Midlife Repurposed

While Jerry Dugan was overseas as a soldier prepping for battle, his wife was back home asking God pleading for his life. And though Jerry claimed no belief in God, he was praying anyway, asking God that if something should happen to him in battle to please send his wife a better husband to love her and raise their children. What he didn’t know was that God would make him into that husband. About...

Have you ever stopped to ask why you do certain things? Maybe it’s time for a second look at how you use your resources and energy. Explore your motivation by looking at how the small purposes add up to bigger purposes. This is the start of season 5 of Life Repurposed. In this season, you’ll find a new cover image and new look for social posts. There’s an updated format to the show notes to help y...

In this episode: A little bit of gratitude as we wrap up this podcast season. Plus three tips to keep your sanity over the holidays, and a free bonus.     Show notes and resources This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com

Darla Grieco went as a chaperone on her daughter’s school field trip as a lonely, broken woman, wondering what could possibly be next in her life. It led to rekindling a life-long dream when she decided to chase it! Darla Grieco wondered what could possibly be next in her life. Then she went as a chaperone on her daughter’s school field trip. She describes herself as a lonely, broken woman, but wh...

When Jodie Cooper found out her son was on the autism spectrum, it magnified her struggle with anger. Her marriage was already rocky. But instead of causing everything to fall apart, it forced her to face the challenges head on, and in the process, she found truth faith and discovered hope. Jodie Cooper shared about how isolating it was when her son was born and her life changed. As her friends’ c...

After trying to keep all the artificial rules that went along with Christian faith, Michele Morin needed a fresh start when she found herself disillusioned. She started over with a renovated version of habits and spiritual practices. This week, Michele Morin and talked about habits of holiness and healthy spiritual practices. After struggling with her faith, Michele found a new balance with being ...

Robin Seaton adopted a son with autism, and God used some of their most difficult experiences to make significant changes in her spiritual growth and his. Where loneliness and frustration once reigned, now there is peace and joy. This week, Robin Seaton talked about how she and her husband weren’t able to have children, and they had tried adopting several times before they finally adopted their so...

Over chocolate cake and lemon bars, Sue Donaldson creates heart connections with others who want to know what she once asked: Is God real? Sue opens doors to communication while she opens her home and has conversations with others around her table. Sue Donaldson is back for an encore on the podcast as she talks about her chapter in the Life, Repurposed book. When Sue was in college, she wrestled w...

Kathy Carlton Willis isn’t waiting for life to become perfect. Instead, she’s asking God to use her broken as she fulfills her purpose and calling. In this bonus episode, Kathy Carton Willis is back for an encore to talk about her chapter in the Life, Repurposed book. Kathy discussed how God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect before he gives us an assignment. Instead, he uses us broken. We caught u...

When Joanie Shawhan needed rejuvenation as a caregiver, she found that practicing gratitude made all the difference. She returns for an encore episode this week. Joanie Shawhan is back for an encore interview! This time we talked about how she learned that gratitude helped her to find hope in the midst of a tough season of being a caregiver for her best friend in the final years of her life. Joani...

Are you ready to tackle big challenges and pursue your passion and purpose? This week I talked about a big decision I had to make in order to pursue the purpose God has given me. Now it’s your turn! As I weigh out what is important to me and where to invest my time, I’ve also been burning the candle at both ends many days. So, I have weighed things out to figure out what to keep and what to let go...

Becky Hofstad was 39 when she met her husband after a long season of wondering if she would ever marry. From marriage, to infertility, to adoption, she has has discovered that God might simply delay what she thinks he has denied. Becky Hofstad talked about how God has used delays in her life to enrich her experience and her story. She met her husband at age 39 after a long process of people settin...

Who needs a new year to set goals? You can get started at any time! Just make sure they are EASY goals. In this episode: tips and resources to accomplish what you’ve been dreaming about.   Show notes and resources This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com

When a painful chronic condition changed Amy Marcoux’s active lifestyle, she needed a reminder that her life has purpose, even on the difficult days. She repurposes her own pain to inspire others. Amy Marcoux is a young adventure-lover, but an injury that wouldn’t heal changed her active life. After a surgery didn’t correct the issue, she continued to see doctors. Eventually, she was diagnosed wit...

Terri Prahl knows what it’s like to leave the hospital with empty arms after the loss of a child. She talks about processing through grief and learning to trust God fully amid unimaginable emotional pain. Terri and her husband were a young college-aged couple, married for three years, when a heartbreaking loss changed their lives forever.   With her home nursery all set up to welcome their first c...

Whatever life phase you’re in, why wait for someday to pursue that thing you’ve always wanted to do? This week, Deb DeArmond talks about making the rest of your life the best of your life. This week, Deb DeArmond talked about what it was like raising three boys and working full-time. Never did she have “become a writer” on that list until someone told her she should write a book. Her journey to th...

Do we make productivity into a gospel? Being busy doesn’t make you more valuable. Checking boxes or being prolific doesn’t make you a better person. Productivity is not bad, but it isn’t the gospel. I’m currently reading a good book, but it almost implies that success is a hustle that includes sleep deprivation, pushing your limits, and learning to live with the stress of all that. I say there is...

Betty Predmore tells the story of how she reacted in a pivotal moment when she could either blow up or find the humor in it. She says we are able to and worthy of making a change to respond differently from anger. When a camping trip turned into a seek and find effort to recover their luggage along the highway, Betty turned the experience into life lessons. When things don’t go your way, what trig...

If you could change something about how your church perceives mental health, what would you change? This week, Robyn Mulder talks about her journey and how she’s helping others find hope for their struggles with depression. In this week’s podcast, Robyn Mulder shared her vulnerable story of becoming overwhelmed in a new job, having a flare with clinical depression, and how she came to a place wher...

Jenn Uren, the host of This Mom Knows podcast, loves helping women entrepreneurs establish systems. Her goal is to help people get unstuck and move forward with their goals. Jenn talked about being a perfectionist and also about how she has a fear of succeeding more than a fear of failure. Perhaps you’ve felt that before and wondered, what if I succeed? She talked about something I’ve heard so man...

This week features guest host Phil Rayburn interviewing Michelle for the 100th episode of Life, Repurposed. Enjoy a few laughs as we celebrate!   Show notes and resources This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit michellerayburn.substack.com

She climbed the corporate ladder, but at the top, her heart’s longing was to be at home with her family. Natalie Lavelock tells how she took the leap and left the safety of her job. Now, her message is that your real identity is not in what you do. Faced with a decision about whether to launch the business she always wanted or staying in her successful nursing career, she learned to rely on God fo...

In my attempt to be “helpful,” I know I sometimes offer solutions when someone else was looking for empathy. If we listen and learn, we might discover the true needs of others and find space for understanding. Will you join me in practicing that skill? We can’t rescue every hurting person, but what if we practiced noticing the real hurt in someone else? In this episode, we look at how we can be pu...

In our conversation this week, Susan Macias shares practical wisdom about changing our perspective on mistakes, setting our sights on something other than perfection, and letting God redeem what we thought to be ruin. Have you ever felt as if God disappeared from your view? This week, my guest Susan Macias and I talked about how the stories of what God has done in the past helps us remember God is...

What if you could repurpose family conflicts into personal growth, even if the relationships won’t ever be perfect? This week, Kolleen Lucariello talks about how she learned to see with eyes of grace. She also shares how she’s discovered a secure identity after struggling to find purpose.   Show notes and resources This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers...