Books That Make Us Better

If it's too hot, get out of the kitchen, and Kaila is desperately trying to leave but no one is letting her. We cover pots, pans, sauciers, kitchen lexicon, knives, and other fun kitchen stuff. Turns out, Lydia is afraid to season her cast iron, and Jessie brings up tang and sadly, we aren't talking about the delicious orange drink. Also, learn some french while you're here.

New Season - Who Dis? Okay, so we ghosted our last season like a tinder date that went south but we're back and begging for your forgiveness by flipping the switch to a new book, a new topic, and a new way to make us better. The Culinary Arts! Here's a short intro to our new book and this season includes practical application! Join us on the podcast and in the kitchen!

My anaconda don't want none unless... you're going to make serious life changes while floating down an African River covered in... well, anacondas. Matthew is playing the naked bongos in this episode and we officially know we don't believe anything that happens - but we had a great time talking about it. Settle in with us and let's all talk about how ridiculous this part of the book is.

We wing a lot of things in life... things like eyeliner and this book. We're discussing "The Art of Running Downhill" and doing our best to recount all of the dang movies MM has been in. It's a lot. We're gleaning life lessons from this book and making our way through. A lot was discussed this episode, most importantly, that it was Field of Dreams that was made in Iowa (talking to you, Megan).

I think we're settling into Greenlights and things are starting to make more sense for us. Even JESSIE is starting to buy in to what the book is selling. The next couple of parts in the book have pretty easy take-aways and we're all starting to get on the same page. Settle in, we dig into Matthew's stories and dip our toes into an American Educational side conversation.

Well, this next episode covers Matthew's time spent as a foreign exchange student in Australia. He learns what it means to have boundaries and uphold them, which is probably a lesson we're all still learning. It is, however, a very awkward and weird part of this book. We dive into the odd together though, it's never as scary when you aren't alone!

Well, last week we discovered that Jessie thinks all of Matthew's stories are fakery, and this week we discover Kaila doesn't know the difference between McConaughey and Owen Wilson. Turns out, they're two different people. We delve into outlaw logic this week, the dangers of Oil of Mink, and maybe why Matthew is so good at stretching the truth. Let's dig in!

Let's not play coy, Jessie thinks a lot of these stories aren't true, and we decided we're all on the same page with that. But as we delve through the first part of Greenlights, the power of all four of our brains are making it make a little more sense. If you're a little confused as well, then episode two of season three might be for you!

It's the Season 3 opener and we're back with a new year, a few resolutions, and a whole lot of self-care. We ease into our S3 book, "Greenlights", after catching up with each other first. We're happy to be back and we hope you are, too. So, grab your copy of "Greenlights" and settle in! We have a book to read! Happy 2022!

What is moderation with food? Do we find our value as women in taking care of a household, exercising, eating right, and doing all of the things that need to get done in a day? And how does eating relate to all of that? Because, quite honestly, Reese's Tree's are back on the shelves and life gets a lot more complicated. In this episode, we're talking with Debbie Saroufim who is a Body Relationship Coach. This is a super interesting episode about bodies throughout history, how to combat social stereotypes, and how do we learn to give ourselves some grace in how we relate to food? We found out you CAN go to couples therapy for your relationship between yourself and food! Check Debbie out at bodyrelationship.com. To purchase the workshop that we talk about in this episode, visit bodyrelationship.com/mindfuleating or send her an email at debbiesaroufim@gmail.com.

Well, this was fun - we each brought a book to the Books That Make Us Better table.  It was neat to see our personalities shine through in our choices of reading - however, we want YOU to choose! So listen to the next podcast for our "pitch" and cast your vote!

Laughter, song, and dance - the keys to whole-hearted living. But does it even count if you don't know who Incucbus is, Jessie? We found out during this episode that 3/4 of us are Incubus superfans, and we decided the 4th will be a superfan once she's fully introduced. We discuss what it means to betray ourselves by not living authentically and chat about what bonds people more than a good belly laugh or having dance parties to our favorite songs. We made it one step closer to living our authentic lives during Guidepost 10!

We kept this train on the tracks this episode, everybody's internet held up, AND Jessie only dipped her toe in the swamp ONE time! We felt like it was a successful episode about cultivating meaningful work, what it means, how we drop self-doubt, ignoring the "supposed to's", and what it means to be a "slash person". This one's a pretty easy listen, so enjoy the ride and think about how you can showcase the things that drive your soul!

This episode focuses on the importance of being calm and still.. in an episode that was neither calm nor still. Lydia was having internet issues, Megan's dog Hazel was extremely thirsty (in a very loud way), Kaila's dog Daisy interjected her opinion multiple times, and Jessie has a quiet home and really nice appetizer forks. We maybe had a tough time staying on course for this episode but Megan really made it a point to steer this ship home. ... if you make it all the way through this episode. Thank you.

Jessie missed her chance to have a dedicated high school softball career and also missed her chance to be in a marching band. We're talking "Rest" and "Play" on this week's episode of Books That Make Us Better - or more specifically, Guidepost 7. We know there's a ton of reasons why rest is important, but what about play? What is play and how does it relate to us and our children?... or our missed dreams of banging a bass drum.

We have learned a lot of really valuable things while recording this last episode! Megan was an extroverted knitter in college and Lydia says really cool things like "Why'd you put me on front street like that?". We also took some serious cracks at solving Lydia's problems because I guess the rest of us think ours are too much. We love you Lydia! Show us your creative side! Tune in and don't forget to follow us on facebook!

Intuition. Whether it be a gut feeling that someone is watching us while we walk alone on an empty street or the sudden feeling of jumping into a new skill or project - we try to answer the age old question, is our gut right or is this a mental health problem? Faith - is it trusting yourself, or is it praying and hoping that God remembers you? So many questions, so little time. Lets try to answer them tonight on a new episode of the Books That Make Us Better Podcast.

We've made it to Guidepost 4 of The Gifts of Imperfection and we're talking about gratitude and joy. They aren't the same thing, but how can we cultivate them to get more happiness out of life? Perhaps it's in taking time to notice the ordinary moments or perhaps it happens when surprise nipples show up when we're recording - we haven't figured that out yet. We also talk about our gremlins - scarcity and fear of the dark. We get into some deep conversation this episode, but don't worry! Plenty of laughs were still had. Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, subscribe, and share our podcast!

It was as a warm summer night. The moon was low and the crickets were loud. There we were, just four women trying to discuss the deeper things in life. Then, out of the blue, there it was - Michael's nipple. Was Jessie proud? You bet she was! It was a wardrobe malfunction that was caused by... well, a lack of wardrobe. Did it get us off track a little? Well yes, of course. However, you can tune in to hear how we got life back on track to discuss Guidepost 3, Cultivating a Resilient Spirit. Can it be done? Yes, even from the shame swamp.

In this chaotic episode of Books That Make Us Better, Kaila and Jessie almost get into a verbal fistfight about Turkey Loaf. Hey, authenticity is important and we really hammer that point home with Brene Brown's first two Guide Posts. We talk authenticity, shame, perfectionism, and why is it so damn hard to accept our bodies as they change? Tune in, have a seat, and let's talk it out!

Life is short, let's make it weird! This podcast starts with a very controversial meatloaf recipe. Then we dove headfirst into Brene Brown's book, The GIfts of Imperfection. The reading style is definitely different and we all have a little bit of an adjustment to make... but Lydia still told a Keenan Story (which made all of our hearts melt), Jessie taught us stuff like a real-life teacher, Megan made us all feel soothed with her calming voice and insightful thoughts, and Kaila made meat brownies. Make sure to follow our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/booksthatmakeusbetter for giveaways and updates!

Well, Jessie fled the country. The perk of this was that we all got to watch a sunset from the Bahamas from our computers. We're sorry you couldn't experience that... but we do have another great episode for you (and you can hear the sweet chirp of the Bahamian crickets in the background). We finally finish up Glennon Doyle's "Untamed". The perfect ending to an amazing book. Lydia talks about the importance of apologies, Jessie brags about her stellar Boy Scout talents, Kaila discusses why it's so important to keep her marriage together, and we were all collectively impressed by Megan's daughter's rock collection. Settle in and turn it up, it's time for another episode of the Books that Make Us Better.  

Wow! We're almost done with our first book! This episode dives pretty deep into who we are - anxiety, depression, and all! How did we get there and how do we get out? We were all relieved when Lydia brought up her marriage again, we missed that in our last couple of episodes. Jessie discloses her invaders, Kaila messes up another poem, and Megan still has a strong and undying love for all things horticulture. Pour the wine, sit back, and let's talk it out! 

Tense moments were had, accidental e-mails had been sent out, and Jessie turned into our personal cheug-o-meter. Today we're on a tightrope between causing waves, trying not to rock the boat, and trying to help people from falling into the river. It's a shortened episode but laughs were still had as we continue making our way through Glennon Doyle's "Untamed".

The next batch of chapters deal mostly with religion and God, or, more specifically, who God is to YOU. How do we categorize what resonates with our soul versus what we're indoctrinated with? The crew tries to decipher these things with the help of Glennon's book. The name of the game this week is "Exvangelicals" and Kaila flashes back to middle school and her missing Eminem CDs. Also, the "f" word gets used a little bit this week - so this would be a good episode to listen to with headphones on if you're around your family. 

We felt like it was appropriate that this chapter received it's own release date. Glennon recalls a time when she was moved by the Black Lives Matters movement and decided to start a webinar. The internet revolted and helped her discover her own hidden racism. We speak of a quote a few times by Maya Angelou, "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better." That is our goal. May we never stop learning.

For this episode, we took on seven more chapters of Glennon Doyle's "Untamed". We discuss our love for La Croix, regardless of the fact that Jessie thinks it tastes like TV static, Mom jeans (you're welcome, Gen Z), and the group's general consensus of how delicious cream cheese is. Don't forget to follow our facebook pages, "Books that Make Us Better" and get in on our latest giveaway! We're so happy you're joining us for another week!

Ready... Set... Go to the chapter "Attendance" and dive back into Glennon Doyle's "Untamed" with us! These next chapters talk a lot about parenting a lot of the complex situations that come along with our precious children. Four different women with four different thoughts - let's talk about this new "over parented but under-protected" generation.

As we continue to make our way through Glennon Doyle's Untamed, we discuss Beach Houses through Buckets on this week's Books That Make Us Better Podcast. It's another week of deep discussion and light hearted laughter. Megan briefly discusses her recent travels, Jessie divulges her love for HGTV, Lydia continues to make us all jealous of her marriage to her husband (but we love her love), and Kaila is sweating.... again. Pour a glass of wine and settle in - we have things to discuss.

On episode three we deep dive into the first portion of Part 3 of Glennon Doyle's "Untamed". Somehow terrible gift giving, bad haircuts, and reality TV made it into the mix. Don't forget to follow us on facebook! www.facebook.com/booksthatmakeusbetter *brief explicit language used*

Welcome to another episode of Books That Make Us Better! Today we're going over part two of Glennon Doyle's "Untamed". We discuss the opening poem and the three "keys" that Glennon talks about. These keys are the secret to uncaging yourself. Today's theme? Feel the feelings!

The Books that Make Us Better Podcast is group of progressive gals looking for books that inspire and entertain, provide growth and guidance, and make them better. Here we are discussing Part One of Glennon Doyles "Untamed". Grab your book, follow along, and be a cheetah! *Brief talk of explicit sexual material*