I’m thrilled to welcome back my friend, Whitney English, to the show today! She is an author, artist, and self-proclaimed reluctant expert in surviving family drama with grace... and a glue gun.

Whitney is known for telling the truth with humor, finding beauty in the mess, and believing that good stories and good design can heal just about anything- whether she’s organizing a junk drawer or untangling generational dysfunction.

Her new book, Organize First, Decorate Second, is out now, and today, we’re diving into everything from the psychology of organization and decoration to practical tips you can use in your own home. So, grab a cup of coffee and get ready for an episode packed with inspiration and fun. I’m so excited for you to hear it!

3:19 – Whitney 201

• Navigating a busy season
• Releasing a new book
• Seeing evidence of God in difficult times

5:21 – Organize First, Decorate Second

• The deeper philosophy behind Whitney’s book
• Balancing sentimentality and organization
• The importance of functional items

16:38 – Making Home

• Whitney’s journey of house hopping
• How Whitney stays organized with ADHD
• Practical tips for organization

36:52 – Takeaways

• Rapid fire questions with Whitney
• Connecting with Whitney
• Get your copy of Organize First, Decorate Second

FEATURED QUOTES

“Just because we've been through some hard stuff doesn't mean that God isn't good.”

"I think that if you have a big dream… it is okay to make a slow decision about it."

“Function is beautiful.”

Learn more about Whitney:

https://whitneyenglish.com/

Get your copy of Organize First, Decorate Second:

https://www.amazon.com/Organize-First-Decorate-Second-Creativity/dp/0785251960

Whitney on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WhitneyEnglish/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitneyenglish/?hl=en

I'm thrilled to welcome Niki Hardy to the show this week! Niki is the author of the Audie Award-nominated Breathe Again and One Minute Prayers for Women With Cancer. Her newest book, God, Can We Chat? A Daringly Honest Guide to Growing Closer to God, One Doubt at a Time, hit shelves in March, which I’m so excited to chat about today.

Niki has left corporate life, moved continents, gone to seminary, planted churches, launched businesses and nonprofits, and navigated seasons of deep loss, cancer, church hurt, and painful uncertainty. Through it all, she firmly believes that God loves a cheerful doubter.

In this conversation, we talk about what it means to bring your real questions and struggles to God, and how to navigate those seasons when it feels like He’s silent. It’s a rich and hope-filled reminder that joy can exist even in the hardest seasons.

4:30 – Niki 101

• Moving from the UK to North Carolina
• What led Niki to becoming an author
• Niki’s family and love for nature

6:11 – The Cheerful Doubter

• Niki’s struggle to reconcile her doubts
• Turning towards God in times of doubt
• How doubt and faith can coexist

12:51 – Walking in Doubt

• For the person that feels let down by God
• Practical steps for doubt walking
• The acronym “CHAT”

23:35 – The Legacy of Doubting Saints

• Peter walking on water
• Devotional elements and exercises Niki’s book
• Holding doubts and joys together

29:08 – God, Can We Speed Chat?

• Rapid fire questions with Niki
• Where you can connect with Niki
• Getting your copy of God, Can We Chat?

FEATURED QUOTES

“I think God actually loves a cheerful doubter. I think he'd rather we came to him than we just slid out the side door.”

“Feel free to question His presence and His provision and His providence and His goodness and His mercy, and cry out to Him, but turn towards him, not away from him.”

“I think holding the doubt and the questions and the confusion in tension with the joy and the love and the faith that we do have is just such a healthy way of walking our faith journey out.”

Learn more about Niki:

https://www.nikihardy.com/

Get your copy of God, Can We Chat?

https://www.nikihardy.com/godcanwechat

Niki on Social Media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NikiHardyauthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/niki.hardy/?hl=en

You are in for an absolute treat this week! My guest is the one and only Melissa Radke- bestselling author, speaker, TV personality, comedian, and the self-proclaimed HGIC (Head Girlfriend in Charge). With over 1.1 million followers, Melissa has been lifting women up since 2016, dishing out everything from hair tips to life advice with her signature humor and heart.

Her brand-new book, Chicken Fried Women, just hit the shelves, which is a love letter to the strong, faith-filled, flawed, and unforgettable women who shaped her life. She reflects on generational legacies, healing family dynamics, motherhood, and the complex beauty of womanhood.

Trust me, even if you're a man, you’re going to take away SO much from this episode. This conversation is honest, funny, and full of heart- everything Can I Laugh on Your Shoulder is all about. I’m really excited to share it with you!

8:12 – Melissa 101

• Melissa and Molly’s mutual connection
• Melissa’s viral Facebook post
• Becoming a comedian, author and public speaker

10:53 – Chicken Fried Women

• Rapid fire southern culture questions
• The genesis of this book
• The women that inspired this story

27:54 – The Women That Made Us This Way

• The lessons Melissa’s learned from the women in her life
• Creating a supportive network
• Someone is waiting for you as much as you are waiting for someone

41:28 – How Strong Women Do It

• Mom vigilantes
• Melissa’s relationship with her daughter
• Passing on stories to future generations
• Getting your copy of Chicken Fried Women

FEATURED QUOTES

“These chicken fried women of mine were always topics of conversation that everybody wanted to know and that I love to tell.”

“This book was so easy to write because it was just me telling one story after the other. And when a book can come to you that beautifully and that naturally, that was the one you were supposed to write.”

“Who could grieve with me like the woman who'd walked in that fire before me?”

“Someone is waiting for you as much as you are waiting for someone. Someone needs you. They need your friendship, they need your humor, they need your style. They need the way you're such a great listener. Someone is waiting to forge a relationship with you as much as you are waiting for them.”

Learn more about Melissa:

https://www.melissaradke.com/

Get your copy of Chicken Fried Women

https://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Fried-Women-Friendship-Kinship-Made/dp/1546008241

Check out the Chicken Fried Women Podcast

https://www.melissaradke.com/podcast

Melissa on Social Media

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MelissaRadke

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaRadkeStretchMarks/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msmelissaradke/

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissaradke