Girls Night with Stephanie May Wilson

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!I’m so excited about today’s episode. Today we’re talking about how to find joy when you’re feeling stressed and anxious.I don’t think it’s any secret that there’s a lot happening in our world right now. There are heartbreaking things and scary things and heavy things happening in other people’s lives and our own lives. And on top of that, there are pressures each of us face on a daily basis at work and at home. It’s a lot to carry. And it really doesn’t help when we are scrolling through social media and seeing hundreds of people who seem to be doing it better than us. So, where is the hope in this? How do we find peace and joy even when life seems a bit crazy? And is that even possible?Today’s guest is going to help with this!Our guest for today’s episode is Raquelle Stevens. Raquelle is an author, producer, and host based in Los Angeles, California. You might recognize her from starring in the Apple documentary called, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, and the HBO Max series Selena + Chef. This year she released a book called, The Sunshine Mind: 100 Days to Finding the Hope and Joy You Want. I love the word “sunshine” because that’s what this conversation felt like to me.In this episode, we learn how to embrace our path and stop trying to measure up to everyone else, how to manage our stress and anxiety in practical ways, and how to experience just a little more joy in our lives, even when everything else feels crazy.Friends, I left this conversation feeling lighter and so encouraged and I hope you feel the same. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!I’m so excited about today’s episode. Today we’re talking about how looking back at our history helps us understand our present, our future, and ourselves better. Our guest for today’s episode is my new friend, Jasmine L. Holmes. Jasmine is a mom, a historian, and a writer. Her newest book is called, Crowned with Glory: How Proclaiming the Truth of Black Dignity Has Shaped American History.I wanted to have Jasmine on the show because I’ve spent so much time lately looking back at our history as women — seeing where we’ve been, and how we got to where things are today, and it’s just given me so much insight and context into my present to know more about our past. So when I saw that she had written this book, I knew I wanted to hear what this journey has looked like for her digging back into the past and what she learned from it.You guys, Jasmine is a brilliant teacher. She answered all of my questions so beautifully — (the big ones and also the ones that I worried might be kinda dumb?). Her answers were somehow simple and easy to understand, and also totally profound. I learned SO much in this conversation and I cannot WAIT to share it with you.Jasmine is a treasure. You’re going to love her.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!I’m so excited about today’s episode. Today we’re talking about how our past experiences can point us to our purpose for the future!To talk us through this, I invited my new friend, Jami Nato, on the show. Jami is a writer, serial entrepreneur, and an instagram influencer who loves keeping it real. A few months ago, I received her book in the mail called, This Must Be the Place: Following the Breadcrumbs of Your Past to Discover Your Purpose Today, and I knew I needed to have her on to talk about this with us!In this episode, Jami shares the story of discovering her unique identity by drawing on her past experiences and why she truly believes that God can use every part of our story, even the messy parts.Embracing her new identity has given her the freedom to step into her gifts and live a more joyful and purpose-filled life, and she’s telling us how we can do the same.I left our conversation feeling so inspired and encouraged and I know you will too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!I’m so excited about today’s episode. Today we’re talking about how to make cooking more fun and less stressful.If you’ve been listening to Girls Night for awhile, you know that I absolutely love food. I can tell you exactly what I’ve eaten on every one of my birthdays, and I am pretty sure that great restaurants are my love language.The caveat is, I would much rather someone else make the food for me than try to cook it myself. Can anyone else relate?! But cooking is an incredible thing and it’s something I want to get better at, so I wanted to talk with someone who can simplify this for us and help us become more confident in the kitchen. And today’s guest is going to do just that!Our guest for today’s episode is Bri McKoy. I recently received Bri’s cookbook in the mail called, The Cook's Book: Recipes for Keeps & Essential Techniques to Master Everyday Cooking, and absolutely fell in love! Bri calls herself an accidental home cook, which she’ll explain more in the episode, but she truly fell in love with cooking and is here to teach us some of the things she learned along the way!In the episode, she shares how to make a meal plan, how to tweak recipes and your kitchen to fit your personal taste, what staples we should have in our pantry and she even shares some of her favorite recipes from her cookbook. My mouth is watering just thinking about them!Friends, if you’re a beginner in the kitchen, like me, I love that there are ways to make this more enjoyable and Bri is going to tell us how!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!I absolutely love the conversation I get to share with you today. Today we’re talking about how to best care for your loved ones during hard times.To walk us through this, I invited my new friends, Christy Knutson and Jane Butler on the show! Christy is a healthcare strategist and entrepreneur. After a series of early losses, she is working to improve the end-of-life experience with a deep belief that there has to be a better way. Jane is a creative professional and entrepreneur. When Jane’s fiancé (now husband) was diagnosed with brain cancer at the young age of 24, they quickly learned the value of grief support and care in their healing.Together, as business partners, they co-founded an amazing company called Near to help change the way we offer care and support during difficult times.In this episode, they’re answering the hard questions so many of us face during our lives. Questions like…What happens when someone I love receives a diagnosis?How do I support a friend or family member who’s going through a difficult time?What do I say or not say to someone who’s experiencing grief?When do I start thinking about end-of-life planning whether it’s for my parents or for myself and how do I even approach that conversation?And the list goes on! Friends, these are heavy things to talk about, but I know we’ll all be better friends and caretakers because of it!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!Friends, I’m so excited, but also really nervous for today’s episode. I can’t believe this, but today I’m sharing my very first solo episode! This may be the first of many or may be the first and last solo episode — I’m not totally sure yet! 🤣 But either way, I cannot wait to see what you think!In this episode, I’m talking about how to find rest amidst our busy schedules. We often hear about the importance of rest and self-care, but how many of us can claim to truly understand what that means for us, individually? It's one thing to set time aside for ourselves but quite another to figure out what rejuvenates us, what actually fills our cup. That’s what I’m going to help you through, today. In this episode, I share the 3 most important things I’ve learned about rest and how to practically apply them to your life. I don’t have this all figured out and I’m not perfect at this, but I’ve grown a lot in this area over the past couple of years, and want to share what I’ve discovered along the way. If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your schedule and having a hard time figuring out how to incorporate rest into your daily, weekly or even seasonal routine, then grab some coffee and get comfortable, this episode is for you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!I’m so excited about today’s episode. Today we’re talking about how to become a mom without totally losing yourself in the process. As a newer mom myself, I’ve experienced first-hand pressures that come along with becoming a mom. First of all, motherhood is taxing. It’s consuming. It requires everything you have to give and often way more. And so being a mom while also being… yourself… it’s a LOT.It’s also a lot because the expectations society puts on mothers are HIGH. There’s no shortage of opinions on what a good mom should do and be and act like and provide for her kids — the list of expectations is so long it’s actually totally impossible to measure up to — which leaves a lot of us feeling like we’re failing. And this is an area of life where we absolutely do not want to fail. We’re pouring over the parenting books out there, trying our very best to do everything exactly right and feeling like we’re going to mess up our kids lives — or just mess up our kids in general — if we make even one tiny mistake. We’re killing ourselves trying to be perfect, and still somehow falling short. Is this really what our kids need from us??The answer is no. It doesn’t have to be this way, it shouldn’t be this way, there IS a better way — and that’s why I can’t wait for this conversation! Our guest for today’s episode is my friend, Alli Worthington. Alli is an Entrepreneur, Author, Podcaster and is helping women reach their dreams in business and in life. She’s also a mother of five boys, so she’s been on this motherhood journey for several years now. Alli recently wrote a book that I’m so excited about called, Remaining You While Raising Them: The Secret Art of Confident Motherhood. This book is not a parenting book, but rather a book focused on moms. In it she’s sharing why modern motherhood is broken and helping us remove the myths we’ve believed about what it means to be a “good mom.” And, from the principles she wrote about in this book, Alli is going to teach us how to:  Intentionally care for ourselves spiritually, emotionally, and physically as a new mom Conquer the mom guilt we might be feeling Stop comparing ourselves to other moms  Embrace our unique mothering style  And more!  This episode is for the brand new mom or the woman who really wants to be a mom, but is scared of the pressures that come along with it! I promise you’ll come out of this conversation feeling way more empowered and encouraged!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!I’m so excited about today’s episode. Today we’re talking about how to be more gusty — how to stop procrastinating, get unstuck, and pursue your dreams.Tell me if this sounds familiar…You have a dream in your heart — maybe something with your career or life in general — and you’ve been wanting to do something about it for a long time, but you have no idea what your next step should be. You’re feeling stuck and constantly find yourself seeking the validation and approval of others, which only leaves you feeling more tired. So what do we do about this? How do we get past these fears, stop putting things off, and go for what we want? Today’s guest is going to help us answer those questions! Our guest for today’s episode is my new friend, Natalie Franke. Natalie is an Author, Speaker, Community Builder, Neuroscience Nerd, and the Chief Evangelist at Honeybook, where she supports over 100,000 independent business owners. Because of that, Natalie knows a thing or two about what it looks like to pursue your dreams and not let your fears hold you back.Her newest book is called, Gutsy: Learning to Live with Bold, Brave, and Boundless Courage. In it she gives readers the push they need to take the next step and bravely follow their dreams. Here are just a few of the things she's going to teach us:How to stop procrastinating on our dreamsHow to reframe our mindset on failureHow to embrace our own path How to stop letting the opinions of others hold us backAnd so much more! I know I say this a lot, but this is one of my favorite episodes we’ve ever had on the show! So cozy up, grab a notebook, and get ready to make a move on your dream!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!I’m so excited about today’s episode. Today we’re talking about how to build more grit and resilience in our life and how to keep going even when things feel really hard.If you’re anything like me, you’ve had moments in your life where you know you’re supposed to do something — maybe it’s a career path you’re supposed to pursue or a dream you want to accomplish. But at some point along the road, we meet some resistance. Things start to feel really hard, we can’t get over something that happened in our past that makes us feel like we’re not good enough, we feel like we’re falling short compared to everyone else around us, we’re wondering if maybe we’re just not cut out for this.So how do we move past those obstacles? How do we keep moving forward and not give up?To help us answer those questions, I invited my dear friend, Bianca Juarez Olthoff, back on the show. Bianca is a bestselling Christian Author, Speaker, and Podcast Host. She recently released her brand new book called, Grit Don't Quit. In it she helps readers cultivate perseverance, embrace resilience, and embark on a life of purpose. And that’s what she’s helping us do today! Here are just a few of the things she’s going to be teaching us:How we can train our brains to be more resilientHow to keep going even when things feel really hard or even painfulHow to combat feeling like we’re falling short or falling behindHow to hear from God and keep pursuing what He has for usAnd so much more!Whether you’re trying to figure out your next steps in life, in a relationship, or in your career, this episode might just be the nudge you need to keep moving forward. I hope so. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey friends! Welcome to Girls’ Night!I’m so excited about today’s episode. Today we’re talking about how to truly enjoy your single life instead of just enduring it. We’re also talking through some of the lies or myths we’ve believed about singleness or dating. Lies like “my success is way too intimidating so I need to tone it down a bit”, or “I’ve been single for X amount of years, so I’ve missed my shot at finding my person.” Y’all, I’m even more excited because we have a really special guest to talk us through this! Our guest for today’s episode is singer, actress and my new friend, Michelle Williams. Many of you know Michelle from her days singing in the popular musical group Destiny's Child. Along with being a super talented singer, Michelle is also an amazing speaker! I had the privilege of hearing her speak and meeting her in-person at a conference I attended earlier this year in Atlanta. After hearing her heart for singleness and dating, I knew I needed to invite her on the show! In this episode, Michelle is sharing about her journey as a single woman and the biggest lessons she’s learned in her dating life. She’s also teaching us how to:Be confident in who we are and not let anyone dim our lightCherish our time as a single person Stop feeling lonely in our singleness Figure out the type of partner we need Stop settling And so much more! I can’t wait for you to hear from her!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices