Finding Something Real Podcast

On this episode of Finding Something Real we introduce our first guest, Drew Berryessa! Drew is no stranger to the Podcast. He's been a guest before and we are thrilled to have him back! Drew has a tender heart and shares his story with such vulnerability in hopes it will impact others. We are also joined with two of our co-host, Ana and Sarah.   In this episode, Drew talks about his story of livi...

In this episode, we introduce our first co-host, Frankie! Frankie shows a level of maturity way beyond her years. She is steady, level headed and has a genuine heart. Frankie is Janell's niece. In this episode she shares her story of being adopted, the tension of getting pushback for her faith, believing in Jesus but still having questions, and trying to find where her gifting fit in the Kingdom o...

And we're back! After taking a few months on break, we are back with Season 8!   For this first episode, I'm joined with my good friend, Katie Dommel, who has been a major help and a huge cheerleader throughout this whole journey. We talk about all the things God has been doing in and through this ministry, and we introduce the young ladies that will be part of this season. We have 8 special young...

This is the sixth and final episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special guest, Craig Hazen.   Dagmar has co-hosted many Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she...

This is the fifth in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special returning guest and Portland pastor, author, and recording artist, Josh White.    Dagmar has co-hosted many Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about, and is drawn to Jesus, and chose...

This is the fourth in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special guest and leading philosopher, William Lane Craig. Dagmar wasn't available for this recording, but Signe from Denmark joined in for this conversation about why there are so many different versions of Christianity, what matters most, and why Bill Crai...

This is the third in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special returning guest and Stand to Reason speaker, Jon Noyes. Dagmar wasn't available for this recording, but Signe from Denmark joined in for this conversation about moving from atheism to Christianity, what makes the Bible a historically reliable document...

This is the second in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special guest, Julia Garshagen. Due to technical difficulties, Julia Garschagen not only was our guest on this podcast, she also shared hosting duties with Dagmar. Together they discuss obstacles to faith, relationship with Jesus, and what repentance really...

This is the first in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. She's cohosted about 20 Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about, and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she has not yet decided to take a leap of faith as an adult. She has a com...

This is the eighth and final episode in a series dedicated to a young woman named Olivea. With my last two cohosts, I have written a final letter. But, I thought for this one, I would bring on some friends. Today I am joined by one of my dearest friends, Melanie, and our guest Dr. Lisa Stanton. Lisa goes into depth about her transformative story of how she came to Jesus. Outwardly, it looked like...

This is the seventh episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman named Olivea. This episode is with special guest, Jason Schmidt. Jason’s parents were Janell’s youth pastors and to this day have had a lasting impact on her life. Jason was on the podcast back in 2021 and opened up about considering going into full-time ministry. He gives us an update on what he’s been up to since the...

Happy Wednesday! We are taking a break from our usual format. We will be back with Olivea next week, but for this episode, we have a special treat! This is a special episode because we are celebrating Finding Something Real's 5th Anniversary! We started Finding Something Real in 2019 with a mission to reach young women. But we could not imagine what the Lord had in store. Today we are taking time...

This is the sixth episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman named Olivea. This episode is with special guest, Lindsey Medenwaldt. Although Olivea was unable to join in on this conversation, Lindsey shared about her ministry talking with people about Christianity. She remembers when she encounters questions, and she shares encouragement for Olivea.      ABOUT LINDSEY: Lindsey Meden...

This is the fifth episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman named Olivea. This episode is with special guest, April Biondolillo. April shares with Janell and Olivea about her life journey, She talks about her ministry, Cherish ministry which exists to empower every girl everywhere to discover her purpose and Cherish her worth. April answers Olivea's questions and talks about her e...

This is the fourth episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman named Olivea.  This episode is with special guest, best-selling author, Francine Rivers. In this episode Francine shares with Janell and Olivea about her life journey, how she hears from God, why trusting His character is so important, and how she knows He cares even when life can be full of disappointments or unexpected...

This is the third in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman named Olivea. This episode is with special guest, Jesse Childress. In this episode Jesse shares with Janell and Olivea about his own faith journey, how childhood attachment impacts our view of God, how mental health is impacted by Christian faith, the problem of suffering, the power of experience, and much more.    ABOUT JESSE CH...

This is the second episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman named Olivea.  Today we are talking with special guest, Erik Thoennes. Erik answers Olivea's questions about eternal security, God's character, and His love. Olivea shared in the first episode of this series that she is someone who loves singing, spending time with loved ones, and cooking. She talked about her relationsh...

This is the first in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman named Olivea.  Olivea is someone who loves singing, spending time with loved ones, and cooking. She shares about her relationship with her family and talks about the difficult loss of her mother a few years ago. Olivea talks about her faith and her history with church. She opens up about several questions she's wrestling with in...

DESCRIPTION: This is the twelfth and final episode in a series dedicated to special co-host Lizzy. Instead of the usual interview format, Janell shares about an important milestone for the podcast, talks about some of the highlights from recording multiple episodes with Lizzy, and shares an open letter to Lizzy, talking about faith questions, love, and ultimately trusting God's character. Stay tun...

This is is the eleventh episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman named Lizzy. Today we're talking with special guest, Clare Williams, the founder of Real Questions. Clare shares her desire to address real questions and answers some lingering ones that Lizzy has about sin and the holiness of God. Lizzy is a college student from Chelan, Washington. Lizzy grew up in a loving Christi...

This is the tenth episode in a series dedicated to a young woman named Lizzy. Today we're talking with special guest, Robin Gerblick. Robin talks about her own story of struggling with insecurity, looking for love in all the wrong places, brokenness, and relationships, and how she has found grace and hope in her relationship with Jesus Christ. Lizzy is a college student from Chelan, Washington. Li...

This is the ninth episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman named Lizzy. Today we're talking with special guest, Josie Pettit, creator of the Confetti Cake Project. Josie shares about her personal struggles with anxiety and shares about why she's so joyful and passionate about Jesus and mental health. Lizzy is a college student from Chelan, Washington. Lizzy grew up in a loving Ch...

This is the eighth episode in a series dedicated to a young woman named Lizzy. Today we're talking with special guest, Brant Hansen, a bestselling author and podcast host. Lizzy specifically requested having the chance to ask him questions and sometimes dreams come true! In this rich conversation, we discussed many topics including identity, emotions, following Jesus, and insecurity.  Lizzy is a c...

This is the seventh episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman named Lizzy. Today we're talking with special guest, Melissa Cain Travis, a fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. Lizzy is a college student from Chelan, Washington. Lizzy grew up in a loving Christian home but has a lot of questions about God, identity, and purpose. She is a very curious p...

ABOUT THIS EPISODE:  During the month of July we are featuring some of our previous episodes. This episode with co-host, Dagmar from The Netherlands originally aired in April 2021. Pastor Josh White from Portland, OR, addressed some of Dagmar's questions about the gospel.   To hear more episodes with Dagmar and hear more of her story, please visit: https://www.janellmwood.com/search?q=dagmar      ...