Strength Training for the Soul
Welcome to Strength Training for the Soul, a podcast that explores how to deepen our connection with Jesus Christ. Here, we dive into empowering, faith-filled conversations where listeners can gain tools to strengthen their relationship with God our Lord.
Episodes
Newsflash: I don’t have to wait for the first mile to start a pilgrimage.
In this episode, I sit down with pilgrim veteran Eileen Belongea to talk about what actually happens before the journey begins — the training, the packing, the fears we carry, and the control I’m learning to loosen.
As Lent begins and Camino prep ramps up, I’m seeing the overlap: take less, notice more, and trust God with what I can’t control. Because prepara...
I didn’t plan on talking about this Gospel… but one word in it wouldn’t leave me alone: scurry.
In Mark 6, people drop everything and run to get near Jesus. Meanwhile, I’m over here staring at my calendar, my Camino packing list, and one more church email thinking… do I really have room for all this stuff?
In this episode, I wrestle with what it means to move toward Christ when life already feels full, why some invitations feel lik...
"I'm good" might be the two words quietly holding us back from real community.
In this episode, Jill Fischer and I talk about holy friendships, hiding when we say we want connection, allowing ourselves to receive help when pride tells us we should do it alone—and why commu...
I need to confess something. No, not that kind of confession—though the guilt is real. Turns out committing to walk 500+ miles across Spain has a way of completely hijacking a carefully planned podcast schedule.
In this episode, I wrestle with what happens when God’s pull is stronger than my to-do list, why my training logbook has become my prayer journal, and how “loving your neighbor” gets a whole lot less abstract when I’m just ...
Loving your neighbor sounds easy...until real life gets involved.
In this episode, I talk with my friend Jill Fischer about what it actually means to love others the way Christ calls us to: not by being “nice,” but by staying rooted in prayer, Scripture, and worship. We unpack why love takes time, why awareness matters and why the people who challenge us most may be doing more work in us than we realize.
Fair warning: eye rolls may...
This year, my "word" for 2026 found me through three wise men who followed a star instead of a strategy.
The Magi expected a palace. They found a barn. They planned to return to Herod. God warned them in a dream to go home another way. Those moments of surrender they had a...
Writing can be a skill. It can be a profession. But sometimes it's something deeper than both.
In this episode I sit down with Merridith Frediani, an accountant by day and a writer by charism. We talk about how those two very different worlds live inside one person, how she discovered her charism through the Called & Gifted program and what it really feels like to let God lead the words.
Merridith shares how writing became an a...
What does extraordinary faith look like in real life? In this episode I sit down with Anne Haines, founder of St. Bakhita House in Milwaukee, a home for women recovering from sexual exploitation. We talk about joy as a sign of true calling, the quiet courage of radical trust and what it means to say yes before the resources appear. Anne's story is a powerful reminder that charisms don't live on paper—they build homes, restore digni...
Tim Cornell cries when he finishes writing a song—not from pride, but from gratitude. "I just hope He likes it," he says. This episode takes you inside the creative process of a Catholic singer-songwriter who sees music as elevated speaking, a way of giving thanks that goes beyond words. We talk about Monday Funeral (his performance name), raising five kids in a loud, musical household, and why embarrassment keeps us silent in the ...
Ever wonder how to tell if something you do is a true charism (a gift God gave you to serve others) or just something you happen to be good at? In Part 2 of my conversation with Margaret Rhody, we dig into the real discernment work: the fruit, the feedback, and that unmistakable sense of fulfillment that shows up when God is moving through you.
I'm hitting pause on the charism series this week because something lined up too perfectly to ignore. At St. Dominic, we're focusing on Habit #3 of our 10 Habits of a Disciple—Repent and Believe—and this week's Gospel brought it all together.
In Luke 18, a blind man cries out to Jesus with two of the...
Ever notice how sometimes you help someone and it feels like… more than you? Like you showed up with almost nothing, but somehow something beautiful happened anyway?
That’s what charisms are all about. My guest, Margaret Rhody, explains them in a way that’ll have you wondering, “Wait, what’s MY charism?”
We talk about the spiritual gifts (yes, gifts) the Holy Spirit gives each of us, why they’re meant to flow through us (not sit on...
I'll be honest—last week got the best of me. Between grief, caregiving, and exhaustion, I couldn't record. And for someone who prides herself on showing up, that felt like failure.
Then God reminded me: even Jesus was never in a hurry.
This Check-In Day episode is about giving yourself permission to pause—and w...
Ever try saying “thank you” in Polish? Spoiler: it’s harder than it sounds.
Fresh off a trip to Poland, I discovered that “Dziękuję” (jing-koo-yeh… kind of?) is a tongue twister that’ll humble you real quick. My brother-in-law Kurt tried it out a lot and sounded like a kazoo every time. Let’s just say we kept many a Pole entertained.
But somewhere between the butchered pronunciations and airport chaos, I realized something: saying ...
In this episode of Strength Training for the Soul, I sit down with Jason Simon, president of Evangelical Catholic and author of Mission Ready Friendship. We talk about what it really means to move beyond surface-level conversations and love people the way Christ loves us: through intentional, Spirit-led friendship. Jason shares how one friend’s persistence changed his life, and how we can all be that kind of friend to someone else....
Have you ever noticed how uncomfortable silence can be? I'm the queen of filling every moment with noise—TV in the background, radio in the car, Earth, Wind & Fire while I'm cleaning. But lately, God's been challenging me on this. While reading Luke's Gospel, I stumbled onto something fascinating about Archangel Gabriel's visits to Zechariah and Mary. He asks them both to trust him with impossible news, but his response to thei...
In this episode of Strength Training for the Soul, I sit down with Jill Fischer to talk about St. Faustina, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and why her message matters today. Jill shares the meaning behind the Divine Mercy image and introduces a simple but powerful practice—ABC: Ask for mercy, Be merciful, Completely trust in Jesus. Whether you’re weighed down by conflict, fear, or frustration, this tool helps move you toward compassion,...
“What difference does it make anyway?” A friend’s question hit me harder than I expected. Was this podcast my midlife crisis? My grief project? Just a hobby? I wasn’t sure, until God gave me an answer in a homily about a girl saving sea stars, one at a time.
In this episode, I share how that moment anchored my why: encouraging souls, building strength, and carrying forward my son Jack’s legacy to change the world one heart at a tim...
Season 2 kicks off with my favorite duo, Jill and Claire, and somehow we found ourselves in a whole lot of boat stories! We're talking about stepping into new seasons with new strengths—whether that's casting nets when you're exhausted, resting with Jesus during storms, or navigating new roles with trust and surrender.
Jill shares how humility has bec...
What role do saints play in our spiritual lives? In this episode replay, Director of Adult Faith Formation Al McCauley shares his extensive knowledge about saints and their significance in Catholic tradition. Through engaging stories and examples like Saint Veronica, Al explains how saints serve as spiritual guides, showing us that holiness is achievable despite our human struggles. Learn why saints aren't just figures in stained g...
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