Oh, Good Grief | The Podcast with Joy McMillan

026 | Dropping Your Rock | Choosing Mercy Over Judgment

There are moments in life that leave a mark. Moments where harm is done, where silence follows, and where the absence of care cuts just as deeply as the wound itself. In this episode, Joy explores what it means to carry those stories honestly before God. Drawing from the story of Jonah, we'll wrestle with the tension between justice and mercy, and how easy it is to want accountability for others, and how difficult it can be to release what we feel we’re owed. We also touch on the woman caught in adultery, and the posture of Jesus - who neither condones sin nor condemns the sinner, but instead kneels low, diffusing shame and interrupting the cycle of accusation. His response invites us to examine not just what was done to us, but what we carry because of it. Through it all, we return to a central question:What rock are we still holding, and what might it look like to finally let it go? Scripture: * Jonah 1-4 * John 1:8-11 * Psalm 103:8 * James 1:19 * Ephesians 4:26, 31-32 * Psalm 139:1 Playlist: The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1UqJPggZo5OIf785nlxbIe?si=mIX5-9o1QMW2w3TdmSiqiA], featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: Dear God by Cory Asbury. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.simplybloomshop.org/shop-2] code for free shipping: OGGPODCAST Connect with Joy: Website: simplybloom.org Facebook: @simplybloom Instagram: @simplybloomjoy Email: joy@simplybloom.org If this episode encouraged you: Share it with someone who may be in a hard season. Subscribe + review to help others find this space. You are loved.

025 | The Power of Forgiveness | A Conversation About Honor, Healing + Letting Go with Dr. Ansonya Burke

In this deeply honest and grace-filled episode, Joy sits down with longtime friend Dr. Ansonya Burke for a conversation about heartbreak, betrayal, forgiveness, and what it looks like to let God have the final word over your story. Ansonya shares how God met her in one of the hardest chapters of her life—not by rushing her healing, but by walking with her through it. She talks candidly about forgiveness, boundaries, leadership, emotional health, and the danger of carrying unresolved pain while trying to lead others well. This episode is for anyone navigating disappointment, grief, church hurt, relational fracture, or the exhausting weight of trying to hold everything together while quietly unraveling inside. Ansonya's Resources: * Website: ansonyaburke.org [https://ansonyaburke.org/] * The Forgiveness Framework [https://a.co/d/08YaaHxH] * Resources: ansonyaburke.org/shop [https://www.ansonyaburke.org/shop] Playlist: The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1UqJPggZo5OIf785nlxbIe?si=mIX5-9o1QMW2w3TdmSiqiA], featuring the songs that carried us through. Ansonya's song: Holy Spirit by Bryan + Katie Torwalt. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.simplybloomshop.org/shop-2] code for free shipping: OGGPODCAST Connect with Joy: Website: simplybloom.org Facebook: @simplybloom Instagram: @simplybloomjoy Email: joy@simplybloom.org If this episode encouraged you: Share it with someone who may be in a hard season. Subscribe + review to help others find this space. You are loved.

024 | Stronger Than I Thought | What God Is Teaching Me Through CrossFit

What started as six months of hesitation turned into six years of formation. In this episode, Joy shares what CrossFit has taught her, not just about strength and discipline, but about God, community, and the quiet work of becoming. What she once feared became a space where she discovered resilience, courage, and the power of showing up. Through honest reflection and personal stories, this conversation explores how growth often happens in discomfort, why we were never meant to do hard things alone, and how the discipline of caring for our bodies can shape every other area of our lives. Whether you’ve stepped into a gym or not, this episode is an invitation to keep showing up—to the hard things, the forming work, and the life God is building in you. Scripture: * * Hebrews 10:24–25 * * James 1:2–4 * * Hebrews 12:1 * * 1 Timothy 4:7–8 * * Joshua 1:9 * Philippians 4:13 * 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 Playlist: The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1UqJPggZo5OIf785nlxbIe?si=mIX5-9o1QMW2w3TdmSiqiA], featuring the songs that carried us through. This week's song: Build Your Kingdom Here by Rend Collective. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.simplybloomshop.org/shop-2] code for free shipping: OGGPODCAST Connect with Joy: Website: simplybloom.org Facebook: @simplybloom Instagram: @simplybloomjoy Email: joy@simplybloom.org If this episode encouraged you: Share it with someone who may be in a hard season. Subscribe + review to help others find this space. You are loved.

023 | Even If | Surrender, Hope + the Unfinished Story with Monica Kaczynski

In this deeply personal episode, Joy sits down with Monica Kaczynski—a teacher, mother, and woman whose life has been shaped by waiting and surrender. From a 14-year journey through infertility to the unexpected gift of motherhood, Monica’s story is marked by God’s faithfulness in ways she never anticipated. Years later, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and experienced a remarkable year of remission. Now facing its return, Monica shares the ongoing tension of trusting God—not just for what He can do, but for who He is. An honest, tender conversation about grief, hope, and what it means to say, “not my will, but Yours.” Scripture: * Matthew 19:26 * Matthew 6:33 * Philippians 1:21 * 1 Corinthians 2:9 * Matthew 26:39 * Mark 1:40-41 * Psalm 116:15 Playlist: The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1UqJPggZo5OIf785nlxbIe?si=mIX5-9o1QMW2w3TdmSiqiA], featuring the songs that carried us through. This week's song: Even If by MercyMe. ⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.simplybloomshop.org/shop-2] code for free shipping: OGGPODCAST Connect with Joy: Website: simplybloom.org Facebook: @simplybloom Instagram: @simplybloomjoy Email: joy@simplybloom.org If this episode encouraged you: Share it with someone who may be in a hard season. Subscribe + review to help others find this space. You are loved.

022 | Where Are You? | An Invitation to Come Out of Hiding

In the very first human crisis recorded in Scripture, God asks a simple question:"Where are you?" It wasn’t a request for information. It was an invitation. In this episode, Joy shares a moment of humiliation from her childhood that, among the hundreds of others, quietly shaped her instinct to perform, blend in, and protect herself. But hiding didn’t begin in middle school hallways. It began in the garden. Together we'll explore: * Why shame drives us into hiding * The difference between managing sin and healing pain * The subtle ways we armor ourselves against vulnerability * God’s persistent invitation to step into the light The good news is this: God does not chase us with condemnation. He pursues us with a question. "Where are you?" And the moment we tell the truth about where we actually are… restoration begins. Key Scriptures * Genesis 3:8–11 * Genesis 3:21 * Psalm 32:7 Playlist: The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1UqJPggZo5OIf785nlxbIe?si=mIX5-9o1QMW2w3TdmSiqiA], featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: Overthinking by Samantha Ebert, and Out of Hiding by Steffany Gretzinger. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Simply Bloom Shop⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.simplybloomshop.org/shop-2] code for free shipping: OGGPODCAST Connect with Joy: Website: simplybloom.org Facebook: @simplybloom Instagram: @simplybloomjoy Email: joy@simplybloom.org If this episode encouraged you: Share it with someone who may be in a hard season. Subscribe + review to help others find this space. You are loved.