32K
Downloads
167
Episodes
Feeling like a frazzled, coffee-reheating, “I’ve got this” mom who’s actually barely holding it together? You’re not alone. Welcome to Unlikely Housewives — the Christian mom podcast where two real women (and moms) trade people-pleasing for freedom, self-care for soul-care, and “the hustle” for a life of purpose.
Tracy and Tori are Christian moms who met after moving their families across the country and realized they were both faking it, lonely, and tired of comparison. We’re recovering people-pleasers and straight shooters who believe God calls the unlikely — and that you were made for more than just surviving motherhood, marriage, and the daily grind.
On this show, we talk real about:
- Christian parenting with purpose (and the mess that comes with it)
- Marriage, faith, and the hard conversations no one wants to have
- Women’s health, emotional baggage, and ditching cultural lies
- How to stop pretending and start living with hope as a Christian mom
If you’re a busy, isolated Christian mom looking for encouragement, laughter, and a reminder that you’re not alone — this is your tribe. Pull up those high-waisted yoga pants, tighten your top knot, reheat your coffee (again), and let’s rise together in faith, motherhood, and marriage.
Want to be a guest on Unlikely Housewives? Send Tori Shirah a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/unlikelyhousewives
Episodes
Tuesday May 16, 2023
Tuesday May 16, 2023
Do you have kids who play video games? What about younger kids and wondering how to navigate introducing a healthy, fun and learning boundary around video games. Let us introduce you to TruPlay! We truly enjoyed getting to know Brent, his career path and his passion for finding a path for Christian families in the gaming industry.
Our guest, Brent Dusing is changing the face of the gaming industry for Christ! He’s a Christian, father and CEO of the gaming studio TruPlay Games. Brent has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University. He’s using his knowledge and entrepreneurial heart to bring high-quality, fun and biblically-sound entertainment to families worldwide. It gets more complex every day for parents to combat what their kids see online, so Brent is committed to providing children and parents with a safe corner of the web.
The story of TruPlay first began with Lightside Games, a company dedicated to bringing God‘s truth to the video gaming space. Lightside had 7 million people play its games worldwide including 25,000 decisions for Christ. The games included Journey of Jesus, the most played Christian game of all time, as well as Stained Glass which was the top Christian game on the App Store for years. Lightside was acquired by TruPlay in 2021. TruPlay is currently upgrading the Lightside portfolio and bringing them into the mobile world on the TruPlay platform.
Over his career, Brent has been featured on CNN, Fox News, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly and other news media. We feel so fortunate to have spent some time with Brent here on the Unlikely Housewives Podcast.
Brent has been featured on podcasts with:
True North Leader with Bobby Albert
The Pursuit of Manliness
Christian Men at work
Gospel Tech with Nathan Sutherland
Guys like us
Join our community on Facebook and connect with us on Instagram!
Write an apple review and YOUR review could be read on our next episode!
Hosted by Tori Shirah and Tracy Stine
Contact us ➡️ UnlikelyJoCo@gmail.com
Tuesday May 09, 2023
Tuesday May 09, 2023
We loved talking with Kristin Smith about traveling, our favorite spots to visit and how to be a tourist in your own city. Kirstin & her husband love to travel and it has become a passion of hers as they’ve continued to travel and be creative as a family.
Kirstin became a travel agent after realizing her knowledge and experience was attracting her friends and family in order to help them plan specifically for Disney vacations. She loves helping people plan for small trips, staycations and family travel.
We run through a gammet of local attractions as well as those around the KC area. We also share tips on some great ideas to check near you or the next time you’d like to travel.
Local KC attractions:
Other Ideas:
St Louis (The Arch & City Museum are our favorites)
Hermon, MO (Missouri Wine Country Bed & Breakfast):
Omaha (Zoo, College World Series)
HGTV spots across the country:
Laurel, Mississippi with Ben & Erin
If you’re flexible:
Last minute deals: check airfare last minute
Southwest Airlines tip: if the flight you are on is cheaper than the one you originally booked, you can rebook the same flight and get a travel credit for a future flight.
Search for last minute cruise deals…gotta fill the boat.
Working with Kristin is completely FREE! She works with the most incredible brands and the agents are taken care of by these brands. She also works with beach properties, cruise lines, all inclusives, etc. Most feel like working with a travel agent would be an extra cost to the customer, but it is not…it’s a huge benefit and not only a time saver but a penny saver too.
You can find Kristin here: @KristinMOMT
ksmith@momentsofmagictravel.com
Join our community on Facebook and connect with us on Instagram!
Write an apple review and YOUR review could be read on our next episode!
Hosted by Tori Shirah and Tracy Stine
Contact us ➡️ UnlikelyJoCo@gmail.com
Tuesday May 02, 2023
Tuesday May 02, 2023
We had so much fun talking with our guest, Lindsay O’Reilly in episode 46 on the roller coaster of women’s health and today we are excited to dive into her specialty and discuss thyroid health! Lindsay is a local Functional Medicine Dietician in the KC area. She focuses on helping women with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s get to the root cause of their thyroid dysfunction to increase their energy and address their symptoms.
In this episode you will hear us talk about Tracy’s own personal story as well as:
-What is a thyroid gland?
-How do we tell if we have a thyroid dysfunction? Testing? Labs?
-What affects our thyroid function the most? Ex: sleep, stress, virus?
-What changes would you need to make to help your thyroid heal?
Our ultimate goal is to encourage women’s advocacy in getting to the bottom of their thyroid dysfunction. The #1 reason in the US for hypothyroidism is Hashimotos, an autoimmune disease. Usually with autoimmune disease there is a genetic component, gut component, triggering event (stressor) such as pregnancy or postpartum or big life event and we break each of these down in today’s episode.
Some common health symptoms that may lead you to wondering what’s off for you are cycle issues, hormonal imbalances, sleep issues, weight gain, fatigue, and so much more. These are all signs of something going on in your body…it’s not normal to feel these issues and we want to encourage you to keep seeking answers to help your body feel safe!
Women are needing more health support now more than ever due to stress and hormonal imbalance that typically gets labeled “normal”. Lindsay spends some time with us sharing some of her tactical tips and steps that will encourage you, our listeners, into action of helping yourself.
Lastly, we want to encourage you to continue advocate for your health…don’t stop at “normal” if that’s not how you are feeling. Reach out to Lindsay and schedule a consultation.
Follow Lindsay on Instagram
Join our community on Facebook and connect with us on Instagram!
Write an apple review and YOUR review could be read on our next episode!
Hosted by Tori Shirah and Tracy Stine
Contact us ➡️ UnlikelyJoCo@gmail.com
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
We had so much fun reminiscing about our own family’s memories and experiences at Disney with our friend, Kristin Smith, who works for Moments of Magic travel agency specializing in Disney vacations.
Kristin and her husband were both huge Disney fans prior to having children. Disney is also the home of their wedding proposal so it holds a special place in their hearts. With so much experience traveling as adults to Disney as well as a family, in addition to having helped many friends plan their trips, she decided to become a travel agent who specializes in Disney vacations.
Working with Kristin is completely FREE! She works with the most incredible brands and the agents are taken care of by these brands. She also works with beach properties, cruise lines, all inclusives, etc. Most feel like working with a travel agent would be an extra cost to the customer, but it is not…it’s a huge benefit and not only a time saver but a penny saver too.
Kristin’s knowledge and experience is such a great advantage to your planning but also her connections of knowing when the promos and deals drop will help with your overall budget. She is also on call for your entire trip when anything comes up while you are traveling.
Listen in to hear some tips on what time of year to go, how to plan a vacation on a strict budget, avoiding peak seasons, etc. And if you are interested in the Disney Wish 3 day cruise, ask Kristin, because she’ll have been on that cruise 3 times by the end of this year and will have a great idea with all the ins and outs!
Happy Traveling!!
You can find Kristin here: @KristinMOMT
ksmith@momentsofmagictravel.com
Join our community on Facebook and connect with us on Instagram!
Write an apple review and YOUR review could be read on our next episode!
Hosted by Tori Shirah and Tracy Stine
Contact us ➡️ UnlikelyJoCo@gmail.com
Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
Tuesday Apr 18, 2023
We had so much fun talking with our guest, Lindsay O’Reilly today! Lindsay is a local Functional Medicine Dietician in the KC area. She focuses on helping women with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s get to the root cause of their thyroid dysfunction to increase their energy and address their symptoms. However, on today’s episode we talk about the overall encompassing roller coaster of women’s health.
In this episode you will hear us talk about our own personal stories as well as:
💙Women’s health around sleep, energy, mood, weight loss (the common issues).
💙You aren’t alone if you’re tired, stressed, sluggish and just can’t figure out what’s off.
💙Pre and postpartum health (very common triggers for the roller coaster)
💙When we don’t feel good, where do we start? Nutrition, sleep, stress, exercise, etc?
Women are needing more health support now more than ever due to stress and hormonal imbalance that typically gets labeled “normal”
We want to reiterate that you aren’t alone if you’ve been on a health journey “your whole life” as so many of us say. So much of our journey started long before having kids yet so much develops postpartum, all while trying to raise those newborns and kiddos. We also address how gut health plays a part in your overall health.
Lindsay did some digging deep with us and shared some of her tactical tips and steps that will encourage you, our listeners, into action of helping yourself.
Lastly, we want to encourage you to advocate for your health…don’t stop at “normal” if that’s not how you are feeling. Reach out to Lindsay and schedule a consultation.
Follow Lindsay's Instagram
Book we recommend:
In the FLO: Unlock Your Hormonal Advantage and Revolutionize Your Life
Join our community on Facebook and connect with us on Instagram!
Write an apple review and YOUR review could be read on our next episode!
Hosted by Tori Shirah and Tracy Stine
Contact us ➡️ UnlikelyJoCo@gmail.com
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
Tuesday Apr 11, 2023
We are coming to you this week raw and real...literally! No edits on this episode!
Our longtime editor Craig is going through the aftermath of a tornado hitting his neighborhood. We are asking for you to pray with us for him, his family, and community!
In the meantime, we are coming at you unedited for a fun detour. We've been approached many times asking, "Where do you start a podcast?" so we decided to share the why/how/when/where of podcasting with you. We know you have a voice and a story, it's now time to use it!
Links Mentioned:
💙How To Use a Press Release For Your Podcast
💙Tori's Podcast Coaching and Services
Join our community on Facebook and connect with us on Instagram!
Write an apple review and YOUR review could be read on our next episode!
Hosted by Tori Shirah and Tracy Stine
Contact us ➡️ UnlikelyJoCo@gmail.com
Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
We wanted to just take this episode to give a shout out to Dads and give credit where credit is due: we share some shout outs, memories and hope for all Dad’s!
Our society and culture has definitely changed the picture of manhood and what being a good Dad requires. TV Dad’s have not accurately depicted what it takes to be a good father. We know the media and more have stopped celebrating the men and how incredible God designed them!
While all earthly fathers fall short of our perfect Heavenly Father, we believe their role is one of the greatest ones on earth. We are grateful for our own Dads, the incredible models and fathers our husbands are to our children and our hope and desire is that everyone has a chance to stop and recognize no matter your circumstances, that the role of a Dad is extremely important.
Some statistics we shared:
*When fathers are involved, children are two times more likely to go to college, 80% less likely to spend time in jail and 75% less likely to experience teen pregnancy!
*Children in father absent homes account for 71% of all high school dropouts, 90% of homelesss and run away children and 63% of youth suicides.
Just take a minute and let those statistics sink in…the numbers don’t lie.
We just want to encourage you that if you have the opportunity, to tell your Dad “thank you” or send your husband a text to say “Thanks for being a great Dad to our kids.” Our hope and prayer is that we continue to value the role of a Dad in (or out) of your home no matter your circumstances.
Join our community on Facebook and connect with us on Instagram!
Write an apple review and YOUR review could be read on our next episode!
Hosted by Tori Shirah and Tracy Stine
Contact us ➡️ UnlikelyJoCo@gmail.com
Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. – Psalm 127:3 NASB
Before you had children, did you think that raising your children was one of the greatest contributions to God’s Kingdom that you could provide? Motherhood is a high calling and knowing God has gifted us with His children to raise them to know and love Him, is God’s great work.
What we do for our kids is so much more than just loving them. We came across this blog post in a Christian parenting search and decided to share our own examples and thoughts on the “Characteristics of a Good Mother According to the Bible”.
💙A Godly mother is not perfect. Sorry not sorry.
💙A Godly mother apologizes often.
💙A Godly mother doesn’t always put her children first.
💙A Godly mother practices self discipline.
💙A Godly mother stays dependent on God.
Our culture has a lot of opinions on what a good mother is and we need to be reminded that the true definition of a woman/motherhood comes from the Bible and from God.
Blog link below:
https://bloggersforthekingdom.com/how-to-be-a-good-mom/
Join our community on Facebook and connect with us on Instagram!
Write an apple review and YOUR review could be read on our next episode!
Hosted by Tori Shirah and Tracy Stine
Contact us ➡️ UnlikelyJoCo@gmail.com
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
This week’s guest is the host of the Simply Wholehearted Podcast, Amy Wicks! Amy is also a Wholehearted Living Coach who works as a faith-based enneagram coach for female entrepreneurs to create life-giving rhythms for thriving relations and a business they love.
In today’s episode we discuss with Amy how she got into the Enneagram. She loves the framework of this personality test, getting to know people better and falling in love with how people think differently, and why they do what they do.
We just love how Amy describes the tool of the Enneagram. She says, “The Enneagram amplifies the light and Christ brings the Freedom.” So good!
Amy covers the basics of the Enneagram, the nine points of the core personalities and how you can use this resource. It can help you learn how you respond to stress, healthy situations and relationally. What separates the Enneagram personality from others is it helps you learn your childhood message and how it plays a part in who you are today. We love how Amy digs a bit more into this aspect and how it can help you in your life now and as you mother your children.
Motherhood feels different for all women and understanding the Enneagram and yourself a little better, helps you understand why motherhood looks differently on others. Motherhood can feel limiting to some and life-giving to others.
Amy leaves us with some incredible resources to learn more as well as ways to connect with her!
💙How to better communicate with your teens episode
💙Find Amy on Instagram
💙Resources at her website
💙Amy’s book: Should Christians Use the Enneagram
💙 Her favorite book about the enneagram:
Self to Lose, Self to Find: Using the Enneagram to Uncover Your True, God-Gifted Self
➡️ Try Audible Premium Plus
Join our community on Facebook and connect with us on Instagram!
Write an apple review and YOUR review could be read on our next episode!
Hosted by Tori Shirah and Tracy Stine
Contact us ➡️ UnlikelyJoCo@gmail.com
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
Tuesday Mar 14, 2023
Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still.”
Ladies, last week’s episode has been so encouraging to many women. Amy’s being real and raw about her struggles with body shaming, negative self talk and her health issues is so inspiring.
We decided to take this episode a little further into our own health journeys and what we’ve learned along the way.
What does our own taking care of ourselves look like?
Have you received an answer from a Dr, bloodwork, etc that says “this is normal”yet you don’t feel normal?
We aren’t supposed to live overtired, overwhelmed, or feeling crappy!
Do you treat your body like it’s His temple? Loving it to fuel your body, brain, and energy supply.
One of our greatest struggles as women is making ourselves a priority to better serve our God, our spouse, and our kids. When we’ve hit some health roadblocks, it truly throws us off from balancing everything and into total chaos. We need to feel our best in order to keep order in our homes and lives, yet how do we do that?
Slow down enough to listen to YOUR body and see what you need. Can you stop to think about how you feel after you eat, after a night’s sleep, after a workout…how are you feeling? Be strong and courageous enough to keep finding the answers as to what the root of your issues are.
Comparison will not serve you in this way! You cannot eat the same, workout the same or supplement exactly the same as someone else to receive the same results. Your body, your health journey, your healing is NOT the same as the person you are following. Are you listening to your body? It is sending you information…listen to the symptoms…brain fog, insomnia, energy levels, sex drive, mood swings, etc.
Don’t give up finding answers, until you feel your best! We didn’t say, fit into the right jeans, see the right number on the scale, etc…we said until you FEEL your best!
Podcast & Book recommendations below:
➡️Try Audible Premium Plus
💙Female Biohacking: Hormone Balancing, Morning Routines & Time Management with Alisa Vitti
Books:
💙In the FLO: Unlock Your Hormonal Advantage and Revolutionize Your Life
💙Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar
Join our community on Facebook and connect with us on Instagram!
Write an apple review and YOUR review could be read on our next episode!
Hosted by Tori Shirah and Tracy Stine
Contact us ➡️ UnlikelyJoCo@gmail.com