Fighting For Joy

For a while now I’ve wanted to record a quick episode talking about some of the simplest ways to fight for joy. Over the past 8 seasons of this podcast, I’ve shared hundreds of tools that can help in the fight for joy…things that we can implement into our lives that help us fight against the “joy stealers” that life in this broken world can bring, because no matter what we’re going through, there...

I share some pretty heavy stories on the Fighting for Joy Podcast, so once a month I thought it would be fun to add a lighter episode where I give a quick “report” about a few of the things that are bringing me joy in my daily life. April got away from me, so here is my April/May “Joy Report”!! *Links: Primally Pure Products: https://primallypure.com/collections/face Trader Joe's Face Oil: https:/...

I share some pretty heavy stories on the Fighting for Joy Podcast, so once a month I thought it would be fun to add a lighter episode where I give a quick “report” about a few of the things that are bringing me joy in my daily life. Here’s my March “Joy Report”!! **Here are the previous episodes I mentioned: Fighting for Joy in the Early Days of Grief: https://fightingforjoypodcast.fireside.fm/77...

My guest today is Emily Lanphier. When she was just 28, and pregnant with her third child, she woke up in the middle of the night to a police officer knocking at her door. He was there to tell her that her parents had died together in a car accident. Those of you who are local may remember this horrific story as many of us knew and admired her parents, Ty and Terri Schenzel. Over the last 10+ year...

I share some pretty heavy stories on the Fighting for Joy Podcast, so once a month I thought it would be fun to add a lighter episode where I give a quick "report" about a few of the things that are bringing me joy in my daily life. Here's my February "Joy Report"!! Here are the previous episodes I mentioned: Fighting for Joy in the Early Days of Grief: https://fightingforjoypodcast.fireside.fm/77...

Today my husband Eric joins me for a brand new listener Q&A episode. I received so many thoughtful questions and I'm grateful for all of the submissions. For our conversation today I pulled a few of your questions on the topic of grief. I hope that as we share about our personal experience and some of the things we have learned these past 12+ years, YOU are encouraged in your own fight for joy...

I share some pretty heavy stories on the Fighting for Joy Podcast, so once a month I thought it would be fun to add a lighter episode where I give a quick "report" about a few of the things that are bringing me joy in my daily life. Here's my January "Joy Report"!! Here are the previous episodes I mentioned: Fighting for Joy in the Early Days of Grief: https://fightingforjoypodcast.fireside.fm/77...

I share some pretty heavy stories on the Fighting for Joy Podcast, so once a month I thought it would be fun to add a lighter episode where I give a quick "report" about a few of the things that are bringing me joy in my daily life. Here's my December "Joy Report"!! Digital Frame: https://amzn.to/3Y9OSUR My LTK Page: https://www.shopltk.com/explore/Jodiblick?tab=posts *The Fighting for Joy Podcast...

I have another encore episode for you today and I recorded a brand new intro, sharing some of my current thoughts as I relistened to our conversation. This Q & A was the 3rd part of a 3-part series that Eric and I did together in 2021. I decided to use Part 3 (which was episode 39) as the encore episode because its a great summary of what we covered as a whole on this topic. So as you listen t...

Well, surprise! I wasn't planning to release an episode with ALL new content until after the holidays, but last week I had an idea to start a monthly "Joy Report"...sharing some of the things that are bringing me joy right now! I share some pretty heavy stories on this podcast so I thought it would be fun to add a shorter, lighter episode once a month. Today, on my first "Joy Report", you'll hear...

On this encore episode with my dear friend of 36 years, Cathy Brown, you’ll get a glimpse into the difficulty of losing your mom too soon. Shortly after graduating from college, Cathy was at work waitressing when she got the awful news that her mom had died while traveling home from Paris. Cathy was my very first guest on the podcast and I’ve pointed quite a few people to this episode over the yea...

On this encore episode, you’ll hear a conversation that I recorded with my friend Leanne Ballinger almost 7 years ago! Listening to us share, still early in our grief, I can hear the tears remaining right at the surface for both of us throughout our conversation. Its a little hard for me to go back to where we were then, but at the same time, I’m just so in awe of all that God was already doing -...

I believed from the start of our grief journey that our faith would allow us to fight for joy in the midst of our sorrow. But happiness? Laughter? It sure didn't seem possible, or even appropriate, for a long time. But today we share a little bit about how laughter HAS returned, even though our grief continues. And, because of all of the tears and darker days, our laughter feels especially sweet n...

I'm so excited to be back for Season 8! Listen in for a quick update and what you can expect to hear on the podcast this fall. Have you tried Better Help yet? Don't forget that as a Fighting for Joy listener you can receive 10% off of your first month of counseling. Check out my Fighting for Joy link at betterhelp.com/fightingforjoy. Counseling can be such a huge help in this broken world and a ma...

A couple of weeks ago we hit the 12 year mark in our grief. 12 years without Jackson. Without Tyler and Trey. 12 years since we got “the phone call” and so many lives were forever changed. 12 years on this painful journey. And, it still hurts. It’s still hard. Sometimes I think, “of course our hearts still hurt”, and other times I’m completely surprised by it. As I’ve said before, these set apart...

Are you living under the constant pressure of feeling like you should be doing MORE? Or feeling like you should BE more? That you’re always letting people down. Or letting GOD down. If guilt and overwhelm have become a big part of your life, I’m glad you found this episode! As my guest today writes in his new book, You Were Never Meant to Do It All: A 40-Day Devotional on the Goodness of Being Hum...

I thought it would be helpful to re-release this episode with Mother's Day weekend approaching. For many women, this is a complicated holiday that can hold a wide range of emotions. Celebration AND tears. Joy AND sadness. It's now been almost 12 years without Jackson and 5 years without my mom - continued grief. AND, since this episode originally aired a couple of years ago, our family has grown -...

Today I’m privileged to bring you a tender story of grief from a local friend of mine, Mary Glowacki. Mary was only 15 years old when her mother died. There are not too many things for young girl to face worse than losing her mom and having to grow up without a mother’s distinctive instruction and special care. When you face a future without such a key figure there to help and guide, life can beco...

Well, guess who I have back on the podcast with me today? My favorite guest and yours, my husband Eric! Today we have a conversation about the grief that is experienced when you lose a grandparent. It’s a topic that I haven’t covered in depth on the podcast yet, but for many people a grandparent dying is their first experience with grief. One of the things that we hope you take away from this epis...

The topic of sibling grief is near and dear to my heart. Not only did I grow up in a home affected by the death of my sister, I've also watched my own children bravely grieve the loss of their big brother. It feels like we don't hear much about this unique kind of grief so I'm grateful for my guest today, Jena Sietz, and her willingness to share about her fight for joy after losing her little brot...

Today I get to introduce you to my friend, Evian Schindler. You’ll hear a little bit about how the two of us got connected at the beginning of our conversation, but Evian is one of the sweet, faithful people in my life who keep reminding me, even 11+ years after Jackson’s death, that I am not forgotten in my grief. She continues to send me Bible verses, songs, and prayers and it means so much to m...

This past week I spoke to a group of local ladies called "The Free Birds", women who are in the empty nest season of life. I called my talk “Five Ways to Fight for Joy as Free Birds” and intertwined parts of my grief story, my menopause journey, and thoughts on entering a new year with five practical ways to experience more joy in this unique season of life. Over the weekend I recorded my talk and...

Today I get to share Part 2 of the little "joy project" that a few of my listeners and friends helped me pull together to bring encouragement and hope to hurting people over the holidays. If it is hard for you to hear people say “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Holidays!” because your heart is breaking, my guests today get it. I get it! The greetings and phrases that we use this time of year sound dif...

My grief journey has connected me to thousands of hurting people. Almost every week I have the privilege, although its a weighty and costly privilege, of spending big chunks of time listening to, giving witness to, and holding space for people’s pain. I ALSO get to see pretty beautiful and tender glimpses into people’s healing, progress, and returning joy. This past week, as I was interacting with...

Today I get to introduce you to Calihan Summerfield as she shares about her painful struggle with infertility. Calihan always wanted to be a mom, but when the timing felt right to start a family, she began to feel as if her body was betraying her…why wasn’t it happening? What was wrong? Why was God withholding this from her? What are the options? It’s crushing when our plans, dreams, and deepest d...