Rooted Rhythms Podcast

North Raleigh Christian Academy

The Rooted Rhythms podcast, hosted by Josh Leonard, invites guests to the show for conversations that encourage listeners to sit in as the host and guests tackle tough questions or engage in discussions surrounding our culture today. Whether you are a student, parent, or community member, this podcast provides a great launching point for further discussions with your circle of people as we seek to encourage our community to establish life rhythms rooted in the truth of the Gospel and point others back to Jesus.

  1. MAR 6

    Navigating Feelings with Biblical Truth - Elizabeth Thompson

    We are excited to share with you all another episode of the Rooted Rhythms podcast as we are joined by a voice that will be familiar to many of our NRCA students – Elizabeth Thompson, who recently served as one of our Chapel speakers in Middle School and High School Chapel during our series on the book of Jonah. We speak often at NRCA about what it looks like to walk with Jesus – establishing the rhythms of our lives in pursuit of the Lord’s direction on our next steps. Elizabeth has a heart for teenagers and parents, and a strong desire to see both pursue Jesus throughout their lives. As an author and speaker, she has the opportunity to share with others the truth of God’s Word – and specifically, has encouraged countless people in the areas of friendship, waiting on the Lord, and obedience to when God calls us to “Go!”. But for today, I asked Elizabeth to join us to talk about another aspect of life that she is passionate about – how we as followers of Jesus navigate the ever-changing world of our emotions. Regardless of what age or season of life we are in, we all have emotions. We might experience or process them differently than those beside us, but we all have them. In today’s episode, Elizabeth and I walk through a Biblical understanding of how to identify and navigate our emotions as our desire is that these very emotions would lead us into a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and who He has called us to be. I pray that today’s conversation encourages and challenges each of us to think deeply about how we process our emotions and begin to establish rhythms in our lives that help us navigate them in way that pushes us closer to Jesus. From Elizabeth: Listeners can sign up for my weekly newsletter here. I offer Bible studies, devotional thoughts, and book/speaking news. Author site Facebook Instagram Books: All the Feels for Teens All the Feels When God Says, “Wait” When a Friendship Falls Apart Preorder In Season: A 90-Day Devotional for Female Student Athletes to Build Faith, Strengthen Confidence, and Train a Growth Mindset (coming July 14, 2026)

    37 min
  2. 12/18/2025

    Faith at the Heart of Service - Michelle Norwood

    “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:” – 1 Peter 4:10 As followers of Jesus, this calling on our lives is one that rings true for each of us – to use the gifts that the Lord has given us to serve those in our sphere of influence; and by doing so, bring honor and glory to the name of Christ. This episode of the Rooted Rhythms podcast is a conversation that gives each of us an opportunity to hear how one family has used the gifts the Lord has given to them to impact both their immediate community and communities across the country. Michelle Norwood is the founder of “A Little Something Extra, Inc.” which is an event based, ice cream truck that she and her husband created as an opportunity for her son Hunter, who has Down Syndrome. Through today’s conversation, you will have the chance to hear how the Lord orchestrated the creation of this company and the ways that their ministry is now impacting families and communities all over for the sake of the Gospel. This episode will also be our first episode of the Rooted Rhythms podcast that is hosted by NRCA’s Christian Life Director, Ms. Lilly Wooten, whose personal connection to the work the Lord is doing through “A Little Something Extra, Inc.” is sure to be both a blessing and encouragement to you. I pray that this opportunity to hear of how the Lord is working through the Norwood family will encourage each of us to reflect on the rhythms of our own lives as we seek live a life of faithful service, using our gifts to bring glory and honor to the One in whose image we are made.

    30 min
  3. 05/23/2025

    Rest and Reliance on Christ – Mia Mbroh

    Mia's dedication to helping others has built her career through countless conversations dealing with social and emotional health. In each encounter, she seeks to help individuals establish their own narrative to move toward their full potential. By creating a safe space for dialogue, Mia helps each individual feel comfortable by showing her own transparency while displaying her ability to listen and facilitate conversations with others. The result is a truthful conversation with each individual leaving with their own value and worth. Mia's expertise has her seated in the arena with powerful leadership overseeing intentional choices to move towards an understanding of power and productivity that come from attending to the emotional and mental health of working and learning environments in the education, corporate, and non-profit sectors.  A licensed professional counselor for over 25 years, Mia is a certified parent educator and a trained facilitator for the Anti-Defamation League. Her career has been dedicated to helping others. It has evolved into a facilitator of organizational wellness, specifically regarding leaders' mental and emotional health, often with a specific emphasis on matters of diversity and inclusion. Mia facilitates healthy conversations about relational health, mental and emotional wellness, diversity, faith, awareness, and self-improvement.  Mia holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Family Psychology with a minor in Education and Communication. She is also a published author and has recently written "A Sticky Story" - a children's book about navigating emotions and feelings when hard things happen. In response to a world that has brought anxiety and grief to the forefront, this book was created as a tool to evoke life-giving conversations with a young audience.  If you enjoyed this conversation with Mia Mbroh, I hope you will check out more of her resources that she is developing. You can find more about all that the Lord is doing through Mia’s ministry at MiaMbroh.com.

    52 min
  4. 02/07/2025

    Hearts Bent Toward the Addictive - Chris Dew

    In this world that we live, we can so often find ourselves experiencing feelings of discontentment and restlessness in our soul. The temptation of the enemy is a familiar one to us all: to replace these feelings with anything but Jesus. As we reflect on the rhythms of our lives, we might recognize those things that take up the most weight in our hearts, that overwhelm our thought life; those things that we will reprioritize the schedule of our lives because we so desperately believe that they will bring us fulfillment.  This bent in our hearts toward the addictive is no stranger to any of us and in this episode of the Rooted Rhythms podcast we are joined by Chris Dew, who served as one of our speakers at NRCA’s Spiritual Emphasis Week this year. Chris’s story highlights his own pursuit to fill the void he felt in his soul and the ways the Lord so graciously and mercifully rescued him from his addiction. Chris’s story is one that we can see parts of our own story in. While the pursuit or idol may not be the same, the inclination to chase after things that we think will bring us peace, joy, or contentment is something that we can all recognize in our own lives. And I am so thankful that we serve a loving and merciful Creator who meets us in our mess and offers restoration and true peace that is only found in Him. I pray that this episode encourages each of us as we are reminded of the faithfulness of God and that this conversation would spur us to deeper reflection on those areas of our lives we might be chasing, that we might instead turn our eyes back to Jesus.

    41 min

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

The Rooted Rhythms podcast, hosted by Josh Leonard, invites guests to the show for conversations that encourage listeners to sit in as the host and guests tackle tough questions or engage in discussions surrounding our culture today. Whether you are a student, parent, or community member, this podcast provides a great launching point for further discussions with your circle of people as we seek to encourage our community to establish life rhythms rooted in the truth of the Gospel and point others back to Jesus.