It's our final episode of the holiday mini-season. Fear not, pals, we have some fun stuff planned for between the seasons! This week, we're ending the season with an episode on change. It's New Year Resolution season, and in this episode, you'll hear about the key to sustainable growth.

Looking for the perfect gift for your favorite single pal--or for a holiday treat for yourself? We just launched a line of cheeky, empowering merch for those walking a non-traditional path. We have beanies, sweatshirts, mugs, and more with phrases like "why are you married?" and designs you'll love to rock. Snag yours at marybsafrit.com/shop.

It's no secret that many singles feel like outsiders in the church. That's why we've created a Patreon community. For a small monthly fee, you can get access to bonus content, plus a community where your voice and presence are valued. Tiers start at just $5/month. Sign up at patreon.com/unsuitable. I can't wait to see you there!

"Improving Ourselves to Death" by Alexandra Schwartz for The New Yorker

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It's almost Christmas, which means we are almost at the end of our holiday mini-season! Today, you'll hear about why I hate using the word "waiting" when talking about singleness, how to reframe the narrative around "waiting," and why our big feelings actually make us primed to celebrate Christmas. 

Here’s a thing about me—I hate using the word “waiting” in conjunction with singleness. Add in “season,” and it’s barf city for me. 

And yet here we are in Advent—the season of waiting. So, we're going to talk about it.

The holidays can be a wild time. But you're not about that life. You're looking for something to help you decompress and sort through the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings so you can enjoy the holidays on your terms. I made a free guided reflection just for you. Get Single for the Holidays at the link in the episode description or at marybsafrit.com/links. Alright, let's dive into today's episode.


It's no secret that many singles feel like outsiders in the church. That's why we've created a Patreon community. For a small monthly fee, you can get access to bonus content, plus a community where your voice and presence are valued. Tiers start at just $5/month. Sign up at patreon.com/unsuitable. I can't wait to see you there! 

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This week, we will depart from our usual format and dabble in the world of storytelling. Because, let's be real, sometimes escapism is actually a great way to reset when feeling overwhelmed. It's Christmas time, so it's the time of year for Hallmark movies. I am a woman living in the big city who travels to my family's small-town farm every year, and thus I've decided to use those details to create my own riff on this storytelling style. Though I'll be writing in first person and using details from my actual hometown, it's important for you to know that this story and its characters are 100% fictional. Many of my own first-person details are greatly exaggerated and fictionalized as well.

The holidays can be a wild time. But you're not about that life. You're looking for something to help you decompress and sort through the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings so you can enjoy the holidays on your terms. I made a free guided reflection just for you. Get Single for the Holidays at the link in the episode description or at marybsafrit.com/links. Alright, let's dive into today's episode.


It's no secret that many singles feel like outsiders in the church. That's why we've created a Patreon community. For a small monthly fee, you can get access to bonus content, plus a community where your voice and presence are valued. Tiers start at just $5/month. Sign up at patreon.com/unsuitable. I can't wait to see you there! 

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During today's episode, you won't just hear from me. You'll also hear clips from past conversations with Jason Adam Miller, Joan Watson, and Ekemini Uwan. I've chosen these clips to create a larger arc about how singlehood can give us a fresh perspective on the time leading up to Christmas. These three are theologians, speakers, and writers and their perspectives can help us singles (and non-single folks) appreciate the particular ways God meets us this time of year. 

The holidays can be a wild time. But you're not about that life. You're looking for something to help you decompress and sort through the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings so you can enjoy the holidays on your terms. I made a free guided reflection just for you. Get Single for the Holidays at the link in the episode description or at marybsafrit.com/links. Alright, let's dive into today's episode.

It's no secret that many singles feel like outsiders in the church. That's why we've created a Patreon community. For a small monthly fee, you can get access to bonus content, plus a community where your voice and presence are valued. Tiers start at just $5/month. Sign up at patreon.com/unsuitable. I can't wait to see you there! 

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Today, we'll be covering awkward questions. Thanksgiving and Christmas can mean interacting with humans who don't get us, which leads them to say derpy things. In today's episode, I'll break down my tried and true communication tips for these kinds of scenarios.

Looking for the perfect gift for your favorite single pal--or for a holiday treat for yourself? We just launched a line of cheeky, empowering merch for those walking a non-traditional path. We have beanies, sweatshirts, mugs, and more with phrases like "why are you married?" and designs you'll love to rock. Snag yours at marybsafrit.com/shop. Alright, let's dive into today's episode.

It's no secret that many singles feel like outsiders in the church. That's why we've created a Patreon community. For a small monthly fee, you can get access to bonus content, plus a community where your voice and presence are valued. Tiers start at just $5/month. Sign up at patreon.com/unsuitable. I can't wait to see you there! 

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/cozy-holidays

License code: AMV5F8ANCX5ZH2NB

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Welcome to the first episode of our holiday mini-season! You won't be seeing any guest appearances by David Tennent or Katherine Tate, but you will be getting practical tips to help you have a healthy and meaningful holiday season as you are, where you are. First up we are talking about everyone's favorite topic... money! Don't worry. I won't be giving any high-level financial advice about High Yield Savings Accounts. That's not my wheelhouse. We will, however, be covering practical gift ideas for folks on a tight, single-income budget. 
 
 If you're like me, budgeting all by your onesie can be tricky. Add in the pressure to get gifts for everybody in this economy and it can be downright overwhelming. Add that to the cost of travel. Yikes. You want to get gifts that are thoughtful and meaningful but also aren't going to put you on ramen for the foreseeable future. 

Never fear, pals. Here are five tips for budget-savvy Christmas shopping.
 
 The holidays can be a wild time. But you're not about that life. You're looking for something to help you decompress and sort through the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings so you can enjoy the holidays on your terms. I made a free guided reflection just for you. Get Single for the Holidays at the link in the episode description or at marybsafrit.com/links. Alright, let's dive into today's episode.

It's no secret that many singles feel like outsiders in the church. That's why we've created a Patreon community. For a small monthly fee, you can get access to bonus content, plus a community where your voice and presence are valued. Tiers start at just $5/month. Sign up at patreon.com/unsuitable. I can't wait to see you there! 
 
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/cozy-holidays

License code: AMV5F8ANCX5ZH2NB

Support the show

Season 11 officially launches next week. 

It’s that time of year. Things are ramping up as we barrel toward the end of 2023. The holidays, with all they entail, are upon us. The family centricity of our culture dials up to 11. Commercials for the perfect gift for that special someone run 24/7.

Regardless of our exact situation, there isn’t a lot of messaging that says, “Isn’t it great to be single right now?” So here I am, your friendly neighborhood singleness podcaster and writer, chiming in to help you appreciate the holiday season on your terms.

This mini-season is all about navigating the holidays as a person who happens to be single. Make sure you're following on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss a thing! 

Check out my free download, Single for the Holidays, available at the link in the episode description or at marybsafrit.com/links

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/cozy-holidays

License code: AMV5F8ANCX5ZH2NB

Support the show

This snippet is from my fantastic conversation with Beth Collingridge. Beth is a passionate advocate for inclusion within the church community. As the Communications Director at UK-based charity Single Friendly Church, Beth works tirelessly to create welcoming spaces where single individuals of all backgrounds are valued and embraced.

Our merch store is now officially live! Check out our totes, tees, crew neck sweatshirts, and more that feature bold designs and cheeky phrases like, "okay but why are you married?" Shop for yourself or your pals at marybsafrit.com/shop. Alrighty here's this week's mini-episode. 

You can follow Single Friendly Church on Instagram @singlefriendlychurch. Check out their resources at singlefriendlychurch.com. 

This clip was originally part of the Patreon version of the Season 10 episode called "Finding and Cultivating a Single-Friendly Church" For as little as $5/month, you can get access to the full interview version of each episode, first dibs on new resources, plus a community that gets you. Head over to patreon.com/unsuitable, choose which tier works best for you, then join. Can't wait to see you there! 

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This mini-episode features a clip from my conversation with Mel New. Mel is the founder and owner of IYKYK Dating, a Christian dating coach, and runs a singles community with over 5000 members across the USA.

Our new merch line is live and we are offering a launch week discount because we are just too excited to get these items in your hands. Browse shirts, hoodies, stickers and more at marybsafrit.com/shop.

You can visit Mel's website www.iykykdating.com and follow her on Instagram @ Iykyk.dating.

This clip was originally part of the Patreon version of the Season 10 episode called "Dating 101 for Single Christians." For as little as $5/month, you can get access to the full interview version of each episode, first dibs on new resources, plus a community that gets you. Head over to patreon.com/unsuitable, choose which tier works best for you, then join. Can't wait to see you there! 

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Today's mini-episode features a clip from my conversation with Anna Broadway. Anna has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, TheAtlantic.com, Christianity Today and other publications. She is the author of the forthcoming book Solo Planet: How Singles Help the Church Recover Our calling, due out from NavPress.

In case you missed it, we're launching a line of cheeky merch October 31. Stay in the know by getting on the email list at marybsafrit.com/links. If you join before October 27, you'll be part of the crew that gets access to our soft launch. Get on the list at marybsafrit.com/links.You can read more of Anna's work at annabroadway.com.

This clip was originally part of the Patreon version of the Season 10 episode called "Milestones Singles Can (and Should) Celebrate." For as little as $5/month, you can get access to the full interview version of each episode, first dibs on new resources, plus a community that gets you. Head over to patreon.com/unsuitable, choose which tier works best for you, then join. Can't wait to see you there! 

Support the show