Our Time to Rise Krista Gilbert & Alexandra Kuykendall

Have you ever asked the question, "Does anyone like me?" Maybe people used to like you, but you are wondering if they do now. Or maybe your son or daughter is asking that question.

Few admit they have these thoughts, and even less talk about them out loud. We're changing that! Today on the podcast we are discussing the topic of feeling liked and building friendships. We explore the middle school mentality that often resurfaces in adulthood, the impact of transitions on confidence, and the transfer of insecurities from failed relationships.

You will learn how many hours it takes to build a new friendship and what we can do to open ourselves up to new relationships.

Midlife can shift our friendships - we're here to help!

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SARAH
Website: sarahbragg.com 
Instagram: sarahwbragg

Sarah's Book- Is Everyone Happier Than Me?


KEY TAKEAWAYS:
The middle school mentality of questioning whether people like us often resurfaces in adulthood, especially during times of transition.   Being introspective and self-aware can help us recognize and address our insecurities and negative patterns of thinking.   Building friendships takes time, with casual friendships requiring 40-60 hours, and deeper friendships requiring over 200 hours of quality time together.   Being open to new friendships, even on a casual level, can lead to meaningful connections and a sense of belonging.   Noticing the good in ourselves and approaching relationships with curiosity and compassion can enhance our ability to build and maintain friendships.
QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE
Has there been a season or circumstance where you have been more prone to feeling like no one likes you? How could you focus on showing how much you enjoy others around you today, rather than focus on how others feel about you? What are some qualities you have that make you a good friend? How could you convey a posture of openness to others around you today as you are out in the world?  

Molly Stillman's story is not all laughter and fun. She lost her mother at an early age. But it was watching her parents maneuver through hardship with levity and humor that modeled to her that life is always a combination of good and hard. Through their story and her own - Molly offers concrete examples of how taking ourselves and our circumstances too seriously can rob of us the joy that is also available.

In this episode, Molly emphasizes the importance of the human experience in balancing joy and pain. Whether it's cracking a joke to break tension in a moment or realigning what is important when details of life surprise us, you will be encouraged that in your disappointment, frustration, or grief, you can have a lens of holding everything with lightness. God's plan is always at work. We can allow laughter and levity in to places and moments that need the reminder that there is still good news and goodness in our days.

Connect with Molly
Molly's website and Instagram

Molly's Book: If I don't laugh, I will cry

A few things mentioned on the show
China Beach Tv show

Airplane movie

Questions to Help You Rise
What kind of humor do yo enjoy? What is your natural response when faced with a stressful situation? How could you add some levity to your responses? What could you incorporate to your life to bring more lightness? In what relationship do you need to add some humor, some play, or levity?

Do you fear artificial intelligence (AI)? or augmented reality (AR)? Do you wonder what is going to happen if we, as a culture, transition to using these technologies more and more?

We wonder that too. That's why we decided to have Jen Richey on the podcast. Jen is the Chief Strategy Officer of Gravity Jack, Inc. an augmented and virtual reality company. She is also a committed Christian who is striving to use their technology to further the gospel message in the world.

In this conversation, Jen helps us define artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) and how they can be used as tools. Most notably, she emphasizes the importance of understanding the limitations and biases of AI and the need to be discerning when using AI tools (this was an especially surprising part).

Jen also shares her personal journey with technology and how her faith has influenced her work in the tech industry. She encourages all of us to approach technology with wisdom and to find ways to do our creative best to use it for the Kingdom purposes.

You will walk away from this episode less fearful of technology and more inspired to use it for good!

Find out more about Jen Richey
on LinkedIn
follow on Instagram
or check out her website gravityjack.com

SOME THINGS YOU HEARD ON THE SHOW
ChatGPT

Bible GPT

War Tribe of Benyamin AR game

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE
What new insight did you discover about AI or AR after listening to this episode? 

In what way have you allowed fear to root inside of you surrounding technology? 

What action do you feel led to take after listening to this episode?

What good could you bring to the world using technology? 

Our bodies are changing...and well...that means our bodies are changing ;).

Our trusted, go-to OBGYN, Dr. Carol Tanksle,y is back on the show to remind us that as our bodies change our need for intimacy does not. In fact, midlife can be a time of great emotional upheaval, or at least of emotional awareness, which can then impact how we experience sex. The combination of physical changes with all of the other external life circumstance changes, it's no surprise our bodies don't respond like they did twenty or even ten years ago.

After decades of working as a physician and speaking with thousands of women, Dr. Carol gives incredible advice to both married and single women about the need for intimacy and self-care during midlife. As whole people, we must address all areas of ourselves in order to be fully healthy.

No topic is off limits and we know this is one you want to talk about, so here we are. Sex in midlife. It's a thing. Let's make it a very good thing as God intended.

Connect with Dr. Carol
On her website

A few things mentioned on the shoe
Dr. Carol's new book Sexpectations: Reframing Your Good and Not-So-Good Stories About God, Love, and Relationships


Good Clean Love personal lubricant

Geneev.com

Dr. Carol's Guide to Women's Health

Dr. Carol's episode with us on menopause

Dr. Juli Slattery's episode on Difficult Conversations: Talking About Sexuality

Questions to Help You Rise
How is midlife impacting your body?   How are you feeling about sex these days?   If you are married, how can you talk to your spouse about sex and what you would like?   What is one thing you can do today to "deal with your stuff" as Dr. Carol mentions at the end of the episode?

Do you struggle with aging? Do you look in the mirror and wonder where the person you used to be went? Or maybe you are even having a hard time reading this description because your eye sight is changing but you don’t want to get glasses.
In this conversation, Heather Creekmore, author and coach, discusses the fear of aging otherwise known as Gerascophobia – yes, there is really a name for it. She highlights the cultural shifts and ageism that contribute to this fear, as well as the pressure to conform to societal beauty standards.
Heather emphasizes the importance of settling the heart issue and finding contentment in our identity, rather than relying on external validation. She also addresses the personal choices we make regarding our appearance and the need to avoid judgment towards others.
This episode explores the challenges and questions that arise with aging, particularly in relation to physical appearance and body changes. It delves into topics such as dealing with gray hair, struggling with body changes and weight gain, settling identity, and embracing aging gracefully and gratefully.
Let’s be people at Our Time To Rise who get BETTER with age!
Find out more about Heather Creekmore: On her website OR Instagram
SOMETHINGS YOU HEARD IN THE SHOW Netflix show: Nailed it
Heather’s book: The 40 Day Body Image Workbook
“Do we want to believe the word or do we want to believe the world?”
“Who do I want to become? and how do I become that person now?”
QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE In what area are you most struggling with aging?
What does God want you to know about this area of your life?
What is unique about the age you are right now that you don’t want to miss?
Who do you want to become?
LET’S CONNECT! Did you like this episode? Let us know and leave a review on itunes or share it with a friend.
Or message us on Instagram – we’d love to hear from you!
Get the Daily Dozen Checklist -12 habits that will immediately make you happier and healthier

Just because we are middle-aged doesn't mean we need to look frumpy. In fact, fashion stylists and Instagram duo Julie Powell and Krista Olufson teach us just the opposite. This is a time in our lives when we want to feel good. How we dress in the morning can help with that.

On their Instagram profile @lastseenwearing, Julie and Krista teach us how to style clothes instead of just wearing them. From accessories (hello belts are a big deal!) to the cut of a jean, we talk through how we can look fresh and up to date as our bodies and styles change. It's the small things that make us look put together and then we feel our best as we walk through our days.

If you are looking for some practical help in how to be age-appropriate in your fashion (we do not need to dress like our daughters) while also current, this episode is for you. Because as we rise to meet life's challenges we want to look and feel our best.

Connect with Krista and Julie
on Instagram and website

Some things mentioned
Comfortable shoe brands:

-Dolce vita

-Birken stock- Sandals

-Dr scholl's

-Mephisto- Sandals

-Sam Edelman

Jewellery:

-Miranda Frye

-Maggie bracelet

-Risen Jewellery- Christian Jewellery

-Kinsley Armelle

Some questions to help you rise
1. Do you feel tension between your faith and an interest in fashion?

2. What action step could you take to organize your current clothes into styled outfits?

3. When you do an inventory of your clothes, what do you have enough of and need to stop buying?  

4. What can you purchase to make more styled outfits with what you already have?

5. How could you use accessories to spice up your current outfit?