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. 💛

In today's episode of Echos of Impact, we sit down with Katharine Rose—writer, speaker, and host of the podcast Eternal Echoes—for a rich and deeply meaningful conversation about purpose, obedience, legacy, and listening closely to God's voice.

Katharine shares her personal journey through striving, wilderness seasons, delayed obedience, and surrender. She opens up about learning the hard way that just because something is good doesn't mean it's God, and how the Lord patiently redirected her when she tried to take control of the calling placed on her life.

We also dive into the heart behind Eternal Echoes, Katharine's ministry dedicated to amplifying the wisdom and faith stories of the older generation. Through powerful reflections, we explore how our culture often overlooks both single women and the elderly—and how God sees purpose, value, and calling very differently.

This episode is an invitation to slow down, gain an eternal perspective, and remember that as long as we're breathing, God isn't finished with us yet.

• What it really means to live out your purpose

• The difference between good opportunities and God-ordained direction

• Wilderness seasons as preparation—not punishment

• Releasing performance, striving, and false identity

• Singleness, surrender, and trusting God with unmet desires

• Why older generations often feel unseen—and why their wisdom matters

• The myth of "retirement" in God's Kingdom

• Legacy, obedience, and living with an eternal perspective

• How prayers and faith echo far beyond our lifetime

• You were created on purpose, with purpose, for a purpose

• God's timing is not delayed—even when it feels like it

• Purpose doesn't expire with age, season, or circumstance

• Obedience often comes one step at a time, not with a full blueprint

• Legacy is built through faithfulness, not visibility

• As long as you're here, God still has work for you to do

"You never retire in the Kingdom of God—you get refired for your next assignment."

🌐 Website: https://eternalechoesministry.com/
🎙️ Podcast & Ministry: Eternal Echoes
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eternalechoesministry/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eternalechoesministry/

Katharine is currently seeking guests age 65+ who have stories of faith, wisdom, and life experience to share.

How has God been reshaping your understanding of purpose in this season?
We'd love to hear from you—join us on Instagram or in our Facebook community.

📲 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 here:
https://calendly.com/echosofimpact/complimentary-life-audit?month=2024-12

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to follow and leave a review. Your support helps us continue sharing stories that point back to God's faithfulness.

Until next week, friends. 💛

Trigger Warning: In this episode, Lisa shares honestly about her journey with addiction, including substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and the emotional impact on her children and family. We encourage you to listen at your own pace and take care of your heart as you do.

In this powerful episode of Echos of Impact, Briana sits down with Lisa Herrington, a wife of 41 years, mom of four, grandmother of six, and now a Care & Compassion Pastor at Blue Oaks Church in California. Lisa's story is one of deep brokenness, radical honesty, and the life-changing grace of God meeting her in the darkest places.

Lisa opens up about her journey through childhood loss, early experimentation with alcohol, and a decades-long battle with addiction that shaped both her life and her family. But she also shares how God never stopped pursuing her — from a desperate moment in her garage to an unexpected call to ministry spoken at her mother's graveside. This conversation is raw, redemptive, and full of the kind of hope only God can write.

If you've ever wondered whether God can redeem your lowest moments… if He can restore what's been broken… or if He can still use your life for purpose — Lisa's story is a resounding yes.

✨ Lisa's early years — losing her father at age two, growing up in a single-parent home, and the ache she didn't have words for
✨ The beginning of addiction — a single moment at age 14 that offered escape… and the chase that followed
✨ The question that broke her — the turning point when her daughter asked, "Why do you love drugs and alcohol more than us?"
✨ Understanding addiction through a faith lens — powerlessness, shame, and how the church often misunderstands addiction
✨ The miracle of recovery — what changed in her heart during her fourth attempt at sobriety and how AA became a lifeline
✨ God's supernatural pursuit — from a friend who showed up at the exact right moment to an audible calling at her mother's graveside
✨ Her unexpected calling into ministry — how God opened doors she never could have imagined: funerals, senior centers, compassion ministry, and eventually becoming a licensed pastor
✨ Marriage and family redemption — navigating the years after sobriety, healing wounds with her daughters, and how God rebuilt what addiction tried to destroy
✨ Wisdom for those struggling — practical tools, spiritual rhythms, and grace-filled encouragement for anyone battling addiction or supporting someone who is

"The truth is what set me free — even when it broke me."

"I am powerless without God… but that's where His power began to change everything."

"God didn't move. He was there the whole time."

"I owe God everything. My life is more than I ever dreamed — only because of Him."

Blue Oaks Church: https://blueoakschurch.org
Follow Blue Oaks on Instagram: @blueoakschurch

How have you seen God redeem the broken places in your story? Share your thoughts with us on Instagram or inside our Facebook community!

Follow us on Instagram:
✨ Podcast: https://www.instagram.com/echos_of_impact/
✨ Life Coaching: https://www.instagram.com/thewomanssuccesscode/

Join our Facebook Group:
👉 Echos of Impact Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/echosofimpact

Interested in joining The Woman's Success Code? Discover how you can grow in faith, purpose, and community.
💛 Learn more: https://echosofimpact.vipmembervault.com/home

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

Don't forget to follow, rate, and leave a review. Your support helps us share more stories like Lisa's — stories of hope, healing, and God's beautiful redemption.

Until next week, friends! 💛

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of medical trauma, cardiac arrest, and near-death experiences. Please listen with care.

In this powerful episode of Echos of Impact, Cherise sits down with Kate, a Kansas City native, wife, mom of six in a blended family, nana of three, and women's Bible study leader. This conversation is tender, faith-filled, and full of the kind of perspective that only comes when God carries you through what should have been your final moments.

In June of this year, at just 44 years old, Kate suffered a sudden and life-threatening heart attack — the kind doctors call a "widowmaker." Her heart stopped. She coded. And yet… God said "not yet."
Her story is nothing short of miraculous.

Kate shares openly about the moments leading up to the heart attack, the peace she felt when everything went dark, and how the kindness of God sustained her through open-heart surgery, rapid healing, and the emotional processing that came after. She also shares how this experience transformed her marriage, deepened her trust in God, and clarified her purpose in this season of life.

Together, Cherise and Kate talk about what it means to release control, trust God with your children, and stay rooted in Scripture through every season — the ordinary, the overwhelming, and the holy.

• Kate's journey of faith from childhood through adulthood
  
  

• The day her heart suddenly stopped — and the miracle moments that followed
  
  

• How God used her husband's presence, EMTs, and timing in supernatural ways
  
  

• The healing process after emergency open-heart surgery
  
  

• The emotional tension of "I should have died… but God kept me here"
  
  

• Parenting adult children vs. raising a younger child again
  
  

• How this experience reshaped her marriage and her view of her husband
  
  

• Learning to love Scripture, discipleship, and the everyday faithfulness of walking with Jesus
  
  

• Seeing God's kindness in both crisis and the mundane
  
  

"I wasn't aware I was dying — I was only aware of God's peace. In the darkness, I just said, 'Okay God, it's me and You. What are we doing?'"

"God orchestrated every detail. If it wasn't my time, it wasn't my time — and nothing was going to stop His plan."

Kate leads women's Bible studies and serves in Care & Compassion Ministries at her church in Kansas City.

How has God met you in a moment you didn't expect?
Share your story with us on Instagram or inside our Facebook community!

Follow us on Instagram:
Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/echos_of_impact/
Life Coaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewomanssuccesscode/

Join our Facebook Group:
Echos of Impact Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/echosofimpact

Interested in joining The Woman's Success Code?
Discover how you can grow in faith, purpose, and community:
https://echosofimpact.vipmembervault.com/home

Ready for a fresh start or clarity in your next season?
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 and leave a review. Your support helps us continue sharing stories of God's goodness and everyday purpose.

Until next week, friends! 💛

In this heartfelt and restorative episode of Echos of Impact, Briana sits down with Emily Love—Kansas City native, event designer, and spiritual director in training—to talk about what it means to slow down and let God do the deeper work within us.

Emily shares her powerful story of burnout, slowing down, and learning that rest can be the hardest work of all. Through seasons of exhaustion, recovery, and healing—including a serious car accident that became a defining moment of surrender—Emily discovered that purpose isn't found in constant striving, but in being present with God right where our feet are.

Together, Briana and Emily explore what it looks like to release the pressure to perform, embrace gentleness toward our former selves, and "try softer" instead of trying harder. This conversation is a tender invitation to rest in the truth that we are already deeply loved, seen, and held by God—no earning required.

• Emily's journey from burnout to rest and recovery
  
  

• Learning to "host yourself" before hosting others
  
  

• The beauty of saying no to good things to say yes to God's best
  
  

• How to walk at the pace of grace rather than hustle
  
  

• Seeing purpose as presence—right where your feet are
  
  

• The freedom that comes when we "try softer" and release control
  
  

"The hardest work is rest work—surrendering to the reality that God's already at work."
"Be gentle with your former self. She was doing her best."
"You don't have to try harder. Sometimes God just asks us to try softer."

"Purpose starts where your feet are."

• Try Softer by Aundi Kolber — A powerful guide to healing, emotional awareness, and gentleness with yourself through God's grace.
  
  

• Three Mile an Hour God by Kosuke Koyama — A reflective classic on slowing down to walk with God at the pace of grace.

✨ Website: emilyloveevents.com
📧 Email: emily@emilyloveevents.com
📸 Instagram: @emilyloveevents
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/emilyloveevents
💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/emilyruthlove

How is God inviting you to slow down and "try softer" in this season?
Share your reflections with us on Instagram or in our Facebook community!

Follow us on Instagram:
🎧 Echos of Impact Podcast
🌿 The Woman's Success Code
Join our Facebook Group: Echos of Impact Community

🌼 Interested in joining The Woman's Success Code? Discover how you can grow in faith, purpose, and community. Learn more here!
✨ Ready for a fresh start? Schedule your complimentary Life Audit with Briana.

If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to follow and leave a review! Your support helps us continue sharing stories of faith, healing, and purpose—just like Emily's.

Until next week, friends 💛