End Zone Wives Podcast

In this episode, we discuss AFCWA (American Football Coaches Wives Association) with President Brittany Sloan.  If you want to join another great organization for coaches' wives, you can learn more about AFCWA.  

Brittany tells us about her life as a football coach's wife and the crazy story about their first son being born, during football season of course.  She talks about what it's like having a baby when the season starts and some perks she got for her first game. 

Other topics as a coaches wife include:

• When new admin comes in and it changes the direction of coaching.
• All of the moves you make as a coaching family
• If your husband talks to you before taking a new job
• How nice it is to be close to family when you have kids
• When you get married into this life, it actually gets harder and you must be more intentional

AFCWA was founded in 1988.
AFCWA dues are $30 a year to be a member.
Convention, which take place in January, is an additional $10 (if you are a member).
In this episode, Brittany talks about some of the events for coach's wife that are provided during the convention.
AFCWA even offers scholarships for wives that are members for continuing their education.

Brittany also discusses the marriage retreats they have been to that are hosted by FCA. 

Here is the link to  AFCWA, if you want to find out more about how to get involved.

Here is a link to Sudden Death by Carolyn Curry if you would like to purchase a copy.  

Follow End Zone Wives on Twitter and Instagram @endzonewives and on Facebook at End Zone Wives.  You can also reach out by email at [email protected].
You can also check out our website HERE. 

Shawna & Jen visit with Shelby Shelby of McAllen HS.  Shelby is the current president of THSCWA.  THSCWA is the sister organization to THSCA and she tells the ladies about all that it has to offer all coaches' wives.

Shelby is a typical coach's wife and mom and stays busy supporting her husband and her four children as they all play sports.  She mentions how her oldest will soon be playing for his Dad and how that is new territory which many wives can relate to.

We wanted to know all of the things that THSCWA has to offer and Shelby told us about the different roles and history that brings about this great organization.  Other topics include:

• Why coaches' wives should be a member
• The scholarship for coaches' kids that is offered.  
  (Deadline for this year is April 28 - link below)
• Events at the coaching convention
• Great group of ladies who you can vent to and trust

We strongly encourage all wives to become a member of THSCWA.  Membership is only $20 for the year and if you want to go to convention, AKA coaching school, it's $67 for membership and convention.  

In the end, Shelby shares about her family rituals on gameday and how wives will always stay friends with other each other even if they are in different places.  

Links below to THSCWA
https://www.thscwa.org/ - website
THSCWA member application

Scholarship application for THSCWA
(Must be a member of THSCWA to qualify)

Follow End Zone Wives on Twitter and Instagram @endzonewives and on Facebook at End Zone Wives.  You can also reach out by email at [email protected].
You can also check out our website HERE. 

Shawna & Jen visit with Katie Thomas of Idaho State University.   She and her husband have literally traveled across the country as they have been to different colleges for the football life.  She talks about the fast-move expectations of college coaching when you get a new job.  She may not be in Texas, but the lifestyle is very similar as a coach's wife.  

If you have ever wondered about Idaho, Katie tells us about...

• weather
• food
• scenery
• an item she had to buy for easier living
• why Idaho is a best-kept secret

Katie was a newbie to being in the football world and she tells us how she had no idea what it was going to be like as a football coach's wife.  

As a college football wife, she tells...

• the coolest part about being a football wife
• how hard it is to leave coaching families
• what college recruiting is like

She talks about an event in South Carolina called Coaches Wives Night Out.
With all of her moves, she gives us her #1 moving/packing tip.

She also creates social media content for ISU, so follow her on Instagram to see he stuff.
You can follow Katie on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mrs.coach.thomas/

Follow End Zone Wives on Twitter and Instagram @endzonewives and on Facebook at End Zone Wives.  You can also reach out by email at [email protected].
You can also check out our website HERE. 

Shawna & Jen visit with Adrienne Montgomery, a Georgia HS coaches wife.  The states may be different, but the experiences are very similar.  

Adrienne shares about a time when she and her husband lived in what she calls the Shoebox Inn.  She also shares how hard it is to move based on a good opportunity for her husband when you love the place where you currently reside. 

She talks about getting to be part of the state championship game in Georgia and how she was tired and excited during the whole experience.  

Other topics include:

• How it's hard to go to all the games with kids
• How she is often the family rep for events when Coach is in season.

Her passion project has been the company she started called Whispered Love Designs.  She attended the AFCWA convention and got to meet a lot of great people but also receive some feedback as a creator. 
You have to check out her website at https://www.whisperedlovedesigns.com/.

She has the cutest set of cards that are coaches' pickup lines.  Listen to this episode to get a discount code for 20% off a $20 minimum purchase from her website.  There are even other sports options on the website.  

We end the episode discussing what football life is like for her.
She describes...

• Watching game film with her husband.  
• Gameday rituals.
• Panic cleaning 

Website: https://www.whisperedlovedesigns.com/
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/whisperedlovedesigns/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whisperedlovedesigns
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/whisperedlovedesigns/

Follow End Zone Wives on Twitter and Instagram @endzonewives and on Facebook at End Zone Wives.  You can also reach out by email at [email protected].
You can also check out our website HERE. 

In this episode, Laura Kincheloe comes on as a  returning guest to tell us about the hard work she and her husband did to become more financially secure.  

Many football coaches coach another sport and she tells us about wrestling season and what that is like.  

Financial tips from this episode:

• The four things you should talk about before you start a marriage.
• What it's like to be on a college coach's salary and how tight money was.
• Find a financial program and support to get on track.
• Having financial conversations with your significant other can be hard.
• Living in a house with a spender and a saver.
• Tips on getting started with a budget.
• How do you view money as a couple
• Set expectations for money

Then, there are so many great takeaways about how our money should be handled.
A favorite is, "Our money tells us what we are doing vs. we tell our money where it is going."

Overall, we also learned:

• Taking control of your finances can create a better marriage.
• This is only for a season - sacrifice now for a better future.
• Teach your kids how to be good with money as well.
• The rule on waiting to make a big financial decision - don't be impulsive.
• How to make budget changes with kids.
• How to grocery shop on a budget.
• Having a voice in discussions.
• How marriage can improve with better money management.

This really is a good episode to listen to at any time.

An article about Money and Marriage tips can be a good place to start. 
You can also go to Every Dollar to help you get control of your finances.
Also, take a look at Financial Peace University for more guidance.

Follow End Zone Wives on Twitter and Instagram @endzonewives and on Facebook at End Zone Wives.  You can also reach out by email at [email protected].
You can also check out our website HERE.

Mica and her husband were both college athletes and now she has two boys who are following in their footsteps.  

Mica shares with Shawna & Jen so many things that many coaching families go through with coaching and having a family.

• How to decide if your child should switch schools when Dad coaches at a different school.
• What it was like keeping up with their kids growing up and sometimes that meant changing into practice clothes in a bathroom.
• How her boys chose which college they would attend as an athlete.
• The nerves of a close game as a coach's wife and mom.
• Not engaging with people on the internet.  
• How so many people bet on college sports and how it affects college athletes. 

She also talks about using #cultureofjoy and where that came from.

For anyone about to experience being an empty nester, she gives advice on what you should do now.   

Follow End Zone Wives on Twitter and Instagram @endzonewives and on Facebook at End Zone Wives.  You can also reach out by email at [email protected].
You can also check out our website HERE.

https://www.coachesoutreach.org/

Have you ever heard of Coaches Outreach?  In this episode, Shawna and Jen visit with Anne Ryon who is the Event Coordinator for Coaches Outreach.  Anne tells us all about the ministry and all of the different aspects they have to offer coaching families.  They even have something just for coaches' wives.

Please listen so you can hear all about:  

• Their banquet event
• Their bible studies
• The Reach (for coaches' wives)
• The Marriage Retreats

Registration for the 5 marriage retreats opens on March 1st.   You have to get in quickly to reserve a spot. 
Listen to the episode so you can hear what goes on at the retreat and what a good deal it is to be part of this wonderful support program for coaches' families.

You can visit the Coaches Outreach website here at https://www.coachesoutreach.org/

Follow End Zone Wives on Twitter and Instagram @endzonewives and on Facebook at End Zone Wives.  You can also reach out by email at [email protected].
You can also check out our website HERE. 

Shawna & Jen visit with Shelby Ashley of Marshall HS.  Shelby starts off by telling us about all the places they have been and you have to listen to the unique living situation she had one summer with other coaching families.

There are so many topics in this episode that coaches wives/families can relate to.
Here are a few: 

• How not getting a coaching position can actually turn into a blessing.
• What it's like to move to a new job and have a coaching change within a year of being at that job.
• The special life that coaching families live that so many other people don't understand
• Understanding the long hours of football work on Saturdays.
• Coaching life is much more enjoyable when we enjoy it too.
• Supporting our coach without letting their jobs consume our lives.
• Hardest parts of moving
• Having hard conversations about moving
• How other coaches, coaches' families, and players love your children
• If your husband has a CDL, the time he spends away to help drive for other sports
• Work for someone that has the same values as you.
• There is no off-season and it is more unpredictable than football season.

Shelby also has an Instagram and Website called The Football Fashionista.
Instagram is lined here @thefootballfashionista.  And her website is linked here at thefootballfashionista.com.  Shelby is also starting TFF media to create graphics and will be at coaching school this summer. 

We wrap up this episode with her telling about a good and a bad football memory.  Shelby mentions how this profession creates so many emotions in a week and different job changes can create a domino effect for so many people.

Follow End Zone Wives on Twitter and Instagram @endzonewives and on Facebook at End Zone Wives.  You can also reach out by email at [email protected].
You can also check out our website HERE. 

Anna Peterson is from Prosper, went to HS in Prosper, met her husband in Prosper and now they are part of Prosper football.  Shawna & Jen loved visiting with Anna and hearing her story.

One thing Anna talks about is the head coaching change that they are currently experiencing and how they are managing this time as they wait to see what happens.  

Other topics that are discussed are:

• What it's like to be coaching at the same school where you went to high school.
• Having a baby during the season
• How hard it is to bring 3 children to the games and how she's not afraid to ask for help
• The gatherings she has with the position players and the fun game they play
• The difference between time when your husband coaches football vs. track season
• Why she makes her dancing football reels.
• The football question she asked as a 17 year old.
• Why traveling to Lubbock for a playoff game is a favorite memory.

You can follow Anna on Instagram at @coach.wife.life.

Follow End Zone Wives on Twitter and Instagram @endzonewives and on Facebook at End Zone Wives.  You can also reach out by email at [email protected].
You can also check out our website HERE. 

In this episode, Shawna and Jen visit with Elaine Welte.  Her husband is the video coordinator at the University of Texas and although she is not the wife of a coach, her life revolves around all things football.  

She talks about what it's like making moves in college football when the job changes.  Elaine explains how she was able to use technology to get connected to people in a new neighborhood to help her daughters with the transition of moving.  

College football games are energetic but wait until you hear what her oldest daughter does during the games.  

Other topics include:

• Struggles of being a support staff family
• The hardest thing about college football
• The coolest thing about college football
• Going all in as a wife and family and supporting your husband
• The struggle as a football wife and the loneliness

She also tells Shawna and Jen why she uses essential oils and how they have helped her family.  She also tells how they got a puppy for their daughters for Christmas but had to hide it from October until Christmas.  Elaine's favorite gameday memory is also a fun one we can all attend if we have the opportunity. 

If you want to find out more about Elaine Welte, you can follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/itselainewelte/.  Follow links in her bio for more information. 

Follow End Zone Wives on Twitter and Instagram @endzonewives and on Facebook at End Zone Wives.  You can also reach out by email at [email protected].
You can also check out our website HERE.