Have you ever looked back and questioned where was God during the hard or painful moments? Are you at the point in life where you're looking for meaning in the things that you've gone through?

In this episode, Barb is joined by speaker and author Laurie Polich Short to talk about her book Tracking God in Your Life: How to See God's Work in Your Past, Experience His Presence, and Trust Him with Your Future. Together, they explore how to recognize God's fingerprints in your everyday life — even when you question whether He sees you.

Listen in as Laurie shows us how every experience can become evidence of God's presence. She also highlights how creating your own "pile of stones" can help you remember His faithfulness.

If you've ever struggled to see where God is at work in your life, this conversation will help you trace His footprints with confidence.

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Tracking God in Your Life: How to See God's Work in Your Past, Experience His Presence, and Trust Him with Your Future

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Laurie Polich Short is a popular speaker, author, and part of the teaching team at Oceanhills Covenant Church in Santa Barbara, California. A graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary, Laurie has spoken to more than a half million people at conferences, colleges, churches, and denominational events around the country, and she has been featured on PBS, Focus on the Family, RightNow Media, and more.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

What do you do when the life you planned gives way to a season you never saw coming?

In today's episode, Barb is joined by pastor, author, and podcaster Courtney Ellis for a thoughtful conversation about navigating life's tough transitions. Together they explore why God created change, what nature can teach us about living through it, and why even good change can bring real grief.

If you're facing a transition—expected or unexpected—this episode offers wisdom, honesty, and hope for the road ahead.

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Weathering Change: Seeking Peace Amidst Life's Tough Transitions

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Courtney Ellis is a pastor at Presbyterian Church of the Master in Mission Viejo, California. She is the author of six books, including Looking Up: A Birder's Guide to Hope Through Grief. Courtney hosts The Thing with Feathers, a podcast about birds and hope.

Waiting for a miracle can be one of the hardest places to live, especially when faith wears thin, answers are delayed, and hope feels fragile.

In this episode, Barb talks with her long-time friend, author Lauren Gaskill about what it means to hold on to a faith that just won't quit. Drawing from her book Until the Miracle Comes, Lauren shares how to begin again when disappointment has shaken your faith. She'll share encouragement to remember your God-given identity changes everything. She tells us about why lament is a vital part of our faith journeys. This episode will remind you that God is working, even when you cannot see it.

If you're believing for a breakthrough and wondering how to keep going, join Barb and Lauren for this powerful conversation.

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Until the Miracle Comes: Finding Victory in a Faith That Won't Quit

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Lauren Gaskill is an author, speaker, and the founder of the She Found Joy Podcast and retreats. She is passionate about helping others encounter Jesus and become transformed by His love. In her spare time she enjoys singing, hiking with her husband and sons, and baking just about anything — from cookies to crème brûlée.

What would change if you truly believed you are fully known—and fully loved—by God?

In this episode, Barb is joined by author Glenna Marshall to talk about her book Known & Loved and the life-changing truths of Psalm 139. Together, they explore how God's love differs from ours, and how the gospel reshapes our understanding of shame, suffering, and doubt. This conversation invites us to lift our eyes from ourselves and fix our gaze on the one true God whose love never runs dry.

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Known and Loved: Experiencing the Affection of God in Psalm 139

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Glenna Marshall is married to her pastor, William, and is the mother of two sons. She is the author of The Promise Is His Presence, Everyday Faithfulness, Memorizing Scripture, and Known and Loved. She is a member of Grace Bible Fellowship in Sikeston, Missouri, where she and her husband have served for over twenty years.

Whether you're single, married, or simply navigating the cultural noise around sex and identity, this episode will challenge and encourage you to see sexuality through the lens of God's redemptive love.

This week, Barb is joined by Dr. Juli Slattery, author of Surrendered Sexuality, for an honest and hope-filled conversation about faith, intimacy, shame, and identity. Juli shares how our sexuality isn't about self-discovery—it's about understanding God's love—and how true transformation begins when we stop trying to fix ourselves and start surrendering our hearts to Him.

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Surrendered Sexuality: How Knowing Jesus Changes...Everything

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ABOUT OUR SPECIAL GUEST

Dr. Juli Slattery is the president and cofounder of Authentic Intimacy, a ministry helping people make sense of God and sexuality. She is the host of the weekly podcast Java with Juli. She has authored or coauthored fourteen books, including God, Sex, and Your Marriage, Rethinking Sexuality, and 25 Questions You're Afraid to Ask about Love, Sex, and Intimacy. Juli is a member of the board of trustees of Moody Bible Institute. She and her husband, Mike, have three grown sons and live in Akron, Ohio.