Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here.

Are you 100 percent thrilled with how your family uses technology? 

If you say no, then welcome to the club!

If your kids opted out of having a smartphone, social media and video games, would they be better or worse off? Imagine saying goodbye to parental controls, fights, and time limits. Today's guest Erin Loechner is the author of The Opt-Out Family: How to Give Your Kids What Technology Can't. As you can imagine, I love this book! Today's we're going to talk about: 

3:00 What an “opt-out” family looks like

5:00 Why is social media so dangerous for children?

10:43 What the algorithm of social media does

14:10 The burden of social media on girls

21:00 Does having a smartphone truly help your child in their social life?

23:30 How can we “opt-in” to other things as we “opt-out” of social media? 

27:10 The main concerns with AI

29:45 Why easier is not better

Erin Loechner is a former social media influencer who walked away from a million fans to live a low-tech lifestyle and is now teaching others to do the same. She's been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, the Today Show. Erin is the founder of the global tech-free movement the Opt-Out Family.

Learn more about Erin Loechner and her book (which launched with no social media of her own), The Opt Out Family: How to Give Your Kids What Technology Can't. https://www.optoutfamily.com/

Learn how to dumb down your smartphone https://www.optoutfamily.com/tip/

Read Arlene's book Screen Kids (co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802422209/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0802422209&linkCode=as2&tag=arlenpelli-20&linkId=837f2447fde5b4a57b13b75b78236083

Have a question for Arlene to address on the podcast? Please email Arlene your questions and the topics you want covered on the show! [email protected]

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here.

Are your kids going to be all right? Is your job secure? Will your marriage get better? We live in an age marked by worry and anxiety for adults and kids. Many who wrestle with anxiety know the Bible calls them to trust God, but how does that actually work? Pastor and author Jonny Ardavanis invites us to open God's Word for answers. In this conversation about his book, Consider the Lilies, you'll learn:  
3:30 I had a front row seat to teen anxiety as a camp director 

5:25 If you’re a parent, this is what you need to know

7:00 Even if your child doesn’t suffer from anxiety, he or she lives in a performance stressful culture 

8:30 How can we protect the minds of our kids? 

10:45 One of the main schemes of Satan is to make sin look normal and righteousness seem strange

15:00 Every worry is an invitation to get closer to God 

17:10 What’s the difference between a good godly concern and an ungodly worry? 

20:00 We were told our daughter had a syndrome with strokes and seizures

24:00 When your kids have sports injuries 

27:55 God allows you to go through trials because…

Jonny Ardavanis is the pastor of Stonebridge Bible Church in Franklin, TN. He’s the founder and president of Dial In Ministries serving the next generation. He has served as camp director at Hume Lake Christian Camps and as a dean at The Master’s College. He and his wife have two young daughters. Today, we're talking about his book, Consider the Lilies: Finding Perfect Peace in the Character of God. 

Learn more about Dial In Ministries
https://dialinministries.org/

Get Jonny's book, Consider the Lilies
https://www.amazon.com/Consider-Lilies-Finding-Perfect-Character/dp/0310368243/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.yBlnH-e3bSsBJoLo-Hv3vz_bwdX2IgWB9ezQ8PNYtkaw7ElP9_sLVDpE9it02M9F.-mnpeyrtjwUwqjpImQmTFaHlktyPYWQe-SMuf20w318&qid=1722298799&sr=1-1&ref=dialinministries.org

Subscribe to Arlene's free email list
https://www.happyhomeuniversity.com/subscribe

Have a question for Arlene to address on the podcast? Please email Arlene your questions and the topics you want covered on the show! [email protected]

Save the date: Arlene's next Parents Rising Conference in San Diego, September 6, 2025

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here.

Do you feel comfortable talking with your kids about faith and science? Today's guest, Passion founder Louie Giglio, reminds us that God can handle scientific scrutiny as He is the creator of all things. In his book for kids, The Wonder of Creation, you'll find a great resource to share the world of science with your child from a Biblical worldview. We'll also talk about developing a passion for Christ that lasts.  

Today you will learn: 

5:30 The more is discovered in the universe, the more we see intelligent design

6:00 It’s okay to say, "I don’t know the answer to that. Let’s find out." 

7:00 Let's dismantle the wall between God and science 

9:45 Show your kids the James Webb telescope 

10:50 Why you must begin with Genesis 1:1 for children 

12:30 Valuing your children but not making them the center of the universe 

14:45 Putting down screens and getting outside instead 

18:00 How can we raise a worshipper? The power of a dad to influence his kids to follow Jesus 

21:00 Your heart can still burn for God in your 40s, 50s, 60s 

24:40 Prepare your kids for what the values they will learn in college so it will not rattle them to the core 

27:00 Worldview is set young - don’t wait - get your young kids in a worship environment

Learn more about Louie Giglio's book, The Wonder of Creation

https://www.indescribablekids.com/

Need help with your child's media choices? Read Arlene's book co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, Screen Kids and visit Happy Home University to take the free quiz - Is my child getting too much screen time? 
https://www.happyhomeuniversity.com/

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here.

Get Arlene's book, Making Marriage Easier: How to love (and like) your spouse for life https://makingmarriageeasier.com/

What's the one sin that is defeating you or your family? Karl Clauson knows what it's like to wrestle with sin, hit rock bottom, and find God's grace wider than he ever dared hope. His new book, Killing Sin: Conquer the one thing that is defeating you, will help you wage war on sin and find victory in Christ. In today's conversation, you'll learn about: 

3:00 Racing the Iditarod, 1100 miles through the tundra with a dog sled team

6:22 What parenting with true power looks like 

13:33 The transformative power of God’s grace

15:21 How to kill your sin 

22:00 Hate can be good???

25:30 Why tackling one sin at a time is important

27:00 There is victory lying ahead of you

Karl Clauson is the host of Moody Radio’s Karl and Crew, a nationally syndicated radio program. He is the lead pastor of 180 Chicago Church. Karl and his bride Junanne have been married 37 years and have 2 adult kids. 

Learn more about Karl and his new book, Killing Sin (and get free resources to help you fix broken systems and much more) https://killsin.com/

Get the help you need to take back your home from too much technology. Join Arlene for her masterclass, Screen Kids today https://www.happyhomeuniversity.com/course

Get free date night ideas whether you have 15 minutes or one hour, small group questions for Making Marriage Easier and more https://makingmarriageeasier.com/

Have a question for Arlene to address on the podcast? Please email Arlene your questions and the topics you want covered on the show! Email speaking @ arlenepellicane.com

Tickets on sale now! You're invited to Arlene's Parents Rising Conference in San Diego, September 6, 2025 http://parentsrisingconference.com/

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here.

Do you spend a lot of time managing stuff? Finding things? Storing things? Buying things? Julia Ubbenga has found a way to cut through the clutter - it turns out having more isn’t necessarily better. We're talking through Julia's book, Declutter Your Heart and Home: How a minimalist life yields maximum joy.

On today's episode, you'll learn: 

3:00 Shopping is fun! Right???

7:30 Help! I’m attached to all of the things I need to declutter!

10:25 How decluttering affects your heart and your home

12:50 Short, practical ways to start decluttering your home

17:50 How do we prioritize people over possessions

22:45 Systems that can make decluttering easy for you and your kids

28:55 The key to decluttering

Julia Ubbenga's projects at Rich in What Matters have attracted over 50 million views and helped people restructure their lives around what matters most. She lives in Kansas City with her husband and five children.

Learn more about Julia Ubbenga at Rich in What Matters https://richinwhatmatters.com/

Get Julia's book, Declutter Your Heart and Your Home https://www.amazon.com/Declutter-Your-Heart-Home-Minimalist/dp/0310368960

Follow Julia on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/richinwhatmatters/

Check out Arlene Pellicane's books Parents Rising and Screen Kids https://www.happyhomeuniversity.com/books

You're invited to see David Thomas, Sissy Goff, and Arlene at the Parents Rising Conference in San Diego, September 6, 2025. Get your ticket today. https://parentsrisingconference.com/

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here.

Ann Wilson spent more than a decade longing for a better marriage and for her husband to be more attentive. And every chance she got, she told him so! Turned out all her booing was pushing her husband even further away. FamilyLife Today hosts Ann and Dave Wilson explain how their marriage was turned around as Ann shares from her new book, How to Speak Life to Your Husband (When All You Want to do is Yell at Him).

On today's episode, you'll learn: 

2:30 When getting 3rd place wasn’t even enough for my dad

5:10 My husband was playing sports, I was struggling to take care of the kids

7:50 Did Ann really boo her husband in public?

11:00 If you’re used to being negative about your husband, how do you change that?

14:38 The respect rebellion

22:20 Is being a helper a bad role?

29:30 Sophisticated nagging doesn’t work but this does

Ann and Dave Wilson are the hosts of the nationally syndicated radio show FamilyLife Today and cofounders of Kensington Community Church. Dave was the chaplain for the Detroit Lions for 33 seasons. They have three grown sons and seven grandchildren.

Learn more about Ann and Dave Wilson and FamilyLife Today https://www.familylife.com/
Get Ann's book, How to Speak Life to Your Husband (When all you want to do is yell at him)
https://shop.familylife.com/product/how-to-speak-life-to-your-husband-when-all-you-want-to-do-is-yell-at-him/

Follow Dave and Ann Wilson on Facebook or Instagram
https://www.facebook.com/DaveAnnWilson
https://www.instagram.com/daveannwilson

You're invited to see David Thomas, Sissy Goff, and Arlene at the Parents Rising Conference in San Diego, September 6, 2025. Get your ticket today. https://parentsrisingconference.com/

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here.

If social media was completely erased from teen life, would that be a good thing for your kids? Allie Marie Smith knows what it’s like to scroll endlessly and get pulled under the tide of tech. It’s time for a reset for our kids: mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Allie’s here to show us how from her new book, Social Media Reset. On today's episode, you'll learn: 

2:45 Is your time on social media affecting the memories you make with your children?

6:02 How does social media affect our lives spiritually 

11:18 What does a 30-day reset look like?

17:33 How to set limits with social media 

22:00 Are you “phubbing”?

28:40 Your life is precious

Allie Marie Smith is the founder and director of Wonderfully Made, a nonprofit dedicated to helping teen girls and young women. Allie is an award-winning author, speaker, podcast host, and certified life coach. Her newest book is Social Media Reset: A 30 Day Guided Journey to Unplug, Reconnect with God, and Reclaim Your Joy. Allie loves surfing and adventuring up and down the CA coast with her hubby Paul and golden retriever named Gidget. You can hear Allie’s testimony of how God saved her from depression and suicide in my earlier podcast with her titled Teen Girls are Wonderfully Made. https://www.accessmore.com/episode/Allie-Marie-Smith---Teen-Girls-are-Wonderfully-Made

Find out more about Allie Marie Smith and her book, Social Media Reset on her website https://wonderfullymade.org/

Get Arlene's free resource, 5 Ways to Reset Your Tech here https://www.happyhomeuniversity.com/subscribe

You're invited to see David Thomas, Sissy Goff, and Arlene at the Parents Rising Conference in San Diego, September 6, 2025. Get your ticket today. https://parentsrisingconference.com/

Have a question for Arlene to address on the podcast? Please email Arlene your questions and the topics you want covered on the show! Email speaking @ arlenepellicane.com

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here.

Need some encouragement as a single parent? Single father Rich Griffin is here to talk about the ups and downs of parenting three adopted sons, dealing with trauma, and the problem of professionalizing discipleship. Rich has a message of hope for single parents, and every parent who wants guide their child towards wisdom. On today's episode, you'll learn: 

2:47 Why Rich became a single dad 

7:00 How to help your kids overcome trauma 

9:10 From church and family, to church as family 

15:03 Handling hard situations with your kids 

19:33 How to do ministry with your kids 

27:41 The three T’s of parenting

Rich Griffith is a part-time pastor and an associate professor of Youth and Multi-generational Ministry at Toccoa Falls College, where he has been teaching since 2016. He holds masters degrees in theology and organizational leadership, as well as a doctorate in youth, family, and culture. His books include Voices: Helping our Christian and Youth Listen to Wise Counsel. Rich is the single dad of three adopted sons. 

Find out more about Rich Griffith at https://d6family.com/

Have a question or comment for Rich? Email Rich at [email protected] 

Read Arlene's book, Screen Kids, which includes a section for single parents. https://www.happyhomeuniversity.com/books

You're invited to see David Thomas, Sissy Goff, and Arlene at the Parents Rising Conference in San Diego, September 6, 2025. Get your ticket today. https://parentsrisingconference.com/

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here.

Loving your kids is very important, but so is loving your spouse. How can you invest in your marriage this week? It’s worth the effort to get closer to your spouse because a strong marriage makes a strong family. It can be easier to talk about parenting and sweep your marriage issues under the rug. On today's episode, Arlene shares a few things she has learned about marriage.  

You'll learn:  

3:40 Here’s the weird thing that happened to me in spin class

6:20 Providing stability to your kids 

7:25 We don’t live in a committed culture 

9:00 Think of commitment like this, not that 

11:40 I would be considerate to my spouse if he was considerate to me…

15:00 What’s one thing you could do for your spouse today? 

16:00 But my spouse is no longer novel or interesting…

18:00 My husband’s glucose kick

19:50 Create more wonder in your marriage like this (check out Bill Farrel’s interview in the archives) 

22:00 Advice for stepfamilies (check out past interviews with Ron Deal and/or Laura Petherbridge in the archives) 

24:00 Dropping off our oldest to college with tears

If you want to learn more, read Arlene's book 31 Days to a Happy Husband. 

You can also take the masterclass here: happyhomeuniversity.com/happyhusband

Arlene Pellicane is the host of the Happy Home podcast, speaker, and author of several books including Parents Rising and Screen Kids.

The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here.

Winning in marriage isn't about winning an argument against your spouse. You and your spouse are on the same team, which means you either both win or you both lose. NFL chaplains George and Tondra Gregory are here to help us develop a winning game plan for marriage. A great marriage won't happen by accident, but it can be built. We'll learn how from George and Tondra's new book, The Marriage Game Plan: Developing a winning strategy for marital success. On today's episode, you'll learn: 

2:30 They were headed towards divorce– but rebounded by God’s grace

7:00 Why did God create marriage in the first place?

14:15 What if you approached marriage like a professional? 

20:25 Getting on the same page in marriage 

24:40 Having trouble with your in-laws?

28:35 How to enjoy “victory Mondays” in our marriages

George and Tondra Gregory have been coaching couples through their national marriage ministry for more than 20 years. They have previously served as marriage ministry leaders at Saddleback Church. They worked with several professional sports teams and leagues including the NFL and the NBA. They are currently serving as the chaplains to the LA Chargers. Their new book is The Marriage Game Plan: Developing a winning strategy for marital success. 

Find out more about George and Tondra Gregory here https://journeyforlifenow.org

Get the book The Marriage Game Plan https://journeyforlifenow.org/books/

Get free date ideas (even if you just have 15 or 30 minutes) and check out Arlene's book Making Marriage Easier https://makingmarriageeasier.com/

You're invited to see David Thomas, Sissy Goff, and Arlene at the Parents Rising Conference in San Diego, September 6, 2025. Get your ticket today. https://parentsrisingconference.com/

Have a question for Arlene to address on the podcast? Please email Arlene your questions and the topics you want covered on the show! Email speaking @ arlenepellicane.com