Episodes

It’s banquet season, so we have brought in Kirk Walden and David Bereit to talk with Jor-El Godsey about some of their tips and tricks to holding a successful fundraising event. From fires, falling onstage, and protesters to powerful client moments and overwhelming financial support, Kirk and David have experienced a lot in their travels! Click here for Heartbeat’s manual, Banquet Planning from Scratch Click here for David’s training, The Art of the Ask Notes: Don’t assume that attendees know...

Nafisa Kennedy, Director of Option Line, interviews Dr. Tara Sander Lee and Chaney Mullins Gooley about the resources that are available to parents who have received news of a prenatal diagnosis. Using the new website, PrenatalDiagnosis.org, families can access informative resources as well as chat with a consultant about their options. This website and the resources listed equip pregnancy help organizations, churches, and individuals with the tools they need to be ready to serve a family facing...

November elections are quickly approaching, and states like Ohio have abortion on the ballot. There is a growing need for the pregnancy help movement to step into the political conversation in defense of life in all states, and we must speak up and ensure our hard-earned victories are not erased, nor is abortion further embedded into our constitutions. Join Heartbeat staff members Jessica Warner, Leanna Baumer, and Lora Current in this discussion about strategy, resources, and practical steps th...

Each person in the pro-life movement has unique gifts, and each walks out their calling in a different way. In this episode, Tracie Shellhouse takes us through a message of unity based on 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 and potatoes. Sponsored by: Heartbeat Academy Click here for conference keynotes/workshops! Heartbeat International provides a forum to express a marketplace of ideas for an audience of life-affirming pregnancy help organizations and those who support such organizations. The ideas, views a...

Petra Wallenmeyer guides this discussion with Gary Thome, Heartbeat International Board Member and DiAnn Ecret, PhD, Healthcare Ethics, to shed light on the lack of informed consent given to parents facing a prenatal diagnosis. A prenatal diagnosis can mean that parents who were not previously considering abortion are now abortion-vunerable due to the way that information is presented to them by healthcare providers. Oftentimes, the difference in a screening test vs a diagnostic test is not clar...

Vicki Krnac, Executive Director of Hannah’s Home talks with Valerie Harkins about the process of adding apartments to their maternity home to meet the need of residents who are ready to move into more independent living while still working alongside the staff of the maternity home. While it seemed like an overwhelming endeavor, Vicki and her team were intentional about following God’s timeline for the project, and saw His hand guiding each step along the way. Resources Heart & Home Newsletter ...

With a background ranging from Executive Director of a pregnancy center to Students for Life Regional Coordinator, Angela Erickson has a lot of experience in pro-life work in the state of Minnesota. Angela draws from her experience to share about the challenges of lobbying in an abortion state, and shares what works well to promote collaboration between communities, legislators, and pregnancy help organizations. Resources List of State Coalitions Babies Go To Congress Integrated with Angela Er...

Jessica Warner is joined by her dad, Former Ohio State Representative Kyle Koehler to talk about how pro-life pregnancy help organizations can effectively make their voices heard in public policy. Gain insight from a legislator’s perspective on capturing the attention of lawmakers and learn simple, actionable steps that you can take to strengthen their support for your ministry. Interested in Babies Go to Congress? Click here! Sponsor: Extend Web Services Heartbeat International provides a for...

Ellen Foell spoke with Anja Mirosavljev from Voice for Life in Bosnia at our Annual Conference about the way that her organization reaches women facing unexpected pregnancies. Many organizations are doing similar work, but different at the same time depending on their culture or the needs of the community. Abortion is easily accessible (and free) in Bosnia, and is often used as a form of contraception, so the need for pregnancy help is great. Voice for Life has been serving women since 2017. Cl...

Jor-El Godsey, Tracie Shellhouse, Andrea Trudden, and Danielle White reflect on the first year post-Roe. We’ve seen an increase in media interest, attacks on pro-lifers, state legislative battles, and more, and pregnancy help is more important than ever. Listen as the Heartbeat team discusses what has happened and what to expect in the year ahead. Resources: PregnancyCenterTruth.com Pregnancy Help NewsSponsor: Pregnancy Help Institute Heartbeat International provides a forum to express a marke...

Maternity Housing Specialist, Valerie Harkins talks with VP of Communications & Marketing, Andrea Trudden about the media’s increased interest in maternity homes over the past year. Andrea provides guidance on how to respond to attacks and how to effectively communicate with your supporters. Resources: Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Heart and Home Life Trends Report PregnancyCenterTruth.com Housing Locator Tool Maternity Housing Coalition Sponsor: Pregnancy Help Institute Heartbeat Int...

Tracie Shellhouse talks with Kirk and Jenn Walden about the crucial role of compassion in pro-life work. Whether it’s engaging with clients or gaining the support of your community, compassion and vulnerability are powerful tools that help us relate to people in the way that Jesus showed us to do, even when tackling divisive issues. Resources: Visit KirkWalden.com for updates on Saving Samaria Workshop: The Compassion Quotient (2022) Workshop: Flip Your Ministry, Win Your Community (2023) Cli...

Valerie Huber (The Institute for Women’s Health) explains how women’s health worldwide often takes a backseat to the abortion agenda, causing millions to suffer from preventable diseases and conditions. The Geneva Consensus Declaration has been signed by 36 countries as a statement of commitment to prioritize women’s health and strengthen families while reaffirming that there is no international right to abortion. Listen in to learn what you can do as an individual and as an organization to supp...

Dr. Calum Miller (speaker at our recent Annual Conference) talks with Petra Wallenmeyer about how maternal mortality rates are calculated and what these numbers mean in relation to a country’s laws on abortion. We often hear the argument that maternal deaths will increase if abortion laws are more restrictive, but is that really the case? Dr. Miller gives us the pro-life response to that argument, and helps us understand what is needed to help mothers thrive. Resources: -Keynote: Dr. Calum Mill...

Annabelle Nakabiri joined Ellen Foell during our recent Annual Conference to talk about how stepping away from her home in Uganda allowed her to experience Breakthrough that week by letting the Holy Spirit guide her to new ways of healing. Annabelle serves as the Executive Director of The Remnant Generation and helps women to break the cycle of sexual abuse and child marriage, allowing God to bring healing and restoration. Click here to purchase recorded conference workshops and keynotes: https...

We’re celebrating National Nurses Week! Ashley Vance, Healthcare Team Manager at Heartbeat International, shares her tips on staying connected as a team and keeping the right perspective when serving women facing an unplanned pregnancy. Working or volunteering with a Pregnancy Help Organization but not receiving our emails? Contact support@heartbeatinternational.org to get on that list. Visit https://www.heartbeatservices.org/resources/store/nursing-appreciation-week for this week’s Academy dea...

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron joins us in this episode along with Pregnancy Help News Managing Editor Lisa Bourne, as we delve into what he and his team have been working on in support of pregnancy centers to defend them from misrepresentation, and to provide more opportunities for service. Stay tuned for more content from our conference! Sponsored by: Pregnancy Help News Heartbeat International provides a forum to express a marketplace of ideas for an audience of life-affirming pre...

Jor-El Godsey is joined by Dr. David Forbes, who talks about his pro-life convictions as a pastor and how to “fight” for the unborn as a Christian. He tackles some of the difficult issues that come up when debating abortion, while keeping in mind the compassion needed when talking to both women in difficult unplanned pregnancies and those who are post-abortive. You can still register for our Virtual Conference here! – https://www.heartbeatservices.org/training/conference Heartbeat International...

Beth Diemert and Sara Dominguez discuss how Board Members and the Executive Director can grow in their roles in order to set the tone for a healthy, well run, truly life-affirming organization. Listen in to discover techniques and practical tools to build your pregnancy center’s core governance of vision and mission, planning and implementation, and Board function and development. Contact Sara or Beth at support@heartbeatinternational.org Learn more about On-Site Consultations here Click here f...

Tracie Shellhouse and Beth Diemert share suggestions and pointers from their conference experiences to ensure that you make friends, memories, and post-conference plans that will have immediate and long-term effects on your ministry and personal development. Click here for information on Heartbeat International’s Annual Conference! –Click here for Tracie’s article on The True Value of Virtual Conference Heartbeat International provides a forum to express a marketplace of ideas for an audience of...

Jeff Joaquin was a high school football star, eager to pursue a career in the NFL when his girlfriend told him the news that she was pregnant. Filled with fear, Jeff drove her to the abortion clinic in July of 1987. Thinking this event was behind him, Jeff continued on with his life, but spiraled into bad decisions, addiction, and distanced himself from God. It wasn’t until decades later that Jeff realized the true impact of his decision and began the journey towards healing. Now, Jeff shares hi...

Heartbeat International President, Jor-El Godsey and Board Chair, Dr. Peggy Hartshorn take us through the key moments in the pregnancy help movement that led us to where we are today. Listen to hear how this movement has grown into a mighty force for life around the world from tiny seeds planted over fifty years ago, what its scope is now, and where the Lord seems to be taking us! This episode was originally published in Aug. 2021 Click here for the book, The Power of Pregnancy Help Heartbeat I...

Listen in as a few of our consultants from Option Line, a 24/7 pregnancy helpline, share their approach to demonstrating compassion and care through digital channels such as online chat and texting. In today’s world, where texting has become a preferred mode of communication, Option Line has adapted to these new trends while maintaining the same level of empathy and support. Through their innovative use of digital communication while following the steps of the Love Approach, they have made it ea...

Karen Ingle has been using her gift of writing to promote the mission of her local pregnancy center, which inspired her to pen a novel based on the transformative stories that occur through the work of pregnancy help organizations. Karen emphasizes the power of writing to ignite a passion for pro-life issues and motivate people to take action. Visit www.kareningleauthor.com to check out “With Me in the Storm” and to stay updated on Karen’s future projects. Sponsored by Heartbeat’s Annual Confe...