That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs

It's time to kick off our 2017 Christmas party (a day early because I LOVE TO PARTY)! And who shows up at the door first but our faithful friends from SheReadsTruth and HeReadsTruth, ready to talk all things Advent! There's so much more to this season than December 25th. I'm so so excited about it. Remember to use the code ANNIE15 to get 15% off your order from shopshereadstruth.com between now an...

Mark Lee, guitar player in the amazing band Third Day, is also now a published author of Hurt Road (a book I've read and really enjoyed). SO MANY TALENTS I AM FULL ON JEALOUS. I grew up in the town where Mark lives, we've known each other for decades, and I'm such a huge fan of him as an artist and a human.  And don't you know he brought up the enneagram SO WE WENT THERE. :) You're gonna love this...

Dr. Emerson Eggerichs is one of the wisest guests we've ever had on the podcast. We talk a lot about communication, specifically about his new book Before You Hit Send, but also dive deep into the theology of God's kindness and the power of asking God "why?" and singleness and the whole episode feels like a good long talk around the table with a father-figure. I'm so thankful for this conversation...

My pal Luke and I continue the conversation we started on his podcast episode... we jump in all about church leadership and giving gifts to friends and Austin vs. Nashville and podcasting and how to get Luke to come on a trip. (It's too easy.) For the first half of this conversation, head to Newsworthy with Norsworthy .... and once you've listened through BOTH, tweet us (@lukenorsworthy and @annie...

Jess Connolly and I have been friends for years. Like, heart friends. Like, see each other barely but dive RIGHT IN THE DEEP when we do. And you cannot imagine how excited we were to learn that our new books released out into the world on the same day.  So to celebrate Dance Stand Run and 100 Days To Brave, we decided we needed to laugh and cry and talk about everything and then record it. :)  Mak...

My friend (and former boss) Barrett Ward founded fashionABLE, a company that creates beautiful fashion pieces and employs women around the world to help them overcome. I'm ADDICTED to their leather bags and am headed out today to get a new pair of their jeans. Barrett and I talk about the start of the company, what they are doing that NO ONE else in the fashion industry is doing (yet), and why you...

You guys. The Bethkes. THEY ARE JUST THE BEST. So funny and sweet and kind and awesome to hang with. You are so going to love this conversation between the three of us. We sing the praises of our favorite podcasts and pastors, we talk about Maui and Nashville and travel, and we deep dive into dating and relationships. Be sure to grab their new book Love That Lasts. It's good good good. https://lov...

Listen. YOU ARE NOT EVEN READY for what Carlos Whittaker is about to bring to your ears. We laugh. We cry. He cusses. It's just all the things you've dreamed of for a podcast episode. Truly, this episode really did something good in my heart. I hope it does in yours too. And make sure you grab his new book, Kill The Spider, to continue the conversation this podcast starts. http://killthespider.com...

Lisa Whittle and I have been friends for years, to the point that we barely know when it started. We're just glad it did. We cover all sorts of topics today, from family to church to her new book Put Your Warrior Boots On. I love her, respect her, and just think the world of her. I bet you will too. http://lisawhittle.com http://100daystobrave.com http://anniefdowns.com #thatsoundsfunpodcast ... j...

If there is one tool that has helped me grow and flourish and better understand my friends as well as myself, it is the enneagram. I talk about it a lot on here (as you know), so today I invited my friend Beth McCord, an amazing enneagram coach, to come and lay out the basics for us of why we should learn about the enneagram, how to sort out your type, and a very short description of each number. ...

This has been a long time coming (and often requested by y'all!) and I am so glad to have my friend Jon Acuff on this episode. We had a blast chatting about Nashville things and Atlanta things and church things and writing things. He kinda blew my mind a few times- I think you're gonna really appreciate his thoughts. Jon's new book Finish is worth the read. Hope you'll check it out. Acuff.me http:...

No better way to kick off Season 3 of the That Sounds Fun Podcast than with one of my favorite friends and an amazing author Sophie Hudson. Y'all. This is such a fun episode. LAUGHS, people. LAUGHS. Her new devotional for teen girls- All In All- is such a great gift for the teenager in your life. So we're back. Back in action, friends. Missed you guys. Let's party. http://boomama.net http://100day...

Chrystal Evans Hurst and I met this spring and hit it off immediately. She's one of those friends that you sit down with and twenty minutes later both of y'all have laughed and cried and plan to be friends forever. It was worth taking a break from a quiet August to chat with her about her new book, She's Still There.  Hope you enjoy our chat! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Le...

Oh y'all.  We had the absolute most fun at #TSFWeekend2017. Three days together, hanging out and making friends, eating delicious food, and hearing from incredible artists- exactly how I want to spend a weekend in July!  We recorded a live podcast with many of the folks you already know and love- Dave Barnes, Eddie Kaufholz, Kelleigh Bannen, Christy Nockels, and some new voices too, like Emmy Sing...

I am beyond excited about this episode. Kevin Queen is the new pastor of my church in Nashville, Cross Point Church. The story of how he got here is legitimately miraculous. And because we've been friends for almost 20 years, I wanted to give him a place to tell the whole thing- start to finish- of what God has done and how Kevin and his family and our church have all responded. But even if you ar...

Tyler and I have been pals for almost 20 years and it has been an absolute blast watching him lead in a lot of different places, currently as the president of Catalyst. We sat down this week to talk about a whole bunch of things, including my new pastor, why Tyler keeps candy on his desk at all times, and women in leadership. He's a super funny dude- I think you're gonna dig this conversation. htt...

A couple of years ago, Joy Eggerichs Reed sat me down at a table around Mexican food with a gorgeous blonde named Liz who had lots of excitement and words and ideas. I loved her on the spot and wanted to be her friend every day from then on. Liz Bohannon is the founder and CEO of Sseko Designs. She's a fireball with big dreams and miracle size prayers and I promise you're gonna fall head over heel...

Me. Eliza. New Katie. Three microphones. Who in the world decided this would be a good idea? :) But seriously, we get so many questions about what office life is like at our company, who does what, and how in the world we survive this crazy story, so we thought it would be fun to chat together for the podcast. Eliza was in Nashville for a few short hours and New Katie was free, so it just felt rig...

I met Jennie Allen at a lunch in Nashville about five years ago. She had this idea, our friend Lindsey gathered a handful of us around a table to hear about Jennie's idea for this event for women. Who could have imagined IF:Gathering would grow to what it is now? Amazing. Jennie is a faithful friend, humble leader, and my first student in the School of Fun. :) (You'll understand when you listen.)...

Kelleigh Bannen is quickly becoming one of my favorite humans. It's not just her incredible singing voice (that will legitimately blow your mind) or her humor (though it is there) or her songwriting skills (also there in droves). This girl's heart and love for God are going to be what makes you want to be lifelong friends with her as well. Her latest single is called Church Clothes and it will moo...

Sadie Robertson reminds me of the best parts of summer- fun and bright and just plain warm to be around. You've probably seen her grow up on television, like I did, and the young woman she has become is pretty remarkable. You're going to love her and you're going to love her heart for the generation of women coming behind her.  http://liveoriginal.com http://anniefdowns.com #thatsoundsfunpodcast ....

You guys. Chris McClarney is FUNNY. I mean, this dude cracked me up start to finish! And I know how much we love people who make us laugh around here, so I'm feeling pretty good about this convo. Local Nashville guy and AMAZING worship leader and songwriter, sitting down with Chris was a total highlight- you are gonna love being friends with him.  http://chrismcclarney.com http://anniefdowns.com #...

Man what a treat to spend some time in the good ol' podcast booth with my friends Lisa and Missy Harper. Lisa is one of my favorite authors and just brings a smile to my face on the regular. We spend a good amount of time today talking about our recent trip to Haiti, why Lisa and Missy are going back, and her new book The Sacrament of Happy. And happy you shall be after a laugh-y hour with me and...

Let's talk about the SheReadsTruth and HeReadsTurth summer reading plan- the book of Romans! Y'all know I'm not the world's biggest fan of Paul :), so I brought Amanda, Raechel Myers, and Russ Ramsey onto the show to tell me why I should love the book of Romans and why we should spend our summer reading it. (Spoiler alert: they convinced me. :) ) We also talked about cheese and New Kids on the Blo...

You know I love the UK. And I love my Nashville friends. So today's conversation combines two of my favorite things. Andrea Lucado is a dear friend and also has just released her first book, English Lessons, about her time in Oxford, England. We hadn't gotten to chat in a while, so this one really feels like two close friends getting to catch up, because it is! Such a dear friend, great writer, an...