Molly LaCroix is a licensed marriage and family therapist, author, and speaker. Molly noticed that, due to fear of vulnerability, people often struggle with being a supportive presence in one another’s lives during times of suffering. And that’s exactly why Molly wrote her book, Restoring Relationship: Transforming Fear into Love Through Connection. In her book, Molly explores the root of our vulnerability and offers practical ways to transform fear into love through connection.

Bruxy Cavey is the senior pastor at The Meeting House, a church for people who aren’t into church. Bruxy is also the author of the bestselling book, The End of Religion and his new book, (re)union: The Good News of Jesus for Seekers, Saints, and Sinners.

In my time with Bruxy, we talk about so many things: how legalism can find its way into our relationship with food or exercise, why he finds Jesus to be so magnetic, why God is more beautiful than we can fathom, and how we each have a pivotal role in bringing about more beauty in the world.

Jess Connolly is an author, church leader, and coach. She’s also a woman who has experienced decades of shame and pain in her body. She’s been on a journey to break free from body shame using God’s truth and now she is inviting women to join her in her new book, Breaking Free from Body Shame: Dare to Reclaim What God Has Named Good. As we consider letting go of what beauty is not, it is so important to release the lies that have been spoken over our good bodies.

Hope Carpenter is a pastor, author, wife, and mom. Along with her husband Ron, she pastors Redemption Church in Greenville, South Carolina and San Jose, California. She has also authored two books, The Little Pink Book, and most recently, The Most Beautiful Disaster. Hope’s heart and passion is seeing people’s lives changed and transformed so that they can be everything God has created them to be.

Karlyn Benn is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Glō Coach. In her coaching work, she helps women live a life full of joy, confidence, and courage all while embracing the beautiful body they have right now. Karlyn specifically emphasizes the inner work that must take place within each of us so that we can show up confidently and authentically to shine in the world around us.

Abby Turner is a food blogger, speaker, and writer. After obtaining her master’s degree from Baylor, Abby lived in 6 states in 5 years and learned how essential community is to wellbeing and faith. Abby’s passion is to encourage women to stop wasting time waiting for the perfect family, house, or table and to start opening their homes, cooking for friends, and building community. Abby also recently released her latest book, The Living Table: Recipes and Devotions for Everyday Get-togethers.

Sarah Clarkson is a writer and theologian who currently lives in West Sussex in England. Sarah recently finished her MSt in modern doctrine at Wycliffe Hall in Oxford with a focus on theodicy and beauty, studying the presence of beauty in the midst of a broken work. Sarah also just completed her latest book, entitled This Beautiful Truth: How God’s Goodness Breaks Into Our Darkness, detailing the story of Sarah’s personal struggle with mental illness and the beauty that infiltrated and transformed her darkness.

Katherine Wolf is a survivor, communicator, and advocate. After giving birth to her first son in 2008, Katherine miraculously survived a catastrophic stroke. Since that day, Katherine and her husband, Jay, have committed their lives to champion the truth that suffering and joy can coexist in your good/hard story. In that pursuit, Katherine and Jay have written two best-selling books (Hope Heals and Suffer Strong), created a thriving online community, and founded Hope Heals Camp for families affected by disability.

Melanie Penn is a gifted singer/songwriter who writes pop songs at the crossroads of faith and culture. Melanie began formal vocal training at a young age and eventually moved to New York City to pursue a career on Broadway. After years of being a mainstay in New York City’s theater scene, including a run of playing Sandy Dumbrowski in Grease for a Broadway touring company, Melanie decided to transition to song writing and pursue a career as a solo artist.

Christyna Johnson is a Dallas-based, Non-Diet Registered Dietician whose nutrition philosophy is rooted in the social justice framework of Health at Every Size (R) and seen through the lens of Intuitive Eating. In short, Christyna loves helping others find freedom in their bodies and with food. As Christyna puts it, “Life was not meant to revolve around food and thoughts about our bodies. It’s a big world out there just waiting to be explored!”

Daron Babcock is the founder and executive director of Bonton Farms near Dallas, Texas. Starting as a garden in a small lot, Bonton Farms has grown into two fully functioning, organic farms. The mission of Bonton Farms is “to restore lives, create jobs and ignite hope in a once forgotten and neglected neighborhood with some of the most marginalized people.”

Daron’s love for the people there and his passion for bringing about meaningful change is stunning. I truly can’t wait for you to hear more about his story, his heart, and his work at Bonton Farms.

Allen Arnold is an author (The Story of With and Chaos Can’t) and speaker. He is also the Executive Producer of Content for John and Stasi Eldredge’s ministry, Wild at Heart.

In short, Allen’s passion is awakening people’s hearts to pursue their dreams and creativity with God. As Allen so poignantly says in our interview, when we bring something new into existence, we are “dancing with God to create good and beautiful things.”

Today’s episode is a little different. Back in Episode 18, I shared a little about my story and why I’m so passionate about beauty and why I even started Impossible Beauty in the first place. In today’s episode, I share a bit more about why I care so much about this topic and why I hope you’ll join me in redefining beauty and seeking after true beauty.

Ginny Owens is a singer/songwriter and speaker, who was named the Gospel Music Association’s 2000 New Artist of the Year. Ginny has also won 3 Dove Awards, multiple ASCAP awards, sold over a million records, been a top performer on the Christian radio charts, and impacted mainstream audiences at Lilith Fair, The Sundance Film Festival, and the White House.

Having been blind since she was three years old, Ginny’s unique perspective on life and faith has a way of helping others see with more clarity.

Bunmi Laditan is simultaneously hilarious and full of wisdom. She also has the invaluable gift of putting you completely at ease in her presence. Bunmi is a writer living in Quebec, Canada whose work ranges from the humorous to the poetic, including titles such as The Honest Toddler, Confessions of a Domestic Failure, Dear Mother, and her most recent book, Dear God: Honest Prayers to a God Who Listens.

The work Ben Higgins is doing in the world is undoubtedly inspiring. While you may know him from ABC’s twentieth season of The Bachelor, Ben has gone on to use his platform to do beautiful things in the world. Alongside a couple of his friends, Ben founded Generous International, a for-profit company that invests 100% of its profits from coffee and apparel into life-changing partner organizations that improve education, create jobs, feed children, and empower communities to eliminate poverty.

Javoni Cobb is an eating disorder recovery coach at the Eating Disorder Center in Rockville, Maryland. She has her master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling and currently works with teens and adults struggling with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and body image issues. In her work with clients, Javoni seeks to help them break free from disordered behaviors to discover food freedom, body acceptance, and self-compassion.

Kellie Haddock inspires me. She has lived through tragedy and found hope on the other side and now inspires others to do the same. Kellie is a singer, songwriter, wife, and mom. She is a former widow whose music draws on real-life stories of beauty, heartache, hope, and the celebration of life. Kellie has performed in Iraq, Israel, China, and across the U.S. and her albums include Leave the Light On, Wild Love, and her Christmas album Peace on Earth.

Kristy Cambron is a vintage-inspired storyteller, writing from the space where art, history, and faith intersect. She’s a Christy Award-winning author of historical fiction, including her bestselling debut, The Butterfly and the Violin, and nonfiction, including the Verse Mapping series of Bibles and Bible studies. A self-proclaimed history nerd, she loves to chase all things research, going behind the scenes at a Ringling Bros. Sarasota mansion, touring a former TB sanitarium, and exploring the backroads of Ireland.

In this episode, Whitney Otto talks about her experience as an endurance athlete, particularly as a world champion rower. Whitney was a member of the national rowing team and an alternate in the 2000 Olympics. She has also worked with Women’s Sports Foundation to help bring sport to girls in the inner city. Following her full-time rowing career, Whitney went on to get her masters degree in Counseling Psychology and work in the eating disorder field.