After 100 episodes and 2.5 years of Let's Be Real, it’s time to take a break. In this farewell episode, we discuss the importance of ending things intentionally and revisiting the reasons behind why something was started. This helps us create space for new beginnings. You can stay connected by subscribing to Real Talk
On today’s episode we’re throwing it back to one of the earliest episodes with Aundi Kolber, licensed professional counselor and author of Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress and Survival Mode--and into a Life of Connection and Joy. She has such a compassionate, gentle approach to helping people come into abundant life through healing from "big T" and "little t” traumas, and I think you’ll love this episode. Aundi teaches us about how even "little t" traumas can accumu...
Today’s episode is from the How to Study the Bible Podcast. We are kicking off a new Advent series there, looking at the women in Jesus’ lineage in a God of Our Mothers series. In Matthew 1, we get a genealogy of Jesus’ family. Genealogies are put in place because the people matter to the story, and there are several women named in his family line. WHAT DOES IT SAY? Matthew 1:1-3: “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,...
On today’s episode we are joined by Blaine Hogan. Blaine is an actor, artist, director and author of Untitled and Exit the Cave. Blaine shares the stories that shaped him while exploring how our relationship to our past defines how we imagine the future and live in the present. Blaine’s Website | Book Submissions Link
Are personas, platforms, and profits hurting the church? In light of the fall of famous Christian leaders in recent years, Katelyn Beaty reexamines the relationship between church and celebrity. In her book, Celebrities for Jesus (and this episode), Katelyn explores the ways fame has reshaped the American church, explains how and why celebrity is woven into the fabric of the evangelical movement, and identifies many ways fame goes awry. Katelyn’s Website | Book Submissions (0:00) Intro (3:22) Ch...
We have the privilege of having Nicole Lynn Lewis on the podcast today. Nicole is a fellow William & Mary alum, but she did it with her three-month-old daughter in tow. Nicole now works every day to change the statistic that less than 2% of teen mothers will earn their degrees before age 30. Nicole has been featured on major news outlets including “Good Morning America,” CNN, “NBC Nightly News,” and The Washington Post .
What does resilience look like? What does it look like to faithfully stay the course? Exhaustion and fatigue in leadership are so real. This episode dives into 3 key components that impact our ability to be fruitful for the long term. Pace (3:37) Purpose (9:01) Posture (13:47)
We are joined today by Author, Life Planner, and Relationship Expert, Chanel Dokun. Chanel shares so much wisdom to help prevent women from felling like they missed out on their own life. In this episode, we will dive into daily liturgies, thriving vs. striving, life purpose, and so much more. Get a copy of Life Starts Now Chanel’s Website | Reclaim the Morning...
Monica DiCristina is a Licensed Professional Counselor with a passion for helping individuals and couples overcome past and present unproductive patterns and establish emotional safety and connection, and we dive in to topics like emotional resilience, boundaries, and whether or not people can change. You can subscribe to Monica’s Newsletter Here
Today we are joined by #1 bestselling author of The 5 Love Languages, Gary Chapman, and his good friend, author, counselor, and diversity consultant, Clarence Shuler. Many of us want to do something to improve race relations but don’t know where to start or even if we can make a difference. Cross-cultural friends for over fifty years, Gary and Clarence believe building friendships across racial and cultural lines will change lives and our country for the better forever. This belief inspired thei...
On this episode, Jeanne Stevens joins us to talk about what really keeps you from experiencing peace in your life. She is one of the lead pastors of Soul City Church in Chicago as well as the author of “ What’s Here Now? ” We dive into topics like: - Receiving the NOW - Leading with unprocessed grief - Defining CONTRITE - Practicing silence & solitude - Framework to freedom - Being a visionary leader...
Jeff Henderson joins us on the pod today to talk about what to do next. Named by Forbes Magazine as one of 20 speakers you shouldn’t miss, Jeff has become a trusted voice for businesses and non-profit organizations. On this episode he talks shares insights about navigating career change. Get Jeff’s new book “What To Do Next” here | Jeff’s website Get Real Talk Weekly here...
This episode covers a little of what’s going on in my world and life updates and pivots (0:39) and then touches on advice for cultivating a mindset to handle unexpected things (7:41).
Erin Rose and Natalie Tyer join the podcast to talk all about relationships, singleness, and dating. Intro (0:00) Messaging Around Singleness (3:35) Purity Culture (14:15) Wisdom for Dating (22:10) Thoughts for Single Guys (30:28) Thoughts for Parents (32:28) Godly Dating 101 by Safa Grey and Tovares Grey Mount Hermon Women’s Retreat...
It’s been a minute! This episode jumps into the time away from everything this summer, and how to make space in your life. Catching Up (0:40) Taking Time Away + Making Space (5:35) Book Updates (15:26) Join Nicole’s Newsletter Here Music by Nath (feat. Steve Davis) “ Let’s Save Hyrule Together "...
As we wrap up Let’s Be Real for the summer, Nicole talks about how we can navigate the line between critiquing and being critical, and being discerning vs. judging. As Christians, we can get caught in either being TOO passionate about a cause, or being so scared of coming off judgmental that we don’t engage at all. In this episode, we go over: -the question to ask in order to start to engage well -how to think deeply about solutions, not just problems -how we can speak into each other’s lives Th...
This week, we’re learning from the duo behind one of Nicole’s favorite leadership books, Think. Talk. Create., David Brendel and Ryan Stelzer. They help answer the question: how did we get to a de-humanized workplace, and how do we change things in order for all of us to flourish at work? Plus, we talk: -the biggest indicator of performance (which may surprise you!) -the TTC framework in a virtual world -why it’s simple for leaders to execute (but not easy) In addition to being authors, David an...
This week on LBR, we’re honored to have the powerhouse mother/daughter duo Nancy and Samantha Beach on to talk about their new book Next Sunday: An Honest Dialogue About the Future of the Church. Being leaders in ministry and growing up in church, they ask the question: will future generations find a church worth fighting for? We talk about it and where they see the Church headed in this rich conversation. Pre-order their book out June 14: www.ivpress.com/next-sunday Discount code: BEREAL22 (ava...
Inspired by a listener question, this week on LBR we’re exploring how to be a safe place to have spiritual conversations, or, conversations where we bring our souls and whole selves into them to connect with people on a deeper level.
So honored to have the brilliant Dr. Jemar Tisby for this conversation around what it looks like to faithfully engage the topic of racism and justice as Christ followers in America. Dr. Tisby’s book The Color of Compromise (2019) has been formative for me and is one that I consider required reading for anyone who is serious about deeply engaging with their faith— because these issues involve everyone, not just one group of people. We talk about Christians’ ideas of individual vs. systemic issues...
I fully believe that us together is better than one alone— but we need a shared vision in order for it to be true. Today we’re talking about how you can embrace differences without experiencing division in the relationships around you— and how that will help you approach high stakes decisions differently. Want more info on cultivating healthy relationships? Grab my book, The Miracle Moment, here: nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment...
Every person is made in the image of God and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. That’s the “why” behind SSeko Designs, a company that uses fashion to create opportunity & community for women globally, started by this week’s super fun and super wise guest, Liz Bohannon. We talk: -The paradox of being a lone ranger AND being passionate about community -How you should be holding onto your “why” vs. your “what” -The weight of leadership -The truth about good things feeling organic ...
Today, we’re going back to Nicole’s fitness roots at William & Mary, where she met Sadie Lincoln, founder of barre3, a fitness company focused on teaching people to be balanced in body and empowered from within. Sadie takes us through barre3’s evolution, from the moment she realized the fitness industry was failing people, to now leading a full-blown movement made up of millions of people focused on body positivity, being empowered, and redefining what success in fitness means. Plus, they ta...
In today’s episode, Nicole shares some thoughts about what it means to speak life into others, and how to elevate the affirmations that you give. We all need others to point out the special things they see in us, and affirm the unique ways we move throughout the world! Point to a specific action, name the behavior, and connect it to a character trait Note their natural gifts and elevate those things that feel natural Focus on speaking intentional life into people! Our words can also be a powerfu...
On this week’s episode, we’re talking with the SUPER fun Audrey Sampson, author of Known: How Believing Who God Says You Are Changes Everything, a book about the names that God speaks over His children. We talk about her exercise of being surprised by joy, trying hard vs. surrendering, and the words that God speaks over us that settle every question and pain we have experienced in our search for identity. She’s loving this Korean drama on Netflix lately: https://www.netflix.com/title/81159258...
This week’s episode is inspired by content from my book The Miracle Moment and a breakout conversation I had at a recent conference: we’re talking about reasons why things go sideways in families. There’s always going to be turbulence in families, but there are 4 places to start when we want to get to the bottom of it. Get The Miracle Moment here: nicoleunice.com/miraclemoment
On today’s episode, it’s a double Nicole special! I talk with my new friend Nicole Zasowski, therapist and author of What If It’s Wonderful?, and we talk about: -Engaging with God both in your struggle AND celebration -Having the courage to be expectant -Becoming acquainted with God’s character in a new way through loss She gives us some practices that can help create a heart of joy and tells us how asking “what if it’s wonderful?” is changing her life in real time. Get her new book, What If It’...
On today’s episode of Let’s Be Real, I’m talking to my friend and big time leader Adrienne Wright, who is the CEO of U-Turn and the founder of the Collaboratory of VA. Adrienne is someone who dreams big and runs fast towards goals, and we talk about what it’s like to achieve when no one is clapping for you, and what her experience has been being both Black and female in an executive role. She shares where God has taken her, where He’s working on her right now, and has some solid advice for young...
“Anger is a powerful catalyst but a life-sucking companion.” - Breńe Brown On today’s episode, we’re talking the emotion of anger (or the emotion BEHIND the anger) and what it looks like to take our angry experiences and allow them to be transformed into productive action. We’re going over the difference and connection between unproductive, productive, unrighteous and righteous anger— and we’ve got a helpful graph to walk us through it.
When was the last time you changed your mind about anything? That’s one of the questions that’s asked in my conversation with Reggie Dabbs and John Driver, authors of Not So Black and White: An Invitation to Honest Conversations about Race and Faith. In this conversation, we talk about what prompted these two friends to write this book together and what we can all learn if we take the position of humility as individuals, as Christians, and as a nation. Plus, we talk: —What keeps us from ACTUALLY...
