Lighten Up with Melanie Dale

Latest Episodes:

Lighten Up #53: Anne Watson Dec 05, 2017

Show notes

Anne Watson hosts the Declare Conference podcast and we had a blast today. We start the conversation with undies and vomit, but I promise it goes up from there. Anne's story is riveting, from getting bullied in high school to finding God in her 30s through pop culture, and she shares how she recently quit trying to be holy. We talk about battling insecurity and learning how to be yourself, and then we share our Christmas fails. Guys, Anne is that fun friend you can talk with about anything, so listen in and lighten up!

http://unexpected.org

Quotes from the Show:

"Can we bring back chain smoking...because I feel like that's calming."

"I'm so tired of trying to be holy and look holy so I'm just gonna let it all hang out."

"Whoever I am is just not a surprise to God."

"We need a freakjob support group."

Links from the Show:

Declare Conference
Declare podcast hosted by Anne Watson
Find Anne on Twitter and Instagram
Anne's website
new Avengers: Infinity Wars trailer
It's Okay to Suck at Some Stuff
Wonder
The Handmaid's Tale
Neverwhere
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Hollow City
Library of Souls
The Girl with All the Gifts
All the Light We Cannot See

Lighten Up #52: Slave-Free Christmas Edition Nov 28, 2017

Show notes

This is my sixth annual Slave-Free Christmas Challenge, so it feels like the right time to change things up a bit. Every year I blog about my favorite companies that help and not hurt people in the world, and this year my annual blog post is leaping from the screen into your ears. Since apparently I podcast now, let's podcast the crap outta this thing. As always, I have some fabulous companies to which I want to introduce you, and I've invited my friend Courtney DeFeo, author of In This House We Will Giggle, on the podcast to talk about them. We discuss our favorite products to give, what we're most excited about, and how giving gifts can brighten the lives of more than just the people receiving them. Courtney also shares great ideas to light up the people around you and inspire a heart for giving and service in our kids during the Christmas season. Listen in, and lighten up! And if you're not into podcasts but want the bare bones info about some of my favorites, don't worry - I've included the info below so you can click and shop.

Links from the show:

Last year's 25 Days of Slave-Free Christmas list
b.a.r.e. soaps (coupon code LIGHTEN15)
Ornaments4Orphans (Check out episode #17 with owner Jamie Laslo)
Scenery Bags
All the Feels Co.
Parker Clay
Karama Collection
Preemptive Love Coalition
Purse & Clutch
Forever We
Courtney's Screen-Free Gift Ideas

Lighten Up #51: All the Thankfulness Nov 21, 2017

Show notes

Hey welcome to episode 51 of Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. Today Sarah Bragg from Surviving Sarah Podcast is joining me to talk about All the Thankfulness. Sheesh, I love talking to this girl so dang much. We chat about things we're thankful for, favorite Thanksgiving food, and favorite Thanksgiving traditions. I try to describe giblet gravy -- what is giblet gravy, what in fact is a giblet -- and we discuss our extremely different views on the best way to spend Thanksgiving morning. Also, we play Thanksgiving word associations. Happy Thanksgiving, listen in, and lighten up!

Quote from the show:

"Giving thanks is active. It's something that you do. It's not always a feeling."

Links from the Show:

Definition of husbandry and Definition of giblet (This is clearly a very educational show.)

Lion Coffee

Carpool Karaoke with Bruno Mars

Women Are Scary: The Totally Awkward Adventure of Finding Mom Friends

History of Hot Brown

Lighten Up #50: Candace Payne AKA "Chewbacca Mom" Nov 14, 2017

Show notes

Hey welcome to episode 50 of Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. 50! We've made it to 50, guys, and I'm so excited that for the 50th episode I get to share my conversation with Chewbacca Mom Candace Payne with you. We've all seen her viral Facebook video wearing the Chewbacca mask, and it's impossible not to laugh right along with her. We do a lot of laughing together on the show, and talk about her happy Chewbacca tattoo, her lofty goal before she turns 40 (hint: it involves Michael Jackson's "Thriller"), being on the Late Late Show with James Corden, and her theories about The Last Jedi. We also chat about her faith journey, experiencing homelessness as a child, her new book, Laugh It Up,and how we can embrace defiant joy in the middle of hard times.

Episode Sponsor:

Today's sponsor is b.a.r.e. soaps! Use LIGHTEN15 for 15% off. Also, they're giving away a BARE Kindness Box to one lucky listener. To enter to win, leave a review of the show on iTunes this week.

Quotes from the show:

"It's not self-deprecation. It's self-aware."
"No matter where you're at, joy is available to you."

Links from the show:

Check out Candace's new book, Laugh It Up!
Defiant Joy: What Happens When You're Full of It study guide and DVD
Defiant Joy study guide
Candace on the Late Late Show with James Corden
Candace's website
Find Candace on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram

Lighten Up #49: Amena Brown Nov 07, 2017

Show notes

Hey welcome to episode 49 of Lighten Up with Melanie Dale! Today I'm talking with poet and author Amena Brown. You guys I love her. She shares with us her process of writing and performing her spoken word poem about miscarriage, called "Mothers of Invisible Children." And then somehow we segue from hard stuff into light and laughter. We tell stories about our awkward relationships, awkward coworkers, awkward church people, favorite albums we own on vinyl, why she wrote How to Fix a Broken Record, food rules for a happy marriage, and what it's like to really be yourself. Whether you're heading to the office or your office is the laundry room, listen in and lighten up!

Episode Sponsor:

Today's sponsor is b.a.r.e. soaps! Use LIGHTEN15 for 15% off. Also, they're giving away a BARE Kindness Box of soaps to one lucky listener. To enter to win, leave a review of the show on iTunes this week.

Links from the show:

Check out Amena's book, How To Fix a Broken Record: Thoughts on Vinyl Records, Awkward Relationships, and Learning to Be Myself

Amena on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram

Amena's website

Mothers of Invisible Children

Open mic nights in Atlanta: Urban Grind and Curate

Destiny - The Jacksons

A Seat at the Table - Solange

Lighten Up #48: Halloweenie Fun Oct 31, 2017

Show notes

Melanie and Kendall Ashley and talk about their favorite Halloween costumes from childhood and adulthood, trick or treating etiquette, their feelings on haunted houses and horror movies, favorite and least favorite candy, and favorite Halloween traditions. Melanie says in the episode, "I just love creepy things. Creepy things are my favorite." So let the Halloweenie fun wash over you like a river of Ghostbustery slime, listen in, and lighten up!

Lighten Up #47 -- This is 40: Chantel Adams Oct 24, 2017

Show notes

Melanie Dale turns 40 this week and can't think of a better person to process this milestone with than her bestie Chantel Adams. Chantel is the owner of Forever We, which connect kids with a story with families who care. They cover everything about aging -- weird growths on your skin, perceptions of getting old, midlife crises, favorite things about getting older, lessons they’ve learned, Melanie’s husband's month of gifts, and a fun game of growing older word associations.

Lighten Up #46: Shauna Shanks Oct 17, 2017

Show notes

Melanie talks with Shauna Shanks about receiving the unexpected honor of “Ohio’s Exemplary Citizen.” No seriously, that’s a thing, and don’t you wish you could get random awards in the mail from your state? They also talk about her brief obsession with making fancy pop tarts, building a house out of shipping containers, and of course her book, A Fierce Love, about her husband’s infidelity and how her marriage healed from the brink of divorce one step at a time. Whether you’re married or not, divorced or not, her personal story is inspiring and beautiful and you’re gonna love getting to know her a little bit here on the show, so listen in and lighten up.

Lighten Up #45: Tricia Goyer Oct 10, 2017

Show notes

Melanie talks with Tricia Goyer, author of more than SEVENTY BOOKS, including her newest, Walk It Out. She shares about getting mistaken for a Parisian prostitute, her daughter trying to be emo to freak her out, adopting kids out of birth order, her heart for teen moms and being a teen mom herself, how she writes so many books, and advice she has for writers!

Lighten Up #44: Sharon Hodde Miller Oct 03, 2017

Show notes

Melanie talks with Sharon Hodde Miller, author of Free of Me: Why Life Is Better When It's Not about You. They chat about their love of caffeine, women doing amazing things while pregnant, PhDs, and she shares a totally embarrassing story of falling asleep in class. They also talk about resisting cynicism, unleashing women in leadership, and her new book, so listen in and lighten up!

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