A Resounding Yes!

Paloma & Fig
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Christianity

A Resounding Yes! is a podcast produced by Catholic creative agency Paloma & Fig centered around Mary's Fiat and how we can say YES to the Lord. Visit www.palomaandfig.com to learn more.

  1. The Role That Changed Everything: Michael Iskander of House of David on Saying Yes to the Lord

    3d ago

    The Role That Changed Everything: Michael Iskander of House of David on Saying Yes to the Lord

    Michael Iskander plays David in Prime Video's House of David—but his real story begins with a restless search for truth that led him, step by step, to a breakfast with a priest and an answer he couldn't give lightly: yes. Christina is joined by co-host Fr. John R. Johnson, STL to walk through Michael's conversion, his calling to play David, and what his journey reveals about the kind of faith this generation is desperately looking for. Together they take up Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, reflecting on how sacred storytelling, silence, and an unfiltered encounter with the Church can become the answer to a world that's lost its footing. What We Talk About: How Michael's conversion began with one question—"how does God want me to worship Him?"—and arrived at a breakfast table where a priest asked him: do you want to be Catholic?Why Michael says the Eucharist isn't just the center of his faith—it's the only thing in the world he'd live the rest of his life for, and what that conviction has to offer every truth-seekerWhat it means to approach a calling like David from a place of surrender—giving the gift back to the One who gave it, and why Michael believes the story was never really about David at allHow Fr. Johnson reads Magnifica Humanitas pastorally: why the Church's claim to speak on all things genuinely human isn't overreach—it's the logic of the IncarnationWhy both Michael and Fr. Johnson believe this generation doesn't need to be curated to—what they need is silence, unfiltered truth, and an encounter with something that doesn't moveChapters: 00:00: Introduction03:52: Opening Prayer04:46: Michael's Conversion Story08:20: God Opens the Door — Playing David13:07: Storytelling as Vocation — Purpose Beyond the Role18:17: Magnifica Humanitas — The Church Speaks to the Digital Age24:49: What Young People Are Searching For31:58: What the Church Must Offer35:35: Joy, Silence, and MusicResources Mentioned: House of David — Prime VideoMagnifica Humanitas — Full Text (Vatican)A Complete Guide to Magnifica Humanitas — Ascension PressThe Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis — Catholic Gifts and BooksProduced by Saint Kolbe Studios Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes!

    40 min
  2. How Fairy Tales Carry What Sermons Can't: E.P. Cowley on Tolkien and Lewis

    Jun 5

    How Fairy Tales Carry What Sermons Can't: E.P. Cowley on Tolkien and Lewis

    E.P. Cowley is a retired homeschooling mother and author living in southern British Columbia whose debut novel, Tales from Wakken Wood, published by Ignatius Press, draws on the folklore of the Isle of Man to tell an enchanted story of courage, virtue, and wonder. In this conversation with Kaylee Stoll—part of the Tolkien and Lewis series—E.P. shares how entering the Catholic Church transformed her writing, how Tolkien's vision of sub-creation shaped every scene of the novel, and how wonder at Marian apparitions quietly shaped the book's spiritual heart. What We Talk About: E.P.'s conversion journey from Protestantism into the Catholic Church and how it unlocked her sacramental imaginationThe origin of Tales from Wakken Wood—writing for her children, asking God for help scene by scene, and how the story surprised even its authorTolkien's influence on the novel, from Lord of the Rings to Smith of Wootton Major and his essay on fairy storiesThe unique mythological DNA of Manx folklore from the Isle of Man, and how E.P.'s research shaped the creatures of Wakken WoodMarian apparitions—Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and others—and how wonder at Our Lady shaped the spiritual atmosphere of the novelChapters: 00:00: Introduction and Welcome03:34: E.P.'s Yes to the Lord06:20: The Making of Tales from Wakken Wood09:04: Tolkien, Sub-Creation, and Fantasy11:47: Why Modern Readers Still Need Fairy Tales16:19: Manx Folklore and the Isle of Man18:47: Spiritual Symbolism vs. Allegory20:54: Peter, Pixel, and the Power of Children in Story24:00: Marian Apparitions and the Heart of the Book26:28: Consolation, Wonder, and What Readers Take AwayResources Mentioned: Tales from Wakken Wood by E.P. Cowley (Ignatius Press)Tales from Wakken Wood — ReviewPaloma&FigProduced by Saint Kolbe Studios Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes!

    31 min
  3. What C.S. Lewis Teaches Us About Heaven, Hell, and the Choices We Make Now w/ Andrew Swafford

    May 29

    What C.S. Lewis Teaches Us About Heaven, Hell, and the Choices We Make Now w/ Andrew Swafford

    Andrew Swafford, professor of theology at Benedictine College and author of Next Stop: The Afterlife, joins us to explore how C.S. Lewis's The Great Divorce illuminates the reality of heaven, hell, and purgatory and why every ordinary choice we make is quietly shaping our eternal destiny. Andrew also shares the pivotal yes that changed his own life: a football scholarship to Benedictine College, an unexpected encounter with Christ, and the discovery that going all in with Jesus never costs you who you are—it makes you more fully yourself. What We Talk About: How a football scholarship became the setting for Andrew's conversion and why he says the risk of faith always produces a deeper, truer version of who you already areWhat makes The Great Divorce such a powerful entry point into thinking about heaven and hell, including Lewis's insight that heaven is more real than earth, and what that means for how we love and live right nowThe unforgettable characters in The Great Divorce—Pam the grieving mother and the man with the lizard—and why even the highest loves in us must be surrendered to God if they are to be transfigured in gloryWhy the small, ordinary choices we make at home—in marriage, parenting, and the hidden moments no one sees—are where eternity is truly won or lost, and why repair matters far more than perfectionHow to stay rooted in Jesus when the culture feels heavy and overwhelming: think local, pray more than you worry, and keep the Eucharist at the center of your lifeChapters: 00:00: Welcome and Introduction02:24: Andrew's Journey to Yes: Football, Conversion, and Going All In04:17: Introducing Next Stop: The Afterlife06:39: The Great Divorce, Purgatory's Joy, and the Transformation God Desires07:22: What Makes The Great Divorce Such a Powerful Entry Point09:42: Why C.S. Lewis Chose Story Over Straight Theology11:22: Heaven Is More Real Than Earth14:43: Recognizing Our Own Attachments: Pam and the Man with the Lizard18:38: Small Daily Choices and Eternal Destiny21:29: The Gift of Repair in Family Life25:01: Heaven, Hell, and the Choices We Make Now29:32: Staying Centered on Jesus in a Heavy CultureResources Mentioned: Next Stop: The Afterlife by Andrew SwaffordThe Great Divorce by C.S. LewisThe Screwtape Letters by C.S. LewisThe SwaffordsPaloma&FigProduced by Saint Kolbe Studios. Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes!

    37 min
  4. The Spiritual Wisdom of J.R.R. Tolkien w/ Kaitlyn Facista (Tea with Tolkien)

    May 22

    The Spiritual Wisdom of J.R.R. Tolkien w/ Kaitlyn Facista (Tea with Tolkien)

    Kaitlyn Facista is the founder of Tea with Tolkien, an online community celebrating the life, writings, and Catholic faith of J.R.R. Tolkien and the author of Into the Heart of Middle-earth, published by Ave Maria Press. In this episode, she shares her journey from Protestant roots to Catholicism, how Tolkien's fiction was woven into her conversion story, and why the spiritual depth of Middle-earth is anything but accidental. What We Talk About: How Kaitlyn's winding path through medical school moves, a search for truth, and life in England led her and her husband into the Catholic ChurchThe discovery that Tolkien's Catholic faith is not allegory but something woven into the very fibers of Middle-earth, and what "applicability" means versus allegoryWhat characters like Samwise, Aragorn, and the hobbits reveal about humility, discernment, and the power of the smallHow Tolkien's villains warn us against isolation while his heroes model fellowship, counsel, and communal discernmentThe one spiritual insight Kaitlyn hopes readers carry away from her book: that small, daily choices are how we bring ourselves—and the world—closer to goodnessChapters: 00:00: Introduction and Guest Background02:48: Kaitlyn's Yes—Converting to Catholicism07:02: What Drew Her to Tolkien and When the Spiritual Depth Clicked09:30: How Tea with Tolkien Began14:38: Why Now Was the Right Time to Write Into the Heart of Middle-earth16:13: Allegory vs. Applicability: How to Read Tolkien's Faith Without Forcing It17:49: The "Ever-Present Person"—Providence Hidden in Plain Sight19:57: Samwise Gamgee, True Hero? Loyalty and Holiness21:08: Aragorn, Humility, and the Long Road to Kingship24:15: Connecting Tolkien's Characters to the Saints25:21: Fellowship as a Model for Faith, Family, and Parish Life27:02: The One Takeaway from Into the Heart of Middle-earthResources Mentioned: Tea with TolkienInto the Heart of Middle-earth — Ave Maria PressPaloma&FigProduced by Saint Kolbe Studios Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes!

    32 min
  5. Reluctant Converts and Quiet Heroism: Joseph Pearce on Tolkien, Lewis, and Mary's Fiat

    May 15

    Reluctant Converts and Quiet Heroism: Joseph Pearce on Tolkien, Lewis, and Mary's Fiat

    In this episode of A Resounding Yes!, Christina Sabo and co-host Franci Revel Eckensberger welcome back the internationally acclaimed Catholic author and literary biographer Joseph Pearce for a rich conversation on imagination, conversion, and the Marian threads woven through the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.  What We Talk About: How Joseph Pearce's journey from neo-Nazi politics to Catholicism was shaped by the writings of Chesterton, Belloc, Tolkien, and Lewis—and what his conversion reveals about the slow, grace-filled nature of saying yesWhy Christ Himself sanctified story through the parables, and how the Christian imagination reaches hearts in ways that argument alone cannotThe Marian echoes in Tolkien's Galadriel and the surprising complexity of Lewis's relationship with Our LadyHow Tolkien and Lewis reimagine heroism as humility and inner victory rather than domination, and why that matters for souls striving toward holiness todayThe dangerous "golemization" of the self in a distraction-saturated culture, and how the timeless worlds of Middle-earth and Narnia can reorient us toward wonder, contemplation, and the final victory found only in heavenChapters: 00:00: Welcome & Opening Prayer05:27: Joseph Pearce's Conversion Story07:37: Mary's Fiat and the Slow Yes08:51: Why Story Reaches Hearts More Deeply Than Argument11:00: Inner Heroism in Tolkien and Lewis12:30: Marian Themes in Tolkien and Lewis18:13: Lewis's Longing and the Marian Path to Heaven20:02: Imagination, Reason, and Lewis's Conversion24:27: The Providential Friendship of Tolkien and Lewis30:00: Wonder, Enchantment, and the Danger of Distraction39:56: Raising Children with Tolkien and Lewis47:06: Humility, Gratitude, and the Power of a Simple YesResources Mentioned: Race With the Devil by Joseph Pearce (Tan Books)Joseph Pearce's Inner SanctumPaloma&FigProduced by Saint Kolbe Studios Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes!

    51 min
  6. Finding God in the Sacred Chaos of Motherhood with Jennifer Stavinoha

    May 8

    Finding God in the Sacred Chaos of Motherhood with Jennifer Stavinoha

    In this special Month of Mary episode, Christina Sabo is joined by Jennifer Stavinoha — ministry leader, theologian, and author of Sacred Chaos: Finding Joy and Jesus in the Messiness of Motherhood — to explore what it looks like to say yes to God in the beautiful, exhausting reality of motherhood. Recorded in honor of Our Lady of Fatima and timed for Mother's Day, this conversation is a gift for every mother who has ever wondered where God went when the quiet prayer life disappeared. What We Talk About: Jennifer's conversion moment at Eucharistic Adoration as a teenager and how it set the direction of her entire lifeHow motherhood dismantled everything she thought she knew about prayer — and what she discovered on the other side of thatThe structure of Sacred Chaos as a three-week mini-retreat built around desire, encounter, and joy — and why these three themes arise from her own experience as a momPractical tools for praying with small children, including the "basket technique" and the gift of toddler adorationHow turning to Our Lady of Fatima in the middle of the night became a doorway to deeper intimacy with Mary as both mother and sisterChapters: 00:00: Introduction & Opening Prayer03:50: Jennifer's Yes08:48: Introducing Sacred Chaos10:35: Inside the Book — A Three-Week Mini-Retreat14:44: Finding God in the Chaos of Ordinary Moments20:23: Practical Prayer Tools for Moms25:16: The Structure Behind Desire, Encounter, and Joy34:38: Playlists, Videos, and How They Support Prayer35:00: The Most Surprising Thing Motherhood Has Revealed About God38:24: When a Mom Feels Far from God: Start with MaryResources Mentioned: Sacred Chaos: Finding Joy and Jesus in the Messiness of Motherhood by Jennifer StavinohaJennifer Stavinoha's WebsiteAbandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre de CaussadeDrink the Still Water: Jennifer Stavinoha's Sacred Chaos — Paloma&Fig blogProduced by Saint Kolbe Studios Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes!

    47 min
  7. Tell Them About Me: How Maria Eva Jacobs Overcame Bipolar Disorder Through Faith, Music, and Surrender

    May 1

    Tell Them About Me: How Maria Eva Jacobs Overcame Bipolar Disorder Through Faith, Music, and Surrender

    Maria Eva Jacobs is a national recording artist, published author, and vocal jazz professor at Kent State University whose yes to God has unfolded over decades of struggle, surrender, and extraordinary fruit. In this episode, Christina and Maria trace the arc of her faith journey—from her Byzantine Melkite roots and a life reshaped by bipolar disorder, to a supernatural encounter with God that set her on a path of ministry through music and writing.  What We Talk About: Maria's background as a cradle Catholic in the Byzantine Melkite Greek Catholic Church and how music became the center of her faith life from childhoodHer journey through bipolar disorder, the lies the disease told her about God, and the supernatural encounter that planted the seed of her yesWhy surrender isn't a one-time event—and how learning to love the Giver more than the gift transformed her career and her lifeThe interplay between faith and proper medical treatment in her healing journey, and why she's a passionate advocate for bothHer debut Christian album Perfect Is Your Will and what sets it apart from her nine previous jazz recordingsChapters: 00:00: Welcome and Introduction03:06: Embracing Lent and Easter Through Prayer04:39: Maria's Story: Byzantine Roots and a Musical Beginning07:20: The Slow Yes: Surrender as a Daily Practice11:39: A Musical Upbringing: Her Father's Influence18:55: Perfect Is Your Will: Her First Christian Album26:34: Faith and Mental Health: Why Both Matter32:40: Sustained in the Darkness38:34: What She Hopes Listeners Take Away42:08: Maria's Perfect DayResources: Maria Eva JacobsPerfect Is Your Will — stream the albumTell Them About Me — Amazon | Barnes & NoblePaloma&FigFollow Maria's Work on Social Media: www.Facebook.com/mariaevajacobswww.Facebook.com/mariajacobsmusicwww.Facebook.com/tellthemaboutmeauthorwww.instagram.com/mariaevajacobshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mariaevajacobs/ Produced by Saint Kolbe Studios Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes!

    49 min
  8. The Voice the Church Forgot: Translating Ida Görres w/ Dr. Jennifer Bryson

    Apr 24

    The Voice the Church Forgot: Translating Ida Görres w/ Dr. Jennifer Bryson

    Dr. Jennifer Bryson joins Christina to discuss her translation of Bread Grows in Winter, a collection of essays and lectures by the largely forgotten mid-20th-century Catholic writer Ida Görres. Together they explore why Görres's voice—marked by unflinching honesty, poetic depth, and a long view of the Church—speaks with remarkable urgency to Catholics navigating confusion and upheaval today. What We Talk About: Jennifer's journey from a secular upbringing in the San Francisco Bay Area to entering the Catholic Church, sparked by an encounter with God in communist East GermanyWho Ida Görres was—her life, her literary gifts, her marriage, and why her works were swept from prominence after 1971How Görres interpreted the post-Vatican II crisis: neither reactionary nor progressivist, but deeply rooted in love for the Church and a clear-eyed view of its problemsThe meaning behind the title Bread Grows in Winter and Görres's image of invisible martyrdom as seeds overwintering in the soilGörres's message for women, her fierce critique of feminism, and her effort to present a rich Catholic vision of womanhood through hagiography and literatureChapters: 00:00: Welcome & Introduction01:24: Opening Prayer02:41: Jennifer's Yes: Faith Found in East Germany05:17: Who Was Ida Görres?13:53: Görres and the Post-Vatican II Upheaval15:48: The Meaning of Bread Grows in Winter20:08: Comparing Görres, Hildebrand, and Guardini24:09: Ratzinger's Eulogy and Her Theological Influence30:33: Insights for Catholics Facing Church Challenges34:21: Görres on Women, Our Lady, and the ChurchResources Mentioned: Bread Grows in Winter by Ida Görres — Ignatius PressThe Hidden Face by Ida Görres — Ignatius PressJennifer Bryson's WebsitePaloma&Fig Blog ReviewProduced by Saint Kolbe Studios Send us Fan Mail Support the show Follow Paloma & Fig on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn. Learn more at www.palomaandfig.com. Join in the conversation by joining our  Facebook group, A Resounding Yes!

    45 min
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5
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About

A Resounding Yes! is a podcast produced by Catholic creative agency Paloma & Fig centered around Mary's Fiat and how we can say YES to the Lord. Visit www.palomaandfig.com to learn more.

Information

  • Creator
    Paloma & Fig
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 A Resounding Yes!
  • Show Website
    A Resounding Yes!

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