Rooted & Rising: Growth from the Greenhouse
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Rooted & Rising: Growth from the Greenhouse
About Whiskey, Jesus, And One Very Rude Rat
A broken heart, a midnight prayer, and a phone call that changed everything—this conversation with singer-songwriter Janie Balderas is a map through the valley and back into the light. We open with her roots as a preacher’s daughter in Austin and Georgetown, where faith was real, messy, and often miraculous. Then the ground gives way: a sudden divorce, graveyard shifts, and the brutal whisper that she was unlovable. Janie takes us inside those nights on the floor, the anxiety that mimicked a heart attack, and the stubborn hope that wouldn’t leave, even when a rogue house rat became an unwanted roommate.
What happens next feels ordinary and sacred all at once. After a raw re-surrender to God, relief arrived like a breath of clean air. A modest temp job appeared, and the trainee she was asked to onboard turned around—her eighth-grade sweetheart, now the man she’s been married to for three decades. We talk about seasons: why choosing your kids doesn’t cancel your calling, how creative gifts can wait without withering, and how music returns with deeper truth when you’ve lived the lyrics. Janie’s catalog reflects that journey, from the wink of Whiskey and Jesus to the cinematic grit of Baptize, the new spaghetti-western-tinged single she performs live on the show.
Along the way, we explore grief, purpose, and the imperfect daily work of faith. Janie shares how prayer steadied her, how community lifted her when she had no pulse of hope left, and why age is just a number when the message is urgent. Expect laughter, a few tears, and a performance that feels like stepping into cool water after a long, hot road. If you’ve ever wondered whether you waited too long, fell too far, or missed your shot, this story says otherwise.
Listen now, share it with a friend who needs courage today, and if the conversation moved you, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find their way back to hope.
I captured a new guest today. I was on um Wimberley Valley Radio and met Janie Baldares. She's a musician. She's so talented. And just as I was listening to some of her story, I knew there was more. Yes. And I asked her to be on the podcast, and she said yes. She's from Austin. She has some great stories. And I just want her to introduce herself, and then we're going to get started and just visit about some of the times when really dark times, but that in her life have led to some very fun songs. If you had the chance to listen to Janie. So Janie, tell us a little about yourself.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, well, once again, my name's Janie Balderas. I am a singer-songwriter, and I've been doing this uh musical journey for I guess almost all my life. You know, I was a little girl, but uh guess country music. I've been doing it maybe 13, 14 years. So um, but yeah, I just I think songwriting for me is healing at times, and um, but then it's also fun because I do those fun, sassy songs. Oh, it's just kind of like the fun. You gotta have some fun in your in your life too.
SPEAKER_00:Look at her, she's sassy, just look at her the house. Look, you gotta see this house. Oh, yeah, I love this. And she just all put together fun. I love it so much.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so that's yeah, and I'm married, and I'm actually in Georgetown now, so but I was born and raised in Austin.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's a great story. And you have two two boys. I have four kids, so two boys and two girls. Oh, that's me too. Yeah, really. So I have bookends. The girls are the bookends. Oh, and then the boys are in the girl, yeah. Yeah, uh, but yeah, that's neat. Uh that's a commonality we have.
SPEAKER_01:It's yeah, it's definitely different than you you raise them differently for sure.
SPEAKER_00:So uh you've been married 30 years to the husband that you're with today, and he is your big supporter. And I love you, I feel like that's something God gives us that's the biggest gift when we get a husband, yes, that really supports our dreams and our visions and the visions that God has put into us. And you know, we don't have a talent, except that God puts it in us, so he put that in you as a singer star.
SPEAKER_01:And he actually was my eighth grade, eighth grade sweetheart. Oh my gosh! Um parted ways, you know, or later in life, and he went, he became a youth pastor.
SPEAKER_00:Oh, that's awesome. Um, yeah, so that's that's a whole story I want to hear too, maybe. Um, but uh how y'all got together. But let's go back a little. Okay, so first of all, um your mama had an interesting uh gifting in that day and age, really. Uh she did.
SPEAKER_01:She did. She's uh she was a preacher. She passed five years ago from pancreatic cancer, but um, she was a preacher and um her life wasn't easy. How many kids did she have? She had six. Six kids. That's my mom, too. She um I saw a lot, a lot, a lot when I was young because um they the doctors had put her on a lot of prescription drugs. Sometimes she was just out in the room, like just and you just saw her nightstand with you know all these prescription drugs. It wasn't drugs, there's all prescription, and it's I just there's a lot I saw that no young child should see. Yeah, you know, but um you know, God all delivered her from that. Oh, that's good. Yeah. So and that's when she became a preacher.
SPEAKER_00:Because she was so fired up about the delivering her.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah, she was.
SPEAKER_00:Oh wow, that's great. Yeah, and just growing up with the mom, so y'all went to church?
SPEAKER_01:We did. Even when we went on uh vacation, we had to find a church. We had no excuse. And you know, when you hear revivals, we were there and we take our school work.
SPEAKER_00:No, that's great. Revivals were like you saw a lot of the bad side in the world at the time. And then we saw what God could do. Oh, yeah. I bet you saw some miracles. I've seen a lot.
SPEAKER_01:Oh my gosh, just you know, being a preacher's daughter. Of course, everybody thinks when you're a preacher's daughter, everything's perfect and nothing is perfect. And you still have challenges. Oh gosh, yeah, just like everybody else. Um even probably even more because you're doing stuff for God, you know.
SPEAKER_00:So you're under attack and you're dealing with those all the time. Yeah. I I mean, we know now because I live there too. Yeah, of course. But then you got married. I did. And you had two little boys.
SPEAKER_01:Uh-huh. I did. Um, I got married right out of high school. Um, then, you know, had two boys and um Are they how close are they? Oh, they're like two and a half years. Two and a half years. So mine are 13 months of work. But yeah, I mean, I love my kids, so it's just uh And they're both musical. They are they both wrote, they're both songwriters, they just didn't really pursue it.
SPEAKER_00:They did it for a short time and but they're still time because you really came to your songwriting.
SPEAKER_01:I believe that yeah, I think they will seasons. Oh yeah, seasons, and um they've always had it in them because I've heard them in the room, you know. But when I started doing my thing, they were like, Oh, well, mom's doing it, and she's you know, so they ended up and I love their music, I love their songs. I I always think like, wow, yeah. You know, they both have different styles. One's like really true honky tonk, you know, like the Del Watson era kind of. And then there's the other one that's like a uh buddy Holly Sarf music, and I love that.
SPEAKER_00:Well, my youngest has the most beautiful voice. She did get on stage one time, and I think I don't know why she didn't pick that, but she didn't. Oh, yeah. But now we have 16 grandchildren. And I have several that are so talented. They the ones that are using that talent are using it for praise and worship for the Lord. I love that. Which I love too. You know, they're just uh two of them were so one was so shy, she couldn't look at you and sing, and now she leads praise and worship with YWAM in Hawaii. She's she's on a team and gets to lead sometimes. And oh my gosh, she's amazing, so full passion, yeah, just different from uh how God's used my gifts, but it blesses me so I know, just yeah. Like you said, you were the child of a preacher who had gone through some things and come out of it, yeah. But then your life got pretty dark for a while. Can you tell us about that?
SPEAKER_01:Sure. Um, so one day I just came home from work. You know, I was working graveyard shifts, and you know, just to try to help with okay, we don't have to pay daycare after, you know, to get yeah, as you were poor. It's like yes, that's hard. I was so hard. You know, I came home, I was like, can I sit right here? And I'm like, okay, like I'm not thinking that's enough. It's like, you know, I just don't love you anymore. I don't think we should be together. I'm like, what the like all of a sudden I I don't even know what happened in my heart or what happened in my soul. Like everything. I was numb. I was like, what? You know, you just don't expect that. And so, you know, we um just ended up, you know, getting divorced, and and it was just it was a hard time in my life because first of all, because being a preacher's daughter, you think in the Bible, you know, it's like they're always like, Oh, you can't divorce, you can't, you know, just back then it was really strict. It's not like that now.
SPEAKER_00:Well, because Jesus said there's no condemnation, then we all see them fall short, right? We all don't do it perfectly. Right. Um, but he's got us and he had you, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, he did. He yelled, he got along to me because I don't know how I I would have made it without him. But her she went through a really hard time. I did of depression and thinking all these bad thoughts. I was not worthy of anybody. You know, nobody would even look at me. Like I was, you know, and and back then, I mean, I was like a size two four, but I I was kind of like feeling I was just like like overweight.
SPEAKER_00:Like you just because so much has been like Because you were feeling like if he couldn't accept you, yeah, there must be something wrong with that.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and I felt like I literally did not feel I felt ugly. I just all these things, and it's like nobody's gonna ever want me, love me, or whatever. And you know, except my boys, they loved me. And but it was just at that moment you just feel as for yourself, like you're just just like kind of depression, and then I got tired, you know, because I was working two jobs, going to school, college, so I could make something of myself, you know, because I wanted to be a state trooper.
SPEAKER_00:But you were and you were going to college for criminal justice, and my granddaughter is two of them actually are studying criminal justice I have a daughter who is a producer, and she does shows on serial killers. I'm like, Where did that come from? So I don't know.
SPEAKER_01:If you watch 48, I just that's my I just felt like doing that being like a state, you know, you you're helping other people, you can like um protect them. Yeah, I think that's I guess maybe that's where all this came from because I just saw so much and you know, the protection of just here. And I, you know, I I didn't end up doing that because um of my sons, because I was, you know, taking care of them, and I that was your first and most important. Yeah, and I saw that what you know a lot of my friends I we lost friends, and I was like, they have to be here for them, you know. I can't just leave them. And so we wrote a sha song about Sean, who was he was he a state trooper or was he was uh Austin PD motor unit on the motorcycle, but he wasn't as your best friend, yeah. He was my best friend, but he was in a crash. Um for like years y'all become best friends?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah, for at least that's just terrible. But I love the song. Oh, I love the song, thank you. So my brother was killed in a car accident when he was 18. I was 20. It was one of the darkest times. It's hard. But when you get down to your lowest time, you can either keep going or you can reach out, and God's right there. That's the thing, and he pulls us out.
SPEAKER_01:And that's what he did. I mean, um, I was kind of mentioning earlier that we I slept on the floor in my in my mom's house because I wanted my boys to have a place to sleep. And um she had this little rat. I they never saw it. I did. So um, but I'll tell you at the end what happened to that rat. Okay, so um, there's just a time in life, like I woke up and I was having like shortness of breath. I felt like I was having a heart attack. But I think it really was with everything happening and just just like everything in my life that was just spiraling downwards. And I got up and I went to the hallway. My mom heard me because I'm like gasping and I'm like hanging out, like trying down the walls, and she's like, What's wrong? And I said, just leave me alone. Just like I'm I can't anymore. You know, it was kind of like I was at that point. And she um took me to the hospital. They couldn't find a pulse, but I was I could see like what's going on, yeah. But she said that she went back and she called all the pastors, you know, that she knew, because she knows a lot of them from all over and they were praying. And then the doctor said, Oh, she has a pulse now. I don't know what happened. So I don't know honestly what happened. My mom was telling me this story.
SPEAKER_00:I mean, I'm I'm saying we should take seriously that we have an enemy and he wants to kill, still, and destroy us, and he was trying to kill you then. Yeah, and if he if he had killed you then, it would have had an impact on so many, your mom, your brother, and so much to come that have happened. Yeah. Because of what the devil is trying to stop you from. Now you're becoming so well known with your music, with your songs, and with the story, and and it's gonna reach people and say, I hope, girls, if there's somebody out there that's feeling this uh in their lives that you know if God would reach out to Janie, uh, if he would reach out to Denise, um, he will be there for you too. And and uh it's not a promise that he takes lightly, he is there, always there.
SPEAKER_01:And so it was a one night I was sleeping on the floor again, and this the dog on a rat came out.
SPEAKER_00:And kept saying that wrath. Nobody else did. Yeah, because you were up in the middle of the night.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, when it came out and I looked it in the eye before I'd get up. I'd look, I said, Oh no, you're not gonna, I don't care. Like I said, something I was so mad at it. And then I think the next night I was like in my bed and I said, I just gave my life to God. I I just like re-surrendered everything. I said, just take it all. And I, you know, I just gave it all to him because it was like I was done with all this, you know, like feeling depressed, feeling worthless, feeling, you know, and I wanted just to be there like joyfully for my kids. I didn't want them to see me like I saw that with my mom when I was growing up because of the prescription drugs. Not that I was on prescription drugs, but um, so I and I felt his arms, like you know, when you hug somebody, I literally felt something just touch me and hold me and wrap me so close. Like it was so real, and I started crying because I felt the Holy Spirit and I started crying. And the next day was so different for me for me.
SPEAKER_00:It was like it just lifted.
SPEAKER_01:I felt like I was alive, uh, things changed. I had a dream about my um my eighth grade sweetheart that I was telling you about that I'm married to now. Like I never had a dream about him. Oh, wow. And I had a dream that I needed to call him. I'm like, how I haven't even had his phone number, but I remembered his phone number in the dream.
SPEAKER_00:And I think he was ordering your steps.
SPEAKER_01:I know, I didn't call him. Oh, he was saying.
SPEAKER_00:Because you were feeling so stupid.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, you are worthy. You are worthy. So this is what happens. This is the crazy thing. This is what God does, y'all. This is what God does. He brought me my Prince Charming. I'm just saying there is somebody for you, you know, when you just give it to God. Um, the next day I get this call. Oh, yeah, because I had lost my, I'd lost everything, my job. I forgot I mentioned that. So it was just crazy I it's like all a blur, but uh now I'm just coming back because I haven't talked about it in a long time. Yeah. And I get this call, and it's like, oh, um, we have a temp job for you if you want it. It doesn't pay as well as you normally make. And I was humbled at the time. So I was like, I'm humbled. I'll okay, I'll take it. So I took the job and they're like, report here. So I go to this dealership working, and I'm like learning myself, and they're like, Oh, can you the next week they're like, can you train somebody new? Because they just came in. So he was standing there as like his back towards me. I said, I'm here to train you. He turns around, and it's my oh it's my eighth grade sweetheart. Oh my gosh, you ended up that I have not seen forever. And like jaw drops, like, oh Lord.
SPEAKER_00:See, this is such a good story. No, that is where God comes in because he comes in at everything. You know, he's always ordering our steps if we let him.
SPEAKER_01:And he's like, Well, you didn't call him, so I'm gonna bring him to you. So it was like, it was funny, and so I'm nervous, I can't even know what I'm doing anymore. Because I'm like, because you know, it just is that feeling, it just all of a sudden like um, so yeah, so we ended up being best friends, you know, for a while again. And then we got engaged, he proposed to me at the Capitol because he said that's where important decisions are made, and that's why I want to propose to the city. Oh my gosh. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, and so then we get married, and then we have, you know, two girls. And so it's just like um, so I always say we had a fairly. And you went back in 30 years.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah. I love that. Yeah. So your later days, you know, God says that your later days will be greater than your former days. Yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_01:And you you had left your music for a long time. I did, and my kids were always saying, because they'd hear me singing in the kitchen, and they're like, you need to, I do it. I I'd be like at church, worship leading and all that. But because that's like Sunday, we all were together. But as far as that, it's just um I didn't me personally, everyone's different. I just we had to both had to have incomes because we wanted, you know, the best for our kids. And everything.
SPEAKER_00:And those are there's seasons. Like I think we talked about this. Yeah, you were raising your kids, yeah. And you put those things aside that were other things that God had put in your heart. Yeah, put in your heart to raise your kids. Well, yeah, and it's okay.
SPEAKER_01:And I was still doing music, I was still getting like weddings, but they were just like, you know, I wasn't on tour and things like that. And when I was growing up, my parents were hardly there because they were always like with business, with this. And I did not like that. They were always gone, so I did not want to, I didn't want them to feel like that because I felt like that. That's why I said everyone's different. Yeah, so um I put you off.
SPEAKER_00:I just want to interrupt there for you girls. Um, like there's no condemnation for what you decide. Uh God says that. But I do think you don't want to miss your kids growing up. And sometimes we think, oh, but I'll miss my career. I I won't be able to do the things I want in my career. And I just want you to know, first of all, Jamie is a great example because she's doing her music now. She raised her kids and her music is thriving. Her song, she's writing a lot. She had another one song. We're going to talk about that in a minute. I was the same way. I had a friend that told me she was doing very well in business and said, You're never going to make it because you're always quitting. Uh, when you start getting to the point where you have to travel and all that stuff, because you don't want to be away from your kids. And I really like that worried me, but I wanted to be a mom to my kids. And thank God that God overrode that I need to go do something then because after my children grew up, I had a great career. And now I was telling Janie, like doing this, I feel like this is really what he was preparing me for just to have these conversations, just to teach women, just to equip you guys to be able to do all that God has for you so you don't have to worry about each season. Get into it, enjoy it, right? Do it the best you can. Do the job that God gives you in that season with your whole heart as unto him, and he is gonna reward that and give you favor. And he's gonna, he was the one that put the gifts in you. Yeah, so he's not gonna waste anything.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I always say age is just a number. You know, because some people would be like, Oh, well, you're like older now, so I don't know. It's like, you know what? I'm gonna be sharing my music till I till we go. Yeah, till we get to the gates of heaven.
SPEAKER_00:That's we may not be right. Well, you may be riding a motorcycle in the heaven. But one of those songs is uh uh riding a motorcycle into heaven, and I was picturing that while I was like, I read it earlier. It was so good. We need to know this life is temporary, but there is a life that's eternal, and and we're here on mission. You are here in mission, and as Janie shares her songs with the world, I know that her mission is being fulfilled in these songs. She's sharing them with people that need to hear that whiskey and Jesus. Yeah, Jesus lasts for a lot longer than that. You know, but if you're in the middle of the whiskey season, we want you to know man, he loves you so there's no starting, there's no judgment. He's gonna hold you, he's gonna carry you through, but ask because he's not gonna be far away.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, no, of course, and it's just yeah. It's just all about uh giving it to God and you know, sometimes it's easier said than done because I know that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:We have to be willing to ask, and then of course, it's a slow process because like I sometimes think I should be further along, farther you know, I should not have these feelings of getting angry at someone or whatever. But we are human, we are living in human bodies in a couple of things. Yeah, we are not perfect, and I mean I'm not sure. I'm still not, you know.
SPEAKER_01:I'm still not, and it's just like but that's just how it is. That's just how it is.
SPEAKER_00:But it's okay, like he sent us for purpose, so he's got us, yeah, no matter what. So um, whatever song you feel led to sing to the show. I would love if you'd sing us a song now, and then we'll close and we'll pray to everybody. Yeah. Um I I know you like uh whiskey cheese, but it's like you know, you can sing whatever song comes to your heart right now because I think God will lead you to the right one. Okay, well, you know what?
SPEAKER_01:So this is the one that I wasn't baptized. It's the one I just recorded. Oh, but it's not um Oh, let me take this off because this always gets in the way. So you'll hear in the lyrics. Um, it's kind of a song, kind of about me too, because that was at the time of my life that I was like, okay, that's it, I'm done. I felt like I was done. But it's called Baptize, so let's see. Oh my gosh. Let me get this on.
SPEAKER_00:And this is the one that's the that's getting ready to um be released, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:And it's kind of a what did you say?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, it's a spaghetti western. Spaghetti western.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so I want you hearing it, hear a little bit of it today, but have been baptized, washed with the blood, found me a better way to take. Oh, a better way. I've had my share made it hurts throughout days, but I always know where to go to test all my sins away.
SPEAKER_03:On my knees I pray have been washed in the blood of the Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:But I blew up in pieces, felt like it was going to hell. But then one day I gave it up, praying on my knees, said Lord, help me with this problem, these old things.
SPEAKER_03:Will the Holy Ghost come over me? Have been ready. Have been washed in the blood of the land. She's gone now, we again Woo!
SPEAKER_00:Oh, I love that. I love that, and now that we know the story behind it, like it's even better, right? Yes. I love that. I am just gonna pray for uh just that. Yes, that's what I'm gonna pray. Give me that hand. Okay, Father, I'm just praying over Janie that you continue to be mighty in her life, that you continue to use her words and her stories to bless women and people everywhere. We just are so excited about this music. And we pray for you too. If you're going through these times, if you're being um assaulted by our enemy, recognize it now and reach out because God is close. He said he's your ever-present help in time of need. And so, Father, I just ask you to pour out your Holy Spirit just as you did for Janie, just when she asked, just in her that moment of grant need, you poured it out and you rescued her. And we just trust you in Jesus' name. Thank y'all so much. Janie Balderas, Denise Jackson. We're so glad you joined us.
SPEAKER_01:You can follow me on social media, Janie Balderas Music, and that's real time, or go to my website, janybalderas.com.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you so much.
