Mary Lenaburg
Co-Host of The Mary and Jerry Podcast
My name is Mary Lenaburg and I am just tickled pink that you are here. I was raised one of eight kids. My parents weren’t perfect, but they loved us with all they had and raised us to know and love God as we practiced our Catholic faith. I have been married to my favorite USNA Midshipman, Jerry, since 1988. We were blessed with four souls; two we did not get to hold this side of heaven and two we did.
Our son Jonathan is married to our incredibly talented and smart daughter-in-law Jessica. This past fall, they made us grandparents with the birth of their first child, Jude. We are simply over the moon with joy. God is so good.
Our daughter Courtney Elizabeth went home to the Lord on December 27, 2014, at the age of 22. When she was five weeks old, she was diagnosed with intractable seizures with no known cause. She was medically fragile and severely disabled because of the medical treatment sought to stop the seizures. She fought bravely every day, bringing so much joy to the world. She taught us everything we know about unconditional love. She was the heart of our home, our sunshine. She is missed every single day.
I began blogging in 2007, sharing the story of my sweet daughter Courtney as well as my homemaking and homeschooling adventures. I found myself in a position of mentorship and encouraging other special needs moms and families. What a joy it was to find community. That mentoring continues to this day now as a life coach, working with women walking through fire on the way to achieving their long held lifelong dreams as a life coach. What a privilege it is to accompany these fierce and beautiful souls.
In 2019 I became an author, writing my award-winning memoir “Be Brave in the Scared” and followed up with a second book “Be Bold in the Broken” in 2021, both published by Ave Maria Press. I now travel the world to speak, lead retreats and parish missions. I talk about God’s redeeming love, and how he has redeemed and restored my life and my marriage, in which I have faced loss, addiction and trauma. I also speak about grief and walking through challenging seasons always with God in sight. Our Lord is faithful and true always.
Thank you for being here friends. Please do reach out with any questions you may have, or if you’d like me to come and speak. Know that you are prayed for daily, and that you are seen, known, and loved by a God who wants the very best for you always.
Much Love,
Mary
Mary Lenaburg has hosted 36 Episodes.
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Movies That Impacted Our Lives | S2E14
July 14th, 2024 | Season 2 | 51 mins 20 secs
best movies, best movies of all time, catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, favorite movies, favorite movies of all time, mary lenaburg, rom coms, romantic movies, romcoms, the notebook, top gun, top movies
Mary & Jerry share what their all time favorite movies are and the impact these movies made on their lives. They discuss movies ranging from Top Gun to The Notebook. Any guesses as to the first movies they saw in theaters?
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Given Institute & Mentoring | S2E13
July 7th, 2024 | Season 2 | 49 mins 1 sec
catholic, catholic coaching, catholic marriage, catholic mentor, catholic mentoring, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, given institute, mary lenaburg, mentoring, mentoring women, mentorship, the given institute
Mary recently went to the Given Institute Conference. There, she met many young women desiring to grow in their gifts and talents and journey alongside mentors. In this episode, Mary & Jerry discuss their experience being mentors, what it means to be a mentor, and what skills a mentor should have.
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Not-So-Newlywed Game | S2E12
June 30th, 2024 | Season 2 | 37 mins 2 secs
catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, marriage humor, marriage jokes, marriage tips, mary lenaburg, newly wed game, newlywed game
Get ready for an entire episode of the Not-So-Newlywed Game! Get to know Mary & Jerry through this fun game, as they answer questions ranging from what stresses them out to what’s an exciting thing they would hate to do to.
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Charisms | S2E11
June 23rd, 2024 | Season 2 | 43 mins 50 secs
catholic, catholic charisms, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, charisms, jerry lenaburg, mary lenaburg
Mary & Jerry share about their charisms - gifts given through the grace of the Holy Spirit to represent Christ and to be a channel of God's goodness for people. They share how their individual charisms play out in their daily lives and how they complement one another in marriage.
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Special Needs Parenting | S2E10
May 26th, 2024 | Season 2 | 59 mins 55 secs
catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, mary lenaburg, parenting, special needs children, special needs parenting, special needs parents
In this week’s episode, Mary & Jerry share about their experience with special needs parenting. They give advice, such as how to avoid the extremely high divorce rate and ways to balance and nurture your relationship with your children who do no have special needs. They also share details of the joys and hardships, how to deal with insurance, and the blessing of receiving financial help.
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Our NFP Journey | S2E9
May 19th, 2024 | Season 2 | 51 mins 29 secs
birth control, catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, marriage, mary lenaburg, nfp, theology of the body
Today Mary & Jerry share their personal testimony to learning about the Church’s teachings on Natural Family Planning. They talk about different methods of NFP, the spirituality behind practicing NFP, and the implications that come with bringing birth control into your marriage.
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Entertaining with Intention | S2E8
April 21st, 2024 | Season 2 | 53 mins 31 secs
catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, hospitality, hosting house party, hosting party, house party, mary lenaburg, party hosting
To entertain with a purpose is an extension of God’s love for us that we get to share with other people. Mary & Jerry share what a spirit of hospitality looks like in their home.
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Resilience in Marriage | S2E7
April 7th, 2024 | Season 2 | 43 mins 45 secs
catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, marriage, mary lenaburg, overcoming marriage problems, overcoming marriage struggles, resilience, top ten list
Mary & Jerry share 10 tips and tricks to bring resilience into your marriage, including being grateful for each other (and your morning coffee!), being adaptable, and investing in quality time together. These tips will help you and your spouse come through hard times together and have a stronger relationship.
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Relating to Adult Children | S2E6
April 2nd, 2024 | Season 2 | 45 mins 16 secs
adult children, catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, mary lenaburg, parenting adults
Today, Mary & Jerry are answering a question they get asked regularly - How do you cultivate a good relationship with your adult children?
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Lent | S2E5
March 3rd, 2024 | Season 2 | 47 mins 55 secs
catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, lent, mary lenaburg
We are now a couple of weeks into Lent, so Mary & Jerry reflect about their Lenten experiences in this week’s episode. They share stories of their past Lents (both the good and the ugly) and inspire others to enter into this Lent focusing on fasting, almsgiving, and prayer. In the words of Jerry, “Lent: Live it, Learn it, Love it, Lent it.”
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All the Big Feels | S2E4
February 25th, 2024 | Season 2 | 49 mins 9 secs
big emotions, big feelings, catholic, catholic marriage, catholic marriage advice, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, emotions, feelings, mary lenaburg
In today’s podcast, Mary & Jerry discuss why it’s important to process your emotions, especially when going through dark and difficult times. If you’re a Mary, emotions probably come pretty naturally for you to talk about. If you’re a Jerry, talking about your emotions might take some practice.
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Top 10 Reasons Marriages Struggle | S2E3
February 18th, 2024 | Season 2 | 1 hr 1 min
catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, marriage, marriage advice, marriage struggles, marriage tips, mary lenaburg
As a “seasoned” married couple, Mary and Jerry respond to the top 10(ish) reasons why married couples struggle.Their wisdom and experience, combined with their classic jokes and story telling, make this a great episode for any married couple.
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Earrings & Books | S2E2
February 11th, 2024 | Season 2 | 53 mins 30 secs
books, catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, collecting, collecting books, earrings, mary lenaburg
Are we surprised that Mary’s fascination for earrings started from a rebellion? Or that Jerry’s collection of history books began when he was a child? Today we learn about the why behind their collections.
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Jerry's Birthday | S2E1
February 4th, 2024 | Season 2 | 47 mins 32 secs
60th birthday, birthday, catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, mary lenaburg
Mary & Jerry are back! They kick off Season 2 by celebrating Jerry’s birthday. Mary asks Jerry a range of questions that have him reflect on his life - including what he would tell his 25 year old self (Why didn’t he invest in Apple?!) and the hardships 2023 brought.
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Episode 21: Questions From a Young Mom
December 17th, 2023 | Season 1 | 54 mins 33 secs
catholic, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, mary lenaburg, parenting, parenting advice, parenting tips, young mom, young parents
In the final 2023 episode of the Mary & Jerry Podcast, they share their words of wisdom for all couples with a newborn. They give tips on how to love each other well & how to sacrifice for one another during such a new (and often chaotic) season of life.
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Episode 20: Christmas Traditions
December 10th, 2023 | Season 1 | 52 mins 20 secs
advent, advent traditions, catholic, catholic advent, catholic marriage, catholic parenting, catholic podcast, catholic podcasts, catholicism, christmas, christmas traditions, mary lenaburg
It’s officially Advent and as we prepare for Christmas, Mary & Jerry share their favorite family Christmas traditions, give ideas for young families to form their own new traditions, and reminisce over Christmas memories from their time as children and as parents. And of course, they do all of this while festive in their Christmas pajamas!