The WOMAN Podcast

LAURIN - When Women Lead

When Laurin ran for Cookeville, TN City Council she was balancing a career, marriage, and motherhood to two young children. She saw opportunities to serve her community and chose to step forward. Her children were just 2 and 3 years old.   Despite having no previous political experience, she was elected Vice Mayor during her first term and Mayor during her second.   Our conversation explores how womanhood and motherhood can shape the way women lead - fostering empathy, resilience, collaboration, and a deep investment in the future. Laurin shares her journey from an engaged citizen to city leader and offers insight into the unique strengths and perspectives women bring to public service. As she concludes her final term as Mayor and the next election approaches, she reflects on the lessons learned through years of service to her community and her passion for encouraging more women to step confidently into leadership.   Join us for this inspiring conversation about leadership, community, family, and the impact women can have when they answer the call to serve. And I highly recommend passing this episode along to the next generation of women!   Because when women lead, communities gain a more balanced voice in the conversations that shape their future.     Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572964925750 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572964925750]   Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_woman_podcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/the_woman_podcast/]

BETH - Conquering Clutter One Decision at a Time

Do you ever get stuck in analysis paralysis? Does deciding what to keep and what to let go of completely stress you out? Same. In this episode, my guest Beth shares practical, doable tips that will actually help you tackle the spaces you’ve been avoiding. Because clutter isn’t just stuff - it’s postponed decisions. Read that again: clutter is postponed decisions. And listen… sometimes that junk drawer is an act of self-preservation. We need a place to delay decisions. But eventually, it catches up to us. The clutter builds, the overwhelm creeps in, and suddenly it’s affecting how we function and how we feel. Whether you love a super simple space like I do, or you’re more comfortable with a full, lived-in home, this isn’t about doing it “right.” It’s about learning how to make decisions that work for you.   Check out these great tips from Beth's blog! https://www.conqueringclutter.net/blog [https://www.conqueringclutter.net/blog]    WOMAN Socials: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572964925750 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572964925750] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_woman_podcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/the_woman_podcast/]

LINDA & DEANNA - A Safe Haven Can Change Everything for a Woman

A home can be a haven. A community can be a haven. Even a person can feel like a haven. A haven is a place of safety, rest, and protection—things many incarcerated women have rarely, if ever, experienced. In this episode, Linda and Deanna share how a 12-month sober living program creates that kind of safe haven for women transitioning out of jail. It offers more than a place to stay—it provides a true home where women can rest, heal, and begin again. Throughout their journey, Linda and her team walk alongside each woman as she slowly and steadily rebuilds her life. They address the often-overlooked barriers that can keep women stuck—things like court fees, fines, and the inability to regain a driver’s license. They also equip women with practical tools like budgeting and life skills that lay the foundation for long-term independence. But beyond all of that, they offer something even more powerful: community. Connection. Sisterhood. Because real healing doesn’t happen alone—and every woman deserves a safe place to start again. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572964925750 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572964925750] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_woman_podcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/the_woman_podcast/] www.safehavenuc.org [http://www.safehavenuc.org] Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge: https://a.co/d/0bUrxqma [https://a.co/d/0bUrxqma] Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby: https://a.co/d/0bUrxqma [https://a.co/d/0bUrxqma]

MORGAN - Bringing Street Ministry to Rural Tennessee, and a Shoutout to "The Purple Shirt People"

Is it enabling to give someone clean needles to shoot up?  Is the best way to find God always in church?  Is the man or woman begging on the street corner lazy?  Is addiction a moral failure?   Morgan and I confront these questions head on in today’s powerful conversation about what it really means to meet someone where they’re at.  But that begs the question - Where ARE they?  Where are the addicts in rural Tennessee? There is a unique stigma surrounding addiction in rural communities.  Especially in the Bible belt.  There’s a lot of pushback to harm reduction, medically assisted treatment, and using anything but faith in Jesus to recover from addiction. If reading that makes you uncomfortable, good!  As Morgan told me during our conversation, we need to “get comfortable being uncomfortable.”  And spoiler alert - Morgan is on fire for God.  She’s not here to challenge your faith, but rather the actions that follow it. But do get comfortable while you listen to this episode.  It’s one you don’t want to miss. The Purple Shirt People: https://www.voicesofhopemaryland.org/ [https://www.voicesofhopemaryland.org/] WOMAN Socials: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572964925750 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572964925750] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_woman_podcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/the_woman_podcast/]

TARA - Thinking In and Outside the Systems That Shape Women

In this episode my guest and longtime friend, Tara, and I explore the narrative many women know too well - long marriage, children, financial dependence, and the ground shifting beneath us through divorce.    Now a marriage and family counselor, Tara regularly gets an up-close look at the systems that surround families and how, for our purposes, they affect women - systems like the church, the family system, the legal system, and the broader system of culture and community.     These systems are powerful. They can change a crisis into a transition, despair into hope, and a barrier into an opportunity.    After listening to this episode, you might wonder how the systems around you have affected your life.  Personally, I think many of the systems surrounding me need improvement.  One of the ways I’m setting out to do just that is through this podcast.     If after listening to this episode you feel empowered to confront or support the systems around you that are or are not working, send it to another woman you care about.  Women will change the world for women.   Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572964925750 [https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572964925750]   Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_woman_podcast/ [https://www.instagram.com/the_woman_podcast/]