Natasha Red grew up loving food and hospitality. But when she married and started a family of her own, as Natasha says, “It was like everything I knew about feeding myself and my family just blew up.” Natasha found it impossible to create the beautiful, healthy dinners she was once did and care for a fussy newborn. She noticed other moms were as overwhelmed as she was, and she knew she had to do something about it. Out of that need, Natasha created the Seasonal Meal Planner, an adaptable...

In 2011 Joplin, Missouri, was devastated by an EF-5 tornado. The storm ripped up 15 miles of the town, killing 161 people. Turquoise Table community member Ann Leach survived, but lost everything. Ann tells us her remarkable story of rebuilding after the storm, the miracle of the human spirit, and the beauty of a community coming together to survive and thrive. A grief counselor and life coach, Ann gives us tips on how to help those in our community who are hurting, what to say when you have...

In today’s fast-paced world, keeping a Sabbath can seem impossible. Where do we find the time to rest? How does Sabbath work in a life filled with notifications? Enter Shelly Miller, an expert Sabbath Keeper and author of the popular book Rhythms of Rest: Finding the Spirit of Sabbath in a Busy World. Shelly takes us through Sabbath Keeping 101 and tells us how her journey began with cleaning up Christmas decorations, how Sabbath Keeping helps us offer hospitality, and why napkins can help...

When we open our homes to hospitality, how do our day-to-day lives change? Jen Schmidt is the popular lifestyle blogger behind Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, and she’s the author of the brand-new book Just Open the Door: How One Invitation Can Change a Generation. Jen is Kristin’s kindred spirit, and today they trade tidbits of wisdom about shepherding guests into their homes. And stay tuned to the very end of the episode, where Jen reveals her favorite ways to get folks to the table (hint:...

Lauren Flake is Lauren is an author and blogger from Austin, TX, and a member of our Turquoise Table community. Lauren has been using her table in really powerful, special ways since she lost her mother Dixie to early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Today Lauren shares her story and walks us through what community looked like for her during and after her mother’s illness. She gives us first-hand advice on how not to fix the problem, but how to show up to simply be present with those who are...

What does “loving the stranger” mean? And how do we start a friendship with someone who seems so different from us? Today’s guest, Rosaria Butterfield, gives us the first step: practicing “radically ordinary hospitality.” Rosaria is an author, speaker, pastor’s wife, and homeschool mom in Durham, North Carolina. Her newest book The Gospel Comes with a Key tells how Rosaria and her husband Kent use their home as a mission field as they dine with guests every night, and how they’ve opened...

Thanks to social media, it’s never been easier to compare ourselves to others—and feel ashamed our lives don’t look like the sparkly ones we see on our phone screens. In this episode, Kristin sits down with bestselling authors and entrepreneurs, Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan, to talk about their new devotional Always Enough, Never Too Much and how we can stop struggling with comparison and hiding our flaws, and how to live more authentically. Jess and Hayley also divulge how their...

Kristen Welch is a busy mother of three who runs the popular blog “We Are That Family” (WeAreThatFamily.com), in addition to a non-profit called Mercy Global House. In 2010, Kristen traveled with Compassion International on a trip to write about poverty in a huge slum. That experience turned her world upside down and led her and her family to start Mercy Global House--an organization that helps empower women and families in Kenya. Kristen wishes to give every family the tools to experience...

Food blogger & cookbook author Bri McKoy wasn’t always a great cook. She didn’t really cook at all until the moment she realized what a gift it was to be able to feed her family and others. Bri discovered the true joy serving others with food and with hospitality.  As she moved from food fails into cooking smart, she started her wildly popular food blog: OurSavoryLife.com. Focusing on paleo eating. Far from hardcore about diet, Bri realizes that every now and then you’ve got to have...

This week we talk with the guru of freezer to table meals - Polly Conner. Polly will be walking us through how to easily make freezer meals ahead of time and serve them up to your table like a pro. She’ll also tell us about how to start your own “freezer clubs” where you and your neighbors can cook together to provide a week of meals for you and your families while creating community in the kitchen. Polly and her business partner Rachel have written about this great way to plan meals in their...

Today Kristin visits with another kindred spirit in the “gathering well” tribe--Amy Hannon.  After almost 13 years as a wedding stationer, Amy pursued her dream of opening a kitchen boutique in her community. Amy shares about her new venture, and the namesake of the enterprise--her grandmother Euna Mae--and the unique legacy she created around gatherings that left a lifetime imprint on Amy.  She and Kristin also discuss the difference between “hospitality” and “entertaining” and encourage us...

A continuation of our table talk with Kristin’s actual real-life neighbors, discussing how they continue to foster community after first coming together years ago.  You’ll hear honest interaction about the vulnerability of “putting yourself out there” as a neighbor, and how introverts and extroverts approach getting to know one another. Kristin’s Kitchen segment features one of Kristin’s favorite “go-to” recipes--so easy that the most difficult part of the recipe is using a can-opener!

This week's episode features Part 1 of Kristin live at the Turquoise Table talking to her own neighbors about how they got to know each other. Through a few simple steps of outreach, their community and neighborhood flourished as neighbors took the initiative to be welcoming, hospitable and accessible. Listen in on their conversation, which is full of advice to those of us who really want to know our neighbors, but don't know where to start. You'll love hearing about where they started and...

Ever wonder how you could be a better neighbor, but don’t know where to start? Help has arrived!  Dave Runyon is the author of “The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door.” Dave’s experience with neighboring goes deep—in 2010 as pastor at Foothills Community Church and the Next Level Church, he launched a neighboring movement that mobilized over 70 churches and 40,000 people in the Denver Metro area and reshaped the community to become closer. We’ll learn...

The Turquoise Table Podcast welcomes our guest for Episode 2 who is a kindred spirit; she loves and honors the joys of gathering at the table as much as we do! Shauna Niequist is a New York Times best-selling author whose books include Bread & Wine, Savor & Present Over Perfect. She talks about the special bonds that are created over meeting across from each other at the table. She gives us simple tips on hospitality,  easy recipes to follow for any level of cook, and lets us in on...

Welcome to The Turquoise Table Podcast with Kristin Schell. Kristin’s guest in our debut episode is Thomas Farley, better known as Mister Manners. Thomas is an etiquette expert, speaker, and author who inspires audiences across America. He’s perhaps best known as the beloved guest in his role as Mister Manners on NBC The Today Show. Kristin and Thomas talk about what it means to be a good neighbor and Thomas gives tips on simple ways to get around barriers that keep us from knowing the people...

Looking for new ways to get to know your neighbors, create connection with others and build community where you live? Join author and speaker Kristin Schell, the founder of the #frontyardpeople movement, as she gathers at the table to talk with others about neighboring, community, hospitality, cooking, and more. Sponsored by Shipt.