Mary Katharine knows something about parenting in crisis. When she was 7 months pregnant and raising a 2-year-old, her husband, Jake, was tragically killed in a bicycling accident. In an instant, she was forced to become the parent she never thought she'd have to be. She resolved to be resilient and face life's challenges with goals in mind, hope at front of mind. She realized that many people are facing a similar, yet less tragic, dilemma right now. They don't believe they are the parent who can do this -- but they can. Her thoughts evolved into an IG video, then to a wonderful piece in The Atlantic called: "It's Okay to Be a Different Kind of Parent During a Pandemic:" Take a listen to the invaluable lessons Mary Katharine … [Read more...]

Lauren Green McAfee has an infectious laugh and is so easy to talk to. You'd never guess the turmoil she's been through in the past year. The grand-daughter of David Green, the founder of Hobby Lobby, she was born into an incredible family. But when she and her husband decided to start a family, things didn't go as planned. They began with the process of adoption, having no idea it would take 7 years to meet their daughter. After so many years of dealing with the adoption process, they finally brought their daughter, Zion, home. Shockingly, within weeks, they discovered Zion had a rare, childhood cancer that would require immediate attention. Thankfully, Zion is now in remission, but the experience was shocking, scary and a … [Read more...]

Manda Carpenter is 28 years old and has already been a foster mom for several years. It's a passion God put on her heart years go, in childhood, and she was just waiting for the opportunity to go for it. She met an incredible man, married him and the two set out on their foster journey. They even signed up to take on kids with significant psychological issues, those cases that not everyone might be willing to take on, She's an incredible advocate and a humble servant of Jesus. In the midst of motherhood, Manda is also thriving as a writer, speaker and leader. She recently came out with a devotional, "Space" and is working on her first full-length book. She has a couple of life mantras, including "Impressing is Exhausting" and "Get … [Read more...]

Krish O'Mara Vignarajah is one impressive -- and gracious -- lady. She's the President & CEO of Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service (LIRS) and has been working hard during our country's recent immigration struggles. Prior to this position, Krish ran for Governor of Maryland and was Policy Director for First Lady Michelle Obama -- very cool! I get her to answer a few questions about working with Michelle in this interview :) I first encountered Krish while researching a piece I wrote on families in the immigration crisis for the Washington Post. I so enjoyed chatting with her that I knew I wanted to have her on the podcast right away! She has a lot of important insight on history and current immigration policy and … [Read more...]