The Red Tent Living Podcast

We close season four with Tracy and Katy modeling what conversation during a Red Tent Dinner can look like. In this conversation, Katy shares a story about bearing witness, and Tracy engages the story from her own life as well. With a special look at what it looks like to grow community deeply and organically, this episode shows how meaningful conversation can unfold organically through a Red Tent Dinner. Join Tracy and Katy for a rich conversation, and consider signing up to host your own monthly Red Tent Dinner online at Red Tent Living.

Most of us carry stories that feel painful, if not impossible, to speak aloud. Stories we fear no one would believe. Stories where we or someone we loved experienced pronounced harm or betrayal. Stories that changed us forever. What does it mean to live after a story of harm has happened? In this special episode, Katy and Tracy reflect on the impact of stories of harm that they have navigated and their ongoing relationships with those kinds of stories as they walk forward in their lives. Candid and transformational, this episode is for anyone who has ever wondered, "who would believe me if I could ever find the right words to tell the truth?"For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Far too few women feel invited to speak freely about menopause and the changes they experience in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. In this episode, Tracy Johnson and Jamie Schaub go all the places you've wondered about: offering helpful context, personal stories, and encouraging support for women wondering if there is a better, kinder way to love their bodies as they age. It's an episode not to miss!For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Author Christy Bauman shares with Tracy and Katy from her latest work, Her Rites, about the rite of legacy. While many of us have received traditions passed down from our mothers and grandmothers, far fewer have intentional language about the meaning behind those acts and traditions. Together, Christ, Katy, and Tracy reflect on the legacies they have inherited and the ones they long to intentionally leave behind. Join the conversation to consider what intentionally living your life to leave a legacy looks like. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

In this rare sister-episdoe, Katy and Allison, swap stories of different seasons in their life when they knew it was time to embrace an ending, but they felt unsure of what awaited them on the other side. In their own words, they find language for the risks they each chose to take and the way they navigated closing a sweet and familiar season they didn't want to leave, per se, but knew they had outgrown. Intimate, curious, and connected, join these two women as they bear witness for each other to a couple of stories on unexpected change and adventure. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

"Sorrow is the key to life," says Becky Allender. In this episode, Becky and Sandhya Oaks reflect on the nature of sorrow, the role it has in our lives, and the beauty we find because we are willing to engage the darker and more painful elements of our lives. Join Becky and Sandhya in this wide ranging conversation on living more fully thanks to the bravery of grief. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Kindred Spirits and fellow writers for Red Tent Living, Rachel Blackston and Susan Tucker take time to ponder seasons on endings, specifically in the context of motherhood. From a story shared about the ending of childhood and start of the adolescent era to a longer look at the seasons of parting with a child as they embrace their adult independance, Rachel and Susan not only find language for the bittersweet grief of a mother learning to let go, but also the sacred privelege of raising securely attached children who want to leave and understand how to leave well. Wise and winsome, this conversation is a true delight. 

Tracy Johnson and Beth Bruno have both spent years pouring their passion and hearts into full time ministry, and both ultimately made the choice to leave that work behind. Together, they reflect on their initial call to ministry, why they left, and the life they have found in their vocations since. A conversation full of heart, hope, grief and growth, Tracy and Beth honor the seasons of ministry and the good work that comes after. 

Surprising, poignant, and creative, Sandhya and Susan share a conversation together about practices of gratitude they have woven into the rhythms of their lives thanks to friendship. From the sacredness of a dinner table to a courageous game practiced 30,000 feet in the air, these women shine a light on the ways we can all grow more present, more thankful, and more connected to the people around us. Tune in for a rich conversation unlike any other. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Does all great art flow from suffering? Does the act of creating inherently bring suffering in its wake? How do we navigate the pain and beauty of creation? In this episode Katy Stafford and Cathy Loerzel reflect on their creative endeavors, from the most significant to the most mundane. Together, they ponder, "What does it cost us to create?" While also exploring why they keep creating even when it hurts. Whether or not you imagine yourself to be creative, this episode is for you and the important creative work you bring to you life. Join for a playful and reflective conversation.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

This week, we're taking a moment to pause from our episodes on gratitude and journal on the places where life is good. This brief reflection with Katy is intended to ground you in the blessings of your life exactly as it stands today. Enjoy!For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

When it comes to living with gratitude, no one brings more wisdom to the Red Tent Living community than our beloved matriarch, Mary Jane Hamilton. Together, Mary Jane and Tracy reflect on the power of a practice of gratitude: from helping us see goodness in the day-to-day to instilling a sense of confidence and peace in the face of loss. As Mary Jane and Tracy speak on navigating different kinds of grief, they reflect with candor on how gratitude has continued to ground them and enrich their lives. Join them to discover the potential of gratitude in transforming your own life.   For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

We kick off season 4 with this sweet, New Year's reflection between Katy and Tracy as they process relationships coming to a close and relationships being birthed, all through the lens of gratitude. With a focus on embracing our own humanity and leaning into our shortcomings and the hard moments, Katy and Tracy look for the ordinary magic that makes the day to day worth living.  Join us for this refreshing conversation to reframe your perspective on engaging with loved ones this coming year. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

It's Christmas Eve and our time of advent is drawing to a close as we turn our hearts and minds to the arrival of Jesus and celebrate light breaking forth in the darkness. This week, Tracy and Katy reflect on God as love, pondering how the Christmas Season invites us to remember that Love is With US and to risk extending love. For this is the story of Christmas: that God chose to embody love, with all of its suffering, because he longed to come alongside us. He knew the cross lay at the end of the road, and he risked love anyway. Join us as we dar to hope this Christmas that we may we be brave enough to do the same. For journaling prompts that coincide with this episode and walk you through each day of advent, sign up at Red Tent Living.

When it comes to the thin spaces of our lives where we are laboring to birth life,  it's difficult to overstate the power of a midwife, or wise woman, who has walked the journey before us and can offer her hope, peace, and courage along the way. For this week of advent, Katy and Tracy discuss the places where they have labored for life, and needed the guidance of another woman and where they have each gotten to provide that encouragement in the aftermath of their own hardships. With a special attention to what God has to say about the strength of a laboring mother and the hope of a midwife, this week is sacred, connective, and inspiring. Join us for  the conversation!For journaling prompts that coincide with this episode and walk you through each day of advent, sign up at Red Tent Living.

“Carrying” life of any kind is a personal journey for each life bearer. As we carry life within us, nurturing it until it is ready to be born into this world, we come to understand our motivations, our hopes, our fears, and our purpose in new ways. The same was true for Mary. For the second week of Advent, Katy and Tracy reflect on what carrying life meant to Mary, what shalom looks like in the world, and how we all can embrace peacemaking in our everyday lives. How might you bring shalom into the world this Christmas season?For journaling prompts that coincide with this episode and walk you through each day of advent, sign up at Red Tent Living.

Welcome to the first week of Advent. This is a season of waiting and anticipation: a season of leaning into the hope that God is with us and God comes to us again and again. In the coming month, Katy and Tracy reflect on what advent means for us today. Inspired by Mary's journey as a pregnant mother, we examine advent through the various stages of carrying and birthing life into the world (whether physcially or metaphorically). It's a series of Christmas conversations unlike any other, and we hope you'll join us on the journey!  *Trigger Warning* This episode engages the biblical story of Bathsheba and her experience of sexual violence.For journaling prompts that coincide with this episode and walk you through each day of advent, sign up at Red Tent Living.

This week, Eliza and Haley reflect on their individual journeys to embracing their call to spiritual leadership as women of color. Together, Eliza and Haley bring wisdom and grace as they share stories of navigating spaces where they have not always been welcomed or celebrated. And, they give perspective on how to keep showing up with courage, clarity, and truth, no matter the context where you are called to lead.  Kind, generous, and boldly differentiated, Eliza and Haley are a gift you won't want to miss. Tune in to their conversation on female pastoring and leadership.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

To be human is to have a body. We each negotiate our relationships with our bodies: at times fraught, and at times more self-accepting. Mother/Daughter Duo Tracy and Katy reflect on their own relationships with their bodies, particularly in their current seasons of post-menopause and pregnancy. Together, they approach their bodies with curiosity and gratitude. Join them for a different kind of conversation around seeing and celebrating the body that has carried you here today. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Most of us who have attended or are attending church regularly have faced questions and tensions about what it means to be a part of a body of Christian believers. Churches are spaces filled with diverse opinions and convictions about what it means to follow Jesus well and who belongs at the table of God. At their best, these diverse opinions serve to refine love for one another with gentleness and permission and growth. At their worst these convictions become weapons on power and abuse, silencing marginalized voices and those whom we demand repent or submit for what we perceive to be a God-imposed limitation or judgement on their selves. So how on earth are those of us who love Jesus to remain a part of these fraught and flawed communities? That's the question Tracy and Emily tackle together, reflecting on the various church communities they and their families have participated in over the decades.  Join in their tender searching and reflections. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Motherhood is a journey, unfolding with lessons and transformations as we care for our children and grow into the parents they need. Together, Tracy and Lyndsey reflect on their own journeys of motherhood and how profoundly their ideas of motherhood have shifted from when they initially embarked on that road to the way they mother today. Tearful, hilarious, and tender, join  this candid conversation about the lessons that motherhood has to teach us if we are brave enough to keep becoming alongside our children

How often do we think of bravery as the courage to "go and do" when in reality it often takes just as much courage to choose to stay put? Therapists and mothers, Heather and Rachel share stories with each other of courageous moments when they chose to stay put. Mindful of the care they offer themselves and the stories they live out in front of their children, these two women consider the less obvious sides of bravery and kindness. Join them for this warm and inviting conversation. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

What are rituals and why do they matter in our everyday lives? Host Tracy Johnson sits down with therapist and ritual maker Heather Stringer to explore to power of rituals in drawing us into the present, helping us mark moments of significance, and orienting the people we love toward what's happening in our lives. Challenging our preconceptions of ritual, Tracy and Heather share a heartfelt and embodied conversation about the spiritual practices that reconnect us to the beauty of our lives.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

In this conversation therapist and advocate Danielle Castillejo connects with host Katy Stafford to consider how we best show solidarity for one another. Bridging their own experiences (and missteps) along their journeys of honoring difference, engaging culture and race, and owning their own impact, Katy and Danielle reflect on how solidarity begins with engaging your own story truthfully. Tune in for more of their fascinating back and forth and for the chance to think about your relationship with showing solidarity differently. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

The gift of a lifelong friendship is a rare and precious gift. This week, host Tracy Johnson and special guest Becky Allender reflect on two of their longest friendships together. With a poignant conversation that touches themes of loyalty, memory, laughter, and also grief, Tracy and Becky practice gratitude for the women who have enriched their lives over decades. Join us for a sacred conversation on the power of friendship. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Take a scroll down Instagram and it doesn't take long to find yourself battling feelings of envy or doubt-Am I living the life I could be? Am I as happy and successful as I should be? This week, Tracy and Katy consider what it means to grow present to your real, beautiful ordinary by taking a candid look at their own. Tune in to a heartfelt conversation that turns from the everyday mundane to more vulnerable moments of suffering and change as Tracy and Katy consider what thriving really means. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

To start Season 3, co-hosts and founders of Red Tent Living, Katy Stafford and Tracy Johnson, reflect on the beautifully ordinary community of women who have chosen to share their stories through the online magazine, Red Tent Living. Through laughter and tender memories, Tracy and Katy express gratitude for the brave sharing and generous acceptance they have experienced through the Red Tent Living community and also dream about ways that community  will continue to grow even as the magazine is archived. Join this mother-daughter duo for a sweet conversation on the power of women affirming each other across different seasons and perspectives.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

This season concludes the way it started: with mother-daughter duo Tracy and Katy. This time, we tune in as Tracy and Katy reflect on a kind of family ending and  the hope surrounding a family beginning. Katy shares her experience of the 'maybe season' as she and her husband navigate the journey of growing their family. And Tracy tenderly reflects on the upcoming threshold of her final child reaching adulthood and a season of parenting coming to a close. Together, these women celebrate the journey they've walked alongside each other and the hope they nurture for the future. Whatever season of family you find yourself in, there is something special in this episode for you. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Something sacred happens when we open our homes to those beyond our immediate families. Worldviews are widened. Memories are formed. Belonging is cultivated.Together, Vanessa and Haley share their own memories of hospitality. As Vanessa remembers the impact of being invited into the home of a family during her years in college, Haley recalls the formative impact of her own parents' hospitality to both strangers and friends in the home of her youth. Spiritual Directors both, Vanessa and Haley take turns noticing one another's stories, putting words to they sense of welcome they have sought to grow as women as well as the loss of belonging they have navigated as they've aged. Through it all, a yearning to keep seeking and sharing belonging ties these women's stories together. Listen in to share in the beauty of their conversation. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Family relationships are often fraught with tension-filled moments of gridlock. How do we break free from familiar patterns? How do we carve a different path? Friends Tracy and Tina explore what it looks like to bravely try again in the relationships that matter most. As these women share about a relationship with a parent and a relationship with a spouse, they give all of us a window on ways to practice boundaries and forgiveness, gentleness and courage. For anyone whose ever felt heartbreak or longing after abandonment and for anyone whose ever spoken a harsh word and needed a do over, this conversation is for you. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

This conversation explores the power and beauty of sisterhood and the unique bond that exists between friends who are like sisters. Together, Katy and Christy share openly about the women they cherish as sisters: women who have taught them they can always coming home and that there is a bonding power we experience with our sisters when we share together in grief. The conversation emphasizes the importance of showing up for one another in both joyful and difficult moments, and the transformative nature of deep, authentic connections.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

There are so many ways that our ancestors shape who we are. In this conversation, Mallory Redmond and Dr. Christy Bauman discuss the importance of minding our elders and integrating their influence into our lives. With a special focus on the power of female elders, Christy and Mallory explore the importance of the table and ways we can all cultivate a sense of belonging and peace in our communities.In particular, this episode celebrates the Cherokee tradition of the Beloved Woman. For more on the wisdom of female elders leading from the margins, please consider reading Kat Armas' book, Abuelita Faith.

Lifelong friends Tracy and Jamie explore the challenges and joys of blended families. Through personal stories, these two moms discuss the complexities of navigating relationships with step children and children-in-law. Along the way, Tracy and Jamie embody the power of acceptance, understanding, and unconditional love. Join these wonderful women as they talk about families that grow in sometimes unexpected, and beautiful ways. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Is there a cycle you have inherited in your family that feels nearly impossible to break? Becky and Beth are right there with you. Together these beautiful women open their hearts to give you a window into their  mothering practices as they each work to rewrite their family stories with generous boundaries and permission giving energy for their children. Their conversation is candid, encouraging, and right in the moment as they allow listeners to take a peek into their real world family challenges and dynamics. Snuggle up for a comforting, brave conversation with the women of Red Tent Living.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

With both gentleness and fire, Rachel and Vanessa share stories  from the homes they were raised in and reflect on how those homes molded them into the women they are today. Together, they face down the barbed family dynamics of patriarchy, depression, loneliness, and longing with self-acceptance and care for one another.  Along the journey, they also put language to ways they are learning to advocate for their worth and express holy anger for the harm they experienced as children.  This tender conversation is filled with hope, beauty, and resilient joy. You won't want to miss it. For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Saying goodbye to a loved one is holy and hard ground. In this vulnerable and inviting conversation, Haley and Jill talk on the ebb and flow of the goodbyes they have known in their lives and the self discovery they've uncovered through loss. Their courage offers hope to all of us who've faced an untimely loss. So make a cup of tea and grab a blanket for this tender exchange between friends.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Together, mother/daughter duo Tracy and Katy explore the dynamics of generational gatherings and the challenges of navigating complicated family dynamics. If you've ever felt a thirst for connection in your family, at a lost for how to reclaim your family legacy, or unsure of how to navigate the multi-layered nature of family stories, this conversation is especially for you.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Season 2 hosts Tracy Johnson, Katy Stafford, and Haley Wiggers discuss favorite moments from Season 1 of the Red Town Living podcast. They highlight the bravery and relatability of the women who share their stories in this place as well as generosity and affirmation within the Red Tent Living community.  Looking forward to season two, they reveal our theme and their hopes for the upcoming season. Welcome back, to the women of Red Tent LivingFor more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

As the holiday season draws near, Tracy Johnson and Beth Bruno reflect about the magic and memories that unfold when we share our tables with friends and family. Savor their stories in this season 1 finale of the Red Tent Living Podcast, and dare to imagine new ways that you can cultivate belonging around your own table.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living. And, to sign up for your free monthly Red Tent Dinner Kit download, visit RedTentLiving.com/dinners.

Some housekeeping and a blessing from Tracy Johnson as we anticipate the holiday season and the close to season 1 of the Red Tent Living Podcast. For more information on Red Tent Dinners and the Red Tent Living Advent Devotional, keep your eyes peeled at RedTentLiving.com in the coming weeks. 

Whether you're a mom or not, this frank and hilarious episode is for you. Haley and Mallory dive deep as they put words to how big and scary the longing inside of us for friends can get. Together, they talk about small, brave steps of connection with the people we find alongside us in similar seasons and places. Whether on the playground, or a college campus, or in the office, we are all longing for a troop to come alongside us in the trenches and to remind us--Yes! You are doing good enough.  Join us for a wonderful dose of compassion and putting yourself out there just a little bit to remind another woman, even a stranger, that she is doing a good job!For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

Here's the truth: sometimes friendships are complicated, and when things get complicated, it can be hard to know how to muddle through well. Christy Bauman and Sandhya Oaks generously share stories of their own friendships to help light the way for us. In the process, they both reveal that how we sit with our own reality, and our own bodies, often opens up new possibilities for how to sit with a friend. Join us for this special conversation.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

There are few things more painful, or disorienting, than a broken friendship. Together, Haley Wiggers and Katy Stafford walk us into the tender and difficult spaces of relationships lost. Listen in as these women reflect on friendships that have fallen away in their lives and the forgiveness they have needed to uncover along the way for those lost friendships and for themselves.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

What happens when a friend crosses the threshold of intimacy and becomes something more? Rachel Blackston and Maryhelen Martens speak openly on spaces of care and longing when friends meet us or fail to meet us in the midst of our deepest needs. Their conversation traverses memories of sisterhood, grief, and comfort as well as tentative hopes for the present. If you need a kind look at self care when it comes to the deepest moments of friendship, this is a conversation for you to tune into.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

We've all known the pain of betrayal or hurt in a friendship? But how on earth do you repair? Christy and Tracy delve deep into their own stories of seasons when their friendships needed mending. Bright, winsome, and full of fearful hope, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

In a world of reels, posts, likes and comments, what marks a true friendship? And how do we recognize the difference between friends who hold us in our vulnerability and followers who engage us more casually? This week, join in the delightful candor of Lyndsey Ribble and Mallory Redmond as they share stories of imperfection and the beauty of being really seen, known, and loved by deep friends. Discover how these friends, and the boldness of Lyndsey and Mallory's own kids, have called them to be better women in a way no follower ever could.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

We all know the rock bottom moments or seasons when we could use a friend . This week, Danielle Castillejo and Eliza Cortes Bast recall friends who made all the difference for them. Two tough chicks who bring their fierce and their tender into the room, this conversation is filled with laughter and possibility. Join us to discover the beauty of showing up, bring known, and choosing to play with a friend.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

This week, the Red Tent Living podcast hosts a conversation between pastor Haley Wiggers and longtime church goer and author Beth Bruno about finding friends in church. With candor and compassion, these women admit that church friendships are some of the most difficult kinds of friendships to build. If you’ve ever endured an awkward season of church attendance, this episode is for you.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living.

In this inaugural episode of the Red Tent Living podcast, Red Tent Living co-founders and  mother/daughter pairing Tracy Johnson and Katy Stafford share stories of dear friendship during a season of grief. Together, they reflect on the turns in the road  we share as friends and the transformative love they each experienced from friends who chose to stay close in loss. It's a conversation you don't want to miss.For more stories from brave, ordinary women, join us at Red Tent Living. 

Red Tent Living is thrilled to announce a brand new podcast for women committed to building beautifully ordinary spaces. Welcome to the Red Tent Living Podcast. Host Tracy Johnson and Producer Katy Stafford talk a bit about this season's theme of friendship and why you won't want to miss your chance to tune in each week. Join us.