Today's episode of Build Your Brave is packed with heartfelt reflections, encouragement, and actionable wisdom for anyone navigating the ups & downs of life. Join Megan as she shares some of her favorite moments from the past year, filled with powerful stories of resilience, faith, & surrender. Discover how shifting your hope, releasing control, and anchoring yourself in the Lord can transform your perspective & provide strength, even in the hardest of seasons.

Whether you're facing setbacks, managing the emotional roller coaster of parenting, or just seeking a deeper connection with God, this episode has something for you.

Key Takeaways:

1. Place your hope in the source, not the outcome. Romans 15:13 reminds us that God is our source of unshakable hope, providing joy and peace through trust.
2. Freedom often comes not from gaining control but from releasing it and surrendering to God’s greater plan.
3. Use affirmations rooted in God’s truth to combat self-doubt and discouragement. “Feelings are indicators, not dictators.”
4. Shift focus from what you can’t control to gratitude for life’s everyday blessings.
5. Courage grows when we trust in God’s promises, even in the middle of unwanted or unforeseen circumstances.

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Looking for some extra encouragement to get you through the holiday season? Check out the Build Your Brave conference recordings.

As we approach the end of the year, many of us are contemplating how we can finish strong. We reevaluate goals, find ways to hit those targets, and think ahead to next year. I want to challenge you to finish the year strong in the LORD. Make that your priority over finishing strong in business, personal health, finances, etc.

Joining me to talk through how we can finish the year strong is a dear friend and mentor of mine, Cathy Greer. She is not only a dear friend and mentor, but also a missionary and author alongside her husband, Stuart.

Key Takeaways:

• What does finishing strong look like when you consider finishing strong in the Lord? It should look like continued surrender.
• Forgiveness is something we are called to do, it's an act of obedience to God. Remember that the person you may be called to forgive is yourself.
• Bitterness is an open door to the enemy. Disappointments are potholes, not destinations. Feelings are indicators, not dictators.
• Don't wait until the end of the year to start evaluating what it takes to end the year strong. Start today!
• Rejection is a part of the Christian life and if people reject you, it isn't a reflection on you. Keep that in mind as you approach the holidays and let go of expectations. Go with the mindset to serve.

Build Your Brave Conference Recordings

It's an uncomfortable topic, but at some point you will be in a season of grief. Perhaps you are in that season now, or you are just coming out of it, but learning how to manage grief well is something we all need to do.

I don't know anyone better to share on this topic than my dear friend, Tasha Ives. Tasha has experienced deep grief multiple times throughout her life and sought to find a biblical perspective on how to work through it. She shares those thoughts with us on the podcast today, as well as in her new book, So Far: A Journey Through Grief and Beyond.

Key Takeaways:

• No matter your depth of grief, it is valid in your life because it's your reality.
• Sometimes when you are dealing with grief, you become what people want you to be and end up stuffing your own emotions deep down without dealing with them.
• Avoidance is a natural reaction to grief.
• Grief ignored leads to bigger issues and it grows into other places of your life where it didn't originate.
• Be discerning about who you share the details of your grief with and know that tragedy will change your circle of people which can lead to additional grief.
• Learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable sitting with those who are in grief.
• Take your pain and turn it into purpose and see where God is working.

Build Your Brave Conference Recordings

With the end of the year and the holidays approaching we are all faced with the question of how we want to finish. Do we want to spend the final months of the year pressing into our goals and finishing strong, or do we want to switch into holiday mode and work to create memories?

My guest Bekah Tinter walks us through how we marry the two options together to finish the year in harmony. Bekah is a dear friend of mine who has helped balance me over the last 10 years. She and her husband are coaches, entrepreneurs, and parents to four kids!

Key Takeaways:

• When you consider how you want to end the year, you have to think about how you want to feel on January 2nd or 3rd and work backward from there.
• Accept that plans will not go perfectly and plan quarterly check-ins to recalibrate.
• Ask yourself what you need to quit. There are seasons of our lives when we need to lean in and seasons when we need to lean out. You won't know when to do either if you don't check in with yourself.
• Change is inevitable but growth is optional. Live life with your hand open so God can work in and through you.

Build Your Brave Conference Recordings

It's the day after the election which means that there are people out there that feel turbulent. Regardless of what side you are on, we need to be reminded that no person is in control of this world, God is in control! If you need a reminder, or encouragement that our God is the one who sits on the throne, this episode is for you!

Key Takeaways:

• We have an advocate who is with us always. He is the Holy Spirit.
• Surrender leads to trust and trust leads to peace!
• It takes courage to trust God, but when we DO trust Him, we can rest.
• Where are we moving? Are we moving toward fear or toward faith?

Build Your Brave Conference Recordings

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Join me as I celebrate my 29th spiritual birthday by sharing a message of encouragement with my home church!

God is calling us to move, and it is my heart's desire to encourage you to take those first steps toward movement. If you have been passive, take steps of pursuit, and if you are already in pursuit, make time to be available and see what God does through you!

Key Takeaways:

• Before and after moments are invitiations for us to examine our lives and see where we are at.
• Be moved by an urgency of excitement rather than an urgency of fear. Urgency of fear can lead us in the wrong direction.
• Knowing your purpose is pivotal to doing God things. Without knowing our purpose we can allow good things to keep us from the God things.
• Our Ministry happens within the church and our mission happens in the world.
• Using your gifts are vital to both your ministry and your mission. If you aren't using those gifts you need to ask yourself, why?
• Worship is an expression of our gratitude

How often do you achieve a milestone only to have people ask what is coming NEXT for you? You graduate high school and everyone wants to know what college you are attending. You finish college and people want to know what career path you will walk down. Then it's marriage, kids, and more kids.

What would it look like to pause after a big moment in your life and truly celebrate it? I would encourage you to make space in your life to appreciate what God has done in and through you before you commit your time and energy into contemplating what is next.

Key Takeaways:

• Enjoy the NOW season. God has you where you are for a specific reason. Be present in it and allow yourself to enjoy it! Don't let business keep you from enjoying and celebrating God's gifts.
• Learn to say YES to the "God" things, not the "good" things. There will be opportunities we need to say no to (even though the are good things), because they aren't what God is calling us to.
• Small miracles are still miracles. Look for them in your life and you will find them.
• Use your platform to celebrate what God has done for you. Take a step outside of your comfort zone, be brave, and show the world all that God is working through you for good!

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We all deal with struggle and difficulty, and as we face the hardships in life, we each have the invitation to be bitter or be better. Join my friend Leslie Begin and I as we talk through what it looks like to make the right choice.

Leslie Begin is an incredible wife, mom of 6, coach, and entrepreneur. She has been an encouragement to me for over 7 plus years of friendship, and more than anything, she is an incredible human.

Key Takeaways:

• There are times in our lives when we unknowingly choose bitterness. It's important to really examine ourselves and see if a root of bitterness has taken hold in our hearts.
• What doesn't get transformed gets transferred. If you aren't willing to do the work in your own life, some of that baggage will be transferred to your kids. Don't put that burden on them.
• Examine your set of survival skills and determine where you turn in a crisis. It may be time to discard some of those skills and acquire new ones.
• Triggers are invitations or information. Rather than accepting an invitation to overreact and further aggravate a stressful decision, choose to use your triggers as information you learn and grow from.