JOY “God is Our Refuge and Strength” Psalm 46:1 | Judy Elliott and Audrey Simmons

Sharing life’s hardest parts, Judy opens up the series with her personal testimony of loss, faith, and joy on her journey of living the life God has for her. Join Judy Elliott, TV Personality, and Audrey Simmons, Licensed Professional Counselor in this episode and series, as they discuss finding strength, hope, peace and joy through life’s journey. “God is our Refuge and Strength” Psalm 46:1 Judy opens up about losing her husband of 35 years to cancer after just nine weeks from diagnosis to loss, the moment doctors said there was nothing more they could do, and the message she says she received in prayer that changed everything. Together, Judy and Audrey unpack what it really looks like to move through devastating loss — staying close to faith, resisting self-pity, leaning on friends, and making the daily choice to keep moving forward — and why finding joy again is something you have to go out and look for. Highlights Judy shares the moment her husband's oncologist said, "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do." The two pieces of advice from friends that carried Judy through: don't feel sorry for yourself, and stay close to your faith. Judy describes an early-morning prayer and the message she received: "This is the way to heaven." Her biggest fear after losing her husband — and how choosing not to worry about tomorrow brought her peace. The small, practical shifts Judy made to move forward: getting dressed every day, planning trips for every occasion, going to the gym three times a week, and surrounding herself with positive people. Why Judy started this podcast — to share her story and help even just one other person find their way through their own dark tunnel. Chapters 0:00 – Introduction: the tunnels we all go through 0:33 – Meet the hosts and the podcast's purpose 1:46 – Judy shares losing her husband a year and a half ago 3:08 – Only nine weeks: the shock of the diagnosis 5:56 – Confronting fear and choosing not to worry about tomorrow 7:43 – Seeing the light: small steps out of the tunnel 10:09 – Inside the darkest part: "there's nothing we can do" 11:44 – A prayer answered: "This is the way to heaven" 14:16 – Holding onto faith and feeding her mind with positivity 16:46 – Practical steps to reclaiming joy: the gym, positive people, and starting this podcast 19:01 – Wrap-up: the joy of the Lord is your strength