StoryMakers- Discover Identity, Purpose, and Belonging

49-You and I Need Some Rest and Connection

REST IS NOT QUITTING- It is repositioning. In this episode, we talk about what it means to intentionally place yourself under the shadow of His wings, to stop running on empty, and to care for your whole self with wisdom instead of guilt. This is a conversation for women who are tired of being poured out and are ready to learn how to rest without abandoning their calling, their people, or themselves, anchored in the promise of Psalm 91.
Key Takeaways• Rest is an act of trust, not a sign of weakness or disengagement• Positioning yourself under God’s covering requires intentional boundaries and honest self awareness• Caring for your mama bear self protects what God has entrusted to you instead of depleting it
Action GuideTake a few minutes this week to ask yourself where you are overextending out of obligation rather than obedience. Choose one small way to reposition yourself into rest, whether that is saying no, slowing your pace, or creating space to be quiet with God. Let rest become a place you return to, not something you earn after you are exhausted.
The Next Thing
Join the StoryMakers Lab! Check out the women's coaching library here.
Share this episode! Know a woman who needs encouragement in her journey? Send her this episode!
Connect with me! Follow me on Instagram @coachlauramalone and DM me your biggest takeaway!
Step into your calling! Learn more about my coaching and resources at Sterling & Stone Coaching.
✨ You are a StoryMaker. You are powerful, chosen, and capable. Step into your calling today. ✨
Music by https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day. License code: 6RD7Q6IO81E7MI2S.

48-Make Powerful Declarations Over Your Family

SPEAKING TRUTH OVER OUR HOMES- As we step into a new year, it is easy to rush toward goals, plans, and pressure without first grounding ourselves in truth. In this episode, I'm slowing us down and do something different. I am reading our family declarations out loud so you can hear them, receive them, and let them settle into your own heart and home. These are not resolutions or promises to perform better. They are statements of identity, alignment, and intention rooted in who God is and who we are becoming together. You can use this download personally or as a family as you enter this next season, contextualizing it and personalizing it. Enjoy!
DOWNLOAD 'OUR FAMILY DECLARATIONS' HERE
Key TakeawaysDeclarations help anchor identity before action.What we speak repeatedly shapes what we believe and live out.Families can intentionally set tone, values, and direction together.
Action GuideDownload the free Family Declarations and listen again with space to reflect. Read them out loud for yourself, with your family, or over your home. Notice which lines feel grounding, which feel challenging, and which invite growth. Consider writing one or two declarations of your own for this season and speaking them daily as a way of partnering with God in the story you are living into.
The Next Thing
Join the StoryMakers Lab! Check out the women's coaching library here.
Share this episode! Know a woman who needs encouragement in her journey? Send her this episode!
Connect with me! Follow me on Instagram @coachlauramalone and DM me your biggest takeaway!
Step into your calling! Learn more about my coaching and resources at Sterling & Stone Coaching.
✨ You are a StoryMaker. You are powerful, chosen, and capable. Step into your calling today. ✨
Music by https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day. License code: 6RD7Q6IO81E7MI2S.

47-The Work God Is Doing in You: Christmas Presence Series #5

WHAT GOD HAS BEEN FORMING- As the year closes, everything rises to the surface. The good, the heavy, the unfinished, the unexpected. This final episode is a quiet, honest look at what God has been forming in you through real life, not ideal life. We name the fears, the hopes, the aches, the longing for change, and the slow places where growth doesn’t feel fast enough. And we end with a declaration over your next season that is simple, strong, and full of truth.
Key TakeawaysThe end of a year brings real emotions that reveal where God has been at work in you.Transformation often happens quietly, in the middle of ordinary life.You can enter the next season with gratitude for what has formed and expectancy for what is still unfolding.
Action GuideLook back over this year and name one place where you can see even a small shift in who you are becoming. Hold that as evidence of the work God is doing in you. Then ask Him, with open hands, what He wants to grow in you this coming season.
The Next Thing
Join the StoryMakers Lab! Check out the women's coaching library here.
Share this episode! Know a woman who needs encouragement in her journey? Send her this episode!
Connect with me! Follow me on Instagram @coachlauramalone and DM me your biggest takeaway!
Step into your calling! Learn more about my coaching and resources at Sterling & Stone Coaching.
✨ You are a StoryMaker. You are powerful, chosen, and capable. Step into your calling today. ✨
Music by https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day. License code: 6RD7Q6IO81E7MI2S.

45-Hearing and Responding Like Mary: Christmas Presence Series #3

HEARING LIKE MARY - Mary's story is the clearest picture of what happens when human effort meets divine grace. She hears, she responds, she shows up with her whole self, and God does what only God can do. In this episode, we look at the stained-glass Mary in Sainte-Chapelle, the woman behind the window, and the way our own stories come alive when we stand in the light of God’s presence.
Key TakeawaysMary models Shema by hearing and responding with willingness instead of striving.Effort is our part, grace is God’s part, and the light reveals what was hidden.Your story takes shape through design, color, and light as you intentionally place yourself before God.
Action GuideChoose one area of your life where you sense God inviting you to respond. Instead of overthinking the outcome, practice Mary’s posture. Bring what you have. Turn toward the light. And let God reveal the beauty He’s already forming in you.
The Next Thing
Join the StoryMakers Lab! Check out the women's coaching library here.
Share this episode! Know a woman who needs encouragement in her journey? Send her this episode!
Connect with me! Follow me on Instagram @coachlauramalone and DM me your biggest takeaway!
Step into your calling! Learn more about my coaching and resources at Sterling & Stone Coaching.
✨ You are a StoryMaker. You are powerful, chosen, and capable. Step into your calling today. ✨
Music by https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day. License code: 6RD7Q6IO81E7MI2S.

44-How God’s Grace Works With Your Effort: Christmas Presence Series #2

EFFORT AND GRACE – We tend to treat our effort and God’s grace like a tug of war, but Scripture shows they actually work together. In this episode, we look at what it means to love God with all your heart, soul, and strength — and how those Hebrew words reveal the way your inner world, your whole self, and your real-life actions can operate in partnership with His grace. When your strength flows from a heart and soul aligned with Him, your effort becomes worship instead of striving, and your story becomes something you co-create with God instead of carry alone.
Key TakeawaysHeart, soul, and strength describe your inner world, your identity, and your actions working together with God.Effort isn’t the enemy — self saving is. Strength aligned with God becomes partnership, not striving.Grace empowers your effort, and your effort honors grace. This is how you co-create your story with Him.
Action GuidePay attention to one area where you’ve either been overworking or underworking. Ask God to realign your heart, soul, and strength in that space, then take one step that reflects partnership with His grace instead of pressure or passivity.
The Next Thing
Join the StoryMakers Lab! Check out the women's coaching library here.
Share this episode! Know a woman who needs encouragement in her journey? Send her this episode!
Connect with me! Follow me on Instagram @coachlauramalone and DM me your biggest takeaway!
Step into your calling! Learn more about my coaching and resources at Sterling & Stone Coaching.
✨ You are a StoryMaker. You are powerful, chosen, and capable. Step into your calling today. ✨
Music by https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day. License code: 6RD7Q6IO81E7MI2S.

43-How to Hear God and Respond Like Moses: Christmas Presence Series #1

LEARNING TO HEAR AND RESPOND-The Shema isn’t just an ancient prayer. It’s a living posture that teaches you how to hear God and respond in a way that shapes your life. In this episode, we look at how Moses lived a real relationship with God through honest conversation, obedience, and trust, and how God responded to Moses with clarity, compassion, and presence. You’ll see that hearing God isn’t passive at all — it’s a relational rhythm where your attention, honesty, and steps matter, and where God truly listens and moves toward you in return.
Key Takeaways
Shema means hearing in a way that leads to movement, loyalty, and relationship.
Moses models honest listening and responsive action, and God responds to Moses with care and power.
A shema life is attentive, intentional, and built on trust that God hears you too.
Action GuideSlow down long enough this week to notice one “burning bush” moment — a nudge, a pull, an idea, a conversation — and turn aside instead of walking past it. Ask God what He’s saying, then take one small step of response.
The Next Thing
Join the StoryMakers Lab! Check out the women's coaching library here.
Share this episode! Know a woman who needs encouragement in her journey? Send her this episode!
Connect with me! Follow me on Instagram @coachlauramalone and DM me your biggest takeaway!
Step into your calling! Learn more about my coaching and resources at Sterling & Stone Coaching.
✨ You are a StoryMaker. You are powerful, chosen, and capable. Step into your calling today. ✨
Music by https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day. License code: 6RD7Q6IO81E7MI2S.

42-God Wants to Talk to You: Jordan Bailey on Knowing Truth

A QUIETED MIND CREATES A CLEARER TRUTH - Hearing God is not some elite, far-off spiritual skill. It’s the doorway to mental health, identity, and a whole different way of living. In this conversation with creative communicator and home-baker-turned-entrepreneur Jordan Bailey, we talk about hearing God, healing from lies, and learning how to live from the truth of who you really are.
Key Takeaways
Hearing God is foundational for mental health because truth untangles the lies that create instability.
Listening prayer is simple and accessible, and it brings clarity, peace, and a grounded sense of identity.
Your story, your gifts, and even your pain will naturally flow into your work, your influence, and your calling when you live from truth instead of fear.
Action Guide
Take 10 minutes today for listening prayer. Ask one question: “What lie am I believing?” Let God show you the truth. Sit with it. Say yes to it. Let it shape the way you walk into the rest of your day.
Find Jordan! 
https://jordanbaileyart.com
https://www.instagram.com/jordanbaileyart
The Next Thing
Join the StoryMakers Lab! Check out the women's coaching library here.
Share this episode! Know a woman who needs encouragement in her journey? Send her this episode!
Connect with me! Follow me on Instagram @coachlauramalone and DM me your biggest takeaway!
Step into your calling! Learn more about my coaching and resources at Sterling & Stone Coaching.
✨ You are a StoryMaker. You are powerful, chosen, and capable. Step into your calling today. ✨
Music by https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day. License code: 6RD7Q6IO81E7MI2S.

41-Facing Grief & Anger

WHEN IT GETS WORSE FIRST – Grief has layers, and sometimes the anger that rises to the surface is just the first sign that something deeper is trying to heal. In this episode, I share my own season of transition, loss, and overwhelm, and how the PEARL Practice helps us recognize what’s underneath anger so we can feel it without letting it lead us into harmful patterns. This is about understanding why it feels worse before it gets better, and how to be angry without letting anger run your life.
Key Takeaways• Anger is often a signal of unprocessed grief, change, or internal pressure, not a personal failure.• The PEARL Practice shows how anger moves from thought to emotion to action, and where we can interrupt the cycle.• “Worse first” moments usually mean healing is happening, not that you’re going backward.
Action GuidePay attention to one moment of anger this week. Instead of reacting, pause long enough to ask, “What am I believing right now, and what’s actually true.” Name the feeling, let it settle in your body, and choose one small stabilizing response instead of a default reaction.
 
The Next Thing
Join the StoryMakers Lab! Check out the women's coaching library here.
Share this episode! Know a woman who needs encouragement in her journey? Send her this episode!
Connect with me! Follow me on Instagram @coachlauramalone and DM me your biggest takeaway!
Step into your calling! Learn more about my coaching and resources at Sterling & Stone Coaching.
✨ You are a StoryMaker. You are powerful, chosen, and capable. Step into your calling today. ✨
Music by https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day. License code: 6RD7Q6IO81E7MI2S.

40-Breaking Cycles: Dori Morelock on Craving Freedom

BEYOND THE CRAVING- What do you do when you keep saying, “I’m going to change,” but you keep hearing the same shame tapes? In this convo with your 'Crave Coach' Dori Morelock, we talk about why it is so hard to change hardwired habits, what’s really underneath your 'crave behavior,' and how to invite God into the exact moments you usually check out, scroll, eat, drink, spend, or binge. You’ll hear Dori’s story of healing and loss, and how God led her to build tools that help women retrain their brains and walk in their calling instead of staying stuck in shame.
Find Dori @ BeyondTheCraving.com
IG: @BeyondTheCraving
Download The Crave Coach app for free (Apple + Google stores)
Key Takeaways
Hardwired habits are often survival strategies that once helped you cope, which is why willpower alone is not enough to change them.
Cravings are “smoke,” not the fire. Underneath the shopping, scrolling, eating, drinking, or numbing is a deeper unmet need like connection, comfort, or being seen.
Real change comes from small, honest shifts over time as you invite God into your trigger times, tell the truth about your needs, and respond to cravings in new, healthier ways.
Listener ChallengeName your “one thing” today: the crave behavior that came to mind as you listened. Then identify your main trigger time or trigger situation around it. This week, instead of trying to be perfect, choose one small change to your usual routine in that moment and invite Jesus into it on purpose. Ask Him, “What am I really needing right now?” and “What is one different choice I can make today?” Write down what you notice and how it changes your sense of shame, pressure, or peace.
The Next Thing
Join the StoryMakers Lab! Check out the women's life library here.
Share this episode! Know a woman who needs encouragement in her journey? Send her this episode!
Connect with me! Follow me on Instagram @coachlauramalone and DM me your biggest takeaway!
Step into your calling! Learn more about my coaching and resources at Sterling & Stone Coaching.
✨ You are a StoryMaker. You are powerful, chosen, and capable. Step into your calling today. ✨
Music by https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day. License code: 6RD7Q6IO81E7MI2S.

39-Emptied Out & Filled Up Series: Rhythms – Building A Life That Stays Full

STAYING IN THE FLOW – Renewal only lasts if it becomes rhythm. In this final episode, we talk about how to build patterns that protect your peace, boundaries that guard your energy, and anchors that keep your soul steady through changing seasons.
Key Takeaways• Rhythms turn renewal into sustainability.• Boundaries are waterlines, not walls.• God’s rhythm is grace, not grind.
Action GuideChoose one simple rhythm that helps you stay grounded—like Sabbath, morning quiet, or evening gratitude—and practice it for seven days. Let it become the steady pulse of your new season.
The Next Thing
Join the StoryMakers Lab! Check out the women's coaching library here.
Share this episode! Know a woman who needs encouragement in her journey? Send her this episode!
Connect with me! Follow me on Instagram @coachlauramalone and DM me your biggest takeaway!
Step into your calling! Learn more about my coaching and resources at Sterling & Stone Coaching.
✨ You are a StoryMaker. You are powerful, chosen, and capable. Step into your calling today. ✨
Music by https://uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day. License code: 6RD7Q6IO81E7MI2S.