It’s our birthday!
Photo by Diliara Garifullina on Unsplash
This week marks 3 years of Hearts+Minds! What started as an idea over coffee between friends - to develop an online platform for women that goes beyond the superficial, and aims to uplift and inspire women wherever they are in their daily life - has now blossomed into a fortnightly podcast, weekly blog posts and countless events where women can find community and friendship.
To celebrate, we’re taking a trip down memory lane. Here are some of our most read, most listened to and most enjoyed blogs and podcasts, with a few you may have missed along the way.
Find respite - blogs to read
Sarah Murphy’s series on The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis was incredibly popular, but this one on romantic love is a particular stand out. She examines how romantic love, when not anchored solely on feelings but rather rooted in something deeper and permanent, is not only a force for good in the world, but an absolute essential.
No matter where we are on our faith journey, we all have moments where we feel we are talking into a vacuum and no one is listening. This is something Sylvia Speer addresses in one of her popular Spirituality posts. She asks a perennial question in Why won’t God answer my prayers?
Those of us with tiny people underfoot all need a moment of calm from time to time - preferably with a hot drink! Orlagh Walsh offers mums in the trenches some tips and tricks for parenting from a place of calm, even when you aren’t feeling so tranquil yourself!
If you need a cultural hit then Anne Gormley is your go-to woman. An avid reader, she can always be relied upon for a fantastic book recommendation. However, her advice and wisdom for building a life of meaning is equally spot on! This post, all about the simple act of helping another, is a must-read.
Some of you will recognise Maria Kilkommins from the podcast and our most recent Overnight Getaway, but her blog posts are also a treat! Reading a post from Maria is like chatting with a friend over a cup of tea in your kitchen. This one in particular, all about crafting your home into a place of peace and rest, is practical and impressive.
Human beings are wired for connection but sometimes we might struggle to get along with others, and wonder why. Suzanne Murray looks at compatibility in one of her relationship posts and offers insightful and thought-provoking questions we can ask ourselves in order to examine our own impact on a relationship.
Draw inspiration - on the podcast
Poet Sally Read was a dyed-in-the-wool atheist, but God had other ideas! Embarking on research into a book about sex no less, led her on a path of conversion to the Catholic faith. She talks to Máire about her story with all the eloquence and grace one would expect from a gifted poet. Her conversion story is fascinating yet relatable, as we all wrestle with the deeper questions of our existence.
From poetry to philosophy and the intellectual life of women! Catherine spoke to Simone Rizkallah, Director of Program Growth at Endow Groups, about the feminine genius that is present in every woman, by taking examples from the great female saints who have gone before us. Simone is a gifted educator whose passion and expertise in this area is both inspirational and absorbing.
Maria Kilkommins is not only a talented writer on the blog; she also shared with us a deeply personal experience of a cancer diagnosis on the podcast. Discovering that she was battling the illness just months after the birth of her fourth child, Maria recounts to Máire the difficulties and concerns she faced, but also the goodness of others and the peace and hope she found in her faith. This episode is incredibly moving and gives us all a sobering reminder of how precious our daily life is.
No matter what our state in life is, we can all learn how to better improve and enrich our relationships. And this is exactly what Katrina Alvir, the director of REAL, the Science of Character Program in Sydney, Australia spoke to Máire about. Speaking from her background in education and psychology, she shares how important our own self awareness is when it comes to our relationships and the surprising way that freedom can impact them too.
We all have expectations, hopes and dreams and when life doesn’t go exactly to plan, we can be left, at best, feeling deflated and at worst, miserable! Delving deep into where these expectations come from and learning to let them go with grace, is what Gobnait O’Grady spoke about when she chatted with Máire on the podcast. Her experience as a life coach and a bereavement counsellor results in a woman who is steeped in wisdom and understanding. This episode left us feeling that Gobnait is exactly the sort of woman we all need in our lives!
Discover community - Hearts+Minds events
From Spiritual Resets to Recollections to our popular Overnight Getaways, there is an event for every woman at Hearts+Minds, with whatever time you have to spare. For all the details, check out our events page here, and keep up to date with us on Instagram and Facebook.
Finally, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to all our readers and listeners, so thank you for being here to celebrate with us. We’re looking forward to the year ahead and are so glad to have you with us!