Episode 134: Katie Bennett

in

Katie Bennett joins me. She is a wife and mom of three with one on the way. She and her husband have a podcast called “Embracing a Simpler Life in Light of Eternity” and she recently published the book Heavenly Minded Mom. We sit down and have a conversation around the idea of what it means to embrace a heavenly perspective, how God used a really hard season of life to help propel her faith forward and some practical ways to gain perspective.

Katie Bennett.png

Links:

Survival Kit:

(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 Katie:  Instagram // Facebook // Website // Podcast 

Discussion Questions

  • Have you ever felt passionate about something? If so, what is it?
  • If you have ever walked through a season of fear, what helped you when you felt overwhelmed with anxiety?
  • What could help you put your focus on this the unseen world that Katie talked about?
  • How has walking through a hardship changed your perspective in a good way or propelled your faith forward?
  • When you are walking through something hard, what is something true that you can go back to?
  • How do you see God writing a story on your life (or the life of your child)?
  • Read Ecclesiastes 1:1-11. What do you think the author was trying to communicate? How do you think this might apply to our lives today?
  • What have you been focusing on? If that is something meaningless, what can you shift your perspective to and how?
  • What is something you can do to build perspective in your 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 "Kati Snody". She said, “I like to think Sarah is like my soul sister. I see so much of myself in her and I am so thankful that she brings this show into our ears each week. I look forward to her weekly shows with anticipation because you never know what kind of show you are going to get. Sarah is delicate, funny, honest, raw and all around a beautiful person"

      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 133: Rebekah Hargraves

    in

    I sat down with Rebekah Hargraves back in the early spring. She is a mom of two little kids, podcaster and author. Our worlds became very small when we realized that she got married at my parents event space in Tennessee. Is that funny? Rebekah joins me to talk about lies that we tend to believe as mothers, mommy guilt and how she overcomes the temptation to allow her identity to be defined by her ability to mother. 

    Links:

    Survival Kit:

    (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 Rebekah:  Instagram // Facebook // Website // Podcast // twitter

    Takeaways From Our Conversation:

    • @@“You are not the sum total of how you mother.”@@ I don’t know about you, but I needed to hear that today. And if you are not a mother, I bet there is something you do that you tend to measure your worth and identity against. That temptation is so great. And I can see if I pull back a little how many of the times where I am frustrated at my kids, I can see that its because I ultimately feel my worth dwindling. 

    • 3 lies that are pervasive in motherhood: 

      • motherhood is your highest calling

      • finding your identity in motherhood

      • ultimate fulfillment in motherhood

    Discussion Questions

    • We talked about catching the good in someone else. go around the circle and talk about something good that you see in someone (or their kids).
    • What is something that you get frustrated with in others that you deep down see in yourself?
    • Rebekah talked about how she romanticized motherhood. Think about where you are in life, in what ways did you romanticize your reality only to realize that its not quite what you pictured?
    • What lies do you tend to believe when it comes to motherhood (or any role or relationship you are in)?
    • If you have children, have you ever struggled with mommy guilt? What helps you when you are deep in that guilt?
    • What keeps you believing that God’s grace is enough for you?
    • In what ways has shame defined what you believe about yourself?
    • Do you struggle with perfectionism when it comes to parenting? If so, how does that affect your view of yourself?
    • In what ways have your mistakes draw you closer to God?
    • Rebecca mentioned three lies that are the most pervasive: motherhood is your highest calling, finding your identity in motherhood & ultimate fulfillment in motherhood. Which one of those do you tend to believe the most and how does it affect you and your relationships?

    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 "Kati Snody". She said, “I like to think Sarah is like my soul sister. I see so much of myself in her and I am so thankful that she brings this show into our ears each week. I look forward to her weekly shows with anticipation because you never know what kind of show you are going to get. Sarah is delicate, funny, honest, raw and all around a beautiful person"

    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 132: Melanie Dale

    in

    It’s that time again for another crossover episode with my good friend, Melanie Dale. And if you are new to the show and haven’t heard one of these episodes you are in for a treat! Each month, Melanie and I sit down and have a conversation about a topic that we are both surviving and that we could lighten up about. So one part is here and the part of the conversation is on her show, Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. So be sure to hop over there when are you are finished listening to this one.

    Melanie Dale Contentment.png

    This month, we are having a conversation about something that I tend to struggle with a lot—contentment. Does anybody else ride the struggle bus, too? We talk about the different categories of discontentment, the byproduct emotions of our discontentment, and what has helped us when we feel like we are spinning out of control with discontentment. 

    Links:

    (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 // Podcast

    Takeaways From Our Conversation:

    • Categories of Contement:

      • content to be me

      • content in my role

      • content in my circumstances

      • content in my relationships

    • You are enough. You have enough. When you wish you had something more, something different, something better, say out loud, "You have enough."

    Discussion Questions

    • Would you describe yourself as a content person? why or why not?
    • What does discontentment look like? How would you describe it?
    • When was a time that you felt the most content in one of those categories?
    • Which one of those categories do you tend to struggle with the most? Or is it different in different seasons?
    • Melanie talked about how hanging out with her friends is like a balm for her. What is a balm that helps you during the moment of discontentment?
    • What has helped you figure out who you are?
    • If you are feeling a level of discontent, what feels like me?
    • What is your byproduct emotion that comes from being discontent?
    • What helps you when you feel like you are feeling discontent?

     

    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 "Tricia865". She said, “I have loved every episode I’ve listened to so far. I feel like sarah is always talking to incredibly relevant, intelligent and awesome people with very relevant and helpful topics. There really is something for everyone here. I’m so addicted that I’ve started going back in time and listening to all the old ones.”

    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 131: Erin Weidemann

    in

    Erin Weidemann sits down with me across our virtual kitchen table. Sometimes I meet people and its like we could be real life friends if we only lived in the same area. I felt that way about Erin. She is the co-founder and creator of Bible Belles which is a publishing company whose mission is to help girls discover real beauty, God's love, and their purpose through the female heroes of the Bible. She’s also the host of the Heroes For Her Podcast which highlights positive role models for girls today.

    Erin Weidemann.png

    In this conversation, we talk about how she ended up going from a middle school teacher to running a company; why she chose to create products for young girls to help them talk about beauty and identity; how to move girls from self-doubt to purpose; raising girls in the current culture climate and how we tend to put God in a box with what He could do through us. So much goodness covered in a short period. 

    Links:

    Survival Kit:

    • Scheduling everything
    • Making sure she spends time outside

    (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 Erin:  Instagram // Facebook // Website // Podcast // Bible Belles website

    Takeaways From Our Conversation:

    • @@A girl's confidence peaks at age 9@@ so it's important to talk about real beauty, identity and purpose earlier so that when her confidence peaks, she will be established in what is true.

    • @@“God creates every girl to have a voice that matters and that includes you.”@@ Gosh, I just love that quote. One thing that defined a period of time for me was when someone told me that my voice didn’t matter. So I chose to believe them. I chose to stop writing, to stop speaking, to stop pursuing the purpose that God had laid out before me. But God created each of us with a unique voice to share with the world. A voice to share with your own tribe or your own children or your own space. Your voice matters. I hope that will be an encouragement to you today. And that is a message that I desperately want my girls to hear and hold on to as they grow.

    • HEARD series:

      • It starts with taking a girl from misunderstanding herself to help her take the first step it starts with prayer HANNAH

      • Then, you have to then take a step in relationship and sit and wait and discern his voice ESTHER (patience)

      • Next, there will be conflict in relationship (fear, rejection) so we talk about ABIGAIL (bravery)

      • Then, turn the focus outward RUTH (loyalty)

      • And lastly, then leadership from self doubt to what is the calling you’ve placed on my life DEBORAH

    • We need to help girls understand what transparency looks like and what speaking up can be—create a culture in your own home that reflects that.

    • Erin's scoop. Who was your hero growing up? her mom. What is a piece of advice that someone has given you that has been so helpful? Tribe of Mentors by Timothy Ferriss - "God will not have his work made manifest by cowards.” What can we be brave for today? If you had a secret superpower what would it be? flying

    Discussion Questions

    • Erin shared her "scoop" at the end of the show so let's ask the same questions. Who was your hero growing up?

    • What is a piece of advice that someone has given you that has been so helpful?

    • If you had a secret superpower what would it be?

    • Erin and Sarah talked about emotions in the beginning of the show. Do you have any negative emotional patterns that swirl in your head? What do those patterns cause you to think, believe or do?

    • Do you relate to Erin in that after college you felt lost—wondering who you are and what you are supposed to do? What did that look like?

    • On a scale of 1 to 10, how big is your scope of what God is doing?

    • What do you think God could do through you?

    • What is something you would love to do but feel like there’s no way you could do it?

    • What things tend to distract you from doing what you feel you would love to do?

    • What do you tend to allow to limit what you want to do?

    • Which Bible Belle do you most identify with and why?

      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 "Tricia865". She said, “I have loved every episode I’ve listened to so far. I feel like sarah is always talking to incredibly relevant, intelligent and awesome people with very relevant and helpful topics. There really is something for everyone here. I’m so addicted that I’ve started going back in time and listening to all the old ones.”

    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 130: Amber Tysl

    in

    Amber Tysl joins me around my kitchen table. Amber is a former teacher who quit her secure job to take over a photography business (which she had no experience in) in order to stay home with her kids. Her husband is a high school basketball coach and they have 3 kids. Amber is someone who sees the beauty in the broken. That is truly a theme in her life. You see beauty that she has created in her home, by her fashion and in her photography. She loves to take was is imperfect and display it as beautiful. We talk about what its like to be a coach’s wife, how she made the decision to leave her secure teaching job, what hospitality looks like for her and how to get the most out of thrift store shopping.

    Amber Tysl.png

    Links:

    Sponsors:

    Survival Kit:

    • Walking shoes

    (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 Amber:  Instagram // Facebook // Website  

    Takeaways From Our Conversation:

    • @@"Stepping back always allows a chance for perspective."@@

    • @@"If you're being vulnerable you are setting people up to be vulnerable."@@

    • If you worry about your house not being clean enough to have people over then simply grab a laundry basket and throw as much as you can in it that is in the sight of people.

    • When it comes to thrift shopping, know what works for you. Look for colors or textures that you already knows works for you. 

    • When it comes to taking steps, follow what God has put in your heart. Think about what your motive is for stepping. Think about what fear is getting you from taking a step. And then just do the next right thing.

    • God cares about the details of your life. He cares about the timing, too.

    Discussion Questions

    • How do you handle social media? Is it a tension to be managed or a problem to be solved?

    • What do you need to let go of maybe even for a week in order to help you gain perspective? 

    • Have you ever had someone invest in you when you were a teenager? What did it do for you?

    • Does inviting people into your home feel intimating? What can you do to have an open door with people?

    • If you work from home, what is your work from home routine?

    • Is there anything that you feel like you have trouble letting go of? What could help you have a perspective shift about giving up what was never ours?

    • What helps you make a decision?

      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 "Tricia865". She said, “I have loved every episode I’ve listened to so far. I feel like sarah is always talking to incredibly relevant, intelligent and awesome people with very relevant and helpful topics. There really is something for everyone here. I’m so addicted that I’ve started going back in time and listening to all the old ones.”

    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!