Did you know that being vulnerable is a gift?

It’s a gift that requires you to be honest with yourself, and to do that takes the courage to be you without apology, regardless of what others think.  Joanna Mayo has been learning that her ability to open up is a super strength.  It is one that helped her understand not everyone is ready for that kind of depth.  Not everyone can handle it.  So while you may be doubting yourself, Joanna has come out the other side and you can too.  She is here to tell you being vulnerable is a gift and she is all the stronger because she has embraced it.

Joanna is our guest this week for Spicy Christian Women - Becoming all that and a bag of chips.  This is part two.

Thanks for being part of the UY conversation.

The Unabashed You website has a page for each guest of photos, quotes and a blog with embedded audio at unabashedyou.com.

You can find the show on other podcast platforms.

Want to lend your support and encouragement?

We invite you to follow, rate, review and share.

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If you have questions or comments email us at: [email protected].

We build upon on website visits, social media and word of mouth to share these episodes.  We appreciate growth knowing these conversations help you think, celebrate who you are, and move you in some way.

So be encouraged and continue to listen, read and be inspired. 🍐

Have you ever wondered what to do with your doubt?

Today’s guest, Joanna Mayo has had her own periods of doubt, expressing three different things that made the difference.  She explored through reading, most notably Savannah Guthrie’s book, What God Does which provided comfort and hope.  Joanna became more intentional in her faith through prayer and worship along with recognizing how being authentic and vulnerable is a place she finds strength.  Finding the people that support you and seeking out new connections is the advice she shared.  These were the beginnings of a process that ultimately renewed her faith.

Joanna is our guest this week for Spicy Christian Women - Becoming all that and a bag of chips. This is Part 1.

Thanks for being part of the UY conversation.

The Unabashed You website has a page for each guest of photos, quotes and a blog with embedded audio at unabashedyou.com.

You can find the show on other podcast platforms.

Want to lend your support and encouragement? We invite you to follow, rate, review and share.

Social media (direct links):

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

If you have questions or comments email us at: [email protected].

We build upon on website visits, social media and word of mouth to share these episodes.  We appreciate growth knowing these conversations help you think, celebrate who you are, and move you in some way.

So be encouraged and continue to listen, read and be inspired. 🍐

Do you take the time, even a few moments, to look back at the year that is coming to a close? We did.

Good friends Amy DeFehr, Mary Ann Mariani and I took some inventory from this year - like our favorite memories (time with family, travel, a big move), biggest challenges (a child’s anxiety, marital speed bumps, a desire to teach) and something we tried for the first time (going to a conference alone, giving a eulogy, going on a girls trip). Reflecting is a great way to learn and to keep growing forward.

Next we thought about the upcoming year - areas that need more focus, things we want to do, and our word for the year. It was an empowering way to kick off the new year envisioning what we want, the work we want to do, and the people we want to continue to grow into being.

Join our conversation for the inspiration needed to reflect, and head into the new year with encouragement and intention.

Amy has been on UY in Walking Off a Cliff;IKnow Because I Know; and Reflections on 2024, Hopes for 2025.

Find Mary Ann in A Passionate Artist of Story; I Was Mad at Myself;I Write but I don’t Love to Write; and Reflections on 2024, Hopes for 2025.

Thanks for being part of the UY conversation.

The Unabashed You website has a page for each guest of photos, quotes and a blog with embedded audio at unabashedyou.com.

You can find the show on other podcast platforms.

Want to lend your support and encouragement? We invite you to follow, rate, review and share.

Social media (direct links):

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

If you have questions or comments email us at: [email protected].

We build upon on website visits, social media and word of mouth to share these episodes.  We appreciate growth knowing these conversations help you think, celebrate who you are, and move you in some way.

So be encouraged and continue to listen, read and be inspired. 🍐

“Shaun and The Family Stone”

It’s a family affair.  That is the name of a song that was made famous by a group called Sly and the Family Stone way back in the day (feel free to Google). 

Today for your listening pleasure, we have Shaun and the Family Stone, as in a fun play on words.  Dedicated to family, and one family in particular with the last name of Stone, Shaun and I take a conversational approach to the Christmas movie, The Family Stone.  We watched it together this year in preparation.  Here are our insights, thoughts and feelings.  Oh, and maybe a verklempt moment or two.  There is a lot of love for this movie, and for me, with good reason.  Shout out to Hillary and Robyn, fellow Family Stoners.

I was so excited to have this conversation that I forgot to plug in my mic!  Forgive the less than stellar sound quality on my end.

Thanks for being part of the UY conversation.

The Unabashed You website has a page for each guest of photos, quotes and a blog with embedded audio at unabashedyou.com.

You can find the show on other podcast platforms.

Want to lend your support and encouragement? We invite you to follow, rate, review and share.

Social media (direct links):

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

If you have questions or comments email us at: [email protected].

We build upon on website visits, social media and word of mouth to share these episodes.  We appreciate growth knowing these conversations help you think, celebrate who you are, and move you in some way.

So be encouraged and continue to listen, read and be inspired. 🍐

“Making Merry with Andrew and Greg”

The goal of this episode was to make merry.  And who to help us do that but Andrew Gumm and Greg Henninger.  I hired them both as teaching artists for children’s theater back in the day, and they went to college with Shaun.  Our connections run deep.  Even if I haven’t seen or talked to them in a while, all bets are off when we connect, and it’s like no time has gone by.  I cherish them both.  To make more merry, they were quizzed on some Christmas movie quotes, and then some questions around Christmas.

We actually ran out of time.  Maybe you could tell we could have kept going for many hours to come.  Hopefully you are as entertained as we clearly were. Whether we’re talking about the merits, or lack of them for My Favorite Things as a Christmas song, or whether The Twelve Days of Christmas has too many birds, we covered as much as we could. For those things we will be pondering, we’ve got our work cut out for us to look into them and then we’ll come back and share our findings.  Collaborating is fulfilling.  When you can come together and be more than you could have been on your own, it’s simply the best.  Just like these two. 

Thanks for being part of the UY conversation.

The Unabashed You website has a page for each guest of photos, quotes and a blog with embedded audio at unabashedyou.com.

You can find the show on other podcast platforms.

Want to lend your support and encouragement? We invite you to follow, rate, review and share.

Social media (direct links):

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

If you have questions or comments email us at: [email protected].

We build upon on website visits, social media and word of mouth to share these episodes.  We appreciate growth knowing these conversations help you think, celebrate who you are, and move you in some way.

So be encouraged and continue to listen, read and be inspired. 🍐

“Christmas Movies with Shaun”

It’s Christmas time.  Why not invite Shaun to a conversation about something we both like.  Christmas movies. 

We randomly found a list of the top 20 of all time and went from there.  Some on the list were obvious, It’s a Wonderful Life, Love Actually, A Muppet Christmas Carol, and other more recent ones didn’t make the cut like, The Family Stone and The Holiday.  

There were the earlier ones which I look on fondly, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas.  Not so much for Shaun.  His nostalgia is for when he was growing up.  Makes sense.  It’s like a Venn diagram.  His, mine, and the ones we both like in the middle like Daddy’s Home 2.   

Then there is the newest contender, Spirited.  It’s a musical with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds.  My bar for this was so low it was on the ground.  Not sure why, no offense to either actor.  Maybe it was it being yet another Christmas Carol adaptation. Turns out it was better than I expected and I really did enjoy it.  Shaun hasn’t seen it yet but he’s added it to the list of the ones he wants to watch.  And I said I’d check out the sequel to A Christmas Story.  Who knows, I may add another to my annual viewing list.

Thanks for being part of the UY conversation.

The Unabashed You website has a page for each guest of photos, quotes and a blog with embedded audio at unabashedyou.com.

You can find the show on other podcast platforms.

Want to lend your support and encouragement? We invite you to follow, rate, review and share.

Social media (direct links):

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

If you have questions or comments email us at: [email protected].

We build upon on website visits, social media and word of mouth to share these episodes.  We appreciate growth knowing these conversations help you think, celebrate who you are, and move you in some way.

So be encouraged and continue to listen, read and be inspired. 🍐

Tis the season, time for celebrating the holidays: Christmas, Hannukah, Kwaanza or whatever lights your fancy.

For the month of December Unabashed You is cracking open the vault and pulling out some merry ‘ol holiday episodes of times past.  Get your warm cozies on, some hot chocolate and snuggle up to some lighthearted mirth.  It’s the best kind of mirth there is.

So, let’s talk traditions - old and new, movies, songs and anything else that spells this time of year.

“Treat every day Like Christmas”

We’re doing something a little different this week.  We’re going to celebrate Christmas.  

Shaun graced us with his presence by bringing his A-game of whimsy, impressions, and as always, fun.   We thought of a few memories, walked through some would-you-rathers, and he guessed on a bunch of Christmas trivia.

Be sure to have some fun with loved ones this season.  I know we’ll have a Merry Christmas and we are wishing you one too!  

Thanks for being part of the UY conversation.

The Unabashed You website has a page for each guest of photos, quotes and a blog with embedded audio at unabashedyou.com.

You can find the show on other podcast platforms.

Want to lend your support and encouragement? We invite you to follow, rate, review and share.

Social media (direct links):

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

If you have questions or comments email us at: [email protected].

We build upon on website visits, social media and word of mouth to share these episodes.  We appreciate growth knowing these conversations help you think, celebrate who you are, and move you in some way.

So be encouraged and continue to listen, read and be inspired. 🍐

Are you listening?

What if embracing your worth started with simply listening — to others, to God, and to your own heart? In this episode I’m joined by Carroll Patrizi, the voice behind the inspiring “Dear Carol” series, where she blends humor, wisdom, and heart much like a modern-day “Dear Abby.”  (Her podcast is called Conversations with Carroll.)

Growing up as one of eleven children in Beaumont, Texas, Carroll learned early on the beauty of connection and the power of stories. Today, she shares how active listening, surrender, and self-care have become her spiritual tools for living a full, joyful life. Tune in as we talk about faith, family, and finding grace in every step of the journey.

Carroll is our guest this week for Spicy Christian Women - Becoming All that and a Bag of Chips. This is part two.

You can find Carroll at Carroll Patrizi.

Thanks for being part of the UY conversation.

The Unabashed You website has a page for each guest of photos, quotes and a blog with embedded audio at unabashedyou.com. You can find the show on other podcast platforms.  Want to lend your support and encouragement? We invite you to follow, rate, review and share.

Social media (direct links):

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

If you have questions or comments email us at: [email protected].

We build upon on website visits, social media and word of mouth to share these episodes.  We appreciate growth knowing these conversations help you think, celebrate who you are, and move you in some way.

So be encouraged and continue to listen, read and be inspired. 🍐

What if the reason you feel stuck isn’t a lack of faith — but a lack of surrender?

In this inspiring conversation, Carroll Patrizi shares how learning to let go of control, and truly trust God, transformed her confidence, her marriage, and her purpose.

She dives deep into the power of the subconscious, how past experiences shape our fears, and how accountability in faith can break the cycle of self-doubt. If you’ve been craving a fresh start or wondering what it means to really put God first, this episode will remind you that confidence grows where surrender begins.

Carroll is our guest this week for Spicy Christian Women - Becoming All that and a Bag of Chips. This is part one.

You can find Carroll at Carroll Patrizi.

Thanks for being part of the UY conversation.

The Unabashed You website has a page for each guest of photos, quotes and a blog with embedded audio at unabashedyou.com. You can find the show on other podcast platforms.  Want to lend your support and encouragement? We invite you to follow, rate, review and share.

Social media (direct links):

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

If you have questions or comments email us at: [email protected].

We build upon on website visits, social media and word of mouth to share these episodes.  We appreciate growth knowing these conversations help you think, celebrate who you are, and move you in some way.

So be encouraged and continue to listen, read and be inspired. 🍐

What happens when faith calls you to let go of control and say yes — even when you’re scared?

In this heartfelt episode, Rechelle and Lina talk about the tension between wanting to trust God and fearing what others might think. From childhood influences and unexpected role models to laughter over sleepovers on the floor, this conversation reminds us that joy, courage, and growth often show up in the most ordinary moments. It’s a powerful reminder that vulnerability isn’t weakness — it’s where God does His best work.

Lina is our guest this week for Spicy Christian Women - Becoming All that and a Bag of Chips. This is part two of our conversation.

Lina has been on the podcast before in I am Not Shunning Emotions Anymore episode 251.

You can find her at Lina La Rue.

Thanks for being part of the UY conversation.

The Unabashed You website has a page for each guest of photos, quotes and a blog with embedded audio at unabashedyou.com. You can find the show on other podcast platforms.  Want to lend your support and encouragement? We invite you to follow, rate, review and share.

Social media (direct links):

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

If you have questions or comments email us at: [email protected].

We build upon on website visits, social media and word of mouth to share these episodes.  We appreciate growth knowing these conversations help you think, celebrate who you are, and move you in some way.

So be encouraged and continue to listen, read and be inspired. 🍐