The EDIFY Podcast
EDIFY means to enlighten, encourage and uplift individuals intellectually, morally or spiritually. That's exactly what EDIFY Speakers do as they discuss ideas about how to best live out one's faith in public.
Episodes
EP085: Bree Solstad
Money, power, success. Bree Solstad was entrenched in the porn industry as a producer and actress – but a dramatic encounter with Catholicism transformed her life.
Bree shares her incredible conversion journey with Erika and explains why no one is too far gone for the Lord’s mercy. Her story of a soul pierced by truth’s beauty encourages hope in a culture lost in the exploitation of sexuality.
EP084: Keara Burke
“Your child will be born in terrible pain. This will put your fertility at risk. Abortion is the compassionate response.”
This is the advice most frequently given to parents when they receive a life-limiting fetal diagnosis like Trisomy 18 or anencephaly for their baby. But is fear and death the only answer?
Keara Burke lived through this experience when her son Rory was diagnosed with Trisomy 18 in uter...
EP083: Dr. Quentin Van Meter
It’s a tough time to be a kid. Doctors and counselors are pressuring children to irreversibly change their bodies in the name of “identity,” while parents are coerced to play along with a fantasy or risk losing their child.
What ever happened to the adolescent experience?
Dr. Quentin Van Meter has seen it all as a pediatrician and joins Erika to break down why “gender medicine” doesn’t follo...
EP082: John Bursch
Kindergartners are being asked to proclaim their sexual identity. Vatican documents are full of unclear language on human sexuality.
Where does a Catholic stand in the midst of the mass confusion of gender ideology – especially when vulnerable children are at risk?
Alliance Defending Freedom’s John Bursch sheds light on the ideology’s origins and where society is heading.
BONUS: John discusses...
EP081: Samantha Povlock
Should women stay at home with their kids? What are we to think of working moms?
Disagreement over the role of women in society is at the forefront of many conversations today. Women are pitted against men in a constant competition, but on both sides of the political aisle, there’s a tendency to reduce femininity and motherhood to a narrow set of requirements.
In this episode, Erika meets with ...
EP080: Brad Wilcox
Does marriage spell the end of personal freedom and happiness? Are most married couples fated to end up divorced and jaded?
Our cultural elites paint a picture of marriage that is largely negative and unfulfilling, but is that reality?
In this episode, sociologist and author Brad Wilcox shares the eye-opening facts that the elites aren’t telling you about the success of marriage and family life.
EP079: Fr. Joseph Krupp
Anti-Catholicism is on the rise. American Catholics are constantly faced with attacks ranging from ideological to legislative to physical.
It seems like Christianity will soon no longer be the societal default — or will it?
Fr. Joseph Krupp joins Mary on the EDIFY Podcast to examine the possible end of cultural Catholicism and where people of faith should turn their attention.
Fr. Joe’s own ...
EP078: Monica Snyder
Monica Snyder walked into an abortion clinic at 28 weeks pregnant on an undercover mission – to expose the terrible reality of late-term abortion.
On this episode, Monica joins Mary to share her undercover experience and her work now as Executive Director of Secular Pro-Life.
As a pro-life atheist, Monica explains how her organization defends life from a non-religious standpoint. She also gives her ...
EP077: Mark Morgan
Does concern for national security conflict with the humanitarian response to immigrants crossing our border?
On this episode, former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan shares why the media has intentionally conflated these two separate issues to push a dangerous agenda of open borders.
Mark and Mary discuss the solutions needed to protect both Americans and immigrants an...
EP076: Jamie Baxter
Why are so many non-practicing Catholics drawn to Ash Wednesday Mass? And does a cold shower have anything to do with your spiritual life?
With Lent just around the corner, Exodus 90 founder Jamie Baxter joins Mary to discuss the Church’s ancient practices of prayer, penitence, and fraternity, and what that means for men today.
Exodus 90’s ascetic practices generally get the most attention, but Ja...
EP075: Leah Sargeant
Gun control – it’s one of the most divisive issues today, but are any of the proposed solutions even practical?
In this episode, writer and author Leah Sargeant joins Mary to discuss the underlying issues behind the horrors caused by gun violence and what can actually be done to reduce it.
Leah also shares the problem with gender-neutral family policies, how “wedding culture” has spun out of contr...
EP074: Kristen Day
Can you still be pro-life and a Democrat? And for those who identify this way – are life issues really a priority?
In this episode, executive director of Democrats for Life of America Kristen Day shares why supporting the most vulnerable is still consistent with the party’s original values.
Kristen and Mary also discuss the invaluable support pregnancy resource centers offer, and how Kristen’s organi...
EP073: Dr. Greg Bottaro
What is a man? And have you heard of the “masculine genius?”
Men today are constantly told their masculinity is “toxic,” but is that really the case?
Dr. Greg Bottaro of the Catholic Psych Institute joins Mary on the EDIFY Podcast to unpack the neuroscience behind the “masculine genius” and how it relates to male and female complementarity.
From traditional gender roles, to the role of scie...
EP072: Archbishop Joseph Naumann
Did the Vatican just allow for “gay blessings?” And is the Church really “too masculine?”
How does a Catholic wade through all the screeching media narratives claiming that Church doctrine has now changed?
Thankfully, Kansas City’s Archbishop Joseph Naumann joins Mary to help us navigate the confusion.
In this episode, Archbishop Naumann unpacks the Fiducia Supplicans document that ...
EP071: Kyle Seraphin
If you’re a practicing Catholic, or even a concerned parent – chances are the FBI thinks you’re a domestic terrorist.
That sounds crazy – and it is – but former agent Kyle Seraphin ultimately lost his job for revealing the truth about the FBI’s targeted surveillance of American Catholics.
Kyle joins Mary on this episode to share his experience and how this is a wake-up call not just for Catholics,...
EP070: Trent Horn
Are you wary of bringing up certain issues around your more liberal family members or friends? Do you know what the Church teaches on different niche political issues? Apologist Trent Horn has your back.
In this episode, Trent joins Mary to discuss socialism, Humanae Vitae, how to effectively engage on abortion, Father James Martin, climate change, and capital punishment.
This is an episode you won’t ...
Is this the most important election of our lifetime? Does our vote even matter? Get the answers on this episode of The EDIFY Podcast.
EP069: Brian Burch
We are now less than one year away from the 2024 election. Inevitably you’ll hear that “it’s the most important election of our lifetime!” Is that true? What does the Church teach about issues affecting public policy today? How can we learn to evaluate and weigh t...
EP068: Fr. John LoCoco
Fr. John LoCoco came from a family of 8 children and was one of two who had a vocation. In this episode of The EDIFY Podcast, Fr. LoCoco gives his take on the state of vocations in the Church as the Vocation Director of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Here’s why he thinks vocations to the priesthood are booming in some U.S. dioceses, and the role families and parishes must play in raising the next generatio...
EP067: Mark Houck
When faced with the possibility of losing everything, Catholic dad Mark Houck stood up to the bullies. In this episode of The EDIFY Podcast, he chronicles what happened when an FBI SWAT team showed up at his house, what spiritual fruits he and his family have received on this journey, and how all of us can grow in courage.
You won’t want to miss this exclusive interview with a true American hero.
EP066: Haley McNamara
Do you know what human trafficking looks like in America? If you see it, how do you stop it? In this episode, Haley McNamara from National Center on Sexual Exploitation, has those shocking answers.
Mary and Haley also discuss how pornography contributes to human trafficking across the world and what companies are (or aren’t) doing their part to protect vulnerable populations.
Resources mentioned b...
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