The Problem With Perfect

When author Michelle Collins Anderson debuted her first novel, The Flower Sisters, she joined the podcast to discuss the ten-year journey it took to bring that story into the world. Since then, life has changed dramatically. Her second novel, The Moonshine Women, has become an instant USA Today bestseller, and she's already hard at work on book number three.

In this episode, we talk about her fascinating new novel set in the Missouri Ozarks, but we also dive into something much deeper: the pressure that comes after success. How do you create when people are waiting? How do you stay true to your voice when everyone has an opinion? And how do you keep moving forward when the expectations, both internal and external, keep getting higher?

Whether you're an author, an entrepreneur, a parent, or simply someone who wonders if you're doing enough, you'll find encouragement in Michelle's honest reflections on creativity, criticism, deadlines, and learning that your worth isn't defined by your latest achievement.

Show Notes:

Michelle Collins Anderson grew up in the Missouri Ozarks and holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri and an MFA in fiction from Warren Wilson College. Her debut novel, The Flower Sisters, was an instant USA Today bestseller and won the Missouri Library Association Literary Award in 2025. Her new novel, The Moonshine Women, was an IndieNext pick in April 2026 and an instant USA Today bestseller. Michelle’s short fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and appeared in Nimrod International Journal, Literal Latté, Midwestern Gothic, Elder Mountain: A Journal of Ozarks Studies, Literary Mama and more. She and her husband have three adult children and live in St. Louis with two sister cats and a rambunctious border collie.

To purchase her books, go to https://bookshop.org/shop/michelle_collins_anderson 

Follow her writing journey at: The Creative Pause on Substack or at www.MichelleAnderson.me

Show produced by Jordan Overkamp at playroomstudio.net

There comes a point in life when the roles that have defined us begin to shift. The kids are grown (or growing up), our careers and perspectives on them may be changing, and for the first time in a long time, we have the opportunity to ask ourselves a simple but powerful question: What’s next?

In this episode, we talk about this time in life that we're calling the third act and exploring what it looks like to live with intention, deepen our faith, care for our bodies, and make room for what matters most.

Whether you’re entering an empty nest, nearing retirement, or simply sensing a new season ahead, we hope this conversation encourages you to embrace it with purpose, joy, and confidence. 

Our hope is that your best chapter may not be behind you, but rather, it just might be the one you’re about to write.

Over the past 10 months, we’ve explored each of the Yamas and Niyamas: the ten ethical practices that form the foundation of yoga philosophy. In doing so, we discovered that these ancient teachings have as much to say about modern life as they did thousands of years ago.

In this episode, we’re bringing it all together.
Using Deborah Adele’s The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice as our guide, we reflect on the wisdom woven through all ten practices and revisit the lessons that challenged, encouraged, and inspired us the most. While each principle offers a unique pathway to greater freedom and peace, the final niyama of surrender might be the most transformative. 

What does it mean to stop gripping so tightly to outcomes? How do we trust when life doesn’t unfold according to our plans? And why is surrender not a sign of weakness, but perhaps the deepest expression of courage and faith?

Whether you’ve followed this entire series or are joining us for the first time, this conversation offers a powerful reminder that the goal isn’t perfection. It’s awareness. Its presence. And sometimes, it’s having the wisdom to loosen our grip and trust the process.

Join us as we conclude our journey through the Yamas and Niyamas and explore how surrender may be the practice that changes everything.

Parenting doesn’t end when your kids become adults. It just changes.

In this episode, Robin is joined by Kelly and Kenny Cook for an honest conversation about parenting adult children, family relationships, boundaries, and letting go with grace.

Together they unpack five lessons they’ve learned along the way: when advice helps and when it hurts, how listening can be more healing than fixing, why healthy love respects boundaries, how not to take distance personally, and what it looks like to trust God when your children need space to become themselves.

It’s a conversation about surrender, identity, grief, wisdom, boundaries, forgiveness, faith, and navigating the challenges of raising grown kids while staying connected.

If you’re learning how to move from directing  to praying, this episode is for you.

Tune in now for encouragement, practical parenting wisdom, and hope for every parent navigating the journey of parenting adult children. You’ll be encouraged! 

Special Guests: Kenny and Kelly Cook

Kenny & Kelly Cook are a husband-and-wife team helping individuals, creators, entrepreneurs, and businesses improve their communication, branding, content, confidence, and overall direction both online and in real life.

Kelly is a former news anchor with extensive experience in public speaking, media, communication, travel, and audience engagement. She also grew up around the world of public appearances and media as the daughter of one of the oldest living Miss Americas, helping shape her understanding of presentation, professionalism, and connecting with people authentically.

Kenny brings decades of executive leadership, business ownership, sales, marketing, operations, and financial management experience. He has served in senior leadership roles including Vice President and General Manager positions, with hands-on experience in budgeting, profit and loss management, balance sheets, strategic planning, branding, messaging, and team leadership.

Together, they combine real-world business experience with modern social media and communication strategies to help clients  

They also understand the realities of major life transitions, including marriage, family dynamics, parenting adult children, career changes, reinvention in midlife, and the shift into the “empty nest” stage of life. Through both personal and professional experience, we’ve learned how important communication, perspective, adaptability, and authenticity are during seasons of change.

What actually makes a friendship last for decades?

In this deeply personal episode, Robin sits down with her lifelong best friend, Lori, Hutsell, to celebrate 40 years of friendship. From small-town beginnings and shared church pews to completely different adult lives, this is a relationship that has stood the test of time.

Together, they explore the surprising research behind enduring friendships and reflect on what helped theirs survive life transitions that often pull people apart. While Robin built a life centered around marriage, motherhood, and family, Lori embraced independence and singleness. And yet, through every season, they remained deeply connected.

In this conversation, they discuss:

• Why most friendships fade over time
• What psychologists say predicts lifelong connection
• The importance of feeling seen, known, and supported
• How faith and a shared belief in God anchored their friendship
• Why lasting friendships are built through consistency, grace, and choosing each other again and again

This episode is honest, nostalgic, heartfelt, and full of hope for anyone longing for a deeper connection in a world where relationships can feel temporary.

Special Guest: Lori Hutsell

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed or stuck trying to control everything, this episode invites you into a different way of living: one rooted in surrender, self-awareness, and faith.

After a year of exploring the Yamas and Niyamas, we’ve arrived at the final practice: Ishvara Pranidhana (surrender). But what does it really mean to let go of control and trust God, especially in real, everyday life?

In this episode of The Problem with Perfect, we explore:

•  How to stop trying to control everything 
•  What it looks like to let go and let God
•  How to manage triggers and emotional reactions 
•  Why spiritual growth and healing require surrender 

Together, we discuss how surrender isn’t passive. Instead, it's choosing to fully engage in your life while releasing the outcome and learning to trust God in uncertainty.

If you’ve ever wondered how to let go of control, grow in your faith, or find peace in the unknown, this conversation will meet you right where you are. Because maybe peace isn’t found in control, maybe it’s found in surrender.

Show Notes: 

The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Back by popular demand. This episode is our most downloaded one ever! The content is so relevant and important, we're re-releasing it.

Today we’re diving into a topic that touches nearly everyone’s lives: the time we spend on social media and our smartphones. In this episode, we explore how the hours we spend scrolling, liking, and tweeting are not just fleeting moments but can be significant in shaping our daily lives and overall well-being.

We’ll start by breaking down the problem—why social media and smartphone usage have become such dominant forces in our lives and the subtle ways they might be undermining our productivity, mental health, and personal relationships. 

But don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom! We also discuss practical strategies and actionable steps to reclaim your time and find a healthier balance. Whether you’re looking to cut down on screen time or just curious about how to better manage your digital habits, this episode is packed with tips and insights that you can start using today.

So grab a cup of coffee, settle in, and let’s get started on taking back control from our screens.

Show notes: 

How Much Time Does The Average Person Spend on Social Media? www.medium.com.

Time Spent on Social Media Graphics: https://twicsy.com/blog/time-spent-on-social-media.

Helpful tips:

To limit screen time on an iPhone, you can use the Screen Time feature to set limits and restrictions for your device or for a child's device:

• Open Settings
• Tap Screen Time
• Select a category to set limits and restrictions  

Here are some of the categories you can use:

• App Limits: Set time limits for apps
• Downtime: Schedule time away from the screen
• Communication Limits: Set limits based on your contacts
• Always Allowed: Choose apps you want at all times
• Content & Privacy Restrictions: Block inappropriate content 

You can also limit your time on individual websites by:

• Swiping down to the bottom of the categories list and tapping Websites
• Choosing Add Website
• Entering the URL for any websites you want to limit
• Setting the amount of time you are allowed to use the selected websites 

You can also set a screen timeout by:

• Opening the Settings app
• Scrolling down and selecting the Display & Brightness option
• Scrolling down again and choosing Auto Lock 

What if the things that frustrate us most are actually pointing us back to ourself?

In this episode, we continue the journey through the Niyamas by exploring Svadhyaya: the practice of self-study, reflection, and honest introspection. After a month of sitting in the refining fire of Tapas, this conversation invites a softer, yet equally courageous step inward.

Together, we unpack what it really means to observe rather than judge ourselves—learning to examine our thoughts, reactions, and patterns with curiosity instead of criticism. Because the truth is, so much of what we see in others is often a mirror of what already lives within us.

This episode is an invitation to slow down, look inward, and gently ask: What is this moment trying to show me about myself?

If you’ve ever struggled with judgment, comparison, or feeling stuck in the same patterns, this conversation will meet you with both truth and grace.

What happens when a strong, healthy woman is still labeled “overweight”?

In this powerful and honest conversation, Robin sits down with her longtime friend Bridget Lolli, a wellness professional, strength athlete, and advocate for redefining health, to unpack the moment that sparked a deeper conversation about body image, BMI, and the messages women receive about their bodies.

After being labeled “overweight” in a medical chart based solely on BMI, Bridget began asking a bigger question: Are we actually measuring health, or just weight?

Together, they explore:

•  Why BMI is an outdated and often misleading measure of health 
•  The cultural pressure for women to be “strong", but still small 
•  How strength training can improve metabolism, longevity, and injury prevention 
•  The impact of body image messaging on girls and young athletes 
•  Why female athletes often underfuel and fear building muscle 
•  How to advocate for yourself in medical settings 
•  And how to redefine health in a way that honors both body and purpose 

This episode is especially meaningful for:
 ✔️ Women navigating midlife body changes
 ✔️ Anyone frustrated with the scale or BMI labels
 ✔️ Moms and granddaughters raising daughters in today’s body image culture
 ✔️ Women of faith seeking freedom from body perfection

 Health is not a number. Strength is not a problem. And your body is not something to shrink.

If you’ve ever felt like your body didn’t “fit” the standard and need to be reminded that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, this conversation is for you.

Special Guest: Bridget Lolli is a public health professional, Certified Health Education Specialist, and School Wellness Coordinator for Columbia Public Schools with academic training in Nutritional Sciences, Nursing, and Public Health. She also holds a CrossFit Level I and Precision Nutrition coaching certificates, with over a decade of strength training experience.

Bridget is passionate about redefining how we measure health by challenging outdated metrics like BMI and advocating for more accurate indicators such as muscle mass, physical performance, and metabolic health. Her perspective is shaped not only by her professional background but also by her lived experience as a strength athlete navigating injury, recovery, and weight bias within healthcare.

Through her work in school wellness, youth athletics, and fitness, she focuses on helping adults and young athletes understand that health is not defined by thinness, but by strength, function, and resilience. Her recent social media post on muscle bias has sparked conversations about weight stigma, particularly its impact on women and youth athletes.

Bridget is also the co-host of the podcast The Crooked Compass. 

https://www.youtube.com/@crookedcompasspod

What if the very things we try to avoid in life- the discomfort, the struggle, the seasons that feel too heavy- are actually the moments shaping who we are becoming?

In this episode, we explore Tapas, the third Niyama in yogic philosophy. Often translated as “heat” or self-discipline, Tapas invites us to stay present in life’s refining fires rather than running from them. It’s the courage to sit with discomfort long enough to discover the transformation waiting on the other side  

Together we discuss:

• Why discipline isn’t about punishment, but about strength of character
• How crises can either break us down or break us open
• The role discomfort plays in spiritual and personal growth
• How faith, perseverance, and even ordinary challenges can shape us in powerful ways

Join us as we consider that the greatest growth might happen when we choose not to escape the fire, but trust it  instead.