The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

Virginia Cumberbatch joins me today for The Happy Hour #149. Virginia serves as the Director of the Community Engagement Center and Social Justice Institute at The University of Texas at Austin and is a co-founder of HUX STORYHOUSE, a creative strategies collective that uses culturally relevant storytelling to help organizations engage thoughtfully and authentically with markets across the Black Diaspora. Her first book, As We Saw It: The Story of Integration at The University of Texas at Austin will be released in 2018.

In today's conversation with Virginia, we chat about the intersection of culture and social justice. She shares about her family life when she was growing up, and how her family modeled an integrated life for her. We talk about the importance of storytelling to personify issues and policies that may feel so distant. And finally, we hit a very light and noncontroversial topic - feminism!

I hope you love getting to meet Virginia and enjoy our conversation. Do yourself a favor today and call a friend and grab a happy hour. It's hotter than heck and we need to stick together.

{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}

Be The Bridge

The Happy Hour #44: Tasha Morrison

Kirk Franklin

What Virginia is loving: traveling, family and 70s style fashion

Happy Hour Summer Book Club

Music from Jason Poe

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Crane & Canopy // Use code JAMIE to receive 10% off your order
Barkbox // Get an extra premium toy every month when you sign up for a 6 or 12 month subscription
Noonday Collection // Join as an ambassador and receive three free pieces to add to your starter kit

My guest for The Happy Hour #148 is Lisa Harper. Lisa is a master storyteller with a masters of Theological Studies from Covenant Seminary. She’s lauded as an engaging, hilarious communicator as well as an authentic and substantive Bible teacher. She’s been in vocational ministry for thirty years and has written fifteen books and Bible study curriculums but says her greatest accomplishment by far is that of becoming Missy’s (her adopted daughter from Haiti) mama! They live on a hilly farmette south of Nashville, Tennessee, where they enjoy eating copious amounts of chips, queso, and guacamole. And then diving in the pool immediately afterwards instead of dutifully waiting the recommended thirty minutes.

Oh my gracious, getting to talk with Lisa was such a delight. You guys are going to love her so much. Other than the fact that I forgot to press record at the beginning of our conversation and missed 15 minutes of chatter, this is such a fun episode.

Lisa and I chat about her newest book, The Sacrament of Happy, and the misconceptions surrounding happiness for Christians. We talk all about her adoption of her sweet little Missy from Haiti. And you'll hear her tell a story that I am certain is going to make you want to punch someone.

Lisa is the best, and I know you'll love to getting to know her. Make sure to grab a copy of her book. You will not regret it.

{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}

Lisa's Book: The Sacrament of Happy

What Lisa is loving: fresh guacamole with pomegranate seeds, TOMS boots, 1980s power ballads

Happy Hour Summer Book Club

Music from Jason Poe

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Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

My guest for The Happy Hour #147 is Kristin Schell. Kristin is an established speaker and blogger on the subjects of food, faith, and hospitality. As founder of the Turquoise Table and Front Yard People movement, Kristin travels the country speaking at conferences and events with an encouraging word on how to open our lives and homes to others. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, Tony, and their four children. Kristin and the Turquoise Table has been featured in a wide variety of media outlets including the The Today Show, Austin American-Statesman, KEYE-TV/CBS Austin, MOPS International. 

Today's show is a little different with a live recording of our summer book club. Kristin and 50 other ladies joined me in my back yard for a conversation about The Turquoise Table. We chat about opening our lives up to the people around us and loving where we live. We talk about practicing hospitality in every life stage and no matter what your space looks like.

I absolutely loved Kristin's book and loved being able to chat with her in person about how she champions the front yard people movement in her life. If you haven't already read her book, make sure to grab one here. You won't regret it. 

{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}

Kristin's Book: The Turquoise Table

What Kristin is loving: Mexican dresses, FlashTats and celebrating her parents' 50th wedding anniversary

Happy Hour Summer Book Club

Music from Jason Poe

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You know I'm a Noonday fan, so this summer we're teaming up to do a little 'join with jamie' promotion!  Go to  jamieivey.noondaycollection.com  and you will see all the fun, FREE Noonday products added to your starter kit this summer just because you're a listener! If you've heard of Noonday and are wanting to become an Ambassador, now's the time!

Are you hiring? Do you know where to post your job to find the best candidates? Finding great talent can be tough. Thankfully, with ZipRecruiter, you can post your job to 100 plus job sites with just one click. Then, their powerful technology efficiently matches the RIGHT people to your job—better than anyone else. That’s why ZipRecruiter is different. Unlike other job sites, ZipRecruiter doesn’t depend on candidates finding you; it finds them. In fact, over 80% of jobs posted on ZipRecruiter get a qualified candidate in just 24 hours!

Find out today why ZipRecruiter has been used by businesses of all sizes to find the most qualified job candidates with immediate results. And right now, you can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE. Just go to ZipRecruiter.com/HH.

The very hilarious Sophie Hudson is back today for episode #146 of The Happy Hour. Sophie joined me for episode #54 and for The Happy Half Hour #8. She's one of my favorite guests and she's back today to chat about our recent travels to Kenya with Compassion International.

On today's show, Sophie and I recount several of our favorite stories from Kenya and how they impacted our lives. We chat about visiting the slums (you'll find some pictures below), meeting our sponsored children and their families and seeing how Compassion is changing the lives of children all over the world through the local church.

And of course, we can't talk to Sophie without a few hysterical moments - so you'll hear her story of monkeys robbing her pistachios, a van ride neither of us will soon forget and my inability to control my bladder. It's a show you won't want to miss.

And again, I strongly encourage you to consider sponsoring a child through Compassion. For just $38 a month, you can change the course of a family's lives forever. Go here to sign up today.

{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}

Compassion International: Sponsor a Child

Sophie's Newest Book: All in All

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas + The One by Kiera Cass + The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Happy Hour Summer Book Club

Music from Jason Poe

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Are you hiring? Do you know where to post your job to find the best candidates? Finding great talent can be tough. Thankfully, with ZipRecruiter, you can post your job to 100 plus job sites with just one click. Then, their powerful technology efficiently matches the RIGHT people to your job—better than anyone else. That’s why ZipRecruiter is different. Unlike other job sites, ZipRecruiter doesn’t depend on candidates finding you; it finds them. In fact, over 80% of jobs posted on ZipRecruiter get a qualified candidate in just 24 hours!

Find out today why ZipRecruiter has been used by businesses of all sizes to find the most qualified job candidates with immediate results. And right now, you can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE. Just go to ZipRecruiter.com/HH.

Maria Goff is my guest for The Happy Hour #145. Maria has made a career out of loving her family and neighbors, raising her children, and turning houses into homes. She is married to national bestselling author of “Love Does” Bob Goff. Together, they operate Love Does, an organization dedicated to helping kids in conflict areas around the world including Uganda, Nepal, India, Iraq, and Somalia. The Goffs have three adult kids who are starting families of their own. They live in San Diego, where they continue to dream about and plan new adventures yet to be had with their growing family. Maria’s first book, Love Lives Here, was published in earlier this year.

In our conversation, we chat about raising children and how fast the little years fly. Maria shares about her book and how she works to make her home comfortable, inviting and a place of peace. She talks about how she views her role in supporting her husband, Bob, in his very successful career. And finally, Maria shares about the fire that consumed their property in Canada and how they are moving forward.

I know many of you are probably familiar with Bob Goff, but I just know you're going to fall in love with Maria. She was such a joy to chat with and I was so encouraged by her and her wisdom in being a helper to her husband, parenting and taking on new challenges.

{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}

Maria's Book: Love Lives Here

The Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell + The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron + Spark Joy by Marie Kondó

What Maria is loving: Petsmart's Puppy Toys, living her pins from Pinterest and gardening

Happy Hour Summer Book Club

Music from Jason Poe

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Located in sunny Austin TX, Kammok is an outdoor company focused on high performance gear for hammock camping. Texas tough and featherlight, Kammok gear is designed for backpackers, campers, and travelers who want comfort without the weight. From hammocks to sleeping bags, tents to trail quilts, Kammok gear is built to outlast your wildest endeavors and covered by a lifetime guarantee. As a 1% for the Planet company, Kammok gives one percent of annual revenue to Explore Austin, a nonprofit providing outdoor education, leadership training, and mentorship to youth. Use the code HAPPYHOUR25 for 25% off all orders through the end of June.

Sock Club is delivering the perfect gift experience. Quality American-made socks are sent straight to your loved-one’s door, featuring different designs and a personal note every month, making it the gift that keeps giving all year long. These socks are premium quality, American-made socks, and use cotton sourced from the Southeastern United States. They’re designed in Austin, Texas and knit in North Carolina. (You can tell the difference when you put ‘em on). Go to sockclub.com and get 15% off subscriptions using discount code “HAPPY” at checkout.

Sarah Harmeyer is my guest for episode #144 of The Happy Hour. Sarah is the founder of Neighbor’s Table, a concept born from her personal passion for gathering people, and her desire to get to know her own neighbors. She has personally witnessed how lives are transformed when people gather around the table and share their stories. Sarah asked her father to build a cedar farmhouse style table big enough to seat 20. They placed it under the oak tree in her backyard in Dallas, dropped chandeliers overhead, and started inviting. Sarah set a goal to serve 500 that year, one dinner party after another. The 500th guest walked up her driveway on Thanksgiving Day. Now five years later, more than 2500 people have celebrated at the original Neighbor’s Table. The power of community that now regularly happens at the original Neighbor’s Table has spurred a desire to launch a movement – a love mission, if you will. Sarah’s vision is to have tables in backyards across the US, placing them in every state by 2020. Together, Sarah and her father are building more than custom handcrafted tables. They are growing a Neighbor’s Table family nationwide.

Sarah and I met several years ago on a trip to Uganda. I love so many things about Sarah, but the thing that I love most about her is how comfortable and important she makes people feel. In every conversation I have had with her, she makes me feel like I am the only person in the world at that moment. In our conversation today, you'll see her giftings naturally flow right out of that quality. She has an amazing knack for making people feel cared for, seen and important.

We talk all about community, gathering people, and her secret undercover restaurant in college. We also chat about the barriers that keep us from hospitality. To make hosting maybe just a skosh easier for you, Sarah is offering 10% off her shop using the code HAPPYHOUR. So, make sure to check her site out and snag you a few hosting goodies.

And as you may have heard, I am currently galavanting through Kenya with Compassion International, you can follow my trip here.

{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}

Neighbor's Table

Love Lives Here by Maria Goff

What Sarah is loving: Special Books by Special Kids, PS22 Chorus, Thomas Csorba's From the Foxhole

Happy Hour Summer Book Club

Music from Jason Poe

Facebook // Instagram

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Sock Club is delivering the perfect gift experience. Quality American-made socks are sent straight to your loved-one’s door, featuring different designs and a personal note every month, making it the gift that keeps giving all year long. These socks are premium quality, American-made socks, and use cotton sourced from the Southeastern United States. They’re designed in Austin, Texas and knit in North Carolina. (You can tell the difference when you put ‘em on). Go to sockclub.com and get 15% off subscriptions using discount code “HAPPY” at checkout.

Everyone has that family member who tells the best stories. - Whether they are antidotes from their childhood or stories passed down for generations, they are timeless treasures. Now, they are easier than ever to preserve, thanks to StoryWorth. StoryWorth safeguards your narratives so that future generations can enjoy them and brings families together as they get to know each other better. Simply purchase a subscription for someone you love and each week StoryWorth will email them with questions about their life. They reply their stories via email or phone, and after one year, their stories are bound in a beautiful keepsake book. Visit StoryWorth.com/happyhour for $20 off your first order.

Kopari is a line of products that moisturize skin and hair, smell great—but without any sulfates, silicones, GMOs or parabens. Instead, Kopari products are made with 100% organic coconut oil. Kopari searched around the world for an oil of the highest quality, with a great aroma and a non-gritty texture, that you can apply head to toe. Say Aloha to the best skin and hair of your life with Kopari. Go to koparibeauty.com/jamie to receive 20% off your order!

My guest for The Happy Hour #143 is Angie Smith. Angie is married to Todd Smith, of the Christian group, Selah, and mom to five daughters. In 2008, the Smiths received news that their 4th daughter, Audrey, would not survive, and Angie began blogging as a means of communication with friends and family during those difficult days. Angie now writes books and Bible studies, and teaches around the country, but the heart of her ministry is the same as it was when her fingers typed the very first words on her blog years ago: Angie's greatest passion is to make the Bible feel accessible and relevant and to encourage others in their faith journey. Angie holds a Master’s Degree in Developmental Psychology from Vanderbilt University and is a best-selling author of multiple adult and children’s books. She and Todd (and their house full of daughters) live in Nashville, TN.

I have known and loved Angie for a few years now and am way overdue on having her join me on The Happy Hour. In today's conversation, we talk about the loss of her newborn daughter just hours after she was born. She writes about her story in her book, I Will Carry You, which will captivate you from the very beginning.

And finally, we talk all about Compassion International and the trip that I am able to take with them to Kenya. If you're not familiar with Compassion, they are an incredible organization offering child sponsorship all over the world in third-world countries. Angie and I have both been supporters of Compassion for a long time, and we're excited to introduce you to them and good work they are doing. For just $38, you can change a child's life forever - offering them all of their basic needs, education, and access to the gospel. If you are interested in sponsoring a child, please use this link.

{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}

Compassion International

S-Town + Missing Richard Simmons + Up and Vanished

Angie's Books: I Will Carry You

U2

While the City Slept by Eli Sanders + The Sacrament of Happy by Lisa Harper

DeannArt

Happy Hour Summer Book Club

Music from Jason Poe

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

BarkBox is a monthly delivery of all-natural treats and super fun toys curated to match your dog’s unique needs, including allergies and chew preferences. It’s a great way to try a variety of USA/Canada-made treats and unique toys from local and small businesses that you may not otherwise be able to find. Plus, each box is centered around a different theme, like Country Fair,
BarkBall, Poo York City, or Brooklyn Hipster, to keep dogs engaged, interested, and happy! Please go to barkbox.com/HappyHour and get an extra premium free toy in your BarkBox every month when you subscribe to a 6 or 12-month plan and select “Yes, Please!” when asked if you “Have a playful pup?”

Sock Club is delivering the perfect gift experience. Quality American-made socks are sent straight to your loved-one’s door, featuring different designs and a personal note every month, making it the gift that keeps giving all year long. These socks are premium quality, American-made socks, and use cotton sourced from the Southeastern United States. They’re designed in Austin, Texas and knit in North Carolina. (You can tell the difference when you put ‘em on). Go to sockclub.com and get 15% off subscriptions using discount code “HAPPY” at checkout.

One of my all-time favorite guests, Bianca Juárez Olthoff, is back today for episode #32 of The Happy Half Hour. If you missed Bianca's first appearance, you must catch up here. 

Bianca is back to fill us in on the latest happenings in her life - including a pretty major life transition with prison ministry. She also answers the how she recharges, where she'd live for a year, her biggest pet peeve and how she defines success. You're going to love catching back up with her.

If you're interested in prison ministry and how you might be able to link arms with Bianca, make sure you check out her site here.

{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}

Bianca's Book: Play With Fire

Bianca's Prison Ministry Initiative

13th

13 Reasons Why

Music from Jason Poe

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Prep Dish wants to help you with mealtime sanity this summer! Chef Allison created a fun 21-Day Meal Prep Challenge to motivate and encourage you to get started meal prepping and gain control of healthy meals for the summer. When the Challenge starts, you will get an easy-to follow guide for prepping all of your meals- breakfast lunch dinner & snacks for the full 21-days. They’re throwing in lots of goodies too! Checklists, bonus recipes, a guide to eating out, a Facebook group page for accountability, and more. For only $1/ day, you can delegate the worry and stress of mealtime this summer...your sanity is worth $21! The 21-Days start June 3rd. Register today at prepdish.com/happyhour21

My guest for The Happy Hour #142 is Cheryl Scruggs. Cheryl is a Biblical counselor with her husband, Jeff. She is the mom to adult twin daughters - Brittany Morgan and Lauren Scruggs Kennedy (who joined me for episode #132). She's also the co-author of I Do Again and Still LoLo. Cheryl and her husband live in Dallas, where they run a marriage ministry called Hope Matters Marriage Ministries.

I have been so anxious to get a chance to chat with Cheryl. You may remember part of her story from Lauren's interview a few weeks ago. After her own extramarital affair, Cheryl filed for divorce from her husband. She shares about the Lord saving her in the years of their divorce, and calling her to restore her marriage. After 7 years of divorce and a beautiful story of reconciliation, Cheryl and Jeff got remarried. They are now passionate about marriage ministry and helping couples to find hope in their marriages.

I absolutely loved hearing Cheryl's story. Marriage is hard, really hard. There are marriages all around me that are in hard places. Cheryl's story is evidence of how our marriages are never without hope with the gospel as a foundation.

In today's show, I also had a short chat with Kristin Schell, the author of The Turquoise Table. Her book will be our first read for our Happy Hour Summer Book Club! For more information on that, please click here.

{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}

Hope for Marriages

Guarding Your Heart in Marriage Series

Cheryl's Podcast: Thriving Beyond Belief

I Am Second: Jeff and Cheryl's Story

Story Brand Podcast

Fascinating Womanhood by Helen Andelin + Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Happy Hour Summer Book Club

Music from Jason Poe

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

For baby years & beyond! Full-grain leather, backpack diaper bags that are organized with the original patented Insert. Designed by a mom for mom's. Your diaper bag dollars go the distance to help moms all across the globe. Lily Jade believes in elevating the life-giving, more-challenging-than-you-ever-imaged, glory filled role of motherhood. Check out or pre-order SALE for popular styles and new colors!

Sock Club is delivering the perfect gift experience. Quality American-made socks are sent straight to your loved-one’s door, featuring different designs and a personal note every month, making it the gift that keeps giving all year long. These socks are premium quality, American-made socks, and use cotton sourced from the Southeastern United States. They’re designed in Austin, Texas and knit in North Carolina. (You can tell the difference when you put ‘em on). Go to sockclub.com and get 15% off subscriptions using discount code “HAPPY” at checkout.

Are you hiring? Do you know where to post your job to find the best candidates? Finding great talent can be tough. Thankfully, with ZipRecruiter, you can post your job to 100 plus job sites with just one click. Then, their powerful technology efficiently matches the RIGHT people to your job—better than anyone else. That’s why ZipRecruiter is different. Unlike other job sites, ZipRecruiter doesn’t depend on candidates finding you; it finds them. In fact, over 80% of jobs posted on ZipRecruiter get a qualified candidate in just 24 hours!

Find out today why ZipRecruiter has been used by businesses of all sizes to find the most qualified job candidates with immediate results. And right now, you can post jobs on ZipRecruiter for FREE. Just go to ZipRecruiter.com/HH.

Amber Newberry is my guest for The Happy Hour #141. Amber embraces her calling as wounded healer and seeks to show all people that they are beautiful and beloved. Through sharing her story, Amber hopes to begin to free people that have been living in the bondage of shame in their own stories. You can find Amber at beautifulandbeloved.com where she shares not only her stories, but the ways that God has given her redemption and healing through meditation, yoga, oils, and prayer.

In today's show, Amber shares her story of sexual assault and rape as a teenager, leading her to an abortion at the age of 19. She talks about hearing the gospel for the first time when she was 24 - learning that the love and forgiveness of God through Jesus was available to her. And she tells about her passion now to see men and women set free from the bondage of shame and secrecy by sharing her story first.

On a lighter note, our conversation closes with talk about essential oils, the perfect concoction for allergies and Holy Yoga.

My heart (and Amber's heart) for today's show is that if you have experienced sexual assault or have an abortion in your history, that God would start to bring healing to your heart through our conversation. You are not alone, and you are not beyond the reach of God's grace and mercy towards you.

Also, in today's show, I announced that we are started a Happy Hour Summer Book Club! For more information on that, please click here.

{You can listen to the show HERE. And of course, I would love if you would share with your friends. Just use the FB & Twitter links at the end of this post!}

The Wounded Healer by Henri J.M. Nouwen + Little Bee by Chris Cleave + The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk + Boundless by Bryan Bishop + The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron + The Gift of Second by Brandy Lidbeck

Save the Storks

Austin LifeChange

Center for Relational Care

The Austin Stone Counseling Center

Holy Yoga

The Gift of Second

What Amber is loving: Newberry Final Fridays, Lacrosse season and Enneagram

Happy Hour Summer Book Club

Music from Jason Poe

Facebook // Instagram // YouTube

Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

For baby years & beyond! Full-grain leather, backpack diaper bags that are organized with the original patented Insert. Designed by a mom for mom's. Your diaper bag dollars go the distance to help moms all across the globe. Lily Jade believes in elevating the life-giving, more-challenging-than-you-ever-imaged, glory filled role of motherhood. Check out or pre-order SALE for popular styles and new colors!

Kopari is a line of products that moisturize skin and hair, smell great—but without any sulfates, silicones, GMOs or parabens. Instead, Kopari products are made with 100% organic coconut oil. Kopari searched around the world for an oil of the highest quality, with a great aroma and a non-gritty texture, that you can apply head to toe. Say Aloha to the best skin and hair of your life with Kopari. Go to koparibeauty.com/jamie to receive 20% off your order!