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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 Jul 26, 2022
Tuesday Jul 26, 2022
"It was through pride that the devil became the devil" - C.S. Lewis
We are farrrrrrr from perfect but how easy is it to start the comparison game of "at least I'm not as bad as 'so-and-so', I don't do drugs, I haven't been to jail..." and that list can go on and on. All of sudden we are putting ourselves above those around us... and that is very HUMAN. But we shouldn't be comparing ourselves to other humans, we need to be comparing ourselves to the ONE perfect human, Jesus Christ.
This is not about beating ourselves up. This is about realizing we need more self-compassion rather than self-confidence. What is self compassion? Shauna Niequist in her book I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working she says "self compassion is letting yourself off the hook letting yourself be human and flawed and also amazing it gives yourself credit for showing up instead of beating yourself up for taking so long to get there."
Tom Brady "There's got to be more than this..."
And as hard as it is to learn humility and how to be humble, it's even more difficult to teach our children the value and lesson of humility. If you are not in the word, if you are not in a close relationship with Christ then you truly are not going to see how much of a sinner you are and how much grace you do in fact need.
💙 Do you have peace in your heart knowing that other's judgments and opinions mean absolutely nothing compared to how much Jesus loves you and adores you?
💙 Where do we learn humility?
💙 Send the Happy New Year's Card in July, who cares!
Join our fast growing 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 Jul 19, 2022
Tuesday Jul 19, 2022
Who was raised with the beliefs to never talk about politics, race or religion? Who was raised growing up talking about both freely? Tori and Tracy each have a different story that may shed some light on how these topics can help or hinder understanding one another.
One common theme for them both is that we discovered if we aren't talking, we aren’t learning. And it’s so important to learn where each other comes from to understand their beliefs and values. Perspective is everything.
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as a cause for withdrawing from a friend.” Thomas Jefferson
We found this above quote to be one that pertains more now to our culture today than ever before.
Bulgarism Video: CS Lewis reference
We cover some common stereotypes that have been used in referencing those of faith and in political parties yet we believe This gives false understanding of who people are and what they truly believe.
Not talking, learning and involving yourself and understanding leads to
Avoiding conflict with relationships you value.
Our hope is that friends will give more weight to the person they've known for years, more than whom she chooses to vote for.
There’s also something to say about finding people who align with you, your views and your values.
“You don’t lose friends because real friends can never be lost. You lose people masquerading as friends, and you’re better for it.” ~Mandy Hale
We call this pruning!
Just remember that whenever you are in need and want support, you will need friends, and not governments.
What to do if people don’t have the same view points as you?
💙Accept the fact that not everyone needs to be in your inner circle
💙Talk on the phone or FaceTime, not in text or messaging…you need to hear their heart and voice.
💙Also, Gma was right, you can agree to disagree…we like to say “you can agree AND disagree AND still be friends”
Join our fast growing 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 Jul 12, 2022
Tuesday Jul 12, 2022
In this summer series “We Believe in the And” we are focusing on some cultural challenges that have come up probably due to social media, struggling through the pandemic, etc…and in this episode we are focusing on the AND of being A Mom & A Badass.
Mamas, it doesn’t matter if you do anything else at all during motherhood…if you’re a mom, you are a badass…it’s both/and. Mamas if you choose nothing else other than to love your children with everything you’ve got, then you are a badass. If you choose to be WAHM, corporate moms, teacher mom, ministry mom…whatever else you do alongside your motherhood is perfectly a-ok and y’all are badasses. Period.
One of our greatest struggles is finding the work/life balance when we are trying to do more and keeping boundaries around family time. We encourage you to do have awareness and be intentional with your time to keep this balance. Do you know your red flags when the tide begins to turn? You can be passionate about something other than your children and it is truly ok. God has created each one of us for His purpose and if He has given you something with deep meaning and purpose that can come alongside being a mother, then absolutely go for it. You are a badass!
We have each struggled with the feelings of killing it in our business one minute and then shaming ourselves for missing out on being our best as a mom. We have talked many times on this podcast about mom guilt and we don’t comply…we cannot feel guilty for doing the best we can in managing all that we do. The feelings of guilt and shame do not come from God…don’t accept them b/c they serve no purpose!
💙 We want you to celebrate the AND of being a mom and a badass. Celebrate stepping up into God given courage and confidence and shine bright mama because you are a badass!
Join our fast growing 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 Jul 05, 2022
Tuesday Jul 05, 2022
We believe in the And series does not discriminate in hard conversations. If fact, it’s the And that allows us to experience both feelings of the valleys grief and the mountaintops of living with gratitude.
Gratitude & Grief are two emotions that we walk through in all of the milestones and changes we experience in life.
We share our experiences of walking through the highs and lows of feeling both AND how it’s a must to experience each side of this spectrum in order to appreciate the other. When you experience grief, you know it doesn’t last forever because you have felt the happiness that comes from living fully in gratitude.
There have been so many phases of life such as going off to college, getting your first job, getting married, becoming new parents, moving, death of a loved one, kids graduating high school/college, walking by someone who has suffered from cancer or going through a divorce and so much more.
Life isn’t just a happy go lucky carousel that goes round and round…at some point you have to jump off and take some of the harder paths to fully live and grow. We encourage you to not just live in grief, but to also have gratitude for what you have and what’s to come.
Join our fast growing 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 Jun 28, 2022
Tuesday Jun 28, 2022
Have you experienced loneliness? Do you feel like you are chosen in your friendships? We believe you can feel lonely AND be chosen. It’s a part of building a foundational relationship and friendship.
Have you been through a season in your life of change and in turn your friendships and relationships change as well? We have experienced both.
We know that loneliness doesn’t discriminate: extroverts, introverts, influencers, celebrities, and from adults to children. We believe it’s so important to find the people who love you for you, who choose to be with you, and who check in on you during the good and the bad.
We have seen God use friendships in all seasons of life from our younger years to college, first jobs to getting married, having kids to experiencing trials or loss, workmates or walking alongside in the same business…all of which hasn’t been easy but has been life giving.
People struggle more now than ever having close friends because they worry about offending them, or we worry about what we saw on social media and tell ourselves a story about our relationships based on something they shared. Just like any relationship, even marriage…friendship is work. We must communicate our feelings, and be honest. A friend being honest is an act of kindness, not betrayal. Honesty needs to be held at a higher standard in your friendship.
You get to choose your friends, so choose the ones who are choosing you back.
We want to encourage you to experience fullness in friendship…yes, even though we know it takes work on both ends of the friendship.
💙 Book Recommendation: I'll Be There (But I'll Be Wearing Sweatpants)
Join our fast growing 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 Jun 21, 2022
Tuesday Jun 21, 2022
Tough AND love…we believe you gotta have both to develop solid relationships in marriage, friendship and parenting!
We know the pendulum swing of all feelings in motherhood…feeling like the weight of the world is on your shoulders to full on empowerment of raising world changers. You can feel one thing one minute AND one thing the next! Totally normal!
We also have enough experience to know that the butterflies don’t last forever…they come and go as you grow in your marriage but without
having some tough conversations, addressing the elephants in your marriage, the depth of your relationship comes to a standstill.
Intimacy is a must in marriage…emotionally AND physically!
Friendships come and go and some stay forever. We touch on this briefly as we have had to had some “come to Jesus” conversations with each other when the blinders were on and we didn’t see what God was asking of us.
Lastly we talk about the tough emotion that comes with the tough part of relationships…Anger. Anger isn’t a sin unless you allow it to destroy relationships! It’s also not easy to work through without tough conversations, help and even sometimes therapy.
Good news is there is always LOVE…bad news is it depends on how much love you want to feel if you aren’t addressing the tough parts holding you back from true incredible love in all your relationships!
Join our fast growing 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
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Tuesday Jun 14, 2022
Hey Housewives!
It's summer!! You survived the end of the school year, way to go! But... now what??
Do you look at summer with optimistic opportunities or do you dread the 2.5 months not knowing what you are going to do everyday with your kids?
Orrrrrr, are you BOTH?
Either way, we have GOT you! We know what it feels like to be happy summer has arrived and completely stressed out with the camp schedules.
Join our fast growing 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
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
We are excited to share with you our Summer Series “We Believe In The And”. What does this even mean? It means we are sick of the “buts” and you should be too. We fully believe you can feel both sides of the pendulum swing of life.
A “but” is what we insert when we are trying to validate our feelings for ourselves. Instead we are hoping to encourage you this summer to say “And”!
We want you to change your mind about how you view things. You don’t have to justify everything you feel with a but…you get to say “I’m a good mom AND I need a freaking break!” We are so sick of the mentality that we have to hide our feelings of the hard and really tough feelings we face in this crazy world we live in.
Once you realize the freedom that comes with believing in the And, and accepting the And…there is so much letting go of guilt & shame that reveals itself.
We want you to be encouraged this summer, to embrace where you are in life, the season you are walking through, and embrace the And!
Tune in every Tuesday this summer to feel some validation in where YOU are and to learn to grow with us and Believe in the And!
Join our fast growing 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 31, 2022
Tuesday May 31, 2022
Today is Tori's anniversary! Yay!! To celebrate we are re-releasing "The Messes & Blesses of Marriage Part 2". If you get a chance, drop Tori a note on IG or FB and wish her happy anniversary! I know it would make her day!!
Much love,
Tracy XOXO
Hey Housewives!
We hope you enjoyed Part 1 of this episode with our husbands. In last week’s episode we shared how we each met our spouses, grew in our marriages, struggled with letting our husbands be the spiritual leaders of our homes and last but not least, how the pandemic affected each of our families.
💙 This week’s episode focuses on some more in depth conversations around what our husbands thought when we said we wanted to start a podcast. You have to know, before we recorded with them we told them they could be honest and not hold anything back. (We've always got Craig in our back pocket if it doesn't go as planned, right? ha!) We bet you can hear us blushing when they started to share their perspective as they gave us some incredible worlds of affirmation. (Awww 🥰)
💙 We talk about how difficult it is for some couples to parent together as the parenting styles we each grew up with were so different. We also acknowledge that after the kids come along, the dynamic of just being a couple can be a challenge as it takes intentionality in dating and communicating. Each couple is stronger in one area than the other, listen in to find out which one is which.
💙 “Living for self” is a struggle we each had at one point and it really takes us each having a relationship with Jesus, and a stronger one at that, to really focus on our marriage. We also know how important it is for each marriage to talk through the hardships and continue to work at being a team during the tough parenting years.
💙 We each share some challenging conversations we’ve both had in our marriages around us putting our husbands on pedestals, putting them at a higher standard than they actually can meet. Believe it or not, our husbands are not our saviors.
💙 The messes and blesses in marriage go together…evaluate where you are and where you can go!
Join our fast growing 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 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
We LOVE this episode because it hits so close to home for both of us and what God has been pruning in our lives and teaching us through our relationships. We hope that you if you didn't get a chance to listen to Unoffended the first time around that you will listen to it this time.
Much love,
Tori & Tracy XOXO
Hey Housewives!
Have you ever been offended? Like really hurt by something someone said about you, your beliefs or ideas? How about when they have attacked your character? Then there are those times where we take offense by a story we tell ourselves…that probably isn’t true.
➡️ We share a couple personal stories of how we were offended and then ask the question…Is being offended justified? Sometimes? Always or never?
We were highly encouraged by a statement in the book “The Opposite Life” by Alex Seely (link below) and shared this quote:
“I truly believe there is a fine line between being offended and staying offended that can make or break someone.”
➡️We discuss what people often find offensive…
Racism, patriarchy, religious beliefs, political views, parenting styles, all the way to how someone dresses, what size they are, etc.
➡️Offending an idea sparks discussion, offending the person leads to hurt.
Ted talk we refer to:
https://youtu.be/f4JiSQxdl6M
➡️We want to recognize that being offended and then staying offended is a choice. There will always be people who are offended…whether that was the intent of the person inferring the offense or not.
➡️We also discuss what some of the reasons are for some people getting offended…past hurts not healed, comparison, unmet expectations and more.
➡️Offending someone if inevitable, so many emotions and feelings on high…BUT what if we learn to be intentional about living unoffended?
“Imagine a world where the people of God lived unoffended. Imagine a world where people pursued relationships even when they got hurt. Imagine a world where people lived like Jesus, full of God’s spirit, where nothing could affect their love and mission for the people God had called them to serve.” —Alex Seely
➡️So HOW do we live like that? We are human and when we are hurt, it hurts.
“When God comes into our lives to save us and make us whole, we need to receive the fullness of His love. Then when we face inevitable disappointment or hurt from others, we aren’t wounded and offended.”
Alex Seely’s “The Opposite Life” book we referenced:
💙 Are you living offended? We encourage you to let go of some past hurts and feelings in order to let go, and let God! Live more freely, with joy & peace.
Join our fast growing 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