Road Tripping with Jen + Tyler Merritt: On Grief, Midlife, Creativity, and the Stories That Save Us

About this sermon

In this special Road Tripping episode, Jen invites her partner, actor/activist/author Tyler Merritt, to join her live after a last-minute schedule pivot. What unfolds is a night of honesty, hilarity, vulnerability, and deep connection. Jen reads two scenes from Awake—one from the earliest days of shock and grief, and one from the chaotic, hilarious adventure of dating again at midlife. She shares the moment her body finally allowed her to grieve, the unexpected relief that followed, and how storytelling helped rebuild her life from the inside out. Tyler joins her onstage and opens up about his own journey: discovering creativity as a kid in a sports household, what midlife has taught him, how his rare cancer diagnosis reshaped his priorities, and how their love story began on a night in New York City neither saw coming. Together, they talk candidly about walking through illness, finding joy even in hard seasons, and why Awake speaks to all genders—not just women. Tender, funny, surprising, and deeply human, this conversation is a reminder that grief can crack us open in ways that eventually let the light back in. Thought-Provoking Quotes: • “My body bypassed my mind and gave itself the gift of grief.” — Jen Hatmaker (Awake) • “If creativity is in you, you can’t get rid of it. It will find its way out.” — Tyler Merritt • “Middle age shortens your alphabet — you just have fewer Fs to give.” — Tyler Merritt • “You don’t just get my story of cancer — you get yours, because you chose to love me.” — Tyler Merritt • “Some of the hardest things you’ve ever been through? You made it. You’re still here.” — Tyler Merritt Resources Mentioned in This Episode: ➢ Awake: A Memoir by Jen Hatmaker - https://amzn.to/4rjitZ7 ➢ This Changes Everything: A Surprisingly Funny Story About Race, Cancer, Faith, and Other Things We Don’t Talk About by Tyler Merritt – https://amzn.to/4ilNtnh ➢ Simple Habit meditation app (referenced in the grief scene) - https://www.simplehabit.com/ ➢ Corey Muscara (meditation guide Jen listened to) – https://corymuscara.com/ ➢ The Tyler Merritt Project – https://thetylermerrittproject.com/ ➢ Waitress: The Musical (where Jen and Tyler first met) – https://waitressthemusical.com/ Guest’s Links: Website – https://thetylermerrittproject.com/ Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/thetylermerrittproject/ Twitter – https://x.com/ttmproject Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thetylermerrittproject YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPB48_JfK-VMnYQPTYyMX5Q Connect with Jen! Jen’s Website – https://jenhatmaker.com/ Jen’s Instagram – https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker Jen’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/ Jen’s Facebook – https://facebook.com/jenhatmaker Jen’s YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker The For the Love Podcast is presented by Audacy.

Topics

• Suffering & Trials