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As we enter the 40-day season of Lent, author and pastor Aubrey Sampson helps us uncover the spiritual wisdom and "strange gifts" that often hide inside grief. In her new book, "What We Find in the Dark: Loss, Hope, and God's Presence in Grief," Aubrey shares how losing her best friend of twenty years sent her into a dark night of the soul. She shares, "Sometimes the dark nights of life and faith have strange gifts. Conversely, we find ourselves free from the superficial in our lives. We discover peace and the assurance that we are loved. And we experience a deeper, more honest relationship with the God we found in the dark."

Visit Aubrey's website and pre-order her new book, Aubrey Sampson. 

Download Aubrey's "Five Questions to Ask When You Wonder if God is Still There."

Listen to Aubrey's podcast, "Nothing is Wasted."

Learn More About The Lent Collection with Emily P. Freeman

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Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

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"At the heart of every why question beats a desire for healing and rebuilding, a yearning to find purpose and fulfillment once again" (Sanders).

In When Your World Ends, author Dawn Mann Sanders digs deep into the creation story and unearths a seven-step process by which God brings us out of the void of grief and loss and invites us into creativity and new beginnings. With her hard-earned unique perspective, authenticity, and courage, Dawn explores the transformative power of life’s unexpected invitations through the lens of grief and creativity. 

Learn more about Dawn's book and work: When Your World Ends.

For more information on the Writing Conference, Dawn mentions: She Speaks 2025

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Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

This episode delves into the pivotal role of mothers and family members in navigating crises with compassion and care. Join Janell and Jennifer S. Ripley, author of "Ministering to Families in Crisis: The Essential Guide for Nurturing Mental and Emotional Health," discussing the importance of nurturing in building resilient family systems.

• Highlighting the power of nurturing in family dynamics.
• Sharing personal stories of compassion and connection in families.
• The importance of recognizing and addressing family crises.
• Drawing parallels between Rembrandt's artwork, "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee," and family responses. 
• Encouraging families to seek professional support when needed.
• Expanding the definition of family beyond traditional structures. 
• Concluding with an invitation to practice empathy and engagement within families.

"Visio Divina, sacred seeing, is an ancient form of prayer that continues to be a powerful method of meditation. Art becomes the sacrament that opens our hearts to the indwelling Spirit of God. The visible makes the invisible present in a palpable way.

Any piece of art can be the subject of reflection. It doesn't need to be religious art; however, reflecting on icons has been practiced since ancient times. The steps of Visio Divina are similar to those of Lectio Divina, which I wrote about last week."
Read more: Visio Divina

Order Jennifer's new, comprehensive guide: Ministering to Families in Crisis
Learn more about Renovare and Spiritual Direction
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Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

"Bakers can commit their entire lives to learning the craft of bread and still find new nuances of flavor and texture every time they bake. This simultaneous simplicity and complexity is, in many ways, much like the life of faith."
-Kendall Vanderslice  

This episode delves into the powerful connections between mothering, baking, and spirituality, offering the invitation to explore how the kitchen can become a sacred space. Janell welcomes Kendall Vanderslice, author of Bake and Pray: Liturgies and Recipes for Baking Bread as a Spiritual Practice, to discuss the essential practices of nurturing ourselves and our relationships through baking and prayer. Vanderslice emphasizes the importance of taking time to slow down and engage with the process and urges the rediscovery of rest and community. 

Order Kendall's new book, Bake and Pray
Join Kendall's Lenten Bake, Register Here. I am so ready to begin the sourdough journey.

Explore some of my favorite bakeries:

Resistance in Carrasco, Uruguay
Nives in Antwerp, Belgium
LaBrioche in Norfolk, Virginia

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Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

“There is no greater good in all the world than motherhood. The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation" (James Faust).

What started as a book project became the podcast's focus in 2025. In today's episode, I share why mothering matters. Together, we uncover the foundational role that maternal figures play in shaping a child's life, weaving personal milestones with professional wisdom to highlight the deep connection between mothering and personal growth.

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Have you ever experienced a chance encounter that reignited your passion and purpose? That's precisely what happened to me at Trader Joe's, where a serendipitous meeting with a former retreat attendee illuminated the profound impact we can have on each other's lives. This fortuitous conversation touched on themes close to my heart—motherhood, anxiety, and the unwavering support mothers need at every stage. 

This episode continues to unravel the profound promise of peace found in scripture, especially as we keep our spiritual focus sharp. Through practices such as meditative scripture and being attuned to divine whispers, we navigate the challenges of spiritual formation. 

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Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online coaching center and meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
2. Join the Advent Glimmering Hunt and download your Advent Glimmers PDF: HEARTLIFT CENTRAL
3. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
4. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
5. Learn more about my books and work: Janell Rardon
6. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International

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*Our final episode from the archives of 2018! As we begin our year-long journey about "Mothering for the Ages." Today, we open a conversation about the third heartbeat of our heartlifting journey toward being an emotionally healthy mama: strong communication skills. 

The past three episodes from 2018 were from the first phase of this podcast's history: Speak Healing Words. The intro and outro are slightly different, but the connection is the same: www.janellrardon.com. 

It might sound like we're putting tremendous pressure on "mama." But, I genuinely believe that when an emotionally healthy woman is at the center of a home, family, business, classroom, etc., everyone in that sphere of influence will feel safe, secure, and ultimately far more stable. Before you go shaming or judging yourself, Mama, listen in and understand how valuable you are to your family. In the Heartlift Community, we offer self-compassion and grace as we strive to be imperfectly perfect in our mothering.

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

From the Archives: April 2019

While visiting Grandbirds in Uruguay, Janell revisits three foundational episodes, starting today with Episode 34 from April 2019.

This week is Episode 35 from April 2019.

Working from her second book, Overcoming Hurtful Words: Rewrite Your Story, Janell introduces the foundation of The Heartlift Method.

Join Janell on this replay of her three-week mini-series on the three-fold cord of emotional and spiritual health: a healthy sense of self, healthy behavior patterns, and healthy communication skills. Experts have shown that emotional intelligence is the foundation for personal and professional success. Janell adds spiritual authenticity, as well. And, as the old saying goes, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." We're changing that around just a bit to say, "If Mama ain't emotionally healthy, ain't nobody emotionally healthy."

As we move through 2025, every episode of the podcast and Substack newsletter is dedicated to "Mothering for the Ages."

Please order your copy of Overcoming Hurtful Words and follow along with Janell as she reads from the book: OHW on AMAZON.

Please download the PDF Guide to Overcoming Hurtful Words.

Ask Janell any questions or thoughts on mothering at Dear Heartlifter

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

From the Archives: April 2019

While visiting Grandbirds in Uruguay, Janell revisits three foundational episodes, starting today with Episode 34 from April 2019.

Working from her second book, Overcoming Hurtful Words: Rewrite Your Story, Janell introduces the foundation of The Heartlift Method.

Join Janell on this replay of her three-week mini-series on the three-fold cord of emotional and spiritual health: a healthy sense of self, healthy behavior patterns, and healthy communication skills. Experts have shown that emotional intelligence is the foundation for personal and professional success. Janell adds spiritual authenticity, as well. And, as the old saying goes, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." We're changing that around just a bit to say, "If Mama ain't emotionally healthy, ain't nobody emotionally healthy."

As we move through 2025, every episode of the podcast and Substack newsletter is dedicated to "Mothering for the Ages."

Please order your copy of Overcoming Hurtful Words and follow along with Janell as she reads from the book: OHW on AMAZON.

Please download the PDF Guide to Overcoming Hurtful Words.

Ask Janell any questions or thoughts on mothering at Dear Heartlifter

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

Send us a text

I am replaying this beautiful, foundational episode from 2023 as we begin journeying through the world of mothering in 2025.

After decades of mothering my children and students, I've concluded one valuable truth: Everything comes down to love.

A beautiful chapter to reflect on is 1 John 4. Take it line by line. I pray that you grasp the depths of God's love for you this year.

In a recent podcast, I heard Arthur C. Brooks, co-author of "Build the Life You Want," earnestly proclaim, "Everything comes down to love." His words took my breath away because that is what "Today's Heartlift with Janell" is all about. As Heartlifters, we stand in the center of our spheres of influence, radiating a healthy sense of self, healthy behavior patterns, and healthy communication skills. Do we do this perfectly? Oh, HECK NO. Most of the time, it is imperfect. But we aim to become stronger daily in all three areas of our lives and commit to "when we know better, we do better." Season 13 is all about becoming proficient in the language of love. It's jam-packed with strong teaching, remarkable conversations, and much inspiration and joy. Grab your notebook and a cup of something very delicious, and open your heart.

Subscribe to all the FREE RESOURCES + EMAIL NEWSLETTER: YES! I'm in!
Join the conversation with Janell and guests on her Insta: @janellrardon
Voice your thoughts and questions here: [email protected] or DM through Instagram: @janellrardon
Support the podcast through Heartlift International: THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATION

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Support the show: Your Donation Matters
2. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
3. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International
4. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
5. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt
6. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon