Magic in the Ordinary is a podcast for striving individuals who want to re-enchant their life. We chat about the magic that we encounter in everyday “ordinary” life. That magic might look like books that take us on wild adventures, art which help make visible an invisible corner of our soul, quantum physics which is just straight up magic, or anything else that we find in our ordinary lives which is seeped in magic if only we take a moment to appreciate it.

My name is Jacqueline, and I am the host of Magic in the Ordinary. Why did I start this podcast? I wanted to start a conversation. Amidst all the darkness and seriousness of our world, I wanted to create a space for laughter, rest, learning, and wonder. I don’t intend to ignore the darkness (after all, it is a very dangerous thing to leave a live dragon out of your calculations), but I want to face this world with joy.

Life on the surface isn’t the whole picture. As faith-filled writers, we know this. We bravely explore dragon lairs, meet with the fey, and go on quests with magic rings. Even in our ordinary everyday lives, there are layers beyond what we can see – spirituality and imagination.

Dominic and I chat about my show!

“People want a re-enchanted reality.” ~Dominic de Souza, founder of Legend Fiction.

Some of my favorite episodes

Where should you start? What are some of my favorite episodes? All of the conversations on this show are great memories, but here are a few I think you would really enjoy:

What does it mean to paint the truth? 

• I had a blast chatting with Mary Woods about Markmaker and discuss what it means for us to paint the truth. How can we paint the truth? What might get in our way? I love these themes from her novel and found myself relating to her protagonist – an angsty alien tattoo artist – more than I ever thought possible. Mary Woods is definitely painting the truth, and it was great to discuss what that should look like for modern, faith-filled writers.

Who will remember you? 

• In this episode Erin Lewis and I completely geek out over some of our favorite books and talk about why they really matter. The quote “What is this moment in light of eternity?” launched us into an entire discussion which inspired the title of this episode. We also discuss her debut novel, Firetender. Her insights gave me lots of food for thought as a writer and as a person who wants to someday reach heaven.

Building REAL community on instagram 

• Is it possible to build deep friendships and beautiful, long-lasting connections on social media platforms? Absolutely! But it’s not always easy. This episode with Legend Fiction member, Tati, gave me so much to think about and is filled with practical tips for those looking to grow their platform and laughter.

Iconography – What it is and what it taught me? 

• I love this episode because it’s so raw and real. Byzantine art is ancient, mysterious, and captivaitng, and this year I finally got the chance to embark on the grand adventure of writing icons myself. In this episode, I wanted to shed a little light on the depth and beauty of icons and also discuss how humbling and powerful it can be to entire into an ancient art form like this.

I hope to chat with you soon! Drop a comment below with your questions and feedback.

Let’s embrace joy and face the world with wonder together.

Interested in diving a bit deeper into classics?

Adventures in Excellence is a learning platform with online composition and literature classes. Learning should be an exciting adventure, and we shouldn’t just read and write good stories; we should live a good story. Through the pursuit of truth, appreciation of beauty, and development of goodness, these classes aim to help students read, live, and tell the best stories possible. Learn more