One of my favorite speakers and authors is my guest today.  Karen Eman is a New York Times Best-selling author and speaker with Proverbs 31 Ministries, where I first heard her speak many years ago.  Hospitality and making people feel loved and seen is one of her specialities, and she shares about this in her new book Reach Out, Gather In: 40 Days to Opening Your Heart and Home.  On the show, we talk about how hospitality impacted her as a teenager and how she valued it in her home raising her kids.  She is a fellow Great Lakes northern gal and I know you'll love her wisdom and stories! You can find more of Karen at and on all the socials.

NOURISH Podcast with Kim Bakaev

EP. 95: KAREN EHMAN "The Hows and Whys of Reaching Out to Others"

With only weeks left before the 2020 elections, I'm thrilled to bring this important episode with author, speaker and scholar Kaitlyn Schiess.  Her new book The Liturgy of Politics is a must-read for people of faith and people who are needing more grounding in their faith as they navigate life in the politically charged and divided climate of America.  Christians often prefer to be "apolitical" or believe that their faith is free of any political influence.  Kaitlyn disagrees and demonstrates how the church is shaped by the political climate in which it exists and how to incorporate spiritual practices that will help shape our politics.  It's a fascinating conversation and I hope you get her book!  She also has supplemental resources on her website www.kaitlynschiess.com

EP 94: KAITLYN SCHIESS "Politics and Christian Spiritual Formation

My favorite tv personality and QVC queen, Kim Gravel, joins me on the show today.  We talk QVC, her reality show, "Kim of Queens" that aired on Lifetime, pursuing our passions, and Jesus is all in the middle of it!  Follow her on FB, IG and at  Here's her official bio: Kim Gravel is an entrepreneur, tv personality, public speaker and industry leader, but most of all she has  a passion for people and seeing them rise. Her authentic, common-sense style has resulted in Kim being  one of the most booked guests on The Steve Harvey Show and starring in the hit weekly docu-series  “Kim of Queens” on the Lifetime Network. In 2016, Kim partnered with television and on-line retail giant  QVC to launch her highly successful apparel line, Belle by Kim Gravel®, and a year later the Belle Beauty® cosmetic line. In only 3 years, Kim has grown her QVC brands from zero to over 80 million in annual  sales, with projections reflecting continued record growth.   In 1991, at the age of 19, Kim became one of the youngest Miss Georgias in the state pageant’s history.  She went on to represent her home state in the renowned Miss America pageant and thus was asked to  serve as US Goodwill Ambassador to Japan, where she spoke to corporations and the Japanese  parliament. Combining her expertise skills of communication and leadership, Kim is also a certified Life  Coach. Her compassionate yet straight forward "Dr. Phil-esqe" style keeps her in high demand as a Life  Coach, mentor, advisor and consultant. Kim is a sought-after keynote speaker, specializing in the areas  of women’s empowerment, inspirational motivation, and beauty & image perception. She also hosts her  own sold-out women's conferences annually in Atlanta.   Kim lives in metro Atlanta with husband Travis and her two young boys, Beau and Blanton.  

EP 93 "QVC Queen, Entrepreneur, Motivational Speaker" KIM GRAVEL

Menopause is not something that most women are prepared to enter.  There are many myths surrounding this God-designed season of life.  Although it can be quite challenging for many women, it doesn't have to be something simply endured.  Dr. Cheryl Bridges Johns shares today from her book Seven Transforming Gifts of Menopause: An Unexpected Spiritual Journey, offering women an exciting and hopeful perspective on opportunities for transformation that menopause offers us.  Cheryl is the Robert E. Fisher Chair of Spiritual Renewal atPentecostal Theological Seminary and formerly served as co-pastor of New Covenant Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee.  

EP 92 CHERYL BRIDGES JOHNS "Transforming Gifts of Menopause"

I'm so excited to share this episode!  Beth McCord is the founder of Your Enneagram Coach.  She has been an Enneagram coach, speaker, and teacher for over 15 years.  This is a tool that has transformed my life by helping me better understand myself and others, which has helped promote healthier relationships.  If you are unfamiliar with the Enneagram, this is the podcast for you!  If you wanted to understand it better, this is for you!  If you don't know your type, you can go to Beth's website  to take a free assessment.  You can also find a wealth of information and resources from Beth there.  

EP 91 BETH MCCORD "The Enneagram for Everyone!"

Bestselling author and founder of the Clutter Free Academy Kathi Lipp is my guest today.  She is known for helping women achieve peace in their lives, even our cluttered homes!  We discuss her newest release, The Clutter-Free Home and her upcoming book Ready for Anything.  She is often featured in Women's World as an "Ask the Expert" and is truly the go-to guru for getting our homes and lives into the order for which we long.  

EP 90 KATHI LIPP "How to Have a Clutter-Free Home"

Author and speaker Courtney Reissig shares about her newest book Teach Me to Feel: Worshipping Through the Psalms in Every Season of Life.  The Psalms give us language to express so many of our emotions--gratitude, shame, longing, anxiety and anger, to name a few.  Courtney's devotional gives women an opportunity to reflect on their emotions with the Psalms as our guide.   To connect further with Courtney: www.courtneyreissig.com

EP 89 COURTNEY REISSIG "Worshipping Through the Psalms"

We are collectively experiencing something that our generation has never seen.  Our lives have come to a halt and nothing is "normal" anymore.  While it is critical that we pursue physical health and safety, it is just as crucial to maintain good mental health.  In this episode, licensed therapist and ordained priest, Janis Sharpe, shares a multitude of tips that will help us avoid depression and anxiety.   From Janis Sharpe… Tips for staying emotionally healthy while in self quarantine: We are living in an unprecedented  time.  With each update on the Corona virus most people are struggling with anxiety and some with depression.  Knowing that you are going to be home alone or with family is increasing the anxiety.  Feeling out of control, having your routine disrupted and being in close quarters with family can cause small irritations to seem huge!  Here are a few tips that will help you stay emotionally healthy during this time.    1. Remember this is temporary- this too will pass.  We don’t know how long it will be so, take each day as it comes and find ways to enjoy each day.  2. Stay in contact with family and friends- particularly by phone calls, Skype, Zoom, FaceTime. Limit texting. Texting is much more impersonal,  talking on the phone or on FaceTime feels more like real connection. 3. Get up, shower and get dressed everyday. If your hair is dirty, wash it. Even if you aren’t going to see anyone, you will feel better. 4. Listen to positive music, watch positive TV shows and movies. Avoid shows, books or music that cause you to feel depressed or anxious. 5. Use relaxation apps such as Calm or Headspace to help you relax. 6. Exercise- (if you do regularly) Sure, it’s not your gym with all the equipment, but you can do pushups, sit ups, jump rope.  There are so many exercise videos online. 7. Get outside for 30 minutes a day if possible without contact with others (Walking or running as long as you stay 6 feet from others).  Even if you don’t exercise, go out on your porch or patio if possible.   8.Do yoga or stretching- again, you can find some online. 9. Limit social media. Yes, it is a way to connect, but has shown that it also can be very fear, anger or anxiety producing. 10. Journal- express the emotions you are feeling.  I recommend an old spiral notebook so you can be real and tear out pages and throw them away. 11. Express physical touch with people you are isolated with. (Assuming they do not have C0-Vid. 12. Set daily goals- could be to clean out a closet or to bing watch a season of Friends but just making a plan can help you think more positively. 13. Go in denial in safe ways- a specific time of  day that you will watch the news, then focus on something more uplifting. Take notifications off your phone that send you updates. 14. Do square breathing to lesson anxiety. Breath in to the count of four, hold your breath for four counts, exhale for four counts, hold your breath again for four counts.  Use apps, such as Calm to help you relax.  15. Use this time to focus on your spiritual life.  Pray, try new types of prayer-  use devotional apps online: the Daily office, Streams in the Desert, or  My Utmost for His Highest. Consider meditating on a scripture a day.  Be still and know that He is God.    

EP 88 JANIS SHARPE "How to Stay Mentally Healthy During Quarantine"

Over six years ago, Fern Bernstein discovered the Chinese tile game of man jongg.  What started out as a fun pastime with girlfriends became a lifeline and respite as she walked with her husband through cancer.  In her memoir, May Jongg Mondays, Fern shares how this weekly game got her through a scary season of her life and deepened her sense of community and sisterhood.  On the show today we talk about how she discovered mahjongg, what it is, her Jewish faith, and how God has helped her through these past few years.   To order through my amazon affiliate link, click here: https://amzn.to/2SGULGR

FERN BERNSTEIN: "Faith, Sisterhood and Man Jongg"

In the faith tradition I grew up in, there really was no place for a theology of suffering and pain.  It was something that was to be prayed away or never occur in the first place.  People hid suffering or felt shame around it, feeling they maybe their faith was insufficient or there was some unconfessed sin in their life that hindered healing.  That belief system has grew more and more troublesome to me until I threw it out altogether years ago.  There is something mysterious that happens in suffering and in pain, a connection with Jesus that perhaps cannot be found in other ways.  My friend Kaysie Steele has experienced tremendous emotional and physical suffering throughout her life, yet her journey with Jesus has grown deeper and richer through it.  Today, she shares beautifully about the suffering she experienced as a child of an alcoholic father and the suffering she currently endures due to chronic back pain.  It will inspire and nourish your soul for sure.   Kaysie's blog is She references the following in our conversation.  They can be purchased via my Amazon affiliate links here: The Body Keeps the Score Authors David Benner and Anne Lamott

KAYSIE STEELE: "Finding God in the Now: A Story of Suffering and Gratitude"

In a day when people seem more connected than ever with all the technology options and social media, there is an epidemic of loneliness and isolation.  Hospitality is a term that sometimes feels old-fashioned or time-consuming, yet it is something that people are longing for.  My guest today is Leslie Verner, the author of Invited: The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness.  Through her travels and many years of living abroad in different countries like China and Uganda, she has gained a perspective on hospitality that can help us embrace this practice into our lives in America.   For more information about Leslie, you can find her at  as well as on instagram @scraping_raisins To purchase her book, you can use my Amazon affiliate link here: https://amzn.to/3aFbnH2

EPI 85 LESLIE VERNER "The Power of Hospitality in an Age of Loneliness"

Christmas doesn't have to be a source of stress and insanity, trying to impress family and guests with pinterest-worthy decor and dinner parties.  Author and design expert, Victoria Duerstock walks us through ways we can make our homes a source of celebration of Christ's birth without losing our minds and peace.   To connect with Victoria, go to www.victoriaduerstock.com You can also order her books via my Amazon affiliate link here: Heart & Home for Christmas https://amzn.to/2PDTkaH Heart & Home: Design Basics for Your Soul and Living Space https://amzn.to/34clVt2

Ep. 84 VICTORIA DUERSTOCK "Celebrating the Joy of Christmas in Our Living Spaces"

As we begin the Advent season, Rev. Michaele Lavigne is the perfect guest to launch the start of the Church calendar, which began Dec. 1 this year, the first day of Advent.  Michaele is pastor of spiritual formation at 8th Street Church of the Nazarene in Oklahoma City.  In this episode we discuss how she came to serve in ministry and how her new book, Living the Way of Jesus evolved out of the practices her church has lived over the past several years.   To learn more about Michaele, find her on IG and at www.8thstreetchurch.org To order her book via my affiliate link on Amazon: https://amzn.to/33Y8xss The book she refers to in the episode is The Good and Beautiful God by James Bryan Smith and you can click my affiliate link here to order on Amazon:    https://amzn.to/33Xx3df  

EP 83 REV. MICHAELE LAVIGNE Using the Church Calendar to Live the Way of Jesus

Writer and baker extraordinaire, Kendall Vanderslice is my guest today. In her new book We Will Feast: Rethinking Dinner, Worship, and the Community of God, she shares with us her experiences around the US with the dinner-church movement, where she discovers the Holy Spirit working in beautiful ways connecting people, healing hearts, and transforming lives.  Kendall's passions for theology and food come through in this beautiful book and in our conversation.  Make sure to connect with her at the following: IG: kvslice  She has the best instastories!! www.kendallvanderslice.com to sign up for her Edible Theology newsletter and find all things Kendall And to order her book We Will Feast click the link: https://amzn.to/34cfCWY We talked about Samin Nosrat's kitchen must Salt Fat Acid Heat which is on special right now!  Click here to order: https://amzn.to/2O6wlFy      

Ep 82 KENDALL VANDERSLICE: Dinner Church, Worship, and Community Building

Julie Lyles Carr is a woman among women.  I got to know her when we attended the same church in Tulsa before their crew moved to Texas.  Her gifts are many and she uses them beautifully to serve women and families anywhere she can.  I'm thrilled to share her with you today as we talk about her amazing book, Raising An Original. From her website: "Julie is a disciple, reader, writer, runner, photographer, wife to Michael, mom to a bunch.  She serves as the Pastor of LifeWomen Women’s Ministry at her home church of LifeAustin in Austin, Texas, where Randy Phillips of Phillips, Craig and Dean serves as Lead Pastor. Julie is honored to be a featured speaker for Compassion International. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of Legacy of Hope Austin, a non-profit dedicated to serving families with children with special needs. Julie is also the host of the popular The Modern Motherhood Podcast from All Mom Does/Crista Media, with thousands of downloads each month.   Julie’s best-selling book, Raising an Original, from Harper Collins/Zondervan, was released in September, 2016. A popular speaker and teacher, Julie speaks on a variety of platforms in both church and business settings."  

81 JULIE LYLES CARR, Speaker, Teacher, and Author of "Raising an Original"

NOURISH is a podcast to encourage, inspire and nourish women's souls and spirits. The purpose is to provide positive content via inspiring interviews and upbeat conversation.

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NOURISH Podcast with Kim Bakaev

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