Mangled Spaces

This is our first of 4 episodes on GRIEF [Mel's favorite topic of discussion]. We are diving into the definitions, research, and clinical approaches to grief this week. Whether you are lost in the stages of grief right now, or supporting someone through their loss: this episode (and series) is for you!

One of our favorite authors has blessed us with another masterpiece! This is a textbook of what it means to be human. Chockfull of wisdom and insightful it is a must read! A go-to one of a kind resource. This one we savored and yet it left us wanting more.

Intentional (on-purpose) friends. Finding our circle of friends is hard! We are created for community--so why is it so hard to find great friendships? In short--friendships don't usually materialize out of thin air. They take intention!! We are talking through some of the realities of making and keeping a solid group of friends to surround you through the battles of life.

One of our TOUGHEST challenges in marriage to date: parenting on a unified front. You guys....this is hard stuff. We are here to share our experiences, short-comings, and favorite strategies to survive the parenting season of marriage.

94% of people who state that they have a "strong marriage" also state that they regularly talk about their finances as a couple. And yet, if you have ever been part of a "finance talk", you know it isn't always pretty. Tash and Mel tell all their tips for discussing finances peacefully, and using it as a space to get to know your partner.

Mel and Tash talk about seasonal depression and the January blues. This episode is filled with tips and tricks to move through this tough season.

We ran out of time recording the last episode, but the conversation wasn't over! This episode is the follow-up to the previous, continuing the discussion on how to be the tribe to one another in a diet-saturated culture. Showing up for a friend with ED is a journey, and there is so much learning to do. We talk about how to keep repairing when we trigger our loved ones, and how to keep growing toge...

By listener request, we are addressing how to show up in community for friends battling disordered eating. Mel is asking the questions, and Tash is sharing her experiences this week with the goal of empowering listeners to show up for each other in this messy reality of life. We aren't expected to have all the answers, but we do have the responsibility to lean in and learn together. We hope this e...

This week we are taking on DIET CULTURE. The new year is diet culture's time to shine--and we are ready to call it out. Hear about how we both experienced the effects of diet culture in our formative years, and how we are working to overcome it in favor of personal growth.

Welcome to the new year, friends! We are excited to share our approach to goal setting this year. We are discussing what has worked (and not worked) for us in the past, and how we can set intentions to guide our decisions this year toward a full and meaningful life!! Thanks for listening.

Mel and Tash wrap up the year by highlighting a couple of their wins and woes amongst the Christmas clean-up.

In the final week of Advent, we are diving into LOVE. Not just the kind of love we see in movies, or on social media, or in perfectly-matching-Christmas-card families. With nods to Adele, the OG Christmas story, and our current chaotic lives, we are taking a look at our greatest calling, and the final pillar of advent: Love.

This week we continue on our advent journey and consider the source of joy in our lives. Taking on the classic phrase "choose joy" - We discuss holding the conflicting spaces like grief and trauma while leaning into the strenth that true joy brings.

This week we continue the practice of observing advent with a focus on peace. We discuss the process of seeking and accepting peace--and even more importantly what peace is and isn't. The concept of peace doesn't feel immediately synonymous with being a mama in the margins, but it is promised to us nonetheless. Again we will be sharing excerpts from the book Poeima (by Taylor Johnson and Whitney C...

This week we dive into the first week of Advent by discussing the Mangled Space where hopeful anticipation meets heartbreaking grief. Sparked by the words and art of Taylor Joy Johnson and Whitney Leigh Carlson in their book Poiema, we are leaning into stubborn hope this season.

Take Tash and Mel along for a listen while you black Friday this year. This is a light-hearted bonus episode to kick off the next stage in the holiday season.

Tash and Mel unpack some of the well-intended platitudes that are often ill-received by mamas in the margins. Listen in to learn some tips on what to say instead, or how to respond with kindness and education when on the receiving end!

This is your personal invitation to hear about Mel's adoption day! Tash and Mel talk a little bit about the Mangled Spaces of foster care, adoption, and the grief and joy with both. As promised in the episode: the scripture verse referenced (that we couldn't pull out of thin air!) is James 1:27. And the statistic Mel stumbled to articulate is: if one family in one of every 3 churches in the United...

This week's episode is an audible tool box of sorts, with Tasha and Mel's favorite skills to stay regulated in a highly triggering season. From fidgets to focus to reframes--you're bound to find something to take with you into the stresses of the holiday season.

This week, you are invited to listen in on a vulnerable, honest, and hopefully not-too-trashy conversation about reclaiming sexual pleasure in relationships. After years of associating desire with shame, it's time to deconstruct the messages that no longer serve us and move toward a rich and meaningful (sex) life. This week holds tips for discussing your needs with your partner, hints on spicing t...

This week's episode is part 2 of a two-week conversation around parenting beyond purity culture. Tasha and Mel discuss further how they balance their values and aspirations for their children while aiming to avoid shame and oppressive messaging. As with all things mangled-spaces, there aren't perfect answers, but Mel and Tash share their first hand experiences in working out the messes of life.

After spending a couple of episodes unpacking how purity culture influenced their upbringings, Tasha and Mel shift gears to discuss how they are choosing to parent in light of their histories and their values. This week's episode is part 1 of a two-week conversation around parenting beyond purity culture. Part one unpacks some truths about development and psychology, giving us the tools to view be...

Two young girls, similar messages, and completely different stories. I waited- I didn't, let the truth-telling begin.. P.S.- You might want to grab your headphones.

Purity Culture- the Evangelical movement that had a lasting yet detrimental impact on a generation. Listen in as Mel and Tash dive into a book that rocked both their worlds. Get ready because this conversation is just getting started..

Are you familiar with the feeling of "barely making it"? We are! This week, we chat through the reality that God gives us enough for each day....but some days it feels like *barely* enough. If that sounds disheartening, listen in to hear how we are aiming to navigate this season of "survival mode" with hope and strength to move forward day after day. This provision of "just enough for today" isn't...