Surviving Sarah

Lindsey Schriefer joins me around the table. She is a sports psychologist who helps athletes and performers to reach their potential on a regular basis. She was raised in an athletic family. Her mom Nancy Swanson was a guest on the show back on episode 189 to talk about raising athletes. And her brother, Dansby Swanson, plays shortstop for the Atlanta Braves. We recorded this episode back in February which you will hear us talk about our excitement for baseball season which sadly we are not experiencing right now. She was also 36 weeks pregnant when we recorded and has since welcomed a baby boy to their family. We talk about how being raised in an athletic family shaped her—all the good that comes from playing sports. Then, we dig deep into the mental aspect of performing whether as an athlete or in your profession or even as a parent. We talk about the obstacles that get in the way of performing well, how to help your kids (and yourself) get past fear, and advice on what to do if you have plateaued. But before we begin I want to give you a sneak peek at the type of bonus content that you receive as a Patreon supporter. In the beginning, you will hear Lindsey talk about the enneagram, her inspiration, what's she's reading, and her favorite Braves players. The beginning of the show was a glimpse of the bonus content you receive as a Patreon supporter. Each week, I ask the guest different questions that only appear over on Patreon. For $3 a month, you will receive that content. And for $7 a month, you receive not only that bonus content but also a monthly ask the expert segment with David Thomas and Sissy Goff from Raising Boys and Girls. Go to patreon.com/survivingsarah to subscribe today. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

Kristin Mize joins me around the table. She is a therapist and licensed clinical social worker who works with moms and mental health. She is a survivor of perinatal depression when she was pregnant with her twins. Not only is she school-certified but she is life certified as well to help women walk through so many aspects of mental health. Kristin talks to me about depression, anxiety, OCD, and even PTSD in regards to motherhood. She shares signs to look for that show you may be experiencing more than just the baby blues; perfectionism in parenting; how to make your expectations more realistic; what drives our anxiety; and practical steps you can do today to help. This is such a good conversation and helpful in light of the heightened anxiety surrounding our current season of life in light of COVID19. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

I want to welcome Anne Beiler to the table today, but you likely know her as the founder of Auntie Anne's Pretzels, the largest pretzel franchise in the world and author of the recent book, The Secret Lies Within. Anne shares her story today about the secrets she learned to keep after experiencing the death of her toddler-age daughter and sexual abuse from her pastor. She talks about how growing up Amish shaped her, how she found her way out of a cycle of shame, how confession gave her life and how she was brave enough to write a new ending to her story. I was struck with Anne's vulnerability, transparency, and humility throughout her story and I know you will be too.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

I am happy to welcome my new friend, Carmin Black, to the table. We actually recorded this conversation way back in January which at this point feels like 2 years ago. Carmin is the Co-Founder and CEO of HALF UNITED which is a brand that provides meals and access to employment for children and families in need with each purchase made. She is a female social entrepreneur who believes that by consuming with care, anyone, anywhere, can UNITE together to change the lives of people in need. And let me just say that go follow her right now. Look her up and follow along because is worth it. There is an air of transparency about her that is so authentic. You will feel like you can go to her for all sorts of advice. And in this episode, that's what you'll get. She not only shares the story of how she went from working in journalism to creating the Half United brand, but she shares some advice about business and life, too. We talk about what's hard about running a business in which her response even translates to the tension I feel in parenting. She also talks about what friendships look like in this season of life and again, you will really resonate with what she shares. Stay tuned for that last Survival Kit question because she really drops the mic.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

We are still trying to find our Corona rhythm and between my girls having spring break (aka Corona-staycation) and having to move out for a few days to fix the AC, I knew it was best for me to not tackle a new episode for this week. I decided this would be the perfect time to let you get a sneak peek into what the Patreon content is all about. In this bonus episode, you will get to hear the extra content recorded with my dear friend, Merica Stum, from our Year in Review episode along with the Ask The Expert question with David Thomas and Sissy Goff: how to handle sibling conflict.

If you decide to support the show on Patreon, you will receive this type of content every week and month. The tiers are as little as $3 or $7 a month. Go to Patreon to check it out.

Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram | Newsletter

Today, Amber and Guy Lia join me. You may remember Amber from joining me way back on episode 106 where we talked about parenting. Amber and her husband Guy wrote a book called Marriage Triggers. Together they own Storehouse Media Group, a faith-friendly and family-friendly TV and Film production company in Los Angeles, CA. And they are raising 4 boys. As we wrap up our relationship series, we take a deep dive into our relationships with our in-laws. We talk about what sort of things are triggers for our relationship with our in-laws and how that relationship can affect our marriage. We talk about boundaries, communication, and perspective. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

We are going to continue in our relationship series. Today, Larry Bilotta joins me. Larry has been helping people in their relationships and marriages for years and his heart for doing this was birthed from his own marriage. He talks about how the first 27 years of his marriage were awful and then in year 28 something changed. They have now been married for over 40 years. We talk about his marriage and what caused it to fall apart but then what helped it change. We talk about how the messages we hear in childhood shape how we experience relationships as adults. We talk about what those messages sound like, the solution to them and how to take ownership of them.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

The last several days have turned everything upside down so I decided to do my monthly solo episode early after a friend encouraged me to address how to survive the quarantine. With all the unknown surrounding the CoronoVirus, our emotions are high. How in the world are we supposed to social distance ourselves and work from home and home school the kids?!

To address this, family joins me around the table to talk about what we are feeling and thinking right now about the virus. Then, I share a few tips on how to survive being quarantined.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Download the planner pages that Sarah mentioned here. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

I welcome my friend Nicole Zasowski back to the table. She first joined me back on episode 161. If you haven't listened to that one, I highly recommend it especially if you have walked through any type of change or loss that was really hard. Nicole is a Marriage and Family Therapist and recently published a book called From Lost to Found: Giving Up What You Think You Want For What Will Set You Free and it is a beautiful and helpful book. For this episode, I pulled out a chapter in her book on relationships and talk about how to be a good partner by moving away from a dependent or independent stance to one of interdependence. We talk about how we are responsible for being loving in our relationships but not responsible for making someone feel loved. And we spend some time unpacking what it looks like to self-regulate the emotions you feel in a relationship and how to figure out what your best self looks like so that you can show up as that person.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

Each week in March, the conversations will center around a different topic that will help us all have better relationships—whether that is in marriage or dating, parenting, or friendships. I want to help you survive well in those relationships. For this first episode in the series, I am happy to welcome coaches and consultants from Thrive, Inc, Susan Clarke and ChrisMarie Campbell, to the table today. Their firm helps people have real conversations both at home and at work. They are authors of the books The Beauty of Conflict and The Beauty of Conflict for Couples. They've spent 20 years helping men, women, couples, and teams to resolve difficult conflicts and create strong, thriving relationships. They also co-host a podcast, The Beauty of Conflict, for dealing with conflict at home and at work.

We have a really great conversation about conflict. We talk about why there's beauty in conflict; our different styles of conflict; how the way we were raised affects how we handle conflict; practical steps to deal with conflict, how personality plays into it, and how our nonverbal communication plays a role. We have a really fascinating conversation about congruency in our communication—what we feel and what we say—and why that matters so much. I gained so much wisdom from this conversation and I think you will too

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram