Today's Heartlift with Janell

Janell Rardon
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Sometimes the story we tell ourselves is not really true. Sometimes the story others tell about us is not really true. On "Today's Heartlift with Janell," Author, Trauma-informed, board-certified marriage and family specialist, and Professional Heartlifter, Janell Rardon, opens conversations about how emotional health and mental fitness effects absolutely every area of our lives. When we possess and practice healthy, strong, resilient emotional health practices, life is so much better. Read Janell's newest book, "Stronger Every Day: 9 Tools for an Emotionally Healthy You."

  1. 349. St. Nicholas and the Practice of Generous Love

    4D AGO

    349. St. Nicholas and the Practice of Generous Love

    Send us a text A storm-tossed sky lantern lands in a front yard with a daughter’s message to her dad, and a simple response turns into a global moment of shared grief and hope. That story becomes our gateway into the real Saint Nicholas—an early Christian bishop who noticed the vulnerable, met practical needs with courage, and quietly changed lives in a collapsing empire. We sit down with author and screenwriter Matt Mikalatos to explore his devotional, Praying with Saint Nicholas, and the surprising history behind a figure too often flattened into myth. From Patara to Myra, we step through persecution under Diocletian, the pivot of Constantine, and the Council of Nicaea, where core beliefs were hammered out amid risk and conviction. We revisit the famous dowry rescue that inspired stockings, the confessor tradition that modeled reconciliation after failure, and the gripping moment Nicholas halted an unjust execution—mercy with a spine of steel. Threaded through it all is a practical Advent invitation: become a noticer. Pair 1 John 4:7–21 with small daily acts that restore dignity in your neighborhood. Slip generosity where it’s needed, listen deeply to someone who feels invisible, and choose sustainable compassion that protects your mental health while expanding your capacity to love. We also clear up confusion around venerating saints, reframing it as asking trusted elders in the great cloud of witnesses to pray with us, not instead of us. If you’re longing for an Advent that feels grounded, historic, and fiercely hopeful, this conversation offers both story and structure. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a one-sentence review to help others find the show. Your voice helps carry this light further. Support the show Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey: Support the show: Your Donation Matters Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

    48 min
  2. 348. A Guided Prayer To Break Small Thinking And Receive Bigger Blessings

    NOV 26

    348. A Guided Prayer To Break Small Thinking And Receive Bigger Blessings

    Send us a text Sharing a Thanksgiving Prayer/Meditation of Gratitude: Ask for Something Greater. Matthew 7:7 heralds a beautiful message: "Ask and keep on asking, and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking, and you will find; knock and keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." This week's question: "What if your prayers are too small for the life you’re meant to live?" In this focused, six-minute guided meditation, we slow down, breathe, and move from timid requests to bold, honest asking rooted in God’s generosity. We open with a calm invitation to welcome God into the room, then step straight into the questions we often avoid:  Am I afraid of being disappointed? Do I feel unworthy? Do I doubt that God will help?Naming these barriers out loud becomes the first act of courage. If this moved you, subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a quick review to help others find the show. What “greater” are you asking for this week? Support the show Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey: Support the show: Your Donation Matters Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

    6 min
  3. 347. Do You Need a Little Empty in Your Life?

    NOV 19

    347. Do You Need a Little Empty in Your Life?

    Send us a text "Learning to say no to good things so we can experience better things may sound easy, but it can feel really hard - hard to know when it's the thing to do, and hard to do it. Yet there's a healthy vulnerability that comes with saying no." -Dr. Arianna Molloy, Healthy Calling: From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work Silence and emptiness emerge as surprising allies. Drawing on Thomas Moore, we treat emptiness not as failure but as space for meaning and healthy detachment. Emptiness quiets overcontrol, loosens ego-driven giving, and clears room for wisdom. In today's episode, I offer practices you can start today: guilt-free hobbies, shorter lists, pauses between tasks, and a single-page heart journal. Join our growing community that prizes thoughtful dialogue, empathic listening, and actionable hope. Connect on Heartlift Central (Substack) and our private Facebook group to share your reflections, your haiku, and your next brave step. If this ad-free work serves you, consider a tax-deductible donation at janellrardon.com to help spread the influence of the podcast. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a gentler pace, and tell us: where will you create space this week?  Support the show Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey: Support the show: Your Donation Matters Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

    32 min
  4. 346. Rest as a Practice, Not a Luxury

    NOV 12

    346. Rest as a Practice, Not a Luxury

    Send us a text "You're allowed to stop." In this conversation, I explore rest not as a luxury or reward, but as a sacred practice woven into the very heart of creation. We dive a little deeper into Dr. Arianna Molloy's book, "Healthy Calling: From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work." If God rested, why is it so hard for us? We'll discuss the pressures that drive us to perform and strive, the stories we've inherited about productivity and worth, and what it means to honor our humanity by slowing down.  This is an invitation to step into living a life from a place of rest, not when everything is done, but right now, right where you are. Order Dr. Arianna Molloy's Book: Healthy Calling Visit Taylor University's Center for Scripture Engagement Read Hebrews 4:9-11: biblegateway.com Listen to Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith on E. 93: REST Listen to Eryn Lynum on E. 318: REST Listen to E. 273: Nurturing the Soul with Forest Bathing Listen to Asheritah Ciuciu on E. 183: Everyday Prayers of Rest Listen to Asheritah Ciuciu on E. 182: Everyday Prayers of Rest Listen to E. 14 with Janell: REST: Collecting Strength Support the show Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey: Support the show: Your Donation Matters Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

    43 min
  5. 345. Humility is Not Self-Erasure

    NOV 5

    345. Humility is Not Self-Erasure

    Send us a text Have you ever been asked, "What is your calling?" In Episode 344, Dr. Arianna Molloy, author of "Healthy Calling: From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work," shares her research and helps us answer that question from a beautiful place of understanding and maturity. In this episode, we reframe calling as a living relationship with God, grounded in community and guided by humility, rest, and gratitude. I also unveil a new monthly format that helps us metabolize ideas, practice spiritual skills, and cultivate sustainable rhythms. Drawing from Dr. Arianna's work on healthy calling, we unpack a practical triad for a sustainable life of purpose: dialogue with God that starts our mornings, interaction that turns trust into action, and maintenance that gently course‑corrects when we drift. We name the third key player—community—and show how burnout ripples outward, while healthy rhythms multiply good in every direction. Along the way, we get honest about enforced rest, health scares, and the sobering gift of learning to move from rest rather than toward it. Humility anchors the conversation. Not self‑erasure, but clear awareness of strengths and weaknesses without fixation. Not hustle, but a lifestyle of learning and the courage to unplug. Gratitude then becomes humility in motion—remembering whose we are, who we are, and who is in charge.  Visit Dr. Arianna Molloy's website: Learn More Order Dr. Arianna's book: Healthy Calling Watch Dr. Arianna: Meaningful Work; Should You Put Your Phone Down?; What it Means to Walk Humbly With God; More Than Just a Job Support the show Support the show Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey: Support the show: Your Donation Matters Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

    41 min
  6. 344. From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work

    OCT 29

    344. From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work

    Send us a text Dr. Arianna Molloy, author of "Healthy Calling: From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work," shares on "calling burnout" and why it hurts more than standard exhaustion. Regular burnout says, "I don’t like what I’m doing anymore." Calling burnout says, "I don’t know who I am anymore." To find our way back, she offers a practical, research-backed posture of healthy humility: know your strengths and weaknesses without being ruled by either; live as a learner who isn’t threatened by not knowing; and practice the capacity to walk away, rest, and remember you’re not God. This is not self-erasure. It’s a return to sanity, a way to steward gifts without becoming indispensable to them. We also explore communication as a healing balm for homes and teams. Truthful, kind, and clear messages—spoken, written, and nonverbal—repair trust faster than endless clarification by text. Simple rhythms like visual voice messages, shared gratitude at the table, and sabbath touchpoints keep relationships tender and resilient. Along the way, gratitude emerges as humility in action: a daily reorientation that dissolves cynicism and turns ordinary messes into moments of meaning. If you’re a mom, leader, creative, or caregiver wondering how to serve without losing yourself, this conversation offers a grounded path forward. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review to help more heartlifters find their way back to the Caller. Visit Dr. Arianna Molloy's website: Learn More Order Dr. Arianna's book: Healthy Calling Watch Dr. Arianna: Meaningful Work; Should You Put Your Phone Down?; What it Means to Walk Humbly With God; More Than Just a Job Support the show Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey: Support the show: Your Donation Matters Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

    49 min
  7. 343. How Our Stories Form Our Souls

    OCT 22

    343. How Our Stories Form Our Souls

    Send us a text Pull up a chair at the Dim Sum Table and discover why your story—every tender, tangled part—holds real weight. Janell welcomes Jenn Suen Chen, author of Dim Sum and Faith: How Our Stories Form Our Souls, to explore how faith, family history, and formation weave together, not as a self-help checklist but as a lived way of being shaped by Scripture. Jenn introduces a four-part arc for spiritual growth—shaping, undoing, awakening, remaking—and shows why the “undoing” we avoid is often where God does His gentlest work. We unpack migration as more than immigration: movement across generations under pressure from war, economics, and longing. Naming those movements reduces shame, expands compassion, and builds what Jenn calls emotional elasticity in our home cultures. Along the way, we sit with a disarming truth from her son: “We don’t get to choose what our brain calls hard.” That single line frees us from comparison, inviting honest prayer: Jesus, show me where You are here. Visit Jenn Suen Chen's website: Jenn Order Jenn's new book: Dim Sum and Faith Support the show Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey: Support the show: Your Donation Matters Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

    57 min
  8. 342. When the Heart Finds Its New Rhythm

    OCT 15

    342. When the Heart Finds Its New Rhythm

    Send us a text "A heart out of rhythm has a way of revealing a life out of rhythm." Guided by insights from Tom Rosshirt's Chasing Peace: A Story of Breakdowns, Breakthroughs, and the Spiritual Power of Neuroscience, we explore the connection between breakdowns and breakthroughs. We talk plainly about the difference between happiness tied to outcomes and peace rooted in a state of mind, and we practice language that helps dissolve the ego without erasing identity. From breathwork and boundaries to nervous system care, prayer, and honest community, this conversation offers practical routes back to rest—rest that isn’t a day off but a daily way of being. We also return to a theme close to my heart: honoring maternal presence as a powerful, often untapped force inside families, churches, and communities. When we mother across ages—biologically or spiritually—we model repair, stability, and hope. My prayer, as I head into a procedure to restore sinus rhythm, is simple: that our hearts would find a God-breathed rhythm, and that our lives would beat with grace, peace, and love.  Support the show Begin Your Heartlifter's Journey: Support the show: Your Donation Matters Leave a review and rate the podcast: WRITE A REVIEW Make a tax-deductible donation through Heartlift International Visit and subscribe to Heartlift Central on Substack. This is our new online meeting place for Heartlifters worldwide. Download the 2025 Advent Guide: The Great Glimmer Hunt Meet me on Instagram: @janellrardon

    18 min
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5
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About

Sometimes the story we tell ourselves is not really true. Sometimes the story others tell about us is not really true. On "Today's Heartlift with Janell," Author, Trauma-informed, board-certified marriage and family specialist, and Professional Heartlifter, Janell Rardon, opens conversations about how emotional health and mental fitness effects absolutely every area of our lives. When we possess and practice healthy, strong, resilient emotional health practices, life is so much better. Read Janell's newest book, "Stronger Every Day: 9 Tools for an Emotionally Healthy You."

Information

  • Creator
    Janell Rardon
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    350
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Today's Heartlift with Janell
  • Show Website
    Today's Heartlift with Janell

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