The Catholic Feminist

Latest Episodes:

156: Bravery and Real Restoration ft. Heather Khym Jul 08, 2020

Show notes

Real healing is not a passive process. It's active. It requires bravery. It requires leaning in. It requires vulnerability.

These are things we know but fail to act on. We'd rather drown our sorrows in #hustling, in alcohol, in social media pseudo justice. Especially when the hurt came from the church or its members, how do we find true healing in Christ?

Heather Khym is a wife, mom, podcaster, and speaker with a passion for helping women find true healing in their lives. Today on the show she talks about how her husband's pornography addiction introduced her to the importance of spiritual healing, how people who have been hurt by the church can start to lean into healing, why healing takes bravery, and why she started her popular podcast Abiding Together. Enjoy!

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative.

155: Difficulties Within Physical Intimacy ft. Dr. Monique Ruberu Jul 01, 2020

Show notes

Let's talk about sex, baby 🎶😂

Today on the show we welcome back Dr. Monique Ruberu, a Catholic wife, mother, and OBGYN. Monique is chatting with us all about how false chastity teachings can damage intimacy in marriage, what to do if intercourse is painful for you, and what it's like being a doctor during COVID. Pour a glass of wine and settle into your couch, because this is some serious girl talk with a medical resource here to educate us! I have spent many an evening talking to a girlfriend about intimacy within her marriage (…and if any of their husbands are reading this…just be glad your wife has such close friends 🙃) and it was so informative to have a Catholic OBGYN to chat with about why so many women struggle with physical intimacy. We also talk about organic tampons and Game of Thrones—yes, you read that right. Enjoy!

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative.

154: Changing Course and Chasing Dreams ft. Marie Miller Jun 24, 2020

Show notes

Can I be honest for a sec? Sometimes, when I hear about people leading entire marches or writing important policies or starting non-profits, I start to wonder if what I do is insignificant. I know that's not a very feminist thought—how often on here do we talk about different women having different callings?! But that doesn't mean the thought doesn't bop through my head now and then. All I do is write children's books and potty train toddlers and talk about Jesus, I think. How am I contributing to the world?

So I had to ask today's guest, folk singer Marie Miller, if she's ever felt that way. I loved the way she broke down why beauty is so important even in extremely difficult times. We also talked about why she decided to ditch her large record label, what it's like to change your tune literally and figuratively, and why "little dreams" are sometimes the most important things we can chase. Enjoy! (And then go download her new album because I can NOT stop listening to it!)

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative.

153: The Sexual Revolution and False Feminism ft. Sue Ellen Browder Jun 17, 2020

Show notes

If you're a feminist, you're probably familiar with Betty Friedan's "Problem That Has No Name." This was the idea that "housewives" of the 50s and 60s and widespread unhappiness that stemmed from their oppression. While some of that is certainly factual—being a woman in the 60s had plenty of very real burdens, some of which Betty Friedan correctly identified—today's guest, Sue Ellen Browder, believes that problem DOES have a name: a God-sized hole in our hearts. Sue Ellen is a former writer for Cosmopolitan who witnessed firsthand as the media created the sexual revolution and tried to push women towards a freedom that actually wasn't free at all. She breaks down what the "false feminism" of the second wave feminist movement was, why she continues to identify as a feminist, and why we as modern women can't opt-out when it comes to fighting against lies from the pages of magazines. Enjoy!

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative.

152: Finding Truth as a Journalist ft. Kara Dixon Jun 10, 2020

Show notes

The past couple of weeks have taught us more than ever that the media plays a fundamental role in our screwed-up society. Love 'em or hate 'em or somewhere-in-between-'em-because-they-are-varied-humans, reporters are still very much a gatekeeper in between the public and what's going on in the world. Sure, anyone can take a video on their phone and throw it up on Twitter, but journalists are the people who help us contextualize and verify truth.

Or at least...they should be. But some outlets have very much broken the American people's trust. I wanted to talk to an actual journalist about the ups and downs of trying to find the truth in a world that likes to play hard and loose with the facts.

In today's episode, journalist Kara Dixon breaks down where to look for news if you're concerned about bias, the hardest parts of being a journalist in a world where #fakenews is a hashtag, what it's been like to be reporting COVID-19.

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative.

151: Giving Thanks and Letting Go ft. Danielle Bean Jun 03, 2020

Show notes

My name is Claire + I'm a control-aholic.

It's true! I love control like the Julia Child loved butter. And although parenting is basically one long exercise in letting go of control, the truth is, I do have some control over my little ones. I decide we're going to Mass on Sundays, and we go. I decide we're having broccoli for dinner, and we do (although whether or not they eat is a whole 'nother issue.) I decide we don't watch movies that don't align with our values, and we don't. But there will come a day when I lose even that small, semblance of control.

On today's show, writer Danielle Bean is talking about parenting older kids, and the grief that comes with letting older kids make their own decisions. We talk about the importance of realizing that our kids are their own people, and not letting your motherhood role become your entire identity. I love what Danielle has to say about the importance of letting yourself feel your feelings, as well her wisdom on raising teenagers. I hope this episode reminds all of the mamas out there that one day, our kids will grow up—and if they already have, that we are still mothers, even as we let that last inch of control slip from our fingers.

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative.

150: Q & A: Reading Books, Raising Boys, and More! ft. Claire Swinarski May 27, 2020

Show notes

After 150 episodes, it is a true joy to sit + chat with you all 1-on-1 today. I would say "I can't believe we're here!" but to be honest…I knew how phenomenal Catholic women were when I started this. I'm not surprised that you're on fire for the topics we discuss on this show. I'm not shocked that you love tuning into our guests, whether they're well-known speakers or just everyday women. I'm not stunned that when it's time to turn on a podcast, you're the type of woman who wants to hear about immigration, body image, and the real complexities of motherhood.

In today's episode, I'm answering YOUR questions. I gathered questions over email and Instagram and while I obviously couldn't tackle all of them, I chose a few that seemed oft-repeated or that simply seemed intriguing to me. I'm talking about things like white privilege, raising my son as a feminist, and which elements of my own feminism have morphed and shifted over the past 3 and a half years.

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative.

149: Becoming Well Read ft. Marcie Stockman May 20, 2020

Show notes

If you're a busy Catholic feminist, you probably feel like you're juggling 19 balls in the air. Maybe you have kids, or a career, or both, or a graduate degree, or you're trying to get in shape, or you're volunteering in your neighborhood, or your leading an action council at your parish, or-or-or…

Finding time to read? Impossible.

Not so, says today's podcast guest. Marcie Stockman is the founder of Well-Read Mom, a set of resources for busy women looking to fit more great books into their lives. As a life-long reader, I loved chatting with Marcie about why books are so essential in our lives, how she finds time to read, and how to decide what to read if you're feeling like you can barely keep your head above water. Get your library card ready—you're going to be pumped to add to your bookshelf after today's chat!

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative.

148: Embracing Culture Within Liturgy ft. Shannon Schmidt May 13, 2020

Show notes

When someone states their skin color or culture--"I'm a Black Catholic." "I'm a Polish Catholic." "I'm a Hispanic Catholic." It can be tempting to want to wave it off. We're all *one family*, right? Why do these differences matter? But today's guest is here to talk to us about how our church is bigger than our culture, and therefore, all of our cultures must be allowed to be present.

Shannon Schmidt is a mom, podcaster, and biracial Catholic with a passion for theology and our church. We discuss how her race plays into her faith and why she thinks it's important for her to embrace her Black Catholic label. Shannon and I also chat about how to fight against using orthodoxy as a shield, the importance of de-centering any one particular culture to instead become a beautifully diverse family, and what's been bringing her closer to God lately. Enjoy!

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Plan a pilgrimage for 2021 and beyond by heading to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist.

Today's episode is also brought to you by the CLT exam. Bring classics into your standardized testing by visiting cltexam.com and learning about this SAT/ACT alternative.

147: Finding Hope in Unexpected Seasons ft. Monica Aberle May 06, 2020

Show notes

What's it like to go to a Catholic college and find yourself unexpectedly...expecting? Today's guest, Monica Aberle, knows all about it. Monica is joining us to talk about how we can find hope in unexpected seasons: when times of chaos or complexity threaten to rob us of our joy, how can we lean into God and trust him in all things? As the founder of Everyday Mamas, Monica knows what it's like to find the beauty in the everyday, even when the everyday isn't exactly lining up with your picture-perfect goals. I'm honored to share Monica's story and I know you'll get just as much out of it as I did!

Today's episode is brought to you by Select International Tours. Head to selectinternationaltours.com/feminist to see their trips in 2021 and beyond!

Today's episode is also brought to you by the Classic Learning Test. Head to cltexam.com to learn about this classical alternative to the SAT and ACT.

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