The Fountains of Carrots Podcast

Are women’s lives and aspirations over when they have children? Of course not. Our culture seems to claim two options: kids or career. But there are plenty of women who challenge this narrative (and plenty of people on both sides who are threatened when it’s challenged)! In this episode Dr. Jennifer Frey shares about an amazing woman who inspires her: famous Catholic philosopher and mother of seven, Elizabeth Anscombe. Dr. Frey is is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of South Carolina, a fellow of the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America, and a fellow of the Word on Fire Institute.  Her writing has also been featured in Evangelization and Culture, First Things, Fare Forward, Image, Law and Liberty, The Point, and USA Today. She is also the host of a literature, philosophy, and theology podcast, titled Sacred and Profane Love. She lives in Columbia, SC, with her husband, six children, and six chickens. Today we’re discussing attitudes toward mothers in academic programs, journalism, and even the Supreme Court! We explore what makes Elizabeth Anscombe such an extraordinary philosopher and an amazing inspiration. We touch on why role models who are so important to us as women and mothers and how expectations about parenting have changed dramatically since Anscombe’s time. So grab a cup of tea and enjoy this lively conversation! Sponsor Today’s episode is sponsored by Evergreen Planner. The Evergreen Planner is not only fully customizable—it’s thoughtfully engineered to organize your mind, cultivate a working memory around your priorities, and increase your productivity. It was developed by work-at-home-moms who needed a planner that would empower them to make progress on their biggest goals in a way that blessed their homes. From building household rhythms, to tracking business projects, to planning homeschool lessons, the planner’s usefulness is truly limitless. They are passionate about getting the planner into the hands of as many women as possible, knowing that God has put each of us on this earth with eternal purpose. The Evergreen Planner system has a minimalist aesthetic and is comprised of three unique pieces:● An Annual booklet where you can see your year at a glance with plenty of blank space to make it your own.● A Monthly booklet with space to plan both your week and each day in a completely customizable way. The Monthly booklets come subscription-box style each quarter with curated planner accessories.● And a genuine leather Cover that binds the booklets into one cohesive unit. From now until June 10th, the doors are open on their planner subscription box. Use the code “fountainsofcarrots” to get their Annual booklet for free when you subscribe to their Monthly system at EvergreenPlanner.com. You can also find them on Instagram @EvergreenPlanner.

It’s been the worst of both worlds lately. We are all carrying extra grief due to the loss of loved ones, friends, and our pre-pandemic way of life. Whether people or dreams that we’ve lost, we’re mourning. And yet, all our normal mourning rituals have been disrupted due the the nature of this crisis. We need to grieve, and yet, we’re struggling to do the communal mourning we need. Our friend Rakhi McCormick has experienced this grief acutely as she lost her mother early in 2020 to Covid. Now she’s helping create a community of mourners who can walk alongside each other in grief and prayer–even when we’re isolated. Rakhi is a mom of three, a writer, a speaker, and the artist behind the lovely shop Rakstar Designs. In this episode we unpack the things that have made the past year so difficult. And we discuss why mourning rituals are so important to the human experience! We are designed to live in community–when this is disrupted we all long for it. We certainly weren’t meant to carry our sorrows alone. Rakhi has such wisdom and hope even in sufferings. We ponder how the Church can do better in this moment to reach a suffering world and how we can be the Church to others either next door or across the world. So grab a cup of tea and enjoy this beautiful conversation! Sponsor Today’s episode is sponsored by House of Joppa, a Catholic gift shop that exists to share the beauty of our Catholic faith in our homes through a variety of home decor pieces, Catholic art, Saint candles, statues, paper goods and beautifully crafted jewelry.   Why House of Joppa? “What’s in a name?” as Shakespeare so famously asked.  House of Joppa is rooted in scripture. Acts 9:36-42 tells the story of a faithful disciple named Tabitha from Joppa who was known for her good works and helping the poor.  In a few short verses, Scripture tells us the miraculous story of how Tabitha died and was raised to life again by St. Peter.  The story spread throughout the region and “many believed in the Lord.”   House of Joppa is designed to inspire you to live your faith boldly in a world in such desperate need of beauty and that by doing so, many will come to believe in our Lord! About Our Products Every House of Joppa product is curated from artisans throughout the world, many of whom share our Catholic faith. They make wonderful gifts for special occasions or to simply raise the spirits of a friend who needs a little reminder of their faith. Head on over to House of Joppa and get 15% off with discount code CARROTS15 Connect with Rakhi: *

Why is New Age spirituality so appealing to millennials (and other generations!)? What is it about human beings that makes us wired for spirituality and a desire to know that we are significant in the universe–even when we reject religious faith? We’re chatting about everything from looking to the stars for meaning to looking to personality types for meaning and what’s at the heart of these longings with Matt Nelson! Matt is a full-time Fellow of the Word on Fire Institute. He is the author of Just Whatever: How to Help the Spiritually Indifferent Find Beliefs That Really Matter (Catholic Answers Press, 2018), and the forthcoming book On the Far Side of Reason (Word on Fire Press, 2022). In 2019, he moved from Saskatchewan to Texas with his wife Amanda and their three children–(and Christy and Haley got to meet Amanda at the Raspberry Cordial Gathering!) . In this episode we dive into a thought-provoking piece Matt wrote recently about New Ageism and we chat about Madeleine L’Engle’s take on the subject. We also discuss why we’re all fascinated by personality types like Myers-Briggs, the four temperaments, or the Enneagram–and how to be aware of the limits (and potential pitfalls) of these ways of understanding and categorizing ourselves. And we talk about how to evangelize a culture that rejects organized religion but is still drawn to spirituality. So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the conversation! Things we talked about: The Vatican’s document: Jesus Christ, the Bearer of the Water of Life Sponsor Today’s episode is sponsored by House of Joppa, a Catholic gift shop that exists to share the beauty of our Catholic faith in our homes through a variety of home decor pieces, Catholic art, Saint candles, statues, paper goods and beautifully crafted jewelry.   Why House of Joppa? “What’s in a name?” as Shakespeare so famously asked.  House of Joppa is rooted in scripture. Acts 9:36-42 tells the story of a faithful disciple named Tabitha from Joppa who was known for her good works and helping the poor.  In a few short verses, Scripture tells us the miraculous story of how Tabitha died and was raised to life again by St. Peter.  The story spread throughout the region and “many believed in the Lord.”   House of Joppa is designed to inspire you to live your faith boldly in a world in such desperate need of beauty and that by doing so, many will come to believe in our Lord! About Our Products Every House of Joppa product is curated from artisans throughout the world, many of whom share our Catholic faith. They make wonderful gifts for special occasions or to simply raise the spirits of a friend who needs a little remi...

What makes Gilbert Blythe the ultimate literary husband and father? How can we treat our vocations with more intentionality and commitment? Why are there so many resources for Catholic moms and not Catholic dads? All this AND the world’s cutest love story coming your way in today’s episode of the podcast! We are so pleased to welcome back Tyler Blanski, friend of the show, fellow Anne of Green Gables fan, and all-around delightful guy. Tyler is an author (if you haven’t read his conversion story, treat yourself), a husband and father, and the founder of the new apostolate Fight for Milk created to equip and encourage Catholic fatherhood. In this episode we dive into our undying love for Anne and Gilbert, why Gilbert’s attitude toward marriage and fatherhood is so refreshing, and why so many parents (including us!) enter parenthood feeling so ill-equipped. Tyler is such a fun conversation partner and this episode is uplifting and a lot of fun. So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the conversation! Sponsor Today’s episode is sponsored by House of Joppa, a Catholic gift shop that exists to share the beauty of our Catholic faith in our homes through a variety of home decor pieces, Catholic art, Saint candles, statues, paper goods and beautifully crafted jewelry.   Why House of Joppa? “What’s in a name?” as Shakespeare so famously asked.  House of Joppa is rooted in scripture. Acts 9:36-42 tells the story of a faithful disciple named Tabitha from Joppa who was known for her good works and helping the poor.  In a few short verses, Scripture tells us the miraculous story of how Tabitha died and was raised to life again by St. Peter.  The story spread throughout the region and “many believed in the Lord.”   House of Joppa is designed to inspire you to live your faith boldly in a world in such desperate need of beauty and that by doing so, many will come to believe in our Lord! About Our Products Every House of Joppa product is curated from artisans throughout the world, many of whom share our Catholic faith. They make wonderful gifts for special occasions or to simply raise the spirits of a friend who needs a little reminder of their faith. Head on over to House of Joppa and get 15% off with discount code CARROTS15 Connect with Tyler: * Facebook* Fight for Milk web site Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and mor...

As we prepare for Holy Week, we thought it was just the right time to be inspired by a conversion story. And since we’ve been itching to have our friend Meg Tietz on the show for ages, we asked if she could share her family’s beautiful story of conversion for you this week! Meg is the creator and host of Sorta Awesome, a weekly lifestyle podcast for women. She loves to geek out over pop culture, personality types, and discovering all things awesome. A devoted fan of the rosary, she and her husband Kyle also created the Rosary Together podcast to encourage deeper devotion to prayer. They live in Oklahoma City with their five children which includes teens, twins, and a toddler. We’ve been following Meg since the dark ages of blogging (remember blogs?) and have loved seeing her sparkle as the host of a popular podcast. Following her family’s journey to the Church has also been so exciting! In this episode Meg shares about the winding road that led her into the Church. From growing up as a Protestant and then spending several difficult years in the wilderness of faith before she and her husband Kyle entered the Church, Meg’s story is so beautiful. It’s always so inspiring to hear about a conversion because God calls each person in a special way and no two conversion stories are exactly alike! If you’re wanting an episode that will make you think and inspire you as we get near to Easter, this one’s for you! So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the conversation! Connect with Meg: * Instagram* Podcast* Facebook Sponsor: Santa Clara Design We need encouragement. We desire to be close to God. We long to be in spaces that reflect that which is true, good and beautiful. Santa Clara Design provides accessible and affordable ways to create beautiful, sacred spaces in your every day. Founder and lead designer Lauren Gulde knows the value of creating a space that reveals the goodness of God and the joy of life! She runs Santa Clara Design out of her enclosed garage with the loving support of her husband and five children, ages four to twenty.  Visit Santa Clara Design online and create your own unique collection! You’ll find a wide variety of Catholic art prints, canvases, stickers, printables, as well as tees, mugs, notecards and gifts. **Just for Fountains of Carrots fans, enjoy 15% off your order with coupon code CARROTS at checkout.** Visit the Santa Clara Design shop today and fill your cart with beauty for your space!  Join the Santa Clara Design email list for the bet insider discounts and sales here: tinyurl.com/f5980be9 Find them on Instagram and Facebook: @santaclaradesign Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!

We are thrilled to be joined by the lovely Rachel Bulman to talk about the weird trend of the 90s that we were all influenced by: purity culture. Rachel wrote a wonderful piece for the Word on Fire blog recently about purity culture’s failings and the importance of understanding a richer view of the human person, our bodies, and our sexuality in the writings of Pope St. John Paul II. So we were eager to unpack her insights and discuss! Rachel Bulman is a writer, speaker, and retreat leader. She frequently writes for the Word on Fire blog and CatholicMom.com, and her first book will be published with Our Sunday Visitor next year titled “Becoming Wife: Self-Gift in Matrimony”. She has also contributed to two books which will be published with Ignatius Press and Ave Maria Press this year and has essays published in the Word on Fire Institute Theological Journal. She is married and has four children with two more on the way (twins!!!).  In this episode we dive into the damage that the twisted theology of purity culture does (particularly to women) and the kind of messaging we heard as teenagers. We talk about what we can replace those warped ideas with when we discuss sexuality and intimacy with our children and how to instill ideas of value, dignity, and belovedness. Rachel has so many great insights and we know you’re just going to love this episode! So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the conversation! Sponsor Today’s episode is sponsored by House of Joppa, a Catholic gift shop that exists to share the beauty of our Catholic faith in our homes through a variety of home decor pieces, Catholic art, Saint candles, statues, paper goods and beautifully crafted jewelry.   Why House of Joppa? “What’s in a name?” as Shakespeare so famously asked.  House of Joppa is rooted in scripture. Acts 9:36-42 tells the story of a faithful disciple named Tabitha from Joppa who was known for her good works and helping the poor.  In a few short verses, Scripture tells us the miraculous story of how Tabitha died and was raised to life again by St. Peter.  The story spread throughout the region and “many believed in the Lord.”   House of Joppa is designed to inspire you to live your faith boldly in a world in such desperate need of beauty and that by doing so, many will come to believe in our Lord! About Our Products Every House of Joppa product is curated from artisans throughout the world, many of whom share our Catholic faith. They make wonderful gifts for special occasions or to simply raise the spirits of a friend who needs a little reminder of their faith. Head on over to House of Joppa and get 15% off with discount code CARROTS15

In our six years of podcasting we have never had a religious sister as a guest! So this episode with Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble is long overdue. She has an incredible conversion story from atheism and then she was surprised to discern a call to religious life and was led to the Daughters of St. Paul. It’s a beautiful and moving story and we can’t wait for you to hear it! Sister is the founder of the Memento Mori project and the author of The Prodigal You Love and the Memento Mori Lenten Devotional. She resides in Boston and serves at the Pauline Publishing House in the editorial department. She’s also well known on Twitter for being the nun who keeps a skull on her desk to remind her of her mortality! In this episode we dive into the very Lent-y subject of memento mori. Sister shares with us about how she was drawn to practice the contemplation of death and shares how we can all begin to do this so that we can prepare our hearts and live well rather than navigating the world in dread. This topic sounds heavy but we had so much fun talking with Sister and we know you’ll also be uplifted and inspired by her joy and love for Christ. So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the conversation! Sponsor Today’s episode is sponsored by Hallow, a Catholic audio-guided contemplative prayer, meditation, Bible study, and spiritual music app. Hallow walks you through all of the different Catholic methods of contemplative prayer and meditation. You can meditate on the Daily Gospel or Rosary, take a minute to try one of the minute meditations, or close your day with Night Prayer or a Bible story. You can also listen to Father Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year Podcast on Hallow.  It’s the #1 Catholic app in the US with 4.9 / 5.0-star rating & over 10,000 five star reviews. This is an awesome tool for all of us who want to pray more, but don’t quite know-how. You can set goals and add partners to keep yourself honest, choose between 5, 10, or 15 minutes, and reflect on each prayer with a journal. It’s free to download and there is permanently free content, but you can upgrade to unlock all 1,000+ sessions with a subscription that is less than all other meditation apps. For an extended free trial, you can go to hallow.com/fountainsofcarrots. Ready to pray during Lent? Join the #Pray40 Challenge to meditate on the virtues of St. Joseph. There will be a new type of prayer each day of Lent to build on the theme for the week including * Prayers to grow in humility and obedience* The Seven Sorrows Rosary* Examinations of Conscience* The Litany of St. Joseph* New Hallow Music* The Stations of the Cross Connect with Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble: * Instagram* Website* Twitter Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you!

Is it possible to think about personal style through a theological lens? Lillian Fallon thinks so. We love following Lillian’s Instagram account and writing on style and theology (and her outfits are fabulous, too). So we asked her to join us for a conversation about clothes, self-expression, and honoring the bodies God gave us.  Lillian Fallon is a freelance writer (you’ve probably seen her work at places like Verily Magazine), a passionate supporter of ethical fashion, and author of a book in progress on the theology of style. In this episode we talked about the basics of developing a personal style, how style is different from fashion, and how it all relates to theology of the body. We also chat about the modesty discourse and whether paying attention to personal style is honoring the body or vanity and how to tell.  So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the conversation! Sponsor Today’s episode is sponsored by Hallow, a Catholic audio-guided contemplative prayer, meditation, Bible study, and spiritual music app. Hallow walks you through all of the different Catholic methods of contemplative prayer and meditation. You can meditate on the Daily Gospel or Rosary, take a minute to try one of the minute meditations, or close your day with Night Prayer or a Bible story. You can also listen to Father Mike Schmitz’s Bible in a Year Podcast on Hallow.  It’s the #1 Catholic app in the US with 4.9 / 5.0-star rating & over 10,000 five star reviews. This is an awesome tool for all of us who want to pray more, but don’t quite know-how. You can set goals and add partners to keep yourself honest, choose between 5, 10, or 15 minutes, and reflect on each prayer with a journal. It’s free to download and there is permanently free content, but you can upgrade to unlock all 1,000+ sessions with a subscription that is less than all other meditation apps. For an extended free trial, you can go to hallow.com/fountainsofcarrots. Ready to pray during Lent? Join the #Pray40 Challenge and starting on February 17th meditate on the virtues of St. Joseph. There will be a new type of prayer each day to build on the theme for the week including * Prayers to grow in humility and obedience* The Seven Sorrows Rosary* Examinations of Conscience* The Litany of St. Joseph* New Hallow Music* The Stations of the Cross Connect with Lillian: * Instagram* Website Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! AND we are gearing up for the first read for our 2021 listener book club and you can find all the details about what we’re reading this year here. Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. We’ll be reading Dorothy Day’s The Reckless Way of Love and we’d love for you to pa...

For a couple of years, we’ve been fascinated by the story of Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk, a Lakota holy man and Catholic convert and catechist. We’ve wanted to learn more about this intriguing figure and we’re thrilled to have the chance to talk to Dr. Damian Costello about his incredible life and legacy. Dr. Damian Costello received his PhD in theological studies from the University of Dayton and specializes in the intersection of Catholic theology, Indigenous spiritual traditions, and colonial history. He is an international expert on the life and legacy of Nicholas Black Elk and the author of Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism. Costello’s work is informed by five years of ethnographic work on the Navajo Nation. He served as an academic advisor, associate producer, and appeared in the documentary “Walking the Good Red Road: Nicholas Black Elk’s Journey to Sainthood,” which aired on ABC affiliates this spring. Costello is on the faculty of NAIITS, the North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies, and is a founding member and the American co-chair of the Indigenous Catholic Research Fellowship (ICRF). In this episode, Dr. Costello shares about the incredible life of Nicholas Black Elk, his cause for canonization, and the impact of his spiritual legacy. We talk about visions, the incredible mystical events surrounding this holy man’s death and burial, and so much more! So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy learning about this amazing servant of God. Things we talked about today: (Amazon affiliate links) Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism by Damian Costello Black Elk: Holy Man of the Oglala by Michael F. Steltenkamp Black Elk Speaks by John Neihardt Nicholas Black Elk: Medicine Man, Catechist, and Saint by Jon Sweeney More Resources: Nicholas Black Elk’s gift of sweetgrass Indigenous peopless are filling in the gaps of our Catholic faith Bishop Barron’s short YouTube video about Nicholas Black Elk and the importance of catechists Sponsor Today’s episode is sponsored by The St. Paul Center of Biblical Theology and their new release Where Is Jesus Hidden? by Maura Roan McKeegan In Where is Jesus Hidden?, award-winning author Maura Roan McKeegan points to the many places and ways Jesus can...

We are kicking off the 2021 season of the podcast with our friend and yours, Hallie Lord! Hallie is a speaker, co-founder of The Edel Gathering, a devoted Sephora fan, author of upcoming book Falling Home: Creating a Life That Catches You When You Fall, beloved radio show host, and mom of 8. She’s also the co-host of The Beatbox Gospel podcast. In this episode, Hallie shares the wild ride of getting this new book to print and what she’s learned about building a life with the support we all need to survive life’s curveballs. Whether through community, therapy, or spiritual growth–we all should be cultivating a framework that will help us through hard times. We talk about the pain of going through a divorce, the way the Church can walk alongside single parents, and how we can prepare ourselves for when life doesn’t look like we expect. Hallie share so vulnerably about not only dark times, but also the graces, consolations, support, and joy to be found on the other side. Whether you’re currently experiencing a deep personal grief like a divorce, or just the grief of living through Unprecedented Times, this is going to be a balm for your soul. Grab a cozy beverage and enjoy the first episode of 2020! Things we talked about today: (Amazon affiliate link) Falling Home by Hallie Lord Our interview with Laura Fanucci about the birth and death of her twin daughters To find Hallie: * Instagram* podcast Today’s episode is sponsored by Made for Greatness Made For Greatness is a company that provides life coaching tools for Catholic moms and is run by life coaches Sterling Jay and Lorissa Horn. They help women lose weight, overcome social anxiety, be more confident in parenting, start a business, improve their marriage…really they help Catholic moms get unstuck. Their weight loss program is based on managing your mindset around food so you can finally have freedom from emotional eating. This is exactly how Sterling lost 70 pounds in 2020. They just launched their new program called the No Goals Goals Program. Most moms don’t like setting goals or don’t feel confident that their plans will actually happen. The mission of this program is to simply teach moms to love their daily lives. You can listen to their podcast called Made For Greatness on any podcast app or check out their programs at www.madeforgreatness.co Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! AND we are gearing up for the first read for our 2021 listener book club. Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to ...

We’re chatting with Gina Dalfonzo today about the friendship between two of our favorite literary figures, Dorothy L. Sayers and C.S. Lewis. Because Sayers wasn’t officially part of the Inklings–the literary group of friends that included Lewis, Tolkien, and Charles Williams–her friendship with Lewis isn’t as celebrated as it should be. But their mutual respect, loyal friendship, and encouragement developed into the fascinating friendship explored in Gina Dalfonzo’s new book Dorothy and Jack. In addition to Dorothy and Jack, Gina is the author of One by One: Welcoming the Singles in Your Church, and the editor of The Gospel in Dickens. She is also a columnist at Christ & Pop Culture, and founder and editor of Dickensblog. Her writing has been published in The Atlantic, Christianity Today, First Things, The Weekly Standard, Guideposts, The Englewood Review of Books, and Sehnsucht: The C.S. Lewis Journal, among others. In this episode, we talk about how Sayers helped Lewis, who had very few close female relationship in his life, develop his view towards women and prepare him for his marriage with Joy Davidman. We discuss the importance of friendship in the Christian life and this wonderful example of a dear and beloved friendship between a man and a woman completely lacking a romantic element. Christy shares her Tolkien hot takes and we have a blast exploring these colorful literary figures. Enjoy a seasonal beverage and this great conversation! Things we talked about today: (Amazon affiliate link) Dorothy & Jack: The Transforming Friendship of Dorothy L. Sayers and C.S. Lewis The Gospel in Dickens Dickens blog To find Gina: * Facebook* Twitter Today’s episode is sponsored by Veritas Current Events Veritas offers a weekly curriculum of current events, focusing onthe major issues of our time, and teaching students to link, interpret and understand those events in the light of the constant teachings of the Church, helping them to apply their faith to those issues. Veritas helps students deepen and knit together their understanding of these different areas by highlighting their context and meaning through current events. Veritas provides weekly lesson plans, backgrounders and teachers’ guides suitable for middle & high school. You can find examples and sign up at veritascurrentevents.com; and with the coupon code “Fountains” you’ll get your first month free, with no further obligation or follow Veritas on Facebook or Twitter. Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you!

A blessed Advent to you and yours! We are talking about a very Advent-y subject: Our Lady’s Magnificat in this episode. We’re joined by the wonderful Sonja Corbitt to discuss her new book, Exalted. Sonja is the Bible Study Evangelista and creator of “the best modernization of lectio,” the LOVE the Word® Bible study method and journal. She’s a Catholic Scripture teacher, best-selling author, and Telly Award winning broadcaster and you can find her at  biblestudyevangelista.com, where you can also catch her newest study series on the O Antiphons for Advent.  Sonja has such a gift of sharing Scripture and you’re going to love this conversation about Mary. We talk about developing a relationship with Mary, understanding Mary’s love for God’s Word, and the incredible complexity and beauty of her Magnificat. This is the perfect episode for an Advent day so grab a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy! Things we talked about today: (Amazon affiliate link) Exalted: How the Power of the Magnificat Can Transform Us To find Sonja: * facebook* her website* Instagram* Twitter Today’s episode is sponsored by HomeschoolConnections.com HomeschoolConnections.com is an authentically Catholic resource for home educating families. Their mission is educating the heart, mind, and soul in the Catholic tradition with online classes for 3rd grade and above. They offer live interactive classes as well as unlimited access to recorded courses that are available 24/7/365 with top quality teachers. If you’re a brand new homeschooler or a seasoned homeschooler, head over to HomeschoolConnections.com to see the great resource they can be for your student! Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,800+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below. * The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)* Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and 

How do we order our lives? How do we find order when living in tumultuous times? Is that even possible? Today we’re chatting with the lovely Tsh Oxenreider about what it means to live intentionally in 2020. Tsh lives with her husband Kyle and three kids in central Texas. Her blog and her first podcast were followed religiously by both of us in the early days of blogging and podcasting. Since then she continues to amaze us. Tsh is constantly creating, reflecting, and growing. She’s now a bestselling author with several books to her name and her current podcasting endeavor is The Good List (a must listen!) Her newest book is Shadow and Light: A Journey into Advent. In this episode we talk about the concept of crafting a rule of life. Inspired by the ancient Rule of St. Benedict, creating your own rule of life helps you live with intention and prioritize what is truly important to you. It can prevent getting swept away into all the noise and demands that surround us! But what would a rule of life look like in chaotic and, dare we say, unprecedented 2020? We have thoughts on that, too! It’s a great conversation so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy! Things we talked about today: Tsh’s Create Your Rule of Life ecourse Tsh’s Advent book: Shadow and Light Confessions of St. Augustine Leisure: the Basis of Culture of Josef Pieper Evangelical Exodus ed. by Douglas Beaumont Inspector Gamache series by Louis Penny Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles House Lessons by Erica Bauermeister A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Come Rack! Come Rope! by Robert Hugh Benson Seasons on Harris by David Yeadon To find Tsh: * Twitter* Instagram* Podcast Today’s episode is sponsored by Amanda Zurface: Spiritual Director and Canon Lawyer  Amanda is available to help you learn from this season of life, give you the tools to live each day generously, and to the fullest. She will help you show up with a strong Catholic faith that spreads joy, creativity, life, and most of all love! We all know life can be hard. What a consolation it is to know we have one another, including Spiritual Directors like Amanda who are available to accompany us, and that God truly desires our good!  Amanda is available to setup a FREE call to pray and talk about what Spiritual Direction entails. Topics often include:o Vocation Discernmento Healing and Freedomo Introduction to Prayero Cultivating Gratitudeo Obtaining Joyo Searching for and Maintaining Peaceo Receiving God’s Love Visit  https://amandazurface.

A few months ago we saw a powerful video about the legacy of faith of Black Catholics in New Orleans featuring Dr. Ansel Augustine. Ever since we’ve wanted a chance to interview Dr. Augustine and dive a little deeper in the rich history of Black Catholic faith and culture. This year has highlighted the injustice present in our society. What is the way forward for Catholics and for the Church? Today’s guest has so much wisdom to share. Dr. Ansel Augustine is the Executive Director of Cultural Diversity and Outreach for the Archdiocese of Washington. He is the former Director of the Office of Black Catholic Ministries for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. He is also on the Faculty of the Institute for Black Catholic Studies at Xavier University of Louisiana.  He began his career in ministry over 20 years ago when he became the youth minister at his home parish of St. Peter Claver in the Treme area of New Orleans, which he helped to rebuild following hurricane Katrina. Dr. Augustine has worked in prison ministry for over 25 years in various capacities. He is also a member of the Wild Tchoupitoulas (Black Masking) Mardi Gras Indians (and if you don’t know the history behind this, get ready! It’s fascinating). In this episode we talk about how the Church (and especially Catholics of color) can find hope in the heroic faithfulness of Black Catholic saints and Catholic ancestors, the history of New Orleans that makes it such a Catholic city, and what the Church can do to serve, support, and include Catholics who have been pushed to the margins by society (and even other Catholics). Dr. Augustine also shares about the connections between indigenous people in Louisiana and enslaved people that were the origins of traditions still celebrated today–some amazing history that may be unfamiliar to folks outside of Louisiana. It’s a great conversation so grab a cup of coffee (and since we’re talking about NOLA, maybe a beignet?) and enjoy! Things we talked about today: Black Faith Matters: A video about New Orleans and Black Catholic faith Catholic Speakers of Color To find Dr. Augustine: * Facebook Today’s episode is sponsored by Ye Olde Goat Cart Ye Olde Goat Cart is a small, Catholic, family run business specializing inhandcrafted goat milk soaps and lotions. Nestled among the hills of rural Upstate New York with eight goats and four young boys, owners Drew and Maria have developed carefully crafted recipes that make nourishing, skin-loving soap. Recently, they have begun adding Catholic themed soaps, such as Auspice Maria, and more are planned. Try their beautiful Frankincense and Myrrh soap, one of the many other varieties, or go for a gift set! There is something for everyone, even bath soaks and beard oils, and their products would make great Christmas gifts. Use coupon code CARROTS for 10% off your total order, and shipping isalways a flat $4. So head right over to Ye Olde Goat Cart! Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support t...

Well, friends, we’ve been delighted by conversations with the lovely Sarah Clarkson and the lovely Sally Clarkson and today, at long last, we’re chatting with the youngest Clarkson gal, Joy Clarkson! Joy is a PhD candidate in theology at St. Andrews University and we’re so glad that she finished writing her dissertation and is back on Twitter because she’s one of our all-time favorite follows. She is also the voice behind a beautiful podcast called Speaking with Joy. When we heard that Joy had just read one of our favorite books, Mansfield Park, for the first time, we knew we had to have her on the podcast to share all of her thoughts! In this episode, we defend our girl, Fanny Price, from the haters. We also talk about the themes of charm and respectability vs. authentic virtue. And we judge Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram’s parenting. By the end of the episode, we hope that you will be inspired to read Mansfield Park for the first time or pick it up for a re-read if you’re already familiar! So grab a cup of tea and enjoy! Things we talked about today: (Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links) Mansfield Park To find Joy: * her podcast: Speaking with Joy* her website: JoyClarkson.com* Instagram* Twitter Today’s episode is sponsored by HomeschoolConnections.com HomeschoolConnections.com is an authentically Catholic resource for home educating families. Their mission is educating the heart, mind, and soul in the Catholic tradition with online classes for 3rd grade and above. They offer live interactive classes as well as unlimited access to recorded courses that are available 24/7/365 with top quality teachers. If you’re a brand new homeschooler or a seasoned homeschooler, head over to HomeschoolConnections.com to see the great resource they can be for your student! Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,800+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below. * The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)* Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter,