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In this final episode of the Letters to Mothers season, we’re talking about one of the most difficult challenges you may face as a mother: having the first “talk” with your kids. You know the one—discussing their changing bodies and sex for the first time.
Where do you start? When do you start? How do you have those conversations in a way that makes sure they have the information they need without leaving them feeling overwhelmed or ashamed?
Today I’m speaking with Dr. Julia Sadusky, a clinical psychologist. She’s answering the questions that I have and giving all of us a boost of confidence that we need as we have foundational conversations with our young kids long before they hit puberty.
If you want to be ready to talk with your kids about human sexuality with confidence and clarity, this episode is for you.
Topics we cover:
Julia’s story as a Catholic woman
The origin story of Julia’s new book, Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics published by Ave Maria Press
Why we can’t wait until puberty to start talking about sexaulity with our kids
The barriers that hold us back from conversations about sexuality
Why it’s important to use accurate medical terms when teaching kids about their genitals (and how it can help prevent abuse and neglect!)
Explaining where babies come from to our little kids
What to do if you’re worried you missed your chance to share about human sexuality with your kids
How Julia lives out the feminine genius in her ordinary daily life (hint: it involves legos!)
Resources for you:
Pick up a copy of Julia’s new book, Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics
Visit Julia’s website
Follow Julia on Instagram
Subscribe to Naptime Notes and get early, ad free access to all the Letters to Women episodes for just $5 a month
Discussion questions:
Who taught you about human sexaulity as a kid? What were those conversations like for you and how did they shape the way you think about sex and intimacy today?
Have you had a hard time starting conversations about sex with your kids? What barriers might be holding you back from anticipating and initiating conversations about human sexuality with your kids?
Was there anything in this conversation with Julia that struck you as a parent? Is there anything you’ll change in your approach to conversations about sexuality with your kids after listening to her advice about sharing with kids the goodness of their body?
What did you think about Dr. Julia’s advice to use accurate medical terms to teach your kids about their body? Was that modeled for you growing up, or would using medical terms instead of nicknames be a change from your experience as a child?
What is your vision as a parent for conversations with your kids about sex? What would you love those conversations to look like as your children get older, and what can you do today to start laying the foundation for continued conversations with your kids about sex?
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In this seventh episode of the Letters to Mothers season, we’re talking about liturgical living and creating traditions with our families. Is it possible to enter into the rhythms of the church without getting totally overwhelmed? How do you decide which feasts to celebrate, how to create traditions in your domestic church?
Maybe you’ve taken some quick glances through blogs and Pinterest only to be left feeling discouraged or comparing your liturgical living to everyone else out there who seem to have it totally together. But it is possible to discover the joy of the liturgical season and be drawn closer to God in the middle of our daily lives as women and mothers.
If you’re looking for imaginative, effortless, and simple ways to live all of the Church Seasons, this episode with Erica Tighe Campbell is for you.
Topics we cover:
Erica’s story as a Catholic woman
The origin story of Erica’s new book, Living the Seasons
Where to start if you’re feeling overwhelmed when it comes to living the traditions of the church in your home
What liturgical living has looked like for Erica in different seasons of life
How to build a domestic church that helps your children enter into the rhythms of the year
How Erica lives out the feminine genius in her ordinary, daily life as a mother
Resources for you:
Pick up your own copy of Living the Seasons
Explore the Be a Heart store
Follow Be a Heart and Erica on Instagram
Subscribe to Naptime Notes and get early, ad free access to all the Letters to Women episodes for just $5 a month
Discussion questions:
What did living liturgically look like for you growing up? Do you have any favorite family traditions that you continue as an adult?
Does living liturgically intimidate you? If so, what is one small way you can be more aware of the rhythms of the church calendar this year?
What is your favorite season of the church calendar? How do you enter into it in your own home?
What are some ways you can celebrate favorite feast days in your own home?
It’s tempting to compare our liturgical living to some other woman who “has it all together”—even if that woman only exists in our imagination. She remembers all the feast days, hosts the big Michaelmas party, and everything always looks Pinterest-perfect and beautiful. How can you resist the urge to compare when it comes to the way you live liturgically in you homes and what does it look like to confidently celebrate in a way that works in whatever season of life you find yourself in?
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In this sixth episode of the Letters to Mothers season, we’re talking about infertility. What if you long for physical motherhood and spiritual motherhood feels like a consolation prize, like a second-rate motherhood?
What if you’re experiencing infertility, whether it’s a season of infertility with hope of a positive pregnancy test some day or permanent infertility and you wonder if you have any space in conversations about the feminine genius and motherhood?
Infertility is a burden that most women and couples don’t expect to carry. It can impact your marriage, your relationship with friends and family, and your relationship with God. On top of that, infertility often feels like a lonely and long path. But you aren’t alone. We’re talking about dismantling the lies around infertility, the importance of community in this journey, and how to support your spouse as you carry the cross of infertility together.
Wherever you are on the path of infertility, if you’re looking for a place of respite, solidarity, and encouragement, this episode of the Letters to Women podcast with Ann Koshute is for you.
Topics we cover:
Ann’s story as a Catholic woman
The story of Springs in the Desert
The importance of language around the experience of infertility
How infertility impacts marriage and Ann’s advice for processing emotions and grief in the shared experience of infertility
The importance of community in the experience of infertility and the resources that Springs in the Desert offers
How to live in the present moment during the experience of infertility
Simple ways of generosity and how you can be fruitful in your marriage
What spiritual motherhood means in your life
Ann’s advice for couples receiving a diagnosis of male infertility and how wives can support their husbands through that diagnosis
How Ann lives out the feminine genius in her daily life
Resources for you:
Springs in the Desert
Springs in the Desert podcast
Listen to A Letter to the Mother Wondering about Foster Care and Adoption, featuring Kimberly Henkel, co-founder of Springs in the Desert
Today’s episode is sponsored by Rooted for Good - use the code LETTERS20 to save 20% at checkout
Become a paid subscriber to Naptime Notes and get early, ad free access to all the Letters to Women episodes for just $5 a month
Discussion questions:
Has your experience of infertility left you feeling alone, or like you don’t belong? What is one practical resolution you can make today to connect with other women experiencing infertility?
How has infertility impacted your marriage? Have you struggled with objectifying your spouse or reducing sex to a means to an end of conceiving a child together?
In your experience with infertility, have you given in to despair or the belief that God has forgotten you, doesn’t love you, or is punishing you? How can you reject those lies, and who in your life can speak truth over you that you are a beloved daughter of God who is remembered and known?
How do you deal with the stress of experiencing infertility? What are some healthy ways that you can process the emotions around this cross and
Do you find it challenging to take things day by day in your experience with infertility? What are ways that you can surrender the past, trust God with the future, and be present to the now?
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In this fifth episode of the Letters to Mothers season, we’re talking about mothering our babies who we’ve lost in miscarriage, still birth, and infant loss. Losing a child is heartbreaking and devastating. For mothers who lose a child before or shortly after birth, this grief comes with distinct, sudden, and difficult questions about God, the Church, and who they are now as parents to the child they have lost.
If you’re looking for a companion and guide through those har medical, theological, and practical questions, whether you’re a mother who has lost her baby or you’re a friend, family member, or medical professional who supports parents through that loss, this episode of the Letters to Women podcast with Dr. Abigail Jorgensen is for you.
Topics we cover:
Abby’s story as as Catholic woman
The origin story of Abby’s new book, A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss: Compassionate Answers to Difficult Questions
A brief overview of miscarriage, still birth, and infant loss, and what the postpartum experiences can look like for mothers in each experience
Abby’s favorite question to ask her clients as a bereavement doula
What the Catholic Church teaches us about our hope for Heaven for children we’ve lost through miscarriage, still birth, or infant loss
How to grieve together and separately as loss parents
How to wrestle with the reality that God is all powerful, all good, and yet our babies still die
Whether or not you can flush during a miscarriage
How Abby lives out the feminine genius in her ordinary life as a mother
Resources for you:
Pick up a copy of Abby’s new book, A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss
If you want to learn more about Abby’s work as a sociologist, explore her website here
If you want to learn more about Abby’s work as a Catholic bereavement doula, explore this website
To discuss grief ministry training with Abby, reach out to her through Haven Bereavement Doulas
Today’s episode is sponsored by Monks Bread - use the code LETTERS10 to save 10% at checkout
Become a paid subscriber to Naptime Notes and get early, ad free access to all the Letters to Women episodes for just $5 a month
Discussion questions:
Have you lost a child through miscarriage, still birth, or infant loss? What has your experience of mothering your child or children who have died look like for you'?
How has losing a child through miscarriage, still birth, or infant loss impacted your relationship with the Lord? What are some moments of desolation and consolation you’ve experienced during the grieving process?
Have you felt angry at God during your grieving process? Have you felt guilt for feeling anger? How did hearing Abby share about allowing ourselves to grieve and be angry impact you?
Today, how are you parenting the child or children you’ve lost? What are some ways you can honor the memory of their short life here on earth while looking forward with hope to
What are some ways that you can support friends and family who are grieving the loss of their child? What does it look like as a Church and parish community to support grieving parents?
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In this fourth episode of the Letters to Mothers series, Johanna Seagren joins me to discuss emotional regulation, our interior life, and burnout in our motherhood.
Parenting is hard work, and sometimes it’s louder, messier, more complicated, and packed with tantrums (yours included) than you expected.
So many times, we end up exhausted and feeling like this can’t be the vision that God had for your family. We’re diving into a conversation about what it means to be an emotionally-healthy family without losing your mind.
If you’re ready to understand your own emotional triggers, learn how to connect with your kids instead of reacting to their big feelings, and grow closer to each other and God, this episode is for you.
Topics we cover:
Johanna’s story as a Catholic woman
Why Johanna created the Interior Kingdom as an emotional regulation program for her family and what Catholic families will find inside the program
What the Catholic Church teaches about emotions and what it looks like to grow in our awareness of our emotions as adults
The things that set Interior Kingdom apart from the calm kits and calm down spaces you’ve seen on Instagram
How to become curious about the triggers (unmet needs!) in your parenting
The reason that Interior Kingdom is for every family, regardless of your kids’ ages, abilities, and temperaments
How Johanna lives out the feminine genius in her daily life as a Catholic mother
Resources for you:
Explore the Interior Kingdom program (and use the code LTW25 for $25 off the program now through April 10, 2024!)
Today’s episode sponsor is Rooted for Good! Use the code Letters20 for 20% off your order at checkout
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Questions for discussion:
What have been some moments of disregulation in your motherhood? And on the flip side, what have been some moments of peace, regulation, and rest in your parenting journey?
When you were a child, what did your parents teach you about emotions? Do you feel confident in your understanding of emotions or is there room for growth?
What are some of your triggers (unmet needs) in your motherhood and how can you begin to meet those needs and invite the Lord into those unmet needs?
Have you ever felt guilty for anger in your motherhood? How did Johanna’s explanation of anger impact your understanding of emotions you may have labeled as “bad” before?
How can learning more about your emotions as a mother impact the way that you parent and live out the feminine genius in your daily life?
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In this third episode of the Letters to Mothers series, Kimberly Henkel of Springs of Love joins me to discuss foster care and adoption.
We’re talking about how Kimberly and her husband Greg discerned the call to foster care. We’re also busting myths around adoption that might be holding you back from discerning that call as a family, and both of us are sharing our experiences as adoptive mothers.
Whether you’re exploring the possibility of adoption or foster care, you’re already an adoptive or foster mother, or you’re wondering how to better support adoptive and foster families in your community, this letter is for you.
Topics we cover:
Kimberly’s story as a Catholic woman
How Kimberly and Greg discerned the Lord’s call to foster care and adoption
The origin story of Springs of Love, Kimberly and Greg’s ministry that encourages, educates, and equips Catholics to discern and live out the call to foster and adopt
The differences between foster care and adoption
Spiritual maternity and the adoption triad
Kimberly’s advice to couples hesitant to discern foster care or adoption because of the cost
Why open adoptions can be healthy for everyone involved in the adoption triad
Resources for you:
Find Springs of Love online
Watch the Springs of Love video series
Ten Myths about Adoption from the Springs of Love website
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Discussion questions:
Have you felt called by the Lord to discern growing your family through adoption or fostering children? What has that discernment looked like for you both as an individual and in your marriage?
What myth surrounding adoption that Kimberly mentioned in the show is something you’ve believed to be true before?
Romans 8:15 says that “You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we call ‘Abba, Father!’” How does reflecting on this theological reality of adoption in all of our lives as children of God through baptism impact the way you think about adoption and foster care?
What are ways that you can accompany birth mothers and families in the adoption triad?
Does your parish community support adoptive and foster families well? What are things you can do to encourage a culture of life for families who are called to foster or adopt?
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In this second episode of the Letters to Mothers series, Grace Stark from Natural Womanhood joins me to discuss fertility awareness and motherhood.
This is a conversation about authentic womens’ healthcare, how to grow in an appreciation of your fertility as a gift, and discerning the size of family that the Lord wants to build with and for you—and what to do if you’re not on the same page as your spouse in that discernment.
We also talk about what it means to be mothers to daughters, and how the conversations we have from a very young age shape the way our daughters see their bodies.
If you’re ready to get to know and appreciate your cycle and fertility this letter is for you.
Topics we cover:
Grace’s story as a Catholic woman
The origin story of Natural Womanhood and their mission to help women work with their body, not against it
What authentic women’s healthcare looks like and how we can grow as women in accepting our fertility as a gift
What the Catholic Church teaches about using Natural Family Planning and family size
Grace’s advice for couples in seasons of discerning adding another child to their family
What to do when you’re not on the same page as your spouse about having more children
How Natural Womanhood is helping mothers of pre-teen girls learn about ther bodies, cycles, and fertility
How Shelby lives out the feminine genius as a mother
Resources for you:
Discover Natural Womanhood online
Natural Womanhood podcast
Charting Towards Intimacy podcast hosted by Ellen Holloway
Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, Interior Kingdom! Use the code LTW15 for 15% off the full Interior Kingdom program.
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Discussion questions:
Have you ever felt angry or ashamed of your cycle as a woman? What were some messages that you received about your body as a girl, especially around your fertility and cycles?
Do you feel pressure to have a certain number of kids as a Catholic woman? Or for your family to look a certain way? What are some ways you can grow in confidence about how the Lord is calling you specifically to mother?
Are you and your spouse of one heart and mind when it comes to having children? What advice that Grace shared in this episode about discerning a family with your spouse struck you?
If you’re a mother to a daughter, how have you approached conversations with her about fertility and puberty? Are there things you want to change about how you talk about those subjects after listening to this episode?
What dreams do you have for your family and your motherhood? How can embracing your fertility as a gift impact those dreams?
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In this first episode of the Letters to Mothers season we’re talking about a topic that so many of us are familiar with—body image. It’s a topic we’ve talked about on the show, but I wanted to revisit it with a specific focus on that experience as mothers.
Joining me on the show today is Shelby Hirschman. She’s a nutrition therapist who specializes in intuitive eating, body acceptance, and recovery from chronic dieting and disordered eating.
We’re talking about postpartum discomfort, the societal pressure to “bounce back” and why that isn’t helpful for us as women, and some actual practical behaviors and tools to put into place that I think can be a huge help.
If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and felt frustrated, uncomfortable, disappointed, or unattractive, this letter is for you.
Topics we cover:
Why so many of us feel at war with our bodies as mothers
Defining the postpartum season
The pressure women feel to “get their body back” or “bounce back” after giving birth
What body checking is and why (and how!) to reduce that habit in your life
Compassionate closets
What is happening on a biological level to our bodies during the postpartum season
How to prioritize consistent and adequate nutrition
Habits to form in our lives as women during seasons of change to remind ourselves that our body is good
How Shelby lives out the feminine genius as a mother
Resources for you:
Tune into Shelby and I’s first conversation on the Letters to Women podcast, A Letter to the Woman Struggling to Believe Her Body Is Unconditionally Good
Visit Shelby’s website to learn about her work as a nutrition therapist
Subscribe to Shelby’s substack, Good Body Notes
Shop Good Body Nutrition on Etsy
Learn more about Catholics Online, the sponsor for today’s episode
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Discussion questions:
Have you ever felt at war with your body? What are some moments you’ve noticed postpartum discomfort in your own story as a woman?
In what ways has motherhood impacted the way that you view your body? Do you feel a tension between being in awe of what your body is capable of and discomfort or frustration with your postpartum body?
As a mother, have you felt pressured to “bounce back” after giving birth? Where have you received those messages from and how have they impacted the way you view your body today?
Do the clothes in your closet honor the reality of your season of life? What would getting dressed in the morning look like if your closet had pieces in it that honored your postpartum experience as a mother?
What are some practical ways you can begin to be more gentle and compassionate when it comes to the way you view and talk about your body as a mother? Make one resolution today to help you remember that your body is good.
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Letters to Women returns February 13th with a season dedicated to motherhood. Plus, Chloe shares her favorite part of Saint Pope John Paul II’s original Letter to Women and reveals a few other surprises.
Stay in touch and learn about upcoming episodes by signing up for the email list at naptimenotes.substack.com
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A quick update about why there hasn't been a new episode of Letters to Women in your podcast feed lately ... and an announcement about the future of the podcast.
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Should we care about what we wear? The short answer is “yes”—but don’t pull out your headphones just yet. There’s more to the conversation than that.
What about style? What do you think of when you hear that word? Maybe the pages of fashion magazines or reruns of Project Runway flash through your mind. Or maybe you wonder if style should even be something you think about—how many of us have felt guilty after splurging on a gorgeous dress, wondering how a piece of fabric can capture our imagination and desire.
We scold ourselves and say “I should bought something practical.” Or maybe you’ve even wondered if you’re vain if you care about how you look.
But what if that pull towards certain items of clothing is actually a sign of being made in the image and likeness of God? What if instead of finding a new “cool,” “fancy,” or “stylish” wardrobe, or becoming a “new” version of ourselves, we focused on how we can grow in an understanding of how we were made?
In this episode, I’m sitting down with Lillian Fallon. She's a Catholic writer with a passion for helping women express their unrepeatability through style.
Lillian and I are talking about living life as an affirmed woman and daughter of God, how wisdom from St. Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body relates to clothing, and how to dress in a way that expresses who we are.
If you’ve ever wondered if your love of style is incongruent with your Catholic faith, sister, this letter is for you.
Topics we talked about in this episode:
Lillian’s story as a Catholic woman
The origin story behind Lillian’s new book, Theology of Style: Expressing the Unique and Unrepeatable You
How an epiphany moment in a Theology of the Body class gave Lillian the freedom to pursue her passion for style
What Theology of Style is and how it can transform the way we see ourselves and God
What an understanding of modesty informed by Theology of the Body looks like—and why it is so much more than the length of a skirt
Living life as an affirmed person who is confident in her identity, gifts, and passions
How Lillian lives out the feminine genius in her daily life
Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:
Pick up your copy of Theology of Style: Expressing the Unique and Unrepeatable You
Saint Pope John Paul II’s Letter to Artists
Check out Lillian’s website and connect with her on Instagram
Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, CORDA, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout
Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes
Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.
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It’s time we get honest with ourselves as women today—we’re being lied to. Today’s cultural beauty standards are messed up. We all know it, and we all think we can resist the pull to look a certain way. But most of us—and our sisters, daughters, and nieces, too—are still striving for a broken kind of beauty while feeling like we’re not good enough.
In this episode, I’m sitting down with Melissa Johnson, a marriage and family therapist. The lie of today’s beauty standards eventually led her to battling an eating disorder. Through that experience, she saw that chasing broken beauty breaks us as women in so many ways. And she also realized that true, soul-deep beauty is not impossible—it abounds in us and all around us.
Melissa and I are talking about how to uncover the hidden damage cultural lies about beauty have on your mind and soul, how to reconnect with God, in whose image you are made, and how to walk away from shame and striving.
If you find yourself wishing that you were thinner or smaller, have a list of things you wish you could change about your appearance, or compare your body to other women’s bodies, and you’re longing for a more self-compassionate relationship with your body, sister, this letter is for you.
Topics we talked about in this episode:
Melissa’s story as a Christian woman
The origin story of Melissa’s new book, Soul Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless and what you’ll find when you open the cover
The unhelpful (but normalized) beliefs we are buying as women when it comes to beauty
What happens when we embrace our bodies as miracles and what it looks like to practice gratitude for our aging bodies
What living in loving community with other women looks like
How Melissa defines true beauty
The ways that Melissa lives out the feminine genius in her own daily life
Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:
Pick up a copy of Soul Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless
Visit Melissa’s website, Impossible Beauty and listen to the Impossible Beauty podcast
Follow Melissa on Instagram
Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, CORDA, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout
Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes
Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.
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We’re living in a world of filters and photoshop. Thanks to the constant pull from the smartphone in your pocket, you might be experiencing internet overwhelm and social media fatigue. Is there any relatable women’s media out there that gives an accurate representation of what it means to be a women, reminds you of your belovedness, and encourages you to be authentic?
The world needs more of who women ARE. Not a long list of expectations of what we should be doing and what our bodies look like while we’re doing it.
That, and more, is what we’re diving into today in this episode of the Letters to Women podcast.
In this episode, I’m sitting down with Mary Rose Somarriba,. Mary Rose is the editor of Verily Magazine. True to their name, Verily sifts through the noise of the world to elevate what is honest, real, and beautiful for the modern woman—facilitating her connection with the things that matter the most to her through our production of original media, curation of quality content across the web, and in-person events.
Mary Rose and I are talking about the mission of Verily, what it’s like for them to totally reject photoshop, and why they’re returning to a print magazine in our digital world.
If you’re exhausted from a constant barrage of media that tells you what the “ideal” body type, image, or status is and you're ready to be empowered to be more of who YOU ARE, sister, this letter is for you.
Topics we talked about in this episode:
Mary Rose’s story as a Catholic woman
The origin story of Verily Magazine and what sets it apart from other fashion and lifestyle magazines
What has changed and what has stayed the same since the first issue of Verily was published in 2012
Why being a non-profit fits the mission of Verily
The false expectations that we’re sorting through as women today and how Verily encourages women to live authentically
How editing Verily has impacted Mary Rose as a mother
The ways the Mary Rose lives out the feminine genius in her daily life
Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:
Learn more about Verily Magazine
Subscribe to Verily’s print magazine
Rethinking Sex by Christine Emba
Mary Rose’s article at National Review on how the internet has ruined women’s magazines
Defend Young Minds and how they can help you chat with your kids about pornography ahead of time
Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, Sacred Heart Tea, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout
Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes
Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.
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Have you ever wished you prayed more with your spouse, but you don’t know where to start? Maybe you’re confident in praying FOR your spouse, but WITH them?
In this episode, I’m sitting down with Dr. Sarah Bartel and we’re talking about Cana Feast, the marriage ministry she founded with husband, Nathan, and she’s giving some really practical, nitty-gritty ways that they’ve found make a difference in couple’s marriages - from how to get over the awkwardness of praying together to making time for each other in seasons of change and prioritizing your marriage when schedules are tight or babies are little. Or teenagers are up at all hours of the day.
Regardless of the season of marriage you find yourself in, there’s something here for you.
Topics we talked about in this episode:
The origin story of Cana Feast, an online enrichment community for couples
Navigating seasons of change in your marriage with grace
Practical, daily practices for couples to strengthen their marriages
How Cana Feast makes retreats-in-place possible for couples with busy schedules
Sarah’s top advice for women who aren’t married yet but feel God’s call to the vocation of marriage
Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:
Cana Feast
Follow Cana Feast on social media and connect with Dr. Sarah Bartel on her personal Instagram account
Dr. Bartel mentioned Living in Love, which is now known as EverMore in Love. This is a retreat that Joseph and I lead in our own diocese! We cannot recommend it enough. Learn more about upcoming retreats here!
Enter to win a Custom Home Altar with The Catholic Man Show’s giveaway that ends September 14!
Subscribe to my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes
Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.
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Have you ever had the experience that life is flying by you at lightning speed and you’re just an observer? The year is already over halfway done, you’re not sure really what you’ve even done for the past six months. You’re just along for the ride.
But what if there was a daily practice that helped you grow in your ability to focus, to be grateful, and to be present?
In this episode, I’m sitting down with Tsh Oxenreider. I love Tsh—her writing is absolutely fantastic, her podcast is one of the few that I listen to on long drives or as I work through mountains of laundry. And she’s just written a brand new book called First Light and Eventide, which is a daily gratitude journal. When you open up the cover, she guides you through a short, twice-daily thought exercise to help you better focus on gratitude, grace, and greater truth.
If you’re looking for a thoughtful way to bookend your day and you wish someone would just take you by the hand and help you navigate some of life’s uncertainty, this letter is for you.
Topics we talked about in this episode:
Tsh’s story as a Catholic convert
The story behind her new book, First Light and Eventide: A Daily Gratitude Journal
Tsh’s advice for building the habit of morning and evening bookends
How Tsh has encountered truth, goodness, and beauty on pilgrimage (and how you can join her on upcoming trips!)
How stepping away from Instagram has impacted Tsh’s ability to notice, focus, and be grateful
Why Tsh curates playlists to pair with all of her books
How Tsh lives out the feminine genius in her daily life
Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:
Pick up a copy of First Light and Eventide: A Daily Gratitude Journal
Connect with Tsh through her newsletter
Find out more about Tsh’s upcoming pilgrimages
Join us in bringing the newest Langr home with our adoption fundraiser
Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, Sacred Heart Tea, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout
Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes
Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.
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When Sarah Swafford first started talking to college students about friendship, it was 2007. They were trying to figure out cellphones, dorm life, emotions, and virtue. Sixteen years later, Sarah is still talking about friendship—and it hasn’t gotten any easier with the rise of social media, smart phones, and a world pandemic.
Sarah fist came on the podcast way back in 2018 to talk about emotions and virtue. She’s back for another conversation about virtue, a brand new book called Gift and Grit that she just wrote with her husband, Swaff, and a deep dive into the topic of friendship, especially as you navigate changing seasons of life.
Whether you’re blessed with an incredible community of friends around you and you want to grow deeper in relationship with them, or you’re starting out in a new season of life and you’re hungry for authentic friendship, sister, this letter is for you.
Topics we talked about in this episode:
Sarah’s story as a Catholic woman
The story behind Gift and Grit: How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships and what it was like for Sarah to write a book with her husband
What Środowisko is, what it looked like in the life of Saint Pope John Paul II, and what it means for us as Catholic women today
Why finding meaning in life isn’t enough and why we need grit, too
How to navigate friendship in changing seasons and how to be truly vulnerable with women you trust
Sarah’s three ingredients for healthy and holy friendship
How Sarah lives out the feminine genius in her daily life
Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:
Pick up a copy of Gift and Grit
Connect with Sarah on Instagram and Facebook
Visit The Swafford’s website and get a signed copy of Gift and Grit
Lisa Cotter’s new book on femininity, Reveal the Gift—and my conversation with her about it on the Letters to Women podcast!
Sarah and I’s conversation on emotional virtue from back in 2018 on the Letters to Women podcast
Join us in bringing the newest Langr home with our adoption fundraiser
Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, Sacred Heart Tea, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout
Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes
Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.
“Throw out whatever image that you think you need to have of yourself. Really ask the Lord to see you and be seen by you. Let the Lord love you. Let him define all the beauty that is within you.”
—Sarah Swafford -
I’m sitting down with Grace Babineau. She’s a wife and mom of two, and she recently wrote an article on Verily Magazine called “Thrift is the Really Romantic Thing” about why saving money might be the best thing for your marriage. And today we’re talking about thrift and romance, but also the virtue of simplicity, prioritizing creativity in seasons where it’s easy to write it off as a luxury or selfish desire, and how to actually cultivate time in your day for creativity.
So whether you are wondering how in the world creativity can fit into your daily life if you barely have time for a shower, or you’re interested in learning about how simplicity and thrift can actually be romantic, sister, this letter is for you.
Topics we talked about in this episode:
Grace’s story as a Catholic woman
Grace’s recent article for Verily Magazine on what G.K. Chesterton had to say about thrift and romance
Finding things to talk about with your spouse when you don’t share interests in common
What it looks like for Grace prioritize and cultivate creativity as a woman and mother
How witnessing her daughter play reminds Grace of the importance of play in her own life—and what play practically looks like in our lives as women, wives, and moms
How to embrace thrift and creativity when it comes to home making
How Grace lives ou the feminine genius in her daily life
Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:
Read Grace’s article on Verily Magazine
My episode of the Letters to Women podcast with Leila Lawler on her series Summa Domestica
Visit Grace’s blog, A Graceful Journal
Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, Sacred Heart Tea, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout
Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes
Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes. -
We all know someone struggling with substance use disorder. We might not know it, but since nearly one in five Americans older than twelve reported illicit drug use in 2018, someone in our life is struggling. And those numbers were before a pandemic threw our culture into further isolation. With those kinds of numbers, if you live in the United States, it’s nearly impossible for you to not know someone battling an addiction to drugs or alcohol.
It could be your aunt, cousin, neighbor, your high school classmate, or your best friend’s sibling, son or daughter. Or, it might be you. One way or another, substance use disorders impact our society as a whole, and each and everyone of us as individuals.
So first, why do so many of us still think that this crisis is someone else’s problem? And how can we shift that mentality and become members of the Church who bring Christ’s love and mercy to the souls most in need of it? Souls in our communities, our parishes, and our families?
In this episode, I’m sitting down with Keaton Douglas. She’s the co-author of a brand new book on responding to the crisis of addiction and we’re talking about what sets today’s suffering of addiction apart, what we can learn from St. Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body when it comes to accompanying someone struggling with an addiction, and practical ways that we can grow in our understanding of addiction as Catholic women today.
Accompanying those we love who are struggling with addiction is messy, challenging, and unfortunately too often, it’s devastating. But as Catholic women today, we need to do it. And for the sake of those we love, we need to start today.
So whether you’re tuning in to learn more about the epidemic of substance use disorders and come to understand it better or you’re wondering how to start making some real change in your family and community, sister, this letter is for you.
Topics we talked about in this episode:
Keaton’s story as a Catholic woman
The inspiration behind The Road to Hope: Responding to the Crisis of Addiction
Why it’s tempting to think that addition is “someone else’s problem” and why we have a responsibility as Catholics to move beyond that mentality
What makes opiod addiction different from other suffering
The important element that’s missing from most resources available for people suffering from addiction—and what the Catholic Church can provide
How to tap into St. Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body as Catholics accompanying those who are addicted
How to communicate the dignity of those who die of substance abuse and how to acknowledge (and eliminate!) social stigmas around addiction
Keaton’s advice for how to grow in our understanding of addiction and accompany those we love through this particular type of suffering
How Keaton lives ou the feminine genius in her daily life
Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:
Pick up a copy of The Road to Hope by Keaton Douglas and Lindsay Schlegel
Learn more about iTHIRST
Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, Sacred Heart Tea, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout
Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes
Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.
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Have you ever wanted to sit down with a woman who is a few season of life ahead of you, settle in on her couch with a big cup of coffee, and pick her brain about all of the joys and challenges of the season of life you’re in now -- and the seasons you’re looking forward to? To hear her advice and learn from the wisdom she’s gained over the years?
That’s exactly what today’s episode from the archive is all about.
These past weeks have been really full here at the Langr house -- spring weddings, endless little house projects we can tackle now that the weather is getting warmer, and the last steps of our adoption home study before we move into a season where we’re just waiting to be matched.
So today, I’m pulling one of my favorite episodes from the archives to share with you — this is a listener favorite too, so there’s a chance you’ve already listened. But it’s so packed full of practical advice that you might discover something you missed the first go-around.
Kimberly and I are talking about her brand new Bible study, “Graced and Gifted,” which is all about how we can tackle the seemingly endless demands of caring for our families and our homes all from the perspective of the woman described in Proverbs 31. She also shares her tried and true tips for things like time management, her secrets for meal planning, and how she creates a peaceful and beautiful home for her family and friends.
If you are looking for not only useful tips but some inspiring help from a woman who has been there done that when it comes to taking care of the domestic church - no matter what season of life you’re in - sister, this letter is for you.
Topics we talked about in this episode:
Kimberly’s story of conversion
What we can learn from the woman described in Proverbs 31 about marriage and homemaking
Why (and how!) to prioritize prayer in your life as a Catholic woman
Remembering that marriage (not motherhood!) is a sacrament and making space to encounter your spouse
How to create a rule of life and why that matters for our lives as Catholic women
Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:
Graced and Gifted, Kimberly’s Bible Study
Chosen and Cherished, Kimberly’s Bible Study on marriage
A Mother's Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul by Holly Pierlot
Listen to Kimberly’s podcast, “Beloved and Blessed”
Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, Sacred Heart Tea, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout
Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes
Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.
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There are so many tasks on our to-do lists as women, wives, and moms that are repetitive—and hidden. You plan meals every week and wander the aisle of your grocery store, only to be back again the week after to do the exact same thing all over again. You fold a massive pile of laundry and as you’re putting clean clothes in dressers, you find the laundry baskets are full again and ready for the next load. You make a meal, only to be faced with a pile of dirty dishes and a full dishwasher ready for unloading…again.
It can be easy to get discouraged in the monotony of taking care of your home, your family, and yourself. So how do we find meaning in these daily tasks that we’re going to do all over again tomorrow?
In this episode, I’m sitting down with Thérèse Desilets. Thérèse is the founder of Lovely Lady Linens, a Marian inspired home textile company. Her and I are talking about how the Blessed Mother can encourage us in our daily chores, the importance of beauty in our domestic churches, and how Thérèse integrates her work and vocation.
If you’re exhausted from the constant to-do list of taking care of your home and are needing some encouragement and inspiration, sister, this letter is for you.
Topics we talked about in this episode:
Thérèse’s story as a Catholic woman
The origin story of Lovely Lady Linens and the beautiful work of handblocking
How designing Marian-inspired linen collections has impacted Thérèse’s relationship with the Blessed Mother
Why domestic work is meaningful, even though so much of it goes unseen
How Thérèse’s business and work as an attorney is at the service of her family (not the other way around)
The story behind Mariamante Academy, where Thérèse donates a portion of her business proceeds
How Thérèse lives out the feminine genius in her current season as a mother of three kids under five
Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:
Browse the collections at Lovely Lady Linens
Follow Lovely Lady Linens on Instagram
Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, Sacred Heart Tea, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout
Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)
Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes
Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes
Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.
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