Seminary Dropout 96: Jen Hatmaker, America’s BFF Talks about Aging, Raising Kids, & Jesus in Her New Book ‘For the Love’

Jen Hatmaker’s conversation with Shane Blackshear on Seminary Dropout is less a promotional interview and more a calm, honest reflection on what it means to get older, raise kids, and resist the shame culture that tells women they need to do everything perfectly. Hatmaker, author of For the Love, speaks from decades of writing and parenting, and the episode’s practical wisdom comes from someone who has learned by failing, not by having it all figured out.

The slow, unglamorous process of finding your voice

Hatmaker describes her early writing career as invisible. She wrote her first book in 2004, and “a handful of us that just virtually nobody read.” That was not a setback; it was a gift. She learned how to edit, take criticism, and find her style during those years when no one was watching. By the time people started paying attention, she was standing on sturdy legs. The lesson is straightforward: the grinding, unread work is where you actually learn your craft. Hatmaker does not romanticize the struggle, but she treats it as essential. She quotes the Ira Glass principle about producing a lot of bad work before you get to the good stuff, and she applies it to herself without false modesty. The practical takeaway for anyone writing, speaking, or creating is to stop waiting for an audience and start doing the work that no one will see.