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

I hope you are well. How many times have you listened to others completely and been there to support them? Probably many, many times. How many times have you been listened to and fully understood by others? For many Christian Women professionals and servant leaders, this does not happen very often. Although listening is natural to most of us, there are special "ingredients" to the act that can pro...

I hope your week has been peaceful. Sometimes, serving Christ can be tiresome and lead to burnout or chronic stress. Has that happened to you or your family members? How about in your church? Many professionals burn out, and sometimes pastors and priests can burn out as well. The pressure of the vocation, along with a sense of isolation, only intensifies the stress level. Shelby Giokas has witness...

I don't know about you, but I hear often that science-psychology and the Christian faith are at odds. This can be through explicit comments or implicit ones. There is an even more subtle unhelpful pattern: to perceive spiritual growth above psychological growth. Mind you, the spirit/soul is indeed a higher function than our brain, but in reality, they are so interconnected that we cannot grow spir...

Discovering how God works through us often starts with understanding how He works within us. In this week’s Thriving in Christ show, I had the joy of conversing with Dr. Amanda Helman, CEO of Healthy Roots LLC, coach, and author. Through her inspiring story and expertise in what she calls 'cognitive release coaching,' Dr. Amanda shares her insights about aligning our minds with Christ, embracing h...

Does God exist? If so, how do I understand my life's purpose? How about my relationship with the church? And how can I balance my vocation with my day-to-day rhythm so I do not burn out? These questions are not always easy to answer but are foundational as we move through life. They are important as we grow up and mature, but are truly deep existential questions that are relevant no matter our age...

Happy New Year and may the year 2025 bring much happiness, joy in Christ and peace. As we start the new year, it’s the perfect time to set intentions so that we can have a clear direction and be able to turn our life vision into reality. Debbi Sluys found the process of setting intentions through vision boards so essential, that she pivoted her career to teach Christian women how to do it. And in...

The incarnation of God is such a miracle that surpasses our understanding and following Christ is even more mysterious as it can lead us to places we never expected. Most likely you and I had many twists and turns in life that did not make sense at the time (and might still not make sense), but eventually, they do! And when they do, we get glimpses of the beautiful tapestry that God is weaving. An...

Have you ever done long walking pilgrimages for Christ before or lived in the desert? If yes - congratulations. If not, me neither! Walking for hundreds of miles or living in the desert all seem intimidating, but not for Jen. Inspired by her faith and the desert fathers and mothers centuries ago, Jen Nahas has not only done them, but she embraced them and trained to guide others in these amazing e...

I met Sherry at a conference not too long ago and I was moved by her story of being in the 'wilderness' with God and how that experience shaped her. Trained as an educator and counselor, she decided to follow God's call, pivoted completely and became an author and publisher. I was glued to her story as I am in the process of writing a book for you on self-care and renewal (more to share in 2025) a...

What if embracing your unique gifts and routines could deepen your faith and transform how you live as a Christian woman? In this week’s Thriving in Christ episode, I have the honor to interview, Dr. Patricia Bouteneff, founder and president of Axia Women, a nonprofit for and by Orthodox Christian women. She shares her inspiring journey as a servant leader, her work amplifying women’s voices in th...

I hope you and your family had a blessed Thanksgiving! We had a small family gathering and it was lovely to think of the many ways God is blessing us, especially in unexpected ways. One of the unexpected gifts that I received about 12 years ago was the gift of singing. Although I loved music, I never thought I could sing, until one day when I was invited to chant. My initial output was not spectac...

Have you ever had a tough season of loss, uncertainty and turmoil? Did the loss come out of the blue, when you least expected it? If so, know that I am praying for you and that you are not alone. A tragic loss happened to Cherie Rickard which propelled her in an unexpected direction. Cherie, a Christian woman of deep faith and resilience, finally found strength and healing in God and uncovered the...

If you are reading this, most likely you long to access more and more of God’s presence in your daily life. Yet, one of the biggest challenges we face is that we often strive too much to be with God. And at the opposite end, we might try to give up our will completely to God, which can lead us into passivity. How can we find the right balance? Is there a way to co-create with God? Can we 'tune' in...

Is fatigue something that you wrestle everyday although you are highly functioning? Have you tried many things and checked with your medical team, and still not finding full answers? If so, you are not alone. Michelle McCoy, a holistic functional health coach and the host of the Treasure Wellness Christian podcast, had exhausting fatigue and had to find ways to move past it. In today's episode on...

As Christian women professionals, how many times have we been performing well, excelling, and offering support to everyone around us—only to find ourselves caught off guard by an unexpected comment? Many of us weren’t culturally trained to express our needs, especially in fast-paced environments like work, home, or church. Sometimes, we’re stunned into silence; other times, we react with frustrati...

Health challenges can be overwhelming for many of us. But as we talk about in this episode, there is always hope in Christ! In this Renewal Conversation episode, I am blessed to share the story of Christine Trimpe who has walked a remarkable journey of faith to overcome sugar addiction, lose 100 pounds, and embrace a healthier, more joyful life. Christine is a Christian health coach, author, and s...

Today, we continue our focus on staying grounded as we lift one another up in Christ. In this episode, I’ll share a third way to come back to our grounded center as we navigate political debates and how we can hold strong values and opinions while also practicing compassion for other human beings, which we are called to in Christ. I unpack practical ways to center ourselves, especially through a n...

*Do NOT drive or operate machinery - during this Contemplative practice* There's so much happening in our world right now, from hurricanes in Florida, upcoming elections, to ongoing struggles across the country and in the world. Most likely you have been praying already - so thank you for that! And in today's episode on Youtube and Podcast, the invitation is to do it TOGETHER, across time and spac...

It’s election season in the United States, and with so much inflammatory news and commentary, how can we stay peaceful and centered like Christ? This is challenging because many people hold strong political views, and the news and comments can often inflame our emotions, raising our heart rates and pulling us away from that "peace that surpasses all understanding." On top of this, social media alg...

As a Christian woman, you pour out into your work, family, community, vocation, and church and chances are that your plate is full. And probably you might not have time to regenerate and feel the presence of God everyday, even when you set your mind to do it. First, let me say that you are not alone! And second, here’s the amazing part: God has designed a hidden part of our brain to work FOR us -...

It is so important to remind ourselves that God is everywhere, filling all things, and that it is our life's journey to discover and unfold this reality moment by moment and give glory to God. For example, this verse (and so many others) encourages us to ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 N...

As successful as we are as Christian Women professionals and servant leaders, how many times do we want to do things and end up delaying or not doing them? And, at the opposite end, we sometimes impulsively jump into action, to only regret it later. These moments of mismatch between our true intentions and our actions can drain our energy, nagging us in the back of our minds, that we 'are not good...

*Do NOT drive or operate machinery - during this Contemplative practice* As we start the fall season with all its busyness and reflect on our intentions for the coming months, it's essential to remind ourselves to stay focused on God. And there's no better way to do that than to align your conscious mind—with its logical, cause-and-effect thinking—with your deeper intuition and subconscious wisdom...

There is something really special, almost mystical, about hearing how God is unfolding in other people's lives and how they co-create with the Holy Spirit. And this week I have the joy of sharing with you one such amazing conversation with a Romanian born Neuroscientist, whose research uncovers the brain's role in abnormal behaviors and human psychopathology: Dr. Hermina Nedelescu Dr. Hermina's jo...

We are often so busy with commitments and giving to others in Christ, that we have to rely heavily on our to-do lists to manage our day. But unless you are a To-Do-List Ninja, it is easy to get tired of the structure they provide. And when we finally pause to regenerate, it is so easy to get sucked into mindless activity (social media, news, shows), which on the surface seems to be fun, but they a...