Leanne Morgan on Hollywood, Faith, Watching Birds & Finding Joy

What are you afraid of and how much is that fear shaping your life? In this episode of The Women of Joy Show, Maegan Waldrep Schwindling sits down with author and Bible teacher Jess Connolly for an honest conversation about fear, faith, and the power of naming what scares us. Together, they explore why naming your fear matters and how bringing it before God can help you begin moving forward. Jess also shares about her new book, You Can’t Be Brave Until You’re Scared, and the invitation to practice courage even when you still feel afraid. If fear has been influencing your decisions, keeping you quiet, or making your next step feel impossible, this conversation offers encouragement to get honest about what you’re carrying and trust God with what comes next. In this episode: The power of naming your fear. Recognizing how fear influences your choices. Bringing your fears to God without shame. Taking a courageous next step while you’re still scared.

How do you trust the goodness of God when your life looks nothing like you planned? In this episode of The Women of Joy Show, Maegan sits down with Lucinda “Cindy” Mullins from Stanford, Kentucky, to hear her extraordinary story. What began as a kidney stone developed into an infection and sepsis, ultimately leading to the loss of all four of her limbs. Lucinda is one of our own. A woman of joy who has been attending Women of Joy for many years in Pigeon Forge, TN. Now, she continues to come and joins us to share her testimony and talk about the goodness of the God we gather to worship, even in the midst of life-changing suffering. Her story invites us to consider where we place our hope when circumstances change and how we can trust God while living with questions we cannot fully answer. God’s goodness can feel difficult to understand when we are hurting. This conversation makes room for that tension while pointing us toward the One who meets us in it. Whether you are navigating an unexpected diagnosis, grieving a loss, or wondering what comes next, we pray this episode encourages you to bring your questions to God and remember that you do not have to walk through them alone. In this episode: Lucinda’s story of surviving sepsis and becoming a quadruple amputee. Her longtime connection to the Women of Joy community. Faith when life takes an unexpected turn. The goodness of God in the midst of suffering. Hope when the future looks different than you imagined.

What does it look like to move toward God when you don’t know what comes next? In this episode of The Women of Joy Show, Maegan Schwindling sits down with Jenessa Wait to talk about moving toward the goodness of God and learning to lean into Him. Jenessa is an amazing artist, entrepreneur, and follower of Jesus. You don’t want to miss checking out her online shop. In this conversation, Jenessa shares the heart behind her new book, releasing in November, and invites us to consider how we respond to God’s invitation to draw closer. They bring all of this back to our fall theme of how we move with God toward His goodness. When life feels uncertain, we often want answers before we take another step. But we can bring our questions to God, trust His character, and begin moving toward Him right where we are. His goodness gives us a reason to keep coming closer even when we don’t have everything figured out. If you’ve been longing for reassurance or wondering what your next step of faith might look like, this conversation is an invitation to lean into the One who is already near. Join us as we laugh a little, grow a lot, and don’t do life alone. #WomenOfJoy #JenessaWait #GoodnessOfGod Let's Be Friends! Instagram: https://instagram.com/womenofjoy Facebook: https://facebook.com/womenofjoy . . . . More from Jenessa Wait: https://shop.jenessawait.com Get her upcoming book: https://www.amazon.com/Moving-God-Unstuck-Boldly-Promises/dp/0593602943/ref=sr_1_4?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qJevxrWLVQe5GCJZD_Pq_59eCoOiXQoOPqoe72yMSL90EUE4ztR8XHTzzFioFxIXxeF-xrf0sHq1FSC9wXClRlQm8UGZidVrM1JbgQb1WQnHJAsChjkksQYUZr-jqxidQ5E0OnIgIXg_7QL2jFgk9BYQGTfYgo6o418GraVdCN8mefPP5KqdMTdLPLPjHSYXsShjyFUfseab_q4oSVSqE_d6iR86eJo83son9PGzfXA.XITXO1KMXcbSNImMTrCNDzscEBpkzNw-SADLC0u5XB0&dib_tag=se&qid=1791254339&refinements=p_27%3AJenessa+Wait&s=books&sr=1-4 . . . . Join us at a Women of Joy LIVE event where Lisa is speaking: Check out the fall tour: https://womenofjoy.org/events . . . . . Even better, you know you want to cruise with us in 2027: https://womenofjoy.org/cruise-event/cruise-2027 . . . . . Fall Merch is here at The Women of Joy STORE: https://women-of-joy.myshopify.com/

Whether you’re coming to Women of Joy for the first time or bringing a group that’s been attending for years, how can you make the most of the weekend away? Maegan Schwindling sits down with good friend Katie Braddock, a church staff member and group leader whose church has been coming to Women of Joy for more than 17 years. Katie shares what she’s learned about leading a group well, helping women feel welcome, and making room for meaningful conversations alongside all the fun. They also talk about the devotionals and small group questions being added this year. Simple ways to reflect on what you’re hearing, talk about God’s goodness, and carry the weekend home with you. In this episode, you’ll hear about: How to prepare your group before the weekend begins Ways to help first-time attendees feel included How to invite conversation without putting pressure on anyone to share Why the moments between sessions can matter as much as the sessions themselves How to use the devotionals and discussion questions with your group What it looks like to take what God has done at Women of Joy back into your church and everyday life

What happens to your faith when everything changes in a matter of seconds? In this powerful episode of The Women of Joy Show, Maegan sits down with Lulu Gribbin, her mom, Ann Blair, and her sister, Ellie, to talk about the day a shark attack changed their family forever—and how they have experienced the goodness of God in the middle of unimaginable circumstances. Lulu’s story is one of survival, courage, family, and faith. But this conversation goes beyond what happened that day. Together, they talk honestly about the fear, grief, questions, recovery, and unexpected moments where God met them along the way. How do you believe God is good when what happened doesn’t feel good? How do you trust Him when you would never have chosen the story you’re living? And what does faith look like when you don’t have answers for all the questions? Lulu, Ann Blair, and Ellie share what it looked like to walk through a life-altering tragedy as a family, the people God placed around them, and the ways they can now see His presence woven through even the hardest parts of their story. If you’ve ever experienced a moment that divided your life into before and after, this conversation is for you. God’s goodness doesn’t mean we won’t experience suffering. It means that suffering never gets the final word. #LuluGibbons #WomenOfJoy #ChristianWomen #ChristianPodcast #Faith #GoodnessOfGod . . . . Let's Be Friends! Instagram: https://instagram.com/womenofjoy Facebook: https://facebook.com/womenofjoy . . . . Join us at a Women of Joy LIVE event! Check out the fall tour: https://womenofjoy.org/events . . . . . Even better, you know you want to cruise with us in 2027: https://womenofjoy.org/cruise-event/cruise-2027 . . . . . Fall Merch is here at The Women of Joy STORE: https://women-of-joy.myshopify.com/