Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Hannoline and Carnah

Hannah and Caroline make their B-Team on-camera debut and recap their harrowing journey to recover Caroline's repossessed (cough...stolen...cough) car. Also, Scott and Kaitlin are on a home redecorating adventure and Caroline is launching a Twitch account.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Let's Bring Back The Landline!

Scott ruins Kaitlin’s post Christmas joy by trying to be helpful. Emily thinks she’s gotten “lenient” about her home standards. Kaitlin is on a fluoride-free journey, but probably not for the reasons you think. Scott survives a life-altering procedure while Kaitlin heroically assumes the role of “caretaker” and makes sure everyone knows it. Jag-wire. Kaitlin and Scott narrowly miss a pileup caused by a rogue mattress. Also, why are men treated like delicate children in healthcare? Kaitlin had 3 babies!!

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Not New Year’s Resolutions

Kaitlin and Scott chat alone this week and they absolutely, 100%, definitely do not talk about New Year’s resolutions. It’s no secret, Kaitlin hates New Year’s resolutions…she publicly denounces them. So they most definitely do not come up....or do they? Welcome to 2026 SWEople!

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Hope In The Wake Of Suicide

Catherine Renfro is an author, pastor’s wife, mom, and the National Director of Women’s Evangelism at the North American Mission Board. Catherine is the author of Hope, Hurt, and Healing: Experiencing Jesus in the Wake of Suicide, a book born out of profound loss.

Catherine shares the story of losing her brother to suicide and invites us into the aftermath—the grief and the questions she wrestled with. She speaks honestly about questioning God and navigating the long road toward healing.

Catherine has used her story to help others who are walking through similar loss. She walks us through how to better show up for friends and loved ones grieving the death of someone they love. This is a hope-filled conversation for anyone who has experienced lossand carries unanswered questions.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

That One Time At The Jonas Brothers Concert

Follow the Chicola sisters on what should've been a normal evening for concert-going Jonas Brothers fans...but spiraled into a night of wreckless decisions, magical elves, and nearly being mauled by an angry mob.

Godspeed, SWEople.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

How Depending On One Another Helps Us Heal And Grow Together

Kevan Chandler is an author, speaker, and the voice behind We Carry Kevan and The Hospitality of Need. Kevan lives with muscular atrophy, a rare neuromuscular disease. Through his writing and storytelling he invites people into a countercultural way of seeing need, dependence, and community, not as weakness, but as gift.

Kevan shares his story of growing up with muscular atrophy and how, over time, he’s learned that serving others and being served are not opposites—they’re intertwined. We talk about how our needs can become doorways into deeper relationships, the difference between simply asking for help and intentionally inviting people into our need, and how it’s possible to give and receive at the same time.

This conversation is thoughtful, challenging, and a reminder that vulnerability around our needs can lead to deeper connection with others.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Botox, The Flu, & Psalty The Hymnal

Matt and Emily return from Disney World, and pick up the flu on the way home. Kaitlin, Emily, and Caroline are moments away from seeing the Jonas Brothers. Emily watches the entirety of the Jonas Brothers yule log. Matt and Emily are attempting Christmas cards for the first time this year. The price stamps has gotten completely out of control.

Christian YouTube videos are convincing children that they’ll shrink if they forget to pray. Kaitlin develops an aggressive case of the hiccups. Jayce’s music class learns to play the “air recorder.” Kaitlin is glowing and beaming on her latest thyroid journey. Everyone goes off on the American healthcare system and the scam that is health insurance. After much deliberation, Kaitlin and Emily decide it's best to not get Botox…maybe.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Treading the Deep Waters of Motherhood, Mean Girls, and Generational Trauma

Melanie Shankle is a four-time New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and co-host of The Big Boo podcast. Known for blending humor with heartfelt honesty, Melanie has built a career on finding the holy in the everyday and inviting others to do the same.

Melanie opens up about her deeply complicated relationship with her mother and the ripple effects that shaped her own story. She shares how she had to confront her trauma head-on, not just to heal herself, but to become the steady, loving mother her daughter needed.

We also talk about walking with her daughter Caroline through the emotionally challenging times of high school, and what it looks like to parent with empathy.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Food...And A Freakin Hug

The flu has officially taken down the entire Carpenter household, which means this week you’re blessed with the presence of youngest Chicola sister and Lorax fashion icon, Caroline. The topic of conversation? Food, food, and more food, followed by an interpretive children's book reading by Caroline. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Holy Disruptor

Amy Duggar King is an author, entrepreneur, and television personality from TLC's 19 Kids and Counting. She grew up side-by-side with the Duggars, spent years inside the world the public only saw on TV, and has since become a bold advocate for healing, truth-telling, and breaking generational cycles.

We dive into Amy's book, Holy Disruptor, where she reveals the secrets, manipulation, and gaslighting she endured inside the Duggar world and in her own home. She talks honestly about being labeled “Crazy Cousin Amy,” the trauma she carried off-camera, and what it took to finally step into freedom.

Amy opens up about her relationship with her grandfather, an emotionally abusive father, and what life was really like on the show. She shares what it was like to live through the fallout of her cousin Josh’s scandals and arrest, the pressure to stay silent, and the cost of finally using her own voice.

Most powerfully, Amy shares how she has held onto Jesus through everything. How she rebuilt her faith after being hurt by Christians, and why disrupting deception can be a deeply holy act.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

One Wonderful Night

Scott is sick...yet again. Life in Panther Valley? A nightmare. Last week we lost power. This week we lost water. Thankfully, Scott's inner doomsday prepper finally pays off.

A mail truck spontaneously combusts, but don't worry...the mail was saved. Kaitlin becomes the unhinged soccer parent she always dumps on. Caroline's unconventional Halloween costumes.

Air traffic control to Major Tom. Emily receives a special gift. Matt and Scott bring down the vibes with terrible ways to die.

PHILADELPHIAAAAA

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Growing Closer To God One Doubt At A Time

Niki Hardy is a writer and speaker, and if you’ve ever wrestled with doubt, disappointment, or the feeling that God didn’t show up in the way you hoped, this conversation is for you.

Niki has studyied at Oxford, moved from England to North Carolina to plant a church, lead mission trips, and authored multiple books including Breathe Again, One Minute Prayers for Women with Cancer, and her latest God, Can We Chat? But the deepest lessons she’s learned came from clinging to Jesus when everything seemed upside down.

We talk about why your doubts don’t have to be the executioner of your faith, and why deconstruction doesn’t have to lead to deconversion. Niki shares how God actually welcomes our honest questions, why we don’t have to pretend we’re “fine,” and what to do when you feel like God has failed you. She also teaches a simple framework for having real, honest conversations with God: how to CHAT with Him in a way that brings connection instead of shame.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to belong. God meets us in the questions.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Halloween, Facebook Marketplace, & The Miracle Of Beef Tallow

Kaitlin's hairdresser declares her best hair to blowout. Emily discovers she is severly under-tipping her hairdresser. Kaitlin lives her best Halloween life, without the rest of her family. Scott manages to receive death threats and make lifelong friendships on Facebook Marketplace. A discussion on marital duty imbalance. Beef tallow may have the power to turn trees into seeds. Kaitlin believes she’s finally won a parenting battle...turns out there was a secret hero.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Quiet The Chaos, Mind What Matters, and Enjoy Your Life Again

Jamie Erickson is an author, speaker, podcaster, and the voice behind The Unlikely Homeschool and Mom to Mom Podcast. Jamie joins us to talk about her brand-new book Overwhelmed Mom: Quiet the Chaos, Mind What Matters, and Enjoy Your Life Again.

We unpack the two types of moms our culture celebrates, how overwhelm can sometimes be a choice, and why the way we narrate our lives matters more than we think. Jamie shares how to actually live in the season you’re in, practical steps to feel less overwhelmed today, and how to rediscover joy right where you are.

If your brain feels like it consistently has 87 tabs open, this conversation is your permission to slow down, refocus, and breathe again.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Happy Birthday Last Week, Scott!

Baby Norah makes her video podcast debut. The power of athlete’s foot (cream). The Nick Cannon saga continues. Introducing….Frantic-Fall-Kaitlin: she goes head-to-head with unhinged little league soccer parents; ruins a perfectly good game of frisbee golf; and barely survives a 20-minute power outage with Emily. And apparently, she was a “captain” of her softball team?

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Facing Your Giants

Caroline Shankle is an author, speaker, and student at Texas A&M University pursuing a Master’s degree in Agriculture. Her debut devotional, The Lion and the Bearl launches tomorrow (October 14th)! Written for teen girls, this 100-day guide helps readers face their giants with courage, faith, and perspective.

Caroline shares the story behind the book’s powerful message—how her dad would remind her, during friendship fallouts or heartbreak, that David fought lions and bears before he ever faced Goliath. Every hardship prepares you for what’s next, and Caroline’s words are an inspiring reminder that nothing we go through is wasted.

It’s an encouraging and heartfelt conversation about faith, purpose, and learning to see your current battles as the training ground for future victories.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

A Lesson On Creatures

It's a Chicola sisters episooooddeeeeeeee! Gilmore Girls. Sea creatures. National Daughter's Day. Prehistoric creatures. Jayce and Emerson's failed sleepover at Caroline's. Aliens. Emily's hair journey. More creatures. It's everything you would expect. 

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

What It Really Takes to Pursue Your Passion

Dr. Heather Thompson Day is a speaker, bestselling author, podcaster, and founder of It Is Day Ministries. Heather has spent nearly 15 years teaching communication and now equips churches and leaders with her gospel-centered approach to “Cross Communication”—pointing people higher, to the cross, every time they speak. You’ve probably seen her writing in outlets like Christianity Today, Newsweek, or even on the Today Show, and her latest podcast What If I’m Wrong? launched in the top 200 Christian podcasts.

In this conversation, Heather brings both wisdom and vulnerability as we unpack what it means to live with passion (the word literally means “to suffer”). She challenges us to see passion not as chasing applause, but as pursuing what we can’t help but do even when no one is clapping. Heather also opens up about navigating her faith through her father’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and reminds us that our circumstances never determine God’s presence.

Are $1 homes in Italy worth it? "No turn on red” is the dumbest law. Matt strikes a nerve with Emily during a recent Target run. And how is it possible that Matt and Emily keep experiencing more fireworks near their homes than anyone else on the planet?

We talk about the ache of unfulfilled longing; how to want deeply without letting it consume you, and how to walk through waiting seasons without bitterness or despair. Rebecca also shares her own rhythms of trust, hope, and faith in the “not yet.”

It’s an honest, encouraging conversation for anyone who’s ever wondered if their chance has already passed, or if God is still at work in the waiting.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Looking For Fun & Feeling Groovy

Kaitlin and Scott are over sending Christmas cards, while Emily and Matt may need to start. Holiday stress is beginning to creep in. We’ve got an update on Donald the Cat—the town legend who’s been missing for five years. Kaitlin has a mysterious leg twitch. Katilin and Scott make a regrettable mattress purchase. Then again, Scott regrets everything he buys.

Are $1 homes in Italy worth it? "No turn on red” is the dumbest law. Matt strikes a nerve with Emily during a recent Target run. And how is it possible that Matt and Emily keep experiencing more fireworks near their homes than anyone else on the planet?

We talk about the ache of unfulfilled longing; how to want deeply without letting it consume you, and how to walk through waiting seasons without bitterness or despair. Rebecca also shares her own rhythms of trust, hope, and faith in the “not yet.”

It’s an honest, encouraging conversation for anyone who’s ever wondered if their chance has already passed, or if God is still at work in the waiting.

Read More
Matt Carpenter Matt Carpenter

Trusting God’s Timing In A Hurry Up World

Rebecca George is an author, speaker, coach, and founder of Radical Radiance, a podcast community equipping women to blend what they love with the Jesus who makes them shine. Rebecca’s newest book, You’re Not Too Late: Trusting God’s Timing in a Hurry Up World, tackles the struggles we all face with waiting, longing, and learning to trust God when His timeline doesn’t match ours.

We talk about the ache of unfulfilled longing; how to want deeply without letting it consume you, and how to walk through waiting seasons without bitterness or despair. Rebecca also shares her own rhythms of trust, hope, and faith in the “not yet.”

It’s an honest, encouraging conversation for anyone who’s ever wondered if their chance has already passed, or if God is still at work in the waiting.

Read More