Have you ever wondered what teenagers are thinking?

On this week’s episode of What To Know Before They Go – the Back To School series, we have the pleasure of interviewing three impressive students and hearing their suggestions for enhancing their educational experience. Their recommendations are for parents, teachers, and counselors who interact with students. In addition, they offer their responsibilities for being successful this school year.

They are the “real deal” and we are so grateful for their insight. We hope their transparency will help lend insight into the lives of the teenagers in your life and encourage you as you walk alongside them.

Special Guests:
Collin, High School Freshman
Kyra, High School Senior
Hudson, College Freshman

As the beginning of another school year quickly approaches, our latest series, What To Know Before They Go: How To Support Our Youth will address issues related to academics, disordered eating, anxiety, depression, and suicide - issues that plague an alarming number of teenagers. Each week we will interview experts in these areas to gain insight into these issues and to learn how to best support the struggling teens in our lives.

The statistics on disordered eating and eating disorders for adolescents are staggering;
The typical age at onset for 75% of this population is between 11 and 20 years of age.
Those who have been diagnosed with anorexia have a 10 times greater risk of dying compared to peers.
This is an epidemic that affects individuals, families, schools, and communities.

Please join us as we speak with Lauren Eisleben, LPC, a frequent guest on the podcast, to discuss these important issues and ways in which parents, teachers, counselors, and
communities can support individuals experiencing disordered eating.

Listeners, on this week’s episode of we will be discussing the sensitive and emotional topic of adolescent and teen eating disorders. The conversation may be triggering for those who have lost a loved one to anorexia or for those experiencing disordered eating. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Please call 988 for 24/7 support. 

Special Guest: Lauren Eisleben:
Lauren holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communication and has worked as an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism for eight years. In December 2019, she graduated with a Master of Education degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Stephens College and specialized in emotion focused therapy (EFT).

As the beginning of another school year quickly approaches, our latest series, What To Know Before They Go: How To Support Our Youth will address issues related to academics, disordered eating, anxiety, depression, and suicide - issues that plague an alarming number of teenagers. Each week we will interview experts in these areas to gain insight about these issues and to learn how to best support the struggling teens in our lives.

This week, we kick off the series with Special Guest Nawassa Logan, a counselor in the Columbia (MO) Public School District. As the 2022-2023 school year ended, Nawassa wrote a social media post about entitlement, the lack of accountability, and other problems plaguing public education. Join us as she unpacks these issues and offers insights into how we can all work to improve the situation. 

Special Guest: Nawassa Logan, LPC
Nawassa is the mother of three adult children with 23 years of experience as a school counselor. 

Finding joy in the midst of sadness, depression, grief, or just the everyday trials and tribulations of life can be hard. Remembering what delights you, brings a smile, or lifts your spirits can be difficult when life gets in the way. 

This week we are reflecting on a few of our favorite things, because sometimes, when we want more joy in our life, we have to dig deep and rekindle our love for things that bring us joy. Movies and books that we love. Bible verses that feed our soul. Scents that remind us of beautiful people and places.

Join us for this light-hearted conversation and then check out the attached questions in the show notes to make it easy for you to spend a little time reflecting on your favorite things, too!

EnJOY!


Show Notes:
Robin's Favorite Books: 
The Bible and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni



Denise's Favorite Books:
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
Man' s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams
The Bible 

 


To Help you Find a Few of YOUR Favorite Things

I've always wanted to learn how to:

I'd love to travel to:

If I won the lottery I would buy:

When I was younger, I love to:

Favorite Disney movie:

Favorite flower:

I am the world's best:

A perfect day would include:

My favorite smell:

Favorite food:

Favorite musician/song:

A wise friend once said that getting older isn't for sissies. Boy, was she right!

Our culture tells us to do everything we can to slow down or diminish the process of aging. In the process, there are often conversations that go unsaid and emotions that go unprocessed. 

We pride ourselves on educating our daughters about womanhood and supporting young mothers. But who is educating and supporting women beyond those phases of life? Who is saying the hard things and explaining to women why we feel different and how sometimes our bodies are defying us?

Join us for this episode as we start the conversation with an enlightening discussion about six things we wish we had known about aging.

Jamie Hoos appeared to be a superwoman to the world. She dedicated herself to raising her five children with her husband, leading the women's ministry at her church, and managing a side job. Additionally, she had her own teaching ministry.

But inwardly, Jamie had never felt weaker. Battling an undiagnosed autoimmune disease and the normal aging process, Jamie began to find her life overwhelming. Physically she was exhausted. Emotionally, she was drained. 

Jamie was burnout.

Join us for a heartfelt episode featuring Jamie Hoos, where she shares her clinical understanding of burnout, how it manifested in her life, and how her faith played a crucial role in her path toward hope and healing.


SPECIAL GUEST: JAMIE HOOS

JAMIE IS A MINISTRY LEADER PASSIONATE ABOUT THE WORK OF CHRIST IN THE LOCAL CHURCH.  SHE HAS TAUGHT THE BIBLE FOR OVER A DECADE AND RECENTLY BEGAN DABBLING IN BOTH BLOGGING AND WRITING HER OWN CURRICULUM FOR WOMEN’S STUDIES.  OUT OF THE OVERFLOW OF GOD’S WORK IN HER LIFE, JAMIE CHALLENGES WOMEN TO PLACE THEIR HOPE IN GOD AS HE PURPOSES TO USE THEM IN THE LIVES OF THEIR FAMILIES, FRIENDS, CHURCH AND THE COMMUNITY.  SHE HOLDS A BA IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AND A GRADUATE CERTIFICATE OF WOMEN’S MINISTRY FROM THE NEW ORLEANS BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY.  SHE LIVES WITH HER HUSBAND, ANDY, AND THEIR FIVE CHILDREN IN CENTRAL MISSOURI.

To learn more about Jamie, go to www.jamiehoos.com or follow Jamie at Jamie Hoos Teaching Ministries on Facebook.

It's been a big week for birthdays. First, Denise had one now so does America.

Ever wonder why we celebrate the birth of our country with fireworks? Or ever consider where all the fireworks are made? Or how they are made?

Join us for this episode full of surprising facts about the Fourth of July holiday - created to help you enjoy this time of reflection, refreshment, and relaxation.

Show Notes:
Want to make the cauliflower potato salad Denise raves about:
https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/cauliflower-potato-salad/

For more Fourth of July facts:
https://wallethub.com/blog/4th-of-july-facts/22075

For more from Denise, go to her blog Words To Live By at:
https://denisebickel.com/

To follow Robin on her training to ride in the Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer Ride, follow her on Facebook or donate at https://www.facebook.com/donate/231626943093960/1039910454086072/

No one gets married planning for it to fail, especially when you marry a pastor. But that's precisely what happened to Brandi Wilson after 20 years of marriage, two church plants, and three sons. 

Brandi Wilson’s new book, Better Than Okay: Finding Hope and Healing After Your Marriage Ends ( released by Bethany House on July 11, 2023), recounts how she confronted grief and heartache head-on and learned how to rise from the pain.

On this episode, we sit down with Brandi and discuss the grief and suffering of a marriage ended, dreams lost, and a future unknown.  Now six years after her husband left their church and marriage, Brandi shares how God helped her overcome her sorrow to emerge Better Than Okay.

Whether you're reeling from divorce or know someone who is, or are simply struggling to survive a season of suffering, Brandi will help you find hope for the future and guide you toward God's healing redemption. 

Special Guest:Brandi Wilson 
Brandi is an author, coach, and speaker who has been in leadership for more than a decade at Leading and Loving It, a non-profit created to empower women to love life and ministry. Brandi has helped plant two churches and is passionate about walking alongside single moms and divorced women as they navigate parenting and life. Brandi lives with her three sons in Nashville, TN.  For more, go lovebrandiwilson.com.

To learn more about Brandi's leadership conference: https://leadingandlovingit.com/

Less is more. Or is it?

Americans are seemingly convinced that our stuff makes us happy so we’re constantly working to accumulate more of it. Then before we know it, our stuff controls our life and we’re struggling to find a way to pay for it and the time to maintain it. 

What if there’s another, better way? A way where we buy and keep only what we need; a way that our accumulation of stuff reflects our true values. 

Join us for this episode as we define minimalism, discuss its benefits and offer some easy ways to start living a life where less really is more. 

SHOW NOTES:

How To Have More Time and Money by Joshua Becker, Becoming Minimalist
Would You Rather Have More Time or More Money? By Ashley Williams, PhD,
Psychology Today, Aug 23, 2018

Guide to Achieving Financial Minimalism: 12 Ways by Rebecca Lake, SoFi Learn, September 16, 2022

How To Find Peace In Your Financial Future With Kimberly Earnest:
buzzsprout.com/632383/episodes/12151105

Jesus said, “in this world you will have trouble.” Yet many of us feel like we should be strong enough to face these troubles without the help of others, specifically counselors. 

For others, we may have counseled with a pastor or confided in a friend. Still others have found a counselor only to have had a negative experience. 

Join us for this episode as we unpack all of this with LPC Lauren Eisleben- a Christian and a counselor who is willing to discuss these tough subjects.