Faith Broussard Cade survived a traumatic brain injury, and now she’s helping others heal as host of the “Jesus Calling” series.
One morning on her way to work, Faith Broussard Cade sat at a stoplight in suburban Atlanta, sipping her coffee and planning her school counseling day ahead. She was a young wife, newly settled in Georgia after earning her master’s in counseling from Vanderbilt and working in Nashville’s school system. Life, she thought, was unfolding according to plan.
Then everything changed.
“A tractor-trailer hit me from behind. A real-life Mack truck,” the Louisiana native told The Christian Post. “Just boom. In an instant.”
The 2017 crash left her with a traumatic brain injury and a new reality she never imagined. “There’s no cure for what I have,” she said. “You just manage the symptoms: chronic fatigue, sensitivity to light and sound, migraines, memory loss, insomnia.”
For Cade, that meant sleepless nights, sometimes three or four in a row, sensory overload, and a complete upheaval of her career, finances and identity.
“I had to choose: I could sit in a pity party, which no one else was attending,” she said, “or I could try to encourage myself.”
She began writing herself short, handwritten affirmations, 15 days’ worth, to lift her own spirits, and posted them on social media for accountability.
Seven years later, those simple notes have touched millions.
Known online as @fleurdelisspeaks, Cade’s notes of encouragement caught the attention of celebrities like Viola Davis, Katie Couric and Shonda Rhimes, who reposted her messages about perseverance, mental health and hope. What began as survival, the Atlanta resident told CP, became a calling.
“I realized, these people I admire, they’re struggling too,” she said. “And my words spoke to them. That’s when I knew: this was God’s pivot for my life.”
Today, Cade is not only a sought-after mental health advocate and author, she’s now the host of Season 4 of “Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith,” the beloved TV series based on Sarah Young’s bestselling devotional. The show streams exclusively on UP Faith & Family and features interviews with a wide range of public figures, including Taraji P. Henson, Dennis Quaid, Andrea Bocelli and “The Chosen” creator Dallas Jenkins.
The offer to host the series, she said, was both an honor and a shock.
“When I got the email from HarperCollins asking for a call, I assumed they wanted me to write another book,” she said. “And I was like, ‘I’m tired, y’all!’ But when they asked me to host, I immediately said yes, even though being in front of the camera isn’t my favorite thing. I love the devotional so much. I’ve reread it every year since 2008. It has profoundly impacted my life.”
Though the lineup of guests this season is impressive, Cade said the conversations are grounded in vulnerability. “What unites these stories,” she said, “is the truth that we’re all spiritual beings having a human experience.”
No amount of fame or wealth exempts someone from heartbreak, health battles or moments of doubt, she stressed, adding: “These are people who’ve done extraordinary things in the world, but that doesn’t mean they don’t wrestle with faith, wellness or identity,” she said. “Faith can be that anchor. And that’s what this show offers.”
Cade pointed to John Tesh’s story, featured in the premiere episode, as one that particularly moved her. “I’ve been listening to his piano music for years. Never would I have imagined our paths would cross like this,” she said. “But his journey with cancer and how his faith sustained him, that kind of resilience speaks to me, especially as someone who’s had to pivot in life too.”
She added, “I went to grad school to be a school counselor. I thought I’d work at one elementary school until I retired. But God had other plans.”
Though she keeps a positive mindset, Cade told CP her journey to healing is ongoing.
“I’m always in recovery,” she said. “Every day is still hard. I have to choose to get out of bed, pack lunches, make breakfast, do carpool. I’m a mom and a wife — and those responsibilities don’t stop because something devastating happened.”
During the darkest nights, when sleep wouldn’t come, when pain was relentless, when her then-toddler clung to her and asked for snacks, Cade said prayer often looked like silence.
“There were days I couldn’t pray in the traditional way,” she said. “I could cry. And I believe God hears our tears. Sometimes I’d write in my journal because I couldn’t speak the words. But I know without a doubt, those were the moments He was closest to me.”
That intimacy with God, she said, came not despite her pain but in the midst of it. “There’s no way I would’ve survived that without Him,” she said.
Now, through the show and her counseling practice, Cade says her goal is to remind people they are not alone and that they are already enough.
“People feel like they don’t measure up. That they’re failing in their faith, in their families, in their lives,” she said. “But I hope this show helps people feel seen, heard, loved and unconditionally understood.”
The Shine Bright Anyway: 90 Affirmations That Declare You Are Enough When the World Says You’re Not author said she is intentional about keeping the show accessible and not preachy.
“No matter your background, your beliefs, or your story, I hope people see that there must be something bigger than us, something we cling to in moments of vulnerability or uncertainty,” she said.
In her own recovery, Cade says she’s deeply grateful for the community that surrounded her, friends and family who didn’t speak fear, but faith.
“We nearly lost our house. We went from two incomes to one. I lost my job. But the people around us didn’t say, ‘That’s the worst thing ever.’ They said, ‘God’s not done.’ That’s what community does, it reminds you who your source is.”
She added, “Sometimes we think our degrees or our résumés or our connections will carry us. But they’re just resources. He is the source.”
Today, she continues to do what she’s done since the beginning: write a simple note to herself each morning.
Seven years later, those notes still say the same thing: “You’re going to be OK. God is with you. Keep going.”
And through “Jesus Calling,” Cade said she hopes viewers feel that same comfort and God-given peace she clings to every day.
“I want them to feel loved. I want them to feel like they matter,” she said. “You are enough simply because God made you. And that’s the message I hope comes through, not just in the stories, but in the spirit of the show.”
“Jesus Calling: Stories of Faith” is now streaming on UP Faith & Family.
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
