Designed to Win by Dara Leigh
by daraleigh
Welcome to Designed to Win by Dara Leigh, the podcast that empowers you to rise above doubt, defeat negative voices, and step fully into your God-given identity. Dara speaks to students, parents, creatives, dreamers, and those with learning differences — reminding each person that challenges don’t define you; Christ does.Here we talk about purpose, calling, mental strength, biblical wisdom, and how to navigate real-life struggles with grace and courage. Every episode is a reminder that you were created with gifts the world needs — and with God, you are designed to win.#DesignedToWin #ChristianPodcast #FaithBased #PurposeDriven #GodsPlan #IdentityInChrist #InfluenceWithPurpose #ChristianEncouragement #FaithOverFear #SpeakLife#PodcastLife #InspirationDaily #ChristianMotivation #ChristianLiving #MindsetShift #MentalHealthAndFaith #SpiritualGrowth #KingdomLiving #JesusFollower #WalkWithGod#ADHDSupport #DyslexiaAwareness #AutismAwareness #ExecutiveFunction #LearningDifferences #Neurodiver
Episodes
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From Meth to Ministry: One Man’s Radical Redemption
In this episode host Dara interviews her nephew Sean as he shares a raw, hopeful testimony about addiction, loss, and miraculous encounters that turned his life around. Sean describes years of substance abuse and brokenness, a visible moment of God’s protection, the restoration of his marriage…
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Blessings in the Ordinary: Finding God in Everyday Moments
Host Dara Leigh reflects on a busy week and invites listeners to recognize the quiet, everyday blessings—time with family, a listening ear, and small acts of love. Through gratitude and simple practices like "notice one, encourage one, help one, include one," she encourages us to be present…
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Before you label me, Look a little deeper.
Host Dara Lee digs deeper into the "notice one, encourage one, help one, include one" challenge, urging listeners to look beyond surface behavior before assigning labels or assumptions. She shares personal stories about her children’s struggles—dyslexia, visual processing issues, hearing loss,...
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Don't Look Away: The Cost of Ignoring a Child
Dara Lee shares a personal story of her daughter being bullied and explores how adults often dismiss children's cries for help. She connects this experience to Matthew 25 and urges listeners to practice four simple actions: notice one, encourage one, help one, and include one. The episode invites...
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“You Never Know Whose Life You Could Change.”
What happens when God takes something that hurt us and turns it into something we never could have imagined? This week’s Designed to Win is a very personal conversation about prayer, forgiveness, suicide prevention, and the incredible ways God can bring beauty from the ashes of painful and...
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What if YOUR words are the reason someone doesn't give up
Host Dara explores how, amid today’s overwhelming problems, small acts of attention and specific encouragement can change a life. Using the biblical example of Barnabas, she explains why noticing the gifts beneath behavior and speaking meaningful words matters—especially for students and young...
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“NOTICE ONE — What Happens When We Really See People?”
Host Dara explores the life-changing power of simply noticing one person, using the stories of Ruth and Boaz and moments from Jesus' ministry to show how attention makes a difference. She applies the idea to schools, families, and communities, urging listeners to put down their phones, learn…
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What If Changing Our Schools Starts With Us?
In this episode Dara revisits a simple but powerful challenge for students, teachers, parents, and communities: notice one, encourage one, help one, and include one. She explains how small, intentional acts of kindness and attention can make schools safer, more connected, and more loving places…
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Lift Someone Up Challenge: Start a Back-to-School Kindness Movement
Host Dara encourages students, teachers, and parents to embrace differences and treat one another with kindness as the school year begins. She stresses seeing each person’s gifts instead of their weaknesses and offers practical ways to support peers. She issues the "Lift Someone Up Challenge":...
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Do Your Best — Even When No One's Watching
In this episode the host reflects on what it means to give your best to the things God has placed in your hands, sharing personal stories about helping her daughter open a dance studio and the challenge of balancing responsibilities and distractions. Drawing on Colossians 3:23, she encourages...
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Are You Ready? Back-to-School Tips for Teachers, Parents & Students
Host Dara Leigh shares practical advice to help teachers, parents, and students prepare emotionally and practically for a successful new school year. Drawing from more than 25 years of experience in education, Dara talks about choosing a planner that works for you, creating daily routines…
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Pray, Protect, Stand: Preparing Kids for the School Year
This episode urges parents, teachers, and caregivers to prepare children not only with supplies but spiritually and emotionally for the school year: pray over them, teach them Scripture, and help them stand for themselves and others. Listen for practical reminders to watch for changes, seek help...
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Panoramic Life: Seeing God's Presence in Every Moment
Host reflects on a near-death testimony about seeing a heavenly panorama of life and how God witnesses every choice, both good and bad. The episode brings comfort in God’s constant presence and encourages listeners to stop dwelling on past mistakes, learn from them, and move forward toward the…
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Finding Peace in Small Blessings
The host reflects on grief, loss, and the choice to notice the small daily blessings that bring peace and hope. She shares a personal story of healing after her husband’s death and how intentional gratitude changed her home and heart. Practical encouragement includes writing down five small...
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Harvest is Coming: Don't give up God is working
In this episode the host uses a garden and unexpected pumpkins as a metaphor for seasons of barrenness, sharing personal stories of healing, provision, and restored hope. The message centers on trusting God’s timing and recognizing that a harvest may already be growing even when we cannot see it....
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Can God Forgive Me? Finding Hope After Mistakes
This episode explores the question "Can God really forgive me?" as the host shares personal struggles, reflects on Psalm 139:13–19, and explains how Jesus' sacrifice demonstrates God's unconditional love and forgiveness for every past mistake. Listeners are invited to accept Jesus, receive...
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Keep Watering: Trusting God's Timing
The host reflects on a barren patch in her yard as a metaphor for seasons of waiting and encourages listeners to keep praying, working, and trusting God even when growth isn’t visible. She emphasizes that God cultivates our hearts and timing matters, and introduces a new segment "Conversations…
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How Do I Know When God Is Speaking?
In this first episode of "Conversations with God," the host explores the question "How do I know when God is speaking?" She explains how God communicates through Scripture, inner promptings from the Holy Spirit, emotions, everyday circumstances, and confirmations from other people, and shares...
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Beneath the Dirt: God’s Quiet Work in Your Life
In this episode, a backyard patch of dirt becomes a powerful metaphor for unseen growth in our lives. The host reflects on roots, patience, and the importance of trusting God while we water and sow faithfully—even when there’s no visible fruit. She also announces a new Wednesday segment,...
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From Fear to Freedom: Jesi's Battle with OCD, Grief, and Hope
Host Dara and her daughter Jesi share an honest conversation about Jesi's year-and-a-half journey through severe OCD, depression, grief, and suicidal thoughts, and how faith, therapy, community, and practical changes helped her find healing. They cover triggers like social media and...
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Beauty From Ashes: Finding Hope When Life Feels Heavy
In this honest episode the host shares a morning of fatigue and grief and reflects on the phrase "beauty from ashes," drawing inspiration from Proverbs 31. Using quilts and jewelry as metaphors, she explains how God repurposes broken pieces and hard seasons into new purpose. Through personal...
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When God Reached Back: People Who Moved Me Forward
In this episode the host reflects on the people God placed in her life at key moments — mentors, parents, teachers, friends, and strangers — who helped her move forward through hardship. She shares personal stories: receiving a study Bible, recovering from an accident that left her a paraplegic,...
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Hidden Messages: When God Speaks in Unexpected Ways
Host Dara shares a personal story about finding a hidden note from a former student tucked behind a broken picture frame, and how that message reminded her that God sees, cares, and has a purpose for our lives. This short episode encourages listeners to slow down, pay attention to the ways God…
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Faith that stands. What god has been teaching me in the wilderness
Host Dara shares a personal reflection on James 1:4, revealing how seasons of trials over the past seven years matured her faith and strengthened her trust in God. She invites listeners to embrace stillness, trust God in the hard moments, and recognize that God is working behind the scenes to...
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The Power of Your Words: Speak Life, Not Death
Host Dara explores how the words we speak shape our emotions, relationships, and spiritual life, drawing on scriptures like Proverbs 18:21, Ephesians 4:29, and Matthew 12:37. She encourages replacing negative talk with gratitude and intentional blessings, offers practical examples for changing...
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Designed to Win: Discovering Your True Identity in Christ
Dara, the host of the Designed to Win podcast, shares her journey of faith, identity, and healing. While walking outdoors, she opens up about struggling to choose a niche, using multiple gifts, and how Scripture and life experiences — including homelessness, loss, and car accidents — shaped her...
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From Overwhelm to Action: Beating Procrastination One Step at a Time
On a walk with his dog, the host reflects on a podcast about his book on procrastination, arguing that fear and chronic overwhelm—fueled by a "microwave" culture of constant busyness—keeps people stuck. He suggests slowing down, embracing rest, and noticing the simple rhythms of life (like a…
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Finish Strong: One Step at a Time
Host offers a brief, heartfelt message for teachers, students, and parents as the school year winds down, reminding listeners to keep going and not give up. Drawing on Galatians 6:9, the episode emphasizes taking things one step at a time, finding small moments of joy, and encouraging one another...
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Your Child Isn’t Lazy: What’s Really Stopping Them
Host Dara draws on her experience as a parent and educator to explain why children who avoid work often aren’t lazy but may struggle with dyslexia, ADHD, executive function, or overwhelm. Labels can damage confidence, and understanding the root causes matters. The episode offers practical steps:...
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Breaking Chains: Transforming Mindsets from Anxiety to Abundance
“Replay Episode: This is a message many still need to hear today.” Join us in this transformative episode as we explore the profound journey from anxiety and depression to hope and healing. Building on last week's impactful episode featuring a personal account of overcoming mental health…
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Transition Ready: Helping Kids Win the Move to Middle & High School
This episode walks parents and students through the emotional, practical, and academic steps to prepare for major school transitions—elementary to middle, middle to high school, or college. It covers updating IEPs/504s, building organizational systems, advocating for accommodations, and...
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Finish Strong: Beat End‑of‑Year Burnout and Missing Assignments
Feeling exhausted and buried under missing assignments as the school year winds down? This episode explains why students aren’t lazy but fatigued, and offers practical steps to reduce overwhelm: list and visualize missing work, tackle one task at a time, use short work blocks and breaks to fight...
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When Tests Freeze Their Brains: Practical Ways to Beat Test Anxiety
In this episode Dara explains what test anxiety looks like, why it can make students freeze or second-guess themselves, and how it often affects children with learning differences. She offers four practical strategies—structured, short study sessions; safe practice and verbalization of knowledge;...
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Walk into Your IEP/ARD Meeting with Confidence: 5 Essential Steps
This episode explains what an IEP/ARD meeting is, why it matters for your child, and five practical things every parent should know to prepare: how to document your child’s struggles and strengths, know and assert your rights, request meetings anytime, ask questions, and take time to review...
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Why Smart Students Procrastinate at the End of the School Year
Host Dara explores why students procrastinate at the end of the school year, often due to burnout, cognitive fatigue, and feeling overwhelmed rather than laziness. She offers simple strategies: list all tasks, break work into small 20-minute steps, focus on progress over perfection, and build...
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When Joy Returns: Clearing the Fog of Fear
In this episode, the host reflects on how returning joy and laughter revealed the subtle ways fear had narrowed their focus. They explore how fear can look like constant calculation, obsession over outcomes, and a tightened vision, and contrast striving born from panic with obedience rooted in...
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Reclaiming Joy: Laughter as Medicine
In this episode Dara honestly shares how months and years of stress left her living in survival mode and slowly stole her joy. After a moment of unexpected laughter, she reflects on Proverbs 17:22 — "A merry heart does good like medicine" — and explains how laughter and joy are restorative,...
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Healing, Hope, Glory: Reclaim Your Identity in the Fog
Host Dara opens up about fatigue and spiritual fog and shares three guiding words she received: healing, hope, and glory. She explains how healing restores identity, hope anchors you through uncertainty, and glory transforms struggle into lasting strength. If you're feeling stuck or...
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The Greatest Love Story: God’s Valentine to You
This episode explores the greatest love story: God’s unconditional love for you, shown through Jesus and a desire for relationship. It encourages meeting people where they are with intentional presence—calls, handwritten notes, shared coffee, prayer—and choosing practical ways to show love to the...
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When Fear Steals Your Focus: Trusting God to Take the Wheel
In this episode the host shares a candid, faith-driven reflection on recent struggles, recognizing that fear—not victimhood—was narrowing their focus. Drawing on Proverbs 3:5-6, they explore what true trust in God looks like, offer practical questions to help listeners surrender control, and…
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Build It and They Will Come: A Call to Obedience
Good morning and welcome back to Design to Win. Dara shares a late-night message about hearing God say "build it and they will come," calling listeners to obedience, identity, and the specific calling God placed in their hearts. She invites you into the Reset Challenge—pray for restoration…
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Value Before Performance: Restoring Kids' God-Given Identity
In this heartfelt episode Dara speaks prophetically about how today’s school systems and culture teach young people to tie their worth to performance rather than their God‑given identity. She urges listeners to recognize each child’s unique design and to stop comparing value based on visibility…
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From Lie-dentity to Legacy: Reclaim Your God-Given Value
In this episode the host tackles the battle between truth and "lie-dentity" — false labels and narratives that keep us stuck. She explains how voices from schools, society, and past failures can shape our sense of worth and lead to fear, procrastination, and anxiety. Rather than offering another...
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From Stuck to Started: A 7-Day Identity Reset for the New Year
In this New Year episode (2026), the host encourages listeners to release pressure and refocus on identity rooted in God’s purpose and love rather than perfection or comparison. She introduces a short, faith-based seven-day "From Stuck to Started" Identity Reset designed for anyone feeling...
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Designed to Win: Pause, Reflect, and Step into Purpose
This episode invites listeners to slow down before the new year, pause, and reflect on where God has carried them, what they have learned about themselves, and what seemingly impossible trials they survived. Through Scripture and personal reflection, the host emphasizes identity in Christ,...
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Christmas as New Beginnings: Rediscovering the Gift of Jesus
In this episode of Design to Win, host Dara reflects on the true meaning of Christmas—the birth of Jesus, the promise of new beginnings, and the call to be born again. She explores the symbolism of the wise men’s gifts and how they point to worship, sacrifice, and Jesus’ role as king and priest....
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From Homeschool to medical school and more: Raising kids with ADHD and Dyslexia
Hosts Dara and Stephanie Gallardo share candid stories about raising children with ADHD and other learning differences, comparing homeschooling and school options and how accommodations made a difference. They highlight practical strategies—tight routines, scheduled breaks and snacks,...
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From Binge to Breakthrough: A Faith-Fueled Recovery
April Lewars joins host Dara on the "Designed to Win" podcast to share her story of growing up in a troubled home, battling food addiction, and finding lasting recovery through faith. April discusses how Bible study, scripture memorization, and supportive ministries helped her maintain sobriety...
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Thanksgiving: Gratitude, Community, and God's Design
In this episode of Design to Win, the host reflects on Thanksgiving as more than a holiday—rooted in biblical community and the practice of gratitude from Eden through Jesus' meals. She shares personal stories, practical ideas like keeping a gratitude board, and offers a prayer encouraging...
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Designed to Influence: Choosing Who Shapes Your Heart
Host Dara breaks down what true influence looks like—beyond social media—and explains how everyone affects others daily. She contrasts the life-giving influence of Jesus with destructive voices, urging listeners to examine who they allow to shape their thoughts and actions. The episode closes…
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About this show
Welcome to Designed to Win by Dara Leigh, the podcast that empowers you to rise above doubt, defeat negative voices, and step fully into your God-given identity. Dara speaks to students, parents, creatives, dreamers, and those with learning differences — reminding each person that challenges don’t define you; Christ does.Here we talk about purpose, calling, mental strength, biblical wisdom, and how to navigate real-life struggles with grace and courage. Every episode is a reminder that you were created with gifts the world needs — and with God, you are designed to win.#DesignedToWin #ChristianPodcast #FaithBased #PurposeDriven #GodsPlan #IdentityInChrist #InfluenceWithPurpose #ChristianEncouragement #FaithOverFear #SpeakLife#PodcastLife #InspirationDaily #ChristianMotivation #ChristianLiving #MindsetShift #MentalHealthAndFaith #SpiritualGrowth #KingdomLiving #JesusFollower #WalkWithGod#ADHDSupport #DyslexiaAwareness #AutismAwareness #ExecutiveFunction #LearningDifferences #Neurodiver
Hosted by
daraleigh