Today's episode speaks to the hearts of those who are walking through a life that looks different than their expectations. Maybe you're not in the place in life you had hoped to be - we get it! Bachelor/Bachelorette Alum, Desiree Hartsock Siegfried, shares about her journey to finding love on the show, how God exceeded her expectations and how she handled disappointment in the midst of it all, and the off-camera journey of the lessons Desiree learned We talk how to always fail forward, stay true to yourself, and trusting that despite the external pressures, God loves us just as we are. Tune in! Shownotes: behindtheblisspodcast.com/shownotes/156 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Busy? Trying to balance it all and feeling like things are still slipping through your fingertips? This episode is for you 💕 Ellie Holcomb, musician, author, all of the things, is joining Rachel in today's episode to chat about her life, how she manages all of the different areas and projects and still feels full. It's not easy, it takes work and intention but Ellie shares practicals in today's conversation that can help bring the "fullness" back to your life, even when things are messy and cray! Shownotes: behindtheblisspodcast.com/shownotes/155 Ellie on Instagram: instagram.com/ellieholcomb/ Rachel on Instagram: instagram.com/rachel.awtrey Behind the Bliss on Instagram: instagram.com/behindtheblisspodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Infertility is a sensitive subject that's really difficult to chat about lightly - but today's guest mixes this heavy topic with fun and wisdom in the best way! Megan Smalley knows the world of infertility well. After climbing her own mountain of infertility, she has created a sisterhood for women that need that same love and encouragement through the thick of it. Rachel and Megan talk about it all: what women walking through infertility want to hear, don't want to hear, and need to hear. Whether you're the girl that needs this message in your season of infertility or you're a friend of a gal that you desire to champion through it, pull up a chair to this table and listen. Shownotes: behindtheblisspodcast.com/shownotes/154 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's admit this together: We all want to be satisfied with life. It's a goal to feel joy with what's around us, hope for our circumstances (the good and bad), and contentment with right where we are but it's a lot easier said than done. Whether you're upset with a current situation, waiting for the next best thing, lonely and craving friendship today's guest and my new friend Alyssa Bethke is here to encourage you in this! Alyssa and I are talking about how to move out of these lonely places, leaning into the small places of joy and hope in your every day to turn your perspective around for good and find satisfaction right where you are. News flash! You don't have to do anything, have anything or be anything different to fill this emptiness, it's a renewing of our minds where satisfaction finds its place in our lives. Alyssa has poured her heart and soul into a beautiful book that just came out all about this idea of Satisfaction! In "Satisfied", Alyssa shares a compelling collection of relatable essays that will help you embrace and cultivate beauty in your life. Along with healthy recipes and cozy home images, Satisfied will provide you with the knowledge that you are not alone in your fight to be fulfilled. Alyssa shows you the ways in which you are enough--not only for those around you but for yourself. Shownotes: behindtheblisspodcast.com/shownotes/153 Alyssa on Instagram: instagram.com/alyssajoybethke Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our guest today says it best: your body is more than its size, its sickness or its symptoms. You were made for more than a love/hate relationship with your body. Have you ever felt stuck in the tension of shame around your body? You work out to fit a certain image, you think critical thoughts as you enjoy one of your favorite meals - you know the drill. It's time this stopped and that you found freedom! Today, we're talking about how to find that freedom, what the Bible has to say about our bodies, and how to start believing, and acting like, they're good! Show notes: behindtheblisspodcast.com/shownotes/152 Jess on Instagram: instagram.com/jessaconnolly Rachel on Instagram: instagram.com/rachel.awtrey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Friend, let me tell you! There are so many things I remember experiencing and thinking “why did no one tell me about this part??” They’re not in movies, you don’t hear about them in birth classes, from friends until you experience them first hand. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s malicious and people mean to not tell you - I just think we all forget about those small details after the fact but they don’t seem so “small” when they’re happening to us. So, I asked my sister-friends on Instagram to share something they wish they had known before it happened to them and I’m rounding up the responses here! Just to preface, this is not a “lady-like” episode… we’re going there! Then again, what are big sisters for? Also, don’t fear these things happening! I didn’t experience every single one of them, just a few! But, I hope you read this and feel a bit more “normal” and kind to yourself than before :) we’re in this together! Shownotes: behindtheblisspodcast.com/shownotes/151 Instagram: instagram.com/rachel.awtrey instagram.com/behindtheblisspodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I love how this community has brought so many friends together - we can’t do this alone! Being able to connect with listeners and gusts is the highest honor to me. Today, Jillian Edwards joins us again to talk about all things community. What does it look like to practically support one another? Do we actually need help like we always hear? How do we do it together and encourage one another? Jill is helping me answer all of these questions today by sharing how she linked arms with Ellie Holcomb and live out this idea of the community so well in their new project together, “The Dailys.” Shownotes: behindtheblisspodcast.com/shownotes/150 BTB on Instagram: instagram.com/behindtheblisspodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever felt a little "blah" when it comes to your prayer time? You feel like you're throwing up the same requests and aren't sure if they're being heard. Or maybe, you know and trust the truth that God is in that conversation with us but it feels distant and not exactly the "thriving" relationship with God you hoped for? Then, this episode is for you! Valerie Woerner of Val Marie Paper (and my favorite prayer journal) is joining us to chat about reinvigorating your prayer life, the privilege it is, and how we can change our perspective to get excited about talking to God. Shownotes: behindtheblisspodcast.com/shownotes/148 BTB on Instagram: instagram.com/behindtheblisspodcast Val on Instagram: instagram.com/valmariepaper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you made mistakes in the past that continually haunt you? Maybe you're afraid of making similar mistakes in the future and it's all too consuming. At some point, the weight of these mistakes begins to weigh on how we view ourselves and the worth we find within. The all-too-familiar feeling of unworthiness becomes prominent, causing us to live from a place of fear and despair. But what if it chose to talk about it, rather than push it down? Today's guest, Eryn Eddy, gets it. In today's conversation, she shares with us how to trade this feeling for the truth that changes everything: you are valuable. In her new book, So Worth Loving: How Discovering Your True Value Changes Everything, Eryn shares her stories and revelations, honest insights, and the struggles she encountered in her pursuit to discover her worth. Shownotes: behindtheblisspodcast.com/shownotes/147 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

He's here! Baby Maddex joined the Awtrey family on March 14th and boy oh boy! We have a story to tell! What started out as a normal appointment turned into a crazy next few weeks. Listen to our funny moments, the moments Rachel got sassy with her doctor on accident, things we didn't know about labor beforehand that we wish we would have known and how Maddex came into the world. We're sharing the deets! Shownotes: behindtheblisspodcast.com/shownotes/146 Rachel on Instagram: instagram.com/rachel.awtrey BTB on Instagram: instagram.com/behindtheblisspodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices