Episode 104: Alexandra Kuykendall

Alex Kuykendall joins me for Episode 104. She is mother to 4 girls ranging from ages 6 to 15. She is a writer and co-host to The Open Door Sisterhood podcast and retreat. I invited her to join me on the show to talk about her recent book, Loving My Actual Christmas, because the reality is that many of us don't love the Christmas we have. We have expectations that go unmet during this time of year.

Christmas isn’t always a merry season. We can have disappointment or pain from loss. Maybe its a grieving season. Maybe life doesn’t look like what you hoped. And Christmas can accentuate our pain, grief and disappointment. How do we step into our real circumstances and try to enjoy Christmas in the midst of the pain? With that in mind, Alex conducted a Christmas experiment. An experiment on what it would look like to find hope, joy, love and peace during the Christmas season in the midst of her real life circumstances. 

Links:

• Loving My Actual Christmas by Alexandra Kuykendall
• Loving My Actual Life by Alexandra Kuykendall

Alex's Survival Kit:

• Revelation Wellness

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with Alex:  Website // Instagram // Facebook // twitter // podcast

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

• Thinking about how Jesus came in the most ordinary way is a good reminder for my heart. I am always seeking for extraordinary. For what’s next. What’s bigger. What’s brighter. But @@my ordinary is extraordinary@@. For me, I want that to be a daily reminder. And as we walk into the Christmas season, I want to see how to find hope, joy, love and peace. 

• Think about what you are grateful for and your perspective will shift. It grounds us in the gifts that God has given us.

• What does it mean to have hope in the middle of my actual circumstances?

• What does it mean to have joy?

• What does it mean to love my neighbor?

• What does it mean to have peace in all the last minute stuff or in the complicated stuff?

• I want to be intentional about continuing the celebration of Christmas. @@What would it look like to recenter our hearts after Christmas?@@

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

A new episode every Tuesday... just subscribe.

Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss out on great conversations with women just like you. Women who are surviving and thriving. You don't have to do life alone. Be inspired, encouraged and entertained by women like Sandra Stanley, Shannan Martin, Jamie B. Golden, Mo Isom, Annie F. Downs, Joni Lay from Lay Baby Lay, Christy Nockels, Kay Warren, Suzanne Stabile and many more.

Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.

My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.

Here is a recent one from "Je$B071980". She said, “I love the topics and guests Sarah chooses - it seems like she reads my mind because I can relate to practically every episode! She has a great conversational tone to her podcasts and is so authentic. I've been so encouraged and have learned so much from this show.”

Your review will help get the podcast in front of new listeners who are just like you looking to know that they aren't alone in life. Thank you for being awesome!

Episode 103: Natalie Ard

Natalie Ard joins me for Episode 103. With the turn of the holiday season, it was the perfect time to chat with her about what she does. She is a mother who quickly became an entrepreneur after creating a family tradition product called Star From Afar. She is the owner of Star Kids Company where she creates toys and games that help kids play with a purpose. We talk about why she created Star From Afar, tactical ways to make this Christmas meaningful and how she manages being a working mother. 

Links:

• Star From Afar

Natalie's Survival Kit:

• Stainless Steel Mug with hot water

• Audible

• Pistachios with salt & pepper from Costco

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with Natalie:  Website // Instagram // Facebook // twitter

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

• According to Natalie, balance is not reasonable to strive for when it comes to working and motherhood. Balance wasn’t a word that worked for her. The word boundaries worked better for her. Boundaries feels more doable. I was challenged to look at my daily schedule and decide what boundaries need to be drawn.

• Natalie's Boundaries:

  • shut down on the weekends - this looks different in different seasons

  • create space for herself - it looks different day to day; pick one personal thing to do that day

  • get up early to start with intention

  • no matter how busy her day is, when her kids come home from school she puts her phone away and shuts the computer to give a full hour of attention to her kids

  • hang out with her husband each night

  • boundaries help you be more focused and get more done during the hours that you’ve set aside

• Give yourself permission to find out what works for you.

• I was challenged to think about our Christmas traditions--to think about what we as a family want to be known for. I want to make sure that we savor the holiday season and enjoy the age and stage of life.

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

A new episode every Tuesday... just subscribe.

Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss out on great conversations with women just like you. Women who are surviving and thriving. You don't have to do life alone. Be inspired, encouraged and entertained by women like Sandra Stanley, Shannan Martin, Jamie B. Golden, Mo Isom, Annie F. Downs, Joni Lay from Lay Baby Lay, Christy Nockels, Kay Warren, Suzanne Stabile and many more.

Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.

My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.

Here is a recent one from "Je$B071980". She said, “I love the topics and guests Sarah chooses - it seems like she reads my mind because I can relate to practically every episode! She has a great conversational tone to her podcasts and is so authentic. I've been so encouraged and have learned so much from this show.”

Your review will help get the podcast in front of new listeners who are just like you looking to know that they aren't alone in life. Thank you for being awesome!

Episode 102: Melanie Shankle

I was so happy to have Melanie Shankle join me on the show again for Episode 102. Many of you may know her as Big Mama online. She is an author, speaker, wife and mother. You may remember her from Episode 50 where we chatted about friendship. 

This time, she joins me at the table to talk about small things. You see, she wrote a book called Church of the Small Things which talks about learning to love the ordinary life you have. Do you feel like you aren’t doing enough or that what you are doing matters? If you’ve ever answered yes to those questions, then this episode and her book is for you. In this conversation, we talk about enjoying your ordinary life, how God uses ordinary and how to be faithful where you are.

Links:

• 12 Day Holiday Hustle with Body by Hannah
• Melanie's book, Church of the Small Things; Church of the Small Things bible study guide; Church of the Small Things Leader Kit
• Surviving Sarah Episode 50 with Melanie Shankle

Melanie's Survival Kit:

• Building margin into her life. Monday’s are her new Saturdays.

• GAP sleep leggings (similar here and here)

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with Melanie:  Website // Instagram // Facebook // twitter

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

• This message about ordinary really struck home with me. One of my takeaways, was the idea of being faithful where you are. God put me in this season with these roles for a reason. I want to be like the mother of the boy who had the fish and bread. @@Doing the tasks that seem insignificant matter@@. So this week, I want to look around at my ordinary and ask God to help me see the beauty.

• How can you start to find contentment your ordinary life? It begins by recognizing that as chaotic as it can seem, all of this is all fleeting. It can all change. It starts with a perspective change.

• Stop waiting for you life to begin. Take stock of your life. I bet all of what you have that is chaotic is what you prayed for. Stop comparing what we have to what we thought we wanted or to what others have.

• Sometimes we can struggle with thoughts like "Am I enough?"; "Does this life matter?"; "My life isn’t glamorous." But you never know how God will use those simple acts of faithfulness. @@Get up and be faithful to do what is in front of you@@. We can feel like a beige person driving a mini van, but @@the daily faithfulness matters@@. We can make an impact when we just love the people around us. We start to think that the big things are what are noticeable, but its really the little things.

• This can be a great season of ordinary. @@"Don't underestimate how God is using all of those little things.”@@ Are you going to trust God with what you have right now? Before you go further in the journey, you have to be able to trust God with what you have now. God is preparing you for the bigger things in the small things.

12 Day Holiday Hustle with Body by Hannah

Hannah wants to help ME AND YOU redefine with healthy means. The holidays are upon us and we thought it would be the perfect time to prepare our bodies and minds for what lies ahead. Let me introduce the 12 day Holiday Hustle to you.

The 12 day Holiday Hustle with Body By Hannah is geared to keep you on track with your health and fitness goals through what can sometimes be a stressful holiday season or a season full of too much merriment! This challenge provides you with a simple nutrition plan to follow, exclusive workout programs from Hannah, a supplementation option for those with weight loss or energy goals, Surviving the Holidays tips from life expert, Sarah Bragg and daily mindfulness homework. This challenge is $24.99. The challenge will begin on Tuesday, November 28. 

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

A new episode every Tuesday... just subscribe.

Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss out on great conversations with women just like you. Women who are surviving and thriving. You don't have to do life alone. Be inspired, encouraged and entertained by women like Sandra Stanley, Shannan Martin, Jamie B. Golden, Mo Isom, Annie F. Downs, Joni Lay from Lay Baby Lay, Christy Nockels, Kay Warren, Suzanne Stabile and many more.

Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.

My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.

Here is a recent one from "Mrs2003". She said, “I loved listening to Surviving Sarah and specifically to two recent episodes with mental health professionals. Sarah did a great job of preparing for the interviews by clearly not only having read the books, but letting them impact her thinking when it comes to approaching her own life and those of her kids. I will definitely be listening to more.”

Your review will help get the podcast in front of new listeners who are just like you looking to know that they aren't alone in life. Thank you for being awesome!

Episode 101: April Christina Barron

April Christina Barron joins me for Episode 101. She is a talented vocalist, communicator and therapist who’s passion is to encourage, inspire, and offer hope to women in their relationships with God, themselves, their children, and with others. And she’d tell you that her greatest accomplishment would be overcoming the challenges of being an un-married, teenaged mother. She has successfully raised two amazing young men, one of whom, at 22 years old, is currently staring in a lead role in the nation's hottest musical, Hamilton, An American Musical, in Chicago, Illinois. Having overcome every obstacle and societal statistic thrust upon single, teenaged mothers, April pursues every opportunity to offer hope and encouragement to other women who face seemingly insurmountable odds.

She shares her story of becoming a single mother as a teenager—what that was like and what pressures she faced and how she eventually learned what it looked like to lay aside the condemnation and walk in the freedom of grace. She also gives some advice to raising teenagers and how the church can support single parents. 

Links:

• 12 Day Holiday Hustle with Body by Hannah

April's Survival Kit:

• Avocado Toast - her favorite is from Sublime Tree in Roswell, GA

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with April:  Website // Instagram // Facebook

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

• One of my favorite parts was hearing her dad’s response when he found out she was pregnant. That is such a picture of grace. One of the greatest takeaways from this conversation was hearing her talk about laying down the condemnation and learning to walk in the freedom of grace. I don’t know your story. But I do know that we aren’t perfect people. We lead messy and often complicated lives. But no matter what you have done, you don’t have to prove yourself to God. You don’t have to earn back His affection. He’s not mad at you. He doesn’t hold it against you. Lay down the condemnation and breathe in His grace. And like April’s earthly father, let God’s arms cover you.

• @@We often find our identity in what we do rather than just in who God created@@. Who did God create in you?

• @@Be your authentic self with your kids@@. Invite them in to who you are and what you are interested in.

• Pray over your kids. God purposes us when He created us; "God, show me who you have created them to be and teach me how to cultivate that in them.”

• Single moms have a hard time asking for help. They take on a weight of responsibility that they were never intended to carry. When it comes to single moms, assume that they need your help. Don’t wait for them to help.

12 Day Holiday Hustle with Body by Hannah

Hannah wants to help me AND YOU redefine with healthy means. The holidays are upon us and we thought it would be the perfect time to prepare our bodies and minds for what lies ahead. Let me introduce the 12 day Holiday Hustle to you.

The 12 day Holiday Hustle with Body By Hannah is geared to keep you on track with your health and fitness goals through what can sometimes be a stressful holiday season or a season full of too much merriment! This challenge provides you with a simple nutrition plan to follow, exclusive, short, beginner or intermediate workout programs from Hannah, a supplementation option for those with weight loss or energy goals, exclusive Surviving the Holidays tips from life expert, Sarah Bragg and daily mindfulness homework. This challenge is only $9.99 until November 17th and goes up to $24.99 after that. The challenge will begin on Tuesday, November 28. 

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

A new episode every Tuesday... just subscribe.

Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss out on great conversations with women just like you. Women who are surviving and thriving. You don't have to do life alone. Be inspired, encouraged and entertained by women like Sandra Stanley, Shannan Martin, Jamie B. Golden, Mo Isom, Annie F. Downs, Joni Lay from Lay Baby Lay, Christy Nockels, Kay Warren, Suzanne Stabile and many more.

Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.

My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.

Here is a recent one from "Mrs2003". She said, “I loved listening to Surviving Sarah and specifically to two recent episodes with mental health professionals. Sarah did a great job of preparing for the interviews by clearly not only having read the books, but letting them impact her thinking when it comes to approaching her own life and those of her kids. I will definitely be listening to more.”

Your review will help get the podcast in front of new listeners who are just like you looking to know that they aren't alone in life. Thank you for being awesome!

Episode 100: Hannah Davis

Cue the confetti because today is Episode 100! And last night friends of the show gathered together at my home in Atlanta to celebrate this milestone with me. Before we jump into the today’s conversation, I just wanted to say thank you for listening. There are women all around who feel like they are alone, as they survive whatever life looks like for them. And this podcast is a place where I hope that women realize that they are not alone. Whether you are single or married; ave children or not; being your own boss or working for someone else, I hope that you find the voice of someone who understands exactly where you are.

So with that, Hannah Davis joins me for Episode 100. She is a fitness expert whose mission is to empower women and men to become healthier and happier through strength training and nutrition. She believes that those components affect happiness and our ability to serve others. We talk about the balance between health and appearance, some misconceptions about fitness, daily essentials that you need to incorporate into your habits and how to retrain our why behind fitness. So pull up a chair to my kitchen table and join the conversation.

Links:

• Body by Hannah website
• Body by Hannah YouTube channel
• 12 Day Holiday Hustle with Body by Hannah

Hannah's Survival Kit:

• Lash Boost - Rodan & Fields

• High waist Lilybod workout pants

• Audible app

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with Hannah:  Website // Instagram // twitter // Facebook

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

• I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Hannah. I think the biggest takeaway for me was the need to connect my health to serving others. I’ll just admit here that my fitness goals have never been connected to others. They have always been so that I look better. Health is rarely the objective, but fitting in a smaller size usually is. So, I’m going to work on redefining the why behind health for me.

• Daily essentials that you need to incorporate into your habits:

  • eat a nutritious breakfast

  • drink more water

  • move 10k steps a day;  10 minute circuit training (her YouTube channel)

12 Day Holiday Hustle with Body by Hannah

Hannah wants to help me AND YOU redefine with healthy means. The holidays are upon us and we thought it would be the perfect time to prepare our bodies and minds for what lies ahead. Let me introduce the 12 day Holiday Hustle to you.

The 12 day Holiday Hustle with Body By Hannah is geared to keep you on track with your health and fitness goals through what can sometimes be a stressful holiday season or a season full of too much merriment! This challenge provides you with a simple nutrition plan to follow, exclusive, short, beginner or intermediate workout programs from Hannah, a supplementation option for those with weight loss or energy goals, exclusive Surviving the Holidays tips from life expert, Sarah Bragg and daily mindfulness homework. This challenge is only $9.99 until November 17th and goes up to $24.99 after that. The challenge will begin on Tuesday, November 28. 

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

A new episode every Tuesday... just subscribe.

Subscribe for free on iTunes or Stitcher or your favorite podcast app so that you don't miss out on great conversations with women just like you. Women who are surviving and thriving. You don't have to do life alone. Be inspired, encouraged and entertained by women like Sandra Stanley, Shannan Martin, Jamie B. Golden, Mo Isom, Annie F. Downs, Joni Lay from Lay Baby Lay, Christy Nockels, Kay Warren, Suzanne Stabile and many more.

Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.

My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.

Here is a recent one from "Mrs2003". She said, “I loved listening to Surviving Sarah and specifically to two recent episodes with mental health professionals. Sarah did a great job of preparing for the interviews by clearly not only having read the books, but letting them impact her thinking when it comes to approaching her own life and those of her kids. I will definitely be listening to more.”

Your review will help get the podcast in front of new listeners who are just like you looking to know that they aren't alone in life. Thank you for being awesome!