Oh, Good Grief | The Podcast with Joy McMillan

In Part 2 of Joy’s conversation with her mom, the story deepens.They talk about fear, and the courage it takes to say yes to God anyway. Even when that yes means learning how to bake at 71. Even when it means leading. And even when it means walking through cancer.Mary reflects on her husband's cancer journey and the sacred moment during a fall drive to an MRI appointment when brilliant autumn leaves became a whisper from God about the significance of final seasons. That moment would later give birth to Prime Time, their small group for seniors — a testimony that no season is wasted.They also share about:Their upcoming (and likely final) trip home to South Africa and NamibiaThe bittersweet ache of aging siblings and goodbye momentsThe toll obedience sometimes takes on a familyThe grace that carries you when calling feels inconvenientThis episode is about courage. About obedience. About how God wastes nothing — not fear, not cancer, not hard years in Namibia.Even the last seasons can blaze with color.Playlist:The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: Firm Foundation by Cody Carnes.Simply Bloom Shop⁠ code for free shipping: OGGPODCASTConnect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

In this deeply personal episode of Oh, Good Grief, Joy sits down with her mom to trace the winding road that shaped the earliest days of their family story.From the ache of moving from Zimbabwe to South Africa, to the quiet loneliness of being a latch-key child, Joy’s mom shares how early labels of “failure” formed a relentless drive to prove her worth, and how God gently rewrote that narrative over time.They talk about the unexpected trip to a coastal guest farm — a place she didn’t even want to go — where she met Joy’s father and was proposed to just four days later. What felt inconvenient and unwanted at first became sacred orchestration.This episode is soaked in gratitude...for early morning open bibles, for small groups in living rooms, and for the sacred work of loving people well.Playlist:The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: The Story I'll Tell by Naomi Raine.Connect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

In this episode, Joy reflects on calling, courage, and obedience through the stories of Moses and Gideon, two people who felt unqualified, uncertain, and small, yet were invited by God to move forward anyway.This conversation explores why God so often starts with what we already have, how small beginnings carry Kingdom DNA, and what it looks like to steward what’s in our hands instead of waiting for more confidence, clarity, or certainty.If you’ve been feeling overlooked, underprepared, or hesitant to take the next step, this episode is a reminder: God doesn’t wait for confidence—He supplies presence.Scripture: Exodus 3 (Moses)Judges 6:14 (Gideon)2 Corinthians 4:7–10Zechariah 4:10John 6:1-14Playlist:The⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: You Make Me Brave by Amanda Cook.Connect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

In this special episode of Oh, Good Grief, Joy is joined by her daughter, Alathea, for an honest, tender conversation about parenting, growth, and grace.Rather than a “how-to,” this episode is a reflection on what it looks like to grow together as a family; learning, repairing, and healing along the way. It’s about the sacred truth that while we are raising our children, God is still raising us too.Together, Joy and Alathea explore:How parenting shapes parents just as much as childrenWhy apology and repair matter more than perfectionThe role of grace in imperfect familiesLearning when to guide rather than rescueAnchored in Deuteronomy 6:6–7, this conversation reminds us that faith is not something we lecture, it’s something we live, together, in the everyday moments.If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re doing enough, getting it right, or leaving too many cracks behind, this episode is a gentle reminder that God’s grace is already filling the gaps.Playlist:The⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song is one of Alathea's favorites: Stand Still by Maverick CityConnect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

In this episode, Joy shares six grounding phrases she returns to often — simple anchors that help quiet mental noise, interrupt spiraling thoughts, and reorient her heart toward truth.While so much of life sits outside our control, our thoughts, attitudes, and responses are not. This conversation offers both practical and spiritual insight into tending the inner landscape God has entrusted to us, especially in seasons marked by anxiety, overwhelm, or uncertainty.If you’re longing for steadiness, clarity, or a way to recalibrate your mind in the middle of the chaos, this episode is for you.Scripture: Proverbs 4:23Isaiah 43:1Romans 12:15Isaiah 26:32 Peter 1:2–3Playlist:The⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: Honest by Leanna Crawford.Connect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

In this special episode of Oh, Good Grief, Joy is joined by her husband Joe for an honest, unhurried conversation about the wilderness seasons they’ve walked through together.From faith that’s been tested, to holding a marriage steady through loss, trauma, and a life-altering health scare, this episode reflects on what sustained them when the ground beneath their feet felt unstable. Together, they talk about grief and grace, the strength of community, and the quiet resilience built in hard seasons.This isn’t a polished interview. It’s a conversation marked by humility, reflection, and deep gratitude for what—and who—has held them.Scripture: Isaiah 61Playlist:The⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: It's Always Been You by Phil Wickham.Connect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

The wilderness isn’t wasted time or tears — it’s preparation.In this final episode of the Wilderness series, Joy reflects on how God uses the hard, hidden seasons of life to shape us into people who can carry His purpose. Through story and Scripture, she reminds listeners that pain refines, delays develop, and nothing is wasted in God’s hands.Scripture: Deuteronomy 32:10–11Genesis 50:201 Peter 1:6–7Playlist:The⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: Faithful Still by KingsPorch.Connect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

In this episode, Joy explores how God meets us through people — the friends who show up, the mentors who pray, and the community that carries us when we can’t stand on our own.Drawing from Scripture and story, she reminds us of the importance of confession and that vulnerability is not weakness; it’s the soil of belonging.If you’re longing for connection, healing, or a reminder that you don’t have to carry everything on your own, this conversation is for you.Scripture: Genesis 2:18Exodus 17:11–12Psalm 23:4John 17:20–21Playlist:The⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: Goodness of God by Bethel.Connect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

In this episode of Oh, Good Grief, Joy McMillan reflects on what it means to be shaped under pressure rather than undone by it. Through stories, the surprising lesson of the Biosphere trees, and the steady truth of Scripture, Joy explores how God uses resistance to deepen our roots, strengthen our character, and form a resilient faith.This is an invitation to see pressure not as punishment, but as the place where perseverance is forged in the fire and hope takes shape.Scripture:James 1:2–42 Corinthians 4:8–9Romans 5:3–4Playlist:The ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: “Another In The Fire” by Hillsong.Book Mentioned: SOZO | Embracing the Hard + Holy Road to Wholeness in a Quick Fix WorldConnect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

In this episode, Joy explores the transformative power of praise - not as denial, but as perspective.When the wilderness feels heavy and hope feels far away, gratitude and worship become life-giving anchors that steady our hearts and shift our focus back to the faithfulness of God.Scriptures:• 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18• Psalm 34:1• Psalm 22:3• Isaiah 35:1–4Playlist:The ⁠⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. This week's song: “Hard Fought Hallelujah” by Brandon Lake.Connect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

When life feels stripped and small, it’s easy to assume we’re being punished. But what if it’s love? What if pruning is the proof of God’s care, not His cruelty?In this episode, Joy McMillan unpacks the beauty and ache of being refined by God. Through Scripture, story, and reflection, she reminds us that when God removes, He’s also restoring.Scripture:John 15:1-2 | “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”Hebrews 12:11 | “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful; later it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.”Hosea 2:14-15 | “I will lead her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her there… and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.”The 5 Year R•EVOLVE Journal: www.simplybloom.org/revolvePlaylist:The ⁠⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: “Come What May” by We Are Messengers.Connect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

In this episode, Joy invites listeners to see the hard and holy seasons of life through a new lens. What if the desolate places aren’t evidence of God’s absence but proof of His presence? What if the wild is actually where we are most formed, refined, and readied for what’s next?Through story, Scripture, and reflection, Joy shares how nearly every person God used powerfully—David, Joseph, Esther, even Jesus—spent time in the wilderness. It’s there that old identities fall away and new roots take hold.Scripture:Isaiah 43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you; when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze”.Playlist:The ⁠Oh, Good Grief Playlist⁠, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: “Unraveling” by Cory Asbury.Connect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.

In this first episode, Joy shares the story behind Oh, Good Grief. She opens the door to a vulnerable chapter of her life — one marked by loss, betrayal, church hurt, grief, resilience, and the slow journey of becoming whole again.This episode is for anyone who has ever retreated into the quiet to heal, who has loved deeply and been hurt deeply, who has wondered if they’d ever find their way back to themselves, or to community.What we explore:Why this podcast exists — and why nowThe difference between healing and hidingThe sacredness of community during seasons of unravelingHow grief and goodness can coexistWhat it means to steward suffering wellThe slow work of becoming softer, wiser, and more like JesusScripture:Genesis 50:20 (MSG): “You planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good… life for many people.”Playlist:The Oh, Good Grief Playlist, featuring the songs that carried us through. Today’s song: “Constant” by Maverick City.Connect with Joy:Website: simplybloom.orgFacebook: @simplybloomInstagram: @simplybloomjoyEmail: joy@simplybloom.orgIf this episode encouraged you:Share it with someone who may be in a hard season.Subscribe + review to help others find this space.You are loved.