Podcast
Raising Godly Girls
Hosted by American Heritage Girls · EN
For over 30 years, American Heritage Girls® has come alongside families and youth ministry leaders in offering Christ-centered, girl-focused character development. Through the Raising Godly Girls® Podcast, presented by American Heritage Girls, listeners get to tap into the advice that seasoned AHG leaders have gleaned over three decades of ministering to girls. Plus, hear from industry experts with solutions to a broad range of issues impacting today's girls. Get Biblically-sound and actionable tips from fellow parents, volunteers, and thought leaders on how to raise up a girl after God's own heart.
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Episodes
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Ep. 404 - Gospel Relationships, Hard Conversations & Healing Joy with Willow Weston
2d ago00:42:04Tap to summarizeHealthy, Gospel-centered relationships don't happen by accident—they are built intentionally, season by season, conversation by conversation. In this heartfelt episode of the Raising Godly Girls Podcast, Natalie Ambrose welcomes author and speaker Willow Weston for a powerful conversation about the lifelong value of Christ-centered relationships in a girl's life. From childhood to adulthood, the voices that surround our daughters—parents, mentors, friends, and church community—help shape their understanding of identity, truth, repentance, joy, and healing. Together, Natalie and Willow explore why it's so important to have hard conversations early and often. Whether discussing technology boundaries, sexuality, cultural pressures, or addressing unhealthy sin patterns, avoiding these topics doesn't protect our girls—loving, honest dialogue does. Willow offers practical encouragement for parents who long to speak truth with grace and build trust that lasts. But this episode isn't only about difficult conversations. It's also about laughter, joy, and the healing power of the Gospel. Willow shares how delight and holy humor can help break generational cycles of fear, shame, and silence—creating homes where daughters feel safe, known, and deeply loved. If you are raising a daughter in today's complex world, this conversation will remind you that you are not alone. God is still writing stories of redemption. And He is raising up a generation of girls who will lead with courage, compassion, and unwavering faith in Christ. Scriptures Referenced in This Episode: Deuteronomy 6:6–7 Ephesians 4:15 Psalm 126:2–3 2 Timothy 1:5 Proverbs 27:17 To learn more about Willow Weston's work in ministry, visit willowweston.com Visit raisinggodlygirls.com for more encouragement and faith-based parenting tools. Learn how to find or start an American Heritage Girls Troop in your community at americanheritagegirls.org.
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Ep. 403 – Learning to Change the Family Tree with a Gospel Future in Mind
4d ago00:23:55Tap to summarizeFor many Christian families, following Jesus means more than attending church or embracing a set of values—it means courageously changing the trajectory of an entire family tree. In this powerful episode of the Raising Godly Girls Podcast, co-hosts Rachael Culpepper and Natalie Ambrose explore what it looks like to parent through a first-generation Gospel focus and trust God to break cycles of sin, dysfunction, and unhealthy patterns for the sake of future generations. Natalie reflects on the transformative faith of her grandmother, who came to know Christ at age 40 while raising four children on a working farm. Though she lacked support in many ways, her steadfast devotion to Jesus reshaped the spiritual legacy of her family. Through simple yet profound moments—like encouraging a young Natalie to lift her hands in worship—God used one woman's obedience to alter the course of generations to come. This episode compassionately acknowledges the reality that many parents are navigating family histories marked by pain, brokenness, addiction, unhealthy relationship patterns, or spiritual confusion. While psychology and counseling can provide valuable tools for understanding behavior, only the Gospel offers the power to truly transform hearts. Through Christ, families are not condemned to repeat the sins of the past. Listeners will also hear an encouraging Raising Godly Girls Minute from AHG Founder & Executive Director Emeritus Patti Garibay, reminding parents that generational sin is not a formula destined to replay itself forever. Through a new identity in Christ and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, old patterns can be confronted, surrendered, and replaced with a new way of living rooted in truth and grace. Rachael and Natalie offer practical encouragement for parents who sense God leading their families in a different direction. Building a Gospel-centered home may bring opposition, misunderstandings, or difficult conversations with loved ones. Yet Scripture reminds us that when our lives are firmly established on the foundation of Christ, we can stand secure through every storm. As Christian parents, we have the privilege of modeling repentance, humility, perseverance, and hope for our daughters. Whether you are the first believer in your family, navigating complicated relationships with extended family members, or simply seeking to establish stronger Christ-centered rhythms in your home, this conversation serves as a reminder that God's redemptive work reaches across generations. He wastes nothing, redeems what is broken, and faithfully writes new stories of grace. Two Things to Remember: Keep your focus and your foundation firmly rooted in Jesus Christ. Even when opposition comes, resolve to pray, move, and speak with grace so others may encounter the transforming hope of the Gospel through your family's example. Scriptures Referenced: 2 Corinthians 5:17 Hebrews 12:1 Matthew 7:24–27 1 Timothy 2:4 Visit raisinggodlygirls.com for more encouragement and faith-based parenting tools. Learn how to find or start an American Heritage Girls Troop in your community at americanheritagegirls.org.
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Ep. 402 – Why Sweeping Conflict Under the Rug Packs Emotional Baggage for Your Girl
6d ago00:26:32Tap to summarizeConflict is inevitable in family life—but what if the way we handle it today shapes the legacy our daughters carry into tomorrow? In this episode of Raising Godly Girls, co-hosts Rachael Culpepper and Natalie Ambrose tackle the family habits we often "sweep under the rug" when tension arises. From avoiding difficult conversations to repeating unhealthy patterns passed down through generations, they explore how parents can choose a different path—one marked by honesty, humility, and healing through Christ. Drawing from the wisdom of AHG Founder & Executive Director Emeritus Patti Garibay, this conversation offers hope to moms who long to break cycles of silence, resentment, or unresolved hurt. Through Patti's beautiful analogy of stitching together fabric, listeners are reminded that the thread woven through a family's story matters. While unhealthy patterns can weaken relationships over time, God specializes in restoring what has been broken, strengthening families through His redeeming work. Natalie and Rachael share practical encouragement for navigating conflict with girls of every age—from creating space for respectful conversations to modeling repentance, forgiveness, and grace within the home. Together, they discuss how healthy confrontation can actually deepen trust and connection when approached with love and a desire for reconciliation. As parents, we have the opportunity to show our daughters that apologizing sincerely, extending forgiveness genuinely, and choosing humility are not signs of weakness—they are reflections of Christ at work in us. If you've ever wondered whether the difficult places in your family's story can be redeemed, this episode is a reminder that Jesus truly makes all things new. You don't have to continue carrying the same "threads" that have been handed down through generations. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can cultivate a home where conflict becomes an opportunity for growth, healing, and deeper dependence on God. Whether you're parenting little girls just learning how to share and communicate or launching young women into adulthood, this conversation will encourage you to pursue God's design for peace—not the fragile peace of avoidance, but the lasting peace that comes through truth, grace, and reconciliation. Three Things to Remember: Commit to no rug-sweeping. Have the courage to address conflict with a heart bent toward reconciliation rather than repeating old patterns of sin. Love and respect provide a safe framework for families to navigate disagreements and repair relationships. Practice real apologies and genuine forgiveness, modeling the humility and grace of Christ for your girls. Scriptures Referenced: Revelation 21:5 Ezekiel 36:26–27 1 John 1:9 Visit raisinggodlygirls.com for more encouragement and faith-based parenting tools. Learn how to find or start an American Heritage Girls Troop in your community at americanheritagegirls.org.
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Ep. 401 – SUMMER REPLAY: Helping Your Daughter Embrace God's Design for Her Body with Lisa Whittle
1w ago00:47:05Tap to summarizeThis week, the Raising Godly Girls Podcast has been strolling down Season 3's hall of fame, taking another listen to your favorite episodes. In a culture saturated with comparison and impossible beauty standards, many girls are quietly asking a deeper question beneath body image struggles: Do I matter? This weekend edition of the Raising Godly Girls Podcast speaks directly into that ache—with truth, tenderness, and Gospel hope. Host Melissa Bearden welcomes best-selling author and Bible teacher Lisa Whittle for a powerful conversation about body image, identity, and what Lisa calls a whole-body theology. Together, they explore how Scripture reveals the body not as a problem to be fixed, but as a gift to steward—created with intention, dignity, and purpose by a loving God. Drawing from Lisa's new Bible study Body & Soul, this episode invites families to see the physical and spiritual as beautifully connected, not competing. If you've watched your daughter compare herself to others online, struggle with confidence, or internalize harmful messages about her worth—or if you've quietly wrestled with those same thoughts yourself—this conversation offers a compassionate starting point for healing. You'll hear practical encouragement for replacing cultural lies with Biblical truth, cultivating gratitude at home, and helping girls anchor their confidence in Christ rather than appearance. As Scripture reminds us, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). When girls learn to see themselves through God's eyes, everything changes. This episode will equip and encourage you to foster a home where truth speaks louder than comparison, where body and soul are nurtured together, and where girls grow up knowing they are not mistakes—but masterpieces, made on purpose for God's glory. Scriptures Referenced in this Episode: 1 Corinthians 6:19 Genesis 1:27 To learn more about Lisa Whittle, her work, and her books, visit www.lisawhittle.com/ To learn more about Lisa Whittle's book Body & Soul, visit https://www.lisawhittle.com/body Visit raisinggodlygirls.com for more encouragement and faith-based parenting tools. Learn how to find or start an American Heritage Girls Troop in your community at americanheritagegirls.org.
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Ep. BONUS - The Lies Young Women Were Sold About Freedom, Success, and Identity with Alex Clark
1w ago00:14:11Tap to summarizeWhat if the freedom our culture promises isn't freedom at all? Today's girls are growing up in a world that constantly tells them to define themselves, reinvent themselves, and create their own truth. They're encouraged to build identity through achievement, appearance, influence, and endless self-expression. Yet despite these promises of empowerment, many young women find themselves struggling with anxiety, insecurity, loneliness, and a deep sense of exhaustion. In this special BONUS episode recorded at the 2026 Women's Leadership Summit in San Antonio, AHG Founder and Executive Director Patti Garibay sits down with Alex Clark, host of the internationally recognized Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark podcast, to examine the cultural narratives shaping today's generation of girls. Together, they explore why messages centered on self-creation and self-sufficiency have become so appealing, how these ideas often leave young women searching for more, and what Scripture offers as a better foundation for identity and purpose. Alex shares her personal journey into challenging cultural assumptions, discusses the pressures facing young women today, and offers practical insight into why so many popular definitions of success and freedom ultimately fail to satisfy. Most importantly, this conversation points listeners back to the lasting hope found in Biblical truth and the freedom that comes from receiving our identity from Christ rather than constructing it for ourselves. Whether you're raising a daughter, mentoring young women, or wrestling with these questions in your own life, this episode offers thoughtful encouragement to examine the messages shaping your heart and hold them up against the unchanging truth of God's Word. Scriptures Referenced: Genesis 1:27 Psalm 139:13–14 John 8:31–32 Galatians 5:1 Ephesians 2:10 Colossians 2:8 Romans 12:2 2 Corinthians 5:17 To learn more about Alex Clark or listen to her latest podcast episode, visit realalexclark.com Visit raisinggodlygirls.com for more encouragement and faith-based parenting tools. Learn how to find or start an American Heritage Girls Troop in your community at americanheritagegirls.org.
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Ep. 400 – SUMMER REPLAY: Nurturing a Healthy Body Image Amid Mixed Cultural Messages
2w ago00:25:10Tap to summarizeSummer is rolling along, and the Raising Godly Girls Podcast continues a fun week of fan-fave replays! On this Thursday episode originally aired in May 2026, hosts Rachael Culpepper and Natalie Ambrose continue digging deeper on body image and practical ways to instill a healthy approach for our girls today. In a time when cultural messages and marketing language are thrown around 24 hours a day, seven days a week, girls are bombarded by plenty of ways to think about their bodies, but none of it aligns with Scripture. So how can we help our daughters take hold of the messages, strip the lies of their power and urgency, and help girls rest in the Lord content with how He designed their bodies? It's important for girls to understand that trends come and go—and it happens lightning fast these days! So if she's going to chase trends, she will likely always feel like she can never arrive—and she'll have no money! The Bible talks about the eternal beauty of a Godly girl's life that reflects Christ. This gives a more sustainable framework for girls to confidently navigate, trusting that God is working in their hearts no matter what the outward appearance looks like. Finally, the hosts offer a sobering look at how a mom's own baggage with body image can be inadvertently passed down to a daughter without a Scripture-empowered renewed mind. Three Things to Remember: When trends are your girl's measuring stick for beauty, she can be left feeling less-than. Helping your girl weigh the temporary against the eternal will guide her to order beauty in a mature way. Since your girl is watching how you handle your own sense of body image, it's important that we model this for her in Christian maturity. Scriptures Referenced in this Episode: 1 Timothy 4:8 1 Peter 3:4 Romans 12:1-2 Explore more resources to raise girls rooted in Christ at raisinggodlygirls.com. To find or start an AHG Troop in your area, visit americanheritagegirls.org.
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Ep. 399 – SUMMER REPLAY: Why Body Image Reflects a Deeper Spiritual Issue in Girls
2w ago00:21:54Tap to summarizeAs we march through summer 2026, the Raising Godly Girls Podcast is circling back to fan faves of Season 3's first half. In this episode from May 2026, hosts Rachael Culpepper and Natalie Ambrose use the analogy of parenting instincts to recognize oncoming illness in their kids as a framework to approach a girl's body image struggles. While parents are usually pretty good at connecting symptoms to oncoming illness in their kids, it's not always as clear when body image issues surface in our girls. So this week the podcast is focusing on body image, and how that is often reflective of a deeper spiritual thing happening in our girls. Many times, girls hear negative messages about their bodies—that the body needs to be altered in order to fit in with the current notion of beauty. This can leave girls hating their bodies and measuring beauty through a lens that God never intended. How can we parent our daughters to embrace her body as a gift from God? It's important to let a girl enjoy beauty rather than shame her for wanting to feel pretty. For a Christian girl, the key to a healthy Biblical Worldview on body image is tied to her contentment in the Lord rather than her appearance. Two Things to Remember: It's Okay for a Girl to Want Beauty, Yes—Even as a Christian Feeling Beautiful Isn't a Good Source for Contentment, so Address This Gently but Directly in Your Girl Scriptures Referenced in this Episode: Genesis 1:31a Explore more resources to raise girls rooted in Christ at raisinggodlygirls.com. To find or start an AHG Troop in your area, visit americanheritagegirls.org.
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Ep. 398 – SUMMER REPLAY: Helping Girls Root Their Identity in Christ in a Culture of Pressure with Eric & Eden Geiger
2w ago00:40:38Tap to summarizeIn this summer season, the Raising Godly Girls Podcast is circling back to listener favorites from the first part of season 3. Today's episode is a replay of "Helping Girls Root Their Identity in Christ in a Culture of Pressure with Eric & Eden Geiger," which originally aired on January 10, 2026." In this heartwarming Saturday episode, American Heritage Girls Executive Director and Raising Godly Girls Podcast host Rachael Culpepper interviews Erin and Eden Geiger. The conversation surrounds the many ways God forms a daughter's identity in Christ through a parent's ongoing journey of faith with the Lord. Rachael invites listeners to take in today's episode with their teen girls to spark at-home conversations. The father-daughter duo discuss Eden's book, 50 Days to Embracing Who God Says You Are, written during Eden's junior year of high school. Sharing her testimony of a "wilderness season" with the Holy Spirit, the two guests reflect on their growth together as a family when this awakening shifted their home. Eden recalls being the only Christian on her high school club volleyball team and how that threatened to encompass her identity and her future. With the anchor of her mother's resolve, Eden was called back to her foundation in the Lord. From self-comparison, idolatry, self-worth, social media, and anxiety, hear Eden walk through a relevant season that many of today's faith-filled girls struggle with. A distinct highlight of the conversation comes when Erin shares that a girl's identity in Christ is sealed through Scripture, releasing girls from the pressure to perform and easing her into a lifelong rhythm with the Lord. Scriptures Referenced in this Episode: Ephesians 2:10 To learn more about Eric & Eden Geiger's ministry, visit ericgeiger.com Visit raisinggodlygirls.com for more encouragement and faith-based parenting tools. Learn how to find or start an American Heritage Girls Troop in your community at americanheritagegirls.org.
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Ep. BONUS - Raising Strong Girls in a Culture That Erases Boundaries with Riley Gaines
2w ago00:19:02Tap to summarizeHow can Christian girls stand firm when culture challenges the very meaning of womanhood? Over the past several years, conversations surrounding women's sports, privacy, safety, and identity have moved from headlines into everyday life. For many girls and their families, these cultural shifts have raised difficult questions about fairness, courage, truth, and what it means to honor God's design for women. In this special BONUS episode recorded live at the 2026 TPUSA Women's Leadership Summit, AHG Executive Director Rachael Culpepper sits down with former collegiate swimmer, advocate, and mother Riley Gaines Barker. After finding herself at the center of one of the most consequential debates in women's athletics, Riley chose to speak out in defense of women's sports and single-sex spaces—a decision that transformed her from student-athlete to one of the nation's most recognized voices on behalf of girls and women. Together, Rachael and Riley discuss the courage required to stand for conviction when the cost is high, the responsibility of leadership in a culture of competing narratives, and the challenges Christian girls face as they navigate sports, school environments, and questions surrounding identity. Riley also reflects on her own girlhood, shares lessons she's learning in the early years of marriage and motherhood, and offers encouragement to girls who desire to lead with both courage and grace. Whether you're raising an athlete, mentoring young women, or simply seeking wisdom for navigating today's cultural landscape, this conversation will remind you that truth is worth defending, courage is worth cultivating, and God's design is always worthy of trust. Scriptures Referenced: Genesis 1:27 Psalm 139:13–14 Ephesians 2:10 Joshua 1:9 Romans 12:2 Proverbs 31:25 2 Timothy 1:7 Ephesians 6:10–18 To learn more about Riley's advocacy work at rileygaines.com or you can check out her latest episode on the Riley Gaines Show on all major podcast platforms. Visit raisinggodlygirls.com for more encouragement and faith-based parenting tools. Learn how to find or start an American Heritage Girls Troop in your community at americanheritagegirls.org.
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Ep. 397 – SUMMER REPLAY: How a Family Guides Their Girls to Put on the Armor of God
3w ago00:19:52Tap to summarizeIn this summer season, the Raising Godly Girls Podcast is circling back to listener favorites from the first part of season 3. Today's episode is a replay of "How a Family Guides Their Girls to Put on the Armor of God" which originally aired on January 8, 2026. Melissa Bearden queues up fellow hosts Rachael Culpepper and Natalie Ambrose's conversation by peering through the lens of Ephesians 6, that famous passage in Scripture known as the Armor of God, to fit a girl's heart for strength and endurance. Using a girl's identity in Christ as a "nametag", this episode connects the "who and Whose they are" ideas together for girls. Rachael breaks down the Armor of God into three sections showing Christian parents how each intentionally serves as tools for a girl's healthy faith growth. Hear how American Heritage Girls offers direct resources to embolden girls to succeed as Daughters of the King. Your girl will be a powerful influence for the Lord when she puts on the Full Armor of God every day! Three Things to Remember: The Armor of God: Guides & Guards Refines & Readies And it Shields & Slices Scriptures Reference in This Episode: Ephesians 6:10-18 1 John 3:1 Romans 8:15-17 Visit raisinggodlygirls.com for more encouragement and faith-based parenting tools. Learn how to find or start an American Heritage Girls Troop in your community at americanheritagegirls.org.
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