Making friends as an adult can feel weirdly vulnerable — like you’re back in high school, with better manners and less time.

In this episode, we talk about why friendship gets harder as life gets fuller… and why so many friendships don’t end from one big moment, but from a slow build-up of unspoken expectations, assumptions, and missed repairs.

If you’ve ever:

• felt that pit in your stomach trying to “put yourself out there”
• grieved a friendship breakup and didn’t know what to do with it
• wondered if you’re the only one who overthinks every interaction
• craved a real village but don’t know where to start…

…this conversation is for you.

We share what we’re learning about building deeper connection: showing up with curiosity, creating room for misunderstanding, asking for clarity, and learning how to repair when things get messy, because real community isn’t found fully formed. It’s built.

✨ Listen to the Full Podcast 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YFuoKTYMYQBkoBqDU6RWX 🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-of-us/id1852384590

🤍 Follow Along https://instagram.com/thewholeofus https://facebook.com/we.are.the.whole.of.us https://www.tiktok.com/@thewholeofus

🌿 Our Website + Stories 🔗 https://thewholeofus.com/

00:00 Making Friends as an Adult 01:52 Why Adult Friendships Feel Hard 04:33 Loneliness & Why Community Matters 07:33 How Deep Friendship Is Built (Time + Presence) 10:23 Expectations That Sabotage Friendship 13:10 Normalising Awkwardness + “Getting It Wrong” 15:27 Friendship Breakups: The Pain + The Why 18:04 Rupture & Repair: Conflict Skills That Keep Friends 22:48 Assumptions, Misunderstandings & Clarity 26:46 Rebuilding Community After Isolation 30:33 Common Humanity: Connection Across Difference 35:39 Creating Room for Misunderstanding (Grace + Curiosity) 37:40 Outro

We chased independence. Travel, freedom, no boss, no obligations… and it looked like the dream.

But the truth? It can get brutally lonely.

In this episode we unpack community vs independence — why “my truth” can become a cage, why small talk is the glue, and why discomfort might be the doorway back into real friendship and belonging.

💬 What’s harder for you: starting conversations or staying when it gets uncomfortable?

👉 Follow The Whole of Us for honest conversations on belonging, faith, relationships, and realistic thriving.

✨ Listen to the Full Podcast 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YFuoKTYMYQBkoBqDU6RWX 🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-of-us/id1852384590

🤍 Follow Along https://instagram.com/thewholeofus https://facebook.com/we.are.the.whole.of.us https://www.tiktok.com/@thewholeofus

🌿 Our Website + Stories 🔗 https://thewholeofus.com/

Starting something new is rarely clean. In this episode, we talk about what it actually feels like to launch a podcast publicly—fear of judgment, the urge to over-explain, the messiness of learning in public, and the quiet bravery of showing up anyway.

We unpack the difference between follow-through that builds resilience and follow-through that turns into self-abandonment, why “cost” depends on what you’re serving (performance vs peace), and how repair—internally, in marriage, and with your community—matters more than getting it perfect.

If you’ve been sitting on an idea because you don’t feel ready… this one’s for you.

CHAPTERS 00:00 Setting the Scene: Launching the Podcast 01:44 The Vulnerability of Authentic Conversations 04:08 Facing the Fear of Judgment 10:19 Reframing the Concept of Cost 14:21 The Balance of Following Through 22:25 Repairing and Growing Through Conversations 29:16 Embracing the Messiness of Starting

👍 If this episode helped, please like, subscribe, and share with someone who’s trying to start something new.

💬 Tell us: What’s the “thing” you’ve been avoiding starting, and why?

✨ Listen to the Full Podcast 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YFuoKTYMYQBkoBqDU6RWX 🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-of-us/id1852384590 🤍 Follow Along https://instagram.com/thewholeofus https://facebook.com/we.are.the.whole.of.us https://www.tiktok.com/@thewholeofus

🌿 Our Website + Stories 🔗 https://thewholeofus.com/

He wasn’t the one with post natal depression… but he was the one trying to hold everything together.

In part 2 of our PND series, Kelsey interviews Tom about what it’s really like when your wife has postnatal depression/postpartum depression: the numbness, the pressure, the denial, and the slow path back to being on the same team.

If you’re a partner supporting someone through PND, this episode will put language to what you’ve been carrying.

We talk about:

• What fathers/partners carry behind the scenes
• The emotional cost of being the “strong one”
• Why denial and perfectionism keep families stuck
• How healing began (and what actually helped)
• Why partners deserve support too

If you’re walking through postnatal depression (or supporting someone who is), you are not alone — and help exists.

✅ Subscribe for more honest conversations on family, wellbeing, marriage, and healing.

💬 Comment: What part of this resonated — or what do you wish people understood about PND?

Resources (Australia):

PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia): 1300 726 306

If you’re outside Australia, please reach out to your GP/local perinatal mental health service.

✨ Listen to the Full Podcast 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YFuoKTYMYQBkoBqDU6RWX 🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-of-us/id1852384590

🤍 Follow Along https://instagram.com/thewholeofus https://facebook.com/we.are.the.whole.of.us https://www.tiktok.com/@thewholeofus

🌿 Our Website + Stories 🔗 https://thewholeofus.com/

00:00 Introduction + content warning

01:39 Fatherhood expectations vs reality

09:56 The emotional toll of parenting (and missing the signs)

15:20 How postnatal depression impacted our marriage

20:30 Denial, protectors, and what healing actually required

25:45 Why support networks matter (and dads need support too)

29:00 Growth, compassion, and rebuilding partnership

30:30 Hope, resources, and closing reflections

Postnatal depression didn’t end when I left hospital.

It didn’t resolve with a single therapy or mindset shift.

Healing was slow, painful, and still the kids created purpose, joy and laughter in the midst of it all.

In part 1 of 2 episodes, Tom interviews Kelsey about her lived experience of postnatal depression: from hospitalisation, acceptance, and survival mode, to the slow and often misunderstood journey of healing through trauma work, community support, and motherhood.

We talk about:

• Why leaving hospital wasn’t the end of PND
• How acceptance reduced suffering
• Why recovery took years, not weeks
• Parenting while in survival mode
• Finding joy and growth after postnatal depression

If you’re in the thick of postnatal depression or postpartum recovery, you’re not broken and you’re not alone.

👇 Subscribe for honest conversations on family, mental health, and healing.

💬 Comment if this resonated or share with someone who needs hope.

Support (Australia):

PANDA – 1300 726 306

✨ Listen to the Full Podcast

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YFuoKTYMYQBkoBqDU6RWX

🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-of-us/id1852384590

🤍 Follow Along https://instagram.com/thewholeofus https://facebook.com/we.are.the.whole.of.us https://www.tiktok.com/@thewholeofus

🌿 Our Website + Stories 🔗 https://thewholeofus.com/

00:25 Content disclaimer: postnatal depression

01:54 Early parenthood and identity shifts

04:28 Expectations before becoming parents

07:55 The reality of life after baby

10:20 Experiencing postnatal depression

13:52 Second child and worsening mental health

20:25 Seeking help and psychiatric care

27:34 Life after hospital and acceptance

31:44 Healing through parenting and growth

35:25 Community, support, and future conversations

This episode is a candid conversation about social media that goes far deeper than platforms, posts, or algorithms.

Tom and Kelsey share the real story behind their journey — surrendering dreams, showing up in obedience when it made no sense, and discovering how consistency compounds long before results appear. From posting faithfully with no audience, to rapid viral growth, to stepping away when identity and creativity became entangled, this episode explores what social media reveals about who we are.

This episode is for:

• social media creators who feel tired, conflicted, or stuck chasing metrics
• people wrestling with obedience, timing, and surrendering control
• anyone navigating comparison, judgment, or identity online
• those who sense both beauty and harm in the digital space

You’ll hear reflections on:

• why obedience often precedes understanding
• how consistency builds capacity, not just visibility
• the nervous system cost of virality and performance
• the grief and freedom of laying a dream down
• the difference between audience and true community
• creating without abandoning yourself

This isn’t about demonising social media or mastering it.

It’s about learning how to show up faithfully, humanly, and sustainably — and trusting that what’s built in the unseen is never wasted.

✨ Listen to the Full Podcast 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YFuoKTYMYQBkoBqDU6RWX 🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-of-us/id1852384590

🤍 Follow Along https://instagram.com/thewholeofus https://facebook.com/we.are.the.whole.of.us https://www.tiktok.com/@thewholeofus

🌿 Our Website + Stories 🔗 https://thewholeofus.com/

Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6YFuoKTYMYQBkoBqDU6RWX

Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-of-us/id1852384590

00:23 – Why Everyone Hates Social Media (But Still Uses It)

01:36 – How We Started on Social Media (With No Audience & No Plan)

01:59 – From Consistency to Growth: Brands, Virality & Opportunity

08:12 – Mental Health, Identity & the Hidden Cost of Being Seen Online

13:03 – When We Laid the Dream Down: Obedience Over Outcomes

23:46 – Why Community Matters More Than Followers

32:03 – Balancing Family, Presence & Social Media Without Losing Yourself

32:03 – What’s Next: Creating From Alignment, Not Performance

What does full-time travel really feel like… from the kids’ side of the story?

In this episode, we hand the microphones to our daughters, Isla (11) and Alessia (9), and ask them what the last few years of worldschooling and living out of suitcases have actually been like.

They share the moments they’ll never forget—from screaming their way through a zipline in Thailand and sliding down a three-storey mud slide, to missing home, family and their dog Nala so much it hurt.

We talk about:

• The scariest and most fun moments of our travels (and how they got braver with heights, new foods and new cultures)
• How travel made them more curious about history, animals, sustainability and different cultures
• What helped on the really hard days: homesickness, tiredness, hunger, long travel days and wanting to “just go home”
• The people they’ll never forget—from Sunday school teachers in the US to the “mini breakfast” olive man in Turkey
• How worldschooling and slower travel changed the way they learn and why routine still matters
• What “home” means now after mud houses in Egypt, tiny hotel rooms and endless “plane home / bus home / boat home”
• How they really felt about watching Mum and Dad be stressed, messy and making up in front of them
• The ways our family has changed—becoming more adventurous, more connected and more confident together

If you’re curious about traveling with kids, worldschooling, or just want a real, honest look at what this lifestyle feels like for little hearts and nervous systems, this conversation is for you.

Hit subscribe, leave a comment with your kids’ questions about travel, and tell us: where would your children choose for the next family adventure? 🌍✨

CHAPTERS

Introduction and Guest Introduction0:00

Memorable Travel Moments3:00

Curiosity and Cultural Understanding9:00

Challenges and Homesickness15:00

Family Connection and Growth21:00

Reflections and Future Adventures27:00

Are you walking through something unexpected… a crisis, a disruption, a change you didn’t choose?

Maybe your body is reacting more intensely than the situation “should” warrant — anxiety spikes, overwhelm hits fast, your nervous system goes into overdrive, or you find yourself snapping, shutting down, or feeling exhausted for no obvious reason.

In Episode 9 we unpack what actually happens inside us when life shifts suddenly, whether it’s something big like bushfires, burnout or major life transitions, or something “small” like a house leak, a cancelled plan or a stressful day.

We break down:

• Why your nervous system reacts before your logic can catch up (0.02-second amygdala response)
• Why familiar stressors trigger old memories, even when you think you’ve “moved on”
• How to recognise your stress pattern — fix-it mode, freeze, overwhelm, catastrophising
• Why fatigue, irritability, sensory overwhelm or shutdown might actually be trauma responses
• How to regulate your nervous system when life feels unpredictable
• What helps kids feel safe during uncertainty (without making them responsible for our emotions)
• How to build resilience before the next unexpected moment
• How faith, gratitude and safety cues create stability when nothing feels stable

🎧 Listen to the full episode for a grounded, honest, faith-filled look at navigating stress, trauma, nervous system responses, parenting through change, and finding peace when life doesn’t go to plan.

Hit subscribe, comment with what resonates, and share this with someone who needs a little hope in an unexpected season.

CHAPTERS

0:00 – From Romantic Getaway to House Crisis

00:20 – When Life Shifts Overnight: The Illusion of Safety

01:42 – Sensory Overload & Trauma Triggers Explained

03:30 – Why Your Body Reacts Before Your Mind (Amygdala & Stress Response)

05:35 – Fight–Flight–Freeze: Making the Decision to Leave Home

07:15 – Nervous System Self-Care During Sudden Change

09:00 – Helping Kids Feel Safe Through Uncertainty

11:00 – Reframing Hard Moments: How Challenges Become Breakthroughs

13:00 – Finding Freedom in Letting Go of Control

15:00 – Emotional Healing, Somatic Work & Faith in Uncertainty

17:00 – Final Reflections & Community Invitation

✨ Listen to the Full Podcast 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YFuoKTYMYQBkoBqDU6RWX 🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-of-us/id1852384590

🤍 Follow Along https://instagram.com/thewholeofus https://facebook.com/we.are.the.whole.of.us https://www.tiktok.com/@thewholeofus

🌿 Our Website + Stories 🔗 https://thewholeofus.com/

On average one third of marriages end in divorce… that statistic is WILD but perhaps not that surprising.

In this episode (recorded on our 13-year anniversary) we share honestly about the journey that got us here and vulnerably talk about the moments we weren’t sure we would make it.

In this episode we talk about:

• why “I’ll fix you” isn’t love, it’s control
• how fear of abandonment shaped our fights and our “I’m leaving” moments
• what happened the day Kelsey said, “I’m booking a flight home” in France
• how bringing choice and covenant to the same table changed everything
• what shame does in conflict (and why defensiveness is often just pain)
• the tiny habits and daily deposits that helped us rebuild trust

If you’re tired of quick tips and want a deeper, more honest conversation about marriage, this episode is for you.

🤍 Follow Along https://instagram.com/thewholeofus https://facebook.com/we.are.the.whole.of.us https://www.tiktok.com/@thewholeofus

🌿 Our Website + Stories 🔗 https://thewholeofus.com/

Chapters:

00:00 — Why Marriage Feels Harder Than Ever (Honest Anniversary Reflections)

03:45 — The Toothpaste Hack: Tiny Habits That Rebuild Trust

07:30 — When Marriage Gets Messy: Real Talk We Wish We Heard Earlier

12:15 — 13 Years Together: How Our Opposite Worldviews Shaped Us

18:00 — The Hero–Victim Cycle: How We Got Stuck (and How We Broke It)

24:00 — When One Partner Falls Apart: Mental Health, Trauma & Support

30:45 — Men, Emotions & Masculinity: Why Vulnerability Feels So Risky

37:30 — Communication That Heals: Empathy, Honesty & Repair

44:00 — Shame Resilience in Marriage: Owning Your Part Without Defensiveness

50:30 — Choosing In: Covenant, Conscious Choice & Rebuilding Connection

What happens when you pull your kids out of “normal” school, sell the business, and turn the whole world into your classroom?

In this episode of The Whole of Us, we share our honest journey from traditional schooling to discovering ‘unschooling’ and accidentally falling into what we now know as world schooling.

We talk about:

• The fear of kids “falling behind” and why trying to replicate school on the road was crushing
• How our girls went from “I don’t want to get it wrong” to asking a thousand curious questions again
• What worldschooling actually looks like in real life – from ancient temples and desert hubs in Egypt to slow months in tiny Turkish towns
• Socialisation, university and all the big “But what about…?” questions people ask about homeschool
• How we blend structure + freedom with maths, English, nature, travel and nervous system regulation
• Why we chose to keep homeschooling after coming home – and why there’s still no “perfect” option

  This isn’t a how-to guide or a pitch for one “right” way to educate. It’s our story of experimenting, getting it wrong, softening our fears and watching our kids come alive again.

✨ If you’ve ever wondered, “Could we really take our kids out of school to travel?” or “What would it cost us – and what might we gain?” – this conversation is for you.

🧭 Resources & Next Steps

📖 Our “How We Started Travelling” ebook – practical steps, emotional prep, worldschooling ideas, packing lists & more:

👉 thewholeofus.com (search “ebook”)

💬 Want to talk this through with someone?

Kelsey offers 1:1 life consulting sessions for parents navigating big transitions, fear, and nervous system overload.

✨ Listen to the Full Podcast

🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6YFuoKTYMYQBkoBqDU6RWX

🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-whole-of-us/id1852384590

🤍 Follow Along

https://instagram.com/thewholeofus

https://facebook.com/we.are.the.whole.of.us

https://www.tiktok.com/@thewholeofus

🌿 Our Website + Stories

🔗 https://thewholeofus.com/

00:00:00 What Is Worldschooling? Our Honest Introduction

00:01:38 Why We Started Homeschooling While Traveling

00:04:44 The Problem With Traditional Schooling for Our Kids

00:06:56 Discovering Unschooling: Letting Curiosity Lead

00:09:33 How Worldschooling Actually Works (Real-Life Examples)

00:17:24 Balancing Travel Days, Learning, and Nervous Systems

00:25:37 The Truth About Socialisation in Homeschooling & Worldschooling

00:28:01 What We Learned: Our Future Plans for Education & Travel