Deception, the act or practice of deceiving—lying, misleading, or otherwise hiding or distorting the truth, is not something we talk a great deal about, but today, in this bonus spiritual formation episode, we meet a woman who shines a light on several deceptive systems that led her into very dark places. In the aftermath of spiritual abuse and toxic leadership, Deceived by Scientology, forays into mysticism, and twelve years in a restrictive and legalistic cult, Athena Dean Holtz lost everything: her marriage, relationships, home, business, money, and reputation. This is a candid and inspirational conversation about how her eyes were opened, how God restored what had been lost, and how God gave her the desires of her heart, including a new love.

Links + Resources from this Episode:

So excited that the podcast has been voted #11 in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

• Order Athena's book: FULLCIRCLE
• Visit Brad's website: ATHENA
• Listen to Athena's Podcast: REDEEMEDANDRESTORED
• Follow Athena on Instagram: ATHENA
• Learn more about SHE WRITES AND SHE SPEAKS
• Grab a copy of Janell’s newest book: STRONGEREVERYDAY
• Subscribe to Janell’s podcast and newsletter: SUBSCRIBE
• Leave a review, please, of the podcast: LEAVE A REVIEW

Today's Heartlift with Janell is currently fully supported by Heartlift International, a 501(c)3 committed to making home and family the safest, most secure place on earth. Every resource developed, every podcast recorded, and every book written has one goal: To help families become stronger every day.
Learn more about Heartlift International and help support this podcast with your tax-deductible donation: https://www.janellrardon.com/heartliftinternational/

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Author and Pastor Brad Hoef writes, "Mood disorders are a biological condition involving brain chemistry and genetics. They do not arise from character flaws, lack of faith, or poor choices. Mood disorders are medical conditions. There is no more shame than if we had diabetes, arthritis, or any other medical ailment." In Part 2, Pastor Brad shares candidly about his own diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder and how his journey led him to start FRESH HOPE, a non-profit organization committed to guiding and supporting those with a mental illness (and their families) to find hope based on research. Fresh Hope does this through an international network of support groups, coaching, and resources.

Links + Resources from this Episode: 

So excited that the podcast has been voted #11 in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

• Order Brad's book: FRESH HOPE
• Visit Brad's website: FRESH HOPE
• Follow Brad on Instagram: FRESH HOPE FOR MENTAL HEALTH
• Grab a copy of Janell’s newest book: STRONGEREVERYDAY
• Subscribe to Janell’s podcast and newsletter: SUBSCRIBE
• Leave a review, please, of the podcast: LEAVE A REVIEW
• Visit Janell’s site: MORE RESOURCES
• Follow Janell on Instagram: @janellrardon

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

This summer, Sundays are being dedicated to our spiritual formation and growth. This week, Michele McCarthy, author of "Shattered, Stirred, and Shaken: Living the Book of Acts, My Journey From Here to There," shares her inspirational journey of faith and how she came to know the Holy Spirit in an unusual, yet beautiful, way.

Links + Resources from this Episode: 

So excited that the podcast has been voted #11 in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

• Order Michele's book: SHATTERED, STIRRED, AND SHAKEN
• Visit Michele's website: MICHELE
• Grab a copy of Janell’s newest book: STRONGEREVERYDAY
• Subscribe to Janell’s podcast and newsletter: SUBSCRIBE
• Leave a review, please, of the podcast: LEAVE A REVIEW
• Visit Janell’s site: MORE RESOURCES
• Follow Janell on Instagram: @janellrardon

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 Part 1 we heard author Michele McCarthy share her very amazing journey towards knowing and experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit in her life. In Part 2, Michele shares her physical struggles and brings a rare physical condition to light: MTHFR, an enzyme that breaks down the amino acid homocysteine, which causes an inability of our body to convert the B9 vitamin, Folate. This inability can cause mental and emotional disorders, such as depression. This conversation is SO CRITICAL because so often our mental and emotional health is a direct result of something WRONG in our bodies. Our struggles often bring us to our knees. To the end of ourselves. Michele's brave story is one of perseverance. She had to stay with and pray through a very long, arduous, dark valley of her soul.  

Links + Resources from this Episode: 

So excited that the podcast has been voted #11 in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

• Order Michele's book: SHATTERED, STIRRED, AND SHAKEN
• Visit Michele's website: MICHELE
• Grab a copy of Janell’s newest book: STRONGEREVERYDAY
• Subscribe to Janell’s podcast and newsletter: SUBSCRIBE
• Leave a review, please, of the podcast: LEAVE A REVIEW
• Visit Janell’s site: MORE RESOURCES
• Follow Janell on Instagram: @janellrardon

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

Author and Pastor, Brad Hoef, writes, "Too often mental health 'recovery' focuses on learning to cope and survive with your mental illness; which leads to helplessness, hopelessness, and a sense of permanent loss. Persistent mental health challenges destroy one's self-confidence and rob you of the joy of living." In Part 1, Janell and Brad open an important conversation about how to recognize, identify, and help someone struggling with mental illness. He shares some of his own signs and signals that got misinterpreted and even heralded as "endless energy." Pastor Brad is open about his own Bipolar Disorder diagnosis and shares his story with grace and candor.

Links + Resources from this Episode: 

So excited that the podcast has been voted #11 in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

• Order Brad's book: FRESH HOPE 
• Visit Brad's website: FRESH HOPE FOR MENTAL HEALTH
• Listen to Fresh Hope for Mental Health Podcast
• Grab a copy of Janell’s newest book: STRONGEREVERYDAY
• Subscribe to Janell’s podcast and newsletter: SUBSCRIBE
• Leave a review, please, of the podcast: LEAVE A REVIEW
• Visit Janell’s site: MORE RESOURCES
• Follow Janell on Instagram: @janellrardon

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

Henry James once said, “Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me, those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Yes, Henry, we all agree! This special Summer 2022 Weekend Edition is dedicated to spiritual growth and formation. I've gone deep into my podcast vault and can't wait to share these beautiful conversations about growing our faith. In summer, my backyard beauties need more attention, more water, more sunshine, and more attention. Why not give our FAITH more of the same? Enjoy today's introductory conversation and get ready to SOAK IN LIVING WATER. 

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

Managing overwhelm has become part of our daily heart work, it seems. Today, we welcome Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, bestselling author of Trauma Stewardship and The Age of Overwhelm, to the show. Laura asks this heart-searching question, "What conditions have you created...what conditions do you have in place...to be able to metabolize the overwhelming "nervous energy" locked and stuck inside your nervous system?" Her story, wisdom, and sage advice invite us to discern the answer and move forward into the future freedom we all seek. Heartlifters, grab a cup of something delicious in one hand and your journal and pen in the other. This is a game-changing conversation.

Links + Resources from this Episode: 

So excited that the podcast has been voted #11 in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

• Order Laura's books: TRAUMA STEWARDSHIP and THE AGE OF OVERWHELM
• Visit Laura's website: TRAUMASTEWARDSHIP
• Please watch Laura's TedTalk: Beyond the Cliff
• Grab a copy of Janell’s newest book: STRONGEREVERYDAY
• Subscribe to Janell’s podcast and newsletter: SUBSCRIBE
• Leave a review, please, of the podcast: LEAVE A REVIEW
• Visit Janell’s site: MORE RESOURCES
• Follow Janell on Instagram: @janellrardon

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

Peace is often very misunderstood. We think it is based on having the perfect circumstances or the perfect marriage or the perfect children. Ann Swindell, author of "The Path to Peace: Experiencing God's Comfort When You Are Overwhelmed," brilliantly shares how true peace is based on three vital practices.

Links + Resources from this Episode: 

So excited that the podcast has been voted #11 in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

• Order Ann Swindell's book: PATHTOPEACE
• Follow Ann on Instagram: ANNSWINDELL
• Visit Ann's fabulous website: ANNSWINDELL
• Grab a copy of Janell’s newest book: STRONGEREVERYDAY
• Subscribe to Janell’s podcast and newsletter: SUBSCRIBE
• Leave a review, please, of the podcast: LEAVE A REVIEW
• Visit Janell’s site: MORE RESOURCES
• Follow Janell on Instagram: @janellrardon

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

Welcome Conversation Intelligence Coach and Author, Patti Reed, to the show. Patti is helping us transition from "telling and selling and yelling" to "asking, listening, and responding," in our conversations with our teens and young adults, specifically, but her wisdom lends to all of our conversations. Tucked in the middle is a beautiful meditation that helps us (1) build concentration muscles (2) calm the sympathetic nervous system (3) develop emotion regulation and distress tolerance.

Links + Resources from this Episode: 

So excited that the podcast has been voted #11 in the Top 100 Mental Health Podcasts on Feedspot: https://blog.feedspot.com/mental_health_podcasts/

• Order Patti Reed's book: FACETOFACE
• Follow Patti on Instagram: PATTI REED
• Visit Patti's fabulous website: PATTI REED
• Grab a copy of Janell’s newest book: STRONGEREVERYDAY
• Subscribe to Janell’s podcast and newsletter: SUBSCRIBE
• Leave a review, please, of the podcast: LEAVE A REVIEW
• Visit Janell’s site: MORE RESOURCES
• Follow Janell on Instagram: @janellrardon

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

What does it mean to "unclutter your soul?" In today's episode, Trina McNeilly, author of "Unclutter Your Soul: Overcome What Overwhelms You," gives us three strategic ways to manage the overwhelming stressors that we face each and every day. Within minutes of waking up, we hear news of tragic proportions. What do we do with the flooding of emotion that immediately sends our hearts spinning? Trina invites us to take a soul inventory in order to overcome what overwhelms us.

Links + Resources from this Episode: 

• Read the show notes: JANELL RARDON
• Order Trina McNeilly's newest book: UNCLUTTER YOUR SOUL
• Follow Trina McNeilly on Instagram: TRINA MCNEILLY
• Visit Trina's fabulous website and GRAB YOUR FREEBIES
• Grab a copy of Janell’s newest book: STRONGEREVERYDAY
• Subscribe to Janell’s podcast and newsletter: SUBSCRIBE
• Leave a review, please, of the podcast: LEAVE A REVIEW
• Visit Janell’s site: MORE RESOURCES
• Follow Janell on Instagram: @janellrardon

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