Listen Now

When I was a teenager, I lost myself trying to be who I thought everyone else wanted me to be. It has taken me years and lots of hard work to find myself again. If there is anything we can do, as parents, to keep our kids from losing touch with who they are and living confidently in their skin, let's do it! What can we do? Listen in for a few tips.   Download your free guide: 40 Things Every Teen Needs to Know Follow on Instagram

We have all been in situations where the parenting decision that feels right is also inconvenient. It might throw off our day. Or week. It might require putting plans on hold or changing them altogether. Instead of getting frustrated, let's play the long game. It is all about perspective. Listen in for all the details. Download your free guide: 40 Things Every Teen Needs to Know Follow on Instagram

As humans, it is instinctual for us to hold on tight when we feel like we are losing something. That instinct kicks into high gear during the teenage years because we feel like we are losing our kids. And, in a way, we are. But, by holding on too tight, we fail to give our kids permission to fly into the lives they were born to live. How do we let go? Listen in for all the details.   Download my free guide: 40 Skills Every Teen Needs to Know Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook  

As we try to teach our kids that sometimes, they must do things they don't want to do, let me ask you this question:  Are you willing to win the battle while losing the war? Which battles are worth fighting with our kids? The ones that will help us win the war. Listen in for all the details.   Download my free guide: 40 Skills Every Teen Needs to Know Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook  

We all want our kids to be happy and successful. This month, we are broadening our definition of success, but what about happiness? Is our kids' happiness our responsibility? In this episode, we explore that question. Download my free guide: 40 Skills Every Teen Needs to Know Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook

If I have learned anything over the past year, it is that finding peace and hope amidst turmoil and uncertainty is possible. Is it easy? Nope. But it is possible. In this short episode, I will teach you a quick tip to help you see challenges in a positive way. To dive deeper, download the free guide: 40 Things Every Teen Needs to Know Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook  

In Silicon Valley, the unofficial motto is "Fail fast, fail often, fail forward." The tech giants embrace failure because it can be the best teacher. But how do we adopt that mindset and help our kids do the same? Listen in for five actionable tips.   To dive deeper, download the free guide: 40 Things Every Teen Needs to Know Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook  

We are leaving behind a rough year. Perhaps, you are looking back and wondering what you even accomplished. Maybe success feels elusive because mere survival felt like a feat. Parenting is sometimes hard that way. But what does parenting success even look like? Is it kids who never fight or argue? Is it kids who get accepted into top-tier universities? Is it kids who become CEOs of prestigious companies? Or is it something entirely different? In this episode, we explore parenting from an angle that will help you feel like a complete success.   Download the free guide: 40 Skills Every Teen Needs to Know   If you are enjoying the podcast, please consider subscribing or reviewing it on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Those reviews help others to find us. And, as always, feel free to share it with your friends.

If I have learned anything this year, it is that the future is uncertain, and there is so much I cannot control. But how do we, as parents, prepare our kids to face an unknown future with confidence? How do we help them move forward with faith in themselves, come what may? I am diving into that topic today. I will teach you four ways you can help your kids develop more confidence, complete with actionable tips you can implement today. **Parenting Launch Lab, my membership community/subscription box combo is now OPEN for enrollment until December 9 at noon MST. This program was designed for parents of kids ages 8-18 and will make it EASY to teach your kids the skills and values they will need to thrive beyond high school.  Each month for 12 months, we will dive deep into a different core skill or value. With a library of digital resources, including training videos, audio files, printable guides, a done-for-you plan with weekly benchmarks, and a progress tracker, I will train YOU in simple and effective parenting MINDSETS and METHODS that will help you teach your TEENS the value or skill of the month. I will also send your KIDS a box filled with products that will help them APPLY and GET EXCITED ABOUT each monthly skill. NO OVERWHELM! (ALL the resources at your fingertips! Small and simple steps will make a MASSIVE difference over time.) FITS INTO A BUSY SCHEDULE!! (You only need a few minutes per day) NO WORRY!! (Your kids WILL gain skills and confidence to help them FLY) SUPPORT!! (A community of like-minded parents and monthly live Q&A with me) At the end of ONE year, your tweens and teens will have a STRONG foundation in SKILLS and VALUES that will support them for a lifetime. Learn more and sign up here.

Where is this podcast headed? The short answer: I'm not sure. Here's what you need to know: 1. I LOVE variety and change. 2. I get bored and restless with routine and predictability. 3. When I get bored and restless, I NEED to make changes, lest I abandon the project. Listen in to hear what that means for the podcast.   Join the waitlist for my upcoming subscription box launch

I was almost 40 when I learned to ski. I use the word "learned" loosely because I still struggle to slow down, turn, or stop when on the slopes. I know one speed, and that is "GET OUT OF MY WAY BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW HOW TO SLOW DOWN!!" It makes skiing interesting and a bit terrifying. But, in parenting, speed is not the goal. We are in it for the long haul. It is a marathon, not a sprint, where steadiness will keep us on track. The small things? They matter in parenting. Slow and steady wins the race. Listen in as we unpack what that means.   Are you working to raise competent and confident teens? Download my free guide: Teach Your Teens to Fly: 40 Things Every  Teenager Needs to Know. Looking for a ridiculously easy solution to help you raise independent kids? Something big is coming! Join the waitlist today. Find show notes here. Follow along on Instagram Follow along of Facebook

When I was a child, my mom always told me that I had to learn things the hard way. That was partly because I hadn't learned to take the advice of others who were further along the path than I. Instead, I had to try it for myself. I have since become a little wiser. I try to learn as much as I can from others who have walked paths similar to mine. Today, Greg and I are sharing three things we learned the hard way, including: 1. Sometimes, it is OK to go to bed angry. 2. It’s not a good idea to tie spirituality to external rewards/punishments. 3 Kids will do what you do before they do what you say. We are keepin' it real today, friends. Let's get to it!   View show notes here Download the guide: 40 Things Every Teenager Needs to Know Join the waitlist for my upcoming subscription box launch Follow along on Instagram Follow along on Facebook

The world is a crazy place these days. Sometimes, I wonder how I will succeed in raising righteous children when darkness seems to be multiplying by the second. Amidst the growing tide of evil, however, Heavenly Father has provided us with instructions on how to navigate the landmines of our day. As we read and apply the scriptures and counsel of modern prophets, we will be safe. But what instruction have we received? We dive into that question in this episode. Download your FREE guide: Teach Your Teen to Fly - 40 Things Every Teenager Needs to Know Find show notes here Follow along on Instagram Follow along on Facebook

Everybody makes mistakes, including children. But sometimes, we, as parents, overreact to our kids' mistakes. We make their failures into huge obstacles instead of allowing them to be learning experiences. When we blow mistakes out of proportion, we run the risk of damaging our relationship with our kids. When that happens, they may not feel comfortable coming to us when they make (sometimes big) mistakes. Tune in to learn how to make your home a safe place to fall - a place where you encourage your kids to learn from and overcome their mistakes. Download your FREE guide: Teach Your Teen to Fly - 40 Things Every Teenager Needs to Know Follow along on Instagram Follow along on Facebook Find show notes here

I am a big believer in teaching kids to be independent, but I haven’t always been that way. I am, in fact, a recovering control freak. When my kids were young, I didn’t want to give them too much responsibility because I could do all the jobs better than they could. Not only that, but they were messy creatures. While they were learning to do things for themselves, disorder and chaos was the name of the game. But their messes turned me into a crazy woman, which was not a positive experience for anybody involved. I have come a long way since then. I have learned that parental control is the enemy of budding childhood independence. Not only that, but control is an illusion. It's not reality. Today, I want to help you tame your inner control freak with five simple strategies. They just might change your life (and your kids' lives).   Curious how prepared your teen is for the launch? Download your FREE guide and assessment today. It will help you determine where you are and what to do next on your journey to raise a confident and competent young adult.    Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook

A few months ago, I set out to create an online course to help parents raise competent and confident kids. I outlined the modules. I started to work through the content. But it was not flowing. I hit a wall. Something felt off, though I could not put my finger on what was wrong. Over the past few weeks, I have been asking myself a million questions about how to proceed. My journey has led me to a place I never anticipated. I am getting ready to launch a program that I had never even considered until two weeks ago. I believe it will be WAY more helpful for busy parents than an online course. Want to know the plan? I don't have all the details figured out quite yet, but I pulling back the curtain and revealing what I do know. As my loyal podcast listeners, you are the first to hear the specifics of what I plan to offer, how it will help you, and how you can get in on the ground level for the lowest price I will ever offer. Stay in the loop by joining the waitlist here. Follow along on Instagram Follow along on Facebook

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of changes and emotions surrounding school. The Back-to-School experience has been anything but normal, resulting in a myriad of stress for my kids and, by extension, myself. We are one-week into the new school year with a senior, a sophomore, and a seventh-grader, all doing online school: Zoom style. They will be unable to get back to the classroom until at least October. They are chomping at the bit. They are missing their friends. They are grieving what could have been.  In this episode, we are spilling the beans about our experience, complete with three solid takeaways that will (hopefully) help you to walk a smoother road than we have. Find show notes here Follow along on Instagram Follow along on Facebook   Do you want to raise confident, well-prepared kids but don't have a ton of time? If so, help is on the way. I will take all the guesswork out of the process, providing you with ongoing support and a myriad of resources to help you in your quest. This baby will be launching soon. Click here to sign up for the waitlist so you don't miss it!

Since we are smack in the middle of July and many people are traveling and enjoying summer with their families, we are going to something a little bit different. Today, we are republishing Episode 5 of the podcast, which is our most popular episode to date. If you haven't listened to it yet, today is your lucky day! If you have listened, this is a topic that could always use a good refresher. This episode stems from a listener question: “What should I do when my child doesn’t listen – flat out ignoring me until I yell or do something physical to get their attention? I ask calmly and quietly and kindly and after the 3rdtime, I may need to make eye contact, but even when they acknowledge that I asked something (OK, Mom) they don’t do it.” In this episode, we answer that question by first laying a foundation. We talk about the importance of developing a leadership mindset in parenting, complete with suggestions on how to do that. We teach the specifics of authoritative communication, which is the magic sauce. We also give specific examples of how to implement this framework. It will work for toddlers up to teens. The approach we teach is not rocket science – it is common sense! Listen in!   * Uplevel your parenting in a hurry by downloading my free audio training. * Join the waitlist for my upcoming online course: Aim for the Launch: A Practical Approach to Raising Competent and Confident Kids * Follow along on Instagram * Follow along on Facebook  

Life feels heavy lately. COVID-19 cases continue to rise. Political tensions are escalating in the US. Divisiveness and contention are everywhere. It feels like many of our freedoms are on shaky ground. Fear, anger, and intolerance for differing viewpoints are rampant. Looking around at the dystopian world that has become our reality, I wonder If there is any rest for the weary. What will become of us? What will the world look like for our kids in the coming days?  And how can we prepare them to greet it with faith and courage and strength? Do our children know who they are and what they are here to do? Do they understand that they are courageous, determined, and strong? Do they realize that they are capable of being immovable in the face of growing darkness and fierce opposition? Do they know that standing up and standing out is what they were born to do? Do they know? It is HARD to teach those things when the winds of the world are reaching hurricane speeds. It is not easy or straightforward to convince our kids that they are more than meets the eye. More than the opinions of their peers. More than they can even imagine. And yet, we must. They must catch the vision of who they are and what they are here to do. They must believe in their goodness, their strength, and their ability.   If you love the podcast, I think you will also love my upcoming online course. Learn more and join the waitlist here. Find show notes here Follow along on Facebook Follow along on Instagram

It is no secret that parenting is hard work. It is a huge responsibility to take a helpless infant and prepare them to be a functioning member of society. But it does not need to be the hardest thing you have done or will ever do in your life. While there will be difficult stages and problems that catch you off-guard, the overall experience can be relatively relaxed and joyful. What is the key to a relaxed child-rearing experience? Boundaries. Now, let me clarify. Setting boundaries is not easy. Enforcing them is even more difficult, especially when your kids push back (and they will!). But doing so will pave the way for calm seas ahead. When parents say what they mean and mean what they say, remaining consistent and refusing to bend when their kids test their resolve, kids learn to live comfortably within that framework. They learn to respect boundaries. They learn the art of self-discipline and eventually, stop testing the waters. At that point, the parents' job gets exponentially easier. They don't have to deal with the same problems over and over, day in and day out. Challenges will still arise because that is called life. But difficulties become a small part of the child-rearing experience rather than the substance of it. Listen in for all the details. Find show notes here. If you enjoy the podcast, I think you will also enjoy my free audio training: 3 Parenting Mistakes You Can't Afford to Make (and What to do Instead). Uplevel your parenting in a hurry by signing up today. Join the waitlist for my upcoming online course: Aim for the Launch: How to Turn Kids into Responsible Adults Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook