From Private Pain to Public Purpose: Annie F Downs on Grief, Joy, and Authentic Living | Part 1

Real Talk with Rachel Awtrey

Rachel Awtrey

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture, Personal Journals, Relationships

5 • 647 Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome to Part One of a truly special conversation on Real Talk. Host Rachel Awtrey sits down with the one and only Annie F. Downs—beloved author, podcaster, and everyone’s favorite “Queen of Fun.” What starts as a joyful catch-up between old friends quickly opens into something deeper as they talk about what it means to hold both joy and grief in the same hand. In this first half, you’ll hear the story of how Rachel and Annie first met, laugh at some of their classic banter (mysterious sports bras included), and gently enter the harder spaces—like navigating personal loss and the sacred timing of sharing your story. Rachel vulnerably shares her recent experience with miscarriage, while Annie offers tender reflections on co-writing Where Did TJ Go?, a children’s book about grief written after the loss of her nephew. This is an honest, compassionate, and faith-filled conversation—and it’s just getting started. Make sure to listen all the way through and then jump into Part Two, where things go even deeper. CONNECT FURTHER WITH RACHEL: https://rachelawtrey.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA: https://www.instagram.com/realtalkpodcast https://www.instagram.com/rachel.awtrey/ CONTACT: [email protected] This video/podcast may contain affiliate links, sponsorships, or products I’ve received for free. I only share things I truly love and think will bring you value. If you purchase through my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! ADVERTISE ON THE SHOW: To inquire about host-read ads or to become the show’s next Presenting Sponsor, please send an email to [email protected] or those at That Sounds Fun Network. EPISODE CREDITS: Podcast Cover Photography: Jay Barr Photography Production by Phillip and Cait Howard by Amplify Boutique Intro Music: "Luxurious" by Sunny Tones DISCLAIMERS: The views and opinions expressed in each episode are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast host and team or the owner of this Intellectual Property. This podcast is not an authority of legal advice, and listeners are encouraged to seek professional counsel with regard to their brand, business, and otherwise. We all hope you enjoy and find value in each episode. Many of the product and service promotions in each episode are under the negotiated terms of affiliate or sponsorship agreements. If a link is clicked and a purchase is made, an affiliate commission may be received. However, we recommend products or services that we personally endorse and believe may be beneficial to others. This information is disclosed in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of Real Talk with Rachel Autry. And I, I just want to let you know you are in for a treat today. You're in for a treat because you're listening to none other than Annie F. Downs joining me on a conversation today to share some things that I don't know if I've personally ever heard her share. And it's going to be
0:21.4	probably new to you. But there's so much wisdom in here too that I'm so excited. Hey, I want to let you
0:25.7	know, though, that this is part one to a two part episode. We had way too much fun recording. So we
0:31.2	said more than I guess we needed to, but we also did need to. So we split this up into two
0:37.1	episodes just for the
0:38.1	ease of listening. So part one, it's just a truly special conversation on Real Talk. It's where
0:43.6	I sit down with, like I said, Amy F. Downs. She is a beloved author, podcaster, and everyone's
0:48.8	favorite queen of fun. Well, it starts as just really truly a joyful catch-up between two friends. It quickly
0:55.3	opens up into something much deeper. We're talking about what it means to hold both joy and grief
1:00.8	in the same hands at the same time. We both kind of know the insides and personal lives right now
1:05.4	of what a little bit into what each other's lives look like. So to know I'm joined with somebody
1:10.7	who can actually
1:11.2	speak to this in a current situation is really, really neat. It's really, really cool. So in the
1:16.1	first half in this part one, you're going to hear the story of how we met. You're going to laugh at some of
1:20.2	our classic banter, including mysterious bras and lipstick, just all the fun girl stuff. And then we
1:27.1	gently kind of go into some harder spaces
1:28.9	like navigating personal loss and some sacred timing with my personal story. This is an honest,
1:34.8	compassionate, and faith-filled conversation. And we're just getting started. Like I said,
1:38.4	this is part one. Make sure you listen all the way through and then jump into part two,
1:42.2	which comes out next week where we go even deeper.
1:44.7	And before I fully jump into today's conversation, I need to let you know that we have something
1:49.4	super exciting happening tomorrow. It is the launch of a new brand that we created called Joy Club.
	...

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