Lessons from Living

Beth looks back over the year of inspiring episodes we have shared, explaining why one in particular holds a special place in her heart.  She gives an update on the Graham Fam, and forecasts what's in the future for Lessons From Living.  There's a special podcasting announcement at the end of the episode.  Happy New Year!

From losing jobs, friends, and family to being triggered by an early sexual assault, Brittany Young knows what it's like to suffer.  She spent a large chunk of her life living the unsustainable and dysfunctional life of an alcoholic.  The good news is that Brittany also knows the victory of living in sobriety for more than a decade.  This is a hopeful story for anyone suffering from...

What does Thanksgiving mean to you?  Our Thanksgiving guests and all of the Grahams share their thoughts on Thanksgiving, and what they're thankful for.  Some were quite surprising!  Enjoy this sneak peek into the Graham family that will leave you feeling warm and inspired.

There has been much said about the best way to motivate and inspire our younger generations, but today we hear directly from a GenZ representative who has been carefully observing the examples of leadership she has personally witnessed. With these observations and impressions, Laura Ray Read offers listeners a fresh perspective on what it means to be a leader, and how to do it with excellence. We...

Have you ever suffered a psychological wound from someone in authority in your life?  Sometimes we allow these events to affect us far into the future, impacting our potential success.  Dr. April Minatrea says it doesn't have to be so: we can make a different decision to heal, and learn lessons from these life crises--including how to treat others with compassion.  Dr. Minatrea is an articulate, i...

In this solo episode of Lessons from Living , host Beth Graham opens up about life after breast cancer, the mental spiral that can follow “watch and wait” protocols, and how fear can distort what we feel and think. She shares a candid story of scans, sleepless nights, and the inner dialogue that often follows uncertainty. Beth introduces a simple practice that brought clarity: contemplating mortal...

In this conversation, Beth welcomes artist and entrepreneur Isabel Varela to unpack a candid story of identity, insecurity, and a shopping addiction that spiraled into six figures of debt. Isabel shares the underlying need for validation that fueled her fashion choices, how social pressure amplified the cycle, and the moment a crisis forced her to change. With grit, accountability, and faith, Isab...

In this heartfelt conversation, host Beth Graham welcomes writer and podcaster Angee Robertson to talk about cultivating an intimate, everyday relationship with the Holy Spirit. Angee shares how a logic-first faith as a teen later collided with grief, doubt, and infertility, and how honest questions brought her back to a deeper trust in God. Together they explore practical ways to invite God into...

What does the most fulfilling retirement look like?  Our guest Chris Marquardt offers an excellent picture of that: he has made an intentional geographical move with his wife of 36 years to a corner of the world that gives him peace and happiness.  He has learned a new skill, bee-keeping, that has helped him through his own PTSD, having served in the military for 24 years.  And he h...

What's it like to walk with someone who is dying?  And what lessons can we learn from this experience of witnessing someone passing from this world into the next?  Enjoy an interview with an extraordinary doctor, Reggie Anderson, as he shares these truths with us.  We talk about how a horrific event in his young life separated him from God, despite having grown up in a faith-filled home.  He share...

When Jessica Spencer, her husband, and birth son decided to dip their toes into the waters of fostering children, they had no way to know that within days their little family would morph from 3 to 7!  This is Jessica's story of the often meandering process fostering can take to grow a family.  She touches on the training and evaluation required, getting that fateful call, and how parental rights c...

If you have ever wondered whether your spouse has been unfaithful, or even had that fear confirmed, this episode about surviving infidelity is for you.  Our guest, Kate Conwell, shares her journey from discovering her husband's infidelity to moving beyond this trauma to an even stronger marriage.  Today, Kate and her husband model this kind of healthy, growth-focused behavior resulting in a renewe...

Self-described "nobody," Barbara Demorest, describes how a personal encounter with cancer inspired her to find a solution for a common problem facing breast cancer victims.  She said "Yes," when many others may have taken a pass.  We talk about walking through open doors, not stressing when a door closes, the hazards of putting limits upon ourselves, how impostor syndrome impacts our ability to st...

David Zach is the lead singer and songwriter of Remedy Drive, a rock band.  He also is an undercover operative for an anti-sex trafficking organization, the Exodus Road.  David talks about how this association came to be, how his past prepared him for this work, and the impact  working undercover has on his family.  David shares his creative process.  We talk about the way sex trafficking is portr...

What does one do when faced with the worst kind of choices?  Alvaro Rivas literally found himself with a gun to his head, when the Nicaraguan government claimed he was a spy because of his work with American ministries.  He knew that he risked imprisonment or death if he remained in his native country; the only option was to flee to freedom.  The problem?  His wife and children could not join him...

Beth considers this time of refresh and renewal, and the ways we might evaluate where we stand at the cusp of this new year.  She also discusses plans for the podcast in the new year, and how YOU can be a part! Notes: Ten Questions to Diagnose Spiritual Health , Donald Whitney

Following a devastating breast cancer diagnosis, Lindsay McDonnell did all of the right things, including challenging accepted traditional medical protocols and procedures.  Yet, it returned not once, but three times.  Today, Lindsay lives with a body full of cancer, but is stable, and has developed a new mission: coaching others who are now enduring what she has overcome before.  She is brave bey...

Erwin Raphael McManus offers a thought-provoking, motivating treatise in The Last Arrow, published in 2017.  In this episode, Beth discusses some of McManus' themes, such as what is represented by arrows, why we tend to hold back from pursuing our most important goals, how God uses ordinary people to accomplish his purposes, the importance of community, how to take action, how to guard against the...

Dennis Mellen knew from the age of ten that he wanted to be a pilot, and set the entire trajectory of his life toward that goal.  At fifty-six, he had enjoyed his dream career for more than 30 years when tragedy struck, and his well-planned life was upended.  How does one move forward when the unexpected, unwanted wrench is thrown into the course of our lives?  Dennis models well how to navigate t...

Elijah Stacy has arguably accomplished more in his twenty years than most people do in a lifetime.  His mission, to minimize human suffering and propel human prosperity so that humanity can have a better quality of life, directs all of his actions.  What motivates a young adult to develop a super-sized mission which focuses on others and not themselves?  Perhaps the fact that he was diagnosed with...

If you are feeling kind of ho-hum about your life right now, this episode is for you!  Shawn Anderson shows us how to add adventure into our lives, and he would know: he has walked across eight countries and biked across America coast to coast twice!  We'll learn how to stare fear in the face, and walk through life with intention.  Hesitating to take action on a project or plan?  We'll learn to ge...

Perhaps you know a senior who is lacking purpose, or not feeling fulfilled.  Perhaps you ARE that senior!  It’s time to find another way of living, and author Sharon Rolphe is here to share her secrets.  Sharon is a stunning 74-year-old, but her wisdom transfers across generations, so this episode applies to the younger crew, too.  We talk about having a possibility mindset, being open to God’s wo...

Do you experience any conflict in your relationships?  Are all of your conversations peaceful and productive?  Did you think that strife and struggle was just a part of any human relationship?  Well, maybe not!  Doug Noll, author of DeEscalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less , is here to teach us his methods.  You'll hear how Doug's protocol has been successfully used in prisons...

Heather Hutchison has lived her entire life with a disability, as well as anxiety, depression and suicidal inclinations.  After a close call which nearly cost Heather her life, she received the help she desperately needed, and did the hard work to reach a place of healing.  Today, she has a new mission reaching out to others about victorious living, even with health challenges, and advocating for...

Why is it important to figure out your purpose, and pursue it with intentionality?  Terry Tucker, who has been living with a rare form of cancer for ten years, and enduring all that is required to stay alive, knows quite a bit about the power of purpose.  We talk about how you find your purpose, stepping outside your comfort zone, why some people blame God (or anyone but themselves), how to avoid...