Ready to Thrive

Why do we sometimes turn to food or drink when we feel pain? Why do we run to social media or Netflix when life feels hard? Why do we avoid difficult conversations, scary emails, or challenging family members rather than face them full on? What does it look like to just sit and stay with those feelings instead of numbing or escaping? What could we learn about ourselves when we stay in the moment and invite Jesus in? How could we find healing and freedom as we practice the art of Staying?

Anjuli Paschall is a mom to 5 kids living in Southern California. She is the founder of The Moms We Love Club and a writer for (in)courage. Her book Stay happened to release during the season when we were all forced to stay at home. I am trusting this conversation will help you move one step closer to thriving.

Kat Harris is a Brooklyn-based online educator, digital content creator who has a vision for women to know their beauty, identity and value. She is Co-founder of the online publication The Refined Woman and host of The Refined Collective Podcast. She has been a full-time photographer for the last decade with her work being featured in: GQ, Forbes, People, Who What Wear, US Weekly and Glamour UK.

Kat and I begin our conversation talking about how to cultivate boundaries in a work from home environment but quickly move to boundaries in other areas of our lives including sex! (We cover it all!) Based in New York we talk about what it looks like to be Sexless in the City and dive into God’s view of sex and marriage and all the things.

There are many areas in our lives that we can cultivate to move from surviving to thriving, but none is more important than our heart.

And for years I lived with a hard heart. A heart that was easily offended. A heart that looked at others with judgement. And as you will hear on this episode it hasn’t been an easy journey to move from a hard heart to a soft one, I hope that what I share will give you a few ‘aha moments in your own life where you can identify areas in which your own heart may have hardened.

Did you know I send out “regular-ish” emails? I give a short thought and share what new worship songs I am loving. I don’t want to bombard your inbox so they only come whenever I have something to say. If you don’t want to miss out on the next one - click here!

Did you know you have a slot machine in your pocket? One of the reasons that we struggle so much with technology is that we don’t really understand what it is trying to do.

Rebecca has a passion for having a healthy relationship with technology. In this episode she unpacks how Tik Tok and other apps are designed to keep our attention. As someone who spends time with teenagers she sees the impact that this addiction is having firsthand. I trust you will enjoy this conversation and walk away empowered about how to own your technology and not let it own you.

If you want a deeper dive into checking out what Rebecca referenced in this show check out her article on Medium.com about the addictive nature of Tik Tok. The podcast she recommended was Your Undivided Attention and you can check it out here.

I am excited to kick off a new series on what we are cultivating in our lives! And I don’t hold back in this episode. I am asking some tough questions to help us get unstuck from where we are and begin to move to where we want to be. Each week we will look at a different aspect of our lives that could use a little cultivation. Today is mostly an intro but I share a bit about how I have done some work at cultivation in my own life.

Also I have some exciting announcements! I am running the Tangled course for a second round!

Click here to join the next Tangled Course from May 13th - June 17th (4pm PST or 7pm EST). Also if you would prefer to simply do the study alone you can click here to buy the book in Canada, and here to buy it in the United States.

Kate Battistelli is an author, speaker, former actress/singer in the New York Broadway musical theatre world and mother of GRAMMY award-winning Contemporary Christian recording artist Francesca Battistelli. Kate is convinced God has a wild, preposterous, secret, scary or impossible dream just for you. It’s what she calls a God Dare, because she’s learned with God absolutely anything is possible.

Many of my podcast guests I have only met online but Kate I actually met in person last fall while we were both attending the same conference. As we were finishing up our lunch one day we stumbled upon a conversation about something that I couldn’t shake afterwards. She shared with me about this piece that is often missing in our communities: older women pouring into younger ones. I immediately felt both the longing to be poured into and the conviction of the fact that I am an older women to others - who am I pouring into?

We discuss this and what it looks like to take God up on what He calls us to, as scary and as out of the box as it may at times seem. I know you will be encouraged through this conversation!

Check out Kate’s website, her latest book, The God Dare and her podcast, the Mom to Mom Podcast.

Hospitality is the last thing on everyone’s mind at a time when we can’t step foot into another’s home. But Abby Turner (A Tabletop Affair) has a heart for people, and she hasn’t let COVID-19 stop her from sharing that love with others.

Abby drops so many great nuggets of wisdom regarding the importance of the table I may just need to have her back on here again! We talk singleness, what God really means by “waiting” and so much more. Trusting you will be encouraged and equipped both in this present home-bound season and beyond when we can begin to practice the art of hospitality once more! Check out her drool-worthy Instagram page full of beautiful and simple meal ideas and you will see that she really is that Southern friend you never knew you needed in your life!

My 5 year old walked into my office (closet) right after I finished a podcast recording so we decided to do a spontaneous interview! I asked her what she wanted to talk about and she said “God.” I hope you enjoy our spontaneous little conversation and her nuggets of wisdom.

Kate Crocco is a business and mindset coach as well as an author and mom to two little girls under three. She understands some of the lies we often can believe like, “I don’t have enough time,” or “I’m not ready to start.” Even though COVID-19 wasn’t on her plans for this spring she is seizing the opportunity to think in new ways and be intentional in her life with both her family and her business.

Kate’s book Thinking Like a Boss: Uncover and Overcome the Lies Holding You Back from Success doesn’t just apply to entrepreneurs. In it she addresses many issues that hold women back from thriving in their everyday life. If you’re looking for a good read to get you motivated to pursue that dream in your heart, this is a great start! (And of course available on Kindle and audiobook if you don’t want to receive packages right now)