What's a linchpin? According to the Dictionary.com Its a pin passed through the end of an axle to keep a wheel in position. It also defines it as a person or thing vital to an enterprise or organization. The key word here is vital. The pin is vital to keep the wheels on the axle. The person is vital to an organization. What's this have to do with raising kids? Everything! Do you think we're developing linchpins at school? Are linchpins naturally conditioned in society? No, mediocrity is! As parents, we have an opportunity to raise little linchpins. Vital little humans to lead. Lead organizations. Lead their families. Lead their community. Lead their society. Leaders… In this podcast, Jena and Luke break down how we have an opportunity to raise linchpins. What that means and how we're working towards it! Want to learn even more about becoming a Linchpin and what inspired this podcast? Checkout @sethgodin book Linchpin!

Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and SoundCloud.

It's hard enough to improve on our own weaknesses, let alone help our kids develop their confidence! And then add a sibling that excels at the other's weakness! Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? How do you encourage the child with the weakness, while not discouraging the other sibling from continuing to excel? Your fear is the child with the weakness will give up, get frustrated, lose confidence. And if you give them false confidence, shield them, over praise, "You're actually pretty good at that…" Then later at school they get punched right in the gut when they realize they're not and their confidence is destroyed… In this podcast, Luke and Jena break down this exact scenario in our home and how we're leveraging this as an opportunity to really, really build our kids confidence!

Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Castbox and SoundCloud.

Man, what an episode! Victor Pisano of Charge Up brought it! Victor, Jena and Luke break down the challenges with being a teenager, specifically a student-athlete, today. The significance of establishing core values and non-negotiables at a young age, how to teach our kids gratitude and a parents role as an influencer.

Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and SoundCloud.

https://www.chargeuptoday.com/

Follow Victor @charge_up_today

We all need a friends, right? Guys night, girls night out, that stuff is important and cultivating relationships is key to happiness and health, but do you prioritize this time over time with your significant other? As we age we change, we grow, we become different people than we were when we met each other. What happens when we don't do that together? What's our relationship look like in 15 years after our kids are gone?

In this podcast Jena and Luke discuss why it's important to be best friends with your spouse. Why it's important to grow and invest in each other. Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and SoundCloud.

Feel like you’re consistently coming up short? Things just aren’t going your way? Seems like everything is against you? Man, we all feel this way from time to time. Life’s full of ups and downs, but it’s how we respond to these situations that determines who we become. It’s easy to give in and just become a victim to the circumstances, but what does that do to us long term? What example does that set with our kids? In this podcast, Luke and Jena dive into taking control of your life, including what they’re learning along life’s journey and how we all have to seek to consistently get better, one day at a time.

Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!

Attention Moms! You’ve all without a doubt felt the dreaded mom guilt. From missing little Joey’s baseball game to his first burp, it doesn’t matter how big or how small of perceived importance they all hurt... How do we manage the guilt? Hint, don’t do it alone! In this podcast Luke and Jena break down parenting as a team to overcome the feared mom guilt. Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play, and SoundCloud.

Anyone else feel like their little children are quickly morphing into dramatic teenagers? Full of attitude, flare, drama, emotional, strong willed, always right, knows everything, oh and did I mention they’re only 7 years old! Our oldest daughter is paving her way towards full blown teenager attitude and she just turns 8 in a couple weeks! How do we manage this? How do we connect with her? How do we discipline her? How do we not get sucked into the teen drama? Jena and I struggle with this, but recently came across a good article talking about this exact subject; https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/a-teen-battle-worth-ignoring/. In this podcast we talk about managing the teen drama, letting stuff go, and the importance of letting our kids fail (natural consequences).

Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!

Would you do something everyday if you knew it would have a big impact? Something simple? Something that would have a positive impact on the world? Teach our children how to be kind and influential? Great, us too! Good news, we can! ALL of us have this opportunity right in front of us everyday! Little acts that if done everyday have big influence! In this podcast Jena and Luke dive into how these everyday opportunities, little acts, translate into big influence AND how to find these little acts and capitalize on them everyday! Good stuff that will change your life and lead your kids!

Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!

Say NO! So that you can say YES! You’ve likely heard the saying “When you say yes to something you’re saying no to something else.” What if instead of focusing on what we’re unintentionally saying no to we focus on saying no to the lower priority things in our life so that we can say “yes” to the important ones. Focus on taking control, rather than being a victim to the circumstances of saying yes. In this podcast, Jena and Luke break down how to prioritize your life in a way that makes it easier to say no and how to be ‘all in’ on the priorities of your life.

Say no! So that you can say yes!

Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!

Attention single parents, divorced parents, parents trying to date have we got a story to share with you! Welcome our first guest Carmen Williams and her inspiring story of triumph, struggle, depression, self love and redemption! Episode notes below as it is a longer one.

1:00 - Intro. Early life and embarking on a new career

10:00 - Meeting her husband and getting married at 20 while in the military overseas

13:00 - Son born overseas. Daughter born after in US apart from her husband

16:00 - Reunited with husband in US

18:00 - Depression, anxiety, rocky marriage and divorce

25:00 - Single mom life begins. All alone.

30:00 - Most important life altering thing learned

34:30 - Dating as a single mom

Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!