🎬 Evan Matthews never knew his father. When he finally met him at 37, cancer took him six months later. That story of loss, forgiveness, and healing is the same emotional DNA that made Evan the perfect director for Motherland, a film he landed after a tear-filled sushi lunch turned into the pitch of a lifetime.

On this episode of The LIVing Room, Liv Harrison sits down with Evan to talk about making films during the Hollywood strikes, why Catholic art should never be preachy, his six-year streak of 3 AM rosaries and gym sessions, and the books that brought him back to the faith. This one's for you if you've ever felt called to create something bigger than yourself but didn't know where to start.

⭐️ Guest Bio:

Evan Matthews is a Catholic filmmaker and director based in Los Angeles. He directed his debut feature film Motherland, produced by MPI Original Films, which premiered at the Napa Institute Arts Festival and is available on Amazon. Evan is currently in development on a biopic about a prominent Catholic figure and is a regular presence at the Napa Institute, where he advocates for excellence in Catholic art and filmmaking.

🍪 Francesca Jansen got pregnant with twins barely a year into her marriage, tore her ACL right before a missionary program she'd planned her whole life around, and spent years believing she wasn't worth pursuing because of her weight. In this conversation with Liv Harrison, she gets radically honest about what it's like to be a plus-size young mom in the Catholic world and how she stopped letting the internet define her worth.

They also dig into the breastfeeding guilt no one talks about, why surrender isn't a one-time thing, and how Saint Maria Goretti taught her to forgive herself. This one's for you if you've ever scrolled past a friend's photo and felt like you didn't measure up.

💛 Guest Bio

Francesca Jansen is a Catholic content creator, handmade jewelry maker, and twin mom based in Chicago. She runs Ite Ad Joseph, an Etsy shop where she designs faith-inspired jewelry by hand after her boys go to sleep. Francesca is known online for her honest, unfiltered perspective on body image, young motherhood, and navigating faith as a plus-size woman in the Catholic space. She lives in the city with her husband Christian and their twin sons, Joseph and Benedict.

Follow Francesca:
https://www.instagram.com/francescajanssen_/

Chapters

00:00 Babies and Beautiful Chaos

00:40 Meet Fran: Twin Mom at 24

03:44 The Unsolicited Advice Industrial Complex

05:00 Newly Married, Immediately Outnumbered

06:43 "Trying to Find Myself Through Other People"

08:50 Falling Down Stairs Tearing ACL

10:55 First Dates and the Feast of St. Joseph

13:30 "Never Thought I Was Worth Pursuing"

15:00 Liv's 300-Pound Weight Loss

17:30 Friends Who Make a Living Being Beautiful

20:20 Pregnant, Plus-Size, Carrying Twins

23:00 "If I Just Hit This Number" Lie

25:50 Every Woman Sees Something She'd Change

27:20 Curvy Catholic Fashion Finds

30:30 Learning to Forgive Yourself

34:20 Twin Mom Survival Tips

35:50 Breastfeeding Guilt Nobody Talks About

38:10 Birth Plans, Epidurals, and Letting Go of "Superwoman"

40:40 Where Comparison Really Starts

41:10 Fran's Jewelry Shop

43:10 Prayer Requests and Closing

🎨 Fabiola Garza spent 10+ years at Disney, then left it all to draw saints for kids. In this episode of The LIVing Room, she sits down with Liv Harrison to talk about hitting a creative plateau, the moment her side project outgrew her day job, and what it took to go full-time as the artist behind the beloved Princesses of Heaven children's book series.

They also get real about Catholic singleness over 30, why God promises himself and not a white picket fence, and Fabiola teases what's next. Including Catholic toys, Princesses of Heaven Vol. 2, and the long-awaited boys' saints book.

⭐️ Guest Bio

Fabiola Garza is a Catholic artist, author, and illustrator with over 10 years of experience at Disney in merchandise design. She is the creator of the Princesses of Heaven children's book series and has worked with publishers including Pauline Books & Media. Her work brings a Disney-trained eye for whimsy and storytelling to Catholic children's content.

🔗 Links

Connect with Fabiola Garza:

https://www.instagram.com/fabiolagarzacreates/

Follow Liv Harrison:

https://instagram.com/@livharrison

In This Episode

00:00 Why Whimsy Isn't Immaturity
04:08 How Imagination Became a Vocation
06:01 Holiness Over Catholic Check Marks
08:44 The JPII Book That Almost Didn't Happen
11:20 10 Years at Disney and the Creative Plateau
14:06 "When Are You Leaving Disney?"
17:20 Saying Yes to the Unknown
21:22 St. Therese, Rosary Walks, and Discernment
24:20 Playing Convent at the Playground
29:50 What the Church Gets Wrong About Singleness
33:40 "God Promises Himself, Not a Husband"
37:37 Toys, Princesses of Heaven Vol. 2, and the Boys' Book
42:50 Prayer Request