The Mission Driven Mom Podcast

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen, first published in 1879 was, at one point, the most frequently performed play in the world and has continued to be performed regularly throughout the 20th and into the 21st century. In addition to its popularity with the public, many scholars list Ibsen right after Shakespeare as the greatest playwright in history. Ibsen, like Shakespeare holds a mirror up to life by creating situations where his audience is forced to look at itself and its underlying assumptions. In A Doll's House, Ibsen introduces us to Dora, who occupies her husband's home like a doll in a dollhouse. She does everything the men around her have always told her to do, never bothering to truly think for herself. And when the most noble act she has ever performed comes to be seen by the man she is sacrificing for as irresponsible and dangerous, she is forced to look inside for the answers. Her internal struggle results in a discussion about the nature of womanhood and the value of the individual—as well as the seeds of feminism. As Nora explains her intellectual journey and the conclusions she has drawn, she resolves to leave her family in order to repair her own mind and soul. Controversial, insightful, thought-provoking and persuasive, this play not only set the stage for how we think and act today, it will force you to take a closer look at who you are and what you truly stand for.

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“Our culture is moving further and further away from principles and truth. What we really ultimately hope to give you, and to build and create, is a community that has the power to shift the culture. We do that by beginning with shifting the culture in our homes and raising principle-centered children. But we also do that by reaching out into our communities and building bridges through emphasizing that there are fundamental truths that can unify us all.

And all of that begins with empowering every mom with a clear understanding of true principles and how to apply them in her life.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

Are you ready for the fast track to a principled life?! HERE IT IS!

This fall you have the opportunity to gather in Dallas, TX with other moms just like you--truth seekers who want to build a strong family culture centered on principles--and spend an entire day gleaning all the most important concepts, ideas, and tools that Audrey and her team have gathered in over 20 years of research, study, and teaching!

Do NOT pass up this unique and one-time chance to be mentored, inspired, and trained in the ability to pierce the confusion and identify the principles. Not only that, you'll be armed with skills for implementing those principles in your daily life and enjoying the abundant blessings that always follow principles.

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

1:16 - Welcome and introduction of Julie, Tracie, Lindsey, and Audrey

2:17 - When, how, why did you begin learning about principles?

12:57 - How have principles changed your life?

23:05 - What insights have you had as you've been preparing for the event?

30:43 - What would you tell someone who thinks this is too hard, too intellectual, or too abstract?

35:40 - What excited you the most about this event?

Quotes from this episode:

“We make rules, but we don’t make principles.” ~ Lindsey Wright

“His settled convictions were as a dike against those invading waters of novel opinion - social, political, and otherwise - which carried away, as in a torrent, no few minds, in those days; minds by nature not inferior to his own.” ~ Herman Melville, Billie Bud

“I realized that I was lacking something, I just didn’t know how to think when I was confronted with different ideas and different opinions. I just wanted a way to find a way through that and I knew I desperately needed it.” ~ Tracie Hyde

“Natural law is a way to bring people together; to connect us at our core.” ~ Audrey Rindlisbacher

“It’s been my passion to try to govern my life according to principles. I wanted to discover what they are and build a framework that can be communicated clearly to give other people tools for the discovery and utilization of true principles at the most basic, easiest level possible.” ~ Audrey Rindlisbacher

“I got so much clarity by asking better questions and focusing on the outcome that I want and then connecting that to some principles and first principles.” ~ Lindsey Wright

“Once you understand the principles and the outcome then it’s really clear what the next step is.” ~ Lindsey Wright

“Now I have a way forward. I have a way to act because principles have given me something specific to do - a direction to act that I didn’t know before.” ~ Tracie Hyde

“The role that each of these types play, from natural law to first principles, principles, and applications, is in helping us to clarify our vision and to figure out the what, the why, and the how, to move forward.” ~ Audrey Rindlisbacher

“They change the way I think about myself and the way I think about the world. They give me hope…They help me get clear.” ~ Audrey Rindlisbacher

“They create long-term solutions and peace.” ~ Audrey Rindlisbacher

“When we ask the five types of questions that’s what helps keep us focused on finding principles, articulating them and applying them.” ~ Tracie Hyde

“Just understanding this framework, that there is truth,

“We want to love God-not with an empty, small, or flabby mind, but with a mind as large, as vigorous, and as disciplined as we can possibly make it.” ~Dr. Arnold Green Our 1st Annual MDM Celebration event was a great success! We loved spending the day with stellar moms, collaborating and learning from each other and especially gaining insights and principles for better discernment. Check out these highlights from the event! Listener's Guide: Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast.  2:40 Introduction to Discernment 6:45  Judgment 11:07  Indoctrination 19:20  Workshops 22:00  Social Discernment  25:16  Spiritual Discernment 29:38  Cultural Discernment   Quotes from this episode: “Moral education is impossible apart from the habitual vision of greatness.” ~Alfred North Whitehead “Mr. Hutchins and I…taught a course in the philosophy of education last year. It was taken by men and women who were candidates for the Ph.D. in education, many of whom were already in responsible teaching or administrative positions. We began with this definition: ‘Education is the process where by the power of human nature become developed by good habits.’ I have italicized the word “good” because that, as usual, was the stumbling block. The class objected to the definition as normative; the science of education must be objective. Some of them said there was a nothing good or bad about education, and others shocked us even more by suggestion that education might just as well be a development of bad habits. The argument went on for days, requiring us to get down to fundamentals. In the course of it we discovered that these professionals in education had been thoroughly indoctrinated with scientism and positivism. The mark of indoctrination was that they really couldn’t defend their position; the marks of the doctrine they had swallowed were the familiar denials—of the objectivity of moral standards, of the rationality of men, of any method for answering questions except that of empirical science.” ~Mortimer Adler “A man has as much authority intrinsically as he is able to speak the truth.” ~Mortimer Adler “Judgment is automatic, like swallowing...judgment must be based on first principles...principles require the exercise of reason and judgment.” ~Thomas Reid “Love requires wisdom and judgment - knowing what is best for someone and having the spiritual courage and mental discipline to take the necessary action.” ~M. Scott Reid “When right feelings are not supported by right thinking, good men can be insensibly corrupted.” ~Mortimer Adler “Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: First a right to life, secondly to liberty, and thirdly to property; together with the right to defend them in the best manner they can.” ~Samuel Adams “Conscience is the most sacred of all property…and is the right of every man to exercise it as these may dictate.” ~James Madison “Individual rights are moral principles identifying the social conditions required by man’s nature for his proper survival.” ~Ayn Rand “God has formed us as moral agents...that we may promote the happiness of those with whom He has placed us in society, by acting honestly towards all, benevolently to those who fall within our way, respecting sacredly their rights, bodily and mental, and cherishing especially their freedom of conscience, as we value our own.” ~Thomas Jefferson “We want to love God-not with an empty, small, or flabby mind, but with a mind as large, as vigorous, and as disciplined as we can possibly make it.” ~Dr. Arnold Green “The least stain upon your character will do more harm to your happiness than all accomplishments will do it good.” ~John Adams

"I had an inner certainty that I was on the right path in my life—the path God had chosen for me. Great things were going to happen in my life, and I had to do my part by preparing myself and being ready." ~Ben Carson What if we just assumed that God has a specific path for us? What if we knew that "great things were going to happen in our lives"? Would we see our lives differently? Would we see ourselves differently? By the time Ben Carson was in his early 20's, there was no question in his mind that God had big plans for him and that it was his job to put in the work and prepare himself thoroughly. How as this made possible? Because of his mother! Ben could never have become the man he became or had the influence in the world he now has without the determination, vision, encouragement and hard work of his mother.  This family is an incredible model for us to follow through all the 7 Laws of Life Mission -- as they devoted their lives to God, cared for themselves, embraced truth and educated themselves out of poverty and into the highest offices in the country! Listener's Guide: Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast.  2:27  Sonya Carson's early years 9:37  How Sonya handled opposition 14:00  How Sonya became self-reliant 20:02  How Sonya parented her boys and helped them get world-class educations 26:25  Carsons and the 7 Laws  29:18  Ben's spiritually transforming experiences   Quotes from this episode (all quotes from Ben Carson): “Part of mother’s strength came from a deep-seated faith in God and perhaps just as much from her innate ability to inspire Curtis and me to know she meant every word she said.” “Mother never let on how it hurt her, but her treatment in a mental hospital provided neighbors with a hot topic of gossip, perhaps even more because she had gone through a divorce. Both problems created serious stigmas at the time. Mother not only had to cope with providing a home and making a living to support us, but most of her friends disappeared when she needed them most…'I just decided that I had to go about my own business,’ Mother once told me, ‘and ignore what people said.’ She did, but it couldn’t have been easy.” “Of course, mother worked. Constantly. She seldom had much free time, but she showered that time on Curtis and me, which made up for the hours she was away…No matter how tired she was, if we were still up when she got home, mother didn’t fail to ask about school.” “‘That’s what I want to do,’ I said to my mother as we walked home. ‘I want to be a doctor. Can I be a doctor, mother? ‘Bennie,’ she said, ‘listen to me.’ We stopped walking and mother stared into my eyes. Then laying her hands on my thin shoulders, she said, ‘If you ask the Lord for something and believe He will do it, then it’ll happen.’ ‘I believe I can be a doctor.’ “Then, Bennie, you will be a doctor,’ she said matter-of=factly, and we started to walk on again.” “Mother had a goal in mind…she planned to go back and reclaim the house we’d lived in…’Boys,’ she told us as the weeks and months passed, ‘just wait. We’re going back to outhouse on Deacon Street. We may not be able to afford living in it now, but we’ll make it. In the meantime, we can still use the rent we get from it.’ Not a day passed that mother didn’t talk about going home. Determination burned in her eyes, and I never doubted that we would.” “My mother worked two and three jobs at a time…She was especially interested in the people, because most of the time she worked for the wealthy. She’d come home and tell us, ‘This is what wealthy people do. This is how successful people behave. Here’s how they think.’ She constantly drilled this kind of information into my brother and me. ‘Now you boys can do it too,’ she’d say with a smile adding,

For months Audrey felt like she was stuck. She knew what she needed to do but couldn't bring herself to do it.  Has this ever happened to you? Thinking the time just wasn't right, Audrey continually put off the next step until it was clear that she was drowning and had to do something. Yet, every time she tried to take action, she just couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. Finally, the realization struck - she was immobilized by fear! Through recognizing that fear was stopping her, taking the time to name all her fears and then working things through with God and her family, she was finally released from the fear that gripped her and was freed to move forward in her mission journey! Listener's Guide: Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast.  1:10  Audrey's preparation for MDM 4:45  MDM is growing 6:54   "I'm going to hire a secretary" 12:00  Audrey figures out its fear 14:22   Her fears 16:31   How God helped Audrey 18:45   Audrey's hesitations about sharing 21:33   Audrey talks to her family 23:43  Fear defined 25:40  The truth sets you free Quotes from this episode: "The truth shall make you free." ~Jesus "If you're putting off things you know you should do, maybe you're struggling with fear." ~Audrey Rindlisbacher "Fear is the anticipation of evil." ~Aristotle "Attack your fears, find the truth, and let it set you free from the fears that are stopping you from the personal growth you're being urged on to." ~Audrey Rindlisbacher Books from this episode:  

I'm sorry I haven't been more clear about what the truth is and how it can set you free! This is a RESET for 2024, and from now on I'll be bringing you all the insights from my study of truth and natural law as I write another book that will demonstrate HOW the truth can truly set you free!

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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. turned the world upside down in the 1960's with his revolutionary approach to the problem of racial segregation. His method, "nonviolent resistance," had produced amazing results in India. When King sought to bring a consciousness of the evil of segregation to the minds of the white community, he determined to utilize this method. He said of this approach: "Christ furnished the spirit and motivation while Gandhi furnished the method." ~Martin Luther King, Jr. King went further, though. He explained that once his followers had a deep understanding of this "political" method for change, nonviolent resistance eventually became a "way of life" for them.  How could something that was meant to fight off injustice in America become a way of life? Why did this method take such a hold in the lives of King's followers? Most importantly, why and how can the principles of nonviolent resistance become a way of life for us? 

Listener's Guide: Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

1:38  Introduction to nonviolent resistance as a 'way of life'

8:02 Principle 1

10:01  Principle 2

11:23 Principle 3

17:27  Principle 4

19:55  Principle 5

21:11  2 wrong ways of mothering

26:28 Jordan Peterson's examples

32:48  Agape and Principle 6

Quotes from this episode: "I stressed that the use of violence in our struggle would be both impractical and immoral. To meet hate with retaliatory hate would do nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe." ~Martin Luther King, Jr. "...nonviolence is ultimately a way of life that men live by because of the sheer morality of its claim." ~Martin Luther King, Jr. "It must be emphasized that nonviolent resistance is not a method for coward; it does resist...This is ultimately the way of the strong man." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.  "Someone else's bad behavior is never an excuse for my bad behavior." ~Audrey Rindlisbacher "Things of fundamental importance to people are not secured by reason alone, but have to be purchased with their suffering." ~Mahatma Gandhi "Along the way of life, someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can only be done by projecting the ethic of love to the center of our lives." ~Martin Luther King, Jr.  "Love is...the will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth." ~M. Scott Peck "...we are incapable of teaching our children self-discipline unless we ourselves are self-disciplined. It is actually impossible to forsake our own spiritual development in favor of someone else's." ~M. Scott Peck "Children must be shaped and informed, or they cannot thrive. This fact is reflected starkly in their behavior; kids are utterly desperate for attention from both peers and adults because attention, which renders them effective and sophisticated communal players, it vitally necessary." ~Jordan Peterson "It is an act of responsibility to discipline a child. It is not anger at misbehavior. It is not revenge for a misdeed. It is instead a careful combination of mercy and long-term judgment. Proper discipline requires effort-indeed, is virtually synonymous with effort. It is difficult to pay careful attention to children. It is difficult to figure out what is wrong and what is right and why. It is difficult to formulate just and compassionate strategies of discipline..." ~Jordan Peterson "Agape is the willingness to go to any length to restore community." ~Martin Luther King, Jr. "To the degree that I harm my brother, no matter what he is doing to me, to that extent I am harming myself." ~Martin Luther King, Jr. 

“Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves.” — Alcoholics Anonymous

Have you ever felt a sense of powerlessness in the face of addiction? Whether it is a struggle of your own or witnessing the cycle in a loved one, the fear can be paralyzing. We often look for physical solutions to what is, at its core, a spiritual sickness.

When we move away from spiritual answers, the physical world often fails to provide the healing we seek. Addiction is frequently born from "wrong habits of managing life"—an attempt to move from pain to pleasure without undergoing the internal change required for true peace. It is a broken way of approaching life’s problems, but it is not a reflection of a person’s worth.

There is profound hope. Even the best people struggle, but by understanding the principles that combat addiction, we can arm ourselves and our families with the resilience to stay whole.

Listen to our latest podcast to explore the spiritual principles that offer a way out of addiction.

Join me, Lindsey and Kim for an enriching and inspiring discussion of my December Book Club pick A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens--you'll love it!

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“What is the difference between my books and those of other writers, is that I prefer to describe and perpetuate the best I have known in life." ~Gene Stratton-Porter 

As a young girl growing up on a farm in Indiana, Gene had the idyllic life. The youngest of 12 children, Gene was given free-range of her large farm to fall in love with nature - her lifelong passion. Sadly, while she was still in her formative years, tragedy struck when the accidental deaths of her brother and sister were followed closely by the death of her mother. Yet, with the help of a loving, supportive father and siblings, she overcame her heartache and poured her heart into her self-education. 

Eventually, as her calling became clear, she determined to use her gifts to glorify God and inspire what is most noble and elevated in human life. Amidst rejection from editors and resistance from publishers, she insisted that her nature books and stories would be accepted and become well-loved by individuals and families around the globe.

She was right. Even in her own day she sold over 30 million books worldwide - a very rare accomplishment for any author. Of course today the legacy of her in-depth nature work and enriching, inspiring stories lives on, continuing to bless millions of lives. Join Audrey to hear the amazing true story of Gene Stratton-Porter's hard work and sacrifice to bring beauty and truth to the world. 

Listener's Guide:

Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast. 

4:18      Laddie - an Autobiography

6:12      Her Parents and Family

17:24     Her Relationship to God

20:53    List of Principles Taught in The Stratton-Porter Home

21:25     Self-Care and Self-Discovery

25:00    A Tribute to Her Father and Family Tragedies

29:33    The Math Paper and an Affirmation of Talent

34:16     Leaving School for Six Months

36:24     A Father Assists in Learning

39:49     Her Own Family and Developing Her Talents

53:20     The Limberlost

58:16     A Commitment to Excellence

1:01:29    A Noble Purpose

Quotes from this episode:

“All [my father's] ideas were clear cut. No man could influence him against his better judgment. He believed in God, in courtesy, in honor, and cleanliness, in beauty, and in education. ” ~Gene Stratton-Porter

“[My father] would often say, "I would rather see my child the author of a book of which I could be proud than on the throne of England," which was the strongest way he knew to express himself.” ~Gene Stratton-Porter

“[My father's] very first earnings were spent for a book and when other men rested he read. All his life he was a student of extraordinary, tenacious memory.” ~Gene Stratton-Porter

“ All his life, with no thought of fatigue or inconvenience to himself, Mark Stratton, traveled miles uncounted to share what he had learned with those less fortunately situated by delivering sermons, lectures, and talks on civic improvement and politics. ” ~Gene Stratton-Porter

“The most that can be said of what education I have is that it is the very best kind in the world for me. I always had been too thankful for words that circumstances intervened which saved my brain from being run through a groove in company with dozens of others of widely different interests, tastes, and mentalities. What small measure of success I have had has come through preserving my individual point of view, method of expression, and...the spartan regulation of my girlhood home.” ~Gene Stratton-Porter

“[My father] knew I was boiling and bubbling like a yeast jar in July over some literary work and if I timidly slipped to him with a composition or a faulty poem he saw good in it and he made suggestions for its betterment.” ~Gene Stratton-Porter

“It was [my father] who demanded of me, from birth, the finishing of any task I attempted and who taught me to cultivate patience; to watch and wait even years, if necessary.