If the holidays leave you overwhelmed, overstretched, or anxious, you’re not alone. In this episode of Faith Over Fear, Jennifer Slattery and guest Kelly Hall unpack the story of Mary and Martha to reveal practical, grace-filled ways to reduce holiday stress, avoid codependent patterns, set healthy boundaries, and re-center on what matters most. Whether you’re navigating grief, family tension, perfectionism, or people-pleasing, this conversation offers gentle guidance to help you enter Christmas with more calm, clarity, and joy.

You’ll learn how to:

• Recognize your emotional capacity
• Resist the pressure to meet everyone’s expectations
• Simplify your celebrations
• Experience deeper peace by staying aligned with Jesus rather than holiday chaos

Scripture discussed:

Luke 10, Mark 1:35-39

Resources Recommended: Courageous Faith by Kelly Hall

Free Bible Reading Plan: "Embracing Your True Self: Living in Your Christ-Centered Identity"

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Discussion/Reflective Question:

1. What resonated with you most in this episode

2. Where do I feel the most pressure during the holiday season—and whose expectations are driving that pressure?

3. What signs tell me I’m reaching or exceeding my emotional capacity? How can I respond with grace rather than reacting from overwhelm?

4. In what situations do I tend to “Martha”—trying to control people or outcomes rather than pausing to sit at Jesus’ feet?

5. Where might I be slipping into codependent behavior (fixing, appeasing, rescuing) instead of allowing others to own their emotions?

6. What boundaries do I need to set this holiday season to protect peace, joy, and emotional/spiritual health?

7. What one simple shift could help me keep “the most important thing” at the center of my celebrations?

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In this inspiring conversation, Jennifer Slattery and guest Dawn Cazedessus explore how God heals the generational wounds, shame, and limiting beliefs to create a life of influence, purpose, and freedom. Dawn shares her journey from a trailer park in rural Louisiana to leading thousands as a CEO and regional director. Her story reveals how early adversity shaped her work ethic—but also how God transformed survival-driven striving into purposeful, Spirit-led leadership.

Listeners will hear Dawn’s vulnerable reflections on her positive and challenging childhood influences, scarcity versus abundant mindsets, and the emotional work required to renew her thinking and embrace her true Christ-centered identity. She speaks honestly about the discomfort of stepping into unfamiliar environments, the power of God-given hope, and the role of community in healing. Together, Jennifer and Dawn unpack how Scripture, neuroplasticity, and intentional growth plans help us move from “trailer park thinking” to the abundance mindset God desires for His children.

Whether you’re navigating hardship, battling internal lies, or longing to step into God’s purpose for your life, this episode offers practical wisdom, biblical encouragement, and life-changing hope.

Resource Referenced: Trailer Park CEO: 12 Leadership Cornerstones to Become a Godly Woman of Influence – A Diverse Leadership Tool Kit for Christian Women in Business by Dawn Cazedessus

Discussion/Reflective Questions:

1. Dawn shared how leaving the trailer park immediately didn't remove her "trailer park thinking". Where do you feel free externally but still stuck mentally or emotionally?

2. What limiting belief from your past most affects how you see yourself today? What does the truth of Scripture say regarding that belief?

3. What recurring thought patterns in your life need to be held up to God’s truth?

4. When have you felt uncomfortable entering a new environment or opportunity? What helped (or could help) you stay present and keep moving forward?

5. Who in your life models the kind of thinking, stability, or faith you want to grow into? What are some ways you can actively learn from them?

6. What situations trigger a scarcity mindset for you?
   What would it look like to adopt an “included” or abundance mindset based on Ephesians 3:20?

7. Dawn said Jesus was the first Person she could fully trust. How has trusting—or struggling to trust—God shaped your own story of growth?

8. What's one action step God might be inviting you to take having listened to this episode?

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Faith Over Fear Episode Summary

Guest: Mary DeMuth
Topic: The Freedom of Surrender: 40 Devotions to Let Go and Live Free

What if the peace you’re craving isn’t found in control, but in letting go? In this episode, Carol McCracken talks with author and speaker Mary DeMuth about her new devotional The Freedom of Surrender. Together, they explore what it means to release the hidden parts of our lives—our past, our relationships, our daily struggles, and our deepest worries—to a God who can handle them better than we can.

Mary shares how surrender became a life-changing spiritual practice, one that moves us from striving and fear into trust and rest. She offers honest insights about how to identify areas of resistance, what healthy surrender looks like, and why God often meets us most powerfully when we finally stop trying to manage everything ourselves.

Whether you’re carrying regret, trying to fix relationships, or simply exhausted from worry, this conversation reminds you that freedom begins where self-reliance ends.

Resource Referenced: The Freedom of Surrender: Forty Devotions for a Joyful Life in Christ by Mary DeMuth

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Discussion/Reflection Questions:

1. When you hear the word surrender, what emotions rise up first—fear, relief, resistance, or trust?
2. Mary talks about surrendering our inner life—our thoughts, wounds, and private battles. Which part of your inner life might God be inviting you to release today?
3. How can you tell when you’ve picked something back up that you once laid down before God?
4. What’s one relationship where you sense God asking you to trust His timing and work rather than your own effort?
5. Mary reminds us that surrender and freedom are connected. What would “living free” look like for you this week?
6. Which Scripture verse helps anchor your heart when surrender feels scary or uncertain?

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