Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of loss (death of a spouse), alcohol use, and eating disorders (anorexia + bulimia). Please use discretion as you listen.

In this inspiring episode of Echos of Impact, Briana Gray and Cherise Thompson sit down with Heather Palmer—Kansas City local, yoga teacher, and author of Gold-In Cracks—for an honest conversation about resilience, surrender, and what it looks like to let God meet us in the hard places.

Heather shares her story of getting married young, walking through her husband's cancer journey, and becoming a widow with a one-month-old baby. From there, she opens up about the quiet ways shame can keep us stuck, the numbing patterns so many of us default to, and the healing that begins when we stop running and start surrendering.

Together, we talk about the beauty of kintsugi (repairing broken pieces with gold), and how God doesn't waste our cracks—He can fill them with light, strength, and purpose.

• Heather's journey through loss, grief, and rebuilding her life

• The "bad theology" of believing: "If I'm good, life will be good"—and what Scripture actually says about suffering

• How shame keeps us stuck, and why grace + compassion are what pull us out

• Numbing, distraction, and the invitation to actually feel what we've been avoiding

• The powerful metaphor of kintsugi—highlighting the cracks instead of hiding them

• Living in the "eye of the storm": boundaries, peace, and what's actually your job to carry

• Breath as a spiritual practice—and why it matters more than we think

• Encouragement for anyone who feels like they're "too far gone" to rebuild

• "Our purpose is to constantly redirect ourselves back in and refine who we are… to be in alignment with God."

• "The darkness isn't in the way. The darkness is the way."

• "Shame keeps me stuck. Grace and compassion is what pulls you out."

• "Everything inside the circle is my job. Everything outside the circle is not my job."

• "Maybe the cracks aren't flaws in our story—maybe the cracks are the story."

• "You can rebuild from anything. The moment you pair with God, you can rise again."

• Follow Heather on Instagram: @heather8888

• Grab her book, Gold-In Cracks: Available on Amazon

• Heather is local to Kansas City (Lee's Summit area) and welcomes listeners to come to a yoga class—reach out to her on Instagram to connect.

Where have you been trying to avoid the hard—when God might be inviting you to walk through it with Him?
Come tell us on Instagram, or share inside our Facebook group. 💛

Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/echos_of_impact/
Life Coaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewomanssuccesscode/
Echos of Impact Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/echosofimpact

Interested in joining The Woman's Success Code?
https://echosofimpact.vipmembervault.com/home

Ready for a fresh start? Schedule your complimentary Life Audit with Briana:
https://calendly.com/echosofimpact/complimentary-life-audit?month=2024-12

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to follow the podcast and leave a review. It truly helps us keep sharing stories like Heather's—stories that remind us we're not broken… we're becoming.

Until next week, friends! 💛

In this powerful and deeply moving episode of Echos of Impact, Briana sits down with Amber Keller—follower of Jesus, wife, mom of three girls, writer, and coordinator of a women's prison ministry—to talk about purpose, obedience, and what it really means to follow Jesus into hard and holy places.

Amber shares her story of growing up as a missionary kid in Peru during years of terrorism, navigating identity and faith after returning to the U.S., and experiencing God's tender pursuit during a season of wandering. That journey ultimately led her into prison ministry—an unexpected calling that has shaped her faith, her understanding of the Church, and her view of worship itself.

Together, Briana and Amber explore how God redeems every part of our story, why serving "the least of these" is central to the gospel, and how proximity—not perfection—is often what Jesus is inviting us into.

• Living on purpose: Why purpose is about connecting people to God and to one another

• Growing up between worlds: How Amber's missionary upbringing shaped her faith and identity

• Wilderness seasons: God leading us into the desert—and speaking tenderly there

• What prison ministry really looks like: Trauma-informed discipleship, emotional safety, and long-term transformation

• When God shuts a door: Being called to ministry just hours before the prison closed for COVID

• Redeemed skills: How Amber's Spanish and linguistics background launched a Spanish reentry program

• The least of these: Why Matthew 25 includes those who are incarcerated

• Belonging and reentry: The power of saving someone a seat at the table

• "Smelling like smoke": Why worship is not the end—it's the preparation to go into the darkness with the light of Christ

• "My purpose is to connect people to God, and connect them to each other."

• "Their journey to prison starts way before they're ever in the backseat of a police car."

• "Broken people don't need a meme. They need a friend."

• "Jesus didn't stay clean or safe. He gave Himself—up close."

• "I think we are supposed to smell like smoke."

• Matthew 25:40–45 – Serving Jesus through serving "the least of these," including those in prison

• Hosea – God leading us into the desert and speaking tenderly to us

• Amber's Website: https://highnoonatthewell.com

• Amber's Blog: https://willnotbetaken.com

How is God inviting you to move closer—to step into places that might feel uncomfortable, messy, or unfamiliar?
Share your thoughts with us on Instagram or inside our Facebook community.

• Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/echos_of_impact/

• Life Coaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewomanssuccesscode/

• Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/echosofimpact

• Interested in joining The Woman's Success Code?
  https://echosofimpact.vipmembervault.com/home

• Ready for a fresh start? Schedule your complimentary Life Audit with Briana:
  https://calendly.com/echosofimpact/complimentary-life-audit?month=2024-12

Final Notes:
If this episode challenged or encouraged you, please follow the podcast and leave a review. Your support helps us continue sharing stories that point people back to Jesus and invite us all to live with greater purpose.

Until next week, friends 💛

In this honest and reflective episode of Echos of Impact, Cherise and Briana sit down for a behind-the-scenes conversation about something many Christians wrestle with—but don't always name: the difference between being busy for God and actually bearing fruit.

We talk about how easy it is to slip into checklist Christianity—doing all the "right" things, staying involved, showing up faithfully—while still missing the deeper intimacy God is inviting us into. This episode gently challenges the idea that fruit can be forced through effort, discipline, or religious activity, and instead points us back to what Scripture teaches: fruit is the natural result of abiding in Christ.

Together, we explore how the fruit of the Spirit grows slowly over time, why Scripture about "fruit" is often misused as a measuring stick for others, and how God calls us first to examine our own hearts—not manage appearances.

This conversation is for anyone who feels spiritually tired, stuck in self-effort, or unsure how to discern healthy fruit in their own life or relationships.

• The difference between being busy for God and bearing fruit

• Why fruit cannot be forced through behavior or performance

• How abiding in Christ leads to lasting heart transformation (Galatians 5:22–23)

• Why the "fruit" Scripture is meant for discernment—not judgment

• Recognizing patterns of healthy vs. unhealthy fruit over time

• How repentance, humility, and a contrite heart reveal true spiritual growth

• Navigating relationships when words and actions don't align

• A simple way to recognize conflict responses: avoiding, blaming, or choosing compassion

• Practical ways to abide in Christ during seasons of exhaustion, burnout, or uncertainty

• Why abiding doesn't erase your personality—it refines and strengthens it

"Fruit isn't something we produce by trying harder—it's something God grows in us when we abide in Him."
"You can be doing all the 'right' things and still miss the intimacy God is inviting you into."
"Apart from Him, we can do nothing—but with Him, everything changes."

• Galatians 5:22–23 — The fruit of the Spirit

• Galatians 5:19–21 — The works of the flesh

• John 15:5 — Abiding in the vine

• Matthew 7:1–2 — Judging and discernment

• Luke 10:25–37 — The Good Samaritan

• Matthew 5–7 — The Sermon on the Mount

Have you ever realized you were busy for God but not actually abiding with Him?
What does abiding look like in your current season?

Share your thoughts with us on Instagram or in our Facebook group—we love hearing how God is working in your life.

📸 Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/echos_of_impact/
📸 Life Coaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewomanssuccesscode/
👥 Echos of Impact Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/echosofimpact

✨ Interested in joining The Woman's Success Code?
Grow in faith, purpose, and community here:
https://echosofimpact.vipmembervault.com/home

✨ Ready for a fresh start?
Schedule your complimentary Life Audit with Briana:
https://calendly.com/echosofimpact/complimentary-life-audit?month=2024-12

Final Notes:
We'd also appreciate your prayers for Briana's daughter, Nora, as their family navigates upcoming medical appointments.

If this episode encouraged you, would you take a moment to follow the podcast and leave a review? Your support helps us continue sharing conversations that invite women into deeper faith, freedom, and intimacy with God.

Until next week, friends. 💛