Episode 39: Breaking the Cycle of Sexual Exploitation

David Peterka, Founder and Executive Director of When the Saints, a trauma safe home in Malawi for girls who've been rescued from sexual exploitation, joins me on Episode 39 of The All Gifts Podcast.

Listen to learn how God broke the cycle of pornography addiction and the objectification of women in his life and how this led to the gift of rehabilitation. Not just for the girls impacted by sexual exploitation in Malawi but for their oppressors as well. A fascinating and inspiring story!

Breaking Cycles, Relationship with GodPandora VillasenorOctober 10, 2021god, podcast, jesus, self help, therapy Comment

Episode 36: Breaking the Cycle of Worry: The Pause and Praise

We’ve all heard that we should surrender our cares to God. But when it comes to our deepest desires and fears, it is easier said than done. I could do it only after I’d exhausted all other methods. Too weary to go on, all I could do was stop. God is showing me that what we do during these pauses is critical.

Breaking CyclesPandora VillasenorAugust 22, 2021God, podcast, Jesus, self-help, inspirational, spiritualComment

Episode 33: Breaking the Cycle of Silence

Whether you're a war veteran or abuse survivor, staying silent keeps us from the very thing that could aide our healing and recovery, connection to others. It can also create generational cycles of managing pain through dysfunctional or maladaptive means. Here I talk with author Peyton Garland about how the message “Silence is Strength” gets passed down through generations. Let's break those cycles!

Episode 32: How do you choose a career that’s right for you?

Did you spend your childhood envisioning yourself “making it" only to grow up and realize you didn’t know how? In this episode I share my first step on the path of discovering the right career for me. Maybe it will inspire your next right step in choosing the right career.

Breaking CyclesPandora VillasenorJuly 10, 2021career, goals, redefine success, God, podcastComment

Episode 31: What is a Cycle Breaker?

A cycle breaker is someone who sees a destructive pattern in their family and intentionally decides to break the cycle. I am a cycle breaker.

Episode 26: Are emotional wounds affecting your life?

In Episode 26 of The All Gifts Podcast, psychologist Alison Cook, PhD joins me to discuss how childhood wounds can show up in our spiritual walks and relationship with God. Alison is a counselor, a speaker, and co-author of the book Boundaries for Your Soul.

RecoveryPandora VillasenorApril 12, 2021emotional processing, therapy, healing, wounds, God, podcast, Jesus, inspirationalComment

Episode 25: How to Spot a Toxic Work Environment

In Episode 25 of The All Gifts Podcast, Jenn Whitmer, speaker, coach, writer, and self-professed “Joy-bringer,” joins me to discuss toxic work environments: how to spot them and how to deal with them without losing your joy in the process.

EmpowermentPandora VillasenorApril 5, 2021therapy, God, podcast, Jesus, self help, inspirational Comments

Episode 23: How to Own Your Story

If you’ve been through any kind of toxic situation whether it was a relationship or a certain work or living environment and you want to learn how to find the gifts in that, how to not only survive it but thrive because of it, then you’ll want to tune into this season. We will look at narcissistic, toxic people and situations. How to spot them and how to deal with them.

Spiritual Identity Part 3 of 3: Don’t Get Religious on Me

This is the third episode in a three-part series called Spiritual Identity that explores deconstruction and inclusivity. Not everyone who listens to The All Gifts Podcast is a Christian. I hope to make it a welcoming space for anyone. So, in the spirit of inclusivity, in this episode, I demystify and define some common Christian religious terminology and concepts.

Spiritual Identity Part 1 of 3: Don’t Call Me a Christian

Since I started The All Gifts Podcast, I’ve noticed that I cringe when I hear myself say I’m a Christian. I’ve even found myself saying, “All Gifts isn’t a Christian podcast.”

Being someone who sees the value in being self-aware and of course, vigilant about my relationship with God, I wanted to understand why. Why was I distancing myself from Christianity?

DeconstructionPandora VillasenorFebruary 21, 2021deconstruction, anti-rascist, anti-rascism, nationalism, God, podcast, Jesus, self help, inspirational, therapyComment

How to Love Your In-Laws

This episode of The All Gifts Podcast is about the touchy topic of mothers and daughters in law. Joining me for the conversation is my daughter-in-law, Heaven Dampier. Heaven and I share our perspectives of what it was like to feel the tension between us, what we did about it, and the gifts we now have.

How to Find Purpose in Your Pain

When I wrote All Gifts, my memoir, I realized that everything that had happened in my life, even the hard and the painful, had been a gift. In my blog and in The All Gifts Podcast I explore this concept further. How do some people not only face insurmountable challenges also look back at those challenges with gratitude?

Relationship with GodPandora VillasenorDecember 26, 2020God, podcast, Jesus, self help, meditation, prayer, inspirational Comments

How do you control your anger?

In this episode, I talk to my youngest son, Evan, about anger. His wisdom belies his twenty-three years. You’ll want to listen and learn how he went from explosive anger to gifts of love and grace. As the conversation evolves, you might discover, as I did, how anger has been a gift in your life.