Beyond the Cookie Cutter

Hosted by Mary Black

Business Entrepreneurship Kids Family Parenting Education

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Episodes

181

Latest episode

Nov 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

Feeling stuck in a cookie cutter life? Struggling to inject order into schedule, children, work, and budget? No time for YOU and your UNIQUE needs? In this podcast, you will find insights from women who have – and are still living through many of the things that you are experiencing. They freely share wisdom and valuable lessons from years of experience. Mary Black shares her own lessons learned, along with outside interviews with beautiful, experienced women. Mary is an amazing communicator. She loves to teach naturally through stories that touch the heart. She helps women connect to the power of their own narrative to grow themselves and those they influence in joyful, inspiring ways.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

November 3, 202613 min

Small Steps, Not Perfect People!

Send us a message here! Have you ever decided to improve yourself, only to get frustrated when you didn't get it right? In this episode, Mary shares how small, consistent choices can shape our habits and help us grow over time. Inspired by Benjamin Franklin's practice of focusing on one virtue at a time, we'll explore how to learn from imperfect results, begin again, be grateful for what is, and keep growing without turning life into one big self-improvement project. Because growth isn't about being perfect—it's about making progress, one choice at a time. We love hearing from you! For more discussion, join us in the Beyond Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538808736953034 Gathering Women of Hope Facebook page: https://bit.ly/4vs9IOh Podcast Email: marybcooks@gmail.com Instagram: @marybcooks Here's to your joy-filled life! -Mary

October 27, 202615 min

Good Idea! But Is It Yours to Do?

Send us a message here! Not every good idea needs to become your responsibility—and not everything needs to be done right now! In this episode, Mary shares three simple questions to help you decide what to do, when to do it, and how to follow through. Whether it's an opportunity to serve, something on your to-do list, or a quality you want to develop, these questions can help you make wiser choices without trying to do everything yourself—or all at once. We love hearing from you! For more discussion, join us in the Beyond Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538808736953034 Gathering Women of Hope Facebook page: https://bit.ly/4vs9IOh Podcast Email: marybcooks@gmail.com Instagram: @marybcooks Here's to your joy-filled life! -Mary

October 20, 2026Episode 2313 min

How to Choose What Matters?

Send us a message here! With so many good things competing for our time and attention, how do we decide what deserves our priority? In this episode, Mary explores how our values help us identify what matters, how simple truths guide our decisions, and how small, intentional choices can help us create the life we want. Discover why we can't do everything at once, how to make choices that reflect what we value, and why growth is a process of learning and adjusting—not achieving perfection. We love hearing from you! For more discussion, join us in the Beyond Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538808736953034 Gathering Women of Hope Facebook page: https://bit.ly/4vs9IOh Podcast Email: marybcooks@gmail.com Instagram: @marybcooks Here's to your joy-filled life! -Mary

October 13, 2026Episode 2216 min

Stop Wasting Time on Good Things! Do This Instead.

Send us a message here! Could you actually be wasting time by getting everything done? Ever reach the end of a busy day and wonder where the time went—and why the things that matter most are still waiting for you - undone? In this episode, Mary explores how good things can sometimes crowd out better things, and how identifying our values can help us make more intentional choices. Discover how small, everyday decisions can shape the life we want to create, why an unfinished to-do list doesn't mean an unsuccessful day, and how to make room for what matters most without expecting perfection. With a little gardening wisdom, a few simple truths, and practical questions to consider, you'll be encouraged to rethink how you spend your time and energy. We love hearing from you! For more discussion, join us in the Beyond Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538808736953034 Gathering Women of Hope Facebook page: https://bit.ly/4vs9IOh Podcast Email: marybcooks@gmail.com Instagram: @marybcooks Here's to your joy-filled life! -Mary

October 6, 2026Episode 219 min

Twenty Feet of Zucchini: The Six Steps of Growing Anything

Send us a message here! What if the life you want to grow follows the same rules as a garden? In this episode, Mary pulls together the six-step flow — Seek, Discover, Create, Grow, Manage, Share — and walks it straight through a garden, from wanting one in the first place to standing in your driveway trying to give zucchini away. Along the way: why you can't make a plant grow faster by pulling on it, why admiring gardening magazines has never once produced a tomato, what the Law of the Harvest asks of us after the harvest arrives, and why "Fun Mon" belongs in your budget on purpose. Small choices. Simple truths. Sustainable growth. (Just not too many zucchini.) We love hearing from you! For more discussion, join us in the Beyond Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538808736953034 Gathering Women of Hope Facebook page: https://bit.ly/4vs9IOh Podcast Email: marybcooks@gmail.com Instagram: @marybcooks Here's to your joy-filled life! -Mary

September 29, 2026Episode 2013 min

Seasons: The Harvest Isn’t Only Meant for Today

Send us a message here! Every season of life is different. Some bring abundance, and others require us to draw on what we’ve prepared and preserved. In this episode, Mary explores what gardens, savings, and even difficult seasons can teach us about preparation, delayed gratification, and making the most of the season we’re in. Through a personal story and the example of Nelson Mandela, we’ll consider how to prepare for the future without living in fear—and how every season can help us grow. We love hearing from you! For more discussion, join us in the Beyond Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538808736953034 Gathering Women of Hope Facebook page: https://bit.ly/4vs9IOh Podcast Email: marybcooks@gmail.com Instagram: @marybcooks Here's to your joy-filled life! -Mary

September 22, 2026Episode 1918 min

The 60/40 Rule: Making Room for Growth

Send us a message here! In this episode, you’ll learn more about how the 60/40 Rule is a simple way to create financial space—to give, save, receive, prepare for the future, and live with greater freedom today. Mary shares personal experiences and explores how small financial choices can shape not only our finances, but also our character, our peace of mind, and our ability to bless others. Resources: The Transforming Power of the 60/40 Rule. Listen to the interview here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2120872/episodes/19770464 We love hearing from you! For more discussion, join us in the Beyond Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538808736953034 Gathering Women of Hope Facebook page: https://bit.ly/4vs9IOh Podcast Email: marybcooks@gmail.com Instagram: @marybcooks Here's to your joy-filled life! -Mary

September 15, 2026Episode 1813 min

Gardening and Life: What Are You Planting?

Send us a message here! The garden has its own way of telling the truth: what we plant matters. In this episode, Mary explores the law of the harvest and how simple truths, combined with small choices repeated over time, can influence what grows in our lives. She also considers gratitude, patience, and what God has already placed in our hands. Resource: Frog and Toad: Storybook Favorites, by Arnold Lobel. HarperCollins, 2014. We love hearing from you! For more discussion, join us in the Beyond Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538808736953034 Gathering Women of Hope Facebook page: https://bit.ly/4vs9IOh Podcast Email: marybcooks@gmail.com Instagram: @marybcooks Here's to your joy-filled life! -Mary

September 8, 2026Episode 1732 min

The Transforming Power of the 60/40 Rule (Interview)

Send us a message here! Have you ever felt helpless to change your financial situation? In this interview, my friend, Mary Ann, tells of her experience with the 60/40 Rule of Saving and how it has changed her perspective on money as well as the whole financial landscape of her family. Challenges still come, but she describes how peace has also come to replace the former persistent feeling of lack. Don't miss this one! We love hearing from you! For more discussion, join us in the Beyond Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538808736953034 Gathering Women of Hope Facebook page: https://bit.ly/4vs9IOh Podcast Email: marybcooks@gmail.com Instagram: @marybcooks Here's to your joy-filled life! -Mary

September 1, 2026Episode 1615 min

Enjoy the Adventure!

Send us a message here! What if improving yourself isn't about fixing what's wrong with you, but discovering what's possible within you? In this episode, Mary explores the difference between self-criticism and genuine growth—and how God invites us to grow while helping us take the next step. You'll be encouraged to look at one area of your life with curiosity instead of judgment, and to see growth not as proof that you're not enough, but as an opportunity to discover more of who you really are. We love hearing from you! For more discussion, join us in the Beyond Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/538808736953034 Gathering Women of Hope Facebook page: https://bit.ly/4vs9IOh Podcast Email: marybcooks@gmail.com Instagram: @marybcooks Here's to your joy-filled life! -Mary