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Welcome back to our second "Modern Lady Throwback" episode! This week, we're pleased to re-release one of our favourite (and fan-favourite!) episodes from Season 2 entitled, "Playful Parenting"! This week: "When it comes to playing with our children, it seems we can sometimes be conflicted.  We may not always WANT to play house or to play with Legos... and so what do we do when those feelings of duty threaten to drown out the pleasure of spending time with our kids?  This week, the ladies discuss play as parents and share some of the childhood memories that inspire them to seek out ways to playfully parent their own crews today. *Stay tuned to the end of the episode for more memories & outtakes!*" (First aired: May 5, 2020)

Life in today’s world and society could easily be described in harsh terms: it can be rough, abrasive and coarse on a soul.  And so, if there to be any characteristic worth reviving, it’s clear that the quality of gentleness should be a top contender.  And yet, it seems to be one of those things that’s hard to define concretely.  This week, we're discussing what it means to be gentle in a world that seems to have lost it's taste for it, why it benefits us and those around us when we practice it, and how exactly we can begin today to cultivate a spirit of gentleness in our souls.

Last week, we dove into the biology behind stress, sensory regulation and what overstimulation can mean for those of us living in our modern day.  And while a solid understanding of the underlying issues is critical to redeeming the situation, it’s also true that helpful tips, reframing and advice is invaluable - and between us and all of YOUR input, there is no shortage of fantastic, stress-busting hacks! This week, we are continuing our conversation on stress, and ways we can combat it while seeking peace in our homes, vocations and faith.

From the small, mundane stressors of the everyday to the bigger, more overwhelming worries that can come throughout our lives, it’s simply a fact that many of us encounter stress often.  And while we may not be able to always mitigate or erase the pressures completely, we do have more control over how they impact our life overall than perhaps we are aware!  This week, we are starting a discussion on stress and how it affects our senses and physiology, some of the ways we can prevent it and share some strategies on how to balance the reality of stress in our lives with the bigger picture.

Aaaaand we're back!!  Happy New Year, one and all! Once the hustle and bustle of December has settled down, January, in contrast, can seem itself, a bit of a paradox: both a quiet calm after the holiday storm and a whirlwind of newness and resolve! It's an exciting time of year and it's a great chance to reflect on the what we want to do during the upcoming year to promote growth and progress in all areas of our lives.  This week, join us for a chat as we discuss our New Years Resolutions for 2023 and our goals for health, family culture, faith and their vocations. 

In this last episode of Season 4, it all comes down to making decisions with eternity in mind.  The 11 Steps of the Ignatian Method of Discernment helps to guide us closer to the heart of God... especially when the decision at hand is a difficult one!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay dig deep into these 11 steps, speak about where this process has taken them recently, and what it means for this podcast.  As they wind down this season and begin an extended break, they chat about implementing these 11 Steps themselves as they ponder the future of The Modern Lady and where the Holy Spirit might be leading this project next.

Over the course of our lives, we will have to make a MULTITUDE of decisions ranging from the small and inconsequential, to the big and life-altering.  And when it comes to those major life decisions, the process seems that much more daunting.  But, good news!  There’s a virtue for that!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay start the discussion on the process of discernment and how we can develop a character that helps us make good decisions rooted in wisdom!

After the isolation of the last two years, it seems like a good time to brush up on the subject of "hospitality"!  But welcoming people in goes beyond the fun of planning and an eye for detail.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay explore the virtue of true hospitality through the lense of "philoxenia", a Greek concept that encourages care of and service to neighbour and stranger alike... and how it's deep roots can find their way into our own homes and families.

It’s a big world out there.  But it’s also a big world in here… in our phones, in our computers and laptops, and we access and connect to so much through social media and the internet!  Online presence and usage is a hot topic today for many reasons, not all of them positive or pleasant.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay wax poetic about a corner of the internet that IS wonderful and it is on the rise: the world of comfort creators!

We wear many hats these days and juggling our lives can sometimes seem like an impossible task.  The illusion of a person who can "do it all" appears to be just that - an illusion.  No man is an island, after all, and this week, Michelle and Lindsay explore the history, psychology and challenges behind what many experience when they reach out for help... and why we should do it anyway.  

Last week's episode explored the theologican impacts and benefits of developing the gift of the imagination.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay dig into how our imaginations have hugely impacted our everyday lives, from science and philosophy to homemaking... and how we can continue to develop it as a way to elevate our day-to-day!

What an imagination!  Such a phrase is often attributed to a fanciful child, lost in the fantasy of deep play.  But what if our imaginations are meant to continue on with us beyond childhood?  This week, Michelle and Lindsay start part one of two in their discussion around our imaginations and the role it can play in our everyday lives.  Part One focuses on where imagination begins: our interior faith lives, and the imaginative genius of God, who models the way.

It is a piece of music that has captured the faith and wonder of all who hear it for centuries - the Miserere Mei, composed by Gregorio Allegri.  Originally played exclusively in the Sistine Chapel, the history of this song is, in itself, legendary: as the setting for Psalm 51, it tells the story of King David and his heart-wrenching plea to God for mercy... it has found its place as a cornerstone of Holy Week and Tenebrae services, which have been celebrated by Christians all over the world for centuries... and it found its extraordinary way out of the Vatican by way of another important and well-loved figure of musical history!  You'll never guess who! As we continue our journey through Lent this year and come closer to Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we wanted to share this episode from our Friday Finishing School collection and encourage you to use this classic setting as a prayer and meditation as we enter Holy Week next week! We hope you enjoy!

It's happening, ladies and gentlemen!  The fourth annual Spring Trends episode has arrived!  Every year, despite their decidedly "not-an-influencer" statuses, Michelle and Lindsay take a peek into the latest fashion, food and travel fads.  From ghost kitchens to Y2K to G.O.A.T vacations, spring and summer 2022 are on trend to be perhaps the biggest and boldest seasons analyzed on The Modern Lady thus far! 

Modern technology has certainly made many things in our lives easier, but it can come with a unexpected price tag: our constant availability and the pressure to respond in rapid time!  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about the phenomenon of urgency culture, what it is, and how we can curb it in our own lives through discerning silence and embracing the virtue of prudence.

We are one week into Lent 2022 and as we embark on this year's liturgical season, one reminder stands out in particular: we journey together.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about the virtue of perseverance while they explore the three pillars of Lent - prayer, fasting and almsgiving - and how all three unite us to one another and help us mature in our interior spiritual lives.

In everyday life at home, there can be highs and lows.  We know this to be true, but we often forget that *how* we look at things can sometimes make a world of difference in how we experience them.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about learning the art of reframing: what it is, how it can be an essential tool in our day to day lives, and why it's definitely one that you want in your back pocket!

When in a state of disarray, it can be easy to lose focus and lose heart.  And so when times such as ours become confused and chaotic, it serves us well to be reminded of what exactly we are supposed to be doing... and why.  This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about "the mission" - it's unchanging nature, it's simple (albeit difficult) charge and why it is crucially essential we remember it in our lives and world today.

After an extended holiday break, The Modern Lady is back!  And we find ourselves now in the thick of mid-winter.  This season can be bleak and a challenge to endure, let alone thrive in, but what if there were little things we could do to shift our perspective? This week, Michelle and Lindsay chat about what to do when winter seems to outpace your hygge efforts... and how a shift in mindset in a few key areas could help us embrace winter in a whole new way.

Surprise!  And Merry Christmas! We are still on a short break here at The Modern Lady, but we thought we'd drop our latest Friday Finishing School episode as a special treat into your "digital stocking" and podcast feed! Renown throughout the world, what is Christmas without Handel's stunning and iconic masterpiece, "Messiah"?  As one of the most played and storied pieces of music in history, we chat about the three things we think we should know about Handel's Messiah, particularly that spectacular Hallelujah chorus!