For Real with Kimberly Stuart

I’m happy to say we have a VIP guest for this episode. Marc Stuart is in the studio. I may have to encourage and persuade a tad bit more than my usual guest interactions, but he did it! And I loved it. Nobody knows me better, cheers for me harder, or can provide behind the scenes more diplomatically than Marc. It was a total joy to force him to talk into a microphone, and I’m pretty sure he still loves me. You can judge for yourself in this very rare and very delightful conversation with the one and only Marc Stuart.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Dr. Nijay Gupta is my bright and thoughtful guest on this episode. Dr. Gupta is a professor at Northern Seminary, and he’s also the author of a book I drank in, marked up, and talked out loud to the entire time I was reading it. It’s that kind of book. Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church, made me wonder how I’ve read the names of real women in the Bible, some of them over and over, and yet didn’t know their stories or the way their stories intersect with ALL of our stories. A conversation that inspired me, taught me, and made me cry off mic, listen in to my chat with Dr. Nijay Gupta.

Nijay K. Gupta is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He has written or edited over twenty books including Paul and the Language of Faith, A Beginner's Guide to New Testament Studies and the award-winner and best-selling book Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church. His latest book is called Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling. He also serves as a senior translator for the New Living Translation and co-hosts the popular podcast Slow Theology with Dr. AJ Swoboda. Find him on Instagram @nijay.gupta.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Today I am joined by a remarkable woman. Aundi Kolber is an author, speaker, and therapist, and her books Try Softer and Strong Like Water are insightful, kind, compassionate and so wise. Aundi is a trauma expert and a trauma survivor, and I trust her so profoundly to give sound counsel on a really difficult subject. This conversation is for you if you have been through or are going through trauma, or you know someone who has or is surviving something traumatic. Pretty sure that covers all of us. Listen in as Aundi beautifully reminds us we are not alone and that we are made to be free, whole and flourishing. 

Aundi Kolber is a licensed professional counselor (MA, LPC) and the author of the critically acclaimed Try Softer and her best-selling book Strong like Water. She has received additional training in her specialization of trauma- and body-centered therapies and is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology. Aundi has appeared on Good Morning America, regularly speaks at national events, and is a frequent guest on podcasts such as The Lazy Genius, Typology, and The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. As a survivor of trauma, Aundi brings hard-won knowledge about the work of change, the power of redemption, and the beauty of experiencing God with us in our pain. Find her on Instagram @aundikolber.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

I’m excited for you to eavesdrop on a conversation I had recently with Sarah Bragg. Sarah is a Tennessee girl, mom of two, and the host of the Surviving Sarah podcast. She’s also the author of a new book that tackles all the questions that keep us up at night, especially as we sally forth into midlife. Is Everyone Happier Than Me? gives solid counsel on what it means to stay curious with ourselves and those around us so we don’t miss the good stuff. I think you’ll love this candid and practical conversation with my friend Sarah Bragg.

Sarah Bragg is a well-loved communicator and author, you can find her hosting the popular podcast Surviving Sarah. Her latest book is Is Everyone Happier Than Me?: An Honest Guide to the Questions that Keep You Up at Night. She is also the author of A Mother’s Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself. She is a wife, mother of girls, and a creative entrepreneur. Sarah is a master at brewing coffee and helping others survive well right where they are. Sarah and her family reside in Tennessee.

Check out her podcast, Surviving Sarah, and find her on Instagram @sarahwbragg

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Boy, oh boy, do we have a super fun conversation for you on this episode! I made it exactly zero percent in before needing an inhaler for laughing so hard, if that gives you any indication. Taylor Hughes is making a repeat appearance on For Real, and there’s just something about talking about life with a close friend. Taylor does all sorts of fun things, like solo performing as a magician/storyteller/comedian, going on bus tours with our friend Bob Goff, making Netflix and YouTube specials, and now releasing his second book. We talk about it all and we still didn’t have enough time. That’s what happens with good friends, of course, and I’m so happy you are here to be a part of it all. Listen in to the fun and delight and generosity that is my dear friend, Taylor Hughes.

Taylor Hughes fell in love with the art of illusion as a child when his parents bought him a magic kit for his birthday. More than 30 years and 3,000 shows later, Taylor has become known for his signature style of Magic Storytelling.

He is the Author of Road to Wonder and has 2 Comedy Magic Specials currently streaming: Chasing Wonder on Amazon Prime and Enjoy The Ride on YouTube. His second book MISDIRECTION: A Magician’s Guide to Spotting and Avoiding Manipulation in Your Life is available for preorder and releases everywhere on February 13, 2024. Taylor is married to his high school sweetheart Katie and they live in Southern California with their two daughters Madelyn and Kennedy. Find Taylor on Instagram @magicstoryteller

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

I’m telling you, this conversation was a buoy for my heart. Nick Connolly is a pastor and podcaster, he’s a church planter, and he is, as we will discuss, a statistic buster. He knows a lot about persistence, about pressing on, about taking God up on promises that can feel out of reach. I love the bravery of this conversation. You guys know I’m here for the real answers to real questions, and Nick is our guy, trust me. So listen in and get a shot of courage and tenacity with the pride of Charleston, Nick Connolly.

Nick Connolly is the founding and lead pastor of Bright City Church, a ten-year-old faith community located in the heart of downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Not only is Nick passionate about church, he and his wife, Jess, have started multiple small businesses and love how business can be used for the Kingdom. Nick and Jess live in Charleston with their four kids: Elias, Glory, Benja, and Cannon. Find him on Instagram @nconnolly.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

In today’s episode, I’m delighted to bring you some fantastic ways to use all those bookstore gift cards burning holes in your pockets. My guest is Meagan Briggs of the Instagram bookstagrammer fame. First of all, I didn’t know bookstagrammer was a word, and second, Meagan is very good at her job. The woman has a busy life, three kids, a husband she loves, a strange affection for running marathons and yet! She reads hundreds of books a year and gives honest reviews to her following. I have found so many wonderful books through her recommendations, so I was delighted she agreed to sit down and chat with me about all things books!

Meagan has been a bookstagrammer for 4 years and strives to bring her followers authentic book reviews and book content. She also runs a monthly online book club through Instagram, and they have the best time chatting together and listening to authors share about their books. Find her on instagram @meagansbookclub.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

I’m so happy to introduce a return guest to the pod, my mom Patti. No one makes me laugh like my mom, no one has taught me more about faith and courage and pursuing crazy dreams with prayer and humility, and no one gives me more pushback to be a podcast guest like my mom. I love her and am grateful she not only said yes again this year but that she also brought with her Williams Sonoma hot chocolate as a gift. (From here on, I think Patti should contact podcast guests to ask what they’re bringing to recording sessions.) Hot chocolate in hand, Mom and I and the entire Stuart crew wish you and yours a very merry Christmas full of awe, wonder, and a new wash of grace that meets you right where you stand. Comfort and joy in equal measure to you, friends. And so much love, for real.

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A couple of weeks ago, I was hearing over and over in my conversations with friends how much stress and confusion and YOWZA come with the holidays. I love this season. I’m probably baking something as you read these words. I’m in. AND I also know this season comes with its fair share of extra. Extra chaos, extra scramble, extra hosting, extra outpouring, even extra grief. So I asked a question online and in private conversations: If you had the luxury of having your own relationship expert on call during the holidays, what would you want to ask? Oh, man, did the floodgates open. And my guest April Bordeau knew just what to do. April is a phenomenal therapist with over thirty years of experience. She’s a founder and the managing director of Care To Change, a counseling center in the Indianapolis area, and she was kind enough to join me in a late-night recording session. We tackle all sorts of things, so buckle up and listen to this super helpful and practical conversation with April Bordeau.

April is licensed as a clinical social worker. She is a Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner and certified educator and a Prepare-Enrich & SYMBIS pre-marriage and marriage facilitator. She is trained in Experiential Therapy, Crisis Intervention Teams and NOVA crisis intervention, Theraplay, and the Suicide PAIR program and is certified in EMDR. April is a QPR Master Trainer, is an approved Focus on the Family Counselor, serving on their Michigan Hope Restored marriage intensive team. April is also a Guide for Onsite who offers world-renowned emotional wellness retreats, therapeutic intensives, residential trauma care, and digital resources.

April and her husband, Randy (also a certified Prepare/Enrich Marriage Facilitator, and marriage retreat facilitator), have been married for over twenty five years and they have two teenagers.

Learn more about why April started Care to Change in this interview on Care to Change’s podcast. Find her on Instagram @april_bordeau_therapist and @care_to_change.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Ashlee Gadd is probably best known for creating Coffee + Crumbs, a life-infusing, creative corner of the internet where moms write and make and share and grow. Ashlee has done this work herself and wrote this beautiful book (her own photography included) called Create Anyway: Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood. We talk about how to continue to create during full (or outright hysterical) seasons, permission slips for moms, and how to get a little less precious about perfect conditions for creativity. We are all wired to make things, so whether your idea of creativity is to write a sonnet or to make spreadsheet into a color-coded extravaganza, this conversation is for you. 

Ashlee Gadd is the founder of Coffee + Crumbs--a beautiful online space where motherhood and storytelling intersect. As a writer and photographer, Ashlee has spent her entire motherhood creating in the margins. When she's not writing or vacuuming Cheerios out of the carpet, she loves making friends on the internet, eating cereal for dinner, and rearranging bookshelves. She and her husband have three kids and live in Northern California.

Learn more at ashleegadd.com, coffeeandcrumbs.net, and Instagram @coffeeandcrumbs.

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