Life In The Trenches Podcast

Maybe life isn't about how we get there, messes and all, but more about how we move forward when life shows up. Join Melissa as she finds the unsung hero in a story that led her to believe that how we're loved can make all the difference.

We can't truly imagine what it's like to lose everything... until we actually do. And in truth, it can happen to anyone at any time. Join Melissa as she shares how her perspective was shifted by the words of another who shared her profound thought at just the right moment.

During this time in history, many of us are struggling to feel. It's called Languishing, and it's becoming an epidemic in a pandemic. Join Melissa as she discovered the true meaning of the word and how it encouraged her to seek a new perspective... and perhaps a new way to feel.

Have you ever been hit with a truth bomb that caused you to think twice? Join Melissa as she talks about the now famous American college admissions scandal that hit the media and the biggest lie she uncovered that was well hidden within them all.

The current prediciment of the world is causing chaos and, in the words of one doctor, “collateral damage” to the best of us. And more importantly its affecting our kids. Join Melissa as she shares her thoughts on how kids are being affected and how she's trying to shine a light on her own kids mental and emotional health.

What is Relational Aggression and when does it end? Join Melissa as she shares about the ongoing conversation in her home and shares her experience of the grown-up mean girl war that was waged against her. And what she had to do about it.

Why are we so intrigued — and sometimes obsessed — with celebrity culture? What is it that keeps us glued to the glossy pictures of magazines, flashy images on television screens, or larger than life dreams of the big screen? Join Melissa as she shares her own take on celebrity culture and why we're so curious.

What happens when you believe a lie and it changes the trajectory of your life? Join Melissa as she shares the story of how her passion became derailed as a young adult and she had to choose to redeem the dream. One failure at time.

Hope is the backbone to our existence and we can't live without it. So what do we do when we've lost all hope? How do we find it? Join Melissa as she shares her experience with the pain of depression and the hope she found at the end of her rope.

What started as an ordinary plane ride home quickly became an extraordinary and amusing story. Join Melissa as she shares how she's learning to look deeper, ask more questions, and keeps trying to not make assumptions about anyone... or anything.

When we're not paying attention, we can easily get lost not knowing how it happened. What do we do when we find ourselves in a place in our lives and there seems to be no way out? Join Melissa as she shares the story of how the Happiest Place On Earth quickly became the plot of her nightmares and what she learned through it all.

What happens when one traumatic event changes the perspective of your entire life, giving you the freedom you didn't know you desperately needed? Join Melissa as she shares the story of the time her husband was arrested and the impact it had helping her learn one of the greatest lessons of her life.

What we put into the virtual world has the ability to follow us. Are we conscious of the wars we wage with our words? Join Melissa as she shares a recent experience dealing with the judgement of some keyboard warriors and how we never truly understand someone else's backstory and the life experiences that made them who they are today.

The famous quote, “Hindsight is 2020” has never been more true as we reflect upon the year that was. For some it was a year of productive wins. For others... a year of epic failures. Join Melissa as she talks about how one off-handed comment from her kid changed her perspective on life’s messy moments, how they shape us, and how the epiphany moments God gives us in our everyday journey of faith change us from the inside out.

Do you often feel like a hot mess mama? Trying to be all things to everyone in your life can be overwhelming. But the truth is that we don’t need the world to validate our struggles because we know our struggles are real. Join Melissa as she talks about her own personal struggle being a hot mess, her journey to seek clarity in her journey of faith, and how she‘s changing the narrative of her story learning to focus on and celebrate the wins in her life and in the lives of others.