Date: February 3, 2026

Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Dr. Jackie Minor

Story Highlights:

Dr. Minor shares the heart behind founding Victorious Educator Ministries, a nonprofit created to support and encourage Christian educators as they navigate their calling in classrooms, schools, and learning environments of all kinds. She explains how the belief that God has been “taken out of schools” deeply affected educators over time, often creating fear and confusion about how to live out faith at work. Jackie emphasizes that when Jesus lives in a believer’s heart, He goes with them everywhere, including into the classroom.

The conversation traces Jackie’s journey from a lifelong educator to ministry founder and author. She reflects on the years of preparation God used to lead her into writing Taking Jesus to School: The Fruit of the Spirit on Display. What began as obedience through blog writing eventually became a full length book designed to equip educators with biblical truth and practical application. Jackie speaks honestly about the difficulty of writing the book and how God used the process to teach her daily obedience, dependence, and trust.

Debbie and Jackie discuss the realities educators face in public schools, private schools, charter schools, and homeschool settings. They talk about classroom chaos, emotional exhaustion, difficult student behavior, and the pressure teachers feel when they believe they are not equipped for the task. Jackie encourages educators to shift their focus toward what they allow into their minds and hearts, reminding listeners that spiritual nourishment, Scripture, prayer, and community are essential for sustaining faith and joy in challenging environments.

Throughout the episode, Jackie explains how the fruit of the Spirit is not something educators manufacture on their own but something that flows naturally when they walk closely with the Holy Spirit. She shares how kindness, patience, gentleness, gratitude, and self control can transform interactions with students, colleagues, and parents, often leaving a lasting impact that may not be seen until years later.

The episode reinforces the message that educators are never alone in their calling. God sees their faithfulness, honors their obedience, and works through ordinary moments to create eternal impact. Jackie encourages listeners to remember that every child is created in God’s image and that small acts of love and grace can ripple far beyond the classroom.

About Our Guest:

Dr. Minor is the author of Taking Jesus to School: The Fruit of the Spirit on Display, a book created to help educators grow spiritually while navigating the daily realities of education with wisdom, grace, and faith. She lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, Vern.

Book Spotlight:

Each chapter includes real world scenarios, Scripture based teaching, and reflection exercises designed for individual study or group discussion. The book is written for educators in public, private, charter, and homeschool settings and encourages readers to see spiritual growth as the foundation for lasting impact in their work with children and families.

Connect with Jackie:

Closing Thought:

Date: January 19, 2026

Story Highlights:

In this timely and courageous episode of The Women Behind the Words, Debbie Dufek sits down with Barb Winters for an honest and deeply compassionate conversation about protecting children in today’s digital world.

Barb shares the personal moment that changed everything for her family. When she discovered her fourteen year old son had been exposed to pornography, she was thrust into a season marked by fear, prayer, research, and hard conversations. What followed was a two year journey that opened her eyes to just how accessible pornography and online dangers have become for children and how unprepared and isolated many parents feel when they encounter these issues.

Out of that painful season, Barb founded Hopeful Mom, an online platform created to support parents with both practical tools and faith based encouragement. Through Hopeful Mom, Barb equips families to respond with wisdom rather than panic and with love rather than shame.

Debbie and Barb discuss what parents can do when they discover inappropriate content on a child’s device. Instead of reacting out of fear, they emphasize the importance of pausing to pray, listening carefully, and creating an environment where children feel safe enough to tell the truth. The conversation highlights why boundaries are not punishment but protection and why ongoing conversations are far more effective than one time talks.

Barb also shares about her school based presentation program, where she goes directly into schools to educate students through age appropriate discussions on internet safety, pornography exposure, social media risks, grooming behaviors, and healthy relationships. Drawing from what she sees firsthand, Barb explains why proactive education is critical and how predators exploit secrecy, confusion, and silence.

The episode also addresses the growing dangers of online predators, sextortion, and human trafficking. Barb explains how grooming works, why children are particularly vulnerable, and how parents can stay informed and vigilant without living in fear.

Throughout the conversation, the message remains clear. Love and protection go hand in hand. God’s grace is present even in the hardest parenting moments, and families are never beyond hope. Barb reminds listeners that prayer matters, truth brings freedom, and faithful steps taken today can make a lasting difference for generations to come.

About Our Guest:

Barb Winters is the founder of Hopeful Mom, a certified Sexual Risk Avoidance Specialist, mental health coach, author, speaker, and Lead Facilitator at E3 Family Solutions. She equips parents, educators, and youth to navigate the challenges of raising children in a digital culture with truth, wisdom, and faith.

Barb speaks nationwide on pornography prevention, human trafficking awareness, and supporting families in an increasingly online world. In March 2025, she was named to a national list of 20 Inspiring Women Dedicated to Making Life Safer for Kids.

Book Spotlight: Sexpectations: Helping the Next Generation Navigate Healthy Relationships by Barb Winters

Today’s culture presents young people with a distorted and often damaging view of intimacy, relationships, and self worth. From social media and streaming content to pornography and hookup culture, tweens and teens are absorbing powerful messages that shape their expectations long before they have the tools to process them.

In Sexpectations, Barb Winters offers parents, grandparents, educators, and youth leaders a clear and compassionate guide for addressing these challenges head on. With biblical truth and practical insight, she helps adults understand the cultural forces influencing young people and provides a framework for guiding them toward healthy, God honoring relationships.

Inside the book, readers will learn how to identify cultural factors contributing to the decline of healthy relationships, examine the emotional, spiritual, and relational consequences of casual sexual attitudes, and understand four foundational attributes of healthy relationships rooted in Scripture: love, selflessness, mutuality, and communication.

The book also offers biblical principles for healing from wounds caused by sexual brokenness, tools to help children restore, reconcile, and maintain healthy relationships, and practical guidance for having ongoing conversations about pornography, hookup culture, sexting, and God’s design for sex.

Sexpectations equips families to move beyond fear and silence and toward truth filled conversations that bring clarity, hope, and healing.

Connect with Barb:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/difficultconversationsforparents

Closing Thought:

Parenting in a digital world is not easy, but families do not walk this road alone. God’s love is constant, His wisdom is available, and protection rooted in truth is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children.

Date: January 9, 2026

Story Highlights:

Cheri shares how fear first entered her life during childhood through misunderstandings surrounding her mother’s health. What began as a fear of loss quietly followed her into adulthood, shaping her thoughts, her decisions, and even her marriage. Although fear lingered for many years, Cheri reflects on how the foundation of faith her parents planted, along with her growing personal relationship with Christ, became the pathway God used to bring healing and freedom.

One of the most impactful moments in this conversation centers on a seventeen year fear of winter driving that began after a traumatic experience involving a semi truck on a snowy road. That fear quietly limited Cheri’s life, affecting her travel, opportunities, and willingness to participate during winter months. After joining a new church and developing a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit, Cheri asked God to reveal the lie beneath her fear. The Lord gently showed her that the semi truck she feared had actually been positioned to protect her from oncoming traffic and allow her to turn around safely. That revelation marked the beginning of her healing journey.

Cheri shares how God continued this work through obedience, prayer, and intentional thought renewal. She stepped out in faith by volunteering for AWANA despite winter driving, trusting God with one small step at a time. Over time, her fear of driving lifted, followed by freedom from depression after thirty days of focused prayer, and eventually deliverance from panic attacks as she learned to take her thoughts captive according to Scripture.

Throughout the episode, Cheri offers practical tools God gave her to interrupt fear and replace it with truth, including speaking the name of Jesus, inviting worship into moments of anxiety, and anchoring her mind in specific Scriptures.

The conversation deepens as Cheri recounts God’s miraculous protection over her daughter during two serious car accidents in 2023, including a head on collision with a drunk driver. Rather than reigniting fear, these experiences further strengthened Cheri’s trust in God’s faithfulness and protection.

Cheri also shares how praise, thanksgiving, and gratitude reshaped her spiritual life. She describes meaningful family traditions such as choosing Scripture verses to wear as reminders, keeping a blessings journal, and documenting God’s ongoing protection and provision. Together, Debbie and Cheri encourage listeners to focus on God’s promises rather than their problems, to capture fearful thoughts, and to surround themselves with faith filled community.

This episode closes with encouragement to trust God’s timing, surrender fear daily, and actively remember His faithfulness through simple practices like a blessings journal or blessings jar. With prayer, honesty, and hope, this conversation reminds listeners that fear does not have the final word. Faith does.

About Our Guest:

Group Highlight: Jesus in the Everyday Mentorship

Whether you are new to faith and need a solid foundation, feeling stagnant and longing to reignite your fire, or full of questions and seeking truth, Jesus in the Everyday exists to meet you where you are.

Inside this mentorship, you will find a battle plan to replace fear with faith, a lifeline to recognize God’s goodness in the grind, and a tribe of women who understand real life and real faith. No perfect people allowed. The enemy does not take a day off, and neither do we.

Connect with Cheri:

Closing Thought:

Date: December 12, 2025

Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Melissa Heiland

Story Highlights:

Melissa reflects on a painful experience with foster children that ultimately became a turning point. Through prayer and obedience, God led her and her husband to sell their possessions and step out in faith to serve overseas for one year. That single act of obedience planted the seeds for Beautiful Feet International, a pregnancy ministry that now serves women and families in over 43 nations.

Throughout the conversation, Melissa shares how God redirected her path through foster care, adoption, missions, and ministry leadership. She explains how Beautiful Feet equips local churches and leaders to support pregnant women and mothers, creating lasting impact through a small staff and faithful volunteers around the world. From launching a pregnancy center in Costa Rica to expanding across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, Melissa testifies to God’s perfect timing and provision every step of the way.

This episode is a reminder that God sees the weary, redeems every experience, and invites His people to partner with Him in transforming lives one word, one act of love, and one life at a time.

About Our Guest:

She is the Founder and President of Beautiful Feet International, a mission organization dedicated to starting and supporting international pregnancy centers. Beautiful Feet currently oversees more than 150 pregnancy ministries across 43 nations. Melissa is also an author and speaker who has written training manuals and curricula for pregnancy centers, devotionals for new and expectant mothers, and devotionals for mission teams. She is the recipient of the 2014 EvanTell Matthew 4:19 Award and the 2022 Heartbeat International Servant Leader Award.

Book Spotlight:

A Mother’s Comfort: A Devotional for Baby’s First Year

A Mother’s Journey: A Devotional for Pregnancy

Connect with Beautiful Feet International:

Website: International Pregnancy Centers | Beautiful Feet International

Facebook:  (6) Facebook Beautiful Feet International

Instagram:  Beautiful Feet (@beautifulfeetintl) • Instagram photos and videos

Closing Thought:

Date: December 4, 2025

Story Highlights:

What began as a season of suffering became the doorway to revelation. Through studying the names and attributes of God, Graciela discovered that He reveals Himself personally in every circumstance. Her search for comfort became a lifelong pursuit of deeper intimacy with Him.

Graciela also tells the remarkable story of how God taught her English. He instructed her to read His Word in English every day. As she obeyed, Scripture not only strengthened her language skills, it transformed her heart. Out of this journey came her book Divine Tapestry, a resource created to help readers experience God personally through His names rather than know Him only intellectually.

Throughout the conversation, Graciela explains how understanding the right name of God for the season you are walking through brings clarity, confidence, and hope. She encourages listeners to move beyond information into revelation, inviting God to show them who He desires to be in their current circumstances.

Debbie and Graciela also explore the heart behind Divine Tapestry, an alphabetical journey through the names and attributes of God designed to serve as a bridge between His heart and the reader’s. Graciela shares stories from her chemotherapy season where she encountered supernatural joy and peace, and she tells of the miraculous healing of her son after twenty-three years of prayer. She beautifully distinguishes happiness, which shifts with circumstances, from joy, which is found in the person of Jesus.

Graciela’s book will be featured on December 3rd. Debbie encourages listeners to send her a note of encouragement and to share this episode with anyone walking through hardship or seeking to understand God more deeply.

About Our Guest:

Born in Argentina and now living in Fort Worth, Texas, Graciela is passionate about guiding others into daily, intimate encounters with the living God. Through her writing, mentorship, classes, and community involvement, she encourages believers to move beyond knowledge toward a confident and experiential faith rooted in who God truly is.

Book Spotlight:

Each entry reveals the truth that God is relational and has a specific name for every need we face. The goal of this book is to lead readers into an intimate walk with Him marked by unshakable peace, steady confidence, and lasting joy.

Connect with Graciela:

Date: November 26, 2025

Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Kevia Hart

Story Highlights:

In this heartfelt and faith centered episode of The Women Behind the Words, Debbie Dufek welcomes minister and servant leader Kevia Hart to share her powerful testimony of salvation, restoration, and God’s faithfulness through every season. Saved at the Shiloh Retreat Center in New Baltimore, New York, at twelve years old, Kevia describes how that early encounter with God planted a seed that remained steady through personal challenges and later blossomed into a deep and enduring walk with Christ.

Debbie and Kevia also celebrate God’s sweet gift of reunion after nineteen years. Having first met at Shiloh Retreat Center in 1981, their conversation reflects on God’s providence and the unique ways He weaves lives together for His purposes. Kevia recounts her upbringing as an only child and her time living with the Dufek family, where she experienced love, community, and the foundational faith that shaped her future.

Throughout the episode, Debbie and Kevia explore the importance of staying disciplined in daily devotion, remaining grounded in Scripture, and keeping focus on God even when life becomes hectic. Kevia shares about her upcoming forty day devotional group at church and how seasons of testing have strengthened her faith and deepened her reliance on God. Her testimony spans her journey from salvation to her ordination as a minister alongside her husband and stands as a beautiful reminder to live in expectancy and trust God’s timing.

As she prepares for her installation this December as pastor and assistant of Alpha and Omega Word Ministries with her husband, Kevia reflects on how her life continues to be a testimony of grace, calling, and obedience. Her message to women everywhere is clear: make time for God each day, stay rooted in His Word, and trust that trials often become the pathway to deeper intimacy with Him. The episode concludes with a heartfelt prayer and hopeful anticipation for what God will continue to do through her ministry and story.

About Our Guest

Kevia Hart is a minister and soon to be pastor and assistant of Alpha and Omega Word Ministries. Saved at twelve years old at the Shiloh Retreat Center, her life has been marked by God’s steady hand, transformational faith, and a passion for serving others. From her upbringing as an only child to her years living with the Dufek family, the foundation of faith built in her youth continues to guide her calling today. Alongside her husband, she serves in ministry with a heart for discipleship, daily devotion, and leading others to a deeper walk with Christ. This December, she will be installed as pastor and assistant of Alpha and Omega Word Ministries.

Connect with Kevia:

Instagram: @keviahart1818

Closing Thought:

Kevia’s story reminds us that God is faithful from beginning to end. He plants seeds long before we understand their purpose, He restores what we think is lost, and He brings every story together in His perfect timing. May her testimony encourage you to stay rooted in the Word, remain devoted in prayer, and trust that God is shaping your path in ways you cannot yet see.

Date: November 20, 2025

Story Highlights:

Heidi shares openly about her diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa in 2001, a degenerative eye disease that gradually reduced her vision. Instead of letting loss define her, Heidi made a deliberate, daily choice to choose joy. That decision became her life’s mantra and influences every page she writes. She explains how gratitude reshaped her perspective, helping her focus on what she can still do rather than what has changed. Through adaptive tools like large print technology and customized accessibility settings, Heidi continues to write faithfully and live fully.

Her heart for serving God remains central. Whether through storytelling, prayer, or small intentional acts like sending cards, Heidi shows how every season offers new ways to serve. She encourages listeners to embrace fresh beginnings at any stage of life and to trust that it is never too late to follow God’s prompting.

Heidi also highlights her Christmas novella, A Place to Belong, a story of redemption, grace, and emotional healing. The novella follows Josephina, a young woman hoping for a second chance after difficult choices. Through Josephina’s journey, Heidi emphasizes the transforming power of letting go of the past and accepting the freedom Christ offers.

Throughout the conversation, Heidi shares why Christian fiction is such a powerful ministry tool. Much like Jan Karon’s Mitford series, Heidi’s stories reach women who may feel distant from church but still long for spiritual connection. Through flawed yet faithful characters, she offers hope, restoration, and a gentle invitation to trust God.

Heidi closes the interview with heartfelt encouragement: find purpose through service, embrace the gifts God places in your hands, and remember that joy is a choice rooted in gratitude and faith, not circumstances.

About Our Guest (Bio):

Heidi’s personal mantra, Choose Joy, is woven through both her writing and her daily life. Whether spotlighting frontier women standing firm in faith or modern women rediscovering their purpose, Heidi’s heart is to show that God’s best is always worth the wait.

Book Highlight: A Place to Belong: Josephine’s Story : A Shumard Oak Bend Companion Christmas Novella (Discerning God’s Best)

Pregnant, disgraced, and out of options, Josephina flees Philadelphia in search of a second chance in a snowy Ozark town. She finds unexpected refuge in an unfinished orphanage, a one armed war veteran, and a marriage of convenience that may become something deeper. But when her past reappears, she must decide whether she will finally accept redemption or keep running.

A story of grace, resilience, and quiet courage, A Place to Belong explores the kind of love that rebuilds what was lost. She thought she had run out of grace until grace found her on the edge of a snowy town. Some fresh starts begin in silence. Others begin with a baby’s cry.

Connect With Heidi:

Date: November 12, 2025

Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Dr. Evelyn Johnson Taylor

Story Highlights

Dr. Evelyn shares her powerful journey of caring for her late husband, who was diagnosed with cancer at age 48 and later developed an autoimmune disease. Through her story, she reminds us that caregiving, though often exhausting and emotional, is ultimately an act of love and worship. She speaks candidly about the importance of self-care, community, and faith, and how writing a book together with her husband gave voice to both the caregiver and care recipient perspectives.

After caring for her husband for ten years until his passing in 2018, Dr. Evelyn opens up about the pain of losing not only her husband but also her identity as a caregiver. She shares how God met her in that season, guiding her through intentional self-care, counseling, and the slow rebuilding of routines. What once felt like an ending became a new beginning, as she found purpose in helping other caregivers heal and rediscover their identity.

Debbie and Dr. Evelyn also discuss the larger theme of identity transitions, whether through grief or other major life changes. Together, they explore the importance of focusing on what God is doing now, embracing each new chapter with hope and gratitude.

Dr. Evelyn encourages listeners to use declarations and affirmations rooted in God’s Word to reshape their thinking and renew their hearts. Throughout the conversation, she offers profound wisdom on overcoming grief with community support and releasing the guilt that can come with moving forward after loss. She reminds listeners that God uses every season, even the painful ones, to prepare us for our next assignment.

Her story shines with hope, faith, and the assurance that God’s love is present through every transition. Dr. Evelyn also shares insights from her book, In and Out of Season: Thriving in Life’s Transitions, which offers biblical tools and encouragement for navigating change with grace.

The episode closes with a heartfelt prayer for those walking through seasons of caregiving and transition, and an invitation to reach out to Dr. Evelyn for encouragement, prayer, or speaking engagements.

About Our Guest

As a registered nurse, professor, ordained minister, and author, she brings both professional expertise and lived experience to the stage. With over 30 years of ministry and teaching, Evelyn knows how to speak with compassion, authority, and practical wisdom.

Today, she equips caregivers, churches, and organizations with the tools to prevent burnout, rediscover identity, and walk with renewed hope.

Book Spotlight

This poignant narrative of resilience and personal growth invites readers into Evelyn’s transformative journey following the death of her husband after a lengthy illness. Drawing from her own experience, Evelyn shares profound insight and practical wisdom to guide readers through difficult seasons.

This book is a compassionate companion for anyone navigating unexpected changes such as loss, divorce, career shifts, or other profound disappointments. Through her candid reflections and deep spiritual insight, Evelyn reminds us that seasons, both joyful and sorrowful, are temporary. She encourages readers to embrace change, rediscover their identity, and find renewed purpose amidst uncertainty.

Each chapter concludes with thought-provoking questions designed to foster introspection and personal growth. Additionally, heartfelt prayers offer solace and reaffirm the comforting presence of God through life’s turbulent seasons.

Connect with Dr. Evelyn Johnson Taylor

Dr. Evelyn Johnson-Taylor

Closing Thought

Date: October 7, 2025

Story Highlights:

In this heartfelt episode of The Women Behind the Words, Debbie Dufek sits down with Pamela Long, founder of Embracing Faith Ministries, to talk about the beauty of saying “yes” to God, even when it stretches us beyond our comfort zone. Pam shares her journey from insecurity to confident obedience, the birth of her ministry, and the lessons she’s learned about humility, leadership, and letting God lead every step.

Pamela opens up about the seasons of insecurity, growth, and restoration that shaped her leadership, and the powerful ways God confirmed His calling along the way. From early church partnerships to navigating leadership transitions, she has learned to hold ministry with open hands, recognizing that everything ultimately belongs to God.

Together, Debbie and Pamela explore:

How God uses weakness to prepare us for leadership

What it means to obey God even when it doesn’t make sense

The importance of structure, humility, and prayer in ministry

How to let go and trust God through seasons of change

Why rest and restoration are essential for those who serve

Pam’s story is a reminder that God equips those He calls, and that when we say yes to Him, He does more through us than we could ever imagine on our own.

About Our Guest:

Pamela Long was saved at the young age of five years old, but didn’t start to understand God’s love, the Holy Spirit’s leading, and His word until 2003, when she found herself with a giant hole in her life that nothing was able to fill. This trial drew her back to the church and into a closer encounter with Jesus. Pam’s journey of learning God’s love has been filled with trials, lessons, growth, and healing, and she wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Pamela is the proud mother of Lucas Long and wife to Richard Long III, and her heart is filled with the joy of making her family a priority.

A mother, wife, sister, friend, prayer warrior, speaker, and founder of Embracing Faith Ministries, Pamela is focused on empowering, equipping, and encouraging women to walk in the callings that God has placed on their lives, as well as encouraging them to fully dive in with God to find their true identities in Jesus.

About Embracing Faith Ministries:

Embracing Faith Ministries exists to strengthen women in their walk with God through teaching, conferences, and community. Founded by Pamela Long in 2009, the ministry focuses on equipping women to embrace faith over fear and to step boldly into their God-given assignments.

Pam’s heart is to see women restored, confident, and rooted in the truth that God’s call never depends on perfection, only on obedience.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30

Key Takeaways: 

God’s call to leadership often begins in our weakness.

True success in ministry comes from obedience, not outcomes.

Every transition, even the painful ones, can become a doorway to deeper faith.

Proper structure, humility, and prayerful leadership protect both people and vision.

Our ministry should always point back to the One who owns it: God Himself.

Connect With Pamela: 

Website: www.embracingfaithministries.org

Date: September 25, 2025

Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Sasha Razen

Story Highlights: 

About Our Guest:

Takeaway for Moms and Daughters:

For Moms. Speak one life giving word over your daughter this week and follow it with a prayer together.

For Daughters. Write down a truth you’ve learned about being enough in God’s eyes and keep it where you’ll see it daily.

For Sisters & Friends. Apologize quickly when words sting and remind each other of the love that holds stronger than mistakes.

For Mentors. Be intentional. Invite a younger girl for coffee or a walk and ask how you can encourage her faith today.

Closing Thought: