The Living Story: Healing from Heartbreak, Finding Purpose, and Learning to Live Again

Tennille Martinez
  • 5.0 (20)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

You have done the work. Read the books. Sat in the therapy chair. Said the prayers or maybe stopped saying them altogether. And something still is not landing. You are not broken. You are not behind. You are in the middle of a chapter that is longer and harder than anyone told you it would be. You feel stuck between who you were and who you are still becoming. And you are looking for someone who has been exactly where you are. Welcome to The Living Story. Hosted by Tennille Martinez, a teacher, storyteller, and woman of faith, this is a podcast for women in their 30s and 40s navigating healing, identity, heartbreak, and the long journey of finding themselves again after loss, divorce, depression, and the kind of pain that changes everything. Each episode weaves together personal testimony, scripture, and honest spiritual conversation for women who are done performing and ready to go deeper. Whether you are healing after divorce, recovering from heartbreak, rebuilding your sense of worth and purpose after loss, walking through depression and faith at the same time, or simply trying to find yourself again after a season that left you unrecognizable, there is a chapter here for you. This is not a podcast for women who have it together. This is a podcast for women who are still in the middle of it and need to know the middle is survivable. Faith will meet you here exactly where you are. Even if you are not sure you believe anymore. Even if you are angry. Even if the last thing you expected was for God to show up in a chapter that looked like this. If you have been searching for a podcast about healing, starting over, self-worth, identity, purpose, and becoming the woman you were created to be, you just found it. The chapters you least understand are often the ones that change everything. You don't just read stories. You are one.

  1. APR 28

    E17 | When Healing Keeps Restarting: What I Learned About Letting Go & Reaching Back

    Send us Fan Mail I deleted messages on WhatsApp. More than once. And every time I did, I restarted the clock on my own healing without realizing it.  If you have ever reached back for something God already moved, if you have ever stood in a room with tears running down your face while worship music played and wondered why it was not getting easier, this episode is for you.  This is what real healing actually looked like for me. Messy and circular and full of grace I did not earn. And what I found in Isaiah 30 on the night I finally stopped running from the truth. Support the show Enjoyed this episode? There's more waiting for you on Substack. Longer thoughts, quieter moments, and a community of women who get it. Come find us. If this episode stirred something in you, grab the free guide: 5 Signs You Are Trying to Finish a Story God Is Still Writing. It is a gentle mirror for the woman who is still in the middle. My gift to you! Follow and connect with us on Instagram!

    20 min

  2. APR 23

    E16 | You Don't Know the Full Story: Why Secondhand Faith Always Leads to Doubt

    Send us Fan Mail I was angry at God for years. And the honest truth is that most of my anger was built on a version of Him I had never actually taken the time to know. I had heard about Him. I had sat in rooms where people talked about Him. I had consumed the content, the books, the sermons. But I had never done the work of sitting with His word myself, letting the Holy Spirit correct me, letting the full story of who He is get past my arms-crossed, already-decided heart. This episode is for the woman who is tired, skeptical, or quietly furious and does not fully understand why. We are talking about secondhand faith, why it always produces doubt, what the enemy does with our unanswered questions, and what transformation actually looked like when I finally stopped managing my pain and handed it over. You don't have the full story yet. Neither did I. But it changed everything when I finally started reading it. Support the show Enjoyed this episode? There's more waiting for you on Substack. Longer thoughts, quieter moments, and a community of women who get it. Come find us. If this episode stirred something in you, grab the free guide: 5 Signs You Are Trying to Finish a Story God Is Still Writing. It is a gentle mirror for the woman who is still in the middle. My gift to you! Follow and connect with us on Instagram!

    15 min

  3. APR 20

    E15 | What Watching The Testaments Taught Me About the Character of God

    Send us Fan Mail I was sitting on the couch with my mom, three episodes deep into The Testaments on Hulu, when something came out of me before I knew I was going to say it. That is not the God I know. And I have not been able to stop thinking about it since. In this episode, I am getting into all of it. Margaret Atwood and why her storytelling stopped me cold in The Handmaid's Tale and pulled me straight into The Testaments.  I watched The Handmaid's Tale the first time as a woman who knew of God. I am watching The Testaments as a woman who has actually met Him.  And the difference between those two watches is the difference between recognizing a counterfeit and not knowing what was missing. If you believe in God but are still figuring out what He is actually like, this one is for you. If you have watched The Testaments and felt something you could not name, this one is for you.  If you have ever been in a room where someone used the Bible to keep a woman in her place, and something in you said that is not right, this one is especially for you. Support the show Enjoyed this episode? There's more waiting for you on Substack. Longer thoughts, quieter moments, and a community of women who get it. Come find us. If this episode stirred something in you, grab the free guide: 5 Signs You Are Trying to Finish a Story God Is Still Writing. It is a gentle mirror for the woman who is still in the middle. My gift to you! Follow and connect with us on Instagram!

    24 min

  4. APR 3

    E14 | When You Are Waiting for Results: What I Found in a Hospital Room During Holy Week

    Send us Fan Mail Have you ever been in a hard week and needed to know things were going to be okay? This Holy Week, I found myself in a hospital waiting room. I had been avoiding going to the doctor for weeks because I was too busy, too scared of what sitting still might force me to face.  Everything was going to be okay. Even if it was not, everything was going to be okay. But the peace came before the results. And that is what this episode is about. This Holy Week Selah is for the woman who is in a hard week right now.  Who is waiting for results she cannot control. Who is being asked to trust God in a season that does not look the way she hoped. Who needs to know that the One who rode into Jerusalem knowing what was coming is riding into her week with her, too.In this episode, we talk about: •  What Holy Week really means for the woman in the middle of a hard chapter •  Why trusting God does not mean pretending the hard thing is not hard •  What Holy Saturday is and why most of us are living in it right now •  The peace that comes before the results •  Why Sunday is coming even when Friday feels permanent Support the show Enjoyed this episode? There's more waiting for you on Substack. Longer thoughts, quieter moments, and a community of women who get it. Come find us. If this episode stirred something in you, grab the free guide: 5 Signs You Are Trying to Finish a Story God Is Still Writing. It is a gentle mirror for the woman who is still in the middle. My gift to you! Follow and connect with us on Instagram!

    19 min

  5. MAR 22

    E13 | What God Actually Says About You When You Are Still Healing: Seen, Known, Chosen, Renewed, Held

    Send us Fan Mail Have you ever felt like healing was for everyone else but somehow not quite available to you?  Like you were doing everything right and still felt like you were behind where you were supposed to be?  This Selah episode is for the woman who is raw and hurting, the woman in the long, quiet middle, and the woman who is almost through, but not yet whole.  Not a lecture. Not a formula. Just five things God actually says about you right now in the middle of the chapter.  Before it is finished. Before you arrive. Before you are healed. Support the show Enjoyed this episode? There's more waiting for you on Substack. Longer thoughts, quieter moments, and a community of women who get it. Come find us. If this episode stirred something in you, grab the free guide: 5 Signs You Are Trying to Finish a Story God Is Still Writing. It is a gentle mirror for the woman who is still in the middle. My gift to you! Follow and connect with us on Instagram!

    12 min

  6. MAR 19

    E12 | When God Claims You Before Your Life Is Ready: Baptism, Heartbreak, and the Gold Thread Running Through It All

    Send us Fan Mail I was baptized at sunrise on the beach with my church community.  One week later, the relationship ended.  Same week. Same breath.  If you have ever had a chapter that cost you more than you thought you had to give and still cannot quite explain what God was doing inside it, this is that episode.  This is my full testimony.  From the accident that took my voice to the fifty books that held me to the ocean that changed everything. The gold thread was running through all of it. I just could not see it yet. Support the show Enjoyed this episode? There's more waiting for you on Substack. Longer thoughts, quieter moments, and a community of women who get it. Come find us. If this episode stirred something in you, grab the free guide: 5 Signs You Are Trying to Finish a Story God Is Still Writing. It is a gentle mirror for the woman who is still in the middle. My gift to you! Follow and connect with us on Instagram!

    13 min

  7. MAR 19

    E11 | What God Does in the Silence: Why I Was Gone and What Happened When I Finally Came Back

    Send us Fan Mail I was gone for six almost seven months. And if you have ever stepped away from something you loved because life asked too much of you all at once, this episode is for you.  A new subject I had never taught before.  A hunger for the Word I could not explain or ignore.  And healing that does not arrive on a schedule.  What I discovered is that the seasons that go quiet are not always setbacks. Sometimes they are setups.  This is where I have been.  And why I believe God was in every chapter of the silence. Support the show Enjoyed this episode? There's more waiting for you on Substack. Longer thoughts, quieter moments, and a community of women who get it. Come find us. If this episode stirred something in you, grab the free guide: 5 Signs You Are Trying to Finish a Story God Is Still Writing. It is a gentle mirror for the woman who is still in the middle. My gift to you! Follow and connect with us on Instagram!

    19 min

  8. 09/11/2025

    E10 | Fear of Sharing Your Story: What Jeremiah, Moses, Esther & The Poet X Teach Us About Courage

    Send us Fan Mail Do you struggle with the fear of sharing your story—afraid of being judged, misunderstood, or rejected? In this episode of The Living Story, we explore why so many women hesitate to tell their stories and how God can transform fear into freedom. Through the lens of Elizabeth Acevedo’s novel The Poet X, the biblical journeys of Jeremiah, Moses, and Esther, and my own personal reflections—from teaching and career shifts to singleness, family conflict, friendships, and creativity—we’ll uncover the patterns that keep us silent and the growth that comes when we step out in courage. This episode is packed with scripture, storytelling, and practical encouragement to help you: Recognize the patterns of fear and silence in your own lifeUnderstand what the Bible teaches about using your voiceFind healing and courage through faith, reflection, and actionTake practical steps to share your story with confidenceIf you’ve ever asked, “Who am I to share this?” or felt the pull to hide your testimony, this conversation will remind you that your story matters—and that God meets you right in the trembling. Whether in family, work, relationships, or your creative journey, this episode will encourage you to honor the person you are becoming and embrace the sacred power of your voice. Support the show Enjoyed this episode? There's more waiting for you on Substack. Longer thoughts, quieter moments, and a community of women who get it. Come find us. If this episode stirred something in you, grab the free guide: 5 Signs You Are Trying to Finish a Story God Is Still Writing. It is a gentle mirror for the woman who is still in the middle. My gift to you! Follow and connect with us on Instagram!

    20 min
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About

You have done the work. Read the books. Sat in the therapy chair. Said the prayers or maybe stopped saying them altogether. And something still is not landing. You are not broken. You are not behind. You are in the middle of a chapter that is longer and harder than anyone told you it would be. You feel stuck between who you were and who you are still becoming. And you are looking for someone who has been exactly where you are. Welcome to The Living Story. Hosted by Tennille Martinez, a teacher, storyteller, and woman of faith, this is a podcast for women in their 30s and 40s navigating healing, identity, heartbreak, and the long journey of finding themselves again after loss, divorce, depression, and the kind of pain that changes everything. Each episode weaves together personal testimony, scripture, and honest spiritual conversation for women who are done performing and ready to go deeper. Whether you are healing after divorce, recovering from heartbreak, rebuilding your sense of worth and purpose after loss, walking through depression and faith at the same time, or simply trying to find yourself again after a season that left you unrecognizable, there is a chapter here for you. This is not a podcast for women who have it together. This is a podcast for women who are still in the middle of it and need to know the middle is survivable. Faith will meet you here exactly where you are. Even if you are not sure you believe anymore. Even if you are angry. Even if the last thing you expected was for God to show up in a chapter that looked like this. If you have been searching for a podcast about healing, starting over, self-worth, identity, purpose, and becoming the woman you were created to be, you just found it. The chapters you least understand are often the ones that change everything. You don't just read stories. You are one.

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