Today we are talking about the hot topics of fear & anxiety and the FREEDOM to be found from it with a sister in Christ who I have had the opportunity to walk in ministry with for a few years now, the founder of Fearless Unite, Christy Boulware. Here’s the deal ladies, I am never walking you into a conversation on fear and anxiety without showing you the door to freedom. I am passionate about the freedom found in Christ from crippling fear.  

First, though, we get into the nitty gritty of what fear and anxiety have done to us…what it may look like when they show up for you…and the very REAL feelings that accompany them that leave us feeling dark, hopeless, and broken. We break down what Christy calls “the superwoman struggle” many of us face in today’s culture and how it led her to the brink of suicidal thoughts.

But we don’t leave the story there because there’s freedom in Christ. Christy honestly shares what her nervous breakdown looked like and how the Lord used it to break her through to His truth! It’s our responsibility as your sisters in Christ to tell the WHOLE story. So, we dive into ways we can heal and the truth found both in God’s word and surrender to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And yeah, it’s not “easy” but it is simple…and today, more than anything, I hope through God’s light shining through Christy’s fight, that you see the possibility of experiencing FREEDOM from the fear and anxiety that’s haunting you.  

Christy Boulware is first a passionate follower of Christ. She is also wife to an incredible man named Troy and mom of three beautiful children. With a deep desire to set women and teens free from the chains of fear and anxiety, Christy founded and leads the not-for-profit organization, Fearless Unite. Through conferences, workshops, retreats, Bible studies, and devotionals, Christy speaks and writes about drastically decreasing the alarming statistics of anxiety in our world. 

I am so eager for you to meet my FEARLESS friend, Christy! Let’s dive in…

Christy’s IG: @christymboulware 

Fearless IG: @fearlessunite

Websites: christyboulware.com / fearlessunite.com 

Facebook facebook.com/christy.boulware facebook.com/fearlessunite

To purchase her book “Nervous Breakthrough”: https://www.christyboulware.com/book

To sign up for Christy's mentoring group, click here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIv80JNoGwlpmdLESaZPo412hTvJEZQqtJcNLTQfz76Yr6Yw/viewform?usp=send_form

Maria’s IG: @RiaRambles 

Take Part Foundation: Take-Part.org

As always to recommend a guest, email Sydney@LetYourFightShine.com.

I feel passionate about giving a voice to young people who fight lifelong medical battles.  We have had mothers on here in the past, and this week, I decided we needed to hear from one of those warriors herself.  We had the privilege of meeting her incredible mama, Abby, on episode two of this season, but it’s time we meet the warrior behind the mama! So, ladies, meet Aly Puckett - a fierce young woman who boldly shares with us her experience battling a lifelong condition, hydrocephalus, and how she refuses to let it dim God’s light in her life.  Even in her firm stance on her faith and how God is working in her story, Aly doesn’t shy away from sharing the darkness and anxiety that looms over her at times and how she works through that struggle.

We talk about what it’s like to be a “seemingly normal” college student and sorority girl battling an “invisible” looking yet life-threatening condition.  Aly breaks down how friends and family have played critical roles in her perspective on her life and how parents can support their kids facing battles like Aly’s.  

I cried and cheered re-listening to this episode myself because Aly radiates the glory of God with every word she speaks - and many of us who don’t struggle daily like her could benefit from hearing her praise God even in her fight.  Don’t miss this episode, friends.

Aly was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus when she was one year old, and has had 10 brain surgeries since then. Hydrocephalus is the overproduction or lack of draining of spinal fluid on the brain. And if you want to learn more, Aly loves educating others on this condition and fighting for those who walk this journey with her through the Hydrocephalus Association.  She is currently a senior at the University of Arkansas and will be graduating THIS MONTH! Go Aly! She is head over heels for her great dane, Vayda, and when she’s not with her pup, you’ll find her trying out new restaurants or cookin’ up something new. 

Don’t hesitate to reach out to Aly on social media - she LOVES connecting with others and sharing her story of God’s glory.

Okay y’all, it’s time to meet the bright and shining vessel of the Lord’s love and light, the sweet and brave, Aly Puckett!

Aly’s IG: @alypuckett

Hydrocephalus Association: https://www.hydroassoc.org/about-hydrocephalus/ 

American Heart Association: https://www.heart.org/ 

Maria’s IG: @RiaRambles 

Take Part Foundation: Take-Part.org

As always to recommend a guest, email Sydney@LetYourFightShine.com.

My friend Madi Gray is on the podcast today and y’all I am PUMPED.  This could be my most “different” episode in the sense that I wanted to provide Madi’s conversation as a resource for those of us in the “fight” to see how we can settle into the rest and restoration God has for us.  This is the convo we all need, or at least I did! And maybe you’ll get something out of it too ;)

Madi and I dig into her journey of shedding the expectations of living life as the world calls us to live it. We dig into how living outside of God’s expectations actually adds stress and overwhelm that we weren’t meant to carry in our souls, and how walking in heavenly expectations releases us to receive the joy and peace God has been giving us all along.  We introduce some tangible and practical things you can do today to begin walking that way - small adjustments you can make to restore simplicity in a world that wants to overcomplicate your human experience.  I truly believe this convo could be the catalyst for many of us to walk in the freedom God has already established in our lives.

So ladies, let’s dig in. It’s time for you to meet my humble and wise-beyond-her-years dear friend, Madi!

Madi’s IG: @madisungray

Madi’s YouTube: @madisungray 

Madi’s Resources and Site: https://madisungray.teachable.com/p/wholehearted 

Some books mentioned in the podcast: 

Changes that Heal by Dr. Henry Cloud

Resilient by John Eldredge 

Maria’s IG: @RiaRambles 

Take Part Foundation: Take-Part.org

As always to recommend a guest, email Sydney@LetYourFightShine.com.

Today y’all get a chance to meet my friend, Brit Wilson, who has personally impacted my health and fitness journey - as well as encouraged me to maintain a healthy mindset as I live healed from anorexia. We go all in on the lies that take us down as women in the health and fitness world - the push to be skinny and the healing that comes from regaining strength. We break open what it looks like to be misunderstood by people you love as you shift and try to navigate life’s twists and turns.  She unpacks the struggles of single motherhood while managing three jobs and overcoming mental and physical struggles in the midst of both disordered eating and divorce.

We take some time to talk about the difference between control and self-discipline - and the effect it has on us spiritually in our walk with Christ.  Brit and I both feel passionate about encouraging women to avoid cultural traps in the “health and fitness” world to be skinny, drained, and under-nourished and to find places and spaces that encourage you to grow your body through strength and nourishment to take on the life God has for you!

Over the last 10 years Brit has both educated and supported clients all over the world - as a personal trainer with certifications ranging from pregnancy and postpartum corrective exercise to strength training and nutrition - in order to help people both in person and online. She’s constantly learning and growing herself in order to benefit those she serves. From beginners to athletes, she is committed to helping others reach their goals. Brit’s philosophy isn’t to “kill” you in the gym but to help you learn your body better, help you move better and to make you stronger and more confident by doing workouts with a purpose. She truly believes in wanting to make you the best physical version of yourself.

I can’t wait for you to meet my empowering and bold friend, Brit!

Brittany’s IG: @britwilsonspt 

Force Performance IG: @forceperformancestl 

Website - stlforceperformance.com 

Maria’s IG: @RiaRambles 

Take Part Foundation: Take-Part.org

As always to recommend a guest, email Sydney@LetYourFightShine.com.

Today y’all get to meet one of my Fight Shine sisters, Abby Puckett, who has shown me what it means to walk in affliction and point back to Jesus IN it all.  Today on the episode you’ll hear Abby and I walk through her obvious fight with her daughter Aly’s battle with Hydrocephalus, the back to back losses of her mother and best friend, and the shock that comes from almost losing the kid who isn’t your “sick” child. We candidly talk about the pressure struggle puts on family and friends and how to choose a wider lens in order to love people well through your own suffering.

I feel like you are getting an inside listen into Abby and I’s private voice note conversations here.  We share a little insight into our own marriages and the lessons we’ve learned in how to keep things healthy at home even in chaos. 

Abby is a mama of three, a wife to her wonderful best friend Jamie, and a clean-wine enthusiast as a Scout and Cellar Executive Director.  But I also know her as a lover of people, a local encourager of women, and a passionate follower of Jesus.  She is a GEM and I can’t wait for y’all to meet my bold and loving friend, Abby.

Abby’s IG: @ahp73

Hydrocephalus Association: https://www.hydroassoc.org/about-hydrocephalus/ 

American Heart Association: https://www.heart.org/ 

Maria’s IG: @RiaRambles 

Take Part Foundation: Take-Part.org

As always to recommend a guest, email Sydney@LetYourFightShine.com.

Kira’s IG: @theessentialsbykira

To learn more about Kira’s health & wellness programs: www.KiraAndersen.com 

To donate to the pancreatic fund:  https://kapc.betterworld.org/events/pancreatic-cancer-research-fund

Maria’s IG: @RiaRambles 

Take Part Foundation: Take-Part.org

As always leave a review or a love note for us here or over on IG! And to recommend a guest email: Sydney@LetYourFightShine.com.

The season 1 FINALE is here! And your “special guest” today is actually me…interviewed by the ONE person who can dig into my story unlike any other - my husband Matt. Oh yeah, and we recorded this on our anniversary! So it’s an extra special one ;)

We go hard into my not so visible “struggles” and how that compares to my very visible “fights”.  We talk about things I’ve never touched on a podcast, stage, or platform before and how they’ve shaped me to develop this “let your fight shine” mindset. We dive into the realization that we actually all have affliction that is relatable but how we often overlook ours because it doesn’t compare to the girl next to us…and how that could be damaging the character we are meant to build. Y’all it’s spicy today, it’s real today, and I hope our real dig into my past sheds light on what God is doing in your story too.

So, meet me over on episode 7 - our finale - and let me know how it speaks to you.

Thank you for being part of the FIGHT SHINE crew for season 1, it’s been such an honor to walk alongside these incredible women and their stories, and to hear how it’s impacted you in your life.

As always, DM me over on instagram at @RiaRambles to share any insights, feedback, comments, or guest ideas!

I’ve got a little something different for you this week, sister! I was inspired by the “voice notes” I send back and forth with my dear friends - and wanted to share some of that with you today as a little mid-week truth checkup! 

Can you do me a favor and share this with a sister who needs to know she has someone walking alongside her in the fight, someone God has equipped in their own fight to comfort her in hers?

And don’t forget to check back next week for the FINALE of season 1…I cannot wait!

Follow along with me at @RiaRambles for more updates on the Let Your Fight Shine Podcast.