Welcome to Country Proud Living "Where Nurturing Spaces Empower Your Life and Everyday Feels a Little More Like Home." 

Can you believe it's been two and a half years?

In this special behind-the-scenes episode of Country Proud Living, LoriLynn reflects on the journey of building a podcast from the ground up—sharing the lessons she's learned, the joys and challenges along the way, and her vision for what's ahead.

Recorded from her front porch on a beautiful Minnesota summer morning, this candid conversation offers a glimpse into real life on the farm, the growth of the podcast, exciting plans for future retreats, and why creating a nurturing home and living with intention continue to be at the heart of everything she does.

Whether you've been listening since Episode 1 or you've just discovered Country Proud Living, thank you for being part of this journey. 

🌿 In This Episode:

•  Behind the scenes of two and a half years of podcasting 
•  Lessons learned from building Country Proud Living
•  Exciting plans for future retreats and community 
•  How living with intention continues to shape the podcast 

Favorite Quote "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with."  — Jim Rohn

Episode Timeline:

🕰️ 00:11 – Welcome to this special 2½-year anniversary episode
🕰️ 04:00 – Looking back at the early days of the podcast
🕰️ 10:00 – Lessons learned and changes moving forward
🕰️ 17:00 – Podcast growth, listener milestones, and worldwide reach
🕰️ 19:00 – Retreat dreams and the future of Country Proud Living
🕰️ 22:00 – Why community, connection, and intentional living matter

📚 Resources Mentioned. Atomic Habits. by James Clear

Practical strategies for building habits that support lasting personal growth and intentional living.

🌐 Connect with LoriLynn   www.countryproudliving.com  Join my Retreat waitlist

https://www.countryproudliving.com/cultivate-your-best-life

Discover podcast episodes, design inspiration, retreat updates, and resources for creating a nurturing home and living your best life. Join the retreat waitlist and stay connected with everything happening at Country Proud Living.

🌼  Thank you for walking this journey with me. Whether you've been here since the very beginning or you're just finding Country Proud Living, I'm so grateful you're here.

Here's to slowing down, creating homes that nurture us, building meaningful lives, and continuing to grow—together.

Let me know if there is something you would like to learn more about in the color & design, nurture & empower space? I'd love to hear from you!

Welcome to Country Proud Living, the podcast where nurturing spaces empower your life, and every day feels a little more like home I'm Lori Lynn, a certified interior designer, creative soul and a woman navigating the beauty and becoming of mid-life. Here, we explore meaningful home design, intentional living, personal growth and the courage to create a life that feels like your own. I'm so glad you're here. 

Thank you for spending this time with me. If today's episode encouraged you, please follow Country Proud Living, and share it with a woman who might need it, too. Every share helps more women discover nurturing home design, intentional living, and encouragement for creating a life that feels like their own i'm so grateful you were here today. 

Until next time, love and light, Lori Lynn. 

Please share this podcast with your like minded friends and family and  subscribe to never miss an episode!  If you have questions, ideas of topics you would like to learn more about or you want to work with me. Inquires can be sent to [email protected]

ADDITIONAL LINKS TO CONNECT WITH ME:   : )

MY WEBSITE: www.countryproudliving.com

MY IG:  www.instagram.com/lorilynn_countryproudliving

PINTEREST: https://pin.it/3mX6xMNcR

MY ART GALLERY: https://lorilynn-o-uter.pixels.com/

MY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafsonlori

MY PODCAST:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/country-proud-living-nurturing-home-empowered-self/id1715855014

BUZZSPROUT: https://countryproudliving.buzzsprout.com

Spotify, iHeart, the pod can be found anywhere you choose to listen!

Welcome to Country Proud Living "Where Nurturing Spaces Empower Your Life and Everyday Feels a Little More Like Home." 

What if the most beautiful homes aren't the most expensive—but the ones that tell the story of the people who live there?

In this heartfelt episode of Country Proud Living, LoriLynn explores how timeless Americana style, nostalgia, and meaningful design can help us create homes that feel warm, welcoming, and deeply personal. Drawing on research about nostalgia, inspiring authors, and her own experience as an interior designer, she shares why home is much more than décor—it's a feeling of belonging.

If you're longing to create a cozy home filled with beauty, memories, and purpose, this episode will encourage you to decorate with intention and celebrate the story only your home can tell. 💛  In This Episode:

•  Why nostalgia helps us feel grounded and connected 
•  The difference between decorating and creating a meaningful home 
•  Timeless Americana decorating ideas that never go out of style 
•  How nature and family heirlooms add warmth and character 
•  Why your home should reflect your story—not someone else's 

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been." — Madeleine L'Engle

Episode Timeline:

🕰️ 00:11 – Why home is more than a place—it's a feeling
🕰️ 03:30 – The science of nostalgia and why memories matter 

🕰️12:00 – What designers should ask before choosing a style
🕰️ 17:00 – Timeless Americana design and meaningful decorating
🕰️ 23:00 – Nature, family heirlooms, and creating a nurturing home
🕰️ 07:35 – Madeleine L'Engle on growing older with gratitude
🕰️ 10:30 – Questions to help your home tell your story

📚 Books & Resources Mentioned

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer   https://www.robinwallkimmerer.com/books.   A beautiful exploration of gratitude, nature, reciprocity, and our relationship with the natural world.

Psychologists Constantine Sedikides and Tim Wildschut have spent decades studying nostalgia. Their research shows that nostalgia can strengthen our sense of identity, increase optimism, foster social connection, and help us find greater meaning in life. 

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been." — Madeleine L'Engle

"The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned." — Maya Angelou

This week, instead of asking, "What should I buy?" Ask yourself, "What story is my home telling?"

Bring out the family photographs, fold a quilt across the end of the bed, gather flowers from the garden, set out your grandmother's crock or favorite enamelware.

Because the most beautiful homes aren't built around perfection—they're built around love, memories, and the life that's unfolding within their walls.

meaningful home, cozy home ideas, Americana home style, timeless home design, nostalgic decorating ideas, decorating with family heirlooms, cozy cottage decorating, creating a nurturing home, interior design for women over 40, home styling inspiration, intentional decorating, summer decorating ideas

Let me know if there is something you would like to learn more about in the color & design, nurture & empower space? I'd love to hear from you!

Please share this podcast with your like minded friends and family and  subscribe to never miss an episode!  If you have questions, ideas of topics you would like to learn more about or you want to work with me. Inquires can be sent to [email protected]

ADDITIONAL LINKS TO CONNECT WITH ME:   : )

MY WEBSITE: www.countryproudliving.com

MY IG:  www.instagram.com/lorilynn_countryproudliving

PINTEREST: https://pin.it/3mX6xMNcR

MY ART GALLERY: https://lorilynn-o-uter.pixels.com/

MY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafsonlori

MY PODCAST:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/country-proud-living-nurturing-home-empowered-self/id1715855014

BUZZSPROUT: https://countryproudliving.buzzsprout.com

Spotify, iHeart, the pod can be found anywhere you choose to listen!

Welcome to Country Proud Living "Where Nurturing Spaces Empower Your Life and Everyday Feels a Little More Like Home." 

As we celebrate Independence Day, what if freedom meant more than a holiday?

In this special episode of Country Proud Living, LoriLynn reflects on a quieter kind of freedom—the freedom to live with intention, trust yourself, and create a life that reflects your deepest values.

If you've spent years caring for others and are wondering what this next season of life could become, this conversation is a gentle invitation to embrace the freedom to choose what truly matters. Because the most meaningful life isn't built all at once—it's created through small, intentional choices made every day. Slow down, trust yourself, and create a life you're proud to live. 💛

🌿 In This Episode

•  What freedom can look like in midlife 
•  Why intentional living leads to greater peace and purpose 
•  How your home can support the life you want to create 
•  The difference between achievement and alignment 
•  One powerful question to help shape your next chapter "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."    — Nelson Mandela

Episode Timeline:

🕰️ 00:11 – A different way to think about freedom this Independence Day
🕰️ 03:30 – The freedom to become who you truly are
🕰️ 08:00 – Creating a nurturing home that supports intentional living
🕰️ 13:00 – Choosing what matters most instead of doing it all
🕰️ 18:00 – Freedom, purpose, and living with greater clarity
🕰️ 23:00 – Making space for reflection and everyday joy
🕰️ 27:00 – Annie Dillard's reminder about how we spend our lives
🕰️ 30:00 – Childhood memories of Independence Day and a final invitation 

Resources 📚 Books and quotes mentioned:

• Freedom by Sebastian Junger link:https://www.amazon.com/dp/1982153415
• Carl Jung "The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are."
• Annie Dillard "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives."

As you celebrate Independence Day, and/or have some space for yourself, please take a quiet moment to ask yourself:  "What kind of life am I becoming free to live?"

The answer may not come all at once. But when you slow down enough to listen, you may discover that freedom isn't found in doing more—it's found in living each day with greater intention.

One Final Thought in honor of Independence Day:

"May we never take for granted the freedoms we've been given as a nation... and may we also have the courage to use those freedoms to create lives filled with purpose, peace, beauty, and love."

Country Proud Living is a podcast for women who want to create nurturing homes, live with greater intention, embrace personal growth, and cultivate a life they're truly proud to live. 💛

intentional living, freedom in midlife, creating a meaningful life, personal growth for women, midlife purpose, living with intention, nurturing home, simple living, life after 50, creating a life you love

Let me know if there is something you would like to learn more about in the color & design, nurture & empower space? I'd love to hear from you!

Welcome to Country Proud Living, the podcast where nurturing spaces empower your life, and every day feels a little more like home I'm Lori Lynn, a certified interior designer, creative soul and a woman navigating the beauty and becoming of mid-life. Here, we explore meaningful home design, intentional living, personal growth and the courage to create a life that feels like your own. I'm so glad you're here. 

Thank you for spending this time with me. If today's episode encouraged you, please follow Country Proud Living, and share it with a woman who might need it, too. Every share helps more women discover nurturing home design, intentional living, and encouragement for creating a life that feels like their own i'm so grateful you were here today. 

Until next time, love and light, Lori Lynn. 

Please share this podcast with your like minded friends and family and  subscribe to never miss an episode!  If you have questions, ideas of topics you would like to learn more about or you want to work with me. Inquires can be sent to [email protected]

ADDITIONAL LINKS TO CONNECT WITH ME:   : )

MY WEBSITE: www.countryproudliving.com

MY IG:  www.instagram.com/lorilynn_countryproudliving

PINTEREST: https://pin.it/3mX6xMNcR

MY ART GALLERY: https://lorilynn-o-uter.pixels.com/

MY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafsonlori

MY PODCAST:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/country-proud-living-nurturing-home-empowered-self/id1715855014

BUZZSPROUT: https://countryproudliving.buzzsprout.com

Spotify, iHeart, the pod can be found anywhere you choose to listen!

Welcome to Country Proud Living "Where Nurturing Spaces Empower Your Life and Everyday Feels a Little More Like Home." 

What if the next chapter of your life isn't about becoming someone new—but becoming more fully yourself? 💛

In this heartfelt episode of Country Proud Living, LoriLynn explores the challenge and opportunity of trusting yourself in midlife. After years of meeting expectations, caring for others, and building a life, many women find themselves asking a new question:

What do I want this next season of life to look like?

Through wisdom from Carl Jung, Brené Brown, Glennon Doyle, and David Brooks, this episode offers gentle encouragement to trust your intuition, honor your values, and create a life that feels aligned with who you truly are.

🌿 In This Episode

•  Why trusting yourself can feel difficult in midlife 
•  The difference between meeting expectations and living authentically 
•  How intuition and life experience become wisdom 
•  Why purpose often becomes more important than achievement 
•  A simple question that can help guide your next chapter 

"The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are."— Carl Jung

Episode Timeline:

🕰️ 00:11 – From slowing down to listening inward
🕰️ 03:00 – Why midlife invites us to trust ourselves more deeply
🕰️ 07:00 – Carl Jung and becoming who you truly are
🕰️ 11:00 – Letting go of expectations and embracing authenticity
🕰️ 16:00 – Glennon Doyle's "knowing" and trusting your intuition
🕰️ 20:00 – David Brooks, purpose, and the Second Mountain
🕰️ 25:00 – Achievement versus meaning in midlife
🕰️ 29:00 – One powerful question for your next chapter
🕰️ 33:00 – Final encouragement and reflection

📚 Book links:

• Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
   Learn More
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
   Learn More
• The Second Mountain by David Brooks
   Learn More

This week, find a quiet moment with a cup of coffee, a walk in nature, or a few peaceful minutes on the porch and ask yourself: 💛

If fear, comparison, and other people's expectations were removed from the equation, what would I choose for myself in this next season of life?

You may discover that the life you're longing for has been waiting for you all along.

Country Proud Living is a podcast for women who want to create nurturing homes, live with greater intention, embrace personal growth, and cultivate a life they're truly proud to live. 💛

trusting yourself in midlife, midlife personal growth, finding purpose in midlife, women reinventing themselves, authenticity, personal development for women, midlife transformation, life purpose, intentional living, self-discovery after 40

Let me know if there is something you would like to learn more about in the color & design, nurture & empower space? I'd love to hear from you!

Please share this podcast with your like minded friends and family and  subscribe to never miss an episode!  If you have questions, ideas of topics you would like to learn more about or you want to work with me. Inquires can be sent to [email protected]

ADDITIONAL LINKS TO CONNECT WITH ME:   : )

MY WEBSITE: www.countryproudliving.com

MY IG:  www.instagram.com/lorilynn_countryproudliving

PINTEREST: https://pin.it/3mX6xMNcR

MY ART GALLERY: https://lorilynn-o-uter.pixels.com/

MY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafsonlori

MY PODCAST:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/country-proud-living-nurturing-home-empowered-self/id1715855014

BUZZSPROUT: https://countryproudliving.buzzsprout.com

Spotify, iHeart, the pod can be found anywhere you choose to listen!

Welcome to Country Proud Living "Where Nurturing Spaces Empower Your Life and Everyday Feels a Little More Like Home." 

Have you ever reached the end of a season and wondered where the time went?

In this heartfelt episode of Country Proud Living, LoriLynn explores the beauty of slow living, intentional living, and creating a life with more margin in a world that constantly celebrates busyness. If you've been feeling emotionally tired, stretched too thin, or longing for a slower pace, this conversation is your gentle invitation to pause, breathe, and reconnect with what matters most.

Through personal stories, timeless wisdom, and practical encouragement, you'll discover that an unrushed life isn't about doing less—it's about being more present for the life you're already living. 💛 

🌿 In This Episode

•  Why so many women are longing for a slower, more intentional life 
•  How busyness can keep us from experiencing the moments that matter most 
•  Lessons from nature about patience, presence, and living seasonally 
•  How your home can support a calmer, more nurturing rhythm 
•  Simple ways to create more space, margin, and joy in everyday life 

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."
— Lao Tzu

Episode Timeline:

🕰️ 00:11 – Why so many women are craving a slower pace of life
🕰️ 04:00 – The hidden cost of busyness and always rushing
🕰️ 08:00 – Lessons from nature and the wisdom of slow living
🕰️ 13:00 – Insights from John Mark Comer and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
🕰️ 18:00 – Creating margin and learning to say no
🕰️ 22:00 – How a nurturing home encourages a slower rhythm
🕰️ 27:00 – Noticing beauty in everyday moments
🕰️ 31:00 – Practical ways to embrace an unrushed life
🕰️ 35:00 – Final reflections

🌼 Gentle Invitation; This week, notice one moment you would normally rush through, a morning coffee, a sunset, a walk, a conversation with a friend. Pause long enough to fully experience it. Because a meaningful life isn't built someday—it's built in the ordinary moments that make up today. ✨

📚 Resources Mentioned:

• The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer — A thoughtful exploration of how busyness, distraction, and hurry affect our lives and practical ways to cultivate a slower, more intentional rhythm.

Country Proud Living is a podcast for women who want to create nurturing homes, live with greater intention, embrace personal growth, and cultivate a life they're truly proud to live. 💛

slow living, intentional living, slower living lifestyle, living with intention, simple living, midlife personal growth, slow down and enjoy life, creating margin, peaceful home, mindful living, life balance for women

Let me know if there is something you would like to learn more about in the color & design, nurture & empower space? I'd love to hear from you!

Welcome to Country Proud Living, the podcast where nurturing spaces empower your life, and every day feels a little more like home I'm Lori Lynn, a certified interior designer, creative soul and a woman navigating the beauty and becoming of mid-life. Here, we explore meaningful home design, intentional living, personal growth and the courage to create a life that feels like your own. I'm so glad you're here. 

Thank you for spending this time with me. If today's episode encouraged you, please follow Country Proud Living, and share it with a woman who might need it, too. Every share helps more women discover nurturing home design, intentional living, and encouragement for creating a life that feels like their own i'm so grateful you were here today. 

Until next time, love and light, Lori Lynn. 

Please share this podcast with your like minded friends and family and  subscribe to never miss an episode!  If you have questions, ideas of topics you would like to learn more about or you want to work with me. Inquires can be sent to [email protected]

ADDITIONAL LINKS TO CONNECT WITH ME:   : )

MY WEBSITE: www.countryproudliving.com

MY IG:  www.instagram.com/lorilynn_countryproudliving

PINTEREST: https://pin.it/3mX6xMNcR

MY ART GALLERY: https://lorilynn-o-uter.pixels.com/

MY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafsonlori

MY PODCAST:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/country-proud-living-nurturing-home-empowered-self/id1715855014

BUZZSPROUT: https://countryproudliving.buzzsprout.com

Spotify, iHeart, the pod can be found anywhere you choose to listen!

Welcome to Country Proud Living "Where Nurturing Spaces Empower Your Life and Everyday Feels a Little More Like Home." 

Friendship in midlife can feel different than it once did.

As our lives evolve, children grow up, careers shift, and responsibilities change, many women find themselves longing for deeper connection and meaningful friendships. In this heartfelt episode of Country Proud Living, LoriLynn explores why friendship matters more than ever in this season of life and how creating intentional community can support our emotional, mental, and physical well-being.

Through personal stories, research-backed insights, and an exciting announcement about her new Coffee Klatch Connection gatherings, LoriLynn offers gentle encouragement to reach out, gather around the table, and create the kind of friendships that help us feel seen, supported, and understood. 

🌿 In This Episode

•  Why friendships often change during midlife 
•  The surprising health benefits of meaningful connection 
•  What the Harvard Study of Adult Development teaches us about happiness 
•  Why women need community, encouragement, and belonging 
•  How one small invitation can lead to lasting friendship 
•  LoriLynn's new Coffee Klatch Connection gathering for women 

💛 "Connection is why we're here. We are hardwired to connect with others."
— Brené Brown, author of Daring Greatly

Episode Timeline

🕰️ 00:11 – Why friendship feels different in midlife
🕰️ 05:00 – The science behind connection, health, and happiness
🕰️ 11:00 – Why women need support, belonging, and community
🕰️ 18:00 – Creating meaningful friendships with intention
🕰️ 24:00 – The courage to extend an invitation
🕰️ 29:00 – Introducing Coffee Klatch Connection
🕰️ 30:00 – How our homes can support friendship and gathering

This week, send the text. Make the call. Invite someone for coffee.

Because sometimes the community we're longing for begins when one woman is brave enough to say: "Would you like to come for coffee with me?" ✨

Country Proud Living is a podcast for women who want to create nurturing homes, live with greater intention, embrace personal growth, and cultivate a life they're truly proud to live. 💛

💛🌿☕️  friendship in midlife, meaningful connection, women supporting women, midlife friendships, loneliness in midlife, building community, friendship after 40, belonging and connection, women's personal growth, intentional living

Let me know if there is something you would like to learn more about in the color & design, nurture & empower space? I'd love to hear from you!

Please share this podcast with your like minded friends and family and  subscribe to never miss an episode!  If you have questions, ideas of topics you would like to learn more about or you want to work with me. Inquires can be sent to [email protected]

ADDITIONAL LINKS TO CONNECT WITH ME:   : )

MY WEBSITE: www.countryproudliving.com

MY IG:  www.instagram.com/lorilynn_countryproudliving

PINTEREST: https://pin.it/3mX6xMNcR

MY ART GALLERY: https://lorilynn-o-uter.pixels.com/

MY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafsonlori

MY PODCAST:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/country-proud-living-nurturing-home-empowered-self/id1715855014

BUZZSPROUT: https://countryproudliving.buzzsprout.com

Spotify, iHeart, the pod can be found anywhere you choose to listen!

Welcome to Country Proud Living "Where Nurturing Spaces Empower Your Life and Everyday Feels a Little More Like Home." 

Does your home feel lighter in the summer—or does life still feel just as busy?

In this episode of Country Proud Living, LoriLynn shares simple interior design tips to help you create a relaxed, cozy summer home without spending a fortune or adding more to your to-do list. From creating visual openness and simplifying décor to designing easy entertaining spaces and carving out a restful retreat just for yourself, you'll discover how small changes can help your home feel calmer, brighter, and more welcoming this season.

If you're a woman in midlife balancing family, grandbabies, work, travel, caregiving, and everything in between, this episode is a gentle reminder that summer isn't asking you to do more—it's inviting you to soften, simplify, and enjoy what's already good. 💛 

🌿 In This Episode

•  How to make your home feel lighter and more open for summer 
•  Simple decorating ideas using what you already have 
•  Easy ways to create welcoming spaces for family and friends 
•  Why every woman needs a restful summer retreat of her own 
•  How to cultivate more ease, beauty, and joy at home 

Episode Timeline:

🕰️ 00:11 – Welcome + why summer should feel lighter, not busier
🕰️ 03:15 – Designer Tip #1: Create airflow, openness, and visual breathing room
🕰️ 08:00 – Designer Tip #2: Simplify your summer styling and décor
🕰️ 14:30 – Why slowing down helps us notice the beauty already around us
🕰️ 16:30 – Designer Tip #3: Create easy entertaining spaces without the stress
🕰️ 22:00 – Designer Tip #4: Design a restful summer retreat just for you
🕰️ 28:00 – Final encouragement: creating beauty, ease, and joy in ordinary moments

Summer isn't asking you to perform more.

It's inviting you to soften, simplify, and create a home that helps you breathe. 

🌼 Gentle Challenge This week, choose just one thing: Open a window. Clear a surface. Cut a few flowers from the garden. Create one chair that invites you to sit and stay awhile.

Because sometimes the most beautiful summer home isn't the one that's perfectly decorated—it's the one where life is fully lived. 🌿

Country Proud Living is a podcast for women who want to create nurturing homes, live with greater intention, embrace personal growth, and cultivate a life they're truly proud to live. 💛

summer home decorating ideas, relaxed summer home, cozy summer decor, summer interior design tips, slow living at home, creating a peaceful home, simple summer decorating, summer home refresh, cozy living, home design for women

Let me know if there is something you would like to learn more about in the color & design, nurture & empower space? I'd love to hear from you!

Welcome to Country Proud Living, the podcast where nurturing spaces empower your life, and every day feels a little more like home I'm Lori Lynn, a certified interior designer, creative soul and a woman navigating the beauty and becoming of mid-life. Here, we explore meaningful home design, intentional living, personal growth and the courage to create a life that feels like your own. I'm so glad you're here. 

Thank you for spending this time with me. If today's episode encouraged you, please follow Country Proud Living, and share it with a woman who might need it, too. Every share helps more women discover nurturing home design, intentional living, and encouragement for creating a life that feels like their own i'm so grateful you were here today. 

Until next time, love and light, Lori Lynn. 

Please share this podcast with your like minded friends and family and  subscribe to never miss an episode!  If you have questions, ideas of topics you would like to learn more about or you want to work with me. Inquires can be sent to [email protected]

ADDITIONAL LINKS TO CONNECT WITH ME:   : )

MY WEBSITE: www.countryproudliving.com

MY IG:  www.instagram.com/lorilynn_countryproudliving

PINTEREST: https://pin.it/3mX6xMNcR

MY ART GALLERY: https://lorilynn-o-uter.pixels.com/

MY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafsonlori

MY PODCAST:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/country-proud-living-nurturing-home-empowered-self/id1715855014

BUZZSPROUT: https://countryproudliving.buzzsprout.com

Spotify, iHeart, the pod can be found anywhere you choose to listen!

Welcome to Country Proud Living "Where Nurturing Spaces Empower Your Life and Everyday Feels a Little More Like Home." 

This episode is dedicated to Diane Carlson Evans of Helena, Mont., she passed away peacefully on May 20, 2026, after a long and courageous battle against cancer. The daughter of a dairy farmer and a nurse, Diane was born in Buffalo, Minnesota. 🇺🇸 

In this special Memorial Day episode of Country Proud Living, LoriLynn sits down with Vietnam veteran nurse Grace Moore to honor the life and legacy of Diane Carlson Evans—founder of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C., author of Healing Wounds, and a courageous advocate who helped ensure women veterans were finally seen and remembered.

Together, they share heartfelt stories of service, friendship, healing, and the powerful bond between the women and men who served during the Vietnam War. This moving conversation also explores the creation of the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, the inspiration behind The Women, and why remembering these stories still matters today. 

•  The legacy and courage of Diane Carlson Evans
•  Vietnam veteran nurse Grace Moore sharing her personal experiences serving in Vietnam 
•  The emotional journey behind the Vietnam Women’s Memorial 
•  The real-life inspiration behind The Women
•  Why connection, remembrance, and storytelling matter across generations 

“As long as you say a person’s name out loud, they’ll never be forgotten.” Grace Moore

🇺🇸 This Memorial Day, say the name of someone you want to remember.

A veteran. A loved one. A friend. Because remembrance keeps their story alive. ✨

Episode Timeline;

🕰️ 00:11 – Dedication to Diane Carlson Evans
🕰️ 05:00 – Grace Moore shares her early life and decision to serve
🕰️ 14:00 – Arriving in Vietnam as a young Army nurse
🕰️ 23:00 – The emotional reality of caring for wounded soldiers
🕰️ 36:00 – Finding healing and connection years after the war
🕰️ 48:00 – How Diane Carlson Evans fought for the Vietnam Women’s Memorial
🕰️ 59:00 – The meaning behind the memorial sculpture in Washington, D.C.
🕰️ 01:11  – Why women veterans deserve to be seen and remembered

Helpful Links:

Vietnam Women's Memorial Virtual Tour and History:

https://vietnamwomensmemorial.org/

Womens Memorial:

https://womensmemorial.org  Register your servicewomen

Book Healing Wounds by Author Diane Carlson Evans

https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Wounds-Vietnam-10-Year-Washington/dp/1682619125

Book The Women by Kristin Hannah

https://www.amazon.com/Women-Novel-Kristin-Hannah/dp/1250178630

Country Proud Living is a podcast for women who want to create nurturing homes, live with greater intention, embrace personal growth, and cultivate a life they're truly proud to live. 💛

Memorial Day podcast, Vietnam women veterans, Diane Carlson Evans, Vietnam Women’s Memorial, women who served in Vietnam, Grace Moore Vietnam nurse, Kristin Hannah The Women, women veterans stories, military nurses Vietnam War, honoring veterans

Let me know if there is something you would like to learn more about in the color & design, nurture & empower space? I'd love to hear from you!

Please share this podcast with your like minded friends and family and  subscribe to never miss an episode!  If you have questions, ideas of topics you would like to learn more about or you want to work with me. Inquires can be sent to [email protected]

ADDITIONAL LINKS TO CONNECT WITH ME:   : )

MY WEBSITE: www.countryproudliving.com

MY IG:  www.instagram.com/lorilynn_countryproudliving

PINTEREST: https://pin.it/3mX6xMNcR

MY ART GALLERY: https://lorilynn-o-uter.pixels.com/

MY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafsonlori

MY PODCAST:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/country-proud-living-nurturing-home-empowered-self/id1715855014

BUZZSPROUT: https://countryproudliving.buzzsprout.com

Spotify, iHeart, the pod can be found anywhere you choose to listen!

Welcome to Country Proud Living "Where Nurturing Spaces Empower Your Life and Everyday Feels a Little More Like Home." 

In a world filled with surface-level interaction, many women are quietly longing for something deeper—true connection + friendship.

In this heartfelt episode of Country Proud Living, LoriLynn shares why meaningful friendships and honest conversations matter so much in midlife. From coffee around the kitchen table to encouraging friendships, this episode explores how women can create more connection, belonging, and support in everyday life.

Because sometimes the life-changing invitation is as simple as:
 “Would you like to come over for coffee?”

🌿 What You’ll Learn:

•  Why meaningful connection becomes harder in midlife 
•  The difference between surface conversations and soul-nourishing friendships 
•  Simple ways to build deeper connection with other women 
•  Why friendship and community support emotional wellbeing 
•  Gentle encouragement to reach out and cultivate connection 

You can be strong, capable, and independent… and still need connection. 

Episode Timeline:

🕰️ 00:11 – Why women are longing for deeper connection
🕰️ 04:00 – Life changes that can lead to loneliness in midlife
🕰️ 08:00 – Surface interaction vs. soul-nourishing connection & friendship
🕰️ 12:00 – Brené Brown quote on connection and belonging
🕰️ 15:00 – Why meaningful friendship requires initiative and vulnerability
🕰️ 20:00 – Asking deeper questions that invite honest conversation
🕰️ 24:00 – Wisdom passed through women, friendship, and community
🕰️ 29:00 – The health benefits of connection and retreat experiences
🕰️ 33:00 – One brave invitation can change everything

Country Proud Living is a podcast for women who want to create nurturing homes, live with greater intention, embrace personal growth, and cultivate a life they're truly proud to live. 💛

meaningful connection for women, women’s friendships, loneliness in midlife, connection and wellbeing, friendship in your 40s and 50s, community for women, women supporting women, slow living podcast, personal growth for women

🌼 A Gentle Invitation: This week, reach out to one woman who’s been on your heart.

One coffee.
One walk.
One honest conversation.

Because meaningful connection often begins with one simple invitation. ✨

Let me know if there is something you would like to learn more about in the color & design, nurture & empower space? I'd love to hear from you!

Welcome to Country Proud Living, the podcast where nurturing spaces empower your life, and every day feels a little more like home I'm Lori Lynn, a certified interior designer, creative soul and a woman navigating the beauty and becoming of mid-life. Here, we explore meaningful home design, intentional living, personal growth and the courage to create a life that feels like your own. I'm so glad you're here. 

Thank you for spending this time with me. If today's episode encouraged you, please follow Country Proud Living, and share it with a woman who might need it, too. Every share helps more women discover nurturing home design, intentional living, and encouragement for creating a life that feels like their own i'm so grateful you were here today. 

Until next time, love and light, Lori Lynn. 

Please share this podcast with your like minded friends and family and  subscribe to never miss an episode!  If you have questions, ideas of topics you would like to learn more about or you want to work with me. Inquires can be sent to [email protected]

ADDITIONAL LINKS TO CONNECT WITH ME:   : )

MY WEBSITE: www.countryproudliving.com

MY IG:  www.instagram.com/lorilynn_countryproudliving

PINTEREST: https://pin.it/3mX6xMNcR

MY ART GALLERY: https://lorilynn-o-uter.pixels.com/

MY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafsonlori

MY PODCAST:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/country-proud-living-nurturing-home-empowered-self/id1715855014

BUZZSPROUT: https://countryproudliving.buzzsprout.com

Spotify, iHeart, the pod can be found anywhere you choose to listen!

Welcome to Country Proud Living "Where Nurturing Spaces Empower Your Life and Everyday Feels a Little More Like Home." 

What if the way you start your morning could gently change the way you experience your entire life?

In this episode of Country Proud Living, LoriLynn shares the beauty of slow mornings, simple daily rituals, and intentional living—especially for women in midlife who are craving more peace, presence, and balance.

From porch coffee to morning walks and quiet moments before the world gets loud, this episode invites you to begin your day with softness instead of stress… and to remember that your time, your home, and your well-being matter too. 

🌿 What You’ll Learn

•  Why slow mornings support your mental health and nervous system 
•  How simple rituals can bring more peace and clarity to your day 
•  The difference between a rigid routine and a flexible morning rhythm 
•  How your home environment shapes your daily habits 
•  Easy ways to create a calm, intentional start to your day 

You don’t need a perfect routine—you just need a meaningful moment to begin your day with intention.  

Episode Timeline

🕰️ 00:11 – Welcome + country morning reflections
🕰️ 03:30 – Why slow mornings matter
🕰️ 06:30 – Morning routine vs. morning rhythm
🕰️ 10:00 – The power of a slow start (porch coffee moment)
🕰️ 14:00 – Science + soul: morning light & nervous system support
🕰️ 18:00 – Morning walks + nature connection
🕰️ 26:00 – Real life mornings + letting go of perfection
🕰️ 29:00 – “Pause, Pour, Proceed” framework
🕰️ 32:00 – Designing your home to support your mornings
🕰️ 34:30 – Gentle challenge + closing encouragement

slow morning routine for women, simple daily rituals, slow living lifestyle, morning habits for mental health, intentional living, calming morning routine, midlife self care, peaceful home routines, how to start your day calmly.

If this episode spoke to your heart, share it with a friend or leave a review—it helps more women create homes and rhythms that truly support their lives.

And tomorrow morning, try just one thing:

Pause. Pour. Proceed.

Country Proud Living is a podcast for women who want to create nurturing homes, live with greater intention, embrace personal growth, and cultivate a life they're truly proud to live. 💛

Let me know if there is something you would like to learn more about in the color & design, nurture & empower space? I'd love to hear from you!

Please share this podcast with your like minded friends and family and  subscribe to never miss an episode!  If you have questions, ideas of topics you would like to learn more about or you want to work with me. Inquires can be sent to [email protected]

ADDITIONAL LINKS TO CONNECT WITH ME:   : )

MY WEBSITE: www.countryproudliving.com

MY IG:  www.instagram.com/lorilynn_countryproudliving

PINTEREST: https://pin.it/3mX6xMNcR

MY ART GALLERY: https://lorilynn-o-uter.pixels.com/

MY LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olafsonlori

MY PODCAST:  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/country-proud-living-nurturing-home-empowered-self/id1715855014

BUZZSPROUT: https://countryproudliving.buzzsprout.com

Spotify, iHeart, the pod can be found anywhere you choose to listen!