The Total Whine Podcast

I share my four non-negotiables for balancing work and motherhood successfully. Here "successfully" is understood to mean "staying sane".

Contrary to the order of the title, I discuss my Word of the Year first in today's episode, then I take a look at Pope Francis' latest comments about the goodness of sexual pleasure. Obviously, I listed the latter first because click bait. See more on Pope Francis' comments here.

Way back, someone asked whether cussing was a sin. Naturally, I thought it would make a great podcast episode. Mentioned in today's episode: Catholic Answers Article Father Mike Schmitz video

Were our grandmothers happier? Were things in general better in the past? Should we adopt lifestyles or hobbies from days gone by to be happier or even holier? In today's episode, I answer these questions using lots of non-cuss words.

An introspective look about where I started with Total Whine, where I am now, and where I hope to go. If you're new to the podcast, I recommend skipping this one in favor for one of my sex episodes first ;)

Suffering sucks, but it's part of life. Unhelpfully, most conversations talk about it in terms of needing to embrace it, smile through it, or avoid it like the plague. If none of those have worked for you, good news, there's another option. If you've ever wanted to have your pain taken away, or wondered why we suffer at all, this episode is for you.

Dream come true, I got to have a chat with Emily Stimpson Chapman about her new book, The Supper of the Lamb , a children's book about the mass adapted from Scott Hahn's The Lamb's Supper. It's an exquisite book that will capture your child's imagination, and probably yours too. Of course, I had to talk to Emily about motherhood as well, and she shared some wonderful words of w...

It's an absolute delight to bring you such a fun conversation with my dear friend, Christina Valenzuela, about her new book, Cycle Charting for Single Women . You can purchase the book here And be sure to follow Christina on Instagram @pearlandthistle Christina Valenzuela is the owner and creative director of Pearl & Thistle, LLC, where she offers a unique blend of theology and science to...

It's the Feast of the Our Lady of the Rosary, my 11th renewal of Marian consecration, and I want to talk about my relationship with my Heavenly Momma. I think most Catholic women have struggled in their relationship with Mary at some point, and I want to share my experiences with her, not as a way to tell you where you need to be, but to invite you to think about Mary maybe in a way you haven&...

In this episode, you are treated to the big ball of wire that is my brain where these wildly un-connectable dots - Catherine of Siena, Trad Bros and Ayn Rand - somehow connect. Find out how a conversation with a friend about the woman's experience of sex got my wires buzzing.

I asked my Instagram followers for topics they'd like me to discuss, and they delivered. I answered 3 questions: 1. Is it ok for Catholics to say "we're done" having kids, while still using NFP? 2. How to combat the "priests on a pedastal" mentality? 3. How to find supportive family/ couple friends and community in your parish? The link I mentioned in my opening story:...

The topic that only took me a year or so to tackle. My pitch can be summarized like so: yes, there are big issues with maternal care, but moralizing birth methods is not the solution. If you have no idea what birth wars are, you'll find out in the second half of the episode. The first half is just me going off about how we need to treat all birth with a deep sense of awe. Enjoy!

This episode is a bit different - I read one of my favorite scripture passages from the book of Numbers, an epic hissy fit thrown by one of the great prophets. It's a blueprint for prayer for those of us tired and overwhelmed to pray honest prayers, and as you'll hear, it's those kind of prayers that get quick and thorough (perhaps even a little sassy) responses.

The episode in which I share our decision to homeschool this year. I also talk about why the urge to paint homeschooling as the morally superior decision in all situations because we live in a crazy world is, well to put it frankly, dumb.

I loved having Dr. Sarah Bartel on the show to share about her program My Delight, a 3 month coaching course for Catholic women to navigate issues and understanding of sexuality. It is both practical and theologically sound, and so so needed! Dr. Bartel and I spent the majority of the time talking about Catholic teaching regarding sex, so this is an episode that any woman would find helpful. She e...

You're going to love this conversation I have with my friend Fr. Andrew Clark of the Diocese of Arlington, VA about discernment. I saw a video of him talking about discernment in a way I'd never heard before and instantly new you needed to hear what he shared. In talking about NFP, one thing that comes up constantly is confusion over what discernment is, how to discern well, etc. Fr. Clark...

It is definitely my passion to make space for people to talk about how NFP can be super sucky. But maybe I have some of you wondering: If NFP is so rough, why do it at all? Why not use some form of contraception instead? In this episode, I answer this by sharing the question that led to my fully embracing NFP - Which means of avoiding or achieving pregnancy will help me and my spouse work towards...

I watched the Barbie movie and I laughed out loud. So many times! And I needed to spend a little time adding that to the noise. I also add my own critique on what the film has to say about masculinity. But mostly, this is me saying that if you enjoyed the movie as fun entertainment, you weren't alone.

Since I started sharing about NFP, I've heard a lot of pushback about how I focus too much on the negative, how my approach will turn people off from practicing NFP, and I should talk more about the blessings and benefits. It's a fair judgment, but one I don't agree with. Because it was precisely that approach that made the practice of NFP so needlessly miserable for me. In today's...

And yes I'm talking about seggs. Algorithms don't like that word though, so here we are. I can't believe I have to explain this, but I did.

Remember that girl who laughed easily? Had endless energy? Could function effortlessly on little sleep? At times, motherhood seems to have replaced all the things that were good in our lives. Emily seeks to change this narrative. It is possible hold joy and grief at the same time. Help is just around the corner.

In an episode that needs no introduction, I finally answer two of my favorite questions. I also share the results of the Instagram stories poll where I asked if you would mind me recording episodes with kiddo noise in the background now that they're out of school for the summer. The answer shocked me! I included as much nuance as I could in both topics (without talking all day), particularly t...

Today's episode is a weird conglomeration of my musings about how to both celebrate Mother's Day and the women who make the sacrifice of raising and loving little people AND to hold space for those who long for motherhood or who don't have children we can see. What does it look like to hold the both/and here? Spoiler alert, I don't really provide an answer. I'm opening the topi...

My thoughts and opinions and experience with gentle parenting. I'm not an expert. I'm trying just like you. As a good millennial parent, obviously I have some Instagram accounts I like on this topic which are: @dr.siggie @adamyoungcounseling @feedinglittles @nurturedfirst (formerly @ourmamavillage)

In today's episode, I invite you to join a conversation with two of my very good friends, Mary Bruno and Bridget Busacker, about how the fruit of the ideology that "NFP can be used with a contraceptive mentality" is some really bad fruit. While episode 8 contains verbatim quotes of what the Church actually says about NFP and sex, this episode is three friends explaining how this ideology leads dow...