The Women of Joy Show

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Join us at a Women of Joy LIVE event

Check out the SPRING 2027 tour: https://womenofjoy.org/events

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Explore Annie’s new book: Don’t Let That Hold You Back https://www.anniefdowns.com/dont-let-that-hold-you-back

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Even better, you know you want to cruise with us in 2027: https://womenofjoy.org/cruise-event/cruise-2027

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Fall Merch is here at The Women of Joy STORE:

Share this episode with a friend who needs encouragement to take her next brave step, and subscribe to The Women of Joy Show, where we laugh a little, grow a lot, and don’t do life alone.

Annie F. Downs | Don’t Let That Hold You Back - Live at Women of Joy Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

Thousands of our best friends in one room. One honest conversation about grief and the things that keep us from moving forward.

Recorded live at Women of Joy, Maegan Schwindling sits down with Annie F. Downs to talk about her new book, Don’t Let That Hold You Back. Together, they dive into grief, the weight of unmet expectations, and how loss can leave us feeling stuck.

What happens when moving forward feels like leaving something, or someone, behind? How do we acknowledge what hurts while making room for what comes next? With laughter, honesty, and thousands of friends leaning into the conversation, this episode makes space for both sorrow and hope.

In this episode, we talk about:

How grief can hold us back and shape the way we see our future.
Grieving the life we expected and the plans that didn’t unfold.
Why moving forward doesn’t mean forgetting what mattered.
Taking the next step while still carrying a loss.

If you’ve been navigating grief or wondering how to move forward, pull up a chair. There’s room for you in this conversation.

Resources:

Let's Be Friends!

. . . .

Join us at a Women of Joy LIVE event

Check out the SPRING 2027 tour: https://womenofjoy.org/events

. . . . .

Explore Annie’s new book: Don’t Let That Hold You Back https://www.anniefdowns.com/dont-let-that-hold-you-back

. . . . .

Even better, you know you want to cruise with us in 2027: https://womenofjoy.org/cruise-event/cruise-2027

. . . . .

Fall Merch is here at The Women of Joy STORE:

Share this episode with a friend who needs encouragement to take her next brave step, and subscribe to The Women of Joy Show, where we laugh a little, grow a lot, and don’t do life alone.

Jess Connolly | How to Not Let Fear Control Your Life Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

What are you afraid of and how much is that fear shaping your life?

In this episode of The Women of Joy Show, Maegan Waldrep Schwindling sits down with author and Bible teacher Jess Connolly for an honest conversation about fear, faith, and the power of naming what scares us.

Together, they explore why naming your fear matters and how bringing it before God can help you begin moving forward. Jess also shares about her new book, You Can’t Be Brave Until You’re Scared, and the invitation to practice courage even when you still feel afraid.

If fear has been influencing your decisions, keeping you quiet, or making your next step feel impossible, this conversation offers encouragement to get honest about what you’re carrying and trust God with what comes next.

In this episode:

The power of naming your fear.
Recognizing how fear influences your choices.
Bringing your fears to God without shame.
Taking a courageous next step while you’re still scared.

#WomenOfJoy #JessConnolly #fear #bebrave #GoodnessOfGod #ChristianPodcast #FaithOverFear

Resources:

Let's Be Friends!

. . . .

Join us at a Women of Joy LIVE event

Check out the fall tour: https://womenofjoy.org/events

. . . . .

Explore Jess’s book, You Can’t Be Brave Until You’re Scared: jessconnolly.com/ycbbuys

. . . . .

Even better, you know you want to cruise with us in 2027: https://womenofjoy.org/cruise-event/cruise-2027

. . . . .

Fall Merch is here at The Women of Joy STORE:

Share this episode with a friend who needs encouragement to take her next brave step, and subscribe to The Women of Joy Show, where we laugh a little, grow a lot, and don’t do life alone.

Lucinda Mullins | Finding God’s Goodness When Life Changes Forever Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

How do you trust the goodness of God when your life looks nothing like you planned?

In this episode of The Women of Joy Show, Maegan sits down with Lucinda “Cindy” Mullins from Stanford, Kentucky, to hear her extraordinary story. What began as a kidney stone developed into an infection and sepsis, ultimately leading to the loss of all four of her limbs.

Lucinda is one of our own. A woman of joy who has been attending Women of Joy for many years in Pigeon Forge, TN. Now, she continues to come and joins us to share her testimony and talk about the goodness of the God we gather to worship, even in the midst of life-changing suffering.

Her story invites us to consider where we place our hope when circumstances change and how we can trust God while living with questions we cannot fully answer.

God’s goodness can feel difficult to understand when we are hurting. This conversation makes room for that tension while pointing us toward the One who meets us in it.

Whether you are navigating an unexpected diagnosis, grieving a loss, or wondering what comes next, we pray this episode encourages you to bring your questions to God and remember that you do not have to walk through them alone.

In this episode:

Lucinda’s story of surviving sepsis and becoming a quadruple amputee.
Her longtime connection to the Women of Joy community.
Faith when life takes an unexpected turn.
The goodness of God in the midst of suffering.
Hope when the future looks different than you imagined.

Subscribe to The Women of Joy Show for more conversations where we laugh a little, grow a lot, and don’t do life alone.

#WomenOfJoy #LucindaMullins #CindyMullins #GoodnessOfGod #ChristianPodcast #FaithThroughSuffering

Let's Be Friends!

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Join us at a Women of Joy LIVE event where Lisa is speaking:

Check out the fall tour: https://womenofjoy.org/events

. . . . .

Even better, you know you want to cruise with us in 2027: https://womenofjoy.org/cruise-event/cruise-2027

. . . . .

Fall Merch is here at The Women of Joy STORE:

Jenessa Wait on Moving With God Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

What does it look like to move toward God when you don’t know what comes next?

In this episode of The Women of Joy Show, Maegan Schwindling sits down with Jenessa Wait to talk about moving toward the goodness of God and learning to lean into Him. Jenessa is an amazing artist, entrepreneur, and follower of Jesus. You don’t want to miss checking out her online shop. In this conversation, Jenessa shares the heart behind her new book, releasing in November, and invites us to consider how we respond to God’s invitation to draw closer. They bring all of this back to our fall theme of how we move with God toward His goodness.

When life feels uncertain, we often want answers before we take another step. But we can bring our questions to God, trust His character, and begin moving toward Him right where we are. His goodness gives us a reason to keep coming closer even when we don’t have everything figured out.

If you’ve been longing for reassurance or wondering what your next step of faith might look like, this conversation is an invitation to lean into the One who is already near.

Join us as we laugh a little, grow a lot, and don’t do life alone.

#WomenOfJoy #JenessaWait #GoodnessOfGod

Let's Be Friends!