The Speakeasy

As we reach the halfway point of the year, I reflect on the importance of slowing down long enough to evaluate where we've been, where we're headed, and how God is shaping us in the process. Rather than chasing constant productivity, I encourage you to embrace the natural rhythms of each season, recognizing that every season has a purpose. Just as creation doesn't bloom year-round, neither are we meant to live at the same pace all the time.
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This episode is an invitation to rethink what a thriving marriage actually looks like. If you've been focused on loving your spouse but wondering how to genuinely like them too, this conversation is for you.
I sat down with Christian counselors Chris and Jamie Bailey of Expedition Marriage to discuss building a marriage where both people are willing to let God transform them. Their story is proof that healthy marriages aren't built by perfect people.
Chris and Jamie share how their relationship began before either knew Christ and how years of anxiety, unhealthy expectations, and emotional struggles nearly derailed their marriage. Jamie opens up about severe anxiety and panic attacks, while Chris discusses the helplessness he felt trying to "fix" something he couldn't control. Together, they explain how counseling, faith, and learning healthier patterns moved them toward healing.
Here are some great resources Chris and Jamie shared to help you on your journey:
For Wives: CLICK HERE
For Husbands: CLICK HERE
Sponsor: CrowdHealth
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In this powerful episode, I sit down with Rachel Barkley to discuss disability, suffering, identity, resilience, and what it means to trust God when life changes overnight. What began as a conversation about disability quickly became a deeper discussion about hope, purpose, and finding God's goodness in the middle of unexpected circumstances.
Rachel shares her profound story of becoming paralyzed just two weeks after giving birth to her first child. After experiencing worsening symptoms during pregnancy, she woke up one morning unable to move her legs. Doctors eventually discovered a large tumor growing inside her spinal cord, leading to emergency surgery and a long road of recovery.
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CrowdHealth
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This episode is an invitation to rethink what we mean by orphan care and how Christians can best support vulnerable children around the world.
I sat down with Elli Oswald, Executive Director of Faith to Action, for a conversation about orphan care and global missions. Elli brings over a decade of experience in global child welfare and shares why many organizations are shifting focus from institutional care toward strengthening families.
Key takeaways:
The majority of children in orphanages worldwide have living family, poverty separates them, not death
Children thrive when they stay with family or in family-based environments
Elli's story of Knabs shows how family tracing efforts reunited nearly every child in a Sierra Leone orphanage with their families
The church's role is ensuring our giving creates the best outcomes
Strengthening families before separation happens is more effective than caring for children after crisis
This episode isn't about criticizing generosity, it's about channeling our compassion toward lasting stability, healing, and belonging. Whether your heart is for international missions, foster care, adoption, or serving vulnerable families, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on what effective compassion looks like.

This week I sit down with Elise Orozco from Raising Rock for a conversation that feels deeply personal and incredibly timely. We share remarkably similar stories of stepping away from ambition, hustle, and outside success in exchange for something we discovered mattered far more: presence.
Elise opens up about leaving a high-level corporate career after realizing that while she was succeeding professionally, her family was often receiving the exhausted leftovers of what remained. What follows is an honest conversation about motherhood, identity, slowing down, surrender, and learning to embrace God's priorities instead of culture's expectations.
Sponsor: CrowdHealth
Looking for an alternative to traditional health insurance? CrowdHealth offers: Lower-cost prescriptions and labs Access to vetted doctors Bill negotiation support Community-centered healthcare solutions Get started for $99 for your first three months using code SPEAKEASY at joincrowdhealth.com.