Making Room by Gather

Where do you learn about cooking? This question hit me lately. If we look back, we learned the ins and outs of hosting and navigating the kitchen from our families, and things have rapidly, and drastically, changed. So quickly we resort to social media, and while it's a great source of inspiration, it's not a good teacher. This conversation with author and recipe developer Kat Lieu paint...

You invited new friends over for dinner... ...it went well ...and now you're thinking, NOW WHAT? Don't wait another year to invite them over again. Instead listen to this! So many of us are craving deeper connection through our hospitality. We are longing for friendships  but honestly- culture doesn't tell how the two fit together. In this episode, we will chat through three ways to...

Cancel culture, boundaries and gossip oh my! Makes you kind of want to say, 'you know what...let's just cancel', I get it! Culture is slowly but surely making more spaces for us to get honest about our relationships, and while it's an important step for so many of us, it still can seem uncertain and sometimes a little lonely. Courtney J Burg, author of Loyal to a Fault , joins...

What if I told you that body image issues are not...actually about our body? What if I told you that health is not solely about food and exercise? What if we're getting it all wrong? ...and because of it our relationships are seeing the consequences? ...and because of it the way we 'show up' is being impacted. This conversation with Heather Creekmore is gold mine. Author of the book...

Do you have a creative outlet? I mean, really, in your schedule do you take the time to be creative outside of your job and responsibilities? Very few of us carve out time for creativity but that comes at a cost! Today's guest and I talk through some really delicious, and hard truths about identity, career and family. This mom and formally trained chef has walked through some difficult season...

Let me paint a picture for you... 5th Grade Kayty goes to her room to watch TV. What does she turn on? Not Nickelodeon, nope, Food Network. Surprised? That and Game Show Network. From an early age my passion for food, culinary arts (and apparently game shows?) ran through my veins and through it I became Food Network Obsessed. Over the years I watched food trends, and the network, evolve and it&ap...

Transition. It's something that marks a lot of our stories, but especially that of today's guest Anh Lin. Moving and navigating short term relationships are both things that she has come to know quite well in her life...and that that in a very unique way led her to design. From being raised in Vietnam to navigating her own story of abuse, attachment, and lack she felt a unique invitation...

I thought I was preparing for a conversation surrounding our favorite, nostalgic, shopping snack. We all know the one I'm talking about, the soft pretzels that you either ate coated in cinnamon sugar or dunked in that crave-worthy cheese sauce. As it ended up, I found us taking through the tear-jerking, heart wrenching, redemption story that is the life of Auntie Anne's founder, Anne Bei...

#Basic, We've all seen this as we peruse social media. While there's a side of it that's endearing, there's a side of it that is a subtle dig as well. There's a tension in our culture right now between craving being in our home's and criticizing those who prioritize it. Why is this? When did it happen? ...and what's the answer? The past week as I was on social me...

Wait, did you just say that? Any time we talk about food or the table, it's inevitable that conversations about weight or weight loss come up...and more often than not it's cringy.  It looks different for everyone but whether it's for health reasons or preference, hosting guests who are on their weight loss (or health) journeys is inevitable. We've all heard the family member w...

Stress always falls by the wayside. It feels so much more important to focus on other areas of our health, life and relationships, am I right?  Yet if we were to poll all of our listeners, I bet a vast majority of us would say that it's something we experience, daily. Stress seems to have changed in the past few years, along with the types of stressors and the way it shows up in our lives. It...

As we get busier as a culture, spend less time home and with each other there are less opportunities to learn how to cook confidently. We can probably all think of a recipe that did not end up the way we wished it would. Times when dinner stuck to the pan, the cookies ended up salty or even when we took one bite and threw the whole thing straight in the trash. Our guest today, Bri McKoy, can relat...

"Friendships just don't work for me"  Maybe you have found yourself saying this. One way or another we have all found ourselves in cycles of stress, anxiety and either learned to cope well... or not so well.  If you watched my recent TED talk, you may have heard the part at the very end, the part that surprises most people, where I share what I believe is the key to meaningful hospi...

Doesn't it feel like everyone is in Italy? I can't be the only one of scrolls social and see's half my feed exploring the cobblestone streets and sinking their teeth into the flavors that distinctively come from Italian Roots. Something about the colors, flavors and charm makes me crave pieces of it in my own dining, my own living, and my own hospitably. Katie Parla was born and rai...

Many of us likely haven't said these exact words outloud  but, interior design has become our master. What do I mean by that? We allow our design skills, or lack of, decor, or lack of dictate how comfortable we are welcoming others in. Have you felt it? If you've been around for a while you'll know that design is a passion of mine, and I believe that there is a level of it that is n...

One of our goals for the show this coming season is to answer your questions directly on the show! This past week we had great questions come in through our Instagram dm's and truthfully, I think the answers would benefit a lot of you! " How do I decorate for outdoor hosting and make it not chaotic and awkward? " Also... "What can I make for guests that will stay hot for when I...

Goodness, It's a bit surreal, we're celebrating 100 episodes of Making Room by Gather!  We want to celebrate with a special giveaway!  Listen to the episode, head on over to our instagram @gatherintentionalliving  - Follow all of the accounts in the caption  - Leave 5 stars and a written review wherever you listen to the show  - Comment " Hey @gatherintentionalliving I entered!&quot...

It seems as though as time goes on, the divide between the older and younger generation gets stronger. The older generation is becoming increasingly frustrated with the behavior and trends that the younger generation expresses and the younger generation feels disconnected and distant from the older generation. We hear comments all the time like " Millinials always do ________" or "B...

 This season comes with its own form of cozy- its own sort of magic. As we enter into the heart of warm weather entertaining we are naturally spending more time outdoors...but...are our spaces ready? The goal of 'readiness' is never perfection, but instead confidence. Are you confident welcoming others into your space? This week we welcome on our friend, designer and CEO of designer door...

Guess What? It's possible to have an honest conversation...and still keep a relationship.  It's true! A few weeks back an industry friend reached out and said, " I know these two incredible people making a film and I think you'd love to talk to them!" Turns out, she was right! Our new friends Craig and Andrea were set out to create a film that talks about racial reconcilia...

I am known for a few things, and one of them being my incredible love for all things chocolate. As I got older and dove into the worlds of coffee and wine, I realized that similarly chocolate has a culture and world of it's own. It didn't take long for me to realize that the mass produced chocolate that I would feast on as a kid no longer fit the way my foodie palate was expanding. This...

I was the kid who when everyone else was watching cartoons... I was watching cooking shows. 30 Minute Meals was a regular show and Rachael Ray was a household name. As I got older it felt like in many ways Rachael Ray and I grew up together, you may feel the same way. She expanded on to new shows, business endeavors product lines and I... very readily followed along! There was always something abo...

There are two types of people, those who live and breathe boxed wine, and those who are skeptical. Truthfully I was always a skeptic, believing that box wine was 'cheap wine' and boy was I wrong!   Recently I learned about a new brand called Bebly that solves a problem that I certainly can identify with and truthfully...I think you can too. Owner, Ally, took a glance at her tablescape a...

Do you take time to celebrate everyday? Truthfully, I don't! I find myself falling in this 1 or 100, black or white type mentality and I end up missing so many reasons to stop, pause, and celebrate every day! Today's conversation gave me more than a fresh perspective on every calibrations though, it opened my eyes to a conversation much deeper. As I read through the book Everyday Grand b...

As I move into adulthood I find that friendship is something so many of us are trying to figure out. We crave it, recognize the need for it but somehow always find ourselves longing for more insight and direction. This bonus episode is a profound, insightful, and empowering excerpt from Laura Tremaine's newest book The Life Council: 10 Friendships Every Woman Needs. Specifically talking throu...