"We have the unique gifts and abilities for holiness in each and every one of us." Olivia McCarthy is a wife, mom, and the host of the podcast Heart Home Faith. From a young age, Olivia was exposed to comparison culture, and this changed the way that she saw herself. But through a powerful dream, Olivia encountered the truth of who Jesus is, and in turn, what her identity is in Him. Now she encourages other women through the work she does at her parish and on her podcast, inspiring them to be the best stewards of their homes and faith that they can be. In this episode, Olivia and I dive into her experience with comparison culture, the beautiful dream that changed her faith journey, and the story behind her podcast Heart Home Faith.

Here are the show notes for this week's episode: https://femininegeniuspodcast.substack.com/p/serving-god-in-your-unique-way-with

Olivia is the host of the podcast Heart Home Faith, which you can listen and subscribe to wherever you listen to your podcasts! Follow her on Instagram @hearthomefaith. Olivia was kind enough to host me on Heart Home Faith, and you can take a listen to that episode where we talk about the feminine genius here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/760w7zD8MP3M3jrm2opKHH?si=jM_w9osLTmeilERU_vvGcw

Our theme music is by Theresa Ambat, and our cover art is by Mariel Pahayahay.

"The creative gifts I have aren't just mine, they were created within me as an image and likeness of who God is." Dom Almario's relationship with God changed when she encountered the truth of who He is at a Steubenville conference. This set her ablaze with a desire to continually pursue this truth through all that is beautiful and good. Now, Dom uses her gifts to evangelize through her work with Greater Glory Ministry and other freelance projects that she does. In this episode, Dom and I talk about how her faith changed when she encountered God through truth, beauty and goodness, how she got into art, and the parallels that she draws between simplicity and her own faith life.

Here are the show notes for this episode: https://femininegeniuspodcast.substack.com/p/creating-for-gods-greater-glory-with

Learn more about Greater Glory Ministry by checking out their website, greatergloryministry.org. You can also follow them on Instagram @_greaterglory. You can see more of Dom's work by following her on Instagram, @_designedbydom.

Our theme music is by Theresa Ambat, and our cover art is by Mariel Pahayahay.

"I promised myself from then on that I would never take my life for granted. I would never, ever encounter anyone or do anything without the greater glory of God being my mission." Meesa Estuar's life was changed when she received a devastating cancer diagnosis. Her perspective on life and God radically shifted, and she was challenged to shift her life's focus on God's glory rather than her own. When Meesa beat cancer, she took it upon herself to make her life, work and mission a living embodiment of ad majorem dei gloriam - for the greater glory of God. Whether it was her past work in parish ministry or her current work as the co-founder of Greater Glory Ministry in California, Meesa desires to spread the message of AMDG and what it means to glorify Him through all that we do. In this episode, Meesa shares her powerful testimony, her relationship to the phrase 'for the greater glory of God', and the story of how Greater Glory got started.

Here are the show notes for this week's episode: https://femininegeniuspodcast.substack.com/p/chasing-the-eternal-glory-that-awaits

Learn more about Greater Glory Ministry by checking out their website, greatergloryministry.org. You can also follow them on Instagram @_greaterglory.

Our theme music is by Theresa Ambat, and our cover art is by Mariel Pahayahay.

"I have to have confidence that I play an important part in this mission and have confidence in my role." When Karna Lozoya started her job as the Executive Director of Strategic Communications at Catholic University of America, she had no idea that one of her first major projects to work on would be dealing with the breaking sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. It became apparent to Karna and her colleagues that something had to be done to address the issue. From there, she helped to facilitate The Catholic Project and is the host of the podcast Crisis: Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church. Through hosting this podcast, Karna learned not only historical facts about the crisis that our Catholic Church faces, but also about the pivotal role that the laity have in addressing this issue. In this episode, Karna and I talk about how she got to the Catholic University of America, what she learned from hosting Crisis, and the powerful role that the laity have in guiding the direction of the Catholic Church.

*CW: As the nature of this conversation deals with the clergy abuse crisis in the Catholic Church, there are many mentions of sex abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Here are the show notes for this week's episode: https://femininegeniuspodcast.substack.com/p/speaking-up-in-the-midst-of-a-crisis

Be sure to listen to Crisis: Clergy Abuse in the Catholic Church wherever you listen to your podcasts! Learn more about Crisis and find show notes and other resources on their website, catholicproject.catholic.edu.

Our theme music is by Theresa Ambat, and our cover art is by Mariel Pahayahay.

"I'm doing music because this is the way that I feel so connected with the Lord." At one point in her life, Theresa Ambat made up her mind to go into bioengineering. But when she didn't get accepted into the program, Theresa found herself diving deeper into a part of her life that she might have only considered as a hobby: music. By the grace of God, Theresa ended up changing her major and now spends a lot of time writing music and sharing it with others. For Theresa, music is more than fame or money: it's her way of connecting with God and bringing Him to others. In this episode, Theresa and I talk about how she got her start in music, the impact of her university's Newman Centre on her faith journey, and how a message from Mary helped her learn more about her feminine genius.

Here are the show notes for this week's episode: https://femininegeniuspodcast.substack.com/p/connecting-with-god-through-music

Learn more about Theresa and her work by following her on Instagram, @theresaambat, and checking out her website: theresaambat.com.

Listen to Clumsy Candid Catholics wherever you listen to your podcasts! Follow them on Instagram @clumsy_candid.

Our theme music is by Theresa Ambat, and our cover art is by Mariel Pahayahay.

"Intimacy is for every soul! I think that's the desire of God's heart for every one of His children." Beth Davis has spent her life serving others in ministry, first as a youth minister and now as the Director of Ministry Advancement for Blessed is She. Through ministry, Beth is able to share some of the most intimate parts of her life with others, and in particular, she is very open and candid about the ways in which God has helped her grow in her confidence, embrace her singlehood, and pursue Him rather than one vocation or another. Through this shift in mindset, Beth is not only more free, but she is able to share this deep, intimate love that she has with Him with others. In this episode, Beth and I talk about how to get over the mindset of the 'vocational timeline', her mission and ministry with Blessed is She, and the fact that Jesus is the ultimate lover who will always pursue us.

Here are the show notes for this week's episode: https://femininegeniuspodcast.substack.com/p/pursuing-jesus-as-the-lover-of-our

You can follow Beth on Instagram @thebethdavis. You can also find her and so much more goodness at Blessed Is She! Find Blessed Is She on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @blessedisshe__.

Our theme music is called "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes.

"If we don't see the beauty in media and help infuse that with our Catholic tradition, we're missing a huge moment of evangelization for the next generation." Emily Mastonicola works for the office of Youth Ministry for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in the area of communication, and she has great expectations for the power of media and how it can be used for evangelization! With her background in ministry and love of communications, she brings the joy of the gospel to everything she does. When Emily is not working at the Archdiocese, she can also be found hosting her own podcast The Jam: A Fruitful podcast, where she has fruitful discussions about faith and Catholicism from the perspective of a millennial. In this episode, Emily and I talk about how she serves her archdiocese with her gifts, her love for fruitful discussion and fruit puns, and her desire to create great communications and media for the glory of God.

Here are the show notes for this week's episode: https://femininegeniuspodcast.substack.com/p/serving-god-as-a-media-disciple-with

Be sure to listen and subscribe to The Jam: A Fruitful Podcast wherever you listen to The Feminine Genius! You can also follow The Jam at @jama.catholicpodcast on Instagram.

Our theme music is called "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes.

"Playing my part and really stepping into my role just has made me realize how beautiful life can be when lived all for Jesus, because He prepared this place for me." Avera Maria Santo is a Catholic speaker and writer who experiences same-sex attraction. Avera is open and candid about the cross that comes with this, but also is incredibly convicted in the beauty and truth of the Catholic Church and her teachings, specifically on homosexuality. Through her witness, she travels near and far to give her testimony of carrying this cross as well as the joy that comes with knowing that God loves her. With that comes the great responsibility of stepping into the role God has given her to speak truth into darkness and help care for the whole Body of Christ. In this episode, Avera and I talk about her personal journey with same-sex attraction, what inspires her about the wisdom of the Catholic Church, and how each of us are called to be homes to nurture people around us.

Here are the show notes for this episode: https://femininegeniuspodcast.substack.com/p/making-our-hearts-homes-for-others

You can keep in touch with Avera Maria Santo by following her on Instagram @averamariasanto and by following her on Twitter @diary476. 

Our theme music is called "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes.

"If you make movement with expectation of resurrection, you will be met with it and miracles can happen." Caroline Lunne has always had a passion for helping other women embrace their creativity and rise up to meet God in their work. After a profound experience while on pilgrimage in Lourdes, France, she received a sign from God that would radically change her life. Now, Caroline inspires and encourages women to live in the joy of the resurrection through her Instagram account @resurrectedcollective and all that she creates. In this episode, Caroline and I talk about what inspires her creativity, how the butterfly has played a huge role in her life, and what it means to live as a resurrected woman.

Here are the show notes for this week's episode: https://femininegeniuspodcast.substack.com/p/living-fully-as-a-resurrected-woman

To learn more about Caroline and Resurrected Collective, please be sure to check out her website, resurrectedcollective.com and follow her on Instagram @carolinelunne. Learn more about Caroline's project Wing Woman Co. at wingwomanco.com and follow along on Instagram @wingwomanco.

Our theme music is called "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes.

"When we don't address the human pillar and when we don't address increased self-knowledge, our capacity for self-gift is limited." At one point in her life, Maribel Laguna said that she never wanted to be a Catholic counselor. But as she came to learn more about the wisdom of the Catholic church and fall in love with her traditions, God showed her how He wanted to use her as an instrument of change. Now, she helps clients flourish in their lives. She particularly loves working with young people, helping them to address the mental health challenges that may stand in the way of achieving a full life the way God intended. In this episode, Maribel and I talk about how she got interested in psychology and counselling, the impact that singing sacred polyphony had on her faith life, and how St. Thomas Aquinas inspired her to look at faith and mental health in a new way.

Here are the show notes for this week's episode: https://femininegeniuspodcast.substack.com/p/journeying-with-others-on-sacred

You can learn more about In His Image Counseling by checking out their website, ihicounseling.net. You can also find them on Facebook (@inhisimagecounselingcenter), on Instagram (@inhisimagecounseling), and on YouTube. 

Our theme music is called "Our Big Adventure" by Scott Holmes.