Best Ellen Holloway and Kathleen Chovanes Podcasts (2023)

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Sex is a Team Sport | Ep. 120 29:55

11h ago29:55

29:55

Here's the deal, you're not going to get good at sex by yourself. It takes two to tango! Sex is a team effort, and it takes practice to get good! The best sex happens when each spouse is focused more on the other than on themselves. If you're looking to get to have all-star sex, you need to train like an athlete. That means practice, communicate, a…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Spontaneous Vs. Responsive Desire | Ep. 119 27:03

7d ago27:03

27:03

Did you know there are two main types of desire? Spontaneous and Responsive. If you feel like your desire is always lacking or you "never" feel like having sex, you might have responsive desire. Guess what: You're not broken at all. In fact, you're completely normal. When it comes to desire, sometimes just the knowledge of what kind of desire you h…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Sacramentality of Sex | Ep. 118 35:59

14d ago35:59

35:59

Sex is a window to something greater. It is an icon, or image, of God's love for us. Even within good, faithful Catholic marriages, sex can be a point of contention because we aren't seeing God through sex and our sexual relationship. We're looking at sex not through sex. When you switch your mindset and start to look through sex toward God, it bec…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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What the Heck is NFP? | Ep. 117 28:14

23d ago28:14

28:14

Want to get started with NFP but don't know where to go? Heard of NFP but you don't really know what it is? Have some questions about Natural Family Planning that you haven't been able to get a clear answer on? Look no further than this episode. Kathleen and Ellen answer the basic question of "What the heck is NFP?" We go over the cycle, methods of…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Tips for Your First Time | Ep. 116 49:43

1M ago49:43

49:43

Got questions about your first time? We have answers! Kathleen and Ellen share a little bit about their own first times to make you feel like you're not alone if your first time is.....not so great. We touch on questions like "what lube should we use?" "How do we figure out positions?" "What if we're tired on the wedding night?" "My friend told me …

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Sexual Wounds and Your Vocation with Sr. M. Karolyn Nunes | Ep. 115 44:07

1M ago44:07

44:07

Sister M. Karolyn Nunes is joining us this week to talk about sexual wounds and healing. As the vocation director of her community, Sr. Karolyn helps to direct many women discerning religious life to start their own healing journeys when they have sexual wounds. One of the things lacking in marriage prep is ensuring that the healing process has beg…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Can NFP be Used Selfishly? | Ep. 114 30:27

1M ago30:27

30:27

Let's talk about selfishness and NFP! This episode is stemming from a lot of talk about "contraceptive mentality." We're not really talking about contraceptive mentality in this episode, we're talking about the underlying question behind the conversations about contraceptive mentality: Can NFP be used selfishly? what about if you change the semanti…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Holiness is Hard | Ep 113 30:41

2M ago30:41

30:41

Ever heard the phrase "It's just not supposed to be this hard!" Maybe you've said it yourself. Well when it comes to your sanctification, it actually probably is supposed to be that hard. Holiness is hard, really hard. We're talking about how holiness is hard in relation to married life. A lot of the time engaged and married couples have a lack of …

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Scheduling Sex | Ep. 112 23:12

2M ago23:12

23:12

In this episode we are talking about scheduling sex--pros and cons, when it works and when it doesn't. Scheduling sex is a tool in the arsenal of ways to improve your sexual relationship. But here's the thing, scheduling does not work for every couple. Maybe it works for both of you, neither of you, or maybe it works for one spouse and not the othe…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Foreplay categories! | Ep. 111 31:20

2M ago31:20

31:20

Ellen and Kathleen are back with another Charting Toward Intimacy episode. This week, we are talking about foreplay. What is foreplay? We have two basic categories for you Anticipatory Foreplay and Escalatory Foreplay Anticipatory Foreplay is simply things that make you anticipate sex at some point in the future. Anticipatory is more emotional in n…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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A Watched Pot Never Boils | Ep. 110 33:20

2M ago33:20

33:20

Have you ever felt like it's impossible to actually desire sex or to get turned on? Like the pot that doesn't boil until you walk away from it, you might be like us and not get turned on if you're thinking too much about it. It's not until you walk away, or focus on something else that your desire pokes its head out and looks around. We'll talk str…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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God Is the Model of Intimate Sexual Communication | Ep. 109 31:28

3M ago31:28

31:28

God is the model of intimate sexual communication...excuse me, what?!? In this episode we're discussing how because our marriages are an image of the relationship God wants to have with us, the ways that God communicates with his people in the Old Testament is a model for us of how we should be communicating in our most intimate relationships. Name…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Emotional or Physical Intimacy: Which Comes First? | Ep. 108 30:33

3M ago30:33

30:33

Kind of like the question of the chicken or the egg, which comes first physical or emotional intimacy? Well there are two basic camps that people typically fall into: (1) those who desire physical intimacy in order to feel emotionally close or (2) those who need to feel emotionally intimate before they are ready to be physically intimate. Here's th…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Let Me Tell You About Teena 10:55

3M ago10:55

10:55

Teena is a product designed for teens and preteens to get them excited about cycle tracking and help them understand what is going on in their cycle. I'm really excited to share this completely honest review with you. Teena did provide me one of their devices for free to check it out, but my review is completely my own. Head over to Instagram to en…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Responsible Parenthood: A Powerhouse Term | Ep 107 31:27

3M ago31:27

31:27

We'd like to present the term "Responsible Parenthood" as the new word we start using when we are describing what Catholic married couples do when they discern children, use NFP, and really just live out their lives as married couples, regardless of fertility status. The term NFP falls short when we have discussions about what Catholic married coup…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP Basics | A New Way to Introduce NFP in Marriage Prep 12:58

3M ago12:58

12:58

NFP Basics is an add-on marriage preparation module that any marriage prep/pre-cana program can easily implement into their program. NFP Basics covers the theology behind why the church teaches NFP for family planning and why the church has a prohibition on contraception and fertility treatments like IVF. Then the program covers basic fertility sci…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Sex is Holy | Ep. 106 30:08

3M ago30:08

30:08

Do you still struggle with reconciling that sex is good and holy? It's so common for us to think of sex as something bad or dirty, but it's not, I repeat NOT bad and dirty. Sex is good, it's better than good, it's HOLY. If you're wondering what we meant by unity cross, click here! Sorry that Googling "unity cross" doesn't actually give you what we …

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Do I Owe My Husband Sex? 32:04

4M ago32:04

32:04

Let's chat about the marital debt! Who owes who sex? Who is supposed to be the one to sacrifice? What even is sacrificial love? We'll get into all these questions and more in this week's episode. Here's the book we mentioned called Theology of the Body in Simple Language Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talk…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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A Letter from St. Valentine to Married Couples | Ep 104 30:42

4M ago30:42

30:42

Your marriage is a battleground. Truly, the forces of good and evil are fighting against each other in your marriage and in all marriages. If you've ever felt like something is just fighting against you having a calm, peaceful, and good marriage.... it's because there is. Today in the episode we're talking about the particular difficulties of livin…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Why Not Contraception? 26:46

4M ago26:46

26:46

We hear it a lot: "Contraception would be easier" "Why can't my husband and I just use a condom?" "I wish we could just have the option." Let's dive into why contraception isn't even a choice. We're pulling from Humanae Vitae as well as the Theology of the Body to get some answers. We get it, this topic isn't easy. Reach out to us, we want to hear …

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Increase Your Phase 3 Desire 33:45

4M ago33:45

33:45

You're looking at your chart and you see the signs of ovulation and know phase 3 is coming. You're excited to finally be able to come together with your spouse after abstaining for a few weeks, the first time is great....then... well you're tired, you just don't feel like it, and suddenly phase 3 is over and you're looking ahead at more time of abs…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Why Do You Use NFP? 30:06

5M ago30:06

30:06

Are you checking off the "NFP box" or is your heart really in it? We're bringing you this podcast episode to encourage you and your spouse to dig a little deeper into your "why" behind using NFP in your marriage. Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talked about in this episode? NFP/FA Mindset coaching and NFP M…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Let's Interview Ellen and What's the Future of the Podcast? 51:08

6M ago51:08

51:08

Kathleen takes over today and interviews Ellen about the past, present and future of the podcast. We chat about what started the podcast and where the spirit is leading us for the future of the podcast. Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talked about in this episode? NFP/FA Mindset coaching and NFP Method Matc…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Discernment and Prayer 29:25

6M ago29:25

29:25

Having trouble with discerning God's call for your family planning intentions? So are we! Join us to chat about discernment and we'll share with you the biggest secret to discernment. Spoiler alert! It's prayer. Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talked about in this episode? NFP/FA Mindset coaching and NFP Me…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Talking to Others About Birth Control 31:08

6M ago31:08

31:08

Rachel Mullet Joins us to share her experience both with using the Birth Control Pill and then later sharing her experience with others and encouraging Natural Family Planning instead. Listen in for great tips on how to talk about this difficult subject with others! Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talked ab…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Marriage is Ordered to Procreation 33:25

7M ago33:25

33:25

Ever wondered what it really means that marriage is ordered to procreation? Why do we sometimes get people who think the only reason for marriage is having children? The primary end of marriage is procreation, but what does that mean for us and how do we work that into our discernment of avoiding or achieving pregnancy? Looking for support around s…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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You Are Called...To Integrate Your Body and Soul 45:10

7M ago45:10

45:10

Hey there! Welcome to this special bonus episode in partnership with FOCUS. This episode is also posted on the SEEK podcast! If you're in college and you haven't signed up for SEEK yet, now is the time. Click here for more info on SEEK23 Reach out to the Charting Toward Intimacy team on Instagram @chartingtowardintimacy or chartingtowardintimacy@gm…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Talking to not Your Daughter (or son) about NFP 27:42

7M ago27:42

27:42

Ever been in a position to talk to a teen or young adult about NFP or Fertility Awareness and been unsure about how to approach it? Monica and Renzo Ortega are on to share about their experience being in a mentor roll with teens and young adults as youth ministers and how they navigate these sensative conversation topics. Monica and Renzo on Instag…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Charting On Vacation 31:26

7M ago31:26

31:26

Travelling soon? We've got tips for charting while you're traveling. Listen in for what to do when you're going to loose a day traveling, be in a different time zone, or maybe you're expecting your fertile window to close the day you are on an airplane all day long. Magic Mind is the sponsor of this week's episode. Check them out at magicmind.co/in…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP in Marriage Prep 31:10

7M ago31:10

31:10

The state of NFP in Marriage Prep is....well terrible. Kathleen and I have some thoughts and I have a program that has been working incredibly well that I can't wait to share with you! If you are interested in NFP Basics the NFP Marriage prep module that we mention in this week's episode, email nfpbasics@ellenholloway.com or visit: ellenholloway.co…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP Wasn't the Original Plan 36:19

8M ago36:19

36:19

Kathleen and I dive into the theological implications of NFP and the fact that NFP really exists as a solution to a modern problem we have because of Original Sin. Magic Mind is the sponsor of this week's episode. Check them out at magicmind.co/intimacy use code INTIMACY20 at check out to save 20% off of a one time purchase or 40% off total off of …

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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A Conversation with an NFP Instructor of Over 20 Years 31:31

8M ago31:31

31:31

This conversation with Holly Baril is fascinating! We chat about her experience using and teaching the Creighton Model for over 20 years. Sneak peak: She would love to throw the chart out the window because charting is hard work and she's been doing it for what feels like forever, but she won't give it up because of the health benefits and knowledg…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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What Does the Pelvic Floor Have to Do With My Sex Life? With Brittany Pearson 29:33

8M ago29:33

29:33

Brittany Pearson joins us to chat about the pelvic floor and how the health of your pelvic floor affects your life and especially your sex life! Find out more about Brittany here. Looking for more on the pelvic floor? Check out episode 70 with Jen of Tighten Your Tinkler. Looking for relief from pelvic floor issues? Tighten Your Tinkler's signature…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Let's Talk About Tech, Baby 41:53

8M ago41:53

41:53

You've got femtech questions, we've got answers. We're running through a whole bunch of tech like Tempdrop, Natural Cycles, Daysy, Apple Watch, Clearblue, Ava, Mira, and Inito to give you some insight into where you can use these things in your fertility awareness journey (and which ones you definitely can't use, at least not yet). Interested in Te…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Don't Just Accept Cycle Irregularity - Do Something About It! | Ep. 89 26:23

8M ago26:23

26:23

Christy Murray is back with us to discuss cycle irregularity, what it is, what's normal, and what you should do if you have irregularities. Christy came on the podcast before to share her journey through infertility - listen to episode 68 here. Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talked about in this episode? N…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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We Idolize Sex 35:05

9M ago35:05

35:05

What is the degree to which you idolize sex? Kathleen and I chat about what an idol is vs an icon and how we need to shift sex from being an idol to being an icon. Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talked about in this episode? NFP/FA Mindset coaching and NFP Method Match coaching might be for you! Wondering …

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP Through the Seasons: Perimenopause 28:36

9M ago28:36

28:36

Welcome to our NFP through the seasons series! We'll go from Adolescence to Perimenopause and everything in between. We made it to Perimenopause. This is the last episode in this series because it's the last season of charting that a woman would naturally have. Mary Finnigan joins us to chat about perimenopause and what you might expect when you he…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP Through the Seasons: Postpartum 42:17

9M ago42:17

42:17

Welcome to our NFP through the seasons series! We'll go from Adolescence to Perimenopause and everything in between. This week's topic is NFP during the postpartum season. Kristi from @postpartumgrace is joining us this week. If you're in it now, soon to be, or know someone in this season, this episode is a must listen! We talk methods, burnout, la…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP though the Seasons: TTC When it's "Difficult" 28:09

9M ago28:09

28:09

Welcome to our NFP through the seasons series! We'll go from Adolescence to Perimenopause and everything in between. This week's topic is NFP when TTC (trying to conceive) when it's "difficult". Courtney Warday is joining us this week. What we mean by difficult is when you've been in this season for a while, maybe you're working with fertility spec…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP Through the seasons: TTC When it's "Easy" 31:12

10M ago31:12

31:12

Welcome to our NFP through the seasons series! We'll go from Adolescence to Perimenopause and everything in between. This week's topic is NFP when TTC (trying to conceive) when it's "easy". What we mean by easy is those of us who find ourselves pregnant before we even planned it or who decide to try and then get pregnant within just a cycle or two.…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP through the seasons: TTA with irregular cycles 20:17

10M ago20:17

20:17

Welcome to our NFP through the seasons series! We'll go from Adolescence to Perimenopause and everything in between. This week's topic is NFP use when Trying to Avoid (TTA) with irregularities in your cycle. Dr. Lisa Kimbell joins us to chat charting with both normal and abnormal cycle irregularities (think postpartum vs. charting with PCOS) and ho…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP Through the Seasons: TTA (Trying to Avoid) In General 24:40

10M ago24:40

24:40

Welcome to our NFP through the seasons series! We'll go from Adolescence to Perimenopause and everything in between. This week's topic is NFP use when Trying to Avoid (TTA) in general. Jen and Logan of Surprised by Marriage join us this week. Check out their resources: https://surprisedbymarriage.com/ Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexu…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP Through the Seasons: Newly Married and TTA 28:44

10M ago28:44

28:44

Welcome to our NFP through the seasons series! We'll go from Adolescence to Perimenopause and everything in between. Our second topic is NFP use when you're newly married and TTA (Trying to Avoid) Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talked about in this episode? NFP/FA Mindset coaching and NFP Method Match coac…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP Through the Seasons: Charting as a Single Woman 23:08

11M ago23:08

23:08

Welcome to our NFP through the seasons series! We'll go from Adolescence to Perimenopause and everything in between. Our second topic is charting as a single woman with Taryn DeLong Find her on Instagram Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talked about in this episode? NFP/FA Mindset coaching and NFP Method Mat…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP Through the Seasons: Charting During Adolescence 29:02

11M ago29:02

29:02

Welcome to our NFP through the seasons series! We'll go from Adolescence to Perimenopause and everything in between. We are starting with Charting in Adolescence with Hanna Cox Find her on Instagram Introducing your daughter to charting download Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talked about in this episode? …

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Why Faith Matters in Reproductive Healthcare with Mary Kate Knorr 29:46

11M ago29:46

29:46

Get ready for a great conversation about faith and reproductive healthcare. We know they are both important on their own, but they make even more sense together! Reach out to Mary Kate Knorr: Mary Kate's Instagram Feminae Vero Instagram https://www.femvero.org/ Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talked about i…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Is Ellen Pregnant? - Processing the Emotions Around Pregnancy 33:19

11M ago33:19

33:19

Hey guys! this episode gets pretty personal as Kathleen and I process the emotions behind the possibility that I (Ellen) am pregnant with a method error pregnancy. This is something that a lot of us using NFP have either experienced or are scared of experiencing. Listen in for a real life conversation processing the possibility of being pregnant wh…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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The Acronyms and Phrases We Use (and the ones we should stop using!) 50:22

12M ago50:22

50:22

BBT, MM, CM, CrM, STM, DPO, P+3...... ever looked at all of those letters and numbers and wondered what they all mean? We power through ALLL of them (or as many as we could find). This episode's a long one, but definitely listen to the end because we talk about some of the problematic acronyms and phrases we use and why we should stop using them. L…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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Confessing Sexual Sin with Fr. Matthew Murray 28:08

12M ago28:08

28:08

Ever wondered how to go about confessing sexual sin, especially when you're embarrassed or feel shame around it? Fr. Matthew and I chat about these situations and some suggestions when it comes to sexual sin. Looking for support around sexuality, NFP, sexual ethics, or something we talked about in this episode? NFP/FA Mindset coaching and NFP Metho…

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Charting Toward Intimacy

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NFP isn't the Problem With Your Marriage 32:27

12M ago32:27

32:27

Hot takes here in this episode. We hear a lot of resentment about NFP, and Kathleen and I have been through those seasons of resentment as well, we're not immune to the struggles of NFP, but sometimes it's taken too far and the way NFP is talked about becomes entirely negative. NFP also sometimes gets blamed for all the problems in a marriage, and …

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