Thriving in Christ | Burnout, Stress, Leadership, Faith & High Performance

If your week already feels heavy and it’s only Tuesday, you are not alone, and this is for you. You don’t have to carry everything on your own, and you don’t need to add self-care and renewal as another task to your list. There is a way to return to a deeper center in Christ, one that brings steadiness, clarity, and real support, even in the middle of your responsibilities. In this episode, you’ll...

Many of us love God deeply - and yet there are seasons when He feels distant, unclear, or even absent. The Resurrection reveals something surprising: the empty tomb, which first felt like loss and confusion, became the very place where faith deepened. Psychologically, this reflects how secure attachment is not built only through closeness, but through moments of separation, uncertainty, and return...

Many Christian women leaders feel the weight of responsibility when things stall - wondering if they need to push harder, fix more, or carry the burden alone. But what if the breakthrough you’re seeking isn’t about striving, but about learning how to see clearly, ask better questions, and partner with God in what is already unfolding? In today’s Renewal Conversation with Leslie Nunn Reed, we explo...

In this month’s mini-series, we explore lessons from the Resurrection, bridging science, psychology, spiritual care, and Christian faith, to support you as you navigate work, family, and leadership. The reality that Christ rose from despair and death is a powerful reminder that growth and renewal are always possible, and that nothing can overcome God. Even in the most difficult seasons, there is a...

Do you have questions about your health or wonder about certain signs and symptoms, but are perhaps a bit nervous to ask your doctor? If so, you are not alone, and this episode will offer you some encouragement. Dr. Amy Loden Tiffany's journey is a refreshing reminder that God meets us right in the middle of our careers, challenges, and everyday decisions. From standing firm in her faith in medici...

  Many times we carry a quiet tension: we pray, we believe, and yet… sometimes God feels distant. Not absent in theory - but distant in experience. And over time, this can create confusion, self-doubt, or even a subtle fear that something is wrong with your faith. What if the feeling that God is distant is not about God at all… but about how the mind has learned to relate? This week, I am re-...

Anxiety doesn’t always show up the way we expect, but there are often warning signs that will tell us when it is near. In this renewal conversation, Dr. Robyn Graham, an Anxiety Breakthrough Strategist and creator of the CCC method, unpacks how anxiety often stems from a dysregulated nervous system, quietly shaping behaviors like perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the constant pressure to stay in...

This week, I re-share an episode about talking with others about your faith, from my own personal experience. It is because of one experience that I turned back to God several decades ago, and we can use this model to help others be curious about God! The uniqueness of Christianity and the awe of who Christ is can develop a great deal of enthusiasm, thus making conversations somewhat intense. On t...

Have you ever felt guilt for dedicating time to your career or perhaps caring for others while things at home are not quite done? In this renewal conversation, Dr. Kayla Fresco, a physician and mom, shares about the pressure many Christian women feel as they juggle demanding careers, family life, and their faith. From the isolation of medical training (which I can attest to) to finding a role that...

I pray for you and hope that you all had a wonderful week! This week I am re-sharing this inspirational video to help you  lead and give in Christ from a grounded presence. Many of us have learned to lead from the mind, push through with willpower, or rely heavily on the heart. While this can work for a season, over time it often leads to exhaustion, subtle disconnection from God, and feeling...

What if your exhaustion isn’t just from your workload - but from your screen time? This week, Dr. Randa Anderson joins me, and together we explore digital fasting and digital discernment - a Christ-centered approach to reclaiming focus, inner peace, and spiritual clarity in a constantly connected world. Drawing from psychology, science, and the wisdom of the Orthodox Christian tradition, this epis...

I pray you are well! This month, we revisit some important past episodes following the theme of FAITH, as we walk with God during this Lenten season.  In this episode, I share some important concepts about connecting with God and why He might sometimes feel distant, although He is everywhere, filling all things. We long to encounter God everywhere, not just in church, but in the middle of our...

In this powerful conversation, Kathy Abraham shares how her journey from physician assistant to entrepreneur to full-time ministry leader reveals a “red thread” of vocation: to love God, know God, and make Him known. This episode is a reminder that God wastes nothing - every season, skill, and even failure prepares you for your next assignment. All for the glory of God! Kathy is a Christian Bible...

*Do NOT drive or operate machinery during this Contemplative practice* Restoration IS possible! And here is a quick Christian restorative practice to help you reset as you enter into the weekend. This guided contemplation, inspired by Psalm 139:10, helps you listen for Christ’s gentle guidance across your day - body, heart, mind, and soul. This way, you can find renewed capacity and sustainable re...

If you are already burned out - or close to it - you may feel a quiet urgency to “get back to yourself,” to recover, to feel alive again. At the same time, the idea of doing one more thing can feel overwhelming. leaving many women to ask, “Is real restoration even possible for me?” Psychology and medicine offer an important truth: burnout recovery does not begin with effort - it begins with regula...

*Do NOT drive or operate machinery during this Contemplative practice* RESTORATIVE PRACTICE: If you are longing for a moment of silence with God, I invite you to listen to this episode, with a guided Christian contemplation to help you. Together, we will take a sacred pause to remember: God calls you to faithfulness, not exhaustion - and His shadow is a place of rest, safety, and joy. In this rest...

What if burnout wasn’t only about your workload - but the hidden beliefs quietly driving you? In this powerful episode of Thriving in Christ, I unpack the subtle mindsets that accelerate chronic stress, reminding us that while responsibilities are real, the “lens” we view them through can either drain us or lead us toward peace. Beliefs about responsibility, excellence, calling, and what it means...

*Do NOT drive or operate machinery during this Contemplative practice* Here is a quick Christian restorative contemplative practice to help you reset as you enter into the weekend. Rooted in Matthew 11:28 - 30, today's guided practice helps you receive God’s light, renewal, and gentle yoke of love from head to toe - offering deep replenishment in the midst of your full days and busy lives. *When p...

Many women often tell me, “I don’t feel like myself anymore.” And, you may notice you’re more irritable, more tired, less patient, or strangely unable to slow down - even when you desperately want to. Prayer feels harder. Rest feels elusive. And you might quietly wonder why faith alone doesn’t seem to be fixing this. What science helps us see is this: burnout is not just emotional or spiritual - i...

There is a quiet moment for many of us when we realize that although we are functioning, delivering, and showing up, yet something inside is missing, feels empty, flat, or tired in a way rest alone doesn’t fix. You may wonder, “What is happening to me?” and even start doubting yourself or your faith. When this happens, we need to consider another possibility: that we might be experiencing burnout....

In this episode of Thriving in Christ Show, I sit down with chiropractor and functional health practitioner, Dr. Brook Sheehan, for a powerful conversation about the body - an area many Christian women unintentionally neglect while serving, leading, and striving. Dr. Sheehan invites us to shift from “pushing through” to partnering with God’s design, reminding us that our bodies are not meant to be...

Most likely, you are deeply familiar with doing hard things. At work, at home, in your church. And you are probably rewarded to push through exhaustion, complexity, and responsibility more times than you can count. That perseverance has served you well in leadership and service. But when it comes to daily renewal habits - prayer, rest, Scripture, or simply stopping work at a humane hour - grit alo...

It is very common to put pressure on our identity as professional women. And yet sometimes, we are unsure or confused. Well, after a 16-year nursing career - and seasons of profound loss and professional upheaval - Elaine Lankford, realized that God was gently realigning her heart from identity in career to identity in Christ, showing her that He never wastes anything. On a mission trip to Nicarag...

So much of your day is probably spent responding to emails, making decisions, managing crises, and people’s needs. By the time you reach the end of the day to care for your own habits or spiritual practices, your decision-making energy is often depleted, even if your desire for God remains strong. And you might even tell yourself, “Next time I’ll pause and take care of myself.” But in the moment,...

  As Christian women professionals, your days are busy. And building in routines and healthy habits can be a challenge. In this Renewal Conversation, I spoke with Erica Jones, creator and founder of Elevays, who shares how God gently led her from seasons of uncertainty into a calling that aligns faith, family, and meaningful work. Her story reminds us that God often reveals our purpose throug...