God’s timing is so good. If you follow me on IG, you’ve probably heard me talk about how I feel like my current life lessons all center around humility and God’s timing over mine. Well, the timing of this episode’s release is just perfect. I needed this episode when I recorded it and I needed it again this week with our family moving (again! We’re still in Idaho, but moving is pretty all consuming no matter the distance!) I have been feeling overwhelmed in this unexpected season of chaos. Bonnie’s books have truly been gifts to me at different moments in my

You’ll probably hear the surprise in my voice at how Bonnie and I just jumped right into the deep end with this conversation. Bonnie’s willingness to be vulnerable and connect with people honestly and openly is part of what makes her such a special guest.

If you are in a season of chaos (which I feel like is probably most moms with kids at home), this episode is for you. If you’re a mother who is getting things done but you often feel like you’re surviving alone, this episode is for you.

Bonnie’s Bio: Bonnie Gray is the author of Breathe: 21 Days to Stress Less and Transform Chaos to Calm, Whispers of Rest, Finding Spiritual Whitespace and Sweet Like Jasmine. An inspirational speaker and podcast host of Breathe: The Stress Less Podcast, Bonnie touches thousands of lives using storytelling, soul care, and prayer. Bonnie’s global following of readers come to her for inspiring Christian content in her authentic, unique voice. Her writing has been published and syndicated across a broad online audience. Bonnie lives in California with her husband and two sons.

FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: WWW.ELEVATINGMOTHERHOOD.COM

“We need sandpaper in our lives.” – Shallon Payne

Today I’m excited to introduce you to my friend Shallon from The Appalachian Homestead. Shallon and I talk often over IG and text about all kinds of things. It’s so nice because the two of us share a bit of an automatic understanding of each other and the way we see life because we were both raised in the Appalachian Mountains. I was raised farther North in the foothills and she’s in the heart of Appalachia, but there are things we just “get” about each other and life. I know that our upbringing allows us to see the world differently. We’re a proud people with big ideas. People from Appalachia have a strong sense of family. And yet here I am living far, far away from my family and have for a long, long time.

Shallon and I intended to talk about how the internet is ruining motherhood and how it’s gonna be alright because everything comes out in the wash. But we ended up talking about way more than that! This is a different kind of episode…it’s like y’all are gonna walk into the middle of a conversation

I’m glad it turned out this way because I want you to see that it’s possible and important to talk about big ideas about motherhood with other moms. You can be similar in some ways and totally different in others, you can agree, disagree, and still love, respect, and glean from the wisdom of other moms. None of us are exactly the same, even if we’re from a similar area or have a similar background. But all of us need community, “Big C Community”—especially us moms—so we can sort out this world that gets a little cattywompus at times.

Shallon’s Bio: Family wisdom is the generational wealth of The Appalachian Homestead. Shallon and her husband Mark share this with their followers via their website and social media platforms. I hope you will join them on their platforms as they share life, the old ways, and the wisdom of the ages.

FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: WWW.ELEVATINGMOTHERHOOD.COM

Happy Mother's Day, Mama!

This is a super special episode…not just because it’s in honor of Mother’s Day, but because there will be 4 mamas speaking life over you today!  3 of my dear friends in life and business—Jennifer Ford Berry, Amy Debrucque, and Becky Kopitzke are joining me for this conversation. These lovely mamas are all members of the mastermind I’ve had the honor of being a part of for a while now, they are also authors, speakers, podcasters, coaches, wives, and mothers. We talk often about how these multiple roles take a lot of our time and energy and brainstorm together on a weekly basis about how we can thrive in various seasons of motherhood and live a more integrated life where family and business exist to support one another.

And that’s what today’s conversation is about. Thriving in each season of motherhood. Integrating our different roles in different seasons. And what it looks like to work on our own personal growth along the way. This is a beautiful conversation filled with vulnerability and stories as we share about our own personal struggles, times of worry, moments of judgement, and times we grappled for control…as well as how we got to the other side of those tough moments. This episode is packed with truths and encouragement!

I’m excited for you to get to know Jennifer, Becky, and Amy more…these women are also my co-hosts for The Focus Retreat happening this September in beautiful Kentucky. This episode is a great opportunity to get to know them more so you can connect with who will be speaking into your life and business this fall at the retreat. We have unique perspectives and convictions, but always manage to find common ground as women who have hearts for Jesus and encouraging other moms through our businesses and ministries.  

I adore these women and know you will, too. Check out the show notes for links to their websites and IG profiles as well as links to The Focus Retreat. www.thefocusretreat.com

Stay tuned at the end, too, for a special message from Becky about The Focus Retreat and our bonus Early Bird Mother’s Day specials!  

Today is a very special interview. I had the honor of interviewing Sally Clarkson, someone whose work I’ve leaned into often. Sally is such a loving resource for my homeschool, mothering, and spiritual growth. In this episode we’re talking about her new book Teatime Discipleship: Sharing Faith One Cup at a Time. I read it from cover to cover and wow—what a gift. Sally shares from the heart about how simple everyday practices like teatime can be a catalyst for connection, friendship, hospitality, ministry, and encouragement. It’s a foundational tool for women to center their hearts and draw nearer to God and one another. And wow, do mothers need more of that right now—we need the opportunity to be impacted by an encouraging host and the opportunity to be such a host. The world tells us we’re too busy for such things…Sally reminds us that we’re not and that there is everlasting greatness in the small moments with those we love.

Sally’s Bio: Sally Clarkson is a bestselling author, renowned speaker, and beloved mentor who has dedicated her life to inspiring countless women to live for Christ. She’s sold more than a million books and her podcast, At Home with Sally, has received more than 20 million downloads. Sally has been married to her

FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: WWW.ELEVATINGMOTHERHOOD.COM

My Favorite Quotes from Sally’s New Book:

Page 21: “Come here and feast and rest a while. Good food, conversation, and friendship are awaiting you. I have prepared a place for us. You are special and I love spending time with you.”

Page 42: “A host provides for the comfort and security of all who cross her doorstep.”

Page 71: “If wisdom, truth, and love have been built up as resources in our hearts, then when we encounter people, they will draw wisdom, truth, and love from the ways we speak to them and interact with them. People draw from what we have invested in our souls over the years.”

Page 85: “The truth of Scripture is food for your mind—spiritual nourishment for growing in maturity, faith, and wisdom.”

Page 85: “Yet I have found that I often have to be the one who invites, who welcomes, who initiates the very fellowship I need and long for. When women seek out and cultivate fellowship, a community thrives.”

Page 111: “A wise woman takes care of her soul.”

Page 138: “Leaving a legacy of faith requires a lifetime of living steadfastly through each season and its demands.”

Page 139: “What might you do today to help your focus shift from the situation immediately surrounding you to the eternal unseen glory that is being worked out through those situations?”

In Homeschool Explained I show you what modern homeschool days actually look like—all while covering major topics like curriculum, homeschool styles,

There are so many times in my life I’ve wondered if I’m a people pleaser. I’ve wondered if I was taught to be, if everyone in our society is to some degree. I’ve questioned if some of my decisions are centered around people pleasing, and if it’s something I need to work on it my life. Am I modeling it for my kids? Expecting it from them unintentionally? I’m sure you’re here because you’ve wondered similar things.

My friend Lynn Carter is here to help us unpack our people pleasing habits and provide us with some much needed perspective to refocus our time, attention, values, and schedules and shake our people pleasing tendencies. She’s sweet, funny, kind, and encouraging. She tackles this conversation without making it a “heavy” and for that I’m so grateful.

Lynn’s Bio: Lynn Carter is the creator and host of The Good News Mama Podcast, she is a wife, boy mom, her sons’ coach (which she talks about in the show), and my dear friend.

FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT ⁠WWW.ELEVATINGMOTHERHOOD.COM⁠

Elevating Motherhood Links:

Website: ⁠www.elevatingmotherhood.com⁠

Instagram: @loribethauldridge @elevatingmotherhood

Today’s Sponsor: THE FOCUS RETREAT ⁠www.thefocusretreat.com⁠

The mastermind I’m in with Jennifer Ford Berry, Becky Kopitske, and Amy Debrucque has an exciting announcement! We are hosting our first ever in-person retreat this fall at Shaker Village outside of Lexington, KY.  It’s called The Focus Retreat and we could not be more thrilled to share this opportunity with you! Join us this September for an opportunity to gather with other business minded mamas who long for the opportunity to carve out time to focus on what matters most to them in their businesses and lives—community, strategy, family, organization, and confidence.  We’re taking a whole woman approach

They’ll be keynote workshops, break out sessions, social gatherings, a mastermind panel to help you learn how to form your own, (and the in-person opportunity to introduce you to other women who are also interested in joining a mastermind) PLUS an optional VIP experience at Amy’s lake house with live music, delicious food, and sisterhood. Come hang out with me, Jennifer, Becky, and Amy in-person this September at The Focus Retreat in beautiful Kentucky! Go to ⁠www.thefocusretreat.com⁠ for more information and to reserve your spot for this boutique retreat. Tickets are limited. Head to ⁠www.thefocusretreat.com⁠ to reserve yours!

“What does it mean to be creative…it’s allowing yourself to be so inspired by the beauty of the world that you want to capture it in some kind of form and then having the discipline to actually carry it out.” -Ashlee Gadd on the Elevating Motherhood Podcast

Mothers often feel guilt when they pursue something that takes time away from their children, especially when that something could be deemed less important than parenting. Writer Ashlee Gadd felt the same way when she was navigating being a first-time mother, exhausted yet yearning to be creative. Now a mother of three and the founder of Coffee + Crumbs, an online community bringing mothers together through storytelling, Gadd intentionally finds time to be creative.

Ashlee Gadd is someone I’ve followed my entire motherhood journey…for almost a decade. I’ve listened to her podcast and read her blog. Ashlee has been showing up for years through her brand Coffee + Crumbs. She’s been creating and mothering that entire time and all of those years of experience with creating and mothering are now brought together in her beautiful new book Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood.

Her book and this interview inspired me so much and I know they will inspire you. In a world that tells moms they are too busy to go to the bathroom by themselves let alone create anything, Ashlee is a voice of compassion and practicality that says “yes you can be a mom and create. Yes you can take matters into your own hands and make the time. Your ideas matter. Your creations have great purpose in this world. You’re not alone in your desire to want to create and bring more beauty into your life and the lives of your family and community.”

Ashlee’s Bio: Ashlee Gadd is author of Create Anyway: The Joy of Pursuing Creativity in the Margins of Motherhood and the founder of Coffee + Crumbs—a beautiful online space where motherhood and storytelling intersect. As a writer and photographer, Ashlee has spent her entire motherhood creating in the margins. When she's not writing or vacuuming Cheerios out of the carpet, she loves making friends on the internet, eating cereal for dinner, and rearranging bookshelves. She and her husband have three kids and live in Northern California.

FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: WWW.ELEVATINGMOTHERHOOD.COM

TODAY'S SPONSOR: WWW.HOMESCHOOLEXPLAINED.COM

FIND OUT MORE AT: WWW.HOMESCHOOLEXPLAINED.COM

My children are homeschooled at home in Idaho but are technically private school students at Clonlara School in Michigan. How does that work? I get that question A LOT so I’ve invited April Huard, the Director of Education at Clonlara School onto the show to answer that question and share more about Clonlara’s unique and transformative mission.  

Clonlara’s Mission: The mission of Clonlara School is to transform education on a global scale through a highly personalized approach that fosters authenticity, autonomy, and joy in the learning process. We are passionate about supporting homeschooling families as they follow their curiosities and become lifelong learners.

April Huard Bio: April is currently the Director of Education at Clonlara School, but started her education career as a second-grade teacher in a public school. When her oldest child was ready for kindergarten, she quit her job to start homeschooling her. April had no idea at the time that homeschooling would turn into a lifelong passion and prepare her for a career at Clonlara School. April and her husband have homeschooled all five of their children at various points during their school years. At Clonlara, April works with on-campus and off-campus students and an amazing global team of passionate educators.

FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: WWW.ELEVATINGMOTHERHOOD.COM

Today’s episode is sponsored by Homeschool Explained, an online course I created to help parents find their confidence as they begin their homeschool journey. Homeschool Explained is also for families who are already homeschooling but feel they could use more resources and a confidence boost to keep going.

My course is designed to save you time; it can be really overwhelming typing “how to homeschool" into an online search engine then spending hours sorting through the results. With Homeschool Explained, there will be no more maddening online searches for how to start homeschooling—this is me, a passionate veteran homeschool mom, holding your hand and walking you through homeschool 101 in just under 3 hours. The course is outlined to be logical and easy to understand. I take over 15 years of homeschool experience and condense it into a 3 hour instructional video

“The modern homestead movement is 100% a state of mind. It’s the strive for self-sufficiency.”

My friend Kody Hanner wrote a homestead curriculum that my family adores. It’s being used by homeschoolers, schools, and I know some adults who could benefit from the huge amount of information in her homestead curriculum. Kody joins us today to talk about her curriculum, how it came to be, the modern homestead movement, life-long learning, parenting, and so much more. 

Kody has generously offered a discount code for listeners of Elevating Motherhood. Use the code LORIBETH for 10% your purchase of the Homestead Education Curriculum

Kody’s Bio: Kody is a wife of a veteran, mother of 6, homesteader, and homeschooler, that has devoted her life to agriculture and embracing rural living. She created and authored the Homestead Education series of homeschool curricula that includes homestead science. She is the host of The Homestead Education Podcast, which is rapidly growing in popularity where she chats candidly about homesteading, homeschooling, and personal growth.

In This Episode, Kody and I Talk About:

· What qualifies as homesteading

· How she got started as a homesteader

· Her homestead background

· Homestead flexing

· Permaculture

· How she stared writing a curriculum

· The need for a homeschool homestead curriculum

· The writing process

· How long it took her to write the curriculum

· You don’t need to know everything, you need to know how to find good information

· The modern homestead movement

· Reach out to your county’s extension office for resources

· Production over consumption

· Slowing down

· Taking responsibility for your life

· Having entrepreneurial values

· People like to quiz homeschoolers randomly

· Adding depth to science experiments

· Who the curriculum is for

· Complaints she has received about the curriculum

· Writing to a broad audience

· Healing disconnect

· Integrating topics into your homeschool...and SO MUCH MORE!

Full Show Notes Available at: www.elevatingmotherhood.com

Today's Sponsors: www.homeschoolexplained.com and www.thefocusretreat.com

What is your homeschool freedom worth? Today’s episode is probably going to be controversial to some listeners. My guest, Aby Rinella, and I are going to talk about School Choice and Public School Partnerships and what effect these have on homeschool freedom. You might not agree with what Aby and I have to say on these topics. You might agree with part of it. You might agree with all of it. And that is okay. We’re here to share a perspective that is not shared very often during recent conversations about School Choice. I always trust my listeners to use their discernment. You know what is best for your family. And I think we can all agree that there is no one size fits all solution for anything ever.

All of that being said, Aby and I are here today to share our perspective as two veteran homeschool moms with a lot of kids between the two of us. We are both passionate freedom fighting homeschool mamas who have been active in homeschool politics for quite a few years. Homeschool freedoms are under attack & are very much affected by the School Choice movement happening right now. I appreciate you showing up for today’s show and considering a different perspective than the one being sold by politicians…if nothing else, I’m hoping this conversation helps bring foresight to discussions surrounding school choice and public school partnerships as well as much needed perspective from homeschool families who have opted out of mainstream education.

Aby’s Bio: Aby Rinella lives in the mountains of the west with her college sweetheart and their three kids. Aby writes and speaks to encourage and inspire parents to answer the call to train up their children in God’s Word and to stand on truth in a culture that has lost it’s foundation. Aby can be found as a frequent guest on the Schoolhouse Rocked podcast and she and her husband serve on their state homeschool board. Aby also writes for the outdoor industry, sharing her family’s experiences in the outdoors. You can find her at www.calledtothetop.com

FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: WWW.ELEVATINGMOTHERHOOD.COM

TODAY'S SPONSOR: HOMESCHOOL EXPLAINED WWW.HOMESCHOOLEXPLAINED.COM