A couple of weeks ago, I was hearing over and over in my conversations with friends how much stress and confusion and YOWZA come with the holidays. I love this season. I’m probably baking something as you read these words. I’m in. AND I also know this season comes with its fair share of extra. Extra chaos, extra scramble, extra hosting, extra outpouring, even extra grief. So I asked a question online and in private conversations: If you had the luxury of having your own relationship expert on call during the holidays, what would you want to ask? Oh, man, did the floodgates open. And my guest April Bordeau knew just what to do. April is a phenomenal therapist with over thirty years of experience. She’s a founder and the managing director of Care To Change, a counseling center in the Indianapolis area, and she was kind enough to join me in a late-night recording session. We tackle all sorts of things, so buckle up and listen to this super helpful and practical conversation with April Bordeau. April is licensed as a clinical social worker. She is a Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner and certified educator and a Prepare-Enrich & SYMBIS pre-marriage and marriage facilitator. She is trained in Experiential Therapy, Crisis Intervention Teams and NOVA crisis intervention, Theraplay, and the Suicide PAIR program and is certified in EMDR. April is a QPR Master Trainer, is an approved Focus on the Family Counselor, serving on their Michigan Hope Restored marriage intensive team. April is also a Guide for Onsite who offers world-renowned emotional wellness retreats, therapeutic intensives, residential trauma care, and digital resources. April and her husband, Randy (also a certified Prepare/Enrich Marriage Facilitator, and marriage retreat facilitator), have been married for over twenty five years and they have two teenagers. Learn more about why April started Care to Change in this interview on Care to Change’s podcast. Find her on Instagram @april_bordeau_therapist and @care_to_change. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Ashlee Gadd is probably best known for creating Coffee + Crumbs, a life-infusing, creative corner of the internet where moms write and make and share and grow. Ashlee has done this work herself and wrote this beautiful book (her own photography included) called Create Anyway: Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood. We talk about how to continue to create during full (or outright hysterical) seasons, permission slips for moms, and how to get a little less precious about perfect conditions for creativity. We are all wired to make things, so whether your idea of creativity is to write a sonnet or to make spreadsheet into a color-coded extravaganza, this conversation is for you.  Ashlee Gadd is the founder of Coffee + Crumbs--a beautiful online space where motherhood and storytelling intersect. As a writer and photographer, Ashlee has spent her entire motherhood creating in the margins. When she's not writing or vacuuming Cheerios out of the carpet, she loves making friends on the internet, eating cereal for dinner, and rearranging bookshelves. She and her husband have three kids and live in Northern California. Learn more at ashleegadd.com, coffeeandcrumbs.net, and Instagram @coffeeandcrumbs. Visit ⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Today I get the chance to chat with a woman who had a crazy idea that made a lot of people give her the side-eye, but she stuck with it and boy, did it work! Stephanie Nelson, known as the Coupon Mom, took her love of clipping coupons (I didn’t even know there was a love like that), and she turned it into millions of dollars worth of donated groceries and a lot of really happy people who saved money for their families. And her heart is to help people find their own superpower and use it for good. I think you’ll love hearing from the woman who has single-handedly redeemed the Costco mailer for me. Stephanie Nelson is the founder of the Coupon Mom website, which launched the coupon movement that took America by storm in 2008. As a savings expert, Stephanie has appeared on many national and local television news shows, including Good Morning America, the TODAY Show, and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her entrepreneurial Coupon Mom concept started a national cottage industry of other “coupon moms” as she inspired women to start profitable websites in their communities. Her book The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half was a New York Times bestseller. Stephanie currently hosts her podcast, Pivotal People. Find her online at StephanieNelson.com, her podcast Pivotal People, and on instagram @stephanie_nelson_cm. Visit ⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Dr. Emily Smith is a rock star epidemiologist, a UN presenter, and an author, not just of scientific articles I cannot understand but also a new book that I CAN understand. Dr. Emily has done a deep dive into what it means to be a Good Samaritan in 2023, both within our local communities and as people of faith who know God so loves the world.  Emily Smith, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine/surgery at Duke University and at the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI). Her debut book, The Science of the Good Samaritan: Thinking Bigger About Loving Our Neighbors, releases Oct. 24, 2023 from Zondervan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith became known as the Friendly Neighbor Epidemiologist through her social media outlets which reached over 10 million people in 2020-2021. She continues posting on the social account and her Substack blog with a monthly reach of 2-4 million. Her work has been featured in TIME Magazine, NPR, the Washington Post, Christianity Today, and Baptist News Global. Before joining the faculty at Duke University, Smith spent four years at Baylor University in the department of public health and was a research scholar at DGHI for two years. Smith received her Ph.D. in epidemiology from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill and a MSPH from the University of South Carolina.  Smith has been married to her pastor-husband for 20 years and they have two fantastic children, one spoiled golden retriever and a new very-friendly goldendoodle puppy. Find Dr. Smith online at emilysmith.substack.com and Facebook @friendlyneighborepidemiologist. Visit ⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠ for more from this episode.

On this episode, we have the ridiculous joy of welcoming Sean Dietrich to the pod. Sean, who also writes under the name Sean of the South, is one of the most creative people I know. He writes long form, short story, fiction, memoir, narrative essay, some of the absolute best stuff on social media, and as of this fall, Kinfolk, one of my favorite novels of all time. I feel a little like a sloth when I think about Sean’s productivity, but he’s such a nice guy, I can only be happy for him (and for us!). I’ll say no more and just let you listen in because this guy doesn’t need any more introduction from a Northerner or anyone else. Sean Dietrich is a columnist, novelist, and stand-up storyteller known for his commentary on life in the American South. His work has appeared in Newsweek, Southern Living, Reader's Digest, Garden and Gun, The Tallahassee Democrat, the Birmingham News, The Mobile Press Register, and his column appears in newspapers throughout the U.S. He has authored fifteen books, he is the creator of the Sean of the South Podcast, and makes appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. You can find Sean at SeanDietrich.com and Facebook and Instagram @seanofthesouth Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

Kayla Craig joined us on For Real in our very first season. I loved her then and love her still, so I’m stoked she agreed to talk with me again. Kayla is a writer, a great question generator, a podcaster, a mother, and she writes the words I can’t seem to find some days when I’m talking about and with God. I love the way Kayla stubbornly and persistently invites the holy into ordinary moments and how she does that beautifully in her new book, Every Season Sacred, and in this conversation. Kayla Craig is a former journalist who brings deep curiosity and care to her writing. She's the author of Every Season Sacred and To Light Their Way. With a poetic, prophetic voice, she created the popular Liturgies for Parents Instagram account, which Christianity Today named an "essential parenting resource." She also hosts the Liturgies for Parents podcast. Kayla's nuanced and accessible reflections, essays, and prayers are featured in various books, devotionals, and Bible studies. Kayla lives in a 115-year-old former convent in her Iowa hometown, where she hopes to create spaces of welcome alongside her four children, two dogs, and pastor-husband, Jonny. You can connect with Kayla at kaylacraig.com and on Instagram @kayla_craig and @liturgiesforparents. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

I hope you’re hungry because today my guest is Bri McKoy. Bri is a fantastic cook. She’s the cook that you not only want on your Meal Train list, you might fake an injury just so she brings you a meal. But she did not start cooking until forced, so she has empathy for regular people. She is the every-girl that you want in your kitchen, teaching you how to make delicious food with confidence and joy. You are going to love this woman and the way she will help you launch out of any cooking slump, any season.  Bri McKoy is an accidental home cook, the author of The Cook’s Book and a lover of gathering people around her everyday table. She is the creator of The Everyday Kitchen Masterclass, a five-week online course that teaches people how to become more confident home cooks. Find stories and recipes on her food blog at OurSavoryLife.com or watch her videos with recipe tips and tricks and read her reflections on Instagram @brimckoy. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

I'm super excited to be back at the mic to announce our third season of For Real! A third season? Who even are we? What an honor that you take us along on your coffee run, your carpool loop, your drive to the gym if you're that kind of person who will outlast us all because of self-discipline. This season is already making me laugh and cry and want to linger for more. We have already recorded a bunch of these conversations and let me just assure you that you do not want to miss an episode. Season three of For Real launches September 12. Subscribe on your favorite streaming platform right now so you don't miss a single episode!

Our last episode of Season Two! We made it! Again! And oh, man, do we have the best season ender for you. My guest is Jami Nato, and I want to assure you that she makes me snort-laugh. You know that really undignified laughter that makes you feel like you never actually left junior high but are still that awkward kid in braces and Aqua Net? Snort laughter in braces? That’s what I do with Jami Nato, AND I also learn a lot about redemption and forgiveness and how to be the person God hand-made me to be. I think you’re going to love this episode with author, Midwesterner, and fellow child of the 80’s, Jami Nato. Jami Nato is a serial entrepreneur and leader of a multi-million dollar business built on faith, community, authenticity, and courage. Navigating life with her wonderful husband of 14 years and 4 unruly children is her greatest love and challenge. She’s passionate about not doing laundry, hoarding socks, loves using humor, writing and honesty to convey the truth of the gospel. Sharing her own personal over comings with well-timed, awkward humor helps her and her audience navigate through tough topics. While she continually plans for the future, she recognizes God’s role as The Ultimate Curator of her life. Find her online at JamiNato.com and on Instagram @jaminato. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

I’m trying not to hyperventilate. Sara Groves is on the pod today. This means that the woman who has sung the soundtrack to my adult life is ON THE POD TODAY. Sara has been singing my favorite songs for 25 years. She is an exquisite writer, thinker, and truth teller. She puts words and melodies to what our hearts can’t do on their own. And she’s also a Minnesotan, which means she knows how to weather pretty much anything. Lean in, folks, and enjoy a conversation I absolutely loved with singer-songwriter, Sara Groves. Sara Groves is a 25+ year veteran singer/songwriter and recording artist with a passion for justice. Since 2005 she has been an artist advocate with International Justice Mission, a global organization that works to protect the poor from violence. In 2011, Sara and her husband Troy opened a unique community art center, Art House North, in a 115+ year old church. Sara’s 14th and most recent album, What Makes It Through, is a poignant reflection on reconciliation. Troy and Sara live in St Paul with their three children, Kirby, Toby and Ruby. Find her online at SaraGroves.com and Instagram @grovesroad. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

Yowza. This conversation will not let me go. In this episode, I had the pleasure of chatting with a man who knows a lot about Plan B. Strahan Coleman was a touring musician and songwriter for years, and he had a very robust prayer life until he became so sick, he couldn’t get out of bed and he could not muster the energy to pray as he had before. Plus, he was rather irritated with the God of the universe who suddenly seemed very silent and very unwilling to give Strahan the help he needed. If you have ever felt like God isn’t very cooperative or that he’s distant or that prayer is mostly for super spiritual people, this is a conversation for you. I loved it, loved Strahan’s book, and cannot wait for you to listen in on what he had to say. Strahan Coleman is a writer, spiritual director, and award-winning musician from Aotearoa, New Zealand. After spending ten years recording and traveling as a folk artist, he founded Commoners Communion in 2017, a ministry exploring conversations in Christian spirituality. Since then, he has given himself to his passion of helping others deepen their experience in God through his writing, podcast, spiritual retreats, and online prayer schools. He has published Beholding and three prayer books, Prayer Vol. 01, 02, and 03, poetic devotionals inviting the reader into a deeper honesty, vulnerability, and closeness with God. Strahan currently lives by the beach in the Coromandel in Aotearoa, New Zealand with his wife, Katie, and three sons, Mikal, Theodore, and Finley. Learn more about Strahan at his website, CommonersCommunion.com and Instagram @strahanmusic. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

Author Jennifer Dukes Lee is a woman who is so dear to me and who has taught me so much. She is wise, funny, and exactly the same person in real life as she is in public. This is a remarkable and delightful character trait, I’m sure you agree. We get to talking about Jennifer’s new project, Stuff I’d Only Tell God, which is unique for her and a gift to us. We also dive into what it looks like to show generous compassion toward ourselves, how to be real with God, and the point of all this brutal honesty. I know you’ll love hearing from my friend and fellow Iowa girl, author Jennifer Dukes Lee. Jennifer Dukes Lee lives on the fifth-generation Lee family farm in Iowa, where she and her husband have invested a life into raising crops, pigs, two beautiful humans, and an enduring faith. A former news reporter, she thinks you can learn a great deal by paying attention to what comes after the beautiful curve of a question mark. She's the author of several books, including her latest, Stuff I'd Only Tell God. Find Jennifer at JenniferDukesLee.com and on Instagram @JenniferDukesLee. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

I’ve had the great joy of counting Tosca as a dear friend for many years, so this conversation was a blast for me. Tosca is the New York Times bestselling novelist of a slew of books in a slew of genres, and she crushes them all, including her newest release, The Long March Home. Tosca is a former ballerina, a former beauty queen, and a former city girl who now lives on a farm in Nebraska. She’s also wise, kind, and one of the hardest workers I know. I think you’ll love getting to hear from her on this episode. Also! I highly recommend pre-ordering The Long March Home and getting some fantastic swag, including a secret epilogue. Follow Tosca for all the details. Tosca Lee is the New York Times bestselling author of eleven novels including The Line Between, A Single Light, and The Legend of Sheba. Her work has been translated into seventeen languages and optioned for TV and film. She is the recipient of multiple awards including two International Book Awards. Her work has been praised as “deeply human…” “powerful…” and “mind-bending.” Lee earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Smith College. A former first runner-up to Mrs. United States, she lives in Nebraska with her husband and two of four children still at home. Find her online at ToscaLee.com, Instagram, and Facebook. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

Today we get the chance to hear from a pastry chef. I want you to enjoy the idea of that right now because EVERY DAY should include some wisdom from a pastry chef. Kendall Vanderslice is a baker, a writer, the owner of a beagle named Strudel (I mean, come on), and she is the author of a new book: By Bread Alone: A Baker’s Reflections on Hunger, Longing, and the Goodness of God. I so enjoyed hearing from Kendall, both in her lovely book and in this conversation. She is a woman who has a lot to teach us about the beauty of community, persistence in a broken world, and the many good things that happens when we share our tables. Kendall Vanderslice is a baker, writer, and speaker, as well as the founder of the Edible Theology Project, a ministry that connects the Communion table to the kitchen table. She is a graduate of Wheaton College (BA Anthropology), Boston University (MLA Gastronomy), and Duke Divinity School (Master of Theological Studies). Her bylines include Christianity Today, Bitter Southerner, Christian Century, Religion News Service, and Faith & Leadership, as well as her book We Will Feast (Eerdmans 2019). Kendall lives in Durham, North Carolina, with her big-eared beagle named Strudel, where she teaches workshops on bread baking as a spiritual practice. Visit her online at KendallVanderslice.com, Instagram and Facebook. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

Tyson Motsenbocker is an author and musician who, in addition to having the best last name to say out loud, wrote a beautiful book about his 40-day pilgrimage up the coast of California. Tyson’s luminous and beloved mom passed away, and only a few short days after the funeral, he walked out his front door and across the state. Motsenbocker walked hundreds of miles as he started to process his grief and his disappointment with a God who felt suddenly unsafe. Maybe you can identify with a world that looks abruptly and irrevocably different. What on earth is a person to do? I think you’ll enjoy hearing Tyson’s stories of how we walk these roads, what we learn, and how we return home and bring some of the road with us. After years on the road, Tyson Motsenbocker returned home to the impending death of his 57-year-old hero and mother. He begged God to heal her, but she died anyway. With the death of his mother followed the death of the childhood version of his faith. Shortly before her death, however, Tyson became intrigued by the complicated legacy of Father Junipero Serra, the 18th-century Franciscan monk and canonized saint who dedicated his life to the idea that tragedy and suffering are portals to renewal. Father Serra was a complicated figure – one who built Missions up and down the California coast, spreading Christianity and care, as well as colonizing the native population and stripping them of their traditions and culture. Tyson discovered Serra's "El Camino Real," a 600-mile pilgrimage route between Tijuana and San Francisco that had been largely forgotten for more than 200 years. Two days after his mother's memorial service, Tyson set out on a pilgrimage of sorts, intending to walk from San Diego to San Francisco along the El Camino, following in the footsteps of the saint. Tyson's journey takes him down smog-choked highways, across fog-laden beaches, past multi-million-dollar coastal estates, and through towering redwood forests. And as he walks, Tyson also wrestles with his faith, questioning the pat answers and easy prayers he once readily accepted, trying to understand how hope and tragedy can all be wrapped up in the same God. The people he meets along the way challenge his understanding of the meaning of security, of what it means to live a meaningful life, and of the legacies we all leave behind. Where the Waves Turn Back is both part journal and part spiritual memoir and, ultimately, a thrilling and deeply satisfying read that asks questions that will resonate with readers seeking meaning in an utterly disorienting age. Find him online at TysonMotsenbocker.com and on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

Sissy Goff is a superhero to the mental health world, and she is a superhero to me. If you or anyone you love is dealing with anxiety, particularly kids and teens, please stop what you’re doing and get a pen and paper because this one is a note-taker. And please know as you wrestle with the fall-out from anxiety, you are not alone, your kids are not alone, and there is so much hope. I am so grateful to have had the chance to learn from therapist, speaker, author, and just a wonderful human being, Sissy Goff. Sissy is the Director of Child and Adolescent Counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, Tennessee, where she works alongside her counseling assistant/pet therapist, Lucy the Havanese. Since 1993, she has been helping girls and their parents find confidence in who they are and hope in who God is making them to be, both as individuals and families. Sissy is a sought-after speaker for parenting events and the author of twelve books, including the bestselling Raising Worry-Free Girls and Braver, Stronger, Smarter (for elementary aged girls) and her new release for teenage girls, Brave. Sissy is a regular contributor to various podcasts and publications as well as her own podcast called Raising Boys and Girls.You can find more information and resources at raisingboysandgirls.com. Find her on Instagram and Facebook. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

What a treat of an episode! Jean Stoffer is an interior designer, a businesswoman, a mother of four and grandma of a bunch more, and a debut author. She also has her own show on Magnolia network, and I highly recommend that after you listen to the pod, you ignore everything else on your list today so you can watch every episode of both seasons. Jean and I got to chat about a host of things, and I left our time together an even bigger fan of hers than I already was (Note: Apologies for the gushing every now and then. I can’t help it.). I’m so excited for you to hear my conversation with the absolutely lovely and gifted and real-life gem, Jean Stoffer. Jean Stoffer is an award-winning Grand Rapids-based independent interior designer specializing in kitchen and bath designs. Each of her designs is custom suited for her clients' lives and how they hope to use their home. Jean is also the founder of Stoffer Home, a retail store featuring beautiful and functional items for the home, and Stoffer Home Cabinetry, the source for Jean's own line of quality, British-inspired flush inset cabinets. In December 2021, the Magnolia Network began airing The Established Home, a TV series featuring Jean and her design work. Find her online at JeanStofferDesign.com and Instagram. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

Blaine Hogan is a writer, film and creative director, and actor. On this episode, we talk about all of those very unusual jobs, Blaine’s Midwest roots, his work with celebrities like Usher and Arnold Schwarzenegger and as the less glamorous Pepto Bismol man. We also talk about the beautiful life he and God have wrestled back from the grip of abuse, addiction and trauma, a story he tells in his unflinching and poignant new memoir, Exit The Cave, Embracing a Life of Courage, Creativity, and Radical Imagination. Formerly the creative director for Willow Creek Community Church, Blaine is currently a full-time filmmaker who directs celebrities from LeBron James to Carrie Underwood. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Margaret, and their three daughters. He holds a master’s degree in theology and culture from the Seattle School for Theology and Psychology and has appeared in many stage productions and television shows. Find him online at BlaineHogan.com and on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

Welcome to this special Christmas episode of For Real! GUESS WHAT? My mom joins us today, even though she swore she’d never do that again after she stopped by the pod last year. I am nothing if not a persistent firstborn female. My mom is a delight, and I predict you will love her again. I’m honored to be her daughter, and she seems to continue to love me even when I coerce her to talk into a mic. Enjoy this episode and merry, merry Christmas! Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.

I’m just going to take a big, deep breath about getting to talk with my guest for today. Amanda Held Opelt joins me on the podcast today, and I counted it a privilege to talk with her about her new and debut book, A Hole in the World: Finding Hope in Rituals of Grief and Healing. Amanda’s book is part memoir, part history of bereavement rituals, and altogether one of the most stunning books I have ever read, particularly on the subjects of grief, community and faith. Amanda joined me from her home in Appalachia, and I am so grateful for her generosity of time and spirit. Amanda Held Opelt is an author, speaker, and songwriter. She writes about faith, grief, and creativity, and believes in the power of community, ritual, shared worship, and storytelling to heal even our deepest wounds. Amanda has spent 15 years serving in the non-profit and humanitarian aid sectors. She lives in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina, with her husband and two young daughters. Find her online at AmandaHeldOpelt.com and on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Visit KimberlyStuart.com/podcast for more from this episode.