Conversations with Jackie and Bobby

Jackie and Bobby talk with parish friend Nate Coulter, who shares his testimony on coming back to the Church, what led to his decision to get a vasectomy reversed, and the call he felt to be open to new life. - Shoutout to the  @The_BeatiDudes  for letting us record in their wonderful studio! -- Thank you for listening! For more info on our talks, books, and resources, please visit our website at:...

Bobby talks with Peter Giersch, a business leader and consultant, about Peter's book " Talking of Michelangelo , " a travelogue and an enjoyable narrative of his own journey in prayer and deeper conversion. - Connect with Peter: https://www.gierschgroup.com/MilwaukeeAccountants/PeterGiersch " Talking of Michelangelo " with Sophia Institute Press: https://sophiainstitute.com...

Jackie and Bobby chat with authors and counselors Dr. Greg and Lisa Pocak about marriage, communication, and a range of relationship topics, including the fact that only 7% of marriages have a healthy and holy friendship. --- Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak are the founders of CatholicCounselors.com, a group, Catholic pastoral tele-counseling practice that conducts over 30,000 sessions per year with Cath...

Bobby reconnects with Dr. Andrew Swafford at the SEEK 2026 conference to discuss his latest book " Next Stop: the Afterlife, " a reflection on C.S. Lewis' masterpiece The Great Divorce and lessons we can learn from that work. -- Andrew Swafford is a professor of theology at Benedictine College. He is the author of A Catholic Guide to the New Testament and coauthor with his wife, Sara...

Jackie and Bobby reconnect with Sr. Miriam James Heidland at the SEEK 2026 conference and open up about the topic of friendship, the need for others, and what a friendship seeking the Lord looks like. -- Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, is a popular Catholic speaker, a cohost of the  Abiding Together  podcast, and the author of the bestselling book  Loved as I Am , and contributes an afterword to...

Bobby talks with Beth Carrell, a wife, mother, and partner mentor with the CatholicPsych Institute. Beth shares about work of accompaniment, the twist and turns of her testimony, and how God has showed up through it all. Connect with Beth: https://catholicpsych.com/beth-carrell Beth Carrell is a Catholic convert of 18 years, wife of 26 years, and a mother to 12 children. After embracing Catholicis...

Bobby talks with writer Mary O'Regan who authored a brilliant book, Padre Pio & You: An Epic Story of Spiritual Fatherhood ( https://a.co/d/cVIzLo8 ). Mary recounts some amazing facts of Padre Pio's life, details about his family, and the journey of bringing her book about this amazing saint to publication. - Connect with Mary O'Regan via her blog: https://thepathlesstaken7.blogspo...

This week, on Sept. 7th 2025, the Catholic Church is about to elevate two young Italian men to sainthood: Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. We talk in this episode about their lives, the topic of vocation, and Bobby's new book " the Frassati Field Guide " (https://a.co/d/0060fLc) Ave Maria Press has a 2-for-1 deal on the Frassati Field Guide + Gaming & the Heroic Life . $16...

Jackie talks with Suzanne Bilodeau, a wife and mother, author and podcaster, about her vocation story, her ministry and work, and her beautiful book She Loved: Resting in the Beauty of Motherhood . --- Suzanne Bilodeau is a wife to her high school sweetheart Paul, Suzanne is a homeschooling momma of 6 beautiful children. A former success-seeking actuary and a recovering perfectionist and overachie...

Bobby talks with Jack Beers, a friend and fellow mentor with the CatholicPsych Institute, about his journey to Catholicism, dealing with health obstacles and Crohn's disease, and the joy of walking with others through the ups-and-downs of their lives. Jack Beers is the founder and leader of The Catholic Mentor, a ministry dedicated to helping you rise to the occasion of your life. On top of ov...

Jackie talks with Stacy Trasancos about her recent book I VF is Not the Way and explores the stance of the Catholic Church towards IVF, the rights of human embryos, the cross of infertility, and more. Stacy A. Trasancos is an adjunct professor of science and theology in the Catholic Studies program at Seton Hall University and in the undergraduate and graduate programs at Holy Apostles College and...

Bobby talks with Michael Gasparro, a licensed therapist and musician about his faith journey, his work in the mental health field and sharing our creative gifts. As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #131154 and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor #10913 in California, Michael Gasparro helps treat a wide variety of mental health issues with compassion and a Christ-centered worldview. He...

Jackie talks with Renzo and Monica Ortega about their new book " Lovemaking: How to Talk about Sex with Your Spouse ,” and share insights into relationships, sex, and love. Renzo and Monica Ortega are Catholic ministry leaders, podcast hosts, authors, and speakers. They host the popular marriage podcast, Two Become Family (also available on YouTube), and are co-authors of the marriage convers...

Bobby talks with Laraine Bennett and her daughter Dr. Lianna Bennett Haidar about anxiety, what it is and what we do about it, highlighting their newest book Anxiety: A Catholic Guide from Freedom and Fear . Laraine Bennett has a master's degree in Philosophy and has co-authored 5 books with her husband, Art: The Temperament God Gave You, The Temperament God Gave Your Spouse, The Temperament G...

Jackie & Bobby celebrate episode #50 of the podcast, recap their Lenten 2025 travels, and breakdown Bobby's newest book, The Postmodern Predicament with Sophia Institute Press, out now! ... The Postmodern Predicament: And a Roadmap for Recovery and Restoratio n, out now! Sophia Institute Press:https://sophiainstitute.com/product/the-postmodern-predicament/ Amazon: https://a.co/d/aefmVo4 --...

In this episode, Jackie speaks with Mary Lenaburg, an author, speaker, mentor, and retreat leader. Mary shares her testimony and remarkable journey of hope and healing in marriage and motherhood. Connect with Mary and learn more about her ministry at https://marylenaburg.com/ ----2025 Pilgrimage to Croatia & Medjugorje, info here: https://selectinternationaltours.com/product/pilgrimage-to-medj...

We talk in this episode with Fr. Mike Schmitz, longtime friend and collaborator on Ascension Presents, recording from SEEK 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. We reminisce on old ministry moments, the Catholicity of Captain America, and being encouraged in our walks with the Lord. Father Mike Schmitz is the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth as well as the Chaplain for...

We talk in this episode with Fr. Carter Griffin, a priest of Washington DC, on the topic of formation specifically for marriages and families. We also talk about his newest book, Forming Families, Forming Saints available now with Emmaus Road Publishing at the St. Paul Center. Father Carter Griffin is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington. A graduate of Princeton University and a former line o...

Jackie & Bobby talk about their recent travels, notably Jackie's pilgrimage to Poland, some thoughts on Pope John Paul II's earlier work Love & Responsibility , and highlight Jackie's new book---( Memorize Scripture: Simple Steps to Pray, Ponder, and Practice God's Word (https://a.co/d/gFnrmpG) -- coming soon! ... Jackie NEW book, " Memorize Scripture: Simple Steps to Pray, Ponder, and Pra...

Bobby talks with ministry friend Johnna Sullivan , a trained mentor with the CatholicPsych Institute. They talk about Johnna's formation, testimony, and her pull towards ministering to "the misfits" within the Church, especially those coming from broken and blended families. Johnna Sullivan served as a missionary in Haiti, is the mother of her 11-year-old son Levi, and lives in Guilford, Connectic...

Bobby talks with Dr. John Bishop about his work on FORGE , a new platform designed to build a foundation of healthy fathers, strong families, and empowered evangelizers to revitalize the family, transform our culture, and rebuild the Church. John earned his Ph. D. from the Catholic University of America where he wrote his doctoral dissertation on masculine virtue. He worked at FOCUS in various pos...

Jackie & Bobby talk about their recent anniversaries, going through withdrawals after the Olympics, and their summer travels, particularly the first National Eucharistic Congress in 83 years. -- Jackie on Hallow's series on St. John Paul II: https://hallow.com/challenges/244/ Fr. Mike Schmitz on the Olympics' Opening Ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ueAVZwFJbwThe National Euc...

Jackie talks with María Paula Aldana on her upbringing in Colombia, her testimony of faith, and her global ministry teaching the Theology of the Body. María Paula Aldana is a digital content creator, international speaker, writer and expert in Theology of the Body, and in teaching comprehensive sexuality education. She was a theology student at Pontifical Javeriana University in Bogotá Colombia an...

Bobby talks with Fr. Mark-Mary Ames about his life, his calling as a Franciscan Friar, and insights from his newest book "The Father: 30 Meditations to Draw You Into the Heart of God." Fr. Mark-Mary Ames is the Director of Communications and the Director of Priestly Studies of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFR) . The primary mission of the CFR community is a wholehearted embracin...

Jackie talks with Dr. Julia Sadusky about her books and clinical work, moving beyond "the talk" as a one-time event, and practical advice for parents to engage in conversations with their kids (or teens) about sex and the goodness of the body. Dr. Julia Sadusky is a licensed clinical psychologist and the owner of a private practice in Littleton, CO. She is also an author, consultant, spe...