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Grief comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms. At the beginning of her upcoming book, "Can You Just Sit With Me?" author Natasha Smith shares 10 brief vignettes of grief stories she has lived through in her short lifetime. She writes, "Friends, these stories represent part of my story of grief. This grief took me on a journey to understand how to process my emotions. Understanding my own emotions proved to be a huge learning curve. I battled anger, confusion, shock, and disbelief. I began to understand that grief could be expressed in these different forms."

In this bonus episode, Natasha guides us through a Biblical Model for Grief. Having this wise counsel in our emotional and mental health toolbox will serve us well when Grief knocks at our door.

Visit Natasha's site: https://imnatashasmith.com/
Listen to Part 1 of our interview: Becoming Acquainted with Grief
Take a look at this great Bible Study: A Widow's Workbook
Pre-order Natasha's new book: Can You Just Sit With Me?
Visit the ongoing Instagram Conversation: @janellrardon and @iamnatashasmith

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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

"Grief is a strong, sometimes overwhelming emotion for people, regardless of whether their sadness stems from the loss of a loved one or from a terminal diagnosis they or someone they love have received."
-The Mayo Clinic

Sometimes we have to hit the pause button in order to process really difficult emotional states. Grief is one of those emotions that needs time to breathe. Natasha Smith, author of "Can You Just Sit With Me? Healthy Grieving for the Losses of Life" (IVP), comes to the show today to help us understand this deep emotion a little bit more. Her own life is filled with unthinkable losses and therefore, unimaginable grief. She speaks candidly about delaying her process of grieving for thirty years. As her life took her from engineer to homeschooling mom to author, Natasha finally realized it was time to face her grief.  May Natasha's story inform your story and help you move through your own difficult "ALOT" stories with greater ease.

Pre-order Natasha's new book: CAN YOU JUST SIT WITH ME?
Visit Natasha's site: Natasha Smith
Meet Natasha on IG: @iamnatashasmith
Meet Janell on IG: @janellrardon
Revisit S4E4: Strength Has Many Faces
Revisit S4E3: Writing Your Moment of Gratitude
Revisit S4E5: A Grateful Perspective
Revisit S5: Grounded in Grace: A Meditative Exercise

Let's create an event together. Invite Janell and the podcast to your LIVE event. Together, we will HEARTLIFT your group and make great things happen! Contact Janell here: www.janellrardon.com/contact

Meet Janell over on her Insta, @janellrardon, and be sure to subscribe to her biweekly newsletter, filled with additional resources: www.janellrardon.com/free-content-for-subscribers.

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

Summer invites us into a time of slowing down the pace a little. It gives us space to think about how we are doing.  Quaker teacher, Douglas Steere, once said, "To listen to another’s soul into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service that any human being ever performs for another.” In today's bonus episode, Janell revisits her conversations with Jan Johnson on contemplative prayer and Lacy Finn Borgo on Childlike Faith and reads a short prayer from Linda Evans Shepherd.

Revisit Contemplative Prayer in Our Everyday Lives, Part 1
Revisit Contemplative Prayer in Our Everyday Lives, Part 2
Revisit Living with Childlike Faith, Part 1
Revisit Living with Childlike Faith, Part 2

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

It's hard to talk about "becoming a forgiving person," without laying a strong foundation of "becoming a praying person."  To help us lay a strong foundation for the power of prayer in our lives, author Linda Evans Shepherd joins us today. Linda has authored over 30 books on prayer and humbly shares how God shaped her as "a prayer investigator...a prayer detective."

Visit Linda's resourceful website: https://www.sheppro.com/
Read more of Linda's articles and blog: https://www.gottopray.com/blog
Subscribe to Janell's bi-weekly newsletter: https://www.janellrardon.com/free-content-for-subscribers/

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

The wise Frederick Buechner once said, "Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back--in many ways, it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you." In today's episode, we revisit the practice of forgiveness. Way back in Season 1, Episodes 2 and 3, we began a conversation on this seemingly difficult practice, and today, we continue to grow our understanding of how living as a forgiving person can make life so much better. 

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

 In Today's Heartlift with Janell, the episode features guest, Tina Yeager, author of "Upcycled: Crafted for a Purpose, and discusses the concept of upcycling, where God transforms our brokenness into something beautiful and purposeful. Janell and Tina talk about their own past struggles and how God sees them through difficult times. The episode focuses on the idea that people have unique talents and abilities, and working together as a team can help us grow and compensate for each other's weaknesses. They discuss how labels based on achievements, appearance, and status cannot fulfill us, and we need to submit ourselves to Jesus to receive a new identity. Combining our brokenness and imperfections with others creates a beautiful and lasting story. Let's "upcycle" our stories and work together for the good of all.

Learn more about Tina: TINA YEAGER and the FLOURISH PODCAST
Order Tina's new book: UPCYCLED
Follow Janell on INSTA: @janellrardon
Share your thoughts or ask Janell a question. She'll do her best to answer it on the show: [email protected].
Schedule Janell to speak to your group OR host an in-person PODCAST TAPING: Let's Do This!

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

On this episode of Today's Heartlift with Janell, I am joined by special guest Melissa L. Johnson, author of "Soul Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless." In this bonus session, Melissa and I discuss our personal experiences with prayer and how it can shift our mindset toward a more compassionate God. Janell also shares her struggles with perfectionism and her reparative experience with Jesus. They also touch on the unrealistic beauty standards imposed by our culture and the importance of getting to know ourselves better.

Learn more about Melissa and Impossible Beauty: Melissa Johnson

Use this hashtag to share your thoughts: #todaysheartliftwithjanell

Please send your questions here: [email protected] and Text your questions and I'll answer them on the show!

Meet me over on Instagram where we will share our thoughts on this week's podcast prompts: MEET ME ON INSTA

So excited that the podcast has been voted in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

Listen to more great podcasts: ACCESS MORE

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

On this episode of Today's Heartlift with Janell, I am joined by special guest Melissa L. Johnson, author of "Soul Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless." In this bonus session, Melissa and I discuss our personal experiences with prayer and how it can shift our mindset toward a more compassionate God. Janell also shares her struggles with perfectionism and her reparative experience with Jesus. They also touch on the unrealistic beauty standards imposed by our culture and the importance of getting to know ourselves better.

Learn more about Melissa and Impossible Beauty: Melissa Johnson

Use this hashtag to share your thoughts: #todaysheartliftwithjanell

Please send your questions here: [email protected] and Text your questions and I'll answer them on the show!

Meet me over on Instagram where we will share our thoughts on this week's podcast prompts: MEET ME ON INSTA

So excited that the podcast has been voted in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

Listen to more great podcasts: ACCESS MORE

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

On this episode of Today's Heartlift with Janell, we welcome Melissa L. Johnson, author of Soul-Deep Beauty. Melissa and I reflect on the harmful and pervasive impact of technology and social media on women's self-esteem and mental health. Drawing from our own experiences and alarming statistics, we explore the toxic beauty standards perpetuated by society and the pressures women face to conform to unrealistic expectations. We emphasize the importance of connection, self-compassion, and embodiment work in achieving true freedom and love for one's body. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, including the history and global impact of the American Beauty standard, the dangers of social comparison, the role of mothers in shaping their children's perceptions, and the power of shame to negatively impact women's lives. Melissa shares self-awareness inventory exercises to tackle these issues and move towards a healthier, more inclusive definition of beauty.

Learn more about Melissa and Impossible Beauty: Melissa Johnson

Use this hashtag to share your thoughts: #todaysheartliftwithjanell

Please send your questions here: [email protected] and Text your questions and I'll answer them on the show!

Meet me over on Instagram where we will share our thoughts on this week's podcast prompts: MEET ME ON INSTA

So excited that the podcast has been voted in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

Listen to more great podcasts: ACCESS MORE

Send us a text

In this little bonus episode, Janell and Jennifer Dukes Lee, author of "Stuff I'd Only Tell God," have a little question and answer time, using writing prompts from Jennifer's book. Even if you are not a fan of writing stuff down, Janell and Jennifer show how you can use this guided journal as a conversation starter with trusted friends and family members. Journaling is so good for the soul and is a viable tool for mental, emotional, and spiritual health.

Learn more about Jennifer: Jennifer Dukes Lee

Use this hashtag to share your thoughts: #todaysheartliftwithjanell

Please send your questions here: [email protected] and Text your questions and I'll answer them on the show!

Meet me over on Instagram where we will share our thoughts on this week's podcast prompts: MEET ME ON INSTA

So excited that the podcast has been voted in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

Listen to more great podcasts: ACCESS MORE

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