Tsh gives a short pitch for why you should do — in some way, before too long — what she does every summer: take a break from the internet. She explains why this break is so life-giving and necessary for her, her three reasons why she firmly believes EVERYONE needs to take regular breaks from the internet, as well as some encouragement that you, too, can do this. Yes, you ! Really. The next season will return after a brief hiatus! * Tsh’s newsletter , books , trips , & Rule of Life * Recommen...
May 30, 2025•11 min
Tsh chats with her in-real-life local friend Rick Reynolds, whom she first got to know on one of her pilgrimages (he and his wife have since been on three with her!). Rick is a marriage therapist specializing in infidelity, so they get into what really holds marriages together, why community matters so much to ALL of us, what it means to affair-proof your relationship, how to heal from betrayals, and where hope is truly found in all of it. (Sounds like a potential downer, but it's actually a sup...
May 16, 2025•55 min
Tsh chats with Stephanie Duncan Smith, a book editor who’s been thinking for a while about the liturgical calendar. They get into Eastertide — and the beauty of its length (50 days), how it’s good that feasting always follows fasting, why Ordinary Time is magical, and how it all fits together with the rhythms of our personal lives (and how it feels when it sometimes doesn’t). * Stephanie Duncan Smith and her Slant Letter * Stephanie’s book, Even After Everything : on Bookshop and Amazon * Hallow...
Apr 25, 2025•42 min
Tsh talks with Rachel Canto, author of Pretty Good Catholic , about the current dating scene and …well, what to do about it. Tsh read her book in one sitting on a flight a few months ago, and knew she wanted to chat with her. Rachel’s thoughts are chock-full of sage, practical advice — and not just for Catholics. She has wisdom beyond her years! * Rachel Canto & Pretty Good Catholic * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of Life * Join Tsh’s next pilgrimage: T...
Apr 11, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Tsh chats with Millie Florence, a young author who recently published her first middle-grade novel, Beyond Mulberry Glen , with Waxwing Books. They chat about alternative education, following your skills and interests during the adolescent years (and how homeschooling is a boon for this), the process of getting a novel published, what makes a good story, and more. * Millie Florence * Beyond Mulberry Glen * Waxwing Books * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of Li...
Mar 28, 2025•32 min
Tsh talks with her daughter Tatum, who’s currently studying 6,000 miles away in Austria. …From an empty classroom with wifi in Austria, she chats with Tsh about studying abroad, living cross-culturally, Theology of the Body, friendships, and all other sorts of sundry. (She’s currently in a four-way tie as Tsh’s favorite human.) * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of Life * Join Tsh’s next pilgrimage: The Rhine River 2025 * Tate & Tsh’s letters * German is w...
Mar 14, 2025•51 min
Tsh talks with musician and writer Andrew Peterson about his approach to storytelling, the sacramental nature of his sort of work, why embodiment matters, and what he’s learned in the decades of wearing the many hats he wears. (Plus, he shares when we can expect the next season of Wingfeather !) * Andrew Peterson * The Wingfeather Saga * Andrew’s upcoming Resurrection Letters tour * The Rabbit Room * Passions of the Soul , by Rowan Williams * The Expectation Gap , by Steve Cuss * Tsh’s newslette...
Feb 28, 2025•46 min
Tsh talks with Douglas McKelvey, author and editor of the Every Moment Holy prayer collections, which she has long loved and used frequently. They talk about the role of communal prayer, why the need for both written and spontaneous prayer, and why it’s helpful to use prayers both new and old, crafted by others, to help deepen our relationships with God. * Dixie’s Substack newsletter, The Hollow * The Every Moment Holy series * The Wingfeather Saga * Everything Sad is Untrue , by Daniel Nayeri *...
Feb 14, 2025•52 min
Tsh talks with historian and homeschooling mom Dixie Dillon Lane about homeschooling education, teaching history — imagination is our greatest tool! — leaning into the seasons, writing and reading books, and more. * Dixie’s Substack newsletter, The Hollow * Dixie on Hearth & Field * When Teaching Children History, Embrace Imagination * From Darkness to Light: Reclaiming Advent * The Longest Johns * Mingulay Boat Song * Walk the Camino de Santiago with Dixie * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplac...
Jan 31, 2025•1 hr
Tsh and her good friend Sarah Mackenzie kick off January by working through a few topics from Tsh’s annual new year reflection questions… It’s a good conversation. * Sarah’s businesses: Read-Aloud Revival and Waxwing Books * Tsh’s New Year Reflection Questions * The Hallow app * The Fulfillment of All Desire , by Ralph Martin * I Believe in Love , by Jean C. J. d’Elbée * Table for Two , by Amor Towles * Thinking, Fast and Slow , by Daniel Kahneman * Jon Acuff & Meg Meeker: their conversation...
Jan 16, 2025•37 min
A short little reminder-announcement: creating your own personal Rule of Life is both a time-tested practice and a great way to kick off a new year (but also, it’s good any time of year) — and I’ve got a little tool to guide you in the process of creating your own. Thousands use it every year… Listen in for details. (Regular episodes resume next week!) * Create Your Rule of Life self-paced workshop * Rule of St. Benedict * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of L...
Jan 10, 2025•4 min
Tsh chats with Shawn Smucker, novelist and co-owner (with his wife) of the indie bookstore Nooks. They talk about his first foray into running a bookshop, what it’s like to connect with local regulars, how to decide which books to stock, how to juggle bookshop-keeping with writing (or not), and other sundry regarding the delights and challenges of keeping the lights on in the neighborhood book nook. * Shawn & Maile Smucker’s bookshop: Nooks * Shawn’s newsletter: The Courage to Live It * Shaw...
Dec 13, 2024•53 min
Tsh chats with Jonathan Rogers, author and podcast host. It’s the twentieth anniversary of Jonathan’s first middle-grade fiction series, The Wilderking Trilogy , so they talk about what makes good children’s literature, why we all love stories, and how our native homelands affect our perspective of stories… He loves swamps. * Jonathan Roger’s podcast: The Habit * Jonathan’s middle-grade series, The Wilderking Trilogy * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of Life ...
Dec 06, 2024•44 min
Tsh chats again with Faith Moore, author of Christmas Karol and podcaster of Storytime for Grownups, about holiday traditions, kicking off Christmas, and ways to make reading A Christmas Carol accessible. She’s got a new series to read alongside with you this Advent! * Faith Moore’s podcast: Storytime for Grownups * Faith’s novel, Christmas Karol * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of Life * Tsh’s Advent book, Shadow & Light * A Christmas Carol , by Charles...
Nov 29, 2024•52 min
Tsh chats with Danielle Bean about Advent, particularly why they both love this old, time-worn season found at the start of the liturgical calendar. They also get into parenting, grandparenting, making time for solo reflection, and ways to incorporate their family's Advent traditions into ordinary family life. * Danielle Bean’s newsletter: Girlfriends After Hours * Danielle’s Advent series, Look + Listen * Tsh’s 101 primer: A Brief What, Why, & How of Advent * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonpla...
Nov 23, 2024•41 min
Tsh chats again with one of her favorite people, Sarah Mackenzie — this time about books (as always), good storytelling, podcasts and newsletters they’re currently enjoying, holiday books they’re looking forward to, her annual Christmas School, and more. * Sarah’s businesses: Read-Aloud Revival and Waxwing Books * Read-Aloud Revival’s 2024 Christmas School * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of Life * How Stories Happen * Song Exploder * Present Over Perfect , ...
Nov 15, 2024•46 min
Tsh chats with her old friend Erin Loechner about unplugging as a lifestyle choice, both for us as adults and for our kids. She’s got kids a few years younger than Tsh’s, but they’re both in lock-step with their ethos of letting their kids be kids. They get into the rebellion of not giving kids smartphones, why it’s important for local friends to do this together en-masse, and how to live fully without instagram, incessant smartphone-checking, and other forms of swimming against the current. * T...
Nov 08, 2024•52 min
Tsh chats with her new friend Regina Gravrok, who was homeschooled K-12 and then (recently-ish) got a degree in English at Hillsdale College. Her passion for education and literature led naturally into a position at Classic Learning Test — in this chat they talk about the gift of a traditional, individualized education, the beauty and power of reading great books, and how to foster an environment at home that loves to learn. * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule ...
Nov 01, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Tsh chats with her friend Chloe Langr, mom of three little ones and host of the podcast Letters to Women . They talk about homeschooling (she’s a first-generation!), finding time to read, book clubs, leaning in to our vocations, and more. * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of Life * Chloe Langr’s newsletter & podcast * Well-Read Mom * Hannah Coulter , by Wendell Berry * Peace Like a River , by Leif Enger * A Hidden Life * Recommended reads * Become a suppo...
Oct 25, 2024•51 min
Tsh chats with her friend Christine Bailey who, along with her husband, runs a regenerative farm and hosts all sorts of community gatherings in their beautiful barn. They talk about farming as a family, homeschooling, hosting gatherings, beauty, and much more. * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of Life * Christine Bailey’s book & podcast * Christine’s farm: The Kindred Farm * I Cheerfully Refuse , by Leif Enger * Hamnet , by Maggie O’Farrell * Recommended ...
Oct 18, 2024•51 min
Tsh chats with friends Mike and Alexandra Foley. Hosts of the podcast Drinking With the Saints , Mike is author of a book of the same name (one we love in our household!). We’re joining forces for next summer’s pilgrimage along the Rhine River, and I think you’ll love them. In this conversation we chat about cocktails, the liturgical calendar, travel, homeschooling, the traditional mass, and more. * Drinking With the Saints: the podcast & the book * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s ...
Oct 11, 2024•49 min
Tsh chats with one of her dearest pals, Sarah Mackenzie, as they talk about all sorts of things: the art and business of writing, parenting older kids, reaping the long-awaited fruits of homeschooling, and more. * Sarah’s businesses: Read-Aloud Revival and Waxwing Books * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of Life * The Kerlan Collection * Kate DiCamillo’s first draft of Because of Winn-Dixie * Little Pilgrim’s Progress * Little Christmas Carol * The Wilderking ...
Sep 27, 2024•46 min
He was a musician, tech employee, and a good homeschooled Baptist kid …and also got a DUI on his record. God used that moment to wake him up — and long story short, now he’s a priest. Fr. Gabe Bouck is Tsh’s new friend (he recently joined her family in Greece and Turkey), and they chat about his story, why he loves what he does, and what their time on pilgrimage this summer meant to them both. …You can’t not love Fr. Gabe. * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of...
Sep 13, 2024•1 hr 10 min
It’s time for a new season of Drink, and Tsh has a new-old mission: to really embody the show’s title. Pour yourself a drink and get ready for conversations with friends, old and new. All are welcome. * Tsh’s newsletter: The Commonplace * Tsh’s books , trips , & Rule of Life * Recommended reads * Become a supporting subscriber * Buy a round of drinks This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe...
Sep 06, 2024•11 min
In this last episode of the season, Tsh talks with Zack Kibodeaux of the band Blue Water Highway . They talk about the objective beauty of art, what it means to make a living as a working artist, and how to navigate secular art spaces as a Catholic Christian. Plus, the episode ends with a sampling of his band’s delightful work! It’s a great conversation to tie up this season — as always, more episodes will be coming this fall. * Host: Tsh Oxenreider / X * Guest: Zack Kibodeaux of the band Blue W...
May 31, 2024•1 hr 3 min
In this one I’m chatting with artist Chris Lewis, who runs his business, Baritus Catholic, as both a ministry and an independent (mom-and-)pop shop. We talk about what is it that makes art objectively good, why beauty is also objective, and how AI is such an insult to bonafide human artists. I also ask him what we, as appreciators of good art, can do in our ordinary, modern lives, to support more artists like him. * Host: Tsh Oxenreider / X * Guest: Chris Lewis / X / his store, Baritus Catholic ...
May 24, 2024•47 min
Yes, it’s good for us to work with our hands, and we all should in some capacity. But what about making things with our mind, and even via (gasp!) our screens, too? Yep, that can be done well. Tsh chats with Faith Moore, novelist and (new) podcaster, about making things: she unpacks what it was like to write her first novel from her home as a busy mom, as well as launching a very successful podcast in a crowded niche. * Host: Tsh Oxenreider / X * Guest: Faith Moore / X / her podcast, Storytime f...
May 10, 2024•40 min
Why do we humans, as embodied creatures, need to make things? And more specifically, why do we need to make things with our hands ? What’s the benefit on both a personal and societal level? Nate Marshall and I chat about trade work (and the culture’s side-eye of it), what we learn about our souls when we work with our bodies, and what to do about this if we tend to live up in our heads. * Host: Tsh Oxenreider / X * Guest: Nate Marshall / X * Create Your Rule of Life * Buy a round of drinks * Rec...
May 03, 2024•53 min
Why do we need to make things? Because we need to be people who make things (more than we need things that are made by us). Why? The reason is simple: because making things makes us more into who we’re meant to be. We’re made to make. * Host: Tsh Oxenreider * Create Your Rule of Life * Buy a round of drinks * Recommended reads * Ira Glass’ The Gap This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecommon.place/subscribe...
Apr 19, 2024•20 min
Why does localism matter? What does a need to know our local farmers have to do with our souls? Why are our neighborhoods better when we buy and invest as locally as possible (even when it’s a small amount)? Tsh and Seth talk to Hadden Turner, a 20-something British agrarian writer, who has a few things to say about living locally. * Hosts: Tsh Oxenreider and Seth Haines * Guest: Hadden Turner * Where You Are Is Where You Are * Refuge of Authenticity * And the Fields Fall Silent * Tir: The Story...
Apr 05, 2024•1 hr
