Today's Heartlift with Janell

Send us a text This summer, Sundays are being dedicated to our spiritual formation and growth. This week, Michele McCarthy, author of "Shattered, Stirred, and Shaken: Living the Book of Acts, My Journey From Here to There," shares her inspirational journey of faith and how she came to know the Holy Spirit in an unusual, yet beautiful, way. Links + Resources from this Episode:  So excited...

Send us a text Author and Pastor, Brad Hoef, writes, "Too often mental health 'recovery' focuses on learning to cope and survive with your mental illness; which leads to helplessness, hopelessness, and a sense of permanent loss. Persistent mental health challenges destroy one's self-confidence and rob you of the joy of living." In Part 1, Janell and Brad open an important...

Send us a text Henry James once said, “Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me, those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” Yes, Henry, we all agree! This special Summer 2022 Weekend Edition is dedicated to spiritual growth and formation. I've gone deep into my podcast vault and can't wait to share these beautiful conversations about growing our faith....

Send us a text Managing overwhelm has become part of our daily heart work, it seems. Today, we welcome Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, bestselling author of Trauma Stewardship and The Age of Overwhelm , to the show. Laura asks this heart-searching question, "What conditions have you created...what conditions do you have in place...to be able to metabolize the overwhelming "nervous energy"...

Send us a text Peace is often very misunderstood. We think it is based on having the perfect circumstances or the perfect marriage or the perfect children. Ann Swindell, author of "The Path to Peace: Experiencing God's Comfort When You Are Overwhelmed," brilliantly shares how true peace is based on three vital practices. Links + Resources from this Episode:  So excited that the podc...

Send us a text Welcome Conversation Intelligence Coach and Author, Patti Reed, to the show. Patti is helping us transition from "telling and selling and yelling" to "asking, listening, and responding," in our conversations with our teens and young adults, specifically, but her wisdom lends to all of our conversations. Tucked in the middle is a beautiful meditation that helps us...

Send us a text What does it mean to "unclutter your soul?" In today's episode, Trina McNeilly , author of "Unclutter Your Soul: Overcome What Overwhelms You," gives us three strategic ways to manage the overwhelming stressors that we face each and every day. Within minutes of waking up, we hear news of tragic proportions. What do we do with the flooding of emotion that imm...

Send us a text In our Season 9 opener, we welcome Amy Julia Becker, author of "To Be Made Well: An Invitation to Wholeness, Healing, and Hope." As a mom of three, Amy Julia talks to us about her own journey toward wholeness, which began in the adolescence of her life. Her candor, wisdom, and understanding of the mind-body connection invite us to take the necessary time to consider our me...

Send us a text Season 8 invited us to REIMAGINE some very important issues and areas in our lives, each a component of our three-fold cord of a healthy sense of self, healthy behavior patterns, and healthy communication skills. Reimagine invites us to form a new conception and to create or imagine a new way of doing things. We've covered a whole lot of ground. What are you reimagining in your...

Send us a text A pivotal question asked in this two-part conversation with Becky Thompson, Author of "God So Close: Experience a Life Awakened by the Holy Spirit," is: "What does it mean to live a life awakened to His Spirit?" The positioning of the word, "to," is all-important. Listen as Becky and Janell lead us into a deeper understanding of the third person of the...

Send us a text Pope John Paul II wisely encouraged, "Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” I love that phrase, "We are the Easter people." Welcome to this special two-part Easter season message with Becky Thompson, author of "God So Close: Experience a Life Awakened By His Spirit." Spiritual formation is a tenet of our...

Send us a text A big welcome back to Nicole Zaskowski, author of "What If It's Wonderful: Release Your Fears, Choose Joy, and Find the Courage to Celebrate." In Part 2, Janell and Nicole continue their conversation about interrupting catastrophic thinking and replacing that by finding the courage to celebrate. There seems no greater moment to find strength than the week we make our...

Send us a text Have you ever heard yourself saying, "This is too good to be true" or perhaps, "I've had it good for so long, when is it my turn to have something bad happen?" Or, do you find yourself waiting for "the other shoe to drop"? Today, we engage this mindset of what-ifs with Author Nicole Zasowski, LMFT, and discuss her newest book, "What If It&apos...

Send us a text We are in the Lenten season and walking towards the celebration of Easter. Heartlifters, welcome back Becky Murray, Founder and President of One by One. In today’s conversation, Becky shares a heart-wrenching story about a very real encounter with a miracle.  Links + Resources from this Episode:  Learn more about Becky’s story: Becky Murray's Website Listen to Janell’s first co...

Send us a text Have you ever stopped to consider how your body talks to you? In Part I of this two-part conversation with Author Ronda Barney, we explored how to reimagine the mind-body connection. In Part 2, Ronda continues leading and guiding us to listen to our bodies and allow them to help shape our journey through life. Links + Resources from this Episode:  Pre-order Ronda’s new book: DEAR SU...

Send us a text Heartlifters, welcome Ronda Barney, author of "Dear Susan: Letters of Comfort, Hope, and Peace for Women Facing a Life-Changing Illness." As an LCSW and Registered Dietician, Ronda is trained in the mind-body connection and for most of her life was the picture of health, until, several debilitating, mysterious diagnoses changed the way she moved through life. Today, in Par...

Send us a text Authors Napper and Rao write, "We exist in a buzz of worry that we're not doing what we're meant to do, and the anxiety we feel, in turn, makes it difficult to get things done, creating a spiral of inaction. What we need is more agency: the ability to cut through all of what pulls at us, find emotional and physical balance, think more clearly and advocate for ourselve...

Send us a text Before listening today, take a few moments and look around at the place and space in which you currently find yourself. Activate your senses and notice. How do you feel in that place and space? Today's guest, Author Christie Purifoy, writes, “I want to observe the ordinary things of earth—the moon, the stars, the rainbows, even the yellow leaves of the old cherry trees—and rece...

Send us a text Poet Mary Oliver poses a piercing question in her well-known poem, "The Summer Day." She asks, "What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Heartlifter, there is a theme arising in Season 8, "Reimagine." Each guest, each conversation, inviting us to reimagine different aspects of life: the role of prayer, the impact of social media,...

Send us a text It's February or as the Hallmark Channel is calling it, "Loveuary," so we're talking about SEX on this week's episode. Welcome, Gary Thomas, co-author of "Married Sex: A Christian Couple's Guide to Reimagining Your Love Life." In this very candid conversation, Gary mentions "5 Blocks to Bedroom Intimacy" and shares how "sacred s...

Send us a text Today, we open a much-needed, quite candid, conversation about the practice of "healthy detachment." "Wait a minute, Janell," you say. "You are supposed to be teaching us about healthy "secure attachment." Yes, you are right. But, after a seemingly silly holiday of banter about my very skinny pencil Christmas tree, I realized I had a little more wo...

Send us a text In light of the recent news of former Miss USA, Cheslie Kryst, taking her own life, Janell invites licensed parent and family educator, Lori Wildenberg, to share her story, chronicled in her newest book, "Messy Hope: Help Your Child Overcome Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation." In her very personal story, Lori invites us to "hope growth." She writes, &quo...

Send us a text Let's begin with this question: Do you feel SEEN? Seen is a powerful four-letter word meaning, "To perceive with the eyes." In this worthy conversation with Author and Therapist, Dr. Chinwe Williams, we open her new book, co-authored with Will Hutcherson, "Seen: Healing Despair and Anxiety in Kids and Teens Through the Power of Connection," and learn new way...

Send us a text Heartlifters, buckle up! Today on the show we welcome Pastor Rob Singleton and open up a tough, often stern, yet filled-with-hope, conversation about the crippling effect social media can have on our hearts, minds, and souls. In his book, "Overliked: Finding Direction, Courage, and Meaningful Relationships in a Society Crippled by Social Media," we venture into the negativ...

Send us a text There is no better way to start Season 8 and our new year than to have this lovely conversation with the author of "To Light Their Way," Kayla Craig. Kayla has been called a modern liturgist, an ordinary woman committed to sharing her truth, experience, and wisdom on the power of common, shared prayer. Sometimes in life, there are NO WORDS to pray. We have to borrow the sa...