When Janelle dreamed of becoming a mom, she never pictured the heartbreak that would come—navigating her daughter’s teen years and facing the reality of addiction, family estrangement, and the pain no one likes to talk about. We’re talking about Janelle’s honest journey through bewildering and lonely seasons: the confusion, denial, searching for answers, and finally the courage to ask for help.Janelle talks about what it was like to realize her daughter was struggling with drug addiction, how she faced hard choices as a parent, and what it looked like to set boundaries she never imagined she’d need. She opens up about the guilt, fear, and shame that can come with these dark times—and how she found hope and healing one step at a time. Through faith, real community, and a willingness to learn and grow alongside her daughter (including joining support groups and recovery programs herself), Janelle saw God bring them both to a place of restoration.

🌹 Previous Conversations about Similar Topics

- The Mom Next Door Ep. 71 with Cathy Taylor - "Hurting Moms, Mending Hearts"

https://youtu.be/BSNxgvBZfyU

- The Mom Next Door Ep. 220 with Laine Lawson Craft - "A Battle Plan and Prayer for Wayward Hearts"

https://youtu.be/unkzm0j12Mw

🌹 Connect with Janelle

Websites:

- https://www.ourbeautifulrecovery.com

- https://www.tmcbrainhealthcenter.com

Instagram:

- https://www.instagram.com/ourbeautifulrecovery

- https://www.instagram.com/themindconnection

Facebook:

- https://www.facebook.com/ourbeautifulrecovery

- https://www.facebook.com/YourBrainCanHeal

TikTok:

- https://www.tiktok.com/@jnelmartin

- https://www.tiktok.com/@the.mind.connecti

Make sure to get Janelle's book! - Losing Her, Finding Us (Contains affiliate links)

https://amzn.to/3ZhRAIB

🌹 Connect with Pam, the Mom Next Door

Website: https://www.tendingfields.net/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TendingFields

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tendingfields/

Sue grew up witnessing the power of hospitality, learning from her mother how simple meals and a welcoming spirit could build lasting community. Yet, despite a full life, she struggled with loneliness—feeling out of place at church and longing for meaningful connection.

In this conversation, Sue shares practical and faith-filled wisdom for anyone who craves friendship and fears isolation. Together, Pam and Sue unpack the difference between true hospitality and entertaining, giving moms and women of all ages simple tools to move past loneliness—no matter their season.

You’ll learn how even imperfect gatherings, with paper plates or store-bought snacks, can offer deep encouragement and joy. At its heart, this episode is a reminder that God sees us, calls us into relationships, and equips us to invite others into our lives.

🌹 Previous Conversations with Sue-

Welcome Heart Ep. 250 - "Mom (and Kids') Hospitality"

- The Mom Next Door Ep. 97 - "What's Your Legacy?"

🌹 Connect with Sue-

Website: Welcome Heart

Instagram: SueMooreDonaldson

YouTube: Welcome Heart

Facebook: Welcome Heart

Facebook GROUP: Welcome Heart: Welcome Home

Make sure to get Sue's books! (Contains affiliate links) - 252 Conversation Starters

-Never Alone: Stories of Invitation & Connection

🌹 Free Resources from Sue-

“30 Conversation Starters for a Meaningful Connection at the Table”

“Sue's Favorite Relaxing Recipes”

🌹 Connect with Pam, the Mom Next Door-

Website: Tending Fields

Facebook: Tending Fields

Instagram: Tending Fields

Ginny shares her journey from a steady Christian upbringing through seasons of doubt, infertility, adoption, and professional burnout. Through heartbreak and healing, Ginny learned to trust God with unanswered questions and new paths, eventually becoming a published writer and mentor to moms.

In this episode, Ginny and Pam explore the struggles and joys of motherhood, the importance of spiritual heritage, and practical wisdom for parents in a digital age. Ginny offers hope and insight from her work as a pediatric physical therapist and her latest book, The New Mom Guide: Help and Hope for Baby’s First Year. Together, they remind listeners that God's plan is always at work, even when the future is uncertain—and that the daily choices we make as mothers have a profound generational impact.

Connect with Ginny

Ginny’s Website: Ginnycruz.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ginny.cruz.2025/

Facebook Group: Tummy Time Prayers

Instagram: Ginnycruzauthor

TikTok: Ginny.Cruz

Make sure to get Ginny’s book! — The New Mom's Guide: Help and Hope for Baby's First Year

Connect with Pam, the Mom Next Door

Website: TendingFields.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TendingFields

Instagram: TendingFields

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TendingFields

I want to introduce you to “the Brain Lady” (aka Karen Wood) —to explore a unique intersection of faith, motherhood, and neuroscience. Karen shares her personal journey that led her from helping foster kids to becoming a therapist and eventually the author of Brain Prayers, a book dedicated to praying for our minds and the minds of those we love.

We are diving deep into how our brains process stress, habits, motherhood, and even grief, and how intentional prayer can transform not only our thoughts but our daily lives. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed or simply curious, Karen offers accessible tips for bringing faith and practical brain science together.

You can find Karen's video of this episode on her YouTube channel, The Brain Lady Podcast

She is also on IG @BrainLadyPodcast and Karen.D.Wood

Also Facebook @The Brain Lady and Karen Wood.

Her website is Brainladypodcast and the book (affiliate link) is called, Brain Prayers

Today we also mentioned:

Vision Christian Writers Conference

Episode #230 Jesus Doesn't Care About Your Messy House with Dana K White

Please visit Pam @ TendingFields.net or on IG @TendingFields and on Facebook @TendingFields Mom's Group

Please Subscribe to this podcast so that you get notifications in your downloads when we have a new episode available.

#brainhealth #storiesoffaith #prayingmoms #christianmotherhood #mentalwellness #faithjourney #womanofGod #selfcareformoms #brainprayers #healingjourney

Lisa’s world changed forever the day her husband suddenly passed away—leaving her not only as a widow, but as the “only parent” to their young children. The grief was overwhelming, and her identity—so long intertwined with her husband—felt lost in the chaos.

With raw honesty and gentle humor, Lisa recounts her journey through loss, moving from shock and survival to healing and new beginnings. She opens up about the awkward conversations, the unexpected kindness of neighbors, and the deep reshaping of faith required to move forward. Along the way, Lisa found purpose—starting a ministry for widows, creating resources to help others navigate grief, and encouraging those in seasons of suffering.

Please follow Lisa at The Widow's Comeback.com

on IG @The Widow's Comeback and

on Facebook @ The Widow's Comeback.

Lisa's book The Widow's Comeback is available now (affiliate link) and would make a thoughtful gift.

Also mentioned in this episode:

The Grief Recovery Handbook (affiliate link)

Listening with Love: Practical Tools for Supporting the Brokenhearted an interview with Susanne Murphy

Make sure you join the Tending Fields Mom's Group on Facebook to stay connected with Pam and her friends.

Also- please sign up for the Tending Fields newsletter to keep up to date with changes to this podcast. (link to sign up is available through the TendingFields.net website)

#widowscomeback #storiesoffaith #griefjourney #healingheart #faithoverfear #communitymatters #findingpurpose #visionboard

Susanne’s world fell apart piece by piece—her marriage ended, her health declined, her family home was lost, and as she mourned her father’s passing, she also became her mother’s caretaker. Just as Susanne thought she had found hope again, another deep loss left her shattered and without direction. Through this cascade of heartbreak, Susanne discovered that the well-meaning words and advice society gives us about grief often leave us even more isolated and confused.

In this episode of The Mom Next Door: Stories of Faith, Susanne Murphy joins Pam Fields to share her raw and honest journey through extraordinary loss and the profound lessons God revealed in the midst of her pain. Susanne not only tells her story but offers practical, biblically grounded tools to help us walk alongside others in their sorrow. She exposes the myths our culture perpetuates about grief and invites listeners to approach heartache with compassion and listening ears.

You’ll hear Susanne’s heartfelt encouragement for the brokenhearted and learn how even life’s “good” changes—like a child moving away to college or a big family move—can trigger grief that needs to be acknowledged. Drawing from her work as a grief recovery specialist, Susanne brings hope, healing, and a new perspective on how to hold space for our children and friends as they process loss, both big and small.

If you or someone you love is facing grief, this conversation will equip you to respond with empathy, listen without judgment, and recognize God’s redemptive work in the midst of suffering. Susanne reminds us that our stories are not over—hope, healing, and God’s loving presence are waiting as we step forward in faith.

Listen in for practical tips, biblical encouragement, and the gentle reminder that you are never alone in your heartbreak.

Check in with Susanne at Whole Heart Coaching or on Instagram @Susanne_Murphy

You can also connect with Pam and Friends on the Facebook group, Tending Fields Mom's Group and on Instagram@TendingFields

The book mentioned in this episode was

The Grief Recovery Handbook by John W. James & Russell Friedman

Some other episodes about grief:

#204 Partnering with God Through Chronic Pain, Susan Sage

#198 Supporting One Another Through Trials, Julie Foge

#192 A Mother's Loss, A Family's Faith, Christina Varvel

#146 Grief, Loss and Community, Kim Mendoza

#storiesoffaith #griefsupport #momshelpingmoms #healingjourney #faiththroughloss #holdspace #hopeafterheartbreak #listeningwell #grieflessons

Brenda grew up in the tranquil town of Shipshewana, Indiana, where life moves a bit slower and communities thrive on simplicity amidst modern chaos. Brenda is a therapist, writer, and speaker, and today we are talking about the importance of making life and faith uncomplicated in a fast-paced world.

So ponder with us the beauty of a back-to-basics lifestyle, not by rejecting modernity, but by reconnecting with God-given skills and sensibilities. "Life is complicated but how we respond doesn't have to be."

Head over to Brenda's website at BrendaYoder.com and her Instagram is @BrendaYoderSpeaks. You can find her on Facebook @BrendaYoderAuthor and her Facebook community is Midlife Mom Podcast .

Check out her podcast Midlife Mom Podcast

Some books we talked about today (affiliate links)

Uncomplicated: Simple Secrets for a Compelling Life by Brenda Yoder

Fledge: Launching Your Kids without Losing your Mind by Brenda Yoder

Terms of Service by Chris Martin

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

As always, you can stay connected with Pam through the website TendingFields.net or in her Facebook group, Tending Fields Mom's Group

#valuesclarification #midlifemom #creativeproblemsolving #lifeiscomplicated #simplifylife #slowdown #christianparenting