We all have reasons that sound responsible: I’m not ready, I don’t have time, I’ve already failed at this, someone else is better suited.

The problem is that an excuse left unchallenged stops being a temporary obstacle and becomes the story we live inside.

This episode looks at how the stories we keep telling ourselves quietly become the ceiling over our dreams. Drawing from Chapter 4 of Fearfully and Wonderfully Me: Become the Woman You are Destined to Be, we explore the idea that an excuse is not neutral. It only has the power of reality because we keep agreeing with it.

Grace does not shame us for feeling inadequate. It refuses to let inadequacy have the last word. God, who formed us fearfully and wonderfully, is not waiting for a version of us without limitations. He is inviting us to stop negotiating with the story that keeps us small, and to take the next faithful step with what we already have.

Many of us carry names we never chose— “too direct,” “too quiet,” “not enough,” or “too much.” Those labels can shape how we see ourselves long after the people who gave them are gone.

This episode looks at how Scripture distinguishes the voices that define us from the voice that redeems us, and how grace invites us to lay down borrowed identities so we can live from the name God has already given.

In this episode of Grace Every Day, we talk about something most of us already know we should do—and still struggle to actually do: forgive.

Scripture does not treat forgiveness as optional. Mark 11:25 tells us to forgive as we pray. Jesus tells Peter to forgive not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

God is clearly trying to get our attention.

Holding on to a wound costs more than we think. Letting it go creates space for peace, presence, and grace in everyday life.

In this powerful episode of Grace Every Day, Ria welcomes single mom Holly Anderson—a Jesus-loving, coffee-drinking, Georgia Bulldogs fan who finds joy in running, working out, and reading.

Holly courageously shares her journey through a 20+year marriage marked by abuse, even as both she and her husband served in ministry. She opens up about the heartbreaking failure of counselors who refused to name the abuse and instead minimized it with the message that “everyone sins.”

Holly shares some resources that helped her realize her worth and gain the strength to leave.

In this episode of Grace Every Day, we explore the quiet truth that more stuff does not equal more happiness.

Drawing from the deeply personal experience of clearing a grandmother’s estate, the conversation unpacks the emotional and physical weight of accumulated possessions.

Listeners are invited to consider how letting go of what no longer serves us—whether objects or the baggage they carry—can create space for greater freedom, peace, and grace in everyday life.

In this episode of Grace Every Day, we talk about stepping away from social media and reclaiming the quiet space in our minds.

But more than just “logging off,” this is about noticing the small habits and everyday choices that slowly take up space, steal our focus, and keep us stuck.

Together we explore practical ways to decrease what’s holding us back—so we can think more clearly, feel more present, and make room for what actually matters.

In Grace Every Day Episode 27, we look at how distractions can sabotage our development. When life is hard, it’s easy to escape into entertainment or other things instead of growing through it — but that choice often keeps us stuck.

I use the recent World Cup as an example and talk about the difference between healthy rest and the distractions that quietly hold us back. If you want to stop treading water and start moving forward, this one’s for you.

In this episode of Grace Every Day, we explore one of the most common (and often unnoticed) ways we lose peace in our daily lives: assuming what other people think about us. How many times have we let our minds fill in the blanks with negative judgments that may not even be true?

These silent assumptions can quietly drain our joy, affect our confidence, and strain our relationships.I share a real story from my own experience that perfectly illustrates how easy it is to jump to conclusions about other people’s perceptions—and the freedom that comes when we choose not to. Together, we’ll unpack why this habit is so costly and how we can break free from it.