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.
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!
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!
Check out Jamie's new book, If You Only Knew
Find Jamie on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter
Jamie's first Lighten Up episode, #3!
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!
Today, I’m talking with Sally Clarkson about her new book, The Lifegiving Table. I love Sally because she’s already raised her kids into fabulous, functioning adults with jobs and lives of their own and she gives me great hope that it’s possible to successfully raise decent human beings! Yay! Who else is super relieved to hear this today? She shares tons of ideas for getting our families around the dinner table and what a difference we can make with these small deposits of time over a lifetime. Also, Sally is giving away two copies of her book, so head over to my Instagram @UnexpectedMel to enter to win! No matter who is gathering around your table this year for the holidays, I know you’ll enjoy this conversation with Sally, so listen in and lighten up!
Anne Watson hosts the Declare Conference podcast and we had a blast today. We start the conversation with undies and vomit, but I promise it goes up from there. Anne's story is riveting, from getting bullied in high school to finding God in her 30s through pop culture, and she shares how she recently quit trying to be holy. We talk about battling insecurity and learning how to be yourself, and then we share our Christmas fails. Guys, Anne is that fun friend you can talk with about anything, so listen in and lighten up!
"Can we bring back chain smoking...because I feel like that's calming."
"I'm so tired of trying to be holy and look holy so I'm just gonna let it all hang out."
"Whoever I am is just not a surprise to God."
"We need a freakjob support group."
This is my sixth annual Slave-Free Christmas Challenge, so it feels like the right time to change things up a bit. Every year I blog about my favorite companies that help and not hurt people in the world, and this year my annual blog post is leaping from the screen into your ears. Since apparently I podcast now, let's podcast the crap outta this thing. As always, I have some fabulous companies to which I want to introduce you, and I've invited my friend Courtney DeFeo, author of In This House We Will Giggle, on the podcast to talk about them. We discuss our favorite products to give, what we're most excited about, and how giving gifts can brighten the lives of more than just the people receiving them. Courtney also shares great ideas to light up the people around you and inspire a heart for giving and service in our kids during the Christmas season. Listen in, and lighten up! And if you're not into podcasts but want the bare bones info about some of my favorites, don't worry - I've included the info below so you can click and shop.
Hey welcome to episode 51 of Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. Today Sarah Bragg from Surviving Sarah Podcast is joining me to talk about All the Thankfulness. Sheesh, I love talking to this girl so dang much. We chat about things we're thankful for, favorite Thanksgiving food, and favorite Thanksgiving traditions. I try to describe giblet gravy -- what is giblet gravy, what in fact is a giblet -- and we discuss our extremely different views on the best way to spend Thanksgiving morning. Also, we play Thanksgiving word associations. Happy Thanksgiving, listen in, and lighten up!
"Giving thanks is active. It's something that you do. It's not always a feeling."
Definition of husbandry and Definition of giblet (This is clearly a very educational show.)
Carpool Karaoke with Bruno Mars
Women Are Scary: The Totally Awkward Adventure of Finding Mom Friends
Hey welcome to episode 50 of Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. 50! We've made it to 50, guys, and I'm so excited that for the 50th episode I get to share my conversation with Chewbacca Mom Candace Payne with you. We've all seen her viral Facebook video wearing the Chewbacca mask, and it's impossible not to laugh right along with her. We do a lot of laughing together on the show, and talk about her happy Chewbacca tattoo, her lofty goal before she turns 40 (hint: it involves Michael Jackson's "Thriller"), being on the Late Late Show with James Corden, and her theories about The Last Jedi. We also chat about her faith journey, experiencing homelessness as a child, her new book, Laugh It Up, and how we can embrace defiant joy in the middle of hard times.
Today's sponsor is b.a.r.e. soaps! Use LIGHTEN15 for 15% off. Also, they're giving away a BARE Kindness Box to one lucky listener. To enter to win, leave a review of the show on iTunes this week.
Hey welcome to episode 49 of Lighten Up with Melanie Dale! Today I'm talking with poet and author Amena Brown. You guys I love her. She shares with us her process of writing and performing her spoken word poem about miscarriage, called "Mothers of Invisible Children." And then somehow we segue from hard stuff into light and laughter. We tell stories about our awkward relationships, awkward coworkers, awkward church people, favorite albums we own on vinyl, why she wrote How to Fix a Broken Record, food rules for a happy marriage, and what it's like to really be yourself. Whether you're heading to the office or your office is the laundry room, listen in and lighten up!
Today's sponsor is b.a.r.e. soaps! Use LIGHTEN15 for 15% off. Also, they're giving away a BARE Kindness Box of soaps to one lucky listener. To enter to win, leave a review of the show on iTunes this week.
Check out Amena's book, How To Fix a Broken Record: Thoughts on Vinyl Records, Awkward Relationships, and Learning to Be Myself
Amena on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
Open mic nights in Atlanta: Urban Grind and Curate
Destiny - The Jacksons
A Seat at the Table - Solange
Melanie and Kendall Ashley and talk about their favorite Halloween costumes from childhood and adulthood, trick or treating etiquette, their feelings on haunted houses and horror movies, favorite and least favorite candy, and favorite Halloween traditions. Melanie says in the episode, "I just love creepy things. Creepy things are my favorite." So let the Halloweenie fun wash over you like a river of Ghostbustery slime, listen in, and lighten up!
Melanie Dale turns 40 this week and can't think of a better person to process this milestone with than her bestie Chantel Adams. Chantel is the owner of Forever We, which connect kids with a story with families who care. They cover everything about aging -- weird growths on your skin, perceptions of getting old, midlife crises, favorite things about getting older, lessons they’ve learned, Melanie’s husband's month of gifts, and a fun game of growing older word associations.
Melanie talks with Shauna Shanks about receiving the unexpected honor of “Ohio’s Exemplary Citizen.” No seriously, that’s a thing, and don’t you wish you could get random awards in the mail from your state? They also talk about her brief obsession with making fancy pop tarts, building a house out of shipping containers, and of course her book, A Fierce Love, about her husband’s infidelity and how her marriage healed from the brink of divorce one step at a time. Whether you’re married or not, divorced or not, her personal story is inspiring and beautiful and you’re gonna love getting to know her a little bit here on the show, so listen in and lighten up.
Melanie talks with Tricia Goyer, author of more than SEVENTY BOOKS, including her newest, Walk It Out. She shares about getting mistaken for a Parisian prostitute, her daughter trying to be emo to freak her out, adopting kids out of birth order, her heart for teen moms and being a teen mom herself, how she writes so many books, and advice she has for writers!
Melanie talks with Sharon Hodde Miller, author of Free of Me: Why Life Is Better When It's Not about You. They chat about their love of caffeine, women doing amazing things while pregnant, PhDs, and she shares a totally embarrassing story of falling asleep in class. They also talk about resisting cynicism, unleashing women in leadership, and her new book, so listen in and lighten up!