Episodes

The one thing most people fear more than death? Public speaking.¹ There’s something about standing in front of another person (or multiple people) and sharing our thoughts, ideas, and feedback that makes us want to shrink until we evaporate. But sometimes, neglecting to speak up for yourself can have harmful repercussions. Here to help you see past your fear this week is Darlene Brock and Julie Bender, who get to work excavating the possible reasons why speaking up is so terrifying. Maybe you’...

How is your future looking right now? If what you’re envisioning feels bleak, let us offer some encouragement. Hope often flies right out the door as soon as life starts to unravel differently than we planned. Your kids drop out of college. Your spouse is distant. You haven’t been promoted at work in years. When reality doesn’t match the vision, what can we look forward to? In this episode of Smart Living in Small Bites, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender unpack ways to find hope in the mundane. I...

How is your future looking right now? If what you’re envisioning feels bleak, let us offer some encouragement. Hope often flies right out the door as soon as life starts to unravel differently than we planned. Your kids drop out of college. Your spouse is distant. You haven’t been promoted at work in years. When reality doesn’t match the vision, what can we look forward to? In this episode of Smart Living in Small Bites, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender unpack ways to find hope in the mundane. I...

You’ve dreamt of wearing a billowy white dress and floating down the aisle to your prince charming since you were 5. Fast forward several years, and the man you love is doing everything but committing to making that dream a reality. Maybe you’ve been dating for years and are losing hope that a proposal will ever come, or you are engaged, but his promise of marriage feels empty and conversations around setting a date have stalled out. What do you do? In this episode of Smart Living with Grit and...

You’ve dreamt of wearing a billowy white dress and floating down the aisle to your prince charming since you were 5. Fast forward several years, and the man you love is doing everything but committing to making that dream a reality. Maybe you’ve been dating for years and are losing hope that a proposal will ever come, or you are engaged, but his promise of marriage feels empty and conversations around setting a date have stalled out. What do you do? In this episode of Smart Living with Grit and...

Don’t know what to do for spring break? That means it’s time to decide how you really want to spend that time off: planning and prepping for a week-long getaway someplace far away, or catching your breath with a few relaxing days at home with your family? If 2025 has been a busy year for you (or if saving money is top of mind), you’ll likely opt for the latter. But there’s no reason a staycation can’t be as inspired as a destination trip. In fact, there are ways to make it more wholesome than y...

Don’t know what to do for spring break? That means it’s time to decide how you really want to spend that time off: planning and prepping for a week-long getaway someplace far away, or catching your breath with a few relaxing days at home with your family? If 2025 has been a busy year for you (or if saving money is top of mind), you’ll likely opt for the latter. But there’s no reason a staycation can’t be as inspired as a destination trip. In fact, there are ways to make it more wholesome than y...

When we think of Valentine’s Day, our thoughts often gravitate toward images of men purchasing giant teddy bears and bouquets of roses for the woman they love. As nice as that is, it’s a bit commercialized, and love deserves so much more intention—and recipients! Darlene Brock and Julie Bender want to challenge you to think outside the box this year. Who else can you show love to aside from your significant other? Your friends? Jesus? Maybe even yourself? In this podcast episode, Darlene and Ju...

When we think of Valentine’s Day, our thoughts often gravitate toward images of men purchasing giant teddy bears and bouquets of roses for the woman they love. As nice as that is, it’s a bit commercialized, and love deserves so much more intention—and recipients! Darlene Brock and Julie Bender want to challenge you to think outside the box this year. Who else can you show love to aside from your significant other? Your friends? Jesus? Maybe even yourself? In this podcast episode, Darlene and Ju...

Has it been a while since you heard from God? Does it feel like ages since you’ve seen his goodness or felt the Holy Spirit stirring? Distance from God is one of the most frustrating things we can experience as women of faith. We wonder where he’s gone and why he would ignore the children he loves. The uncomfortable truth? The onus may be on us—and if it’s not us, it’s God trying to help us grow in our faith. Yes, even in the ‘silence’! In this podcast episode, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender r...

Shoot straight with us for a minute: Did you set any goals at the start of this year? If you answered ‘no,’ we’re right there with you. After all, weren’t we all just trying to get settled back in after the holidays? Now that we are settled in, it’s the perfect time to revisit any changes you may have wanted to make this year. In this episode of Smart Living with Grit and Grace, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender share five priorities that would benefit from having structure backed by a goal: home...

Shoot straight with us for a minute: Did you set any goals at the start of this year? If you answered ‘no,’ we’re right there with you. After all, weren’t we all just trying to get settled back in after the holidays? Now that we are settled in, it’s the perfect time to revisit any changes you may have wanted to make this year. In this episode of Smart Living with Grit and Grace, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender share five priorities that would benefit from having structure backed by a goal: home...

Do you wish you had someone who could guide you through life? An experienced person who willingly shares their wisdom and insight to help you navigate every crossroads you approach? If so, we’re happy to say we know just what you’re looking for: a mentor. The Mr. Miyagi to your Karate Kid! In this Smart Living with Grit and Grace podcast episode, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender share the value in mentorship, how to actually find a mentor, and which areas of mentorship you might want to consider...

Do you wish you had someone who could guide you through life? An experienced person who willingly shares their wisdom and insight to help you navigate every crossroads you approach? If so, we’re happy to say we know just what you’re looking for: a mentor. The Mr. Miyagi to your Karate Kid! In this Smart Living with Grit and Grace podcast episode, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender share the value in mentorship, how to actually find a mentor, and which areas of mentorship you might want to consider...

Life offers an endless rotation of surprises, so the only thing not surprising is our desire for order—often in the form of control. When we believe we can control what goes on around us, we can somewhat come to terms with the way our lives unfold. But controlling everything is impossible, and when we make that our aim, consciously or not, it can leave us on edge and erode our relationships. In this podcast episode, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender discuss all the areas we might find hard to cont...

Life offers an endless rotation of surprises, so the only thing not surprising is our desire for order—often in the form of control. When we believe we can control what goes on around us, we can somewhat come to terms with the way our lives unfold. But controlling everything is impossible, and when we make that our aim, consciously or not, it can leave us on edge and erode our relationships. In this podcast episode, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender discuss all the areas we might find hard to cont...

If you’ve been putting it off, consider this podcast episode as a sign to clean up your clutter! As we get swept up in the busyness of life, we inadvertently let things accumulate. We outgrow our clothes or forget the items we’ve once loved and the gifts we’ve been given. Over time, we stash these items away to make room for new stuff we need or want. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Sadly, no. These items tend to pile up, consuming space in our homes and in the back of our minds. If you’re r...

If you’ve been putting it off, consider this podcast episode as a sign to clean up your clutter! As we get swept up in the busyness of life, we inadvertently let things accumulate. We outgrow our clothes or forget the items we’ve once loved and the gifts we’ve been given. Over time, we stash these items away to make room for new stuff we need or want. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Sadly, no. These items tend to pile up, consuming space in our homes and in the back of our minds. If you’re r...

Forget setting goals and drafting New Year’s resolutions. We’re making 2025 about you—more specifically, your character. Who do you want to be this year? Every season of life (new years included) allow us the opportunity to evaluate our priorities, how much we’ve grown and where we want to see ourselves in another 365 days. Is it in the same place you’re at now? Most likely, the answer is no. In this episode of Smart Living with Grit and Grace, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender discuss the import...

Forget setting goals and drafting New Year’s resolutions. We’re making 2025 about you—more specifically, your character. Who do you want to be this year? Every season of life (new years included) allow us the opportunity to evaluate our priorities, how much we’ve grown and where we want to see ourselves in another 365 days. Is it in the same place you’re at now? Most likely, the answer is no. In this episode of Smart Living with Grit and Grace, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender discuss the import...

In this season of “tidings of great joy,” what if joy doesn’t come easily to you? As women of faith, there’s an unspoken expectation that we should live in a constant state of joy, that it should be the lens with which we view our lives and circumstances. Although the Bible states we aren’t of the world, we are still in it, which means our perception of joy is often colored by the world’s ideals—namely, success, status and money. But there’s more to real joy. In this Smart Living podcast episo...

In this season of “tidings of great joy,” what if joy doesn’t come easily to you? As women of faith, there’s an unspoken expectation that we should live in a constant state of joy, that it should be the lens with which we view our lives and circumstances. Although the Bible states we aren’t of the world, we are still in it, which means our perception of joy is often colored by the world’s ideals—namely, success, status and money. But there’s more to real joy. In this Smart Living podcast episo...

Life is better with friends. There’s just something remarkably special about finding a person (or a few) out of billions in the world who can belly laugh with you over a meal or willingly be at your side in a time of grief. Friendships are mostly easy, but healthy ones still require some work! In this Smart Living with Grit and Grace podcast episode, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender dive into two important discussions on this topic: building strong friendships and navigating ones that are fizzlin...

Life is better with friends. There’s just something remarkably special about finding a person (or a few) out of billions in the world who can belly laugh with you over a meal or willingly be at your side in a time of grief. Friendships are mostly easy, but healthy ones still require some work! In this Smart Living with Grit and Grace podcast episode, Darlene Brock and Julie Bender dive into two important discussions on this topic: building strong friendships and navigating ones that are fizzlin...