Tara is making MASSIVE change in the world of infertility in North Dakota. She is striving to not only support families who are struggling with infertility but also change laws. The amount of progress that she has made in her efforts with Everlasting Hope made is insane!! “Tara works as a doctorate family nurse practitioner and fertility coach. After enduring a long road through infertility followed by a traumatic pregnancy, she turned her hurt into hope for others by forming the only infertility nonprofit in North Dakota and South Dakota. In 2019, Tara initiated grassroots efforts to mandate insurance coverage for infertility care and cancer preservation to the North Dakota State Legislation and again in 2021. Tara is passionate about supporting those diagnosed with infertility and empowering them to be their own advocates. She has combined her experience as a healthcare professional and personal struggle with infertility to help navigate infertility couples through their family building path.” Visit http://www.tarabrandner.com/ for more information!

I mean, who hasn't found them awake at 3 am in the morning wishing they could fall asleep? I know I have! Annie Schlecht has the ability to help adults AND children with sleep hygiene. After talking with her, I utilized some of her recommendations with our oldest son. It absolutely worked. As we all (hopefully) start to transition back to our new normalcy of life, our sleep patterns may need a transition too. Annie's episode will bless you with tips and encourage you to work towards better sleep habits. I can't wait to hear how this episode changes your sleep life!

Guess who's back? Back again? Kelly's back! Tell your friends! Anyone else singing? After almost an entire year, Kelly and the Encouragers is back!!! So much has changed. I'm sure how/what the podcast will look like from here on out. But, I have three AMAZING episodes that I recorded with FANTASTIC guests some time ago. I have headed to upload these a few different times during the pandemic, having a new baby, and dealing with kidney cancer. (More about all of that later!) The time never really felt right. But, today? TODAY IS THE DAY! On today's episode, my dearest friend Jessica Rhodes joined me. Jessica is one of those friends who I could not see for years but would still greet me with a huge smile and a hug. I absolutely adore both her and her husband Don so much. They are currently parenting six (yes, you read that right) children. AND, they are rocking it. Jessica has been so wonderful to share their story of foster care. She shares the ins and outs of navigating it, her wonderful perspective, and the hardest moments. I can feel that someone out there needs to hear this episode. I'm not sure who it is. But, I know they will find Jessica and Don's story at just the right moment.

I met Tracy on Instagram some time back. Since this time, I've enjoyed following her journey and getting to know her. Tracy had a challenging situation which lead her to remove herself from the role of helper to allow herself to receive help. She shared her journey of learning to embrace vulnerability and opening herself to hard conversations with those around her. Tracy did not hold back. We talked about ALL the things. I am so thankful for her and know that she will impact your life with this episode!

Our next presenter at our Evening of Encouragement was my dear friend, Brittany Schank. Brittany has been a friend of the podcast from the very beginning. You may remember hearing from her on Episode 8 and Episode 13. I would absolutely recommend that you go back to listen to those episodes as well. Brittany shared her message- Beauty Marks: A Journey of Encouragement and Bravery. She shares some of the hardest moments of life and how she has navigated through these. If there's one thing that I know about Brittany, it is that she will absolutely always find a way. Her strength and ability to manage through hard times is inspiring. I can't wait for you to hear from her!

This week's episode jumps right into hearing from one of our presenters at the Evening of Encouragement held in March 2020. Marnie shared her message- No, You're Not to Old to Go After a Dream or Clean Up Your Mess. Marnie is one of my favorite people. Her ability to share hard moments so vulnerably is beautiful. Her sweet husband even came to listen to her. The pure love and admiration he had on his face while listening was beautiful. I know you will love hearing from her!

Racism. We like to think that it doesn't exist anymore. I mean, it's 2020 right? Racism surely isn't continuing on, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, racism impacts so much of our daily lives that we often don't even acknowledge it. Anna reached out to share hard truths, her emotions, processing through such unfair and unjust situations. What I love about Anna's approach to life is her ability to hold both parts- This is hard and traumatic. AND, I can do something about it in my own community. Her ability to make change in her own community and desire to help others is admirable. If you want to learn more after this episode, go to Anna's website for recommendations of books that will help you explore the realities of racism -----> www.listenupandread.com

I saw Stacey speak at the RISE Conference by Rachel Hollis. Previous to this experience, I had listened her TEDTalk. She has an absolutely unforgettable presence on stage. Here's the thing about Stacey. She doesn't just own her power on stage. She owns her power throughout her entire life. Stacey finds meaning and hope in the hardest moments of life. She is so intentional about the choices that she makes of how she will show up to her own life. We can learn so much from Stacey. I can't wait for you to hear this episode!

How on earth do I summarize how my time with Tanya completely shifted my perspective and changed my life? I have NEVER met anyone in my life that I felt so aligned with in so many ways. I actually hung up and called a friend to share about the interview. I do have to say that Tanya is farther on the journey of living life unapologetically on purpose than I am. So, I loved hearing her perspective and being encouraged to continue on. You'll want to follow Tanya on allll of the socials because this lady is going places and changing lives!

What perfect timing! To be honest, I live in the middle of nowhere. There isn't even an option to have true internet here. I'm not kidding. This has made uploading the podcast and keeping socially distanced very problematic. Finally, I found a solution that worked! That tells me that you absolutely NEED to hear this episode. Are you at home with your kiddos? Are you finding it challenging to help them learn while managing your own work demands? Do you need hope through this time? Well, Alexa is your gal! She talks us through how to help our children in a way that encourages a child-centered educational approach. I can't wait for you to hear her simple solutions to increasing learning in your home!