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On this week’s episode, I have Dr Alissa talking to us about her work with people who have suffered severe trauma in Nashville, Tennessee, as a doctor of counseling. Having come from a background marred by trauma herself, she shares how this propelled her into the work she gets to do today. She even shares some helpful information on survivors’ guilt, and setting healthy boundaries with our family of origin. We also talk about the ebbs and flows of her faith journey and where she’s landed…for now. Be sure to follow Dr Alissa on Instagram and head over to her website to learn more. If you are in the Nashville area, feel free to look her up! After hearing her story, you will understand her deep well of love and empathy and care for all her patients and those around her.

How does a mom of two young kiddos end up being an app creator?!?! I wanted to find this out for myself, but lucky for you, I’m sharing it too! Amy Martin is the Co-Founder of Cover App, an app designed to connect people in the community to ministries and non-profits for events and volunteer opportunities. I first met Amy at the Everyday Ordinary Jesus Event in Buda, Texas, with our friend Jackie Hooks. I couldn’t imagine taking on such a huge undertaking! In this episode Amy shares with us what her journey looked like from seed to full blown baby birthing app on the App Store! Cover App is available for both Android and iPhone users in the App Store and GooglePlay store. Be sure to follow Amy and Delynn on Instagram and Facebook to share your feedback and see what else they are up to! Check out their website for more info.

“Why is doing nothing harder than doing something?” -Barbie Armenta Barbie Armenta is a fellow coach in the passionate pursuit of helping women discover freedom and healing in Jesus. She is a speaker, a gatherer, a self-proclaimed “do-er,” (can’t we all relate) and now, add AUTHOR to that list. She and her husband Richard wrote a book together called “The Right Combination” where they chronologize their personal journeys to find themselves right where they belong. Be sure to pre-order their book here and look for it everywhere you can buy books on October 22nd. In the meantime, follow Barbie on Instagram, Facebook, + Twitter and check out their website to hear more from Richard and Barbie!

Simi Shonowo is a photographer who prides herself on brand imagery and the ability to tell a story, not just take a picture, with her images through her company, Uche Brand Imagery. Simi was born in the US, but at an early age moved back to her parents’ hometown in Nigeria. She was raised there and attended school until graduating high school at 16. Being the oldest in her family, she was responsible for the care of her younger siblings. This and many other cultural differences brought about how she continues to show up in the world. While challenging of course, she is grateful for all the ways God has molded her into the woman we get to meet today. Grab a notepad. This gal drops some knowledge that will blow your mind! You can find Simi’s work on her website here, or follow Simi on Instagram and Facebook to see what else she’s been up to. As a photographer, she’s typically behind the camera, but catching a glimpse of this girl…you can tell, she sparkles everywhere she goes.

On this week’s episode, I am revisiting my story. September 26th, marks a very special anniversary of something that happened 11 years ago today. You’ll have to listen to find out what it is… and how God has been so faithful in healing me, layer by layer. Here is the podcast I told you about in this episode explaining attachment theories: Attachment and Why it Matters So Much + How Attachment Style Affects the Way You Relate

Angela Cross is back on the podcast this week to share her amazing and inspiring story! After chatting with me on my series “Thing We Can’t Talk About in Church” about her divorce, Angela joins me again to share her whole story, including all the moments God showed up in the midst of the mess. It is just so amazing how good our God loves us. I was inspired listening to this conversation for the second time and I know you will be too. Be sure to follow Angela’s journey on her blog and on Instagram! Be sure to find her group on Facebook and join her tribe. Courage is contagious!

Maruxa Murphy. If you don’t know Maruxa, after this episode, you’re going to want to. Maruxa is the founder of Perky Perky Coffee company! After successfully building multiple brands and companies, she decided a few years ago to go out on her own. Not only is Perky Perky a delicious cup of coffee, it’s also a brand who’s goal is to inspire and empower women into their God-given purpose. From the first cup in the morning to the “hang in there” cup during the afternoon slump, Perky Perky is encouraging women to rise up and raise one another up, all while supporting this culture of collaboration over competition. Maruxa shares parts of her story she doesn’t typically share publicly and I’m honored she chose to be vulnerable on our podcast. If there’s one thing this gal has, it’s Gumption. Wanna hear Maruxa’s Spotify Playlist we chatted about…? Visit this link! Order your own bag of Perky Perky online now! And be sure to follow Maruxa on Instagram @maruxamurphy and @perkyperkycoffee ! Join the tribe!

I’ve started a new business! On today’s episode I talk about WHY I decided to become a healing coach in the first place and how my own healing led me to this place where I get to share it with others. Be sure to visit my coaching page or contact me for your FREE Discovery Call! Catch up with me on Instagram, Facebook, + Twitter @mrswendyjolson

Leslie Verner is the author of Invited: The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness (Herald Press). She traveled widely and spent five years in China before returning to the U.S. to marry an actor in Chicago. A former middle school teacher with a masters in intercultural studies, she now writes before dawn and reads too many books at once. She, her husband, and their three small children live in northern Colorado. Leslie writes about faith, justice, and cross-cultural issues at www.scrapingraisins.com, in her monthly newsletter, and elsewhere on the web. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Be sure to catch up with me in between podcast episodes on Instagram, Facebook + Twitter @mrswendyjolson or on the blog. And consider supporting our work over on Patreon. We are so grateful to each and every one of you! Thanks again guys for listening!

Elisa Johnston is the most passionate person I’ve met in a while. What is she so passionate about? Sex trafficking. What else? Trauma and changing the landscape of church-culture conversations. Me too, Elisa. Me too. In this episode we tackle the issue of trauma, and let’s face it, everyone has trauma. But what does that look like for the person in the church who isn’t getting the help they need…? Or is too afraid to speak up? Or what about the person who did speak up but was treated with sympathy instead of empathy…? Brene Brown wouldn’t have it, and neither should we! Be sure to follow Elisa on Instagram and Facebook. Be sure to check out her organization, Black Out Trafficking, and see how you can get involved. She needs everyday, ordinary people just like you! Maybe take the month of March and wear one black item every day. Or maybe start now! If you haven’t already, we’d love it if you left us a review on iTunes! Also, be sure to check out our freshly minted Patreon page to see how you can help support the podcast and what I am planning to launch this Fall!

We’re back for PART TWO of our conversation on mental health with Sydney Guerrette and Deirdre Catlett of Be the Change Youth Initiative. We pick up right where we left off as Deirdre tells us about the time she met with the pastors of Austin New Church in Austin, Texas. I love the heart behind this family’s mission. We also talk more about what our youth are facing, how this changes the church-culture landscape, and should change the way we talk to our kids about what is going on in their world. Sydney and Deirdre drop some hard truths on us and challenge us to bring unity! If you want to follow Be the Change YI’s journey, or as I like to call it, ‘Where in the world is BTCYI,’ (sing that like the Carmen San Diego theme song if you remember,) you can find them on Instagram @bethechangeyi or Facebook at Be the Change Youth Initiative. Also be sure to check out their website and request them to come and speak to your youth…or just invite them over for coffee! You can find them on bethechangeyi.com Be sure to follow me over on Instagram @mrswendyjolson or visit the blog to see what else has fallen out of my head onto the internet at www.wendyjolson.com. Also check us out on Patreon, where you can participate in supporting the podcast, the blog, and my new venture launching 9.9.19, which I talk about on IGTV and patreon.com/mrswendyjolson Thanks again for listening!

This week, I sit down with Sydney Guerrette and Deirdre Catlett of Be The Change Youth Initiative, and we have a very open and candid conversation about mental health and the issues our young people are facing. We also talk about a whole slew of other things, ranging from immigration to abortion to depression and anxiety, and suicidal ideation. This conversation was so rich in wisdom and so much deeper than I could’ve imagined, that I actually decided to make this a TWO-PART episode. Be sure to listen to this one, and then follow up with the second half of this episode next week. You won’t want to miss it! If you want to follow Be the Change YI’s journey, or as I like to call it, ‘Where in the world is BTCYI,’ (sing that like the Carmen San Diego theme song if you remember,) you can find them on Instagram @bethechangeyi or Facebook at Be the Change Youth Initiative. Also be sure to check out their website and request them to come and speak to your youth…or just invite them over for coffee! You can find them on bethechangeyi.com Be sure to follow me over on Instagram @mrswendyjolson or visit the blog at www.wendyjolson.com. Also check us out on Patreon, where you can participate in supporting the podcast, the blog, and my new venture launching 9.9.19, which I talk about on IGTV and patreon.com/mrswendyjolson Thanks again for listening!

Meet Angela Cross. She’s the fabulous face and glowing personality behind Fierce and Fearless Living. She’s the daughter of preacher, a special needs teacher, and a single mom to two beautiful, young girls. And she’s with us today to talk about the one thing she never thought she’d be talking about…Divorce. Divorce outside the church is messy as it is, but inside…well, that is a whole ‘nother story. And Angela is here to share her experience with us. As a divorced woman myself, I remember the shame and guilt I would feel while sitting in church on a Sunday, listening to another sermon about the adulterous woman. Nobody wins in a divorce. But sometimes, there is no other option. I love Angela’s heart and openness to share with us not only her experience as a divorced woman inside the four walls of the church, but also her willingness to encourage and embolden woman to rise up and fulfill their God-given gifts. Be sure to follow Angela on Instagram @fierceandfearlessliving and read along on her blog as well, fierceandfearlessliving.com She is also on YouTube!

On this episode, I had a good excuse to go down to Waco, Texas, and sit with my friend, Emily Mills of Jesus Said Love. And even better, we get to have a frank and honest conversation about sex, and be totally awkward on a weekday. I just love her willingness to jump into this chat with me. In this episode, Emily reminds us what sex is meant to be: to create empathy, intimacy, connection and creation. And that we have somehow twisted it into this shameful thing that has us pointing a judgmental finger at women around us. What?! We women stereotype?!?! No way! It’s our hope that we can start building on new conversations in the church and to be inclusive and get away from a list of dont’s and start talking about “why” and “how” instead. And also to be willing to admit when we don’t know all the answers, but to lean in and learn together. Make sure you follow Emily on Instagram, Jesus Said Love on Instagram as well, and of course GO SHOP LOVELY! You can find their online store here. If you want to catch up with me between podcast episodes, you can always find me on Instagram @mrswendyjolson I’m also doing a blog series of this same name, “Things We Cant Talk About in Church” on other subjects as well. Be sure to check that out on wendyjolson.com Thanks again for listening! We hope you’re enjoying this summer series as much as we are. Make sure you subscribe and if you haven’t already we’d love it if you’d take a minute and leave us a review. We’d love five stars! Tell us what you’re loving!

I had the privilege of attending the first Everyday Ordinary Jesus event in Buda, Texas on June 28-29, 2019. This week, we have a bonus episode of women sharing who Everyday Ordinary Jesus is to them, as well as a recap with the founder of Everyday Ordinary Jesus, Jackie Hooks. This is only the beginning for this event! We hope this bonus episode will speak to your heart in such a way that you remember your every day Ordinary life IS extraordinary when we are walking with Jesus.  You can find Jackie on social media as Jackie Hook: The Most Ordinary Girl in the World or on Jackiehooks.com If you want to catch up with me between podcast episodes, you can always find me on Instagram, Facebook, + Twitter @mrswendyjolson or on www.wendyjolson.com Thanks again for listening! Make sure you subscribe and if you haven’t already we’d love it if you’d take a minute and leave us a review on iTunes. We’d love five stars! Tell us what you’re loving!

Jami Amerine is a fellow podcaster, a published author, an artist, and all around amazing voice for women. She’s a mom and foster/adoptive mom, a wife, and a woman who God gave a big voice to and who isn’t afraid to use it. Right on, sister! Jami shared with us her Jesus story back on episode 23, but today she talks about something we just can’t seem to talk about, or in our case stop talking about, in church…gender roles and women in ministry! We talk about why this is such an important topic and what it means to both men AND women when women are cut out of the picture when it comes to teaching in the church. This is such a great conversation. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it encourages you to step forward and trust the gifts God has given you…even when everyone else says they (your gifts) are wrong, and so are you. Be bold. Be courageous. Step out in faith. God is with you, sister. You can find Jami on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, or on her website www.sacredgroundstickyfloors.com Also be sure to check out her Etsy shop! The link for the video with Andrew Farley Jami referenced can be found here. Follow Wendy on Instagram, Facebook, + Twitter @mrswendyjolson and be sure to check out the blog series of this same name, Things We Can’t Talk About in Church on my website www.wendyjolson.com

I first heard Rachel Blackston on The Place We Find Ourselves Podcast with Adam Young. Both her and her husband are family and marriage therapists and she openly talked about their struggles. Wait…aren’t therapists supposed to have this all figured out?!?! I loved how open and honest and vulnerable she was in talking about her marriage. I thought to myself, if only we could all do that inside the walls of the church. Instead, we smile like everything is fine, when most of us are lonely and falling apart behind the four walls of our home. In this conversation for the Things We Can’t Talk About in Church series, Rachel and I discuss the stigma of openly discussing marital issues and pray that talks like this can open up the lines of communication for honesty and vulnerability in our own faith communities. You can find Rachel at www.rachelblackston.com where she talks more in depth about all that she is trained in, including counseling AND coaching. Be sure to follow her on Instagram as well. If you happen to be in the Orlando area, be sure to give her office a call! She would love to be a part of the sacred ground that is your story. Rachel also writes for Red Tent Living! Read her latest here.

Jackie Hooks is an inspiring writer and speaker, and also a dear friend. Jackie shared her Jesus Story back on Episode 4 of the podcast, and if you’ve listened to it already, you know Grief + Loss are not something lost on her. Jackie’s Facebook Live show, which airs twice a week, is currently in a “grief + loss” series as well. Today she shares openly about how grief + loss have entered her life, the things we shouldn’t say to someone who is grieving, and why she thinks it is a tough thing to talk about in church. Grief doesn’t have a timetable, yet sometimes we find ourselves expecting people to “get on with it,” or “get over it.” And that is extremely harmful and disingenuous to the ones who are grieving. Be sure to check out Jackie’s Facebook Lives on her Facebook page: Jackie Hooks, The Most Ordinary Girl in the World. As well as on Instagram and Twitter. Jackie is also hosting an event in Buda, Texas on June 28-29th, called Everyday Ordinary Jesus. If you are in or around the area, or you just want to come hang out with us, come on down! We’ll save you seat.

Welcome to the first episode in our summer series called Things We Can’t Talk About in Church! First up: Money. Why is it so hard for us to talk about money? Personal Finance Coach and creator of the Cistern and Grove program, Alexis Busetti, gives us some insight on what may be holding us back as a church in discussing this issue more openly, and more comfortably. She brings up some key issues we could be working towards in making this a non-issue for the generations we are currently raising. For more information, or to gain some more wisdom from this amazing lady, visit cisternandgrove.com or follow Alexis on Instagram. If you’re interested in hearing Alexis’ Jesus Story, tune back to Episode 22 to find out more! Stay with us this summer as we dive into more topics on the Things We Can’t Talk About in Church series, AND follow this series on the blog as well at wendyjolson.com Music for this episode was provided by Brett and Emily Mills of Jesus Said Love off their album Never Too Far, song entitled “Interrupt Me”.

This week on the podcast I jump into the deep end with a conversation centered around rape, trauma, and culture, and how they are all intertwined. Raine is a special needs teacher who struggled in her early college years after being raped by a guy on their first date. The years of turmoil that followed were full of self contempt and denial. As is for most of us who have endured some sort of sexual trauma, we aptly blame ourselves first. We talk about her path to healing but also talk pretty frankly about how we believe culture perpetrates rape and what we need to do to change things for this next generation coming up. I will warn you this conversation can and will be very triggering for some, but it is a great conversation and one that needs to be had, inside and outside the church. Be sure to follow Raine on Instagram! We would love it if you could leave us a review and subscribe! Reviews are what help other people find the podcast and we would really love your feedback. Find Wendy on Facebook, Twitter, but mostly Instagram @mrswendyjolson Tune in to the blog as we start the conversation on Things We Can’t Talk About in Church!