Lighten Up with Melanie Dale
133 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 93 ratingsAuthor Melanie Dale is perpetually trying to figure out how we can all calm the heck down about parenting, friendship, getting older, and the world around us. Each episode she chats with a friend about ways we can let go and lighten up.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Lighten Up #33: Swimsuit Edition
July 11, 2017 12:34 - 34 minutes - 31.3 MBMelanie and Courtney DeFeo talk about pool etiquette and disturbing swimsuit trends. Melanie meant for this to be totally family-friendly but accidentally described her wetsuit as a body condom. You’ve been warned.
Lighten Up #32: Most Embarrassing Moments…in Church
June 27, 2017 12:31 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBMelanie and Zach Hoag talk about their most embarrassing moments in church and he shares his “You May Have Grown Up in a Cult If...” list.
Lighten Up #31: Surviving Summer
June 20, 2017 10:00 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBMelanie and Logan Wolfram talk about surviving summer and cultivating relationships with everyone from coffee shop hipsters to neighbors. HOT DANG IT’S SUMMER, so listen in, and lighten up!
Lighten Up #30: Summer Camp
June 13, 2017 10:00 - 44 minutes - 41 MBOsheta Moore and Melanie talk about all things summer camp-related and camp-adjacent, including tender camp love, Jesus camp, camp foods, packing for camp, and favorite camp movies. This kicks off Melanie's HOT DANG IT’S SUMMER! series, so listen in, and lighten up!
Lighten Up #29: Emily Freeman
May 30, 2017 11:51 - 54 minutes - 50 MBMelanie talks with Emily Freeman, author of several books including Grace for the Good Girl and Simply Tuesday, and co-founder of hope*writers. They talk about 90s pop music, writing, building benches, blogging, and what song she’d perform in an epic lip sync battle. Tornado sirens go off during the interview and Melanie wonders if talking to Emily is worth dying for. So find out if she survives, listen in, and lighten up.
Lighten Up #28: Kelly Flanagan
May 16, 2017 10:00 - 55 minutes - 51 MBMelanie talks with Dr. Kelly Flanagan about his book Loveable: Embracing What Is Truest About You, So You Can Truly Embrace Your Life. They talk about worthiness, belonging, and purpose, as well as things they’ve Googled and their mutual love of Cadbury Eggs. Dr. Flanagan is a clinical psychologist and Melanie is always excited for more therapy, so listen in, and lighten up!
Lighten Up #27: Elisha Wilson Beach
April 30, 2017 23:26 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBMelanie talks with Elisha Wilson Beach, blogger at mylifeisabeach.com, about motherhood, dance, her nursing photo that went viral, and walking the red carpet. Her brand new baby was cooing in her lap while they talked, and if you listen carefully, you’ll hear lil’ baby noises throughout. This is just some of the bonus material you get when you listen in and lighten up.
Lighten Up #26: Ann Swindell
April 18, 2017 11:01 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBMelanie talks with Ann Swindell about her new book, Still Waiting: Hope for When God Doesn’t Give You What You Want. They talk about her battle with trichotillomania, the difficulty of waiting, and lightening up in difficult seasons, as well as writing advice and how to develop your unique voice as a writer.
Lighten Up #25: Ashlee Gadd
April 04, 2017 12:15 - 1 hour - 58.3 MBMelanie talks with Ashlee Gadd, founder of Coffee+Crumbs, about her new book, The Magic of Motherhood, and the epic launch party she planned where all the Coffee+Crumbs writers came together for the first time ever. They also talk about running Coffee+Crumbs, writing and storytelling, and of course, motherhood. Listen in...and lighten up!
Lighten Up #24: Laila @FrontRowMama
March 21, 2017 04:30 - 1 hour - 57.9 MBMelanie talks with Laila, a single mom, full-time PhD student, and blogger, about pursuing her goals, building relationships and a support network, watching The Bachelor, and the importance of names.
Lighten Up #23: Anna LeBaron
March 07, 2017 12:58 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBMelanie talks with Anna LeBaron, author of The Polygamist’s Daughter, about her life as the daughter of a polygamist cult leader wanted by the FBI and how she escaped. They also discuss The Tim Hawkins Handbook to Alternative Cuss Words, featuring words like “fartknocker" and "mother francis."
Lighten Up #22: Courtney Westlake
February 21, 2017 04:30 - 55 minutes - 50.5 MBMelanie talks with Courtney Westlake, author of A Different Beautiful, about her daughter, Brenna, who was born with harlequin ichthyosis. Courtney shares what God has taught her through Brenna and finding beauty in the unexpected.
Lighten Up #21: Jen Glantz
February 07, 2017 13:58 - 50 minutes - 46.3 MBMelanie talks with Jen Glantz, author of Always a Bridesmaid (For Hire) about her new book and her business as a professional bridesmaid. They talk about wedding disasters, online dating, and their favorite and least favorite things about weddings. Jen offers advice about weddings and tells us what we need to get through the big day.
Lighten Up #20: Todd Phillips
January 24, 2017 13:12 - 57 minutes - 52.2 MBMelanie talks with Todd Phillips, founder and president of The Last Well. They talk about his mission to bring clean water and the gospel to every person in Liberia, hope after the Ebola outbreak, his transition from pastor to head of a global organization, and also pet rodents. Listen in and lighten up!
Lighten Up #19: Laura Parker
January 10, 2017 15:42 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBMelanie talks with with Laura Parker, co-founder of The Exodus Road, a nonprofit fighting human trafficking around the globe. Laura shares a KILLER rat story, talks about living abroad, and they discuss their feelings about New Years resolutions, spidery mascara, and live action Disney princess movies.
Lighten Up #18: Esther Emery
December 13, 2016 13:07 - 53 minutes - 48.9 MBMelanie talks with Esther Emery about her new book, What Falls from the Sky. After her husband had an affair with her best friend, Esther moved across the country with her family and embarked on a year without the internet. She currently lives off the grid in a yurt in the mountains.
Lighten Up #17: Jamie Laslo
November 29, 2016 13:00 - 54 minutes - 49.9 MBMelanie talks with Jamie Laslo, who co-founded Ornaments4Orphans with her husband, Scott. They talk about how they're using ornaments to empower artisans and preserve families in East Africa, and Melanie and Jamie share their favorite Christmas decorations, traditions, movies, and songs. They also have a major disagreement about a Christmas movie. Will their friendship survive? (Spoiler alert: it does.)
Lighten Up #16: Chantel Adams
November 15, 2016 12:17 - 55 minutes - 51 MBMelanie talks with Chantel Adams, founder of Forever We, which connects kids with cancer with families who care. They talk about Forever We's dolls and books, childhood cancer awareness, and also selfie sticks, high-waisted pants, and their Hogwarts houses.
Lighten Up #15: Bekah Jane Pogue
November 01, 2016 12:24 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MBMelanie interviews Bekah Jane Pogue, author of Choosing Real: An invitation to Celebrate When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned. They talk about the book, their Thanksgiving traditions, and Melanie may have processed some intense feelings about people posting videos of couples’ workouts on Facebook.
Lighten Up #14: Zach Hoag
October 24, 2016 15:27 - 1 hour - 55.7 MBZach Hoag is an author, preacher, and creator from New England. Planting a church in one of the least churched cities in the U.S. (Burlington, Vermont), and pursuing ministry beyond that in a variety of spaces, Zach has learned a few things about the power of a deeply rooted life in Christ. Zach has found belonging in Westford, Vermont where he lives with his wife, Kalen, and their three girls. Find him writing at zhoag.com and follow him on Twitter @zhoag.
Lighten Up #13: Jennifer Dukes Lee
October 18, 2016 04:05 - 56 minutes - 52 MBMelanie talks with Jennifer Dukes Lee about her new book, The Happiness Dare. She took the quiz to find her happiness style and Jennifer psychoanalyses her and explains all five happiness styles, Experiencer, Doer, Thinker, Giver, and Relater. What’s your happiness style? Listen in, and lighten up.
Lighten Up #12: Lydia Mays
October 04, 2016 11:13 - 55 minutes - 50.9 MBMelanie talks with Lydia Mays, the founder of See Beautiful, a philanthropic company focused on giving back, which empowers children and adults to see and create more beautiful in the world. They cover dogs in strollers and purses, plus adult Halloween costumes. Listen in and lighten up.
Lighten Up #11: Kari Kampakis
September 20, 2016 12:27 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MBMelanie talks to Kari Kampakis, author of 10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know, about her new book, Liked, releasing November 15. They cover navigating your middle and high school girls through social media and "mean girls," as well as writing, lightening up, and this little known thing people are talking about called football season.
Lighten Up #10: Alli Worthington
September 06, 2016 11:53 - 57 minutes - 52.9 MBMelanie talks with Alli Worthington, COO of Propel, founder of Blissdom, and author of Breaking Busy, about cutting out distraction, writing books, and leading leaders, plus how we need to lighten up, movie reviews, and When Pumpkin Spice Goes Too Far. Alli has so much wisdom to share with us and she’s fun and funny and after listening to this you’ll want to be her friend.
Lighten Up #9: Alex Dale
August 23, 2016 12:20 - 54 minutes - 50 MBMelanie talks with Alex Dale, her long-suffering graphic designer husband who of his own volition dressed up in a Maimed Cookie Man costume to become the It’s Not Fair mascot at the book launch party. They interview each other, discussing important topics like who is cooler, Batman or Iron Man, which John Cusack movie is the best, how they met when Melanie was a twerpy freshman, and how they learned to laugh through hard stuff. They also perform a dramatic reading of their kids talking about...
Lighten Up #8: Kendall Ashley
August 09, 2016 03:16 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBMelanie talks with Kendall Ashley, a writer at Nerdist and Geek & Sundry and editor at a publishing house, about bun-stuffing in ballet, her perspective as an editor, San Diego Comic-Con, and all their conflicted feelings about the new Harry Potter book, The Cursed Child. She has so many great recommendations for reading and viewing and Melanie shares about one of the most embarrassing moments of her life.
Lighten Up #7: Chris Marlow
July 26, 2016 12:13 - 56 minutes - 51.6 MBMelanie talks with Chris Marlow, founder of Help One Now and author of Doing Good Is Simple, about his new book, Ryan Reynold’s parenting tweets, and sending kids on mission trips. There may have been a moment when they were both talking about seals, but he meant Navy and Melanie was picturing the ones with whiskers and flippers.
Lighten Up #6: Steen Jones
July 11, 2016 23:32 - 58 minutes - 53.5 MBMelanie talks with Steen Jones, new author and founder of COLORS scarves, about her debut novel, The Door Keeper, our awesome kids with autism, spending the night in a treehouse, and reasons women were committed to mental institutions in the ninetheenth century that will melt your brain. Also, doing the sniff test on clothes and the pros and cons of nose rings. World-changing stuff.
Lighten Up #5: Osheta Moore
June 26, 2016 12:17 - 1 hour - 55.6 MBMelanie talks with Osheta Moore, podcaster and blogger at Shalom in the City, about her practice of shalom, lightening up about dinners, and her hair. Then they deep dive into The Princess Bride about everything from favorite quotes, characters, and scenes to if The Machine could suck one year of your life away, which one would you want it to suck?
Lighten Up #4: Jenny Rapson
June 14, 2016 00:49 - 56 minutes - 51.3 MBMelanie talks with Jenny Rapson, editor of ForEveryMom.com, about three B’s: bad reviews, bikinis, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She reads her one-star reviews for the first time ever, Jenny shares how she thinks people need to lighten up, and they get all late-nineties nostalgic about the WB.
Lighten Up #3: Jamie Ivey
May 30, 2016 20:13 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MBMelanie talks with The Happy Hour Podcast’s Jamie Ivey about visiting jail, The Walking Dead, books, being a sports mom, and what three things Jamie’s currently loving.
Lighten Up #2: Logan Wolfram
May 16, 2016 19:47 - 59 minutes - 54.3 MBMelanie talks with Logan Wolfram, author of Curious Faith and head of Allume Conference, about how we can bring light to our communities, chopping off her hair and going gluten free, origami, launching her first book, and husbands buying maxipads.
Lighten Up #1: Courtney DeFeo
April 10, 2016 19:50 - 55 minutes - 53.4 MBMelanie talks with Courtney DeFeo, author of In This House We Will Giggle and creator of ABC Scripture Cards about how Courtney is helping her kids lighten up and other extremely important topics, like naked podcasting, arm-on-hip picture posing, carpool karaoke, and these dang mixed messages we hear from the world.