Episode 239:Stephanie Duncan Smith

In this episode, Stephanie Duncan Smith takes us on a profound journey through grief, loss, and the resilience required to open ourselves up to love again. She beautifully weaves together themes of time, the liturgical calendar, and the radical empathy of a God who meets us in every moment - whether joyful or sorrowful. Stephanie shares her own experiences with pregnancy loss, and how she grappled with the dissonance of everyday life and the world's expectations in the midst of her grief. She redefines resilience not as "overcoming," but as the ability to hold joy and sorrow together, to live in the uncomfortable tension. This conversation is a masterclass in finding hope, courage and the freedom to feel the full range of human emotion, even in the darkest of times. Stephanie's words offer a path forward for anyone who has experienced profound loss, and a reminder that love is always worth the risk.

Stephanie Duncan Smith is a writer and senior editor at HarperOne who has spent her career developing award-winning and bestselling authors. She is the creator of Slant Letter, a bestselling Substack email newsletter for writers looking to deepen their craft and do it in style. Duncan Smith completed her master’s in theology at Western Theological Seminary, where she was the winner of the Frederick Buechner Prize for Excellence in Writing. She lives with her husband, Zach, a professor, and their two children in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Stephanie's Book:
Even After Everything