She Speaks Stories

The first time Chesed was here, she wow’d us with her bible knowledge and storytelling skills that are wrapped in perspective and truth, so we obviously had to have her on again!  And when we decided to do a series on Women of the Bible, after two incredibly fun chats with her, it was a no-brainer to ask Chesed back! This episode we talk about the "woman who had been subject to bleeding" from Mark...

Jennie Lusko is a mother of five, and she pastors Fresh Life Church alongside her husband, Levi. She is also a best-selling author of The Fight to Flourish, a book written to show her readers that there is the ability to thrive in this life, even after traumatic experiences or hard seasons. There is grace, and with grace and hard work you can flourish!   She is also a podcast host of the Hey It’s...

Jada is an author, speaker and fellow podcaster! She is passionate about God as well as studying and teaching the Bible. This passion led to her writing books that include bible studies, books on marriage and leadership.    It’s not at all surprising that Jada has written these books, she excels at communicating clear, helpful, realistic steps that motivate and encourage! All of these aspects are...

Dane and Brooke have been married for 12 years and throughout those years have experienced very desperate and dark days in their faith and in their marriage. They learned so much about what marriage is and who God is to them. They seemed to be the perfect church couple, but they successfully hid deep brokenness. Brokenness that seemed to be some of the ‘unforgivable sins’ in the church.  When ever...

Katie was raised on the East Coast in a good American family. When she went to college it was confirmed in her heart that she needed more than just that “goodness.” As she pursued her faith, she grew spiritually and discovered a calling to Russian orphanages. Little did she know that this time was preparing her for a non-stop life God had planned for her. When she moved to California, met her husb...

Rachel Faulkner Brown is a returning guest to our podcast! If you didn’t have a chance to listen to her past episode (Episode #22) give it a listen, but without giving too much away, Rachel’s story is full of heartbreak and hope. She has lived through the passing of two husbands and in the past episode she walks us through these tragedies showing how God showed up and carried her through. She has...

The world needs more true and vulnerable stories of loss and struggle woven through with healing and hope, so that those who have gone through tribulation can then see the suffering of others and express the truth of God to the world. In this episode, Mikayla Munn and Linda Znachko share how, even through their own personal hardships, God is using them as instruments of healing for others.

Katie and Portia have a conversation about healing which can be misunderstood and mysterious.  God provides healing for his children and it comes in many forms. These next several episodes are sure to encourage your heart as we dive into "Finding Healing".

Jennifer Codner is a committed servant leader with a passion for rehabilitating young people for Christ.  She firmly believes that the Spirit of the Lord has appointed her to “heal the brokenhearted and to preach deliverance to those who are captive” (Isaiah 61:1). While working in the United States, she had the opportunity to hear and respond to the cries of hurting mothers, parents, and guardian...

Parenting...it can be the most amazing and awful experience interchangeably. God wants to help you in all of the parenting things. Whether your children are adopted, foster, or biological, parenting requires help. This one is for the mothers and fathers out there.  Join us as we discuss the very present help of God that is available to YOU to parent well.    #parenting #foster #adoption #godshelp...

You heard her miraculous story here in Season 1, episode 130; she has also been highlighted on the Today Show, Discovery Channel's Shark Week and numerous other news outlets. Tiffany Johnson is a shark attack survivor, speaker, author, wife, mother to three and a Kingdom builder. Listen in as she tells you how she has experienced help from God through it all and learned how to shift her perspectiv...

Adria is a pastor’s kid who grew up in Kentucky, she found her voice as a cheerleader and as she tells people “That’s when I started talking and haven’t stopped since!” She met her husband in college, they married, and started their family. While living in Texas, her son, Blake, was born with health issues. For three years they spent a lot of their time in hospitals, being stretched and grown but...

We all have times when we have needed help. Sometimes we don't know what to do or where to start. Psalm 46:1 tells us God is our refuge and strength, and ever present help in trouble. Join us in this episode, as we talk about times when God has demonstrated that he knows us, he loves us and he truly is the help we need in exactly the big and small ways we need.

Lisa was born and raised in Texas. Even though her physical location didn’t change much, she experienced change in almost every other aspect of her life. She endured hardships in her childhood that were carried into her married life. She found herself asking God for a way out. He answered her, over and over and over again, and showed her just how well He loves. Lisa has been refined and with great...

Nate and Abby Hoff met at Dallas Theological Seminary and sparks flew. They’ve been married for 15 years and have four boys. They stayed put in the Dallas area to raise their family where Nate has been a professor at his alma mater for the last four years. In the summer of 2015, their family was slammed with hard challenges, and through them it brought to light a hard truth. As they walked forward...

Tom Flaherty, besides being Katie's younger brother, number 5 in a family of 6 siblings, is the beloved lead pastor of City Church, in Madison, WI. He is one of Katie's favorite storytellers of all time and the author of nine books: some fiction, some on serious subjects like Calvinism and the end times, and a devotional that is 365 readings for daily doses of wisdom. He and his wife Alice lived i...

Carole is a mom, grandma, pastor’s wife, author, speaker and former Hollywood commercial actress. She works to tell others about depression and how it has affected her and her husband’s life together. Depression can be lonely and is still often considered taboo. Carole knows it is her calling to break the silence and give others hope and joy in the mess of mental illness. This podcast believes “st...

Athena is a gal with a heart for the Lord, even though her story didn’t start that way. She wanted to be successful in business, just like her dad, and so she did just that. She was quickly promoted and established, but God brought her to Him when her life started to crumble. Christianity brought her the hope she needed to strengthen her marriage, until she was hit with a Job-like season and strip...

Susan, Katie and Portia review the most recent season of Meet the Team and look forward to Finding Hope in the next season. Go to the website, shespeaksstories.com to get tickets for the live event, Songs and Stories, on June 10th, or sign up to watch from home!  Make sure to go back and Meet the Team if you missed any of those episodes! "The people walking in darkness have a seen a great light......

It only takes 30 seconds of chatting with Lauren to learn that she is bright, energetic and loves the Lord. Like (or unlike?) many of us, she is a planner. From the time she was a little girl she knew she wanted to be an elementary school teacher, a wife and a mom to 2.5 kids by her mid 20’s. As He often does, God had other plans. Lauren allowed herself to grieve the idea she had for her life and...

Ashley Harrell is stunning both inside and out despite the fact that life has handed her a hard blow these past three years.  When Katie first met Ashley and her charming husband, they had just started coming to our church and were so eager to know Christ better, have a strong marriage, and have another child. They already had Emma who was seven at the time, and cute as a bug.   What a bright and...

Stacy was an avid watcher of Grey’s Anatomy. If you are anything like her you begin to think you know a lot about the medical field after watching doctors and nurses on tv. She believed that doctors only deliver bad news if they say the words, “I need you to come by my office right away so we can go over your tests.” Unfortunately, Stacy’s life was not a medical drama series. Her life was not goin...

Born in Columbus, GA to happily married teenage parents, Shannon experienced a fun childhood when her father joined the Army and they moved all over the world! From GA, Germany, KS to Panama and even Japan! She was encouraged to attend church, when her curiosity of the Bible went beyond what her mom could answer. From a young age she pursued her faith on her own, that is until she met her husband,...

Julia is a military spouse, a mother to four kids and a brilliant writer. When she is not homeschooling her kiddos or sharing her wisdom with women in Bible studies, she uses her free time to develop her skills in writing and photography. Julia grew up with a Marine dad and is now married to Nic who is in the Army. This lifestyle brought many challenges and sacrifices, but it also instilled adapta...

As a Navy wife, mother, amazing chef and all around get it done woman, Anna Minogue is a friend of the podcast, a previous guest on the show (episode #89), and is a part of the She Speaks Stories team.  She was one of the group leaders in Story School and now is one of our event wranglers. Friends, you are going to be so encouraged and want to know Jesus more after hearing from our friend today.