Leading Girls With Wynter And Courtney

Founder of Treasured, Courtney DeFeo, is moving into a "season of rest" due to her recent diagnosis of Chiari Malformation. Listen in as Paula Faris interviews Courtney about this decision to leave her current vocation and move into a new season despite fear. Paula is a wife, mom, author, journalist, podcaster and champion of others. In her recent book, Called Out, Paula shares her own journey of burn out and physical breakdowns from her time at ABC News and The View. She knows the peace that comes with seeking your true calling.  

Amy is a single mom of 3 teenagers. (Prayers are always welcomed!) Her greatest joy in life comes from her three kids, Jadyn, Pierce and Blaze and the crazy fun life they live in Franklin, TN. Amy works with Orange, a company based in Atlanta providing coaching, support and resources for churches and non-profits. She wears several hats there as an Orange Specialist and Executive Director of Orange VBS. Amy has been in Kid's ministry for almost 30 years. (She obviously started when she was 4 years old.) Her favorite things are time with her friends and family, eating good Mexican food, finding the best pizza and Amy swears it all tastes better if consumed while on vacation at the beach or in the mountains! Her two favorite places to escape to when she can find time. 

Cheryl Scruggs and her husband Jeff run a marriage ministry together based out of the Dallas area called Hope Matters Marriage Ministries. They are individual counselors, public speakers and co-authors of I Do Again. Cheryl is also the founder and host of the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast.

Toni was born and raised in Houston, Texas but now resides in Atlanta, the city she now calls home with her husband Sam and daughter Dylan. With a degree in business logistics and entrepreneurship, she has used her talents to help ministries, leaders, and non-profits in the areas of student ministry, creative marketing, leadership, innovation, strategic planning, and diversity and inclusion. Toni kills illusions. She confronts the hard things. She takes her challenges head on, then she takes on your challenges too. She’s a speaker, a host, a teacher, and a faith advocate. She’s had the opportunity to proudly stand on stages like North Point Community Church, Chick-fil-A, Orange Conference, and MomCon. She’s also the founder of a women’s ministry brand called Broken Crayons Still Color that helps to reinspire confidence in your own potential. And, in this digital age of anxiety, Toni is teaching people all over the country that you can be broken and worthy and unqualified and still called to do great things .

Through the “Mentor 4 Moms" Podcast and the relatable style found in her book  “The Intentional Parent: Parenting On Purpose When Life Gets Busy" you can get a sense of Susan’s heart to provide encouragement to moms combined with helpful practical tools. As a wife and mom to 7, she truly understands the challenges of trying to be an Intentional Parent. Susan has been a mentor to women locally in Austin, TX, and Internationally for over a decade. To find out more, visit her website - SusanSeay.com

Ashley Nolan is a wife to Jon and mom of three in the Atlanta area. She is passionate about her role as a consultant with Beautycounter and enjoys encouraging alternative health & living solutions to many. She also enjoys sharing her adoption journey, her passion for orphans and those affected by AIDS, by bringing dignity and honor to these overlooked groups. If she’s not driving carpool or enduring a migraine, you can find her covered in dirt and sweat at the barn riding horses. You can connect with Ashley at @ashleygnolan on Instagram or ashleygnolan@gmail.com.

Jamie Sumner​ has written for the “New York Times” and the “Washington Post,” among many other publications. She is the author of the nonfiction book on motherhood, “Unbound,” and the middle-grade novel, “Roll with It.” She is also a mom to a son with cerebral palsy, and she writes and speaks about disability in literature. She loves stories that celebrate the grit and beauty in all kids. She and her family live in Nashville, Tenn. Visit her at​ ​www.jamie-sumner.com​.

Kirsten is a disciple, mommy of seven and wife to Benjamin Watson (retired NFL football player after 16 seasons). Together, they founded the One More Foundation devoted to spreading the love and hope of Christ to One More soul by meeting real needs, promoting education and providing enrichment opportunities. You can learn more about the Watson family at thewatsonseven.com or follow Kirsten at @_kirstenwatson_.

On this Memorial Day, we are honoring our fallen heroes - and the families they leave behind. Ginger Gilbert Ravella and Rachel Faulkner Brown share their stories of walking the widow's journey and how to walk children through the stages and seasons of grief Visit treasuredgirlz.com to connect with these amazing women and their ministries to support other widows.

Jeremy Cowart is an award-winning photographer, artist, and entrepreneur whose goal in life is to use his creative platform to inspire and help others. Jeremy is a sought-after speaker, having presented at TEDx, the United Nations and creative conferences across the country. His latest endeavor is The Purpose Hotel, a planned global for profit hotel chain designed to fuel the work of not-for-profit organizations. He’s also the founder of a global photography movement, Help-Portrait and an online teaching platform, See University. The story of all of these projects is told in his brand new book “I’m Possible: Jumping into Fear and Discovering a Life of Purpose. He lives in Franklin, TN with his wife and four children.

Jodie Berndt is the author of nine books, including the bestselling Praying the Scriptures series for Children, Teens, and Adult Children. A speaker, Bible teacher, and former television personality, Jodie’s heart is to equip parents to lead lives marked by purpose, grace, and joy. Find Jodie’s blogs, videos, and printable prayer resources at jodieberndt.com or follow her on Instagram @jodie_berndt. She and her husband, Robbie, have four adult children.    

Annie Agarwal is a wife and mom who loves Jesus and desires to use her life to encourage others to step into a relationship with Him. She has a degree in Elementary Education from Florida State University, where she also met her husband Rahul. After marrying, they attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary together, where they both earned their Masters of Divinity in Christian Education.For 11 years, they served in college ministry, pouring into the lives of students and challenging them to follow hard after Jesus. During this time, Annie was also a photographer and the coordinator of her local church's mom's ministry. For 7 years, Annie led moms to connect with one another and with Christ, discovering a passion to see moms parent with grace and intentionality. Three years ago, the Agarwal family relocated to Georiga, where her husband is now on staff at Gwinnett Church. Annie currently creates the content and manages social media for Treasured Girlz, is a contract writer for Lifeway, photographs sweet

Melanie Shankle writes regularly at The Big Mama blog and is the New York Times bestselling author of On the Bright Side (Zondervan). Melanie is a graduate of Texas A&M and loves writing, shopping at Target, checking to see what’s on sale at Anthropologie and trying to find the lighter side in every situation. Most of all, she loves being the mother of Caroline, the wife of Perry and the official herder of two wild dogs named Piper and Mabel. The five of them live in San Antonio, Texas. Kelli is the best friend of Treasured Girlz' host, Courtney DeFeo.

Jonathan Pitts is an author, speaker, and the executive pastor at Church of the City in Franklin,Tennessee. He previously served as the executive director at the Urban Alternative, the national ministry of Dr. Tony Evans. Jonathan has co-authored two books alongside of his late wife, Wynter Pitts. He is also President and co-founder of For Girls Like You Ministries, an equipping and resourcing ministry for tween girls and their parents.Jonathan is the father off our daughters. His oldest daughter is actress, author and vocalist Alena Pitts. He was blessed with fifteen intentional years of marriage to Wynter.

Amy grew up in Atlanta, Georgia and spent “the best four years of her life” on the plains as an Auburn Tiger. She has spent time in the classroom teaching kindergarten, second grade and third grade. In addition to her classroom teaching career, she has also taught etiquette classes for both boys and girls. After 20 years in the classroom and 19 years teaching etiquette classes, Amy says, “I love teaching children some of the basic rules of etiquette, but I know that helping them develop their inside character is what matters most. I want to join with parents in helping children understand that while it is important to know how to act in social situations, nothing can replace kindness, compassion and gentleness.” She began working on developing a curriculum that integrated etiquette AND the character qualities found in Colossians 3:12. Her hope is that each lesson will help children and teens learn the basics of proper etiquette while also helping them incorporate these qualities in their lives (and she finds

Kaitlyn, Camryn and Olivia Pitts are young collaborating authors from a ministry family of authors. They are the sisters of actress, author and vocalist, Alena Pitts, and daughters of the late author and founder of ​For Girls Like You​ magazine, Wynter Pitts. They each have their own creative energy, spunk and talents that they use together to entertain, inspire and engage young girls, just like them. Each of the sisters lend their voice and talents to the family ministry as executive producers of ​For Girls Like You​ magazine. Most recently, their lives have inspired the story and books in ​The Daniels Sisters​ series, with each of their personalities being captured for the characters of Ansley, Ashton and Amber, respectively. They live with their dad, pastor, author and speaker, Jonathan Pitts in Franklin, TN.

BECKY THOMPSON is the author of the books My Real Story, Truth Unchanging, Hope Unfolding, and Love Unending and speaks frequently to the issues of balancing life as a wife, mother, and daughter of God. She is the founder of the Midnight Mom Devotional Facebook page and is also known to millions as the author of BeckyThompson.com (formerly Scissortail SILK), a blog that reaches a global audience of readers in need of hope, healing, and the Father's love. A recent transplant to the Nashville area, she lives there with her husband, Jared, and their three young children. For more information, visit www .beckythompson.com. SUSAN PITTS lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, Marc. They have been married for 40 years and together host conferences and events, ministering across the state. Pitts spends much of her time as the Midnight Mom Devotional prayer director, praying for the thousands of requests that come in from around the world. She has two adult daughters and three grandchildren. In her free time, Pitts e

JENNIE ALLEN is the founder and visionary behind IF:Gathering, an organization that equips women with gospel-centered resources, events, and community so they may learn more about who God is and dis­ciple others. Through simulcast and live events, IF has reached more than one million women in nearly two hundred countries and has seven thousand women leading in-person gatherings around the world.  A sought-after speaker, Allen has taught at Women of Faith, Catalyst, Q Conference, and SEND (North American Mission Board), as well as in some of the largest churches in North America. She is the author of several books and study guides, including Restless, Anything, and the national bestseller Nothing to Prove. She is also the host of the new “Made for This” podcast, which has already 2 million downloads in six months. Allen has a master’s degree in biblical studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. She and her husband, Zac, live in Dallas, Texas, with their children. For more information, visit www.jennieallen.c

Kristen is the Executive Director of Messaging at Orange (The reThink Group,Inc.) and the Co-Founder and Director of The Phase Project. She and her husband Matt are currently parenting their three amazing children through the phases. Before beginning her career at Orange in 2006, Kristen earned her bachelors of education from Baylor University in 2004 and a Master of Divinity from Mercer University in 2009. She worked in the public school system as a high school Biology and English teacher where she learned firsthand the joy and importance of influencing the next generation. At Orange, Kristen has played an integral role in the development of the elementary, middle school, andhigh school curriculums and has shared herexperiences at speaking events across the country. Kristen is the co-host of the Parent Cue Live, a weekly podcast for parents. She is also the co-author of twenty-four books, including her latest release: 18-part Phase Guides series.

Courtney DeFeo shares some encouragement and tips about your daughter's FAITH! This is an area moms desire for their daughters to grow - but can also seem daunting and overwhelming. Tune into this episode for perspective and practical advice around this common topic for tweens. In addition, Courtney will share some lessons learned from the Treasured Study and this final session for the girls.