Beautiful Brave Podcast

Join me this week as I chat with an amazing community leader in Sacramento, California: Rachelle Ditmore. She is the cofounder of City of Refuge Sacramento and lives and serves with her family in their neighborhood of Oak Park. In our conversation, we dig into what it means to intentionally love your neighbors and raise up the next generation of leaders. Rachelle and her husband, Loren, do this each day as they answer even the inconvenient knocks at their door, welcome women who have survived sex trafficking, boldly reclaim land in their community for God's use, and champion the dreams and concerns of their neighbors. The Ditmores are on a mission to create a neighborhood culture that mirrors heaven. Their stories of full commitment and faithfulness to seek God and listen to his leadership will inspire you as you listen. To find out more about City of Refuge and all the ways you can get involved with the Ditmores in Oak Park, Sacramento, hop on over to cityofrefugesac.com

In this episode, Sarah chats with an inspiring leader, Sosamma Samuel-Burnett, who is the Founder and President of G.L.O.B.A.L. Justice, an advocacy organization that connects agencies who are addressing important justice concerns with institutions, such as universities and churches, for the purpose of greater collaboration, awareness, and informed action. With great relevance for the new year, Sosamma shares with listeners some of the wisdom she's gleaned through her unique life experiences, leaving listeners with questions that can help us intentionally choose how to plug in or unplug from commitments in this new year. Addressing the challenge of leadership in a highly virtual context, Sarah and Sosamma also explore together the important ways we can view and utilize social media for memory sharing, maintaining relationships, and encouraging civil discourse in a rapidly changing world. We hope you'll grab a pen and paper along with your favorite hot beverage so you can settle in and take some notes to help

This week on the show, my guest is Ashlie Bryant, a leader who radiates light, positivity, humility, and a hunger to keep learning, noticing, and responding to the needs of the world around her. Her story of coming face to face with the darkness of human trafficking both overseas and here in the States is sobering. And even more notable is the journey she's taken in faithfulness to do something about human trafficking. The state of California and our education system are tangibly changed because of her leadership in this arena, and she shares deep insights that have shaped her leadership path along the way. I took away so much from this conversation, and I know you will too! Mentioned on the Show 3Strands Global Global Women's Leadership Network Stanford Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders                                    

Join me for my conversation with Glenna Anderson, LCSW. Glenna is a wife, a mom of two littles, a doctorate student, and a licensed clinical social worker with a vibrant social media presence and private practice called Therapy is a Lifestyle.  Her secret sauce is prayer and her story of God repeatedly giving her what is best rather than what she wants and calling her out of comfortable and into what is faithful inspired me to greater obedience and faith, too. You won't want to miss signing up to get her updates, including invitations to attend her upcoming Therapy is a Lifestyle workshop and the release or her 2018 edition of her day planner, Ms. Glenna's Little Black Book. (I know what I'm giving friends and family for Christmas!) Glenna is strategic, focused, and savvy in human development. Whether you're a young artist, and empty nester getting back to your dreams, a mompreneur, or a leader and change-maker anywhere in between, I know you will take something away from what Glenna shares.  

In today's episode, I am joined by Jan Kern as my co-host for a powerful conversation with a remarkable woman—Kim Fredrickson. Kim is a sought-after speaker, writer, and counselor with expertise in cultivating self-compassion in our lives. She is the author of Give Yourself a Break: How to Turn Your Inner Critic into a Compassionate Friend and a brand new book on self-compassion for parents, which comes out this November! Together, we explore what self-compassion really means, how it can alter our lives, and why it matters so much for leaders and parents in particular. Kim's story is unique in so many ways. Her insight into how to begin to entertain the idea of and practice self-compassion is also real, personal, and very practical both because of her 30-year counseling practice and because she is learning new layers of self-compassion now as she lives on oxygen support with a terminal disease. Her story provides amazing perspective on what really matters in life and how we can become one of our own greatest

In this second half of my conversation with the founder of The Glass Slipper, Jackie Guzman, we'll be talking about several aspects of non-profit leadership, including the importance of a diverse, multigenerational team, peer leadership, and what Jackie has learned about faithfulness and intentionality in her own leadership journey.  I especially love hearing what Jackie's learned about making a place for each volunteer and program graduate's leadership gifts. She empowers others in amazing ways and honors the variety of strengths God's created in each woman. Jackie also honors the importance of story. So many of us have a back story of healing and God's transformation that can give hope to sisters who are in other stages of their own healing journey. I have seen, year after year, how God plants hope in the girls' lives as they work with the women at Glass Slipper—they find a safe place to look to the future with great expectation, and they also find the courage to share parts of their past they haven't

In this episode, I chat with dear friend and inspiring community leader, Jackie Guzman. She takes us on a journey into her story that includes a season of brokenness and rebuilding that brought her face to face with a need and opportunity in the community she couldn't ignore. What's unfolded in the 20 years since is truly remarkable. You'll love her heart, her insight into preventing human trafficking, and how relevant and creative she is as she navigates the foster care system and empowers girls of all ages for resilience.   Mentioned on the Show   The Glass Slipper   Foster Care and Human Trafficking

 In this episode, I interview a very special guest who is central in my life—my mom, Jan Kern. Jan is an inspiring, peace-giving woman with a very deep soul. She's also a life coach, spiritual director, author, and speaker. I look up to her in so many ways! Jan and I have been on a crazy adventure of co-founding an organization that equips women change-makers: Voice of Courage. In this podcast, we get to explore how the dream for Voice of Courage first began in Jan's heart. We also dig into Jan's beautiful story, as she shares how God led her out of silencing experiences and back into a brave style of living that is led by God's spirit. She also offers some beautiful questions we can ask of Jesus, prayerful inquiries that posture us to go where he leads and move in directions that bring us closer to his heart. You won't want to miss the thought-provoking and Spirit-filled conversation that unfolds.   Mentioned on the Show Voice of Courage The Sound of a Million Dreams by Suanne Camfield The Pursui

In this episode, join me and two of my dear girlfriends for an honest and fun chat around my coffee table. These friends, Daphne and Shelby, will have a chance to respond to the stories I shared in the first episode on Safe and Authentic Friendship, and they'll share honestly from their personal journeys in friendship. I can't wait for you to hear what they have to say about their own friendships and the specific words of encouragement they have for you listeners. Honestly, it's the energizing, insightful conversations I have with my coaching clients, mentors, fellow leaders, and friends that first inspired me to podcast. I want to capture the beauty and invitations to bravery I encounter when I interact with the amazing women all around me. These conversations are too good to keep to ourselves. I hope this episode will ignite your courage to step out in your dreams and discover new ways to develop beauty in your relationships, too. Thanks so much for tuning in!       Mentioned on the Show IF:T

In this episode, Sarah shares how the Beautiful Brave podcast for women leaders and changemakers came to be and dives into the topic of safe and authentic friendships, painting three portraits of healthy friendships from seasons of pain, intentional friendships, and humorous yet formative experiences stretching as far back as junior high.