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Live Well Anyway

Life is messy, live well anyway. I'll go first! -Formerly Cultivating the Lovely We all live in the middle of our own type of messy but that doesn't mean that we can't live well in the midst of it. In Live Well Anyway, MacKenzie Koppa takes you along as she does just that and shares from her own experiences as well as those of her guests. Listen in for a good dose of reality, information, and humor around the topics of wellness, beauty, style, planning, and life.
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Now displaying: May, 2020
May 27, 2020

This week on Cultivating the Lovely, host MacKenzie Koppa chats with Rebecca Smith, founder of Better Life Bags and the author of the brand new book A Better Life: Slowing Down to Get Ahead. Rebecca and her husband live in Michigan with their four children and their dog Mojo. Together MacKenzie and Rebecca talk about building a business, podcasting and writing a book, plus so much more. (Affiliate links are used in this content.)

  • Rebecca shares a little bit about her “Problem Solved” podcast episodes with Emily Thomas
  • Rebecca talks about how she came to write this book, from starting a blog in her college days to getting asked by Zondervan to publish the story of her business
  • What Rebecca hopes readers will glean from A Better Life
  • How Rebecca and her husband met and had to let God lead their relationship
  • Learning the cherish the life you are living right now, instead of always looking ahead to the next thing

I think I have an idea of where my life is going, but God is the One who is making the decisions, and it’s kind of an adventure for us.

Rebecca Smith
  • How Rebecca’s vision and mission for Better Life Bags grew out of a desire to have certain boundaries in place
  • Recognizing our limitations and bringing other people on board to balance out our weaknesses with their strengths
  • Giving our children more responsibility for things around the house
  • Being willing to turn around and get back on track when we have stepped out of God’s plan
  • How Rebecca’s business has been affected by the pandemic
  • A typical day in Rebecca’s life now in contrast to before the pandemic

Current Lovelies-

Rebecca: relaxing in a hammock in the backyard

MacKenzie: dressing up for her birthday at home

Resources Mentioned-

Podcasts:

Mom Struggling Well – Problem Solved

That Sounds Fun

10 Things to Tell You

Young House Love

Crime Junkie

Find Rebecca-

You can find Rebecca on her website Better Life Bags. You can also follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Find MacKenzie-

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on InstagramFacebook, 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 True Botanicals. CTL Listeners can get 15% OFF their first order from true botanicals.com/lovely and use code LOVELY at checkout.

Want a little extra loveliness in your life? Join our Patreon community this month and enjoy the camaraderie with other ladies who are trying to do more than just survive in these crazy days. We can’t wait to see you there!

May 13, 2020

Today on Cultivating the Lovely, host MacKenzie Koppa talks with Joy Eggerichs Reed, founder of Punchline Speakers. Joy and her husband Matthew live and work in Paris, France with their daughter Millie. MacKenzie and Joy just have a fun chat covering a wide range of topics including Joy’s fun Instagram stories, home birth and living in France during the pandemic. So sit back, relax and enjoy this lively conversation! 

Want a little extra loveliness in your life? Join our Patreon community this month and enjoy the camaraderie with other ladies who are trying to do more than just survive in these crazy days. We can’t wait to see you there!

  • Joy talks about how she and her husband ended up in Paris and what life is like there
  • MacKenzie talks about her experience being a single working mom while doing school at home as well
  • Joy shares how the quarantine has affected her family in Paris
  • How Joy has navigated not speaking French and having her babies in France following a more natural approach
  • MacKenzie shares a little about her own birth experiences and how she decided to have home births

If you don’t move to a place and have a posture of trying to laugh at things or try to understand them, then you will go crazy.

Joy Eggerichs Reed
  • Joy talks about making up an alter ego and voice for her daughter
  • How and why the Reeds chose to announce pregnancies later than most
  • The way the pandemic has changed Joy’s working life
  • How the Reeds ended up in their fantastic location

Current Lovelies-

Joy: spending time with Millie and making funny videos with her

MacKenzie: enjoying the flowers dropped off by her friends on May Day

Resources Mentioned-

Affiliate links are used in this content.

Movies:

Hook

Little Women

Podcasts:

The New York Times The Daily

Find Joy-

You can find Joy on her website PunchlineSpeakers.com. You can also follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Find MacKenzie-

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on InstagramFacebook, 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 Little Passports. As a CTL listener, you can get 15% OFF the price of any subscription when you use coupon code LOVELY at checkout.

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

May 6, 2020

This week on Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie Koppa and Chelle Bruzas sit down and have a little real talk about how to have a better Mother’s Day in this season of lockdown by setting realistic expectations. We want to encourage you during this challenging time in your parenting journey to be gracious with each other, look outside of yourself and find the bright side.

  • Talking to your family about what you would like for them to do
  • Making your own backup plans for food and treating yourself
  • Prepare yourself with realistic expectations of behavior
  • Celebrate your children’s efforts to do things for you
  • Chelle shares her heart for women for whom Mother’s Day is painful

The most perfectly worded Hallmark card will never hold a candle to personal words from someone.

MacKenzie Koppa
  • Some idea for gifting yourself and the other mothers in your life:
    • Flowers, of course!
    • Gift cards
    • Printed photos
    • Candles from a small business
    • Locally roasted coffee
    • Support small business
    • Books
  • Making time to say and write about your love for your mom
  • Plan for lighthearted fun and not take yourself so seriously
  • Be encouraged!
  • Giving and receiving forgiveness

The special deal to get in on all the online Patreon goodness for only $5/month is still going! Join now and enjoy being part of our rich, supportive online community!

Find Chelle-

You can find Chelle Bruzas on @chelle_bruzas.

Find MacKenzie-

You can find MacKenzie Koppa on InstagramFacebook, 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.

CTL is also brought to you 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.

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