Slow down.

Say "no." Set up boundaries. Reserve time for yourself. Chase slow.

But this isn't always reality.

And further, what's the difference between being busy and having a full life?

Whether you've learned to say no to outside influences in the interest of protecting your time and your sanity, there may be things that you're meant to do that might inconvenience you or make you uncomfortable.

In this episode:

• Has busy become a badge of honor?
• Is busyness a reflection of our social status?
• Should you feel compelled to reply to an email from a coworker after 11 p.m.? And are they perceived as a harder worker than you?
• Does the message to "chase slow" in today's Christian/Inspirational memoirs, self-help books and blogs work for everyone?

That's what she said:

• "There is a danger in saying 'no' too much and too often." -Brett
• "Are you an ENFP, Jesus?" -Sarah
• "There's a difference between busy and chaos. What if busy just meant 'full?' What if it meant you had a full life and obligations to be a part of a community, be a faithful worker, friend, spouse?" -Brett
• "I don't think God calls us to let everything fall off. You have a responsibility to your family, your job and your debts." -Sarah
• "I want to continue to live a life of service." -Sarah
• "Busy work versus Kingdom work: you can ask yourself will this edify myself or will this enrich the life of someone else?" -Brett
• "A lot of the time Kingdom work is something that we don't feel like doing." -Brett

So. How's your spiritual health?

It's not a question we ask each other a lot. And if we're honest, we don't ask it of ourselves much either. But here on the PSP, we tackle the hard subjects. That's exactly what we've done this week as we discuss the vulnerable and yet ethereal topic of spiritual health. 

In This Episode We Chat About:

• Being willing to have a hard conversation with people you trust.
• Counseling as a way to gauge your own spiritual well-being.
• Taking a step back from electronics, political commentary, and thinking that everyone is "the worst."
• Getting plugged into a community.
• Taking this health assessment for yourself and on behalf of a friend!

• "Authenticity is the mother of great podcasts." -Brett
• "Turning to the light isn't always the easiest thing to do, but it's certainly the warmest. Aw!" -Sarah
• "Use your words, number people." -Sarah
• "It's definitely a fight to keep your spirit in check." -Brett

Based off of an idea from one of our wonderful listeners, we’re launching a new segment called “Casual Wednesday” where we kick back and chat about things that we like, love and that we’ve tried. We also update on where we’re at with some of the topics we’ve discussed previously in the podcast. We hope you’ll share some thoughts on what we talk about here and how you’re doing. What are you reading? Have you tried anything new lately? We love hearing from you!

“I feel so dirty saying the word ‘hose’…” -Brett, referring to pantyhose

“Make like the Obamas and OUT” - Sarah 

Patience is a virtue....or so they say. If you're anything like us, it doesn't come naturally.

Like when you find yourself mindlessly tapping your foot in the long checkout line at the grocery store or you want to rush your people out of the house because they're taking too long to get ready. Impatience creeps up on us unexpectedly, so recognizing that patience is a practice is important. This week we get right to it as we look at all things patience. 

• Just a little reminder to share with your friends and/or review us on iTunes.
• The word “plug” sets Brett and Sarah into a gigglefest and a discussion about some pregnancy-related things…
• We start with a pros and cons list about patience, talk about our American culture and how millennials deal with patience (hint: we’re not great at it), if lack of patience affects our mood or has caused us to make mistakes in our romantic or professional lives and some quotes from people wiser than us.
• We also chat about if good things really come to those who wait and offer some practical tips for practicing patience.
• Brett speaks a little Spanish for us.
• The pants are mentioned once again.
• These articles: 
  • "Relearning the Lost Skill of Patience" from The Atlantic
  • "The benefits of being a patient person" from Mindful.org
  • "5 tricks to becoming a patient person" from Huffpost

That’s what she said:

• “What a nugget.” - Sarah
• “I gotta work the bump while I got it.” -Brett
• “The people whom I respect the most probably have the most amount of patience for themselves and for others.” -Brett
• “It [patience] allows you to absorb what’s in front of you by not rushing through life.” -Sarah
• “You can Google anything, does that actually mean that you know things?” -Brett
• “I think that this instant world that we find ourselves sort of attached to on a daily basis has totally taken away our ability to be patient with the things that have been a part of our world for a very long time.” -Sarah
• “Maybe I’ve never actually been patient, I’ve only ever acted patient.” -Brett
• “I’ve never regretted being patient, I’ve only ever regretted being impatient.” -Brett
• “In terms of our Christian faith, the ultimate reward will be when Jesus comes, and so we have to have patience for that.” -Sarah
• “HEY YO, WHAT’S UP IT’S B FROM THE PEARLY Gssss” -Brett

We're back. Back again.

This is probably about the time that you'd be tempted to give up on your New Year goals. This week's episode covers everything from different ways to reflect on the past to keeping the motivation to become your very best self.

But before we dive into the episode, here's a friendly reminder to rate and review us on iTunes. It's a simple way to brighten the start of our new year, and we'd love if you'd invite a friend to listen in and join the PSP love!

• A brand-new PSP catch-phrase.
• Brett reveals the gender of her baby!
• The 2017 motto inspired by Star Wars.
• Memorable moments of our luscious holiday hiatus.
• Highs and lows of 2016 (was it really as bad as everyone said?).
• And the most creative ways bloggers we admire reflect and prepare for the year ahead.

• "Don't care if I'm losing my hair. I don't have to wash it? Bring it." -Sarah 
• "Baby spit up in my face. But I still love him." -Brett
• "It's easy to look at a year and define it by the big events. But a vast majority of them probably didn't impact all of us on a personal level." -Sarah
• "We're not always going to have the best year ever and we're not always going to have the worst year ever. It's always going to be a mixing combination of heartbreak. It's sort of what defines our humanity." -Sarah
• "God is working in the lows as much as He's working in the highs." -Sarah
• "I didn't see the anger and the fire to fight back and to push forward. I just saw the fear of 'what's going to happen to me now?'" -Brett
• "I hope to rise to become the woman that God has called me to be." -Sarah

So we thought we'd help you out if you're in a pinch for a party theme or in need of a decoration that's easy to make Welcome to The Prodigal Sisters' No-Stress Holiday Guide! We have recipes and references to help you out, and we share some experiences along the way. This podcast has been a true blessing to us this year, so we sincerely wish all of you a Happy Holiday full of love and friends and family. 

Oh, and PS. Don't miss us talking about our Christmas traditions and how they may change after marriage, babies, etc. over on the Femperfect podcast this week! Click here to listen. Carly is the best!

• Sarah gives an update on her challenge from Brett to watch New Girl.
• We talk about holiday party themes, hostessing tips, why people shy away from hosting, low-energy craft ideas and more!
• There’s a big discussion about the White Elephant gift exchange - good and bad experiences, tips, etc.
• We reference this, and if you haven’t yet, go check out this post on Brett’s blog.
• Lasagna is mentioned, and this recipe is bomb.
• More fun and easy recipes!
  • Funfetti Dip
  • Pumpkin Dip
  • Veggie Pizza
  • Cheesy Potatoes
  • Ranch Chicken Cheese Dip
  • Rainbow Sherbet Punch
• Other honorable mentions in case you want to search the Interwebs: Buffalo Chicken Dip (BCD, Buff Chick Dip, etc :)), Cherry Salad, Pistachio Salad, Dirt and Little Smokies (brushed with egg wash).
• You know what, scratch that. We both agree - just show up with ruffle potato chips and french onion dip.
• Brett shares cocktail tips from the Tubbs and goes on to chat about some easy holiday crafting ideas:
  • Creative DIY Christmas Decorating Ideas
  • Wire Hanger Christmas Ornament Wreath

• “Where is Latvia?” -Sarah
• “It’s a good season and if we don’t take time to think and reflect, it’ll just whiz by.” -Brett
• “What freaking white elephant parties are you going to? Do you know how much other’s people crap I have brought into my house? And you have pans and immersion blenders? I have books that smell like moth balls.” -Brett
• “I need to go to the extrovert party down the street.” -Sarah
• “Glue is the worst.” -Brett
• “Be present, make sure that you stop and breathe and make sure that you enjoy.” -Sarah
• “People don’t tend to remember that stuff. They remember how they felt at your house.” - Brett
• “Gosh, I don’t know where Latvia is and I’m wasteful. I’m a true American.” -Brett

That's what the Bible says, anyway.

But what do we do when life doesn't exactly go our way? When we have a master's degree and we wind up becoming a nanny for our day jobs? Or we're suffering the loss of a loved one? Or dealing with a chronic illness?

What happens when persevering is more than a Biblical buzzword and seems like an overwhelming hurdle to have to conquer?

Our first-ever guest, Carly Samudre of the Femperfect podcast, is a therapist. That's right. We were lucky enough to have a real, live therapist to come on board for our girlfriend therapy.

Her story of where she's landed today required a bit of overcoming situational depression and learning to start where she was. Give her a listen, we know you'll grow greatly from what she has to say.

• We deem Carly as the official Dr. Laura of PSP.
• Carly describes the "AGE" metaphor: how anti-fragile, growth-mindset and embracing our journeys develops the growth of our soul.
• Carly leads us through the idea of building your passion versus finding your passion.
• How to keep a positive attitude in the midst of discouraging situations.
• What having a "growth-mindset" actually means.
• How perseverance cultivates gratitude (we're big believers of that around here).
• How do we know when it's time to let something go? We have to ask ourselves three things: is it helping your relationship with yourself, with others and your relationship with God?
• This video by Brene Brown on empathy v. sympathy.

• "Sarah, get your life together."
• "What if you could grow when you're stretched?"
• "If we can remind ourselves that this is part of the journey, it's okay not to feel balanced and the best well-being all the time. Because the reality is that there are dips, and you're going to grow."
• "I can choose to grow and make meaning out of this suffering."
• "Nothing is wasted. And it's going to set you up for what you'll do next."
• "Don't kill yourself over something. Find something new. Find another dream. Let this go."

You can follow Carly and the Femperfect podcast on Facebook and Instagram.

Storing your (big) family’s Christmas presents in the guest bedroom. Looking at your cluttered calendar. Staring at the junk mail cluttering your dining room table. Trying to find space for every greeting card you ever received since they’re cluttering your office. Oh, sorry. That must be just Sarah’s issue (we get to that later).

As harmless as this easy accumulation of stuff may seem, it can wreak havoc on your ability to feel less anxious and think more clearly. In this week’s episode we get into the nooks and crannies of clutter and dust off our cleaning skills. Hope you’ll join and feel inspired to have an organized, clutter-less Christmas season (at least one of us will!). 

• We start this episode with good intentions to briefly touch on our Thanksgivings and the upcoming Christmas holiday, but quickly we spiral out of control into religious traditions, communion, etc. You know, classic Sarah and Brett. 
• When you get through the first part, you’ll realize we do actually have a plan for this episode. And we begin to talk about clutter. Where do we struggle with it? Why? Where does it fall on the priority scale.
• We chat about the expectations attached to having a clean house, etc. assigned to us by others and by ourselves.
• How does not prioritizing order affect your well being? Physically? Mentally? We discuss. Brett reveals that clutter is actually a threat to her life when it becomes an obstacle on her way to the bathroom in the middle of the night…:)
• You should get a Shark Vacuum. That is all.
• Brett helps us out by citing some articles: How mess causes stress and Apartment Therapy.

• “I’m getting our real life mixed up with our podcast life which means we’re real friends.” -Brett
• “Does it like, poop it out in shapes?” -Sarah (about a cookie press, people)
• “It’s easier for a camel to get through a cookie press than it is for a rich person to get to the Kingdom of Heaven. That’s from Matthew.” -Brett
• “Those words were RED.” -Sarah
• “I want to appear okay and put-together on the outside, but on the inside, it’s just kind of messy and crazy.” -Sarah
• “You don’t want to be lazy in the bedroom…..that’s a place for WERK!” -Brett (yes, she blushes after she says this).
• “I would always opt for the ‘fun thing’ rather than the thing that would probably make me a little bit more grounded and able to think more clearly and creatively.” -Brett
• “At the very least, I may not accomplish anything that day, but guess what I did accomplish? I made my bed.” -Sarah

We are so thankful for all of you. We're here to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving and to let you know we're taking a week off! Make sure you continue to ask us your questions or give us your topic ideas over on Facebook or Instagram. We hope today is full of lots of food, family, friends and, most of all, love!

One big guess as to what we're thankful for this year.

It's YOU! It's an honor to have the freedom to speak to you all each week. We are so humbled by those of you who have left reviews, Facebook posts, Instagram messages or sent us texts to encourage us along this podcasting journey.

You have no idea how much your support means to us. It's a little daunting to put your thoughts and voice into the internet sphere – to spend so much time thinking of topics, recording episodes, editing audio and drafting show notes and wonder if anyone is out there listening. 

As we've learned, all roads lead to thankfulness. And we'd be remiss if we didn't thank you for celebrating girlfriend therapy with us.

• We discuss our families, and how we're thankful that they know oftentimes too much about us and still have choose to love us.
• Brett drops some Regina George-level meanness about Amy Schumer. 
• How gratefulness can help with your physical and mental health.
• How this year's election results has kicked us into high gear as far as changing the world on an individual level.
• Brett gives a quick lesson in grammar. 

• "I almost pulled a Buddy the Elf in the middle of the mall." -Brett
• "This has more than ever caused us to love bigger." -Sarah
• "I never thought I'd be this crazy of a dog person ever." -Sarah
• "Do you have a favorite food item for Thanksgiving?" "Does pie count?" -Brett