In today's episode, I share with you all the process of me withdrawing from my dream study abroad program, how this made me feel, and how I am holding up now. It sucks sometimes not getting the thing you prayed for, the thing you dreamt about, the thing that was so close to becoming real, but know that there is a time and place for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3). It may not be now, but that doesn't mean it won't ever be, so stay encouraged, stay hopeful and trust that God is still ordering your steps.

Change and transition are not my favorite thing in the world, but it has taught me more than I could have possibly prepared for. There are many uncomfortable truths behind change and here I want to discuss some of my own opinions on those truths and ways I've seen them active in my own life.

Let's be real, apologizing is not the easiest to do sometimes and it is definitely not the most comfortable, but it so so needed in our lives! We are imperfect people at our core, and so we have to be able to recognize our faults and act accordingly. You may not be a bad person who has all these horrible intentions, but that doesn't mean that you don't hold the power to hurt someone, because you do, we all do. That doesn't mean we're horrible people, it just means we're human, so today, humble yourself and go apologize with the sincerity of your heart and keep it pushing, you'll come out way better for it.

Imposter Syndrome is the internal psychological experience of feeling like a phony in some area of your life, despite any success that you have achieved in that area. Many of us come face-to-face with imposter syndrome daily and it often times it feels like your successes don't matter in comparison to the next person's. Although imposter syndrome is real and can potentially manifest through symptoms of depression and anxiety, we can grow courage within ourselves by learning to love the person we are and the successes that we've acquired. In this podcast, Olivia and I talk about our own personal experiences with imposter syndrome, comparison and the mental struggles of being full time college students in hopes to encourage you that there are people in this world who are going through similar things and you are not alone in these struggles.

There are many times where we find ourselves in a hard spot that has everything to do with the chaos taking place in our minds, and sometimes it can feel like your relationship with God is dwindling the more you face that chaos, but I beg to differ. God is not scared of the challenges we face, and instead of seeing our relationship with Him as a fluctuation of feelings, we have to begin to see our relationship with Him as something that stands outside of just our emotions. Through the hard times, God is there. Through the good times, God is there. In this episode, I talk about my experience with mental health issues while holding on to my relationship with God as well.

Sometimes the act of gratitude can get confused as being "overly positive" or "unrealistically optimistic" but I believe that gratitude is a crucial part of healing, happiness and worship. When we are actively showing gratitude and thanking God for what He is doing, seen and unseen, we are not saying that everything is peaches and rainbows, but that even in the midst of crazy, there is still something to thank God for. Gratitude is a sweet place to be and the more and more we choose to adopt this attitude, the more and more we are able to surrender our cares to God and live a life in close relationship with Him. In this podcast, I talk about all of this and share some of my own struggles with gratitude; sharing where I was, where I am, and where I would like to be in the future when it comes to being grateful and I hope that you all will be able to do the same thing in your own lives.

Anxiety is such an invasive thing and it has taken power over many of our lives, but what I love about God's word is that it doesn't dismiss the presence of anxiety, but shifts our focus to Him. The word of God acknowledges the realness of anxiety, but also reassures us that we can find peace and joy in God, especially in the midst of anxiety. There is a scripture in the Bible that says “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.” – Psalm 94:19 and another that says “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” – 1 Peter: 5:7. Both of these scriptures have played a monumental role in how I view anxiety now. Even though anxious thoughts will come, I serve a God who is waiting to embrace me with His joy, like a loving Father who cares for His children. I hope that you find peace in God's word and that you are able to take the power back. 

Ever since I was kid, conflict has always been something that I ran from out of fear, but I am learning to be more confident in myself and what I stand for while also opening myself to conflict in a healthy way. I hope that you are able to gain perspective on what healthy conflict looks like, why its important, what limits us when we embrace the fear of conflict and not the opportunity of it, and overall become more confident in who you are, what you stand for; allowing your heart to speak for you. 

Having friends is one thing, but having quality friends that you invest your life in is a whole other thing. When it comes down to the people we choose to do life with, it's important that we choose wisely and here I'm talking about only a few of the things that help me recognize a good quality friend. What characteristics do you find in a good quality friend and do you exhibit those same characteristics?

A lot of us struggle with the idea of love because often times, our perspective on love looks like being in a relationship. Romance is great, but it's not everyone's story and is not the only way we experience love. Today's episode dives into my experiences with the idea of love and how my perception of love has changed over the years.