The Problem With Perfect

The Surprising Thing that Reduces Deaths of Despair and Improves Overall Health

We all want to live longer and healthier lives. It's why we exercise, eat right and try to get enough sleep. But what if I told you this desire for healthy longevity should be another reason for regularly attending a faith service? This is precisely what a group of scientists recently concluded in a new article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). And what's even more surprising is what generation seems to be ahead of the curve on this revelation. Join us for a co...

How to Live Life with Resiliency: A Life Update With Matt May

For nearly half of his life, Matt May has been focused on ONE thing: becoming a teacher. Convinced by a special teacher in his life that he has something valuable to share with the world through his writings, Matt made it his life goal to share that passion and vision with others. Now a first-year English teacher and two-time cancer survivor, Matt is back on the podcast to update us on his life, hopes, and dreams for the future. With wisdom beyond his years, this episode is one that will leave y...

Are You Quietly Quitting On Your Work and Relationships?

Gen Z continues to shape how our society approaches all facets of life - including our work. Focused on maximizing their time connected to a deep purpose, this generation rejects the idea of going above and beyond in their careers. Instead, they've decided to do what they need to do at work and reserve their energy for the things that bring them the greatest joy. Is Gen Z on to something that other generations have been missing? Or are they entitled and unmotivated and quitting on life? Join us ...

Getting Over The "I'll Start Tomorrow" Mentality

We all have things we know we should start and stop - or start and stop again. Yet the fear of failure and the shame that comes with it keeps us stuck in old habits. Join us for this practical episode on how to embrace the change you start building habits to change your life.

5 Things I'd Never Say to Another Woman as a Former Perfectionist

Growing up we learned to sing how sticks and stones would break our bones but words would never harm us. As adults, we can see the good intentions behind this load of crap. Words - those said about us and those we say to ourselves - shape how we see and feel about ourselves. As recovering perfectionists, we know this all too well. So join us for this episode as we unpack five destructive things we were told and discuss why we'll never pass them along to the women in our lives....

How to Use 'Anti-Goals' to Figure Out What You Really Want

What is an anti- goal, you ask? Consider this: what is the one thing about your current job that you really dislike? The part of your job that if you never had to do it again would make you beam with excitement? Then imagine a day when you never had to do it and find a way to make it your reality. This is an anti-goal. Sometimes in life it’s easier to know what you don’t want than what you do, which is why anti-goals can be so helpful. Join us as we explore this intriguing idea and play it out i...

Do You Use Distraction to Not Feel Your Feelings?

Jesus told us that there would be no escaping the hardships of living here on this broken earth with broken people. Yet the pain, disappointment, and fear of day-to-day life can sometimes be more than we can handle. Instead of dealing with our emotions, we distract ourselves, numb ourselves and avoid them for as long as possible. How about you? Do you find yourselves doing anything and everything but dealing with your painful emotions? If so, you'll want to give this episode a listen and conside...

How to be Kind and Caring Even When we Disagree

Kindness Matters - or does it? In a country divided by everything from political parties to women's rights, and vaccinations - it's easy to find someone who doesn't see the world the way you do. What isn't so easy is showing them kindness. But why? Why is it so difficult to be kind and caring to people who don't share our values? Our opinions? In this episode, we discuss the science of caring - why we care about the people we do and why caring for others is so difficult - and the art of building...

Dreams Do Come True With Special Guests Rachel Bryan and Danelle Prevette

"If you build it, they will come" was made famous in the 1989 movie Field of Dreams. But it could just as easily be referring to The Toasty Goat coffee shop in Columbia, MO as a baseball diamond in the middle of a cornfield. Siblings Rachel and Nate, with their spouses Danelle and Josiah, dreamed of owning a place that was designed to connect their community with great coffee in an inviting and family friendly surrounding. Little did they know that when they opened their doors less than a year a...

Six Predictors of Long-Lasting Friendships

Good friends are good for our health but finding and maintaining friendships can be difficult. In this episode, we discuss a recent article on friendship and talk about all the likely (and unlikely) ways to make and keep life-giving friendships. Conversation based on The Six Forces of Friendship by Julie Beck, June 10, 2022: https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/06/six-ways-make-maintain-friends/661232/ Other Resources: https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-mindfulness-fri...

Midyear Check-up: Are You Making the Most of 2022?

They say time flies when you're having fun, but we think time flies no matter what! With 2022 now halfway behind us, it's a good time to consider if we are making the most of our year. How is your health? Physically, emotionally and spiritually? How are you doing toward reaching your goals? What could you do differently to end the year in a better place than you are today? Join us for this episode as we ask ourselves these questions and gently encourage ourselves (and you) to maximize the remain...

This is Your Sign to Foster a Dog

It's no secret - we LOVE dogs. We love how they can bring calm to the chaos; how they love us unconditionally and how they lift our spirits when they meet us at the door. But we are deeply saddened by the reality that hundreds of thousands of dogs are euthanized each year. This podcast explores the scientific reasons why dogs are good for our health, explains the current shelter situation in our country, and offers all kinds of ways that we all can do our part to improve it. Special Guest Jen Me...

How To Know it's Time to Move On

Most of know that feeling of being stuck- whether it’s in our routines, our jobs or relationships. But how do we know when it’s time to move on from these situations rather than stick them out? Join us for this practical episode about letting go and moving on.

What Dads Don't Tell You With Special Guest Tom May

Many of our problems with perfection begin with our family origin. We naturally seek pride and approval from our fathers; some of us spend our entire lives chasing it. But fatherhood isn't as easy as it looks - especially in 2022. Just ask Tom May - the husband of co-host, Robin May. Our special guest for this Fathers Day episode, Tom transparently talks about the struggles of fatherhood, offering insights into how we all can work to build more meaningful and healthy relationships with the fathe...

How to Help with Addictive Behaviors with Mental Health Professional Lauren Eisleben

The world around us is anything but predictable and the recent mass shootings have proven it once again. For many of us (or for someone we love), the chaos and pain of life drive us to numb the pain. Whether it is with drugs or alcohol, pornography, gaming or smartphones - many of us understand the toll that destructive behaviors can take on our physical, emotional, and spiritual health. In this episode, Therapist Lauren Eisleben joins us to discuss an innovative - and somewhat controversial - s...

How to Be Happier According to Science

Funny story: During Covid lockdown both of us signed up to take an online course from Yale about Happiness, but never completed it. Now that same course is the most utilized online course in history and we are still left wondering about the science of happiness. Resolved to get the nitty gritty of it all, Rachel did her own research on the course. Join us for this episode as we discuss her findings on the science of happiness and how it compares with our own experiences and yours. Sources: I Too...

What Is Evolving In Your Life? Here's 3 Signs

Seasons change and as they do, we grow older. But are we growing wiser? Becoming more interesting? Using our experiences to consider how to view the world around us? Join us for this episode as we discuss three simple ways we can evolve- enriching our lives and the lives of those around us. SHOW NOTES: Sources; Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience Book by Brené Brown

Myths About Females Lifting Weights With Brat Makes A Snack

Wellness influencer Brittany Voges of Brat Makes a Snack didn't know how to transition from a cardio junkie to a weightlifter - or if she would even benefit from doing so. She also didn't know how to automatically create healthy versions of her favorite foods or how to be an balance-lifestyle enthusiast. Motivated to maximize and enjoy both her food and fitness, Brittany's wellness journey has challenged her body and mind. As a result, Brittany found an inspirational balance that could be just w...

Why Work-Life Balance Is a Big Fat Lie

Do you find it difficult to separate your life from your work to achieve that illusive work-life balance? If you said yes, then you're in good company and this episode is for you. What if work-life balance is so difficult because it isn't the way God intended for us to view our work? Or our life? What if He meant for our work to be a part of our lives that honored Him and pointed to His finished work on the Cross? And if this is true, what would that mean for our sense of purpose and the stress ...

This Is Your Sign to Schedule Your Next Girls Night

Want a tip to live a longer, healthier life? No, we're not talking about diet and exercise - but about connecting deeply with other people. It might sound too good to be true, but scientists have found that connection with others helps relieve harmful levels of stress, which can adversely affect coronary arteries, gut function, insulin regulation, and the immune system. It turns out that regularly making time for friends is good for the mind and the body - which is why we're dedicating this epis...

How to Fight Fair

Mental Spring Cleaning | 3 Mindsets to Throw Out

We all recognize when our closets and drawers are so full of clothes that we can't fit any new ones in them. But do we recognize that same phenomenon when it comes to our minds and the thoughts that fill them? Some of our old clothes don't fit us any longer. Others are out of style while many are just worn out. All of them need to be thrown out. The same can be true with our thoughts. Ready to rid yourself of mindsets that don't serve you to make room for ones that help you find greater contentm...

How to Live with the End in Mind

The book of Ecclesiastes says there is a time for everything under the sun; a time to be born and a time to die. Instinctively, we all know this to be true - yet we are much more comfortable with birth than we are with death. But what if we lived every day with the end in mind? What if we thoughtfully considered what we wanted to experience in life and then made a plan to accomplish it? Meet Darrin Young, a longtime friend of Robin, who has done just that. With his life expectancy calculated to ...

Are You Addicted to Drama?

Most of us know drama when we see it, but do we see it when we are in the middle of it? Robert Palmer got rich singing that we might as well face it that we're addicted to love, but who is checking ourselves when it comes to drama. The least recognized addiction in our society, the addiction to drama is worth exploring - evaluating our own tendencies and how they impact our relationships. Join us as we ask ourselves, "Are we addicted to drama?"

Why Your Female Friendships Change So Much in Your 20s

When Doctors Don't Have Answers With COMO Wellness Founder Erin Brown

Erin Brown's life changed in an instant. One minute she was basking in the joy of bringing her newborn home from the hospital. The next minute she felt like she might be dying. What happened next was a months long search for answers that left her feeling lonely and hopeless. The journey eventually led her to question her mental health, as well as her faith. But it also led her to a physician that introduced Erin to root cause medicine - and an answer to the reason for her life-alterating symptom...

Rethinking What You Want From Life

Last week the Wall Street Journal printed an editorial about how millennials are rethinking their lives - and it got us to thinking. How are we thinking about what we really want rather than what the world tells us will make us happy? And if we know what would make us happy, what keeps us from doing it? In this episode, we discuss how fear and faith can be present together and lead us into finding deeper contentment for our lives. Discussion spurred by this article: wsj.com/articles/my-millennia...

Haters Gonna Hate | Why It's So Easy to Be Judgemental

Imagine being 26 years old and having the entire world scrutinize your every move. Imagine every where you go, every one you meet has an opinion on your life- what kind of wife you’ll be, what kind of mother you are and what values you hold. This is Brittany Matthews’ reality. Once she and her boyfriend, Patrick Mahomes, lived a simple life in Texas. Now he’s her fiancé, father of her child and one of the highest paid athletes in the world. And now their life is anything but simple. But what is ...

Why Choosing Sobriety Might Make Sense

Eat organic. Watch your calories. Count your steps. Exercise and exercise some more. Then drink the benefits away at the bar. With the ever-increasing focus on wellness in our culture, the fascination with alcohol consumption is becoming more and more counter-intuitive. This "sober curious" movement is growing in popularity, largely due to improved sleep, weight loss and increased productivity people are experiencing. Join us as Lindsey Schwartz shares her experience with evaluating how alcohol ...

How to Not Be So Easily Offended

Ever wonder if you're overly sensitive to unwanted feedback or if you're just surrounded by more than your share of insensitive people? If so, then this episode is for you. Join us for this conversation as we discuss why we are easily offended, how it derails our relationships and mental health and how to get a grasp on it and move forward more constructively.