G-8ELY0PC2GG Trusting God Through Life Transitions | Midlife Faith, Fear & Starting Over – Peg Arnold - The BraveHearted Woman

Episode 179

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Published on:

21st Jul 2025

Making Brave Changes and Trusting God in Life’s Big Transitions with Peg Arnold

Have you ever felt like God was asking you to jump into the unknown?

In this episode of The BraveHearted Woman Podcast, I sit down with my inspiring guest, Peg Arnold — speaker, author, and “drama queen for Jesus” — to talk about navigating major life transitions, especially in midlife. 

Peg shares her deeply personal story of leaving behind a lifetime of familiarity to follow God's unexpected call. Her honesty, wisdom, and faith will speak straight to your heart.

So, if you're feeling stuck, fearful, or unsure about your next chapter, this conversation is for you. You’ll discover how to anchor your faith when everything feels uncertain, how to stop fighting change, and how God is always preparing something greater — even when you can’t see it yet.

Remember, midlife doesn’t mean it’s too late. It means it's time to be brave.


Timestamps:

0:00 - Guest Intro

2:21 - The Braveheart Story of Peg Arnold

5:12 - How to trust God in times of life transitions

6:45 - How to deal with fear of the unknown

14:44 - The 4Rs of midlife reinvention

24:42 - Peg’s #1 tip for midlife women


Quotations:

"Sometimes God says, 'Do you trust Me? Jump.' And we can’t see the bottom."  – Peg Arnold

"When we don’t share our struggle, it becomes bigger and darker. But light enters when we speak it out."  – Peg Arnold

"Midlife isn’t the end — it’s an invitation to be repurposed by God."  – Peg Arnold

"If it’s not well, it’s not finished. God does all things well."  – Dawn Damon


Resources:

 📞 Connect with Peg: pegarnold.org/

📚Get a copy of Peg’s book: Devotions for the Distracted Heart


_____________

📚 Get a copy of Dawn’s NEW book FOR ONLY $3- [ON SALE] The Making of a BraveHearted Woman: Courage, Confidence, and Vision in Midlife: themakingofabraveheartedwoman.com/book-bhw

🎁 Get a copy of Dawn’s FREE resources for midlife women: braveheartedwoman.com/resources

 📞 Book a FREE 15-minute strategy call with Dawn: https://www.braveheartedwoman.com/book-a-call


Connect with your BraveHeart Mentor, Dawn Damon:

💞 Email me at: dawn@braveheartmentor.com 

💞 Website: https://braveheartedwoman.com/ 

💞 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bravehearted_woman 

💞 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/braveheartedwoman 

💞 Podcast: https://the-bravehearted-woman.captivate.fm/listen


Download the full transcript here.

Transcript

Dawn Damon: Well, welcome, everybody. My guest today is described as a drama queen. Wait for it for Jesus. She's a dramatist, a speaker author with a master's degree in counseling and has published countless devotions on numerous platforms, including YouVersion, the Upper Room, and she's a contributor for two of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Books, and she's written so many articles and blogs all designed to impact and inspire her readers. She's amazing. She's memorable. She's impactful. Please welcome today my guest, Peg Arnold.

Hi Peg!

Peg Arnold: Hey, Dawn, it's so great to be here with you today.

Dawn Damon: Thank you so much. Your smile is so infectious in your energy, and not just on screen. I've met you many times. We've had the joy of really connecting and having some great conversations. Yeah, we have. And I always feel inspired when I walk away, like, woo. You know, sometimes we talk to people and we feel like, oh, but when I walk away from you, I do feel inspired and I do feel, you know, you just carry that. So well done, sister.

Well, I think it's mutual admiration. Dawn, I feel the same way when I'm with you.

Dawn Damon: Thank you. So I'd love for us to get into this, and maybe there's someone listening today who hasn't had the opportunity to meet you yet. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Peg Arnold: Okay. Well, Reader's Digest condensed version. Sure. I grew up in a family of five. I was a PK. I went into teaching right after I was married and after college, and raised a family of two kids. Went back for my master's after I had taught for a while and been at home with the kids for a while because I knew that was another repurposing season. What was I going to do now that the kids were in school? And you know, along the way, we had our bumps, we had infertility. I dealt with an eating disorder. There are all kinds of bumps that we deal with, sudden losses of parents, and those types of things.

We lived in, I grew up in Michigan. We raised our kids in Maryland, and now we live in Colorado, and that's part of my story that I'm gonna be sharing. But God has been with me. I've been in a speaking ministry in the nineties, God kind of opened the door. It wasn't something I was looking for because I was full-time with education as a counselor in middle schools opened the door for me to step into ministry and a drama queen for Jesus. What I do is, I springboard my messages with drama. Mm-hmm. Whether it's a biblical woman, whether it's a contemporary woman, and then it goes into the message from there. But God has opened that door and I never would've told you 30 years ago that this is where I would be then writing if when he opened the door for writing, but. You know, God has a plan. We don't know the plan, and we are looking. I always liken it. I'm a very visual person, but I always liken it to a tapestry where we tend to see the bottom of the tapestry with all the knots and the broken pieces and the, the, you know, all the messes.

But on the other side, God is weaving a beautiful picture, and he knows that, and so it's learning to trust him. When we can't see it.

Dawn Damon: Yes. That's so powerful because you're exactly right. God sees the big picture, and sometimes we just focus on the knot, or we focus on, you know, I don't like the way this is looking underneath here. Mm-hmm. Having to stand in that faith and believing and having a vision for a preferred future, knowing that, you know, the Bible says God does all things well, and if it's not well, it's not finished, it's not over. You're in the right,

Peg Arnold: Right, right. And when we're in the midst, it's so hard because when we're in the weight, all right, you use a stop sign. Sometimes God says, No, that's stop. Sometimes he says, go, you know, that's a great green light sometimes. Sometimes God says, wait and waiting can be a valley. It can be a storm. That's like an hourglass because an hourglass, if you watch an hourglass, if you sit there and watch the grains of sand, you really don't see much progress.

If you leave it for a while and go back after a while, you will see progress made. And that's what God is doing in the weight. He's going step by step, and we feel like we're falling. We feel we can be in a storm and be fearful. We can be in grief, we can be weak, or in a fog of indecision, or even surrounded by the negativity and that message of. Oh, I'm not meant for this, you know, and that can destroy us, and that can paralyze us.

Dawn Damon: Definitely derail us, para us, keep us stuck, and you know. Absolutely. I like your traffic analogy. Sometimes it stops, sometimes it yields, sometimes it waits. Sometimes I get caught in those roundabouts, those circles, and I go around and around and around. I'm like, how do I get off this thing? That's right. That's sometimes how I feel like, okay, God, am I going around this mountain again? You said a moment ago that part of your story is you're in Colorado, so that sounds like a significant transition. Yes. How did you get from all of those places? Uh, is there more to your story here?

Peg Arnold: Oh, absolutely. As I said, we raised our kids in Maryland. We were in a house that we had been in for 32 years. Like my kids didn't know any other house. Yeah. And I thought our roots were deep. You know, when you're in a place like that, your roots go deep. And I liken it to oak trees. You know, oak trees have these deep roots that go deep. Before they even sprouted up. And that's how we were planted in Maryland. Our kids got married, and one lived in Pennsylvania and one lived in Virginia. And I felt that was a win as a mom to be able to have one family in Pennsylvania, only a couple of hours away in Virginia, and our way. I felt, okay, this is the way it is. Thank you, Jesus. You know I've got my adult children close to me. And within two years, it changed. I was working full-time, and I was doing ministry at the same time. I was writing my devotions and blogs at the same time, and then grandchildren started coming into the picture, and my daughter and her husband told us they were going to be moving to Colorado.

Colorado. I mean, I had been to Colorado once in my life. Clear on the other side of the world, right? That's on the other side of the Mississippi. I know the East Coast. Well, I could do Midwest, East Coast, but the West, I'm not so familiar with. And so. Within that year, they moved to Colorado, and we started visiting them. Of course. And they had twins at the time. So you know, we wanted to be able to spend time with them. Sure. And within two years, my son and his wife felt the calling of the Lord, and they have a whole story of the Lord calling them, and they moved to Colorado. Within 15 minutes of my kids. So now we're in Maryland, and they're in Colorado, both of my kids.

And it was like, I, this does not compute. This is not what I thought my life was going to look like as a nana, you know, and a parent of adult children. They were gonna be close in proximity. And my husband said, Well, let's move. I was working full-time. I had a ministry that had roots up and down the East Coast, and I couldn't even fathom it. I said, well, maybe we can just visit and, you know, go six times a year or get a condo there and keep our house in Maryland. I was coming up with all these ideas, and I was on a walk, and I literally, I. When God has you in a transitional season, mm-hmm. Where he's gonna make a big move for me, it felt like you, I was standing on the edge of a cliff, and he was saying, Do you trust me?

Yeah. Jump. Mm-hmm. Jump. Wow. And I can't see the bottom, and mm-hmm. I was on this walk, and I said, Lord, you said when I stopped working full-time with education, I would be in full-time ministry. My ministry's on the East Coast. Why in the world would you call us to Colorado? Why is that? Why can't we do both? And I heard the Lord say so strongly in my soul. What makes you think I don't have things prepared for you in Colorado? Yeah, so good. I, oh my gosh. I started weeping. I was crying. I was. Saying, Lord, I've made you so small, I've put you in this box of my expectations. Sure. And you have different expectations for me. And I came home from that walk, and my husband saw this tear-streaked face, and he said, Something happened on that walk. And I said, We're moving to Colorado.

Oh my goodness. And I was able to step forth. But I mean, then that opens the door. Now I'm working full-time with the school system. They have no idea that I will lead this job that I've been in for 13 years at the same school. They have no idea that I'm thinking of leaving. You know, and yes, it was retirement, but I call it repurposing. That's a good retirement. It's just something I can't grasp.

So, I repurposed myself. I love that. Um. So I left that job and we started packing up the house for Colorado, and it's, I mean, the way God went before us, he gave me Joshua one nine. Mm-hmm. You know where it says, be strong and courageous? Do not be dismayed and do not be fearful, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Yes. And. Even though I still felt like I was jumping off this cliff and like I was sailing and I didn't know how he was gonna catch me or when I was gonna hit the bottom, or how it was gonna happen, I had to put my trust in him. Mm-hmm. And I found that it infiltrated every part of my life. It infiltrated my thoughts, my mental, and it infiltrated how I was treating myself physically. It infiltrated my spiritual walk. It infiltrated all my relationships because I was leaving the rooted relationships in Maryland. I was cleaning out a house of 32 years. That alone, that's traumatic in and of itself. That's where there was a lot of grief, a lot of decisions to be made, and so it felt like an overwhelming hailstorm at times. Sure. And. You know, we say, well, God spoke to you. Did you have immediate trust in your soul?

Well, yeah. I went through times when I knew that God was leading me. But like the Israelites, you know, it was like, I'm sick of this manna, Lord, you know? Can't you give us some meat? You know? Or I forget that you split the Red Sea, and now I'm doubting. I went through those doubts. I went through. Yes, he spoke to me and he gave me that clear path, but then I would. These moments of panic and fear, like, I don't know if I can do this. And there was a time that I said to my husband, I mean, the for sale sign we had, the realtor, the for sale sign was in the yard. We were moving forward, and it was like I had a panic attack. Sure. And I said to him, you know. I gotta just get out of this house because the house was looking very, very clean and not like my house, 'cause I'm kind of a homey person. And so we went out for a walk, and I saw soaring overhead an eagle, and Isaiah came. You know those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Shall rise up with wings as eagles. They shall walk and not be weary. They shall run and not faint. And it was like, Lord, I know that you're in charge. Help me trust you. Help me to know that you are going to give me the energy. Yes. And it's being able to reframe and refocus when we are in those seasons where it just feels like a swirling storm around us, or when we feel like we're falling.

Dawn Damon: Yes. Today, you're gonna give us four ways that you found things that helped you get through and navigate something that wasn't familiar anymore, but you had to create a new routine. I wanna hear about those, but I just wanna comment also on what you're saying, because you know, neuroscience now shows us and proves to us, yes.

You know, the primary job of our brain is to keep us safe, and it wants to detect threats and anything that's not familiar to us; the brain deems a threat. So it says, No, no, you can't do this. This is not routine, and you're so right when you say you have to reframe, like you have to teach your brain how to accept this new information. So to say, you know, if we don't reframe, we'll get swept away in the fear and the negativity. Absolutely.

And then, of course, you know, the enemy wants to get right in there too, with panic and anxiety. Yes. So, give us the four things that you found to be helpful for you as you began to reframe and navigate this big transition in your life. Transition. Thank you. Whew. It's important, but it's not usually that fun.

Peg Arnold: No, no, it's a learning process and you grow, but I kind of mentioned there were four areas of my life really impacted through this. So first off would be the obvious, the social in leaving these oak tree friends, and what God kind of revealed to me is that okay, when you move, I, we moved, and I didn't know anybody but my kids.

So for the first time in my life, I was meeting people as so-and-so's mom, right? Because I had always been the teacher in the community. My kids were always my. Right. Identified by who I was. Yes. So this was a new identity. Mm-hmm. However, you have the choice. You can embrace it. Like you said, you can embrace it or you can fight it, and it's so, Lord, let me embrace this. Mm-hmm. Because now I'm seeing the strength of my kids as adults, and yes, I'm their mom, so that was something I was able to grasp. But in social, we need our close friends, you know, and my kids couldn't be my friends. I. They helped me with the transition, but sooner or later, they had to let me fly. It's like, you know, when you take your child to kindergarten? Yeah. My kids were kind of protective, but then it said, okay, mom, you gotta fight your own friends now. And you say the church community was part of that social church community was a huge part of that social, but. When you move, you cannot expect to have that immediate connection with those oak tree friends.

And so the Lord showed me, the Lord kind of gave me this vision of a garden and said, you know, your beginning friends are gonna be like seasonal bulbs. Maybe tulips that grow. Maybe they're just going to be an annual impatience that's going to bloom for that season. Each of these friends is going to have an impact, and we are made for community. I mean, that's what God makes us for. And so that whole thing in Ecclesiastes where two are better than one, it's seeking out and finding those sisters and brothers in Christ that can walk along with me. And it was amazing how many people I met. Those were in a similar situation. They had moved to Colorado for their grandchildren, for their children, and so immediately God started making connections. So it's grieving and being able to say goodbye to those friends. But in today's world, we've got all kinds of ways to stay connected with those good friends, and those friendships are stable and foundational. They won't change. So what God did was he. Built upon those relationships with new relationships. So that was one thing. Okay. Finding. Not only are my friends for me, but also a couple of friends for ourselves. And you're right, our church was the resource for that. And so finding a body of Christ that you connect with because God is going ahead, and that was one of my prayers for my kids, became a prayer for me to prepare relationships for me and to recognize those relationships.

Yeah. That's good. Mm-hmm. To step into it's a great prayer and then. Your thoughts, you know those, as we talk about reframing and fighting those negative thoughts, like, I can't do this and being lost in the storm of grief. It's saying goodbye. It's being able to grieve, but it's then looking at, and Philippians was a huge part of my adjustments, and the one person, Philippians, that helped me with my thoughts and my mental, Rather than giving in to the negative, I can't do this, or I'm exhausted. He had Philippians 8. You know, fix your mind on what is pure and praiseworthy. Lovely, admirable, noble, true, trustworthy, excellent, and right. But knew about neuroscience, you know, he did. He knew that we had to focus on those positives. And the overall gift he gives us when we focus on that is a peace is a peace amidst the storm. And so you can be challenged in a storm, but there can be a deep sense to know that the faithfulness of God does not. Change, and he is with you. Even though around you, things feel chaotic, and when you move, they don't feel normal. Everything feels strange. You feel like a stranger in a strange land, but God is giving you a sense of. Peace, that one step at a time. So it was fighting and reframing those mental thoughts and really resisting, not giving into, you know, the fear, flight, and freeze.

When you get into those challenges, like this is panicking, this doesn't feel good, and just looking to God and saying, I know you've got it, God help me fix my mind, you. Help me be thankful. You are pure, you're praiseworthy, you're lovely, you're admirable, you're no, you're true. You're trustworthy. Everything you do is excellent, right? Yes. And trusting in that.

Dawn Damon: Yes. And I'm not alone here. You're with me. God, I, you're gonna be my ever companion. So, okay. So I heard you say, and let me see if I'm getting this right, number one. Yeah. And I think you said you use the four Rs to help us with this. So redesign the social and then reframe the thought. Yeah. And then three, right?

Peg Arnold: Okay. Three would be a refreshing physical because now you know what you're doing. I'm in Colorado, I'm not in Maryland. It's like two completely different climates. I'm a person who likes to walk and, and you know, do all kinds of things. I don't have the same gym available to me or things like that. I had to refresh the physical, but I also had to. Rest in the physical. Mm-hmm. Because when you're moving, you are doing, doing, doing. Every minute you can be busy. And so it's come to me, all you who are heavy late, and I will give you rest. And I love how the message talks about learn the un. Forced rhythms of life. I was learning completely, I had been in this full-time educational job, teaching at night. I had a full schedule. Been doing ministry on the weekends, and now I'm learning true unfavored rhythms of life, but finding purpose in that and being able to refresh. Rest in the Lord and renew myself physically.

Another story that goes with this is less than a year after I got to Colorado. I had a major injury, where this refreshing and resting, the physical became really primary because I had surgery. It put me in a wheelchair. It was huge. So that's another story for another time, but being able to be aware of how that rest and the refresh is so important to our physical 'cause. God created us physical, spiritual, mental, and social beings. And the fourth one is recharge. Rejoice in your spiritual, and find things to rejoice in. And that's where I went to Philippians four through six, where it says, rejoice in the Lord. Always. And again, I say rejoice. And then it goes into, do not be anxious about anything, but through prayer and thanksgiving with supplication. Make your request known to God. Mm-hmm. And so being able to. Rest. Find those times to connect to the Lord. Find those times when you don't feel grateful. What can you be grateful for? What can you give him praise for? So it's. Redesign your social, it's reframing your thoughts or your, uh, mental, it's refreshing and resting in your physical, and it's recharging and rejoicing in the spiritual. Hmm.

Dawn Damon: There's the four Rs spoken like a teacher. And you know what's important, and I am hearing this in what you're saying, is all of that takes intentionality, doesn't it? It does. It does. It's not gonna just happen automatically. It's going to be that we partner with the spirit of God and say, all right, you know, I'm body, soul, and spirit, and I must steward all domains of my being, resting in the physical. Recharging my spirit and my spiritua,l keeping my body moving, all of those thingsare right. You have anything? I know our time is almost gone, but to say to the woman who's listening, who maybe is frozen, she is stuck, she does feel paralyzed. She's not intentionally engaging those four Rs where what would be a good place to start?

Peg Arnold: Oh, first of all, I wanna tell you that God sees you and God loves you, and he knows exactly where you're at. And, the first thing I would recommend is, is there a body of Christ that you can reach out to? I had friends praying for me. I shared these fears with my oak tree friends. I had them praying for me and that. The body of Christ praying for us is important. If it can be one person in your life that you can reach out to and be honest, because the one thing that we know can keep us stuck is not sharing our struggle with anyone. When we keep it to ourselves, it becomes bigger and bigger and bigger because we are not sharing it. And when we share it, it sheds light on that darkness, that huge darkness. And when we share it with somebody, it lets that light of God come in and start to dispel frustration. The fog. He can make a difference, but who could you share it with, and is there a scripture that you could say over and over that would help your mind focus on the promises of God, even if it's Philippians 4. Rejoice in the Lord. Or if you can't say that, say Philippians 6. Lord, help me not be anxious about this. Help me know that you are there. Thank you for, and whatever you can see that you can thank if you get out of bed. Thank the Lord that you were able to get out of bed. If you got to change your clothes, thank the Lord, you were able to change them.

There are things that keep us stuck, and one step forward, being able to thank the Lord because. His gift. When we can offer up those worries, those anxieties, that stuckness, that frustration, that fear to him, he gives a sense of peace over us, and that is what connects us to him and allows us to begin to walk into the light.

Dawn Damon: Amen. Beautiful words spoken by my guest today. Peg Arnold, peg. You're also an author. Is there a book that you've shared around this concept? If so, tell us the title.

Peg Arnold: So I don't have a book around this concept. I do have a devotional called Devotions for the Distracted Heart, and it does talk about all these distractions that can derail, detour, and it's a 40-day devotion. It's available on Amazon. I have a brand new book. Doesn't have to do with this, but it's for equipping speakers and authors with the use of visual aids that make your message memorable. So if you're a speaker or an author, it's a great resource book, but if you are looking for a new devotional, the devotions for the distracted heart available on Amazon is a great place to start, because I do talk about some of these transitions that I've actually mentioned today.

Dawn Damon: Beautiful. We'll put that in the link for our listeners and also your email or website, or whatever you'd like, so that people can get a hold of you or touch base with you.

Thank you so much for being on the program today. You're a delight. You are an inspiration, and I have seen you at work, and you are memorable, so good job.

Peg Arnold: Thank you. Well done. Braveheart, Dawn, sister.

Dawn Damon: And for all of you listening, this is Dawn Damon, your Braveheart mentor. I'll leave you like I always do. Is this your moment to find your brave and live your dreams?

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About the Podcast

The BraveHearted Woman
Helping midlife women live brave by exploring the traits of success: Vision clarity, Identity confidence, disciplined mindset, empowering self-talk, and positive habits with courageous actions.
Welcome to The BraveHearted Woman, a podcast dedicated to calling out the brave, bold, beautiful dreams women have for their lives. I’m your BraveHeart mentor, Dawn Damon.
I’m a Confidence Coach, Author, Teacher, and Speaker, whose ultimate goal is to champion women like you!
As your BraveHeart mentor and certified coach, I push you to shed false limits, labels, and lies, so you can find yourself, discover your dreams, boost your confidence, and flourish in midlife and beyond. And because I know how scary it can be to take steps of courageous action that lead to change, I want to support and equip you as you move toward any life transformation you desire!
Our discussions cover various topics for mid-life women, including bold life reinvention, beauty hacks, powerful mindsets, healthy habits and disciplines, physical health, spirituality, and soul healing. I help awaken your heart to believe and to see what is possible!

We explore the mindsets of a successful woman, and talk about what I call the “5 Fortitudes of a BraveHearted Women;” of course, I use the acronym BRAVE.
• Bold Vision
• Real Identity
• Able mindsets
• Virtuous Self-Talk
• Excellent Habits

If you want to grow and develop, ignite the flame of your vision, reach your goals, and achieve your dreams, you’ve come to the right place because we are all things “women empowerment.”
So, thanks for stopping by. I believe you will be motivated, inspired, challenged, and, if you keep coming back…changed!

About your host

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Dawn Damon

HI! It's great to meet you. I'm Dawn Damon, a Podcaster, Best Selling Author, Speaker, and Mentor of BraveHearts and Bold Visionaries . I love to coach and empower women to Live their Brave Vision with courage and fire! I'm the founder of the FreedomGirl Sisterhood Conference and Podcast.

Here's what others say,
"Dawn is an engaging communicator who inspires her audience to move beyond the pain of past trauma and to maximize their God-given purpose and potential in Christ. Dreams are ignited as Dawn uses sound biblical teaching, personal stories, and splashes of humor to awaken the gifts and callings in every person."