The Alli Worthington Show

How to build your dreams with Stefanie Gass

Hey hey! If your story and career have had highs, lows, and lots of twists, you’re going to want to listen in on this conversation! Stefanie Gass has experienced the rollercoaster of success. She was the youngest financial controller in a global company at 26, then the company closed, and she was laid off.  She started with a network marketing company and worked her way up to the top 1%. By the following year, she had lost the majority of her income, and her family struggled to pay their bills.   Stefanie found her footing in entrepreneurship in online business! Today, she is a multi-six-figure CEO, podcast host, and Christian business and podcast coach.  Through her courses and coaching, Stefanie helps other women build their businesses via podcasting while staying present in their lives. And she does it all without relying on social media!  Join in as Stefanie and I discuss:  How Stefanie learned to find her identity apart from success Why knowing your natural response to things is a game-changer when it comes to moving forward How Stefanie has grown her podcast and business while being off of social media The first question to ask if you’re reevaluating your relationship with social media  Staying motivated on the days you just don’t have it in you to keep going  Stefanie’s advice on where to focus your efforts as you build your business  Favorite quotes: “The first question is: Lord, is there anything that I should make a change in or lay down that’s creating distraction from my purpose and the way you want to show up.” “For some people he wants to show you there is another way for you to either grow your business or your ministry. You don’t have to do it the world's way just because everyone else is doing it that way.” “The biggest most incredible changes that you make here on this side of heaven are the things you don’t even know about.” “Don’t create something and try to sell this thing that you have actually not done successfully yourself.” “Where is the fire in your business? Where is the data actually supporting that your people are coming from? Go pour fuel on the one fire until it is completely out of control.” Links to great things we discussed:  Stefanie Gass Website Online Business for Christian Women Podcast Ultimate Beastmaster Forehead Patches MeisterTask Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse KatelynMarieCustoms You Belong with Me - Taylor Swift Shake It Off - Taylor Swift Pure Encapsulations O.N.E. Multivitamin Nordic Naturals Omega-3s Google Certificates Remaining You While Raising Them Join the Launch Team! Order your copy of Remaining You While Raising Them here. Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli  

How to persevere with Natalie Runion

Hey friend! Have you ever been tempted to throw in the towel and walk away from your dreams or maybe even your calling? Our guest today for Smart Girl Summer gets it (and so do I!).  As a preacher’s kid who watched her family experience deep church hurt, Natalie Runion understands the desire to walk away. Even as an adult on the other side of that, working as a worship leader and songwriter, she wrestled with wanting to quit.  Today, Natalie is still a worship leader and songwriter. She’s also a wife, a mom, a sought-after speaker, and a first-time author. Her season of wanting to walk away became the foundation for her debut book, Raised to Stay: Persevering in Ministry When You Have a Million Reasons to Walk Away.  Whether you work in ministry or the marketplace, this conversation will encourage you to stay the course even when you want to bow out! Lean in and listen as Natalie and I talk about:  How she went from middle school gym teacher to where she is today Why abiding in Christ is central to our perseverance  How to balance all the things without letting mom guilt overwhelm us  The surprising role failure has in our dreams  Favorite quotes: “Ministry is wherever we are because he is in us.” “Being kind is a first form of ministry that we can offer each other.” “We are called to abide in Christ and when we abide in him even on the days we want to quit, he will still produce good fruit through us.” “As we get older we should be what we needed to the next generation.” “Christians were made to believe for the impossible.” “When we fail to fail we really don’t allow God to show up in the way he promises to do.” Links to great things we discussed:  Natalie Runion Website Natalie Runion Instagram Natalie Runion Facebook Raised to Stay: Persevering in Ministry When You Have a Million Reasons to Walk Away Nerds Rope Candy Friends The King of Queens The Office The Crown Urban Decay Lip Gloss Fast X Sweet Love of Mine - Joy Williams Discovery Cove Remaining You While Raising Them Join the Launch Team! Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli

How to Love our Bodies with Alisa Keeton

Hey there! As the season of swimsuits and shorts, summer can bring up all kinds of feelings about our bodies. Women can feel afraid (or even ashamed) to talk about it. Today, we’re going there, and I’ve brought in a good friend for this special Smart Girl Summer episode to help us!  Alisa Keeton is the founder of Revelation Wellness, and she is on a mission to help women love God, get healthy, be whole, and love others.  Alisa is also an author, and her new book, The Body Revelation: Physical and Spiritual Practices to Metabolize Pain, Banish Shame, and Connect to God with Your Whole Self, is a tool to help women do just that.  Listen in our conversation as Alisa and I discuss:  Why we are prone to extremes when it comes to our bodies How getting healthy and being whole impacts how we love God and others The point in a new venture when most women quit (and why they shouldn’t give up!) How trauma affects our physical bodies, and why downplaying it is so detrimental The prayer you should pray if you’re not sure if your idea is your own or from the Lord Favorite quotes: “Your body has been designed by God. There is nothing about you that genetically is flawed.  He is on purpose with a purpose. Every body is a good body.” “Love God. Get healthy, be whole. Love others.” “I don’t think you need to be polite with Jesus. You have to be real with him and never let go.” “Before you had words for life to explain and have a worldview, your body was trying to tell you things and it has always been trying to tell you stuff.” “Before you go ask your friends or all the people you think you need their approval, sit down with the Lord. Take a day, pull away, go away, turn your phone off, and get in the Word and hear from Him. Once you have heard from Him, there’s no turning back.” “You know it is the Lord if you don’t stop thinking about it. It keeps coming up.” Links to great things we discussed:  Alisa Keeton Website Alisa Keeton Instagram Alisa Keeton Facebook Alisa Keeton Twitter Revelation Wellness The Body Revelation: Physical and Spiritual Practices to Metabolize Pain, Banish Shame, and Connect to God with Your Whole Self Pack Hydrafacial Air Lost What Would I Do Without You - Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors Perky-Pet Hummingbird Feeders Order your copy of Remaining You While Raising Them here. Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli

How to Overcome Comparison with Kia Stephens

Hey friend! We are over halfway through June- can you believe it?! I’ve got a brand new Smart Girl I can’t wait for you to meet today!  My friend Kia Stephens is the founder of Entrusted Women, a speaker, a podcaster, and the author of Overcoming Father Wounds: Exchanging Your Pain for God’s Perfect Love.  Kia is a go-getter, an innovator, and an incredible leader. Her book is special to my heart- so much so that I endorsed it!- and I’m so glad we get to have this conversation.  Listen in as Kia and I talk about: One thing you can do to overcome comparison  Seeing the hand of God in waiting seasons (especially when you’re a go-getter with a lot of ideas!) Why it is so important to separate ego from the results of your work The value of surrounding yourself with people who are where you want to be Kia Stephens is a speaker, podcaster, founder of Entrusted Women, and author of Overcoming Father Wounds: Exchanging Your Pain for God’s Perfect Love. She is a contributing writer for Proverbs 31 Ministries and iBelieve. Kia and her husband have two children.  Favorite quotes: “I started to celebrate the women publicly that had what I wanted and was doing what I wanted to do.” “The comparison if you don’t figure out how to kill it is only going to intensify and increase. It is a demon you have to consistently slay.” “God is a crockpot and we are more of a microwave people so when he forces us to get on his timetable and be the crockpot, it is challenging but it is always best.” “God created us to counter losses, keep it moving, and go on to the next thing.” “When it comes to selling, we are really just talking about something that solves a problem, something that we believe in, and we are also giving people choice options.”  “Don’t put limits on what God can do in your life.” Links to great things we discussed:  Kia Stephens Website Kia Stephens Instagram Kia Stephens Facebook Kia Stephens YouTube Entrusted Women Website Overcoming Father Wounds: Exchanging Your Pain for God’s Perfect Love Chai Crème Frappuccino Chai Tea Latte Parrot Teleprompter The Good Place Josh Garrels Farther Along - Josh Garrels Pure Encapsulations O.N.E. Multivitamin Order your copy of Remaining You While Raising Them here. Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli

Giving yourself permission with Hannah Brencher

Hey hey! I love having a chance to bring back one of my favorite conversations with someone who is not just my friend, but a friend of the show. This woman is brilliant, so Smart Girl Summer is the perfect time to re-air this incredible conversation. Hannah Brencher is the founder of More Love Letters (leaving letters for strangers- how fun is that?!), a TED speaker, and the best-selling author of three books.  Hannah teaches people to establish important disciplines through her fantastic online courses and doesn’t shy away from tough topics like mental illness. I’m so excited for you to get to hear from her today! Join in as Hannah and I discuss: Why giving yourself permission to try something new is so important What it’s really like being the breadwinner, and why this is an essential conversation for women in the church How to protect yourself from comparison and imposter syndrome Why gratitude (and expressing it!) at every juncture is key Hannah Brencher is a TED speaker, founder of More Love Letters, and author of three bestselling books, including her latest, Fighting Forward: Your Nitty-Gritty Guide to Beating the Lies That Hold You Back. Hannah and her husband, Lane, live in Atlanta with their daughter. Favorite quotes: “If you want to learn how to hone your voice and you want to become a writer and you haven’t established a readership, a blog is a really great way to start.” “If you have never tried something before don’t say no because you are scared.” “I don’t want people to be spectators in the lives of other people. I want them to be fully in their lives and that requires doing the work every single day.” “Just because it has been done this one way a thousand times before doesn’t mean that it is what you have to do.” “Make sure you finish things as well as you start them.”  “We need to celebrate more because we are doing big things and just because it doesn’t look like the milestone that person had doesn’t mean your milestone is any less important or any less worthy to be celebrated.” Links to great things we discussed:  Hannah Brencher Website Hannah Brencher Instagram Hannah Brencher Pinterest Hannah Brencher Twitter Hannah Brencher Facebook Fighting Forward Cocokind The Bachelor 90 Day Fiancé Good Mythical Morning Billy Joel Scenes from an Italian Restaurant - Billy Joel Order your copy of Remaining You While Raising Them here. Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli

How to reach your goals while having fun with Annie F. Downs

Hey friend! I couldn’t let us get too far into Smart Girl Summer without bringing back a conversation I had last summer with a friend who is a pro on fun! My friend Annie F. Downs is the podcast host of That Sounds Fun, a best-selling author of multiple books, including devotionals, a children’s book, and the New York Times Bestseller That Sounds Fun: The Joys of Being an Amateur, the Power of Falling in Love, and Why You Need a Hobby.  Annie is a sought-after speaker and a brilliant business woman, and I can’t wait for you to hear all the insights she shares! Lean in and listen as Annie and I talk about: How Annie got to where she is today professionally (and some encouragement if you feel like you’ve worked for a long time and seen little movement) The key to managing comparison and imposter syndrome Why failure isn’t as bad as it may seem- and why Annie says nothing is a total failure Annie’s biggest piece of advice for someone who is pursuing a dream, especially in creative work Annie F. Downs  is a New York Times Bestselling author, speaker, podcast host, owner of the That Sounds Fun Network. Her most recent devotional, Chase the Fun: 100 Days to Discover Fun Right Where You Are, is available wherever books are sold. Annie lives in Nashville, Tennessee.  Favorite quotes: “Finding and creating the email to send to your friends on the other side of your work that sounds and looks like you is really important.” “You don’t bring a guest to get the guest’s audience. You bring a guest that blesses your audience.” “Nothing is a total flop or failure. Everything is an experiment that you pivot as you build.” “If you don’t know why you are doing what you are doing, when you get put in the fire you will jump out.” “Go after the thing that is in you, get someone who really believes in you to come alongside, and ask God to open and close all the right doors.” “Fun actually will make you feel more healthy physically, spiritually, and emotionally so you have got to start putting it on the calendar like you do every other thing.” Links to great things we discussed:  Annie F. Downs Website Annie F. Downs Instagram Annie F. Downs Facebook Annie F. Downs YouTube Annie F. Downs TikTok Annie F. Downs Twitter Annie F. Downs Pinterest Chase the Fun: 100 Days to Discover Fun Right Where You Are That Sounds Fun Podcast Il Makiage Concealer Ipsy Buc-ee’s The Diplomat Neon - John Mayer Why Georgia - John Mayer Be Curly Curl Enhancer Order your copy of Remaining You While Raising Them here. Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli https://alliworthington.com/annie-f-downs-3

How to be courageous with Jennifer Dukes Lee

If your career looks different than you ever imagined it could, you’re going to want to lean into today’s conversation! Today’s episode kicks off Smart Girl Summer, an eight-week series featuring some behind-the-scenes stories from some of the smartest women I know. I am thrilled to have my friend, Jennifer Dukes Lee, here to start this series with a bang!  Jennifer is the author of multiple books, including her most recent, Stuff I’d Only Tell God: A Guided Journal of Courageous Honesty, Obsessive Truth-Telling, and Beautifully Ruthless Self-Discovery.  So how did Jennifer go from the hustle and bustle of reporting for metropolitan daily newspapers to being a fifth-generation farm wife? How did she get from life on the farm to writing books and helping other authors as an acquisitions editor? I can’t wait for you to hear it from her!  Join Jennifer and I as we talk about:  How someone’s belief in you can change the trajectory of your life Where opportunity comes from, and why friends are so important  Why the work we do in obscurity really does matter How to stay motivated when it would be easier to quit  And if you loved this, go check out her previous visit to the show: Un-Hurry Your Heart with Jennifer Dukes Lee. Jennifer Dukes Lee is an acquisitions editor and author of multiple books. Her most recent book is a brilliantly written guided journal, Stuff I’d Only Tell God: A Guided Journal of Courageous Honesty, Obsessive Truth-Telling, and Beautifully Ruthless Self-Discovery. Jennifer and her husband, Scott, have two daughters and are the fifth generation to live on the Lee family farm in Iowa.  Favorite quotes: “Our opportunities come through relationships.” “There is nothing like the process of writing a book.” “God uses other people so often in our lives.” Links to great things we discussed:  Jennifer Dukes Lee Website Jennifer Dukes Lee Instagram Jennifer Dukes Lee TikTok Jennifer Dukes Lee Facebook Stuff I’d Only Tell God: A Guided Journal of Courageous Honesty, Obsessive Truth-Telling, and Beautifully Ruthless Self-Discovery Altar'd State Sling Bag Splice The Commission - Cain Survivor Breville Espresso Machine Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 You Are the Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne Sephora Colorful Shadow and Liner Order your copy of Remaining You While Raising Them here. Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli https://alliworthington.com/jennifer-dukes-lee-3/

How to Thrive in Your Marriage with the Enneagram and the Gospel with Beth McCord

Hey hey! We’re back for Part 3 of our Enneagram series. I couldn’t let this series go by without taking the chance to re-air a conversation I got to have with one of my most popular guests ever, Beth McCord. You may recognize my friend, Beth. She is an Enneagram expert and coach, best-selling author of multiple Enneagram books, and founder of Your Enneagram Coach, the leading platform for all things Enneagram.  Beth’s enneagram work is all about how to use this amazing tool through the lens of the Gospel. She has written a book for every type, and with her husband, Pastor Jeff McCord, wrote Becoming Us: Using the Enneagram to Create a Thriving, Gospel-Centered Marriage.  Listen in as Beth and I talk about: How understanding the Enneagram types as nine different perspectives can grow your compassion for others (especially your spouse) Why assuming is so harmful, Beth calls it assumicide Two ways not to use the Enneagram What has surprised Beth most in all of her work with the Enneagram and couples Beth McCord is an Enneagram expert, world-renowned speaker, coach, and teacher of over 20 years. Beth founded Your Enneagram Coach and co-authored Becoming Us: Using the Enneagram to Create a Thriving, Gospel-Centered Marriage with her husband, Jeff. They live outside Nashville, Tennessee, and have two adult children.  Favorite quotes: “The Enneagram is pointing out why we do what we do, our heart condition, and then the Gospel shows us how we will heal it.” “The Enneagram gives us the nine lenses that all types see through. Each of us has on a particular lens.” “Each of the nine types are going to have the things that make them soar and things that make them struggle in life.” “Don’t use the Enneagram as a sword or a shield.” “Think of the Enneagram as a flashlight or an x-ray. It is pointing out what is there or what is broken. The x-ray cannot heal you. It just exposes what is wrong and needs healing.” “The Enneagram is this great amazing tool but it’s the Gospel that transforms it.” “It means you have resources and the Gospel is always there to heal and restore when we are willing to surrender and depend on him to do the work in and through us.” Teaching Series from Remaining You While Raising Them: Habits           The Power of Identity with Our Actions (43:47) Links to great things we discussed:  Beth McCord Website Becoming Us: Using the Enneagram to Create a Thriving, Gospel-Centered Marriage Becoming Us Beth McCord Instagram The EnneaDog Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant Order your copy of Remaining You While Raising Them here. Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli  

How to Strengthen Your Marriage with the Enneagram with Jackie Brewster

Hey friend!  We’re back again for Part 2 of our Enneagram series! We talk a lot around here about the importance of self-awareness. But how does self-awareness help us understand the people we have relationships with? Can a self-awareness tool like the Enneagram really impact our marriages for the better?  My friend Jackie Brewster is here to help us make that connection between self-awareness and understanding our partner! Jackie is a certified enneagram coach who uses the Enneagram to help individuals, couples, and teams get to know themselves better so they can love and serve others well. Her new book, The Enneagram, and Your Marriage: A 7-Week Guide to Better Understanding and Loving Your Spouse will help you apply this tool to the most important relationship in your life: your marriage.  Join in as Jackie and I discuss:   What to do if you love the Enneagram but your spouse does not That one thing that really communicates love to your spouse, based on their Enneagram type How defense mechanisms serve us, and how to identify them by type Why active listening is crucial for productive conversations (and what “active listening” actually means) Jackie Brewster is a certified Enneagram coach and author of The Enneagram and Your Marriage: A 7-Week Guide to Better Understanding and Loving Your Spouse.  Jackie and her husband, Stephen, have four children and live in Franklin, Tennessee. Favorite quotes: “Intimate relationships see a different side of us but our heart longings are the same whether it is an intimate partner or really good friendships.” “Enneagrams 2, 7, and 9 are in this positive outlook group. They try to minimize the tension, chaos, and confusion.” “Then you have got the Enneagrams 1’s, 3’s, and 5’s, and they are in the confidency group. They would prefer to deal with situations, conflict, and disappointment but also just situations from a more logical standpoint.” “The Enneagram numbers 4, 6, and 8, they are in this more reactive group. They have to deal with their emotions before they can move on.” “Active listening is such a gift that you can give to another person.” “Information is not transformation until you activate it.” Teaching Series from Remaining You While Raising Them: Habits The Power of 1% Better (34:20) Links to great things we discussed:  Jackie Brewster Website The Enneagram, and Your Marriage: A 7-Week Guide to Better Understanding and Loving Your Spouse Jackie Brewster Instagram Anne Wilson Dawson’s Creek 27 Dresses Ratatouille Soul Love Sense: The Revolutionary New Science of Romantic Relationships Hold Me Tight: Your Guide to the Most Successful Approach to Building Loving Relationships The Bible Recap The Bible Recap Podcast Good American Jeans Order your copy of Remaining You While Raising Them here. Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli

How to Use the Enneagram to Boost Success with Scott Allender

Did you know only around 15% of people experience true self-awareness? Even more surprising, in the same study, researchers found that the more self-aware someone thinks they are, the opposite is likely to be true! When Scott Allender shared this info with me in a recent conversation, I was floored! I just had to hear more about how self-awareness relates to our emotional health and how both of those pieces relate to success.  In his new book, The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence: A Journey to Personal and Professional Success, Scott uses one of my favorite tools, the Enneagram, to help you move towards emotional health in a way that makes sense for your personality and sets you up for success. Listen in as Scott and I talk about:  Why your emotional intelligence (EQ) is more important than your IQ when it comes to success How the tools provided in the enneagram help us get back to who we are made to be What it looks like for each Enneagram type to be functioning at a high level of self-awareness (and what it looks like when we’re not self-aware!) The role our spiritual life plays in our emotional intelligence Scott Allender is the co-host of The Evolving Leader podcast and author of The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence: A Journey to Personal and Professional Success.  Scott is an expert in global leadership who regularly teaches enneagram workshops and lives in Nashville.  Favorite quotes: “Only 13-15% of people are truly self aware and the more self aware somebody thinks they are the opposite is likely to be true.” “Your IQ might get you in the door. Your EQ is going to determine whether or not you stay inside the room or get invited back. Our EQ is our IQ at its testing point” “Until we do the work of cultivating this level of awareness we are often operating on autopilot.” “The studies say that more than 70% of our success is directly attributed to emotional intelligence.” “What is common to all types is really getting connected to the body, heart, and head.” Teaching Series from Remaining You While Raising Them: Habits The Tipping Point  (23:47) Links to great things we discussed:  Scott Allender Website The Enneagram of Emotional Intelligence: A Journey to Personal and Professional Success Scott Allender Instagram Scott Allender Twitter Scott Allender LinkedIn The Evolving Leader Podcast Taylor Swift Chris Stapleton Yellowstone Rocky Creed III Move: How the New Science of Body Movement Can Set Your Mind Free Whiplash God Really Loves Us Clinique Pop Lip Colour + Primer Order your copy of Remaining You While Raising Them here. Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli