Curious Questions – Episode 8 (Finale): Where Will You Be in Five Years?

What if nothing changed? Where would you be in five years? And what if you finally gave yourself permission to leap?

This is the finale of the Curious Questions series, and we’re ending with a powerful future-focused question:

“If this stayed the same… where would I be in five years?”

Sometimes we get so stuck in the present moment that we forget to zoom out. We wrestle with hard decisions, delay bold moves, or cling to security — but what would your life look like five years from now if nothing changed?

In this episode, Bethany B. Joy shares the moment a coach asked her that very question when she was deciding whether to step into full-time coaching. That question changed everything.

This episode will help you:

• Gain perspective on current struggles
• Make decisions with long-term clarity
• Move from hesitation to courageous action
• Give yourself permission to dream again

Take one area of your life — a decision, a habit, a calling — and ask:

If nothing changes, where will I be in five years?

Then ask:

If I made the leap today, what could be possible?

You don’t have to process these big decisions alone.

👉 community.stepoutandthrive.com
👉 https://stepoutandthrive.com
👉 https://bethanyjoy.com

Dare to do more than just survive.
Step out and thrive.

Curious Questions – Episode 7: If You Trusted Yourself, What Would Change?

We often ask, “Do you trust them?” But today’s question turns inward. What if the real breakthrough begins when you trust yourself?

In Episode 7 of the Curious Questions series, Bethany B. Joy invites you into a deeply personal and transformative question:

“If you trusted yourself, what would change?”

So many of us keep collecting certifications, seeking validation, or waiting for one more green light before we move forward. But what if the hesitation isn’t about readiness… it’s about trust?

Bethany shares a powerful moment when a friend gently asked her this question while she was considering yet another certification. That question exposed something deeper — not a lack of training, but a lack of trust in herself.

This episode will help you:

• Recognize when you’re over-preparing instead of stepping forward
• Notice where fear is disguising itself as “responsibility”
• Identify when you’re trying to earn space instead of take it
• Move forward in faith and confidence instead of perfectionism

In one area where you feel stuck or hesitant, pause and ask yourself:

If I truly trusted myself right now, what would I do differently?

And then notice what rises up.

If you want a place where you are believed in, encouraged, and supported as you step forward:

👉 community.stepoutandthrive.com
👉 https://stepoutandthrive.com
👉 https://bethanyjoy.com

As always, dare to do more than just survive.
Trust yourself… and Step Out & Thrive.

Curious Questions – Episode 6: What Would Love Do?

It sounds simple. It sounds spiritual. But it’s far more powerful than you think. Today’s curious question invites you to respond—not react.

In Episode 6 of the Curious Questions series, Bethany B. Joy explores one simple yet transformative question:

“What would love do?”

Not what would keep the peace.
Not what would make this go away.
Not what would protect my pride.

But what would love do here?

Through two powerful stories—one with Bob Goff (author of Love Does) and another in a Walmart aisle with a spilled container of potato salad—Bethany shows how love often looks different than control, correction, or conflict avoidance.

Love doesn’t always avoid discomfort.
Love sometimes steps into awkward moments.
Love invites dignity, joy, and shared responsibility.

• Why “What would love do?” is deeper than “What would Jesus do?”
• How love can invite courage instead of comfort
• Why love doesn’t always keep the peace—but honors integrity
• How love transforms parenting, leadership, and hard conversations
• The difference between reacting and responding

In one difficult moment this week—at work, at home, or inside your own thoughts—pause and ask:

What would love do here?

And then listen.

If you want a safe place to grow in emotional awareness, faith, and real connection:

👉 community.stepoutandthrive.com
👉 https://stepoutandthrive.com
👉 https://bethanyjoy.com

As always, dare to do more than just survive.
Ask what love would do… and Step Out & Thrive.

Curious Questions – Episode 5: What Am I Making This Mean?

Situations happen… but the story we attach to them can shape everything. Today’s question helps you pause, get curious, and find what’s really going on underneath the surface.

In Episode 5 of the Curious Questions series, Bethany B. Joy shares one of the most powerful self-coaching questions you can ask in the middle of stress, conflict, disappointment, or emotional overload:

“What am I making this mean?”

Because here’s the truth: we can’t always control what happens—but we can notice the meaning we’re attaching to it. And often, that meaning is connected to an old belief, a tender spot, or a deeper fear we didn’t realize was still driving the reaction.

Bethany tells a real story about being stranded with her son after two rides (Uber and Lyft) refused to take her service dog—then shares the moment her community helped her name the deeper meaning underneath the anger:

“The world is shutting me out again… I’m not wanted as I am.”

This episode will help you separate the facts from the story, slow down long enough to listen to what’s really happening inside you, and respond with clarity instead of spiraling.

• The difference between a situation and the story we attach to it
• How meaning-making can expose beliefs we didn’t know were still there
• Why this question creates emotional clarity and relational maturity
• How processing your story first helps you respond calmer and more effectively
• How this question can de-escalate conflict when used with wisdom

Pick one situation that triggered a big emotional response lately and ask yourself:

• What am I making this mean?
• What story am I telling myself right now?
• What does this tap into for me?
• What’s the truth… and what’s my interpretation?

And if you can, invite a safe person into it—someone who can sit with you without rushing to fix.

If you want a place where you can process the story underneath the stress, be seen without judgment, and grow in real connection, come join us.

👉 community.stepoutandthrive.com
👉 https://stepoutandthrive.com
👉 https://bethanyjoy.com

As always, dare to do more than just survive.
Get curious, find the real meaning… and Step Out & Thrive.

Curious Questions – Episode 4: Why?

One word. One question. And when you use it well, it can unlock clarity, calling, and connection.

In Episode 4 of the Curious Questions series, Bethany B. Joy explores one of the simplest—and most profound—questions we can ask ourselves, God, or someone we love:

Why?

Not the letter… the word. 🙂

This episode is for the person who feels stuck in a loop, unsure what they really believe, or carrying a quiet tension between what they love and what they’ve been told they “should” do.

Bethany shares how she first learned this coaching question from an early mentor, how “why” becomes powerfu

Curious Questions – Episode 3: What Do You Want?

Sometimes the most powerful question isn’t deep because it’s complicated…

It’s deep because most of us don’t know how to answer it.

In Episode 3 of the Curious Questions series, Bethany B. Joy explores a foundational coaching question that opens the door to clarity, connection, and real relationship:

“What do you want?”

Or in Bethany’s everyday language:

“How can I best be with you right now?”

This episode is for anyone who pours out for others—parents, caregivers, teachers, counselors, coaches, leaders—and secretly wonders, “Does anyone really see me?” It’s also for the person who wants to care well for others but doesn’t want to assume, fix, or rush in with answers.

Bethany shares how this question shows up in the Step Out & Thrive community (especially during Check-In Thursday), why so many people struggle to name what they need, and how giving choices restores autonomy and connection.

• Why “What do you want?” is a gateway to deep connection
• How this question restores autonomy (instead of assuming or fixing)
• Practical ways to offer options when someone doesn’t know what they need
• How “being with” someone can be more healing than trying to solve the problem
• A simple way to reword this question so it sounds natural for you

Curious Questions – Episode 2: Who Told You That?

Have you ever caught yourself thinking:

• “I’m too much.”
• “I’m an inconvenience.”
• “I can’t do that.”
• “I’m so stupid… I’m sorry…”

Here’s the curious question that can interrupt that spiral in seconds:

“Who told you that?”

In Episode 2 of the Curious Questions series, Bethany B. Joy shares a powerful story from a solo trip to Mexico during the early days of her divorce—starting with a moment in an Orlando parking garage that stopped her in her tracks.

As Bethany rushed to avoid being an inconvenience, she apologized and insulted herself… and a shuttle driver gently looked at her and asked:

“Who told you that?”

That moment became a doorway into healing—because so many of the beliefs we carry are not actually ours. They were planted by someone else… repeated over time… and eventually we start living like they’re true.

This episode is for anyone who constantly pours out for others and quietly carries the fear of being a burden. You’ll learn how curiosity creates connection, why correction often creates defensiveness, and how to invite yourself (and others) into truth without fixing or forcing.

• How “Who told you that?” exposes the source of a belief (without shame)
• Why gentle curiosity opens connection more than blunt correction
• Common moments this shows up: apologizing, self-criticism, “I can’t…” statements
• How to sit with someone (or yourself) without trying to fix
• Why noticing your own inner story changes how you show up in relationships

Pay attention this week for moments when you notice yourself believing something that may not be true.

Instead of fixing it immediately, pause—get quiet—and let God ask you:

“Who told you that?”

If you have a trusted friend, you can also invite them into the moment and ask them to simply be with you (not fix you) while you sit with what comes up.

If you want a safe place to practice curiosity, connection, and deeper story work, you’re invited.

👉 Join here: community.stepoutandthrive.com
👉 More info: https://stepoutandthrive.com
👉 Bethany’s site: https://bethanyjoy.com

As always, dare to do more than just survive.
Pay attention to the stories you’re telling yourself… and step out and thrive.

Curious Questions – Episode 1: What If You’re Not Stuck… Just Scared?

Feeling stuck is one of the worst feelings in the world.

But what if you’re not actually stuck?

What if you’re just… scared?

In this first episode of the Curious Questions series, Bethany B. Joy introduces one powerful coaching question that has created breakthrough moments for clients and community members alike:

“What if you’re not stuck… but just scared?”

Through a relatable (and slightly hilarious) McDonald’s playground story, Bethany explores how we often label ourselves as “stuck” when what we’re really feeling is fear. And that distinction changes everything.

When we say we’re stuck, we declare ourselves helpless.
When we admit we’re scared, we create room to move forward.

If you’re a parent, leader, counselor, coach, teacher, business owner, or someone who constantly pours out for others—and you feel stuck in finances, relationships, calling, or change—this episode will gently challenge your perspective and invite you into curiosity instead of shame.

• Why “stuck” creates helplessness
• How fear can disguise itself as stuckness
• The importance of having someone sit with you instead of fixing you
• Why safe community changes everything
• How to move from “I’m stuck” to “I’m scared” in real time

Where in your life do you feel stuck right now?
And what might change if you admitted you’re scared instead?

You don’t have to process fear alone.

👉 community.stepoutandthrive.com
👉 https://stepoutandthrive.com
👉 https://bethanyjoy.com

As always, dare to do more than just survive.
Step out and thrive.

Belong. Become. Believe. – Part 3: Believe (When You Can’t See the Results Yet)

Today we’re finishing the series with the final word: believe.

Believing isn’t hype. It isn’t pretending everything is fine. And it isn’t just “doing more.”

Believing is what happens when the work gets hard… the results aren’t showing… the fire starts flickering… and you need someone to remind you: God is still doing something in you.

In this episode, Bethany B. Joy shares a fresh, real-time story from a recent retreat with the Faith to Influence community—where someone named what they saw in her: her curiosity, her questions, her gifting. That moment didn’t just

Belong. Become. Believe. – Part 2: Becoming (When Growth Gets Uncomfortable)

Today we’re talking about becoming — and no, not the cozy “caterpillar in a cocoon” version.

Becoming is messy. Stretching. Uncomfortable. It’s the season where you’re trying new things, wrestling with fear, throwing “spaghetti at the wall,” and wondering if anything will actually stick.

In this episode, Bethany B. Joy shares what becoming looked like in her own story: the crossroads moment when she felt called into coaching while losing vision and hearing, raising three boys as a single mom, and hearing people tell her she’d be “insane” to pursue the dream.

Then she connects it to one of her favorite moments in Scripture: Peter walking on water. Peter doesn’t just step out — he sinks — and Jesus doesn’t leave him. That’s becoming at its best: people who stay with you when growth gets hard.

If you’re pouring out as a parent, leader, coach, counselor, ministry worker, or business owner — and you’re craving a space where you can come as you are, belong, and become — this episode is for you.

• What “becoming” really looks like (and why it’s not comfortable)
• Why belonging must come first before becoming can be safe
• The crossroads moment: when the dream is real, but fear is loud
• Why the right community helps you keep going when you want to quit
• Peter walking on water: stepping out, sinking, and being lifted back up
• The difference between belonging (free) vs. becoming (investment + weekly support)