eventually tell. From around the age of nine, I carried a deep sense that one day I would write a book. Years later, as my faith grew, that quiet conviction became something I believed God was repeatedly asking me toobey — even when I doubted whether my story mattered or whether anyone would want to read it.

For years, I also believed strength meant moving on.Difficult things had happened in childhood, but I thought they were dealt with and safely in the past.

Eventually I learned that acknowledging the past is not thesame as living in it.

In this episode, I share why I finally became willing to look back, how therapy challenged the story I had told myself about who I was, and why I chose to tell something so personal publicly.

I also talk about growing up in an era — and a family —where difficult things were often left unspoken, brushed aside or carried quietly. Part of my reason for telling this story is the hope that another woman might recognise herself, not necessarily in what happened to me, but in what happened afterwards.

We talk about:

• The childhood sense that one day I would write a book
• Why obedience sometimes comes before confidence
• Why “moving on” isn’t always the same as healing
• The difference between what’s wrong with me? and what shaped me?
• Shame, self-editing and survival patterns
• Growing up around silence and things that weren’t talked about
• Why understanding the past isn’t the same as blaming it
• Why another woman might recognise herself in the aftermath
• Truth, family and boundaries
• Faith, restoration and learning to live differently

Scripture:

Isaiah 61:3

Everything But the Past is available now through my ⁠website⁠ or ⁠Amazon⁠.

https://www.johewlettauthor.com/

https://amzn.eu/d/05HzrlgV

https://a.co/d/08pJsBy5

With love,

Jo

#SheRisesPodcast #EverythingButThePast #ChristianWomen #ChristianMemoir #FaithAndHealing #BreakingGenerationalPatterns #TraumaHealing #BeautyFromAshes

This week's episode of She Rises is a little different.

I'm recording this one while I'm away on holiday, so consider it a little pause in the middle of everything — a chance to step away from the usual routine, breathe, and think about what God might be doing in the quieter seasons of our lives.

But there is another reason I wanted to record this episode.

Something has been happening behind the scenes at She Rises.

Something I've been working towards for a very long time.

And next week, I'm finally going to be able to tell you about it.

I can't tell you everything yet…But I can tell you that I'm excited, slightly terrified, incredibly grateful — and very ready to share it with you.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why sometimes we need to step away from the usual rhythm of life

• The things that happen behind the scenes before anyone sees the finished result

• Learning to trust God with the next step rather than needing the whole plan

• Why we sometimes confuse being ready with being certain

• What God might be asking you to do in this season

• And a little teaser for something very special coming next week

A question for you

Is there something you've been putting off because you're waiting to feel completely ready?

Perhaps instead of asking God to show you the whole plan, you could simply ask:“What's my next step?”

Sometimes that's enough.

Next week…

I'm finally going to tell you what I've been working on.

And I can't wait.

Thank you for being here, for listening, and for being part of She Rises.

I'll see you next week.

#SheRisesPodcast #ChristianWomen #Faith #ChristianLiving #WomenOfFaith #FaithJourney #NewChapter

When there is no obvious breakthrough, fresh instruction, dramatic shift, or visible progress, we may begin to wonder whether God is still working.

In this final episode of the Vision & Courage series, Johanne speaks to the woman living in the hidden, ordinary places of faithfulness: the same kitchen, the same prayers, the same responsibilities, and the same quiet obedience.

Drawing attention to the hidden years of Jesus, this episode gently challenges the belief that visible movement is the only evidence of purpose.

For Christian mums, this matters deeply. So much of the holy work of home, motherhood, marriage, caregiving, and spiritual formation does not photograph well. Yet God sees the prayers whispered in tiredness, the gentle answer, the boundary held, the meal made, the child comforted, and the obedience repeated.

This episode is a calm reminder that ordinary life is not a waiting room for your real calling. It is often the very place where faith is formed, holiness is practised, and deep roots grow.

Quietness is not absence. Hidden does not mean forgotten. Faithfulness still matters.

Scripture

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” Colossians 3:23

Reflection Questions

Where does my life feel quiet at the moment?

Have I interpreted quietness as absence, failure, or lack?

What hidden obedience might God be asking me to value again?

Am I waiting for life to feel more purposeful before living faithfully today?

How might God be building deeper roots in this season?

Resources For You

If this series has helped you slow down, recognise what is shaping you, and return to a steadier way of walking with God, I’d love to invite you to explore Armed & Anchored.

It is a seven-week guide for Christian women who want to become more discerning, more rooted in Scripture, and more able to stand steady in a noisy and emotionally demanding world.

You can find Armed & Anchored through my website at johewlettauthor.com.

If This Episode Encouraged You

If She Rises encourages you, you can support the podcast and keep it ad-free here: https://ko-fi.com/johannehewlett

Please leave a review or share it with a friend who needs peace, clarity, and hope today.

With love,

Johanne

Goal-setting can sound sensible, even spiritual, while quietly becoming another source of pressure.

For many Christian women, planning no longer feels neutral. It can carry fear: fear of falling behind, wasting time, failing our families, losing control, or not becoming the woman we think we should already be.

In this third episode of the Vision & Courage series, Johanne explores how to set God-aligned goals without slipping into panic or striving.

Rooted in Proverbs 16:3, this episode reminds us that planning with God is different from asking Him to bless a pressure-filled agenda we have already created.

God-aligned goals begin with listening. They respect thereal life we are living, the capacity we actually have, and the season God has placed us in.

This is not a conversation about hustle with Bible language attached. It is about becoming women who can plan wisely without gripping tightly, pursue order without worshipping control, and hold outcomes lightly while walking responsibly with God.

A God-aligned goal does not need panic to make it holy.

Scripture

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” Proverbs 16:3

Reflection Questions

Where have I confused pressure with responsibility?

What am I trying to fix quickly rather than steward faithfully?

Is this goal shaped by God’s peace or by fear?

What is one area God may be asking me to tend in this season?

How can I plan wisely while holding the outcome lightly?

Resources For You

If this episode has stirred something in you around rebuilding steadiness, discernment, and peace, Armed & Anchored is a gentle next step.

It is a seven-week guide for Christian women who want to become more rooted in Scripture and more discerning about what is shaping their thoughts, choices, homes, and faith.

If you are in a season where your foundations need rebuilding in a more personal and structured way, you may also want to explore Rise & Restore.

You can find these resources on my website: johewlettauthor.com

If This Episode Encouraged You

If She Rises encourages you, you can support the podcast here: https://ko-fi.com/johannehewlett

Please leave a review or share it with a friend who needs peace, clarity, and hope today.

With love,

Johanne

One moment we are at peace with the ordinary work God has given us. The next, we feel unsettled by someone else’s home, marriage, children, confidence, calling, ministry, or visible fruit.

In this second episode of the Vision & Courage series, Johanne speaks to Christian women who are tired of measuring their hidden faithfulness against someone else’s visible outcomes.

Through a calm, Scripture-rooted lens, this episode explores how comparison distorts not only the way we see ourselves, but also the way we see God. It can whisper that He is more present, more pleased, or more active somewhere else.

Drawing from Galatians 6:4, Johanne invites listeners back to stewardship: the actual life, home, relationships, capacity, and season God has entrusted to them.

This is a gentle but honest conversation about social media, spiritual inadequacy, motherhood, ordinary obedience, and the peace that returns when our attention comes back to God.

Scripture

“Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.” Galatians 6:4

Reflection Questions

Where does comparison most often steal my peace?

What does comparison make me believe about myself?

What does it make me believe about God?

What has God actually entrusted to me in this season?

What would faithfulness look like today if I stopped measuring it against anyone else?

Armed & Anchored

If comparison has been quietly draining your peace, Armed & Anchored may be a helpful next step.

It is a seven-week guide for Christian women who want tobecome more discerning about what is shaping their thoughts, emotions, faith, and sense of identity.

You can find Armed & Anchored through my website at johewlettauthor.com.

If This Episode Encouraged You

If She Rises encourages you, you can support the podcast and keep it ad-free here: https://ko-fi.com/johannehewlett

Please leave a review or share it with a friend who needs peace, clarity, and hope today. With love,

Johanne

In this opening episode of the Vision & Courage series, Johanne explores what it means to say yes to God without demanding the whole map first.

For many Christian women, obedience does not feel simple. It lands inside real homes, families, responsibilities, relationships, and emotional histories. Saying yes to God may affect our time, energy, safety, capacity, and sense of control.

This episode gently explores the difference between wisewaiting and fear-filled delay. Sometimes waiting is obedience. But sometimes overthinking becomes a way of protecting ourselves from the vulnerability of trust.

Rooted in Isaiah 30:21, this conversation invites listeners to notice where they may be waiting for confidence when God is offering peace.

Courage does not always arrive before obedience. Often, it grows as we take the next faithful step.

This is not a call to rush, strive, or force boldness. It is an invitation to walk steadily with God, trusting that He is present in the step as much as in the outcome.

Scripture

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’” Isaiah 30:21

Reflection Questions

Where might I be calling something “waiting” when it may actually be fear?

What small step have I been circling but not taking?

Am I asking God for wisdom, or am I asking Him for certainty?

What would obedience look like if it was quiet, ordinary, and small?

Armed & Anchored

If this episode resonates with you, my book Armed & Anchored was written for Christian women who want to become more rooted, discerning, and steady in a noisy world.

It is a seven-week guide to help you notice what is shaping your thoughts, return to Scripture, and build a faith that is not easily shaken.

You can find Armed & Anchored through my website at johewlettauthor.com.

If She Rises encourages you, you can support the podcast here: https://ko-fi.com/johannehewlett

If This Episode Encouraged You

Please leave a review or share it with a friend who needs peace, clarity, and hope today.

With love,

Johanne

This is a podcast for Christian woman who want to explore what it means to move from survival into spiritual maturity — not through intensity or busyness, but through steady formation shaped by Christ’s words.

This episode is for Christian women who feel overwhelmed, reactive, or stuck in survival mode and want lasting spiritual steadiness.

If you want practical steps to move from survival mode to spiritual steadiness, this episode is for you.

We explore deliberate ways Christian women can reinforce their foundations — shaping your thinking, strengthening your pause, and increasing your tolerance for discomfort.

This is about formation, not perfection.

Ready to go deeper? My Rise & Restore course is designed to help you rebuild peace, identity, and steady rhythms with God at the centre. Use code PODCAST for 25% off. https://www.johewlettauthor.com/she-rises

FREE 5-Minute Devotional⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.johewlettauthor.com/free-devotional⁠⁠⁠

If She Rises encourages you, you can support the podcast here: https://ko-fi.com/johannehewlett

If This Episode Encouraged You:

Please leave a review or share it with a friend who needs peace, clarity, and hope today.

With love,

- Johanne