Have you ever thought about confidence AND humility, together?  Do you think they can coexist? This is something that’s been on my mind and I’ve been doing some thinking about. 

Jarred and I have a motto, “Teach the kids confidence, the world will teach them humility.”

We have always tried to build, build, build because we live in a world that will tear down pretty quickly.

Confidence is the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something; firm trust.

What is the real meaning of humility? It is the freedom from pride or arrogance! 

Interesting right? It said nothing about freedom from confidence, freedom from arrogance. From a comparison and putting others down!

Listen in to this podcast to learn more about humility and confidence and how to have both!

First, awareness is always the first step! So you are on the right track!

Second, recognize you are a work in progress and so is everyone else!

And third,  be a friend to yourself and to others!

As we are confident and humble, we can contribute to this world and lift those in need!

Confidence and Self-Worth

Humility and Confidence

It was an early morning, or middle of the night at 1:00 a.m. and I heard Otis our dog barking right by my window.  Otis’ bark was loud and persistent.  We live in the country so I was pretty sure there was a critter or even possibly someone in the yard so I got up.  I was sure he was going to wake the whole neighborhood!  I walked to the back door and, turned on the back patio lights, then walked to the front door. I got to the front to do the same, turn on the lights, and saw this weird orange glow.  What in the world! I opened the front door to see one of our two RVs on fire,  a bright orange flame coming out of the top and the fire alarm and carbon monoxide alarms going off! 

This experience was one of those crazy, rare, but lifechanging experiences full of lessons and opportunities to learn from!

Listen in to today's podcast to hear more about the night the sky turned orange, what happened, what we learned, and what we can all take away from this experience!

Most of the time we are told to not get angry and fight, but is it always a bad thing!? Listen in to this podcast as we discuss times when it might not always be bad! Anger is an energizing emotion, and for me, I find myself getting to work and being extremely productive when I get mad.  I get determined, put my nose down, and fight through the challenge ahead.  Fighting doesn't mean we have to get mean and nasty, it can work for us sometimes to protect, defend, and stand for truth! Listen in to hear more!

 Here it is! Part 2 of 23 Years and Counting! Marriage! It can be one of our greatest blessings but also one of our greatest challenges! When we first get married it is nothing but bliss and excitement and as the years go on, we can forget WHY?! Why did we embark on this journey together? Why did we join forces and want to go at this life together? In today's podcast, we talk all about our WHY, and relate that to being on the same team. When we join a team, we have a group of people working together collectively to win at their game. We are the same! We joined together to win this game of LIFE! To learn, grow, teach, love, and help each other along the way. Listen in to today's episode as we talk about being on each other's team and how this is like the umbrella to so many other topics in marriage such as forgiveness, repentance, communication, love, and so many others! It's about WE not ME!

Twenty-Three years ago Jarred and I said "I Do" and were married! We have learned  A LOT throughout these 23 years, and although we don't have it all figured out, there are a few things I'd pass along to my children about marriage. In part 1, we talk about being friends.  Usually, a romantic relationship begins with a friendship and then blossoms into a romantic relationship, but then after years together the friendship can die and it becomes more like a business partnership.  Yes, that is important too! But a friendship can last a lifetime and be a beautiful part of a marriage.  How do we treat our friends? And do we treat our spouses in the same way? Here are a few points we discuss in this podcast:

1. Greet and say goodbye to each other and check in!
2. Give each other the benefit of the doubt.
3. Listen with curiosity.
4. Love each other for who you are.
5. Have fun together!

Listen in for details and some suggestions and examples in each of these areas!

Has summer started at your house?! My kids got out of school last week and we are in the thick of starting our new summer routine and schedule! It is taking some time, some adjusting to the new normal, and some patience, but it's coming! Back in 2020 I did a podcast episode about summer routines and thought it would be fun to revisit that episode!

Here are the topics we discussed: 

1. Take a breath, you won't turn the Titanic in a day!
2. Let the kids have some flexibility and say. 
3. Set some boundaries and expectations.
4. Make the routine visible.

We go more into depth with each of these topics and discuss what we do as a family!

The beauty of it is YOU get to decide what works for you and your family! Take the suggestions here and build a simple routine to make your days smooth, fun, and full of connection!

It's that time of year we plant gardens and fill our pots with flowers because it's growing season! Have we ever considered that this time in our lives is a growing season for us?! It is the time we are learning, adding skills and knowledge, growing roots and branches, and becoming! In this episode, we talk about being as tender with ourselves as we are with our new budding plants! We discuss four basics of our plants and what we need as growing humans. 

1. Ground
2. Water
3. Light
4. Fertilizer

Ground: Meeting ourselves where we are at.

Water: LIVING and MOVING water. Keep moving, get and give, and rely on the Living Water, Jesus Christ.

Light: Keep it light! Fill ourselves with light, and share our light!

Fertilizer: Failure is like fertilizer! We need it for exponential growth!

Listen to this episode for a boost to help you in your growing season!

In honor of May, and celebrating womanhood and motherhood I wanted to talk a little bit about hormones and a woman's cycle. I reached out to Brad Jensen from Key Nutrition and the Key Nutrition Podcast to help us understand that!  Brad is a fitness and nutrition coach focusing on not just physical health, but mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Yes, Brad is a man, but he’s a coach. The beauty of having a coach is having someone as an observer. Someone who’s more like the data collector and investigator. Brad is a coach who’s worked with a lot of women. He has had training and experience as a coach for women. In this podcast interview, we talk a lot about how a woman’s cycle affects not only her exercise, but also her appetites, dieting, and day-to-day! We talk about cravings, hunger, constipation, all the things! But most importantly, we discussed the importance of giving ourselves a little grace when it is "that time of the month!" There isn't anything wrong with you! It's your body, your hormones, your physiology! Enjoy!

Key Nutrition

Key Nutrition Podcast

Key Nutrition Podcast Episode 100: All Things Menstrual Cycle

The Sober Body Builder on Instagram

What's it like being a 16 year old girl these days? And what's it like to raise one? In this podcast, I have the opportunity to interview my one and only daughter Megan.  Megan wrote a paper for her English class last trimester entitled PINK that described how she felt about womanhood and motherhood.  It was raw, real, and honest, and it brought me to tears.  She reads this paper and describes how she felt like she initially was given the short end of the stick by being a girl, but through life, examples, and maturity, she has come to see that womanhood and motherhood is beautiful.  She and I discuss helping your kids build confidence, the power of Satan's influence on our lives, and much more! Listen in! 

Sometimes the day-to-day tasks we have can get boring and mundane.  Sometimes what used to bring us joy has become just a to-do on our list and another item that causes stress and overwhelm.  Does it have to be this way?! The answer is NO! There is a way to bring more joy into our lives! We were meant to experience and have joy! It is an emotion that is available to us at any time! Join in this episode as we discuss the way to have more joy, and it isn't a to-do list of items! It's a couple of very simple strategies to bring joy, peace, creativity, productivity, and so much more! Listen in!