Around the Table Podcast

This week, we're diving into a side of community that can be a little awkward in our isolated culture; we're discussing how to be a good neighbor. Plus, we've invited Shannan Martin into the conversation, because we're inspired by how she loves her neighbors intentionally!

But first: an announcement! Have you thought about starting your own podcast, but have no idea where to start? Jacey has created a guide that will teach you everything you need to know to transform your idea into your first episode. Grab your copy now, during the launch sale, August 29th-September 3rd!

What you'll hear:

• Our experiences knowing (and ignoring) our neighbors
• What holds us back from forming bonds with those in close proximity to us
• How Shannan and her family came to live on "the wrong side of the tracks"
• The unexpected fruit of walking Shannan's kids to school
• How a willingness to come as you are cultivates vulnerable community
• Practical ways to build relationships with neighbors

Can I quote you on that?

• "There's something about proximity that lends itself to intimacy." Maggie
• "What's great about investing in your neighbors is that it gives you the opportunity to invest in people you might not have chosen as your community." Maggie
• "A good neighbor is willing to be interrupted."Jacey
• "It's important to be willing to help, be available, be open. But it's equally important, and maybe harder for us in our culture, to also be willing to be helped." Jacey
• "We were being called out from under the bubble that we lived under, where everybody lived and believed and behaved in almost identical ways." Shannan Martin
• "It's important for our neighbors to know that we come to them as very imperfect and often failing people who God has redeemed." Shannan Martin
• "If we say we're going to accept people just as the way they are, then we need to stop trying so hard to be something that we're really not." Shannan Martin
• "In the context of doing community well with our neighbors, often the best that we can offer is actually our shakiest or our most frayed at the edges or our most unassuming or ordinary." Shannan Martin

Our challenge this month is to be a good neighbor. Spend some time outside, open to the possibility that you might just cross paths with someone, or muster up the courage to knock on a neighbor's door and introduce yourself. Or go big and invite them over to dinner! However small (and awkward) the steps may be, we hope you'll join us this month in intentional neighborliness. Tell us about it when you do! You can email us your stories, or share on social media using the hashtag #attneighbors.

Links:

• Start Your Podcast: From Idea to First Episode
• Falling Free: Rescued from the Life I Always Wanted
• Connect with Shannan on Instagram or her website

Thoughts, questions, comments?

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

What you'll hear:

• Whether or not we think we have healthy relationships with our phones
• The benefits of smart phones and the ways they simplify our lives
• The ways smart phones negatively affect the quality of our lives and relationships
• Practical tips for creating boundaries with our phones
• Other 'phone-pauxs'
• Our smartphone confessions

Can I quote you on that?

• "It's all about finding the balance that lets our phones simplify our lives, rather than complicate them further." Maggie
• "However I'm interacting with my phone is a reflection of my emotional health in general."
• "If you can respond in under a minute, respond right when you see it." Jacey
• "Google maps saves lives." Jacey
• "One of the dangers of things moving fast is not thinking enough about what you're communicating."
• "No one needs those little red numbers glaring us in the face telling us how many things we haven't done yet today." Maggie
• "When you get to the point where you are trying to communicate your emotions via text, you need to pick up the phone and call." Maggie
• "How quickly we can respond often affects the quality of our responses." Maggie

Links:

• Pocket App
• 25 Signs You Have a Healthy Relationship With Your Smartphone
• Health IQ App

Thoughts, questions, comments?

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

Today's episode is a change of pace. We're joined by Frances Crusoe for an honest conversation about race. Plus, a special edition of Read Watch Listen Follow.

What you'll hear:

• Why racism is a current issue
• How to be part of the solution
• What it's like to be a mother of a black child

Can I quote you on that?

• "The problem with being color blind is that erases who we are as black people." Frances Crusoe
• "I don't get the luxury to not think about race, because race is literally ingrained in everything that I do, from the neighborhoods that I can live in, the schools my kids go to, churches, I go to, everything." Frances Crusoe
• "When I hear 'All Lives Matter,' it's almost like a slap in the face." Frances Crusoe
• "You don't know what you don't know if the people in your circle all look like you." Frances Crusoe
• "For change to really happen, we need white people to use their voices, their influence, their platforms, their privilege in white society to say, 'this is not okay.'" Frances Crusoe
• "Even in the midst of all this chaos, hatred, and division, God is still good, and His promise is still valid, and He still for us, and He is still for me." Frances Crusoe
• "Be willing to listen above all else." Frances Crusoe

Links:

• Between the World and Me
• Disunity in Christ
• Just Mercy
• White Fragility: Why It's So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism
• Roots
• Q Ideas: Michelle Higgins on Race in America
• O.J.: Made in America
• The Liturgists Podcast - Black and White: Racism in America
• This American Life - The Problem We All Live With Part One and Part Two
• Follow: Austin Channing, Broderick Greer, Drew Hart, Kathy Khang, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Vann R. Newkirk II, DeRay Mckesson, and our GUEST, Frances Crusoe

Thoughts, questions, comments?

• Find Around the Table on Facebook, 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 show!

From the healing properties of coconut oil to the 21 day habit formation theory, we've been challenging the status quo since 2014. This bonus episode covers a few of our myth busting attempts. 

Today, we share our 100th episode!! It's a smorgasbord of intention and indulgence including our most memorable soapboxes, overshares, and changed opinions. Plus, clips from listener-favorite episodes, giveaways, listener voicemails, and our best Read Watch Listen Follows of all time.

We're really excited to celebrate, but before we begin, we wanted to pause to say simply: thank you. From the moment we realized it was more than just our parents listening, we've been humbled and overwhelmed by your incredible support and participation in this little thing we call Around the Table. 

What you'll hear:

• A word from our official hype-woman
• Our favorite (and perhaps most worn out) soap boxes
• Clips from memorable ATT Lunch Break guests
• Embarrassing overshares from the last 2 years
• Things we've changed our minds about
• Listener recommended favorites
• Our ultimate Read Watch Listen Follow recommendations

Links:

One very very practical way we want to say thank you for your support over the last two years is by bombarding you with giveaways! Over the next week, we will be host three separate giveaways where you'll have the opportunity to win things related to our tagline of intention and indulgence.

• Provence, 1970
• One Plus One
• Rising Strong
• The Mystery Show with Starlee Kine
• The Liturgist Podcast - 'Black and White: Racism in America'
• The Lazy Genius Collective
• The L.ist App
• Tom Haverfoods
• Giveaway 1: Subscribe to Around the Table Weekly to enter our secret giveaway
• Giveaway 2: Follow us on Instagram for details about winning a Swell Water Bottle OR Eat More Kale shirt
• Giveaway 3: Leave an iTunes review to enter to win a MAC lipstick (and color consultation with Maggie). Not sure how? Here's how from the Podcasts app in your iPhone:

Thoughts, questions, comments?

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

This week, we are sharing those challenging day to day activities that we think should be submitted as potential Olympic sports, assembling a dream team for these Olympics that we call life and getting into the competitive spirit with a little game of our own.

Guys, we're turning 100 next week!! We never would have made it to 100 without you guys, and we're super grateful. So, we'd love to include your thoughts and voices in the episode. Leave us a voicemail or send use a message by this Thursday, August 4th letting us know which topics have resonated with you, whether you're pro or con Birkenstocks, and anything else your heart desires! We'll include as many as we can in the episode.

What you'll hear:

• Facts you may not know about the Olympic games
• Our list of everyday tasks that require Olympic caliber agility and skill
• Us v. phone storage limits
• Who we would want by our side when encountering the obstacles of day to day life aka our Olympic dream teams

Can I quote you on that?

• "There's nothing worse than a non-competitive person being forced to compete with a competitive person." Jacey
• "Anyone who has ever tried to fold a fitted sheet knows that there are some things in life that feel like they require the talent and agility of an Olympic athlete." Maggie
• "I get so sad when I think about deleting messages though because that's like old-fashioned days of writing letters; that's like a record of our friendship." Jacey
• "What can't you do, if you can do liquid eyeliner in the morning?" Jacey
• "There may or may not have been a spontaneous game of grocery store corn hole with a shopping basket and bag of marshmallows that went down a couple days ago." Maggie

Links:

• Why small talk matters and our dream panel of experts for everyday life
• Sacrifice v. reward and what we want to be when we grow up
• Going nude and catching up on sleep
• Let's talk about texts, baby
• Reliving the good 'ole days
• Money in marriage, with a special guest host
• XOXO gossip girl: the benefits and toxicity of gossip
• Unmet expectations and what Buzzfeed says about us
• The do's and don'ts of failure
• Food obsessed millennials
• Let's have some fun!
• Boost creativity and a recipe for the perfect beach day

Thoughts, questions, comments?

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

This week, we are talking about decision making in our wide world of choice. Then we put our new decision making skills to the test in a conversation about eating on a budget.

If you're enjoying our show, please take a minute to rate and review it on iTunes. You never know — we may read it on an upcoming episode! And it really helps more friends join us around the table. Thanks a million! xx

What you'll hear:

• How we each make decisions
• Obstacles to making reasonable choices
• Tips for healthy, efficient decision making
• Ideas for eating healthy on a budget

Can I quote you on that?

• "Our willpower decreases the more decisions we have to make." Jacey
• "I get whiplash trying to keep up with your big life decisions." Jacey
• "If I let myself look at too many options, then I become indecisive." Jacey
• "Having an appropriate perception of regret is a really important tool for making a decision that's 'good enough.'" Maggie
• "Not all decisions are equal." Jacey
• "It's easier to steer a moving ship, so a decision is better than no decision." Maggie

Links:

• The Paradox of Choice
• 10 Organic Foods That Aren't Worth Buying
• The Only 15 Foods That Are Worth Buying Organic

Thoughts, questions, comments?

• Find Around the Table on Facebook, 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 show!

In this episode, we discuss what's at the root of perfectionism, how it affects work and relationships, and some go to and mantras for recovering perfectionists.

Our challenge this month is to learn something new. This week, we'd like to be more specific: learn something new about race and/or law enforcement in America. Whatever your assumptions or opinions, make an effort to read something from a different perspective. Talk to individual cops and people of color in your community so that we can humanize every side of the conversation.

What you'll hear:

• Praise for Maggie's vinaigrette
• Lies perfectionists believe
• People pleasing as a form of perfectionism
• Mantras for recovering perfectionists

Can I quote you on that?

• "The motivation for perfectionism gets this glossy coating that we like to call the pursuit of excellence." Maggie
• "It's normal to want affirmation from other people; it's detrimental when you're linking that approval to your own sense of self worth." Jacey
• "This drive [for perfection] is actually pride, and it's a rejection of grace." Jacey
• "The distinction between a healthy drive for excellence and perfectionism is whether or not the stakes are existential." Jacey
• "Perfectionists are not willing to try things; in a pursuit to be perfect, they won't go outside of their comfort zone." Maggie
• "No one is looking as closely or caring as much as you think they are." Maggie

Links:

• Present over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist
• Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead by Brené Brown

Thoughts, questions, comments?

• Find Around the Table on Facebook, 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 show!

This week, we are examining the concept of taste. How it develops, what influences it, and why it always seems to be changing. We also discuss what we've been reading, watching, listening to, and following.

What you'll hear:

• Do we all think we have good taste?
• The ways our tastes have evolved
• How society influences taste
• Whether we identify as conformists or innovators
• What we've been reading, watching, listening to, and following

Can I quote you on that?

• "The way that I would think about good taste it defining 'good' as 'refined'." Jacey
• "We are biased to see change in ourself and in our tastes as progress." Jacey
• "A sign of maturity is a willingness to change your mind." Jacey
• "Sometimes success is defined by creating something new versus creating something good." Maggie
• "Beep beep boop beep boop." Maggie
• "We all want to be on the bandwagon, but we want to be the first ones there." Maggie

Links:

• The Secret of Taste: Why We Like What We Like
• Kitchens of the Great Midwest
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Brexit & Scientific Studies
• James Blake: The Color in Anything
• This American Life: Tell me I'm Fat
• My Dream Spin Class Instructor
• Letterfolk Co. on Instagram and their website
• Design for Mankind

Thoughts, questions, comments?

• Find Around the Table on Facebook, 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 show!

Make sure you don't miss an episode of our show by subscribing in iTunes or with the podcast app of your choice!

What you'll hear:

• Facts of American independence (the original #Brexit,) you didn't learn in history class
• How Jefferson felt about the revisions to his Declaration of Independence
• The fraught bromance between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams
• How a flea market could make you a multimillionaire
• A Kardashian themed confessional
• The appropriate use for caps lock

Can I quote you on that?

• "They believed themselves to be part of something greater than themselves [as part of the British empire] and there was a lot of emotion wrapped up in that. It was not something that was an easy decision for those to actually declare independence to do." Tim Smith
• "We like to idealize these founding fathers and the purity of their motives and how simple it was, but it was very complicated." Tim Smith
• "He [Thomas Jefferson] writes the declcaration with, as one historian put it, 'eternal truths with literary inspiration.'" Tim Smith
• "Jefferson loved hosting social gatherings to the point that, when he was in the White House, he had something like an over a thousand dollar monthly bill for wine – that's in 1803." Tim Smith
• "We as adults need to be treated the way children are treated when it comes to our healthcare." Jacey
• "My phone had to die before I stopped scrolling." Jacey, admitting a shameful Kardashian stalking experience

Links:

• Email today's guest, Tim Smith, at [email protected] if you're interested in Washington D.C., New York City, and other tours!

Thoughts, questions, comments?

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