Rooted & Rising: Growth from the Greenhouse

What happens when the financial ground beneath your feet suddenly shifts? When paychecks stop coming and insurance unexpectedly terminates? For Ashley Chagnon and her husband Pax, this wasn't a hypothetical scenario but a lived reality that transformed their understanding of God's provision.

Ashley takes us on a compelling journey through their financial awakening, from the early days of marriage when they priori...

Have you ever wondered how your deepest struggles might actually be preparing you for your greatest purpose? In this heart-touching conversation, longtime friends Jen Bachman and Denise Jackson take us on a 15-year journey through faith, friendship, and the remarkable ways God works through hardship.

When Jen first arrived in Wimberley, Texas, she faced overwhelming financial difficulties that led her to seek help from Cri...

What happens when God calls a 60-something grandmother to hit the road in a transit van to create prophetic art for strangers? Sharon Elmendorf's extraordinary journey shows us that divine purpose often arrives in unexpected packages.

For nine years, Sharon and her husband have traversed America's highways in their meticulously organized van, following a clear directive: "stop for one, stop for some." T...

What happens when you drive home determined to leave your marriage and God intervenes with a blank billboard and an unmistakable voice? Mary Dunn's powerful testimony anchors this intimate conversation about marriage, divine intervention, and the courage to stay when everything in you wants to leave.

Mary takes us back to her corporate career days when, feeling isolated and emotionally distant from her husband, she ma...

What happens when God breaks through our masks of performance and anxiety? When 23-year-old Cam Escalante arrived at Texas State University, she was convinced she'd made a mistake and desperately wanted to transfer schools. Little did she know that God had orchestrated this season to completely transform her understanding of belonging, community, and authentic faith.

In this heartfelt conversation with Denise Jackson,...

Have you ever dismissed your creative potential because you believed the lie that artists are born, not made? That's exactly where Sara Thurman found herself until age 56 when an unexpected divine encounter changed everything.

Sara joins us to share her remarkable journey from someone who "couldn't even draw stick figures" to becoming a successful artist whose paintings now sell worldwide and fund missi...

What happens when God orchestrates unexpected friendships that change the course of our lives? Denise Jackson and Margie Castillo dive deep into this question as they reflect on their divinely-appointed meeting at a creativity retreat that sparked an immediate, powerful connection between them and a third friend, Alex.

The conversation takes us on a journey through Margie's spiritual milestones, beginning with a touch...

Have you ever felt caught between your desire for action and your husband's hesitation? That tension of knowing when to speak up versus when to step back affects nearly every marriage, especially during major decisions like welcoming foster children into your home.

This heartfelt conversation explores the challenging yet transformative practice of trusting God's timing in marriage. When Kristen completed a long-a...

This week's episode comes from the Sidewalk Conversations podcast! I had the chance to sit-down with Piet and share so much from my book of remembrance. It was so fun, and I hope you enjoy it too!

Sidewalk Conversations is a podcast that shines a light on ordinary people who do extraordinary things. In these interviews, Piet Van Waarde (a 40 year veteran of pastoral ministry) has heart-to-heart conversations with regular people...

What happens when a pastor's kid who's internalized the need for perfection faces real-life chaos? Victoria Bowers' story is one of struggle, surrender, and supernatural freedom that will resonate with anyone who's ever felt crushed by their own expectations.

Growing up homeschooled in a pastor's family, Victoria absorbed an unspoken message: be perfect. This mindset served her well initially—marry...

Striking out on your own brings a whirlwind of emotions—excitement tangled with nervousness, independence shadowed by loneliness. For Rylee Jackson, her freshman year began with a mountain that seemed impossible to climb: $2,000 in tuition every semester while earning just $300-500 weekly at her grocery store job.

"I climbed it," she says simply, embodying a resilience that defines her journey. Working nearly 40 ...

Have you ever stared at impossible financial numbers, wondering how you'll ever overcome the mountain of debt or save enough for that home? When Jessalyn Adams found herself buried under $43,000 of student loans and car payments on a modest ministry salary, the math simply didn't work. Yet within eight months, every penny was miraculously paid in full.

During this heartfelt conversation between friends who bonded...

The wounds of abandonment run deep. When Stephanie's father walked away from their family to chase wealth and status, she was left questioning her worth and value. His choices eventually landed him in prison, leaving a trail of destruction that seemed beyond repair.

Yet God had other plans. Through years of faithful prayer, Stephanie asked not only for her father's salvation but for her own heart to forgive. The ...

What happens when a young woman says "yes" to God's call to missions? Paisley Jackson's extraordinary journey from her hometown to the shores of Lake Tanganyika reveals the beautiful chaos, divine appointments, and life-changing lessons that await those willing to step out in radical faith.

Fresh from her first major mission trip to Africa and preparing to depart for Mongolia, Paisley shares stunning te...

What happens when everything you've meticulously planned begins to unravel? For this successful tech executive, the illusion of control was dramatically dismantled through a series of profound losses and challenges spanning five years.

The conversation opens with her early formative loss—her father's death from cancer during her teenage years—which established her pattern of seeking control as protection against ...

Finding joy amidst grief, we explore the journey of motherhood across generations and the legacy we leave behind. This Mother's Day conversation shifts from processing loss to embracing the continuing purpose of a mother's heart.

• Processing grief after losing a mother differs from other losses – less desperate grief but a lingering heaviness
• Distance and life circumstances can strain mother-child relation...

Nancy Williams shares her journey of trusting God after losing her counseling internship for standing by her beliefs, leading to an unexpected blessing when she immediately found her own office space. 

• Facing multiple family deaths and an unwanted move in her early 40s created a challenging season of grief
• Pursued a master's degree in counseling to better equip herself for speaking at women's conferences<...

Welcome to Rooted & Rising: Growth from the Greenhouse. This is season one of my new podcast! I am so thrilled to be able to help share stories of women, just like you, who are going through tough seasons, or have been through difficulty, and who God has been mighty on their behalf. 

My prayer is you find hope! Because if God has done it for someone else, He can do it for you too. He loves you. He will not give up on you. He wil...