Growing up, giving up jelly for Lent taught me something unexpected: sometimes "giving up" is really about making room for something better. 

Today on Ash Wednesday, let's reframe Lent not as deprivation, but as a sacred 40-day window where changes actually stick—because you're making them for God, not just relying on willpower.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why Lent creates a container where change becomes possible • The surprising habit research about missing days (it won't derail you!) 
• What Isaiah 58:6 really means about the "fast God chooses" 
• How to use Lent strategically: releasing what steals space, adding what restores
• Why changes you make "for God" bypass the resistance you feel making them "for yourself"

SCRIPTURE HIGHLIGHT: "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?" Isaiah 58:6 

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Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday - and I'm asking a different question than "what are you giving up?"

What are you CHANGING this Lent?

Here's what I've discovered over the years: the changes I make "for God" somehow bypass the resistance I feel making them "just for myself." There's something about offering your practice to God that transforms it from self-improvement project to spiritual partnership.

🎧 This is a 90-second preview of tomorrow's Ash Wednesday episode.

FULL EPISODE DROPS TOMORROW (Wednesday, Feb 18) at 7am MST

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What if Lent isn't about spiritual performance reviews or proving your discipline? What if it's actually the one season when positive changes stick - because you're making them for God, not just relying on willpower?

This episode reframes Lent as an invitation to slow down, get honest with God, and create space for the changes you've been struggling with all year.

You'll discover: 

• How Lent is practiced across Christian traditions (not just Catholic) and why the timing varies 
• Why changes made "for God" often succeed when willpower alone fails
• How intentional space during Lent supports your nervous system and relationships

SCRIPTURE HIGHLIGHT: "Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 5:20–6:2

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What if Lent isn't about spiritual performance reviews - but about finally making changes that actually stick?

Tomorrow's episode explores something I've discovered: I resist changes I know would help me (boundaries, rest, saying no). But during Lent? Those same changes feel different. Somehow I'm able to make changes for God that I cannot seem to make for myself.

In this 90-second preview, you'll hear:

• The surprising truth about why Lent gets filed under "intense" or "complicated"
• What makes this season different from every other attempt at self-improvement
• A completely new way to think about preparation vs. punishment

Full episode drops tomorrow (Monday, February 16) at 7am MST with:

✨ A simple 3-part Lent prep framework

✨ Two honest prayers you can borrow

✨ The 1-minute "Fast-Feast-Gift" Lent plan

✨ Research on how spiritual practices support your nervous system

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Valentine's Day can feel tender when you are facing February 14 alone - single by choice or circumstance, widowed, divorced, or in a relationship season that feels strained. When the "perfect Valentine's Day" looks nothing like your reality, you deserve a way through that carries grace.

In this episode, you will discover:

• Why your pain on "highlight holidays" is not proof that you are failing - it is a signal asking for care 
• How emotional stress on Valentine's Day directly impacts your sleep, blood pressure, and physical resilience 
• A simple three-step Grace Plan you can use to navigate February 14 with kindness instead of overwhelm

SCRIPTURE HIGHLIGHT: "The LORD your God is with you... He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing." Zephaniah 3:17

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One small step. One day at a time.

Facing Valentine's Day alone this year? Single, widowed, divorced, or in a relationship that feels strained?

Before February 14 arrives, you need to hear this.

In this preview of tomorrow's full episode, I'm unpacking Zephaniah 3:17 - a Scripture that will completely reframe how you see yourself on Valentine's Day.

You'll discover:

• What the Hebrew word "sus" reveals about how God feels about you (it's not what you think)
• Why your belovedness doesn't rise and fall with your relationship status
• The truth about God's presence on February 14 when you're alone

This 90-second preview will give you a glimpse of the full Grace Plan I'm sharing tomorrow morning—including one simple act of self-kindness you can schedule right now to protect both your heart and your spirit.

Full episode drops Friday, February 13 at 7:00 AM MST with the complete three-step Grace Plan, research on loneliness and health, and your next best step for Valentine's Day.

Don't face February 14 unprepared. Listen to this preview now, then catch the full episode tomorrow morning.

Ready for your next step?

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Remember when friendship just happened? Now it feels like scheduling connection takes the same effort as scheduling your annual physical. If you have been wondering why making friends in midlife feels so much harder than it used to, you are not imagining it.

What you will discover:

• Why your brain is actually designed for a small inner circle (and why that is good news)
• The real reason time scarcity makes adult friendship feel impossible - and what actually works
• How to turn acquaintances into real friends without feeling awkward or needy

SCRIPTURE HIGHLIGHT: "Encourage one another and build each other up." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

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Ever wonder why making friends felt effortless at 25 but feels impossible at 45?

Tomorrow's full episode reveals the research-backed reasons adult friendships require more intention - and why that is not your fault. You will discover why your brain is actually designed for a smaller friendship circle, what scientists found about the real time it takes to build connection, and why U.S. women face unique friendship challenges compared to other countries.

SCRIPTURE HIGHLIGHT:  "Encourage one another and build each other up." 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Ready for your next step?

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Have you ever looked around and thought, "Where are my people?" Not because you did something wrong, but because life shifted and the friendships that used to feel easy now feel distant or forced?

If you're in midlife and feeling this way, you're not alone—and you're not broken.

In this episode, we explore the emotional and spiritual process of friendship transitions in midlife. This isn't about cutting people off or forcing connections that drain you. It's about grief, discernment, and rebuilding connection with tenderness and wisdom.

In This Episode, You'll Discover: 

• Why friendship networks often shrink by nearly 50% during major life transitions (and why that's normal)

• The difference between holding onto friendships out of obligation versus genuine connection

• The "Three Shelves" framework for honoring relationships without demanding they stay identical forever

• How identity shifts in midlife naturally affect which friendships fit who you're becoming

• Four powerful permissions you need to give yourself right now

SCRIPTURE HIGHLIGHT: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." Ecclesiastes 3:1

Ready for your next step?

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If this episode resonated with you, please follow/subscribe and share with a friend who needs their next step.

One small step. One day at a time.

Have you ever thought, "Where are my people?"

Tomorrow's full episode explores the friendship transitions that happen in midlife -the ones nobody talks about but hurt just as much as any other loss.

In this 90-second preview, you'll hear: The four permissions you desperately need to give yourself about friendships that have shifted

Tomorrow morning, the full episode drops with:

• The "Three Shelves" framework for navigating friendship drift with grace
• Research on why friendship networks shrink by 50% during life transitions
• One powerful question to sit with this week 
• Scripture-based wisdom from Ecclesiastes 3:1

Ready for your next step?

FREE 5-Minute Daily Reset (instant download):
YourNextBestStep.com

Weekly encouragement + practical tips:
YouTube @CoachJanetJ
Instagram: @janetjjaecks

If this episode resonated with you, please follow/subscribe and share with a friend who needs their next step.

One small step. One day at a time.