Episode 181 · April 22, 2025
Leslee Holliday: On Faith, Family, Health and Baseball
with Leslee Holliday, Women's ministry leader, Pro Athlete Outreach
36 min
Leslee Holliday: On Faith, Family, Health and Baseball
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In this episode
In this episode I take the show on the road for the very first time and sit down in the beautiful home of Leslee Holliday — wife of former MLB star Matt Holliday and mom to four incredibly talented kids, including pro player Jackson Holliday. I first got to know Leslee's heart for the Lord through a podcast she did, and I've been encouraged by her ever since. I wanted you to get to know her too.
We talk about growing up on a ranch in Texas where relying on God was woven into everyday life, how her faith became real and personal in college, and how that shaped her friendships, her marriage, and the way she and Matt raised their children. Leslee shares the moment a friend's quiet pain stirred something in her — a realization that sent her back to school to study the Word so she could teach Jesus the way she reads Him. That stirring eventually grew into a women's ministry within Pro Athlete Outreach.
We also get practical about health and wellness, the worthy causes the Holliday family pours into, and the simple, sustainable habits — sleep, water, time in God's Word, guarding her inputs — that help her thrive and stay present for the people she loves. It's a conversation full of grace, honesty, and reminders of what really matters. I'll be honest, I teared up more than once.
Key takeaways
- Your identity can't be rooted in performance — especially in professional sports, where it's so vulnerable to many things. Rooting it in Christ is what holds steady.
- Faith isn't a 'Sunday and Wednesday guy.' Leslee's life changed when she understood Jesus wanted to be part of all of her life, every day.
- There's no formula for raising faith-filled kids. Leslee credits grace — and kids watching their parents make countercultural, generous decisions over many years.
- As parents, our job is to cultivate and pull out the invisible, God-given gifts already placed in our kids, whether that's sport, writing, teaching or leading.
- A real stirring is worth being obedient to. Leslee's discomfort after a friend's divorce led her to seminary so she could communicate Jesus more clearly.
- Taking care of your physical well-being is part of your purpose — sleep, water, movement and rest give you the stamina to serve the people you love.
- Choose causes that 'prick your heart.' For the Hollidays it's families in crisis — seeing people clearly, knowing them, and loving them well, the way Jesus did.
Chapters
- 00:00Identity rooted in Christ in pro sports
- 01:00Welcome and introducing Leslee Holliday
- 03:00Growing up on a Texas ranch and learning to rely on God
- 06:00Faith becoming real in college and meeting Matt at OSU
- 09:00Raising faith-filled kids — grace, not a formula
- 13:00Baseball Chapel, a stirring, and going back to school
- 18:00Creating a women's ministry with Pro Athlete Outreach
- 21:00Live event: Conversations with Passion and Purpose
- 23:00Watching her sons thrive — and her daughter's gifts
- 27:00Health and wellness habits that help her serve
- 31:00Worthy causes: families in crisis and global ministries
- 38:00Thriving in 2025 through sustainable habits
“In professional sports, your identity is so vulnerable to many things. So it's really neat to be able to encourage women with the truth of scripture.”
“I thought Jesus was just a Sunday guy and a Wednesday guy, but not an everyday guy.”
“Our job as parents is to help cultivate and pull out those invisible things God's placed in your kids.”
“How can we see people clearly, how can we know people, and how can we love people well? If we're going to pattern our life after Christ, those three things are non-negotiable.”
“I like social media, but social media doesn't have me.”
Resources mentioned
About Leslee
Women's ministry leader, Pro Athlete Outreach
Leslee Holliday grew up on a ranch in Higgins, Texas before moving to Oklahoma and attending Oklahoma State, where she met her husband, former MLB star Matt Holliday. After twenty years in professional baseball and now as mom to four — including pro player Jackson Holliday — Leslee pursued biblical studies at Ozark Christian College and a seminary degree at Dallas Theological Seminary. She created and leads the women's ministry within Pro Athlete Outreach, encouraging women to root their identity in Christ.
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