Faith Over Fear
Jennifer Slattery, Faith Over Fear Author and Speaker
Recent Episodes
If the holidays leave you overwhelmed, overstretched, or anxious, you’re not alone. In this episode of Faith Over Fear, Jennifer Slattery and guest Kelly Hall unpack the story of Mary and Martha to reveal practical, grace-filled ways to reduce holiday stress, avoid codependent patterns, set healthy boundaries, and re-center on what matters most. Whether you’re navigating grief, family tension, perfectionism, or people-pleasing, this conversation offers gentle guidance to help you enter Christmas with more calm, clarity, and joy.
You’ll learn how to:
- Recognize your emotional capacity
- Resist the pressure to meet everyone’s expectations
- Simplify your celebrations
- Experience deeper peace by staying aligned with Jesus rather than holiday chaos
Scripture discussed:
Resources Recommended: Courageous Faith by Kelly Hall
Free Bible Reading Plan: "Embracing Your True Self: Living in Your Christ-Centered Identity"
Free Resource: Practical Steps to Reduced Anxiety and Overwhelm This Christmas
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Discussion/Reflective Question:
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What resonated with you most in this episode
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Where do I feel the most pressure during the holiday season—and whose expectations are driving that pressure?
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What signs tell me I’m reaching or exceeding my emotional capacity? How can I respond with grace rather than reacting from overwhelm?
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In what situations do I tend to “Martha”—trying to control people or outcomes rather than pausing to sit at Jesus’ feet?
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Where might I be slipping into codependent behavior (fixing, appeasing, rescuing) instead of allowing others to own their emotions?
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What boundaries do I need to set this holiday season to protect peace, joy, and emotional/spiritual health?
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What one simple shift could help me keep “the most important thing” at the center of my celebrations?
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In this inspiring conversation, Jennifer Slattery and guest Dawn Cazedessus explore how God heals the generational wounds, shame, and limiting beliefs to create a life of influence, purpose, and freedom. Dawn shares her journey from a trailer park in rural Louisiana to leading thousands as a CEO and regional director. Her story reveals how early adversity shaped her work ethic—but also how God transformed survival-driven striving into purposeful, Spirit-led leadership.
Listeners will hear Dawn’s vulnerable reflections on her positive and challenging childhood influences, scarcity versus abundant mindsets, and the emotional work required to renew her thinking and embrace her true Christ-centered identity. She speaks honestly about the discomfort of stepping into unfamiliar environments, the power of God-given hope, and the role of community in healing. Together, Jennifer and Dawn unpack how Scripture, neuroplasticity, and intentional growth plans help us move from “trailer park thinking” to the abundance mindset God desires for His children.
Whether you’re navigating hardship, battling internal lies, or longing to step into God’s purpose for your life, this episode offers practical wisdom, biblical encouragement, and life-changing hope.
Resource Referenced: Trailer Park CEO: 12 Leadership Cornerstones to Become a Godly Woman of Influence – A Diverse Leadership Tool Kit for Christian Women in Business by Dawn Cazedessus
Discussion/Reflective Questions:
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Dawn shared how leaving the trailer park immediately didn't remove her "trailer park thinking". Where do you feel free externally but still stuck mentally or emotionally?
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What limiting belief from your past most affects how you see yourself today? What does the truth of Scripture say regarding that belief?
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What recurring thought patterns in your life need to be held up to God’s truth?
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When have you felt uncomfortable entering a new environment or opportunity? What helped (or could help) you stay present and keep moving forward?
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Who in your life models the kind of thinking, stability, or faith you want to grow into? What are some ways you can actively learn from them?
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What situations trigger a scarcity mindset for you?
What would it look like to adopt an “included” or abundance mindset based on Ephesians 3:20? -
Dawn said Jesus was the first Person she could fully trust. How has trusting—or struggling to trust—God shaped your own story of growth?
- What's one action step God might be inviting you to take having listened to this episode?
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Faith Over Fear Episode Summary
Guest: Mary DeMuth
Topic: The Freedom of Surrender: 40 Devotions to Let Go and Live Free
What if the peace you’re craving isn’t found in control, but in letting go? In this episode, Carol McCracken talks with author and speaker Mary DeMuth about her new devotional The Freedom of Surrender. Together, they explore what it means to release the hidden parts of our lives—our past, our relationships, our daily struggles, and our deepest worries—to a God who can handle them better than we can.
Mary shares how surrender became a life-changing spiritual practice, one that moves us from striving and fear into trust and rest. She offers honest insights about how to identify areas of resistance, what healthy surrender looks like, and why God often meets us most powerfully when we finally stop trying to manage everything ourselves.
Whether you’re carrying regret, trying to fix relationships, or simply exhausted from worry, this conversation reminds you that freedom begins where self-reliance ends.
Resource Referenced: The Freedom of Surrender: Forty Devotions for a Joyful Life in Christ by Mary DeMuth
Download your free faith-building resource for all November's Faith Over Fear episodes here
Discussion/Reflection Questions:
- When you hear the word surrender, what emotions rise up first—fear, relief, resistance, or trust?
- Mary talks about surrendering our inner life—our thoughts, wounds, and private battles. Which part of your inner life might God be inviting you to release today?
- How can you tell when you’ve picked something back up that you once laid down before God?
- What’s one relationship where you sense God asking you to trust His timing and work rather than your own effort?
- Mary reminds us that surrender and freedom are connected. What would “living free” look like for you this week?
- Which Scripture verse helps anchor your heart when surrender feels scary or uncertain?
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Do long waiting seasons leave you feeling anxious, disoriented and discouraged, particularly when they involve something for which you deeply long? Obviously, we can't "hurry" God along or "force His hand," but we can learn to wait in a way that strengthens our faith, deepens our relational intimacy with Christ, and prepares us for the very good plans He's forged uniquely for each of us. In this episode, Dove Award nominee, singer/songwriter Jamie Jangochian shares how God used her long battle with Lyme disease to bring about growth and reveal the new dreams He had for her. She also shares how to recognize the lies that hold us back, find inner healing through our interaction with Christ, and view our waiting seasons not as disappointments but divine appointments that prepare us for our next assignments.
Resource Referenced: Sacred Surrender: The Practice of Waiting Well with God
Reflective/Discussion Questions:
- What resonated with you most in this episodes?
- Why might God use waiting seasons to grow us, our faith, and our relationship with Him?
- What do you typically find most challenging when it comes to waiting well?
- When have you endured a waiting season that caused you to question God's goodness or His plans for you?
- How did God use that situation to deepen your faith, clarify or expand your calling, or bring soul-deep healing?
- Which of God's character traits can increase your faith during waiting seasons?
- What is one action step God might be inviting you to take having listened to this episode?
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When faith and mental health collide, many believers feel caught between shame and silence. In this episode of Faith Over Fear, Carol McCracken talks with Chris Morris, author of Resilient and Redeemed: Lessons about Suicidality and Depression from the Psych Ward. Chris shares his raw and redemptive story of battling depression, walking through a crisis of faith, and discovering that God’s grace meets us even in the darkest places. Together, they explore how to dismantle harmful theology, find freedom through honesty, and experience hope that outlasts despair.
Resource Discussed: Resilient and Redeemed: Lessons about Suicidality and Depression from the Psych Ward
Discussion/Reflective Questions:
- Chris talked about trying to “power through by sheer will” before realizing something had to change. When have you reached the end of your own strength and discovered the freedom of surrender?
- Many people tie their identity to productivity or performance. How has God been reshaping your understanding of worth apart from what you do?
- Chris described a “crisis of faith,” not a loss of faith. What’s the difference for you—and how have moments of doubt actually deepened your faith journey?
- What are some “theological traps” you’ve encountered—beliefs that sounded spiritual but actually created fear, guilt, or shame rather than freedom?
- Chris’s friends later asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?” Who in your life could you safely open up to about your struggles, and what would it take to start that conversation?
- Paul’s story of the “thorn in the flesh” reminded Chris that God’s grace is enough, even when healing looks different than we hoped. How does that truth speak to your current season of pain or waiting?
- What is one practical step God might be inviting you to take having listened to this podcast episode?
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