Allison Bottke, author of the Setting Boundaries series, joined us tonight to talk about her newest book, A Young Woman’s Guide to Setting Boundaries.

Many young women today struggle with the stresses of identity, finding love, navigating relationships, and other difficult situations. However, they oftentimes refuse or are too afraid to ask for help and so they try to go through life on their own. Even when they’re given advice, some young women don’t take it to heart when they feel like they are just being preached at and not hearing from someone who has a genuine understanding of their struggles.

But Allison Bottke doesn’t just “talk the talk,” she’s “walked the walk” and has great advice for young women everywhere based off of her own life experiences.

Her story starts at the young age of 14 years old, when she was convinced that she had met her “prince charming.” Her mother told her that she could not see the boy, and so Allison ran away to New York, where her boyfriend gave her a phone number to call and promised her a place to stay. However, upon reaching New York, Allison discovered that the number was disconnected, and she found herself alone with nowhere to go. She eventually went back home, but after just a short time she ran away with the same boy and married him at just 15 years old. By the time she was 16, she was pregnant and in an abusive relationship. She found the courage to get a divorce and moved away, becoming a single mother before she was even 17 years old.

Even though her story has pain and despair, it is also a story of hope: the hope of redemption. Allison has learned from her own mistakes, and now tonight she shared them with us so that young women can see that God has a plan for every situation, and everything can be used for good. You may have your own story and past mistakes that  make you feel like hiding your heart from Jesus and from those around you, but tonight we opened up this topic and brought it into the light. God has always known and loved you, and he wants to bring you and your story into the light as well.Listen in to hear real-life advice on how to change the insanity of life into “s.a.n.i.t.y.”

Highlight – Helping young women and teens

Helping young women and teens navigate stress