She Rises with Rachel Clare

What happens when you love someone deeply but realize you cannot save them?

In this episode of She Rises, I sit down with Courtney Smith to hear her deeply personal story of navigating her husband’s addiction, fighting for her family, and finding her way back to God during one of the hardest seasons of her life.

Courtney grew up in a devout LDS home but stepped away from the Church shortly after leaving home. Years later, as her husband’s alcohol addiction intensified, she found herself questioning everything, carrying the weight of a family in crisis, and wondering what more she could do to fix things.

After years of therapy, multiple treatment attempts, and a breaking point that changed everything, Courtney began to discover a difficult but life-changing truth: she could love her husband without being responsible for saving him. What followed was a series of unexpected connections, extraordinary acts of generosity, and experiences that helped both Courtney and her husband find their way back to faith.

From a former seminary teacher unexpectedly knocking on their door to the quiet miracles that unfolded as Courtney began rebuilding her life, her story is a powerful reminder that God can meet us in our darkest seasons. Together, we talk about the difference between loving someone and rescuing them, the importance of boundaries, the power of personal testimony, and why no one is ever too far gone for God’s love.

Courtney’s story is a beautiful reminder that we don't have to have everything figured out to keep moving forward. Sometimes rising means setting a boundary, asking for help, taking the next step, or simply getting up each morning and trusting God to help us through.

As Courtney says, “You're never too far gone.”

You can find Courtney on Instagram @timetoprocesspodcast and you can find her podcast, Time To Process, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Life is hard.

And if your life feels hard right now, it doesn't mean you're doing it wrong, and it doesn't mean God has forgotten you.

In this Sit With Me episode, I'm reflecting on three themes I took away from October General Conference: life is hard, we need each other, and Jesus Christ knows and loves us individually.

The gospel doesn't promise a life without suffering. Instead, it offers us a Savior who walks beside us, strengthens our stride, and often sends help through the people around us. Sometimes, God's answer isn't to take away the hard thing, but to help us keep walking through it.

We'll talk about learning to stop being surprised that life is hard, recognizing the people God has placed in our lives, becoming a safe place for others to land, and remembering that God's presence isn't the question. Our willingness to turn toward Him and let Him in is.

If you're in the thick of something difficult, I hope this conversation reminds you that you are seen, you are loved, and you were never meant to carry it all alone.

A few things to sit with: Who are the people God has sent to help carry your burdens? Who in your life might need you to simply sit beside them in their hard? What would it look like to turn toward God a little more each day?

Thanks for sitting with me, friend. 🤍

What happens when you do everything you thought you were supposed to do—and life still doesn’t turn out the way you expected?

Vanessa Quigley is the founder of Chatbooks, a mom of seven, and a woman who has spent the last several years wrestling with that very question.

She “ran the playbook.” Family home evening. Scripture study. Seminary. Scouts. Church. Temple worship. She even memorized The Living Christ with her family. And yet, three of her children eventually stepped away from the Church.

In this honest and deeply vulnerable conversation, Vanessa and I talk about what happens when the blessings we thought would come from our faithfulness don't look the way we expected them to.

We talk about agency, disappointment, certainty, the danger of turning our relationship with God into a transaction, and what it means to keep showing up when we don't have answers. Vanessa shares how her wrestle with God eventually led her to a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ—and to a kind of faith that doesn't require certainty.

We talk about the lessons our hardest experiences can teach us, how suffering can make us more capable of recognizing and ministering to the suffering of others, and why we don't have to maintain the veneer of the “perfect family.” And then Vanessa shares a beautiful experience in the temple that gave her a phrase she has carried ever since: “A perfect brightness of hope.”

If you've ever wondered what you did wrong, if you've ever watched someone you love make choices you wouldn't have chosen for them, or if your life simply isn't unfolding according to the plan you thought God had for you, I think you'll find something here.

Because sometimes faith isn't about knowing how everything will work out. Sometimes it's about trusting that God knows how to make it right—and continuing to show up. Vanessa's story is a beautiful reminder that the story isn't over simply because it doesn't look the way we thought it would.

And maybe that's where the real rising begins.

What if joy isn't something we have to wait for?

In this episode of She Rises, I’m joined by my dear friend Sara Maier for a conversation about choosing joy, becoming, agency, and walking with Jesus through real life.

Sara and I have been friends for many years, and as our conversation unfolded, we found ourselves talking about something so many women can relate to: the feeling of being overwhelmed by life, family, church responsibilities, expectations, and the constant pressure to keep up.

Sara shares how the phrase “Let there be joy in living and becoming” became a personal theme for her—and how she began to see joy not simply as a feeling, but as something she could intentionally choose.

We talk about the difference between happiness, pleasure, and true joy; what it looks like to participate in the gospel because we want to rather than because we feel obligated; and how agency can completely change the way we approach our marriages, motherhood, callings, and discipleship.

We also talk about the beautiful—and sometimes uncomfortable—process of becoming more like the Savior. Sara shares how repentance has taken on a new meaning for her: not shame or punishment, but a loving invitation to change, grow, and become. And then we get very practical.

We talk about finding joy in simple things like reading a book, walking outside, playing, trying something new, spending intentional time with our spouse, planting flowers, noticing the smell of pine trees—and simply slowing down enough to recognize the goodness that is already around us.

Sara also shares a powerful perspective on walking with Jesus, including what it can look like to literally hand our burdens to Him when we don't know how to carry them anymore. And we talk about something I think every woman needs to hear: You cannot be something without becoming it first.

Becoming doesn't usually happen in one dramatic moment. It happens through small and simple choices, repeated over time, as we allow the Savior to refine us, soften our hearts, and fill in our gaps.

We also talk about what happens when our “pretty little package” of life unravels—and how difficult seasons can actually become some of the most important parts of our becoming. If you're feeling overwhelmed, stuck, spiritually tired, or simply wondering what the next chapter of your life is supposed to look like, I hope this conversation reminds you that you don't have to have it all figured out.

You can choose. You can begin again. You can let Jesus fill in your gaps. And you can keep becoming.

What if your morning wasn’t about getting more done—but about becoming more grounded, nourished, and connected before the rest of the world starts asking things of you?

In this little Sit With Me episode, I’m talking about the natural “new beginning” that comes with the return to school and the end of summer—and why September can be just as much an invitation to begin again as January.

I’m sharing the five simple things that help me feel centered and ready for the day: prayer, movement and being outside, scripture study, and meditation. None of them are revolutionary, and none require a two-hour morning routine. What matters most is consistency. Because maybe the person we become isn’t shaped primarily by the big decisions we make every once in a while. Maybe she’s shaped by what we repeatedly do on an ordinary Tuesday morning.

I also talk about the difference between beginning your day reactively and beginning it proactively—and why I’ve stopped thinking about my morning routine primarily as a productivity tool. When I give the first part of my day to the things that nourish my mind, body, and spirit, productivity most often becomes the byproduct.

Here's a little invitation for you: choose just three small things that help you feel grounded and like your best, most divine self. Do them consistently for one week, and pay attention to what shifts.

You don't need a new personality, a 17-step routine, or a 5 a.m. wake-up call. You just need to begin again.

Thanks for sitting with me. 🤍

Resources: Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

The two meditation apps I use and love: Calm & Headspace

What if the prompting you almost talked yourself out of following is actually the beginning of something God wants to do through you?

In this episode of She Rises, I’m joined by my dear friend Lizzy Jensen for a conversation that goes deep into revelation, the Holy Ghost, spiritual discernment, worship, and the small promptings that can lead to surprisingly big miracles.

Lizzy and I talk about the Liahona and what it teaches us about receiving personal guidance from God. The Lord has given us tools to help us navigate this life, but they require our “faith and diligence and heed.” And often, the things God asks us to do begin incredibly small.

We talk about how noisy and distracting the world has become, and why developing a personal relationship with the Holy Ghost matters more than ever. But this isn't a conversation about adding one more enormous spiritual obligation to an already-full life. In fact, Lizzy shares a beautiful reminder from 1 Nephi 16:29: “By small means the Lord can bring about great things.”

We also talk about finding light and truth in unexpected places—including learning from other Christian traditions, different kinds of worship, Christian music, and books outside our own faith tradition. Lizzy shares why she believes we sometimes miss out on the joy God wants to give us because we're too concerned with doing things exactly the way we've always done them.

She also tells the story behind The Living Christ Project, an incredible resource that puts The Living Christ to music to help individuals and families memorize it. What began as a prompting Lizzy felt completely unqualified to act on became a project involving musicians, artists, designers, and others whose gifts were exactly what was needed.

Lizzy and I talk about what it means to trust that when God asks us to do something, He will prepare a way to accomplish it—even when we don't have the skills, resources, courage, or confidence we think we need.

We also talk about a simple practice Lizzy has adopted after studying Elder Steven D. Shumway's devotional Simplicity That Is in Christ: beginning the day by asking God what matters most, then allowing Him to reorder the day.

Maybe the invitation in this episode is simply this: Pay attention. Ask. And when the prompting comes, take the next small step. You don't have to know how the whole thing will work. You just have to be willing to say yes.

Resources mentioned:

The Living Christ Project

“Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father” — Elder Neal A. Maxwell

“Simplicity That Is in Christ” — Elder Steven D. Shumway

“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives” — President Russell M. Nelson

Find Lizzy on Instagram at @thelizzyjensenshow and listen to The Lizzy Jensen Show wherever you listen to podcasts.

And if you're feeling like you don't know how to hear God, or you're wondering whether the little thought you've had is really a prompting, I hope this conversation reminds you that you don't have to have it all figured out.

Start small. Ask. Listen. And take the next step.

Welcome back to She Rises with Rachel Clare! After a little summer break—and a season of learning to embrace flexibility, let go of how I think things “should” be, and focus on what I can actually control—I’m so happy to be back.

In this first episode of Season 2, we’re talking about formation: the lifelong process of becoming.

Our divine identity is already established. We are children of Heavenly Parents. That truth isn't something we have to earn, create, or change. But the way we live out that identity is continually being shaped by the stories we believe, the habits we practice, and the people and voices we allow into our lives.

And if we're not intentional about that formation, we can easily find ourselves becoming someone we never actually intended to be.

In this episode, we’ll explore:

• The stories we believe — Why our thoughts are information, not necessarily facts, and how to question the stories our minds tell us.

• The habits we practice — How our repeated choices shape us over time, including our emotional and spiritual habits.

• The people we surround ourselves with — How our relationships, communities, podcasts, social media, authors, influencers, and other voices quietly influence who we become.

• The difference between identity and formation — Your identity as a child of God is secure. Formation is about how you are becoming.

• Keep, Release, Reform — A simple framework for looking honestly at your life: What should you keep? What needs to be released? And what might need to be reformed by Christ?

Most importantly, this episode is not about becoming a completely different person. It's about becoming more fully yourself in Jesus Christ—allowing Him to transform you without erasing the personality, gifts, history, humor, creativity, sensitivity, ambition, and uniqueness He gave you.

Your challenge for the next seven days: Pay attention.

Ask yourself:

What story am I believing?

What habits are forming me?

Who is forming me?

What is God inviting me to keep, release, or reform?

Because awareness is the first step toward intentional change.

I'm so glad you're here for Season 2! Thanks for joining me.

When Emilee Pearson was born with cystic fibrosis, her parents were told she likely wouldn't live into her teenage years. Today, she's 46 years old, celebrating 24 years of marriage, preparing to become a grandmother, and living a life filled with miracles she never imagined possible.

In this deeply moving conversation, Emilee shares how she learned to place God's promises above medical predictions, how faith carried her through life-threatening illnesses, motherhood, gestational surrogacy, the possibility of a lung transplant, and the breakthrough medication that completely changed the course of her disease.

But this episode isn't just about surviving impossible odds. It's about learning to see God's hand in ordinary moments. It's about choosing hope when fear feels easier. It's about believing that miracles didn't stop in scripture—they're happening all around us today. Whether you're facing a health crisis, grieving unanswered prayers, or simply wondering if God still sees you, this conversation will remind you that He is still writing miracles.

In this episode we discuss: • Living beyond a terminal diagnosis • Choosing faith over fear • Recognizing modern-day miracles • Motherhood through impossible circumstances • Gestational surrogacy and trusting God's timing • Why science and faith work together—not against each other • Developing "a believing heart" • Finding God's hand in everyday life • What it truly means to rise I hope you'll listen with an open heart.

I have a feeling this conversation will stay with you long after it ends.

Emilee can be found on Instagram @miracles_happen_em

In this uplifting and honest conversation, Rachel sits down with religious educator, speaker, and digital missionary Sonrisa Hasselbach to explore joy, confidence, faith, and the courage to keep showing up—even when life feels hard.

Known for blending gospel truth with humor, Sonrisa shares how her love of making funny videos eventually merged with her testimony of Jesus Christ, creating a unique ministry of encouragement online.

Together, Rachel and Sonrisa discuss why joy isn't merely the result of favorable circumstances but a divine attribute woven into our purpose as children of God. They also dive into the story of the woman with the issue of blood, the difference between worldly confidence and divine confidence, and how many women unknowingly sabotage themselves through negative self-talk. Sonrisa offers a powerful perspective on repentance—not as shame, but as turning toward Christ whenever our thoughts drift away from truth.

If you've ever struggled with comparison, imposter syndrome, discouragement, or feeling "not enough," this episode is a reminder that confidence doesn't come from perfection. It comes from trusting the Savior and moving forward anyway.

Connect with Sonrisa on Instagram: @once.upon.sunrisa