Room for Lovely

This week's guest Jen Allee shares her journey of learning to trust God's goodness through seasons of waiting, disappointment, and unanswered prayers. As the author of When Waiting Feels Like Withholding: Trusting God When You Doubt His Goodness, Jen knows what it's like to wonder whether God is listening, whether He's forgotten us, or whether He's withholding something we've been praying for. After spending more than twenty years waiting for a dream to unfold, Jen shares how she began to recognize God's faithfulness in ways she hadn't expected. Erin and Jen also discuss the importance of surrendering our expectations, learning to trust God when His timing doesn't match our own, and recognizing the goodness He's doing right in front of us—even when the answers we're hoping for haven't come.
Key Takeaways
Why seasons of waiting can cause us to question God's goodness—and how to keep trusting Him when He seems silent
The difference between surrendering our desires to God and trying to control how and when He answers our prayers
How focusing on the one thing we're waiting for can cause us to overlook the ways God is already working in our lives
Why trusting God's goodness doesn't mean every story will have the ending we hoped for—and how to remain anchored in His faithfulness even when circumstances don't change
About Jen
Jen Allee is an engaging storyteller who loves to weave a good story into a great truth. Jen is the author of the book When Waiting Feels Like Withholding: Trusting God When You Doubt His Goodness. She has also been published in devotional books with Proverbs 31 Ministries and Rope Swing Publishing as well as magazines including A Joyful Life and Today’s Christian Living. She is a contributing writer for the Life Bible app and The Truly Co. magazine and serves as a regular columnist and feature writer for Just Between Us magazine. She has also been teaching and speaking for over 20 years and holds a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is married with two sons—one in college and one on the way to college.  You can find her at @jen_allee_author and jenallee.com
Connect with Jen
Website:
https://www.jenallee.com/
Book:
When Waiting Feels Like Withholding
Want to win a copy of Jen's book? Send a takeaway from this episode to hello@erincuccio.com or a DM to @erincuccio on Instagram! 
Social Media:
IG: @jen_allee_author
Connect with Erin
IG @erincuccio
www.erincuccio.com
hello@erincuccio.com

Order Any of Erin's Books  HERE

This week's guest Dacey Triplett shares her journey of learning to embrace the differences that once made her question her worth and identity. Born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, Dacey spent years struggling with comparison, insecurity, and the pressure to measure up to the people around her. Now the author of Nobody Can Be You Better Than You, Dacey shares how shifting her confidence from the changing opinions of others to the unchanging truth of God's Word transformed the way she sees herself. Erin and Dacey also discuss the importance of bringing our insecurities and questions to God, finding contentment in our current season of life, and learning to recognize the goodness right in front of us instead of wishing for someone else's story.
Key Takeaways
Why placing our confidence in appearance, accomplishments, or the opinions of others leaves us constantly searching for reassurance
How embracing the intentional way God created us can help us move beyond comparison and insecurity
The importance of bringing our questions, doubts, and insecurities to God and learning to anchor our identity in His unchanging truth
Why focusing on someone else's life can cause us to miss the goodness in our own—and how choosing gratitude and daily surrender can help us live more confidently and fully in the season we're in
About Dacey
Dacey Triplett is a small town girl from Ferguson, NC who was born into a world not made for her. She was unexpectedly born with achondroplasia dwarfism and didn’t always understand why God chose her to be different. Through falling more in love with God, she began to fall in love more and more with the Dacey that He made her to be. She realized that she isn’t that different after all, she’s just a girl who loves Jesus, traveling, fashion, and coffee that has a unique perspective on life.
Connect with Dacey
Website:
https://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/nobody-can-be-you-better-than-you/
Book:
Nobody Can Be You Better Than You
Social Media:
IG: @dace.trip

Connect with Erin
IG @erincuccio
www.erincuccio.com
hello@erincuccio.com

Order Any of Erin's Books  HERE

This week's guest Jennifer Pepito shares wisdom from nearly thirty years of homeschooling and raising seven children, challenging us to rethink what really matters in the way we raise our kids. As the founder of The Peaceful Press, host of the Restoration Home Podcast, and author of The Inspired Homeschool, Jennifer encourages parents to look beyond grades, activities, and accomplishments to focus on character, curiosity, connection, and meaningful work. Erin and Jennifer also discuss the importance of creating a joyful home, giving children room to grow in responsibility and creativity, and letting go of the pressure to get every part of parenting right.
Key Takeaways
Why raising capable, curious, and compassionate children requires more than academic achievement and extracurricular success
How simple, intentional moments of connection can strengthen family relationships and cultivate a lifelong love of learning
The value of boredom, meaningful work, and age-appropriate responsibility in developing creativity, confidence, and character
Why being a joyful, present parent matters more than getting everything perfect—and how to surrender our parenting fears and mistakes to God
About Jennifer
Jennifer Pepito is the host of the Restoration Home podcast and the bestselling author of Habits for a Sacred Home. Her latest book is The Inspired Home School: How History’s Heroes Light a Path Toward Joyful, Confident Learning. Jennifer is the founder of The Peaceful Press, a homeschool curriculum provider. Her writing has been featured in online and print journals, including Wild and Free, Commonplace Quarterly, and Home Educating Family. She’s made guest appearances on the podcasts 1000 Hours Outside, At Home with Sally, and The Read Aloud Revival. Jennifer lives in the mountains with her beloved family, where she enjoys reading aloud, working in her garden, and watching the sunset.
Connect with Jennifer
Website:
https://thepeacefulpress.com/
Book:
The Inspired Homeschool
Social Media:
IG: @jenniferpepito
FB: @thepeacefulpress
Pinterest: @thepeacefulpress
Podcast: @restorationhome
Connect with Erin
IG @erincuccio
www.erincuccio.com
hello@erincuccio.com

Order Any of Erin's Books  HERE

This week's guest Helen Smallbone shares the remarkable story of her family's journey from Australia to America, the unexpected hardships they faced, and the ways God faithfully provided along the way. As the mother of seven, including Rebecca St. James and Joel and Luke of for KING & COUNTRY, Helen reflects on the intentional work of raising a family, the significance of everyday faithfulness, and the legacy of prayer. Erin and Helen also discuss trusting God's goodness when life doesn't make sense, recognizing His presence in the smallest moments, and believing in His faithfulness even before we can see how the story will unfold.
Key Takeaways
How God can use closed doors, unexpected hardships, and ordinary circumstances to lead us into something we never could have imagined
The significance of a mother's often unseen work and the lasting impact of intentionally loving, encouraging, and praying for our families
Why recognizing God's provision in the small, everyday moments can strengthen our faith through difficult seasons
What it means to trust God's goodness even when we're still standing in the middle of loss, without answers or a clear picture of what comes next
About Helen
Helen Smallbone grew up in Australia as the daughter of a Methodist minister and the youngest of four children. Even though she grew up in church, her faith became real in her mid-teens when she committed her life to Christ at a Billy Graham Crusade in Sydney.

Trained as an Occupational Therapist, Helen’s greatest desire was to serve God and become a wife and mother. At age 20, she married the love of her life, David Smallbone, and over the next 14 years, they added seven children to their family.

In 1991, after experiencing a financial crisis in Australia, the Smallbone family relocated to the Nashville, TN, area, where David began a career in music management for Christian artists. This new adventure required every family member to place their trust in God and live by faith.

In Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and Her Family (K-LOVE Books, April 12, 2022), Helen shares how the Smallbone family learned to let God lead – which has included living outside the box of American cultural norms. Her book describes God’s constant faithfulness and provision during the lean years after their arrival in the United States. Helen recounts stories that vividly describe how the family worked together to make ends meet, found support in new friends and neighbors, homeschooled on the road, and grew closer with every challenge they overcame.

Helen’s love for God and family has only grown stronger as she and David have supported their children’s creative career paths. Their daughter, Rebecca St. James, and two of their sons, for KING & COUNTRY stars Luke and Joel Smallbone, have collectively earned five Grammys.

When not busy with her children and grandchildren, Helen is dedicated to sharing her passion and love for God with those around her. She is the co-founder of MUMlife, mumlife.org, a ministry of “mothers uplifting mothers,” and co-host of the MUMlife Community Podcast. David and Helen Smallbone live just outside of Nashville with a small menagerie of animals.
Connect with Helen
Website:
https://www.helensmallbone.com/
Book:
Behind the Lights: The Extraordinary Adventure of a Mum and Her Family
Movie:
Unsung Hero
Social Media:
IG: @helensmallbone
FB: Helen Smallbone
Connect with Erin
IG @erincuccio
www.erincuccio.com
hello@erincuccio.com

Order Any of Erin's Books  HERE

This week's guest Stephen Kendrick shares the unlikely story behind the Kendrick Brothers' filmmaking journey—from a small church in Georgia and a $20,000 first film to stories that have reached audiences around the world. Erin and Stephen also discuss faithfulness in small beginnings, trusting God when the calling feels bigger than your ability, and learning to surrender the outcome rather than letting fear or perfection keep you from taking the first step.
Key Takeaways
Why we shouldn't despise small beginnings—and how God can grow what we're willing to faithfully begin
The difference between striving to do something for God and allowing God to work through us
How surrender, prayer, and obedience have shaped more than twenty years of filmmaking and ministry
Why we don't have to have the resources, experience, or entire plan before taking the next faithful step
About Stephen
Stephen Kendrick is a filmmaker, author, speaker, and producer best known as part of the Kendrick Brothers, the filmmaking team behind some of the most influential faith-based films of the last two decades, including Facing the Giants, Fireproof, Courageous, War Room, Overcomer, and The Forge. What began more than twenty years ago with a small church in Albany, Georgia, a $20,000 budget, and their first film, Flywheel, has grown into a worldwide ministry reaching audiences across the globe. Through each project, Stephen and his brother Alex have remained committed to creating stories rooted in biblical truth that point people toward Jesus. Stephen and his wife, Jill, have been married for 26 years and are the parents of six children. Today, he continues to write, produce, and develop faith-filled projects, including Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul, a new international adaptation of the film that started it all.
Connect with Stephen
Website:
https://kendrickbrothers.com/

Social Media:
IG: @thekendrickbrothers, @flywheelthemovie
Connect with Erin
IG @erincuccio
www.erincuccio.com
hello@erincuccio.com

Order Any of Erin's Books  HERE