moll + wilden = molden
“We blended our names like we blended our family.”
From a big life and a little office the Moldens share continued chapters of their epic story and incredible healing. Featuring candid interviews from family members and friends, The Molden Cast has everything you need to infuse more belly laughs, radical love, and unshakable goodness into your life.
Ep. 11: Kimberly Stuart
Episode 11: Kimberly Stuart on How Getting Run Over by a Car Turned Into a Book on Grace
Get ready to belly laugh (and get a little teary) with author, writing coach, and podcast host Kimberly Stuart, as she shares about being a regular girl who loves Jesus while doing some extraordinary things. Find encouragement about holding onto God’s character—even when we don’t understand what’s happening in our own story. Listen in about near death experiences, Spanish translating gone horribly wrong, and the book that wouldn’t let her go.
Kim grew up in Iowa, where she learned to be snobbish about corn on the cob and good storytelling. She earned degrees at St. Olaf College and the University of Iowa, both fine institutions that did very little to prepare her for the lethal cocktail of parenting and writing.
Kim is the author of eight novels, including Sugar, Heart Land, and the Heidi Elliott series. Her forthcoming nonfiction debut, Star For Jesus (And Other Jobs I Quit): Rediscovering the Grace That Sets Us Free, releases March 2024 and is available for pre-order NOW!
Stuart's books have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Huff Post, and the Chicago Sun-Times. She and New York Times-bestselling author Bob Goff have coached hundreds of aspiring authors through their executive coaching, online courses, and events at The Oaks Retreat Center. Kim's solo podcast, For Real with Kimberly Stuart, launched in fall 2021. A joint podcast with Goff, The Writing Room, launched in fall 2022. Stuart has made her home in Minneapolis, Houston, Chicago, Costa Rica, Nebraska, and Iowa, where she now lives with her brave husband and three wily children.
Find Kim on Facebook, Instagram (@kimberly.stuart.writes), and at kimberlystuart.com.
Ep. 10: Jessye
Episode 10: Jessye on How We Are Not the Sum of Our Worst Decision, Why Even the Small Things We Do Matter, and Why Sandra Bullock Needs to Call Her
Today Jessye is revealing stories that have never been shared publicly before. Answering questions from listeners like you, Jessye dives into topics that have been burning in people’s minds since her book, We Wrote Your Name in Color, released last October. She’s letting us in on what has surprised her most being a mom of five, what stories hit the cutting room floor, and how grief and hope affect her today. Press play on this episode to hear the Toilet Paper Wedding Dress story, how Kieran’s graduation surprised her, and the dating advice that never got printed. This episode will strengthen your heart while giving you the behind-the-scenes look into the things you’ve been most curious about.
Got a Question? Ask Jessye directly. Email: jessye@jessyewilden.com
Ep. 9: Kieran
Episode 9: Kieran on Embracing the Awkward, Finding Joy in Tragedy’s Aftermath, and Life in a Blended Family
Kieran knows tragedy well, she was only eleven years old when she lost her mom and dad in a suicide/homicide event. Listen in as she uncovers how to look pain in the face, embrace the awkward, and find joy in tragedy’s aftermath. She is sharing her thoughts on the memoir: We Wrote Your Name in Color and what it’s really been like to be in a book about such a tough part of her life. Adoption, siblings, grief, camping, and movie quotes…we are covering it all! Grab the tissues to laugh and cry with this unforgettable, heart-strengthening episode.
Ep. 8: Jennifer Dukes Lee
Episode 8: Jennifer Dukes Lee on Being Brave Enough to Ask Questions, How Honesty Feels Scary, and if She’d Survive a Zombie Apocalypse
Do you have questions that you feel like no one can answer? Have you ever felt like your doubts would be too much for those around you?
Today, bestselling author, thinker, and question-asker, Jennifer Dukes Lee joins the podcast with some life-giving advice to anyone who has ever been called a “Doubting Thomas”. She shares how she went from interviewing police chiefs and presidential candidates to now writing soul-strengthening books while living on a farm in Iowa. Jennifer helps us understand the gift of curiosity and how it led her to fill a manila envelope marked “mystery” with all the things she was quietly wrestling to accept. Now, she has put a bunch of her favorite questions into a journal called Stuff I'd Only Tell God: A Guided Journal of Courageous Honesty, Obsessive Truth-Telling, and Beautifully Ruthless Self-Discovery. It's like your own little confession booth. 1000s of prompts and limitless ways to unearth the real you. She's also the author of Growing Slow and It's All Under Control.
Ep. 7: Davey Blackburn
Episode 7: Davey Blackburn on Turning Pain Into Purpose, Leading While in Grief, and What Our Souls Actually Long For
Episode 7: Davey Blackburn on Turning Pain Into Purpose, Leading in Grief, and What Our Souls Actually Long For
In November 2015 Davey’s wife of 7 years, Amanda Grace, was tragically murdered in a home invasion. Davey was left to pastor their church as a single dad of their 15 month old son, Weston. In this candid and vulnerable interview he shares his darkest moment and how his relationship with God has changed.
Now, Davey and his new wife, Kristi, have devoted their lives to helping people through their valleys in life and teach them that when following Jesus, Nothing is Wasted. Davey and Kristi live in Indianapolis, IN with their three kids, Natalia, Weston, and Cohen. They founded Nothing is Wasted Ministries to help people partner with God to take back their story.
Instagram: @daveyblackburn @nothingiswastedministries
Websites: www.nothingiswasted.com and www.daveyblackburn.com
Ep. 6: Ryan
Episode 6: Ryan on Losing His Littlest Sister to Homicide, Becoming an Unexpected Dad of Five, and How He’s like a Yeti Cooler
Episode 6: Ryan on Losing His Littlest Sister to Homicide, Becoming an Unexpected Dad of Five, and How He’s like a Yeti Cooler
Jessye’s husband, Ryan, squeezes into the recording office today to share with us what it’s felt like losing his best friend to suicide, his littlest sister to homicide, and then adopting their two children. He shares with us how he finds peace, even when others frantically want to know the unanswerable signs of why the tragedy happened in the first place.
Learn how to make a marriage stronger or destroy it altogether when loss hits. Discover some tips to better understand the men in your life going through hard times. Find out why Jessye compares her husband to a unicorn and a Yeti cooler and what it’s like for being a dad to five kids (especially when most of them are teenagers!).
Enjoy this rare interview where Ryan’s sarcasm gets temporarily switched off to talk about the darkest moments while finding encouragement to keep learning and loving in our own lives.
Ep. 5: Katrina
Episode 5: Katrina on God’s Provision, the “No Bad Day Theory,” and the Teachers That Saw Us
Katrina squeezes into the little recording office today to share with us how anxiety, a learning disability, and shattered expectations can all add up to a beautiful life (and career) when we choose to look for God’s goodness and provision every day. Katrina shares her thoughts about the book that told so much of her family tragedy, what it’s like to be the oldest of five siblings, and how important it is to have people in your corner. Discover her “No Bad Day Theory” (and why it’s so annoying) along with encouragement on how to use our voices more.
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In this episode Katrina shares about having Irlen Syndrome: Irlen Syndrome is a type of visual or perceptual processing disorder. Below is a quiz if you are curious about the symptoms and if colored lenses would help you.
Ep. 4: Curiosity (Part Two)
Episode 4: Curiosity (Part Two) Jessye on Curiosity’s Dark Side, Apologizing to Aunt Susie, and How to Find Lasting Connection
Episode 4: Curiosity (Part Two) Jessye on Curiosity’s Dark Side, Apologizing to Aunt Susie, and How to Find Lasting Connection
In Part Two, Jessye contrasts two types of curiosity: generous curiosity and toxic curiosity. When we choose to be generously curious, we open the door to empathy, and empathy trumps judgment. But when toxic curiosity sneaks its way in, we quickly begin to label people, entering a slippery slope of prejudice, dehumanizing those around us, and destroying real connection and care. In this episode learn how to tell the difference and find the words so we can start being people who change our homes, communities, workplaces, and churches to make more space for love.
Bonus Ep: Beth Marshall
Help! My friend is grieving! Author and speaker Beth Marshall joins The Molden Cast family today.This conversation is packed FULL of wisdom and practical ways to be a great friend through the hard times. This episode, much like Beth’s upcoming book, Uncrushed, is like chicken soup for the griever’s soul–full of ingredients and ideas to help us through the toughest seasons. If you’ve ever felt like you need a “Grief for Dummies” manual, you are going to love the thoughtful advice Beth offers here on The Molden Cast.
BONUS Episode: Beth Marshall on How Grief Feels “A Lot Like Crazy”, the Importance of Dark Chocolate, and Assurance That You CAN Love Your Life Again
Help! My friend is grieving! Author and speaker Beth Marshall joins the Molden Cast family today. This conversation is packed FULL of wisdom to help us find healing or extend a hand to others when life hasn’t gone as planned. This episode, much like Beth’s upcoming book, is like chicken soup for the griever’s soul–full of ingredients and solid ideas to help us through the hardest seasons. If you’ve ever felt like you need a “Grief for Dummies” manual, you are going to love the thoughtful advice Beth offers here on The Molden Cast.
Ep. 3: Curiosity (Part One)
Jessye Wilden on Freedom and Connection, Empathy Over Judgment, and Why Practicing Curiosity is Key to a Good Life
Episode 3: Curiosity (Part One): Jessye on Empathy Over Judgment and How Practicing Curiosity Can Change Lives
In episode we are going to be learning about the power of generous curiosity. Dive into the reasons people underestimate, label, or misunderstand us while discovering the sneaky ways judgment slips into all of our lives. Learn to harness curiosity to better care, connect, and empathize with those around us. We are going to pull wisdom from the hit show Ted Lasso and borrow one of the Molden's most useful communication tools. Next, keep a lookout for part TWO of this curiosity series where we will take a closer look into toxic curiosity and the ways it turns into greed.
Ep. 2: Aydan
Episode 2: Aydan on Change and Loss, How God Provides, and the Importance of Good Communication
Aydan shares with us what it was like for her to have her life changed so suddenly as she immediately was sharing her parents, living with grandparents, becoming roommates with her best friend, and how she didn’t even know the important role she played until later. She lets us in on what it’s like to be the middle child of five siblings, and how each family member’s hair fits their personalities. Aydan opens up about being a character in the book, We Wrote Your Name in Color and her thoughts about it being written. Listen in as she encourages us all to set our focus so we can battle fear, and do the next right step.
Episode 2: Aydan on Change and Loss, How God Provides, and the Importance of Good Communication
Aydan shares with us what it was like for her to have her life changed so suddenly as she immediately was sharing her parents, living with grandparents, becoming roommates with her best friend, and how she didn’t even know the important role she played until later. She lets us in on what it’s like to be the middle child of five siblings, and how each family member’s hair fits their personalities. Aydan opens up about being a character in the book, We Wrote Your Name in Color and her thoughts about it being written. Listen in as she encourages us all to set our focus so we can battle fear, and do the next right step.
Ep. 1: KK
Episode 1: KK on What Grief has Felt Like for Him, Learning to Focus on What We are Gaining (Even Through Loss), and His Gift of Making People Laugh.
In this episode, KK shares what it was like to lose his parents tragically—at only ten years old. He tells us what it felt like then and what he has learned from it now, giving us all tips on how to help friends in grief and how to survive it within ourselves. We are diving into his role as the “comedian” of the family, his love for music, and the ways that he is choosing to carry on legacy while simultaneously embracing his life now. Find out what it’s been like for him to be in a book about the hardest year of his life, and which actor he would want to play his part if ever We Wrote Your Name in Color became a film.
Episode 1: KK on What Grief has Felt Like for Him, Learning to Focus on What We are Gaining (Even Through Loss), and His Gift of Making People Laugh.
In this episode, KK shares what it was like to lose his parents tragically—at only ten years old. He tells us what it felt like then and what he has learned from it now, giving us all tips on how to help friends in grief and how to survive it within ourselves. We are diving into his role as the “comedian” of the family, his love for music, and the ways that he is choosing to carry on legacy while simultaneously embracing his life now. Find out what it’s been like for him to be in a book about the hardest year of his life, and which actor he would want to play his part if ever We Wrote Your Name in Color became a film.
The Molden Cast Trailer
Years ago, unthinkable tragedy flipped our lives upside down. And that’s how we became a blended family of seven. We wrote a book about it called: We Wrote Your Name in Color.
But that’s not the end of the story, because under our roof, the rooms are filled with belly laughs, deep conversations, dancing, and love that makes space for more.
Our family (and maybe some friends too) are going to be diving into topics like forgiveness, adoption, grief, communication, healing, and the things that make us the Moldens. Our hope is that by joining in our conversations, you too will find goodness in the hard, bravery when it hurts, and genuine joy in the middle.
Welcome to the Molden Cast!