The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast

Do you ever feel trapped by insecurity, comparison, or the pressure to prove yourself?In today’s episode, Kaley Olson and Cailah Garcia sit down with author, pastor, and speaker Sharon Hodde Miller to discuss a surprising source of insecurity that many women overlook. Through personal stories, biblical teaching, and practical wisdom, Sharon explains why some insecurity stems not from thinking too little of ourselves but from thinking about ourselves too much.Drawing from Moses’ story in Exodus 4 and her own journey through ministry, Sharon shares how God invites us to shift our focus away from our limitations and back to His sufficiency. If you've ever wondered whether you're enough for what God has called you to do, this conversation will remind you where true confidence is found.You’ll learn:The difference between low self-esteem and self-preoccupation.Why affirmation alone cannot heal every insecurity.What God's response to Moses teaches us about our limitations.How to identify whether insecurity is revealing an unhealed wound or misplaced focus.A practical way to shift your eyes off yourself and back onto Jesus.Resources From This Episode:Get Sharon Hodde Miller’s book Free of Me: Why Life Is Better When It’s Not About You. This bestselling book explores the freedom that comes when we stop making life all about ourselves and start focusing on God’s greater purpose.Get Sharon Hodde Miller’s devotional Gazing at God: A 40-Day Journey to Greater Freedom from Self. This devotional helps readers identify areas of self-focus, find healing for their wounds, and cultivate a life centered on Christ.Learn more about the She Speaks Conference.Join us from July 16-18 in Charlotte, North Carolina, for powerful teaching, practical training, and encouragement to help you step confidently into the calling God has placed on your life.Capstone Wellness provides residential treatment and custom therapy intensives that retrace hurt to the roots in a Christ-centered environment. Learn more at Capstonewellness.com/proverbs31Download a transcript of this episode.Want More on This Topic?Check out “How To Escape the Comparison Trap” from The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast archives!

What’s actually driving your life right now?In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Meredith Brock and Kaley Olson sit down with Bible teacher and author Megan Fate Marshman to unpack one of Jesus’ most sobering teachings: the narrow road vs. the wide road.But this isn’t just about salvation — it’s about how we’re living every single day.If you’ve ever felt exhausted trying to “do all the right things,” or quietly wondered if you’re missing something in your relationship with God … this conversation will meet you right there.Megan brings clarity, conviction, and incredible hope as she reminds you: Following Jesus isn’t about striving harder — it’s about knowing Him and letting Him know you.You’ll learn:Why you can follow Jesus … and still find yourself on the “wide road.”The subtle difference between knowing about God and actually knowing Him.How striving, perfectionism, and performance can quietly replace relationship.What it really means to live on the narrow road (without burnout).The one question that reveals what your life is actually built on.Resources From This Episode:Relaxed by Megan Fate Marshman.If you’ve been living under pressure — trying to get it right, do more, and be better — this book will help you experience a different way: one rooted in God’s presence, not your performance.She Speaks Conference (July 16-18, Charlotte, NC).If you know God is working in your life and you feel the nudge to share it, don’t ignore that. Join us for a weekend that will equip and encourage you to step into your calling with confidence.Download a transcript of this episode.Want More on This Topic? Whether you're someone who believes you have let God down or you've carried wounds from your earthly father that make it hard to trust your heavenly One, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

When the holidays feel heavy, hope can feel far away. In this Advent episode, Bible teacher Wendy Blight joins Kaley Olson and Ellen Adkins to show how Jesus brings real hope into the places where we feel most broken. Through Scripture and Wendy’s powerful personal story, you’ll discover why biblical hope is more than wishful thinking — it’s a confident expectation rooted in who God is.Perfect for anyone who needs a breath of hope this season.You’ll learn:Why biblical hope is a confident expectation — not wishful thinking.How the story of hope begins in Genesis and is fulfilled in Jesus.Ways to move from a victim mentality toward healing and trust in God.How to experience Scripture as alive and active in seasons of brokenness.Resources From This Episode:Join us for Advent in the First 5 app!Download the free app and spend five minutes each day studying God’s Word with women around the world.Go deeper with our brand-new Advent study guide, More Than a Manger.Experience the Christmas story with fresh eyes through rich biblical teaching and meaningful daily reflections.Help more women access Biblical Truth this season.Your generosity fuels everything we do — from free podcasts to devotions to study resources. [Give to Proverbs 31 Ministries today.]Click here to download a transcript of this episodeWant More on This Topic? Listen to another great episode of The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast titled “How To Walk By Faith When Life Feels Hard” with Jennifer Rothschild.

Forgiveness can sometimes feel like an unfair gift we have to give someone else. But what if it's actually God's prescription for our own hearts to heal? In this deeply personal episode, Lysa TerKeurst opens up about what it really looks like to practice forgiveness when it seems undeserved or out of reach. With honesty and tenderness, she shares insights from her own journey, offering practical guidance on processing pain, naming your hurt, and choosing obedience to God even when your heart hasn’t caught up yet. Through this conversation, you'll learn: What biblical forgiveness is and what it isn't. Ways to handle real struggles: from navigating personal betrayals to extending grace when someone has hurt your child. How letting go doesn’t mean letting someone keep hurting you.Resources From This Episode:Surviving an Unwanted Divorce by Lysa TerKeurst, counselor Jim Cress, and Dr. Joel Muddamalle.The Therapy & Theology Podcast, Season 10, with Lysa TerKeurst, Jim Cress, and Dr. Joel Muddamalle.Click here to download a transcript of this episodeWant More on This Topic?Watch the Therapy & Theology video on YouTube titled "How To Forgive When the Hurt Was So Unfair."

Do you ever feel like you’re carrying years of disappointment, shame, or questions about whether God hears you? Maybe you’ve prayed for healing, longed for comfort, or simply wondered if you’re worth His attention. In this episode, Erin Rae Peace joins us to unpack the story of the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5 — the only place in Scripture where Jesus publicly calls a woman “daughter.” Together, we’ll explore what this tender encounter reveals about how deeply Jesus values women, the hope He offers when shame feels louder than the Truth, and why His embrace is closer than we think.You’ll learn:The difference between hiding in fear and being lovingly pursued by God.How to replace assumptions about God’s disappointment with confidence in His love for you.What it means to be seen, known, and embraced by Jesus.Why faith, even when fragile, can open the door to healing and freedom.Partner With Us: When life feels overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to provide for yourself or your family, it can seem like you’re in it alone … But it doesn’t have to be. That’s why we’re so grateful for Convoy of Hope, an organization that has spent over 30 years helping vulnerable communities and empowering women and girls to create a better future. Convoy of Hope partners with women to start their own businesses, giving them the tools to support themselves and their families. You can be part of this movement with us; visit convoy.org/p31 to help empower women and girls today. Together, we can lift up communities, create opportunities, and make hope possible.Resources From This Episode:Would you take just a few minutes to fill out our listener survey? Your feedback will help guide us on the topics we cover, the guests we invite, and the ways we can continue to serve you through biblical teaching and encouragement.Each time you support Proverbs 31, your gift helps empower women and transform entire communities with God’s Word. Send this episode to a friend who needs encouragement and God’s Truth today.Subscribe to The Proverbs 31 Ministries Podcast never to miss an episode of hope-filled stories as we unpack the Truth and learn to live it out together. Click here to download a transcript of this episode

Have you ever looked in the mirror and immediately started critiquing what you see? From body image struggles to chronic illness, infertility, or the natural process of aging, so many of us carry quiet shame and exhaustion when it comes to our bodies. In this episode, bestselling author and Bible teacher Lisa Whittle joins us to share how Scripture offers a better foundation — what she calls "whole-body theology." Instead of chasing self-improvement or settling for hype messages from culture, Lisa reminds us of the hope, freedom, and peace that come when we understand our bodies as God’s good design.You’ll learn:Why cultural messages about “loving yourself” fall short — and how God’s Word offers something more lasting.What it means to live with a whole-body theology rooted in imago dei.How to confront cycles of shame, comparison, and self-improvement with biblical Truth.Practical encouragement for those navigating body image struggles, chronic illness, infertility, or aging.Resources From This Episode:Would you take just a few minutes to fill out our listener survey? Your feedback will help guide us on the topics we cover, the guests we invite, and the ways we can continue to serve you through biblical teaching and encouragement.Purchase a copy of Lisa’s Bible study, “Body and Soul.”Listen to Lisa’s podcast, “Jesus Over Everything.”Give today to help another woman know the Truth and live the Truth because it changes everything.Leave us a rating and written review on Apple Podcasts.Click here to download a transcript of this episodeWant More on This Topic? Listen to “How To Escape the Comparison Trap” with Laura L. Smith.Watch the video titled “Breaking Unhealthy Patterns: The Victim Triangle” from the Therapy & Theology series on our YouTube channel.Go deeper with study content created by women, for women. Delight in Scripture with the CSB Women’s Study Bible. For both deep study and daily reading, this Bible is uniquely crafted to equip women to dig into God's Word and disciple other women in their life to do the same. Purchase a CSB Women's Study Bible here.

Have you ever looked around and wondered, Is this really it? Or is God calling me to something more? In this episode, Meredith Brock, Kaley Olson, and Nicki Koziarz share how a trip to El Salvador with Compassion International unexpectedly shifted their perspective on calling and obedience and what it really means to live a life of purpose. You’ll hear the powerful story of one woman whose quiet but courageous “yes” to God created a ripple effect — transforming her family, her community, and even the hearts of our team. If you’re feeling unsure about your next step, worn out from waiting, or afraid your impact doesn’t matter, this conversation will remind you: You don’t have to know the outcome to walk in obedience. Sometimes the most world-changing thing you can do is simply show up and say yes.You’ll learn:How to identify “holy discomfort” and what it reveals about the core of your calling. How to move forward with confidence even when the first step seems unclear. Why God may lead you into uncomfortable places to share His light.What power one small “yes” has to make an eternal impact. Click here to download a transcript of this episodePartner With Us: The First 5 app is turning 10 — and we couldn’t have done it without you. For the past decade, this app has helped women all over the world meet with God first … before the chaos of the day begins. Now, we want to invite you to help carry that impact into the next decade. When you give to further all God is doing, we’ll thank you with two copies of our newest devotional study, 30 Bible Verses Every Christian Should Know — one to keep and one to share with a woman you know who’s in need of hope. Give a 10-year anniversary gift!Resources From This Episode:We’re honored to come alongside Compassion International, a ministry committed to releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name. Through child sponsorship, you don’t just provide food, education, and medical care — you offer hope. You become part of a child’s story. And when you say “yes,” God uses that obedience to change two lives: theirs and yours. Sponsor a child today!Looking for more resources to grow in your faith? Find free Bible studies, devotions, podcasts, and more — all created to help you know God’s Word and live it out. Explore Proverbs 31 Ministries.