Kari sat down in the home of Athea Davis Ruben over a Egyptian Licorice Tea. Athea became a health and wellness educator for kiddos and writer, after spending a decade in the corporate legal world.

Kari got to meet Jennifer in real life for the first time for our episode this week, even though they have known each other for a while! Parson is Jennifer’s second child, younger sister to Darby. When she was born, she needed to be put on oxygen because her levels were low, and ended up getting put into the NICU.

This week, Kari speaks with two of her cousins, Katie and Kenzie. Josh Youman, Katie’s husband and Kenzie’s father, lost his life due to injuries he sustained serving our country in Iraq. Josh was a caring and compassionate man, especially for his family. He loved video games, coffee, and outdoor sports.

Our guest this week is Sarah Condon, Episcopal priest and author of Churchy: The Real Life Adventures of a Wife, Mom, and Priest. She lives and dies by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She loves pink wine, and supporting her sisters in leadership.

Mandy is from a small town in Mississippi, moved to Austin on her own as a teenager, and put herself through college. She is a woman in tech, an engineer, speaker, a mom of girls, a wife, friend, and community leader.

Lauren Flake wrote a book to help your children process losing a family member to dementia, and helping them remember who their family member was. Mom to two young girls, a wife, and puppy-mom of two, Lauren is a blogger, author, and a project called Daughters of Dementia which supports caregivers. She is such an inspiration!

Kim and Kari sit down to talk all things Summer Camp. Your YBY hosts love camp and are giving out some tips as you prep for sleep-away camp, especially for younger kiddos. Everything from packing to the importance of rest time to how to talk to your kids about their experience after camp. Kari shares her recipe for perfect sun tea and how to make bandana necklaces.

Kari checked in with Kristin Braun in Balcones Springs. Kristin has a background in molecular biology who is sharp and self aware, with a passion for ‘doing self work’ together with those you love. She developed Forming Families over a summer in the early morning hours.

Kari and Kim talk spiritual practices in general, and then Kari deep dives as she visits with Brooke Summers-Perry, an artist who is working to not only discover her own life through spiritual practices, but is working to make them available to others. She works with Writers in the Schools, both at MD Anderson with pediatric patients as well as with five classes of Houston third graders. Brooke speaks about centering prayer, reading spiritual texts, lectio divina, writing poetry, and painting - first with watercolor and now with acrylics.

Kari knows Julieanne from a few years back in Houston, where Kari considered her to be an important mom-mentor for her. In 2012, Julieanne and her family moved back home to Tasmania and bought the Iron Pot Bay Vineyard. Set by the banks of the Tamar River, they now offer a fine dining experience in a renovated century old cottage.