My dear friend Alicia is on the podcast sharing her story of finding her identity in Christ and surviving rape two years ago. She shares the horrifying details of the night of the attack, as well as all the trauma that came afterwards. While what happened to her is truly a nightmare, Alicia is so strong. She has clung to God in the midst of her pain and chosen to forgive the perpetrator, as well as share her story in order to let others who have survived similar experiences know they are not alone. She is a light in a dark place, and you will be encouraged by her story. Please be advised that these topics may be emotionally upsetting and please be aware that this episode is not appropriate for young ears. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Beauty Marks-book by Linda Barrick After Columbine show Alicia's victim impact statement: https://talkthattalkpodcast.squarespace.com/blog/blog-1

In this episode, Hannah and I discuss seven helpful tips that we have both found to be helpful in our walks dealing with depression and anxiety. Just to reiterate from last episodes, we are NOT experts on these issues and we are only sharing from our own personal experiences. If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, anxiety, or any other mental health issue, please consult your doctor and/or counselor. We hope these tips help you in your lives when dealing with depression and anxiety and that you can use these tools to care for the ones you know who go through this. 

This is our first series on the show, and we are talking about the very important topic of mental health. My good friend, Hannah, joins me for the series and we discuss our experiences with depression and anxiety. Hannah discusses dealing with depression from an early age and throughout her whole life. Some people experience anxiety and depression simultaneously, while others do not. Hannah is one of those people and she shares what it has been like tackling both kinds of pain. I also share my experience of dealing with depression and how it looks in my daily life. We don't share our stories to make others compare, we share them because we hope that someone is able to relate to either of our stories and to know that they are not alone. If you are someone who has mental health issues, please know that however it looks for you is legitimate and this is not a "one size fits all" thing. We encourage you to speak with a counselor and find the best course of action for your health. We are not experts in this area and can only speak to our own experiences. We hope us sharing will bring you hope to know that though these pains are horrible, you are not alone in them, and there is help out there.

Lots of topics are discussed in this episode including dating, marriage, parenting, ministry, and giving your life away. Bryan and Hillary are not only two great friends of mine, but two mentors that I look up to immensely. They share their story of dating and how God kept them together when reality kept telling them they shouldn't have made it. They discuss getting married and having their baby girl, Caroline. Bryan works in full-time ministry as the Area Director for Young Life in Indiana County, PA and him and Hillary discuss what it's like to do ministry in Indiana. They are passionate about giving their lives away for the Gospel and we discuss why that it is so important to do as followers of Christ. When we lose our life for Jesus and the Gospel, we truly find it. Bryan and Hillary have found that to be true in their lives and have come to know joy in Him. While following Jesus and doing ministry is incredibly hard and not always fun, Bryan and Hillary assure us that it is 100% worth it. These guys are rock stars and you will want to have a notepad beside you when you listen because they spit some truth at us. I love them so much and hope you enjoy our conversation!

My sister-in-law joins me for episode 8 and we discuss her story of growing up in a small town and enlisting in the Army right out of high school. She walks me through the process of joining the Army and working as an active duty water craft operator. She discusses the many times in her life where she thought she had her future plans figured out, but they didn't end up panning out the way she'd hope (relatable much?). Hannah is an extremely hard-working, strong woman and you will feel empowered by just listening to her! She made it through some of the hardest training out there and proved to all those who doubted her that she could do what she set out to do. You will be encouraged by her desire to serve her country, how great of a role model she is, and her drive to achieve her goals and chase her dreams no matter how many obstacles stand in her way.

Lastly, you will hear us talk about gender discrimination and sexual assault in the military and how the military is addressing these issues. While they have come a long way, there is still work to be done. These topics are painful and if you would like to skip over the discussion on the issue of assault, it occurs from 33:45 to 37:20. 

I know you will be inspired by Hannah. I hope you enjoy our conversation!

Sammie Franks joins me for episode 7 of the show. We discuss how she met her fiancé, Juan, and what her prayer life was like before meeting him. Heading into the season where she began dating him, she prayed that God would set her free from the bondage of her own heart: the fear that kept her stagnant and settling. She details an awesome experience she had on a mission trip while worshiping where she heard God speak to her and it has transformed the way she lives. She is now so much more confident in God's love for her which makes it easier for her to love others selflessly. Sammie lives, works, and volunteers with a youth group in Sewickley, PA. She shares great encouragement towards the end about how we can learn to let God become the fulfiller of the desires of our hearts instead of trying to fill those on our own. I really enjoyed talking with her and I hope you enjoy as well!

Margee and I discuss the complex, heart-breaking issue of human trafficking. Neither have us have had direct experience with this issue and are no by means experts on the topic, but we both have a desire to learn more about it and help in any way we can. We talk about Margee's participation in "Dressember", a non-profit organization that seeks to raise awareness about the issue. We discuss the issue of purchasing power and how, as consumers, we can positively impact the lives of others, as well as decrease the demand for slavery by where we spend our money. Lastly, we discuss some of the ways everyone can get involved in the fight for freedom for every person because every person inherently has value and deserves to be free. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Dressember: https://www.dressember.org

Good on You App: https://goodonyou.eco/app/

GEMS: https://gems-girls.networkforgood.com

Polaris Project: https://polarisproject.org

International Justice Mission: https://www.ijm.org

Girls Like us by Rachel Lloyd: https://www.amazon.com/Girls-Like-Us-Fighting-Memoir/dp/0061582069/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545238755&sr=8-1&keywords=girls+like+us+book

Elegance Restored (boutique Margee mentioned): https://www.elegancerestored.com

The Good Trade: https://www.thegoodtrade.com

Other organizations fighting human trafficking not mentioned:

A21 Campaign

https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-fight-for-freedom-7-organizations-combatting-human-trafficking

My longtime friend, Ashley, and I got to sit down this week for such an encouraging conversation. We talk about everything from growing up with divorced parents, to meeting God, to the struggles of post-grad life and marriage. She shares such wisdom about contentment and how to trust God when our lives aren't where or what we want them to be. 

This week I go next and share my story with you all. Obviously bits and pieces were left out (it's hard to tell everything in thirty minutes), but I hope this gives you a little insight into who I am and what I'm about. I wanted to share a little bit about me so you all know who's behind the mic and also so that you feel the freedom to share your story! I don't want to ask my guests to do anything I wouldn't do, which is share their stories, so here mine is! I hope some part of this episode and show in general connects with you and gives you some light or love where you are right now!

Mentioned in this episode:

Young Life: https://www.younglife.org

Spurgeon's Sorrows book: https://www.amazon.com/Spurgeons-Sorrows-Realistic-Suffer-Depression/dp/1781915385/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543730299&sr=8-1&keywords=surgeon%27s+sorrows

This week I talked with one of my best friends, Quinn, about how God pursued her and brought her to know Him. We talk a lot about the misconceptions that we had about God, namely, that he was boring and distant. She talks about how God shattered those misconceptions and made her feel His love-and it changed her life forever. She shares about her college experience at Penn State as a nursing major and volunteer WyldLife leader with the Young Life ministry. We talk a lot about how God has taught her so much through doing ministry. I hope you are encouraged by our conversation!