114. Trusting God in Uncertainty, Transitions, Leaving the Military, Pregnancy, Entrepreneurship
Hey friend. Today I'm sharing an update on where the Lord has been leading me, what I’ve been “giving birth to” and the humbling growth journey I've been on in this season.
We're talking about big life transitions, leaving the military, learning to trust God more and the internal wrestling we often experience mentally, emotionally and spiritually amidst uncertainty and change. I share an update on this pregnancy, entrepreneurship, and the exciting things my best friend Anna Saucier and I have been cooking up behind the scenes that you won't wanna miss ;)
I want to invite you to reach out to connect if any of the coaching or team/organizational consulting work we're doing resonates with you! Email me at [email protected]
JOIN US FOR SHIFT -- a virtual retreat-like workshop series for women who want to break the burnout cycle and create a sustainable, successful, and more fruitful work-life, grounded in Christ-centered healing. JUN 25-28th covering work-life balance, integrative healing, trauma-informed leadership, business & ethical marketing, and shifting out of the hustle culture that keeps us exhausted & stuck in stress, pressure, and inadequacy.
You’ll get access to an Open Coaching call, a live Somatics + Scripture Integration Session plus receive 3 recorded sessions on breaking out of the hustle. All for only $25
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113. Feeling Pressure to Finish Lent Strong & Prepare More for Easter? 3 Tips to Reduce Overwhelm, Release Pressure & Find Rest
I felt called to speak to the pressure many of us feel at this time of the year to finish Lent strong and prepare for Easter.
Today we'll dive into 3 tips and invitations if you're feeling like you're just trying to keep up and have very little breathing room or time to rest, in the midst of everything you're carrying and doing.
Whether you’ve stuck with what you set out to do for Lent, or feel like you're failing in it…I invite you to come as you are today. I know you want to give your best to your family, to your work, to glorify God in all that you do, but it's hard to feel like you're doing enough.
Let's find some relief together, by creating space to receive Jesus more fully, along with the peace and rest he desires to give us in this hard, busy, messy, and beautiful everyday life.
**Want to journey deeper in this with other like-minded women of faith? My incredible friend Anna Saucier is leading a Virtual Retreat on Thurs, March 21st called Release: a last-week-of-lent-internal-spring-cleaning Virtual Retreat that'll be practical, prayerful, and playful. It's $55 and will go from 10am-3pm CST, with a lunch break in the middle. She is so gifted at creating welcoming, connective, loving, supportive, life-giving spaces for meaningful growth in community and with the Lord. Would love to see you there!
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112. Let Me Be With You: How to Let Jesus Into the Joys and Struggles of Everyday Life
Today I'm sharing vulnerably what Jesus has been reinforcing to me this week.
A simple, but profound invitation of "let me be with you."
It's so easy to compartmentalize our faith, to keep pushing through and doing the best we can to manage all that life is throwing at us from every direction...but how can we let him into everything we do to carry it with us, to be our strength? In our motherhood, our work, our to-do-lists, and everything in between...
The truth is, he wants to be with us in all things. He wants to be with us in the joyful, the hard and painful, the monotonous. Nothing is too big or small or insignificant to him. He cares about all the details of your life, because he cares so deeply about you. He sees all the things you do that go unseen, and feel thankless.
This is what we're exploring today -- how to expand our openness toward the Lord, and how much more BEAUTIFUL, fulfilling, and meaningful life can be when we aim to do everything we do in, with, through, and for God.
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111. Never Enough? A Loving Invitation to Let the Lord Define Who you Are Instead of the World
This will be a polar opposite message from what you've most likely been seeing, feeling, and the pressures you've been inundated with at this time of the year about New Years' Resolutions and goals.
There are so many voices of the world, environments we're in, and our culture that shame and guilt us, that reinforce these narratives that we're never enough no matter how much we give or how hard we try or how much we do, that we're a failure, and we're so unworthy of love, until we fix all these things that are wrong with us. And only if and when we measure up in each of these ways, we're good enough.
My goal today is to help you get more deeply rooted in how the Lord sees you, and your identity in Him. To speak some encouragement and truth into your heart in places you need it most.
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110. How’s your Mind & Heart around Exercise? Is it Serving you or Guilting you? 12 Mindset Shifts to Maintain Fitness Without all the Stress, Anxiety, Pressure or Shame
Oh sister, we’re getting vulnerable & going deep here.
The tough truth is that it doesn't matter how fit we are, or how much fitness we're able to maintain, if we're imprisoned by it.
For those of us who want to maintain our health & fitness and take pride in it, it can be hard to find the right balance.
The holidays are a time when society speaks very harshly & judgmentally about food & exercise. The narratives & opinions out there are filled with a bunch of really harmful messages & associations that can drive a ton of anxiety, guilt, shame, & pressure. Everything from making “healthier versions” of our favorite treats, to avoiding them altogether, indulging in “treats”, saving up for or making up for extra calories, cheating, letting go, being “bad” or “good”, and all the “shoulds” in the air.
I was VERY trapped in these painful cycles for years, and in early motherhood before God brought me through so much healing. Both personally, and as a coach in the holistic health & fitness space, I’ve sought to create more distinction between all these pressures & triggers to protect my peace & help the women I work with find more freedom, joy & appreciation for movement, food, & heal their body image and concept of their self worth. In these last couple years of motherhood and military service, I’ve come a long way on this journey but the holidays can still reopen some wounds.
My prayer is that these 12 Tips are a healing balm for your heart & mind as you navigate these societal messages, so that you can fully enjoy the holidays, and reclaim the joy around your experience of fitness & food to celebrate with your loved ones, but WITHOUT all the guilt & shame.
(This series on fitness and food was recorded last year. So many of you loved these and found them really helpful, so I wanted to share them again!)
1:1 Coaching Call (I can support you through fitness, pregnancy, postpartum, or anything you may be struggling with in motherhood or military life!)
Postpartum Fitness Program (4 month Training Plan for Busy, Active Mamas in the military + beyond who want to get stronger, heal their core + pelvic floor + regain confidence in their bodies again after giving birth, get back to the military fitness test & fitness goals, and have an empowering postpartum experience where you & your family can truly thrive)
Work-Life Balance Masterclass: An $37 on-demand, self-paced video training series & workbook that'll help you lighten your load -- reduce stress, overwhelm, & build more balance even in the most demanding seasons of work & family life. If you need somewhere to start to give you more breathing room and help you move out of the constant burnout, exhaustion, and guilt, I've got you!
Let's connect at [email protected]
About Armed to the Heart - Military Women, Work-life Balance, Female Veterans, Christian Moms, Pregnancy and Postpartum
Live out God’s calling in work & family life, within and beyond the uniform —
Are you feeling alone as a woman of Christian faith in the military or another male-dominated environment?
Are you driven to make a big impact, but wish you could be more present, and give more time to your family?
Are you working to lead change, struggling to find your voice or courage as you swim against the current?
Are you a high-achiever pouring yourself out for everyone else but burnt out, stressed, and struggling to find time for your own physical & mental health because there’s always so much that needs to be done?
Does your harsh inner critic make you feel like no matter how much you do, it’s never enough?
You know you’re called to be a leader and change-maker, but it’s hard to find others like you who also share your faith & values.
Maybe you’re feeling forced to choose between.
Every day is a battle, trying to give 100% in all the hats you wear.
You’re performing well but your load is heavy, you’re weighed down by guilt, and exhausted from pushing through but never having a moment to rest.
It’s hard to know what to say yes to, and scary considering a different course than the traditional path of success everyone is pushing you toward, or what you’ve always known.
Maybe you’ve recently made the transition or are thinking about leaving the military.
You don’t want your work to come at the expense of your family; they come first.
Amidst it all, you just want to do God’s will.
I see you sister. I’m on this journey with you.
In this Podcast, you’ll find heart to heart conversations about motherhood and military life, work-life balance and leadership, all grounded in Biblical truths, my education & experience as a professionally-trained Catholic Mindset Coach, certified Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism Coach, and lessons I’ve learned the hard way in the last 5 years of high level advocacy work fighting for mothers, families, and life in the military.
I believe strongly that no one should have to choose between their family and their call to serve.
That motherhood should never be the death of our dreams.
That motherhood is not a limiting factor in what a woman can achieve, but lack of support can be.
I started Armed to the Heart to be who I needed when I was in the trenches, overwhelmed by motherhood in the military, struggling in my mental health & postpartum recovery, drowning in my home, carrying so much guilt for the time I had to spend away from my baby, feeling so much pressure to prove myself in a combat arms unit and feeling like a failure in all of it.
My family was getting the leftovers of me.
I felt stifled in my faith.
Trapped in the military.
It felt impossible to actually live out my priorities.
I felt so far from the superwoman others saw in me.
As a dual military, active duty Army officer raising 2 sweet (and wild!) boys in the Catholic faith, a fierce advocate for my sisters in arms going through pregnancy & postpartum, a recovering perfectionist and people pleaser, & big dreamer with a heart to make a difference, I know the struggle that comes with wearing so many hats & trying to fulfill God’s call for us.
Through so many answered prayers, the Lord has allowed me to be part of the change I want to see. To bridge the gaps I’ve experienced and seen in thousands of women’s experience in the military, through policy advocacy work, mentorship & coaching. To fight for motherhood, for life, and for freedom to live out our faith in the military.
He taught me that our minds are the true spiritual battlegrounds, and that by learning to manage our mind, emotions, & time, we don’t have to be a victim to our circumstances.
He showed me that by discerning His will in every season, it is possible to keep my faith and family first while making a meaningful impact.
So if you’re ready to do the same, for the glory of God, this Podcast is for you!
Lace up those boots sister, it’s time to jump in. We can do this together.
Listen to Armed to the Heart - Military Women, Work-life Balance, Female Veterans, Christian Moms, Pregnancy and Postpartum, We Don't Have Time For This and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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