Jess Ask

What happens when God calls you to something you specifically told Him you didn't want?   In this episode of Jess Ask The Podcast, Magan Battle — the youngest founder of a real estate brokerage firm in Birmingham, Alabama — joins host Jessica S. Smith for a conversation that is equal parts testimony, strategy, and straight talk. Magan opens up about never wanting to be a broker, the string of divi...

Former U.S. Senator Doug Jones joins Jess and Desiree for an honest conversation about the future of Alabama. Together they discuss education, healthcare, mental health, prisons, voting, small businesses, agriculture, and why leadership should create room for everyone at the table. Whether you're politically engaged or just trying to better understand the issues affecting your community, this epis...

What if the thing you've been avoiding is the exact thing God needs you to walk back through? In this episode of Jess Ask The Podcast, Jessica S. Smith and Desiree sit down for a raw, Spirit-led conversation about avoidance, identity, and what it really means to get over it — not in the dismissive sense, but in the biblical one. Jessica opens up about a moment she avoided revisiting for over a yea...

This week on Jess Ask the Podcast, Jess and Desiree welcome Steve Wilmer, entrepreneur, sales coach, and host of the 3% Mindset Podcast. Together they discuss faith, finances, entrepreneurship, rejection, pricing, delegation, leadership, and the mindset shifts required to create lasting transformation. Steve shares practical lessons from his journey from financial hardship to business success whil...

Why do we keep putting things off even when we know we should move forward? In this episode of Jess Ask the Podcast, Jess and Desiree discuss the connection between procrastination, perfectionism, surrender, and obedience. Through personal stories and practical insight, they explore how the pursuit of perfection can keep people stuck, delay purpose, and create unnecessary pressure. This conversati...

This week on Jess Ask the Podcast, Jess and Desiree have an honest conversation about the difference between conviction and condemnation. Together, they unpack the role of the Holy Spirit, spiritual correction, shame, forgiveness, obedience, and how conviction can actually lead believers closer to healing and righteousness rather than rejection. This episode challenges listeners to examine their r...

Healthy brotherhood can change everything. This week on Jess Ask the Podcast, Jess and Desiree sit down with Tyler Anderson and Art Ruffin from Sharpen Up Podcast for a transparent conversation about vulnerability, masculinity, healing, accountability, and the importance of community among Black men. The conversation explores emotional isolation, church culture, identity, transformation, and how a...

What happens when rock bottom looks like a country club basement — and a way out looks like a pizza oven?   This week on Jess Ask the Podcast, Jessica sits down with George Gilliam — founder of Uncle G's Pizza in Birmingham, Alabama — for one of the most honest conversations the Safe Space has ever held. George shares his journey from growing up privileged and blind to it in Charlottesville, Virgi...

What happens when you pray… and God doesn’t answer the way you hoped? This week on Jess Ask the Podcast, Jessica sits down with Brad Graydon and Pastor Leslie for a deeply transparent conversation about prayer, revival, disappointment, and learning how to truly commune with God. From building the “Fire Dome” prayer movement in Birmingham to navigating grief after losing a child, this episode explo...

Jess and Desiree dive into the weight of shame and how it keeps people stuck in cycles they were never meant to stay in. Through personal testimony and the story of the woman in John 8, they unpack the difference between confession and testimony, and how choosing freedom changes everything.  ABOUT JESS ASK THE PODCAST  Jess Ask The Podcast is the safe space where transparency meets transformation....

  What if you’re not being overlooked—you’re just being positioned? Jess sits down with LaDarrius “L Hut” Hutcherson to talk about purpose, healing, community impact, and the reality of paying your dues. From feeling lost to walking in influence, this episode will challenge how you see your journey. ABOUT JESS ASK THE PODCAST   Jess Ask The Podcast is the safe space where transparency meets transf...

Jess connects with K Boogie for a candid conversation about dating, relationships, and personal growth. Together, they explore why so many people feel stuck in today’s dating culture, what men and women may be misunderstanding about each other, and how healing, timing, and self-awareness play a role in finding the right partner. ABOUT JESS ASK THE PODCAST   Jess Ask The Podcast is the safe space w...

What are you rushing for? In this episode of Jess Ask the Podcast, Jess and Desiree unpack the tension between trusting God and trying to control outcomes. From misplaced wallets to deeper life frustrations, they explore how impatience reveals what’s really going on internally—and how waiting on God actually strengthens your faith. This episode is for anyone struggling to slow down, trust God’s ti...

Jessica S. Smith opens an honest conversation about growth, obedience, and what it really means to evolve without losing who you are. As Jess Ask the Podcast enters a new season, she reflects on the emotional side of rebranding and how God often develops us privately before expanding us publicly. Jess and Desiree discuss why change can feel uncomfortable, how obedience stretches your capacity, and...

Jess and Desiree dive into a powerful question many believers don't often consider: Can God trust you? While many people focus on trusting God, this conversation shifts the perspective toward what it means to become trustworthy in the things God assigns. Through honest reflections, scripture, and personal experiences, they discuss how obedience, stewardship, and even suffering can shape spiritual...

Jess sits down with behavior analyst and entrepreneur Charity Floyd to discuss how choosing peace instead of bitterness transformed her life and career. Charity shares her journey into autism advocacy, business ownership, leadership, and trusting purpose over profit. This episode is a powerful reminder that sometimes one mindset decision can change everything. 🎙️ Connect With Our Guest: Charity Fl...

She went from sexual trauma and confusion to helping believers build healthy intimacy in marriage. Coach Tammy opens up about healing, celibacy, sexuality, and God’s design for intimacy. In this powerful episode of Jess Ask The Podcast, intimacy and relationship coach Coach Tammy joins host Jessica S. Smith for an honest, faith-centered conversation about sexuality, healing, celibacy, and navigati...

She grew up on Section 8, dropped out of college at 19, and almost lost her life. Today she makes the laws. Commissioner LaShunda Scales' story has never been told like this.   EPISODE DESCRIPTION  Jefferson County Commissioner LaShunda Scales — known in her district as 'Mama Scales' — sits down with host Jessica S. Smith for the most personal conversation of her career. She opens up about growing...

Description: Jessica and Desiree get honest about boundaries—why they’re necessary, why they can feel like bondage, and how pain can push us into building walls instead of healthy guardrails. Jessica opens up about repeated relationship patterns, what therapy has revealed, and the struggle of protecting your heart without shutting people out. Together, they break down what boundaries actually are,...

Jess sits down with Joy Pittman to unpack Joseph in a way that shifts everything. What if the destination was never the palace… but the famine? What if elevation wasn’t about validation, but positioning? This episode challenges labels, reframes calling, and reminds you to occupy your seat wherever you’re placed. If you’ve been shrinking or questioning your assignment, this conversation will give y...

Description: Jess and Desiree Danielle have an honest conversation about what it means to be “created to create” — and why your obedience still counts even when the response is quiet. Desiree shares how her new book was birthed through prayer, the fear of opinions, and the vulnerable shift from producing others to releasing her own voice. Together, they talk excellence vs. perfection, using what’s...

Description: This episode is about intimacy — the real kind. Jessica and Desiree discuss abstinence, shame, dating God, and learning self-intimacy in singleness. If you’ve struggled silently in this area, this conversation is for you. 🎙️ Need a place to be reminded you're not alone? The Safe Space is for creators who feel unseen, misunderstood, or ready to give up. Inside this Patreon-only communi...

Description: Warning: this episode might get slippery—because the oil showed up. Jess and Desiree sit down with  Janice Coleman for a wisdom-packed conversation on seasons (dispensations), purpose-driven obedience, leadership transitions, and building structure without burning out. If you’ve been trying to figure out what God is doing in your life—or you’ve been frustrated while building—this epis...

Description: Jess and Desiree break down 5 mistakes builders make starting out—from treating your assignment like a “sneaky link” to waiting on the “right time” and dishonoring what’s already in your hand. This episode is a push from idea mode to execution, with real examples of partnership, stewardship, and what it looks like to be fully persuaded about what God told you to build. 🎙️ Need a place...

Description: Building with a partner is beautiful… and frustrating. Jessica and Desiree talk about real partnership: different personalities, different communication styles, and how offense can derail the assignment if you don’t know the heart of who you’re building with. They break down “iron sharpens iron,” healing through the process, and how to stay focused on the purpose instead of the irrita...