The Business of Family: Recent Episodes
Julie Miller and Laura Eckert
Two very different sisters living 2,000 miles attempt to balance parenting, marriage, finances, goal-setting and chaos in this conversational podcast. Running a family and household has many parallels with running a successful business. Let's talk about the ways we can (mostly) create success at home: The hopeful, the hilarious and the HARD.
It's time for kiddos everywhere to go back to school! Julie and Laura discuss transitioning into new routines and inteview their new middle and high-schoolers about what it's like to move onto the next step from the child's perspective.
Ever feel like you just have too much STUFF? Yeah, us too. In this episode, Julie and Laura discuss their methods of going though the mountains of excessive things and purging themselves of the clutter. It's tough. But it feels SO GOOD.
There are few decisions more impactful on a family than the decision about which job to take. This even applies to work that doesn't earn a paycheck but still takes up our time and energy. In this episode, Julie and Laura discuss jobs that come with and without pay and the things to consider when making the decision to tackle a new position.
Summer is here! With the kids out of school and the weather bringing us outdoors things are certainly different during this season. Julie and Laura discuss goals and schedules for the summer months and share an exciting announcement!
What do you do when the unexpected happens and turns your entire life upside down? Julie and Laura discuss the medical crisis that hit the family in 2017 when Julie's husband experienced a critical cardiac illness. They share their individual perspectives and the ways in which we can all be prepared for and weather life's inevitable storms.
Sometimes making your house a home requires some elbow grease, some money or both! When taking on projects both big and small there's a lot to learn and to consider. In this episode, Julie and Laura discuss some of their own project successes and failures as well as game plans for making their homes everything they want them to be.
Having a baby isn't the only way to build a family full of love. In this special episode, Julie and Laura welcome guest Sarah Coleman who shares her experience as a foster and adoptive parent. Sarah walks us through her journey as she and her husband have helped make a difference in the lives of children in need of a safe, loving home.
Julie and Laura continue their baby series and discuss the challenges that come with new parenthood. Bringing our babies home can bring us so much joy but also impacts us physically, emotionally and financially. It's hard but we can do it!
Growing things for practicality or pleasure is a skill that is learned and cultivated over years. Julie and Laura share their gardening successes and failures (honestly, can anyone successfully grow pumpkins???) and why they love getting outside and learning as they grow.
8 deliveries, 9 babies, 3 mamas. Julie and Laura welcome guest Stephanie Sabo and the 3 share their birth stories in a lively conversation full of babies and delivery drama.
Getting pregnant is just the first step on a long journey. For the next 9 months, a mama has to grow the baby (or babies!) which is a journey in and of itself. Julie and Laura discuss their pregnancy journeys as well as common discomforts and complications.
From the moment you decide (or discover) that you are going to become a parent everything changes. In this first part in the baby series, Julie and Laura discuss the beginning of their journies to parenthood: trying to get pregnant, fertility issues, and pregnancy loss.
Marriage is not for the faint of heart. Once you've chosen the right partner, how do you give yourselves the best chance at a long-lasting, loving union?
Julie and Laura welcome guest, Nic Stearns, who has been happily married for nearly 28 years (and wiht her partner for 31!) Nic shares her wisdom and experience getting through the good times an the bad and how she and her husband have build a relationship in which they can both thrive.
What do you look for in a spouse? How do you know that someone you love is really "the one?"
Julie and Laura talk about the relationships that didn't work out and the ones that made it all the way from dating to the altar.
The end of a year is a natural time to think about your goals. Julie and Laura discuss ways to set goals you can actually achieve and share some of the goals they're each setting for the new year.
Taking care of ourselves is something that easily falls to the wayside when we're busy managing a household and all the work that entails. Our health, both mental and physical, is so important and it's time for use to prioritize it. In this episode, Julie and Laura talk about the many ways we can be of service to ourselves so that we can feel more fulfilled and ultimately pay it forward to those around us.
Food is a necessary part of home life for all of us, but there are so many different ways it can be managed. Julie and Laura discuss how their households manage food in regards to allergies, sensitivities, grocery shopping, cooking, planning, and more.
Navigating the Holidays can be tricky - from budgeting to logistics to family dynamics, it's enough to leave anyone feeling overwhelmed! In this episode Julie and Laura discuss how each of their families celebrate this season and how things will look in this crazy year.
Julie and Laura discuss the necessity of learning to manage time when running a household and share their favorite tips to keep themselves on track. Spoiler alert: Sometimes things don't get done - and that's ok!
Budgeting. It's a scary word! Managing money responsibly is one of the biggest ways to impact your family - it eliminates one level of stress in your daily life and helps you build the future that you want for yourself and your loved ones. Do YOU have a plan for your money? What kind of life do you envision for your family in 5 years? 10 years? Let's figure out how to get you there.
Whether you're homeschooling on purpose or helping with virtual school, educating your kids at home is HARD. How can we ensure our kids get the best education without letting mass chaos reign?Let's talk about it! Laura shares her perspective as a homeschooling mom and Julie shares her perspective as a mom trying to help her kids navigate virtual school.
Stay tuned after the credits for surprise critter visits!