Stay ConnectedTwo women. Two generations. Each with a mic and lots to talk about.
Hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Bender dive into honest, funny, and practical conversations about bridging faith with today’s cultural realities. They ask the hard questions and unpack what it looks like to bring smart living to a modern world—without losing your mind (or your sense of humor).
Expect laughter, gentle truth-telling, and the kind of advice you’d actually text a friend about
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There’s probably no better time for a reset than now! Closing the curtain on 2020 seems like the best idea we’ve heard. But, a grit and grace woman knows that no matter how challenging her circumstances are, she finds strength by going through them, not around them. So, this year deserves a proper send-off. And since it was such a tough one, we're probably all due for a massive shakeup. This week, co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Bender offer suggestions on exactly how to do that. Do you feel stuck? Is there a relationship that is off? Are you in the right job? What a perfect time to consider what you might want to change and evaluate how you’re spending your time, energy, and influence. If you’ve felt stalled out (as most of us have), take a hard look at your priorities to figure out where you want to go. Don’t let the frustrations of this year carry you into the next. Press play and choose to start fresh. Viewing in an app? Full show notes here! Articles We Mentioned or Know You'll Love Why You Need to Forgive When Forgiveness Seems Impossible If you aren’t sure of what a charged word looks like, consider the word forgiveness. If forgiveness was a Read more Stuck In a Rut? Here’s How to Get Some Perspective A Chick-Fil-A commercial caught my eye the other day. The company is advertising chicken for breakfast. Now I’m not Read more Now Is the Time To Release 2020 Back in December 2019, I was on maternity leave taking care of my three-month-old son, Read more Is There Any Good 2020? If You Say “Yes,” Don’t Feel Guilty When my son died by suicide back in 2015, I was halfway through a four-year Read more 5 Slogans From AA That Will Make Every Woman Wiser My former chosen method of numbing pain included self-medicating with pills and toxic relationships. It’s taken years, open sharing Read more What Happens When You Welcome God Into Your Recovery
It’s the end of the year, and we’re wondering if it’s genuinely possible to balance all the parts of our life. Especially after 2020! Are we able to do everything that demands our attention, with the hope of enjoying it, too? Heather Brown, creator of the lifestyle blog My Life Well Loved, join Darlene Brock and Julie Bender for this very conversation. When you listen, you'll gather tips from this inspiring lady on how to grow your faith, keep your marriage thriving, and avoid mommy guilt. Heather's hack for getting her picky toddler to try new things truly surprised us! You’ll appreciate the ladies’ different opinions in this conversation (unique to their personalities, experiences, and generation). But they all agree that self-care cannot be the last thing on our growing lists. This podcast is the perfect listen if you need a recharge and want to be present and enjoy the holidays with those you love. Heather Brown is the creator and editor at My Life Well Loved born of her passion to empower women, inspire confidence, and elevate living a life well loved. She's a mom to three-year-old, Leyton, and 10 month old, Finn, wife to Eric, and a healthy lifestyle advocate! She's defined by her faith in Jesus, her Southern roots, and a deep love for people. MLWL is a destination for fitness, fashion, mom hacks, wellness tips, and most importantly fun! Find and follow along with her on Instagram here. Get Heather’s post about the Enneagram here. Grab her meal planning Ebook here. And read more about picky Eaters and food therapy with tips from a dietician here. Get the Marco Polo app we talked about, here! Viewing in an app? Full show notes here! Articles We Mentioned or Know You'll Love This Is How a Good Friend Prays There’s a story in the Bible about four men who brought their paralytic friend to Jesus to be healed. Read more How to Use The 5 Love Languages for Strong Friendships A few years ago, I read Gary Chapman’s book, The 5 Love Languages, and have viewed Read more 7 Simple and Memorable Valentine’s Day Date Ideas Because we don’t all have a budget like The Bachelor to take a Maserati to a private jet plane that lands
Do women really need friends? Do they need female friendships? What does it take to create a bond that flourishes? How do you know when a friendship should end because the harm outweighs the good, bringing hurt instead of joy? Can women have long-term friendships? Can they be “just friends” with men? These are just a few of the issues that co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Bender consider while unpacking how to deepen relationships with friends who are safe, those you can trust. Also, they'll discuss how to cut off a bond that has turned toxic. It takes both grit and grace to have quality friendships, and we encourage those! Strong women surround themselves with other strong women—those who can inspire, love, and do this #gritandgracelife together! Viewing in an app? Full show notes here! Articles We Mentioned or Know You'll Love Why You Should Just Have That Hard Conversation (And How to Do It) Have you ever had that sick, anxious feeling in the pit of your stomach? The one that occurs when you know there’s a conversation you need to have with someone you don’t want to have it with? Or maybe Read more How Friendship Changes as an Adult After graduating college and getting married one month later, I really struggled with making and maintaining friendships. I’m finding that being an adult and experiencing difficulty/disappointments in friendship isn’t a coincidence—though it did leave me bitter in the beginning. Here Read more How Self-Awareness Will Make You Successful “What do you want, Jen?” I thought it was a dumb question. I didn’t have time to think about what I wanted. I was leading a rapidly growing organization, overseeing a multi-million dollar building project, and writing my first book. Read more People Are Becoming Increasingly Lonely: Here’s How to Fight It As I sat down with my second cup of coffee to follow my morning ritual, I scanned my emails when an article caught my attention: Study Reveals Loneliness at Epidemic Levels in America. The results of the study conducted Read more When Your Best Friend Breaks Up With You Friendship is a true gift and a unique relationship, unlike any other I’ve experienced. We don’t talk about friendships breaking up as much as we talk about our romantic relationships; maybe it’s because the unique relationship between girlfriends is
Sometimes the people who are supposed to love us the most hurt us the deepest. Wounds from dysfunctional relationships left untreated can cripple us for a lifetime. Sarah Mae, author of The Complicated Heart: Loving Even When It Hurts, joins Darlene Brock and Julie Bender to talk about healing. Having learned how to break the chains of hurt, she shares the complicated relationship she had with her mom, her pain after an abortion, and steps to finding lasting hope and change. In Sarah’s words: “If you’ve struggled with a difficult relationship, if you’ve felt torn-up and crazy and confused because of it, if you just want to know how to move forward and be okay, this story is for you.“ This episode is a must-listen, and we encourage you to share it with someone you know might need it, too. Sarah Mae is a nationally known speaker, the host of The Complicated Heart Podcast, and author of several books, including The Complicated Heart: Loving Even When It Hurts. She loves to travel all over the country speaking at events and encouraging women to walk in freedom. She also has the privilege of sharing beautiful and meaningful products on QVC. She makes her home in Lancaster County Pennsylvania with her woodworker husband, three spunky kiddos, and a naughty yellow lab named Memphis. You can follow her on Instagram or visit her site, here. To learn more about the core lies Sarah talks about on the episode, click here. Viewing in an app? Full show notes here! As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Articles We Mentioned or Know You'll Love Is Your Anger Holding You Hostage? Freedom Can Be Found The assault stole more than my innocence: it also taught me how to withhold forgiveness. As time marched on, that Read more Establishing Healthy Boundaries in the Grit and Grace Life Healthy personal boundaries are the key to healthy relationships. Without them, healthy relationships are impossible. Read more When Dreams Die… Grieving What Should Have Been When we speak of grief it’s normally in the context of losing someone we love, Read more Can You Forgive When There’s No Apology? It can...
We women possess innate qualities that make us strong. But did you know that we can do things to grow the power we have within us? Co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Bender share seven ways to do so, whether you're starting now or simply need a reminder. Here are just a few they discuss that we all need to master: respect yourself (and others) go with the flow trust your gut Viewing in an app? Full show notes here! Articles We Mentioned or Know You'll Love How to Have a Beautiful Wedding on a Budget Did the new year bring you a new ring? Or, maybe your Valentine surprised you with a proposal for life-long love. No Read more 6 Things to Treasure About Pandemic Life I’ve learned in life that it is really important to look back. To reflect. To pay attention. While COVID-19 Read more 5 Slogans From AA That Will Make Every Woman Wiser My former chosen method of numbing pain included self-medicating with pills and toxic relationships. It’s taken years, open sharing Read more What Does It Take to Be a Strong Woman of Grit and Grace? What defines a strong woman? Can I become strong? How do I find my purpose? Do I have to Read more Quote of the episode: "You see I am neither as good as I want to be or as bad as I could be. I am still a work in progress, growing in grace." - Darlene Brock Check out these episodes we mentioned: Darlene and Julie Chat Balancing Adulting, Barbells and Booties – 109, Get It Girl! How Self-Respect Can Change Your Life – 097, 7 Things You Can Stop Doing To Be a Strong Woman – 147, and You Are More Inspiring Than You Think – 141 Be sure to follow us on social media! Facebook Instagram
We know that a strong woman has a lot of things she has to do. But did you know that there are some things a woman should NOT do in order to be her strongest self? For most of us, it’s hard to identify what those actions and behaviors are, and it's even more challenging to stop doing them. So, what are the items that you need to erase from your to-do list in life? Co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie (Graham) Bender offer a little help by suggesting a few ways you can set your course to becoming a stronger you. Here are a few of the don’ts they discuss—things you can stop doing right now: Listening to your negative self-talk Saying yes to everything Sweating the small stuff Join us in this conversation, one for all grit and grace women. We’re here to help you erase these burdens from your list, set them aside, and feel the weight lift off of you, friend. Viewing in an app? Full show notes here. Articles We Mentioned or Know You'll Love When a Strong Woman Is Quitting, But Not Failing You’re reading this because there is something in your life that you have an inkling you need to let Read more He Brings Me Flowers, but Is That Enough? I have watched as so many women compromise on what they will accept from a man, especially the man Read more 13 Things I Need to Quit For Good, Right Now I need to quit thinking I’m not enough. Because I am. I am a person of value and have Read more How Do I Know What Defines Me? I am single. I am widowed. I am married. I am divorced. I am a mom. I have no Read more 5 Things You Need to Quit Right Now I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and came across a quote Read more If Your Man Didn’t Propose (But Should Have) Read This To the girl who didn’t get the engagement you were expecting, this is what you need to do to Read more This Is How You Protect Your Worth, Girl Honesty is always the best policy… until you are under the fire of pressure and then it ...
Single ladies, this one is for you! It seems that a lot of the content out there is focused on finding you a man! But we know that a strong woman doesn’t need to be in a relationship to have value. A healthy relationship can be a significant part of your life, but it’s not essential to living a full and rich life. So, we invited Jessica Hutton, author of Own Your Singleness, to bring a little insight into going beyond simply surviving your singleness, but thriving in it. Jessica introduces us to the 6-single-lady typologies and explains how you can practice active contentment and avoid the pitfalls of frustration and disappointment. She will encourage you to live as a happy, healthy, and prosperous individual who may then attract a happy, healthy, prosperous relationship (if you want one). She’s single, thriving, and living into her purpose, and she will help you realize you can, too. Jessica Hutton is a Licensed Master Social Worker, Life Coach, and author who works with singles and couples to create a life they love, unlearn toxic relationship behaviors, and develop skills that will help them nurture stable, satisfying, and sustainable relationships that last a lifetime. Visit her site, Live and Love Enriched, and follow her on Facebook or Instagram. Read Don’t Become A Bitter Single Christian Woman, from Jessica's blog, now. Viewing in an app? Full show notes here! Articles We Mentioned or Know You'll Love 5 Ways to Love Your Single Life So a large majority of your friends are married and you are not. Do you celebrate because you dodged Read more Grit and Grace for All the Single Ladies Relationships and their various roles can be a challenge. Relationships with men… even more challenging. As women, it’s so Read more This Will Make You Rethink Your Singleness I am engulfed in a society where some of the best things this world has to offer come in Read more If Your Man Didn’t Propose (But Should Have) Read This To the girl who didn’t get the engagement you were expecting, this is what you need to do to
This one gets personal. Co-host Julie Graham has already shared a bit of her story—a difficult childhood, married at 21, widowed at 33, and spending the last three years as a single, working mom to her spunky little boy. Back in the dating world, she discovered a gap. There wasn’t much for single Christian women wanting to date online, much less for moms. It seemed like the message was that it was wrong or unsafe, to be avoided at all costs. But, she found her way, employing the advice of a friend of the show and Licensed Therapist, Dr. Zoe Shaw. Now, she’s preparing to become Mrs. Julie Bender, marrying the newly found love of her life during a pandemic in front of their closest family and friends. In this episode, she shares this part of her story, how she met ‘D’ and when she knew he was ‘the one.’ Darlene explores the pitfalls she faced while dating and how they’ve grown as a couple as they become not just husband and wife, but also a family of three. Whether you’ve experienced divorce or widowhood, you'll find nuggets of truth in this episode—a testimony of how our very own Julie Graham found redemptive love. It just might be there for you, too. Viewing in an app? Full show notes here! Articles We Mentioned or Know You'll Love When Will I Be Ready to Date After My Husband’s Death? When my husband passed away suddenly, I knew fairly quickly I would want to date again. For some, that Read more This Is a Window Into My Widowhood I remember getting the call. “Paul has had an accident and it’s not good. We need to get over Read more Is Marriage Just a Piece of Paper? Or Is It Something More? It appears a lot of women are waiting for their man to propose. They have been a couple for Read more When a Strong Woman Is Quitting, But Not Failing You’re reading this because there is something in your life that you have an inkling you need to let Read more 10 Things You Need to Know Before You Try Online Dating Let’s be realistic. I’d love to sit here and write about how to avoid the nightmare of online dating. Read more From a Therapist: This Is Why Your Self-Talk Matters Most people get it wrong when they think about who their...
Our faith guides us in all that we do. It is what enables us to manage This Grit and Grace Life. Since we believe we serve a personal God who cares about every aspect of our life, we realize that getting to know him better makes a huge difference. Faith helps us navigate all the challenges we face with the assurance that there are answers to our problems. In this episode, we’re bringing it back to the basics. What does it mean to be a Christian? How do you begin and grow in faith? Are there ways to learn more about God and the bible? Even what do Darlene and Julie find helpful in their own lives? This and more from two imperfect, still-growing Christian women who want to encourage you wherever you are today. Grab your coffee (maybe your bible) and tune in to this heartfelt discussion. Perhaps even share it with a friend. Looking to start studying the bible more? Try the 3 P's method Julie mentioned. As you read a passage of scripture look for God's power, presence and/or promises. You might also want to look for a reading plan on the You Version bible app or find one at She Reads Truth. Viewing in an app? Full show notes here! These are the verses we mentioned on the episode. * “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.” Acts 2:42 * “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25 Articles We Mentioned or Know You'll Love How to Have Your Own Coffee + Bible Time If you follow me on social media (you should, by the way) you likely see me post on Facebook Read more Why It’s Important to Be Involved in a Local Church and How to Pick One Sunday morning comes around and the temptation to sleep in is strong! But then, you consider the importance of Read more The Good Christian Girl Who Struggled With Porn I was 13 when I found pornography. Understand my family was super conservative. I was raised in the church. My mom Read more These Bible Studies Will Help You Grow Your Faith
You've probably thought about investing in your family’s future. Perhaps you’ve already created plans and budgets, but you may not have considered what your family’s real priorities should be. This episode’s guest, Deborah Meyer, CPA/PFS, CFP®, and Amazon bestselling author of Redefining Family Wealth, brings a fresh look at creating a plan unique to your family. She tells Darlene and Julie that building real wealth is about so much more than money. If the word “budget” makes you break into a cold sweat and a five-year plan (in any area of your life) feels overwhelming, this episode is for you. You’ll discover the intersection of money/finance and your family’s dreams, which should be part of your budget—offering the steps needed to realize them. Don’t stress your bank account or procrastinate these plans any further, just press play. Deborah L. Meyer, CPA/PFS, CFP® and AFCPE® Member, is the Amazon bestselling author of Redefining Family Wealth: A Parent’s Guide to Purposeful Living. Deborah owns Worthy Nest®, a virtual fee-only financial planning and investment advisory firm that helps parents build wealth, and SV CPA Services, an accounting and tax firm for impact-oriented small business owners. You can follow Deb on Facebook and learn more in her article 5 Steps To Build Wealth Without Comprising Your Values. Viewing in an app? Full show notes here! Articles We Mentioned or Know You'll Love This Is How to Balance Money and Marriage Like a Pro When you made vows “for richer or poorer” to your sweetheart, you probably didn’t realize the role that money Read more A Girl’s Guide to Smart Spending Almost nine years ago, I was 24 years old and four months pregnant with my little girl. I was Read more 5 Questions to Make the Most of Couple’s Counseling Going into a counseling session by yourself can be intimidating. The idea of opening up to someone you have Read more How to Declutter the Chaos in Your Home and Get Organized
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