Cowrie Shells

Meet Shanta Botha – 65-years old and a woman who has known Jesus in many different seasons. Listen to her remarkable stories of restoration: how God drew her to Himself from a Hindu background, and how her faith grew in a place of physical, emotional, mental, and even spiritual abuse, during her first marriage. A committed wife, mum, and granny, she has just celebrated her twenty-first wedding ann...

Meet Linz Daun – catapulted into a heart-breaking situation she never saw coming as a young married woman, listen to her remarkable story of how God met her in the mess, restored and re-storied her circumstances. Thirteen years later, as a single woman of 43, is it possible for her to live a fulfilled and abundant life? Listen in and be inspired by her ongoing story of courage and faith. Hosted on...

Meet Vanessa Smith – Is it possible in the face of a cancer diagnosis to overcome survival mode and embrace the challenges it presents? Vanessa is a woman who has experienced this firsthand, watching her husband become a cancer patient overnight when he was unexpectedly diagnosed with Advanced Lymphoma in 2020. Embarking on a pilgrimage they never expected, listen to how Vanessa has chosen intenti...

Meet Derin Osiname – Nigerian-born, she first experienced a sense of God when she was just three years old. As passionate about God today as she was captivated by Him then, listen to Derin’s amazing stories spanning more than thirty years of God encounter after God encounter. One of Derin’s favourite verses from the Bible is Romans 1:17: ‘The just shall live by faith’ and she is living proof of fa...

Meet Jennifer Dass – In Episode 15 Part 1, we heard her honest account of how God intervened in what she felt was a broken marriage and gifted her with a love redeemed. But what happened next...? Discover the next chapter of their story in Part 2 and listen to how God drew husband and wife into a new shared dream responding to the reality of Christian persecution in Pakistan and creating Rapha Min...

Meet Jennifer Dass – Pakistani-born, she grew up in a culture familiar with patriarchy and arranged marriages. But home life did not tow the cultural line as her parents modelled a love where they were as one and Jennifer dreamed that one day she’d have a similarly fulfilling relationship. She married Haroon, emigrated to the UK and twenty years on, they are stronger than ever and cultivating the...

Meet Katharine Backhouse – Dr by profession, she is passionate about leading with vulnerability in both medicine and her local church, encouraging women to put Jesus first. A woman with a desire for family as soon as hormones kicked in, listen to her stories where she chose God’s way rather than her own: marrying a husband who was ‘nothing that I thought I wanted and everything that I needed’ and...

Meet Nicole Holmwood – South African by birth and a girl who grew up with Jesus, it wasn’t until her early twenties that, in her words, she ‘got grace’. She has since discovered that God’s plans for her don’t always replicate her own but this doesn't negate the joy He offers. As a woman in her thirties she is living the unexpected life; having emigrated to the UK with her husband, she now cares fo...

Meet Cindy Redant-du-Preez – Belgian by birth and living in South Africa, as a child it was the feeling she was a misfit that led her to dabble in the occult. Drawn to the supernatural, she continued to resist God’s power as she got married and emigrated. Right up until the point where she became a mother and found herself, in her words, drawn to the local church ‘looking for good morals for her s...

Just like it says on the tin – Christmas Cowrie Shells is a short bonus episode from me, your host, to you, beautiful listeners and women of faith to wish you a very Happy Christmas 2024! Listen in and be encouraged by the way God is active in our lives and has had His fingerprints all over Cowrie Shells podcast right from the outset. Reflect on what He is doing in your life this Christmas season...

Meet Barbara Pymm – having known Jesus for over 50 years, she continues to see life through the lens of adventure! A wife, mum and grandmother, she is also an author, theology student and a woman passionate about pastoring others. Listen to her tales navigating life waves of grief, uncertainty and change – most recently in the face of the amazing story behind God’s instruction that she and her hus...

Meet Jess Sennett – a magnet for children and a woman who wants to make every experience count. Listen to her heartfelt cowrie shell stories recounting how, with God in the mix, career disappointment becomes a place of opportunity, and even the chasm of grief at the sudden loss of her dad is somewhere she can be helped, heard and hugged by God and by others… and ultimately, pass that comfort on. H...

Meet Judith Reeves – a woman who lives with the daily reality of debilitating ME and Fibromyalgia but with zero self-pity thrown into the mix. ‘Snake Lady’, talented baker, compassionate listener, wife and mum, listen to her remarkable story of over 30 years of choosing to trust God in a place of pain and uncertainty. Today, she’s still holding out for healing but it is her healing perspective on...

Meet Hannah Radenkovic – a youth worker by trade and passion, life has also made her an expert in immigration law, packing light and making home wherever she finds her feet. Listen to her remarkable story of how God surprised her with a husband from Serbia and took her on an adventure that spanned twelve home moves and more than five country borders before establishing her in the United Kingdom… w...

Meet Mischa Hare – nineteen years old and about to begin her next life chapter at Bible College. Listen to her nuggets of wisdom recounting her struggle to overcome spiritual apathy, embrace the ADHD-shape of her personality, and dive into the truth that intentionality in our faith brings incredible intimacy with God – better even than grabbing a wet suit and riding the waves… Hosted on Acast. See...

A special double-length episode in two parts to remember ‘Baby Loss Awareness Week’ 9-15 October 2024: Meet Emma Lamberth and Katharine Grimes – united by their experiences of baby loss and blended families. Listen to their stories of distinct grief journeys; wrestling with pain and uncertainty in tandem with a determination to be hopeful and look for God in the mess… even when the truth was so gr...

A special double-length episode in two parts to remember ‘Baby Loss Awareness Week’ 9-15 October 2024: Meet Emma Lamberth and Katharine Grimes – united by their experiences of baby loss and blended families. Listen to their stories of distinct grief journeys; wrestling with pain and uncertainty in tandem with a determination to be hopeful and look for God in the mess… even when the truth was so gr...

Meet self-professed ‘village girl’ Jenny Ogwal – born in Uganda and having grown up since in the UK, she is a youth pastor who loves life in all its fullness with Jesus. Listen to her amazing tale of how God called her to reach out to her estranged father after over ten years of separation and today continues to teach her what true freedom looks like in the wake of three very powerful words, 'I fo...

Meet Charlotte Chaplin – a woman whose heart’s desire to be a mum appeared off the cards as she wrestled with infertility for over eight years. Listen to her story of God’s grace in the midst of seemingly unanswered prayers, and the bundle of surprises that arrived while she was still in the ‘waiting place’, poised between hope and a prayer… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...

Meet Farida Sharma – having escaped a coup in Sierra Leone as a child, she now has a successful content creation business and a family of her own, here in the UK. Listen to her inspiring tales recounting how the faith of her family stood firm... even when her brother lay close to death, catapulted into a coma on the cusp of his professional footballing career. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

Why Cowrie Shells ? Meet your host Katharine Grimes as she sets the scene for this brand new podcast, explaining the vision behind it and the reasons why she has felt inspired to create it. Be encouraged, empowered, challenged and connected with women, just like you, who are determined to search for the treasures God has placed in their lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...