Embracing Your Season: Raising Littles and Understanding Teens with Paige Clingenpeel

Where does God’s goodness fit when we’re confronted with grief? How do we grapple with the command to “be of good cheer” (John 16:33) when life is a daily struggle? Today’s guest, Dr. Curt Thompson has made it his life’s work to understand how God sees us, knows us, loves us, and welcomes us into His arms, even in the midst of unimaginable grief. With great authenticity and vulnerability, Dr. Curt shares with Paige how God is waiting for us to invite Him into our grief and pain, to sit with us, comfort us, and bring the hope of heaven into our hearts. 

Curt Thompson, MD, is a board certified psychiatrist, author, speaker, and co-host of The Being Known Podcast. He has been in private practice for over 30 years in Falls Church, Virginia and is married with two adult children. 

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

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Connecting with Dr. Curt Thompson

About Dr. Curt Thompson

Being Known Podcast Website

Being Known Podcast on Apple

The Center for Being Known

Books

The Deepest Place: Suffering and the Formation of Hope

All Books by Dr. Curt Thompson

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What can we do as parents to strengthen our kids spiritually before they leave the home? On this week’s episode of Embracing Your Season, Paige Clingenpeel welcomes back international speaker, author, and Christian apologist, Alex McFarland. Together, Paige and Alex discuss who has the most influence on your kids as they grow, the importance of intentional family time (including meals together whenever possible), confronting and adjusting our priorities, and how prioritizing spiritual growth in your marriage has a lasting impact on your kids as they mature. 

Paige’s Takeaways

• Prioritize your marriage
  • Engage in spiritual practices with your spouse: Praying, discussing the sermon you heard at church together, devotions - these are lifegiving practices for your marriage AND a model that your children learn from.
• Set a new standard of priorities in your family
  • Don’t allow the world to dictate your schedule! 
  • Even if you can’t do family meals as often as you’d like, set aside time to connect with each of your kids.
• Allow for conversation and dialogues with your kids about their spiritual walk
  • Make sure your kids know that they are allowed to ask questions about who God is, and what the validity and historical context are for stories in the Bible (and if you don’t know the answer - that’s even better! Find them together!)

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

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TEDx Talk 

Connecting with Alex McFarland

Alex McFarland

The Alex McFarland Show

Summer Camps: Equipretreat.org

Email: [email protected]

Books

The 21 Toughest Questions Your Kids Will Ask About Christianity: & How to Answer Them Confidently

100 Bible Questions and Answers: Inspiring Truths, Historical Facts, Practical Insights

Every Day with Jesus Devotional

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #alexmcfarland #alexmcfarlandministries #equipretreat #identity #idetitycrisis #familytime #familymeals #askquestions #authenticity #spiritualdevelopment #spirirtualrolemodels #pfcaudiovideo 

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Every marriage has busy seasons and any parent will tell you that when you add kids to the mix, things get next-level crazy. Between sleep deprivation, a messy home, financial strains, and overstimulation, it can seem like you and your spouse are ships passing in the night, barely acknowledging that each of you is taking on water! How do you keep connecting with this person you vowed to love til death do you part? Today, Paige welcomes Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Brooke Sellhorn to talk about this complicated season. Brooke currently serves as the Clinical Director of the Counselor Education Program at Purdue University-Fort Wayne and is a wife and mother of 4 young children - so she knows what she’s talking about! Grab a snack and hide in the closet if you need to: this is a conversation that sees you in this crazy season!

Paige’s Takeaways

• Talk about what assumptions you’re bringing into your marriage and parenting life!
  • Remember that the assumptions and the narrative you build in your mind are not necessarily true!
  • Talk with your spouse: Ask questions, change your assumptions, and think hard about whether the internal narrative you’ve created is true.
• Add buffer time!
  • When you are intentional about setting aside time to connect with Jesus (maybe it’s 5AM, maybe it’s 10:30PM), your spouse, and your children - it can be completely transformational for you and for those relationships. 
• We have to find community!
  • There are so many life-giving experiences when we allow other people to speak into our lives and to spend time with our families.
  • If you don’t have a community yet, start asking God for new connections. It could be in a MOPS group, a local church, or an art class at your local library - take the first step and trust that God will bring new friendships along the way.  

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

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Connecting with Brooke Sellhorn

Grace Love & Connection

Email: [email protected]

SYMBIS Assessment (Saving Your Marriage Before it Starts)

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As 2024 comes to a close, join host Paige Clingenpeel and producer Mike Segovia on a soundbite journey through some of her favorite conversations of the year. Check out Paige’s takeaways below and the specific episodes mentioned so you can go back and listen again - or catch up on any you might have missed! Thank you for listening in during 2024, we can’t wait to share all of the NEW and EXCITING things coming in 2025!

Paige’s Favorite Takeaways from 2024

WORD of the YEAR: INTENTIONALITY

• Episode 35: Keys to a Sacred Marriage with Gary Thomas
  • Looking at marriage as sacred and as an aspect of worship will change the way you value, love, and respond to your spouse!
• Episode 2: Three Big Questions That Change Every Teenager with Kara Powell
  • Who does God say that I am? I am enough.
  • Doubts aren’t toxic to faith - silence is. Be a safe space for your children to bring their questions. Allow dialogue. 
• Episode 12: What Teens Wish Parents Knew with Paige and Haylee Clingenpeel
  • Listening to your kids and letting them talk without interjecting helps build trust with them over time. Parents, remove your distractions and be an active listener.
• Episode 43: How Intentionality Crushes Anxiety with Nichole Suvar
  • Begin with God. Tap into His Word. Be intentional with your time, your health, and with your money.
  • Focus on choices that have eternal perspective and value. 
• Episode 6: For Parents Only: Getting Inside the Head of Your Kid with Shaunti Feldhahn
  • Our kids’ outward behavior is always about what’s going on internally. 
  • When you interact with your kids and they have an attitude, take a step back mentally and emotionally and remember that their reaction to you most likely has nothing to do with your interaction. When you remain calm and curious about what may be going on, you can get to the core of the issue (but it may take some time!). 
• Episode 48: Habits of the Household with Justin Whitmel Earley
  • You can’t think your way out of habits but you can practice your way out of them.
  • Focus on how to make relational moments happen every day within your family. 

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

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Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #therapy #bestof #bestof2024 #highlights #lifelessons #firstyear #podcasting #favorites #favoritemoments #takeaways #parenting #family #kids #teens #intentionality #pfcaudiovideo

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In today’s episode of Embracing Your Season, Paige shares an interview from her recent trip to AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors) in Dallas, TX with Leslie Vernick. Leslie Vernick is a licensed clinical social worker, relationship coach, and author of multiple books including Emotionally Destructive Marriages, which is the primary topic of this episode. With frank honesty and deep compassion, Leslie shares her broken upbringing and how it influenced the work she does today. Together, Paige and Leslie provide insight into navigating emotionally harmful relationships, how boundary-setting is healthy and helpful, and how working on yourself is the only real way to see change in your life. 

Paige’s Takeaways

• Having firm boundaries is actually loving people well
  • When you have love for yourself as well as love for the individual, you can instill a very rigid boundary of what is right and what is wrong - and that is healthy!
• You are NOT responsible for fixing them
  • You are not and cannot be the source of their change. You can be a catalyst but change only comes from the desire of the individual and the power of the Holy Spirit.
• If you’re in an unhealthy relationship (family, friendship, marriage, etc.), at some point you have to grieve that they aren’t what you want or what you need. 
  • When you realize that these unhealthy relationships are not what God designed, you need the time to grieve. By taking the time to mourn, process, and heal ourselves, we are better equipped to handle the relationship (or to end it) moving forward.
• Biblical literacy is so important!
  • When you dig into your own Bible, when you do the study, ask God for guidance, and seek mentorship from someone you trust, you are less likely to be emotionally manipulated by someone taking scripture out of context for their gain. 

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

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Connecting with Leslie Vernick

Leslie Vernick Website

Books Mentioned:

The Emotionally Destructive Marriage

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #therapy #counseling #aacc #leslievernick #healthyrelationships #unhealthyrelationships #emotionallydestructivemarriage #healing #repair #bible #trust #health #safety #pfcaudiovideo 

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In today’s episode of Embracing Your Season, Paige shares an interview from her recent trip to AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors) in Dallas, TX with Dr. Sharon May. Dr. Sharon is an author and speaker, she holds a PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy, a Masters Degree in Theology, and is the founder and President of Safe Haven Relationship Center. Together, Paige and Dr. Sharon discuss how we can make our marriages a safe haven. From modeling self-awareness, removing negative assumptions about our spouses (and being curious instead), to purposefully taking the time to remember that you chose your spouse for a reason - there are myriad small steps we can take to move our marriage into health, strength, and a feeling of profound security.

Paige’s Takeaways

• Remember and think about: There is a reason you chose your spouse. 
  • When we pause and remind ourselves that our spouse is our partner, our teammate, and someone we specifically chose - that can help reset the perspective of our spouse.
• Instead of putting meaning behind our spouse's actions or events, we can step back and approach them with curiosity and find out what their true motivation was.
  • Instead of jumping to assumptions we can ask questions, find out what’s really going on, and find ways to authentically connect.
• Build trust back.
  • When we make a mistake, how can we build back trust with our spouse? We can model self-awareness. When we can take responsibility when we’ve annoyed, angered, or disappointed our spouse, we apologize, ask for forgiveness, and ask, what do you need from me? This pattern, done with consistency, can help build back trust in your relationship.

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

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Connect with Dr. Sharon May:

Safe Haven Relationship Center

About Dr. Sharon May

Safe Haven Marriage Book

How To Argue So Your Spouse Will Listen Book

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #aacc #drsharonmay #safehaven #safehavenrelationshipcenter #marriage #marriagecounseling #couplestherapy #marriageintensives #homeword #therapy #pfcaudiovideo 

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On today’s episode of Embracing Your Season, Paige welcomes Emmy award-winning editor, author, speaker, and ministry founder, Jenny Randle. Paige and Jenny discuss Jenny’s latest book, Flash Theology, and how to bring theology into our homes and our parenting. Jenny shares how Christians are/can be intimated by the idea of theology when in reality, it simply means the study of God. This is a practice available to anyone with a curiosity or desire to deepen their understanding of God and should not be feared! When we humble ourselves and admit that we do not know everything about who He is, we can learn, grow, and model a life of truth-seeking to our children, families, and friends. By this example, we invite our children into a real, thriving relationship with a God who is big enough to handle any question or doubt they may have.

Takeaways:

• How can we disciple within our home?
  • By taking each moment at a time that becomes a teachable moment! Call out when you see Jesus in them. Maybe it's an exuberant joy, maybe it’s patience and kindness with siblings - whatever it is, make sure you are speaking LIFE and TRUTH over your kids. 
• Who has my alliance and who am I partnering with?
  • We all have an alliance with something. In this world, we are all being discipled by something. If we aren’t intentional about our values, character, or definitions of success, we allow other things to speak into that.
  • When we have a firm biblical view, when we want to be like Jesus, that will be a driving force behind how we shape our lives 
• Make sure the people that you are surrounding yourself with are truth speakers and truth seekers.
  • When you have Truth Speakers in your life, they will call you out in love, calling you to be better and holding you to a higher standard. They encourage our maturation in our walk with Christ.
  • When you have a Truth Seeker in your life, their walk with God and pursuit of truth naturally push you to do the same. We should seek out friendships that push us to be more like Jesus.

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

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Connecting with Jenny Randle

Jenny Randle Website

Holy Spirit Ministry Center

Flash Theology Book

Instagram: @jenny.randle 

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #jennyrandle #theology #flashtheology #discipleship #learning #growth #truthseekers #study #bible #heartofGod #pfcaudiovideo 

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With the addition of personal phones and laptops, social media, e-learning, and more, school education has changed. We find ourselves saying, “Back in my day…”, while our kids roll their eyes and misjudge our age by 25 years. Things are different, yes. Our kids are facing new challenges in school, yes - but what they need from us while they’re living at home hasn’t. Today, Paige is joined by Cleve Million, currently a high school principal in Fort Wayne, IN. Cleve has been an educator for 26 years, serves as an elder at his church, and is married with three kids (one just married, one in college, and one in middle school). Paige and Cleve discuss the school landscape, the after-effects of COVID-19 on our kids, and what educators really want from parents. This is an insightful and hopeful conversation about education in today’s society and how we as parents can encourage our children throughout academia. 

Paige’s Takeaways

1. Speak life, identity, and truth over your kids.
   1. The words spoken over them both in school and at home have the power to dictate their future! Be mindful of what you are saying and what they are hearing from their circle of influence.
2. Maintain an open dialogue with school administrators and teachers.
   1. Don’t brush off the opportunity to reach out if you have questions or concerns - most of the time, teachers want to be in communication with parents!
3. Tell your kids that you love them!
   1. Don’t forget what our top priority is as parents: to let our children know that they are loved unconditionally and that they have worth and value as individuals and as God’s children. On busy days it’s easy to forget that we need to get on our kids’ level, look them in the eyes, and connect. You know how your children feel loved, so do that!

Links:

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

HomeWord

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #school #principal #highschool #middleschool #technology #educators #education #connection #postCOVID #behavior #anxiety #parents #communication #socialmedia #pfcaudiovideo 

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In today’s episode of Embracing Your Season, Paige shares an interview from her recent trip to AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors) in Dallas, TX with Dr. Gregory Jantz. Dr. Jantz is a nationally certified psychologist, a licensed mental health counselor, the author of over 45 books, and the founder of The Center, a Top 10 Facility for Depression Treatment. Together, Paige and Dr. Jantz discuss how to identify a toxic individual and the steps we can take to instill boundaries, have compassion and gentleness in confrontation, and know when it’s time to walk away. 

Paige’s Takeaways

If you’ve been in a negative relationship with someone for many years, you may brush off their treatment of you or make excuses for their behavior. Depending on how you grew up, you may accept this treatment as normal or suitable because you believe you aren’t worthy of anything different. In these instances, it’s important to find a trusted voice who can give you an objective opinion of this person.

• How do you determine the toxic person?
  • Ask yourself (and your kids): how do you feel when you’re around this person? Do you feel relaxed, happy, and at peace? Or are you on edge or tense, does your head or stomach hurt? Pay attention to your body to help identify the people in your life who may create a more negative environment.
  • If you start feeling like the person is speaking criticism, invalidating you, rationalizing their behavior or comments despite you bringing it up and asking them to stop, that may be a good indicator that they are an unhealthy person.
• When we want to see a change in a toxic person, we can’t just demand that they change their behavior! We instead can model gentleness and compassion in our request, it produces a greater chance of them listening to us as well as leading to positive behavior changes. 
• Once you identify a toxic person:
  • You still have power over how you interact with them. You can choose not to engage in a conversation by telling them a boundary, ie. ‘I don’t want to talk about this issue’ or you can walk away, if needed. 

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

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Connecting with Dr. Gregg Jantz

Dr. Gregory Jantz

The Center: A Place of Hope

Books Mentioned:

How to Deal with Toxic People

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #therapy #counseling #aacc #toxicpeople #toxic #drgregoryjantz #thecenter #dealingwithtoxicpeople #boundaries #healthyboundaries #pfcaudiovideo 

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In today’s episode of Embracing Your Season, Paige shares an interview from her recent trip to AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors) in Dallas, TX with Zach Clinton. Zach is a licensed resident counselor who currently serves as the Vice President of the American Association of Christian Counselors, is the host of the renowned ‘Built Different Podcast’, and is President & Host of Ignite Men’s Impact Weekend which gathers nearly 10,000 men each year. Paige and Zach discuss how to create a flourishing life in the various facets of our lives: from physical health, mental health, spiritual discipline, and marital intention, to showing up in the lives of our children. This is a power-packed conversation - you’ll probably want to take some notes!

Paige’s Takeaways

How do we help our kids create a flourishing life?

• Remind your kids that their worth is NOT dependent on their performance.
  • We get to show them that their worth has been assigned to them by the Creator of the universe! Created with a purpose, for a purpose.
• Communication: Speak truth over your kids
  • Pointing out in a loving, grace-filled way the areas that they can grow in actually loving them well! We care about them enough to ensure they don’t stay stuck in unhealthy patterns. Read Proverbs 27:5-6.
  • Show them their worth through your behaviors and choices! Prove to your children their significance by being PRESENT. Are your time management choices showing your children that they are of great importance to you?

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: [email protected]

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

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Connecting with Zach Clinton

ZachClinton.com

Even If by Zach Clinton

Books Mentioned:

The Power of Showing Up by Dan Siegel

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Made for People by Justin Whitmel Earley

The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #therapy #counseling #aacc #flourishing #flourishinglife #evenif #spiritualdiscipleship #hope #inthefire #intentionaltime #growth #choice #healthywholisticlifestyle #pfcaudiovideo 

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