This is the conversation I've always wanted to have with Mo & Emily. On a late summer night in Iowa, after the kids have all gone to bed, we tucked into their family couch and talked about dating, sex and marriage. I fully embraced the  child-like wonder in me, and attempted to ask questions without giggling too hard. It has taken me 5 years of friendship to get comfortable enough to hear these stories for the first time, and it was a blast.

We dove into the purpose of dating, the sustenance of romance amidst raising children, and how not to be consumed by your identity in one another. For anyone who knows me, Mo & Emily are basically my adopted parents; I've defaulted to them on many accounts, and can always trust them to guide me according to the Word of God. This episode is potentially more precious to me than anyone else in the world, but I'm not mad about it. Eavesdroppers, you are so welcome here.

Mike and Emily Mogard are parents to 4 beautiful and athletic children. Our paths crossed 5 years ago when I moved to Brunei to work for the family; what compelled me to uproot my life was the way they lived theirs. Unlike most children, these 4 were living proof that there was something worth coveting about how they saw life and decided to pass it on.

In this episode, Emily shares the intimate details of how their youngest son, Zion, battled bacterial meningitis as a baby. I ask how Mike ensures that their pursuit in weightlifting and CrossFit is entirely their own, and not to please their parents. From which, we conveniently segway onto Calla's identity in being liberated of clothing options, take a detour to discussing social media and their unorthodox decision to allow their children to have Instagram accounts before finally landing on how parenting these four kids have changed both Emily and Mike.

Recorded in Ames, Iowa, U.S.A.

---

Unlike most podcasts, this series is purely selfish in that I am desperately trying to preserve a piece of the company I keep by recording our conversations that often dovetails into sensitive, inappropriate, and sometimes icky topics. Regardless, if you are ever so compelled to find out more about my friends, feel free to check them out at: 

@michaelmogard

Emily's blog: http://mommingmogards.wordpress.com

"What has changed since 6 months ago, when you were doing this for free? What has made you comfortable to ask to be paid?" Kimmy opens up conversation with me with a big question, and I knew we had to record this. As a master neurolinguistic practitioner and someone who taught communications for a living, Kimmy Moss grills me on the developmental growth in my life since I left Singapore 6 months ago. 

The audio is admitted painful, but if you bear with it, I promise there are some incredible gems that you might find helpful in uncovering things that are holding you back. 

If you made it through the entire episode, CONGRATULATIONS!!!! You deserve a sticker. You really do. And if you're extra savage and want to hear more, tag @kimmy.moss and @melanie.sylim, so that we know the little pebble we threw into the interweb-space landed somewhere after all. 

@kimmy.moss

@rhetoricinmotion

@melanie.sylim