Deep friendships are essential to our lives. Whether we’re extroverted or introverted, have a lot of friends or a few, we all need someone else to walk through life with. I’m excited for you to hear from Susan Seay, a mom of 7 and a mentor to many. She shares some great advice on keeping our friendships strong during life’s challenges.
 “We're all in the same storm. We're just not all dealing with it in the same way. We don't even have the same viewpoint on just how big this issue is or how small it is. If I need to remember, that's not why I chose them as friends. I didn't choose them because we agree on everything. We're always going to be different and unique and varied. It's our foundation that keeps our relationship strong.”
 We talk about fighting back against insecurity and comparison which can break down friendships. And we get into how to have a healthy disagreement with a friend and stay close. Susan also shares tips for staying connected with friends and extending grace for misunderstandings and miscommunications that happen in our hyper-connected world. 
 Connect with Susan:   Website: susanseay.com
 Facebook: facebook.com/SusanLSeay
 Instagram: @susanlseay  
 Links Mentioned:     Ep 52: Focused Instead of Frustrated :: Susan Seay  Mentor 4 Moms Podcast 
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Strengthening Our Friendships :: Susan Seay [Ep 289]

Heather MacFadyen, mother of four boys, connects you the listener with people and resources to help you feel less alone. Consider it an invitation to "withness".

Kids & Family

Parenting

Do you feel like you just need more money to create a home you love? Do you want an inviting home that feels peaceful and open to your friends and family? Are you confused about your decorating style and end up buying random decor that does not work? 



Myquillyn Smith, author and founder of the Nesting Place, joins me to help with all of the House Rules that can be so overwhelming. She gives me advice on how to update my kitchen on a limited budget by utilizing Pinterest. Plus gives advice on everything from throw pillows, lamps, wallpaper, and buying new couches. Myquillyn says that decorating is taking the time to learn about yourself and what you need for your home. Building the confidence to make big and small decisions that lead to a home you love and is functional. She reminds us that it does not have to be perfect to be beautiful. 



One powerful statement from Myquillyn is to not wait to get started, get started today on creating a home you love. One that you, your family, and your friends can be invited into a place of peace and rest. 



Connect with Myquillyn Smith: 

Website:  Nesting Place

Facebook: Nesting Place

Instagram:  Myquillyn Smith (@thenester)





Links Mentioned:  






House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style, and Budget by Myquillyn Smith
The Cozy Minimalist Community
Jason Saft | Staged To Sell Home (@stagedtosellhome)
The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful: by Myquillyn Smith
Quiz: What's Your Decorating Era?



Related Episodes:

How to Quit Hustle and Embrace Small-Moment Living :: Emily Freeman {Ep 83}
Create a Home of Belonging and Becoming :: Sally Clarkson {Ep 107}
Your Unique Color Palette and Authentic Style :: Karen Blanc [Ep 343]




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Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 


House Rules and Learning to Love your Home :: Myquillyn Smith [Ep 462]

Do you feel as if you are always measuring yourself as a mom? Do you feel like the pressure to keep up with moms around you is overwhelming? Do you feel snappy or resentful at your kids and husband?



Today, author Sara Hagerty joins me to talk about her new book, The Gift Of Limitations. She is a wife and mom of seven with four adopted kids. Sara shares how we often find ourselves daydreaming about other seasons and how to recognize our limits and give ourselves grace without shame and complaining. When we name our limits we can actually grieve them and let God give us the story He is intricately weaving for our families. Society tells us we can be limitless, we can optimize everything, but Sara reminds us that the limits and plot twists in our life are all from a good Father who is at work in our stories. 



Connect with Sara Hagerty: 






Website:   Sara Hagerty

Facebook: Sara Hagerty

Instagram:  Sara Hagerty (@sarahagertywrites)


Links Mentioned:  






The Gift of Limitations: Finding Beauty in Your Boundaries: by Sara Hagerty
Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet: Tasting the Goodness of God in All Things: by Sara Hagerty
Unseen: The Gift of Being Hidden in a World That Loves to Be Noticed: by Sara Hagerty

Related Episodes:






When You Feel Unseen :: Sara Hagerty [Ep 175]
Every Bitter Thing is Sweet :: Sara Hagerty [Ep 143]
Help When You Feel Weak :: Lisa Whittle [Ep 170]




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When You’re Disappointed in Mom Life Limitations :: Sara Hagerty [Ep 461]

Right off the bat Cynthia and I get sidetracked by my grumpy mood. A mood I blamed on an instagram battle but probably more about my grief of having a senior who is actually going to college! 



There’s some rehashing of the Bachelor, Heather’s advice for renting with Turo and discussion whether audiobooks count as reading. We also get sidetracked talking about all of the end-of-school year emotions including Cynthia's current struggle over her first grader’s learning and reading challenges. She claims her stage of life is somewhere between Kidzbop music and shapewear from Soma. Which makes us wonder how would you describe your current parenting stage? 



Regardless of which end of the spectrum you are on (or maybe you are in both seasons) this episode will give you encouragement that God cares for our kids more than we ever will and He has a good story for their lives. 



Connect with Cynthia Yanof: 

Website:   https://cynthiayanof.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.yanof 
Instagram:  @cynthiayanof 
Podcast: MESSmerized 




Links Mentioned:  






Turo car rental marketplace
Watch Mean Girls
Chico's
Soma
Heather’s new Cupshe bathing suit
Amazon.com: Audible Books
The Women: by Kristin Hannah
Confessions of a Shopaholic: by Sophie Kinsella
Me before You by Jojo Moyes 
Don't Mom Alone: by Heather MacFadyen
Life Is Messy, God Is Good: by Cynthia Yanof
Cynthia’s MESSmerized Patreon
Heather’s Don't Mom Alone Patreon

 Related Episodes:






Emotional Maturity, Teamwork, and 25 years of Marriage :: Bruce and Heather [Ep 458]
Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids :: Dr. Kara Powell [Ep 290]
How to Stay Calm with School Stress :: Kirk Martin {Ep 88}

Featured Sponsors: 







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Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 


Sidetracked by Instagram Arguments, Chicos, and End-of-School Year Emotions  :: Cynthia and Heather [Ep 460]


Earbud and Trigger warning

We live on the other side of the Resurrection! If you find yourself in the middle of brokenness and ruin, we pray this episode reminds you that your heavenly Father God is in the redemption business. 



Today Nadia Louise joins me to share her powerful testimony. Her story is woven with so many layers of trauma and pain from a narcissistic, abusive father to the death of her brother when she was just 17 years old. That event was the catalyst that allowed Nadia to hear the voice of the Lord. But her story was not over; she still walked through pain, suffering, more death, and heartbreak. As she learned to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His voice she began to heal from depression, self-harm, and her past. 



Listen in to Nadia’s powerful story and know that God still heals, still redeems, and still works today. 



Connect with Nadia Louise: 






YouTube: Nadia Louise (youtube.com)

Instagram:  nadia louise (@itsnadialouise)





Links Mentioned:  







Dancing on the Grave–Naomi Cantwell and Christ for the Nations 
Kiddell (@ohkiddell)
Upperroom (uprmdallas.org)




Related Episodes:






Forgiving What You Can’t Forget :: Lysa TerKeurst [Ep 304]
Faith in the Unexpected :: Christine Caine
You Are Never Alone :: Max Lucado [Ep 298]
Life Giving Faith in Every Circumstance :: Lisa Appelo [SofM wk 2]




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Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 


From Ruin to Redemption :: Nadia Louise [Ep 459]

Bruce joins me today to discuss 25 years of marriage and answer listener questions like-  What did you learn in year 25 that you wish you knew in year 1? How do you make time for intimacy? How to handle times when your significant other is having a struggle with faith? And, What are you looking forward to when your kids are grown and flown? 



I discuss how I’ve grown in emotional maturity while Bruce talks about how to get out of the ruts and routines of work and family life. We also tackle different personality types and how we handle those when parenting our boys. Teen parenting is hard y’all, there are no formulas but we have learned that teamwork is essential. 



God had been so good and faithful through 25 years of marriage and parenting. Join us today as we share the vulnerable, hard, and good parts of the journey. 



Connect with Bruce: 

Website:  zello.com/about-us

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-macfadyen/ 


Links Mentioned:  






A Drama Triangle explanation
A Definition of Locus of Control 

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow 

Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age: by Melissa B. Kruger 
Shōgun: The Complete Novel: by James Clavell
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany: by William Shirer




Related Episodes:






Bruce Learns to Label His Feelings :: Bruce and Heather [Ep 316]
Talking, Teens, and Twenty-four Years :: Bruce + Heather [Ep 399]
Changing the Atmosphere of Your Home with Positive Parenting :: Ralphie Jacobs [Ep 456]
Helping Socially Anxious Boys :: David Thomas [Ep 451]




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Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 









Strengthening Our Friendships :: Susan Seay [Ep 289]

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