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Pull up a chair at the Dim Sum Table and discover why your story—every tender, tangled part—holds real weight. Janell welcomes Jenn Suen Chen, author of Dim Sum and Faith: How Our Stories Form Our Souls, to explore how faith, family history, and formation weave together, not as a self-help checklist but as a lived way of being shaped by Scripture.

Jenn introduces a four-part arc for spiritual growth—shaping, undoing, awakening, remaking—and shows why the “undoing” we avoid is often where God does His gentlest work. We unpack migration as more than immigration: movement across generations under pressure from war, economics, and longing. Naming those movements reduces shame, expands compassion, and builds what Jenn calls emotional elasticity in our home cultures. Along the way, we sit with a disarming truth from her son: “We don’t get to choose what our brain calls hard.” That single line frees us from comparison, inviting honest prayer: Jesus, show me where You are here.

Visit Jenn Suen Chen's website: Jenn

Order Jenn's new book: Dim Sum and Faith

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Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online coaching center and meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
2. Download the "Overcoming Hurtful Words" Study Guide PDF: BECOMING EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY
3. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
4. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
5. Learn more about my books and work: Janell Rardon
6. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International

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"A heart out of rhythm has a way of revealing a life out of rhythm."

Guided by insights from Tom Rosshirt's Chasing Peace: A Story of Breakdowns, Breakthroughs, and the Spiritual Power of Neuroscience, we explore the connection between breakdowns and breakthroughs. We talk plainly about the difference between happiness tied to outcomes and peace rooted in a state of mind, and we practice language that helps dissolve the ego without erasing identity. From breathwork and boundaries to nervous system care, prayer, and honest community, this conversation offers practical routes back to rest—rest that isn’t a day off but a daily way of being.

We also return to a theme close to my heart: honoring maternal presence as a powerful, often untapped force inside families, churches, and communities. When we mother across ages—biologically or spiritually—we model repair, stability, and hope. My prayer, as I head into a procedure to restore sinus rhythm, is simple: that our hearts would find a God-breathed rhythm, and that our lives would beat with grace, peace, and love.

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online coaching center and meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
2. Download the "Overcoming Hurtful Words" Study Guide PDF: BECOMING EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY
3. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
4. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
5. Learn more about my books and work: Janell Rardon
6. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International

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In this episode, we explore how trauma reshapes belief, what the ancient story of Job reveals about suffering, and how to become trusted listeners who create safe spaces instead of offering quick fixes. Dr. Michelle K. Keener, author of Comfort in the Ashes: Explorations in the Book of Job to Support Trauma Survivors, gives practical tools for mothers, mentors, and faith communities. Other ideas shared in this conversation:

• Trauma is defined as overwhelm beyond normal coping
• Retribution theology vs compassionate presence
• trusted listener traits and spiritual bypassing
• liminal space as formative process, not failure
• schema theory and the filing cabinet metaphor
• missed encounters, memory gaps, and safety
• mothering through shame spirals and repair
• church as a safe base, partnering with counseling

Visit Dr. Michelle's website: Michelle Keener

Order Michelle's book: Comfort in the Ashes

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online coaching center and meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
2. Download the "Overcoming Hurtful Words" Study Guide PDF: BECOMING EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY
3. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
4. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
5. Learn more about my books and work: Janell Rardon
6. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International

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The quiet after the last suitcase leaves can feel like a freefall—or a doorway. We lean into that threshold with Kate Battistelli, author of The After Party of the Empty Nest: Mom Isn't Your Only Name, to reframe the empty nest as an after-party —a time to honor the first act of mothering and step into a purposeful, hope-filled second act. Kate shares the heart behind her directive, “Mom is not your only name,” and why your next chapter isn’t smaller—it’s just different, and often deeper.

Together, we explore the three “bird” archetypes that map this transition—the quick-pivot swallow, the grieving mourning dove, and the balanced robin—so you can name where you are and choose what’s next. Kate’s story illustrates how courage grows when we respond to quiet nudges with small, faithful steps. We discuss dreaming with the Father without shrinking your desires, finding an “empty next” that builds the kingdom, and utilizing the margins of your day to prepare for new work, study, service, or creative callings.

If this episode encourages you, please follow, share it with a friend who’s nearing the transition, and leave a quick review so more moms can find the courage to start their after party.

Download the Intro and First Chapter of The After Party of the Empty Nest: Text AFTERPARTY to 44144.

Visit Kate's website: Kate Battistelli

Learn more about Kate's book: The After Party of the Empty Nest

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online coaching center and meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
2. Download the "Overcoming Hurtful Words" Study Guide PDF: BECOMING EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY
3. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
4. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
5. Learn more about my books and work: Janell Rardon
6. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International

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What happens when the warning signals from our bodies become so normalized that we fail to recognize them as distress calls? After experiencing a sudden atrial fibrillation episode that landed me in the emergency room, doctors asked the question that haunted me: "Why did you wait so long to seek help?" The answer was both simple and profound – I had been ignoring my body's desperate attempts to complete stress cycles that had accumulated over the years.

This deeply personal episode explores the science behind stress cycles and explains why completing them is essential for our overall well-being. Drawing on Emily and Amelia Nagoski's groundbreaking work, I explain that stress isn't just a feeling, but a physiological cycle with distinct phases that must reach a state of completion. When we continuously interrupt this natural process, moving from one stressor to the next without allowing our bodies to process and release, we remain in a state of hypervigilance that takes a devastating toll on our physical and mental health.

Whether you're feeling the early warning signs of burnout or want to develop healthier rhythms, this episode offers seven practical strategies to complete stress cycles and return to a state of flourishing.

Revisit these podcast episodes mentioned in today's episode:

E337. The Art of Slowing Down with A.C. Seiple

E314. Radical Relaxation with Tracie Braylock

E272. Forest Bathing in the Hallerbos

E274. Everything is Reconciled in a Garden

Read Dr. Brene Brown's interview with the Nagoski Sisters

Read the Stanford U article on "Cyclic Sighing"

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online coaching center and meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
2. Download the "Overcoming Hurtful Words" Study Guide PDF: BECOMING EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY
3. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
4. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
5. Learn more about my books and work: Janell Rardon
6. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International

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What happens when life throws you not just a curveball, but an ongoing series of challenges with no end in sight? Katie Schnack, author of "Everything Is Not Fine," opens up about her journey through her son Shepherd's diagnosis with a rare medical condition called VACTERL.

Rather than offering trite solutions, Katie shares how she's learned to hold both joy and sorrow simultaneously. She describes beautiful moments of divine reassurance, like when her three-year-old daughter spontaneously sang "Jesus Loves Me" exactly when Katie had been praying for a sign of God's love. These "everyday epiphanies" became anchors in the storm.

The discussion challenges conventional notions of what it means to be "inspirational" during hardship. As Katie's friend wisely told her, "Courage doesn't mean you're not scared; it means you're scared and do it anyway." This reframing allows space for honest emotional processing while still moving forward in faith.

For anyone navigating ongoing challenges—whether medical issues, grief, relationship difficulties, or other circumstances without clear resolution—this conversation offers both companionship and practical wisdom. Katie shares how community support, intentional grief processing, and "closing the stress cycle" through physical activity have helped her develop resilience.

Visit Katie's website: KATIE

Order Katie's book: Everything Is (Not) Fine

Listen to Janell's Meditative Exercise: The Waiting Room

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online coaching center and meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
2. Download the "Overcoming Hurtful Words" Study Guide PDF: BECOMING EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY
3. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
4. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
5. Learn more about my books and work: Janell Rardon
6. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International

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*Visiting the archives today in commemoration of 9/11. k

Welcome, New York Times Bestseller Michael Hingson, survivor of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks, and his guide dog Roselle, as they share profound wisdom about bravery, overcoming adversity, and moving forward with faith as we celebrate our 300th episode.

The conversation takes us through the powerful lessons Michael has learned from each of his guide dogs, from Squire to Alamo. These 11 principles form a roadmap for anyone facing challenges: awareness builds confidence, preparation prevents panic, flexibility and faith move you forward.

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online coaching center and meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
2. Download the "Overcoming Hurtful Words" Study Guide PDF: BECOMING EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY
3. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
4. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
5. Learn more about my books and work: Janell Rardon
6. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International

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Licensed Counselor, A. C. Seiple, author of The Sacred Art of Slowing Down: Find Relief from Rushed Living, Soothe Your Soul, and Restore Wholeness Within, shares a transformative approach to finding relief from rushed living by embracing the sacred art of slowing down and reconnecting with our embodied selves. Through exploring autonomy, nervous system regulation, and ancient contemplative practices, she offers practical wisdom for tending to our forgotten inner worlds.

Pre-order A. C. Seiple's book "The Sacred Art of Slowing Down" wherever books are sold and follow her Substack "All Parts Sacred" for more wisdom on embodied spirituality.

Support the show

Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey:

1. Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online coaching center and meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide.
2. Download the "Overcoming Hurtful Words" Study Guide PDF: BECOMING EMOTIONALLY HEALTHY
3. Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon
4. Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW
5. Learn more about my books and work: Janell Rardon
6. Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International