| The Grit and Grace Project

Mom, You Know When Your Kid Needs a Win

The folder is bright orange; bright like a hunting vest or a parking cone—neon, really, if I had to describe it. It’s giant too; a spiral-bound notebook of the largest available size, stuffed full of papers and notes, well-loved and often used, the binding on the back starting to come unhinged. It’s really quite hard for me to believe, knowing this, that he missed it sitting in his homework bin. But he did. My sixth-grade son packed his backpack, walked out the door, and went to school without this very important, very bright orange folder. If I’m honest, my first reaction is not one I’m proud of; my first reaction was one of annoyance. This child, who has my whole heart and […]

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Step Into Your Confidence Now – 108

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | More Do you ever find yourself second-guessing your worth, questioning your decisions, or doubting your purpose? Do you generally struggle with confidence? You’re not alone; we’ve all felt that way! But here’s the good news, we don’t have to live there! We genuinely believe every one of us has the grit, grace, and strength we need to overcome that doubt within us. On this episode, co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Graham have an honest conversation about what confidence means to them, where they have it, and when they lack it. Most importantly, they offer real, practical ways to grow out of our second-guessing so we can all

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When Her Yes Feels Like Your No

By Megan Miller / Life & Culture

Her post stared at me like a reflection in the mirror. She was up there sharing a message I could give, to thousands of her followers, and I had a front row seat for what could’ve… even should’ve… been mine. You’ve been there—dying for what others have. Or you’ve been her—having what others want. If we want genuine relationships and contentment, we need to put an end to a scarcity perspective. What is a scarcity mindset? There’s another writer at The Grit and Grace Project named Kelsey, who is a baseball wife, relatively young, and ridiculously beautiful (on the inside and outside). With a scarcity mindset, I would have put Kelsey up on a scale and weighed my value and worth against hers. We’ve

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Rest Easy Moms, Here Are the Things That Matter – 102

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreMoms, are you stressed? Do you find yourself worrying about almost everything? The right food, the growth chart percentile, the best school, grades, their behavior, screen time, and that discipline subject—terrifying. What is even more stressful is worrying about what other moms think about our decisions. It’s exhausting. It’s time to go back to the basics and remember what matters! Cross-generational friends and moms, Darlene Brock (mom of two grown daughters and Nonie to two grandkids) and Julie Graham (single, widowed boymom), discuss the things that do matter, what we should spend our energy on, and what we can let go of—now. Rest easy, moms. You do

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What Going Back to School After 40 Taught Me

By Saffron Trust / Purpose, Work & Money

At 48 years old, I was earnestly trying to put myself through school. Keyword: trying. My initial gung-ho spirit was suddenly cut short during my third semester when my English professor returned one of my writing assignments. The piece was smeared in red ink and included a note at the very end which read, “You should not be pursuing your undergraduate degree until you learn how to read and write.” I sat, sobbing, as I read and reread the comments and examined my hard work in utter disbelief. The old fears that I had hoped to extinguish years ago came back to haunt me again. An all-too-familiar voice resumed its daunting post within my heart, battling my conscience over whether or not I

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Namastay Calm and Carry On—Accepting God’s Love for Me

By Ashby Duval / Faith

A few weeks ago, I was in a power hot yoga class when the long and lean gal next to me caught my eye. Instead of focusing on my side plank with a tree variation, I ended up going down the rabbit hole of self-loathing (and falling out of my pose!). Three months postpartum, my body is a bit, well, squishy. And let’s face it, postpartum or not, being five feet and almost one inch tall, I’ve never been particularly long! I felt a conviction in my spirit, and immediately the thought filled my head: “You aren’t loving her if you’re judging her.” “But Lord!” I argued, “I’m not judging her! I’m admiring her!” “No, you’re not,” He answered. “And for that matter,

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3 Questions You Need to Ask About Your Standards Now

3 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself About Your Standards

By Chelsea Morrow / Health & Beauty, Purpose

Do you often find yourself feeling like you aren’t doing enough and accomplishing enough? Or, do you just feel like you aren’t enough? If your answer is yes, I’m right there with you. I find myself constantly feeling like no matter how hard I try, I’m still so far from the person I want to be. Most days, I feel like a failure. No matter what I do, what goals I reach, what milestones I make—no matter what—there is always more I think I can be doing, and more I think I can be as a person. At the end of the day, there is this feeling of failure that washes over me. I don’t know about you, but I am fed

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Are You the Proverbs 31 Woman? Should You Be? – 092

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | More A catchphrase often used among the Christian community “a Proverbs 31 woman” is thrown about with underlying expectations. It can bring with it inspiration, but also pride, fear, and even insecurity. This passage is referenced when discussing “how we should live” as women of faith and even the way it begins, the “wife of noble character” can be intimidating. Can you be like her? Should you even try? Co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Graham (both Christian women who have been in church for decades) candidly share how they feel about this woman they’ve been taught to look up to (and emulate). They consider how grit and

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Now You Can Ignore Your Haters and Pursue Your Passion

How You Can Ignore Your Haters and Pursue Your Passion

By Jodi Shultz / Purpose

Have you noticed how everybody has an opinion these days? Whether they hide behind the protection of a screen or look you square in the eye and spew their negativity, there’s a fo-real struggle with how to handle the haters who are gonna hate and the naysayers who are gonna naysay. Sister, the minute you step towards your purpose, you better be ready for the Negative Nancys and Debbie Downers to speak their mind, whether you ask for it or not. Even after two decades have passed since I stepped into my passion and purpose as a hairstylist, I still remember the comments and opinions that were hurled my way. “Oh honey, are you sure you want to do that? You won’t

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Can Women Do It All? With Christy Wright of Business Boutique – 091

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | More“A lot of women treat everything in their life as equal, so when push comes to shove and you’re needed in two places, you don’t know what to choose.” That quote from this week’s guest resonated with your co-hosts, Darlene Brock and Julie Graham. It probably does you too! To discuss this struggle and offer possible solutions for most women’s busyness, we brought in an expert on the subject. Meet our new best friend; Author, Business Coach, Ramsay personality and busy wife and mom, Christy Wright. In her casual yet straightforward style, she explains why it’s OK for a woman to want to pursue passions (even growing

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5 Ways That Social Media Makes Your Life Better

By Hannah Cox / Life & Culture

We all know the negatives of living in our social media universe. The blue light hinders our eyesight. The constant dump of negativity mixed with highlight reels leaves us angry, bitter, and trapped in comparison. On the off chance that you do meet up with your friends in person, it is likely that they will spend a few moments (or possibly much of the time) on their phones. We can get sucked into the constant scroll of pictures and pins, and before we know it, hours have gone by. The sour parts of social media are real, but there are positive attributes amid the unattractive! 1. Keeping up with family and old friends. I don’t know about you, but this is the

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Freedom from the Glass Ceiling and the Glass Slipper

Do You Have to Break the Glass Ceiling to Be Strong?

By Darlene Brock / Purpose, Work & Money

“This isn’t what we fought so hard for when we finally broke the glass ceiling, is it?” I heard this question posed while watching television. In this scene, a successful female lawyer and her law firm peer were confounded by the decision of a younger, promising female lawyer who just announced her intention to resign from her career in order to become a wife and mother. This was television’s attempt to be profound, reflecting what they considered a cultural phenomenon. The glass ceiling they were speaking of is the battle waged in the ’60s and ’70s to create opportunity for females in the workplace. Opportunity for advancement, for holding the leadership positions rather than the clerical. To become the company president, not the

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How to Find Your Own Voice, With JJ Heller – 085

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreHas your life taken an unexpected turn after experiencing disappointment? Perhaps it’s left you feeling like you’re not good at what you thought you were, or worse, not good at anything at all. This week’s guest, JJ Heller, will inspire you. Her unlikely journey from basketball player to recording artist entailed many unexpected turns. She admits that “finding her voice” (not just musically, but figuratively) took time, tweaks, and listening to valuable feedback from others. It also required patience—and persistence too! With her recorded album count now in the double digits, she can attest to the fact that when you work within your limitations and trust God

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Why It’s Important to Encourage and Uplift Other Women

By Phylicia Fraser / Purpose

It’s challenging to be confident as a young woman in today’s day and age. Women struggle with various issues when those around us make us feel defeated or fail to offer encouragement. These issues can range from not feeling self-confident in the way we look to doubting our choice of career. If you find yourself experiencing these emotions, trust me when I say you are not alone. All women face these feelings and issues at some point in their lives. What is difficult to swallow is that it’s not just men who discourage us. Women discourage other women! We have all had a scenario where a woman has used her words or actions to tear us down, leaving us on the brink

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An Ode to the Valentines Day Box

By Meaghan Dawson / Motherhood

An ode to the “Valentine’s Day Box”… Oh Valentine’s Day, what a weird, twisted, and torturous holiday you are. I just don’t know how to handle you. On the one hand, you celebrate love, of all things. It’s kind of hard to hate that. I mean, who wouldn’t want to celebrate love? Well, besides Satan and all. He probably hates Valentine’s Day too. Your intention as a holiday, I’m sure, is good and true and kind. But on the flip side, your modern-day execution of Valentine’s Day: It’s the pits. It’s a giant cesspool of commercialism, competition, and insecurity. And I’m just talking about my Valentine’s Day feels here, people. The oddest thing about my jumbled emotions is that they don’t even

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How to Feel Your Emotions in a Healthy Way With Dr. Zoe Shaw – 075

By Smart Living with Grit and Grace / Podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | TuneIn | RSS | MoreFeelings. We are all affected by them, even driven by them, whether we want to admit it or not. Our emotions can harm us but they are helpful too, often depending upon how we process them. So, to sort all of these feelings out, we invited our friend, licensed therapist and relationship expert, Dr. Zoe Shaw, back to the show to help women discover the road to healthy emotions. Co-hosts Darlene Brock and Julie Graham don’t shy away from asking the personal questions as they reflect on how feelings have played a role in their lives; they also unpack how men and women differ in their handling

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Unsure of Your Purpose? Discover It With These 5 Steps

By Jenni Catron / Purpose

“He who has a why to live can bear with almost any how.” – Nietzsche The beginning of a new year. New hopes. New dreams. New goals. New resolutions. We start with so much hope, and yet I’ve rung in the New Year enough times now to approach it with a bit more hesitancy. Will my hopes and dreams really become reality? Is it possible to accomplish my goals? How quickly will I flounder in my resolutions? In recent years, I have shifted from writing audacious goals and declaring new resolutions, to reorienting myself around a sense of purpose and meaning. In fact, I recently re-read Victor Frankl’s seminal work Man’s Search for Meaning to help me reconnect with a sense of

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