Ep. 4: Living in the Tension: Earthly Pain, Heavenly Truth with Lauren Sterling Garcia
Release Date: 10/02/2025
Ep. 20: Suffering Is Never Wasted With God with Lindsey Lavender
Echos of Impact
What if the pain you wish away is the very place God is doing His deepest work? In this powerful episode of Echos of Impact, Cherise and Briana sit down with Lindsey Lavender, founder of Live On Mission Ministry, to talk about suffering, faith, and trusting God when life does not make sense. Lindsey shares her story of a life-altering accident that resulted in a traumatic brain injury, chronic illness, and years of recovery. Through it all, she has learned to hold tightly to the truth that suffering is never wasted when it is placed in God’s hands. With honesty and humility, Lindsey invites...
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Ep. 19: Six Months Without Alcohol: A Season of Surrender
Echos of Impact
What if God isn’t asking you to give something up because it’s bad, but because He’s offering something better? In this reflective and honest episode of Echoes of Impact, Briana and Cherise sit down for a heart-to-heart conversation to welcome a new year and explore what it looks like to listen closely when God invites us into something deeper. Together, they talk about words for the year, identity, obedience, and the quiet ways God confirms His direction in our lives. Briana shares her journey of giving up alcohol for six months—not out of shame or obligation, but out of...
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Ep. 18: Gold in the Cracks: When Breaking Becomes Becoming
Echos of Impact
Trigger Warning: This episode includes discussion of loss (death of a spouse), alcohol use, and eating disorders (anorexia + bulimia). Please use discretion as you listen. In this inspiring episode of Echos of Impact, Briana Gray and Cherise Thompson sit down with Heather Palmer—Kansas City local, yoga teacher, and author of Gold-In Cracks—for an honest conversation about resilience, surrender, and what it looks like to let God meet us in the hard places. Heather shares her story of getting married young, walking through her husband’s cancer journey, and becoming a widow with a...
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Ep. 17: Smelling Like Smoke: Getting Close Enough to Make a Difference with Amber Keller
Echos of Impact
In this powerful and deeply moving episode of Echos of Impact, Briana sits down with Amber Keller—follower of Jesus, wife, mom of three girls, writer, and coordinator of a women’s prison ministry—to talk about purpose, obedience, and what it really means to follow Jesus into hard and holy places. Amber shares her story of growing up as a missionary kid in Peru during years of terrorism, navigating identity and faith after returning to the U.S., and experiencing God’s tender pursuit during a season of wandering. That journey ultimately led her into prison ministry—an unexpected...
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Ep. 16: Busy for God or Bearing Fruit?
Echos of Impact
In this honest and reflective episode of Echos of Impact, Cherise and Briana sit down for a behind-the-scenes conversation about something many Christians wrestle with—but don’t always name: the difference between being busy for God and actually bearing fruit. We talk about how easy it is to slip into checklist Christianity—doing all the “right” things, staying involved, showing up faithfully—while still missing the deeper intimacy God is inviting us into. This episode gently challenges the idea that fruit can be forced through effort, discipline, or religious activity, and instead...
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Ep. 15 There’s No Retirement in the Kingdom of God with Katharine Rose
Echos of Impact
In today’s episode of Echos of Impact, we sit down with Katharine Rose—writer, speaker, and host of the podcast Eternal Echoes—for a rich and deeply meaningful conversation about purpose, obedience, legacy, and listening closely to God’s voice. Katharine shares her personal journey through striving, wilderness seasons, delayed obedience, and surrender. She opens up about learning the hard way that just because something is good doesn’t mean it’s God, and how the Lord patiently redirected her when she tried to take control of the calling placed on her life. We also dive into the...
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Ep. 14: From Broken to Called — A Journey Through Addiction to Ministry with Lisa Herrington
Echos of Impact
Trigger Warning: In this episode, Lisa shares honestly about her journey with addiction, including substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and the emotional impact on her children and family. We encourage you to listen at your own pace and take care of your heart as you do. In this powerful episode of Echos of Impact, Briana sits down with Lisa Herrington, a wife of 41 years, mom of four, grandmother of six, and now a Care & Compassion Pastor at Blue Oaks Church in California. Lisa’s story is one of deep brokenness, radical honesty, and the life-changing grace of God meeting her in the...
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Ep. 13: God Told Me to Get My House in Order — Here’s What Happened Next
Echos of Impact
In this heart-to-heart episode of Echos of Impact, Briana and Cherise sit down for one of their monthly conversations — the kind where we open our Bibles, open our real lives, and invite you into what God has been speaking in this season. This week’s episode unfolds around two powerful images: ✨ a surprising word from God — “Get your house in order” — and ✨ a vivid picture of sitting at a tiny children’s table as Jesus invites Briana to “play chess” with Him, a game she doesn’t know how to play. Through these moments, God begins revealing deeper truths about...
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Ep. 12: Faith After Flatline; A Second Chance at Life— with Kate
Echos of Impact
Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of medical trauma, cardiac arrest, and near-death experiences. Please listen with care. In this powerful episode of Echos of Impact, Cherise sits down with Kate, a Kansas City native, wife, mom of six in a blended family, nana of three, and women’s Bible study leader. This conversation is tender, faith-filled, and full of the kind of perspective that only comes when God carries you through what should have been your final moments. In June of this year, at just 44 years old, Kate suffered a sudden and life-threatening heart attack — the kind...
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Ep. 11: The ‘Yes’ Hidden in Every ‘No’: Resting in God’s Love with Emily Love.
Echos of Impact
In this heartfelt and restorative episode of Echos of Impact, Briana sits down with Emily Love—Kansas City native, event designer, and spiritual director in training—to talk about what it means to slow down and let God do the deeper work within us. Emily shares her powerful story of burnout, slowing down, and learning that rest can be the hardest work of all. Through seasons of exhaustion, recovery, and healing—including a serious car accident that became a defining moment of surrender—Emily discovered that purpose isn’t found in constant striving, but in being present with God right...
info_outlineTrigger Warning: This episode includes themes of loss and grief. Please use discretion when listening.
In this heartfelt episode of Echos of Impact, Briana sits down with Lauren Sterling Garcia—a remarried widow, mom of eight, real estate agent, “pretend farmer,” and host of the Ordinary Grit podcast. Introduced by a mutual friend (and later realizing they’d just attended the same family camp!), Briana and Cherise invite Lauren to share her story of loving well, walking through an eight-month cancer battle with her late husband Scott, and choosing to keep running her race with Jesus—through grief, through healing, and into unexpected redemption.
Lauren shares how simplifying purpose—to know God and glorify Him—reframed everything. From hospital rooms and back-porch conversations during COVID to sacred moments with community, she reminds us that God’s truth is still true on our worst day, and that presence often matters more than perfect words.
What We Cover
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Lauren’s faith journey: from ministry and blended family to adopting five children and welcoming an eighth
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Walking through an aggressive cancer diagnosis during COVID and the sacred legacy Scott left
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“Walk to the water” faith: when deliverance looks different than we hoped
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Parenting grief across ages—and why purpose doesn’t die when a spouse does
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The ministry of presence: listening, Scripture, worship, and community care
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Compassion reshaped: giving others the benefit of the doubt in seasons of pain
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Finding love again: healing, discernment, and running your race with Jesus
Key Quotes
“If it’s true, it’s true on my worst day. God’s truth doesn’t change when I don’t get what I want.”
“My purpose didn’t die because Scott died—I still have my race to run.”
“We don’t move on; we move forward with Jesus.”
Connect with Lauren
Listen to Ordinary Grit: ordinarygrit.com
Follow Lauren on Instagram: @mamademucho | Lauren Sterling – Realtor
Join the Conversation
Where have you seen God’s truth carry you through pain? We’d love to hear your story! Share with us on Instagram or in our Facebook group.
Follow us on Instagram: Podcast Instagram | Life Coaching Instagram
Join our Facebook Group: Echos of Impact Community
Take the Next Step
Interested in joining The Woman’s Success Code? Discover how you can grow in faith, purpose, and community. Learn more here.
Ready for a fresh start? Schedule your complimentary Life Audit with Briana today. Book here.
Final Notes:
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to follow and leave a review. Your support helps us continue to share inspiring stories like Lauren’s.
Until next week, friends! 💛