Faith and Growth

My mom used to say, especially to the men in our family who could never find anything when you asked them to look for it, el que lo busca, lo encuentra. In English: the person who looks for it will find it.

There is a lifetime of wisdom in that little phrase. And today I want to give it to you.

Because here is the truth that psychology and Scripture both confirm. You will always find evidence for whatever you are looking for. If you look for proof that life is falling apart, that the universe is working against you, that you are not capable, not enough, not going to make it, you will find it. Every single time.

But if you look for evidence that miracles exist, that success is inevitable for you, that God is working on your behalf even when you cannot see it, you will find that too.

The question is not whether the evidence is out there. The question is what you are choosing to look for.

In May, I set the intention of magic. I called it Magic May. And I want to tell you what happened, because I believe that when you see the proof in real stories, the concept stops being a nice idea and becomes a practice you cannot wait to start.

This week, become a loving observer of your own mind. Notice the questions you are asking yourself. Notice what you are looking for evidence of. And then make a decision, a true decision, to shift your focus toward seeking proof that your success is inevitable, that miracles surround you, that God is rigging the universe in your favor.

Because seek and you shall find. That is not a motivational quote. That is a promise.

And you are amazing just the way you are.

 Resources & Links:

A few weeks ago one of my students wrote in our FBCA WhatsApp group asking for support. She had just found out that one of her best friends had received a very serious diagnosis. She was devastated. She said, I cannot support my friend right now because of how I am feeling.

Here is the thing. This student of mine has faced a serious diagnosis herself, not once, not twice, but three times in five years. Of course her body knew exactly what that news meant. Of course it hit her in the bones.

And that moment gave me the idea for this episode, because if you are the kind of person people come to when they are hurting, if strangers in a grocery store tell you their life story, if you lose sleep over other people's pain, if you work in a field where you stare pain in the eye every single day, this one is for you.

I want to teach you how to be empathetic, how to be the face of Christ for the people assigned to you, and how to do it with greatness, wisdom, and compassion, without losing yourself in the process.

WHAT I AM TEACHING IN THIS EPISODE:

• The Pit and the Ladder. When someone you love receives hard news, their world feels like a deep dark pit. And when we love hard and care deeply, our instinct is to run and jump right in with them. Now there are two of you in the pit and neither one of you can get out. That is not empathy. That is misery loves company. I am going to teach you a much more powerful way.

• What true empathy actually looks like. It is grabbing a long ladder, going down to where your friend is, sitting with them, letting your face deform with pain, crying with them, holding space, saying nothing that tries to fix it or rush it. And then, when the time is right, climbing back up and extending your hand. Come with me. Let me give you some hope. Let me help you find the best doctor, the best attorney, the best path forward. That is empathy. That is the face of Christ.

• Why feeling is healing. When you allow yourself to welcome the pain, to fully feel it without dwelling in it, you are doing something sacred. The key is the difference between welcoming a feeling and pitching a tent inside it. You can visit the pit. You just cannot move in.

• What to do when the pain feels bigger than you. Journal it. Rant on the page. Say all the things. Then pause, pray, invite the Holy Spirit to take over, and let God write the response through your hand. Breathe. Inhale peace, exhale the emotion, twice as long on the exhale. Come back to the present. Come back to the person in the pit and extend the hand again.

If you are the person people call when they are broken, if you are the one who absorbs everyone else's pain and cannot put it down, I want you to know two things.

First, your heart is one of the most beautiful things about you. Do not let anyone, including yourself, make you feel like caring too much is a flaw.

Second, you are not meant to carry it. You are meant to hold it gently, bring it to God, and then use it to serve. The ladder goes both ways. Your job is to climb down and extend the hand. Not to stay at the bottom.

And if you feel called to be equipped, truly equipped, to help the people God has assigned to you, I want to tell you something. God does not choose the equipped. He equips the chosen. And if people naturally come to you for support, you have already been chosen. Now it is time to be formed.

Resources & Links:

I am one of four kids. My oldest sister has severe special needs and needed a lot from my parents. My brother came next and gave them a serious run for their money. By the time they got to me, they were tired.

And so I learned, very early in life, to earn my place.

I got straight A's. I ironed my father's shirts. I became the star student of the month so that my parents would take time off work to come to the assembly and see me. I learned that love was something you perform your way into. And I carried that belief with me for decades, into relationships, into my business, and yes, even into my faith.

I was trying to earn heaven. I was doing all the right things, going to Mass, serving others, being generous, being good, because I desperately wanted to see my daughter Fofi again one day. And I was doing it all from a place of earning.

Until a priest looked at me and said two words that cracked me open.

 Love is free.

 That is what this episode is about.

WHAT I AM SHARING IN THIS EPISODE:

• The story of how I grew up learning to earn love and how that pattern followed me into every area of my life, including my business, where I eventually found myself doing more and more while receiving less and less.

• The difference between self-confidence and self-worth, and why this distinction from Jamie Kern Lima's book "Worthy" was one of the most important things I have ever read. Self-confidence is built by doing. Self-worth requires nothing from you. It simply requires you to be.

• Why I realized I was doing everything right in my business but skipping the being entirely, and how that was the exact reason the results were not coming as fast as I needed them to. 

• The Oprah quote that stopped me in my tracks: we do not get what we want. We do not get what we work for. We get what we believe we deserve.

• Why God does not give you a cross bigger than you can carry, and what that same truth means for his blessings. If your heart and your mind are the size of a drawer, the graces God has for you, the car-sized graces of love, forgiveness, and abundance, simply do not fit. Your job is to expand.

• Why you cannot skip the being. Doing is not the foundation. Being is. And when you do without first doing the work of being, you will find yourself exhausted, resentful, and wondering why nothing is working, even when you are working as hard as you possibly can.

If this episode moved you, please share it with someone who is working themselves to exhaustion and still wondering why it is not enough. You could be the reason they finally understand that they are already enough. I love you like crazy. See you next week.

 Resources & Links:

You are the creator and producer of your life movie. And today I am going to teach you exactly how to direct it.

Most of us have been taught that the path to the life we want looks like this: first you HAVE the thing, then you DO what people who have that thing do, and then finally you get to BE happy, free, successful, loved, fulfilled.

Have. Do. Be.

And I spent years living that way, waiting until I had enough money to feel abundant, waiting until I found love to feel lovable, waiting until the grief passed to feel joy again.

But that is the worldly model. And it was keeping me stuck.

The spiritual model of manifestation, the one I teach inside the Faith Based Coaching Academy and in every speaking engagement I do, flips that completely. And once you understand it, you cannot unsee it.

Be. Do. Have.

IN THIS EPISODE I AM TEACHING YOU:

• The science behind why your reticular activating system (the RAS) keeps finding evidence for whatever you already believe, and how to use that in your favor instead of against yourself.

• The difference between the world's model of success (have, do, be) and the spiritual model (be, do, have), and why one leaves you exhausted and the other leaves you fulfilled the entire journey.

• How I did my own money mindset work after years of believing that money was meant to be given away at my own cost, and what that pattern was creating in my business without me realizing I was the common denominator.

• How I applied this same model in the darkest season of my life after losing my daughter Fofi, when I did not know how to be happy again, and God showed me the way one small act at a time.

• How to borrow the thoughts, beliefs, and feelings of your future self right now, before the circumstances have changed, so that you begin to create the reality you desire from the inside out.

• Why you cannot live your faith without doing the personal development work, and you cannot do the personal development work without faith. They are not separate. They are the same thing.

If this episode shifted something in you, please subscribe and share it with someone who is waiting for their life to change instead of becoming the change. I love you like crazy. See you next week.

 Resources & Links:

It was the middle of the night. My husband was traveling. I was alone with the kids, and I woke up to the loudest noise. My heart was pounding. Adrenaline spiking. I was already mentally planning how to grab all three kids and escape out a window before whoever was in my house could get to us.

Except… nobody was in my house.

It was the ice maker. 😅

And that story? It's the perfect picture of what our minds do to us every single day, and most of us don't even realize it.

In this episode, I'm giving you a mini psychology class the way I teach it to my students at the Faith Based Coaching Academy and in my speaking engagements — simple, powerful, and life-changing. Because once you understand HOW your thoughts work, you can stop being a victim of them and start being the author of your own story.

This episode is different. And honestly? A little scary for me to share.

I'm not teaching today. I'm not giving you a framework or a tool or a five-step strategy. Instead, I'm sitting down with you and sharing something much more personal, my private truths.

"Private truths" is a concept I borrowed from my coach Amy Porterfield. She asked me to think about the things my ideal client privately believes but never says out loud, the thoughts they keep to themselves for fear of judgment. And when I started writing mine down... I realized I had a whole list of things I believe deeply about faith, religion, and God that I've been quietly holding on to.

So after today, they won't be so private anymore.

I hope you don't judge me. And I hope that in hearing mine, you feel permission to love yourself for yours.

 MY PRIVATE TRUTHS IN THIS EPISODE:

·         I am deeply, proudly Catholic, AND I believe religion can sometimes get in the way of spirituality. Both are true at the same time.

·         I grew up with a fear-based experience of God. It wasn't until I met a priest who showed me the God of love and mercy, not rules and punishment, that everything changed.

·         I believe there are deeply Christlike people who don't call themselves Christian, and I think we are called to love them, admire them, and yes, even learn from them.

·         I believe the Bible is the living Word of God AND that it can be misused to justify almost anything, including harm and abuse, and that frightens me.

·         I believe the Bible is meant to be LIVED, not just studied and memorized. And the way I protect myself from interpreting it through my own ego is through surrender, meditation, and contemplative prayer.

THE STORY THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR ME:

I remember going to confession and telling my priest, Father Hadover, that I hadn't been making it to Sunday Mass — because I was a brand new mom and my daughter's nap schedule was making it impossible. I was bracing for a lecture. Instead, he looked at me with so much compassion and said: "God doesn't want you to feel guilty. He wants you to be excited to come visit Him. You are living your Mass at home when you take care of that child He entrusted to you."

That one moment cracked something open in me. I never missed Mass again, not because I was afraid, but because I was in love. THAT is the God of love and mercy I believe in.

MY INVITATION TO YOU:

What are YOUR private truths? What do you think and believe privately that you've been afraid to say out loud?

I believe that when we release the truths that don't serve us and embrace the ones that bring us closer to God, we step into the freedom He designed us to live in.

I love you like crazy, and I am SO proud of you for being here. 💛

 Resources & Links:

You, my friend, are assigned to others who are praying for you. And every time you procrastinate your calling, they have to wait.

I want to tell you about the time I showed up to the Summit of Greatness, Lewis Howes' iconic personal development event, two days in a row. Hair done. Heels packed. Keynote outfit ready. I had emailed, cold-guessed email addresses, asked my coach to put in a word... I was READY to speak on that stage.

And I never got called.

And yet? I was so happy. Because showing up as if it's already done, THAT is what faith looks like in action.

That story is where this episode begins. And where it goes is an invitation, I want to extend to YOU: stop living on autopilot and start living as if today were your last day on earth. Not in a morbid way, in the most alive, intentional, purpose-filled way possible.

Why do women push through childbirth, the most painful experience known to humanity? Why does a janitor mop floors with love and light, or a baker stay up sweating over a kitchen to bring a family together? The answer is the same for all of them: purpose. And today, I am going to show you why yours is already inside you.

Are you standing in the "messy middle," struggling to make a decision that aligns with God’s calling for your life?

In this episode, I share my personal framework for spiritual discernment and the five-step process I use to move from confusion to clarity. I dive into the importance of including God in your decision-making process so you can move forward with a peace that surpasses all understanding.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How to Navigate the Messy Middle: What to do when you know you’re headed for "resurrection" but the current path feels overwhelming.

• The 5 Steps to Divine Discernment: A practical guide to making decisions that align with your purpose.

• The Power of Intentional Pausing: Why you should stop, drop, and pray before making any major move.

• Involving the Holy Spirit: How to seek divine wisdom and ask God for the specific "next step."

• The "Sleep On It" Rule: How to use your morning state of mind to confirm if a decision is truly right for you.

I sat down with Angel Fernández, also known as Max Lewis, for a conversation about entrepreneurship, leadership, and the mindset required to grow beyond your environment.

Angel shares what it was like growing up working from a young age. Selling mangoes. Washing cars. Learning responsibility early. Figuring things out without a clear roadmap. He speaks openly about building confidence through action, about stepping into rooms before feeling fully prepared, and about how environment quietly shapes the limits we place on ourselves.

We talk about the weight of other people’s expectations, about choosing whose voice you allow to influence your decisions, and about the discipline required to create opportunities instead of waiting for them. Angel also opens up about a season when he stepped away from his own company and the personal growth that followed. There’s honesty in the way he describes leadership, humility, and the internal work that comes with expansion.

This episode speaks to anyone who feels like they started behind, who is building something without a safety net, or who senses there’s more in them but doesn’t know how to access it yet. It’s about growth in real time. About maturing through experience. About understanding that who you become determines what you can sustain.

If you’re navigating ambition, self-doubt, faith, or leadership, this conversation with Angel Fernández offers perspective that feels lived and earned.

Watch the full episode and tell me which part connected with you.

I am terrified to share this episode.

For the first time, I’m not speaking from a scar, I’m speaking from the wound. In this raw and deeply vulnerable conversation, I open up about what it feels like to be in the messy middle of life: when your business isn’t producing the outcomes you hoped for, when your bank account feels tight, when your marriage feels tender, and when joy feels quieter than usual.

I’ve always declared that I am the happiest woman on earth. And I still believe that. But this week? I’ve been sad. And that doesn’t make me a sad person, it makes me someone walking through the middle of the journey.

In this episode, I share what it really looks like to navigate the tension between success and fulfillment. The difference between checking off boxes and actually feeling aligned. The reality of launching a faith-based business, pouring your heart into serving others, having $34 in your account after a $250 flat tire, and still choosing to praise God. The vulnerability of conflict in marriage. The frustration of effort not matching outcomes. The temptation to quit… and the faith to stay.

This episode is about faith, resilience, surrender, discernment, gratitude, abundance, and trusting God in uncertainty. It’s about staying obedient even when you’re uncomfortable. It’s about choosing fulfillment over metrics. It’s about believing that your story ends in resurrection, even if today feels like Good Friday.

If you’re in the messy middle of your business, your marriage, your finances, your health, or your purpose, this conversation is for you.

Keep on keeping on. Focus on fulfillment. Trust the process. The ending is joy.

Resources & Links:

Ready to step into your purpose and answer God’s calling to do more? Learn about my programs at FaithAndGrowth.com

If you’re ready to take action, book a call at TalkToBetsy.com

There comes a moment in life when pushing harder stops working.

When the strategies that once got results start feeling heavy. When decisions that look “right” on paper don’t bring peace. When success exists, but alignment doesn’t.

This conversation with Alex Pardo is for anyone who has ever wondered whether they’re building something with God… or just asking Him to bless what they’ve already decided to do.

Alex Pardo is a self-storage investor, operator, and coach who helps everyday people buy their first cash-flowing self-storage facility within 6–12 months (often without using their own money or prior experience).

After leaving behind a high-stress real estate business, Alex found a simpler path to wealth and freedom through self-storage. Today, he teaches others how to create cash flow, time freedom, and long-term wealth without tenants, toilets, or trading time for money.

He’s the founder of the Storage Wins Coaching Community and host of the Storage Wins Podcast, where faith, family, and principled action are at the center of building a business that supports life—not competes with it.

In this episode, we talk about what happens when peace becomes the strategy, not the reward. About slowing down in a world that celebrates urgency. About learning to tell the difference between ambition and obedience, between ego-driven momentum and Spirit-led direction.

We explore what it really means to invite God into everyday decisions, not just in life and family, but in work, leadership, money, and calling. What it looks like to surrender control without losing drive. To trust guidance without abandoning responsibility. To recognize that feeling resistance doesn’t always mean you should push harder, sometimes it means you should listen.

We talk about business, purpose, stewardship, silence, obedience, identity, and the subtle ways fear can disguise itself as logic. About how slowing down doesn’t make you less effective, it often allows clarity to catch up. And about why the bravest thing you can do sometimes is create space instead of taking action.

If you’re building something. Leading others. Navigating faith and ambition. Questioning whether the path you’re on is still aligned,  this episode was made for you.

Sometimes, the shift begins the moment you stop rushing… and start paying attention.

Hay historias que no empiezan con privilegios, ni con caminos fáciles. Empiezan con disciplina, con silencio, con carácter… y con una fe que se va formando poco a poco.

En esta conversación conocemos el corazón detrás de Verlaine Gonzalez, más allá del personaje de las redes redes… desde el niño que empezó a entrenar a los ocho años en Cuba, al adolescente que aprendió constancia sin distracciones, al hombre que tuvo que emigrar y empezar de cero en un país donde nadie lo conocía. Un hombre que tuvo que aprender paciencia, dominar su carácter y confiar en los tiempos de Dios cuando la vida no se dio como él la imaginaba.

Este episodio trata sobre mucho más que ejercicio o nutrición. Es una conversación sobre identidad, disciplina, espiritualidad y propósito. Sobre lo que significa cuidar el cuerpo como un templo, pero también cuidar el alma y el carácter. Sobre cómo la verdadera fuerza no siempre es explosiva, sino mansa, firme y constante. Sobre aprender a escuchar las señales, soltar el control, dejar de forzar caminos que no fluyen y confiar cuando Dios dice “por aquí no es”.

Hablamos de emigrar, de reinventarse, de trabajar en lo que no amas mientras no pierdes de vista quién eres. De la gratitud como estilo de vida. De vivir con lo simple sin resentimiento. De elegir lo natural en un mundo que quiere atajos. De la diferencia entre buscar fama y usar un don para servir. De por qué el amor no se persigue, sino que se recibe cuando estás completo contigo mismo.

Si alguna vez te has sentido perdido, impaciente, frustrado porque las cosas no avanzan al ritmo que esperabas, o cansado de compararte con otros, este episodio es para ti. Es un recordatorio de que todo empieza pequeño, de que la disciplina diaria transforma, y de que cuando pones a Dios en el centro, lo ordinario se vuelve extraordinario.

Que esta conversación te inspire a cuidar tu cuerpo, tu fe y tu carácter. A ser constante. A ser agradecido. A confiar. Y a recordar que el verdadero éxito no es lo que acumulas, sino la paz con la que caminas.

Recursos y enlaces:

Are you trying to manifest the life God placed on your heart, but feeling blocked, frustrated, or unsure why things aren’t moving?

In this episode, I share a faith-based perspective on manifesting that goes beyond visualization and positive thinking. We talk about how true manifestation happens when surrender, obedience, faith, and alignment with God come first.

This conversation will help you understand why forcing outcomes creates resistance and how co-creating with God brings peace, clarity, and results.

If you desire to manifest with purpose, faith, and divine guidance, this episode is for you.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why manifestation without God leads to burnout and frustration

• What faith-based manifesting really looks like

• How surrender activates clarity and forward movement

• Why alignment matters more than effort

• How fear and control block manifestation

• The role of obedience in manifesting God’s promises

• How to trust the process when results aren’t immediate

• Why God’s timing protects what you’re building

• How to partner with God instead of striving alone

Resources & Links:

Ready to step into your purpose and answer God’s calling to do more? Learn about my programs at FaithAndGrowth.com

If you’re ready to take action, book a call atTalkToBetsy.com

There is a kind of exhaustion that doesn’t come from doing the wrong thing, it comes from doing everything right for everyone else. From showing up. From holding it together. From carrying mom guilt, ambition, faith, responsibility, and love all at once.

This conversation is for the woman who has asked herself, Who am I now?After the kids grow. After the career shifts. After the body changes. After the season you thought would last forever quietly ends.

Pam Giganti spent decades building a respected career in television journalism while raising three daughters and holding a family together on very little sleep. From the outside, it looked like success. On the inside, it came with sacrifice, identity loss, and the constant tension between being present at work and present at home. When she finally stepped away from her career to choose her family, she expected peace, but what she found instead was grief. Grief for the version of herself she was leaving behind. Grief for the recognition, the validation, and the role that had defined her for so long.

This episode opens up honest conversations we don’t hear often enough, about mom guilt, identity beyond job titles, empty nesting, menopause, grief, and what it feels like to be needed deeply… and then suddenly not in the same way. Pam shares what it was like to navigate hormonal changes that affected her body, emotions, confidence, and relationships, and how confusing it can be when anxiety, brain fog, exhaustion, and self-doubt arrive without warning.

But this isn’t a story about loss. It’s a story about reinvention.

Together, we talk about what happens when purpose is no longer tied to productivity or titles, and how discovering that your purpose is rooted in who you are, not what you do, can change everything. About learning to give yourself grace in seasons where nothing feels clear. About becoming the light, in motherhood, in faith, in friendship, and in the quiet moments no one applauds.

If you’re a woman navigating transition, questioning your identity, struggling with guilt, feeling unseen, or wondering if this uncomfortable season has meaning, this episode will meet you exactly where you are. 

Some men were taught that being a man looks like toughness, control, chasing respect, never showing fear… and never needing help.

But Christian says it straight: everything he thought “being a man” meant was completely wrong. And once you hear his story, you'll understand why.

This episode goes deeper than “motivation.” It’s about what happens when you grow up without guidance — when life becomes survival mode, and the main emotion under everything is fear. It’s about the kind of loneliness that can exist even when you’re “winning,” and the moment you finally look at yourself and admit: I don’t want this anymore.

Christian shares how martial arts became a turning point — not just for discipline, but for emotional control, respect, and learning how to protect instead of destroy. And he talks about faith as something that didn’t just inspire him… it re-built him. One decision at a time. One relationship at a time. One step forward, even when it felt lonely.

If you’re a man who’s been carrying heavy things in silence — or if you love someone who is — I hope this conversation feels like a hand on your shoulder. You don’t have to do life alone. And strength isn’t pretending you’re fine… it’s choosing a better path and staying on it.

When anxiety is loud, it starts to feel like it’s telling the truth.Not ready. Not enough. Not yet. Not safe. Not the right decision.

And the tricky part is… you can still look “successful” on the outside while feeling like your mind is running a marathon on the inside. You can be achieving, improving, collecting credentials, chasing the next door that might finally make you feel secure — and still feel restless.

This conversation is for anyone who’s tired of living under that pressure.

We talk about the kind of anxiety that shows up as overthinking, decision fatigue, people-pleasing, and constantly second-guessing yourself. The kind that makes you feel like you need one more achievement, one more plan, one more sign… before you can exhale.

We also talk about something that hit deep: the difference between striving for success (the measurable, shareable, impressive version) and striving for fulfillment (the kind that feels like peace, purpose, rest, and alignment). Because sometimes the “right” path on paper is the exact thing keeping you unsettled and draining the life out of you.

If you’ve been stuck in the loop of “what if I’m wrong?” or “what if I’m behind?” — this is a reminder that you can learn to discern the difference between lingering anxiety and real wisdom. That you can take a step without having a loud, perfect, certain answer. That small wins still count. That peace can exist inside the process, not only after you’ve fixed everything.

And if you’re someone who’s rebuilding your faith, redefining your identity, or trying to figure out who you are without labels… you’re not alone. There’s so much freedom on the other side of “I have to prove myself.”

Are you exhausted from doing everything “right” and still not getting the outcome you hoped for?

In this episode, I share a deeply personal and faith-filled teaching on surrender, what it really is, what it is not, and why surrender allows you to experience peace, joy, and freedom right now, not someday in the future.

Through real-life examples, Scripture-based wisdom, and honest reflection, you’ll learn how surrender is not giving up, but choosing guided action with God. This episode will help you release control, trust God’s timing, and understand how surrender opens the door to limitless possibilities.

✨ In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why you don’t need to wait for the outcome to be happy

• What surrender truly means and what it does not mean

• Why surrender is guided action, not inaction

• How surrender brings clarity instead of confusion

• The difference between surrender and victimhood

• How radical acceptance leads to spiritual strength

• Why uncertainty is the space of limitless possibilities

• How surrender strengthens your faith and confidence

• Why surrender creates true freedom and joy

• The step-by-step process to surrender with intention and trust

📖 Resources & Links:

🌿 Ready to step into your purpose and answer God’s calling to do more? Learn about my programs at FaithAndGrowth.com

💬 If you’re ready to take action, book a call at TalkToBetsy.com

This episode is one of those conversations that stays with you long after it ends. Mac is only 14 years old, but he carries a depth, a faith, and a clarity of purpose that many adults spend their whole lives searching for. He lives with cerebral palsy, yet he refuses to let that define him. Instead, he sees it as his God-given gift—an opportunity to bring people to the truth, to inspire, and to remind others that their limitations don’t have to be the end of their story.

In this conversation, Mac opens up about growing up with cerebral palsy and experiencing adversity in his teens. What makes this episode powerful is not just Mac’s story, but the truth underneath it: that every one of us knows what it feels like to have a dream collapse, to feel limited, to feel overlooked, to wonder why God allowed something so painful. And yet every one of us also knows what it feels like when light finds us again—when a new door opens, when strength returns, when perspective shifts, when we realize God was carrying us the entire time.

You don’t have to be a teenager to connect with this. You don’t have to live with a disability. You don’t even need to know Mac or me personally. If you’ve ever hit rock bottom, if you’ve ever questioned your purpose, if you’ve ever felt the weight of disappointment or the ache of things not going your way, this episode will speak to you. Mac’s voice may be young, but his message is universal: don’t quit, don’t lose faith, and don’t ever mistake a closed door for the end of your story. God is still working—especially when you don’t see it.

If this conversation touches you, share it with someone who needs hope today. And if you want to hear more from Mac, visit his Instagram at @betterwithchrist2010 and let him know he inspired you.

Gratitude isn’t something you say, it’s something you train your heart to feel. In this episode, I guide you through a powerful, practical, and heartfelt teaching on gratitude — not the kind you say out loud, but the kind you feel, embody, and live. We explore how entitlement blocks joy, how your brain is wired to miss the good, and how you can experience gratitude through four spiritual and emotional pathways: attitude, action, investment, and celebration.

Through stories, real-life examples, and spiritual practices, you’ll learn how to slow down, notice God’s presence, overcome negativity, and live with more joy, presence, and intention.

 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:•

• What gratitude really means beyond saying “thank you”
• How to feel gratitude instead of forcing it
• Why entitlement blocks your ability to experience joy
• How the brain attaches to negativity (Velcro/Teflon theory) and how to retrain it
• A step-by-step way to practice the Examen de Conciencia to notice God daily
• How to experience gratitude as action through service (Orlando’s story)
• How gratitude becomes investment — of time, money, and energy — for what matters most
• How gratitude shows up as celebration, pausing to honor your wins instead of living in “the gap”
• Why gratitude is the pathway to joy

 Resources & Links: 

Ready to step into your purpose and answer God’s calling to do more?

Learn about my programs at FaithAndGrowth.com 

Want to take action now?

Book a call at TalkToBetsy.com 

Are you wondering if what you're hearing is God's voice… or just your own thoughts?

In this episode, I share a vulnerable and transformational part of my journey, learning to recognize when God was speaking to me, and when it was just my mind trying to take control. I spent years resisting what God was calling me to do. I doubted myself. I questioned Him. I tried to negotiate. But God is patient. He is persistent. And He is gentle.

When I finally surrendered, I discovered peace, clarity, and purpose that I could’ve never created on my own.

✨ In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

How to tell if a thought is from God or from your mind

The difference between God’s voice (peace) and fear-driven thoughts (pressure)

The emotional signs God uses to speak to your heart, not just your logic

Why God’s voice is consistent and persistent, while doubt is scattered and confusing

How to get quiet enough to hear Him

How obedience unlocks peace and alignment

What happens when you stop resisting God’s calling and finally say yes

📖 Resources & Links:

🌿 Ready to step into your purpose and answer God’s calling to do more? Learn about my programs at FaithAndGrowth.com

💬 If you're ready to take action or need clarity on your calling, book a call: TalkToBetsy.com

Are you living in constant rush mode, overwhelmed, exhausted, and running on empty?

In this episode, I share how I went from “running around like a chicken without a head” to finding peace, clarity, and stillness through the power of prayer and silence. You’ll discover how God meets us in quiet moments, restores our strength, and transforms our chaos into calm when we learn to breathe, be still, and trust Him.

✨ In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

Why silence is one of the most powerful forms of prayer

How to restore your inner peace through God’s presence

The three S’s: Silence, Solitude, and Stillness — and how they draw you closer to Him

The science and spirituality of breath as divine connection

How to replenish your energy and release stress through prayerful breathing

The beauty of centering prayer and how it aligns your will with God’s

What Lectio Divina is and how to listen for God’s voice through Scripture

How to stop living in “fight or flight” and start resting in faith

Why silence doesn’t mean emptiness — it means encounter with God

What if the very thing you thought would break you was actually the thing that brought you back to life?

In this episode, I sit down with my dear friend and first business coach, Luly B. Carreras, to talk about a season in her life that most of us can only imagine surviving. In 2018, she discovered her husband of 20 years had been unfaithful, and what followed was a painful divorce, the unraveling of life as she knew it, and the kind of heartbreak that leaves you curled up on the bathroom floor, struggling to breathe.

But here’s what makes her story so powerful: Luly chose grace. She chose to walk through betrayal, grief, and loss with faith as her anchor. And in that fire, she found resilience, community, and ultimately, redemption.

This conversation is about more than divorce; it’s about what happens when life takes away the picture you had of “family” and forces you to redefine it. It’s about parenting through heartbreak and modeling strength without hiding the humanity of your tears. It’s about the sacredness of community, letting people hold you when you can’t stand on your own, and remembering that we don’t have to be strong on our own because God’s strength meets us in our weakness.

Luly shares how pain became her teacher, how grace shaped the way she moved through divorce, and how abundance and love re-entered her life when she least expected it. Today, she’s remarried with a blended family and running a business built on service, faith, and joy.

If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “How do I survive betrayal? How do I rebuild after divorce? How do I let love back in after being broken?”, this episode will meet you right where you are.

My prayer is that as you listen, you’ll be reminded that brokenness isn’t the end of your story. God can use the very pain that crushed you to rebuild you into who you were always meant to be.

Resources & Links:

You can find Luly B. at:

Are you holding on to resentment that’s stealing your peace and joy?

In this episode, I share my personal journey of setting the intention to forgive, overcoming two years of bitterness, and discovering the freedom that comes with true forgiveness.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

What unforgiveness is and what it does to you

What it means to forgive

The process to achieve healing and forgiveness

How to set the intention to forgive

How to visualize freedom from resentment

How to expand your heart to make space for healing

How to let go of past wounds and embrace God’s grace

Resources & Links:

What if the secret to saving your marriage (or any relationship) wasn’t fixing the other person, but transforming yourself?  In this episode, we reveal the two virtues that can completely shift the way you connect with your partner: humility and accountability.

Welcome back to the Faith & Growth Podcast, where psychology and spirituality come together to help you rise into the person you were created to be.

In today’s episode, we dive deep into a powerful real-life story of a client who came to therapy to “save his marriage.” What he discovered was that the key wasn’t blaming his wife but transforming from within.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

🔹Why true humility is not weakness but a superpower in relationships.

🔹How accountability helps you take ownership and stop the cycle of blame.

🔹Practical ways to apply these virtues in your marriage, family, or friendships.

🔹The surprising connection between humility, spiritual growth, and healing.

Resources & Links:

Ready to transform your marriage or relationship? Book your couples coaching session today at RequestASession.com

Have you ever prayed for love with every fiber of your being… and then one day felt it staring back at you?

This episode is one of the dearest to my heart because I get to share the microphone with my favorite person in the whole universe, my husband Alain. If you know me, you know how obsessed I am with him. But today you’ll get to hear our story–the raw, real, and sometimes funny journey of how God brought us together.

I’ll take you back to the days when I was heartbroken and on my knees, asking God for the courage to let go of what wasn’t meant for me and the faith to believe that He had something greater. 

In this conversation, we talk about the spark of our first encounter, the butterflies and salsa dancing, the way faith guided every step, and the lessons we’ve learned about what it takes to build a marriage that lasts. 

Not a perfect marriage, but a relationship rooted in grace, laughter, patience, and a willingness to grow together.

If you’re still waiting for love, I want to remind you: don’t give up. What your heart desires is already written into your story. And if you’re married and sometimes find yourself wondering how to love through the messy, ordinary, or challenging seasons, I pray our story gives you hope and a fresh perspective.

This is more than just our love story. It’s a testimony of faith, the power of prayer, and the beauty of recognizing the blessings God places right in front of us. 

Come sit with us in this heartfelt conversation. I think you’ll laugh, be entertained, feel inspired, and walk away believing a little more in the miracle of love.

Resources & Links:

Have you ever felt God gently stirring something deep inside you, that quiet, unshakable sense that there’s more for your life than what you’re living right now? 

Sometimes it doesn’t happen in the middle of a crisis. Sometimes it happens when life is good, when you’re comfortable, when everything on paper looks “right”,  and yet your soul keeps whispering, This isn’t the end of your story.

That’s exactly what my dear friend, Cynthia Gonzalez, experienced. For years, she poured her heart into teaching, loving her students, and living out her faith in the classroom. But God began planting seeds that would eventually lead her away from the safety of what she knew, into a season of surrender, stillness, and bold obedience.

In this conversation, Cynthia opens up about the fears, the leaps of faith, and the unexpected beauty of letting God redirect your path. We talk about the courage it takes to walk away from something familiar, the way stillness can become a sacred classroom, and how even our hardest seasons can prepare us to serve others in ways we never imagined.

Her journey is proof that God’s dreams for us are always bigger, richer, and more meaningful than anything we could plan on our own. And when we trust Him, really trust Him; He not only guides our steps but uses our story to inspire and bless others.

If you’ve been sensing that nudge to step out of your comfort zone, to follow that divine whisper, or to explore a calling that scares and excites you at the same time… this episode is your invitation to say a wholehearted “yes.”

Resources & Links:

Grab my book, Hurt 2 Hope: Heal the Pain of Grief, Loss, and Adversity

https://a.co/d/awwbAgc

Explore my Faith-Based Coaching Academy and upcoming programs: https://faithandgrowth.com

Our next cohort begins August 19 — don’t miss your chance to grow in faith and healing!

Follow Cynthia on Instagram @LifeCynergized. Contact her if you’d like to bring psycho-spiritual coaching and workshops to schools, so we may help our children grow in personal development and faith. 

Have you ever blamed someone else for ruining your day, hurting your heart, or robbing you of your peace? What if I told you that your inner world is yours alone and that reclaiming it is not only possible, but your divine responsibility?

In this episode, I take you on a journey from confusion to clarity from the moment I thought my father was out of his mind for saying “Nobody can rob you of your peace,” to understanding the deep spiritual and psychological truth behind it.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

🔗 Resources & Links:

Have you ever felt like something’s missing — like you’re living a good life, but there’s more God is calling you to? Or maybe life was great and then adversity struck suddenly and you feel off center? In this episode, I open up about the moment that redefined my life after the loss of my daughter, and how it led to the creation of my F.A.I.T.H. Method.

F.A.I.T.H. isn’t just a word — it’s a practical, psycho-spiritual framework to help you align with your God-given purpose. Whether you’re navigating change, seeking clarity, or just know you’re meant for more, this episode will give you the tools and mindset to move forward with peace, power, and divine direction.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• The power of reframing life’s hardest moments

• The five pillars of the F.A.I.T.H. Method and how to apply them

• Why pain isn’t the destination, but a pathway

• How to align with purpose without striving or controlling

• How to shift from feeling stuck to stepping boldly into your next chapter

  
  

🔗 Resources & Links:

What happens when your faith meets its darkest test?

In this deeply personal and powerful episode, Dr. Betsy shares her story—and the spiritual reckoning that followed. If you’ve ever questioned whether your faith could carry you through unimaginable grief, this episode will move you, challenge you, and remind you of the strength within your spirit.

What You’ll Learn / Key Topics Covered

• The origin story of Dr. Betsy’s prayer group and the power of spiritual community

• The pivotal question that sparked deep spiritual reflection: How do I know if my faith is strong, if it’s never been tested?

• What faith really means beyond religion—trusting in the unseen, in God, and in yourself

• A mother’s raw journey through sudden tragedy and how it forever reshaped her soul

• The choice we all face in grief: to honor through suffering, or through love, service, and gratitude

• How Dr. Betsy found joy again after devastating loss—and how you can, too

Links + Resources Mentioned

Can you be deeply spiritual... and still question God?

In this raw and soul-stirring episode, Dr. Betsy sits down with her friend and powerhouse speaker, Caroline de Posada, to explore what it really means to find faith when you didn’t grow up with it.

What You’ll Learn:

🔹 How to hold space for both doubt and spiritual growth

🔹Caroline’s journey from agnostic to faithful—and the moments that changed everything

🔹What to do when you feel disconnected from God

🔹Why spiritual questioning can be the doorway to deep transformation

🔹How community and curiosity can spark your return to faith

Caroline de Posada is a bilingual speaker, author, and life coach whose work helps people elevate their mindset, relationships, and wellness. She’s the daughter of international speaker and author, Dr. Joachim de Posada, and she carries forward his legacy with heart and humility. Caroline’s spiritual evolution is as honest as it is inspiring—and her voice brings truth to the in-between.