Shows
Courageous OvercomersThe Courage to PauseSend us a textWhat does genuine courage look like in a season of exhaustion? Sometimes, the bravest decision is acknowledging our limits and embracing rest without guilt.In this vulnerable and heartfelt episode, I share my difficult decision to temporarily pause the Courageous Overcomers podcast. After reflecting deeply during a recent anniversary trip with my husband, I've realized I don't know how to rest well—something many of us struggle with in our busy lives. The Lord has been showing me that my current season requires focused attention on my professional ministry work and te...2025-07-3006 minCourageous OvercomersOverfunctioning, Perfectionism, and the Lie of Performance-Based LoveSend us a textWhy do some people push themselves so hard—even when they’re already doing too much?In this powerful episode of Courageous Overcomers, we explore the hidden connection between trauma and performance-based living. Host Tonya breaks down five reasons why survivors often fall into the trap of overworking, overachieving, and never feeling “enough.”You’ll learn how early wounds shape the need to prove yourself, how performance becomes a coping mechanism, and how to finally lay it all down and rest in God’s truth.This episode is for the o...2025-07-1617 min
I Spark Change PodcastEp#164: When Pain Becomes Purpose w/ Tonya ShellnuttIn this episode, Rick shares his interview with Tonya Shellnutt, author, speaker, podcast host, and advocate for trauma recovery and pro-family policy.She shares her raw and redemptive story of surviving childhood sexual abuse, overcoming addiction, and breaking free from generational pain. With deep faith and a heart for others, Tonya has dedicated her life to protecting the vulnerable, challenging cultural silence, and helping others find healing through courageous conversation.Her work spans ministry, public policy, and personal mentorship—all rooted in one powerful truth: you can't heal what you don't face....2025-07-1637 minCourageous OvercomersRocket Science and RedemptionSend us a textWelcome to Courageous Overcomers, where we share real stories of faith, grit, and healing. Today’s guest is John Mollura—a man who went from launching rockets for NASA to launching people into their purpose.After facing deep personal pain and burnout, John made a bold pivot. He left the world of high-pressure engineering to become a portrait photographer, coach, and speaker. Now he helps people silence the lies that keep them stuck and step into the courage it takes to live fully alive.In this episode, John...2025-07-0929 minCourageous OvercomersBreaking the Silence: The Truth Behind the Abortion LieSend us a textWelcome to Courageous Overcomers, where we face the pain, fight the lies, and rise with faith and resilience.Today’s episode is not an easy one—but it’s a necessary one.We’re peeling back the layers of deception—the deeply rooted lies women have been told… and believed.Lies like:"God can't forgive you.""Your decision will bring shame to your family.""Ignoring it will make it go away."But silence doesn’t heal.And a lie, when left unchallenged, becomes a quie...2025-07-0234 minCourageous OvercomersThe weight of shame, the ache of regret, and the power of mercy.Send us a textFor over 30 years, she carried a silent weight—two decisions made in fear, buried deep beneath layers of shame and what-ifs. She never married. Never had children of her own. And for decades, she believed that disqualified her from joy, from purpose, from grace.But then… Jesus.In today’s episode of Courageous Overcomers, you’ll meet a woman whose story reminds us that even the heaviest chains can be broken. Though her past was marked by abortion, grief, and isolation, her present is overflowing with love—she's become a spiritua...2025-06-2539 minCourageous OvercomersThe Secret She CarriedSend us a textIn this week’s episode of Courageous Overcomers, we’re talking about the weight of secrets—and one of the heaviest is abortion. Not because it didn’t hurt, but because shame said, “Don’t tell.”I didn’t walk that road myself, but I’ve sat with many who have. And what I’ve seen over and over again is this: silence isolates, but truth sets us free.This episode is for the woman who made a decision out of fear—fear of rejection, fear of...2025-06-1823 minCourageous OvercomersBreaking the Silence: One Woman's Abortion JourneySend us a textWhat happens when the pain we carry feels too buried, too dark, or too shameful to bring into the light? Catherine's powerful story of abortion, shame, and ultimate healing reminds us that redemption thrives in vulnerability.Catherine never planned to share her abortion story publicly. For years after her procedure in 1981, she buried the memory, numbing her pain through what she calls "reckless living" until hitting rock bottom at age 28. Even after finding faith, she faced what countless post-abortive women experience: the inability to forgive herself despite believing in divine forgiveness. "...2025-06-1132 minCourageous OvercomersThe HarvestSend us a textHave you ever found yourself stuck in that excruciating space between obedience and outcome, wondering if God has forgotten you? That painful waiting room is exactly what we're tackling in this soul-nourishing episode.The harvest is indeed coming, but growth requires patience. Drawing from personal experience, I share my family's challenging two-year period after relocating from Montana to South Carolina—a season filled with divine silence that had me questioning everything. What felt like abandonment was actually God's intimate invitation to deeper trust. This waiting period, though painful, ultimately positioned my hu...2025-06-0417 minCourageous OvercomersThe Weeds We Leave BehindSend us a textThe garden of your life needs regular weeding - a truth that resonates deeply whether you're nurturing actual plants or cultivating personal growth. Drawing from my childhood experiences of weeding as punishment, I share powerful insights about identifying and removing the things that steal energy from what matters most.What's draining your potential right now? Perhaps it's bitterness disguised as boundaries, shame whispering you'll never change, addictive behaviors masquerading as stress relief, or relationships that feel comfortable but keep you stuck. These emotional and spiritual weeds don't ask permission - they...2025-05-2812 minCourageous OvercomersRooted and RisingSend us a textHave you ever mistaken a good day for deep healing? That fleeting moment when everything seems better might just be a beautiful bloom—but what about the roots beneath?This week on Courageous Overcomers, we're digging deeper than last week's conversation about blooming where you're planted. We're examining what truly anchors us during life's storms by exploring the difference between momentary progress and lasting transformation. Drawing from Jeremiah 17:8, we discover that resilience isn't about never being shaken—it's about never being uprooted.Together, we examine what constitutes strong roots vers...2025-05-2116 minCourageous OvercomersBlooming in the Broken PlacesSend us a textHave you ever wondered if anything beautiful could possibly grow from your broken places? The soil of past pain, addiction, betrayal, or heartbreak might seem too damaged to support new life—but that's exactly where the most resilient growth begins.Drawing from her family's annual gardening tradition, Tonya Shellnutt explores the profound parallel between tending a garden and nurturing our healing journey. Just as we carefully prepare soil, wait for the right planting time, and persist through unpredictable weather, our recovery requires patience, faith, and courage. The transformative promise of "beauty fo...2025-05-1417 minCourageous OvercomersWhat do the Savannah Bananas and Courageous Overcomers have in common?Send us a textWhat happens when childhood trauma becomes the foundation for revolutionary joy? The remarkable story of Jesse Cole and the Savannah Bananas offers powerful lessons about resilience that transcend the baseball diamond.Jesse Cole's journey from a broken home with an addicted mother to creating the baseball phenomenon that recently filled Clemson's Death Valley with 81,000 cheering fans demonstrates how adversity builds the emotional muscle needed for extraordinary vision. His willingness to go $1.5 million in debt, sell his home to make payroll, sleep on a twin air mattress in a cockroach-infested apartment, and...2025-05-0718 minCourageous OvercomersThe Facade of AddictionSend us a textWhat does addiction promise you, and what does it actually steal? This powerful question forms the foundation of our exploration into the deceptive facade of addiction. Numbing feels like safety, but silently robs us of the very things we desperately seek: peace, purpose, and authentic connection.Throughout this raw and honest conversation, we unpack the dangerous paradox of addiction. While it offers temporary relief from pain, it simultaneously prevents true healing. Though it promises escape from stress, it steals our ability to be present. When it offers control over chaos, it...2025-04-3023 minCourageous Overcomers“The Counterfeit Comfort of Addiction”!Send us a textWhat happens when the very thing that seems to bring us comfort is slowly destroying our lives? Today we're pulling back the curtain on a rarely discussed aspect of addiction—not the chaos it creates, but the counterfeit comfort it provides before taking everything else.Most addictive behaviors aren't primarily about chasing highs; they're about silencing the deafening noise in our heads. That overthinking mind that never stops racing. The perfectionistic pressure to always perform flawlessly. The people-pleaser exhaustion from constantly overgiving. The suppressed anger never allowed expression. The discomfort of st...2025-04-2322 minCourageous OvercomersBreaking the Chains of Addiction with guest Chris JanssenSend us a textWhat happens when a high-achieving perfectionist discovers that alcohol simultaneously soothes and sabotages her life? Chris Janssen, USA Today bestselling author of "Grace Yourself," takes us on her remarkable journey from teenage drinking to sustained sobriety, an unexpected relapse, and ultimately, profound redemption.Janssen's story begins at fourteen, when she discovered alcohol's ability to quiet her relentless perfectionism. The temporary relief it provided became a crutch that followed her through college, marriage, and motherhood. "Alcohol made me feel okay," she reveals. "I could relax and not overthink everything." Yet this solution...2025-04-1631 minCourageous OvercomersBreaking the Chains of Addiction: A Husband's Journey to 34 Years of SobrietySend us a textWhat if your path to sobriety revealed something much deeper than freedom from addiction? Rich Shellnutt knows this journey intimately. With 34 years of sobriety under his belt, he sits down with his wife Tonya to unpack how alcohol gradually infiltrated his life, one drink at a time, and the profound awakening that followed his recovery.Behind Rich's addiction lay a complex web of pain – abandonment issues from an absent father, the early loss of his grandfather, learning disabilities that set him apart from peers, and the profound insecurity these experiences created. Wh...2025-04-0926 minCourageous OvercomersBreaking Free: 30 Years Sober and HealingSend us a textFreedom is possible—I'm living proof of it. After three decades of sobriety, I've discovered that the journey isn't simply about putting down the bottle. It's about confronting the pain we've been desperately trying to numb.My relationship with alcohol began as an escape route. I drank because I couldn't sit with my reality and pain. I drank because I didn't feel safe or seen. I drank because, deep down, I believed I had no worth. What looked like a drinking problem on the surface was actually a symptom of deeper wo...2025-04-0221 minCourageous OvercomersThe Real Tonya: Behind the PodcastSend us a textEver wondered what makes a podcast host who regularly dives into trauma and healing tick when they're off-mic? This week, Courageous Overcomers takes a refreshing detour as Tonya Shellnutt pulls back the curtain on her personal life at the urging of her Producer and Children.Through rapid-fire questions and candid answers, Tonya reveals herself as an early-to-bed morning person who cherishes her quiet coffee time, hates slow drivers in the left lane, and admits to being "the worst backseat driver." She shares her unexpected talent for dominating at Scrabble (having only...2025-03-2619 minCourageous OvercomersLet Purpose Shape Your Story, Not Your PainSend us a textYour pain does not get the final say. Keep walking, keep believing, keep fighting."Too often, we let pain define us, but what if we let purposeshape our story instead? This episode will challenge you to move from victimhood to victory using the P.A.I.N. framework:🔹 P – Process the Pain – Face it, don’t bury it.🔹 A – Ask What the Pain is Teaching You – Strength comes from struggle.🔹 I – Identify Who Needs Your Story – Your survival is someon...2025-03-1915 minCourageous OvercomersHope Beyond the WallsSend us a textIn Hope Beyond the Walls, we dive deep into the hard stuff—trauma, fear, and pain—but we don’t stop there. This podcast is for those who refuse to let suffering have the final say. Through powerful stories, biblical truth, and practical steps, we uncover how hope becomes the bridge from pain to purpose. No matter how long you've felt stuck, God is not finished with you. Keep walking, keep believing, and keep fighting—because we are not victims. We are Courageous Overcomers.Support the showStay Connecte...2025-03-1217 minCourageous OvercomersA Journey Through Darkness to Hope: Jenita's StorySend us a textIn this engaging episode, we dive deep into the inspiring story of Jenita Pace, who shares her journey through the shadows of depression into the light of healing and hope. After facing personal battles including two suicide attempts, Jenita’s life took a transformative turn, leading her to discover the power of faith, community, and mentorship. With raw honesty, she reflects on how crippling thoughts of being a burden shaped her mental health struggles and how crucial interventions came from unexpected moments of grace.Jenita unpacks her experiences in the hospital, re...2025-03-0533 minCourageous OvercomersOvercoming Life's Challenges: A Journey of Faith and TransformationSend us a textRich returns to Courageous Overcomers to share his deeply personal journey of faith, marked by the profound loss of his grandfather. What happens when life's hardest moments challenge our beliefs and push us towards self-doubt? Learn how Rich confronted these trials, the impact of unanswered prayers, and the solace he sought in alcohol as he grappled with feelings of inadequacy and fear of rejection. His story opens a dialogue on the delicate balance between self-reliance and spiritual dependence, especially in a society that values toughness and independence.Join us as we...2025-02-2631 minCourageous OvercomersBreaking Down the Walls: Overcoming Barriers to FaithSend us a textMany of us build emotional walls to protect ourselves from pain, disappointment, and betrayal—but those same walls can also keep us from experiencing faith, healing, and true freedom. In this episode of Courageous Overcomers, we’re talking about the barriers that keep people from fully trusting God.Tonya shares her personal struggles with faith, wrestling with unanswered questions, church hurt, and the belief that she had to “earn” God’s love. She explores the reasons people struggle with faith—doubt, fear, shame, cultural pressures, and even spiritual warfare—unpacking how these barriers...2025-02-1930 minCourageous OvercomersSpiritual Strength in OvercomingSend us a textThis week on Courageous Overcomers, Tonya dives into the vital role of faith in overcoming addiction, abuse, and trauma. In recent episodes, she has explored resilience and shared the powerful stories of overcomers—each of them bound by one common thread: faith.Tonya introduces another brick-breaking tool in the healing journey: faith. She has often discussed emotional walls—how people build them for protection but end up keeping out the good while allowing the bad to remain. While courage and resilience help...2025-02-1227 minCourageous OvercomersAn Interview with Candy Wolff: Lost and Found in Mexico, A Widow's Road to RecoverySend us a textJoin us for a poignant episode featuring Candy Wolff, whose journey of resilience and healing is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. Candy takes us through the emotional and tumultuous aftermath of losing her husband, Ross, during a trip to Cabo. Faced with unimaginable challenges, from dealing with local authorities to the shocking discovery of stolen belongings, Candy's story underscores the chaos and vulnerability one might experience in a foreign land during such a crisis.Candy also opens up about the unexpected financial struggles that surfaced after Ross's passing. The episode sheds light...2025-02-0536 min