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The weather is getting colder, the holidays are approaching, and suddenly… somebody is looking GOOD! Welcome to cuffing season, when the desire for companionship can have you reconsidering people you wouldn't have given a second look in July!

In this episode of The Powder Room Podcast, Ivy Ashley keeps it fun while getting real about the difference between getting cuffed and getting handcuffed. We're talking seasonal dating, holiday boo-thangs, red flags, and how the desire for companionship can cause us to compromise our standards.

Plus, join Ms. Ivy for a little game of “Cuff Him or Cut Him Loose?” as we put some all-too-familiar dating scenarios to the test!

Whether you're single, dating, or entertaining a potential boo, don't let the changing season cloud your judgment. You can desire companionship without sacrificing your peace, your standards, or your discernment.

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We’ve been taught a LOT about sex — especially as women of faith. But what happens when messages of shame, fear, and “sex is nasty” follow us into adulthood and affect how we experience intimacy?

In the final Love Lesson of this three-part series, Ivy gets real about the messages she received about sex growing up, how those messages shaped her relationship with her own sensuality, and why sex and intimacy are NOT the same thing.

Because you can have sex with someone without ever truly letting them see you. Intimacy begins long before the first touch. It begins with trust, vulnerability, communication, emotional safety, and the courage to say, “This is me.”

And for the Christian woman, there’s another conversation we need to have: waiting until marriage is one thing — but are we actually preparing ourselves to communicate about sex once we get there?

Grab your tea and come into The Powder Room. We’re talking about sex, shame, vulnerability, marriage, and why you should never confuse sex with intimacy.

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What happens when we enter a relationship carrying wounds we haven't dealt with? We may think we're looking for love, but sometimes we're looking for someone to heal us, complete us—or worse, someone we can fix.

In this Love Lesson, we're talking about what it really means to “Don't Date Damaged.” I'll share why healing by partner replacement doesn't work, why when you date damage, you attract projects, and why we often attract who we are—not simply what we say we want.

But here's the good news: Being healed doesn't mean you'll never be triggered. It means you learn to recognize your triggers, understand where they come from, and take responsibility for how you respond.

You don't have to be perfect to love. But you do have to be accountable for your healing.

So before you ask God to send you somebody, ask yourself: Am I ready to receive healthy love without making somebody else pay for the pain of my past?

Press play. This Love Lesson might hurt a little—but it just might help you love a whole lot better.

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What happens when you don't know your worth? You can spend your life allowing other people to determine your value—and sometimes, that shows up in the relationships we choose.

In this first episode of my "Love Lessons Series", we're talking about the importance of knowing your worth.

We'll explore self-worth, standards, comparison, settling, and why someone else's inability to recognize your value doesn't make you any less valuable.

Because sometimes the problem isn't your worth…

It's the ruler you've been using to measure it.

And if you've been letting rejection, relationships, age, comparison, or someone else's opinion tell you what you're worth, it's time to put that ruler down.

You don't need another person's appraisal to prove your value. The documentation is already within you.

🔥 PRESS PLAY and join me in the Powder Room. It's time to stop looking for an appraisal—and start walking in the awareness of your worth.

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She's the one everyone calls when they need advice. The one who shows up, holds it together, prays for everybody else, and somehow always seems to have it handled. But what happens when the strong friend isn't okay?

In this episode of The Powder Room, we're checking in on the woman everyone depends on—including the uncomfortable truth that sometimes we make it difficult for the people who love us to support us because we don't know how to let them in.

We'll talk about the difference between being strong and feeling like you always have to be strong, why vulnerability isn't weakness, and why knowing what you need is just as important as asking for help. We'll also explore how refusing to be vulnerable can keep our friendships and relationships from deepening — and how allowing ourselves to be seen can create the intimacy we've been missing.

So whether you're the strong friend or you love one, this is your check-in: How are you? And more importantly…what do you need? Because being strong doesn't mean you never need anybody.

The strong friend needs a check-in, too.

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For the Season 3 premiere of The Powder Room Podcast, we're going back to the topic that always gets the conversation started: Dating.

When the suggestion was made that single women should be willing to initiate contact or demonstrate interest in a man, the response was loud and divided. For some women, making the first move feels confident and intentional. For others, it feels thirsty, desperate, or like being a “pick me.” But have we confused showing interest with chasing a man?

In this episode, we explore the difference between positioning and pursuing — and whether fear, pride, past hurt, or the fear of rejection has caused some women to become so determined not to chase that they have become unavailable. Using the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz, we'll examine what happened when Ruth was encouraged to position herself in the right place — and why sometimes faith requires more than sitting back and waiting.

You don't have to chase love. You don't have to convince anyone to choose you.

But could it be possible that the love you desire requires you to step out of hiding, enter the field, and allow yourself to be seen?

Because positioning is not pursuing — and visibility is not desperation.

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What if the people who see you every day don't really see you at all?

In this season finale of The Powder Room, we're exploring Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic short story The Minister's Black Veil and the powerful lessons it teaches about pain, vulnerability, and the masks we wear. Reverend Hooper's mysterious veil captivated an entire town, yet no one seemed interested in understanding the man behind it.

How many of us are doing the same thing?

From the "strong woman" mask to the "I'm fine" smile, many of us are carrying invisible veils while hiding in plain sight. Join me as we discuss what it means to be truly seen, truly known, and why we should never settle for relationships that are comfortable accepting us in a permanently veiled state.

Because being noticed and being known are not the same thing.

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The process didn't end with being buried, watered, and enduring the pressure. At some point, the seed must break open.

In Part 2 of The Before & After, we explore what it means to shed the shells that once protected us but now limit our growth. We'll discuss letting go of fear, people-pleasing, old identities, and unhealthy attachments while learning to protect what God is developing within us.

We'll also have an honest conversation about the people who may remain attached to our "before" and the courage it takes to continue moving forward into our "after."

Because every season, every tear, every lesson, and every breaking has a purpose. The fruit of your growth was never meant for you alone—it was designed to nourish someone else.

Your process had purpose. Your growth was intentional. And your bloom is just the beginning.