Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations
I will be exalted in the earth!
—Psalm 46:10
Anyone who knows me is aware that I am very high energy—always thinking, talking, moving—and that I often struggle with anxiety. Thus, practices and tools that help me slow down, both mentally and physically, are always a welcome addition in my life.
So this week, I’m delighted to share an interview with one of my friends, Jennifer Smith McDonald. Among her many accomplishments, she recently founded the Peace app, a Scripture-based meditation program that helps Christians be still before the Lord.
I hope you enjoy learning more about Jennifer, as well as why and how this app was created!
With love in Christ,
Amanda
xoxo
Jennifer, thank you for stopping by The Word Steward Blog! Can you please tell us a little about yourself.
Of course. I am happy to be here. A little about me: I have spent 25+ years at the forefront of publishing and media, working alongside some of the most recognizable names in the industry. Over the course of my career, I have ghostwritten sixteen books, guided countless authors through the publishing process as a consultant and coach, advised companies & investors from across the globe, and launched hundreds of books to the prestigious New York Times bestseller list. I previously held VP roles at Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins, and founded SPIN Literary in 2017.
My family and I moved to Australia following my departure from the corporate world to be closer to family there. We returned to the states just before COVID and now spend our time going back and forth between the two. As a mom of two growing teens, I spend most evenings serving as a taxi service to small humans going to and from all the things.
I live by the motto: “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care” and do my best to bring that into both my work and how I interact with others on a daily basis.
I believe in meaningful storytelling and understand the potential stories have to change lives. This has been the driving factor throughout my professional life and the purpose behind everything I do.
Today you’re here to tell us about an exciting new project you’ve been working on, the Peace app. What was your inspiration for creating the app?
My husband’s journey through addiction, mental health struggles, the reconciliation within our family, healing, prayer, meditation, and spiritual transformation is a real and tangible part of the story and initial inspiration behind creating the app.
We saw firsthand how stillness and spending meaningful time with God each day can have a deep and profound impact. Our experience also allows us to understand how difficult life can feel at times, particularly navigating the world as we know it today. Noise and distraction are everywhere. People are struggling to find connection. Mental health is a real issue. This was our way of creating purpose through our own struggle, and ultimately giving back to others.
This isn’t just an app for us—it is a mission to change lives.
The deeper mission of Peace is ultimately to help people quiet the noise of the world and connect more deeply with God and His Word through the discipline and practice of meditation and stillness.
What was one of the most challenging hurdles to overcome with this project?
We had prayed for months about whether or not we should build the app. We were traveling back to Australia to be with family and planned to pitch the idea to my father-in-law, who was quite well-known as a business legend in his own right. We knew we could count on him to shoot straight with us and be honest about the idea.
The day after we arrived in Australia, our daughter got sick and ended up in the hospital for nearly three weeks. Her appendix had ruptured and required emergency surgery, leaving her fighting an infection in her abdomen.
Instead of pitching the idea, I spent those three weeks sleeping in a chair at the hospital and helping nurse our daughter back to health. Those quiet nights in that stale and dreary hospital room allowed me a lot of time for reflection. It also allowed my husband some meaningful time to talk with his father about our vision.
Once our daughter was healthy, we were able to pitch the idea, and my father-in-law became the first person who believed in the project. He was invested in us and the idea we had, and helped mentor us through those early stages.
Six months later, he died unexpectedly from a massive heart attack. Our family quickly made arrangements to get back to Australia, only this time it was to honor his life. He was only sixty-eight years old, and the loss devastated the entire family.
When we returned, we put everything into continuing to build the app, holding on to the belief that he had in us. The Peace app was birthed from our struggle but created through our own pain as we navigated grief.
What has most surprised you about the process?
There seems to be a real lack of understanding of what meditation is and what it is not. It is not some scary discipline but rather a very real and accessible tool that can have a massive impact. And it is actually quite simple—few minutes a day can help build a new rhythm and daily practice.
In the Bible, stillness, prayer, meditation, contemplation, and quiet communion with God are referenced over eight hundred times and are all things the Peace app offers.
What is your biggest hope for the Peace app?
It is really simple: to help others. We believe wholeheartedly that we are called to love our neighbors and when we put that into practice, this is what that looked like for us.
Where can people download the app?
Where can people connect with you?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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