For Real with Kimberly Stuart

In this episode, I got to chat with my friend Rebecca Janni. Becky is an accomplished and thoughtful children’s book author, and we have loved reading her books at this house for many, many years. This conversation was a quick and smart master class on everything from how to approach a new idea for a book, how to sit with and be patient as it forms, to what happens behind the scenes with authors and illustrators. If you love children's lit, if you are a children’s book author yourself, if you have ever been on the lookout for kids books that are both engaging and beautiful, if you know any kids OR HAVE EVER BEEN A KID YOURSELF, this conversation is for you.Rebecca holds a BA in English and French from Iowa State University and an MAT in English Education from Boston University. She has enjoyed teaching both high school and college. In addition to writing children’s books, Rebecca has written for Meredith Corporation publications, local ministries, and education curricula. She loves visiting schools, universities and libraries, offering story times and writing workshops. Her newest book, Branch: A Resurrection Story, is her “heart on paper,” exploring the connection between her faith and writing. Rebecca Janni BooksBranch: A Resurrection StoryMichelle CarlosMichelle Carlos ReelsLong Obedience in the Same DirectionHope QuoteGod of CreationMiss SuzyA Forest Begins AnewJane YolenTake JoyJayber CrowSabbath PoemsHannah CoulterAmanda Held Opelt EpisodeVisit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

On this episode, I got to chat with author Kayla Craig, whose new book is something I will have next to my morning chair for years. Years. Do you have a morning chair? A place where you start your day and wrangle your heart and mind to remember what’s actually true? Kayla knows all about the wrangling and all about real life, and she’s intent on helping us see the presence of God in every present moment. I know you’ll love hearing and learning from author, spiritual director, and a girl who knows all about mornings that go awry, Kayla Craig. Kayla Craig is a former journalist, bestselling author, and spiritual director whose work blends contemplative faith with fierce tenderness for the world God loves. She brings curiosity, compassion, and a love of connection to her writing. Her books include To Light Their Way and Every Season Sacred. Kayla’s Year of Breath newsletter reaches readers in all 50 states and more than 100 countries. Her nuanced, relatable reflections appear in an array of books and devotionals and have been featured by Christianity Today and Hallmark’s DaySpring. Kayla created the well-loved Liturgies for Parents Instagram account and speaks at retreats and conferences, helping peace feel possible and prayer feel doable in everyday life. She has trained in Christian spiritual direction and formation at Columbia Theological Seminary. Kayla lives in Iowa with her husband, four kids, and two dogs, where silence is . . . aspirational. Find breathing room for your soul at kaylacraig.com.Links from the Episode:Kayla’s WebsiteLiturgies for ParentsKayla’s SubstackOur Daily BreathSpiritual Directors InternationalThe Lord’s PrayerBook recommendation:Theo of GoldenVisit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

I really love the way Amanda Held Opelt writes and thinks, so it was a joy to talk about what’s lighting her up these days, most specifically the idea of provisions. Amanda has steeped herself in what that word means, both in terms of the food of her region of Appalachia AND what it means to have bodies that depend on the provision of food. Please raise your hand if you’ve ever had a complicated relationship with food. Okay, now keep your hand up if you are wondering how to pronounce Appalachia. You’re in the right place. Amanda is our girl for this work. Amanda Held Opelt is an author, speaker, and songwriter. She writes about faith, grief, and creativity, and life in Southern Appalachia. Amanda studied Liberal Arts at Bryan College and is pursuing a Masters in Appalachian Studies from Appalachian State University. She spent nearly 15 years in the non-profit sector, and has written for Christianity Today, Plough, and 100 Days in Appalachia. A proud resident of Boone, North Carolina, Amanda enjoys life in the mountains with her husband and two young daughters.Links from the Episode:Amanda’s WebsiteProvisionsAmanda’s SubstackWendell BerryDolly PartonStar for JesusStephen CrottsSorghum BoilA Hole in the WorldEutychusJairus’ DaughterBook recommendations:Ramp HollowDemon CopperheadVisit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Hello hello and welcome back to For Real for Season Five! Yippee! Let the adventure continue! Nobody lives, breathes, and wrangles adventure like my guest today. All these many moons ago when For Real was just a wobbly-legged idea, the very first episode we released was a conversation with my dear friend Bob Goff. I couldn’t think of a more fitting or delightful way to start this banner season than to circle back and ask Bob a few more questions. Listen, if you, by chance, need a shot in the arm today, you’re in the right place. No further ado needed: listen in on my conversation with author, speaker, chief balloon inflater, and very dear friend, Bob Goff.Bob Goff is the author of the New York Times bestselling books Love Does, Everybody Always, Dream Big, and Undistracted. He is the Honorary Consul to the Republic of Uganda, an attorney, and the founder of Love Does—a nonprofit human rights organization operating in 14 countries. He's a lover of balloons, cake pops, and helping people pursue their big dreams. Bob continues to be inspired by friendships he’s developed with others around the world who live their lives pursuing strategic ways to help others. You can typically find Bob writing and taking calls from his boat, welcoming people to The Oaks—his Southern California retreat center, or at an event speaking. Bob's greatest ambitions in life are to love others, do stuff, and, most importantly, to hold hands with his wife, Sweet Maria Goff, and spend time with their amazing kids and grandkids. For more, check out BobGoff.com and LoveDoes.org.Links from the Episode:Bob’s WebsiteJody LukeLove DoesWork in UgandaWork in MogadishuWork in AfghanistanKim’s Books2 Corinthians 3:2-42 Corinthians 2:14-16Work in San Quentin PrisonMatthew 25:31-46San Quentin Learning Center2 Timothy 1:5-7Mark 9:23-25Podcast with Lex GilletteMaria GoffSummer Reading EpisodeVisit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Today is a total treat for me because we are having a bonus conversation with two of my very favorite human beings. My daughters Ana and Thea join me today to help you map out some options for summer reading. Three unapologetic book girls, gathering to nerd out, finish each other’s sentences, and try not to forget that other people are listening in. Happy summer! Get yourself a spot on the porch or dock or poolside and bring a book (or eight) for good company!Links from the episode:SS Edmund FitzgeraldGoing ClearGoodreadsNYT Book ReviewChristianity Today Book AwardAmanda’s EpisodeJ.R. Briggs’ EpisodeKatherine & Alex’s EpisodePride & Prejudice SoundtrackGIVEAWAY! Win a copy of books from this season!Book recommendations:Kimberly Stuart NovelsNonfictionAnthropocene ReviewedCrying in H MartBraiding SweetgrassFearfully and Wonderfully MadeRiver of DoubtShooting UpJesus booksImagine HeavenStar for JesusAfter CollegeC.S. LewisScrewtape LettersMere ChristianityChronicles of NarniaA Hole in the WorldThe Art of Asking Better QuestionsTreasures in the DarkFiction booksJ. Ryan StradalLager Queen of MinnesotaTom Lake (audio)Emma M. Lion SeriesThe CorrespondentThe Great GatsbyFyodor DostoevskyAnna KareninaEmmaGone with the WindCrime & PunishmentPride & PrejudiceFor kidsPercy Jackson SeriesHeroes of OlympusHunger GamesHarry PotterKeeper of the Lost CitiesRuta SepetysCrossoverSoloLove & GelatoTweet CuteA Pho Love StoryLessons in ChemistryTBRThe Calamity ClubBorn a CrimeJane AustenJane EyreEugene PetersonWhat I Ate in One YearKristin HannahThe NightengaleThe WomenWinter Garden

Goodness, am I excited for you to hear this episode! Today’s guest, Jonathan Tepper, has written a memoir that is a story of love, grief, and a persistent curiosity about the world. Jonathan grew up as a missionary kid in Spain, where his parents ran a drug recovery center, first in their own home with their four young sons in tow, and now for thousands of people in over twenty countries. Yowza, is this a story, and yowza, was it an honor to learn from Jonathan. I cannot wait for you to listen to this conversation with author, financial whiz, missionary kid, and Rhodes Scholar, for Pete’s sake, Jonathan Tepper.Jonathan Tepper is the author of several acclaimed financial books, including The Myth of Capitalism. A Rhodes Scholar, he earned degrees in History and Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MLitt from the University of Oxford. Born in the U.S. and raised in Mexico as a very young child, Jonathan came of age in Madrid’s San Blas neighborhood, where his parents ran one of the country’s first drug rehabilitation centers. Shooting Up is his first memoir, offering a deeply personal view of life at the intersection of faith, addiction, and resilience. He and his wife Stacey have a two-year-old who is a human hurricane of curiosity and keeps them busy. Jonathan returns to Madrid as often as he can.Links from the Episode:Jonathan’s WebsiteShooting Up: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and AddictionThe Last DanceA Grief ObservedFlying Over 96th StreetGIVEAWAY! Win a copy of books from this season!Book recommendations:A Strategy for Daily LivingNaples 44Empire of the SunVisit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

I get to chat with a new friend today, Timothy Jones. Tim is a pastor, writer, former magazine editor, scholar, and he is also a person who is deeply curious about how to make big ideas about God feel less intimidating to the average person. He is warm and kind and someone I think you’ll love learning with and from. Enjoy this conversation with the author of the new book Fully Beloved: Meeting God in our Heartaches and Hopes, Timothy Jones.Timothy Jones is a pastor and author known for helping people uncover greater warmth and depth in their relationship with God. His books include Awake My Soul: Practical Spirituality for Busy People; The Art of Prayer; and Celebration of Angels. Tim enjoys good stories and playing old-time banjo music. He lives near Nashville with his wife, Jill.Links from the episode:Tim’s WebsiteTim’s SubstackFully BelovedJulian of Norwich1 John 4The Art of PrayerSehnsucht1 Thessalonians 4:12-14Matthew 27:45-47Psalm 22GIVEAWAY! Win a copy of books from this season!Book recommendations:The Lord of the RingsTolkien’s CalligraphyMatteringVisit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Today’s conversation comes out of my own curiosity of how to come alongside people who are in recovery for substance misuse or addiction. Caroline Beidler is the person to help us do this well. Caroline is an author, speaker, and managing editor of Recovery.com, where she combines research and expert insight on addiction and mental health. Because she can draw on how it feels to be both the one struggling with addiction AND the one loving someone in those same trenches, Caroline has so much to teach us on how to understand and act with both wisdom and compassion. Caroline Beidler, MSW, is an author, speaker, and managing editor of Recovery.com, where she combines research and expert insight on addiction and mental health. Drawing from her own recovery journey, she is the founder of the Women's Recovery Leadership Foundation and helps others find healing through her newsletter and podcast, Circle of Chairs, which reaches thousands weekly. Caroline’s next book, When You Love Someone in Recovery, a compassionate and practical guide to understanding addiction and supporting loved ones through recovery, hits shelves April 2026. She lives in eastern Tennessee with her husband and seven-year-old twins.Links from the episode:Caroline’s WebsiteWhen You Love Someone in RecoveryThis is Your Brain on Drugs CampaignProdigal SonHope Research Centerkimberlystuart.com/giveawayBook recommendation:StepsVisit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Kendall Mariah, I think you’ll find, is not only a really lovely human being, she is one surprise after another. We chat about the surprises, I assure you, as well as about her new book, This Little Fire of Mine. Just know that we went a mile deep AND I did start to wheeze after laughing at one of her stories. I’m talking straight-up searching for albuterol. See? Full of surprises. I loved this conversation and loved getting to chat with Kendall about her heart and mind and way of being in the world. Kendall is a lifestyle content creator, photographer, and brand strategist whose honest storytelling has cultivated a deeply connected online community. As a business owner, military spouse, and adoptive mom, she speaks authentically about the intersections of faith, identity, and everyday life.Links from the episode:Kendall’s WebsiteThis Little Fire of MineAngela Y. Davis QuoteGIVEAWAY! Win a copy of I Like You So Much!Book recommendation:Love DoesVisit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.

Kelsey Kramer McGinnis has written about so many varied and fascinating things, I can’t even keep up. Dr. Kramer McGinnis is a frequent contributor to Christianity Today, she is a college musicology professor, and she is currently spreading the word about her new book while working on another to release next year. She also is a mom of three kids ages eight and under. (I think she sleeps, but I cannot confirm.) We tackle a lot, including her research for The Myth of Good Christian Parenting: How False Promises Failed a Generation of Evangelicals. I hope you leave our conversation with some ideas on how to seek out wise voices when looking for guidance as we all raise our kids. And I hope you have a new appreciation for the grace we need to give ourselves as children and as parents.Kelsey Kramer McGinnis is the worship correspondent for Christianity Today. She holds a PhD in musicology and teaches music and theology at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. Kelsey is a coauthor of the book The Myth of Good Christian Parenting and writes broadly on Christian music and the intersection of American Christianity and popular culture. Her next book will examine Christian diet and wellness culture and its impact on women. She lives in central Iowa with her husband and three children.Links from the episode:Kelsey’s SubstackKelsey at Christianity TodayGerman POWs in Iowa during WWIIThe Myth of Good Christian ParentingJim & Lynne JacksonTina Payne BrysonDan SiegelBook recommendations:Jonathan McReynoldsCloserVisit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠KimberlyStuart.com/podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more from this episode.