Cultivating The Lovely- The Podcast

Welcome to the first episode of the Live Well Anyway Podcast with MacKenzie Koppa! If you came here from the Cultivating the Lovely podcast community, you are in the right place! In this introductory episode, MacKenzie has her dear friend (and new business partner!) Katie Duckett on the show to talk all about this relaunch. MacKenzie explains more about how and why this rebrand came about, as well as what you can expect from the podcast and the whole Live Well Anyway platform. Katie shares how she came to be part of this venture and a little about what her role will be on the podcast and in the Patreon community. LINKS MENTIONED: Sign up for MacKenzie’s newsletter “Well, anyway…” Sign up for Katie’s newsletter “Moving Into Light” Follow MacKenzie on Instagram @mackenziekoppa Follow Katie on Instagram @katiemduckett Katie’s website coming soon at KatieDuckett.com Live Well Anyway Facebook Group WHERE TO FIND THE SHOW Apple Podcasts Google Play Music Spotify Player FM JOIN US ON PATREON Live Well

This week on Cultivating the Lovely, host MacKenzie Koppa chats with Chrystal Evans Hurst. Chrystal is a wife, mom and grandmother who ministers to women and writes in the margins whenever she can. Today’s episode is a conversation centered on prayer and Chrystal’s new book The 28-Day Prayer Journey. (Affiliate links are used in this content.) Chrystal talks about prayer in terms of prioritizing communication The goal of The 28-Day Prayer Journey as a way to build a habit and a relationship Taking time several times throughout the day to pray and talk with God Doing the thing you need to do in order to learn to love doing that You learn to communicate with God by communicating with God. Chrystal Evans Hurst The power of prayer to change how you interact with your family and friends How Chrystal decided what aspects of the practice of prayer to include in the book Dealing with disappointed hopes and unanswered prayers Choosing to believe even when you don’t understand God’s ways The effectiveness of jou

On today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie talks with her good friend Katie Duckett about the challenges and changes of heading into the school year amidst the pandemic. They talk about being honest with what the school year is going to look like and how to make the best of difficult situations while valuing relationship with your children. How Katie’s school year is changing this year from what her family was expecting Check out MacKenzie’s Lovely Homeschool Course for help scheduling in the way that Katie talks about Katie’s struggle with burnout and changing seasons in her homeschooling journey MacKenzie talks about making the adjustment to public school with her kids Learning to trust God with your children when everything feels out of control Even now, with all of this being out of our control, we know that God is in control. Katie Duckett Watching your children rise up and learn resilience, fortitude, and perseverance Katie talks about watching her boys deal with the disappointment o

This week on Cultivating the Lovely, host MacKenzie Koppa chats with Kendra Adachi. Kendra is a writer and podcaster, as well as a wife and mother to three beautiful children. Today MacKenzie talks with Kendra about her new book The Lazy Genius Way and what it means to make it easier to do the things that bring you to life. (Affiliate links are used in this content.) What the basis is for the “Lazy Genius Way” Figuring out what matters to you and what you need to make the most of your time What MacKenzie loves about this book and why she thinks you need to read it Letting ourselves be honest about what it means to be a person with unique needs and wants Recognizing and naming what matters to you If you don’t name what matters underneath it all, you are just going to keep trying and being tired. Kendra Adachi   Observing your own life and noticing what works and what doesn’t work for you Stop using levels of order or messiness as a measure of morality How the book is broken down into principles for ever

On today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely, MacKenzie Koppa goes solo to give us all some coaching on how to get ready for a crazy new season heading into this fall. We know here at CTL that everyone’s routines are looking very different this year, so MacKenzie wants to help you get planned and prepped up to make the best of whatever situation you are facing. And if you want an even deeper dive into what this can look like for you, head over and join the CTL Patreon supporters to get daily content to guide you through your fall planning. What MacKenzie and her kids are going to have to deal with for schooling this year What are “the givens” you have to consider when planning? Meal planning This episode of Cultivating the Lovely is 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. Take some time on the weekends to plan out the coming week Using Trello as a planning tool Creating good routines for yo

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