Our Midwestern Life
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Our Midwestern Life episodes

  • Ep. 26: 10 Books that Shaped Us in 2017

    Abigail Murrish sits down with Hillary Copsey, founder of Make America Read, to discuss their favorite reads from 2017 and how those books shaped their lives and perspectives on the world.

    Sign-up for Hillary's newsletter Make America Read. And, follow Hillary on Instagram and Twitter at @HillaryCopsey.

    Sign-up for Hillary's newsletter Make America Read.

    The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker

    Exit West by Mohsin Hamid

    Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

    Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis

    Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

    Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker

    Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

    Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

    In the Shelter by Pádraig Ó Tuama

    The Three Pines Series by Louise Penny

    The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch

    1 hr 10 min
  • Ep. 24: Why Traditions Are More Important Than You Think

    Kristin and Abby talk about the significance of traditions and rituals in this episode of Our Midwestern Life. Abby detangles the term liturgy, and explains how it's related to traditions and rituals, and how it's shaped her daily and seasonal habits.

    Kristin's Advent Calendar

    The Lazy Genius Collective Blog + Podcast

    Why You Need Rituals and Where I Invest My Love and Life (Abby's articles on Boundless)

    The Meaning is in the Waiting by Paula Gooder

    How to Celebrate Everything by Jenny Rosenstrach

    You are What You Love by James K.A. Smith

    Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren

    Chatbooks

    Simply Christmas by Leslie Odom Jr.

    55 min
  • Ep. 23: How to Cultivate Life-Changing Friendships

    Jill and Abby talk about how they have built friendships with people in different stages of life than them. 

    The Big Family Cooking Showdown

    Giddy Up, Eunice by Sophie Hudson

    Sign-up for my newsletter and be entered to win an Amazon gift card.

    Follow our show on Instagram at @OurMidwesternLife. 

    55 min
  • Ep. 22: Why We Detest Echo Chambers

    Steve and Abigail talk about echo chambers in this episode of Our Midwestern Life. We talk about what they are, why they matter and how to get out of one.

    Here We Stand: A podcast about the 500th anniversary of the Reformation from Desiring God

    Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

    Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

    Steal Away Home by Matt Cartyer and Aaron Ivey

    The Psychology of Self-Righteousness: Krista Tippetr's 

    Pantsuit Politics: A political podcast... their tagline: "Sarah from the left. Beth from the right. No shouting. No insults. Plenty of nuance."

    Find Steve on Twitter at @daltonsbriefs. Find Abby at @abigailmurrish on Instagram and Twitter.

     

    50 min
  • Ep. 21: Enneagram, Myers-Briggs and Our Habits

    Kristin and Abby discuss how personality frameworks have helped them develop habits and routines. They provide an overview of three common personality frameworks: the Enneagram, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies. 

    Find full show notes at abigailmurrish.com/personality.

    Follow Kristin on Instagram at @sageandskydesigns. Follow Abby on Instagram and Twitter at @abigailmurrish.

    To shop Noonday Collection, visit abigailmurrish.com/noonday.

    59 min
  • Ep. 20: Traveling As Temporary Locals

    Jonathan and Abby discuss their philosophy of travel along with sharing some of their favorite travel tips.

    Our Favorite Resources:

    Rick Steves' website, YouTube channel and books.

    Rick Steves: Travel as a Political Act

    The Simple Show

    Reddit Solo Travel

    Our Travel Must-Haves:

    Kindle Paperwhite

    Osprey Backpacks

    • The Osprey Porter Backpack

    Anker Portable Charger

    Salomon Shoes

    Rain Jackets

    Recipes that Abby's Been Cooking:

    Pioneer Woman's Pot Roast

    Smitten Kitchen's Red Bean Chili

    1 hr 1 min
  • Ep: 19: Body Dignity Matters

    In this episode of Our Midwestern Life, I'm talking with J. Nicole Miller fat-dignity, justice and body shaming.

    Connect with Nicole on Twitter at @jnicolemorgan

    Find Nicole's podcast Fat and Faithful on iTunes, Facebook and Twitter.

    Sign-up for the Fat and Faithful newsletter here.

    Make sure you watch for Nicole's book next year!

     

    28 min
  • Ep. 18: The Importance of Awkward Conversations

    Why should we engage in conversations about awkward topics like religion and politics? In episode 81 of Our Midwestern Life, Steve and Abigail discuss the importance of having awkward conversations about challenging topics.

    Follow Steve on Twitter at @DaltonsBriefs.

    Follow Abigail on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @AbigailMurrish.

    50 min

About Our Midwestern Life

From the publisher's feed

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" asks Mary Oliver. Every week, I sit down with a fellow Midwesterner and discuss what we're doing with our precious, wild…