Out of Focus

Shannon Stewart
  • 4.5 (34)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

From chasing perfection to discovering grace — this is my story. I’m Shannon Stewart — runner-up on America’s Next Top Model, Miss Ohio USA, and a woman who once tried to earn love through performance. Out of Focus is a podcast for anyone who’s ever felt disqualified, disappointed, or too far gone. We talk about identity, performance-based faith, the weight of shame, and the grace that meets us in the mess. This is for the ones who silently wonder: “Does my story still matter?” It does. Even when life feels out of focus… God brings clarity. Real stories. Deep truth. Radical grace. New episodes every week — with honest conversations and hope-filled moments that point to Jesus.

  1. 20h ago

    When Life Breaks Your Heart, Is God Still Good? | Amber Smith

    How do you keep believing God is good when life doesn’t feel good? In this episode of Out of Focus, Shannon Stewart sits down with Amber Smith for an incredibly honest conversation about grief, faith, surrender, and finding hope after unimaginable loss. After losing her son River in a drowning accident in 2019, Amber found herself crying on the bathroom floor, trying to understand how to keep moving forward while carrying a pain she never imagined she would have to endure. But in the middle of her heartbreak, she began searching for God—not the version of Him she had heard about, but who He really is. Amber shares what grief revealed about her faith, why she chose to keep opening her Bible even when she didn’t feel like it, and how discipline eventually became desire and devotion. She and Shannon talk about wrestling with unanswered questions, learning to trust God without understanding Him, and discovering that grief and joy can somehow exist in the same heart. They also talk about the shame Amber’s husband, Granger Smith, carried after River’s death, the dark season Amber didn’t fully know he was walking through, and what their story taught them about loving each other when neither person could fix the other’s pain. This conversation is tender, raw, and full of truth. Amber’s story is a reminder that heartbreak does not mean God has abandoned you. Your suffering is not the end of your story, and even when you cannot see what God is doing, He is still present. If you are in a season where life looks nothing like you thought it would, let this conversation encourage you to keep turning toward Jesus. You don’t have to have all the answers to trust Him. You can bring Him your questions, your anger, your grief, and your broken heart. There is still hope. There is still light. And your story is not over. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18 RESOURCES & LINKS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shannon_stewart Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outoffocuspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonstewartmodel TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/shannon_stewart_ 🎙️ All platforms & freebies: https://linktr.ee/shannonstewart 📩 Booking inquiries: info@shannonstewartmodel.com #OutOfFocusPodcast #ShannonStewart #ChristianPodcast #Testimony #Redemption #Grace #Faith

  2. Oct 21

    When Her Father Left, God Stayed | Micah Maddox on Abandonment, Forgiveness & Healing

    What happens when the person who taught you about God becomes the person who breaks your heart? On this episode of Out of Focus, Shannon sits down with author and speaker Micah Maddox for an honest conversation about abandonment, forgiveness, childhood wounds, and learning to trust God when the people who represented Him let you down. Micah was just a little girl when she arrived at church one Sunday morning and discovered that her father—a pastor—had left their family. For years, she carried the pain quietly, convincing everyone—including herself—that she was fine. Decades later, Micah finally reached a breaking point and admitted, “I’m not okay.” That moment became the beginning of a deeper journey toward healing and freedom. Micah shares about reconnecting with her biological father, learning that forgiveness doesn't always mean reconciliation, creating healthy boundaries, and losing the adoptive father who stepped in and showed her what a present father could look like. Through it all, she came to understand that the deepest longing in her heart could only be satisfied by God. Shannon and Micah also talk about adoption coming full circle in Micah's own family, parenting children through anxiety and big emotions, and the heart behind Micah's newest book, Calming Your Anxious Child. For anyone carrying a father wound, church hurt, disappointment, or a story that still feels unresolved, this episode is a reminder that the failure of a person does not change the character of God. You don't have to hide the parts of your story that still hurt. God can meet you there, walk with you through the process, and bring freedom even when your circumstances don't wrap themselves up in a perfect bow. “Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me.” — Psalm 27:10 RESOURCES & LINKS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shannon_stewart Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outoffocuspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonstewartmodel TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/shannon_stewart_ 🎙️ All platforms & freebies: https://linktr.ee/shannonstewart 📩 Booking inquiries: info@shannonstewartmodel.com #OutOfFocusPodcast #ShannonStewart #ChristianPodcast #Testimony #Redemption #Grace #Faith

  3. Oct 14

    Do You Want God—or Just What He Can Give You? | Psalm 27 with Mary Ann Stewart

    What if one of the clearest signs of our relationship with God is where we run when we don’t need anything from Him? Most of us know how to seek God when we’re desperate. We need an answer, direction, healing, or for Him to change something we can’t change ourselves. But Psalm 27 shows us something deeper. On this episode of Out of Focus, Shannon Stewart sits down with her mom, Mary Ann Stewart, for Part 2 of their conversation through Psalm 27. They’re talking about what it really means to seek the face of God—not just His hand. They talk about how easy it is to become so focused on the answer we’re waiting for that we miss God Himself, how striving and busyness can quietly replace intimacy with Him, and what it looks like to come to Jesus honestly, without a mask. One of Shannon’s favorite moments is a simple prayer Mary Ann shares for anyone who feels spiritually dry: “Lord, give me more love to love You.” If your faith has felt routine lately, or if you’ve been so consumed with what you need from God that you’ve forgotten the beauty of simply being with Him, this conversation is a reminder that His presence is not the consolation prize. He is the prize. Start small. Come honestly. Seek Him for Him. “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek.” — Psalm 27:8 (NIV) RESOURCES & LINKS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shannon_stewart Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outoffocuspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonstewartmodel TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/shannon_stewart_ 🎙️ All platforms & freebies: https://linktr.ee/shannonstewart 📩 Booking inquiries: info@shannonstewartmodel.com #OutOfFocusPodcast #ShannonStewart #ChristianPodcast #Testimony #Redemption #Grace #Faith

  4. Oct 7

    Breanna Nix: “I Thought I Was Too Broken” — How God Redeemed Her Story After American Idol

    What if the very thing you thought disqualified you was the place God wanted to meet you? This week on Out of Focus, Shannon sits down with American Idol finalist Breanna Nix for a conversation that goes far beyond what America saw on television. Breanna opens up about growing up with wounds that shaped the way she saw herself—and even the way she saw God. She shares how a serious car accident, a secret American Idol audition, and one small act of obedience became part of a much bigger story God was writing. They talk about rejection, shame, surrender, the pressure to perform, and how God used an unexpected season in the spotlight to heal places in Breanna's heart she didn't realize were still broken. Breanna also shares the powerful story behind her song “Redemption Story” and what she's learned about letting Jesus—not success, other people's opinions, or our past—define who we are. If you've ever wondered whether you're too messy, too broken, or too far gone for God to use, this conversation is a reminder that your brokenness doesn't disqualify you. Bring the whole story to Jesus. He is still redeeming, restoring, and making beautiful things from places you thought were beyond repair. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3 (NIV) RESOURCES & LINKS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shannon_stewart Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outoffocuspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonstewartmodel TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/shannon_stewart_ 🎙️ All platforms & freebies: https://linktr.ee/shannonstewart 📩 Booking inquiries: info@shannonstewartmodel.com #OutOfFocusPodcast #ShannonStewart #ChristianPodcast #Testimony #Redemption #Grace #Faith

  5. Sep 30

    Adrianne Curry: I Was Angry at God—Until I Couldn’t Deny Him Anymore.

    What happens when the God you spent years running from becomes the One you can no longer deny? More than twenty years after Adrianne Curry and Shannon Stewart stood together in the finale of America’s Next Top Model, they sit down for a conversation neither could have imagined having back then. Adrianne opens up about the side of her story many people have never heard—surviving trauma, turning to drugs at a young age, becoming deeply angry with God, and eventually walking away from Christianity altogether. She shares what happened after Top Model, why she blamed God for so much of the pain in her life, and the unexpected moments that began challenging everything she believed. They also talk about the grandmother who never stopped praying for her, the power of loving someone who doesn’t believe what you believe, forgiveness, shame, and the moment Adrianne could no longer deny that Jesus was real. And, of course, after more than two decades of friendship, they look back at Top Model, what really bonded them during that experience, and just how different the two women sitting here today are from the girls who stood together in that finale. If you’re praying for someone who has walked away from God—or maybe you’re the one who has been running—this conversation is a reminder that God can reach a heart in ways we never could. Keep loving. Keep praying. And don’t give up. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise... Instead he is patient with you.” — 2 Peter 3:9 RESOURCES & LINKS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shannon_stewart Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outoffocuspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonstewartmodel TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/shannon_stewart_ 🎙️ All platforms & freebies: https://linktr.ee/shannonstewart 📩 Booking inquiries: info@shannonstewartmodel.com #OutOfFocusPodcast #ShannonStewart #ChristianPodcast #Testimony #Redemption #Grace #Faith

  6. Sep 23

    When You Can’t Fix It: Learning to Trust God in the Battle | Psalm 27

    What do you do when you love someone deeply, pray desperately, and realize there is absolutely nothing you can do to fix what they’re going through? In this episode of Out of Focus, Shannon sits down with one of her favorite people, her mom, for a conversation about Psalm 27 and what it really means for God to become the stronghold of our lives. For Shannon’s mom, that truth became deeply personal while watching Shannon battle an eating disorder as a teenager. She loved her, prayed for her, put guardrails around her, and did everything she knew to do. But eventually, she had to face something every parent, spouse, friend, and person who has ever loved someone through a battle understands: there are places we cannot go for another person and things we simply cannot fix. She had to entrust Shannon to God. They talk about the prayers Shannon never heard, the fear her mom was fighting behind the scenes, and the day Shannon woke up and realized the obsession with food that had consumed so much of her life was simply gone. They also talk about other seasons that became what Shannon’s mom calls her “spiritual gyms,” places neither of them would have chosen, but places where God taught them who He really is. Because David didn’t call God his light, salvation, and stronghold from the comfort of an easy life. He learned the character of God in battle. They also talk about fear, surrender, waiting when God seems silent, the temptation to run to people or Google before running to God, and the difference between trusting God and still trying to control the outcome. Maybe you’re in one of those spiritual gyms right now. Maybe you’re praying for someone you love. Maybe you’re waiting for God to move and wondering why He hasn’t yet. Or maybe everything you normally lean on has been stripped away. Shannon and her mom hope this conversation reminds you that the battle you would never have chosen can become the place where you discover something about God you could never have learned from a distance. You may not understand what He is doing yet. You may not even feel Him. But you can keep reaching for His hand and trusting His character. He is still your light. He is still your salvation. And He is still your stronghold. “The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” — Psalm 27:1 RESOURCES & LINKS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shannon_stewart Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outoffocuspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonstewartmodel TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/shannon_stewart_ 🎙️ All platforms & freebies: https://linktr.ee/shannonstewart 📩 Booking inquiries: info@shannonstewartmodel.com #OutOfFocusPodcast #ShannonStewart #ChristianPodcast #Testimony #Redemption #Grace #Faith

  7. Sep 16

    God Can Redeem the Years You Thought You Wasted | Jordan Pruitt on Sobriety, Shame & Starting Again

    What if the years you think you wasted aren't wasted at all? Jordan Pruitt was just 14 years old when a demo recorded for $100 eventually landed in the hands of Hollywood Records. Within months, she went from growing up in a small town with one stoplight to performing for thousands, touring with acts like the Cheetah Girls and becoming part of the Disney music world. But behind the success was a very different story. In this episode of Out of Focus, Shannon sits down with Jordan for an incredibly honest conversation about the years that followed—the pressure of growing up in the spotlight, struggling with comparison and identity, eventually walking away from music, battling alcohol, and reaching a place where she says she didn't even recognize herself anymore. Jordan opens up about getting sober and the difficult first months when she could no longer numb what she was feeling. She shares how therapy, AA, her family, and most importantly her relationship with Jesus became part of rebuilding her life and how sobriety ultimately deepened a faith she had carried since childhood. They also talk about shame, five miscarriages, motherhood, marriage, the hidden seasons of life, and what happens when something you thought God might be finished with begins stirring in your heart again. After nearly 15 years away from music, Jordan is singing again—and remarkably, she's re-recording the very song that helped launch her career as a teenager. She shares the moment Joel 2 reminded her that God can restore what feels lost, the unexpected doors opening without a manager or PR team, and why this time she's determined to let God lead instead of measuring her life by someone else's success. This conversation is for anyone who has ever looked backward and wondered, Did I waste too much time? Did I mess up too badly? Did I miss what God had for me? Jordan's story is a reminder that your lowest chapter doesn't have to become your final one. God is still able to restore, redeem, and breathe life into places you thought were finished. “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten...” — Joel 2:25 If you're in a season that feels wasted, hidden, delayed, or impossible to redeem, don't assume God is finished because you can't yet see what He's doing. Keep walking with Him. Keep surrendering what you cannot change. The God who redeems people also knows how to redeem the parts of our stories we thought were lost forever. RESOURCES & LINKS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shannon_stewart Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outoffocuspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonstewartmodel TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/shannon_stewart_ 🎙️ All platforms & freebies: https://linktr.ee/shannonstewart 📩 Booking inquiries: info@shannonstewartmodel.com #OutOfFocusPodcast #ShannonStewart #ChristianPodcast #Testimony #Redemption #Grace #Faith

  8. Sep 9

    She Was Kidnapped at 7. What God Did Next Is the Real Miracle | Lauren Burns

    Lauren Burns was kidnapped by her own father at seven years old and taken halfway around the world. But getting rescued wasn't the end of her story. Lauren is back on Out of Focus with Shannon Stewart, and this time Shannon and Lauren are talking about what happened after the rescue. In 1987, Lauren's biological father took her to Jordan with no intention of bringing her home. While her mother prayed and fasted, a team of former military men launched an extraordinary international rescue mission that eventually brought Lauren safely across the border into Israel. It's a story that sounds like a movie. But what makes this conversation so powerful is that Lauren doesn't stop at the miracle. Shannon and Lauren talk about the wounds that followed her home, the anger she carried toward God, and the questions she couldn't shake: If God was good, why had He allowed this to happen in the first place? Lauren shares how the wounds left by her earthly father affected the way she saw her heavenly Father, and how God slowly taught her what a good Father actually looks like. They also talk about her mother's incredible faith, the prayers Lauren discovered years later, what it took to forgive the father who kidnapped her, and why forgiveness doesn't mean pretending something didn't happen or allowing unsafe people back into your life. Lauren's new book, Stolen, tells the full story, but this conversation is a powerful reminder of something we don't want to miss: sometimes the miracle isn't only what God rescues you from. It's what He does in you afterward. Maybe something has been stolen from you. Maybe your story didn't turn out the way you prayed it would. Maybe you're carrying wounds caused by someone who should have protected you. Your pain is real, but it does not get the final word. God is still able to meet you in what was broken, walk with you through the healing, and redeem what you thought could never be restored. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3 RESOURCES & LINKS: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shannon_stewart Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outoffocuspodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonstewartmodel TikTok: http://www.tiktok.com/shannon_stewart_ 🎙️ All platforms & freebies: https://linktr.ee/shannonstewart 📩 Booking inquiries: info@shannonstewartmodel.com #OutOfFocusPodcast #ShannonStewart #ChristianPodcast #Testimony #Redemption #Grace #Faith

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4.5
out of 5
34 Ratings

About

From chasing perfection to discovering grace — this is my story. I’m Shannon Stewart — runner-up on America’s Next Top Model, Miss Ohio USA, and a woman who once tried to earn love through performance. Out of Focus is a podcast for anyone who’s ever felt disqualified, disappointed, or too far gone. We talk about identity, performance-based faith, the weight of shame, and the grace that meets us in the mess. This is for the ones who silently wonder: “Does my story still matter?” It does. Even when life feels out of focus… God brings clarity. Real stories. Deep truth. Radical grace. New episodes every week — with honest conversations and hope-filled moments that point to Jesus.

Information

  • Creator
    Shannon Stewart
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    65
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Shannon Stewart
  • Show Website
    Out of Focus

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