MORNING
prayer and self-care
MORNING ROUTINES
The Wake Up Loved podcast guides you compassionately through a gentle routine of Bible, prayer and self-care. We start slowly and add steps gently over 30 episodes.
FURTHER STUDY
Each episode features relevant topics to apply immediately. Dive deeper by joining the community for reading plans, Bible study and live online health coaching opportunities.
PRAYER AND SELF-CARE
As you gently wake up, we meditate on the Word of God and pray. Guided breath work, gentle exercise and simple nutrition routines are also encouraged.
HI, I'M MARAYA
Getting up can be hard. Some days we feel restless and weary. Or distracted and overwhelmed. We long for quiet time but can't seem to find it consistently - or at all.
If any of those words describe you (as they often have me!), I pray my gentle morning routines help you connect with God and experience more peace and power to live out your unique purposes everyday.
You have important roles only you can uniquely fulfill. By starting your days connected to your source and prioritizing the nurture of your health and wholeness, you're empowered to live out that purpose for God's glory and the good of others!
XO Maraya
MY STORY
I grew up with a passion for writing and went on to study broadcast journalism. I worked in radio news for several years, interned at NBC News Meet the Press and aspired to be a political journalist. But I soon realized the frenetic pace of the newsroom, the bullish tactics needed to record "soundbites", and the daily changing reporting assignments didn't fit my introverted personality nor my love of learning and thinking deeply on subjects.
Thinking I could escape that harried life, I replaced it with another as a project manager at companies like Accenture and JPMorgan Chase. There I helped accomplish big goals for high-achieving companies but deep down, something was missing. I had no personal peace, had nightmares every night, and I allowed unhealthy relationships to persist. Generally, I felt like a tumbleweed in the whirlwind of life!
Fortunately, over 20 years ago, God showed up in the form of a ministry called Living on the Edge which I "happened" upon one night while changing radio stations. Through this ministry, I began reading the Bible, discovered Christ and my life was transformed. Having studied politics in preparation for my political journalism career, the concept of "sin nature" and mankind's inability to fix it without God, made sense to me in light of history's tendency to repeat itself.
As I grew deeper in my understanding of the divine exchange, I realized that changing careers didn't change my inner reality because I still wasn't rooted to anything beyond an ever-shifting and temporal to-do list. But through studying God's Word, listening to grace-based messages and growing in community with other believers, I became more patient, loving and kind. I handled life and occasional disappointments with more flexibility and optimism. I established boundaries with people and finally learned to say no. Best of all, I gained an inner stability and calmness I hadn't known before.
I've since raised a blended family of four children and established a social enterprise, Home CEO Academy, whose homeschool programs have served over 200,000 families in 106 countries while donating all profits to charity.
With three kids now grown and the last one entering middle school, I now long to help others on their journey to joy and peace in Christ. It's my prayer that Wake Up Loved helps you connect with the only power who can truly power your days while growing more peaceful and productive every day.
Come join me on the podcast and in community! I can't wait to meet you there.
