Surviving Sarah - SoundSage

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I am really excited about the conversation going into your ears today. Both of these guests have been on the show separately, but now we had a conversation all together. I am happy to welcome Pete Enns and his daughter Lizz Petters back to the show. Pete was on episode 181 and Liz joined me for episode 229.

Pete is a college professor who has been teaching, writing and speaking about the Bible for over 20 years. He is a storyteller which is one reason why I love his writing but I also love that Pete isn’t afraid to lean in and ask hard questions. He values hearing the stories of everyday people and their struggles with the Bible. That drives so much of what he does with his writing and with his podcast, The Bible For Normal People. He has authored many books which include his most recent one Curveball: When Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming or How I Stumbled and Tripped My Way to Finding a Bigger God.

Liz is a writer, co-host of the Deconstructing Mamas Podcast, and mom to two. She is passionate about creating space for spiritual misfits to find a sense of safety and belonging on their faith journeys. She is especially passionate about empowering young moms and parents who are doing the hard work of healing while raising kids.

In this conversation, they share both of their perspectives about growing up and faith. And we really wrestle with the tensions we feel around raising kids while deconstructing and what that means when it comes to church. I really appreciate the honestly and vulnerability here.

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I am happy to welcome Kimberly Stuart back to the show. She joined me way back on Episode 155. Kimberly is an author, podcaster and writing coach. She’s published 8 novels and her most recent nonfiction book titled Star For Jesus: And Other Jobs I Quit. Her podcast, which I’ve been a guest on twice, is called For Real with Kimberly Stuart. And is a writing coach along with Bob Goff.

In this conversation, we talk about what fiction she’s been reading and why it’s good to read fiction. Then, she talks about what grace has looked like in her life. She unpacks that through humorous storytelling so pull up a chair and join the conversation.

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I am happy to welcome Ally Fallon to the show. I’ve been interested in having her on the show for a long time so when I saw her name come through my inbox, I was very excited. Ally is an author, speaker, and founder of Find Your Voice, a community that supports anyone who wants to write anything. She is a self-described writing coach. I read her most recent book titled Write Your Story: A Simple Formula to Understand Yourself, Your Story and Your Purpose in the World.

In this conversation, we talk about how and why writing your story is so important and powerful—even if you only write for your own eyes. We also talk about how we’ve been in a creative drought and overall burnout as people and even a country. Her thoughts on creativity and how to get out of burnout were very helpful.

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I am happy to welcome Danielle Bayard Jackson to the show. She is a female friendship coach and educator who speaks nationally about the science of women’s platonic connections. She is also the author of Fighting for Our Friendships which comes out in May.

Danielle’s coaching business, Friend Forward, is dedicated to teaching women how to create and maintain better female friendships, and her expertise has been featured in The New York Times, Psychology Today, Wall Street Journal, Oprah Magazine, and Good Morning America.

As former high school teacher, Danielle now uses her teaching skills as an educator to coach women through common friendship conflicts. As a member of the American Sociological Association, she uses the latest research to create practical, tangible strategies to help women create more depth in their platonic relationships. Companies like TikTok, the NBA, NFL, and Etsy have all booked Danielle as a speaker to address the topic of connection psychology.

In this episode, we lean into her expertise. She shares some really practical ways for us especially as women in their 30’s and 40’s to build friendships. You will definitely want to make some mental notes, buy her book and follow her online because she so helpful.

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I am so happy to welcome my friend, Retha Nichole, back to the podcast. She is no stranger to the show. She was on episodes 74 and 255. She and I go way back and found each other when we were both starting out as podcasters.

Retha’s expertise includes real estate, small business operations as well as helping small business companies figure out how to include diversity and inclusion in their business. She really comes alongside the client to help them find their authentic self. She is a sought after speaker, trainer and executive coach with a unique perspective on various issues and challenges facing the professional woman.

This is exactly why I had her on the show today. We dive into what to do when you feel stuck—whether that is in business or life. She packs so much wisdom and clarity into this short conversation. I took many notes while chatting and I think you will too. So pull up a chair and join the conversation.

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Today, is the launch day for my book: Is Everyone Happier Than Me? An Honest Guide to the Questions That Keep You up at Night

I am so excited to share this book with you! To celebrate, I want to give you a gift! It is one of the audiobook chapters that I recorded. I had a hard time choosing which chapter I wanted to give you, but I decided to give the chapter on friendship titled: Does anybody like me?

This is pulled straight from the audiobook of me reading that chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for listening to the show and for buying the book!

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I am so happy to welcome Emily P. Freeman to the show. Emily is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of five books and host of The Next Right Thing podcast. Emily just has a way about her that can make you feel seen, heard and at ease.

Many of us have experienced a lot of change in the last few years. And sometimes, we are left feeling uncertain and unsure on where we are or where we go next or even how to process what happened before. I asked Emily to join me on the show because she published a book titled How to Walk into a Room and it really is such a helpful guide to to navigate this.

In this episode, we talk about the metaphor of the rooms we experience, how to know when to leave a room, what to do when you need closure, and how to walk into a room—especially when it comes to making your own decision and not by people pleasing. This is a thoughtful conversation, full of insight. I think you are really going to benefit from it.

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I am so happy to welcome my dear friend, Rachel Macy Stafford, back to the podcast. Rachel is a New York Times bestselling author and one of the most compassionate humans I know. You may know her best as the Hands Free Mama. She has joined me on Surviving Sarah on episodes 58. I asked Rachel to join me on the show again because she speaks to often about how to find your authentic self and how to let go and get unstuck. She most recently has written a book on the subject called Soul Shift along with a retreat that focuses on it.

In this episode, we talk about the shifts we can make internally to help us find self-acceptance and how to let go of perfection. Rachel is a compassionate guide as we navigate being human and being in process of letting go from things that keep us from self-acceptance and learning how to embrace ourselves.

(As a quick note, you’ll hear my dog, Murray, losing his mind in the distant background early on in the conversation. His favorite UPS driver showed up and his enthusiasm was obvious.)

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I asked my friend Emily Ferrara to join me to talk about how to find a therapist. Emily is a licensed professional counselor based in Atlanta, GA who specializes in anxiety, OCD and work/life balance. We had a really great conversation when she joined me on Surviving Sarah back on episode 171. So you may want to add that one to your listening queue.

This conversation is pulled out of a larger conversation that I recorded with her about perfectionism. To gain access to this bonus content--a 3 part deep dive on perfectionism--simply purchase my book Is Everyone Happier Than Me? and then go to my sarahbragg.com/happy to gain access.

In that deep divew, you'll hear us talk about what perfectionism looks like and where it comes from in part 1. In part 2, we’ll talk about how failure keeps us stuck, the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism and goal setting. And in part 3, we will talk about how perfectionism plays a role in parenting and she’ll provide some helpful resources to help you go further.

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In this episode, Sarah shares how research shows that we, as adults, have been living in a "fun drought," why that is and what we can do to build more fun into our lives.

If you want more helpful content like this, pre-order her new book Is Everyone Happier Than Me? An Honest Guide to the Questions That Keep You up at Night If you enjoy Surviving Sarah, then you will enjoy the audiobook version because Sarah reads it herself.

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In this episode, Sarah uses the What About Bob? movie to unpack how we all need to take a vacation from our problems. She helps us figure how what is causing the chaos and what we need to do to find peace.

You can download her FREE guided journal, Peace in the Chaos.

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There are countless reasons why we, as adults, don’t take time to be creativity. And sometimes we find ourselves burnt out by creativity because we have to be creative to pay the bills. In today’s episode, Sarah confronts all the reasons head on and then breaks down how creativity is connected to our overall happiness.

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In today’s episode, Sarah shares 10 books that have saved her life and could save your’s too. These are nonfiction books that she has returned to over and over again. She breaks them down into two categories: personal development and parenting.

Check out the shownotes for takeaways and links to everything discussed.

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Pre-order Sarah's latest book Is Everyone Happier Than Me? Book launches 3/19/24

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As I thought about this next year, I thought about what would be good to leave behind in 2023 and what would be good to pick up in it’s place instead. With that in mind, I am going to share 3 things that we can stop doing and what to start doing instead.

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One thing I missed the most during the hiatus from the show was my year in review episode with my friend, Merica Stum. We have been recording these episodes every year since the show launched. I was so happy to sit down with her again a couple of weeks ago to recap the year.

In this conversation, we share some tips on what can help you process through your own year in review. Then, we talk about what changed for us, what we learned, what we want to try and what was inside our survival kits for the year.

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In this episode, Sarah addresses the stress and overwhelm that comes with the holidays and shares some really practical, simple advice on how to not let the stress rob of you enjoying this season.

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In this episode, Sarah talks about one of her favorite things: BOOKS! She talks about why it's good for us to read fiction, how to read more and she shares her new favorite book tradition.

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In this episode, Sarah shares honestly about a time when she found herself feeling busy yet bored in life. If you have ever felt restless in life, this episode is for you.

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In this episode, Sarah shares more specifically about what helped her navigate a season of unknown--a season that lead her to pause the podcast. She shares 5 things that helped her take care of herself emotionally, mentally and physically when she felt completely burnt out.

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In this episode, Sarah talks about what she's been doing over the past two years since she paused the podcast. Sometimes we know it's time to walk out of a room but unsure what room to walk into next. If you are in the middle of an unknown season, you will relate to what she has to say.

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I am so happy to welcome my friend, David Thomas, to the show again. He’s been a regular on the show and we co-hosted the first two seasons of the Raising Boys & Girls podcast together along with our friend, Sissy Goff. David is the director of family counseling at Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville, TN and is the author of 10 books. Today, we are talking about his latest books—Raising Emotionally Strong Boys and the workbook for kids titled Strong and Smart. He brings his 25 years of practice to the table. We start by talking about what it looks like to be emotionally strong—redefining what masculine strength is. Then, we talk about what to do when you as the mom are clued in to help, but what do you do if the father isn’t interested. We talk about what to do when all emotions are channeled as anger. And lastly we talk about how summer is a great time to work on these things. Per usual, David brings a wealth of help to us so pull up a chair and join the conversation. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

Raising Emotionally Strong Boys: Tools Your Son Can Build On for Life

A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith, and Myself

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Hey friends, quick note about today’s episode. While I’m not a break from the show and social media to creatively rest and write book 2, I’m running reruns of some past Surviving Sarah episodes. If you need to get in touch with me, head over to my website. You can click the contact button and your email will be sent to me. I will still be writing my monthly Survival Kit newsletter which is a great way to stay connected to you while I’m on hiatus from the show and social media. You can sign up for that through my website as well. And of course, you can purchase my book, A Mother’s Guide to Raising Herself, from your favorite retailer. If you are planning to read the book as a part of a book club, let me know because I’d love to join you virtually. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this rerun episode.

Christmas isn’t always a merry season. We can have disappointment or pain from loss. Maybe its a grieving season. Maybe life doesn’t look like what you hoped. And Christmas can accentuate our pain, grief and disappointment. How do we step into our real circumstances and try to enjoy Christmas in the midst of the pain? With that in mind, Alex conducted a Christmas experiment. An experiment on what it would look like to find hope, joy, love and peace during the Christmas season in the midst of her real life circumstances.

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We talk about the connection between science and faith, how you have the power to turn on your brain in order to get rid of toxins, the science behind captivating your thoughts, how to change your mind and how to help our kids learn to change their thought patterns.

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Clay wrote a book last year called How To Lead When You’re Not In Charge. And let’s be honest, so many of us are leading somewhere—in our home, in our work, in our church, in our schools. Each one of us has the ability to leverage influence yet many of us are stuck waiting to be given the authority to lead rather than tapping into the influence that we have. So we talk about the difference between authority and influence, the challenges that keep us from tapping into our influence, how to survive working for someone you don’t respect, what to do when you crave more influence, and how understanding our identity is crucial in cultivating influence.

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I am so excited to welcome Heather MacFadyen to the show today. You likely know her from the Don't Mom Alone podcast. If you don’t know her already, she’s a mom to 4 boys. We talk about fears that we have and how fear is the root problem to other emotions we have like anger; we talk about guilt and shame in motherhood and what to do when shame is driving your identity.

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In this episode, Sarah talks honestly about how she has been feeling over the last year and a half, how to handle the daily stress and what to do about the things causing the stress.

Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Alexandra Kuykendall back to the show. She has been on Surviving Sarah a couple of times over the years. She is a co-host to the popular podcast The Open Door Sisterhood and is a writer and speaker. Today, she joins me to talk about her new book “Seeking Out Goodness: Finding the True and Beautiful All around You.” Seeking out the goodness around you. That is so easy for us, right? I mean, we aren’t bombarded with what is hard and conflicting at all. Alex’s book is perfectly timed for where we are not only in culture but also as the holidays approach. We talk about how even though life can be hard it can also be beautiful. And we dive into some practical ways to find the good in the people we disagree with. So pull up a chair and join the conversation. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Jessica Hottle to the show. She is a faith-based fitness coach, podcast host, best-selling author, and speaker. She is the author of the upcoming book "Face Off with Your Feelings:Break Up with the Lies from Your Past and Embrace the Truth for Your Future” Today, Jessica shares 5 steps to help manage emotions when they arise. We talk about how to help our body move through those emotions. This is something that you can start to put into place today so pull up a chair and join the conversation. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Allison Baggerly to the show today. She is a blogger, podcast host, and founder of Inspired Budget. As a teacher and small business owner, Allison combined her passion for teaching and finances to help others learn how to start budgeting. She has built a community of over 120,000 Instagram followers that turn to her for budgeting advice and inspiration to save more money. Allison shares about how she and her husband paid off over $111K of debt on 2 teacher salaries while growing their family. And we tackle the emotions we feel surrounding debt and how to move past the shame we feel about it. I was definitely inspired and motivated by Allison. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Let me just say that you are blessed because you hit play on today’s episode. This is time for another installment of the quarterly review with our good friend, Merica Stum. I love these episodes so much. We look at the last quarter—July, August and Sept—and talk about how we felt about the last few month. Then, we talk about what we read, watched, listened to and loved along with updates on planners. And lastly, we talk about what we are looking forward to in this next quarter.

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I am happy to welcome Anne Bogel to the show. I have known of Anne and followed along with her for years now. And I have to say that I really enjoyed chatting with her. For as long as I can remember, I have loved books. In fact, my favorite thing to do back in college was go to Barnes and Noble to just look at books and journals and sip coffee. It was a dream. Anne is an author, blogger and podcaster. She has a popular blog called Modern Mrs Darcy and two podcasts, What Should I Read Next? and One Great Book. Her latest book is a reading journal titled My Reading Life: A Book Journal. Today, we have a conversation about how to create a reading life that you enjoy. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Christy Wright back to the show. Christy is a #1 national best-selling author, personal development expert, and host of The Christy Wright Show. Since 2009, she has served at Ramsey Solutions, where she teaches on personal development, business, and faith. Christy was a guest on Surviving Sarah a couple of years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed chatting with her so I was so happy when she reached out to come back on the show. Christy has a new book titled: Take Back Your Time: The Guilt Free Guide to Life Balance. She is addressing a tension that we all feel about our time. We talk about the idea that we can do it all and the fall out that comes from that belief. Then, Christy shares wisdom around what balance actually feels like, how to give yourself grace when seasons are full and stressful and how to watch out for the time traps that distract us from what is right for us right now. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome authors, Tricia Goyer and Amy Parker, to the show. These two best selling authors team up to create a beautiful, helpful children’s book titled The Grumbles. The Grumbles is a picture book perfect for your favorite 4-8 year old that helps teach kids how to approach life with a gracious mindset. This conversation feels like an author spotlight. Between the two of them, they have published an incredible amount of books. So they talk about what they’ve learned about life through their years in the publishing industry. And then we dive into the topic of grumbling—what that looks like in our homes and what helps us create a mindset of gratitude. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome my friend, Ashely Abercrombie, back to the show. She is a speaker and writer whose authored the books Rise of the Truth Teller and Love is the Resistance. This latest book, Love is the Resistance, is all about learning to disagree and resolve the conflicts you’ve been avoiding. Sounds totally irrelevant, right? Note the sarcasm. I think Ashley’s book, which comes out today, is so timely for the world in which we are living in. And for some of us, conflict is the word we would use to describe our homes and relationships. It doesn’t matter who you are, conflict is something that we all face. Ashely shares so many helpful things about handing conflict that I know its going to be helpful to you. In fact, listen up because she shares a phase to use that will help you enter into a conversation about a conflict. I literally took so many notes. You will definitely want to deep dive her book.

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Today, I wanted to round out book launch week with an episode just from me. I also wanted to include one more chapter from the audiobook as a way of celebrating. This has been a good week. If you subscribe to the newsletter or follow on Instagram then you probably know that our family got hit with Covid about two weeks ago. Scott and I were vaccinated but Sinclair hadn’t received hers yet. And after 3 days of school, she tested positive. So we spent book launch in isolation at home. Going into it, I was quite disappointed. I had fun things planned for the whole day which all had to be cancelled. But once the day came, I have to say that while the day at home was very quiet and normal—the girls did digital learning, Scott worked—the day online felt very extraordinary. The day was filled with you guys showing up and celebrating with me online. You shared the book over and over. That simple action of sharing the book (or even the show) may seem so little but I promise you that it feels so big to me. It was so fun to see the book top the amazon new release in motherhood charts. It also hit the best seller list for the motherhood category. I was just overjoyed. I just wanted to say thank you for showing up. Thank you for buying the book. Thank you for cheering for me. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome Korie Robertson to the show. She is a New York Times best-selling author and star of A&E’s Duck Dynasty. She works in the family business Duck Commander, is co-owner in Tread Lively Productions. Korie loves doing life with her husband, Willie and their six kids and four grandbabies in their hometown of West Monroe, Louisiana. In honor of my book launching, we talk about what raising kids taught her. We also talk about what its like being a grandparent, advice she’s giving her kids as they step into marriage, what to do to foster a future relationship with your kids, and some really good advice about raising teenagers. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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My book A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself launches out into the world tomorrow on August 17! I wanted to give you a little bonus treat today in anticipation of tomorrow. Today, you get to hear the audiobook version of the Introduction. You will get to hear what the book is about, why I wrote it and what I hope you gain from it.

If you want to access the pre-order bonuses, this is your last day! Purchase the book from your favorite retailer and then take your order number to my site. From there, we'll walk you through how to access the secret podcast feed and download the free printables.

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I am so happy to welcome Sandra Stanley back to the show. This is her third appearance on the show and every time, I walk away with so much. If you don’t know Sandra, she is the author of The Comparison Trap and Breathing Room. She is married to Andy Stanley and they have grown children. I wanted to have Sandra back leading up to my book launch for A Mother’s Guide to Raising Herself because I feel like she has a lot of wisdom to share. This episode is all about parenting. We talk about how parenting produced growth in her. We talk about lessons like connection over efficiency and relationship over rules and honor over obedience. I also ask her to share what helped them build a future relationship with their kids and between the siblings and lastly, how to help our teens make wise choices. I’m telling you, so much good stuff packed into this one episode. You’re going to love it! Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome my friend, Erin Moon, to the show today. She is the host of the Faith Adjacent podcast, as well as the resident Bible scholar on The Bible Binge podcast. She is an author and the Senior Creative at the Popcast Media Group. She is an absolute delight to follow and curates one of my favorite newsletters called The Swipe Up. Erin and her family live in Birmingham, Alabama. I asked Erin to join me as part of a series of podcasts to help launch my book. I have benefited from following along with Erin’s parenting and faith journeys. So I asked her to come on the show to talk about how raising kids has been a catalyst to her own faith journey. We talk about what that journey has been for her, why it’s good to wrestle with our faith and resources for those on their own journey. And of course, I had to talk a little pop culture and motherhood as well. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Today, I have something special for you! I have one of the chapters from the audio version of my book, A Mother’s Guide to Raising Herself. I’ve learned over the last 13+ years of parenting, that parenting is less about raising kids and more about raising ourselves. Raising kids pushed me to come face to face with my own uncertainties, fears, tendencies towards perfectionism, and inauthenticity. And as I wrestled with those things, certain phrases started to rise to the surface. I began saying these phrases to myself in order to grow up, to become, to be raised. This book highlights over 20 phrases that helped raise me. Instead of being given a list of steps or a specific formula, you will receive a list of phrases that will guide you to becoming your truest self. The more freedom you find for yourself to be yourself, the more accepting and loving you become. And the best gift we can give to our children is a mom who is true to herself, who shows up and is brave enough to do the work. The phrase I’m going to share with you today comes from chapter 22 titled You Can Do Hard Things. I have been hearing such good things from early readers of the book. And I had so much fun recording the audiobook because it felt like what I do with you every single week on the show. I absolutely loved getting to tell you about this as if we were sitting across from each other. So, here is the first listen of A Mother’s Guide to Raising Herself Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself and then access your pre-order bonuses here. Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Will Hutcherson to the show. He is a pastor, speaker, and founder of Curate Hope, non-profit that partners with parents and educators to heal despair in kids and teens. He is also the co-author of the new book, SEEN: Healing Despair and Anxiety in Kids and Teens Through the Power of Connection. This is such a practical and helpful conversation. He unpacks in such a clear, understandable way what is happening in the brain when we our kids feel despair or anxiety. Then, we talk about what we can do as parents to help our kids when they are in a state of despair, how we as parents are such a valuable tool in helping our kid when they feel despair, and what empathy looks and sounds like. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so very happy to welcome Lesley Graham to the show today. She is one of my closest friends and may remember hearing from her on the Dopesquad episode which was episode 79. Lesley is such an inspiration person who has such a heart to see women succeed in life and work. She lives on a farm in Georgia with her leather making husband Sam and their two girls. She is currently serving as a mentor and coach to her wellness community, as well as sharing their journey to fix up 35 acres on her blog at www.lesleywgraham.com We talk about what raising kids has taught her, advice about work & motherhood, what helps us get out of a scarcity mindset and what she would go back and tell herself as a young mom. Plus, you get to sneak in on what my Patreon supporters hear every week. I almost always ask to hear what they find meaningful. I decided to keep Lesley’s answer to that question in the main part of the episode. I did this because she’s in the middle of a transition—not just her but her family, too. And so she’s walking through this transition with her kids and I thought that maybe some of you could relate to what she had to say. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Ginger Curtis to the show today. She is the founder of Urbanology Designs in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas. She has been recognized and received so many awards from the Interior Design world from Interior Design Society to HGTV to Houzz.com. She has created a design book called "Beauty By Design” which I’ve read and found very helpful. It is highly resourceful along with being full of inspiration. We talk about how the struggles that she has faced in life informed her now career in design. We talk about how to create a safe, cozy haven in your home, where to go to find your style and we get practical on designing a home on a budget. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome my friend and yours, Merica Stum, back to the show. It is time for another quarter catch up with her. But this time we do something different. We start the episode catching up about what happened in this past quarter, but this is episode is really dedicated to my upcoming book. Merica asked me months ago if I would be up for her interviewing me about my book and the writing process. And I have to say that this conversation was so fun for me. I loved peeling back the curtain on the process of writing and on the content itself. We talk about the in’s and out’s the writing process, the catalyst for writing this book, what I feel like went well and what I wish I did better. She also reads a couple of excerpts from the book and I shed from insight behind those quotes.

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I am so happy to welcome Shelly Robinson to the show today. She is a certified holistic family wellness coach, cycle-breaker, conscious parenting educator, and founder of the Raising Yourself movement. Her passion in life is to empower moms to turn their midlife crisis into midlife magic by teaching them how to reparent themselves, disrupt generational patterns, and take radically good care of their needs. I found her on Instagram and have absolutely loved following her. She offers so much wisdom and advice around the idea of raising yourself—which you know that I am all about given the topic of my book. In this conversation, we talk about what it looks like to raise yourself, how to be more curious about yourself and others and we debunk the idea of what a “good mom” should look like. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Kathleen is a temperament communication expert helping people become their best, authentic self and speak kindly to each other. She is the author of I Said This, You Heard That and her latest book is called A Grown-ups Guide to Kids’ Wiring. We have such a good conversation around the temperaments and specifically parenting. You know, we are all looking for connection with our kids and Kathleen just really opens our eyes about how to do that and I think that what she says can be a game changer for our parenting. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Desiree Hartsock Siegfried to the show. You may best know her as an ABC Bachelor contestant and star of Season 9 of ABC's The Bachelorette. Many viewers quickly fell in love with this down-to-earth girl looking for love. But those shows were really only the beginning of her journey that led her to marrying her husband who she met on the show, becoming a mother of two boys, creating her own Bridal line, hosting The Heart of Purpose podcast and writing her book The Road to Roses: Heartbreak, Hope, and Finding Strength When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned. We talk about how she found herself on the Bachelor and what that was like to how she ended up as the Bachelorette. We talk about what it was like to face rejection on national tv and how she was able to move on to find love and happiness. She shares some great insight about what she learned through that experience about rejection and heartbreak. Just like many of you loved her on TV, you are going to love her here as well so pull up a chair and join the conversation. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome Mazi Robinson to the table today. She is a licensed professional counselor and speaker specializing in helping women discover their true voice as they navigate self worth/self esteem challenges, relationship concerns, and life stage transitions. She is also a Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator presenting workshops and retreats based on the research and methodology of Dr. Brené Brown to individuals and groups. This is one of those conversations that I think you will return to. You will want to take notes on this one because Mazi is a trusted guide to help us navigate the waters of rejection. She helps us understand how the rejection of our childhood shows up in our adult life, why it’s important to grieve when we feel rejected and how rejection shapes our belief of whether we are lovable or not. And of course, I ask her on behalf of all of us raising kids, what to do when our kids face rejection. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Welcome to part 2 of my conversation with my mentor, Kellee Hall. If you missed part 1, I encourage you to go back and listen to it. This week, Kellee talks about what she learned about herself by raising her kids. And today, in part 2, Kellee tells us her story of 2020. She walks us through how her husband, Stuart, ended up in ICU near death from Covid19 and what helped her make it through that month. She also shares what it was like to walk with her young adult children through the political and social unrest and how through it all, what she learned about love and making things personal. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I want to introduce you to someone I loved dearly. She has been my mentor since I was about 20 years old. She has had a front row seat to the evolution of who I am. Kellee Hall is married to Stuart Hall and is raising 3 adult kids. She runs a couple of businesses, one is called The Echo Group which is a management service for speakers and influencers. She manages people like yours truly, Mo Isom and our friends from Pantsuit Politics. I’ve been gleaning life wisdom from Kellee for over 20 years and I wanted the opportunity for you to do the same. She came up to TN one day and spent a lot of time around the table talking. So much so that I decided to break this episode up into two parts. The first part will include an introduction to who she is and to our relationship. Then, she talks about parenting. She talks about how raising kids has helps raise herself. Next week, we will dive into her up close and personal story of surviving COVID19 as her husband was near death. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome David Thomas and Sissy Goff back to the show. This felt like a reunion since we haven’t been able to sit down together like this since 2019. They are no stranger to the show. They have been on a few past episodes of Surviving Sarah. But in case you are new here, David and Sissy are counselors at Daystar in Nashville, TN. They have written some my favorite books on parenting and I had the privilege of hosting the first two seasons of their podcast, Raising Boys and Girls. Today’s conversation feels like a nod to our days on their podcast. We dive into a topic and tension that we feel in parenting and then they walk us through it with some really practical advice. Today, we talk about power struggles. They break down by developmental stage for girls and boys—what it looks like, why its happening and what to do about it. And lastly, how to disengage when the power struggle happens.

Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome Tara Bremer BACK to the podcast. I had so much fun the last time we chatted that I wanted to have her back. Tara is the founder of House Peace which helps us find order in our homes and lives. She has a team of people who work with her and in fact, one of her team members, Kendra, came to my house back in Atlanta and helped me create systems for the lack of storage we had. Tara joins me today to talk about managing our digital clutter. We talk about all things digital: texting, photos, apps, desktops, and emails. This episode feels like you are getting to sit at the table with two friends. It is so easy to chat with Tara. We recorded via video so we literally walk through our phones together and share tips to declutter our digital lives. I’ll be sure to link everything we talk about in today’s show notes over at SarahBragg.com in case you are in motion while listening and can’t take notes. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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We are just under 4 months until my book, A Mother’s Guide to Raising Herself, launches out into the world and with that, I wanted to take a few minutes and unpack what it means to raise yourself.

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I am happy to welcome to the table Cindy Wang Brandt. She is an author, podcaster and host of the Parenting Forward conferences. A friend told me about her years ago and since then I’ve read her book, Parenting Forward, and always enjoy her podcast by the same name. We recorded conversation while I was hunkered down in the safest room in the house during a tornado. You guys, if that isn’t commitment to you then I don’t know what it is. In this conversation, we talk about how to create a space for kids to cultivate their own spirituality, advice on how to raise kids without unnecessary shame in regards to their sexuality and how to raise citizens of the world—that is, how to help shape conscious kids. Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so very happy to welcome my friend, Monica DiCristina, to the show today. Monica is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Atlanta where she lives with her husband and three kids. Monica has such a desire to help guide others in their process of becoming who they were meant to be. She is the host of one of my new favorite podcasts called Still Becoming. You definitely want to hit subscribe to that show along with following her on Instagram—she always shares such helpful content there. Today, we dive into the topic of boundaries. This is one of those episodes where I pretend to be asking all these questions for a friend but it’s really because I need all the help in setting boundaries. We talk about what they are and what they might look like in everyday life. We also dive into setting boundaries with two important relationships: our children and our in-laws. So much helpful content is shared in this episode so go ahead, pull up a chair and join the conversation. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome Emily Lex to the table. She is a watercolor artist, longtime blogger, and the author of Freely and Lightly. She has been featured on HGTV and in Better Homes and Gardens and The Magnolia Journal. She resides outside the Seattle, Washington area with her husband and four children. I have been reading Emily’s blog and following her online for years so it was such a pleasure to get to chat with her. And let me just say that Emily is so genuine. I have interviewed a lot of people over the last 6 years and her essence is pure gold. This conversation felt exactly like that—a conversation. I feel like Emily was as interested in me as I was in her. This conversation centered around her new book, Freely and Lightly. We talk about what her journey looked like to go from striving to be fulfilled and seen as enough to living freely and lightly knowing that she is valuable and lovable. She shares how a 4 month road trip with her family helped them take a deep breath and figure out who they were as a family. We talk about how sometimes growing requires us to let go of good things—not just bad things—in order to become—and how that has looked even in our friendships. And lastly, she turned the table on me and asked me what was in my survival kit. I think you are going to love Emily if you don’t already. Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so excited to be doing quarterly episodes with my friend and your friend, Merica Stum. Now that we live in the same city, we want to sit down every quarter and unpack what happened. In this episode, we talk about what we learned, what changed, what we’ve loved, what we’ve read. We dive into what we what more of and less of for this next quarter and of course we shares what’s helping us survive. You will feel like you are sitting right there with us in my house and you’ll even get to hear an appearance by my dog, Murray, so brace yourself.

Order Sarah's book, A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself: What Parenting Taught Me About Life, Faith and Myself

Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome Jeff and André Shinabarger back to the show. Jeff is the Executive Director of Plywood People and André is a physician’s assistant at Grady Hospital here in Atlanta. Together they host the podcast Love or Work. They recently completed the largest research study on working married couples in the U.S. and spent the last few years interviewing couples who want to stay in love, change the world and raise a healthy family. They share the results of that study along with stories from their own lives in their book Love or Work. I asked them to come back on the show to talk about a topic that no one really wants to talk about yet everyone wants to actually talk about it. I bet you know what it is—sex. We talk about why we want to talk about it but can’t talk about it, why its so important that we talk about it, and how our upbringing often informs how we view sex. We also talk about how important mutual pleasure is in the relationship and what to do when you want to amp up your sex life. I think this is such a good and helpful conversation.

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I am happy to welcome Dr. Kelly Flanagan back to the show. He is a clinical psychologist and author to the books The Marriage Manifesto, Loveable and True Companions. If you’ve been listening to the show awhile, then you heard him on Episode 94 where we talked about shame and learning to accept yourself. This conversation is built upon that. We talk about the paradox for companionship: the ability to be lonely. With that, we look at embracing our loneliness and how we can find companionship through it. I always enjoy chatting with Kelly so pull up a chair and join the conversation.

Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Retha Nichole back to the podcast. She first joined me in the early days on episode 74. Retha is life and business coach who loves helping people uncover their purpose. Retha is one of those people that I am always drawn to because they are truly authentic and care deeply about helping you live your best life.

In this conversation, we talk about something that Retha has been doing for years to help her week run more smoothly. She unpacks something she created Sunday Planning which helps you create a plan to grow in your life and business consistently. You will walk away from this conversation not only inspired but also with an action plan.

Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Ashtin Cope to the table. She is a meal planner and is all about helping families save time and money when it comes to meal planning. She wants to take the guilt and stress out of it. Today, we talk about the tensions we feel behind preparing meals that often look like guilt. Then we chat about the benefits of meal planning and lastly she shares some actionable steps that you can start doing today.

Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome Sarah Bessey to the table. I’ve wanted to chat with her for a very long time because she embodies a sense of generosity about her. Her presence welcomes you wherever you are on your faith journey. Sarah is the author of the popular and critically acclaimed books Jesus Feminist, Out of Sorts: Making Peace with an Evolving Faith, and Miracles and Other Reasonable Things. Her recent book A Rhythm of Prayer is a New York Times best seller. Sarah joins me today to talk about faith and prayer. She shares a little bit of her faith journey and how her view of prayer was affected through it. As we open the episode, you get to sample what my Patreon supporters get to hear every week for just $3 a month. If you like what you hear and want that every week, go to Patreon.com/SurvivingSarah Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Tiffany Bluhm back to the show. She is the author of the books Prey Tell, She Dreams, and Never Alone. She is cohost of the podcast Why Tho and speaks at conferences and events around the world. As a minority, immigrant woman with an interracial family, Bluhm is passionate about inviting all to the table of faith, equality, justice, and dignity. We talk about why we silence women who speak up and how to speak up for others. Tiffany shares some great advice on how to raise our girls to not be silenced and to not stand for silence around them. She also shares what we can do to be women who stand up for other women. Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I’m very happy to welcome Robyn Downs to the table. Robyn uses simple, science-backed strategies to help people cut through life’s clutter to uncover small shifts that create huge change. She holds a Master’s degree in education with an emphasis in behavior change, and 4 years of public policy & health change at the doctoral level. Her work taps into cutting edge science around psychology, neuroscience, mindfulness, and habits. Recently named one of the Most Influential Women in Wellness and she recently published a book titled: The Feel Good Effect: Reclaim Your Wellness By Creating Small Shifts That Create Big Change. Let me just say that I loved this book. It is practical and helpful while making sense of why I sometimes find myself in ruts when it comes to my wellness. In this episode, we talk about why we struggle to think that we have to do it all. We talk about the unrealistic expectations we put on ourselves, and the guilt that follows. Robyn shares some tips on how to break that guilt cycle, what to do with an all or nothing mentality and how to move from a should to good mentality. We cover so much helpful content in a short period of time. If you feel like your own health and happiness is not even on the "pay attention to" list then you will really be understood by Robyn. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Pre-order Sarah's book: A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon.

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I welcome Kelsey Chapman back to the show. Kelsey and I met years ago when she was a guest and we’ve have kept a friendship going ever since. Kelsey is an author, community builder, online educator and host of The Radiant Podcast. But to me, she is one of the greatest resources and cheerleaders I know. Her first book, What They Taught Me: Recognizing The Mentors Who Will Take You From Dream To Done captures her perfectly. Mentorship is truly at the heart of who she is and what she does. In this episode, we talk about several different mentors in her life, how to go about finding a mentor whether its in your career or in your personal life and then lastly, she shares some advice on how to be a mentor to someone else. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Pre-order Sarah's book: A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon.

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I look back on this month and while I’m surprised that we are at the end, I also feel like we’ve lived a lot. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not excited for what this new year could hold. I’ve been on record saying that I love the start of the new year. There is something hopeful and fresh about it. I tend to find myself ending a year completely ready for a reboot. And this year is no different.

Can I let you in on a secret?

While I love the start of a new year, I’m not great at goals and resolutions. Maybe I just like the theoretical reset button that gets pushed in January. But I’m actually not one to really set goals and resolutions.

In this episode, I share what’s been helping me create the life I want to live in a way that doesn’t result in feeling judgmental towards myself.

Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Pre-order Sarah's book: A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon.

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I am so happy to welcome Laura Tremaine to the table today. Laura lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Jeff, and their two children. She is is a writer and podcaster. On her weekly podcast 10 Things To Tell You, she encourages listeners to take the episode prompts to a friend or to their journal, because meaningful connections come from good conversations. Her first book Share Your Stuff. I’ll Go First. will release in February. Today’s conversation is all about connection. And as her book suggests, Laura goes first —she steps into vulnerability first. We talk about friendships, why it sometimes feels so lonely in this season of adulthood, what helps her find all different levels of connection and she shares such a great tip for all of us who are longing to build more connection in our lives. I always enjoy chatting with people who are authentic and show up as themselves. I enjoyed this conversation and I think you will too. I want to make sure you know about my monthly survival kit newsletter. I send it out at the end of every month which as of today is nearing. Each month, I share a short essay from me along with what helped me survive: think books, shows, movies, podcasts and things I’m just simply loving. This is a great way for us to connect outside of iTunes. To sign up, go to SarahBragg.com. And as a gift for signing up, you’ll receive my free downloadable planner pages that will help you be more efficient and productive with your time. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Pre-order Sarah's book: A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon.

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Today, I am so happy to welcome Hannah Brencher back to the show. Hannah is an author, blogger, TED speaker and entrepreneur. She has authored three books and today we discuss her most recent one, Fighting Forward.

We talk about how to go about making change in your life—how to find your way forward when you want to fight for more, when you want to find a better life or better version of yourself. With that, we talk about what gets in the way of moving forward and changing our lives and what helps you maintain that change you created. This is such a good episode and it was so timely for me again as I edited it. I felt so pumped up after listening. I think you will, too.

Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Pre-order Sarah's book: A Mother's Guide to Raising Herself Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon.

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Today, is my annual year in review episode with my good friend Merica Stum. This is my absolute favorite episode of the year. You know how you get together with a friend you haven’t seen in a long time and you have one million things to talk about? That was this episode. In this episode, we look back and compare what we thought 2020 would hold and what actually happened. We talk about some of the overarching themes of the year, what we learned, good habits we developed, thoughts and feelings on planners, our favorite books and shows and then we look at 2021 and what we hope for. This episode is full of laughter and goodness so pull up a chair and join the conversation. Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Sarah shares what this season of change and transition has been like for her and what has helped her when she feels sad and scared because of it.

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I am so happy to welcome my good friend, Melanie Dale, back to the show. If you have been listening to the show for awhile, then you know that back in 2017-2018, Melanie and I did an episode together every month. It is always fun to have friends on the show. In case you don’t know Melanie, she is an author, speaker and podcaster who lives outside of Atlanta. She and her husband are raising 3 kids from 3 continents. And today, she joins me to talk about her new book Calm the Heck Down: How to Let Go and Lighten Up About Parenting. In this episode, we talk about a few things in regards to parenting that we need to calm down about. I go first and share something that I need to calm down about. We could have easily talked about every single topic in Melanie’s book but instead we narrowed it down to a few things we need to calm down about: school, sex, work. Check out bonus content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome Jeff and André Shinabarger to the show today. Jeff is the Executive Director of Plywood People and André is a physician’s assistant at Grady Hospital here in Atlanta. Together they host the podcast Love or Work. They recently completed the largest research study on working married couples in the U.S. and spent the last few years interviewing couples who want to stay in love, change the world and raise a healthy family. (They even started this journey traveling in an Airstream!) They asked this question of 100 working couples across a multitude of industries, including professional athletes and artists, entrepreneurs and CEOs, fashion icons and church leaders, while simultaneously surveying 1600 working professionals in partnership with Barna Research: Is It Possible To Change The World, Stay In Love And Raise A Healthy Family? They share not only the results of the survey but also stories from their own lives in their new book Love or Work. I have to say that I don’t tend to like marriage books but this one is a must read. I wish I had read it years ago earlier in our marriage. They are vulnerable, candid and address real tensions in honest ways. In this episode, we talk about what helps them stay in love when you grow and evolve over time, how to navigate the tension between work and raising kids and how that affects your relationship. They also share what helps them communicate with other each. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Today, I welcome Wendy Speake back to the table. This is her third time on the show. She is the co-author of the popular parenting book Triggers: Exchanging Parents Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses, and host of the annual 40 Day Sugar Fast. Her new book, The 40 Day Social Media Fast just came out earlier this month. We sit down to have a conversation about social media. Now more than ever, we are required to be online more. And if you are anything like me, it is shocking if I step back and see how much I turn to social media as a way to cope with the state of my world. And even though there are many times where I would like to break up with social media, so much of life is online now. Which leaves me to sit in the tension of how do I handle social media when so much of my life is online? In this conversation, we talk about how to tell if you need a break from social media, how to fast when you have to be online for everything right now, what surprised her after fasting from social media, and how to reenter social media after taking a fast. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I feel like 2020 keeps delivering. I imagine that you are feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders like I do which is why I’m so happy to welcome Dr. Chinwé Williams to the table today. She is a clinical mental health therapist who helps kids, teens, and adults navigate difficult life seasons and transitions. She specializes in anxiety management and relational trauma recovery. We tend to be aware of the anxiety in our kids but we don’t notice it in ourselves. And at this point in 2020 after facing so many stress and anxiety inducing things within our country, I think its important for us to stop and do some self evaluation. Chinwé walks us through what it looks like when anxiety is no longer operating in the normal realm and has moved more into a disorder and needs to be addressed. She also shares what we can do to care for ourselves during these kinds of season. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so excited to welcome Kelsey Murphy to the table. Kelsey is a Business & Life Coach who has worked with Fortune 500 companies, like Facebook & Twitter, industry thought leaders like Marie Forleo. Her coaching work has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, and Huffington Post to name a few. She also hosts a fabulous podcast called Whiskey & Work where she shares advice on navigating the waters of business, life, and relationships. I had so much fun chatting with Kelsey. I didn’t want the conversation to end. She has so much wisdom to offer. In this episode, Kelsey helps us figure out how to visualize the life we want to live whether that is in our work, in our relationships or with ourselves. This is one of those episodes full of practical advice that you can start implementing today. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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In today's episode, Sarah shares two big life updates and then talks honestly about how she has been feeling lately--overhwhelmed is an understatement. She shares a few things that are helping her in this season where she feels burnt out.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Ruth and Patrick Schwenk to the show. You may remember Ruth, who is known online as The Better Mom, from when she joined me back on episode 176. Ruth and her husband, Patrick, are no strangers to the blogging and publishing world. They are the founders of ForTheFamily.org and TheBetterMom.com. They also started a brand new podcast in 2020 called Rootlike Faith. Today, they join me to talk about their latest book, In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake: Trusting the God Who Meets Us in Our Storm. After surviving 5 miscarriages and Patrick’s cancer diagnosis at the age of 43, they share about what it looked like to feel like you are in the middle of a lake. They talk about walking through the cancer diagnosis with their kids, what the suffering felt like, the difference between discipline and correction, what helped them wait when they didn’t see an end and how this shaped their view of life now. No matter what kind of hardship you’ve walked through, it likely felt uncertain and chaotic. I hope that this episode will encourage you in you feel like you are stuck on a boat in the middle of a lake. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome Kari Kampakis to the show. She is an author, speaker, podcaster, and blogger from Birmingham, Alabama. Her new book for moms, Love Her Well: 10 Ways to Find Joy and Connection with Your Teenage Daughter empowers mothers to help and guide their daughters through adolescence. I have read the book and it is so helpful. As you will hear in this episode, I put into practice some of her advice the moment after reading it. In this episode, we talk about raising teenage girls. Kari has 4 daughters so she shares something that we need to know about teenage girls. She also talks about how to connect with your teenage daughter, how to elevate relationship over rules, how to love your daughter as she is, and how to choose your words and timing carefully. I’m telling you—so much good stuff in this episode. I want to make sure that you know about my monthly survival kit newsletter. Each month, I send out an email that contains a short essay from me along with all the things that have helped me survive—things like what I’m watching, listening to, reading and just loving. Go to SarahBragg.com to sign up today. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Today, I am so happy to welcome Amy and Jeffrey Olrick to the show. Jeffrey is a clinical psychologist who  has worked with children and families for over twenty years. Amy is an author whose work and writing has been featured in the Guardian and USA Today. Together, the Olricks are the authors of The 6 Needs of Every Child: Empowering Parents & Kids through the Science of Connection. I can’t tell you how much I wish I had this book when I started parenting. Most of the books I read in those early years focused on behavior and getting to the motivation behind their behavior. But this book focuses on building connection. This book really gives you handlebars on how to pay attention to their behavior and yours and then how to see what you and they really need. So that’s what we talk about in this converation—how to build connection with our kids by paying attention to the 6 needs that they are wired to have. Let me say that recording the podcast has been just like everything else in 2020. I have experienced so many technical issues this year. And so this episode, will sound a little different from a technical standpoint than usual. Sorry about that. And towards the end, a rainstorm happens which sounds like we are chatting under a waterfall. 2020 is wreaking havoc. Thank you for always being so supportive as you listen! Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Have you ever struggled to admit an unpopular opinion? Or have you ever struggled with appearing to be uncool? Today, Sarah unpacks some of her own unpopular opinions and fears around being perceived as uncool, how that's related to vulnerability and why it's important to show up as yourself.

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I want to welcome Brooklyn-based educator, podcaster, + soon-to-be author, Kat Harris, to the show. She is Co-Founder of the online publication The Refined Woman, and host of The Refined Collective Podcast. She has also been a full-time photographer for the last decade with her work featured in: Vanity Fair, GQ, Forbes, People, Who What Wear, US Weekly, Glamour UK, and more. Kat has been working from home, for herself, for the last 10 years and when I came across her, I knew she would be a great person to gain some advice from about working from home. For so many of us, our work environments have changed. Some of us used to work in offices but are now working from home. Some of us have been working from home but now our kids are doing digital learning from home. There are a lot of tensions around how to work well from home right now. Kat brings her experience and expertise to the table. She gives us some really practical tips that will help us work well from home. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit Newsletter Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Today, I am happy to introduce you to my new friend, Mary Marantz. You are going to love Mary as much as I do. She is an author, speaker, and podcast host of the Mary Marantz show who has a fascinating story of growing up in a single-wide trailer in West VA and ultimately went on to attend Yale Law School. She captures her story in her book, Dirt: Growing Strong Roots in What Makes the Broken Beautiful. We talk about what it was like growing up in a trailer in west VA, how what she experienced growing up shaped her worth and the idea of success, and how we can shift our idea and expectation of success. There is so much goodness packed into this episode. I know you are going to really enjoy her story. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Before we jump into the conversation, I want to give you a heads up about the audio quality. When COVID happened, I no longer could record out of my home studio and moved to a studio that did not have my children lurking around the corner. And with that, I tried some new audio equipment. And I didn’t do it well. I don’t know about you but I don’t handle mistakes or goof up’s really well. I hate messing up but messing up is just part of life. I say this because you might notice a difference in the audio quality in this episode. Sorry about that! And thank you for sticking with me. I have had to put into practice the phrase “Be kind to yourself, we all make mistakes.” That phrase is on repeat in my head. This episode is such a good conversation. My good friend, Sarah Anderson, came back on the show. If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, then you will know her name. She’s been on the show two other times over the past couple of years. Today, I am excited to talk about her new book The Space Between Us: How Jesus Teaches Us to Live Together When Politics and Religion Pull Us Apart. She has a unique connection to politics and religion. Her dad ran for President in the 2000 election season and everyone in her family has had a career in politics and her career has been spent in the religious world. She knows firsthand what it's like to navigate the waters of politics and religion which can be so divisive. In this episode, we talk about why she was compelled to write a book about such hard topics like politics and religion, how to navigate fear when it comes to voting, and how to remain connected to people you love when positions change or are different. This conversation comes at the perfect time. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome my new friend, Christen Shefchunas to the table. She is a former Division I Coach that saw too many women missing out on their dreams because of a lack of confidence. So she now works 1 on 1 with females as a confidence coach, speaks to women about confidence, and makes Confidence Nuggets bracelets (which you’ll hear more about in the episode). We talk about why we as women tend to lack confidence and how we can build it. We also talk about how to build confidence in the girls that we are raising. If you have felt stuck, afraid to step out, afraid to try, afraid to fail, afraid to let others see who you are and what you really want then this episode is going to really help. I feel like I could listen to this one over and over. Be the first to hear updates about Sarah's upcoming book by signing up for her monthly newsletter! Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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For many people, school is back in session. School looks different for everyone right now. Some are back in person, some are homeschooling and some are experiencing school in a virtual format. For us, we have wrapped up week 3 of digital learning. I thought for this episode, I’d share 5 things that are helping me and the kids survive virtual school.

LINKS: Download Sarah's FREE planner pages mentioned in the episode.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome Elizabeth Petters to the table. I met her through her father, Pete Enns, who you may remember from being on the show. After recording, he told me that Elizabeth would be great for the show and he was absolutely right. Elizabeth is a mom to two and is passionate about breaking the stigma of mental illness in the church. She shares her struggle with anxiety which started all the way back when she was in the 3rd grade. She talked about what anxiety looked like for her, what helped her move forward, how it affected her faith, advice for parents who are raising anxious kids, and what she does on a daily basis that helps her take care of herself. I’m thankful that Elizabeth shares her story and for normalizing her experience for others. Whether you are raising an anxious child or you are an anxious grown up child, I think you will resonate with her. Download Sarah's FREE planner pages to help you or your kids be more efficient and productive with their time. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so very happy to welcome my friend, Dr. Deborah Tillman, back to the podcast. You may know her best as America’s Supernanny. She is a Consultant, speaker, author and founder of Happy Home Christian Leadership Academy for Early Learners, Inc. The Washington Post labeled her “A force for good” which I completely agree with. She joined me back on episode 163 where we talked about raising strong willed kids. Today, we talk about something that I know Dr. Deborah is passionate about and so am I. We talk about harsh parenting. What that looks like, misconceptions about why people feel like they should discipline harshly, what the goal of discipline really is and alternative ways for all ages. This is such a helpful conversation and a much needed dialog that we as parents need to partake in. Sign up for Sarah's monthly Survival Kit newsletter and receive downloadable planner pages for FREE. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome my good friend, Morgan Tyree, to the show. Morgan is a professional organizer, writer, and fitness instructor. She runs her own personal organization and time-management business and lives with her husband, David, and their three children in Colorado. She has such a helpful podcast, too, called Morganize With Me. Today, we have an interesting conversation around her latest book called Your Hospitality Personality. We talk about how we are all wired for hospitality and how that looks for different personalities. This episode is as if the enneagram met the hostess. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am releasing some older episodes as re-runs this summer. These are some conversations that I enjoyed. Running re-runs allows me to take a few weeks to finish my manuscript. For more updates about my upcoming book sign up for my newsletter at Sarahbragg.com and you can follow me on Instagram @sarahwbragg Thank you for your continued support. Click here for the original show notes to this episode. We talk about how we as parents have a limited number of time to influence the faith of our kids. So with that, we unpack the phase guides by looking at what it means to number the days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom, what sort of things we can do over time in order to discover what really matters and what conversations we need to have with our kids when it comes to health, sexuality, technology and faith.

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I am releasing some older episodes as re-runs this summer. These are some conversations that I enjoyed. Running re-runs allows me to take a few weeks to finish my manuscript. For more updates about my upcoming book sign up for my newsletter at Sarahbragg.com and you can follow me on Instagram @sarahwbragg Thank you for your continued support. Click here for the original show notes to this episode. Joni is married to Chip and is a mom of 4 girls. I loved hearing her advice about how to create a joy-filled home. We talk about design, working while being a mom, and challenges in motherhood. We have a special guest with us on the show--her daughter, Ellie. You will hear her coo throughout the show. So be warned of her cuteness. Your heart will flutter. (Since recording this episode, Joni added a 4th girl to their family)

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I am releasing some older episodes as re-runs this summer. These are some conversations that I enjoyed. Running re-runs allows me to take a few weeks to finish my manuscript. For more updates about my upcoming book sign up for my newsletter at Sarahbragg.com and you can follow me on Instagram @sarahwbragg Thank you for your continued support. We start by talking about the personalities of our kids. And I’ve been thinking so much how important it is that we understand our kids’ wiring so that we can figure out how to communicate with them—especially if they are teenagers. We talk about doing the hard work of parenting, why kids need a caring adult in their lives, and how to better understand teenagers. If you have teenagers or work with teenagers or have kids who will eventually be teenagers, then you will certainly enjoy this conversation. We talk about moving from an air traffic controller in the early years to a coach in the adolescent years. Click here for the original show notes to this episode.

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Click here for the original show notes to this episode.

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As you know, I am knee-deep in finishing my manuscript which is due to my publisher by August 2. And because of that, I am taking the summer off of releasing new content here on the show so that I can focus creative effort on the manuscript. I will however be releasing re-runs of past episodes each week. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to pour creative energy into the book!

Be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter so that you can be the first to hear about upcoming news with the book.

Come follow me on Instagram, too, where I post ordinary ways of surviving life.

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I’m happy to welcome Heather Brown to the table. Heather is the creator and editor of the online community, My Life Well Loved. She has a passion to empower women, inspire confidence, and elevate living a life well loved. Her website is a destination for fitness, fashion, mom hacks, and wellness tips. And in this episode, not only do we talk about finding normal in the middle of quarantine but we spend some time focusing on tips for health during this season. Heather shares some tips to stay physically and mentally healthy during this time.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome Knox McCoy back to the table. You may already know him as one of the hosts of the popular podcasts The Popcast with Knox and Jamie and The Bible Binge. He is the author of the books The Wondering Years and All Things Reconsidered. Knox and his wife Ashley are dear friends of ours. And they are people that we trust to walk alongside life and faith with. Knox and I talk about the idea of reconsideration. So talk about what gave him permission to begin to reconsider different aspects of his life, himself and his faith; what it looks like to reconsider things alongside a partner and as a parent; and one thing that he reconsidered about himself. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Today’s conversation is going to be so helpful because I bet I’m not the only one who has completely lost their mind and exploded in anger at their kids especially during this season of self-isolation. A few weeks ago, certified professional life coach Natalie Hixson joined me to talk about anger and motherhood. Natalie is a mother to three daughters and knows firsthand what it is like to experience destructive anger and burnout. In this conversation, we talk about how anger played a role in her motherhood, how to overcome the pattern of destructive anger, and how to rebuild broken relationships because of anger. Her story hits so close to home for me. I never knew how to handle negative emotions which made it hard to teach my kids how to handle negative emotions. You’ll hear Natalie coach me through how to handle my emotions when my kids are fighting. And before we jump into the conversation I need to let you know that we experienced some weird technical difficulties about midway through the conversation. Skype actually dropped the call and then we had to try to pick back up where we left off. Download Natalie's Trigger Tracker here Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Today, I am so happy to welcome Kelly Minter to the table. She is an author, speaker, and singer/songwriter who lives in Nashville, TN. Our mutual friend, Sissy Goff, had highly recommended her for the podcast. And since she recently published a beautiful cookbook called A Place At The Table, I decided that this would be the perfect time to have her on the show.…and let me just say that this cookbook is so very pretty and full of easy, delicious recipes. Kelly was booked to be on the show way back before the pandemic because I wanted to have a conversation about community and the power of inviting people around the table to see how food brings us together. Well, then COVID happened and we recorded this episode just a few weeks ago in the middle of quarantine. So life and community look a little different now for all of us. I really enjoyed this conversation as we navigated what community looks like now and how to lean into where we are. We also talk about how even though you may not be able to gather people around your table you can still use food to cultivate creativity, joy, and meaning. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am excited to welcome Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers to the table. You may know them as the hosts of the popular Pantsuit Politics podcast. They are also the authors of the book I Think You’re Wrong But I’m Listening: A Guide to Grace-Filled Political Conversations. And I want you to know that this conversation was recorded the week before everything started to shut down so again, you won’t hear a lot of conversation about COVID19. I invited these ladies to be on the show because since 2020 is a big election year, I wanted someone to help me know how to have conversations with my kids about politics. Talking about politics, in general, can feel uncertain and scary but then trying to navigate those waters with your kids adds a whole other layer of vulnerability to it. I think you will find that this conversation is very helpful not just in how to talk to your kids about politics but also how to help yourself feel more confident and curious about politics. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Lindsey Schriefer joins me around the table. She is a sports psychologist who helps athletes and performers to reach their potential on a regular basis. She was raised in an athletic family. Her mom Nancy Swanson was a guest on the show back on episode 189 to talk about raising athletes. And her brother, Dansby Swanson, plays shortstop for the Atlanta Braves. We recorded this episode back in February which you will hear us talk about our excitement for baseball season which sadly we are not experiencing right now. She was also 36 weeks pregnant when we recorded and has since welcomed a baby boy to their family. We talk about how being raised in an athletic family shaped her—all the good that comes from playing sports. Then, we dig deep into the mental aspect of performing whether as an athlete or in your profession or even as a parent. We talk about the obstacles that get in the way of performing well, how to help your kids (and yourself) get past fear, and advice on what to do if you have plateaued. But before we begin I want to give you a sneak peek at the type of bonus content that you receive as a Patreon supporter. In the beginning, you will hear Lindsey talk about the enneagram, her inspiration, what’s she’s reading, and her favorite Braves players. The beginning of the show was a glimpse of the bonus content you receive as a Patreon supporter. Each week, I ask the guest different questions that only appear over on Patreon. For $3 a month, you will receive that content. And for $7 a month, you receive not only that bonus content but also a monthly ask the expert segment with David Thomas and Sissy Goff from Raising Boys and Girls. Go to patreon.com/survivingsarah to subscribe today. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Kristin Mize joins me around the table. She is a therapist and licensed clinical social worker who works with moms and mental health. She is a survivor of perinatal depression when she was pregnant with her twins. Not only is she school-certified but she is life certified as well to help women walk through so many aspects of mental health. Kristin talks to me about depression, anxiety, OCD, and even PTSD in regards to motherhood. She shares signs to look for that show you may be experiencing more than just the baby blues; perfectionism in parenting; how to make your expectations more realistic; what drives our anxiety; and practical steps you can do today to help. This is such a good conversation and helpful in light of the heightened anxiety surrounding our current season of life in light of COVID19. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I want to welcome Anne Beiler to the table today, but you likely know her as the founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, the largest pretzel franchise in the world and author of the recent book, The Secret Lies Within. Anne shares her story today about the secrets she learned to keep after experiencing the death of her toddler-age daughter and sexual abuse from her pastor. She talks about how growing up Amish shaped her, how she found her way out of a cycle of shame, how confession gave her life and how she was brave enough to write a new ending to her story. I was struck with Anne’s vulnerability, transparency, and humility throughout her story and I know you will be too.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome my new friend, Carmin Black, to the table. We actually recorded this conversation way back in January which at this point feels like 2 years ago. Carmin is the Co-Founder and CEO of HALF UNITED which is a brand that provides meals and access to employment for children and families in need with each purchase made. She is a female social entrepreneur who believes that by consuming with care, anyone, anywhere, can UNITE together to change the lives of people in need. And let me just say that go follow her right now. Look her up and follow along because is worth it. There is an air of transparency about her that is so authentic. You will feel like you can go to her for all sorts of advice. And in this episode, that’s what you’ll get. She not only shares the story of how she went from working in journalism to creating the Half United brand, but she shares some advice about business and life, too. We talk about what’s hard about running a business in which her response even translates to the tension I feel in parenting. She also talks about what friendships look like in this season of life and again, you will really resonate with what she shares. Stay tuned for that last Survival Kit question because she really drops the mic.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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We are still trying to find our Corona rhythm and between my girls having spring break (aka Corona-staycation) and having to move out for a few days to fix the AC, I knew it was best for me to not tackle a new episode for this week. I decided this would be the perfect time to let you get a sneak peek into what the Patreon content is all about. In this bonus episode, you will get to hear the extra content recorded with my dear friend, Merica Stum, from our Year in Review episode along with the Ask The Expert question with David Thomas and Sissy Goff: how to handle sibling conflict.

If you decide to support the show on Patreon, you will receive this type of content every week and month. The tiers are as little as $3 or $7 a month. Go to Patreon to check it out.

Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram | Newsletter

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Today, Amber and Guy Lia join me. You may remember Amber from joining me way back on episode 106 where we talked about parenting. Amber and her husband Guy wrote a book called Marriage Triggers. Together they own Storehouse Media Group, a faith-friendly and family-friendly TV and Film production company in Los Angeles, CA. And they are raising 4 boys. As we wrap up our relationship series, we take a deep dive into our relationships with our in-laws. We talk about what sort of things are triggers for our relationship with our in-laws and how that relationship can affect our marriage. We talk about boundaries, communication, and perspective. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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We are going to continue in our relationship series. Today, Larry Bilotta joins me. Larry has been helping people in their relationships and marriages for years and his heart for doing this was birthed from his own marriage. He talks about how the first 27 years of his marriage were awful and then in year 28 something changed. They have now been married for over 40 years. We talk about his marriage and what caused it to fall apart but then what helped it change. We talk about how the messages we hear in childhood shape how we experience relationships as adults. We talk about what those messages sound like, the solution to them and how to take ownership of them.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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The last several days have turned everything upside down so I decided to do my monthly solo episode early after a friend encouraged me to address how to survive the quarantine. With all the unknown surrounding the CoronoVirus, our emotions are high. How in the world are we supposed to social distance ourselves and work from home and home school the kids?!

To address this, family joins me around the table to talk about what we are feeling and thinking right now about the virus. Then, I share a few tips on how to survive being quarantined.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Download the planner pages that Sarah mentioned here. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I welcome my friend Nicole Zasowski back to the table. She first joined me back on episode 161. If you haven’t listened to that one, I highly recommend it especially if you have walked through any type of change or loss that was really hard. Nicole is a Marriage and Family Therapist and recently published a book called From Lost to Found: Giving Up What You Think You Want For What Will Set You Free and it is a beautiful and helpful book. For this episode, I pulled out a chapter in her book on relationships and talk about how to be a good partner by moving away from a dependent or independent stance to one of interdependence. We talk about how we are responsible for being loving in our relationships but not responsible for making someone feel loved. And we spend some time unpacking what it looks like to self-regulate the emotions you feel in a relationship and how to figure out what your best self looks like so that you can show up as that person.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Each week in March, the conversations will center around a different topic that will help us all have better relationships—whether that is in marriage or dating, parenting, or friendships. I want to help you survive well in those relationships. For this first episode in the series, I am happy to welcome coaches and consultants from Thrive, Inc, Susan Clarke and ChrisMarie Campbell, to the table today. Their firm helps people have real conversations both at home and at work. They are authors of the books The Beauty of Conflict and The Beauty of Conflict for Couples. They’ve spent 20 years helping men, women, couples, and teams to resolve difficult conflicts and create strong, thriving relationships. They also co-host a podcast, The Beauty of Conflict, for dealing with conflict at home and at work. We have a really great conversation about conflict. We talk about why there’s beauty in conflict; our different styles of conflict; how the way we were raised affects how we handle conflict; practical steps to deal with conflict, how personality plays into it, and how our nonverbal communication plays a role. We have a really fascinating conversation about congruency in our communication—what we feel and what we say—and why that matters so much. I gained so much wisdom from this conversation and I think you will too

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Sarah shares a BIG announcement at the end of today's episode so be sure to not miss it! But first, Sarah talks about a little something that we all have all faced: rejection. She shares stories of her past and how those rejections defined her sense of worthiness and belonging. She also shares how to overcome the critical voice in our head in order to move from rejection to worthiness.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome Anthony ONeal to the table today. Anthony has helped hundreds of thousands of students make smart decisions with their money, relationships, and education. He’s a #1 national best-selling author and travels the country spreading his encouraging message to help teens and young adults start their lives off right. Today, we talk about his story—how he wound up homeless, dropping out of college and deep in student loan and credit card debt. In this episode, we talk about his book Debt Free Degree: The Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Kid Through College Without Student Loans. And with that, we talk about how parents can set their kids up for future success and how to do college without debt. If you are like me, the thought of figuring out what needs to happen to get kids into college is enough for me to feel completely overwhelmed. Anthony is a wealth of knowledge and I believe that this conversation will not only give you such good information but it will inspire you and walk you back from the ledge of overwhelm. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome my friend Katie Hearn to the table. She is the Digital and Accessible Services Coordinator for the Atlanta Braves. She focuses on assisting all fans in having a memorable experience while at Truist Park, with a special emphasis on their accessible programs.

In the spring of 2017 she suffered sudden vision loss and is now blind. She tells her story of how she lost her vision while she was in her twenties and how that affected everything in life. She shares how she is working to find a new normal, how she sees the world differently now and how losing her vision helped her find her voice. And you know, I couldn’t resist asking several Atlanta Braves related questions. (My goal is to convert all of you to Braves fans.)

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls podcast along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am so happy to welcome my dear friend, Meredith McDaniel, to the table today. Our friendship was birthed from proximity—literally walking the same direction on a sidewalk over 4 years ago. Meredith is a licensed counselor and author of the new book, In Want & Plenty: Waking Up to God’s Provision in a Land of Longing.

We talk about the enneagram and how that shapes how we see the world around us. Then, we spend some time talking about what it looks like to feel stuck and how to create some forward motion. She even turns the table and asks me about where I feel the most stuck. I think this is a conversation that we can all relate to. If you’ve ever said, “I’m stuck, now what?” then you will enjoy this conversation.

Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Today's episode is very practical. Sarah shares one thing she does on Sunday in order to have a successful week.

Be sure to download the FREE planner pages that Sarah mentioned.

Connect with Sarah: Website // Instagram // Patreon

*Don't miss the bonus content found on Patreon. Become a patron today!

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Ashley LeMieux joins me around the table today. She has made a career out of helping others reignite the light within them. As founder and CEO of The Shine Project, she launched both a movement and a company that empowers women in myriad ways, including teaching first-generation college students how to produce handmade products that they can then sell as employees of The Shine Project. We talk about how when she was only a college student she saw a problem facing some youth and she worked to solve that problem. We also talk about her first book, Born To Shine. With that, she talks about walking through a hard, dark time in life where they faced a contested adoption and ultimately lost the kids. Life didn’t end with a pretty bow on top. And then we unearth some beautiful conversation about what it looks like to show up in the biggest fight of your life and what you need to show up with. We all love hearing stories about miracles, but what if your miracle doesn’t come? If you can relate to that, you’ll love this episode. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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Today, I am happy to welcome Rachel Bailey to the table. She is a Parenting Specialist who has been serving families for over a decade. Besides being a mother of two, she also has a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology, a certification in Positive Discipline, and has provided services as an ADHD Coach, in-home mentor, and therapist. Currently, Rachel teaches parents practical, long-lasting tools for raising responsible, resilient, confident children... while reducing the overwhelm and guilt in parents' lives. Can I get an AMEN? I think we hit the parenting goldmine with this conversation. It is extremely helpful! We talk about ways to simplify parenting which includes how to become less reactionary and how to figure out which negative behaviors we need to tackle first in parenting. We take a personal example for our home which is staying in bed at night and Rachel helps come up with why this behavior is happening and what to do about it. We also talk about how fear plays a role in parenting and how to build our kid's self-esteem. I’m telling you, that last segment about building self-esteem is just so good. Be ready to take some mental notes. Check out bonus content from David Thomas & Sissy Goff from Raising Boys & Girls along with deleted content from today's episode over on Patreon. Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram

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I am happy to welcome Kumiko Love to the table. She is an Accredited Financial Counselor® and also created of The Budget Mom™ As a single mom, she had to find a way out of debt and a way to create the type of life she wanted to provide for herself and her son. In doing so she created a unique, practical and dare I say fun budgeting method that has helped thousands of women take control of their finances. We have a really great conversation where we talk about how she got out of debt, common bad spending habits, and what emotional spending looks like. We also talk about her budget method, where to start and how to stay motivated. Connect with Sarah: Website // Instagram // Patreon

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I am so happy to welcome my dear friend, Merica Stum, back to the table for our annual year in review episode. Can I just change the show to have every episode with Merica? I just love her so much. There is something so fun about this episode. I think it embodies exactly who I am. We can talk about nothing like our Starbucks order and I find it fascinating and entertaining. In this episode, we talk about what changed for us this year, what we learned, ways we’ve grown, good habits we’ve put into practice, what we read and what was in our 2019 survival kit. Then we talk about what we are hoping for in 2020. And you are going to want to immediately go sign up for the Surviving Sarah Patreon page for our bonus lightning round questions where we talk planners, what we tried this year that was a bust, our favorite follows this year, what made us laugh this year. Go to Patreon.com/SurvivingSarah. Connect with Sarah: Website // Instagram // Pateron

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I am so happy to welcome Rachel Martin to the show. Connecting with people has been the greatest part of this show and I am so glad to be connected to Rachel. She has 7 kids and after a divorce, she was a single mom for 7 years. We talk about navigating that sense of loss with her kids after her divorce and advice for the woman who is in the middle of marriage loss. We talk about how she climbed out of a mountain of debt, how gender roles affect how we handle money and advice on changing the narrative around the phrase "cutting cost". If life has ever felt less than you imagined, this conversation will be an encouragement to you.

I am launching a Pateron page for the show which is a great and easy way to support the show financially and in return, you will receive some bonus content. For simply $3 a month, you will receive some deleted questions from each guest and for only $7 a month, you will receive those deleted questions along with a new segment called Ask The Expert where I will ask David Thomas and Sissy Goff questions about raising boys and girls. Go to patreon.com/survivingsarah to become a patron today!

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I am so happy to welcome Heather Adams to the show today. I was in Nashville this past September and was able to sit down face to face with Heather. Heather is the founder and CEO of Choice Media Communications which is a boutique public relations firm in Nashville. And I’ve had the opportunity to work with her firm over the last few years and they are so kind and gracious to work with. Not only is Heather a leader and entrepreneur but she is also a boy mom. So you know we had to talk a little bit about what she’s surviving currently as a boy mom to tweens. Then, we had a really insightful conversation about mentorship. We talked about the importance of pivotal relationships, advice she’s learned from them in regards to leading others, advice for finding a mentor and advice for being a good mentor. Connect with Sarah Shownotes Support Surviving Sarah on Pateron

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I am so happy to welcome Courtney DeFeo back to the show. Courtney is an OG Surviving Sarah guest making her first appearance on the show back on episode 18. She is such a creative entrepreneur who has a big heart for helping others. She is an author and podcast host for the Treasured Podcast which is a great resource for moms of girls. Courtney has partnered with Parent Cue from Orange to create a resource for moms and tween girls so that is the basis for our conversation today.

We talk about raising tween girls, the areas in which we feel inadequate to help, and even the area that we struggled with as tweens. And since we are in the throws of the holiday season, we talk about ways to make the holidays less about what we receive and more about what we give. Courtney shares some very practical and helpful ideas to light up your community during this holiday season.

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We are celebrating 200 episodes and 4 years of Surviving Sarah!!! It’s hard to believe that the show has existed for so long. It has been such a fun ride and it has afforded me opportunities that have been incredible. In this episode, I answer listener questions like how I produce an episode, how I juggle mom, kids and home, who my dream guest would be and what’s next for Surviving Sarah.

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I am so happy to welcome Tricia Goyer back to the show. To me, Tricia is one of those women that I just want to be around. She is a wife, mom, author, speaker, and podcaster. You may remember her from a previous appearance on the show where we talked about how to calm angry kids. This time around, we talk about her book The Grumble Free Year which documenteda challenge that her family took to live a grumble free life for a whole year. We talk about what triggered her to take this challenge, ways that we all grumble that we may not realize is grumbling and some very practical help and phrases to say to help yourself and your kids to be grumble free.

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I am so happy to welcome Ashley Abercrombie to the show. Former Surviving Sarah guests, Kelsey Chapman and Tiffany Bluhm, connected us and I am so glad they did! This was one of my favorite conversations. Ashely and her family live in New York City. She is a blogger and writer and her first book, Rise of the Truthteller, hit stores this fall. She is also the co-host of the podcast Why Tho with Tiffany Bluhm. Ashley has fought to overcome addiction, rape, abortion, perfectionism and dysfunctional relationships. She pretended to be someone she wasn’t for far too long and then decided that it was time to tell the truth. In this episode, we talk about how she became a truth-teller and owned her story, how she stopped wearing a mask and stopped pretending to be someone she wasn’t. We also talked about how to find safe people when you are ready to tell your story to and some phrases to say to people who are hurting that aren’t cliche. This was one of my favorite conversations. And I think you are going to love it, too. Check out the show notes for ways to connect with Ashley, takeaways from the conversation and discussion questions to go along with this episode. Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Website Be sure to sign up for Sarah's monthly survival kit newsletter!

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I am so happy to welcome Tara Bremer to the table. She is the founder of House Peace which helps people find order in their homes. Her family and business is based out of Birmingham, AL. This was one of the most fun episodes to record. Tara is just a delight. She has a BA in psych and an MA in counseling which I think allows her to bring a unique perspective to her organizing business.
First things first, we talk about the enneagram and then we dive into simplifying life. We kick off our conversation in a creative, funny way as we try to experience life as Betty Draper. Which then naturally led to some interesting commentary about parenting in light of being our authentic selves. Then, she shares lots of tips about simplifying different parts of our lives.

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I think a lot about the struggles of my youth and how I never thought I’d still struggle in the same ways. But newsflash, I’m 41 and still struggle in some of the same ways—it just looks a little different. But as I am growing up, there are things that I truly no longer want to live by. There are things that I’m finding in my life that have dominated my thinking for far too long. One of those is perfectionism. In this episode, I talk about how perfectionism meets my fear of failure and how I am learning to embrace my authentic self by practicing failure.

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My good friend Heidi Rew joins me around the table. Heidi is a creative entrepreneur. She’s a full-time voiceover actor, occasional on-camera actor, co-owner of the Atlanta Voiceover Studio and host of the Heidi Rew Podcast. I was honored recently to be a guest on her show to talk all about that podcasting life. Hit pause and go subscribe to her show. There is no shortage of amazing conversations there. Heidi and I met a couple of years ago and have just really connected. She quickly became one of my favorite people. We start our conversation by talking about the enneagram and how we are both 3’s. And we transition to talk about something that many women especially enneagram 3’s struggle with—eating disorders. Heidi struggled with eating disorders for over 2 decades. We talk about the dangers of growing up in diet culture, what helped her move out of the struggle, what helps her maintain a healthy perspective now, and advice for moms of daughters in this area. Heidi also opens up in such a vulnerable way about her struggle and process with infertility. This is a beautiful conversation and I know you will love Heidi. Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Website

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I am happy to welcome Sarah Beckman back to the show. I always enjoy welcoming guests back. Sarah is an author and speaker who recently became an empty nester. So you know I capitalized on sitting with a mom further down the road from me and asked for some advice. She shares some really great advice for us moms who are in the tween/teen years. So have your mental pen and paper ready. Then, we talk about her latest book “Hope in the Hard Places: How to Survive When Your World Feels Out of Control.” We talk about why its so important to give yourself permission to grieve and feel during the hard times, precautions around social media during those times, how sometimes our faith prevents us from seeking what we need while walking through a hard season and some practical tips to help you get to the other side of a hard time.

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I am happy to welcome Haley Evans to the table. Haley is a lot like you and me. She works and is a mom spending evenings carting kids around to different activities. She is also a woman who realized that her phone had evolved from a device designed to simplify her life to one that ruled it. So she has committed to not only making changes for herself but hopes to help others do the same. We talk about why she wrote the book Hung Up; how we’ve lost all sense of manners when it comes to our device and how to set up some boundaries with our phones. Did you know that I have another podcast called Raising Boys & Girls? Favorite Surviving Sarah guests, Sissy Goff and David Thomas, join me along with Melissa Trevathan. We are committed to helping you confident and normal as parents. You can binge listen to two seasons on your favorite iTunes app. Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Website

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I welcome Jane Mosbacher Morris to the table. She is the Founder and CEO of TO THE MARKET, a company that connects businesses and consumers to ethically made products from around the world. Before starting To The Market, she served as the Director of Humanitarian Action for the McCain Institute for International Leadership and currently serves on the Institute's Human Trafficking Advisory Council. Prior to joining the Institute, she worked in the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Counterterrorism and in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues. She is also the author of the book, Buy the Change You Want to See: Use Your Purchasing Power to Make the World a Better Place. She brings such a rich experience and understanding to the table to talk about the power that we have to change the world and our own neighborhoods. We talk about how working in counterterrorism gave her a first-hand look and experience with how work had the power to transform women’s lives; how seeing women around the world gave her a great sense of empathy; the biggest problem that women around the world are facing and what we can do collectively to help women around the world. Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Website Download Sarah's FREE planning pages

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Today, we talk about a tension that many of us feel. I think that many of us feel pulled between work and motherhood. We want to find the magic formula to be able to do it all—work all the hours and do (and be) all the things with (and for) our kids. Sarah talks about that tension and what has helped her.

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I am so happy to welcome my dear friend back to the Surviving Sarah table. Sissy Goff is no stranger to your ears. She’s been a guest here way back in the day and then I hope you’ve heard her on our Raising Boys & Girls podcast. Sissy is the Director of Child & Adolescent Counseling at Daystar Ministries in Nashville and has written so many helpful books about kids. She joins me today to talk about her well anticipated latest book Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World. We talk about the difference between anxiety and worry; why anxiety has risen dramatically over the years; what kids are worrying about at different developmental stages; and practical ways to help our girls manage these anxieties. Connect with Sarah Download Sarah's FREE planner pages Show Notes for this episode

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I am so excited to welcome Nancy Swanson to the show today. Nancy is a teacher at my daughter’s elementary school. I jump at any chance I have to sit across the table from someone further down the road from me. Nancy is married and her three children are all grown. The reason, I invited Nancy to the table is because she is the mother of Dansby Swanson—the shortstop for the Atlanta Braves. I can’t tell you how many people have asked me to have an episode dedicated to navigating sports with children. So, I knew Nancy would be the perfect person to share her wisdom. We talk about what’s she’s learned from raising three athletes and seeing one of her children reach the highest level of competition. She talks about setting expectations for kids, navigating the delicate relationship with coaches, how to foster work ethic, what good sports brought to her kids and advice from one mom to another. Connect with Sarah on Instagram Download FREE planner pages created by Sarah to help you be more efficient & productive with your time Find the show notes for today's episode

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I am so happy to welcome Natalie Taylor to the table today. She is a Certified Financial Planner, Professional and Behavioral Financial Advisor who is passionate about helping people cultivate a plan for their finances based on their values and goals. She is also a wife and mom who lives in my favorite place, Santa Barbara. I am so excited to share this conversation with you. I found it extremely helpful and I think you will, too.

We talk about 3 common pitfalls that we fall into with our finances. And with that topic, we talk tips for budgeting, advice about how to avoid debt or get out of debt, and how to align our finances with what we value. Plus, she turns the table on me and coaches me on the subject of values and finances.

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If you’ve been listening to the show for awhile, then you know how much I benefit from the research, teaching and writings of Brené Brown. One thing that Brené does every week for her email subscribers is something called TGIF. That stands for…

TRUST // GRATEFUL // INSPIRED // FUN

Each week, she talks about what she is trusting right now; what she is grateful for; what is inspiring her; and what’s fun. TGIF.

So for this episode, I thought it might be fun to do that here in regards to August. I want to look back over the month, and talk about what I’m trusting for, what I’m grateful for, what I’m inspired by and what’s fun.

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I am so excited to welcome my friend Dan Scott to the table. Dan has been working with kids for over 20 years as a teacher in education, pastor and communicator. He is also the father of 4 and he is passionate about reaching the hard to reach preteen age group. He is the author of the book Caught in Between: Engage Your Preteens Before They Check Out which offers the latest research findings on preteens, sums up conversations every ministry leader is having about preteen ministry and walks readers through a comprehensive plan to engage preteens in ways that will ensure they have what they need to build an authentic faith. We have a conversation centered on the topic of tweens. We talk about who tweens are at this phase of life and what they need from us; why they are literally losing their minds at age 11; how to help our kids become critical thinkers as they are moving from a concrete way of thinking into an abstract way of thinking; we talk about handling technology and how to handle the bible with this age. This conversation comes at the perfect time where your tween is heading back to school and facing a lot of responsibility. I think you’ll find this episode very helpful. Connect with Sarah on Instagram Check out the show notes online Download Sarah's FREE planner pages

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I am so excited to welcome Bri McKoy to the table. She calls herself an accidental home cook, turned food blogger, turned author. She loves to gather people around her everyday table. She is the author of Come and Eat: A Celebration of Love and Grace Around the Everyday Table which is an invitation to anyone who is searching for a deeper community and a desire to show more of Jesus’ love right from their very own dining room table. I discovered Bri on Instagram through some mutual friends and she instantly became one of my favorite people. Her energy is contagious. She is so easily to chat with that I felt like we had been friends for years. We talk about what it looks like to create a new normal which she completely relates to as being a military wife. She also shares some tips on how to settle into a temporary space. She talks about what gave her the heart to create a longer table for people and in the process reveals some of her go-to recipes and kitchen tools. Prepare to be hungry by the end of this episode. Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Website

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I am happy to welcome my good friend, Amberly Deavours to the table. Amberly and I go way back—we’ve known each other since college. We have seen each other walk through a lot of life. She is a normal mom just like you and just like me except I sorta feel like she’s got some hidden superpowers because she is a mom of 5 who drives a 12 seat passenger van. Amberly is a certified FASTer Way to Fat Loss coach and we talk about what it looks like to take charge of your health. We talk about her journey with mental health and physical health and how it's all connected. She shares how motherhood wasn’t what she expected, how she battled anxiety and depression, how she finally took charge of her physical health through the FASTer Way to Fat Loss and why she’s so passionate for women to do the same.

Click here for more information about the FASTer Way to Fat Loss

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This week is the last installment of re-releases for our parenting series. And I picked the second conversation I had with Jennifer Walker from Moms on Call. Jennifer has played a big role in helping me as a young mother. There is just something about her that makes you feel like you can do this hard thing called parenting. This episode is all about surviving toddlers (which honestly, listening to it is relatable to surviving tweens, too) heaven help us. If you want to hear more from Jennifer, she was one of my very first guests! You can listen to Episode 6.

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We are still in the summer series of re-releases of parenting episodes. This week marks the anniversary of my friend Wynter Pitts passing. Wynter meant so much to me. She was a strong, beautiful, creative woman who not only encouraged me in my work but also in motherhood. I am so thankful to have known her. This episode was my first conversation with Wynter where we talked about so many aspects of motherhood. We talk about how God changed her perspective on being a mom, how to know when your child is ready for social media and how to foster the relationship between your daughters. And if you want to hear more with Wynter, she and her husband Jonathan joined me on Episode 97 where they talk about raising their kids. Connect with Sarah: Website // Instagram

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We are still in the summer series of re-releases of parenting episodes. I am excited to put this conversation back in your ears! This was the first conversation between me and Wendy Speake in which we have a big conversation about the big emotion of anger. We discuss all the internal and external triggers that we have as moms. There is so much helpful content packed into this episode. And if you want more from Wendy, she came back on the show on Episode 46 to talk about creativity and motherhood.

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I'm excited to put this conversation back in your ears! This was my first conversation with Sissy Goff from Daystar Counseling Center. We talk about raising girls--anxiety, parenting different personalities, how to assume the best in your kids and how to develop our girls' self-worth. You can check out more episodes with Sissy over at the Raising Boys & Girls podcast.

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I'm excited to put this conversation back in your ears! This was the first time David Thomas from Daystar Counseling Center came on the show. We talk about raising boys, child development, dealing with your child's aggression and adjusting our parenting expectations. If you want to hear more with David, check out episode 91 of Surviving Sarah and our other podcast, Raising Boys and Girls.

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I want to have a conversation with you about where we are in life. If you have ever felt stuck where you are and unhappy with how life has turned out, then this episode is for you. I talk about how powerful acceptance is—accepting where you are and who you are. And how acceptance starts by naming what reality you are resisting.

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I am happy to welcome Justine Froelker to the show. She is a licensed professional counselor and certified Daring Way and Dare to Lead Facilitator which is based on Brené Brown’s research. She has 19 years of experience in mental health. She is a best selling author and her latest book is called The Complicated Gray. We have a really meaningful conversation about hard times. We talk about what to do when life doesn’t turn out like you hoped, dreamed and planned. She walks us through her story of infertility and how she discovered resilient redemption. Your big, hard parts of your story don’t have to be the end. You don’t have to end up a sad, bitter, resentful woman. We talk about what it looks like to be face down in the arena of something hard and how to rise strong from it. Come find me on Instagram and say hello! And be sure to sign up for my monthly Survival Kit newsletter that hits your inbox at the end of every month. When you sign up, you'll receive my FREE planner pages as a thank you.

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I am so excited to welcome Pete Enns to the podcast today. Pete is a college professor who has been teaching, writing and speaking about the Bible for over 20 years. He is a storyteller which is one reason why I love his writing but I also love that Pete isn’t afraid to lean in and ask hard questions. He values hearing the stories of everyday people and their struggles with the Bible. That drives so much of what he does with his writing and with his podcast, The Bible For Normal People. I have read two of his books, The Bible Tells Me So and How the Bible Actually Works, and have thoroughly enjoyed reading and wrestling through them. I want to let you know upfront that this is a vulnerable conversation. But it’s exactly what I want to model for you. I want us to have permission to ask questions. Permission to doubt. Permission to lean into the uncertainty that we feel about life. Permission to be critical thinkers when it comes to our faith. All of these things aren’t problems for our faith—they can be expressions of it. In this episode, we talk about the bible—what it is and what it isn’t. We talk about how to apply the way of wisdom when we approach the bible. And we dive into how to talk about the bible with our kids. Show Notes for this episode Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Website

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We have a special episode today because I teamed up with my good friends over at the Open Door Sisterhood Podcast, Alexandra Kuykendall & Krista Gilbert, to bring you a crossover episode about summer. And then, we decided to invite our friends Kate Merrick and Morgan Tyree to join us, too. All five of us join forces to talk about surviving summer. This is a two part episode so after you listen here be sure to find the other part to this conversation at The Open Door Sisterhood Podcast. On this part, we talk about our biggest challenges in regards to time and summer. Morgan Tyree is an organizational expert and has a book coming out this summer that is all about time called Take Back Your Time. So we put her in the hot seat and fire questions at her. And what is so great about the women at this table is that we represent kids between the ages of preschool and college age. So no matter where you fall in the stages of kids, we’ve got you covered. We talk about chores, juggling schedules, how to create more time for fun, advice for work from home moms and how to help your kids learn to manage their time. Lots of good practical advice shared here. Connect with Sarah: Website & Instagram Today's show notes which includes links to everything we talked about and ways to connect with each guest.

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Today, I want to have a conversation with you about what surviving looks like. In our culture, it’s easy to operate out of a do it all and do it well mentality. We are told to thrive in every situation. And then the pressure builds and we live in a state of "supposed to's." Somewhere along the lines, surviving got a bad rep. But what if surviving is something noteworthy? What if surviving was actually admirable? In this episode, I will talk about what surviving means to me—what I think it actually is—and how we need to give ourselves permission to show up where we are as we are.

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Tiffany Bluhm joins me around the table and we became fast friends in this conversation. I was blown away at her story and I think that all of us listening will resonate with her in some way. She is an author, speaker, podcast host, wife and mother who shares her personal stories of rejection, failure and what it’s like to overcome adversity to find your dream. She married with two kids, one adopted from Uganda and one biological. She is Indian and her husband is white and she jokes that their family looks like the United Nations. In this conversation, she shares her own story of rejection—being abandoned as a baby at only two days old to feeling rejected because she was different than others to being rejected from love as an adult. We talk about the tensions we feel about dreaming about the life we were created for or the life we want—what gets in the way and how to take the next step forward. If you’ve ever wondered if this is it in life or feel stuck where you are, then this conversation will encourage you. To connect with Tiffany and find links to everything we talked about including her book go to SarahBragg.com Connect with Sarah on Instagram to follow along with a fellow survivor of life

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My friend Amy Wicks joins me today. Amy is one of those people that I met at a conference simply because we sat down next to each other and about 10 minutes later we were fast friends. Amy is a wife and mother to 3. She is the voice of the weekly Simply Wholehearted Podcast which i had the honor of being a guest. She leads The Simply Wholehearted online community on Facebook and serves as Director of Mom's Ministry at Radiant Church in Kansas City. She has recently co-authored with Sara Hagerty The Unseen Way, a book study created for Unseen: The Gift of Being Hidden in a World that Loves to be Noticed. But for today’s conversation, Amy joins me to talk about creating an intentional summer with your kids. She has created an amazing course called Simply Summer and I highly recommend taking advantage of this course. In this conversation, we talk about what makes summers so difficult for moms, how we can survive summer with intentionality, how we can own our time instead of it owning us, how to create meaningful minutes, and how to help our kids set goals for what they want to accomplish over summer. Amy's Simply Summer Course - use discount code SURVIVING for 10% off Today's show notes Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Facebook // Website

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Ruth Schwenk joins me today. You may know Ruth from the website she created called TheBetterMom.com. She is a wife and mom to 4 kids. She is an author of several books including the two we mention in today’s episode: The Better Mom Devotional and Settle My Soul. If you’ve ever felt alone in motherhood or struggled to love every stage of motherhood, you will relate to this conversation. Ruth has such a heart to come alongside other mothers to help them feel seen and known. In this episode, Ruth shares her advice for new moms, the importance of surrounding yourself with women who are a set ahead in life and those who are a set behind you in life. And in that true form, I ask for her advice on how to handle sibling conflict. And lastly, after walking through a year of health hardship with her husband, she shares what brave has looked like for her. Today's show notes which includes Sarah's takeaways, ways to connect with Ruth and discussion questions in case you want to gather a group of women together to discuss the episode. Freebies:

Sign up for Sarah’s monthly newsletter containing her survival kit
Download Sarah’s FREE planner pages to help you be more productive and efficient
NEW!!!! Season Two of Sarah’s other podcast, Raising Boys & Girls is available!

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Last month, I asked you to join me in reading The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. This is one of my all time favorite books and one that I sit with on a regular basis. I’ve already heard from many of you how this book has been wrecking you in the most beautiful ways.

I asked my dear friend, Sarah Anderson, to join me around my table to discuss the book. We had the best conversation that included our takeaways, favorite quotes, things that surprised us, things we are putting in to practice and what is helping live a wholehearted life.

Freebies:

Sign up for Sarah’s monthly newsletter containing her survival kit
Download Sarah’s FREE planner pages to help you be more productive and efficient

Be sure to check out the show notes online for links to everything we mentioned and discussion questions that you can use to discuss this book and episode with your friends.

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Jordan Lee Dooley joins me today. She is a multi-passionate women who is speaks, writes, podcasts (SHE podcast) and creates (SoulScripts). And she has a book launching in May called Own Your Everyday: Overcome the Pressure to Prove and Show Up For What You Were Made To Do. In the midst of a culture where everybody feels like they need to work within their purpose and/or push their creativity to be a side hustle, it’s easy to feel like purpose and position become blurred. It is sometimes difficult to find the balance between working for income and working with meaning. We talk about the balance between purpose and position; how to discover what you were made for; things that limit us from stepping towards what we were made to do; who inspires her; and what she’s learned in the early years of marriage.

Freebies:

Sign up for Sarah’s monthly newsletter containing her survival kit
Download Sarah’s FREE planner pages to help you be more productive and efficient

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Go listen to Season 2 of Sarah's other podcast Raising Boys & Girls

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I am happy to welcome my friend, Heather Zempel, to the table today. She is a pastor, author, speaker, wife and mom. She was formerly a biological engineer and a legislative assistant in the U.S. Senate before becoming a pastor. She now serves as the Discipleship Pastor and Ministries Director at National Community Church in Washington, DC. She recently published a book called Big Change, Small Groups which is all about creating community. There is so much goodness packed into this conversation. Not only do we cover random stories about vultures, but we also talk about some really important ways to connect with others. Finding community in a city is hard enough, but have you ever imagined what it must be like to find community in a city where everyone is defined by which political aisle you belong to? So we talk about what its like to build community with people that you disagree with, advice on creating a safe place for community to cultivate, how her community showed up for her when she walked through a difficult and vulnerable season and she shares a lot of advice on how to handle conflict in relationships. Freebies:

Sign up for Sarah’s monthly newsletter containing her survival kit
Download Sarah’s FREE planner pages to help you be more productive and efficient
NEW!!!! Surviving Sarah Book Club - let’s learn together! In April, we will read The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. Sign up today!

Connect with Sarah: Monthly newsletter | Instagram | Facebook

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One of my favorite things is to have reoccurring guests on the show. I love inviting people back to the table who I just really enjoy and today’s guest is one of those people. KariAnne Wood, whom you may know as Thistle Wood Farms, joins me again. She is a home blogger, influencer and author who has written a new book called The DIY Style Finder. If you have ever asked the question, “How do I figure out my decorating style?” then this episode is for you! We talk about why its so hard to find our style, our biggest design regrets, how to push past the fear of decorating, our favorite rooms to decorate, advice on how to decorate on a limited budget and what to do when your home is temporary. I have never laughed so much in an episode. KariAnne is such a delight. And before we jump into the conversation, I want to let you know that the audio may sound a little different. Skype has been giving me such grief lately, so I apologize that it might sound a little off than what you are used to from me. Okay, now it’s time for you to join KariAnne and I around the table.

Freebies:

Sign up for Sarah’s monthly newsletter containing her survival kit
Download Sarah’s FREE planner pages to help you be more productive and efficient
NEW!!!! Surviving Sarah Book Club - let’s learn together! In April, we will read The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown. Sign up today!

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Way back in January I sat down with today’s guest and as I was editing the episode, I found myself talking about things that I was journaling about and working on this very morning. My friend, Emily Shupert, joined me around my table. She is licensed professional counselor and founder of a boutique counseling and coaching company here in Atlanta called Simplify Life Counseling + Coaching. She is the author of the book The Happiness Map which was written to offer women a personalized navigation tool to find happiness in life right now. Emily and I have an honest conversation about anxiety (including postpartum anxiety), fear and shame and how that affects us as women. We also turn the table and I step right into the hot seat of vulnerability and allow Emily to ask me some personal questions about fear. This conversation is full of practical and helpful advice—I know you are going to enjoy it. Check out links to everything we mentioned, ways to connect with Emily, takeaways and discussion questions in today's show notes. NEW!! I just started a Surviving Sarah book club! We will read The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown together in April 2019. Sign up here! Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Website // Facebook

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This month, I chose to re-release my first conversation with Sandra Stanley. If you don’t know her, she is an author and wife to pastor Andy Stanley. She is one of the most likable people and this conversation was one of my favorites from the early days. In this episode, she shares all sorts of advice for moms, wives and women in general. Plus, she mentions an item in her survival kit and is now a stable in my wardrobe.

The original episode aired in May of 2016 so you may notice a little difference in production quality. I love how far we've come!

Here's a link to the original show notes.

Come find me on Instagram or Facebook or stop by my website to download FREE planner pages to help you be more efficient and productive with the time you have.

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Today, I want to have a conversation with you about health. I’m not sure that I’ve shared on the show my own health journey. In fact, did you know that I wrote a book all about it that was published when I was in my twenties? It was written for teenage girls and called Body. Beauty. Boys. The Truth About Girls and How We See Ourselves.

That book chronicled my journey through eating disorders and body obsession and the truths that finally helped me see myself clearly. The girl who wrote that book as a 25-year-old had yet to experience turning 30 and yet to experience having babies and yet to experience turning 40. And I’m talking you today and I have yet to experience what turning 50 or 60 is like but I do know that there are some principles that we can adopt now that is beneficial no matter what age we are. There are principles that will help you to have a better perspective on yourself and your health.

Connect with Sarah: Instagram

Check out the show notes for this episode which includes links to everything we talked about and discussion questions for the episode.

For information about the FASTer Way to Fat Loss

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I have been looking forward to putting today’s conversation in your ears for a long time. Shannon Miles joins me around the table. She is the CEO and Co-founder of Belay which is a staffing company serving businesses all over the US. When Shannon faced an all too common, yet emotional decision to stay home with her new baby or return to a fast-paced, demanding career (that she loved), she knew that there had to be a way to have both. Shannon shares her story and advice on how she didn’t take no for an option. We talk about her book titled “The Third Option” which is all about figuring out how to have both a career and family. We talk about what to do when you feel stuck and how to figure out that next step. If you enjoyed today’s episode, would you take a screenshot and share it on your favorite social channels and tag me. I’m @sarahwbragg on Instagram and SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook. That’s an easy way to support the show. Another thing you could do is to leave a 5 star rating and review on iTunes. Your review will help other women who feel alone or depleted find encouragement. You can find links to everything we talked about and discussion questions to complement today’s episode online at SarahBragg.com. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter in which I send out the details to my own survival kit. Maybe something that is helping me survive will help you, too. And since we talked about planners, if you’d like a FREE resource to help you plan your day, your week and your meals, go to SarahBragg.com/planner and download your FREE planner pages today!

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Jessica Reinhart joins me today on Surviving Sarah. She is the creator behind the brand Lumitory which exists to help encourage community and meaningful connection in your home and in your community. She loves to breath life into something that makes a positive impact in the world. In addition to her work, she is a wife and a mom. And our conversation is such a good follow up conversation to my recent episode about friendship. We talk about how to navigate the waters of social media and real life friendships, how to create a sense of belonging in our home with our family and practical ways to build connection in your community.

If you enjoyed today’s episode, would you take a screenshot and share it on your favorite social channels and tag me. I’m @sarahwbragg on Instagram and SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook. That’s an easy way to support the show. Another thing you could do is to leave a 5 star rating and review on iTunes. Your review will help other women who feel alone or depleted find encouragement. You can find links to everything we talked about and discussion questions to complement today’s episode online at SarahBragg.com. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter in which I send out the details to my own survival kit. Maybe something that is helping me survive will help you, too. Thank you for listening and as always I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

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I am happy to have Alli Worthington join me around the table. Alli is a powerhouse of a woman who has authored several books and is a speaker, podcaster and business coach. She is also the co-founder of the Blissdom Conference which is a business conference that helps writers, podcasters, influencers and online entrepreneurs take their work to the next level. I so want to be apart of that in the future! Among those things, she is a wife and mom of 5 boys who has a goal to help women live the life they were created to live. And in this conversation, we talk about happiness. We talk about misconceptions about happiness, how she survived walking through a hard season of bankruptcy and losing her home, how adopting a happiness mentality can benefit your life and business and practical ways to increase your happiness. I love that Alli is very practical so this conversation is gonna not only motivate you but leave with you with some action steps. I wanted to make sure that you don’t miss out on something I offer. Each month, I send out to email subscribers my very own survival kit. It’s where I talk about all the things that helped me survive that month including what I’m reading, what i’m watching, what I’m listening to and just what I’m loving. You don’t want to miss out on all the things so go to SarahBragg.com and sign up. When you do, you will receive the planner pages that I created for FREE. So that is a win, win. Come find me on Instagram or Facebook! Let's be there for each other as we survive life!

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This month, I decided to re-release my conversation with Sofia Dickens where we talk about parenting and developing emotional intelligence in our kids. We also talk about what it's like to be an entrepreneur. One of my kids' favorite board games has been EQtainment's Q's Race To The Top. You definitely want to check that out!

This episode originally aired in June of 2016 so you may notice a little difference in production quality. Love how far we've come!

Here's the link to the original show notes.

Come find me on Instagram or Facebook or stop by my website to download FREE planner pages to help you be more efficient and productive with the time you have.

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We are already at the end of month which means it is time for me to sit across the table from you and have a heart to heart. I am loving these episodes where it’s just me talking right to you. And this month, we are going to talk about something that I think most of us struggle with. Every time I’ve reached out to you guys about what topics you’d like to hear addressed, there is one that rises to the top—friendship. Isn’t it interesting that even as adult women, we struggle in the friendship department like we did when we were tweens. So in this conversation, we are going to talk about how to find friends, how to keep friends and what to do if you lose friends.

Help me help you! Take the 2019 listener survey and be entered to win a $25 amazon gift card

Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Facebook // website

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I am so happy to welcome Knox McCoy to the show. Knox and his family are no strangers to the Bragg’s. We used to live in the same city and became great friends. Knox even helped me launch the podcast way back when. If you don’t know Knox, he is the co-host of the wildly popular podcasts “The Popcast with Knox and Jamie” and “The Bible Binge” They are killing it on the iTunes charts and if you haven’t subscribed to their shows, then press pause and go do it. You won’t be disappointed. And sidebar, his co-host Jamie Golden was on Episode 17 of Surviving Sarah if you want to go back to hear more of her story.

Knox joins me to talk about all things faith and pop culture. We talk about his book The Wondering Years along with what it was like to be so vulnerable in his writing. We talk about his evolving faith—how questions should be honored and what helped him navigate them. We also talk about everything from Survivor to baseball to something that blew his mind about his beloved Tom Brady. This is two friends talking about things that don’t really matter and things that do. I hope you enjoy it!

Download your FREE planner pages here and help me curate content for the show by taking my 2019 podcast survey here

Come find me on Instagram or read today's show notes here

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You are going to love today’s episode. I loved it when I recorded it and loved it when I edited it. Kathleen Edelman joins me. She is an expert on temperaments and recently released a new study called I Said You Heard. It is a 6 week video based study that will help you understand yourself and others better in order to communicate better. We talk about the difference between temperaments and personalities, Kathleen breaks down each of the four temperaments and tells us who they are, what language they speak, what they need, what their strengths and weaknesses are, how to communicate well between temperaments and how to handle conflict better. There is so much good and powerful information in this episode. I think you’re gonna love it. Each year I create a survey so that I can make sure that I am serving you well. I would really appreciate it if you would take a few minutes and answer some questions about the show. And as a reward, you will be entered to win a $25 amazon gift card. Go to SarahBragg.com/survey I truly want to help guide you to be the best you that you can be. So let’s be friends. Make sure to hit that little subscribe button so you will never miss an episode. And come find me @sarahwbragg on Instagram or twitter or SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it on your social channels and tag me.

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Dr. Deborah Tillman joins me today but you may know her best as America’s Super Nanny for Lifetime television. She is a child development and parent educator, speaker, author and founder & CEO of Happy Home Child Learning Centers.

And today, we have such a helpful conversation. It was like Deborah was in my home being super nanny and helping me to the best parent I can be. We talk about how she became America’s Super Nanny, how to handle a strong willed child, how to steer your child in the right direction and how to set boundaries with your kids.

Connect with Sarah: show notes // Instagram // Facebook

Be sure to sign up for Sarah's newsletter and receive FREE printable downloadable planner pages

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I love the start of every year because there is something fresh about it. I love looking back at the previous year at what I loved or what I enjoyed and taking notes of what I’d like to repeat or do more of in the coming year.

One thing that I want to do more of this year is to come alongside you to help you navigate life. So each month, I’m going to do an episode from me to you. No guest. Just me. Talking straight to you.

For January, I decided to answer a question that I am asked a lot: How do you manage your time? I share with you the tensions we feel when it comes to managing our time, why we need to learn to budget our time, what I personally do to manage my time on a daily and weekly basis.

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Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Facebook // Website

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I am the producer and host of the podcast Are My Kids on Track where I interview the brilliant Sissy Goff, David Thomas and Melissa Trevathan about the 12 emotional, social and spiritual milestones every kid needs to develop. I thought it would be fun to release one of those episodes here on Surviving Sarah for you to enjoy. These conversations are so very helpful and practical. I highly recommend listening to that podcast--there are only 13 episodes! You can even download discussion questions to go along with them here. You can also purchase their book of the same title here.

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I am happy to welcome Nicole Zasowski to the table today. She is a Marriage & Family Therapist in Connecticut where she lives with her husband and son. She’s co-authored a couple of books with her mentor written primarily for therapists and she has a book coming out next year. I really loved chatting with Nicole and I practically pushed her in the deep end right off the bat in this conversation about vulnerability. We talked about what vulnerability looks like, how to have courage to show up in the middle of something hard, why vulnerability is the key to having good relationships, how to draw boundaries in relationships and what makes a relationship safe. Sponsors:

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Butcher Box - For $20 off your first box and 2 FREE pounds of Salmon go to ButcherBox.com/SURVIVE and enter SURVIVE
EveryPlate - For 6 free meals across your first 3 weeks and free shipping on your first delivery, go to EveryPlate.com and enter SURVIVE6
FASTer Way to Fat Loss

Today's show notes can be found here and you can connect with Sarah socially here

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It's my pleasure to welcome Beth Keener and Greer Howard from The Local Lense to the show today. The Local Lense is an online entertainment media outlet covering entertainment in the south. They have been friends for years and cover entertainment as friends. They want to lift the industry up with positive, approachable and relatable content. Both have a long history of work as actors in the entertainment business. Currently, Greer is the in house reporter for the Atlanta Braves and Beth spent last season working as a side line reporter for Atlanta United. We have a fun conversation about life in the entertainment industry. We talk about how they became friends and ultimately formed a business together, what their roles as sports reporters, advice on how to work well with friends whether in business or just personally, challenges they face working in that industry and how to navigate the pressure to look a certain way.

This episode's show notes

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I was happy to welcome Kara Kae James back to the show. She is a Surviving Sarah OG appearing way back on Episode 33. She is the founder and executive director of Thrive Moms which is a ministry all about empowering moms. She and her husband have 4 kids and she just launched her first book into the world titled “Mom Up—Thriving With Grace in the Chaos of Motherhood”

We have a great conversation about what it looks like to embrace the chaos of motherhood. We talk about practical ways to do that, what helps us cultivate joy and how to take care of yourself during seasons of chaos.

Links Mentioned:

Previous Surviving Sarah episode with Kara Kae
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Kara Kae’s new book: “Mom Up—Thriving With Grace in the Chaos of Motherhood”
Show notes for this episode

Survival Kit:

Audible
Apple Air Pods

Sponsors:

Download Sarah’s FREE new planner

Connect with Kara Kae James: Instagram // twitter // Facebook // website // Thrive Moms

Connect with Sarah: website// Facebook// Instagram// twitter// Pinterest// YouTube

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It’s time for my favorite episode of the year. Every year, my good friend Merica Stum joins me around the table. We take some time to look back at the previous year and look forward to the next one. We talk about changed for us this year, what we learned, books we read, good habits we started, what was hard, what made us laugh and what surprised us. And then we talked about what we hope to do and look forward to in 2019. We talked about a lot of things so be sure to check out the show notes at SarahBragg.com for any link that we mentioned.

I just love the start of a new year. This is the only time where the unknown of what lies ahead feels reassuring than scary. And Merica and I share quite the love of planners. I decided to create something for you. It's a downloadable planner both weekly and daily pages. I’ve been doing this and it has been the helpful for me—helps me be productive each day and week. Its yours for free at SarahBragg.com/planner Happy New Year friends! I’m excited to journey with you—to be a guide to help you survive this life. Thank you for listening and as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier. Connect with Merica: Instagram Connect with Sarah: website// Facebook// Instagram// twitter// Pinterest// YouTube

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Each month I re-release an older episode of Surviving Sarah and I decided to re-release my conversation with Rachel Stafford for December. You may know her as the Hands Free Mama. She is a best selling author penning the books Hands Free Mama, Hands Free Life and Only Love Today. Rachel is one of those people who have been influential in my life—even without her knowing it. I can remember reading her blog back when Sinclair was about 2 or 3 years old and her words were such an encouragement to me. And now we live close to each other and she has been gracious to give me some of her time for morning walks to talk about life, faith, parenting and writing. I think she is such an amazing woman. I chose to put this episode back in your ears because we are standing at the cusp of a new year and I think this conversation will set you up for 2019. This conversation originally took place on the cusp of 2017 and what we discussed greatly impacted me. And I still reference what we talked about often and practice the phrases that we said on a near daily basis. If you want to be the best you that you can be, then this episode is a must listen. Click here for the original show notes from this episode. Connect with Sarah: website// Facebook// Instagram// twitter// Pinterest// YouTube

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Here we are, the week before Christmas and the last episode for 2018. And I can’t think of a better conversation than this one to leave you with this year. Paige Knudsen joins me around my table. She is one of those women that is further down the road from where I am so I lapped up this conversation like a puppy. She has been married nearly 20 years and they have 4 daughters between the ages of 17-25.

But Paige became a widow when she was 30 years old with 3 girls under the age of 3. In this conversation, she shares her journey. She talks about the importance to remember how God has shown up in the past and what that journey of loss was like. This episode is chocked full of goodness—of wisdom, encouragement and hope. I know you are going to enjoy it. So pull up a chair to my table and join the conversation.

Be sure to click subscribe so that you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed this show, please leave a 5 star rating and review on iTunes.

Links Mentioned:

Surviving Sarah episodes with Rachel Faulkner Brown and Brittany Price Brooker

Survival Kit:

Journaling
La Labo candles - enjoying your senses

Sponsors:

Surviving the Holiday Hustle: Tips to Enjoy the Season - click here to download your FREE copy

Connect with Paige: Website // Facebook // Instagram

Connect with Sarah: website// Facebook// Instagram// twitter// Pinterest// YouTube

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Tricia Goyer joins me today and I have been anxiously awaiting the day that I could share this episode because I found it to be so helpful to me as a parent. Not only is Tricia the author to 70 books (yes you heard that right), but she is also the mom to 10 kids (you also heard that right). When she and her husband were on the verge of being empty nesters with 3 kids, they decided to start over. They have adopted 7 kids and some through adoption via foster care.

If anyone has the experience to talk about parenting, it is Tricia. I invited Tricia to the show to talk about her latest book, Calming Angry Kids. This is a topic that so many of us struggle with—it is often what makes parenting so hard. We talk about how trauma is connected to why some kids are angry, how to not take your child’s anger personally, tools to help calm your child and how to calm yourself when you feel your temperature rising.

Sponsors:

Teami Blends - Go to TeamiBlends.com and use the code SURVIVING for 20% off your order of $34.99
Lasting - Surviving Sarah listeners can unlock the entire app and get your first month of Lasting Premium for just ninety-nine cents by visiting getlasting.com/survive and using the offer code survive.
Surviving the Holiday Hustle: Tips to Enjoy the Season - click here to download your FREE copy

Connect with Tricia: Website // Facebook // Instagram // twitter // Pinterest // Podcast

Connect with Sarah: website // Facebook // Instagram // twitter // Pinterest // YouTube

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Kimberly Stuart joins me today and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. She is the author of 8 novels, including her most recent book, Heart Land. Her books have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Huff Post and the Chicago Sun-Times. She has a passion to write chemistry-driven, smart romance.

I knew from the initial email she sent me that she would be the kind of person I would enjoy chatting with and the kind of author I would enjoy reading. In this episode, we talk about the loss of the rom com, our favorite rom com stories, the challenges of writing romantic novels and why it’s important to read fiction.

Links Mentioned:

Kimberly’s latest book: Heart Land
Kimberly mentioned this book: Sugar

Survival Kit:

Educated by Tara Westover
Books by Marisa De los Santos specifically Love Walked In and I’ll Be Your Blue Sky
JOYN

Sponsors:

Teami Blends - Go to TeamiBlends.com and use the code SURVIVING for 20% off your order of $34.99
EveryPlate - For 50% off your first box of EveryPlate, go to EveryPlate.com and enter the code SURVIVE
Surviving the Holiday Hustle: Tips to Enjoy the Season - click to download your FREE copy

Connect with Kimberly: Website // Facebook // Instagram

Connect with Sarah: Website // Facebook // Instagram // twitter

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.

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Each month I want to put an episode back in your ears that was released earlier in the life of the show. And this month, I have one of my favorites for you. It’s my conversation with Jamie B. Golden from the Popcast with Knox & Jamie and the Bible Binge. I love having fun and laughing and this episode doesn’t disappoint. I have been friends with Jamie for a long time and its been so fun to watch their business grow and thrive. It's wild how much has changed since this episode first aired.

We talk about how she became a full-time podcaster and cake pop baker. As a single woman, God called her to quit her reliable, full-time job in order to walk blindly into a new season. She talks about how she discovered what her skills were in the midst of being a Jill of all trades. plus, she shares a never before told story about her childhood to which She now has issues with her mailbox (counseling may be needed).

Click here for the show notes for this episode.

You can find me on Instagram, twitter, Facebook and my website. Let's continue the conversation!

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Today, we talk about the jobs we dreamed of having as kids, what work looked like for us before and after having kids, ways to be present wherever you are, tips to be more efficient and some survival skills when it comes to managing your family.

Sponsors:

Lasting - Surviving Sarah listeners can unlock the entire app and get your first month of Lasting Premium for just ninety-nine cents by visiting getlasting.com/survive and using the offer code SURVIVE.
The Gift That I Can Give by Kathie Lee Gifford - get 30% off with code SURVIVE. Visit Store.Faithgateway.com and apply the code at checkout to redeem your offer!

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation on Instagram or Twitter or Website

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.

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Tasha Morrison joins me around the table. She is a bridge-builder, reconciler and compelling voice in the fight for racial justice. We talk about where to start when it comes to building bridges between races, why black lives matter, and how people of faith should be leading the way when it comes to justice. And just in time before you head to your family’s house for the holidays, I ask her what to do if a friend or family member says something that you know is offensive. This is such an important conversation for us to have and I’m thankful for Tasha leading the way.

Links Mentioned:

Be The Bridge

Sponsors:

Follain - For only $22 (that’s over 50% off!) try the Clean Essentials Kit today. Go to F-O-L-L-A-I-N dot com/SURVIVE to try the kit and enter SURVIVE at the checkout for FREE SHIPPING.
The Gift That I Can Give by Kathie Lee Gifford - get 30% off with code SURVIVE. Visit Store.Faithgateway.com and apply the code at checkout to redeem your offer!

Connect with Tasha: Website // Facebook // twitter // Instagram

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation on Instagram or Twitter or SarahBragg.com

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.

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Shannan Martin joins me again around the table. Shannan is one of those people that I would love to just be her neighbor. She is the author of Falling Free and her latest book, The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God’s Goodness Around You. She and her husband, Cory, have four kids and many years ago they chose to move from their dream home to the other side of the tracks. If you haven’t heard Shannan’s story, I encourage you to listen to Episode 16 which can only be accessed at SarahBragg.com. Today’s episode picks up where that conversation left off. We talk about how to go about loving your neighbor. We talk about the art of paying attention and how the art of listening holds tremendous power. Your life will be changed for the better in the first 10 minutes of the show due to some conversation about cooking.

Links Mentioned:

Shannan as a guest on Surviving Sarah episode 16
Shannan’s books: Falling Free and The Ministry of Ordinary Places: Waking Up to God’s Goodness Around You
Smitten Kitchen
Here’s the latest sheet pan recipe I’ve been cooking

Sponsors:

Lasting - Surviving Sarah listeners can unlock the entire app and get your first month of Lasting Premium for just ninety-nine cents by visiting getlasting.com/survive and using the offer code SURVIVE.
Butcher Box - For $20 off your first box and a package of free bacon in every box for the life of your subscription, go to ButcherBox.com/SURVIVE and enter SURVIVE
The Gift That I Can Give by Kathie Lee Gifford - get 30% off with code SURVIVE. Visit Store.Faithgateway.com and apply the code at checkout to redeem your offer!

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation on Instagram or Twitter or online at SarahBragg.com

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.

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I am excited to welcome Jessica Honegger to the table today. She is the Founder and Co-CEO of Noonday Collection and the author of the book Imperfect Courage. She is someone who knows all too well what stepping out in fear looks like. We talk about what it looks like to step out when you are afraid, what going scared looks like, how the power of showing up in a vulnerable way can build authentic relationships and how judging others is connected to how you see yourself.

Links Mentioned:

Jessica’s book: Imperfect Courage: Live a Life of Purpose by Leaving Comfort and Going Scared

Sponsors:

Audible - Start a 30-day trial and get your first audiobook for FREE by visiting Audible.com/SURVIVE or text SURVIVE to 500500
The Gift That I Can Give by Kathie Lee Gifford - get 30% off with code SURVIVE. Visit Store.Faithgateway.com and apply the code at checkout to redeem your offer!

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation on Instagram or Twitter or SarahBragg.com

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.

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Today’s topic is near and dear to my heart and I have been having all the thoughts and feelings about it. We have a whole conversation about failure. We talk about what we learned about failure early on, how rejection is connected to failure, and how fear plays a role. So much good stuff packed in a small window of time.

Links:

Lighten Up with Melanie Dale crossover show with Surviving Sarah
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Infreakinfertility by Melanie Dale
Crossover episodes with Melanie about marriage here & here

Sponsors:

EveryPlate - For $50 off your first box of EveryPlate, go to EveryPlate.com and enter the code SURVIVE
Lasting - Surviving Sarah listeners can unlock the entire app and get your first month of Lasting Premium for just ninety-nine cents by visiting getlasting.com/survive and using the offer code SURVIVE.

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation on Instagram or Twitter Be sure to sign up for my monthly survival kit newsletter over at SarahBragg.com

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.

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Linda Kay Klein, the author of PURE: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free, joins me today. She is the founder of Break Free Together, an organization committed to helping people claim their whole selves—mind, spirit, and body. Linda’s work has been featured on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross, Elle.com, GoodHousekeeping.com, and many others.

Linda is a trained Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality education facilitator and Vice Chair of the Board for the Forum for Theological Exploration. She holds an interdisciplinary Masters degree from NYU, where she focused on American Evangelical Christian sex and gender messaging for girls.

By the title of the book alone, you can tell where this conversation is heading. If you grew up in the True Love Waits or I Kissed Dating Goodbye culture then you will find this very interesting. We talk about growing up during the purity movement, where this movement came from and what it was a reaction to. We also talk about the fear and shame that have been used as external motivations for purity and how we can start building a healthy conversation around sexuality.

This conversation may be uncomfortable or awkward or it may cause you to feel frustrated. But this is such an important conversation for us to have especially if you grew up in the purity movement and especially if you are now parenting kids after growing up through that movement. We have to be aware of the shame that we carry—we can’t build shame resilient kids if we don’t address our own shame. And we have to be committed to figure out how to have conversations around sexuality that don’t include shame.

Links Mentioned:

Linda’s book: PURE: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Shamed a Generation of Young Women and How I Broke Free
Daring Greatly by Brenè Brown
Linda’s organization Break Free Together

Connect:

SarahBragg.com
Sarah on Instagram & twitter & FB
Shownotes

Sponsors:

Warby Parker - for FREE Home Try-On Kit go to warbyparker.com/survive

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With this being infant loss awareness week, I wanted to re-release my conversation with Sarah Rieke. She is a kind hearted, gentle spirited woman who has suffered the loss of children and has a passion to walk with women who also suffer loss. We talk about grieving and fear and what she would say to a women walking a similar path. She also has a podcast called Heart Lessons so if you are looking for more from her be sure to check that out.

You can find the show notes to this episode here.

Come find me...

Website // Instagram // twitter // Facebook

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Crystal Stine joins me today. She is a mom to a 6 year old little girl and she married her high school sweetheart. Professionally, she is an author, speaker and freelance communications consultant. Her first book Holy Hustle: Embracing a Work Hard, Rest Well Lifestyle came out this summer. So we talk about what a holy hustle is, what it looks like to honor God in both our work and our rest and how manage the tension between both.

Links Mentioned:

Crystal’s book: Holy Hustle: Embracing a Work Hard, Rest Well Lifestyle
Kimberly Stuart’s book: Heart Land
Love God Greatly

Sponsors:

RXBAR - RXBAR is offering you an exclusive pack of 6 Adult bars and 4 Kid bars so the whole family is able to enjoy! For 25% off your first order, visit RXBAR.com/SURVIVE and enter promo code: SURVIVE at checkout.

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation on Instagram or Twitter.

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.

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Ellie Holcomb joins me around my virtual kitchen table. This was the first time we’ve met and she is such a delight! I’m sure if you’ve ever heard her on another show or seen her in concert then that comes as no surprise. She makes you feel like you’ve been friends forever. If you don’t know who Ellie is, she is a singer/songwriter, mother to 3 and wife to Drew Holcomb who is also a musician. We recorded this episode way back in July when she was fully pregnant with their third. She has since welcomed Samuel Rivers Holcomb to the world.

This conversation feels like we are all joining her on her front porch with a cool drink in hand. We talk about what’s its like to manage the tension of living out her dreams in regards to work while also living out the dreams of being a mom; we talk about how she handles the tensions around social media; we talk about what she wants her kids to know and understand and how that connects to the new children’s book and EP that she just released.

Links Mentioned:

Surviving Sarah episode with Sandra Stanley
Sarah Bragg’s book Body. Beauty. Boys. The Truth About Girls and How We See Ourselves
Ellie’s book Who Sang The First Song and EP
Thoughts That Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd Jones
Are My Kids on Track podcast and book

Sponsors:

FASTer Way to Fat Loss

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation on Instagram or Twitter.

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.

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Karla Akins, mother of 5, educator and author joins me today to have a conversation about her book A Pair of Miracles: A Story of Autism, Faith and Determined Parenting. Karla and her husband adopted twin boys 23 years ago who later were diagnosed with autism. One thing I like about Karla’s perspective is that she has parented through the stages. Her boys are 23 now. If you are a parent of a kid with autism, I think you will benefit from that perspective. We talk about facing hardship, helpful tips for parenting autistic kids, advice on how to handle siblings and what helped her when she was in the thick of raising her boys.

Links:

Karla’s book: A Pair of Miracles: A Story of Autism, Faith and Determined Parenting
Surviving Sarah episode with Dr. Caroline Leaf on how the mind can change the brain

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.

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It’s that time again for another crossover episode with my good friend, Melanie Dale. Each month, Melanie and I sit down and have a conversation about a topic that we are both surviving and that we could lighten up about. So one part is here and the part of the conversation is on her show, Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. So be sure to hop over there when are you are finished listening to this one. Today, two non-fashion blogger girls talk about how we survive the fashion world. We talk about our fashion icons growing up, some embarrassing clothing moments, our favorite fashion season, where we shop, our make up survival kit and where fashion & faith intersect for us. It was a fun conversation with lots of laughter. Links:

Lighten Up with Melanie Dale crossover show with Surviving Sarah
Check out some of my favorite fashion pieces here

Sponsors:

Hello Fresh - For a total of $60 off, that’s $20 off your first 3 boxes, visit HelloFresh.com/surviving60 and enter SURVIVING60 at checkout.

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.

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Jessica Turner joins me today. She is the author of Stretched Too Thin: How Working Moms Can Lose the Guilt, Work Smarter, and Thrive. She is also the founder of the lifestyle blog, The Mom Creative AND she works full-time in corporate America. Her family includes three kids (ages 10, 7 and 3) and her husband, Matthew.

Her new book is like a practical handbook to help coach you when you feel stretched too thin—to help you find your rhythm and discover a life of contentment where you are.

We start by talking about some unsaid pressures we face when it comes to being working moms and the guilt that sometimes follows. And then we dive into some very practical Survival Skills or life hacks if you will. We talk about what to do about food, home management, self-care, commuting and school participation. So many good practical tips were tucked into this conversation—I think you’re gonna love it.

Sponsors:

True Botanicals - Go to truebotanicals.com now to get free samples, and receive $20 off orders of $40 or more off your first purchase with the code SURVIVE
RXBAR - RXBAR is offering you an exclusive pack of 6 Adult bars and 4 Kid bars so the
whole family is able to enjoy! For 25% off your first order, visit RXBAR.com/SURVIVE and enter promo code: SURVIVE at checkout.
Green Chef - For $50 off your first box of Green Chef, go to GreenChef.us/SURVIVE

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.

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I wanted to re-release my chat with Kay Warren where she talks about walking through the suicide of her son since it is suicide prevention week.

If you don't know her already, she is the co-founder of Saddleback Church, pastor Rick Warren's wife and an advocate for people living with mental illness, HIV&AIDS and for orphaned and vulnerable children. You quickly can tell that she wants to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. We talk about signs of mental illness in your kids, what its like being a parent of a child who suffers, practical ways the church can do to change the conversation about mental illness and suicide and her advice that every pastor's wife needs to know.

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway? Let's continue the conversation on Instagram or Twitter or online at SarahBragg.com

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I am so thrilled to have Jen Hatmaker join me at the table. Jen has been a household name for me for many years. She is someone who has always made me laugh and made me think. She has worked in ministry for all her adult life alongside her husband, Brandon. They have 5 kids ranging from 12-20 and when we recorded this episode, she was about to take her daughter across the country to college. She is an author, speaker, podcaster who loves people and Jesus deeply. We have an honest conversation about faith. We talk about her faith journey, learning to ask questions, how exposure can be the best teacher and giving your kids the permission to make their faith their own. I know that not everyone listening agrees with everything that will be said. But here is what I love about conversations like this: when you allow yourself to have a conversation with someone and you enter the conversation with a posture of curiosity, you’ll find that empathy and kindness follows. I want to invite you to enter the conversation that way. So pull up a chair and join the conversation. Sponsors:

Butcher Box - For $20 off your first box and 2lbs of FREE ground beef in every box for the life of your subscription, go to ButcherBox.com/SURVIVE and enter SURVIVE

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.

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Today’s guest is Emily Vogeltanz. She's a mom, wife, a country girl living in the city, and a church builder. She has worked with Passion Conference + Passion City Church for 16+ years in various roles. She currently helps lead Passion City Cumberland and the Grove which is a monthly women's gathering.

I was so excited to sit across the table from her. We talk about marriage, kids, ministry, fear, travel, dreams and what we want most of our own hearts to believe. This is one of those episodes that is packed full of goodness—that feels like you literally sat down with a friend over coffee. I'm so excited to invite you to pull up a chair to the table.

Links:

Passion City Church
The Grove
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Holis
Surviving Sarah with Suzanne Stabile (enneagram) and Sarah as a guest on Suzanne's show, The Enneagram Journey

Sponsors:

Care/of - for 25% off first month of personalized Care/of vitamins use code SURVIVE
True Botanicals - get free samples and receive $20 off orders of $40 or more off your first purchase with the code SURVIVE

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.

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It’s that time again for another crossover episode with my good friend, Melanie Dale. Each month, Melanie and I sit down and have a conversation about a topic that we are both surviving and that we could lighten up about. So one part is here and the part of the conversation is on her show, Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. So be sure to hop over there when are you are finished listening to this one. This month we are talking about our emotions—specifically about anger. We talk about the last time we were angry, what triggers our anger, what helps us control our anger and what helps us control the anger before we erupt like a volcano. Links:

Lighten Up with Melanie Dale crossover show with Surviving Sarah
Rising Strong by Brene Brown
Are My Kids On Track podcast & book
Feelings Chart
She's Gonna Blow by Julie Barnhill - Surviving Sarah episode 80
Triggers by Wendy Speake & Amber Lia - Surviving Sarah episode 10
Calming Angry Kids by Tricia Goyer
Lisa Jo Baker on anger

Sponsors:

True Botanicals

(Amazon affiliate links used when possible--purchasing through these links is an easy way to support the show. Or shop using www.SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

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.

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Sarah Beckman joins me today. She is a mother to 3 kids between the ages of 17-21. If you are a mother entering in the high school phase, she would be a great person to friend. Our conversation is focused around her book which is called Alongside: A Practical Guide For Loving Your Neighbor in Their Time of Trial. We have a practical conversation around how to come alongside someone you knew who is walking through a difficult season or circumstance. We talk about what loving your neighbor really looks like, excuses we often give to not step in and what we can do in light of each excuse.

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.

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Hettie Brittz joins me for today’s episode. She has been married to her husband for 25 years and they have three kids (2 teenagers and one in college). She is also a speaker, author, and a foremost voice in parenting advice and personality styles. She is from South Africa but is currently residing in the United States. She has created a course to help people understand how they are wired and codeveloped the Tall Trees Profile which helps parents understand their child’s temperament.

I have to say that this was one of my favorite conversations. There is something vulnerable about it. I have a great desire to understand myself better and to understand my children better. We have a conversation about how understanding how you are wired will help you parent better; how working with traumatized kids helped her see how understanding temperaments was the key to helping unlock the heart and she unpacked the different temperament types. She said, “When you understand what our kids need, we get the motivation to parent.” What we talked about gave me so much hope. I felt understood. And I started to understand my girls better. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did.

Links:

Hettie's books: (Un) Natural Mom and Growing Kids with Character
Strength Finder book
Tall Trees Profile and Tall Trees Profile Assessment for Kids

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.

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Elizabeth Grace Saunders joins me today from my new kitchen table. Our family moved into a new rental home back in July and it was fun to record the inaugural episode around my kitchen table in the new house. Elizabeth is an internationally recognized expert on effective time management and the founder of Real Life E Time Coaching and Speaking. She joins me today to talk about the idea of divine time management which is all about aligning yourself with God's heart. We talk about why we feel guilty for resting; where to start when it comes to organizing our day; why we tend to say yes to everything; and advice for how to prioritize our time during a busy season.

Links:

Divine Time Management by Elizabeth Grace Saunders

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.

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It’s that time again for another crossover episode with my good friend, Melanie Dale. And if you are new to the show and haven’t heard one of these episodes you are in for a treat! Each month, Melanie and I sit down and have a conversation about a topic that we are both surviving and that we could lighten up about. So one part is here and the part of the conversation is on her show, Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. So be sure to hop over there when are you are finished listening to this one.

This month we are talking about going back to school. Can you believe summer is over??? We talk about our favorite grades growing up, being our kid’s advocate at school, tips on how to relate to your kids’ teachers in non-overbearing ways, how we handle homework and first day of school traditions.

Links:

Lighten Up with Melanie Dale crossover show with Surviving Sarah

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.

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I am so excited to welcome Heather MacFadyen to the show today. You likely know her from the God Centered Mom podcast. She’s been hosting that show for 5 years! If you don’t know her already, she’s a mom to 4 boys. We talk about fears that we have and how fear is the root problem to other emotions we have like anger; we talk about guilt and shame in motherhood and what to do when shame is driving your identity.

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.

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I am so excited to share this conversation with you. Dr. Caroline Leaf sat down across the virtual kitchen table with me a few months ago. She is a is a communication pathologist and cognitive neuroscientist. Since the early 1980s she has researched the mind-brain connection, the nature of mental health and the formation of memory. She was one of the first in her field to study how the brain can change (neuroplasticity) with directed mind input. She has helped hundreds of thousands of students and adults learn how to use their mind to detox and grow their brain to succeed in every area of their lives, including school, university and the workplace.

Her passion is to help people see the power of the mind to change the brain, and to see the link between science and spirituality through controlling their thoughts and emotions, learning how to think and learn, and finding their sense of purpose in life.

You guys I was so nervous to talk with her because she is just so very smart. I felt like I would be out of my league, but Dr. Leaf is truly delightful. And as we talk, its evident that she has a huge heart for people to have hope and life change. Did you know that when we as Jesus followers talk about taking thoughts captive that science actually backs that up? What we talk about over the next 30 minutes is fascinating. We talk about the connection between science and faith, how you have the power to turn on your brain in order to get rid of toxins, the science behind captivating your thoughts, how to change your mind and how to help our kids learn to change their thought patterns. I loved this episode and hope you do, too.

Links:

Dr. Caroline Leaf YouTube channel - you definitely want to subscribe to this!
21 Day Detox
A good starting point to learn more is to read her book Switch On Your Brain
Other books by Dr. Leaf
Her newest book comes out July 31! Think, Learn, Succeed: Understanding and Using Your Mind to Thrive at School, the Workplace and Life
ShowNotes to this episode

Did you enjoy today's conversation? Rate the podcast.

My goal each week is to encourage you to survive in this very thing called life. If you were encouraged or inspired or entertained, head over to iTunes and leave a brief review with a 5 star rating.

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This month, we are having a conversation about something that I tend to struggle with a lot—contentment. Does anybody else ride the struggle bus, too? We talk about the different categories of discontentment, the byproduct emotions of our discontentment, and what has helped us when we feel like we are spinning out of control with discontentment.

Listen to the other part of this conversation over at Lighten Up with Melanie Dale

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.

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Erin Weidemann sits down with me across our virtual kitchen table. Sometimes I meet people and its like we could be real life friends if we only lived in the same area. I felt that way about Erin. She is the co-founder and creator of Bible Belles which is a publishing company whose mission is to help girls discover real beauty, God's love, and their purpose through the female heroes of the Bible. She’s also the host of the Heroes For Her Podcast which highlights positive role models for girls today.

In this conversation, we talk about how she ended up going from a middle school teacher to running a company; why she chose to create products for young girls to help them talk about beauty and identity; how to move girls from self-doubt to purpose; raising girls in the current culture climate and how we tend to put God in a box with what He could do through us. So much goodness covered in a short period.

Bible Belle's book series: HANNAH, ESTHER, ABIGAIL, RUTH, DEBORAH - 10% discount on an order from Bible Belles if you use discount code SARAH

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.

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Amber Tysl joins me around my kitchen table. Amber is a former teacher who quit her secure job to take over a photography business (which she had no experience in) in order to stay home with her kids. Her husband is a high school basketball coach and they have 3 kids. Amber is someone who sees the beauty in the broken. That is truly a theme in her life. You see beauty that she has created in her home, by her fashion and in her photography. She loves to take was is imperfect and display it as beautiful. We talk about what its like to be a coach’s wife, how she made the decision to leave her secure teaching job, what hospitality looks like for her and how to get the most out of thrift store shopping.

Links:

Surviving Sarah episode 116 with Sandra Stanley "a problem to be solved or a tension to manage."
What Happens When Women Say Yes to God by Lysa TerKeurst
Moment app

Sponsors:

Warby Parker - Go to warbyparker.com/survive to get your FREE Home Try-On Kit today

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.

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Kylie White joins me around my kitchen table. She is a wife and mother to 4 kids—2 of whom she adopted from the Congo. They operate two Chick-fil-A restaurants and are also part of the Cathy Family that founded Chick-fil-a. So you know I had to ask her for secret menu items!! Kylie is also on the Board of Directors for CARE for AIDS and loves to lift her voice for the voiceless!

We talk about finding purpose. If you have ever wondered if God is done with you or if this is all there is to life, then you are going to love this conversation. We talk about how to find that purpose and how to raise your kids to be generous, to take risks and to be adventurous.

Links:

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story by Donald Miller
CARE for AIDS
Families For Families

Sponsors:

Warby Parker - Go to warbyparker.com/survive to get your FREE Home Try-On Kit today
Molekule - For $75 off your first order, visit molekule.com and at checkout enter SURVIVE

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.

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It’s that time again for another crossover episode with my good friend, Melanie Dale. I hope you enjoy these episodes as much as we do. And this month, we are tackling summer. If you are in the south, summer has begun and many of us have mixed emotions about it. Before I had kids, summer was just another season. After kids, summer now carrying a mixed bag of emotions. I equally dread while looking forward to it. So in this part of the crossover episode, we talk about our feelings about summer, our no’s of summer, how we survive working from home while our people are home and screen time. And per usual, there is some slightly inappropriate dialog. Heaven help us. After you listen to this episode, be sure to jump over to Melanie’s podcast, Lighten Up with Melanie Dale, to hear the other half.

Sponsors:

The Phonics Museum - Phonics Museum FREE for 2 weeks. Go to PhonicsMuseum.com/SURVIVE to gain access to the freebies to help your child learn to read.

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.

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Natalie Brenner joins me for today’s episode. A mutual friend connected us and I knew pretty immediately that you would resonate with her story. Natalie is wife, mom, photographer and author who is passionate about justice, Jesus and digging into a life of grace. She married young and quickly decided to grow her family through adoption.

While walking through that process, she suffered a miscarriage, loss of dreams and loss of jobs. If you have ever been in a place where you experienced both sorrow and joy, then you will relate to Natalie’s story. She learned first hand what it is like for your prayers to be answered in different ways than expected. We talk about her miscarriage, her adoption, the trauma she experienced in child birth, loss of her husband’s job along with some advice for women who are currently left sitting with expectations unmet.

Sponsors:

Teami Blends - Go to TeamiBlends.com and use the code SURVIVING for 25% off your order of $34.99. Your colon will thank you.
The Phonics Museum - Phonics Museum FREE for 2 weeks. Go to PhonicsMuseum.com/SURVIVE to gain access to the freebies to help your child learn to read.

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.

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It was a privilege to welcome back to the show, Shaunti Feldhahn. She received her graduate degree from Harvard University and was an analyst on Wall Street before unexpectedly becoming a social researcher, best-selling author and popular speaker. She joined me on Episode 78 to talk about how men are wired.

But today, I asked her to come back on the show to talk about her new research. We talk about what it looks like to actually find rest. We talk about what true rest really looks like, what was surprising about her research, why women want to remain busy, how fear plays a role, and how to retrain yourself to notice the good which in turn brings you rest.

Links:

Find Rest by Shaunti Feldhahn
The Kindness Challenge by Shaunti Feldhahn

Sponsors:

BioClarity - You will get your first month for only $9.95 plus free shipping! That’s a $20 savings and it comes with a 100% risk-free money back guarantee. To get this deal, you need to enter my code "SURVIVE"
The Phonics Museum - Phonics Museum FREE for 2 weeks. Go to PhonicsMuseum.com/SURVIVE to gain access to the freebies to help your child learn to read.
ButcherBox - For $20 off your first box and an order of FREE bacon, go to ButcherBox.com/SURVIVE and enter SURVIVE

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.

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Author and communicator, Lynn Cowell, joins me to talk about raising girls to be both strong and nurturing women. Lynn has raised two girls who are now in their early twenties so she has a wealth of experience and knowledge to bring to the table. We talk about advice for raising girls through the tween phase, how she navigated raising girls that were different from each other, how to help girls understand that their worth comes from God, how we as moms can help foster our girls uniqueness and how to raise strong and brave women. This conversation will encourage your heart as a woman whether you have daughters or not.

Links:

Brave Beauty by Lynn Cowell
Make Your Move: Finding Unshakable Confidence Despite Your Fears and Failures by Lynn Cowell

Sponsors:

FabFitFun - Check out FABFITFUN.com and use the code “SS” so you can save $10 off your first box, making it only $39.99.
Hello Fresh - Check out HelloFresh.com/Surviving30 and enter code "Surviving30" to receive $30 off your first box

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.

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Brett Trapp, author of the Blue Babies Pink blog and podcast, joins me. His podcast was one of my top recommendations for last year. Brett has a gift of storytelling and his podcast was just that. It is a story of growing up gay and Christian in the south. Brett joins me around the table to tell his story. The conversation isn’t a theological debate. It isn’t question of whether its right or wrong. It’s simply his story. What I’ve noticed in my life is that when we hear someone’s story, empathy follows.

Sponsors:

FabFitFun - Check out FABFITFUN.com and use the code “SS” so you can save $10 off your first box, making it only $39.99.

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.

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It’s that time again for another crossover episode with my friend, Melanie Dale. I just love getting to sit down with her and talk about life. Each month we pick a topic and have a conversation about it. Then, you get to listen to one part here on Surviving Sarah and another part over on Melanie’s podcast called Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. So don’t forget to head over to her podcast and listen to the other half.

With spring having sprung—at least for the south—we thought it would be a good time to talk about personal growth and self-care. In this part of the conversation, we talk about how we are doing on personal growth goals that we set in January, how we incorporate self-care into our week, what it looks like when we don’t take care of ourselves and how we can learn to pay attention to our bodies and minds so that we don’t crash.

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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.

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Denise James, joins me around my kitchen table. She is an expat living in a small town in Southeast Asia. She homeschools her 6 kids. In her "spare" time, she produces a podcast and co-runs a blog made for expat woman encouraging them to take root where they've been planted. After hearing that she loves Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake, I knew we would be fast friends. Denise reached out to me when she was state-side to get together and talk podcast shop. After chatting with her, I knew that I would love to be a megaphone for what she’s doing. Because I believe there are women just like her, whether they are living stateside or not, that are looking for community.

We talk about what it’s like raising her family overseas, how loneliness affects so many women, how to find friends and community, what community looks like overseas, the challenges and benefits of raising her family overseas and what God has purposed in her.

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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.

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Author, blogger and speaker Elizabeth Oates joins me for Episode 121. Her family tree was plagued with generations of divorce, addiction, abuse, abandonment and brokenness. But Elizabeth has experienced God’s redemption and restoration which is why she has such a passion for women to experience hope and healing.

We talk about what its like raising 5 kids, her passion for foster care, how the enneagram has helped her to understand her story, what it was like to experience such dysfunction growing up, what that dysfunction caused her to believe about herself and God, and how it affected her early years of marriage.

Sponsors:

Song Finch - use the promo code SURVIVE for 10% off your personalized song from scratch. To listen to the song I created for my mom, click here.
FASTer Way To Fat Loss - click this link to check out the program and then when you sign up Surviving Sarah will receive a kickback

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.

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KariAnne Wood joins me around my virtual kitchen table. And I can’t tell you how much I wish we were able to sit around my actual kitchen table because this girl is golden. You can’t help but like her. She is such a nice person and she makes you feel so special. One thing I love about her is how great a storyteller she is. I learned in this conversation that she talks to furniture way and is a thief—you’ll want to listen to this one!

KariAnne is a home decor/life style/DIY blogger. She has authored two books—So Close To Amazing and The DIY Home Planner. We talk about what it was like to jump out of her comfort zone, how to find your decorating style, what has helped her embrace who God made her to be, and what she has learned about God through decorating.

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.

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Today, my fun friend, Melanie Dale, joins me around the table for another Crossover Episode. Each month we pick a topic and have a conversation about it. Then, you get to listen to one part here on Surviving Sarah and another part over on Melanie’s podcast called Lighten Up with Melanie Dale.

We decided to have a little chat about marriage. We talk about how we met our husbands (spoiler alert: Melanie’s story is vaguely similar to Ross and Rachel); we talk about what we wish we had known about marriage, what to do when you don’t agree on something and what we are currently learning about marriage.

Sponsors:

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Listen to the other part of our conversation:

Lighten Up with Melanie Dale crossover show with Surviving Sarah

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.

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Kathleen McCarthy Goff Weber joins me around the kitchen table where we get to talk about fashion. You guys know that I love fashion—I love getting dressed. Its like a creative outlet for me. Kathleen owns a boutique in Nashville called K. McCarthy. She has an background of both fashion and counseling. You don’t meet many people with those twos boxes checked on their resume. Listening to her, you’ll see how uniquely wired she is to combine those two passions—fashion and helping people. We talk about what that looks like for her, how she came to own a boutique store, advice on how to love the you that you are, spring trends and trends that are dying.

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.

Sponsors:

Song Finch - use the promo code SURVIVE for 10% off your personalized song from scratch. To listen to the song I created for my mom, click 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.

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My friend, Mo Isom, joins me again around my kitchen table. She sat around my table over a year ago where we talked about her story and book, Wreck My Life. You can listen to that on Episode 34. Mo is a married to Jeremiah and they now have 2 little girls. She is a New York Times bestselling author and communicator. There is something about Mo that is contagious—and I’m not talking about germs here. Her energy, excitement and passion for Jesus, life and others is truly contagious.

Her latest book, Sex, Jesus and the Conversations the Church Forget, was released last week. We had a candid conversation about it. We talk about why she felt called to be the voice to speak about sex and Jesus, how sexual sin speaks to our identity, why we struggle to know how to talk about sex, why the “how far is too far” question is the wrong question, false sex-pectations and what true love really is. There is a lot of great truth packed into this conversation. And side note, if you have a teenager this would be a great episode for them to listen to.

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.

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Sandra Stanley joins me again around my kitchen table. She was on the show awhile back—Episode 23—and it has since been one of my most popular conversations with listeners. Sandra is a mother to grown kids, wife to megachurch pastor, Andy Stanley, author, communicator and a woman who is passionate about foster care and coming alongside young mothers.

Sandra recently released a devotional called Breathing Room. Do you ever feel like you can’t enjoy anything because you are doing everything? Do you sometimes feel like your pace in life is causing exhaustion? Well, you aren’t alone. In this episode, we talk about what steals our breathing room, how we trade our peace for progress and what role fear plays in it all along with some practical ways to create breathing room in your life today.

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.

Be sure check out the show notes for all of my takeaways from our conversation, links to anything we talk about and ways to connect with Sandra.

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.

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It’s time again for our special crossover episode with Melanie Dale and her show, Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. And today, we tackle the topic of body image—because that isn’t relatable to anyone. When I was in my early twenties, I truly thought that women in their 40’s didn’t deal with this struggle. That is was just a adolescence or twenty-something problem. But news flash, I still want to be attractive. I still struggle to base my worth on something that changes. And that’s why we felt like it was a topic worth talking about. We talk about what shaped our view of bodies in elementary school, triggers for the struggle, what helps us to maintain a healthy view of ourselves, how we feel about our bodies at 40 and how our past affects who we raise our daughters.

Be sure to check out Melanie's podcast to hear the other part to our conversation.

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.

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My friend Clay Scroggins joins me around the table. He married to Jenny (who is a faithful Surviving Sarah listener) and they have 5 kids. Clay is the lead pastor for North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. Many of you may have heard of that church because Andy Stanley started it.

He wrote a book last year called How To Lead When You’re Not In Charge. And let’s be honest, so many of us are leading somewhere—in our home, in our work, in our church, in our schools. Each one of us has the ability to leverage influence yet many of us are stuck waiting to be given the authority to lead rather than tapping into the influence that we have. So we talk about the difference between authority and influence, the challenges that keep us from tapping into our influence, how to survive working for someone you don’t respect, what to do when you crave more influence, and how understanding our identity is crucial in cultivating influence.

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.

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Hannah Brencher joins me. She is a TED speaker, author and online educator with a heart for building leaders. She is passionate about helping others live good and full lives. You may know her for the social movement she created in 2011 called More Love Letters where she wrote love letters for strangers. That small act on her part has spread to over 70 countries, all 50 states, and over 100 college campuses.

I enjoyed this conversation so much. And you won’t be surprised to hear us talk about the enneagram and how her unique wiring is connected to what does. We talk about what it looks like to be in process, how to stay focused on the process rather than getting caught up in what’s next and what helped her walk through a season of depression.

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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.

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Today, Josh Shipp joins me for a really amazing conversation. This was one of those conversations where I just got lost and forgot that thousands of you would be listening. This is a conversation between two parents who both work or have worked with teenagers for many years and have seen the power of another caring adult in a kid’s life.

Josh is an author, global youth empowerment expert, and acclaimed speaker. A former at-risk foster kid turned youth advocate is renowned for his documentary TV series by A&E that followed his ground-breaking work with teenagers. I have been wanting to have a conversation with Josh about teenagers since I launched the podcast so I was thrilled when this day arrived.

We start by talking about the personalities of our kids. And I’ve been thinking so much how important it is that we understand our kids’ wiring so that we can figure out how to communicate with them—especially if they are teenagers. We talk about doing the hard work of parenting, why kids need a caring adult in their lives, and how to better understand teenagers. If you have teenagers or work with teenagers or have kids who will eventually be teenagers, then you will certainly enjoy this conversation. We talk about moving from an air traffic controller in the early years to a coach in the adolescence years.

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.

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If you’ve been listening to the show for awhile, then you know that Melanie Dale and I are good pals. After being guests on each others shows, we wondered how we could hang out more because we simply laugh together. So that’s when this idea was born. We decided to do some crossover episodes for you guys. So every month, you will hear us talk about a different topic. But here’s the fun part: One part will be on her show, Lighten Up with Melanie Dale and the other part will be on my show, Surviving Sarah. We will pick a topic and talk about how we need to lighten up about it and then how we are surviving it.

And today’s episode is all about friendships. We talk about on Surviving Sarah how we can survive friendships--finding them, keeping them and what to do if we lose them. And head over to Melanie's site to listen to ways we can lighten up about friendship.

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.

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I was happy to welcome Ashleigh Slater back to join me around my kitchen table. She was my second guest 2 years ago. We have a conversation about braving sorrow. We talk about loss—loss of jobs, houses, dreams, control, and even life. Loss can make for a hard season that we sometimes end up walking through alone. We sometimes don’t feel like we have the permission to grieve losses. We compare our losses and feel like ours isn’t worth grieving.

She talks about her “weeping years” where she walked through a number of losses in a couple of years. And what she shares what she learned about herself, her community and her God because of it.

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.

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I am excited to share Anna LeBaron’s story with you today. If you haven’t heard of her, she is a survivor of a Polygamist cult. Her father was a notorious polygamist and murderer. She grew up unlike most of us. Most of us have never been on the run from the FBI. Filled with murder, fear, and betrayal, Anna’s story is shocking. It’s a story of a fatherless girl and her unwavering search for love, faith, and a place to call home. Anna expresses the power of vulnerability and shares her story of surviving a Polygamist cult. She shares how she found Jesus and how she was able to take off the shame of being her earthly father’s daughter and embrace the unconditional, ever secure love of her heavenly Father.

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.

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Today’s guest is Kristy Dickerson. She’s the CEO and co-creator of the STARTplanner and author of the new book, Start Balancing. If you’ve listened to the show for awhile then you know that I love planners. So getting to talk with Kristy was so enjoyable. She is a successful entrepreneur, business woman who is first and foremost a wife and mom. We sat down in her office to talk about how she ended up creating a business around a planner. And as you listen, you’ll hear advice for creative people who run businesses, how to fit health into your lifestyle, ways to maximize your time and productivity and how to set smart goals.

If you want to continue the conversation, you can find me @sarahwbragg on Instagram or twitter or SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook. BE sure to check out today’s show notes over at SurvivingSarah.com for ways to connect with Kristy, takeaways from our conversation and links to everything we mentioned.

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.

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My good friend, Merica Stum, joins me around my kitchen table again. She is a married to Jake and they have 3 boys. She is the Director of Girls On The Run for Southeast TN. We had so much fun last year on Episode 55 so I asked her to come back. I think we will just have to make this an annual thing. We do sort of a year in review. We look back at 2017—what we learned, what surprised us and what we read. And then we look forward to 2018 about some of our goals and even some things we dread.

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.

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Amber Lia joins me for Episode 106. She is a mom to 4 boys as well as an author and owner of a production company in Los Angeles. Amber and Wendy Speaks have released a new book together called Parenting Scripts: When What Your Saying Isn’t Working Say Something New. I don’t know about you, but parenting has been the hardest job of my life. I am always trying to hit a moving target. And what worked yesterday doesn’t always work today. Many times, I find myself in a situation where I just don’t know what to say. And that is exactly why they wrote this book.

So I give her a few different scenarios from her book and ask her to help us know what to say. We talk about how to motivate your kids to do what they need to do; what to say when your kid argues and talks back; what to say when your kid faces disappointment; and what what to do if you and your partner are on different parenting pages.

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. You can read all my takeaways online here. 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.

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Christy Wright joins me for Episode 105. She is the creator of Business Boutique, a Certified Business Coach and a Ramsey Personality with a heart for helping women step into their God-given gifts. Trust me, when you hear this conversation, you will see how passionate she is about empowering women.

If you are a woman who has a side hustle or started a business or has an idea, you will certainly enjoy this episode. Christy gives us advice on where to start, what to do with our fear of failure, how to make your business your own, how to manage your time and how to not kill your creative idea.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

What is something that is keeping you back from starting your business or moving forward on an idea? I think for me, the fear of failure and perfectionism are traps that I often fall into. Yes, failure is a possibility, but it shouldn’t keep me from moving forward.
Have you ever stopped to trace your steps to see where you’ve been and how God has prepared you for what you are doing now?
Start with the end in mind. Think about where you want to be in 5 years and then take steps to get there. Don't let perfection keep you from starting. And yes, fear is a possibility, but don't let it keep you from starting. Fear doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. It means you’re doing something bold. Fear will creep up every time you do something new. Do it scared. Fear is from the enemy not from God.
If we want a miracle the requirement is something impossible. The requirement for a miracle is doing something impossible. Sometimes what we want doesn’t match our feelings. Act how you want to feel.
Make your business your own. Comparison is your enemy.
Time management is personal. Be willing to say no to things. Be selective about how you spend your time. Figure what matters to you. We say yes when what we mean is no. Don’t focus on letting that person down. don’t focus on the no. focus on the yes. What are your priorities? You don’t need to be everything. In the season you are in, what makes the cut? Everything is not created equal. If everything is important, nothing is important.
Choose to be present in the moment. Are you focused on what you are notdoing? Think about what you did get to. Driving to somewhere that you love. Don’t look behind. Look forward.

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.

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Alex Kuykendall joins me for Episode 104. She is mother to 4 girls ranging from ages 6 to 15. She is a writer and co-host to The Open Door Sisterhood podcast and retreat. I invited her to join me on the show to talk about her recent book, Loving My Actual Christmas, because the reality is that many of us don't love the Christmas we have. We have expectations that go unmet during this time of year.

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.

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Natalie Ard joins me for Episode 103. With the turn of the holiday season, it was the perfect time to chat with her about what she does. She is a mother who quickly became an entrepreneur after creating a family tradition product called Star From Afar. She is the owner of Star Kids Company where she creates toys and games that help kids play with a purpose. We talk about why she created Star From Afar, tactical ways to make this Christmas meaningful and how is manages being a working mother.

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.

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I was so happy to have Melanie Shankle join me on the show again for Episode 102. Many of you may know her as Big Mama online. She is an author, speaker, wife and mother. You may remember her from Episode 50 where we chatted about friendship.

This time, she joins me at the table to talk about small things. You see, she wrote a book called Church of the Small Things which talks about learning to love the ordinary life you have. Do you feel like you aren’t doing enough or that what you are doing matters? If you’ve ever answered yes to those questions, then this episode and her book is for you. In this conversation, we talk about enjoying your ordinary life, how God uses ordinary and how to be faithful where you are.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

This message about ordinary really struck home with me. One of my takeaways, was the idea of being faithful where you are. God put me in this season with these roles for a reason. I want to be like the mother of the boy who had the fish and bread. Doing the tasks that seem insignificant matter. So this week, I want to look around at my ordinary and ask God to help me see the beauty.
How can you start to find contentment your ordinary life? It begins by recognizing that as chaotic as it can seem, all of this is all fleeting. It can all change. It starts with a perspective change.
Stop waiting for you life to begin. Take stock of your life. I bet all of what you have that is chaotic is what you prayed for. Stop comparing what we have to what we thought we wanted or to what others have.
Sometimes we can struggle with thoughts like "Am I enough?"; "Does this life matter?"; "My life isn’t glamorous." But you never know how God will use those simple acts of faithfulness. Get up and be faithful to do what is in front of you. We can feel like a beige person driving a mini van, but the daily faithfulness matters. We can make an impact when we just love the people around us. We start to think that the big things are what are noticeable, but its really the little things.
This can be a great season of ordinary. "Don't underestimate how God is using all of those little things.” Are you going to trust God with what you have right now? Before you go further in the journey, you have to be able to trust God with what you have now. God is preparing you for the bigger things in the small things.

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.

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April Christina Barron joins me for Episode 101. She is a talented vocalist, communicator and therapist who’s passion is to encourage, inspire, and offer hope to women in their relationships with God, themselves, their children, and with others. And she’d tell you that her greatest accomplishment would be overcoming the challenges of being an un-married, teenaged mother. She has successfully raised two amazing young men, one of whom, at 22 years old, is currently staring in a lead role in the nation's hottest musical, Hamilton, An American Musical, in Chicago, Illinois. Having overcome every obstacle and societal statistic thrust upon single, teenaged mothers, April pursues every opportunity to offer hope and encouragement to other women who face seemingly insurmountable odds.

She shares her story of becoming a single mother as a teenager—what that was like and what pressures she faced and how she eventually learned what it looked like to lay aside the condemnation and walk in the freedom of grace. She also gives some advice to raising teenagers and how the church can support single parents.

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.

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Cue the confetti because today is Episode 100! And last night friends of the show gathered together at my home in Atlanta to celebrate this milestone with me. Before we jump into the today’s conversation, I just wanted to say thank you for listening. There are women all around who feel like they are alone, as they survive whatever life looks like for them. And this podcast is a place where I hope that women realize that they are not alone. Whether you are single or married; ave children or not; being your own boss or working for someone else, I hope that you find the voice of someone who understands exactly where you are.

So with that, Hannah Davis joins me for Episode 100. She is a fitness expert whose mission is to empower women and men to become healthier and happier through strength training and nutrition. She believes that those components affect happiness and our ability to serve others. We talk about the balance between health and appearance, some misconceptions about fitness, daily essentials that you need to incorporate into your habits and how to retrain our why behind fitness.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Hannah. I think the biggest takeaway for me was the need to connect my health to serving others. I’ll just admit here that my fitness goals have never been connected to others. They have always been so that I look better. Health is rarely the objective, but fitting in a smaller size usually is. So, I’m going to work on redefining the why behind health for me.
Daily essentials that you need to incorporate into your habits:
- eat a nutritious breakfast
- drink more water
- move 10k steps a day; 10 minute circuit training (her YouTube channel)

Hannah wants to help me AND YOU redefine with healthy means. The holidays are upon us and we thought it would be the perfect time to prepare our bodies and minds for what lies ahead. Let me introduce the 12 day Holiday Hustle to you.

The 12 day Holiday Hustle with Body By Hannah is geared to keep you on track with your health and fitness goals through what can sometimes be a stressful holiday season or a season full of too much merriment! This challenge provides you with a simple nutrition plan to follow, exclusive, short, beginner or intermediate workout programs from Hannah, a supplementation option for those with weight loss or energy goals, exclusive Surviving the Holidays tips from life expert, Sarah Bragg and daily mindfulness homework. This challenge is only $9.99 until November 17th and and challenge will begin on Tuesday, November 28.

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.

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Jeannie Cunnion joins me for Episode 99. I have been so excited to share this conversation with you because it was so refreshing and encouraging for me personally. If you haven’t heard of Jeannie before, then you should know that she is a mom of four boys who range from teenager to toddler. She is the author of Parenting the Wholehearted Child and her latest book, Mom Set Free.

We sit down and have an honest conversation about freedom and motherhood. We talk about the pressures we face in parenting, the things that we need to be set free from and what God has set us free for. There were some moments in this conversation that really have redefined my role as parent and reignited an understanding of the gospel.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

God is using our kids to sharpen us to become more like Him. I think that I knew that in theory but I hadn’t thought about how God chose these kids specifically for a reason to sharpen something in me. And if I could start my day viewing them as a gift that God has placed in my life to sharpen me—to make me more like Him—then maybe that would change my heart. And I think that applies to anyone listening whether you are a mother or not. Think about the most challenging person in your life currently. Maybe that person is God’s gift to you to sharpen you to become more like Him. So when we are in the heat of the moment, frustrated or discouraged, may we remember to ask: what is God’s invitation to me in this situation?
Parenting is more about what God is doing in me than me creating these great kids.
Moms get stuck in so many places and patterns because of the pressure we are under. The gospel has the power to free us from any place where we feel stuck. We feel pressure to be perfect, to be in control, or to transform our kid’s heart.
The enemy is using that pressure to steal our joy in parenting.
Jesus is the one who calls our kids to faith. We can get frustrated when we do all the “right” things yet not see the results. It is Jesus who produces righteous character in our kid’s life.
What is hard for me isn't hard for God.
God works all things together for good--that good doesn't mean better or an upgrade. The good is that we are conformed more into the image of Jesus.

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.

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Jim Burns joins me for Episode 98. I first met Jim many years ago when I worked for Saddleback Church in CA. He is someone that I could have conversations with about parenting, relationships, marriage and faith for hours. He is the President of HomeWord—an organization that exists to equip parents, marriages and families and he the Director of the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family at Azusa Pacific University. He speaks to thousands of people around the world each year and has close to 2 million resources in print in 30 languages. You can see why I like to talk to him!

I asked Jim to join me around the table to talk about a subject that many of us feel very awkward about. We have an hour long dialog about the topic of sexuality and our kids. We talk about when you should have the infamous talk, what you should know about the “M word", pornography and sexual identities. Alright. I just went ahead and said all the awkward words. Now that I’ve done that, pull up a chair and join the conversation.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

I think that this topic is one that most of us don’t feel adequate or prepared for as parents. The biggest takeaway is not waiting for one moment or one age to have that conversation but to start sooner than later weaving it into a normal part of your life with your kids. Start talking about sex from ages 3-5. The more you talk about these things hopefully the more comfortable to have these conversations as they grow. Moms of littles, this is the best time because it is not awkward to your kids. I highly recommend Jim’s books to initiate the conversation. That is what we used and it has opened the door to so many natural conversations.
The number one place that older kids get their sex ed from is the internet so you are going to have to have conversations with your kids about this. Age of the first exposure of pornography is age 11.
If you catch your child looking at porn, don’t make a big scary deal of it. Talk about healthy positive sex. And then talk about some of the things that aren’t healthy. If you see it, here’s what you should do. You almost have to desensitize them to it. We hurt for these people. When our kids are caught or your find out, make sure you are not a one topic parent in your reaction. Get a perspective. Talk with others.
10% will struggle with gender confusion; 1.5-2% are homosexual. It's not healthy to our kids to blast one sexual sin over another. There are 17 references to sexual sin, only 3 deal with homosexuality yet we tend to focus on that one issue. We need to partly normalize that.

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.

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Jonathan and Wynter Pitts join me for Episode 97. I was so happy to invite Wynter back on the show and loved getting a chance to chat with her husband, too. Wynter is the Founder of For Girls Like You and the author of several tween books. Jonathan is the executive director of The Urban Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans. They recently wrote a book called She Is Yours—Trusting God as You Raise the Girl He Gave You.You see, they have four daughters. So their house is loud, messy, busy and fun. They fully understand what many of us are walking through as we raise our daugthers.

We waste no time and dive right in to the hard stuff. We talk about what to do if we have a hard time viewing our kids as gifts from the Lord. We talk about the power of prayer when it comes to raising our kids. And we talk about how to help them develop their relationship with God, with their parents and with the world around them.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

I think one of my favorite parts of the conversation about influence. I know this is true for me that so often we worry about the influence that others will have on our kids. We wonder if we should change schools or churches or sport teams. Scott and I just had a conversation about this very thing last week—fearful that one of ours would succumb to peer pressure as a teenager. But Wynter said to think more about what God can do through her—how she can impact and influence the world rather than worrying out how the world may influence her. This requires a shift in perspective. Notice the ways that your child has a positive influence on another. Give your child opportunities to be a positive influence on others and opportunities to impact the world around them. That is a proactive approach rather than a reactive approach to influence.
Parenting is about investing a lot of hard work. Children are the types of gifts that require assembly; they aren't batteries included type of gifts. Ask God to help you see them as a gift. Its hard to see beauty when we are distracted by other things. We often view our kids as distractions rather than gifts.
Relationship always requires more than anything else does. So much of it is building into what you are already doing. Look around at what you already have in place and work from there.
If we want our kids to love others then we need to give them opportunities to flex those muscles.
My best first play is to give her back to the Lord.

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.

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Kim Biddle joins me for Episode 96. She is the founder and CEO of Saving Innocence—an organization whose vision is to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children and restore the cultural values of innocence and human worth. This organization is doing amazing things to rescue and restore child victims of sex trafficking through strategic partnerships with local law enforcement, social service providers and schools. Kim has earned degrees, credentials and certifications to do this important work, but after listening to her story its easy to see that her own life—what she survived in her life—truly prepared her for what she does now.

We talk about her story of divorce and how that gave her a deeper understanding and empathy for others. We talk about how she found her identity after walking through a season of grief, how Saving Innocence was started and how we can help change the culture surrounding exploitation and human worth.

Kim and I met many years ago when I lived in CA. We were both in our twenties—bright eyed and full of expectancy. Hearing what she has walked through since those days is heartbreaking, yet hopeful. There is something so powerful when people decide to be vulnerable about who they are. I think that’s why Kim’s story will resonate with many of you.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

I really appreciated her vulnerability and honesty about her brokenness—what it was like to start over, to feel grief and then to see God confirm her identity and propel her forward to use her past to help others. Free people free people. I think that statement embodies Kim’s life.
Isn't it interesting how what happened to her in her marriage ended up connecting to what she does now? I love that God can weave a story together.
Divorce is such a touchy subject and it is one that can cause you to question everything that you once knew to be true. Having friends around you who just let you be broken without expectation is vital to rediscovering who you are.
To find herself again, she started by looking for what brought her joy and made her heart come alive.
There is something beautiful in suffering. We don’t know how to suffer well and how to walk through seasons of pain. But there is something magical about pain. It reminds us that we are human and that it is okay to be a depraved human in need of God’s love.
How can we help young women change the way they see themselves? This generation has replaced beautiful with sexy. Your value doesn’t depend on how much sex appeal you have. We need some celebrities to step up and shift what its like to proclaim value as heart, mind, body and soul.
If we saw each other in a new way—created in the image of God—it would change the way we treat each other and view each other. Each person has a thumbprint of God.
When you come out of a season, ask who am I in the image of God? How am I to reflect You in this season of life? Give yourself grace for that journey and give others grace in their journey.
"Life is more like art than we first thought." Maya Angelou We are walking out a piece of art.

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.

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Kristen Ivy joins me for Episode 95. This was a special guest for me because we have been friends for over 10 years and we started our motherhood journey together. Not only is she a mother to 3 but she is also the Executive Director of Messaging at Orange and the Director of The Phase Project. She has written several books but most recently published 18 books—one for each phase of a kid’s life.

We talk about how we as parents have a limited number of time to influence the faith of our kids. So with that, we unpack the phase guides by looking at what it means to number the days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom, what sort of things we can do over time in order to discover what really matters and what conversations we need to have with our kids when it comes to health, sexuality, technology and faith.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

I bet some of you feel like 936 weeks until graduation feels like an eternity. I know I did. But I bet some of you look at the dwindling weeks make you anxious that you are running out of time. But either way, I bet I’m not the only one who often feels overwhelmed with parenting. That I’m not doing enough. That I’ve messed them up too much. Or that they will one day be in prison. Am I right? But I love how she took the pressure off of us. Small investments over time is what makes the difference. Its okay if you have a day where you don’t feel like you got a lot done because its the collection of weeks over time that makes the difference. It’s collective conversations or collective events that builds. I want to take those things that really matter and see where I can make small incremental movement.
There is no magic bullet to parenting. Its an art, not a science. Trying to discover who they are and then constantly making adjustments to give them what they need. Its definitely not a formula. And because of that, you need to pause every so often to relearn your kid just in case they have changed.
From the time they are born to graduation there are 936 weeks. You can’t get more and its moving at a consistent speed. Here's a great way to number your days with your kids--its decorative, too.
So what really matters?
- fun over time matters because it builds connection
- time over time gives you a history together
- work over time gives your kids significance
- stories over time give a kid perspective—they begin to shape their worldview
- love over time it shows your kids that they are worth something
- words over time give a kid direction
- tribes over time give a kid a place to belong
There are 4 ongoing, progressive conversations that need to happen over time. Conversations about health, sexuality, technology and faith. The phase guidesgive you words to say to help create those conversations.

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.

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Kelly Flanagan joins me for Episode 94. This was one of my conversations. You guys, I took so many notes when I went back to edit this show. In fact, the conversation itself really did feel like a counseling session for me. Kelly is a husband, father, clinical psychologist, blogger, and author of the book Loveable: Embracing What Is Truest About You, So You Can Truly Embrace Your Life.

We talk about the idea of being lovable—that you are enough, you are not alone and you matter by unpacking worthiness, belonging and purpose. We talk about how to rediscover your unique worthiness, how to redeem the shame we carry and how there is a loveliness to ordinary.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

His words hit me like a ton of bricks when he said that our first task is to be able to delight in ourselves before we can be able to delight in someone else.Boom. I want to see a show of hands how many of us delight in ourselves. I will be the first to raise my hand. Do we think that we are delightful? But this is 100% connected to being able to find delight in other people and to be delighted by someone else. That is definitely something that I want to spend some time working on.
We all have a worthy self inside of us. Observe the voice of shame as an event within us and begin to listen to a different voice. Start to listen to the voice of grace. When you hear the shame let it be a reminder to listen for the voice of grace. Our shame is always calling us back to grace.
There’s loveliness in ordinary and it's okay to be ordinary you. Why do we believe that ordinary isn’t enough? We feel like we have to make a difference and get recognition—that’s the other side of shame. Let’s start by being our ordinary selves. Let’s take back that word.
When it comes to belonging, you aren’t trying to compare or complete but truly to connect. Don’t focus on what you can get but what you can give.
How does the idea of ordinary help you understand why you matter (or your purpose)? It's rare that our God given passion and reason for being here overlap extraordinary. Embrace those ordinary passions. We all have our one note to play - God has created us all with a note to play that only you can play.
When we embrace our worthiness then we have the courage to reveal who we are to people and then as we do we discover where we belong and then through conversation with them and encouragement from them we begin to feel support to do our thing in the world.
When it comes to our kids, how can I help foster these (worthiness, belonging, purpose) things in them? Acknowledge your limited ability of what you can do. We can do the best we can but we will make mistakes. We are limited. MAYBE THIS ISN’T SUCH A BAD THING—THINK ABOUT REDEMPTION. God is the redeemer of all things.
Abide with our children. We stay with them in the shame. We connect with them through our own. We stress because we don’t want to be the reason they have shame because it will ultimately bring me shame. But we need those things to happen along the way so that we can understand our worthiness.
Kids don’t need perfect parents they need parents who know they aren’t perfect.

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.

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Courtney Westlake joins me for Episode 93. Courtney lives in Illinois with her husband, Evan, and their two children, Connor and Brenna. She is a writer and photographer with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a passion for storytelling. Her storytelling took on a new life when she began blogging in 2011 after Brenna was born with a rare and severe skin disorder. I asked her to join me on the show to talk about life with Brenna and her book, A Different Beautiful. We talk about how God prepared her for the role of mother to Brenna, how the definition of beauty has changed for her and how she’s learned to see people for who they really are.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

I loved her advice on what to do when you see someone who looks different than you. She said to “choose connection over curiosity.” Connect with them the same way you would connect with anyone. Start with hello. And remember that they are made in the image of God—just like you. We have to retrain our minds to learn to see people for who they really are.
We can see people’s heart rather than comparing what we look like to what someone else looks like. We can be more focused more on people’s stories.
"My differences are God's art."
There's no such thing as normal. Our frame of reference is our tiny world. Show your kids different cultures and races and sizes and abilities. Everywhere there is different. Everywhere there is uniqueness. And that should be celebrated.

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.

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Kelsey Chapman joins me for Episode 92. She is a Creative & Small Businness Coach as well as an Instagram Consultant. As a self proclaimed dreamer and entrepreneur, she knows well that sometimes you need a cheerleader and coach to come alongside you to help you pursue your dreams. If you have a dream but don’t know where to start; or if you don’t feel like you can even have a dream; or if you want a dream but don’t have one; or if you have had to end a dream then you will relate to what we talk about today. We talk about what’s needed in following your dream, road blocks to following your dream and what happens if that dream comes to an end.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

I bet many of you started this episode and felt like you weren’t a dreamer. But I hope that after listening, you feel differently. Our dreams come in different shapes and sizes and look different in different seasons. So no matter where you land on that spectrum, we can all agree that God has purposed you for something. No matter what season you find yourself in, God can weave your dreams throughout.
I loved her advice to someone who has a dream, but feels the tensions of following it. I think her advice to just release your work into the world and perfect it later is so sound. Just last week, I was talking with someone who wants to write a book one day. And that was my advice to her. Just start writing. Start thinking about what you want to say. Write it down. Writing a book doesn’t start with having all 50,000 words in your mind. It starts with an idea. Sometimes we just need a push to take a step forward—to release something and then perfect it later.
Comparison is a real weapon against following your passion project/calling/purpose. You have a unique audience to gift and steward, no matter how big or small it is. Just because someone has more or better, doesn’t negate what God wants to do.
Look for unexpected people who might propel your dream.
Even if a dream doesn't work out, God can always redirect.

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.

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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. Because, we all know that parenting can feel overwhelming—even working on your own self care in regards to this topic can feel overwhelming. So the fact that you are listening to this or reading the book or having conversations about this is worth celebrating. I want to give each one of you a high five. So as you start to think through how to help your kids reach these different milestones, remember to celebrate where you are and what you are already doing.
Pay attention to what's going on inside of you. You can only pass on to your kids what you already possess.
In regulating emotions, model for them the things they don’t yet know, that way they see that emotions are normal and good part of life. Give a dedicated space to sort out their emotions. Use the phase "yellow light" as a cue to let your kid know to pause. Consider getting a dog as a means to help them regulate their emotions.
We have to let our kids learn to problem solve for themselves.
Failure and fear both get a bad wrap. We need to reframe that. These are good things. Fear is the birthplace of courage. You can’t be courageous if you never face fear. You want to be a resilient which means you have to stand face to face with failure. You won’t be compassionate unless you land on your face sometimes. That is one of the best teachers of empathy.
Pray for failure for your kids.What would it look like if rather than praying for our kids to be happy, we prayed for our kids to be strong? (which is an invitation for failure.)
Pray for ourselves that we will allow the space for our kids to be resourceful. We are sometimes too busy trying to be their resources. With that, ask good questions in those moments likewhat do you want to do with that? What’s your game plan? What are you thinking?

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.

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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. Now is a great time to look for community. Maybe your kids are going back to school. Or maybe you are starting a new job. Or maybe you had a life change. And many churches are ramping back up for fall. Now is a great time to look around to see where you can find some women to come alongside you. In fact, I just gathered a group of women at our church to start a community group. It can be awkward but its worth it. We all need someone to be a support or to celebrate with or to lean on.
"Your real you is worthy of community."
At some point, take a risk and ask someone: what is God doing in your life right now? That's how you start to cultivate deep friendships.

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.

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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 pull up a chair to the kitchen table and join the conversation.

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

There is something powerful to their story. Isn’t it remarkable how God orchestrated their meeting? I think it’s always a good reminder that God speaks even to the hearts of little children. It’s heartbreaking to think of a 4 year old living on the streets, but God sees. I love seeing the man Derek has become. I’m so thankful that he is willing to share his story.
God can make something good out of something painful.
The best question to ask yourself is: "What can I do?” It starts with you.

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.

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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 will pass. You need to be reminded in the middle of the eye rolls that they were cute and you have made progress. Sometimes parenting feels like you are walking in quicksand. So taking time to look back and look around truly does help.
What's great about teenagers: When they are younger they believe you. They believe that they can change the world. They are more willing to try things. They have less cynicism to life. They feel loved just by your presence.
What do you say to parents who fear what is coming? Keep trying. Your kids really do want you and need you. You are their constant. You are their solid foundation. Take small nuggets of time together. Step into their world--their interests. Be intentional. Be willing to push through and make yourself available.
"The conversations you avoid become the conversations that are the problems." Don't be unwilling to have the hard conversations.

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.

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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 you begin to understand how God has wired you and others that you are in relation with, then you can develop a sense of compassion with yourself and with others.
"We don’t really know ourselves by what we get right. We know ourselves by what we get wrong."
"Your greatest weakness is also your greatest strength."

Be sure to listen to get the coupon code for 20% off of any mp3 or CD on Suzanne's website.

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.

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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 apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

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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 basics of nurturing your soul—prayer and reading your bible and times of stillness to listens to God. talk to god in the car. utilize the power of prayer.
Practical tips - sticky notes. Before she goes to sleep, she writes out 3 things she wants to accomplish the next day. She doesn’t have to worry about anything more. It helps her to not stress. And cut the guilt and hire the help.
When it comes to self-care, figure out something that fills you up - daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly. I recently wrote a guest blog post over at the Parent Cue blog on this very topic

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.

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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.

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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 first time you see someone whether that is your husband or kid, let that be a positive encounter. That is a struggle for me because usually the first encounter with my kids is before coffee or the first encounter with my husband is when the work day is finished and usually involves some sort of frustration due to said kids during the cooking experience. I’ve heard people say that women are the CMO (chief mood officer) of the home. We have the power to set the mood for the people in our lives. So, I’m going to work on that.
Prioritize your spouse. Make time for them. I liked her advice on how to make intentional time for each other. Have a day date each week and every night sit and have a conversation eye to eye.
We often say to our kids, "Be careful," but maybe we need to say, "Be brave." Push them forward. Don’t pass your own fears onto your kids. And when you don't feel like you can do that, surrender your fear to the sovereignty of God. God is writing a story on your kids' lives.
As a couple, determine what your core values are and then build your family around that. Seasons are always changing in parenting. So, just ride the wave. The wave goes up and the wave goes down. In the season with our kids, sometimes you are up and sometimes you are down. Don’t beat yourself up when you make mistakes. Just ride the wave.
And have fun. We need to remember to play. Life doesn’t have to be so serious.

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.

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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 complete. That is sometimes so hard, isn’t it? Another thing that Brene Brown talks about it is how we sometimes operate out of a sense of scarcity rather than operating from a place of being enough--that you are enough and that you have enough for today.
How to deal with insecurity--remember that God has created you on purpose for a purpose. No one else can do what God has proposed you to do

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.

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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/amazon and a portion of the what you buy will go back to the show.)

Connect with Amy: Instagram // Website // Facebook // Abiding Ministries Instagram // Podcast

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

First of all, can we start a petition for her to post her Friday Night Lights podcast? But in all seriousness, I think that my biggest takeaway was her quote that her biggest failure led to her greatest sense of acceptance. In Episode 80, I talked about failure in the recap. Sounds like God is definitely trying to speak to me about this. We can allow God to use failure to draw something beautiful on our lives. Failure allows us to see our need for Jesus.

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.

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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 it would build more compassion and empathy towards understanding what some women feel. So pull up a chair to the kitchen table and join the conversation.

Links Mentioned:

Julie's book She's Gonna Blow
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene H. Peterson

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.

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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. Find someone who you feel like you can be 100% yourself. It takes risk, but its worth it. And realize that someone may be waiting on you to make the first move. We all want to be pursued, but sometimes you need to be the one to reach out and initiate.
Motherhood is the ultimate unifier. That is so true. Motherhood is a great common thread to connect you with other women.
There is a beauty in thinking, believing and processing differently. You don't have to be exactly alike to be friends. Let your differences and uniqueness add value to your relationship.

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.

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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 subject with your husband or son makes you cringe or makes you want to crawl under the kitchen table. But what if you decided to talk about it. What if you decided to ask them what they think or feel? What if you decided to extend empathy and compassion towards them? Maybe a deeper intimacy is on the other side.

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.

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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 a little easier.

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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.

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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.

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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 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.

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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.

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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 different from my step. Maybe for you its reading a book on black history. Maybe for you its googling something about racial reconciliation. Maybe for you its inviting someone over for coffee or a kids playdate who is different from you. We can all start somewhere.

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.

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Sherri Dickens joins me for Episode 71. She is the blogger behind Rage Against the Mom Jean. She was a tomboy as a child who grew up to love fashion. I loved hearing about how she got to be where she is today. And I discovered that she grew up in the foster care system and because of that a deep need to care and help others was birthed in her.

We also talk about how to dress for every stage of life, how to model love for yourself in front of your kids and some very practical tips when it comes to fashion.

I always enjoy these chats that land on some practical advice about fashion. If you follow me in Instagram, then you know that I am all about trying to inspire and encourage you to love the creative side of getting dressed. In fact, if you want to follow along, I would love for you to post a picture of what you're wearing and use #SurvivingStyle Let's be a tribe of women who encourage each other in an area where most of us feel insecure.

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.

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Brittany Price joins me for Episode 70 This is one gorgeous girl both inside and out. Jesus just exudes out of her. We talk about surviving the death of her husband--how she found herself as a widow at age 25 with 3 boys under the age of 3. We talk about surrender and how to trust as you walk through the darkness.

I was so inspired and encouraged by her. God doesn't always call us to walk through the rose garden. Sometimes He leads us through the darkness. There are some things that we can't choose, but we can choose our response. We can choose how we see the circumstances around us. I will tell you that, I was challenged by that with some difficult circumstances surrounding me. And I want to kick and scream. And its okay to kick and scream, but when God tugs at your heart & asks you to obey even though its not comfortable or easy, the best response is surrender.

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.

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Amanda White joins me for Episode 69. She is a wife, mom and former children’s pastor who is using her skills of a creative thinker in the lives of her own kids and yours. She is really great at unpacking scripture to little hearts. She is the author of The Truth In The Tinsel and A Sense of the Resurrection. She is a firm believer that no matter who you are, you don’t have to be afraid or intimidated to teach your kids Scripture. I invited her to be on the show to talk about how to anchor your kids heart to Jesus this Easter.

Amanda is offering a coupon code for all Surviving Sarah listeners to receive 20% off the purchase of her ebook A Sense of the Resurrection. I highly recommend that you purchase it and use it with your kids or grandkids or nieces and nephews. She does such a great job of helping you anchor your kids hearts to Jesus this Easter. Go to SurvivingSarah.com/easter and then use the code SURVIVINGSARAH to receive your discount.

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.

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Leslie Klipsch joins me for Episode 68. She is a mom on a mission to help awaken the mama bear inside each one of us. It doesn't take long to realize that Leslie wants to make an impact not only in her community but also in the world around her.

We talk about being front yard people, how to push past perfectionism, how to find community and how your tribe can be a group for good.

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.

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Kay Warren joins me for Episode 67. If you don't know her already, she is the co-founder of Saddleback Church, a pastor's wife and an advocate for people living with mental illness, HIV&AIDS and for orphaned and vulnerable children. You quickly can tell that she wants to be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves.

I wanted to chat with her about surviving the death of her son and also surviving as a pastor's wife. We talk about signs of mental illness in your kids, what its like being a parent of a child who suffers, practical ways the church can do to change the conversation about mental illness and suicide and her advice that every pastor's wife needs to know.

This was one of the easiest conversations to have and listen to even though the topic is not an easy topic. And I think that says something about Kay's nature. I am truly thankful for the role that she and her husband played in my life and ministry. And it was an honor to have her on the show.

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.

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Ted Lowe joins me for Episode 66. Surviving Sarah male guest #2. I’ve known Ted and his wife Nancie for so many years so when I decided it was time to do another episode about marriage, I knew that he would be perfect for the show. We talk about some common myths of what make a marriage work and then some core habits that we can develop to get marriages into a healthy rhythm.

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Ted. He is so easy to talk to and I hope you felt like what we talked about was doable. I think the biggest takeaway for me was the first core habit of having serious fun. I think its easy to let fun go to the bottom of the todem pole. Think about what you enjoy doing with your spouse? Think back to when you were first together. What did you enjoy doing together? What did you enjoy about each other? Sometimes, you just have to work a little harder to create those fun moments. I loved the statement that he suggested we tell our spouse: The thing about you that makes me say “wow” is ____.

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.

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Jordan Baker Watts joins me for Episode 65. She is a jack of all trades when it comes to ministry. She’s a musician, vocalist, worship leader, writer, author, podcast, speaker but at the center of it all, she has a heart about encouraging the hearts of moms. We talk highly important things like locking our kids outside, how raising kids has turned us into middle schoolers, and how bodysuits do not need to come back into fashion.

And as we solved so many of life’s problems, we also talked about some amazing things like how to find the hilarity in motherhood, what to do if you struggle with depression, and how to live the abundant life that God has placed before you.

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.

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Kayla Craig joins me for Episode 64. She is a journalist turned stay at home mom, is married to a pastor and together they have four kids under the age of 6. So she's not busy at all. We talk about the book she wrote, Just Really Joseph, her new podcast called UpsideDown, and a lot of motherhood like why they chose to adopt, parenting special needs kids and the importance of having a form of acceptance knowing that whatever God calls you to that you are enough.

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Jacey Verdicchio joins me for episode 63. You may know her well from the popular podcast called Around The Table. Jacey and I became Voxer friends last year and I thought it would be fun to talk about finding your fit or your place in work. Do you feel lost in what you’re doing? Maybe you are a recent college grad but don’t know what to do next? O maybe you’re a mom who is drowning in a sea of diapers and wonder if there is more to life? Or maybe you find yourself at a mid-life stage of life and feel like its time for a change? If that is you, then this episode was designed with you in mind.

We talk about thinking outside of the box of what work might look like for you, what to do when you feel unsure of what to do next and advice that we would give to our twenty year old selves.

I hope you enjoyed my chat with Jacey. She is such a smart, hard-working woman. I really enjoyed the part of our conversation centered around the idea that God is working something in you even if the circumstances around you aren’t quite panning out the way you wanted. She said, “I think God is more concerned about our character than our circumstances.” Amen to that… even as much as that is tough to hear, my heart knows its true.

What part of our conversation struck you? Let's not let the conversation end here. Come find me @sarahwbragg on Instagram or Twitter or SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook.

Also, I really do love Jacey’s podcast guide. It is incredibly helpful for anyone interested in starting a podcast. She lays out how to think through what you show will be about and all the technical details. You can get a copy at SurvivingSarah.com/startyourpodcast

Thank you for supporting the show from purchasing through affiliate links to sharing the show with your friends to leaving reviews on iTunes. Your support does not go unnoticed!

I love helping you survive while you drive, shop for groceries, fold laundry or hide in a closet. I am here for you! So as always, I hope that this show helps you survive a little easier.

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Sissy Goff joins me for Episode 62. She is the Director of Child & Adolescent Counseling at Daystar outside of Nashville. She’s been a counselor for 24 years and is also an author of the books Raising Girls, Intentional Parenting, Raising Boys & Girls and the latest Are My Kids On Track. I truly enjoyed chatting with her. I wish we lived near her so that my girls and myself could benefit from who she is. She may have thought I was kidding, but I literally had at least 30 questions I wanted to ask her. We didn’t cover everything on my list so the good news is that she will be coming back on the show in the future!

But in today’s episode, we chat about anxiety in our kids, parenting personalities, how to assume the best in your kids and how to develop our girls self-worth. This is an episode full of goodness. I’m praying for you all as you raise girls, love girls in ministry, love nieces and grand girls.

I think one of the biggest takeaways for me was the idea that maybe parenting has more to do with my own sanctification than the result of who I’m raising. That was one of the most freeing moments of realization. I know that God is working on me, but seeing it through the eyes of the Refiner changes it for me. It's not about punishing me. It's not about me doing all the right things in order to raise the “right” kids. Parenting is about letting God do His sanctifying work in me so that I reflect His image more.

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.

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Erin Loechner joins me for Episode 61. She is a writer, stylist and mom, living in the mid-west. She blogs at design for mankind and the heart of her is encouraging women to stop trying to define and label everything and just enjoy the life that we are actually given.

And with that, we talk about failure, parenting and the art of letting go. We weave the conversation around her new book Chasing Slow with a common thread of finding freedom, beauty and yourself in the middle of the chase.

Chatting with her truly felt like sitting with a girlfriend that you've known for a long time. Her kindness and authenticity makes her so relatable. I will give you many takeaways from our conversation over at SurvivingSarah.com but the one I want to mention here is really the bottom-line message about learning to embrace who you are--all of you. The parts that are smooth and the parts that are rough around the edges. That is a step in learning to love you and finding contentment where you are. We need to learn to embrace our own hypocrisies and stop trying to soften our edges. Small admissions, no excuses, can bring freedom. Its just about being you--not your better self, but just you.

What part of our conversation struck you? Let's not let the conversation end here. Come find me @sarahwbragg on Instagram or Twitter or SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook.

Support for today's episode is brought to you by Amazon. I do a lot of shopping on Amazon where I buy everything from paper towels to protein powder for smoothies to items mentioned in survival kits. In fact, I just bought a pack of the erasable pens that Merica Stum mentioned on back on Episode 55. So when you shop, simply type SurvivingSarah.com/amazon and the show will receive a small kickback. Its an easy way to support what we are doing.

Thank you for supporting the show from purchasing through affiliate links to sharing the show with your friends to leaving reviews on iTunes. Recently, listener osborne.shay wrote: "I have been really thankful for your podcast in 2016. You are one of the most relatable casters and I'm thankful for your realness. Thank you for sharing yourself with the world. I have added many podcasts to my listening last year, but yours remains one of my must listen-to's and I'm grateful. Keep it up, Sarah!" Thank you for leaving that review!! What you said is exactly my goal each week--to relate to you. We aren't alone in this walk of life. And it helps when we know that someone else is saying, "Me too."

You, too, can do great things like Shay by leaving a 5 star review on iTunes. It won't take but a minute and then you have cross something off your to do list.

Thank you again for listening. And as always, I hope that this show helps you survive a little easier.

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Jami Amerine joins me for Episode 60. She lives on a ranch in West Texas with her husband and children. Jami really is a mom for all women because she has 7 kids ranging from a 17 month old to one getting married. She is a blogger and a soon to be published author.

We have a candid conversation about why they chose foster care and adoption, her journey to truly believing Jesus, and how we can learn to do brave things.

When we were chatting, it was like I bolded the following phrase in my head that Jami said: Believing God is the catalyst for doing brave things. When you believe that God is for you, that He loves you and that He makes you capable, then you can do brave things. Not only do I want to be a brave person, but I want our kids to do brave things. Brave doesn't mean that you aren't afraid. It means that you do something even though you are afraid. What are you currently afraid of? What do you feel like God is asking you to step into or out of? The catalyst for doing that brave thing is to start believing God.

To read all the takeaways from the conversation, find links to things mentioned or Jami's survival kit, go to SurvivingSarah.com

What part of our conversation struck you? Let's not let the conversation end here. Come find me on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook.

I just want to say that we have had a big month of downloads here on Surviving Sarah. And I have you guys to thank. Thank you for leaving iTunes reviews and for sharing the show with your friends. Please keep it up! It is helping women just like you know that they are not alone.

Thank you again for listening. And as always, I hope that this show helps you survive a little easier.

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Natalie Stanfield joins me for Episode 59. I think so many of you will relate to her because she is a lot like you. You probably know someone just like her at your church, in the carpool line or at Starbucks. That's because she is a wife and mama of two. She is someone who has allowed her past to connect to her present and influence her future. Because of her past, God has woven a thread through her life giving her a desire to help her kids love and serve others.

We talk about motherhood, her feelings of her broken past, and how she discovered an easy way to talk to her kids (and your kids) about loving and loving others.

Thank you for listening! I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Natalie. Check out SurvivingSarah online for the show notes and everything we mentioned in the episode.

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.

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Rachel Stafford joins me for Episode 58. You may know her as the Hands Free Mama. She is is a wife and mother to girls, special ed teacher, blogger and New York Times best-selling author. When I started the podcast, Rachel was at the top of the list to people to invite to the kitchen table. I have been reading her blog for years and she has unknowingly been instrumental in helping me be a better mother.

Our conversation is one of my favorite episodes. I can't tell you how many notes I took and moments of just enlightenment that I experienced. I relate so well to Rachel and I'm thankful for her insight and encouragement. We talk about how to choose love today, how to let go of control and expectations and how failing is not as bad as we think. So pull up a chair to my kitchen table and join the conversation.

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Rachel. I had so many takeaways from chatting with her. I'll include all of them in the Show Notes over at SurvivingSarah.com but the one I want to mention here the phrases that she used for herself and her kids. Phrases like "Be kind to yourself," and "We all make mistakes." I have been using those since we recorded. Sometimes you just need someone to tell you exactly what to say. The other one is "Only love today." I can't tell you how many times I have looked in the mirror and my first thought was something negative, but then I chose to say "only love today" and "be kind to yourself." I do believe that those words have the power to retrain our mind.

What part of our conversation struck you? Let's not let the conversation end here. Come find me @sarahwbragg on Instagram or Twitter or SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook.

Here's what i love about our guests on the show--they are so generous. so many of them give away products over on my Instagram. So if you are not following me there, then you are missing out on some potential winnings!

This week, I would love it if you left a 5 star review of the show on iTunes. I know you hear me say that all the time, but it really does help women just like you find the show. So if there was a certain episode or just something that you love about the show, let iTunes know!

Thank you again for listening. And as always, I hope that this show helps you survive a little easier.

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Wynter Pitts joins me for Episode 57. She is the founder of For Girls Like You which is a resource ministry to tween girls and their parents. She produces some really amazing resources and can't wait for my oldest girl to get them.

Since Wynter is a mom of 4 girls, we have a conversation about motherhood. We talk about how God changed her perspective on being a mom, how to know when your child is ready for social media and how to foster the relationship between your daughters. I really, really enjoyed my time with her and I know you will, too. So pull up a chair to my kitchen table and join the conversation.

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Wynter. I loved every bit of it. I especially loved hearing that it is possible for God to change your perspective about your children. I am truly honest when I say that motherhood isn't my favorite role. Doesn't mean I don't love my children, but it's just difficult. Ever since my conversation with Wynter, I have been asking God to give me the desires of my heart--to make my desires His desires towards my children. She said, "God's word will react in our lives." Praying for God to react in my heart.

Check out the show notes at SurvivingSarah.com for links to all of Wynter's resources. You'll find custom amazon links so if you choose to purchase the books then the show will get a small kickback. In fact, if you type in SurvivingSarah.com/amazon then anything you purchase whether it is laundry detergent, cat liter or pull ups, then Surviving Sarah will get a small portion of your purchase.

What part of our conversation struck you? Let's not let the conversation end here. Come find me @sarahwbragg on Instagram or Twitter or SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook.

Thank you again for listening. And as always, I hope that this show helps you survive a little easier.

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Welcome to the first bonus episode of Surviving Sarah. I wanted to have an opportunity to celebrate the past year and chat with you about things that happened in my life, answer listener questions and give you a chance to hear from my daughters.

A big shout out to today's sponsor--Casper. We purchased a Casper mattress in 2016 and it was the best purchase of the year, hands down. If you choose to start the year off with better sleep then to to SurvivingSarah.com/sleep and receive $50 off the purchase of a new mattress.

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My friend, Merica Stum, joins me for the last episode of 2016--Episode 55. Merica is one of my favorite people and hands down the best cheerleader I know. She is a married to Jake and they have 3 boys. She is the Director of Girls On The Run for Southeast TN. I wanted to have her on the show nearly a year ago to talk about adoption and running a small business, but instead I knew she would be the perfect person to talk to about looking back and looking forward.

Merica joins me to talk about what she has learned this past year through turning 40--what she has learned about herself, about life and about family. This truly feels like a conversation between friends. And we will change your life with great advice about grocery shopping.

So pull up a chair to my kitchen table and join the conversation.

Click here for links and notes for everything we chatted about.

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Lauren Haun joins me for Episode 54. She is just a gal like me and you except the fact that in my book she appears to be more like super woman bounding from building to building because she has 6 kids—3 biological and 3 from China. We talk about why she chose adoption after having 3 kids, how to cultivate relationships between kids and how she learned to trust God.

For links to everything we talked about in the show, go to SurvivingSarah.

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Jennifer Allison joins me for Episode 53. She is a user experience designer for UPS by day and an author and artist by night. And she is a self-proclaimed Rambunctious Kid. As we talk you will understand why she calls herself just that.

We talk about her story--a story about God allowed her to experience a lot of hardship--both self-inflicted and at the hand of others. Yet, through it all, she's learned that He loves her and that He is for her. She learned the hard way what believing lies about her identity can do and in a beautiful way, how believing truth can truly set her free.

So pull up a chair to my kitchen table and join the conversation.

You can find links to everything we talked about at SurvivingSarah

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Katie Crocombe joins me for Episode 52. She is a wife, mother to two girls and she became a life coach in 2016. She's always had a heart for women's ministry, and what she has experienced has definitely amped up for passion for coaching.

We talk today about surviving divorce which includes how to love your ex well, how to heal, how to help your children walk through it and different pieces of advice about co-parenting. So, pull up a chair to my kitchen table and join the conversation.

Come find me @sarahwbragg on Instagram or Twitter or SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook.

Check out the show notes at SurvivingSarah.com for links and notes about my conversation with Katie.

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Today's episode is a special milestone in the life of Surviving Sarah because we have our first male guest on the show. I've always said that I would have a man on the show as long as it benefits my audience. And today's guest certainly lives up to that!

David Thomas, joins me at my kitchen table for Episode 51. He's a therapist, author and father of adolescents. He's has over 20 years of experience counseling kids and families. He's written 7 books including Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys and Intentional Parenting and the DVD curriculum Raising Boys & Girls. We set out to talk about raising boys but I have to tell you that I got so much out of our conversation even though I only have girls. We talked a lot about child development and how that impacts your parenting. We also talk about how to navigate meltdowns, how to adjust your own expectations and how to deal with your child's aggression. So pull up a chair to the table and join the conversation.

For takeaways from the episode and all the resources mentioned, check out online at SurvivingSarah.

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Melanie Shankle joins me for Episode 50. She is a wife, mother, writer and speaker. I asked Melanie to come on the show so that we could have an honest conversation about friendship. I don't know what stage of life you are in, but regardless, cultivating friendship is not easy. We talk about how to find authentic friends, how to model friendship for your children and what to do when you face conflict in a friendship. So pull up a chair to the table and join the conversation.

With this being the week of Thanksgiving, I just wanted to remind you of how thankful I am of you! Thank you for spending some of your week with me. I have loved connecting with you and hope that this show truly does help you survive a little easier.

And in the spirit of thanksgiving and of course black Friday, I wanted to let you know that my book is available for sale at SurvivingSarah.com I haven't really talked much about my book here, but if you haven't heard, I wrote a book called Body. Beauty. Boys. The Truth About Girls and How We See Ourselves. So, if you know a young woman--middle school, high school or even college--this would make a great gift. It's designed to help a girl discover how God sees her and how to learn to be content and satisfied with exactly who she is. If you are interested, go to SurvivingSarah.com and click Books or click the link in the show notes.

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Ami Shroyer joins me for Episode 49. She is the sister-in-law to a friend of mine who contacted me about sharing Ami's story. Ami is a singer songwriter, leader of a classical conversations homeschool group and has a holistic business.

You know, since realizing that God wanted me to use my voice to push others forward, He has put people in my path and raised some things to the surface for my attention. Over the past year, I've come in contact either personally or just through social media several different women who have experienced the loss of a husband. I'm not gonna lie, I wondered why God was bringing these women to my attention. Was He preparing me to experience loss? But I believe that there are a lot of hurting women who need to hear that they are not alone--they need to hear someone say, "Me too. I understand what you are going through."

So pull up a chair, grab a tissue and hear Ami share the story of walking through losing her husband and searching for purpose along the way.

Click over to SurvivingSarah.com to read the show notes.

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Jill Gott-Gleason joins me for Episode 48. I can't remember how I stumbled upon Jill, but I about 6 or 7 years ago I found her blog--Good Life For Less. She was one of the first fashion bloggers that I followed. I have always loved that she is like the everyday girl. Her content is always practical and helpful--she's not suggesting that I purchase a pair of shoes for $2000. In addition to being a blogger, she is a wife and mom to two tweens.

We talk about where fashion and faith intersect; she gives practical fashion tips for the winter season; and how to handle social media. And if you do any type of business online, you definitely want to hear her 7 tips on how to grow your business in the nooks & crannys of life. So, pull up a chair and join us at the table.

Check out SurvivingSarah.com for details about this episode.

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Hannah Joiner Crosby joins me for Episode 47. She is an artist from the Atlanta area who is also married to an artist. And she is a new mom. She sits down at my kitchen table to talk about how she discovered her love for art, roadblocks to being an artist and what has surprised her about motherhood. She gives so many good tips and pieces of advice throughout the conversation. So pull up a chair and join us at the table.

Check out the show notes at SurvivingSarah.com for everything we mentioned today.

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I am excited to have Wendy Speake back on the show this week for Episode 46. You may remember her from Episode 10 when we talked about mommy anger. That was such a great episode. You should definitely go back and listen if you are new to the show.

And today, we talk about creativity and motherhood--a new Renaissance for women. As adults we often give up on what we enjoy doing creatively. Do you remember what you used to love to do? We talk about how to find that again, how to manage the tension between your creative self and your responsibilities and how to embrace who God created you to be.

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Traci Dixon joins me for Episode 45. We met through the wonderful world of podcasting and social media. She and her friend Rebecca have a podcast called StoryCast Monday. You may have heard it before--I was a guest on episode 24.

She is a wife, mama to 3 kids, brewery owner, entrepreneur, blogger, and foodie. You will definitely want to eat some good food if you follow her on social media.

If you have ever felt the need to reprioritize your life or struggled with whether you are doing the right thing or wondered if the rug was being pulled out from under you, then you will relate to our conversation. We talk about what it looks like to choose adoption and walk through the heartbreak when it fails.

You can find everything that we talked about today in the show notes over at SurvivingSarah.com Thank you so much for listening today. I love connecting with you. You can contact through my website or @sarahwbragg on Instagram & Twitter or SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.

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Melanie Dale joins me for Episode 44. Some of you may know her from the blog world as Unexpected Mel. She is an author of two books which we talk about in the episode and has a podcast called Lighten Up with Melanie Dale. Melanie is a self-professed minivan mama and total weirdo who stinks at small talk. We start our conversation with a lightning round which captures her personality and also exposes a crazy reoccurring dream from my past. I'm slightly embarrassed that I didn't edit that part out. But I'm going to be unbiased in my editing for your sake.

In our conversation, we talk about important things like the struggle of math, how parenting is much like death therapy and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit via Snoop Dog. Y'all, the opening of the show is deep.

On another note, we talk about the difficulty of finding friends, advice for what to do when relationships end and how to love the life you didn't choose.

So, grab your coffee and join the conversation.

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Rachel Faulkner Brown joins me for Episode 43. She is a wife and mom who has a story of heartbreak and healing. She is twice widowed and has been married now to her husband, Rod, for a few years now. As our conversation unfolded, the thread that was woven throughout was easy to see—it is a story and thread of healing. God has carried her through great heartbreak and has performed miracles in her life. I know you are going to be inspired today.

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Cheryl Bachelder joins me for Episode 42. I am truly excited to introduce her to you. On the personal side, she has been married for 35 years and raised three girls. And professionally, she is the CEO of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. She is hands down one of the smartest women I've met. She leads a company of 50-60,000 employees with such grace and humility. She is very approachable and kind.

So many listeners of Surviving Sarah are leading somewhere--whether it is in the corporate world or a non-profit organization or a school or a home. And I knew that Cheryl's advice to leading would be so applicable to you--and me. We talk about the other side of leadership--humility and serving others. We also talk about being a woman in a male world, how she handled life not going according to her plan and how to deal with failure.

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Karen Stubbs joins me for Episode 41. She has a ministry for women called Birds On A Wire which includes a podcast called Wire Talk. It has become one of my favorite shows.

I am so excited for you to meet Karen. She is a seasoned mom and wife. 4 kids out of the house and married for 30 years. She came to my house and we had the best time hanging out. Asking her questions was like having a free counseling session. We talk about parenting strong spirited kids, shaping your child's identity and worth, roadblocks to happiness in motherhood and what to do when your dreams have been put on hold.

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Tammy K. Johnson, founder of the Female Idea Tank, joins me for episode 40. She helps people develop practical and easy-to-follow strategies to achieve the success they crave. While she's not working with clients, you can find her serving Board President of One Heart Africa. She and I randomly met at an event and me being just enough of an introvert to where I hate small talk, I somehow had her tell me the highlights of her life story. From there, I knew that what she survived would benefit so many of my listeners.

She walked through hurt and shame surrounding infidelity and divorce.We talk about how she not only survived that but how she came to a place of forgiveness and freedom from shame.

To find all the links to today's episode, go to SurvivingSarah.com.

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Welcome to Surviving Sarah. I'm your host, Sarah Bragg and this week, Sherry Surratt joins me for Episode 39. In her personal life, she lives in Parker, Colorado with her husband, Jeff. She has two grown kids and two grandkids. Professionally, she is an author, communicator, former MOPS President & CEO and currently serves as the Executive Director of Parenting Strategy at Orange.

Since she has been through all the phases of parenting and has been married for over 30 years, we have a rich conversation about surviving parenting and marriage.

Hop over to SurvivingSarah.com for links to everything mentioned in today's episode or to shoot me an email to continue the conversation. You can find me @sarahwbragg on Instagram and Twitter.

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Abby Banks joins me for Episode 38. When I met her, she just seemed like a normal woman, but after talking with her I realized that she is quite the super woman. She is married with 3 kids and her youngest, Wyatt, is paralyzed from the chest down. Her story is based on how God has carried her through and how healing came in a way she didn't want it to.

Be sure to check out the show notes www.survivingsarah.com/blog/episode-38 for all links mentioned and use the coupon code MOVIENIGHT for a discount from Franklin's Gourmet Popcorn (link in show notes).

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Kelly McCorkle Parkison joins me for Episode 37. She is a former Miss South Carolina and made it to the final four in the Amazing Race. She is a pastors wife with 5 kids living in Tennessee. We talk about why she chose adoption, how to handle a grieving child and her ministry LOFT 218. You will hear about my long lost dream of being Miss America and how I am the most unlikely candidate to be on the Amazing Race.

Be sure to check out the show notes at SurvivingSarah.com for the links mentioned in the show.

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Kelly Smith joins me for Episode 36. She is a food blogger and cookbook author at The Nourishing Home. She devotes her time there to sharing delicious whole food, gluten free meal plans, recipes, cooking tips and encouragement to help others in their quest to live a more nourished life. We talk about why she has a passion to help others when it comes to health, tips on how to help picky eaters, how to have your kids help in the kitchen without losing your mind and why meal planning is so important.

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Christy Nockels joins me for Episode 35. It was sort of a surreal moment chatting with her because I listen to her on spotify all the time. In fact, for July spotify notified me that she was my top listened to artist. And spotify doesn't lie. In this episode, we chat about how she discovered the love for music and songwriting, so many things about womanhood and her Christmas album which you can be a producer on (christynockels.com/christmas) So sit back, grab some coffee or if you are like her, a Dr. Pepper with good ice, and enjoy my conversation with Christy.

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The amazing Mo Isom joins me for episode 34. You guys, I love this girl. I heard her speak at The Grove at Passion City this past year, and I immediately contacted our mutual friend and demanded to meet her. Mo came to my house back in June and sat with me at my kitchen table. We talked about motherhood and her story of overcoming adversity--which includes eating disorders, her father's suicide, promiscuity and a horrific car accident.

We laugh and got goosebumps. I'm not lying when I say it was like we had church around my kitchen table. I am so excited for you to hear her story. I know you will be encouraged, inspired and entertained.

Go to SurvivingSarah.com for links and notes from today's episode.

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Kara-Kae James joins me for episode 33. She is a preacher's wife who lives in Texas with their four kids. You may know her as the executive director of Thrive Moms--a ministry that encourages and equips moms.

We talk about how much we love Target (and no Target isn't a sponsor, but it probably should be), postpardum depression and anxiety, adoption and how she makes working from home work for her.

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Julie Martinez joins me for episode 32. She is a single mom whose been a missionary for 22 years. She is the Country Director for People For Care & Learning (PCL) in Cambodia which is an organization that does transformational development to give the poor a working chance while building bridges into their lives so that they can share the gospel.

In my book, Julie is a rock star. She has lived in 4 different countries, been chased by hippos and elephants, survived divorce, surviving as a single mom, and she fiercely loves people and Jesus. If I'm ever pulled over in a foreign country, then I want Julie by my side. When I picture her, I think of the Katy Perry song Roar. She is a champion.

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Brenda DeWalt joins me for Episode 31. She lives in Colorado with her husband and three kids. We talk about surviving summer as a work from home mom, how kids most likely are born with a manual on how to wear your parent down and how we should invent a velcro wall and suit for kids. But in all seriousness, we talk about a lot of other great stuff. She shares her story which includes health struggles, adoption, waiting, failed adoption, and bridge building. In fact, I recorded this episode with Brenda several weeks ago, and the part of our conversation about bridge building is very relevant to what's going on in our country currently. I love seeing God's sovereignty over the timing of this show.

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Sarah Rieke joins me for Episode 30. Sarah sought me out after listening to the show because she wanted some advice to how to start a podcast. After getting to know her, I knew that her story would truly resonate with many of my listeners. She is a kind hearted, gentle spirited woman who has suffered the loss of children and has a passion to walk with women who also suffer loss. We talk about grieving and fear and what she would say to a women walking a similar path.

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The founder of Project Free 2 Fly, Hailey Johnston, joins me for Episode 29. She is a wife and mom of 2 girls who decided to start a non-profit to help support women in her local community live beyond their circumstances.

We talk about summer living, being intentional with your kids and what it looked like to say "Yes" to God and start a non-profit--when you know nothing about starting something like that.

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Shannon Scott joins me at my kitchen table for Episode 28. Shannon is a worship leader, teacher, writer and director of student life at her kids' school. She's been married to Jeff for 17 years and they have three kids ages 11-14.

I met Shannon years and years ago. She and Jeff were actually my landlords back in my single days. We ran into each other this past spring and after chatting for a bit I knew I wanted her to be on the show. We talk about how she grew up in a legalistic culture, how that programmed her view of God and how she is learning to survive shame.

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For Episode 27, I chat with Sofia Dickens. She is a wife, mom of 3 and a mompreneur. She is the founder of the company, EQtainment, whose mission is to improve emotional intelligence globally by creating fun and simple tools for practicing social skills and better behavior.

Sofia and I have such an insightful conversation about emotional intelligence. We chat about parenthood, how to develop your child's EQ and what its like to be an entrepreneur.

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Tindell Baldwin joins me for Episode 26. She wrote a memoir called Popular: Boys, Booze and Jesus. It's an honest read about her story of growing up in a christian home but walking away from God in high school in order to find love and acceptance. It's a story of redemption.

Whether you are a young woman in college or a mother of a teenager or maybe a woman with a similar past, Tindell's story will resonate with you. I particularly enjoyed chatting about perfectionism, shame and fear.

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Joy Phenix joins me for Episode 25. She is a wife to Billy for almost 19 years, has two kids and a dog. She spent 27 years working for A&E Networks before starting her own production company. We talked about the insanity of summer, raising tweens and the blend of career and motherhood. You are going to absolutely love our conversation.

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Sandra Stanley joins me for Episode 23. She is wife to Pastor Andy Stanley and they live here in the Atlanta area. They have 3 kids--one out of college and two in college. And once they crossed the finish line--the one all parents dream of and became empty nesters--God surprised with them. He led them to become foster parents.

I don't know about you, but as a woman I treasure any time that I get to sit at the feet of a woman who is down the road from me. I want to hear about all the things. And this episode is chocked full of great advice. Advice for foster parents, young moms, wives and all women young and old no matter what stage of life. We also talk about her book, The Comparison Trap, along with what it looks like to choose obedience, to live out the fruit of the spirit and to find your worth in something that doesn't change. Plus, you will absolutely love her survival kit.

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Joni Lay from the blog Lay Baby Lay joins me for Episode 22. I bet if you go to your Pinterest boards, you will find images from her blog. Her images are all over my Inspiration boards.

She is married to Chip and is a mom of 3 young girls. I loved hearing her advice about how to create a joy-filled home. We talk about design, working while being a mom, and challenges in motherhood.

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Emily Thomas joins me for Episode 21. She is a wife,mom of 2 kids, nurse and Podcaster. You may have heard her oniTunes with her show, Mom Struggling Well. She is so realand funny and I love that she is not afraid to be honestabout herself. I think that is what draws people to her.

I asked Emily to come on the show to tell her storybecause she has faced almost all the things that we as women fear.She has faced abuse, divorce, infertility and infidelityat different points in her life. And I wanted herto share with you to see that fear doesn't have to ruin youand God can use you no matter what you face

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I can't believe we are already 20 episodes in! Thank you so much for listening!! Thank you for subscribing to and sharing the show. More and more people each week are discovering this little thing we have going because of you.

Jennifer Willis joins me for Episode 20. I met Jennifer a couple of years ago at elementary school pick up time. She is just seemed like a normal mom but as I got to know her, her story unfolded before me. She has faced great loss yet experienced great joy, too. She shares her story today on the show--what happens when life is less than you imagined. When the picture in your head isn't matching what is reality. They lost jobs, lost 5 babies, had a cancer scare and adopted a special needs kid. Ups and downs, but she clings to a God who overcomes.

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Annie F. Downs joins me for Episode 19. She happened to be in town and we got to meet and chat at my kitchen table. I love that because that's how I would want to be talking to each one of you. There is something very personal about opening up your home and sitting across from them at your table.

She is a full-time speaker and writer who also happens to have some killer hidden talents that we talk about in the show. We talk about how she went from an elementary school teacher to a published author and communicator along with what its like to be 35 and single. Plus, we have a first on Surviving Sarah--a lightning round. You don't want to miss that towards the end of the show.

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Courtney DeFeo joins me for Episode 18. Courtney is a wife, mom of girls and a former marketing professional for Chick-fil-a. She is the creator of a small business called Lil Light O Mine that empowers moms and hopes to change little lives through innovation in the home.

We talk about how she went from her dream job to staying at home with her kids. That choice is hard because no one is giving you a promotion for potty training your strong willed kid. Am I right?! But Courtney shares how she made that decision and how God uses your past experiences and skills in your life as a mom today. She shares some really great practical advice for starting a business and for how to build an authentic faith in your kids.

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Jamie B. Golden joins me for Episode 17 of the Surviving Sarah podcast. She is a pop culture extraordinaire where she cohosts a podcast about pop culture called The Popcast with Knox and Jamie. She is also a cake pop baker and digital marketing consultant.

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Shannan Martin joins me for Episode 16 of the Surviving Sarah podcast. If you don't know her already, she writes over at Flowerpatch Farmgirl. Shannan and her husband Cory have 4 kids. God stitched her family together in different ways and from different places. And she has experienced over the last few years what its like to get the life you always dreamed of only to realize through losing it that it wasn't what she truly wanted.

It didn't take long for us to realize that we are kindred spirits--especially unified in our love for gingham shirts. We could have easily talked for hours, but instead we kept it slightly shorter. We talked about everything from books to Netflix to our dream houses to being front yard people and so very much more. Shannan has become a strong voice of influence in a community of people who desire to love their neighbor.

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Lauren Lefevre joins me for Episode 15. She is a stylist and fashion blogger. We talk about how she became a fashion stylist, how she balances it all, and everyday essentials that we need in our closet.

I had so much fun talking about fashion and how it intersects with our faith. Lauren started her business to help everyday people feel the best about themselves that they can.

I'm going to take a personal style challenge and maybe you should join me. Let's choose to be creative and confident in what we wear this week. And to take it one step further--take a pic and post it on Instagram. Tag me @sarahwbragg and #SurvivingSarah so that we can cheer each other on in our creativity.

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Jessica Satterfield joins me for Episode 14. I met Jessica a few months ago and she is one of the nicest, most genuine people I know. She is a first grade teacher by day and blogger by night over at GraceWhileWeWait.com

We talk about her struggle through infertility and how they came about adopting their two children. her story has parts of despair but also contains great hope. She shares how adoption changed her life.

Thank you for giving your time to listen to this episode. It means the world to me. Be sure to subscribe to the show so that you never miss an episode. Come find me on instagram @sarahwbragg or at survivingsarah.com and I hope this show helped you survive a little easier today.

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Thanks for joining me for episode 13 of Surviving Sarah. Designer, Anisa Darnell, joins me and we talk about how she got her start, her experience with being on HGTV and balancing work and being a momma of 3 girls.

I had one of my favorite designers sitting in my kitchen so I couldn't wait to ask her some design questions like advice about renovating, how to love temporary spaces and what are the best items to splurge or save on. I think you're gonna really love hearing from her.

That is all for today's show. Come find me on instagram @sarahwbragg or at survivingsarah.com I hope this show helped you survive a little easier today.

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Logan Wolfram joins me for episode 12. She lives in South Carolina with her husband, 2 boys and large dog. Logan is such a likable woman and really is like every girls' girl. I guarantee you will feel like you guys are friends by the end of the show. In her life, she has been a chef, decorator, director of a bloggers conference--even though she wasn't a blogger--and now she is a newly published author.

In our conversation, we talked about what its like to be a work from home mom, her go to dinners, handling disappointments, and what it looks like to cultivate curiosity in your life. We unpack some key points from her new book, Curious Faith: Rediscovering Hope In The God of Possibility.

Thank you so much for listening this week! I truly want to connect with you. I want to get to know you! Come find me over on Instagram @sarahwbragg --it is really my most favorite place to hang out during the week.

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Lindsay Tarquinio of LUO joins me for Episode 1. Lindsay is a wife of a former Atlanta Falcons football player, new mom, interior designer, private chef and the co-founder of an organization called LUO which exists to set children free from poverty. We talk about how LUO started, who her biggest influence was and what its like to live in NYC.

Thank you for listening to the show today! If you want to score some bonus points, head over to iTunes and leave a review of the show. That is iTunes love language and helps people find us.

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Today's episode of Surviving Sarah is a conversation with author and speaker, Wendy Speake. We talk about how she was surprised by mommy anger. She would have never described herself as an angry person yet spouts of anger were triggered in her by her kids. We talk about her new book (co-authored with Amber Lia) that released Feb 16, 2016 called Triggers: Exchanging Parent's Angry Reactions For Biblical Responses. Our conversation felt like therapy and I left feeling inspired and encouraged--I know you will, too.

The show continues to remain on New & Noteworthy in iTunes which is all because of you! Thank you so much! Keeping leaving reviews and telling people about the show. Let me just give each of you a virtual high five!

Come find me on Instagram & Twitter @sarahwbragg and at www.SurvivingSarah.com

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Blythe Hill, creator of the campaign Dressember, joins me on the show. We talk about how a dress can change the world. She took her love of fashion and combined it with a passion to help women who don't have a voice. In the campaign's 3rd year, she along with many other advocates raised over $915,000 USD! It's amazing what women in the hands of a very capable God can do! That money will fund over 200 rescue operations, pay over 45 anti-trafficking lawyer's salaries for a year or pay for aftercare therapy for over 1000 survivors for a year. That is truly remarkable! I can't wait to join the campaign in December 2016.

Thank you for spending part of your day with me! Hop on over to Instagram @sarahwbragg or Facebook or SurvivingSarah.com to connect with me. All of the links that Blythe mentioned are on my blog. Go ahead and click the subscribe button here on iTunes before you leave so that you will never miss an episode.

I hope this show helped you survive your day a little better!

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Lauren Byrne joins me in this week's episode of Surviving Sarah. She is a lawyer, blogger and mother of 6. Lauren tells the story of surviving the death of her firstborn son--something that no parent dreams of facing. She also gives some great advice for those who are facing similar pain.

Thank you for spending part of your day with me! Hop on over to Instagram @sarahwbragg or SurvivingSarah.com to connect with me. All of the links that Lauren mentioned are on my blog. Go ahead and click the subscribe button here on iTunes before you leave so that you will never miss an episode.

I hope this show helped you survive your day a little better!

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In this week's episode, I talk with writer, speaker, social activist and pop culture enthusiast, Alisha Gordon. I had so much fun talking with her. And we talked about everything from her word for 2016 to how we can help single moms to Mike Tyson. I promise you will be inspired and entertained.

Thank you for all your amazing reviews! Seriously, all the hearts for you. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review of the show because that review will help others find us. Follow me over on Instagram @sarahwbragg and for links to all that we talked about today, head over to SurvivingSarah.com

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In this week's episode, I talk to parenting and toddler guru, Jennifer Walker. Jennifer co-founded an organization called Moms On Call, and we talk about all sorts of questions surrounding parenting young kids. I promise that you will leave encouraged and feeling like you got this.

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On this week's episode, Sarah chats with floral photographer, Ashley Woodson Bailey, about surviving a tragic car accident that should have killed her. The trajectory of her life was forever altered yet amazing things have happened since. She took what was in her hand--her phone--and combined it with her passion of flowers and something beautiful happened.

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on iTunes. That will help other people find the show. Go ahead and hit the little subscribe button so that you will never miss an episode. Thanks for listening! Find me on social media @sarahwbragg and my website SurvivingSarah.com

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On this week's episode, Sarah chats with Leslie Word about motherhood--specifically about becoming a mother in unexpected ways which include foster care, international adoption and legal guardianship.

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On this week's episode, Sarah chats with Ashleigh Slater, author of Team Us--a book about how couples can work together as a team.

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Sarah chats with Sarah Anderson...

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Sarah debuts her new podcast with author and friend, Holly Lauren...

Surviving Sarah: Recent Episodes

Sarah Bragg