There’s a sacred courage that rises the moment you decide to stop numbing and start healing.
In this week’s episode of Unshakeable Belief, I sat down with my dear friend and fellow author, Cristina P. Simmons, to talk about what it truly means to move from grief to grace — and how healing through faith can transform your body, mind, and spirit.
Cristina is the bestselling author of Eat Your Feelings and founder of The Soul Story Collective, a publishing company helping women tell their truth, release emotional pain, and step into freedom. Her story is one of emotional eating recovery, deep grief, and rediscovering identity through faith, community, and holistic wellness.
When the Body Holds What the Heart Can’t Say
For years, Cristina used food as comfort, not realizing her body was crying out for healing.
“I was living on autopilot,” she shared. “Exhausted, foggy, and carrying pain I never gave myself permission to feel.”
Through the writing of her book, she faced that pain head-on — literally. She spoke each chapter into Zoom, looking herself in the eyes as she told her story aloud. Some days brought tears. Others brought release.
That practice became powerful mirror work and nervous system healing — a tool she now uses to help other women speak truth over shame and begin their own trauma and gut health journey.
How Trauma Impacts the Body and Gut
Our bodies remember what our minds forget.
Cristina and I both know the reality of stored trauma — how it shows up as chronic fatigue, pain, anxiety, gut issues, and inflammation.
Science now confirms what faith has always whispered: emotional healing and gut health are deeply connected. When you begin to release emotional pain, your digestion, immunity, and hormones begin to regulate too.
Healing from the inside out means addressing both the mind and the body — learning to nourish your cells with love, movement, and truth.
Faith as the Anchor of Healing
For Cristina, faith was the foundation. She learned to sit in stillness and trust that God was working, even when life didn’t make sense. Through prayer, meditation, breathwork, and journaling, she found what she calls divine alignment — the peace that comes from surrender.
“Everything that happened,” she said, “happened exactly the way it was meant to. I had to trust that beauty would rise from the ashes.”
That’s the essence of healing through faith — knowing that even in your hardest chapters, grace is writing a greater story.
From Survival to Alignment
One of my favorite parts of our conversation was when Cristina said:
“You can always find joy in a situation — even when it’s wrapped in pain.”
That truth is the heartbeat of faith-based wellness. Healing isn’t about perfection; it’s about alignment.
When we listen to our bodies, honor our emotions, and stay grounded in faith, we move from survival to purpose.
Alignment means choosing peace over pressure, presence over performance, and truth over trauma.
Your Reflection Moment
If something in this story stirred something in you, take a deep breath and ask yourself:
- Where am I holding grief or tension in my body?
- What emotion have I been suppressing that’s now showing up as fatigue or pain?
- What would healing through faith look like for me right now?
Remember, healing is holy work. You don’t have to rush it. You just have to start.
Cristina’s Next Chapter: The Soul Story Collective
Cristina now helps women transform their pain into purpose through The Soul Story Collective — a trauma-informed publishing house guiding authors through emotional release, spiritual alignment, and creative expression.
Her goal? To create safe spaces where storytelling becomes a tool for holistic transformation — because when one woman heals, it gives permission for others to rise.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been feeling off — physically, emotionally, or spiritually — let Cristina’s story remind you:
You are not too far gone. You are not broken. You are becoming whole.
There’s a divine rhythm to your healing. Trust it.
Because your story is not over — it’s just being rewritten with grace.
🎧 Listen to the Full Episode
From Grief to Grace: The Soul Story of Healing, Faith & Freedom with Cristina P. Simmons
Available now on Apple Podcasts | Spotify |
Connect with Cristina P. Simmons
- Website: cristinapsimmons.com
- Instagram: @cristinapsimmons
- Publishing: The Soul Story Collective
RISE AND THRIVE with Monica 
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