Isn't It Lovely? Podcast

“Givers gain. If I walk into everything that I do in life with that mentality I will give as much as I possibly can and know that nothing is lost.” Get ready to dream BIG as Tracy and Rachel welcome beloved local artist, entrepreneur, and massive inspiration Desire Jansen to the podcast! Dez shares her secrets (and superpowers!) for living a life of purpose through pursuing huge dreams with focuse...

Rachel and Tracy are energized and delighted as they sit down with vibrant local powerhouse Sandy Lown, Executive Director of Sioux Falls-based nonprofit, the Teddy Bear Den! Celebrating 26 years of nurturing healthy pregnancies, babies, and communities, the Teddy Bear Den has served over 32,000 women in the Sioux Falls area through its incentive and education based program for limited income preg...

Calling all Mandatees (and the newly minted Lovelies): not since Full House and Family Matters has there been such a highly anticipated crossover episode! Isn’t it Lovely? is thrilled to kick off Season 7 by welcoming podcast brothers and dear friends Ryan Konz and Ben Krush of The Mandate Podcast to the show! Fearless leaders of their loyal Mandatees and hosts extraordinaire, Ryan and Ben open up...

“It’s more important that we do what we believe we’re supposed to do by loving people first and being obedient to what we think our purpose is.” In this season’s bonus episode of Isn’t it Lovely?, Tracy and Rachel welcome South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to the podcast! Governor Noem shares her experiences as the first woman to serve as governor of South Dakota, detailing the importance of repres...

Calling all bookworms: the Isn’t it Lovely? Book Club is BACK and better than ever as fan faves Alli Veldhouse and Ashley Holen bring along literary soulmate Danielle Shields to join Rachel and Tracy for a second installment of BOOK TALK! Appropriately recorded in a local Sioux Falls library, this episode spotlights Danielle’s story of why reading is so important to her (along with a gentle dispel...

Isn’t it Lovely? was thrilled to have the great honor of interviewing golf legend Nancy Lopez during a special live show recorded during Women’s Day at The 2022 Sanford International Golf Tournament! Reflecting on her celebrated career, Nancy touchingly leads with a tribute to her first coach and beloved father Domingo, who modeled for her the importance of dreaming big, setting goals, working har...

Prepare to be hit with a wave of impassioned empowerment as Isn’t it Lovely? welcomes motivational speaker and Hurdle Life Coach Foundation Executive Director Terry Liggins to the podcast! With compassion and sensitivity, Terry describes how a challenging childhood and adolescence led to an encounter with the justice system that changed the course of his life and set him on a path to higher educat...

It’s time for a Mailbag Edition of Isn’t it Lovely? as Rachel and Tracy tackle their most commonly asked listener questions about the ins and outs of podcasting! From crafting the initial interview questions to promoting the final product on social media, Rachel and Tracy share their process from start to finish, highlighting which steps give them life - and which ones maybe crush their souls a li...

In collaboration with South Dakota’s celebrated 4Front Studios, Isn’t it Lovely? is thrilled to introduce its very first long-form audio and video episode featuring the endlessly inspiring Amos and Heather Kittelson as they share their love story and journey of breaking generational trauma to find hope and healing from addiction. With sensitivity and care, Amos and Heather recreate the morning Hea...

It’s a celebration of art, design, and beauty as Isn’t it Lovely? welcomes dear friend and favorite creative Christy Steen to the podcast! Christy shares suggestions for imaginatively uncovering “beauty from ashes” and making design accessible, including exploring garage and estate sales and Facebook Marketplace for treasures, embracing concepts of repurposing and recycling, and paring down and re...

Isn’t it Lovely? Season 6 continues exploring themes of healing and identity as Rachel and Tracy sit down with AsOne Ministries Founder and CEO Andrew DeVaney. Andrew shares the personal faith journey that ultimately led him to encounter the love of Jesus in a profound and transformational way, while also allowing him to deconstruct elements of faith in an attempt to better understand where God is...

Isn’t it Lovely is delighted to kick off Season 6 by welcoming art therapist Lauren Callis to the podcast for a revelatory conversation about self-care, healing, creativity, and so much more! As the co-founder and executive director of Curiosity Studio, Lauren leads both in-person and virtual sessions to help her participants discover information about themselves, while developing empathy, connect...

Isn’t it Lovely? went on the road last spring for a long-awaited conversation with entrepreneur, dreamer, and all-around powerhouse Audra Robinson, founder of Rocky Robinson self-care products. In this Season 5 finale episode, Audra expresses her gratitude to an encouraging mother and the educators and community leaders who invested in her as she was growing up and discusses how her experiences as...

“We want to cultivate a community. We want to bring community back…[God] didn’t create us to be alone.” It’s a celebration of women’s health and wellness as Tracy and Rachel welcome midwives and real-life sisters Sarah Roe and Erin Vande Lune to the podcast to share the story of how the (literal!) dream of launching Flourish Wellness and Birth Co. became a reality. Passion and empathy for their pa...

Fan favorite Tim Meagher is BACK … and this time he’s brought his friends. Rachel and Tracy welcome Tim, JD Kessler, and Marcus Suhn, affectionately known as The Mighty Hunters (along with dear friend Adam Swingdorf, who was tied up making Sensational Smiles), to the podcast to discover how an elk hunting trip solidified lifelong friendships and why being self-aware and comfortable in your own ski...

Pop them bottles! It’s another very special bonus episode with Rachel and Tracy to celebrate their first year (give or take a few months) of hosting the Isn’t it Lovely? Podcast! Rachel reflects on the origin story of the podcast, while Tracy proclaims their shared respect for author and teacher Jennie Allen before unveiling the announcement of the very first Isn’t it Lovely? Book Club, featuring...

Tracy and Rachel are honored and delighted to sit down with literal history-maker Kimberly Reed to discuss her wide-ranging career in Washington D.C. and groundbreaking role as the first female Chairman of the Board, President, and CEO of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM). Kim expertly weaves anecdotes from her childhood and personal life into experiences from her professional lif...

It’s a BFF extravaganza in the studio as Tracy and Rachel welcome Courtney Collen and Katrina Yde to the podcast for a conversation about all things friendship! Courtney and Katrina share their Meet Cute as inspiration for how to pursue friendship past the college years, while Tracy and Rachel delight in the ways these women serve as one another’s biggest cheerleaders. Katrina graciously provides...

Rachel and Tracy cozy up for a morning coffee (and smoothie) with Colorado resident Kelsey Hargadine as she details how she began her lifelong calling into the heart of Uganda and how, with the help of relationships, we all have a zealous YES that we can step into. Kelsey discusses practical steps to listen and eliminate the noise and distractions in our lives and how, in doing so, we are intentio...

Isn’t it Lovely? Season 5 hits the ground running as Rachel and Tracy welcome photographer, creative director, foodie extraordinaire and Sioux Falls Hype Man Vince Danh to the podcast for a long-form interview celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit, major life pivots, uplifting communities - and his willingness to wait for really good food. Vince shares how his path to becoming a lawyer shifted th...

Tracy and Rachel celebrate the Season 4 finale of Isn’t it Lovely? by welcoming Sioux Falls Christian Elementary School Principal Dr. Kym Johnston to the podcast! A daughter and granddaughter of educators, Kym reflects on a passion for education that dates back to playing school as a little girl, reveals how the belief of a leader inspired her dream and goal of becoming a principal, and offers enc...

It’s a celebration of collaboration and empathy as Isn’t it Lovely? welcomes community leader Rich Merkouris to the podcast! After reflecting on a childhood that encouraged outreach, Rich identifies the life-changing moment a casual joke to a college professor set him on a trajectory to engage with his community in a personal way. Rich and Tracy discuss the notion of holy discontent and the ways t...

Be inspired to change the world as Tracy and Rachel welcome Washington D.C. powerhouse Michelle Bekkering to the podcast! Sharing powerful illustrations and real-life experiences from a career that has taken her around the globe, Michelle champions both emotions and economics as tools to invite listeners to adopt a global perspective in uplifting and empowering girls and women. Tracy and Michelle...

Tracy and Rachel are equal parts trepidatious and joyful to unveil Isn’t it Lovely?’s very first holiday special! Snuggled into Tracy’s dining room and surrounded by Yuletide splendor, Tracy and Rachel quickly discover how challenging it is to interview…each other. Featuring special segments including a lightning round of Christmas questions and a holiday-themed What We’re Loving This Week, the ep...

Katie Twedt, owner of FORM Fitness Studio + Boutique, radiates energy and light on the podcast during a positive and inclusive conversation about health and wellness. Acknowledging, yet gently deconstructing, the guilt and shame that can surround these topics, Katie instead models grace and acceptance, encouraging an examination of health markers other than a clothing size or number of the scale,...