We welcomed back 4 former Mom2Mom members and leaders to discuss the struggles and victories in finding and building close friendships with other women.

We were so blessed to get to hear from Elizabeth Madden Pehrson again today! She is such an encouragement to our moms and gives us such great practical tips about parenting intentionally.

Elizabeth is the founder of The Exchange. The Exchange was created in 2015 which is a non-profit ministry that provides a space for women to come together and encourage each other to live life full of meaning and purpose. She also has a podcast called On Purpose that are designed for women to live the life we’ve been given on purpose and with intention. She loves Jesus and loves helping others especially women. She is married to David and has 8 children: 4 boys and 4 girls. She also has two big golden retrievers. Her other passions include fishing and helping moms with their parenting endeavors.

We were so excited to have Betty Thompson back this year to share with about what grief is and ways to navigate it both in ourselves and in those around us.

Here is a little more about her...

From a young age, Betty has been passionate about helping others embark on their own personal journey towards healing, wholeness, and purpose. Upon receiving her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Georgia Southern University, she went on to pursue her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Richmont Graduate University in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She has gained valuable experience and enjoys working with both college students and adults of all ages experiencing addiction, depression, anxiety, relationship issues, career concerns, spiritual issues, chronic illness, family of origin issues, and other life transitions. She believes in the importance of the therapeutic relationship. She values providing a place to reflect, restore, and rebuild through increasing one’s own awareness and also addressing the wounds from the past. Her goal is to bring both empathy and compassion to help remove the shame, guilt, and confusion often attached with life’s difficulties.

Pat Strain was there at the beginning of Mom 2 Mom. She has been a long-time supporter and friend to many in our group. She spoke to us about today about the importance of having a deep, meaningful, quiet time with the Lord every day.

Here's Pat's Story in her own words...I have been married to Mike Strain - 42 years. I have three grown sons who are married, giving me three precious daughters-in-laws, who are like daughters to me.

God has blessed their quivers, and given us six grandchildren, 2 boys and 4 girls - currently between the ages of 8 and 20 mos.

I grew up in a Christian home, with a childlike faith and was baptized at age 10. I had some rebellious times in my teenage and college years, but the Lord was faithful to pursue me through conviction, as I struggled to discover who I am and who God is. I floated in and out of church, and in and of relationships. Some of it was the season of my life in moving around, but a lot of it was I didn’t really know my true identity.

When Mike and I married we searched for a church home and began to seek God more seriously. But, God really got my attention when Kellan, our first son was born premature and had some major physical difficulties, and I began in my spiritual immaturity began to bargain with God in prayer for his life. In His grace, the Lord spared Kellan’s life, and from that time forward in gratefulness I committed to seek Him with all my heart.

Shortly thereafter is when I began BSF - Bible Study Fellowship, and the Lord revealed Himself to me in a deeper way through His Word, particularly through the study of the Book of John. I have had the privilege of getting to know the Lord and to know myself as He knows me, according to His Word, and not just what I think. He has confirmed over and over His loving presence, HIs merciful peace, HIs gracious promises, HIs powerful purposes and so much more. So, I long for others to know Him too as He reveals His incredible goodness through the Bible.

I’ve had the privilege of growing and serving in BSF as a leader and staff member for most of my adult years. In those early years that I got to raise my boys in God’s Word, not only through church, but using the BSF School Program resources that are the best anywhere around.

In the middle of this experience I did get to work for 5 years in Women’s Ministry and in Kid’s Ministry at my home church where we raised our boys.

Then as a Group Leader for Mom to Mom about 8 years. Sweet Memories! What a Joy!

Throughout these seasons, some of my favorite things are biking, water skiing, scrapbooking, reading, and gardening by default as that is Mike’s favorite hobby. Somebody has to cook it, right?!

I’m in a new season now as Mike has retired as GI Dr. For 38 years. We get to really vacation. Go to Europe and rest and read the signs in the museums. Read more often to my grandchildren. Next, we’re headed to Uganda, Africa this July, a special place in my heart. My hope and prayer for you today is that my story will bless your story! Thank you for listening! I hope you will go and tell yours!

Joshua Becker was amazing today! He gave lots of benefits and practical tips for how to live a life of minimalism. Here's some more info about Joshua...

Joshua Becker of “Becoming Minimalist” is dedicated to rational minimalism and helping other discover what that uniquely means for them. His family began a journey of donating, recycling, and removing unnecessary personal possessions. They embarked on an intentional journey to own less stuff. As a result, they discovered more money, more time, more energy, more freedom, less stress, and more opportunity to pursue their greatest passions: faith, family, friends. And then they decided to write about it. Joshua is a best-selling author and he has been the keynote speaker for many organizations including Airbnb and Google and has spoken at large events like TEDx as well as sharing his message with faith-based organizations around the world. He is also the Founder of The Hope Effect, a nonprofit organization changing how the world cares for orphaned and vulnerable children.

Lauren Espy was amazing today! She was so vulnerable and relatable. She has such a powerful story of forgiveness and courage.

Here's a little more about Lauren...

Lauren Espy is a seasoned leader, pastor, and mom of three boys who brings over 20 years of experience in strategic communication and leadership. She spent 15 years on staff at North Point Ministries, leading the worship service experience and launching new campuses. Currently, she serves at Chick-fil-A Corporate, where she continues to lead, coach communicators and create meaningful experiences for Operators and their teams. Lauren and her husband, Stuart, live in Peachtree City, where they are raising their three energetic boys.

Wow, we were so blessed to hear from Shaunti Feldhahn today! She gave us all comfort in knowing that we are normal and not alone, no matter where we are on our journey with our spouses. She also gave lots of practical tips about how to have effective communication about intimacy with our husbands.

Check out Shaunti's amazing and vast bio below...

Renown author of many books such as For Women Only, For Men Only, Thriving in Love & Money and her new book- Secrets of Sex and Marriage. She speaks all across the country and world. She has been seen on The Today Show & interviews with Focus on the Family as well as seen in “The New York Times” and “Cosmopolitan” magazine.

Shaunti combines scientific research, biblical principles, and practical wisdom to help people thrive in relationships. Whether on stage captivating audiences or at home writing bestselling books, Shaunti provides invaluable tools and insights for building stronger marriages, families, and relationships. Simply put, her strategies work. With warmth, transparency, and an inviting delivery, she unravels the mysteries of human behavior and shares the keys to genuine understanding and empathy. No matter where you’re at in life and faith, Shaunti’s research-based truths can help transform your relationships.

We got to hear from Erin Drez today about being Spiritually and Mentally strong.

Erin is a Spiritual Life Coach, Public Speaker, and the Co-Founder and Executive Director

of Two Small Coins, a non-profit ministry dedicated to bringing hope and healing to young

widows. Through her work Erin offers support to individuals navigating grief and trauma,

empowering them to heal, grow, and transform their lives.

Erin’s journey is one of extraordinary resilience. In March 2019, her life was turned upside down

when she became a widow at the age of 38 and was left to raise her two young children on her

own. Despite these unimaginable challenges, Erin has emerged stronger, embodying hope and

healing in ways that inspire others. Today, she lives and thrives with her children here in

Peachtree City, Georgia.

We loved getting to hear from Payden Montgomery and Ruthie Brown today about healthy eating and why it's so important for our families. They included lots of great information along with tips and links to make planning easier for the busy mom. Here's a little bit more about Payden and Ruthie...

Payden is our Mom2Mom Atlanta South Board Chairman. She and her husband, Lane, launched goperformance in 2012. She assists the team with day-to-day operations and marketing. Her main passion is around nutrition and making a healthy lifestyle manageable for busy families. Payden and Lane have two boys, Malachi and Bravery. In her free time she’s spending time with Lane, their two energetic boys and cooking up a healthy recipe.

Ruthie’s journey with Mom2Mom started when she was a participant back in 2009 when she had her first child. She returned as a leader for several years before joining Martha to serve on the board. She has been married to her husband, Eric, for 19 years and they have two beautiful daughters…Reagan, who is 15, and Leighton, who is 13. Growing up, she always participated in sports, and now as an adult, staying fit is extremely important to her. She loves going to the gym, walking her dogs, and most importantly, playing pickleball. When she’s not on the court, she enjoys spending time with her family and traveling to new parts of the United States that she’s never seen before.

We got to hear from one of our leaders today, Meredith Sorrow, on how discipline and chores can make your life simpler and be so beneficial to your children as they grow. She was joined by another leader, Kristen Petras, who shared many practical tips for how to handle chores, allowances, and teaching your kids about responsible saving, spending, and giving.

More about Meredith...She is passionate about families and helping parents invest in their children to be our future leaders. Born and raised in the southern crescent of Atlanta, she is the daughter of Ross & Lynne Greene. She is the proud mother of 3 children and was blessed by the Mom2Mom ministry as a participant and has assisted in numerous facets of the ministry over the years. (Taste of Mom2Mom CoChair, MiniMomMoment CoChair, Audio Visual Team leader, Event planning team, Curriculum planning team, & Small Group Leader, 2006-2015, 2022-current). For the last 30 years, she has been a key part of the Children's Ministry at Heritage Christian Church (now One Church) and of the leadership teams operating VBS and supporting the Windshape Summer Camps. She is currently a volunteer in the Children’s Ministry at Passion City Church at Trilith and often speaks to groups of parents around the topics of "Parental Discipline" and "Seeing the Best in Your Kids." As former math teacher, she founded and currently runs an academic coaching business, investing in students around the city of Atlanta and the Southeast teaching organization and executive functioning skills and specializes in upper level math.