Girl On A Hill

We continue our series on whole-body rest by digging into the concept of creative rest. While creative rest probably isn’t something you’ve ever thought about - it’s likely something your mind needs. We talk about the mental wear and tear of constant problem-solving and our need to reconnect with things that fill us with awe and wonder. We share practical ways to get creative rest that you can put into practice today and wrap it up by sharing tips, truths, and a few examples from Jesus.

We're tired, worn-out, depleted, and let's be honest it shows. We need rest! We're kicking off our new series on rest by digging into the concept of physical rest, what that means, signs we need it, and how to get it. We chat about sleep, movement, and the underlying issues that may be keeping us from the rest we need and were designed to get.

OH, Sorry!!! You may not even realize hose often you're apologizing, and today, we take a look at our habit of over-apologizing and dig deep into why we do it. Over-apologizing is wrapped up in perfectionism, shame, and people-pleasing, and it's time to let it go, unapologetically as we stand secure in who we are: worthy and loved.

We like being right but so often our need to be right gets in the way of relationship building, growth, and happiness. I get honest about the pitfalls of arguing and share how being right is about so much more than fact-checking. I talk about the blessing it is to not know everything, (we get to keep learning!) and wrap it up by talking about the power of love and the importance of seeing the person behind the difference of opinion.

We all want to be liked - but when we need everyone to like us, we put not only our mental and emotional health in danger, but begin to forget the truth about who we are and where our worth comes from. (Spoiler alert - it’s not what other people think of us!) We get honest about the cost of hustling for validation and talk about the traps of people-pleasing and perfectionism that go hand in hand with a need to be liked. We share hard truths, some tips for loving and embracing who you were created to be.

If we’re being honest, most of us don’t just yearn for control - we love it. We’re control freaks who are using the illusion of control as a way to cope with our stress and anxiety - only, it’s backfiring. Our attempts to control everything and yes, everyone - are exhausting, damage our mental health and relationships, and shut down creativity and new possibilities. It’s time to own up to the fact that our way isn’t always the best way and that if we truly want control, we should start with controlling ourselves. We wrap it up with tips and a hard truth about the link between our desire to control our world and our trust in God.

Why is the past so hard to let go of? Why do so many of us struggle to make forward mental and emotional progress? Leaving our past requires us to not only heal old wounds, but to accept change and appreciate the truth of our present circumstances. It’s a challenge, but a process we must work through if we want to grow, have healthy and fair relationships, and if we want to fully embrace who we are and what we have in our right now. We wrap it up by sharing a few helpful tips and the two things you need to actively look for if you truly want to leave your past behind and love your present.

We've all put decisions on hold, kept ourselves from taking risks, and hesitated to put ourselves out there relationally and creatively because we just want to be sure of how things will go. Today we're letting that go because as hard as it is to accept, we can't always be certain. We're getting honest about how control, fear, and anxiety play a part in our need for certainty, talk about allowing a little bit of room for a little bit of maybe in our lives, and share a paradigm-shifting statement about what certainty really is. As always, we wrap up today's pod with tips, and I share a reminder of the one thing of which you can always be certain.

This week, we’re continuing our Letting Go series by dropping our hurtful narratives - those negative thought loops running through our brain. We talk about how that hurtful inner monologue isn’t just keeping us sad and angry - it’s actually making our decisions and changing the direction of our life. We get honest about why these negative thoughts are so hard to shake and share the truth of why we need to start changing them. We’re changing our lives one thought at a time.

We want life to be fair, and most of the time, if we're being honest, we expect it to be. But as long as we're clinging to the idea that life has to be fair to be good, we'll be living a life filled with discontent, resentment, and chronic unhappiness. Today we're acknowledging that we must change what we can and work to accept the rest so we can learn to love our life, even in the midst of situations and circumstances we didn't choose.

Today we’re letting go of our mistakes - releasing the guilt and shame we’ve been carrying so we can move forward in freedom. We dig into what it means to forgive ourselves, but get honest about why forgiving ourselves is so hard. The guilt and the overthinking isn’t working - but there’s hope. We share tips for forward progress, a life-changing Scripture, and some truths that remind us of the abundance of grace available to us if we’d only uncross our arms and accept it.

We talk ourselves out of a lot of things in the name of being cautious or fully prepared when in reality, most of the time, we're just scared. Today we're kicking off our new "Letting Go" series by dropping our need to feel 100% ready before taking action. We're tired of putting our lives on hold while waiting for fear to subside. We get real about the things that keep us from moving forward in faith and share honest tips and truths that can help propel us out of the waiting zone into action. We're talking initiative, living that carpe diem life, and leaning into God's strength as a source of courage instead of waiting for ours to show up.

In the last episode of our "I Want You To Be Happier" series, we dig into just how important and beneficial it is to serve others. We get honest about why we don't help and get real about how things like selfishness, insecurity, and unhealed pain feature in our excuses for not getting involved. We share tips for starting small and stress the importance of serving who you know where you are. We're working to put love into action as we serve our families, neighbors, and communities.

We’ve all heard the advice, “Just be yourself.” So why do most of us spend our lives trying to fit in and be like everyone else? Today, we’re talking about the fear that holds us back from letting our personality shine, leaning into who God made us to be, and embracing what makes us - us.

How often are we fully present in our moments? The truth? Not often enough. Today we’re talking about the barriers that prevent us from living present and the changes we can make to help us be more mindful. We’re working to embrace the right now, accept what is, and be all the way where we are.

Life’s too short to spend it watching - just going through the motions, always the passive observer. So today, we’re talking about jumping into our life with both feet- rejecting fear, embracing growth, and daring to leave our comfort zone. We’re taking risks, joining in, and choosing to believe that there is more than a half-hearted, numbed-out, sitting on the sidelines kind of life. We’re choosing to LIVE!

We're continuing our "I want you to be happier" series by talking about our need to calm down. We talk about the way we've normalized stress, our misconceptions about what calm is, and how living rattled affects us mentally and physically. We share tips for calming down and wrap it up by talking about calming ourselves vs. trying to calm the storm and our need to rely on the one who is always in the boat with us.

We’re kicking off our “I Want You To Be Happier” series with a choice many of us don’t even realize we have - our mood! We talk about digging deep and uncovering what’s underneath our bad mood, how we give away our power and control when we fail to take responsibility for our mood, and how the way we think about the things we’re going through affects our moods. We wrap it up by sharing some mood lifters and some truth about the One thing that can hold us steady.

It's our 100th episode, and we're celebrating!!! Today we're celebrating, not only the podcast, but each other, highlighting our own journeys up the hill. We play a few games celebrating our quirks and personalities, and then get real about how we're growing, what we're learning, and the truths that are sinking in and causing life-change.

We call it many things - getting things off our chest, putting it out there, letting people know -but really, venting is the unhealthy habit of dumping our negative emotions without the intention of working through them, healing, or finding support. It’s time to get honest about venting and the way it’s hurting us - prolonging and strengthening our anger while hurting the person listening. Venting is an energy thief holding us in place, and it’s time we seek processing and solutions-minded conversations instead of practicing our anger by continually talking about it. We’re here to grow and become life-giving women who bless others with our words instead of agents of negativity who incite fear and stress.

Call it unsatisfied. Call it unhappy. Either way, we all know what it’s like to be discontent. We’re getting honest and going deep - not stopping at the way ingratitude and comparison contribute to our lack of contentment but sharing how living unchallenged and outside of our purpose can create a restless ache in our soul. We’re paying attention, sharing truths, and working to allow what God has for us be what satisfies.

We all walk through seasons of discouragement, so today we're talking about it: Working through what it means, how it got there, and how it affects us. Discouragement keeps us stuck, causes us to lose hope, motivation, and the desire to press on. We wrap up today's podcast by sharing truth, tips, and the joy and freedom that come from trusting our faithful God.

We’ve become mean in the way we speak to and about ourselves - having written off the way we devalue who we are as no big deal. It is. And every time we self-deprecate, we’re retraining our brain and unconsciously lowering our self-esteem. So today we’re getting honest about our need to stop this destructive habit and accept and live out the truth of our value and worth.

In today’s episode, we’re taking a look at pride - a destructive heart-attitude that keeps us from growth, from truly being known, and distorts our view of self. We share what pride looks like lived out, how it affects our relationships, and how it may be pointing to unhealed pain or insecurity. We wrap it up by sharing practical tips to live humbly, and I share what I learned when I asked the question, “Is pride really that big of a deal?” Spoiler alert - it is, and we’re here to sweep it out of our hearts.

Today we’re taking an honest look at laziness - a habit that encompasses far more than parking yourself on the couch. We talk about the grip laziness can have- keeping us sidelined and living small. We share some of the ways laziness sneaks up on us, talk about our love of comfort, our need for purpose, and the role fear plays in keeping us from forward progress. We wrap it up by sharing tips and the truth about living the full life God intended for us.

Some of us tend to always think the worst, so today, we're tackling the damaging habit of catastrophizing. Living in the land of worst-case scenarios keeps our minds in a constant state of crisis while pulling us away from our moments. We get real about the damage catastrophizing causes, share tips for healing, and truths you need to hear. We wrap it up by sharing the two things you need to remember the next time you're facing a mountain or a molehill.

In today’s podcast, we’re getting honest about the way we respond to our feelings - often letting them control our behavior and shut down our rational brain. Our feelings are valid and important, but they’re often temporary, untrustworthy, and out of sync with the truth. We allow our feelings to talk us out of doing things, to mislead us, to speak and act without thinking, and to live our lives on an emotional roller coaster. But there’s hope! As we pay attention to our triggers and learn to find healthy ways to express and cope, we can help our thoughts and feelings work together.

We continue our Spring Cleaning of the Heart and Mind series by diving into the topic of judgment. It’s not something we want to admit, but we need to reckon with this destructive habit and the damage it causes - not just to others, but to ourselves. We get real about the reasons we judge and what our tendency to judge says about ourselves. We give some tips and share some hard truths as we work to spread love instead of judgment. 

We continue the Spring Cleaning of the Heart and Mind series by getting real about perfectionism and the fear, shame, and insecurity driving it. We give you some traits to help you identify perfectionism in your own life, sharing the way perfectionism is actually holding you back, keeping you from the fullness of life. We talk about behavior vs. the heart, share some tips to break free and reclaim joy and true growth, and wrap it up by getting real about perfectionism and modern-day Pharisees. 

We’re kicking off our Spring Cleaning of the Heart and Mind Series by diving head-first into the topic of people-pleasing. We like to be liked and like making people happy - but what’s at the heart of our desire to please? We get honest about the fear, low self-worth, and misplaced identity that often fuels our boundary-less, peace-keeping behaviors. We give you a self-checklist and talk about the truth of who you are. Your needs and voice matter. You are worthy. We share some tips to help you break free from the bondage of people pleasing and begin to take up space in your own life and wrap it up by sharing the freedom that comes from accepting the approval of the only One who matters. 

I’m joined by my husband David this week as we chat about communication. We share some of the most common communication mistakes made in relationships, digging into how our bad communication habits can hurt the ones we love while preventing us from being heard and understood. We share some of our own experiences, including what we’ve learned and how we still need to grow. We’re here to champion honest and direct communication that seeks to grow healthier relationships. 

None of us want the people we love to be in an unhealthy relationship - so we need to talk about it. We need to share the patterns and behaviors of abuse. We’re getting real about the small and subtle behaviors, the things we’ve normalized, the things we rationalize, and the things none of us deserve. It’s time to talk openly about relationship red flags - but we’re here for the green flags too. Krystal shares her story and we’re  facing this topic head-on so hopefully you won’t have to. 

So many of us are lonely, feeling more disconnected than ever before. In today's episode, we're getting real about making and keeping friends as adults. It's hard!  We share some of the things that keep us from trying to connect, acknowledge what makes it hard and scary, and wrap it up by sharing some truths to keep in mind as well as tips for forming new friendships. 

Change is hard! And in today's podcast we're talking about a quality that not only helps us roll with the changes that happen to us, but also helps us make the changes necessary to keep things working. We're digging into adaptability and sharing, not only what it really means, but how we can develop it and put it into practice. 

Today we’re digging into the concept of wonder and why more of us need to take the time to slow down, take notice of the beauty around us and let it fill us with awe. We’re in a hurry - rushing from Point A to Point B, ignoring the journey. It’s time we take a pause, think deeply, and allow ourselves to be like children - full of awe and wonder. It just might be the energy refresh we all so desperately need.

Some of us want adventure and some of us may feel like adventure is out of reach. But in today's podcast, we share how every day can hold an adventure if our mindset is right. We talk about what adventure really is, share how our comfort zone holds us back, and how saying yes and being open to new experiences opens us up to a life full of adventure. We're taking risks, trying new things, and embracing whatever the day holds. 

In today’s podcast, we dig into the intention of simplification and talk about what it would look like to put it into practice. We talk about decluttering not only our physical space but our calendar space and mental space. We’re constantly stressed and our souls are drained. We’re talking about our need to create room for the things we love and value most. We’re embracing less so we can live with more.

In this week's episode, I share my thought on the importance of intention and reflection. I talk about my experiences, share my reflection questions, and how my chosen intention often ends up shaping my year in unexpected and meaningful ways. Happy New Year!

We close out our How’d We Get Here Series by talking about the problem of hurry. So many of us are always in a rush, constantly feeling behind, and hesitant to slow down - and today, we dig into why. We talk about the lies that may be fueling our frantic pace, share how this non-stop sense of urgency is hurting us, and wrap it up by sharing a few ways we can overcome hurry sickness and live at a comfortable and sustainable pace.

Merry Christmas from Girl on a Hill Podcast. I love this time of year, but know that for many, Christmas can easily become a time of stress  - where we’re feeling far more overwhelmed than jolly. In keeping with our, How’d We Get Here Series this week, as we’re spending time with our families, we’re revisiting our episode on finding joy during the holidays. In this episode, I share how our expectations, comparison, perfectionism, distraction, and the lie of not enough cause us to miss out on the wonder of the season. Whether this is your first time hearing this episode or if you’re re-listening like me, I hope these words brighten your day and help you cling to what matters this Christmas. 

The expectations we place on ourselves and others loom large in our lives, creating stress, pressure, and resentment. In today's episode, we talk about the strain living with unrealistic expectations creates. We share the harm the word "should" has caused and the absolute need for grace and an acceptance of our shifting capacity. We wrap up today's podcast by sharing a few truths to help us let go of the expectations that weigh down our hearts and steal our happiness. 

We live in a loud world with noise coming at us constantly from outside and within. In today's episode, we address the three primary sources of noise, dig into why we fill up the quiet spaces and resist silence, talk about the benefits of silence, and share why we need to allow the thoughts and feelings quiet brings to surface and be felt and heard. We wrap it up with a discussion about what silence is and how we can start to put some quiet back into our noisy lives. 

We’re more stressed and unhappy than ever - and today we’re getting uncomfortably truthful about one reason why. As we continue to dig into how we got here, we get real about resentment and why so many of us struggle to let it go. We talk about what resentment is, get honest about why we insist on packing around our pain, and share the truth about the gift of forgiveness and surrender - they’re for YOU! We’re walking away from pain into healing today.

Happy Thanksgiving from Girl On A Hill. We are so grateful for each and every one of you. We are taking the week off to spend time with our loved ones, so this week we are revisiting our episode on gratitude. I gave it a re-listen this week. I needed to hear what we had to say as I'm heading into this season of Thanksgiving. Whether this is your first time hearing it, or if you're re-listening like me, I encourage you to take a few minutes to rest and take it in as you prepare for the coming season. 

We’re continuing our How’d We Get Here series by talking about worry. We talk about the strangle-hold worry has on our thought-life and the ways it destroys our happiness and leaves us weighed down by burdens we were never meant to carry. We get honest about why we worry, and wrap it up by sharing some uncomfortable truths that may help us stop. 

We all need help - but none of us likes asking for it. In today’s episode, we share some of the biggest things that keep us from seeking help and support, talk about why we need to ask, and wrap it up by discussing how to ask. We’re here to grow, and if we want to escape burnout, we have to learn that we can’t go it alone.

We’re kicking off our “How’d We Get Here?” series by talking about balance - and why so many of us feel off-kilter. We share the wrong ideas we’ve been taught about balance and how wrong thinking along with comparison and expectations only make the problem worse. I share my life-changing revelation about what I think balance really is and how self-grace and acceptance of our shifting capacity and life’s variables is necessary to live a life we can sustain.

We all know we need rest and soul refreshment, so why do we resist it? Today we’re talking about Sabbath - and some of the reasons we fight the gift of rest. We talk about God’s example, share the excuses we give to persevere at all costs, discuss our wrong ideas about rest, and wrap it up by sharing what a Sabbath can look like. Rest was given to you. Take it. It’s for you.

Burnout happens when our stress exceeds our ability to cope, so today, we’re addressing the typical ways we attempt to cope with stress. We get honest about our poor strategies, talk about our tendencies to ignore, numb, or control, and finish up by sharing some lifestyle changes that can help us face and successfully deal with the stress in our lives.

Today we're taking an honest look at stress, getting real about our stressors and the role our thought life plays when it comes to stress. We talk about in a constant state of fight or flight, the road to burnout, and our tendency to push ourselves past our breaking point. This is one we all need to hear today.