Topics: female friendships, comparison between women, jealousy, gossip, insecurity, sacred sisterhood

We’re huddled up with Natalie Runion, speaker, pastor, author, and creator of the Raised to Stay community. Natalie is known for tackling hard conversations with honesty and courage, including church hurt, leadership struggles, and the complex dynamics women often face in relationships with each other.

In this episode we talk about her new book, I Don’t Even Like Women: And Other Lies That Get in the Way of Sacred Sisterhood.

Let’s be honest. Many women deeply long for meaningful friendships, but insecurity, comparison, jealousy, and past hurt can make those relationships feel complicated and risky. Instead of pursuing connection, we often protect ourselves.

In this conversation we peel back the layers behind that familiar phrase, “I don’t even like women,” and explore what is really underneath it.

We talk about:

• Why female friendships can feel complicated
• Comparison, jealousy, and insecurity between women
• Practical ways to build real, supportive friendships

Natalie also shares the story behind her well known “little black boxes” on Instagram and how they became a place where many women felt seen, understood, and defended during difficult seasons.

If you’ve ever struggled with friendships with other women but still long for deep connection, this conversation will encourage you and challenge some of the narratives we’ve accepted about one another.

Because beneath the tension, comparison, and misunderstandings, there is often a deeper longing: Belonging

Connect with Natalie Runion

Instagram Raised to Stay Community Book: I Don’t Even Like Women: And Other Lies That Get in the Way of Sacred Sisterhood

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female friendships, why female friendships are hard, Natalie Runion interview, comparison between women, jealousy between women, Christian women friendships, sacred sisterhood, overcoming insecurity in friendships, women supporting women, Wild Hope Rising podcast, faith based encouragement for women

Topics: Emotional rest, belonging, surrender as posture, and freedom from performance

We are huddled up with Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith to talk about her book Being Fully Known The Joyful Satisfaction of Beholding, Becoming, and Belonging.

Dr. Saundra is a board certified physician, international speaker, bestselling author, and founder of Restorasis. She blends biblical truth, science, and personal experience to help women move beyond performance and into emotional rest.

In this conversation we explore what it means to be fully known by God and how that truth becomes an invitation into rest.

We talk about:

• Why our culture conditions us to prove our worth through productivity • How surrender is a posture of trust • Why emptiness becomes an invitation to be filled • The barriers of fear, rejection, and self protection • What belonging looks like when we stop performing

Dr. Saundra also shares insight on how emotional rest impacts physical health and daily life, and she invites women to take an honest look at where they need deeper rest.

Take the Rest Quiz at restquiz.com to discover your rest needs and begin moving toward greater awareness and freedom.

Connect with Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith

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Podcast: I Choose My Best Life

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Buckle up. It’s time for Wild Hope.

Topics: Overcoming fear, self doubt, and the internal voices that hold you back

Have you ever started moving toward something meaningful only to feel an internal pushback that stalls your progress?

Maybe it shows up as fear. Self doubt. Comparison. Perfectionism. People pleasing. Or that quiet voice that tells you to stop before you start.

In this episode, we name resistance for what it is. Resistance is not always a stop. Sometimes it is a signal. But it does not get to drive your decisions.

We talk about the internal voices that try to hold you back and how to recognize them without letting them call the shots. Instead of freezing when fear shows up, you can learn to separate the voice from your identity and choose action anyway.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why fear and self doubt show up when you step into growth
• How to identify the voices that sabotage progress
• The difference between discernment and destructive resistance
• Practical ways to talk back to the thoughts that hold you back
• The “Even Though” Method. (Psalm 23)

When you learn to name the voice, you regain authority over your direction.

Resistance may speak. But it does not decide.

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What does it actually look like to trust God- not just say we do?

In this episode of the Fresh Sound, New Ground series, we’re confronting the tension many women live in: we say we trust God, yet we still try to control outcomes, fix people, carry what isn’t ours, and strive in our own strength. When control fails, we often swing to worry or helplessness. But real trust looks different.

This conversation is an invitation to move beyond lip service faith and into lived trust, a posture of open-handed surrender where we stop trying to control and let God be God.

Because the truth is simple: Only God can do what only God can do.

In this episode, we explore:

• The subtle ways control, worry, and striving reveal where trust is lacking
• How “lip service trust” shows up in everyday life
• The emotional and spiritual cost of trying to carry what belongs to God
• What open-handed trust actually looks like in real life
• A simple prayer posture: God help. God guide. God provide.

The Fresh Sound

From lip service → to lived trust

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Buckle up. It’s time for Wild Hope.

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In this week’s Hope Huddle, we talk about the gap many women live in between longing for change and actually participating in it. We say we want growth. We want forward movement in our health, relationships, faith, and everyday life. Yet often we remain stuck. Aware, but unmoving. Hoping, but not stepping.

Through John 5 and the encounter at Bethesda, we explore the disruptive question Jesus asks, “Do you want to be made well?” This question reveals the difference between wanting change and participating in it. The man explains his situation, but does not move. Many of us do the same.

We unpack the mindsets that quietly keep us stuck and camping in hard places instead of walking through them.

In this episode, we talk about • The difference between longing for change and stepping into it • How victim thinking keeps us explaining instead of acting • Why comparison distracts us from stewarding our own progress • The illusion of pity and how it quietly stalls growth • The difference between complacency and true contentment • Why forward movement requires participation, not perfection

Progress does not come from waiting until everything is right. It begins when we move with what we have. Faith often looks like action before clarity. Jesus invites transformation, but He does not force it.

This episode is an invitation to stop waiting, stop explaining, and start participating. Pick up your mat. Take the step. Step into your own progress.

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Keywords: step into your own progress, Christian growth for women, how to stop feeling stuck, faith and action, personal responsibility and faith, overcoming victim mindset, comparison and jealousy, self pity and growth, complacency vs contentment, moving forward in faith, Christian personal growth podcast, John 5 lesson, spiritual growth for women

In this week’s Hope Huddle, we talk about a struggle so many women quietly carry: saying yes out of pressure, obligation, or people-pleasing and slowly losing themselves in the process. When every yes is driven by expectation instead of discernment, the cost shows up as exhaustion, resentment, burnout, and disconnection from what actually matters.

We explore why saying yes so often feels easier than saying no, and how busyness can become both a badge of honor and a form of avoidance. For many women, being needed, being productive, or being the strong one has quietly become part of their identity. But just because you can say yes does not mean you should.

In this episode, we talk about • Why people-pleasing, performance, and fear drive so many of our yeses • The hidden cost of overcommitment on our physical, emotional, spiritual, and relational health • How to recognize when your yes is no longer aligned with your values or God’s invitation • What it actually looks like to grow your no and protect your yes without guilt • Why boundaries are not about withdrawal, but about honesty and stewardship

We return to this anchor truth throughout the conversation:

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

Learning to grow your no is not about becoming unavailable. It is about becoming intentional, discerning, and faithful with what has actually been entrusted to you.

This episode is for the woman who feels stretched thin, overwhelmed, or quietly resentful of commitments she once agreed to with good intentions. It is an invitation to stop living from pressure and start living from wisdom.

Listener Resource- Become a No Pro We have included a worksheet in the show notes to help you begin growing your no, clarifying your yes, and discerning what needs to shift in this season.

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Keywords: Christian podcast for women, learning to say no, people pleasing, boundaries, burnout, overwhelm, discernment, faith based podcast, protecting your yes, growing your no

This week I’m flying solo (Sunny Cain) and sharing my personal testimony about the mind—how our thoughts shape our lives and how they can slowly, subtly take control if left unchecked. Growing up in a cult taught me that the mind can be shaped and influenced in ways we don’t always notice. But I also learned the faithfulness of God and the power of His Word to protect, guide, and set us free.

In this episode, we explore:

• How fear, worry, comparison, and old patterns can hijack your thinking
• The difference between a mind bound by lies and a mind built on truth
• How Scripture provides clarity, peace, and freedom
• Practical ways to actively choose what you think about before thoughts take hold

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “What am I thinking?” or felt trapped by recurring thoughts, this episode will help you steward your thoughts, renew your mind, find peace, and live free.

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Buckle up — it’s time for Wild Hope

Keywords: renewing your mind, take thoughts captive, mental clarity, break anxiety loops, control your thoughts, live free, faith and mind, guard your thoughts, Christian mental health, freedom from worry

In this Hope Huddle, we dive into how women can move forward with clarity, courage, and hope, even when life feels overwhelming, obligations are piling up, and the pressure to “do it all” is real. We explore how responding to what God is revealing, rather than pushing through out of obligation or expectation, can help you make intentional, sustainable choices that honor your heart, bandwidth, and purpose.

As we step into a new season, many women find themselves navigating the pressure, expectations, and “shoulds” that come with trying to move forward. Chasing resolutions, driven by obligation, fear, or people-pleasing, often leaves us exhausted, disconnected, or stuck in cycles of overwhelm. This episode invites you to pause, reflect, and let God guide your next steps, so your decisions are intentional, sustainable, and hope-filled.

We also explore the different postures we navigate new seasons from: The Apathetic, who feel stuck or discouraged by past disappointments; The Ambitious, who try to push through with sheer willpower; and The Expectant, who learn to pause, reflect, and act with clarity and discernment. This conversation is a reminder that lasting change comes from wisdom, prayer, and reflection—not from pressure, proving, or self-reliance.

If you’re wrestling with questions like:

• How do I move forward with clarity without burning out?
• How can I make choices that honor my time, emotional energy, and God-given purpose?
• How do I stop responding out of obligation and start responding to what God is revealing?

…this series kickoff episode is full of encouragement, practical insight, and faith-filled guidance to help you move forward in your story with intention, courage, and hope.

Connect & Keep the Hope Going!

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Buckle up — it’s time for Wild Hope