Letters to Women - Exploring the Feminine Genius Chloe Langr

A quick update about why there hasn't been a new episode of Letters to Women in your podcast feed lately ... and an announcement about the future of the podcast.

Should we care about what we wear? The short answer is “yes”—but don’t pull out your headphones just yet. There’s more to the conversation than that.

What about style? What do you think of when you hear that word? Maybe the pages of fashion magazines or reruns of Project Runway flash through your mind. Or maybe you wonder if style should even be something you think about—how many of us have felt guilty after splurging on a gorgeous dress, wondering how a piece of fabric can capture our imagination and desire.

We scold ourselves and say “I should bought something practical.” Or maybe you’ve even wondered if you’re vain if you care about how you look.

But what if that pull towards certain items of clothing is actually a sign of being made in the image and likeness of God? What if instead of finding a new “cool,” “fancy,” or “stylish” wardrobe, or becoming a “new” version of ourselves, we focused on how we can grow in an understanding of how we were made? 

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Lillian Fallon. She's a Catholic writer with a passion for helping women express their unrepeatability through style.

Lillian and I are talking about living life as an affirmed woman and daughter of God, how wisdom from St. Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body relates to clothing, and how to dress in a way that expresses who we are. 

If you’ve ever wondered if your love of style is incongruent with your Catholic faith, sister, this letter is for you. 

Topics we talked about in this episode:


Lillian’s story as a Catholic woman


The origin story behind Lillian’s new book, Theology of Style: Expressing the Unique and Unrepeatable You


How an epiphany moment in a Theology of the Body class gave Lillian the freedom to pursue her passion for style


What Theology of Style is and how it can transform the way we see ourselves and God


What an understanding of modesty informed by Theology of the Body looks like—and why it is so much more than the length of a skirt


Living life as an affirmed person who is confident in her identity, gifts, and passions


How Lillian lives out the feminine genius in her daily life



Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:


Pick up your copy of Theology of Style: Expressing the Unique and Unrepeatable You


Saint Pope John Paul II’s Letter to Artists


Check out Lillian’s website and connect with her on Instagram


Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, CORDA, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout


Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)


Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes



Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes

Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

It’s time we get honest with ourselves as women today—we’re being lied to. Today’s cultural beauty standards are messed up. We all know it, and we all think we can resist the pull to look a certain way. But most of us—and our sisters, daughters, and nieces, too—are still striving for a broken kind of beauty while feeling like we’re not good enough.

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Melissa Johnson, a marriage and family therapist. The lie of today’s beauty standards eventually led her to battling an eating disorder. Through that experience, she saw that chasing broken beauty breaks us as women in so many ways. And she also realized that true, soul-deep beauty is not impossible—it abounds in us and all around us. 

Melissa and I are talking about how to uncover the hidden damage cultural lies about beauty have on your mind and soul, how to reconnect with God, in whose image you are made, and how to walk away from shame and striving.

If you find yourself wishing that you were thinner or smaller, have a list of things you wish you could change about your appearance, or compare your body to other women’s bodies, and you’re longing for a more self-compassionate relationship with your body, sister, this letter is for you. 

Topics we talked about in this episode:


Melissa’s story as a Christian woman


The origin story of Melissa’s new book, Soul Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless and what you’ll find when you open the cover


The unhelpful (but normalized) beliefs we are buying as women when it comes to beauty


What happens when we embrace our bodies as miracles and what it looks like to practice gratitude for our aging bodies


What living in loving community with other women looks like


How Melissa defines true beauty


The ways that Melissa lives out the feminine genius in her own daily life



Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:


Pick up a copy of Soul Deep Beauty: Fighting for Our True Worth in a World Demanding Flawless


Visit Melissa’s website, Impossible Beauty and listen to the Impossible Beauty podcast


Follow Melissa on Instagram


Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, CORDA, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout


Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)


Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes



Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes

Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

We’re living in a world of filters and photoshop. Thanks to the constant pull from the smartphone in your pocket, you might be experiencing internet overwhelm and social media fatigue. Is there any relatable women’s media out there that gives an accurate representation of what it means to be a women, reminds you of your belovedness, and encourages you to be authentic?

The world needs more of who women ARE. Not a long list of expectations of what we should be doing and what our bodies look like while we’re doing it. 

That, and more, is what we’re diving into today in this episode of the Letters to Women podcast.

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Mary Rose Somarriba,. Mary Rose is the editor of Verily Magazine. True to their name, Verily sifts through the noise of the world to elevate what is honest, real, and beautiful for the modern woman—facilitating her connection with the things that matter the most to her through our production of original media, curation of quality content across the web, and in-person events.

Mary Rose and I are talking about the mission of Verily, what it’s like for them to totally reject photoshop, and why they’re returning to a print magazine in our digital world.

If you’re exhausted from a constant barrage of media that tells you what the “ideal” body type, image, or status is and you're ready to be empowered to be more of who YOU ARE, sister, this letter is for you.

Topics we talked about in this episode:


Mary Rose’s story as a Catholic woman


The origin story of Verily Magazine and what sets it apart from other fashion and lifestyle magazines


What has changed and what has stayed the same since the first issue of Verily was published in 2012


Why being a non-profit fits the mission of Verily


The false expectations that we’re sorting through as women today and how Verily encourages women to live authentically


How editing Verily has impacted Mary Rose as a mother


The ways the Mary Rose lives out the feminine genius in her daily life



Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:


Learn more about Verily Magazine


Subscribe to Verily’s print magazine


Rethinking Sex by Christine Emba


Mary Rose’s article at National Review on how the internet has ruined women’s magazines


Defend Young Minds and how they can help you chat with your kids about pornography ahead of time


Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, Sacred Heart Tea, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout


Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)


Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes



Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes

Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

Have you ever wished you prayed more with your spouse, but you don’t know where to start? Maybe you’re confident in praying FOR your spouse, but WITH them?

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Dr. Sarah Bartel and we’re talking about Cana Feast, the marriage ministry she founded with husband, Nathan, and she’s giving some really practical, nitty-gritty ways that they’ve found make a difference in couple’s marriages - from how to get over the awkwardness of praying together to making time for each other in seasons of change and prioritizing your marriage when schedules are tight or babies are little. Or teenagers are up at all hours of the day.

Regardless of the season of marriage you find yourself in, there’s something here for you. 

Topics we talked about in this episode:


The origin story of Cana Feast, an online enrichment community for couples


Navigating seasons of change in your marriage with grace


Practical, daily practices for couples to strengthen their marriages


How Cana Feast makes retreats-in-place possible for couples with busy schedules


Sarah’s top advice for women who aren’t married yet but feel God’s call to the vocation of marriage



Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:


Cana Feast


Follow Cana Feast on social media and connect with Dr. Sarah Bartel on her personal Instagram account


Dr. Bartel mentioned Living in Love, which is now known as EverMore in Love. This is a retreat that Joseph and I lead in our own diocese! We cannot recommend it enough. Learn more about upcoming retreats here!


Enter to win a Custom Home Altar with The Catholic Man Show’s giveaway that ends September 14!


Subscribe to my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes



Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes

Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

Have you ever had the experience that life is flying by you at lightning speed and you’re just an observer? The year is already over halfway done, you’re not sure really what you’ve even done for the past six months. You’re just along for the ride.

But what if there was a daily practice that helped you grow in your ability to focus, to be grateful, and to be present?

In this episode, I’m sitting down with Tsh Oxenreider. I love Tsh—her writing is absolutely fantastic, her podcast is one of the few that I listen to on long drives or as I work through mountains of laundry. And she’s just written a brand new book called First Light and Eventide, which is a daily gratitude journal. When you open up the cover, she guides you through a short, twice-daily thought exercise to help you better focus on gratitude, grace, and greater truth. 

If you’re looking for a thoughtful way to bookend your day and you wish someone would just take you by the hand and help you navigate some of life’s uncertainty, this letter is for you.

Topics we talked about in this episode:


Tsh’s story as a Catholic convert


The story behind her new book, First Light and Eventide: A Daily Gratitude Journal


Tsh’s advice for building the habit of morning and evening bookends


How Tsh has encountered truth, goodness, and beauty on pilgrimage (and how you can join her on upcoming trips!)


How stepping away from Instagram has impacted Tsh’s ability to notice, focus, and be grateful


Why Tsh curates playlists to pair with all of her books


How Tsh lives out the feminine genius in her daily life



Resources you should check out after listening to this episode:


Pick up a copy of First Light and Eventide: A Daily Gratitude Journal


Connect with Tsh through her newsletter


Find out more about Tsh’s upcoming pilgrimages


Join us in bringing the newest Langr home with our adoption fundraiser


Check out the sponsor for today’s episode, Sacred Heart Tea, and use the code LETTERS to get 10% off your purchase at checkout


Pick up a copy of the Letters to Women book (and use the code LETTERS at checkout to receive 15% off your purchase!)


Check out my monthly newsletter, Naptime Notes



Subscribe and Review Letters to Women in iTunes

Are you subscribed to Letters to Women? If not, you should subscribe today! You don’t want to miss any of the upcoming episodes. Click here to subscribe in iTunes.