The Liberty HopeCast

We reflect back on our episodes with Hope's brother, Nathan, and Katie's daughter, Isabel. We discuss the similarities in their experiences with school and their adult responses to how their moms dealt with them. The vehicular studio shows up in new and interesting ways!

Tips from this R&R: Keep showing grace and love to your child. Don’t give up on your child and try to get their perspective as much as possible.

Resource cited:
The JoyCast
The Daniel Dilemma

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We sit down with hospitality/entertainment guru Sarah McQuown and discuss ways to create an inviting space. 

Tips from Sarah: Don’t mop before company if it’s just going to frustrate you when it’s dirtied up again! Do the things you want with your space instead of spending all your time just cleaning. Shower and put makeup on before you start preparing for guests. Do what things you can in advance so you have less to do the day of the event. Think about how much energy it will take to prepare and try to either scale back or pace yourself so that you feel able to enjoy the event when it happens. If you’re spending a lot of time on decorations, check your expectations about people’s responses and see if you’re doing it for them or because you enjoy it. Know your “why” about having people over and extending hospitality. 

Keep it simple. Ask others to bring something. Don’t worry so much about the details- take the first step. Surround yourself with supportive friends.

Sources mentioned:
Jen Wilkin
Rosaria Butterfield
"Worth doing badly" quote

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We sit down with Katie's 19 y/o daughter Isabel, and discuss teenage hormones and struggles in school. We explore the changes in parent-child dynamic as a child becomes an adult, and whether "everyone" should go to college. Isabel shares how parents can support their struggling teens.

Tips from Family Talk: As much as possible, don't take it personally when your child says or does things that seem hurtful to you. Children really do lie to keep from disappointing their parents! Consider that your child might be mean to you because you are the only safe person for them to vent their emotions, and take this element into account when determining consequences.

Topics mentioned:
EasyIz

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In part two, we continue to have honest conversation with Nathan, with a focus on issues with teens, and how parents can persist past seemingly bad attitudes and actions. Nathan provides info on short term mission work with him in Honduras. 

Tip:
 Consider doing “temptation bundling” to match character building with fun activities for your children.

Contact info for Nathan:
Facebook
Bob's number to discuss a mission trip: 352-302-9006

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Katie and Hope have a heart to heart with Hope’s missionary brother, Nathan Lloyd-Jones. In part one, we learn a little about Nathan and we have real talk about the struggles of parenting. We discuss healthy ways to have conversations with children about their actions.
Tip: 
As a parent, if you struggle with the ability to verbalize emotions and talk through events with your children, seek support from a more verbal partner or learn from a verbal friend how to better have these tougher conversations. 

Resources:
Love languages
Road back to you
Faith-based:
Shepherding a child’s heart
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https://www.facebook.com/Hopebrown29/
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In lieu of a guest for our art episode, we discuss the past and present ways we use artistic expression in our own lives. We discuss music, cooking, and professional endeavors that help us get in touch with our creative side! Mary shares a big dream!

Topics mentioned:
The dWelling (website) and on Facebook
Babylon Bee Story
Easy Iz Designs
Sweet Cakes & Catering
Therapy book
Podcast with Paul David Tripp
Cooking movie with SMG

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Counseling with Hope
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We reflect on our conversation with teacher and black belt Amy McElroy. We further dissect the idea of what helps us stay strong in difficult times, and come back to that elusive chicken/egg concept with regard to improving mental health and relationships.

Tips: The time to build crisis-sustaining relationships is before a crisis hits! If you worry about being a bad parent, you're probably a good parent! 

 Resources:
Gift of Failure book
Blessing of a B-minus book
Dax Shepard interview with child expert (not G-rated)
I see you TedTalk

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Counseling with Hope
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We sit down with Amy McElroy to discuss Taekwondo, parenting, and how we can better prepare our children for facing life's challenges. Amy shares some "dos and don'ts" for interacting with your child's teachers. Don your inner warrior and dive on in!

Tips:
It's better to over-communicate (via email!) with your child's teacher than to under-communicate. Try to build positive expectations around your child's school experience. Often, your children will receive correction differently from an instructor in an extra-curricular activity like martial arts or sports, than from you as their parent.  

Resources:
TKD studio
Grit book
The Power of Habit
Smart People Podcast
Song mentioned:
The Breakup Song

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Counseling with Hope
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We reflect on our conversation with Laurie Malloy and explore our responses to it. We cover multiple topics as we incorporate what we learned from Laurie with our general questions about how to build better mental health.
Tips from our reflections:

One “baby step” is to eliminate decisions about things that don’t matter to you. It is important to have a structure/habit in place to take over the support role whenever you are dismantling a previous mental structure/habit.

Resources:
The Confidence Code
The Road Back to You
The Power of Habit
Sleeping at Last
Joshua Becker

We get to talk with Laurie Malloy, founder and owner of Simple Spaces, LLC, and a personal coach and speaker. Prepare to be challenged in the best way possible, as Laurie drops non-stop truth bombs on us!

Tips from Laurie Malloy:

“Clutter is postponed decisions” (via Barbara Hemphill). Identify your core values and make sure you have a truth-teller in your life. Start small, have grace for yourself. Start organizing with Julie Morgenstern’s method:
Sort (like with like)
Purge
Assign a home
Containerize
Equalize

Find Laurie:
website
Facebook
Instagram

Resources:
The confidence code
 The power of habit
Atomic Habits
Negotiate it

Contact us!
Counseling with Hope
Email: [email protected]
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