In this edition of Coffee Chat, hosts Amber and Lisa welcome Christina Custodio, a professional photographer, author, and speaker, to share her powerful story of faith during a family crisis. Christina recounts the harrowing experience of her son Isaiah's sudden severe brain hemorrhage during football practice, the emergency surgery that saved his life, and their road to recovery. Through this ordeal, Christina discusses the depth of her reliance on God, the support of her community, and the lessons in faith, trust, and resilience that she and her family learned. This heartfelt conversation delves into the emotional, spiritual, and practical challenges of navigating a life-changing event while maintaining hope and joy.

00:00 Welcome to Coffee Chat
00:07 Introducing Christina Custodio
00:58 Christina's Journey into Writing
02:06 A Mother's Worst Nightmare
06:38 The Miraculous Recovery
09:14 Life After the Surgery
10:28 Balancing Family and Faith
18:50 The Impact on Siblings
20:30 Supporting Each Other Through Difficult Times
21:09 Finding Joy in Helping Others
22:49 Lessons in Reliance on God
27:06 The Power of Prayer and Letting Go
32:34 Embracing Diversity and Unity in Faith
36:05 The Role of Pain and Suffering in Spiritual Growth
37:29 A Mother's Journey of Faith and Trust
39:53 Seeking and Feeling God's Presence

Thank you for taking the time to like, subscribe, share, and comment. Visit leadingladies.life to find out more. Also, follow @leadingladieslife on social. Amber & Lisa are authors of the multi-award-winning book, Leading Ladies: Discover Your God-Grown Strategy for Success, which dives into the power of community and empowering women of faith to rise up and make a difference, using our gifts and faith to shine brightly in the world. Watch the Facebook Live edition on our YouTube Channel @coffeechatladies .

From Award-Winning Novels to Highland Cows: A Conversation About Simplicity, Heirlooms, and Faith with Maureen Miller

Grab your favorite cup of coffee (or peppermint tea!) and settle in for this soul-stirring conversation with novelist and homesteader Maureen Miller, aka "the flower girl herself."

Amber and Lisa dive deep with Maureen about her award-winning time-slip novel Gideon's Book, but this chat goes way beyond just talking books. We're talking highland cows (yes, really), geriatric farms, greenhouse disasters involving white flies, and why sometimes you just need to eat box mac and cheese even when you're a homesteader.

From spinning wool with drop spindles to performing surgery on grandkids' stuffies, from the spiritual depth of farming to why handwritten notes still matter in our disposable world—this conversation will make you want to slow down, pull your grandma's china off the shelf, and remember what really matters.

Fair warning: This episode might make you want to grow potatoes in your backyard, write more letters, and definitely think twice before grabbing those paper plates. And if you've ever wondered what it costs to raise a highland cow or why a Bible survived a tornado on a piano... well, you'll just have to listen.

In this episode:

• The 16-year journey to write Gideon's Book (including starting completely over!)
• What homesteading really looks like (spoiler: it's not always Instagram-perfect)
• Why we need to be better stewards of the heirlooms God has given us—both the stuff AND ourselves
• Chiefs football, Taylor Swift speculation, and Leading Ladies 2.0 at Walmart!

Come for the book talk, stay for the life-giving reminder that sometimes the simple things are the most sacred things.

00:00 - Welcome & Kansas City Chiefs Love The girls kick things off with that Flower Girl song, football banter, and why Kansas City lets famous people live normal lives (we're looking at you, Travis and Taylor)

04:00 - Big Announcements: Leading Ladies is at Walmart! Amber and Lisa share exciting news about Leading Ladies 2.0 hitting Barnes & Noble and Walmart—produce aisle book signings, anyone?

05:00 - Meet Maureen Miller: Award-Winning Novelist & Homesteader Introducing the magnetic flower girl herself and the incredible story behind her award-winning debut novel, Gideon's Book

06:00 - The 16-Year Journey: From Whisper to Published Novel How God whispered "the Bible by the bed" in 2007, why Maureen started completely over, and what it took to bring this time-slip story to life

08:00 - What is Gideon's Book Really About? Time slips, Gideon Bibles in hotel rooms, adoptive mothers, birth mothers, and a beautiful tribute to how God's Word transforms lives

11:00 - Homesteading During COVID: Finding Silver Linings What life looked like on Selah Farm during lockdown, walking the country roads, and choosing gratitude in hard seasons

14:00 - The Reality of Homesteading (It's Not All Instagram Perfect) Overgrown greenhouses, white fly infestations, and why Maureen calls it a "geriatric farm"—spoiler: she's doing something right!

18:00 - How Much Does a Highland Cow Cost, Anyway? The real talk about raising cattle, why Amber can't fit one in h

Thank you for taking the time to like, subscribe, share, and comment. Visit leadingladies.life to find out more. Also, follow @leadingladieslife on social. Amber & Lisa are authors of the multi-award-winning book, Leading Ladies: Discover Your God-Grown Strategy for Success, which dives into the power of community and empowering women of faith to rise up and make a difference, using our gifts and faith to shine brightly in the world. Watch the Facebook Live edition on our YouTube Channel @coffeechatladies .

Life has been life'in, people, and we're back with a heart-to-heart that might just be the permission slip you've been waiting for.

In this episode, Lisa opens up about the reality of being a firstborn daughter turned lifelong caregiver—from raising younger siblings in the seventies to caring for her mom through cancer and brain surgery, and now navigating her dad's recent health crisis. If you've ever felt guilty for needing rest, struggled to say no, or wondered why everyone else's emergency becomes your responsibility, this conversation is for you.

Whether you're caring for aging parents, raising kids, managing chronic illness, or just trying to survive while being everyone's person, we hope this reminds you: God has broad shoulders for your burdens, and you don't have to carry it all alone.

Pour yourself a cup of something warm and join us.

Thank you for taking the time to like, subscribe, share, and comment. Visit leadingladies.life to find out more. Also, follow @leadingladieslife on social. Amber & Lisa are authors of the multi-award-winning book, Leading Ladies: Discover Your God-Grown Strategy for Success, which dives into the power of community and empowering women of faith to rise up and make a difference, using our gifts and faith to shine brightly in the world. Watch the Facebook Live edition on our YouTube Channel @coffeechatladies .