We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Darcie Fuqua a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Darcie, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

God has allowed me to write about the intersection of faith and mental illness from experience to a broad audience of believers and nonbelievers. Sometimes, writing can be a very lonely and isolated profession, so when you get reader feedback, even just one email from a soul who says your story touched them and moved them closer to Jesus, it compels you to keep sharing your testimony. I wrote an article, “Does God Still Love Me When I’m Depressed,” for ibelieve.com, and I received several emails from men and women who felt heard and seen after reading the words God impressed on my heart. There is so much reward and beauty in reflecting the light of Jesus into the dark seasons of other’s lives.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Darcie Fuqua is a wife and mom, Auburn Grad (War Eagle!), Youth Director, Christian writer, and mental health advocate. In 2017, she started leightonlane.com to share transparent stories of beautifully redeemed souls and speak life and truth into what it is like to be a Christian with mental illness and that there is no shame in seeking help from doctors and medicine. As an avid believer in walking the path God sets before you, she has embraced the wild ride of the last decade. God has opened doors for youth ministry, speaking, freelancing, and devotional book collaborations.

When life took a drastic detour, she spent the better part of her thirties leaning into the comfort of God and taking notes of the ways others came alongside her in the valley. With eyes wide open to the endless suffering around her, she realized that we can provide an infinite supply of comfort when we lean into the compassionate God of all comfort. What was birthed from despair has become a beautiful love story she treasures sharing with others. Besides, what is a testimony if you don’t tell it?

Darcie pens words poured from the heart in an authentic voice as she reflects on hard things through the lens of hope, humility, and a heavy dose of humor. Without shame, she shares the transparent accounts of her story so readers can witness how God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love endure despite our humanness.

Darcie is from the deep south of Alabama, where she resides with her husband, two energetic, fun-loving boys, a beautiful teenage niece, and a dog named Cinnamon. She loves sinking her toes in the sand, cuddling with her boys, and having great conversations over a table of good food. You can read her writing at www.leightonlane.com and connect with her on Instagram @leighton_lane.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Over the years, I have worn many titles and pivoted often in my career. After earning my Master of Accountancy degree from Auburn University and passing the CPA exam, I quickly realized that public accounting was not my passion nor conducive to a healthy work/life balance. After an arduous tax season, I prayed that God would open new doors. I landed a new job in a fast-growing credit union software company. Although I wasn’t constantly exercising my fingers on the 10-key calculator, I still applied the skills I learned in school in different areas. I became the lead instructor for the accounting module of the software and grew a bookkeeping profit center. Most of all, I enjoyed going to work. Twenty years later, I work part-time for a different software company as I raise a family and pursue the craft of writing and speaking, which I find the greatest fulfillment in. If someone told me I would be a Christian writer and speaker after graduating twenty years ago, I would have laughed out loud. That endeavor was nowhere on my radar. When you ask God to open new doors, He will. You may find the open door doesn’t make sense initially, but you must trust the Lord and take the risk.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

The most important advice I can give Creatives is to find a tribe early in the journey. I attended my first writer’s conference in 2022, where I met ladies from all over the world who encouraged and cheered each other on. I’ve kept in touch with many women I met and have become lifetime friends with several of them. We celebrate each other’s wins and lean into each other through the setbacks. We have collaborated on projects and made it our mission to spread the Good News together. A tribe of good mentors and friends makes the creative process so rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.leightonlane.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leighton_lane/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leightonlanehome/