In this episode, Kate catches up with her childhood friend and former basketball teammate, Kari Sponaugle, who went from Excel-sheet perfectionist to running a 50-acre vegetable operation, raising three kids, and holding down a full-time job as a Virginia Cooperative Extension agent. Oh, and her husband's family also runs 200 head of cattle and two turkey houses. Just a few things going on.

Kari gets real about what it actually looks like to wear every hat at once – farmer, mom, professional, wife, quality control manager, and occasional human being – and how she's learned that "good enough" isn't giving up, it's survival strategy.

They also get into:

• Growing up on farms in Highland County and why simple living hits different as an adult
• Why the third kid broke the spreadsheet for good
• Pack-n-Plays in the barn and car seats under umbrellas...farming with babies in tow
• The great microwave incident of 2024 (RIP $6 worth of cookies)
• Skilled trades, college pressure, and what we wish someone had taught us in home ec
• Why Kari's 40-hour day job is actually her version of a vacation
• The mental load of farming: when the weather, the audit, AND your husband's to-do list all hit at once
• Raising the next generation of farmers without working them to death
• Loosen up – the advice Kari would give her younger, checklist-obsessed self

This one's equal parts hilarious, grounding, and a genuine love letter to the people who grow your food and somehow still make dinner.

Connect with Kari: Find her through Virginia Cooperative Extension. And, next time you're at the grocery store, thank a farmer.

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram

In this episode, Kate sits down with Erin Halper, founder of The Upside to talk about the winding, messy, beautiful road from corporate career to building a business on her own terms. And spoiler: it started in a hospital.

Erin gets real about what it actually takes to juggle motherhood and entrepreneurship – from the NICU to navigating COVID without childcare to hosting seven au pairs (yes, seven). She and Kate dig into why we were never meant to do this alone, what it looks like to be truly intentional instead of just surviving, and why dropping the ball is sometimes the smartest move you can make.

They also get into:

• Why partner support is non-negotiable before you take the leap
• The au pair program Erin ran like a business (and why it changed everything)
• Meal kits, boring dinners, and giving yourself permission to just feed the family
• COVID PTSD and the sabbatical we all desperately need
• Kate's 20-day solo hike and the guilt spiral that almost stopped her
• Glass balls vs. rubber balls and how to tell the difference
• Raising kids who won't drown when it's their turn
• Why perfectionism is a disease and homemade Goldfish crackers are a lie

This one is full of honest, hilarious, and genuinely useful conversation for any mom trying to figure out how to hold it all together or at least look like she is.

Connect with Erin:

• LinkedIn: Erin Halper
• Website: betheupside.com

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram

As a multi-hyphenate creative with big ideas, Ellen’s "career path" has been winding (and she wouldn’t have it any other way). She’s been Managing Editor for a publisher of art and photography books, a self-employed textile designer, and Director of Marketing at a creative e-commerce brand.

The through line has been bringing ambitious projects to life through clear communication, artistic vision, and creative grit. Ellen founded New Shapes Studio to help creative entrepreneurs build the lives and businesses they dream of through beautiful, powerful, easy-to-manage websites.

When she’s not hunched over her laptop, you can find her painting shapes on walls, forgetting my coffee all over the house, and pretending to be a garbage truck with my toddler. Ellen lives in Olympia, WA and works with clients from all over.

Connect with Ellen online:

• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Website

Mentioned in the episode:

• Episode #37 with Bri Summers
• Glitch & Bitch with Mushaboom Studio

Connect with Kate Christy:

• Website
• Instagram