The Bitter and The Sweet Podcast

Feeling disconnected from God or struggling with church? In today's short 10-minute episode, we are talking about what it truly means to return to God, where this theme appears in the Bible, and how it applies to our lives today, especially for those struggling with church or feeling distant in their faith.   LINKS BibleProject Guide to the book of Joel Connect with Kayla on Instagram Connect with...

It is Holy Week, the most sacred week on the Christian calendar. It is really easy for us to skip to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, but let's not rush ahead. Let's soak in every day of Holy Week this year as we really consider the sacrifice Jesus made.  Before His death and resurrection, Jesus was betrayed by one of His followers. We are digging into that betrayal today, what it looked lik...

In this short solo show (under 10 minutes!), we are diving into boundaries: where we see them in scripture, boundaries we set, boundaries that are set for us, and trusting God with them and within them.   Part of this episode comes from a message I brought to a church event not too long ago. If you are interested in having me bring a full length version message to your women's conference, retreat,...

In this short solo show (under 11 minutes!), we are diving into one reason why women are so tired these days, and what God offers us instead.    This is an abbreviated version of a message I gave at a women's conference not too long ago. If you are interested in having me bring the full length version to your women's conference, retreat, or church gathering, reach out via my website, kaylamcook.co...

In this short solo show (just under 10 minutes!), we are digging into difficult circumstances we all face in life: when God doesn't fix it.    LINKS Episode 74: Facing Chronic Illness with Hope and Honesty with Lily Mitchell Connect with Kayla on Instagram Connect with the show on Instagram

If you are living with chronic illness or if you know and love someone who is, today's episode is one you are not going to want to miss!   My friend, Lily Mitchell, joined me for this important conversation. Lily is the kids ministry director at a church in North Carolina, a wife and mom, a small business owner, and Lily lives with chronic illness.    Join Lily and I for a conversation about:  Lil...

Today's episode is a conversation all about living into your season with my friend, Bible teacher and podcaster Shannon Scott. Shannon is the host of the Everything Made Beautiful podcast and Director of Content for QAVA, a Christian streaming platform that creates digital biblical resources to help people go deeper in their faith. Shannon and I got to talk about why seasons matter what growth loo...

Can we be honest about what we want? Is it okay for Christians to want things, or is that selfish? How does what we want impact our perception of waiting seasons?  My friend Ashley Minor and I are going all in on questions like these today!   Ashley is the host of the Come Like a Child podcast, co-host of the Minutes to Hours podcast, and debut author of her new book, Aisle 29: Where Heaven Met My...

Get ready to laugh, cry, and feel so seen. I did all three while we were recording this!  I loved this conversation with a new friend of mine, Cynthia Yanof, and I'm thrilled to share it with you today.   Cynthia is the host of the MESSmerized podcast and the author of two books, including her latest How'd I Miss That?: Gas Pump Confessions, Drive-Thru Obsessions, and Figuring Out What Really Matt...

How to we determine what to say yes to and what to say no to? How do we know if hardships are because we're doing something right, or because we're doing something wrong, or if it's just part of being human? And how do we embrace our limits instead of trying to work around them?  My friend Keagan Hayden is joining us to talk about it all! Keagan is a speaker and Bible teacher, host of the Bright &...

This is our fourth and final week in our "best of" mini-series: 4 weeks of bringing you some of the best of all the conversations we've had on The Bitter & the Sweet! I have loved these sampler-style episodes, and I hope you have, too! We are wrapping up this mini-series and the month of January with a show that takes us back to our roots as a show: telling the truth about grief, joy, and the grac...

We are in week three of our "best of" mini-series: 4 weeks of bringing you some of the best of all the conversations we've had on The Bitter & the Sweet! Today's episode is all about caring for your mental and spiritual health.   Join some of my favorite guests (and yours!) as we talk about:  building resilience in ourselves and our children addressing shame bridging the gap between our mental and...

We are in week two of our "best of" mini-series: 4 weeks of bringing you some of the best of all the conversations we've had on The Bitter & the Sweet! Today's episode is all about friendship and community.   Join some of my favorite guests (and yours!) as we talk about:  why women need each other loving a friend through a health crisis rejecting the temptation of self-sufficiency being a gracious...

We are kicking off season 5 with a "best of" mini-series: 4 weeks of bringing you some of the best of all the conversations we've had on The Bitter & the Sweet!   Given that we are in a brand new year, we are getting things started with the best of starting over. Join me and some of my favorite guests (and yours!) as we talk about:  starting over somewhere new building new friendships and being op...

The Bitter & the Sweet podcast has always been and will continue to be a show where we tell the truth about grief, joy, and the grace that covers it all.   In just 2 minutes, take a look back at where we've been in our first four seasons, and where we are going in season 5 (can you believe it?!), as we stop looking at our limits as liabilities and learn to live into them, instead.   Season 5 kicks...

We've spent four weeks together preparing our hearts and our minds for the coming of Jesus, as we look forward to celebrating the incarnation at Christmas. In the fourth and final episode of our Advent series, it's all about love. I considered doing our Advent series solo, but the more I thought and prayed about it, I really felt that we all need to be pastored, to have a pastor's voice speaking i...

Our Advent series continues today: four weeks of preparing our hearts and our minds for the coming of Jesus, as we look forward to celebrating the incarnation at Christmas. This is the third week of Advent, and this conversation is all about joy. I considered doing our Advent series solo, but the more I thought and prayed about it, I really felt that we all need to be pastored, to have a pastor's...

Our Advent series continues today: four weeks of preparing our hearts and our minds for the coming of Jesus, as we look forward to celebrating the incarnation at Christmas.    This is the second week of Advent, and this conversation is all about peace.   I considered doing our Advent series solo, but the more I thought and prayed about it, I really felt that we all need to be pastored, to have a p...

Our Advent series kicks off today: four weeks of preparing our hearts and our minds for the coming of Jesus, as we look forward to celebrating the incarnation at Christmas.    This is the first week of Advent, and it's all about hope!   I considered doing our Advent series solo, but the more I thought and prayed about it, I really felt that we all need to be pastored, to have a pastor's voice spea...

We're all holding a mixed bag that doesn't go away just because it's Thanksgiving. The holidays are a magnifying glass, making everything feel bigger, for better or worse. In this short and candid episode, Kayla is getting real about holding grief and gratitude, hard seasons, and why we don't have to be afraid of the dark.    Connect with Kayla on Instagram Connect with the show on Instagram  

As we look ahead to Christmas and celebrating the birth of Jesus, join me for a look at His lineage, the women we find there, and what we can learn from their stories.    Connect with Kayla on Instagram Connect with the show on Instagram  

As we continue our conversations about who we are in light of who God is, today's episode is all about living as people who Jesus has set free.  Today, we are digging into mental health, shame, the lies we believe, and the freedom that is available to us in Christ. I hope that pointing to God's faithfulness in my story will help you see His faithfulness in your story. There is help, and there is h...

As we continue to talk about who we are in light of who God is, I wanted to revisit a conversation I had earlier this year with my friend, Jenn Jett Barrett.  Jenn and I got to dig deep on what she calls "the holy work of living whole," bringing our full selves to be with Jesus, and it starts with getting honest with God. Jenn Jett Barrett is the founder of The Well Summit, where she creates space...

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness feels like something sad but distant...until it happens to you.  In this episode, I'm sharing my own story of grieving the baby I lost to miscarriage, what the grieving process looked like as I was walking through the early days of loss, and what it looks like now, years later.  Whether you have experienced pregnancy and infant loss or a different kind of grief,...

My dear friend Hannah Clements is a mom who has experienced the loss of her son, Isaiah. She is also a licensed clinical mental health counselor. Her personal story and professional experience make her a wealth of wisdom when it comes to grief, and I'm so grateful to have her back to share some of that wisdom with us today.   Join Hannah and I as we talk about:  what it really looks like to walk t...