The Mission Driven Mom Podcast

If you were wondering how academia and the mental health industry feel about forgiveness, the personal experience of forgiveness expert Robert D. Enright, PhD offers some insight. In his book Forgiveness is a Choice, Enright explains why he had to forgive more than ever as he researched forgiveness, ran studies, and worked with hundreds of patients. In his book he says, “Many of my colleagues in the social sciences, quite frankly, thought that I had lost my mind studying such a ‘soft or inappropriate topic’ such as forgiveness. ‘Leave the examination of forgiveness to the clergy,’ I was told. 'You'll never get a job working in academia if you stick with Enright,' my graduate students were counseled. 'This topic has nothing to do with social science,' I heard whispered more than once." 

Is it any wonder that forgiveness as an invaluable tool for emotional healing, relationship building, and personal growth has been virtually lost?

At the age of 17, Shinichi Suzuki innocently hit the keys of a typewriter in an office at his father’s violin factory.  The owner of the typewriter entered the room and asked if he was pressing the keys without paper.

Having just celebrated our 30th anniversary, it seemed appropriate to talk about what is probably the single most important thing that kept us married--through addiction, loss, betrayal, financial and health challenges and more. If you listen carefully, and take to heart what I share here, your life will never be the same.

REMEMBER: you have the power right now to improve yourself, to heal relationships and to experience greater peace. I hope these principles become as useful and liberating to you as they have been to us.

*Look for a follow-up podcast coming soon with my husbands insights and advice :)

Check out my book The Mission Driven Life and my academies and courses here: https://www.audreyrindlisbacher.com/

“There is an exhilaration in knowing who you are.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

The first time I learned about "The Hero's Journey" by Joseph Campbell, I was blown away. It was everywhere! The idea that there was a form for the way the best stories are told - across time and culture - spoke to how similar we really are as humans.

But for me, it was much bigger than that. My question was: WHY? Why do we tell the same kinds of stories, century after century, and why are these stories made up of the same components? Why do our best stories talk of "calls," "departures," "trials," and "treasures"? What is it about these kinds of stories that evoke our imagination and resonate with us so much? 

I believe it is because we are identifying with the Adventure of Self-Discovery. Deep down inside all of us want to grow and learn and become more than we are. "The Hero's Journey" reminds us of what that path looks like, that we need to say "Yes" to the call in order to begin the growth process, and that although the way will be full of obstacles and hardships the pay-off will be well worth the struggle. 

In this podcast, I explore "The Hero's Journey" using stories of those who have rejected and those who have accepted the call. I look at why we reject the call and remind us all of some of the treasures we can obtain if we accept it. I also encourage you, if you've heard the call of self-discovery - through an MDM program or other opportunity - and you've rejected the call, or you've hesitated on your journey, to ask yourself "Why"? And begin again on the adventure of your own self-discovery, knowing you won't be disappointed. 

Listener's Guide:

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

2:39      Introduction to Andrew Young

4:38      The Heor's Journey/The Adventure of Self-Discovery

10:00     The turning Point

13:51     Leadership, Martin Luther King, and Non-violence

14:44     A New Chapter in Life

18:11     A Changed Man and Politics

21:53     Your Call to Self-discovery

30:10     Why Do We Do It

34:48     If You Are Stuck...

Quotes from this episode:

“Andrew, if you ever forget that under that sheet is a child of God you need to quit preaching.” ~Jean Childs Young

“We are like any growing thing, going to experience resistance, pain, trials, and tests. A flower has to burst out of its seed, push against the soil, and spring up above the earth. It has to put down roots, weather the rain and storms. It is always pushing, that's what makes it strong. It grows by pushing through the resistance. That is how we are fashioned, it's what we are meant to do.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

“Why do we do it? Partly because that is what we are made to do. Partly because it is what makes life worth living. Partly because that's the only way we're really going to know ourselves. But mostly, we do it for the reward, the pay off - of who we will become, and the people we will bless.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

“There is an exhilaration in knowing who you are.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher

Books from this episode:

Links from this episode:

"That is what you had to do to live in the camp: be engaged, not live for yourself alone. The self-centered life has no place in the world of the deported. You must go beyond it. Lay hold on something outside yourself.”~Jacques Lusseyran

Born to loving, devoted, faithful parents, Jacques Lusseyran had a very happy childhood. Even the accident that stole his sight at age 7 couldn't dampen the joy and wonder he experienced as a boy. A loyal friend, a serious scholar, a faithful Christian, Jacques loved every element of life...until the occupation of France by the Nazis. Dedicated to truth and freedom, Jacques determined to do something about it. 

Join Audrey this week as she tells the inspiring and miraculous story of Jacques Lusseyran, blind resistance hero of WWII who risked everything for what he knew to be right. 

Listener's Guide:

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

3:34    Introduction to Jacques Lusseyran

5:10    My Parents

7:02     Blindness

9:10    Experiencing Light

12:00   Fear Made Me Blind

14:19   Discerning Character through Voices

16:06   Friendship  

17:03   Education

19:15    Independence, War, Speaking Out

23:00   Looking For Answers

27:37   An Incredible Teacher

29:36   Illness, Spiritual Experience, Resolve, the Responsible Ones

36:00   Recruiting 

39:00   Elio, Betrayal, Democracy and Christian Morality    

49:40   Robert and Clinging to Christ

52:38   Letting Fear Go and Living On Hope

Quotes from this episode:

“My parents spoke to me about God, but only later. I had no name for Him. He was just there and it was better so. Behind my parents there was Someone, and my father and mother were simply the people responsible for passing along the gift. My religion began like this, which I think explains why I have never known doubt.” ~Jacques Lusseyran

“What the loss of my eyes had not accomplished was brought about by fear. It made me blind. Anger and impatience had the same effect, throwing everything into confusion. The minute before I knew just where everything in the room was, but if I got angry, things got angrier than I. They went and hid in the most unlikely corners, mixed themselves up, turned turtle, muttered like crazy men, and looked wild. As for me, I no longer knew where to put hand or foot. Everything hurt me. This mechanism worked so well that I became cautious.” ~Jacques Lusseyran

“For our part, we wanted to learn how to live, and that was a much more serious matter....Unless we were up to making a better life than the life of our elders, the orgy of stupidity and killing would go on till the end of the world. Let people be silent if they were able to go on living without speaking out. We were incapable of it. As for that fear of theirs, it was indecent and made us feel sick. We had no forbearance toward the philosophers, our teachers, or our families. It was better so since we needed our strength to prepare ourselves. Students were very serious that winter in Paris.” ~Jacques Lusseyran

“I sat up late at night. I had thrown myself furiously into the study of philosophy. I wanted to understand it all and felt it was urgent, I don't know exactly why, but it seemed to me that such a chance would not come again, that I was going to be snatched away to more worldly responsibilities. All the ideas of men who had dedicated themselves to thought found their way into my head for the first time, from Pythagoras to Bergson, from Plato to Freud. I examined them as closely as I could.” ~Jacques Lusseyran

"At the beginning of May I had adopted the ascetic life, including Sunday. I got up at half-past four before it was light. The first thing I did was to kneel down and pray: “My God,

Early in Audrey's parenting, she realized how difficult it can be to teach children responsibility, especially in today’s “entitlement” environment. It can seem like everyone has their hand out and is focused on what’s in it for them. How, she wondered, can moms raise conscientious, responsible adults in a positive, empowering way? Then she ran across a phrase in Stephen Covey’s book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - responsibility is actually two words: response and ability! With this new insight, Audrey was able to fashion and practice a new way of teaching responsibility to her children that has born good fruits. Understanding what responsibility is and how it is attached to privileges has made a huge difference, not only in her ability to manage her children and home, but it has enabled her children to take ownership of themselves and their lives and begin pursuing their own God-given missions with excitement. The simple process she lays out in this podcast will empower you to do the same for yourself and your children! Listener's Guide: Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast.  1:21    Definition of responsibility 4:40    Definition of privilege 5:50    Structure and purpose of the family meeting 8:27    Explanation of the diagram 15:35   How taking responsibility allows children to begin shaping their lives 19:55   Keep the energy of your family meeting positive 22:15   The end goal for your family meeting 24:10   Consequences 29:00   A new privilege can become a new responsibility 33:54   The principle 34:23   A few warnings 37:56   Who has authority Quotes from this episode: "Young people innately desire to know what the principles are. They are yearning for the teacher who can unveil them, who invites their examination."~Neil Flinders "As we get older we are capable of more and it's our responsibility to do the things we're capable of. If we're capable of doing something, that becomes our new responsibility." ~Audrey Rindlisbacher "As our children grow, with every new age comes new abilities, but these can be challenging. We all have to grow in our capacity. Attaching a privilege to increase motivation can be very, very helpful." ~Audrey Rindlisbacher "The level at which people are truly responsible for what they are capable of doing is the greatest gauge of life's satisfaction, growth, and success." ~Audrey Rindlisbacher "As teenagers strain relationships with adults to test the limits of their freedom, they rebel against what they interpret as injustice or hypocrisy." ~Neil Flinders Books from this episode:    

For many years Audrey and her family have been pursuing principle-centered living. It is a journey that has been bumpy but rewarding. Through all of the books, all the experiences and all the trial and error, a few governing principles have emerged as most powerful for obtaining and maintaining peace--peace of conscience, peace in the home and peaceful interactions in the world.  Audrey and her life are far from perfect, but the re-centering these principles provide is a constant source of aid in difficult times and direction in good times, as she diligently strives to be more than she is.  Listener's Guide: Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast.  2:50  Principle 1: Always forgive 9:42   Principle 2: Ask empowering questions 14:52  Principle 3: Submit to all truth 24:42  Principle 4: Be diligent 29:40  Principle 5: Have a vision Quotes from this episode: “After 15 years of research, I feel that we have found sufficient evidence of the power of forgiveness so that I can offer our knowledge to those who want to be free from the bondage of anger and resentment.”—Robert D. Enright, PhD “Think about questions that expand your mind because you will receive answers to any questions you ask.”  ~Keith Cameron Smith “I shall presently condemn and quit any opinion of mind, as soon as I am shown that it is contrary to any revelation in the Holy Scripture.” ~John Locke “[Diligence] is the element of being awake, of thinking about what I’m doing, of striving to make improvements as I go.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher “Where there is no vision, the people perish” ~Proverbs 29:18 “Think about how you can have a clearer vision for where you’re heading in life and what foundation you’re building.  Live those 4 foundational laws of life mission.  Get them really solid.  Don’t short circuit the system.  Make sure you have a solid handle on those so you can continue to build a foundation in your home and hold a vision of where your family is headed.  And in the meantime bring as many people as you possibly can.” ~Audrey Rindlisbacher Links from this episode: Principles of Addiction Recovery Principles of Forgiveness Principles of Addiction in Action 3 Keys of Clear Thinking       Books from this episode:                        

To youth, Grandma Moses gave this advice: “Keep in good company, always try to improve your mind and body in every way. Never lose faith in what is ahead of you.” These were principles she not only believed in, but lived herself. A simple farmers wife, Anna Mary Moses never dreamed she would someday become known around the world. She never laid up plans to become rich and famous, she just tried to do her duty--to God, to herself, to her family and community--at every season of her life.  As she once said about her marriage to Thomas: “I believed, when we started out, that we were a team and I had to do as much as my husband did, not like some girls, they sat down, and then somebody has to throw sugar at them. I was always striving to do my share.” Like many of us, Anna Mary was a mother very involved in raising her family. However, as she lived correct principles, she developed self-mastery, good character, and artistic gifts that first beautified her own family's hearth and eventually made their way into the world's greatest museums.  Join Audrey this week as she shares compelling stories of a woman who kept life simple, paid attention to what mattered, and developed the gifts God gave her.  Listener's Guide: Use the time stamps below to skip to any part of the podcast.  3:20      Early Life 9:42      On Her Own at Twelve 15:30    Age Fourteen and School 17:16     A Visit Home 20:32    Thomas Moses and Marriage 23:36    The Water Fight 27:45    Roles, Women, Careers 32:54    Arthritis 34:12    Painting - The Beginning 39:33    Fame Grows 44:10    Advice from Grandma Moses 46:12    Honoring Seasons and Developing Gifts Quotes from this episode: “I was proud in those days, could get up such fine dinners for Mr. Whiteside’s friends who came from far off to see him. When the minister came, and I could bring out the fine linen and the china tea set and the heavy silver, then with hot biscuits, home-made butter and honey, with home-cured dried beef, I was proud.” ~Anna Mary Moses “One day at the dinner table, after Thomas had gone out, someone threw water, then someone else. Then the battle was on, some were running out of doors, out to the pump and commenced to throw it by the bucket-full. Some ran upstairs for protection, and they threw water out of the window, nearly drowning the ones under the window. The battle grew hotter, and they threw the water into the window till it ran down the backstairs into the dining room. Then one of my sisters said she would not stand for it if she was me. I told her to let them have fun while they are young and could, it would be something to laugh about when they were old—and now they do…It was a rollicksome, happy house, and their father would join in with them, he really was one of them.” ~Anna Mary Moses “He found me a good cook, and I found him of a good family, very temperate and thrifty. In those days we didn’t look for a man with money, but for a good family, good reputation—many of the boys were chicken thieves…Thomas just loved to work. He was handy and could do almost anything. He was a wonderful man, much better than I am, he was a Christian, always trying to do good to fellowmen.” ~Anna Mary Moses “When my other children were born, I got the other nurse, Aunt Carrie, she took charge of everything. All I had to do was give her $10. She stayed for two weeks and did all the washing, ironing and took care of the other children too. She was a wonderful woman.” ~Anna Mary Moses “I don’t think I ever lost my temper and got real wild like some folks, even when I was young. When I get angry, I just keep quiet and I think “Ishkabibble”—what the meaning of “Ishkabibble” is I don’t know, but it’s quite a by-word,

What do Albert Schweitzer, Mother Theresa, and David Green all have in common? They all began their life mission the same way!   - Yep! No matter the time, place or culture you live in, life mission ALWAYS starts in a very similar way. Why?

“The truth is that you probably have more natural potential than you could use if you lived one hundred lifetimes. Whatever you have accomplished up until now is only a small fraction of what is truly possible for you.”  ~Brian Tracy As moms,