Do you ever wonder if you're measuring up to God's standard? If you're good enough to win God's attention and help? If you've done enough to make your life really matter?

If you're looking for a little hope, joy, and maybe even a restored connection to God’s original design for humanity, I invite you to listen in to today's Flying Higher moment and embrace the possibility of a deeper faith journey rooted in love instead of manipulation and shame.

Resources mentioned:
Flying Higher

Hi friends, and Merry Christmas! I hope this special day brings moments of peace and reflection, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. In this solo episode, I reflect on the powerful connection between scent, memory, and emotion—especially during the holiday season. I’ll share personal stories, including my years as a soap maker, and how the fragrances of Christmas invite us to reflect on our own environments and experiences.

We’ll explore what it means to find hope and healing in unexpected circumstances and how the true spirit of Christmas can create a lasting fragrance of love, even in challenging seasons.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• How our senses connect to our memories and emotions.
• Why we can grow numb to unhealthy environments.
• A reflection on religious attitudes and how they impact others,
• The hope and beauty found in embracing life as it is, not as we expected.

Read the show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here

Related Resources:

• Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote a book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse. (The Kindle version is only $2.99 now through the end of the year!)
• My book, All the Scary Little Gods, is a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. (Again - the Kindle version is only $2.99 now through the end of the year!)
• Flying Free is our online community educating and supporting Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages. Whether you want to stay in your marriage or leave, we want to equip you through this program.
• Flying Higher is my live mentorship program for any Christian woman interested in 10Xing their self-development progress. 

In this episode, we explore what it truly means to "fly higher" in life, even when weighed down by challenges and pain. Through a story and metaphor, you'll learn how letting go of control and embracing internal freedom can transform your darkest moments.

Resource mentioned:
Flying Higher

In today’s reflective episode, I share insights from my ongoing recovery following a recent car accident that left me with a broken wrist. I want to draw some powerful parallels for you between my physical therapy journey and the emotional and spiritual healing journeys faced by survivors of abuse.

Key Topics Covered:

• The reality of physical therapy (hint - it’s not a walk in the park) 
• The role of support systems
• Embracing pain for growth
• Healing through alignment with your programming
• The power of music to heal

Read the show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here

Related Resources:

• Check out the Flying Free playlist on Spotify! 
• Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote another book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse.
• My newest book, All the Scary Little Gods, is a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. 
• Flying Free is my online membership program designed for Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages. Whether you want to stay in your marriage or leave, we want to equip and support you through this program.
• Flying Higher is my online membership program for Christian women interested in 10Xing their self-development progress. 

"If I could give you 10x what I paid to join Flying Higher it wouldn't even scrape the true value of the deep level of understanding you have for being exactly where I am right now and how grateful I am that you teach us without holding back." Flying Higher Butterfly
Resources mentioned:
The Butterfly Planner
The Flying Free Website (to hop on my mailing list!)
Flying Free
Flying Higher

In this deeply insightful episode, I sit down with Dr. Emma Katz to discuss the phenomenon of coercively controlling fathers sabotaging mothers' relationships with their children. Dr. Katz introduces the term “child and mother sabotage” (CAMS) to replace the often co-opted term “parental alienation,” highlighting its roots in coercive control and its frequent targeting of mothers.

Dr. Katz explains how societal sexism plays a critical role in these dynamics, amplifying the harm done to mothers and perpetuating harmful stereotypes. She also touches on the challenges survivors face in escaping abuse and emphasizes the strength and resilience it takes to rebuild after experiencing coercive control.

Key Topics Discussed:

• CAMS Explained: Why “child and mother sabotage” is a more accurate and protective term than “parental alienation.”
• The Role of Societal Bias: How sexist stereotypes are weaponized against mothers in cases of coercive control.
• Global Gender Bias: Findings from UN research that show the pervasive bias against women worldwide.
• Survivor Recognition: Why victims of coercive control deserve societal recognition akin to war heroes.
• Practical Guidance: How survivors can use CAMS terminology in legal and advocacy settings.

Read the show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here

Related Resources:

• Read Dr. Katz’s book, Coercive Control in Children's and Mothers' Lives.
• Read the article that Dr. Katz quoted from in today’s interview. 
• Check out Dr. Katz’s Substack and connect with her on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. 
• Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote another book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse.
• My newest book, All the Scary Little Gods, is a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. 
• Flying Free is my online membership program designed for Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages. Whether you want to stay in your marriage or leave, we want to equip and support you through this program.
• Flying Higher is my online membership program for Christian women interested in 10Xing their self-development progress. 

Dr. Emma Katz is a researcher in domestic violence and coercive control, whose work has helped shape legislation and professional practice globally. Her book, Coercive Control in Children's and Mothers' Lives (Oxford University Press), is widely acclaimed. Emma also brings her research to the public in an accessible and influential way on her platform "Decoding Coercive Control with Dr. Emma Katz", which is read by 10,000s of people in more than 90 countries around the world. Emma's research has illuminated children's experiences of coercive control, which had previously remained largely invisible. She argues that children are affected by many forms of abuse inherent to coercive control, including the breaking down of close relationships with loved ones, deprivation of resources, constrained behavior and isolation from the outside world. Her research has been described as "pioneering work" that "will change how we understand and respond to children’s experience of domestic abuse.”

What is Christmas Magic? Do you feel like you're missing out? Here's an idea that might help you have the most magical Christmas of your entire life this year, and your circumstances don't even have to change.

Resources mentioned:

Podcast episodes and articles related to holiday challenges HERE.
Flying Free (for Christian women stuck in emotionally and spiritually abusive relationships, families of origin, or religious communities)
Flying Higher (for Christian women ready to move forward from abuse into their own personal metamorphosis adventure)

In this personal and anecdotal episode, I reflect on a recent car accident that changed my perspective on pain, resilience, and staying present. Drawing from my own experience of navigating physical injury, emotional turmoil, and life's unexpected disruptions, I want to share some valuable lessons on accepting pain and choosing who we want to be in the midst of it.

Key Takeaways

• Pain is a Universal Experience: Everyone faces pain in various forms. Adjusting expectations helps to navigate life’s inevitable challenges.
• Choosing Who to Be in Pain: While we can't control painful circumstances, we can choose our response and who we want to become in those moments.
• Faith and Resilience: God is present in our suffering, showing us how to lean into pain and live authentically.
• The Value of Lament: Acknowledging and naming our losses is essential. Lamenting is not about toxic positivity but about truthfully addressing the pain while moving forward.
• Staying Present: Focusing on the current moment can alleviate overwhelm and help manage pain one step at a time.

Read the show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here

Related Resources:

• Check out the books I mentioned: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl and The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. 
• Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote another book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse.
• My newest book, All the Scary Little Gods, is a spiritual memoir about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. 
• Flying Free is my online membership program designed for Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages. Whether you want to stay in your marriage or leave, we want to equip and support you through this program.
• Flying Higher is my online membership program for Christian women interested in 10Xing their self-development progress. 

If you've ever wondered "is my child an abuser?" you'll want to listen to this Flying Higher moment.

Learn more:
Flying Free
Flying Higher

In today’s episode, I interview Natalie Deering, an Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist and host of That Wellness Podcast. Together, we explore practical and spiritual approaches to anxiety, offering tools to transform anxiety from an adversary into an ally. We discuss personal experiences, explain key IFS concepts like "trailheads," and share exercises to regulate the nervous system and foster self-compassion.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Understanding anxiety as a trailhead (find out what a trailhead is in IFS too!)
• Practical self-regulation tools.
• The role of fear in anxiety.
• Spiritual integration.
• Everyday self-embodiment practices (SEEs).

Read the show notes and/or ask Natalie a question here

Related Resources:

• Connect with Natalie on her website and on Instagram.
• Listen to Natalie’s podcast, That Wellness Podcast.
• Check out the books Natalie mentioned, “Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers” and “Fuel Your Brain, Not Your Anxiety: Stop the Cycle of Worry, Fatigue, and Sugar Cravings with Simple Protein-Rich Foods.” 
• Are you wondering what is happening inside your own painful and confusing marriage? I wrote another book just for you called Is It Me? Making Sense of Your Confusing Marriage: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Hidden Emotional and Spiritual Abuse.
• My newest book, All the Scary Little Gods, is a spiritual memoir using IFS about healing from religious trauma and toxic programming. 
• Flying Free is my online membership program designed for Christian women in emotionally abusive marriages. Whether you want to stay in your marriage or leave, we want to equip and support you through this program.
• Flying Higher is my online membership program for Christian women interested in 10Xing their self-development progress. 

Natalie Deering is a licensed mental health therapist and IFS level 2 practitioner who specializes in using Internal Family Systems therapy to help people get to know their authentic selves and heal the parts of them that are stuck in the past. Natalie hosts That Wellness Podcast, a podcast that provides interesting IFS-related interviews and meditations for people who are doing healing work on their inner parts using IFS. 

Introducing Flying Higher Moments: A short little weekly insight into topics that are important to you. Today we talk about the parts of us that want to hang onto things in case we might need them AND the parts of us who think that's dumb. Let's talk about decluttering! 
Resources mentioned:

• All the Scary Little Gods
• Flying Free
• Flying Higher