51 minutes

We know life comes in seasons, so it's not surprising when the dream we're chasing suddenly seems like it either doesn't fit with the season we're in, or looks different from what we expected. Still, it can cause us to feel discouraged enough to give up or desperate enough to fight against this natural flow in our lives.

In this more conversational episode, we get into our personal stories and experiences of how passing seasons have shifted and changed the pursuit of our dreams. We talk about how to protect your dream by letting your journey toward your dream match the season you're in. We talk about how connecting to the deeper "why" can bring you fulfillment and purpose while the embers of your dream are glowing.

1 hour, 2 minutes

With a busy home life and seemingly never ending work to be done, it can sometimes feel like our schedule is running us instead of us running our schedule. It can also be discouraging, when we are trying to find time to pursue our dreams, to look at our calendar and see a packed schedule.

In this episode we are going to talk about some things we can do to make our time more efficient and to create time for pursuing our passion.

1 hour, 11 minutes

This year, I made some really ambitious goals. One of the most difficult parts of the process was trying to determine which habits, routines, and activities served my goals, and which ones didn't. Sometimes knowing what to say no to is very obvious, but difficult to do. Sometimes the things we need to say no to are not that obvious.

The first month of the year is over and, if you're like me and set some goals at the beginning of the year, you may already be experiencing the pull back into old routines. When your goal is something you've never experienced before, it can be especially difficult not to justify going back to what is familiar.

In this episode we want to talk about the goals we set, how to protect them, how to determine what we should be saying no to, and how to make meaningful changes in our habits and routines.

48 minutes

It is exponentially more difficult, nearly impossible even, when you feel you don't have the support of your family. Sometimes that lack of support is explicit, while other times we worry they wouldn't understand and in our fear end up creeping into a cycle of guilt and frustration about making time to pursue our dream.

In this episode, we talk about some practical ways you can communicate your desire to pursue your dreams in a way that will help your family be on the same page with you and supportive of your dreams.

58 minutes

One of my good friends has 7 kids and is a little further down the road than we are (his oldest are twin boys in high school) and I see him post pretty regularly about how crazy the homework is these days. I remember being a little stressed out about homework and other school activities, but it seems like today's students are expected to take on more and more.

When I walk down the halls of my boys' elementary school, I see posters for academic achievement initiatives, banners encouraging kids to prepare for college, and, during testing week, fliers and posters encouraging students to focus and perform well on their state mandated tests.

When I think of my child's future and the things I want for them, I have to ask myself, "What role does having a successful school career play in their future success and happiness?"

In today's episode we will be talking about the role of school, the pros and cons of focusing on one's school career, and the value of being a life long learner.

57 minutes

Many parents fear that if they don't get their kids involved in many activities at a young age, they won't have an opportunity to excel at whatever they choose in the future. This leads to overloaded schedules, stressed out parents, and burned out kids.

In today's episode Ben and Rachel talk about a healthy approach to managing our child's interests and balancing that with our schedules. Our goal is to discover how we can be supportive of our child's pursuits without jam packing our lives.

59 minutes

Keeping up with the home can be very stressful, especially when you're working a job, trying to make time for your family, and pursuing a passion on the side. Running a household efficiently is typically lower on the list of priorities, yet when not giving the attention it needs, can cause everything else to feel like it's unraveling.

In this episode, Ben and Rachel talk through some principles that will help you to feel more on top of the household responsibilities, so you can achieve greater focus and attention in the areas of your life that matter most.

1 hour 10 minutes

Many of our issues as adults can be linked back to circumstances or events in our childhood that led to some form of guilt or shame, where we were not able to process through those emotions in a healthy way. The echoes of these feelings touch our daily lives, affecting us and the people around us. Many experience guilt and shame as such negative emotions, it’s no wonder we want to go out of our way to help our children avoid these feelings.

There is a slight, but important nuanced difference between guilt and shame. Once we understand this difference, we can address these feelings from the correct perspective, helping our children work through their guilt or shame, so they don’t carry those things with them indefinitely. In this episode we talk about the origins of shame, the positive side of guilt, and how we, as parents and examples to our children, can begin to let go of these feelings for ourselves.

1 hour, 9 minutes

American Idol is a show featuring vocalists who audition and compete for a chance to share their gift with the world. One of the big draws of the show is the audition process, where hopefuls from all over the country sing in front of the judges in hopes of advancing to the next level. The talent ranges from really good to "I can't believe they let that person get this far," which is part of the schtick. It's mildly entertaining to watch someone butcher a song, especially if they seem to have no clue as to how bad their singing is.

We obviously don't want that kind of obliviousness for our kids, but sometimes we find it difficult to be direct with them about the things they need to improve on, especially if they seem to think highly of their talent.

In this episode, Ben and Rachel get into this and other manifestations of "American Idol" syndrome, the root cause, and things we can do as parents to not only help our children to have a more secure sense of self worth, but have the freedom to hear constructive critique and grow in their talents.

1 hour, 8 minutes

I was heartbroken the first time our oldest came home and told me through tears that he didn't want to go to school because he didn't have any friends. Our second oldest seems to make friends wherever he goes, but for some, making friends can be challenging and frustrating.

In this episode we talk about some of the basic skills you can practice with your children and some things you can do to exemplify for them what it looks like to make friends and to be a good friend.