

The Strong Women Podcast
Colson Center
In our culture, if a woman is said to have strength it usually means she is competing with a man or acting like a man.
What if there is strength in the way God made us, as women?
There is and we recognize it when we see it.
We are excited to introduce you to women who display true strength, not in spite of being women but because of it.
What if there is strength in the way God made us, as women?
There is and we recognize it when we see it.
We are excited to introduce you to women who display true strength, not in spite of being women but because of it.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 13, 2025 • 1h 7min
The Best of Strong Women: The Church in India is Persecuted but Flourishing with Rebecca Stanley
We’re taking a small break this summer to gear up for season six of the Strong Women podcast. During this break, we’ll be re-airing episodes we think you’ll enjoy! Christianity is exploding across India. For the last 26 years, Rebecca Stanley has participated in God’s work there through evangelism, church planting, and advocating for the vulnerable. Rebecca joins us in studio to share how God is building His Church in India and bringing life and purpose to men and women on the fringes of society. Kairos Global Foundation Kingdom Unleashed by Jerry Trousdale, Glenn Sunshine, with Gregory C. Benoit The Unshakable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person by E. Stanley Jones Truth Rising isn’t just a documentary— it’s a call to action at a critical time in our culture. As faith, identity, and morality are being redefined, this documentary exposes the civilizational moment we are living in. Through powerful stories and expert insights, it reveals how ordinary people can make an extraordinary impact—by boldly choosing courage over fear. As the world redefines truth, Truth Rising offers clarity, courage, and a Christ-centered path forward. To learn more, visit truthrising.com/colson. The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/ Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/ https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc

Aug 6, 2025 • 37min
The Best of Strong Women: Read for the Love of God With Jessica Hooten Wilson
We’re taking a small break this summer to gear up for season six of the Strong Women podcast. During this break, we’ll be re-airing episodes we think you’ll enjoy! Stories have a profound way of shaping us. They form our attention, affections, and our character for better or worse. That’s why reading what’s good, true, and beautiful matters—and this takes practice. Jessica Hooten Wilson returns to the podcast to help us embrace the practice of reading as a means of spiritual formation. Reading for the Love of God by Jessica Hooten Wilson The Scandal of Holiness by Jessica Hooten Wilson A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens Christ and Apollo: The Dimensions of the Literary Imagination by William F. Lynch The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri The Love of Learning and the Desire for God: A Study in Monastic Culture by Jean Leclerq Kristin Lavransdatter Vol. I: The Wreath by Sigrid Undset This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor On Christian Doctrine by St. Augustine Elisabeth Elliot: A Life by Lucy S.R. Austen A Voice from the South by Anna Julia Cooper The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/ Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/ https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc

Jul 30, 2025 • 38min
The Best of Strong Women: Radical Redemption After Abortion With Toni McFadden
We’re taking a small break this summer to gear up for season six of the Strong Women podcast. During this break, we’ll be re-airing episodes we think you’ll enjoy! Sometimes we forget how radical and powerful God’s grace is. This week’s guest, Toni McFadden, has not forgotten. Toni travels the country to speak about abortion, promote healthy sexuality and relationships, and advocate for the unborn. After Toni had an abortion in high school, God transformed her life through radical salvation, healing, and a new calling. Her life testifies to how Jesus forgives our sin and redeems our stories. Toni’s Website Redeemed: My Journey After Abortion by Toni McFadden or at https://tonimcfadden.com/ Campus Crusade for Christ (Now Cru) Forgiven and Set Free: A Bible Study for Women Seeking Healing after Abortion by Linda Cochrane The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis Live Action March for Life Pro Love Ministries and Love Line On the Threshold of Hope: Opening the Door to Healing for Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Diane Mandt Langberg “Remembering Pro-Life Trailblazer Mildred Jefferson,” Feb 4, 2020 Commentary from The Heritage Foundation The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/ Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/ https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc

Jul 23, 2025 • 41min
The Best of Strong Women: Challenging the Myths about Motherhood with Elizabeth Schlueter
We’re taking a small break this summer to gear up for season six of the Strong Women podcast. During this break, we’ll be re-airing episodes we think you’ll enjoy! What is motherhood all about? Elizabeth Schlueter helps us perceive the beautiful truth about motherhood amid cultural extremes. She joins us this week to challenge common myths about motherhood and cast a Christian vision for the beauty of self-giving love and sacrifice. Whether you're married or single, raising children or not, you’ll be encouraged to form a virtuous life centered around sacrificial love and committed relationships. The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/ Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/ https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc

Jul 16, 2025 • 34min
The Best of Strong Women: A Non-Obsessive Approach to Caring for Our Bodies with Lainey Greer
We’re taking a small break this summer to gear up for season six of the Strong Women podcast. During this break, we’ll be re-airing episodes we think you’ll enjoy! Many of us struggle with body image. Our bodies matter and we are called to care for them—but how do we do that without obsessing? Today, I chat about this with Lainey Greer, who uses her background of exercise science and systematic theology to equip believers with a Christian view of the body. We talk about the big picture of stewarding our health and what that looks like practically. Lainey’s website: https://laineygreer.com/ Forsaken Body Podcast Be Well: Learning to Steward Your Health by Dr. Lainey Greer Lainey’s curriculum – Understand Healthy Our Bodies Tell God's Story: Discovering the Divine Plan for Love, Sex, and Gender by Christopher West Purdue study on obesity among religious Providence by John Piper The Practice of Godliness by Jerry Bridges The Strong Women podcast exists to display the beautifully diverse ways God invites and equips women to participate in His story. Strong Women is a listener-funded program from the Colson Center that is only available for free because it has already been paid for by hundreds of listeners like you. To join the community of women who make this program possible, visit colsoncenter.org/swmonthly today. The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/ Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/ https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc

Jul 9, 2025 • 45min
The Best of Strong Women: The Joy and Wonder of Male and Female with Abigail Favale
We’re taking a small break this summer to gear up for season six of the Strong Women podcast. During this break, we’ll be re-airing episodes we think you’ll enjoy! Our world is so confused about what it means to be male or female. Some speak as if men and women are interchangeable, and others as if we’re totally different species. But God’s creation of men and women is bigger and better than these false extremes. This week, Dr. Abigail Favale joins me to talk about biblical sexuality, the goodness of our bodies, and the interdependence that God designed us to live out. The Genesis of Gender by Abigail Favale Pope John Paul II on the Theology of the Body The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution by Carl Trueman Essays on Woman by Freda Mary Oben The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/ Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/ https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc

Jul 2, 2025 • 43min
The Best of Strong Women: Bringing Christ’s Love and Light to Women in Strip Clubs With Rachelle Star
We are taking a small break this July to gear up for season six of the Strong Women podcast. But during this break, we decided to re-air some episodes that we thought you would enjoy. Our guest today is Rachelle Starr, founder of Scarlet Hope. At 21, Rachelle felt God calling her to minister to women trapped working in strip clubs in her city of Louisville, KY. Today, she shares some of the stories she’s witnessed over 16 years of building relationships through good food and introducing these women to the God who sees and loves them. Scarlet Hope is now in many major cities around the nation, working to bring the hope of the Gospel to places that are often overlooked. The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/ Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/ https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc

Jun 25, 2025 • 39min
S5 47: How to Become a Reader of Good Books
Do you have a stack of books in your house making you feel guilty? Maybe you don’t remember the last time you read a good book, or maybe you’re itching to find your next good read. Well, today’s episode with Maggie is all about reading. We chat about what we’re reading, how to develop our “reading muscles,” why reading is good for our souls, and more. Also, tune in to hear what’s planned for Strong Women this summer! Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton The Chance by Karen Kingsbury Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Emma by Jane Austen Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Theo of Golden by Allen Levi The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/ Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/ https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc

Jun 18, 2025 • 35min
S5 46: Love God and Do What You Want with Heidi White
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is really the parable of two brothers: one who’s ruled by unchecked desire, and the other who’s ruled by legalism and pride. I think a lot of us can resonate with both brothers. We feel torn between what we want to do and what we ought to do. But God designed these two things to be united within us! Using this parable as a framework, my friend Heidi White joins me again to talk about how we can not only do what’s right but also desire what’s right ... and find true freedom and joy as a result. The Divided Soul: Duty and Desire in Literature and Life by Heidi White Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni On Strong Women, we celebrate God’s good design for women in every season of life. It’s all part of a bigger mission: to help the Church be the Church—by celebrating what’s good, resisting what’s evil, restoring what’s broken, and creating what’s missing. As we approach our June 30 fiscal year end, we need your help to keep that mission going. You can support the next year of Strong Women, as well as all the other resources from the Colson Center, by making your best gift today at colsoncenter.org/swchurch. The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center, which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/ Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/ https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc

Jun 11, 2025 • 59min
Live from CCNC 2025: Is the Church Worth it? With Katie McCoy
If the Church is a “hospital for the sick,” then we should expect it to be full of people who are sinful, broken (just like we are), and different from us. This week, Katie McCoy and I talk about what our relationship with the Church has looked like throughout our lives, and why the Church is worth committing to, even in the face of church hurt. We discuss the trends we’re seeing in church traditions and demographics. We end the episode answering listener questions about when to leave a church, mentorship, being single in the church, and more. This episode and Q&A were recorded live at CCNC 2025. Primal Screams: How the Sexual Revolution Created Identity Politics by Mary Eberstadt The Strong Women Podcast is a product of the Colson Center which equips Christians to live out their faith with clarity, confidence, and courage in this cultural moment. Through commentaries, podcasts, videos, and more, we help Christians better understand what’s happening in the world, and champion what is true and good wherever God has called them. Learn more about the Colson Center here: https://www.colsoncenter.org/ Visit our website and sign up for our email list so that you can stay up to date on what we are doing here and also receive our monthly journal: https://www.colsoncenter.org/strong-women Join Strong Women on Social Media: https://www.facebook.com/StrongWomenCC https://www.facebook.com/groups/strongwomencommunitycc/ https://www.instagram.com/strongwomencc/ https://linktr.ee/strongwomencc