The GoodHard Story Podcast

Episode 117: Jo Saxton on Finding Your Place of Leadership

The GoodHard Story Podcast

Show Notes

I stumbled into a place of leadership, almost by accident, after surviving an out-of-the-blue stroke and becoming a beacon of hope for a lot of people. I wanted to rise to the occasion of encouraging those people and pointing them to Jesus, but I quickly learned that leadership isn’t automatic. It’s a skill to develop. I wish I’d had a guide like Jo Saxton…which is exactly why I’m sharing her genius with you! Jo is a speaker, author, podcast, and leadership coach who has given her life to helping women find their God-given places of leadership so they can thrive in their families, communities, and workplaces. Whether you’re a woman or not…whether you see yourself as a leader or not…this conversation has something for you.

What we mentioned:

Ezer Collective The Dream of You: Let Go of Broken Identities and Live the Life You Were Made For by Jo Saxton

Scriptures we referenced: Genesis 1:27

Genesis 2:18

Psalm 121:1–2

Psalm 46:1

Judges 4–5

2 Kings 22:14–20

1 Chronicles 4:9–10

Acts 16:14–15

Romans 16

Psalm 139:1–6, 13–14

Joel 2:25

Matthew 5:13–16

Jeremiah 29:7

Where to find more on Jo Saxton: www.josaxton.com Instagram: @josaxton For more messages of hope, free resources, and opportunities to connect with me: https://hopeheals.com/ Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠ Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb

Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, a monthly digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from me and a curated roundup of the Internet’s most redemptive content: http://eepurl.com/gGUnlf Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/spaces ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.com/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

More from The GoodHard Story Podcast

Oct 20, 2026

What if the only way to bear our grief is to share it? My friend Mayer Buisson is living with the “invisible wheelchair” of Huntington’s Disease. The shame she felt around her diagnosis caused her to keep it a secret. Eventually, carrying it alone became unbearable. Today, Mayer lives with a radical acceptance of her story, and she’s inviting us into the “collateral gifts” of her grief. In this special conversation, you’ll get to sit down in a version of one of my beloved S.O.S. group gatherings to witness that it’s possible to move from shame to surrender, just like Mayer.

Oct 13, 2026

What do we do with the stuff that’s not good and hard, but just hard? Toni Collier is no stranger to pain. She’s navigated a childhood of tragedy and two marriages marked by abuse and infidelity. According to her, the pain hasn’t been worth it…but it hasn’t been wasted either. In our conversation, Toni shared how she’s surviving those seasons of “ashes from ashes,” and why she’s not trying to do it alone. Show Notes Mentioned in this conversation: Broken Crayons Still Color by Toni Collier

Oct 6, 2026

How are we expected to live well on this side of the sky? Sometimes we need wisdom for the deep, hard, dark suffering. But most of the time, we just need encouragement for the normal lives we’re living on this side of heaven. Laura Wifler is a mother and poet who finds endless inspiration in the mundanity and mess of her everyday life. In our conversation, Laura shares what’s changed in her theology of the body, why she’s relying on the grace of the present, and how a crisis of faith invited her to doubt “toward God.”

Sep 29, 2026

What is the first step of moving forward from the worst thing that’s ever happened to you? Join me today for a solo episode as I process some recent thoughts I’ve been having about how healing actually begins with heartbreak. I share some of the painful (and downright bizarre!) early memories of “waking up” from my stroke and being in total denial about my situation. That season taught me just how critical it is to confront the reality of our stories if we ever hope to move forward. In this episode, we’ll process through some insights about how Jesus named his pain, what true lament looks like, and a simple exercise you can borrow to confront reality for yourself.

Sep 24, 2026

Episode 126 - Martin Deacon on the “Weird and Wonderful” Gift of Disability What if our disabilities might give us as much—or more—as they take from us? Disability gives us the gift of dependence. That’s the mantra of Martin Deacon, the CEO of Teach Every Nation, who began to lose his vision when he was just twelve years old. In our conversation, Martin shows how his disability transformed an ordinary life into an extraordinary one. Mentioned in this episode: Hippo Lakes - https://visit.hippolakes.com/hopeheals

See all episodes →