Rita Soronen has been working on behalf of vulnerable children for decades and has been doing so for the Dave Thomas Foundation for many of those years. Today I spoke with her about why the work DTFA does is *so* vital right now -- and what moves her to dedicate her life to this cause. You've heard of Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's restaurant? What you may not know is that he left a way more important legacy than hamburger's when he died. The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is the only public nonprofit charity in the United States that is focused exclusively on foster care adoption. It's National Adoption Month and the reason I was so pumped to speak with Rita is because DTFA has found a way to get older kids adopted out of … [Read more...]

Bobbi McCormick is such a breath of fresh air! She lives up to her online persona, bringing joy and optimism into our conversation. We met years ago through the blogging world and I've followed her story through infertility, foster care, adoption and more. I loved Bobbi's perspective about "getting comfortable with being uncomfortable" and truly following God's lead in those moments when we have no idea what to do. She's fresh off of adopting her second child and deep into a "debt free by 40" plan a la Dave Ramsay. Bobbi is a fitness instructor with Revelation Wellness, marathon runner, preschool teacher and an inspiration through it all. In today's conversation, we discuss what it was like to discover infertility, to walk through … [Read more...]

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...]