The Turquoise Table Podcast With Kristin Schell

We love to talk about community around the table, about fostering connection with people on our streets and in our neighborhoods. But we get really inspired when we see people take their Turquoise Table gatherings to the next level by getting together to create connection beyond their neighborhoods. That’s why we’re excited this week to share an opportunity with you on how you can easily organize a gathering that brightens the lives of children in other countries by packing simple shoeboxes full of toys and goodies. Each year, Operation Christmas Child delivers hundreds of thousands of these shoeboxes, filled by volunteers, to kids all over the world, spreading a message of love in the process. And to tell us how meaningful this little gift can be, we’re thrilled to have Yuliya Shubina and Gracie O’Laughlin from Operation Christmas Child on the show to tell us all about the program and how we can participate. Just wait until you hear Yuliya’s story—when she was 9 years old, she received a shoebox that changed

Busyness takes a toll on everyone. Sometimes it takes calling your own bra at the airport to realize you desperately need to slow down. That moment launched Alli Worthington into a year-long quest to change her pace and to begin cultivating a life filled with more contentment. Alli is a speaker, a business couch, an entrepreneur, an author, and a podcaster. On top of that, she’s also a wife and a mother of five sons. Needless to say, she’s got a lot going on. Her latest book is The Year of Living Happy: Finding Contentment and Connection in a Crazy World. And on today’s episode, Alli dives in and gives us practical tips, ideas, and lessons she learned in her fifty-two weeks of striving to live with more happiness. You’ll definitely want to follow Alli’s suggestion and make a “Stop-Doing” list today—it’ll change your life. And y'all be sure to listen all the way to the end, because Alli is going to share her husband Mark’s killer stir-fry recipe, then I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes that will go fabulou

We all know the benefits of hospitality: human connection, community building, relationship bonding. However, our ability to be hospitable can have a larger effect—one that brings awareness to the plight of others and leads us into ways we can help limit human suffering. One issue that gets a lot of attention on a global scale is the issue of human trafficking, but what many of us don’t realize this huge problem isn’t just happening overseas, but in our own backyards. Law enforcement says the number-one way to fight human trafficking is to raise awareness around the issue. That’s why today’s guest, Terri Ingraham, founded the nonprofit beLydia, which empowers women to raise awareness around human trafficking. beLydia equips people to facilitate ways to talk about this issue and learn what it looks like in your neighborhood, what to do if you see it, and how you can help prevent it. In our discussion today, Terri is going to educate and inform us, and walk us through how we can fight this problem by opening up

We need to feel like we belong before we can extend an invitation to others. That’s what today’s guest at the Turquoise Table, Whitney Bell, reminded Kristin a few Sundays ago as Whitney gave a sermon at Kristin’s church. Whitney is the middle school ministry director at Kristin’s church in Austin, and she’s guided not only Kristin’s four kids, but scores of middle schoolers in her tenure. And whether you’re in the trenches with teens or looking for more inspiration on how to love deep, you’ll drink deeply from Whitney’s advice. Today Whitney and Kristin talk about practical and creative ways to connect with your teen, even when they shy away from deep conversations, and why it’s important for kids to have trusted adults in their lives in addition to their parents. Kristin and Whitney share insight not only for those of us with teens, but wisdom we can all take away about the power of connection: sometimes the best way to love someone is to sit with them and be, accepting them just as they are. And be sure to

Natasha Red grew up loving food and hospitality. But when she married and started a family of her own, as Natasha says, “It was like everything I knew about feeding myself and my family just blew up.” Natasha found it impossible to create the beautiful, healthy dinners she was once did and care for a fussy newborn. She noticed other moms were as overwhelmed as she was, and she knew she had to do something about it. Out of that need, Natasha created the Seasonal Meal Planner, an adaptable system to help women organize meals and create an intentional plan for hospitality. You’ll love meeting Natasha and hearing all about how she plans meals for her family. You’ll be encouraged by all the great things she has to say about feeding ourselves and our loved ones, and why it’s so important to have people over, even in the season of temper tantrums at Target and crushed Cheerios in the carpet. And you’ll definitely want to make her easy chili and delicious paleo cornbread, perfect for game days and chilly fall nights

In 2011 Joplin, Missouri, was devastated by an EF-5 tornado. The storm ripped up 15 miles of the town, killing 161 people. Turquoise Table community member Ann Leach survived, but lost everything. Ann tells us her remarkable story of rebuilding after the storm, the miracle of the human spirit, and the beauty of a community coming together to survive and thrive. A grief counselor and life coach, Ann gives us tips on how to help those in our community who are hurting, what to say when you have no idea how to say it, and how we can find hope in the most dire situations.

In today’s fast-paced world, keeping a Sabbath can seem impossible. Where do we find the time to rest? How does Sabbath work in a life filled with notifications? Enter Shelly Miller, an expert Sabbath Keeper and author of the popular book Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World. Shelly takes us through Sabbath Keeping 101 and tells us how her journey began with cleaning up Christmas decorations, how Sabbath Keeping helps us offer hospitality, and why napkins can help us celebrate. And stay tuned to the end of the episode, when Shelly and Kristin dish on their favorite one-pot and slow cooker meals!

When we open our homes to hospitality, how do our day-to-day lives change? Jen Schmidt is the popular lifestyle blogger behind Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, and she’s the author of the brand-new book Just Open the Door: How One Invitation Can Change a Generation. Jen is Kristin’s kindred spirit, and today they trade tidbits of wisdom about shepherding guests into their homes. And stay tuned to the very end of the episode, where Jen reveals her favorite ways to get folks to the table (hint: brunch is involved).

Lauren Flake is Lauren is an author and blogger from Austin, TX, and a member of our Turquoise Table community. Lauren has been using her table in really powerful, special ways since she lost her mother Dixie to early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Today Lauren shares her story and walks us through what community looked like for her during and after her mother’s illness. She gives us first-hand advice on how not to fix the problem, but how to show up to simply be present with those who are grieving, and what that looks like.

What does “loving the stranger” mean? And how do we start a friendship with someone who seems so different from us? Today’s guest, Rosaria Butterfield, gives us the first step: practicing “radically ordinary hospitality.” Rosaria is an author, speaker, pastor’s wife, and homeschool mom in Durham, North Carolina. Her newest book The Gospel Comes with a Key tells how Rosaria and her husband Kent use their home as a mission field as they dine with guests every night, and how they’ve opened their not-really-a-spare-bedroom to house guests. Rosaria shares the struggle of becoming a bridge for hospitality, the crippling pain of loneliness, why she kept a man running meth lab in her neighborhood as her house guest, and her recipe for a hearty minestrone soup. ---------------------------------------------- Show Sponsor: Shipt: Grocery Delivery The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World by Rosaria Butterfield

Thanks to social media, it’s never been easier to compare ourselves to others—and feel ashamed our lives don’t look like the sparkly ones we see on our phone screens. In this episode, Kristin sits down with bestselling authors and entrepreneurs, Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan, to talk about their new devotional Always Enough, Never Too Much and how we can stop struggling with comparison and hiding our flaws, and how to live more authentically. Jess and Hayley also divulge how their friendship blossomed online, who women are really comparing themselves to (spoiler alert: it’s not Rihanna), and how they create connection and community through their businesses.

Kristen Welch is a busy mother of three who runs the popular blog “We Are That Family” (WeAreThatFamily.com), in addition to a non-profit called Mercy Global House. In 2010, Kristen traveled with Compassion International on a trip to write about poverty in a huge slum. That experience turned her world upside down and led her and her family to start Mercy Global House--an organization that helps empower women and families in Kenya. Kristen wishes to give every family the tools to experience what it’s like to answer the call of the needs in our world, creating community with those in need, and in turn, raising up a new generation of “givers.” Kristen is the author of several books--her latest being Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World. Stay tuned for the entire episode and hear about gift package giveaway featuring Kristen’s new book!    ---------------------------------------------- Show Sponsor: Shipt: Grocery Delivery

Food blogger & cookbook author Bri McKoy wasn’t always a great cook. She didn’t really cook at all until the moment she realized what a gift it was to be able to feed her family and others. Bri discovered the true joy serving others with food and with hospitality.  As she moved from food fails into cooking smart, she started her wildly popular food blog: OurSavoryLife.com. Focusing on paleo eating. Far from hardcore about diet, Bri realizes that every now and then you’ve got to have nachos and wings to keep life interesting. Her new book is called Come and Eat was born of a desire to lean into the idea of an everyday table, to pass on the abundance of her life to others, and to serve wherever she can. Whether God calls you to Ecuador or to your own front yard, Bri encourages us to “go get the neighbors,” and break bread together.

This week we talk with the guru of freezer to table meals - Polly Conner. Polly will be walking us through how to easily make freezer meals ahead of time and serve them up to your table like a pro. She’ll also tell us about how to start your own “freezer clubs” where you and your neighbors can cook together to provide a week of meals for you and your families while creating community in the kitchen. Polly and her business partner Rachel have written about this great way to plan meals in their book "From Freezer to Table."  They also head up the Thriving Home Blog which has incredible resources for busy moms. This episode will revolutionize the way you look at meal prep and give you time to actually enjoy dinners with your family. ---------------------------------------------- Show Sponsor: Shipt: Grocery Delivery Today's Guests & Featured Product:Polly Conner & Rachel Tiemeyer’s ThrivingHomeBlog.com Freezer to Table: 75+ Simple, Whole Foods Recipies for Gathering, Cooking, and Sharing Cookbook  

Today Kristin visits with another kindred spirit in the “gathering well” tribe--Amy Hannon.  After almost 13 years as a wedding stationer, Amy pursued her dream of opening a kitchen boutique in her community. Amy shares about her new venture, and the namesake of the enterprise--her grandmother Euna Mae--and the unique legacy she created around gatherings that left a lifetime imprint on Amy.  She and Kristin also discuss the difference between “hospitality” and “entertaining” and encourage us to never shy away from get-togethers because of a crazy season of life we may be facing. They both admit that they are chronic non bed-makers, and are totally okay with just shutting the door when they have company. Together, they implore us that we don’t have to the perfect hostesses, cooks, entertainers, housekeepers--or whatever other ideals we’re trying to live up to--to have people over to our homes. Kristin’s Kitchen segment features a recipe from Amy’s new book, Love Welcome Serve: Recipes that Gather and Give. ---

A continuation of our table talk with Kristin’s actual real-life neighbors, discussing how they continue to foster community after first coming together years ago.  You’ll hear honest interaction about the vulnerability of “putting yourself out there” as a neighbor, and how introverts and extroverts approach getting to know one another. Kristin’s Kitchen segment features one of Kristin’s favorite “go-to” recipes--so easy that the most difficult part of the recipe is using a can-opener!

This week's episode features Part 1 of Kristin live at the Turquoise Table talking to her own neighbors about how they got to know each other. Through a few simple steps of outreach, their community and neighborhood flourished as neighbors took the initiative to be welcoming, hospitable and accessible. Listen in on their conversation, which is full of advice to those of us who really want to know our neighbors, but don't know where to start. You'll love hearing about where they started and where they are today--and how we can all create greater connection on our own street.

Ever wonder how you could be a better neighbor, but don’t know where to start? Help has arrived!  Dave Runyon is the author of “The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door.” Dave’s experience with neighboring goes deep—in 2010 as pastor at Foothills Community Church and the Next Level Church, he launched a neighboring movement that mobilized over 70 churches and 40,000 people in the Denver Metro area and reshaped the community to become closer. We’ll learn about the benefits of this kind of connection, and how, with a few simple steps, you can build better relationships right outside your front door. In this episodes Kristin’s Kitchen segment, Kristin walks us through her super easy banana bread recipe--her go to gift for meeting new neighbors. She talks about how this simple offering goes a long way not only in starting new relationships, but showing our neighbors that we care.

The Turquoise Table Podcast welcomes our guest for Episode 2 who is a kindred spirit; she loves and honors the joys of gathering at the table as much as we do! Shauna Niequist is a New York Times best-selling author whose books include Bread & Wine, Savor & Present Over Perfect. She talks about the special bonds that are created over meeting across from each other at the table. She gives us simple tips on hospitality,  easy recipes to follow for any level of cook, and lets us in on her cooking club--a gathering of friends who take turns hosting and cooking. In Kristin’s Kitchen today, we’ll walk through the steps to create Shauna’s Magical White Bean Soup while Kristin shares wisdom from Shauna on how some foods, like soup (and fulfilling connection around the table) evoke comfort, bring warmth, and soothe our souls.  

Welcome to The Turquoise Table Podcast with Kristin Schell. Kristin’s guest in our debut episode is Thomas Farley, better known as Mister Manners. Thomas is an etiquette expert, speaker, and author who inspires audiences across America. He’s perhaps best known as the beloved guest in his role as Mister Manners on NBC The Today Show. Kristin and Thomas talk about what it means to be a good neighbor and Thomas gives tips on simple ways to get around barriers that keep us from knowing the people who live near us whether home is the upper West Side of NYC or suburban America. Emphasizing that face-to-face communication is always to be prized over digital connection, Thomas encourages us all to put “people over pixels,” and that life is much sweeter when we are in community with each other. In Kristin’s Kitchen segment this week, sponsored by Shipt!, Kristin shares her grandmother’s delicious and easy chocolate sheet cake recipe. While she whips up the decadent cake, Kristin invites you to think about the rhythm o