The Kettle with Meagan Francis

What do we owe our elders - and the younger generation who'll one day be in the position of caring for us? After spending a week helping an aging family member who is going through a lot of life changes, I'm reflecting on the misguided cultural idea that we can somehow plan, declutter, or outsource our way out of "burdening" our families with our care, needs, or even our stuff - and what we lose when we rob one another of the opportunity to connect by helping and being helped.

Featured Tea:

Scottish Afternoon Tea from Apothica Tea, or Harney & Sons

Featured Links:

Check out my blog!

Featured Partners:

Want to learn more about some of my favorite brands and show partners? Head over to my Shop page.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mother-of-reinvention-with-meagan-francis/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meaganfrancis.substack.com/subscribe

I started my first podcast in 2012, and have been at it ever since - which means I've been podcasting continuously for twelve years! In today's behind-the-scenes episode I'm sharing my insights on creating a sustainable podcasting lifestyle based on what I've learned over the past twelve years. I'll share my thoughts on everything from choosing a format to working with a cohost, creating a strategy that works with your overall goals, how much time and money to invest in your sound quality, and more. Listen whether you're an aspiring podcaster - or you're just curious how your favorite podcasts get made.

Featured Links:

• The Mom Hour turned 9 years old last week!
• Read the blog post that complements this episode, with specific tech recommendations and information about early access to my podcast mentoring program.

Featured Partners:

Want to learn more about some of my favorite brands and show partners? Head over to my Shop page.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mother-of-reinvention-with-meagan-francis/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meaganfrancis.substack.com/subscribe

Spring is officially here, but after a winter that often felt like spring and with spring weather that still feels a little wintry, we may need to be a little more intentional to connect with the season this year. This episode contains seven simple ideas to help you make the most of the early spring, including:

• Switch up your skincare
• Plan a new daily routine to maximize outdoor time
• Watch wildlife in your backyard and beyond
• Ease into spring fashion from the feet up

Listen on for tips and ideas that will help you welcome the season, here on The Tea's Made podcast!

Featured Tea:

• Peppermint from Smith Tea

Featured Links:

*links below may be brand partners

• My skin care routine - use the code TEASMADE for 10% off your first order at OSEA!
• Uptown Loafer from Vionic Shoes - Use the code TEASMADE for 15% off plus free shipping when you create an account, valid for one time use.
• The platform bird feeder I have and love
• The Merlin Bird ID app
• The Seek app
• Midwest Foraging, by Lisa M. Rose
• Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn't Know You Could Eat, by Ellen Zachos

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mother-of-reinvention-with-meagan-francis/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meaganfrancis.substack.com/subscribe

How do memoirists manage to tell the truth about painful circumstances in their past, while still keeping a grip on compassion and levity? In today's episode I talk with memoirist T. Marie Bertineau about how she processed difficult childhood memories to write about her family of origin with both love and honesty. We also discuss her upbringing in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and what she's learned about life and legacy as a writer, midlife woman, and memoirist.

Episode Links:

• The Mason House by T. Marie Bertineau
• Follow T. Marie' on instagram
• The Great Lakes Review featuring T. Marie's short story

Featured Partners:

Want to learn more about some of my favorite brands and show partners? Head over to my Shop page.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mother-of-reinvention-with-meagan-francis/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meaganfrancis.substack.com/subscribe

From fermenting oatmeal, to making yogurt, to tending my own tea plant--I've been up to some fun experiments in my kitchen lately. In this episode I'll share some of the ways I've been focused on exploration in the kitchen, why kitchen creativity is one path to becoming more comfortable with the everyday jobs of meal-planning and dinner-making, which of my kitchen projects have worked out and which are still "in progress", why I'm not eating at restaurants very much right now, and how all this kitchen activity ties into self-care and my personal health journey.

Featured Tea

Gorge Sunrise from Good Medicine Tea - use code TEASMADE for 15% off your first order.

Episode Links

• Deconstructing myself - the Substack post I referenced in the episode
• Ancestral Kitchen Podcast - in particular the episode about fermenting oats
• My blog post about making oatmeal in the rice cooker
• Finnish viili cultures from Yemoos
• Camellia Sinensis (tea) plant
• My subscriber-only podcast episode about soaking, simmering and preparing beans

Featured Partners

Want to learn more about some of my favorite brands and show partners? Head over to my Shop page.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mother-of-reinvention-with-meagan-francis/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meaganfrancis.substack.com/subscribe

While I love sharing pieces of my life in this podcast, there's one big part that I haven't talked much about online--and that's my story of a midlife return to the Christian faith.

In this episode, I explain a little more about that reticence and also share a talk I gave at my local church last week, which features a funny story from my childhood and some of my thoughts and feelings about this stage of parenting, plus sheds a little light on my conflicted feelings about the Bible -- and how I came around to seeing the beauty in its stories of real people doing real things, while finding belonging and hope in its pages.

I hope you enjoy it - and if you feel moved by this episode or have questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you: email [email protected].

Episode Links

Want to see me over-gesturing with my hands? You can watch the entirety of my talk on Vimeo, including the music: Gloria Gaynor, Killers, The Head & The Heart, and The Civil Wars. I come on around the 9:40 mark.

Featured Partners

Want to learn more about some of my favorite brands and show partners? Head over to my Shop page.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mother-of-reinvention-with-meagan-francis/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meaganfrancis.substack.com/subscribe

Do certain areas in your home inspire you creatively? What's the link between comfort and creativity? In this episode I'm joined by Sarah Powers, my cohost at The Mom Hour, to talk about our favorite cozy spaces and why they help us feel more ready to create.

Episode Links

• Order Sarah's and my new guided journal, The Mother's Gratitude Journal: An Easy Guide to Capturing Everyday Joys and Milestone Moments, launching March 5!
• Milk Oolong Meagan was drinking
• Yogi herbal tisane that Sarah was drinking
• The Pottery Barn blanket that Sarah gifted Meagan
• Quince blanket that Sarah referenced



Featured Partners

Want to learn more about some of my favorite brands and show partners? Head over to my Shop page.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mother-of-reinvention-with-meagan-francis/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meaganfrancis.substack.com/subscribe

When you think about exercise, what moves you? Maybe you want to drop a pants size or tone up your arms. But movement isn't just about looking better - it's about staying active and vital for our entire lives. And it all beings with mobility: where flexibility, stability and strength, and the mind-body connection meet.

In this episode we revisit a 2023 interview with Angela Metrou of Modern Mind and Body Care to find out just why this under-looked aspect of our overall health is so important, and how to work with your body to move more efficiently and functionally, no matter your age or fitness goals.

Episode Links

Find Angela Metrou at her website or on Instagram. Also, check out her Ankle Mobility program!

Featured Partners

Want to learn more about some of my favorite brands and show partners? Head over to my Shop page.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mother-of-reinvention-with-meagan-francis/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meaganfrancis.substack.com/subscribe

Tea is a beverage, a trade, a historical phenomenon - and so much more. In this episode I revisit my 2022 conversation with Laura Cepeda, certified tea sommelier and owner of the wellness lifestyle brand Modestine. Laura was introduced to tea by her grandmother Modestine at a young age, and we talk about her early tea experiences while growing up in the Caribbean, how her grandmother's approach to community and wellness influenced her, her experience of becoming a tea sommelier, and just why tea and rituals around tea are so powerful. 

Episode Links

Shop Modestine's line of teas, and follow on Instagram!

Featured Tea:

Queendom Reign by Modestine - a delicious and calming blend of herbs that support women's hormone health.

Featured Partners

Want to learn more about some of my favorite brands and show partners? Head over to my Shop page.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mother-of-reinvention-with-meagan-francis/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meaganfrancis.substack.com/subscribe

What books are on my bedside table right now? In this episode I share four titles - all of them featuring topics I love like nature, herbal medicine, winter appreciation, and gardening - plus a sneak peek at my ever-evolving reading life and habits.

Episode Links:

Listen to my episode about rediscovering reading in midlife and my daily reading practices

Learn more about the books in this episode in this episode's companion post!

Featured Tea:

Breakfast in ROC - A mild Earl Grey, blended in Rochester, NY!

Featured Partners

Want to learn more about some of my favorite brands and show partners? Head over to my Shop page.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/mother-of-reinvention-with-meagan-francis/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit meaganfrancis.substack.com/subscribe