In this last week before Advent, I always have mixed feelings. I’m torn between letting myself give in to the sheer and unadulterated excitement my children have about all the December merriment and climbing back under my duvet in fear and terror at the prospect of organising it all.

Today, we have a fascinating guest who will be sharing her insights on the courage to create. Emelia Silva is an artist and songwriter with a degree in Global Jazz Studies from UCLA. She has been singing across various genres for the past 18 years.

This is the second post in a two part series on the virtue of humility. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus tells us, “learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (11:29).

One day in 2018 while on a visit to the Holy Land, I took a short day trip to Bethlehem. I joined a large queue outside the Basilica of the Maternity, a Byzantine-style church marking the birthplace of Christ. In front of me stood a woman in her mid-eighties very small in stature.

This is the third episode in our series on trust, and today we will explore another essential building block: motive.

Charles Feltman, author of “The Thin Book of Trust,” has described this virtue as “choosing to risk making something you value vulnerable to another person’s actions.” Whereas having a lack of trust is us deciding that “what is important to me is not safe with this person in this situation."

Our lives are measured by time, during which we change, grow old and die. No one is exempt from death. It affects everyone. St Ambrose once said, “death is the end of earthly life, but not of our existence since the soul is immortal.”

Chiara Degenfeld is joining us for part III of the Theology of the Body series, where we will explore why being engaged is so special.

Any time we experience a conflict in our marriage, whether it’s over something big or small, we may be aware of all the things we shouldn’t do. However, when things get tense and heated, all reason can go out the window - unless we have some strategies in place of what we should do instead!

Perhaps some of you may have managed to read the recent letter from Pope Francis about Literature which is intended to be a means of formation for priests and a way to grow in personal maturity. However, when I came across that letter, I realised immediately how literature and books hold hidden chambers that we can all unlock and use in ways that can help us not only flourish, but also grow in wisdom.

This is the second podcast in this series called "How Can I Build Trust", and in this podcast, we're going to dig into the first essential building block, which we touched on briefly in the last podcast, which is listening and understanding.

How many times did you hear the phrase “practice makes perfect” growing up? I know I certainly did. Especially anytime I struggled with something; playing an instrument, learning spellings or algebra, speaking a new language. Something about it never sat easily with me though. What if I didn’t know the best way to practise?

Chiara Denegald is joining us again today for part II of the Theology of the Body series.  Today's topic, we will address the difficult topic of porn and how it can affect your relationship.

For all the married ladies out there, were you ever taught how to best argue with your spouse?! On your wedding day you might not have pictured your future self arguing with the man of your dreams, but there’s the ideal and then there’s the reality. We’re only humans after all. We aren’t perfect and there will come a time when conflict and arguments arise.

We are fortunate to live in a time when many of us are told we can achieve our dreams and  shoot for the stars. Women succeeding on the world stage has been a news staple in the media this past summer; from ‘Swiftie fever’ taking the world by storm, to Simone Biles setting thrilling new world records at this year's Olympics - making a magnificent comeback.

In this episode, we dive into the difference between self-development and holiness within the Catholic tradition.

Recently I asked my youngest daughter if she was excited about starting back to school. Like most little children, she lives completely in the present and it took her a moment or two to even consider what it might be like following the routine of a school day again. Eventually she said “it’ll be nice to see my friends again.”

One thing we all love at Hearts+Minds is a good book and so we’re always on the hunt for another read to add to our bookshelf. In this new series on the blog, we’re delighted to share our reading recommendations with you. Whatever your genre of choice, we’ve tried to include something for everyone.

Your body expresses who you are. In today's podcast we discuss why desires are good.

At this time of year, parents across the country are packing up the school bags, prepping lunches, labelling uniforms and sending their little (and big) ones back through the school gates for another academic year.