The Starting Line

Crystal Epps
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Religion & Spirituality
  • Weekly

The Starting Line is about faith in action. This is a space for those that are ready to move, reflect, and grow—even when things aren’t perfect. Each episode explores obedience, execution, gratitude, and removing the blinders that keep us from seeing the blessings already in our lives. No fluff. No perfection. Just honest conversations about starting, stepping, and trusting the journey. If you’re ready to stop waiting for everything to be perfect and take your first step, this is your starting line. If you are not ready, listen anyway because you may not know you are ready. epps007.substack.com

  1. 6d ago

    42. Be Your Own Witness

    This week, God tested me. Not gently either — in-your-face, right now, what are you gonna do, type of test. In my professional space. With my team watching. And after a lot of reflection, I think I passed. Not perfectly. But in a way that surprised even me. The only thing I can credit? I didn’t start the day at 50. This podcast exists because I stopped waiting to be ready. Subscribe free and come along for the journey In this episode, I’m getting into what happened when a situation pushed every single one of my defaults — and how the work I had been doing every morning is the reason I only went to 20 instead of a hundred. I’m talking about what it feels like to show up better than you expected, why external validation is its own lesson, and the hardest part of growth that nobody puts on a highlight reel: Sometimes you do the right thing and nobody claps. And you have to be your own witness. This one is personal. This one is real. And if you’ve ever needed someone else’s opinion to confirm what you already knew — this episode is for you. Go back and listen to Episode 18 (0 to 100) first if you haven’t. Then come right back here. Let’s go. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit epps007.substack.com

    42. Be Your Own Witness

  2. Oct 19

    41. Don't Skip the In-Between

    It was late. I was tired. I laid down — and my brain would not turn off. Not on anything good either. Every scenario, every situation, every response I was already rehearsing in my head. Butterflies in my stomach. Praying to just let it go. And then it hit me: I hadn’t given my brain a reason to rest. I’d been on TV, on social media, all day long — and then I just laid down and expected my mind to stop. Just like that. This podcast exists because I stopped waiting to be ready. Subscribe free and come along for the journey. That’s not a pivot. That’s a wish. Here’s what nobody talks about when we celebrate the pivot: you cannot pivot without a transition. And if you try, you don’t actually move. You just carry the old energy right into the new space and wonder why nothing feels different. In this episode, I’m breaking down why the in-between gets skipped, what it actually costs you when it does, and what it looks like to build the bridge — in your sleep routine, in your career, in your relationships, in every area of your life where you’re trying to move from where you were to where you’re going. The pivot gets the credit. But the transition does the work. Don’t skip the step. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit epps007.substack.com

    41. Don't Skip the In-Between

  3. Oct 12

    40. Soft Enough to Flow: The Art of Surrender

    Last week gave me two lessons that had no business landing at the same time — but they did, because that’s exactly how God works. A conversation with my sister about being open to what shows up. A yoga class where my teacher talked about releasing attachment so you can re-engage. And a chapter I wasn’t even looking for — on surrender — that met me right in the middle of a work situation I was gripping way too tight. Here’s what I had to learn the hard way: I was guaranteeing the stress of a situation I hadn’t even fully allowed to play out yet. This podcast exists because I stopped waiting to be ready. Subscribe free and come along for the journey. In this episode, I’m pulling from the Yamas and Niyamas (Debra Adele’s book — get it if you don’t have it) and from a very real moment where I delivered a five when the expectation was a ten. We talk about the frozen ice cube, what it actually means to be soft enough to flow, and the piece that took me the longest to find the words for — that surrender means doing the thing before you feel qualified to do it. Because you don’t get to wait until you’re qualified. You get qualified by walking through it. Strong enough to engage. Soft enough to flow. Obedient enough to move before you feel ready. Let’s go. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit epps007.substack.com

    40. Soft Enough to Flow: The Art of Surrender

  4. Oct 5

    39. God Sent a Reminder: Start Small. Stay Obedient

    My nail tech called me this week. Out of nowhere. And y’all might think — okay, Crystal, it’s just nails. But that is exactly the point. God had already told me to call her. I kept putting it off. And then she called me. And I ended up in the exact same place I would have been had I just been obedient from the start. That is not a coincidence. That is God doubling down. This podcast exists because I stopped waiting to be ready. Subscribe free and come along for the journey. In this episode — Part 3 of the obedience series — I’m talking about what happens when you fail to move and God sends somebody else to push you there anyway. I’m talking about why your obedience needs to touch every level of your life, not just the big decisions. And I’m talking about why you cannot leap to the big thing if you haven’t built the muscle on the small things first. You don’t go from tiptoe to jumping. There are steps in between. And every small act of obedience is building the pattern, the muscle, and the trust that carries you into everything larger He has waiting for you. Start small. Stay obedient. 🎙️ Listen now — link above. And if you haven’t heard Episode 2 — Raising the Vibration — or Episode 36 — There Is No Rest in Disobedience — go back. All three together tell the whole story. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit epps007.substack.com

    39. God Sent a Reminder: Start Small. Stay Obedient

  5. Sep 28

    38. Look at Me

    Labor Day weekend I took my three year old niece to our family reunion in Atlanta — without her parents. And in three days with her, she taught me something I didn’t expect. She had no shame about asking to be seen. Look at me. Am I pretty? Direct. Honest. Completely unashamed. And I couldn’t stop thinking — what happens to that need when we grow up? This podcast exists because I stopped waiting to be ready. Subscribe free and come along for the journey. In this episode I’m talking about what gets built inside a child who is seen consistently — and what gets built instead when they’re not. I’m talking about the adult who shrinks, the adult who becomes loud, and the adult who learned that visibility was dangerous. I’m talking about how I became one of those children. And I’m talking about what it means that I’m here now — with a podcast, on purpose, asking to be seen on my own terms. The need to be seen doesn’t go away. We just learn to hide it. This one is for the ones who grew up unseen. The ones still waiting for someone to notice. I see you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit epps007.substack.com

    38. Look at Me

  6. Sep 21

    37. There Is No Rest in Disobedience

    There is no rest in disobedience. That’s what Kylia Jackson said in a video I was watching on a Tuesday morning while getting ready for work. She kept right on moving. But I couldn’t. I stopped everything and started recording — because that one sentence was enough to sit with for the rest of the day. This podcast exists because I stopped waiting to be ready. Subscribe free and come along for the journey. In this episode I’m walking through what obedience actually costs. What it feels like in your body when you ignore the call. Why God doesn’t stop sending the message just because you looked the other way. And why your obedience — even when it’s imperfect, even when you’re terrified — is someone else’s permission to live. This one is for whoever has been avoiding the thing they already know they’re supposed to do. There is no rest there. Go be obedient. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit epps007.substack.com

    37. There Is No Rest in Disobedience

  7. Sep 14

    36. Bracing for Impact

    I got a text from my really good friend. Only her name came across the screen. And I immediately felt a sense of disappointment — before I read a single word. I knew we were getting together in a few hours. And my first thought was — she’s about to cancel. Why did I assume that? Why did my body react like that? Well. Let’s find out. This podcast exists because I stopped waiting to be ready. Subscribe free and come along for the journey. In this episode I’m tracing a coping strategy I created when I was two or three years old — one I’ve been using ever since without even realizing it. The strategy of preparing for disappointment before it arrives so the blow doesn’t hit as hard. Except here’s the problem. That strategy guarantees I experience the negative. Every time. Even when nothing went wrong. We’re also talking about fear of getting in trouble, rewiring your nervous system, and why the things that no longer serve you aren’t just friendships and jobs — they’re also the mentalities and coping mechanisms you’ve been carrying since childhood. I don’t have all the answers. But I have a question for you at the end. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit epps007.substack.com

    36. Bracing for Impact

  8. Aug 31

    35. Close Your Eyes and Fall

    Saturday morning. Warming up for power flow. I was doing some balancing exercises and as soon as I closed my eyes — the challenge went from 10 to 1000. I immediately fell out of the pose. And it made me think. How many of us are walking around like that? Eyes closed. Off balance. Completely unaware. Here’s the thing about closing your eyes — nothing around you changes. The room is the same. Your body is the same. But the moment you remove your ability to see, you lose your footing. And the fall becomes inevitable. This podcast exists because I stopped waiting to be ready. Subscribe free and come along for the journey. Self-awareness works exactly the same way. Every time you walk through life blind — avoiding the hard questions, refusing to look at how you’re contributing, internalizing things that were never about you — you fall. Over and over. And you don’t even know why. Because your eyes were closed. In this episode we’re talking about the areas where you might be balanced and the areas where you’re walking completely blind. Plus a personal moment where something triggered me — and what I did instead of reacting. You cannot balance what you cannot see. Open your eyes. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit epps007.substack.com

    35. Close Your Eyes and Fall
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

The Starting Line is about faith in action. This is a space for those that are ready to move, reflect, and grow—even when things aren’t perfect. Each episode explores obedience, execution, gratitude, and removing the blinders that keep us from seeing the blessings already in our lives. No fluff. No perfection. Just honest conversations about starting, stepping, and trusting the journey. If you’re ready to stop waiting for everything to be perfect and take your first step, this is your starting line. If you are not ready, listen anyway because you may not know you are ready. epps007.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Crystal Epps
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Crystal Epps
  • Show Website
    The Starting Line