Coffee with a Twist!

Send us Fan Mail Rain on the windows, cooler nights on the walk, and that first real craving for homemade soup. That’s where my head is right now, and I wanted to check in and talk through the little life shifts that come with the season. I’m loving the weather, but I’m also laughing at how something as random as a skunk near my garage changed my entire summer routine and pushed me indoors way mor...

Send us Fan Mail When communication goes wrong, it rarely looks dramatic at first. It looks like hints, silence, “you should’ve known,” and small frustrations that build until someone finally explodes. Today I’m unpacking why communication is such a pain point in relationships of every kind, from romantic partners to friends to family to coworkers, and why expecting people to read our minds sets e...

Send us Fan Mail We catch up on real-life reset moves, from cutting back on coffee to clearing out the house before a neighborhood yard sale. We also talk about locking in on goals before the year ends and what it looks like when home maintenance goes sideways but the company actually owns it.  • scaling back caffeine with half-caff and smaller daily coffee volume  • leaning into fall comfort with...

Send us Fan Mail We catch up over morning coffee with a real-life brain dump that moves from brutal summer heat to the comfort of a good show and the relief of a weekend that actually feels peaceful. We also share a family trip that fills our cup, then pivot into back-to-school routines, vision board check-ins, and how we’re trying to lock in for the rest of the year with prayer and practical step...

Send us Fan Mail I’m recording outside at the park, sweating a little under a shade tree, watching my son play, and trying to talk myself through a decision that a lot of us are facing right now. A temp to perm opportunity is turning into a permanent offer, and I’m genuinely excited, but the pay is lower than what I wanted. That puts me at a real crossroads: do I stand firm on salary because I kno...

Send us Fan Mail School sneaks up on you like that moment you realize the closet is full… and somehow your kid still has “nothing to wear.” I’m Madame Ballou, and on Coffee with a Twist I’m talking through my real-time back-to-school reset while my son gets ready for second grade, complete with the nerves, the excitement, and the “how is it already late August?” panic. I get honest about a mistake...

Send us Fan Mail I thought I had a tight plan for back-to-school shopping, then a good sale turned it into a one-day spree that actually worked out. I also share how I’m setting up routines, classroom supports, and my own schedule so this school year starts calmer than last year.  • finishing school shopping in one day and why the price point wins  • clearance rules, trying things on, and avoiding...

Send us Fan Mail Grief doesn’t stay in your heart, it lives in your calendar, your routines, and even the rooms you walk through every day. We’re back on Coffee With a Twist with a raw life update on why we went quiet for a few weeks and what it’s like returning after saying goodbye to Layla, our 19-year-old dog. We talk honestly about how a pet can be family, how death can bring up older losses,...

Send us Fan Mail Nineteen years is a lifetime with a dog, and saying goodbye can stop you cold even when you know it’s coming. We sit down for a short, heartfelt check-in as Madam Ballou shares the passing of Leliah , her red-nosed pit bull, and the wave of grief and gratitude that hit the same morning. If you’ve ever searched for “pet loss support,” “grieving a dog,” or “how to cope when your dog...

Send us Fan Mail You ever discover a tiny daily habit you thought was universal and then realize you might be the odd one? That’s where we start today, with coffee. I’m making my cup the way I always do, sugar packets first, then the pour, and someone beside me says she does it the opposite way. That one comment opens up a surprisingly fun question: does coffee taste different when you add condime...

Send us Fan Mail A month after buying a pre-owned Tesla Model Y, the honeymoon phase turns into something more useful: real-world lessons you only learn once you’re charging, commuting, and living with the car day after day. We talk honestly about what we love so far, what surprised us, and what we wish we knew earlier, especially for anyone shopping the electric vehicle market because gas prices...

Send us Fan Mail Buying a car is usually a long day, a lot of waiting, and at least one conversation you don’t want to have. This time, it turned into a late-night decision on a website, a $500 deposit, and a process so fast it honestly felt fake for a minute.  We’re catching up on real life first: new jobs in the house, travel on the calendar, and the sprint to the end of the school year while I...

Send us Fan Mail We talk through the love and doubt that come with parenting, including what it means to feel responsible for every decision as a special needs mom. Then we shift into real-life safety, decluttering, and life updates that reflect a busy season with more hope than heaviness.  • reflecting on parenting as an “investment” and why that framing changes over time  • naming the hardest pa...

Send us Fan Mail Seven years can pass in a blink, and still leave you standing in the same spot emotionally, holding one sentence you wish you’d said differently. Tonight, I’m sharing something personal: the goodbye I didn’t fully give my dad when everything was happening fast and shock made my love come out too small. If you’ve ever replayed a final moment, or wondered why your “I love you” didn’...

Send us Fan Mail Parenting looks simple from the outside until you’re the one trying to keep a tiny human safe, fed, respectful, and still yourself. We reunited the sisters on Coffee With A Twist for a real-family conversation about parenting styles, old school rules, and the modern parenting anxiety that comes with phones, social media, and nonstop headlines. Three of us are parents, one of us is...

Send us Fan Mail Spring break vibes turn into a real-time life update with sunshine, bowling plans, and a big thank you for record downloads and new listeners. I share how I’m trying to reset my health, why I’m cautious about posting my son’s journey online, and what I’m learning about IEPs, behavior, and advocacy.  • spring break plans with my son, from the park to bowling  • gratitude for new fo...

Send us Fan Mail We catch a quick moment of real life at the playground, then a simple car ride with the windows down flips a switch and pulls me straight back to childhood. I talk through why nostalgia hits so hard, how sensory memories work, and the one family car memory that still feels crystal clear.  • recording outside while my son plays  • an old reliable car with no A/C  • the wind through...

Send us Fan Mail I got a question I hear a lot: why did the music disappear from Coffee with a Twist? The honest answer is podcast copyright. Using music the wrong way can trigger takedowns, restrictions, or worse, and I’m not willing to risk the content I’ve worked hard to build. So I talk through what changed, what I’d do instead (like a simple original jingle), and why “safe and consistent” bea...

Send us Fan Mail A cup of coffee sounds simple until it opens the door to everything we’ve been carrying. We start with a real morning moment, a new coffee we unexpectedly love, a loud little Rumba in the background, and an honest check on why we’re trying to cut back. It’s not a “perfect wellness routine” talk. It’s the kind of everyday health reality most of us live in: caffeine, cream and sugar...

Send us Fan Mail We’re hit with a heavy run of loss in our family and it shakes us into telling the truth about time, love, and what really matters. We talk through grief, stress, faith, and the small health changes we can start right now so we show up longer for the people who need us.  • sudden deaths and funerals piling up fast  • feeling numb from nonstop bad news and refusing to stay there  •...

Send us Fan Mail A cold morning at the playground turns into a gut-level talk about the messy middle of school, support plans, and the daily work of advocating for your child without burning bridges. We open up about what it really feels like to sit across from a table of professionals, push for services, and still honor the reality that teachers are carrying more than ever. If you’ve ever left an...

Send us Fan Mail We share a warm check-in over coffee, celebrate a real potty training breakthrough, and talk about getting back to Zumba while juggling a commuting spouse and a rambunctious seven-year-old. The thread is presence: how we protect attention, tag team at events, and choose routines that bring joy. • returning to Zumba for energy and identity • balancing schedules with a commuting spo...

Send us Fan Mail Ever felt strangely uplifted right when life hands you a plot twist? That’s where we start: a snowy Sunday, a very full mug, and a heart that somehow feels lighter after a contract ends. We open up about choosing a calmer rhythm with caffeine, the comfort of small home refreshes, and why a tight job market can still be a good time to sharpen skills and standards. From there, we ge...

Send us Fan Mail We share how a firm test date, simple study rules, and servant-leadership thinking led to first-try passes on ITIL 4 and PMP. Between sick days, snow, and late-night classes, we found a way to study smarter, manage time, and stop waiting for perfect timing. • passing ITIL 4 with targeted mock questions • choosing a firm PMP date despite life chaos • using the 200 hardest PMP quest...

Send us Fan Mail A cold can of V8 sparked a flood of memory—fishing trips, a convenience store that sold worms, and a father who made ordinary moments feel solid. That small joy became the on-ramp to a bigger truth: after ten years of delays, detours, and self-doubt, I’m finally sitting for the PMP. Not because life got easier, but because life didn’t—and I’m choosing to move anyway. I open up abo...