Picking up Breadcrumbs through a Career and Home Journey with Guest Jackie Episode 3

From Operations to Career & Home Journey: Faith, Control, and Finding the Breadcrumbs   In this podcast episode, Bri & Dani interview Jackie of Career & Home Journey about her professional background and the personal “breadcrumbs” that shaped her path. Jackie shares that she previously lived in Colorado and rose from copying files to overseeing operations for a state agency, managing a 22-person team and handling cross-functional areas like technology, finance, budgets, and marketing, emphasizing advancement by doing work others avoid and valuing the operations “big picture.” She discusses how her view of success was influenced by her mother, a single mom who worked two jobs without a college degree and became the finance director of their small town, and how Jackie’s childhood expectation of being a stay-at-home mom shifted as she became ambitious, returned to work after having a baby, and later built a business to blend career and home priorities. Jackie describes key faith-related influences from women in her life, including a cousin who modeled creating a welcoming home and an aunt who regularly took her to church, while noting she lacked guidance in reading the Bible. She opens up about the death of her stepdad when she was 19, her resulting anger toward God, and how she later recommitted to finding a home church while pregnant with her son to raise her children in the church. She also shares a difficult season of infertility and multiple miscarriages, and how the commonly referenced story of Sarah became more relatable when she later encountered the fuller, messier context. A major turning point came from a toxic workplace environment after new executive leadership arrived; Jackie describes waking at night to a noise and thinking someone had been sent to kill her, recognizing the toll of stress and control. After being told to “focus on what you can control,” she later found the devotional book "Control Girl" by Shannon Popkin—"Lessons on surrendering your burden of control from seven women in the Bible"—which prompted self-reflection and shifts in how she showed up in her marriage, parenting, and home systems (moving from Instagram-worthy setups to functional organization and clearer expectations for family members). Jackie explains how this evolved into her Instagram series "Girls Night Out with Women of the Bible," where she modernizes women’s stories (inspired by scripture) to make them relatable, including examples like Lot’s wife and themed drinks (e.g., Eve as an apple martini). She and the hosts discuss how women’s stories are often “cleaned up” in church contexts, how professional women can feel excluded by traditional ministry structures, and why it matters to talk about messiness, emotions, and the impact of anger, anxiety, and fear. She details her current offerings through Career & Home Journey, including her first publication, a 45-day devotional journal titled "My Body, His Temple" with scripture references and journal prompts, and a planned women-of-the-Bible themed event product (described as a dinner-mystery-style kit) targeted for early April, potentially after Easter. Jackie also shares she is available for speaking engagements and gives her handle (@careerandhomejourney) and website (careerandhomejourney.com). The episode includes how Jackie and the hosts met after Jackie moved from Colorado to Texas in July, connecting through their children’s afterschool program and neighborhood walks, and how their daily conversations align with the show’s breadcrumb theme. Jackie says her current definition of success is “contentment,” referencing Rachel Cruze’s "The Contentment Journal" and noting a shift away from constant striving. The conversation ends with light segments on Texas HEB pricing/curbside differences and a playful debate over NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys, and the hosts close by encouraging listeners to “find your breadcrumbs.” 00:00 Loss at 19 & the Breadcrumbs That Shape Us (Cold Open) 01:23 Meet Jackie: From Colorado Ops Leader to a New Chapter 03:59 Redefining Success: Single-Mom Roots & Ambition 07:08 Faith Foundations: Women Who Led Her to Church 10:10 Grief, Anger, and Finding a Home Church Again 16:15 Infertility, Miscarriages & the Sarah Story Revisited 19:43 Girls Night Out: Making Women of the Bible Relatable 22:48 Women in Church Culture: Work, Belonging, and Messy Stories 26:09 Toxic Workplace Wake-Up Call & the ‘Control Girl’ Breadcrumb 32:08 Sponsor Break: The Feel Good Workbook (Hot/Cold Guidance System) 33:42 From Control to Systems: Organizing Home Life for Real People 36:02 Proverbs 31 Pressure vs. Real Women in Scripture 38:25 Breadcrumbs in the Small Stuff: Journals, Notes, and Letting Go 42:33 Seeing God in Real Time & How a Move Sparked New Breadcrumbs 44:35 How We Met: The Texas Move, School Routines, and After-School Logistics 45:21 Afterschool Chaos & the ‘God Moment’ That Brought Them Together 45:56 First Impressions at Pickup: ‘She Always Looks So Professional’ 46:25 From School Meeting to Neighborhood Walks: Instant Best Friends 48:16 Creative Journeys Need Community: Hype Girls, Timelines & Breadcrumbs 50:31 Women Supporting Women + A Stoic Take on ‘Being Better’ 52:07 Everyone Has a Story: Shared Themes of Love, Loss & Growth 53:30 Faith for Beginners: Finding the ‘Messy Women’ in the Bible 55:25 Her Offerings: Devotional Journal, Mystery Dinner Bible Nights & Speaking 59:45 Redefining Success: Contentment as the New North Star 01:01:52 Flour Hour Hot Takes: HEB Prices, Curbside vs In-Store 01:05:41 The ‘Fight’: NSYNC vs Backstreet Boys (and Britney vs Christina) 01:08:13 Concert Nostalgia & Wrapping Up with Jackie’s Plugs 01:10:51 Final Sign-Off Debate: ‘Follow’ vs ‘Find’ Your Breadcrumbs   Thank you to our podcast sponsor Dr. Kel who offers an amazing course, Are You in Alignment with Your Dreams? And a great workbook, The Feel Good Workbook. Our listeners get 10% off! Use code breadcrumbs10 at checkout here. https://linktr.ee/Dr.kelley This is an affiliate endorsement: we receive a commission if you purchase using our link & code.     New episodes out every Wednesday!    Watch all videos on YouTube!    Follow us on Instagram or TikTok!    Where's Waldough? Did you find the hidden loaf? Post and tag us on socials!    Want to be a guest? Fill out our Guest Interest Form!    If you loved what you heard, we would greatly appreciate it if you left us a review. This really helps us out as we get started and helps us know what great content to continue generating for each of you.    In the meantime, go follow your breadcrumbs!