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  • 214: Exhausted and Stuck? Ask God for Eyes to See What Your Health Needs

    214: Exhausted and Stuck? Ask God for Eyes to See What Your Health Needs
    2026/10/21
    Have you ever felt like the answer to your health struggles is right in front of you, but you just can’t see it? In this episode, we talk about why we stay stuck in our health and our lives, and how asking God for ears to hear and eyes to see can change the way you approach your next step. You’ll learn how your brain filters information, why pride, culture, and comfortable routines can blind us to what God is showing us, and how believing lies about your health can keep you exhausted and stuck. This episode is for the Christian woman who is tired of guessing, ready to stop waiting, and willing to take real steps toward better health with God at the center. How Your Brain Decides What You Notice Picture yourself walking into a busy restaurant with 30 people talking at once. If the room is small enough, you could technically hear every conversation. But you don’t. Your brain filters out the noise so you can focus on the person sitting across from you. That’s a gift from God. The reticular activating system helps us pay attention to what we’ve told our brain matters. The problem is that we are so skilled at filtering that we tune out information that’s actually important for us. If we’ve never noticed something before, we assume it doesn’t matter. So we miss it, even when it’s right in front of us. Reading the Bible with Fresh Eyes We do the same thing with Scripture. We read through familiar lenses and skip over what doesn’t fit our understanding. In 1 Samuel 28, King Saul is desperate. God has stopped answering him, so he turns to a medium and asks her to bring up the prophet Samuel. After years of church and reading the whole Bible more than once, I had never noticed this passage. Scripture is full of passages that challenge us and don’t fit neatly into a box. When we only focus on what feels comfortable, we can miss what God wants to show us. Why We Can’t See What’s Right in Front of Us As a hospice RN, I recently cared for a patient taking around 30 medications. When patients enroll in hospice, the doctor reviews their medications and may recommend stopping some of them. This patient chose to keep all of them, which was her right. From a clinical standpoint, some of those medications likely weren’t helping, and some may have been making things worse. But many of us have been taught to assume that every prescription is helping, and we don't give this idea a second thought. Your doctor is not the enemy. But blind spots are real, and they can come from: Cultural conditioning about health and medicinePride, or the belief that we’re not missing anythingLong-held habits we’ve never questionedFear that change won’t work Jesus Said "Follow Me." He didn't say, "Stay Comfortable." After a lot of change in my own life over the past two years, I’ve been craving routine. Routine feels safe. But Jesus never said, “Follow me and nothing will change.” He wants us to follow Him but he didn't promise that it would be easy. Sometimes we hold on to routines that are harming us, draining us, or keeping us too busy to heal. Our lives may look fine from the outside while God is quietly asking us to make a change in our health or our habits. God gives us a choice. But obedience brings freedom, and holding on to what isn’t working only hurts us. We may worry that change won’t work. Maybe it won’t work the way we expect, but God is in charge of the outcome. The Lies That Keep Us Sick Sometimes we can’t hear or see clearly because we’ve believed a lie. In my book, Discover God’s Health Wisdom, I talk about eight health myths that keep women sick. Here are a few: If a treatment didn’t harm someone else, it won’t harm me.To get rid of my symptoms, I only need to focus on my physical body.My body is inherently broken, and nothing can be done about it. None of these are true. We can believe lies about our marriages, our kids, and our finances, too. That’s why we need to keep going back to God and His Word for wisdom. Asking God for Ears to Hear and Eyes to See In Matthew 13:15-17, Jesus describes people whose hearts have grown dull, who have closed their eyes and barely hear. Then He says the eyes and ears of His disciples are blessed because they see and hear. Faith-based health starts here. Before we look for the next protocol, we can ask God to soften our hearts and open our eyes. And what God shows you isn’t only for you. It can bless your family, your friends, and your community. Key Takeaways Your brain naturally filters information, which means important things about your health can go unnoticed.Cultural conditioning, pride, and comfort can keep you from seeing what God is showing you.Health decisions are worth understanding, including the ones you’ve never questioned. Talk openly with your healthcare provider.Following Jesus may require stepping out of routines that no longer serve you.Lies about your body can keep you stuck. Compare what ...
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    12 分
  • 213: Exhausted and Stuck in Complaining Mode? How Gratitude Brings Back Joy and Hope

    213: Exhausted and Stuck in Complaining Mode? How Gratitude Brings Back Joy and Hope
    2026/10/07
    Complaining is easy. It feels relatable, it bonds us with other women, and most of the time we don't even notice we're doing it. But Scripture calls believers to something different: rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. In this episode, we look at what the Bible says about joy, suffering, and offering God a sacrifice of praise. We also talk about practical ways to retrain your mind toward gratitude, because thankfulness is a habit we build, not a feeling we wait for. This episode is for Christian women who are ready to take real steps toward healing in body, mind, and spirit. Whether you're living with exhaustion, autoimmune disease, or simply a heavy season, this conversation is an invitation to look at your circumstances through a different lens. God's Will for You: Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 is clear. God wants us to give thanks in all circumstances, not only the good ones. That includes the seasons when we're tired, unsure, or hurting. Gratitude isn't denial. It's a choice to see God at work even when life feels hard. Why Suffering Can Lead to Hope Romans 5:3-5 begins with words many of us want to skip: rejoice in our sufferings. For years, I stopped reading right there. Who wants to rejoice in suffering? But the verse keeps going. Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope. Think about someone who has had everything handed to them. Endurance and character usually don't grow in easy places. If we want lasting hope, sometimes the path runs through difficulty. What Is a Sacrifice of Praise? Hebrews 13:15 calls us to continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God. In the Greek Old Testament, this same phrase is used for the thanksgiving offering in Leviticus 7:12, known in Hebrew as the todah. That means gratitude is worship. It's not just a nice feeling. Praise is called a sacrifice because we won't always want to give it, and we offer it anyway. What the Israelites Teach Us About Perspective The Israelites were delivered from slavery, led through the sea, fed with manna from heaven, and promised a land flowing with milk and honey. Still, they complained again and again. Their situation could be seen two ways: They were exhausted, tired of the same food, and unsure of the futureThey had witnessed miracle after miracle and were being led by God Himself toward a promised land They chose fear and complaint. But before we judge them, it's worth asking how often we do the same thing. Why Complaining Spreads So Easily Sitting in a group of women recently, I watched one complaint turn into three. This isn't about judging anyone. It's about noticing a pattern most of us fall into. Complaining can feel like connection. But should we really be bonding over what's wrong? Negativity tends to breed more negativity, and it keeps us stuck in a cycle that steals our peace. Pastor Colin Smith once described discontentment as a hellish sin, and that phrase has stayed with me for years. When we live in discontentment and envy, we end up tormenting ourselves. Even Satan fell because what he had wasn't enough for him. How to Train Your Brain Toward Gratitude Thankfulness can be practiced. Here are simple ways to start: Write down 5 to 10 things you're grateful for each morning, each evening, or bothWhen negative thoughts start to spiral, thank God out loud for specific blessings until your focus shiftsUse worship music to turn your attention back to who God isNotice when conversations drift into complaining, and gently steer them somewhere better This is part of a whole-person approach to Christian wellness. What we dwell on shapes how we feel, how we respond, and how we walk through hard seasons. Fullness of Joy Is Found in His Presence Psalm 16:11 tells us that in God's presence there is fullness of joy. Not in money, perfect health, a perfect marriage, perfect kids, or the perfect house. Only in Him. Being thankful doesn't mean pretending everything is fine. You can be completely honest with God about your pain. And then, in the middle of it, you can still choose to praise Him. Key Takeaways Giving thanks in all circumstances is God's will for believers, not a suggestionSuffering is never wasted when it builds endurance, character, and hopePraise is an act of worshipComplaining often feels like connection, but it keeps us stuck in negativityGratitude is a habit that can be trained through daily, intentional practiceHonesty with God and praise to God can exist side by sideTrue joy comes from God's presence, not from perfect circumstances Take a moment this week to reflect: Where have you slipped into complaining mode? What would it look like to offer a sacrifice of praise right there? Ready for Your Next Step? If you're exhausted and ready to understand what's going on in your body from a faith-based, holistic health perspective, book a free introductory call at herholistichealing.com/call. As a Christian ...
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    12 分
  • 212: Feeling Isolated Is Hurting More Than Your Mood — Here's What It's Doing to Your Body

    212: Feeling Isolated Is Hurting More Than Your Mood — Here's What It's Doing to Your Body
    2026/09/24
    If you've been feeling exhausted, isolated, or like you're managing your health alone, this episode is for you. We're talking about a factor that rarely comes up in conversations about Christian wellness and holistic health: loneliness. Not just how it feels, but what it actually does to your body. Chances are, if you're here, you're dealing with exhaustion, autoimmune symptoms, or you're simply trying to get a handle on your health. What I want you to see today is that your relationships are part of that picture. Not a nice extra. Part of it. Why Loneliness Belongs in the Health Conversation I've noticed something in my own life. When I'm not connected to people, my thinking gets more twisted. I become more fearful, more paranoid. Shame creeps in. Envy creeps in. I laugh less. I smile less. And when we isolate ourselves, we stop growing, because we lose access to perspectives we'd never come up with on our own. I saw this firsthand recently at a mom's group through my kids' homeschool co-op. We were reading a book on motherhood, and it opened up a conversation about how culture views children versus how the Bible describes them, as a blessing. Some women referenced in the book admitted they'd felt scammed by motherhood, like the joy they were promised didn't show up. Others pointed out how even the church can slip into treating children as a nuisance instead of a gift. But then other moms spoke up with a perspective I hadn't considered. Moms raising kids with special needs, moms with no financial support, moms who've been doing this alone for decades. One woman shared a story about a mother in her seventies still caring for her adult child with special needs. Another talked about how difficult it is to find a church that actually welcomes families like hers. I was grateful for that conversation, because without it, I wouldn't have heart that perspective. That's what isolation costs us. Not just comfort, but understanding. What the Research Actually Shows There's a meta-analytic review called Social Relationships and Mortality Risk that looked at this directly. That review found something striking: your relationships shape your risk of death about as much as smoking or drinking does, and even more than lack of exercise or obesity. Let that sink in for a second. Possibly the real effect is even larger than reported, since many of the studies included in that review used simple, single-item measures of isolation rather than deeper measurement tools. This isn't something we talk about enough, in healthcare or in the church. When I'm taking a patient's history, loneliness rarely comes up unless there's abuse involved. But it should be part of the conversation, especially with our kids, who often treat screen time as an equal substitute for face-to-face connection. It's not the same thing. When Busy Life Hides Loneliness Here's something worth sitting with: you can be married, have kids, be surrounded by people all day, and still be lonely. The last couple of years have been heavy for a lot of us. Job losses. Deaths. I work in hospice, so I'm around death regularly right now. Life gets busy, tiring, emotionally draining, and survival mode becomes the norm. At that first mom's group meeting, we did a kind of speed-dating exercise, just answering questions and rotating to meet more women. Nothing emotional was being discussed, but I found myself on the verge of tears. I realized how lonely I'd actually been. Getting that connection back felt like healing. Sometimes we've been isolated for so long that it just feels normal, until we get a taste of what was missing. A Simple Next Step If you're working on your health right now, whether that's exhaustion, autoimmune symptoms, or something else, I'd encourage you to also work on your relationships. Set up a coffee date. Join a women's group at your church. If your church doesn't have one, find one somewhere else. Your social relationships carry real weight for your health, right alongside diet, sleep, and stress. Key Takeaways Loneliness is not just an emotional issue. It has a measurable, physical impact on your health and mortality risk.Research shows social relationships influence mortality on a level comparable to smoking and alcohol use, and beyond inactivity and obesity.Isolation can quietly become "normal," especially during seasons of grief, job loss, or overwhelm.Exposure to different perspectives, especially from people outside your immediate circle, builds compassion and wisdom.Healing often starts with a small, concrete step: reaching out to one person, joining one group, setting up one conversation.As you pursue whole-body health, treat your relationships as part of that pursuit, not separate from it. Ready to Take the Next Step? If you're new here, I'm Alexandra, a registered nurse and former pharmaceutical industry insider who now helps Christian women overcome exhaustion by addressing the root causes, without another prescription. If you're ...
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    9 分
  • 211: Exhausted on 13-Hour Shifts, I Tried This Instead of Coffee — A Faith-Based Look at Real Energy

    211: Exhausted on 13-Hour Shifts, I Tried This Instead of Coffee — A Faith-Based Look at Real Energy
    2026/09/10
    Do you feel exhausted by the end of a long shift, reaching for coffee or something artificial just to make it through the next one? If you've ever wondered whether there's a simpler, faith-based way to fuel your body, this episode is for you. This post is for the Christian woman who is tired of feeling exhausted, tired of ignoring her body's signals, and ready to start paying attention to what real, God-given nourishment actually looks like. You won't find a magic fix here — just an honest look at one small experiment, and a bigger conversation about trusting how God designed our bodies to be fed. A Personal Experiment Born Out of Exhaustion Working ten to thirteen hour hospital shifts, sometimes three days in a row, leaves little room for rest or careful eating. Packing meals, driving between hospitals, and carrying supplies all day adds up — and it's easy to end those shifts running on empty. That exhaustion is what led to trying something simple: adding a quart of organic coconut water to long shifts, in place of the energy drinks and coffee that never fit into the routine to begin with. What the Research Actually Says About Coconut Water A look at a peer-reviewed article in the journal Molecules on the chemical composition of coconut water offered some interesting context. Coconut water has historically been used for oral and even intravenous rehydration in remote regions of the world, thanks to its natural content of sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. One serving contains modest amounts of these nutrients — nothing flashy on a label. But the research also pointed out something worth sitting with: scientists still don't fully understand every compound in coconut water, and more advanced detection methods may reveal even more of its properties over time. That's a reminder that even something as simple as coconut water reflects a level of complexity science hasn't fully caught up to yet. Becoming Your Own Lab Rat This is a concept I write about in my own book, Discover God's Health Wisdom: Exposing 8 Common Myths That Keep You Sick — the idea of testing how your own body responds to different foods, herbs, and habits rather than assuming one approach works for everyone. The personal experiment looked like this: Day one: one quart of coconut water during a shift, modest energy improvementDay two: noticeably more energized despite another long shiftDay three: energy held steady with another quart Every body responds differently. Not everyone will notice a dramatic shift, and not everyone will even like the taste — that's simply a reminder that discernment matters more than trends. Why Whole, God-Made Foods Matter There's a bigger principle underneath this whole experiment: real, whole foods created by God are inherently powerful, not because of a flashy nutrition label, but because of who made them. Genesis describes Adam as formed from the earth — a picture of how our bodies were designed to interact with the plants, animals, and elements God created. When our diets drift far from that design and lean heavily on heavily processed, man-made foods, it's not surprising that many of us feel chronically hungry or drained, even when we're eating constantly. This isn't about guilt or perfection. Even a home that values whole foods still has birthday trips to a fast food restaurant sometimes. It's about asking God for wisdom on what serves your body well, rather than following culture's default. A Word on Discernment, Not Diagnosis None of this is medical advice, and it's not a promise that coconut water — or any single food — will transform your energy overnight. What matters more is the practice of paying attention: noticing how your body responds, asking God for wisdom about your choices, and taking small, faithful steps toward better stewardship of your health. Time-Stamped Highlights 00:00 — Introduction: adding coconut water to long shifts instead of reaching for energy drinks or coffee 00:28 to 01:29 — The reality of ten to thirteen hour hospital shifts and the search for sustainable energy 01:57 to 02:24 — Why energy drinks and coffee were never part of the routine 02:24 to 03:49 — The three-day coconut water experiment and its results 03:49 to 05:47 — What the Molecules journal article reveals about coconut water's nutrient profile and potential benefits 06:17 to 07:41 — A comparison to essential oils and the complexity of plants God created 08:12 to 09:10 — Why a simple nutrition label doesn't tell the whole story 09:40 to 10:37 — Genesis, Adam's design, and the connection between the body and the earth 11:05 to 12:55 — Processed food, chronic hunger, and cultural blind spots around "real food" 13:21 to 14:18 — Why every body is different, and permission to skip coconut water if it's not for you Key Takeaways Whole, God-created foods often carry a complexity that science is still working to fully understandTesting how your own body responds to different ...
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    15 分
  • 210: Why Unforgiveness Is Making You Sick (And What to Do About It)

    210: Why Unforgiveness Is Making You Sick (And What to Do About It)
    2026/08/27

    Grudges don't just weigh on your heart. They weigh on your body.

    I was reading an article recently by Dr. Lantie Jorandby, a board-certified psychiatrist, in Psychology Today. She writes about how holding onto resentment raises stress and cortisol. Higher cortisol means higher blood pressure, weakened immunity, and greater risk of heart disease.

    It's also tied to depression and rumination, that repetitive negative loop your mind gets stuck in. That loop steals your sleep, which drives cortisol even higher. It's a cycle that feeds itself.

    Cortisol even affects the hippocampus, the part of your brain responsible for memory. That's part of why people with chronic PTSD often show a smaller hippocampus on scans. Add in muscle tension, elevated heart rate, higher blood pressure, and this isn't a small thing your body is shrugging off. It's carrying it.

    The Bible talks about forgiveness constantly, and I think this research shows us why. But forgiveness gets misunderstood a lot, so let's be clear about what it actually is.

    It doesn't mean pretending you weren't mistreated. It doesn't mean there are no consequences for someone's behavior. It doesn't mean going back into a relationship that isn't safe. What it does mean is choosing to release the resentment, and letting go of wanting revenge, even when revenge would feel justified.

    I'll be honest with you about why this topic landed on my heart this week. I'd written my notes for this episode about a week before I recorded it, and I had no idea how much I'd need my own reminder by the time I sat down to talk.

    I won't get into the specifics, but something happened recently that stirred up some old, not-positive feelings toward a former employer, feelings I thought I'd already worked through. It was like salt got rubbed right back into a wound I thought had closed. If I'm honest, it hurt my pride more than anything else.

    That experience got me thinking about something a lot of women carry quietly: church hurt. Sitting with my own small version of it gave me real compassion for women who've been hurt far worse, by people in the church, and who've walked away from it entirely because of what happened to them there.

    If that's you, if part of you doesn't want to go back, I don't blame you. But I'd gently remind you: the church is made up of flawed people. Not everyone in it wants to harm you. And God saw what happened. He cares.

    There's a story in Genesis that's stayed with me on this. Sarai didn't trust God to give her and Abraham a child, so she told Abraham to sleep with her servant, Hagar. Once Hagar became pregnant, Sarai dealt harshly with her, and Hagar fled into the wilderness alone.

    But God met her there. Genesis 16:13 says she called Him "a God of seeing," saying, "Truly here I have seen him who looks after me." God does not want us harmed. When you were hurt, He saw it. He was with you then, and He's with you now. He wants your pain brought to Him, not carried alone in silence.

    So bring it to Him. Talk to Him about it like you would a trusted friend, or write it out in a letter if that's easier. Ask Him plainly: help me forgive.

    Some days that's a one-time prayer. Other days you'll have to pray it again the moment the memory resurfaces, and then again after that. Forgiveness is rarely a single decision. It's a practice you return to, and there's real freedom in knowing God asks us to keep forgiving because He kept forgiving us.

    If church hurt is part of your story, here's what I want you to know: there are people in the church who genuinely love the way Christ loved. You don't have to go back to the one that hurt you, but I'd encourage you not to stay away from church altogether.

    Healing tends to happen in community, not in isolation. God never intended for you to carry bitterness or resentment quietly until it made you sick. He wants you free from it, in your spirit and in your body.

    Ready to Take the Next Step in Your Health Journey?

    If you've been dealing with low energy, autoimmune symptoms, or exhaustion that never seems to lift, this is your next step.

    Book a Free Introductory Call and let's talk through what's really going on in your body and whether working together makes sense for you.

    Visit herholistichealing.com/call to book your call today.
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    6 分
  • 209: The One Habit That Finally Explains Why You're Still Exhausted: A Christian Wellness Perspective

    209: The One Habit That Finally Explains Why You're Still Exhausted: A Christian Wellness Perspective
    2026/08/19
    If you've been pushing through exhaustion, ignoring your own needs to take care of everyone else, and wondering why you still feel worn down no matter how hard you try, this episode is for you. In this episode, we look at an old story about two woodcutters and what it teaches us about holistic health, faith-based rest, and why sharpening your axe matters more than working harder. This episode is for the Christian woman who is ready to take real steps toward healing. If you've tried supplement after supplement, diet after diet, and you're still exhausted, this conversation will help you understand what might actually be missing. The Story of the Two Woodcutters Two woodcutters, Jake and Jonas, competed to see who could chop the most wood by the end of the day. Jonas never stopped. Jake stopped every hour. By sundown, Jake had won, not despite the breaks, but because of them. Every time he stopped, he was sharpening his saw. This story usually gets told as a lesson in productivity. But it points to something deeper about how we care for our bodies and our health. What Ecclesiastes 10:10 Teaches Us About Sharpening Our Axe Ecclesiastes 10:10 says, "If the iron is blunt and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed." A dull axe forces us to work harder for less result. The same is true in our health. When we neglect the basics, our bodies have to work harder just to keep up, and we still fall short. Why We Should Ask God How to Sharpen Our Saw Instead of guessing our way through diets, supplements, and health trends, we can ask God how to care for our specific bodies. He knows us best. Sharpening our saw might look different for each of us, but it starts with the same question: what does God want me to prioritize? Jesus Modeled Rest and Intentionality Mark 1:35 describes Jesus rising early, while it was still dark, to go pray alone. When His disciples told Him everyone was looking for Him, He didn't rush back to meet every need. He said, "Let us go on to the next towns that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out." Jesus was intentional. He rested with God first, and He didn't try to be everything to everyone. That's a pattern worth following, especially for women who feel responsible for holding everything together. Practical Ways to Sharpen Your Axe Sharpening your saw looks different for everyone, but a few examples came up in this episode: Spending unhurried time with God, even before the day gets busyWatching what you eat and food prepping ahead of timeGetting support from a friend, therapist, pastor, or church communitySwapping out personal care or cleaning products for cleaner optionsSpending time with friends, not just familyMoving your body in a way you enjoy, whether that's kickboxing, walking, or light strength trainingReducing stress wherever possible, including something as simple as stopping to eat at a set time None of these are quick fixes. They're the ongoing, unglamorous habits that keep us from running on empty. Time-Stamped Highlights 00:00 — Introduction: your health might be suffering because you're skipping the important things00:00–01:25 — The story of the two woodcutters, Jake and Jonas01:25 — Ecclesiastes 10:10 on sharpening a dull blade01:52 — What it means to sharpen our saw when it comes to health02:21 — Mark 1:35, Jesus rising early to pray before the demands of the day03:19 — Jesus' intentionality: "that is why I came out"04:17 — Practical examples: food prep, community support, and personal care swaps04:44 — A hospice worker's insight on end-of-life regrets around friendship05:13 — Joyful movement and protecting your relationships during busy seasons06:09 — The role of strength training as we age06:37 — Reducing stress as one of the most important things you can do for your health07:07 — A nurse's perspective on burnout from skipping breaks and meals07:36 — Why God, not trial and error, is the best source of wisdom for your body Key Takeaways Working harder isn't always the answer. Sometimes what your body needs is rest, not more effort.Sharpening your axe isn't one-size-fits-all. What God asks you to prioritize may look different than what He asks someone else to prioritize.Jesus modeled rest and intentional boundaries, even when others wanted more of His time.Small, consistent habits, like eating on time, moving your body, and staying connected to friends, matter more than we often give them credit for.This episode isn't medical advice. It's an invitation to slow down, reflect, and ask God what your body actually needs. Ready to Stop Running on Empty? If you're tired of guessing what your body needs and ready to take real, focused steps toward healing, book a free 15-minute Introductory Call at herholistichealing.com/call. We'll talk through what's actually going on and whether working together is the right next step for you.
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    9 分
  • 208: Exhausted and Feel Like You're Failing? Here's How God Meets You There

    208: Exhausted and Feel Like You're Failing? Here's How God Meets You There
    2026/08/12
    Welcome back to the show. If you're a Christian woman who feels like you're not qualified for what's in front of you, whether that's a health struggle, a calling, or just getting through today, this episode is for you. I recently learned about missionary Gladys Aylward through our homeschool curriculum, and her story stopped me in my tracks. She was rejected. She faced trial after trial. And she kept going back anyway, because serving was the desire God had placed in her heart. In this episode, I walk through her story and connect it to two truths I've been holding onto: God goes with us through our trials, and He gives us the desires of our hearts when we delight in Him. If you're in a season of exhaustion, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, and you're looking for a faith-based lens to make sense of it, this one's for you. Rejected, But Not Finished Gladys Aylward wasn't the "qualified" candidate. A missionary society turned her down. Instead of giving up, she cleaned houses to save money for a one-way train ticket to China. Her journey was interrupted by war, arrest, and danger before she even arrived. She kept going anyway. Trial After Trial in China Once in China, Gladys took over an inn, became a foot inspector during the era of foot binding, and stopped a prison riot, all while sharing the gospel. She began adopting children, eventually caring for 94 of them during the Japanese invasion of China in World War II. She led those children on a two-week journey on foot across the mountains to safety, with none of them falling sick or dying along the way. Where Faith and Endurance Meet Holistic Health What strikes me most about her story isn't that she avoided hardship. It's that God stayed present with her through every bit of it. That's a pattern I see in the women I work with too: healing rarely means the trial disappears. It means learning to walk through it with your body, mind, and faith aligned instead of working against each other. Two Scriptures Worth Sitting With Joshua 1:9 reminds us that God commands us to be strong and courageous because He is with us wherever we go. Psalm 37:4 reminds us that when we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our hearts. Gladys's life is a picture of both: she was never spared hardship, but she was never without God's presence in it, and her God-given desire to serve carried her through it. Time-Stamped Highlights 00:00 – Introduction: feeling unqualified and going anyway00:25 – How the podcast host discovered Gladys Aylward's story through homeschool curriculum00:53 – Rejected by a missionary society, then saving for a one-way ticket to China01:22 – War, arrest, and danger on the journey to China02:20 – Taking over the inn and becoming a foot inspector03:49 – Stopping a prison riot04:47 – Adopting children during the Japanese invasion06:14 – Leading 94 children on foot across the mountains09:33 – Reflecting on Joshua 1:910:03 – Reflecting on Psalm 37:4 and the desires of our hearts11:55 – Trusting that God withholds nothing good from us (Romans 8:28) Key Takeaways Feeling unqualified isn't a disqualifier. God works through willing hearts, not perfect résumés.Trials don't mean God has left. Scripture promises His presence through them, not exemption from them.The desires God places in your heart are worth paying attention to, even when the path to them is hard.True endurance, whether in faith, health, or calling, comes from staying aligned with God rather than gritting through alone.Healing and growth are rarely instant. They're a process worth walking through with support, not in isolation. Your Next Step, If You're Ready If you're a Christian woman who's exhausted, maybe you feel dismissed by conventional medicine, and you're ready to get to the root cause instead of just managing symptoms, I'd love to talk with you. As an RN with a background inside the pharmaceutical industry, I help women approach exhaustion and autoimmune struggles through a whole-person, faith-rooted approach to holistic health. I'm currently offering a free 15-minute Introductory Call. If you're ready to stop waiting and take a real next step, book your call at herholistichealing.com/call. I don't know how long I'll be offering these calls, so if you're interested, I'd encourage you to grab a spot soon.
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    14 分
  • 207: Living Like Everyone Else Might Be Why You're Sick, Tired, and Inflamed

    207: Living Like Everyone Else Might Be Why You're Sick, Tired, and Inflamed
    2026/07/29
    What if the habits our culture calls "normal" are actually the reason so many of us feel exhausted, inflamed, and worn down? In this episode, a Christian RN and holistic health coach takes an honest look at the everyday patterns many women accept without question — skipping workouts, relying on convenience food, running on caffeine, and quietly burning out while serving everyone but themselves. Most of us never chose these habits on purpose. We just absorbed them from everyone around us. This episode is an invitation to look at that inheritance honestly, and decide if it's actually serving you. Why Fitness Isn't About Weight Loss — It's About Longevity The episode opens with a challenge to a common assumption: that working out is mainly for weight loss. Instead, the case is made that consistent movement is one of the strongest predictors of a longer, healthier life — regardless of the number on the scale. Using the body's natural adaptability as an example (from breast milk production to muscle growth), the point is simple: your body responds to what you ask of it. Stop asking it to be strong, and it won't be. The Hidden Cost of "Convenient" Living From packaged snacks to daily takeout, convenience food has quietly become the American default. Drawing from her own nursing career and personal health journey, the host shares how she shifted from being "the queen of convenience" to intentionally packing whole-food meals, even while working a demanding hospice nursing job. This section reframes convenience eating not as a harmless habit, but as a slow, cumulative drain on the body — one that autoimmune and chronic illness often trace back to. Putting Yourself Last: A Pattern Worth Examining One of the more personal moments in the episode addresses a habit common among busy, driven women: skipping meals, ignoring hunger cues, and pushing through exhaustion to prove worth or productivity. The host names this pattern honestly, including her own past struggle with it, and connects it to a deeper root: pride and performance, rather than genuine calling. Suppressing Emotions in Christian Culture This section addresses something rarely said aloud in faith circles: the pressure to appear "fine" even when life is genuinely hard. Drawing a parallel to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the host makes the case that honesty with God — including sadness, dread, and grief — is not a lack of faith. It's an invitation to be fully known. When "Keep Serving" Becomes Harmful The episode closes its teaching portion with a hard truth for Christian women: serving others while drowning yourself is not sustainable, and it's not necessarily what God is asking of you. Using Jesus' own ministry pattern — specific people, specific places, intentional rest — the host challenges the belief that faithfulness means saying yes to everyone, all the time. Time-Stamped Highlights 00:00 — The core question of the episode: is "normal" culture making us sick?01:26 — Why fitness (not weight loss) is tied to longevity02:22 — The body's adaptability, explained through breastfeeding and strength training04:19 — Why aches, fatigue, and constant caffeine use aren't actually "normal"05:44 — A look inside a real workday as a hospice nurse, and why she packs her own lunch10:32 — Naming the pattern of self-neglect that leads to bitterness and blame12:53 — Suppressing true feelings in Christian culture, and the example of Jesus in Gethsemane16:40 — Why people often need to be heard more than they need scripture quoted at them17:08 — The "keep serving while you're drowning" mindset in church culture21:03 — A sobering look at U.S. health outcomes and what "normal" is actually producing23:28 — The two lies that keep people stuck: "it won't matter" and "I can't change"24:25 — An invitation to identify one specific area God may be nudging you to address Key Takeaways The habits our culture treats as "normal" — skipping movement, relying on convenience food, running on stimulants, neglecting rest — carry a real, cumulative cost to long-term health.Self-neglect often isn't circumstantial; it can be a learned pattern rooted in pride, performance, or fear of being seen as needy.Emotional honesty with God is not a lack of faith. Naming pain doesn't cancel out gratitude or trust.Serving others faithfully doesn't require abandoning your own needs — even Jesus rested, withdrew, and ministered to specific people rather than everyone.Change doesn't require a total overhaul. One honest, specific step matters, and it's worth taking seriously. This episode isn't meant to diagnose or prescribe — it's meant to help you pause and honestly evaluate whether the "normal" you've accepted is actually serving your health, or slowly working against it. Ready to Understand What's Really Driving Your Exhaustion? If this episode hit close to home, don't just let the conviction pass by without action. The More Energy Masterclass was built ...
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