In today's episode, I speak with Dr. Rina Bliss, a leading expert on the nature of intelligence and its cultural significance. Dr. Bliss, who is a professor of sociology at Rutgers University, has spent over a decade researching the misconceptions surrounding intelligence and its assessment. In her latest book, Rethinking Intelligence: A Radical New Understanding of Our Human Potential, Dr. Bliss challenges the conventional wisdom that intelligence is a fixed, innate trait determined solely by genetics. Drawing on cutting-edge research, as well as her own experiences as a mother and a sociologist, she argues that intelligence is a complex and dynamic process shaped by a range of factors, including stress, connection, play, and mindfulness.

Through her work, Dr. Bliss seeks to overturn the long-accepted assessments that we use to classify and judge children and ourselves, providing a more flexible and expansive approach that accounts for the cultural context of intelligence. Her research shows that awareness, rather than scores and numbers, is the key to understanding our potential for growth and development. Join us as we delve into the fascinating world of intelligence and its cultural significance with Dr. Rina Bliss, whose groundbreaking work challenges us to rethink what we know about ourselves and our human potential.

How are our clothes connected to confidence? And how does our clothing correlate? Joining me today is personal stylist, Keri Blair. Keri and her team are known as a secret weapon and are trusted advisors to their extensive clientele across the country. She has over 20 years of experience styling executives and high profile clients drawing upon her experience in some of the world’s most dynamic and beautiful cities including New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Milan. Keri's mission is to assist her clients in embracing their appearance every day. By empowering individuals to appreciate their appearance and feel self-assured, content, and genuine on a daily basis, Keri aims to enable them to unlock their potential for a fulfilling life. Today I share our conversation about the correlation between confidence and style, the importance of a strong first impression, our opinions on capsule wardrobes and more…

In the midst of the pandemic, while everyone in tiny apartments was looking to trade up to a larger home, Andee Martineau did the opposite. She and her husband sold their 7,000 square foot home in Arizona and moved their family of six (plus two kids in college) into a cabin by a lake in Utah. Andee went from having a two-story home with two kitchens and two laundry rooms to a two-story cabin with only two bedrooms and one bathroom. Yes: one bathroom.

They weren’t broke, rather worn down. The fairy tale is the big house, but the reality was that Andee spent all of her time cleaning the 15+-room home, keeping up with 1.5 acres of land, managing the pool and raking the lawn. She desired for more time with family, but with all that space sometimes they were so spread out in the house - she'd had no idea who was doing what...

In this episode, Andee will be sharing her story of how she made this decision, what inspired her to choose this path, and how it has impacted her family's life. She will talk about the benefits and challenges of living with less, including spending more quality time with her family and lightening the mental load that comes with having too much stuff.

In today's episode, I sat down with Dr. Emily Kline to discuss how Motivational Interviewing (MI) can be used to facilitate healthy communication between parents and young adults. Often used in healthcare settings, MI is a communication style that focuses on making positive changes, such as reducing drug or alcohol use, taking medications regularly, and other lifestyle improvements. However, Dr. Kline has adapted these techniques to help parents communicate with their young adult children more effectively. In this insightful conversation, Dr. Kline explains how parents can build stronger relationships with their children by using the principles of MI. By approaching difficult conversations with curiosity, asking good questions, listening carefully, repeating back what you heard, and giving advice effectively, parents can create a partnership with their children that fosters mutual respect and understanding. Join us as we explore these important techniques for making hard talks easier.

On today's bonus episode, hosts of the Peaceful Homeschool podcast (Emma and Beth) are here to encourage and empower you by sharing how you can simplify your homeschool day and achieve a peaceful relationship with your children. We are here to tell you that homeschooling is not as daunting as it may seem, and with the right mindset and tools, you can give your children an excellent education while fostering a close relationship with them. We discuss tips to simplify your homeschool day and encourage other moms who may be struggling with this fulfilling yet challenging journey. I hope that this episode will inspire you and show you that peaceful homeschooling is possible and can change your family's life.

Today, I bring you my conversation with Sarah Schweisthal, the personal finance expert behind the popular TikTok account @YouNeedABudget, about her journey to drastically reduce her family's monthly grocery bill. With a starting point of $1,200, Sarah experimented with various strategies such as reducing food waste, cooking with ingredients on hand, and shopping at affordable stores like Aldi. Through trial and error, she was able to lower their grocery bill to just $400 per month. Sarah shares her top tips and insights on how you too can save money on your grocery bill without sacrificing nutrition or taste. Listen along for tips learn how to shop smarter and reduce your monthly expenses.

As parents, we all know how quickly our children outgrow their clothes, and how tempting it can be to simply throw them away and buy new ones. But with the life cycle of kids' clothes being much shorter compared to adult garments, this can lead to a significant amount of waste. In 2018, the EPA reported, 17 million tons of textile waste ended up in landfills, compared to the 2.5 million tons that were recycled, it's clear that their work is more important than ever. That's where small business (and my guests today), Hand Me Up comes in! Hand Me Up's mission is to promote a circular approach focused on reuse and repair, which is key to extending the life of textiles. Join me for this interview with founders, Kara and Nicole to learn more about their inspiration, mission, and impact.

Listening. It is one of the chief skills parents need with children. From paying attention to children to listening to teachers and doctors, much of being a parent consists of listening. Yet most parents only listen to about 3% of what is said. This means we often don’t hear important information relayed to us. Why is this? Why is listening so important to parenting? How can you improve your listening skills?

Here today to discuss all of these topics and more is Christine Miles - author of the award winning and critically acclaimed book, What Is It Costing You Not To Listen?. Miles is known as ‘the listening guru’ and will discuss how critical that listening is to be a parent and shares tips on how to improve your listening skills. 

I'm excited to introduce our guest today, Tracey Showalter, a busy mom of three, wife, and founder of The LightHouse Co. With a passion for cleaning and organizing, Tracey left Corporate America after fifteen years to pursue her dream job of professional organizing. Through her work, she aims to change her clients' lives by restoring order and creating a sense of calm within their homes. Today, we'll be discussing Tracey's approach to decluttering and organizing, including the acquisition process that often leads us to overwhelm, the game-changers she uses with her clients, how she navigates the emotional journey of decluttering and much more…

Have you ever observed the significant impact that can result from performing small, routine tasks, often referred to as rituals? Such rituals, including keeping a journal, drinking tea, lighting candles, taking daily walks, or choosing stairs over elevators, may have a profound effect on one's physical and mental well-being over time. Tamara Castelo, CEO of Tâmara Castelo Clinic in Portugal, believes that solutions exist for every problem, but people often struggle to access them due to a lack of direction and over-stimulation. Today, she joins us to discuss her new book, The Power of Rituals, and addresses questions such as the most effective simple rituals to reduce daily stress, the significance of daily rituals, the importance of physical touch, the benefits of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and more.

Did you know that shopping won’t solve your style struggles? If it did, you wouldn’t be struggling with a closet full of nothing to wear. The ultimate style solution starts with a mindset shift. Joining me today is former Hollywood stylist, Jammie Baker. Five years ago, she ditched the red carpet lifestyle to create a virtual styling business. Jammie empowers real women to find their unique style because she knows it’s not just about the clothes you wear, but the life you live in your clothes. Dressing from a mindset of appreciation and acceptance for your body will not only improve your experience with getting dressed but it will also boost your confidence.

In this episode, I spoke with author Michele Cushatt to discuss her new book, "A Faith That Will Not Fail," which offers practical and grounded ways to find hope in the midst of life's unexpected difficulties. We dive into faith practices like lament, waiting, and connection, and how they can help us navigate the darker moments of life. Michele shares her own journey of building a resilient faith and offers insights on how to fill our days with reminders of God's never-ending devotion.

Join me for part two of my conversation with Jillian Hankins. In this episode, we discuss Jillian’s passion to live according to natures rhythms/seasons. Jillian has always been endlessly fascinated with the richness of the seasons. Jillian believes that to live seasonally is more than what we eat, but reaches down into the very marrow of our days - how we move through the hours that we've been given with our families!

In this episode, I delve into the topic of slow and simple living with my guest, Jillian Hankins. My conversation with Jillian felt like catching up with an old friend. We spoke for over ninety minutes. In the first half, we explored the significance of slowing down, even when it's challenging to quiet our inner to-do lists. We also discussed the common tendency to claim we live slowly while still getting swept up in the culture of busyness. The second half (that will air on Thursday) focuses on Jillian’s passion to live according to natures rhythms/seasons. To live seasonally is more than what we eat, but reaches down into the very marrow of our days, how we move through the hours that we've been given with our families!

Through the work of 19th century education pioneer Charlotte Mason, parents today can discover a liberating, countercultural philosophy of childhood, learning, and motherhood. Whether a child is in traditional school, homeschooled, or somewhere in between, my guest today, Leah Boden (author of the new book, Modern Miss Mason) offers timeless wisdom on holistic learning, fostering curiosity, and trusting parental intuition. Leah has experienced first-hand how ideas from Mason can transform childhood learning today and she is here to share her experience with you!

Setting your intentions to get regular quality sleep takes some work. From changing lifestyle habits to being mindful of your sleep hygiene, there are a lot of factors to consider in the quest to get better rest – including creating a tranquil space to slip into deep, restorative sleep. However, the bedroom tends to be a catchall for the day, including discarded clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, a workspace and more. Can all this clutter disrupt your sleep? Probably not – but it can disrupt your peace of mind. This is where Terry Craelle, RN, sleep expert and representative of the Better Sleep Council comes in! Today Terry answers the questions: Does a messy/disorganized bedroom actually affect one’s sleep? What are some other tips for “tidying” your sleep rituals? What's sleep hygiene? If someone is overwhelmed with all the advice, what’s *one thing* they can start doing tonight to tidy their sleep habits? Terry’s goal is to share clever hacks for decluttering your bedroom and reclaiming your zone of relaxation to sleep soundly!

Making her second appearance on the show is creator of Inspired Budget, Allison Baggerly. Allison is a prominent money management educator who specializes in helping women take control of their finances and start building wealth. As a former teacher, Allison combines her teaching skills with her passion for personal finance to help others learn how to budget, save, pay off debt, and invest for their future. The episode's main focus is on how to talk about money with kids, even if you're still figuring out money management yourself. Allison highlights why it's important to discuss money at home, shares tips on finding authentic ways to talk to children of all ages about budgeting and saving, and describes her personal approach to teaching her own children about money, investing, and debt. This episode is a must-listen for parents who want to empower their children with financial literacy skills.

In today's episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Angela Jia Kim, founder of the beauty brand, Savor Beauty and author of the new book, Radical Radiance. Angela is a single mom, New Yorker, and self-love advocate who is dedicated to helping women nourish themselves both inside and out. In this episode, Angela shares her insights on simplifying self-care in a way that is deeply nourishing and practical. She encourages us to go beyond the superficial notions of self-care and to focus on creating a sense of abundance and joy in our daily lives.

How would you like some more breathing room at home? Holly Blakey is a home organizer (and creator of Breathing Room Home) who specializes in creating calm spaces that you love to live in. As owner of Breathing Room Home, she's been transforming client's spaces for over 9 years, specializing in creating beautiful and practical systems that help families simplify their lives. She has a product line with Sugar Paper LA, and has appeared in Real Simple, Domino, Goop, GMA, Good Housekeeping, HGTV and People. On today’s episode, you’ll hear about Holly’s journey to embracing simplicity in her home, organization hacks to help conquer all the mess, tips for creating calmer spaces and much more…

Parents remain the most powerful and important influence in their kids’ lives. Many parents lose sleep over their responsibility, wondering if they’re providing the right boundaries, discipline, and examples to ensure their children have a bright future. Author, Monica Swanson combines years of research with personal stories and step-by-step, practical advice in her latest book, Raising Amazing: Bringing Up Kids Who Love God, Like Their Family, and Do the Dishes without Being Asked, and joined me to share some of her most practical advice for how YOU can raise amazing kids. Instead of being overwhelmed by the growing challenges family’s face, Monica cheers on parents to pour into their kids’ lives in a way that inspires them and shapes them into young adults they are proud to launch into the world.