Have you gotten your tickets for the Unsung Hero movie yet?! If not, you certainly will after listening in on this rich conversation with Luke Smallbone of for King & Country and his mom, Helen Smallbone. We have never had a mother and son on together and it was every bit as inspiring as you would imagine from these two. Their story will make you laugh and cry, and we would HIGHLY recommend you take your family to watch it in movie form. We’re so grateful for their honesty and wisdom in...

This week, we interview our friend Karen Stubbs from Birds On a Wire who is sharing all the great content on being a Grace-Filled Grandmother. This conversation is rich with so much wisdom and insight that will not only benefit your kids, but your relationship with their grandparents, as well! Share with a grandmother and remind them why you’re so glad your kids have them in their lives! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How many of us grew up watching Katie Couric over breakfast before school? We both sure did…and have loved and respected her work ever since. It was an HONOR to have a conversation with her recently about parenting adult children, her books, her work with Stand Up to Cancer, and the fascinating people she has met along the way. What a remarkable career this kind, tenacious, brilliant woman has had. . . . . . For a deeper dive, we've now got the Ages and Stages Discussion Guides up on our...

We are over the moon excited to introduce you to two brilliant parents of some amazing Stage 5 kiddos—who also happen to be two of David’s very best friends. (And Sissy thinks the world of them, too!) Dave and Julie Hunt are wise and thoughtful and have so much wisdom to share on the topic of Raising Teens and Young Adults. Okay, who are we kidding? All the topics! We can’t wait for you to listen in on this one! . . . . . For a deeper dive, we've now got the Ages and Stages Discussion...

Have you been listening in on our conversation with Stage 5 kiddos? Well, this week we have two of our favorite and their parents right here on the podcast! We’re so excited for you to listen in on this conversation with a delightful part of Sissy’s family, Shane, Alyson, Emily and Courtney Roach! They wisely talk about the importance of purpose and family and how all of those things can come together in life-giving ways for everyone. . . . . . For a deeper dive, we've now got the Ages and...

We’re back talking about What Kids Need in Stage 5—which are your college and young adult age kids! And this week, we’ve got Melissa with you giving you some words of wisdom and hope. We have loved hearing your feedback on this stage and would be honored for you to share this episode with a friend in this season of life. We are cheering you on AS ALWAYS! The Hunting Ground For a deeper dive, we've now got the Ages and Stages Discussion Guides up on our website - with Try it Out sections and...

We are SO excited about this podcast episode and the next few weeks in our Raising Boys and Girls series. We are talking about Stage 5, college-age and young adult children, which we have NEVER talked about on a podcast or in our parenting classes. So, you parents of big kiddos, listen in because we’re so excited to talk about what we can do to love and launch these young adults in our lives. For a deeper dive, we've now got the Ages and Stages Discussion Guides up on our website - with Try...

After speaking at an event in Mississippi, we were given David Magee’s book, Dear William, as a gift. We immediately wanted to have him on the podcast. In this gripping episode, David shares his family’s story of addiction, loss and finding joy as a family. Please listen if you have teenagers—or kids of any age. We can all learn from David’s wisdom and courage as he talks with us about not only what he has learned as a father, but what he wishes he had known earlier about substance use and...

This week on the podcast—y’all—we have one of the people who has been at the top of our hopes list for YEARS. Maybe even a decade. If you’re not familiar with Kelly Corrigan’s work, please buy one—or all—of her books right now! Tell Me More, Glitter and Glue, The Middle Place, Lift, and a children’s book called Hello World. Huffington Post called Kelly the “poet laureate of the ordinary”. Not only is she a fabulous writer of four New York Times Bestsellers, but she is the host of a TV show...

What a tremendous honor it is to introduce you to two people we love and respect dearly, Kendra and John Allen. Kendra and John are two of the wisest, most thoughtful people and parents we know, who also happen to both be therapists. We’re so grateful to share with you this important conversation about infertility, loss, adolescence, and all of the things in between. . . . . . David's book Wild Things breaks down each stage of a boys' development and Sissy's book, Raising Girls, discusses...

We have been hearing about our new friend, Sara Hagerty for quite some time from so many friends we love and trust, and we finally got to meet and have a conversation with her just a few weeks ago. Okay…we’re gonna throw out just a few of her book titles for you: Every Bitter Thing is Sweet, Tasting the Goodness of God in All Things; Unseen, The Gift of Being Hidden in a World that Loves to Be Noticed; Adore, A Simple Practice for Experiencing God in the Middle Minutes of Your Day; and her...

We are seriously losing our minds over this podcast episode. Dr. Michael Gurian has been one of our go-to sources for boys and girls and development as long as we’ve been in practice. We were thrilled to get to meet him over zoom and he was every bit as wise and thoughtful and wonderful as we imagined. We can’t wait for you to listen in on this episode as he talks about so many helpful things…boys and girls and how they learn differently, how to nurture their nature and even what the Bible...

What do you think the teenagers in your life need? We’re talking about that very thing this week…and it just might surprise you! Hint: they do still need YOU, even when they don’t act like it! In case you missed Stage One through Three, the episodes are linked below. Episode 133: Stage One: The Early Years - Who They Are Episode 135: Stage One: The Early Years - What They Need Episode 142: Stage Two: The Elementary Years - Who They Are Episode 144: Stage Two: The Elementary Years - What They...

We have both had the honor of being interviewed by the kind and hilarious Cynthia Yanof several times for her podcast and, this week, get to turn the tables on her. She has a new book out called Life is Messy, God is Good. We couldn’t agree more! We’re excited for you to listen in on this real, heartfelt and hopeful conversation with our friend Cynthia. . . . . . Discussion Guides to download for each stage of the Raising Boys and Girls series are located on our website here. Order The...

Today we move to STAGE 4, in our ages and stages series! We’re moving out of the harder news in terms of a girl’s development and smack in the middle of the harder news in a boy’s. This week, we’re talking about who they are in these high school years. In case you missed Stage One through Three, the episodes are linked below. Episode 133: Stage One: The Early Years - Who They Are Episode 135: Stage One: The Early Years - What They Need Episode 142: Stage Two: The Elementary Years - Who They...

How many of you have been a part of an IF:Gathering over the years? We have long admired the difference our new friend, Jennie Allen, is making in the world in so many spaces—books, podcasts, events and more--and were thrilled to get to have a conversation with her. We’re talking about Raising Teenagers and Young Adults. And, so if you have one, or are on your way to having one soon or…who are we kidding?! If you’re parenting in any stage, we would HIGHLY recommend you listen in on this...

We talk so often about how concerned we are about the division in our world today. Division, intolerance, conflict, a lack of civility and sometimes even just a lack of awareness. We love getting to have a podcast for many reasons, but maybe at the top is that we get to learn from voices we respect and trust. Shanera Williamson is one of those voices. In this episode of the podcast, she’s helping us not only build awareness, but think on how we can help create CHANGE around racism for the...

We recently got to sit down with one of our favorite people, Jamee Thompson. Jamee is a dear friend of all three of ours, a Daystar Counseling board member, and mom to four wonderful kiddos. She is also exceedingly kind and deeply thoughtful—which is likely why she talked so much about the importance of listening to and learning from the kids we love. We can’t wait for you to listen in on our newest Parents in the Trenches conversation where we believe you’ll find the peace and inspiration we...

Last spring when Daystar Counseling stepped in to support our dear Covenant School community, a fellow therapist from Connecticut reached out to see what she could do to support us. Since that time, Niro Feliciano has become a deeply valued friend to us both. We are THRILLED to introduce her to you on the podcast—if you haven’t already discovered her from her fantastic book, This Book Won’t Make You Happy or her many brilliant interviews on the Today Show. We can’t wait for you to listen in...

As we continue to work our way through the ages and stages, we are heading into the bumpier territory of the teen years. Our friend, Kristen Hatton has released a great book called Parenting Ahead: Preparing Now for the Teen Years. Kristen helps parents of young children lay the groundwork so that having honest conversations, setting reasonable limits, and exploring issues of the heart becomes a part of the family culture, preparing both them and their kids for the next stage.  . . . ....

It is one of our very favorite things to get to talk with folks in our field who we admire greatly, only to find out we also REALLY like them. Dr. Lisa Damour was one of those people. We loved every second of our conversation with her and are confident you will, too. Dr. Damour is a three-time NYT bestselling author with her books Untangled, Under Pressure and her newest, The Emotional Lives of Teenagers. She is wise, thoughtful, kind, and her words are peppered with a humility that endears...

What do middle schoolers need? It’s sometimes hard to know. But in this episode we talk about boys and girls and what we can do to help them have a little more awareness, confidence and kindness in these important (and often tumultuous) years! . . . . . In case you missed Stage One and Stage Two, the episodes are linked below. Episode 133: Stage One: The Early Years - Who They Are Episode 135: Stage One: The Early Years - What They Need Episode 142: Stage Two: The Elementary Years - Who They...

Not many of us have the bandwidth to keep up with technology for ourselves, let alone to safeguard the kids we love. Screens are one of the areas we need trusted, like-minded and like-hearted guides to keep us up to date and aware of what we need to do to protect our kids. Joey Odom has become one of those guides for us. Joey and Heath are the founders of a brilliant box called Aro, to help us connect with our families more than any of us are connecting with screens. Joey has got so much...

In this week’s episode, we dive into the beginnings of adolescence. As we know, girls have often surged ahead in their maturity, physically and emotionally. Which, in this stage, means not-so-great news. But, the sooner we see girls move into their teenage angsty-ness, the sooner they move out of it. For girls, we’ll call these years the narcissistic years…because, IYKYK. For boys, we’ll call him the Individual. Listen along as we dive into who he and she are in their middle school years....