Have you ever felt there's a disconnect between the way you see yourself in your mind's eye and what shows up in the mirror?  Does it seem that how you feel on the inside doesn't match  up with how you look on the outside?  Is body image a struggle?  Or is combining your spiritual life with your physicality something that interests you?  Well, on today's episode, Beth talks with author Shannon K. Evans about just that.

Who is Shannon?
Shannon Evans is an author, contemplative writer, and a guided meditation facilitator, most recently with a specific interest in women's issues. Shannon writes the Everyday Ignatian column for Jesuits.org and lives in central Iowa with her husband Eric and their band of silly children.

Quick Links from the Episode:
Shannon's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/shannonkevans/
Shannon on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/shannonkevans.writer
Jesuits.org
Shannon's latest Everyday Ignatian column
Beth's writings about aging, body image, & weight from her blog
A Litany for Self-Worth

For more information on this and all AWG episodes, please visit http://awelcomegrace.com

How do you give thanks when the last thing you're feeling is grateful?
How do you respond to St. Paul's invitation to "give thanks in all circumstances" when the whole year feels like a dumpster fire?
When you really take the time to look through the eyes of faith, do you have more to be thankful for that you might have initially thought?

These are the questions Beth is discussing today on the podcast as she shares her own list of what she's grateful for and encourages you to do the same.  Themes of family, friendship, relationships, and faith are explored before she offers a prayer for today's Thanksgiving holiday.

For more information on this and other episodes of the A Welcome Grace Podcast, please visit http://awelcomegrace.com

With Thanksgiving approaching so quickly and Christmas looming on the horizon, many of us are left scratching our heads.  How is this all going to work?  Is it possible to have a happy Thanksgiving while simultaneously missing our loved ones desperately?  How in the world are we supposed to make such a traditional and memory-soaked time of year feel anything remotely normal in a year filled with as much strife, uncertainty, and tumultuousness as 2020?  And then, of course, there are the ultimate one-two punch questions of WHY IS THIS HAPPENING and WHEN WILL IT BE OVER?

Honestly, if Beth had the answer to those last two questions, this would be a much different podcast.  She does, however, have at least some of the answers to the first couple of questions.  Well, she and her guest do, anyway. Today on the podcast, Beth and Marie Fiebach  are going to be breaking down the ins and outs of all things Thanksgiving food related.  From the turkey itself to side dishes, timing and preparation to how to fix a sunken pie crust…they cover it all.

Marie Fiebach is a wife and mom of 4 teenagers from Kansas. In 2017 she founded Feed Your Family Tonight to help busy families eat dinner together at home and recapture a little calm in the crazy. She is a cookbook author, podcaster, and has a weekly cooking segment on her local ABC affiliate. Marie knows how hard it is to get dinner on the table whether you are working until 6:00, running kids to after-school activities, or chasing toddlers all day. She has dealt with picky eaters, food allergies, and busy schedules but still manages to feed her family a home-cooked meal almost every night. And she wants to help you do the same.

Quick Links from the Episode

• Follow Marie Fiebach on Instagram!
• Feed Your Family Tonight on Facebook
• Marie's Feed Your Family Tonight website
• Marie's Holiday Planning Guide
• The Feed Your Family Tonight Podcast
• Beth's Thanksgiving Planning Guide
• Grandmother's Refrigerator Mashed Potato Recipe

For more information on this and all AWG episodes, please visit http://awelcomegrace.com

If we are honest with ourselves, we know that addiction is a disease that touches all of our lives.  Maybe it doesn't dwell in our own home, but in that of a family member or loved one.  Maybe the addiction isn't to alcohol or drugs, but food or sex or gambling.  But however addiction touches our lives and however desperate the situation may seem, one thing is certain.  Where there is faith, there is always hope.

On today's episode, Beth chats with blogger, retreat leader, community volunteer, and new author, Jean Heaton, about the intersection of family, addiction, and faith.  Her book "Helping Families Recover from Addiction: Coping, Growing, and Healing Through 12-Step Practices and Ignatian Spirituality" was released by Loyola Press in October 2020.

Jean Heaton is from the Nashville, TN area.  She is a wife of 34 years to a horse vet (even though she’s afraid of horses) and worked in his office for almost 25 years before she fired herself.  She’s a mom to 3 adult children, 1 horse, and 2 dogs.  She also shares that they have 2 grand dogs.  She dreams about traveling and books, and loves the outdoors which is where she often finds God.

Both her husband and son are in long-term recovery and she has worked her own Twelve Step program for those affected by the addictions of others. She shares her experience, strength, and hope with others at www.jeanheaton.com.

Quick Links from the Episode:
If you struggle with addiction: Alcoholics Anonymous
If there is addiction within your family: Al-Anon Groups
Buy Jean's book on Amazon
Check out Jean's book at Loyola Press
Jean's website

For more information on this and all AWG episodes, please visit http://awelcomegrace.com

It's been one helluva year and yet, the holiday season is still coming, right?  On today's episode, Beth is joined by author & speaker Mary Lenaburg as they discuss all things 2020 and the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.  So, what can you expect to hear?

All about 2020:

• God's amazing timing
• Finding beauty and faith even in the darkest and most difficult times
• Is God really who He says He is?  Can and do I believe Him to be so?
• 2020 has proven to us that we can't and shouldn't depend solely on ourselves, but in the support and providence of God.

All about Thanksgiving and Christmas!

• Which category do we fall into?  Are we Christmas people or Thanksgiving people?  (Spoiler alert: there is no right answer.)
• Our favorite dishes on the Thanksgiving table
• How can we prepare our hearts for the unusualness of the upcoming holiday season?
• Our favorite family stories and memories
• A holiday "This or That" pop quiz!

Mary Lenaburg is exactly the kind of compassionate, straight-shooting, loving, encouraging, and fun big sister I always wanted.  She is a wife of over 30 years to her husband Jerry and mama to Jonathon and Courtney.  Her daughter Courtney passed away 6 years ago after a lifelong journey with profound special needs.  Mary is the author of the award-winning book from Ave Maria Press entitled Be Brave in the Scared and her second book, Be Bold in the Broken, will be coming out in the spring of 2021.  She’s a speaker, an avid cook and baker, a Hallmark Christmas movie enthusiast, an Instagram aficionado, and a Beauty Counter professional.

Quick Links from this Episode:
Click here to check out Mary's blog, sign up for her newsletter, and buy her book.
Follow Mary on Instagram!
Beth's best tips, tricks, and recipes for hosting Thanksgiving dinner can be found here.

For more information on this and all AWG episodes, please visit http://awelcomegrace.com

In today's bonus episode, Beth is flying solo.  She offers a space to breathe, some reflection on how to survive Election Day 2020 and the aftermath with our spirits intact, and a prayer for moving forward.

Some of her survival tips include:

• Remember that people aren't voting AT you when they vote differently than you.
• Assume people's best intentions.
• Realize that a difference in strategy doesn't equal a difference in goal.
• Hold on tightly to your people.
• Remind yourself that God is God and we are not.

Links referenced in this episode:
Pantsuit Politics podcast
The Next Right Thing podcast
St. Mother Theodore Guerin

I think we would all agree that the world is a harder, even scarier, place than it was when we were teenagers, be that 10, 20, 40 years ago.  So how do we make the most of our kids’ teen years?  How do we, as their parents, help our children not merely survive but actually thrive in a season of life that is almost notoriously known as being hard?   
In today's episode, Kathryn Whitaker and I deep dive into what it’s like to be the parent of a teenager.  We share some insights we’ve gained over the years, her with her 4 teenagers and me with my soon-to-be-3.

Kathryn Whitaker is the author of Live Big, Love Bigger, an award-winning book about living an intentional, hell yes, kind of life. She's a sixth-generation Texan who was raised as an evangelical Protestant and then converted to Catholicism on the eve of her wedding. On social media and her blog, Kathryn shares her honest take on family life and living the Gospel, all while drinking Dr Pepper and cheering on the Texas Aggies. She has appeared in USA Today, EWTN, radio and TV stations around the country and is a frequent guest on The Catholic Channel on SiriusXM. Kathryn and her husband, Scott, live with their family in Austin, Texas.

Quick Links from this Episode:
https://kathrynwhitaker.net/ -- Go here to read her blog, get info on her speaking, and support her business.
Kathryn's IG account

For more information on this and all AWG episodes, please visit http://awelcomegrace.com

In today's episode, Monica Gallien tells us the heartbreakingly beautiful story of the stillbirth of her oldest child back in 2014.  With candor and generosity, she shares with us the details of that day and the hope that was born for her and her whole family out of their grief.  She shares with us some resources that could be helpful for those facing times of grief and suggests ways we can care for those we love when they are in need.  And, leaning on the faith in God and the love of their boy that she and her husband share, she tells us of the ways they are able to continue to honor and parent him this side of Heaven.

TW: Please be aware that this episode discusses stillbirth and infant loss and may not be appropriate for everyone.  If you have experienced this loss or other pregnancy and infant loss, know that you are in our prayers.

Monica Gallien is a wife, mother, and audiologist from Indiana.  She owns and operates her own business, EARS, LLC., working with deaf and hard of hearing students.  In addition to their son, she and her husband are the proud parents of two feisty, redheaded daughters.

Correction: Monica stated that their most recent food drive collected about 1700 canned goods.  She drastically underestimated that number.  They actually collected over 5,000 food items for charity!  Way to go, Galliens!

Quick Links from this Episode:
Educational Audiology Resource Solutions (EARS, LLC)
Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep photography services

For more information on this and all AWG episodes, please visit http://awelcomegrace.com

One of my goals with this podcast is to discover alongside you all that we women are more alike than we are different, right?  Well, today’s episode delivers that in spades.  Marcia and I find lots of common ground in our shared loves of pop culture, a good brunch, wild teenagers, and – believe it or not – Terre Haute, IN.

But we also found, or rather, I sought out and Marcia was gracious enough to share with me, some ways we are different and some things we can certainly learn from our Black friends.  We laughed, I almost cried, and it is most definitely a conversation I will remember for a long, long time.

Marcia Lane-McGee is a life-long Chicagoan, former youth minister, and current Family Teacher with Mooseheart Child City and School.

Quick Links from this Episode:

• Follow Marcia on Instagram here.
• Listen to Marcia's podcast here.
• Follow Plaid Skirts & Basic Black on IG.
• Learn more about St. Mother Theodore Guerin and the Sisters of Providence here.
• Learn more about Mooseheart Child City and School here.

For more information on today's episode, please head to http://awelcomegrace.com

In the 24 years since I voted in my very first presidential election, life has changed a bit.  Society has changed a bit.  And, frankly, I’ve changed a bit.  Precisely nothing is simple anymore it seems.  My vote is no longer a foregone conclusion and, honestly, growing more in my Catholic faith has made voting for anybody includes more mental and spiritual gymnastics than I’d like.

Add to all that an ever quickening news cycle and the social media phenomenon, and you've got yourself a whole mess of confusion.  How are we supposed to be true to ourselves, our faith, our relationships, our families, and our futures and still vote in good conscience?  Where is the perspective that we need?  Enter, Julie.

Julie Varner Walsh is a blogger, podcaster, and political aficionado who brings years of experience studying and working in politics to today's discussion.  We chat about:

• the history behind the extreme party polarization we experience today.
• questions to ask yourself if you're still considering who to vote for in November.
• where we can place our hope as we move through this election season.

Helpful links about these topics include:

• Want to learn more about the considerations of BIPOC when voting?  Listen to this episode of the Plaid Skirts and Basic Black podcast.
• Want to learn more about what, precisely, is on the Democratic and Republican platform in 2020?  Check out this episode of Pantsuit Politics.
• To listen to Julie's podcast, check out More Than Politics.
• To read her blog, head to These Walls.

For more information on this episode, please visit http://awelcomegrace.com