Our Time to Rise in Midlife

The mother-daughter relationship can be one of the richest and most rewarding bonds we get to experience here on earth. It can also be one of the most complicated, especially in the teen and young adult years. Today we are thrilled to have Sandra Stanley and Allie Stanley Cooney, authors of Meet Me in the Middle , discussing the importance of foundations in the mother-daughter relationship. They e...

The final episode in our ELECTION READY series, today Krista Gilbert is interviewing Alexandra Kuykendall about how we love our neighbor in the midst of an election season. Seeking out goodness when life is great is easy, but when we have political disagreements or challenges that come our way, this is when it becomes really hard. In today's episode, Alex explores how to maintain a positive outloo...

Continuing our "Election Ready" series, we are talking today about the importance of bridge building and having conversations around faith and politics - especially during an election year. If this idea seems impossible to you, it's even more important to listen in on our discussion. Joining us is Lindsey Medenwaldt. Lindsey is the Director of Operations at Mama Bear Apologetics, holds a masters i...

Have you noticed? There is an election coming up. For this reason we are going to be talking about how to get through the election season with intention and grace the next few weeks. We are kicking off this little mini series with the best of the best: Kaitlyn Scheiss. She has her MDiv from Dallas Theological Seminary, is now getting her doctorate from Duke Divinity School and has written two book...

If you've ever been on the other side of divorce, or if someone close to you is navigating divorce, you know the 'life quake' that follows. In today's episode, we are diving into enabling behaviors, financial fears, loneliness, and the ripple effect divorce has on relationships. Joining us for this conversation is writer and speaker, Tracie Miles, who founded the  Living Unbroken Divorce Recovery...

Jesus is the bread of life. But what about the bread at our table? Is there any connection? Kendall Vanderslice, baker and theologian, sees a direct connection between the making and consuming of bread with the good news that God is present and working. A conversation like no other - Kendall walks us through the value of eating together, the bread making process, and how we can love our neighbors...

We all hit life seasons or situations that strip us of an identity or reality we once had, and we find ourselves asking, "Who am I if ________________?" Fill in the blank. Who am I if I don't look the way I used to? Who am I if my kids are leaving home? Who am I if I have limitations? Who am I if my relationship failed? In this episode we talk about these questions and much more. Leading with scri...

Sometimes a story comes to us that we know will offer our podcast listeners an important perspective on the world - that will help us all rise - to meet life's challenges. Ben's story of mental health struggles and sexual abuse is one of those. We invited him on to share so we as parents of young adults can gain insights, empathy, and better understand what it is to live through these specific cha...

Do you have a college student who could use a care package from home right about now? In this  Back to School  series we are talking about practical ways to support our teens and young adults, and care packages are a fantastic way to do that. Krisi Monsiviaz is joining us to talk about why college care packages matter, what to put in them, and what the favorite item is every time (according to her...

We are in a back to school series for moms in midlife. Gone are the days of crayons and kid-sized scissors, and on are the days of cheering for our high schoolers and their friends with creativity and intentionality. There is no better mom to lead us in this conversation than Krisi Monsiviaz. Her creative flare combined with her organized execution gives her ideas that can be scaled up to serve an...

High school senior year is a special time for teens and for their parents. For many moms, the beginning of senior year means the beginning of the lasts. There is some grief there. How do we balance the end of one phase of a young person's life with the celebration of this transition? Both Krista and Alex just finished a senior year and they invited their friend Courtney DeFeo to talk about her exp...

Do you have a milestone birthday coming up? Or does your child? Milestone birthdays are an opportunity to celebrate and mark significant moments and we want to make the most of them. Sometimes these special occasions spark joy and excitement, other times they signal grief or loss. In this episode we talk about learning to embrace both ends of the spectrum. We also discuss why it's important to pau...

Do you find yourself wishing you had deeper friendships? Or maybe you long for those deeper ties with your own children. In this episode we're talking specifically about relationships in this middle season of life. Our guest, Billie Jauss, podcast host, writer, and wife of a Major League Baseball coach, guides us through four different kinds of relationships. She uses this framework to help us adj...

Alex and Krista bring the Fun & Fire format back for a little summer inspiration. Though summer feels like it is starting to wind down. What?! Already?! They are not ignoring those things they still want to happen. From the whimsical to the practical, hear what summer items are still on their to-do lists! And what's getting them fired up? Prices these days! Are you feeling the pinch of the pocketb...

If you've ever wondered, 'Help! What is my young adult going to do with the rest of their life?' then you're in the right place. Or maybe you ARE the young adult asking, "How do I figure out what to choose for a career when I can't even decide what to have for breakfast!?" Rest easy, today we are diving into the exciting and sometimes overwhelming journey of helping you or your young adult discove...

If you've ever wondered, 'Help! What is my young adult going to do with the rest of their life?' then you're in the right place. Or maybe you ARE the young adult asking, "How do I figure out what to choose for a career when I can't even decide what to have for breakfast!?" Rest easy, today we are diving into the exciting and sometimes overwhelming journey of helping you or your young adult discove...

What does the Gospel, the big message of who God is in the world, have to do with the here and now? Everything. Midlife is a time of transition, often unexpected change, and trusting that God is with us every turn and upheaval is a gift that stabilizes us in a season that can feel anything but stable. Courtney Doctor is the perfect person to be with us in this conversation. Through her work as the...

Why does abandonment cut so deep? Our guest, Dieula Previlon, reminds us that we are hardwired for relationships and when that need is threatened, we feel pain. Abandonment can be the threat or the actual experience of being left, excluded, rejected, unseen, or uncared for. We can carry this wound from childhood or we can be experiencing it now in midlife. Whether through a divorce, a friendship l...

Summer is already fun, but here's a few ideas to add to your list! The more intentional we can be about planning ahead, the more likely it will be that room will be made for those moments that make summer special. In this episode we talk about outdoor summer concerts, pool time, picnic chicken, fresh flowers, charcuterie boards, frozen treats, some favorite makeup finds, and more. Join us and let'...

Rick and Diane Thomas, also known as Krista's parents, have so much wisdom we couldn't limit our conversation with them to one episode, so we are bringing you part two. You don't want to miss what these two wise people have to say about creating a legacy - something that will last past their time here on earth. They are an inspiration around living with intention as they share how they maintain fu...

Creating a legacy in this world is something that is hard to measure, but easy to identify.  Legacy is not something we leave for people, it's something we leave IN people.  The impact is profound, and the ripple effect lives far beyond us.  Legacy is something we all want to leave, but how do we do it?  Today on the podcast we are diving into this very topic with two of the most qualified people...

Conflict...it's something we all come up against and many of us shy away from it as soon as there is any hint of it. We forget that disagreement itself is not bad; as people we are not always going to agree on everything. Then we throw in some misplaced expectations and some big emotions and conflict can suddenly move from a natural part of a relationship to something destructive. We can quickly m...

Do you have a high school graduate this year? Or does someone you know? In this episode Alex is interviewing Krista, asking questions such as: -How do you celebrate a high school senior well? -How do you help them practically prepare for college? -How do you say goodbye when it's time for them to leave (nooooooo… I'm not ready!)? -And what do you do about this grief over the loss? In this conversa...

What if instead of fighting our family, we fought FOR our family? This is the charge Chris and Julie Bennett are putting in front of us. That sounds like something we want to do, but how do we practically implement it? The Bennetts give us practical ways to implement grace, forgiveness, and hope into our relationships with our children, our spouse, and those we bring into our family fold. Family i...

Have you ever asked the question, "Does anyone like me?" Maybe people used to like you, but you are wondering if they do now. Or maybe your son or daughter is asking that question. Few admit they have these thoughts, and even less talk about them out loud. We're changing that! Today on the podcast we are discussing the topic of feeling liked and building friendships. We explore the middle school m...