Let's talk about what it really means to show up for people when life gets messy. In this deeply honest conversation, Vanessa sits down with Carly Souza - founder of Fostering Hope in Las Vegas, wife, and mom of nine - to explore what it looks like to love people well in the hardest seasons of their lives.

Carly shares her family's journey into foster care, starting just months after getting married, and how God has shaped her heart through decades of walking alongside children and families in crisis. Together, they discuss the difference between serving from obligation versus serving from genuine love, why curiosity might be one of our most underused spiritual gifts, and how small, practical acts of kindness can carry more weight than any grand gesture. You'll walk away encouraged, equipped, and challenged to lean in rather than pull back when suffering shows up at your door.

Resources

• The HUB Las Vegas
• • https://thehublv.com/

Connect with Vanessa Hartsell

• Follow Pull Up a Chair's Instagram
• • https://www.instagram.com/pullupachairvh
• Book Vanessa to speak
• • http://ignitelifelv.com/speaker-request

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Let's talk about the real reason so many of us stay stuck: fear, lies, and a version of ourselves that’s trying way too hard. In this episode, Vanessa shares what her five-week sabbatical uncovered about rest, identity, and what it actually looks like to stop striving and start abiding in Jesus. If you’ve ever felt burned out, off-track, or like you’re running on momentum instead of peace, this conversation is going to hit home.

Let’s talk about pride, praise, and finding freedom in Christ.

My big sister Melissa Jackson pulls up a chair to share how God used her own struggles with pride, approval, and identity to draw her into deeper freedom. Together, we explore the subtle ways pride can shape our hearts, how praise and recognition can become dangerous if we’re not careful, and what it looks like to live from God’s love rather than striving for it.

Resources

• What a Beautiful Mess: Finding Freedom from Pride and Praise

Connect with Vanessa Hartsell

• Follow Pull Up a Chair's Instagram

• Book Vanessa to speak

👍 If this encouraged you, share it with someone who needs it.