Dear Daughters

Remember the time I offered to homeschool all the children? Yes, it would be in the interview with my new friend, Jessica Smartt. Jessica’s a former English teacher turned homeschooling mom of three. She’s an ESTJ, an iPhone addict (in recovery) and anxiety overcomer. She’s also an allergy mom (only slightly neurotic ;), loved by God, and wife to Mr. Fix Anything. She runs a mean 12-minute mile and can make just about anything dairy free. She’s on the podcast today creating a life giving community and family via making meaningful memories.  Jessica’s new book, Memory Making Mom: Building Traditions That Breathe Life into Your Home, is about all that and more. I’m excited for you to get to know her! SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES SHOW NOTES Jessica’s new book: Memory Making Mom Natalie Coulter’s Watercolor Journal Mint and Maple And my interview with Natalie on DD Episode 40 Speaking of memory making, this is interesting: The Power of Moments JESSICA’S LETTER TO HER YOUNGER SELF Dear 30 year old Jessica, You know what

Suffering from a lifelong disease, I’ve been told I can’t possibly be contented. Contentment happens to us because of circumstances, after all – right? But what if contentment found in Jesus is something that everyone can experience? Something we can chase and then catch hold of? Meet Liz Carter. She’s an author and blogger who writes about life in all its messy, painful, joyous reality. She likes Cadbury chocolates and turquoise, in equal measure, and lives in the UK with her husband, a church leader, and two crazy teens. Liz is the author of Catching Contentment: How to be Holy Satisfied. The book digs into contentment in difficult circumstances. I’m delighted to introduce you to Liz because she can talk honestly about “rejoicing in the Lord, even in the rubbish of life.” And we’ve all got rubbish in life, right? I’m excited for you to meet her. Here’s Liz! SUBSCRIBE IN ITUNES SHOW NOTES Liz’s new book: Catching Contentment: How to be Holy Satisfied The Art of Divine Contentment by Thomas Watson My favorit

Justin Whitmel Earley was just about to turn 30 when he had a complete anxiety collapse. The years that followed were extremely dark. He went from being a former missionary in China, to a few short years later, an anxious lawyer, medicating with alcohol. He felt like a failure as a father, husband, worker and human being in general. In his recovery, Justin discovered that habits form us more than we form them. He believes the answer to our contemporary chaos is to practice a rule of life that aligns our habits to our beliefs. His new book, The Common Rule, offers four daily and four weekly habits, designed to help us create new routines and transform frazzled days into lives of love for God and neighbor. These are concrete, doable practices, such as a daily hour of phoneless presence or a weekly conversation with a friend. These habits have been lived out by people across all walks of life―businesspeople, professionals, parents, students, retirees―who have discovered new hope and purpose. I can’t wait for you

Can I start with some BIG news that I’ve been dying to talk about …? A precious little boy was born into the world. His name is Caleb David Davis. And he is my grandson. He was born 3 weeks ago. And ohmygracious, he is beautiful. Little blonde fuzzy head. Tiny wonderful human. My heart is exploding. My grandma name is Zuzu. And Will’s name is Bear. Yes, Zuzu and Bear. Sounds like a cartoon or a children’s book. And I love it. Caleb was born the week before Thanksgiving so we’ve been traveling back and forth to Denver to see him. Lots of travel. Lots of wonder. And lots of big feelings for me. All the travel plus the holidays kinda knocked me off center. And it reminded me of the importance those tiny daily things I do that keep me healthy and centered. Like good sleep and daily writing and eating healthy. I was on a call last week with a woman I just adore (I’ll call her Jane) that just completed the Dear Daughters Mentorship Program. Jane asked me some very interesting and poignant questions about navigating

Today on the Dear Daughters Podcast, I’m talking with Kristin Schell of the Turquoise Table about all things Thanksgiving. This is the final episode in what I’m calling the Thanksgiving Trio which is three episodes with three of my favorite table people. The first was with EP 75 with Bri McKoy, the second was EP 76 with Jen Schmidt and last but certainly not least is with my friend and neighbor, Kristin! Kristin reveals her biggest Thanksgiving blunder and how that led her to create one simple rule to follow every Thanksgiving. I think you’ll benefit from hearing what that rule is and how it makes everything much easier for Kristin over the holiday. As well, she talks about allowing space for real connection with the people at the table. Kristin is just the best at creating space to spend quality time with her people. Kristin is a hoot. You will just love her.  And you also might love winning a signed copy of her book + a cute pie tea towel + a couple Capri Blue Fir & Firewood Candles. Just jump over to m

Need some good recipes and gathering ideas for the upcoming holidays? Yeah, me too. So I called on the experts. Last week on the Dear Daughters Podcast | Episode 75, I talked with Bri McKoy. We talked about the most important part of the holiday and how to mix in gratitude when you're feeling lonely.  This week, I invited Jen Schmidt to chat all things food, memories, and thanksgiving wonder. She’s great at breaking big things down in manageable pieces whether that’s cooking for 30 people or handling the holidays with the best mix of hope + reality. Jen  has spent the last decade encouraging, challenging and cheering on women to embrace both the beauty and bedlam of their everyday lives on her popular lifestyle blog, Beauty and Bedlam. She’s a wife, mother, and ‘accidental author’, as well as a fellow table person and thrifter. I loved hearing from Jen. I know you will too! And ohhhh, don’t forget to jump over to my Instagram and enter to win a signed copy of Jen’s book + a darling apron + Capri Blue Candle!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year. I love gathering around the table with my dearest people, sharing affirmations and bumping elbows as we reach for one more slice of pumpkin pie. This season I’m extra grateful because I have a grandson coming Thanksgiving week ~ oh JOY!! Thanksgiving often gets overshadowed by twinkly, glorious Christmas, so I thought it would be extra wonderful to highlight Thanksgiving by talking with a few of my very favorite table people over the next three weeks.  My first table friend is adorable Bri McKoy. Bri is a writer, food blogger, air force wife, and a fellow Enneagram 7. Today on the show we talked about how to graciously hold gratitude and sorrow in both hands, and how to be fully present in the Thanksgivings we have, not just the ones we dream of. We also talked some of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes, of course. I can’t wait for you to hear from Bri today! And ohhhh, don’t forget to jump over to my Instagram and enter to win a signed copy of Bri’s book +

It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. ~ Myquillyn Smith I’m so excited to have Myquillyn Smith, otherwise known as The Nester, join me on the show today! She’s a writer, a homebody and a contentment evangelist. Her motto is, ‘It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.’ Isn’t that just lovely? I love her passion for helping women love their most important space, their home. Myquillyn, her husband Chad, and their three boys have moved 14 times (!!!) over the course of their married life, so Myquillyn can relate to the challenges of loving your rent house when you aren’t allowed to paint, and shopping your home when you don’t have the budget to shop. They now live just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, where she gets to watch her peonies bloom every year and enjoy her happy place, the pool. On the show today we talked about contentment, coziness and the gift of margin in our homes and in our lives. We talked about how so often the things that we wish were different about our lives eventually b

Hey there, dear one. I see you wrestling under the sadness, afraid that it’ll crush you. I know that the world can be scary and hard, and that our list of losses only grows longer as we get older. But there is good news. I believe that if you name what you’ve lost, if you sit with your grief and let it show you what has been taken from you instead of wrestling against it, that is the first step on the path back to joy. Today I’m talking about grief and loss, and about how those things can be teachers. How they can make us soft and wise, rather than hardened and angry. I hope that you’ll tune in, and take the time to respond to the prompts. Then I hope you’ll share it with someone you love who needs to hear it. SHOW NOTES My book Unafraid: Trusting God in an Unsafe World Isaiah 61.3 Best Baked Eggs Share these show notes with a friend, or rate or review the show on iTunes Join the Dear Daughters FB group Sign up for my weekly-ish newsletter Thanks to Davis Music for use of her song Fifty Seven. Here’s my pra

Do you find yourself enduring the season of life you’re in, rather than embracing it? Do you find yourself always expectantly looking ahead, putting the opportunities of today on hold because you’re distracted by your dreams for what’s next? Maybe you don’t even want to want to be content with what your circumstance is right now, you just want it to end! Well, today’s episode is for you, friend. I’m so excited to welcome Stephanie Holden, otherwise known as Honey Holden, to the show today. She’s a Southern girl, a pastor’s wife and a spiritual mama. She radiates such contentment, wisdom and an awful lot of whimsy – so I wanted you to get to know her. Today on the show, we’re talking about walking gracefully through life transitions, which I know is something you want to do too. And I think you’ll find that what Stephanie shares applies to any season of life where you’re feeling discontent, or where beauty and grief are bumping elbows. Stephanie has been married to her husband Nick for 30 years. And she’s bein

Do you sometimes feel like you’re doing life alone? Do you wish you could have someone who was right there with you, day in and day out, to encourage you? Today I’m talking about the importance of strengthening your inner self to know more and more about God’s love so that you can feel his love and power in your life every single day. So you can feel the companionship of the Holy Spirit as a leader, teacher and comforter. I also talk about how this spiritual life we’re after is not something that’s done all on your own. There’s a time for self-leadership, of course. But there’s also a time to let yourself be led and a time to lead others – and all of those roles may bump elbows in the same season of life, or even all in one day!  Listen in and link arms with a spiritual mama or a dear daughter and learn more about loving God and loving the people around you – together. SHOW NOTES Ephesians 3.16-18 Join the Dear Daughters FB group The Dear Daughters Mentorship Program Registration IS LIVE!! Sign up now. It’s

I’m so excited to have Shelley Giglio join me today because she is basically a professional spiritual mama. Shelley is one of the most intentional people I know about bringing dear daughters alongside her in life and helping them know and love God more. So today, I wanted you to feel like you’re getting a little mentoring/spiritual mama time with Shelley, too. We talked about letting God redeem the disappointments in our lives and how our perspective changes when we put God in front of our circumstances instead of behind them. We also talked about how we are to live as ‘place makers’ in the Kingdom which was incredibly compelling.  Shelley and her husband Louie have spent the last thirty years of their lives either living on campus with college students, or leading students all over the world to live for God. They currently lead Passion City Church in Atlanta, where they have 750 dear daughters connected to mentoring through their womens’ ministry, The Grove. Also on her resume ~ the Passion Conference and si

Do you sometimes feel like you need someone in your life a little older and wiser to remind you that God is still good, and that everything will be alright? Though you may already believe it for yourself, sometimes it’s comforting to hear it from someone else you trust. I hope you have someone like that in your life to speak the truth over you with confidence. When I think of the role of a mentor, I think of someone who helps you reclaim the vision for your life. Someone who helps you to meditate on, ‘whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely.”  Someone who helps you listen more closely to the still, small voice of God in your life. Couldn’t we all use more of that? Today I’m talking about the importance of having a mentor. To have someone to speak into those areas of our lives that feel foggy and unclear. Consider this a permission slip to be in a relationship with someone that is solely focused on the health of your soul. SHOW NOTES Sophie Hudson’s book, Giddy Up, Eunice

There are some days when I feel like I’m building a legacy- maybe if I’ve had a really meaningful conversation with a dear daughter, or done something that seems like it could have some big impact. And there are other days that feel small like when I run errands, fold the laundry and make dinner for my husband. Maybe you can relate. You may not feel like you are building a legacy when you pray with your friend about her job interview, or when you care for a sick toddler, or make a phone call to check in with a family member but there’s good news … you are leaving a legacy. Yep, even when you do simple things like running errands, folding laundry and making dinner. Today on the show I talk with a lovely mother-daughter team, Jackie Green and Lauren Green McAfee, about the opportunities we have to build a legacy that outlives our lives. And spoiler alert, you don’t have to be famous to leave a legacy. Jackie and Lauren’s new book, Only One Life: How a Woman’s Every Day Shapes an Eternal Legacy, is all about tha

If you’ve ever wondered what your calling is, then this episode is for you because today I talk with Beth Booram who has written a whole book on understanding what it looks like for God to birth a dream in your life. Beth walks us through the the gestational process of birthing a dream as well as providing a bit of direction and encouragement. Beth is a spiritual director and author, who also runs an urban spiritual retreat center in her home in Indianapolis. She’s written four books, and is writing her fifth with her husband. She is a fellow table person, Big-God-Dreamer and question-asker, and I am just giddy to have her join me on the show today. I can’t wait for you to meet Beth. Here’s the interview on the Dear Daughters Podcast Episode 67. SHOW NOTES Sustainable Faith Indy Awaken Your Senses: Exercises for Exploring the Wonder of God, co-written with Brent Bill The Wide Open Spaces of God: A Journey with God Through the Landscapes of Life Picturing the Face of Jesus: Encountering Christ through Art Bet

Do you feel like you’re in control of your emotions? Or do you feel like your emotions control you? When you’re caught up in a feeling – whether it’s anxiety or anger or envy – do you feel overwhelmed? I have definitely felt those things before, so I’m particularly grateful to talk with Alison Cook on the show today about boundaries for the soul and Spirit-led self leadership. Alison is a speaker, counselor, and writer who is passionate about helping people fully live out their God-given potential. She received her Ph.D. in religion and psychology and has served as a counselor for over 20 years. She lives in Boston with her husband and two teenage kids, where they are active in The Salvation Army. I can’t wait for you to meet Alison. I hope this will be an important and encouraging episode for you.  SHOW NOTES Boundaries for Your Soul: How to Turn Your Overwhelming Thoughts and Feelings into Your Greatest Allies DD Episode 64: A Father’s Influence and DD Episode 65: Your Dad’s Influence on How You See God Na

How would you walk through your days if you knew you had the perfect Dad? When things get bumpy, would you worry and strive and rely on yourself – or would you endure with confidence that you could always count on your Dad to step in? I wonder how all of our lives would be different if we lived in the confidence that God is the perfect dad. How brave would we be? How much more grace and goodwill might we be willing to extend? What might we be willing to risk for our Big God Dreams, knowing that our Dad was always there to help? Last week we explored how our relationships with our fathers affect our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Today on the podcast we dig deeper into how our dads’ personalities shape how we perceive God’s personality. If you’ve ever felt like God is distant or uncaring, I hope you listen in and know that God loves you passionately and personally. That His heart is full of love for you, and that when you are able to look at Him clearly, without any distortion, you will always see a pr

What if I told you that there is one relationship in your life that has probably influenced your view of God more than any other relationship? That the closeness, safety, acceptance and love (or lack of those things) that you felt in that relationship would become your framework for how you receive those things from God? I look forward to celebrating my dad on Father’s Day. He’s always cared for and provided for our family with selflessness and joy. I never questioned if he loved me because he told me he loved me and he showed me he loved me. But I know that for so many, Father’s Day stirs up a lot of insecurity and heartache, a lot of disappointed hopes and anger. Today on the podcast we’re going to look at how our relationship with our earthly fathers impacted our view of God, making sure that there is no distortion in how we see our Heavenly Father. SHOW NOTES Will’s sermon on God as Father at Austin Christian Fellowship Stay tuned for more info about my first Dear Daughters LIVE Online Mentor Session on

Almost every big change in life, almost every big success, is a compilation of tiny steps forward. If you have a Big God Dream in your heart but it seems unattainable right now, saying yes today to the next small step is next best thing to do. And then do it all over again tomorrow, and the next day and the next. In this episode, Sarah Mackenzie and I talk about how she started living her dream by giving God a bunch of little yeses, even when she was feeling unprepared and unqualified. I love Sarah’s gumption. It’s the kind of thing that had her invite a prominent writer on her podcast before she had even started the podcast. She says she put her trust in God, believing He would give grace right when she needed it. And it certainly worked out! She had over four million downloads on The Read Aloud Revival Podcast this month! Yahoo, Sarah!! Today we talk about her lovely new book: The Read Aloud Family. And we talk about how she manages marriage, family and a having an enormous online resource that spreads all

If you love God, but don’t feel like you can trust Him, I understand. For so many years, I struggled with worry over whether God was really looking out for me. When bad or hard things happened, it made me feel anxious and worried. Like what happened in the news just this week ... the Santa Fe school shooting. Lord, have mercy. That shooting took place forty years to the day that I witnessed a murder in my own classroom as a middle school student. I understand the long road to healing a lot of those students will be walking down – the same one that many of you are probably walking down from your own personal traumas and fears. If you love God, but don’t feel like you can trust Him, you need to know that God has only grace for you. And He wants to give you peace. Jesus said, My peace I give to you. Today’s podcast is about discovering ways to reject worry and receive peace. It’s about finding a practical way to practice peace and walk in it. SHOW NOTES When you start ‘should-ing’ yourself, you’re shaming your