In today’s episode, I’m sitting down with my friend Sara for an honest and deeply meaningful conversation about addiction, identity, and the sanctification process.

Sara shares how her struggle with addiction didn’t begin with drugs or alcohol, but much earlier, through relationships, validation, and looking for worth in the wrong places. Over time, those patterns led her into substance abuse, brokenness, and a life that felt far from who she was created to be.

What makes Sara’s story so powerful is not just where she’s been, but how clearly she sees God’s hand through it all. We talk about how God doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves up before He steps in. He meets us exactly where we are, in the middle of the mess, the addiction, the confusion, and the shame.

This episode is a real conversation about sanctification. Not the polished version we sometimes hear about, but the slow, daily work of God transforming a heart over time. We talk about grace, accountability, healing, and what it looks like to walk forward even when the past feels heavy.

If you’ve ever struggled with addiction, unhealthy patterns, or believing that your story somehow disqualifies you from God’s love, I hope this conversation reminds you that nothing is wasted. God is patient. God is present. And God is faithful to finish the work He starts.

I’m so grateful Sara trusted us with her story, and I believe her honesty will encourage anyone who feels stuck, ashamed, or unsure of their next step.

Thank you for being here and for listening. My prayer is that this episode helps you see yourself the way God sees you, fully known, fully loved, and never beyond His reach.

Welcome back to Thrive Through the Fire. In today’s episode, I’m talking about a phrase that can sound harsh at first but has actually become one of the most freeing mindset shifts in my life. This episode is called Nobody Cares.

I share why this conversation was inspired by something my grandma used to say and how, as an adult, I’ve come to understand the wisdom behind it. We talk honestly about the feeling of being overwhelmed, unseen, or forgotten and how quickly that feeling can turn into isolation, resentment, or silence if we aren’t careful.

I unpack what people usually mean when they say nobody cares and why it’s often not that people don’t care, but that they are human, limited, tired, distracted, and carrying their own burdens. I share stories from my own life and reflect on how unrealistic expectations of others can leave us disappointed, even when those people love us.

This episode also looks closely at what the Bible says about being seen, known, and cared for. I talk about how scripture reminds us that while people are limited, God is not. We explore passages that speak to casting our cares on the Lord, understanding weakness as a place where God’s strength shows up, and why God is the only one capable of sustaining us fully.

I also open up about sharing pain, especially on social media, and why vulnerability must be paired with wisdom and boundaries. I explain how I decide what to share, what I keep private, and why sharing from a place of healing is very different from sharing from a place of wounding.

Finally, I offer practical steps for what to do when it feels like nobody cares. I talk about naming your feelings honestly, choosing safe people, lowering expectations without lowering boundaries, bringing your complaints to God first, and becoming the kind of presence you wish you had. We close with encouragement and a reminder that your worth is not measured by how many people show up perfectly, but by the faithfulness of a God who never leaves.

If you’ve been feeling overlooked, emotionally exhausted, or like you’re carrying too much alone, this episode is for you.

As we step into a new year, there is so much conversation around fresh starts, clean slates, resolutions, and becoming a new version of ourselves. In this episode, I talk honestly about why that idea can feel both hopeful and heavy at the same time. While the new year promises possibility, it often brings pressure, comparison, and unrealistic expectations that leave many of us discouraged before we even begin.

I also share a little about why I took a break from recording over the holidays and why rest and resetting are sometimes necessary, especially in full and demanding seasons of life. Pausing does not mean quitting or falling behind. Sometimes it is exactly what we need to move forward in a healthier way.

In this episode, I unpack why we are drawn to the idea of starting fresh, why starting over is not always the answer, and how chasing reinvention can sometimes cause us to miss refinement. I explore what Scripture actually says about new beginnings, reminding us that God offers renewal daily, not just once a year. His mercies are new every morning, not just every January.

We talk about the difference between resolutions and spiritual growth, and why self fixing often leads to burnout while God following leads to transformation. I reflect on how Jesus calls us into relationship rather than perfection and how real change happens through abiding, not striving.

I also share practical and realistic ways to approach the new year with intention and grace. This includes taking inventory instead of making endless lists, choosing rhythms over resolutions, setting intentions that align with who you are becoming, and remembering that growth is often quiet and unseen.

If you are entering this year feeling weary, behind, or disappointed with how the last season went, this episode is for you. Starting fresh does not mean starting over. Sometimes it simply means continuing forward with more wisdom, humility, and trust than before.

My prayer is that as we move into this new year, you would feel less pressure and more peace, less striving and more clarity, and a deeper awareness that God is walking with you right where you are.

Thank you for being here and for stepping into another season with me.

In this episode of Thrive Through the Fire, I talk about something many of us quietly struggle with but often feel uncomfortable admitting. The holidays can be hard. They are hard even when everything in life is good, and they can feel especially heavy when we are walking through something difficult. As a mom of four, I feel the pressure every year to make the season magical, to give my family memories and experiences, and to hold it all together. Yet there have been years when I showed up to holiday gatherings carrying pain, exhaustion, or discouragement, and I did not want to feel like a burden or a bummer to everyone around me.

In this episode, I share my own story of what it feels like to go through something challenging during the holidays and how isolating it can be. I open up about what it is like to be in a room full of people who seem joyful when inside you feel broken or overwhelmed. I talk about how it affects you personally and how it affects the people around you who do not always know what to say or how to support you.

I also explore several stories from Scripture about people who wrestled with heavy emotions while the world around them was celebrating. Hannah is one of those people. Every year she traveled with her family to what was essentially a joyful holiday celebration, yet she carried deep grief and disappointment. While others were celebrating, she was weeping bitterly before God, and He met her right there.

I also talk about David, a man who felt deeply and honestly. His writings in the Psalms are full of emotional ups and downs that mirror the emotional whiplash so many of us experience during the holidays. One moment he was full of praise and the next he was overwhelmed with fear or sadness. His honesty reminds me that I do not have to hide my feelings from God.

I share about Elijah who reached a point of emotional and physical exhaustion after a major victory. He told God he had nothing left to give. Instead of correcting him, God sent rest, nourishment, and comfort. Elijah’s story mirrors exactly what many of us feel when we are burnt out or depleted during the holiday season.

I also reflect on Jesus who understood emotion better than anyone. He experienced grief, exhaustion, pressure, and sorrow. When Lazarus died, Jesus wept even though He knew resurrection was coming. He shows me that God does not rush my healing. He sits with me in my sorrow before He leads me toward joy.

These biblical stories remind me that the people in Scripture were not spiritual superheroes. They were people who felt the full weight of human emotion, just like we do. Their lives show me that God always meets us where we are, including during the messy, complicated, emotional moments we experience around the holidays.

I offer practical advice in this episode for anyone navigating a hard season. I share how to set gentle expectations for yourself, how to make space for rest, how to communicate your needs, and how to hold room for both joy and sorrow at the same time. I also talk about the importance of having a small support system who can walk with you through the season without judgment or pressure.

My prayer is that this episode helps you feel seen and understood. If the holidays feel heavy for you, you are not alone. God is not offended by your sadness or overwhelmed by your emotions. He draws near to the brokenhearted and He promises to give rest to the weary. You do not have to pretend. You do not have to perform. You can show up exactly as you are, and God will meet you there.

Take a breath. Slow down. Let yourself feel what you feel. And trust that God is with you in every part of this season.

In this episode of Thrive Through the Fire, I talk about naturopaths, what they are, what they actually do, and why they can be such an important part of a healing journey. As someone who walked through cancer and learned to support my body in new ways, this topic has become incredibly personal and meaningful to me.

I explain how naturopaths look at the whole body instead of treating symptoms in isolation and how their approach focuses on finding the root cause, supporting the body's natural ability to heal, and addressing lifestyle factors like stress, sleep, nutrition, and hormones. I also talk about why people often turn to naturopaths when they need deeper answers, longer conversations, and a more complete picture of what their body is going through.

I share the space to tell my own story of working with a naturopath during my cancer recovery and how her wisdom opened my eyes to rest, melatonin, nutrition, and the importance of slowing down so my body could actually heal.

I also connect this topic to Scripture, showing how God designed our bodies with intention and how Jesus consistently cared for both the physical and emotional needs of the people He met. Rest, stewardship, and whole-person healing are all woven throughout the Bible, and this episode ties that spiritual layer into the conversation.

I wrap up with signs that you may benefit from working with a naturopath and encouragement to explore this type of support if you feel unheard, overwhelmed, or unsure where to turn next in your wellness journey.

If you are curious about holistic health, struggling with unexplained symptoms, recovering from illness, or simply wanting to understand your body better, this episode will give you insight, encouragement, and permission to pursue deeper healing.

In this episode of Thrive Through the Fire, I talk about something that’s been one of the hardest lessons for me, rest. Not just sleep or downtime, but real rest that allows your body, mind, and spirit to heal. As a mom of four, I’ve always been a doer. Slowing down never came naturally to me. But after walking through cancer, I learned that rest isn’t optional, it’s essential for healing.

I share how I’ve come to understand that our bodies aren’t built to live in constant stress. When we stay in survival mode, we can’t heal. Physically, rest allows our bodies to repair, balance hormones, and strengthen our immune system. Spiritually, rest gives space for God to speak, restore, and renew us.

You’ll hear about my own struggles with rest, what my naturopath taught me about the healing power of melatonin and sleep, and how stress can keep us from feeling well. I also talk about how even in Scripture, God modeled rest from the very beginning, from Genesis to Jesus sleeping in the storm.

We’ll look at stories like Elijah in 1 Kings 19, who was so exhausted that God simply told him to eat and rest before continuing his journey. And we’ll explore what it means when Isaiah 30:15 says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

This episode is a reminder that rest is not lazy, it’s obedience. It’s where healing happens, physically and spiritually.

Key Takeaways:

• Our bodies cannot heal in survival mode.
• God designed rest as part of His rhythm for our lives.
• Rest is not a reward for finishing your work — it’s what equips you to keep going.
• Healing happens in stillness, in surrender, and in trusting that God is still working when we’re not.

Practical Tips:

• Schedule rest and treat it like an appointment.
• Redefine productivity to include recovery.
• Turn off the noise and allow your mind to breathe.
• Invite God into your rest and model it for your family.

If you’ve been feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, or stuck in survival mode, this episode will remind you that it’s okay to slow down. Rest isn’t something we earn — it’s something we were created for. And when we finally stop striving, that’s when real healing begins.

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In this week’s episode of Thrive Through the Fire, I open up about what it really means when we say “the church is a hospital, not a façade.” For so long, I thought church was a place where everyone had it together, the smiling faces, the perfect families, the calm marriages. I’d sit in my seat and feel like the only one falling apart. But once I started building real relationships, joining life groups, and listening to people’s stories, I realized that so many were walking through their own battles. The difference wasn’t that their lives were easier , it was that Jesus was their healer.

I talk about what I’ve learned as both a nurse and a believer, that church, like a hospital, is meant to be a place where the hurting can come for treatment. Mark 2:17 reminds us that Jesus came for the sick, not the healthy, and that we’re all in recovery from the brokenness of this world.

I also share a bit of what life looks like for me now, three years after chemo. From PTSD to constant screenings to kids struggling with anxiety and autoimmune disease, we’re still walking through hard things in our home. But it’s only through Jesus that I don’t look like what I’ve been through, and that same grace holds every person sitting beside me on Sunday morning.

We’ll also talk about the story of the Prodigal Son and how it reminds us that it’s never too late to come home. You are never too far gone for God to reach you, and church is exactly where you go when you’re broken, not when you’ve fixed yourself.

If you’ve been hesitant to walk back into church or feel like you don’t belong, this episode is for you. Church isn’t for perfect people. It’s for the ones who know they can’t do life without Jesus.

Key Scriptures:

Mark 2:17

2 Corinthians 4:8–9

Luke 15:20

Psalm 34:18

In this week’s episode of Thrive Through the Fire, I open up about the anxiety that comes with medical follow-ups after cancer, the way even a simple doctor’s appointment can stir old fears and memories. As a wife, mom, and stage 3 cancer survivor, I share candidly about how easily fear can creep back in and how important it is to take those thoughts captive and bring them under God’s truth.

I talk about how trauma lingers in the body and mind, how I sometimes manifests symptoms out of anxiety, and how I'm learning to surrender those moments back to God. Through Scripture, personal reflection, and biblical stories, I remind listeners that while fear is a liar, it can also be a signal, showing us where we need to give God control again.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode:

• The emotional and spiritual triggers that come with medical follow-ups
• How fear distorts truth and how to redirect your thoughts toward God’s promises
• Biblical encouragement from 2 Timothy 1:7, 2 Corinthians 10:5, and Daniel 3
• Reflections on faith through the stories of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Job
• Practical tools for walking through anxious or uncertain weeks with peace

Practical Takeaways:

• Anchor yourself in Scripture: Psalm 91, Psalm 27, Isaiah 41:10
• Pray out loud or with someone you trust
• Limit online searching and focus instead on God’s Word
• Talk about your fears with others who can pray over you
• Worship through the worry — fear and worship can’t coexist

I close with encouragement for anyone facing a “follow-up week” of their own: God hasn’t changed since the last time He showed up. Even if tomorrow brings the unexpected, He’s already there. The same God who carried you through the fire before will do it again.