023 | When Prayer Feels Hard in Midlife | A Conversation with Jennifer Tucker About Overwhelm, Grief & Embodied Faith

What do you do when prayer feels hard… especially in overwhelming seasons of midlife, grief, stress, or emotional exhaustion?

In this special conversation, Bethany sits down with author Jennifer Tucker (Prayer in Motion, Breath as Prayer, and Present in Prayer) to explore embodied prayer, nervous system regulation, emotional healing, movement, and the gentle presence of God in difficult seasons.

Together, they talk honestly about overwhelm, grief, spiritual exhaustion, perfectionism, trauma, anxiety, and the disconnect many women feel between intellectual faith and embodied peace.

This conversation explores what it looks like to move from simply knowing God is near… to actually experiencing His presence in the body and soul.

If prayer has felt difficult…
if you’ve felt disconnected from your body…
or if you’ve longed for a gentler, more grounded experience of God’s presence…

this conversation will deeply encourage you.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• prayer and movement as embodied spiritual practices 
• breath prayer and nervous system regulation 
• overwhelm, grief, and emotional healing 
• moving from intellectual faith to experiential faith 
• spiritual exhaustion and the pressure to perform 
• Psalm 23 and the comforting image of the Good Shepherd 
• learning safety, rest, and connection again after overwhelming seasons 
• how God meets us gently in hard places 

About Jennifer Tucker

Jennifer Tucker is the author of Prayer in Motion, Breath as Prayer, and Present in Prayer. Her work gently invites readers into a more embodied, grounded, and grace-filled experience of God’s presence through breath, movement, prayer, and awareness.

Connect with Jennifer Tucker

Jennifer Tucker Official Website: https://littlehousestudio.net/prayer-in-motion

Books by Jennifer Tucker:
Prayer in Motion, Breath as Prayer, and Present in Prayer

About Bethany

Bethany Thomson is a Registered Dietitian offering restorative, whole-person functional nutrition care for overwhelmed women in midlife through her private practice, Ingrained Living.

She helps women navigate hidden depletion, nervous system overload, hormone and nutrition concerns, and the emotional weight of overloaded lives with steadiness, wisdom, and compassionate support.

Bethany is also a wife, mother of five, and fellow traveler through the very real complexities of midlife herself. She lives with her family on a farm outside Nashville, Tennessee, where life is full, grounded, and deeply rooted in rhythms that nourish both body and soul.

Support for This Season

If you’re feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, stuck in cycles of starting over, or unsure where to begin next…

You don’t have to figure it out alone.

Learn more about restorative nutrition care and schedule a Welcome Hour at:
ingrainedliving.com/welcome-hour

Share + Review

If this episode resonated with you, consider sharing it with a friend or leaving a review.

It helps more weary women find this space for steadiness, nourishment, and rest.

Everything shared here is for education and reflection.
Please partner with your trusted provider for your personal care.

Full disclaimer: 
Ingrained Living Disclaimer

© 2026 Ingrained Living. All rights reserved.

What is Nourishing Her Midlife Rest: Body & Soul | Perimenopause, Holistic Nutrition & Life Coaching for Christian Women?

Nourishing Her Midlife Rest: Body & Soul is a podcast for Christian women in their 40s and 50s navigating perimenopause, hormone shifts, exhaustion, burnout, and the changing rhythms of midlife.

Hosted by Bethany Thomson, Registered Dietitian, functional nutritionist, and Christian life coach, this podcast blends functional nutrition, hormone health, whole-person wellness, and grace-filled encouragement to support women in body and soul.

Some episodes are practical and educational—covering topics like perimenopause, hormones, fatigue, inflammation, nervous system support, digestion, stress, and nourishment in midlife.

Others are more reflective and restorative, offering gentle conversations about rest, emotional healing, caregiving, faith, identity, and learning to live with greater steadiness and compassion in seasons of overwhelm.

Whether you feel exhausted, disconnected from yourself, stuck in survival mode, or simply weary from carrying too much for too long, there is space for you here.

Together, we’ll explore a gentler path toward nourishment, steadiness, and rest—body and soul.

Learn more at:
www.ingrainedliving.com