Polished Podcast: Refining The Details Of Life

In today’s episode, we have a friend of the Polished network, Raquel Dewitt. Raquel serves as the Event Director for the Boldly Conference coming up in October. She is also a wife, mom, volunteer, and lover of God’s Word. Listen in as Erin and Raquel chat about the mental load that women carry. What practical things do you do to lessen your mental load and/or manage it well?

Brittney Moses (@brittneymoses) is a mental health advocate encouraging the integration of faith, culture, and wellness. A mom and a Los Angeles native, Brittney walks the walk, holding to a faith-informed approach to mental health that is deeply steeped in personal experience and compassion for those she serves. Her holistic, evidence-based approach to mental health has been featured in numerous publications. Brittney aspires to encourage those who are quietly wrestling in the shadows by bringing mental health issues into the light and making them accessible and relatable aspects of the national conversation. Brittney and Erin had a great conversation on today's episode about depression and we hope that it will be an encouragement to you in what has been an incredibly difficult year. Let us know what stood out to you most as you listened! 

As a trauma-informed, board-certified life coach and therapist, Janell Rardon spends a great deal of her day at work with brokenness.  In response to the pleas of her clients and readers, she developed a set of emotional health tools to help repair brokenness and create mental fitness. In her new book, “Stronger Everyday: 9 Tools for An Emotionally Healthy You,” She helps you build a very efficient, highly effective, emotional health toolbox to help the emotional health of you and your family.  In today’s episode, host Erin Baxter speaks with Janell Rardon about mental health and trauma in her own life and how we can all learn how to live better lives in peace.

As we kick off the month of May—Mental Health Awareness Month, we're talking to women about how we can be empowered through soul care and self-care. Our first guest is Jessie Skinner! Jessie is a licensed professional counselor supervisor and registered play therapists supervisor with Sparrow House Counseling in Dallas, TX. She works to empower kids, adults, and families to gain the insight and tools they need to reach their goals. Jessie has specialized training and working with people facing anxiety, depression, mood disorders, OCD, trauma, adoption, behavior, and parenting concerns. She is passionate about the intersection between faith and mental health. She was named by Dallas Child Magazine as a mom-approved therapist for her work with kids in DFW. Listen in as our guest host, Erin Baxter, speaks with Jessie on the topic of anxiety. Jessie gives some great and practical tips for how we can better manage our anxious thoughts whether big or small. Make sure to come back and share what you loved most about

Single women are underrepresented in leadership roles, and because of that, we have spent this month honoring our single sisters. We are excited to wrap our podcast series of Standing Strong with Single Women with the incredible Natalie Mott. Natalie has 19 years of experience in corporate America, and she currently oversees resources for Living Proof Ministries. She is a single mom, among other things, and is here to share how we can amplify women in the church.

Are you loving this series as much as we are? All April, we are standing strong with our single sisters in the church, continuing our conversation today with Nika Spaulding and Elizabeth Woodson. Nika and Elizabeth both spend much of their time ministering to single women who are constantly battling the stereotypes that are often put on them. The love of Christ validates all of us, but sometimes, that's hard to feel in spaces that don't always feel affirming.  We're so grateful for the boldness of the women who are sharing their stories all month on the Polished podcast. Check out the entire series at PolishedOnline.org/podcast ---- After several years as a Women’s Minister in North Dallas, God gave Nika the privilege of planting a church in Oak Cliff called St. Jude Oak Cliff where she currently serves as the Resident Theologian.  Elizabeth Woodson is a Bible teacher, writer, and speaker, who is passionate about communicating the rich theological truths of Scripture.   

This one's for the single women! All month long at Polished, we're listening, talking to and learning from our single sisters, and there is so much to learn, isn't there? On this week's podcast, Kat Armstrong talks with Hannah Grambling and Kari Johnson about, two of our incredible podcast leaders, about the perks to being a single Christian woman in the workplace and the dos and don'ts for friends of single friends.  Tag a single (or married!) friend who could use this podcast!  

Kat Harris was raised in a strong evangelical home during the height of the purity movement. She went to school, graduated from a conservative university, and believed that being a "good Christian" meant that she had to abandon a big part of who she was and how she was created. And, once she saw how women were treated in the church, she couldn't unsee it. On this week's podcast, Kat Armstrong talks with Harris about the church's bias toward the nuclear family, while neglecting how much single men and women have to offer. 

In this episode, we turn the tables on the Polished podcast as Executive Director Dr. Joy Dahl talks with Polished Co-Founder Kat Armstrong about her new book, "The In-Between Place."    We all go through times when we are in-between something - relationships, jobs, even friendships. Kat shares her personal experiences and lessons from the Bible to encourage women about how to survive those times, and how Jesus meets us in the in-between places of life.   Learn more about Kat at KatArmstrong.com

Feleceia Benton Wilson is a multi-passionate entrepreneur who is finding her voice not only as a business owner, but as a performer on the musical theater stage. This week as we continue to celebrate the stories of black women, we hear her chat about Audra McDonald - a Tony award winning African American performer whose unique voice has inspired singers like Wilson to embrace their own authenticity.  Follow Feleceia:  Instagram.com/heyfeleceia Feleceia.com

From the perfect storm to perfect peace, our host Kat Armstrong speaks with Dr. Joy Dahl, Director of the Polished Network about Cultivating Hope even in our darkest moments. Learn more about the Polished Podcast and how to join the Polished Network by visiting: PolishedOnline.org."

Everyone’s an influencer, whether they know it or not.    Sociologists have discovered that even the most isolated individual will influence 10,000 people during his or her lifetime. Imagine what happens when we are influencing intentionally, when we are working to live lives that impact those around us for good?    This month on the Polished Podcast, we are hearing the stories of incredible black women, by the black women who have been influenced by their work, beginning with our Director of Strategic Partnerships, Brandy Baxter.    She shares lessons from her childhood English teacher, Miss Rainey, who taught her about the art of having poise, and learning to listen and connect deeply before she speaks. 

Hosanna Wong is a Bible-teacher, author, & spoken word artist empowering this generation to know who they are and boldly live out their purpose. She joins Kat Armstrong to discuss one of her greatest losses in 2020, losing her identity in her father and men, and finding it in Jesus. Learn more about Hosanna at hosannawong.com. 

It is estimated that up to 24,000 women and girls are sexually trafficked - bought and sold for sex - each year in the Chicagoland area. And they are share some things in common:  100% Suffered childhood abuse 100% Have struggled with substance abuse addition 100% Have a criminal record 100% Have been dignosed with mental illness 100% Deserve the love of Christ Jesus Naomi’s House is a ministry of Moody Church in Chicago that offers hope and healing to women who have suffered from commercial sexual exploitation.    Simone Halpin is the Executive Director.   On this week's podcast, she talks about her heart for the women she serves, and the ways we can join Naomi’s House in this work. As we end this season of giving, maybe you can prayerfully consider giving to the work of this ministry.   Visit their website at www.moodychurch.org/naomis-house/

Rocío López has a deep-rooted passion for empowerment and transformation. This has fueled her professional experiences and has inevitably carried over into other aspects of her life. She has worked at a global non-profit headquartered in Dallas, Buckner International, Texas since 2010, where she currently leads operations and drives the strategy of international programs for underserved children and families in Latin America and Africa. Buckner International is a global ministry dedicated to the transformation and restoration of the lives we serve. Buckner is a Christ-centered organization that delivers redemptive ministry to the most vulnerable from the beginning to the ending of life. Follow Rocio on Instagram: instagram.com/rolop Learn about Buckner International: https://www.buckner.org

Fifty-four percent of teens between the ages of 14-16 have contemplated suicide in the last 6-months. You can only imagine how COVID has impact that number.  That's why Sarah Conner and the team at Just Say Yes is "Growing value and vision in youth by combating isolation and imparting hope." They believe that a connected student is a protected student. Listen to today's podcast to learn how you too can be a part of the solution.  Instagram: @jsarahconner Facebook: facebook.com/jsarahconner https://justsayyes.org/

As we kick off the month of December, we're talking to women all over the country who are using their gifts to support their communities.   On today's podcast, we talk to Julie Waters. She's a Houston Human Rights Attorney and Director of Free the Captives, a faith-based anti-human trafficking non-profit that focuses on the rescue of teenaged human trafficking victims.   If you've ever wondered about the work of human trafficking or wondered how you can help, you'll want to tune into this podcast.   Learn more about Free the Captives at http://www.freethecaptiveshouston.com

  As we close out our Rooting for Each Other series on the podcast, we are joined by our incredible friend and entrepreneur, Rachel L. Proctor. She talks about the importance of showing other women how to navigate the journey.   Binge the entire Rooting for Each Other Polished podcast series here -->> https://bit.ly/PolishedRootingForEachOther   Follow Rachel on Instagram - @rachellproctor www.RachelLProctor.com

In today’s episode, Kat Armstrong and special guest Deborah Smith Pegues talk about what women can do to resist being in competition with one another in the workplace.   Pegues is a CPA/MBA, certified John Maxwell Leadership Coach and Speaker, certified behavior consultant, Bible teacher and international speaker. She has written 17 transformational books, including bestselling 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue (over one million sold worldwide), and The One-Minute Money Mentor for Women. She and her husband Darnell have been married for more than 40 years.   Instagram: @deborahsmithpegues Facebook: Deborah Smith Pegues Website: DeborahPegues.com Twitter: @deborapegues

In today's episode, Kat Armstrong and Barre3 Richardson owner, Angela Fry, discuss how to support small businesses, cheer on our friends and overcome fear in this challenging time. Fry is an Oklahoma native transplanted to Dallas by way of Seattle. She spent 9 years climbing the corporate ladder in the wine sales industry before leaving it all to pursue her dream of opening a barre3 studio. She is now the proud owner of barre3 Richardson and they are about to celebrate their four year anniversary!  God has provided her with the incredible opportunity to grow a community of health where women exercise to feel alive and at home in their bodies.  Angela's greatest passion is helping her clients redefine what success in fitness means so they can release society's ideals of health based in fear and shame. When she's not in yoga pants teaching or connecting with clients at the studio, you can find her at the park or on a walk with her precious husband and feisty toddler. Her guilty pleasures include devouring the l