Have you ever reached for your phone first thing in the morning… turned on background noise just to avoid silence… or filled every spare second with productivity so you don't have to slow down?

It's wild how even the smallest habits — those little "ropes" — can quietly tether our hearts and keep us from rising fully toward God.

This week on Nourished to Bloom, we continue our 40 Days to Food Freedom journey with a fresh Lenten question:

Instead of asking, "What am I giving up?"
What if we ask, "What is really tethering my heart?"

Because Lent isn't a spiritual diet.
It isn't a crash cleanse.
It isn't about proving our discipline.

It's about holy detachment — loosening whatever keeps our hearts from soaring.

In this episode, we explore:

💫 The Bird and the Rope – Drawing from St. John of the Cross, we reflect on how even the tiniest attachment can keep us grounded spiritually.

🙏 Honoring Hunger as God's Design – Physical hunger isn't a weakness to suppress. It's part of how God created us. Fasting is chosen and ordered; chronic self-denial rooted in fear is not the same thing.

🌿 5 Deeper, Non-Food Ways to Fast:

🔇 Fast from noise — What surfaces when we allow silence?
📱 Fast from the phone — What happens when we put it down?
🗂️ Fast from productivity as identity — Who are we without the to-do list?
👀 Fast from comparison — Where has envy quietly shaped our peace?
✋ Fast from control narratives — Where are we gripping instead of trusting?

Food is often the visible surface. But sometimes it's not the rope — it's just where the rope shows up.

This episode invites us to examine the deeper attachments that keep us distracted, busy, anxious, or striving — and to create space for the Lord to gently reorder our loves.

Your Lenten Invitation

🌱 Honor your physical hunger appropriately — receive nourishment as gift, not guilt.
🌱 Choose ONE non-food fast this week.
🌱 Notice where resistance rises — that's often where attachment lives.

By Easter, we're not aiming for perfect discipline. We're seeking hearts that feel lighter, freer, and more centered in Christ.

Hey friend — have you ever found yourself the week before Lent staring at a bar of chocolate (or maybe eyeing your morning coffee) thinking, "Maybe if I just give THIS up, everything will finally feel right…"

And then that quiet question surfaces:
Is this really what God wants from us… or is this just another diet hiding in spiritual clothes?

Welcome to a fresh season on Nourished to Bloom! 💛

We're kicking off something deeply intentional this Lent — our 40 Days to Food Freedom series. And no, this isn't your typical Lenten reset.

This isn't about finally "fixing" our eating habits.
It's not about proving our willpower.
It's not about stricter discipline.

It's about deeper freedom.

Together, we're going to look beyond what's on our plates and ask a more courageous question:

✨ What actually has power over our hearts?

Drawing inspiration from St. John of the Cross' powerful image of a bird tethered by even the smallest string 🕊️, we explore how our attachments — to food, control, scrolling, perfectionism, weight loss, comfort — can quietly keep us from rising toward God.

Lent isn't a self-improvement challenge.

It's an invitation to reorder our loves.

Here's what we'll begin uncovering in this first episode:

✨ Spotlight on Attachments – Where do we turn when we're stressed, overwhelmed, or insecure? What feels "non-negotiable" for our peace?

✨ Redefining Fasting – True fasting isn't punishment. It's detachment. It's learning to enjoy good things without being ruled by them.

✨ The Rope Image – Whether it's a tiny string or a thick rope, any attachment that holds our peace hostage keeps us grounded.

✨ A Gentle Self-Inventory – We'll begin noticing what we cling to — without shame — because awareness is the beginning of freedom.

✨ One Small Act of Detachment – Not to prove strength, but to create space. To say, "Lord, You are my center."

By Easter, the goal isn't perfect eating habits.

It's this:

🌿 Less power for food.
🌿 Less authority for fear.
🌿 More space for God.
🌿 A heart that feels lighter and freer.

Throughout this 40-day journey, we'll untangle diet culture, emotional eating, body image struggles, and the attachments that quietly shape our choices — so that our plates, our habits, and our hearts can be reordered around Christ.

Because food freedom isn't about indulgence.

It's about becoming untethered.

Ready to loosen the rope with us this Lent?

Hit play, grab your journal, and let's begin your Attachment Inventory together.

And remember:
Beauty held is the seed. Beauty shared is the flower. 🌸
It's your time to bloom.

Hey friend—are you doing "all the right things" with food… yet still feeling stuck because the scale hasn't moved?

Welcome back to Nourished to Bloom. Today we're unpacking a quiet but heavy struggle so many women carry: experiencing real wins with intuitive eating and healthier habits—less food noise, more peace, more freedom—yet still believing that weight loss is the final measure of success.

In this episode, we're naming that tension honestly and compassionately. We're talking about why it's possible to feel healthier, more at ease, and more connected to God—while still doubting ourselves because the number on the scale hasn't changed. And we're inviting the Lord into that space with us.

Together, we explore how diet culture has shaped our beliefs, why weight is only one (and often not the most meaningful) indicator of health, and how Scripture calls us to a much richer definition of worth and success.

✨ What we dive into in this episode:

🌿 Real stories from coaching conversations with women who feel more peaceful with food—but still question their progress
🧠 Why decades of diet culture conditioning make weight loss feel like proof of health and worth
⚖️ The truth about health being multi-dimensional—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual
📖 A Gospel-centered reframe using Matthew 5:13–16: You are the light of the world—no conditions attached
🕯️ A powerful glow-in-the-dark analogy from a homily that reminds us where our radiance really comes from
💛 Encouragement to celebrate freedom, peace, and gentler habits—even if weight loss hasn't shown up
🙏 A loving reminder: when your "glow" feels dim, it's not a sign to try harder—it's an invitation to draw closer to God

If this episode stirred something in you—if you're craving freedom from food and body obsession and want support unlearning old beliefs—you don't have to walk this journey alone.

📣 Ready for deeper support?
Email kara@karatrochta.com with the keyword COACHING to set up a free coaching session. This is a no-pressure conversation to help you discern next steps toward healing, peace, and faith-rooted wellness.

You are already light.
You are already worthy.
Let's keep learning how to shine—together. 🌱✨

Hey friend—have you ever noticed how one small moment can send your whole day (or week!) spiraling? Maybe we miss a workout, snap at our kids, or eat something we said we wouldn't… and suddenly our mind jumps straight to, "Why do I even bother? This is just how I am."

If that sounds familiar, you're not alone. That all-or-nothing thinking is more common than we realize—and if we're not careful, it can send our mindset rolling straight into the gutter.

In this week's episode, we're talking mindset, self-awareness, and how to stop the spiral before it takes over—using a powerful (and surprisingly fun) analogy inspired by a client: bowling with bumpers 🎳

We imagine our mind as the bowling lane, our thoughts as the ball, and self-awareness as the bumpers—the gentle guardrails that keep us from veering into victim mentality, self-sabotage, doom scrolling, or that familiar "why bother" place.

Instead of shaming ourselves for not being perfect, we explore how building mental bumpers helps us notice when we're spiraling, pause with compassion, and gently reroute our thinking back toward truth and grace—especially God's truth.

🎳 In this episode, we unpack:

• How the Reason Cycle (mind mapping) works—and how unchecked thoughts turn into emotional spirals
• Why self-awareness isn't about perfection, but about staying in the lane
• The bowling bumpers analogy that will change how you see mindset forever
• Three practical steps to build your mental bumpers:
• • Name the pattern without shame
  • Pause to slow the spiral
  • Reframe with God's truth, not "positive vibes only"
• How to invite God into your thinking so your mindset aligns with who He says you are

As we reflect together, we'll ask:

• Where does our mind tend to "lose the lane"?
• What does our personal "gutter" look like?
• And what would it look like to gently engage a bumper—a pause, a prayer, a moment of awareness—the next time we start to spiral?

We don't have to bowl a perfect game.
But we can set up the guardrails that keep us moving toward God's best for us.

Tune in to Episode 101 and let's keep growing—one aware, grace-filled moment at a time. 💛

P.S. If this episode resonates, consider sharing it with someone who might need a reminder that they're still in the game.

Have you ever caught yourself waiting for the perfect moment to finally feel worthy, happy, or successful—
when the kids are older, when your body changes, when life finally "clicks"?

That quiet "I'll do it when…" mindset sneaks in so easily.

In this milestone 100th episode of Nourished to Bloom, we're slowing down and getting honest about the pressure to constantly chase what's next—while overlooking what God has already placed in our hands. Together, we explore how our culture measures worth through productivity, body changes, and visible outcomes… and how God gently invites us into a very different way of living.

Rooted in Jesus' words about the True Vine (John 15), this episode is an invitation to remain instead of rush, to tend instead of strive, and to trust that the future we long for is being shaped right now—by who we are becoming and how faithfully we steward the present.

In this episode, we reflect on:

🌱 Why the future we hope for is being built now, through daily faithfulness and presence

🍇 What it really means to remain on the True Vine—and why fruit comes from connection, not hustle

⚡ Why caring for the here and now isn't "settling," but an act of holy stewardship

👀 How constantly chasing future goals can disconnect us from our bodies, callings, and relationships today

💬 An honest reflection on the "most likely to succeed" label—and the freedom found in realizing success is about character and faithfulness, not outcomes

🙏 Why God doesn't rush formation, and how the process we want to skip is often where He does His deepest work

We're reminded of a powerful truth in this episode:
We can't care well for our future gifts—our future body, calling, or dreams—if we neglect what we're living and stewarding today.

A gentle invitation

If you're feeling tired of striving, restless for clarity, or ready to dream in a more faith-filled way, we invite you to join us for the upcoming Goal Setting With God Retreat on February 3 at 11am CST. This retreat isn't about forcing outcomes—it's about remaining on the Vine, discerning God's invitations for this season, and learning how to steward the present in partnership with Him. The recording will be available.
👉 Click here to register

Friend, you are not behind.
You are not failing.
You are becoming.

The truest fruit grows when we remain connected and patient. You are in bloom—even now.

Have we ever opened our Bible, read a verse we've seen a hundred times before—and suddenly it felt like it was written just for us?

Like, in that exact moment, God knew the ache on our heart and sent a Word straight to our soul.

In Episode 99 of Nourished to Bloom, we slow down to reflect on those holy, personal moments when Scripture meets us exactly where we are. Rooted in Hebrews 4:12—"The word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart"—this episode explores how God's Word continues to speak, heal, and guide us through seasons of waiting, wrestling, and becoming.

Together, we reflect on what it looks like to sit with the same heartache longer than we expected—and how Scripture gently reminds us that healing isn't about "moving on" faster, but about allowing God to meet us more deeply right where we are.

This episode is an invitation to pause, listen, and notice what God may already be revealing to us about our identity and purpose in this season.

In this episode, we explore:

🌿 Why Scripture can suddenly feel so personal and timely
🙏 How God's Word speaks to who we are, not just what we should do
🕊️ What it means to heal mind, body, and soul by turning to God instead of coping mechanisms
📓 A reflective pause to help us discern what God may be whispering right now
🪴 Why discernment comes before direction—and identity before action
✨ A gentle invitation to root our goals in prayer, not pressure

If we've ever felt "behind," stuck, or unsure why something hasn't resolved yet, this episode reminds us that God's Word is alive, patient, and perfectly timed.

A gentle challenge for the week:

What piece of Scripture feels like a love letter from God to us right now?
Let's sit with it. Journal with it. Ask:
Who are we becoming in this season, and what is God inviting us to step into?

Register for the Goal Setting Retreat

And if this episode stirred something deeper—if we're craving clarity, peace, and Christ-centered direction—we're invited to take the next step together at the Goal Setting with God Retreat on February 3 at 11am Central (Zoom). This retreat is a sacred space to discern our next steps through identity, prayer, and intentional reflection. Click Here to Register

We are worthy of the time and space it takes to grow.
Let's allow the living Word to nourish us—right where we are.

🌸 Beauty held is the seed. Beauty shared is the flower. It's your time to bloom.

Hey there friend!

In this week's episode of the Nourished to Bloom podcast, we return to the familiar story of Cain and Abel—but instead of focusing only on sibling rivalry, we explore a quieter, deeper message about first fruits, priorities, and intentional living.

Have you ever reached the end of a busy day—completely exhausted—and realized that prayer, reflection, or time with God only gets whatever scraps of energy are left? If so, we're not alone. Together, we reflect on how easy it is to offer God what remains of us rather than the best of us—and how this ancient story gently invites us to choose differently.

This episode isn't about guilt, shame, or adding more to our plates. It's about realignment—learning to notice where our time, energy, and talents are going, and discerning how God may be inviting us to offer our first and best, instead of our leftovers.

In this episode, we explore:

✨ The deeper meaning behind the story of Cain and Abel and what "first fruits" look like in everyday life
✨ Why we so often give God (and ourselves) leftovers—and how to begin shifting our priorities with intention
✨ Practical ways to recognize where our time, energy, and gifts are currently being spent
✨ Encouragement for those of us in a "middle" season—especially women longing for clarity, purpose, or a renewed sense of calling
✨ The reassurance that God doesn't shame us for where we are—He lovingly invites us to choose again

Weekly Reflection Invitation:
This week, we invite you to set aside a few quiet moments and prayerfully reflect:

• Where are we giving God our first fruits—our best time, energy, and attention?
• Where are we offering only what's left?
• What small, intentional shift might God be inviting us to make?

Bring this to prayer with honesty and trust—no guilt required.

Special Invitation:
If we're feeling disconnected, unclear, or longing to discern what God is calling us into next, we're invited to a free retreat, Writing Your Next Chapter: Goal Setting with God, happening February 3rd at 11 a.m. Central (via Zoom). This retreat offers intentional space to slow down, reflect, and listen for God's invitation in this season.

Click Here to Save Your Spot

Thank you for journeying with us. Remember—beauty held is the seed, beauty shared is the flower. It's our time to bloom. 🌸

Happy New Year, friend—and welcome to the first episode of Nourished to Bloom in 2026! 🌿
If you're stepping into this new year with hope, goals, and a desire to grow—but you've also felt that familiar post-January motivation fade—you're not alone.

In this episode, we're talking about how to approach goals, habits, and personal growth with God at the center, not through hustle, pressure, or perfection. Because real transformation doesn't come from trying harder—it comes from rooting our lives in faith and trusting the process God is unfolding.

Together, we explore simple but powerful, faith-filled tools that help us stay grounded, motivated, and connected to God's plan—especially when real life gets messy.

✨ Inside this episode, we'll explore:

🌱 How to approach a new year without burning out or giving up by February
🙏 Why inviting God into your goals changes everything
📝 How a Word of the Year can become a meaningful spiritual anchor
⛪ The beauty of choosing a Saint of the Year for guidance and intercession
📖 Scripture verses that offer clarity, direction, and hope when motivation dips
💛 Why gratitude journaling is a spiritual practice—not just a habit—and how it helps you notice God's daily "winks"
🌸 A gentle reminder that growth is rarely linear—and God is faithful in every step

We're also sharing a special invitation for anyone who wants a practical, prayerful reset after the New Year glow starts to fade.

📣 You're invited!
Join us for "Writing Your Next Chapter: Goal Setting With God", a FREE live retreat on February 3 at 11am Central. This experience is designed to help you realign your goals with God's will, gain clarity, and recommit to what truly matters—without pressure or overwhelm.
👉 Register here

As we begin 2026, remember this:
"Beauty held is the seed. Beauty shared is the flower."
This is your season to grow—rooted in faith, nourished in body and soul, and supported every step of the way.

🌸 Next Steps:
✨ Discover your Word of the Year http://www.wordoftheyear.me/ Shoot me an e-mail kara@karatrochta.com and let me know what your word is!
✨ Choose a Scripture or Saint to guide your year http://saintsnamegenerator.com/
✨ Start a simple gratitude journal
✨ Register for the retreat and share this episode with a friend

We're so grateful you're here. Let's nourish, grow, and bloom—together—in 2026. 💛