Always Hope

Ready for an honest, heartfelt, and hope-filled conversation about the experiences of being a single woman? How would I know anything about that? Joining me on the show today is Maria Spears Mumaugh and Meghan Elfelt, creators of The Intentional Single. This episode is full of great dating advice for women: how to not just waiting around for Mr. Right to show up, how to hold the desire for marriag...

Joining me on the show is Debbie Capen, Executive Director of MiraVia, to talk about the effective ways of spreading the prolife message through local service. In today’s episode, Debbie describes the services of MiraVia, which include a community outreach center and a residency home for pregnant college women. We also talk about how to best serve women facing an unplanned pregnancy, what the prol...

Can Psychology and Catholicism play nicely together? Absolutely they can and an early attempt to explain how is found in the book, “Psychology and The Cross,” written in 1959 by Fr. G. Emmett Carter. Since Fr. Carter passed away in 2003, I have Kristen Van Uden, from Sophia Institute Press, joining me on the show to talk about his insights. In today’s episode, we discuss why, as a parish priest, h...

How should Catholics respond to transgenderism? Is there a way forward that honors the person struggling while not disregarding the reality of human sexuality? I think so. Joining me on the show to have this conversation is Jason Evert, popular Catholic speaker, and author of the book, “Male, Female, Other? A Catholic Guide to Understanding Gender.” In today’s episode, we discuss the sensitivity s...

Joining me on the show today is Dr. Kevin Vost, author of the book “You Are That Temple: A Catholic Guide to Health and Holiness.” In today’s show, we discuss why healthy eating is part of a healthy spiritual life, finding the line between being good stewards of our body and succumbing to a idolization of the body, how to pay attention to our body’s responses to foods, and cover some basic practic...

Joining me on the show today is Danny Fitzpatrick, Editor of the Joie de Vivre Journal, to talk about the intertangled relationship between faith, tradition, art, and culture. We discuss how culture is an embodied religion, the importance of traditions, and the necessity of the creative process to move culture forward. We examine our modern fragmented culture, ask “who is pop culture worshiping?”,...

Have you ever wondered if working in a cubicle can make you saint? Do we all have to leave our ‘real world’ jobs and work for a church ministry? What does holiness look like? In this episode, we turn to St. Josemaria Escriva, a 20th Century Spanish priest, for some answers. Joining me on the show is Eric Sammons, author of the book Holiness for Everyone, to break down St. Josemaria’s teachings on...

We certainly hear of the many ways that technology is hampering our faith life and leading to increased distractions in prayer. But can we use technology to aid our prayer life and help us grow closer to the Lord? Joining me on the show to talk about that are Juan Carlos Carredano, CEO of CCC of America, and Mike Day, founder of Cor Ignis Inspiring Technologies. They are the winners of the most re...

Have you ever wondered what it means to be your best? Or what it feels like to chase a dream? Or be in an environment where you find that your unique skills line up perfectly with the work you do? Or are you simply frustrated by your current work circumstances? Joining me on the podcast is Sam Blair, former Navy Seal and co-founder of The Frassati Company to talking achieving peak performance in y...

By now you probably know that I love movies and good storytelling, so joining me on the show to talk about the necessity of creating engaging stories for kids are two of the creators of the popular Saints Alive Podcast, Alex and Melissa Dee. Saints Alive is a radio drama podcast about the lives of the saints that is geared to kids. My youngest son is a fan of this podcast, so I got serious street...

January 2 was the 150th anniversary of St. Therese’s birth, therefore it is fitting that we take a look at how The Little Flower can help us let go and declutter our lives. Joining me on the show is Laraine Bennett to talk about her new book “The Little Way of Living with Less.” In today’s episode, we discuss, the challenges of letting go of things, how St. Therese’s teachings can apply to our mod...

Here’s a little gift to you during this busy Christmas season. I know that we all have a thousand things on our minds right now: shopping, traveling, Christmas dinner prep, friends, family, etc. So, let’s take a break from that together. Join me as we take a moment to reflect the good of this year and bring it before the Child Jesus. It’s a short, guided meditation, therefore try to listen to it i...

Well here we are, Advent is upon us and Christmas is just around the corner. Contrary to popular opinion, this isn’t just a season of getting great deals online, but a time to recall our salvation history and the significance of Christ’s coming in the manger.   Joining me on the show is Mike Pacer, President of Five Stones Group, Founder of Cedar House, and author of The Three Comings of Chri...

Joining me on the show is Elisa Neven-Pugh, a young Christian woman who has Cerebral Palsy Quadriplegia. Elisa reached out to me after listening to my lectures on hope to share about her experience of having a disability and how faith guides her understanding of her condition. Elisa beautifully and honestly shares her story, what it was like growing up with a disability, what it feels like to have...

Joining me on the show is Elizabeth Busby, director programs at the Theology of the Body Institute, creator of the dating program Next Step, and host of the Discerning Marriage Podcast In today’s episode, we answer the following questions about dating that came from our Instagram followers. What to do if I’m a woman who is not getting asked out on dates? How do you now if you are doing the will of...

One of the key markers of marital success is learning how to communicate your values, desires, and goals, and learning how to listen and support your spouse’s values, desires, and goals. Joining me on the show to talk about how to do that is Dr. Richard Dell’Isola, Assistant Professor of Psychology at Belmont Abbey College. In today’s episode, we discuss how to effectively communicate your values...

Does everyone have a core wound? No, I don’t think so. Therefore, consider this episode an introduction to a new way to think and pray about your past. Dr. Tom Neal and I reframe the conversation about healing prayer and discuss how to avoid making prayer about our egos, how to keep the focus of … Continue reading "107 – Dr. Tom Neal on Healing Prayer Redefined"

In today’s episode, we are talking all things dating and Dating Well! This is a repost as I’m a guest on the Thinking Faith! Podcast and the host Dr. Brett Salkeld is leading this conversation. Dr. Salkeld is the archdiocesan theologian for the Archdiocese of Regina, Canada. We talk about Dating Well, boundaries in relationships, … Continue reading "106 – Dr. Brett Salkeld on Dating Well (repost f...

Joining me on the show is Leah Darrow, former model, popular Catholic speaker, author, and now creator of the new personal development program “Power Made Perfect.” In today’s episode we talk about the importance of Christo-centric personal growth and finding the harmony with human and spiritual development. We dive into practical ways of combating negative … Continue reading "105 – Leah Darrow on...

I’m back! Thanks for your prayers and support as I settled into my digs here in Charlotte, NC. Ready to jump back into the podcast studio and I have a great episode for you today. Joining me on the show is Anastasia Northrop, founder and director of the National Conference for Catholic Singles. In today’s … Continue reading "104 – Anastasia Northrop on Catholic Singlehood"

In this short episode, I’m sharing a huge announcement… We are moving to Charlotte, NC. This show is about hope right? So, I’m happy to share that this long-held desire of ours is finally coming to fruition. Also, a brief programming note, because of the demands of the move, I will be pausing the show … Continue reading "103 – We’re Moving!"

Today, I welcome back my friend, Fr Josh Johnson to talk about his new book “On Earth as It Is in Heaven: Restoring God’s Vision of Race and Discipleship.” We have a wonderful conversation about the importance of seeing race and ethnicity primarily through the lens of the gospel and evangelization, as this is the … Continue reading "102 – Fr Josh Johnson on Race , Evangelization, and Discipleship"

So often we feel that to be a faithful Catholic, we need to work for the Church, or some Church related ministry. But I’m here to tell you that’s not the case. You can and need to exercise Catholic values and ethics in your workspaces, communities, and neighborhoods. But how? Joining me on the show … Continue reading "101 – Cristofer Pereyra and Erin Monnin on Catholic Leadership for Civil Society...

 Episode 100! What a gift! Thanks for listening and supporting this show! Since it’s a big occasion, I thought it’d be best to welcome back my first guest, Dr. Jennifer Morel, moral theologian and Director of Research for the International Institute of Culture and Gender Studies, to talk about her research on sex and gender.  … Continue reading "100 – Dr. Jennifer Morel on Sex, Gender, a...

Joining me on the show today is Dr. Paul Vitz, Senior Scholar and Professor at Divine Mercy University. Dr. Vitz is a legend in the Catholic psychotherapy world and it’s a true honor to have him on the show. We have wonderful conversation about the dangers of secular humanism in psychology, the need to have … Continue reading "099 – Dr. Paul Vitz on the Dangers of a Secular Psychology"