Cultivating The Lovely- The Podcast

On today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie sits down, live and in person, with her best friend Rebekah Sacran. They chatted about how their friendship began, how they grew their relationship online, and what has been going on in each other’s lives since the last time Rebekah was on the podcast. Sit back, relax and enjoy this encouraging episode all about friendship. How MacKenzie and Rebekah met through Periscope The difference it makes to meet an online friend in person Why MacKenzie and Rebekah decided to get together, even in the middle of the pandemic The extra challenges Rebekah’s family faced during the height of lockdowns Dealing with her husband’s bipolar and side effects of treatment Sometimes you need to have an intervention for your friends. MacKenzie Koppa MacKenzie and Rebekah’s bad haircut stories The story of how MacKenzie’s family is adopting a dog Go watch Leeann and Michelle’s Enneagram Types “Back to School” video Find Rebekah- You can find Rebekah Sacran on Instagram

This week on the Cultivating the Lovely podcast, MacKenzie chats with her friend Sara Henkosky. Sara is a wife and mom to 3 children 4 and under. She and her husband love to serve people through hospitality and are now looking forward to a new adventure as missionaries to Vanuatu. MacKenzie asks Sarah how this journey to becoming missionaries began How Sarah and her husband are preparing to go to Vanuatu Sarah describes the island situation and where they will be living Language learning and travel preparations Considering homeschooling and what supplies she needs to take It’s so exciting to know that we can just trust God and watching Him work and do what He does best. Sarah Henkoski Waiting and watching God work out the details How Sarah feels about being a mom and missionary at the same time Bridging the disconnect that can happen between overseas families and friends Visit IGOVanuatu.org to learn more about the mission A typical day for Sarah and her family Current Lovelies- Sarah: listening to p

Today on Cultivating the Lovely the Podcast, MacKenzie Koppa sits down with her dear friend Katie Duckett to talk about some of the things they are loving this summer. In order to take their minds off the craziness going on in the world, they are both finding some small lovelies to hold onto and stay joyful in the midst of challenging times. Of course, this conversation wouldn't be complete without MacKenzie talking about her love for Hamilton  Katie talks about her family's newfound love of the show Lost MacKenzie talks about her reaction to watching The Morning Show  What MacKenzie has been reading and enjoying  Katie shares what she has been reading lately Giving ourselves grace to consume and produce different content in different seasons Making sure we have balance in what media we are consuming and paying attention to how it affects us Katie and MacKenzie talk about some of the things they miss about their pre-pandemic schedules Katie talks about her gratitude for Alexa  Katie's current favorite drin

On today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie talks with her good friend Chelle Bruzas about making a house a home and creating spaces that minister to your family and friends. Chelle and her family have moved houses several times, and she has some great ideas to share with us about how to invest in your house and make it truly your own. (Affiliate links are used in this content.) Asking questions on how to make your house a place of ministry to others Chelle talks about accepting the gift that is their new home MacKenzie asks Chelle to explain her process of embracing a space Thinking about what styles she likes Learning how different details change a space’s appearance Pinning room photos that strike her as appealing and curating those boards Chelle mentions the paint color “Agreeable Gray” by Sherwin Williams Thinking about how to best use the space functionally for doing what they love How do I make those people who come through the doors of our home feel welcome and love, seen and know

We have something a little different for you on Cultivating the Lovely the Podcast this week. Today MacKenzie is doing a solo show and sharing with us how she is handling the hard things in life right now. She also wants to personally invite you to join in with “Take Back Your Life July” and the accountability groups coming up in Patreon next month. (Affiliate links are used in this content.) Why MacKenzie decided to do this particular episode at this time What working through the attributes of God in Sara Hagerty’s Adore study has done in MacKenzie’s heart If you haven’t listened to it yet, you can go back and listen to Sara’s interview on CTL Episode 160 When we can allow our doubts and fears to be exposed to Him, God is gentle with us. MacKenzie Koppa MacKenzie reads Psalm 37 and Psalm 73 Keeping a long-range perspective and remembering God's truth Ways that MacKenzie has been dealing practically with hard times: Journalling thoughts and prayers Leaning into counsel from trusted friends Tapping

On today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie talks with her good friend Katie Duckett all about the little things they are doing to recapture that sense of who they are as individuals. This episode is all about recovering from challenging times, and even thriving in the midst of them. We hope this conversation will leave you encouraged! MacKenzie shares about writing a list of the things that make her feel like herself The value of this time to re-evaluate what aspects of our lives are really important to us Katie and MacKenzie share the little “vanities” that they had to grapple with when they were taken away The importance of regular anchor points to fill our souls What makes us each feel alive is unique and different MacKenzie tells how she recognized how important it is to her to have outside activities How a sort of home church has developed among MacKenzie’s group of friends We have a God who loves to give us good gifts, and He knows our hearts and what we need. Katie Duckett The littl

On today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie talks with her good friend Chelle Bruzas about joy, hope and creating fun in the middle of really hard stuff in our current world. This is not meant to trivialize the huge issues going on right now, but to encourage you to find the light in the darkness and give your mind a break from the stress. So listen in, stop scrolling, maybe take a walk, and listen in to this uplifting conversation. (Affiliate links are used in this content.) Chelle talks about checking in on others and loving on new neighbors Looking back and seeing how God has given us grace for the hard days Holding our vision of the future loosely and surrendering to the Lord Doing something out of the ordinary to shake up the monotony Make it a priority to build community and be the friend you need Taking in beauty in the out of doors Find ways to have a gentler routine and a reward at the end of the day Joy will make us stronger and more capable of dealing with all the heavy things arou

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 decisio

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

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

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 birth

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

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 wor

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-cen

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 h

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 add

On the Cultivating the Lovely podcast this week, MacKenzie Koppa talks with author Sara Hagerty about her newest book, Adore: A Simple Practice for Experiencing God in the Middle Minutes of Your Day. Sara is a wife and a mother to 7 children, 4 adopted and 3 biological. MacKenzie and Sara talk about what it means to adore God in the middle of our busy lives, plus so much more. We hope this conversation encourages you in the midst of this chaotic time in all our lives. Sara talks about the importance of slowing down and reconnecting with the Lord Seeing this time as a gift because we have been given a new perspective on our lives Coming to God with your real, raw emotion, asking Him to speak back to you We have to go to God and be vulnerable with Him in order to allow Him to work in us Adore is really about finding God when you are weak Adoration is the nexus of my raw emotions and the truth of Who God is. Sara Hagerty Learning to feel our emotions and still go to God for what you are supposed to do wi

On this week’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie Koppa and her dear friend Chelle Bruzas sit down for a casual chat about how they are dealing with the current situation due to the corona virus. They share some encouragement, ideas and resources for you and your family to weather these uncertain times. We hope it will be a helpful and uplifting conversation! (Affiliate links are used in this content.) Chelle shares some thoughts from the Psalms Jennifer Dukes Lee’s ideas for being the light MacKenzie talks about how the lessons she learned over the last 2 years have prepared her for the present MacKenzie and Chelle’s Amazon Corona Survival Kit Health tips for staying healthy Vitamin C Alka Calm Vitamin D Care/Of Quick Sticks (use code LOVELY for discount!) Fresh air and exercise Epsom salt baths Cold plunging Throat lozenges Colloidal Silver nasal spray Green Juice powder Collagen peptides Grounding Those who live in the shelter of the Most High     will find rest in the shadow of the

Today on Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie sits down for a chat with her good friend Rebekah Sacran. They spend some time just catching up with each other, sharing some things they are loving here at the beginning of spring, and more. So sit back, relax and listen in on this fun, random conversation! (Affiliate links are used in this content.) What’s new in Rebekah’s life and why her life feels like everything is in transition How MacKenzie is dealing with the new parenting plan and other changes post-divorce MacKenzie’s ideas for automating her healthy eating plan If I can get the planning in place, then I think I can follow through. MacKenzie Koppa Rebekah’s current favorites in skin care: Teddie Organic Rose Hip Oil Ole Henriksen Vitamin C serum Rodan and Field Redefine Eye Cream Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum Using frankincense essential oil for blemishes MacKenzie’s current favorites in skin care: Paula’s Choice Vitamin C serum Paula’s Choice BHA exfoliant Trying out the Gua Sha techniqu

On the Cultivating the Lovely podcast this week, MacKenzie Koppa sits down for a chat with Anne Bogel. You probably know Anne from her blog Modern Mrs. Darcy or her podcast What Should I Read Next. Today's conversation centers around Anne's newest book Don't Overthink It. This is book about more than just decision-making, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this chat that has a little something for everyone! How and why Anne came to write a book about overthinking things Why MacKenzie loves Anne’s tips about how to stop overthinking everything How overthinking derails us when we have to deal with small problems The crucial connection between our physical bodies and surroundings and our ability to think clearly Sometimes if we don’t know what we really need, we can actively sabotage ourselves. Anne Bogel The concept of tending the garden of our thought lives Talking about overthinking in terms of trauma Every day decision fatigue and the little things that drain our mental energy Thinking of outsourcing as mo