Podcast Summary:

GPS: God. People. Stories.
Episode: Torrie’s Story: From Miscarriages to Influencer Mom of Four
Date: November 3, 2025
Host: Jim Kirkland, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
Guest: Tori Jarrett

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Tori Jarrett's deeply personal journey—from childhood faith and struggles with perfectionism as a pastor’s kid, through years of infertility and devastating miscarriages, to becoming a mother of four and a Christian influencer. By honestly sharing her pain and faith walk, Tori demonstrates how God’s presence can bring authentic joy and healing, even in life’s darkest valleys. Her story offers hope to anyone yearning for peace and happiness beyond life’s circumstances.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Faith and Perfectionism (01:36–04:33)

• Tori’s Childhood Conversion:
  At five, Tori felt a strong conviction to give her life to Christ but waited to publicly profess it per her parents’ advice.
  • (“I'm like, it's Wednesday. Today is salvation day...I'm gonna die right now and go to hell...Please, God, don't make me wait till tonight. Like, I believe you. I love you. Like, please save me right now.” — Tori, 02:07-02:29)
• Perfectionism as a Pastor's Kid:
  Grew up feeling pressure to appear perfect, hiding her family’s financial struggles and thrifted clothes from friends.
  • “I clung to perfectionism...We thrifted, and I hid that. I didn't want anyone to know...” (Tori, 03:34)

2. Relationship with God’s Plan vs. “Perfect Life” (04:33–06:30)

• Marriage List:
  Tori wrote and prayed over an idealized husband checklist in her teens, realizing later it was motivated by surface perfection, not God’s guidance.
• Meeting Her Husband:
  When she surrendered her plans and focused on loving God, she met Brenton. Four kids were a non-negotiable for her before marriage.

3. Infertility and First Miracles (06:04–08:09)

• Struggling to Conceive:
  Years of negative pregnancy tests shook Tori’s faith and plans, pushing her to depend wholly on God.
  • (“Every month felt like a year. So I had no choice but to go and take it all to the Lord.” — Tori, 06:04)
• Medical Odds:
  Doctors said Brenton’s injury gave only a 50% chance, but with prayer, they conceived. Tori saw this as God inviting her to long for Him, as He once had before blessing her with a husband.

4. Blogging, Home, and Disillusionment with Perfection (08:09–09:49)

• God’s Prompting to Share:
  As her family and home grew, Tori sensed God urging her to share their journey publicly.
• Launching Willowbrook Farm Life Blog:
  Brenton’s emotional support encouraged her to “go live” with her honest storytelling.
• Perfection vs. Reality:
  Moving into their dream home shattered her illusion of perfection—she felt small and unsettled, signaling more spiritual work ahead.
  • “I designed perfection. First night there, perfection is shattering.” (Tori, 09:15)

5. Miscarriages & Grief—Sharing in the Darkness (09:55–13:04)

• First Miscarriage:
  Tori lost her third pregnancy at ten weeks, feeling isolated in her supposed “dream” home.
  • (“How am I supposed to write a story about just how beautiful God is when I'm living in absolute darkness?” — Tori, 10:19)
• Processing Trauma:
  Describes the lonely, harrowing miscarriage and lingering physical/emotional pain.
• Sharing Publicly:
  Blog post on miscarriage resulted in heartfelt reactions; women confided decades-old secrets of loss, breaking generational silence.
  • “So many people poured their heart out to me...your story was so real, because 50 years later, I'm still grieving.” (Tori, 11:51)

6. Surrender, Hope, and “Beacon Meadow” (12:13–13:31)

• Discovering Shared Pain:
  Tori realized how “isolating darkness” keeps people from joy; openly giving her pain to Jesus led to healing and renewed hope.
• A “Beacon” in the Darkness:
  Conceived her daughter, “Beacon Meadow,” in her lowest moment, symbolizing a light in a peaceful place.

7. Second Miscarriage and Seemingly Lost Hope (13:04–16:51)

• Relapsing into Control:
  After Beacon, Tori again tried to control the future (doctors, fertility clinics), quickly conceiving but feeling unsettled.
• Second Miscarriage & Medical Finality:
  The loss came with painful news: Brenton couldn’t father more children. Tori’s dreams felt crushed.

8. A Sign in the Magnolia Tree (15:06–16:51)

• Moment of Divine Assurance:
  Distraught, she saw for the first time blooms on the memorial tree for her lost child. Three open blooms—her three children—two unopened buds (“they will never open,” God told her), and a fifth with a slip of white (“that one's coming”).
  • (“That one's coming...just hang on to me through this journey because you're going to have that fourth baby. But it's on my time, not yours.” — Tori, 16:25)
• Fourth Child Conceived:
  Two weeks later, she learned she was pregnant. Her fourth child is now four years old.

9. Ministry, Influence, and Embracing Authenticity (16:51–18:07)

• Writing and Speaking:
  Tori published a book to show “what God really said about miscarriage” and began public speaking.
• Shifting Her Social Media:
  Rebranded to share prayers, scriptures, and reality of daily joy instead of curated perfection.
  • “For me, I was like, I need to be real...at the end of the day, it wasn't really thrift finds, it was Jesus." (Tori, 17:39)

10. Finding Joy and Encouraging Others (18:07–21:17)

• Practical Joy:
  Tori now radiates God’s joy through daily life—singing, dancing, praising in small moments—and guides others to do the same.
  • “We can wake up with Jesus and have church in our kitchen every single day.” (Tori, 18:07)
• Billy Graham’s Reflection:
  True happiness is possible “regardless of circumstances” because it comes from peace with Christ, not external conditions.
  • "Happiness does not depend on circumstances. If you make serenity and happiness depend on outward circumstances, then you are destined for disappointment...” (Billy Graham, 01:04, 19:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tori, on Surrender and Salvation:
  “So I come out in the stall, center out of the stall, right? Washed by the blood, Like, I'm straight up saved when I go out.” (02:29)
• On Grief and Transparency:
  “50 years later, I’m still grieving that I never told anyone about ... your story was so real.” (Tori sharing others’ reactions, 11:51)
• On Surrendering Suffering:
  “Every time I would lay something at Jesus’s feet...I just started seeing God work in my life in a different way.” (Tori, 12:18)
• God’s Personal Assurance:
  “These are the three that you have...Keep looking...that one's coming.” (Tori, recounting her moment under the magnolia tree, 15:53–16:25)
• On Real Joy:
  “Joy is so attainable and people don’t believe that...We can wake up with Jesus and have church in our kitchen every single day.” (Tori, 18:07)
• Advice to Listeners:
  “Lean on God and He will get you through anything. You can find joy through the darkest, hardest moments, but they are not found within ourselves. It’s 100% found within Jesus and spending time with Him.” (Tori, 21:17)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Salvation Story & Perfectionism: 01:36–04:33
• Courtship & Surrendering Plans: 04:33–06:30
• Infertility Journey: 06:04–08:09
• Blog Launch & Perfection Shattered: 08:09–09:49
• First Miscarriage: 10:19–12:13
• The Magnolia Tree Revelation: 15:06–16:51
• Fourth Child’s Birth & Ministry Expansion: 16:51–18:07
• Encouraging Others to Find Joy: 18:07–21:17

Concluding Thoughts

Tori Jarrett’s story weaves together candor, heartbreak, and unshakeable faith. Listeners are gently shown that true joy is possible in the midst of pain, not because of “perfect” circumstances, but because of a growing reliance on Christ. Her journey defies typical “influencer” narratives, replacing curated images with authentic, raw spiritual truth and hope. The episode encourages everyone to lean on God, share their stories, and find peace and joy, even after loss.

Final Takeaway (from Tori, 21:17):

“Anybody that hears anything from the story, I hope that they find redemption is always found sitting at Jesus’ feet, not bowing down to anxiety, not bowing down to our circumstances, but working through those things and finding joy through all the pain.”