The GoodHard Story Podcast

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 NotesMentioned in this conversation:Broken Crayons Still Color by Toni Collier2 Corinthians 12:9Don't Try This Alone: How to Build Deep Community When You Want to Hide from Your Pain by Toni CollierBrave Enough to Be Broken: How to Embrace Your Pain and Discover Hope and Healing by Toni CollierUnshakable Moxie - https://www.odbm.org/en/moxieStill Color Podcast - How Healing Became an Idol: Why We're More Obsessed with Healing than Becoming HolyLove Your Life (Even When You Don’t Like It All the Time): A Realistic Guide to Unlocking Joy in Life’s Messy, Mundane, and Magnificent Moments by Rachel AwtreyIsaiah 45:3More from Toni:Follow @tonijcollier on InstagramWatch on YouTube @tonijcollierMore from Katherine:Follow @hopeheals on InstagramReceive monthly reflections from Katherine - http://hopeheals.com/hopenoteWatch this conversation on YouTube

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.Show NotesMentioned in this episode:Hope Heals Camp - https://hopeheals.com/campEcclesiastes 7:22 Corinthians 4:8Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the HurtingIsaiah 45:3Mike ErreHope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and an Overcoming LoveHabakkuk 3:17-19More from Katherine:Follow @hopeheals on InstagramReceive monthly reflections from Katherine - http://hopeheals.com/hopenoteWatch this conversation on YouTube

What if your suffering is not a curse on your children, but instead an inheritance of breathtaking value?In this deeply personal conversation, I sat down with my son James the day before he left for college. James opened up about the reality of growing up with a mom who has disabilities and how the experience has formed him into a person who shows up helpful and grateful. I reflected on one of the heaviest questions of my life: has my suffering been a burden to the people I love, especially my children? I also got to offer James the truths I wish someone had given me at his age—about God, about pain, and about the story he gets to write with his own life.Mentioned in this episode:Hope Heals Camp - https://hopeheals.com/campMEND Coffee & Goods - https://www.mendcoffee.com/Samford University Micah Fellows Program - https://www.samford.edu/programs/undergraduate/micah-fellows/Micah 6:8More from Katherine:Follow @hopeheals on InstagramReceive monthly reflections from Katherine - http://hopeheals.com/hopenoteWatch this conversation on YouTube

Following God does not always mean understanding God. In fact, following God can lead us away from comfort, conformity, and communities we once loved. Few people are living that story more authentically than my guest Nancy French. She is a New York Times bestselling ghostwriter who has a dramatic story of her very own. Nancy has been abused and alienated by the people she trusted most, yet she’s continued to show up to her life and to the good/hard work God has for her.I adore this woman and the way she’s navigating the complex landscape of her life. In our conversation, she was so generous to share how she’s reconciling loving God more than ever even when the church confuses her, how she’s pursuing unity with people who see the world differently, and how she’s raising resilient kids. You do not want to miss this hour with my new friend Nancy French.Show NotesMake a donation to Hope Heals at hopeheals.com/support.What we mentioned:Ghosted: An American Story by Nancy French - https://a.co/d/cRyFY5bAll My Knotted Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore - https://a.co/d/5ignBRQWhere the Light Fell: A Memoir by Philip Yancey - https://a.co/d/7iX4U2eThe Holy Post Podcast - https://pod.link/591157388Good Faith Podcast - https://pod.link/1594454747Beth Moore on The GoodHard Story Podcast - https://pod.link/1496882479/episode/NDdjMDEzNWEtMDU1NS00YWVkLWEwZDgtNGNlNWM4MzQxYWQzWhere to find Nancy:Website: nancyfrench.comTwitter / X: @nancyafrenchScriptures we referenced:James 1:4Ecclesiastes 7:2For 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/id1496882479Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant 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/gGUnlfGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/spaces⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.com/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Annie F. Downs may be known as the queen of fun, but that doesn’t make her frivolous. She lives a closely examined and intentional life that beautifully balances joy and suffering. She shared an hour with me to talk about what she’s learning (and unlearning) these days—like how she’s pursuing the freshest tools for thriving in her current life, telling the truest story of her singleness, and what she would do differently in her deepest grief.This woman is as wise as she is whimsical. If you want to feel like you’ve just chatted with a dear old friend, you need to press play on this episode.Show Notes: Make a donation to Hope Heals at hopeheals.com/support.What we mentioned:That Sounds Fun Podcast - https://www.anniefdowns.com/thatsoundsfun/Lysa TerKeurst’s Therapy and Theology Podcast with Jim Cress and Joel Muddamalle - https://proverbs31.org/listen/therapy-and-theologyMatt & Ginny Mooney of 99 Balloons - https://www.99balloons.org/Abel Speaks - https://abelspeaks.org/The Bible App - https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/Father Mike - https://www.instagram.com/fathermikeschmitz/Where to Find Annie:Website: https://www.anniefdowns.com/Instagram: @anniefdownsThat Sounds Fun PodcastScriptures we referenced:Parable of the Prodigal Son - Luke 15:11–32John 16:33Psalm 16Isaiah 55:12Isaiah 45:3For 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/id1496882479Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664bebWant 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/gGUnlfGet to know us:⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/spaces⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.com/Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

This is the very first episode of Take the Next Step and I’m sharing it here because I refuse to let you miss the launch! You might just recognize the guest...Be sure to follow Take the Next Step with Amy Julia Becker wherever you listen so you don’t miss any future episodes. amyjuliabecker.com/step/__Feeling overwhelmed by the challenges of disability? Katherine Wolf, author, advocate, and co-founder of Hope Heals, joins Amy Julia Becker to explore how families can reimagine disability, build connection, and celebrate life. From the dinner table to the slow work of recovery, learn how to find delight in the story you have. Discover:How to experience joy in the process, not just the outcomeDaily habits to cultivate gratitude and delightHow to build a supportive, connected communityWhy purpose and contribution matter for every family_MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:Katherine’s books, resources, gatherings, and inter-ability communities: hopeheals.com. Luke 14_WATCH this conversation on YouTube: Amy Julia Becker on YouTubeSUBSCRIBE to Amy Julia's Substack: amyjuliabecker.substack.comJOIN the conversation on Instagram: @amyjuliabeckerLISTEN to more episodes: amyjuliabecker.com/shows/_ABOUT OUR GUEST:Katherine Wolf is an author, advocate, and co-founder of Hope Heals. After she survived a near-fatal brainstem stroke at age 26, her family’s journey through disability has become a public witness that good and hard can co-exist in the same story. Through caregiving, storytelling, and lived theology, Katherine is inviting others into a vision of hope, interdependence, and embodied resilience. She and her husband Jay live in Atlanta with their two sons.Website: www.hopeheals.com Instagram: @hopeheals_Take the Next Step is produced in collaboration with Hope Heals. Hope Heals creates sacred spaces of belonging and belovedness for families affected by disabilities to experience sustaining hope in the context of inclusive, intentional, inter-ability communities. Find out more about our resources, gatherings, and inter-ability communities at hopeheals.com. Follow us on Instagram @hopeheals.