Katherine James is an award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction. She is an extraordinary writer, a visual artist, just an insanely creative person, and I was floored by her book A Prayer for Orion: A Son’s Addiction and A Mother’s Love. Addiction seems like one of those things that is hidden in plain sight, a reality, not just an idea, and something we are all hungry to put language around so we can figure out how to face it, straight on. I loved learning from Katherine, and I’m so grateful she let us eavesdrop on her life and experience and wisdom.

Katherine James is the award-winning author of the novel, Can You See Anything Now? which won Christianity Today’s book of the year and was longlisted for the Doris Bakwin Prize, as well as a memoir, A Prayer for Orion, about her son’s journey through a heroin overdose. Her short stories, essays, and poetry have been published in a variety of journals and anthologies, and her short story Fishhook, was a finalist for a Narrative Spring Prize.

She has an MFA from Columbia University where she received the Felipe P. De Alba fellowship and taught undergraduate fiction. Presently she’s working on a novel about a mute girl growing up in the Vietnam era.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

We For Real types are the people who are curious to hear great stories, laugh together, and travel all roads, even the hairpin, pothole-filled ones, with the people we love. If you are any or all of these things, you are going to drink up this conversation with two women I deeply admire, love, and always want more time with, even when we are expiring in the Alabama humidity. Katherine Wolf and Alex Wolf are family and dearest friends. They have written a beautiful new book that comes out of Katherine’s miraculous survival of a near-fatal brainstem stroke that left her with significant disabilities. I don’t even want to take one more second without letting you hear from them, so click in right now and get straight to my conversation with the remarkable and generous, Katherine Wolf and Alex Wolf.

Katherine Wolf is a stroke survivor and disability advocate who leverages her redemptive story to encourage those with broken bodies, broken brains, and broken hearts. She and her husband Jay live in Atlanta with their sons, James and John. Together, Katherine and Jay are resourcing people experiencing disabilities through Hope Heals Camp and Mend Coffee. They have co-authored two best-selling books Hope Heals and Suffer Strong. Katherine’s first devotional collection, Treasures in the Dark, is now available.

Alex Wolf is the Resource and Experience Director at Hope Heals, where she has the honor of creating inclusive spaces and communities for families affected by disabilities. She also has directed Hope Heals Camp since its founding in 2017. It is the joy of her life. Alex and her husband, Henry (the other joy of her life), live in Birmingham, Alabama.

Learn more about Hope Heals at HopeHeals.com and Instagram @hopeheals.

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Stephanie May Wilson hosts a wildly successful podcast, Girls Night, and is the author of a brand-new book titled Create A Life You Love: How to Quiet Outside Voices So You Can Finally Hear Your Own. This woman’s heart is for folks wading through what she calls The Everything Era. Between roughly the ages 25 to 35, we make so many formational and transformational decisions. The whole idea can get a tad overwhelming, both for the people living it and for the ones who love them. In this episode, Stephanie offers sound advice, a compassionate heart, and practical tips on building a life that’s made uniquely for you.

8x author and top podcaster Stephanie May Wilson is on a mission to be who she needed when she was younger—walking women through life’s biggest decisions and transitions. Through her books, her podcast, and her online courses, Stephanie helps women take off the pressure of what their lives are “supposed to” look like by now, figure out where they actually want to go in life, and take steps to get there.

Stephanie’s been featured on NBC, the Anthropologie blog, and Relevant magazine. She has also been a longtime blog contributor for CNBC’s Nightly Business Report, Darling magazine, and the Christian Mingle blog.

When she’s not writing, speaking, or recording a podcast episode, Stephanie is usually packing for a global adventure with her husband, Carl, laughing with her close tribe of girlfriends, or curled up in her Nashville home with her twin toddlers, Annie and Quinn. Find her online at StephanieMayWilson.com and Instagram @smaywilson.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

I’m happy to say we have a VIP guest for this episode. Marc Stuart is in the studio. I may have to encourage and persuade a tad bit more than my usual guest interactions, but he did it! And I loved it. Nobody knows me better, cheers for me harder, or can provide behind the scenes more diplomatically than Marc. It was a total joy to force him to talk into a microphone, and I’m pretty sure he still loves me. You can judge for yourself in this very rare and very delightful conversation with the one and only Marc Stuart.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Dr. Nijay Gupta is my bright and thoughtful guest on this episode. Dr. Gupta is a professor at Northern Seminary, and he’s also the author of a book I drank in, marked up, and talked out loud to the entire time I was reading it. It’s that kind of book. Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church, made me wonder how I’ve read the names of real women in the Bible, some of them over and over, and yet didn’t know their stories or the way their stories intersect with ALL of our stories. A conversation that inspired me, taught me, and made me cry off mic, listen in to my chat with Dr. Nijay Gupta.

Nijay K. Gupta is professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He has written or edited over twenty books including Paul and the Language of Faith, A Beginner's Guide to New Testament Studies and the award-winner and best-selling book Tell Her Story: How Women Led, Taught, and Ministered in the Early Church. His latest book is called Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling. He also serves as a senior translator for the New Living Translation and co-hosts the popular podcast Slow Theology with Dr. AJ Swoboda. Find him on Instagram @nijay.gupta.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Today I am joined by a remarkable woman. Aundi Kolber is an author, speaker, and therapist, and her books Try Softer and Strong Like Water are insightful, kind, compassionate and so wise. Aundi is a trauma expert and a trauma survivor, and I trust her so profoundly to give sound counsel on a really difficult subject. This conversation is for you if you have been through or are going through trauma, or you know someone who has or is surviving something traumatic. Pretty sure that covers all of us. Listen in as Aundi beautifully reminds us we are not alone and that we are made to be free, whole and flourishing.

Aundi Kolber is a licensed professional counselor (MA, LPC) and the author of the critically acclaimed Try Softer and her best-selling book Strong like Water. She has received additional training in her specialization of trauma- and body-centered therapies and is passionate about the integration of faith and psychology. Aundi has appeared on Good Morning America, regularly speaks at national events, and is a frequent guest on podcasts such as The Lazy Genius, Typology, and The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. As a survivor of trauma, Aundi brings hard-won knowledge about the work of change, the power of redemption, and the beauty of experiencing God with us in our pain. Find her on Instagram @aundikolber.

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

I’m excited for you to eavesdrop on a conversation I had recently with Sarah Bragg. Sarah is a Tennessee girl, mom of two, and the host of the Surviving Sarah podcast. She’s also the author of a new book that tackles all the questions that keep us up at night, especially as we sally forth into midlife. Is Everyone Happier Than Me? gives solid counsel on what it means to stay curious with ourselves and those around us so we don’t miss the good stuff. I think you’ll love this candid and practical conversation with my friend Sarah Bragg.

Sarah Bragg is a well-loved communicator and author, you can find her hosting the popular podcast Surviving Sarah. Her latest book is Is Everyone Happier Than Me?: An Honest Guide to the Questions that Keep You Up at Night. She is also the author of A Mother’s Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself. She is a wife, mother of girls, and a creative entrepreneur. Sarah is a master at brewing coffee and helping others survive well right where they are. Sarah and her family reside in Tennessee.

Check out her podcast, Surviving Sarah, and find her on Instagram @sarahwbragg

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Boy, oh boy, do we have a super fun conversation for you on this episode! I made it exactly zero percent in before needing an inhaler for laughing so hard, if that gives you any indication. Taylor Hughes is making a repeat appearance on For Real, and there’s just something about talking about life with a close friend. Taylor does all sorts of fun things, like solo performing as a magician/storyteller/comedian, going on bus tours with our friend Bob Goff, making Netflix and YouTube specials, and now releasing his second book. We talk about it all and we still didn’t have enough time. That’s what happens with good friends, of course, and I’m so happy you are here to be a part of it all. Listen in to the fun and delight and generosity that is my dear friend, Taylor Hughes.

Taylor Hughes fell in love with the art of illusion as a child when his parents bought him a magic kit for his birthday. More than 30 years and 3,000 shows later, Taylor has become known for his signature style of Magic Storytelling.

He is the Author of Road to Wonder and has 2 Comedy Magic Specials currently streaming: Chasing Wonder on Amazon Prime and Enjoy The Ride on YouTube. His second book MISDIRECTION: A Magician’s Guide to Spotting and Avoiding Manipulation in Your Life is available for preorder and releases everywhere on February 13, 2024. Taylor is married to his high school sweetheart Katie and they live in Southern California with their two daughters Madelyn and Kennedy. Find Taylor on Instagram @magicstoryteller

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.