Be Brave & Beautiful

To kick off the first episode of 2024, I share a message on persistently seeking the face of God in 2024 like never before. As we seek God with our whole hearts, consistently and diligently, we get to know Him more personally. There is fruit in the disciplined pursuit of God! Tune in to hear more on how we should seek God for who He IS, not just what He gives. Matthew 7:7-11 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."

It's the final episode of the year! How is it almost 2024?! In this episode, my husband Grayson puts me on the hot seat as I open up about 5 unhealthy habits I want to leave behind in 2023. From walking away from toxic gossip to combating daily distractions, we deep dive into areas where we can all gain breakthroughs and improvement. What are 5 habits you want to kick to the curb this year? Message us on Instagram at @bebraveandbeautiful so we can keep each other accountable! Instagram: @bebraveandbeautiful @michaelamwilkes

My girl Allie Schnacky came on today's episode to chat about all things life, love, and the Lord! She is a speaker for JWLKRS Worship, YouTuber, influencer, host of the “Keep it Real” Podcast, and founder of Chosen & Free Community. We covered several topics during our girl chat including battling comparison on social media, experiencing persecution for your faith, finding eternal fulfillment, navigating deep conversations before marriage, and the urgency of taking a stand for your faith now! Follow Allie and her ministry below: Instagram: @allieschnacky Ministry: @chosenandfreeco Worship: @Jwlkersworship Follow Brave and Beautiful on social media! Instagram: @bebraveandbeautiful

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it's a time to express our gratitude! While we often think of Thanksgiving as the family holiday when we stuff our faces with delicious food, the word “Thanksgiving” goes deeper, and in fact, higher. Thanksgiving is another way of saying “God did that. God gets the glory.”Gratitude makes much of God because it shows (1) that God is the author of all that is good and (2) that we love the Giver more than the gifts. In this episode, I break down Psalm 138, where David reminds us to praise the Lord for who He is and His providential care over our lives. When we offer thanks, we're acknowledging that He is Lord and in control. Let's make it our goal to magnify God's glory in our lives because He is the author of every good gift in our lives. Tune in for more on David's pattern of praise that we can also use to grow in gratitude this Thanksgiving season.

Frustrated, exhausted, and discouraged from your current waiting season? Then this episode is for YOU!My friend Liv Wysocki shares her 10-year-long engagement season after an unexpected trial that changed her marriage timeline forever. She gets REAL on the impatience, frustration, comparison, and isolation that is accompanied by "the wait." However, instead of fixing her eyes on "the promise", she focused on The Provider. Listen in to hear her vulnerable testimony and gain valuable biblical teaching on how you can actively wait on God and spiritually maximize your waiting season!Liv is a Christian speaker, ministry leader, entrepreneur, and founder of "The Lydia Effect", a community for women to pursue God, grow in leadership/business + develop meaningful friendships.Connect with Liv! Instagram: @simplyliv.coThe Lydia Effct: @the.lydiaeffectBook in Episode: In a Pit with A Lion on a Snowy DayFollow us on Instagram: @bebraveandbeautiful @michaelamwilkes  

Whether it's our finances, time, health, or relationships, how can we faithfully steward the resources in front of us? My husband Grayson (whose biblical name means "Son of a Steward!") shares the importance of giving God the firstfruits of your finances and belongings. He shares a recent testimony of God's faithfulness in our marriage after we gave more than a 10% tithe to the church -- and how this one experience forever changed the game for us in biblical stewardship. Listen in to gain practical tools and biblical insight on how you can best manage what the Lord has entrusted you with! Proverbs 3:9-10: "Honor the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine."

What is the spiritual root of jealousy and comparison? And why do we all struggle with feeling "incomplete?" On today's episode, guests Ben and Annemarie McLean share valuable biblical insight regarding our temptation to struggle with jealousy, envy, comparison, and feeling incomplete. Even as Christ followers, it's easy to fall into jealousy and comparison when we see other people prosper and thrive and we feel like we're not. Does a shift from a worldly to eternal perspective get our eyes back on God's priorities? Tune in to find out who we should “envy” if we envy at all!! 1 Timothy 6:6-10 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that."

Burnt out? Overcommitted? Spread too thin? We live in a culture that values productivity over presence. Culture has taught us that our value is found primarily in what we produce, which results in a lifestyle of unhealthy “hustle” and ultimately compromised quiet time with the Lord. Listen in on my conversation with my best friend and former Miss Kentucky 2019, Alex Francke Sohn, as we discuss the pressure of productivity and performance and lack of true soul rest and sabbath in today's culture. What if rest is more than a vacation or a prescription? What if real rest goes far beyond the world's definition of self-care? What if rest is a person?

Marcus Schroder, 19-year-old co-founder of Warriors for Christ, was arrested two weeks ago on July 29th for publicly reading the Bible on the sidewalk in Watertown, Wisconsin. He was handcuffed for "violating a sound ordinance without permit," even though he was given no prior warning. As Marcus' microphone was yanked out of his hand, he was walked off of the sidewalk in handcuffs wearing a t-shirt that read "I will stand for truth even if I stand alone." Marcus reported it was "all worth it," adding "It was actually an honor to be counted worthy to stand with the cloud of witnesses who have gone before us and been arrested for the sake of spreading Christ and His kingdom." Listen in on this episode as Marcus explains the real reason for his arrest, taking public biblical stances on hot culture topics, and what it means to die to oneself and take up your own cross. To learn more on Marcus ministry, visit @warriorsforchriststudios on Youtube and Warriors for Christ on Apple Podcasts.

Tune in to this fun girl chat with my fellow newlywed best friends Janeshka O'dell and Mckayla Summers as we talk all things first year of marriage, life transitions and moves, our funny wifey fails, and how we knew our husbands were “the one!”

Worship songs for the week:No Turning Back - Steffany Gretzinger & LeelandGood Plans -  Red Rocks WorshipYou Will Be Saved - Elevation RhythmBeen So Good -  Elevation WorshipOver & Over - Elevation RhythmEnduring Word CommentaryFollow us on Instagram! @bebraveandbeautiful

Is the soil of your heart ready to grow the Word of God? Our culture is trying to disrupt the soil of our hearts every single day. It's trying to make us hard, shallow, and allow other things to grow alongside the ONE thing that will bear “fruit that remains into eternity." With over 35 years of working as an organic citrus farmer, Michaela's dad, Ben McLean, shares his knowledge as a soil expert to draw similarities between ground soil and the soils of our hearts. You'll also hear from Annemarie McLean as she connects how Jesus' parable is playing out in our culture today. After listening, we hope you're committed to taking a “soil analysis of the heart” and encouraged to cultivate nothing less than good soil in your life!

With the constant pressure to achieve, perform, and post our everyday lives, we have become a distracted society driven by the need to always be seen. We have lost the idea of spending our time where it matters most: the secret place with the Lord. Michaela dives into why there is freedom, protection, and transformation in the uninterrupted secret place. Based out of Matthew 6, she shares the importance of developing consistent spiritual disciplines in your everyday prayer life.

What does it mean to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God? How can we live wholly surrendered to Him? Michaela shares insightful commentary from "Enduring Word" about the life-changing truth found in Romans 12:1-2. She shares the urgency to not conform to the pattern of this world in order to experience the God-transformation that is in store for our lives. Listen to know how we can live out the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God! Romans 12:1-2:Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

How can we tell what's best from what's good? In this episode, Michaela shares three practical tips on how to discern God's will in everyday decisions. While the enemy knows how to distract and confuse us, the Lord is faithful to give us “markers” to help us evaluate life's options and choose the path that He is making straight before us. Featured Verses: Romans 12:2 (NIV) Philippians 1:9-10

Michaela, Annemarie, and Livvy McLean joined Jessica Landmon of Women Get Real Ministries for a podcast ministry weekend in her snowy Vermont cabin! In this podcast, they dive head-first into the generational misunderstandings of the stigma around social media-induced anxiety and the pursuit of perfectionism afflicting millions of women today. To know more about Women Get Real Ministries, visit http://www.womengetreal.org/ or @womengetreal on Instagram!

Michaela's husband, Grayson Wilkes, joins the podcast for the first "Wednesday with the Wilkes." In this episode, Grayson shares his powerful testimony of losing his father when he was 15 years old and overcoming unexpected trials and trauma. He shares valuable wisdom and insight on seeking healing, counseling, and ultimately the incomparable love of God. Reference Times: 1:30 -- Cheslie Kryst's passing 3:20 -- Grayson's testimony 13:08 -- How to understand trauma 15:00 -- Traumatic experiences affect our every day responses 17:50 -- Loneliness & isolation 19:25 -- How to own your story 25:15 -- Turning your life around 25:45 -- The cost of being a disciple 27:00 -- Healing from the inside out 28:35 -- There's one answer: Jesus 30:25 -- Flipping your perspective on when trials come 31:15 -- Why men need counseling too 34:30 -- How more men can live like Jesus 36:10 -- The power of choosing Jesus 36:45 -- Why we can't do life alone 39:00 -- Seeking healing

When did the beauty industry get so ugly? Michaela interviews Hope Harvard, owner of Hope Beauty USA, on her pursuit to bring truth, purity, and femininity back to a perverted beauty industry. With products named after women in the Bible, Hope started "Hope Beauty USA" to show that women can have "cosmetics without compromise." Michaela and Hope discuss a variety of topics, from the cultural and spiritual war against women's identity to the crudeness of big beauty brands. Articles mentioned: "The Confusion of Self-Idenitification": https://www.theconservateur.com/editorial/the-confusion-of-self-identification "When Did the Beauty Industry Get So Ugly?": https://www.theconservateur.com/editorial/when-did-the-beauty-industry-become-so-ugly Instagram: @hope_harvard, @hopebeautyusa

Michaela McLean Wilkes (new last name, check it out!) explains her year-long hiatus from the Brave & Beautiful platform, her last season of falling in love and getting married, and the new heart and vision for B & B in 2022. This next year is going to be full of dynamic new speakers, devotionals, and messages including "Wednesdays with the Wilkes," featuring Michaela's husband, Grayson Wilkes! To stay up-to-date and in-the-know of all things Brave & Beautiful, follow @bebraveandbeautiful on Instagram!

Kicking off the new mini series "Living Pure in a Polluted World," social media influencer and former Miss Florida 2014 Tori Masters shares her testimony of how God transformed her view regarding purity in relationships. Listeners will be encouraged as Tori and Michaela will bring clarity and biblical insight on this culturally confusing topic.

Kicking off Season Two, Michaela and Annemarie put 2020 in a new light by sharing five transformative life lessons they learned throughout the year. Listeners will be encouraged and challenged to reevaluate their own perspective on 2020 as they look forward to this year with newfound insight that only comes from overcoming challenging seasons.

There's no doubt 2020 has thrown us into times of uncertainty and change like never before. Much of that has evoked feelings of loss as we've had to come face-to-face with a world that isn't the same. Michaela takes the lead on this topic as she uses her recent experience to point listeners to allowing space for sadness. As we embrace times of grief, we realize they are healthy parts of the human experience as well as a means of spiritual and personal growth.

When it comes to fear, it's not "if" we experience it, but "when." The Brave & Beautiful team identifies the difference between unhealthy and healthy fear while unpacking three strategies to help defeat fear in our lives.

It seems like overnight our thoughts about tomorrow went from confident to complicated. In a world that is spinning and shaking, thinking about tomorrow can produce thoughts of fear and anxiety. Tune in to hear the Brave & Beautiful team unpack three truths that will help you face tomorrow unafraid.

During this unexpected time of isolation and uncertainty, it's easy to lose sight of how valuable a season of "going small but deep" can be. The Brave & Beautiful team dives into themes of humility, surrender, and contentment as we are encouraged to maximize a season that while at times, uncomfortable, will best prepare and position us for what lies ahead.

In Part Two of "Be Unafraid of Transition," the Brave & Beautiful team unpacks how transition can affect our identity and expose areas in our heart that need growth. It also give us opportunities to cultivate humility and dependence on God.

Introducing the "Be Unafraid Series," the Brave & Beautiful team shares less-talked about messages that go straight to heart issues that hold women back from moving forward in courage and purpose. Our first topic is "Be Unafraid of Transition." In Part One, the team shares how we can go from being "stuck" to "unstuck" by identifying negative mindsets that hold us back from moving into new seasons of growth.

Wrapping up the social media series, Michaela and Annemarie McLean share 5 tips to establishing and maintaining healthy social media habits!

You have 2,000 friends on Facebook and 4,500 friends on Instagram, but who do you call when you need someone? In this episode, the Brave & Beautiful team talks about the vital importance of cultivating meaningful relationships face-to-face in the digital age.

Guest Lize Landis joins the Brave & Beautiful team as they dive into how social media affects self concept. From hearing personal stories and practical truths, listeners will be encouraged to anchor their self image in Christ while embracing healthy social media habits.

From body image to number of social media followers, women are notorious for comparing themselves to one another. In this episode, the Brave & Beautiful team dives into how we can cut the comparison and rejoice in the freedom of living in our own unique God-given identity and purpose.