A Longer Table

Lisa is a wife, cat mom, mental health advocate, chronic pain warrior, & an anti-diet culture enthusiast. Her entire career has been in political campaigns and she identifies with the Republican Party. We questioned her beliefs as a Republican, how people can step into the polls more informed, advice for those struggling with their mental health, and encouragement for being confident in your own b...

Bre & Manda dive into a deep conversation about: 1. Why you should care about things that don't directly affect you 2. How to recover after you deconstruct your faith 3. Her passion for LGBTQ+ advocacy 4. The 2016 election 5. Conscious parenting & so much more!  Follow Bre's blog at www.breannalane.com and connect with her on Instagram @breannalane Referenced passage in episode: Matthew 9:14-17

Dr. Deb Gorton is Manda's neighbor in Chicago who has her PhD in Clinical Psychology. Tune in to hear Deb open up about being adopted as an infant and how her mom tragically died by suicide 12 years ago. She shares what it's like being a counselor, insight about mental illness, tips for decision-making, wrestling with singleness, and more. Follow Deb and purchase a copy of her latest book Embracin...

*Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse* Brittaney is a lover of Jesus, iced coffee, & unsupervised trips to Target. She is a wife, mom, interior designer & adoption advocate. She is the founder of Fostering Love Co., which creates thoughtfully curated care packages for foster & adoptive families! However, Brittaney's childhood holds a lot of pain. She opens up about sexual abuse and how it impacts her eve...

Terence is a speaker, activist, author, & thought leader in the realm of systemic poverty. After living on the streets (with the permission and support of his family) for one month, he & his wife started Love Beyond Walls, which exists to affirm the dignity of those who are experiencing homelessness & poverty. Terence shares what he's learned & what it means to be a servant leader with encourageme...

What would change in your life if you were to believe that you're already good? If you stopped striving to be thinner or to attain more followers? In this 8 minute episode, Manda challenges listeners to live soul-consciously instead of self-consciously. Follow her @mandacarpenter.

Erica was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her twenties just nine months after getting married. She courageously opens up about how she received the diagnosis and what life's been like ever since; particularly how it has impacted her marriage and career.

Embo is a bold and resilient young woman who has endured so much trauma throughout her 22 years of life. A former foster youth, she shares about coming into foster care and aging out at 18 years old. Embo also opens up about her faith, Congolese heritage, the Church, and injustice in our world currently. Listen to her story and perspective on life. Be inspired and challenged to steward your privil...

Ali got married at 21-years-old and divorced at 23-years-old. She grew up in a cult-like Christian community, where she was raised not to trust her own instincts. After leaving her hometown and deconstructing her faith, Ali grew closer to God and more attuned with her gifts than ever before. She went on to live in Rwanda for several years, absorbing all that the beautiful country has to offer whil...

Manda and her pastor, Jeanne Stevens, discuss what it's like to be a female pastor, the evolution of faith, what to do if you're feeling far from God, marriage advice and more! Jeanne is one of the lead pastors of Soul City Church in Chicago’s dynamic West Loop neighborhood, which she and her husband, Jarrett, started in 2010. In addition to pastoring Soul City Church, Jeanne finds great joy in be...

Barry, a young, single black man is a proud adoptive father to his three sons, who all happen to be white. He joins Manda to share why he became a foster parent and how he ended up adopting children of a different ethnicity, especially at such a young age. Barry sheds light on being a single-parent household and transracial parenting from a perspective you may not have heard before!

Karisa Keasey, artist and author of "When You Can't Go Home," joins Manda to discuss the reality of refugees. During this 23-minute conversation, she informs us on statistics about refugees, makes a compelling argument for why we should allow more refugees into our country, and gives Jesus-followers tangible next steps. For every book sold, Karisa donates 50% of all profits to World Relief to help...

Ashlee is a leader, pastor, writer and Bible teacher who exists to join God in His redemptive work here on Earth. Her work has one purpose: to help humanity build bridges back to the Truth of who God is and between one other in redemptive, healing relationship. Ashlee serves as Formation & Preaching Pastor at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids. She and her husband, Delwin, have three kids. Fol...

Domestically adopted as an infant from Kansas City, Missouri, raised by two white parents in Lititz, Pennsylvania, married to a black man from North Philadelphia, and educated in urban education by the Ivy-league, Hannah Matthews uses her experiences as a trans-racially adopted, biracial woman to help trans-racially adopted and foster youth navigate race, embrace race and identity, and combat raci...

Manda brings J back to talk about sexuality. J is a pastor who never quite felt at home in church, an artist who figured out the sermon is his song, and a teacher who still has some questions. He studied theology at the University of Notre Dame. This episode is for anyone who's ever said: "BUT THE BIBLE IS CLEAR!" Here is the sermon referenced in the episode.

Manda's Internet BFF, Anjuli, joins us to talk about her new book Stay which addresses what to do with our everyday aches, disappointment and pain. Most of us withdraw, avoid, numb, and neurotically fix. But what if Jesus is pulling out a chair and whispering, Stay? Anjuli invites all of us to stop running so we can experience transformation, which is often found in the very places we resist the m...

My real-life friend, Stephanie, joins me at the table to share a bit of her story which starts with teen pregnancy and ends with working in a church. After 20 years of marriage, she went through a divorce and despite the hardships and turmoil, believes it was an opportunity God gave her to make better choices. In this short episode, Steph will encourage you to separate your relationship with God f...

International adoption gets a bad rap, but not every international adoption is the same. Abby was adopted from China at 8 months old by two white Americans. She pulls up a seat to share her full circle experience of being abandoned, adopted, and now advocating for children and families as a foster parent herself. Listen to find encouragement as an adoptive parent, to hear another Asian woman's per...

Caitlin Crosby, founder of The Giving Keys and author of You Are The Key (available TODAY), pulls up a seat at Manda's table to discuss her journey of turning her imperfections into purpose. Caitlin is hilarious, real, and drives home the point: if I can start a business and a movement, anyone can.

In this short episode, Manda's friend, Tina, shares what it's like to be a Chinese-American, specifically during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Buckle up for today's episode! Manda's friend Ashley, known as "Big Tough Girl" online, tells the story of choosing to place her son in the arms of another woman 14 years ago and the wild journey that followed. You will never think or talk about adoption and birth parents the same after hearing her insight and wisdom.

Manda & Morgan chat about creativity, inspiration, feelings of imposter syndrome, faith & more! Morgan normalizes what many entrepreneurs go through and shares wisdom that applies to everyone. Her new book All Along You Were Blooming is available everywhere books are sold. Follow Morgan on Instagram and check out her work here.

Manda's friend Angela is a 48-year-old single woman without children. All of her life she wanted to be a wife and a mother, but those desires haven't been fulfilled yet. She's now very aware that those things might never be part of her story. While it would be easy to grow bitter and waste life being angry with God over unmet desires, Angela chooses joy instead. She has created a rich, beautiful l...

*TRIGGER WARNING* Manda's friend, Sam, takes her seat at the table to share her story of choosing to have an abortion, what it was like, and whether or not she regrets it. While Manda is clear she does not fully align with Sam's beliefs, the two of them have a graceful conversation, proving you can seek to understand someone rather than try to change them. This is what we're all about at A Longer...

Manda doesn't shy away from an extremely controversial topic to answer a frequently asked question and to challenge all listeners to consider thinking about this topic in a new light. Her challenge to everyone who is pro-life: don't let your advocacy stop once the baby is born. NOTE: This episode is intended to prepare our hearts for the next one, where Manda's friend, Sam, who has had an abortion...