Impossible Beauty

We are approaching Lent, a forty-day period of preparation for celebrating Jesus’ resurrection at Easter. It’s a time rich with spiritual significance. It also happens to be a time when the ideas of self-deprivation and fasting can get emphasized in faith-based circles. The tricky part is that both diet culture messages and faith-based messages at times explicitly and implicitly emphasize food res...

In a world where beauty is so often equated with thinness and weight loss with health, willpower, and virtue, Intuitive Eating gives us a different framework-one that emphasizes the beauty of body diversity and makes food freedom possible. In today’s episode, I have the privilege of speaking with one of the co-creators of Intuitive Eating, Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDS-S. Elyse is a nutrition therapi...

In a world of selfies, social media, and self-promotion, the virtue of humility isn’t getting much airtime these days. In today’s episode, I have the privilege of discussing this all-important virtue with Richard Foster and Brenda Quinn. Richard Foster is the founder of Renovaré Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation, a nonprofit that helps people in becoming more like Jesus. He is also the a...

In a world filled with both beauty and brokenness, perhaps the greatest brokenness we experience is death. On today’s episode, we tackle this brokenness head on with author, Sarah Berger. When Sarah Berger’s nineteen-year-old son went to heaven in an inexplicable single-car accident, Sarah found herself plunged into deep grief. Having journaled her experiences in the wake of that event, Sarah shar...

Life is all about connection. As humans we seem to thrive most when we are deeply connected to God, other people, ourselves, and our sense of purpose in the world. On today’s episode, I talk with Beth Davis all about deepening our connection with God, other people, and even ourselves. Beth Davis is the Director of Ministry Advancement for an international sisterhood of women called Blessed Is She....

Every year, when Christmas rolls around, I try to wrap my mind and heart around the significance of Jesus coming to earth. The far-reaching impact of God coming in his fullness to restore and redeem the entire world is a hard one to fully grasp. In today’s episode, author and Bible teacher, Hannah Anderson, helps us explore one often-overlooked aspect of the Christmas story, inviting us to take a...

Have you ever been stunned by a night sky or deeply moved by the expansiveness of the universe? If so, today’s episode is for you. Dr. Deb Haarsma is an astronomer, experienced research scientist, and the president of BioLogos. She has studied large galaxies, galaxy clusters, the curvature of space, and the expansion of the universe using telescopes around the world and in orbit. Dr. Haarsma compl...

Dr. Chinwé Williams is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), the founder and owner of Meaningful Solutions Counseling & Consulting, and an Executive Coach. She also recently co-authored the book, "Seen: Healing Despair and Anxiety in Kids and Teens Through the Power of Connection." Dr. Williams’ clinical expertise lies in the areas of stress/anxiety management, trauma recovery, the intersection...

Jennifer Tucker leaned into breath prayer out necessity. Amid anxiety and a family crisis, it became a lifeline. Jennifer Tucker is a mom, artist, and graphic designer, primarily working for Ann Voskamp. Jenn is also the author of Breath as Prayer: Calm Your Anxiety, Focus Your Mind, and Renew Your Soul. As Jenn puts it, “I create art to remind my own soul that God is with us, that we are loved an...

Justin McRoberts has a way with words. He has a way of breathing new life into familiar topics and inviting us to out of the box thinking that inspires the mind and heart. As Justin puts it, he creates to provide language for the process of faith and life. In official terms, Justin is an author, musician, host of The @Sea Podcast, retreat leader, and leads workshops on the creatives process. He li...

We live in a world fraught with disconnection and distraction. In today’s episode and in her book, The Connected Leader, Montana-based psychotherapist and author, Karen Hardwick, shares all about how to re-connect with our true selves, our purpose in the world, our connection with God, and with other people. Karen Hardwick is a clinically and spiritually trained psychotherapist-turned-leadership c...

This is a big week for Tori Hope Petersen. On October 18th Tori’s memoir entitled "Fostered: One Woman’s Powerful Story of Finding Faith and Family through Foster Care" will release. Then this coming weekend, Tori will be hosting the Survivors Thriving and Writing Workshop in North Carolina. It is Tori’s desire to help survivors of human trafficking, foster care, and abuse tell their story; to kno...

Liz Wienke wanted to help others find healing in their relationship with food and body image in the same way she had. Her own journey of finding intuitive eating changed her life and she wanted to help others break free from diet culture. Liz Wienke is a therapist, Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, and a fellow Minnesotan, working at Venture Therapy in White Bear Lake. In today’s episode, Liz...

After spending a decade as a radio personality in markets that included Las Vegas, Cara Whitney found herself longing for the simple life. Having grown up on a cattle farm in Northern Wisconsin, she found her way back to the country, this time a horse farm in Nebraska. That is where Cara now lives, along with her husband Dan, known as “Larry the Cable Guy.” Cara is the author of the bestselling bo...

I am guessing we all want to be healthy, right? In today’s episode, I talk with licensed clinical psychologist and eating disorder specialist, Dr. Colleen Reichmann all about the trends of wellness culture and clean eating. Dr. Reichmann helps us see how, through the lens of diet culture, our ideas on health and wellness may be a bit warped. In addition to being a licensed clinical psychologist an...

On today’s show, I welcome Dr. Curt Thompson back to the podcast. If you remember Curt from Episode 33, you already know that the conversation ahead is a special one. Dr. Curt Thompson is a psychiatrist, author, speaker, and the host of The Being Known Podcast. Curt’s work largely lies at the intersection of interpersonal neurobiology and spiritual formation, connecting our intrinsic desire to be...

Manda Carpenter is an author, speaker, advocate, and the co-host of A Longer Table Podcast, alongside her husband, Eric. Manda has written two books, the most recent being Soul Care to Save Your Life. Manda is very passionate, about “Seeing people own their full identity and do their inner work,” as she puts it. And that is exactly the kind of beautiful work she models and invites others into in h...

On today’s episode, I talk with Registered Dietitian, Dylan Murphy, all about breaking free from societal lies and ideals around beauty and body image. Dylan received her Food Science and Human Nutrition Degree from Clemson University, completed her Dietetic Residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and has provided individualized nutrition coaching for hundreds of clients. Her specialty...

Today’s episode is a big one. Today we are celebrating 100 episodes with Bob Goff. Back in Episode four, I had the pleasure of interviewing Bob at Dream Big at Magnolia in Waco, Texas. It was actually at that event that I decided to take the official plunge into podcasting and Bob helped me get things rolling. For those who may be new to Bob, he calls himself a “recovering lawyer,” is a New York T...

Jo Saxton is an author, speaker, International Justice Mission Ambassador, podcast host, leadership coach, and a fellow Minnesotan. Jo invests in women leaders in a number of ways, including an initiative called the Ezer Collective, an event held to invest in and catalyze attendees’ leadership. Jo is especially passionate about helping women realize and live into their God-given identity. In today...

What if the truest thing about us is that we are loved beyond what we can imagine? In her work and in our time today, that is the reality Elizabeth Peterson invites us into. Elizabeth Peterson is a certified spiritual director and yoga instructor, with fifteen years of experience working in retreat ministry. Elizabeth seeks to create safe and sacred spaces for individuals and groups to reflect on...

Dr. Dale Gentry wants you to know that faith and science are not enemies. More specifically, he believes you can be a Christian and deeply care for creation and connect with God in the study and experience of the natural world. Dr. Dale Gentry is the Conservation Manager at Audubon Minnesota and the founder and director of Disciple Science, a podcast and video series helping people connect with Go...

On today’s episode, Pastor Mike Kelsey speaks to two distinctives of the true beauty reality that God invites us into, a life of joy and justice. Mike Kelsey is a Campus Pastor, and a member of the Teaching Team at the McLean Bible Church near Washington D.C. Mike is a third-generation pastor in the D.C. area. In our time together, Mike explains how witnessing true joy changed the trajectory of hi...

In today’s episode, I talk with physical therapist, Lisa DeKam. Lisa has worked as a physical therapist for twenty years and in an eating disorder treatment setting for 12 years. As Lisa describes it, she loves “exploring meaningful movement, embodiment, and the incredible ways that our bodies work.” Lisa also co-founded the Axia Project, alongside Jacquie Danz, which we talk all about back in epi...

Megan Hadley is a registered dietitian nutritionist with her Masters in Nutrition. She is also the owner and founder of Simple Nutrition, where she and two other clinicians provide in-person or virtual, one on one, nutrition therapy and coaching using Health At Every Size® and Intuitive Eating informed practices. Megan is passionate about helping clients find freedom in eating and acceptance of th...