Jen Hatmaker

Austin

Writer and Blogger at Freelance

Host at For The Love With Jen Hatmaker Podcast

Articles

How to Simplify Your Life (Starting With Your Schedule)

1 week ago | jenhatmaker.com | Jen Hatmaker

So listen—spring cleaning? I’m a fan. Not the Pinterest kind where everything ends up in labeled mason jars. No ma’am. I’m talking: order a giant dumpster, drag it into the driveway, and start tossing everything that isn’t nailed to the floor. THAT kind of spring cleaning. It’s therapeutic. I feel lighter in a space that isn’t yelling at me with every junk drawer and closet corner. But here’s the real mic drop: the most powerful thing I declutter isn’t in my house. It’s my calendar.
Dear Rest of the World

2 weeks ago | jenhatmaker.com | Jen Hatmaker

Dear Rest of the World,Greetings from America where our president has threatened to commit ethnic cleansing in Gaza, challenged the sovereignty of our closest allies, issued an EO to end birthright citizenship for children of non-citizens, and dismantled the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Trump has rescinded EO 14087, which lowered prescription drug costs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients.
On Conflict: How I Want to Show Up

3 weeks ago | jenhatmaker.com | Jen Hatmaker

The thing about life is that we are surrounded by other people we are expected to live with. Apparently, every last one of them is a human person. These people around us can be irritating, bewildering, explosive, and weird. They make a thousand dumb choices while refusing to operate according to our preferences. Sometimes they are insane. A bunch of them chew too loud. They are too much or not enough depending on our mood that day, and it can be a real trial to be in relationships is all I am saying.
A Beginner’s Guide to Journaling (That Sticks!)

3 weeks ago | jenhatmaker.com | Jen Hatmaker

Because your spiral-bound diary from 1997 isn’t cutting it anymore. Let me start with a confession: I’ve started approximately 47 journals in my lifetime. Maybe more. Most are abandoned halfway through January with about three entries and a grocery list. So if you’ve ever bought a gorgeous notebook, wrote one angsty paragraph, and then lost it in your nightstand drawer forever—hi, welcome. You are my people. But lately, I’ve actually figured out a journaling practice that works for real-life humans.
Living a Life is Messy Business

1 month ago | jenhatmaker.com | Jen Hatmaker

The thing about life is that we are surrounded by other people we are expected to live with. Apparently, every last one of them is a human person. These people around us can be irritating, bewildering, explosive, and weird. They make a thousand dumb choices while refusing to operate according to our preferences. Sometimes they are insane. A bunch of them chew too loud. They are too much or not enough depending on our mood that day, and it can be a real trial to be in relationships is all I am saying.
Dear Teachers Everywhere

1 month ago | jenhatmaker.com | Jen Hatmaker

Happy May(hem), darlings! Nestled among the bazillion other moving parts this month is something I refuse to let get lost in the shuffle: Teacher Appreciation. THEY JUST MEAN TOO MUCH TO US. Having sent five kids all the way through, I consider teachers my coparents, support group, and personal heroes. I wrote a love letter to teachers a few years ago when I had five kids from Buda Elementary to Hays High School, and I’d love to post it again because every solitary word is still true.
The Light Pirate Summary & Book Review

1 month ago | jenhatmaker.com | Jen Hatmaker

May 2, 2025 Books If you’ve been looking for a novel that lingers long after the last page, The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton is it. I read this months ago for book club consideration, and I still find myself thinking about it. That’s the mark of a special book. Set in a near-future Florida submerged by climate change, The Light Pirate is a harrowing, beautifully written tale of adaptation, survival, and transformation.
What We Can Teach Our Kids This Month

1 month ago | jenhatmaker.com | Jen Hatmaker

I have walked five children into kindergarten and filmed those same five children walking across a high school graduation stage. The oldest one is married with a mortgage — and their own son on the way. The youngest recently earned her diploma. In the life cycle of parenting, getting them to young adulthood closes a loop (IT OPENS A WHOLE ‘NOTHER LOOP THAT NO ONE TOLD US ABOUT but that is another essay). But let’s talk about those pre-graduation years.
Spring Dresses for Women: 2025 Style Guide

1 month ago | jenhatmaker.com | Jen Hatmaker

As the weather starts to warm and the flowers start to show off, there’s something in us that says: it’s time to shed the winter layers and step into something lighter. If you’re wondering what to wear in spring this year, I’ve got you. Whether you’re headed to brunch, hosting a backyard dinner, or simply in need of a closet refresh, these spring dresses for women are the perfect mix of flattering, comfy, and actually wearable in real life.
Not Normal, Not Numb

1 month ago | jenhatmaker.com | Jen Hatmaker

Very rarely am I stumped by a blank page. In fact, I recently told my business team that my favorite part of work is opening a fresh blank document and letting my brain do what, I guess, it was designed to do. Today is an exception. I’ve been sitting on my porch swing with this blank page opened for thirty minutes. How do I talk about what it feels like right now in America? How crushing it is to watch this administration abandon our allies and blowtorch our economy?