The Big Top

We are talking about all things motherhood, but we would be remiss to not talk about the very difficult road some of us walk through to get there: infertility. On today’s show, Megan Smalley brings a feisty and faith-filled view of her well-known journey. Megan is the host of the Give Grace podcast and several amazing resources for walking through hard things. We laugh and learn together with this beautiful and tenacious soul!

Megan Smalley is a pastor's kid. A coach's wife. A new mom to twins. A conquerer of infertility. A follower of Jesus. And a warrior for those that are struggling.

Growing up in Texas, she is a big believer in the saying that you can take her out of Texas but you can't take the Texas out of her. She lives in Auburn, Alabama with her cute coach of a hubby now, but Texas will forever be home. She is a big city girl that has found the beauty in a slower paced, small college town life.

After battling infertility for four years including two rounds of IVF, she is incredibly passionate about helping those that are walking through hard things. Let's be honest... life is hard. Her prayer is that her work will be a small little place in the world wide web full of resources that can help you navigate some of the struggles she has faced in life. As hard as the struggles have been, she never wants to suffer in vain. If just one person can be encouraged by what they have walked through, all of the pain is worth it. To God be the glory for the great things He has done.

You can find Megan Smalley here! And she is on the socials here.

Yes we did. We invited a man to talk about motherhood and we went places we never thought we’d go! It was an absolute blast! You do NOT want to miss this one. Craig Flack is the teaching pastor at Celina First and a return guest–because so many of you enjoyed him the first time! He’s hilarious, a straight shooter, and has provocative thoughts for our culture. 

Just fair warning, when we ask Craig our last question, if you have little ears around we want you to know we dive into sexual intimacy and very real talk. It’s the last ten minutes or so. We love being real, but we also want to be sensitive. We want you to be able to decide what conversations you want to start with your children and not have them started for you.

On the show Craig talks about healthy sacrificial love toward our children and the kind of sacrifice that is very unhealthy in our culture. He demystifies date night and he also shares a few ways that he adores how his own wife lives out her motherhood! It’s the beeeest. Enjoy!

Who doesn't want to hear from a mom who kick boxes, loves baking, and is finishing her masters degree at Dallas Theological Seminary talk about motherhood? Allie Patterson has fantastic thoughts as one of the teaching pastors at Crossroads Church in Cincinatti, OH. She is practical, brilliant, and with four kids–she definitely has a thing or two to say about motherhood!

What do Justin Timberlake, lemurs, and motherhood have in common? Well you're about to find out! We adore Courtney Defeo and her wit, charm, and beautiful wisdom. Courtney is a mom of two girls, an author, a speaker, a visionary, a podcaster, and a woman who has enlightening thoughts on motherhood. She is so very practical which we all need! She gives us some golden truths on who YOU are as a mother, what season you are in, and what God is doing around you. More on Courtney on the show notes at www.amyseiffert.com under podcast.

Who wouldn't want just a quick bonus episode where Lori and Amy talk about being moms, about how Amy wrote her book (Chin Up) on motherhood because it felt like a lopsided dress on her when it looked so beautiful on everyone else, and on some bonus encouragement for the weekend? No one, that's who.

But most of all, can we talk about how amazing the line-up is for the next several episodes? Yes, let's! Courtney Defeo (author, podcaster of "Leading Girls") Ashlee Gadd (podcast: Coffee and Crumbs and author of The Magic of Motherhood) Alli Patterson (podcast: IKR? and pastor at Crossroads Church) and Meg Smalley (podcast: Give Grace, owner of Scarlet and Gold Shop) 

We are beside ourselves to have these killer thought leaders and cannot wait for all the laughing and learning to come! Enjoy this Friday Bonus Episode!

This is the one where Lori and Amy suggest Cheeto's and icecream solve all your leadership problems! And on top of that stellar wisdom, they have an honest conversation and share their leadership struggles, joys, and lessons learned. If they had advice for both women and men in leadership, what would they say? Take a listen and enjoy the show! 

Amy is currently the Director of Outward Movement at Brookside Church and has been in a variety of leadership positions in ministry over the last 20 years. In the last 11 years she is continually learning how to be faithful in both motherhood and ministry. Lori is currently the Connections Catalyst at CityCampusChurch and has also been in a variety of leadership positions in ministry over the 12 years and is trusting God at every new season. And they will both tell you the same thing: they NEVER thought they'd be working for a church.

"Be careful where you’re saying God can’t and God won’t...because it’s never gone well where the church has done that…." - Ben Thompson. On this episode Ben, the Pastor of City Campus Church in Columbus, Ohio, gives us a four-chair analogy for thinking about women in leadership. He shares his honest journey on how he saw women in leadership ten years ago and where he is now. We are positive you'll enjoy his chill but brilliant nature in this episode. But let's not overlook his lightening speed skills in our opening conversation. We may need to have a best of the best when it comes to our circus games.

What pastor has a former life in stand-up comedy, challenges the status quo on women in leadership, and shares about some serious zipper snafoos he's run into while preaching? This guy.

On this episode with pastor Craig Flack you will definitely find a good bit of circus shenanigans and a great deal of thought regarding women leading in the church context. Which is a perfect combo when it comes to The Big Top.

During the show Lori, Amy, and Craig reference an article titled, "Why Women Can't Lead In Your Church" by Geoff Surratt. Using this article as a springboard, they hit Craig's personal experiences, some theology, and some fantastic challenges Craig has to male pastors. Not to mention the importance of Craig's pinewood derby trophies that he is supremely proud of. We've got all kinds of important things you are not going to want to miss! Enjoy the show!

What are the top three leadership tips Barb Roose keeps in her head at all times? Barb shares these simple yet profound thoughts with us on this episode! We had an absolute blast talking with Barb about leadership blunders, leading yourself well, and what it looks like to be confident in the seat you find yourself sitting in.  She also sings us a little song that all leaders MUST hear! The three of us were our own little circus of laughter and leadership chatter. You're going to want to take notes on this one!

Why would a pastor change his life mission statement after thinking through women in leadership? Kevin shares why on this episode of women in leadership in the church context. Kevin has been pastoring for 16 years and has learned, grown, and shifted his view on women in leadership over the past two decades. On this episode, he shares about creating a culture for women to lead, his thoughts on female pastors, and the women he respects in leadership. He asks some great questions at the end for us all to think through and a game of Mad Gab to start us off? Yes please! Enjoy The Big Top this week!