The Parable Podcast with Danielle Zapchenk Danielle Zapchenk

Have you ever thought your voice doesn't matter? We may not say it out loud, but on the inside, we all wrestle with that thought. It was a joy to talk with Danielle Kelly on this episode.  Danielle is a Writer, Speaker, Podcaster, and Life Coach who shares how she discovered that her voice does matter. She wondered how her own natural abilities, the things we casually take for granted are God-given gifts we shouldn't hold back.  It is easy for questioning, fear, and worry to fill your head and heart in moments when you are by yourself and wonder, "Do I have a voice?"  For Danielle, it was a choice not to dim her light anymore and be who God created her to be fully.


In the telling [of our story] it is a part of the healing. 
- Danielle Kelly
Danielle also shares about how the abandonment she felt from her father at a young age, disconnected her from God at times.  Through a lot of prayer and processing, she has created the Unashamed & Free Podcast.  Her desire is for women to live freely. If you question your voice or ever thought shame held you back, then take a listen to Danielle's parable today.


Reflection Questions:


How are you learning how to use your voice to yourself, others, and to God?How have you been hiding your gifts lately?

Connect with Danielle Kelly
Instagram | FaceBook | E-mail Unashamed and Free Podcast 
How to support The Parable Podcast:
#1 Subscribe or Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode of The Parable Podcast through your favorite podcast app (i.e. iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher). #2 Share this show with a friend, this is a perfect opportunity to start your own Parable Conversation together. #3 Are you in need of a speaker for your Church, Women's Group, or event? Contact Danielle to learn more.

Have you ever asked yourself, "Am I really free and fully living?" It is easy to live every day trapped in a life that feels bound because that becomes your normal.  However, my next guest, Karrie Garcia is not afraid to wade through deep waters and wants to bring those who are hurting along, so they too can experience the freedom that leads to flourishing.  As a speaker, life coach, author, and CEO of Freedom Movement, Karrie Garcia inspires change in others by boldly sharing her journey to freedom. 
Karrie shares her story of God restoring her and meeting her at one of her darkest moments of her life. She explains that Jesus is continually restoring us day in and day out so we can be free and fully live in Him.  
Rarely does advice make people feel better...what makes them feel better is that you are willing to feel with them. - Karrie Garcia

Plus, what does it look like to walk along with someone who is wrestling with the hard parts of life? How can we as friends and family offer support and empathy? Are you willing to sit in the feelings and just be?  Such a great conversation with Karrie to assess where you are in your own story.
Reflection Questions:
How are you free and fully alive right now? Are you living in that space, and if not, why?

Karrie talked about being honest with your own story.  What is the layer that God is asking you to work through right now?Connect with Karrie
Instagram | FaceBook | YouTube
The Freedom Movement
Karrie's Instagram
PRE-ORDER Free and Fully Alive: Reclaiming the Story of Who You Were Created to Be 
How to support The Parable Podcast:
#1 Subscribe or Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode of The Parable Podcast through your favorite podcast app (i.e. iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher). #2 Share this show with a friend, this is a perfect opportunity to start your own Parable Conversation together. #3 Are you in need of a speaker for your Church, Women's Group, or event? Contact Danielle to learn more.

***Trigger Warning - Erica shares about her suicide attempt briefly (24:31 - 27:20), if that is triggering for you please fast forward.
Do you know your master truly? I am so excited to introduce you to Erica Schwartz who shares vulnerably how post-partum depression and childhood trauma brought her to a place she never imagined. Erica challenges us on who our master is. Because when her depression hit, she realized how little she knew her master and had nothing to fall on. She shares that oneway depression can take hold of you is because Satan studying is you. By drawing closer to who God is, we can see who we are in God.
When your inner voice is more powerful than God's word, your going to destroy yourself every time. - Erica Schwartz
Erica now has the opportunity to reflect on the people God placed in her life to help her grow and heal. She knows God sees our pain and helps us understand how much he loves, so much so, that our names are imprinted on his hands. He is not shaken by you and nothing will ever separate you from your Master.
Reflection Questions
What is one way you can get away from that negative inner voice, so you can focus on the voice of your Master?

Has there been moments in your life where God said no, you were sad, you were upset, you were confused?  And with that perspective, can you now see how He used to prosper you to give you a hope and a futureConnect with Erica
Light Held Love Photography

Matthew 25:14–30 | Parable of the Talents
How to support The Parable Podcast:
#1 Subscribe or Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode of The Parable Podcast through your favorite podcast app (i.e. iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher). #2 Share this show with a friend, this is a perfect opportunity to start your own Parable Conversation together. #3 Are you in need of a speaker for your Church, Women's Group, or event? Contact Danielle to learn more.

Well, I have had the joy of getting to know Greg & Cathy Bufkin over this past year.  They have a heart for people walking through child loss and how to encourage them. Greg and Cathy have been married for 46 years and they have seen the joys and hardships of so many things in their life.  Yet together and with the community in their life they have had a safe place to land to continue the conversation.  Even so to begin their own ministry to passion is to bring awareness to our communities, churches, and workplaces of the devastating impact the death of a child has on the survivors. It is their desire to help prepare and equip others for compassionate and effective ministry to these survivors.             
It's okay to not be okay for awhile, but it is not okay to stay not okay. - Greg Bufkin
In 2015 they received the phone call that every parent fears, that would forever change their lives, as they learned that their beautiful 26-year-old married son, Ryan, had taken his own life. They share some of their journey from blindsiding trauma and pain through a seven-year period of healing and restoration by GOD. Plus, what does it look like to walk through grief and healing from their perspective.  You are not going to want to miss this conversation.
Reflection Questions
Write a list of people in your life who are your go-to's for a 3 am morning call.  Decide if this list works for this season of your life.  Is there someone that needs to be added or removed?  Our community matters and we need to invest in it.

How are you doing really? It is okay to be there, but not stay in that feeling forever.  Is it time to talk to a safe friend or find a counselor/therapist?Connect with Greg & Cathy Bufkin
FaceBook | E-mail
The Empty Chair Endevor
Hope after Child Loss Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more.
How to support The Parable Podcast:
#1 Subscribe or Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode of The Parable Podcast through your favorite podcast app (i.e. iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher). #2 Share this show with a friend, this is a perfect opportunity to start your own Parable Conversation together. #3 Are you in need of a speaker for your Church, Women's Group, or event? Contact Danielle to learn more.

Well, I made it to 40 and I am feeling it!  2023 is definitely a milestone year in the Zapchenk House and I would love to tell you about it and what I am learning this year in this episode.  So thrilled to share what I have been learning in some of my own parable stories and excited to look back on this year and see what God is going to continue to do within my heart.  The biggest is remembering the utter dependence I need to have on God daily.  What are you learning this year even though it may be hard? Thanks so much for listening and hope you enjoy this episode.
"Putting the dependence on what we can do, rather than what He can do."
- Danielle Zapchenk
Reflection Questions
What is one small step the Holy Spirit is nudging you toward?

Check out this guided reflection through a portion of the Last Supper...Connect with Danielle
Instagram | FaceBook | Website
How to support The Parable Podcast:
#1 Subscribe or Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode of The Parable Podcast through your favorite podcast app (i.e. iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher). #2 Share this show with a friend, this is a perfect opportunity to start your own Parable Conversation together. #3 Are you in need of a speaker for your Church, Women's Group, or event? Contact Danielle to learn more.

Have you ever heard someone's story and it just stops you in your tracks?  When I first heard Nick's parable story it made me realize that one decision can truly change the entirety of your life.  However, that one decision can have both negative and positive effects as you continue to move on in your life. One person's story can help you better understand what you take for granted and how you can continue to overcome it.
If you get to breathe fresh air, you will do everything in your power, everything in God's power to help as many people as possible never have to go through this again.
- Nick Roepke

There was one decision that changed the trajectory of Nick's life in one moment.  Nick shares what it was like to live through it, what he learned about himself, and how he is making efforts to change not only his life but others for the better.  Grateful to be able to hear about how God is still working in his life even when the unknown still hangs in the balance.
Reflection Questions
1. Is there a physical or an emotional prison and how can you release that over to God?
2. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in that bond court like Nick, shackled, desperate, and wondering if there is any hope? And as you look up, you see your Heavenly Father standing there in that courtroom locking eyes with you, mouthing, "I love you. I have this."  How does that picture of that moment make you feel as a child of God?
If you would like to connect with Nick, please e-mail Danielle.
How to support The Parable Podcast:
#1 Subscribe or Follow the show so you don't miss the next episode of The Parable Podcast through your favorite podcast app (i.e. iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher). #2 Share this show with a friend, this is a perfect opportunity to start your own Parable Conversation together. #3 Are you in need of a speaker for your Church, Women's Group, or event? Contact Danielle to learn more.