Hope Unlocked 🔑 | Christian Testimonies, Hope & Healing, Faith-Based Inspiration, Purpose & Calling, Kingdom Business & Ministry
Feeling uncertain or overwhelmed in your faith journey? Hope Unlocked is here to inspire and equip you with real-life stories of resilience, breakthrough, and unwavering faith. Whether you’re navigating the highs and lows of business, ministry, or personal challenges, this podcast offers powerful testimonies and practical insights to help you overcome obstacles and rediscover your purpose. Each episode dives into biblical truths, actionable wisdom, and heartfelt encouragement to reignite your HOPE and empower you to live boldly in your God-given calling.Subscribe today and join a community of listeners who are ready to unlock HOPE, deepen their faith, and st...
She Spent Decades Pushing Through What Doctors Missed with Dr. Amanda Wilson
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For years, Dr. Amanda Wilson pushed through exhaustion, overwhelm, and the pressure of being everything to everyone without fully understanding why life felt so difficult. An orthodontist, entrepreneur, and mother, Amanda shares how receiving an autism diagnosis at 51 brought clarity to struggles she had carried for decades. She opens up about feeling dismissed by doctors, navigating perimenopause, sleepless nights, and learning to advocate for herself. From childhood trauma to hurricanes and unexpected hardships, Amanda reflects on how God has met her through it all. Her journey is one of discovering who God created...
God's Got This: From Gang Life to Fighting for Her Twins with Rossie Ann Manka
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From abuse, rejection, addiction, and gang life to discovering her identity as a mighty warrior in Christ, Rossie Ann Manka shares a powerful testimony of redemption and unwavering faith. When a complicated twin pregnancy led to twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, premature birth, and months of NICU uncertainty, Rossie chose to cling to God's promises despite frightening medical reports. She shares how worship, Scripture, and speaking life over her children became anchors through the storm. From breaking generational cycles to offering hope to a grieving stranger in a hospital hallway, Rossie's story reminds us that...
From Burnout to Breakthrough: Finding Courage to Say YES to God with Brightie Lowe
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Burnout doesn't always look like walking away. Sometimes it looks like continuing to show up while quietly running on empty. Brightie Lowe joins us for an honest conversation about the pressures of ministry, leadership, and the fear of letting others down. She shares what she's learned about Sabbath rest, finding community, serving where God has gifted you, and recognizing when it's time to say no. Brightie also opens up about dark seasons when she didn't ask for help, yet God sent friends at just the right moment. We explore how fear of failure...
The Untold Truth About Separation of Church and State with Andrew Linn
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What does separation of church and state really mean, and why does religious freedom matter today? Documentary filmmaker Andrew Linn joins Hope Unlocked to explore the overlooked legacy of Roger Williams, the history of religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and the founding of religious freedom in America. Through his documentary Church and State, Andrew challenges common assumptions about faith and government. But beyond the history, he shares his powerful Christian testimony, overcoming imposter syndrome, an unexpected encounter at the Conan O’Brien show, and his journey from a secular upbringing to salvation in Ch...
Burned Out & Facing Midlife? God Isn't Finished with You Yet with Mandy Christina Horne
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What happens when a medical diagnosis, career burnout, or an unexpected life transition challenges your faith? Veteran nurse and Christian health and wellness coach Mandy Christina Horne shares her powerful testimony of open-heart surgery at 19, surrendering fear to God, and discovering purpose through life's hardest seasons. From postpartum nursing and patient advocacy to empty nest grief, perimenopause, and midlife transitions, Mandy reveals how faith, prayer, and God's guidance can restore hope. Discover her Reconnect, Restore, Rise framework for overcoming burnout, reclaiming clarity, and trusting God with your next chapter—even when you can't se...
A Near-Death Experience and the Power of Loving People Where They Are with Holly Porter
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What happens when life as you know it suddenly comes to a halt? Entrepreneur, mother of eight, and retreat leader Holly Porter shares how spending 70 days hospitalized with COVID and experiencing a near-death encounter forever changed her perspective. Through it all, she returned with a simple but powerful message: “Love them where they’re at.” Holly opens up about shifting priorities, being present with those we love, and learning to listen to life's promptings. We also explore her passion for bringing people together through meaningful retreats and the importance of genuine human connection in an...
One Small Voice: How Jesus Restores What Trauma Tried to Silence with Bridget Goodwin
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Trauma, rejection, grief, and disappointment can slowly silence your voice—but Jesus can restore what was lost. Returning guest Bridget Goodwin, author of One Small Voice, shares her journey of healing, identity, courage, and finding her voice again after trauma. Through powerful imagery of an open cage, a lantern in the darkness, and Jesus saying, “I’m in your boat,” Bridget reveals how poetry, imagery journaling, Scripture, forgiveness, and releasing people-pleasing became tools for Christian trauma recovery. This conversation is a hope-filled reminder that God can unmute your voice and lead you into freedom...
Do It Afraid: When Fear Tries to Silence the Gift God Gave You with Kayley Bishop
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One careless sentence can silence a gift for years—but one brave yes can bring it back to life. Nashville independent artist Kayley Bishop shares her journey of rediscovering her voice, healing her relationship with God, and letting Him rewrite the lies she had believed. We talk spiritual warfare, fear, shame, counseling, singing Scripture through anxious seasons, and learning to “do it afraid.” Kayley also shares how obedience opened unexpected doors—from launching the Bible Bish podcast to using her music around the world. This conversation is a reminder that God gets the final sa...
The Long Road Home: Addiction, Surrender & a Father Who Kept Praying with Robert Ruesch
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A midnight phone call. An overdose. A father wondering how to keep loving when he can no longer rescue. Robert Ruesch joins me to share the deeply personal story behind The Long Road Home—a journey through adoption, identity, addiction, relapse, incarceration, and the painful lessons families learn along the way. Robert opens up about the difference between helping and enabling, what surrender looked like for him, and how prayer became his strongest weapon when everything felt out of his hands. This is a story about loving someone through addiction, trusting God in th...
The Truth About Her Father Shattered Her Story—Then God Redeemed It with Melissa Jean Rod
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Sometimes the deepest healing comes when the story you thought you understood suddenly changes. Melissa Jean Rod shares the ache of growing up with a father-shaped absence, finally meeting the man she believed was her birth father, grieving his death, and years later discovering he wasn’t her biological dad at all. We talk about abandonment, identity, searching for love, marriage redemption, and the healing that came through knowing God as Father. Melissa also shares how her story became the book The Daddy Files and the message woven through it all: you are se...
A Story of Grace, Hope & Support for Grieving Parents with Candy McVicar
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After the stillbirth of her daughter Grace, Candy McVicar entered a grief journey that would eventually become a lifeline for other hurting families. Candy shares how The Five Love Languages helped her marriage survive loss, the God-prompt that led her to coauthor The Five Love Languages for Grieving Parents with Dr. Gary Chapman, and how Missing Grace Foundation now supports families through miscarriage, stillbirth, infant loss, infertility, and adoption grief. We also talk about hearing God, protecting what He’s growing, trusting His timing, and obeying when the next step doesn’t make sens...
The Motherhood Wake-Up Call That Exposed Perfectionism with Andrea Fortenberry
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Perfectionism in motherhood can look like competence on the outside while creating pressure, anger, and exhaustion at home. Andrea Fortenberry, leadership development manager at The MomCo and host of The Perfectionist Guide to Mothering, shares how Christian counseling helped her uncover childhood grief, loosen her need for control, and become a healthier mom. We talk about strong-willed kids, picking your battles, giving children healthy agency, finding community through The MomCo, writing in the margins of motherhood, and her devotional Two Minute Timeouts for New Moms.
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From Rocket Engineer to Entrepreneur: A Journey of Radical Obedience with Sean Hayden
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What happens when God asks you to leave the familiar and trust Him with what comes next? Former rocket engineer Sean Hayden shares how Spirit-led nudges moved his family from California to Kentucky and eventually into entrepreneurship. We talk about raising five young children, his son Elijah’s PKU diagnosis and remarkable healing testimony, career transition, provision, and learning to obey when you can’t yet see the outcome. Sean reminds us that seasons of waiting and “growing in the dark” are never wasted when God is at work.
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When Spiritual Warfare Gets Real: Deliverance, Discernment & Healing with Dr. David Chotka
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What begins with a few seemingly ordinary encounters becomes the start of a life-changing journey with God. Dr. David Chotka shares his powerful conversion story, a surprising campus revival, and a dramatic experience of deliverance that transformed his faith. He unpacks spiritual warfare and discernment of spirits with biblical wisdom, grounding the supernatural in Scripture, community, and mature discipleship. David also opens up about years of praying for his agnostic father, persevering when answers seem delayed, and why healing prayer is ultimately about restoring body, mind, and spirit with humility, wisdom, and hope.<...
When Obedience Looks Reckless: The Return on Obedience with Tasha Glover
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A dream awakened Tasha Glover to the realization that she was living beneath her true identity—and obedience led her into a season she never could have planned. Tasha shares the emotional unraveling that followed leaving a job she loved, including sleepless nights, and how God continued meeting her in the unknown. Tasha talks about identity in Christ, hearing God through relationship, trusting His timing, embracing being multi-gifted, and learning that obedience doesn’t always make sense in the moment. At the heart of Tasha’s journey is a truth she continues to live b...
When the Job Disappeared, God Became the Provider with Mick Wienholt
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What happens when the career you built your security around suddenly disappears? Mick Wienholt, host of the Coincidence or God podcast, shares how a rescinded job offer became an invitation into surrender, trust, and a radically different relationship with God. We talk about ambition, the pull of money and financial security, fear of lack, fasting for direction, and 18 months without a paycheck as the sole breadwinner. Through unexpected provision, a family “miracle wall,” and learning to wait on God, Mick discovered that worth was never meant to be tied to income, performance, or succ...
ALL CLEAR: Faith in the Middle of an Unexpected Health Journey with Kristin Kurtz
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In this deeply personal episode of Hope Unlocked, host Kristin Kurtz shares her health journey in real time. Before receiving biopsy results in February 2024, she heard two words in her spirit: ALL CLEAR. She has stood on those words ever since, even as she pursued natural healing—and then learned in June 2026 that what she believed had healed was still there. In a special host takeover, Kristin is joined by her dear friend and spiritual mama, Sherri Conran, who steps into the host seat as Kristin shares the shock, questions, peace, and faith of...
When Rock Bottom Gets Lower: From Alcoholism to Faith, Freedom & Hope with Harry Saltzgaver
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Longtime journalist Harry Saltzgaver shares the raw truth behind his journey from functioning alcoholism to freedom, faith, and recovery. He opens up about relapse, a life-changing DUI, and the jail-cell prayer that became a turning point after 9/11. Harry shares how God removed his compulsion to drink, why making amends and vulnerability matter, and how sobriety led to a life of service. We also discuss Christian recovery, identity beyond career, community impact, and his memoir, No Walk in the Park: Newspapers, Booze, and God.
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When Divorce Feels Like War: A Restorative Path to Peace with Amy Vanderbeek
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When conflict leaves you bracing for the next hard conversation, there can still be a path toward peace. Mediator Amy Vanderbeek shares how her own high-conflict divorce during COVID became the doorway into restorative mediation and helping others navigate difficult transitions with greater clarity and confidence. We talk about creating space to be heard, why restorative doesn’t mean forced reconciliation, co-parenting, releasing shame, building a business in a demanding season, and learning that rest can be part of moving forward.
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Email - riverheightsrestorative@gm...
Why Am I Still Stuck? Getting to the Root and Healing with God with Heather O’Brien
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What if the reason you’re still struggling isn’t because you haven’t prayed enough—but because God wants to take you deeper? Heather O’Brien, author of Heal with God, shares how the Lord led her into a more Spirit-led approach to healing that looks beyond symptoms and gets to the root. We talk about uncovering hidden lies, asking God better questions, hearing His voice more clearly, and praying with greater precision over patterns that seem impossible to break. Heather also shares the story behind her book and the courage it took to tu...
Paint the Promise: Reclaim Your Voice, Creativity & Calling with Dionne White
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What happens when God begins awakening the gifts, creativity, and voice He placed inside of you? In this hope-filled conversation, Dionne White shares how prophetic art became part of her healing and how the Lord taught her to “paint the promise” instead of staying focused on the pain. We talk about creativity as a God-given expression, finding courage to use your voice, resisting the fear and isolation that can come against your calling, and receiving support along the way. Dionne also shares the heart behind Liberty Writers Collective and her passion for helping wome...
I Almost Said No: What God Did With One Yes | Episode 250 with Kristin Kurtz
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What can happen when you say yes to God before you have the whole roadmap? In this special 250th episode of Hope Unlocked, host Kristin Kurtz shares the story behind the podcast she almost never started—and what God has done through one surrendered yes. From facing fear and feeling unqualified to creating a “SEEDcast” that plants hope, courage, healing, and faith, she reflects on consistency, unseen impact, and releasing the pressure of the numbers. If you’ve questioned whether your voice matters or felt tempted to quit too soon, this is your reminder...
When God Says No, It Might Be Saving Your Life with Yolonda Troupe Smith
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One impulsive yes can lead into danger—and one obedient no can change everything. Yolonda Troupe Smith shares her powerful testimony of learning to hear God’s voice, recognize His warnings, and surrender control. From unsafe college choices and an unequally yoked marriage to spiritual warfare during a high-risk pregnancy with 11 fibroid tumors, Yolonda shares how God protected her, brought her through difficult seasons, and turned her story into purpose. She also opens up about prayer, obedience, the Holy Spirit, baptism, and learning to walk in God’s power.
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The Name She Never Wanted to Say Changed Her Life with Mandy Adendorff
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Mandy Adendorff grew up Orthodox Jewish in Johannesburg and strongly anti-Christian—until one desperate moment changed everything. After unexpectedly crying out the name of Jesus, Mandy encountered a presence that transformed her life and began a ripple effect of faith, healing, and family breakthrough. She shares how God guided her through dreams, brought her to the U.S. through the Green Card Lottery, and eventually led her to help launch a student-led Jesus club in a public high school. Mandy also shares the heart behind Uncommon Courage, helping teens move from anxiety and fe...
From Federal Prison to Redemption: Embracing Your Story with Mike & Marty Betts
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Four months into marriage, Mike and Marty Betts watched their world unravel through accusations, legal battles, and a federal prison sentence. They share the raw journey of losing success, identity, control, and time together—and finding God faithful in the middle of it all. From ministry behind prison walls to forgiveness, vulnerability, and rebuilding after loss, their story reveals how God can redeem even the chapters we never would have chosen. Today, through Embracing Your Story Ministries, they use testimony, discipleship, and prison outreach to help others encounter hope and freedom.
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Stop Adding to the Noise: Release Your Sound and Speak Life with Kristin Kurtz
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Social media can feel like standing next to a speaker turned all the way up. In this raw solo episode of Hope Unlocked, Kristin Kurtz shares what stirred in her after seeing so much fighting, division, and tearing down online—and asks what could happen if we used our voices to lift people up instead. She shares why encouragement matters, how doing uncomfortable things can unlock breakthrough, and how one faithful voice can create a ripple effect far beyond what we see.
Join Release Your Sound, a September mission inside the Ho...
How God Uses Your Past to Prepare You for Purpose: Hope Is Alive with Gretchen Moran
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Sometimes following God means releasing something you love to step into what He has next. Returning guest Gretchen Moran (Episode 19 & 20) shares how God led her from “spinning ten plates” into a faith-filled role with Hope Is Alive, a Christ-centered addiction recovery nonprofit. Gretchen opens up about empty nest life, sacred quiet seasons, and how God used her leadership, relationships, and painful past to prepare her. Discover Christian recovery homes, peer-led recovery, Finding Hope family support groups, Hope After Loss, and practical resources for those impacted by addiction.
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The Baby Sent Home to Die Who Grew Up to Reach Nations with Sue Corl
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Sue Corl’s story is a powerful testimony of healing, identity, and purpose. Born with a severe cleft palate and sent home as a baby “to die,” Sue endured 26 surgeries, battled feelings of being less than, and learned how achievement could mask deep wounds. In this episode of Hope Unlocked, she shares how God rebuilt her identity, led her into decades of ministry in Hawaii, China, and Bangladesh, and birthed Crown of Beauty International. From Psalm 139 and inner healing to Bible studies, church planting, and even using goats to open doors for the gospel...
The Boy They Called Broken Was Never Broken at All with Dr. Stuart Jones
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Dr. Stuart Jones shares the powerful true story behind his award-winning book, For the Love of Stephen: The Story of a Boy Who Was Never Broken. Born with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the 1950s, Stephen was given limiting labels—but his family chose faith, advocacy, inclusion, and relentless love instead. Stuart reflects on special education, Temple Grandin’s “different, not less” message, exploitation of vulnerable adults, forgiveness, and the sermon that helped transform shame into courage: “God Don’t Make No Junk.” A moving conversation about dignity, possibility, and seeing every person as fully human...
She Had Every Reason to Lose Hope—But She Kept Saying Yes to God with Juliet Dawn
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Juliet Dawn has walked through abuse, coercive control, miscarriage, the devastating loss of twins, PTSD, physical suffering, and deep grief—yet she refused to let despair have the final word. In this powerful conversation, the singer, poet, author, and entrepreneur shares how God has met her through unimaginable seasons and called her to keep using her voice. Juliet opens up about refusing to shrink, standing in her own boots, navigating comparison and gaslighting, and finding people who will lift your arms. Her story is a reminder to anchor yourself in Scripture, listen for Go...
Five Years of Waiting, Then Three Children in 48 Hours with Steve Wormer
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After repeated miscarriages and five exhausting years of adoption, Steve Wormer and his wife faced another crushing blow when their adoption agency suddenly closed the door. Then, within about 48 hours, everything changed—they were given three children. Steve shares the heartbreak, waiting, surrender, and unexpected redemption that shaped his faith, along with the real journey of helping adopted children heal from trauma and learn safety and trust. Through it all, we explore wilderness seasons, holding onto God’s promises before seeing the plan, and breaking agreement with the lie that you are unworthy.
His Wife’s Illness Changed Everything He Believed About Health with Barry Bevier
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After watching his wife battle lupus, endure years of heavy medications and devastating side effects, Barry Bevier’s life took a new direction. Out of profound loss came a mission: help others become informed sooner and make proactive choices for their health before crisis becomes the wake-up call. In this episode, Barry shares what he has learned about brain health, inflammation, toxins, nutrition, sleep, gut health, Alzheimer’s and CTE prevention, along with simple, realistic ways to begin making healthier choices. His message is one of empowerment—you don’t have to change everythi...
She Refused to Let Trauma Define Her—and Found Freedom Through Forgiveness with Summer Dey
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In 22 minutes, Summer Dey lost everything she had built—and the fallout shook her identity, mental health, and body. In this deeply honest conversation, she shares her journey through depression, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, panic disorder, and seizures, along with the biblical forgiveness process she believes led to true freedom and healing. Summer reveals how unfinished forgiveness, self-judgment, and bitterness can keep us bound, why a diagnosis does not have to become our identity, and what it means to release judgment back to God. She also shares how “leave the how to God” helped her ov...
From Saving Souls to Chasing Sinners: Burnout, Faith & Life in the FBI with Eric Robinson
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Pastor-turned-FBI agent Eric Robinson shares the hidden cost of carrying everyone else’s pain—and the burnout that led him from the pulpit to Quantico. He opens up about church planting, daily stress headaches, SWAT operations, high-stakes investigations, and the emotional toll of working around darkness. Through it all, one principle became essential: reserve judgment and stay curious. Eric reveals how calm rapport can disarm conflict, why leaders need safe relationships, and what retirement taught him about identity beyond a title or badge.Â
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When Faith Doesn’t Fix the Pain: The Wilderness Way with Dustin Kleinschmidt
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What happens when the faith you thought would protect you leads straight into the wilderness? Dustin Kleinschmidt shares how ministry burnout, church conflict, resignation, and panic attacks shattered the expectations he had placed on God. This raw conversation explores the space between rescue and restoration—where beauty and brokenness coexist, honest lament becomes worship, and healing begins by asking, “Where are You, God?” before “How do I fix this?” Dustin offers a powerful invitation to stop chasing peace and learn to live from it, even when life remains fractured.
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Two Weeks Postpartum, Then Thyroid Cancer: Choosing Faith Over Fear with Beth Fralick
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Two weeks after welcoming her first baby, Beth Fralick was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. In this honest conversation, the teacher, mom of three, and health and wellness consultant shares the postpartum shock, grief, and pressure of making fast medical decisions while learning to advocate for herself. Beth opens up about second opinions, preparing for surgery, setting boundaries, healing trauma, and reclaiming her voice through long-term survivorship. She also shares the Scripture that anchored her and three practices found throughout survivorship research: gratitude, supportive community, and a vision for your life. A hope-filled episode...
Stop Performing for God: Ministry, Burnout & Trusting His Provision with Paul Granger
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What if ministry is not a title, but a way of living with God and loving people? Kristin talks with writer and longtime podcaster Paul Granger about living as an ambassador of Christ without the pressure to perform, build a platform, or prove your worth through numbers. Paul shares how God led him away from a traditional paycheck, taught him to trust divine provision, and met him in seasons of fear, criticism, burnout, and lament. Together, they explore healthy boundaries, mission drift, the danger of trying to “fix” people, and how creativity can help...
When Life Stops Making Sense: Trusting God Through Cancer, Grief & Loss with Kathy Rogers
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What does it look like to trust God when life no longer makes sense? Speaker and author Kathy Rogers shares her journey through triple-negative breast cancer, a BRCA2 family diagnosis, and the devastating loss of both her mother and 29-year-old daughter. She opens up about grief, depression, perseverance, gratitude journaling, and finding steady ground in Ephesians 3:14–21. Through God winks, a healing road trip, and a memorial marathon, Kathy reminds us that joy and grief can coexist—and that identity in Christ brings freedom when life feels fragile.
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Feeling Burned Out? Discover God's Secret to Soul Rest with Bret Kolman
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What if the breakthrough you need isn't found by working harder—but by resting with God? In this episode, Bret Kolman, a healthcare CPA and former hospital CEO, shares how practicing Sabbath, taking mini sabbaticals, and embracing intentional solitude transformed his life, leadership, and relationship with God. Together, we explore practical rhythms for soul rest, Christian leadership, hearing God's voice through prayer and journaling, the role of worship, wisdom in fasting, and why we're called to work from rest instead of resting from work. If you're feeling weary, burned out, or longing for gr...
One Couple. One Calling. One Walk Across America. with Rick & Jane McKinney
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After decades in pastoral ministry, Rick and Jane McKinney share an honest story of calling, resilience, and continuing to say yes to Jesus. From a faith awakening during the Jesus movement and a 52-year marriage that began with a tangerine Lifesaver to a heart diagnosis that sparked a defining encounter with God, their journey is filled with courage and redemption. They also unpack servant leadership, practical evangelism, creativity as ministry, and the life-changing walk across America that became a book.
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Email - rickandjanemckinney@g...
