How are you doing? 
Honestly.
What is the pace of your day? What do you long for and feel you are missing out on? What activities have you crammed in your life out of a “should” mentality? When do you focus on your spiritual life?

Today we are getting honest about our lives. And discussing ways to deepen relationships, simplify schedules, and connect spiritually.
This week’s podcast guest is the talented, Shauna Niequist. Author of several books (“Cold Tangerines”, “Bread and Wine”, etc), she has a new devotional available called, “Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Are”.

If you are longing for friends you can share vulnerably with, Shauna offers a simple plan.
If you struggle with the concept of slowing down and “savoring”, we discuss our own struggle and practical ways to start. If you want to expand your spiritual life beyond time alone with your Bible, then Shauna paints a beautiful picture of what that can look like.
Shauna dishes out oodles of wise words. Enjoy!

Connect with Shauna Niequist: 

Links Mentioned:  

Cheddar Sage Shepherd’s Pie–switch out the sage for thyme and extra cheddar

Related Episodes:

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What do you think of when you hear the phrase “college tuition”? Does your heart rate speed up? 

Sending a child to college is the culmination of a lot of effort. It’s emotional and there are a lot of logistics to manage. In this hands-on, information-packed conversation Kristi and I cover the basics of applying for financial aid for college. We talk through deadlines and how-to’s to help relieve some of the logistical stress of sending a child to college.  

Connect with Kristi Steele: 

• Website:  https://www.kc360.co/ 

Links Mentioned:  

Federal Student Aid 

Kristi’s The College Project  

Lunch and Learn: A Deeper Dive Into Financial Aid and Scholarships: November 27, 11:00am CST (Webinar will be recorded and recording sent to all who register)

 Related Episodes:

• Work of Worth :: Kristi Griem [Ep 39]

Featured Sponsors: 

Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 

What are two words to describe your mind when your head hits the pillow most nights? 

The quiet space before sleep can be our most vulnerable moments. Whether it’s to-do’s or dredging up memories from the past, our thoughts can feel overwhelming. If we let our mind spiral we’re sacrificing the rest God intends us to enjoy. But my guest this week, Emily Ley has some bedtime rituals that can help us stop the spiraling. Crafted to help herself with the nighttime barrage of thoughts, Emily’s simple routines and reminders can set you on a path to the peace that comes, not from an easy life, but from an abiding trust in God. 

Emily is a mom of three, a best-selling author, and the founder of organizational products and tools company, Simplified.   

Connect with Emily Ley: 

Links Mentioned:  

The Simplified Planner Heather uses

Raising Them Ready: Practical Ways to Prepare Your Kids for Life on Their Own by Jonathan and Erica Catherman  

Sure as the Sunrise: 100 Morning Meditations on God’s Mercy and Delight by Emily Ley 

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Do the sights and sounds and feels of parenting overwhelm you some days? Or most days? How can we parent kindly and intentionally when we desperately need a break from all the stimulation? 

My guest this week is Mary Van Geffen. She is a mom who has striven to cultivate good relationships with her children and husband while also navigating life as a Highly Sensitive Person with diagnosed ADHD.  She knows firsthand the struggles moms face with sensory overload and she’s not trying to “fix” you - you’re not broken! But she does offer a bevy of tips to help us take care of ourselves amidst the din of life and to parent in a calm and connected manner. 

Connect with Mary Van Geffen: 

Links Mentioned:  

Heather and Mary’s Instagram performance–Body Posture in Parenting

Related Episodes:

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Pull out the petit fours and lip plumpers - it’s time to celebrate! Don’t Mom Alone has officially reached double digits!! 

Get Sidetracked with us as Cynthia leads us on a surprising, only mildly teary ride as we look back on 10 years of the podcast.  There’s even a Cameo from Bob Ross! Jk, there isn’t.  But we do have a great lineup of special guests and listeners to help us commemorate 10 years of mom-ing together. 

Connect with Cynthia Yanof: 

Links Mentioned:  

Don’t Mom Alone 

Milani Keep It Full Maxxx Lip Plumper **Plump At Your Own Risk**

Related Episodes:

Shrinking or Swelling to Fill Your Space :: Courtney DeFeo [Ep 406] RWYB Wk 5 

Featured Sponsors: 

• Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 

Some moments create a “before” and “after” in life. Whether it’s a circumstance we live through or a person we encounter, we see the world and our lives differently after these experiences. 

In choosing the most memorable moments to go back to, I thought about, “What were the conversations that changed my own life and parenting?”  Don’t forget, we are walking together down this path of motherhood! I’m sharing these conversations again because they have impacted my journey in encouraging, clarifying, and simplifying ways. 

Full Episodes: 

Connect with: 

Jeannie Cunnion 

Mary Flo Ridley 

Kat Armstrong

Charissa Fry Lopez

Paul David Tripp 

Links Mentioned:  

Books by Jeannie Cunnion 

Never Alone: Parenting in the Power of the Holy Spirit by Jeannie Cunnion 

Books by Kat Armstrong 

The Storyline Project by Kat Armstrong  

Resources from Charissa Fry Lopez 

Regulation Pack 

Resources by Mary Flo Ridley 

Resources by Paul David Tripp

Marriage: 6 Gospel Commitments Every Couple Needs to Make 

Complete List of Paul Tripp’s Resources 

Related Episodes:

Jeannie Cunnion

Parenting in the Power of the Holy Spirit :: Jeannie Cunnion  [Ep 347] 

Kat Armstrong

• Women Can Be All in for Jesus :: Kat Armstrong [Ep 253] 

Mary Flo Ridley 

Charissa Fry Lopez

Paul David Tripp

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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

Sally Clarkson 

Jim and Lynne Jackson

Kirk Martin

Online Courses 

Full Episodes Here: 

Links Mentioned:  

Books by David Thomas and Sissy Goff 
Are My Kids on Track: 12 Emotional, Social and Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach by Sissy Goff and David Thomas
The Worry-Free Parent by Sissy Goff 
Raising Emotionally Strong Boys by David Thomas
Raising Worry-Free Girls by Sissy Goff
Brave by Sissy Goff
Braver Stronger Smarter by Sissy Goff
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas


Books by Sally Clarkson
Different: the Story of an Outside-the-Box Kid and the Mom Who Loved Him
Giving Your Words: The Lifegiving Power of a Verbal Home for Family Faith Formation 
Help, I’m Drowning: Weather the Storms of Life with Grace and Hope 
Mom Heart Moments: Daily Devotions for Lifegiving Motherhood 
Girls Club: Cultivating Lasting Friendship in a Lonely World  
The Lifegiving Parent: Giving Your Child a Life Worth Living for Christ
The Lifegiving Table: Nurturing Faith Through Feasting One Meal at a Time

Books by Jim & Lynne Jackson
Discipline That Connects with Your Child’s Heart 
How to Grow a Connected Family 

Related Episodes:David Thomas and Sissy Goff 
Helping Our Kids Foster Friendships :: David Thomas and Sissy Goff [Ep 338]
Raising Girls :: Sissy Goff [Ep 141] 
The Worry-Free Parent :: Sissy Goff [Ep 421]
Getting Brave About Anxiety :: Sissy Goff [Ep 311]
Raising Worry-Free Girls :: Sissy Goff [Bonus]
Raising Emotionally Strong Boys :: David Thomas [Ep 368]
A Lil Help with Boys and Screens :: David Thomas [Bonus]
Understanding Boys Better :: David Thomas [Ep 315]
The Art of Nuturing Boys :: David Thomas [Ep 119]


Sally Clarkson
That’s Me…Sleep Deprived and Needing Jesus :: Jennie and Sally [Ep 106]
Create a Home of Belonging & Becoming :: Sally Clarkson [Ep 107]
Cultivating Friendships in a World of Isolation :: Sally Clarkson [Ep 233]
Weathering Life’s Storms :: Sally Clarkson [Ep 336]
How to Own Your Life :: Sally Clarkson [Ep 54]
Identifying Your God-Given Space (Part 2) :: Sally Clarkson [Ep 404] RWYB Wk 3

Jim and Lynne Jackson
How to Connect, Coach and Correct Your Child :: Jim and Lynne Jackson [Ep 81]
Connecting With Your Kids in Any Circumstance :: Jim and Lynne Jackson [Ep 98]
Resolving Sibling Conflict :: Jim and Lynne Jackson [Ep 126]
The Entitlement Fix :: Jim and Lynne Jackson [Ep 200]
Discipline 101 (Live Event - Friday Night) :: Jim and Lynne Jackson [Ep 221]
Connected Relationships (Live Event) :: Jim and Lynne Jackson [Ep 222]
Helping Your Child With Sensory Processing Issues :: Lynne Jackson [Ep 258]
Grace and Truth for Moms :: Lynne Jackson [Ep 296]
Parenting Sensitive and Intense Kids :: Lynne Jackson and Lydia Rex [Ep 395]

Kirk Martin
How to Stop Yelling, Lecturing and Power Struggles :: Kirk Martin [Ep 62]
Calmly Parenting the Strong-Willed Child :: Kirk Martin [Ep 69]
Summer (and Sibling) Survival Guide :: Kirk Martin [Ep 77]
How to Stay Calm with School Stress :: Kirk Martin [Ep 88]
Q and A with Kirk Martin From Celebrate Calm :: Kirk Martin [Ep 104] 
10 Ways to Stop Meltdowns and Arguments :: Kirk Martin [Ep 139] 
The Legacy of a Calm Father :: Kirk Martin [Ep 210]

Bruce
How to Shine a Light as a Family :: Bruce MacFadyen [Ep 5]
When Your Husband Has a Demanding Job :: Bruce and Heather [Ep 38]
Goals, Roles, & Superpowers :: Bruce and Heather MacFadyen [Ep 112]
This is Us :: Bruce and Heather [Ep 145]
The Right to Change My Mind :: Bruce and Heather [Ep 196]
20th Anniversary Q and A Episode :: Bruce and Heather [Ep 242]
Bruce Learns to Label His Feelings :: Bruce and Heather [Ep 316]
Talking, Teens, and Twenty-Four Years :: Bruce and Heather [Ep 399]

Featured Sponsors: 

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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 carry, and to fully occupy your God-given space.  

Connect with: 

Listen to the Full Episodes:

Links Mentioned:  

The 6 Needs of Every Child: Empowering Parents and Kids Through the Science of Connection 

Stumbling Into Grace    

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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 how do we find our true identity and live in the freedom of who God created us to be? My guest this week is author and storyteller Jamie Winship. In our encouragement-packed conversation, Jamie invites us to learn to hear the voice of love and to live fearlessly in our truest selves. 

Connect with Jamie Winship: 

Links Mentioned:  

Related Episodes:

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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 with Cynthia Yanof: 

Links Mentioned:  

Related Episodes:

• Resolving Sibling Conflict :: Jim and Lynne Jackson [Ep 126]

Featured Sponsors: 

• Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.