Thank you for tuning into this special episode! A story: I am sharing something I have never documented publicly! It is my story of going from being a 40-year old, full-time homeschool mom (with a newborn!), to blogging, writing books, creating courses, and hosting a podcast! There are a few sentimental moments tucked in there, as well as some heartfelt encouragement for everyone listening. An announcement: I am also announcing that after SIX YEARS of podcasting (every week of the year!) I am pl...
May 28, 2025•23 min
The teenage years can be an emotional roller coaster in your kids’ lives. It can be hard to watch our teens face difficulties, insecurities, temptations, and crossroads when they must make big decisions. Unfortunately, there are limits to what we can do for our teens. But fortunately, there are never any limits to what we can PRAY – and what God can do! My friend, Brooke McGlothlin is back with us today to talk about praying for our teen boys. (Though I believe most of this conversation will app...
May 21, 2025•39 min
As we near summertime, we look forward to so many things! Perhaps less stress and more downtime…slowing down, and maybe sleeping in even! Yet, summer is also a great time to work on healthy family habits: Chores, *Character Training, and a daily quiet time with the Lord! I receive a lot of questions about kids and devotions…when did my kids start, what did that look like, and do I have devotionals that I recommend? Today, my oldest son, Josiah, joins me to talk about all of these things. Josiah ...
May 17, 2025•41 min
Today I like to imagine I am gathered with all of you moms for a big group hug and some sincere encouragement. I wish you all a happy Mother’s Day (week) and I want you to know how valuable and precious you are as a mom! Today also marks the one-year birthday of my book, “Becoming Homeschoolers”. To celebrate all these things, I decided to read a short excerpt from the book…specifically the part about “How we started” homeschooling. For those of you who homeschool, I hope you are encouraged toda...
May 07, 2025•16 min
Welcome to the final week of this spring series on Women’s Wellness topics! Today, Leanne Benson flips the mic to interview ME to talk about my personal wellness journey. We gathered questions that many of you sent in via email and Instagram, and we’re covering a great range of topics! Leanne opens with a chat about my book, The Secret of Your Naturally Skinny Friends, as Leanne calls it “the last diet book you’ll ever read!” J. Leanne asks how my approach to diet and nutrition has changed over ...
Apr 30, 2025•39 min
Welcome to the fourth week of this spring series on Women’s Wellness topics! Today, Jessica Smartt joins me to chat about women’s fitness; specifically, walking and running…for physical and mental health, in every season! Jessica and I have been online friends for years, but we met IRL (and went running together!) a couple years ago in North Carolina! Since then, we have enjoyed chatting, not just about family, homeschool, and writing, but also about all things fitness! Jessica is a few years yo...
Apr 23, 2025•32 min
Welcome to the third week of this spring series on Women’s Wellness topics! Today, my friend and fellow-running enthusiast (as well as running podcaster!) Lindsey Hein joins me for a fun, girlfriend chat about the hot topic of fitness trackers. From the Garmin to Fitbits, Apple Watches, the Oura Ring, and the Whoop, there are a lot of options out there! And today, Lindsey and I are sharing from our own experience using, avoiding, and ultimately finding a happy balance with trackers! Fitness trac...
Apr 16, 2025•35 min
The supplement industry can be overwhelming and confusing. How do you know who or what to trust? If you eat healthy, is that enough? This is a topic on a lot of women's minds, especially as they age and want to take care of their muscle and hormone health! Today’s guest, David Block, has an amazing personal story which led him to found Previnex, a top-of-the-industry supplement company that has the highest standards for their products. In today’s episode, David answers a bunch of my questions ab...
Apr 09, 2025•46 min
There is more and more information coming out related to women’s health (aren’t you glad!?) but it’s easy to get overwhelmed. There are a lot of voices out there, and it’s hard to know who to trust. Today’s guest is here to help! Dr. Anna Cabeca, the “Girlfriend Doctor” is a triple-board certified Ob/gynecologist who has an amazing story of personal trauma leading to her own early-onset menopause…then a journey around the world where she found a more holistic way to approach (women’s) health and...
Apr 02, 2025•51 min
Somehow the word "entitlement" has grown to represent children in America today. It's not entirely new -- Kids are selfish by nature, yet the culture we are raising them in reinforces a spirit of entitlement. Yet, we are not without hope! And you are not alone! Join Steph Thurling - Executive Director at Christian Parenting, and host of the Christian Parenting Podcast – and I as we talk about ways to cultivate gratitude and fight entitlement in kids, young and old alike! From family prayer ideas...
Mar 26, 2025•39 min
Listener-favorite guest, (my son) Luke Swanson joins us for a fun and inspiring conversation about the character quality of self-discipline. Invite your kids to join you as Luke shares some of the ways he grew up to learn (and eventually appreciate!) self-discipline, and how he has grown to cultivate discipline in his own life. Luke and I highlight Bible verses that inspire discipline and Luke shares stories from his competitive surf life that have helped him embrace discipline. He also points t...
Mar 19, 2025•35 min
When my friend, Greta Eskridge, told me she was working on a book called, “It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids about P*rn”, I told her I’d be her biggest fan. I’ve been waiting for someone I trust to cover this topic, and wow – Greta did an outstanding job! Today on the podcast Greta gives us a sneak peek into her story, and offers practical advice from the work she has done on this topic. In this conversation, Greta tells us the difficult story of how she became an “unexpected p*rn fighter”, and wha...
Mar 12, 2025•39 min
One of my greatest privileges as an author has been to get to visit Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs (twice!) for a radio and podcast interview. Touring the facility, learning more about all of the amazing family-building ministries at work, and being interviewed by Jim Daly only deepened my respect for Focus on the Family! I was sent home from my last interview with a little goodie bag, including the book: “Finding Home” by Jim Daly. I knew Jim had a grown up with many difficulties, so I...
Mar 05, 2025•38 min
I often encourage women to find a mentor to encourage, challenge, and inspire you in your womanhood journey. Today’s guest, Rhonda Stoppe, is someone I consider a virtual mentor, and I am SO excited to share her with you all. (Again! She’s been on the podcast twice before. ) This is a fun episode because Rhonda actually invited ME on to her podcast (“Old Ladies Know Stuff” – isn’t that the best podcast title?) to talk about an article I wrote called “7 Attitudes that Will Sabotage Your Marriage,...
Feb 26, 2025•57 min
*I am re-sharing this episode with JP Pokluda as it was a favorite on the podcast and it is a perfect fit for my Feb. 2025 series on all things Love and Marriage! Hope you enjoy! Dating has never been simple (who remembers?!) but today it is more complicated than ever. The world offers all kinds of mixed messages to young adults and teenagers and our Christian culture isn’t giving a lot of alternatives. In such crazy times our kids need a voice of reason and a lot of Biblical wisdom to help them...
Feb 19, 2025•42 min
As we continue in this February series of all things “Love and Marriage” on the podcast, I am thrilled to share one of my favorite people with you. Arlene Pellicane is funny and smart, and her most recent book, “Making Marriage Easier” is a must-read! Many people today are pessimistic about marriage. Some of the data about divorce rates can be downright discouraging. However, research tells us that the happiest people on the planet are those in healthy marriages! In this episode Arlene walks us ...
Feb 12, 2025•45 min
We are kicking off a full month of “love and marriage” on the podcast with a beautiful, honest, and inspiring conversation with Rebecca St. James and her husband, Cubbie Fink. Rebecca and Cubbie just released a new book, “Lasting Ever: Faith, music, family, and being found by true love” and in today’s episode you will get a sneak peek into their story and their deep faith. Last fall I loved watching the movie, “Unsung Hero”, which depicted the early years of Rebecca St. James’s family life and m...
Feb 05, 2025•41 min
Last year I finally discovered a name for the very real experience I've had, well, pretty much every year since I can remember. It hits when the holidays are over, and summer break seems like an eternity away...When life feels one part exhausting and one part super boring. It’s often rainy and cold, (at least where I grew up, and sometimes even in Hawaii!) the house tends to be a bit extra cluttered (spring cleaning hasn’t happened yet.) I typically want to quit homeschooling, New Years resoluti...
Jan 29, 2025•29 min
How has it taken me so long to get to a topic that I am SO passionate about? I am beyond excited to open up the conversation of kids’ health with my friend, Katie Kimball (of Kitchen Stewardship and Kids Cook Real Food.) Katie is an author, podcaster, and Ted Talk Speaker. She loves to encourage parents to introduce their kids to a wide variety of foods, teach kids about nutrition, and get kids in the kitchen to cook real food! In today’s conversation, Katie shares some eye-opening statistics ab...
Jan 22, 2025•47 min
Hey Friends! We’re still working our way into this new year (that’s ok, right?) and today I am sharing straight from my honest life about 8 things I’m currently working on to make 2025 the very best year possible. I’m keeping this super real and raw, and hoping you feel like we’re chatting over coffee (or in beach chairs, if you come to my neck of the woods!) The first four our indeed health related (it is New Years after all!) but I also touch on parenting topics (fresh chore charts anyone?) as...
Jan 15, 2025•27 min
Monica Swanson, author of Boy Mom and Raising Amazing, and blogger at monicaswanson.com, shares encouragement and inspiration for raising amazing kids and building strong families. Monica shares practical advice and biblical wisdom through honest conversations, interviews with experts, and light-hearted humor. The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianP...
Jan 14, 2025•3 min
We are still chatting New Years around here, and this podcast episode is one I don’t want you to miss! My friend, Jeannie Cunnion, is with us to talk about how we can pursue God’s personal presence this year…and the good news is: It’s not about OUR performance, because He is already pursuing us! Jeannie and I chat about her recent trip to Hawaii, her journey to being an author, and how God helped her overcome a works-based mindset to discover His amazing love and grace! Jeannie has such a humble...
Jan 08, 2025•43 min
Happy New Year!! Today we get to kick off the New Year with an inspiring (and funny as always!) chat with Bob Goff. Bob is sharing the heart of his brand new book, Catching Whimsy: 365 Days of Possibility, and how it applies to all of us – no matter how normal and routine our lives may seem! Bob is a master story teller, yet manages to weave spiritual truths and wisdom nuggets into everything he does. If you’ve got some hurt, or need a fresh perspective on your circumstances, tune in and be enco...
Jan 01, 2025•39 min
Mele Kalikimaka! Merry Christmas from Hawaii! Whether you catch this on Christmas day (I’m so honored!) or a bit later, in this episode you will find some fun facts regarding that strange week between Christmas and New Years, as well as THREE THINGS I suggest we all do before the New Year begins! I’m keeping this short and sweet, but I think the tips in this episode will prepare you well for an intentional, faith-filled start to your new year. Find show notes with the three tips as well as the S...
Dec 25, 2024•15 min
We are officially one week away from Christmas! This is a replay from a fun “date-night” style episode my husband Dave and I shared a few days before Christmas in 2023. Dave and I are passing along wisdom we have gleaned over 29 Christmases together, most with a house full of boys. You'll find some important “do’s” as well as a few “don’t”’s! Hopefully a few will be encouraging reminders and a few will make you laugh. We imagine some of you might listen together with your spouse while wrapping g...
Dec 18, 2024•31 min
If you’ve ever let the stress of the season steal the JOY of the season, you know what inspired this episode. I’ve been there, and I don’t want to go back! Today’s episode is all about facing the reality of the holiday season with intentionality, and ending it with no regrets! Today I share five very simple and do-able tips that will decrease our stress, and help us be more present, patient, and peaceful this season. Hoping you can catch this while running errands, wrapping presents, or folding ...
Dec 11, 2024•15 min
Did you know that you were created for delight? It’s true! Though, if you are not feeling the fullness of that right about now you are not alone. We live in a fallen world and life can feel complicated and hard. Sometimes even turning to the Bible can feel like another task on our to-do list. Most of us don’t like to admit these things, especially in the midst of what is supposed to be the happiest season of all. (right?) Today’s guest, Asheritah Ciuciu, is no stranger to this reality. After a s...
Dec 04, 2024•42 min
I am so excited to officially kick of the holiday season here on the podcast with this incredibly practical and fun conversation! Krista Gilbert is an executive and personal life coach who helps people and companies “design a life they love” (how cool is that!?) She’s also a personal friend who I enjoy and respect so much! In this conversation Krista and I talk about the realities of the holidays: They are magical and wonderful but can also be tricky. Expectations sneak in, things don’t always g...
Nov 27, 2024•49 min
We all know there is no formula for good motherhood (bummer!) Yet, the Bible does offer plenty of wisdom to help us navigate well. By understanding the gospel story and considering how God has made each of our families uniquely, Christian moms have access to the very best guide. Every day, moms must make decisions...so many decisions! The Bible has clear guidelines for some, but others are less clear and require wisdom and discernment. Today, Emily Jensen, co-founder of Risen Motherhood, joins u...
Nov 20, 2024•34 min
If you’ve been a mom for more than a minute, you have dealt with difficult emotions. Destructive mommy anger has been one of the hardest issues for me personally, and I am so grateful for God’s grace in offering me forgiveness, grace, and a new way to parent. Now I am passionate about helping other moms overcome the cycle of overwhelm, anger, and guilt. Today’s guest, Natalie Hixson shares my passion, and has dedicated the past 8 years to coaching moms who struggle with anger. In today’s episode...
Nov 13, 2024•41 min
