Designed to Win : Ripple to Wave

Host Dara and her daughter Jesi share an honest conversation about Jesi's year-and-a-half journey through severe OCD, depression, grief, and suicidal thoughts, and how faith, therapy, community, and practical changes helped her find healing.

They cover triggers like social media and hormonal/genetic factors, the power of reaching out, and Jessie’s new calling as the owner of Peace in Motion Dance Studio — a space to hea...

In this honest episode the host shares a morning of fatigue and grief and reflects on the phrase "beauty from ashes," drawing inspiration from Proverbs 31. Using quilts and jewelry as metaphors, she explains how God repurposes broken pieces and hard seasons into new purpose.

Through personal testimony about loss and resilience, she encourages listeners to rest, trust God’s timing, and believe that He can create something beau...

In this episode the host reflects on the people God placed in her life at key moments — mentors, parents, teachers, friends, and strangers — who helped her move forward through hardship.

She shares personal stories: receiving a study Bible, recovering from an accident that left her a paraplegic, grieving the loss of loved ones, and receiving a timely hug that brought peace.

The episode emphasizes that God often reaches ...

Host Dara shares a personal story about finding a hidden note from a former student tucked behind a broken picture frame, and how that message reminded her that God sees, cares, and has a purpose for our lives.

This short episode encourages listeners to slow down, pay attention to the ways God may be speaking—through scripture, people, memories, or unexpected moments—and to trust that hidden messages often arrive exactl...

Host Dara shares a personal reflection on James 1:4, revealing how seasons of trials over the past seven years matured her faith and strengthened her trust in God.

She invites listeners to embrace stillness, trust God in the hard moments, and recognize that God is working behind the scenes to prepare them for what’s ahead.

WEBSITE :daraleigh.com    click here:  https://www.dara-leigh.com/    Also, ge...

Host Dara explores how the words we speak shape our emotions, relationships, and spiritual life, drawing on scriptures like Proverbs 18:21, Ephesians 4:29, and Matthew 12:37.

She encourages replacing negative talk with gratitude and intentional blessings, offers practical examples for changing daily speech, and challenges listeners to speak more life-giving words.

Listen for a gentle, faith-based reminder to use your tongue to lift...

Dara, the host of the Designed to Win podcast, shares her journey of faith, identity, and healing. While walking outdoors, she opens up about struggling to choose a niche, using multiple gifts, and how Scripture and life experiences — including homelessness, loss, and car accidents — shaped her purpose. She encourages listeners to be still, lean into God, and find hope, practical solutions, and purpose in their pain.

W...

On a walk with his dog, the host reflects on a podcast about his book on procrastination, arguing that fear and chronic overwhelm—fueled by a "microwave" culture of constant busyness—keeps people stuck.

He suggests slowing down, embracing rest, and noticing the simple rhythms of life (like a dog’s unhurried walk) as practical ways to move from paralysis to purposeful action.

WEBSITE :daraleigh.com    cli...

Host offers a brief, heartfelt message for teachers, students, and parents as the school year winds down, reminding listeners to keep going and not give up.

Drawing on Galatians 6:9, the episode emphasizes taking things one step at a time, finding small moments of joy, and encouraging one another to finish the year strong.

Host Dara draws on her experience as a parent and educator to explain why children who avoid work often aren&...

Host Dara draws on her experience as a parent and educator to explain why children who avoid work often aren’t lazy but may struggle with dyslexia, ADHD, executive function, or overwhelm. Labels can damage confidence, and understanding the root causes matters.

The episode offers practical steps: ask “what’s getting in the way,” break tasks into small steps, use routines and planners, lean on strength-based l...

“Replay Episode: This is a message many still need to hear today.”

Join us in this transformative episode as we explore the profound journey from anxiety and depression to hope and healing. Building on last week's impactful episode featuring a personal account of overcoming mental health struggles, this session dives deeper into the effects of stress and negative thinking on our well-being.

Discover six practical steps ...

This episode walks parents and students through the emotional, practical, and academic steps to prepare for major school transitions—elementary to middle, middle to high school, or college. It covers updating IEPs/504s, building organizational systems, advocating for accommodations, and strengthening identity and confidence.

Listeners will get concrete tips to reduce overwhelm, help students practice routines over the summer,...

Feeling exhausted and buried under missing assignments as the school year winds down? This episode explains why students aren’t lazy but fatigued, and offers practical steps to reduce overwhelm: list and visualize missing work, tackle one task at a time, use short work blocks and breaks to fight burnout, and build simple structures that replace motivation with consistent habits.

It also introduces an undated student planner d...

In this episode Dara explains what test anxiety looks like, why it can make students freeze or second-guess themselves, and how it often affects children with learning differences. She offers four practical strategies—structured, short study sessions; safe practice and verbalization of knowledge; reducing pressure and perfectionism; and pursuing accommodations or modifications—to help students perform their best.

Throug...

This episode explains what an IEP/ARD meeting is, why it matters for your child, and five practical things every parent should know to prepare: how to document your child’s struggles and strengths, know and assert your rights, request meetings anytime, ask questions, and take time to review decisions.

It offers encouragement, resources, and next steps, including joining a supportive community and visiting the host’s web...

Host Dara explores why students procrastinate at the end of the school year, often due to burnout, cognitive fatigue, and feeling overwhelmed rather than laziness.

She offers simple strategies: list all tasks, break work into small 20-minute steps, focus on progress over perfection, and build systems that match each student’s learning style to restore confidence and motivation.

#StudentProcrastination #LearningDifferences #A...

In this episode, the host reflects on how returning joy and laughter revealed the subtle ways fear had narrowed their focus. They explore how fear can look like constant calculation, obsession over outcomes, and a tightened vision, and contrast striving born from panic with obedience rooted in peace. Through personal experience and a closing prayer, listeners are encouraged to pause, release fear, restore joy, and take small faith-...

In this episode Dara honestly shares how months and years of stress left her living in survival mode and slowly stole her joy.

After a moment of unexpected laughter, she reflects on Proverbs 17:22 — "A merry heart does good like medicine" — and explains how laughter and joy are restorative, reducing stress and renewing perspective.

Dara invites listeners to intentionally reclaim joy now, not wait for perfect circumstanc...

Host Dara opens up about fatigue and spiritual fog and shares three guiding words she received: healing, hope, and glory. She explains how healing restores identity, hope anchors you through uncertainty, and glory transforms struggle into lasting strength.

If you're feeling stuck or short-circuited, this episode encourages rest, trust in the process, and the reminder that you are created with purpose and still designed to win.

#Jes...