The Tried & Truth Podcast: Rethinking Success for This Season

How do we raise children who are naturally curious, creative, and confident in a world of shrinking attention spans and constant screen time? In this episode we sit down with Jennifer Pepito — host of The Restoration Home podcast, founder of The Peaceful Press, and veteran homeschooling mom of seven — to explore what it really takes to nurture creativity, curiosity, and faithful purpose in our homes.

Jennifer shares 27 years of wisdom on how parents modeling their own curiosity is the spark that lights it in their kids, why unstructured offline time in nature is essential for creative development, and how doing the inner work of healing our own wounds creates a home atmosphere where children feel free to create, explore, and thrive.

Whether you homeschool, send your kids to school full-time, or are somewhere in between, this conversation is packed with practical encouragement for every season of parenting.

In This Episode:

Resources Mentioned:

🎧 If this conversation hits home, don't forget to subscribe to The Tried and Truth Podcast and leave a review to help more listeners find it. Even better, share it with a friend. 

That’s what Right Here, Lately is—a short weekly note with an idea to sit with, something I’m learning, a few things I’m loving, and a little encouragement for wherever life finds you.

Less than two minutes. Free to join. And always something I hope leaves you a little better than I found you.

Join me →

What if the thing you’re most frustrated by right now—the limitation, disappointment, delay, or circumstance you wish you could change—isn’t simply an obstacle to overcome?

In this episode, I’m talking with author and writer Sara Hagerty about the unexpected gift of limitations and what can happen when we stop fighting every boundary in our lives and begin to ask what God might be doing within it.

Sara shares how infertility, illness, grief, family challenges, and unexpected loss changed the way she sees suffering, surrender, productivity, and presence. We talk about why grief is not something we need to rush through, how unprocessed grief can come out sideways, and how allowing ourselves to name what hurts can create space for healing and deeper joy.

We also talk about Sara’s experience with a productivity fast—intentionally stepping away from her to-do list during the time of day when she was normally most productive. What she discovered challenged the belief that being productive means we are valuable or successful.

And perhaps the biggest reminder from this conversation: there may be more for you right here.

Not necessarily more on the other side of the limitation. More inside the life, season, family, or circumstances you have today.

Resources Mentioned:

🎧 Listen now — and if this one hits home, subscribe to The Tried and Truth Podcast and leave a review to help more listeners find it.

That’s what Right Here, Lately is—a short weekly note with an idea to sit with, something I’m learning, a few things I’m loving, and a little encouragement for wherever life finds you.

Less than two minutes. Free to join. And always something I hope leaves you a little better than I found you.

Join me →

You know how to hold it all together — but underneath, there's a quiet ache you rarely say out loud. In this conversation with therapist and bestselling author, Dr. Alison Cook, she will help us put words, understanding and next steps to that feeling towards a greater sense of inner security.

In this episode, we'll unpack questions such as:

Dr. Alison Cook, licensed psychologist and bestselling author shares personal stories and practical tools for recognizing anxiety, honoring the "achiever" parts of yourself with compassion, and rediscovering a more secure, embodied faith.

Mentioned in this episode:

🔗 dralisoncook.com/quiz 

Take this 3 minute quiz to help you uncover the role you took on in your family—and learn how it may still be shaping your relationships, faith, and inner life today.

The Secure Soul (includes free masterclass: "Healing the Wounds That Shape Us")

Dr. Cook's podcast: The Best of You

Connect with Dr. Alison Cook: dralisoncook.com

That’s what Right Here, Lately is—a short weekly note with an idea to sit with, something I’m learning, a few things I’m loving, and a little encouragement for wherever life finds you.

Less than two minutes. Free to join. And always something I hope leaves you a little better than I found you.

Join me →

Is Your Home Helping You Live—or Constantly Asking You to Manage It?

We talk about why our homes affect how we feel, how to build confidence around what to keep or let go of, and how to create spaces that reflect the season of life you're actually in — not the one you're leaving behind.

In this episode, we cover:

Connect with Myquillyn: Instagram: @thenester Website: thenester.com

If today's episode gave you a few practical ideas to bring more calm into your home, share it with a friend who needs to hear it — and leave a review! 

That’s what Right Here, Lately is—a short weekly note with an idea to sit with, something I’m learning, a few things I’m loving, and a little encouragement for wherever life finds you.

Less than two minutes. Free to join. And always something I hope leaves you a little better than I found you.

Join me →

If you are the person in your house, your friend group, your family who holds everything together — this one's for you.

Today I'm sitting down with Nichole J. Suvar — author of I Don't Have to Hold It All Together (one of those titles that's stands alone as a phrase you can carry with you) to talk about anxiety, faith, releasing control, and what it looks like to finally experience real peace instead of just chasing it.

Nicole has lived with anxiety since childhood with decades of hiding it behind her faith, and eventually hitting a wall she couldn't push through anymore. What came out of that is a message rooted in the idea of cultivating the peace of Eden — not manufacturing a perfect life, but learning to tend your part and trust God with the rest.

This conversation will encourage you, challenge you, and maybe give you permission to put some things down.

In this episode, we cover:

Resources & Links:

If you've ever felt misunderstood by the people closest to you — your spouse, your coworkers, your best friend — this episode is for you.

We're sitting down with Jason VanRuler, herapist, speaker, and author of Discovering Your Communication Type, to talk about why most of us feel lonely and why we're stuck in the same communication patterns (or lack thereof), having the same arguments, and wondering why nothing changes — even when we're trying.

The answer isn't more empathy or better boundaries. It starts with understanding yourself.

In this episode, you'll learn:

About the guest: Jason VanRuler is a licensed therapist, nationally recognized speaker, and author of Discovering Your Communication Type: The 5 Paths to Deeper Connections and Stronger Relationships. His work helps individuals, couples, and teams break out of default communication patterns so they can build more honest, connected, and peaceful relationships — one conversation at a time.

If you enjoy conversations like this, you can subscribe to the newsletter for honest reflections on faith, relationships, identity, and intentional living, plus behind-the-scenes insights and new episodes.

Would you agree that we're living in the most self-focused era in human history — and yet also one of the loneliest? Today's guest, Made to Magnify author Morgan Krueger, joins us to talk about the connection. Morgan is sharing why focusing more on ourselves is actually making us more anxious, more dissatisfied, and more stuck and what it looks like practically, to step out of that cycle.

In this episode, you'll discover:

This episode is for you if:

TIMESTAMPS

RESOURCES + LINKS MENTIONED

Let’s stay connected 

If you’ve decluttered your home but it still feels overwhelming, this episode is for you.

Katy Joy Wells, decluttering expert has helped over 250,000 families transform their homes into "happy places" by addressing the real clutter problem: the beliefs, habits, and emotional attachments underneath all the stuff.

Katy unpacks why most decluttering attempts fail, what clutter actually means, and how we can create a home that supports their mental health — without needing a free Saturday or a Pinterest-perfect pantry.

In this episode, you'll learn: 

Mentioned in this episode: 

HAVE YOU SUBSCRIBED TO THE NEWSLETTER? It's that little spark to your inbox you didn't know you needed. Never miss a conversation, good read, or takeaway again :) 

What do you do when life feels uncertain, unsteady, or like you’re living in an in-between season?

In this episode, Annica sits down with writer and speaker Adriel Booker from Australia to talk about navigating life transitions, grief, identity shifts, and what it looks like to stay grounded when nothing feels clearly resolved.

Together, they explore the emotional and spiritual reality of "liminal space"—those spaces between what was and what’s next—and how God meets us in the middle of uncertainty, change, and becoming.

This conversation is for anyone who feels stuck in a transition, overwhelmed by change, or quietly asking how to trust God when life feels unclear.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Resources mentioned: 

Follow Adriel on IG@adrielbooker or her website.

HAVE YOU SUBSCRIBED TO THE NEWSLETTER? It's that little spark to your inbox you didn't know you needed. Never miss a conversation, good read, or takeaway again :) 

If you’re in a season of transition, uncertainty, or change, share this episode with someone who might need it. And if you’re enjoying these conversations, follow and subscribe to The Tried and Truth Podcast so you don’t miss what’s coming next.

Follow Annica on Instagram @annicafischer

You've built the life. You've checked the boxes. You've chased happiness and searched for meaning — and yet something still feels... off.

In this episode, philosopher and professor Dr. Lorraine Besser joins us to talk about the missing third dimension of the good life: psychological richness. Drawing from her research and groundbreaking book The Art of the Interesting, Dr. Besser reveals why happiness and meaning alone aren't enough — and what it actually takes to live a fuller, more captivating life.

We talk about why our plans might actually be limiting us, how to turn wasted moments into rich experiences, and the surprisingly simple mindset shift that can change everything — no new job, no sabbatical required.

In this episode:

Connect with Dr. Lorraine Besser: