The Bitter and The Sweet Podcast

When you look up and realize you've taken a wrong turn or gone down the wrong path, how do you find your way back to God?  My friend Ashley Martin and I got to talk about it, and I'm excited to revisit this conversation with you today. Ashley is a teacher turned author and speaker, who has battled alcoholism and addiction, and who has been in recovery for 12 years now.  Join Ashley and I as we tal...

What do we do with the space between what God could do and what He chooses to do? Where is He in our grief? I got to have an incredible conversation about these things and more with a new friend of mine, Lisa Appelo.   Lisa is the mom of 7 who found herself as a sudden and unexpected widow. She writes about God's faithfulness in the hard places, and so though our stories our different, Lisa and I...

What is grace? How does it meet us where we are?    This is the conversation I was so excited to have with a new friend of mine, Katie M. Kelley about her new book, Grace Will Be There: Finding God in the Life We Aren't Ready For.   Katie M. Kelley is a mother of eight in a beautiful blended family, a writer, teacher, and learner. She is a contributing writer to the Coffee + Crumbs blog as well as...

September is National Recovery Month, and in honor of that, we've got a very special conversation for you today with my friend, Tara Norbeck.   Tara is an author and speaker whose newest book, Dear Mom of an Addict: Ten Truths You Need to Know to Parent Your Addicted Child and Reclaim Hope, was born out of what she has learned over years of parenting her son, who battles addiction.   Tara and I go...

It's our second birthday insert confetti poppers + party horn sounds and we are celebrating BIG around here! Joining me for our second birthday celebration and EPISODE ONE HUNDRED is my favorite person, my husband, Garrett Cook, for a conversation all about celebration. Garrett and I got to talk about why we need celebration, different perceptions about celebrating that keep us stuck, when to cele...

      Because of Jesus, we walk in freedom, and yet we are called to walk in self-control. What does this look like to hold both?  In this short episode (less than 10 minutes!), I'm sharing a personal story of growing in self-control and two questions to ask when you're weighing self-control vs. freedom.    LINKS Visit Kayla's website (become an email friend there!) Connect with Kayla via Instagra...

If being hard on yourself is your default setting, this is your invitation to try something different. In this short episode (less than 10 minutes!), we are talking about how Jesus describes Himself, where we see God's gentleness in the Old Testament too, and how the gospel invites us to come home to God. Jesus Himself is gentle and lowly, and because He is, we can be too.   LINKS Leave a review o...

Infertility and loss are parts of my story that I would never, ever choose, but I know that I know God more because of them.  In this short episode (less than 10 minutes!), we are talking about the hard-won spiritual fruit of faithfulness, and how God uses the things in our lives that break our hearts and make us mad for good, to grow us in ways only He can.  He who promised is faithful. He who ca...

As simple as it is, goodness can feel obscure.  In this short episode (less than 10 minutes!), we're diving deep on what it means to be good, living out the goodness God is growing in us, and why that's not as complicated as it feels sometimes.   LINKS Leave a review on Apple podcasts Connect with Kayla on Instagram Visit Kayla's website (and become an email friend there!)

Caring for the vulnerable can look "big," but often, it looks small to us. The good news is God cares about both the big and small, and He puts us in places to meet needs and share His love with the world and our neighbors.   Join me and three of my favorite guests (and yours!) as we talk about three practical ways to care for the vulnerable: foster care, caring for caregivers, and supporting our...

It can feel complicated to love God but feel wary of His people. When it comes to church hurt, sometimes it's hard to know if what happened to you was just disappointment (people are very people-y, after all), or if it was something more.   Join me and two of my favorite guests (and yours!) as we tell the truth about Church hurt.  We're talking about the difference between disappointment/hurt and...

Our people need us, our to-do lists get long, the demands get loud, and our phones are insanely distracting. Somewhere in all that noise, we forget to just  be with God.    Join me and some of my favorite guests (and yours!) as we talk about getting to know God and spending time with Him through three foundational practices: scripture, silence and solitude, and prayer.    These practices are not e...

Marital status can feel like a defining feature of our lives, but it doesn't have to be!  Join me and some of my favorite guests (and yours!) as we talk about three different relationship angles: marriage, divorce, and singleness, and what it looks like to live fully in your season, regardless of your marital status. Whether you're healing from heartbreak, trusting God's timing, or building a life...

Kindness sounds simple enough...until it isn't.  With honest thoughts on the times kindness is harder than it looks, what it means that love is kind, and trusting in the goodness of a God who doesn't always give us what we ask for, this episode will help you see how His kindness meets us, even in the middle of our questions.   LINKS Visit Kayla's website (and become an email friend there!) Leave a...

If you've been patient and put in the time, but you're still waiting... If you're wondering if you should keep waiting or just move on... If you've watched other people get what you've spent years praying for... If you're trying to figure out if that twinge in your heart is jealousy or pain... If you're wondering why God has let {that} go on for so long... This episode is for you.   LINKS Connect...

In a culture fueled by outrage and fear, is it possible for us to have peace?   With practical help for breaking anxious thought loops and living at peace with others without people-pleasing, this episode will help you remember the peace God offers isn't just possible; it's what we were created for.      LINKS Leave a review on Apple podcasts Connect with Kayla on Instagram Connect with the show o...

One of the most important things to me in the making of this episode on joy was that it not become some Pollyanna, joy is all around us-type episode, full of platitudes and pretending.  Here's the thing: I do believe that there's joy all around us. That's because in the presence of God, there is fullness of joy, and He's with us always, just like He said.  But man, sometimes we're just SAD, aren't...

How do I love my people above my own preferences? How do I love when I've been hurt, or when I'm disappointed, or when I feel like I've been let down? How do I love God most when I'm mad at Him? We don't shy away from the hard questions around here, and in this episode about love, we are tackling these (and others) head on! In this honest conversation all about love, Kayla gets real about living a...

Feeling the pressure to make this a perfect summer?  In today's short solo episode, we're talking about releasing the pressure of a summer bucket list, plus what's coming up this summer here on the show. Don't miss it!   LINKS Connect with Kayla on Instagram Connect with the show on Instagram Become an email friend Visit Kayla's website

So many of us are walking around with the weight of the world on our shoulders. The pressure to hold it all together is real, but what if we could trade our overwhelm and anxiety for peace?  It's possible, and that's what we are talking about today with a new friend of mine, Nichole Suvar! Nichole is the author of I Don't Have to Hold It All Together: Cultivating the Peace of Eden When Feeling Ove...

If you've ever thought or been told you should "just pray more" when it comes to your mental health, this conversation with my friend Rebecca Woodman is for you! Rebecca is a wife, mom, therapist, and founder and executive director of ChurchxCity, a nonprofit that partners with the local church to bring affordable, Biblically based, mental health counseling to the city of Charlotte.  Rebecca and I...

Why are we so naturally drawn to prioritize ourselves? What does it actually look like to live selflessly without losing sight of our God-given worth as image bearers (Imago Dei)? I recently got to unpack those questions (and much more!) with a brand new friend of mine, author Morgan Krueger. Morgan is a wife, mom, and Live Original Ambassador. She is the author of two books, including her latest...

While we are in between National Infertility Awareness Week and Mother's Day, I wanted to bring you some of the very best of the conversations we've had about family in many different forms.  Your family of origin, postpartum mental health, and foster care are challenging topics, but there is a Grace that covers them.  In this episode, we are talking about hard conversations and boundaries with th...

It is National Infertility Awareness Week- a week that is near and dear to my heart, as infertility is part of my story.  This week, I'm sharing my personal story with infertility, what helps and what hurts to hear from loved ones, and why we never have to choose between grief and gratitude.      LINKS   Episode 8: The Family You Hoped Would Be Episode 14: You Don't Have to Choose Between Grief an...

This episode is a return to conversations with friends, and I'm so excited about that! Today's discussion is a special one with my friend Ashley Martin. Ashley is a speaker, author, and advocate for faith-based recovery.   You may remember Ashley from Episode 23,  "Finding Your Way Back to God," where she shared her personal journey through alcohol addiction and recovery. In this episode, we are c...