She Was Adopted and Called—Now She's Helping Thousands of Foster Children Heal | Anna Leah Jolly - The Table, Ep. 9
Miss Mississippi Anna Leah Jolly (Part 2): Adoption, Emotional Intelligence Tools & Gospel-Centered Connection | The Table
In Part Two of The Table (Lifeline Children’s Services), host Rick Morton continues his conversation with Anna Leah Jolly—Miss Mississippi, dance studio owner, author, and adoption advocate—about using her adoption story and the Miss Mississippi platform to point to “God confidence” and share the gospel. Anna Leah describes creating LimitlessPower2Connect.com and a children’s book on emotional intelligence and the emotion wheel, supported by a CASA grant to distribute resources to kids in the court system. She and Rick discuss pressures adoptive families feel to perform, the importance of prayer and community, and how the gospel fosters connection and transformation from the inside out. Anna Leah shares why therapy felt scary at first and how her tools help parents and children talk safely about feelings and trauma, and she highlights her books available through Barnes & Noble.
00:00 Welcome Back and Setup
01:07 Tools for Connection
01:28 From Trauma to Resources
02:25 Limitless and Miss Mississippi
04:09 Scholarships and God’s Provision
06:12 Using the Platform for Gospel
06:55 Pageants and Legacy
07:44 Proving Yourself Pressure
10:45 Parents and Performance Anxiety
12:38 Spotlight Myth and Endurance
15:09 Pain in Adoption and Prayer
17:28 Privacy and Boundaries
18:43 Trauma Bonding in Adoption
19:54 Faith Lived Not Forced
21:12 Courtroom Misconceptions
23:48 God Is Limitless
25:00 Love and Attachment
29:04 Advice to Adopted Kids
30:12 Resources and Books
32:12 Therapy Without Fear
33:47 Bible as the Manual
34:20 Closing Thanks and Wrap
In Part Two of The Table (Lifeline Children’s Services), host Rick Morton continues his conversation with Anna Leah Jolly—Miss Mississippi, dance studio owner, author, and adoption advocate—about using her adoption story and the Miss Mississippi platform to point to “God confidence” and share the gospel. Anna Leah describes creating LimitlessPower2Connect.com and a children’s book on emotional intelligence and the emotion wheel, supported by a CASA grant to distribute resources to kids in the court system. She and Rick discuss pressures adoptive families feel to perform, the importance of prayer and community, and how the gospel fosters connection and transformation from the inside out. Anna Leah shares why therapy felt scary at first and how her tools help parents and children talk safely about feelings and trauma, and she highlights her books available through Barnes & Noble.
00:00 Welcome Back and Setup
01:07 Tools for Connection
01:28 From Trauma to Resources
02:25 Limitless and Miss Mississippi
04:09 Scholarships and God’s Provision
06:12 Using the Platform for Gospel
06:55 Pageants and Legacy
07:44 Proving Yourself Pressure
10:45 Parents and Performance Anxiety
12:38 Spotlight Myth and Endurance
15:09 Pain in Adoption and Prayer
17:28 Privacy and Boundaries
18:43 Trauma Bonding in Adoption
19:54 Faith Lived Not Forced
21:12 Courtroom Misconceptions
23:48 God Is Limitless
25:00 Love and Attachment
29:04 Advice to Adopted Kids
30:12 Resources and Books
32:12 Therapy Without Fear
33:47 Bible as the Manual
34:20 Closing Thanks and Wrap
Creators and Guests
Host
Rick Morton
As Vice President of Engagement, Rick Morton shepherds the ministry’s outreach to individual, church, and organizational ministry partners as well as the ministry’s commitment to publishing resources that aid families and churches in discipling orphans and vulnerable children. Prior to Lifeline, Rick served for 15 years as a college and seminary professor, and he also served local churches in Tennessee, Louisiana, and Mississippi. He is an accomplished writer and sought after speaker. Most notably, Rick is the co-author of the popular Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-centered Adoption and Orphan Care and the author of KnowOrphans: Mobilizing the Church for Global Orphanology. Rick and his lovely wife Denise have been married for over 32 years, and they have 3 children, all of whom joined their family through international adoption. God has continued to grow their family, and he now enjoys the role of “Doc” to his precious granddaughter!