"Holy Ambition" is here!
Plus, upcoming events and content recs
Holy Ambition: Thriving as a Catholic Woman at Work and at Home was released on October 25.
and I went live on Instagram that morning to share a little about our book and celebrate together (though it would have been amazing if we could have done it in person!). You can watch it here (and can I tell you, as a mom who struggled with nursing the first time and had to give it up by 6 weeks, I felt like a superhero nursing on Instagram).I’m so grateful to everyone who’s ordered the book and to everyone who’s reviewed it and shared it so far. It means so much. Growing up, there were two things I used to daydream about constantly: being a mom and being a published author. Launching a book right after having my second daughter has been surreal.
You can find links for purchasing the book here, as well as a signup form for the virtual book club Catholic Women in Business will be hosting after the start of the new year. (Don’t forget, if you purchase the book from Ave Maria Press, you can use the discount code CWIB to buy it for just $15!)
Upcoming Events:
I’ll be speaking at the November meeting of The Snickle, a local Catholic literary journal.
I’m giving a talk at St. Catherine of Siena in Wake Forest, NC, on ambition and juggling faith, family, and work. It’s open to any woman; you don’t have to be a parishioner. Sign up here.
I’ll be doing a signing and brief talk at Beow’s Books & Brews in Raleigh on December 7. Check their website and social media platforms; they’ll be promoting it soon. (And if you live in the area, definitely go check out their store; it’s a coffee shop that also sells books, and it’s wonderful. They have food named after Lord of the Rings characters.)
What Else Is New?
CWIB launched our 2024 gift guide. Our gift guide is unique in that it’s less a gift guide and more a directory/catalog of Catholic woman-owned businesses. You’re pretty much guaranteed to find at least one gift on your list here—and most of the businesses generously shared discount codes for our readers.
Elise and I are hosting a virtual panel discussion to discuss some of the themes from Holy Ambition. It’ll be on November 14 at 8pm Eastern, and our panelists are the amazing Lisa Canning, Stacey Sumereau, and Dr. Sarah Maple. Sign up here (it’s free!).
My latest article for Natural Womanhood is on concussions and the menstrual cycle. Fascinating!
Big thanks to Catholics Online for sharing Holy Ambition in this year’s “Cozy Catholic Christmas” gift guide!
What I’ve Been Reading, Listening to, and Watching
After hearing Rachel Platten on the Motherly and Making Space With Hoda Kotb podcasts, I started listening to her latest album … and I haven’t really stopped. So, so good. Don’t miss her interviews, either, because they’re fantastic. I loved the way she talked about postpartum depression and anxiety as well as the sacrifices she’s made in her career to be the mother she wants to be to her daughters.
We have books all over our house—ours and our girls’—so, naturally, I liked this Front Porch article by
about how “home libraries will save civilization.”This timely (for me) BBC News article shares something I’m experiencing now: Your mindset impacts how tired you are. I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. I understand that a certain level of fatigue is biological. But our brains are powerful. And how tired we feel during the day depends largely on how tired we tell ourselves we feel. This understanding has been a game-changer for this postpartum season.
As a mom who has relied on formula in the past and now is nursing, I couldn’t love this new campaign from Bobbie and Molly Bay more.
The Wall Street Journal created a group chat with 12 strangers with very different perspectives on politics. The result is a reminder that we shouldn’t make enemies of people who disagree with us.
This National Catholic Register article was a lovely reminder of the fact that my wedding ring is a sacramental (and, if you were married in the Catholic Church, so is yours!).
If you’re a woman, and especially if you’re a woman with endometriosis, who has experienced early menopause, or is taking combined hormonal contraception, make note of the new stroke guidelines from the American Stroke Association.
I think we could all benefit from this reminder, from author and career coach Brendan Reid, that “growth and productivity aren’t the same.”
Children’s Masses are sometimes a contentious issue among Catholics. I found this
article on their history, by , fascinating. (Where do you stand on the question of whether children’s Masses should exist? I’d love to hear in the comments!)I’m trying to read The Aeneid with Well-Read Mom, but after I found out I’m going to miss my club’s meeting to discuss it, I’m having a hard time motivating myself to get through it! Encouragement is welcome.
I’ve loved Mother Untitled (a blog and online community) ever since I started following it in the first days of my motherhood, and I was excited to read an ARC of its founder, Neha Ruch’s, new book. Stay tuned for a review of The Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids--and Come Back Stronger Than Ever soon!