Grit 'n' Grace: Good Girls Breaking Bad Rules

Christian women are often told that being "too emotional" is a weakness, but what if our emotions are actually a source of strength? In this episode, Cheri and Amy debunk that myth, diving into an honest conversation about buoying life’s heaviest moments with the promises of God. Reflecting on their interview with Michele Cushatt, they explore how naming and sitting with our hard emotions Debunking the ‘Too Emotional’ Myth actually builds resilience and deepens faith. If you’ve ever felt like your emotions are “too much,” this episode offers real talk, validation, and practical steps for approaching your feelings as tools for healing and growth.   Get full notes and a transcript at: gritngracegirls.com/episode273

Feeling overwhelmed by grief or big emotions? In this second half of our interview, Michele Cushatt — author of A Faith that Will Not Fail: 10 Practices to Build Up Your Faith When Your World Is Falling Apart — discusses why it's so important to actually feel your feelings, especially during hard seasons. With humor and raw honesty, Michele offers practical, down-to-earth tips for dealing with those big emotions while trusting God’s heart for healing and restoration. Get full notes and a transcript at: gritngracegirls.com/episode272

Feeling like your faith is hanging by a thread? Michele Cushatt returns to share the heart behind her book, A Faith That Will Not Fail. Michele dives deep into the power of lament, vulnerability, and how we can truly support each other without slipping into toxic positivity. If you’re facing tough times, this episode is A Faith that Does Not Fail (Part 1) is packed with encouragement and hope to help you hold on. Get full notes and a transcript at: gritngracegirls.com/episode271

Grit ‘n’ Grace is baaaaaaaack! After a year-long hiatus, Cheri and Amy return for a much-needed catch-up convo.  In this episode, they dive into what they’ve missed most, how life has changed, and the big lessons God has been teaching them. Amy opens up about navigating major transitions, while Cheri reflects on finding breathing room after seasons of chaos.  With laughter, vulnerability, and wisdom, they share how God is at work in the mess. Tune in for a heartfelt and encouraging reunion! Get full notes and a transcript at: gritngracegirls.com/episode270

The saying is true. All good things do come to an end. In this last planned episode of Grit 'n' Grace, Cheri and Amy talk about lessons they've learned about ending well and the biggest personal changes they've experienced through the Grit 'n' Grace years. There are some big lightbulb moments in this episode! Listen to the very end to learn how to keep in touch with Cheri and Amy. Grit 'n' Grace is wrapping up, but your connection with them doesn't have to end!

When we're going through uncertain times, just keeping ourselves afloat can feel like a challenge. It's counterintuitive to believe that uncertainty can be a pathway to our greatest influence. Yet, that's exactly what we see in the book of Esther. With co-authors of the Esther study, Amy Carroll and Lynn Cowell, Cheri discusses four biblical steps that can lead us to influence in our most difficult days.

Let's be honest: It's difficult to love, know, and serve an invisible God. It's especially hard in uncertain times when He's nowhere in sight ... when He seems to have vanished. In today's episode, Cheri is the sole interviewer, digging for solutions to this dilemma with Amy Carroll and Lynn Cowell, co-authors of the new study, Esther: Seeing Our Invisible God in an Uncertain World. We're not the only women who have faced this challenge, so listen in for some ancient and reliable truths!

It's uncomfortable to be in a strange season, one in which your reality looks very different than your peers'. It can happen early in life when everyone else is moving into dorms while you go to work. Or later, when you're raising grandchildren while your friends are having their passports stamped. No matter the stage of life, you can have hope and purpose in your strange season. Cheri and Amy discuss the difficulties and unexpected gifts we find when our lives take a turn we never expected.

When grandparents take on the job of parenting grandchildren, a mix of blessing and challenge ensues. From the rich resource of personal experience, Rick Johnson, author of When Grandparents Become Parents, shares a dose of hope for all involved in this tricky parenting model. If you're a grandparent that's parenting your grandchild or love someone who is, tune in today for words of encouragement that you can absorb and share.

Feeling alone in the chaos and stress of your life? We understand! Yet, everyone has seasons that it's hard to harness the happy that we're promised. In today's episode, Cheri and Amy dig deep into the obstacles to "heart happy" and ways to overcome them. You'll hear both practical tips and deep spiritual practices that will help you draw closer to God for the happy He has to give.

When you're at the end of your rope, is happiness possible? Tricia Goyer, author of Heart Happy: Staying Centered in God's Love Through Chaotic Circumstances, found a secret to happiness at one of her lowest points. In today's episode, she shares that her life, just like ours, has had some painful challenges, but happiness has intersected those seasons in beautifully unexpected ways. Tune in to tap into a truth that we can all benefit from!

It's coming. There will be a day when others misunderstand you. What then? Cheri and Amy discuss strategies to handle being misunderstood so that we aren't devastated when it happens. We can learn from being misunderstood and come out stronger on the other side!

Being misunderstood is the worst. The Worst. If you've been in that circumstance, you're in good company, and your story isn't over. Mary DeMuth, author of The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible, unpacks the lessons she learned as she studied the scriptural stories of ten real-life women. This episode is full of mic-drop moments when Cheri and Amy were left with tears in their eyes and jaws on the floor.

Shadia Hrichi, author of Worthy of Love, knows what it's like to feel unworthy. An abortion early in her life left her believing that she was unqualified to serve God, but He didn't leave her in that untruth. Hear how Shadia, now a powerful Bible teacher, ended her silent suffering and experienced healing. Her saving grace can be yours too!

There's bad news and good news about your messy story. The bad news is that messy stories are straight-up painful. The good news is that you aren't alone. Shadia Hrichi, author of Tamar: Rediscovering the God Who Redeems Me, shares hope-filled truths about how God Himself cares for and transforms our painful places.

It's important to end well, but it's tricky. As women, we don't like to feel like we're quitters, so we often hold onto things too long. But what about jobs, roles, and circumstances that are just for a season? How do we end those well? In this touching episode, Cheri and Amy discuss markers of an ending season, hard decisions, and learning how to end with excellence and grace.

So many of us have an unhealthy relationship with food. The disfunction can range from hypervigilance to constant dieting to eating disorders. Kassandra Baker, Certified Health, Life, and Mental Health Coach, explains how perfectionism and people-pleasing can be part of our problem with food. Then, she leads us to a new understanding about the way we eat. Speaking from her own personal experience and recovery from two eating disorders, Kassandra leads us to freedom from diet culture.

Ugh. It seems like this thought rolls through on the regular, "Well, it's time to diet again." What if it was possible to end our love/hate relationship with food and live in peace? Kassandra Baker, Certified Health, Life, and Mental Health Coach, says that peace can be our new reality! Speaking from her own personal experience and recovery from two eating disorders, Kassandra leads us to freedom from diet culture.

It's the member of the Trinity that makes us most squirmy. Because of a lack of knowledge, many of us avoid talking about the Holy Spirit at all, and most of us have missed out on the gift of friendship with Him. Sarah Bowling, author of Your Friendship with Holy Spirit, shares a warm, down-to-earth approach to deepening our relationship with God through a greater understanding of Holy Spirit (she explains dropping the article "the" for us!). This episode will take you into the more intimate relationship with God that you've longed for.

When your husband's retired or continuing to work from home, things can get a little hairy. It can feel like you're losing control of "your domain." Cynthia Ruchti and Becky Melby, co-authors of Spouse in the House, give practical advice for rearranging our attitudes to make room for all we love at home.