Mandy Arioto

PresidentCEOAuthor

Aug 13

11 min read ⭑

“Understanding our past helps us mother differently in the present. We’ve been fed a myth that motherhood is self-erasure, when in fact, it’s often the birthplace of strength.”

Mandy Arioto takes her work as the president and CEO of MomCo Global — a community for moms with littles and one of the most influential outreach organizations in the world — very seriously. She loves to encourage mothers with gritty, uplifting truth when she speaks, writes and hosts her new podcast, Bloodline & Backbone. But Mandy also knows how to enjoy life, evidenced by both her love of outdoor rock climbing and her newest book, Have More Fun. Today, she’s getting honest about the lessons God has taught her on letting go and choosing joy, as well as how motherhood shapes the world and why it matters. You’ll also discover the habits and places that help her hear God more clearly and why she takes a 24-hour tech Sabbath every weekend.

QUESTION #1: ACQUAINT

The meals we enjoy are about so much more than the food we eat. So how does a “go-to” meal at your favorite hometown restaurant reveal the true you behind your web bio?

Home is Charlotte, New York, a little lakeside town on the edge of Rochester where the waves slap the pier and the seagulls are just bold enough to steal your fries. And for me, it’s not really a visit home until we’ve eaten at Mr. Dominic’s at the Lake. My parents have been going there since they were teenagers. And now, even though I usually only visit once a year, Dominic’s is our first stop.

We always order the Chicken French — tender, lemony, dipped in egg batter and sautéed just right. It’s not on any trendy food blog. But it should be. The flavor is part recipe, part memory. The waitress always recognizes my parents. We hug an old neighbor. We wave to a cousin across the dining room. It’s like a high school reunion for every generation that’s ever lived there.

What I love about Dominic’s isn’t just the food (although I’d argue their Chicken French could solve most world crises). It’s the feeling of being known. Of being from somewhere. Of walking into a place where people remember your awkward haircut from 8th grade and love you anyway. I live in a fast-moving world, but Dominic’s slows me down and reminds me: who you eat with is just as sacred as what’s on the plate.

QUESTION #2: REVEAL

We’ve all got quirky proclivities and out-of-the-way interests. So what are yours? What so-called “nonspiritual” activity do you love engaging in that also helps you find essential spiritual renewal?

One of my favorite things to do with my family is rock climbing. Not the indoor, sanitized version — although we’ve done that, too — but outside, where there’s dirt under your fingernails and wind pressing against your back. We go to the kind of places that make your phone signal disappear and your awe awaken. My kids belay me, which means they literally hold my life in their hands while I’m dangling on the side of a cliff. There’s something deeply bonding about that. You learn a lot about trust when your 13-year-old is your safety net. And something shifts when your child cheers you on, not because you’re doing it perfectly, but because you’re still climbing.

The best part is the silence between us. Not the awkward kind, but the kind that acknowledges the bigness of the moment. The kind of quiet that makes you feel small in the best way — like you’re part of something ancient and generous and designed to bring you to life.

Turns out, encountering God often happens in unusual places. It isn’t always polished. Sometimes it’s clipped into a harness, halfway up a rock face, learning — again — that love looks like holding each other’s weight and remembering the God who makes the rocks.

QUESTION #3: CONFESS

Every superhero has a weakness; every human, too. We’re just good at faking it. But who are we kidding? We’re all broken and in this thing together. So what’s your kryptonite, and how do you confront its power head-on?

My kryptonite is control. I grew up in a world where a lot felt unpredictable, so I learned early on that if I could just manage everything — people’s expectations, my schedule, even my emotions — I might be OK. I became excellent at making things look polished on the outside, even when everything underneath was wobbly. It’s not about perfectionism exactly; it’s more like emotional air traffic control. If I can keep everything flying smoothly, then maybe no one will crash. Especially not me.

The temptation to control shows up in sneaky ways. Like rewriting a group text 10 times so no one misinterprets me. Or mentally rehearsing every possible scenario before a big meeting. Or saying yes when I mean no because I’m scared of letting someone down.

But here’s what I’ve learned: control is a counterfeit comfort. It promises peace but delivers exhaustion. So now I combat it with a few sacred practices:

I keep a “Let It Be” list — things I’m actively choosing not to fix or solve.

I go in a hot sauna to remind myself I can do hard things and not panic.

I schedule margin into my calendar — actual blank space — to let life happen without my interference.

And I start most days with this simple prayer I learned from John Eldredge: “God, I give you everything and everyone.”

It’s not about being chill. I’ll never be chill. But I can be free. And that’s even better.

QUESTION #4: FIRE UP

Tell us about your toil. How are you investing your professional time right now? What’s your current obsession? And why should it be ours?

Lately, my work feels less like a job and more like an excavation. I’m digging into the stories of women — mothers, grandmothers, matriarchs, misfits — who held families and whole civilizations together with unexpected grit, humor and tenacity. That’s the heart behind my new podcast, “Bloodline & Backbone.”

It’s a love letter to the women who came before us — and a field guide for those still in the thick of it. Each episode explores how motherhood has shaped faith, politics, power and progress. Not in a soft-focus, Pinterest-y way, but in a real, pulsing-with-humanity way. It’s about reclaiming motherhood as a force of creation and disruption. Because when you trace the arc of history, you find that moms were never just in the background — they were the architects of culture.

Why should you listen? Because understanding our past helps us mother differently in the present. Because we’ve been fed a myth that motherhood is self-erasure, when in fact, it’s often the birthplace of strength. Because if you’ve ever felt like you’re holding up the world with your bare hands, this podcast will remind you: you come from a long line of women who did the same. And you’re not just the backbone — you’re the bloodline, too.

QUESTION #5: BOOST

Cashiers, CEOs, contractors or customer service reps, we all need grace flowing into us and back out into the world. How does the Holy Spirit invigorate your work? And how do you know it’s God when it happens?

God speaks to me most clearly when I’m walking. Not power walking. Not AirPods-in, multitasking walking. I mean the slow, quiet kind. The kind where I’m not trying to get anywhere in particular — just letting the sidewalk or the trail do the talking.

Sometimes it’s a line I’ve been trying to write that suddenly drops in, clear as a bell. Sometimes it’s a person I haven’t thought about in years who comes to mind — and within hours, they call or I run into them at the grocery store. Other times, it’s just the unmistakable sense that I’m not alone, that the silence I’m walking through is full of presence.

I’ve also learned to pay attention to what I call “holy coincidences.” You know the ones. A random podcast you weren’t even planning to listen to says exactly what you’ve been wrestling with. A friend texts the exact words you needed and has no idea why. You can call it a coincidence, but I’ve lived long enough to know better.

That’s how I know it’s God: the timing is too perfect, the tenderness too precise. It doesn’t feel like lightning or fanfare. It feels like being gently interrupted by something kinder and wiser than me.

That’s how grace shows up in my work. Not always in the spotlight, but in the margin. In the walks. In the whispers I didn’t expect — but would’ve missed if I hadn’t been paying attention.

QUESTION #6: inspire

Scripture and tradition beckon us into the rich and varied habits that open our hearts to the presence of God. So let us in. Which spiritual practice is working best for you in this season?

I’m wired for fasting. Self-denial feels familiar, safe — like I can prove my devotion by withholding. It’s not that I don’t believe in abundance. I just feel more at ease when I’m sacrificing. But lately, the spiritual practice working most deeply in me is feasting.

Not just feasting, but choosing celebration on purpose. Saying yes to gathering people. To laughter that goes on too long. To people gathered around a table with no agenda except to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Feasting has become sacred work for me because it requires surrender, too — just a different kind. It invites me to practice trust in God’s goodness not through scarcity, but through delight. And that’s harder for me.

So I’m learning to set the table, light the candles and honor the feast days the way God asked his people to — from a posture of remembrance and joy. Lately, that looks like Friday night dinners with my people. It looks like naming what we’re grateful for aloud. It looks like refusing to rush through goodness, even when it feels indulgent.

I’m starting to see that fasting and feasting aren’t opposites — they’re partners. One teaches me discipline. The other teaches me delight. And right now, delight is where God is showing up — in the laughter and the celebration I almost skipped.

QUESTION #7: FOCUS

Looking backward, considering the full sweep of your unique faith journey and all you encountered along the way, what top three resources stand out to you? What changed reality and your heart?

Looking back over my faith journey, there are a few resources that didn’t just teach me something — they rewired how I see God, the Bible and the story I’m living inside of.

First, the book “Experiencing Jesus. Really” by John Eldredge. It gave me language for something my soul already knew: that intimacy with Jesus isn’t theoretical — it’s real, daily, conversational and alive. It helped me stop trying to “perform” spiritually and instead start relating. It’s dog-eared, underlined and lent out so many times I’ve had to rebuy it more than once.

Second, reading through the Bible chronologically in a year. I’ve been doing this for a few years now, and I’ll never go back. Seeing Scripture unfold in order — watching the promises and patterns, the rises and ruptures — has grounded me in ways I didn’t expect. It’s made the Bible feel less like a rule book and more like a sprawling, sacred family story that I get to be part of.

Finally, a book titled “The Unseen Realm” by Michael Heiser. It’s theologically rich and has helped me grasp the big-picture reality of what God is doing — and why it matters here and now.

Each of these resources has cracked something open in me. They’re not just information — they’re invitations. And they’ve drawn me closer to the heart of God in ways I never expected.

We all have things we cling to to survive or even thrive in our fast-paced, techno-driven world. How have you been successful in harnessing technology to aid in your spiritual growth?

In a world that’s constantly buzzing, pinging and refreshing, one of the most sacred things I do for my soul is … turn it all off.

Every weekend, I take a 24-hour tech Sabbath. No email, no scrolling, no texting, no apps telling me how behind I am on everything. I silence the noise so I can hear what actually matters.

At first, it felt uncomfortable — like I was missing out or falling behind. But now? It feels nonnegotiable.

There’s something holy about watching the sun move across the sky without checking the weather app. Or reading a paper book and letting the words settle deep, uninterrupted. Or hearing my own thoughts and realizing God’s been speaking — I’ve just been too distracted to notice.

Taking a tech Sabbath hasn’t made me less productive. It’s made me more whole. It reminds me that my worth isn’t measured in likes and that some of the most sacred things in life — beauty, joy, presence — don’t come with push alerts.

Sometimes the best way to connect with God is to disconnect from everything else.

QUESTION #8: dream

God’s continually stirring new things in each of us. So give us the scoop! What’s beginning to stir in you but not yet fully awakened? What can we expect from you in the future?

Lately, I’ve felt a quiet yet persistent stirring to reframe how the world interacts with questions surrounding faith and the big questions of life. What’s awakening in me now is something I’m still holding tenderly. I want to explore the ways faith shapes nations, economies, justice movements and church history. I want to produce documentaries, host live events and broaden the work MomCo does around the world. We currently work in 111 countries and 30 languages, but there is more to do.

And yes, I’m wildly excited — and a little terrified. Because dreaming at this scale brings up all the usual suspects: impostor syndrome, the logistics of funding and time, and the fear that I’ll launch something bold and no one will show up. But I also believe this: if God gave us the dream, he’ll provide the next steps. So I’m saying yes. One brave step at a time. The dream isn’t fully awake yet — but it’s stretching, blinking, starting to breathe. And I think it’s going to be wild.

Mandy told us earlier that fasting and self-denial can feel comfortable. Safe. Predictable. But feasting and delighting? It can feel far less so, especially if we feel we cannot be loved or accepted until we’ve sacrificed enough.

The Jews felt the same way after returning from their exile to Babylon. After Ezra read the Law to the congregation, they were overwhelmed with guilt and grief. But Ezra, Nehemiah and the rest of the Levites told them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10, ESV).

God calls us to delight in him — unashamedly, with heads thrown back, ready to receive it all, tasting and seeing that, yes, he is good.

Mandy Arioto is the president and CEO of MomCo Global and is widely known for her unique takes on evangelism, parenting and cultural issues. Through MomCo, which every year mobilizes millions of women and partners with tens of thousands of churches, Mandy serves as the voice of one of the most influential outreach organizations in the U.S. and around the world. She is the author of three books, the most recent being Have More Fun: How to Be Remarkable, Stop Feeling Stuck and Start Enjoying Life. An avid rock climber, Mandy and her husband, Joe, live in Denver, Colorado, with their three kids.