Moms With A Call

S1:EP38 The Life We Never Planned: Unexpected Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Raising Four Kids; With Kassi Gray

Welcome back to Moms With A Call, where real stories meet real faith. In this honest and joy-filled conversation, McKenzie and Rebecca sit down with Rebecca’s childhood best friend, Kassi Gray, mom of four, to talk about unexpected motherhood, grief, resilience, and the beautifully chaotic reality of raising a big family. Kassi shares how what began as a college love story quickly turned into an unexpected journey into motherhood when she became pregnant with her first son during sophomore year. She opens up about finishing school while parenting, navigating the unknown, and how becoming a mom changed everything. Together, they talk about the tension of growing up while raising children, the heartbreak of miscarriage, and the ways faith, community, and friendship carry us through life’s hardest seasons. The conversation also explores the reality of parenting four active kids, building family traditions, relying on community support, and learning to reject the pressure of perfection in a social media world that often feels curated instead of honest. They unpack: • Becoming a mom during college and navigating unexpected change • Marriage, moving, and building a family young • Miscarriage, grief, and healing through faith • The beautiful chaos of raising four kids • Sports, structure, and building character in children • Community, family rhythms, and asking for help • Social media pressure, comparison, and authenticity • Friendship, vulnerability, and staying grounded in what matters If you’ve ever felt behind, overwhelmed, or unsure if you’re doing motherhood “right,” this episode is a reminder that real life is messy, beautiful, and rarely unfolds the way we planned. Sometimes the most meaningful stories are the ones we never expected to live. Episode Timeline 01:05 – Meet Kassi Gray 03:09 – College, love, and unexpected motherhood 10:19 – Balancing school and parenting 14:07 – Miscarriage, grief, and faith 16:56 – Raising four kids and family chaos 23:41 – Sports, discipline, and family culture 33:07 – Community support and family rhythms 38:27 – Mom pressure and overwhelm 41:24 – Social media, comparison, and authenticity 49:05 – Friendship, values, and staying grounded 51:37 – Closing reflections Connect with Moms With A Call: Join the conversation with McKenzie + Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube → @momswithacall Get show updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and more at www.momswithacall.com Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon. Leave a review and let us know how this episode moved you. Your words mean more than you know. If you or someone you know has a story of faith, healing, or redemption that could encourage others, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at momswithacall@gmail.com. Intro + Outro Music by Jason Bowles Branding + Design by https://www.dvoorheisdesigns.com/

S1:EP37 Midnight Series: Healing in the Middle of the Chaos

Welcome back to the Midnight Series, where the conversations are honest and faith meets the parts of us still learning how to slow down. In this certified yapper conversation, McKenzie and Rebecca catch up on the beautiful chaos of real life: end-of-school overwhelm, upcoming moves, weddings, toddler milestones, and the emotional exhaustion that builds when life feels loud in every direction. What begins as a casual check-in slowly unfolds into something deeper: a conversation about overstimulation, nervous system healing, motherhood, and learning how to stay grounded in both faith and body. The conversation shifts toward parenting overload and the invisible emotional labor families carry every day. They talk honestly about toddler chaos, emotional dysregulation, and how children often mirror the nervous systems of the adults raising them. Together, they explore the connection between neuroscience and faith, reflecting on Dr. Curt Thompson’s Anatomy of the Soul, attachment styles, emotional awareness, journaling, and the idea that healing is not just spiritual, but deeply physical too. They also share practical ways they’ve been learning to regulate: slowing down, reducing noise, paying attention to emotional triggers, creating space for stillness, and reconnecting with God through honesty instead of performance. If you’ve been feeling emotionally stretched thin… If motherhood has left your nervous system exhausted… If you’re trying to heal spiritually while also learning how to feel safe in your own body… This episode is for you. Sometimes healing isn’t loud. Sometimes it looks like learning how to breathe again in the middle of ordinary life. Episode Timeline 00:29 – Life updates and moving 02:35 – Toddler chaos stories 04:17 – Tate’s speech progress 06:13 – New York trip recap 10:58 – Emotional triggers and city energy 14:59 – Coming home to parenting mayhem 18:18 – Overstimulation and stay-at-home parent life 24:33 – Regulation tools and nervous system resets 35:51 – Modern parenting overload 37:29 – Digital detox dreams and slowing down 38:48 – Full moon energy and emotional sensitivity 40:44 – Intuition and overstimulation 43:02 – Anatomy of the Soul and neuroscience 45:02 – Attachment styles and connection with God 47:01 – Journaling and emotional healing 52:31 – Rethinking “pick up your cross” 55:50 – Discovering Dr. Curt Thompson’s work 57:29 – Motherhood guest series preview 01:02:43 – Closing reflections Connect with Moms With A Call: Join the conversation with McKenzie + Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube → @momswithacall Get show updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and more at www.momswithacall.com Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon. Leave a review and let us know how this episode moved you. Your words mean more than you know. If you or someone you know has a story of faith, healing, or redemption that could encourage others, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at momswithacall@gmail.com. Intro + Outro Music by Jason Bowles Branding + Design by https://www.dvoorheisdesigns.com

S1:EP36 Joy, Even Here: A Story Of Kidney Failure, With Haley Rae

Welcome back to Moms With A Call, where real stories meet real faith. In this powerful and deeply human conversation, McKenzie and Rebecca sit down with their good friend, Haley Rae — brand and web designer, wife, sister, and transplant recipient — to walk through a story marked by resilience, grief, and the quiet decision to keep choosing joy. Haley shares how what began as severe migraines and high blood pressure slowly unfolded into something much more serious… a diagnosis of stage three kidney disease that would eventually progress to kidney failure. What followed was a season filled with uncertainty. Doctor visits. Treatments that didn’t quite work. Questions without clear answers. And then, in March 2025, everything shifted. Haley describes the moment her body crashed; critically low hemoglobin, emergency hospitalization, and the sudden beginning of dialysis. What had once been a distant possibility became her everyday reality overnight. She invites us into what life on dialysis actually looks like. The physical toll. The strict fluid restrictions. The loss of independence. The way your world quietly gets smaller. But beneath the medical journey is something even deeper. The grief of delayed motherhood. Two IVF attempts that didn’t go as planned. The emotional weight chronic illness places on marriage, friendships, and identity. And yet, woven through it all is something steady. Faith that doesn’t always explain the “why,” but holds her in the middle of it. A mindset shift toward choosing joy, not because circumstances are easy, but because joy becomes a form of survival. There’s recovery. There’s processing trauma. There’s learning how to live again in a body that has been through so much. Together, they talk about how hardship clarifies relationships, how receiving help can be just as hard as giving it, and how sometimes the most meaningful support is simply showing up. Episode Timeline 00:31 – Meet Haley Rae 01:59 – Transplant recovery update 03:09 – Diagnosis and early signs 05:06 – Dialysis and sister match 06:47 – Understanding kidney disease 08:19 – Emotional whiplash after diagnosis 11:09 – Life on dialysis 13:05 – Fertility and IVF setbacks 20:56 – Choosing joy and mindset 23:49 – Support system and community 31:00 – Faith through the hardest days 37:37 – Gratitude and sharing the story 40:24 – Transition into the transplant journey 42:09 – Emergency dialysis and health crash 43:37 – Fistula timing and medical urgency 44:17 – Family donor process 48:10 – The match phone call 50:29 – Surgery day emotions 53:19 – Life after transplant 55:44 – Donor recovery and process 58:50 – Processing trauma and PTSD 01:05:00 – Friendships in hardship 01:08:22 – Advice, hope, and surrender 01:17:31 – Closing reflections Connect With Haley: https://studiowilde.com [https://studiowilde.com] https://www.instagram.com/haleyrae____/ [https://www.instagram.com/haleyrae____/] Connect with Moms With A Call: Join the conversation with McKenzie + Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube → @momswithacall Get show updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and more at www.momswithacall.com [https://www.momswithacall.com] Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon. Leave a review and let us know how this episode moved you — your words mean more than you know. If you or someone you know has a story of faith, healing, or redemption that could encourage others, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at momswithacall@gmail.com [momswithacall@gmail.com]. Intro + Outro Music by Jason Bowles Branding + Design by https://www.dvoorheisdesigns.com/ [https://www.dvoorheisdesigns.com/]

S1:EP35 Autism Awareness: When the Story Changes, but God Stays, With Rebecca Rowan

Welcome back to Moms With A Call, where real stories meet real faith. In this deeply tender and honest conversation, McKenzie and Rebecca open the door into one of the most personal parts of Rebecca’s life; her journey as Tate’s mom. What begins as a simple check-in quickly turns into something much deeper. Timed around Autism Awareness Day, Rebecca shares the unfolding story of her four-year-old son Tate, who is nonverbal and navigating a regressive form of autism. She walks us through the early days and the long, often overwhelming road of seeking answers... pediatric visits, specialist referrals, waitlists, evaluations, and the complex reality of navigating both educational and medical systems. The waiting. The advocating. Not always knowing what comes next. But this episode is not just about diagnosis. It’s about grief, the kind that doesn’t always have language. It’s about letting go of expectations while still holding deep love. It’s about rejecting “toxic positivity” and learning how to sit honestly with what is hard. Rebecca shares how allowing herself to process those emotions didn’t pull her away from Tate; it brought her closer to becoming the mother he actually needs. And woven throughout it all is faith. Not as a quick answer. Not as a way to bypass pain. But as something that holds both grief and purpose at the same time. Rebecca shares how her understanding of neurodivergence has shifted, seeing it not just as a challenge, but as something deeply sacred. A different way of experiencing the world. A closeness to God that doesn’t need to be explained to be real. The conversation closes with a powerful reflection on Tate’s name, explored through Hebrew meaning and numerology — “shield hand” — a reminder of protection, calling, and the possibility that even what feels confusing or heavy may still be held within God’s purpose. In this episode, they unpack: * Tate’s story and early developmental changes * Navigating regression and recognizing early signs * The long journey through evaluations and diagnosis * Educational vs. medical diagnosis and what that means * Grief, overwhelm, and rejecting toxic positivity * Learning how to process hard emotions honestly * Parenting a neurodivergent child with presence and intention * Seeing neurodivergence as connection, not just difference * Faith that holds both pain and purpose * The meaning behind Tate’s name and themes of protection and calling Sometimes faith doesn’t take the hard thing away. Sometimes it meets you inside it. Episode Timeline: * 00:00 – Welcome to Moms With A Call * 03:19 – Meeting Tate and his story * 04:29 – The diagnosis journey begins * 08:29 – Early signs and regression * 11:36 – Navigating therapy services * 12:27 – Why diagnosis takes time * 16:17 – Finding speech and occupational therapy * 20:53 – Grief and toxic positivity * 24:53 – Seeing Tate through the lens of Jesus * 28:30 – Neurodivergence and connection to the divine * 29:54 – Innocence, presence, and energy * 31:16 – Volunteering and perspective * 32:29 – Neurodivergence as gift * 34:43 – Parenting challenges and support * 36:23 – Hebrew meaning and numerology of Tate’s name * 42:49 – Divine preparation and purpose * 49:25 – Surrender and spiritual order * 53:18 – Gratitude and closing Connect with Moms With A Call: Join the conversation with McKenzie + Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube → @momswithacall Get show updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and more at www.momswithacall.com [https://www.momswithacall.com] Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon. Leave a review and let us know how this episode moved you — your words mean more than you know. If you or someone you know has a story of faith, healing, or redemption that could encourage others, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at momswithacall@gmail.com [momswithacall@gmail.com] Intro + Outro Music by Jason Bowles Branding + Design by dvoorheisdesigns.com [https://www.dvoorheisdesigns.com]

S1:EP34 Midnight Series, Between Desire and Guilt: Finding Our Place in the Body of Christ

Welcome back to the Midnight Series, where the conversations are honest, the reflections run deep, and faith meets real life. In this episode, McKenzie and Rebecca begin with a few life updates before moving into a deeper conversation about desire, guilt, calling, and what it means to live faithfully with the life God has given you. From there, the conversation turns toward February’s theme: connection to the body. What began as a focus on physical awareness slowly unfolded into something deeper...a conversation about desire, limiting beliefs, prayer, and the subtle ways we “should” ourselves out of the lives we long for. They talk about the small shifts that revealed bigger patterns. Eating more meals at home and noticing how restaurant food affected their bodies. Paying attention to headaches and energy levels. Slowing down enough to notice what the body is actually saying. Through therapy exercises and honest reflection, they explore the challenge of naming desires that feel off-limits, including the complicated question of whether they want more children and what beliefs might be shaping that answer. The conversation widens into bigger themes of materialism, privilege, and calling. What does it mean to hold good things without guilt? How do we grieve suffering in the world while still receiving the blessings in our own lives? Together, they wrestle with the tension between sadness and guilt, and what it looks like to use what you have—your home, your resources, your gifts—in service of others. They also reflect on the beauty of the body of Christ: a community where people are called to serve in different ways, through different gifts, and in different seasons. In this episode, they unpack: * February’s focus on connection to the body * Eating at home and noticing physical responses to food * Therapy exercises around naming hidden desires * Wrestling with the question of more children * Limiting beliefs and the pressure of “should” * Materialism, privilege, and humility * Hosting and home as places of fellowship * Guilt versus sadness in the face of suffering * Using blessings as a way to serve others * The body of Christ and different callings If you’ve ever struggled with wanting something while wondering if you’re allowed to… If you’ve wrestled with gratitude, guilt, or the tension of having more than others… If you’re learning that desire itself might be something God wants to speak through… This episode offers space to wrestle with those questions honestly. Sometimes faith isn’t about suppressing desire. Sometimes it’s about bringing it to God and asking what He wants to do with it. Episode Timeline: * 00:00 – Midnight Series intro * 00:32 – Dad’s birthday and sourdough bagels * 02:12 – Family weekend catch-up * 04:02 – Kids entering the sports era * 06:13 – Barnes & Noble book signing highlights * 09:17 – Publisher updates and uncertainty * 09:53 – Renovation surprises * 11:11 – Moving to Greensboro plans * 13:55 – February recap and shifting desires * 15:15 – Eating at home and noticing body signals * 18:44 – Desire list exercise * 21:29 – Faith and the question of more children * 26:09 – Materialism and humility * 33:13 – Home as a place of fellowship * 34:39 – Privilege and guilt * 37:03 – Using blessings to serve * 45:50 – Guilt versus sadness * 57:27 – Many ways to give * 01:00:57 – One body, many parts * 01:04:44 – Closing reflections Connect with Moms With A Call: Join the conversation with McKenzie + Rebecca on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, & YouTube → @momswithacall Get show updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and more at www.momswithacall.com [https://www.momswithacall.com] Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon. Leave a review and let us know how this episode moved you—your words mean more than you know. If you or someone you know has a story of faith, healing, or redemption that could encourage others, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to us at momswithacall@gmail.com [momswithacall@gmail.com] Intro + Outro Music by Jason Bowles Branding + Design by dvoorheisdesigns.com [https://www.dvoorheisdesigns.com]