On the Cultivating the Lovely podcast this week, MacKenzie Koppa interviews Melanie Shankle, co-host of The Big Boo Cast and author of several books, including her newest title On the Bright Side. Together MacKenzie and Melanie talk the new book, podcasting, skin care and more! (Amazon affiliate links are used in this content.) MacKenzie shares how she first heard about Melanie and what she loves so much about her podcast Melanie and MacKenzie do a little breakdown of their Outlander addiction and the new season Melanie talks a little about her book On the Bright Side and why it needed to be written Returning to a culture of civility and being kind to others with opposing views We’ve lost sight of what matters most. We’ve forgotten how to be decent human beings. We’ve lost the art of looking on the bright side. Melanie Shankle The importance of finding a few friends who can be your tribe Watching out for comparison and insecurity in friendship Trusting God with our own lives and with our children, as well Guiding our children through disappointment and helping them learning from failure Melanie and MacKenzie talk all about skincare Paula’s Choice Vitamin C Serum Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream Melanie’s current typical daily routine Current Lovelies- Melanie: knowing when to say “no” to things and making the most of her daughter’s time at home MacKenzie: cutting her own hair after a bad haircut and rocking it Resources Mentioned- Books: On the Bright Side Movies: Gone With the Wind Find Melanie- You can find Melanie on her website thebigmamablog.com and listen to her podcast, The Big Boo Cast. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Find MacKenzie- You can find MacKenzie Koppa on Instagram, Facebook, and the CTL Facebook Group, of course! Join us on Patreon at Patreon.com/CultivatingtheLovely. Thanks to Our Sponsors- Today’s episode of Cultivating the Lovely is sponsored by Clearly Filtered. You can enjoy a 20% OFF discount on a filtered water system by visiting ClearlyFiltered.com/LOVELY and using code LOVELY. Thanks to Yoga Sleep for sponsoring this episode of CTL. Go to YogaSleep.com/LOVELY to get 20% OFF your next order of a sound machine for your family. This week’s episode of CTL is brought to you by Grove. As a CTL listener, you can get a FREE 5-piece Sustainable Home starter set at Grove.co/LOVELY, plus free shipping with your first order.