The Second Cup Show

Hi, I’m Deidre! I’m a poet, a theologian in training, an editor, and author of a forthcoming book on the spiritual discipline of delight. Here you’ll find semi-regular essays, poems, and podcast interviews with people who inspire me. I also offer a bi-weekly Office Hour with an Editor for paid subscribers of The Second Cup, and a Nonfiction Book Proposal Cohort to give you the tangible support you...

For those who are celebrating this week—Happy Thanksgiving! This conversation is all about books, and happiness, and theology, and juicy tidbits about writing & research. It felt like the perfect companion for your comings and goings. Wish I could eat a slice of pumpkin pie with you! If you’re just arriving here, stick around! Does God actually want us to be happy? That’s what we talk about in thi...

“Apathy is informative. And when we get to that point, we have to decide: Are we going to fight to bring that piece of us back that is worth reviving?” That’s what Lindsay Swoboda asks in this interview and in her book, Holding On and Letting Go: A Life in Motion , a memoir about the two decades of military life she experienced alongside her family and husband, a Marine. And what I loved about thi...

Make sure to leave a review after you listen for a chance to win some Poetry is for Rebels apparel! The winner of last episode’s podcast review was a dear listener by the name of Jsteele9! If that’s you—send me a message today and I’ll send YOU a new piece of Poetry is for Rebels swag. Hi, I’m Deidre, the author & host behind The Second Cup . Each week, you can expect one podcast or post around th...

Hold the phone! Have you left a review yet? Everyone who leaves a review for The Second Cup Show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts gets entered to win some Poetry is for Rebels swag of your choice, so make sure you take a moment to do that and then let me know below in the comments that you have so I don’t miss it. The winner for last episode’s reviews was Becca Shaw! Love theology, poetry, and the dai...

Welcome to The Second Cup Show! Today, we talk with therapists (and best friends!) Blake Roberts, LMFT and Jamie Haigh, LPC-MHSP of Three Percent Co. , a mental health community and podcast that helps men turn emotional walls into deeper relationships. Send this to a friend who would love it! Besides bringing their fascinating insights from their professional lives as therapists, Blake and Jamie o...

Everybody who leaves a review of The Second Cup Show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts gets entered to win some Poetry is for Rebels swag of your choice, so make sure you take a moment to do that and then let me know below in the comments that you have. The winner for last episode’s reviews was Janet S Abadir ! Welcome to The Second Cup Show! Today, we talk with Chris Wheeler of The Tethered Letters, a...

Everybody who leaves a review of The Second Cup Show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts gets entered to win some Poetry is for Rebels swag of your choice, so make sure you take 1 minute to do that and then let me know below in the comments that you have. The winner for last episode’s reviews was Kimberly Kralovic ! Welcome to The Second Cup Show! Today, we talk with author & spoken word poet, Tanner Ols...

Welcome back to The Second Cup Show! Today, we kick off Season 02 Episode 01 with none other than my own literary agent, the wonderful Kathy Green. Kathy is an author, speaker, and literary agent, and in this episode, she drops some serious wisdom on how to wait well (something that I find to be devastatingly hard). We also discuss the book publishing world, learning to listen for God, and the imp...

Jessica is a straight-talking writer, pastor, runner (and American Ninja Warrior, whaaaat?!), and mom to five: two adopted, two autistic, and one typical teen boy. She is a champion for foster care and adoption. She is also a champion for moms discovering their God-given purpose and calling—within AND beyond their mothering. I have to warn you: you’ve got to listen to this one at your own risk. Yo...

Join Matthew Nash , Sarah Steele, Kristi Clark , Kim D. Butler , Mary Folkerts and me for Part II of this conversation where we each share an original, never-before-shared poem and the story behind its conception. Consider this your backstage pass to being part of a community of poets. And if you missed Part I, listen to it below! I try not to pick favorites, but… …how can I not be over-the-moon e...

GUYS. It’s National Poetry Month. Back when I was an elementary school teacher, April was my favorite month because it was a multi-week opportunity to educate kids on the power of poetry and to help them realize that a.) poetry is for the people b.) poetry is for rebels And we did it UP. The kids would work all month on original poetry, and then we’d invite all their families in for Poetry Cafe Ni...

Share this with a mom who needs to hear it! God asks me to be faithful with what he’s given me—NOT what he’s given someone else. Lara d’Entremont My stance on talking about motherhood is that it should never, never be sugar-coated. When we aren’t honest about the ways our humanness intertwines with parenting, we do a disservice to mothers everywhere. That’s why I want you to listen to this convers...

Do you remember being a kid and playing outside in the cold? You’re vaguely aware that your hands are raw and your nose is dripping, but you’ve gotten used to it and so you keep playing, until someone finally calls you in. It’s not until you kick off your boots and feel the warmth of the kitchen that you realize just how cold you really were. Well, this episode is kind of like that—coming inside a...

I needed a valid excuse to shamelessly reach out to all the people I think are really cool and ask them all my nosy questions. Creating a show seemed like the perfect solution. So here it is. You’re the first to see this. If you’ve been around here for at least 10 minutes, then you know that there’s little I’d rather talk about than really great books. Especially the ones that can challenge us, en...

“There is some action that we need to take. It’s not just putting it down, but then—what are you gonna do with that?” Jennifer Dukes Lee, on journaling Jennifer Dukes Lee talks about “Stuff I’d Only Tell God” on The Second Cup Show—and no question is off the table No, seriously. Our conversation took us through some of our favorite questions from her new guided journal, like: * What is your 6-word...

"𝐅𝐮𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠—𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭." - 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫, 𝐏𝐡𝐃, Author of The Fun Habit Thank you for listening to The Second Cup! This post is free, so feel FREE to share it with someone who might love a little more fun in their life, too! Oh boy. You KNOW I've been excited to talk all things fun with Mike Rucker, PhD, ever since I picked up a copy of his book The Fun Habit and he gave me...

A couple weeks ago I wrote Prayer is Bloody Hard , and almost instantly, Jess Leigh Hanna was in my messages asking if she could come onto the show and talk about prayer. Obviously, the answer was a resounding YES . Jess has been a student of prayer for years, and she shares regular and helpful content about that on her Instagram . Not only that, but she is a beloved contributor for The Truly Co....

Kimberly Phinney is a night owl. I, on the other hand, prefer to nestle down for the night when most six-year-olds go to bed. When she asked if we could record this podcast at 8:30 P.M., I put on my big-girl pants (and by that I mean my comfy pants), threw back a shot of espresso, and hoped I could keep my eyes open. I’m happy to report that I had NO trouble staying awake for this conversation. We...

I’m recognizing that my intense longings for peace and joy cannot be satisfied by any amount of festivity or holiday cheer. That would be like trying to patch up a bullet hole with a butterfly stitch. This longing is so deep and wide that all the world’s eggnog couldn’t fill it. Deidre Braley I don’t know what year it was when my child-like wonder rubbed off and I realized—much to my horror—that t...

Quick life update & Second Cup update: Dear Second Cup Fam: It’s our last full week of August (how can this be?)! I want to share a few life & writing updates real quick before jumping into this A-MA-ZING conversation with Mike Noriega with you today: * Vivian will turn 3 next week and we’re celebrating with a tea-for-turning-three party. I’ve been thrifting tea cups and tea pots. My mom sent spar...

In this final episode of The Joshua Year Series: Fear, Freedom, and What Happens in Between, Deidre invites listeners to step from the house of Fear into the house of Love [AKA the Promised Land!] and dares deadened hearts to dream once again. She considers the questions: * Is delight a moral obligation? * How can we find the courage to step over the threshold from fear into the Promised Land? * I...

L Let’s face it: Christmastime can be really hard and really sad when we’re mourning the loss of a loved one. It can be tempting to push our grief aside because we don’t want to bring others down or we think it’s wrong to feel like this during such a ‘happy’ time. We often think of our feelings in a neat dichotomy: Good feelings (joy, wonder, excitement, peace) or bad feelings (sadness, frustratio...

There aren’t many people who aren’t at least a little afraid of death (if they’re brave enough to admit it). And it makes sense: God put eternity in our hearts, but our bodies have a time limit. Living in this tension - knowing that we will someday die - can be debilitating. But we aren’t without hope. Let’s take some time to look death in the face, reckon with our finitude, and recognize how Jesu...

“Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!” I swear no scarier words have ever been spoken. [Thanks a lot, Solomon.] But he spoke the very fear that is the root of so much that we do. We strive in order to prove we matter. We work and work and work until we feel that we’ve proven ourselves worthy of existing. But what if it was never our job in the first place to ma...