Manda Carpenter | On Creating Sustainable Rhythms of Work, Play, and Rest

Hey You!

Thanks for stopping by.

I invest in women who want to grow their relationship with God & leadership of self and others. Whether you landed here for a word of encouragement, a dose of reality or a resource I’ve created, I’m so glad you’re here! I’m Manda and that handsome guy is my husband, E. We got married in the summer of 2015 and I love him more than Oreos, but cannot imagine my life without either.

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Peel the Orange Course

Together, E and I created Peel The Orange, a 4-week online course designed to help you get to the fruit of your relationship. Couples are raving about it!

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Kind Words on Peel the Orange

Peel The Orange helped us revisit key foundational things that we seemed to have forgotten about in our first couple years of marriage. It was so valuable digging deep and seeing things we’d been overlooking or completely neglecting because we’d just gotten busy. We loved the videos and would definitely recommend this course. It helped us more than we ever thought possible!

-Alicia S.

Kind Words on Peel the Orange

We absolutely LOVED Peel The Orange. We read multiple books on marriage before going through this course, but found Manda & Eric’s videos and workbook questions to be a more effective and fun approach. The real-life examples they share made this course so practical and real. With hard, convicting conversations, we came out more united than ever. Now that we’re finished, we miss “hanging out” with Manda and Eric each night. This was such a blessing in our marriage and we are recommending it to all of our friends and family.

-Veronica P.

Get Too Attached.

We have been foster parents since 2017 and have had a variety of children come through our home (ages 1-17!). Back when we first started dating, we made a decision that whenever we have more than we need, we are going to build a longer table rather than a higher fence. Our table is growing and growing. It’s our joy to #GetTooAttached and love kids well while their biological families get help and heal.”

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FEATURED ON

Space Devotional

As a twenty-something woman, I’ve struggled greatly with overcommitting and stretching myself too thin. One day last year, I had a chat with God and decided I was ready to break up with busy for good. I ended up writing a 30-day devotional called Space and now provide in-person workshops that help people master the art of creating, protecting, and using their space well.

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Speaking

Space Workshop

My Story.

My desire is to be transparent because #ImpressingIsExhausting and I don’t have a fake bone in my body. I’ll continue sharing my beautiful mess and get to know yours if you participate in the conversation! Most of all, I hope you leave this space encouraged. You are never alone & always welcome here.

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follow our life @mandacarpenter

mandacarpenter

Wife, specialized foster mom, 8w9.
Advocating for deep, inner soul work👊🏼❤️
#ImpressingIsExhausting #GetTooAttached
Things I create for you👇🏼

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I see so many #fostercare posts with captions like: “After months of waiting, we are so excited to have our first foster kiddo!” I get it. You are excited to experience parenting and you went through an extensive process to foster. I know what that feels like.

However, we cannot ignore the reality of foster care. We must recognize the tragedy that it is.

It means a child was removed from his/her biological family. It means he/she endured some form of neglect or abuse. It means a family had not one person who was able to care for their child as fictive kin. It means a parent is very likely freaking out in fear of never regaining custody. Yes, it also means a child is in a safe (hopefully loving) place for the interim time being, which is a very good thing. It means a lot of things I can’t fit into a caption without writing a novel.

So, my fellow and prospective foster parents, let’s be cautious about our excitement and wise with our words. Please know my heart behind this is not to shame, but to help point out blind spots that I had pointed out to me in the past. And my gosh, I’m grateful for the people who point out my blind spots so I can look inward and course correct.

PS. We started Monday night reading classes at @bigcityreaders where this picture was taken. The space is incredibly gorgeous and inviting, but more importantly it’s changing lives — particularly my littlest love, Skittles. I am so excited to watch him grow in confidence as a reader and thrive in school. 🧡⚡️

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Breathtaking skies that demanded my attention on the long way home.
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My boys jumping into my arms when I saw them for the first time in a week.
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Fresh wind in my mom sails.
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Flourish Gathering in Indianapolis; bumping into old friends and making new friends with women who are disrupting the status quo.
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Impromptu time with one of my best friends, @jlowatts.
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God speaking directly to my heart through @shannanwrites with this line: Surrender is the beginning of a better dream.
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Today was really special. I’m heading into the week inspired, humbled, and unabridged with hope. #GetAfterGrateful.
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What are you grateful for? Spill below👇🏼

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E and I were talking about how, if we were getting married today, our vows would be a lot different knowing what we know now. There were a lot of promises made that just aren’t realistic. Things like, “I promise to always respect you.” (Um, about that one...😳🤦🏼‍♀️🤣). It was such a fun, meaningful, and sacred conversation. I want to encourage anyone who’s married to revisit your original vows and consider writing new ones knowing what you know now.
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A few of our new vows include: I promise to stay even when you give me reasons to leave. I promise to apologize and ask for your forgiveness when I hurt you, even if it takes a good night’s sleep to get there. I promise to seek self-awareness and tend to my own soul for the sake of this relationship. I promise to embrace who you are and speak aloud the goodness of God in you rather than try to change or ridicule you. I promise to pursue you through the simple art of asking questions.
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There are so many more, but I’ll keep them private as vows are so personal. Tag a bride-to-be or married friends who might need this encouragement today💫
#beating50percent #weekendidos #theknot #mandacarpmarriage #stayingido #lovethatlasts #beintentional

Instagram post 2157695555082810461_15619157 $Nature, fresh air, bona fide conversations, hiking, space and sleep — a binding balm for the fractured soul. Much needed. Fully savored. Strongly encouraged. 🧡 (Special thanks to our moms for holding down the fort with our boys while we’re away.)$

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