Hi friend! I hope you’re enjoying your summer. This episode is a very casual, very real peek behind the curtain into my life right now. We all need a little bit of levity from time to time, right? Well, we’re not taking ourselves too seriously today! 😂 In this episode you’ll hear: 📦 Exactly where I’m at in my life right now ❤️🩹 An excerpt from The Monastic Heart by Joan Chittister 😴 The secret power of a 10-20 minute nap Links to all the things mentioned: The Monastic Heart: 50 Simple Pract...
Jul 10, 2023•25 min
I don’t typically use the word “busy,” but let’s face it, life can get BUSY! It can be so difficult to lean into rest on Sundays, especially with Monday looming over you. But what if true Sabbath isn’t restricted to just Sundays? What would it look like for your family to spend intentional time resting together on Saturdays instead? In today’s episode we're digging deeper into Sabbath, and I’d love to hear your thoughts. DM me on Instagram or leave your thoughts in a review! In this episode you’...
Jun 26, 2023•26 min
Hey sweet friend, I hope this week’s episode finds you well. Today I have a super quick (like, literally 2 minutes quick!) encouragement for when you find yourself in a season of waiting, especially if you’re in that season now. Part of living lighter is trusting the Lord’s plan for our lives, even when it’s uncomfortable. What feels like delay may actually be His kindness toward us. Let’s reframe our thoughts around waiting together 💕 Connect with Teresa: Instagram Website Grab a copy of one o...
Jun 19, 2023•3 min
Welcome back to the Living Lighter podcast! Today we have a special guest joining us: Anne Neilson. A lifelong artist, Anne began painting with oils in 2003 and quickly became nationally known for her ethereal Angel Series, which are inspiring reflections of her faith. Anne has since published several books, most recently The Brushstrokes of Life: Discovering How God Brings Beauty and Purpose to Your Story in April. With a passion to make a difference in the world, she continues to paint, write,...
Jun 12, 2023•55 min
Hey sweet friend. Today I want to share with you how it’s okay for things to not be okay, even as you’re living lighter. You have full permission to be authentic and vulnerable and real – it doesn't mean you’re doing anything wrong. And so that’s exactly what I’m doing today. We all need to take off the mask from time to time and stop pretending everything is okay when it isn’t. Life has looked very different for me lately and maybe it has for you, too. I hope this episode encourages you to live...
Jun 05, 2023•29 min
Today we are talking all about stress and what it does to our bodies. If you're anything like me (and I have a feeling you are), there is quite a bit of stress in your life. That's exactly why Katrina Sequenzia, founder of Healthy Free Life, is on a mission to help Christians ditch disease, lose weight, gain energy, and find food freedom by teaching them to create a sustainably healthy lifestyle God’s way. As a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach and Registered Nurse, along with experie...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Welcome back, friend! We have a very special episode this week – in case you missed last week’s teaser, be sure to go back and listen to episode 32 as a setup for Pastor Rick Warren’s new book, Created to Dream . As a follow up to that little snippet, today we have the privilege of hearing chapter one read by none other than Rick Warren himself! I know this is going to be so encouraging for you, so sit back, relax, and let’s dive right into Created to Dream: The 6 Phases God Uses to Grow Your Fa...
May 08, 2023•29 min
Do you ever have a book that comes into your life at precisely the right time? Well, that recently happened to me! Rick Warren's team sent me a copy of his brand new book called Created to Dream: The 6 Phases God Uses To Grow Your Faith. As you probably know, Rick Warren is the author of The Purpose Driven Life, which came out 10 years ago – oh yeah, and it’s sold over 35 million copies 🤯 God is using Rick greatly, and it's an honor to read anything that he has written because it's steeped in s...
May 01, 2023•27 min
You know that feeling when you’re in the middle of a conversation with someone and your heart just goes yes, yes, yes! Well, that’s exactly how I felt during this conversation with my dear friend Kendra Tillman. Kendra is a certified life and leadership coach, a healthy marriage champion, and a published author. As the founder of StrongHer.Me Coaching & Consulting, Kendra helps organizations invest in rising female leaders who aspire to reclaim their authentic voice when painful experiences ...
Apr 17, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Sweet friends, I’m back this week with a quick truth injection for your Monday. As busy moms, sometimes we just need a 10-minute encouragement to get us through the day, right? In this mini episode, we’re talking about actively choosing to reject the lies we're tempted to believe about ourselves and look to victory instead. Where we set our sights is where we’ll end up, so this is incredibly important! I hope this emboldens you to be exactly who God created you to be in the season He has you in ...
Apr 10, 2023•10 min
Friends, please welcome Tara Sun to the podcast! If you are a self-proclaimed “Control Freak,” then this episode is for you 😉 Through the Truth Talks with Tara podcast, her Instagram community, her new book Surrender Your Story and other resources, Tara passionately teaches women of all ages how to know, love, and live God’s Word for themselves. She breaks down the Bible into understandable pieces while adding an artistic flare through her digital art. I want to be best friends with Tara after ...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite word: failure 😜 Odds are you struggle with fear of failure to some degree. Or if you’re anything like me, fear of failure has followed you around your whole life and can sometimes be hard to trace back to its root cause. Well, today we’re diving deep into failure, why we’re so scared of it, and a practical step-by-step guide to overcoming it. I hope this episode encourages and equips you to not only face your fear of failure, but even make friends with it! I...
Mar 27, 2023•32 min
Friend, do I have a treat for you! Our guest today is Ashlee Gadd, author of Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood and founder of the online space Coffee + Crumbs. And let me tell you, I had the privilege of previewing Create Anyway and I am simply obsessed. As a writer and photographer, Ashlee has spent her entire motherhood creating in the margins (anybody know the feeling?!) When she's not writing or vacuuming Cheerios out of the carpet, she loves making f...
Mar 20, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Does the word “ambition” have a negative connotation for you? I know it has for me in the past. But why? Today we’re talking about why we as Christians should totally feel comfortable reclaiming that word. Yes, we need to live lighter – but I’m not talking about “hustle culture” ambition. I’m talking about doing what you love most, and doing it well. As you’ll see in this episode, the Bible clearly tells us to run our race well (and friend, that doesn’t just happen by accident!) We get the oppor...
Mar 13, 2023•20 min
Welcome back to the podcast! Today I am so excited to introduce you to my friend Rebecca George. Rebecca is the founder of Radical Radiance, a podcast community where listeners are equipped to blend what they love with the Jesus who makes them shine. In addition to being a podcaster, she is a speaker, writer, and certified career coach whose greatest joy in life is discipling others to pursue their passions in a way that builds the Kingdom. Today we are chatting about her upcoming book Do the Th...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 2 min
You are going to absolutely love this episode! Today we're talking with none other than Tiana Haneline of @scarlettandtiania on TikTok. Whether you’re a big TikTok fan or not, you’ve probably heard of the adorable duo – she and her daughter Scarlett have over 6 million followers! In March of 2020, Tiania wanted to build her then-three-year-old daughter’s confidence and help her embrace the color of her skin, which has more melanin than Tiania’s. Through the power of positive affirmation, Tiania ...
Feb 27, 2023•59 min
Welcome back sweet friend! Today I am so excited to dive deeper into a topic I’m super passionate about: how to study the Bible (not just read it). The reality is that the Bible was not written to us – we are not Israelites living in ancient times! Because of that, we need to take a closer look at the context of Scripture in order to fully understand it. Thankfully there are tons of great commentaries and resources out there today to help us do this, including my Get Wisdom Bible Studies. As we ...
Feb 20, 2023•29 min
Friends, I am so excited for you to listen to this interview because today we have my dear friend Monica Swanson on the podcast! She lives in Oahu on the North Shore, she's a mom of four boys, and she is just amazing. Monica is so wise and so fun, and I really wish that you knew her in real life because she's just one of those people that you want to absorb everything you can from. Her first book is called Boy Mom , and today we’re chatting about her upcoming book called Raising Amazing (which I...
Feb 06, 2023•59 min
Today we’re concluding our Living Lighter series with the topic of soul care. Maybe you feel so overwhelmed caring for others that you couldn’t possibly have time to care for yourself – trust me, I’ve been there. But I hope this episode is a gentle reminder that true rest for your soul is only found in Jesus. Take the time to meet with him, giving him the firstfruits of whatever time you have, and I promise he will meet you there. Friend, I’m so glad you’ve been on this journey with me through t...
Jan 30, 2023•21 min
Can you believe we’re already in week three of this series?! Today we’re chatting about the next pillar of my Living Lighter course: Body. But don’t worry! I am not going to tell you that you have to work out for an hour every single day. While that would be great, the reality is that most of us simply don’t have the time (or, if you’re like me, your body needs different kinds of exercise than it used to). What’s most important is that you treat your body well – meaning good movement, nutrition,...
Jan 23, 2023•34 min
Welcome back, friend! We’re in week two of a multi-part series about the four pillars of Living Lighter: home, mind, body, and soul. Today’s episode is about happiness, mindset, “shiny object syndrome,” and grit. Do you struggle to appreciate what you do accomplish instead of dwelling on everything you didn’t get done? (Looking at you, Enneagram 1s & 3s 👀) I totally get it. I’ve been there. And let me just say, a simple yet powerful mindset shift can transform your outlook on life. So let’s...
Jan 16, 2023•16 min
Happy New Year! 🎉 Can you believe 2023 is here already?! I am so excited you’ve decided to tune in, because today we’re kicking off a new series about the four pillars of Living Lighter: Home, Mind, Body, and Soul. While we dive deeper into each of these topics throughout my Living Lighter course (which opens again soon, by the way 😉), this series will provide a high-level overview of what it means to truly live lighter in each of these areas. In this first episode on Home, we’re talking about...
Jan 09, 2023•25 min
Hey, sweet friend! Welcome to Part 2 of our miniseries on living without burnout. If you’re anything like me, you do ALL the things. I am really good at saying yes instead of no, and I lived in a state of burnout for a full decade (maybe more!) Eventually I realized that the “hot mess mom” culture does not have to be our reality. So as we enter into this new year and a new season, living a life with more margin and more rest, I’m excited to share with you the different strategies and mindset shi...
Jan 02, 2023•19 min
Tell me if this sounds familiar: You scramble every day, always running behind and never seeming to do “enough.” Well mama, I’ve been there. Today we’re kicking off a two-part miniseries on burnout, which is a precursor to a longer series as we enter into the new year. Together we’re figuring out how to disengage from burnout and really step into a life of margin and rest. You and I both know that this fast paced, overwhelmed life is simply not sustainable. To help you work through this, here ar...
Dec 26, 2022•18 min
Hey friend! Today’s episode is a little different because we are diving into Psalm 37 together, so you may want to grab your Bible (totally fine if not, though – you’re welcome to just listen!) If you do want to follow along, head over to your favorite Bible app because we’ll be reading from several different translations. Through the lens of Psalm 37, we will see how failing does not make us a failure in God’s eyes. Whenever we fail, He is right there ready for us to reach out and grab ahold of...
Dec 19, 2022•30 min
So… what if middle school wasn't the worst? Today I am joined by Jess Johnson and Amy Weatherly, internet friends and founders of the Sister I Am With You online community where millions of women get real about friendships. They’re also the bestselling authors of I'll Be There (But I'll Be Wearing Sweatpants) , and their new book I'll Be There (And Let's Make Friendship Bracelets) is an adapted version for younger girls. Think of it like a how-to guide on friendship geared toward 8- to 12-year-o...
Dec 12, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Real talk: Have you ever reached January only to wonder where on earth December went? Or have you felt just a tinge of sadness on December 26th because you feel like you missed the Christmas season (again)? If that’s you, I’m right there with you! Between the holiday parties, family gatherings, cookie swaps, school festivities, and dozens of other things on our to-do list during this season, it’s all too easy to miss the entire reason for it: Jesus. This Advent season, I invite you to slow down ...
Dec 05, 2022•33 min
Hey, sweet friend. In this episode I wanted to let you in on some updates with my health. You may already know that I was recently diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease after years of battling intense pain and migraines without any answers. And while I’m relieved to finally have an answer, this definitely is not what I envisioned for myself. Maybe you’re in a similar spot. If your life maybe doesn't look quite like you thought it would, I hope this episode encourages you. Our God is still good, ev...
Nov 28, 2022•39 min
Friends, today’s guest is none other than Kayla Stoeklein! I am so excited to share this conversation with you, especially since I first heard Kayla on one of my favorite podcasts years ago when her first book came out. This conversation is a deep one and a good one – but also, for those of you who have experienced deep loss, it might be a little bit of a hard one. Kayla’s new book Rebuilding Beautiful just came out in September, and today she shares a bit about her life and the beautiful aspect...
Nov 21, 2022•52 min
You know how there's some people that you see on a stage and think, “Wow, you seem so awesome. Are you actually that awesome in real life?” Well, my guest today is 100% the same person off stage as she is on – she’s just the real deal. Toni Collier is a Hope Coach, author of Brave Enough to Be Broken and the founder of Broken Crayons Still Color, an international women’s ministry that helps women process their brokenness and reclaim hope. It’s her passion to show women that they can be both brok...
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 1 min
