Forget setting goals and drafting New Year’s resolutions. We’re making 2025 about you—more specifically, your character.

Who do you want to be this year? Every season of life (new years included) allow us the opportunity to evaluate our priorities, how much we’ve grown and where we want to see ourselves in another 365 days. Is it in the same place you’re at now? Most likely, the answer is no.

In this episode of Smart Living with Grit and Grace, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender discuss the importance of using this time to reassess our character and the changes we may need to make in our lives right now to bring our long-term goals to pass. They offer several rhetorical questions that will prompt you to ponder the type of person you want to be in 2025. Then, they share a list of traits ideal for building or refining your character, along with some advice on how to begin implementing them.

If you’re ready to craft a new you in 2025, settle in and press play!

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” —Romans 5:3-5

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In this season of “tidings of great joy,” what if joy doesn’t come easily to you?

As women of faith, there’s an unspoken expectation that we should live in a constant state of joy, that it should be the lens with which we view our lives and circumstances. Although the Bible states we aren’t of the world, we are still in it, which means our perception of joy is often colored by the world’s ideals—namely, success, status and money. But there’s more to real joy.

In this Smart Living podcast episode, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender share how we can cultivate the joy we should have access to as women of faith, which looks like:

And if you’re still struggling to reach a place of true joy, Darlene and Julie underscore the importance of getting honest with God and telling him how you feel. If there’s anything or anyone that can help you rediscover joy at Christmas (and all year long), it’s him!

“You make known to me the path of life. You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures in your right hand.” —Psalm 16:11

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Life is better with friends. There’s just something remarkably special about finding a person (or a few) out of billions in the world who can belly laugh with you over a meal or willingly be at your side in a time of grief. Friendships are mostly easy, but healthy ones still require some work!

In this Smart Living with Grit and Grace podcast episode, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender dive into two important discussions on this topic: building strong friendships and navigating ones that are fizzling out. For the former, you’ll discover five ways to set your friendship up for success (hint: it takes selflessness and being generous with your time), fun activities that allow for quality time together, and how to apply the principles of friendship to your marriage. For the latter, Darlene and Julie chat through the seasons of life that can unwittingly end a friendship and how to approach it with grace.

Whether you have the same group of gals in your circle or are grieving the end of a friendship, this is a must-listen-to episode.

“A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.” —Proverbs 17:17

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The sibling that got away with everything. The coworker that scored your promotion. The “friend” who stopped including you in group conversations.

We’re all familiar with resentment, and the mutated ball of anger, hurt, disgust and annoyance it leaves in the pit of our stomachs. Whether someone outright betrayed you or you were inadvertently treated unfairly, resentment can slowly creep into your heart and rob you of joy and gratitude. It’s a human response, but a dangerous one if left to fester.

In today’s episode of Smart Living with Grit and Grace, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender discuss how resentment can erode our relationships and our ability to trust. They also unpack an 8-step checklist designed to help us assess the situation fairly and avoid resentment’s slippery slope:

You may not be able to restore a healthy relationship with the person who wronged you, but you can arrive at a place where bitterness no longer has a hold on you. All the tools you need to do that are in this episode!

“Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” —Saint Augustine

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“You’ll never know unless you try” is sound advice to soothe our doubts. But doubt doesn’t always come with ulterior motives; sometimes, it’s merely a cautionary measure meant to protect us.

So how do you decipher the root of your doubt? Smart Living with Grit and Grace co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Bender answer that question with several actionable steps to help you work through your doubt and determine its purpose. Whether you’re struggling with self-doubt, doubting others, or even doubting God’s promises, rushing into the next season or next step to move past it could result in missed opportunities or even dangers if not properly considered.

Let your doubt inform you, but don’t let it control you.

“Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” —Suzy Kassem

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It’s usually early- to mid-fall when we hear others expressing a desire to fast forward through the season and jump right into the holidays. The year has been too long, too hard, too unforgiving. Wouldn’t it be better to skip right to the Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities and brush all our complications behind us (at least until the New Year)?

The fast forward button isn’t a thing—at least not yet—so you’re better off focusing on the good in each day. In fact, studies show that just a few minutes of practicing gratitude each day reaps numerous health benefits—stress relief, reduced depression, and better sleep among them.

In this episode of Smart Living with Grit and Grace, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender offer hope for the woman looking for a reason to be thankful. Darlene vulnerably reveals the small but bright moments that carried her through her young daughter’s hospitalization years ago, and together, the duo shares the benefits of committing to daily gratitude practices, such as journaling or vocally expressing your appreciation for big and small joys alike, even in seasons of hardship.

It may feel forced initially, but over time, you’ll find your perspective shifting to see the highlight of each day, rather than the lows. And those will cultivate a heart that rests in gratitude.

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” —Psalm 95:1-2

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We don’t need research studies to tell us we’re stressed (although they do, and frequently—a 2021 Gallup poll found that 41% of adults worldwide experience a lot of stress). We feel it everywhere: demanding hours and clients at work; raising kids; the news; the ever-ending list of things to do—the list goes on. Are you ready to leave stress behind? We’ve got you covered!

In this podcast episode, co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Bender rip off the band-aid: We can’t get rid of stress entirely. But we can get a better handle on it by dealing with it in healthier ways. Part of the trick is recognizing when you’re stressed; what responses and behaviors you default to when overwhelm takes a hold. Then, when you feel it coming on, implement one or more of these six practical tips for mitigating stress:

As Darlene and Julie chat through each of these tips and their application, you’ll find specific combinations and variations that work best with your schedule and emotions to deal with stress head-on.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” —James 14:27

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We don’t need research studies to tell us we’re stressed (although they do, and frequently—a 2021 Gallup poll found that 41% of adults worldwide experience a lot of stress). We feel it everywhere: demanding hours and clients at work; raising kids; the news; the ever-ending list of things to do—the list goes on. Are you ready to leave stress behind? We’ve got you covered!

In this podcast episode, co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Bender rip off the band-aid: We can’t get rid of stress entirely. But we can get a better handle on it by dealing with it in healthier ways. Part of the trick is recognizing when you’re stressed; what responses and behaviors you default to when overwhelm takes a hold. Then, when you feel it coming on, implement one or more of these six practical tips for mitigating stress:

As Darlene and Julie chat through each of these tips and their application, you’ll find specific combinations and variations that work best with your schedule and emotions to deal with stress head-on.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.” —James 14:27

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Are you feeling a little aimless at the moment? Perhaps you’re in a season of life that has you questioning your purpose. If that sounds frighteningly familiar, don’t fret—even the seasons that feel purposeless have a purpose!

In this episode of Smart Living with Grit and Grace, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender discuss how to find confidence when you’re transitioning into a new stage of life. Starting retirement, getting married, entering motherhood, searching for your next job can all leave you with a fuzzy vision of your purpose and the value you offer. To get you back on track, the duo shares the importance of detaching yourself from your role and learning how to embrace change as an opportunity for a blank slate. You’ll also discover how to find meaning in the slow, quiet seasons in between.

“For I am about to do something new. See? I’ve already begun. Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness; I will create rivers in a dry wasteland.” —Isaiah 43:19

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Are you feeling a little aimless at the moment? Perhaps you’re in a season of life that has you questioning your purpose. If that sounds frighteningly familiar, don’t fret—even the seasons that feel purposeless have a purpose!

In this episode of Smart Living with Grit and Grace, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender discuss how to find confidence when you’re transitioning into a new stage of life. Starting retirement, getting married, entering motherhood, searching for your next job can all leave you with a fuzzy vision of your purpose and the value you offer. To get you back on track, the duo shares the importance of detaching yourself from your role and learning how to embrace change as an opportunity for a blank slate. You’ll also discover how to find meaning in the slow, quiet seasons in between.

“For I am about to do something new. See? I’ve already begun. Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness; I will create rivers in a dry wasteland.” —Isaiah 43:19

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