Bravery and Real Restoration ft. Heather Khym

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Real healing is not a passive process. It’s active. It requires bravery. It requires leaning in. It requires vulnerability.

These are things we know but fail to act on. We’d rather drown our sorrows in #hustling, in alcohol, in social media pseudo justice. Especially when the hurt came from the church or its members, how do we find true healing in Christ?

Heather Khym is a wife, mom, podcaster, and speaker with a passion for helping women find true healing in their lives. Today on the show she talks about how her husband’s pornography addiction introduced her to the importance of spiritual healing, how people who have been hurt by the church can start to lean into healing, why healing takes bravery, and why she started her popular podcast Abiding Together. Enjoy!

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative. 

Topics discussed:

  • How her husband’s pornography addiction led her on a path of restoration

  • Why healing is extra difficult when it comes from church or church leaders

  • Why bravery matters when it comes to healing

  • Passive healing vs. active healing

  • How Abiding Together came to be

  • What’s been bringing Heather closer to God lately

We mentioned: 

Find Heather: 

Difficulties Within Physical Intimacy ft. Dr. Monique Ruberu

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Let’s talk about sex, baby 🎶😂

Today on the show we welcome back Dr. Monique Ruberu, a Catholic wife, mother, and OBGYN. Monique is chatting with us all about how false chastity teachings can damage intimacy in marriage, what to do if intercourse is painful for you, and what it’s like being a doctor during COVID. Pour a glass of wine and settle into your couch, because this is some serious girl talk with a medical resource here to educate us! I have spent many an evening talking to a girlfriend about intimacy within her marriage (…and if any of their husbands are reading this…just be glad your wife has such close friends 🙃) and it was so informative to have a Catholic OBGYN to chat with about why so many women struggle with physical intimacy. We also talk about organic tampons and Game of Thrones—yes, you read that right. Enjoy!

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative. 

Topics discussed:

  • What it’s like being a doctor during a pandemic

  • How the human body responds to sexual stimulation

  • Effective vs. ineffective chastity teachings

  • Common reasons women may have pain during intercourse

  • Why the type of tampon you use matters

  • If the OBGYN field is becoming more secular or more Catholic

  • What’s been bringing Monique closer to God lately

We mentioned: 

Additional Resources

Find Dr. Ruberu: 

Changing Course and Chasing Dreams ft. Marie Miller

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Can I be honest for a sec? Sometimes, when I hear about people leading entire marches or writing important policies or starting non-profits, I start to wonder if what I do is insignificant. I know that’s not a very feminist thought—how often on here do we talk about different women having different callings?! But that doesn’t mean the thought doesn’t bop through my head now and then. All I do is write children’s books and potty train toddlers and talk about Jesus, I think. How am I contributing to the world?

So I had to ask today’s guest, folk singer Marie Miller, if she’s ever felt that way. I loved the way she broke down why beauty is so important even in extremely difficult times. We also talked about why she decided to ditch her large record label, what it’s like to change your tune literally and figuratively, and why “little dreams” are sometimes the most important things we can chase. Enjoy! (And then go download her new album because I can NOT stop listening to it!)

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative. 

Topics discussed:

  • How Marie got into performing

  • The hardest part of pursuing life as a musician

  • Switching from a major label to self-producing her latest album

  • Marie’s fears of transitioning from pop to Christian folk

  • How to pull beauty out of our brokenness

  • What she hopes people can take away from her latest album

  • What’s been bringing Marie closer to God lately

We mentioned: 

Find Marie: 

The Sexual Revolution and False Feminism ft. Sue Ellen Browder

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If you’re a feminist, you’re probably familiar with Betty Friedan’s “Problem That Has No Name.” This was the idea that “housewives” of the 50s and 60s and widespread unhappiness that stemmed from their oppression. While some of that is certainly factual—being a woman in the 60s had plenty of very real burdens, some of which Betty Friedan correctly identified—today’s guest, Sue Ellen Browder, believes that problem DOES have a name: a God-sized hole in our hearts. Sue Ellen is a former writer for Cosmopolitan who witnessed firsthand as the media created the sexual revolution and tried to push women towards a freedom that actually wasn’t free at all. She breaks down what the “false feminism” of the second wave feminist movement was, why she continues to identify as a feminist, and why we as modern women can’t opt-out when it comes to fighting against lies from the pages of magazines. Enjoy!

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative. 

Topics discussed:

  • How Sue went from Cosmo writer to faithful Catholic

  • Why she wrote her book

  • How the media politicized the sexual revolution and created the false feminism

  • Betty Freidan’s “problem that has no name”

  • How Catholic feminists can fight against false feminism

  • What’s been bringing Sue Ellen closer to God lately

Read Sue Ellen’s book: 

Finding Truth as a Journalist ft. Kara Dixon

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The past couple of weeks have taught us more than ever that the media plays a fundamental role in our screwed-up society. Love 'em or hate 'em or somewhere-in-between-'em-because-they-are-varied-humans, reporters are still very much a gatekeeper in between the public and what's going on in the world. Sure, anyone can take a video on their phone and throw it up on Twitter, but journalists are the people who help us contextualize and verify truth. 

Or at least...they should be. But some outlets have very much broken the American people's trust. I wanted to talk to an actual journalist about the ups and downs of trying to find the truth in a world that likes to play hard and loose with the facts. 

In today's episode, journalist Kara Dixon breaks down where to look for news if you're concerned about bias, the hardest parts of being a journalist in a world where #fakenews is a hashtag, what it's been like to be reporting COVID-19. 

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative. 

Topics discussed:

  • Why Kara became a journalist

  • Where to look for news if you’re frustrated with bias

  • The hardest parts of being a journalist

  • The best parts of being a journalist

  • How to stay emotionally focused in intense situations

  • Her thoughts on #fakenews

  • What’s been bringing Kara closer to God lately

Find Kara: 

Giving Thanks and Letting Go ft. Danielle Bean

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My name is Claire + I’m a control-aholic.

It’s true! I love control like the Julia Child loved butter. And although parenting is basically one long exercise in letting go of control, the truth is, I do have some control over my little ones. I decide we’re going to Mass on Sundays, and we go. I decide we’re having broccoli for dinner, and we do (although whether or not they eat is a whole ‘nother issue.) I decide we don’t watch movies that don’t align with our values, and we don’t. But there will come a day when I lose even that small, semblance of control.

On today’s show, writer Danielle Bean is talking about parenting older kids, and the grief that comes with letting older kids make their own decisions. We talk about the importance of realizing that our kids are their own people, and not letting your motherhood role become your entire identity. I love what Danielle has to say about the importance of letting yourself feel your feelings, as well her wisdom on raising teenagers. I hope this episode reminds all of the mamas out there that one day, our kids will grow up—and if they already have, that we are still mothers, even as we let that last inch of control slip from our fingers.

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative. 

Some people are seeking racial justice content at this time. Check out our episodes with Gloria Purvis, Danielle Brown, Marcia Lane-McGee, Nnenda Chinda, Shannon Schmidt, Alissa Molina, and Chika Anyanwu. Simply search their name + the Catholic Feminist—it’ll pop right up!

Topics discussed:

  • Why Danielle wrote her latest book

  • Danielle’s favorite age to parent

  • How to help kids who have fallen away from the faith

  • The importance of allowing yourself grief

  • Tips for raising teenagers

  • What’s been bringing Danielle closer to God lately

We mentioned: 

Find Danielle: 

Our 150TH EPISODE! Q & A ft. Claire Swinarski

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After 150 episodes, it is a true joy to sit + chat with you all 1-on-1 today. I would say “I can’t believe we’re here!” but to be honest…I knew how phenomenal Catholic women were when I started this. I’m not surprised that you’re on fire for the topics we discuss on this show. I’m not shocked that you love tuning into our guests, whether they’re well-known speakers or just everyday women. I’m not stunned that when it’s time to turn on a podcast, you’re the type of woman who wants to hear about immigration, body image, and the real complexities of motherhood.

In today’s episode, I’m answering YOUR questions. I gathered questions over email and Instagram and while I obviously couldn’t tackle all of them, I chose a few that seemed oft-repeated or that simply seemed intriguing to me. I’m talking about things like white privilege, raising my son as a feminist, and which elements of my own feminism have morphed and shifted over the past 3 and a half years.

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative. 

We mentioned: 

Becoming Well Read ft. Marcie Stockman

If you’re a busy Catholic feminist, you probably feel like you’re juggling 19 balls in the air. Maybe you have kids, or a career, or both, or a graduate degree, or you’re trying to get in shape, or you’re volunteering in your neighborhood, or your leading an action council at your parish, or-or-or…

Finding time to read? Impossible.

Not so, says today’s podcast guest. Marcie Stockman is the founder of Well-Read Mom, a set of resources for busy women looking to fit more great books into their lives. As a life-long reader, I loved chatting with Marcie about why books are so essential in our lives, how she finds time to read, and how to decide what to read if you’re feeling like you can barely keep your head above water. Get your library card ready—you’re going to be pumped to add to your bookshelf after today’s chat!

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative. 

Topics discussed:

  • Why Marcie founded Well-Read Mom

  • Benefits Marcie has seen in her spiritual life from reading

  • How to decide what to read

  • What to do if classics terrify you

  • How to encourage a love of reading in your kids

  • What’s been bringing Marcie closer to God lately

We mentioned: 

Find Marcie:  

Embracing Culture Within Liturgy ft. Shannon Schmidt

When someone states their skin color or culture--"I'm a Black Catholic." "I'm a Polish Catholic." "I'm a Hispanic Catholic." It can be tempting to want to wave it off. We're all *one family*, right? Why do these differences matter? But today's guest is here to talk to us about how our church is bigger than our culture, and therefore, all of our cultures must be allowed to be present.

Shannon Schmidt is a mom, podcaster, and biracial Catholic with a passion for theology and our church. We discuss how her race plays into her faith and why she thinks it’s important for her to embrace her Black Catholic label. Shannon and I also chat about how to fight against using orthodoxy as a shield, the importance of de-centering any one particular culture to instead become a beautifully diverse family, and what’s been bringing her closer to God lately. Enjoy!

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative. 

Topics discussed:

  • Why Shannon started her podcast

  • Why she identifies as a Black Catholic in addition to being biracial and white presenting

  • How “reverence” and “orthodoxy” can be misused as shields against other cultures

  • Why you should balance loving/embracing your own culture and being accepting of other cultures

  • What’s been bringing Shannon closer to God lately

We mentioned: 

Find Shannon:  

Finding Hope in Unexpected Seasons ft. Monica Aberle

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What's it like to go to a Catholic college and find yourself unexpectedly...expecting? Today's guest, Monica Aberle, knows all about it. Monica is joining us to talk about how we can find hope in unexpected seasons: when times of chaos or complexity threaten to rob us of our joy, how can we lean into God and trust him in all things? As the founder of Everyday Mamas, Monica knows what it's like to find the beauty in the everyday, even when the everyday isn't exactly lining up with your picture-perfect goals. I'm honored to share Monica's story and I know you'll get just as much out of it as I did!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Head to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist to see their trips in 2021 and beyond!

Today’s episode is also brought to you by the Classic Learning Test. Head to cltexam.com to learn about this classical alternative to the SAT and ACT.

Topics discussed:

  • What it was like to discover she was pregnant while single in college

  • How her church community reacted to her unexpected pregnancy

  • What it was like to begin dating as a single mother

  • Why she founded Everyday Mamas and what her goal was

  • How Monica is mother-ing during this crazy time of COVID

  • What’s been bringing Monica closer to God

Find Monica:  

Addiction, Recovery, and Redemption ft. Victoria Ray

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Talk about turning your mess into your message. Today's guest, Victoria Ray, is a speaker, a podcaster, a student, and a Certified Addiction Empowerment Specialist. She's also in recovery and a big ole fan of Jesus. Victoria is here on the show today to talk about whether she believes her addiction was part of God's "plan" for her life, how she found truth in her faith during the darkest days of her life, and why she decided to devote her life to serving others with addictions. She also offers helpful tips for people whose friends and family members are currently caught in the clutches of addiction and talks about what she wishes more Catholics understood about the nature of recovery. Victoria is young, well-spoken, and faithful: busting every single "addict" stereotype you may have been carrying around. She serves as an amazing example for just what our good, good God is capable of. I hope you find meaning in our chat today!

Today's episode is brought to you by Audible. To snag a free audio version of Boundaries by Henry Cloud (mentioned in this episode!), head to audibletrial.com/catholic.

Today's episode is also brought to you by Every Sacred Sunday. Get one of their beautiful 2020 Mass journals at everysacredsunday.com.

Topics discussed:

  • How Victoria was first introduced to prescription drugs

  • Why she would take drugs and what feelings she was trying to escape

  • How she began recovery and what kinds of programs she tried

  • Why she decided to dedicate her life to serving others with addictions

  • Tips for people whose friends or family members are facing addiction

  • What Victoria wishes more Catholics knew about addiction and recovery

  • What’s been bringing Victoria closer to God

We mentioned: 

  • Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud (we are no longer an Amazon affiliate. Thank you for shopping at your local indie bookstore!)

  • Our episode with Tori Vissat on 12-step programs

Find Victoria:  

Pursuing a Classical Education ft. Jeremy Tate

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OK, time to admit my stress + beef with the modern day education system.

I went to public school. Did not have a great experience. Krzys went to public school. Did have a great experience. I don’t want to pay thousands for my kids to go to school in a community that looks exactly like them and be encased in a Catholic Bubble, nor do I want them to go to the school where I went, spending most of pre-calc hanging out in the parking lot and taking civics classes where there are actual test questions like “Why is there no right or wrong in today’s society?” Y’feel me?

Sometimes I struggle with what I even believe education is for. That’s why I was so excited to learn about Jeremy Tate and the Classical Learning Test, an alternative to the SAT and ACT. Jeremy is on the show today to talk about the purpose of education, the main problem with our modern day school systems, and why he believes a classical education is essential. The conversation blew my mind and got me thinking about school and education in an entirely different light—I hope it does the same for you!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Audible. Want to snag a free audio book and a free 30-day trial? Head to audibletrial.com/catholic.

Today’s episode is also brought to you by Every Sacred Sunday. To grab one of their beautiful 2020 Mass journals before they’re gone, get to everysacredsunday.com.

Topics discussed:

  • Why Jeremy started the CLT

  • The problem with the SAT and ACT

  • The purpose of education in general

  • Why feminists should care about educational systems even if they don’t have kids in school

  • What to do if you’re feeling frustrated with your schooling choices

  • What’s been bringing Jeremy closer to God

Find the Classic Learning Test:  

Finding Your Fiat ft. Karianna Frey

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We all know Mary gave the ultimate fiat. But what about ours?

Our “yes” to a new grad school degree. Our “yes” to donating an extra $10 instead of buying that second wine at girls night. Our “yes” to a radical mission across the globe. Our “yes” to the mind-numbingly difficult task of child rearing. Our “yes” to homeschool or private school or public school.

Every day, we are faced with an infinite amount of “yes” that we are called to say. In today’s episode, speaker Karianna Frey walks us through her own experience with finding her fiat and what we can do to find ours. We also talk about the conference she’s a part of, Karianna’s conversion to the Catholic faith, and what’s been bringing her closer to God lately. We also have an in-depth conversation on the importance of in-person events and why we miss them so much. Enjoy!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Audible. Want to snag a free audio book and a free 30-day trial? Head to audibletrial.com/catholic.

Today’s episode is also brought to you by Every Sacred Sunday. To grab one of their beautiful 2020 Mass journals before they’re gone, get to everysacredsunday.com.

Topics discussed:

  • The “yes” Karianna gave to the Catholic Church

  • Why we desperately need in-person events

  • How Karianna got involved with the FIAT conference

  • The small fiats that got Karianna to where she is today

  • Tips for other moms trying to survive the COVID crisis

  • What’s been bringing Karianna closer to God

We mentioned: 

Find Karianna:  

Sacrificial Love and Adult Caretaking ft. Katie Pyles

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Anger. Shame. Boundaries. These are the parts of care taking we *don’t* often talk about. But the truth is, these are all too common when imperfect people are trying to attempt perfect love. Today’s guest, Katie Pyles, has experience as a caretaker for an adult with special needs, and I'm so grateful she came on the show to share her story. Katie talks about how it isn't our weaknesses that harm relationships, it's the way we deny to acknowledge them or get support for them--that really resonated with me. We discuss what it was like to be a caretaker immediately upon getting married, what Katie wishes she had known before embarking on the journey of care taking, and what's been bringing her closer to God lately. Enjoy!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Audible. For a 30-day free trial and a free audiobook, head to audibletrial.com/catholic.

Today’s episode is also brought to you by Every Sacred Sunday. This beautiful Mass journals make the perfect gift for the Catholic woman in your life. Head to everysacredsunday.com.

Topics discussed:

  • How Katie became a caretaker of an adult with special needs

  • How to balance marriage with needing to radically love someone else

  • Acknowledging her own weaknesses with caretaking

  • Dealing with anger as a woman in society

  • The importance of boundaries

  • What’s been bringing Katie closer to God

We mentioned: 

Find Katie:  

Some Holy Week resources:  

  • Be a Heart’s Holy Week at Home workbook

  • An at-home Tenebrae service

  • A Stations of the Cross walkthrough for kids

  • We are planning on keeping our Holy Week really simple. We’re going to do baths on Thursday night and wash each other’s feet. We’re going to do a simplified Tenebrae for Friday night (our kids are almost-2 and almost-4.) We’ll watch the Brother Francis Easter Special on Saturday (it’s on Formed), as well as the stations of the cross for kids. And on Easter we’ll let them eat a bunch of candy—ha. Also, we’re only doing worship music for holy week, which is something we do every year (no podcasts/Daniel Tiger soundtrack/etc.) I have a pretty low liturgical-living parenting bar because I feel like I’m currently operating at capacity but there are TONS of resources available online if you want to make Holy Week extra special!

Capital Punishment and the Catholic Church ft. McKenna Smith

The death penalty is a topic I’ve been interested in for a long time, and I’m so pleased to be discussing it today with McKenna. McKenna is a grad student who comes to us with a passion for capital punishment and it’s place in the pro-life discourse. As Sr. Helen Prejean says, “people are more than the worst thing they have ever done in their lives.” McKenna and I discuss what inspired her to learn more about this area of criminal justice, what resources we should turn to if we’re interested in getting involved, and what the church’s official position on the death penalty is.

When Jesus shows mercy in the gospels, he instructs us to do the same. Not once, but over and over. Is this an easy task? No. But Catholics were not made for ease, for comfort, for popular opinion. We were made for mercy and justice, and in following Christ’s lead, I believe we can be a truly pro-life people. Enjoy our conversation!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Audible. For a free audiobook and a free 30-day-trial, head to audibletrial.com/catholic.

Today’s episode is also brought to you by Every Sacred Sunday. For one of their beautiful 2020 Mass journals, go to everysacredsunday.com.

Topics discussed:

  • How to balance an idea of right justice with mercy

  • Where McKenna got her passion for the death penalty

  • Recent changes within the Catholic Church on the death penalty

  • If McKenna herself ever struggles with this issue

  • How the justice system in the US is broken at times

  • Resources for continued education on capital punishment

  • What’s been bringing McKenna closer to God

We mentioned: 

Economic Justice ft. Beth Knobbe

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When you have money to give, should you give it to your literal neighbors, or the neighbors on the other side of the world? Today we're chatting with Catholic Relief Services' Beth Knobbe to discuss economic justice and what it means to care for the people around us. I was excited to hear about CRS' transitions in their economic justice programs and why they're shifting to a focus on empowering local communities. We talk about staying in your own lane, if you should focus more on policy or charitable giving, properly researching mission trips, and so much more. Enjoy!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Learn more about the phenomenal trips they have planned for 2020 at selectinternationaltours.com/feminist. 

Today’s episode is also brought to you by Every Sacred Sunday. This beautiful Mass journals make the perfect gift for the Catholic woman in your life. Head to everysacredsunday.com.

Topics discussed:

  • Why the CRS Ethical Trade program has ended

  • Where CRS is walking in the future

  • What economic justice is

  • How to get involved with economic justice if you don’t have a ton of money to give

  • How to figure out which charity to give to

  • Focusing on politics vs. one-to-one work

  • What’s been bringing Beth closer to God

We mentioned: 

Find CRS:  

This post may contain affiliate links.

Inclusion + Birth Mothering a Teenager ft. Marcia Lane-McGee

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When it’s time to put together a Catholic event, are you putting diversity on your list of goals? In today’s episode, speaker Marcia Lane-McGee and I are talking about how to embrace diversity in Catholic speaking circles without falling into the idea of a “diversity hire”. We also talk about her experience as a birth mother of a teenager, her podcast for black Catholics, and how her work at a home for teenage boys in Chicago has helped her see Jesus in all people. Enjoy! 

Today’s episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Learn more about the phenomenal trips they have planned for 2020 at selectinternationaltours.com/feminist. 

Today’s episode is also brought to you by Every Sacred Sunday. This beautiful Mass journals make the perfect gift for the Catholic woman in your life. Head to everysacredsunday.com.

Topics discussed:

  • Marcia’s work at a home for teenage boys

  • How it can be hard feeling like a “diversity hire”

  • What to do if you feel like there’s not enough “room” for you in media

  • Her experience being the birth mother of an older child

  • Why asking the “dumb questions” is so important

  • What’s been bringing Marcia closer to God

We mentioned: 

Find Marcia:  

This post may contain affiliate links.

Healing After Abortion ft. Gracey

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#ShoutYourAbortion. That’s what we’re told, right? That abortion is a powerful, important procedure. It empowers women. It gives them strength. It gives them autonomy. 

Today’s guest says hell no. 

Gracey is a wife, mother, and post-abortive woman. She’s here to share her incredibly vulnerable story of getting her abortion, how she sought and received forgiveness from the Lord, and what she thinks could have possibly prevented her abortion in the first place. Gracey says we need a change of HEART to change this issue, and I couldn’t agree more. I think the pro-life movement has much to learn from women who have been through the procedure—like how we can best help women in crisis pregnancy situations.

*Note: this episode mentions suicidal thoughts. If you’re experiencing these thoughts for any reason, please call 1-800-273-8255 immediately.

 Today’s episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Learn more about the phenomenal trips they have planned for 2020 at selectinternationaltours.com/feminist. 

Today’s episode is also brought to you by Every Sacred Sunday. This beautiful Mass journals make the perfect gift for the Catholic woman in your life. Head to everysacredsunday.com.

Topics discussed:

  • What pushed Gracey towards an abortion

  • What getting the procedure was like

  • How her mental health suffered afterwards

  • How she sought counseling and healing

  • What she thinks the pro-life movement could do differently to help post-abortive women

  • Her thoughts on abortion as “empowerment”

We mentioned: 

Catholic Feminists and the Military ft. Brianna Hughes

When we hear “the troops”, we probably all have things pop into our head. From Colin Kapernick to WMD to Dorothy Day’s pacifism, how Catholics interact with “the troops” can be fraught with confusion. Today’s guest, Brianna Hughes, is a member of our armed forces and it was so interesting to hear why she hates when people refer to “the troops” as one giant monolith. We talk about what it’s like to face sexism in the workplace, who “the troops” support politically, how trust in God plays into her ability to serve in the military, and what’s been bringing her closer to God lately. I especially loved her passion surrounding the topic of whether or not some positions in the military should be men-only, and I think you will too. Enjoy!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Every Sacred Sunday. Head to everysacredsunday.com to snag one of their beautiful Mass journals today. 

Today’s episode is also brought to you by Select International Tours. Going on pilgrimage this year? Travel with Select at selectinternationaltours.com/feminist. 

Topics discussed:

  • How Brianna got involved in the military

  • What it’s like to work in such a male-dominated field

  • How she responds to sexism in the workplace

  • If there are certain military positions that should be male-only

  • How she lives in the tension of being a peaceful Catholic in the not-always-peaceful military

  • The difficulty of forming Catholic community as a member of the military

  • What’s been bringing Brianna closer to God lately

We mentioned: 

The Sacrifice of Being a Birth Mother

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When we’re engaging in pro-life discourse, we often hail adoption as a beautiful, healthy choice—which it is. But it’s easy to forget that adoption at its core *begins* with a loss, with grief, and with suffering. Today’s podcast guest, Martha Farnsworth, is both an adoptee and a birth mom. We talk about both of those experiences and why we should never use the phrase “just” when speaking of adoption (ie., “Just pursue adoption!!!”) My heart broke when she talked about the church’s response to her pregnancy as a teenager and what she wishes they would have done differently. Martha’s wisdom and vulnerability were incredibly inspiring to me and I hope our chat resonates with you!

 Today’s episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Learn more about the phenomenal trips they have planned for 2020 at selectinternationaltours.com/feminist. 

Today’s episode is also brought to you by Every Sacred Sunday. This beautiful Mass journals make the perfect gift for the Catholic woman in your life. Head to everysacredsunday.com.

Topics discussed:

  • Martha’s life as an adoptee and how adoption has changed since the late 80s

  • Why Martha decided to place her daughter for adoption

  • What an open adoption looks like from the birth mother side

  • The hardest parts of being a birth mother

  • How the church can support birth mothers on their journeys

  • What’s been bringing Martha closer to God

We mentioned: 

Find Martha:  

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