Turning Pain into Purpose: A Conversation with Jody Hudson (Ep 05)
What does it look like to trust God in the middle of something truly unimaginable? In this episode, I sit down with Jody Hudson — award-winning author of My Promise to Alex and founder of the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation — to talk about her daughter Alexandra's decade-long battle with Lyme disease, the faith forged through unanswered questions, closed doors, and the sacred moment of surrender that changed everything. This is a conversation about grief, purpose, and what it means to choose light when everything in you wants to give up.
In This Episode, You’ll Discover:
How Jody's faith shifted from passive to active through the most painful season of her life.
The "get down and get ugly" conversation with God that she believes every believer needs to have.
The story of the bluebird — and how God showed up for Alex in a way Jody almost missed.
The moment of surrender that reframed everything Jody thought she knew about healing.
Why Jody refuses to be defined as a "grief girl" and what she chooses instead.
Practical wisdom for anyone who is barely holding it together in their own hard season.
Resources Mentioned
My Promise to Alex by Jody Hudson and Penelope Childers — Grab it on Amazon HERE.
Fervent by Priscilla Shirer — Grab it on Amazon HERE.
War Room (2015) — Grab it on Amazon HERE.
Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation — Learn More.
Note: Some links above may be affiliate links, which means a small commission may be earned at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I genuinely use and love.
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Episode 05 | Turning Pain into Purpose: A Conversation with Jody Hudson
Welcome to The Purpose Project Podcast
Hey, friend. Welcome to The Purpose Project Podcast, where we talk about what it really looks like to live, love, and lead with purpose and authenticity in the messy middle — that space between where you are and where you want to be. I'm Valerie Jones, a Christian life and leadership coach, and around here we don't do hustle culture, perfectionism, people-pleasing, or self-help band-aids. Instead, we're all about biblical truth, brain-based tools, and emotional health — so you can walk out your calling with courage without burning out or sacrificing what matters most. Each episode we'll dive into real life stories, engaging conversations, and relatable teaching moments to help you get out of your head and into the life God's calling you to live. Whether you're navigating change, feeling overwhelmed, craving clarity, or just trying to feel like yourself again — take a breath and lean in. You're in the right place. Let's dive in.
Introducing Jody Hudson
Well, hey friend, if you've been with us for the last few episodes, you know we've shared some tender moments and real talk about showing up with God when life doesn't make sense. And today, we're gonna hear the story of a woman who understands what that looks like. It's a story about a decade of unanswered questions, about giving God an ultimatum in a parking lot, and then watching Him show up anyway in the most unexpected and unmistakable ways. It's a story about purpose that comes from the deepest season of pain. But more than that, it's a story of love — the love of a mother and a daughter, and the love of God.
My guest today is Jody Hudson. Jody brings over 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience to the table, but it's her role as the CEO and founder of the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation that fuels her purpose. And after today's conversation, you will completely understand that. She is an award-winning, highly sought-after speaker addressing grief, transformation, and creating purpose from pain. In 2023, her book, My Promise to Alex, won Best Memoir from the Christian Indie Book Awards. I've linked it for you in the show notes, and I highly recommend it. It's a beautiful, honest, deeply moving account of her daughter Alexandra's story, and I'm so excited to welcome Jody to the podcast and for you to hear this conversation today.
Life Before Alex Got Sick
Valerie: Jody, welcome to the podcast. I want to jump right in because your story is so impactful, and it's a big story, so I want to make sure we have plenty of time. Take us back to the very beginning.
Jody: I was born to a single mother who was not equipped to take care of me, so I was placed in foster care immediately, and then I was adopted when I was about six months old. Most people think, "Oh, well, that's good." And yes, that is good. But unfortunately, both of my adoptive parents struggled with alcoholism. So I tell people I really spent most of my childhood trying to forget about my childhood. I kind of lived in my own bubble, in my own world.
Fast-forward to 2011. It was after almost 20 years of marriage and having two children, Garrett and Alexandra, that I found myself divorced, raising two children on my own, not financially equipped — because of financial decisions that had been made that were not good for the family. And I was processing all of this at the same time that my daughter, Alex, had developed what was called a medical mystery when she was in fifth grade. I had a lot on my shoulders during that time.
I was trying to raise my children, trying to find out what was going on with my daughter, trying to have a full-time job and be a full-time mom. It was really quite overwhelming. But I think at the same time, my faith was definitely being formed, and it was really having me lean into that relationship with God — to say, "Okay, Jody, this is all so overwhelming, but you know what? I'm just going to put my faith in Him, and I know that He's just going to keep guiding me." And He did.
Passive Faith: "I Thought I Had It All Figured Out"
Valerie: If you could describe your relationship with God in that before season — before everything started to unravel — what word would you use to characterize your faith in that time?
Jody: Before all of this happened with Alex, my faith was pretty passive. I was born and raised Catholic. We went to mass every Sunday. I checked off the boxes. I had my first communion, my confirmation. I did all the things we do in the Catholic Church. And then when we had children, my ex-husband was Catholic as well, so we knew that was what we wanted to do with our children. I made sure they followed through on all of their sacraments.
So I felt like I had a really good understanding of what God looked like and what my faith looked like. But when I look back on it now, I definitely feel I was more in this passive role. It wasn't really like taking a plunge and diving into my faith.
As I look back on my life, I feel like He does give you those opportunities to grow with Him — if we are receptive to it. If we're not closed off to Him, if we want to learn more about our faith, if we want to learn how to be a good mother and a role model for our children. I think that was all this evolution of my faith — a natural progression leading up to everything that happened with Alex. I thought I was doing great. I was good, healthy, checking off the boxes. But when I look back on it now, I'm like, "Jody, that was really sad."
Valerie: You thought you had it all figured out, and then life takes a turn and you're like, "Maybe not." So yes — tell us about Alex.
A Medical Mystery
Jody: It was in fifth grade where Alex, who had been playing sports her whole life — soccer, softball, all the things from four or five years old — started developing joint pain and inflammation. When I took her to her primary doctor, he said, "It seems natural. She's been overworking her body. Give her some ibuprofen, tape up her ankles. It could be growing pains." Well, nothing got better. In fact, things got worse.
She was very competitive and wanted to keep up with all her sports. She looked like those commercials where they're wrapped in toilet paper — all wrapped up in adhesive bandages and tape just so she could keep going. Then she started having digestive problems and eating problems, breaking out in rashes. We took her back to doctors, ran more tests, took her to specialty doctors. This went on for a good six or seven months, and everything came back negative.
They said, "She might have this, she might have that, but really, it's probably something she'll outgrow. It's a medical mystery to us." As a parent, when you know something is wrong with your child and you keep going to doctors and they keep saying, "We can't figure it out" — that is a helpless, exhausting place to be.
She continued like that from fifth grade all the way through high school. She eventually had to give up sports because she just couldn't run. It was affecting everything in her life. High school was really hard for her because kids identify by their groups, and she had always identified with other athletes, with other girls playing sports. Those were her social groups. All of that disappeared when she couldn't participate anymore.
She applied to many colleges and got into her dream school — UCLA. She wanted to be a Bruin and study in the nonprofit field. But she was also losing weight because she couldn't eat as much as she normally did. We took her back to doctors, and they thought maybe it was an eating disorder. Maybe it was all in her head. And because she was getting weaker, she didn't feel comfortable going away to school. So we decided, let's do junior college for two years, build your strength back up — surely by then we'll figure out what's wrong.
Well, it just kept declining and declining and declining. And Alex, because she was very smart, found this doctor on her own. Now mind you — it was our fortieth doctor. From when she first started in fifth grade until she was now post-high school — forty doctors.
The Fortieth Doctor
Jody: It was the fortieth doctor we found in LA who got outside the box. He was really good with digestive issues. We took her down there, and within the first five minutes — me showing him all of her test results and her whole history — he said, "Mrs. Hudson, has anybody tested Alex for Lyme disease?"
In 2017, I was very ignorant, and I said, "What is Lyme disease? I don't even know what you're talking about." He said, "Look, everything you've told me and all her symptoms seem to match up with that. Let's test her." So we tested her. It took two weeks for the results to come back, and sure enough, she tested positive for Lyme disease.
Valerie: Wow.
Jody: I was working at Catholic Charities in Fresno, and I was in a board meeting. Alex had gotten the call from the doctor, and they came and got me out of the board meeting — "Your daughter needs to speak to you." I met her in my office, and she looked at me and said, "Mom, I got the test results." And then she told me what they were.
We had this moment where ten years — ten years of people saying it was in her head, saying it was a medical mystery — we finally had affirmation. Yes, it has not been in her head. Yes, there is definitely something wrong with my daughter. And yes, now we have a name to put with it. Lyme disease. We felt vindicated. But then we were like, "What is it? What do we do? How do we treat it?"
Valerie: Right.
Jody: It was this whole jumble of emotions, and therein began our big search and journey for Lyme-literate doctors and treatment.
Valerie: Which was quite an ordeal.
The Fight for Healing
Jody: It was quite an ordeal. As parents, we want to fix everything, right? When our kids are little, we fix their bruised and skinned knees. As they get older, we fix their broken hearts from relationships. I was like, "Okay, I'm going to fix this. I've got a diagnosis now. Thank You, God. We know what it is. Let's just knock this out."
So I went online, did a bunch of research, connected with people that knew something about Lyme disease, found a great facility. I called them and said, "Time is of the essence. Alex has been dealing with this for ten years. She's down to about 90 pounds at this point." She's five-six. She had lost a lot of weight. We need to tackle this.
I got her into the facility — not covered by insurance, so this was everything I had to do out of pocket. I thought, one week and we're going to knock this out. I was so naive. I had no idea that one week of treatment is not going to cure or fix something that had been in her body for ten years and had impacted every organ.
Valerie: Yeah.
Jody: After that one week of treatment, I brought my daughter home in a wheelchair. She was so worn out from treatment, so worn out from the IVs and everything they had done. I realized we had thrown the whole kitchen sink at a body that was already so beaten up from battling this disease on its own. So we whittled things back, found a Lyme-literate doctor that worked in conjunction with the diagnosing doctor, and then it was just a lot of different treatments — which is why I wrote the book. There is so much to the Lyme disease journey that I could get into here.
So, that was 2017, and unfortunately, all the money I poured into Alex, all the cross-country treatments we did in the next year — we just could never get ahead of her disease. And she passed in March of 2018.
Surrender and the Brave Face
Valerie: I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you lost your Alex, and I'm sorry for the ordeal leading up to that moment. You said in the book, "The surrender of control had been the hardest challenge for my faith." We like to fix things, hold everything together. What was it like navigating that season? You talked in the book about being determined to show up, to put on a brave face, even though internally you were just emotionally exhausted and crumbling under the weight of all of this. What did it look like to be brave in that season?
Jody: Life is challenging when you are raising children. But then you throw in a child with special needs — whatever that looks like. In my case, it was this unknown disease, and so many times doors were shut in your face. There was a lot of gaslighting. Even when we knew what Alex's diagnosis was, we couldn't find doctors who understood what she was going through. It was horrendous. She was put in a psych lockdown one time. I didn't know how ignorant the community could be. So trying to wrestle and process all of that with my faith was such a rollercoaster ride.
Valerie: Sure.
Jody: I'd have these days where I'm like, "God, I'm so committed to You, and I know You've got this. Alex has such a servant's heart. Surely You're going to save her. Surely You're not going to let her keep suffering."
And there was this time — in December, before she passed in 2018 — where I had a major, major "get down and get ugly" conversation with God. I think sometimes, looking back on all of this, we need to really have those get-down-and-get-ugly conversations with God — because He already knows what's going on with us, but we have to be able to verbalize it and really bring Him into it.
The Parking Lot
Valerie: What did that look like?
Jody: I was cleaning one day in my house. Like a lot of us when we get anxious, we clean, right? You pick up a rag and just start cleaning away. And I just kept feeling so overwhelmed, so I told Alex, "I'm going to run to the grocery store. I'll be right back." Because I never wanted her to see me being down. I never wanted her to see me upset. I needed to always be so strong for her.
So I was driving away, and I got a couple blocks from the house and just pulled over into this vacant lot, this parking lot. And I sat there and started pounding on the dashboard, and I was yelling at God. I was saying, "You know what? I am done with all of this. I don't know how much more You can put me through. I can't take this any longer." And silly me — I gave God an ultimatum. "You either heal my daughter right now, or You take her. Because we are in purgatory, and I can't keep up with this."
And so I got it all out of my system. I came back home, let Alex know I was there, and started dusting again. I looked outside the window — we have this courtyard with a beautiful water fountain — and I saw a bluebird on top of that fountain. And it just calmed me down. I was like, "Wow. I wonder if Alex sees this."
Valerie: Right.
The Bluebird
Jody: So I went back into the bedroom and said, "Honey, have you seen this bluebird before?" And she said, "Yes, Mom. I see it every day. It comes at 3:00 PM." I said, "Have you seen it for a while?" She said, "Yeah, I've seen it for the last couple of weeks." And I said, "Well, how does that make you feel?" She said, "Well, it's kind of like my sign from God. Because I know He hasn't forgotten about me. And that I have one day here on earth."
So as soon as this happened, I walked back out into the living room and sat down. And I thought, "Oh my gosh. God, I need to apologize to You. I'm so sorry. I thought You had abandoned us. I didn't know where You were in all of this, but You showed up for my daughter in a beautiful way. And maybe You've been showing up for me too, but I was too busy. I was too consumed by everything going on. I didn't look up. I didn't look out. I didn't see the signs."
I had that moment where I thought, "I've got to pay attention. Because when we are going through dark things in our lives, it's so easy to think that God isn't there with us. But He's always there with us. We just have to look for those signs."
Valerie: I love that you just said that. The bluebird is on the cover of the book, which is beautiful. There is a photo of the fountain in the book, and reading Alex's story, there really was evidence of God's kindness sprinkled throughout — such a powerful reminder that He never leaves, even on the worst of days. And I love that — we just have to look up and look out.
Jody: After I saw that bluebird and had some more reflection — this was December, she passed in March — I think it was in February where I thought, "I just don't know how much more time I'm going to have with her." We weren't getting answers from doctors. I was doing as much as I could to keep her alive, but I could tell she was slipping away from me.
And one day I said to Alex, "Honey, when it comes time that God decides He wants you with Him up in heaven, that your work is done here" — I said, "Selfishly, I don't know how I'm not going to be able to talk to you anymore." And I was goofing around. I said, "Oh, we should have a little code word. We should have a sign." And she said, "Mom, it will be the bluebird. Just always look for the bluebird."
So I looked up the meaning of the bluebird — and the bluebird is a symbol of hope. It was all too perfect. And after she passed, I have to tell you, Valerie — I saw bluebirds all the time. My friends would call me and say, "Hey, Alex just popped in. I just saw a bluebird." God was always showing up. She was always showing up.
The Surrender
Valerie: Before Alex passed away, you have this beautiful moment of surrender on a plane. You said, "My heart was filled with gratitude, peace, and acceptance. I finally understood that the rest of her journey was in God's hands and His alone." Take us to that moment.
Jody: That was after one of our stays at one of the treatment centers. It was a three-week stay. I had heard really good things about this facility — people had gone there in wheelchairs and walked out. There was a lot of physical healing happening there.
We had to stay in a hotel. On the second day, while Alex was having a treatment, I was just exhausted. Was I doing the right thing? This is a lot of money. I had to sell Alex's car. Insurance didn't pay for much of this. Her dad wasn't involved, so it was just me.
And so I was sitting outside in a chair, and a gentleman walked by and said, "Can I sit down with you?" We started talking, and he said, "I just felt like God wanted me to sit down with you." He asked, "Do you want to pray?" And so we did, and I told him about Alex's story. He said, "See up over there on the third floor? That's my office. I want you to come every morning, and if you want to pray with me, I will pray with you — and I will pray with your daughter as well. I'm going to make sure that I sustain your faith and help you as you are here."
It turned out he was the CFO of the facility. He was so wonderful. We were only going to stay two weeks. At the end of two weeks, nothing had really turned for her. They said, "Let's give her one more week and see if things can start turning."
The third week, nothing was turning. They were so kind and generous — they refunded me money. We sat with that CFO on our last day and had this wonderful, beautiful connection with him. We actually went out and got him a cross for his office as a thank-you. And he had written us letters. He said, "I don't want you to open this letter until you're on the plane. But I have one for you, Alex, and I have one for your mom."
So we said our goodbyes. Everybody was coming up to Alex, saying, "Alex, you were so brave when you were here, and we're sorry you didn't get the healing that you wanted."
Valerie: That's right.
Jody: "But the healing that you gave others — just through your beauty and through praying for others — has been so remarkable. We are never going to forget you."
And so when we got on that plane, I opened up my letter, she opened up her letter, and I had this epiphany. We weren't supposed to get the physical healing. But she got a greater healing — her spiritual healing. And from that point forward, I thought, "Okay, God. This is meant to be. I'm okay with it." It really was the most powerful thing we could have received, and it just shifted my whole mindset on what healing looks like.
Valerie: That is really powerful and beautiful. It is clear that God has redeemed years of pain and struggle and heartache in a way that only He can — through Alex's life, through her legacy, through the way that she showed up during that season. You talk about Alex's brand in the book being kindness — the way she would show up for people with generosity and kindness and love and compassion. It is incredible to see what the Lord is doing even still through her life and through your obedience.
Jody: I call her the homeless whisperer. Because of my work, my children were both exposed to working with homeless people and understanding empathy and kindness. And when she was really getting sick towards the end, it dawned on me — "She is so comfortable with those individuals because they were broken like she was broken." And I think they so identified with each other. It was really beautiful.
Refusing Darkness and Choosing Light
Valerie: You said something in the opening of the book, giving a speech. You said, "We all have choices to make. I refuse to walk in darkness. I choose light." And it is so clear that Alex did that — even in her short time on earth. You were saying this in response to people asking, ‘How do you move on after the death of a child?’
Jody: How can I not move on? With everything that she endured, with everything she went through — every day she still showed up with a smile. She still showed up with, "How can I help others?" She took on this redemptive suffering where she wanted to attach her suffering to something greater. She kind of led and paved the path for me. I could not do nothing. In her honor and in her legacy, I had to move forward, write this book so people could see how incredible she was. I wanted to put it in black and white, in print, and give all the different examples of how she still continued to show up despite what she was going through.
And that has been my mantra to this day. When I get up in the morning, I think, "How can I put my best foot forward? How can I glorify God? How can people look at me — with everything I've gone through, from birth to what happened with my marriage to what happened with Alex — and say, she still shines with this light. She still is wanting to do things for others." I never wanted to be defined as a grief girl. I always wanted to be defined by His light — so people can look at me and say, "I want what she has. I want that relationship with God."
Valerie: That is so beautiful. That resonates so deeply with me. I've also lost two children, and I had a woman in my life who would always refer to us as "we're grievers, we're grievers." And I thought, "No. I don't want that label. I have grieved, yes. But because of Jesus, I don't grieve like somebody who doesn't have hope." What you just said is so profound.
From Grieving Mother to Testimonial Mother
Valerie: Let's talk about the after — your faith, your relationship with God. You've described Alex's passing as a sacred moment. You called it the parting gift.
Jody: The parting gift, yes.
Valerie: And you knew very quickly what it is that you wanted to do in response. What's different now for you versus before?
Jody: In that moment — what I call the parting gift, when Alex showed me through her own eyes and her beautiful smile where she was going — I flipped my whole thinking. It didn't happen within 24 hours. It was a process. But I flipped my thinking from being this grieving mother into more of a biblical testimonial mother. I wanted people to know that yes, when a loved one passes, it's tough. It's sad. We're human. We have all those emotions. But there is still so much more for us to do here on earth.
Alex, in her 22 years on earth, did everything that God wanted. He said, "Good job, faithful servant." But He looks at me — I just turned 65 a little while ago — and He's like, "Woman, you still have a lot of work to do."
So you have to ask yourself, "How do I live out my life with a servant's heart?" Like, do an inventory. A checklist. Before Alex, I thought I was Catholic, doing everything right, checking off all the sacraments. But was I really living out the faith? Was I really living out what He wants me to do?
That's why I said it was a very passive faith before. But now I've moved into this recalibration — a transformation into a more active faith. Making it purposeful every morning when I wake up. Doing my daily readings, being involved in Bible studies. But how am I bringing God into the walk during the day? I just can't have Him in the morning for that hour doing my Scripture reading and my prayers, and then at nighttime thanking Him. No. He wants all of us. He wants to be with us every second, every minute, every hour.
Valerie: That's right.
Jody: So that's what we're called to do — to have that active faith. Not just think we're doing such a wonderful job if we're checking things off a checklist. He doesn't want that.
Valerie: Our faith is not something that we put in a box and pull it out when we need it, right? That's exactly what you're saying.
Jody: And you know, surrender and control plays such an important role — it's played its role in so many things I went through with Alex. I've really learned, and it's been a hard lesson, to remind myself: God does not want you to control the world. He has got control over it. What your job is is to continue to bring Him into your world, to continue to bring Him into your day. You focus on that. Let Him focus on everything else. When you bring it down into that perspective, it's like, "Oh, wow. Okay. This is His world. We're just living in it."
Valerie: That's right.
Jody: How are we good messengers? How are we good boots on the ground for Him? How are we good prayer warriors? How are we showing up for ourselves, for Him, for our family and friends? It really is a process, and it does not happen overnight.
Valerie: No. It takes intention.
God Moments
Valerie: What's something you learned along the way about God that surprised you?
Jody: When I look back on my life and all the things I've gone through, the thing that has surprised me most is — it's kind of like the footprints in the sand. All those times where I thought I was going and doing it alone, crying out, "God, where are You in all of this?" — He was always there. It was just me not paying attention to Him and those signs. And I think God figured this out with me. It's like, "I gotta really send this woman bigger signs, because she's just not getting it." So He did the bluebird, and all these other beautiful signs. He's like, "Yeah, she's a little slow to this game. I need to step this up."
Valerie: I love that. Even in looking for God in our everyday lives — you've already talked about the opportunities He puts in front of us that we can be so quick to rush past. I call those my God moments. He drops these opportunities right in front of us, and they are all around us.
Jody: How many times do we get so frustrated when we're at the checkout line and there's a long line — looking at our watch, looking at our phone? Maybe God put you in that line, and you're going to have a moment with the person in front of you or behind you.
Valerie: That's right.
Jody: So I try and flip the switch — instead of being irritated, God has presented me with this moment. How am I going to use it?
Valerie: We're not as good as we used to be, I think, just in general at seeing people. And you've done that so beautifully — and Alex did that so beautifully even in her most difficult season. It's such a testament to God in you, and it's really beautiful.
The Flame
Valerie: Is there something you learned about yourself through this process that surprised you?
Jody: When I look back on everything, a couple of things. I was surprised by the resilience and the grit that He kept building within me. And then also — it's kind of like when you have just that simmer of a flame on the stove. That flame has always been with me. But I really think, even with your faith, it can keep taking on different levels of depth. Within the last six months, I feel like He's ignited my flame and I'm on high, high, high. Doing these podcasts — this is all new, I've been doing this for about six months — and just connecting with other very like-minded, faith-driven women. There is a fire in me right now.
And I think that's how faith can be expressed. By your flame. A lot of times we just have it on simmer. But when you really lean into the opportunities that God gives you and the opportunities to do more for yourself and for Him — boy, it ignites. It goes way up on high, and that's where I feel like I'm at right now. Just when you think that God has done everything in your life and you're right where you're supposed to be with Him — He keeps turning that flame up.
Valerie: We never really exhaust the possibility. There is no end to it if we continue to lean in.
Jody: And if there's one thing for people listening today — don't be afraid. Stop tiptoeing into the waters. Do a full plunge. Get in there with both feet. Because it is so amazing what God can do in your life if you are receptive to it. He just keeps blessing me in beautiful ways.
Fervent and the Prayer Life
Valerie: You mentioned one of your new favorite resources — Fervent, by Priscilla Shirer. My prayer life evolved and changed after my own season of loss and grief and tragedy. Can you talk about that?
Jody: So I double dip with my faith — I still go to the Catholic Church and receive my sacraments, but through my daughter I got involved in a non-denominational church. I do a Catholic-based Bible study on Thursday and a non-denominational one on Friday.
A new group of women introduced me to this book, Fervent. If anyone has seen The War Room — Priscilla Shirer is the same woman who was in that movie and who wrote this book. Before reading it, I never really understood when my non-denominational friends would text back after a prayer request and say, "On it. I'm on my hands and knees." I'd be like, "Hands and knees? That doesn't seem very comfortable." I just didn't fully get it.
But I understand now. Active and passive prayer — just like active and passive faith. Reading this book, I get it. You really get yourself in that place and you are intentional. It's a whole new level of putting your prayer life into something very active. And it has really changed my way of prayer. If you haven't read this book yet, you really need to.
Valerie: Having a rich, thriving prayer life is one of the things that fills me with courage. It helps fan that flame and build it into more than just a simmer.
Jody: Because you've got God with you. I just don't know how people live their lives without God. And there have been seasons where I tried to do without Him, and every time I bring Him back in, I'm like, "I don't know why I thought I could do this by myself."
Valerie: Right.
Jody: We were not meant to do life without Him.
Valerie: No, it doesn't work. It doesn't.
Give Yourself Grace
Valerie: I want to ask one more question. What would you say today — to Jody at the beginning of all of this, or to the woman or man who is listening right now, barely holding it together in the middle of their own hard, devastating season? They're wondering if God is even paying attention. What is the one thing you would want them to know?
Jody: Give yourself grace. Because when you look back on life, there are so many reminders, so many instances where you did not think you were going to be able to survive what you're going through right now. And guess what? You do. Everything we have gone through in life — we're still standing here today, by the grace of God.
Give yourself grace. God says, "I'm not promising you a bed of roses." That's why there are so many Lamentations — so many different ways of us trying to worship through all the pain and all the challenges. Give yourself grace. And for me, the biggest thing was — take a breath and pause. So many times, I was just twisted up, but if I would've just sat down and literally just took a breath and leaned into God more, I think I would not have caused myself so much additional pain and anguish.
Valerie: Yes. That's really powerful and important. It's that taking a beat and inviting God into the moment.On purpose.
Jody: Give yourself a timeout.
Valerie: Yes. I say that all the time to my family — "I need a timeout for just a minute." It usually involves coffee, too.
Jody: Ha — yes. Find yourself a little closet. Like in the War Room — find yourself a sacred place where you can close the door and nobody will bother you, and just take a breath.
Valerie: Yeah, take a breath and wait on the Lord. He's so kind and faithful, and He's ever present.
Station Thirteen
Valerie: When we spoke before the interview, you shared something you had written for Holy Week — for Station Thirteen. It moved me so deeply. It was beautiful and powerful, and I really think it just sums up everything that you represent so well. Would you be open to sharing it with us today as we wrap up?
Jody: I have it right here. So I was in our Sunday group, and I was chosen — by random. And again, nothing is by random with God. I had the thirteenth station, and the question was: how has Jesus moved me through grief? I thought, "Oh, this is perfect."
When Mary holds the body of Jesus at the thirteenth station, it's a moment that feels unbearable to even imagine — a mother holding her son, processing both love and loss.
And yet, I understand that moment in a way I never wanted to.
When my twenty-two-year-old daughter, Alex, passed in 2018, I too held my child. And in that moment, everything stood still. It was a sacred pause where love and loss coexisted. God met me there and helped me to honor and love my child through the raw pain I felt.
I learned that I grieved hard because I loved hard. And love never disappears just because someone is gone — it takes on a whole new meaning.
This was shown to me so beautifully through Alex's parting gift — when she lifted her head from her pillow and looked up to heaven, opened her eyes, and smiled that big, beautiful smile of hers one last time. And then she passed.
In that moment, she showed me she was back home with her heavenly Father. And though for me, it was my deepest and worst sorrow here on earth — to let her go — I realized it was her greatest joy.
And so I pivoted from a grieving mom to a testimonial. I turned my pain into purpose — through Alex's foundation, through writing my book, and through speaking life into others who are walking through unimaginable loss.
Just as love held Mary at the cross, love is what carries me through. Grief is not the end of my story. Love is.
Valerie: Wow. Thank you. I don't have words big enough to express my gratitude for your willingness to share. Thank you for entrusting me with these moments — with your story and with Alex's story, and for encouraging our listeners today.
Jody: Thank you for having me. Eight years later, I feel like it was just yesterday that I walked through this painful journey. But really, through the grace of God, through my faith, and just through Alex's own testimonial, I moved forward. I just want to be like Alex — where when my life is done here on earth, God can say to me what He said to Alex: "Good job, my faithful servant."
Until Next TIme
Jody, thank you again. It is an incredible gift to hold space for this story today.
Friend, if you are sitting with something heavy right now, if you're in the middle of your own hard or devastating season, and you're wondering if God sees you or if He's even there with you — I hope what you heard today stays with you. He is there. He has always been there, and He will always be there. Sometimes He sends a bluebird. Sometimes He sends a stranger with an office on the third floor. But He is never absent, and He is always working. Look up and look out. Learn to find beauty in unexpected places.
Now, if today's conversation spoke to you, I would love for you to grab Jody's book, My Promise to Alex. I'll have a link in the show notes. And if you want to learn more about the work that Jody's doing with the Alex Hudson Lyme Foundation, you can find that link in the show notes as well.
And hey, if this episode meant something to you, would you do me a favor and share it with one person who might need to hear it today? Or you can leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Those things matter more than you know, and they help this podcast find the women who need it the most.
I'll be back with you next month. Until then, remember you're loved, you matter, and you are not alone. The life that God called you to, friend, is worth the fight. Until next time, eyes on Jesus.
Meet Your Host
I’m Valerie Jones, a Christian Life & Leadership Coach and the host of The Purpose Project Podcast. I created this space for Christian women who are navigating the messy middle: those in-between seasons where faith is real but stretched, and life doesn’t look the way you expected.
My approach is rooted in biblical truth, emotional health, and brain-based methods because I believe God designed us as whole people, and transformation and personal growth should consider our whole selves.
“Grief is not the end of my story. Love is.”
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