For Real with Kimberly Stuart

Kayla Craig joined us on For Real in our very first season. I loved her then and love her still, so I’m stoked she agreed to talk with me again. Kayla is a writer, a great question generator, a podcaster, a mother, and she writes the words I can’t seem to find some days when I’m talking about and with God. I love the way Kayla stubbornly and persistently invites the holy into ordinary moments and...

I hope you’re hungry because today my guest is Bri McKoy. Bri is a fantastic cook. She’s the cook that you not only want on your Meal Train list, you might fake an injury just so she brings you a meal. But she did not start cooking until forced, so she has empathy for regular people. She is the every-girl that you want in your kitchen, teaching you how to make delicious food with confidence and jo...

I'm super excited to be back at the mic to announce our third season of For Real! A third season? Who even are we? What an honor that you take us along on your coffee run, your carpool loop, your drive to the gym if you're that kind of person who will outlast us all because of self-discipline. This season is already making me laugh and cry and want to linger for more. We have already recor...

Our last episode of Season Two! We made it! Again! And oh, man, do we have the best season ender for you. My guest is Jami Nato, and I want to assure you that she makes me snort-laugh. You know that really undignified laughter that makes you feel like you never actually left junior high but are still that awkward kid in braces and Aqua Net? Snort laughter in braces? That’s what I do with Jami Nato...

I’m trying not to hyperventilate. Sara Groves is on the pod today. This means that the woman who has sung the soundtrack to my adult life is ON THE POD TODAY. Sara has been singing my favorite songs for 25 years. She is an exquisite writer, thinker, and truth teller. She puts words and melodies to what our hearts can’t do on their own. And she’s also a Minnesotan, which means she knows how to weat...

Yowza. This conversation will not let me go . In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with a man who knows a lot about Plan B. Strahan Coleman was a touring musician and songwriter for years, and he had a very robust prayer life until he became so sick, he couldn’t get out of bed and he could not muster the energy to pray as he had before. Plus, he was rather irritated with the God of the...

Author Jennifer Dukes Lee is a woman who is so dear to me and who has taught me so much. She is wise, funny, and exactly the same person in real life as she is in public. This is a remarkable and delightful character trait, I’m sure you agree. We get to talking about Jennifer’s new project, Stuff I’d Only Tell God , which is unique for her and a gift to us. We also dive into what it looks like to...

I’ve had the great joy of counting Tosca as a dear friend for many years, so this conversation was a blast for me. Tosca is the New York Times bestselling novelist of a slew of books in a slew of genres, and she crushes them all, including her newest release, The Long March Home . Tosca is a former ballerina, a former beauty queen, and a former city girl who now lives on a farm in Nebraska. She’s...

Today we get the chance to hear from a pastry chef. I want you to enjoy the idea of that right now because EVERY DAY should include some wisdom from a pastry chef. Kendall Vanderslice is a baker, a writer, the owner of a beagle named Strudel (I mean, come on), and she is the author of a new book: By Bread Alone: A Baker’s Reflections on Hunger, Longing, and the Goodness of God . I so enjoyed heari...

Tyson Motsenbocker is an author and musician who, in addition to having the best last name to say out loud, wrote a beautiful book about his 40-day pilgrimage up the coast of California. Tyson’s luminous and beloved mom passed away, and only a few short days after the funeral, he walked out his front door and across the state. Motsenbocker walked hundreds of miles as he started to process his grie...

Sissy Goff is a superhero to the mental health world, and she is a superhero to me. If you or anyone you love is dealing with anxiety, particularly kids and teens, please stop what you’re doing and get a pen and paper because this one is a note-taker. And please know as you wrestle with the fall-out from anxiety, you are not alone, your kids are not alone, and there is so much hope. I am so gratef...

What a treat of an episode! Jean Stoffer is an interior designer, a businesswoman, a mother of four and grandma of a bunch more, and a debut author. She also has her own show on Magnolia network, and I highly recommend that after you listen to the pod, you ignore everything else on your list today so you can watch every episode of both seasons. Jean and I got to chat about a host of things, and I...

Blaine Hogan is a writer, film and creative director, and actor. On this episode, we talk about all of those very unusual jobs, Blaine’s Midwest roots, his work with celebrities like Usher and Arnold Schwarzenegger and as the less glamorous Pepto Bismol man. We also talk about the beautiful life he and God have wrestled back from the grip of abuse, addiction and trauma, a story he tells in his unf...

Welcome to this special Christmas episode of For Real! GUESS WHAT? My mom joins us today, even though she swore she’d never do that again after she stopped by the pod last year . I am nothing if not a persistent firstborn female. My mom is a delight, and I predict you will love her again. I’m honored to be her daughter, and she seems to continue to love me even when I coerce her to talk into a mic...

I’m just going to take a big, deep breath about getting to talk with my guest for today. Amanda Held Opelt joins me on the podcast today, and I counted it a privilege to talk with her about her new and debut book, A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing. Amanda’s book is part memoir, part history of bereavement rituals, and altogether one of the most stunning books I have...

Today is such a fun day because I got to chat with Stephen Miller. Stephen is an author, musician, entrepreneur, and YouTube star (to the tune of 750 THOUSAND subscribers, THAT kind of YouTuber), and I love how he and his wife Amanda use that space to tell the great story they’re living with their seven kiddos. Stephen and I talked about how in the world it works to have a bunch of teenagers AND l...

When an introvert writes a book about neighboring, I feel like we must lean in. Today’s guest is the smart and feisty and true-to-her bones introvert, Shannan Martin. I loved hearing from Shannan how we can ALL use how we were made to develop rich community. Shannan’s new book, Start with Hello (and Other Simple Ways to Live as Neighbors) , has ended up to be the kind of book I highlighted, dog-ea...

Jeanne Stevens is a fellow Midwest girl! Hooray! I was honored to finally meet her and have her on For Real. Jeanne lives with her family in Chicago, where she co-pastors Soul City Church. You know that I only chat with folks who will be real with us, and let me just say that Jeanne perfectly fits that bill. Her new book, What’s Here Now? How to Stop Rehashing the Past and Rehearsing the Future—An...

Megan Tibbits brightens every room she enters, and our conversation on today’s ep is no exception. We peeked behind the curtain of what it looks like to have a very unusual job, her upbringing as a member of a Jesus version of the Partridge Family, and how she keeps her heart and mind in a healthy place working in an industry that focuses heavily on followers and platforms and perceived perfection...

I can’t imagine a more perfect way to kick off our second season (huzzah!) than to chat with the intrepid and generous Jess Connolly. Jess is an author, speaker, entrepreneur, church leader, podcaster, team builder, and here’s the thing: She is as real a deal as they come. I’m talking unicorn . I loved hearing about her steadfast work, even when her own emotions run wild, her newest book Breaking...

For Real with Kimberly Stuart is back! Tune in this season for more real conversations with folks who live and love well, create beautiful things, teach us a ton, and let us in on what they know. Season 2 launches Tuesday, October 4. Follow now on your favorite streaming platform and find Kim online for even more content! Linktree: @KimberlyStuart Web: Kimberlystuart.com Instagram: @kimberly.stuar...

I am grateful to have had a bevy of beautiful conversations this year, but my conversations with Mike Foster stand alone. They have changed me, changed the way I understand the world, and changed my relationships. CONVERSATIONS WITH MIKE FOSTER DO THIS, PEOPLE. I can’t wait for you to listen in on what Mike has learned over many years doing his valuable work and, in turn, what he’s able to teach u...

Maria Durso is who I want to be when I grow up, including her hair. Maria met Jesus in a dramatic way and she never turned back. She and her husband Michael pastored Christ Tabernacle in Queens, New York, an outgrowth of Brooklyn Tabernacle, for over thirty years, She continues to lead in various capacities there when not speaking all over the world about her story and the compelling news of the G...

Let’s talk about parenting and breast cancer and the pandemic and all the things that are distinctly PLAN B (C? D? Z?), but can we please figure out how to laugh about it? If that sounds like the way to go, you need to listen to my conversation with author Melanie Dale. Melanie’s newest book, Calm the H*ck Down: How to Let Go and Lighten Up About Parenting had me in stitches, even in the tough par...

On this episode of For Real, I learn a bunch from author Marcus Brotherton, whose new book, A Bright and Blinding Sun , tells the true story of an accidental hero. Marcus has written extensively about military heroes, and I loved learning about how he distills huge movements in history into stories that show the triumph of the human spirit. We also discuss the woes and joys of doing publicity for...