On today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie talks with her good friends Katie Duckett and Chelle Bruzas about clinging to celebrations and loveliness amidst the coronavirus crisis. This is a grace-filled, honest conversation that we hope will help you see the lighter side of life in a challenging season.

• Katie shares honestly how she is doing amidst coronavirus struggles
• Chelle talks about what it is like to parent with transparency during this season
• MacKenzie shares the challenge of being forced into schooling at home again
• Katie shares the analogy of a pot boiling over to talk about stressors and emotions
• MacKenzie talks about dealing with “parenting whiplash”
• Making the intentional effort to pull out of your own emotion and love on your family
• The kindness of communicating your needs with each other as a family

We have to be creative, but those small efforts pay big dividends in the hearts of our kids.

Katie Duckett

• Setting healthy boundaries for ourselves and our kids
• Celebrating birthdays amidst social distancing
• Join in celebrating with us #lovelypandemicbirthday
• Katie's new family tradition and how it came to be
• The simple luxury of taking a flower bath or pedicure
• Other simple ways to bring some loveliness into your day
• Share how you are doing to celebrate the little things with us #cultivatingthelovely

Resources Mentioned-

Books:

Affiliate links are used in this content.

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

Find Katie-

You can find Katie Duckett on Instagram @may_these_arrows_fly.

Find Chelle-

You can find Chelle Bruzas on @chelle_bruzas.

Find MacKenzie-

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! Join us on Patreon at Patreon.com/CultivatingtheLovely.

Thanks to Our Sponsors-

This episode of Cultivating the Lovely is brought to you by Embr. Save $70 off your own Embr Wave when you go to EmbrWave.com/lovely.

This week on CTL, host MacKenzie Koppa has a fun chat with Leeann Dearing and Michelle Fortin, the dynamic comedy duo known simply as Leeann & Michelle. Both wives and mothers having backgrounds in acting and television, Leeann and Michelle are passionate about using comedy to bring a smile to the faces of those in their audience. We think their conversation with MacKenzie will do that for you, as well!

• How Michelle and Leeann met and immediately formed a deep friendship
• How they started turning their parodies and sketches into a business
• The way their backgrounds helped them have success
• What got Leeann and Michelle into doing Enneagram type comedy
• What it is like playing their own types as well as the others
• How they each handle filming in public locations
• Michelle talks about how they divide up the work

• MacKenzie talks about the fun she remembers from her time in a theatre troupe
• Michelle and Leeann try to narrow down their videos to one favorite
• Leeann talks about what it is like doing live shows
• What it has been like creating content during the corona crisis
• The value of getting feedback in creating content
• A typical day for Leeann and Michelle in their own families and work

Current Lovelies-

Leeann: having an impromptu “distance picnic” with Michelle and their kids

Michelle: painting rocks with her kids and placing them around the neighborhood for others to find

Resources Mentioned-

Books:

(Amazon affiliate links are used in this content.)

The Road Back to You by Ian Crohn

The Honest Enneagram by Sarajane Case

Movies:

Gone with the Wind

The Sound of Music

The King and I

Dumb and Dumber

Podcasts:

Typology

Jen Hatmaker

The Popcast

The Dearing Studio

Find Leeann and Michelle-

You can find Leeann and Michelle on their YouTube Channel Leeann & Michelle and their website LeeannandMichelle.com. You can also follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Find MacKenzie-

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! Join us on Patreon at Patreon.com/CultivatingtheLovely.

Thanks to Our Sponsors-

Today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely is sponsored by Theragun. Try Theragun risk-free for 30 days with this special offer for CTL listeners. Go to Theragun.com/lovely to get up to $150 off your device.

This episode of Cultivating the Lovely is brought to you by Literati. For a limited time, go to Literati.com/lovely for 25% OFF your first two orders.

On the Cultivating the Lovely podcast this week, MacKenzie Koppa talks with Jennifer Fulwiler about her new book Your Blue Flame. Jennifer is a wife, a mother of six, and also stays busy hosting a radio talk show, doing stand-up comedy and writing! Together MacKenzie and Jennifer talk about embracing your amazing gifts to bless those around you. This is an encouraging and fun conversation, so sit back, relax and enjoy! (Amazon affiliate links are used in this content.)

• Jennifer talks about what a “blue flame” even is and why she wrote this book
• How the concept of finding your blue flame is a blessing to others
• Each of us has a gift that we can use to brighten someone else’s day
• How using your blue flame can free your ego
• Be willing to take risks and embrace your failures
• Jennifer talks about what it is like doing stand-up comedy

You have this God-given gift, and you have a duty to give it back to the world.

Jennifer Fulwiler

• Your blue flame is not about you, and you have a duty to share it with the world
• How the Enemy tries to attack when you are using your gifts
• You weren’t meant to do this alone
• What Jennifer’s current typical day versus what is a normal day

Current Lovelies-

Jennifer: watching YouTube makeup tutorials and playing with new looks

Resources Mentioned-

Books:

Your Blue Flame

One Beautiful Dream

Movies:

Office Space

Galaxy Quest

Podcasts:

Starting Greatness

Find Jennifer-

You can find Jennifer on her website JenniferFulwiler.com. You can also follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Find MacKenzie-

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! Join us on Patreon at Patreon.com/CultivatingtheLovely.

Thanks to Our Sponsors-

Today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely is sponsored by YogaSleep. Go to YogaSleep.com/LOVELY to get 20% OFF your next order of a sound machine for your family.

This episode of Cultivating the Lovely is brought to you by Laurel Springs School. Cultivating the Lovely listeners, register your child today at laurelsprings.com/lovely to have the registration fee waived.

On today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie talks with her good friends Katie Duckett and Jenny Wilcox about holy habits. Together they explain what that means and why they are so important, especially in challenging or uncertain seasons of life. We think this will be an uplifting conversation, so sit back, relax and be encouraged! (Amazon affiliate links are used in this content.)

• Katie introduces the topic of holy habits
• MacKenzie talks about the difference between legalistic habits and making lifestyle changes out of real desire
• How the habits Jenny and Katie cultivated grounded them in their faith
• Jenny talks about the joy of self-sacrifice and the goodness of having a God who is the caring Creator
• The great value in being faithful and consistent with a discipline

One of the things that creating healthy habits requires of you is that every day you die to self. You start to say “yes” and do something you don’t want to do.

Jenny Wilcox

• Jenny talks about habits as tools that help us re-center our souls
• Sourdough as an illustration of a practical holy habit
• Katie talks about the value of doing something slow
• MacKenzie is tapping into her homemaking skills again
• Jenny and Katie tell about how they got their special sourdough starter
• The value of making something beautiful with your hands
• How beholding beauty points us to God
• Being present in the small things is so crucial in these times

Resources Mentioned-

Books:

Mudhouse Sabbath by Laura F. Winner

Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot

Mother Culture by Karen Andreola

Find Katie-

You can find Katie Duckett on Instagram @may_these_arrows_fly.

Find Jenny-

You can find Jenny Wilcox on @philovesjen.

Find MacKenzie-

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! Join us on Patreon at Patreon.com/CultivatingtheLovely.

Thanks to Our Sponsors-

This episode of Cultivating the Lovely is brought to you by Grove. As a CTL listener, you can get a FREE 5-piece Sustainable Home starter set at Grove.co/LOVELY, plus free shipping and FREE 60-Day VIP trial with your first order.

This episode of Cultivating the Lovely is brought to you by Embr. Save $50 off your own Embr Wave when you go to EmbrWave.com/lovely and use code PODCAST at checkout.

In this special bonus episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie Koppa continues the conversation with her friends all about flower/flour therapy. Katie Duckett, Chelle Bruzas, and Becca Lux chat more about the health benefits of sourdough and gardening and why they feel so passionate about both. If you missed yesterday's chat, you can visit boldturquoise.com/161/ to see and hear what you missed. 

• Re-thinking the idea of flowers and beauty as not having any real purpose
• Becca’s reading recommendations:
  • The Plant Messiah by Carlos Magdelena
  • The Dirt Cure by Maya Shetreat-Klein, MD
  • The Enchanted Hour by Megan Cox Gurden
  • The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
• Katie talks about the health properties of sourdough
• The need to slow down and do these intentional things to reconnect with each other and with God
• MacKenzie talks about reading the first Harry Potter book with Roman
• Becca, Chelle and Katie talk about making flower crowns
• Floret Flower Farm seeds
• The ladies talk about their gardening hopes and plans for this year

On today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, host MacKenzie Koppa sits down for a fun chat with three of her real life friends: Becca Lux, Katie Duckett and Chelle Bruzas. They tell us all about two different kinds of therapy that we can all be taking part in during these challenging times using flour and flowers! And they had so much fun doing it, that we have a bonus episode with even more goodness coming out tomorrow, so be sure and check back to get in on the fun! (Amazon affiliate links are used in this content.)

• A little about what “flour therapy” is and why you should join the Patreon group and get in on all the doughy goodness
• The ladies share how they got the idea for “flower therapy” in the first place
• Katie talks about her intense love for flowers and how she always stays prepared to gather flowers wherever she goes
• Becca shares some information about why gardening is actually physically, mentally and emotionally so healthy
• Check out the Flower Therapy playlist on Spotify

I do think that adding beauty to your life, in whatever form, gives your soul hope.

Katie Duckett

• Chelle shares a little about what to expect from the seed “club” if you are part of the $15 Patreon level
• Katie and Becca talk about starting seeds and taking chances with what will work and what won’t
• MacKenzie highlights the value of accountability in keeping up with these habits of loveliness
• How being out in nature and noticing the change of the seasons helps us cope with these trying times
• Becca and Katie point out the spiritual significance of these practices
• Jenna Fischer’s bread-making journey on Instagram
• Check out the Flour/Flower Therapy wishlist on Amazon

Thanks to Our Sponsors-

CTL is brought to you by YogaSleep. Go to YogaSleep.com/LOVELY to get 20% OFF your next order of a sound machine for your family.

CTL is also sponsored by Plan to Eat meal planning service. Visit PlanToEat.com/LOVELY to start your free 60-day trial instead of the normal 30-day trial.

Find Becca-

You can find Becca Lux on Instagram @wanderluxstudio.

Find Katie-

You can find Katie Duckett on Instagram @may_these_arrows_fly.

Find Chelle-

You can find Chelle Bruzas on Instagram @chelle_bruzas.

Find MacKenzie-

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! Join us on Patreon at Patreon.com/CultivatingtheLovely.