Last week we talked about saying yes to your calling. This week we're talking about how to protect it.

Boundaries. I know — stay with me.

For a long time I thought setting a boundary meant I was doing something to someone. Cutting them off. Shutting them out. And so I avoided them. I kept the peace. I said yes when I meant no. I absorbed things that were running me down. And I genuinely believe that accumulation was part of what led to my illness.

My therapist said something that changed everything for me: a boundary is not a fence you put up to keep other people out. It is something you put in place to protect your own capacity. Your peace. Your well-being.

This episode is about what boundaries actually are, what they are not, and why you are allowed to have them — with people, with yourself, with your calling, and with your own schedule.

You cannot pour from empty. And the world needs what is in you. 💌

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Two things can be true. Life can be messy. And it can be serene. I'll see you in the messy middle, friend. 💌

What happens when God calls you somewhere that makes zero sense to everyone around you?

This episode is about the tension between calling and culture - the voice that tells you to fit the mold, follow the formula, and stay on the expected path. And the quieter, more persistent voice underneath all of that noise that keeps saying: come anyway.

I'm sharing some of the most pivotal moments of my life - from spending my 21st birthday on a mission trip in Chiapas when everyone expected something very different, to praying outside a Dallas apartment leasing office asking God to come through if He was really in it, to posting to a trading community of literally one person for months. Me and the Lord. That was it.

This one is going to convict you a little before it sets you free.

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Two things can be true. Life can be messy. And it can be serene. I'll see you in the messy middle, friend. 💌

Nobody warned us about this part.

Not the big stuff - the mental tabs that never close. The invisible, unending, completely relentless labor of tracking everything, remembering everything, anticipating everything, and holding it all together while also just… living your life.

This week we're talking about the mental load. What it is, why we carry it, and why you are more exhausted than you think you should be. I'm also sharing a story about my uncle that perfectly captures what it feels like to be a woman's brain in real time. 😄

This one is a little lighter. A little funnier. And somehow still going to make you feel deeply seen.

You're not doing too much. You're just carrying more than most people can see. 💌

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🎙️ New episodes every Monday - hit follow and turn on notifications so you never miss one!

Two things can be true. Life can be messy. And it can be serene. I'll see you in the messy middle, friend. 💌

Have you ever made a decision that was completely right for you… and still felt terrible about it? Have you ever grown into something new and felt guilty about who or what you were leaving behind?

This episode is for the empaths. The otters. The ones who have been so busy making sure everyone around them is okay that they forgot to check in with themselves.

We're talking about the guilt that comes with growth - the relationships you outgrow, the decisions that disappoint people you love, and why your evolution is not a betrayal of anyone. I'm also getting really personal about the moments in my own life where other people's feelings almost stopped me from choosing mine.

And at the end? I'm giving you a challenge that might be the most important thing you do for yourself this week. 💌

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🎙️ New episodes every Monday - hit follow and turn on notifications so you never miss one!

Two things can be true. Life can be messy. And it can be serene. I'll see you in the messy middle, friend. 💌

She did that. And so did you. 💌

This episode is a little different - and I am so excited about it. In honor of Women's History Month I passed the mic to a group of incredible women who are leading, building, healing, teaching, and creating in their own fields and in their own way. I asked each of them one question:

"What is one thing you wish every woman knew?"

What they said - I have listened to these clips more than once. I think you're going to feel it too.

This one is for every woman who came before us and every woman coming up behind us. We are all part of this. 💌

🎙️ New episodes every Monday - hit follow and turn on notifications so you never miss one!

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Two things can be true. Life can be messy. And it can be serene. I'll see you in the messy middle, friend. 💌

In this episode we're going back. Back to the Jessica Simpson heels, the planners, the boys our dads tried to warn us about, and everything we wish someone had told us in our twenties.

Whether you're IN your twenties right now or your twenties are decades behind you - this one is for every version of you. We're talking nostalgia, relationships, rushing to the next thing, and what we'd say if we could sit down with the girl we used to be. And at the end? I read a letter to my younger self. The real one. 💌

Challenge of the week included!

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For most of my life I was performing.

Not on a stage- but for an audience I was never sure was even watching.

And then life got so hard that I couldn’t perform anymore. And in that stillness I had to face the question I’d been running from for years.

Who am I when I’m not performing for anyone or anything?

This one is personal. And I think it might be for you too. 💌

🎙️ Challenge of the week inside

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Welcome to Messy & Serene. In our very first episode, we're talking about the messy middle- that space between who you were and who you're becoming. If you've been waiting to feel ready, waiting for clarity, waiting to arrive somewhere before you start living - this episode is for you.

We talk about burnout culture, soul care, the pressure to rush through hard seasons, and what it actually means when two things can be true at the same time.

You are not behind. You are not broken. You are not alone.

Challenge of the week: Write down the thing you've been putting off. Then take one step toward it. Just one.

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Hi, I'm Natalie- host of Messy & Serene. This podcast is for anyone who is in the middle of something right now. Faith, healing, burnout, figuring it out in real time - no highlight reels, no pretending, just honest conversations and the reminder that you are not alone.

New episodes every Monday starting March 9th. Follow the show so you don't miss it.

And remember - two things can be true. Life can be messy. And it can be serene.

Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter here: https://messy-serene-podcast.kit.com/messymiddlemail

Find us everywhere @messyandserene 💌