Bold, Brave & Beautiful Podcast with Barb Roose

Across the country we're still wrestling with how to talk about race well. Where do we even begin the conversation on a topic that is so big and heavy? If you are a parent or grandparent, how do you respond to your children's questions and how often should you talk about race in your home? Today, Barb is talking with Dr. Michelle Ami Reyes, co-author of the book The Race Wise Family, a 2023 recipi...

When our earthly fathers hurt, harm or abandon us, it can leave a deep wound that feels like it will never fully heal.  In today's episode, Barb chats with author Kia Stephens about her experience with an absent father in her life, and the beautiful hope and healing that all women can experience, even if their relationship with their father is never fully restored. We don't have to stay wounded fo...

Are you feeling spiritually malnourished? Like no matter how hard you try to make it through life, you still feel empty, tired, overwhelmed or exhausted? In today's episode, Barb speaks with author Amy Seiffert about how we can experience life, fullness and satisfaction in Christ. In a world that is preoccupied with staying busy and checking a neverending to-do list, Amy challenges us to practice...

Would you say that your thoughts are more positive or negative? Too often we underestimate the damage that negative thinking and toxic beliefs have on our faith. Barb's guest author, speaker and music artist Denise Pass discusses how to overcome negative mindsets and position ourselves fully in God's truth and how we can live that out. As one who has faced some of life's greatest disappointments a...

Do you believe in Jesus, love God, but you don't trust what you see happening in church? In the wake of scandals, abuse claims and questionable leadership, perhaps you've grown weary and found yourself wondering whether the church is redeemable and whether you should even stay. Today, Barb talks with author Kate Boyd about her new book An Untidy Faith and has an honest conversation that we believe...

When suffering, hurt and betrayal turns our world upside down, our emotions can easily turn from grief to anger. Why did this have to happen? Will things ever go back to the way they were before? This isn't fair.  In moments of deep pain it can be tempting to feel angry at God, but today's special guest, Brad Hambrick, teaches us what it looks like to be angry WITH God instead. To grieve with him...

Have you ever felt like your faith is failing? Like your suffering and pain is just too much to handle? Join us for today's conversation as Barb speaks with author and speaker, Michele Cushatt, about how we can develop a faith that will not fail. From divorce, to struggles with motherhood, to walking through three bouts of cancer, Michele is no stranger to suffering. Yet through it all, her faith...

Who struggles with their body? Most of us do.  Our guest, Jennifer Taylor Wagner, today shares her journey as a chronic dieter. After a lifetime of struggle she lost 150 pounds and kept it off.  Instead of giving us meal plans, dieting tips, and rigid exercises, Jennifer teaches us how to make peace with food, to eat foods we love, and to nourish our bodies with foods we love. A recovering chronic...

Relationships are messy because we live in a messy, sinful world. Is it truly possible to love the people in our lives who hurt us, disagree with us, or just rub us the wrong way? Join us for today's conversation as Barb speaks with Becky Keife, general editor of Come Sit With Me: How to Delight in Differences, Love through Disagreements, and Live with Discomfort. After experiencing the divorce of...

Navigating conversations about race doesn't always have to feel like a minefield.    Join us for today's episode as we chat with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith and Lori Stanley Roeleveld, two unlikely co-authors who God brought together to write a book called  Colorful Connections: 12 Questions About Race That Open Healthy Conversations . Together we will discover how to talk about race in a way that va...

Come laugh with us today on The Better Together Podcast! I'm talking with my longtime friend and Aspire Women's Event sister, comedian Sally Baucke. Today, we are talking about tiaras, tweezers, and how to find healing in our hearts when life hurts. Sally grew up in a home where she didn't always feel seen and loved but she now stands on stages across the country to make audiences laugh and so the...

If your pastor called and asked if you would take in a Middle Eastern family who escaped from their homeland, what would you do? Chicago pastor, Joshua Sherif, escaped from his home in Egypt as a new believer to come to America. In this episode, Joshua and I talk about what it was like for him to leave his homeland, Islam, and encounter resistance in America. During our conversation, Josh tells us...

Calling all book lovers! If you are a fan of Christian fiction, then chances are, you've heard of best-selling author Tessa Afshar. Guess what?! I recently talked with Tessa and in this new episode, we're discussing her new novel, The Hidden Prince, as well as Tessa's fascinating background. She was born in the Middle East, survived boarding school in England and then moved to the United States an...

Sometimes it's hard to determine whether we are hearing God's voice or whether it's our own thinking. It's possible to learn how to hear God's voice in your life!   In this new episode, Barb talks with the founder of Equipping Godly Women, Brittany Ann about the 6 tips to help you hear God's voice loud and clear in your life. Brittany Ann leads a large online community committed to helping Christi...

It's not over yet! If you are still breathing, then God has big dreams for you! Join me on this new episode where I'm talking with speaker, author, leader and someone that I've admired from afar for many years, Jo Saxton. She has powerful words and wisdom to share with you about owning your voice, living out your purpose and how to stop apologizing for your desire for more.    Jo is the founder of...

When it comes to the topic of race and racial healing, many of us have one of two responses: hide away from the uncomfortable conversation or become overzealous and use our words to cut and hurt others. In today's episode, our special guest, Dr. Lucretia Carter Berry, shows us a new approach that is characterized by understanding, growth, and grace.    In today's conversation we talk about accepti...

Are you grieving and desperate for people to understand how you really feel?    After author Gwendolyn Burton's 26-year old son died suddenly from an epileptic seizure, no one around her could say anything to help her feel better. She's spent years working through the grieving process and has captured her journey and the lessons learned in her new book "You Don't Know Just How I Feel".    During o...

If you find that you take a long time to process, feel emotions strongly, or can be highly stimulated by external factors such as scent and taste, chances are that you may be an HSP (highly sensitive person)! Today on the show, we have the pleasure of hearing from Cheri Gregory, an HSP and the co-creator of Sensitive and Strong, a place where fellow HSPs can grow, encourage one another, and discov...

No matter how messy your story is or how challenging your past has been, your story is not beyond the reach of God's redeeming power.   Join us for today's episode as we chat with Bible study author, Shadia Hrichi, about her study Tamar: Rediscovering the God who Redeems Me. Tamar's story was FAR from neat and tidy, yet God used even the messy and broken parts of her life to ultimately accomplish...

Do you struggle with fear, worry, or overwhelm? Sometimes our challenging circumstances can become the breeding ground for anxious thoughts that leave us feeling crippled and afraid.   Join us for today's episode as we dive into Philippians 4 with our dear friend, Jill Savage, as she shares how we can move past fear and anxious thoughts and lead lives of peace and trust. It is possible, friends, a...

We all have past mistakes and hurts that we cannot change, but we can choose to not allow our pasts to dictate our futures. Join today's conversation as Barb chats with her producer Tabitha about how we can let go of our pasts (while not ignoring the fact that they happened) and press forward in faith, peace, joy and obedience.   RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE Follow Barb on Instagram! Check out Tabi...

Is there something God is calling you to do but you just keep putting it off? Today's special guest, Shari Braendel, knows exactly how you feel. After sensing God calling her to use her passion for fashion to help those in the church, Shari put it off for 7 years before finally taking the leap, and now she is here to encourage us to take a step of faith too! It's time to stop waiting and debating...

In a world full of suffering, heartache, and bad news, many of us are feeling depleted, overwhelmed, and undone. If you are feeling worn out, there's good news: hope is alive. In today's episode, special guest and friend Susan Seay shares how we can walk victoriously despite our circumstances. Whatever you are going through today, we pray this episode helps you feel seen. You are not alone.    RES...

When life feels uncertain and we can't trace the hand of God in the middle of our trying circumstances, it can be easy to wonder if He's really there walking alongside us. In today's conversation we have the privilege of hearing from special guests, Amy Carroll and Lynn Cowell, about their new Bible study, Esther: Seeing Our Invisible God in an Uncertain World. In this conversation, you will be en...

Sometimes we can get so caught up in the everyday routines and busy schedules that we fail to take the time to slow down and truly connect with our families. In today's episode, Barb speaks with special guest and friend, Amberly Neese, about how we can start creating meaningful moments with our families by pressing in, building up, and prioritizing connection over perfection. This is an episode yo...