Truth Speaks with Jessica Lauren

Gina Hanna is a world-shaker and I couldn’t be more stoked to be chatting with her today!! Gina is the founder of Beauty for Ashes, a prison ministry that serves incarcerated women here in Missouri. I’ve been working with the Beauty for Ashes program for the last three years and it’s truly been one of the best things I’ve ever been apart of. Today we are talking about how the Lord has used Gina's life and story to impact hundreds of women, what it looks like when you say yes to Jesus, trusting God with unknowns, and I just loved every minute. I have no doubt you will be incredibly encouraged by this conversation and I’m SO excited for you to hear!

Today's episode is FIRE!! I'm chatting with my friend, Jenna Barbosa, who is an incredible speaker, teacher, and newly published AUTHOR!! Her book Tenacious Grace releases this spring, and y'all are not going to want to miss it. Jenna and I chatted about emotional eating - the WHY behind it and asking ourselves hard questions, navigating singleness, and more than anything - wrestling with hope. If you've ever walked through seasons of disappointment - this one is for you. I have no doubt you will be encouraged & refreshed by this girl, and I am so grateful for this conversation! 

Y'all are in for a treat today, because my dear friend Charissa Wong is sharing so much of her heart and SO much wisdom!! Charissa dives deep into her and her husband's journey into foster care & adoption, and I can't even begin to tell you how much this girl inspires and encourages me. I'm so grateful that Charissa was willing to share such a personal journey. If you or someone you know is involved with foster care or adoption, I think this episode will be such an encouragement to you - and if you aren't, this will be so informative and inspirational. So without further ado, enjoy this incredible conversation with my sweet friend, Charissa!

Today’s episode is near and dear to my heart because I am chatting with none other than my sweet mom, Tracy Smith. She’s a wife, mom to four, owns a lavender farm (come on now!) and is all around one of the coolest people I know. Tracy has been a highly requested guest around here for good reason - because if you’ve met her, you’ll know she’s genuine to the core and loves her people so well. We’re talking about parenting, cultivating intentional relationships with your teenagers, navigating tough decisions like where to send your kids to school, and pretty much everything in between. My Mom is one of my best friends, so this really is us just hanging and chatting about life like we would on a random morning over coffee. I hope you’ll be so encouraged after today’s episode, because I know I sure was. 

Today on the podcast is my sweet friend Jena Miller - and I can't wait to share the story of how we connected! Jena is such a light and we're chatting about her life in campus ministry, how college led her to God, what it looks like to pursue intentionality with people & rest, the enneagram, and just about everything in between! Jena has a heart of gold and I'm so grateful she took the time to make this happen! I hope you'll enjoy my conversation with Jena as much as I did!

Friends, today’s episode is dear to my heart because I’m chatting with my amazing friend Anna Robbins. Anna is a wife & wedding photographer in a darling little Alabama town, and today we are talking all about friendship which I am SO stoked about. Anna is fiercely passionate about Jesus and people, and her intentionality with others is a huge reason why I wanted to chat with her today. We are talking about the importance of pursuing honest and vulnerable friendships, navigating what can feel like silence from God, and exercising discernment when it comes to relationships. Anna’s heart is overflowing with wisdom and I have no doubt you’ll be encouraged by everything she shares with us today. 

Today on the podcast is my sweet friend Deborah Crawford. We are chatting about her story, and getting honest as Deborah shares some of the highs and lows of her incredible journey. She is currently involved with ministry called The Sparrow's Nest that focuses on providing hope, help, & healing to teen moms and their babies, and I loved hearing her heart for these girls and why this hits so close to home for her. Deborah is full of passion and I sitting at her kitchen table talking all about life was the biggest joy! I hope you'll be encouraged and inspired by my conversation with this incredible woman! 

Okay y’all - I hope you are ready for this! I am so stoked to have my friend Jayne Patton on the podcast this week!! Jayne and I were random acquaintances a little less than three years ago, and now we have the absolute joy of teaching a bible study together at a maximum security women’s prison every Monday. Today we are sharing the story of how we met, what doing prison ministry together for the past two years has taught us, the value of mentoring relationships, Jayne’s recent trip to Israel, and truly everything in between. You can’t help but adore Jayne and her passion for life that is evident in all she does. I have no doubt y’all will love her as much as I do!! 

Today we are chatting with my friend Rachelle Chase - a wife, bio & adoptive mom to three boys, & foster momma with one of the most fierce and genuine hearts that I know. Rachelle and I chat about how her and her husband began fostering, how she cultivates an incredible relationship with her teenage boys, and what it looks like to live disciplined when seasons are full and difficult. She truly adores Jesus and that is one of my favorite things about this friend of mine. We also talked about what it looks like to love the people in your life that are knee deep in fostering & adoption, and man, that was so helpful for me. I adore Rachelle and know that y'all will too! 

Get ready for a good one, y'all! Today I am chatting with my dear friend Emily Holmes; a wedding photographer in Memphis, Tennessee, newlywed, and mom to a little boy that is due any day now! Emily shares her story of how the Lord began to open her eyes to racial tension and injustice in our country and what it looked like as a believer to get in the game. We have a very honest conversation that I hope will be eye-opening and encouraging to many. Emily has been such a light and source of wisdom for me over the years, and I know she will be the same to you. So grab yourself a cup of coffee and enjoy our incredible conversation!

Hey friends, and welcome to the very first episode of Truth Speaks! For episode #1 my guest is my dear friend Courtney Longnecker. Courtney is a wife, momma to a darling toddler, wedding photographer, and ministry leader of Still Ministry; a ministry focused on loving families who are struggling with infertility and pregnancy loss. We dive deep into one of the hardest seasons of her life when her and her husband lost their first little one through miscarriage, but we also laugh a whole lot, chat about our mutual love of personality tests, and everything in between. 

I absolutely adored my time with Courtney I know y'all will too!