Ep 80: From Military grit, to Mama, to mercy & self-love w/Veteran & Empowerment Coach Dielle Luster

In this episode, I sit down with the amazing Dielle Lustre. She’s a mom, Army veteran (she protested Fort Knox!), empowerment coach, host, and speaker to talk about what it’s really like to navigate adversity with honesty, faith, and community. And we laughed… a lot! It’s impossible not to with Dielle’s infectious energy! *Follow Dielle on Instagram and subscribe to her YouTube channel* https://www.instagram.com/coachdsymone/ https://www.youtube.com/@dsymonespot From the discipline and “deal with it” mentality she learned in the military to the tenderness of mercy, vulnerability, and self-love, Dielle’s story is a powerful reminder that it’s okay to not be okay… and that we are all worth saving. We talk about the complicated in-between seasons: separation, identity changes, and learning to let go of control when life doesn’t follow the plan you had in your head. Dielle shares how prayer became less of a performance and more of a raw, ongoing conversation with God, and how experiencing God in simple, everyday moments changed the way she views herself and others. *We also delve into Coach Dielle’s transition to empowerment coaching* She shares how her desire to help others heal grew out of her own battles with negative self-talk, emotional pain, and starting over. In this conversation, writing becomes a form of therapy: a way to process pain, name difficult emotions, and begin the work of self-forgiveness and spiritual growth. If you’ve ever felt like you had to be “strong” all the time, this one is for you. Dielle’s story is a master class in how military courage meets mercy, how to learn to accept vulnerability as strength, and how to find your people: the community that reminds you that “you can’t give up” when everything in you wants to fail. *You’ll hear us talk about:* -Serving in the military and how “running into fear” became a life lesson -Life after service: identity changes, separation, and learning who you are outside of uniform -How community and friendship sustain you when relationships get complicated -Why vulnerability is not weakness and how it opens the door to real healing -Prayer as a tool for emotional processing, not perfection -Experiencing God in the everyday, not just the “big ones” spiritual moments -The difference between sacrifice and mercy on your spiritual journey -Letting go of control and trusting God’s plan when nothing makes sense -How empowerment coaching became a calling born of your own adversity -Using writing as therapy for emotional healing and self-discovery -The hard but sacred work of self-forgiveness and responding to negative self-talk -What it means to be “united with God” in real life, not just in theory -Why everyone is worth saving, no matter their past *This episode of Adventures in Adversity is sponsored by DIVINI, a honey-based sparkling kombucha tea.* Visit [https://livedivini.com/] And use discount code *Breanne10* at checkout for a discount! ## Adventures in Adversity on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/adventuresinadversitypodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/adventuresinadversitypodcast/