A Storied Table

Text me! Tell me something good! We didn't return to Venice because we'd run out of places to visit. We came back because 25 years ago, this city quietly became part of our story.  Come wander Venice with us as we revisit old memories, discover a few new favorites, and share the moments that reminded me it's the people around the table—not the way it's set—that make a life full...

Text me! Tell me something good! He thought my “weather problem” meant a helicopter tour. I told him to put his shoes on anyway, and off we went into a rainy Florence evening—no clue a bright red Ferrari was waiting across the Arno. Michael joins me at the table to relive our Florence, Italy stop—part of our Italy trip. We chat about the hotel that felt wildly fancy for the price, the river rushin...

Text me! Tell me something good! Rome in the rain is still Rome—but it will test your plan fast. We land on a tight timeline and decide to do the thing anyway: squeeze a lifetime of wonder into about 24 hours, fueled by jet lag, stubborn optimism, and a lot of espresso. In this episode, I walk through how this Italy birthday and anniversary trip came together at the last minute—using credit card p...

Text me! Tell me something good! A wobbly start to the year brings us back to the table—a finished attic buildout, an eighteenth birthday, an ice storm that turned our home back into Fort Smith, and knee surgery that reset expectations.  We’re also previewing the Italy series and what you can expect from a new story-first Italy series featuring Rome, Florence, Venice, and the Tuscan countryside. W...

Text me! Tell me something good! What if the best part of your trip all started with a mindless mistake? We booked a few quiet days while the boys were at camp and ended up on a cliff in Tennessee—inside a geodesic dome at Bolt Farm Treehouse with views that made time actually slow down. The funny part? I’d accidentally booked the wrong dates. But instead of it turning into a mess, their team turn...

Text me! Tell me something good! This week started with me getting ambushed by yellow jackets (and yes, I went full Olympic dive into the pool… phone in pocket). It ended with the kind of “turning 45” rite of passage that comes with too much Gatorade and not enough solid food. But in the middle? A summer storm rolled through, a friend walked in carrying more than just rain on her shoulders, and by...

Text me! Tell me something good! What if the peace you’re desperate for isn’t about doing more, but about giving yourself permission to do less? Because let’s be honest—life can feel like a treadmill set a few speeds too high. In this episode, I share the real (and sometimes funny) ways I learned to breathe, and reset. Think "yellow dinners", imperfect school projects, and even a car nap...

Text me! Tell me something good! When you hear “ADHD,” do you picture a little boy who can’t sit still in class—or maybe an adult who keeps forgetting their keys? That’s the story we’ve been told, but it’s not the whole truth. This week I’m visiting with documentarian and journalist Danielle Elliott , who created the podcast series Climbing the Walls . She’s digging into what ADHD really looks lik...

Text me! Tell me something good! Have you ever wondered if those critical voices inside your head might actually be your greatest enemies? I had a bit of a breakthrough on my recent weekend at Base Camp—a retreat created by Jen Jett Barrett of the Well Summit. Listen and hear about this stat I learned about where people see God as angry, distant, and critical. Honestly?... That number made way too...

Text me! Tell me something good! I was diagnosed with ADHD as a young teenager, but somewhere along the way—especially after some frustrating (and frankly, infuriating) college experiences—I quietly walked away from the label and everything that came with it. I talk about how ADHD showed up in my life back then, why I started to question the diagnosis altogether, and how a recent podcast series ca...

Text me! Tell me something good! Ever feel like life has you and your spouse running on autopilot—barely syncing up beyond the "have-to-know" daily details?  I get it. A few years ago, a random podcast episode turned into one of the best decisions of our marriage: an intentional weekend away to reconnect, dream again, and actually plan for the life we wanted. John Maxwell said it best:  ...

Text me! Tell me something good! Have you ever had a friend point out something about you that you totally hadn’t noticed before? Was it a shock? Or—let’s be real—did you actually know but just chose to ignore it? Friends play a lot of roles in our lives, but the best ones? They’re the ones you can trust with the call out. The kind that’s honest, maybe a little uncomfortable, but always wrapped in...

Text me! Tell me something good! Imagine… Every continent. Every Denomination. Together across 25 hours on March 1, 2025.  As I sat there listening to Jennie Allen and ALL the passion flowing out of her, I wished you could have been there with me. I knew I could tell you about it, but there was no chance I could fully share about Gather25 in the same compelling way Jennie does.  I am so excited to...

Text me! Tell me something good! This episode is a lead-in explaining how learning to work differently enabled me to share an incredible worldwide event and leader with you.  I have never truly been this honest and open about my faith. It’s something I’ve only ever shared with my closest friends. I’m learning to open up more. It’s taken a crowbar, but I’m getting there!  And since you’re here at t...

Text me! Tell me something good! Have you ever looked back at the events or stories of your past year and finally realized how it all connects together? It took looking back, and zooming out before you could actually see the bigger picture. I did, and it finally dawned on me that certain things in 2023 were the jolt I needed to get me to make some big shifts. Unfortunately, not all jolts are painl...

Text me! Tell me something good! Have you ever heard certain concepts, even appreciated them, but couldn't relate to them at all?  Have you ever had an unexpected slowdown in life that makes you feel like you're not just slowing down, but you're actually going in reverse?  Have you ever felt life taking you on a totally new trajectory, but have no clue where you're headed?  Me....

Text me! Tell me something good! Life is a lot, and (God love ‘em) kids add an extra level of crazy. You never stop, and every ding from your phone induces another level of anxiety - whether it’s a negative notification from the news or a text from the groomer that you forgot to pick up the dog… again. It's like you're juggling more than actually living, and you’re left wondering where t...

Text me! Tell me something good! “I’ve never had anyone care enough, to spend the time, and help me figure out what was really going on underneath what I thought was holding me back.”  These were Ashley’s words to me after we finished her Breakthrough Session. It was that moment that I knew I was meant to help more women like her.  Ashley is brilliant, strong, unbelievably resilient, and she can e...

Text me! Tell me something good! Tarah faced more in a few years than most do in a lifetime. After losing her sister to breast cancer, her mother to early onset Alzheimer’s, and realizing all her writing had virtually disappeared, Tarah needed a massive break.  Tarah learned a lot about herself over the past several years. I’m so glad The Collective was able to be part of her recovery and path for...

Text me! Tell me something good! Would you like your very own yellow brick road?  Sounds great, right!?  A guided path with friends that help you get where you're going.  I wish!  Instead, we usually find those few precious, uninterrupted minutes, to get some work done and we find ourselves completely paralyzed, sitting in a fog, trying to figure out where exactly we're going with this b...

Text me! Tell me something good! As a wife, a mom, and an entrepreneur, have you ever been stuck in your overwhelm? That need to get it ALL done? It's time we start taming that sense of urgency.  Seriously, don't we already have enough on our plates?! Why add a whole huge topping of shame too. Taming that overwhelming weight hanging over us is as simple as a few steps. The tricky part is...

Text me! Tell me something good! The problem with entrepreneurship is that we feel like we have to do everything ourselves.  But do we? Or is that just a trap we fall in to? We have to be proactive, defensive even, to avoid that trap we are all guilty of.  Being a mom and a business owner (while also wearing about 15+ other hats on a daily basis) is hard enough! Listen to learn how you can dodge t...

Text me! Tell me something good! It's taken a hot minute, but season 4 is finally underway!  Expect a few format changes, some very special guests, and even more stories of what's happening inside our online membership, The Collective. Come find us on Insta @inside.thecollective and be sure to drop a DM and say hello.  I'd love to meet you!  We have a LOT of new changes coming to he...

Text me! Tell me something good! Did I ever think my 50th episode would be a conversation about boobs?  I did not. But, is it fantastic?  YES. IT. IS!!! I love this podcast.  I love the women I get to meet, and I love helping share their stories. But this episode, it hits me in a different way.  There is so much significance for women, female founders, breast disease, female entrepreneurship, love...

Text me! Tell me something good! What a visual, right?!  Has your 2022 felt the same? similar? We are about to close out season 3 here, and I'm really curious to hear if you've had some of the same realizations that I have... or maybe you've come to the same "I'm over it" place too. If so, I making a big suggestion that will help us all out!  Listen in.   If you agree...