Not My Story: The Epilogue

Sarah invites her husband and Not My Story producer/editor Ben Westfall to join her in this final episode.

Sarah WestfallOctober 14, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, performance, disappointment, changeComment

Ep. 47: Curt Thompson [Art + Ash series]

Psychiatrist and author Curt Thompson returns to talk about the interaction between beauty, longing, and pursuing confessional community.

Sarah WestfallSeptember 22, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, creativity, beauty, art, curiosity, imagination, empathy, compassion, grief, sufferingComment

Ep. 46: Karen Swallow Prior [Art + Ash series]

Reader, writer, and professor Karen Swallow Prior joins Sarah to talk about good literature, art and creativity, rethinking our approach to social media, and more.

Sarah WestfallSeptember 15, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, creativity, beauty, art, curiosity, imagination, empathy, compassionComment

Ep. 45: Rachel Kang [Art + Ash series]

Sarah and Rachel Kang explore what it means to be “creative” in our everyday lives and how perhaps we need to redefine “the creative” within church and culture.

Sarah WestfallSeptember 8, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, creativity, beauty, art, curiosityComment

Ep. 44: Shawn Smucker & Maile Silva [Art + Ash series]

Shawn Smucker and Maile Silva—writers and co-hosts of The Stories Between Us podcast—help Sarah kick off the Art + Ash series with a candid conversation about the creative life.

Sarah WestfallSeptember 1, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, creativity, beauty, art, marriage, comparisonComment

Ep. 43: Finding Freedom within Limits with Ashley Hales

Ashley Hales joins Sarah to talk about the seemingly upside-down freedom she’s found within the goodness of God’s limits.

Sarah WestfallAugust 25, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, community, slow living, soul care, spiritual practicesComment

Ep. 42: The Hunt for Validation with Heather Lobe Johnson

Heather Lobe Johnson tells her story of looking for her worth in external validation, resulting in a string of broken relationships.

Sarah WestfallAugust 18, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, grace, divorce, relationships, community, broken relationshipsComment

Ep. 41: Everyday Grace with Jill E. McCormick

Jill E. McCormick—host of the Grace In Real Life podcast—joins Sarah to talk about her journey being a “try-hard girl” and wrestling with what grace really looks like day in and day out, especially when life did not go as planned.

Sarah WestfallAugust 11, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, graceComment

Ep. 40: Loneliness, Leadership, & the Church with Jay Y. Kim

Pastor and author Jay Y. Kim shares his experience not only leading a church through a pandemic, but also launching a book about the church’s need for physical presence at a time when everything went digital.

Sarah WestfallAugust 4, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, church, loneliness, community, hopeComment

Ep. 39: "Held" with Jodi Grubbs

Jodi’s story offers a glimpse into what it looks like to be pursued by God in the midst of deep grief, to be held even when she didn’t know it.

Sarah WestfallJune 30, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, grief, spouse loss, slow living, soul careComment

Ep. 38: "It's Just Time" with Barry Bender

In this special Father’s Day episode, Sarah welcomes her dad, Barry Bender, to talk about what has and has not gone as expected raising four kids.

Sarah WestfallJune 23, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, parenting, fatherhood, intentionalityComment

Ep. 37: “A Great Pause” with Meredith McDaniel

Meredith McDaniel, licensed counselor and author, sits down with Sarah to talk about the “great pause” of 2020.

Sarah WestfallJune 16, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, mental health, therapy, storytelling, community, grief, curiosityComment

Ep. 36: "Walking through Trauma" with Ryan Kuja

Spiritual director, therapist, and writer Ryan Kuja tells the story about being abducted in Zimbabwe and the resulting trauma he experienced.

Sarah WestfallJune 9, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, mental health, trauma, PTSD, therapyComment

Ep. 35: "Rewrite Your Story" with Latasha Ferguson

Latasha Ferguson—educator and podcast host—shares her story of becoming a teen mom, navigating life as a single parent, and discovering the determined love of God.

Sarah WestfallJune 2, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, single parent, parenthood, grace, purpose, communityComment

Ep. 34: "Grief and Joy Can Coexist" with Catherine Ricketts

Catherine Ricketts, a Philadelphia-based writer and musician, talks about the consecutive loss of both her father and brother, speaking candidly about the different ways grief manifested itself in her life and in her relationship with God.

Sarah WestfallMay 26, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, grief, joy, questionsComment

Ep. 33: “We All Want to be Seen” with Terence Lester

Writer, activist, and founder of Love Beyond Walls, Terence Lester sits down with Sarah to tell a number of stories—from the formation of his not-for-profit organization to his unexpected journey to becoming a communicator.

Sarah WestfallMay 19, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, poverty, homelessness, story, Terence Lester, paying attentionComment

Ep. 32: “Growing Slow” with Jennifer Dukes Lee

Jennifer Dukes Lee, author of Growing Slow, tells the story of how she traded her fast-paced journalistic career in the city for a life on the farm.

Sarah WestfallMay 12, 2021Not My Story, episodes, podcast, unexpected, slow living, slowing down, personal growthComment

Ep. 31: “It’s All Necessary” with John Blase

Pastor-turned-poet and literary agent John Blase tells his story of how an unforeseen season of change disrupted not only his career and family, but also his identity and lens on faith.