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The Polished Podcast

Christian working women, the Polished Podcast is for you. Our show will encourage and equip you to navigate the workplace and explore your faith in authentic community. Kat Armstrong, host of the Polished Podcast, amplifies diverse female voices in career-focused, Christ-centered conversations.
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Now displaying: November, 2019
Nov 29, 2019

Stephanie Allen works as a trust officer for Argent Trust Company, assisting individuals as they navigate the issues surrounding inherited wealth. Prior to joining Argent, Stephanie was a trust officer/assistant vice president at Frost Wealth Advisors in Austin beginning in 2015, but started her career in private law practice as an estate planning and probate attorney. Stephanie earned her law degree from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and a Bachelor of Science from Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas. Additionally, she holds a Master of Laws in Taxation from the University of Alabama. Stephanie is a member of the State Bar of Texas, a member of the Estate Planning Council of Central Texas, serves on the board of the Estate Planning and Probate Section of the Austin Bar Association as its President-Elect, and previously served on the boards of Travis County Women Lawyers and AGE of Central Texas.

Stephanie is one of those unicorns who grew up in Austin and still calls it “home”. She has served as part of the leadership team for Polished-Austin and in various volunteer capacities at her church. An INFP and Enneagram 4w5 (tritype 4-7-1), Stephanie is “all the feels, all the time”, loves all things creative, can overthink and over-research almost anything, is an extroverted-introvert, and an idealist to boot. She enjoys cooking, traveling, reading, singing, collecting craft supplies, playing board/card games with her family, and most of all spending time with her husband of 15 years, Mark, and their two dogs, Mozart and Gretchen.

Connect With Stephanie 

Instagram: @stephillyalongtheway

Vereses

Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

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Nov 29, 2019

Morgan Eseke is passionate about helping all ages of women experience a deep, meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ and to fall in love with God’s Word. She writes about faith, relationships and career at morganeseke.com. Morgan works as a marketing professional and organizational health consultant, helping businesses simplify strategy and craft compelling messages. In 2009, Morgan founded CoffeeTalk in Norman, Oklahoma, a multigenerational mentorship ministry focused on providing biblical wisdom and leadership development for all ages of women. She is currently pursuing a Masters in Christian Education at Dallas Theological Seminary. She and her husband, David, live in Dallas with their two daughters. They are active members of Watermark Community Church.

Connect With Morgan

Instagram: @morganeseke

Website: morganeseke.com

Links From The Show

Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives

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Nov 26, 2019

Nicole Clark is a Texas native who loves Jesus and spends her days as a servant leader. A former back-up dancer, she now uses her experiences in a service environment. Founder of a 501(c)(3) women’s ministry and children's ministry director, Nicole enjoys spending time with her family, reading and learning more about the bible. Nicole lives in Plano, TX with her husband Darren and daughter Delanie.

Connect With Nicole 

Instagram: @nicolehillclark

Links from the Show 

Twelve 12 Ministries

Vereses

Ephesians 2:8-10 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."

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Nov 21, 2019

One way we can push back against consuming chaos is to be there for those close to us who are in the midst of pain and loss. In today’s episode, Kimberly Alexander shares how the presence of her family and friends following her husband’s death was crucial for helping her remain unmoved in the face of devastating loss. Now, Kimberly spends much of her time rallying for others though her cancer awareness advocacy work. Her example shows us that we can use our past trials to comfort others who may be going through similar circumstances. Let’s be women who come together for our friends, families and communities when chaos and loss hits.

Kimberly Alexander is a speaker, cancer advocate, radio show co-host, experience coordinator and author. After losing her husband, NFL linebacker Elijah Alexander to complications due to multiple myeloma in 2010, she decided to dedicate her time to raising awareness about the disease, fundraise for cancer research and serve as a resource for cancer patients and their caregivers.
Alexander was featured on Dateline NBC with Tom Brokaw discussing her life as a cancer caregiver as Brokaw shared his experience with myeloma. She narrated the award-winning health video “Multiple Myeloma in the African American Community”, hosted the Cancer Patient Survival Dinner during the American Society of Hematology convention and has served as a guest panelist for both the Society of Oncology Social Workers, and the Lone Star Blood Cancer Conference. She recently sat on a panel during the National Black Caucus of State Legislators discussing the importance of diversity in clinical trials and in 2014 penned, “Fairytales, Fate and Fortitude” in Dare to be A Difference Maker, a story that chronicles her family’s experience during her husband’s fight with cancer.
With a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder, Alexander is certified in non-profit management and owns a boutique consulting firm called KimCONNECTS. She co-hosts The G.A.M.E. (Golf & More Experience) on 105.3 The Fan, in Dallas, Texas. As a member of the board of trustees for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of North Texas, she serves as the Vice-Chair of Communications. In addition to that role, she is a founding board member of Off the Field, Player’s Wives Association, a non-profit comprised of active and retired NFL wives, where she coordinated projects with Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She also serves on the family advisory board of The Football Players Health Study at Harvard University, which focuses on improving the health of football players after leaving the NFL.

Connect With Kimberly

Instagram: @thekimalexander

Vereses

2 Corinthians 1:2-5 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."

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Nov 19, 2019

Embodying home cooking at its finest, Melissa d’Arabian
naturally connects with today’s diverse families to offer
unique yet relatable food and lifestyle solutions that are
part of a bigger story about how to eat well, be a mindful
consumer, and spend with purpose. d’Arabian won
season 5 of “The Next Food Network Star”, subsequently
hosted “Ten Dollar Dinners”, and is the New York Times
bestselling author of Ten Dollar Dinners: 140 Recipes and
Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week.
Melissa and her family live just outside San Diego.

Connect With Melissa 

Instagram: @melissadarabian

Links from the Show 

Buy Melissa's new book! 

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Nov 14, 2019

Have you ever been angry with God or felt beyond frustrated that you couldn’t control a painful situation? Nothing can make us feel more chaotic than when we are totally unable to control a specific situation, person or even what’s happening to our own bodies. In today’s episode, Bren shares about how she learned to totally relinquish control to God when faced with difficult circumstances in her life including cancer and infertility.

Born and raised here in Dallas, Bren has never had to stray far from her hometown to find God’s plans for her. Her very favorite “things” big D has brought her are her husband of 25 years, Greg, and their daughter Jordan who attends TCU in Ft Worth. Bren graduated from SMU with a degree in music & vocal performance. Her musical background spans several genres and has allowed her to share the stage with everyone from local radio personalities, to Tony nominated artists, to Bob Hope, and LeAnn Rimes.

Bren’s early music career was heavily focused in Regional Theater, where she performed roles such as Christine in Phantom, Mary in Jesus Christ Super Star, Magnolia in Showboat and Marion in The Music Man.

Along the way, Bren has had her share of heartaches and challenges; from infertility and miscarriages, to a long battle with cancer. The Lord, however, has been gracious to give her many avenues to use her gifts to share of His faithfulness. While she has a deep love for musical theater, Bren could never escape her love for singing other genres and for leading worship. Those loves paired with her desire to encourage, shepherd and lead others inspired her to branch out into teaching, speaking, leading worship, and performing other events.

Bren has been a private vocal coach for 24 years, teaching students ranging in age from 6 to 66. She has served as a speaker or worship leader for events at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, Park Cities Presbyterian Church, Northwest Bible Church, UT Southwestern Medical School, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Trinity Christian Academy, Leadership Formation International, Fellowship of Christian Women, & Dallas Theological Seminary.

She served at Northwest Bible Church as a Worship Leader for 13 years and served as the Choir and Vocal Director there for 6 of those years.

While Bren continues to enjoy speaking and singing at different events, as well as teaching voice lessons, she has added yet another title to her list! She is enjoying her 9th season as a Personal Cabi Stylist. As you’ll hear from her, she never dreamed that “personal stylist” would be a title on her resume, but she is so grateful she followed the Lord’s nudging to say yes to that. She is enjoying every moment of this unexpected, soul-filling, joy-giving opportunity to connect with and serve women right where they are.

Bren’s story is one of enduring sickness and health, experiencing heartache and joy, and facing uncertainty with an unchanging, unmovable, FAITHFUL God. Whether it’s through her music, her words, or her cabi clothing, Bren’s mission is to help women to find joy, beauty and strength not only in WHO they are, but also in WHOSE they are… peace by piece.

Connect With Bren 

Instagram:@peace.by.piece

Website: Bren Jones Cabi 

Verses

Psalm 40:1-4 "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods."

2 Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Isaiah 55:11 "so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do.” 

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment"

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Nov 12, 2019

Sometimes chaos comes into our lives in the form of a sudden and devastating event. We know a heartbreaking event can throw a life into chaos in an instant. Maybe you lost your job, your home or a loved one. It looks different for each of us, but we have all experienced some kind of tragedy in our lives. Neisha Byrd is no stranger to heartbreak as she has lost both of her husband and son. In today’s episode, Neisha shares her story of loss and how she chooses to continue to live a full life despite her pain. We can all learn something about how to navigate the chaos of loss through Neisha’s story. We know loss can feel so isolating, but know you aren’t alone.

Neisha Byrd was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin lived there for nine years. Then moved to Illinois for seven years.  In 1983 with her parents she moved to Dallas, Texas. Where she attended College and worked alongside her parents in their family business.

Neisha has a divine gift of nurturing and has spent the last 19 years supporting the staff and being “School Mom” to the students, as Administrative Assistant at Trinity Christian School in Cedar Hill, Texas for nineteen years.

Neisha is a champion for Transformation and works tirelessly to be an example on how to live out the Word of God on a daily basis. Her mission is to empower others  to see themselves loved by the Father and walk out their full potential in God. She has traveled as far as Scotland and India sharing her life story.

Neisha was the devoted wife of Wendell Byrd(2018) for over 26 years and loving mother of  Cameron(2015) and Cailyn her 23 year old daughter ACU graduate She currently resides in DeSoto, Texas.

Connect With Neisha

Instagram: @mabyrd17

Website: www.neishabyrd.com

Links From The Show 

Hope Mansion Dancing with the Stars 

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Nov 7, 2019

Resilience. Sometimes a part of remaining unmoved in chaos is remaining resilient in the face of a devastating event or daily turmoil. In today’s episode, our guest Lucy Gore shares her story of immigrating to the United States and how God was present as she created a home in a new country despite the many challenges she faced. Let us tell you that every part of Lucy Gore’s story embodies resilience in spite of hardship and reliance on a God who saw her even when she was alone with tears streaming down her face. The best news? The same God who saw Lucy everyday sees and loves you too. 

Lucy's parents moved her and her sisters from Mexico to Texas in July 1995. Shortly after they arrived they were told her parents were getting a divorce. They were not on vacation (as every summer before!) but they were here to stay. Lucy enrolled in high school as a freshman knowing zero English. 4 years later she graduated top 3% of her class. Lucy was accepted to Texas A&M and given a scholarship, unfortunately she could not attend since she did not have a social security #. She ended up going to Mountain View College while she worked to pay for school.

After a few jobs here and there, Lucy joined Edward Jones in 2011, opening her practice in Farmers Branch. She is an active member of the community. Lucy started a charity run in 2005 that collects toys for children at local hospitals. She is an marathon runner and a self-proclaimed triathlete. Lucy currently serve on the Board of Directors for Metrocrest Services.

Lucy lives in Farmers Branch with her husband and 2 crazy daughters, a 5 and a 2 year old.

Connect With Lucy

Instagram: @_lucyg_

Vereses

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

 

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Nov 5, 2019

Do you ever feel like quitting when things seem completely overwhelming and confusing? You aren’t alone. The reality is that we all have chaos and confusion in our lives. Our relationships and circumstances are in constant flux which often leaves us grasping for stability in some part of our lives. Trust us. Our guest today, @jessiccahonegger, knows what chaos and confusion feels like on a deeply personal level. In today’s episode, Jessica shares about how she has navigated unexpected personal and professional chaos in what was supposed to be a year of pure success. And yet, despite all of the unexpected craziness, Jessica didn’t give up. You’ll feel like Jessica is right there with you as she graciously tells us how to find peace in the midst of the chaos of our lives. 

Jessica Honegger is an award-winning social entrepreneur and author of the book Imperfect Courage: Live a Life of Purpose by Leaving Comfort and Going Scared. Honegger is the founder and co-CEO of Noonday Collection, a fast-growing social impact fashion brand dedicated to designing and selling an inspired collection of jewelry and accessories made by Artisans in vulnerable communities across the globe. By harnessing a passionate community of social entrepreneurs called Ambassadors who sell Noonday’s accessories at Trunk Shows in their communities, Noonday sustains dignified jobs for over 4,500 Artisans. Noonday Collection was featured in Inc. magazine’s 2015 list of the 5,000 fastest growing companies in America at number 45. In 2017, Honegger was awarded the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Central Texas. When Imperfect Courage was released in 2018, it ranked in the top 50 on Amazon, and at #24 on the Publisher’s Weekly list for non-fiction books.

Connect With Jessica 

Instagram: @jessicahonegger

Website: www.jessiccahonegger.com

Links From The Show 

Noonday Collection 

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