Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle Remind Us That We Can Do Hard Things
Description:
In the span of a single year, Abby Wambach lost her beloved brother, her wife Glennon Doyle was diagnosed with anorexia, and her sister-in-law Amanda Doyle was diagnosed with breast cancer. For the first time, the trio who host the wildly popular We Can Do Hard Things podcast, all found themselves simultaneously lost, looking for answers. So they turned toward the only thing that’s ever helped them find their way: deep, honest conversations with other brave, kind, wise people. What resulted from those conversations was a myriad of guideposts, words of wisdom from some of the most brilliant wayfinders in the zeitgeist today.
In this episode, Jen and Amy talk with Abby and Amanda about some of the most meaningful bits of guidance that they have received from inspirational voices like Elizabeth Gilbert, Jane Fonda, Michelle Obama, Ocean Vuong, Esther Perel, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and others that they have gathered into a new book called, We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions.
Some of the conversations they delve into include:
Why are we like this?
How do we figure out what we really want?
How do we let go, or forgive, or get unstuck?
Why do we wake up every day having forgotten everything we know?
Why self-loyalty is so damn hard for women?
Thought-provoking Quotes:
“I'm just trying to remain a human in this political environment, in this place of deep fear where so much is at risk. And I think the way we do that is continuing to see each other as human and continuing to let our hearts break over what should break our hearts.” – Amanda Doyle
“Having played on many different teams, I'm well suited to work well with others. I just have to be here and be myself. That is the way that I add value. I am not gonna add value in the way that Glennon and Amanda do. I know that. But that doesn't give me any lack of confidence because I know I bring something to the team.” – Abby Wambach
“After 400 or so conversations, it was so wild that, whether we were talking to a person who's been a therapist for 40 years, or a person who's a poet, or a person who's an activist, there were just a handful of questions that all of these people are struggling with. The smartest people in the world are trying to figure out the same things that we are.” – Amanda Doyle
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Forward: A Memoir by Abby Wambach - https://amzn.to/4ckZOFi
WOLFPACK: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game by Abby Wambach - https://amzn.to/4cpazqg
We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle - https://amzn.to/3EfeZ6r
Glennon Doyle - https://momastery.com/
Amanda Doyle Stops Keeping Score And Stays In The Moment - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-60/amanda-doyle-stops-keeping-score-and-stays-in-the-moment/
Brené Brown - https://brenebrown.com/
Kate Bowler - https://katebowler.com/about/
Suzanne Stabile - https://suzannestabile.com/
Guest’s Links:
Website - https://abbywambach.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/abbywambach/
Twitter - https://x.com/abbywambach
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/abbywambach/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCej3anJvC-rSMd63asN8cXg
Podcast - https://wecandohardthingspodcast.com/
Guest’s Links:
Twitter - https://x.com/amandafdoyle
Podcast - https://wecandohardthingspodcast.com/
Connect 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/JenHatmaker
The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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1:18:36
April 2025: Lily Brooks-Dalton’s The Light Pirate
Description:
The April 2025 JHBC selection, The Light Pirate, is a haunting, lyrical, and original story that takes place in the near future, set against the backdrop of climate-ravaged Florida, with parts of the state going underwater and being abandoned by those who used to call it home. The story follows Wanda—a luminous child born out of a devastating hurricane—as she navigates a rapidly changing world. With elements of literary fiction, speculative realism, and subtle magical undertones, The Light Pirate is a meditation on grief, transformation, resilience, and the relationship between humanity and the natural world. It’s both a warning and a whisper of hope—a reminder that even in the face of collapse, there is still beauty, connection, and light.
In this discussion with The Light Pirate author, Lily Brooks-Dalton, she and Jen discuss:
How the simple practice of journaling helped Lily evolve her craft and find her own unique voice as a writer
The ways in which Lily weaves unexpected, real-life texture into her work by marrying her passions in other hobbies and subjects
The evolving demands on a modern author
And Lily talks about her next book project titled 'Ruins' that explores the fascinating field of archaeology
Thought-provoking Quotes:
“I always wanted to be a writer. And it was just a matter of figuring out that that was a goal worth working toward.” – Lily Brooks-Dalton
“I always had a journal. I was so much better at figuring out what I felt through writing it down, as opposed to even thinking or talking out loud. It was just like my medium.” – Lily Brooks-Dalton
“That moment of preparation really stuck with me for a long time. And I couldn't get it out of my head. I was just thinking about all the different ways that a human being could react to that kind of energy, that kind of dread and fear and excitement.” – Lily Brooks-Dalton
“This is the conundrum of living in places that aren’t for us, places that aren't accommodating to us anymore in the way that maybe they used to be. It's so easy to be tucked into your safe home and be like, just move, just go somewhere else. But, I think you are able to put yourself in those shoes and realize these are people's homes. They invest their whole lives in these spaces. And it's no small thing to just move somewhere a little easier.” – Lily Brooks-Dalton
“I didn’t become a writer to be seen. It's not my comfort zone, so it's been a little bit scary at times and also really exciting.” – Lily Brooks-Dalton
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
The Light Pirate: A Novel by Lily Brooks-Dalton - https://amzn.to/42dGxCn
Motorcycles I've Loved: A Memoir by Lily Brooks-Dalton - https://amzn.to/4cEEavY
Good Morning, Midnight: A Novel by Lily Brooks-Dalton - https://amzn.to/4jy3S7v
The Midnight Sky on Netflix - https://www.netflix.com/title/80244645
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - https://amzn.to/4jzVvZ6
Audition: A Novel by Katie Kitamura - https://amzn.to/42koxXa
Guest’s Links:
Website - https://www.lilybrooksdalton.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lilybrooksdalton
Connect 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/JenHatmaker
The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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47:57
Top Chef’s Kristen Kish on Last Chances, Making Big Changes and Living a Life That’s Accidentally On Purpose
Description:
She’s become a leading voice in the culinary world and today stars as the lead host of the same cooking competition show that launched her career. Kristen Kish was eliminated from Bravo’s season 10 of Top Chef, only to make a triumphant return through a Last Chance Kitchen opportunity that cleared the way for her to beat out the remaining competition and win the season.
Since that 2013 victory, Kristen has been everywhere – launching a new restaurant, Arlo Grey, in Jen’s hometown of Austin (and another restaurant opening soon in New York), hosting some of our favorite food shows including Kitchens at the End of the World, Iron Chef, and now Top Chef (the student has become the teacher). She’s also flexing a new muscle as an author. In her new book, Accidentally on Purpose, Kristen shares her story of being born in South Korea and adopted into a loving white, midwestern American family and what it was like for her to navigate her identity in all of its racial, sexual and professional contexts. Ultimately, what defines Kristen’s story is how she learned to find her voice and use it and, while accidents may be unexpected, they don’t have to be at odds with our purpose.
Our conversation today covers:
Pivoting, embracing change, and building a life that is truthful and authentic
How the road to success was so much more winding and complicated than it may have appeared from the outside
Knowing internally that it’s time to make a change or take a new step forward
How it’s the behind-the-scenes, off camera moments that nobody sees where the decisions and discoveries are made, where the unexpected meets the intentional, and where things get really interesting.
Battling imposter syndrome and burnout and quieting the voice of doubt
How life’s best opportunities often come from embracing the unexpected
Thought-provoking Quotes:
“I figured out that I don't need to be anything other than myself. I figured out I don’t need to replicate somebody else’s way of doing something. My voice matters.” – Kristen Kish
“I think a lot of the nurture is in my personal life and a lot of the nature is in my professional life, because I can't tell you why I'm good at certain things. I didn't have to practice holding a knife. I didn't practice putting together flavors. It just came to me.” – Kristen Kish
“For a long time, I didn't know myself at all. I was too scared. I didn't want to know. I was scared of knowing where I came from because what if I found out something absolutely horrible? Sometimes you just don't want to know. And I've had to come to terms with getting to know all the really good things about myself that really have helped me move forward in life, but also really understanding the things that make me a challenge.” – Kristen Kish
I wish I would have chosen Bravo over Twitter ten years ago. – Amy Hardin
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Top Chef - https://www.bravotv.com/top-chef
Bravo! - https://www.bravotv.com/
Accidentally on Purpose by Kristen Kish - https://amzn.to/4iJQy04
Feed These People: Slam-Dunk Recipes for Your Crew by Jen Hatmaker -
Arlo Grey restaurant - https://www.thelinehotel.com/austin/restaurants-bars/arlo-grey/
Stef Ferrari, food writer - https://www.theycallmeferrari.com/ferrari-here
Charlotte Rose Coleman, fashion stylist - https://www.charlotterosecoleman.com/
Guest’s Links:
Website - https://www.thelinehotel.com/magazine/meet-atx-family-kristen-kish/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kristenlkish/
Twitter - https://x.com/kristenlkish?lang=en
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/KristenLKish/
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kristenlkish
Connect with Jen!
Jen’s Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/
Jen’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker
Jen’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/
Jen’s Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmaker
Jen’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker
The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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1:07:51
The Tears of Things: Living Prophetically in an Age of Outrage with Richard Rohr
Description:
Today, Jen and Amy sit down with a treasured friend of the show, Franciscan priest and truth-teller, Father Richard Rohr. Father Rohr has been a genuine hero of the faith who has guided us through much uncertainty over the years. Sometimes, we turn to him for mystic insights into lighter things like our Enneagram types and relationships. But today, we turned to him for help processing the anger, grief, and dismay we feel living in America right now. And he met the moment, as he always does.
With gentle grace, Father Rohr guides us through our toughest questions, like:
How do we live compassionately in a time of violence and despair? And what can we do with our private disappointments and the anger we feel in such an unjust world?
What can we do? Non-violent resistance is our chief responsibility right now. Like John Lewis said, these times call for some “good trouble”. Join the marches, call and write our elected leaders, and mobilize strategically for upcoming elections. We have several democratic tools at our disposal.
Where can we look for inspiration? Father Rohr talks to us about his latest project, The Tears of Things, which recounts the timeless wisdom of the Hebrew prophets and notes “If we can understand the prophets so poorly, if at all, no wonder we have not understood Jesus.”
What’s one thing we can do to live prophetically in these chaotic times?
And Father Rohr tells us what is giving him hope today. You’ll find it contagious.
Thought-provoking Quotes:
You know that the book of Lamentations was included in the Bible and it’s very telling that it's not lamenting any single war or single death. It's about universal sadness, giving us permission for a universal lament for the tragic sense of life.” - Fr. Richard Rohr
“We have to dig deep for hope. There isn't a logical basis for it today. But I do find it in nature.” – Fr. Richard Rohr
“Tears put us in touch with the soul and that’s their great gift.” – Fr. Richard Rohr
“Trust the excluded ones. Trust the little people. Jesus told us that. They will be much closer to the inside of the gospel than anybody who's easily holding power or position. Look for the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. You won't as readily find that in billionaires as you will in the little people.” – Fr. Richard Rohr
“You're ping ponging back and forth between rage and lament. And it's hard to find your center. And then the next day it's something different. It is a daily onslaught right now. It's so overwhelming.” – Amy Hardin
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer by Fr. Richard Rohr - https://amzn.to/4iaaBU0
Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Fr. Richard Rohr - https://amzn.to/4jrgkpy
The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe by Fr. Richard Rohr - https://amzn.to/44ruxhU
The Tears of Things: Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage by Fr. Richard Rohr - https://amzn.to/3XUyPKP
Live Yourself Into a New Way of Thinking: Richard Rohr - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-16/live-yourself-into-a-new-way-of-thinking-richard-rohr/
Enneagram Ones – The Reformers with Father Richard Rohr - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-27/enneagram-ones-the-reformers-with-father-richard-rohr/
Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer by Fr. Richard Rohr - https://amzn.to/3Edg7Yi
Center for Contemplation and Action - https://cac.org/
Guest’s Links:
Website - https://cac.org/
Twitter - https://x.com/RichardRohrOFM
Connect with Jen!
Jen’s Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/
Jen’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker
Jen’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/
Jen’s Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmaker
Jen’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker
The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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1:17:19
Cultivating Belonging and Evolving Faith with Jeff Chu
Description:
Jeff Chu, an award-winning journalist, author, and "sort-of-kind-of farmer," joins Jen on the For the Love podcast to discuss his book, Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand. In the book, Jeff shares stories from his time at “The Farminary”, a twenty-one-acre working farm at Princeton’s Theological Seminary, where students explore life's biggest questions while cultivating the earth.
Jeff reflects on his own struggles with faith, identity, and the expectations placed upon him as a gay man raised in a conservative Christian environment. His journey reveals the challenges of cultivating, not just plants, but also a spiritual life that is authentic, evolving, and inclusive.
In this conversation, Jeff, Jen and Amy discuss:
What Jeff learned at the “Farminary” about creating “good soil,” drawing lessons from the rhythms of growth, decay, and regeneration that define life on the land
Finding moments of grace and healing.
Challenging traditional interpretations of the biblical Parable of the Sower
Exploring faith, not as something static, but as something that evolves.
Thought-provoking Quotes:
“God's love is that lavish and it's there for you. And it doesn't come with the conditions that you might have. It doesn't require you to do anything more than you've already done. It just requires you to be. God's love is big enough to hold that, and your mess, and your beauty, and your frailty, and anything else you might bring to God.” – Jeff Chu
“I see folks trying to figure out how to create belonging, not just for themselves, but also for others, and being willing to ask those tough questions out loud, and being brave enough to say, I don't know, but I wonder. Being bold enough to point out not just the ugly things, but also to name the beautiful and hopeful things. Those are all things that give me hope.” – Jeff Chu
#JeffChu #GoodSoil #ForTheLovePodcast #SpiritualJourney
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Community First Village / Mobile Loaves and Fishes - https://mlf.org/community-first/
Genesis Gardens - https://mlf.org/genesis-gardens/
7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker - https://amzn.to/4kZZmjN
Actually Believing God Loves You Changes Everything: Jeff Chu - https://jenhatmaker.com/podcasts/series-16/actually-believing-god-loves-you-changes-everything-jeff-chu/
Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand by Jeff Chu - https://amzn.to/4kXozLJ
Wholehearted Faith by Rachel Held Evans and Jeff Chu - https://amzn.to/4iZlOrA
Does Jesus Really Love Me?: A Gay Christian's Pilgrimage in Search of God in America by Jeff Chu - https://amzn.to/4bZH91N
March: Book One by John Lewis - https://amzn.to/4c6xmXI
Travel and Leisure magazine editor-at-large - https://www.travelandleisure.com/author/jeff-chu
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - https://amzn.to/446LUo5
Padraig O'Tuama, poet - https://www.padraigotuama.com/
Kitchen Hymns by Padraig O’Tuama - https://amzn.to/4ccPFdV
Maggie Smith, poet - https://maggiesmithpoet.com/
In The Shelter: Finding a Home in the World by Padraig O’Tuama - https://amzn.to/4ccNNBL
Jeff Chu’s Good Soil Book Tour - https://byjeffchu.com/tour
Guest’s Links:
Website - https://byjeffchu.com/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/byjeffchu
Twitter - https://x.com/jeffchu
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/byjeffchu
Substack - https://byjeffchu.com/contact#substack
Connect with Jen!
Jen’s Website - https://jenhatmaker.com/
Jen’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker
Jen’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/
Jen’s Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmaker
Jen’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker
The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.
To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
New York Times bestselling author Jen Hatmaker and her longtime friend, Amy Hardin, have arrived in the middle years — and they couldn’t be happier about it.
Each has navigated the ins and outs of life — from careers, to parenting, marriage (and, for Jen, divorce), spiritual evolution, and the joys of being hardcore Gen Xers.
With each weekly episode, Jen and Amy serve as our “everywoman” guides to all the seasons — past, present, and future — as they walk excitedly and tenaciously into the second half of life.
While Jen and Amy have plenty of wisdom to share — and some pretty hilarious stories, too — they don’t claim to know it all. That's why they invite some of the most interesting and accomplished guests to the podcast, bringing insight, expertise, and understanding to the most relevant topics of our time. From Jen and Amy’s compelling conversations with guests to their witty banter (and the occasional eye-rolls at the absurdities of life), they’re here reassure you that you’re not alone in this game of life.
It’s “For the Love” of all that is good, justified, exasperating, exhilarating, real, fun — and so much more.