Walking Through Grief: Coping, Comforting Kids, and Embodied Emotions :: Erin Nelson and Colleen Montague [Ep 517]

Boys today are struggling more than ever with social anxiety.   They feel hesitant, anxious, and struggle to take healthy risks. How do we know when to push them into uncomfortable places? Many boys are even struggling with life milestones like getting their driver's license, asking a girl to the school dance, or applying to college. OCD and ADHD are on the rise and we want to understand when to step in and get them any help that is needed.   My guest David Thomas, a licensed professional counselor, is back to bring wisdom, advice, and tools to navigate life with our boys. He tells us the top three reasons why these issues are on the rise. David helps us learn how to support, challenge, and help boys be more outward moving and have more purpose. He reminds us that our sons are first a child of God and we can anchor them in that truth as we parent and guide them through life.  Connect with David Thomas:  Website:  Raising Boys and Girls (raisingboysandgirls.com) Facebook: Raising Boys and Girls | Facebook Instagram:  Raising Boys and Girls (@raisingboysandgirls) • Instagram photos and videos Links Mentioned:   Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life by Susan David  The Worry-Free Parent: Living in Confidence So Your Kids Can Too by Sissy Goff Feeding the Mouth That Bites You: A Complete Guide to Parenting Adolescents and Launching Them Into the World by Kenneth Wilgus  Legacy Changer by Kristen Hallinan Life 360 App  Your Enneagram Coach (a gospel-centered approach to the Enneagram)  Related Episodes: David Thomas Episodes Freeing Your Adolescents to Step Into Adulthood – Ages and Stages – Teens :: Dr. Ken Wilgus [Ep 382]  The Enneagram and Motherhood :: Suzanne Stabile [Ep 232]  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

12 Feb 202452min

Kids plus nutrition often equals a storm of thoughts and emotions. What should I serve my child? How do I get them to eat it? Is what I heard on the internet true? We don’t come to these questions with blank slates either. Words spoken to us or ideas we’ve internalized can make this area of life rife with trouble.  But my guest this week is mom and registered dietician Kacie Barnes and she is here to help! She’s got broad guidelines and specific tips to help us through snacks and mealtimes.  The one thing she made sure to say in our interview?  “Give yourself some credit because I know that you work really hard to feed your kids and it is not an easy job.” Connect with Kacie Barnes:  Website:  https://mamaknowsnutrition.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mamaknowsnutrition/  Instagram:  @mamaknowsnutrition  Links Mentioned:    Renzo’s Pick Eater Multivitamin with Iron  Find Simple Mills foods or Harvest Pea Snaps at your favorite grocer Related Episodes: Fed is Best || New Baby Series Pt 2 :: Dr. Bridget Young Healthy Habit Building :: Kat Lee [Ep 300]  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

5 Feb 202451min

Where do you turn when life gets messy?  Cynthia said it best, “98% of life is the messy part.” But that sentence doesn’t have to end there, with us shaking our fists at the sky. Instead, get Sidetracked with Cynthia and me as we dive right into life’s messy parts, clinging to the brilliant hope that God is still good to us, and for us.  Pre-order Cynthia’s new book, Life is Messy, God is Good and enter our contest to be on a future episode of Sidetracked!  Connect with Cynthia Yanof:  Website:  https://cynthiayanof.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.yanof  Instagram:  @cynthiayanof  Podcast: MESSmerized  Links Mentioned:    Life is Messy, God is Good: Sanity for the Chaos of Everyday Life by Cynthia Yanof Enter our Sidetracked Giveaway  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

2 Feb 202442min

How do you measure yourself? How do you decide if you’re succeeding or failing in life? One ruler we often reach for is comparison. Sometimes comparisons are helpful tools we can use to evaluate our processes or methods. But we’ve all seen comparisons go wrong. Who hasn’t thought, “I’m not like her. I must be less than”?  Comparison isolates. It causes us to withdraw from our community or to put up perfect-looking walls that keep people out.  My guest this week is recovering comparison-chaser, Jenn Schultz.  Her new book, She’s Not Your Enemy, shows us the root of the problem isn’t how we are different from one another, it’s that we don’t truly know who we are. Armed with the knowledge of who God made us to be, we are free to celebrate other women and build God’s kingdom together.  Connect with Jenn Schultz:  Website:  https://jennschultzauthor.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennschultzauthor  Instagram:  @jennschultzauthor  Podcast: Called Into Being @calledintobeing    Links Mentioned:    She’s Not Your Enemy: Conquering Our Insecurities So We Can Build God’s Kingdom Together by Jenn Schultz Inner Healing Prayer :: Jennifer Barnett [Ep 323] Psalm 103 Romans 8 Ephesians 1 Related Episodes: Be Vulnerable, Find Your People :: Jennie Allen [Ep 354] Move From Comparison to Compassion :: Karen Ehman [SOM Wk 5] Sidetracked with Fall, Homecoming and Sibling Conflict :: Cynthia & Heather [Ep 432] Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

22 Jan 202445min

Have you ever asked yourself, “Is what’s going on with my body normal?”  So often as women, we are quiet about what’s going on with our bodies.  Our concerns have been dismissed before. We’re worried about what will have to change in our lives to fix this nagging symptom. The doctor is busy.  We have to leave this appointment soon to make it on time to the next thing on our lists. So we just deal.  But my guest this week, Dr. Kamilia Smith, says that “quality of life issues should not be extra credit for women.” Our conversation covers a gamut of topics from menopause to sexual health to supplements.  Dr. Smith is the Founder and Director of Charleston House Gynecology in Dallas. Her practice is geared toward caring for all of a woman on the zig-zag road through midlife healthcare.  Connect with Dr. Kamilia Smith:  Website:  https://charlestonhousegyn.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/charlestonhousegyn  Instagram:  @charlestonhousegyn  Links Mentioned:    Estrogen Matters: Why Taking Hormones in Menopause Can Improve Women’s Well-Being and Lengthen Their Lives – Without Raising the Risk of Breast Cancer by Avrum Bluming and Carol Tavris  Dallas Pyschologist/Therapist: https://behavioralhealthdallas.com/dr-katie-sardone-psychologist-therapist Dallas Counseling: https://www.mend-counseling.com/ NY Times article on Menopause  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

15 Jan 202446min

What would you do to make sure your child’s faith life is growing strong? Is this something you’re taking on yourself or getting help with? Join us this week as Ben Bevis, a passionate advocate for youth empowerment through faith, shares insights on gathering Mentor Circles around our young people. As the founder of Encircled, Ben is dedicated to helping to launch the Next Generation with sustained faith. Ben and Encircled do this by helping to equip parents, grandparents and mentors by grounding youth in their identity in Christ, discover their God-given gifts and create a vision for their lives. Listen in about how you as a parent can gather a Mentor Circle around your child! Connect with Ben Bevis: Website: https://encircled.org/ Instagram: @encircled.official Email: ben.bevis@encircled.org Links Mentioned: FREE Encircled Parenting Resource (https://encircled.org/parents/) Fuller Youth Institute (https://fulleryouthinstitute.org/) Connected Families (https://connectedfamilies.org/) The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character by Jon Tyson  Related Episodes: Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids :: Dr. Kara Powell [Ep 290] Equipping Your Kids for Difficulty :: Kim Sorgius [Ep 356] Relationships you Need to Be the Mom you Want to Be :: Heather Macfadyen [Ep 341] Exchanging False Beliefs for True Identity :: Jamie Winship [Ep 433]  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

8 Jan 202447min

Happy New Year! We’re starting the year off right with mile-long to-do lists and a complex highlighting system so we don’t forget to wash the dog in the midst of crocheting that giant bow.  JK!   But we are thinking about what went well in 2023 and what we’re focusing in on 2024. Whether you make resolutions or not, evaluating how things are going is helpful and the flip of the calendar is a natural time to do just that. But because we’ve been victimized by the to-do list just as often as we’ve been helped by it, we brought in professional help. Laurel Denise, better known as Lolly, from Laurel Denise Planners joins us to talk about planning and to help us make sense of all those task-thoughts running around our brains.  Getting Sidetracked may be a little more productive than usual this month! (but still with plenty of laughs!) Connect with Cynthia Yanof:  Website:  https://cynthiayanof.com/  Podcast: Messmerized Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.yanof  Instagram:  @cynthiayanof  Connect with Laurel Denise:  Website:  https://laureldenise.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/laureldeniseloves  Instagram:  @laureldenise  TikTok: @_laureldenise Links Mentioned:   Right Where You Belong: How to Identify and Fully Occupy Your God-Given Space by Heather MacFadyen Cultivate What Matters PowerSheets Life is Messy God is Good: Sanity for the Chaos of Everyday Life by Cynthia Yanof **ENTER to be a guest on our March Sidetracked episode (giveaway ends Feb 9th) Laurel Denise Planners  Pilot Frixion Erasable Pens Related Episodes: Organize Your Mental Load :: Laurel Denise [Ep 444] Cultivate What Matters :: Lara Casey [Ep 146]  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

5 Jan 202451min

How are you handling your mental load? Are you a well-packed Sherpa able to take on any terrain or Sisyphus rolling the ball up the hill only to watch it roll back down?  This is the time of year when it feels natural to look back and look forward. We can evaluate what worked and what didn’t, but more importantly we can listen to what space the Lord is asking us to occupy. Maybe things need to drop off our list. Maybe God isn’t saying “let go” but is tasking you with bringing order to your every day. My guest this week is mom and planner creator Laurel Denise. Laurel shares her journey thus far through motherhood and owning a small business and how she made sense of it all.  Connect with Laurel Denise:  Website:  https://laureldenise.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/laureldeniseloves  Instagram:  @laureldenise  TikTok: @_laureldenise Related Episodes: Sunday Planning :: Retha Nichole [Ep 349] Listening for God’s Leading :: Caroline Cobb [Ep 405] RWYB Week 4 Cultivate What Matters :: Lara Casey [Ep 146] Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

11 Dec 202356min