Let's talk about infertility and adoption. Chances are you or someone you know has walked one or both of these paths. Today’s guest Cat Vandament shares her story of infertility and treatments that led to the birth of her daughter, and then the decision to pursue adoption with their son. Cat’s story is unique in that during fertility treatments, they faced the additional stress and unfortunate timing of her husband’s numerous military deployments.    Infertility and adoption can be...

Register for Creating Community & Connection: A Workshop with Kristin Schell   In this episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell continues the storytelling series talking with people who are creating community in unique and remarkable ways.   Rachel Jones lives at the crossroads of faith and culture in the Horn of Africa. She is the author of the book Stronger Than Death, and she and her husband founded the International School of Djibouti.   Her story takes us on a...

Register for Creating Community & Connection: A Workshop with Kristin Schell.   In this episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell speaks with Maria Reed, founder of the home improvement television show Moving with the Military. Maria’s mission is to bridge the military-civilian divide through design and community building. Kristin and Maria discuss the unique hardships military families face and how the community can welcome them with open arms.    To begin, Maria shares her...

What Do You Need? A simple question inspires The Turquoise Cart Program at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas.   In this episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell speaks with Kim Muench, a volunteer program coordinator at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. Kim began her Turquoise Table journey by placing her own Turquoise Table in her front yard. Unfortunately, this was met with resistance by her Homeowners Association, and, despite Kim’s efforts to convince...

This week on The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell chats with Shauna Pilgreen, author of Love Where You Live. A small-town native, Shauna grew up on a farm in South Georgia, and then moved to rural Missouri with her husband to do ministry. Ten years ago, the Lord stirred in their hearts a desire to plant a church in a place far outside their comfort zones: San Francisco, California. Love Where You Live chronicles the struggles and blessings of Shauna’s move to the big city, and learning...

Host Kristin Schell interviews chef and best-selling author Melissa d’Arabian. Melissa is an expert on affordable family cooking, and author of the book Tasting Grace. In this episode they discuss how Melissa’s career got started, her new book, and how her faith influences her approach to food. Melissa first realized her connection to food, growing up in a single family home where money was tight. While she often experienced hunger at school, she saw the sacrifices her mom made to welcome...

In this week’s episode host Kristin Schell interviews singer-songwriter Christa Wells. An award winning songwriter, Christa has collaborated with Nashville artists to write hit songs such as “Held” (Natlie Grant) and “Red Sea Road” (Ellie Holcomb). Christa is currently working on her 5th album and she shares behind the scenes look into the process.   Join Kristin and Christa for a conversation about the importance of community. Christa shares how even though she’s in a season of having...

In this episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell welcomes author, blogger, and parent, Tricia Goyer to discuss her book The Grumble-Free Year: Twelve Months, Eleven Family Members, and One Impossible Goal. As a mother of 10 kids (seven of whom still live in the house), being married 29 years, and having authored over 75 books, Tricia has become Kristin’s go-to authority on all things parenting. Tricia shares how she keeps the family, even the kids living outside of the home, and...

(🌟 Today's conversation is a hard one. I want you to know that while it is full of hope, friendship, and a powerful story of community, it begins with the tragedy of suicide.)   In today’s episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell interviews Becky Powell and Katherine Reay. Katherine is an award-winning author of novels, including Lizzy and Jane and The Printed Leather Bookshop. Katherine recently wrote her first non-fiction book with Becky called Awful Beautiful Life: When God...

In today’s episode of The Turquoise Table Podcast, host Kristin Schell interviews Jessica Honegger about the joy that comes when you are cornered by courage and gather women for a purpose. Jessica is a wife, mother of three, founder and CEO of Noonday Collection, and bestselling author of Imperfect Courage: Live a Life of Purpose by Leaving Comfort and Going Scared. Noonday creates meaningful opportunities in fashion for vulnerable communities to sell their beautiful handmade goods and...

In today’s episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell interviews Bailey T. Hurley, who is committed to small community settings with her husband and two children. Kristin and Bailey discuss small groups: how to find one, how to join one, and even how to start one. Kristin shares how she and Tony are in the process of starting their own small group in their church community. Bailey gives tangible tips on how you can invite people into community in your life, as well as how you can...

In today’s episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell interviews Ruth Chou Simons, who is an artist, author, speaker, and founder of GraceLaced. Her most recent book Beholding and Becoming: The Art of Everyday Worship takes us on a journey of redirecting our eyes and hearts for worship, right where we are. Ruth and Kristin discuss the role social media plays in our ability to be present. We are distracted by millions of images that fly by, we don’t even realize our short-sightedness...

In today’s episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell interviews Kat Cannon, who has just written her ninth Bible study called More than Mindful: What God Tells Us to Remember.  In the Old Testament, one of the first instances of remembering is when God asks for all to remember his name. Kat and Kristin discuss the importance of names and the naming stories in their own lives. Find out what YOUR name means by using a tool like www.behindthename.com   Key Takeaways in Today’s...

In today’s episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell has an inspiring conversation with Rebekah Lyons, co-founder of Q Ideas, a nonprofit organization, and author; her newest book is Rhythms of Renewal: Trading Stress and Anxiety for a Life of Peace and Purpose. During this episode, Kristin and Rebekah discuss how stress threatens our mental and physical health, and how to manage it in a holistic manner.  According to the American Institute of Stress, 77% of the population...

In today’s episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell interviews Leslie Verner, who is sharing with us about hospitality and loving others well. Leslie recently published her book Invited: The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness, which dives into the epidemic of social isolation as a result of us lacking face-to-face interaction with one another. Leslie shares when she’s personally felt lonely in her life, specifically in life transitions, such as big moves across the...

In today’s episode of The Turquoise Table, host Kristin Schell interviews Kat Armstrong, an innovative ministry leader, a sought-after speaker, and the co-founder and executive director of Polished. Kat stewards the community of Polished, which is a network of young professional women who gather over a meal to discuss the intersection of work and faith. The diverse group of women discuss the hardships they are experiencing at work, as well as what they believe and how faith can be applied to...

Today kicks off the second season of The Turquoise Table, where we’ll be asking all our guests and you to answer this question:  What does community mean to you?  In today’s episode, host Kristin Schell interviews Emily P. Freeman, a writing mentor, teacher and friend.  Spoiler alert: Emily was at guest at the party Kristin bought the original picnic table for – before it became The Turquoise Table. Through her books and podcast, Emily helps ease the minds of weary decision makers...

Welcome to Season Two of The Turquoise Table Podcast. This is a special twelve-week season called The Case for Community. We're going to roll up our sleeves and dive in to answer this question: What Does Community Mean to You?  Think about that for a minute. How do you answer this question -- what does community mean to you? There are so many factors that affect the way we live and grow in community. And, we’re going to cover as many of them as we can. We’re going to talk about the...

It’s the last 2018 episode of the Turquoise Table Podcast, and I’m in one of my favorite places: the kitchen! Today I’m whipping up a five-ingredient holiday appetizer, Cranberry Pistachio Gruyère Croutons, and thinking about all the wonderful guests we’ve had on the show this year. I’ve had the incredible opportunity to talk to thought makers, authors, experts and leaders who have had shared important lessons on hospitality and community, and how we can connect with the people in our...

We’re making Turquoise Table history today with our very first pop-up podcast! A few weeks ago, my hospitality partner-in-crime Susie Davis and I recorded a live podcast in my front yard with fifty friends and our special guest, Myquillyn Smith. And y’all, just a hint of what’s to come: this will be the first of many pop-up podcasts because we had so much fun! So if you don’t know Myquillyn, you’re going to fall in love very soon. She’s the brains behind The Nesting Place, a beautiful blog...

We love to talk about community around the table, about fostering connection with people on our streets and in our neighborhoods. But we get really inspired when we see people take their Turquoise Table gatherings to the next level by getting together to create connection beyond their neighborhoods. That’s why we’re excited this week to share an opportunity with you on how you can easily organize a gathering that brightens the lives of children in other countries by packing simple shoeboxes...

Busyness takes a toll on everyone. Sometimes it takes calling your own bra at the airport to realize you desperately need to slow down. That moment launched Alli Worthington into a year-long quest to change her pace and to begin cultivating a life filled with more contentment. Alli is a speaker, a business couch, an entrepreneur, an author, and a podcaster. On top of that, she’s also a wife and a mother of five sons. Needless to say, she’s got a lot going on. Her latest book is The Year of...

We all know the benefits of hospitality: human connection, community building, relationship bonding. However, our ability to be hospitable can have a larger effect—one that brings awareness to the plight of others and leads us into ways we can help limit human suffering. One issue that gets a lot of attention on a global scale is the issue of human trafficking, but what many of us don’t realize this huge problem isn’t just happening overseas, but in our own backyards. Law enforcement says the...

We need to feel like we belong before we can extend an invitation to others. That’s what today’s guest at the Turquoise Table, Whitney Bell, reminded Kristin a few Sundays ago as Whitney gave a sermon at Kristin’s church. Whitney is the middle school ministry director at Kristin’s church in Austin, and she’s guided not only Kristin’s four kids, but scores of middle schoolers in her tenure. And whether you’re in the trenches with teens or looking for more inspiration on how to love deep,...