Maggie's questions:

What's the first thing that pops into your head as something you're thankful for from this past year?
What is one thing you've learned about yourself this past year?
What relationship (outside of your marriage) has had the greatest impact on you this past year?
What is a relationship that exists in your life that you'd like to invest in this year?
What style or fashion risk would you like to take on?

Jacey's questions:

How have you grown since your last birthday?
Where do you want to grow in this coming year?
What were some highlights from the past year?
What losses and struggles did you endure this past year?
What do you want for dessert?

Links:

How-old.net

Image by @jensane

The post Five on Friday: questions to ask yourself on your birthday appeared first on Around the Table Podcast.

In this week’s episode, we offer our monthly Read/Watch/Listen/Follow recommendations (you may notice a comedic theme) and host our second Around the Table book club where we discuss Donald Miller's latest book, Scary Close. 

What you’ll hear:

What we’re reading, watching, listening to, and following this month
A shameless pun or two
Jacey’s nightmare-inducing book recommendations
Some of our favorite quotes from Donald Miller’s latest book, Scary close
A few thoughts on ambition and how it affects relationships
Our next book club choice

Can I quote you on that?:

“We don’t think of our flaws as the glue that binds us to the people we love, but they are. Grace only sticks to your imperfections.” – Donald Miller
“Without imperfection, there is no space for grace. There is no need for it.” – Maggie
“The closest relationships are the people that know my flaws, that accept me, that challenge me to be better, but that also extend grace.” – Jacey
“I’m the kind of person who wants to present my most honest, authentic self to the world, so I hide backstage and rehearse honest and authentic lines until the curtain opens.” – Donald Miller
“It’s easier than we’d like to admit to present a partially authentic version of ourselves.” – Maggie
“God doesn’t give us crying, pooping children because he wants to advance our careers.” – Donald Miller
“All relationships are living and alive and moving and becoming something.” – Donald Miller

Links:

Binge-Watch Like You Mean It
The Girl On The Train, by Paula Hawkins
The Relevant Podcast's Oskarz.biz
The Moment You Realize You're a Cat
John Krasinski's Lipsync Battle
Startup Podcast
Cale Tyson
Stroem Designs
Our Spare Change
Scary Close by Donald Miller
One More Thing by BJ Novak

Thoughts, questions, comments?

Find Around the Table on Instagram or Twitter, or leave a comment below.
Maggie on Instagram, Twitter, and her blog
Jacey on Instagram, Twitter and her blog

If you’ve had a chance to rate and review our show on iTunes, THANK YOU! If not, would you please? It only takes a minute.

Some links are affiliates. Thank you for supporting our podcast!

The post What is making us laugh and our second book club appeared first on Around the Table Podcast.

In this episode, we chat with Theresa of Theresa M. Meacham Designs and www.theresammeacham.com. We discuss living abroad, counting your blessings, and one very memorable schnitzel experience.

What you’ll hear:

What Theresa has learned about hospitality while living overseas.
Some of the major challenges of living abroad.
Keys to finding a new normal in a new place.
The importance of practicing gratitude.
A story about the power of Schnitzel.

Can I quote you on that?

“It makes all the difference when someone risks their own comfort to greet me in the confines of mine.” – Theresa
“Living overseas, the highs are a little bit higher and the lows are a little bit lower.” – Theresa
“Put yourself in a place to be hosted.” – Maggie
“The more you notice, the more you notice.” – Theresa
"We need to become nuanced in our blessings.” – Mark Batterson
“You make your biggest gains when you push through the hardest points.” – Theresa Meacham

Links:

Connect with Theresa on instagram, twitter, and her blog.
Check out Theresa’s shop
1000 Gifts by Anne Voskamp
Mark Batterson
Dan Fogleburg and Loggins and Messina

 Some links are affiliates. Thanks for supporting our show!

The post Lunch Break with Theresa Meacham appeared first on Around the Table Podcast.

In this episode, we discuss the surprising benefits of gossip and how it plays out in our lives, as well as talents we wish we had and new hobby horizons we'd like to explore.

What you'll hear:

Research that suggests benefits of gossip
A rule of thumb for whether to say something behind someone's back or not
What to do to disengage when you're party to gossip
Ways we justify gossip when we shouldn't
Talents we'd love to have and hobbies we'd still like to conquer

Can I quote you on that?

"If I'm venting to you about someone you don't know, is it gossip?" Maggie
"As a rule of thumb, I try to ask myself, 'is this something I'm willing to bring up to this person's face?'" Jacey
"In the same way that you want to extend grace to the object of the gossip, you also want to extend grace to the gossiper." Maggie
"I'm making people feel insecure about my friendship if I'm gossiping to them." Jacey
"Gossip is one of the major enemies of vulnerability." Maggie
"When we do talk about other people, let's make it positive and life giving and let it be blessings instead of curses." Maggie
"Making cocktails: very life giving!" Jacey
"If someone could send me a Jon Hamm poster for my bedroom, like a teenager, I would love it." Jacey

Links:

Stanford Research: Hidden Benefits of Gossip, Ostracism
The Sociology of Gossip Ted Talk
How learning skills can be child's play for adults: If only we made the time for learning, we could pick up a new language as easily as kids do
The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? by Seth Godin

Thoughts, questions, comments?

Find Around the Table on Instagram or Twitter, or leave a comment below.
Maggie on Instagram, Twitter, and her blog
Jacey on Instagram, Twitter and her blog

If you've had a chance to rate and review our show on iTunes, THANK YOU! If not, would you please? It only takes a minute.

The post Xoxo, gossip girl: the benefits and toxicity of gossip appeared first on Around the Table Podcast.

We did an episode about money recently, so we thought we'd help you save some with ideas for free things to do this weekend!

Maggie's ideas:

Get physical: hike, bike, group sports, ultimate frisbee
Cook! Pretend you're on Chopped.
Go to a market - Whole Foods date, anyone?
Window shopping
Host a game night

Jacey's ideas:

Read! Take advantage of your local library.
DIY projects
Host a themed potluck
At home manicure and pedicure
Plan and dream

Image by @jensane

The post Five on Friday: free things to do this weekend appeared first on Around the Table Podcast.

In this week's episode, we discuss what it means to be bold in work, daily life, and relationships. We also chat about the pros and cons of a vegetarian diet.

But first, if you've had a chance to rate and review our show on iTunes, THANK YOU! If not, would you please? It only takes a minute.

What you'll hear:

How we define boldness and how we define what boldness is NOT.
What holds us back from being bold in situations that require it.
How being bold (assertive) in professional settings affects our careers and job satisfaction.
The tale of Jacey's epic high-dive jump.
Why boldness is required for authentic relationships.
The different types of vegetarianism.
The health benefits of being a vegetarian and which nutrients to monitor when following a plant-based diet.

Can I quote you on that?

"You took advantage, like a teenager does when their parents go out of town, of the fact that I was not there to bring up emojis." - Maggie
"I see boldness as looking at a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable and choosing to dive into it anyways." - Maggie
"Being bold requires there to be stakes involved." - Jacey
"What one person perceives as a risk is different than another." - Jacey
"Boldness is not offensive or inconsiderate." - Maggie
"What holds me back from being bold in situations where I probably should be is a fear of being offensive." - Jacey
"There are negative repercussions of under-selling yourself, and job satisfaction is one of them." - Maggie
"You have to be willing to be bold if you want a truly intimate relationship with someone" - Jacey

Links:

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
What Women Will Do To Be "Polite," And What It's Costing Us
Cooking Light's 25 Best Vegetarian Recipes

Thoughts, questions, comments?

Find Around the Table on Instagram or Twitter, or leave a comment below.
Maggie on Instagram, Twitter, and her blog
Jacey on Instagram, Twitter and her blog

Some links are affiliates. Thanks for supporting our site!

The post The bold and the vegetarian appeared first on Around the Table Podcast.

Welcome to this Around the Table lunch break with Jamie Golden of Jamie's Sweet Revenge and The Popcast! We discuss Jamie's career change and how it was a literal piece of cake, the anatomy of the perfect funny tweet, and why Jesus wouldn't get an Evite to her dinner party.

WE ARE DOING A GIVEAWAY FOR JAMIE'S CAKE POPS! Be sure you're following @aroundthetablepodcast and @jamiesrabbits for details.

What you'll hear:

What Jamie did the first Monday she woke up without a job or a plan
Advice for people thinking about starting a freelance or self employed career
Finding humor in everyday life

Can I quote you on that?

"Prep as much as you can, and put money in savings so you're not agreeing to take a job you don't think is right." - Jamie, on getting prepared to start freelance work before you quit your current job
"I could do nothing else but cake pops, and it pays all my bills." - Jamie Golden
"Funny on Twitter is not making fun of other people, but being self deprecating." - Jamie Golden
"The Oscars and the Grammys - those are holy times for me." - Jamie Golden
"I don't hustle. Hustle's at 5AM, and I don't do 5:00. Except at night." - Jamie Golden
"My mom nurtures through food, which may explain why I need to wear Spanx." - Jamie Golden
"I feel like I would not eat that chicken sandwich aggressively if Chris Hemsworth is sitting right there, so I did not invite any handsome men." - Jamie Golden
"You get one cocktail in her, and she is going to tell you all of Hollywood's secrets." - Jamie Golden, on why a certain starlet would get an invite to her dinner party

Links:

Shop for cake pops on Jamie's Sweet Revenge
Listen to The Popcast
Building a life out of cake, Jamie's guest post on Modern Mrs. Darcy
Follow Kathleen Madigan, Kathy Griffin, Molly Kats, Anna Kendrick
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Not That Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned" by Lena Dunham
I Was Told There'd Be Cake and How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley
Connect with Jamie on Instagram, Twitter,  her blog
Leave us a rating and review in iTunes!

 Some links are affiliates. Thanks for supporting our show!

Image by @jensane

The post Lunch Break with Jamie Golden appeared first on Around the Table Podcast.

In this episode, Jacey is joined by a special guest host - her husband, Mike. They discuss working together as a couple on finances, and answer a listener question about sacrificing to reach financial goals without being miserable.

What you'll hear:

How our communication style and handling of money has changed during our marriage
The complicated emotions that can accompany merging finances as a couple
The importance of the "we" and "ours" mentality in a marriage
The important of a zero based budget, and the basics of how to make one
Ways to save money without being miserable

Can I quote you on that?

"When I realized how much we owed, it was really easy for me to make the switch from, 'this is our problem,' to 'how could you put me in this position?'" - Jacey
"If I were to have that knee jerk, emotional reaction, and spew the things that I was feeling, it would be unfair, really hurtful, and really ungrateful." - Jacey
"I processed internally until I could approach you from a calm, rational place where I could be back on your team again." Jacey
"Our approach is very we-based and us-based: is our collective issues, collective wins, collective losses." - Mike
"We make what we make, not I make what I make, plus you make what you make. It's all ours before it hits the account." - Mike
"The paradox of budgeting is that it's a boundary that sets you free."  Jacey
"Taking the first step is harder than staying in motion." - Jacey
"Cable's expensive. Netflix is $9." Mike
"What can make lean seasons miserable is the entitlement mentality." - Jacey

Links:

Financial Peace University
Budgeting forms you can download and print

Thoughts, questions, comments?

Find Around the Table on Instagram or Twitter, or leave a comment below.
Maggie on Instagram, Twitter, and her blog
Jacey on Instagram, Twitter and her blog

If you've had a chance to rate and review our show on iTunes, THANK YOU! If not, would you please? It only takes a minute.

The post Money in marriage, with a special guest host appeared first on Around the Table Podcast.

Here's the low-down on what's been working for us lately...

What’s working for Maggie:

Boldness
Smoothies

Current favorite: Almond milk, oats, frozen banana, almond butter
If you're in Charleston, hit up The Daily for some killer smoothies

Whatsapp groups and iMessage for Mac
Bandsintown
Not asking people what they "do."

What’s working for Jacey:

Writing out prayers
Smoothies

Current favorite: Greek yogurt, frozen cherries, vanilla extract

Airbnb
‘Grounding” herself
Potted plants

Thoughts, questions, comments?

Find Around the Table on Instagram or Twitter, or leave a comment below.
Maggie on Instagram, Twitter, and her blog
Jacey on Instagram, Twitter and her blog

If you've had a chance to rate and review our show on iTunes, THANK YOU! If not, would you please? It only takes a minute.

Some links are affiliates. Thanks for supporting our site!

Image by @jensane

The post Five on Friday: What’s Working appeared first on Around the Table Podcast.