What is it like to be an Enneagram Nine? How can we avoid settling for a false peace? Is expressing what you need and want not as selfish as it seems? In this interview, writer, wife, mom, and Enneagram Nine Karen Gauvreau shares with us: How not to be a wishy-washy mom, Three reasons why Nines are resistant to bringing up their hurt feelings, And how not to talk to a Nine. If you are a Nine, know or love a Nine, or have never met a Nine, this episode is so insightful in helping you: Learn two p...
Dec 29, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 49
We’re talking about Jesus, our tiredness, and His With-Ness. At the end, I offer up a simple prayer. It’s the end of 2020 -- if you’re listening to this in real-time -- and you are tired. Today’s episode meets you right where you are, and is a shot of grace straight to your heart. There are no steps. No points or principles that all start with the same alliterative letter. Nope. Just you. Just Jesus. Because isn’t that what you need right now more than any other thing? So if you are tired for an...
Dec 22, 2020•14 min•Ep. 48
What is it like to be an Enneagram Eight? How can an Eight (or any of us!) learn to be vulnerable when we hate showing our weaknesses? How can we redefine failure? In this interview, author and wife Celia Miller shares with us: What confrontation really is, What to do when you’re afraid of letting down your walls to allow others in, How the gospel is really a battle for our hearts and for love, The truth about exposing weakness, And what it means in real-life to live broken. If you are an Eight,...
Dec 15, 2020•41 min•Ep. 47
What’s really going on when we want to put on our comfy pants and not engage with people? We are all tired of adulting and over-analyzing, and being hyper-vigilant about All The Things. We just want a break because this has been one crazy year, so, in this episode, we break down: What we mean by “comfy pants” Why we all want to put on our comfy pants And a choose-your-own grace-filled next step. So if you just want to put on your comfy pants, not be bothered, and escape, listen in. Key Quotes Yo...
Dec 10, 2020•19 min•Ep. 46
This episode is all about your thought life and how it influences how you live, whether you strive or steward, whether you pursue your passion or you sit on the sidelines, and whether you move your dreams into reality or you stay stuck. In this interview, Refresh conference founder, wife, and mom Sarah Birkbeck shares with us: What slips us into a “striving mentality” and how we can stop it dead in its tracks About how to navigate the tension that comes from being a multi-passionate mama, And on...
Dec 08, 2020•51 min•Ep. 45
What is it like to be an Enneagram Seven? When you love to chase the joy, how do Sevens handle the hard? How can you love the Sevens in your life well? In this interview, wife, mom, author, podcaster, runner, and Enneagram Seven Dorina Gilmore shares with us: What a Seven longs for above all, The most counter-intuitive way to extend grace to yourself, Two practical ways to rest when you have a jam-packed schedule, And the spiritual discipline of letting your pace be your pace. If you are an Enne...
Dec 01, 2020•50 min•Ep. 44
In this episode, we talk about the importance of grieving hurts, losses, and the hardship of 2020, so we can whole-heartedly embrace thankfulness. We break down: What hardships we’re grieving Why we feel the pressure to be thankful Our default methods for handling grief Jesus’ way of practicing grief and thankfulness And what to do if you truly cannot feel thankful this season. So if you’re wondering how to navigate a Thanksgiving that will -- most likely -- look and feel different than any othe...
Nov 20, 2020•17 min•Ep. 43
What is it like to be an Enneagram Six? What are practical ways to handle the anxiety that Sixes (and others!) experience? How can you love the Sixes in your life well? In this interview, Camden and I break down: What it’s like to be an Enneagram Six How to keep yourself from over-analyzing so you can make a decision How to strengthen your trust-in-God muscle And one practical strategy to keep your thoughts from spiraling out of control Camden shared so much insight with us about how to know whe...
Nov 17, 2020•39 min•Ep. 42
How can we respond as grace-givers and Christ-followers when we experience unkind, hurtful, and shocking interactions with friends and family about the election? What do we do when people’s reactions to the election drive are exasperating and exhausting? In this episode, we will: Process what you’re feeling and experiencing Decide what to do next. (I share some do’s and don’ts, and not one idea is cliche. Promise!) So if you’re wondering how to give grace when you feel bullied, exhausted, and ov...
Nov 10, 2020•29 min•Ep. 41
What is it like to be an Enneagram Five? How can we love the Fives in our lives well? What can all of us learn about staying engaged in community even when we’d rather put on our comfy pants and avoid people? In this interview, Loretta Gjeltema shares with us: What it’s like to be an Enneagram Five 3 strategies to keep you in community even when you want to shut down What happens when Fives don’t deal with their issues, And the #1 way to love Fives well. Loretta peels back the curtain on what it...
Nov 03, 2020•48 min•Ep. 40
Today, we’re getting freedom from the pressure of doing All The Things and the distraction of shiny things. This podcast is for you if you feel pulled by lesser things but want to be focused on the lasting things or if your current pace makes you feel like you’re running into the ground. When devastation has wrecked your life or if you’re telling yourself to just think happier thoughts, this interview is just for you. In this interview, Amanda shares with us: About why we feel pulled by lesser t...
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 39
What it’s like to be an Enneagram Four? What can you do when you struggle with contentment and comparison? And how in the world can you practice silence when your house is loud? In this episode, I talk with Sarah E. Westfall, an Enneagram Four. We talk about: the difference between rigidity and rhythms the spiritual discipline of sharing the spotlight how to not stay stuck in your emotions and why you’ll want to create your own soul practices. There is So. Much. Practical. Love in this episode. ...
Oct 21, 2020•56 min•Ep. 38
If you’re struggling with how a Christian should engage with the government, or God’s stance on politics, or what it means to be a voting human in the world today, you’re in the right place because today we’re finding hope in the midst of a bruising election year. If you’re worried and weary in the fall of 2020, there’s plenty of grace and hope to be found. Today we’re talking about what is true about Jesus, hope, and grace as we enter a contentious and crazy presidential election. We’re going t...
Oct 13, 2020•20 min•Ep. 37
Episode #36: What is your Enneagram type's super-power for offering grace this election season? No matter your Enneagram type or political affiliation or age, you are struggling with this election. Over and over statements like this jumped out in my research + preparation: “The level of polarization is so high” “I’m staying off social media” “There’s no debate or discussion; only attacks.” “If you don’t agree with someone, they demonize you.” Politics is about people. And people are made in the ...
Oct 06, 2020•39 min•Ep. 36
What is it like to be an Enneagram Three? How can Threes extend grace to themselves? How can we handle interruptions gracefully? And what can we do to balance our love of task with our love of people? We continue our every-other-week Enneagram series of digging deep into the Enneagram as Grace In Real Life talks with Enneagram Three Rebecca Peet. In this interview, Rebecca and I break down: What it’s like to be an Enneagram Three Practical ways to get rid of comparison and envy One truth you’ll ...
Sep 29, 2020•54 min•Ep. 35
Today we’re talking about how to give grace to others during the election season. We’re going to break down: Our cultural M.O. every election cycle Our three options about how to act And practical ways to extend grace to ourselves and others during the election season. We want to answer this question: How can we love and give grace to people we completely disagree with? Let’s start by remembering this fundamental truth. Humans are sinful and flawed, and we should not be shocked or surprised when...
Sep 22, 2020•28 min•Ep. 34
We continue our every-other-week Enneagram series of digging deep into the Enneagram as Grace In Real Life talks with Enneagram Two Natalie Gingrich. The Enneagram allows you to peel back all the behaviors, patterns, and coping mechanisms that conceal the real you. Knowing your Enneagram type allows you to recognize why you do what you do. Then you can exchange hurtful mindsets and behaviors for God-centered truth and courage. Change starts with knowledge, which invites you to bring your wounds,...
Sep 15, 2020•58 min•Ep. 33
Today, we’re talking about what it means to embrace the grace of living where you are, with your people, doing what God has invited you to do right at this moment by chatting with author, wife, and mom Kennan Buckner. You’ll love Kennan if you’re a planner, have lots of dreams and ideas, are a former work-outside-the-home-mom who now stays-at-home, if you Love sugar, and just want everyone to do what you told them to do. In this episode, we talk about All The Things try-hard girls want to know a...
Sep 08, 2020•53 min•Ep. 32
We’re launching a series of interviews with women of each Enneagram type. But you may be wondering, “What does the Enneagram have to do with grace?” The Enneagram allows you to peel back all the behaviors, patterns, and coping mechanisms that conceal the real you. Knowing your Enneagram type allows you to recognize why you do what you do. Then you can exchange hurtful mindsets and behaviors for God-centered truth and courage. Change starts with knowledge, which invites you to bring your wounds, ...
Sep 01, 2020•47 min•Ep. 31
Today, we’re talking about how to give yourself compassion as you enter the fall. Over the next 10 minutes, we’ll break down three ways you can be kind, gentle, and gracious with yourself this back-to-school season (or really any new season!). Be kind to you. You’re a good woman going through a hard season in unpredictable times, and you’re doing it! You can be kind to you by: recognizing what you feel at this very moment then asking your friend Jesus how He would encourage you right now. acknow...
Aug 25, 2020•9 min•Ep. 30
Today we’re talking about how to acknowledge your feelings but not stay stuck in them. Over the next 20 minutes, we’ll break down: how to honor our emotions without being overwhelmed by them So we can act in love I feel a tension between, and maybe you feel it too, the desire to feel what I need to feel while knowing I can’t stay immobilized because I need to act. I know I can’t stay stuck in my frustration, irritability, and fog forever. Y’all, I don’t want to stay stuck in my emotions for very...
Aug 18, 2020•16 min•Ep. 29
Our kids need prayer at the start of every school year. But this year, the need to pray feels a bit more urgent. We love our kids and know how worried, excited, nervous, and ready they are. So what we can do is pray. And while we’re praying for our children today, please remember to lift up teachers, administrators, and school leaders. In this episode, we pray for freedom for our children in three areas: Freedom from fear Freedom to be who You created our children to be And freedom to grow in th...
Aug 11, 2020•20 min•Ep. 28
You and I wrestle with what’s going on, how to process it, what to do next, how to get on board with what God is doing in the world, and how to make wise decisions for our people. We’re asking a lot of questions, and I know you are too: When will things go back to normal? Why is everything so hard? Should I be doing this? (And this could mean taking the girls with me to the grocery store or agreeing to a playdate or allowing our older daughter to go to youth group.) But all the questions I ask b...
Aug 04, 2020•18 min•Ep. 27
In this episode, we continue to give language to what’s been floating around in our brains. We are sitting together as a community of try-hard girls to process all that’s going on. So for the next 20 minutes, grab a cup of coffee and join me in talking about: What we’ve learned about ourselves during this season How God is here even in the midst of all our crazy, And practical ways to break out of the “blah” we’re in. We’ve been doing this pandemic thing since March so it’s time to ask: What is ...
Jul 28, 2020•24 min•Ep. 26
We’re going to take a minute to process what we’re feeling and how God meets us right where we are. In this episode, we give language to what’s floating around in our brains. So for the next twenty minutes, we will imagine we are sitting at my kitchen table together, talking through: What we’ve learned about ourselves during this season How God is here even in the midst of all this crazy-town, And practical ways to break out of the “blah” we’re in. What is going on beneath the surface? I’ve foun...
Jul 21, 2020•26 min•Ep. 25
Some of you have already made decisions about what to do for school next year. Some of you are currently making a choice. And some of you have second-guessed, triple-guessed, and quadruple-guessed the decision you submitted. Wherever you are in the school-decision process, this prayer is for you. Friend, if you’ve said to yourself: “I feel pulled in two directions right now.” OR “A lot can change in six weeks, so I don’t know what to do. ” OR “Anxiety is my middle name these days.” Listen in. De...
Jul 14, 2020•20 min•Ep. 24
Can we be raw and real for a second? Sometimes caring for our people, managing our home, and working at the job that pays us money, feels like more than enough. Then we add on a never-ending pandemic, racial unrest, social injustice, Saharan dust clouds, murder hornets, and who-knows-what-else, and we want to scream, “Put a fork in me. I’m done!” We want to handle the hourly changes the pandemic causes with grace. We want to do our part to bring peace and reconciliation where there has been hurt...
Jul 07, 2020•26 min•Ep. 23
Are you emotionally eating too? Yeah, I get it. I’m eating All The Skittles right now. So what is emotional eating? Why do we do it? What does our emotional eating point us toward? How do we stop? In this episode, the Grace In Real Life podcast welcomes integrative wellness speaker, author, and educator Rebekah Fedrowitz, MDN, BCHN. Rebekah helps women identify, combat, and recover from adrenal overload, the stress-driven health syndrome that can lead to digestive, hormonal, and mental health ch...
Jun 30, 2020•37 min•Ep. 22
We conclude this decision-making series by walking through how to discern our voice from God’s voice and our enemy’s voice. Because -- if you’re anything like me -- you pray, believe you hear an answer and then wonder, “Was that God or me?” So if you’ve ever asked yourself, “Did I hear God right?” Or “Maybe that was just my will sneaking in as God’s voice.” Or “How can I know???!?” This podcast episode is for you. So in the next 20 minutes, we’re going to break down: What God speaks How He speak...
Jun 23, 2020•26 min•Ep. 21
It feels increasingly hard to make decisions during this season, doesn’t it??!? Two reasons we find it so hard to decide are that we are chasing certainty and suffering from brain fatigue. So if you’re struggling with decisions -- big ones or small -- you’re in the right place because today we break free from what’s tripping us up as we try to make the best God-centered decisions we can. Let’s start by talking about certainty. We want to make good decisions. We want to be prudent moms who act re...
Jun 16, 2020•16 min•Ep. 20
