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Episode 24: Pearls Formed Through Dysfunction, How a Sports Journalist Overcame Generational Trauma to Help Women Overcome Life's Trials

16th March 2021 • Your Biggest Breakthrough • Wendie Pett, ND and Todd Isberner

Lisa Burkhardt Worley wasn't even alive when her father tragically died of a massive heart attack while playing polo. Her mother was at the match and watched him collapse on his horse. She was at his side when he passed en route to the hospital.

Sadly, Lisa's mom never recovered from this trauma. She numbed her pain with alcohol and prescription drugs - to the point she couldn't even care for Lisa and she had to live with her grandmother for several years.

Fast forward a decade or three, and Lisa is now a traveling correspondent for ESPN, at the time a brand new network that covered exclusively sports. After stints with HBO Sports and the Madison Square Garden Network, it was a perfect fit. But the road lifestyle wasn't suitable for a woman with a husband and young daughter. She needed something more stable.

So she turned down what at one point would have been considered her dream job. She was offered employment with ESPN as a full-time reporter, but she turned it down to take a less prestigious position in San Antonio, TX. She did this because she felt called to be there for her mother - in spite of her mother not exactly being there for her at critical times in her childhood.

Now in 2021, Lisa sees that the trauma she experienced vicariously through the womb and the ensuing dysfunction in her childhood was the pressure needed to make her into a pearl that minister's the grace of God - the only Father she has ever known - to those with similar experiences.

In this episode, you'll discover:

-Dysfunction defined...05:00

-What causes us to break free from dysfunction...07:15

-The tragedy that contributed to dysfunction in Lisa's childhood...10:30

-The moment Lisa accepted Jesus as Lord in 9th grade English class...14:00

-How Lisa got into sports broadcasting...17:00

-How losing the sweet gig led to a personal collapse...21:30

-If you feel like you need to go back to church, you probably do :) ...24:00

-How Lisa redeemed her faith with a new opportunity in broadcasting...26:30

-How to gain proper perspective when facing a challenge...28:25

-How a shift in mindset led Lisa to turn down her dream job...31:00

-How Lisa reconciled with her dysfunctional mom...34:00