Raising Grace

Lori Holden , a veteran parent of two young young adults, writes at LavenderLuz.com and hosts the podcast Adoption: The Long View . She’s the author of the acclaimed book The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption (recommended by People magazine in 2021), written with her daughter’s birth mom. Her book is featured on adoption-agency required-reading lists across the country. She has keynote...

Viviana Colelli is a multi-talented individual with a passion for photography and education. As a mother of two young children, Viviana balances her role as a parent while pursuing her career. With a loving husband by her side for the past decade, she finds joy in nurturing her family and cultivating a strong bond. Viviana's versatile skills have led her to teach photography at a college level...

Janell opens up about her journey as a parent and her experiences raising a child with a chronic illness. She shares the challenges and emotions that come with parenting a child with cancer, as well as the strength and resilience she has found through her faith in God. She bravely discusses her own battles with mental health and how she has navigated the ups and downs of life while being a caretak...

On this episode of Raising Grace Podcast, we have the privilege of speaking with Gabrielle Crichlow, the owner and director of A Step Ahead Tutoring Services. Gabrielle shares her journey from Trinidad and Tobago to the United States, and how her experiences in the American education system shaped her perspective on school. Gabrielle discusses the differences she noticed between the American and T...

Hi, I'm Sheila Kay Chester, and I'm excited to welcome you to the Racing Grace podcast. As a mother of three, I do not know what I am doing. I know firsthand the joys and challenges that come with raising Children in today's world. But I don't know if I'm doing it the right way on this podcast. I sit down with parents and professionals of all walks of life to talk about everyth...

On this episode, Sandra Cooze shares her perspectives on parenting, overcoming trauma, and rebuilding relationships. She discusses how she and her husband teach their son about honesty and owning up to mistakes. Additionally, Sandra talks about bullying, both her experience and her son’s, sharing the importance of focusing on being with the child and handling trauma with a professional. She also s...

Sheila Chester [00:00:00]: All right, Jessica, why don't we just get started having our conversation? Can you tell me tell me who your family is? Jessica Tagler [00:00:08]: My family is my son King, who is twelve, and my daughter Ajana, who will be 17 this month, and my dog Jack. Jack, who I love dearly. Sheila Chester [00:00:20]: Do you have any, like, close friends or family where you live? Jess...

Dr. Kim Dwyer is a mother of three boys ages 14, 18, and 21. She owns her own therapy practice, is an author and an artist. Kims work as a mother and a counselor is rooted in the belief that by managing and tolerating uncomfortable emotions, we can live intentionally, in accordance with our value systems. Kim talks about her experience going through stressful pregnancies and dealing with hard emot...

Taylor Multz is the mother of two children including one special needs child. Taylor was thrown into parenting at the age of 21 when she gave birth to her child alone in an Italian hospital while her husband was deployed. There she found out through a translator that her child had some pretty serious medical issues. She talks about the strength she has had to build over the past seven years in par...

Marjie Hadad is an international public relations expert, the general manager of Must Have Communication & Consulting, an Amazon Number 1 bestselling author, an award-winning TV producer, as well as a coach and a speaker on how to apply public relations strategies to parenting, life and careers. The Power of PR Parenting is her first book. Marjie holds a BS in Broadcast Journalism and an MA in...

Austin Andersen is the mother of four children including boy/girl twins. Her second daughter has a anaphylactic peanut allergy as well as an egg allergy. The twins also have food allergies. Austin talks about living her dream as being a stay at home mom of these four amazing kiddos and navigating serious food allergies in her children.  You can find more information including the show notes at my...

During my interview with Savanna Simmons, she turned it around on me! Here is a short episode on my life as a mother.  Sheila Chester is the became the mother of three children through an 11 year journey with infertility. Her children come to her through adoption and fertility treatments. She talks about her openness with her adopted childrens' biological parents and siblings. We also talk a lot a...

Sarah Spurlock is a mother of a 10 year old boy through adoption, a family and marriage therapist, the owner of a multi-therapist counseling business, the wife of a pastor, and a long time friend of mine. Sarah is the kind of person I would describe as being a bulldog - she doesn’t take no for an answer and that comes especially with her child. She will teach us how to become advocates for our kid...

Kalyn Wright is my aunt, though she felt much like an older sister since she is only 10 years older than me and spent many of her summers at my home. She had a completely different childhood from the rest of her family which set her on a life trajectory much different than any of her brothers and sisters.  She was the youngest of 7 children, with her oldest sibling being 20 years older. She was ra...

Kate Schwindt is an entrepreneur, a step mother and the shared guardian of her step daughters children. Kate came into a family after their mother had died of cancer - she helped raise teens with a traumatic past. She now helps raise the children of those children. Her journey has not been an easy one, but her love for these kids goes beyond anything you could imagine. Blood doesn’t make a mother,...

Happy Valentines Day! I think nothing shows love better than the acts of a mother or parent. So this morning I'm reading a piece I wrote when my children were ages 3 months, 3 years, and 6 years old. This was a morning just like every other morning - not one dull moment.  You can find more information including the show notes at my website www.sheilakchester.com Please follow me on social media. F...

Kelly Fullerton is an entrepreneur, chronic pain warrior and mother. Kelly has dealt with a an invisible and painful auto-immune disease most of her life. In the midst of that she worked to become a mother and has learned to parent through her physical pain. She speaks to us about her journey through chronic pain, infertility, motherhood, and finding peace.   She now runs a business helping others...

Rev. Justin Spurlock has been a good friend of mine for over 10 years now. He is a father, pastor, theologian, business mastermind, and an all around great person. Justin has been in ministry most of his life - in fact he gave his first sermon at age 14. Justin's faith has changed over time and while he is a Christian pastor, he talks a lot about faith in general terms - not just in Christian term...

Savanna Simmons is a cowgirl and creative entrepreneur living in very rural Wyoming with her husband ( a real life cowboy) and two boys. She talks about the challenges and joys of country living. she is a self-published author and artist. She gets inspiration from her two sons, Brindle and Roan, who live for adventures and exploring on the ranch.  Savanna is really living her best life on the grea...

Micah Bower is a military wife, entrepreneur, outspoken mother of 2 very sassy girls. She talks about their time living in Japan as well as the transition back to the united states during a pandemic and a cancer scare. Micah discusses dealing with post partum depression and how she now works with new moms to find peace through pregnancy and post partum.  You can support Micah through her website a...

Amy Stanton is a mother of 3 children that span elementary, middle, and high school. She tells her story of when she was diagnosed with a life threatening heart condition while her children were very young.  Amy and her husband had to make some hard decisions in the midst of a surprise pregnancy. She lives to tell her miracle story.  Please support Amy's business at www.insuredbystanton.com  You c...

Matt Mattson is a professional speaker, author and entrepreneur, but most importantly, Matt is a dad . He is passionate about coaching his kids sports teams and is a firm believer in being present. Matt doesn’t claim to have all the answers, but he has a few ideas that might inspire us to be better parents.   You can find more out about Matt and the project he is working on right here. Check out h...

Vanessa McBride is a longtime friend of mine. She works as an elementary school counselor and manages to stay somewhat sane as a mother of 4 children. She is also a military wife to a Marine and the daughter of a strong single mother. Vanessa unexpectedly got pregnant just after graduating high school. Her and her boyfriend chose to stay together and parent this new life they created. They have be...

It was my birthday this week so I talk all about what it means to celebrate ourselves! Even if that means your kids are home with strep throat all week long.  See the corresponding blog post here: www.sheilakchester.com Most comfortable socks ever: Bombas.com You can find more information including the show notes at my website www.sheilakchester.com Please follow me on social media. Facebook or In...

Erica Koller is a lifelong friend of mine, a Veterinarian, a business owner, the wife of a business owner, a quick draw sharp shooter, a dancing fool, a full life liver and mother of two kids. To say she is a busy woman is putting it lightly. Erica survives every day with her community by her side. She couldn’t do it without her posse which includes friends, neighbors, and her family. She lives on...