Though I didn’t have a five-timers jacket to send them, the guests on today’s show have all been on DMA at least 5 times (some have been on double that amount!). As we celebrate ten years of the podcast we wanted to acknowledge the voices I turn to again and again for support in parenting and life. Trustworthy and encouraging, their episodes are full of hope and help so we don’t mom alone (see what I did there? ;) ). Connect with: David Thomas and Sissy Goff Website: https://www.raisingboysandgi...
Oct 23, 2023•44 min
How do you quantify 10 years of mom-ing together? Let’s start with what I want to make sure you don’t miss. As we inch closer to 500 episodes, I selected clips from 5 episodes over the years for us to listen to together this week. Some have been transformational for me, all get to the heart of the message I want you to hear as a mom - you’re in the right spot and God is lavishing his love over you as your work to pass on your faith, to really see what your kids need, to release the shame you car...
Oct 16, 2023•47 min
What hats do you wear? We’ve all heard the phrase “She wears many hats.” Maybe we’ve said it about ourselves or others. But do you know what is constant in this word picture about one person performing many roles? The head that the hats sit on. It’s such a simple concept - we remain the same in each job we do or season we’re in. But it isn’t simple at all, is it? If we think of our identity as the hat rather than the person wearing the hat, we’ll continually be shifting, trying to keep up. So ho...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 3 min
It’s mum time in Texas, y’all! Both the colorful garden flowers and the personalized faux floral and ribbon creations seen at Texas homecoming football games. Get sidetracked with Cynthia and me this week as we decode what the kids are saying these days, design our own mums, and talk about the hard things life has thrown at us lately. We discuss the trap of comparison and we finally stop searching for the elusive Conflict-Free Sibling Zone but instead help our kids learn reconciliation. Connect ...
Oct 06, 2023•46 min
What is our role in our children’s salvation? It’s easy to hope in a formulaic approach for our kids’ salvation - to think if we just pray and have the family bible studies we’re guaranteed our kids will make an early decision to follow Jesus. But what about when they don’t? How do we stay “ok” when our kids are choosing the things we wouldn’t choose for them? How do we trust in God’s relentless but gentle pursuit of our kids when we don’t see any evidence of it? My guest this week, Vela Tomba, ...
Oct 02, 2023•46 min
What is your ministry? Of course, motherhood is its own type of ministry, but did you envision something else as your “ministry”? Whether you had plans you’ve set aside or not, working at something you’re passionate about outside of your home can quite the challenge. My guests this week are Angel Ricchuiti and Brittany Turner. Both are moms of 4 and both want to use their giftings and experience to serve Christ. Our conversation explores the tension between caring for children and doing ministry...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Admit it, you’ve seen a girl somewhere and thought, “I can’t believe her mother let her out of the house wearing that.” But if you’ve parented a teenage girl, you know it’s just not that simple. How can we connect with our daughters and let them know we’re on their side even if we are not on board with certain trends or styles? My guest this week is author, speaker, and mother of four girls, Kari Kampakis. She has walked the road of countless clothing conversations with her girls. She gives prac...
Sep 18, 2023•51 min
What would you do if your kid told you they saw porn? What would you do if you discovered porn on your child’s device? My guest this week is mom and founder of NextTalk, Mandy Majors. Her daughter was exposed to pornography at age 9 at school and she didn’t see it on a cell phone. That was a wake-up call moment for Mandy and she made it her goal to teach other parents how to talk through the quickly changing digital world. Fast forward 10 years and NextTalk is spreading the message of fostering ...
Sep 11, 2023•51 min
Who do you call when it feels like your world is falling apart? Do you share your struggles with trusted friends or is it hard to open up about what is going on in your life? Toward the end of her first marriage Kristen Glass broke a habit she’d had for years - struggling silently. For years she suffered alone, carrying shame for her actions and circumstances that left her feeling condemned and isolated. All that changed one weekend in Utah when she found the courage to tell a friend her story. ...
Sep 04, 2023•55 min
Is Back-to-School time a mini fresh-start for you? With all the fresh supplies we get a chance to think again about who we want to be and what our daily life can look like. Get sidetracked with Cynthia and me this week as we discuss rhythms we are creating for the fall. Cynthia discovers AI and we talk habits, opening our homes for connection, scrapbooking for our younger selves, and new business ventures! Connect with Cynthia Yanof: Website: https://cynthiayanof.com/ Facebook: https://www.faceb...
Sep 01, 2023•43 min
Maybe you’ve wondered if you are addicted to your phone? Or if your kids are addicted to their devices? Is addicted the right word to use? Between work and school and life it is nearly impossible to live without some screen interaction, but what if we could change our relationship with our screens? What if they are not something we are powerless against, but something we can put in their proper places? My guest this week is dad and entrepreneur, Joey Odom. His own missed moments as a dad served ...
Aug 28, 2023•43 min
What are your digital fears? What are the things you are afraid will happen if your child interacts with technology regularly? We all have digital fears to varying degrees, but anxiety isn’t our friend when it comes to strategies to keep our kids safe in the digital landscape. My guest this week is CPA turned tech expert Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes, an organization devoted to keeping kids safe in digital spaces. Chris has a great set of tools to help us protect our kids in their...
Aug 21, 2023•50 min
We’re baaaaaack! How was your summer? Maybe you're like us...a little laughing, crying and even vacation freak-outs. Around here you're never alone. Listen in for a fun conversation with our friend Cynthia Yanof as we chat about summer adventures and the transition to Fall. We’re talking about expectations as moms. How sometimes things turn out better than expected and other times we grieve the loss of what we thought would be. We discuss surrendering long-held family traditions to embrace what ...
Aug 18, 2023•39 min
What helped you feel ready for a new school year as a kid? All the supplies purchased and organized? The perfect first-day outfit? What helps you feel ready for school now, as a mom? How can you advocate for your kids and support their teachers? My guest this week is Dallas-based therapist and speaker Dr. Kelly Jameson. She shares a great set of tools to help us advocate for our children and interact well with teachers and school staff. She also shares her wisdom and experience on how to parent ...
Aug 14, 2023•50 min
What percentage of the anxiety you feel comes from parenting? We are often most anxious about the things we care most about. That is normal! We love our kids and want to nurture and protect them, but we know anxiety isn’t helping us. My guest this week is counselor and parenting expert Sissy Goff. Her new book, The Worry-Free Parent, is designed to help us recognize how anxiety makes its way into our everyday lives, process it in healthy ways rather than passing it along to our kids, and connect...
Aug 07, 2023•45 min
Have you felt that you’ve lost a part of yourself since having children? Maybe even “lots of” or “all” the parts? Motherhood changes us - and it should - but we need to consider our own emotional health and well-being just as important as that of our kids. My guest this week, mom, and author Alli Worthington, encourages us to be set free from mom-guilt by dropping some common “good mom”-myths. She invites us into confident motherhood where we can love our kids sacrificially and still stay attune...
Jul 31, 2023•47 min
How do you give your kids independence? At what stage do you let kids try and fail? At the heart of parenting is this job: to give our kids the skills they need to live without us. We know that and we still might spend hours in their rooms trying to help them get to sleep or keeping up with their gym clothes or assignments. We bring our own fears or suppositions about the future to bear on their freedoms. Sometimes this is wise, but sometimes we must stop and watch what God is doing in their liv...
Jul 24, 2023•37 min
How do you connect with your spouse? And how often? It’s easy for us to get busy parenting and adulting and then take our marriage relationship for granted. We may think we’ll focus on it when things slow down or the kids aren’t so needy, but actually, a healthy marriage is a great help to our kids. We’re taking time this summer (as usual) to be mentored by an experienced mom and benefit from her wisdom. Bonus! My guest for these 6 weeks is both wise AND funny. Join me for conversations with wif...
Jul 17, 2023•42 min
What do you do when your kids are a little sassier than necessary? How do you respond? Can we shape their responses? When does it really matter? To answer those questions we need both perspective and wisdom. We’re taking time this summer (as usual) to be mentored by an experienced mom and benefit from her wisdom. Bonus! My guest for these 6 weeks is both wise AND funny. Join me for conversations with wife, mom, author, and podcaster Cynthia Yanof. We’ll answer some listener questions, share our ...
Jul 10, 2023•31 min
Who are your close friends? What do you do to cultivate friendships in your life? Friendship as an adult can feel like we’re unicorn-hunting, clinging to some childhood ideal or tv show standard. But real life friendship requires risk and it can come and go in seasons. And it is so worth it. We’re taking time this summer (as usual) to be mentored by an experienced mom and benefit from her wisdom. Bonus! My guest for these 6 weeks is both wise AND funny. Join me for conversations with wife, mom, ...
Jul 03, 2023•41 min
What do you feel when your child is struggling? How do you decide when to step in? Whether it's fighting for your attention from a new baby or struggling with a new skill there are times for us to intervene and there are times for us to let our kids be uncomfortable. Yes, because we’re limited, but also because, as our summer of mentorship guest puts it, “If I want to raise kids that can stand alone, then I've gotta let them.” We’re taking time this summer (as usual) to be mentored by an experie...
Jun 26, 2023•35 min
12What do you do when your kid lies? What about when your kid doesn’t make the team? Is this your failure or theirs…or is it something else? We’re taking time this summer (as usual) to be mentored by an experienced mom and benefit from her wisdom. Bonus! My guest for these 6 weeks is both wise AND funny. Join me for conversations with wife, mom, author, and podcaster Cynthia Yanof. We’ll answer some listener questions, share our experiences, and laugh a lot. Connect with Cynthia Yanof: Website: ...
Jun 19, 2023•40 min
How does your child’s behavior reflect on you? That’s a trick question - it doesn’t. But it’s easy for us to feel that it does. Parenting a neurodivergent child can heighten those feelings of guilt or shame when our child doesn’t behave in an expected way or when traditional forms of discipline or parenting simply don’t work. Pile on top of that everyone’s summer activity and vacation social media posts and you might be tempted to believe the lie that your family is less than somehow, or always ...
Jun 12, 2023•53 min
If your God-given assignment is to work outside of your home or the WFH life, how do you manage the schedules and responsibilities and feelings that accompany those places? Mothering well is always hard - whether you work outside of the home or not. But moms who do work outside the home can feel a particular kind of difficulty caught between wanting to be the best mom and the best at work. My guest this week, Diane Paddison, gives us great encouragement and insight. As a single mom on a global e...
Jun 05, 2023•53 min
What do you feel when you hear, “It’s summertime”? Dread? Excitement? Anxiety? All three? No matter how many summers you’ve been mom-ing it’s the same - there will be fun and boredom, magical moments and fighting and we’ll be tired of it and wish it wouldn’t end. Join me this week as we talk about how to ENJOY summer, navigate sibling conflict, and much more. Clips from these original episodes: Summer (& Sibling) Survival Guide :: Kirk Martin [Ep 77] Summer Strategies :: Laura and Courtney [...
May 29, 2023•58 min
What are your patterns of prayer? Has it been hard for you to fall into a rhythm of prayer? We know that prayer matters and works. It changes us, it opens our eyes to where God is at work around us. We want to pray for our kids, for ourselves, for others we love - why does it feel so difficult to jump in? My guest this week is Natasha Miller, The Praying Mama, and our conversation is full of encouragement for your prayer life. Through her own journey into connection with the Lord through prayer,...
May 22, 2023•42 min
What’s The Thing you knew that you couldn’t talk to your parents about when you were growing up? Emotions you had or mistakes you made? As moms we want to connect with our kids, we want to be their source of truth and guidance as they grow, but how do we cultivate that sort of connection and trust? My guest this week, mom and author Kristen Hatton, helps us set the stage for walking alongside our kids through the tween and teen years (and beyond!). Her new book, Parenting Ahead, helps you evalua...
May 15, 2023•41 min
What do modern manners look like? Manners are simply social behaviors or habits - you can have good ones or you can have bad ones. But it's been 101 years since Emily Post first published her book on manners and etiquette and it only seems as though lately we, as a society, have regressed in our social behaviors. My guest this week, Lee Cordon, has long felt called to make an impact on this generation and the next, to help people be gracious in all they do, say, and give. Sure, manners include w...
May 08, 2023•53 min
What is a place you’d rather not go? One that sounds nearly unbearable. The DMV? The school pick-up line? What about going into a serious medical diagnosis or a financial crisis? Following Jesus is no safeguard against difficulty in life. God may give you an assignment that feels impossible and overwhelming. That is where my guest this week, mom and author/speaker Cari Trotter, found herself in early 2021. But what Cari also found in those hellish months following a difficult diagnosis echoed wh...
May 01, 2023•49 min
Have you ever seen a “magic towel” that swells and “grows” when you put it in water? Have you shrunk a shirt in the laundry? At different times in our lives God assigns us a space that we have to shrink or swell to occupy. This could mean giving up beloved roles, or taking on responsibilities we don’t want. How do we respond when we find ourselves in these situations? My guest this week is Courtney Defeo. At God’s leading she stepped back from a high-profile career and dreams of being a CEO so h...
Apr 24, 2023•49 min
