Summary:
In this episode of the Grow Yourself, Grow Your Marriage podcast, Chris and Johnna discuss the impact of people-pleasing.
A contractor left his 9-year-old with us. No warning. Just vanished.
Chris confronted him. Johnna nearly puked from the discomfort.
This episode dives into that wild moment, plus another where a stranger undermined our parenting and we did nothing.
They unpack what these stories reveal about the fear of confrontation, the trap of people-pleasing, and how to teach our kids (and ourselves) to stand firm when it matters.
If you've ever bitten your tongue and regretted it… this one's for you.
00:00 — Intro & Shaving Cream Story Chris opens with a real‑life moment about finding shaving cream and how it turned into early dopamine wins and relationship humor.
04:50 — Icebreaker Questions Gone Deep Chris and Johnna ask each other light questions that immediately dig into personality, communication, and people‑pleasing tendencies.
09:00 — The Fireplace Guy & Boundary Crossing 🚨 The big story starts — a contractor leaves his son with them without warning. They unpack the weird situation, their reaction, and why it bothered them.
12:30 — Man‑to‑Man Confrontation Chris confronts the contractor about why he left his son. What was said, how the contractor reacted, and what this moment reveals about boldness and uncomfortable truth.
17:20 — People Pleasing: Why We Don't Speak Up Johnna honestly opens up about the internal discomfort — not wanting conflict, caring about others' feelings, and how people pleasing shows up in real life.
23:10 — Undermined Parenting at the Hotel A random woman encouraged their son to act against their verbal no — and how that made them both feel undermined and caught off guard.
27:20 — Teaching Our Kids to Stand Firm A deep parenting moment about obedience to parents vs. strangers — and why this matters more than ever.
30:30 — What People Pleasing Really Is Discussion shifts to the root of people pleasing: prioritizing comfort over truth.
36:30 — Stories of Standing Your Ground Real‑life examples of speaking truth in business, basketball, social situations, and why people respect authenticity when we don't fold.
41:40 — Parenting Culture & Respect vs. Obedience Johnna shares a powerful story from her teenage years.
47:00 — Raising Kids Who Speak Truth A turning point: how we want our children to understand healthy assertiveness and not just follow adults blindly.
51:30 — Bigger Picture: Growth, Marriage & Vision Conversation expands: how avoiding uncomfortable conversations keeps couples stagnant and how courageous dialogue fuels growth in marriage.
56:00 — Life Purpose & Not Settling Chris and Johnna connect the episode's themes to living intentionally, seeking God's clarity, not pleasing culture, and pursuing the life you're meant to live.
01:06:20 — Wrap & Final Encouragement Final thoughts on people pleasing, truth, family priorities, and closing encouragement for listeners to grow personally, relationally & spiritually.
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