Dinner With Strangers: Jess Janz On The Friends We Haven't Met Yet

In our Sacred Yes series, we've explored what it means to choose courage, curiosity, and joy in the second half of life. Who better to join than the woman who quietly taught Jen those lessons from the beginning?In this deeply personal episode, Jen calls home from MeCamp to check in with her mom, Jana. Jana was originally supposed to be lakeside in Ontario with Jen this week—until Jen's dad, Larry, discovered that Jana's passport had expired back in April. Instead of catching up by the water, mother and daughter connected remotely. Thankfully, they hit record so we could all benefit from Jana's wisdom.This warm, funny, generation-spanning conversation explores the stories, fears, and freedoms we inherit. Jana reflects on growing up in the '50s and '60s, the cultural scripts that told young women they couldn't quite "make it" on their own, and how her own mother—who died when Jana was just 33—refused to let her carry fear. Jen and Jana trace how that fearlessness rolled down through the family, for better and occasionally for worse.Jana shares insights from 55 years of marriage and raising four resilient children in a home where faith was central and failure was never a dealbreaker. She also discusses her decades as an educator and the joy of discovering new passions after retirement—including the "yeses" she's given herself lately, from traveling with her best friend to opening her own bank account (so she never has to explain a $78 lunch again!).Whether you're navigating an empty nest, caring for aging parents, rebuilding after loss, or wondering what this next chapter holds, this conversation offers the gentle mentoring so many of us wish we could still receive from our own mothers. Because the greatest gift a parent can give isn't certainty—it's the confidence to believe that no matter what happens, you can always get back up and begin again.Thought-Provoking Quotes:"Everybody's been on the ground. Everybody screws up… But while you live with the consequences, you can still just get back up. That doesn't need to define you." — Jana King"We built a solid foundation on faith, but mostly we built it on just loving our kids and giving them a safe harbor." — Jana King"Even if you weren't given that privilege of unconditional love, that doesn't need to define you. You can still step out and be brave." — Jana KingResources Mentioned:Moonshine Grill (Austin, TX) & Kinfolk Cocktail LoungeCommunity First! Village (Jana's post-retirement library project)Good Hang with Amy Poehler PodcastAwake Season QuizConnect with Jen!Website - Instagram - Twitter - Facebook - YouTubeThe For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.

There’s a lot of dopey financial advice out there. Jill Schlesinger is here to call it out, answer your questions, break down the financial news that actually matters, and help you manage your money without losing your mind. No jargon. No judgment. Just clear, actionable financial guidance about saving, investing, buying a home, managing your career, and deciding how to spend your hard-earned dollars. When it’s time to panic, Jill will tell you. When everyone else is panicking and you shouldn’t be, Jill will tell you that too. Your money. Your move. Let’s go.

Description:What if your biggest breakthrough hasn't happened yet?In this joyful and deeply encouraging conversation, Jen sits down with comedian, author, actress, and beloved storyteller&nbsp;Leanne Morgan&nbsp;to talk about dreams, disappointment, perseverance, and the surprising possibilities waiting for us in midlife.As part of our Sacred Yes: Reclaiming Joy in Midlife series, we're bringing back one of our most-loved episodes because Leanne's story embodies everything this season is about: saying yes to possibility, trusting your own timeline, and refusing to believe that life's best chapters belong exclusively to youth.Before sold-out tours, bestselling books, Netflix specials, and national recognition, Leanne spent decades raising children, caring for family, performing in comedy clubs, and quietly holding onto a dream that seemed increasingly unlikely. Then, in her fifties, everything changed.With her trademark humor and warmth, Leanne shares what it was like to keep showing up long after many people would have given up. She reflects on motherhood, caregiving, marriage, becoming a grandmother, and the surprising freedom that comes with getting older.Most of all, she reminds us that there is no expiration date on becoming who we're meant to be.Over this delightful hour, Leanne will regale you with charming hard-won life lessons including:●&nbsp;Why success arriving later can be a gift●&nbsp;The power of perseverance through disappointment●&nbsp;The balancing act of holding dreams, caregiving, and family life all with care●&nbsp;How humor helps us survive hard seasons●&nbsp;Why comparison is a thief of joy●&nbsp;The freedom that comes with embracing your own timeline●&nbsp;What it means to trust that what's meant for you won't miss youIf you've ever wondered whether you've missed your chance, whether it's too late to pivot, or whether your most joyful years are already behind you, Leanne has a message for you:You are not behind. You are not too late. Your story is still unfolding.Thought-provoking Quotes:★&nbsp;"I always just knew it was going to happen... I knew there were people out there going through the same thing I'm going through. I just didn't know how to reach them."&nbsp;— Leanne Morgan&nbsp;★&nbsp;"I really try to be present and enjoy it, because what a gift after all these years. It's just like icing on the cake, really."&nbsp;— Leanne Morgan&nbsp;★&nbsp;"I hope they take away: use humor to get you through hard times. I think it's the best thing that could ever happen to anybody, to be able to laugh through the bad times."&nbsp;— Leanne Morgan&nbsp;★&nbsp;"I've got to be me. I've got to do what I've got to do. If y'all love me or if you don't, it's okay."&nbsp;— Leanne Morgan&nbsp;&nbsp;Resources Mentioned in This Episode:➢&nbsp;What in the World?!: A Southern Woman's Guide to Laughing at Life's Unexpected Curveballs&nbsp;by Leanne Morgan - https://www.leannemorgan.com/book➢&nbsp;I'm Every Woman (Netflix Special)&nbsp;- https://www.netflix.com/title/81688708➢&nbsp;You're Cordially Invited (Amazon MGM Studios)&nbsp;- https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0D9WF53QX➢&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.natebargatze.com/?utm_source=chatg ...

Dinner With Strangers: Jess Janz On The Friends We Haven't Met YetWe're more connected than ever—and lonelier than we'd like to admit. What if the answer isn't finding the right people, but simply pulling up another chair?This week, Jen sits down with writer, poet, and community-builder Jess Janz to talk about her new book, The Table Where We Meet, and the social experiment that grew into the phenomenon known as Dinner With Strangers. What began as a gathering around a table with a few curious questions has now welcomed more than a thousand people into conversations that move past small talk and into the territory we all secretly long for: belonging.Jen and Jess explore why so many of us feel disconnected, what makes a question powerful enough to crack a person open, and how vulnerability creates the conditions for genuine connection. Whether you're craving deeper friendships, navigating loneliness, or wondering how to build a bigger table in your own life, this conversation is a hopeful reminder that meaningful connection is still possible—and closer than you think.In this episode, you'll hear:The hidden costs of loneliness and our growing hunger for belongingWhy "What's your favorite movie?" might be the wrong icebreaker—and what to ask insteadWhat happens when one person chooses vulnerability firstWhy community isn't something we stumble into—it's something we createQuotes:"There's alchemy in holding a heavy dish for the person beside you, reaching across, filling water glasses. All of that is so disarming. It shouldn't be a roadblock to connection—it should be the bridge." – Jess Janz"Loneliness and helplessness is something that is weaponized in our lives right now, and so it's radical to be in community together." – Jess JanzResources Mentioned:The Table Where We Meet by Jess JanzWith StrangersJen's dinner party for her daughterAwake: A Memoir by Jen HatmakerDan ManganBuy Jess' bookGuest's Links:Website | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | SubstackConnect with Jen!Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTubeThe For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.

Every summer, Jen heads off on her annual Me Camp, a month dedicated to stepping away from the noise to reconnect with herself. But this year, Me Camp isn't a tradition or a luxury. It's an act of survival.In the wake of major surgery, while carrying the weight of parenting adult children, navigating family crises, supporting loved ones through illness, and trying to hold together a life once built for two people, Jen found herself physically, emotionally, and mentally depleted. She almost didn't go.In this deeply personal solo episode, Jen shares what finally convinced her to leave anyway, why asking for help has become one of the hardest and holiest lessons of this season, and what she's learning about the difference between escaping your life and stepping away long enough to return to it whole.If you're the dependable one, the fixer, the person everyone calls in a crisis, this conversation is a gentle but urgent invitation. Loosen your grip. Let people show up for you. Remember that rest isn't a reward for finishing the work. Sometimes it's the very thing that makes it possible to keep going.In this episode, Jen explores:What happens when life outpaces your capacityWhy asking for help feels so uncomfortable, especially for capable peopleThe hidden cost of believing you're indispensableHow codependency can disguise itself as responsibilityWhy retreat can be an act of courage, not avoidanceThe simple invitation to "choose the lake chair anyway"Whether you're recovering from something visible or carrying burdens no one else can see, this episode offers permission to stop white-knuckling your way through life, receive the care that's available to you, and trust that stepping away can be the very thing that helps you step back in with renewed strength.Thought-Provoking Quotes:"I have managed and been the troubleshooter, the point person, the heavy lifter, the anchor, the decider of so much in the last few months by myself. And some of it is absolutely consequential. Huge, huge things. And all of it just outpaced me." – Jen Hatmaker"I think those of us who struggle to ask for help have some brutal combination of pride (the bad kind) and a false sense of self-sufficiency, and this is somehow wrapped up in how people think of us. Do they think of me as needy? Do they think of me as irresponsible?" – Jen Hatmaker"I'm gonna treat rest like it's sacred, as opposed to the go, go, go adventure energy I normally have." – Jen HatmakerResources Mentioned in This Episode:Sacred Yes: Reclaiming Joy in Midlife Starts Here - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-64/sacred-yes-reclaiming-joy-in-midlife-starts-here/Jen's first cookbook, Feed These People: Slam-Dunk Recipes for Your Crew - https://amzn.to/3R1P0psJen's Substack - https://jenhatmaker.substack.com/The Awake Collective - https://jenhatmaker.substack.com/p/the-awake-collectiveConnect with Jen!Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/ | Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker | Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ | Facebook - <a target="_blank" rel= ...

Description: Three years ago, Katherine May gave us a language for something many of us experience but rarely know how to name: wintering. Those seasons of life when everything slows down. When grief arrives. When burnout catches up with us. When illness, loss, caregiving, parenting challenges, or unexpected change force us to stop and reconsider how we're living. As part of our Sacred Yes: Reclaiming Joy in Midlife series, we're revisiting this unforgettable conversation because Katherine's wisdom feels even more relevant today than it did when it first aired. Together, Jen and Katherine explore what it means to stop treating ourselves like machines and start honoring our humanity. They discuss the value of retreat, the necessity of rest, and why healing cannot be rushed. Katherine challenges the cultural pressure to push through difficult seasons and instead invites us to trust that growth is still happening beneath the surface—even when life appears dormant. Nestled in this conversation is a gentle reminder that joy isn't always found by adding more. Sometimes it emerges when we create space. Space for solitude. Space for beauty. Space to notice what's growing quietly within us. If you've been feeling weary, stretched thin, or ready to step off the hamster wheel for a moment, this episode offers a different path forward—one marked by grace, patience, and the courage to rest before collapse forces it upon us. In this very gentle and generous conversation, you’ll hear:Why every life includes seasons of "wintering"The difference between retreat and isolationHow beauty sustains us during difficult seasonsWhy sadness isn't something to fixPractical ways to create restorative space in everyday lifeWhat it means to trust the season you're in Sometimes the most sacred yes isn't a leap forward. It's permission to pause. Thought-provoking Quotes:"You can trust this space, and you can trust your sadness. It's telling you something. You don't have to run away from it. You can be sad. You can handle being sad. What you can't handle is pretending not to be sad and being sad anyway." — Katherine May"There is a process of healing, and it's also a process of change. Those things will take a certain amount of time whatever you do. You are not doing anything wrong if you're still suffering a week later, a month later, or six months later." — Katherine May"If you can lean into that space and accept it rather than fight it, you will spare yourself a lot of pain." — Katherine May"People who've gone through major winters always seem to look back and say, 'I wouldn't have not gone through it if it meant I couldn't be who I am now.'" — Katherine May"Look for beauty in that space. Reacquaint yourself with your gut feeling that leads you toward what you find beautiful and awe-inspiring." — Katherine May Resources Mentioned in This Episode:[Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times](https://katherine-may.co.uk/books/wintering/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) by Katherine May -&nbsp;https://katherine-may.co.uk/books/wintering/[Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age](https://katherine-may.co.uk/books/enchantment/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) by Katherine May -&nbsp;https://katherine-may.co.uk/books/enchantment/[The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch](<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.penguinran ...

Description:In this deeply personal solo episode, Jen takes us to the place where this journey began: Me Camp. What started as a spontaneous trip to coastal Maine during one of the hardest seasons of her life became an annual practice of restoration, adventure, healing, and joy. Six summers later, as she arrives in a tiny lakeside town in Ontario for another month of Me Camp, she's reflecting on the small word that changed everything: yes.This month, we'll be exploring what it means to reclaim joy, embrace rest, honor our desires, and create lives that are not just productive—but deeply satisfying.It's time to discover your own Sacred Yes.Thought-provoking Quotes:“MeCamp changed my life. I’m not being demonstrative or exaggerating.&nbsp; It's where the ‘Sacred Yes’ got its first footing.” – Jen Hatmaker“I keep my heart open to whatever's possible. Who could I meet? What could I experience? Where could I go? What can I see? And when people are like, hey, do you wanna…? The answer's yes. And so that sacred yes got sort of imprinted on my heart.” – Jen Hatmaker“I feel the weight of irresponsible yeses that should have been no's.” – Jen HatmakerResources Mentioned in This Episode:MeCamp 2026 Announcement -Awake: A Memoir by Jen Hatmaker - https://amzn.to/4xzBo5nJen’s Substack - https://jenhatmaker.substack.com/Join the Awake Collective - https://jenhatmaker.substack.com/p/the-awake-collectiveJen Hatmaker Book Club - https://shop.jenhatmaker.com/collections/book-clubConnect with Jen!Jen’s Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/Jen’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmakerJen’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/Jen’s Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmakerJen’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmakerThe For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.

Description: As part of our Freedom &amp; Flourishing series this Pride Month, we're revisiting the most downloaded episode in the history of For the Love—a conversation that has continued to ripple through families, friendships, and faith communities for years after it first aired.Six years ago, Jen sat down with her daughter Sydney to hand her the microphone and invite her to tell her own story in her own words. What followed was a brave, tender, and deeply honest conversation about growing up gay in the church, loving Jesus while feeling afraid and alone, and finding the courage to embrace the fullness of who you are.Sydney shares what it was like to navigate faith and identity as a young person, the messages she received from churches and Christian leaders, and the real impact those messages have on LGBTQIA+ kids sitting quietly in pews every Sunday. Together, Jen and Sydney discuss what true allyship requires, why affirmation matters, and how we can create homes, communities, and faith spaces where people are cherished exactly as they are.In this episode:Sydney shares her journey of growing up gay within a Christian family and faith communityA candid conversation about faith, identity, and belongingWhat churches and Christian leaders need to understand about LGBTQIA+ youthWhy allyship requires more than acceptance—it requires actionA call to advocate for and protect transgender people, who often face the greatest vulnerabilityHow creating safe, welcoming spaces helps all people flourishContent Note: This episode includes discussion of the mental health challenges, isolation, and discrimination often experienced by LGBTQIA+ youth.Thought-provoking Quotes:"I was just scared, and alone. And I wanted to have it all. I wanted to have my family, and God, and my future. And I didn't think I'd be able to have it all." — Sydney Hatmaker"It doesn't matter how loving you are, or what emphasis on Scripture you come with. That's not enough if you're not fully accepting them as children of God." — Sydney Hatmaker"The biggest act of allyship you can make is using your voice in places where marginalized people feel less safe." — Sydney HatmakerResources Mentioned in This Episode:This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel — https://www.lauriefrankel.net/this-is-how-it-always-is.htmlHuman Rights Campaign LGBTQ+ Youth Research — https://www.thehrcfoundation.org/reports/collections/youth-report-collectionHRC &amp; University of Connecticut LGBTQ+ Youth Study — https://reports.hrc.org/2023-lgbtq-youth-reportConnect with Jen!Website: https://jenhatmaker.com/Instagram: https://instagram.com/jenhatmakerTwitter: https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/Facebook: https://facebook.com/jenhatmakerYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmakerThe For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.

Description:For 15 years,&nbsp;Tim Schraeder Rodriguez&nbsp;quietly shaped the digital face of some of the biggest names in evangelical Christianity — Willow Creek, Hillsong, Elevation — helping mega-churches reach millions with a message of radical welcome. The painful irony? He was living proof of their unspoken rules. Useful in the shadows. Unacceptable in the light.In this conversation, Tim joins Jen and Amy to talk about his new memoir,&nbsp;Conversion Therapy Dropout, and the full arc of his story: growing up adopted with a sense of "anxious apartness," signing the purity pledge as a kid who already knew he was gay, eight years in the loosely-held and deeply damaging world of conversion therapy, and eventually a breaking point that brought him to his knees — and then, slowly, to himself.Today, the conversation swirls around what conversion therapy actually looks like from the inside (football coaches, Mary Kay consultants, and all), the complicated grief of leaving a community that was also your career and your family, how the Pulse Orlando shooting became Tim's personal line in the sand, and what it took to find his way back to faith — this time, in church basements with other sober queer people finding a God of their own understanding.They also get into the current state of conversion therapy in America, why it's more active and accessible than most people realize, and what the rest of us — regular people who just live on their street and go to their jobs — can actually do about it.This one is hard and beautiful and hopeful. Don't miss it.Thought-provoking Quotes:★&nbsp;"I was living proof of their unspoken rules. I was useful in the shadows, but unacceptable in the light." –&nbsp;Tim Schraeder Rodriguez★&nbsp;"It really kind of disintegrates you in body, mind and spirit because you're acting and being something and someone that you're not." –&nbsp;Tim Schraeder Rodriguez★&nbsp;"Freedom wasn't finally becoming who they said I was supposed to be, but finally embracing who I believe God created me to be." –&nbsp;Tim Schraeder Rodriguez★&nbsp;"More transformation was happening in church basements than was ever happening upstairs." –&nbsp;Tim Schraeder Rodriguez★&nbsp;"I finally feel like I'm living from a place of honesty and truth. I sense and feel God's presence with me today now more as an openly gay man than I ever did in the years I was in conversion therapy." –&nbsp;Tim Schraeder Rodriguez&nbsp;Resources Mentioned in This Episode:➢&nbsp;Dissenting Harmony - Amy’s Rage Choir&nbsp;- https://dissentingharmony.betterworld.org/➢&nbsp;Conversion Therapy Dropout: A Queer Story of Faith and Belonging&nbsp;by Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez - https://amzn.to/48smCCv➢&nbsp;Conversion Therapy Dropout audiobook&nbsp;- https://amzn.to/3OZULmD➢&nbsp;Exodus International&nbsp;- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exodus_International➢&nbsp;The Trevor Project&nbsp;— thetrevorproject.org➢&nbsp; ...

Description:As we celebrate Juneteenth, Jen sits down with writer, activist, theologian, and longtime friend Lisa Sharon Harper for a conversation that’s equal parts history lesson, spiritual challenge, and call to action. Together, they explore the often-overlooked story of Juneteenth—not just the delayed news of emancipation in Texas, but the deeper history of freedom promised, denied, and fought for across generations.Fresh from a powerful march across Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, Lisa reflects on what it means to stand in the footsteps of civil rights heroes while confronting the realities of the present moment. Drawing from her own family’s legacy of resistance, she shares why her hope no longer rests in institutions, laws, or political systems, but in ordinary people willing to bend the arc of history toward justice.The conversation moves from the unfinished work of voting rights to the spiritual courage required for this cultural moment. As Lisa puts it, perhaps our task is not simply to recover what has been lost, but to become “the architects of the next America.”Whether you’re marking Juneteenth, wrestling with questions about democracy and belonging, or searching for hope in uncertain times, this conversation is a timely reminder that freedom has always depended on people willing to imagine—and build—something better.Thought-provoking Quotes:★ “The Supreme Court has effectively placed us back into the time of Plessy vs Ferguson, which said separate and equal is okay, the time of even Dred Scott, which says a black man has no rights that a white man need abide by. That’s what they’re gunning for.”★ In the past, my hope was in the law. In the past, my hope was in the dream of America. My hope was in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights. My hope was in the church. But what I’m learning is that the arc of the moral universe has bent toward justice because people have bent it.”★ “What can they do to us? What can they do? They can put us in jail. God is there. They can deport us. God will be there. They can kill us. And God will be there. So what can they do? They can't do anything to us. Not really.”&nbsp;Resources Mentioned in This Episode:➢ (The Gospel of Shalom) Unequally Saved: The Church’s Role in Racism with Lisa Sharon Harper - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-08/unequally-saved-the-churchs-role-in-racism-with-lisa-sharon-harper/➢ Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World--and How to Repair It All by Lisa Sharon Harper - https://amzn.to/43LTXW1➢ “All Roads Lead To The South” Rally - https://blackpowerwarroom.com/dayofaction/➢ A Resistance History of the United States by Tad Stoermer - https://amzn.to/4dK3RNS➢ Amazing Grace | William Wilberforce film - https ...