Is it just us or are the words “grit” and “grace” seen everywhere now? It feels like the two have turned into buzzwords that fail to hold any real meaning. But at This Grit and Grace Life, they are so much more than buzzwords, they bring vision and direction to our lives. They even extend beyond being just two simple words and are ultimately life choices. We must choose to live with grit and with grace.

But what do grit and grace really mean? Sure they are seen everywhere and perhaps words we use regularly, but do we really know, or more importantly, understand, the deeper meaning behind them?

In this episode of This Grit and Grace Life Podcast, hosts Darlene and Julie get real with you by sharing the larger meaning behind these two words, or life choices, and what they can mean for you in your life. Both ladies get vulnerable, sharing real-life struggles where grit and grace were the two things that pulled them through. So if you are looking for some strength, and perhaps some hope in your life, this episode is definitely for you.

Viewing in an app? Full show notes here!

Check out these episodes we mentioned: This Is How to Handle a Hard Relationship With Your Mom – 089, Can You Really Leave Your Past Behind You? – 028, Julie Graham’s Untold Story of Heartbreak, Healing and Hope – 101, and Are You a Strong Woman of Grit and Grace? – 072.

Be sure to follow us on social media!

Find more from Meaghan by visiting her blog, Beauty From Burnt Toast or following her on Instagram. You can read her writings at Grit and Grace Life here!

Viewing in an app? Full show notes here!

Check out these episodes we mentioned: Are You a Strong Woman of Grit and Grace? – 072 and How Do I Know What Defines Me? – 078.

Be sure to follow us on social media!

Life is good. Actually, life is really good! However, for many us, we are more negative in the way we view things and struggle to see how great this life really is. We think we can’t help it–focusing on the negative is just the way we are. And when people around us try to help us see more of the positives, we think they just don’t understand the difficulties we are facing, right?

The reality is, no one’s life is perfect. Each and every one of us has stress, struggles, obstacles and hardships. No matter how hard we try to control our lives, it’s impossible for any of us to do so. The difference is in how we choose to respond to life as life responds to us. Each morning we all wake up to another great day, but some of us fail to open our eyes to the beauty it holds.

If you are someone who tends to gravitate towards the negatives in life, press play for this episode of This Grit and Grace Life, where hosts Darlene and Julie share four simple ways for you to shift your mindset. The two acknowledge that being more positive isn’t natural for us all, but by implementing their practical tactics, we are all capable of experiencing the positives our lives have to offer.

Viewing in an app? Full show notes here!

Check out these episodes we mentioned: 3 Real Struggles Women Face With Dr. Zoe Shaw – 107, What Are the Unexpected Gifts of Depression? With Melissa Maimone – 095, How Do I Know What Defines Me? – 078, and Julie Graham’s Untold Story of Heartbreak, Healing and Hope – 101.

Be sure to follow us on social media!

That’s a wrap! 2019 is almost over, so let’s talk about…

When the year starts coming to a close, it brings up so many emotional feelings. For many of you, it has you over-processing and reminiscing about everything that has happened in the past year–the good, the bad, and the ugly. And, you want to learn and glean as much as possible before you move on. But on the other hand, there are so many of you who just want this year to end now so you can move on and have a fresh start in the new year.

Neither one are good or bad. But if you want 2020 to be your best year yet, you need to look at your past before rushing your future.

In this episode of This Grit and Grace Life podcast, hosts Darlene and Julie discuss the importance of taking inventory of your highs and lows of 2019 before you quickly move on to the new decade. They discuss their personal victories and failures in hopes of inspiring you to do the same. Plus, both share their biggest lessons learned in 2019 and their hopes for what’s to come in 2020.

Let this episode be a blueprint for you to learn from your past and build a stronger future.

Viewing in an app? Full show notes here!

Check out these episodes we mentioned: Darlene and Julie Chat Balancing Adulting, Barbells and Booties – 109.

Be sure to follow us on social media!

We are living in a culture where everything is way too fast paced, where we somehow always over-schedule ourselves, and where we are constantly comparing ourselves to everyone else’s highlight reels in our social media feeds. It’s a hard culture to navigate! And when you add marriage into the mix, it can become extremely difficult to maintain one that is both happy and healthy. Sometimes it feels like all these things that make up today’s world are eroding the foundation and stability of our marriages.

So how do we thrive in our marriage, or simply keep it in tact, when it feels like everyone and everything is fighting against it on every front?

Meet Kristi Hendriks: a true lover of all sandwiches…she loves the humidity in Florida and hates parallel parking everywhere. She is the CEO of For the Field Apparel, a company she proudly built from the ground up. This Virgo babe is #marriedtothegame™️, works with her husband, MLB pitcher Liam Hendriks, off the field for several non-profits including work with animal rescues, community outreach and their initiative to “strikeout bullying”. Her name means “follower of Christ” and that she is. ‘Grit and Grace’ is a part of her everyday life and she is passionate to serve the Lord in any way she can. Connect with Kristi by visiting her site, For The Field Apparel or following them on Instagram. You can follow Kristi here and Liam here! You can get your own Coffee + Bible mug here!

Viewing in an app? Full show notes here!

Check out these episodes we mentioned: Julie Graham’s Untold Story of Heartbreak, Healing and Hope – 101, Want to Be a Strong Woman? Set Healthy Boundaries – 103 and Keep Your Love Alive: Avoid These Relationship Mistakes – 084.

Be sure to follow us on social media!

Having faith does not mean we have an easy life. The bible is not a vaccination against real-life struggles. No matter how strong our faith might be, we are not immune to life’s hurts and heartaches. In this episode of This Grit and Grace Life, hosts Darlene and Julie speak to the women who may be discouraged in their singleness, dealing with a prodigal child or are facing some other struggle that is causing them to be frustrated with their faith. They speak the hard truths that many of us women desperately need to hear.  The two discuss how we often believe our faith should make our life easier, but in reality many times it actually makes our lives a lot harder. No matter how hard we may try, it’s impossible to dress up this life in a pretty facade. As strong women, we need to talk about the challenges we face and heartaches we experience, because it’s a part of the world we live in. And, at the end of the day, we need to know it’s okay for us to be frustrated with our faith. Stumbling doesn’t mean we’ve lost it, it just means we are finding our footing.

So, for all the single ladies, all the frustrated mothers, and all the women who are facing real-life struggles and feeling disheartened in their faith, this episode is for you.

Viewing in an app? Full show notes here!

Check out these related episodes: Grit and Grace, but What About God? – 105; How to Be a Grace-Filled Friend in Hard Times – 096 and Are You the Proverbs 31 Woman? Should You Be? – 092

Be sure to follow us on social media!

The holiday season is full of wonder, hope, and love. But, it can also be a season full of stress, pain and emotional agony. The holidays bring so much “togetherness”. Yes, this “togetherness” can be an amazing opportunity to spend quality time with our loved ones and create meaningful memories, but it can also cause conflict and become way too stressful to actually enjoy. 

Viewing in an app? Full show notes here!

More on Christmas here!

Check out these episodes we mentioned: Ask Dr. Zoe – Family Pressure During the Holidays, Stop the Holiday Hustle: Celebrate More, Stress Less – 064, Surviving the Holidays with Grit and Grace – 015 and Talking About the Funny Things We are Thankful For – 013.

Be sure to follow us on social media!

Hard choices are part of life. Regardless of being strong women, when we are faced with a big decision, many of us just want to take the easiest way out. We try our best to avoid facing the difficulties that come with making the harder choice. Why should we, couldn’t we just take the easy way out?

In this episode of This Grit and Grace Life, hosts Darlene and Julie chat with Shannon Barbosa, a friend and writer for The Grit and Grace Project. Through sharing HerStory, Shannon shines light on the miracles that come from making the hardest choice.

HerStory is a brand-new category on The Grit and Grace Project online magazine and is a place where strong women tell their story. It’s a place where they reveal the challenges they have faced, the hurts they have walked through, and the healing they have found. It’s a safe space where women can speak with vulnerability, honesty, and transparency about their struggles. There is nothing more encouraging than hearing, “She dealt with this, she got through this, it was hard, it was challenging, but look where she is now.” Darlene and Julie bring Shannon’s HerStory to life by inviting her on the podcast.

Shannon opens up about becoming pregnant as a 15-year-old girl and having to choose whether or not to keep the baby. By listening to this episode, Shannon will show you how the best things in life arise from the difficulties you’ve faced and why making the hardest decisions are essential in living out the plan God has for you. This story will inspire, challenge, and encourage you. Listen now and share it with a woman who needs to glean strength for her journey.

Shannon Barbosa is a 40-year-old Christian woman, wife, mother, freelance writer, motivational speaker, and founder of From the Ruins, a ministry that longs to help hurting and grieving people find hope in their brokenness. You can read more from Shannon here!

Viewing in an app? Full show notes here!

Check out these episodes we mentioned: How to Make Decisions (Even the Hard Ones) – 076 and Ask Dr. Zoe – How Do I Break Free From Codependency?.

Be sure to follow us on social media!

Your co-hosts bust out their booties (we mean boots, because yay, fall temps!) for an honest chat about their grit and grace lives. Is adulting overrated? What are the benefits of multi-tasking, or should we buy into the new trend of mono-tasking (yes, that’s a thing)? Darlene takes a little time to get an update on how Julie finished her recent training and what she learned from her journey through her first fitness competition. You may be surprised at what this strong woman gleaned about herself as she took on this challenge, even one as ridiculous as strutting her stuff on the stage in glittery shoes. Grab a cup of coffee or glass of wheatgrass and enjoy this episode of real-life girl talk.

Viewing in an app? Full show notes here!

Check out these episodes we mentioned: Darlene and Julie Chat Fall, Facial Hair and Friendship – 104 and How to Feel Your Emotions in a Healthy Way With Dr. Zoe Shaw – 075.

Be sure to follow us on social media!

Do you ever find yourself second-guessing your worth, questioning your decisions, or doubting your purpose? Do you generally struggle with confidence? You’re not alone; we’ve all felt that way! But here’s the good news, we don’t have to live there! We genuinely believe every one of us has the grit, grace, and strength we need to overcome that doubt within us. On this episode, co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Graham have an honest conversation about what confidence means to them, where they have it, and when they lack it. Most importantly, they offer real, practical ways to grow out of our second-guessing so we can all master this #gritandgracelife.

Viewing in an app? Full show notes here!

Check out this episode we mentioned: Does Your Self-Confidence Need a Boost? – 018.

Be sure to follow us on social media!