Hey friends! The Steady is taking a short break for the next two weeks.

We're heading to the US, and part of that trip is celebrating one of my sons' birthdays - a very important reason to slow down. It also felt like the right moment to rest, regroup and just be present with the fam before diving back in.

In the meantime, stay tuned to my social media @melodymcconico for more steady content.

Thank you for being part of this journey with me. I'll see you in two weeks! Until then, stay steady. :-)

Last week we talked about hope deferred. This week, we're turning to something just as heavy: failure. What happens when we start something with everything in us, and life makes it impossible to finish? Through the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8, we look at how Jesus separates our identity from our failures, and how shame tries to convince us otherwise. Failure is something that happened. It is not something we are.

Scripture referenced: John 8:1–11, Romans 8:1, Hebrews 12:1–2

Homework: What is something you've been avoiding because you're afraid of failing again? Write it down.

Then walk through each layer: Anger, Hurt, Fear, Self-pity, Shame- and say out loud what you're actually feeling.

After that, write down the truth. Say out loud what God says about this.

Dismantling shame isn't passive work; it's active.

Music cred: Music provided by Chillhop Music

https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred

Last week we talked about finding hope in God's process of provision. This week, we're sitting with what happens when that hope takes longer than we expected. Through the story of Lazarus in John 11, we look at what it means when hope feels like it's dying... and what Jesus does with the things we've already put in the grave. Delay doesn't mean God has forgotten. It just means His timing is different than ours.

Content Correction: Both Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus in this passage, not just Mary.

Homework: What is one thing you've stopped praying for because you're tired of hoping? What would it look like to let Jesus speak into that place again?

Music cred: Music provided by Chillhop Music

https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred

In this episode of the Steady Podcast, we're kicking off a new series on hope, starting with hope in God's provision.

We'll dig into Matthew 6:25-34 and listen to the instructions of Jesus on how we should approach trusting in God for what we need- especially when we can't see how He's going to come through. Plus, we will be joined by an impromptu special guest! If your hope feels like it's losing its potency, this episode is for you.

Your homework this week:

Take a piece of paper and write down one situation where you need hope today. Underneath it, write down where you've seen God come through before.

Where has He shown up before when it looked impossible? He's going to do it again.

Music Cred:

Music provided by Chillhop Music

https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred

RedCircle Episode Description

What actually matters to you and are you living to reflect it?

In this episode of The Steady, we're digging into purpose and passion: what they really are, how to tell them apart, and how to find your way back when life has pulled you away from them.

We start by defining what it means for something to "matter"- those things that align with who you are and fill you up rather than drain you. Then we look at the difference between intrinsic motivation (the drive that stays even when no one's watching or paying) and external motivation (things that fade once the reward is gone).

We'll talk honestly about why we drift from purpose in the first place and how to come back: with grace instead of shame.

Homework Questions

1. What makes me come alive? (What would I grieve if I could never do it again?)
2. Am I actually living in that place right now? (Feeling alive)
3. What is one small step I can take this week to move closer to purpose, joy, and alignment?

Music Cred:

Music provided by Chillhop Music

https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred

We talk a lot about pushing through, but stress left unaddressed doesn't just wear on your mood, it wears on your body. In this episode, I'm going deeper into the individual stress continuum from the previous episode, plus the stress cycle itself: how it starts, how it moves through us, and why it needs an actual ending, not just a pause.

I'll walk you through two practical tools you can use this week: a simple three-question stress check and the Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, a well-known tool for measuring how much life change you're currently carrying. I also get honest about my own journey through burnout, including a season that became a genuine health scare, and what it took to find my way back to steady. My hope is that wherever you land on that continuum, you'll walk away with real, doable next steps- not just more to feel guilty about.

A gentle note: this episode includes an honest conversation about a personal health crisis brought on by prolonged stress. If that's a heavy topic for you right now, take care of yourself as you listen.

This week's homework: Build your own self-care action plan using the questions below:

Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory

• Take it here: https://www.stress.org/self-assessments/holmes-rahe-life-stress-inventory/
• Printable PDF version: https://www.stress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Holmes-Rahe-Stress-inventory.pdf

Self-Care Action Plan — Questions to Journal Through

1. What are my top five wellness needs right now : mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually?
2. What are three ways I can practice rest today?
3. What are my favorite self-care activities- the ones that actually restore me?
4. How do I feel when I am truly rested?
5. What are four ways I can pivot toward rest this year?

Chillhop Music Credit:

Music provided by Chillhop Music

https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred

Slow Burn Part 2: Love First and the Closet Altar

Healing isn't a one-time event. Sometimes life brings a weight so heavy: grief, exhaustion and seasons we never would have chosen. In this place, feelings we thought we'd already worked through rise back up. It can feel like failure. It isn't.

In this episode, I open up about one of the hardest seasons of my life, when loss and overwhelm collided and I found myself face to face with a rage I didn't expect. I'll walk you through a simple way to recognize where you are on the stress continuum- from steady, to reacting, to running on empty, so you can regroup before you reach a breaking point. I'll also share practical things that became my anchors to finding healing.

This week's homework:

1. Put a "love first" note somewhere you need it: your car, your desk, your fridge.
2. Be honest with yourself about where you are right now, and name one small thing that could move you back toward steady.
3. Create your own altar: a specific place to lay your heart and worries down daily before God.

Music provided by Chillhop Music

https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred

What does it actually mean to be slow to anger, and is it even possible? In this episode of the Steady Podcast, Melody opens with the Biblical foundation of this phrase, rooted in Exodus 34:6, where God declares His own nature to Moses while Israel is at their worst. That context changes everything.

From there, Melody unpacks the psychology of anger: what triggers it, how our bodies respond, and why anger is almost never really about the thing that set it off. She shares personal stories from childhood and the turning point that led her toward God, therapy, and healing.

Key takeaway: Anger is amoral: your body just does it. You're not bad for feeling it. The real question is what you do with it, and what's underneath it.

Homework: Journal one recent moment of anger. What triggered it? What was it protecting? Where did you learn to respond that way?

Part 2 drops next week! You don't want to miss it.

The love of Jesus isn't just powerful. It's practical. In this episode, we dive into how His love acts like medicine, healing us at the root and giving us the strength to walk in power, authority, and the fullness of His promises. Learn what it means to put on the full armor of God and trust Him with every part of your journey- because you were never meant to be knocked down by life. You are chosen. You are His.

This episode closes with a powerful prayer of declaration over your life, your family, and everything that concerns you.

Join us again next Friday!

Music provided by Chillhop Music

https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred

Some nights go sideways in ways you couldn't script if you tried. In this throwback episode, Melody recounts a Friday that started with a home-cooked dinner and spiraled into full-blown chaos... and a lesson she's still learning to live out: the art of the pivot.

Underneath the laughs, there's a story she doesn't tell often. One that reshaped how she thinks about pressure, people-pleasing, and protecting her peace. Some things really aren't worth pushing through.

Tune in for the whole story.

#selfcare #pivot #rest #peoplepleasing #mentalhealth

Music provided by Chillhop Music

https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred

Hey Everybody! In this episode of The Jesus Series, we look at Mark 3:17, where Jesus gives James and John a nickname: Boanerges, or Sons of Thunder. It's loud. It's intense. And He calls them that anyway.

We talk about what it means to be accepted before you're "fixed," why community and not isolation, is where real transformation happens, and I share two personal stories: growing up being told I was "too emotional," and the season God taught me how to rest.

Homework this week: If you've believed the lie that you're too much, bring it to God. Meditate on Isaiah 43:1 that says: "I have called you by name, and you are mine."

Connect with me:

Instagram: @melodymcconico

Background music provided by Chillhop Music: https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred

What does a first-century Pharisee have to do with your blind spots? More than you'd think.

In this episode, Melody kicks off The Jesus Series, unpacking the parables of Jesus through a psychological lens. We're in Luke 18:9-14, unpacking the ways we see, and don't see ourselves. And one invitation to let God hold the mirror.

Take the Johari Window test:

https://kevan.org/johari

https://johariwindow.net/en

Music provided by Chillhop Music: https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred

Scripture taken from The Passion Translation®. Luke 18:9-14.

The Johari Window model: Luft, J. & Ingham, H. (1955).

#TheSteady #TheJesusSeries #JohariWindow #SelfAwareness #BlindSpots #FaithAndMentalHealth #Identity #ChristianPodcast #Healing #PersonalGrowth #Faith #Wholeness

Have you ever said something off, snapped at someone you cared about, or spiraled into self-criticism and couldn't figure out why? In this first episode of The Steady, Melody unpacks what's really happening when our emotions get the best of us: it usually starts with an unmet need. Drawing from Maslow's hierarchy and real moments from her own life, Melody walks through what emotional regulation actually looks like in the middle of an ordinary, overwhelming day. The takeaway? You don't need to be perfect. You need to acknowledge what you need.

Background Music provided by Chillhop Music

https://chillhop.ffm.to/creatorcred