Surviving Sarah

David Thomas joins me for Episode 91. You may remember him from Episode 51 when we talked about raising boys. David has over 20 years of experience counseling kids and families. He’s written 7 books including the newest one, Are My Kids On Trackwhich he wrote with Sissy Goff and Melissa Trevathan where they breakdown the emotional, social and spiritual milestones that kids need to reach. We spend our time together chatting about the four emotional milestones: vocabulary, perspective, empathy and resourcefulness. So with that, we talk about how to equip your kids with an accurate emotional vocabulary, how to help them register emotional pain, how to help them problem solve and how failure and fear are actually necessary in building empathy and courage. If you have ever felt overwhelmed with parenting, I think this conversation will put you at ease.  Takeaways From Our Conversation: I appreciated his advice as to where to start. I am so thankful that his first step was to celebrate what you are already doing.

You are joining me for Episode 90 and for this episode we recorded a live show in front of a group of women. There is a non-profit organization who works to be the church and bring a different kind of church to their community in the East Cobb area of Atlanta who invited me to record a live episode with them. The women of East Cobb Gathering get together on a regular basis to connect, grow and enjoy the company of other women from their area. So I sat at the table with my good friend, Katie Peters. She is a wife and mother of 4, recent graduate with a Masters in Pastoral Counseling and Life Coaching and she is the founding director of East Cobb Gathering. The women East Cobb Gathering get together in a regular basis to connect and grow and enjoy the company of other women from their area. We sit down together with a live audience to talk about why we need community to survive. So pull up a chair to the table and join the conversation. Takeaways From Our Conversation: August tends to be a season of starting.

Kathleen Hamer and her son Derek join me around their kitchen table in the Seattle area. I had been wanting to introduce you to them for a long time now. In fact, they were one of the first guests that I listed out when I first brainstormed the podcast. You see, Kathleen was an almost emptynestor when she and her husband, Dan, decided to adopt Derek who was age 5 and his brother, Reggie, who was age 3. And now, Derek just graduated high school.  They adopted the boys 13 years ago. And I know so many adoptive parents who are on the front end of adoptive or even in the thick of the middle years of adoption. And just like in so many things, sometimes its helpful to have a perspective who has walked the road longer. And I thought it would be helpful to hear from an adopted son's perspective.  You will hear their story of how they found each other, what it was like when he lived on the streets of Kitale, Kenya at age 4, his advice for adoptive families and what it was like when he returned to Kenya years later. So

Back in early July, I took the podcast on the road to Seattle. Seattle now is home to so many people that I love and who were influential in my life during my early twenties. So I took the opportunity to fly out there to sit down around the table with a few of them and Neely McQueen was one of them. I enjoy being around Neely so much. She is the real deal--what you see is what you get. She is a wife to her husband, Josh, for 18 years. They have 3 kids--2 biological and 1 adopted from Ethiopia. And she oversees student ministries at Overlake Christian Church in the Seattle area. With over 20 years of student ministry experience, we talk about loving teenagers and advice for parents of teenagers. And we also have a conversation about adoption--why they chose to step into that, what helped her walk through the early days and how adoption changed her. Takeaways From Our Conversation: One of my takeaways was the reminder to be mindful of where you are in life. Take time to remember and look back because time wil

Suzanne Stabile joins me for Episode 87 and I’m not gonna lie. I was sorta geeking out that she was joining me. Suzanne is an internationally renowned teacher who offers a unique and creative approach to the practice of spiritual formation. She is viewed as a master of the Enneagram and her first book, The Road Back to You was published in 2016. If you haven’t read it yet, I can’t recommend it enough. I feel like I’m seeing the Ennegram everywhere these days, but maybe you just said, “Enne-a-what? Is that like an email version of Instagram? But the enneagram is a unique way to understand who people are wired and how they see the world. So we have a conversation about the Enneagram—what it is, how to determine what number you are and for those of us who are parents—how to be the best parents for our children based on enneagram wisdom.  Takeaways From Our Conversation: I’ve thought about the different people in my life and how I can better understand who they are so that I can love them better. Because when

Lisa Lloyd joins me for Episode 86. Sometimes you meet people and you feel like you could have been friends for years. That is exactly how I felt about Lisa. She is an actress, speaker and writer. I was intrigued by her when I saw her book called Chasing Famous: Living the Life You've Always Auditioned For.  I can totally relate that life seems to be full of auditions--in friendships, dating, marriage, parenting, and in our jobs. Sometimes we are enough and accepted and sometimes we are rejected. So we sit down to talk about rejection, God’s redeeming grace and the idea of chasing fame. Links: Lisa's book: Chasing Famous: Living the Life You've Always Auditioned For My book: Body. Beauty. Boys. The Truth About Girls and How We See Ourselves Coach Mom by Brenna Stull Baby Boot Camp by Rebecca Powell What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here.  Thank you for following along life with me. I love being

Rachel Swanson joins me for episode 85 to have a conversation that I think most women will be able to relate to. Rachel is a wife, mother to 3, former dental hygienist—her smile is amazing—and now life coach, author and speaker. I asked Rachel to join me to talk about what spiritual and personal investments women need to make in their own lives, why women tend to carry so much anxiety and practical ways to help you in the moment when you feel anxious or overwhelmed.  Links: Rachel's coloring book: Big and Little Coloring Devotional Takeaways From Our Conversation: One thing that stuck with me was the reasons why we struggle with anxiety. I had never thought about how much fear is the root of all anxiety. The four root causes of anxiety are fear of lack of control, failure, loss and rejection. I can look at the anxiety I face and pin point the root. Knowing the root helps you to be able to pray more specifically.  Surviving being a mom of little kids requires some intentional self-care. Go back to the ba

PJ Jonas joins me for Episode 84. She is an entrepreneur, wife and mother to 8 kids. She runs a business centered around creating goat milk products and has been featured on the Today Show, The Doctors and in Oprah’s magazine. With over nineteen years of homeschooling children under her belt, as well as eight years of running a business, she joins me to talk about the benefits of teaching kids to work, how to differentiate between what’s good and best, and some practical tips for managing a household or business.  What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here.  Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.  

Sherry Quinley joins me for Episode 83 to talk about lessons on life, marriage and parenting. Take a minute and think of someone older than you who you love gleaning wisdom and advice from. Think about the questions you would ask them. Think about what you admire about them. Sherry is one of those people to me. She and her husband, Chuck, have raised 6 kids. They’ve been married for 35 years and now have 5 grandkids. When you meet them, it doesn’t take long to realize that they love God and love people well. They currently live in Thailand but have lived in the US, Jamaica and the Philippines. Over a cup of coffee, I ask Sherry about what it was like raising kids outside of the US, how to raise brave kids, and how to have a healthy marriage that stands the test of time.  Links: MediaLight Simple Parenting, Raising Confident and Cooperative Kids by Sherry and Chuck Quinley Takeaways From Our Conversation: One of the takeaways from our conversation was her advice about first encounters. She said that the fi

Kristin Fry joins me for Episode 82 to talk about surviving singlehood. She has worked in full-time ministry for many years. She is a confident, ambitious woman who has a strong desire to help women be self-assured and secure. I invited her to the show so that we could have a conversation about single life. We talk about how to deal with self doubt and insecurity, hurdles to the current dating scene and what it looks like for her to balance her current circumstances with a desire to be married. Links: Creativity, INC by Ed Catmull Takeaways From Our Conversation: Even though this was a conversation about surviving single life, I feel like there is so much application for women in general. Many of us find ourselves in holding patterns—waiting for what’s next. Her advice to just make the best next decision is so good. Or another thing that really hit me was the truth that we need to operate out of a sense of who you are rather than waiting for a man or relationship or child or job or status to make you c

Amy Bennett joins me for Episode 81. If you are a podcast junkie, then you may recognize her name. She has her own podcast called Feathers: Faith In Flight where she has conversations with different people about their steps of faith. I think that Amy has a story that is probably similar to many people—a story of growing up Christian and doing all the right things yet at the end of the day left in a spiritually dry place. She talks about what happened to her when life ended up less than she dreamed. She contrasts what happened when she wasn’t abiding in Jesus and to what her life looks like when she was abiding in Jesus. So pull a chair up to the kitchen table and join the conversation. Links: Abiding Ministries Rich bible study by Amy Bennett Entangled ebook by Amy Bennett Enneagram Secrets of The Secret Place by Bob Sorge Survival Kit: Trim Healthy Mama (Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazo

Julie Barnhill joins me for episode 80. She is a well accomplished author and communicator. I heard about Julie probably 7 years ago. Someone that I viewed as a mentor—she was a few steps ahead of me—recommended that I read Julie’s book, She’s Gonna Blow after I confided in her about feeling so angry as a mom. And if I’m really honest, I nearly resented becoming a mother. I just didn’t feel cut out for it. It seemed to bring out the worst in me. Yet, I was stuck. There was no take backs. No trading my people in for cats. I was so thankful for Julie’s book landed in my hands at that time. Julie is one of the most vulnerable, honest and real people that I’ve met. Her vulnerability is contagious. So that is why I asked Julie to join me around the table. I want you to hear an honest conversation about surviving our anger issues when it comes to parenting. And I hope that if you are single or you don’t have kids that you won’t disregard this episode. I hope that it helps you see other women with a new lense—that i

Here we are at Episode 79 and this is a special and fun episode! I have had several people ask me for more episodes on the subject of friendship. And I think that its because its difficult to find and keep real, authentic friends in the session of adulthood. In fact, for many of you that are listening, this season of life may be quite lonely. So, I invited my best friends to sit around the kitchen table with me to have a discussion about friendship. You will get to hear from Lesley Graham, Kristy Masterson and Emily Gross. These women are top notch in my book. We have affectionately referred to ourselves as the Dopesquad. And we talk about how to find friends, what makes a lasting friendship and what advice we give to our own kids about finding friends. Takeaways From Our Conversation: I just love these women so much and I’m thankful that you got to hear from them. Here are some things I wanted to highlight. When it comes to finding friends, you are enough as you are. You can be free to be 100% yourself. Fi

Best selling author and researcher, Shaunti Feldhahn joins me for Episode 78. I was honored to have her join me at my kitchen table. She’s written many books including For Women Only and For Men Only. And for today’s topic, we talked about the research she did for her book, “Through A Man’s Eyes: Helping Women Understand The Visual Nature of Men.” We took a deep dive into understanding how men are wired. We talk about why they are wired visually, how to help support the men in your life and how to help your son live with the brain they were given. I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Shaunti. I love people who can take research and make it relatable and conversational. My biggest takeaway was the idea of empathy—putting myself in their shoes. Because when we can put ourselves in their shoes, we can learn how to better support them when it comes to this topic. She said, “We are never going to get further intimacy with a man if we don’t try to talk about this.” Now, I bet the idea of talking about this subje

Jody Noland joins me for Episode 77. She is a Jesus follower, mom, author, speaker, and finance at the young age of 60. But mostly she is an encourager. She loves to encourage people to encourage people. And because of that, she has a ministry called Leave Nothing Unsaid. It’s a ministry that encourages people to express their thoughts and feelings and affirmations about someone through a written letter. She has become a sort of letter evangelist. Most people don’t know how to be encourager and how to pour their life into the people they love. And something powerful happens on someone’s heart when we put pen to paper. We talk about her story of why she started this ministry and practical ways to write a letter to the people you love. What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here.  Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive

Jennifer Walker from Moms On Call joins me again for Episode 76. She sat down with me for Episode 6 way back in the beginning of the show. What Jennifer and her colleagues at Moms On Call offer is so helpful! I have been having conversations offline with Jennifer since my oldest was 6 weeks old. And I always walk away feeling confident and capable and encouraged. And I want you to experience the same thing. So, I invited her back to the show to talk specifically about surviving toddlers. She answered some of your questions about discipline, meltdowns and sleeping through the night. What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here.  Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

Ty Lewis joins me for Episode 75. She is affectionately known as Speaker of the House and is determined to walk in greatness. She is a motivational speaker, author, and change agent. She's authored 4 books: SPEAKing from the Heart, Black Boys: Our Hidden Treasure, Confessions of a CEO: 25 Lessons I Learned on the Journey to Becoming My Own Boss and her most recent book, Hello Bella. We talk about purpose--how to discover your unique purpose, distractions that can get in the way of your purpose and advice to women who lead. Friends. I promise that you will be inspired by Ty. It felt like we experienced church around my kitchen table. There was so much good stuff said--it will come at your quickly so be ready. What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here.  Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

Retha Nichole joins me for Episode 74. She is a life coach, the podcast host of My Light Still Shines and mom to three boys. I’m so thankful that this woman reached out to me over a year and a half ago because she has been such an encourager to me and has pushed me to be a more authentic me. I think you are going to be really encouraged by our conversation. We talk about knowing you’re worth—how to discover it, ways to reevaluate it in different seasons and things that can destroy it.  How many of you struggle to know the real you? I totally feel like a middle schooler these days because I’m really asking the question, “Who am I?” It is never too late to discover who you are. And I loved her advice to treat your worth and identity as something that is almost fluid. Meaning, whenever you face a life changing event or whenever you approach a milestone in life, take that as a cue to ask some questions about your identity. What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversat

Caroline Harries joins me for Episode 73. She is a woman who is walking through the difficult journey of infertility. We have an honest conversation about what it looks like to wait for something you desperately want, what it looks like for your husband to walk through the waiting and how to make your journey uniquely yours. If you have ever struggled with control or have ever thought that if you just do all the right things then it should work out, then this episode is for you. Even if infertility isn't your journey, you will be encouraged about what to do in the meantime and how to make the most of the time and season that you have now. What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here.  Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

Toni Collier joins me for Episode 72. Not only is she a wife and mother, she is also a dynamic, ambitious, accomplished young woman who went from the corporate world to the ministry world. And we have a conversation about racial reconciliation. We talk about why diversity is important, what is the key to moving forward in this arena and what women uniquely bring to the table. I am thankful that I have friends who welcome the awkwardness into the room so that we can have an honest conversation about something that feels a little touchy. One takeaway that I had from our conversation was what she said about multiculturalism. "Multiculturalism is the way forward. In order for us to live out our greatest capacity and get to experience everything the world has to offer we have to get outside of our four walls." We have to work hard to get outside of our own bubble and experience the world. And I loved that her suggestions were easy and doable. All of us can take a step in that direction and you step may look differ