Today we're talking about anxiety, not the casual "I'm stressed" kind, but the kind that takes over your body, your thoughts, your sleep, your peace, and your sense of safety.

My friend Maddie Joy Fischer joins me to talk about our very real stories with anxiety, panic, fear, and the lies at the root of it all. We both know what it's like to feel trapped by fear and to wonder if this is just how life will always be. But we also know what it's like for God to meet us there, unravel self-reliance, expose the lies, and begin rebuilding something truer and stronger.

In this conversation we talk about:

• how anxiety can start small and slowly take over

• health anxiety, panic attacks, and feeling unsafe in your own body

• the lie that says "I'm not safe" and the truth that answers it

• fear of man, self-protection, and trying to stay in control

• what it looks like to come to the end of yourself

• why healing is often not linear

• how God uses even the darkest seasons for redemption

• what surrender actually looks like when you're in it

This episode is full of honesty, Scripture, and hope for the person still in the thick of anxiety, and for the person who loves someone who is.

If you've ever felt like fear was driving the bus, this conversation is for you. There is freedom in Jesus. There is truth stronger than the lies. And there is hope, even here.

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Today's conversation is one I didn't expect to have, but I'm so glad we did. I'm joined by Ben Higgins, known from The Bachelor franchise, but more importantly, a man willing to talk honestly about something many of us feel and few of us admit: loneliness.

Ben's book, Alone in Plain Sight: Searching for Connection When You're Seen But Not Known, explores what it's like to feel invisible, even while millions are watching. From reality TV to marriage, from church culture to platform pressure, Ben opens up about insecurity, performance, and the quiet fear that if people really knew us, they might not like us.

We talk about:

• The difference between feeling unlovable vs. unlikable

• Why social media connection doesn't cure loneliness

• Performative Christianity and losing yourself in the process

• The courage it takes for men to admit loneliness

• How slowing down exposes what's actually going on inside

• Letting the right people speak into your life, and guarding your heart

This isn't just a "Bachelor" conversation. It's about identity, community, vulnerability, and what it means to be fully known without performing.

If you've ever wondered whether God actually likes you, or struggled to believe that the real you is enough, this episode will meet you there.

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You don't have to perform to belong, and you don't have to navigate healthcare alone either.

Today we're diving into the wide world of youth sports, and fair warning: this one might give you permission, step on your toes… or both.

Ed and Brian are former athletes, longtime sports ministry leaders, and dads currently navigating youth sports with their own kids. They're also the authors of Away Game: A Christian Parent's Guide to Navigating Youth Sports, and this conversation is honest, clarifying, and deeply needed.

We talk about what they call the "youth sports industrial complex," how we went from backyard games and rec leagues to a $40+ billion industry built on travel teams, specialization, year-round pressure, and future anxiety. How did we get here? What changed from when we were kids? And most importantly, do we have to ride this train?

In this episode we unpack:

• The cultural shifts that reshaped youth sports

• Why sports don't automatically build character

• How pride, shame, and self-centeredness quietly grow unchecked

• The difference between sports formation and spiritual formation

• Why parents — not coaches — are the primary disciplers

• How to respond to wins and losses in a gospel-shaped way

• Creating boundaries within the system (even if you stay in it)

• The power of gentleness, security, and apology

Spoiler: This isn't about pulling your kids out of sports. It's about recognizing that sports culture will disciple your child if you don't, and learning how to counterform that culture with intentional, Jesus-centered parenting.

Whether you're all-in on travel ball or wondering if you should opt out altogether, this episode will help you slow down, breathe, and ask better questions.

Your corner of the bleachers can look different.

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Today's episode is all about raising boys, even if you're a girl mom like me. I sat down with Rebekah Lovell, author of Boyhood Resurrected, for a powerful and honest conversation about how modern systems are failing our boys, and what we can do about it.

We talk about how boys are hardwired for adventure, movement, risk, curiosity, and strength, and how over-scheduling, over-screening, and over-labeling can slowly extinguish the light in their eyes. Rebekah shares her family's journey navigating early schooling challenges, why institutional systems often misunderstand boys, and how moms (especially!) play a crucial role in protecting and cultivating their sons' masculine design.

This conversation will step on a few toes — gently. We talk about:

• The difference between discipline and suppression

• Why movement and autonomy matter

• Screen culture and its impact on boys

• The myth of being "behind"

• Adventure as a developmental need

• Respect as a love language for boys

• Raising driven, courageous men in a culture hostile to masculinity

Even as a girl mom, I found so many parallels. Childhood matters. Wonder matters. Agency matters. And truthfully, this conversation ultimately points back to Jesus and how God intentionally wired our sons.

If you're raising boys (or love someone who is), this episode will challenge, encourage, and equip you.

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Welcome back to the Big Easy Podcast with everybody's favorite guest, my husband, Jeremy. This episode is a candid, hope-filled conversation about what God has been doing in us lately: in our faith, our marriage, our home, and our conversations.

While the recent "Ending Well" series focused on reflection, this episode is about real-time transformation. Jeremy shares how a simple observation: watching me consistently in the Word sparked a hunger for Scripture and spiritual leadership. From listening to the Bible on Audible during long commutes, to diving deep into biblical manhood, marriage, and trust in God, his walk with the Lord has grown in tangible, visible ways.

We talk honestly about pride, fear, independence, and what it looks like to actually trust God with leadership, prayer, and obedience, especially inside marriage. We share how God has been working in both of us simultaneously: building one, dismantling the other, and bringing us into a healthier, more aligned rhythm together.

This episode also touches on:

• Biblical leadership without ego

• Trusting God over fear of failure or misunderstanding

• Letting go of people-pleasing and over-explaining

• Taking thoughts captive and renewing the mind

• How Scripture practically changes everyday life

• What it looks like when faith becomes central in marriage conversations

If you're praying for growth in your marriage, longing for deeper faith, or wondering if real change is possible: this episode is for you.

God is still moving. Look what He has done, and what He's still doing.

What if Bible study didn't feel dry, intimidating, or guilt-driven, but instead felt alive, honest, and deeply formative?

In this episode of The Speakeasy Podcast, Blake sits down with Faith Womack, author of No More Boring Bible Study and self-proclaimed Bible nerd, to talk about how Scripture can actually come to life in your everyday faith. Faith shares her powerful story of growing up with Scripture misused and weaponized—and how God redeemed that pain by drawing her into a deep, life-giving love for His Word.

Together, they unpack:

• Why Bible study often feels boring (and why it doesn't have to)

• How cultural Christianity and performance pressure distort our approach to Scripture

• Why chasing "mountaintop moments" can actually hold us back

• How to read the Bible with clarity, context, and confidence

• Why it's okay to go slow, camp out, and stop treating God like a vending machine

This conversation is freeing, grounding, and incredibly practical, especially if you've ever felt overwhelmed, bored, intimidated, or burned by Bible study. Whether you're brand new to reading Scripture or have been in it for years, this episode will help you shift from pressure to presence and rediscover the beauty of God's Word.

"The Bible isn't boring, we just haven't always been taught how to read it."

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In today's episode, Blake sits down with Joby Martin, lead pastor of Church of 11:22, for a candid, practical, and surprisingly fun conversation about biblical marriage.

This is a must-listen—especially with your husband.

Together, they talk honestly about leadership, submission, responsibility, and why keeping score in marriage quietly kills intimacy. Pastor Joby brings clarity (and humor) to what Scripture actually calls men to be—and how that leadership is meant to free wives, not burden them. From encouragement and repentance to negotiation, gratitude, and yes… make out sessions—this episode covers what healthy, Christ-centered marriage looks like in real life.

They also unpack:

• Why men need other godly men to grow

• How wives can encourage change without nagging

• The danger of swinging from passivity to toxic "alpha" masculinity

• Why gratitude, affirmation, and humility go further than criticism

• How communication and negotiation build trust and intimacy over time

This conversation is grounded in Scripture, full of wisdom, and deeply hopeful. If you want a stronger marriage, deeper respect, and more joy at home, start here.

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Marriage isn't about winning—it's about fighting for each other.

This episode continues an unexpected but timely series focused on strengthening families at the start of the year. Blake sits down with Pastor Craig Thompson, author of Fighting for Your Family, for an honest, practical conversation about marriage, parenting, and spiritual warfare.

Too often, the hardest battles feel like they're inside the home—spouses clashing, tension with kids, constant frustration. But Craig reframes the fight: your spouse and your family are not the enemy. The real shift happens when couples stop fighting each other and start standing back-to-back, fighting for their family's mission and future.

Together, they unpack:

• What spiritual warfare actually looks like in everyday family life

• Why humility, prayer, and "going first" matter more than being right

• How fighting your own flesh changes everything

• The power of encouragement, honor, and apology in marriage

• Why community and the local church are essential for healthy families

If you're carrying tension from last year—or want to protect what God is building in your home—this episode offers biblical clarity and tangible next steps. Whether you're married, dating, parenting, or preparing for the future, this conversation equips you to stand firm and fight well.

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Your family is worth fighting for—together.

Download the planning PDF here!

This episode is an invitation to rethink what January is actually for. If you've felt pressure to reinvent your entire life on January 1st (or swung the other direction and rejected January altogether) this conversation lives in the middle.

Blake makes the case that January isn't meant for revamps or visible productivity. Historically and biologically, it's a hinge month: a season for taking stock, repair, learning, and quiet preparation. For most of human history, the "new year" was tied to nature and spring, not politics or calendars. That's why the urgency of January often feels off in our bodies and nervous systems.

In this episode, Blake walks through what our agrarian ancestors actually did in winter and how it applies to modern life:

• Taking honest inventory of time, energy, relationships, finances, and faith

• Creating margin and reducing overstimulation

• Repairing what's worn down before starting something new

• Letting learning, wisdom, and integration settle

• Setting intentions, not rigid resolutions

Rather than goals and hustle, Blake shares her approach to choosing words, Scripture, posture, and direction for the year ahead, held with open hands. Her word for 2026 is Rooted Hope, grounded in Psalm 1 and a desire for steadiness, healing, and deep faith after a hard year.

January matters. Not as a restart, but as a foundation. This episode is about going slow, growing deep, and preparing for what's coming without forcing it..

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Happy New Year and welcome to the very first Speak Easy episode of 2026. To kick off the year, Blake dives into a topic that impacts every family—even if we avoid talking about it: healthcare.

In this episode, Blake sits down with Andy Schoonover, CEO of CrowdHealth, to unpack why so many people feel trapped in traditional health insurance, how the system actually profits, and what alternatives exist for families who want more agency, transparency, and community-driven care. Andy shares his personal breaking point with insurance denial, how cash-pay medicine exposed the cracks in the system, and why CrowdHealth was built to give people a real exit ramp.

Together, they explore rising deductibles, denied claims, negotiated medical bills, prescription costs, and why "healthcare" often feels more like "sick care." This conversation goes beyond policy—it's about autonomy, informed choices, and breaking out of systems that no longer serve us.

If you've ever asked, "What am I even paying for?" or wondered if there's another way, this episode may open a door you didn't know existed.

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Sometimes opting out is the first step toward freedom.