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What if the fastest way out of anxiety isn’t trying harder, but shifting into gratitude-filled prayer and taking one clear next step?

In this episode, we bring Philippians 4:6–7 to life with real talk about fear, neuroscience, and the power of community, showing how peace can guard both your heart and your mind when you move from rumination to relationship with God. You’ll hear why prayer is connection, not performance, and how starting with thanksgiving changes your state, calms your nervous system, and opens room for wisdom and creative problem-solving.

We unpack anxiety as an indicator light rather than a verdict, then walk through a simple framework: pray with thanks, ask specifically, and translate emotion into motion. Along the way, we explore the survival brain’s negativity bias, how new neural pathways form through small choices, and why you don’t have to do it alone. Two are better than one, and a cord of three strands -us plus God - won’t break. When you can’t see solutions, community widens your view. We also trade the myth of balance for the music of harmony, embracing mountaintops, valleys, and quiet stretches as part of a faithful, resilient life.

Expect a grounded blend of Scripture and science: prayer often quiets brain activity, nudging you into parasympathetic calm where healing and creativity thrive. Healing isn’t linear, but every cycle builds your “casting anxiety” muscles. We close with a call to remember and celebrate progress; because looking back helps you see how far God has brought you, and celebration fuels hope.

Subscribe, share with a friend who needs peace today, and tell us: What are you thankful for, and what’s your next step of faith?

Coach Stephanie has an awesome workshop coming up on February 3.

Get more information and sign up HERE.

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If your mind feels stuck on high alert and your body runs like a car on sludgy oil, this conversation is your reset.

We unpack how chronic fear hijacks your biology, why the nervous system needs a flexible rhythm, and how trust, not control, opens the door to healing.

Drawing from faith and science, we connect the dots between cortisol, mitochondria, and the emotions that ride on real electrical and chemical signals in your body.

We start with how fear gets amplified by culture and even marketing, then pivot to a hope-centered framework grounded in the Gospel’s redemption arc. You’ll hear a vivid cave metaphor that brings sympathetic and parasympathetic states to life: outside the cave, you scan for threats, inside the cave, you rest, digest, and reconnect. That ebb and flow is built into circadian biology, yet modern life traps many of us at the top of the stress curve. We challenge the myth that anxiety fuels performance and share how calm focus actually improves memory, creativity, and results.

From there, we get practical. Learn how to spot when your body is stuck in emergency mode, why fertility and digestion stall under constant alarm, and which simple signals, lengthened exhales, consistent sleep, nourishing meals, gentle movement, prayer, and journaling, teach your system it is safe to downshift. We map your sphere of control, highlight what to release, and show how community brings fear into the light where it loses its power. Expect a blend of neuroscience, spiritual grounding, and everyday tools designed to move you from survival to steady, sustainable peace.

If this conversation lifted you, share it with another woman who needs community, then subscribe for more Faith First episodes and join us on YouTube where we grow together in real time. Leave a review to tell us where fear is ruling your week and which practice you’re using to reclaim your rhythm.

We’re so glad you’re here.

In this quick pause, Melissa shares why Heart & Soul Elevation exists, how Stephanie's and Melissa's coaching work together beautifully, and what you can expect along the way.

From time to time, we’ll pop in to invite you into things we’re creating - always as an invitation, never a sales pitch.

Thanks for listening. You belong here.

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Connect with Melissa: Lemon Balm Coaching or Women Connected FB Community

Connect with Stephanie: SJP Health and Wellness or Be the BOSS, Be Well FB Community

Music by Adipsia

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Two strangers walked into a retreat planning to keep to themselves and walked out knit together by faith, curiosity, and a shared ache for real belonging. That moment sparked Heart and Soul Elevation: a space where we put Jesus at the center and let mind and body align around Him. We trace the unlikely path from “let’s be alone” to launching a community built for women who love God, crave honesty, and want wellness that actually heals.

We unpack why so many women feel out of place in church groups and service roles, always giving but rarely refueled. Then we flip the wellness script: instead of “mind, body, spirit,” we start with the Spirit and let everything else flow from there. You’ll hear how the neuroscience of connection backs this up—oxytocin rises in safe relationships, cortisol quiets, and the nervous system shifts into a state where genuine healing can begin. From the “rat park” research to practical rhythms of rest, we explore how community changes behavior, biology, and hope.

We also challenge the pressure cooker version of the Proverbs 31 woman that leads to hustle and exhaustion. Together, we name the difference between striving and stewardship, between performing and belonging. Our vision is clear: spark a movement of women who pursue Jesus first, steward their health with wisdom, and lift families and communities through renewed vitality. If you’ve ever felt like the odd one out or if you’re ready to trade isolation for sisterhood, you’ll find a home here.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs encouragement, and join us on YouTube to grow in real time with a community that remembers: healing happens together.

We’re so glad you’re here.

In this quick pause, Melissa shares why Heart & Soul Elevation exists, how Stephanie's and Melissa's coaching work together beautifully, and what you can expect along the way.

From time to time, we’ll pop in to invite you into things we’re creating - always as an invitation, never a sales pitch.

Thanks for listening. You belong here.

Support the show

Connect with Melissa: Lemon Balm Coaching or Women Connected FB Community

Connect with Stephanie: SJP Health and Wellness or Be the BOSS, Be Well FB Community

Music by Adipsia

Send us a text

Two women from different worlds trace how God braided their paths into a shared calling. We explore why receiving feels risky, how connection reshapes the nervous system, and what happens when scripture, science, and sisterhood meet.

Let's dive into:

• the ache of not belonging in women’s spaces
• how our stories intertwined into a shared mission
• faith and wellness as complementary, not competing
• why many women struggle to receive care
• Rat Park as a lens on connection and behavior
• practical rhythms that cue nervous system safety
• scripture, science, and sisterhood as one path

Welcome to Heart and Soul Elevation. Episode one, coming soon.

Support the show

Connect with Melissa: Lemon Balm Coaching or Women Connected FB Community

Connect with Stephanie: SJP Health and Wellness or Be the BOSS, Be Well FB Community

Music by Adipsia

Send us a text

Ever feel like you’re doing all the “right” faith practices, but your body still feels tired, and your joy won’t land?

In the brand new Heart and Soul Elevation podcast, we open the door to a different way of living where health and spirituality stop competing and finally support each other.

Our origin story brings two worlds together: one of us is a scientist turned wellness coach who grounds change in evidence and nervous system literacy; the other is a Life Coach, aromatherapist, and energy healer who reads patterns, honors presence, and listens for the Holy Spirit’s quiet prompt.

This pairing creates a space where Scripture meets science, prayer meets practice, and community becomes the catalyst for real change.

Episode one drops soon!

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Connect with Melissa: Lemon Balm Coaching or Women Connected FB Community

Connect with Stephanie: SJP Health and Wellness or Be the BOSS, Be Well FB Community

Music by Adipsia

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Ever notice how a random jab from years ago feels louder than a warm compliment from last week? There’s a reason. Our brains are built to protect us, tagging threats and disappointments as high priority while letting everyday goodness slip by. We unpack that survival bias with clear, practical steps to retrain your attention so peace stops feeling like a fairy tale and starts feeling like a habit you can build.

I've got stories to share —from skunks in the camp vestibule to roadside breakdowns—that illustrate why “what went wrong” is so sticky in memory. Then we connect the dots between neuroscience and faith, showing how the reticular activating system can be tuned on purpose and how asking where God is working opens space for trust over control. You’ll learn simple, repeatable practices to shift out of constant what-ifs: daily gratitude that counts small gifts, marking moments so the good becomes recallable, speaking gratitude out loud to anchor truth, and using grounding questions to interrupt spirals. If stress has been your baseline and rest feels unsafe, these tools help your nervous system relearn safety, creativity, and joy.

I also have an update: after five steady years of showing up, I'm pausing through November and December to rest, pray, and listen for the next right step. Consider this your invitation to choose renewal over relentless survival. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review to help others find these conversations. While we’re away, join the mailing list so you don’t miss what’s coming next—and tell me: where do you see goodness moving in your life today?

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Connect with Melissa: Lemon Balm Coaching or Women Connected FB Community

Connect with Stephanie: SJP Health and Wellness or Be the BOSS, Be Well FB Community

Music by Adipsia

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The room wasn’t full, but the sound was. As our small congregation sang “It Is Well with My Soul,” the harmonies rose like a river and something sacred brushed the air. That moment sparked a deep dive into the real story behind the hymn, the raw grief that birthed it, and the resilient hope it still offers to anyone standing in the waves.

We walk through Horatio Spafford’s cascading losses—the Great Chicago Fire, the death of his son, the shipwreck that claimed his four daughters—and how, on a grief-marked voyage, he penned words that neither deny sorrow nor bow to it. From “when sorrows like sea billows roll” to the promise that faith will become sight, we explore why this hymn endures across traditions: it names reality and then anchors the heart in God’s unchanging presence. Along the way, we unpack the difference between worldly peace (the storm must stop) and God’s peace (I am held in the storm), and we point to Revelation’s vision where every tear is wiped away.

You’ll hear practices for making the hymn your own: naming your pain without comparison, anchoring in scripture and prayer when emotions surge, and rehearsing hope until the refrain takes root. We also share a free journaling guide with prompts to help you reflect, grieve, and lean into God’s nearness. And there’s big news—our next season brings a fresh format with co-host Stephanie Pasniokis as we weave scripture into everyday wellness for women of faith, aligning spirit, mind, and body in truth, not trends.

If your heart is tired or your season feels stormy, this conversation offers language, presence, and a song to stand on. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review to help others find this space where small rooms can still sound like heaven.

Download Your Heart & Soul Elevation Journal Pages HERE:

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Connect with Melissa: Lemon Balm Coaching or Women Connected FB Community

Connect with Stephanie: SJP Health and Wellness or Be the BOSS, Be Well FB Community

Music by Adipsia

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Ever notice how the same day can feel radically different depending on what you’re looking for? We explore how attention, expectation, and belief quietly engineer your reality—drawing on a clear, down-to-earth explanation of energy, a plain-English take on the double-slit experiment, and a heartfelt bridge between neuroscience and faith. Think of it as a toolkit for changing what you observe into being, without jargon or hype.

I share how the brain’s priming system filters billions of inputs every second, why certain stories become your default lens, and how those lenses turn into identity. We walk through relatable examples—like seeing help as unreliable when your core belief says you must hold everything together—and map them to practical, repeatable tools that actually rewire your mind. Breath work, simple declarations, journaling, and five-minute visualizations form a daily practice that strengthens helpful neural networks while letting old patterns loosen their grip. Along the way, we connect ancient wisdom and scripture about renewing the mind with modern insights about attention shaping experience, making faith feel both grounded and actionable.

By the end, you’ll have a gentle, structured way to examine the beliefs steering your days, replace them with truer, kinder ones, and align mind, body, and spirit toward the future you want to live. If you’re a woman over 40 feeling stuck, weary, or out of sync with your own desires, this conversation offers clear steps to find flow again—and a community that wants to walk with you.

If this speaks to you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a quick review so more women can find their way back to joy.

Support the show

Connect with Melissa: Lemon Balm Coaching or Women Connected FB Community

Connect with Stephanie: SJP Health and Wellness or Be the BOSS, Be Well FB Community

Music by Adipsia