by Barb Roose | Oct 16, 2017 | Better Together Podcast
Did you know that a girl’s confidence peaks at the age of nine?
Statistics report that 7 out of every 10 girls don’t feel like they measure up.
Moms, how can we raise our daughters with the confidence to pursue courageous and fearless lives?
Today’s Better Together podcast guest, author and Proverbs 31 Ministry speaker, Lynn Cowell, tells us about her journey to discover what it means to be brave and courageous in her life. As women of all ages fight to find that same confidence, Lynn wants to equip our young tweens so that they can find confidence sooner in life. She is the author of the new book, Brave Beauty: Finding the Fearless, a companion guide written for girls between the ages of 8-12 years old.
I loved so many things about our conversation! As the seventh of eight children, Lynn grew up in a community where everyone followed the beaten path. Yet, Lynn made a bold move in her early years that put her a path toward God’s unique purpose for her life.
One of the most powerful observations was when Lynn explained how culture drives our girls to build their confidence on three shaky foundations:
1. Someone (like a relationship with someone);
2. Some Place (career/status); or
3. Something (beauty, education).
But, all of those things can be lost or taken because much of life is out of our control. So, to help our daughters, let’s journey along with them to help them to build unshakeable confidence on an unshakeable God because they can’t lose God!
What if your confidence has been shaken? Lynn has something for you, too!
Lynn has a new Bible study for women titled Make Your Move: Finding Unshakeable Confidence Despite Your Fears and Failures. There are a lot of strong, confident women in the Bible! Lynn has created a Bible study so that you can learn from these women, some of them you might not know, but they will inspire to reach for God’s best!
Mom, if you have a daughter in elementary school or junior high, would you do me a favor and check out Lynn’s website. Our world is coming hard after young girls, but we can equip them to stand strong and confident in Jesus’ name.
RESOURCES
Lynn’s website – including free resources!
Brave Beauty: Finding the Fearless You
Make Your Move: Finding Unshakeable Confidence Despite Your Fears and Failures
Lynn’s books can be found at Proverbs 31 or at your favorite Christian Retailers.
ABOUT LYNN COWELL
Lynn Cowell is a Proverbs 31 Ministries author and speaker who helps moms become wise women so they can raise wiser daughters.
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by Barb Roose | May 28, 2017 | Better Together Podcast
So, you and you friend have gotten into a fight. What now?
A few years ago, I hurt a friend. It wasn’t on purpose. There was a conflict between my friend and another person. I thought that I was being helpful – a bridge-builder per se. I stuck my nosy nose into the situation and gave my worthless two cents. The next day, my girlfriend called in tears to let me know that my well-meaning words put her in an awful position. I felt awful. I’d hurt my friend.
Have you ever been hurt by a friend? Have you ever been the one to hurt a friend’s feelings? No matter which side you find yourself on, it’s painful all the way around!
After last week’s Better Together episode with my guest, Natalie Chambers Snapp, I heard from many women who’ve dealt with friendship break-ups, heartache, betrayal and pain. It’s so hard sometimes!
I love how Natalie shared her “PEG System” to help her think through friendship conflict. Here’s an explanation and something that you can consider if you have a friendship that is broken right now:
Pray – Instead of taking our pain to friends, take your pain to God and ask for clarity on what’s going on.
Examine – Ask yourself tough questions like:
- What’s my role in this conflict?
- Can I be with my friend in the future without replaying the hurt?
- Do I need to talk to her about the problem OR is this a “me” issue that I need to work out with God?
Go Straight to that Person – Direct dialogue, but Natalie lists a few conditions in the podcast.
This podcast is jam-packed with solid Biblical insight about not only friendships, but Natalie challenges our hearts to realize where God needs to work within us.
GIVEAWAY: I’m giving away a copy of Natalie’s NEW Becoming Heart Sisters Bible study! It’s available at Christian retailers nationwide, but you can enter to win a copy by clicking here and leaving a comment on last week’s blog page. Winner will be drawn on June 5.
LEAVE A REVIEW: Did you like this episode? I hope so! Help other women discover this podcast on iTunes. CLICK HERE to leave a review about this episode on iTunes.
About Natalie?
Author Natalie Chambers Snapp uses her own and others’ stories of successes and failures to illustrate what she has learned about girlfriend relationships. Healthy boundaries, honesty, tact, sharing, and agape love all play a part in being and maintaining a circle of close confidants. She also deals with the inevitable challenges that face many relationships including how to handle conflict; life changes like a new baby, move or divorce; and when it is right to “break-up” with your friend.
by Barb Roose | Apr 28, 2017 | Better Together Podcast
Do you ever battle insecurity?
We all do! Even if usually you feel like Confident Connie on a good hair day, there are times when our inner critic pipes up and whispers, “You’ll never pull that off.”
Some of us grew up in homes hearing “You’re useless” or “You can’t do anything right.” Those words planted seeds of insecurity in our hearts. For others, a big mistake or a crushing failure planted a powerful seed of insecurity in our hearts.
Insecurity whispers “You’ll never be good enough, no matter how hard you try.”
When we’re insecure, we’re always second-guessing ourselves, even when we know we’re doing the right things. When we’re insecure, we’re afraid to look toward the future in hope because we fear pain and failure.
But, what does God say to us and our insecurities? I love the words of Jeremiah 29:11 – some of you already know these words by heart:
“I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
God is not planning disaster for us. He’s not planning disaster for you, my friend. Yes, we’ll encounter hardships and tests to grow our faith, but through faith, we can walk with confidence in God’s plan for our lives.
If you’re always second-guessing yourself, but you want to dream big dreams, I want you to listen to my interview with award-winning author, Catherine West. I met Cathy a few years ago at my literary agency retreat and she’s real and lovely and someone that you can totally relate to!
On this episode of Better Together, Cathy and I will talk about her battle to overcome worry and insecurity. All of us will benefit from Cathy’s five life lessons about how to get off the ledge of insecurity as well as having the guts to go for our dreams. If you don’t have time to listen, click here to access those five life lessons on Cathy’s website.
By the way, Cathy’s new book The Memory of You just released a few weeks ago – it’s amazing! Click here to find out more about this story of a woman who deals with PTSD after the death of her sister. She discovers the freeing power of forgiveness, confession and faith.
About Catherine West…
INSPY Award-winning author Catherine West writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or reading books by her favorite authors. She and her husband have two grown children. Catherine’s novel, Bridge of Faith, won the 2015 Grace Award. Catherine’s latest novels are The Things We Knew (July 2016) and The Memory of You (March 2017), Harper Collins Christian Publishing.
Catherine loves to connect with her readers and can be reached at Catherine@catherinejwest.com
Website http://www.catherinejwest.com
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/CatherineJWest
Twitter – https://twitter.com/cathwest
GoodReads – https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4715219.Catherine_West
Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/cathwest/
Google + – https://plus.google.com/u/0/108781711729974539211/posts
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cathwestwrites/
Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-West/e/B004RWZUHK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
by Barb Roose | Feb 5, 2017 | Better Together Podcast
How often do you criticize yourself? Too many of us have a running negative dialogue in our mind about our faults, failures, shortcomings and mistakes.
We’re too something or not enough of something else. Most of us don’t realize that we’re heaping thousand pound words of criticism on ourselves without too much thought as to what impact those critical words are having on our hearts, minds, and lives.
Do you realize that you have a relationship with yourself?
This isn’t a question that we usually consider. We’re used to thinking about cultivating a great relationship with God and others. But, what kind of relationship do you want to have with yourself?
In today’s Better Together podcast, we’re discussing how self-compassion is the key to treating ourselves with the kindness that motivates us toward self-care and resiliency.
Here’s what self-care is not:
Self-compassion isn’t self-pity.
Self-compassion isn’t self-focused.
Self-compassion isn’t selfish.
Self-compassion is a balance of grace and truth. Self-compassion means that we are honest with ourselves in our reality and still treat ourselves as if we have love and value.
Today’s podcast guest is Kim Fredrickson, the author of Give Yourself a Break: Turn Your Inner Critic into a Compassionate Friend. As a marriage and family therapist, Kim taught her clients the principles of self-compassion. As a breast cancer survivor and now, dealing with a terminal diagnosis, Kim still practices these techniques on herself.
In today’s broadcast, you’ll learn and learn:
- The reasons why women obsess about caring for others, but quickly neglect themselves;
- The impact of not learning about or receiving self-compassion as children;
- How to revisit our old baggage and mistakes and reframe our self-critical thinking;
- How to talk and treat ourselves with self-compassion on a daily basis.
If you listen to today’s broadcast and you think that your friends may need to hear Kim’s wisdom, please share this post with them.
LINKS FROM TODAY’S SHOW:
Kim’s Website
Kim’s Facebook page
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by Barb Roose | Jan 1, 2017 | Better Together Podcast
Ladies, let’s admit that we have an awkward relationship with beauty. I actually have another phrase that I use: We have an ugly struggle with beauty.
This is such a shame because Psalm 45:11 tells us that God is enthralled with our beauty. Unfortunately, we are not so enthralled with our beauty.
How often do we criticize, complain or cry about how we look in our clothes? Furthermore, how many of us feel guilty, even less spiritual because we DO care about how we look?
We’re in for a treat today because my friend, Shari Braendel comes to our rescue! Shari is considered the leading voice for America’s Christian women when it comes to the topics of fashion, beauty, and dignity. She connects with thousands of women each year to inform, encourage and inspire them. Listen by clicking the play button:
In the very first episode of the Better Together podcast, Shari will tell you what you need to know about:
- Easily identify your body type and great tips on dressing for your body.
- How to tell if your bra is fitting correctly. Oh, my goodness, we had so much fun with this!
- She’ll teach us a helpful strategy to increase our confidence once we get dressed for the day.
And so much more!
- SPECIAL OFFER! Buy Shari’s 27 Hangers program for only $27! If you purchase the program by January 7, 10% of your purchase will be donated to Living In Truth, a ministry that focuses on body image, self-esteem and eating disorders. You can go to Shari’s website for more information.
SHOW LINKS: Shari’s website
You can subscribe to Shari’s weekly newsletter, learn more about her book, discover her products and much more!
TELL YOUR FRIENDS! Did you enjoy this episode of Better Together? Leave a comment and tell your friends by sharing this episode with them.
ABOUT SHARI BRAENDEL: Shari is considered America’s leading Christian Style Authority, CEO of Fashion Meets Faith and developer of the 27 Hanger Closet Online Academy.
Inspiring thousands of women each year to new levels of confidence at conferences around the globe, she leads with an encouraging heart and vibrant spirit helping women see themselves the way God might.
Author of Help Me Jesus, I Have Nothing to Wear and the fashion editor of More To Life Christian Magazine, Shari desires to inspire females of all ages to dress with dignity and style.
She has been featured on Focus on the Family, The Total Christian Television Network, K-Love, Moody Radio and more.
Shari lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband Dave, three lazy cats and a very overweight yellow lab. Her only son Luke attends the United States Military Academy at West Point and is an Army Basketball player so she loves watching him play ball! She also has adult triplet stepdaughters and one precious grandchild.
Check out this episode!
GIVEAWAY: I’m giving away a copy of Natalie’s NEW Becoming Heart Sisters Bible study! It’s available at Christian retailers nationwide, but you can enter to win a copy by 
