How’s Your Prayer Life?

Host Allison Gingras welcomes Catherine DiNuzzo, MA, LPC, for a heartfelt conversation about turning to prayer during seasons of worry, uncertainty, and grief. Together, they explore how trust in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Eucharistic adoration, and the Rosary can bring comfort, strengthen faith, and help us surrender what we cannot control. Through personal stories of discernment, anxiety, and unexpected paths, Allison and Catherine remind us that prayer can guide us through life’s challenges and draw us closer to God.
In this episode:
Trusting the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Catherine reflects on the prayer, “Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in Thee,” and learning to trust God even when His answers differ from our expectations.
Finding God in unexpected paths: Allison shares how turning down a college teaching opportunity opened an unexpected door to ministry.
The peace of Eucharistic adoration: Catherine explains how music during adoration quiets her analytical thoughts and helps her feel seen and loved by God.
Praying through anxiety and grief: Discover how the Rosary can offer comfort and peace when life feels overwhelming or words are hard to find.
Surrendering what we cannot control: Learn how prayer can help us release our worries, deepen our trust in God, and find peace in uncertain times.
Catherine DiNuzzo, MA, LPC, is a Catholic counselor and founder of Sacred Heart Mental Wellness. She integrates evidence-based counseling with Catholic teaching to help people overcome anxiety, depression, and other challenges. Catherine has spoken internationally on mental wellness and lives in Kansas with her husband, Deacon Dave, and their four children.
 

Host Allison Gingras welcomes guest Kristen Gebelein to talk about how a homily, grief, and a growing openness to the Holy Spirit led Kristen to a consistent daily rosary practice. Together, they explore how prayer grew from quick requests and gratitude into a deeper relationship with God—and how that change is shaping Kristen’s family life.
In This Episode:
Kristen shares how daily Rosary prayer transformed her relationship with God and strengthened her Catholic faith.
A powerful homily about Broken Mary and the loss of her grandmother inspired Kristen to begin praying the Rosary every day.
Discover how the Rosary brings clarity, guidance, gratitude, and deeper meaning to everyday life.
Allison explains the meaning of the Rosary, the power of consistent prayer, and Mary’s role as our intercessor.
Kristen shares how to make prayer a natural part of family life and move from religious obligation to a personal relationship with God.Kristen Gebelein is a wife, mom, physical education teacher, and fitness instructor from Massachusetts. Inspired by a homily, she began praying the Rosary daily, and it has become an important part of her life. Prayer brings her peace and helps her stay connected to Jesus and Mary through the ups and downs of everyday life.

Host Allison Gingras welcomes guest Tammi McCarthy for an honest conversation about prayer through the changing seasons of motherhood and everyday life. Together, they explore trusting God with children’s faith journeys, growing closer to the Holy Spirit, and finding prayer in both ordinary moments and unexpected encounters. A very special episode exploring the gift of allowing the Holy Spirit to move in your life.
In This Episode:
How prayer can shift between mountaintop seasons and difficult valleys—and remain a heart-to-heart with God.
Praying for older children while trusting them to develop their own relationship with faith.
Tammi’s devotion to the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Rosary, and how visible reminders can refocus prayer.
Modeling faith for children through everyday practices, scripture, and family prayer.
Listening for the Holy Spirit, with stories of unexpected promptings and the comfort prayer brings through joy, sorrow, struggle, and sacrifice.
Tammi McCarthy is passionate about her Catholic faith. She speaks and writes about her personal stories of faith as a wife, mother, and beloved daughter of the King at www.whispersofloveandfaith.com. Catch her on Instagram @whispersofloveandfaith where she shares scriptures, reflections, and prayer with her online community. She is passionate about "gathering people to the banquet table of the Lord" and any opportunity for real encounter with others. She welcomes the opportunity to inspire and encourage through her speaking and writing. 
 
 
 
 
 

Allison Gingras welcomes guest Patrick Blonski to discuss building a steady, embodied prayer life rooted in the Church’s traditions. They explore how monastic rhythms, the liturgical calendar, and everyday practices can help prayer become a grounding part of daily life.
Patrick shares how his prayer journey led him toward Eastern Catholic spirituality and a simpler, steadier foundation for prayer.
They discuss how morning prayer, night prayer, and the liturgy of the hours can create a dependable daily rhythm.
Patrick explains how the liturgical calendar gives prayer a seasonal shape through times such as Lent and Advent.
They explore embodied prayer, including breathing and the Jesus Prayer, and how prayer can involve both body and mind.
Patrick reflects on moving from prayer as asking for things toward surrender, transformation, and a deeper relationship with God.
Patrick Blonski was born in New York City to polish immigrant parents. He was raised with the polish culture and brought up in the Roman Catholic faith, which is fundamental in how he interacts with the world. Heavily influenced by the work of Tolkien; Patrick strives to journey through the worlds of higher purpose where dragons, angels, and sirens roam. He hopes that they may inspire others and give meaning to life. In addition to writing Patrick is also a filmmaker specializing in cinematography leading to his perceptible storytelling.

Allison Gingras hosts a heartfelt conversation with guest Karen Estep about prayer, patience, and maintaining a relationship with God even when answers do not come quickly. Karen shares how a song called “Speaking Terms,” her experience growing up in the Salvation Army, and her daily prayer routines have shaped her understanding of faith. Together, Allison and Karen discuss surrendering to God’s will, praying for difficult people, and finding meaningful ways to stay connected to God.
In This Episode
Karen shares how a song about feeling distant from God moved her to tears and reminded her to be patient in the silence.
Allison and Karen discuss the challenge of waiting for prayers to be answered and the temptation to treat God like a slot machine or genie.
Karen explains how the Our Father helped her pray during a difficult season when she felt like she had forgotten how to pray.
The hosts explore daily prayer habits, including morning prayer, the rosary, and praying for priests and others.
Karen answers the question, “Why pray?” by explaining that prayer is how we build and maintain a relationship with God.
Karen Estep is first and foremost a child of God, wife, and mother to two. Karen and her husband came home to the Catholic Church in 2022, and she has been blundering her way through it since! She is a contributing author for CatholicMom.com, Living Faith Kids, and the host of her own podcast, Stand, Kneel, Now What? Karen's goal in life is to share the gospel in many ways and for everyone to know how much God loves them! 

How Is Your Prayer Life? with host Allison Gingras in conversation with guest Deanna Bartalini, a writer, spiritual director, and Catholic Mom contributor. Together, they discuss how to build a meaningful prayer life through simplicity, intention, Scripture, and quiet—even amid a busy everyday routine.
In this episode:
How to create a consistent prayer routine with as little as 15 minutes a day
Why praying with Scripture and the daily Mass readings can deepen your relationship with God
Practical ways to pray during busy seasons, including in the car, at home, or during Eucharistic adoration
Why authentic, intentional prayer matters more than having a perfect setting or routine
Deanna G. Bartalini, M.Ed., M.P.A. is a certified spiritual director, retreat leader, speaker, and writer with decades of experience serving the Church. She is the founder of LiveNotLukewarm.com, works on the retreat team at Our Lady of Florida Passionist Spiritual Center, and is an Unbound prayer minister. Deanna writes from her experiences of over 40 years of marriage, children and grandchildren.
 

Allison Gingras welcomes guest Scott Weeman to discuss how prayer can become a daily practice of surrender, gratitude, and trust. Scott shares how his recovery journey has shaped his prayer life and offers honest insight into bringing God our struggles, distractions, and need for guidance.
In this episode:
Why prayer is about changing our hearts rather than changing God’s mind.
How surrender, gratitude, and praise can bring peace during difficult seasons.
The connection between prayer, recovery, and accepting God’s will.
How posture, honesty, and vulnerability can deepen our prayer lives.
Simple ways families can pray together through gratitude, the Rosary, Mass, and open conversations.
Scott Weeman is the founder and executive director of Catholic in Recovery, a community of individuals and families seeking freedom from various addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments. He is the author of The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments, The Catholic in Recovery Workbook, and The Recovery Rosary. In addition to his work with Catholic in Recovery, Scott serves as a marriage and family therapist at a Catholic health clinic in Nashville, Tennessee, where he lives with his wife and three children.
 

In this episode of How’s Your Prayer Life?, host Allison Gingras sits down with guest Sonia Martinez-Trujillo for an honest conversation about prayer, family life, and the small routines that keep faith grounded in everyday life. Sonia shares how homeschooling, motherhood, and her Mexican Catholic upbringing have shaped her prayer life, and how simple practices like grace before meals, nightly family prayer, and spiritual reading help her stay connected to God.
In this episode:
Sonia describes her prayer life as a “delicate work in progress” shaped by routine, consistency, and the challenges of daily life.
An Ideal Morning: waking early, spending an hour in prayer, reading scripture, journaling, exercising, and preparing breakfast for her children.
The importance of family prayer, including praying before meals and praying together at night.
Sonia explains how homeschooling helps her build prayer into the day and support her children’s faith formation.
They discuss grace before meals as a simple yet meaningful way to keep prayer present in everyday life, even at fast-food restaurants!
Sonia reflects on how her family uses the Divine Praises as a prayer when the day feels off schedule, including a heartfelt story about hearing them at World Youth Day and how that experience inspired her family’s devotion.
Sonia recalls childhood memories of prayer in Mexico, including prayer groups, Bible reading, and May rosaries prayed in neighbors’ homes.
She explains the traditions her family continues to observe now, including Day of the Dead altars, posadas, and the celebration of the Three Wise Men.
Sonia closes by saying prayer matters because God reveals Himself through it, gives wisdom, and brings true peace through Christ.
 
Sonia Martinez-Trujillo is a cradle Catholic with a prayer life that is a delicate work in progress. Her husband Chris is a Catholic convert, and this summer they celebrate their 15th anniversary. She is a homeschooling mom, a business owner, and is learning to keep God at the center of her life.

Jessica Benfield joins host Allison Gingras for an honest conversation about what happens when prayer has to adapt to real life. From new puppies and disrupted routines to journaling, the rosary, and a growing devotion to Mary, this episode is about building a prayer life that holds up inside ordinary days. They discuss why prayer can feel inconsistent without being broken, how small pivots can restore a routine, and why family prayer matters even when it is imperfect.
In this episode
Jessica shares how two new puppies upended her morning routine and changed when and how she prays.
She explains how praying the Rosary outdoors became a joyful new habit.
How does prayer naturally ebb and flow with family life and daily demands?
Jessica discusses her growing devotion to Mary and how a 54-day rosary novena changed her view of the Rosary.
She reflects on prayer as a source of peace, calm, and recentering in everyday life.
Jessica Benfield is the founder and publisher of Rooted, a fun monthly magazine for Catholic kids!  Through her magazine, social media content, and faith-filled resources, Jessica encourages families to grow closer to Jesus everyday with simple & fun activities (…and yummy snacks inspired by the saints).
 
This summer, Jessica will be filming a short video series for Shalom World called “Snacking with the Saints.”  
 
You can follow Jessica on Instagram: @sallykpub Visit her website:  www.sally-k.com

In this episode of How’s Your Prayer Life?, host
Allison Gingras welcomes guest Allison Auth for a beautiful conversation about prayer, identity, and learning to hear God’s voice in everyday life. Auth shares how prayer has shaped her understanding of her name, her vocation as a wife and mother, and her desire to live truthfully before God and others.
In this episode, we cover:
How Scripture and the Eucharist form the foundation of her daily prayer
The role of weekly holy hours and adoration in her spiritual life
Finding peace in prayer amid homeschooling, motherhood, and anxiety
Learning to invite Jesus, Mary, and the Holy Spirit into ordinary moments
How quiet prayer and interior silence help her hear God more clearly
Passing faith to children through example, sincerity, and daily prayer
Why prayer is ultimately about relationship with the God who created us
Allison Auth lives in Denver with her husband and five children. She is the author of Baby and Beyond: Overcoming Those Post-Childbirth Woes and the upcoming book, Ineffable: Learning To Love the God Beyond Words, both from Sophia Institute Press. She writes on motherhood, prayer, and spirituality for Catholicmom.com and Denver Catholic, as well as at her Substack: allisonauth.substack.com.