Celebrating One Year of Habits of Hope Podcast

One year. 52 episodes. 10,000 downloads.
Countless stories, prayers, and conversations about hope—and we’re just getting started. Today the Habits of Hope Podcast turns one, and we can’t wait to celebrate this milestone with you.

Our Beginning: Why We Started

Long before microphones and show notes, there was ministry, friendship, and a shared conviction that hope is meant to be practiced—not just admired from a distance.

Larissa and I met years ago in Okinawa, Japan, where we were both serving in leadership, ministering to military families through Bible study and women’s ministry. We quickly discovered a shared love for God’s Word—and for making the journey engaging and memorable.

During those special Okinawa days, so much of ministry with Larissa was filled with laughter, creativity, and joy. We didn’t realize it at the time, but those years were preparing us for something deeper God would do later.

Over the years, life brought seasons neither of us expected—seasons of profound grief and stretching faith. Larissa walked through the long valley of her husband Bill’s terminal cancer journey, and I walked through my sister’s ALS diagnosis and the sacred, heartbreaking journey of being with her until the Lord called her home.

Those years changed me. They reshaped my faith, deepened my dependence on God, and stirred a longing to share the kinds of hope-filled practices that had carried me through the hardest places.

Out of that came the vision for the Habits of Hope Podcast. I felt God calling me to create a space where we could talk honestly about faith—the simple, practical habits that steady us when life is tender, busy, or hard.

After years of dreaming together about “someday doing something like this,” I invited Larissa to join me as co-host. Her warmth, her gift of encouragement, and her own story of cultivating gratitude through hard seasons make her the perfect partner in bringing these conversations to life.

“We’re not a ‘grief podcast,’ but we are honest about the hard—and about the God who meets us there with daily mercies.”

God’s Faithfulness in Year One

This year stretched us in all the good ways—learning tech, finding our rhythm, and trusting God for words on days when words felt scarce. Again and again, we watched Him provide: the right scripture, the right story, the right guest, the right encouragement for someone listening while hiking, washing dishes, or driving across town.

Hitting 10,000 downloads at our first birthday feels like a little kiss from the Lord—not because numbers prove anything, but because they quietly whisper, “Keep going. I’m using this.”

For me, podcasting has become a sweet spot where years of speaking meets writing in a deeply personal way. It feels like God has been shaping me for this all along. I’m often reminded of Olympic runner Eric Liddell’s words: “God made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.”

That’s what this space feels like for me—not pride, but purpose. When I sit down to share these conversations about hope, I sense God’s pleasure and His presence. It’s a gift to serve Him in this way, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to do it right here, right now.

A Special Sneak Peek + Birthday Giveaway!

We couldn’t celebrate one year of the Habits of Hope Podcast without celebrating YOU — the incredible community walking this journey with us!

Behind the scenes, I’ve been quietly working on some exciting new projects — and as part of today’s celebration, you get an exclusive first look at a few of the designs we’ve been creating–our very first merch!

Here’s what we’re giving away:

• 3 winners get to choose their favorite T-shirt or mug design from these exclusive sneak peeks — before they’re available anywhere else.

• 2 winners will receive a signed copy of my book, Holy in the Moment.

How to Enter the Giveaway

Step 1 — Join the Celebration List ✅ (Required)
Sign up with the form below to be officially entered into the giveaway and get sneak peeks of the designs + future encouragement.

Step 2 — Leave a Comment ✅ (Required)
After signing up, leave a comment on this post sharing your favorite episode, something you’ve learned, or a way God has encouraged you through the podcast. And don’t forget to vote on which T-shirt or mug design you’d pick if you win!

Step 3 — Bonus Entry! (Optional)
Share this giveaway or your favorite episode on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @gingerharrington for an extra chance to win.

Important Note: At this time, prizes can only be shipped within the continental U.S. Due to high international shipping costs, we’re unable to mail giveaway items outside the U.S.—but we’re so grateful to our listeners around the world for celebrating with us!

Giveaway closes Thursday, September 25 at 11:59 PM EST.

Winners will be contacted by email and announced in an upcoming blog post. Merchandise winners will get to chose their favorite design for either a mug or a T-shirt!

Listener Favorites from Year One

We’ve had so many rich conversations this year, and while we couldn’t list them all, here are just a few episodes listeners loved most: (Apple Links)

• 🎧 How to Ignite Hope by Noticing God’s Faithfulness Every Day (Episode 3)

• 🎧 How to Hear God’s Voice: Simple Habits to Deepen Your Faith (Episode 25)

• 🎧 What We’re Doing in Our Quiet Time Right Now: Daily Devotion Tips (Episode 5)

• 🎧 Introducing Habits of Hope: Discover the Power of Hope in Your Life (Episode 1)

• 🎧 Making Big Decisions with Faith (Episode 10)

Want more? You can explore all 50 episodes here on the podcast page here on my website.

A Word of Hope (From Our Hearts to Yours)

From Larissa:
God just keeps showing up—in the big things and the small ones, on the days when I feel steady and on the days when I’m tearful in the hallway five minutes before we hit “record.” Grief still sneaks up on me sometimes, even years after losing Bill. You can’t schedule grief, and you certainly can’t tell it, “Hey, I’ve got a podcast in five minutes, so mascara, stay put!” But even there—even in the tears and interruptions—God meets me.

I see now how He’s been preparing me for this season for a long time. From my early broadcasting days towalking through heartbreak, God has been shaping me, sustaining me, and teaching me to keep showing up even when it’s hard. Through this podcast, He’s given us words when we didn’t have them, grace when we stumbled through, and hope when we’ve needed it most.

Looking back over this past year, I can trace His fingerprints everywhere. He has been faithful in the past. He is faithful today. And He will be faithful tomorrow. That truth gives me courage to keep showing up here with you—and I pray it gives you courage to keep holding on, too.

From Ginger:
This past year has been so tender and beautiful for me because I became Gigi—twice! Two of my three kids welcomed little ones this year, and holding those babies has been such a powerful reminder that God’s faithfulness stretches across generations.

In the transcript, you shared:

“When I think about part of the roots of this podcast coming from walking through such hard seasons—navigating grief, loss, and transition—seeing this new generation come forward has been such a picture of God’s goodness. His faithfulness doesn’t end with us; it continues beyond us.”

God really does bring us from seasons of mourning into seasons of joy—in His timing. That doesn’t mean the hard things disappear, but it does mean His mercies are fresh and new every morning. Watching this next generation grow has been a living reminder that even in the hardest seasons, God is still writing stories of hope.

So if you’re struggling to see hope right now, hold on. Keep turning your heart toward Him. He hasn’t moved. He hasn’t changed. He is still good, and He is still faithful—right here, right now, and for the generations yet to come.

This past year has been full of God’s fingerprints—in the stories we’ve shared, the tears we’ve cried, the laughs we’ve laughed, and in you. You’ve been part of this journey in ways we couldn’t have imagined. Every time you’ve listened, shared an episode, sent us a note, or left a review, you’ve reminded us why this podcast matters.

Thank you for letting us walk alongside you. Thank you for welcoming us into your kitchens, your cars, your workouts, and your quiet moments. You are part of this story God is writing, and we’re so grateful for you. We’re praying that the same God who has met us here will meet you right where you are—with strength, with peace, and with a fresh reminder that you are never without hope.

The Best Birthday Gift You Can Give

If this podcast has encouraged you, one of the best gifts you can give us is to follow the podcast and leave a review wherever you listen.

When you take a moment to leave a few words, it means more than you know. In the episode, we shared how much these messages and reviews lift us — they truly keep us going on the hard days. Your words are a gift to us, and they help others discover hope, too.

Thank You for Being Here

As we celebrate this milestone, we’re deeply grateful — for God’s faithfulness, for every story He’s writing, and for you.

This past year has been full of God’s fingerprints — in the stories we’ve shared, the tears we’ve cried, the laughs we’ve laughed, and in you, our listeners.

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” — Philippians 1:6

Here’s to another year of walking in hope, growing in faith, and living out the habits that keep us anchored to God’s goodness. . .

because hope is our best habit.

Enter the Birthday Giveaway