Turning Pain into Purpose: A Conversation with Jody Hudson

Turning Pain into Purpose: A Conversation with Jody Hudson

What does it look like to trust God in the middle of something truly unimaginable? Not a hard season. Not a disappointing season. The kind of season that brings you to your knees in a parking lot, pounding the dashboard, giving God an ultimatum because you simply don't know how to carry it anymore. Today’s guest has been there. And what she found on the other side of that moment and on the other side of the deepest loss a mother can face is a faith that is anything but passive. In this episode, I sit down with Jody Hudson, CEO and Founder of the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation and award-winning author of My Promise to Alex. Jody shares the story of her daughter Alexandra — a decade-long battle with undiagnosed Lyme disease, a faith forged in the fire of unanswered prayers and closed doors, and the sacred moment of surrender that changed everything. This is a conversation about grief, about purpose, about what it means to choose light when everything in you wants to give up. "Grief is not the end of my story. Love is." — Jody Hudson In This Episode, You'll Discover: * How Jody's faith shifted from passive to active through the most painful season of her life. * What it looked like to wrestle honestly with God — and why she believes those "get down and get ugly" conversations matter. * The story of the bluebird and how God showed up for Alex in a way Jody almost missed. * The moment of surrender on a plane that reframed everything Jody thought she knew about healing. * Why Jody refuses to be defined as a "grief girl" and what she chooses to be defined by instead. * Jody's beautiful Holy Week reflection on Mary, Alex, and what it means to grieve hard because you loved hard. * Practical wisdom for anyone who is barely holding it together in the middle of their own devastating season. Resources Mentioned: * My Promise to Alex by Jody Hudson — Find it here [https://amzn.to/4wIbr2L]. * Fervent by Priscilla Shirer — Find it here [https://amzn.to/4fk81gL]. * War Room – Find it here. [https://amzn.to/49gCfNP] * Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation — Learn More [https://www.alexhudsonlymefoundation.org/]. Connect with Jody: * Website [https://www.alexhudsonlymefoundation.org/] * Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jkutahudson/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/jody.hudson.16/] | LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jody-hudson-20a7963a] * My Promise to Alex [https://amzn.to/4wIbr2L] is available wherever books are sold.  Going Deeper: The themes of this conversation — grief, surrender, purpose from pain, and the God who never leaves — are woven throughout Scripture. If today's episode stirred something in you, here are a few passages worth sitting with: * Psalm 34:18 — "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." * Romans 8:28 — "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him." * Matthew 25:21 — "Well done, good and faithful servant." * Lamentations 3:22–23 — "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning." About Jody Hudson: Jody Hudson is an award-winning, highly sought-after speaker on grief, transformation, and creating purpose from pain. She brings over twenty years of nonprofit leadership experience to her work, but it is her role as CEO and Founder of the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation that she says fuels her purpose. In 2022, she published her memoir My Promise to Alex, which won Best Memoir from the Christian Indie Book Awards in 2023. About Your Host: Valerie Gibson Jones is a board-certified Christian Life Coach, Mental Health Coach, and Grief Educator, and the founder of The Purpose Project. Each episode of this podcast exists to help you navigate the messy middle — the gap between where you are and where God is calling you — with faith, courage, and honest conversation. Connect with Valerie at thepurposeproject.us or on Instagram @purposeprojectcoach. If today's episode meant something to you, would you share it with one woman who needs to hear it? And if you haven't yet, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts helps this podcast find the women it was made for. Thank you for being here. Support the show [https://www.thepurposeproject.us/support]

What's Happening In Me? Grace, Curiosity, and Inner Healing

Episode 4 | May 12, 2026 Episode Summary Have you ever snapped at someone you love and immediately asked yourself, "What is wrong with me?" In this episode, Valerie explores why that question carries shame, and why shame keeps us stuck. Drawing from neuroscience, Romans 8, and the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19, Valerie introduces a better question, “What's happening in me?” and walks through what it looks like to approach your inner life with grace and curiosity instead of criticism and condemnation. This is where real healing begins. In This Episode: * Why "What's wrong with me?" is the wrong question and what to ask instead. * What misalignment is, how it differs from disagreement, and why your body responds to it before your brain catches up. * How chronic stress activates fight, flight, freeze, and fawn — and why many of the things we call personality traits are actually coping strategies. * How God's response to Elijah in 1 Kings 19 is one of the most tender pictures of grace in all of Scripture. * How grace and truth work together to create space for transformation and why you need both. * A simple three-part framework for healthy inner work: Notice, Get Curious, Respond with wisdom. * What self-compassion actually looks like for Christian women and why it’s important. Featured Quote: "When your inner world is well-tended, things start changing around you. You show up differently. You lead differently. You love differently." Scripture Referenced: Romans 8:1 | 1 Kings 19:1–18 Resources Mentioned * The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk: Grab It Here. [https://amzn.to/3RdpRYt] * Hazel + Hunt (yes, the t-shirt from the opening story): Shop Hazel + Hunt [http://www.hazelandhunt.com/] Going Deeper 1 Kings 19:1–18 | Romans 8:1–17 | Psalm 139:23–24 | Matthew 11:28–30 Connect with Valerie  * Website: thepurposeproject.us * Instagram: @purposeprojectcoach About the Podcast The Purpose Project Podcast is for Christian women leaders navigating the messy middle, the space where expectations and reality don't line up, but God is still present. Host Valerie Jones creates thoughtful, faith-rooted conversations where biblical truth, emotional health, and spiritual growth belong together for life and leadership. Support the show [https://www.thepurposeproject.us/support]

When You Don't Know How to Pray: The Biblical Practice of Lament

When You Don't Know How to Pray: The Biblical Practice of Lament Episode 3 | April 14, 2026 Episode Summary Have you ever started to pray and realized you had no idea what to say? In this episode, Valerie opens up about one of the most honest struggles in the Christian life — what to do when your prayers feel hollow, filtered, or just… not quite true. Drawing from the Book of Psalms, the Book of Lamentations, and the cross itself, Valerie introduces the ancient, biblical practice of lament, and explores why it might be the most courageous, faith-filled thing you can bring to God right now. In This Episode * Why we've been trained to filter our prayers — and why that's actually working against us. * What the Greek word parresia tells us about how God actually wants us to show up. * How David and Jeremiah modeled raw, unfiltered honesty with God, and how He responded. * Why Jesus' final cry from the cross changes everything about how we think about lament. * The three components of biblical lament, and why you need all three together. * Why lament isn't just for your lowest moments, and how to make it part of your regular rhythm with God. Featured Quote "Lament feels the full weight of pain, and yet it still finds its way back to God." Scripture Referenced Hebrews 4:16 | Luke 18:9–14 | Isaiah 53:3 | Psalm 22 | Lamentations 3:19–23 | 1 Thessalonians 4:13 Going Deeper Psalm 13 | Psalm 22 | Psalm 42 | Psalm 88 | Psalm 130 Connect with Valerie Website: thepurposeproject.us Instagram: @purposeprojectcoach About the Podcast The Purpose Project Podcast is for Christian women leaders navigating the messy middle — the space where expectations and reality don't line up, but God is still present. Host Valerie Jones creates thoughtful, faith-rooted conversations where biblical truth, emotional health, and spiritual growth belong together for life and leadership. Support the show [https://www.thepurposeproject.us/support]

Trusting God When Life Doesn't Make Sense | Grief and Faith in the Messy Middle

Trusting God When Life Doesn’t Make Sense | Grief and Faith in the Messy Middle Episode 2 | Mar 10, 2026 Episode Summary What happens when the life you expected suddenly disappears? In this episode of The Purpose Project Podcast, Valerie Jones continues exploring the space she introduced in Episode 1 — the messy middle — by stepping into one of the most painful and personal parts of her own story. Valerie reflects on the story of Lazarus in John 11 and the tension between expectation and reality. Mary and Martha believed Jesus would come immediately when they called for Him, yet when He finally arrived, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  It’s a story many of us can relate to in our own lives — moments when we pray, trust, and hope for intervention, only to find ourselves waiting and wondering in silence. In this episode, Valerie shares the devastating loss of two of her children and the grief that followed, a season that forced her to wrestle deeply with questions about faith, suffering, and God’s character.  Rather than rushing toward answers, this conversation gently explores an often-overlooked truth: faith and grief can exist in the same story. Even knowing resurrection was coming, Jesus wept.  And sometimes the most courageous expression of faith is simply choosing to stay. In This Episode, You’ll Hear: * Why the story of Lazarus speaks so deeply to seasons of waiting and disappointment. * Valerie’s personal story of grief and the loss of two of her children. * Why strong faith does not mean the absence of sorrow. * How grief and belief can exist together without canceling each other out. * The honest prayer that  can carry us in difficult seasons: “Lord, I believe… help my unbelief.” Scripture Referenced: John 11 (1-3, 17-25, 35) Mark 9:24 Featured Quote: “Faith doesn’t eliminate sorrow — but it changes how we carry it.” Connect with Valerie: Website: https://thepurposeproject.us [https://thepurposeproject.us/]Instagram: @purposeprojectcoach About the Podcast: The Purpose Project Podcast is for Christian women leaders navigating the messy middle — the space where expectations and reality don’t line up, but God is still present. Host Valerie Jones creates thoughtful, faith-rooted conversations where Biblical truth, emotional health, and spiritual growth belong together for life and leadership. This is not about spiritual bypassing or rushing toward resolution; it’s an invitation to live faithfully in the tender, in-between seasons. Special Thanks: This episode of The Purpose Project Podcast is recorded at Merrill & Associates [https://www.acuity.com/find-an-agent/merrill--associates-llc-1/8285c8f0eea24cdab3e8e15ee96d3ca9] in Louisville, Kentucky. Support the show [https://www.thepurposeproject.us/support]

The Messy Middle: An Invitation When Faith Feels Hard

The Messy Middle: An Invitation When Faith Feels Hard Episode 1 | February 10, 2025 Episode Summary If you love Jesus but feel tired, unsure, or are quietly holding the tension between what you prayed for and what your life actually looks like right now — this episode is for you. In the very first episode of The Purpose Project Podcast, host Valerie Jones names the space many Christian women leaders find themselves living in: the messy middle. It’s the season where faith is still present, but stretched. Where clarity hasn’t come yet. And where old versions of certainty no longer fit. This episode isn’t about fixing that space or rushing toward answers. It’s about learning to stay present with God there — and discovering that nothing has gone wrong. In This Episode, You’ll Hear: * Why The Purpose Project Podcast exists and the kind of space it’s here to hold * What the messy middle is (and what it’s not) * Why a quieter, heavier, or simply different season doesn’t mean you’re behind or that your faith is failing * A gentle invitation to come as you are, not as who you think you should be by now Scripture Referenced: Matthew 11:28–30 Featured Quote: “You don’t have to have it all together. You can’t rush healing–healing is hard work. And you don’t have to walk this season alone.” Connect with Valerie: Website: https://thepurposeproject.us [https://thepurposeproject.us/]Instagram: @purposeprojectcoach About the Podcast: The Purpose Project Podcast is for Christian women leaders navigating the messy middle — the space where expectations and reality don’t line up, but God is still present. Host Valerie Jones creates thoughtful, faith-rooted conversations where Biblical truth, emotional health, and spiritual growth belong together for life and leadership. This is not about spiritual bypassing or rushing toward resolution; it’s an invitation to live faithfully in the tender, in-between seasons. Support the show [https://www.thepurposeproject.us/support]