Amazing Hope radio hits #1

Shellie Nichol Biography

Every August since 2008, Shellie Nichol celebrates a birthday the doctors told her would never happen.

She had already survived 30 years of tremendous pain and loss—physically, emotionally, psychologically—and reinvented her life four times. But nothing would prepare her for the sight of a priest standing at her teenage son’s hospital bed, performing last rites.

“After all the mess and pain, struggles and strife, I felt I’d finally arrived at happiness,” she says. “Funny thing, that word ‘happiness’…it has the capability of transforming into terror suddenly and without warning.”

Shellie was physically and mentally abused as a child, molested, bullied, rejected, battered, lived through two divorces, fought off cervical cancer, lost a child, suffered from an eating disorder, experienced debilitating panic, anxiety, ADD, OCD…and right then, in the throes of hard-won peace and  happiness, a doctor pronounced a death sentence for her first-born.

That’s when the real journey began. And now readers can marvel at her survival skills in Destination: Hope – A Guide Through Life’s Unexpected Journeys. Written as a road trip, this memoir/self-help book asks readers to buckle themselves into the passenger seat as Shellie chauffeurs them on a ride through life’s losses and recoveries.

And yes—the destination really is HOPE.

“In the midst of everything, I made a choice—a conscious choice—to believe in the sovereignty of God,” says Shellie. “Once I believed that, I found hope. Once I found hope, I gained courage. With courage came endurance to withstand absolutely anything that came my way. And because of the endurance, my heart was changed and I was mentally free to help others on their journeys.”

In 14 easily-readable chapters, Shellie guides readers through personal tragedy, helps them identify emotional crossroads, then challenges them to take the same steps she and others took in similar situations. Each chapter ends with a poignant invitation for readers to “Think, Feel, Do” something—anything—to find hope in the midst of strife and God’s grace along the way.

As a bonus, the book provides links to past radio shows (via soundcloud.com) to hear full interviews of people featured in five of the chapters. These are powerful stories—many of them so heart-wrenching, they’re difficult to comprehend. 

“I’m honored to have had the opportunity to share in their journeys,” says Shellie, “and each one of them has changed my life. Each person made it through a storm—some through many storms. But they all had one thing in common: they had hope in their hearts.”

Although Shellie envisioned a singing career and was on that path, that wasn’t God’s ultimate plan. While singing and sharing her message of hope at a little church in Texas, she heard a voice in her head say, “You’re going to talk more and sing less.” So she went online and searched for “how to start a radio show.” Blogtalkradio.com came up, she followed the tutorial, and, “I just did it,” she laughs. Shellie hosted Begun as “Hope’s Not A Crime” in 2012, the program re-launched as Amazing Hope Radio in 2015 with a mix of inspirational music throughout the week, Amazing Hope stories of faith on Saturdays, and “The Hope Behind the Music” segments at 11:00 am PST throughout the week. “It’s your 24/7 hope refill station,” says Shellie. Amazing Hope Radio is the fastest-growing Christian radio station on live365 and the Internet.

Shellie’s life story is a challenging testament of hope and healing for those seeking an alternate route on a difficult road through life. Her own life experiences have given her a heart for those left behind, with a special focus on foster children. Over 15 years, Shellie’s family has fostered 37 children—some with special needs—who blend into her own family of eight, plus three dogs.

“I will not tell you that I breezed through life’s trials,” Shellie insists, “that simply because I’m a Christian I was able to skip through the hard parts. God wasted no time showing off what He will do in the midst of a trial. Right smack dead in the middle of my life falling to pieces, God planted the seed for the Hope’s Not A Crime Ministry, which now reaches more than 130,000 people a week, worldwide…and He continues to amaze me with His plans.”

Destination: Hope is a guided and beautiful journey, and Shellie is a qualified driver taking readers through personal tragedy, temporary setbacks and small victories with a deep and profound purpose that will always—always—lead them home. 

Fast Facts about Shellie Nichol:

·         Shellie hosted a radio show called “Amazing Hope” on Salem Network’s KFAX Radio in San Francisco for over a year.

·         Amazing Hope Radio on Live365.com is currently #4 in the Christian genre and top 200 in all genres (out of 6,000 stations). Begun as blogtalkradio’s “Hope’s Not A Crime” in 2012, Shellie’s audience went from 25 listeners to 65,000 within the first year. Now at live365, her show has one of the fastest growing audiences in the website’s history with 130,000/week worldwide, and growing.

·         Nick Vujicic, bestselling author of multiple books, including Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life, airs a daily message of hope on Amazing Hope Radio. The Australian Christian evangelist and motivational speaker has an audience of more than three million people in 44 countries on five continents.

·         Shannon Ethridge, bestselling author of the Every Woman’s Battles series, is a guest and supporter of Amazing Hope Radio, as well as an international speaker, certified life coach, and advocate for healthy sexuality.

·         Bill Myers, bestselling author of the My Life As… series, is a guest and supporter of Amazing Hope Radio, as well as an award-winning filmmaker and voiceover artist.

·         Shellie contributed two songs/hymns for the compilation album, He Knows My Name (2004) which raised over $100,000 for Agape Children’s Ministry in Kenya, Africa.

Popular radio host reveals a lifetime of pain in new book

For Immediate Release – Popular radio show host Shellie Nichol will release her first book entitled  (Clovercroft Publishing/STL Distribution) in October. Nichol opens up about the most difficult moments of her life including being physically and mentally abused as a child, molested, bullied, going through two divorces, fighting cervical cancer, losing a child, suffering from an eating disorder, experiencing debilitating panic and anxiety, ADD, OCD, and a doctor pronouncing a death sentence for her first-born child. But though the trials have at times felt “Job-like,” Nichol admits she has also found the secret to surviving -- hope.

“The one thing I can tell people who go through terrible circumstances is never allow despair inside your soul, no matter how hard it is to resist,” says Nichol.” “Look at your situation as a chance to grow. View it as an incredible movie -- thrilling, dramatic, and a real nail-biter --that in the end will be inspirational because you and God did it together and you will be an amazing overcomer.”

At the age of 15, Nichol’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis, a virus that grows wart-like tumors, one on top of the other, closing the airway in the throat.  Nichol’s son had the worst case scenario as it had spread to his lungs, which only happens in less than 2% of cases. During his first surgery, he died on the operating table, but was revived. 

“I refused to give up hope,” says Nichol. “Kody was given less than a few years to live. He was told he could NEVER have children after having to endure chemo treatments. We just celebrated his birthday that was never to come, and he is now the father to a little girl named Josie Mae. He continues to have surgeries and issues, but his presence reminds me every day of the incredible grace of God.”

Nichol hosted the radio show “Amazing Hope” on Salem Network’s KFAX in San Francisco for over a year before launching her own channel on Live365.com. Amazing Hope Radio is one of the fastest-growing Christian radio stations on Live365, currently ranking #4 in the Christian genre and #203 in all genres (out of 6,000 stations). Nichol’s audience went from 25 listeners to 65,000 within the first year, and is now 130,000 listeners per week worldwide.  Amazing Hope Radio is a mix of inspirational music throughout the day along with inspirational stories. Nick Vujicic, best-selling author of multiple books, including Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life, airs a daily message of hope on Amazing Hope Radio.
                                                                                

Nichol wants Destination: Hope to help others realize what she has come to understand after enduring a lifetime of trials.

“Through it all, I have learned that I am loveable, that I am worthy,” says Nichol. “I have learned to love and what love truly is.  I learned that I am incredibly strong as long as I allow God to be the source of my strength.  I have learned that no matter what comes my way, God’s got me and He has got whatever circumstance I am facing.  I want people who read this book to find that same comfort in their own lives.”

For more information, visit www.AmazingHopeRadio.com