Our Time to Rise in Midlife

Do you ever feel like you aren't fully enjoying your life? Or that you don't like the person you have become? Do you sense that life is moving so fast that you are missing it? In this interview, John Mark Comer (one of Krista's favorite teachers) shares the secret to discovering a full and meaningful life. It isn't an intuitive answer, yet one that holds great power if we take hold of it and put i...

One of the frightening aspects of human trafficking is it can happen to anyone. While we may have the vision of a woman being kidnapped, drugged, and forced against her will, this is often not the scenario. More likely it happens very slowly and subtly, with someone a victim knows. Rebecca Bender has such a story. A normal, small town teen, Rebecca was a high school athlete and honor roll student....

It's that time of year again. As a tribute to Valentine's Day and all things practical, Krista and Alex talk about things they are loving right now. Are you looking for a great movie? Recipe? Perfume? How about a tip that makes their days go well? At the end of Sister Interviews we hear what podcast guests use to make their lives work well. We hear what they can't live without. This is the episode...

Have you ever had a season where you doubted God? Do you fear that one of your children will never come back to faith? Do you wonder if God is angry at you for asking hard questions? Today Robin Dance joins us to share how God brought her through a long season of doubt, and how she ultimately ended up on the other side of it. If you're struggling through darkness today and don't know where to find...

Understanding how we operate and how others operate can move us toward relational health. The Enneagram is a popular tool to understand people's motivations and behavior patterns. It seems fitting to look at this paradigm as we finish our 2020 Healthy Way series on The Open Door Sisterhood Podcast. Enneagram expert Marilyn Vancil walks us through our authentic and adapted selves and how we can mov...

It's week #3 of The Healthy Way Series and we think it's time to cover a topic that profoundly impacts our souls: how we engage with the Bible. Have you ever struggled to make reading the Bible a regular part of your life? Do you sometimes wonder what makes the truth in the Bible the absolute truth over every other individual truth out there? Have you been hurt by a Christian and refuse to engage...

We feel we're in a constant struggle with technology. We see the benefits (it's so helpful when it's helpful!), but we also experience the consuming nature it can have when overused. Psychologist Dr. Doreen Dodgen-Magee trains young people and adults around the country on how to manage technology. She is realistic, funny, engaging, and understanding. She helps us see our need for controls without...

It's time for our annual Healthy Way Series! Each Tuesday in January we dive into a different aspect of health. Today we are kicking it off with Alisa Keeton, founder and director of Revelation Wellness, and Wendy Speake, author of the 40 Day Sugar Fast. Alisa begins by educating us on why movement is so powerful - not only for our bodies but for our emotional and mental health as well. If you wan...

We've been there. Aimlessly wandering through the store, looking for things to fill the stockings. With a week left before Christmas, this task of getting stocking stuffers is often left to the last minute scramble. It can feel both unnecessary and wasteful. How do we add some fun, practicality, and creativity to this Christmas tradition?   This episode may not change your life, but it could chang...

What if there was one approach to people that would change everything about the way people feel about working for you and being in relationship with you? In this episode we talk about the one thing that will bring success to any organization, family, church, and business. Jeff Henderson, entrepreneur, speaker, pastor, and business leader shares his wisdom learned over years of experience and throu...

Our first ever dad/daughter interview! And just in time for the holidays when family interactions can be more frequent and addictive behaviors can flare. Rob Koke and his daughter Danielle Germain tell us about her journey with addiction and how her road to recovery felt from both of their perspectives. . A story full of loss, grief, redemption, and new beginnings. It gives us all a place to stand...

Every fall we go on a quest to find everyday world changers. You nominate them. We choose them. They are incredibly inspiring, and prove that each one of us really can make a difference right where we are. We are featuring three women today. The first is Rebecca Smith. Rebecca was a mom and Etsy shop owner who had a knack for sewing and an eye for design. When the business outgrew her, she hired a...

When Kelly Minter moved to Nashville years ago it wasn't to become a Bible teacher or to write a cookbook, she was pursuing the music dream. After multiple signed and failed record deals, Kelly had the chance to do two things she hadn't set out to do: write and publish a Bible study and travel to the Amazon. Both of those opportunities took her down unexpected roads, or through unexpected "open do...

Do you have a favorite place to go and relax or reflect? A spot you feel a little more at home in the world? Chances are it is a place your soul can breathe and open up. Whether we are experiencing deep loss, processing an experience, or simply taking a pause from the hectic pace of modern life, we all need those places of peace. On today's episode, Linda Lawrence Hunt describes how deep grief and...

On this Election Day special, Kathryn Freeman talks us through civic engagement, difficult conversations, and asking questions to learn. A seminary student who already holds a law degree, Kathryn has worked for over a decade in public policy. But don't let that intimidate you, Kathryn simply loves people and wants systems to work on their behalf. Kathryn reminds us that as the Church, we are like...

We're beating the Christmas stress this year. Do you want to join us? Bring on the joy, peace, and merry! One of the primary ways we plan to do this is by employing a concept called "third way thinking." The third way is about getting creative, opening up possibilities, and planning. We like this concept here at The Sisterhood, and we really like it as we discuss how to do the Christmas season bet...

You may be familiar with Auntie Anne's Pretzels, the soft warm pretzels served around the world. What you likely don't know is the story of Auntie Anne herself. The most we've ever cried during an Open Door Sisterhood interview, Anne Bieler's humility and gratitude for God's redemptive love is moving. Having grown up in the Amish community of Pennsylvania, Anne learned to value family, faith, and...

If 70% of success in sports is mental training, then the most critical area of any sport is the six inch playing field between our ears. Turns out, the same principles that are used for mental discipline training for athletes are also secret weapons for everyday people like us who regularly face difficult scenarios, dilemmas, and problems. Trisha Kroll joins us to talk about her experience playing...

For more than two decades Sissy Goff has been counseling girls and their families. In recent years she has noticed an increased number of girls struggling with worry and anxiety in her counseling practice. This is backed up by national trends. In this episode we explore why that is and what parents can do to help girls of all ages recognize their worry and manage it so that it doesn't manage them....

Our fall kitchen series is designed to help inspire and equip you to get dinner on the table. Meal time matters. Studies show that families who set aside time for family dinners reduce their children's risk of destructive behaviors and foster belonging, safety, and confidence. But let's be honest. We also want our food to taste good when we gather around the table! Today Melissa D'Arabian joins us...

Abby and April, as they're known at The Open Door Sisterhood, know a thing or two about getting dinner on the table. Both working moms with lots of mouths at home to feed, they both love to cook and have a realistic approach to what actually works. From meal planning to trying new recipes, these two real-life sisters give us practical tips to everyday cooking. These ladies are the chefs at The Ope...

We are celebrating our 200th episode on The Open Door Sisterhood Podcast! To celebrate we thought it would be fun to answer questions from our listeners. So…. you asked and we answered. In this episode you will hear about our childhoods, how we came to faith, what jobs we had before podcasting, and who influenced our lives growing up. You will also get a peek into what episodes impacted us persona...

"You become what you behold" -William Blake Ruth Chou Simons looks for God's beauty all around her. Whether out her back door in Durango, CO, or in the faces of her six sons, or the leaf of a plant in her living room, beholding what God creates reminds her that she is not in charge. It also helps shape her into a woman more aware of God's purposes. In this conversation we talk to Ruth about her lo...

Why can't all of our relationships be easy? And why is it that some are harder than others? This week's episode explores difficult relationship patterns and the skills needed to have hard conversations. Scott Vaudrey, retired ER physician, pastor, and executive coach, teaches us how to talk through a difficult conversation, and what work we need to do in our own heart beforehand. The tools offered...

Christina Meredith went from homeless foster youth to Ms. California to an active member of the U.S. Army. An unlikely path, yet when you hear this interview you will find Christina to be a likely heroine when it comes to overcoming. Her fortitude and clarity of thought are evident. From childhood abuse to foster care to homelessness, Christina found God in the middle of her most difficult circums...