Working Christian Mom with NJ Rongner

Hosted by NJ Rongner, the Working Christian Mom podcast is a perfect mix of practical advice, encouragement and inspiration. Join her as she walks out her faith, loves her family well and thrives at work. NJ is a business strategist and entrepreneur so you can expect to hear a mix of topics including faith, business, motherhood, intentional living, and friendship.

39: Why Online Friendship Matters With Mary Carver 11/19/2020

38: From Working Mom To Stay At Home Mom 11/18/2020

37: How To Have An Awesome Marriage with OL & Sway Buckley 10/06/2020

34: Filling An Empty Cup & Finding An Outlet With Lauren Anderson 09/22/2020

34: Filling An Empty Cup & Finding An Outlet With Lauren Anderson Lauren and I chat about her motherhood story as a mama with a medically fragile son and how she discovered radical self care and began to fill her empty cup through finding an outlet. Lauren has an amazing online program designed to teach us how to make spectacular bakery level decorated sugar cookies. Looking for a community of other Working Christian Moms? Join over 2000 other Working Christian Moms who are sharing life together in our community! Links Mentioned On Air: Instagram: Books Mentioned On Air: About Our Guest: Hi, I’m Lauren, a graphic designer-turned-cookier, obsessed with creating more joy in life and in the kitchen. I grew up knowing I wanted to have a creative career. If you asked my mom and dad, they would have told you my curly hair was proof of my creativity. I chose graphic design to make my mark on the world, but after having kids, I needed a different outlet. I needed more joy, and cookies gave me that. I decorated my first cookie when I was going through the hardest years of my life. I had a baby with a serious medical condition, and my life changed in an instant. My son’s needs were so tremendous that I left my graphic design job and became his around-the-clock caretaker. Eventually we found some stability, and I decided to bring something into my life that was just for ME: cookie decorating! Over the last four years, I’ve taught myself the dos and don’ts of baking and decorating cookies through a lot of trial and error. Now, I want to share the basics and techniques that look impressive, but are easy to master. My goal is to inspire you to jump in and choose to have more fun and joy in life—through cookies! I hold a bachelor of arts degree from Ricks College, Idaho in graphic design. The design degree and my passion for design and art comes in very handy running a cookie business. After over 20 years running various art departments, and my own graphic design firm, I’m able to bring my experiences full circle as I share my baking and decorating passion to different outlets and formats online, reaching all over the world. I’m also the mother of three amazing kids, a heart mom, and am married to my soul mate and best friend. Find me at /episode/index/show/workingchristianmom/id/16103669

33: What We Learned In Quarantine with Sarah Morrison 09/22/2020

36: Our Big Feelings Are A Gift From God With Elizabeth Thompson 09/22/2020

35: Overcome To Become: Trusting Jesus With Our Junk with Tasha Ferguson 09/22/2020

32: Choosing A Word Of The Year With Sarah Morrison 12/27/2019

31: Let's Get Real About Christmas With Sarah Morrison 11/27/2019

30: How To Handle Negative Feedback At Work 10/28/2019

29: The WCM Podcast Is back! Where I've been these last few months 10/21/2019

28: Making Time For Mom Friends with Val Woerner 04/10/2019

27: Parenting Beyond The Rules with Connie Albers 04/09/2019

26: Never Too Far Gone, Restoration & Reconciliation With Alexa Bigwarfe 02/26/2019

25: Trusting Jesus To Heal Our Complicated Motherhood Stories 02/08/2019

24: True You with Michelle DeRusha 01/15/2019

23: It’s Okay To Get Vulnerable With with Mimika Cooney 12/20/2018

22: An Honest Conversation About Loss With Micala Quinn 12/11/2018

21: Balancing The Priorities of Business & Motherhood with Jacy Lee Pulford 11/29/2018

20: Handling Professional Disappointments with Deidra Riggs 11/26/2018

19: Surving Abuse, Claiming Freedom & Walking With Jesus With Marva Goss 11/08/2018

18: God's Redemption Song with Sarah Morrison 11/05/2018

17: Community, Cause & Calling With Megan Burns 10/09/2018

17: Community, Cause & Calling With Megan Burns Meg Burns is a large family mama (she’s got 4 kids), a serial entrepreneur and has a heart for seeing women thrive. In this episode you’ll hear: How Megan’s cause has changed, but calling has remained steady through the years. Why it’s so much harder to start an online shop now, than it was 5 years ago when Meg started hers. The thought process behind closing Meg’s online shop, even though the business was thriving on paper. Why Meg thinks it’s so important to actively choose love. Even when we feel lonely, we’re not alone. How Meg and I make work happen, as work at home moms. How to set boundaries and how to find boundaries. This episode is sponsored by my new program to get you set up for success for the Christmas Season, Delight In December. Our big takeaways: Cause and Calling are two different things. Your calling is that thing you were born to do, that God put inside of you when he made you. It’s constant. Our cause is how our calling shows up in our lives. And that might shift over time. It may have a season with a beginning, middle and end. But our calling remains steady. Sometimes we have to end something so we can thrive in a new area. Megan closed her handmade shop, even though it looked “good” on paper. And in doing so she found freedom to thrive in a new project. That couldn’t really happen until she had the mental space she needed to just focus on one thing, selling Young Living essential oils. When she closed their online shop, her essential oils business exploded. The boundary lines are in pleasant places. The cool thing about boundaries is that we get to set them. Setting boundaries can be hard at first, but just like with any other muscle, the more you work it, the easier it gets. Work at home mamas, decide how you’re going to manage your day and then do it! Instead of scrolling on social media, use the spare minutes you have wisely. What can you get done in five minutes? Links mentioned: About our guest: Megan is a business owner, wife, mom to five, & currently living outside of Minneapolis. She is a big believer in speaking life, encouraging other women, and believes her calling is to encourage & empower women to believe they can make a difference in their homes/communities/schools/or across the world. She loves to read, learn new things, and travel with her family. Connect with her on /episode/index/show/workingchristianmom/id/7147548

16: The Art Of Surrender with Jennifer Dukes Lee 09/18/2018

15: From Stay At Home Mom To CEO with Natalie Ard 09/14/2018

14: Keeping The Lord In the Center Of Your Work & Business with Val Woerner 08/14/2018

14: Keeping The Lord In the Center Of Your Work & Business with Val Woerner In this episode of the Working Christian Mom Podcast, I chat with Valerie Woerner of Val Marie Paper. Val is a friend of one of my biz besties, and the creator of one of the products that’s an MVP in my life, the yearly prayer journal. I own and use several Val Marie Paper products including the yearly prayer journal, an undated prayer journal and the prayer memoir journal. The yearly is my favorite because it helps me be intentional and focused in my prayer life. And no, this isn’t an ad, I just love her products. I’ll have a link to all of these products I adore plus all of the other links mentioned on the Working Christian Mom Website at If you’re an entrepreneur you’re going to LOVE this conversation with Val because you’ll be able to take away things and implement them into your own business. And if you are a 9 to 5 or traditional working mom, there is good stuff in here for you too. Don’t skip it! You are going to love hearing about how Val works from a place of rest. Val has had an incredible first half of 2018 in her business. In addition to keeping up with the normal day to day of running a business and shipping her products, she’s finished not one but two books that are off to her publisher and editing team, but also Val Marie Paper was a vendor at Spring At the Silos at Magnolia in Waco Texas. Val is an entrepreneur with two little girls Vivi and Vana. In this episode she a lot about why it is important to make key hires and hire the right people for the right job, how she makes business happen with babies around, the process of writing her books and about her experience at Spring at the Silos. It sounds like a lot to juggle, but one thing that really struck me in our conversation is that just how much she is able to work from a place of rest and knowing she’s doing what God has called her to do. Connect with Val: / / Want to learn more about our programs this upcoming Fall? In this episode you’ll hear: Why Val is glad she took such a long time to hire key players in her business. The importance of staying in your own lane, especially as an entrepreneur. Val’s secrets to writing a book when you’ve got little kids at home. Val and her team went to the Silos at Magnolia to sell their products at Spring at the Silos. She shares how they were able to say yes to that even though she was writing on deadline. She also shares the specific prayers they prayed before they went and how God answered them Here are our three big takeaways: Having the RIGHT players on your team matters. Val recently hired two part time team members to assist her at Val Marie Paper. For a long time, she felt bad about HOW long it took her to find the right people. However, she is so glad that she did. Not only do her team members shine in their areas of her business, but they allow Val to excel in her role too. This was evident at Spring at the Silos where one person focused on running the check out, one person focused on welcoming people into their booth and Val spent time in the back of their booth meeting customers face to face. As they switched around their spots at their Spring at the Silos booth, Val realized how much each of her gal’s loved and shined in their area of expertise. When you really let your team members in your business run in their role, it frees you up to do the things only you can do in your business. When Val hired her team members not only did it free up some of her time, but it also freed up some of her brain space. She no longer had to worry about shipping or inventory needs because she has a team member who owns that process now. Keeping the Lord in the center of your work day is as easy as keeping a Bible open on your desk and praying as you walk through your house. Val keeps the Lord in the middle of her work by making sure the Word of God is open and nearby. It makes sense right? She recommends the Illuminated Bible because it’s beautiful and has scripture hand lettered in some of the margins. Her favorite place to keep it open to is in the Psalms. Val also recommends praying through your house as you go through it. She’s created a great tool called House Prayers that helps her transform the time she spends homemaking into purposeful prayer time. Links mentioned: So I Will by Hillsong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLURTvUQoTM About our guest: Valerie Woerner is owner of Val Marie Paper and author of the Finishing School, currently working on her second book. Her mission is to create practical tools, including her original 6-month prompted prayer journal and content that equip women to cut through the noise of everyday life and find fullness of life in the presence of the Lord. She's married to her best friend, turned business partner, turned heart-throb, Tyler and has two girls Vivi and Vana that add lots of giggles and dancing to her life. / / /episode/index/show/workingchristianmom/id/6926195

13: On Being A Pastor's Wife, Ministry Leader and Working Mom with Esther Littlefield 08/08/2018

13: On Being A Pastor's Wife, Ministry Leader and Working Mom with Esther Littlefield Today on the Working Christian Mom Podcast, I chat with my friend and fellow multi-passionate entrepreneur Esther Littlefield. Esther is a pastor's wife, a mama and the host of The Christian Women Leadership Podcast where she women in leadership to lead well and with confidence. Esther never expected to become a pastor’s wife and in our conversation, she shares about her journey to finding safe people to confide in, what it’s like to be a Working Christian Mom pastor’s wife and how she got over the guilt about not being a stay at home mom. Two Big Takeaways from my conversation with Esther: We all need to find safe people to confide in. Esther and I both believe that we need close relationships with trusted friends. When Esther was experiencing marriage troubles, she couldn’t confide in just anyone at her church. She found safe people who she knew would keep her trust. We all need these people in our lives. And when someone trusts us with their hurts and worries, we need to hold sacred space with that instead of gossiping. If you’re seeking something and don’t see it out there, perhaps you’re being called to create it. Both Esther and I created spaces for women online through our podcasts because we were craving the community we were looking for. Esther also created a Bible Study at her church because she didn’t see what she was looking for. Often times, we have the tendency to stay on the sidelines, wait and wish someone else would just hurry up and create something for us. But often times, that stirring in your heart is the Lord prompting YOU to start! Links Mentioned [affiliate links] About Our Guest: Esther Littlefield is the writer at EstherLittlefield.com and host of The Christian Woman Leadership Podcast, where she encourages and equips women to embrace their God-given gifts, skills, and passions in order to lead with confidence. She is also the founder and CEO of Morningstar Media Services, a digital marketing agency which helps female entrepreneurs run and grow their businesses. Never satisfied to do just ONE thing, Esther stays busy as a pastor's wife, mom, leader, friend, and entrepreneur. Esther combines her background as a social worker, network marketer, and blogger to help others achieve their goals in their life and business. When she’s not running her agency, writing, or dreaming up a new idea, you can find Esther heading out for a hike with her family, sipping a cup of coffee, or enjoying the occasional Netflix binge. Connect with Esther: / / / /episode/index/show/workingchristianmom/id/6902324

12: When God Throws You A Curve Ball, It’s Always A Home Run 08/08/2018

12: When God Throws You A Curve Ball, It’s Always A Home Run Hey guys! Welcome back to the Working Christian Mom podcast! I’m your host, NJ Rongner. I have missed you! I want to apologize for going radio silent for so long- my 4th of July week break turned into an entire month of July break. A few really big things happened in July.. they were good things, big things, scary things, things the Lord surprised us with and honestly, I gave myself permission to be in the moment, savor the blessings and keep my priorities in line. Something had to give and as it turns out, pausing production on the podcast for a month was it. Because I know you’re curious about what happened, I’ll fill you in. I’ll say this. When God throws you a curveball, it’s always a home run. If you’re on my email list or part of my community, you know the first big thing, it’s a great story worth telling. Two years ago, randomly and very much out of the blue, my husband’s commuter car was crushed by a snowplow during a snowstorm. We were parked on the correct side of the street and we could see where he was plowing the road and then our car. It was a 2002 Toyota that still had a good 120,000 miles in her, so we were super bummed. We sought the Lord as we searched for new cars and the answer was always no. Our marriage needed work and God knew it. He wrecked one of our cars so that Mike and I would learn how to consider one another’s needs, schedules, and desires. When we had two cars, we didn’t need to check in with each other about timing and schedules, we could each just do our thing and see each other back at home for dinner. I didn’t have to ask for help from my local community when it came to soccer pick up and drop off. During our two years without two cars, we both grew as a couple. I became a master coordinator when it came to schedules, our car and what we could say yes to doing and what we said no to. We rented a car for the few week’s there really was no choice but to, Mike rode his bike to work in 90 degree weather so the kids and I could take day trips, I asked for carpool help and we used Uber. We stopped putting ourselves first, started defaulting to the other and our marriage is better because of it. In January 2018, I started feeling the very strong desire to pray for a second car. We prayed as a family, as individuals and asked our close circle to pray too. I told my friend and faith mentor Entrice Rowe (podcast guest #4) that I’d just be so thrilled with a hooptie to get us around town. She immediately rebuked me… “Our God isn’t the God of small things NJ, I’m gonna need you to pray bigger on this one. His streets are MADE OF GOLD and you are asking him for a junk car?!? Nope. As your friend, I can’t let you do that. So stop praying it small.” Side note… you all need a friend like Entrice in your life… someone who isn’t afraid to challenge your faith and encourage you to chase Jesus HARD. I’ll link her episode in the show notes. Or you can go back and find her- she was episode 4. When Entrice tells me to do something or change something, it is for good reason. So I prayed bigger… that God would lead us to the right car for our family and within our budget. Something that we could pay for in cash and not have to have a car payment on, that was safe to drive and reliable. The more I prayed about it, the stronger the feeling I got that this vehicle would be gifted to us. I couldn’t see how it would happen, but I didn’t stop praying or believing. God is in the business of meeting our needs. And honestly, the way He does it blows my mind. Mike’s grandmother recently passed away after 94 lovely legacy making years on earth. We were very close and saw each other often. Her passing has left a hole in our hearts because her influence was so strong. When we started praying for our next car, Grammie was alive and well. It never even crossed our minds that someday, welcoming her car into our family would be an option. But when the estate settled, we became the owners of a Toyota that still has a good 120,000 miles in her. The second big thing that happened to me in July is that I resigned from my role at Boss Mom. It was a joy to help Dana Malstaff grow Boss Mom from the beginning. As her community manager, I played a large role in nurturing and growing her Facebook community from 2 to 30,000 and we had great conversations on her podcast, the Boss Mom podcast. While in my tenure at Boss Mom as the Facebook community manager, I got to witness a lot of really hard and beautiful conversations take place. I saw people find their biz besties and sky rocket their business launches. We talked about getting babies to sleep through the night, how to develop great products that people wanted to pay you for and oh so much more. One thing that I was so proud of was the way the community listened to different point of views with open ears. And one of my favorite conversations always read about was about how a person’s faith informed the way they handled their business. I’m a Jesus girl, so I know that influences my business decisions. But I LOVED LOVED LOVED hearing people with different faith backgrounds. Those conversations were always some of my favorite to read about… the more I know about someone who is different than me, the more I begin to understand their point of view. Dana made the decision to make the community attached to her business completely religion free. I was informed in a voxer message that topics of faith, of ANY faith were no longer allowed and she made the announcement in the Boss Mom facebook group. I wasn’t a part of any conversation that shaped her new policy even though I had a pulse on the Facebook community as her community manager. God made it very clear to me that my time had come to a close at Boss Mom. My decision to leave wasn’t just for standing up for my own faith background, but for my sisters of different religions too. I was also standing up for myself, the internal process was…messy. And honestly, that’s a graceful statement. There wasn’t a long runway with my decision and I knew that it had to be a 100% clean break from Dana and the Boss Mom Community, a place that I adored and loved. I have learned 4 really big things this month and I want to share them with you. Prayer is powerful. Sharing my heart with not only God but with my family and friends so they could also interceed was a game changer. I am 100% going to admit to you that I’m selfish with my prayer requests. If you ask me how you can pray for me, I’m going to tell you how you can pray for me. Speaking of which, gals we need to get better at this. Each Monday in my community, I ask for prayer requests from my people. Here’s what I’ve noticed, we are really good about asking for prayer for everyone but ourselves. Is it because we don’t want to let people into our own lives? Is it because we’re afraid? I don’t have the answer to this. But I know this, we need to get more selfish with our prayer requests. The next time someone asks how they can pray for you, don’t tell them about your family member or friend that needs prayer. Tell them about how YOU need prayer! God is in the business of meeting our needs. In the case of our car, there was NO GOOD REASON for a snow plow to hit it in our eyes. At the time, we didn’t understand it. But looking back at it all, we are so glad that it happened. God wants to provide for you because he loves you so much. Seriously. I mean, he sent his own son to this earth to die on the cross for your sins so could be in fellowship with him. He’s the ultimate provider. The more I open my eyes to thank God for the things he’s provided for us, the more provision seems to come. Gratitude and thanksgiving LITERALLY CHANGE everything. When God throws you a curve ball, you better believe that 100% there is always a home run coming. Now that I’ve got more time to focus on what God has really called me to do, I’m in creation and catch up mode. Here’s what is coming up from Working Christian Mom. Back to school workshop: I’m going to run this live master class a few times in August and September and it will focus on getting taking the stress out of back to school season including setting up systems and tools as well as how to set goals for your kid’s new year. Mastermind for Christian Business Owners. A Simple Christmas Experience. This 8 week program will run in October and November and will focus on getting our hearts and homes READY for the December hustle. If you’ve ever felt like a stresscase in December because of #allthethings, this is going to be FOR you. I’ll be teaching this live. Gift guide for Working Christian Moms. I am currently accepting applications for the very first gift guide Working Christian Moms. I can’t wait to curate a list of amazing gift ideas to help you thrive. If you are a business owner who would like to submit your product for the guide, I would love to have you apply. The gift guide episode will publish the week before Thanksgiving and will be promoted on all of my social channels for 6 weeks. You can learn more about the upcoming programs offered from Working Christian Mom and get on the waitlist by going to If you’re binge listening at a later date that isn’t August 2018, still head over to that link. I’ll have new offerings there! /episode/index/show/workingchristianmom/id/6901981

11: Adoption, Family Boundaries and Work with Becky Dempster 06/29/2018

11: Adoption, Family Boundaries and Work with Becky Dempster Today on the Working Christian Mom podcast, I sit down with my friend Becky. Becky has a heart for adoption and in this episode you’re going to hear about it. When we recorded this episode, their international adoption had been finalized and they were just waiting for the call that they could go to Haiti to bring their son home. However, that process can take a bit of time. Becky shares how the door to foster care was never opened for them, even though they went through the entire process, how God lead their family to pursue international adoption and how she is getting ready to welcome her son home. She speaks openly her anxiety and fear about bringing a child of color home to their neck of the woods, an area that is mostly caucasian and shares what they are doing as a family to prepare. Can I tell you a secret? This episode of the Working Christian Mom podcast was recorded in the spring, but I can let the cat out of the back to tell you that sweet Lovens is HOME! Becky and her husband are home with Lorvens, right now. Well, maybe not right this exact second, but he’s here! In this episode of the podcast you’ll hear: The things that are giving Becky the most anxiety about bringing her son home from Haiti. How they are getting their stateside kids ready to welcome home their new brother. How Becky is preparing her business to get ready for their new addition. How Becky is preparing their friends and family to be understanding and supportive of their family after they bring Lorvens home. Links mentioned: About our guest: I’m Becky Dempster. I’m here to serve women who crave homes with purpose. I give them the tools they need to turn their houses into homes that are beautiful while meeting the needs. I remind them that their homes can feel like a big hug, and represent their style, without sacrificing function or budget.I’ve got a blog full of DIY ideas for those who want to save money and do it themselves. I also offer interior design consulting where I give you the tools and tips you need to make your space reflect your style and work hard for you. I also took an empty barn and turned it into a big old party barn with the help of my husband. Now we use it for hosting junking and thrifting sales!When I’m not busting out fun DIY projects or interior design plans for clients I can be found shuttling my three kids, playing with the dog, pretending to garden, or trying to get my cats out of the garage. And if all else fails, look for me locked up in my office, nose in a home design magazine, Pinterest, or reading. Connect with Becky: / / / /episode/index/show/workingchristianmom/id/6757399

10: The Courage To Do The Right Thing, Whistle Blowing In The Military With Danielle Roberts 06/21/2018

10: The Courage To Do The Right Thing, Whistle Blowing In The Military With Danielle Roberts In this episode of the Working Christian Mom podcast, I am chatting with my biz bestie, Danielle Roberts. And just a heads up, we recorded this in April. Danielle is feeling better (she mentions in the episode that she was on crutches). Danielle is passionate about mentorship and especially the mentorship of women who love Jesus and those who are Christian Business owner. In this episode, we talk about the power of mentorship and it’s biblical basis and then Danielle shares a story she hasn’t shared with many. We weren’t expecting it to come out, but good things happen when you invite the Holy Spirit into your conversation. Danielle shares openly about her time in the U.S. Navy as a Working Christian Mom, how her core values influenced her work life and how she handled deployments, tiny babies and pregnancy. But she also shares the story of her decision to blow the whistle against sexual harassment while she was in the military. If you are someone who has ever thought about speaking up to the higher ups in your company or blowing the whistle in the workplace, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss. In this episode you’ll hear: Why Danielle believes mentorship is so important. Danielle walks us through her decision to blow the whistle on military sexual harassment, how that changed her relationship with her coworkers and how she leaned on God during that time. What life looks like almost a decade on the other side of her military career and how her focus and priorities have shifted. Here are our three main takeaways: When we have the courage to stand up for what is right, there are often consequences outside of our control. Danielle knew that blowing the whistle on sexual harassment in the military was going to change her life. The freedom found outweighed the consequences from her coworkers, but that didn’t make the sting of her reality any less real. When we make hard decisions, the outfall can also be hard, but we shouldn’t be afraid of it. In Danielle’s situation, the joy of the Lord was her strength. Danielle named and claimed that verse for herself. She spoke it repeatedly as she was walking into work and throughout her day. It was the rock she stood on while she faced trials at work. She held onto her faith because she knew God would carry her through. God never fails us or forsakes us. During Danielle’s trials, God showed up big. He provided her with comfort, peace, rest, support and encouragement. God keeps his promise never to leave us or forsake us. All of God’s promises in Christ are yes and amen. Links mentioned: Danielle’s book: About our guest: Danielle Roberts is an online business manager and strategist.She spends her days working with entrepreneurs to develop their business strategy and handling their day to day. As an author and mentor to Christian business women, she loves to show them how weaving faith into their business is possible. She is a wife and a mom of 4. She loves Jesus, coffee, date night and chasing after her kids. Connect with Danielle: / / /episode/index/show/workingchristianmom/id/6729252

Working Christian Mom with NJ Rongner

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