The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

Jamie talks to Monica Swanson about parenting, about what teenage boys need most from their moms and her new eBook, The Secret of Your Naturally Skinny Friends. For a full summary and links from this show, Click Here!

Jamie talks with Jillian Lauren about her former life as a member of a harem, what it's like to be a "weezer-wife" and the complications of adoption. For a full summary and links to the show, Click Here!

Jamie talks with Vivian Mabuni about struggling through a cancer diagnosis. They also talk about how best to help someone fighting cancer and how important community is in times of need. For a full summary and links to this show, Click Here!

In Happy Hour #58, Jamie talks with Jaleesa McCreary. Jaleesa is a worship leader at The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, TX and serves as office manager for The Austin Stone Counseling Center. She has been leading worship since 2011 and focuses on the development and discipleship of female worship leaders through Austin Stone Worship. Jaleesa is passionate about encouraging women to use their gifts to serve the Church and to see the church equipped to lead and shepherd women to that end. For a full summary and links to the show, Click Here!

Jamie talks with Logan Wolfram about mountain climbing, being a mom and her upcoming book. For a full summary and links to this show, Click Here!

Happy Hour #56 is with my good friend, Whitney Runyon. SHARE THE LOVE: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagramabout this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn’t that what we want …. more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! For a full summary and links to the show, Click here!

Happy Hour #55 is with my friend Jessica Honegger. As Co-CEO of Noonday Collection, Jessica spends her days inspiring others to live lives of purpose. She travels across the United States and around the world, training Ambassadors to be stylists and storytellers and visiting Artisans to encourage them in their work. When she’s off-duty, Jessica loves spending time with her husband Joe and their three kids, Amelie, Holden and Jack. On today’s show we chat about Jessica’s journey of generosity weekend her and her husband just attended, cash budgets, medical fostering, Trader Joe’s, running a company as a Christian, how Noonday Collection is partnering with Adopt Together, and what her day to day looks like, and so much more! I love this woman and I know that you will be inspired and encouraged from our conversation! LINKS FROM THE SHOW: A Journey of Generosity Noonday Collection Austin Business Journal article Noonday Collection partnering with Adopt Together More Info on hosting a #worldadoptionday trunk show World Adoption Day! from Noonday Collection on Vimeo. Medical fostering: Our sweet Fedna from Haiti Three things Jessica is loving: 1. lipstick by Mac Cosmetics (all the proceeds go to HIV research) 2. Half-popped kernals from Trader Joe’s 3. For the Love byJen Hatmaker & Rising Strong by Brene Brown Host a trunk show CONNECT WITH JESSICA: // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // SPONSORS: Royers Pie Haven started in Round Top, Tx. When guests would come to just eat pie at Royers Round Top Cafe, they would have to offer it to go or to enjoy on the front porch. There came the opportunity for the Royers Pie Haven. A place for over flow. A place for guests to grab an amazing cup of coffee, along with a slice of pie or even a whole one in a relaxing, inviting & inspiring atmosphere. A Sanctuary. The Pie Haven offers other sweet & savory treats & even savory pies. Perfect for breakfast, lunch & dinner! They have two locations, one in Round Top & Austin. Mention you heard about them on The Happy Hour they will give you a free slice of pie with the purchase of a slice of pie! SHARE THE LOVE: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagramabout this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn’t that what we want …. more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! For more details on this show, click here!

Jamie talks with Sophie Hudson about books, dreams for their kids, mentors and how to love people well. SHARE THE LOVE: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn’t that what we want …. more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Any book we talked about you can find at JamieIvey.com/happyhourbooks, and if you want to listen to books instead of reading them check out JamieIvey.com/audible for your free trial! For a full summary and links to the show, Click Here!

Jamie talks with Bailey Heard about death, faith and parenting through the loss of a spouse. SHARE THE LOVE: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn’t that what we want …. more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Any book we talked about you can find at JamieIvey.com/happyhourbooks, and if you want to listen to books instead of reading them check outJamieIvey.com/audible for your free trial! For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #52 is with Kirsten Dickerson, the CEO and Co-Founder of Raven and Lily. SHARE THE LOVE: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn’t that what we want …. more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Any book we talked about you can find at JamieIvey.com/happyhourbooks, and if you want to listen to books instead of reading them check outJamieIvey.com/audible for your free trial! Sponsor: Nutty Snacks are gluten free, all natural, high protein, good for you fuel that taste like dessert. Perfect for Cross-fitters and endurance athletes who need that little boost to keep going. Loved by mom’s who need a quality snack for their little people. Devoured by anyone who dares to try them. Convienent 2.5 oz packs for “life on the go” or the “you should really share with others” 7 oz. pack that ensures your friends will stop by for another visit. Nutty Snacks is committed to “doing good” and making a difference in the world. When you purchase Nutty Snacks a percentage of the proceeds goes directly to The Amani Project to help kids in need. Or you can do good through our Purchase 4 A Purpose project where we partner with other organizations committed to doing good in the world. Nutty Snacks….a little sweet, a little nutty a whole lot of good! For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #51 is with Emily Freeman. Emily P. Freeman is the author of Grace for the Good Girl, Graceful, A Million Little Ways, and her newest project, Simply Tuesday. She also blogs at Chatting at the Sky and Hope*ologie, and contributes to DaySpring’s (in)courage. She and her husband live in North Carolina with their three children. Connect with her online at EmilyPFreeman.com. Today Emily and I chat about being youth pastor wives, letting go of trying to be and do it all, and her newest book, Simply Tuesday. LINKS FROM THE SHOW: Emily talks about the motivation behind Simply Tuesday in the form of Sarah Mason (singer/songwriter) and the song “Tuesday” “The Day I realized I had a job” – the episode we talked about The three things Emily is loving right now: Instagram, The Black List, & power yoga The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield CONNECT WITH EMILY: // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Blog // Podcast // Pinterest // SHARE THE LOVE: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn’t that what we want …. more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Any book we talked about you can find at JamieIvey.com/happyhourbooks, and if you want to listen to books instead of reading them check outJamieIvey.com/audible for your free trial! Sponsor: Now, most of you probably know I love to support social businesses and one of my favorites is an Austin based ethical lifestyle and fashion brand, Raven and Lily. They are dedicated to empowering women through design, supporting over 1000 artisans across eight countries including Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, and even here in the US. These partnerships offer sustainable employment and a living wage. You can shop Raven and Lily’s beautiful clothing, jewelry, accessories and home goods at the flagship storefront off East Manor (if you live here in Austin like me!!) or online at RavenandLily.com COUPON CODE: 15% off with the code: HAPPYHOUR Nutty Snacks are gluten free, all natural, high protein, good for you fuel that taste like dessert. Perfect for Cross-fitters and endurance athletes who need that little boost to keep going. Loved by mom’s who need a quality snack for their little people. Devoured by anyone who dares to try them. Convienent 2.5 oz packs for “life on the go” or the “you should really share with others” 7 oz. pack that ensures your friends will stop by for another visit. Nutty Snacks is committed to “doing good” and making a difference in the world. When you purchase Nutty Snacks a percentage of the proceeds goes directly to The Amani Project to help kids in need. Or you can do good through our Purchase 4 A Purpose project where we partner with other organizations committed to doing good in the world. Nutty Snacks….a little sweet, a little nutty a whole lot of good! For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

FIFTY episodes friends. I can't even believe it. I feel like I could just scream and cry and give all of you a hug! Isn't this so fun! Today's episode is with my friend Jen Hatmaker and it's of course so much fun! Jen is a mom to five, wife to Brandon, speaker, author, and HGTV star. Her newest book, FOR THE LOVE, just released yesterday and if you haven't ordered it yet you should! You will love it! On this episode we chat about the shows Jen loves that I was trying to get on board with: So You Think You Can Dance & Gilmore Girls, and you will all be disappointed that since we recorded this I haven't watched one more episode of those. We talked about the book that my husband, Aaron, is writing, and some of her older books and how her writing has grown and changed over the years. We discussed racism and how to chat with our kids about this issues. Plus lots more fun stuff! You will love this show. Links from the show: {Click on the links to buy // affiliate links used} Launderette - the restaurant I mentioned that Jess and I visited Ms. Understood - one of Jen's earlier books For the Love - her newest book 7 - her last book Interrupted - another book that Jen wrote - which so far is my favorite (but I haven't finished her newest one) Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee's newest book Books we're reading or loving: Girl Boss, The Martian, The Kitchen House, Devil in the White City, Dark Places Three things Jen is loving: Coconut LaCroix water with lime, The Invention of Wings, and Birds of Paradise candle Giveaway: I have lots of fun stuff for you guys today! Jen is graciously giving away FIVE copies of FOR THE LOVE which each also include the newest bracelet from Noonday that is made in Haiti. Also our friend Tiffany Wade is graciously giving away 2 pair of her St Cecilia earrings which you have probably seen Jen wearing! Not only is she giving away two sets of earrings, she is giving you all a code for 15% off! How nice is that?!?! Use the code: HAPPYHOUR when you check out I'm gonna pick seven winners! Five of you will get the book + bracelet and then two of you will get the earrings!!! I'll do this all over Instagram, so make sure you are following me over there! Connect with Jen: // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Blog // Share the Love: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn't that what we want .... more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Sponsor: Now, most of you probably know I love to support social businesses and one of my favorites is an Austin based ethical lifestyle and fashion brand, Raven and Lily. They are dedicated to empowering women through design, supporting over 1000 artisans across eight countries including Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, and even here in the US. These partnerships offer sustainable employment and a living wage. You can shop Raven and Lily’s beautiful clothing, jewelry, accessories and home goods at the flagship storefront off East Manor (if you live here in Austin like me!!) or online at RavenandLily.com COUPON CODE: 15% off with the code: HAPPYHOUR Nutty Snacks are gluten free, all natural, high protein, good for you fuel that taste like dessert. Perfect for Cross-fitters and endurance athletes who need that little boost to keep going. Loved by mom’s who need a quality snack for their little people. Devoured by anyone who dares to try them. Convienent 2.5 oz packs for “life on the go” or the “you should really share with others” 7 oz. pack that ensures your friends will stop by for another visit. Nutty Snacks is committed to “doing good” and making a difference in the world. When you purchase Nutty Snacks a percentage of the proceeds goes directly to The Amani Project to help kids in need. Or you can do good through our Purchase 4 A Purpose project where we partner with other organizations committed to doing good in the world. Nutty Snacks….a little sweet, a little nutty a whole lot of good! COUPON CODE: 15% off with the code: HappyHour15 For more details on this show, click here!

Happy Hour #49 is with my friend Jenn Sprinkle. Jenn is a self proclaimed serial entrepreneur with a burden for dreamers and doers. After ten years in corporate america as a designer, traveling around the world with a dream job, she took a leap of faith and stepped out on her own and fully launched her own design and creative strategy business. Although her “pays-the-bills-day-job” continues to be her design business, her heart is for building and encouraging a community of dreamers, doers and entrepreneurs through The {Well} Studio. Inspired by her own journey to build a dream God called her to and the day-to-day struggles and doubts that come with building, she curated and self-published a book of prayers called 31 Days of Prayers for the Dreamers and the Doers in January 2015. On today's show Jenn and I talk about her journey through starting businesses, writing a book, and how her and husband work together in their crazy adventures. Jenn opens up about her marriage struggles and how God has grown them together over the years as a couple. A few years ago Jenn and her husband both quit their jobs, sold everything, and completely changed the paths of their lives. Jenn and I met at the If Gathering this past year and I loved everything about her as soon as we met! I know that you are going to love this show. Her transparency about her marriage problems early on in her marriage will encourage so many of you in your marriages. Links from the show: Thirty One Days of Prayer for the Dreamer and the Doer Jenn started out doing ministry with Jennie Allen & Lindsey Wheeler (Listen to their shows here: Jennie // Lindsey) What Jenn is watching: The Good Wife, GraceLand, Blacklist The podcast, Serial, we both loved + Undisclosed a podcast that is a follow up to Serial Just Mercy - the book I think everyone should read this year Three things Jenn is loving these days: her nephews, her tv, the cups she had made for her Dream Big Pray Bigger bash. At the time of this interview she was getting ready for her trip to Africa to work with Seed Effect. Connect with Jen: // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Share the Love: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn't that what we want .... more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Sponsors: Now, most of you probably know I love to support social businesses and one of my favorites is an Austin based ethical lifestyle and fashion brand, Raven and Lily. They are dedicated to empowering women through design, supporting over 1000 artisans across eight countries including Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, and even here in the US. These partnerships offer sustainable employment and a living wage. You can shop Raven and Lily’s beautiful clothing, jewelry, accessories and home goods at the flagship storefront off East Manor (if you live here in Austin like me!!) or online at RavenandLily.com COUPON CODE: 15% off with the code: HAPPYHOUR Nutty Snacks are gluten free, all natural, high protein, good for you fuel that taste like dessert. Perfect for Cross-fitters and endurance athletes who need that little boost to keep going. Loved by mom’s who need a quality snack for their little people. Devoured by anyone who dares to try them. Convienent 2.5 oz packs for “life on the go” or the “you should really share with others” 7 oz. pack that ensures your friends will stop by for another visit. Nutty Snacks is committed to “doing good” and making a difference in the world. When you purchase Nutty Snacks a percentage of the proceeds goes directly to The Amani Project to help kids in need. Or you can do good through our Purchase 4 A Purpose project where we partner with other organizations committed to doing good in the world. Nutty Snacks….a little sweet, a little nutty a whole lot of good! COUPON CODE: 15% off with the code: HappyHour15 For full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #48 is with my friend Susie Davis. Susie Davis is an author, blogger, speaker and church founder. Susie has been married to Will Davis Jr., the founding and senior pastor of Austin Christian Fellowship, for twenty-nine years. They have three children: Will III (28) – a Baylor graduate now in ministry with his wife, Amy. Emily (25) – also a Baylor grad now in ministry with her husband, Kenton Boone. Sara (21) – a junior at the University of Texas. Aside from family and ministry, Susie is helplessly addicted to horseback riding and McDonald’s coffee. In addition, one of her all time favorites is cooking and enjoying family dinners. She has written five books over the years. On this show we discuss how we both ended up in radio accidentally and how much we both loved it, and also how hard it is to follow our passions individually when we also feel as though we are supposed to be giving so much to our family. Susie shares about what started her down the road of being a fearful person and how that ruled her world for so many years. We then discussed parenting older kids, and she literally gave me an individual counseling session about my boys and their girlfriends. It was rather funny, especially since I kept her on the line for about 10 minutes after our interview for more counseling!! :) Links from the show: Susie's books: Unafraid: Trusting God in an Unsafe World Loving Your Man without Losing Your Mind Parenting Your Teen and Loving It: Being the Mom Your Kid Needs Uncovered: Revealing the Secrets of a Sexy Marriage The Time of Your Life: Finding God’s Rest in Your Busy Schedule Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh The blog "To the Job Degree" by my friend Angela Suh about taking the worst case scenerio all the way to the end and see how God is still in control Tweet: Confession is liberty. It's agreeing with God about what's going on. - Susie Davis #happyhourwithjamieivey Tweet: "You can't be a fearful mother and have a good relationship with your kids." Susie Davis #happyhourwithjamieivey Tweet: "My goal for my kids was for them to love God with their whole heart for their whole life." @SusieDavis #happyhourwithjamieivey Connect with Susie: // Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Share the Love: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn't that what we want .... more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Sponsor: Now, most of you probably know I love to support social businesses and one of my favorites is an Austin based ethical lifestyle and fashion brand, Raven and Lily. They are dedicated to empowering women through design, supporting over 1000 artisans across eight countries including Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, and even here in the US. These partnerships offer sustainable employment and a living wage. You can shop Raven and Lily’s beautiful clothing, jewelry, accessories and home goods at the flagship storefront off East Manor (if you live here in Austin like me!!) or online at RavenandLily.com Head online and shop soon because they are offering all listeners 15% off with the code: IVEY15HH For more details on this show, click here!

Happy Hour #47 is with my friend Jess Connolly who I just love and adore! I met her last year at the Influence Conference and she was actually on episode #18 of The Happy Hour! Jess is passionate about speaking to women and inspiring them to walk with the Lord in the abundant life they have access to. Every conversation I have with Jess I leave feeling more inspired to live the life God has for me, and more in love with God. She has a way of making you feel as though you are the most important person in her world in that moment. Her and husband have four kids and live in Charleston, SC where they have planted a church and her company, Naptime Diaries, is located. On this show we chatted about her overcoming her hatred of Summer, her new book, Wild and Free, that she just recently turned into the publisher, and releases in April of 2016. Jess explains the Influence Network and why they exist. Jess surprises me with her love of cheesy romantic novels about the South, and you will love the three things she's loving these days! Links from the show: The Influence Network that she co-founded with Hayley Morgan and all of their classes - which I'm teaching another one this month about adoption - sign up if you have adoption questions! Jenni Burke with DC Jacobson Jessi is currently reading: Bulls Island by Dorthea Benton Frank Interrupted (my personal favorite Jen book) & Ms. Understood by Jen Hatmaker What Happens When Women Walk in Faith by Lysa TerKeurst Mastering Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels House Fires Music Connect with Jessi: // Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Share the Love: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn't that what we want .... more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Sponsor: Fund the Nations helps people fundraise for their adoption, mission trip, or cause by creating custom, low cost t-shirts for them to sell. Their custom design work is always free and they set it up where you pre-sell the shirts, so whether you sell 25 or 250, you’re guaranteed to make money off of it because every shirt you purchase has already been paid for! They’ve worked with organizations like Compassion International and Lifeline Childrens Services and thousands of families just like yours. Helping raise over $1 million per year in fundraising, they’d love to help you fund your calling! *As always if you are reading this via your email subscription, you can head on over to jamieivey.com to listen, or better yet, subscribe in iTunes and the podcast comes directly to you! For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #46 is with my friend Wynter Pitts. Wynter is the wife of Jonathan and mom of FOUR little Girls! She is also the editor and founder of For Girls Like You Magazine, a ministry to girls (age 6-11) and their parents, that includes a quarterly print magazine, journal, and other print and web resources. You can also find Wynter on ibelieve.com as a frequent blogger and as a contributor for Lifeway’s HomeLife Magazine! Wynter has a passion and drive to introduce young girls to Christian values in a way that they are able to palate and digest, so they can walk passionately and boldly in who God has created them to be. She a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and now reside in Dallas, Texas. On this episode, Wynter and I discuss our trip that we took together to visit SOLE HOPE in Uganda, her daughter's first leading role in a movie, and what her magazine and book are all about. Connect with Wynter: // Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Share the Love: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn't that what we want .... more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Sponsor: Fund the Nations helps people fundraise for their adoption, mission trip, or cause by creating custom, low cost t-shirts for them to sell. Their custom design work is always free and they set it up where you pre-sell the shirts, so whether you sell 25 or 250, you’re guaranteed to make money off of it because every shirt you purchase has already been paid for! They’ve worked with organizations like Compassion International and Lifeline Childrens Services and thousands of families just like yours. Helping raise over $1 million per year in fundraising, they’d love to help you fund your calling! For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #45 is with my new friend Shannan Martin. Shannan Martin is a writer who found her voice in the country and her story in the city. She and her jail chaplain husband, Cory, have four funny children who came to them across oceans and rivers. Having sold their dream farmhouse, they now live entrenched in community on the wrong side of the tracks. They’re surprised every day by God’s goodness. On today's show Shannan and I talk about her family and all of her kids come to their family (one at the age of 16). Shannan and I chat about how God has changed her family's life and mission over the past few years. You will be encouraged by Shannan in this episode! Links from the show: Story about how Robert joined their family Shannan's reading: Scary Close + Tattoos on the heart (her favorite book ever) + Wanted + Never Say No + The Vacationers + Gift From the Sea The Red Road tv show Shannan's Salsa recipe Brow plumper Trampled by Turtles BrowBird where I'm working on my eyebrows! Allume - the conference we are both speaking at Connect with Shannan: // Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Share the Love: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn't that what we want .... more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Sponsor: Fund the Nations helps people fundraise for their adoption, mission trip, or cause by creating custom, low cost t-shirts for them to sell. Their custom design work is always free and they set it up where you pre-sell the shirts, so whether you sell 25 or 250, you’re guaranteed to make money off of it because every shirt you purchase has already been paid for! They’ve worked with organizations like Compassion International and Lifeline Childrens Services and thousands of families just like yours. Helping raise over $1 million per year in fundraising, they’d love to help you fund your calling! For a full summary and links to the show, Click here!

Happy Hour #44 is with my friend Tasha Morrison. Tasha is a bridge-builder, reconciler, fellow abolitionist, and a compelling voice in the fight against human trafficking. Having worked with youth and served as a Children’s & the NextGen Director, she has developed an untamed passion for social justice issues across the globe. Tasha is using her compelling voice to encourage racial reconciliation among all ethnicities and promote racial unity in America. She has an unwavering passion to develop others to do the same. Tasha is a native of North Carolina where she attended East Carolina University and earned a Masters in Business from Liberty University in Virginia. Tasha spoke on the behalf of Not for Sale, Cobb County Commission for Family and Children and Allies Against Slavery. She moved to Austin in 2012 and joined Austin Oaks Church as their Children’s Pastor. She is currently building a ministry to address racial bridge-building called “Be the Bridge”. As a frequent speaker at trainings and workshops, Tasha is known for her entertaining, engaging, and gracious presentations that captivate and persuade audiences to use their gifts and passions to fight and stand up to injustices. Her tenacious spirit and faith in God make her a dynamic speaker. Tasha works with various organizations in her community. Tasha embodies the statement “Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere." Tasha and I had a great time discussing the beginnings of our racial reconciliation group, and what the group has meant to both of us. I asked Tasha if she thinks sharing with my black children about racism is setting them up to just expect it. Tasha shares about what happened when she tried to incorporate black history month at her high school. We talked about how to go out and find some friends to have these healthy conversations with. Links from the show: blog about “Raising Black Boys" Article from grown adoptee’s about their identity Be the Bridge Facebook group JUST MERCY - Bryan Stevenson Girls Like Us - Rachel Lloyd LaTashaMorrison.com IfGathering.com Racial Unity Guide (pdf) Divided by Faith book Videos from If Gathering (Vimeo) Connect with Tasha: // Facebook // Twitter // Website // Share the Love: I would love to connect with you guys on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn't that what we want .... more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! *As always if you are reading this via your email subscription, you can head on over to jamieivey.com to listen, or better yet, subscribe in iTunes and the podcast comes directly to you! For a full summary and links to the show, Click here!

Happy Hour #43 is part two to the Emily Lex interview. Last week I posted part one, and you guys loved it because I knew that you would! Emily also gave away one of her July Paper Works to @babyrabe on my Instagram account. Thanks for all of you that shared the show with your friends. You will love Emily all over again this week as we continue to talk about what God's doing in her life, what we're reading, and the books we want to write one day. LINKS: Friday Night Lights - the show I binge watched last Summer IJM + Noonday Collection trip blogs Emily's reading: Love and Respect and The Passion and Perils of the Insatiably Hungry by Kirsten Joy What she recently read: The Last Anniversary , Big Little Lies, and The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty Captivating by Stasi Eldredge Melanie Shankle & Shauna Niequist Books I recommend to Emily: The Kitchen House & Cutting for Stone & Bird by Bird Books Emily recommended to me: The Red Tent Emily's 3 favorite things: Tracy Anderson workout DVD's, Zac Brown Band new album, Hello Fresh {If you use that link & use code: 8PBBJP you will get $40 off your first box} Crockpot Meals Documentary on whales: Blackfish CONNECT WITH EMILY: // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Share the Love: I would love to connect with you guys on facebook, twitter and/or instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn't that what we want .... more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Sponsor: Noonday Collection Noonday Collection is a socially responsible business uses fashion and design to create meaningful opportunity around the world. Jessica Honegger hosted the first Noonday trunk show as an adoption fundraiser to bring her son home from Rwanda. Soon after Noonday began inviting other women across the US to launch Noonday businesses in their community. Noonday Ambassadors are stylists, storytellers and social entrepreneurs who earn an income by selling beautiful products handmade by Artisans around the world. If you share a passion for changing the world and want to get your community involved in making a difference, you should learn more about becoming a Noonday Ambassadors. I had a chance to spend a weekend with Noonday’s Ambassador community back in January and let me tell you these women are amazing. Head to Noonday’s website, www.noondaycollection.com and look for the ‘join’ button on their home page to learn more and to sign up to become a Noonday Ambassador. For a full summary and links to this show, click here!

Back in February I met Emily and from the second I sat down next to her at Guerro's I knew that I wanted to be friends with her forever. She is the kind of person that just oozes with love and joy. I seriously felt so loved by her for the entire evening we had dinner together. Emily is a designer, teacher, mom, wife, designer, plus many more things as you will find out on this Happy Hour. I would love to connect with you guys on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram about this episode! Feel free to share with your friends about the show! As always I love feedback from you guys on iTunes if you can. When you leave a comment and/or rating, it helps others find the show, and isn't that what we want .... more ladies at the Happy Hour with us! Connect with Emily: // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #41 with Melanie Dale. Melanie is a geek on a God-ride, a minivan mama and total weirdo who stinks at small talk. Her laugh is a combination honk-snort, and it's so bad that people have moved away from her in the movie theater. She adores sci-fi and superheroes and is terrified of Pinterest. Author of Women Are Scary: The Totally Awkward Adventure of Finding Mom Friends, she's also a contributor for Coffee+Crumbs and an advocate for Children's HopeChest. Living in the Atlanta area, she blogs at Unexpected.org about motherhood, orphan care, adoption, and sometimes poo. Her book: Women Are Scary: The Totally Awkward Adventure of Finding Mom Friends Melanie talking about her "mom balls" and "sitting shirt" Melanie's reading: Rachel Held Evans Year of Biblical Womenhood & she's recently read Bossypants by Tina Fey I'm reading (when we recorded this): The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (I have finished and recommend!) Three things Melanie is loving: The Walking Dead + Skinny Scarves by Freedom in Fashion + The Kentucky Mule For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #40 is with my friend Shauna Niequist. Shauna is the author of Savor, Bread & Wine, Cold Tangerines, and Bittersweet, and is an enthusiastic hostess, home cook and passionate gatherer of people. Shauna’s three great loves are her family, dinner parties, and books, and she believes that vulnerable storytelling, hard laughter, and cold pizza for breakfast can cure almost anything. On this show we talked about her books, cooking club & small group, how her family loves to travel, how she balances motherhood and work, her favorite items to have in the kitchen, and what she's working on right now. For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #39 is with my favorite person in the world ... my husband! Since I started the show I've been wanting to have him on, and you guys submitted some great questions via Facebook, Twitter, & IG for us to chat about. We honestly had a great time, and so even though this is a bit of a different show than you are used to, I think you will like it. On this show Aaron and I discuss the upcoming new live album from Austin Stone Worship, how we do ministry together, how we have changed since we first got married, how we met, and of course, how much we love our date nights. For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #38 is with my friend Jessica Thompson. This is now Jessica's second time to be on the Happy Hour and I love it and love her. She's one of my most fun guests that I have had on this whole time. I feel like I could sit with her over chips and salsa and laugh for hours. Jessica lives with her husband and three kids in Southern California. She's an author and speaker who has great things to say. On this show we talked about how we both love the show Nashville, her newest book, grace for those around us, and her most recent crazy vacation. I compared Sister Wives to the Church, and then we both shared books we're loving now. Jessica's latest book is called Everyday Grace: Infusing All Your Relationships with the Love of Jesus. This book tackles how we can be in relationships where you will get hurt, and your friends will let you down and yet we can still show them grace. I loved this book so much and it helped me re-evaluate the way I had put such big expectations on my kids. Connect wtih Jessica: Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Blog // Amazon Subsribe to the Happy Hour in iTunes and follow Jamie on Instagram for a chance to win a copy of Jessica's book, Everyday Grace. For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #37 is with my friend Trisha Davis. Trisha and her husband, Justin, live in the Nashville area (for now) with their three boys. Her and her husband run REFINE US, which is a ministry they founded in 2007. RefineUs Ministries using their story of failure, loss, and transformation to guide individuals, couples, churches, pastors, pastor’s wives and church planters towards a healthy marriage and family. Trisha and Justin wrote BEYOND ORDINARY in 2012. Beyond Ordinary is a book about the heart: our heart, your heart and God’s heart for marriage. Beyond Ordinary will stretch you. It will challenge you. It will inspire you to keep going. It will ask you to pick each other up and run with grace and purpose. To leave ordinary behind as you move toward extraordinary. On this episode of the Happy Hour Trisha and I talk about adoption and how God has moved in mutual friends of our lives, in our own lives, and how God is stirring Trisha's heart towards adoption. What life is like for a momma when her oldest son is graduating, and what it's like to allow our kids to begin to live an independent life. We discussed how they walked through life after her husband confessed to having an affair. Connect with Tricia here: Facebook // Blog // Instagram // Twitter Subscribe to this podcast: iTunes, Stitcher Tweet me your questions: Jamie Ivey Twitter For full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #36 is with my new friend Meredith Toering. Meredith and I met at the If Gathering this past February and didn't get hardly any time to chat, and after our chat today I was wishing I had more time with her. You are going to love her! Meredith is the International Director of Morning Star, an NPO that works with orphans and at-risk children (family preservation programs) who have very complex heart defects in China, Uganda, and India. On today's show Meredith and I chat about how she ended up in China, and the amazing story of her parents adopting Brooke, the little girl she took care of during a summer internship. I also begged Meredith to give me all her parents secrets on raising kids that love to travel, love people, and want to serve people well. We also chatted about how she won a spot on the #styleforjustice trip with Noonday Collection and IJM. For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

Happy Hour #35 is with my friend Melanie Shankle. You may know Melanie from her blog, The Big Mama Blog, where she's been cracking up all of us readers for years now. Melanie lives in San Antonio with her husband and daughter. She is the author of three books, Sparkly Green Earrings, The Antelope in the Living Room, and her newest, Nobody's Cuter Than You, that just released this week on April 7th. On the show today we talk about her book a lot, her friend Jen that she mentions in the book who is walking through cancer, how I started podcasting because of her and Sophie's podcast, talking with our kids about sex, the shows we watch, how much we both like baseball, college life, and how technology has ruined us all. I laughed so much in this podcast and loved every second of chatting with Melanie. I think that you will too. Today's Happy Hour episode is exactly what I had in mind when I dreamed of my own podcast. One minute we're talking about the crazy things our kids say about sex, and the next minute we're talking about one of our friends struggling through cancer. It's the real talk that girlfriends have, and so this Happy Hour is one that you will love. For a full summary and links to the show, Click here!

Happy Hour #34 is with my friend Trillia Newbell. Trillia Newbell is the author of United: Captured by God's Vision for Diversity (2014) and Fear and Faith: Finding the Peace Your Heart Craves (2015). She is currently the Director of Community Outreach for the SBC;s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission Trillia is married to her best friend, Thern, they reside with their two children near Nashville, TN. You can find her at trillianewbell.com and follow her on twitter at @trillianewbell. On this show we discuss training for a triathlon and her new book FEAR AND FAITH that releases TODAY (April 1st). I shared with Trillia my struggle in teaching my kids about race issues here in America. Trillia and I talked about how we struggle with measuring up to ways we women think we should be successful, and truly embracing our gifts that God has given us. For a full summary and links to the show, Click here!

Happy Hour #33 is with my new friend Asher Collie, who founded the organization, SOLE HOPE, which I will be visiting this weekend! Asher and her husband, Dru, moved to Uganda 2 years ago. They have six children from ages 16 to 2 year's old. They started SOLE HOPE in 2010 to help the Ugandan people with jiggers. They are loving on Ugandans and helping change lives every day. I'm actually traveling to Uganda THIS FRIDAY to work with Sole Hope and see their ministry first hand. I'm beyond excited to meet Asher, the whole Sole Hope team, and see all they do first hand. I'm also going to get to visit Jalia & Daniel and see where they make jewelry for Noonday. On this episode we chatted about how Sole Hope started, and what their mission is for the people of Uganda. Asher and her husband have adopted 3 children since moving to Uganda. Her story about adoption was so moving, and led us to talk about breastfeeding babies that don't come from your body! (I may or may not have shared a little too much info about my love for breastfeeding!) Asher shares about the Sole Hope Guest house and I know I'm going to love it. This episode was super fun for me, and I'm excited to meet her. For a full summary and links to this show, click here!

Happy Hour #32 is with Lindsey Wheeler. Lindsey, her husband Chris, and their daughter Eliana live in Nashville, TN. Lindsey started BOTTLE OF TEARS after she was diagnosed with lyme disease and wanted a way to spread love and hope to others that were suffering. In this episode we talk about her journey with pain and suffering and how that led her to starting a company to help others. We recapped what happened at the end of the If:Gathering for her and how she's hoping for a miracle for her and her daughter to both have complete healing & restoration. Lindsey's story of how they were matched with their daughter will blow you away. We both have children that have come from hard places, and we want to encourage and equip parents on this path that we are, but how do do that without airing their dirty laundry is hard, and we talk about how to do that well. Lindsey shares about how God led her to her new journey in comforting the broken. I asked Lindsey what were some of the biggest things that encourage her when she feels so lonely, and it encouraged me so much in ways that I can be a better friend to those around you. For a full summary and links from this show, Click Here!

Happy Hour #31 is with my friend Erin MacPheson. Erin is a stay-at-home mom by day and a writer and amateur chef by night. She is the author of more than nine books, including The Christian Mama's Guide series and the Hot Mama series. She lives in Austin with her three kids (ages 9, 7 and 3), her husband and her trusty Golden Retiever, Jack. Erin and her friend Kathi Lipp have a book coming out in the Fall, but before then they are releasing three ebooks to lead up to the release of their book. The first one released this month and it's called 10 Ideas To Inspire Red Hot Sex and it's $1.99 on Amazon right now. Blog post that Erin wrote: A letter to all parents regarding 50 shades of grey Sexual Sin series from The Austin Stone Community Church What Erin's reading: Rooms by James Rubart What I'm reading: Women Are Scary by Melanie Dale 21 books coming out in movies this year that you should read Jen Hatmaker's post on writing that I referenced: On Becoming A Writer For a full summary and links to this show, click here!

Jessica N. Turner is the founder of the popular lifestyle blog The Mom Creative, where she documents her pursuit of cultivating a life well-crafted. Additionally, she is a writer for HuffPost Parents and DaySpring's (in)courage, an advocate for World Vision, a regular speaker at blogging conferences nationwide, and an award-winning marketing professional. She and her husband, Matthew live with their three young children in Nashville, Tennessee. In this episode we talk about parenting topics such as going from 2 to 3 kids and how hard that could be. How Jessica feels about working outside the home and that she doesn't receive any guilt from doing that instead of being a stay at home mom. How moms tend to put ourselves last in world of taking care of people in our lives. What date nights look like for the Turner family. We also chat about our latest Netflix binges, and books we're reading. Jessica wrote a post that went viral about moms embracing themselves, their bodies, and wearing that swimsuit each year no matter how we feel about our bodies. For a full summary and links to the show, Click here!

Happy Hour #29 is with a friend that I met at the Influence Conference in 2014, and knew that I wanted to have her on the Happy Hour to chat with all of us! Sarah Martin is the author of Just Rise Up. Sarah is originally from Texas, but lives in North Carolina with her husband and son now. You can find her blogging over at her website LiveItOut! Follow Sarah on facebook, twitter, and instagram. Follow Jamie on facebook, twitter, and instagram. For a full summary and links to this show, click here!

Today's guest on the Happy Hour podcast is Lindsey Paschal. Lindsey is a wife to Dan, and momma to two boys, one of which was born a few weeks ago. Previously to staying home full time Lindsey was a teacher. Last year she documented her journey to reading 52 books via her instagram account. She ended up reading 56 books. On this podcast we discuss Lindsey's life as a teacher, and go through all the books that she read. Because of this conversation I decided that I would try and read 36 books in 2015. Eeeekkk. Hopefully I can make that! Lindsey and I both keep up with all of the books that we read on GoodReads. It's an easy way to keep record of books that you have read and a running list of books that you want to read. Whenever I hear about a new book I want to read I just add it to my "to-read" section and when I'm ready for a new book I have a whole list at my disposal. Follow Lindsey's book reading journey via her instagram account HERE. Find all of the Happy Hour Podcast episodes HERE. For the full summary and links to this show, Click Here.

Kat and I met online and we have actually never met in person, but she's been such an encouragement for me in my podcasting journey. I was actually one of the first guests on her podcast for Inspired to Action. After being a guest on her show is when I felt as though podcasting is something I would want to do in life! Kat is a momma, wife, blogger, encourager, podcaster and lots more in life. Her blog is something that you need to get your eyes on if you have not. Her whole gig is to inspire us mommas right where we are, and if you are like me, we need to hear encouragements daily. For a full summary and links to this show, Click Here!

Today’s guest on the Happy Hour Podcast is Rebecca Smith. Rebecca is the creator and owner of Better Life Bags and lives in Detroit with her husband and three kids. Her business has a remarkable impact on women in Detroit, who are earning a living by working for Better Life Bags. On today's podcast we talk about how her business started, things you should do before we turn 30 (we are both past it!!), and how she can't do it all without the help she has - good word for us mommas trying to do it all! We also chat about how we made the decision on where to send our kids to school, why we don't see the news often, and of course our thoughts on Serial. For a full summary and links from this show, Click Here!

Today’s guest on the Happy Hour Podcast is Jessica Thompson and gosh I just love her. I met her for the first time this summer and since then I have loved getting to know her more from afar. Jessica is an author and has some great books out about parenting. Please get your hands on at least one of her books before the end of this year. In this podcast we discuss how neither one of us are good at buying gifts for our husbands. At the time we recorded this I was looking for a gift for Aaron for his birthday, and I had no idea what to get him. He's so hard for me to buy gifts for. We spent a lot of time talking about Jessica's newest book that she co-authored with her mom, ANSWERING YOUR KIDS' TOUGHEST QUESTIONS. We both realize how difficult it is to talk with your kids about things that are so hard, but boy is it so necessary. Of course we talked about SERIAL because we both love it so much. At the time we recorded there were six episodes, and now they are up to ten. If you haven't taken the time to dive into this, we both highly recommend! For a full summary and links to this show, Click Here!

Today’s guest on the Happy Hour Podcast is my friend Tara Livesay. Tara lives in Haiti with her husband, Troy, and five of their seven kids. They have been living in Haiti for many years now and she works with Heartline Ministries and is a midwife. They average about 6-8 births a month at Heartline, and invest in the mom's lives from the beginning of pregnancy, during labor, and for post pregnancy support. On this episode Tara and I discuss a lot about parenting. She's currently mom to seven that range from the age of 7 to early twenties. We also discussed short term missions and what that looks like to us Americans versus the Haitians. She gives us all great advice on how we serve the Haitian people in a healthy way. For a full summary and links for this show, Click here!

Today’s guests on the Happy Hour Podcast are Becca Harris and Maris Bush. Both of these ladies are heroes to me and they exhibit Jesus in their lives so much. I have known Maris for over ten years, and Becca and I met shortly after I moved to Austin six years ago. All of our families have been effected by adoption and during this podcast we dive into Becca & Maris' stories of how their families were brought together. We focus mostly on foster care, since Becca adopted her boys through the foster care system, and Maris and her husband Bush (his real name is Steven, but all his close friends call him Bush, so I'm giving you permission to do that as well) are currently fostering and hoping to adopt again as well. Click here for a full summary and links from this show!

Jamie writes at THE VERY WORST MISSIONARY. Her and her husband live in California and have three boys, one of which has already grown up and lives on his own. Jamie and I met each other a few years ago through some mutual friends, although we have never met in person. Isn’t that cool how in 2014 you can have friends that you have actually never met face to face. Love it! In this podcast we discussed our kids growing up (she says middle school is the hardest), sex trafficking, Jamie’s trips with Exodus Road, and how Jamie is supposed to be writing a book. For a full summary and links from the show, click here!

This week's podcast is with my friends Kimberly and Laura who both live on my street and all of our husbands work together. This was just like a normal conversation that we would have over coffee, except there were no kids running around everywhere. Today we chatted about letting our kids walk to neighbors houses, how we do birthday parties, chores for our kids, and how I hate wearing jackets in the winter. Although I've been a parent for longer than these two, these women both are moms that I highly look up to as parents and value their thoughts on motherhood, life and living on mission. Love them, and you will too! Laura is one of my oldest friends and her and her husband, Jimmie who is a worship leader at the Stone, moved here to Austin with us six years ago. They have two two girls, Veda who is three, and Mercy who is one. They live down the street from us and we absolutely love doing life with them. Kimberly also lives down the street from us, and her husband Stew is also on staff at the Stone. They have four kids, Wesley Grant who is 9, Sally who is 8, Kelly who is 7, and Karis who is six. Their son, Kelly, has been home one year from Haiti. For a full summary and links for this show, click here!

Today’s guest on the Happy Hour Podcast is Kate Conner, who is the author of two books: Enough & 10 Things For Teen Girls. I first was introduced to Kate when I was given her book Enough to review. While reading her book I knew that I wanted to meet her and have her on the podcast, and I’m so happy that I did! She is just pure joy and someone that I would love to have lunch with often if we lived close enough to each other. She writes at her site KATE CONNER where she encourages women, writes biblical truths, and simply shares her life with us. For a full summary and links for this show, click here!

Happy Hour #19 is with my friend Gloria Furman. Gloria and her husband have four kid and live in Dubai, where they started a church. I met Gloria a few months ago at the Gospel Coalition Conference, although we had been internet friends for a while. She's just as lovely in person as she is online and that is what makes me love her. Gloria has written two books, GLIMPSES OF GRACE: TREASURING THE GOSPEL IN YOUR HOME and TREASURING CHRIST WHEN YOUR HANDS ARE FULL: GOSPEL MEDITATIONS FOR BUSY MOMS. Gloria has a real heart for women to know Jesus and be fully captivated by him. She says, "I want to be obsessed with what I’m going to be obsessed with three zillion years from now—seeing and savoring Jesus." For a full summary and links from the show, click here!

Happy Hour #18 is with my friend Jessi Connolly. Jessi and I are online friends and so it's always super fun when I get to talk in person with friends that I only know from the internet. I will actually meet Jessi next week when I fly to Indiana for The Influence Conference. I'm super excited about this conference because I get to meet tons of great people that I know online and I'll be speaking to the ladies there, so that's even more exciting! Jessi and I talk about how it all gets done in her world (surprise - it doesn't!), her work out plan , how she handles social media, what the Influence Network is, and how the prints go from idea to finished product. This podcast is shorter than the normal ones, but I will for sure be asking Jessi to join me again because I literally have 100 things I can chat with her about! Hope you enjoy it! For the full summary and links to the show, click here!

Today's Happy Hour Guest is with my friend Courtney Lankford. Courtney and I met through our mutual friend Amy about 14 years ago. Courtney and her husband, Joey, moved to South Africa four years ago. They currently serve there with Living Hope, where Joey helps them with creating jobs for men and women. They also run an agricultural business which helps create income and businesses for others. She is honest about the hardest part about being in South Africa is them being away from their family and friends, although the blessing in this all is that God has honored their sacrifice and they really feel closer to their family. Courtney and Joey have five kids, and one of their kids joined their family via adoption from Ethiopia. For the full summary and links from this show, click here!

This happy hour podcast is with my friend Laura Kelley. Laura and I have never met in person, but we've been friends on the internet for a while. Laura is so stinking sweet and one of those people that I love to see her family. She blogs about her family, her craftiness, and all in between. I have used her for many gift ideas. I love all the name pillows that she's making these days! Hello baby shower gift! Her family does an amazing thing during the Advent season. They call it KINDNESS ADVENT and they spend the entire month blessing others. Laura said someone encouraged her after he mom died through a grief devotional that said, "Sometimes you have no idea what to do for yourself, but you can always do for others." That statement led her and her husband, Josh, to begin their kindness advent time each December. Laura's mom passed away a few years ago and she shares what that has meant for her kids as she parented them through this trial. For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

This week is our first time to have a return guest on the Happy Hour. My BFF, Amy, was my very first guest when I had no clue what I was doing. Who am I kidding, I still have no clue what I'm doing! I have been wanting to chat with Amy again for a podcast because she's hilarious and I just love chatting with her. On this podcast Amy and I discuss sending our kids back to school, the VMA awards (and I realize I'm old because I don't know hardly any of the winners),the Emmy's, and my new workout BARRE. Oh and you won't believe the credit card scam story that Amy shared with us! Better check your ipads! For a full summary and links to the show, click here!

Today’s guest on the Happy Hour is Jen Wilkin. Jen is a speaker, writer and teacher of women’s Bible studies in Dallas, Texas. She and her family have been members of the Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas for seven years, where she currently serves on staff. She writes and teaches the Flower Mound Women’s Bible Study and co-teaches a parenting class with her husband Jeff at the Village. Jen and Jeff have four children between the ages of eighteen and fourteen, and have been married for twenty-one years. One of my favorite take away's from this podcast was Jen talking about creating a climate of conversation in their home. Teaching your kids to know that whatever they are feeling or thinking they can come to you and you will drop it all and listen. This is something that I want so desperately for my home. That my kids would be comfortable with telling me everything and anything. For a full summary and links from this show, click here!

Today's guest on the Happy Hour is Annie Downs. Annie and I met this past Spring at the If Gathering and I knew when I met her that I would love her and she would be such a fun person! It was such a blast chatting with her on this podcast! We talked a lot about being BRAVE, especially since her newest book is called LET'S ALL BE BRAVE, we discussed college & fantasy football, she told me about when she was on the red carpet for the movie premier of The Fault In Our Stars, the Bachelorette, "hook-up culture" , the Civil Wars, and finally what we are watching and reading. This podcast cracked me up because so many times we just would talk over each other and laugh so loud. She was a super fun guest! I'm giving away TWO signed copies of LET'S ALL BE BRAVE to one of you guys. Here's what I need you to do .... tell someone about the podcast. You can do that via your social media, or an email, or a phone call, or whatever you want. Also subscribe via iTunes or Stitcher if you haven't, and then leave me a comment telling me what you did and on Friday I'll pick a winner! So easy people! For a full summary and links to this show, click here!

Today's guest on the Happy Hour is my friend Jennie Allen. If you aren't familiar with Jennie, you'll love getting to know her more in this podcast, and if you do know her, you'll really love our conversations. Jennie is an author, bible study teacher, dreamer, founder of the If Gathering, wife, and mom. Jennie and her husband Zac have four kids and live in Austin. One of my favorite things about Jennie is how she's always dreaming up something. In this podcast she even spills the beans on a new project she has going on here in Austin {Collaborate} and if you are interested you can email her: [email protected] We talk about small cities in America to visit and whether we have been there or not. What it looks like to get away as a couple and how we try to make that a priority. Jennie shares her thoughts from her trip to Rwanda with Noonday, and what it was like to visit the place her son spent the first four years of his life. If you have journeyed through IF with Jennie, you'll enjoy hearing her tell the story of how IF was born. For a full summary and links to this show, click here!