Challenges Won't Stop Me

After four amazing seasons of the Zigzag & 1 podcast, it was time for a makeover! She got an new name and an unstoppable mindset. Let me tell you about all the changes. The most obvious change of course is the name change. This change stemmed from conversations about the book I published in September of 2022 titled "Challenges Won't Stop Me: An Interactive Survival Guide for Overcomi...

When we face very difficult challenges, our faith in God is challenged too. Throughout Jody's daughter's ten-year fight against Lyme disease, she begged God to heal Alex. Despite numerous doctor's visits and numerous treatments, Alex passed away. The pain, loss, and grief Jody felt was overwhelming. She gave into the grief so her mind, heart, and soul could process what she describe...

No one would ask for or volunteer for a challenge that would end in one's greatest hurt. But we know that varying degrees of hurt and pain come with the challenges of this world. Jody's daughter, Alex, suffered ten long years with unusual symptoms that were considered a medical mystery until finally a diagnosis of Lyme disease was given. Throughout those years, Alex experienced unbearabl...

Ever find it difficult to stay focused when you're praying? I know I do! I believe I'd be hard-pressed to find one person who couldn't admit to feeling distracted while praying. While we know prayer is an incredible blessing because we are communicating directly with God, our brains jump to investigate every stray thought and noise. Determination to stay focused works for a while, b...

Pause for a moment and think about your companions.  Are they healthy companions who offer life-giving interactions by encouraging, supporting, and loving you? If so, those companions are priceless.  Or are they toxic companions who shatter your heart by bullying, lying, intimidating, and threatening you? These toxic companions can be humans, but they can also be beliefs. Today’s Zigzag & 1 gu...

My guest, Yvonne Taylor, shared her story of being one of the twenty-one black students who integrated into the all-white Hoxie High School in 1955 in episode 63. Make sure you check out that episode as hearing her experiences will emphasize why her mindset of choosing kindness can truly impact the world. Ever stop to think about the values and wisdom passed down to you from your parents, grandpar...

The civil rights movement was in full swing in 1955, but fourteen-year-old Yvonne Taylor wasn’t paying attention to the news about activists fighting for an end to discrimination and injustice. Nor was she aware of the Supreme Court ruling in Topeka versus the Board of Education that would significantly impact her education. Until … Yvonne learned she and twenty other black students would be integ...

Ever feel like your head is going to explode? Incessant noise coming at you from every direction—the news, social media, podcasts, YouTube videos, music you’ve streamed. While some of this noise is educational or informative, some of it is mind-numbing entertainment.  After typing that last sentence, I laughed at my words. Sounds like the explanations I’ve given my tutoring students this summer wh...

My guest, Risa Owens, is an author and speaker. While those are interesting professions, what’s most interesting about Risa being an author and speaker is that her educational journey began with the label of mentally retarded*. This label created limits and further ostracized her from her peers. *This term is used throughout Risa’s interview as it was the terminology used during the years Risa was...

Paralympian, Gia Pergolini joins me for an interview. She is an 18-year-old world record holder and gold medalist. I'm a little star struck about interviewing an Olympian!!  Gia may be a beast in the pool, but she was full of laughter during her interview.  Check out these Olympic facts: ·         Since the first Olympic games in 1896, the summer Olympics have only been cancelled three times...

In Tami O’Connor’s story interview – episode 58 – she shared how her daughter Jordyn’s cancer diagnosis and her passing away tested her ‘even if He does not faith.’ Facing those zigzags drew Tami closer to God. She learned that the faster she surrenders when facing life’s tough challenges, the sooner God will show up. She described surrender as running into the fire, believing He will reveal what...

A short Bible story from Daniel 3 will help you understand the significance of my guest, Tami O’Connor, finding her ‘even if He does not’ faith.  In Daniel 3, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia made a golden image of himself and then issued an edict that stated everyone within hearing distance of the music must fall down and worship the golden image or be thrown into a blazing furnace. Three Jewish...

HOPE – an intangible but very real mindset that God is for you and is working all things together for your good. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Do you have a hope-filled mindset? Do you lean hard on hope when life’s struggles overwhelm you? Do you believe God can bless our lives even through difficult times? My guest, Eva Ai...

Are you able to see beauty in your struggles? I don’t mean after the struggle has passed. We often can see the beautiful reasons why the struggle was necessary and for our good after the struggle has passed. I mean are you able to see beauty at the onset of a struggle. A big, unexpected struggle. One you aren’t sure how to navigate. Can you see the beauty then? My guest, Sharon Richardson, shared...

I LOVE the uniqueness of each of the overcomer interviews I’ve had the honor of sharing over the last ten years! While there may be similarities in their struggles, each overcomer shares unique insights, lessons learned, and ways God transformed her life. My guest for today’s Zigzag & 1 podcast interview is my friend, Sharon Richardson. Having a child with special needs is a similarity Sharon...

Christine Trimpe joins us again to discuss a powerful habit and mindset that fills her with joy at the start of every day. For three decades, Christine struggled with her weight. Her food provided very little nourishment and left her feeling joyless. As we discussed in her story interview – episode 53 – her turning point was realizing she hadn’t considered inviting God into her weight loss journey...

My guest, Christine Trimpe, is a bacon-loving, joy-seeking author, speaker, and health & wellness coach. She wasn’t so joyful during her three-decade long struggle with her weight. Like most people who know they need to lose weight, Christine tried all the diets, exercised, etc. Her success should have been possible as she is a type A, rule follower. She did everything “they” told her to do, b...

My guest is Dr. Christi Bartolomucci of Atlanta Innovative Counseling Center. She’s been a licensed counselor, working with hundreds of clients for the last eighteen years. Dr. Christi shared her wisdom about anxiety and strategies to help those struggling with anxiety during season 2. Check out episode 17 “Anxiety Is a Bully,” episode 18 “Our Kids & Anxiety: Q & A,” and episode 19 “Helpin...

Ideally, a marriage lasts a lifetime. But as we know, many factors can derail or end a marriage. Unfaithfulness is the reason 20-40% of marriages get derailed and ultimately end. According to a 2014 American Psychological Association study, 60-80% of those marriages impacted by infidelity are restored, often because both partners engaged in couples counseling. I'm excited to have author, spea...

On this 20th anniversary of 9/11, Americans and likely others around the world will pause and remember the 2,977 precious and innocent lives that were taken and the thousands of others who were injured but survived.  At a 2002 memorial, Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl, said, "If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.”...

After graduating from college, Hannah Gavios followed her adventurous spirit to Vietnam to teach and explore a new country. A weekend vacation to Thailand promised rest and relaxation, but Hannah encountered evil at the hands of a stranger instead.  After he sexually assaulted her, she unknowingly ran away in the direction of a cliff. As it was nighttime, she did not know she was running off a 150...

When we encounter zigzags (struggles) in our paths, we likely will seek help from a doctor or friend. We might pray for healing or guidance or wisdom. While those actions are important in fighting to overcome, do we include laughter? Laughter when sickness has attacked your body? Yes. Laughter when your loss is so overwhelming the tears flood your pillow? Yes. Laughter when your frustration is so...

On a Facebook post to encourage people to listen to this episode, I wrote, "You can't talk about being thrown into the wilderness without also talking about the beauty you find there during those long and lonely years."  If Shelly hadn't agreed to record part 2 of her interview, you might have thought her story ended there - that dark, lonely, and painful place. Thankfully, she...

WILDERNESS.  When we hear that word, a mental picture instantly forms in our mind. Maybe it looks like a forest or a desert.  Perhaps you don't just think of a wilderness in your mind. It's more than just a picture in your mind. You know it well. Because you've lived it. Or you're there now. My guest, Shelly Brown, was thrown into a wilderness for 13 years.  All the zigzags in...

To bring awareness about an autoimmune disease called Myasthenia Gravis during MG awareness month, I invited my good friend, Cheryl Lutz, to join me. For the last 23 years, Cheryl has lived with MG. We discuss the symptoms that led to her diagnosis, the criteria for MG, and the prognosis. She shares her struggles with a droopy left eye, weakness in her left arm and leg, fatigue, and brain fog. Tha...