What exactly is Velvet Ashes, and who is it for? In this episode of the Velvet Ashes Legacy Podcast, Denise and Sarah pull back the curtain and invite you into the heart behind the ministry.

Velvet Ashes began with a simple desire: for women serving cross-culturally to have a place where they could be known and understood without having to explain every layer of their lives. More than a collection of resources, Velvet Ashes began as a community of women—and the ministry has continued to grow out of that community. Denise and Sarah talk about the women they serve, the joys and challenges they hear about, and why creating spaces for honesty, connection, spiritual formation, and sustainable joy matters so much.

From the blog and podcast to Connection Groups, retreats, cohorts, the app, and membership, they share the many ways women can find a place at the Velvet Ashes table. Whether you're brand new to Velvet Ashes or have been around for years, consider this your invitation to pull up a chair, meet the women behind the ministry, and discover a space where you don't have to explain yourself.

Learn more about ⁠⁠Velvet Ashes⁠⁠

Follow Velvet Ashes on ⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠

Featured music is "Doxology of Mercy" by ⁠⁠Eine Blume⁠⁠. Check out more from them on ⁠⁠Apple Music⁠⁠ or wherever you get music!

We are grateful to ⁠⁠Barnabas International⁠⁠ for sponsoring this podcast. Barnabas is a member care organization that shepherds global workers and trains global shepherds. Learn more about them ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

This month, Denise and Sarah jump into the topic of jealousy. Using stories from Helen Roseveare, Isabel Kuhn, Elisabeth Elliot, and Amy Carmichael, they dig into the potential disguises of jealousy and comparison, and chat what to do if you see jealousy coming up in your life. We hope you join us for this conversation!

Learn more about ⁠Velvet Ashes⁠

Follow Velvet Ashes on ⁠Facebook⁠ or ⁠Instagram⁠

Featured music is "Doxology of Mercy" by ⁠Eine Blume⁠. Check out more from them on ⁠Apple Music⁠ or wherever you get music!

We are grateful to ⁠Barnabas International⁠ for sponsoring this podcast. Barnabas is a member care organization that shepherds global workers and trains global shepherds. Learn more about them ⁠here⁠.

Isobel Kuhn: Episode 2 (in two parts)

Helen Roseveare: Episode 5

Amy Carmichael: Episode 6

Elisabeth Elliot: Episode 7

Aubri Casey knows what it's like to serve faithfully while quietly carrying more than anyone can see. After over ten years living and serving cross-culturally with her family, unexpected transitions, health challenges, and the weight of ministry reshaped her understanding of what true rest looks like.

Now, as Associate Director of Adult Debriefing with TRAIN International, Aubri spends her days helping global workers unpack the stories, losses, and hidden burdens they carry. In this thoughtful conversation, Denise and Aubri explore why Sabbath is more than taking a day off, how intentional debriefing creates space for healing, and why our identity must be rooted in being God's beloved rather than in the work we do.

Whether you're feeling burned out, navigating transition, or simply longing to return to rhythms that restore your soul, this episode offers gentle wisdom and practical encouragement for slowing down, paying attention, and receiving God's invitation to rest.

Learn more about Velvet Ashes

Follow Velvet Ashes on Facebook or Instagram

Featured music is "Doxology of Mercy" by Eine Blume. Check out more from them on Apple Music or wherever you get music!

We are grateful to Barnabas International for sponsoring this podcast. Barnabas is a member care organization that shepherds global workers and trains global shepherds. Learn more about them here.

Learn about TRAIN International

Abide Debriefing for Single Women

Missions Beyond Burnout Cohort

Aubri served overseas in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Budapest, Hungary for 11 years with her husband Chris and two children Lejla and Rudy. Since returning to the states in 2020, she has served with TRAIN International, training and preparing missionaries to go overseas, coaching them to meet their future goals, listening and discerning with them in spiritual direction, debriefing their time abroad, and providing retreat experiences for their rest and renewal. Her passion for education lives on in her role as homeschool mom and as a student of spiritual formation, completing her master’s from Portland Seminary in 2026. She enjoys all things literary, good music, and the glories of nature, preferably all at once and from a hammock.