But Not All At Once

When I happened upon Nurse Hadley's TikTok, I was both drawn to and encouraged by her stories from the frontline of hospice care. Evidently I'm not alone; more than 750,000 followers agree. Hadley went viral earlier this year after sending her children to stay with family so she and her husband, a doctor of physical therapy, could serve patients at the start of COVID. Since then, she&apo...

In 14 years of marriage, Kelli Staggs has played mom, teacher and coach's wife in seven moves at six universities. Working alongside some of football's most renowned families, including Lou Holtz's and Steve Spurrier's, the Staggs have had a hand in growing football programs at the University of South Carolina, Charleston Southern, Furman and  North Greenville. Perhaps the wild...

Katie Walters is why this podcast started. Not the literal reason, but the embodiment of it - a woman you'd see across a party or in your social media feed and think, "That woman has it all together." She'd want you to know there's far more than meets the eye. Katie is a stylish, joyful mother, due with her seventh any day now, and smitten wife to her pastor husband. She i...

Ever wondered how to help a grieving friend, what to do for a widowed neighbor or what unfolds in the days after a life-changing loss?  Today's guest became a widow at 30 after her husband, Tim Bright, lost his five-year fight with colon cancer. And that's not even half her story. In 2010, Jenny Bright Hewitt took on the role of advocate, partner, caretaker, fundraiser and new wife at on...

After a textbook pregnancy, Meredith Bugenske learned her newborn son had a life-limiting, incurable condition called SMA type 1. When her community began fundraising to provide baby Leo with an accessible van, Meredith hesitated; doctors didn't expect him to live long enough to make use of It. Despite his team's initial prognosis, Leo will be seven in less than two weeks. With the help...

This week we learned that there are more twenty-something But Not All At Once listeners than we knew. (Welcome, sparkly little youths!) Two days ago, one wrote in asking for advice, words of wisdom, or general encouragement for her, a 23-year-old grieving the end of a six-year relationship. I took her requests to our Instagram community, who offered far more than we could have hoped! Words of expe...

In February, Mandy Poole shared a story that shocked, broke and warmed our hearts. Next week it gets a new chapter: another (unexpected) open heart surgery. It started on a quiet night watching football at home several years ago. Stephen returned from the grill to find Mandy, a 32-year-old NICU nurse in her first trimester, unresponsive on the couch beside their two children. Stephen's quick...

These are special times - if "special" is a preposterously watered-down euphemism. Headlines, heartbreak, ceaselessly-updating statistics flying at us from every which way...it's no wonder that we find ourselves in need of a pep talk. Please enjoy a stream-of-consciousness window into my mind as I try to "lift up my eyes" by quoting the music of my youth (namely Dave Matth...

I've heard you never know the strength of a woman, much like a tea bag, until she's in hot water. In the case of public schools, I'd say the "hot water" is a pandemic. And here we are, making tea. Today Catherine Schumacher, a parent of two Greenville County Schools students and CEO of Public Education Partners, discusses why public education matters regardless of whether...

Meet Kathryn Whitaker, a wife and working mom who reads the same headlines and faces the same daily struggles most of us do. In perhaps the busiest season of a woman's life, and definitely the weirdest year any of us has faced, Kathryn has added a new challenge to her plate: running for South Carolina Senate. But Not All At Once hasn't become a political podcast; this isn't a stump...

I can think of no better opener than Michael Scott's, "Well, well, well - how the turntables have..." In this episode, listener favorite April Robson (episodes 14 & 15) takes the mic to interview ME. She asks about our family's story, what inspired But Not All At Once, and how the hardest things you've lived through bring forth beauty over time. Today's chat, desp...

Educator and author Charnise Mangle joins us today to talk about "the work" many of us have been doing in recent months - and what plenty of others have been doing for far longer. In the wake of a summer of headlines, heartache, protests, public outcry and private self-examination, there's plenty to discuss on the topic of becoming anti-racist and supporting those pursuing racial eq...

Earlier this week, the heavens opened and Amazon dropped off my pre-ordered copy of "Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Royal Family." Today's episode is my virtual book report about the long-awaited, loosely authorized biography of the only British prince not currently known as His Royal Highness - and the wife who joined him for the ride. Despite seemingly scand...

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you stop one of my pandemic apology tour. I seemed to semi-skate through the summer, able to compartmentalize the weight of looming school uncertainties and go with the flow in a very un-Anne-like way. Wednesday night, though, I hit a wall. Pandora's box opened. I was hit by a freight train. Insert whatever cliche you like; it happened...

My birthday is tomorrow, and to celebrate I'm rereleasing my favorite But Not All At Once episode yet. My dear friend Brooke Turner passed away six months ago this week, before COVID turned our world upside down. The cancer that took her is not her legacy, though. What she leaves behind is the astounding gift of fancying herself, amidst unexpected widowhood, cancer, infertility and overwhelmi...

If you're between 25 and 45, or just have an affinity for films of the '90s and early aughts, you may have moments of nostalgia today as I dive into the movies that shaped us. Much to my husband’s dismay, I’ve never seen Braveheart, Die Hard or Pulp Fiction. There’s a whole genre of film I can quote without thinking, though, and many of you love it too. Join me for hands-down our most co...

Dr. April Czarsty is a pediatric dentist who has virtually earned a congressional medal of honor through her work with my four children alone. Today, however, she's talking about entirely different things. If you've needed a warm and fuzzy break from the reality of COVID, her story may turn your week around. April, the youngest of four, walks us through the legacy her father left in his...

Dr. Nika White joins us this week to dive into how diversity makes every aspect of our lives - work, school, worship and play - richer. Nika helps us understand the difference between equity and equality (you can thank me for my genius pancake metaphor later), encourages us to use our voice wherever we have influence, and challenges us to be thoughtful, sensitive and action-focused in our work to...

"It just feels like the world is on fire." If I had a dollar for every time I'd heard that sentence this last month, I'd be treating you to an extra-large Chick-fil-A combo meal by now. The scales on many of our eyes have fallen away in recent weeks; processing what's been revealed has been an overwhelming, heartbreaking, deeply uncomfortable process that won't stop a...

This episode isn't a sermon or a lecture; I'm not qualified to deliver either. Instead, it's a window into what I'm doing and an invitation to join me in learning and listening. It's time for more than a broken heart emoji on a social media post, but what can we do? Today we'll talk about anti-racism, examining privilege, if good people can carry prejudice, being supp...

Let's consider today's episode the first of many about intuitive eating - a self-care framework that pulls our focus inward, away from diet culture and external authorities on wellness. Truth be told, it's a scary concept for many of us. Trust our bodies? Give ourselves permission and abundance to discern what we need on any given day? What if we find ourselves falling face-first in...

It seems we're all having the same conversations these days. No one's going anywhere, doing anything, or sharing any titillating stories they experienced outside of TikTok. We want to be there for each other, but when we're not even sure what WE need, how can we do that? Today we'll walk through a few ideas: "Nothing new to report; I just wanted to check in on you." &...

Little of what we're facing right now feels normal, sustainable or easy. Today, counselor Caroline Stayer-Brewington talks us through why quarantine feels hard and what we can do about it. We dive into our best means of coping, how mental and physical health are tied, why quarantine seems easier for some, and what "grief" and "trauma" really mean. Hint: we're all deal...

But Not All At Once just celebrated its first birthday! (And I nearly missed it.) It wasn't marked the way we intended, but 50-something episodes, oodles of downloads, and a few thousand laughs-while-sniffling later, I'm so proud of what we've built. Thanks for being here and listening from the start! Today we'll just have a little chat - exactly the kind I'd have with a f...

It's been a few weeks since we chatted about the history, protocol, romance and tabloid headlines shaping the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's future. Since then, besides the whirlwind of COVID-19, there have been some major - and somewhat explosive - developments. Today's episode sheds light on where Harry and Meghan have landed since exiting their roles as senior royals last month. We...