Grieving with Hope: Light Always Breaks after the Storm - Interview with Amanda McNeil
Release Date: 07/24/2025
Nourishment for Life: Katrina Riffle on Purposeful, Sustainable Nutrition
Overwhelmed to Overcomer
Welcome to Part Two of Anna’s powerful conversation with Katrina Riffle—Founder, Nutrition Coach, and co-owner of Hybrid Strength Method. In this continuation, Katrina goes even deeper into how Christian women can build strength, protect their health, and trust God through seasons of physical, emotional, and spiritual transition. In Part One, Katrina shared her journey into fitness and holistic wellness, the pitfalls of high-intensity workout culture, and how strength-based training can support women’s energy and well-being. In Part Two, the conversation expands into the heart-level...
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Hybrid Strength: How to Steward Your Health for Life with Katrina Riffle
Overwhelmed to Overcomer
In this two-part conversation, Anna sits down with Katrina Riffle—Founder, Nutrition Coach, and co-owner of Hybrid Strength Method—to explore what it truly means to steward our bodies well as Christian women. With over 15 years of experience in fitness and holistic wellness, Katrina offers a sustainable, strength-focused approach that helps women feel energized, confident, and aligned with how God created their bodies to function. Katrina shares her journey from early struggles with weight, to becoming a certified personal trainer, opening CrossFit 928, studying holistic health, and now...
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The Dirty Little Secret about Your Calling ...
Overwhelmed to Overcomer
Two weeks into the new year, are you already feeling uncertain about your calling and purpose? In this raw and honest episode, Anna tackles what she calls "the dirty little secret" about walking out your calling—it's hard. Really hard. Through powerful biblical examples and personal vulnerability, Anna explores how the very areas where we're called to serve and impact are often the most sanctified, stretched, and devastating. She reminds us that calling isn't just the mountaintop moments of celebration and recognition—it's the countless ordinary days, the waiting seasons, and the "Mount...
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Powerful Rhythms to Master Your Time and Reclaim Your God-Given Peace with Kelly Leardon
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Feeling like your hair is constantly on fire? Homeschooling mom, business owner, or both—if you're tired of ending each day wondering what you actually accomplished, this episode is your lifeline. Join host Anna McLaughlin as she sits down with Kelly Leardon, founder of Walk Like Warriors and certified Director of Operations, for a transformative conversation about trading chaos for clarity. Kelly shares her journey from being a chronically overwhelmed homeschool mom who couldn't hit a single time block on her color-coded schedule to becoming a time management expert who helps women master...
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Don't Make Resolutions; *Resolve*
Overwhelmed to Overcomer
Welcome to the first day of 2026! In this powerful New Year's episode, Anna challenges the traditional approach to resolutions and invites listeners to shift their focus from multiple goals to one transformative commitment: glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. Rather than setting ourselves up for failure with countless resolutions, Anna encourages us to simply resolve—and when we fall, to resolve again. Through personal stories, biblical examples, and practical wisdom, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on how to approach the new year with clarity, grace, and eternal purpose. ...
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Glorious
Overwhelmed to Overcomer
In this beautiful Christmas episode, Anna reflects on the glory awaiting us and the profound truth that there are no ordinary people. Drawing from C.S. Lewis's "The Weight of Glory," she reminds us that every person we encounter—especially during the busy holiday season—carries eternal significance. Anna offers a tender reminder to fix our eyes on Jesus, lay down expectations, and love those around us with the charity and grace we've received from Him. Key Points God promises to be with us throughout our entire lifetime, until our hair is white with age There are no ordinary...
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If You're Overwhelmed Today...
Overwhelmed to Overcomer
In this powerful episode, Anna addresses a critical truth that often gets overlooked: there are ditches on both sides of the road. While many of us struggle with saying yes to too much during the Christmas season (and beyond), there's an equally dangerous ditch on the other side—self-indulgence and isolation disguised as self-care. Anna challenges listeners to examine their hearts and discern whether they're being called to pull back and create margin, or whether they're being nudged to show up and serve sacrificially. Through vulnerable reflection, she explores how to navigate the tension...
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Wired for Connection: How to Understand and ENJOY Those We Love with Marita Littauer
Overwhelmed to Overcomer
In this insightful conversation, host Anna McLaughlin sits down with personality expert Marita Littauer to explore the four classical personality types and how understanding them can transform our relationships—especially during the busy holiday season. Marita, who grew up immersed in personality work through her mother Florence Littauer's legacy, shares practical wisdom on identifying personality types through visible clues and adjusting our approach to honor how others are wired. This episode is a masterclass in seeing people as God created them—not as we wish they were. Whether you're...
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Mary's Heart in a Martha Season: How to Pre-Decide Peace This Christmas with Joy Johnson
Overwhelmed to Overcomer
Join host Anna McLaughlin in this heartfelt conversation with Joy Johnson, founder of The Joyful Fit Life and host of The Journey to Becoming Podcast. As we enter the busiest season of the year, this episode is a timely invitation to pause, breathe, and choose being over doing. Joy and Anna explore the hidden costs of over-functioning, the power of emotional health, and how to create a "to-be list" instead of just another to-do list. With vulnerability and wisdom, they share personal stories of loss, healing, and the transformative freedom that comes from laying down the burdens we were...
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Let It Be: Gratitude and Grace
Overwhelmed to Overcomer
In this heartfelt Thanksgiving episode, Anna invites listeners to embrace the imperfect beauty of holiday gatherings with family and friends. Drawing from her personal experiences and her father's love of the Beatles, she explores the profound simplicity of the phrase "let it be" as a spiritual practice. Anna shares vulnerable stories about family dynamics, culinary disasters, and the precious nature of fleeting moments, encouraging listeners to hold their imperfect celebrations close and find Christ's presence in the midst of it all. Whether you're navigating difficult family relationships,...
info_outlineIn this deeply compassionate episode, Anna McLaughlin sits down with Dr. Amanda McNeil—therapist, pastor, author, and “velvet hammer” of truth—to talk about what it really means to grieve with God. With over 15 years of counseling experience and personal stories of loss, infertility, and healing, Amanda brings wisdom that is both clinical and soul-soothing.
They explore how grief is more than bereavement—it’s the emotional process of adapting to unwanted change. Whether it's the loss of a loved one, a dream, a job, or a sense of normalcy, Amanda equips listeners with practical tools and spiritual truths to navigate grief without losing faith. Her book, Overcoming the Overcast: Navigating the Storms of Grief with God, became an Amazon #1 New Release in Christian Counseling in November 2024.
Through honest dialogue, Amanda and Anna offer hope, theology, and tangible steps to face grief in God’s grace.
About Our Guest:
Dr. Amanda McNeil holds a Master's in Christian Counseling and a PhD in Psychology and Theology. She brings over 15 years of experience in clinical counseling, pastoral leadership, and coaching. Known for her “velvet hammer” approach—truth wrapped in kindness—Amanda combines academic rigor with deep personal empathy. She co-founded a counseling and coaching organization with her husband and pastors one of their church’s campuses in Florida. Together, they’re raising their 9-year-old son and championing mental and spiritual wholeness in the Church.
Key Topics Discussed
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Grief is more than death—includes all unwanted changes.
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Grief can challenge but deepen faith in God.
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Tools: journaling, voice notes, community, self-awareness.
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Suppressed emotions resurface—let them rise.
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God welcomes honest grief—healing is slow and sacred.
Books & Resources Mentioned
Overcoming the Overcast: Navigating the Storms of Grief with God – Free chapter & more at dramandamcneil.com
Grief Journal: Guided prompts by Dr. Amanda McNeil to track emotional growth
Connect with Dr. Amanda McNeil:
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MUSIC CREDITS
Theme music: Brave New World
ASLC-1BEF9A9E-9E9D609662
Artist: Fantoms
Inspiring Hopeful
Audio source: Jamendo
Artist: Aliaksei Yukhnevich
ASLC-2B505EF3-E9CD4817A6