Blended, Blessed & Always A Mess

We would love to hear from you!!! Netflix recently dropped the "Gabby Petito" Docuseries. It's double ironic to use the word "triggered", but there are no other words to describe it while I sat and watched her story unfold. My heart aches for this family and everything they went through in 2021 and every day since. I remember this entire heartbreaking story happening. Litt...

We would love to hear from you!!! What's your battle? We all have them. Battling through the day, the week, the month or the years. What's your fuel to fight? It's so personal, isn't it? Everybody has their own experiences and reasons that drive them.   In this episode, Aric and Angie discuss their experiences battling an illness and the power of prayer. Angie dives into her th...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this episode, Angie shares her recent surprise experience where she watched her second children's book come to life on the 7th of February. Yes, the 7th!!!! Angie and Aric discuss their journey of healing and connection through the experience of owning a horse, Phoenix, which was a dream of Angie's late daughter, Hallie. SO MANY EMOTIONS!!!! This week...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this episode, Angie shares this profound statement:  "Don't let them die twice".  It describes perfectly what ever parent that lost a child experiences in the fight. It is what keeps them going. SO LET THEM. Let them talk about their child every chance they get. They are fighting to keep their memory living when their soul is no longer here on ea...

We would love to hear from you!!! Have you ever had a time in your life where your perspective became a prison? Sometimes we are held captive by our own thoughts. Making a choice to open up and share the story you are telling yourself is a brave and vulnerable thing to do. You never know what might happen. Will you be judged? Will people think you are crazy? OR will someone take your prison and gi...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this real and raw episode, Aric and Angie reflect on the difficult week surrounding Hallie's 23rd birthday, sharing their struggles with grief and the importance of honoring her memory.  Life can be so full of noise and chaos. Add grief to that and it can be disastrous! Angie specifically shares her 3 M approach to try to calm the distractions to work thro...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this episode, Aric and Angie explore many topics like parenting their kids when they aren't getting along the best, fostering independence in teens and the new year goal setting process.  The conversation also includes practical parenting hacks to strengthen sibling relationships and foster independence among teens. Aric and Angie share the continued journ...

We would love to hear from you!!! It's a new season for Blended, Blessed & Always A Mess! We are giving volume to voices on hard topics in Season 4. During this episode, we chat with guest, Jill Wood. Together we dive into the profound impact of grief and loss, particularly focusing on the experience of losing a loved one to suicide. Jill lost her husband, Chris, 18 months ago. Our conver...

We would love to hear from you!!! It's hard to believe we are closing out another season, another year, another chapter. Ever sit down and reflect on all the good, the bad, and everything in between? In this episode, we reflect on our Christmas traditions, share highlights from the past year, and discuss the importance of family. It's been a hard year but when we pause and reflect we rem...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this episode of Blended, Blessed, and Always a Mess, Angie sharers her personal journey through pregnancy and IVF.  She delves into the emotional challenges of pregnancy, including miscarriages, IVF, and the dynamics of family beliefs surrounding fertility treatments. The conversation highlights the importance of personal conviction, the joys and struggles of m...

We would love to hear from you!!! Grief isn't experienced only through a loss of a loved one. It can also be navigating a child diagnosed with cancer. In this episode, Aric interviews his longtime friend Josh Ryan about their experiences with family, grief, and resilience. Josh shares the story of his daughter Brooklyn's cancer diagnosis and the challenges their family faced during this...

We would love to hear from you!!! When we go through something that is life changing whether it’s an illness, divorce, loss of a loved one, we search for community. Because knowing we are not alone, that somebody else knows what our circumstances are like, provides a sense of safety and real connection. In this episode, Angie shares the community she found and connection with Rio Richards, a traum...

We would love to hear from you!!! Is there someone else he asked? Yes, she answered. Grief is so complex! Add in Thanksgiving and the two year anniversary of Hallie's death and we are down hill spiraling. But there's hope! In this episode, Aric and Angie reflect on the importance of contentment especially when you ache for more or something different. It's an endless journey they ar...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this heartfelt episode, Aric and Angie share a personal story about their late daughter, Hallie, showing up in a big way as they gear up for the two year angelversary. Thanksgiving is close and the holidays are so hard when navigating the complexities of family life, grief, and healing. Through their discussions, they emphasize the importance of facing fears, t...

We would love to hear from you!!! Do you know how smart your body is? In this episode, hosts Angie and Aric dive into the importance of understanding emotions as information rather than instructions. They jump into the complexities of grief, exploring how it manifests emotionally and physically. Angie and Aric discuss the protective mechanisms of the body during times of loss, including feelings o...

We would love to hear from you!!! How does youth sports help build mental toughness? In this episode of Blended Blessed and Always a Mess, hosts Aric and Angie Phillips welcome guests Trevor Rosenthal (former St. Louis Cardinal) and Jason Holzer from The Game Plan Show. The conversation explores the significance of youth sports, the impact of grief and loss, and the importance of mental resilience...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this episode, the hosts welcome Ashley Minor, their wedding planner and close friend, to discuss her journey through profound loss and grief. The conversation explores the impact of losing both parents at a young age, the importance of faith and resilience, and the challenges of navigating life as an only child. Ashley shares her experiences of building walls f...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this episode of 'Blended, Blessed, and Always a Mess', hosts Aric and Angie Phillips discuss various themes surrounding family dynamics, parenting challenges, and the emotional journey of navigating different stages of life. The conversation delves into the complexities of parenting teenage boys, particularly during the 'wander stage', where...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this episode, Aric and Angie explore the complexities of relationships, politics, and personal growth. They share humorous anecdotes about their interactions, delve into the challenges of grief and anger, and reflect on the importance of family time. The conversation also touches on spiritual messages from nature and the concept of strength in vulnerability. Th...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this episode of 'Blended, Blessed and Always a Mess', Aric and Angie reflect on their recent experiences, discussing the balance of grief and joy, the importance of finding glimmers of hope amidst pain, and the healing power of nature. They share personal stories about their trip to Florida, signs from their late daughter Hallie, and the challenges of...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this episode of 'Blended Blessed and Always a Mess', Aric and Angie reflect on the emotional journey following the tragic loss of their daughter, Hallie. They discuss the recent sentencing of the individual responsible for her death and share the powerful victim impact statements delivered by family members. The episode captures the profound grief, th...

We would love to hear from you!!! Angie takes on the topic of self-worth. She explores the concepts of self-worth and self-esteem, emphasizing the importance of recognizing one's inherent value. She shares personal anecdotes about motherhood, the challenges of maintaining self-worth in relationships, and the necessity of setting boundaries. Angie encourages listeners to embrace their purpose...

We would love to hear from you!!! Ever feel like you were put in time out as an adult? In this episode, we continue the conversations about our communication improvement journey and the steps we are taking to reintroduce ourselves to each other. We share insights from our therapy sessions, a movie fail and more ways we continue to honor our beautiful daughter, Hallie, who's no longer with us....

We would love to hear from you!!! In this episode, the we invite Lynn Roush, a licensed professional counselor, to discuss the topic of the dreaded F Word --- forgiveness. We explore the challenges and complexities of forgiveness, emphasizing that it is a divine act that goes against our natural human instincts. Forgiveness involves releasing someone from a debt they owe us, just as God forgives u...

We would love to hear from you!!! In this episode, we get real and raw talking about our communication challenges! We discuss the importance of communication in all types of relationships. We get into the weeds sharing our recent struggle with communication and what we are doing to improve it.  IT IS HARD especially in the context of grief and complicated emotions.  We have to be super intentional...