Episode 101: April Christina Barron
April Christina Barron joins me for Episode 101. She is a talented vocalist, communicator and therapist who’s passion is to encourage, inspire, and offer hope to women in their relationships with God, themselves, their children, and with others. And she’d tell you that her greatest accomplishment would be overcoming the challenges of being an un-married, teenaged mother. She has successfully raised two amazing young men, one of whom, at 22 years old, is currently staring in a lead role in the nation's hottest musical, Hamilton, An American Musical, in Chicago, Illinois. Having overcome every obstacle and societal statistic thrust upon single, teenaged mothers, April pursues every opportunity to offer hope and encouragement to other women who face seemingly insurmountable odds.
She shares her story of becoming a single mother as a teenager—what that was like and what pressures she faced and how she eventually learned what it looked like to lay aside the condemnation and walk in the freedom of grace. She also gives some advice to raising teenagers and how the church can support single parents.
Links:
- 12 Day Holiday Hustle with Body by Hannah
April's Survival Kit:
Avocado Toast - her favorite is from Sublime Tree in Roswell, GA
(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)
Connect with April: Website // Instagram // Facebook
Takeaways From Our Conversation:
One of my favorite parts was hearing her dad’s response when he found out she was pregnant. That is such a picture of grace. One of the greatest takeaways from this conversation was hearing her talk about laying down the condemnation and learning to walk in the freedom of grace. I don’t know your story. But I do know that we aren’t perfect people. We lead messy and often complicated lives. But no matter what you have done, you don’t have to prove yourself to God. You don’t have to earn back His affection. He’s not mad at you. He doesn’t hold it against you. Lay down the condemnation and breathe in His grace. And like April’s earthly father, let God’s arms cover you.
@@We often find our identity in what we do rather than just in who God created@@. Who did God create in you?
@@Be your authentic self with your kids@@. Invite them in to who you are and what you are interested in.
Pray over your kids. God purposes us when He created us; "God, show me who you have created them to be and teach me how to cultivate that in them.”
Single moms have a hard time asking for help. They take on a weight of responsibility that they were never intended to carry. When it comes to single moms, assume that they need your help. Don’t wait for them to help.
12 Day Holiday Hustle with Body by Hannah
Hannah wants to help me AND YOU redefine with healthy means. The holidays are upon us and we thought it would be the perfect time to prepare our bodies and minds for what lies ahead. Let me introduce the 12 day Holiday Hustle to you.
The 12 day Holiday Hustle with Body By Hannah is geared to keep you on track with your health and fitness goals through what can sometimes be a stressful holiday season or a season full of too much merriment! This challenge provides you with a simple nutrition plan to follow, exclusive, short, beginner or intermediate workout programs from Hannah, a supplementation option for those with weight loss or energy goals, exclusive Surviving the Holidays tips from life expert, Sarah Bragg and daily mindfulness homework. This challenge is only $9.99 until November 17th and goes up to $24.99 after that. The challenge will begin on Tuesday, November 28.
What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here.
Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.
A new episode every Tuesday... just subscribe.
Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss out on great conversations with women just like you. Women who are surviving and thriving. You don't have to do life alone. Be inspired, encouraged and entertained by women like Sandra Stanley, Shannan Martin, Jamie B. Golden, Mo Isom, Annie F. Downs, Joni Lay from Lay Baby Lay, Christy Nockels, Kay Warren, Suzanne Stabile and many more.
Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.
My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.
Here is a recent one from "Mrs2003". She said, “I loved listening to Surviving Sarah and specifically to two recent episodes with mental health professionals. Sarah did a great job of preparing for the interviews by clearly not only having read the books, but letting them impact her thinking when it comes to approaching her own life and those of her kids. I will definitely be listening to more.”
Your review will help get the podcast in front of new listeners who are just like you looking to know that they aren't alone in life. Thank you for being awesome!