Mess Makes Meaning

In this episode of Mess Makes Meaning, Joy Studer is joined by Rachel Ramsden, an advocate for risky play and part of the Play Outside Lab in Vancouver, BC. Together, they explore what it means to support children as they engage in healthy, developmentally important risk-taking through play.

Rachel invites parents, caregivers, and educators to rethink how we respond when children explore challenge, uncertainty, and physical limits in their play. Rather than defaulting to “be careful,” she offers alternative language and perspectives that help children build confidence, resilience, and good judgment while staying safe and supported.

We also discuss the role of risky play in child development and how environments can be shaped to allow for exploration without removing all challenge or discomfort. This conversation encourages adults to trust children’s capabilities while still providing thoughtful guidance and presence.

Whether you’re parenting, teaching, or walking alongside children in any capacity, this episode offers practical tools and a fresh perspective on how to support growth through play, courage, and connection.

Child in Nature Alliance

Mess Makes Meaning is a podcast about making meaning in the messy and beautiful journey of parenting. Hosted by Joy Studer and Raenelle Tauro, we explore children’s spirituality, wonder, story, rhythm, and play—and the ways we can nurture our children’s spiritual lives in the midst of ordinary, everyday moments.

Follow Mess Makes Meaning wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us as we make meaning together.

Rev. Harrison Litzell brings his gifts and insights into this episode, focusing on parenting styles, Gentle Parenting, Permissive Parenting, and Authoritarian Parenting, and we have a FREE webinar for any and all to join on October 28th, 1 p.m. EST. Click HERE to register yourself or friends in your community for this special event!

Mess Makes Meaning is a podcast about making meaning in the messy and beautiful journey of parenting. Hosted by Joy Studer and Raenelle Tauro, we explore children’s spirituality, wonder, story, rhythm, and play—and the ways we can nurture our children’s spiritual lives in the midst of ordinary, everyday moments.

Follow Mess Makes Meaning wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us as we make meaning together.

Diving into an interview with our "man behind the scenes" in creating the Family Liturgy, meet Aaron Niequist. Aaron is a musically talented artist whose creativity knows no bounds. Click HERE to become a free member of Everyday Godly Play and get the morning "Breathe in" and evening "Breathe out" liturgies! 

Mess Makes Meaning is a podcast about making meaning in the messy and beautiful journey of parenting. Hosted by Joy Studer and Raenelle Tauro, we explore children’s spirituality, wonder, story, rhythm, and play—and the ways we can nurture our children’s spiritual lives in the midst of ordinary, everyday moments.

Follow Mess Makes Meaning wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us as we make meaning together.

This episode is a sneak peek into the Family Liturgy created by the Everyday Godly Play Project. More information will be coming soon. Enjoy!

Mess Makes Meaning is a podcast about making meaning in the messy and beautiful journey of parenting. Hosted by Joy Studer and Raenelle Tauro, we explore children’s spirituality, wonder, story, rhythm, and play—and the ways we can nurture our children’s spiritual lives in the midst of ordinary, everyday moments.

Follow Mess Makes Meaning wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us as we make meaning together.

In this episode of Mess Makes Meaning, we are joined by Karen-Marie Yust for a thoughtful conversation about “passive technology” and the ways it often becomes a quick band-aid for boredom in the lives of children and families.

Together, we explore how screens and passive forms of entertainment can sometimes serve a helpful purpose, offering rest, distraction, or a needed pause in busy days. At the same time, Karen-Marie invites us to reflect on what might be happening beneath the surface when technology becomes the default response to boredom, and how that shapes imagination, attention, and connection.

Rather than offering simple answers, this conversation opens up space for curiosity and balance. We consider how families might thoughtfully engage with technology in ways that support growth, rest, and relationship, while also making room for boredom as a meaningful and even necessary part of childhood.

Karen-Marie’s insights encourage us to hold a both/and perspective—recognizing that passive technology is not inherently good or bad, but something to be understood within the rhythms of family life. This episode offers gentle reflection, practical awareness, and encouragement for parents navigating the digital landscape with their children.

Mess Makes Meaning is a podcast about making meaning in the messy and beautiful journey of parenting. Hosted by Joy Studer and Raenelle Tauro, we explore children’s spirituality, wonder, story, rhythm, and play—and the ways we can nurture our children’s spiritual lives in the midst of ordinary, everyday moments.

Follow Mess Makes Meaning wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us as we make meaning together.

In this episode of Mess Makes Meaning, we explore the Christian holidays and the rich, complex histories behind them with author Laura Alary. Together, we look at how church traditions have developed over time and how understanding their origins can help us engage more thoughtfully with the stories we’ve been told.

From the rhythms of the summer and winter solstices to familiar questions like “Why are there Easter bunnies?” we reflect on how cultural symbols and seasonal celebrations have shaped the way we mark sacred time. These are the kinds of wonderings children naturally bring to us, and this conversation offers helpful context and language for responding with honesty, curiosity, and care.

Laura Alary invites us to see these questions not as distractions, but as meaningful entry points into deeper learning and connection. By understanding where traditions come from, we are better equipped to walk alongside children as they explore faith, history, and meaning in the world around them.

Join us as we make space for curiosity, history, and wonder—and consider how we can respond to children’s questions in ways that nurture both understanding and imagination.

Mess Makes Meaning is a podcast about making meaning in the messy and beautiful journey of parenting. Hosted by Joy Studer and Raenelle Tauro, we explore children’s spirituality, wonder, story, rhythm, and play—and the ways we can nurture our children’s spiritual lives in the midst of ordinary, everyday moments.

Follow Mess Makes Meaning wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us as we make meaning together.

n this timely episode of Mess Makes Meaning, we are joined by Jonathan Carone, creator of Healthy Sports Parents, for a conversation that speaks directly into the lives of families navigating the demanding world of youth athletics.

As sports seasons become more intense, schedules grow fuller, and expectations rise, many parents find themselves feeling overwhelmed and stretched thin. Jonathan offers grounding insight into what it means to support children in sports while also caring for our own well-being and keeping perspective on what truly matters.

Together, we explore the pressures that can come with competitive athletics, the emotional and logistical demands placed on families, and the importance of staying connected to our children beyond performance and outcomes. Jonathan reminds us that we are not alone in the messy, beautiful, and often exhausting experience of parenting in today’s active world.

This conversation offers encouragement, practical wisdom, and a refreshing reminder that while sports are important, they are not the whole story of our children’s lives—or our own. Join us as we reflect on how to show up with presence, balance, and grace in the midst of it all.

Healthy Sports Parents

Mess Makes Meaning is a podcast about making meaning in the messy and beautiful journey of parenting. Hosted by Joy Studer and Raenelle Tauro, we explore children’s spirituality, wonder, story, rhythm, and play—and the ways we can nurture our children’s spiritual lives in the midst of ordinary, everyday moments.

Follow Mess Makes Meaning wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us as we make meaning together.

Holly Taylor Coolman gifts us with insights in this theologically rich conversation on parenting now and her book Parenting: The Complex and Beautiful Vocation of Raising Children.

Mess Makes Meaning is a podcast about making meaning in the messy and beautiful journey of parenting. Hosted by Joy Studer and Raenelle Tauro, we explore children’s spirituality, wonder, story, rhythm, and play—and the ways we can nurture our children’s spiritual lives in the midst of ordinary, everyday moments.

Follow Mess Makes Meaning wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us as we make meaning together.

Rev. Molly Baskette and child psychologist Ellen O’Donnnell, the co-authors of Bless This Mess, A Modern Guide to Faith and Parenting in a Chaotic World

For a relatable, at many times humorous, and helpful guide this episode takes pieces of the book, Bless This Mess, and addresses some of the parenting concerns at the forefront of our minds. Enjoy! 

Mess Makes Meaning is a podcast about making meaning in the messy and beautiful journey of parenting. Hosted by Joy Studer and Raenelle Tauro, we explore children’s spirituality, wonder, story, rhythm, and play—and the ways we can nurture our children’s spiritual lives in the midst of ordinary, everyday moments.

Follow Mess Makes Meaning wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us as we make meaning together.

Incredible creators of the Book of Belonging, author Mariko Clark and illustrator Rachel Eleanor. "The Book of Belonging is designed for families seeking a Bible storybook that reflects the diversity of God’s people and for every reader seeking a more expansive and wondrous view of God. The thoughtful text and rich illustrations present some of Scripture’s most important and overlooked stories—including many female-centered ones—alongside old favorites reimagined to convey greater inclusivity, diversity, and historical representation. 

Through narratives, mindful practices, and guided wonder moments, children and grown-ups alike will learn who God is and be reminded over and over that God tells each of us, “You are Beloved, you Belong, and you are Delightful.” Because when it comes to the love of God, everyone belongs."

Mess Makes Meaning is a podcast about making meaning in the messy and beautiful journey of parenting. Hosted by Joy Studer and Raenelle Tauro, we explore children’s spirituality, wonder, story, rhythm, and play—and the ways we can nurture our children’s spiritual lives in the midst of ordinary, everyday moments.

Follow Mess Makes Meaning wherever you listen to podcasts, and join us as we make meaning together.