EP 98 | Building Genuine Community Beyond Social Media w/ The Story Haven and Jessica DeYoung

Writing can be a lonely endeavor. For years, women gathered in Facebook groups and comment threads to encourage one another. But the algorithms, the arguments, and the feeling of performing for a crowd made it more and more difficult to stay. Jessica DeYoung wanted something different, so she created The Story Haven — a free, invite-only community where Scripture, prayer, and everyday stories of God's faithfulness come first. The Story Haven is a private, Christ-centered community for women–where you could connect with other storytellers and creatives and build the kind of community you lose when you step away from social media. Read to hear more? Listen in!

​EP. 98 | Building Genuine Community Beyond Social Media w/ The Story Haven and Jessica DeYoung​


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Tune in to Hear:

  • Why Jessica and her husband left the crowded online space to build a free, invite-only Christian community from scratch

  • The real difference between an "audience" and a "community"

  • How the Story Haven's room-based design helps members avoid social media's constant comparison and catch-up pressure

  • Why being "known" matters more than being "seen" — and what genuine community actually requires of us

  • How Jessica is addressing platform fatigue for writers who feel like they can't learn one more app

Would you prefer to read about this episode? Check out the blog post version: Building a Christian Community Beyond Social Media: Lessons from The Story Haven​

More About Jessica

Jessica DeYoung is the founder of The Story Haven. Through her writing and conversations, she helps women recognize what God is doing in the middle of their real, unfinished lives and respond with practical obedience. She is the author of Made Whole and the host of Perspectives into Practice, a podcast centered on the stories God is writing right now, not just the ones that already have a neat ending. Jessica also leads Wholeness in the Wilderness retreats, creating space for women to step away from the noise, hear from God, and pay attention to what He is doing beneath the surface.