On this week’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie Koppa is joined by Brian Dixon, author of Start with Your People: The Daily Decision that Changes Everything. Brian has a passion for coaching people to find clarity and pursue their goals and lives with intention. He and his wife Julie live in North Carolina with their three children. Today MacKenzie and Brian talk about showing up and focussing on the people in your life, including:

• MacKenzie shares an example of how the message of Start with Your People has impacted her own business and podcast community
• Brian talks about how we can’t see ourselves the way others see us
• How Brian’s own “360 assessment” led him to change and inspired him to write this book
• The importance of engaging with the people and relationships in your life instead of just coasting through your days
• Taking control of your habits, routines and philosophy for your home so that you can face challenges with intention instead of constantly putting out fires.

• Changing the vision for your marriage, family and work to make more of the time you have
• Embracing our “lovely limitations” and focussing on the legacy you are leaving for the future
• Brian shares the how and why of life mapping
• Being strategic about positioning yourself for the life that you want to live
• Choosing to make one small change to get to where you want to be a year from now
• What happened when Brian started a habit of gratitude
• Asking for help and taking action on what you are learning
• Being part of the solution by serving others in small ways
• Visit StartwithYourPeople.com to see book bonuses and videos
• A typical day for Brian

Brian: watching his espresso machine work every morning and using that time to take some deep breaths and be grateful

MacKenzie: honing in her morning and evening routines to make the most of the time she has

Start with Your People

The Family Man

You can find Brian on his website, BrianDixon.com, or listen to his podcast, The Clarity Podcast. You can also follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! You can also listen to her family-friendly podcast The Same Page!

Thanks to our Sponsors-

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Cultivating the Lovely is brought to you by Policy Genius for sponsoring this episode of CTL. Go to PolicyGenius.com to find the right coverage for you and your family. 

Hello Fresh meal kit delivery service also sponsored this episode of Cultivating the Lovely. Go to HelloFresh.com/CTL80 and enter code CTL80 for $80 off your first 3 boxes!

This week’s episode is also sponsored by BirchBox. Go to BirchBox.com/lovely to get $5 Off your first month’s box when you use promo code LOVELY.

Today on Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie Koppa brings back her popular Season 4 guest, Jennifer L. Scott. Jennifer has a new book for families, Connoisseur Kids: Etiquette, Manners, and Living Well for Parents and Their Little Ones, which is the main topic of this week’s episode. MacKenzie and Jennifer talk about why and how to instill confidence, care and capability into our children so that they become the kind of adults we all want to be around.

• MacKenzie asks Jennifer about her new exercise routine with a Rebounder trampoline

Jennifer: enjoying reading aloud to her children and the special time they share around stories

Connoisseur Kids

Little House on the Prairie

The Indian in the Cupboard

You can find Jennifer on her website, JenniferLScott.com, or on her blog, The Daily Connoisseur. You can also follow her on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! You can also listen to her family-friendly podcast The Same Page!

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Cultivating the Lovely is brought to you by BioClarity. Right now you can save 40% off Skin Care Routines, plus 15% off everything else at BioClarity.com when you use coupon code LOVELY at checkout.

CTL is also brought to you by Plan to Eat meal planning service. Visit PlanToEat.com/LOVELY to start your free 60-day trial instead of the normal 30-day trial.

Join a Cultivating Group in our Patreon community and make friends, get accountability, and cultivate loveliness with others! Sign-ups close this Friday, so join at the Lovely Tribe or Loveliest Level today!

On this week’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, host MacKenzie Koppa Talks with Beth McCord of YourEnneagramCoach.com. Beth and her husband Jeff live outside of Nashville, Tennessee and have two grown children. She has been teaching people about the enneagram personality type tool for 17 years. You can now pre-order Beth and Jeff’s book Becoming Us: Using the Enneagram to Create a Thriving, Gospel-Centered Marriage. Beth and MacKenzie are taking a deep dive into all things enneagram today, including:

• Beth's journey toward learning about the enneagram and eventually teaching others
• Patterns in certain types gravitating to each other
• Alignment and misalignment with the Gospel

   

• The differences in types preferred in various environments and cultures
• Letting God in to work on us as we find out about our weaknesses
• Embracing who we are and finding our value and purpose in Christ, not comparisons
• Using the enneagram to develop compassion for others and live in the Gospel’s grace
• How knowing others’ types can help us communicate better
• A little about the 9 types, wings and tritypes and how they interact with each other
• MacKenzie and Beth’s reactions to the Sleeping At Last podcast enneagram songs
• Trusting the work of Christ as our foundation, no matter where we are on our journey
• Sneak peak into upcoming books and courses from Your Enneagram Coach
• A typical day in Beth’s life

Beth: being intentional about creating margin, enjoying sitting by the fire outside in the evenings

MacKenzie: reading a fun novel just for fun and finding that really refreshing

Michael Hyatt

Your Enneagram Coach free type test

Katherine Fauvre on Tritypes

Kyra Hinton Type 4 Art Music Video

The Road Back to You

Becoming Us

The Sacred Enneagram

The Enneagram Collection

Sleeping At Last

Shawshank Redemption

You can find Beth McCord on her website, yourenneagramcoach.com. You can also follow Beth across social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! You can also listen to her family podcast The Same Page!

Welcome to Season 5 of Cultivating the Lovely the Podcast! Today on the show, MacKenzie Koppa is joined by her friend Chelle Bruzas to bring you all up to speed on what is coming up this season around the CTL community! Also, stick around to the end of show to hear Chelle ask MacKenzie her own “stock questions” and get to know your lovely host a little bit better.

• MacKenzie explains some of the changes happening with the Cultivating the Lovely platform
• How the CTL Patreon group is making a difference in community and keeping MacKenzie motivated and inspired
• Exciting new coaching opportunity for upper level members in the Patreon community
• The Morning Show is staying on Facebook for Patreon members and coming to Instagram 2 days a week in September
• Some of the upcoming topics for the fall:
  • Fending off stress
  • Information on our cycles
  • Checking in on routines
  • Fall style and skincare

• The renewed joy and excitement MacKenzie has about going forward after having some rough spots in the past year
• MacKenzie answers her own stock questions and explains how some things have changed over the last couple of years

Chelle: taking daily walks even when it isn’t the most convenient time

MacKenzie: trying to end her shower with a short burst of cold water

My Father’s Dragon

When to Walk Away

The Wally Show

The Popcast

What Should I Read Next?

You’ve Got Mail

You can find Chelle Bruzas on Instagram.

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! You can also listen to her family podcast The Same Page!

Thanks to our Sponsors- 

Affiliate links are used in this content.

This week’s episode of CTL is sponsored by Grove. As a CTL listener, you can get a FREE 5-piece Mrs. Meyers cleaning set at Grove.co/LOVELY with your first order.

Cultivating the Lovely is also brought to you by Literati. For a limited time, go to LiteratiBooks.com and use code LOVELY for $20 OFF your first box. Kids 3 and up also get a free blacklight pen.

Thanks to VistaPrint for sponsoring this episode of CTL. Get 500 high quality professional business cards for only $9.99 when you order from VistaPrint.com/LOVELY.

This week wraps up Season 4 of the Cultivating the Lovely podcast! And today MacKenzie has a fun conversation with her dear friend Chelle Bruzas about some of the things they’ve been loving this summer and how they are squeezing every last drop of goodness out of summer before it’s over. This episode is full of memories, book and show recommendations and simple things that are making Chelle and MacKenzie’s live a little better. So get yourself a glass of something cold, sit back and enjoy the chit-chat!

• Making summer memories together with their families at the lake and each other’s homes
• Keeping each other accountable to rest and recharge amidst a busy season
• Chelle’s favorite summer reads:

You can find Chelle Bruzas on Instagram.

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! You can also listen to her family podcast The Same Page!

Thanks to our sponsors-

Today on the Cultivating the Lovely podcast, host MacKenzie Koppa has a chat with Jen Traynor, a Noonday Collection Ambassador. Jen is a wife and homeschooling mom to two boys, and she was also taught MacKenzie’s daughter in preschool last year. Together Jen and MacKenzie talk about building a business that blesses others. This is not your typical multi-level marketing story, so stick around to hear this encouraging chat!

• Jen's story of how she got started as a Noonday ambassador
• The difference of the mission of Noonday as opposed to a typical MLM business
• How Noonday helps local artisans in countries around the world
• Wearing bold accessories you love with confidence
• How Jen started learning how to style her jewelry
• Follow @NoondayCollection or #noondaycollection on Instagram 
• The amazing benefits Jen has enjoyed as a Noonday ambassador
• Jen shares how a trunk show with Noonday works and what her typical workday looks like
• Jen's experience traveling to visit artisans with Noonday
• Why Jen feels that she was so successful and tips for new ambassadors
• Having a tribe, a cause and a community as women
• Jen's decision to dial back her outside commitments to focus on her family more
• A typical day in Jen's life

This Friday, August 9, 2019, at 6:30 pm PST Jen will be hosting an online Noonday Collection trunk show for CTL followers on both Instagram and Facebook! Make sure you follow MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram and Cultivating the Lovely on Facebook so you don’t miss out.

Jen: getting outside and working in her garden to enjoy the simple pleasures of growing things

MacKenzie: intentionally making plans to do fun things to keep herself from wallowing in sadness about challenging circumstances

Episode 100: Living into Our Strengths with Jessica Honegger

Two Weeks Notice

You can find Jen Traynor on her Noonday Collection webpage or contact her at [email protected] to order. You can also follow Jen on Instagram.

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! You can also listen to her family podcast The Same Page!

Thanks to our sponsors-

Back to School is rolling in fast and hard! If you’re anything like me then you like to make sure to have some things in place before day 1 hits so that you don’t get mowed down by the proverbial school bus as the year gets rolling.

If you want guidance for getting all the back to school things done, like-

• establishing routines,
• getting your calendar ready,
• planning your meals,
• creating functioning workspaces,
• and making sure that your own needs don’t fall by the wayside in the midst of the craziness,

Then I would love for you to join me in Patreon this month where we are walking through all these steps together! We have revived the morning show for the month and are meeting each weekday at 6:30am PST for guidance, encouragement, and motivation to head into this year feeling calm and confident.

In order to participate in our Daily Live Show goodness you only have to be at the $3 level! The rest of the benefits of being a Patron just climb from there, and out Loveliest Level Members even get to schedule one-on-one sessions with me via Zoom this month! They can ask me whatever questions strike their fancy and I will help them find the answers. It’s going to be a good time!

Just follow this link to see all our Patreon has to offer and join me today!!

You just finished reading Join Me to Stay Sane for Back-to-School!! Consider leaving a comment!

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On this week’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, host MacKenzie Koppa interviews Lindsay Teague Moreno, the author of the new book Boss Up! This Ain’t Your Mama’s Business Book. Lindsay is a busy wife and mom of 3 girls who has a passion for coaching and encouraging women entrepreneurs. On the podcast today, MacKenzie and Lindsay chat about what it is like to be a mom who is also pursuing a dream to build a business and support her family.

• Lindsay shares her desire to encourage women who want to be entrepreneurs while also being a great mom
• How sometimes pursuing passions beyond homemaking can actually help some women be better moms
• Lindsay’s own story of growing up as an aspiring entrepreneur
• How moving frequently with her husband’s job forced Lindsay to learn what she needed to know for her own business

• How Lindsay’s passion for her work was both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness
• Why Lindsay was so driven to make goals and pursue them with all her energy
• A sneak peek into Boss Up! and some of Lindsay’s tips for women entrepreneurs

You are made for this job, but you need to figure out how to make it work for you. -Lindsay Moreno Click To Tweet

• Being authentic and consistent in your branding and marketing
• How Lindsay uses story in building her business
• The vital importance of excellent customer service in creating loyal followers
• Setting yourself apart by conducting your business with excellence
• A typical day in the life of Lindsay

Lindsay: working through some deep self-care with her new therapist

Boss Up!

Father of the Bride

You can find Lindsay Teague Moreno on her website, lindsaytm.com. You can also listen to her Boss Up! Podcast. Follow Lindsay across social media on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and Twitter.

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! You can also listen to her family podcast The Same Page!

  

You just finished reading CTLP Episode 127- Entrepreneurial Moms with Lindsay Teague Moreno! Consider leaving a comment!

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Today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie has a chat with author Lisa-Jo Baker all about her new book, The Middle Matters. In addition to being an author, Lisa-Jo is a wife and mother of 3 kids, as well as co-host of the new podcast Out of the Ordinary. MacKenzie and Lisa-Jo have an encouraging and light-hearted conversation about the “real” side of motherhood in the middle years, plus so much more!

• How and why Lisa started writing for moms in the middle years
• The strange stage of being in the middle of marriage and parenting
• The uniqueness of each stage of motherhood, from being a first-time parent, to a parent of teenagers and beyond
• The joys of having older kids and teenagers
• Lisa’s inspiration for writing The Middle Matters

• Shifting perspective to see the beauty in the life you are living right now
• How Lisa wrote her books as if it were a collection of photographs of her own life
• The reaction publishers had when Lisa pitched her book title and idea
• The format of the book in little essays on different subjects
• How Lisa approaches social media and real life friendship by prioritizing loving people
• Finding your pocketful of friends who will be with you through thick and thin
• Dealing with the complicated nature of faith in the middle season
• Realizing that God still loves us even when we mess up
• Lisa talks a little about her new podcast with Christy Purifoy, Out of the Ordinary

Lisa-Jo: taking a walk through her neighborhood each day to take a break from screens

MacKenzie: embracing her need for rest and not pushing herself to work out

The Middle Matters

Out of the Ordinary

The Wally Show

The Princess Bride

The Mission

Strictly Ballroom

Moulin Rouge

Blackhawk Down

Studio 60

You can find Lisa-Jo Baker on her website, LisaJoBaker.com. You can also follow her across social media on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! You can also listen to her family podcast The Same Page!

  

You just finished reading CTLP Episode 126- Motherhood in the Messy Middle with Lisa-Jo Baker! Consider leaving a comment!

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On Cultivating the Lovely this week, MacKenzie Koppa talks with Heather Avis, author of the new book Scoot Over and Make Some Room: Creating a Space Where Everyone Belongs. Heather and her husband Josh live in Southern California with their three out of the box children. MacKenzie and Heather talk about shifting the narrative surrounding people with different abilities, including:

• How Heather started writing and landed her book deals
• Heather’s message and goal to shift the narrative surrounding different kids
• MacKenzie tells a little of her brother’s spina bifida story
• Heather and MacKenzie talk about being “sriracha mamas” with “marmalade mama” friends
• Shifting perspectives in parenting as you get older and being gentle instead of “judge-y”
• The refining process that happens in motherhood
• Learning to let go of our expectations for our children
• The importance of finding friends who understand and can identify with your situation
• Changing the negative narrative surrounding a diagnosis of a child with differences

• Not assuming low levels of competence or judging by appearances

Teach your kids to view people who are different as able. -Heather Avis Click To Tweet

• Challenging ourselves to believe in the abilities of our children
• Heather’s ideas for normalizing differences
  • Being curious and open to asking questions with love and sensitivity
  • Talking about how everyone is different
  • Exposing children to people who are different, in real life as well as in media choices

Heather: doing hot yoga on a regular basis to help de-stress and let her mind focus

MacKenzie: following her personalized yoga nidra to restore and relax

The Lucky Few

Scoot Over and Make Some Room

Big Fish

You can find Heather Avis on her website, HeatherAvis.com. You can also follow her across social media on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! You can also listen to her family podcast The Same Page!

  

You just finished reading CTLP Episode 125- Outside the Box Motherhood with Heather Avis! Consider leaving a comment!