Jess Ekstrom's new book, "Chasing the Bright Side" is the perfect title for her personality. Though we haven't met in person, she radiates light in conversation and I've learned so much from her online course helping women learn to hone their speaking skills. Jess started an amazing company, "Headbands of Hope" when she was in college and it's still thriving today, bringing style to many and plenty of headbands for children suffering from cancer. She's got an amazing entrepreneurial story in today's episode -- one that makes you wonder how she had the gumption to keep going. But she did and the world is better for it. Since founding her company, Jess has become a sought after speaker on the conference circuit. She's built a career … [Read more...]

Today's interview got me thinking really hard. I wasn't expecting to come with such profound revelations after speaking with author and pastor Stephanie Lobdell, but I surely did. You can see how part of that played out in my recent (vulnerability alert) Instagram post here. Stephanie's book, "Signs of Life: Resurrecting Hope out of Ordinary Losses" tackles some tough issues. While we love a good redemption story, most of us are not in the middle of extreme life traumas 24 hours a day. Most of us are dealing with the everyday battles: depression, negativity, infertility, self-image, busy-ness, stress, anxiety -- you name it. It's nice to celebrate the Resurrection at Easter, but how about remembering why it matters everyday? … [Read more...]

There's a tide turning in the United States. It's not as loud as partisan media voices blasting from the TV, but it matters more. Briana Stensrud is helping make way for Christian women to embrace what it means to be fully pro-life, specifically as it relates to welcoming immigrants and refugees. She helps lead Welcome, a community of women committed to creating a movement of Christ-like welcome in our country. It all goes back to loving the sojourner, Biblical hospitality, believing in the Imago Dei (every human created in God's image), our call to be peacemakers and to continually invite the orphan, widow, marginalized and oppressed into love and safety. It was interesting speaking with Briana about her work within the traditional … [Read more...]

There are some interviews that make you step back and take a deep breath. That's how I felt before picking up the phone to speak with Kelly Trent, the mother of Tyler Trent -- a young man many became familiar with in 2018 when his battle with cancer went public. It wasn't his plan to make it so, but his invigorating spirit and zest for life couldn't be contained. Tyler became known as a Purdue superfan, as he decked out for Purdue football games even as he was extremely sick with Osteosarcoma. The team took notice of him -- but it wasn't just the fandom. Tyler's faith was a tangible part of his life, establishing his hope in something greater than this world. When he received a second diagnosis of cancer after being in remission for two … [Read more...]