Ep. 5: Renee Blanchard

Welcome back, Curious Hearts. Renee Blanchard is so smart, wise, and funny. If you knew her from Church Alley Coffee, the deeply soulful little shop she ran for over a decade in New Orleans, you know she’s a natural hostess. But you might not know about her incredibly deep spiritual life. She’s navigating a brave transition right now — after going back to school in her 40s, she’s closed her business, is working in a whole new field. Her spiritual connection has been at the heart of all of it. Together, we talk about: 💫 Growing up as a south Louisiana Catholic-- including TV Church 🌱 Nature as sacred, and environmentalism as a path of spiritual service 🔥 What it means to take courageous action for your values (including the time Renee climbed a smokestack and got arrested under the Patriot Act!) 🌀 Spiritual principles like uncertainty, optimism, grace, and paradox 🧘‍♀️ Daily practices like prayer, presence, and letting go that help us stay grounded even when we don’t know what’s next This conversation is rich, honest, and full of heart. And hilarious. It’s about how we keep walking forward when we can’t see the whole path—and how we do it with faith, curiosity, and compassion. 📸 Follow Renee on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetjosephinest/ 🥗 Connect with Renee about nutrition: https://www.churchalley.store/blog 🎧 Listen to Making Good, her podcast: https://churchalleycoffeebar.podbean.com/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit veralester.substack.com/subscribe