Today on the show, I get to introduce you to my sister, Tatum Green, and we’re also joined by David Thomas, whom you know and love from Daystar Counseling and the Raising Boys and Girls podcast. Together, we’re going to share with you the story of my nephew, TJ, and why we wanted to put this brand new book, Where Did TJ Go? in your hands. We keep saying this is a book we wish no one needed, but so many families do, and that was our reality as a family in 2022 when we realized we couldn’t find th...
Feb 17, 2025•59 min
We’re big Popcast fans around here at AFD Inc, and I honestly can’t believe it’s taken us this long to get Erin on the show. If you aren’t already obsessed with our podcasting cousins over at the PMG, then let me tell you more about Erin. She’s a writer, podcaster, and storyteller. She is the Resident Bible Scholar and host of the Faith Adjacent podcast, and senior creative at Popcast Media Group and her very first book, I’ve Got Questions just came out! Today we talk about it along with everyth...
Feb 10, 2025•1 hr 10 min
Today on the show, Raechel Myers and Amanda Bible Williams from She Reads Truth are BACK for their *sweet sixteenth* episode! You know we love to talk about the church calendar around here and the way it guides our seasons. So today we're talking about Lent and digging into what the seasons are inside this winter season. The interesting thing about lent is that it takes us from winter to spring, so what does that mean for our spiritual lives? Our prayer lives? This is a note taking episode for s...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 14 min
Today on the show, I get to keep talking with your pal and mine, Eddie Kaufholz. He needs no introduction around here, but do we cover the hard-hitting questions like does a snowman count as Christmas decorations or can they be part of just general winter decorations? We also talk a little bit about my new kids book coming out on grief and loss that I wrote with my sister, Tatum Green. You can find more info and preorder that here: Where Did TJ Go? If you’re following along in the TSF Seasons Gu...
Jan 30, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Today on the show, I get to talk with Pastor Tyler Staton from Bridgetown Church in Portland, Oregon. He’s also the National Director of 24-7 Prayer USA and you know we love to talk about prayer around here so Tyler such is such a deep well on the topic. We’re going to talk about where God is in the winter and as we do we’re going to talk about his relationship with prayer and how he’s navigated praying in the middle of pain and a lot of unknown. Tyler also has a new book releasing about the Hol...
Jan 27, 2025•42 min
This year, every month, I’m going to be sharing one of these episodes, one of these stories, something that I am thinking about, wondering about, experiencing myself. Hence the reason we are going to call these “Always Annie”... because no matter the city I’m in or the situation I find myself in, I am, in fact, for better or for worse, Always Annie. Today’s question, that I hope you will open your TSF Seasons Guidebook to page 14 and answer for yourself, is “How do I find cozy moments in this wi...
Jan 23, 2025•15 min
Drew and Ellie Holcomb are here and can you believe this is the first time they’ve ever been interviewed together?! Today we talk about finding blessings in the winter, holding grief and joy, and seeing fruit after winter seasons. If you’re looking for a soundtrack for this season, Drew and Ellie have an album releasing on Friday that you. are. going. to. LOVE. It’s called Memory Bank and it’s coming your way this week, so you don’t have to wait long! Go pre-save it now and let’s plan to make it...
Jan 20, 2025•1 hr 2 min
Today I talk with my long-time friend Lindsay Sherbondy (or you may know her as Lindsay Letters). She’s a full-time artist, living just outside of Madison, Wisconsin with her husband, Dugan, and their two kids, Eva and Phoenix. Their world was turned upside down in August of 2019 when Eva sustained a traumatic brain injury, and as you can imagine, every day since has presented itself with new challenges and new beauty. Today Lindsay is generously sharing their story and it was an honor to get to...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr 11 min
One of our favorite pastors around is here- Pastor Mike Kelsey. As we were planning for this year on the podcast, we knew we wanted a pastor to help us set up each new season and give us a spiritual look at what it all means. SO WHAT AN ACTUAL GIFT that Pastor Mike is going to be here at the start of every season to help us really figure all of this out. Today, we’re going to talk about how we define winter in our own lives, and I cannot wait to see what God wants to teach us throughout this sea...
Jan 09, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Y’all know I love a meeting- whereas most people say “that meeting could have been an email” I tend towards “that email could have been a meeting”... so this is the one time a year I feel like we get to have a meeting. Which brings my soul joy. Epiphany is when I get to stop the show for a minute and instead of you listening to an episode of TSF, you are listening to what is going on behind the scenes, the plans, the people, the direction. It’s also a day I always want to see and celebrate, paus...
Jan 06, 2025•29 min
What an actual treat to get to talk to Eddie every single month this year... listen for an update on if he's going anywhere?! And also... a special update on his robe situation. We also talk lots of minutes of serious about marriage, friendships, and of course the new Wicked movie. I think you'll enjoy this last show of the year! . . . . . Find the TSF Seasons Guidebook at anniefdowns.com/seasons. View the show notes here . . . . . Join us as we read the gospels together again starting January 1...
Dec 30, 2024•1 hr 6 min
There’s something really profound to be said about the changing of a season—winter, spring, summer, fall—but even more so—there’s something profound about actually realizing which season you’re in emotionally, physically, and spiritually. To pay attention to your season raises some important questions... Where is the hope in the winter? What’s blooming in and around us in the spring? What kind of fun are we chasing in the summer? And what’s being harvested in the fall? These are the themes that ...
Dec 20, 2024•4 min
My friend Matthew West is here and I loved this conversation! We catch up about work, life, and his new book, Come Home for Christmas. I love that we get to continue our Advent conversations with friends we trust like Matthew and I’m grateful we get to walk into Christmas with the help of his pastoring voice. . . . . . Find the show notes here Want to watch this episode on YouTube? Head on over to our YouTube Channel and be sure to like and subscribe! . . . . . Join our advent study at https://w...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Anthony O'Neal is a financial expert, but today he’s not only helping us think through the vision of how to use our resources, but really the big vision of who’s around us to help us get where we want to be spiritually, relationally, and financially. I love that we’re ending the year here, because it really sets us up well as we think about what kind of 2025 we want to have. Single Purpose League, you’re especially going to love this one too, because Anthony’s single and also navigating the dati...
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 7 min
My friend, Danielle Kartes is here and she’s bringing us the Christmas season food tips (and just all around fun) that we need. We talk about her journey from selling make up to becoming a regular on the Kelly Clarkson show. Her story is full of hard work and hope, and you do not want to miss her hilarious story at the end about... a cherry tomato. Danielle is an author, recipe genius, and entrepreneur living near Seattle. She and her husband run their boutique food, lifestyle, and commercial ph...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 3 min
My friends, Jen and Jami are here and we’re reviewing Great American Family Christmas movies! Did we create our own rating system?! YES, YES WE DID. If you want to watch these too, check your local listings for Great American Family or download the Pure Flix app to stream them. You can find all the info at pureflix.com. And don’t forget, we created a bingo board for you to fill out while you watch! . . . . . Find the show notes here! Want to watch this episode on YouTube? Head on over to our You...
Dec 09, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Today on the show, I get to talk with the king of whimsy himself, Bob Goff. This is his third time back to That Sounds Fun and he’s always a good friend to us and a really wise voice we can learn from. His new book Catching Whimsy is a 365 day devotional challenging us to intentionally live a life full of kindness and wonder and, of course, some whimsy too. He shares stories of visiting prisons in a Santa Claus suit, building a giraffe habitat, and encourages us to get curious about other people...
Dec 05, 2024•53 min
Today on the show, I get to talk with my long-time friend Lanier Ivester. I’ve known her for 30 years and I don’t think I’ve talked publicly much about my grandmother’s book store, but Lanier worked there growing up, so this conversation was so sacred to me—to relive some of those memories, to get to talk about my grandmother AND THEN get to talk about the Advent & Christmastide season, which y’all know is sacred to me too. Lanier’s very first book, Glad and Golden Hours: A Companion for Adv...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Today, December 1st, kicks off Advent, and you know how I feel about ADVENT! I have absolutely zero chill that we finally get to start our Advent series with a ton of you today. We truly have been talking about this one and planning for this one for a long time. Today is the only day we’re going to share our Advent series here on the That Sounds Fun feed, but if you listen along and decide you want to join us for this series, you can jump in anytime! You’ll find the links to purchase the digital...
Dec 01, 2024•12 min
Name a better way to spend Thanksgiving than listening to a conversation with our pal Eddie Kaufolz. We’ve been recapping each year of the past 10 years with Eddie and can you believe we’ve made it to recapping 2023? LAST year?! Except we barely mention it... we mainly just catch up, talk Thanksgiving traditions and food, invent the term "travel robes" LOL, and you don't want to miss where you can potentially see Eddie TODAY on TV.... and no its not the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (hint: woof...
Nov 28, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Sadie Robertson Huff and I talk about what it looks like to figure out a next step forward when you feel stuck, Her lifestyle devotional called, The Next Step, released last week and y’all are going to love it! This would be such a great gift for a girl in your life who’s trying to navigate a “next thing,” whether that be a new semester at school, figuring a job change, or taking steps towards something they’ve been dreaming about. Plus, you know Sadie’s like a little sister to me, so it’s alway...
Nov 25, 2024•59 min
Today is the official birthday of That Sounds Fun. Ten years ago today, the first episode released. Yes, of course we’ve been celebrating all year, but I couldn’t let the actual day of the start come and go without pausing and giving thanks, for you and with you. This podcast also opened the door for my first ever show at the Ryman Auditorium- truly a dream come true. Over 2,000 of you were in the room with us, but that’s just a fraction of the friends listening today. So I thought it would be f...
Nov 23, 2024•1 hr 6 min
A Little Women’s Christmas is a contemporary retelling of the beloved classic novel, and it follows the lives and loves of the March sisters in a small Tennessee town at Christmas. It was filmed here in Franklin, TN and your girl AFD got a small cameo in it! I can’t for you to see. Today, we’re sitting down with 3 of the cast members: Laura Osnes who plays Beth March, Julia Reilly who plays Amy March, and Jesse Hutch who plays John. The movie premieres this Saturday, November 23rd at 8pm ET/7pm ...
Nov 21, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Strahan Coleman is a teacher at Practicing the Way, founder of the ministry Commoners Communion, AND he’s an award-winning musician. He lives in New Zealand with his wife and three young boys and in his latest book, Thirsting, Strahan poetically explores how to rediscover and fulfill our deepest desire through communion with God. We talk about how his chronic illness and losing his ability to sing lead him into a deeper friendship and closeness with God, the depths of God being like the dark oce...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Lisa Bevere is one of those wise, mothering voices we all can learn from—strong and full of wisdom—and today we’re talking about being empowered women running after God. Her latest book The Fight for Female is out now so you’re going to hear all about it and hear why this was the book that was needed for our generation of women right now, in 2024. . . . . Other topics include miscarriage and infant loss, Heaven, mothering voices, and fasting. . . . . Find the show notes here Want to watch this e...
Nov 14, 2024•1 hr 5 min
Y’all get ready, because today I get to talk with my friend, Ellen Skrmetti—one of my favorite follows on Instagram. I bet you love her too…she makes those “Hey Jesus, it’s me,” videos…and she’s just as funny in person as she is online. Her southern humor is just spot on in the bless-your-heart kind of way and I laughed so much during this conversation. We did a real deep dive on how her comedy career got started, church potlucks, the speed of funerals, panty hose, a new sausage ball recipe… and...
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 11 min
Who else absolutely LOVED the book The Best Christmas Pageant Ever growing up? It was one of my favorites and tomorrow it’s coming to the big screen, and we get to talk all about it today with Dallas Jenkins, who directed the movie, and his wife, Amanda. Y’all know them and love them already because Dallas is the director of The Chosen, but I’m telling you, I’ve cried BOTH times I’ve seen this screening of this movie. You’re going to LOVE it. Do not miss Dallas's story at the end of how he got t...
Nov 07, 2024•1 hr 19 min
You may remember Bethany Joy Lenz from One Tree Hill (she was Haley James Scott on the show), but today she is being generous with her story of faith and freedom and identity, as she talks about the journey of finding herself in a cult, the manipulation she experienced, and the empowerment she found to break way from it all. She shares even more of this story and the destruction narcissism can cause in her brand new memoir, Dinner for Vampires, which, y’all, I seriously couldn't put down. . . . ...
Nov 04, 2024•1 hr 7 min
In case you haven’t been with us for a while, once a month we’re recapping each of the last 10 years in honor of the 10th anniversary of That Sounds Fun, so this month, we’re recapping 2022... but what we actually do is talk about anything else. Today we talk big about the World Series and (mainly Shohei Ohtani), Lin-Manuel Miranda, AI, and water because why not. Also, let us know on Instagram what you would with 41 million dollars!!! . . . . . Find the show notes here! Want to watch this episod...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Learning how to be a person of faith in 2024 seems very challenging and the center of a lot of conversations these days. Today felt like the perfect time to talk to my friend Phil Manginelli about what's going on in the world, in the US, in our faith, and where those all meet. Phil equips churches and organizations teaching internationally on navigating the cultural landscape of a post-Christian world and following Jesus in a secular age, and serves as the Lead Pastor of The Square in Smyrna, GA...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 11 min
