Women Can Find Purpose in this Grit and Grace Life

What Is the Magic of the Snowball Effect?

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. —Robert Brault Years ago, I was scheduled on a red eye from Hawaii to Houston. Shortly after I sat down in my seat, a middle-aged Japanese woman plopped down in the empty seat to my left. “Hello,” I smiled at her before sliding my headphones over my ears, the universal signal that I wasn’t up for conversing. It was close to midnight, after all. But the woman started engaging with me anyway. Not wanting to be rude, I took my headphones off and answered her questions while our plane barreled down the runway. Pretty soon, we were describing what our days consisted of and […]

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graphic for episode 217 on being an independent woman

It’s Independence Day—Are You an Independent Woman? – 217

By This Grit & Grace Life Podcast / Podcast, Purpose

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Email | TuneIn | RSS | MoreHappy 4th of July! While we’re celebrating our nation’s independence and the individual freedoms over backyard cookouts and late-night fireworks, we also can’t help but wonder: What does it look like to be an independent woman? In this episode of This Grit and Grace Life, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender unpack the characteristics of an independent woman. They also discuss the importance of identifying your value outside of your job title or relationship status and, most importantly, how to channel confidence and find contentment in who you are. The independent woman is one who makes a difference because she knows what she brings to the

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Discover 5 AA Slogans That Bring Wisdom to Any Woman’s Life

By Rachel Hagstrom / Health & Beauty, Purpose

My former chosen method of numbing pain included self-medicating with pills and toxic relationships. It’s taken years, open sharing and honest conversations, lots of therapy, and a few rock-bottom moments to set myself on a path of growth and healing. For many people who struggle with addiction, recovery programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) have ignited a new way of life, and a newfound sense of identity and purpose. Yet, the programs practices aren’t just life-changing for its members alone—anyone can benefit from the organization’s principles, and steps. Some of the best life practices can be found in the AA slogans. These five AA slogans every woman can incorporate into her daily life! 1. One Day at a Time To take it one

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Is It a Midlife Crisis? Or a New Beginning?

By Caroline Beidler / Purpose

Not going to lie: I find the flaps of skin on my arms and the line etching itself into my forehead (that looks just like my mother’s) a bit concerning. Middle age snuck up on me like my husband likes to sneak up on me in the kitchen and pinch my rear. All of a sudden, I’m here. A part of me is elated, and a part of me is petrified. What if I am more than halfway through my life? Is this why the phrase “midlife crisis” was coined? Why men with sprinkles of white in their mustaches slink around car dealerships looking for the shining red muscle car? Why some veer a bit further and look for the other shiny

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Why You Need a Wellness Vision and Your Guide to Creating One

By Rachel Hagstrom / Purpose, Life & Culture

I don’t remember any watershed or lightbulb moments that first prompted me to take a more proactive stance on the state of my health and create a wellness vision. However, I do remember what happened when I made the solemn vow to start treating myself with a little more TLC: absolutely nothing. Zip, zilch, nada. Because when I made that pledge to myself, I imagined willpower would be enough to align my actions with my words and that my quest toward greater wellness would unfold in a buttoned-up linear fashion. Sure, it was a bit delusional to think that the process would be seamless and easy. Instead, I did the whole two-steps-forward-four-steps-back dance. (And later learned that all my back peddling, overanalyzing,

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Anatomy of a Strong Woman

By Darlene Brock / Purpose

What makes a strong woman is touted in academia and social media; it’s displayed daily on almost every television network. The phrase is even currently awarded to those who are not biologically female. But I contend being born female is the only path to becoming a strong woman. Those are the women I admire and want to emulate. Today’s version of female strength is often exemplified by some of the angriest ladies I have ever encountered. I’m not sure that much of anything would make these women happy. They tell us we should demand respect, our rights, and equality (but oftentimes with an air of superiority). This is not to say that women cannot have a voice, that we are undeserving of respect,

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When a Strong Woman is Quitting but not Failing

By Dr. Zoe Shaw / Purpose

You’re reading this because there is something in your life that you have an inkling you need to let go of. Whether it’s a job, a relationship, a dream, or a life path, you know you really shouldn’t be involved in it anymore. It just doesn’t feel right, but you aren’t sure what to do about it. You may be quitting but not failing. I don’t know about you, but I have a million “don’t quit” mantras in my head that make quitting feel the same as failing. They all say that if I choose to end something in my life, I am a failure. When you think of yourself as a strong woman, quitter doesn’t play into that description. Having perseverance

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5 Steps for Setting Goals, Changing Dreams into Done

By Jenni Catron / Purpose, Work & Money

I absolutely love the start of each new year! A fresh start… a clean slate… wide open horizons… Pick your choice metaphor and embrace the new year’s energy with me for a minute. Fast forward to late January, and my motivation is waning. My guess is the same thing happens to you. In fact, statistics tell us that only 8% of us actually achieve the New Year resolutions we set! Our resolutions break down because we fail to create a plan to achieve them. In fact, rather than creating resolutions, I create goals that are important to me for the coming year. Goals vs. Resolutions It might seem like semantics to set goals versus resolutions, but here is the subtle difference between

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How Do I Know What Defines Me?

By Darlene Brock / Purpose, Best Of

I am single. I am widowed. I am married. I am divorced. I am a mom. I have no children. I am a career woman. I stay at home. I am an artist. I am a cancer survivor. I have a doctorate. I finished high school. Are these really who we are? Or are they merely part of our journey, a title, or life experience that will demonstrate what we are made of? I, my friend, will passionately argue for the latter. In my 20s, I was a booking agent for musicians when I married my boss. No, it was not one of those torrid affairs in the workplace that you would read or hear about over your lunch break. He was

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Why Wait? Do Big Things Today!

By Amanda-Lee Pitzer / Purpose, Motherhood

WOW. That girl is going to do big things one day. But. What if she doesn’t do big things? My girl’s best friend is incredibly mature and smart for her age. Although she’s two years younger, you would never know it. She can’t stand the drama of girls her age and instead hangs with an older crowd. Believes in early-to-bed and early-to-rise and has her sights set on things bigger than herself. Everyone that really knows her is impressed by her. She’s going to do big things one day. We all see it. BUUUT. What. If. She. Doesn’t? For Young Adults, the Pressure Is On As we near graduation season and I watch my step-daughter being forced to make life-altering decisions such

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5 Things You Need to Quit Right Now

By Ashley Johnson / Purpose, Health & Beauty

I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and came across a quote that said: 5 Things to Quit Right Now: 1. Trying to please everyone. 2. Fearing change. 3. Living in the past. 4. Putting yourself down. 5. Overthinking. That’s actually pretty good advice, I thought. So I took a screenshot of it and decided to take it to heart. Here’s why I think we should quit each thing on that list: 1. Trying to please everyone. It’s simply impossible, and if you live your life seriously trying to accomplish this goal, you’ll run yourself ragged… And probably feel like a failure, because it’s simply unachievable. Don’t do that to yourself. Be kind, respectful, and do your best to love your neighbor

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Want to Change Your Life? Start Building Something New

By Rachel Hagstrom / Purpose

“The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”—Socrates (a character in Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives by Dan Millman) For the record, the words above weren’t penned by the philosopher Socrates, but rather by a character with the same name in a book I have not yet read. I stopped scrolling when I came across the quote on my Instagram, half-hoped it indeed was passed down by the Greek classic, but regardless, instantly liked it—yet with strings attached. The part of me that rebels against the meaning of the words is the same part of me that finds value in taking an honest inventory of

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When Life Changes, Does Your Purpose Change, Too?

By Marlys Johnson Lawry / Purpose, Audio Articles

(Listen to the audio version of this article here.) An old, wooden door with a torn screen and chipped paint once graced our front porch. A birch basket of pinecones sat on a red chair in front of the door, and a “Welcome” sign hung from the top corner. The screen door that once slapped happily against the frame of a tired, old farmhouse had been repurposed into porch art. It received a few comments through the years, not all of them complimentary. One friend went so far as to offer to repair the screen door. (It seems that some people don’t appreciate good art when they see it.) What if you once knew what your purpose was? And what if you

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What Can You Learn from Your Loss?

By Kimberly Trigo / Purpose

They say loss teaches us the worth of things. But what if loss teaches us the worth of who we are, as well? I believe we are constantly changing and growing. Loss comes in waves, yet so does growth and abundance. It’s how we handle those seasons that teach us the most about ourselves. I remember the day our house burned down, the black under my fingernails, the worry on my toddler’s face, the sad on my husband. As worried, and sad and blackened as we all were… A Lesson After the Fire We had everything. We had each other. A neighbor I met in that moment said those words to me and it changed the day, the season, and my heart.

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It’s Just a Season

By Kimberly Trigo / Purpose

It’s winter in East Tennessee. I’m not sure if it’s the holidays approaching, home sickness, my first job working outside the home or the fact that I am living in a travel trailer with our twins and small dog, but the reminder comes daily: It’s just a season. My husband and I either coined the phrase or grabbed it from some wise voice along the way to guide us through some of the hardest moments we have faced. In those moments, we would share those words of wisdom with our twins, telling them not to worry, that it’s just a season. It’s Just a Season… …When our home burned down, and we were in a hotel with makeshift Christmas trees awaiting new

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My Unstable Upbringing Delivered a Precious Gift

By Jennifer Schoonover / Purpose, Best Of

I grew up in a toxic family. My childhood is riddled with unimaginable abuse, trauma, a lack of stability and yet, in some ways, I consider myself privileged. Did we have money? No. A majority of the time six of us lived in a 24-foot travel trailer, in RV parks, in whatever town my dad was currently working. Our family was made up of my dad, mom, two sisters and one brother. I am the oldest and my brother is the youngest. We are 10 years apart. Our family was somewhere between dirt poor and middle class. My dad was a boilermaker so we moved wherever the next job was. I went to kindergarten in two different states and didn’t actually finish

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Here’s Why You Should Question the Stories You Tell Yourself

By Rachel Hagstrom / Purpose, Best Of

“The most powerful stories may be the ones we tell ourselves.” —Brené Brown¹ It wasn’t the loaves of homemade bread she’d bake for our family, the way she’d serve me Ovaltine in bed before school, nor the daily schlepping to swim practices and other after-school activities. These acts of devotion certainly made her a fantastic mother, but what earned her the title of “The World’s Greatest Mom” was largely due to the stories she told. With creativity and ease, her words flowed into dashing tales around similar themes. There was always a high-stakes rescue coupled with unassuming heroes who overcame weaknesses, flaws, and fears. Even though the settings, outlying characters, and storylines varied each time, the hero protagonists did not — they

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