🎙️ She called it. In 2005, as a high schooler, Katie McGrady emailed her principal requesting they air the papal conclave on school TVs — and she correctly predicted Benedict XVI. Fast forward to 2026, and she was front row in Rome on a CNN panel when white smoke rose over the Sistine Chapel. No theology PhD required — just a lifelong obsession, a microphone, and a Cajun accent.

In this episode of The LIVing Room, Liv Harrison sits down with Katie to unpack the Catholic revival happening right now (those 139% conversion spikes aren't a fluke), why Gen Z is actually turning toward the Church, what it really means that we have an American Pope — and what parishes have to get right before this moment slips through their fingers. This one's for you if you love the Church and want to actually understand what's happening inside it right now.

Guest Bio:
Katie McGrady is a Catholic media personality and radio host based in Lake Charles, Louisiana, known for her work as a Vatican commentator and her on-air presence in Catholic broadcasting. She serves as a regular contributor for CNN and hosts a show on SiriusXM, where she has covered papal transitions including the elections of Benedict XVI and Leo XIV, the latter of which she reported on live from Rome. She and her husband Tommy co-host *Family Mass Prep* on the Hallow app and she recently launched a segment called *Call In the Converts* on The Katie McGrady Show. A lifelong Louisiana native, Katie has chosen to root her broadcasting career in her small hometown while maintaining connections to major media markets in New York and beyond.


In This Episode

00:00 Colors Done, Taxes Paid, and One Toilet Flush for NASA
02:20 The American Girl Book, an 8-Year-Old, and Impending Doom
05:15 Karma, Kids, and Bluey at Easter Mass
07:00 Two Catholic Kids and the NFP Judgment Olympics
09:30 Europe, Legoland, and the Grace of the Family of Four
11:45 Matt Maher, Spontaneous Concerts, and the Joy of a Small Family
13:30 Why Katie McGrady Has Not Left Lake Charles
16:00 Her Sister Entered the Convent — And She's It for Her Parents
18:20 Missing Ryan Gosling at SiriusXM (And Getting Andy Weir Instead)
20:00 "I've Been Vatican Influencing Since High School" — The Origin Story
22:30 Predicting Benedict XVI as a Teenager, and Getting the Call from CNN
24:45 Was She Surprised It Was an American Pope?
26:00 "He's Not Conflicting — He's Contrasting": Breaking Down Pope Leo XIV
28:30 The Catholic Revival Is Real — Here Are the Numbers
31:00 What Parishes Have to Do Before This Moment Slips Away
33:30 Hallow, Call In the Converts, and the Digital-to-Parish Pipeline
36:00 Bob from Chicago Is Still WhatsApp-ing People
38:30 AI, Human Wisdom, and the Moon Crater Named After Someone's Late Wife
42:30 Prayers for Big Transitions — and Sister LP Who Kept Her Initials
44:00 Big Cajun Hug Goodbye

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🥒 He got diagnosed with one of the rarest childhood liver cancers in the world — only 1 to 3 kids a year — and two months after his liver transplant, he's walking 1.5 miles a day and going viral for it.

Fitz (short for Fitzgerald, age 9) joins Liv Harrison in The LIVing Room for a conversation that will wreck you in the best way. They talk about what it's like to grow up in the hospital, how dark humor becomes a survival tool, and the miracle that happened on a runway when a better liver showed up right before the wrong one took off. If you're a parent, a caregiver, or anyone who's forgotten how to be brave — this one's for you.

Guest Bio:

Fitz (George Fitzgerald) is a 9-year-old content creator and positivity advocate from Houston, Texas. Diagnosed with a rare liver cancer affecting only 1–3 children per year, Fitz received a liver transplant and began documenting his journey online immediately after his diagnosis, quickly going viral. He now runs "Positive Pickle," a daily video series spreading encouragement and joy to viewers of all ages. His family and Liv's family are longtime best friends.

Chapter Markers

00:00 Green Donuts, Dr. Pepper, and the Guest Liv's Known Since the Womb

01:00 "My Name Is Fitz for Fitzgerald" — And Why That Became His Intro

02:00 The Hospital Is Basically His Second Home

03:00 Disney World, a Buffet, and Throwing Up Three Times Before the Characters Came

05:30 Dad Covered the Plate and Moved It — A Dad Move for the Ages

06:30 The ER, a Wrong Diagnosis, and Texas Children's Downtown

07:30 The Tumor Was Growing Like a Bomb — and They Had to Take the Whole Liver Out

08:30 Corn Dogs, Pink Throw Up, and Thinking He Just Had a Tummy Bug

09:30 McDonald's, Barely Three Chicken Nuggets, and a Stomach Like a Rock

11:00 Dark Humor as a Coping Strategy: "If You're Not Laughing, You're Crying"

12:00 Dr. Pepper With Aunt Liv and the Recap So Far

13:00 Yes or No on the Transplant — And the Miracle That Happened on a Runway

15:00 Two Months Post-Transplant, Walking 1.5 Miles a Day

16:30 How Fitz Stays Close to God Through All of This

18:00 Why He Started Making Videos — and What "Positive Pickle" Even Means

19:30 The Letter From a 20-Year Survivor and the Person Who Started Walking Again

21:00 Positive Tacos, Positive Potatoes, and the Future Career Plan

22:30 What to Say to a Kid Who Just Got a Cancer Diagnosis

23:30 It's Okay to Not Be Okay — "Ups and Downs Connect the Puzzle Pieces"

25:00 How to Pray for Fitz: Platelets, His Arm, and "Love the Liver"

🔔 Mary Lenaburg and her husband Jerry started reviewing Hallmark Christmas movies to honor their daughter Courtney, who was blind and loved the sound of bells. What began as Instagram Stories turned into a viral moment on Yahoo Entertainment with Candace Cameron Bure and Danica McKellar sliding into their DMs.

But this episode goes way deeper than movie reviews. Mary opens up about navigating perimenopause, healing from a seven-year pornography addiction in her marriage, and what intimacy actually looks like after 38 years together. This one's for you if you've ever felt like nobody talks honestly about what happens to your body, your marriage, and your faith after 40. Welcome to The LIVing Room with Liv Harrison.

Guest Bio:

Mary Lenaburg is a Catholic speaker, author, and mentor known for her candid teaching on marriage, grief, and midlife faith. She and her husband Jerry have been married for 38 years, and she cared for their daughter Courtney, who had severe disabilities, for 22 years until Courtney's passing in 2014. Mary speaks nationally at universities and parish events, and she and Jerry went viral on Yahoo Entertainment for their Hallmark movie reviews on Instagram. She lives in Fairfax, Virginia.

Chapter Markers
00:00 Virginia Snow, Texas Tornadoes, and Mother Nature's Hot Flash

01:45 Wait — Nobody Gave Us the Menopause Talk?

03:10 Hysterectomies, Catholic Sex Ed, and the Nun's Supply Drawer

05:00 Aunt Mary's Honest Guide to Perimenopause (She's Been Through It)

06:30 Finding the Right Doctor: Why Mary Now Sees a Menopause Specialist

07:45 Cortisol, Adrenal Support, and Healing Your Gut — Liv's Type 2 Diabetes Too

11:00 Nobody Talks About Midlife Intimacy — So Mary and Liv Will

12:30 Quality Over Quantity: Real Talk About Sex After 50

14:00 Porn Addiction, Trauma, and the Marriage God Restored — Mary Gets Vulnerable

16:30 "Things That Used to Live in Maine Now Live in New Mexico" — The Body Changes

18:30 Growing Old Together Is NOT the Notebook — It's Depends and Mushy Food

20:30 Mary's 85-Year-Old Mom Still Goes to Daily Mass — Aging as a Gift

23:00 The Titus 2 Woman: Reaching Back and Pulling Another Woman Forward

26:00 How a Hallmark Christmas Movie and a Daughter Named Courtney Started It All

29:00 Yahoo Entertainment, Danica McKellar DMs, and Going Viral in Their Late 50s

34:30 Candace Cameron Bure, Silver Bells, and Favorite Hallmark Films

38:30 Marriage Books, Theology of the Body, and What Actually Helps Couples

40:30 Praying for Mary: Her New Marriage Ministry and What God Is Stirring