Every so often we tell the listeners ahead of time about a great book we want to discuss and have a little FoC “book club.” This time it’s Gunnar’s Daughter by Nobel Prize winner Sigrid Undset. You’ve probably heard us talk about how much we love Undset’s most famous work, Kristin Lavransdatter. But since Kristin is a thousand pages long, it di ...…

We’ve been big fans of Leah Libresco Sargeant’s writing for ages (and we even had her husband Alexi on the podcast last year to nerd out about Stranger Things with us). When we heard she had a new book on the Benedict Option coming out, we knew we needed to discuss it with her–especially because you all have been requesting a BenOp episode! Lea ...…

As soon as we heard about her new release, Book Girl: A Journey through the Treasures and Transforming Power of a Reading Life, we knew that we needed to have a conversation with kindred spirit, Sarah Clarkson. Sarah is a writer, wife, mom to her own wee book girl, and student of theology. She blogs at sarahclarkson.com and studies at Oxford. I ...…

We usually don’t publish episodes on Fridays but this is a special edition because *drumroll* it’s launch day for Haley’s book! It’s been an 18 month process but The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture is finally HERE! We’re discussing some of the themes of Haley’s book that tells the story of her family’s radi ...…

Our summer break and Haley’s maternity leave is over! (And Baby Hildie is safely here after a wild arrival.) We have many great episodes planned for the fall but we wanted to first address the clerical abuse crisis in the Church. It’s a very difficult topic, so we knew we would need just the right person to discuss it with. Providentially, Meg ...…

It’s just Christy and Haley on today’s episode before we take our summer break (as Haley stares down the last few days of her pregnancy!). We chat about seasons or circumstances when we have felt helpless, how hard it is to know we’re not in control, and how experiencing helplessness can be good for us spiritually if we turn to God in our distr ...…

We’re thrilled to have Catholic novelist Eleanor Bourg Nicholson with us today discussing what makes Catholic creativity and writing so unique. Eleanor is a wife, homeschooling mother of four, director of religious education at her parish, former assistant editor at Dappled Things and the Saint Austin Review, has previously published a novella ...…

Listeners have been urging us to have a priest on the show for ages! We finally made it happen by asking Fr. Dan Folwaczny (who we discovered through his fantastic Twitter feed) to join us to discuss vocation. Fr. Dan is associate pastor of St. Norbert/Our Lady of the Brook in the archdiocese of Chicago. He studied to be an astrophysicist so hi ...…

When we heard rumors that a cause for Willi Graf’s canonization might be opened, we knew we wanted to know more about this young Catholic student who participated in resistance against Nazism in Germany as part of The White Rose and met his death as a martyr. Then we found Dr. Stephani Richards-Wilson who has been studying his life for over a d ...…

We’ve had it on our hearts to do an episode on foster care and we realized that Annie Tillberg was the perfect guest to share on the topic! Annie and her husband Dan have an amazing story about fostering–both beautiful and heartwrenching. Annie is a blogger and the biological mother of two beautiful girls on earth (and a baby on the way!) and i ...…

A new film adaptation of one of our favorite classics, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has just been released to US audiences and so it seems like the perfect time to discuss this timeless coming-of-age novel. In this episode we tackle the big questions: do each of the March sisters grow and develop to the … Continue reading FoC 087: Should Jo ...…

Can women “have it all” when it comes to creative fulfillment and nurturing their families? Jennifer Fulwiler says “yes,” but redefines what it means to “have it all” in her new (fantastic!) memoir about pursuing her passion to write in the midst of having 6 babies in 8 years. We have wanted to have Jen … Continue reading FoC 086: Living Out Yo ...…

Divorce and annulment affect so many Catholic women (and men), but they’re often topics that aren’t discussed much in Catholic circles. And annulment is an incredibly misunderstood Church teaching (hint: it’s not Catholic divorce!). We’ve been moved by Patty Breen’s story of her experience of seeking an annulment and we knew that she was … Cont ...…

As soon as we read Tyler Blanski’s new spiritual memoir An Immovable Feast: How I Gave Up Spirituality for a Life of Religious Abundance we knew we had to have him back on the show. Tyler has so much wisdom to share about the spiritual landscape millennials experience and we could talk to him for … Continue reading FoC 084: The Millennial Crisi ...…

We’ve been following Mary Haseltine’s blog for years and years and we are thrilled that she agreed to join us on this episode to talk about the sacred nature of birth and how it relates to our faith. With let’s just say lots of kids between us, I’m surprised that we’ve never podcasted about … Continue reading FoC 083: The Confidence to Embrace ...…

Today we’re talking about some of our recent good reads and fantastic shows. Books and tv: two of our favorite things! For this episode we each picked three books and three shows that we loved and want to share with you. We cover everything from domestic spy thrillers to books by popes. So grab … Continue reading FoC 082: What to Read and Watch ...…

One of our favorite people to follow on social media is Brandon Vogt. He’s an author, father of many adorable children, chicken coop builder extraordinaire, and content director for Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire Catholic ministries. And he’s passionate about reviving Catholic apologetics. So after receiving many questions in our FoC facebook gro ...…

With March for Life happening just a couple of weeks ago, there’s been lots of excitement about the pro-life movement and many discussions about abortion in Christian circles. One of these important discussions is the trauma women experience when they’ve been through an abortion. And yet many women who regret their abortions and need healing … ...…

One of the questions we get the most from listeners is “I’m really lonely and feel isolated. How do I build a community and find friends so I’m supported in my faith? ” Well, our friend a former guest on the show, Rebecca Frech is here to share all about doing the hard work of … Continue reading FoC 079: How to Fight Loneliness and Build Real F ...…

Do you love Stranger Things like we do? We hope so because that’s what we’re diving into with this episode! Today we’re interviewing Alexi Sargeant, theatre maker, game creator, fellow Stranger Things fan, and writer for such publications as First Things, The Weekly Standard, Commonweal, Aleteia, and more. He lives in New York City with … Conti ...…

Regardless of your vocation, the Little Way of St. Therese of Lisieux can help you in your spiritual life. But what exactly is this Little Way and how does it work on a practical level? This is what we wanted to discuss and we knew just the right person to invite to share her wisdom … Continue reading FoC 077: What The Little Way Means for Your ...…

Every few months, instead of chatting with a guest, we like to ask our lovely listeners for questions they’d like us to answer and record a Q&A episode! These are always a lot of fun and it’s fantastic to hear your questions. While we couldn’t convince our husbands to be guest hosts discussing British … Continue reading FoC 076: How We Adult (A ...…

We love Bonnie Engstrom and she’s joined us on the podcast before to chat about liturgical living, but we’ve never devoted an episode to her amazing story of her son James and the alleged miracle that brought him back to life….until now! Despite being familiar with the Engstrom’s story and hearing it from Bonnie … Continue reading FoC 075: When ...…

Caring for children with special needs is a challenge that so many families face. We’ve been inspired by how artist Carolyn Svellinger has vulnerably shared about her family’s journey with one of their sons who has autism and really wanted her voice to be heard on the podcast. Carolyn is a mom of four boys … Continue reading FoC 074: Open Heart ...…

Every so often we tell the listeners ahead of time about a great book we want to discuss and have a little FoC “book club.” This time it’s the Father Brown stories by famous British Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton. A longtime favorite of Christy’s, Father Brown was a new read to Haley. The central character, … Continue reading FoC 073: What Mak ...…

For ages we’ve wanted to discuss the pornography epidemic on the podcast because it affects so many marriages and women’s lives. Even though pornography is a problem even for many in the Church, it’s a difficult topic to breach which can make those suffering from the effects of porn feel even more alone. We … Continue reading FoC 072: Confronti ...…

Leticia Ochoa Adams’s vulnerable writing about her son Anthony’s suicide convinced us that more discussion of mental illness and suicide in the Catholic community is needed. We are so honored that Leticia was willing to share her story and her wisdom about this tragedy in her family. Leticia is a writer, mom, and grandmother in … Continue readi ...…

Well, folks, it seems like whenever we have Jenny Uebbing on the show we always talk about sex. We’re teasing her that it’s just her brand now. Jenny is a mom of four (with one on the way!) living in Colorado. She is the voice behind the popular blog Mama Needs Coffee where she isn’t afraid to … Continue reading FoC 070: Uncharted Territory: Ge ...…

When we were brainstorming topics for our “just us” episode, we remembered our undying love for British female monarchs. We made it the topic of this episode since there have been two great series recently about queens beginning their reigns and since we don’t turn down a chance to chat about a good costume … Continue reading FoC 069: The Crown ...…

Our most frequently asked question we get from listeners is how do you practice self-care in your busy lives? And how do you find a balance in nourishing your body and soul to be fit for service to your family without diving into self-absorption? That’s exactly what we got to chat with Kate Wicker … Continue reading FoC 068: Choosing Real Self ...…

Sometimes Providence really just takes the wheel when we’re looking for good podcast guests. At least that’s the way it happened with this interview with Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson. Christy read a fantastic piece penned by Jessica on a topic dear to our hearts, told Haley about it, and Haley realized she knew Jessica from … Continue reading FoC ...…

After Haley met Justina Kopp at a recent gathering for Catholic bloggers, we knew we had to have her on the show for this episode airing just before Mother’s Day. Justina lives in Minnesota, blogs at Love Multiplied, and is a Catholic wife and mom to….wait for it….quadruplets! In this episode Justina shares all … Continue reading FoC 066: Love ...…

We’re excited to welcome Brandon McGinley for a second time on the podcast! Brandon is editor of EWTN publishing and he also edited a great book about Catholic fatherhood titled The Joys and Challenges of Family Life. He lives in Pennsylvania with his lovely wife and three kids. In this episode we discuss whether the … Continue reading FoC 065: ...…

We’ve been big fans of writer Laura Kelly Fanucci for years. Haley and Christy have had the pleasure of meeting her in person and she’s been on our list of folks we’d love to interview for ages. Our conversation with Laura was beautiful, poignant and compelling and we know you’re going to be inspired and … Continue reading FoC 064: Vocation, Su ...…

Every so often we tell the listeners ahead of time about a great book we want to discuss and have a little FoC “book club.” This time it’s The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery–author of the beloved Anne of Green Gables series. It’s a book we’ve both been meaning to read for ages and it … Continue reading FoC 063: The Blue Castle and How Valancy S ...…

We are so thrilled to have the wonderful Lisa Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com with us for this episode! Lisa is the bestselling author of the Chime Travelers children’s fiction series, The Grace of Yes, The Handbook for Catholic Moms and A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms. Her work is all over the Catholic internet! She currently lives in Lo ...…

Nell O’Leary of the Whole Parenting Family blog is just one of our favorite people in the universe. She is a mom of four, a former lawyer, an Etsy shop owner, and she works for the ministry Blessed Is She as an editor. We’ve both had the treat of visiting her beautiful historic home in St. Paul, MN that she … Continue reading FoC 061: Preparing ...…

We’re delighted to have with us Shannon Evans of the blog, We, A Great Parade. We have a wonderful conversation today with Shannon as she shares with us her family’s story of international adoption and how her son has transformed not only her faith but how she sees the world. Shannon speaks with passion … Continue reading FoC 060: Transformatio ...…

It’s a Q&A episode! Every so often we gather questions from listeners in the Facebook group and answer them (between tangents, of course). This particular episode we focused on the questions we got about organizing our lives and homes as well as what’s working for us spiritually. We cover everything from schedules to meal … Continue reading FoC ...…

Blythe Fike has been on our list of folks we’d love to interview for ages! She’s basically one of our favorite people and as Haley discovered when hanging out with Blythe in real life, she’s a top notch storyteller. As in, you’ll be laughing so hard you’re crying kind of storyteller. We’re so thrilled … Continue reading FoC 058: The Sisterhood ...…

When we realized it had been awhile since we’d recorded an episode that focused on Catholic single life, we knew Christina Grace Dehan was the right person to chat with! We’ve been following Christina over at her blog The Evangelista for ages. She writes about everything from fashion to Pope Benedict XVI and has been beautifully … Continue read ...…

It’s Advent! Since it’s a favorite season of ours, we just had to devote a whole episode to Advent chat. It’s such a lovely time of year, but if we’re not careful we can take on a whole load of stress instead of enjoy a season of refreshment and renewal. We wanted to talk … Continue reading FoC 056: Advent Low Down: Our Guide to Living the Beau ...…

We’ve had several questions lately about 20th century Catholic writer, Flannery O’Connor in the Facebook group. And since we share a deep and enduring love for Flannery, it wasn’t hard to convince us that she deserved her very own episode. In this conversation we discussed why we love Flannery, tips for where to start if … Continue reading FoC ...…

This episode is sponsored by our friends at CheruBalm. A few months ago, we happened upon Kristyn Brown’s amazing Saints Project when scrolling through Instagram and we were hooked. We knew we wanted to share her work with you and get a behind the scenes look at the project. Kristyn is a wife, mama, … Continue reading FoC 054: Finding the Face ...…

We’re back today with another great book club conversation! This week’s selection is The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera. We both loved this story of a woman who finds herself in a small Spanish town and sees for the first time faith lived out in community, while falling in love with … Continue reading FoC 053: Finding Fai ...…

We’ve been reading Anna Liesemeyer’s blog In Honor of Design for years and years. In addition to creating a beautiful and inspiring online presence, we have always admired how Anna balances her vocation to marriage and motherhood with owning her own business. Anna is a mom of five lovely children and wife to Gabe … Continue reading FoC 052: Mak ...…

We’ve wanted to have Tommy Tighe on the show ever since Haley’s family met the Tighes on their road trip around the country last summer. Tommy is a husband, father, and marriage and family therapist in the Bay area. He writes for CatholicMom.com and Aleteia and co-hosts the Catholic Hipster Podcast with Sarah Vabulas. … Continue reading FoC 051 ...…

Girls need good books. Everyone needs good books, of course, but since we have both been girls who benefited from friendships with some formative classics we get all fired up about books for girls! In this episode we realize we could talk for a week just about the Anne books and we discuss why young … Continue reading FoC 050: We Tell You Which ...…

Before our little summer podcasting break, we wanted to touch on a topic all couples face and many struggle with: how to work together to make big life decisions. Haley recently wrote an ebook on this topic, so we thought it was the perfect time to have a chat about it! We discussed struggles couples … Continue reading FoC 049: Nurturing Your M ...…

We are thrilled to welcome back Karen Edmisten as our first return guest on Fountains of Carrots! We’ve been fans of Karen’s writing for years and when we got our hands on her new book, You Can Share the Faith: Reaching Out One Person at a Time, we knew we needed to have her … Continue reading FoC 048: Sharing Our Faith with Authenticity with K ...…