Sharon blogs at SheWorships.com. She loves writing about Jesus for the women in his church. In addition to writing, she’s a speaker, pastor’s wife and mom of two boys (and another baby on the way) and she hails from North Carolina. She recently completed her PhD at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. You’ve likely read her writing if you spend much time at Christianity Today’s blog for women–Her.meneutics. Her writing has also been featured in Christianity Today’s print magazine, Relevant, (in)courage, Propel, Gifted for Leadership, LifeWay’s Collegiate magazine, and The Gospel Project blog. Sharon’s first book, Free of Me: Why Life Is Better When It’s Not About You, just launched this week and she’s back on the show to share more about the book and what she learned along the way.
061 || Finding the Hope You Need When You Doubt Yourself || Darcy Wiley
Darcy Wiley is a writer who digs to find the transforming work of God in unexpected places. She is co-writer of the book “The Yes Effect: Accepting God’s Invitation to Transform the World Around You” (with Moody Publishers) in partnership with Luis Bush, the missions strategist who originated the 10/40 Window Movement. She is an explorer at heart. As a youth, she traveled to observe movements of God and serve on mission in various regions of the world. Nowadays, her primary mission is to raise her kids to be curious and compassionate citizens of the world. Her writing casts light on beauty and brokenness and helps readers cultivate deep, vibrant relationships with God and others.
060 || Because There's Room For You Too || Laura Crawford
Laura Crawford is a new wife, a new mom, and a gluten-free chef, living in Colorado Springs. She’s the blogger and creator of Clean Chef, Messy Mom. When people ask her about that title, the answer is simple—it encompasses the fullness of what she aims for in her writing >> clean eating, even when life is messy.
She’s on a mission to inspire others to crave a healthy lifestyle—from food, to fitness, to marriage, to finances, to fun. Although she would claim that most of her culinary training came from her mother’s kitchen, she learned the art of technique, flavor, and tone, and how to use the science of cooking and baking to come up with the perfect recipe at Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.
Laura’s hope is that she can help other mamas embrace authenticity and find creative ways to stay healthy in all aspects of their lives even when self-care seems impossible.
059 || How to Build Your Network When You're Feeling Alone || Beth Booram
Beth Booram is the co-founder and director of Sustainable Faith Indy, an urban retreat center in Indianapolis, where she leads The School of Spiritual Direction and offers individual and group spiritual direction. Beth speaks around the country on topics related to spiritual formation and Christian leadership. She is a deep feeler who loves to think; an extrovert with a penchant for solitude; an artist who sees the hand of God in even the smallest encounters with creation. Beth has authored several books including Awaken Your Senses and Starting Something New: Spiritual Direction for Your God-given Dream, which tells the story of her dream to found an urban retreat center.
058 || Starting With What You Know || LaKena Dunham
LaKena Dunham is the founder of Hewalenamo Girls, Inc., a non-profit organization providing financial assistance for educational purposes to girls from impoverished families in developing countries. An international speaker, best-selling author and legacy coach, LaKena wants every woman to live courageously and confidently, going after the dreams that God places in each of our hearts. She has been recognized for her efforts to leave an indelible mark on girls and women around the world and resides near Dallas, Texas with her husband and three children.
057 || Walking Forward Even in the Face of Rejection || Dorothy Greco
Since graduating from Boston University in 1983, Dorothy Greco has worked as a photographer, journalist, pastor, home educator, author, and writer. She feels equally at home speaking in front of hundreds or standing quietly behind her camera. Her writing has been featured in several Christian websites and publications. Making Marriage Beautiful, her first book, was published in January of 2017. She and Christopher have been married for more than 25 years. They have three sons and one amazing daughter-in-law.
056 || How to Start Before You Have It All Figured Out || Ashley Carroll
Ashley Carroll blogs at Todayseden.com and is the host and creator of the Today’s Eden podcast. She’s a mother of two, a mom-tribe encourager and a podcast junkie. She started her own podcast because life can be hard and we need each other! Her goal is to combat the feelings of isolation that social media perpetuates and, instead, talk about the hard stuff, point us back to community, and remind us that “it really does take a village.” Ashely is the real-deal, and she and her guests discuss the good, the bad and the intimate aspects of womanhood and motherhood.
055 || She Realized She Was Chasing the Wrong Dream || Katie Bulmer
Sorority girl Katie Bulmer was certain she’d found all that life had to offer with the cutest boyfriend, best friends, and a solo cup of hunch punch in hand. But when the makeup came off, the drunken buzz turned into a terrible headache, and the guy that promised forever never called again, she started to wonder if there was more to life. As it turns out, there was. Today, Katie is a Christ-follower and a mentor to sorority women nationwide writing, speaking and going on coffee dates with young women to share about the eternal water that changed the world.
054 || How She Got Her Book Published Even with a Small Platform || Eryn Lynum
Eryn Lynum lives in Northern Colorado with her husband and three boys, where they spend their time hiking, camping, and exploring the Rocky Mountains. Her work and passion is to come alongside of authors and help them market the message God has laid on their hearts. She loves to travel and share at conferences, churches, and writers’ groups. But every opportunity she gets, she is out exploring God’s creation with her family.
As the author of 936 Pennies: Discovering the Joy of Intentional Parenting, available in February of 2018, Eryn talks about the shift towards intentional parenting that happened when she and her husband were faced with the reality that they have only 936 weeks – from birth to 18 – with each of their three boys.
053 || She Was Young, Inexperienced & Unqualified || Lisa Steven
Lisa Steven has more than 20 years of experience working with teen moms. She co-founded Hope House – a residential home for teen moms who want to raise their child and its program arm which supports the educational, counseling, life skills and childcare needs of teen moms in the Denver area. Lisa has served as the organization’s Executive Director since 2003, and led it to become one of the top 10 percent of nonprofit organizations in the United States. She was the City of Arvada's 2013 Woman of the Year for her contributions to the community and among the West Jeffco Chamber's Outstanding Women of Jefferson County in 2010. A former teen mom, Lisa is committed to empowering teen moms in her community and across the world.
052 || Moving from Overworked Employee to Profitable Entrepreneur || Kelsey Chapman
After launching her own dreams at Radiant Collective & The Radiant Podcast, Kelsey has funneled her efforts into helping other women launch theirs. It is her heart to equip women to turn their dreams into profitable ventures that can allow them to live with both freedom in their finances and their time. Kelsey wholeheartedly believes dreams are worth pursuing and loves walking alongside women to bring their visions to life in a tangible way!
051 || How to Trust God When Dreams Disappoint || Cari Jenkins
Cari Jenkins lives in Englewood, Colorado, where she is co-Director of Urban Skye, a non-profit ministry that seeks to expand the Church's vision of how to grow the Kingdom of God in a city like Denver. She is also the co-founder and co-director of Table Collective, an organization whose desire is to help create cultures of hospitality, where everyone is welcome. Cari is a creative, a thinker, a speaker, author, occasional blogger, constant re-decorator, gatherer, host, friend and guide, who desires to see people formed by Jesus and live out of their formation for the transformation of the places they live, work and play.
050 || How to Fight Back Fear and Pursue Your Dream || Jennie Allen
Jennie has a wealth of wisdom to share with dreamers like us because she is one of us. She has struggled, fought back fear, and lived to see a dream that’s bigger than herself come to fruition.Some of my favorite parts of this conversation are hearing what has given her confidence to keep going when it’s difficult, what it’s taken to move from “fear” to “fun” in pursuing her dream, and that it’s so not about her.
Devoted Dreamers: 49 - Corine Sandifer: Podcaster | Business & Life Coach | Empowering Women
Corine is a business and life coach with a vision of helping other women. Since 2010, she has been coaching women entrepreneurs and students to discover their talents and skills so they can reach their highest level of contribution at work, school and in life. Corine is now the founder and owner of Brentwood Life Coach and host of Rising Stories Podcast where she interviews business owners and authors who tell their stories of triumph, grit and glory. Married to Michael for 27 years, they have two children and a dog.
Devoted Dreamers: 48 - Hannah Toldt: Photographer | Aspiring Speaker | Set Free from Anorexia
Hannah Toldt is an extroverted introvert with a passion for authenticity, people and simple living. She owns an ever-growing photography business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and photographs weddings, portraits and families. Hannah started her business to combine her love for people with her creative eye. She is passionate about helping women see their beauty through her photographs of them, and she has a deep longing for all women and girls to know their value, worth and beauty. It’s a dream fueled by her recovery through Christ after years of suffering with an eating disorder.
Devoted Dreamers: 47 - Hope Mangiafico: Entrepreneur | Health Enthusiast | Encouraging Hearts
Hope Mangiafico’s mission is to help others recognize that whatever their current situation may be, there is always hope. Because of her own experience living with a Type I Diabetes diagnosis, Hope wants to help people recognize their worth beyond a label or life-stage that could currently be holding them back from living the life God created them to live. Hope is passionate about working with people through their health journey, and she works locally and online with clients on personal training, nutrition coaching, and business mentoring.
046 || Finding the Creativity Already Within You || Amy Pierson
Amy Pierson loves to gather people and help them pay attention to what God is creatively up to in their lives. She believes we are all expressions of God’s creativity—which is why it cracks open our souls. Burning Heart Workshops was born out of her life-long journey with faith, learning, and leadership and shaped by hundreds of conversations with like-minded hearts.
While her background is advertising and journalism, over the last 10 years Amy has led efforts of the Spiritual Formation Alliance and completed her Certificate of Christian Spiritual Formation from the Renovare Institute. Recent work as a digital content creator for a new platform that champions transformation taught her how people learn and engage in our "noisy" world. Amy and her handsome soul-mate live near Denver and are parents of two adult warrior women and their ridiculous-but-sincere puppy brother.
045 || How to Keep Going When God Asks Too Much || Julie Manning
Julie Manning is a wife to her beloved husband, John, mother of three fun-loving boys, and pediatric nurse practitioner. At 25, Julie left her career in corporate America to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing. While in nursing school, the Lord birthed a passion within her to care for children born with heart disease. Little did she know, seven years later, she would learn her own heart was sick. The Lord’s pursuit of Julie’s heart and soul through the valley of many uncertainties has developed a fire within her to live intentionally from moment to moment as if it may be her last.
044 || God Surprised Her With This Dream || Rachel Swanson
Rachel Swanson is a dental hygienist turned author and speaker. Her book, Big and Little Coloring Devotional (released in LifeWay stores, April 2017), was birthed by her own struggle to keep it together as a busy mama of three children under two years old. A rising inspirational speaker, Rachel shares personal and spiritual growth insights related to encouraging moms in motherhood, helping women discover their unique purpose in Christ, understanding God’s design for healthy sexuality, and overcoming stress and anxiety in their lives. Rachel has been married ten years to her husband who loves her despite her love for coffee and often impulsive nature. They rear their tribe of identical twin boys, their baby girl, and a Weimaraner who thinks she's a human.
Devoted Dreamers: 43 - Suanne Camfield: Author | Minister to Women | Paying Attention to The Stirring
Suanne Camfield is the women’s ministry director at Christ Church of Oak Brook and the author of The Sound of a Million Dreams: Awakening to Who You are Becoming (her first book, released in March of 2017). She previously worked for Caris, a nonprofit counseling organization that supports women and children, was an assistant editor at InterVarsity Press and the blog manager for FullFill, a nonprofit focused on mobilizing women to invest their influence in the world for God's purposes. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband--who’s a pastor--and two teenage children.