Here’s the problem with expectations. We develop this mentality that we’ll exceed all of them. They become hard and fast rules. Not necessarily goals - they become facts. And then, when they go unmet, we face the emotional, spiritual and physical toll of what seems like failure. But that’s just not true. Expectations can change. They can be molded...but only if we hold them loosely. Many women expect getting pregnant to be a simple, easy thing. But as I got married, as my best friends got married, we all started approaching this next stage with this expectation of pregnancy. Morgan was my childhood best friend and continues to be one…

Cancer. Even saying the word, hearing the word - it makes my stomach drop. But when it’s tied to someone you love - it’s hard not just to say or to hear, all of a sudden, you feel it. When that word comes into your life, it’s a permanent marker. The lens through which you see the world shifts. Places have new meaning. You hear songs differently. Every day moments don’t feel so every day anymore. I didn’t think of any of this. Honestly, I didn’t know any of this, until my friend Jenny was diagnosed with breast cancer last summer. JENNY has invested in my life since I was…

Alright, so really, how many times have you heard or read the word enneagram in the past six months? Whether you have a vague knowledge or you’ve researched all there is about your number - this particular episode is for you. I feel like “what’s your number?” is our generation’s replacement for “what’s your sign?”. My friend Kaley isn’t necessarily an expert in the enneagram but she’s the reason I even heard about it to begin with. And I’ve seen what a huge tool it has been in self-discovery in her own life over the past year. I know I’m just personally scratching the surface of what I can learn…

As we prepped for this final show of 2018, there were lots of topics we thought we could cover. And interviews lined up to talk about them. But, something in me has been unsettled. Have you ever felt that? A restlessness? And here’s some real honesty...I’m just tired. This particular episode is short, mainly because of this weariness in my heart. And the emotions that started welling up. Sometimes, you just don’t need a lot of words simply because you can’t find them. Anyway, I hope you hear this and feel the hope it’s meant to bring. And I know the holidays make everyone feel something different - ranging from…

Buying gifts is real hard. I didn’t realize how hard it was until I was old enough to actually start picking and buying gifts out for friends and family. So I got to thinking - how can I can make this easier this year? Option one is to send a family email out saying I’m making a donation in their name to Henley and Hagan's college fund. Option two is perhaps a nice coin counter that was $5 at Kohl’s on Black Friday. And then there’s option three which is...effort. I’m just going to have to try. But I want this effort to result in some excitement and maybe some…

Growing up, I generally wasn’t an anxious person. I mean, I worried about who was going to ask me to prom and if my turtleneck gave me a double chin - but my life was never really altered by any of it. Until my mid-20s. Until my life started changing in big ways. Whether it was avoiding large groups of people because I didn’t want them to sense something was wrong. Or the times I would be so overcome with worry it was hard to fall asleep. It was varying degrees of just simply feeling overwhelmed with life. I’d be willing to bet many of you have felt this same…

When I graduated high school, I started thinking a little bit about what I ate. I started intentionally exercising. And, slowly, it became an obsession. The problem was, I was just going off what I read on social media and some unhealthy habits that would help me lose weight - but it wasn’t sustainable. No one ever taught me about food. All I knew was diets and restricted eating. My friend, Megan, is a registered dietician who dispels lots of myths we read about daily and partners with us in learning what it means to feed our bodies well. Take a listen to No One Told Me Food Is Our…

In this episode we talk about the best sides (#corncasseroleforlife), "special" family dynamics and some things you maybe shouldn't bring up when you're gathered around the table.

I didn’t know anything about hormones. Honestly...nothing. I didn’t know they corresponded with menstrual cycles, eating habits, moods...everything. I was at a loss until I got married and went on birth control. And then, literally, my life changed. I share about that time in my life and learn so much, SO MUCH, from Dr. Edie Wadsworth concerning a woman’s health, hormones and overall well-being. This episode is full of so much information. Dr. Edie has an incredible story found in her memoir, All the Pretty Things, listed below, and also on her Lifeingrace website. But listen, you may not agree with everything you hear. And that’s okay. The main thing…

Alright. We’re getting practical here. I’ve gotten lots of messages about grocery shopping. Personally, I kind of like it. There’s something kind of comforting, soothing even, about walking aisle by aisle. Of course that’s not actually a thing when a one and three year are yelling about getting another cookie from the bakery. We have to park at the lobsters for a little while to get everyone to simmer down. Anyway, there’s not a real rhyme or reason to my shopping. I’m just free wheeling it. And then there are others who hate it. Like really hate it. So this time around we have my friend Liz who’s got a…