The Redeeming Her Podcast

Episode 43: From Yale to Prison to Redemption | The Story of Chip Skowron

What happens when you have everything—status, wealth, success—and lose it all overnight? In this powerful episode of Redeeming Her, Katie Shive and Deborah Larson sit down with Chip Skowron to unpack one of the most dramatic redemption stories you’ll ever hear. From Yale Medical School and Wall Street success to prison—and ultimately, spiritual transformation—this conversation dives deep into identity, surrender, and what true restoration actually looks like. This is not a comeback story. This is a complete rebuild. If you’re feeling stuck, ashamed, overwhelmed, or like you’ve gone too far to come back—this episode will challenge that belief. 👉 Key topics: * Losing everything… and why it saved his life * The moment that changed everything (April 2011) * Marriage breakdown → full restoration * Parenting after failure and rebuilding trust * Why prison became the place he feels closest to God * What real redemption actually means (and why most people get it wrong) 🎯 If this episode hits you—don’t keep it to yourself. Share it with someone who needs it. RedeemingHer.com

Episode 42: From Armored to Undone: A Story of Trauma, Faith, and Healing

He was 15 when everything changed. One moment, life felt normal. The next, his father was gone—lost to suicide. And just like that, something inside him shut off. Seth Stoke, the son of Deborah Larson, shares how he still showed up. Still functioned. Still looked “fine.” But internally, he stopped feeling. Not because he wanted to—but because it felt safer than facing the pain. Over time, that shutdown didn’t look like weakness. It looked like strength. He became more disciplined. More controlled. More driven. Adrenaline replaced emotion. Performance replaced connection. From the outside, he had it together. Inside, he was completely disconnected. That’s the trap. When strength becomes armor, it doesn’t just block pain—it blocks everything. Years later, life caught up. Loss resurfaced. His brother died. His marriage started to break under the weight of everything he never dealt with. And for the first time… he couldn’t outrun it. So he did the one thing most people avoid. He stopped. No plan. No control. Just honesty: “I don’t know who I am anymore.” That moment changed everything. Because healing from trauma and faith doesn’t start with strength. It starts with surrender. He stepped away from the noise. Work paused. Life simplified. Focus shifted to his family—and to facing what he had avoided for years. It wasn’t clean. There were breakdowns. Silence. Days that felt heavier than anything before. But this time, he didn’t run. And slowly, things shifted. He started to feel again. To lead with clarity instead of control. To rebuild—not from pressure, but from truth. The man who once shut down emotionally became someone his family could depend on. Not perfect. But present. That’s what healing actually looks like. Not polished. Not fast. Real. And here’s the truth most people avoid: You don’t heal by staying strong. You heal by being willing to be undone. Ask yourself: * Where have I shut down? * What am I avoiding? You don’t need all the answers. But you do need to start. Because everything you want—clarity, peace, direction— lives on the other side of that honesty. If this feels familiar, don’t scroll past it. Learn more: RedeemingHer.com #suicide #addiction #RedeemingHer #God

Episode 41: Break the Loop: How Faith, Neuroscience, and Identity Rewire Your Life for Real Change | Redeeming Her Podcast

Why You Keep Repeating the Same Patterns (And Why It’s Not Just Mindset) There’s a reason you keep circling the same thoughts, habits, and emotional reactions—and it’s not because you lack discipline. It’s because your brain is wired for loops. In this episode, hosts Katie Shive and Deborah unpack a powerful truth: your body is constantly recording experiences, storing them, and replaying them through neurological pathways. That means your reactions today are often tied to patterns built years—sometimes decades—ago. This is where most personal development advice falls flat. You’ve been told to “just think positive” or “try harder,” but neuroscience says otherwise. Your brain prioritizes efficiency over change. So if a behavior or belief has been repeated enough, it becomes automatic—even if it’s holding you back. Here’s the shift: * You’re not broken * You’re patterned And patterns can be rewired. The conversation dives into how neural loops are formed through repeated thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Over time, your body begins to respond before you even consciously decide. That’s why you: * Stay in cycles you hate * Default to old habits * Struggle to follow through on goals As Deborah explains, your body is “programmed to work on your behalf,” but if the programming is outdated, it keeps you stuck. The takeaway? You don’t need more motivation—you need interruption. Breaking a loop isn’t about forcing behavior change. It’s about changing identity at the root level. Katie shares a pivotal moment—sitting at a table of high-level executives—where she realized something: She wasn’t becoming someone new. She had finally stepped into who she already was. For years, internal loops told her: * “You don’t belong here” * “You’re not qualified enough” * “You’re less than” But after doing the inner work, those loops lost their authority. And that’s the real strategy most people miss. You don’t break loops by fighting them. You break them by outgrowing them. Here’s what actually works (backed by both neuroscience and behavioral research): Awareness is step one. You cannot change what you don’t recognize. Old loops are tied to old versions of you. If you don’t upgrade identity, the loop returns. Your brain rewires through repetition. Small aligned actions create new pathways. Faith, community, and environment accelerate transformation by reinforcing new patterns. As discussed in the episode, humans have something no other species does: the ability to consciously change their mind and behavior. That’s your advantage. Learn more: REDEEMINGHER.COM #BreakingTheCycle #RedeemingHer #God #ForHer

Episode 40: How to Trust God After Struggle and Loss

There are seasons in life when everything feels like it is breaking at once. Betrayal. Grief. Spiritual confusion. Marriage strain. Family pressure. Financial stress. Loss layered on loss. That is what makes this conversation on Redeeming Her so powerful. In this episode, Deborah Larson sits down with Sarah Stoke for a deeply honest conversation about what it looks like to walk through betrayal, a fractured past, blended family challenges, grief, separation in marriage, and the long road back to trust. What unfolds is not a polished church answer. It is a real story of trusting God after struggle and loss. When betrayal and pain shape your view of life Sarah’s story did not begin with one painful event. It began with years of spiritual confusion, family division, a difficult first marriage, and betrayal that reached deep into both her home life and her identity.She shares how those early experiences shaped the way she saw relationships, faith, and even herself. Betrayal did not just wound her marriage. It affected the way she learned to guard her heart, question people’s intentions, and wrestle through what was true.That is what many people experience after trauma. The pain is rarely isolated. It spreads. It changes how you think, how you trust, and how you protect yourself. What happens when marriage, grief, and identity collideAs Sarah and Seth built a blended family, life kept piling on pressure. They were raising six children, navigating past wounds, carrying financial stress, and then grief hit again with the death of Seth’s brother. That grief exposed everything unresolved beneath the surface. Instead of moving toward each other, they began living separate emotional lives. Sarah was functioning as the provider and problem solver. Seth was carrying deep pain and trauma that had never fully healed. They reached the point of separation, divided households, and even completed divorce papers. And yet the breakthrough did not come through image management, performance, or pretending to be strong. It came through surrender. Trusting God again when the path makes no sense One of the most striking parts of this episode is the decision Sarah and Seth made when they were already separated. Instead of giving up, they turned back to prayer and felt led to do something that looked irrational by normal standards: step away, sell the house, buy an RV, and spend months traveling together as a family. On paper, it sounded reckless. In reality, it became the beginning of restoration. That part of the story carries a lesson many people need to hear: God’s direction will not always look logical to the outside world. Sometimes the path of healing cuts straight through your comfort, your image, your finances, your timeline, and your control.Sarah says the hardest step was truly trusting God. Not casually. Not in a decorative, social-media-caption way. In the real sense of laying down control and believing He would lead them through what they could not fix on their own. Redemption is not your job to manufacture. It is in God’s nature to redeem. Closing If this conversation stirred something in you, take a few quiet minutes today and ask God where fear has been leading your decisions. Then listen. Write it down. Be honest. Your breakthrough may not begin with a perfect plan. It may begin with one surrendered conversation. To connect with Deborah Larson and learn more about Redeeming Her, visit the links in the show notes and share this episode with someone who needs hope after heartbreak. 💌 RedeemingHer.com

Episode 39: Spiritual Exhaustion | Redeeming Her Podcast

There are seasons in life when you are doing everything right — showing up, working hard, caring for others — yet you still feel deeply exhausted.Not just physically tired.Spiritually drained.Spiritual exhaustion often happens during busy or emotionally heavy seasons, especially when someone is carrying responsibility, grief, or stress. Renewal can occur even when life circumstances do not change.The key is understanding that renewal comes from connection, not performance.Why You Can Feel Spiritually ExhaustedEmotional experiences are stored in the body. Memories, anniversaries, or past trauma can surface unexpectedly, especially when someone is already tired or overwhelmed.This can feel confusing because the emotional response may seem stronger than the present situation. In reality, the body is responding to layers of memory and meaning that have accumulated over time.Research in psychology supports this idea. Emotional memory is connected to the nervous system, which explains why feelings can appear suddenly without a clear cause.Understanding this helps people realize something important:Feeling overwhelmed does not mean you are failing — it means you are human.Spiritual Renewal Happens Through Rest, Not StrivingMany people assume spiritual strength requires more effort, discipline, or productivity.But renewal often comes from the opposite approach.Moments of quiet connection — prayer, reflection, or simply pausing — can restore emotional balance and clarity. Even short periods of rest can help someone feel grounded again.This aligns with both faith practices and neuroscience, which show that calm presence regulates the nervous system and reduces stress responses.Redemption vs Prevention: A Powerful PerspectiveA meaningful shift occurs when people understand the difference between prevention and redemption.Life does not always unfold without difficulty. Challenges, pain, and unexpected events are part of the human experience. However, healing and restoration can still emerge from those experiences.Instead of asking why something happened, the focus can shift toward how growth, healing, and purpose can develop from it.For many individuals, this perspective reduces frustration and increases hope.Receiving Redemption Requires ChoiceRestoration and healing are often available, but they still must be received.Many people struggle with:-guilt-shame-self-blame-feelings of unworthinessThese barriers can prevent someone from accepting healing or forgiveness. Recognizing restoration as a gift rather than something earned can create emotional freedom and peace.Simple Ways to Renew Your Spiritual StrengthEven brief moments of connection can reset emotional energy.Nothing Is Beyond RestorationThe central message is hopeful:No experience is beyond the possibility of healing.Whether someone is facing grief, trauma, exhaustion, or uncertainty, renewal is possible through faith, connection, and compassion.You are not alone — and restoration is possible.