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Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young

Chasing God's glory down life's unexpected trails

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Speaking

Through the years, speaking has become a “sweet spot” for Dorina. She is passionate about sharing God’s story and teaching people how to become glory chasers. Dorina’s speaking is story-driven and Biblically-sound. She is relatable and engaging.

Dorina enjoys speaking to a diversity of groups. She shares for conferences, luncheons, and events. She has also served as a keynote speaker for women’s retreats, non-profit events and banquets. Dorina also speaks in the education setting through classroom visits, writing workshops and school assemblies, sharing her cooking and children’s books. If you would like something unique and engaging for your event, Dorina is also a spoken word artist and has performed with musicians or solo.

Dorina teaches 6-week or 10-week bible studies using her Flourishing Together and Glory Chasers workbooks as well the Courageous Simplicity, Courageous Joy, Courageous Influence, and Create in Me a Heart studies by (in)courage.

If you would like to book Dorina for your event or inquire about her availability and fees, fill out the form below or email dorina [at] dorinagilmore.com.

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Speaker Topics

“Walk, Run, Soar: Learning to soar through life’s challenges”

Have you ever wondered if He’s really listening? Have you ever cried out to God in the darkness? Using Isaiah 40, Dorina invites her audience to walk, run, and soar with her through grief, disappointment, and discovering new purpose. She uses the metaphor of running life’s race to talk about the difficulties we all encounter on the trail and how we are called to pursue the finish line with Jesus as our Pacer.

“Grief Journey: How to help your children navigate grief and transitions”

Are you facing a loss? Are you trying to figure out how to recalibrate after 2020-2022? Are you wondering how to help your child or people you lead navigate grief? One of the challenges is how to deal with our own grief, while also leading others on their own journeys. In this talk, Dorina shares about her grief journey after the loss of her husband to cancer and some practical tips and resources for helping navigate grief and loss. This talk can be shaped for a variety of audiences, including women, mothers, youth, and leaders who are navigating grief.

“Chasing Rest: How to Make Rest Your Superpower”

When people ask how we are doing, a common response is “busy.” We wear our busyness like a badge of honor. Somehow we have convinced ourselves that rest is wasteful and there’s not time for it. In this message, Dorina invites her audience into a Biblical framework for rest designed by God as a gift. We are not granted rest because of our own merit or accomplishments. God gives us rest as regular an invitation into His Presence. This talk is designed to encourage weary mamas, stressed-out leaders, and people from all walks of life who want to explore different types of rest.

“Glory Chasing: Discovering God’s glory around us and in us”

Do you feel parched? Are you thirsty for more of God but not sure where to begin? Dorina leads her audience to explore the idea that each of us is called to be a “glory chaser.” She unpacks ways God reveals His glory to us through creation, relationships and everyday circumstances. This talk especially reaches out to the woman who feel trapped in the mundane or longs to rekindle her faith.

“Flourishing Together: Cultivating a Fruitful Life in Community”

Are you tired of feeling like you are just surviving? Do you believe you were made for more? Do you long to flourish? In this talk, Dorina shares about the process of flourishing described in the Bible and how each one of us was designed by God to help others flourish in their talents and gifts. This talk covers seasons of cultivating, pruning, growing, and blooming.

Use the form at the bottom of this page to inquire.

Videos

Podcasts

Walk run soar podcast with dorina & Shawn
Someday is here with vivian mabuni
the mom wants more podcast with alana dawson
we are free podcast with becky morquecho
the sisterhood effect
Not my story with Sarah E. Westfall
hearts at rest with Sarah Keeling

Meet Dorina

Short Bio

Dorina Lazo Gilmore is a blogger, speaker, podcaster and author of Walk Run Soar, the award-winning children’s book, Cora Cooks Pancit, and a contributing writer for seven Bible studies. She specializes in helping people navigate grief and flourish in community. Dorina has served as a journalist, missionary, social entrepreneur and Bible study teacher. She and her husband Shawn are raising three brave daughters in Central California. Connect with her at www.DorinaGilmore.com.

Running Bio

Dorina Lazo Gilmore is a blogger, speaker, podcaster, and author of six books and seven Bible studies. Dorina is passionate about helping people discover God’s glory on life’s unexpected trails. Dorina and her husband Shawn recently published a devotional and training journal for runners called Walk, Run Soar with Bethany House/Baker publishing group. They also are co-hosts of the Walk Run Soar podcast, where they interview walkers, runners, coaches, elite athletes, and others about the intersection of faith and running. She and her husband started the Glory Chasers Christian running group on Facebook where they serve up coaching, courage and community for Christian runners. Dorina and Shawn coach Track & Field at a local high school and train the Remember Haiti half marathon fundraising team. Dorina is a “glory chaser,” who meets God running trails through the mountains or near the ocean. Dorina and Shawn are raising three brave daughters in Central California. Connect with her at www.DorinaGilmore.com.

Extended Bio

Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young is an accomplished writer, speaker, podcaster, and blogger. She chases God’s glory as a mama, foodie, runner, and a weaver of words. Dorina specializes in helping people navigate grief and flourish in community.

Dorina and her husband Shawn have recently written a devotional/training journal for runners called Walk, Run, Soar with Bethany House/Baker Publishing group, which released in Fall 2020. With an MFA in Children’s Literature, Dorina has traditionally-published three multicultural children’s books and a collection of poetry. Her book, Cora Cooks Pancit, received the Asian American Librarian’s Association Picture Book of the Year and is now in its 8th printing. Dorina has contributed a story and recipe to the coming cookbook, Filipino Food for the Heart.

Having successfully blogged at Self Talk the Gospel, AlohaGilmores and Health-full for more than a decade, Dorina now writes regularly on her own site, DorinaGilmore.com. Dorina is also a storyteller at (in)courage with an audience of more than 100,000 subscribers. Dorina also helped write the (in)courage devotional, Take Heart: Devotions to Seeing God When Life’s Not Okay. Dorina has also been part of the (in)courage Bible study series and helped in the writing and filming of five studies, including Create in Me a Heart of Mercy coming in Fall 2022.

A former reporter for the Chicago Tribute, Arizona Republic, and Fresno Bee, Gilmore’s essay on grief “This is a story I never would have written for myself – ever” was recently picked up by twenty national newspapers. Her articles, “Permission to Grieve” and “Standing at the Intersection of Fear and Faith” received the top hits at Self Talk the Gospel in 2014 and 2015. Dorina attended Calvin University for a bachelor degree in English Literature and Journalism and Hollins University for a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Children’s Literature. Her essays have been published at Kindred Mom, For Every Mom, The MOPS blog and in more than 20 newspapers.

Dorina is passionate about helping women from diverse backgrounds flourish in their God-given callings. Raised in Chicago, Dorina was transplanted to Fresno, California in 1999. She considers herself a California girl now as she raises three daughters to love the cultural diversity, beautiful landscapes and unique food of the state. In 2016, Dorina married a long-time friend, Shawn Young. In April 2021, Dorina’s family launched a monthly membership experience called Global Glory Chasers in partnership with Dr. Lucretia Berry and Brownicity. Their passion is to help people learn about different cultures and countries and to break barriers by breaking bread together.

Dorina leads a national group called Lead Loved, which helps connect Christian women leaders and equip in knowledge and faith. For more than 15 years, she has been leading Bible studies and developing leadership teams in the church setting. Her gift is delivering authentic, Biblically-sound messages that engage audiences through story. She has published two of her own Bible studies, Glory Chasers: Discovering God’s Glory in Unexpected Places and Flourishing Together: Cultivating a Fruitful Life in Christ. Dorina frequently speaks on these themes. Dorina also has experience teaching college students, speaking in elementary schools, and coaching youth.

Dorina is the granddaughter of Filipino-Chinese-Hawaiian and Italian-Jewish immigrants. Raised in Chicago, she was transplanted to Fresno, California in 1999. She considers herself a California girl now as she raises three daughters to love the cultural diversity, wonder-filled landscapes and unique food of the state. After her husband died from cancer in 2014, Dorina married a long-time friend, Shawn Young. When Dorina is not writing or spending time exploring new cultures with her family, she’s out on the trails running and chasing God’s glory.

Connect with Dorina at www.DorinaGilmore.com, where you can sign up for her Glorygram letter. You can also find her as @DorinaGilmore on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

Download bio

Dorina’s writing featured around the web

  • A Recipe for Hospitality // The Art of Taleh
  • Chasing Hope through Grief // Shauna Letellier
  • Dorina Lazo Gilmore // (in)courage
  • Easter’s promise: How to wait through the winter of grief // Fresno Bee
  • How to Talk to Kids about Anti-Asian Racism // Asian American Christian Collaborative
  • How To Talk To Kids About the Coronavirus // The Mops Blog
  • Savoring Time Around the Table // Kindred Mom
  • This is a story I never would have written for myself – ever // Fresno Bee
  • Pita Piata Party // Sandi Sutton
  • What Grandma Taught Me in the Kitchen // The Mops Blog
  • When you need permission to grieve // Jill E. McCormick

Dorina has spoken at these events

Someday is Here live event & conference

Santa Ana, California
Website Link

Esther Women’s Conference

Pignon, Haiti

Women’s Christmas Brunch (with spoken word)

New Covenant Church
Fresno, California

“Redeeming Ruth: God’s Heart for the Vulnerable”

Action Community Church, 9 a.m. & 10:45 a.m. services
Clovis, California

“Flourishing Together” College Church of Christ Women’s retreat

Cambria Pines Lodge
Cambria, California

Embrace: A faith-based gathering for to encourage, equip and empower local women

New Covenant Church
Fresno, California
Website Link

“Discovering Peace in the Chaos of Motherhood”

Cornerstone MOMS group
Glendora, California

“Flourishing Together” women’s event

“How God Calls Us to Use our Gifts to Help Others Flourish”

Cross City Church
Fresno, California

“The Speed of Seed” spoken word, “Mothers of All Kinds” spoken word, “The Mosaic Maker” spoken word (3-week series)

Bridge Church
Fresno, California

Dorina has taught these Bible Studies

Glory Chasers Bible study

Her Space
Fresno, California

Flourishing Together Bible study

The Bridge Church
Fresno, California

Glory Chasers Bible study

Onramps Covenant Church
Fresno, California

Dorina has done these multicultural children’s book assemblies

  • Clovis Elementary School, Clovis, California
  • Boris Elementary School, Clovis, California
  • Cedarwood Elementary School, Clovis, California
  • Cole Elementary School, Clovis, California
  • Aspen Meadow, Fresno, California (pending)
  • Aspen Valley, Fresno, California (pending)

Dorina has done these multicultural classroom visits/cooking demonstrations

  • Kepler Neighborhood School
  • Fresno Christian Schools
  • Fugman Elementary School

What others are saying

Dorina is a wise, refreshing, articulate, and grounded bible teacher. Her love for God and for His Word is evident as she brings Scripture passages to life and helps draw out practical principles for our daily lives. I have learned from Dorina’s rich words and her life of integrity, passion, and grit. It’s a joy to sit under her teaching.

-Vivian Mabuni, speaker, author, and host of the Someday Is Here podcast

“Dorina has been one of our favorite women’s retreat speakers. The way Dorina weaves her own honest and vulnerable story along with deep truths about God so powerfully affected our women, giving us courage to invite God to write our own stories for His glory as well. It was clear that the Holy Spirit was present with us! I don’t know how many times I heard one of the ladies comment, ‘This was one of the best retreats we have ever had!’”

“Though my story and Dorina’s are different, she became my Sherpa in the journey to gently walk back through some of those difficult times in my life and find God’s glory there even in the midst of loss. And her creative framing of the glory theme through the weeks of the study challenged me to face the future with faith and trust. So glad I got to go through this study with a group and process what we were learning together. Dorina is not only a great writer, but gifted speaker and leader, too!”

“This is a study of how to discover God’s glory – what that means, how He reveals it to us through the scriptures, and how to search it out in our everyday lives. The study is beautifully interwoven and illustrated with Dorina’s personal story.”

“Loved the study and will recommend it to others!”

“Dorina helped me understand the gift of His presence in darkest times. Her study opened the ‘eyes of my heart’ to appreciate the wonder of His creation and be open to what He wants to reveal to me.”

“Very good study on God’s glory full of biblical truths and wonderful perspective experienced by Dorina Gilmore as she shares her very difficult road of supporting her husband through his cancer experience at a young age before entering Glory.”

“What happens when the unthinkable happens in your life? Where is God when you lose your soulmate? Is HE still good when bad things happen? Dorina opens her heart and soul to the heart-wrenching journey of losing her husband and facing widowhood with three young daughters. Her story will strike you with grief and then sweep you with hope and gratitude in the face of death. What is most amazing through it all, is that she never lets go of her Creator. We need to face more of life’s tragedies with this modern day, Job-like courage.”

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Are you sick? Are you walking through a trial? Are you feeling beat down and weary?
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Let’s walk through Psalm 86 together. This personal ...

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May 20

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Are you sick? Are you walking through a trial? Are you feeling beat down and weary?
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Let’s walk through Psalm 86 together. This personal prayer written by David reminds us that when we call out to God, He is faithful to answer us.
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📚Don’t miss the recommendation at the end for a brand new book so needed for our time! 🥣
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#prayer #devotional #psalms
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🥣 This week I was gifted a bowl of love. It has not been the week we planned. Our calendar squares are always packed in May with the close of Track...

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May 19

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🥣 This week I was gifted a bowl of love. It has not been the week we planned. Our calendar squares are always packed in May with the close of Track & Field season, the end of the school year for my girls, and all the family birthdays and graduations. 
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Last Thursday I started feeling extreme fatigue, which moved into body aches, scratchy throat, and fever by Friday. After more than two years of being in this pandemic, I finally tested positive for COVID. My heart sank. Not this week. Three of us ended up sick in the house. 
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When your head aches and it’s hard to swallow or even take a deep breath, life can feel a little hard and humbling. But I discovered anew that life is also always brimming with glimpses of hope. My people showed up with bowls of love: nourishing pho, chicken soft tacos, homemade chicken noodle & veggie soup, enchilada casserole and rice left on the front porch, a mini charcuterie board spread crafted by my older girls. Food is a love language.
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I couldn’t help thinking about the story I’ve been sitting in since Easter in John 21. After His Resurrection, Jesus appears to seven of his disciples. These men are weary and traumatized by what they had experienced. Jesus simply says, “Come and Eat.” He serves up grilled fish and fresh bread by the charcoal fire on the shore. He feeds them. He takes time to nourish them physically and spiritually through this meal.
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This week, I felt weary and helpless at times, but Emmanuel came to care for me and my family through our community. He served up bowls of love. For this, I am deeply grateful.
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👉🏾Have you experienced a bowl of love this week? What has it looked like for you? TAG a friend in the comments who blessed you in a surprising way with a word or deed.
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#covidpositive #1000gifts #hopewriterlife #rejoice2022 #foodisalovelanguage #yum
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Are you whirling with grief and loss today? Have the last couple years felt heavy, and you’re not sure how to process it all?

Have you ...

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May 16

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Are you whirling with grief and loss today? Have the last couple years felt heavy, and you’re not sure how to process it all? 
Have you lost a person, a dream, a community, an identity, or a sense of certainty?
Are you tired of the cliché responses to your suffering, and know there must be a better way to journey through your grief?
Join me, along with ten other speakers, as we consider how to compassionately care for ourselves & others in times of loss. The goal for this summit is to help you discover how to be honest about your pain, find comfort in God’s presence, and courageously pursue healing in community.
For 3 days, starting May 24th, Taryn Nergaard is bringing together sessions from 11 speakers who are learning to navigate the stories they didn’t choose. We hope these conversations enfold you into community with people who know grief and loss too, so you don’t feel alone in your pain.
I’m going to be sharing about:
-my own story of grief and loss in losing my husband 
-some practices that helped usher my daughters and me through our loss
-how lament in community has been valuable to me
👉🏾Register for a free ticket here: https://tarynnergaard.com/soul-care-summit?aff=8
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#soulcaresummit  #soulcare #grief #widow #loss #selfcare #lament #antiasianracism #aapimonth #mentalhealthawarenessmonth #griefjourney
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Walking through Psalm 85 today, which is a community lament, written by the sons of Korah. These words are an appeal to God for forgiveness and to ...

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May 13

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Walking through Psalm 85 today, which is a community lament, written by the sons of Korah. These words are an appeal to God for forgiveness and to revive the people again. 
As I read these words, I’m  reminded:
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💛 Our God restores
💛 Our God forgives 
💛 Our God gives goodness
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Which reminder did you need today?!
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👣Walking Through His Word airs every Friday at 7 am PT | 10 am ET. Join me for this treasure hunt through scripture and prayer! 👣
#prayer #devotional #psalms #biblestudy #womenoftheword
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Taking some time to reflect tonight on what I learned and gleaned at the Ezer Collective in Sacramento this week. Grateful for time to sit under the ...

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May 13

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Taking some time to reflect tonight on what I learned and gleaned at the Ezer Collective in Sacramento this week. Grateful for time to sit under the teaching of @josaxton @pastorsteph @susiekgamez and others.
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I also treasure the time immersed in a group of dynamic women leaders from around the country working in all facets of the community. When I heard their stories and struggles, it helped me not to feel alone in mine.
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👉🏾Which one of these quotes resonates with you?
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For details about the next #ezercollective , go to www.josaxton.com/ezer-collective
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#leadership #ezernorcal #womensupportingwomen #womenleaders #leadon #leadershipquotes #ladyleaders @midtownchurch.sac
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