She's In The City By Nasheville

Leanna Ellington grew up what she calls a “couch potato kid.” From a young age she was overweight, even attending her first Weight Watchers meeting at just 8 years old. As a young adult, after years under the control of diet mentality and chronic shame, her whole life revolved around how she looked and what she ate.  Can’t all of us identify with this toxic struggle to enjoy food but also stay thing and look how our inner critics tell us we should look?? Well, near the end of her college years, Leanne hit a breaking point. She did a drastic diet and lifestyle overhaul and lost nearly 1/3 body weight (about 100 pounds) in her early 20s. From there forth, she operated under a “results rollercoaster," leaving her more fit than she’d ever been but also victim to a self-rejecting relationship with her body and habits of disordered eating.  After several years of nutritional and biological education, teaching, and even starting her own “Not your average bootcamp” business at home in Orlando, Leanne found the body s

In our third “behind the scenes” look at NaSHEville’s three missions, this week we hear all about Brooke’s personal adoption story of her daughter, Louie. Her, at times heartbreaking, but ultimately overwhelmingly joyous journey to and through adoption gives us insight into all the “birth pains” that this process demands. And while data estimates around 60% of Americans have had some sort of experience related to adoption, many of us still know all too little about the process. Here are some basic stats: In the United States alone, 135,000 children are adopted every year. Each day there are around 430,000 children in foster care. A typical agency Home Study can take roughly about 6-8 weeks to complete. The full adoption process can take from 12 months to many years. The costs for all facets of adoption services can range from $5,000-$50,000+ depending on a number of circumstances. With all these variables and uncertainties, many families are left wondering: can we really do this? Even if we feel called towa

Though many of you have followed NaSHEville and She’s in the City for a while now, for both our long-term friends and our new ones, we want to spend some time taking a deeper look at the missions closest to our heart: trafficking victims, widows, and orphans and vulnerable children. This week the host becomes the guest, and Mattie shares her story of growing up in the spotlight and how her family’s platform enabled her to speak publicly about the tragic loss of her husband, Ben. From the first days of building NaSHEville, widows have been on our hearts, because Scriptures reveals over and over again how close they are to God’s hearts: “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17 “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27 What many don’t know is that Mattie’s husband accident happened after

Though many of you have followed NaSHEville and She’s in the City for a while now, for both our long-term friends and our new ones, we want to spend some time taking a deeper look at the missions closest to our heart: trafficking victims, widows, and orphans and vulnerable children. This week we sit down with Leslie Eiler Thompson, who works with End Slavery Tennessee and hosts their podcast, Someone Like Me. As our primary partner for human trafficking, End Slavery has been a pivotal pioneer in not just the local, but also the national, fight against trafficking, a term in and of itself that wasn’t even used or recognized until the last decade. Because of their work alongside many other advocate groups, sex trafficking is now legally defined as:   any commercial sex act that involves force, fraud, or coercion or the exchange of value; and ALL commercial sex acts involving minors End Slavery not only fights for victims’ rights by way of national policy and legislation reform, but they are also the first po

For the third and final week of our mini-series on Christian sexuality, we get the inside scoop from Hayley Thoen on her “backwards” journey to find faithful sexuality. We know Hayley from her role in the recent Netflix series, Marriage or Mortgage (episode 7), where she and her then fiancé, Andrew, are vocal about their choice to live separately in order to keep from having sex until they’re married. So, to be on a show where you either get to choose a dream home or dream wedding, you’d think the choice to hurry up and get married would be pretty easy, right?  Well, no spoilers here, so go watch the show or listen to this episode to see what they picked. What you won’t find on the show though is the crazy and courageous journey Hayley and Andrew took to arrive at their choice for abstinence until marriage. While the show suggests they had been waiting for marriage from the start of their relationship, Hayley tells us quite a different story.   Their timeline goes like this: February 2016 – they meet August

Kat Harris is a podcaster, author, and full-time photographer in New York City. Ten years ago, she launched her account, The Refined Woman, which began as a style blog for those seeking fashion advice by way of her work in the NYC fashion world. But with time, Refined Woman turned into a much more personal platform, where she began sharing the ups and downs of her dating life as a Christian woman, saving sex for marriage, in a world of hook-up culture. From there she has gained a tremendous following, with women all over the world coming to her for dating advice, encouragement, and a safe place to break the shame and isolation that we often experience as Christian women surrounding sex and sexuality. Her first book, Sexless in the City: A Sometimes Sassy, Sometimes Painful, Always Honest Look at Dating, Desire, and Sex, released April of this year, addresses everything you can imagine about what God and Scripture have to say about sex and how she found her ultimate “why” to stay committed to a sexless life in

This week we are about to get crazy, y’all. We’re diving into a quick mini-series on the ultimate taboo yet most universally human topic – sex. No, not the mechanics of it or politicized issues surrounding sex and sexuality, but we want to take a fresh look at what God intends for sex and sexuality. Why? Because we love God, and sexuality and sexual desire is something that every single human being experiences on the reg!   In her book, Talking Back to Purity Culture: Rediscovering Faithful Christian Sexuality, Rachel Joy Welcher steps up to the plate and does a beautiful job tackling what is biblically true about sex. She also dives into ideas and messages, that though well-intended and based on scripture, were mistaught, misapplied, and ultimate mislead millions of youth over the past several decades of Christian “purity culture.”  What led her on this daunting public journey to rediscover true Christian sexual ethics? She herself was a product of the “true love waits” movement of the 90s and early 2000s,

“MY WHOLE LIFE I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A RISK TAKER. WHICH MEANS, WITHIN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, IT’S NOT REALLY THAT RISKY. IF GOD’S LEADING YOU, THERE’S ADVENTURE ON THE OTHER END OF THOSE LEAPS OF FAITH.” BE THE VESSEL For Beth Guckenberger and her husband, much of that adventure began in Mexico, where they lived and raised a family for 15 years. “WHAT WE KNEW FOR SURE IS THAT WE WANTED AN UNCONVENTIONAL LIFE.” When the couple felt what Beth described as “a magnetic force toward something they couldn’t see but couldn’t deny” – the pull of the Holy Spirit – they pulled all of their savings and went to Mexico with the goal of serving orphans and vulnerable children. Did they have a plan? Sure. Though it was anything but complete blueprint. Did they have funds? Sure. But only to last them one year. Since their move over 25 years ago, Beth and her husband have launched Back2Back Ministries, which has grown into an international non-profit serving orphans, vulnerable children, and the communities in which they live. Today

Just as so many of you are, Courtney Burg is a season of life that often feels, as she has coined it, like “mombo jombo.” As a writer, PhD student, and mom of four, her days are filled with all the beautiful, exhausting, messy blessings that mom-life has to offer. But over the past several years, her work and her message has gone far beyond just the mom-blog sphere. Courtney shares with us how at five months into marriage, she finally addressed an alcohol and pill addiction she’d been battling for years, and with kind help from her husband, went to rehab. Writing and journaling quickly became a crucial part of her sobriety journey, and the tender words she originally wrote to heal herself are now actively helping to heal others – not just from substance addiction, but from the addictions of busyness, achievement, and a consuming desire to feel needed by others. Even in her sobriety, Courtney still felt burdened by deep shame, and as she started unpacking that shame with others (personally and on Mombo Jombo b

If there’s ever been a year to turn our understanding of work, of faith, and in many ways, of life in general upside down, it’s been this past one. Many are out of employment, furloughed, or working hours on end at home. For some of us, we’ve jumped more fully into the arms of the Lord, but for some, we’re doubting his goodness more than ever. As women, as a nation, and as a world, we have found ourselves in an uncomfortable, prolonged IN-BETWEEN PLACE.  So, what better She’s in the City guest this week than two-time author, Bible teachers, speaker, and entrepreneur/businesswoman, Kat Armstrong, whose latest book, released January 2021, explores just that. It’s entitled The In-Between Place: Where Jesus Changes Your Story. She brings just the prayer and the perspective and the encouragement we need as continue headlong into this next year.  In the book Kat dives right into the in-between places we all face – places of doubt, pain, uncertainty, waiting, shame, you name it! She walks us through the story of a

Have you ever felt like you were moving forward yet nagged by a sense that you were driving in the wrong lane? You can see success and measure progress, but the farther you go, the more you begin to realize, “Maybe I want to be going a different direction?” If so, this week’s guest knows just how you feel, and her story of professional and personal re-routing and resilience is exactly what you need to hear, so you can make whatever life U-turn you’re nervous to make.  Singer songwriter, Brit Taylor, came to Nashville thirteen years ago from her home in eastern Kentucky. Country music was her past, present, and as she knew from an early age, it was going to be her future. So, she did the tough, boots-on-the-ground work, playing bars on Broadway for ten years while completing her music business degree and juggling a budding career as a songwriter.  Though she was thrilled to be paid to write music as a young 20-something, the publishing company she’d signed with “strongly suggested” she pursue playing with a ba

I’m not broken, I’m not done I get up more than I’m knocked down Put myself right back the way I was found I have scars, you know I’ve sinned But they’re just souvenirs from where I’ve been The cracks just let the light come in, I’m not broken Who else feels like this is their mantra?? Maybe from a sickness or anxiety or the aftermath of 2020’s disruption and uncertainty? Maybe you’re grieving a friendship or the loss of a marriage like this week’s guest, Sarah Jane Nelson? Either way, hear us say – YOU’RE NOT BROKEN! You’re not done! Sarah Jane knows this painfully hopeful refrain all too well and the fingerprints of her own story of heartbreaking infidelity and divorce are all over her album released June of 2020, I’m Not Broken. “I had been telling other people’s stories [for a long time],” Sarah Jane tells us referring to her years of performance on Broadway, “and now I’m telling my own. And I’ve got some pretty big dreams for it.”  As a forty-year-old single mom with two kids, Sarah Jane is the picture

I could not think of a better topic to re-start She’s in the City in 2021 than: STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP AND TAKE BACK YOUR JOY! “Wow,” you’re probably thinking, “that’s exactly how I’m feeling. But how on earth do I do that??”  Well, psychologist, life coach, and best-selling author, Valorie Burton, is here to tell us. Her most recent book, Let Go of the Guilt, gives us practical insight on how to do just that. She’s a 13-time author whose work is a combination of research, faith, and personal transparency, and we love her. Throughout her career, she’s focused much of her research and teaching on resilience, happiness, and guiding people into their greater potential, and GETTING UNSTUCK!  The reason she wrote the book? She feels guilty too! Why? Because we all do!! All the time!  “The catalyst for the book was truly the feeling of this consistent heavy sigh I felt from most of the women in my life – and felt myself,” Valorie says.  We all live with guilt for different reasons – a heavy, shameful, sometimes e

Ever wondered what it’s like inside the grueling tryouts and competitions of American Idol? This week on She’s in the City, we get the inside scoop from Season 18 contestant, Lauren Mascitti. This girl is as talented and genuine as they come, and in being raised by her beloved grandparents was indoctrinated into gospel and classic country music from a young age. Much like us she loves Dolly, Patsy, Crystal Gayle, Linda Ronstadt, and Dawn Sears of The Time Jumpers, which she encourages all of us to check out. She gives us inside scoops on Nashville’s hallmark Station Inn and shares what great power she believes sorrowful ballads hold in breaking isolation and healing our heartaches. E.g. her own Ballad of a Broken Heart and Losing My Mind. "I'm an old soul," Lauren admits, "and everything I really love tends to come from a time that's before my own." But how did all this nostalgic sound and songwriting go over on American Idol, you wonder? Well as many of us remember, Lauren’s surge toward success came on the

DO NOT MISS THIS WEEK’S PODCAST INTERVIEW!   Why? Because I personally follow, love, and applaud this bold, direct, honest woman of faith. Blake Guichet is the founder and voice of Confessions of a Crappy Christian podcast. She loves Jesus, people, tough conversations, and alliteration (see podcast title), and we sit down to talk about all the things “good Christians” aren’t supposed to. Guess that’s why we’re crappy, huh? When Blake got into podcasts several years ago, she found a lack of content for Christian women who wanted to discuss traditionally taboo issues. There were plenty of somewhat polished, fluffy, women’s ministry options, but none that talked about the tough issues that we face in real day to day life. Her approach?  “If you can’t find it, make it,” she tells us. She wanted the conversations she was already having in inner circles to be had in public circles. Crappy Christian was her opportunity to lead honest conversations among Christian women and connect with them about things the Church

How many times per day do we scroll? And how many times after scrolling, do we walk away feeling lifted up, full of life, and grateful for all our abundant blessings? I’d say not nearly as often as we walk away with our heads hung and minds spinning around everything others have that we don’t. The ways others are built or dressed better than us. The amount of time others have to exercise or play or travel. The fact that others have a happy family or, on the flip side, singleness, and freedom. As much as we’d like to believe comparison and envy slow down after our teenage years, they don’t. The plaguing tendency to stare at someone else’s grass and obsess about how green it is follows us through every stage of life. Body image, relationships, parenting, careers, financial situations – the list of how we measure ourselves against others is endless. And what’s worse is that we all live in a world where everything is public. Everything is posted. Everything is followed and shared and liked or disliked. How are we

How many times per day do we scroll? And how many times after scrolling, do we walk away feeling lifted up, full of life, and grateful for all our abundant blessings? I’d say not nearly as often as we walk away with our heads hung and minds spinning around everything others have that we don’t. The ways others are built or dressed better than us. The amount of time others have to exercise or play or travel. The fact that others have a happy family or, on the flip side, singleness and freedom.   As much as we’d like to believe comparison and envy slow down after our teenage years, they don’t. The plaguing tendency to stare at someone else’s grass and obsess about how green it is follows us through every stage of life. Body image, relationships, parenting, careers, financial situations – the list of how we measure ourselves against others is endless. And what’s worse is that we all live in a world where everything is public. Everything is posted. Everything is followed and shared and liked or disliked.   How are

This week we’re having some real talk with one of NaSHEville’s favorite gals, Lexy Burke. Her list of credentials runs long, but where we love to see her fingerprints is in her work as videography as well as her self-appointed role as a “serial tipper.” Among other things we talk all about embracing life’s propensity for surprise and new opportunities as well as living from a place of generosity and how powerful the simple act of random giving can be. This woman’s energy and why-not approach to life began with a “failed” acting career in her early twenties, a disappointment that ended up leading her to an unexpected passion for, degree in, and career in videography. “Letting go of an old dream in order to pursue something new can be the coolest thing ever,” she tells us. “It’s totally okay to have multiple dreams.” Haven’t we all lived this at some point? Especially in a year of such uncertainty and change. What has stalled you or felt like a failure this year that could be leading you into a new place in l

What is unlocked? Every piece of our jewelry is made by a woman transitioning out of homelessness, using recycled materials to bring you jewelry that's better for people and the planet. ALEXIS COOK, CO-FOUNDER We love when beautiful things are used for beautiful reasons. Like handmade jewelry that employs and supports Nashville’s homeless. On this episode of She’s in the City, we sat down with Alexis Cook, Co-Founder of Unlocked Nashville, a social enterprise jewelry company that employs people transitioning out of homelessness. That’s right, not only do the company’s funds company go toward securing wages, housing, careers, community, and confidence for Nashville’s homeless, but the actual hands behind the product and names on the payroll have been hired off the streets and set in motion for hope of a better future.  A Nashville native with compassion for humanity and compulsion to initiate change, Alexis launched Unlocked last year, her senior year as an undergrad at Vanderbilt, at age 22. She’d studied hum

As believers we hear statements all the time that sound nice on paper but feel so difficult to live out. Speak the truth in love. Show a little grace. Hate the sin, love the sinner. But how can these ways of living that often feel contradictory play out together in real time? How do we live for and stand up for what Jesus teaches without being a jerk? How do we love with open arms those who are living far outside the bounds of biblical truth without condoning their choices? How do we live with a balance of Jesus’s truth and Jesus’s grace? As believers one of biggest battles we face with culture is that society doesn’t seem to embrace the “both/and” concept. It no longer sits well in a generous grey area when addressing dissention, disagreement, or ultimately any kind of opposing perspectives. It’s an us vs. them culture. We are politicized and polarized in every way. And one of my greatest grievances is that both secular and Christian culture now seem to expect a partisan vote from believers too. “Are you a g