For Real with Kimberly Stuart

Today is a total treat for me because we are having a bonus conversation with two of my very favorite human beings. My daughters Ana and Thea join me today to help you map out some options for summer reading. Three unapologetic book girls, gathering to nerd out, finish each other’s sentences, and try not to forget that other people are listening in. Happy summer! Get yourself a spot on the porch o...

Goodness, am I excited for you to hear this episode! Today’s guest, Jonathan Tepper, has written a memoir that is a story of love, grief, and a persistent curiosity about the world. Jonathan grew up as a missionary kid in Spain, where his parents ran a drug recovery center, first in their own home with their four young sons in tow, and now for thousands of people in over twenty countries. Yowza, i...

I get to chat with a new friend today, Timothy Jones. Tim is a pastor, writer, former magazine editor, scholar, and he is also a person who is deeply curious about how to make big ideas about God feel less intimidating to the average person. He is warm and kind and someone I think you’ll love learning with and from. Enjoy this conversation with the author of the new book Fully Beloved: Meeting God...

Today’s conversation comes out of my own curiosity of how to come alongside people who are in recovery for substance misuse or addiction. Caroline Beidler is the person to help us do this well. Caroline is an author, speaker, and managing editor of Recovery.com , where she combines research and expert insight on addiction and mental health. Because she can draw on how it feels to be both the one s...

Kendall Mariah, I think you’ll find, is not only a really lovely human being, she is one surprise after another. We chat about the surprises, I assure you, as well as about her new book, This Little Fire of Mine . Just know that we went a mile deep AND I did start to wheeze after laughing at one of her stories. I’m talking straight-up searching for albuterol. See? Full of surprises. I loved this c...

Kelsey Kramer McGinnis has written about so many varied and fascinating things, I can’t even keep up. Dr. Kramer McGinnis is a frequent contributor to Christianity Today , she is a college musicology professor, and she is currently spreading the word about her new book while working on another to release next year. She also is a mom of three kids ages eight and under. (I think she sleeps, but I ca...

I’m delighted to welcome Nate L. NIcholson to the podcast today. Nate is a creative’s creative. He is committed to making in all kinds of artistic media, everything from visual art to films to short documentaries to books. Nate’s new book In the Beginning We Create hit me at just the right time, and I’m positive I won’t be alone in that feeling. I was absolutely jazzed to find him and his work, an...

J.R. Briggs is a pastor, seminary professor, coach, consultant, and writer. The Rev. Dr. J.R. Briggs lives with a clear and focused calling: to grow fruit on other people’s trees. His work seeks to bridge the gap between spiritual formation and actionable leadership practices, aiming to help faith leaders and their organizations grow both in their faith and their impact on their communities.  In 2...

Heather Avis is an accomplished speaker, podcaster, an author many times over, and a fierce advocate for families experiencing disability. Heather has helped thousands of people understand better how to value, learn from, and shout the worth of all people, with a specific focus on shifting the narrative of Down syndrome. She and her family of five live in Southern California, and it was my total j...

Today we have the absolute delight of hearing from Britton and Maggie Buchanan. You might know Britton as the runner-up on season 14 of NBC's The Voice , which is a very fun fact that we certainly discuss. Maggie Buchanan is a writer and hometown girl and family business team member and just the person you want as a neighbor and constant coffee companion. Trust me. You’ll see. I loved talking...

Sean Dietrich, also known as Sean of the South, is my guest today, and you might pick up a little fangirling here and there because he’s just that kind of guy, okay? I can’t help it. I think so highly of him and of his extraordinary wife Jamie, and I’m just so excited for you to hear from him on writing, yes, but on so so many more things that matter deeply. Things like how writing works with grie...

If you are staring down a new year and seriously considering trading in your schedule, your house, your social situation, your entire situation for something new and improved, HOLD ON A SECOND. What if you don’t need a massive overhaul and instead need tiny tweaks? Today we get the chance to learn from the queen of the tweak, the ninja of the simple purposeful life, Erin Port. Erin’s done the work...

For Real isn’t going away! (Just in case long pauses make you nervous.) New episodes will release in early 2026. I know there are treasures waiting for us as we keep asking good questions. Before we reach the end of 2025, I wanted to take a few moments with just me on the mic to share an update and a hearty thank you for the many ways you reached out after the unexpected loss of my dad last summer...

In this delightful end to season four (season four! huzzah!), I am joined by my friend Jess Connolly to talk about friendship, legacy, heartbreak, joy, and just for a plot twist, Jess’s current obsession with an obscure but very useful Amazon product. I’m saying we hit it all, and I loved it all. This ep is the perfect way to cap off a season, so lean in and listen to my life-drenched conversation...

Whitney English is a designer, author, entrepreneur, and someone who can help us both declutter and beautify without turning to strong drink. Huzzah! Whitney’s new book is called Organize First, Decorate Second , and I think you’ll love hearing about how she can help you bring order and beauty from nuttiness. I read Whitney’s book on a series of flights, and by about a third of the way through, I...

I’m so stoked to share this bonus episode! We are celebrating the paperback release of my book, Star For Jesus and Other Jobs I Quit . This book was a long time in the living and the writing, so when it released in hardcover a year ago, I was nervous and thrilled. Nervous because this book is personal ( yowza, is it personal! ). Thrilled because it’s a book about grace. Real grace, grace stamped p...

Today’s episode is for you if you are a college student, a recent grad, or you love anyone who fits in those camps. My guest today is Erica Young Reitz, and she is THE expert in helping folks navigate life after college. I think you are going to absolutely love hearing what she has to say about everything from rooting yourself in a new community, making new friends, and figuring out a budget, to k...

Dr. Wesley Hill is a New Testament scholar and seminary professor, and I found him through his new book called, simply, Easter . If you want Easter to be more than a chocolate bunny and the question of how to deal with wearing pastels after a long winter, this is your episode! Dr. Hill helped me remember again the deep and profound joy and hope that Easter brings, not just on that one Sunday each...

My friend Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez is absolutely tenacious in her belief that the worldwide church is a gift, that God means for it to be healthy and holy, and that though it might appear very bruised, it is NOT broken. I am grateful for her and for her new book, Being a Sanctuary , which is both a loving correction and an invitation for churches to be sacred, soft, and safe. May we all hold fa...

My guest today is Tabitha Panariso. Ours was one of those easy connections that started before we pushed record and lasted well after, and I attribute that entirely to Tabitha herself. This woman prizes real words, real stories, real honesty above all, even in the face of rejection or dismissal. I can get behind that kind of bravery, as you know, and I’m excited for you to hear how that courage fl...

Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson are one of my favorite mother-daughter pairs of all time. Both of these women are writers, speakers, and leaders in their own rights, but they also joined forces to write the book we’ll discuss today. If you are a parent or grandparent of kids of any age, an auntie, uncle, nanny or teacher or have any interaction with children you love, this episode is for yo...

For this episode, I got the chance to chat with my friend Amy Seiffert. If you don’t already know Amy, you must. She is bright and funny and warm and approachable and smart. AND she has written a book that will shine fresh light on some people I have been ignoring for most of my life, much to my own missing out! I’ll let her tell you about these unsung women and what they have to teach us about th...

Jason VanRuler is an author, a therapist out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and he has so much good counsel to share when we talk about relationships. Dating relationships, married relationships, relationships with the prickly people, relationships that need to stand the test of time… If today you need to hear from a mental health expert who is wise and funny and smart AND who doesn’t take a lot of...

It’s a new year! Huzzah! Fresh page! And we have just the kind of conversation for you. In an era where we are encouraged to see our productivity as a measure of our worth, Maria Bowler steps in and provides a welcome turn of the tables. Maria is an author, a creativity coach, and Ivy League alum/survivor, and she is our perfect guide for these first days of this new year. If you are going into 20...

The legend returns today. My mom is with me in the studio for her fourth annual Christmas appearance, and the only thing we regret is that we couldn’t share the cookies with YOU, in person, all gathered in my kitchen or Mom’s family room. Perhaps we can make that happen next year? Lean in with a cup of hot chocolate and listen to this very unscripted conversation with the one and only Mama Patti....