Today on Anchored By the Podcast, I’m joined by Mary Bowden—dance educator, advocate, and the Executive Director and Founder of Dance Awareness: No Child Exploited.

Mary is also the founder of Soul to Sole Choreography and the author of Dance is Prayer in Motion, and this conversation is one every parent, caregiver, aunt, uncle, grandparent, and educator needs to hear.

We talk honestly about the growing trend of hyper sexualized children’s dance—why it’s not just a “dance issue,” but a mental health and public health issue. Mary explains how exposing children to adult sexuality before their brains and psychology are developmentally ready causes real trauma, confusion, and long-term harm.

As someone who danced as a child, I deeply resonated with Mary’s heart for healthy, age-appropriate movement—dance that integrates mind, body, and spirit and allows children to remain children.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The difference between healthy dance vs. harmful dance
• How culture, media, and competition have normalized inappropriate movement for kids
• Why adults must reclaim their role as the protective factor for children
• The connection between hyper sexualization and pornography culture
• Practical steps caregivers can take right now to protect and advocate for children
• Free tools, resources, and action steps available through Dance Awareness

Mary also shares the powerful moment that confirmed why this work matters—hearing from a young woman who didn’t realize the harm she experienced as a child until adulthood, and how it impacted her mental health and sense of self.

This episode is about awareness—but also hope. There are healthy dance studios. There are better options. And there are ways we can speak up respectfully, educate others, and protect the innocence and dignity of children.

Bio:

Dance educator and author Mary Bawden received a BA in modern dance from the University of California Riverside, a MA in worship (emphasis in dance) from Hope International University in Fullerton CA, and a California secondary teaching credential. Mary began choreographing dance within church services in 1994. In 2003, she founded Soul to Sole Choreography and released a book, Dance is Prayer in Motion, in 2016. Several years ago, Mary began to notice the culture around children’s dance moving toward an unhealthy trend: sexualizing children in adult-style costumes, sexually provocative choreography, and music with sexual content and/or themes. Many in the public arena have been slow to recognize this harmful form of child exploitation.

In 2016, she founded DA:NCE (Dance Awareness: No Child Exploited), a non-partisan organization, to create awareness through the collaboration of credible experts with excellent research to provide free evidence-based educational materials for dance educators, parents, and concerned adults, inside and outside the dance studio.

She has spoken at numerous conferences from NDEO (National Dance Educator’s Organization) to CESE(Coalition to End Sexual Exploitation) Summits in Washington DC. Mary has also been interviewed and written for a wide range of TV, podcast, and radio hosts. In 2019 one article she wrote received over 250,000 views (Read Article). Her organization offers many resources that have researched the damaging consequences of hyper-sexualizing children in dance.

Anchor Verses:

Romans 12:21

Ephesians 5:11

Connect with Mary:

Website: https://www.soultosolechoreography.org

DA:NCE Awareness: https://www.danceawareness.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/dance_awareness/

***We love hearing from you! Your reviews help our podcast community and keep these important conversations going. If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to leave a review. Just head to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and share your thoughts—it’s a simple way to make a big impact!***

In today’s episode of the Anchored By the Sword podcast, I’m joined by author, content creator, and all-around kind soul Hillary Phillips, to talk about her devotional My Brain While Reading the Bible—and let me tell you, I have never felt more seen.

If you’ve ever opened your Bible with the best intentions… only for your thoughts to immediately go everywhere else, this conversation is for you.

Hillary shares her powerful freedom journey—growing up in a home marked by alcoholism and abuse, navigating trauma, depression, grief, and eventually discovering healing through therapy, faith, and learning how to practically apply Scripture to real life. We talk openly about CPTSD, mental strongholds, and what it really means to “take our thoughts captive” without shame.

This episode is a reminder that two things can be true at once:
👉 You can love God deeply and still struggle
👉 You can be healing and joyful
👉 You can be faithful and human

We also dive into:

• Why comparison (especially on social media) steals our joy and calling

• Learning to stay in your God-given lane

• Walking with God through grief, including the loss of a loved one

• Hillary’s work with young women coming out of human trafficking and how God meets us in the hardest places

• How curiosity, imagination, and humor can help us engage Scripture in a life-giving way

Hillary’s devotional invites readers to see the people of the Bible as real humans—full of doubt, personality, fear, courage, and questions—while pointing us back to a faithful God who meets us right where we are.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• “Am I doing something wrong in my faith?”

• “Why does my brain work like this when I read the Bible?”

• “Is there freedom for someone like me?”

This episode is for you.

Bio:

Hillary Caitlyn Phillips is a social media influencer, content creator, actress, writer, and woman after God’s heart! She loves to uplift and encourage others through entertainment and prays that everything she creates brings joy and healing to others. She has voiced in animated projects, including The Big Blue Book and A Garden Cartoon Movie: The Greatest Thing Ever!

Anchor Verses:

Psalm 25:5

Psalm 33:18

Connect with Hillary:

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/whatsuphill

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Itshillarycaitlyn

IG: https://www.instagram.com/hillsofhope/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@itshillarycaitlyn

📖 Get the book: My Brain While Reading the Bible is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble (select locations or online), and ChristianBook.com.

***We love hearing from you! Your reviews help our podcast community and keep these important conversations going. If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to leave a review. Just head to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and share your thoughts—it’s a simple way to make a big impact!***

In this episode of Anchored by the Sword, I’m joined by author and pastor’s wife Whitney Lowe to talk about what it means to be pursued by God, even in the wilderness, even in the middle of pain, and even when we feel unworthy of being chosen.

Whitney’s new book, Called Back to Who You Are: Finding Yourself in the Wild Pursuing Love of God, releases next week, and it is deeply rooted in her own story—one that includes growing up in the church, quietly believing lies about her worth, walking through an eating disorder, and being met by God in a powerful way through the book of Hosea while on a mission trip in Turkey.

We talk about:

• What it looks like to be called back instead of cast away
• How God is gentle with us but ruthless with the things that hold us captive
• Why feeling unwanted is often an invitation to encounter God’s pursuit
• How revival begins when we understand we are deeply loved
• What it means to live like people who have been truly found

Whitney reminds us that the wilderness isn’t where God abandons us—it’s where He speaks tenderly and calls us back to Himself.

Bio:

Whitney Lowe is a Christian influencer who wants to see young women excited about God’s work: in the Bible, in history, in the world and in themselves. She writes and creates on Instagram at @whitneypiersonlowe, an account born from the realization that young women simply do not interact with the Bible enough to be changed by its truth. Whitney is passionate about disrupting the toxic scroll of social media with hope, peace, and light straight from Scripture.

She released her first devotional, Set Your Eyes Higher: A 40-Day Reset to Slow Your Anxiety and Fix Your Focus on God, in September 24. Her newest book, Called Back to Who You Are: Finding Yourself in the Wild, Pursuing Love of God, releases from Zondervan in January 2026.

Whitney grew up in Denver, Colorado, and graduated from Westmont College with a degree Religious Studies. She now lives in Colorado with her husband Tanner – who is a pastor and their three young children.

Anchor Verses:

Hosea 2:14

Hosea 5

John 10:10

Connect with Whitney:

Author Website: www.scribbledevos.com

Instagram: @whitneypiersonlowe

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scribbledevos

***We love hearing from you! Your reviews help our podcast community and keep these important conversations going. If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to leave a review. Just head to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and share your thoughts—it’s a simple way to make a big impact!***

In this deeply moving episode of Anchored by the Sword, I sit down with author and mama Joy Scott, whose story is marked by faith, loss, healing, and unwavering hope. Joy is the author of Flow: Keeping Your Heart Alive When Life Hurts, released this past September—a book born out of unimaginable pain and profound encounters with God’s presence.

Joy shares her powerful journey of walking through abuse, divorce, and the devastating loss of her four-year-old son, Joseph, to brain cancer. Through it all, she has learned how to keep her heart open, tender, and anchored in God instead of closing off in survival mode.

We talk about:

• What it means to truly guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23)

• How to stay connected to God in the middle of deep grief

• Why God is not the author of sickness or loss—and how His love carries us through

• How to process pain honestly without getting stuck in it

• Why forgiveness is about freedom, not forgetting

• How Psalm 139 gives us a blueprint for healing

Joy’s message is clear: your pain does not disqualify you—it becomes the place where God meets you.

Whether you’re walking through loss, betrayal, heartbreak, or just trying to survive a season that didn’t go the way you hoped, this episode will remind you that God is still near, still good, and still writing your story.

Bio:

Joy Scott is an author, speaker, and certified teacher. She carries a burning desire to influence those who are stuck by sharing her story and the obstacles she has overcome. Encouraging others to obtain healing, freedom, and purpose is her life message. Joy resides outside New Orleans with her husband and two sons.

Anchor Verses:

Isaiah 61

Proverbs 4:23

Psalm 139

Connect with Joy:

Website: https://www.joyscott.me

IG: https://www.instagram.com/joy_scott

FB: https://www.facebook.com/joyevettescott/

***We love hearing from you! Your reviews help our podcast community and keep these important conversations going. If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to leave a review. Just head to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and share your thoughts—it’s a simple way to make a big impact!***

In this episode of Anchored by the Sword, I’m joined by author, podcaster, and content creator Erica Gwynn to talk about the lies we believe—often without even realizing it—and how those lies quietly shape the way we see ourselves, God, and our purpose.

Erica’s book, That’s Just Not True: How to Replace the Lies You Didn’t Know You Believed with God’s Unchanging Truth, released in October, tackles 17 common lies that sound good on paper but don’t actually line up with Scripture. Together, we unpack how striving, perfectionism, people-pleasing, comparison, and cultural phrases like “I can do anything” or “manifest your dream life” can slowly pull us out of true partnership with God.

We talk honestly about:

• Freedom as an ongoing process, not a finish line

• Why limits are not failures, but part of God’s design

• How rejection by people can actually be redirection and protection from God

• The danger of manifesting apart from surrender

• What it looks like to dream with God instead of apart from Him

Erica also shares the Scripture that keeps her anchored in seasons of uncertainty and encourages listeners to give themselves grace—especially at the start of a new year.

This conversation is for anyone who feels tired of striving, overwhelmed by comparison, or stuck believing things about themselves that God never said.

Bio:

Erica Ligenza Gwynn is an author, podcaster, coach, speaker, and content creator. She's the founder of Coming Up Roses, an online community rooted in the belief that while not everything in life is pretty, and every rose has its thorn, we can still honor our seasons and live in full bloom. Erica is building a wild and wonderful life in the Philadelphia area with her husband, Jamie, their two awesome kids, their cats Purrcy and Milo, and Lucy the Labradoodle.

Anchor Verses:

Connect with Erica:

Website: https://ericagwynn.com

Blog: https://cominguprosestheblog.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ericaligenza/

https://www.facebook.com/cominguprosestheblog

https://ericagwynn.com/podcast

***We love hearing from you! Your reviews help our podcast community and keep these important conversations going. If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to leave a review. Just head to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and share your thoughts—it’s a simple way to make a big impact!***

In this solo episode of Anchored by the Sword, I’m taking time to pause, reflect, and thank God—and you—for all He has done in 2025, while also looking ahead to where He’s leading in 2026.

Before we talk numbers, goals, or plans, I want to say thank you. Thank you for listening faithfully, for tuning in when you can, and for trusting me and my guests with your time. God has been on the move—within this ministry and in my own life—and I believe He wants to meet you right where you are too.

In this episode, I share highlights from the past year including first-time experiences, unexpected opportunities, growth in ministry and community, and personal healing. From hosting our very first women’s workshop, to speaking events, book signings, TV interviews, travel, and even stepping into the world of film and television as an extra—2025 was full of moments I never could have planned on my own.

I also open up about personal milestones: completing counseling, deepening friendships at church, family celebrations, and learning—again and again—that grief, healing, and growth are not linear.

As we look toward 2026, I share what I’m choosing to leave behind, what I’m leaning into, and the three themes God has clearly placed on my heart: peace, purpose, and provision.

In This Episode, I Share:

• A recap of how God moved through Anchored by the Sword in 2025

• Highlights from speaking, travel, workshops, media, and book events

• Personal growth, counseling, and the importance of using God-given tools

• What I’m choosing to leave in 2025—and what I’m leaning into in 2026

• Ministry and personal goals centered on peace, purpose, and provision

This episode is an invitation—to reflect, to release, and to ask God what He wants to do next in your life.

2026 Anchor Verses:

Lamentations 3:24

Isaiah 43: 18-19

Hebrews 6:1

Connect with Gina and Anchored by the Sword:

Website: https://www.anchoredbythesword.org

Email: gina@anchoredbythesword.org or connect@anchoredbythesword.org

***We love hearing from you! Your reviews help our podcast community and keep these important conversations going. If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to leave a review. Just head to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and share your thoughts—it’s a simple way to make a big impact!***

In this episode of Anchored by the Sword, I’m joined by author, speaker, and former corporate executive Ava Pennington to talk about what it truly means to flourish—not by striving harder, but by surrendering more deeply to the Holy Spirit.

Ava shares her journey from the corporate world to full-time writing and teaching, her powerful testimony of faith shaped over decades, and the sacred grief of losing her husband of 40 years to cancer. With honesty and wisdom, she reminds us that grief is not linear, seasons change, and God remains our anchor through it all.

We dive into her newest book, Flourish: Grace-Centered Practices to Protect and Grow a Fruitful Life in Christ, and unpack the Fruit of the Spirit—why we often feel like we “don’t have enough,” and how God grows fruit in us through surrender, not self-effort.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Leaving the corporate world to follow God’s call

• Walking through grief with hope and eternal perspective

• Why the Fruit of the Spirit is grown through surrender, not striving

• Recognizing seasons and giving ourselves grace within them

• Learning to draw strength from God instead of ourselves

This conversation is rich, grounding, and deeply encouraging for anyone navigating loss, calling, or a longing for deeper spiritual growth.

Bio:

Ava Pennington is an accomplished author, speaker, and Bible teacher whose previous work, Reflections on the Names of God, won third place in the 2023 Golden Scroll Awards. Her passion for helping believers live abundantly in Christ shines through in Flourish, making her an engaging guest for podcasts, radio shows, or written features.

Anchor Verses:

Proverbs 18:10

Ephesians 6:10

Connect with Ava:

Website: https://avapennington.com

FB: https://www.facebook.com/share/1By4whU6i9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

***We love hearing from you! Your reviews help our podcast community and keep these important conversations going. If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to leave a review. Just head to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and share your thoughts—it’s a simple way to make a big impact!***

On this episode of Anchored by the Sword, I’m so excited to introduce you to Debora Coty—speaker, author, and the voice behind the beloved Too Blessed to Be Stressed series that has sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

Debora shares her powerful story of stepping into writing later in life, obeying God’s nudge in unexpected seasons, and how humor, Scripture, and honesty became tools God used to bring healing—not just to others, but to her own heart.

We talk about what it looks like to follow God through deep loss, unanswered prayers, depression, and reluctant obedience—and how God’s presence meets us even when joy feels impossible.

Debora also opens up about her newest devotional, Bless Your Heart, the meaning behind the title, and how knowing the names and character of God carried her through grief, trauma, and heartbreak and how it can do the same for you!

Highlighted Takeaways

• You are never “too late” to step into God’s calling—obedience matters more than timing
• God’s presence, not answers, is what sustains us through pain
• Resisting “snark bait” and choosing kindness reflects Christ more than retaliation
• Scripture has the power to soften hardened hearts and restore hope

This conversation is full of wisdom, hope, laughter, and reminders that God is near—even when life feels overwhelming.

Bio:

Debora M. Coty is an events speaker, columnist, certified writing coach, and award-winning author of more than 40 inspirational books, including the bestselling Too Blessed to be Stressed series, with more than 2 million books sold in multiple languages worldwide. Debora is a diehard tennis addict and choco-athlete (that’s the step beyond chocoholic – she exercises just so she can eat more chocolate). Deb lives, loves, and laughs in central Florida with her longsuffering husband of 47 years, two grown children, five precocious grandbuddies, and Laz the Resurrection Dog (now that’s a story you must hear!).

Anchor Verses:

Psalm 46:1

Psalm 147:3

Ezekiel 36:26

Philippians 4: 6-7

Connect with Debora:

Website: https://deboracoty.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/deboracoty

FB: https://www.facebook.com/share/1G8WJGBx5H/?mibextid=wwXIfr

***We love hearing from you! Your reviews help our podcast community and keep these important conversations going. If this episode inspired you, challenged you, or gave you a fresh perspective, we’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to leave a review. Just head to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen and share your thoughts—it’s a simple way to make a big impact!***