Becoming Beauty

038 | Getting outside more changed my life.

I wouldn't consider myself to be an "outdoorsy" person, but that is changing rapidly. Over the last few years, I've made a concerted effort to spend a lot more time outside, and it has transformed our family and my personal life. In this episode, I share what prompted me to spend more time outside, how that initiative unfolded, and some practical tips to spend more time outside. So put in your headphones and head outside as we dig into the wonders of spending more time outdoors!
 
Read: There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather (Linda Åkeson McGurk)
 
Listen: 1000 Hours Outside Podcast (Apple, Spotify)
Episode with Linda Akeson McGurk (Apple, Spotify)
 
Explore: 1000 Hours Outside
 
Wear: Wool Base Layers (women, men, children)
 
Drink: Health-Ade Kombucha
 
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037 | Why I'm not setting goals this year

I love a good goal. I've always been a high-achiever, someone who looks for the next way she can grow and get ahead. But this year, something is different. The Lord made it very clear he didn't want me to set goals or use a goal planner for 2025. How did he reveal this, and what is he trying to teach me? What is the value in not setting goals? Let's talk about it.
 
Read: Time for God (Fr. Jacques Philippe)
 
Listen: Episode 036 | Word of the Year (Spotify, Apple)
 
Little Seed Farm
Antioxidant serum
Elasticity serum
Goat's milk moisturizer
Goat's milk soap
Non-toxic deodorant
*Use this link for 10% off your order!
 
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036 | Word of the Year (and what God wants to teach me)

For many years, I've chosen a "word of the year" to help guide me through the coming year. As I've learned how to walk with the Lord, this process has become more about receiving a word from him as opposed to picking something that sounds nice. In this episode, I reflect on my word from 2024 (and how much work I still have to do in that arena) and share my word for 2025 and what God is trying to teach me as we start a new year.
 
How to choose your word of the year: Podcast 009 (Apple, Spotify)
 
Listen: Still Falling For You (Ellie Goulding)
 
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035 | My "Joy" List: 20 Things Sparking Joy

It's the third week of Advent, which means we are focusing on joy! Last year during this week, I released what became one of my top episodes: a list of 20 simple things bringing me joy. So I decided to keep the fun going with a new list for this year. Everything I mention in the show that can be linked is linked below. I hope you have a joyful third week of Advent!
 
⭐ Support the podcast in my NEW Patreon community! ($5/month)
 
Links:
WHITIN barefoot shoes (order a size up!)
Calyan Wax Co.
Jesse Tree Ornaments (Studio Senn)
Home Study on the Marian Virtues (Blessed Is She)
Columbia winter coat
Monthly meal plan spreadsheet
Advent playlist
 
Scripture References:
Zephaniah 3:14-18
1 John 4:9-10
 
Email your list to me! podcast@jessamynanderson 🧡
 
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034 | Holding sorrow and joy together at Christmas

The Christmas season is rightfully a time for great rejoicing: our Savior has come to us! But what do we do when the season feels hard or we're grieving in some way? How can we hold sorrow and joy together?
 
The story of Christmas, though one of great joy, is also rife with treacherous journeys, rejection, survival, and poverty. There is room for sorrow and grief in the celebration of Christmas, and the Lord does not ask us to cover up our sorrow with glittery wrapping paper and big red bows. He meets us in it.
 
In this week's episode, we're talking about how to hold sorrow and joy together at Christmas both emotionally and practically. We'll journey with the Holy Family to Bethlehem, uncovering the sorrows and joys they learned to hold together, and walk toward Christmas filled with expectant hope of our Savior's birth.
 
⭐ Support the podcast in my NEW Patreon community! ($5/month)
 
Listen:
Preference (Rachel Morley)
Advent Playlist (Spotify)
 
Scripture References:
Psalm 126
Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
 
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033 | How to not be tired of Christmas before Christmas

Important celebrations demand preparation before the party. And that is why the Church, in her wisdom, gives us Advent to prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas. Our culture tends to hop from one holiday party to the next (Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas) without much emphasis on time for preparation, preparation that involves a quieting of our hearts and minds so we can fully celebrate the magnanimity of Christmas and what it means for our lives.
 
In this episode, I share 7 ways you can simplify this holiday season to keep your eyes focused on the reason for the season and savor Advent so that Christmas holds more weight than the extra pounds we end up carrying from overeating sugar cookies. (Been there.) I pray this episode encourages, challenges, and motivates you to prepare for Christmas with a slower and quieter holiday season.
 
⭐ Support the podcast in my NEW Patreon community! ($5/month)
 
Scripture References:
Luke 21:34-36
 
Catechism References:
CCC 522, 524
 
Listen:
My Advent Playlist
Advent album collection
Heather Khym's Advent Worship
 
Recipe: Chai Vanilla Shortbread
 
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032 | God becoming man is a HUGE deal.

Have you ever thought about how truly mind-blowing it is that God, the Creator of the universe, became a human being? The Incarnation, a foundational truth of our faith, has become so normal to us, but we cannot let another Advent and Christmas go by without reflecting on what the Incarnation truly means.
 
After a long break, the podcast is back with an episode to prepare your heart for the Advent and Christmas seasons. We're breaking open the Incarnation and looking at what it reveals about God's life-giving love, our bodies as gifts from the Father, and why the enemy's attack on women's bodies trace back to the Incarnation.
 
⭐ Support the podcast in my NEW Patreon community! ($5/month)
 
Listen:
Advent Playlist (Spotify)
 
Read:
Midnight Mass Homily, 1998 (John Paul II)
The Reality of the Incarnation (Ruah Woods)
God, Sex, and Babies (Christopher West)
Familiaris Consortio (John Paul II)
 
Scripture References:
Philippians 2:5-8
Luke 1:35
Genesis 1:27, 31
Ephesians 5:31-32
 
Catechism References:
CCC 461
CCC 221
CCC 1015
 
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031 | When God Asks You to Let Go

I believe that the Lord is trustworthy, that his plans are good. But I've realized that there are still areas of my life I have yet to fully surrender to the Lord, and that realization has shaken some things up on my end. In this episode, I share the effects of grasping versus surrendering and discuss what letting go looks like in my life right now. I also encourage you to consider areas of your life where more surrender may be necessary (spoiler: we are ALL holding on to something!).
 
Also, I'm not very active on social media, so if you'd like to stay in touch, please join my email list by sending me a message at podcast@jessamynanderson.com!
 
Scripture Mentioned:
Psalm 16
Psalm 33
 
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030 | How to Accompany Others in Grief

Loss is a shared, common human experience. But it's hard and uncomfortable, and we're often left unsure of what to say or do when someone we love is grieving a loss. I've been the receiving end of incredible love and encouragement in my grief, and I've also received some extremely unhelpful words. In this episode, I'm sharing my tips for accompanying people in grief, including things to say (and not to say), things to remember, and things to do.
 
Recipe: Sourdough Dutch Baby Pancake
 
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029 | Learning How to Live With Grief

This month marks five years since my mom's passing. I was 26 and she was 59. In the days and months and years since that loss, I've learned something important about grief: I will never get over it, so I must learn how to live with it. In this week's episode, I share my story of losing my mom and how I've navigated that ongoing grief journey, especially while celebrating milestone moments like getting married and becoming a mother. I pray this episode helps others process their own grief journey and makes grieving people feel less alone as they navigate these wild, murky waters. As the waves of grief ebb and flow, I am continually grateful to have a savior who walks on water.
 
Podcast episodes mentioned:
Episode 020 - My Breastfeeding Story (Spotify, Apple)
Episode 006 - Living with Hope (Spotify, Apple)
 
Song: Beloved (Mumford & Sons)
 
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✨ Check out my website
👉 Contact me: podcast@jessamynanderson.com