The Alli Worthington Show

Smart Girl Summer with Kelli Masters

We’re continuing our Smart Girl Summer Series this week with another fantastic guest that will inspire you (and maybe even help you out at the next sports trivia night!). Now, as a reminder, Smart Girl Summer is an eight-week series featuring some of my most brilliant friends sharing behind-the-scenes stories that you won’t hear anywhere else.  And today, we have the brilliant and business-savvy Kelli Masters on the show today! Kelli is an attorney, a certified sports agent, and the founder of KMM Sports, a full-service sports management company based in Oklahoma City. AND, fun fact: she was one of the first women to represent a Top 5 pick in the NFL draft!  She has represented more professional athletes than any other woman in the sports business history and was named one of the 25 most influential women in sports worldwide by Bleacher Report. Needless to say, Kelli knows a thing or two about business, sports, and remaining true to yourself against all odds. We sit down to chat about Kelli’s experience working in a male-dominated field, what her faith in God means to her, and some of the lessons she has learned along the way. Plus, she shares some good advice for the next generation of trailblazing women.  Listen in to learn more about -  How Kelli got to be where she is and how she found her calling to be a sports agent.  How to be fierce without being aggressive or unkind.  The inside scoop of being a sports agent and what Kelli has on her radar next. Favorite quotes: 1. It’s funny how those of us who try to map out what we think our life is going to look like and we fly and make all these plans. But truly, when you trust God with that and put it in his hands, it doesn't look linear at all.2. Being fierce doesn't come from me being egotistical or or overly confident. It comes from knowing God has called me to do this. He has given me the skills to do this. And he's given me the passion and the ability to fight for my clients, to fight for the people that I've been given to fight for and there's nothing more powerful. 3. Isn't it so easy to beat yourself up for where you're not?  4. What we've created is so different and so special. And it's 100% because I just said, “God, I want to do it your way and I don't want to do it my way.” I don't want to just look successful. I want to make an impact and create successful opportunities and lives for the players that I get the chance to work with. 5. It's interesting how you can spend so much time working on the details of something when God's like- no trust me over here. Just keep being good to people. Keep listening to me. Keep being kind to people. And I'll come through for you. Great things we discussed:  1. Kelli Masters 2. KMM Sports  3. High Impact Life 4. Rose Toronto Skincare 5. Quiet Place 2 6. 96,000 7. Bare Republic Sunscreen 8. Standing Strong Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli  www.alliworthington.com/kellimasters/

Hannah Brencher joins us for Smart Girl Summer

Hey hey friends! I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Hot Girl Summer,” but around here, we’re having Smart Girl Summer. Smart Girl Summer is an eight week series featuring some of my most brilliant friends sharing behind-the-scenes stories that you won’t hear anywhere else. And we’re kicking it off with Hannah Brencher! Hannah is a best-selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur, and y’all have loved her episodes in the past. She is such a breath of fresh air when it comes to running a business, staying creative, and embracing God’s plan for her life.  We dive into how she got her start, the lessons she learned from passion projects that didn’t go as planned, how she manages imposter syndrome, and what she does when she feels herself beginning to play the comparison game. Listen in as we discuss:  The freedom that comes with giving yourself permission to try new things (and not be great at them!).  How we handle the reactions of church friends when they find out our husbands are both full-time Dads while each of us are the breadwinners for our families. What a good workflow looks like, and how they can help you reach the goals you set for yourself.   Favorite quotes: 1. I don’t want people to be spectators in the lives of other people. I want them to be fully in their lives. 2. I spent so many years being so scared that I wasn’t in the calling of God. And then I realized that's not how it works. Go out there, experiment, have fun with things. I would have never known that I could be an entrepreneur if I didn’t give myself that permission.3. Just because it’s been done this one way 1000 times before, doesn’t mean that it’s what you have to do.  4. Make sure you finish things as well as you start them. Don’t let the momentum keep you from doing a good job from all angles.  5. Do the thing that scares you. 6. Invest in the craft instead of the applause.    Great things we discussed:  1. Hannah Brencher Creative .com2. Monday Club  3. Cocokind 4. In The Heights  5. Dashing Diva 6. Standing Strong Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli 

Breaking Free with Jess Connolly

What would your life look like if you dared to reclaim what God has named good? My friend Jess Connolly is challenging us to consider that we’re made for more than having a love/hate relationship with our bodies. According to a study at Glamour magazine, 97% of women struggle with body image issues. It is an effective and intentional tool that convinces us that taking care of our bodies is not a spiritual issue.  Jess returns to the show today for a super fun, honest and essential conversation  about her new book Breaking Free from Body Shame: Dare to Reclaim What God Has Named Good. We also talk about the role social media plays and how to break free from the beliefs that hold us back from living our fullest lives. She is an author, entrepreneur, and is the founder of Go + Tell Gals and helped start She Reads Truth. She and her husband planted Bright City Church in Charleston, South Carolina, where they live with their four children. Listen in to hear Jess tell us: Her story of body image struggles and how she unfolded the truth that these struggles were a spiritual issue.  How she learned to be grateful when experiencing weakness because it is just a canvas for God’s goodness and compassion to shine.  Practical tips on how we can learn to love our bodies more. Favorite quotes: 1. It seems like such an intentional and effective tool of the enemy to convince women that this is not a spiritual thing. 2. I think one of the best ways we can fight this is genuinely just showing up in our actual bodies and letting people say, “this is what it is, this is reality, and I'm okay with that.” 3. Whatever it is, if it's Botox, if it's doing a 40 day fitness challenge, if it's being a person who does CrossFit, if it's running, if it's walking, if it's doing Pilates, if it's getting your hair done, if it's getting facials, if it's drinking green smoothie... the goal is simply that you do it because it's worshipful for you. Not because you feel pressured or shamed into doing it. 4. This is my body to steward. Nobody gets to speak about it. Nobody gets to be harmful toward it. Nobody gets to try to speak untruth, or negative things over it. Great things we discussed:  1. Jess Connolly2. Breaking Free From Body Shame 3. Exile 4. Gilmore Girls 5. When We Stand6. Gallon Sized Water Bottle 7. Cruella 8. Standing Strong Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli 

Praying Daily with J.D. Greear

Whether praying is a part of your daily routine or just something you do when your back is against the wall, I bet you’ve wondered, at least once, “Does prayer actually work?” I’m not talking about doubting faith here, but often prayer can feel more like a duty than a delight. It can be tempting to think it doesn’t make a difference or we’re too busy to do it properly. Well, friends, J.D. Greear is joining me today to help us make sense of our relationship with prayer.  J.D. is the pastor of The Summit Church, with locations in Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina, and the Southern Baptist Convention president. And he’s got a new book coming out later this summer called Just Ask where he shares practical tips for including prayer in everyday life. And not just prayer, but confident, bold, patient, relentless, shameless, dependent, grateful, powerful, expectant prayer.  Together, JD and I discuss the idea of how God works through our prayers to accomplish His will and what’s at risk when we don’t pray.  JD also shares practical advice on praying so that it’s a natural part of our relationship with our Heavenly Father, not an obligation.  Listen in to learn: Why JD wrote Just Ask and how God spoke to his heart throughout the process What happens when we pray and how it impacts the work God is doing  Practical advice on praying so that it becomes a natural part of our relationship with God instead of an obligation. Favorite quotes: 1. One of the encouragements that I gathered from my reading and study of prayer in the bible is how much the bible is written to deal with the problem of unanswered prayer or that feeling that God is not hearing me. 2. Some things only come out in persistent prayer because God uses that to give us a hunger and thirst for him.3. Prayerlessness is a fruit of a heart that has not been trained properly by the gospel. 4. Prayer warriors are not born overnight. They’re developed by discipline and consistent gospel input that reshapes your heart to call out to your heavenly father.  In this episode I answer this question: 1. For a busy mom with a sporadic schedule, how do I fit in time with the Lord? (30:23) Great things we discussed:  1. JD Greear  2. Just Ask  3. William Augusto4. Seinfeld 5. The Last Kingdom6. Gentle and Lowly 7. Luluemon 8. Dream Horse  9. Tremble 10. Standing Strong Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli

How to Have Tough Conversations with Nicole Unice

For over a year, we’ve been doing what we can to take care of ourselves and our families during a historic pandemic. And for some of us, shutting off our emotions was (and continues to be) one of the only ways to get things done.  But what happens when hard seasons end (or need to end)? Is it possible to feel like ourselves again without the overwhelming flight or fight mode we’re used to? In today's episode, we’re exploring exactly that!  My brilliant friend and fan-favorite Nicole Unice joins me on the show to talk about navigating difficult seasons and relationships and how being a mother affects us as opposed to the way it affects our children. Nicole also turns to the tables on me as I honestly share about the health struggles with two of my sons. Make sure to grab some tissues!  We also talk about Nicole’s new book The Miracle Moment, in which she shares practical advice for having difficult conversations and how to anticipate and overcome roadblocks on the way to healthy, "miracle moment" relationships. Listen in to learn more about:  What makes people pull away when they experience strong emotions like fear. How to become more self-aware by being open to learning from complicated relationships (and what that can teach us about ourselves and, ultimately, God) The person who needs to grow the most when challenging situations arise in our relationships. Favorite quotes: 1. It’s okay to be healing from pain and be hopeful about your future at the same time. It’s okay to grieve and also laugh. 2. The miracle moment is actually the moment after you feel misunderstood, or you missed each other, or frustrated, or can’t communicate, or it’s not going the way you want. It’s the next moment where a miracle could happen because it’s the intentional choice that we make to move towards one another or away.3. Small is big. Very very small consistent changes over time will transform your life.  4. The first place to start in a difficult relationship is you. Allow this a time for you to grow. And when you grow, you’ll see what happens to the other party.  Great things we discussed:  1. Nicole Unice2. The Miracle Moment3. Poldark 4. Prayers In The Dark5. NYX Micro Brow Pencil  6. The Chosen 7. Jeremiah’s Playlist  8. Standing Strong  Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli

Succeeding at Life with Megan Hyatt Miller

Are you having a hard time describing how you’re feeling these days? Depressed is too strong a word, but unmotivated isn’t strong enough. That general blah feeling or phase has a name–languishing. And my friend and fellow mom of 5, Megan Hyatt Miller is here to tell us what we can do about it! Languishing is like the neglected middle child of mental health, but a lot of people experience it. Especially now that we’re coming out of a pandemic and coping with stress in ways we’ve never had to before. That’s why I’m delighted Megan wanted to tackle this topic with me, which isn’t surprising because her work is all about helping us be our best selves.  Megan Hyatt Miller is the President and Chief Executive Officer at Michael Hyatt & Company and the co-host of the popular business podcast, Lead to Win. And she just co-authored Win at Work and Succeed at Life with her dad Michael Hyatt. This book is all about freeing yourself from the cult of overwork, so you can bet she shares some great advice and techniques about how to get back to ourselves.  Tune in and hear all about: Where to start when exercise and nutrition isn’t helping you feel like yourself anymore. Creating a culture of double win -- instead of choosing either “I’ve got to hustle” or “I need a break!” Megan-approved practical tools to allow us to feel better and get our groove back. Favorite quotes: 1. If you're coming out of 2020 like most people that I've talked to, with your tires on fire, you know you just sort of feel like we're running on fumes and self care is all out of whack. Probably the place to start is not exercise and nutrition. As important as those things are and we talked about that some in the book, but the place to start really is with rest. 2. We've been going and going and going and using all of our reserves and just regular life has taken so much more energy that we are chronically exhausted and chronically depleted and we don't even know it right now. 3. The temporary has a way of becoming permanent, and then it starts to take a toll on our health, our mental well being, you know, and health, and our most important relationships, and if we don't catch it in time, then we end up in a situation where we have regret. 4.Work and life don't actually have to be in opposition to each other, they actually can be mutually reinforcing and supportive of one another and there's not magic to it, there is a process. 5. There isn't enough time to do everything but there is enough time to do the most important things. In this episode I answer this question: What does business coaching entail and how do I know if it’s right for me? (20:21) Great things we discussed:  1. Megan Hyatt-Miller 2. Win at Work and Succeed at Life 3. Every Little Kiss4.  Miss Scarlet and the Duke 5. Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance and Repair6. KF49 Face Mask 7. Newsies 8.Standing Strong Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli

Share Your Stuff with Laura Tremaine

Laura Tremaine has built a thriving Internet community around the idea that we all have valuable (and worthy) information to share, especially in our relationships. That’s why I’m thrilled she’s here with me today to talk about loneliness, reconnection, and why it’s so important that we share our own stuff. In the early days of the Internet, she started sharing her life online through the popular blog Hollywood Housewife and eventually moved onto podcasting via the Sorta Awesome Show and Smartest Person in the Room. Now, she hosts 10 Things to Tell You, a weekly podcast that provides a jumping off point for journaling or to start a meaningful conversation with people who matter to you. And I love that she models what she wants her listeners to do by never being afraid to go first.  In her debut book, Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First, Laura shares both personal stories and reflection questions to help us cultivate authentic connections with others that really only come from sharing parts of ourselves.  Y’all, I’m so happy to have Laura on the show today to talk about the tools we need to not only start important conversations with our people but continue to be vulnerable and reconnect even when it feels hard. Tune in for the whole conversation to hear: All about our most notable and hilarious fashion moments The behind-the-scenes of mommy bloggers, brand deals and today’s influencer culture How to safely and confidently share on social media without compromising your values What practical tools you need to invest in your relationships. Favorite quotes: 1. Sometimes there’s real reasons why we can’t share, because of our job, or our community, or lots of reasons it's legitimately hard to share online. But these women were mostly saying they can’t share online or off, because of the shame they felt. 2. You can share and let yourself be seen without vomiting out every bad thing that’s happened to you. 3. When I hear someone else's magical moment, it is so invigorating to me. I don't care if I 100% buy into it, it’s still an amazing story. 4. When you go first, you’re opening the door for other people to also share themselves. In this episode I answer this question: Is the Message Bible a safe bible to read? (42:47) Great things we discussed:  1. Laura Tremaine2. Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First 3. WandaVision 4.  Dirt5. Charlotte’s Magic Cream6. He’s Always Been Faithful 7. Standing Strong  Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli

The Essential Work of the Holy Spirit with Jeannie Cunnion

One thing I love about this space is your willingness to dive in deep with me on topics that affect us every day but don’t get much air time anywhere else. That’s why I invited today’s guest Jeannie Cunnion to join me. Jeannie is on a mission to help women embrace the freedom found only in Christ.  With the release of her latest book Don’t Miss Out, Jeannie shows us the impact the Holy Spirit can have on our lives, how we can welcome it into our daily routines, and the ways it can enrich our personal relationship with Jesus.  Jeannie is my friend, a best-selling author of four books, and a fellow mom of five boys. But more than that, she’s made it her life’s work to help women and parents connect with the Lord on a deeper level so they can live in the power of the Holy Spirit.  I know you’ll get so much out of our conversation. Hang around until the end to hear all about:  The job of the Holy Spirit, including how it sanctifies, strengthens and sustains us in our walk of faith..  Our influence on the ways we hear the Spirit and what we can do to hear it more often.  Identifying your spiritual gifts and why it’s critical that you name it and put it into practice.  Favorite quotes:1. Jesus relied on the Holy Spirit and the disciples needed the Holy Spirit. So why do we today think that we can or should do anything without the power of the Holy Spirit? 2. I think people put their trust in Jesus. Then they think they have to follow Jesus in their own strength and it's their job to make their lives grow more and more in the likeness of Jesus when it's the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us. 3. It's so true that we are all filled with the Holy Spirit in the sense that we are given a spirit at salvation but so few of us are walking in the fullness of it. 4. Because He dwells in us and will never leave us, we can grieve Him. We can question. But we can never force him to abandon us. He is our seal of salvation and he is the most loyal companion. 5. When we recognize that the Holy Spirit is fully God. That He is also a divine person. The person of the Holy Spirit is with you. He has a mind, he has a will, he has emotions, he has this beautiful personality and he really desires to give you this deep sense of awareness of his presence to be a comfort to you. In this episode I answer this question: What books do you recommend for newlyweds? (36:54) Great things we discussed:  1. Jennie Cunnion 2. Don’t Miss Out 3. Fresh Wind4. Rest On Us5. Surviving Savanah6. Believe For It7. Latisse 8. Standing Strong Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli 

Un-Hurry Your Heart with Jennifer Dukes Lee

Friends, I’m thrilled to welcome back my dear friend Jennifer Dukes Lee to the show today! Jennifer is a calm, encouraging voice in our fast-paced world that is obsessed with hustle and haste. And I hope our conversation is a safe place for you to land when you’re reaching for ways to live a quiet, easy, and successful life.  In our conversation, we talk about Jennifer’s new book “Growing Slow” and she shares practical tips on how we can stop treating life as an emergency and start living life the way it was meant to be lived - slowly. She also reminds us that true peace comes from embracing the life that God crafted for each and every one of us.  Listen in as Jennifer and I  talk about:  The trap of comparing ourselves to the accomplishments of others The connection God created between our lives and the Earth’s seasons How to view time as a both a friend and tool that God uses in our daily lives Her craziest farm story about a rogue pig   Favorite quotes: 1. When I put into place some pauses in my life, really changed things and adopted what I call a slow growth mindset, that has been transformational for me. 2. Slow progress is still progress.  3. There's always something sitting out there as if it’s a milestone. I don't know who created these, but there really are no set milestones. I think when we strip all of that away. And  if we go our own way and grow our own way. We will experience a lot of freedom. That chips away at the hurry that's hanging around our hearts. 4. In our hurry, we're really not setting down the roots that we need to hold us firm when the storms inevitably come. 5. Without sustainable living as human beings we're gonna ruin the fields that are our lives and our hearts in these places where God's planting seeds in us. In this episode I answer these questions: 1. What’s your process for knowing what to say yes and what to say no to? (35:20) Great things we discussed:  1. Jennifer Dukes Lee website2. Growing Slow 3. Catch Me Singing 4. The Great British Baking Show5. Dirt 6. Breville Espresso Machine  7. The Sill 8. Standing Strong Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli 

Navigating Hard Seasons with Nicki Koziarz

Have you ever caught yourself pleading with God for good news? For an easier season? For just one day with a silver lining instead of difficulties and disappointment?  If we’re honest with ourselves, we’ve all been there and we’re afraid to admit it to others. That’s why I wanted to have my friend Nicki Koziarz on the show today. Nicki is a best-selling author and Proverbs 31 ministry speaker, so when she spoke up about her own tough seasons and devastating losses in her new book Flooded, I knew her message could help so many.  Nicki and I dive into what we do when we’ve been in a tough season of life and what to do when doubt creeps in, especially doubt about our faith. Nicki shares her journey of managing the flood of difficult situations and wondering if they will ever stop.   Listen in to hear about:  The impact that going to God in a tough season can have on our lives even if it’s the last thing we feel like doing. What happens when we stop looking at our faith journey as if God is controlling us like puppets. How to manage the opinion of others and the impact and unintended consequences those opinions can have on our belief in God’s plan for our lives. Favorite quotes: 1. Unfortunately sometimes we make decisions that lead us on a path that's not part of God’s plan.2. Doubt can turn into sin really easily.3.  Every hard thing that you and I will go through, there's already someone in the scriptures who's overcome it.  4. Sometimes when we’re walking through really things we feel like we’re the ones carrying it but God actually is doing the hardest part in these assignments of grief but it's up to us to see it that way. 5. God is in charge of the plan, I’m in control of my obedience. In this episode I answer these questions:  1. How do you determine a curfew for teenagers these days?  (41:58 ) Links to great things we discussed:  1. Nikki Koziarz2. Flooded 3. Champion4.  Buried by the Bernards5. Draw The Circle6. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality 7. Flo Vitamins 8. Goli Gummies 9. Tula  10. Rest On Us 11. Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser 12. Standing Strong  Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli