Episodes

  • Dealing with Grief and Church Hurt with Jason Schmidt

    Dealing with Grief and Church Hurt with Jason Schmidt
    Nov 12 2025

    On this episode of Finding Something Real, we are joined with a returning guest, Jason Schmidt. Jason's parents were Janell's Youth Pastor's. They had a tremendous impact on her life and now has the privilege of sharing that with their son, Jason. We are also joined with one of our co-host, Ana.

    Jason is a High School and Young Adult Pastor in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is currently in seminary, coaches boys soccer, and loves investing in this next generation.

    In this conversation we unravel grief. Both and Ana and Jason lost their dad at an early age. Ana asks questions about how Jason handle his grief, if he felt any pressure to step into ministry because of his dad, and some disappointments they experience in the church.

    We hope you enjoy this week's conversation!

    - -- -- -- -- LINKS Can Doubt and Faith Coexist with Jason Schmidt

    How to Love People in Truth and Love with Drew Berryessa

    The Difference Jesus Makes - Frankie's Story Season 8 - First Episode

    Listen on:

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2MuVWFbZzue3ZLgCtIJGzB

    Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finding-something-real-podcast/id1481017856

    Follow us on:

    Instagram: finding_something_real

    Facebook: Finding Something REAL with Janell Wood

    Tiktok: @findingsomethingreal

    Youtube: Finding Something REAL with Janell Wood

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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • How to Love People in Truth and Love with Drew Berryessa

    How to Love People in Truth and Love with Drew Berryessa
    Nov 5 2025

    On this episode of Finding Something Real we introduce our first guest, Drew Berryessa! Drew is no stranger to the Podcast. He's been a guest before and we are thrilled to have him back! Drew has a tender heart and shares his story with such vulnerability in hopes it will impact others. We are also joined with two of our co-host, Ana and Sarah.

    In this episode, Drew talks about his story of living a homosexual life style and how Jesus met him right where he was at. He gets real about the questions, pain and heartbreak choosing to follow Jesus brought. He left that lifestyle and is now a fully devoted Jesus follower. Helping people all over the world, equipping them to love others in truth and love. He has a beautiful family with an amazing wife and three beautiful girls.

    Ana and Sarah ask questions on - how to practically love others in their pain and sin. And how to share truth with grace, while standing firm to what the word of God says.

    We hope you enjoy this week's conversation!

    - -- -- -- -- LINKS https://www.alivingletter.org/ The Difference Jesus Makes - Frankie's Story Season 8 - First Episode

    Listen on:

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2MuVWFbZzue3ZLgCtIJGzB

    Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finding-something-real-podcast/id1481017856

    Follow us on:

    Instagram: finding_something_real

    Facebook: Finding Something REAL with Janell Wood

    Tiktok: @findingsomethingreal

    Youtube: Finding Something REAL with Janell Wood

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    1 hr and 25 mins
  • The Difference Jesus Makes - Frankie's Story

    The Difference Jesus Makes - Frankie's Story
    Oct 29 2025

    In this episode, we introduce our first co-host, Frankie!

    Frankie shows a level of maturity way beyond her years. She is steady, level headed and has a genuine heart. Frankie is Janell's niece. In this episode she shares her story of being adopted, the tension of getting pushback for her faith, believing in Jesus but still having questions, and trying to find where her gifting fit in the Kingdom of God. She shares her vulnerability about her experiences and some of the hesitations she has being a Christian.

    This is such a rich conversation, we hope you enjoy this week's episode!

    -- -- -- -- -- LINKS Season 8 - First Episode

    Listen on:

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2MuVWFbZzue3ZLgCtIJGzB

    Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finding-something-real-podcast/id1481017856

    Follow us on:

    Instagram: finding_something_real

    Facebook: Finding Something REAL with Janell Wood

    Tiktok: @findingsomethingreal

    Youtube: Finding Something REAL with Janell Wood
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    1 hr
  • Season 8 - Intro Episode

    Season 8 - Intro Episode
    Oct 22 2025

    And we're back! After taking a few months on break, we are back with Season 8!

    For this first episode, I'm joined with my good friend, Katie Dommel, who has been a major help and a huge cheerleader throughout this whole journey. We talk about all the things God has been doing in and through this ministry, and we introduce the young ladies that will be part of this season. We have 8 special young women from all different faith backgrounds that are going be sharing their stories this season!

    We hope you enjoy this episode!

    Listen on:

    Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2MuVWFbZzue3ZLgCtIJGzB

    Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/finding-something-real-podcast/id1481017856

    Follow us on:

    Instagram: finding_something_real

    Facebook: Finding Something REAL with Janell Wood

    Tiktok: @findingsomethingreal
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    37 mins
  • I Found The Real Thing with Craig Hazen

    I Found The Real Thing with Craig Hazen
    Dec 27 2024
    This is the sixth and final episode in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special guest, Craig Hazen. Dagmar has co-hosted many Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she has not yet made a decision to take a leap of faith as an adult. She has a comfortable life and enjoys partying with friends and admits that were she to give her life to Christ her life would change and people would view her differently. She's grown up in a secular culture and for this series, reached out to some friends for new faith questions including some about the credibility of Jesus, why there are so many variations of religion and Christianity, and the history of Christianity. ABOUT CRAIG HAZEN Craig Hazen is the Chief Strategy Officer at Stand to Reason. He was the founder and director of the M.A. Program in Christian Apologetics and Professor of Comparative Religion and Apologetics at Biola University in Southern California. He is a recipient of the Fischer Award, the highest faculty honor at Biola. Dr. Hazen is the editor of the philosophy journal, Philosophia Christi. He is the author of The Village Enlightenment in America and Five Sacred Crossings including numerous articles, book chapters and journals. He earned both his Ph.D. and his M.A. at the University of California, Santa Barbara. -- -- -- -- -- LINKS Visit Stand to Reason at www.str.org for more resources related to the biggest faith questions young people are facing today. To find out more about what 2025 will look like for Finding Something Real, click here.
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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • Talking About Jesus with Josh White

    Talking About Jesus with Josh White
    Dec 19 2024
    This is the fifth in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special returning guest and Portland pastor, author, and recording artist, Josh White. Dagmar has co-hosted many Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about, and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she has not yet decided to take a leap of faith as an adult. She has a comfortable life and enjoys partying with friends and admits that were she to give her life to Christ her life would change and people would view her differently. She's grown up in a secular culture and for this series, reached out to some friends for new faith questions including some about the credibility of Jesus, why there are so many variations of religion and Christianity, and the history of Christianity. ABOUT PASTOR JOSH WHITE: Josh White is a recording artist, author, and lead pastor of Door of Hope, a thriving church community in the heart of Portland Oregon. More about Josh: https://youtu.be/XDgWLkmLdjI?si=VHS08aFu9OlvxQSE -- -- -- -- --
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    1 hr and 14 mins
  • One of the World's Top Philosophers Answers Big Faith Questions with William Lane Craig

    One of the World's Top Philosophers Answers Big Faith Questions with William Lane Craig
    Dec 11 2024
    This is the fourth in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special guest and leading philosopher, William Lane Craig. Dagmar wasn't available for this recording, but Signe from Denmark joined in for this conversation about why there are so many different versions of Christianity, what matters most, and why Bill Craig is a Christ-follower. Dagmar has co-hosted many Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about, and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she has not yet decided to take a leap of faith as an adult. She has a comfortable life and enjoys partying with friends and admits that were she to give her life to Christ her life would change and people would view her differently. She's grown up in a secular culture and for this series, reached out to some friends for new faith questions including some about the credibility of Jesus, why there are so many variations of religion and Christianity, and the history of Christianity. ABOUT WILLIAM LANE CRAIG: William Lane Craig is a Visiting Scholar of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Christian University. He and his wife Jan have two grown children. At the age of sixteen as a junior in high school, he first heard the message of the Christian gospel and yielded his life to Christ. Dr. Craig pursued his undergraduate studies at Wheaton College (B.A. 1971) and graduate studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (M.A. 1974; M.A. 1975), the University of Birmingham (England) (Ph.D. 1977), and the University of Munich (Germany) (D.Theol. 1984). From 1980-86 he taught Philosophy of Religion at Trinity, during which time he and Jan started their family. In 1987 they moved to Brussels, Belgium, where Dr. Craig pursued research at the University of Louvain until assuming his position at Talbot in 1994.

    He has authored or edited over thirty books, including The Kalam Cosmological Argument; Assessing the New Testament Evidence for the Historicity of the Resurrection of Jesus; Divine Foreknowledge and Human Freedom; Theism, Atheism and Big Bang Cosmology; and God, Time and Eternity, as well as over a hundred articles in professional journals of philosophy and theology, including The Journal of Philosophy, New Testament Studies, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, American Philosophical Quarterly, Philosophical Studies, Philosophy, and British Journal for Philosophy of Science. In 2016 Dr. Craig was named by The Best Schools as one of the fifty most influential living philosophers.
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    46 mins
  • From Skeptic Atheist to Bible-Believing Christian with Jon Noyes

    From Skeptic Atheist to Bible-Believing Christian with Jon Noyes
    Dec 4 2024

    This is the third in a series of episodes dedicated to a young woman and returning cohost, Dagmar from The Netherlands. This episode is with special returning guest and Stand to Reason speaker, Jon Noyes. Dagmar wasn't available for this recording, but Signe from Denmark joined in for this conversation about moving from atheism to Christianity, what makes the Bible a historically reliable document, and how to go from head knowledge to trusting Jesus.

    Dagmar has cohosted many Finding Something REAL episodes in the past four years. Although Dagmar is interested in, learned a lot about, and is drawn to Jesus, and chose to get baptized when she was a child, she has not yet decided to take a leap of faith as an adult. She has a comfortable life and enjoys partying with friends and admits that were she to give her life to Christ her life would change and people would view her differently. She's grown up in a secular culture and for this series, reached out to some friends for new faith questions including some about the credibility of Jesus, why there are so many variations of religion and Christianity, and the history of Christianity.

    We hope you enjoy this week’s episode!

    ABOUT JON:

    Jon has worked as a speaker with Stand to Reason since 2019. A former atheist, Jon used to think belief in God was unwarranted and irresponsible. Then, after examining the evidence for Christianity he was faced with the fact that Jesus is who He says He is and the Christian worldview tells the true story of reality. Ever since Jon has been passionate about engaging the culture with honest, well-thought-out reasons why people should trust the Christian worldview. Jon brings a unique perspective to his audiences and the Stand to Reason team, having more than ten years of experience in the legal field. In 2013 Jon earned a master’s degree in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, graduating with honors. Jon is a founding pastor at Soli Deo Gloria Church. He also serves on the board of directors for Life Without Limbs and Bible Thinker. More than any of this Jon is the father of four daughters and the husband of Rheanna. They live in Ventura County, CA.

    -- -- -- -- --

    LINKS:

    Suicide, God, And Knowing You’re Not Alone with Jon Noyes

    Eternity: Extreme & Scary? with Jon Noyes
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    1 hr