The Bitter and The Sweet Podcast

We are in week two of our "best of" mini-series: 4 weeks of bringing you some of the best of all the conversations we've had on The Bitter & the Sweet! Today's episode is all about friendship and community.   Join some of my favorite guests (and yours!) as we talk about:  why women need each other loving a friend through a health crisis rejecting the temptation of self-sufficiency being a gracious...

We are kicking off season 5 with a "best of" mini-series: 4 weeks of bringing you some of the best of all the conversations we've had on The Bitter & the Sweet!   Given that we are in a brand new year, we are getting things started with the best of starting over. Join me and some of my favorite guests (and yours!) as we talk about:  starting over somewhere new building new friendships and being op...

The Bitter & the Sweet podcast has always been and will continue to be a show where we tell the truth about grief, joy, and the grace that covers it all.   In just 2 minutes, take a look back at where we've been in our first four seasons, and where we are going in season 5 (can you believe it?!), as we stop looking at our limits as liabilities and learn to live into them, instead.   Season 5 kicks...

We've spent four weeks together preparing our hearts and our minds for the coming of Jesus, as we look forward to celebrating the incarnation at Christmas. In the fourth and final episode of our Advent series, it's all about love. I considered doing our Advent series solo, but the more I thought and prayed about it, I really felt that we all need to be pastored, to have a pastor's voice speaking i...

Our Advent series continues today: four weeks of preparing our hearts and our minds for the coming of Jesus, as we look forward to celebrating the incarnation at Christmas. This is the third week of Advent, and this conversation is all about joy. I considered doing our Advent series solo, but the more I thought and prayed about it, I really felt that we all need to be pastored, to have a pastor's...

Our Advent series continues today: four weeks of preparing our hearts and our minds for the coming of Jesus, as we look forward to celebrating the incarnation at Christmas.    This is the second week of Advent, and this conversation is all about peace.   I considered doing our Advent series solo, but the more I thought and prayed about it, I really felt that we all need to be pastored, to have a p...

Our Advent series kicks off today: four weeks of preparing our hearts and our minds for the coming of Jesus, as we look forward to celebrating the incarnation at Christmas.    This is the first week of Advent, and it's all about hope!   I considered doing our Advent series solo, but the more I thought and prayed about it, I really felt that we all need to be pastored, to have a pastor's voice spea...

We're all holding a mixed bag that doesn't go away just because it's Thanksgiving. The holidays are a magnifying glass, making everything feel bigger, for better or worse. In this short and candid episode, Kayla is getting real about holding grief and gratitude, hard seasons, and why we don't have to be afraid of the dark.    Connect with Kayla on Instagram Connect with the show on Instagram  

As we look ahead to Christmas and celebrating the birth of Jesus, join me for a look at His lineage, the women we find there, and what we can learn from their stories.    Connect with Kayla on Instagram Connect with the show on Instagram  

As we continue our conversations about who we are in light of who God is, today's episode is all about living as people who Jesus has set free.  Today, we are digging into mental health, shame, the lies we believe, and the freedom that is available to us in Christ. I hope that pointing to God's faithfulness in my story will help you see His faithfulness in your story. There is help, and there is h...

As we continue to talk about who we are in light of who God is, I wanted to revisit a conversation I had earlier this year with my friend, Jenn Jett Barrett.  Jenn and I got to dig deep on what she calls "the holy work of living whole," bringing our full selves to be with Jesus, and it starts with getting honest with God. Jenn Jett Barrett is the founder of The Well Summit, where she creates space...

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness feels like something sad but distant...until it happens to you.  In this episode, I'm sharing my own story of grieving the baby I lost to miscarriage, what the grieving process looked like as I was walking through the early days of loss, and what it looks like now, years later.  Whether you have experienced pregnancy and infant loss or a different kind of grief,...

My dear friend Hannah Clements is a mom who has experienced the loss of her son, Isaiah. She is also a licensed clinical mental health counselor. Her personal story and professional experience make her a wealth of wisdom when it comes to grief, and I'm so grateful to have her back to share some of that wisdom with us today.   Join Hannah and I as we talk about:  what it really looks like to walk t...

How does loss impact our sense of identity? October is Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness month. It's good and right to have a month to remember, but for those of us with babies in Heaven, we know we remember all the time. My dear friend Hannah Clements has walked the hard road of infant loss. God has used her greatest pain to bring something beautiful to our community, and I'm so glad and grateful...

We've been talking a lot about identity around here, and today we are digging into who we are in the context of community and why that matters with a new friend of mine, Vivian Mabuni. Vivian has her MA in Biblical Theological Studies from Denver Seminary. She is a wife and mom, national speaker, a cohost of the God Hears Her podcast, and the author of two books, including her debut, Warrior in Pi...

In this short solo show (just under 10 minutes!), we are digging into who Jesus is and what that means about our identity in Him.  Connect with Kayla on Instagram Connect with the show on Instagram

In this quick (less than 10 minutes!) solo show, we are digging into what it means for us to be God's masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10), remaining and abiding in Christ, walking in all He has for us, and perseverance in doing good.    Connect with Kayla on Instagram Connect with the show on Instagram

As we are digging into our identity in Christ, living as the people God created us to be in light of who He is, I wanted to revist a conversation we had earlier this year about trusting God's love for you.    We may "know" God loves us in a general sense, but we have a hard time understanding His love and trusting His affection for us, personally. My friend, Rachael Adams, is here to help us with...

So much of understanding who we are and who we were made to be hinges on our perception of God's love for us.  Maybe, before today, you've never heard that God loves you. Maybe you have, but you struggle to believe it. For those of us who have heard and do believe it, we may know God loves us, and we may understand that intellectually and accept it as fact, but are we living as loved people? We're...

It's our first birthday * insert confetti poppers + party horn sounds* and we are celebrating BIG around here! Joining me for our first birthday celebration is our very first guest and my dear friend, Jennifer Bishop Smith.  Jenn is turning the tables (or the mics, as it were) and interviewing me all about the show.  We got some great listener questions via Instagram that Jenn and I had the best t...

We've done FIFTY episodes and ONE WHOLE YEAR together here at The Bitter & the Sweet podcast, and the best part is, we are just getting started! In just 2 minutes, look back with me over our first year and look ahead to what's in store for season 4, as we get really clear on who we are in light of who God is. Season 4 kicks off September 2, 2025. Let's go!   Connect with Kayla on Instagram Connect...

This is EPISODE 50 of our show! Can you even believe it?! Fifty episodes is a fun and special milestone in podcasting, and we've got a fun and special episode for you to celebrate! Episode 50 is also our season 3 finale, and we are talking about what it looks like to live both healing and whole in our churches. There is no one better to join me for this conversation than Pastor Dusty Smith. Pastor...

As a former math teacher (true story!) and as a mom, school is a place that is near and dear to my heart. How can our local churches love and support our local schools? Here to talk about it with us is a dear friend of mine, Maegan Little.  Maegan is a former special education teacher and the Kids Director at Depot Church.  Join Maegan and I as we talk about:  the gifts and challenges found in our...

We have talked about living healing and whole in our minds, bodies, and relationships, and this week, we make the shift to our places.  Home is where we are our truest selves, so I'm thrilled to start here with a new friend of mine, Julia Ubbenga.  Julia is a wife, mom of 5, creator of the blog Rich in What Matters, and author of Declutter Your Heart and Home: How a Minimalist Life Yields Maximum...

Living wholeheartedly in the midst of a story you wish were different is no small thing, especially when it comes to matters of the heart.  When I wanted to talk about living both healing and whole in relationships, I knew that we could not miss talking about singleness. Admittedly, it's been a while since I've been single, and that's why it's so important we have friends that can share their expe...