Writing, Conviction, and What It Actually Means to Stand for Something with Eliza Monts

✍️ Eliza signed a book deal with Penguin Random House's Catholic imprint — and it started with a Lilly Pulitzer blog about Demi Lovato in eighth grade. In this episode of The LIVing Room, Liv Harrison sits down with Catholic writer and content creator Eliza to trace the unlikely path from middle school recess "therapy sessions" to one of the most honest Catholic voices on the internet.
They get into just war theory and the Iran conflict, the dignity of people sleeping on the streets of downtown Charleston, Blessed Franz Jägerstätter and what it means to "stand up and be counted" when no one is with you, and how Eliza handles it when she posts too fast and gets it wrong. This one's for the woman who knows she has something to say but keeps waiting for permission.

Guest Bio:
Eliza is a Catholic writer and content creator based in Charleston, South Carolina, known for her Instagram platform Eliza Writes Things, where she covers faith, human dignity, and Catholic social teaching with a distinctly unfiltered voice. She built her audience from scratch beginning in 2020 while studying English and creative writing, later serving a year on mission in the Diocese of Charleston, and currently works in marketing. She has recently signed a book contract with Penguin Random House's Catholic imprint. Eliza also leads small group ministry for middle and high school girls at her parish.

In This Episode:
00:00 The Charm Necklace That Preaches a Homily
01:45 Hart Hagerty, Charleston, and Walmart Knockoffs
02:45 Eliza's 8th-Grade Lilly Pulitzer Blog (It's Still Live)
04:00 How Eliza Writes Things Actually Started in 2020
05:30 The Holy Spirit, a Resume Line, and Her First Marketing Job
07:20 "Your Dreams Are Gonna Come True" — The Penguin Book Deal
08:45 The Non-People Pleaser Who Built a Following for It
09:50 Her Mom, Her Grandmother, and the League of Women Voters
10:40 Fourth-Grade Recess Therapy and the Tree Sign
12:00 Human Dignity as Her North Star — JP II, Sacred Heart, and Both/Ands
15:00 What Issues Keep Her Up at Night in 2026
16:30 Just War Theory and Why Iran Doesn't Clear the Bar
17:45 The Poor Aren't an Abstraction — Life on the Streets of Downtown Charleston
20:45 Mary Magdalene and Why She's the Saint for Suffering
23:00 Two White Women in Charleston — Addressing the Elephant in the Room
24:30 Blessed Franz Jägerstätter: The One Man Who Voted No
32:00 "It's Enough Just to Stand Up and Be Counted"
33:30 When You Post Too Fast and Have to Take It Down
39:30 What Accountability Actually Looks Like for Catholic Influencers
41:00 Why She's Excited About Gen Z Catholic Creators
44:30 How to Raise Kids Who Stand Up for Something
47:30 Book Jail, Book Mansion, and How to Pray for Eliza Right Now

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I just am so convicted to the core of my bones that if every single person really understood how loved they are by Jesus unconditionally, and as follows how Jesus loves every single other person in the world just because of their own existence, then our world would be so different.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

If you could say something to eighth grade Eliza, what would you say to her?

SPEAKER_00 0:21

I would tell her that her dreams are gonna come true someday. I just had a little flashback to fourth grade Eliza. I played therapy at recess. That's what I was up to. Blessed Franz. Jäger Stetter, I think. I'm obsessed with his story. He was an Austrian farmer in rural middle of nowhere, Austria, um, in the 1930s. He was the only person in his town to vote against it, but they actually scrubbed his vote from history. So many people were like, you're not gonna change the course of the war just by talking against it and refusing the draft. But he knew it was enough that God saw. He knew it was enough just to be one person to just stand up and be counted, even if he changed nobody's mind. And he didn't change anyone's mind.

SPEAKER_01 1:36

I love your necklace. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

These are all the rage in Charleston.

SPEAKER_01 1:42

Yes, the charm necklaces they're here too. Mine just broke, but yours is really pretty.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Thank you. I've got, I just want to tell you about it.

SPEAKER_01 1:54

Tell me. Tell me all about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

The Camarque cross. It's an anchor with a little cross and a heart for faith, hope, love. Um, this, my it's just two little hearts, and my sister and my mom have it too with a little bow on top. I love that. This oyster uh Will got for me for my birthday, and it opens up and there's a little pearl inside. No, you can you can put a little note in it too. And then this is it's kind of so our South Carolina flag, state flag is a palmetto tree with a crescent moon. So this is like kind of a stylized version of that. And then this is another little box that I got for Christmas that you can open up. I don't have anything in it right now, though. And then this is Mary Magdalene.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

So is this a company like this? Like, or you just you got a chain and you're just adding the charms that you know what I mean, like adding on your own kind of a thing.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Yeah, so the this I think it started in Charleston, which is why I said it's really great in Charleston, because this jewelry company named Hart Haggerty, and she's a Charlestonian, she started like doing the charm necklaces, and later I started seeing them everywhere else, like in anthropology and at Target. And I was at Walmart the other day, and they had a charm necklace for sale at Walmart too.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

And but she not all of these are like this one and this one, Mary Magdalene, are from uh south of France when Will and I went last year. But the rest of these are all from that company.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

From the company. Okay, I see. That's really smart that you like. I love that you did that. You made which can I just be honest, Eliza? That's so you of taking your faith and then also taking something that means a lot to you, like something that you're passionate about and putting them together. That's you on the necklace. I love it. Hey. So when you started, Eliza Wrights, you and I we just have met each other. We're kind of new friends to each other. And um you started by blogging, is that right? Or am I getting that wrong? I mean, because you're young. So I can't imagine that you had a blog because you probably weren't even born when blogs were invented. But we used to have a thing called a blog.

SPEAKER_00 4:09

I was like in eighth grade. It was called Eliza Kate Style Base, and it's still on the internet.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

And that's precious.

SPEAKER_00 4:18

The background was a Lily Pulitzer pattern.

SPEAKER_01 4:21

Um my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

And and I picked the pattern they had at that time of lobsters, which is funny because I had never eaten a lobster in my life. Like, we don't have them here. And I it's so I look at my sister and I will go look at it and just laugh. Like, I made a like a blog where it was like outfits inspired by what Demi Lovato wore for one of her music videos.

SPEAKER_01 4:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:46

And Lily Pulitzer passed away, the woman passed away that year, and I made a post where it was like best of Lily Pulitzer parentheses in honor of her death. And I'm like, oh my goodness. Even back then, you were on the city. Like, I would get my nail polish on my skin all the time, but that did not stop me from like taking a little manicure picture and being like, here are my watermelon nails, including the nail polish that's like circling the nail bed on the skin of my finger.

SPEAKER_01 5:18

I would just say nice. Nice.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

Yeah. So I did vlog.

SPEAKER_01 5:24

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

15 years ago.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Um and I was gonna say, so last summer when you were in eighth grade, no, you're everybody's 12 to me.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

That was what I was up to in 2013. That I started Eliza Wrights Things the summer before my senior year of college. So this was 2020. And back then, I was studying English and creative writing. I was really interested in writing poetry, and I would like all I would do is I would write a poem in Google Docs, I would screenshot it and I would post it. Um, and I was it was I was kind of doing that on purpose. I was like, ooh, it's a little edgy. Um and then after a few months, I started doing the more Instagram bloggery type thing of here's a nice picture of myself that my friend took, and here's a nice reflection caption. And Mackenzie and I discovered this recently, we have been following each other for a very long time before we McKenzie Hunter and I became friends, like really, really friends, when we got to meet in Rome last summer at the Vatican's Catholic influencer, um, Jubilee. Uh, but we had been following each other for years since then. But I had been following her personal account before that. So she was one of my original, um, one of my original inspos. And I mean, she would do this too. It's like post a nice picture of yourself and a nice caption about praying and living out the faith, etc. And it was all very, very lovely. And then um my account the account and for a while it was like friends who followed it. They were like, Oh, Eliza's doing this thing. Um, but it I'm really, really, really thankful the Holy Spirit put it on my heart because I remember spring senior year when we were all applying for jobs. Right. One of my best friends was at college, was like, Eliza, you need to put this on your resume. Like, it's not nothing that I'm at that at that point, it had kind of gained some traction outside of just people I was friends with in real life. And I said, Oh, that's a really, really good point. Um, right after college, I spent a year doing um serving on mission in my diocese. We essentially at that time had it was like an in-house net ministries um where we would put, we would go do what Net did, which was put on retreats for youth groups in schools, but we only did it in our own diocese of Charleston. Um, and I loved doing that. And at that time, my account uh was grew a lot more because I had a lot more time to give to it. We weren't really that busy. It was a really wonderful year of mission. And since I was so steeped in this mission mindset that extended to what I was posting on Instagram as well, just because it was my life every single day. Um, and it started to really gain a lot of traction that year. And I got my first job in marketing because of it. I mean, the woman who hired me said, Oh, I hired you because you have this Instagram account that you grew from nothing and it's something, and which was very exciting. And I still work in marketing to this day, and I'm really I'm really, really thankful. I mean, the job market is very difficult for fresh grads this year and last year, but even before AI, it was really difficult. And I'm really glad, so thankful to the Holy Spirit that that was one side blessing that came out of Eliza Wright's things was being being employed um right out of college. That is it's hard to do, and I'm really thankful.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

That's amazing. And all that came from a cute little adorable eighth grader who was like, I've got things to say and share. And you did it, and you went out there and you shared and you and people responded. I mean, that's got if you could say something to eighth grade Eliza, what would you say to her? What would you say?

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Um, I would tell her that her dreams are gonna come true someday. I I I'm able I'm able to share this on the podcast now because I announced it earlier this week that I um I signed a bit contract with Penguin Random House's Catholic imprint to write a book. And so incredible. I know I told you that separately last week, but now the whole world can know. The whole world can know.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

Because the whole world listens to this podcast, Eliza. So you just told every human they now know.

SPEAKER_00 9:41

I mean, we dream big, we dream big.

SPEAKER_01 9:43

Dream big, dream big. No, that's amazing.

SPEAKER_00 9:45

Little 13-year-old Eliza was just like, like you said, she just like wanted to write things and wanted to put things out there for people. And uh I wish I could go tell her that it'll, you know, it doesn't happen evernight. It's not like she'll be 14 and you know, get a book deal, but eventually she'll be in her later 20s and she'll be doing what had been on her heart since she was first learning how to write letters when she was five years old.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

I love that. I think that's so fabulous. When did you decide that, you know what, I'm gonna be the gal that's gonna say the stuff that not everybody's saying. I'm gonna go ahead and I'm gonna be, you know, I if there's something that bothers me, I'm going to actually own it. Like I see you as a non-people pleaser on the internet, and you get championed for it. You know what I mean? It's not like you're sitting there thinking, okay, I want to make sure I curate and make it perfect, and everybody's gonna, because I gotta be honest, you you have this adorable accent, which I'm sure you're told all the time. Um, you're from Charleston, you've got the Southern bell, and then you out on the internet, you're like, hold my beer. You know what I mean? Like, I love that. And it's not just, it's not just being a sassy southerner. You you really have things to say, Eliza. And so where did that come from? Were you always a kid that like were you always this person that had very strong beliefs and and was confident enough to share them with other people?

SPEAKER_00 11:22

I get it from my mom and my grandmother, who are both members of the League of Women Voters and really believe in democracy and um really prize that. And League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that, like I said, they truly believe in democracy and want to inform the lesser informed voters and make sure people can know uh what is exactly on their ballot and what they can vote for because to utilize the voice that we are given in this form of government that we live under. Um I would as you were talking and asking that, I was I just had a little flashback to fourth grade Eliza. What she was up to was I had a little stint. This is this is so funny, where I played therapy at recess. That's what I was up to.

SPEAKER_01 12:10

Oh my gosh. That is so great.

SPEAKER_00 12:16

We made a sign, and that's just said like therapy for the fourth grade class. And I went to a little Catholic school, so you know, 20 other kids in my class, and we take it to this tree, and we would just sit under that tree. And I remember I remember like telling my mom, there's just so much drama, and people are being unfair, and it's unjust, and I'm gonna try to fix it by being the therapist.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

That's so cute.

SPEAKER_00 12:42

And people people would come talk to us. I mean, I think like we were not formed, we were not mature and formed enough to be therapists or understand when does like processing something just become gossip, as you know, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:01

Right, right. That's 40-year-olds can't do that alive.

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Dang it, my heart really was there. And all I wanted was to just like try to make our classroom a peaceful place without whatever drama I thought was going on. Um, and I guess at 27 I'm still up to that. Um, I mean, I'm not a licensed therapist, and I don't hop on the internet gonna trying to be like, I'm just gonna be everybody's therapist right now. People can come talk to me, it's okay. But um, I have even as a kid, I had that little drive for community and harmony and empathy, and which all points to this greater goal of justice. But um, it's not just about justice where justice, justice is state. It's about, like I said, harmony of God's children living in accordance with one another and treating one another as equal human beings, equally loved by Jesus just because they exist. And it's very JP2 kind of stuff that I'm on all the time of like human dignity, human dignity, human dignity. And I just am so convicted to the core of my bones that if every single person under really understood how loved they are by Jesus unconditionally, and as follows how Jesus loves every single other person in the world just because of their own existence, then we our world would be so different. We would all treat one another with this respect and this dignity and this love that we deserve as equal children of God, equally beloved by the Father. And that really does just drive me every day. And it's worth laying what it's worth laying aside people perhaps thinking ill of me if I'm going to be standing up for these things that the church teaches. And I mean, that's really my that's the boundary I try to hold on to is like is just saying, you know, human dignity, human dignity, human dignity. If something does not um uphold human dignity, whether it comes from the far right or the far left or anywhere else, then it's worth calling out. And we have a Catholic church that for decades has been extremely vocal and um not and not regarded as something edgy to stand up for the dignity of the pre-born, which is so wonderful and important. And I want to see us adopt that same mindset for the dignity of every single human life, pre-born and already born as well. And we don't have to cave to what about is, and we don't have to say, Oh, I know things are really tough for immigrants right now, but what about the pre-born? Like we have, we have, we have the entirety of Jesus' sacred heart, which is huge and infinite in love to hold all of these injustices against human dignity within. Like, there is so much room, there is an infinite amount of room to hold and in compassion and empathy for every human life that is struggling, and we don't have to act like it's one thing or the other. We can we can give it all to Jesus' sacred heart.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

I love that. Is there is there a specific, you know, we're recording this in 2026. So in case, you know, in case everyone in 2040 is there, hello, future, just kidding. Um, because the whole world's gonna hear. And I wonder what 2040 does. They're probably like, oh, that's cute. Everyone had a podcast. We don't even know what that is anymore because we now just zoom in our eyeballs to each other or something. I don't know. But um, but but here we are in 2026. What are some issues that are really close to your heart right now, especially as a Catholic woman? What are a couple that just yes, that you bleed for?

SPEAKER_00 16:49

I mean, I'm going to skip, I'm going to mention abortion. I'm not going to spend too much time on that because there's already a lot being said.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

There's a lot of voices for that. Yeah, I think you're right. Yes. I think that's really helpful.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

I will always say the pre-born deserve to be defended. I am going to focus on other things as well who also need defense, who I don't see being as defended as much. And again, it's not, it's not at the exclusion of the pre-born or anybody else. That the sacred heart of Jesus has infinite love, and we can hold it all together. We can also have separate conversations about different things. And I know you know this. I just I'm just have now trained myself to like say it get these caveats. Say it all laid out. Um, immigration in the United States right now is particularly close to my heart, and I feel especially emboldened by how much our bishops have spoken about it as well, and so thankful to them for issuing the special message on it back in November, and grateful that they have continued to hammer in that message. I mean, as of right, as of the day we're recording this, it's still the pinned post at um the top of the bishop's Instagram account. Really? It's the very yeah, the the video, the video version of that special message that they made where it has a lot of the different bishops reading some of the laws. Yes. Is still the pinned post at the top. Um that one is so close to my heart. Just war theory, especially regarding Iran right now, is something I'm holding really close to my heart as well. Um, the poor.

SPEAKER_01 18:22

Well, tell me, tell me more about tell me more about the just war theory.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

Tell me, can you explain that in a well the catechism lays it out for us very in no uncertain and vague terms? Um, and it to me personally, it's really easy to see, oh, what is going on, what our president has done with this war doesn't line up with what the Vatican has, or not the the Vatican via the catechism has aligned for us um as a just war. A war that is actually fair, a war in which we are justified to uphold um and to fight in. And this one just doesn't meet the requirements.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Yeah, it doesn't. And then um I cut you off, but then also the poor is what you were going to say that's close to your heart.

SPEAKER_00 19:12

Yes, just the poor in general. Um, even when I was a little kid, I it all it never really sat right with me uh how they are being we have we Charleston has probably I would say I don't know that it's necessarily more or fewer uh population rates of those who are sleeping out on the streets um compared to other American cities, but it is an American city, and so unlike folks who live in rural areas or more suburbs, um, my husband and I live in the middle of downtown Charleston, and so we see those who are sleeping out on the streets all the time. Um, and our priest actually said to him, my husband separately one time how that's a really beautiful, this is a really beautiful time of our lives living downtown right now. Um, because we are that proximity forces us to, and it's a gift, a gift and a blessing. That proximity calls and invites us to better regard the poor as fully, as more fully human, not just as this abstract idea that like we need to throw dollar bills at, but as human beings made in God's image and likeness for us to talk to. And we see them outside of our house and on the streets that we're walking down while we're walking out to dinner or something like that all the time. And my husband is really, really gifted at slowing down, stopping to have a conversation. If he he tries really hard to remember to carry cash, if he doesn't have cash though, he'll try to set up a Venmo or he'll stay, we walk a lot of places, or he'll stay with this person to go to have a continue having a conversation with him, and I'll run home and get cash. Um, and do what we can to try to help and treat them in a way that acknowledges their dignity as human beings made in God's image because it's not money helps, money's really, really important. It's also important to ask those who we encounter who are in poverty their names and talk to them about their own lives and treat them like a normal human being. And uh, this isn't this is a topic that is always with us, and Jesus says you will always have the poor, you won't always have me. Um, and it's not necessarily as flashy as current events happening right now under with as instigated by our president and across United States presidents and centuries and civilizations, we have had the poor, and so it's not as flashy, but it is so per se pervasive and close to the heart of God and so so dear to me as well.

SPEAKER_01 21:47

I love that. Do you have a specific saint that you walk with while upholding the dignity of the poor? Is there anyone that you look to that you're you go arm in arm with? Like I first thought of f of uh uh Saint Fersati, which he doesn't have to be someone that you're connected to. Because I feel like, you know, we kind of get, I don't know about you, but we kind of get a little uh pursued by certain saints. It's interesting how, you know, one saint will mean something to someone and and then to the other person, like, oh, I don't even know who that is. Like, you know, but but they'll keep showing up in your life. Do you have anybody like that that shows up especially around the poor?

SPEAKER_00 22:27

Mary Magdalene, which is funny because we don't necessarily know her as a saint who uh I'm sure she helped the poor. She's not like we know we can, that's an easy guess just knowing her heart for Christ.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:40

And I think it we can make an educated guess that she experienced poverty herself um at some point when before her conversion when she was just in the thick of a lot of struggle anyway. But she's someone who is very, very gritty and real to me in a way that is very comforting to my own heart. And I think it's just because we know that she knows suffering. Whether the seven demons that Jesus drew out of her were sins that he called her out of or a true demonic possession that she got tangled up in, which likely happened because not randomly, but because of some hardship that was happening in her life. Either way, we know that at some point she had deep deep deep struggle. And it was likely a combine a combinement of mental, emotional, spiritual, physical and but we I don't think we need to know every single detail about these struggles to know that she is really really close to those who suffer.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

I love that I would have see this is why I wanted to ask because I would have never put Mary Magdalene you know you would think like Mother Teresa you know for you know people that you knew that were like living with the poor and doing things for the poor so I love that you're like okay it's see this so you Eliza hold my beer this is what you do you just kind of come at this different angle and it's just really fantastic and that's why I love love digging into your into that beautiful brain. So what are some things you know it's really I'm gonna I'm gonna be real I feel like I can be with you. I mean we're in my living room right now we're just hanging out no big deal the living room the living room um but I'm gonna be really honest like if somebody's watching this or listening they're gonna be like oh that's that's cute those are two white women who are married who are you know southern southern who wearing big earrings yeah wearing big earrings and and necklaces you know a lot of red you know and and they who are they to know what it is to be an immigrant what it is about you know war or what it is to be poor how how do you God I have like about 12 questions I want to go to after setting that up I want to ask you so many things. I want to ask you how you respond to that I mean you can't help that you're a white woman that lives in Charleston and has this on her heart but how do you um how do you do something about that? How do you use your privilege specifically or how can someone use their privileges in order to help those three categories those are really big categories Eliza like immigration is not going to be solved today Iran is not going to be solved today the poor's not going to be solved today. So do you have any advice to people who either who are looking at us and and judging us or who are looking at us and saying I look like them I don't know what to do. I live in you know Dallas and I you know I can't help what can I do to help an immigrant what can I do to help Iran what can I do to help you see what I'm saying? What do we say to people who are in privilege who are not living at those places how how can we help them help? Maybe that's what I want to know do you have any thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_00 26:05

I'm thinking of another saint friend who is blessed Franz Jaggerstarter wait no but that's not the right way to pronounce it I oh man a a follower of mine who I said that on an Instagram story and then a follower of mine who I got to meet in real life actually who speaks German was like um Eliza it's actually very gracious so she was like it's actually Jeggersted I think I I think it sounds great I think that sounds spectacular yeah I'm pretty sure that was I'm pretty sure that was it I I know I'm closer than jogger's daughter though yeah with the accent jogger's daughter with the accent um but I'm obsessed with his story and he's become a really new he's become a Saint stalker not in not in a creepy way in a exciting in a good way in a pursuing way Saint stalker in an exciting way um he was an Austrian farmer in rural middle of nowhere Austria um in the 1930s and he was in his early 30s he had a wife and three precious little girls and he just did he went to daily mass and he prayed so much and he was super super in love with the heart of Christ and just spent his days you know killing the land and stewarding the gifts that he was given and deeply helping the poor as well. And then when the Enfloss came around he was the only person in his town to vote against it. He pretty much from the beginning saw Hitler's angle for what it was and Hitler's denouncement of human dignity for what it was. And so he was the only person in his town to vote against it but they actually scrubbed his vote from history it looks like the town completely voted for it. And all throughout the years that followed he and his wife were the only people they knew who ever said anything standing up against Hitler um standing up against the injustices that he was invoking uh even his mom would like come over to his house and be like you need to stop talking about this or you're gonna get in a lot of trouble and I don't want you, I don't want anything bad to happen to you, et cetera um and a quote that just gives me chills is he said I think he wrote it in a journal or a letter to his wife that it's enough to just stand up and be counted it's enough to just stand up and be counted for what you belign it with church teaching even when literally anyone else your wife disagree with you when his own told him like you need to be more quiet about this he was he his bishop he and his wife I wondered our bishop I was the high and so he was and so the bishop was trying to like really play it down so that he wouldn't get you know arrested by Hitler but his bishop also said and his bishop would have think that because it was a stranger to him then his own parish priest who knew his heart you need to this time the Archbishop of Vienna so which wasn't his diocese but you know he was still like the big guy for Austria as far as church went um was a very vocal Hitler supporter. His name was Cardinal Innitzer and he personally welcomed Hitler to Vienna he ordered every church in the diocese of Austria in the diocese of Vienna to fly a swastika flag on Hitler's birthday one year in the late 1930s. He so everywhere Franz looked he saw people in support of this movement and this rhetoric that was so against human dignity and I oh we will and I watched a really really great movie about his a biography movie about his life a few weeks ago and I hadn't read this in the biographies I had read about Blessed Fronds but I can believe that it was it is very believable that these were things people probably told him where throughout the movie various people in his life like the mayor was one military man was another were just like are you really do you really think you're gonna change the director the trajectory of the war just by saying no so another thing was at eventually the Nazi draft came for him he was able to hold off for a while because he was a farmer providing that um really important you know food right that towards the end came for him and he conscientiously objected to it to because he would have had to fight for the Nazis and he was like I cannot pledge the oath to Hitler even he wasn't even it wasn't even an option for him to be a medical servant for him to be a nurse on the battlefield because even the nurses had to pledge oaths to Hitler and that was where he drew the line um and so many people throughout the movie were like you're not gonna change the course of the war just by talking against it and refusing the draft like you're not gonna change anybody's mind nobody agrees with you except your little wife no like this has no consequences for what's going on and he just but he knew it was enough that God saw and he knew it was enough that he was setting this example for his little daughters for his wife to tell them about someday because they were too young to understand. I mean they were toddlers he knew it was enough just to be one person to just stand up and be counted even if he changed nobody's mind and he didn't change anyone's mind. He conscient people wanted him to just like his mom would say just accept if you accept the draft you at least have a chance of coming out alive for your family but if you object you will be murdered he objected he was sent to the guillotine by the Nazi regime for objecting and it wasn't until the 1970s when there was at least a little bit of traction in his favor. And I say 70s because in that decade Austrian nationwide TV made a um dirty about his life favorable um and he in 1980s their parish his parish priest wrote a letter to his wife saying I hope Franz can forgive me for having led him astray um and he was canon he was beatified in 2007 and at 94 years old his wife was at the beatification in his di in his diocesan church where he was right 94 years old her little you know really sweet face and she's wearing this really really cute hat and she just looks so so happy because for decades decades people in her village still like spat at her as she walked by and apparently I'm not sure if this is entirely true or not but I read an account that his mom like never forgave her for supporting him conscientiously objecting and she just had people who regarded her as an enemy and an embarrassment to their village for decades. Like I cannot even imagine living that way that's amazing it mattered in the eyes of God. And it's a beautiful gift that now his story is really well known but he would have done it any he had no reason to believe it would ever be well known he was just like a nobody according to him nobody farmer in nobody Austria. And it was still enough for God to see it was still enough for God to see and using him today.

SPEAKER_01 33:50

And that I think that's a really good point that you're making that we don't know like also like what you said about you know abortion we all have different passions and missions put on our heart that God you know placed there and talents that go into you know into supporting those missions and those passions. You have the gift of writing okay and you have the gift of your mother and your grandmother so so you put those things together and you've become this voice for the voiceless you know and I'm I'm sure that a lot of people are surprised when they see you know who's behind this voice and it's you and I love that you are strong in it and and you don't back down. I have to ask what about if ever you get it wrong if something you know it's out there and you side on the side of something and then you know come to find out XYZ this isn't you know whatever there's a lot of stories coming out right now with with immigration and ICE and and all sorts of things there was a story I'll give an example there was a story in Houston this has something to do with immigration the poor or the war but there was a story that came out in Houston um this week of a teacher who was stabbed in the classroom and they shut down the school and come to find out she actually did the stabbing she stabbed herself but before that happened right exactly it's like this crazy story. But before that happened people went off you know and they were publicly telling every you know it just snowballed because we have a stabbing at a at a high school and that everybody was saying it was a student and it was this it was that and now come to find out it's this teacher who was just she's obviously not okay in the head and she stabbed herself and said it was a student and did all this stuff. What do you do because you are talking about risky political you know things on the on the fray what do you do when you find out that maybe the information that you shared wasn't what you thought it was like has that ever happened to you before how do you handle that have you had to handle that and what does that look like a story came out two days ago um about a meeting between officials at the Pentagon and Dier while he was still Apostolic nuncio and for the United States and uh the Vatican that was really really contentious and I shared a whole post about this one independent journalism account a journalism's account of things that were said in the meeting that were very very very scary um and since then over the course of yesterday more a lot more people weighed in the the the Pentagon is completely cordial and the US ambassador to the Holy See said it was completely cordial as well and even specifically quoted or says he quoted Cardinal Pierre um the Vatican at first did not refer to terms at the meaning of place but meant on the nature of the language that was used.

SPEAKER_00 37:20

But last night the Pillar Catholic repeatable was able to talk to some people who were anonymous um who said it was contentious but did I believe I remember that we didn't confirm or deny some of the that was used that this first journalism site he reported on it said was used. NBC Chicago verified one verified from someone out the Vatican that the meeting was tense and contention and then last night wow that essentially said the meeting took place and they didn't clarify what the nature of the language was but they said the meeting took place and certain media's um illustrations of it or descriptions of it do not match reality. So it's still uncle it's still unclear exactly what was said. The US government claims it was completely cordial Vatican various other independent outlets including the Pillar say that anonymous Vatican sources who were sharing with under the condition of anonyminity that it was contentious and at times tense even at times felt like bullying uh which is still very serious um and the Vatican has so far they've just said some of what the media is saying is untrue but didn't necessarily say as as far as I could see and understand didn't necessarily say which was exactly true which was exactly untrue. And as this was all unfolding yesterday I just kept growing more and more uncomfortable of keeping my post up the way it was because I was just like wow this is just really messy. This has gotten messier with people this has also gotten more confusing. Like I was seeing people in my comments being like oh there's no it wasn't contentious. The Pentagon said it wasn't and in my heart I was like well we don't need to believe everything that the government says and that's something that people have been saying for decades and decades and decades across different presidents across different political parties being in power um and uh with the Vatican publicly not saying not commenting on exactly the language uh that was used but according to sources who I do put I do really put faith in the pillar and I think it's okay to do so from the journalism I've seen from coming from them for many, many years, that it was contentious. I was just like I feel like I can't in good faith keep this up the way it is it's just a lot more muddy and confusing now. And so I took it down except for a few slides at the end that were mostly just they weren't really talking about the actual event they were talking about the nature of, you know, do we put our political lean above our identity as Catholic? Do we look for the fruits of the spirit and leave et cetera et cetera and so I kept those slides of the post but I deleted the other slides talking about the exact situation because I was like again this is just really muddy and confusing and I don't want to lead more people to confusion. But it was it was and I am embarrassed that I spoke quickly and I wish I had waited even 24 hours and it was a learning moment because I remember two nights ago as I was watching the post upload a little voice in my head was like hey you should wait until the pillar reports on it and I was like no independent media is fine. I like I want to be able to get this out I just want to be able to get this out I was like I was also just tired and I really just wanted to post that that day because I also really wanted to post about the other conversation I addressed of oh what happened what does it look like when we have a leader who does not embody the fruits of the spirit what does it look like when we dive so deep into identity politics that our Catholic identity takes the wayside. And I certainly could have posted that without also posting about this other situation that ended up getting really muddy. And so it it was a learning moment of the consequences of being too hasty. And I'm glad I learned it young and I wish fewer people had ultimately seen it but what is done is done. And I know I've made I'm confident knowing I've made the best choice I can like I also updated the caption to reflect this is exactly what we know from these sources so far. And so I know I've done the best I can and my best choice is to move on and learn from my mistake.

SPEAKER_01 42:06

Yeah no absolutely how does how does this play into influencer culture like especially the Catholic influencer culture? What are your thoughts on it? Do you think that you know we should have as many Catholic influencers that we do everybody with the microphone or do you think that um do you have a hard time with it do are you pro where are your thoughts on on influence like Catholic influencer culture?

SPEAKER_00 42:34

There are so many there are so many more than there used to be when I first started six years ago um I've especially been seeing a lot of younger ones who are on the older cusp of Gen Alpha I would I'm on the older cusp of Gen Z and they're on like literally 19. And I'm glad that they're addressing their own generation. I think it's really valuable to have um ambassadors if you will of one's own generation who are speaking truth and speaking life. And I'm really excited I'm particularly excited about that with my book because one generation is kind of only just getting old enough to be taken seriously to publish books. And so it's exciting to be able to publish a book as someone who is Gen Z speaking to everyone but I know Gen Z readers will be like this it's so great to be able to hear from someone who is my own age and really gets me in that way. I mean we can't I think the best we can do is those of us who are Catholic content creators and have public platforms is cover ourselves in accountability. My spiritual director whom I've had since well before I started my account knows about what I'm up to and I'm up with her today and it's always great. And my priest knows about what I'm up to and when my bishop came to make a visit back in November I shared with him more about what I'm up to and he was like great Uh and that kind of oversight can be very, very valuable to make sure that we, at the very least, are legit in walking the walk. That my priest can verify she's here every Sunday singing in the back, unless she's on vacation. Um and she leads a small group for the middle and high school girls at our church. And the parents really trust her. And you know, she's safeguard trained at that. Not that you need safe, I mean, I was about to say not that you need safeguarding for the internet, but you do need safeguarding. And it's for that reason that I don't DM with teenagers if someone tells me they're a teenager.

SPEAKER_01 44:38

Totally.

SPEAKER_00 44:38

It's it's so cute. I'll these teenage girls will be like, I'm in high school and I really like what you're doing, and do you have advice? And it's it's I read them and they're really, really sweet. And I'm sad to not respond, but I know that that's the best choice for safeguarding.

SPEAKER_01 44:54

Sure.

SPEAKER_00 44:54

Um so that accountability is important and so so so critical and important. Um, and having friends who are also bloggers, we can walk alongside has been really helpful for me too. Um, I was privileged to have Mackenzie Hunter and another one of our friends, Mary Harper, come visit me uh back at the end of February. And we spent so much time, we talked about a lot of things, but we also hashed out a lot about our hopes and dreams and fears and struggles with speaking very publicly about things in the Catholic space. And even my husband, who is so up close and personal with all that I'm up to, still doesn't understand what it's like to do it personally. And so it's really refreshing to talk to girls who know my heart really well and have my best interests at heart too, and love me as a friend, love me as a daughter of God, who also understand exactly what this is like.

SPEAKER_01 45:49

I love that. I want to ask you, even though I know that you're how long have you been married? You've been married almost three years. Almost three years. So you're still, I mean, you're right out of that honeymoon phase, because uh, or newlywed phase. Newlywed is two years, so you know, you're uh look at you, you're like hardcore now. Um, which is great. And I know you don't have little ones of your your own yet, but with your knowledge and with your spunk and grit, what would you say to moms right now that that want to empower their kids to be more social focused, you know, to be more, you know, uh works of mercy, um, social justice, political. What would you do? You know, like how do you plan to form your family so that that they also have an interest in these things and that they're brave enough to stand, you know, for these important topics?

SPEAKER_00 46:44

Oh, I I that's a sweet question. Thank you. Um I think about my own parents who were so, and every parent has their shortcomings and their strengths. And one of their strengths was being so natural in empowering my sister and I to form our own voices and take them, take them for ourselves and just put them out there. They weren't parents who were children should be seen and not heard. They were, and they also didn't let us walk all over them. Um there were boundaries, and sometimes we had to just be quiet. But uh they really challenged us to think carefully and critically about what we think and what we believe, as informed by the teachings of the church, as informed by just baseline do unto others as you would have them do unto you to you. And there's no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend. Um they really helped, they in our home fostered a fostered a family in which that could be safely explored uh with low consequences so that if we got something wrong, it was corrected and we didn't face really, really dire consequences for doing that. They didn't shame us for saying something that wasn't really a right, a correct opinion, uh, uh healthy and in line with the church opinion if we were just trying to being little girls experimenting with how does church teaching fit and the teachings of Jesus fit in life right now. And at fourth grade therapy. I love it. Even back then, that was that was a really that was a great example actually of like really low consequences experimenting with what does it look like to take what Jesus teaches us and live it right here and right now. And I'm thankful for my little Catholic school for just kind of like letting me do that and I love that not being weird about it.

SPEAKER_01 48:39

No, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 48:41

So you were empowered to have And I hope to do the same for my own kids too, to give them that, give them that environment in which they can push on the boundaries and explore and figure it out without getting detrimentally hurt or something, and then empower them to use their voice to stand up for what is good.

SPEAKER_01 48:59

I love that, and you'll be a great example to them for sure. We are sadly at the end of our hangout time in the living room. I'm so sad you're just so lovely. I could hang out with you all day, my friend. And I'm so glad that you're new in my life and I'll get to know you more because you're just fabulous. But at the end of every episode, I asked my guests to share a way that we can be praying for them. So no matter when somebody's listening to this recording, that they can fill you with prayers. So, how's how can we pray for you, Liza?

SPEAKER_00 49:32

That's right, because God knows no space or time, and so neither do our prayers.

SPEAKER_01 49:36

I love it. Thank you. Liza gets it.

SPEAKER_00 49:41

I would love to be covered in prayers as I finish up my book manuscript.

SPEAKER_01 49:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:46

Um, I'm on my deadline, and uh I've been telling I don't like this. I've started calling it book jail, which I don't I don't like that I do that. But it book jail means I don't see my friends very much, and I sit in our office room and write my book after I get home from work and on the weekends, and which and it but that has a negative commentation. It's a privilege and a joy to write a book. And so I was like, maybe I should call it book Jane Austen Mansion. Like I'm locked in, you know, like women in the Regency era, they didn't really leave home a lot. That's true. Um that's true, but their homes were really nice. Yeah, that's true. That's a good one. I like so book mansion. It's a nice I'm locked in there, but it is a really nice place to be, and it's a privilege. I love that. It's a privilege to write a book and it's my dream.

SPEAKER_01 50:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 50:31

But I really need a lot of prayer to do so.

SPEAKER_01 50:33

Okay, we can do that. Friend, thank you so much for your time and for your wisdom and for all that you're putting out on the internet. Um, I want everybody to come and follow you because you're just spectacular, but thank you. Big hugs and kisses from Texas. Thank you so much, Clip. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 50:51

Thank you for having me.