Women Behind the Words

Everyone has a unique story of how the Lord has touched their hearts and shaped their journeys. The ”Women Behind the Words” podcast highlights women who have bravely navigated life’s challenges, harnessing the strength and courage to answer God’s calling. Listen to inspiring accounts of overcoming fears and achieving more than they ever imagined possible. These personal narratives will inspire, uplift, and offer hope, changing the course of history, which will affect the outcome of eternity, one heart at a time.

Women Behind the Words is a religion podcast hosted by deb6y, with 100 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

deb6y hosts Women Behind the Words, a religion show with 100 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #113

  Episode 113 - Giving God Your Minutes and Your Moments: Learning to Let the Lord Take the Lead with Debbie Dufek

  Aug 18, 202628 min

  Date: August 18, 2026 Podcast Show Notes: Debbie Dufek interviewed by Nancy Haack, Part One Story Highlights: In this special episode of The Women Behind the Words, the tables are turned. Host Debbie Dufek steps to the other side of the microphone as her dear friend Nancy Haack takes over as interviewer, and what unfolds is a warm, unhurried conversation about faith, transformation, and learning to walk through daily life with God rather than simply working for Him. Debbie rarely accepts the guest seat, so this hour is a genuine gift for longtime listeners. She opens by reflecting on who she is when no one is watching, tracing the distance between the woman she was before meeting Jesus in April of 1974 and the woman the Holy Spirit is still shaping today. She shares, with real tenderness, how her grandchildren describe her as kind, gentle, patient, and trusting of God, and she is quick to give the credit where she believes it belongs. These are not qualities she manufactured through effort, she explains, but the fruit of a lifelong walk with the Lord. Anchoring the whole conversation is Philippians one, verse six, and the hope she draws from it: that God will faithfully continue the good work He has begun in each of us. From there, Debbie tells the story that changed how she moves through her days. Years ago, gluing the last of the hair onto a handmade doll for a retreat secret sister and already running late, she found herself gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles turned white on the short drive to Shiloh Retreat Center. In that small, ordinary moment she sensed God gently telling her she was not meant to live in a constant rush. That day marked the end of a frantic season and the beginning of a practice she still keeps: giving God her minutes and her moments, her clock time and her sacred time, every single day. Debbie and Nancy explore what it looks like to trust God with an overwhelming to-do list rather than carrying it alone. Debbie recalls the morning she had to fit a third of her home into the other two thirds to make room for her daughter's family, and how God met her in her quiet time with Proverbs sixteen, verse three, the reminder to commit our work to the Lord so that our plans will succeed. She talks honestly about being a recovering overplanner, about the difference between striving and stewardship, and about the freedom of letting God decide what truly belongs on her plate. Nancy adds her own gentle wisdom, describing how simply surrendering the first five minutes of the morning to God reshaped the rest of her day. The conversation then turns to the heart behind Debbie's newest book, Lord, Take the Lead . She describes the marketing struggle that followed the release of her first book, Holy Interruptions , and how a single quiet prayer led her to an eighteen minute video on the idea of holding a business meeting with God. That concept cracked something open. She realized God did not want to lead only her business, He wanted to be, in her words, the Chief Organizing Engineer of her entire life. What began as a marketing question became an invitation to live the whole of her days with God, deliberately and unhurried, for what matters most to Him. This is only the beginning of the conversation. Part Two continues next week. About Our Guest: Debbie Dufek is an author, conference and retreat speaker, inspirational storyteller, certified writing and speaking coach, and the creator and host of The Women Behind the Words podcast. Her passion is encouraging women to live deliberately for what matters to Jesus, and she believes every person's story is significant and worth sharing for the glory of God. She is the author of Holy Interruptions: When God Taps You on the Shoulder , released by Bold Vision Books in 2022, and Lord, Take the Lead: Where God Brings Clarity, Peace, and Purpose , released by Shepherd's Pen Press in 2026. Debbie lives in upstate New York with her husband Bob, still her sweetheart after fifty years, surrounded by a lively family that includes seven children, twenty-two grandchildren, and a growing number of great-grandchildren, with a few loved ones as far away as Switzerland. Book Spotlight: Lord, Take the Lead: Where God Brings Clarity, Peace, and Purpose Grown from Debbie's own My Business Meeting with God practice, Lord, Take the Lead is an invitation into a daily rhythm of meeting with God so that every decision, every dream, and every season is shaped by His guidance instead of our striving. Through heartfelt stories, biblical encouragement, and practical wisdom, Debbie shows what it looks like to hand God the lead not only in business and ministry but at the kitchen table, in the homeschool planner, in the marketplace, and in the quiet, unseen places of faithfulness. This is not a book about doing more for God. It is a gentle, hope filled guide to walking the with-God life, learning to stop striving, and starting instead to follow where He leads. It is available now on Amazon. Connect with Debbie: You can learn more about Debbie and her ministry at her website, debbiedufek.com, or reach her directly by email at deb@debbiedufek.com . She shares encouragement and glimpses of daily life on Instagram at @deb.dufek, and new episodes of The Women Behind the Words are available each week on Podbean. Closing Thought: Debbie's story is a quiet, steady reminder that God is never finished with us. Whatever season we find ourselves in, rushed, weary, or unsure of our next step, He is still writing, still shaping, and still inviting us to give Him our minutes and our moments and simply let Him lead.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #112

  Episode 112 - The Path of Forgiveness and the Freedom It Offers with Amy Loflin

  Aug 11, 202659 min

  Date: August 11, 2026 Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Amy Loflin Story Highlights: In this deeply moving episode of The Women Behind the Words, Debbie Dufek welcomes author, coach, and speaker Amy Loflin for a tender and honest conversation about forgiveness, healing from trauma, and the freedom Jesus offers when we let Him meet us in our darkest places. Amy is the co-founder of Echo Joy Collective, a ministry that guides Christian women into a deeper, more intimate walk with God, and that heart is present in every moment of this exchange. Amy opens by sharing the pilgrimage that gave birth to her book. After years of doing all the right things, serving on church staff, tithing, praying, and studying Scripture, she still felt a holy hunger she could not satisfy. Sensing the Holy Spirit inviting her to go deeper, she set aside six to seven months to immerse herself in seven New Testament stories of people who encountered Jesus and were transformed. Each month she paired one story with a fast, releasing something in her life to stay tender to what God was revealing. She describes fasting from food, from comfort, even sleeping on the floor, and fasting from vanity during the month she sat with the woman with the issue of blood, identifying with that woman's sense of betrayal by her own body. Debbie and Amy linger on that woman's story, tracing it in three movements: who she was before, isolated and living from shame and rejection, who she became when she reached out and touched the hem of His garment, and who she was after Jesus called her out of the crowd. They reflect on the beauty of Jesus stopping, asking who touched Him, and drawing her voice into the open so her story could be told rather than hidden. Most tender of all is the moment He calls her daughter, claiming her, pronouncing her clean, and welcoming her back into community. From there the conversation moves into Amy's own long journey of forgiveness. With gentleness and courage she shares the childhood sexual abuse she experienced at the hands of someone her parents trusted, and the layers of healing God walked her through over decades. She recounts the first assurance she needed, that God was present with her in that room, and the later season when her abuser reappeared in her life and God asked her a question that changed everything: what made her so sure it was the enemy, and not His grace, placing that man in her path. In one unforgettable moment, God reminded her that she was not the only one in that room He was there for, turning her healing from a story about one man's sin into a story about the magnitude of God's mercy. Debbie shares from her own life as well, including the sudden loss of her father when she was fifteen and the wall of self protection she did not know she had built until God broke it open years later. Together they name anticipatory grief, the quiet habit of grieving loved ones before they are gone in an attempt to guard against future pain, and how that self protection can shut out the very love we long for. Their conversation is a reminder that forgiveness and healing come in seasons and layers, that God is patient with the process, and that there is always more of Him to discover. About Our Guest: Amy Loflin is an author, coach, and seasoned speaker known for connecting deeply with women through authentic, heartfelt storytelling grounded in biblical truth. She is the co-founder and CEO of Echo Joy Collective, a ministry created to help women encounter God more intimately and step into the extraordinary story He is writing with their lives. With a background in counseling and more than a decade of church leadership, Amy equips women to move out of striving and self-doubt and into wholeness, clarity, and freedom. Warm, compassionate, and quick to laughter, she brings practical insight to the questions women carry about faith, identity, and purpose. Book Spotlight: A Story Worth Living: Reclaim Your Confidence, Purpose, and Peace is Amy Loflin's invitation to move past a surface-level faith and into a genuine encounter with Jesus. Written out of her own pilgrimage, the book weaves familiar Scripture with the raw and personal stories of her life, showing that the same God who met men and women in the Gospels is still pursuing each of us today. Readers walk alongside characters like the woman with the issue of blood and discover fresh depth in stories they thought they knew, learning to slow down, immerse themselves fully, and imagine their way into the scene until Scripture becomes personal. More than a study, it is a gentle guide toward healing, forgiveness, and identity, helping women trade shame and self-doubt for the confidence, peace, and purpose of a beloved daughter of God. Whether read on your own or with a group of friends, it offers small, faithful steps toward a vibrant and enduring faith. You can learn more or begin your own journey through the book at echojoycollective.com. Connect with Amy: Website: www.echojoycollective.com Email: amyloflin@echojoycollective.com Instagram: instagram.com/echojoycollective Facebook: facebook.com/echojoycollective Closing Thought: Amy's story reminds us that healing is rarely a single event and forgiveness is rarely finished in one season. God meets us in the dark rooms of our lives, reminds us we were never alone, and then, when we are ready, invites us to peel back one more layer. His grace is big enough to hold both our pain and our healing, and He is patient enough to keep working until we see Him face to face. If you have ever believed your story was too broken to matter, Amy's life is proof that the same God who pursued a suffering woman two thousand years ago is still pursuing you.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #111

  Episode 111 - My Song in the Night with Esther Neal Camealy

  Aug 4, 202655 min

  Date: August 4, 2026 Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Esther Camealy Story Highlights: In this deeply moving episode of The Women Behind the Words, host Debbie Dufek welcomes author, speaker, and bereaved mother Esther Camealy for an honest conversation about faith, grief, and finding God in the darkest valleys of loss. Esther shares the story at the heart of her award-winning debut memoir, My Song in the Night: Worshiping When the World Goes Dark , walking listeners through the journey that began at a routine twelve-week ultrasound when she and her husband, Clint, learned their fourth baby had trisomy 13, a genetic condition the medical community considers incompatible with life. Rather than asking why this was happening to her, Esther chose a posture of why not me, trusting that God's strength is made perfect in weakness. She and Clint carried their son Isaac to full term, welcomed him into a family that had already learned to love him, and cherished the forty-three precious hours of his life. At his graveside they released forty-three butterflies, one for every hour he lived, the tender image that gives Esther's ministry its name. Throughout the conversation, Esther and Debbie explore what it means to grieve well as an act of love, to encounter Jesus as the man of sorrows, and to wrestle honestly with God without letting go of Him. Esther speaks candidly about journaling her rawest prayers, leaning on her study of Job and Revelation, and discovering that God draws uniquely near to the brokenhearted. She and Debbie, who has walked her own road of pregnancy loss, reflect on how grief can become a sacred resource God uses to bring comfort, connection, and unexpected beauty from ashes. This episode also offers gentle wisdom for families in the thick of loss. Esther shares how she and Clint modeled faith for their children in the hardest season, why grieving fathers are so often overlooked, and how a husband and wife can give one another the grace and space to mourn differently. Whether you have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss yourself, or you love someone who has, Esther's story is a companion for the journey and a reminder that God can be trusted with our very lives, even when the world goes dark. About Our Guest: Esther Camealy is an author, speaker, and bereaved mother devoted to walking alongside families navigating loss and helping others find honest faith through suffering. She is the author of the award-winning debut memoir My Song in the Night: Worshiping When the World Goes Dark , in which she offers vulnerable, hard-won spiritual insights on surrender and the discovery of God's sustaining presence in the deepest valleys. Esther lives with her family in Huntsville, Alabama, where she writes at the dining table her husband, Clint, lovingly built, balancing daily life with school drop-offs and a relentless mountain of laundry. Through her website at 43butterflies.com she offers curated resources for families experiencing prenatal diagnosis, pregnancy, or infant loss, including bereavement support for the often overlooked siblings, fathers, grandparents, and medical professionals who serve them. Book Spotlight: My Song in the Night: Worshiping When the World Goes Dark When Esther and Clint Camealy learned that their unborn son would not survive, they faced a choice no expectant parent imagines: how to love, welcome, and release a child in the same breath. My Song in the Night is Esther's unflinching account of that journey, from the diagnosis of trisomy 13 through Isaac's birth, his forty-three hours of life, and the long, uneven road toward healing that followed. What sets this memoir apart is its refusal to offer easy answers. Esther does not tie grief up with a bow or rush past the sorrow to reach the redemption. Instead she invites readers into the questions themselves, the wrestling, the doubt, and the honesty of praying when God feels silent, and she shows how worship in the middle of that darkness became the most costly and genuine gift she could give. Drawing on Scripture, the support of her community, and her daily practice of prayer journaling, she traces how sorrow and faith can be held together rather than forced apart. For any parent walking through pregnancy or infant loss, for anyone caring for a grieving friend, or for readers longing to believe that beauty can rise from ashes, My Song in the Night is a steady and compassionate companion. It is a testament to the nearness of God to the brokenhearted and to the quiet truth that a song of praise can still be sung, even when the night feels endless. Connect with Esther: Website: 43butterflies.com Email: fortythreebutterflies@gmail.com Facebook: facebook.com/esther.neal.7 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/esther-neal-camealy-89607911 On her website you will also find her Resource Center for families facing prenatal diagnosis, pregnancy, or infant loss, a free first chapter of My Song in the Night , and a Spotify playlist of the songs that carried her through her darkest nights. Closing Thought: Esther's story reminds us that God never promises a pain-free life, but He does promise never to leave us. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out. Whatever dark night you may be walking through, He is near to the brokenhearted, He can be trusted with your deepest grief, and He is still writing beauty from the ashes.

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #110

  Episode 110 - Raising World Changers: Helping the Next Generation Discover God's Purpose with Noa Razen

  Jul 28, 202628 min

  Date: July 28, 2026 Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Noa Razen Story Highlights: In this heartfelt episode of The Women Behind the Words, Debbie Dufek sits down with her own granddaughter, Noa Razen, a worship leader and ministry servant with a deep passion for helping the next generation know and walk with Jesus. What happens when a young person discovers that God isn't simply asking them to do something for Him, but inviting them to walk with Him? With honesty and humility, Noa shares her journey from an ordinary high school student to serving with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). She opens up about hearing God's gentle call, wrestling with uncertainty, and ultimately saying yes to an adventure that changed her life. From her training at YWAM's base in Kona, Hawaii, to outreach in Fiji and recent mission experiences mentoring hundreds of students, Noa takes us behind the scenes of what it truly means to step into God's calling as a young person. This conversation is especially close to Debbie's heart, a rare and beautiful glimpse into two generations sharing the same love for Jesus. Together, they offer practical wisdom for parents, grandparents, church leaders, and anyone longing to see young people build an authentic, life-giving relationship with God. In this episode, Debbie and Noa explore: Noa's personal faith journey and how God led her to YWAM What YWAM training is really like, and how to choose the best fit for your family member The impact of outreach in Fiji and building relationships with children and families Why mission trips so often become life-changing turning points The challenges young people face after returning home Practical ways parents and churches can support returning students How to create authentic, welcoming church communities Why serving alongside older generations helps young people grow in their faith Helping teenagers move from simply living for God to walking with God Encouraging young people to find purpose beyond social media and cultural pressure Whether you're a parent praying for your children, a young adult wondering what God has for your future, or someone who simply wants to encourage the next generation, this conversation is a reminder that God still calls ordinary people to extraordinary purposes. About Our Guest: Noa Razen is a worship leader and ministry servant with a heart for helping young people know and walk with Jesus. After completing her training with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in Kona, Hawaii, and serving on outreach in Fiji, she returned home with a deep passion for investing in the next generation through worship, discipleship, and local church ministry. She was hired on staff for a year-long internship, where she served in youth ministry, led worship, and mentored students. Today she continues to encourage others to discover a genuine, with-God relationship. Noa is also Debbie's granddaughter, making this conversation a special glimpse into two generations united by their love for Jesus and His calling. Connect with Noa: Email: noarazen@gmail.com Instagram: @noarazen Facebook: Noa Razen Learn more about YWAM Kona: ywamkona.org Looking Ahead: Be sure to catch the teaser for Noa's next visit to the podcast, where she'll share practical, biblical encouragement on overcoming negative thoughts and unhealthy conversations. It's an episode you won't want to miss. Closing Thought: God isn't simply calling us to do something for Him. He's inviting us into a relationship where we learn to walk with Him every day. As Scripture reminds us: "Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity" (1 Timothy 4:12, NLT).

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #109

  Episode 109 - Your Purpose Is Already Within You with Myra Ingargiola

  Jul 21, 202654 min

  Date: July 21, 2026 Podcast Show Notes: Interview with Myra Ingargiola Story Highlights: In this deeply moving episode of The Women Behind the Words, host Debbie Dufek welcomes author, speaker, and Bible study teacher Myra Ingargiola for a heartfelt conversation about discovering the purpose God has already placed within you. Drawing from Proverbs 20:5, which reminds us that the purposes of a person's heart are like deep waters waiting to be drawn out, Myra offers gentle, hard-won wisdom for every woman who has ever wondered whether her life still holds meaning after heartbreak, loss, or unexpected trials. Myra shares one of the most powerful truths of the episode: that courage is not the absence of fear, but the choice to trust Christ in the middle of it. She encourages listeners to stop striving and start following, staying in step with God rather than running ahead of Him or lagging behind. Purpose, she explains, is not something we create with our own hands. It is something we discover as we wait on the Lord, press into His Word, and allow Him to transform our pain into purpose and our brokenness into a testimony of His faithfulness. Along the way, Debbie and Myra name the three lies that keep so many women feeling unqualified for God's call: imposter syndrome, the credibility attack, and limiting belief. Myra reframes courage as a skill set rather than a personality trait, a muscle we build through prayer, trust, obedience, and time in Scripture. She speaks tenderly about the importance of seeking wise counsel and surrounding ourselves with praying women, sharing about the faithful prayer team who intercede for her and for whom she intercedes in return. What makes this conversation unforgettable is Myra's willingness to share her own story. As a survivor of domestic violence, a mother who surrendered a child to adoption, and a parent who has walked through the recent, sudden loss of her youngest child, she speaks with the authority of someone who has found God faithful in the deepest valleys. Her testimony carries one resounding message: God does not rescue us to remain victims. He rescues us to become a voice. Like the woman at the well, we are invited to dip our ladle into the living water and drink deeply, trusting that the God who placed purpose within us will faithfully draw it out. About Our Guest: Myra Ingargiola is an author, speaker, and Bible study teacher, as well as a high school guidance secretary who treasures the quiet opportunities to speak life into the students around her. She is a wife of thirty-six years, a mom, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother. Myra serves as Interim Women's Ministry Leader at her home church, sings on the worship team, and ministers alongside author Rachel Britton with reNEW, a spiritual retreat for writers and speakers. Myra considers it a privilege to speak and write, proclaiming God's truth of forgiveness, healing, and redemption. Her deepest passion is to show others how Jesus weaves the threads of a life into a tapestry that displays His amazing love, redeeming grace, and unrelenting mercy. Psalm 116 holds her life Scriptures as a survivor of domestic violence and a mother who surrendered a child to adoption. Amid seasons of profound sadness and exceeding, abundant joy, Myra continues to be bold and courageous as she discovers her purposeful heart for God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Book Spotlight: The Courage to Write: 62 Devotions to Encourage Your Writing Journey Myra is a contributing author in The Courage to Write, a collection of sixty-two devotions curated by reNEW co-directors Rachel Britton and Lucinda Secrest McDowell. Gathered from a warm community of Christian writers and speakers, these short, encouraging reflections speak straight to the heart of anyone who has ever felt afraid to share their story or step into their calling. Each devotion is a reminder that God equips those He calls, making this a fitting companion to Myra's message that courage is something we build, one faithful step at a time. It is a beautiful encouragement for writers, speakers, and any woman learning to trust God with the purpose He has placed within her. Available on Amazon at The Courage to Write and through reNEW at reNEW Writing.com . Connect with Myra: You can learn more about Myra and her ministry through her reNEW author profile at https://renewwriting.com/team . Closing Thought: Myra's life is living proof that God gives us enough courage to meet each day, even in the midst of pain. Courageous living does not come from anything we manufacture on our own. It comes from intentionally drawing out what God has already placed deep within us and faithfully walking in it, one trusting step at a time. He will not abandon us. He will be our guide, our compass, and the One who leads us through every ebb and flow of the purpose He has written on our hearts.

  ListenShow Notes

Recent guests on Women Behind the Words. Study who booked and why before you pitch.

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.