Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreIn our nearly six-month hiatus, a lot has happened in the lives of This Grit and Grace Life‘s hosts. Darlene developed and launched Grit and Grace Life‘s sister project, Smart Living with Grit and Grace, while Julie welcomed a brand new baby girl named Reverie Bender. Like any good friends would do after being apart, Darlene and Julie spend some time catching up and discussing what else is new in Julie’s life (hint: a lot!). For our newer listeners, Julie recaps her first marriage, her sudden widowhood, getting back into the dating scene and how she met her now-husband, Donny. She also speaks to what trust looks […]

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreWe lied! In our last episode, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender signed off with a promise to return in September 2022 after Julie had her baby. Well, life happened, and This Grit and Grace Life’s return got pushed back to January. Better late than never, right? At least we’re starting off the new year with a bang! In this episode, Darlene and Julie share some of the new changes happening behind the scenes at Grit and Grace Life and give a preview of this season’s upcoming podcast guests. We have a lot in store—you don’t want to miss it! Quote of the episode: “There’s nothing we can

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MorePsychology Today estimates that we make 35,000 decisions per day. That means from the moment we wake up to the moment we crawl back into bed, we’re constantly assessing and weighing out thousand of choices to see which ones are most beneficial. This week, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender review the steps you need to make decisions you won’t regret, and how to abstain from judging others for the decisions they make in their own lives. Whether you’re debating your options in a relationship, in appearances, in your career, or any other area of life, the decisions you make—big or small—hold weight. If you need a little

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreAs this week’s podcast guest, Brooke Raybould, says, freedom is “a loaded word.” Especially with the recent rise in debate over constitutional rights in the U.S., the meaning of freedom can get muddy. So what exactly does it mean for us, and furthermore, how can we correctly relay what it means to our kids? Brooke, who is also the face behind the beloved The Southernish Mama blog, is surrounded by the hustle and bustle of government more than many of us: Her and her family live in D.C. and her husband worked in the U.S. Congress. She joins Darlene Brock and Julie Bender to talk about her

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | More  Childhood memories stick with us for a long time, especially life-altering ones. Grammy-winning artist Mandisa joins Darlene Brock and Julie Bender to share how she recognized her worth after a traumatic experience at 16 shattered her self-image and darkened her outlook on life.  In this episode, Mandisa sheds light on issues that many Christians are hesitant to bring out into the open: things like depression, anxiety, and suicide. She unpacks the importance of therapy in her life, as well as how her faith and musical career strengthened her resolve and allowed her—and others—to find a path toward healing. If you’re trying to reconcile with your own

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreIf you don’t already know, Julie is having a baby! (A girl!)  At her recent baby shower, amid all the laughter and gifts from friends and family, there was a conversation about the fears people are feeling as a result of the daily circumstances occurring around the world—there was a general consensus that we’re heading into a scary future.  That juxtaposition prompted Darlene and Julie to sit down and talk about our collective uncertainty about the future. Between cultural tension and disagreements, economic hardships, lingering pandemic worries and more, it can be hard to look forward to the future with hope.  But Darlene and Julie remind us