The Rachelle Starr Podcast

Nine and a half years in. Thirty five thousand miles driven for one woman. A board chairman who said it was time to rest. And a leader who said absolutely not.In Episode 14 of The Rachelle Starr Podcast, Rachelle gets remarkably honest about what almost caused her to walk away from ministry and what happened when God finally made her stop. After nearly a decade of non-stop outreach, late nights, and the belief that everything depended on her showing up, Rachelle went on a four month sabbatical that she did not want and did not think she needed. What happened during those four months changed everything about the way she leads.Because God is not calling us to fix it. He is calling us to show up and trust him with the rest.In this episode we talk about:What drove Rachelle to the edge of burnout after nine and a half years of ministryThe four month sabbatical she did not want and what God did in her during itWhy the rest was actually the hardest part of the entire four monthsHow self sufficiency quietly replaces trust in God without you even noticingWhat Rachelle put in place after her sabbatical to build a life of ministry not just a seasonThe book Sacred Rhythms by Ruth Haley Barton and why Rachelle recommends it to every ministry leaderWhat it looks like to model rest for the people you lead and why it mattersNew episodes drop every Thursday.Subscribe so you never miss one.

She woke up and they were gone. A mom and her two kids who had been living in Rachelle’s home for nine months. No goodbye. No explanation. Just gone.In Episode 13 of The Rachelle Starr Podcast, Rachelle gets honest about one of the hardest parts of this work that nobody talks about enough. What happens when someone you have invested your time, your love, and your life into walks away. After twenty years of ministry Rachelle has walked through this more times than she can count and she has learned some things along the way about grief, about letting go, about codependency, and about what it actually means to trust God with the ones who leave.Because he is always working. Even when we cannot see it.In this episode we talk about:The story of the woman who lived in Rachelle’s home for nine months and disappeared in the middle of the nightWhy women walk away and what is often happening beneath the surface when they doWhat codependency looks like in ministry and how to recognize it in yourselfHow to hold relationships loosely without holding them carelesslyWhat Rachelle has learned about grieving well and trusting God with the outcomeThe woman who messaged Rachelle after eleven years to say she was walking with the LordNew episodes drop every Thursday.Subscribe so you never miss one.Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/therachellestarrpodcast/Watch on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@therachellestarrpodcast

What does it actually look like to rely on the Holy Spirit in the middle of a dark place with a real person standing right in front of you?In Episode 12 of The Rachelle Starr Podcast, Rachelle shares what it looked like the first time she really heard the Holy Spirit speak to her and how that one prompting in May of 2007 set everything in motion. From walking into a club and asking God who to talk to, to a woman who hated Scarlet Hope for eight years and then walked into a glamour night to ask for forgiveness, this episode is full of stories that will challenge and encourage anyone doing outreach or ministry.Because relying on the Holy Spirit is like building a muscle. The more you listen the more you recognize his voice. And that changes everything.In this episode we talk about:What it actually looks like to rely on the Holy Spirit in a real outreach momentThe first time Rachelle heard the Holy Spirit speak and what it led toWhy we are not anybody’s Holy Spirit and what happens when we try to beThe story of a woman who hated Scarlet Hope for eight years and what God did anywayHow the Holy Spirit plants seeds in ways we cannot always see or understandWhat it means to build your reliance on the Holy Spirit like a muscleNew episodes drop every Thursday.Subscribe so you never miss one.Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/therachellestarrpodcast/Watch on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@therachellestarrpodcast

Healing is not a moment. It is a long, nonlinear, sometimes two steps forward and twenty steps back journey. And it is worth every single step.In Episode 11 of The Rachelle Starr Podcast, Rachelle and Natalie get honest about what healing and restoration actually look like for women coming out of the adult entertainment industry. From the wounds most women carry when they first walk through the door to the mismatched experiences that begin to rewrite the narrative in their minds, this conversation is full of practical wisdom and real hope for anyone walking alongside someone in a hard season.Because people do not heal in isolation. They heal in community. And that is exactly what Scarlet Hope is built to provide.In this episode we talk about:What the most common wounds look like in women coming out of the industry and how to listen well enough to understand themThe difference between walking alongside a believer and an unbeliever and why it changes everythingWhat a mismatched experience is and how it begins to rewrite the stories women tell themselvesWhy you are not the Holy Spirit and what happens when you try to beWhat healing actually looks like over time and why good fruit takes patienceHow to be an agent of restoration in someone's life without becoming their saviorNew episodes drop every Thursday.Subscribe so you never miss one.Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/therachellestarrpodcast/Watch on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@therachellestarrpodcast

He took a shot at Scarlet Hope in a staff meeting of 400 people. Then someone brave enough to speak up changed everything.In Episode 10 of The Rachelle Starr Podcast, Rachelle sits down with Pastor Dave Stone, one of Louisville's most beloved pastors and one of Scarlet Hope's most faithful champions. From the moment Rachelle spilled an enormous glass of iced tea on him at their first lunch to seventeen years of Christmas parties, baptisms, and women circling around him in prayer during one of the hardest moments of his life, this conversation is funny, tender, and full of stories that will challenge every church leader listening.Because when a pastor gets curious enough to check something out, everything can change.In this episode we talk about:How Pastor Dave went from skeptic to one of Scarlet Hope's greatest championsWhat happened when his family opened their home to women from the industry for five years of Christmas partiesThe story of Lauren who got rid of her phone number and what it taught Dave about faith and sacrificeWhat Dave would say to every pastor who is keeping this work at arms lengthHow the woman at the well is a picture of what Scarlet Hope sees happen again and againWhat it looks like when the church gets curious and says yesNew episodes drop every Thursday.Subscribe so you never miss one.Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/therachellestarrpodcast/Watch on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@therachellestarrpodcast

Most people think they understand the difference between exploitation and trafficking. Most people are wrong.In Episode 9 of The Rachelle Starr Podcast, Rachelle and Natalie pull back the curtain on what the adult entertainment industry actually looks like today. From a teenager lured off social media to a woman who spent decades being trafficked and was still holding a Gideon Bible when Scarlet Hope walked through the door, this episode is honest, educational, and full of stories that will change the way you see the women most people walk right past.Because trafficked, exploited, or somewhere in between, every single one of them is made in the image of God.In this episode we talk about:The difference between exploitation and trafficking and why it mattersHow vulnerabilities are used to pull women into the industry and what it looks like to address them insteadWhat digital trafficking looks like and how it is the fastest growing form of exploitation in AmericaHow Scarlet Hope reached 96,000 individuals through digital outreach last yearWhat case management looks like for women who are being trafficked versus women who are being exploitedWhy the question is never why doesn't she just leaveNew episodes drop every Thursday.Subscribe so you never miss one.Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/therachellestarrpodcast/Watch on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@therachellestarrpodcast

What does it actually look like when the church shows up for women in the adult entertainment industry? Not with a program or a protest, but with real presence, real welcome, and real relationship.In Episode 8 of The Rachelle Starr Podcast, Rachelle and Natalie get honest about what the church gets right, what it gets wrong, and what it looks like to be a congregation that women actually want to walk into. From a woman who showed up to church in a bedazzled shirt to a pastor who said not in my neighborhood and then changed everything, this episode is full of stories that will challenge and encourage anyone who loves the local church.Because the church is not just a building women can walk into. It is supposed to be a place that goes out and searches for them.In this episode we talk about:Why the local church is essential to this work and what that partnership actually looks likeHow to welcome women from the industry into your congregation without reexploiting themHow to talk about the sex industry from the pulpit with dignity and without sensationalismWhat people first language looks like and why it mattersHow your church can partner with Scarlet Hope and bring this mission to your city The Ezekiel 34 passage every church leader needs to readNew episodes drop every Thursday.Subscribe so you never miss one.Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/therachellestarrpodcast/Watch on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@therachellestarrpodcast

God did not design us to survive. He designed us to flourish. But what does that actually look like when you are walking alongside women in some of the darkest places imaginable?In Episode 7 of The Rachelle Starr Podcast, Rachelle and Natalie dive into the concept of flourishing — what it looks like for the women Scarlet Hope serves, what it looks like for the people doing the serving, and why you cannot help someone else flourish if you are running on empty yourself. Drawing from Amy Sherman's book Agents of Flourishing, this conversation is honest, practical, and full of hope for anyone in ministry or outreach.Because flourishing is not just for the women we walk alongside. It is for all of us.In this episode we talk about:What flourishing actually means and why it matters for ministryHow communion with God is the foundation everything else is built onWhat it looks like to be an agent of flourishing without losing yourself in the processReal stories of women who have moved from survival mode into genuine flourishingWhy we are not the Holy Spirit and what happens when we try to bePractical tools for staying healthy and grounded while doing hard workNew episodes drop every Thursday.Subscribe so you never miss one.Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/therachellestarrpodcast/Watch on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@therachellestarrpodcast

Case management sounds like paperwork and checkboxes. At Scarlet Hope it looks nothing like that.In Episode 6 of The Rachelle Starr Podcast, Rachelle and Natalie pull back the curtain on what case management actually looks like when it is built around dignity, choice, and relationship. From the early days of Scarlet Hope to the national case management program they are running today, this conversation is full of practical wisdom for anyone walking alongside women in hard places.Because the first thing exploitation takes away from a woman is choice. And giving that back is everything.In this episode we talk about:What case management looks like at Scarlet Hope and how it has evolved over the yearsThe her voice her choice model and why it changes everythingHow national case management is reaching women across the countryPractical tools and tips for anyone doing case management or ministry with womenWhy listening is the most powerful thing you can doNew episodes drop every Thursday.Subscribe so you never miss one.Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/therachellestarrpodcast/Watch on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@therachellestarrpodcast

Being pro-life does not stop at birth. It looks like showing up for the baby shower, going into the delivery room, bringing food when everyone else goes home, and walking alongside a woman through every hard and beautiful moment that comes after.In Episode 6 of The Rachelle Starr Podcast, Rachelle and Natalie share some of the most heartfelt stories from their years of walking alongside women in the adult entertainment industry who have faced unplanned pregnancies. From a woman who was afraid to share her secret to a teenager who placed her baby in Rachelle's arms, this episode is honest, tender, and full of hope.Because pro-life means life. All of it.In this episode we talk about:What it actually looks like to walk alongside a woman through an unplanned pregnancyWhy community is everything for single moms and how the church can show upReal stories of women Scarlet Hope has walked alongside through pregnancy and beyondHow to love women well no matter what choice they makeWhat it means to be pro-life and not just pro-birthNew episodes drop every Thursday.Subscribe so you never miss one.Follow us on Instagram 👉 https://www.instagram.com/therachellestarrpodcast/Watch on YouTube 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@therachellestarrpodcast