A Life Shared: Parent Helps and Renovations: Recent Episodes
Ellen Martin
Life coach, Ellen Martin, interviews everyday people, who share life with others right where they are. Through personal stories and practical tools, you will be empowered, equipped, and encouraged to live "a life shared" wherever you find yourself. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alifeshared/support
Our lives are shaped by calendars. The school calendar may be one of the most significant shapers in family life. Homeschool, private school, and public school all have a calendar with an annual beginning and end. An end of the school year can be mixed bag. Pride and grief. Excitement and sadness. New beginnings and a past full of memories. With a high school graduation, an eighth grade promotion, and a fifth grade promotion all next week; I'm feeling the weight of it all. Maybe you are too. Maybe it's graduate school for your household. Or a last year in your area before a big move. Listen in a give yourself permission to grieve. Grief can give life. It invites us to live in the present while we hold the future with open hands. Whatever your end of the school year brings, may you embrace it. Let it do it's work, so you can embrace all that is coming after the end of the school year.--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alifeshared/support
Local author and speaker, Scott Harvey, joined me. We talked about how business communication skills support parents. A father himself, with two daughters, we talked about:
How we handle our stuff (emotions and reactions) to help our kids handle theirs
How we hold emotion and logic in balance for communication with our kids
Ways to know our kids, what they enjoy and value, and share that with them
AND when silence can give life in communication with our kids.
His book released this week. You can get a copy anywhere books are sold! Let me be clear. It is not a parenting book. As a parent, I'm glad I read it. You can learn more about it here. https://speakingofharvey.com/silence-kills/
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Post-partum depression has a new name, PMAD, perinatal mood and anxiety disorder. PMAD impacts mothers, fathers, babies, families, and those they share life with. If you've ever struggled with strong emotions around pregnancy or motherhood. If you've ever wondered how a mom could disengage, rage, worry beyond worry or other behaviors, listen to this episode with guest, Paige Christian. She offers excellent information, compassionate understanding, and doable action to help moms and their families thrive in the face of PMADs. Barriers like stigma, fear, and unreliable screening measures increase suffering. Care and support are available. Moms and their families do not have to suffer alone. Paige is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states of IL and KY. She's a Certified Family Trauma Professional through the International Association of Trauma Professionals, trained in EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) for treating simple and complex trauma from The EMDR Institute. She also has specialized training from Postpartum Support International (PSI) in perinatal/maternal mental health, including pregnancy loss, infertility, postpartum depression and anxiety, and traumatic birth experiences.
With 11 years of clinical experience as a counselor, case manager, co-founder and developer of a community mental health program, and clinical supervisor over clinical staff before opening my own private practice; she offers us a solid introduction into PMAD.
Interested in working with Paige for your care and wellness? You can contact her at paigechristian@joyfulnestcounseling.com
Interested in support from PSI? Go to https://www.postpartum.net/
In crisis? Dial 988. There is help for you.
--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alifeshared/support
What do baby-sitting, dog-sitting, and Chick-fil-A have in common?Each one offers our kids meaningful opportunity for responsibility, initiative, and skills for the work place. Today's guest, Kelsey Durham, Executive Director of Lean Development for two local Chick-fil-A stores, offers parents and teenagers insight about applying for a first job. Want to support your kid(s) to work while they live at home? Listen and learn how to stage them now. Want your teenager to have a summer job? Listen and learn how to support them with things to do and not to do.Struggle letting go, so your kid can thrive? Parenting is a thousand letting-go's. First jobs give us lots of opportunity. May we have the courage to embrace it.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alifeshared/support
Conversations we remember are a treasure. Shared stories become memories.
Today's guest, Devin Marks, stumbled upon story-telling with his daughter on the way to school.
Most of us can't walk our kids to school. We can capture and create moments of shared space for conversation.
Listen in. Be inspired and encouraged to connect in whatever way you can with your kids, share stories, and make memories through conversation.
If you need support for conversation, order a copy of my book today. It's an easy read with 5-star reviews on Amazon.
--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alifeshared/support
Today's guest, Bailey Sissom, a mom of three, decided to cook twenty-five meals for a family living with a cancer diagnosis. She asked for one family to serve. She got names for 18 families. Fast-forward three years, Simply Serving is a non-profit in Jessamine County living up to its name one filled freezer at a time. Listen in. You'll be inspired, informed, and equipped to simply serve where you are. It's all about seeing a need and doing what you can. It truly is more than you know. Want to nominate a family, volunteer, or donate? Click here.
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Kids love movement, learning new things, and fun. Sports offer all of that and more. Sports also provide ample opportunity of injury.
When are injuries serious? When does a kid just need rest?
Dr. William Grantham, a local Orthopedic Surgery Specialist and former collegiate baseball athlete, joined me for an interview.
We talked about kids, sports, injuries, and how adults can support our kids playing sports.
He offered helpful insight and wisdom. His ultimate measure of sports for kids, "Sports should be fun."
I hope this episode supports you and your kid/s.
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Brian Hull, Director of Youth Becoming Leaders (YBL), talks with me about inviting our youth to become leaders. YBL offers a unique experience for youth to take the next step toward being leaders. As parents, we can stage our kids for leadership in our day to day lives. How? Give them meaningful responsibility. Let them do things that matter. Invite them into important conversations. It's risky. It can even be painful. It's worth it. Listen in and discover what this looks like in your family.
After you listen, what's next?
Do you know any high school students who are committed to Christ, leaders in their community, academically gifted, and discerning God’s direction for their life? Asbury University’s Youth Becoming Leaders is the summer leadership institute for them!
Click the link for more information, to recommend a student, or to start the application process! http://asbury.edu/ybl
Do you resonate with this episode? Ask your middle schooler and/or high schooler to listen to it. Maybe together you can discover new ways to be "team family" that empowers, equips, and encourages.
Want to hear more about talking with your kids? Get a copy of my book today.
Want to stage your kids to launch? Need support? Message me today for a FREE 30-minute life-coach consultation.
--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alifeshared/support
"Go big or go home." "In it to win it." "All or nothing." These phrases entice us. When we attempt to live into them, we find they fall short and fail us. We think it's us. Our lack of commitment, discipline, skills. In truth, these mindsets are simply unattainable when applied in daily life over time.
We see the posts that show growth and work rates are not linear, but we expect them be in our daily lives.
We say we want growth at all cost except time. Growth, real change....these things require time.
"Slow and steady wins the race." "Do what you can. It's more than you know." These phrases sound boring and half-hearted in our fast paced, high productivity world. And yet, the old Aesop fable, "The Tortoise and the Hare," aligns with the critical practice of consistency over time for the wins we set before ourselves. These mindsets honor the realities of flexing circumstances, resources, and human capacity day to day.
Listen in to reframe your perspective and expectations for the wins you long for in your life.
Interested in working with me?
Contact me to request a FREE 30-minute consultation. No strings attached. It's simple. You should know you want to work with someone before you invest.
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92% of people with goals will not accomplish them. 8% will. What's the difference?
The 8% write down their goals and find support.
As a life coach, speaker, and author. I know it's not that simple.
Listen in for an honest perspective and SMART goal setting that can support anyone.
You can be one of the 8%.
This episode isn't about losing weight, starting a podcast, or any particular goal, even though those are the illustrations.
In less than ten minutes, I'll tell you about IMOGO goal setting and SMART goal setting.
SMART goal setting is how the 8% accomplish their goals.
Let's change the statistic. It takes practice and hard work. But you can do that. You already work hard. Listen in so you can work hard and SMART.
Need support? We all do. That's why I have a job as a life coach. www.alifeshared.com
Contact me today to schedule a FREE 30-minute consultation. No commitments. No strings attached.
It's your opportunity to meet me and decide if I can support you, as one of the 8%.
--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alifeshared/support
Love is a risk. Listen in for a short six-minute reflection on a risk worth taking, the risk to love and be loved.
The last of four episodes on Advent.
Listen to episode 68, "Holding Hope," episode 69, "Peace for You," and episode 70, "Joy in the Waiting?" to hear the entire Advent series.
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The four weeks before Christmas are a time of waiting. It's called Advent.My youngest boys are counting down. Their joy in the waiting is beautiful.Joy seems slippery for me this week. We are here waiting in the dark: death, illness, and suffering loom.Christmas gets closer and stress soars for many.Where do we find joy in the waiting?Listen and be encouraged to because joy is here now. Through joy we can cry out in the dark and rejoice while we do. Even if you're a little stressed out like me.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alifeshared/support
Peace you can embrace. Really? Yes. Daily and family life offer all the chaos we’re willing to embrace. Both outside and within ourselves. Listen to ways you can lay down chaos and embrace peace. Sometimes it’s a process. Sure. There are also tools you can practice today toward peace. Four simple words and a few conversation codes can help you begin to receive and embrace peace today. Even over the holidays with those “different” and “difficult” people, you’ll gather with.--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alifeshared/support
The hope of Christmas is a standing theme. It's the stuff movies are made of. Sometimes our hope is not fulfilled. Hope that disappoints and unmet expectations are all too real.I hear people discourage expectations and hope for that reason all too often. Still we hope.What if the enduring hope of Christmas points us to hope that does not disappoint?Listen in for a hope that is true, Christmas Hope.A hope that invites us to endure in the face of all the disappointments. From your favorite ornament shattered to your first Christmas without a loved one.I share how I stay anchored in that hope. I loved to hear how you do too. You can contact me at https://www.alifeshared.com/#CONTACT--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alifeshared/support
In memory of loved ones lost and in honor of those remembering loved ones
Jill, a hospice nurse, helps us understand that hospices isn't a bad word.
Hospice is a means of care, support, and living well with a terminal diagnosis.
In this interview, we talked about: what hospice is, markers in the dying process, the role of pain medications, comfort for our loved ones, and more.
Listen in. Learn for yourself that Hospice isn't a bad word. It's a means for the living.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alifeshared/support
Thanksgiving is a loved American holiday. We love the food, parades, family, and opportunity to give thanks.
It's also high-pressure. The food, parades, family, and the awkward giving "thanks."
Some say "thank you" with ease. The funny thing? Their sincere thanksgiving was once awkward. I know first hand.
Thanksgiving isn't an effortless practice. It's learned. It's chosen. It starts when we embrace the awkward.
When we give thanks, it changes us and the one we thank.
Listen in for stories of thanksgiving that have given life and keep giving life.
Giving thanks matter because as G.B. Stern said, "Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone."
Who will you thank this Thanksgiving?
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When it comes to relationships, questions aren't about answers. They're about connection. Listen in to all the ways questions do not connect and the surprising ways they can.
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"A Life Shared: Parent Helps and Renovations" is not a political platform. It's support for parents to live life that gives life.
Today, we're going off script and highly localized.
Elections are coming here in the United States. I can't vote for the town I consider home, Wilmore, Kentucky. Why? I live just outside the city limits.
I can use my podcast to help my community know about the candidates running.
This episode provides ten-minute interviews along with key information about the positions up for election: city council and mayor.
Each candidate was asked the same five questions.
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How long have you been in Wilmore? What brought you here? What kept you here?
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What motivated you to run?
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If elected, what do you see as your responsibility/role in your elected position?
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What do you see as three significant issues facing Wilmore over the next four years?
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What do you love about Wilmore?
For locals, may this resource help you cast your vote for those nearby.
For those afar, may it help you consider what matters to you about elected officials, issues that need attention where you live, and your role as a citizen to impact those things (the right to vote).
For all of us, informed voting impacts our daily life. Get informed and then vote where ever you live.
Join us next week for our regular format. Supporting parents with kids age three to 33.
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The holidays are coming. Fall break for some.
You want to welcome your kids home, especially your college students. How do you make it a great visit?
Today's guest, Jeannie Banter, has worked on university campuses with students for over ten years.
She offers a straightforward strategy: prepare, pray, and play. We talk about what that looks like.
This interview also spoke to: fears as parents, your student's fears, the power of questions, the gift of the messy, and knowing each other.
Listen and welcome your student home for the holidays with inspiring insight and a practical plan.
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Cancer impacts one out of three.
Today's guest, Crystal, has been impacted as a wife, patient, and mother. Years ago, she cared for her husband with two children at home. Not long ago, her adult children came home and helped care for her.
She shares what kept them as a family through stage four colon cancer.
She shares what it was like to be cared for by adult children through her initial cancer treatment.
Lastly, she shares how all of this has impacted how she lives her life.
Often we wonder what it'd be like to know or understand, this episode offers a glimpse of exactly that through a candid cancer conversation.
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I'm all about recycle, reduce, reuse. I'm a fan of throwing things away too.
Listen in and be encouraged to throw away that pen that doesn't work. It's a game-changer that gives life.
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Getting ready for guests is no small thing. What if you can you be "ready enough"?
My values and expectations are that our door is open to guests AND they will feel welcomed.
Welcomed used to be a clean home, really clean. After my third child, I could only be that ready with much gnashing of teeth.
I decided to let it go my old expectations and be "ready enough."
Because it's more important for me to have guests than a Pinterest ready home.
I've spent the last eight years becoming okay with being "ready enough."
What do you need to be ready to open your doors and share your home with others?
Listen and be encouraged toward your next step to be "ready enough" for guests.
Want to see what "ready enough" looks like at my home?
Go to my Facebook page for pictures I took right before my guest arrived the day I recorded this episode.
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Do you ever get lost in all the things you can't do?
We break out of that hum-drum place when we shift our focus. Listen to my own experience of just that.
I want to do something I can't. I pondered and discovered something I can do. With my desire and ability united, action is underway.
What do you want?
What can you do?
Listen to how you can harness your ability and desire for a commitment.
I love ideas. Ideas in action give life.
Listen, so you can say, "I can do that!" in your own life.
Because the life you want to live, the life you can live, is within your reach.
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Whether your a family of two or ten, dinner can be difficult to pull-off. Eating on the go or sitting down together, both can be mayhem. The one thing about dinner is it has to happen. You and yours must eat. Where, when, and what vary and that's part of the challenge. Throw everyone's schedule into the mix and dinner can be a burden you just have to get done. Listen in for creative solutions and realistic ways to feed your family dinner night after night. You might even find dinner can still be an opportunity to connect even if it's over cereal or cold sandwiches.
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There are few things we have control over in our lives. Cancer screening and prevention is something anyone can do.
Even those of who don't have health insurance like my family. We talk about that because cost is real.
Prevention has become a game changer for many cancers.
Today's guest, Katie Bathje, helps us know the cancers we can screen for, when, resources for affordable screenings and care, if necessary.
We even touched on stigmas around cancer.
Listen in and learn what you can do for your health. To learn more and for the resources Katie mentions, click here.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alifeshared/support
My oldest graduates next year. Letting go is getting very real. Good thing we started that long ago.
It started with collisions and broken plates when he was barely two.
Little kids and safety is a real concern. Safety at all cost can become an obstacle to living life for our kids and me, as a mom.
Slowly I began to learn that letting go of protecting our kids at all cost offers the ultimate space for our kids to grow and thrive. It's counter-intuitive I know. Good news, recent research supports this reality. Our kids need space to be kids, to do new things.
Our part as parents is often letting go, so they can be kids growing up with confidence, abilities, stress-tolerance, and more.
How do we let go?
Listen to two of my earliest letting go's and consider how your kids need you to let go. When we let go, we can all live life that gives life.
Letting go of collisions and broken dishes was the beginning for me. May you be encouraged and discover something you need to let go of.
If you want to let go and need support, contact me. I help parents like you find new ways to parent that give you and your kid/s life.
https://www.alifeshared.com/#CONTACT
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The first new episode since June 8th. Find out why I went silent and how a listener inspired me to pick up the conversation.
What is something you stopped and want to start again?
If you've done something before, it's never start over. It's simply start again.
My hope is you'll find authority for your life, practical tools, and lots of encouragement. Who doesn't need lots of encouragement?
If you do start again, I'd love to hear about it. Starting again is always worth a celebration!
https://www.alifeshared.com/#CONTACT
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Beverly Cleary made Ralph S. Mouse a beloved character in the lives of many children. Ralph and the Motorcycle is a must read-a-loud with your elementary kids and grandchildren. This episode is a story of what happens when he comes to visit. Young children may or may not appreciate this episode.
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Today's guest, Margaret, a State Farm insurance employee advises on teenagers setting up their insurance as a new driver. Teenager drivers can do this. As parents, we're used to doing so many things for your kids. With teenagers, it's life-giving when we start letting them do more. It's good for teens and parents. Listen in and consider how you can give your kids the wheel in life one turn at a time.
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Our kids are home for summer. While this episode focuses on college kids, there are lessons to be found for teenagers too. Dr. Blake Jones, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, talked with me about being a landing place and support with our kids. Key points for success are boundaries and expectations. We can do this well with grace and open communication. Need support? Check out resources listed below.
My book. Five-stars on Amazon. Endorsed by therapists and ministry leaders.
"Finding Your Next Steps," a tool I created for my clients. Subscribe to my monthly-ish newsletter here.
A coaching session. Call/text me 859-806-7447 for a free 30-minute consultation.
A session with Dr. Blake Jones at the Compass Center. Contact him here or call/text 859-320-1170.
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School is wrapping up for the year. Today's guest, Dawnshelle Wold, a teacher and founder of a local school, celebrates the work of making smart kids. Whether your kids attend public school, private school, or homeschool, there is something here for every parent, older students, and educators. Education is about giving life to the learner. In turn, that gives life to parents and teachers. To every teacher, THANK YOU for an amazing year! To every parent, well done on supporting your kid(s) in their education.
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Sunday is Mother's Day, an often complicated day of celebration and remembrance. This year, I remember a precious conversation with a sweet little girl about our two moms, hers and mine. You may not have two moms, but all of us have another woman, who has in some way given life to us. That's a life shared! May this episode be a gift to you as you remember any woman who is or has been a gift to you.
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No one can do all things. What if that's good news? In a tight-10, Ellen offers insights into the gift of limits. Yes, the gift of limits. When you know and honor your limits, you begin to live into the fullness Christ has for you. You quit fighting your humanity. You begin to embrace His divinity.
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In a "go big or go home world," we want to do the big things. What if doing what you can gives more than you know? As a mom of five, there are many things I cannot do. Chronic fatigue strips more ability from me. I'm all too aware of the things I cannot do. When I focus on what I can do and do those things, it gives life to myself and others.
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Today is the day the church calls Good Friday. How can a day when we remember the death of someone be good? In this 10 minute episode I share how that day was indeed good, not just then, even now. On Good Friday, something happened right after Jesus took His last breath that changed everything. The veil was torn and what that means for us in relationship with God is forever changed. It is good.
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In a world that LOVES our "YES!" In a world that shouts, "Go big or go home!" Jesus said, "NO." His "no" sets us free to live and say "no" too. May this short episode, where I share a bit about my life as a Covid Long Hauler, encourage you in whatever you bear in this fallen world. Easter is not just a day. It's a reality that changes everything. Jesus said, "NO" to sin and death. That changes everything. His "NO" offers us a life worth living. That friends is very good news.
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Once a happy homemaker, today's guest is in a new season of life and parting with a lot of stuff. She's a woman who once enjoyed all the collections. Now, she lives a different life and after storing things for three years is ready to declutter to live into the fullness of the life she lives today. We talked about: how a hobby became her identity, how our things impact our relationships and our relationships impact our things, what our things are and the role they play in how we live, and why she's choosing to give it all away or chuck it instead of selling it. Her humble candor is rare and beautiful. Got stuff? Listen in and use your stuff as a means for life. That's all it was ever meant to be.
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Today's guest, Patrick Holley, PLCC, helps answer the questions I asked in Episode 43. Are you safe? Are your children safe? Is your spouse still for you, but doesn't know how to do that? Is it family of origin stuff that feels like it will undo you, but a can be worked out with help? With a focus in marriage and conflict resolution, Patrick offers keen insight to help each one of us assess our marriage. This work takes courage. Good news? Conflict can lead to growth and intimacy beyond your imagination. Don't believe me? Listen to Episode 43. Even more, the state of your marriage today doesn't have to be the final destination. This episode isn't for wives to punish husbands OR for husbands to blame wives. It isn't a call for separation or divorce. It is an opportunity to see your marriage for what it is and choose as husband and wife, life that gives life. If my hubby and I can do it, you can too. And if your marriage is no longer a team sport, you don't have to suffer alone. As Patrick said, you always have choices. You can contact Patrick Holley here. You can contact me for a consultation and/or local referrals here.
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Today's guest, Laura Hunter, shares insights from being married 40 years. She and her husband realized early on both of them would have to learn to be each other's husband and wife. It wasn't as simple as "I do." They put in the work, but life happens. Around year 20, they needed help with a therapist. They have lived through "many lows," for no other reason than a long marriage has highs and lows. It's simply part of saying, "I do." When we live out those vows, we discover the gift of life together as husband and wife. Today they are in one of their highest highs. Listen in to the laughter, joy, wisdom, humility, and countless statements worthy of quotes. If you are married, may this episode give you: a vision of the best yet to come and tools to choose each other right where you are today.
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The fourth year into our marriage I called my mom weary and ready to give up. I wanted to leave a difficult, strained marriage. Her response left me with no easy out. I stayed though tempted to leave. This year we celebrate 19 years. Each year has been better than the one before. If we are honest, married life is not easy. "I do" does not flip a switch where suddenly we know how to be husband and wife. Married life is a process of learning to love and choose each other. Tempted to leave? Is your marriage difficult, disappointing? Years of hurt and ugly cycles? Listen in to my story of hope.. Once upon a time, my husband was a man I wanted to leave. Today, he is a man I thank God for. Staying when tempted to leave can lead to love you never dared to imagine.
Want to be connected to A Life Shared, a life that gives life? Subscribe here to my mailing list. https://www.alifeshared.com/
Do you need support to be choose to love? New practices that give life? Maybe I can support you as a life coach. https://www.alifeshared.com/
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Today's episode is part three of a six-part series on divorce and marriage. Author Ron Deal says that a key to a blended family is taking it slow. Today's guests did that. They were patient and steadfast. They honored each other and each other's family members. By faith, they did not grow weary in doing good. Today they live in the "harvest" of being a family that gives life to each to other. Listen in for parenting wisdom, tender love, candor, tears, giggles, the temptation to quit, and the victory of a family that lives a life shared.
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The second episode of a six-part series, today's guest, Maria, shares about life after divorce with kids. Whether you are married or divorced, this episode is a treasure. It's a peak inside the life of a parent, who feels the weight of the world. Her faith, relationships, resources, expectations, and values of the life she had lived were lost through her divorce. In time, those same things gave her a new life, a life after divorce with kids.
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Divorce is not something anyone ever expects to happen to them. It's not what we were made for; and yet, divorce rates are on the rise. Divorce impacts the two once married, immediate and extended family, friends and communities. Parents get divorced. Parents support divorced adult children. With bold grace, my guest, Maggie, shares part of her story as a divorced woman. It is a small part of her story: promise lost, her marriage, and hope found, abundant life after divorce. If you're divorced, may this episode encourage and comfort you. If you are separated, may this interview give you tools to honor yourself in this painful time. If you are married, may you listen with humility and learn a bit of a story I pray you never know.
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Today's guest, Kate Irwin, oversees the Children's Programming at the Jessamine County Public Library. Kate loves books, but she knows books aren't the only ways to cultivate learning and imagination in the lives of our kids. What interests your kids, grandkids, students? When we meet them where they are, we can learn from them and help them thrive. Listen in for practical helps and fresh perspective about how you can cultivate learning and imagination in the lives of the kids you love.
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I never wanted to do a podcast. I'm so glad I did. It's also time for renovations. After doing it for a year, I've realized my best offering is a podcast for parents. Whether the kids are 3 months old or 33 years old, parents need support, even renovations along the way. We want to love our kids well, but we have to learn how. We want them to grow, fly the coop, and come back for all the visits because they want to share life with us. Listen in to hear about upcoming series (divorce and marriage, cancer, life with young kids, spring sports, money, sex, and that's just the beginning). My heart for you, for us, is to live a life shared. We can learn to delight in each other as family. That's not wishful thinking. It's what we were made for. It's never to early (those of you with babies). It's never too late (those of you with grown kids). I hope you'll join me.
Want to know more about A Life Shared? https://www.alifeshared.com/
Want to join the mailing list, schedule a coaching session or speaking event? https://www.alifeshared.com/#CONTACT
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If you're like many, taxes aren't something you look forward to. You might owe taxes. You don't know all the forms and numbers you need. The paperwork leads to more paperwork. And the deadline looms.
Today, January 24, 2022, is the first day you can file personal taxes electronically. I didn't know that until my interview with Melissa, an accountant of nearly 30 years. She offers important information like deadlines, forms, and information you need to prepare and file your personal taxes.
For me taxes feel a bit like herding cats. I have all the things somewhere, but finding the things, putting them in order, and then putting the data in the correct box, it's dizzying. That's why I invited Melissa onto the show. We talked about all the things: who needs to file, deadlines, why filing electronically is in your best interest, and more.
If you have a working teenager, listen closely. She gave good information on that too. You need to catch that detail if you want to claim your teenager as a dependent.
If you're like me, I found myself a bit lost with all the 1090 forms she mentioned, but hang in there. You can print off a checklist of all the things you need after the episode. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/checklist-for-free-tax-return-preparation
Listen in, so you can be a little more prepared and confident when you do your 2021 taxes.
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Today's guest, Geoff, shares his story of choosing health for life. With health concerns and family history, he questioned how long he'd live. He decided his days would not be numbered because of his choices. Over seven years, he tried countless times to lose weight and failed. Finally, he gave up trying to change in his own strength and started praying for God’s mercy. Geoff's story is sincere and inspiring. Wherever you are in your health, exercise, and weight loss journey, listen in and be encouraged. This interview has changed my whole framework on losing weight and health. Before, I was focused on a weight goal I had met four years ago and could not maintain. Now, I'm inspired to choose "health for life."
If you'd like the steps Geoff took from morbid obesity to running a full marathon, click on this link bit.ly/ALS-geoff
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I love goals. Last year, one of my goals was to start a podcast. Goals are important. Period. Practices are too. Practices, the things we do day in and day out, shape our lives. They even give opportunity to goals because without practices, goals are never accomplished. When I swam three times a week, swimming became a key practice that helped me reach my goal of strength and a healthy weight. The practice of taking my meds daily gives me life. If I forget my anxiety med too many days in a row, we all pay for it. I drink water every day, a pitcher full. Without this practice, I lack the energy and stamina I need for the life I want to live. Practices give life to us, in turn, we can give life to others. Listen in and consider the practices that give you life. Make a list as you listen or after. Celebrate they gift they are to you. Choose them anew with purpose. Then consider what practices you need to live the life you want to live. It's never too early. It's never too late. We can always start where we are.
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Today's guest, experienced a profound loss when she was 17. Her cousin, Jamie, who was more like a brother, died. Her parents staged her well to learn about this loss, a loss by suicide. A couple of years later, Heidi reached out to her family. She wanted to hear their experiences of the same loss. What she found was safe space to grieve. Most of us do not know the grief of loss by suicide like Heidi does, but we all know grief. We all need safe space to grieve the loss in our life. The loss of our home from tornadoes. The loss of a loved one from cancer. The loss of life before Covid. No matter the size, each grief needs safe space to be seen and recognized. In that safe space, light truly does overcome the darkness to bring comfort and guidance as we live life anew.
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Today's guest is one of Santa's many helpers. Years ago she asked her boss if she could wear a Santa hat at work. He said, yes, and it turned into so much more. Four times a year she directs traffic in costume: Easter, Dr. Seuss' birthday, Halloween, and Christmas. Five days a week, she helps us share space before and after school. Listen to this everyday lady, who's become a community icon, as she shares about her work and why she does it in costume as the occasion affords.
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Today's guest, Faith, cleans homes for a living. With the holidays coming, we want our guests to come to a clean home. Listen for tools and tips that can help you clean in minutes. Seriously! Chores you can do in ten minutes or less. And ways to make the chores you dread, like floors and toilets, not such a drain. No expensive cleaners or equipment required. Faith has empowered, equipped, and encouraged me when it comes to household chores. I clean more in less time because of the tips and tools I've learned from her. You can too. Listen and clean in minutes instead of hours, so you can spend more time celebrating and living with those you love.
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A word from me, Ellen Martin, on acts of kindness and care while sickness has limited me and my family. It's forced me to live more deeply into in a freeing reality. We weren't made to do everything we can. That only wears you down and out. A life shared is about doing what you can, when you can. Listen in about gifts of soup from friends and bread from a stranger. During this season of hope, peace, joy, and love; may you be free from obligations of kindness, so you can really live and share yourself with others.
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Bud carries a full load, but he is never hurried. He has a rhythm that is slower, content. He is also by many measures, a success. He's finishing a PhD, has a beautiful family, owns rental properties, and serves his community locally and internationally. He looks like he has it all. What he has in spades is contentment, joy. The slower pace of his life and contentment make him a delight to be around. In this hurry-scurry world, he is a breath of fresh air. How does he succeed and live in contentment? He plans his schedule weekly. He says "no" often. And chooses the things that matter most for him and his family, again and again. Listen for practical tools and thoughtful questions. Because we can all choose success and contentment. The question is how we measure it. And, if this episode leaves you with more questions than answers, contact me. A free 30-minute consultation could be your next step to the life you want to live. https://www.alifeshared.com/#CONTACT
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Kids want to get where they're going. So they ask and ask, "Are we there yet?" Bring up a parenting matter too early and a parent will likely say, "We aren't there yet." Today's guest, a children's pastor and mom of three adult children, giggles at that reply. Why? Because, as she says, "You're always there." Kids can't talk yet, you teach them what they will say when their language develops, like "please" and "thank you" at the appropriate time. We can parent in the moment. I do. We all do. We must. We can also parent forward, so our kids are better prepared for the responsibilities and opportunities life affords. Kids look to the future asking, "Are we there yet?" Today's guest helps us catch a glimpse of how to parent looking to the future, parent forward, so we can help our kids as they look ahead eager and wide eyed for all life affords them.
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We aren't having a baby, but lots of people are. They need a doctor or midwife, but more and more birthing moms use a doula too. Today's guest is a doula. Who needs a doula? Why bother? Doulas offer support beyond imagination. A good one advocates for you with your medical team. We delivered with and without a doula. If I could do it again, I'd have a doula every time. Why not be empowered, equipped, and encouraged while doing one of the hardest things you'll ever do?! Listen to this episode to learn more about what you or someone you love needs for a labor and delivery with fond memories that last a lifetime.
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Today's guest is a mammogram technician. Before she was a technician, she was a breast center patient. In this episode, she walks us through a screening mammogram: what to wear, why you have to wipe off your deodorant, and the importance of communicating with your technician during the exam. Breast care has come a long way. With breast cancer being detected at stage zero, screening mammograms really are a life saver. Listen in and share this episode with all your girl-friends. You might even make your next mammogram a celebration.
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Today's guest loves people. As a child, his wise mother said, "Every person you meet has a story. Don't discount anyone. There is something you can learn from every person you meet." That has shaped his life for the better. From his motives for reading books to the places he goes, Andy chooses to allow the lives of others to enrich his life because he learns from them. Listen in to how our oldest guest yet has allowed his joy of people and their stories to shape his life for the better.
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Today's guest offers insight and wisdom into the work of labor and delivery. Labor and delivery is a steep learning curve for any nurse because of the unique demands from triage to potential surgical needs. As our guest says, "It is all hands on deck." With nurses leaving hospitals to travel, staffing is limited. With Covid, patients are sicker than ever with at least one Covid patient at all times in her hospital. Listen to how this charge nurse empowers mothers and the birthing team. From collaborating with doulas to staff development with nurses, this nurse offers real life insight into frontline leadership with evidence based practice and gratitude to all involved.
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Today's guest saw how others lived and realized daily life could offer more choices than she ever imagined. She pushed through her comfortable, familiar boundaries and entered into a season of growth. She made the shift from a life isolated to a life shared. She quit trying to do more, work harder, and discovered the gift of living in community. In this episode, she offers candid insights into the vulnerable difficulties and freeing discoveries from her choice to live a life shared.
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Today's guest, Carrie, wasn't willing to do an interview with me the first time I called her. From where she stood, she just lived. She didn't have anything to say. Then something happened that changed how she heard herself. She heard her voice as something that gives life to others. At 42 years old, Carrie is finding her voice. This episode is her story. It's inspiring, beautiful, and a testimony of how we all struggle finding our voice. And the irony that when we do, it's not really about us.
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Today's episode picks up where we left off last week on "Opportunities for Growth: Part 1." What is a cheap fail? How do we give them to our kids when we feel like it's not safe? I share my go-to method and ways I've given my kids "cheap fails" since before their 2nd birthdays. It wasn't easy. It wasn't natural at first, but with support and wisdom beyond myself I learned to give my kids opportunities for growth.
Opportunities for growth are not exciting for most. Growth can be painful, even scary. Today's guest, Jonathan, grew up with unique opportunities to do as he says, "adult things." It gave him life, so much so, he now offers opportunities for growth to others. Listen in to how older men impacted him and now he impacts others. From emptying the dishwasher with a two-year-old to teaching a quiet girl how to use a powerful saw at age 13, how might you give opportunities of growth to those you love and long to see thrive. With these skills come what adults want for kids, responsibility. The kind of responsibility kids need, the kind that comes with fitting authority. That's where the interview landed: how opportunities for growth give kids meaningful authority with responsibility. That dynamic combination invites all of us to grow. And if this all sounds too much, I understand. I often had to leave the room while my husband guided our kids through opportunities, but I'm learning and sometimes I get to see the magical moment of authority with responsibility that leads to growth beyond my imagination. Listen in.
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Opportunities for growth are not exciting for most. Growth can be painful, even scary. Today's guest, Jonathan, grew up with unique opportunities to do as he says, "adult things." It gave him life, so much so, he now offers opportunities for growth to others. Listen in to how older men impacted him and now he impacts others. From emptying the dishwasher with a two-year-old to teaching a quiet girl how to use a powerful saw at age 13, there are so many ways we can provide opportunities for growth to those we love and long to see thrive. Listen in and subscribe, so you don't miss part two next week.
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Today's interview is different than most. It's not about a person, but a company that lives "a life shared." Last year, I took the leap to invest in a professional website. The team I chose to work with empowered, equipped, and encouraged me in the process. What began as intimidating and confusing quickly became collaborative and exciting. That does not just happen. Listen in to how these two everyday people, who do work most of us do not understand, made me feel like part of the team and how they do it.
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Today's guest, leads the local community service center in Wilmore, Kentucky. She welcomes shoppers, volunteers, and clients with equal dignity. In this interview, she offers rich insight into the importance of trust, relationship, leadership, intentionality, and humility. Together these elements shape how she welcomes all she meets. Koby and the community service center where she serves are a beautiful illustration of welcome. Listen in for her wisdom and some great quotes: "be my word, "we're all asking the same questions," and "giving our very best, not leftovers."
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School starts here next week. The big household project isn't finished and time is running out. Your deadline at work looms. You thought you were ready, but come to find out you are not as ready as you need to be. What happens when the time has come and you are not ready? Listen in. Consider how you can face the moments in life when you're "ready, but not ready."
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Hard conversations are any conversation you don't want to have. Four tools help us have hard conversations. Today's guest, both previously married, explain that their relationship was born out of hard conversations. Through hard conversations, this couple experience honesty, bonding, and all around greater intimacy and health than they ever imagined possible. The wife declares herself "very conflict avoidant." The husband "isn't a wordsmith....He puts out fires." But they have learned with practice, hard conversations are worth the risk. Want more on conversations? Go to alifeshared.com. Click "Book" and buy a copy. Want more? Click "Book Now" for a free 15 minute consultation and let's talk.
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Who's dream do you live? Today's guest chose to live his dream. This interview had some unexpected surprises. Our guest shares humbly, honestly how his dream came forth. Listen with an open heart and mind to where you are and the life you live. Sometimes listeners reach out and share how an episode impacted them. If you would like to share, I'd love to hear from you. You can go to my website, alifeshared.com. Click "contact" in the upper right corner. Oh how we were made to live fully and freely!
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Years ago our guest designed a school to empower, equip, and encourage students to thrive academically and personally. Now a college professor, she's seen the impact in her students across the years. It's inspiring and affirming. Intentional choices with real purpose truly can carry students into the future for success. Plus, she shares the one thing she believe parents and adults can give children that matters most.
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Hal and Carrie share about their 27 year friendship. In 1994, he was her new youth pastor. He was less than impressive from where she stood as an upcoming high school sophomore. She gave him a chance and discovered "the gift of the other" in Hal. They share life with each other to this day, and both are better for it. That's how friendships work. It happened because Hal welcomed Carrie and she trusted his sincerity for her and the group. For 27 years now, they have empowered, equipped, and encouraged each other from jokes to visits. Age and roles are just "surface stuff" as Hal says. Listen in and ponder "the gift of the other" in your life.
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Realtors help us find our home. They also live sale to sale. Today's guest was empowered by her realtor to become a realtor. Today, she equips and encourages her clients whether it's selling or buying their home. As she says, "It's not about a transaction, but the relationship."
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Today's guest, a father of four, shares how he came to live "a life better ordered." A health crisis propelled the change. His family and friends nurtured it. He realized the lack of living for performance. He chose to embrace himself for who he is, strengths and weaknesses. He discovered a freedom and fullness he had never known. Part 1 shares this journey. Part 2 offers wisdom born out of the hard work of living in relationship as a husband, father, friend, and minister.
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Father's Day is this Sunday. Today's guest, a father of four, shares how he came to live "a life better ordered." A health crisis propelled the change. His family and friends nurtured it. He realized the lack of living for performance. He chose to embrace himself for who he is, strengths and weaknesses. He discovered a freedom and fullness he had never known. Part 1 shares this journey. Part 2 offers wisdom born out this hard work of living in relationship as a husband, father, friend, and minister.
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He's not Mr. Rogers. He's Mr. Rob. He shares life with five boys who aren't even part of his family. It's simple. He prayed for them. Then he decided to give them birthday presents every year. Why commit to five birthday gifts a year? I asked him. The answer moved me to tears. Mr. Rob encouraged me and offered equipping words for others, who want to share life with others.
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Today's guest used a move to start new family practices. In time, her family embraced an open door policy: there was always room for another at the table. It changed their lives and the lives of others in ways they never imagined. It all started with an invitation to dinner.
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A local artist put a project on Facebook: "Drawing Wilmore." The charming daily sketches started as a passion project for her. The project has become space where others remember and connect. Today we get to hear from the artist herself, Libby Beaty. You can follow her work here, https://www.facebook.com/drawingwilmore
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School is almost out for summer. Lots of time for fun things, great memories, and wondering if we're loving our kids and family well. Listen to this honest conversation with a friend about loving well, especially your family. From inspiration to dealing with your stuff, it’s a refreshing reminder and perspective on the realities of loving well.
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It's May: Teacher Appreciation Month. Everyone has a teacher they remember fondly. A fourth grade teacher shares her love of teaching and her students. For her, it's all about relationship. Relationship first. Then curriculum. To all teachers out there, thank you for welcoming our children and investing in them day after day. You gave them more this year than you will ever know.
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In honor of the moms and other women, who pour into us and send us out. A woman, who has mentored many, shares the fundamental elements of how she has empowered, equipped, and encouraged women. There are professional mentors, but that's not what this is about. This is about being open to welcome someone, who seeks you out, into an intentional relationship. You listen. When they don't need you anymore, you release them and cheer them on as they go.
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The way we live can declare, "I am for you." The spoken words bring life too. It's awkward to say, but the gift of life it gives is worth the risk. Sometimes, the way we live declares the opposite, "I am against you." We don't mean to, but it happens in thoughtless, unintended ways. The good news? Being "for" someone, especially those you live with, isn't about "getting it right." It's about choosing active love again and again. We can make intentional choices with real purpose to help us offer a open hand to those we are "for." Listen in to one of my failures, an ah-ha moment or two, and a way you can choose a life that declares, "I am for you" to those you love most.
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A coffee shop owner talks about surviving the pandemic through community support, generosity that encourages and equips, plus a word of hope written in the shop window, "We Are For You."
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When we see each other, we give life to one another. This episode talks about why it matters that we see others, how easy it is to not see people right in front of us, and gives practical ways we can see others in 10 seconds or less.
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A professional photograph shares how she was empowered to do more than take pictures and has, in turn, empowered others to see themselves anew and even find their voice.
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We all want our lives to matter. What if I told you your life already does? Discover how the mundane, everyday ways we live make for a life worth living, a life shared.
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We all share life with someone. Family. Co-workers. People in your community. Why not make it a life worth living? On "A Life Shared," we'll hear from everyday people who do just that. Small business owners, a local artist, teachers, physical therapists, moms and dads. 15-20 minute episodes to empower, equip, and encourage you to live "a life shared" right where you are.
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