Welcome to the Chronically Candid podcast! I haven’t recorded anything for a year, but I’m back with a solo episode!

• Life updates: Our kids are back at school full time & I’m back at work full time
• An Instagram post I chickened out of sharing 
• WRITING MY FIRST BOOK: How it’s going & answering the question, “What’s it about?”

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 19 of the Makers, Dreamers, Doers podcast, Morgan talks with Jessica Grider, a fellow mom-of-twins (+ a singleton!), high school librarian, hobby gardener, and writer. Morgan and Jessica compare notes on their experiences with finding out they were having twins, twin pregnancy, C-section birth, (tandem) breastfeeding, and the emotions that come with weaning but knowing that it's 'time'. Jessica shares about why she and her husband don't share a bedroom (spoiler: yes, they like each other, and, yes, they have sex) and how it's made them more intentional about spending time together.

Morgan and Jessica delve into a conversation about race: The difference between racist remarks and genuine curiosity about the differences between her skin color and her boys'—both are things that Jessica experiences often as a Black mother to biracial children; raising 'white-presenting' boys and how that may change how she and her husband have conversations with them about police brutality and racial bias when they are older; and the importance of open dialogue and honesty in interracial relationships.

Jessica also shares about her transition to becoming a high school librarian and what she loves most about her role in the 'hub' of her school (she was previously a high school English teacher for 12 years, including through the COVID-19 pandemic); what it's been like being a librarian in the midst of a frenzy of book bans from the political right across the country, and how her school district has mostly remained immune from the discriminatory bans happening in libraries across Missouri; and, lastly, why representation in libraries and literature matters (Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop: "Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors")

Books Mentioned in This Episode

• Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
• The Poet X by Alyssa Acevedo
• Supermarket by Bobby Hall
• Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
• Babel by R.F. Kuang
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Lawrence mom gives birth to 'MoMo' twins — article referenced in the episode

You can learn more about Jessica and her life as a school librarian raising three boys by following her on Twitter and Instagram

You can learn more about Morgan and her work by following her on Instagram | morganbarrett.co

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In episode 18, Morgan sits down with Nancy O'Connor, the Executive Director at Growing Food Growing Health, a non-profit in Lawrence, Kansas which runs school gardens and a community garden at a women's residential drug addiction treatment center (Growing Food Growing Hope). Nancy shares her love for fresh, organic, locally-grown food through a conversation on how Growing Food Growing Health began and has grown over its 14 seasons (and counting). Nancy shares how the kids she's worked with over the years have found a passion for growing healthy food through the GFGH programs, particularly through the connections they make with fellow gardeners and those who benefit from the food they grow. Nancy shares how gardening has taught the teens she works with about where their food comes from and the labor it takes to get (healthy) food on our plates.

Nancy and Morgan muse about what keeps them coming back to gardening, despite the unglamorous work and frequent failures and flops. They talk about their love for gardening—how it reconnects us to nature, encourages us to slow down, and teaches us to be present.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

• Michael Pollan (author)
• Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall-Kimmerer

Nancy is also the author of the Rolling Prairie Cookbook (Buy her book on ThriftBooks!)

Follow Morgan on Instagram | Learn more at morganbarrett.co

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In episode 17, Morgan sits down with her friend Farai Harreld to talk about breaking generational cycles, motherhood, home schooling, representation in education, and instilling a love for nature in children. Farai is a mother, spouse, writer, herbalist, and much more. Born in Zimbabwe, raised in Botswana, and now living in Kansas, she calls all three places home. Farai is thoughtful and intentional in all of the work she does—in examining her own generational trauma and breaking cycles, in raising and educating her children, and in the way she lives upon the Earth—and she brings that energy to this conversation.

Books Mentioned in this Episode:

To Bless The Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings by John O'Donohue

Children's books by Phoebe Wahl

To learn more about Farai and her work, visit her website at faraiharreld.com or follow her on Instagram at @thehillbillyafrican

Learn more about Morgan and her work at morganbarrett.co or follow her on Instagram at @morganbarrett__

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A piece Morgan wrote for the Lawrence Times (never got published) about her favorite local coffee spot, La Prima Tazza.

Instagram | Website

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For Episode 16, Morgan sits down with Tayanna (Tay) Nelson, the photographer and owner of GoodBodies, a KC boudoir photography business, and Hey Tay, a queer-focused KC wedding & portrait photography business. Morgan and Tay talk about why Tay's photography focuses on marginalized identities, what trauma-informed boudoir means & what it looks like in Tay's studio, unpacking society's body & beauty expectations imposed upon us, Tay's advice to 'stay in your lane' and 'keep your eyes on your own paper' when it comes to other peoples' bodies & their supposed health status, what Fat Camp is and how it's a middle finger in the face of what 'fat camp' has meant in the past, what's behind the hate directed toward fat people and LGBTQIA+ folks, and the persistent joy of queer love even in the face of hateful legislation.

Whew! It's a fun and loaded episode. Enjoy!

You can learn more about Tay's work and enjoy her good humor by following her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok

good-bodies.com | hey-tay.com

You can learn more about Morgan and her work by following her on Instagram | morganbarrett.co

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In episode 15 of the Makers, Dreamers, Doers podcast, Morgan talks with her longtime friend, Jess McLaughlin—In 2019, Jess suffered a serious mental health crisis that landed her in the hospital for months, rendering her catatonic and unable to communicate. Today, Jess is living a full life as a working mom and wife, fully recovered from her traumatic 2019 experience thanks to ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). Jess shares what it was like living through encephalitis, psychosis, and catatonia, losing weeks to memory loss, and ultimately coming out on the other side of what was a grim, life-threatening situation with no real answers as to the cause. Morgan and Jess also talk about how their childhood experiences with divorce, anxiety, and mean-girl antics have shaped who they are today and the way they approach life.

morganbarrett.co | @morganbarrett__

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In episode 14 Morgan sat down with Jillain Williams, longtime friend and the Assistant Executive Director at the Kansas City chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to talk about alcoholism and sobriety.

Trigger Warnings: Addiction & Rape

Jillain stopped drinking alcohol in 2018 after a night where she said something hurtful to a friend - it was the wake up call that made her realize that drinking was not working for her, and she needed to quit. 

Morgan made the decision to stop drinking in April 2023, not after any particular event, but after 15 years of consuming alcohol on an increasingly regular basis. She wanted to be more present with her kids and husband, and the shame and guilt she felt after a night of drinking became no longer worth it to her. She made a list of pros and cons to quitting, and 9 weeks later, she's feeling really good about the decision to live alcohol-free.

Jillain and Morgan talk about their journeys to sobriety, leaning on therapy to work through trauma, what’s changed in their lives since they quit drinking, the rewards and challenges of being a sober person, the drinking culture, alternatives to AA and its definitions and approaches, and more.

And one last note: If you are struggling with your consumption of alcohol or just curious about getting sober, Jillain and Morgan are both safe people to reach out to and are happy to lend an ear.

Books mentioned in this episode:

• Hagitude: Reimagining the Second Half of Life by Sharon Blackie
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• Rising Strong: The Reckoning. The Rumble. The Revolution. by Brene Brown
• The Body Keeps Score by Bessel van der Kolk

You can connect with Jillain on Instagram at @justjillyinkc and you can connect with Morgan on Instagram at @morganbarrett__

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.