Have you ever felt stuck on the diet roller coaster, bouncing between restriction, failure, and shame?

In this episode, Barb is joined by personal trainer and nutrition coach Brandice Lardner, founder of Grace Filled Plate, to talk about food freedom, faith-based wellness, and breaking free from diet culture for good.

Brandice shares her personal journey through dieting and disordered eating, and how it led her to create a compassionate, grace-filled approach to health that meets women's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. They discuss why traditional diets fail, how all-or-nothing thinking keeps women stuck in cycles of restriction and shame, and what it looks like to build "fruitful habits" instead of chasing perfect eating.

If you're tired of the diet roller coaster and ready for a sustainable, Christ-centered approach to healthy living, this conversation will give you practical tools — and real hope — for lasting change.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

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Fully Nourished: A Grace-Filled Approach to Ditch Diets and Find Peace with Food and Your Body

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Brandice Lardner is a personal trainer, nutrition coach, and owner and author of Grace Filled Plate, which she founded in 2017. She has helped hundreds of women through one-on-one and group coaching programs, teaching them how to find food freedom by meeting their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. She's appeared on numerous podcasts, including Do It Scared with Ruth Soukup, and has been featured as a guest expert on MyFitnessPal, TLC Online, MapMyRun, and Women's Running. She lives in Clearwater, Florida, with her family.

Most of our days are lived in the in-between; ordinary hours filled with small griefs, flickers of joy, quiet disappointments, and unexpected beauty.

In this heartfelt conversation, Barb sits down with bestselling author Shannan Martin to talk about her newest book, Counterweights, and how to stay hopeful in a world that often feels heavy. With humor and honesty, Shannan shares the life-changing practice of "counterweights" — learning to hold both the good and the hard at the same time. Together, they explore how to navigate what's outside our control, notice the ordinary delights hiding in plain sight, and experience life as deeply good, even when it's tough.

If you've been feeling overwhelmed or weary, this episode is a gentle invitation to remain upright, hopeful, and fully alive right where you are.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

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Counterweights: An Essential Practice for Holding Hope in a Heavy World

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Shannan Martin is the bestselling author of several books, including Start with Hello, The Ministry of Ordinary Places, and the popular Substack The Soup. She is a wannabe gardener, a news geek, a fighter for justice, and a thrift store stalker. She and her family live as grateful neighbors in Goshen, Indiana, where Shannan is on staff at the local community kitchen.

Sometimes it feels like God is silent, leaving us unsure of where to turn or how to keep going.

In this episode, Barb speaks with Dominique Young, author of God, Where Are You? and founder of Faith Mamas, as she shares her own journey through grief, doubt, and unanswered prayers. They discuss why healing is often a slow process, how faith and therapy can work together, and why dropping the "masks" we wear is essential for real growth.

This episode is full of honest reflection, practical guidance, and hope for anyone navigating seasons of silence, struggle, or uncertainty in their faith.

RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE

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God, Where Are You?: Unmasking Your Pain, Uncovering His Presence

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Dominique Young is the founder of Faith Mamas Inc. (Faith Family Worldwide), a community of more than 6,000 Christian women and a private app serving over 1,700 believers. She helps people break free from fear through Scripture and has been featured on the Don't Mom Alone podcast and The Refreshed Moms Podcast. Dominique holds a psychology degree from Hampton University and a master's in theology from Fuller Seminary. She is also a devoted wife and a mother of four.