The Modern Lady Podcast

Welcome to Season 6 of The Modern Lady Podcast!  We are so excited to be back and chatting wtih you all!  This week, we're discussing what it means to be a good person - and why it matters that we persevere in our pursuit to be one. Sometimes, we can be our own worst critics and it's no secret that we are often hardest on ourselves. But our mindset matters and what lies within us may better than you think!  

Well, friends, it's that time of year again!  As we head into June and summer holidays, we're wrapping up season five of The Modern Lady with a much needed update on the podcast, our conference in Wisconsin and a peek into our hopeful summer plans!  What are you planning for the upcoming break?  Join us to laugh and chat about what we are envisioning for our homes and our hearts, our family culture and our own self-improvement over the next few months, and be sure to share with us your plans for the summer too!

It may be hard to believe, but this is our 5th annual Spring Trends episode here on The Modern Lady Podcast!!!  The world has changed quite a lot since we first began our yearly commentary on all things new and novel, but one thing has remained the same: the culture informs the trends.  It is always fascinating what we learn about our society once we start digging deeper into what is big in the food, fashion and travel industries.  So join us this week as we investigate everything 2023: from the Canadian tuxedo to caviar, "set-jetting" vacations to Itameshi cuisine, we are big fans of what is trending right now and we suspect you will be pleasantly surprised too!

Happy Easter, dear listeners! As Christians, we here at The Modern Lady Podcast hold this week, the octave of Easter, in the highest regard - it is a time of great celebration over our salvation and the triumph of Christ over death in His Resurrection!  We have decided to honour this holy time by pausing production on our newest episode and instead, revisit a pretty relevant and appropriate Friday Finishing School episode that we released almost a year and a half ago... at Christmas!  Handel's Messiah, and his famous Alleluia chorus in particular, was actually originally meant to be performed at THIS time of year, in a sweeping and obvious hymn of praise for the the Risen Christ.  But behind the music and the lyrics is a deeply moving story about charity and concern for the most vulnerable in our society - and also, an interesting fact about how one could use the Alleluia chorus to express, not just religious devotion, but political affiliation! We wish you all a very blessed Easter season, and we will be back with a new episode soon!

“A Sunday well spent brings a week of content”.  So the popular saying goes. And American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once noted that “Sunday is the golden clasp that binds together the volume of the week.” Even in an increasingly busy and secular society, “Sunday” still has a quality about it that makes it stand out and stand alone.  This week, we're digging in to what it means to “Sunday well”, how it is deeply ingrained in our humanity, and why it is imperative to the wellness of our souls!

Welcome back to our second "Modern Lady Throwback" episode! This week, we're pleased to re-release one of our favourite (and fan-favourite!) episodes from Season 2 entitled, "Playful Parenting"! This week: "When it comes to playing with our children, it seems we can sometimes be conflicted.  We may not always WANT to play house or to play with Legos... and so what do we do when those feelings of duty threaten to drown out the pleasure of spending time with our kids?  This week, the ladies discuss play as parents and share some of the childhood memories that inspire them to seek out ways to playfully parent their own crews today. *Stay tuned to the end of the episode for more memories & outtakes!*" (First aired: May 5, 2020)

Life in today's world and society could easily be described in harsh terms: it can be rough, abrasive and coarse on a soul.  And so, if there to be any characteristic worth reviving, it's clear that the quality of gentleness should be a top contender.  And yet, it seems to be one of those things that's hard to define concretely.  This week, we're discussing what it means to be gentle in a world that seems to have lost it's taste for it, why it benefits us and those around us when we practice it, and how exactly we can begin today to cultivate a spirit of gentleness in our souls.

Last week, we dove into the biology behind stress, sensory regulation and what overstimulation can mean for those of us living in our modern day.  And while a solid understanding of the underlying issues is critical to redeeming the situation, it's also true that helpful tips, reframing and advice is invaluable - and between us and all of YOUR input, there is no shortage of fantastic, stress-busting hacks! This week, we are continuing our conversation on stress, and ways we can combat it while seeking peace in our homes, vocations and faith.

From the small, mundane stressors of the everyday to the bigger, more overwhelming worries that can come throughout our lives, it's simply a fact that many of us encounter stress often.  And while we may not be able to always mitigate or erase the pressures completely, we do have more control over how they impact our life overall than perhaps we are aware!  This week, we are starting a discussion on stress and how it affects our senses and physiology, some of the ways we can prevent it and share some strategies on how to balance the reality of stress in our lives with the bigger picture.

Aaaaand we're back!!  Happy New Year, one and all! Once the hustle and bustle of December has settled down, January, in contrast, can seem itself, a bit of a paradox: both a quiet calm after the holiday storm and a whirlwind of newness and resolve! It's an exciting time of year and it's a great chance to reflect on the what we want to do during the upcoming year to promote growth and progress in all areas of our lives.  This week, join us for a chat as we discuss our New Years Resolutions for 2023 and our goals for health, family culture, faith and their vocations. 

In this last episode of Season 4, it all comes down to making decisions with eternity in mind.  The 11 Steps of the Ignatian Method of Discernment helps to guide us closer to the heart of God... especially when the decision at hand is a difficult one!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay dig deep into these 11 steps, speak about where this process has taken them recently, and what it means for this podcast.  As they wind down this season and begin an extended break, they chat about implementing these 11 Steps themselves as they ponder the future of The Modern Lady and where the Holy Spirit might be leading this project next.

Over the course of our lives, we will have to make a MULTITUDE of decisions ranging from the small and inconsequential, to the big and life-altering.  And when it comes to those major life decisions, the process seems that much more daunting.  But, good news!  There's a virtue for that!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay start the discussion on the process of discernment and how we can develop a character that helps us make good decisions rooted in wisdom!

After the isolation of the last two years, it seems like a good time to brush up on the subject of "hospitality"!  But welcoming people in goes beyond the fun of planning and an eye for detail.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay explore the virtue of true hospitality through the lense of "philoxenia", a Greek concept that encourages care of and service to neighbour and stranger alike... and how it's deep roots can find their way into our own homes and families.

It's a big world out there.  But it's also a big world in here… in our phones, in our computers and laptops, and we access and connect to so much through social media and the internet!  Online presence and usage is a hot topic today for many reasons, not all of them positive or pleasant.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay wax poetic about a corner of the internet that IS wonderful and it is on the rise: the world of comfort creators!

We wear many hats these days and juggling our lives can sometimes seem like an impossible task.  The illusion of a person who can "do it all" appears to be just that - an illusion.  No man is an island, after all, and this week, Michelle and Lindsay explore the history, psychology and challenges behind what many experience when they reach out for help... and why we should do it anyway.  

Last week's episode explored the theologican impacts and benefits of developing the gift of the imagination.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay dig into how our imaginations have hugely impacted our everyday lives, from science and philosophy to homemaking... and how we can continue to develop it as a way to elevate our day-to-day!

What an imagination!  Such a phrase is often attributed to a fanciful child, lost in the fantasy of deep play.  But what if our imaginations are meant to continue on with us beyond childhood?  This week, Michelle and Lindsay start part one of two in their discussion around our imaginations and the role it can play in our everyday lives.  Part One focuses on where imagination begins: our interior faith lives, and the imaginative genius of God, who models the way.

It is a piece of music that has captured the faith and wonder of all who hear it for centuries - the Miserere Mei, composed by Gregorio Allegri.  Originally played exclusively in the Sistine Chapel, the history of this song is, in itself, legendary: as the setting for Psalm 51, it tells the story of King David and his heart-wrenching plea to God for mercy... it has found its place as a cornerstone of Holy Week and Tenebrae services, which have been celebrated by Christians all over the world for centuries... and it found its extraordinary way out of the Vatican by way of another important and well-loved figure of musical history!  You'll never guess who! As we continue our journey through Lent this year and come closer to Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we wanted to share this episode from our Friday Finishing School collection and encourage you to use this classic setting as a prayer and meditation as we enter Holy Week next week! We hope you enjoy!

It's happening, ladies and gentlemen!  The fourth annual Spring Trends episode has arrived!  Every year, despite their decidedly "not-an-influencer" statuses, Michelle and Lindsay take a peek into the latest fashion, food and travel fads.  From ghost kitchens to Y2K to G.O.A.T vacations, spring and summer 2022 are on trend to be perhaps the biggest and boldest seasons analyzed on The Modern Lady thus far! 

Modern technology has certainly made many things in our lives easier, but it can come with a unexpected price tag: our constant availability and the pressure to respond in rapid time!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about the phenomenon of urgency culture, what it is, and how we can curb it in our own lives through discerning silence and embracing the virtue of prudence.

We are one week into Lent 2022 and as we embark on this year's liturgical season, one reminder stands out in particular: we journey together.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about the virtue of perseverance while they explore the three pillars of Lent - prayer, fasting and almsgiving - and how all three unite us to one another and help us mature in our interior spiritual lives.

In everyday life at home, there can be highs and lows.  We know this to be true, but we often forget that *how* we look at things can sometimes make a world of difference in how we experience them.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about learning the art of reframing: what it is, how it can be an essential tool in our day to day lives, and why it's definitely one that you want in your back pocket!

When in a state of disarray, it can be easy to lose focus and lose heart.  And so when times such as ours become confused and chaotic, it serves us well to be reminded of what exactly we are supposed to be doing... and why.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about "the mission" - it's unchanging nature, it's simple (albeit difficult) charge and why it is crucially essential we remember it in our lives and world today.

After an extended holiday break, The Modern Lady is back!  And we find ourselves now in the thick of mid-winter.  This season can be bleak and a challenge to endure, let alone thrive in, but what if there were little things we could do to shift our perspective? This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about what to do when winter seems to outpace your hygge efforts... and how a shift in mindset in a few key areas could help us embrace winter in a whole new way.

Surprise!  And Merry Christmas! We are still on a short break here at The Modern Lady, but we thought we'd drop our latest Friday Finishing School episode as a special treat into your "digital stocking" and podcast feed! Renown throughout the world, what is Christmas without Handel's stunning and iconic masterpiece, "Messiah"?  As one of the most played and storied pieces of music in history, we chat about the three things we think we should know about Handel's Messiah, particularly that spectacular Hallelujah chorus!

If you thought that after last week's festivities that Christmas was starting to wind down, think again!  Continuing their deep dive into the 12 Days of Christmas, Michelle and Lindsay chat about the history, traditions and symbolism associated with the final days of Christmas to the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th.  From wealthy dairy farmers to the Pied Piper of Hamelin, scandalous Elizabethan era dances to mumming with your Twelfth Night cake, you're sure to end Christmastide with a bang! 

Merrymaking and Feast Days and... BIRDS!  Oh my. The 12 Days of Christmas are truly the epitome of celebration!  Beginning on December 25th and lasting until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th, each of these twelve days is jam packed with traditions and customs to mark the festive season.  In this first part of two episodes dedicated to the 12 Days, Michelle and Lindsay discuss the significance, treats and history behind days 1-6, and how to celebrate this classic carol in style!

The season of Advent, while certainly a time of much tangible, material and culinary preparation, also requires thoughtful intention in preparing our hearts.  This week, we are sharing a short Advent reflection that Lindsay had written five years ago in 2016 entitled, "As Darkness Falls".  We hope this short production inspires and encourages you, as it has us, to grow in our awareness of what we are called to prepare for in these weeks before Christmas, in order to anticipate the great Light coming to us in just a few short weeks.

With the holiday season approaching, socials and get togethers are par for the course.  Being able to engage well in conversation is truly an art - and it's one that behooves us to brush up on, no matter the time of year!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay explore the history and technique of great conversation, from those deep tête-à-têtes to light-hearted small talk! 

Two years ago, The Modern Lady deep dived many beloved traditions of the Advent season, both familiar and perhaps, a little bit unfamiliar.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay bring back the Advent Spectacular with a sequel all about "Preparing to Prepare"!  What exactly goes into preparing your home, your hostessing and your pursuit of holiness in these weeks leading up to Christmas?  From decluttering to gift-giving to serving up the perfect boar's head for your holiday dinner, the ladies have got you covered!

Our culture has many ways of describing detachment: "breaking the chains", "setting yourself free", being a "free spirit".  But this intrinsic desire to be free from attachments is anything but new!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay take a look at how detachment has been sought after throughout the centuries and across disciplines, how to identify the attachments we may be holding onto and what it means to experience freedom in life through healthy and ordered detachment.

As we begin to think about the approaching holiday season, the theme of "peace" is often prevalent.  And peace, like so many other things, really does begin it's cultivation at home and at heart!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay discuss the difference between a peaceful home and a peace-filled one, share tips from their own practices and those of their listeners, and try to provide a bit of inspiration on how to set a mood of peace in your house!

It's our first ever "Modern Lady Throwback" episode! "Memento Mori" is a Latin saying which translates to, "Remember Your Death".  To our secular and modern minds, this is a jarring and uncomfortable clarion call to be sure, but it is one that we neglect at our own peril.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay discuss how people have historically practiced "Memento Mori", and why it's necessary for us to remind ourselves often of the inevitability of our deaths.

... That IS the question, isn't it?  When it comes to venting, it can be difficult to determine whether we are simply "getting something off our chest" or if it's subtly devolving into something a little less savoury.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay explore the boundaries of venting, how it can be done with intention and share some great tips from our listeners on how we can vent properly.

That moment when you walk back into your home after a day of errands, work or school - is there anything else like it? We all have the opportunity to craft an experience of home that provides comfort, peace and security all at once to those coming back to it!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about one of their favourite aspects of homemaking: the Homecoming!  They also discuss how thresholds, snacks and space contribute to "home as a haven", and take a look at how it's done elsewhere around the world!

The virtue and practice of Hope can sometimes be watered down in our culture to an ambiguous platitude - but in truth, being people of true hope has never been more important!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about what it means to center our lives around hope, why we need to rediscover it's philosophical and theological significance and what kinds of things they see as being hopeful signs of the times ahead.

This week, Michelle and Lindsay return to the Sphere of Influence 360's diagram of leadership and communication styles, to wrap up their deep dive into what goes into being a good leader!  After relationship is established, clear direction is needed in order to finish out a goal or project well.  In this second half of the circle, the ladies focus now on content-based communication and how our forthcomingness in the task at hand can be a gift to those in our homes and beyond.

It may be an understatement to say that life can seem a little overwhelming as of late!  When things seem to be spinning out of control, it may be a good time to remind ourselves of our spheres of influence, and where we can still make a difference.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about influence versus control and how to lead worthily in OUR particular circles: whether at work, in the world, or within your own four walls at home.

We all know those days where every task seems monumental and you don't know where to begin.  But sometimes, we can't wait until we "feel" like accomplishing a task or working towards a goal... we just need to "get 'er done"!  Michelle and Lindsay kick off Season 4 with a conversation on those critical first steps - the ones that will build momentum - and how to implement them in our day to day lives!

In their last episode of Season 3, the ladies wind down with a note on true rest and why it's important to prioritize it in our lives.  From tell-tale signs of stress we can look out for, to identifying the particular type of rest you're craving, Michelle and Lindsay sign off for the summer with an encouragement to intentionally carve out that time and space for yourself and your family to refresh, recharge and reconnect!  Have a wonderful summer!

As we begin to wrap up Season 3 of The Modern Lady Podcast, we wanted to share one more peek at the Friday Finishing School before our final episode airs next week and we break for the summer!  Several weeks ago, we launched this Friday Finishing School episode on the classic painting, "Girl With A Pearl Earring" by Johannes Vermeer and it has easily become one of our favourite features!  Who is she?  And who is she looking at?  From the Dutch Golden Age to how modern technology is STILL playing a role in the painting today, we dig into the 3 Things We Think You Should Know about Vermeer's masterpiece in this week's edition! 

Wrapping up this three-part series on the virtue of humility, Michelle and Lindsay stay with St. Bernard of Clairvaux as he outlines the degrees and steps needed to descend from the peak of pride into the restful valley of humility of heart!  It's been an intense journey and as we've seen, not an easy task by any means... but this kind of deep work is truly a life's work, and is absolutely worth pursuing relentlessly!

After defining and comparing both secular and religious perspectives of what true humility is, it's time to study it's vice.  Knowing the enemy is a critical part of any battle plan and so if we are committed to growing humble, a keen understanding of what pride looks like is essential strategy.  Using the 12 Degrees of Pride outlined by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Michelle and Lindsay take a look at some of the ways we could fall prey to pride today... and where to most be on our guard!

The virtue of "humility" is often hugely misunderstood in the today's cultural context. Even Forbes.com has acknowledged that "humility is frequently associated with being too passive, submissive or insecure, but (that) this couldn’t be any further from the truth."  This week, Michelle and Lindsay discuss what that Truth actually is, what practicing humility looks like and why it's so critical that we rediscover the cultivation of it.

When we think about "work" today, words like "drudgery", "toil" and "dull" tend to sum up the collective mood.  But believe it or not, as human beings, we were MADE for labour and it is meant to sanctify us and elevate our dignity, whether it's at home or abroad.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about the history of work, how labour was always a part of the "plan" and how to view it through a lens that will ultimately leave us satisfied, fulfilled and dignified. 

Languishing: a word currently used to best describe what many are feeling after a year of pandemic and lockdown. But perhaps a helpful tool in our conquering of feelings of languish lies closer than we think: in our own bodies!  Enter: the Happiness Hormones!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay take a closer look at how dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins affect our well-being and how we can start to intentionally cultivating them in our day to day lives.

In their 100th episode, Michelle and Lindsay focus on the idea of creating a legacy and filling our lives with a life's work that can be remembered and transmitted through history, both personal and communal.  From the hard work to the heart work, from changing generational stories to viewing your life as an essential piece of a bigger picture, the ladies dig into the idea of why we desire to be remembered and how to start building our own legacies starting today.

When it comes to building and cultivating a strong family culture, it can be so easy to become overwhelmed with all the options out there and guilty if you can't make happen what you feel you ought to.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay discuss how simplicity truly does delight the young (and young at heart!), and share some ideas on how to make it happen in our own homes!

Michelle and Lindsay are back with their third annual Spring Trends episode!  But don't be fooled! There's more to this episode than you might think!  During a year fraught with challenge, trends have not only managed to survive but have adapted to our circumstances in interesting and intriguing ways.  As a result, this week the ladies take a fun, rollicking look at the styles and eats "du jour", and chat about the subsequent hard-to-miss commentary on our past year!

We are so excited to release a special edition episode of The Friday Finishing School!  This week, we're deep diving into Pachelbel's Canon in D (you'll probably recognize it as soon as you hear it!)  The Friday Finishing School is an ongoing look into the classical arts and is available every other week, exclusively to our Patreon supporters. In each episode, the ladies present one piece of classical music, art or poetry, and then discuss three things about the piece that will help you in your own appreciation of and ability to talk about the classics. Please consider becoming one of our patrons! You find more information about The Friday Finishing School at www.patreon.com/themodernladypodcast !

This week, Michelle and Lindsay hope to speak right to the heart of the Mamas!  In this mid-Lenten check-in, they seek to offer comfort, support and encouragement to Moms as they discuss the beauty of our vocations as the key to deepening our relationship with Jesus, and how leaning into our motherhood draws us closer to Him BECAUSE of our vocation and duties - not in spite of them!