Info

Lighten Up with Melanie Dale

Author Melanie Dale is perpetually trying to figure out how we can all calm the heck down about parenting, friendship, getting older, and the world around us. Each episode she chats with a friend about ways we can let go and lighten up.
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
2020
December
September
August
April
March
February
January


2019
October
September
August
July
June


2018
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April


All Episodes
Archives
Now displaying: January, 2018

Lighten Up with Melanie Dale

I use laughter as a coping strategy for life’s messes and this podcast to externally process everything going on in my mind, from books to the zombie apocalypse. Each episode I invite a friend to join me and we discuss hot topics, relationships, faith, trends, books, movies, and the latest developments on important things like Netflix and Twitter. I ask them how they lighten up and how they’re sharing the light in their communities. My goal is for you to feel like you’re sitting in the room with us while we eat Nerds Ropes, cackle hysterically, and solve all the world’s problems.
Jan 30, 2018

What is the most exciting thing about your favorite TV show? It's when they do a crossover episode with your other favorite TV show, right? When Flash has a crossover with Supergirl, when The Walking Dead has a crossover with Fear the Walking Dead...it's very exciting. Well, I am a fan of Surviving Sarah Podcast, and the host Sarah Bragg is one of my favorite people. We have cooked up monthly crossover episodes for you guys where we take a topic and talk about how to lighten up about it on my show and how to survive it on her show. And today is the first one! We're talking about how we can lighten up about friendships, the challenges of maintaining friendships as we move into new life stages or locations, believing the best in each other, setting expectations for our friendships, and how developing friendships is an important part of self care. We're going to flip the script and ask, "How can I be a good friend?" rather than "How can I get a good friend?" If you have a friend, want a friend, or are a friend, there's something here for everyone, so listen in, and lighten up!

Links from the show:

Jan 23, 2018

Listen, can I be totally honest with you? I think January can be such a killer for comparison. It's the hardest time of the year for me when it come to feeling discontent and bummed out about my life. I look around and see everybody taking the year by storm, and my kids just had one million snow days and all I want to do is watch Netflix all day and stay in my jammies. I look around at what everyone else is doing and feel like a hopeless slug. So today I got up and showered, yes -- sometimes that's the start of a brand new mood -- I went to yoga, prayed with a friend, sat down to edit this show, and I feel better. I recorded this episode a few weeks ago and guys, it was exactly what I needed today to lighten up and put a smile on my face, so I hope you enjoy it too. In today's episode I'm talking with counselor and author Holley Gerth about all kinds of things. The results of her extensive research on where you get the best jeans, her incredible story of adopting an adult out of foster care, being a brand new grandmother, and her new book, Fiercehearted, experiencing depression, and her Fiercehearted manifesto. Also, we cover some basics of chicken anatomy.

Links from the show:

Jan 16, 2018

Hey welcome to episode 57 of Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. Guys, Alex just showed me how to download the Netflix app to my phone. Oh. My gosh. Why didn't you guys tell me? I may never read or write a book again. I'm going to be a professional TV watcher. Isn't technology terrifyingly awesome? I am currently binge-watching Supernatural, so I am filled with all kinds of fear right now and assume that my toaster is possessed by an evil bread-burning spirit and Linda Blair is living under my bed. Luckily, today I have Alli Worthington on the show to talk about fear. In addition to my Netflix-inspired fear we also all struggle with real fear from time to time. Alli has a new book out called Fierce Faith: A Woman's Guide to Fighting Fear, Wrestling Worry, and Overcoming Anxiety. If you're struggling with fear and anxiety, you definitely want to listen to this episode because Alli unpacks a whole practical guide to battling fear. And speaking of battle, we totally talk about Star Wars, too. Since we recorded this right before The Last Jedi came out, please enjoy our timey whimey predictions and laugh at us worrying about whether or not Rey would go to the Dark Side. We were very concerned about Kylo Ren. If you've seen the movie, you know the truth now. Whether you're dealing with fear, fearing Kylo Ren, or have never seen Star Wars, listen in and lighten up!

Links from the show:

Jan 9, 2018

Hey welcome to episode 56 of Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. Today I'm talking with Jamie Ivey, host of The Happy Hour Podcast. Guys, I got to laughing so hard while I was editing this show that I had to hit pause. We had the best time together. We talk about fancy yurts at the glamping retreat center she owns, and she tells a story about when her manicurist asked her to testify in court. We unpack our views on the Southwest Airlines check-in line and share stories of people on planes. You guys...people on planes are weird. And then we discuss her new book, If You Only Knew. We talk about everything. Her story, growing up Christian, getting pregnant in college, pornography, dealing with shame, forgiveness, and finding safe places to confide our stories. If you feel trapped in your past and want to break free from shame, Jamie shares great advice, so listen in, and lighten up!

Links from the show:

Check out Jamie's new book, If You Only Knew

Find Jamie on FacebookInstagram, or Twitter

Jamie's first Lighten Up episode, #3!

Green Acres Camp

 

Jan 2, 2018

Happy New Year, guys. Today I’m talking with my very favorite person on the planet, Alex Dale. Alex owns Loudmark, a strategic marketing and design company, but most importantly he’s been married to me for almost 18 years, bless his heart. We share our tips and ideas for 2018 in ten categories - parenting, marriage, character, beauty, food, exercise, friends, work, technology, and faith - something for everyone! Also, in what is probably the most guy-centric moment in Lighten Up history, he shares his remedy for swamp-ass. So anyway, come on over to our house, through the interwebz, join Alex and me for a cup of coffee, listen in, and lighten up! 

Links from the Show

1