All Grace ever wanted was the normal things in life:  A happy marriage, a big house, and a loving family.  She never imagined her life would turn out so differently.

The submissive Christian life she was asked to live left her totally dominated by her abrasive husband.  She and her children were systematically crushed, and their will to thrive was snuffed out at every turn.  She had no idea how to handle the insults and abuse from her husband or the isolation from her family.  She never thought she'd lose her faith in God or plunge into such depths of despair.

This heart-wrenching story of living every day with a narcissist educates readers on the serious nature of abuse.  Taking a journey through emotional pain may mean taking the most uncomfortable path to lead your life to the most beautiful situation starting today.

Madison R. Carter represents all those who experience emotional pain across different cultures, religions, ages, men and women, in every corner of the world who struggle with finding their way out of the darkness.  She wrote this true story because she wants to shed a light on the darkness and secrecy of abuse and bring hope and light to those who are feeling trapped, hopeless, and have lost their way.

For more information and to order a copy of her book, visit her website:  www.madisonrcarter.com  You can also find her on Facebook as Madison Carter, Author of Stop Making Me Cry.

My friend Crystal is one who does extraordinary things often. Though I'm used to this behavior from her I was more in awe than usual when I learned she donated one of her kidneys to a complete stranger. Well, the recipient was a stranger at the time. Now the two share a beautiful friendship. One that almost didn't happen! This podcast interview with Crystal almost didn't happen, too. Listen to this episode to find out why! :)

For more information about organ donation, contact your local hospital and they will connect you with the resources you need.

Thanks for listening and until we meet again, Simply Make It Count.

I'm staying at a local Airbnb home tonight. Yes, you read that right - local! Although it's just one of my days off of work, it feels like a mini vacation. I brought a few small projects to tackle and doing at least one podcast episode was one of those things. Yes, you read that right - at least one episode.  I may just feel ambitious enough to do another! 

It's amazing what a little bit of time away from home can do for the soul.  Even if it's just one night.  :)

Mark LaMaster is back!  He was the first guest - and was featured in the first episode of the Simply Make It Count podcast sharing about his first book, Friday Night Lights for Fathers and Sons.  When I heard he'd written a second, similar book for Fathers and Daughters I knew I had to have him back on the show. 

As a daughter who has struggled my whole life to relate to my dad, this conversation with Mark felt especially needed and relevant to families today. I'm so glad we took the time to talk. 

Mark LaMaster is the founder of Uplifting Dads who strives to ensure that each and every dad has the access to positive, encouraging, and faith-filled resources about how to be the best parent they can be.  Uplifting Dads exists in order to build a sense of community among like-minded fathers who want to learn from, strengthen, and support one another in a space free of judgment or criticism.

Mark is a dad of two teenagers, a husband, an author, a speaker, and a dad coach whose mission is to offer a place of encouragement and inspiration for men to become the father they've always dreamed of being.

You can connect with Mark through his website, www.UpliftingDads.com or via email, [email protected]

Mark's fatherhood books are available at Amazon.com

Mark would also like to offer a FREE 30-Day Devotional for Dads!

Seems like I'm always saying this:  "Long time, no podcast!"  Well, this time, it really has been a long time - at least since I seemed to be on track with getting a more regular podcast schedule going and then POOF - nothing for over three months!

If you've missed me and/or have been wondering what happened or if I'm OK, this is the episode for you.  

Spoiler alert ---  I still won't be getting back to a regular schedule yet so I wanted to warn you. I just don't want you to be disappointed. ;)

Have an amazing April! Hopefully I'll be back soon. :)

I really enjoyed this conversation with my friend Tanisha Williams. I invited her to the show because of her recent vlogging project, "90 Days of Encouragement" but as it turns out we talked about much more than that! I hope you enjoy our conversation, too. :)

Tanisha Williams' Passion is teaching. She has taught elementary and high school for twenty years. Tanisha received a M.A. in English Education from Columbia University. As a veteran master teacher, Tanisha has spoken at educational workshops and mentored novice teachers.

As an author, certified coach, speaker, and trainer, Tanisha helps others build their self-esteem to embody their full potential in Christ so they will know their value, identity, and purpose to accomplish their dreams. She has spoken at various churches and women's groups where her topics include abundant living, God's love, and freedom in Christ.

Tanisha lives in New Jersey with her two "crazy" cats. She loves to travel and is proud of her ability to quote movie lines in daily conversation.

You can follow her on Instagram here: @tanisharwilliams

Well, I failed my December challenge by day 4! That might just be a record of some sort.

After a coaching call with my business coach I got discouraged and stopped creating the very things I feel strongly led to create. I've questioned for several of our calls now if I should just quit the process since I haven't felt a good connection with him for a while now.

I even question if I should have hired him in the first place. But I'm pretty sure it was a wise move at the time. He's gotten me to the place of believing that what I want to do with my life actually is possible. I was incredibly stuck when I first met him. Now I have hope that things can improve.  But was that all I needed him for? And could my time be better spent doing things my way for a while again? Or am I supposed to stick it out - even though I hate how I feel, going into - and after - every call?

It's funny that I'm talking this in depth about it all here but a few calls ago he mentioned a certain attitude I "should have" about a situation I started telling him about. I said, "I already feel that way. I mentioned it in my last podcast episode" to which he replied, "I don't listen to your podcast."

Although he said he doesn't listen to anyone's podcast (though I know he does listen to the "big, popular" business oriented ones) it made me question our relationship then as well because when we first started our calls he said he didn't think I should be doing a podcast.

Hmm.

I know that every episode isn't the best quality and that I haven't had the amount of guests on yet that I'd prefer, but I do believe that this podcast is something I need to be doing at this time in my life.

Will I continue my December challenge? I don't know. But I'd like to try.

Will I continue with the rest of my prepaid coaching calls? Well, that I just don't know yet.

Will I continue "making stuff"? Yes. Yes I will. Because as an artist, I must. It's part of who I am. And knowing that helps me survive another day.

Thank you for listening to my show - and for reading this! You are awesome.

Until we meet again, Simply Make It Count.

It's possible to have too much of a good thing. In today's episode I talk about a solution to that "problem".

I went to church today - which is something I haven't done for a few months now. And before then, my church attendance has been quite sporadic. Although I've gone to church all of my life, I've gotten out of the habit of going. And now that I'm out of the habit, it's tough to get back into it.

This episode comes from pure exhaustion. It's way past my bedtime but I wanted to make sure I got today's episode up now because I can't guarantee I'll be getting up early enough to do it before work. (Now there's a habit I should probably get into! Getting up early. I get up with just enough time to get ready and hit the road! But that's a topic for another day...)

Anyway, hopefully you get something beneficial out of this one. Thanks so much for listening and until we meet again - after I've gotten some sleep, of course - Simply Make It Count. :)

Good night.........

Have you ever started a big project and as you got closer to completing it, you felt like giving up? Well, I certainly have! Actually, I'm feeling like giving up on a project right now. But I know I don't want to give up. I'll be so disappointed if I do.

In today's episode I share one of my favorite quotes on this topic. Hopefully, if you're like me and you feel like giving up on a big project as well, this quote will help you stay on track to accomplishing your goal.

Thanks for listening. :)

Until we meet again, Simply Make It Count!

Did you set any goals at the start of the year that you still haven't accomplished? It's "only" December 1st so it's not too late to get back on track. But today I talk about the best way to go about it. Find some accountability partners! (Or at least just one.)

There's nothing like a group of like-minded individuals to help you get things done. Not that they're doing them "for" you - because they've got their own goals to meet - but because they care about you and want to encourage you to succeed. The fun part is, you get to be their cheerleader as well. Accountability goes both ways and the results are awesome!