Letters to Women - Exploring the Feminine Genius Chloe Langr

In this final episode of the Letters to Mothers season, we’re talking about one of the most difficult challenges you may face as a mother: having the first “talk” with your kids. You know the one—discussing their changing bodies and sex for the first time.

Where do you start? When do you start? How do you have those conversations in a way that makes sure they have the information they need without leaving them feeling overwhelmed or ashamed?

Today I’m speaking with Dr. Julia Sadusky, a clinical psychologist. She’s answering the questions that I have and giving all of us a boost of confidence that we need as we have foundational conversations with our young kids long before they hit puberty.

If you want to be ready to talk with your kids about human sexuality with confidence and clarity, this episode is for you. 


Topics we cover:


Julia’s story as a Catholic woman


The origin story of Julia’s new book, Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics published by Ave Maria Press


Why we can’t wait until puberty to start talking about sexaulity with our kids


The barriers that hold us back from conversations about sexuality


Why it’s important to use accurate medical terms when teaching kids about their genitals (and how it can help prevent abuse and neglect!)


Explaining where babies come from to our little kids


What to do if you’re worried you missed your chance to share about human sexuality with your kids


How Julia lives out the feminine genius in her ordinary daily life (hint: it involves legos!)



Resources for you:


Pick up a copy of Julia’s new book, Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics


Visit Julia’s website


Follow Julia on Instagram


Subscribe to Naptime Notes and get early, ad free access to all the Letters to Women episodes for just $5 a month



Discussion questions:


Who taught you about human sexaulity as a kid? What were those conversations like for you and how did they shape the way you think about sex and intimacy today?


Have you had a hard time starting conversations about sex with your kids? What barriers might be holding you back from anticipating and initiating conversations about human sexuality with your kids?


Was there anything in this conversation with Julia that struck you as a parent? Is there anything you’ll change in your approach to conversations about sexuality with your kids after listening to her advice about sharing with kids the goodness of their body?


What did you think about Dr. Julia’s advice to use accurate medical terms to teach your kids about their body? Was that modeled for you growing up, or would using medical terms instead of nicknames be a change from your experience as a child?


What is your vision as a parent for conversations with your kids about sex? What would you love those conversations to look like as your children get older, and what can you do today to start laying the foundation for continued conversations with your kids about sex?

In this seventh episode of the Letters to Mothers season, we’re talking about liturgical living and creating traditions with our families. Is it possible to enter into the rhythms of the church without getting totally overwhelmed? How do you decide which feasts to celebrate, how to create traditions in your domestic church?

Maybe you’ve taken some quick glances through blogs and Pinterest only to be left feeling discouraged or comparing your liturgical living to everyone else out there who seem to have it totally together. But it is possible to discover the joy of the liturgical season and be drawn closer to God in the middle of our daily lives as women and mothers.

If you’re looking for imaginative, effortless, and simple ways to live all of the Church Seasons, this episode with Erica Tighe Campbell is for you.



Topics we cover:


Erica’s story as a Catholic woman


The origin story of Erica’s new book, Living the Seasons


Where to start if you’re feeling overwhelmed when it comes to living the traditions of the church in your home


What liturgical living has looked like for Erica in different seasons of life


How to build a domestic church that helps your children enter into the rhythms of the year


How Erica lives out the feminine genius in her ordinary, daily life as a mother



Resources for you:


Pick up your own copy of Living the Seasons


Explore the Be a Heart store


Follow Be a Heart and Erica on Instagram


Subscribe to Naptime Notes and get early, ad free access to all the Letters to Women episodes for just $5 a month



Discussion questions:


What did living liturgically look like for you growing up? Do you have any favorite family traditions that you continue as an adult?


Does living liturgically intimidate you? If so, what is one small way you can be more aware of the rhythms of the church calendar this year?


What is your favorite season of the church calendar? How do you enter into it in your own home?


What are some ways you can celebrate favorite feast days in your own home?


It’s tempting to compare our liturgical living to some other woman who “has it all together”—even if that woman only exists in our imagination. She remembers all the feast days, hosts the big Michaelmas party, and everything always looks Pinterest-perfect and beautiful. How can you resist the urge to compare when it comes to the way you live liturgically in you homes and what does it look like to confidently celebrate in a way that works in whatever season of life you find yourself in? 

In this sixth episode of the Letters to Mothers season, we’re talking about infertility. What if you long for physical motherhood and spiritual motherhood feels like a consolation prize, like a second-rate motherhood?

What if you’re experiencing infertility, whether it’s a season of infertility with hope of a positive pregnancy test some day or permanent infertility and you wonder if you have any space in conversations about the feminine genius and motherhood?

Infertility is a burden that most women and couples don’t expect to carry. It can impact your marriage, your relationship with friends and family, and your relationship with God. On top of that, infertility often feels like a lonely and long path. But you aren’t alone. We’re talking about dismantling the lies around infertility, the importance of community in this journey, and how to support your spouse as you carry the cross of infertility together. 

Wherever you are on the path of infertility, if you’re looking for a place of respite, solidarity, and encouragement, this episode of the Letters to Women podcast with Ann Koshute is for you.



Topics we cover:


Ann’s story as a Catholic woman


The story of Springs in the Desert


The importance of language around the experience of infertility


How infertility impacts marriage and Ann’s advice for processing emotions and grief in the shared experience of infertility


The importance of community in the experience of infertility and the resources that Springs in the Desert offers


How to live in the present moment during the experience of infertility


Simple ways of generosity and how you can be fruitful in your marriage


What spiritual motherhood means in your life


Ann’s advice for couples receiving a diagnosis of male infertility and how wives can support their husbands through that diagnosis


How Ann lives out the feminine genius in her daily life




Resources for you:


Springs in the Desert


Springs in the Desert podcast


Listen to A Letter to the Mother Wondering about Foster Care and Adoption, featuring Kimberly Henkel, co-founder of Springs in the Desert


Today’s episode is sponsored by Rooted for Good - use the code LETTERS20 to save 20% at checkout


Become a paid subscriber to Naptime Notes and get early, ad free access to all the Letters to Women episodes for just $5 a month




Discussion questions:


Has your experience of infertility left you feeling alone, or like you don’t belong? What is one practical resolution you can make today to connect with other women experiencing infertility?


How has infertility impacted your marriage? Have you struggled with objectifying your spouse or reducing sex to a means to an end of conceiving a child together?


In your experience with infertility, have you given in to despair or the belief that God has forgotten you, doesn’t love you, or is punishing you? How can you reject those lies, and who in your life can speak truth over you that you are a beloved daughter of God who is remembered and known?


How do you deal with the stress of experiencing infertility? What are some healthy ways that you can process the emotions around this cross and


Do you find it challenging to take things day by day in your experience with infertility? What are ways that you can surrender the past, trust God with the future, and be present to the now?

In this fifth episode of the Letters to Mothers season, we’re talking about mothering our babies who we’ve lost in miscarriage, still birth, and infant loss. Losing a child is heartbreaking and devastating. For mothers who lose a child before or shortly after birth, this grief comes with distinct, sudden, and difficult questions about God, the Church, and who they are now as parents to the child they have lost.

If you’re looking for a companion and guide through those har medical, theological, and practical questions, whether you’re a mother who has lost her baby or you’re a friend, family member, or medical professional who supports parents through that loss, this episode of the Letters to Women podcast with Dr. Abigail Jorgensen is for you.

Topics we cover:


Abby’s story as as Catholic woman


The origin story of Abby’s new book, A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss: Compassionate Answers to Difficult Questions


A brief overview of miscarriage, still birth, and infant loss, and what the postpartum experiences can look like for mothers in each experience


Abby’s favorite question to ask her clients as a bereavement doula


What the Catholic Church teaches us about our hope for Heaven for children we’ve lost through miscarriage, still birth, or infant loss


How to grieve together and separately as loss parents


How to wrestle with the reality that God is all powerful, all good, and yet our babies still die


Whether or not you can flush during a miscarriage


How Abby lives out the feminine genius in her ordinary life as a mother



Resources for you:


Pick up a copy of Abby’s new book, A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss


If you want to learn more about Abby’s work as a sociologist, explore her website here


If you want to learn more about Abby’s work as a Catholic bereavement doula, explore this website


To discuss grief ministry training with Abby, reach out to her through Haven Bereavement Doulas


Today’s episode is sponsored by Monks Bread - use the code LETTERS10 to save 10% at checkout


Become a paid subscriber to Naptime Notes and get early, ad free access to all the Letters to Women episodes for just $5 a month



Discussion questions:


Have you lost a child through miscarriage, still birth, or infant loss? What has your experience of mothering your child or children who have died look like for you'?


How has losing a child through miscarriage, still birth, or infant loss impacted your relationship with the Lord? What are some moments of desolation and consolation you’ve experienced during the grieving process?


Have you felt angry at God during your grieving process? Have you felt guilt for feeling anger? How did hearing Abby share about allowing ourselves to grieve and be angry impact you?


Today, how are you parenting the child or children you’ve lost? What are some ways you can honor the memory of their short life here on earth while looking forward with hope to


What are some ways that you can support friends and family who are grieving the loss of their child? What does it look like as a Church and parish community to support grieving parents?

In this fourth episode of the Letters to Mothers series, Johanna Seagren joins me to discuss emotional regulation, our interior life, and burnout in our motherhood.

Parenting is hard work, and sometimes it’s louder, messier, more complicated, and packed with tantrums (yours included) than you expected.

So many times, we end up exhausted and feeling like this can’t be the vision that God had for your family. We’re diving into a conversation about what it means to be an emotionally-healthy family without losing your mind.

If you’re ready to understand your own emotional triggers, learn how to connect with your kids instead of reacting to their big feelings, and grow closer to each other and God, this episode is for you.

Topics we cover:





Johanna’s story as a Catholic woman


Why Johanna created the Interior Kingdom as an emotional regulation program for her family and what Catholic families will find inside the program


What the Catholic Church teaches about emotions and what it looks like to grow in our awareness of our emotions as adults


The things that set Interior Kingdom apart from the calm kits and calm down spaces you’ve seen on Instagram


How to become curious about the triggers (unmet needs!) in your parenting


The reason that Interior Kingdom is for every family, regardless of your kids’ ages, abilities, and temperaments


How Johanna lives out the feminine genius in her daily life as a Catholic mother



Resources for you:


Explore the Interior Kingdom program (and use the code LTW25 for $25 off the program now through April 10, 2024!)


Today’s episode sponsor is Rooted for Good! Use the code Letters20 for 20% off your order at checkout


Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes



Questions for discussion:



What have been some moments of disregulation in your motherhood? And on the flip side, what have been some moments of peace, regulation, and rest in your parenting journey?


When you were a child, what did your parents teach you about emotions? Do you feel confident in your understanding of emotions or is there room for growth?


What are some of your triggers (unmet needs) in your motherhood and how can you begin to meet those needs and invite the Lord into those unmet needs?


Have you ever felt guilty for anger in your motherhood? How did Johanna’s explanation of anger impact your understanding of emotions you may have labeled as “bad” before?


How can learning more about your emotions as a mother impact the way that you parent and live out the feminine genius in your daily life?

In this third episode of the Letters to Mothers series, Kimberly Henkel of Springs of Love joins me to discuss foster care and adoption.

We’re talking about how Kimberly and her husband Greg discerned the call to foster care. We’re also busting myths around adoption that might be holding you back from discerning that call as a family, and both of us are sharing our experiences as adoptive mothers. 

Whether you’re exploring the possibility of adoption or foster care, you’re already an adoptive or foster mother, or you’re wondering how to better support adoptive and foster families in your community, this letter is for you.

Topics we cover:


Kimberly’s story as a Catholic woman


How Kimberly and Greg discerned the Lord’s call to foster care and adoption


The origin story of Springs of Love, Kimberly and Greg’s ministry that encourages, educates, and equips Catholics to discern and live out the call to foster and adopt


The differences between foster care and adoption


Spiritual maternity and the adoption triad


Kimberly’s advice to couples hesitant to discern foster care or adoption because of the cost


Why open adoptions can be healthy for everyone involved in the adoption triad



Resources for you:




Find Springs of Love online


Watch the Springs of Love video series


Ten Myths about Adoption from the Springs of Love website


Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes


Discussion questions:




Have you felt called by the Lord to discern growing your family through adoption or fostering children? What has that discernment looked like for you both as an individual and in your marriage?


What myth surrounding adoption that Kimberly mentioned in the show is something you’ve believed to be true before?


Romans 8:15 says that “You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we call ‘Abba, Father!’” How does reflecting on this theological reality of adoption in all of our lives as children of God through baptism impact the way you think about adoption and foster care?


What are ways that you can accompany birth mothers and families in the adoption triad?


Does your parish community support adoptive and foster families well? What are things you can do to encourage a culture of life for families who are called to foster or adopt?