February is American Heart Month, and today's story will warm (and shock and break and inspire) yours. 

The Poole family was planning a low-key night watching Clemson football when Stephen returned from the grill to find Mandy, 8 weeks pregnant and 32 years old, unresponsive on the couch beside their two children. 

Finding no pulse, he performed 11 minutes of CPR to keep Mandy and their baby alive. While she and two-year-old Owen are healthy and happy today, it was a rollercoaster of a ride.

Today’s episode reminded me to manage my blessings, as our friend @brooketurnersc would say, rather than lapsing into stress; for Mandy, every day is a wonder. I hope our conversation opens your eyes too to the simple joys of the mundane.

Mandy and Owen are hands-down, no-questions-asked miracles. A large part of their survival is thanks to Stephen's quick thinking and ability to perform CPR; it's a skill we all need to learn. Read more about CPR and find instruction opportunities at cpr.heart.org.

To support Brooke Turner's family, as we discuss in our introduction, visit tinyurl.com/givetoTeamTurner.

As always, join our conversation at @butnotallatonce on Instagram and Facebook.

Thanks for being here, y'all! I'd love your thoughts, questions, ideas, and everything in between. You can find me at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or ButNotAllAtOnce.com.

For extra content, additional episodes, and upcoming guest follow-ups, visit Patreon.

Mary Craig Hart had three children, the youngest of whom was still a baby, when she felt a tug on her heart for adoption. She kept her husband in the dark for a while, afraid of what he'd say, as she researched and cried and prayed. Turns out he'd felt the same pull too - but where would they even start?

Today the Harts' son, Franklin, is seven years old, thriving and smiling alongside his besotted siblings in photos - but it took a long, winding road to get there. 

Mary Craig speaks candidly about both the miracle and trauma of adoption; what communities can do to support adopting families; what we should and should NOT ask; the complicated beauty of being siblings who don't look alike; and how a white mother prepares her Ugandan-born son for life in America.

You can find Mary Craig on Instagram at @marycraighart or learn more about the agency she used, Bethany Christian Services, at bethany.org. 

As always, we invite you to join the conversation at @butnotallatonce on Instagram and Facebook. 

Thanks for being here, y'all! I'd love your thoughts, questions, ideas, and everything in between. You can find me at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or ButNotAllAtOnce.com.

For extra content, additional episodes, and upcoming guest follow-ups, visit Patreon.

So much unfolded in the Sussexit Saga last week! 

Where did things land around the Duke and Duchess' titles, HRH status, living arrangements, patronages, finances and future? 

Are Harry and Meghan more or less protected against media intrusion? What's behind their latest lawsuit? Is there precedent for royals pursuing commercial income? What are the consequences of their moving eight time zones and 4000 miles away?

In today's episode, we dive in and wrap it all up! 

Share your thoughts at @butnotallatonce on Instagram or [email protected]. Next week we'll be back to our regular guest interviews, but thanks for the fun escape into the House of Windsor! 

Thanks for being here, y'all! I'd love your thoughts, questions, ideas, and everything in between. You can find me at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or ButNotAllAtOnce.com.

For extra content, additional episodes, and upcoming guest follow-ups, visit Patreon.

By popular demand, But Not All At Once takes a deep dive into Sussexit.

A primer for royal newbies and a full overview for those of us well-versed in the House of Windsor, today’s episode covers the who, what, why and WHYYYY of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's recent announcement. And also the rules about capitalizing "The" in front of royal titles, a particularly irksome detail for the writers among us. 

Are Harry and Meghan's decisions entitled? Are they keeping their HRHs? Do we feel angry? Sad? Confused? Utterly unbothered? 

So very much to discuss: royal history, finances, traditions and protocol with a side of mixed feelings and conflicting hopes. It's a jumbled-up bag of "Holy wow, guys, did you really want to pay your own bills that badly?"

See 20 headlines about Kate and Meghan side by side here: tinyurl.com/20headlines

For updates with a Sussex-leaning focus, follow @OmidScobie on Twitter; he's a Harper's Bazaar contributor and rumored mouthpiece of Harry and Meghan's team. 

For announcements straight from the royals' mouths, visit sussexroyal.com or royal.uk. 

More show notes, including some links to valuable background info, to come. 

Find me at @butnotallatonce on Instagram and let's talk Sussexit! Or should we call it Harry-ve-derci? Anything but Megxit...

Thanks for being here, y'all! I'd love your thoughts, questions, ideas, and everything in between. You can find me at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or ButNotAllAtOnce.com.

For extra content, additional episodes, and upcoming guest follow-ups, visit Patreon.

Emilie Blanchard isn't your average wellness influencer; she's an entrepreneur, a creative mind most at home in the kitchen, and a genuinely good-hearted soul devoted to helping others feel as fantastic as they can.

Through Tasty as Fit, Emilie has been sharing plant-based recipes far and wide on Instagram for years; more recently, she has opened a storefront to feed her hometown the unprocessed foods and unrivaled flavors that are her signature. 

In today's episode, we talk about her plant-based lifestyle, how to find a way of eating that serves you, why our words matter when we talk about wellness, how to incorporate new habits into our diets, and a host of practical tips to listener-submitted questions. 

You can find out more about Emilie and her storefront at tastyasfit.com or at @tastyasfit on Instagram. As promised, she shared that her favorite daily hair products are from Act and Acre or Oribe. And she swears that thick, gorgeous mane is from eating her greens; I've never been so motivated to fill my plate with a rainbow!

This week's sponsor is Magical Momdom, a busy boxes company founded by a Greenville County Schools speech pathologist and mother of three. Each box contains homemade, non-toxic play dough, themed manipulatives (think mermaids, pirates, gingerbread houses, or tigers with footballs and trophies) and expert insight for creative ways to play.

Podcast listeners can save 10% off any orders at magicalmomdom.com with the code "butnotallatonce." The mini-boxes are a perfect, battery-free (and therefore flashing-light and loud-noise-free, so no parents will hate you) birthday gift for little friends, and Magical Momdom's larger signature box kept my three younger children happily occupied for hours. Find @magicalmomdom on Instagram to see more. 

As always, your feedback means the world! You can find us at @butnotallatonce on Instagram or Facebook, or send an email to [email protected].

Thanks for being here, y'all! I'd love your thoughts, questions, ideas, and everything in between. You can find me at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or ButNotAllAtOnce.com.

For extra content, additional episodes, and upcoming guest follow-ups, visit Patreon.

Taking a break from alcohol changed Kim Banks' sleep, her skin, her relationships and, most of all, her outlook on life. Though never an alcoholic, she cycled through feeling emotionally dependent on drinking, a habit she tried to moderate or kick entirely many times before going alcohol-free. 

Kim encourages us to rethink our relationship with drinking; for some that may mean moderation, but others will find that the "sober curious" life is right for them. 

The mom of twin kindergarteners offers tips on surviving the witching hour sans wine, making sober holiday gatherings as festive as always, answering questions about what you're drinking, and handling sticky family situations over the holidays.

Connect with Kim at @kimbanks_reset on Instagram or by visiting kimbanksreset.com. 

Today's episode highlights Given, my favorite place to shop intentionally, select cause-conscious goods, and feel warm and fuzzy about the people I'm supporting.

Save 15% through Christmas with the code FALALA15 at given-goods.com, visit their downtown Greenville store, or find them at @shop_given on Instagram. 

Thanks for being here, y'all! I'd love your thoughts, questions, ideas, and everything in between. You can find me at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or ButNotAllAtOnce.com.

For extra content, additional episodes, and upcoming guest follow-ups, visit Patreon.

Kim Mogan founded GirlUp GVL to empower marginalized girls in Greenville, SC. While the root issues putting these young women at risk - poverty, racism, inequality - are too complex to untangle, Kim is changing lives one relationship at a time.

Through GirlUp GVL, Kim aims to teach her middle and high schoolers that they're loved, and to help them understand their worth. Sometimes that looks like self-defense classes, etiquette lessons or basic life skill workshops; other times it might be an extra adult cheering at a church basketball game or a dozen girls chatting on the Mogans' sofa (renovation tarp and all). 

Learn what inspired Kim to become a one-woman non-profit; how she serves as a cheerleader, mentor, tutor, resource-connector, counselor and friend to 15 girls at once; and what she hopes her girls take away from knowing she's in their corner.

If you've ever been a mom, aunt, teacher or mentor, you'll find yourself nodding at Kim's words - and you too may walk away looking for simple ways to serve families right where you are. The need, Kim says, is always there; start from a desire to serve others, then find a way to do it. 

You can learn more at girlupgvl.org or @girlupgvl on Instagram. 

Thanks for being here, y'all! I'd love your thoughts, questions, ideas, and everything in between. You can find me at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or ButNotAllAtOnce.com.

For extra content, additional episodes, and upcoming guest follow-ups, visit Patreon.

It's a But Not All At Once gift guide - of sorts. No swipe-ups, commissions or kickbacks, and no deep theological dives into the meaning of Christmas. This is more about getting by so you can really get INTO the holiday.

How long should our lists be? What great ideas can you steal for your mother-in-law, your best friend, or (even harder) your best friend's kid? How do other families exchange gifts - or not?

What means more than spending money on a gift? Are gift cards tacky? How can we shop local if we can't always shop local? How can we cut down on the "junk" in our lives and still have something to unwrap under the tree?

Let's chat about it! Can't wait to hear your best ideas and traditions at @butnotallatonce on Instagram or [email protected].

To learn more about the non-profit highlighted in this episode, visit girlupgvl.com or @girlupgvl on social media.

Merry (almost) Christmas! Here's getting your heart right, keeping it simple and using your words. xoxo

Thanks for being here, y'all! I'd love your thoughts, questions, ideas, and everything in between. You can find me at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or ButNotAllAtOnce.com.

For extra content, additional episodes, and upcoming guest follow-ups, visit Patreon.

Artist Gavin Hendricksen had a full, beautiful life in Charlotte, North Carolina, but she was plagued by a barrage of symptoms that didn't make sense. She dealt with headaches, exhaustion, anxiety, hair loss, a disappearing libido and the nagging feeling something was wrong, but no doctor seemed to agree.

After hearing "you're just a busy mom" a few times, Gavin brought her concerns to a physician who took them at face value. (Bursting into tears at "How are you?" probably sealed the deal.)

The mom of two never anticipated she had be a golf-ball sized brain tumor, much less one that was crushing her pituitary gland and wrapping around her optic nerve. Today's story has a happy ending, but it changed Gavin's life; listening to what she learned may change yours too. 

You can find Gavin on Instagram at @gavinhendricksenart.

This episode is sponsored by Soda City Sewing, a  South Carolina-based children's clothing company. They're offering listeners free shipping and a free monogram or name with the code ATONCE on their website or Etsy storefronts.

To use our listener discount, order your item without the monogram/name, then leave it in the notes at check-out. Message Soda City Sewing with any questions or for help selecting the perfect Christmas gift for your favorite little one! Visit them at sodacitysewing.etsy.com or on Instagram at @sodacitysewing. 

Thanks for being here, y'all! I'd love your thoughts, questions, ideas, and everything in between. You can find me at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or ButNotAllAtOnce.com.

For extra content, additional episodes, and upcoming guest follow-ups, visit Patreon.

We can't sniffle our way through every episode, so here's a 100% tissue-free chat with my dearest friend. On today’s episode, Erin Demo and I tackle listener questions about the tricky business of friendship while adulting. 

How can you be a better friend?  How do we meet new people but avoid FOMO? Where can we squeeze in time for friends when no one's schedules align?

Is "picking up where you left off" even a good thing? And will we ever be able to have full conversations again, or is texting memes back and forth all day an acceptable substitute? 

You're essentially listening in on our daily chat, so please enjoy our forays into the "blind friend date" that was our first meeting, our grad school penchant for Pizza Hut, Door Dash as a form of friendship currency, and why elementary school D.A.R.E. classes led me to believe I'd be offered drugs on a regular basis.

(Spoiler alert: This belief was patently, hilariously false. Worksheets full of ways to say 'no' went to utter waste.)

This week's episode is sponsored by Kentwool, a family-owned, South Carolina-based company that makes the downright dreamiest socks you'll ever put on what Mae calls her "widdle feetie toes." You can learn more at kentwool.com or @kentwool on social media. 

Thanks for being here, y'all! I'd love your thoughts, questions, ideas, and everything in between. You can find me at @ButNotAllAtOnce on social media or ButNotAllAtOnce.com.

For extra content, additional episodes, and upcoming guest follow-ups, visit Patreon.