UncommonTEEN: The Podcast for Christian Teen Girls

In Ephesians 6:11, Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God so that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  That word wiles in that verse means mind games or schemes. The enemy is playing mind games with us to pull us away from God to where we feel distant from Him or where we don’t feel like we have a purpose or that we don’t measure up. Those are all lies…mind games that the enemy plays with us.  Have you ever seen the part of the cartoon Looney Tunes that has Wiley Cayote and Road Runner. Basically, Wiley Cayote is like the devil here. His number one tactic is to get Road Runner off of the right road and onto a road that will lead to destruction. So, he does these different things to get Road Runner to get off the right road. For example, the road that Road Runner is on ends in a cliff that could lead him to destruction. Wiley Cayote doesn’t want Road Runner to switch to the right road, so he takes a big canvas and paints a picture on it making it look like the road continues on. However, because Road Runner is on the right path, he avoids destruction every time.  This is the same game that the enemy is trying to play with us. He wants to try to pull us off of the right road and onto a road that leads to destruction. That is the whole reason he uses distractions. It is a mind game that he’s playing with us.  Now, last week, again, we talked about distractions, but this week, we’re going to talk about how to stay focused and in order to do so, we are going to look at the life of Nehemiah5 Ways to Stay FocusedKnow that your victory comes from God! Know that there was power in both praying and staying on guard.Know that God has a plan for your life and that your life is important. Don't waste your time fighting battles you weren't meant to fight.  to do.Don't quit! To learn how to stay focused in the midst of challenges, in the midst of distractions or even in the midst of a lack of motivation, check out this week's episode of the UncommonTEEN Podcast!Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

Ladies, I don’t know about you, but I have come against so many distractions this year. At the end of 2022, God was showing me some pretty amazing things that He wanted me to do this year. I was super excited about all that God was going to do…and then January 1st came, and wow did the enemy really ramp up his plan to distract me! I mean, literally from the very first day of January, the enemy has been trying his best to stop me from stepping into all that God has for my life. And I know I’m not the only one. I talk to so many of you telling me the same thing. That distractions this year have been unreal.  Whether it be family challenges, social media, our phones or even school…it seems like so many of us are facing more distractions this year than we have in the past.  But did you know that there is a reason for that? Did you know that it’s part of the enemy’s plan for our lives to distract us. The thing about the devil is this…the more we focus on growing in our relationship with God or doing what it is that God is calling us to do, the more the enemy is going to throw distractions our way. Tune in today to learn how you can conquer distractions so they don't conquer you!Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

On this week's episode of The Uncommon Teen Podcast, we have my friend and mentor, Paul Y'barra.Paul is a pastor, a husband, a father, and the next level mindset coach. Now Paul is the first male that we have ever had on the Uncommon Team Podcast. But he has a special message that God has given him just for you. In today's episode, Paul wants to talk specifically to you girls who may have been hurt by a male figure in your life. As someone who grew up in abuse and watched his sister and mother be abused in horrific ways, He was able to receive complete healing from God and he wants you to know that God has healing for you, too!He also talks to those of you who maybe your parents aren't Christians or they aren't walking with God and it's been a challenge. He gives you some great advice on how to navigate that and how eventually God can use you to help lead your parents to the Lord!Even if you haven't been hurt by a male figure in your life or maybe your parents are Christians and have a strong walk with God, I know that this episode will help encourage you as well!Be sure to stay ALL the way to the end, because I have a special announcement just of you!Connect with Paul:IG: @lifecoachpaulinspiresWebsite: LifeCoachPaul.comConnect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

Ladies, it comes as no surprise to you that the teen years can be pretty tough. There are so many things that you are walking through that you need to figure out how to navigate…friends, peer pressure, how to be a Christian in today’s culture, do I really have to get out of bed in the morning…I just want to stay and sleep all day. Haha…yeah, you know who I’m talking about.The teen years can be some of the toughest years of our lives, but I truly believe that God designed these years to be some of the best years of your lives!When we go back to the Bible and I look at people like King David, Esther, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, along with man yof the disciples, we realize that all of these people were teens that God used to do incredible things with their lives! So incredible, that they changed the face of their generation, and we are still talking about them today.Ladies, God has a plan for your life and He didn’t create you to bow down to the struggles of this world, but He designed you to overcome…and not just overcome, but as Romans 8:37 says, “be more than a conqueror.” Think about this, a conqueror is someone who goes into battle know that they can win. However, someone who is more than a conqueror is someone who goes into battle knowing that the battle has already been won. Jesus has already won every battle you are going to encounter…and He doesn’t just leave you to figure it out on your own, He says that He will never leave you nor forsake you (which is a fancy way of saying that He will never leave you, nor will He turn His back on you).You were made to soar!Today, we're talking about 4 areas in which God made you to soar in:God wants you to soar in your God-given purpose!God wants you to soar in your friendships!God wants you to soar in enjoying life and having fun!God wants you to soar in your relationship with Him!**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT**If you are listening to this episode and thinking to yourself, "I want to soar in these 4 areas of my life!" I want to personally invite you to learn more about the SOAR Coaching Community!Every Friday night throughout the month of March, I am going to be doing a live Zoom Call talking all about the in's and out's with SOAR and answering any questions you might have!To learn more, CLICK HERE, to sign up for one of our Friday night calls!Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

Last week I answered the question, "How Do I Become a Strong Christian?" So this week, I am answering the second question that was asked, "How Do I Hear from God?"As I shared last week, the number one was that we hear from God is through His Word. This is why I so encourage you to make sure you are getting into the Bible every single day! John 10:27 tells us that when we make it a habit to get into the Bible, we will know what God's voice sounds like and we won't be led astray by the enemy. Another way that we hear God speak to us is through our hearts. This is not as common as when He speaks to us through His Word, however, this is how God spoke to me when I knew without a shadow of a doubt that God called me to serve teens. A third way that God can speak to us is through other people...maybe your pastor or your youth pastor...or even through this podcast, God might be speaking directly to you. Maybe you've been talking to God about something and you get your answer through one of us or someone else. God is so good! Now, I do highly caution you about people who call themselves prophets or say to you, "God told me (fill in the blank). A lot of these people aren't hearing from God. Now, some are legitimate and God really did share with them to share something with you, but most are not. So, if someone says that to you or your watching a video that says something like that, ask yourself these two questions:Have I been talking to God about this or has He been talking to me about it?Does is line up with the Bible?God will never guide you outside of the Bible. Another way God speaks to us is through peace.  If you have given your life to Jesus and you have gone all in with God, He has given you the Holy Spirit that lives on the inside of you.John 16:13 and this is Jesus speaking, He said, “When the Spirit of Truth comes (that’s the Holy Spirit), He will guide you into all Truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears from God, He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. The Holy Spirit is speaking to you and will guide you with peace! Also, some of you have asked me the question, how do you know what to do when you have to make a decision that isn't specific in the Bible...like what college to go to or whether or not you should play a certain sport, be sure to check out this week's episode of the UncommonTEEN Podcast to learn more!Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

I remember being a new Christian and thinking to myself, how do I grow stronger in my walk with God? How do I actually get closer to Him? So many people have talked about how they hear God or that they are called by God, but how do I hear from Him?  These are all great questions that I know many of you may be asking yourself. I love this question, because it means that your heart is in the right place and any time you reach out to God, He will always meet you right where you’re at! So, if you reach out to God and ask Him, how do I grow stronger in my walk with You, Lord? He will meet you right where you’re at and show you. Now, He may be showing you through this podcast. He may be showing you through a message your pastor gives at church. He may be showing you through modeling it in the life of someone who is a couple steps further along in their faith as you are. This week, I'm going to answer the question, "How do I become a Strong Christian? and next week we'll talk about "how do you hear from God?" So, how do you become a strong Christian?Spend time with God daily!When you’re at church or even when you’re listening to this podcast, take notes.Spend time with those who love God and are making a difference for Him. To learn more, check out this week's episode of the UncommonTEEN Podcast!Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

Ladies, I am super excited about our guest this week, Katie Smith.Katie is the author of Katie's seventh grade Prayer Journal, which is a hilarious, yet inspiring book that is based off of her seventh grade prayer journal, , which she will talk more about in today. Episode Ladies, you are not gonna wanna miss this episode. Katie has experienced amazing answers to her personal prayers through her 30 plus years of prayer journaling.In the pages of her prayer journal, she asked God to guide her steps as a teen and he led her to speak on tour in Africa. Pretty amazing ladies. God is so good, and if you are not somebody who journals. She just might inspire you to get started, and if you are somebody who likes to journal your prayers, this might help you take that even to the next level.Connect with Katie Smith!Website: https://katiespeaking.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katieonair/Katie's 7th Grade Prayer Journal Book: Click Here for Amazon LinkConnect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

Normally, I only do one Ask Me Anything episode a month, but I loved this question that was sent to me and because we honestly don’t hear much about this topic at all, I thought it would be a great time to talk about it.  Rowan asks, “I need to explain to my Christian friends that it’s important to honor your parents but I don’t know how to do it.In the Bible, in Exodus 20:12 it says, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”But what is honor and what does it mean to honor our parents?According to the United States Army, they define honor as: a matter of carrying out, acting, and living the values of: respect (holding others in high esteem or regard)duty (commitment)loyalty (faithfulness and devotion)selfless service (concern and compassion for those around them)integrity (being honest and showing consistency to strong moral values)and personal courage (bravery) in everything you do. So what does it mean to honor your parents?Are you supposed to honor your parents even if they don't deserve it?If so, how do you honor your parents when they don't deserve it?How do you help your friends honor their parents?These are all questions we talk about in this week's episode of the UncommonTEEN Podcast. Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

This is our very first Ask Me Anything episode!To ask Coach Jamie your questions, head on over to the UncommonTEEN App, available on both Apple and Android devices) click on the tab that says, “Ask Me Anything" and ask your questions there!Once a month I will answer your questions on the UncommonTEEN Podcast!! Today's question comes from Audree. Audree asks, "How do you deal with friends when you move to a new school?”As we answer this question this week, know that this advice can go for any of you! Whether you are in a new school, in a new city, in a new church...or you just want to make new friends right where you are!No matter where you are, if you are looking for new friends, I want you to know that God is with you. He is never going to leave you and He is not going turn His back on you. He has a plan for you right where you are. My biggest encouragement to you when looking for new friends is this:  instead of going out and looking for friends, go out looking to be a friend.To learn more about what this means, check out this week's episode of the UncommonTEEN Podcast!Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

All right ladies, this week we have special guest Caris Snider…Caris is a Christian speaker, author, podcaster, and life coach. This was such a life-changing conversation on the subject of anxiety and mental health.In Part 1 of this series Caris shared with us her story of how and when anxiety, overwhelm and depression almost took her life. She also gave you permission to let go of perfectionism. Perfectionism causes so much anxiety. This week, in Part 2, Caris is going to give you step by step practical advice that she took and that you can do right now in order to win the battle of anxiety! If you're not dealing with anxiety or depression, chances are you know someone who is. Share this episode with them. It could honestly change their life!Then be sure to tune into next week’s episode as Caris shares tools that are what she used in order to take her from a place of extreme depression to a place of freedom! Both of these episodes have the ability to transform your life. Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

All right ladies, this week we have special guest Caris Snider…Caris Snider is a Christian speaker, author, podcaster, and certified life coach. She is the author of Anxiety Elephants 90 Day Devotional for Tween Boys and Girls. She shares from personal experiences of overcoming depression, anxiety, fear, and shame. Caris desires to help people of all generations see their value and worth through the eyes of the Lord to grow in their faith and mental health. She offers inspiration to those who feel purposeless to discover their God-given calling no one else can accomplish.  And let me tell you, this was such a life-changing conversation on the subject of anxiety and mental health that we had to make it into two parts. This week on part 1, Caris shares her story about how she dealt with anxiety and depression at as early as 6 years old. She wants you to know that you’re not alone and gives some practical advice on something you can do starting today to help you take steps in the right direction.If you're not dealing with anxiety or depression, chances are you know someone who is. Share this episode with them. It could honestly change their life!Then be sure to tune into next week’s episode as Caris shares tools that are what she used in order to take her from a place of extreme depression to a place of freedom! Both of these episodes have the ability to transform your life. Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

When you know that you know that you know that God loves you, it changes everything!There is nothing you can do to get God to love you any more than He already does. He doesn’t need you to be perfect. There isn’t anything that you can do to get God to love you any less that He does! He loves you, because that’s who He is! His love for us is so good that we can’t even understand it. His love has no conditions…it has no breaking point. It doesn’t matter if we were the worst criminal on the face of the planet, He would still love us.  Think about it. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world…all of the people who ever walked the face of this planet and everyone who is yet to be here…He loved us all so much that He would send His Son, Jesus to die for us so that we could know how much He truly loves us.  When Jesus went to the cross, He willingly gave up His life for people who hated Him. Who made fun of Him and beat Him. Who killed others who would choose to believe in Him. He willingly gave up His life, because of His great love toward us!  So many times, we find it hard that God would love even us. We may say, “Yeah, well you don’t know what I did.” Or “You don’t know what they did to me. I’m broken. I’m unlovable. There’s no way that even God could love me.”However, when God looks at us…He’s not thinking those things at all. He’s not coming to you with an attitude of, “What did you do this time?” or “Are you kidding me? You really messed up this time!” No! Instead, He looks at you with love and compassion and when you mess up He says, “My daughter, if you only knew how valuable you are…you wouldn’t feel the need to make choices that hurt you.” “My daughter if you only knew how much I love you, you wouldn’t feel like you are unlovable and broken, but you would see that you are so loved. I’ve never stopped loving you!” Ladies, God loves you! He will never give up on you. He is committed to you! He is faithful! When you say yes to Jesus…when you say Yes to His great love for you…it changes everything!Check out this week's episode of the UncommonTEEN Podcast to learn more!Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

I don’t know if you are anything like I was in middle school and high school, but oh my goodness, I had so many crushes!  Anytime a boy was nice to me…or for that fact even talked to me or I thought he was even the slightest bit cute (forget him ever talking to me…in my mind, I practically had us getting married. I would practice writing my first name with his last name. Yep…crushes were a big deal for me. Honestly it was an obsession.` And I know that some of you listening, you may not have gone as far as I did with practically seeing them as my future husband, but you know that having a crush can be a big deal!Maybe it looks like this…every time you get dressed in the morning, you get dressed with him in mind, “I wonder what he will think of me. I wonder if he’ll like it. I wonder if he’ll notice me.”And you definitely know it’s a big deal when, like me, he is all you can think about. It seems like he consumes your every thought…so much so that your friends are getting a little bit tired of hearing about him…or maybe they join in on the crush and cannot wait to talk to you about them. Maybe it’s gotten to the point where you go out of your way just so you can see him. Maybe you have his class schedule memorized and you know exactly which locker is his and you…just so happen to be walking by those places hoping to get sight of him. Every time you get around him, your brain can’t give you a coherent thought…maybe you start giggling…your stomach is fluttering….ugh! Now, I want you to know having a crush is not a sin, however, if that crush becomes an obsession, that’s when it becomes a problem and let me tell you, I was obsessed with just about every crush I had! To learn more about how to handle crushes, God's way, check out this week's episode!Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

God designed you so intricately...down to every little aspect about you! Before the world was even formed, He knew you and set you apart for a specific purpose. Join guest speaker, Patricia Russell and I as we talk about how to find your God-given purpose!Connect with Patricia on Instagram:@PatRussellSingsConnect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

This week's episode, I am going to answer a question that I have had from so many of you amazing ladies recently: Is it okay to date a guy who's not a Christian...even if he's a really great guy?"Okay, so just a disclaimer before we jump into this episode, this is not an episode where I tell you not to date…it’s not an episode where I tell you at what age I think you should date. That’s between you, your parents and God. However, if you ask my opinion on when you should date, what I would tell you is, wait until you’re ready to get married. And just so you don’t think I’m pointing my finger at you…I was there myself! With all of my boyfriends I had, if I am honest with myself, I sought them out. They liked me…this had to be it, right? Wrong. I hear this from so many teen girls…they see a guy that they like and it almost feels as if God is dropping him into their life. He might be, but more times than not, most of those guys, the enemy is using to pull you away from God.  That is what happened with every relationship I had. So, a couple things I want to talk to you about from my personal experiences. The first one is this…2 Corinthians 6:14 tells us to not be yoked together (or in a close relationship) with unbelievers. This isn’t just talking about dating, but also about friendships. Then the verse goes on to say, “For what does righteousness (that is you when you have a relationship with God), and wickedness (not necessarily talking about the guy being a bad guy, he’s just not God’s guy…meaning he’s not a Christian)…what do they have in common? Or what fellowship can light (God calls you the light of the world) have with darkness (people who don’t know God).  There are several reasons God had Paul write this in the Bible, because there’s so much truth to it. There’s a guy that you really like…he seems great…and are probably great…however, when you get into a relationship with someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus, you aren’t playing on the same playing field. You’re playing two different games with two different sets of rules on the same field. It’s like you’re playing football and baseball at the same time on the same field. Someone is going to get hurt.2 Corinthians talks about not being unequally yoked. Now when I say that word, yoke, it’s not talking about an egg yolk. Gotquestions.org explains it this way: A yoke is a wooden bar that joins two oxen to each other. An unequally yoked team has one stronger ox and one weaker ox…or one taller and one shorter. The weaker or the shorter ox would walk more slowly than the taller, stronger one, causing the load to go around in circles. When oxen are unequally yoked, they cannot perform the task set before them. Instead of working together, they are at odds with one another…and work against each other.  When that happens in a relationship, it can cause you to begin to compromise your morals and your values in order to keep them happy. It can cause them to be miserable, because you are always talking about God. They can’t understand why that would be a big issue for you. To learn more, check out this week's episode of the UncommonTEEN Podcast.Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

How do you make friends when you’re shy? One of you wonderful ladies asked me this question a couple weeks ago and then not too long after that, I had several more of you ask similar questions.  As someone who grew up extremely shy and still have my moments even to this day…put me in a room with a big crowd and it’s not always the prettiest thing to watch…haha! But as someone who grew up extremely shy, I struggled with making friends even through my adult years.  I remember a couple years ago, I was talking to this lady who was extremely outgoing and it seemed like she could make friends anywhere she went. I remember asking her the question, “How do you make friends? It just seems so hard, but you make it look easy.” I wish I could say that she gave me amazing advice and it absolutely changed my life…honestly, I don’t even remember what her advice was, but that conversation did change my life. I remember at the moment I asked her that question, something in my brain clicked and I knew that the only way that I was going to be able to make new friends was to get out there any make new friends! I had to step out of my comfort zone, so that I could step into my purpose! Now, you may be asking, “Well, what about me? I’m not shy. I’m actually extremely outgoing, but it’s still not easy for me to make friends. Will this work for me as well?” Yes, it will! The tips I’m going to share with you in this podcast episode will help anyone and everyone if you take action and do them! Today’s episode is going to be a little bit different, but I am going to give you 10 tips on how you can start making friends today!Pray about it.Love and accept who God made you to be.Smile and be friendlyLaughHelp others and Anticipate needsStep out of your comfort zoneAsk questionsRelate with themEncourage themTalk to those sitting off by themselves.Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

If you are in the United States, you know that this week is Thanksgiving week. As with any holiday, this can be a time of joy, it can be a time of sadness if you’re navigating it this year without a loved one, or if you were like my family growing up, it can be a time of chaos. With us, any time we get extended family together, you just never know what to expect. However, whether you are in the United States celebrating thanksgiving or even if you’re not, I want to encourage you this week to take time to do two things…one, take time to breathe. So many times we are running nonstop that we forget to take time to breathe…to pull back and just be with God. Turn on some praise music and just worship. Our God is so good. The second thing I want to encourage you to do this week is to find things you can be thankful for. I was talking to a couple of my friends not too long ago about why people get discouraged or why they even turn their backs on God and this is one of the biggest things we discovered, that they forgot to be thankful.  In a culture that seems to be bent so much on being negative…like you won’t fit in unless your sarcastic or negative…sometimes it’s hard to choose to be thankful.  Think about it, if I asked you to name 10 things that annoy you. How easy would it be for you to come up with them? Most of you could probably come up with all 10 in less than 60 seconds…some of you maybe even less that 30 seconds.  Now, if I asked you to name 10 things that you are thankful for, how easy would it be to come up with them. For many of you, you may come up with about 3 things in 60 seconds.  Why is that….it’s because we have gotten so used to hearing people complain…and maybe we’ve gotten used to complaining ourselves.  I read about a research study that was done recently that said that when we choose to focus on complaining, we actually rewire our brains to continue to thing negatively. It also said that people who complain are more frustrated, more anxious, more depressed and deal with more anger issues than those who don’t complain. Ouch!That’s why it can be a habit that is super hard to break! But it’s not impossible! The same is true for the opposite, choosing to be thankful. When we intentionally choose to be thankful, even for the small things…especially for the small things…we then rewire our brain to think more positively. Then guess what…the frustration, the anxiety, the depression, the anger doesn’t want to stick around anymore because we aren’t feeding it what it wants. It’s not happy people who are thankful, but thankful people who are happy.Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

This week on the UncommonTEEN Podcast, we are talking about the Integrity of Your, "No."This is a little more sensitive in topic, but there is nothing inappropriate or bad in this episode. However, we are talking about the integrity of your no when it comes to authority figures and boyfriends/guys you like.Is it okay to say, "No?" The answer is, "Yes!"Connect with Leigh Mackenzie here:Website: LeighMackenzie.comPodcast: She Seems So NormalBook: She Seems So NormalInstagram: xoxo_leighmackenzieConnect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

We have our very special guest, Leigh Mackenzie joining us this week!Leigh is an author, a podcaster, and has a huge heart for teen girls. This week on the UncommonTEEN Podcast, we are talking about the power of your, "No!"From a  very young age, Leigh's "no" was often ignored leaving her to be hurt and abused by several people. That is why she is passionate about sharing this message with you today. So many times, as Christians, we feel like we don't have a "no" that we can use, because we need to be good and nice and sweet...which is good...however, as Leigh shares, "sometimes there's a no that needs to go with that."On this week's episode, we talk about the power of your no and how you can use it to stand up for yourself or someone else, when it specifically comes to bullying.On next week's episode, we will talk about friendships and relationships and the integrity of your, "no."CONNECT WITH LEIGH:Website: https://leighmackenzie.com/Instagram: @xoxo_leighmackenziePodcast and Book are Geared Toward Older Teens and AdultsPodcast: She Seems So NormalBook: She Seems So NormalConnect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!

Do you ever feel like your world is spinning so fast and you just aren’t quite sure how to get off this roller coaster called life? It’s like…how did I even get here in the first place. The teen years can be full of school, homework, jobs, sports, afterschool activities, church, family, friends…it’s honestly not surprising that we sometimes…or all the time…feel overwhelmed, stressed out, anxious…and yes, a lack of motivation. Too much can lead us to a not so fun place called overwhelm where we don’t even want to get out of bed anymore. You just want to throw the blankets over your head and go back to sleep for days. We lack motivation to do even the simplest of tasks. I remember hitting a time like this in my life. My life was spinning so fast that it seemed like every time I turned a corner something big was changing in my life. I finally hit a point where I didn’t even know what side was up. I remember singing Big Daddy Weave’s song, “Overwhelmed” all the time. Now, when Big Daddy Weave wrote that song, he was talking about how he was overwhelmed by how amazing our God is…for me…I would change the lyrics and sing it about my life. One lyric in the song says, “I’m overwhelmed. I’m overwhelmed by you.” Yep…that was me. I had hit major overwhelm and praise God, he helped me to overcome and step into real freedom. Do I still have a lot going on in my life…yes. However, I am no longer overwhelmed like I was before. Now, do I fight off the feeling of overwhelm from time to time, yes. I would be lying if I said I didn’t. But now, I find that if I am fighting overwhelm, I know that it no longer has power over my life.  There will be times in your life when there will be a lot going on. That may be your life right now. So, with all that’s going on, how do we keep from hitting that place called overwhelm? And let me say this, too, maybe your schedule isn’t super busy, but there are some big things that maybe you and or your family are walking through and it’s causing you to be in a place of overwhelm, these things can help you as well. Psalm 61:1-4 talks about a time where King David hit that place of overwhelm...maybe you’ve been in a similar place. He’s crying out to God and saying, “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint…or overwhelmed.” Then he says, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge (or my hiding place), a strong tower against my enemy." One thing David understands is that when he’s feeling overwhelmed, all he has to do is get with God and he knows that God will guide him out of that place. I love verse 2 where it says, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Have you ever been to the mountains and you were standing at the bottom of a cliff. You look up and all you see is this massive mountain that’s in front of you. There is no telling what’s on the other side of that mountain. When we turn to God in that place of overwhelm, it’s like God picks us up and places us on the peak of that mountain…I hope you aren’t afraid of heights…and now we can see with a much clearer perspective what is on the other side. That’s what God wants to do for you. So practically speaking, what does that look like when it seems like our world is spinning so fast. How do we step out of that place of overwhelm. Check out this week's episode of the UncommonTEEN Podcast!Connect with Us!Website: UncommonTEEN.comInstagram: @uncommon.teenUncommonTEEN App: UncommonTEENapp.comJoin us LIVE on Instagram on Friday evenings at 9pm Central for a Live Q&A with Coach Jamie!