Shows
Thriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief190 | Setting Healthy Boundaries for Christian Women, While Podcasting, With Stefanie GassHow do we regenerate and stay on God's vine when we are so busy leading and serving in Christ? How can we do self-care, when sometimes it feels selfish, and set boundaries when it feels so uncomfortable?
If you are reading this, you've most likely tried many things to solve this and they haven't worked. That's because they were band-aids you were putting on top of a burdened foundation, created by old conditioning and misconceptions that exist in our world.
Caring for yourself and setting healthy boundaries is essential for us to Thrive in Christ...2025-06-1937 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief189 | At the Feet of Christ: Internal Family Systems and Faith Stages with Julie HoneycuttHow often do we pause to actively listen to God during the hustle and bustle of each day? And when we do, are there simple questions we can ask to be in God's presence more readily?
Seeking connection with God can be tricky at times, but a worthwhile pursuit, and learning how to be authentic with our various reactions is a big part of it.
Julie Honeycutt is on a mission to do this not just for herself, but for her clients as well, and she does it through Internal Family Systems (IFS), which is...2025-06-1235 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief188 | Breathing With Jesus and the Peace Barometer, With Marnie SwedbergEven though acquiring emotional intelligence is a popular trend in our culture, it is unfortunate that, as Christian women, we are still frowned upon and labeled as "too emotional."
Nonetheless, emotions are vital. And there are many ways we can learn from our emotions: from our underlying needs, to the emotional tone of others and much more.
We can also use emotions as a barometer for our connection with God, and this is exactly what Marnie Swedberg is doing.
I had the joy of interviewing Marnie and she shares many nuggets and beautiful...2025-06-0540 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief187 | Overcoming Burnout: A Journey in Faith, with Jesikah WellsWhat can we do when we discover that we are experiencing burnout? Are there steps to take?
If you have known me for a while, you are aware that I burned out twice and since recovering, many of my programs and presentations are centered exactly on this topic.
Jesikah Wells went through burnout as well and in this Renewal Conversation she shares her journey of Burnout and the steps that she took to overcome it.
She is the host of the Broken 2 Beautiful Podcast, a faith-based space for women seeking healing, restoration, and...2025-05-2935 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief186 | Is There Hope in Chronic Stress? Christ in the Suffering, with Cynthia DamaskosIs there hope in chronic stress and irreversible conditions? How do we keep our joy and zest for life? Where is Christ in the suffering?
Last week, I shared an inspirational story about a Christian woman overcoming blindness and her connection to God leading her to a life of gratitude and fulfillment.
Today, I have the honor to share with you the recent health journey of Cynthia Damaskos, and how she overcame it. You might know her already from my previous interviews.
Cynthia is a Functional Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach, specializing in Amino...2025-05-2230 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief185| Deep Connection With Christ in Suffering, for Christian Women, With Laura BrattonWhat do we do when a massive disease knocks at our door unexpectedly? When our life changes as a consequence, how do we still find God in the midst of suffering?
Humanity has wrestled with these questions for centuries, and there are unending books to try to find the answers.
But there is nothing like hearing the LIVED answers from someone who faced such a major traumatic event and moved through it with grit and gratitude.
I had the honor of interviewing Laura Bratton, who faced the difficult reality at an early age...2025-05-1538 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief184 | Dream Visions and Insights: Trusting God to Lead Us, with Ana MegrelishviliStress and busy lives can often hide our deep purpose in life, without us knowing it. We keep going until life happens and we HAVE TO stop and pause. When I was going through my second burnout, pausing felt almost impossible, to the point that one day I had to walk for hours! In that 'pause,' I've increased my capacity to be in the present moment and trust God to show up in my life. I am happy that the season passed, but at the same time I am grateful that it taught me that staying with myself...2025-05-0850 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief183 | Scared of Vocational Pivoting? With God All Things Are Possible, with Dr. Sheila JacksonTransitions are not easy, and changing our vocation is even harder. However, with God, all things are possible, especially as we strengthen our connection with Him.
Dr. Sheila did just that: she trusted and connected with God day by day, which allowed her to pivot and shift her vocation.Dr. Sheila Jackson, today's guest in Thriving In Christ show, holds an Ed.D in Transformational Leadership and has over 20 years of experience in ministry.
In today's episode, we go over:
✨ Her life journey and the courageous step as she moved out of the Co...2025-05-0143 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief182 | What Am I Eating For? Developing Conscious Eating Habits for Mind and Soul, with Christina VeselakThe balance of mind, body, heart, and soul is precious. We often consider feeding the soul and mind with reading and prayer, but how often do you consider eating to nourish your mind and soul?
There are always times when we find ourselves eating unhealthier. Usually, those times are when we're stressed out, when life seems to take control, and we have very little time to think about much else than what is in front of us. This is when we should pause and ask ourselves, "What am I eating for?" In this episode, I speak with...2025-04-2441 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief181 | Stuck at Your Desk? Regenerate and Connect to Your Body, the 50–10 Ratio, with Alessa CaridiMay Easter (Pascha) bring you much hope and peace as you celebrate the resurrected Christ. Today, I have an inspiring faith story from a wonderful Christian woman, along with her practical regeneration tips for the body, specially if you have to sit for a long period of time! Alessa Caridi is the Power Posture Pro, a Master-Certified Pilates Instructor and a "workday health interrupter.
In this Renewal Conversation episode, she shares:
✨ Her inspiring journey in Christ and her secret of unwavering faith ✨ Her favorite bible verse that guided her during this Lenten Journey: 'Lord, I be...2025-04-1746 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief180 | Seventeen Seconds to Reality: How Changing Thought Patterns Enhances Your Mind with Jenny HarkleroadThoughts are powerful, and how we listen to them and believe them makes a big difference. Many of us take our thoughts for granted, but what is interesting is that both our thoughts and our emotions are not necessarily the truth — and we can choose them based on how helpful they are or are not.
Jenny Harkleroad experienced a devastating moment in her life and discovered the power of choosing her thoughts, which turned her life around! Jenny is a #1 best-selling author, speaker, mindset coach, and teacher. She is a mother of four, her greatest claim to fa...2025-04-1040 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief179 | The Power of Silence and Contemplative Prayer for Your Renewal, with Jennifer Anna RichAre you enjoying silence and contemplation? If so, wonderful, but know you are not alone if you don't. For most people, it is tricky to sit quietly without their minds getting distracted and being pulled in many directions.
And, consequently, it is not uncommon to feel a sense of defeat and draw the wrong conclusion that "I am not good at this." It takes time to sit in contemplation and tap into what is beyond our thoughts, emotions, and body sensations: our awareness at our soul level. But here is the great news: the practice does not...2025-04-0337 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief178 | Reclaiming Your Health: Step into Your Vibrant Postpartum Self (& Beyond), with Ashley LambertHere are a couple of good questions to ask yourself daily: did you give to others without replenishing your cup? Did it slip your mind that modeling your self-care and healthy self-love can allow others to see it and then do it, too?
In the hustle of bustle of our busy life while leading and caring for others in Christ, it is easy to forget that our joyful and refreshed presence is inspiring to others and has a ripple effect in the world. We need to constantly remind ourself this, and keep gravitating toward joy, gratitude and...2025-03-2737 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief177 | Finding the Middle Way while Eating: Nourishing the Temple of God with Pres. Krista FedorchakHow often do we eat, to only be distracted while eating, not even noticing when we reach out for seconds, and ending up feeling guilty for not controlling ourselves? Most us of women have a complicated relationship with food, leading us at times feeling dissatisfied and even intensely disappointed with ourselves and our bodies.
And fasting during the Lenten season only complicates things, at which point it is easy to lose sight of the joy and gratitude for the food given ultimately by God. Krista Fedorchak, MS, RD, is an Orthodox Christian, priest wife, mother, and registered...2025-03-2042 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief176 | The Next Right Step... Finding Motivation Without Being Motivated a Conversation with Cindy BakerDo we really need to be motivated to do something? What if, instead, all it takes is one step forward?
Waiting for motivation to peak seems awesome, but unfortunately, it is never a good strategy. We've been told to be motivated before we take action, when, in fact, motivation is like the wind. We never really know where it will pick up, for how long, or how strong it will be.
So then, what are we supposed to do? Sit there and wait? No. There are ways for us to take that control. Speaker and...2025-03-1355 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief175 | What Binds Us Christians Together? A Story of Servant Leadership With Mka. Jennifer LevineWhat do you do when you're feeling overwhelmed and negativity is starting to cloud your joy? Can you remind yourself that things will not always seem as they are right now? Do you remember to empower yourself? We can feel empowered and co-create with God.
Yes, there may be circumstances we might not be able to change, and yes, the natural response is to be overwhelmed. But we all have a choice.
If we see something that's emotionally negative and continue to view it as negative, we will stay in the same headspace. If, on...2025-03-0640 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief174 | Do You Sacrifice Yourselves on the 'Altar of Others'? Renewal Conversation with Leslie DavisAs Christian Givers, we love to serve and give to others, but how often do we find ourselves overdoing it and then running on empty?
I am reminded of the Bible parable of the 10 virgins and how the five foolish ones had no more oil in their lamps. Sometimes, giving too much to others can feel this way: we have no more "inner oil" to sustain our giving. From this perspective, it is almost as if we are "sacrificing on the altar of others." It happened to me (twice) and to Leslie Davis, bestselling author of "...2025-02-2848 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief173 | Listening, Missions & Legacy: Seeing God's Faithfulness Everywhere, with Rozanne RuckerHave you ever had a chance to live in another country for an extended period of time? It can be such a transformative experience.
As a psychiatrist, I've read an interesting article about the "third individuation," which describes another layer of identity integration happening for people who immigrate or live for an extended period in another part of the world (the first two major identity formation/individuations usually happen during toddler years and then adolescence).
As a missionary child and then adult, Mka. Rozanne Rucker had the opportunity to experience the profound transformation that comes...2025-02-2153 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief172 | Radical Hospitality and Loving Till The End : Inspiration from St. Maria of Paris, Interview With Anberin PashaDo you find inspiration, compassion, and beauty in the real world? Do you have a saint who guides you? My guest in this podcast, Anberin Pasha, is a film producer and human rights activist. Her film, Love to the End, is about St. Maria and makes aspects of Orthodox theology accessible to a broader audience.
But her journey to Christ took her all over the world, and she found Him waiting for her in Serbia through an internship and her discovery of Saint Maria of Paris.
Since then, Saint Maria of Paris has guided Anberin...2025-02-1451 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief171 | Active Listening: Relaxing Into God’s Hands - Renewal Conversation with Dr. Al RossiI hope you are well. How many times have you listened to others completely and been there to support them? Probably many, many times.
How many times have you been listened to and fully understood by others? For many Christian Women professionals and servant leaders, this does not happen very often.
Although listening is natural to most of us, there are special "ingredients" to the act that can produce amazing transformation. And you are probably instinctively doing it very well.
In this conversation, you'll learn:
✨ About Dr. Al's journey from a Ro...2025-02-0745 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief170 | Empowering Moments: Questioning Your Journey in Christ, with Shelby GiokasI hope your week has been peaceful. Sometimes, serving Christ can be tiresome and lead to burnout or chronic stress. Has that happened to you or your family members? How about in your church? Many professionals burn out, and sometimes pastors and priests can burn out as well. The pressure of the vocation, along with a sense of isolation, only intensifies the stress level.
Shelby Giokas has witnessed many priests and their wives wrestling to find the energy to keep going, and now she is in an amazing position to change that!
In today's Renewal...2025-01-3155 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief169 | Combining Christ and Psychology to Cultivate Peace, Joy, and Relationships, with Dr. Andrea DughoffI don't know about you, but I hear often that science-psychology and the Christian faith are at odds. This can be through explicit comments or implicit ones. There is an even more subtle unhelpful pattern: to perceive spiritual growth above psychological growth.
Mind you, the spirit/soul is indeed a higher function than our brain, but in reality, they are so interconnected that we cannot grow spiritually if we bypass psychological growth and vice versa.
Chances are, if you are reading this email, you appreciate this, and you will love hearing this Renewal Conversation with...2025-01-2454 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief168 | From Trauma to Transformation: Renewing Your Mind in Christ with Dr. Amanda HelmanDiscovering how God works through us often starts with understanding how He works within us.
In this week’s Thriving in Christ show, I had the joy of conversing with Dr. Amanda Helman, CEO of Healthy Roots LLC, coach, and author.
Through her inspiring story and expertise in what she calls 'cognitive release coaching,' Dr. Amanda shares her insights about aligning our minds with Christ, embracing healing, and living out our God-given identity.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
✨ How Dr. Amanda overcame complex trauma to find her voice and purpos...2025-01-1748 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief167 | Empowering Young Adults to Lead and Serve: Kyra Limberakis’ Mission in ChristDoes God exist? If so, how do I understand my life's purpose? How about my relationship with the church? And how can I balance my vocation with my day-to-day rhythm so I do not burn out?
These questions are not always easy to answer but are foundational as we move through life. They are important as we grow up and mature, but are truly deep existential questions that are relevant no matter our age.
Do you or someone you love have questions like these ones? I know I had them, so did the guest for...2025-01-101h 01Thriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief166 | Faith-Filled Vision Boards: Aligning Goals with God’s Purpose, Interview with Debbi SluysHappy New Year and may the year 2025 bring much happiness, joy in Christ and peace.
As we start the new year, it’s the perfect time to set intentions so that we can have a clear direction and be able to turn our life vision into reality.
Debbi Sluys found the process of setting intentions through vision boards so essential, that she pivoted her career to teach Christian women how to do it.
And in this week’s Renewal Conversation interview on Thriving In Christ show, together with Debbi, we look into the proc...2025-01-0358 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief165 | Church Ministry, Healing Others, and Finding Your Calling in Christ: Interview with Ann Marie MeceraThe incarnation of God is such a miracle that surpasses our understanding and following Christ is even more mysterious as it can lead us to places we never expected.
Most likely you and I had many twists and turns in life that did not make sense at the time (and might still not make sense), but eventually, they do!
And when they do, we get glimpses of the beautiful tapestry that God is weaving.
Ann Marie Mecera is a witness to this process and today she is sharing her beautiful life as a...2024-12-2745 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief164 | Journaling, Pilgrimage, and Renewal – a Story in Christ, With Jen NahasHave you ever done long walking pilgrimages for Christ before or lived in the desert? If yes - congratulations. If not, me neither! Walking for hundreds of miles or living in the desert all seem intimidating, but not for Jen.
Inspired by her faith and the desert fathers and mothers centuries ago, Jen Nahas has not only done them, but she embraced them and trained to guide others in these amazing experiences in Christ.
I had the privilege to interview her and want to share it with you. Jen is one of the Axia Women...2024-12-2054 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief163 | From Wilderness to Calling: How God Shapes Us Through Trials, Interview With Sherry WardI met Sherry at a conference not too long ago and I was moved by her story of being in the 'wilderness' with God and how that experience shaped her. Trained as an educator and counselor, she decided to follow God's call, pivoted completely and became an author and publisher.
I was glued to her story as I am in the process of writing a book for you on self-care and renewal (more to share in 2025) and I wanted to learn from her personal experience.
And then I thought that you too might enjoy hearing...2024-12-1343 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief162 | A Life of Service with and for Christian Women, interview with with Patricia Bouteneff, Founder of Axia WomenWhat if embracing your unique gifts and routines could deepen your faith and transform how you live as a Christian woman?
In this week’s Thriving in Christ episode, I have the honor to interview, Dr. Patricia Bouteneff, founder and president of Axia Women, a nonprofit for and by Orthodox Christian women.
She shares her inspiring journey as a servant leader, her work amplifying women’s voices in the church, and the wisdom she’s gained through years of leadership and faith.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
✨ How Dr. Pat integrates...2024-12-0652 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief161 | Effortless Singing With God: Lessons To Regenerate, With Brooke WilcoxI hope you and your family had a blessed Thanksgiving! We had a small family gathering and it was lovely to think of the many ways God is blessing us, especially in unexpected ways.
One of the unexpected gifts that I received about 12 years ago was the gift of singing.
Although I loved music, I never thought I could sing, until one day when I was invited to chant.
My initial output was not spectacular, but my priest reassured me that chanting/singing is praying - which made the entire process so inviting...2024-11-291h 00Thriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief160 | Life AFTER Grief: Inspiring Healing Journey in Christ with Cherie RickardHave you ever had a tough season of loss, uncertainty and turmoil? Did the loss come out of the blue, when you least expected it? If so, know that I am praying for you and that you are not alone.
A tragic loss happened to Cherie Rickard which propelled her in an unexpected direction. Cherie, a Christian woman of deep faith and resilience, finally found strength and healing in God and uncovered the path of life after grief.
She now helps women rebuild their lives through God’s grace as a grief coach, author, speaker, po...2024-11-2241 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief159 | Can We 'Tune' Into God? Powerful Mindset Shift for Greater Joy in Christ | Dr. Ioana PopaIf you are reading this, most likely you long to access more and more of God’s presence in your daily life. Yet, one of the biggest challenges we face is that we often strive too much to be with God.
And at the opposite end, we might try to give up our will completely to God, which can lead us into passivity.
How can we find the right balance? Is there a way to co-create with God? Can we 'tune' into God's presence?
Yes, and the Ancient Christian theology has a beautiful fr...2024-11-1514 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief158 | Treasuring Your Body: Overcome High-Functional Fatigue for Christian Women with Michelle McCoyIs fatigue something that you wrestle everyday although you are highly functioning? Have you tried many things and checked with your medical team, and still not finding full answers?
If so, you are not alone. Michelle McCoy, a holistic functional health coach and the host of the Treasure Wellness Christian podcast, had exhausting fatigue and had to find ways to move past it.
In today's episode on Thriving In Christ show, Michelle shares her journey in dealing with her daughter's condition, along with her own, which led to a deeper trust in God and shift...2024-11-0850 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief157 | Effective Communications & The Power of Expressing Our Needs | Dr. Ioana PopaAs Christian women professionals, how many times have we been performing well, excelling, and offering support to everyone around us—only to find ourselves caught off guard by an unexpected comment?
Many of us weren’t culturally trained to express our needs, especially in fast-paced environments like work, home, or church. Sometimes, we’re stunned into silence; other times, we react with frustration, leaving us displeased with ourselves afterward.
In today’s episode, I’ll unpack why these moments happen and how they relate to our unmet needs.
I’ll also share what lies beyond...2024-11-0116 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief156 | Health and Sugar-Free Living: Christine Trimpe's 100-Pound Weight Loss Journey with ChristHealth challenges can be overwhelming for many of us. But as we talk about in this episode, there is always hope in Christ!
In this Renewal Conversation episode, I am blessed to share the story of Christine Trimpe who has walked a remarkable journey of faith to overcome sugar addiction, lose 100 pounds, and embrace a healthier, more joyful life.
Christine is a Christian health coach, author, and speaker who has experienced a powerful transformation, both physically and spiritually. Her journey is an inspiring reminder of how we can break through health issues or other struggles...2024-10-2548 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief155 | Quick Tips To Come Back To Your Grounded Center Using Science | Dr. Ioana PopaToday, we continue our focus on staying grounded as we lift one another up in Christ.
In this episode, I’ll share a third way to come back to our grounded center as we navigate political debates and how we can hold strong values and opinions while also practicing compassion for other human beings, which we are called to in Christ.
I unpack practical ways to center ourselves, especially through a nervous system perspective, so that we can respond with peace and clarity in these uncertain times.
If you’re ready to return to y...2024-10-1816 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief154 | Lifting Up Our Neighbors Who Are Suffering - In Prayer | Dr. Ioana PopaThere's so much happening in our world right now, from hurricanes in Florida, upcoming elections, to ongoing struggles across the country and in the world.
Most likely you have been praying already - so thank you for that! And in today's episode on Youtube and Podcast, the invitation is to do it TOGETHER, across time and space throughout the DAY, to cover those who suffer with our prayers.
Christ said whenever 2 or 3 are gathered in His name, He is with us.
As Christian women, our prayers are powerful. Our prayers are important. God...2024-10-1109 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief153 | Staying Peaceful and Centered in Christ During Divisive Election Season | Dr. Ioana PopaIt’s election season in the United States, and with so much inflammatory news and commentary, how can we stay peaceful and centered like Christ?
This is challenging because many people hold strong political views, and the news and comments can often inflame our emotions, raising our heart rates and pulling us away from that "peace that surpasses all understanding."
On top of this, social media algorithms are formed: the more we click, the more we are shown content that reinforces our views, our positions and choices become magnified and come back to us like an...2024-10-0419 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief152 | Are You Using Your Brain’s Hidden Gift To Build Holistic Self-Care? | Dr. Ioana PopaAs a Christian woman, you pour out into your work, family, community, vocation, and church and chances are that your plate is full. And probably you might not have time to regenerate and feel the presence of God everyday, even when you set your mind to do it.
First, let me say that you are not alone! And second, here’s the amazing part: God has designed a hidden part of our brain to work FOR us - even while we rest! This hidden power can help you:
🌱 Consolidate learning even while sleeping.
💧 Regenerate...2024-09-2713 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief151 | Finding Joy With God In All Things, Renewal Conversation with Miranda HughesIt is so important to remind ourselves that God is everywhere, filling all things, and that it is our life's journey to discover and unfold this reality moment by moment and give glory to God.
For example, this verse (and so many others) encourages us to ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.’ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV
Nonetheless, although this is simple, it is not easy! Isn't it so much more effortless to sense God's revelation in beautiful and peaceful experiences, but less...2024-09-2048 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief150 | Five Effortless Practices to Close the Gap Between Your Intentions & Actions | Dr. Ioana PopaAs successful as we are as Christian Women professionals and servant leaders, how many times do we want to do things and end up delaying or not doing them?
And, at the opposite end, we sometimes impulsively jump into action, to only regret it later.
These moments of mismatch between our true intentions and our actions can drain our energy, nagging us in the back of our minds, that we 'are not good enough.'
Sometimes these nagging thoughts are just below the surface of our consciousness, leaving us with an unshakable feeling...2024-09-1313 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief149 | Seek The Kingdom of God: Aligning Mind, Body, Heart and Soul in Contemplation | Dr. Ioana PopaAs we start the fall season with all its busyness and reflect on our intentions for the coming months, it's essential to remind ourselves to stay focused on God.
And there's no better way to do that than to align your conscious mind—with its logical, cause-and-effect thinking—with your deeper intuition and subconscious wisdom.
One way to achieve this is through contemplative practices. In this episode, we contemplate on a Bible verse and experience how dwelling on scripture not only engages our minds but also touches our hearts, emotions, and souls.
Ready for...2024-09-0610 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief147 | Using Memory Retrieval Cues to Solidify Your Effortless Habits | Dr. Ioana PopaWe are often so busy with commitments and giving to others in Christ, that we have to rely heavily on our to-do lists to manage our day.
But unless you are a To-Do-List Ninja, it is easy to get tired of the structure they provide.
And when we finally pause to regenerate, it is so easy to get sucked into mindless activity (social media, news, shows), which on the surface seems to be fun, but they are not truly regenerating and can leave us feeling drained or empty.
In this episode, I’ll un...2024-08-2312 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief146 | Can We 'Create' TIME For Ourselves? One Powerful Psychological Concept | Dr. Ioana PopaHow many of us feel we don’t have enough time in the day to regenerate and do self-care? One of the most common complaints I hear from people, including myself years ago, is: "I don't have time." And that’s a valid concern, as there are so many things we want to do, so many people to serve in Christ, so many activities to get involved with, not to mention doing self-care.
But here are two unique things about TIME:
1️⃣ Time is the best equalizer in the world, as ALL of us have the same 24...2024-08-1513 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief145 | Is Decision Fatigue Impacting Your Self-care Habits? Key Way to Address ItAs Christian women professionals and servant leaders busy helping others, we often wonder how to build and sustain meaningful rituals and habits that can help us regenerate & propel us to our next level.
And in doing so, it is not uncommon to try to solve this by striving more and more, and put our routines on our ever-growing To-Do list.
Over time this can actually leave us more tired and stressed, to the point that it is easier to drop our routines and preserve our energy (been there, done that).
Not to mention...2024-08-0817 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief144 | Renewal Conversation: An Inspirational Journey of Teaching, Coaching, and Thriving Through RenewalIn this episode, I am really honored to be interviewing Kara, an amazing Christian professional woman who loves to give and help other people in such a way to transform the world.
Kara has over three decades of experience in the classroom, teaching all levels of high school mathematics and many years of leading professional development workshops for teachers.
She has coached nine high school distance running teams and many individuals all the way to all-state recognition. She also served on the board for the Illinois Council of Teachers of Mathematics, has been a member...2024-08-0145 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief143 | From Information To Transformation: A Contemplative Practice For The Kingdom | Dr. Ioana PopaWe live in an age filled with knowledge but, as you know, there's a difference between information and transformation. So how do we navigate all the information which is available to us, in order to experience transformation?
There are many ways to transform in Christ, one of which is using contemplative practices.
Contemplations are very helpful, because during the practices, we allow for alignment and integration between our left brain and right brain, between our logical mind and our Godly wisdom/intuition.
And, as a certified meditation & mindfulness teacher, I use our Christian...2024-07-2511 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief142 | Training Your Focus: Aligning with God's Higher Ways | Dr. Ioana PopaAre you familiar with this verse (this is one of my favorites!): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."" — Isaiah 55:8-9
And (re)reading this verse you might wonder: how do we actually access more of God's thoughts?
How do we shift our attention from being hijacked by all the things happening around and/or inside of us, in order to allow mo...2024-07-1815 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief141 | Harnessing the Power of Emotions: Wisdom from the Bible, Science & Psychology | Dr. Ioana PopaAs Christian women, we are often more in touch with our emotions, which can sometimes carry negative connotations, especially in social situations.
You might have heard comments like, "Oh, women are so emotional."
And to make things more complicated, emotions come with their own negative stories and thought patterns, which can make our emotions even more intense.
But it is not our fault! God created us in such a way, that we naturally experience variations in our emotions and energy levels: one day we can be joyful, peaceful, and another day we might...2024-07-1114 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief140 | Stuck In Negative Stories? Insights: God’s Ways to Heal Our Thoughts | Dr. Ioana PopaOur mind produces thousands and thousands of thoughts each day, and based on research, many of them are actually negative and repetitive.
So does this mean that we are stuck in our conditionings inside of our mind? Do we need to constantly fight them?
What if there's a way God designed our brain to help us with this?
Throughout my career in the medical and psychological fields I have seen lots of perspective shifting, and the good news is that we now have a better (and more hopeful) way of understanding our brain...2024-07-0414 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief139 | Marrying Christian Faith and Psychology? Renewal Conversation with the Louhs | Dr. Ioana PopaIf you have been with me for a while, you know how passionate I am about integrating what seems for some people to be opposites: science/psychology and our Christian faith.
And today you will hear an interview with a couple that does the same thing - integrating faith with psychology, this time within their marriage: the Louhs!
Fr. Nick Louh is the pastor of a church in the Eastern Orthodox Tradition, and Dr. Roxane Louh is a Clinical Psychologist.
In this Renewal Conversation, they share how their unique approach combines practical life...2024-06-2758 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief138 | Regenerate Through the Body In Just A Few Minutes: Contemplative Practice | Dr. Ioana PopaAs Christian women wanting to serve others in our vocation, it's easy to get pulled in too many directions as we often carry responsibilities that leave us feeling depleted. But what if you could find calm and renewal in just a few minutes?
Wait, is that even possible? Yes, the fastest way to shift our state of being is through our body. We are psycho-somatic beings, and psychological research is showing that as we shift our body, our emotions and even our hormones change in the moment!
In Christian theology, God is sending us constantly...2024-06-2013 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief137 | Setting Intentions Effortlessly Using Psychology, For The Kingdom | Dr. Ioana PopaDo intentions matter or not for the Kingdom? And if so, how can I set intentions in a way that feels effortless? Is there a way that God created our brain to support us in this?
These are common questions that I hear often from my students and clients, and I am here to say that - YES - intentions do matter - YES - we can set intentions in an effortless way, without adding one more thing on our TO-DO list- and YES - God created our brain in an amazing way...2024-06-1316 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief136 | Self-care Micro Mindset Shift: Beyond Weekends and Vacations, for Christian Women | Dr. Ioana PopaAre you ready to transform the way you think about self-care and renewal? There is a micro mindset shift that you can make today which can have a tremendous impact on your life.
The reality that is often overlooked by many is this: renewal and self-care are not projects.
Too often, we wait for the perfect vacation, retreat, or weekend to take care of ourselves - turning self-care into a task rather than a way of being, adding more to our TO-DO list.
But we are busy caring for others in the first...2024-06-0607 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief135 | 'Mind Your Mind': Powerful Tips to Shift Thoughts & Assumptions with Dr. Randa Anderson“Is everything really the way it appears to you? Always put a question mark after every thought, since you usually look at things with a negative slant…If you put two question marks, it is better. If you put three, it is better still.” - St. Paisios (modern saint from Mt. Athos).
Our mind and thoughts are so helpful in navigating our responsibilities and life, but on the flip side, they can get us at times into difficulties, as thoughts are usually a reflection of our subconscious assumptions and beliefs.
It is comforting to know that ch...2024-05-3045 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief134 | Short Contemplative Practice: Release The Cares of the World with ScriptureLast week I shared about the significance of a Separate & Release routine in order for us to let go of the day effectively and 'put the cares of the world to the side,' as our Christian faith encourages us to do.
As a follow up, today I invite you to schedule some time for yourself, a pause in your day, to experience a Separate and Release contemplative practice and spend time with God and with a bible verse, to do just that.
And instead of listening on the go, I encourage you to set...2024-05-2313 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief133 | Daily Renewal Blueprint for Christian Women: 3 Steps to Release the Cares of the WorldAs Christian professionals and servant leaders, it is common to have at the end of the day lingering worries, open mind loops, and unfinished inner conversations, 'running' in the background of our minds.
Many people do try to separate from them and unwind in the evening, but often partially or ineffectively.
Over time, 'unfinished business' accumulates and can lead to a sense of being on a 'treadmill of life,' to small and big addictions, a feeling of ineffective prayers, and possibly chronic stress and/or burnout unless it is properly separated at the end...2024-05-1611 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief132 | Two Ways to Transform Old Beliefs, starting with Inner Critic and DoubterWe grow up with many conditioned beliefs and stories, which many times turn out not to be true. In our desire to change and upgrade them, it is common to find ourselves at a crossroad: wanting to change our old beliefs with new ones, to only have a nagging feeling that they don't go away!
Then it is easy to feel a bit (or more) defeated and resign to the idea that 'things are just as they are, and I need to accept them.'
This is true for inner critical comments/beliefs, a sense...2024-05-0915 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief131 | Wrestling With Sharing Your Christian Faith? Powerful Distinction to Move MountainsAs Christians, we love to glorify God and share the transformative power of Christ in our lives with others. However, this can fall on 'deaf ears' sometimes, with others challenging our faith especially in our pluralistic society.
This can bring grief and can leave us Christians at a loss for words on how to share about our faith.
The good news is that there is a POWERFUL DISTINCTION that 'can move mountains,' which I address today in this episode, along with 3 STEPS that you can take in conversations with skeptical others.
And...2024-05-0223 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief130 | Renewal Conversation: Threads of Creativity, IFS and Growth in Christ - Joel Klepac InterviewIf you are interested in looking at the creative process as part of your Regeneration and Self-care, plus learn more about IFS (Internal Family Systems) from a professional who practices it (and wrote about it), then this Renewal Conversation episode is for you!
I had the honor to interview again Joel Klepac LMFT-S, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, College Counselor, Artist and Writer.
In this episode, we explore Family Systems AND Internal Family Systems theories, alongside with many nuggets of wisdom (including how our attachment styles intersect with our relationship with God and church!)2024-04-2552 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief129 | Central Step in Changing Habits & Overcoming Conformity: Science & ScriptureMany Christian women love to be servant leaders, give to others and nurture communities. At the same time, as they do this, they can get pulled into group dynamics such as 'conformity' and 'chameleon effect,' which dynamics, when they later try to take care of themselves and upgrade their habits, can pull them back into the old ways of being.
This can feel frustrating and it happens to many of us. There are many ways to change habits, but from my decades of trying to help people, I've selected only the strategies that are the easiest...2024-04-1815 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief128 | Asceticism As Healthy Detachment - 'Like A Tree' Contemplation for Christian WomenHere is an invitation to spend some time today with Scripture verse in a short contemplative practice.
The Bible verse in this episode I absolutely love, and I pray that it will help you nourish your body, emotions, thoughts, soul, and connect with God - who is the ultimate nourishment for us from the inside-out.
As we connect with God in our inner foldings of our soul, we become in time more and more detached from the three-dimensional world (not that we don't need it!) and bring balance and peace, which can translate into more...2024-04-1111 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief127 | Nurturing Gratitude: Mindset Shift, Scriptures & Tips for Christian WomenYou might have heard of the importance of cultivating Gratitude in our daily lives. But extending gratitude sometimes is confusing, especially if we are having negative emotions or experiences.
So how does this work beyond needing to repress our less-than-pleasant emotions and needing to strive our way into Gratitude?
How can one understand what Gratitude is from a Christian and scientific perspective, and is there a mindset that can be 'upgraded' in order to practice it daily?
In this episode, I unpack all these questions, share some Scripture verses, offer a new mindset...2024-04-0414 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief126 | In God’s Hands: Finding Trust in His Work Through YouAs Christians, we know intellectually that God is 'everywhere filling all things.' But many times, we feel the sense of separation, so how do we move toward experiencing God at a deeper level, in spite our natural doubts or fears?
The key is to recognize that God is working not only through external events but also through our inner unfoldings, and not just in our mind and thoughts, but also through our intuition, wisdom, wishes and deeper longings.
Today I want to encourage you to lean into God's unfolding inside of you, using psychology...2024-03-2813 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief124 | Super Busy Serving Others? Time to Pause & Reconnect with God: Jesus PrayerOne of the many limitations we face as Christian Givers, especially as Women professionals and servant leaders is the lack of time, as we want to give so much to others and serve like Christ.
And then, it is common to think that we need lots of time to connect with God, when in reality we can do it anywhere and any time, as God is 'everywhere, filling all things.'
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through a short contemplative practice using the Jesus Prayer which, once you practice it, you can...2024-03-1411 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief123 | Alignment in God vs Cognitive Dissonance-Subtle Tip to Prevent Chronic StressThere are many reasons why one can get into Chronic Stress and Burnout, but there is one reason that is not often talked about, which has to do with misalignment with our values in God and an interesting psychological concept: Cognitive Dissonance.
How do we know when we're not aligned with our values and with God? Can we develop practical habits to realign with them?
In this episode, we explore this interesting psychological concept, connect it with Scripture, and bring to you a quick step to practice, so that you can take daily steps toward...2024-03-0710 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief122 | Embracing the Unknown with God during Silence & ContemplationHave you ever found yourself sitting in silence and contemplation to only notice lots of things going on inside of you? You might experience thoughts, stories (past or future) emotions or body sensations and even feel confused or dissatisfied at times, saying "why can't I sit in silence quietly? What is wrong with me?"
If so, you're not alone, as this is a common experience. And the way around it is to remember our goal for these practices, which is to ultimately be with God, no matter what happens!
And this means that at times...2024-02-2910 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief121 | Thinking of Career Pivoting? 'When Aligned with God, Doors Open' - with Dr. Diane van StadenAs we navigate through our daily lives, we often encounter challenges as we try to give to others and serve in Christ. Whether you're a professional seeking guidance in your own journey or simply looking for encouragement and inspiration in your walk with Christ, this interview is sure to uplift and empower you.
In this Renewal Conversation, I want to share with you a remarkable opportunity to gain insight and inspiration from Dr. Diane van Staden, a passionate optometrist who has dedicated her career to serving others and making a difference in the world.
Her...2024-02-2243 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief120 | Connecting With God Today - Contemplative Practice for Christian WomenAre you ready for a pause today in your busy flow, to connect with God in Contemplation?
One thing that is available to us is the ability to regenerate from inside-out and connect with God in silence and contemplate at the True Self - Soul level.
This can nourish our experiences and our self-care practices and can give us the motivation and desire to keep on giving to others in Christ.
In today’s resource, you get to spend some time with a Bible verse to reflect on, and see what God has in...2024-02-1510 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief119 | Mindset Shift for Trusting Prayers: Steady Seeds for the KingdomMany times we pray and, if the answers come quickly, we feel so blessed. But what if our prayers aren't answered right away or seemingly not at all? Even if many times we feel strong in our faith, it can be anxiety-provoking not to see answered prayers, and we might even start questioning: did I pray well enough? Am I doing something wrong? What am I missing? Am I not being humble enough? And we can start doubting and get into lots of loops in our minds.
In this episode, I address our prayer life at the...2024-02-0814 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief118 | Navigating Burnout, Giving, and Self-Care With Cynthia & Molly of Filled With LessNavigating the delicate balance of following God by giving and supporting others while avoiding burnout is a challenge that many Christian women face. It is almost like there is a hidden expectation that in order to follow Christ, we need to be everything to everyone.
In this Renewal Conversation, you will hear from Cynthia Damaskos and Molly Sabourin from Filled With Less on this exact topic!
We will hear from them about their ministry, their journey of giving, and their personal experiences with stress and burnout and how they navigate through them.
Together...2024-02-0157 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief117 | Avoid the Slippery Slope of Burnout: Address The #1 Core Belief for Christian Women | Dr. Ioana PopaIs self-care considered selfish? I often hear these phrases among Christian women: “ I am selfish if I take care of myself,” or “I know I need to do self-care but (deep down) I still feel selfish.”
As a Christian woman, you might be wondering, “aren’t we supposed to be like Christ and just give, give and give?”
There's some truth to that, however the more skilled we are, and the more we give and help others, more and more people are going to come to us for help.
And the more you have to give...2024-01-2515 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief116 | One Morning Ritual to Strengthen Your Inner 'Navigation System'As a Christian woman, you probably already have a busy to-do list and want to accomplish so much in your vocation, your family and church community, with little time for yourself. What if there is a way that you can regenerate even when you have a lot on your plate?
If you're here listening to this, most likely, you want to serve God with all your heart, mind, body and soul. Because of this, you're so focused on giving that it becomes important to find clever and effortless ways to regenerate holistically, so that you can keep...2024-01-1815 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief115 | Hidden Brain Power to Do Holistic Self-Care, for Christian WomenAs a Christian woman, you probably already have a busy to-do list and want to accomplish so much in your vocation, your family and church community, with little time for yourself. What if there is a way that you can regenerate even when you have a lot on your plate?
If you're here listening to this, most likely, you want to serve God with all your heart, mind, body and soul. Because of this, you're so focused on giving that it becomes important to find clever and effortless ways to regenerate holistically, so that you can keep...2024-01-1115 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief114 | Trust in the Lord: Contemplation on Scripture for the New YearI hope you had wonderful Holidays! In the beginning of this new year, let's have some time with scripture where you do not have to do much but relax, regenerate, lean in, connect with your soul, with yourself and God as you ponder on 2024.
For most of us, January is the time to set goals, and set intentions, and think about what we want to accomplish this year. And for this, I have a great short program to support you in this process - see below for more details.
And at the same time, we...2024-01-0408 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief113 | Christ the Light of the World: Regenerate With Scriptures for Christian WomenI hope you had a wonderful and blessed Christmas. As you prepare for the New Year and support others, who is supporting you? I want to invite you to a pause for 10 minutes to regenerate and reflect with Scriptures, because ultimately the true renewal comes from God.
So consider this your sacred pause to co-regulate with God and nourish your heart, mind and soul, while contemplating on the incarnate Christ.
Christ IS the light of the world and is birthed in every person coming into the world, including you and me! What an awesome mystery.2023-12-2809 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief112 | Self-Regulation: 3 Quick Tips and Skills to Ease the 'Freeze' ResponsesAs a follow-up from the previous week, today I unpack 3 tips and skills to navigate when put on the spot & caught off guard by family members or others, and feel like almost in a freeze response.
These 'Up-regulating' tips can be practiced for just a few minutes a day, right in time before the Holiday season, and I encourage you to think of Self-care and Self-regulation as Co-regulation with God.
I will share some personal stories to illustrate the points and inspire you with a bible verse. As we approach and navigate the hustle and...2023-12-2116 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief111 | Three Tips to Deal with Fight or Flight Reactions During Christmas Season (and Beyond) - Part 2Ultimately Christmas is about the great news of the incarnate Christ and the reality of eternal life, inviting us to a season of gratitude. At the same time, preparing for family gatherings and wrapping up the year can leave us wondering: will our peaceful presence be disrupted by the many activities and upcoming interactions?
Will we get put on the spot, get more stressed, disappointed or even frustrated with others' sometimes less-than-ideal behaviors?
Will we lose our peace and 'spoil' this amazing season, when all we want is that 'peace that surpasses all understanding...2023-12-1424 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief110 | How Can Self-care be Godly? Essential Mindset Shift for Christian Women - Part 1As passionate Christian women navigating the demands of the holiday season and upcoming Christmas, while juggling work, family, and/or communities, we often find ourselves torn between wanting to support others and the need to receive support.
And sometimes in the back of our minds, it can feel a bit weird, selfish or even indulgent to think of SELF-CARE. Isn't Christian faith all about putting others first?
And on top of that, in general, as women, we are wired to value relations and helping and serving others in our many capacities, so self-care falls at...2023-12-0715 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief104 | Know Thyself to Love Others Better and Avoid Projection as a Defense MechanismHere is one of my favorite Bible verses, that summarizes my life's work: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:36-39 NKJV
This is a favorite verse for many Christians, and in our shared faith, many of us hyperfocus on serving God and others, but we sometimes miss the last piece - loving our neighbors as ourselves.
We do this ou...2023-10-2728 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief103 | Types of Stress, Burnout, vs Resilience in Christ'What are some types of stress?' 'Is there good stress and bad stress?' I hear these types of questions often.
Stress can manifest in numerous ways and there are many layers to stress. And we also use the word 'stress' to describe actually 2 different types of possibilities.
And, if left unchecked, stress can affect our lives in countless ways, including leading to burnout and potentially a host of acute or chronic physical and mental health problems.
So how can we think of resilience and of following James' instructions to "consider it...2023-10-2019 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief102 | Contemplation on God’s Nature for Christian Women - A Short Pause in Your DayAs we navigate our busy lives, it's essential to pause, renew, and regenerate ourselves and our souls with moments of contemplation on God's word so that we can keep on giving to others in Christ with joy, energy and that 'peace that surpasses all understanding.'
As Christian Givers, the world often demands our constant attention. Therefore, finding a quiet moment to connect with God can be a true gift to our souls.
Today, I invite you to set aside a few minutes, whether it's during your morning, midday, or evening, to sit down and...2023-10-1311 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief101 | Walking With God and Preventing Burnout: Renewal Conversation With Janell Wood and Dr. Ioana PopaIn the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, especially as Christian women dedicated to serving others, it's not uncommon to sometimes dismiss the signs of burnout. "It is not happening to me" is a common subconscious thought.
We often push ourselves to the limit, thinking it's our duty in Christ to keep giving without pause, but then feel a sense of subtle shame or guilt when we say no. All this is very common.
But what if there were ways to prevent burnout before it took a toll on our well-being and our connection...2023-10-0658 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief100 | Befriend Your Perfectionism: 3 Phases of How Change Really HappensAs Christians, we share a deep longing to be closer to God - to follow in His footsteps and to be like Him. It's a beautiful vocation, yet there are common dilemmas that many of us face on our journey, which can lead to Burnout. In our pursuit to live as Christ did, we often struggle with the ingrained impulse for perfectionism.
One of the ways in which perfectionism can show up is in the hope that the CHANGE that we want to see in ourselves will happen overnight, or once acquired, it is here to stay.2023-09-2923 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief99 | Worried About Burnout? Common Mistakes to Avoid: #1 - Hyperfocus on Setting BoundariesAs Christian women, we know that we are created in the image and likeness of God - we long to partake of the living waters and carry the light of Christ into the world. But sometimes, in our enthusiasm to serve and help others, we might say "yes" to too many things, taking on more than we can handle. But eventually, we might find ourselves juggling too many responsibilities, feeling overwhelmed or exhausted - at which point we look for a way to solve this.
Nonetheless, many times we try to overcompensate - which can lead us...2023-09-2225 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief98 | New Research! Don’t Have Time to Exercise? Even 5 Min. A Day Can Make a DifferenceMany Professional Christian Women, in the midst of their busy lives and the multitude of responsibilities, do not have time to take care of their own well-being. Because they are so eager to prioritize caring for others and their communities, in a Christ-like manner, it is difficult for them (if not impossible) to find time to exercise for 30-60 min a day.
But here's the good news: more and more scientific research is showing that even a small amount of exercise on a daily basis can have positive health benefits!
If this is you, this...2023-09-1513 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief97 | Stressed, Tired, Burned Out? ‘Living Waters’ Contemplation for Christian WomenAre you tired, stressed and/or burned out, caught in the 'whirlwind' of your daily life as you give, serve and lead others in Christ? Wondering if you could truly relax for a few moments and be filled with that peace that surpasses all understanding and connection with God?
I don't know about you, but if I just take a break of 10-15 minutes it is not always that easy to quiet my mind, body and/or emotions in order to connect deeply with God.
But it's not impossible.
So today, I have...2023-09-0814 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief96 | ‘I Will Uphold You With My Arm’ - Contemplation on the Word for Christian WomenAs the season is changing, sometimes we need a pause to refresh before we gear into action! Maybe your kids, grandkids or nephews/nieces are starting school, or maybe you are! Or maybe you are just moving from vacation mode to fall season, or there is a shift in your schedule or relationships.
Either way, here is a Contemplative Practice on the Word (a Bible Verse) for you to pause and reconnect with GOD from WITHIN, and to experience an "OASIS in the midst of action."
I offer Contemplative Practices like this one in my...2023-09-0117 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief95 | Christian Healthy Boundaries & Locus of Control: ‘Be Wise as a Serpent and Gentle as a Dove’Although we can be really good with boundaries in our professional lives, we wrestle often with maintaining them in our personal lives, in such a way to fully honor our own needs, emotions, and dreams!
I've been there too many times, but unfortunately, it led me to burn out when I kept on giving without discernment OR having a nagging guilty feeling when I set boundaries.
Type in the comment section if you resonate! This is more common than we think.
But then, as a Christian woman, you might have wondered "Aren't we...2023-08-2527 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief94 | Healthy Boundaries - A Different Perspective in ChristAre you caught between the desire to extend help and love to all people and at the same time the need to establish Healthy Boundaries for yourself? There are many books and videos out there with lots of advice about healthy boundaries - about what to say (and not) and when.
We can implement them, but many times, as Christian women we feel guilty or prideful if we say no to someone or do not help out.
But when we then turn to many Christian books, the biggest mistake I've often seen is not realizing...2023-08-1818 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief93 | Prayers Without Distractions? What Logical and Emotional Intelligence Teaches UsHave you ever found yourself trying to pray in the evening, to only be disrupted by swirling thoughts or emotions, rehearsing the past day's events or thinking about tomorrow? It's a challenge we all face – these moments when our intentions to connect with God are hijacked by our busy lives (been there done that). But it does not have to be this way!
This is such a common problem that it is worth bringing it back to the discussion table - so I am re-running this very short video to stress this ONE SMALL STEP you can ta...2023-08-1108 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief92 | Scripture, Renewal Blueprint and Memory - ‘Not Everything Is Good for Me'How often do we find ourselves caught in cycles of feeling rejuvenated, prayerful and peaceful at times, only to fall 'off the wagon' and end up feeling strained and exhausted due to the ebb and flow of responsibilities and cries of help from the ones we serve?
For years, I made myself the promise to break this pattern, only to find myself back in it, over and over. And this cycle is all too common among Christian women, and it has led many of us to repeat cycles of burnout.
And not succeeding can lead...2023-08-0436 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief91 | Answering Prayers, God’s Nature & Developmental Attachment StylesAs a Christian Woman, I am sure you had many times when you felt God’s presence and your prayers were answered.
And at the same time, if you are like most of us, you also experienced moments when you felt God is silent and started wondering...
- maybe I did something wrong- maybe God is testing me- maybe God is mad at me- maybe God is distant and does not hear my cry- maybe I am not worthy ...- the list goes on and on...2023-07-2832 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief90 | Dealing With Criticism - Compassion, Christ and the Fundamental Attribution ErrorDealing with criticism is a common human experience, but no matter when, where, or how, it can be challenging and can impact our emotions and self-esteem.
Many times Christian women either get defensive, say nothing, agree, or try to set boundaries in response. All reactions are important based on the context, but they might not always work.
And to make things worse, in the aftermath, the critical comments may still reverberate in our consciousness, keeping us up at night and disturbing our peace.
"Was it me? Was this person right? Am I really...2023-07-2129 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief89 | At the Seat of Your Consciousness, With ‘Roots So Deep’Do you ever feel like you're on a treadmill, grasping for that 'peace that surpasses all understanding'? And feeling tired at times for endlessly searching for the deeper fulfillment in your life?
Most of us are conditioned by our culture to look outside of ourselves in order to find peace, joy, purpose and to connect with God, either through books, inspiration, peaceful nature, church services, food, exercise, travel, work, relationships etc.
They are all very important of course, but this tendency keeps us searching and looking EXTERNALLY for something that can only be found INSIDE.2023-07-1423 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief88 | ‘Faith Is the Substance of All Things’: Navigating Emotions and ThoughtsWhile striving to balance professional responsibilities, family, church commitments, and personal well-being, it's not uncommon for uncomfortable thoughts and emotions to arise inside.
As a reaction, many times our default is to try to 'analyze' them, to find the 'root' cause and 'fix' them.
While this approach has its place, especially when we are guided by a trained professional, in our day-to-day this is not enough, and can get us in trouble.
You might ask - is there something else I can do?
Yes!
Here is one of my...2023-07-0722 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief87 | Empathy, Indulgence or Self-Compassion? The Difference That Makes the DifferenceIn the midst of our busy lives and endless responsibilities, it's easy to forget that we, too, need the same kindness and compassion that we readily offer to others.
But even when we want to extend self-compassion, we encounter a few blocks, which I am unpacking today.
Here are 2 of the blocks:
1. We mix up Empathy with Compassion - which leads us to feel exhausted at the end of the day2. And then when we finally take care of ourselves, we feel self-indulgent, which leads us with a subtle unshakable feeling of...2023-06-3013 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief86 | The Power of Daily Regeneration and Time With God - The Drip Hose Method of RenewalIn my conversations with many professional Christian women, I've noticed a recurring pattern – a struggle to find time to prioritize their own well-being in the midst of busy lives caring for others. They juggle the demands of work, family, church, and various roles as caregivers and leaders, often leaving themselves last on the list.
The desire to serve and give to others is beautiful, but in the process, our perfectionism kicks in and we have an image that Self-care or regeneration has to happen in a certain way every day, or take a certain amount of time....2023-06-2328 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief71 | A Deep Way of Knowing If We Are Renewing or Not: Interview With Dr. Ioana Popa, Co-founder Team for the Soul®"There are so many self-care advices nowadays, how do I know what to choose? As I love giving to others, how do I know if I am renewing, so I don't burn out?" If you have questions like these, you are not alone.
In this episode, you will hear directly from the co-founders of Team For The Soul®, as Sebastien is interviewing Dr. Ioana on the topic.
She will share briefly about:
- Her journey of giving and regeneration
- The overarching Inner Conscious Psychological Map which inspired the choice of a...2023-03-1033 minThriving In Christ | Professional Women, High Level Habits, Resilience, Burnout, Stress, Grief65 | Renewing and Growing Through Life’s Journey: Interview With Dr. Roxanne LouhFor many givers, it may seem that feeling out of balance is an unavoidable part of the giving journey. This may be partly true nowadays as busyness, success and productivity are part of our cultural-dominating beliefs. But it does not have to be so.
Continuously giving with no regard to taking care of our own needs, can be unfruitful and can lead to imbalance.
Our body, heart (emotions) and mind (thoughts) may actually carry burdens and unhelpful beliefs from unmet needs in childhood, which can eventually lead to burnout or even medical conditions.
...2023-01-2748 min