The GoodHard Story Podcast

Be honest. Deep down, are you waiting for a happy ending before you feel permission to celebrate your life? In this solo episode, Katherine is sharing how she stopped waiting for closure and began practicing the spiritual discipline of “joyful rebellion” against fear and despair. We want to share something that could change everything for you: It’s possible to celebrate the lives we *actually* have, rather than the lives we wish we had. Because when we celebrate our here-and-now lives, we are taking radical ownership of the stories we’ve been given. We’re thanking God for another day in the land of the living. We’re acknowledging that He is with us in the messy middle. Today on the podcast we’re talking… What it looks like to celebrate and mourn at the same time Katherine’s personal and practical recommendations for hosting your own “brokenness brunch” (which includes a very enthusiastic sidebar on frittatas!) The life-changing magic of surrounding ourselves with a diversity of hard stories Why we should NEVER “save the good stuff” for special occasions How to take radical ownership of the story you’ve been given If the hope of a happy ending is getting in the way of your healing, this episode is for YOU! -- Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting by Katherine Wolf: https://hopeheals.com/treasures Adam Young’s research on the healing power of telling your story: https://adamyoungcounseling.com/2019/12/10/why-engaging-your-story-heals-your-brain/ *** Subscribe to The GoodHard Story Podcast! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-hard-story-podcast/id1496882479 Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0OYz6G9Q2tNNVOX9YSdmFb?si=043bd6b10a664beb Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

After Katherine’s stroke nearly 16 years ago, she was desperate for a “survival guide”—some voice to offer real hope in the aftermath of such disorienting loss. Jerry Sittser, the author of A Grace Disguised, was one of the few trustworthy resources she found after searching far and wide. Dr. Sittser became a bona fide member of the young suffering club when he lost his wife, mother, and young daughter in a catastrophic car accident. The lowest point in his life has developed an astoundingly robust faith and authentic joy.  Sounds like someone we could all learn from, doesn’t he? What we’ll cover… The possibility that grief could become integrated into healthier, more whole versions of ourselves Allowing our responses to loss to become what defines us, rather than the loss itself defining us Discovering new capacities to develop hard-fought contentment after losing the good things in our lives Practical ways to offer comfort to the people in our lives who are suffering If your loss is swallowing you whole today and you’re in desperate need of a survival guide, this episode is for you. --- Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Let’s acknowledge an uncomfortable reality: No matter how much healing we receive, a low-grade sadness will remain. In this vulnerable episode, Kathering shares how surprised she was to realize that having a second baby after her stroke couldn’t replace the months and years of motherhood she  lost with her first baby. A low-grade sorrow hummed deep in her heart, and she didn’t know what to do with it. This side of heaven, all the redemption and restoration in the world might not erase our pain completely. A dull ache will always remain. Instead of trying to shake the low-grade sorrow, we can choose to learn from it instead. Today, Kathrine’s sharing what lessons she took away. What we’ll cover: Examining the true source of our sorrows Seeing our pain as proof that we’re made for wholeness Developing the habit of calibrating the core of our hope daily If you’re looking for language to wrap around that lingering ache in your heart today, this episode is for you. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at hopeheals.com/podcast. Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: ⁠⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/hopenote⁠⁠⁠ Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.mendcoffee.org/⁠⁠⁠ Instagram⁠: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠

What if some of our problems were never meant to be solved or eliminated? What if we began reframing some problems as opportunities for knowing Jesus more? In this episode, author and former pastor Curtis Chang joins Katherine to share how his lifelong experience of anxiety has led him to an entirely new understanding of loss, prayer, surrender, and even parenting. If anxiety has felt like a barrier to spiritual growth rather than an invitation into deeper relationship with God, then this episode is for you. What We’ll Cover: -How we know that Jesus experienced anxiety, and why that’s good news for those of us dealing with anxiety today -Biblically supported and science-backed ways to cope with our fear of loss -How to thoughtfully parent the most anxious generation in history - 3 practices that can increase our capacity to hold loss Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: ⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/hopenote⁠⁠ Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://hopeheals.com/camp⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://www.mendcoffee.org/⁠⁠ Instagram⁠: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/⁠

Few topics today are more taboo than death. We’re told that nothing matters more than hanging on to our youth and health and beauty. So how could the END of life be relevant to this moment in our lives? In this solo episode, Katherine lays out three surprising lessons she learned after nearly dying and how they’ve changed the way she’s living here and now. If you’re hungry for fresh perspectives on your problems in the present moment, this episode is for you! What We’ll Cover: The benefits of surrendering the illusion of control Gaining clarity on what matters by meditating on our mortality How confronting death can train us to cope with other losses Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

How would the narrative of your life, your pain, and your identity change if you started telling your story as if God intended it specifically for YOU? (Spoiler: he did!) Laura Wifler, who is raising a daughter with disabilities, shares how a conscious shift to gospel-thinking is transforming her experience of suffering. What We’ll Cover Choosing stewardship instead of balance when schedules feel too full Cultivating “compassion paired with dignity” for hurting people Living out the motto “my life is yours” If you need renewed energy to join God in co-authoring the story of your life with trust, gratitude, and curiosity, this episode is for you. Laura Wifler is a writer, podcaster, and co-founder of Risen Motherhood and is based in central Iowa. She has authored multiple bestselling, award-winning books for children, including, "Any Time, Any Place, Any Prayer," and "Like Me," and is the co-author of the Risen Motherhood book. You can find her on Instagram, @laurawifler. Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Most of us are living stories we never would have chosen. Even so, friend, it’s possible for you to live these un-hoped-for realities well.  If you’ve found yourself in a place of suffering, this chapter of your life must start with total shock, sadness, and disbelief. But it doesn’t have to stay in that place. Let’s talk about how. Today Katherine is sharing a few tips she’s picked up while learning to love—yes, really, LOVE—the life she has.  What We’ll Cover… Taking intentional time to grieve your losses. Telling your story to empathetic listeners. Celebrating the process, not the outcome.  Recognizing your assignment in this life. Cultivating habitual gratitude for what remains.  Deciding to love your life. Today, if you only have capacity for the quickest and most practical tips for owning your story, this episode is for you. Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

In the dictionary of your life, what would be written beside the word “good?” Maybe health, fulfillment, beauty, wealth, comfort, or control? If God promises to withhold no good thing from those who walk faithfully with him, why doesn’t life feel all that great for those of us who are doing it “right?” Everything we’ve been taught about goodness could use an update from the kingdom of God. Bold, hilarious Bible teacher Lisa Whittle joins Katherine to imagine how redefining what is good could revolutionize the way we engage our lives, our dreams, and our pain. If your old definitions of goodness aren’t serving you too well anymore, this episode is for you. What We’ll Cover: How popular definitions of goodness  lead us to unrealistic expectations that warp our understanding of God's goodness. Setting healthy boundaries that preserve, rather than prevent, relationships Maintaining compassion in the midst of empathy overload The Hard Good: Showing Up for God to Work in You When You Want to Shut Down by Lisa Whittle - https://www.lisawhittle.com/good Scriptures referenced in this episode: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11 (ESV) “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 (NIV) -- Lisa is the best selling author of 9 books and several Bible studies, including Jesus Over Everything and The Hard Good. She is a sought-out Bible teacher for her wit and bold, bottom line approach. She is the founder of online communities: Ministry Strong for ministry leaders and Called Creatives for writers and speakers, and host of the popular Jesus Over Everything podcast. She’s a wife, mom, lover of laughter, good food, and The Bible, and a self-professed feisty work in progress. -- Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

Matthew Sleeth, MD, a former emergency room physician and chief of the hospital medical staff, resigned from his position to teach, preach, and write about faith.  Dr. Sleeth has spoken at more than one thousand churches, campuses, and events, including serving as a monthly guest preacher at the Washington National Cathedral. Recognized by Newsweek as one of the nation's most influential Christian leaders, Dr. Sleeth is the executive director of Blessed Earth and author of numerous articles and books. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with Nancy, his wife of more than four decades. Their grown children serve with their families in full-time parish ministry and as medical missionaries in Africa. We’re talking to one of the more interesting people on the planet today, Dr. Matthew Sleeth, who is going all in on becoming a “force for life in a culture of death” in realms as varied as creation care to suicide prevention to the practice of Sabbath. Katherine and Matthew exchange vulnerable stories of their rock-bottom moments and the ways God has miraculously transformed their relationship to suffering. Matthew dispels the taboo around suicide by offering biblical honesty, comfort, and hope for the massive number of us grappling with absolute despair in our stories. If you need real hope in the hard stuff today, this episode is for you. What We’ll Cover: Forming a prayer life that looks more like wrestling and less like a wishlist How to stop waiting for miracles and start recognizing the miracles we’re experiencing here and now Realistic practices to help us do the things we don’t want to do by putting them into perspective and recognizing where God is at work What the story of God’s word has to say about suicide ---- Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/

What happens when you invite thousands of people with medical complexities to middle-of-nowhere Alabama in the heat of summer? Radical joy and electrifying camaraderie, that’s what. Katherine sits down with just a few of the people who make Hope Heals Camp happen. For nearly eight years, Katherine and the team have hosted this subversive gathering of people who have suffered greatly but are determined to heal together. What could sound like “the ultimate true bummer of all time” (to quote Katherine) is actually one of the most hopeful places that exists. Part classic summer camp, part church experience, and part group therapy, Hope Heals Camp is offering resources, respite, and relationships to entire families experiencing disabilities. No matter the diagnosis, age, or location. And the best part? It’s free of cost to every camper. If you’re interested in learning more about being a camper or volunteer—or you just need a big dose of optimism about the deeply good things happening in the world—don’t miss this behind-the-scenes conversation about one of the most unique offerings on earth. Volunteer and camper applications open January 18, 2024 at hopeheals.com/camp. What We’ll Cover: How Katherine went from resisting her place in the disability community to founding a camp for families affected by disability What exactly makes Hope Heals Camp unique among any other family retreat in the world Our culture of mutual ministry that invites every participant the dignity of serving and the comfort of being served -- Hope Heals Camp video: https://youtu.be/ZHlsGl_L3pI Hope Heals Camp: https://hopeheals.com/camp The 5 Stages of Changing Attitudes from the Wheaton College Center for Faith & Disability: https://www.wheaton.edu/wheaton-center-for-faith-and-disability/disability-foundations/the-5-stages/ Want a little hope in your inbox? ⁠⁠Sign up for the Hope Note⁠⁠, our twice-a-month digest of only the good stuff, like reflections from Katherine and a curated digest of the Internet’s most redemptive content: https://hopeheals.com/hopenote Get to know us: ⁠⁠Hope Heals⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/ ⁠⁠Hope Heals Camp⁠⁠: https://hopeheals.com/camp ⁠⁠Mend Coffee⁠⁠: https://www.mendcoffee.org/ Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/hopeheals/