Allie Carter describes herself as someone who has always been a seeker. That searching led her through the doors of a church on a Sunday morning when she was hungover, reluctant to be there, and simply keeping a promise to some friends. What happened that morning changed her life.

But following Jesus didn't make everything that came next easy.

Allie opens up about church hurt, losing a community she trusted, realizing she had placed some of her faith in people, and slowly finding her way into a community where she felt safe enough to be fully herself.

We also talk about singleness, loneliness, relationships, self-love, learning to sit with yourself, and the freedom Allie has found in no longer believing she needs to become smaller, quieter, or less of herself to be loved.

And somehow, through all of that, we laughed. A LOT. 😂

This conversation is warm, funny, honest, faith-filled, and unmistakably Allie.

Connect with AllieWant to keep up with Allie, her writing, and what she’s sharing along the way? You can find her here:

Instagram: @allies__worldSubstack: Allie CarterFacebook: Allie Carter

Stanley Frankart walked into prison with no intention of changing his life. What happened there would eventually change not only his future, but the lives of countless people who would come behind him.

In this conversation, Stanley shares honestly about incarceration, losing his mother while he was still inside, encountering Jesus, and the difficult work of rebuilding a life after coming home. He also shares how those very experiences became part of his calling—from peer recovery and reentry work to advocating for housing, influencing policy, and walking back into correctional institutions carrying something very different than he once did: hope.

Stanley was also one of Danielle's Peer Recovery Support instructors, making this conversation especially meaningful for us.

This is a story about second chances, faith, purpose, and what can happen when the pieces of a life we'd rather erase become the very places from which we serve others.

Stan's Resource Corner

Connect with Young Christian Professionals (YCP)Learn more about YCP's reentry work, upcoming events, resources, and the community Stan talked about throughout this episode.

Website: Young Christian ProfessionalsFacebook: Young Christian ProfessionalsInstagram: Young Christian ProfessionalsYouTube: Young Christian Professionals

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Search for reentry services, recovery support, housing, employment, food, mental-health resources and more by location.

relink: Connecting People in Need

If you’ve listened to Worn But Worthy for a while, you’ve probably heard the name Cornerstone Church woven into more than a few of our guests’ stories. In this episode, you get to meet the man leading it.

Pastor Jacob Young joins us for a conversation that gives us a look behind the title, sharing about his family, his faith journey, his path into ministry, and some of the personal experiences that have shaped who he is today.

But we also take the opportunity to ask some of the bigger questions people are wrestling with when it comes to Christianity and the Church. We talk honestly about church hurt, hypocrisy, suffering, belonging, imperfect people trying to represent Jesus, and why Cornerstone has chosen to make room for people to show up authentically without pretending to have it all together.

Whether church has always felt like home, you’ve been hurt or rejected by one, you’ve walked away, or you’re simply curious about Christianity and Jesus, there’s a lot packed into this conversation.

It’s an honest conversation about faith, family, grace, and what church can look like when people are given the freedom to be real, ask questions, and find a place to belong.

Pastor Jacob's Resource Corner

Instagram

Cornerstone Church

Instagram

Website

“There isn't a place for you here.”

Those words were spoken to Robby Tremble by a pastor at a time when he was trying to find his way back to faith. After sharing that he was gay and had a longtime partner, Robby was told there was no place for him in that church. He walked out devastated, and the impact of that moment would follow him for years.

After experiencing deep rejection from the church and people he loved, Robby spent more than 20 years wanting little to do with faith.

In this episode, Robby shares his journey back to Jesus with remarkable honesty and grace. He talks about church hurt, learning to have compassion even for those who had hurt him, the unexpected road that led him back to the calling he thought he'd lost, and what he describes as discovering “the Jesus I was never introduced to.”

And perhaps most beautifully, Robby shares what it meant to finally believe something Jesus had known all along:

He was worthy.

This is a story of rejection, redemption, belonging, and a God whose love remained present even through the years Robby wanted nothing to do with Him.

Robby's Resource Corner

• Substack
• Instagram
• Facebook

Brandon Poe shares his journey through addiction, recovery, entrepreneurship, and rebuilding a meaningful life after years of struggle. With honesty, humor, and hard-earned wisdom, Brandon talks about sobriety, ADHD, fear, discipline, confidence, and the small choices that slowly change everything.

This episode is full of practical insight and powerful reminders that healing doesn’t happen overnight—and that failure is often part of becoming who we were meant to be.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, behind, overwhelmed, or unsure if change is possible for you, this conversation will remind you that your story is not over.

Join us for a heartfelt conversation about resilience, recovery, purpose, and why no matter how worn you feel… you are still worthy.

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Brandons Resources Center

Alcoholics Anonymous has a solution. That isn't an empty promise. A.A. has been helping alcoholics recover for more than 80 years. A.A.'s program of recovery is built on the simple foundation of one alcoholic sharing with another. If your drinking is out of control, A.A. can help.

For more than a year, every episode of Worn But Worthy has passed through Nikola Nenin's hands before reaching yours. He has carefully edited every story we've shared, but until now, you've never had the chance to meet him.

In this episode, we sit down with our friend and editor to hear the story behind the headphones. Nikola shares what it was like growing up in Serbia, discovering his love for music, navigating an overwhelming season of anxiety, and learning to understand himself in the middle of it all.

This conversation is honest, thoughtful, surprisingly funny, and full of hope. More than anything, it's a reminder that some of the people making the biggest impact on our lives are often the ones working quietly behind the scenes.

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Nikola's Resource Corner

Upwork Profile: Professional Musician & Audio Specialist

Email: n.nenin@gmail.com

China Darrington is a person in long-term recovery from substance use disorders, mental health challenges, complex trauma, and human trafficking. She is the CEO of Summit Recovery Hub and serves as Director of Advocacy and Public Policy for Thrive Peer Recovery Services.

In this episode, China shares her journey through addiction, recovery, trauma-informed care, and the work she now does helping others find hope and healing. We talk about community, harm reduction, advocacy, family systems, and why recovery is about so much more than simply not using substances.

This conversation is honest, thought-provoking, and filled with practical wisdom for anyone navigating recovery, loving someone who is, or simply trying to build a healthier life.

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China's Resource Center

Recovery Support

• Summit Recovery HubRecovery meetings, peer support, family support, advocacy, and community resources.330-871-9702

• Thrive Peer Recovery ServicesPeer recovery support, advocacy, and education.

• SMART Recovery Family & FriendsSupport and tools for those who love someone living with addiction.

• Al-Anon Family GroupsSupport for families and friends affected by someone else's drinking.

• Recovery DharmaA peer-led recovery program using Buddhist principles and practices.

• Refuge RecoveryThe recovery program and book that China shared played an important role in her own recovery journey.

Books

• Dharma Punx by Noah Levine
• Recovery Dharma

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Some stories don’t fit into one sentence, and Tara’s is one of them. Her journey holds layers of heartbreak, resilience, and redemption.

From early dreams of motherhood, to walking through trauma, to raising a blended family and navigating her son’s medical challenges, her life has been shaped in ways she never would have chosen.

And yet, what stands out most isn’t just what she’s been through, but who she’s become. Today, Tara is a nurse, a mom, and a steady, compassionate presence in the lives of others, helping people in both the beginning and the ending of life feel seen, cared for, and not alone.

This conversation is honest, grounded, and full of hope, for anyone who has ever wondered if they are enough.

Tara's Resource Corner

• Cornerstone Church
• Embrace Clinic & Care Center

Connect with Tara

• Facebook