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The quiet after the last suitcase leaves can feel like a freefall—or a doorway. We lean into that threshold with Kate Battistelli, author of The After Party of the Empty Nest: Mom Isn't Your Only Name, to reframe the empty nest as an after-party —a time to honor the first act of mothering and step into a purposeful, hope-filled second act. Kate shares the heart behind her directive, “Mom is not your only name,” and why your next chapter isn’t smaller—it’s just different, and often deeper.

Together, we explore the three “bird” archetypes that map this transition—the quick-pivot swallow, the grieving mourning dove, and the balanced robin—so you can name where you are and choose what’s next. Kate’s story illustrates how courage grows when we respond to quiet nudges with small, faithful steps. We discuss dreaming with the Father without shrinking your desires, finding an “empty next” that builds the kingdom, and utilizing the margins of your day to prepare for new work, study, service, or creative callings.

If this episode encourages you, please follow, share it with a friend who’s nearing the transition, and leave a quick review so more moms can find the courage to start their after party.

Download the Intro and First Chapter of The After Party of the Empty Nest: Text AFTERPARTY to 44144.

Visit Kate's website: Kate Battistelli

Learn more about Kate's book: The After Party of the Empty Nest

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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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What happens when the warning signals from our bodies become so normalized that we fail to recognize them as distress calls? After experiencing a sudden atrial fibrillation episode that landed me in the emergency room, doctors asked the question that haunted me: "Why did you wait so long to seek help?" The answer was both simple and profound – I had been ignoring my body's desperate attempts to complete stress cycles that had accumulated over the years.

This deeply personal episode explores the science behind stress cycles and explains why completing them is essential for our overall well-being. Drawing on Emily and Amelia Nagoski's groundbreaking work, I explain that stress isn't just a feeling, but a physiological cycle with distinct phases that must reach a state of completion. When we continuously interrupt this natural process, moving from one stressor to the next without allowing our bodies to process and release, we remain in a state of hypervigilance that takes a devastating toll on our physical and mental health.

Whether you're feeling the early warning signs of burnout or want to develop healthier rhythms, this episode offers seven practical strategies to complete stress cycles and return to a state of flourishing. 

Revisit these podcast episodes mentioned in today's episode:

E337. The Art of Slowing Down with A.C. Seiple

E314. Radical Relaxation with Tracie Braylock

E272. Forest Bathing in the Hallerbos

E274. Everything is Reconciled in a Garden

Read Dr. Brene Brown's interview with the Nagoski Sisters

Read the Stanford U article on "Cyclic Sighing"

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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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What happens when life throws you not just a curveball, but an ongoing series of challenges with no end in sight? Katie Schnack, author of "Everything Is Not Fine," opens up about her journey through her son Shepherd's diagnosis with a rare medical condition called VACTERL.

Rather than offering trite solutions, Katie shares how she's learned to hold both joy and sorrow simultaneously. She describes beautiful moments of divine reassurance, like when her three-year-old daughter spontaneously sang "Jesus Loves Me" exactly when Katie had been praying for a sign of God's love. These "everyday epiphanies" became anchors in the storm.

The discussion challenges conventional notions of what it means to be "inspirational" during hardship. As Katie's friend wisely told her, "Courage doesn't mean you're not scared; it means you're scared and do it anyway." This reframing allows space for honest emotional processing while still moving forward in faith.

For anyone navigating ongoing challenges—whether medical issues, grief, relationship difficulties, or other circumstances without clear resolution—this conversation offers both companionship and practical wisdom. Katie shares how community support, intentional grief processing, and "closing the stress cycle" through physical activity have helped her develop resilience.

Visit Katie's website: KATIE

Order Katie's book: Everything Is (Not) Fine

Listen to Janell's Meditative Exercise: The Waiting Room

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

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Licensed Counselor, A. C. Seiple, author of The Sacred Art of Slowing Down: Find Relief from Rushed Living, Soothe Your Soul, and Restore Wholeness Within, shares a transformative approach to finding relief from rushed living by embracing the sacred art of slowing down and reconnecting with our embodied selves. Through exploring autonomy, nervous system regulation, and ancient contemplative practices, she offers practical wisdom for tending to our forgotten inner worlds.

Pre-order A. C. Seiple's book "The Sacred Art of Slowing Down" wherever books are sold and follow her Substack "All Parts Sacred" for more wisdom on embodied spirituality.

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 story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well is familiar to many, but what if everything we thought we knew about her was filtered through centuries of misinterpretation? Dr. Caryn Reeder joins us for a paradigm-shifting conversation that challenges traditional views of this remarkable biblical figure.

For generations, sermons have painted the Samaritan woman as a sexual sinner—a prostitute, a fallen woman. Yet as Dr. Reeder points out, the text of John 4 never once mentions sin or forgiveness. This deliberate sexualization and minimization of her story has had far-reaching consequences, contributing to the silencing of women's voices in Christian communities.

What emerges instead is the portrait of a theological intellectual who engages Jesus in the longest recorded conversation in the Gospel of John. Unlike Nicodemus—the powerful, educated man who meets Jesus in darkness and leaves confused—this nameless Samaritan woman meets Jesus in broad daylight and demonstrates remarkable spiritual insight. She becomes what Dr. Reeder calls a "paragon"—a touchstone against which discipleship should be measured.

The contrast couldn't be more striking: a marginalized woman becomes the first evangelist while the religious elite remain in darkness. This reversal challenges everything we think we know about spiritual authority and who God chooses to work through. When understood in its historical context, the Samaritan woman's marital history reflects the harsh realities that women faced in the ancient world, rather than a moral failure.

This conversation invites us to reconsider how we read scripture and how we value voices in our communities. What might happen if we recognized the theological contributions of those we've overlooked? How might our understanding of leadership transform if we truly saw this woman as Jesus saw her?

Learn more about Dr. Reeder's work: Westmont 

Order Caryn's book: The Samaritan Woman's Story

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

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Dorcas Cheng-Tozun joins us to discuss her new Bible study, "Mental Health: Experiencing God's Care for Our Mind, Body, and Spirit," and shares her personal journey through burnout, depression, and healing. We explore how faith communities can better respond to mental health needs with compassion rather than judgment, while discovering how scripture reveals God's deep understanding of our struggles.

• Made for Pax creates resources for millennials and Gen Z that incorporate art, justice, and contemplative practices
• The harmful myth that "faith is all I need" equates mental health struggles with spiritual failure
• Jesus himself experienced trauma throughout his life, giving him a profound understanding of our suffering
• Caring for our mental health is a sacred practice that increases our capacity to care for others
• Beauty and brokenness coexist in our stories, making space for both healing and struggle
• Contemplative practices like loving-kindness meditation can ground us in challenging times

Find "Mental Health: A Six-Week Interactive Bible Study" by Dorcas Chang-Tozin, published by IVY Press, available soon wherever books are sold.

Learn more about Made for Pax 

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

Dr. Dru Johnson, author of What Hath Darwin To Do With Scripture? challenges our understanding of creation, evolution, and faith through an intellectually curious exploration of Darwin's observations and biblical narratives. This conversation bridges seemingly opposing worldviews by examining how Genesis might be the most Darwinian text of the ancient world.

• Creation stories in Genesis focus on habitats and inhabitants with concern for proper fit to the environment.
• Biblical authors call us beyond simplistic views of creation to understand our moral connection to the land.
• Darwin's observations about natural selection aren't inherently incompatible with biblical thinking.
• The Bible doesn't claim "as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be" but rather envisions a future reorientation of creation.
• Procreation in Scripture isn't just about making babies but about great-great-grandchildren we'll never meet.
• Parents and grandparents should create "fields with clear fences" where children can explore ideas freely, rather than following intellectual ruts.
• Christians are called to "do the work" of understanding for themselves rather than uncritically accepting what others say.

Get to know Dr. Dru Johnson: Meet Dr. Dru

Intellectually and Spiritually Curious? Order Dr. Dru's book

Learn more about The Institute of Creation Research

Creation Kids Magazine and Fabulous Resources

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

Marine biologist Rachel G. Jordan explores the intersection of faith and science through her experiences studying ocean life. Her book "If the Ocean has a Soul: A Marine Biologist's Pursuit of Truth through Deep Waters of Faith and Science" reveals profound spiritual insights discovered in underwater ecosystems while challenging readers to embrace both scientific curiosity and deep faith.

• Biodiversity in marine ecosystems demonstrates how differences strengthen communities rather than divide them.
• Faith and science both seek answers to "why" questions, driven by wonder and curiosity.
• Topics like evolution and climate change aren't salvation issues, but can become unnecessary barriers to faith.
• Rachel's research on sea anemones taught her gratitude for all living things and their capacity to praise God.
• Every creature, even seemingly annoying ones like mosquitoes, has a unique way of praising its Creator.
• The kingdom of God may include incredible biodiversity - past, present, and future creatures all praising together.

Join me at Heartlift Central on Substack, where we'll continue this conversation with Rachel G. Jordan about her beautiful book "If the Ocean has a Soul."

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 are you chasing? The elusive promise of fulfillment through success, recognition, relationships, or material possessions? Mikella Van Dyke is well acquainted with this pursuit. Growing up as the daughter of Bible translators in Thailand, she experienced firsthand the challenge of finding her identity amid cultural transitions before discovering that while she thought she was chasing God, He had actually been chasing her all along.

Mikella's perspective on Scripture and motherhood brings fresh inspiration to those feeling overwhelmed by life's demands. Drawing from Psalm 23:6, where she discovered that "follow" actually means "to chase," she reveals how God's goodness and mercy have been pursuing us with extravagant love. This revelation transformed her understanding of spiritual growth and her approach to raising five children, ages two to ten, while maintaining her ministry.

Order Mikella's book: Chasing Sacred

Find Mikella on Instagram: @chasingsacred and @mikellavandyke

Visit her website and learn more about her work: Mikella Van Dyke 

Revisit Episode 330 and join the August Social Media Reset Challenge with Janell and Author, Allie Marie Smith.

Find Allie Marie on Instagram: @alliemariesmith

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

A Summer Replay of One of Our Favorite Conversations here on the podcast: Episode 108. Dr. Alison Cook guides us and helps us understand:

1. What if the overwhelming thoughts and feelings you've been trying to suppress, ignore, or overcome could actually become your greatest allies? In this profound conversation with Dr. Allison Cook, PhD, we delve into a revolutionary approach to emotional health through the concept of internal boundaries.
   
   
2. Dr. Cook introduces us to the Internal Family Systems model, which recognizes the various "parts" within our souls. These managers keep us organized and productive, the firefighters who rush to numb our pain, and the exiles who carry our deepest hurts. Rather than viewing these parts as enemies to be conquered, she teaches us how to set compassionate boundaries with them and transform them into valuable allies.
   
   
3. At the heart of this conversation is a radical truth: you get a say in your own life. For many of us, especially women, we've been conditioned to trust others' voices over our own. Dr. Cook challenges this pattern by showing how spirit-led self-leadership empowers us to honor our God-given voice while maintaining healthy relationships. This isn't selfish—it's stewardship of the unique self God created you to be.
   
   
4. We dive deep into the practical "U-turn" process—Focus, Befriend, Invite God, Unburden, and Integrate—that helps us approach overwhelming emotions with curiosity rather than condemnation. Through stories, examples, and theological insights, Dr. Cook demonstrates how this approach differs from spiritual bypassing, offering instead a truly integrated path to healing that honors both psychology and faith.
   
   
5. Perhaps most beautifully, Dr. Cook introduces us to the concept of "baptized imagination"—engaging our creative right brain alongside our analytical left brain in our healing journey. Like Jesus teaching through parables, sometimes our most profound transformation comes through imagery and narrative rather than mere logic.
   
   Whether you've struggled with people-pleasing, anger, anxiety, or any overwhelming emotion, this conversation offers hope. There's a path to freedom that doesn't require silencing parts of yourself, but instead welcoming them home. Ready to rewrite your story and discover the allies waiting within your soul? Listen now, and take your first step toward inner boundaries that truly set you free.

Visit Dr. Alison Cook's website: Boundaries for Your Soul

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