Messy & Serene

After last week we needed a breath. This is that breath. This week we are talking about grace. The kind you give yourself when you realize you have been holding yourself to a standard nobody could meet. And the kind you extend to the people around you when you finally understand that they are just as human as you are. I am sharing the moment I realized my parents were not being strict because they...

This one is heavy. And holy. And I believe someone needs to hear it today. This week we are talking about suffering well- what it actually means, what it actually costs, and what it looks like from the inside of a season where you are being asked to choose faith over and over again when everything in you wants to give up. I am sharing things I have never said publicly before. The moment in my pare...

This is not a budgeting episode. This is a come-sit-down-and-let-me-tell-you-what-nobody-told-me episode. I grew up with strong financial foundations. I had licenses. I knew the systems. And I still lost myself in the chase. Because nobody warned me about what happens when money stops being a tool and starts being everything. This week we are talking about the relationship with money that nobody a...

Let me be honest with you about something. The scroll still gets me. I have not overcome it. I manage it. But I have not arrived at a place where it has zero effect on me. And I think pretending otherwise would be doing you a disservice. This week we are talking about the comparison trap. The way it walks in without permission. The vacation scroll that makes you question your entire season. The hi...

This one is for anyone who has ever felt like they were growing in a direction the people around them couldn't quite follow. Or who has moved so many times that deep, settled community keeps feeling just out of reach. Or who is quietly carrying a longing for their people while performing like they are completely fine. This week I am getting honest about something I have actually lived. Not the...

Married ladies - I told you I had you. This one is for us. This week we are talking about the things nobody warns you about before you say I do. Not the vague "marriage takes work" version. The real version. The thermostat version. The he-makes-the-bed-while-I'm-still-in-it version. The I-told-him-I-was-a-morning-person-and-technically-I-didn't-lie version. 😄 But also the real s...

This one is for my single ladies and the ones still in the dating season. But if you're married - don't skip. Think about who in your life needs this message. A friend. A daughter. Someone you love who keeps choosing the wrong person. Let me be your messenger. Send it to them. And to whoever just got that link forwarded to them - hi. I'm Natalie. I'm sorry but I'm not sorry. Yo...

This one is a little lighter. A little more honest. And somehow still going to hit exactly where you live. This week I'm sitting down and talking about the parts of myself I have had to make peace with. The relentlessness that has served me and cost me at the same time. The girl who used to not be the shoulder to cry on and had to learn how to be. The black and white thinker learning to live i...

This one has been sitting with me for a long time. And I finally felt ready to say it out loud. This week we are talking about the connection between emotional stress and physical illness. The years I spent saying yes to everything and no to myself. The relationships that cost me more than I realized. The things that happened to me that my body never forgot even when my mind tried to move on. And...

Have you ever looked back at your life and realized God was setting something up while you were completely clueless about what was happening? This week we are getting into it. The cancelled plans that turned into something better. The prayers He answered so fast you asked for another sign anyway. The detours that turned out to be the whole point. And how I ended up at Kleinfeld buying my wedding d...

Last week we talked about saying yes to your calling. This week we're talking about how to protect it. Boundaries. I know — stay with me. For a long time I thought setting a boundary meant I was doing something to someone. Cutting them off. Shutting them out. And so I avoided them. I kept the peace. I said yes when I meant no. I absorbed things that were running me down. And I genuinely believe th...

What happens when God calls you somewhere that makes zero sense to everyone around you? This episode is about the tension between calling and culture - the voice that tells you to fit the mold, follow the formula, and stay on the expected path. And the quieter, more persistent voice underneath all of that noise that keeps saying: come anyway. I'm sharing some of the most pivotal moments of my...

Nobody warned us about this part. Not the big stuff - the mental tabs that never close. The invisible, unending, completely relentless labor of tracking everything, remembering everything, anticipating everything, and holding it all together while also just… living your life. This week we're talking about the mental load. What it is, why we carry it, and why you are more exhausted than you think y...

Have you ever made a decision that was completely right for you… and still felt terrible about it? Have you ever grown into something new and felt guilty about who or what you were leaving behind? This episode is for the empaths. The otters. The ones who have been so busy making sure everyone around them is okay that they forgot to check in with themselves. We're talking about the guilt that comes...

She did that. And so did you. 💌 This episode is a little different - and I am so excited about it. In honor of Women's History Month I passed the mic to a group of incredible women who are leading, building, healing, teaching, and creating in their own fields and in their own way. I asked each of them one question: "What is one thing you wish every woman knew?" What they said - I ha...

In this episode we're going back. Back to the Jessica Simpson heels, the planners, the boys our dads tried to warn us about, and everything we wish someone had told us in our twenties. Whether you're IN your twenties right now or your twenties are decades behind you - this one is for every version of you. We're talking nostalgia, relationships, rushing to the next thing, and what we'd say if we co...

For most of my life I was performing. Not on a stage- but for an audience I was never sure was even watching. And then life got so hard that I couldn’t perform anymore. And in that stillness I had to face the question I’d been running from for years. Who am I when I’m not performing for anyone or anything? This one is personal. And I think it might be for you too. 💌 🎙️ Challenge of the week insid...

Welcome to Messy & Serene. In our very first episode, we're talking about the messy middle- that space between who you were and who you're becoming. If you've been waiting to feel ready, waiting for clarity, waiting to arrive somewhere before you start living - this episode is for you. We talk about burnout culture, soul care, the pressure to rush through hard seasons, and what it...

Hi, I'm Natalie- host of Messy & Serene. This podcast is for anyone who is in the middle of something right now. Faith, healing, burnout, figuring it out in real time - no highlight reels, no pretending, just honest conversations and the reminder that you are not alone. New episodes every Monday starting March 9th. Follow the show so you don't miss it. And remember - two things can be...