host: sammie gallo

"In my grief, ultimately, there is still a gift." -Cassidy Mills

In this episode, Sammie talks with Cassidy Mills about her experience with sexual assault, the healing that she's found in a relationship with Jesus, and ultimately, what it means to walk through life-altering trauma with your eyes on Him. 

I spent a long time praying about someone who could share their story with truth and vulnerability. Sexual brokenness is so evident in our culture and this is such an important topic; I reached out to Cassidy through a mutual friend, who accepted my invitation to share and chat with so much grace, being up front about how it would be challenging but she knew the Lord was calling her to do it. That’s when I knew Cassidy was definitely the person who was supposed to share on the You Were Made for More Podcast. I hope you love meeting her as much as I did, and I hope her testimony encourages you to lean into God, even when things don’t seem to make sense. 

Today’s conversation will be tough, so I encourage you that if you have experienced sexual assault, whether that be in a relationship or at random, please talk to someone about that - my hope is that Cassidy sharing her story will inspire others to share theirs. It’s so true when they say that the devil thrives in the darkness. He will convince you that it’s easier not to talk about it, not to share - but I can tell you personally that that’s one of the biggest lies that you can believe. As you share, light breaks into the darkness - and if you believe in the Bible, if you believe in the God who created all things and sustains all things, you know that HE IS LIGHT. He will break through whatever darkness you are experiencing if you give him the chance to. Never underestimate the power of reaching out to somebody who cares about you, will listen to you, and will walk with you. We weren’t meant to do this life alone. 

Here are some things we mentioned in this episode: 

• Cassidy's Email Address: cassidyclai@aol.com

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

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In this episode, Sammie tackles the story of Job's life in the second part of our abundance series. If you missed the first episode, go ahead and listen to episode 19 before you hit play on this one! In that episode, Sammie's husband, Juan dives into an analogy of life being God's party - one where we're all invited, everything we could ever need or want is there, and God is the generous host. He talks about what abundance really means in the here and now, and it sets this week's episode up really well.

If you've ever felt like your life is the furthest thing from a party, this episode is for you. We all go through seasons where life seems to be throwing us all sorts of curve balls, we feel tested, and we're not really sure what's going on. Sammie takes the time to tackle an important question: when life doesn't feel like the party, does that mean that the Giver (God), isn't good and doesn't love us anymore?

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
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Season 2 is BACK. PRAISE!

This week's episode is all about why you may have noticed we're a little bit MIA! This month is the March for Life (if you've never been, take a listen to this episode because we talk about it here) but if you have, you know it's an awesome, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Sammie shares what God has put on her heart about identity, personhood, and how we're all called to believe and fight for who God made us to be.

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

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In this episode, Sammie talks about reflecting on Advent, the coming of Jesus, and wraps up Season 1 of the podcast with a short reminder of what the Christmas season is all about.  We'll see you in January for Season 2 of the #YouWereMadeForMorePodcast!

PS: if you're looking for a great Advent devotional that's reusable throughout the years, check out Paul David Tripp's Devotional! My husband and I are walking through it this Advent season, and it's helped keep our minds on Jesus through everything that's going on in the holiday season.

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
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In this episode, Sammie talks with Chaney Mullins about lots of topics: sexuality and marriage, femininity, women’s healthcare, and the value, or sanctity, of human life. Chaney  serves as Development Coordinator for Divine Mercy Care, an educational and fundraising organization advancing pro-life health care.  There, she works to promote the next frontier in the pro-life movement:  inspiring pro-life OB/GYNs and building full medical centers that serve all women with good Christian health care – those with insurance and those without.  She is a champion for deeper partnerships between local churches and women in need. Chaney also serves on the board of the Healing Center International, which is dedicated to helping people find more joy in their relationships with God and others.  Additionally, Chaney is the co-founder of The Amore Project, which empowers deeper communities through viewing Christ as the intimate lover of our whole selves – body and soul. She’s also a special projects writer at Concerned Women of America.

Grab your coffee, turn up the volume, and hang out with us! I hope this episode inspires you to think... "Am I truly pursuing the woman God made me to be?"

Things we mention in this episode: 

• ChaneyMullins.Com
• Chaney's Instagram
• Theology of the Body
• Chaney's Email: chaney.mullins@gmail.com
• Biblical Femininity eBook (FREE!)

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
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• Instagram

My twin sister Meesh is joining me today on the You Were Made for More Podcast, so we can talk a little bit more about who we are and our struggle with identity growing up! I’m so thankful that I’m a twin - and it’s also cool to have someone who grew up in the same environment as you, during the same time as you, but with a totally different personality and different perspective. Meesh and I are so similar, but we’re also so different - I hope that this conversation with Meesh enlightens your hearts about who I am and where I came from, and that you also learn from her struggle with trauma, identity, and how she’s leaned into God to make her a person capable of loving and being loved. If you know anything about my story, you know that Meesh and I didn’t speak English until we were 5, due to a disorder with our speech development. This affected both of us similarly, but also very differently, as you’ll hear us talk about throughout our conversation. 

Meesh currently lives in Sewickley, PA where she serves as the Assistant Director of Children’s Ministries at St. Stephen’s Church. Meesh is engaged to her fiance Caleb, and together, they love the kiddos of their community really well. I’m excited for you to hear this conversation because I think it’s really important - like I’ve said before, your struggle with identity may not look the same as mine, but I believe in some way, shape, or form, we all struggle with believing and living into who we were created to be. When we open up conversation about it, we’re inviting the light to come into dark places in our hearts where fear, insecurity, and trauma live and Satan thrives. 

I hope this episode feels like you're just sitting across the table from us at a coffee shop!

Things we mention in this episode: 

• Jess Connolly
• Meesh's Instagram and Facebook

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
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• Instagram

“Abortion is a breakdown in community. In our moment of greatest need for real, compassionate, empowering human relationship, there is a void of connection.”

— Josiah Friedman, CEO & Founder of Voices for the Voiceless

In this episode, you’re going to meet a legend - Josiah Friedman is the CEO of Voices for the Voiceless, an organization that spends every day advocating for the worth and dignity of human beings. Not only that, he spends each and everyday equipping others to do just that, through storytelling and real, raw conversations with real people.

Josiah is the visionary mastermind behind the #standbyher movement. A graduate of Arizona Christian University, he founded Voices for the Voiceless as a nonprofit in 2013 while pursuing double majors in Journalism and Political Science. He is widely known for his creative approach and compassionate cultural voice that reaches people from all sides of the issue. Josiah's lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife, Andrea, who partners with him as the Marketing Director of Voices for the Voiceless. 

I’m really excited for you to hear my conversation with Josiah, as we talk about his faith journey and how God has ignited his heart on fire for this movement. Josiah is a gifted communicator, has a heart for loving every single person that God has created, and I really admire the work he’s doing.

Here's some of the things we mention in the episode: 

• Voices for the Voiceless
• Josiah's TED Talk
• VOX Study
• The Voices Docuseries

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog - and if you're loving the podcast, send guest recommendations to us or leave us a star-rating/review on your favorite listening platform to spread the word about the you were made for more message.

You Were Made for More Social Media: 

• Facebook
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In this episode, Sammie sits down and talks to Ebie Hepworth; Ebie has a vulnerable and relatable heart that has allowed her to encourage countless women across the globe. You may know her from serving with an organization called Wipe Every Tear for five years, where she had the opportunity to be a part of bringing freedom and restoration to women trafficked in the sex trade. She's the author of a 30-day devotional, Fearless Girl, and is in the process of writing her second book!

Ebie is a woman passionate about cultivating healthy family, adoption, speaking identity and truth into women, and throwing away our masks so we can be honest about where we are at. She's the CEO and "Chief Dreamer" at Fearless Co, an organization that cultivates a movement of women unhindered by fear. She's a wife to her husband, Zac, and a mother to their two beautiful children, Birdie and Asa.

In this episode, we talk about her love story with her husband, her journey with infertility, and the international adoption story that God has authored for her family and how she is really all about loving the orphans like we are called to do in Scripture (even though she's in her mid-20's!). I love Ebie's heart, and I really think her family is a beautiful testament to how God writes more beautiful stories than we could even imagine, even in the hard moments. If you're curious about adoption, why it's important, or maybe you're thinking about adopting one day yourself, this conversation is something you don't want to miss.

Here are some things we mention in the episode:

• Ebie's book, Fearless Girl
• Fearless Co.
• Ebie's Website and Instagram

If Ebie's story touched you, please join me in praying for favor and healing over her family!

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog, or, send guest recommendations to us! If you liked what you heard, remember to give us a star rating and leave a review, so we know what you're loving! 

We love y'all! Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow us on social media: 

• Facebook
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On this episode of the You Were Made for More podcast, Sammie talks with Zach Verrett. Zach is currently living in Austin, TX working for Austin Stone Community Church as part of their Connections ministry, and he's a magnetic, Jesus-loving, driven guy, who is serving the Kingdom with everything He has. Zach has a passion for relationships and seeing young men and women live into the life that Jesus has called them to, which is why he spent a number of years touring around the country bringing a message of purity to MS and HS students with the Unaltered Tour (formerly known as the Silver Ring Thing).

I'm so excited for you guys to hear what he's learned about purity, and how it really is an IDENTITY, instead of a goal.

If Zach's wisdom hit home in your heart, visit his website or follow him on Instagram to keep up with how he's serving and what he's learning!

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog, or, send guest recommendations to us! If you liked what you heard, remember to give us a star rating and leave a review, so we know what you're loving! 

We love y'all! Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow us on social media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

In this episode, Sammie chats with author Courtney Wilson, about the message in her book, It Is Written: Daily Truth to Face the Lies We Battle, and how to grab hold of our God-given identities. Courtney is passionate about sharing the Truth that's rooted in Scripture about who we are and developing dreams of this generation. Courtney's the founder of Trailblazer Journals, an online community that believes this generation is called to be trailblazers in the culture we're in. She's also the founder of the Little Creative Company, a small design agency dedicated to helping non-profits, Christian organizations, churches and dreamers develop their brand, websites, and dreams.

I'm thankful for Courtney's heart and her passion as she leads this movement of trailblazing for the glory of God, and I hope that through this conversation, you're reminded that God has a purpose for YOU in the midst of whatever season you're in.

Here are some things we mentioned in this episode: 

• The Enneagram 
• It Is Written: Daily Truth to Face the Lies We Battle
• Matthew 4 - The Temptation of Jesus
• Bible in a Year Plan (The Bible Project)
• Come Matter Here by Hannah Brencher 
• It's Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa TerKeurst

Here's Court's website & Instagram (@courthopewilson) so you can follow along with her journey!

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog, or, send guest recommendations to us! If you liked what you heard, remember to give us a star rating and leave a review, so we know what you're loving! 

We love y'all! Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow us on social media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

In this episode, Sammie has a conversation with Rachel and Thomas Awtrey; two people who love Jesus, are chasing after Him, and just happen to have met in their high school youth group. Now, after years of dating and pursuing one another, they've been married for three years and share what they've learned through the love story that God has given them.

Rachel and Thomas live in Birmingham, Alabama, where they attend Church of the Highlands; Rachel spends her days sharing tips, tricks, and truth on social media through her blog and her podcast, Behind the Bliss. Thomas spends his days as a member of the Alabama Air National Guard, along with travelling and adventuring since he has his pilot's license! They also have a precious pup named Remi! They're full of energy, wisdom, and their love for one another shines through in my conversation with them.

We talk about so many things, ranging from how to keep Christ at the center of your relationship, how to trust Him even when things don't seem to be going your way, sexual purity + repentance, tips for engagement, all the way to how to champion one another in marriage and cultivate a friendship along with romance.

Here's some things we mentioned in this episode:

• Rachel's Website
• Behind the Bliss Podcast

To check out everything happening in their work, family, and life, head on over and follow @rachel.awtrey or @thomasawtrey on Instagram!

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog, or, send guest recommendations to us! If you liked what you heard, remember to give us a star rating and leave a review, so we know what you're loving! 

We love y'all! Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow us on social media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

In this episode, Sammie interviews Dana Henry, a counselor and pastor's wife from Sewickley, Pennsylvania, who has dedicated her Kingdom calling to helping people find freedom from their traumas, so that they may live abundantly in their relationships. Dana has experience professionally handling traumas, as well as experience in doing the hard work of personal healing herself. If you want a run-down on what trauma is, and how the body scientifically responds to trauma, this is for YOU! We're so thankful for Dana's testimony and her willingness to share her story.

Here's some things we mentioned in this episode: 

• Dana's testimony about her abortion
• Inner Healing Prayer
• EDMR Technique
• The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.
• The American Association of Christian Counselors

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog and send guest recommendations to us! If you liked what you heard, remember to give us a star rating and leave a review, so we know what you're loving!

We love y'all! Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow us on social media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
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"While the mess I experienced, both the things that happened to me & the broken path I chose, was not His heart for my life, He has yet to waste a drop of it. Healing is mine for the taking, victory is mine for the taking, freedom is mine for the taking. And the same is true for you, wherever you are - no matter how heavy the mess you carry. He sees you, He holds you, and He loves you, so much. Do not let the lies you hear make you believe that you are too far from grace." -Nadine Mitchell, The Revival Folk Blog

In this episode, Sammie interviews Nadine Mitchell, a momma of four girls, blogger, wife, and owner of the brand, the Revival Folk, which creates and offers prints, posters, cards and a variety of events to help you uncover community. Through this episode, we hear a snapshot of Nadine's story from childhood to adulthood as she exemplifies who Jesus is through the redemptive work He has done in her life.

We cover topics like trauma, abuse, counseling, freedom, marriage, mental health, the importance of community and identity. This is one of our favorite episodes yet, and you do not want to miss it - so much wisdom and goodness!

Here are some of Nadine's Favorite things: 

• Sandals Church, California Region
• Her favorite current read, Jackie Hill Perry's Gay Girl, Good God
• The Revival Folk Website

To check out everything happening in her work, family, and life, head on over to her Instagram page for some daily encouragement!

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog and send guest recommendations to us! If you liked what you heard, remember to give us a star rating and leave a review, so we know what you're loving! 

We love y'all! Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow us on social media: 

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

In this episode, Sammie continues our relationship "crash course" series and covers more questions that students (and adults!) frequently ask.

We talk about these four questions:

1. What role should my parents play in my dating life?
2. What happens if I'm rejected?
3. What happens If I've already messed up?
4. How do you even start building a healthy relationship?

Things we mentioned in this episode:

• Episode 4: Relationship FAQ, Part 1 
• Sammie's Story
• The Next Right think by Emily P. Freeman
• Time Magazine Study On Marriage
  
  

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog.

Send guest recommendations to us!

We love y'all! Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow us on social media :-)

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In this episode, Sammie interviews her friend, Lexi Moles, and they talk about Lexi’s calling – Lexi serves as the Director of Middle School Outreach at Ciudad Nueva, a non-profit that serves the community of El Paso, Texas. 

Lexi is one of the most relational humans you’ll ever meet in your life, and thankfully, that energy plays into her role as she is learning what it means to do life with middle schoolers. Lexi has chosen to take the head-on approach and has shown an admirable initiative in educating her students and equipping her youth leaders to have healthy conversations about relationships and sexuality, all based on her experience in youth group growing up.

If you’ve ever wondered why it’s important to be consistent in teens' lives, how in the world someone can actually enjoy hanging out with middle schoolers, and why it’s important to stay and fight for the hearts of our kids, this episode will really speak to your heart.

 Things we mentioned in this episode:

• Ciudad Nueva
• Abundant Life Curriculum

You can stay up to date with Lexi and her middle schoolers by following her on IG. That’s where all the good stuff goes!

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog.

Send guest recommendations to us here!
 
We love y'all! Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow us on social media…

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In this episode, Sammie covers three of the top questions about relationships that students (and some adults!) ask. Welcome to part 1 of our relationship "crash course!"

We talk about these three questions:

1. How do you define dating?
2. How far is "too far" physically? 
3. Should I date someone who isn't a Christian?

If you have questions you'd like to see us answer in part 2, please send them to Sammie (abundantlifeym@gmail.com).

Things we mentioned in this episode:

• Single. Dating. Engaged. Married: Navigating Life and Love in the Modern Age by Ben Stuart
• Module 3 of Abundant Life: You Were Made for More (Purity: Rethinking, Restarting, Reorienting)
• Practical Tips for Dating in the Hook-Up Culture Blog
• Studies about Marriage, Relationship, and Teens

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog.

Send guest recommendations to us!

We love y'all! Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow us on social media :-)

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Disclaimer: This episode does mention pornography, masturbation, and other mature content. We encourage parents and students to talk about these topics together before listening.

In this episode, Sammie interviews Kristie Cossel - a youth director from El Paso, Texas. Kristie has been married for almost two years to her husband, Mark, who she started dating in high school.

Kristie has personal experience with what it really means to struggle over sin and seek healing because of the impact that it had on her life, her relationships, and her identity. Not only does she truly believe that things she's saying in this interview, she vulnerably lives them out each day - something that I admire about her so much.

Truth is, we are all affected by pornography (whether directly or indirectly, which Kristie does a great job of highlighting in this episode):

• 12% of websites on the internet are pornographic – that’s 24,644,172 sites. 
• 1 in 3 porn viewers are women. It’s not just a “guy problem.”
• Porn sites receive more regular traffic than Netflix, Amazon, and Twitter combined each month.
• Watching porn diminishes relationship commitment. Porn increased marital infidelity, or cheating, by 300%. A few studies reported in Psychology Today show that people who watched porn were more likely to engage in flirting (or more) outside their relationships and were more likely to cheat and hook-up with someone other than their partner.
• 50% of all adults do not think that porn is wrong – and most teenagers are encouraging, neutral, or indifferent about opinions of pornography. They say it’s “not a big deal.”
• Porn is a $57 billion-dollar industry worldwide - $14 billion-dollar industry in the US. That’s larger than all the combined revenues of all professional football, baseball, and basketball franchises AND more than CBS, NBC, and ABC combined.
• A pastor in Cincinnati, Ohio polled all the 7th graders in his church and 100% of those 11-year-olds admitted to having exposure to pornography.
• 50% of Christian men are addicted to pornography.

Pornography is a phenomenon that not many youth groups aren’t talking about, despite the epidemic running wild within the lives of our young men and women. Kristie personally relates to the statistics listed above, and I know that many of you listening will be impacted by what she has to share. At the root of the pornography problem lies a tragic misunderstanding of who we were created to be and what relationships are supposed to be about.

You were made for more than the counterfeit love that pornography offers you, and our prayer is that this conversation would allow you to wrestle with the weight of it's destruction in the world.

Things we mentioned in this episode:

• Kristie's instagram: @kristinajoy
• Kristie's blog on Abundant Life's website (Pornography: It's Not Just a Guy Problem)
• The Link between Human Trafficking and Pornography
• Harvest USA
• Fight the New Drug
• Fortify Tracker
• The Difference Between Shame and Guilt by Brene Brown
• Carolyn Allen's Book: Journey Into Wholeness

In this episode, Sammie interviews her friend, Taylor Hartz, about what it means to follow Jesus in your early 20's as a single gal.

Taylor brings a ton of wisdom to the table - not only because she's submitting to what the Lord is teaching her, but also because she's learned from her past relational decisions. I'm so thankful for Taylor's heart, her vulnerability, and how she shares honestly about why God makes us for "more" than we even realize!

Our prayer is that you know redemption is waiting for you, too. You are not too far gone. You are not too messy, too broken, too impure, too unclean. You are seen, known, loved, and purposed for a life free of the bondage of sexual sin. The leap of faith is wild, it's countercultural, and many times, laughed at - but the grace you jump into is liberating, satisfying, and soul-resuscitating.

Things we mentioned in this episode:

• Taylor's instagram: @t.hartzz
• Taylor's blog: https://freedomindeed.wordpress.com/
• The Unaltered Tour
• Defiant Joy by Stasi Eldredge
• Mighty Grace by John Mark Pantana

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog.

Send guest recommendations to us!

We love y'all! Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow us on social media :-)

• Facebook
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In episode 1, you meet our host - Sammie Gallo - and learn all about her heart behind making sure every person hears the words "you were made for more."

Be sure to stay up to date with Abundant Life: You Were Made for More by visiting our blog.

Send guest recommendations to us!

We love y'all! Thanks for tuning in, and don't forget to follow us on social media :-)

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram