Grace for the Growth with Courtney Leo

028 From Messy to Loved: Learning to Connect with Your Emotions feat Michael Pham In this episode of the Grace for Growth podcast, Courtney sits down with Michael Pham, a North Carolina native passionate about fostering a deep relationship with God. Navigating his journey from fear and shame to authenticity and acceptance, Michael shares insights on embracing emotions as signals that lead us close...

027 Transformation Through the Seasons of Waiting feat. Barb Hill In this episode, Barb Hill, a Nashville based therapist and author, delves into the concept of the 'seasons of waiting'. Drawing upon personal experiences, she describes the different seasons of waiting and how they align with characteristics in Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. Barb highlights the transformational potential...

026 Navigating Sensitive Topics: Tips for Mindful Communication feat Turquoise Peart In this episode of Grace for the Growth, Courtney hosts a heartfelt discussion with Turquoise Peart about the power of mindful communication. Covering an array of topics, they explored the importance of being intentional in our interactions with others—listening to understand, setting boundaries, and navigating di...

025 Living Fully in the Present: The Danger of Postponing Life feat. Lauren Mathues In this refreshing episode of "Grace for the Growth" with Courtney Leo, guest Lauren, a dating and relationship coach, shared her journey of personal development and faith. Lauren's story featured valuable lessons on embracing unpredictability in life, trusting in God's timing, and the importance...

024 Is it me? Or is it the Broken Mirror? A Conversation on Rejection feat. Krysta Miller In this episode of Grace for the Growth, we get to know Krysta Miller. Born and raised in northern Indiana, Krysta faced various traumatic experiences, which sparked her journey to self-discovery and healing. Her unsuccessful attempt to start a singles community at her church led her to create an uplifting Fa...

023 Security Clearances for the Heart: Understanding Emotional Boundaries In this solo episode of the Grace for the Growth podcast, Courtney delves into the setting boundaries in relationships. Using the analogy of security clearances in a high-security building, she explains that boundaries should not be seen as walls, but as levels of access that allow for healthier, more fulfilling relationship...

022 God's Plan in Life's Unexpected Turns feat. Emelie Schaefer TW: Domestic Abuse, Physical Abuse In this episode, Courtney interviews Emelie Schaefer about her personal journey through hardships, healing, and faith. Emelie openly shares her story of a physically abusive marriage that led to divorce, and her journey to rebuild her life and find joy in surrendering to God's plans. Thro...

021 Living Your 'Plan A': Embracing God's Timing In this episode, host Courtney Leo deeply unravels her understanding of God's love and plan, challenging the narrative of having a transactional relationship with Him. She encourages listeners to move away from comparison, self-striving, and idealized timelines to embracing their unique life story as part of God's master plan. Co...

In this episode, listeners get to meet my friend, Aaron Solomon. Aaron shares the highs and lows of his personal faith journey as a pastor's kid. This story leads us to a conversation on how to hold safe spaces for us to wrestle with our faith and how to live authentically in alignment with God's design. Aaron's journey of faith as a PK Transitioning from an inherited faith to a person...

019 The Tension of Walking In My Unique Design When All I Wanna Do is Fit In This episode was chosen BY YOU and FOR YOU. In this solo episode, I talk about the tension that we experience when we live freely but all we desire is to fit in. How do we discover who we are? What do we do when the environments around us don't feel safe? How do we show up as ourselves when we just feel too difficult...

018 How Our Stories Reveal the Thing We Want Most feat. Bob Wheatley   Bob Wheatley is the author of Our Hearts' Desire. As fans and students of stories, themes, and motifs, Courtney and Bob dive into a conversation about how the stories we consume reflect the ultimate story we are a part of, The Gospel. In this episode, you'll hear:  Bob's testimony of chasing a professional baseball...

017 Becoming Who God Created You to Be feat. Emily Cummins  I'm so thrilled to introduce you to Emily as we discuss what it looks like to BE who God created you to be. Our conversation is full of encouragement and insight that I believe will help you on this journey of authenticity, freedom and becoming. In this episode, I chat with Emily about:     Her journey as a recovering perfectionist  H...

"Are you positioned for abundance?" "Have you given yourself permission to have a life you love?" Over the last six months, this is the question I've been wrestling with and the Lord's been challenging me with. In this episode, we briefly dive into John 10. What does Jesus say about this "abundant life"? Do you believe you deserve it? Why or why not? And what...

Today marks the last day of my birth year! I turn 31 tomorrow and before I start a new year, I wanted to take a few moments to look back with you. I can't look back without taking you along the journey and THANKING you for every thing you've done for me along with some big themes: In this episode, you'll hear: What made me start my summer dating marathon How one connection created a sa...

This week, I join my friend, Mike Guess, as we talk all things mental health and therapy. Mike started attending therapy and addressing traumas in his life and now encourages others on their journeys as well. If you have wondered "Why therapy?" "What is the value of it?" "What to look for in therapy?" "How does this work with prayer and faith?", this is the...

#013 Two years ago, Danielle Schaaf took a step of faith and left her full time job to pursue full time life coaching. In the last two years, she's experienced incredible provision and blessing as a single falling more in love with Jesus. Every conversation I have with Danielle leaves me inspired, encouraged and FIRED up about what God can do. You're going to love hearing her story about h...

On today's episode, I get to introduce you to one of my dearest friends, Bridgett Blood. Bridgett life song of encouraging people to grieve well, rest well and love well has been so impactful in my life. Our conversation today is full of deep truth, extreme vulnerability and personal stories as we dive into this conversation. We talk about:   How to avoid comparing grief  How to hold space and...

I had other plans for this week but God came in and took over all of my plans.   On this Good Friday, I'm reflecting on what it would be like to stand in the disciples' shoes on that night....hope lost, expectations not met, dreams dead, grief felt. Wow, I've felt like that too many times. Today, my heart as we sit in the virtual living room is to encourage you to hold on.   I share a...

Healthy relationships have healthy conflict. So why do we feel like we can’t wrestle with the Lord? Kathryn Means, host of the podcast Unlearning the Narrative of Singleness , shares about feeling like the older son in the parable of the Prodigal Son. “God, I’ve done it right. Why is marriage not a gift to me? Why have I never been chosen?” Many times we find ourselves pursuing the idol of marriag...

Sometimes we consciously or unconsciously wear labels. If we aren't aware of them, these labels will define us, filter us, and keep us from living in our unique design. Today, I invite you to recognize the labels in your life, dig deep into what caused those, replace them with Truth, invite God into the process, and shift your mindset.   In this episode, you will hear:   Practical exercise to...

There is NO topic I have more requests to share about than Singleness...and I'm not mad about it at all. 😊 We have a lot to cover and it's much more than one episode but here's a summary of what we dive into : Courtney's personal story of when she realized she was going to have a single season separate from the model she'd expected We take some time to breakdown some narratives or mindsets that w...

When you think of being emotionally self-aware, what comes to mind? Did you ever realize that emotional sobriety can be a source of freedom in your life? In this episode, Courtney hosts a conversation with Dom Leo, a personal coach for people wanting to breakthrough barriers in their growth and health journeys and he happens to be Courtney's brother. Here are some topics we covered: Healthy mindse...

This week on the podcast we are talking about rest. I used to avoid it at all costs. I lived as if rest was laziness and that was the LAST thing I wanted. In today's episode, I share three things to remember about rest 1. Rest is Biblical 2. Rest is Productive 3. Rest is Brave I hope that you leave this episode encouraged and challenged to build in a healthy habit of rest in your life. Let me know...

We're backkkkk. It's been a hot minute and I'll explain why a little bit here. Also, I will share about the biggest lessons that I've learned over the last year: How to listen to your heart and sit still Learning to say yes to the right things and not allowing fear to keep you from God's blessings How to get out of the way and let God take control Realize how important you are to God How to get ou...

In this episode, we get REALLY practical. We are talking all things Holiday Traditions. Courtney shares some of her favorite holiday traditions and ones that you can try that answer the question "What brings me joy?" No matter the season of life you find yourself in, this episode is full of ideas, inspiration and encouragement on making this Holiday Season one to remember!  Engage in the conv...