Don't Mom Alone Podcast Don't Mom Alone Podcast

Do you feel like you just need more money to create a home you love? Do you want an inviting home that feels peaceful and open to your friends and family? Are you confused about your decorating style and end up buying random decor that does not work? 

Myquillyn Smith, author and founder of the Nesting Place, joins me to help with all of the House Rules that can be so overwhelming. She gives me advice on how to update my kitchen on a limited budget by utilizing Pinterest. Plus gives advice on everything from throw pillows, lamps, wallpaper, and buying new couches. Myquillyn says that decorating is taking the time to learn about yourself and what you need for your home. Building the confidence to make big and small decisions that lead to a home you love and is functional. She reminds us that it does not have to be perfect to be beautiful. 

One powerful statement from Myquillyn is to not wait to get started, get started today on creating a home you love. One that you, your family, and your friends can be invited into a place of peace and rest. 

Connect with Myquillyn Smith: 


Website:  Nesting Place

Facebook: Nesting Place

Instagram:  Myquillyn Smith (@thenester)




Links Mentioned:  





House Rules: How to Decorate for Every Home, Style, and Budget by Myquillyn Smith
The Cozy Minimalist Community
Jason Saft | Staged To Sell Home (@stagedtosellhome)
The Nesting Place: It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful: by Myquillyn Smith
Quiz: What's Your Decorating Era?


Related Episodes:


How to Quit Hustle and Embrace Small-Moment Living :: Emily Freeman {Ep 83}
Create a Home of Belonging and Becoming :: Sally Clarkson {Ep 107}
Your Unique Color Palette and Authentic Style :: Karen Blanc [Ep 343]



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Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 

Do you feel as if you are always measuring yourself as a mom? Do you feel like the pressure to keep up with moms around you is overwhelming? Do you feel snappy or resentful at your kids and husband?

Today, author Sara Hagerty joins me to talk about her new book, The Gift Of Limitations. She is a wife and mom of seven with four adopted kids. Sara shares how we often find ourselves daydreaming about other seasons and how to recognize our limits and give ourselves grace without shame and complaining. When we name our limits we can actually grieve them and let God give us the story He is intricately weaving for our families. Society tells us we can be limitless, we can optimize everything, but Sara reminds us that the limits and plot twists in our life are all from a good Father who is at work in our stories. 

Connect with Sara Hagerty: 





Website:   Sara Hagerty

Facebook: Sara Hagerty

Instagram:  Sara Hagerty (@sarahagertywrites)


Links Mentioned:  





The Gift of Limitations: Finding Beauty in Your Boundaries: by Sara Hagerty
Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet: Tasting the Goodness of God in All Things: by Sara Hagerty
Unseen: The Gift of Being Hidden in a World That Loves to Be Noticed: by Sara Hagerty

Related Episodes:





When You Feel Unseen :: Sara Hagerty [Ep 175]
Every Bitter Thing is Sweet :: Sara Hagerty [Ep 143]
Help When You Feel Weak :: Lisa Whittle [Ep 170]



Featured Sponsors: 





BetterHelp: This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/DMA and get on your way to being your best self.”
Total Gym: Remember: It only takes 10-20 minutes a day to reshape your body. Head to TotalGymDirect.com/DMA for an ADDITIONAL 20% off your order. Plus that includes a FREE AbCrunch attachment AND free shipping. This special offer won’t be available for much longer.
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Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 

Right off the bat Cynthia and I get sidetracked by my grumpy mood. A mood I blamed on an instagram battle but probably more about my grief of having a senior who is actually going to college! 

There’s some rehashing of the Bachelor, Heather’s advice for renting with Turo and discussion whether audiobooks count as reading. We also get sidetracked talking about all of the end-of-school year emotions including Cynthia's current struggle over her first grader’s learning and reading challenges. She claims her stage of life is somewhere between Kidzbop music and shapewear from Soma. Which makes us wonder how would you describe your current parenting stage? 

Regardless of which end of the spectrum you are on (or maybe you are in both seasons) this episode will give you encouragement that God cares for our kids more than we ever will and He has a good story for their lives. 

Connect with Cynthia Yanof: 


Website:   https://cynthiayanof.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.yanof 
Instagram:  @cynthiayanof 
Podcast: MESSmerized 



Links Mentioned:  





Turo car rental marketplace
Watch Mean Girls
Chico's
Soma
Heather’s new Cupshe bathing suit
Amazon.com: Audible Books
The Women: by Kristin Hannah
Confessions of a Shopaholic: by Sophie Kinsella
Me before You by Jojo Moyes 
Don't Mom Alone: by Heather MacFadyen
Life Is Messy, God Is Good: by Cynthia Yanof
Cynthia’s MESSmerized Patreon
Heather’s Don't Mom Alone Patreon

 Related Episodes:





Emotional Maturity, Teamwork, and 25 years of Marriage :: Bruce and Heather [Ep 458]
Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids :: Dr. Kara Powell [Ep 290]
How to Stay Calm with School Stress :: Kirk Martin {Ep 88}

Featured Sponsors: 






Thrive Causemetics- get an exclusive 20% off your first order at thrivecausemetics.com/DMA

Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 

Earbud and Trigger warning
We live on the other side of the Resurrection! If you find yourself in the middle of brokenness and ruin, we pray this episode reminds you that your heavenly Father God is in the redemption business. 

Today Nadia Louise joins me to share her powerful testimony. Her story is woven with so many layers of trauma and pain from a narcissistic, abusive father to the death of her brother when she was just 17 years old. That event was the catalyst that allowed Nadia to hear the voice of the Lord. But her story was not over; she still walked through pain, suffering, more death, and heartbreak. As she learned to sit at the feet of Jesus and hear His voice she began to heal from depression, self-harm, and her past. 

Listen in to Nadia’s powerful story and know that God still heals, still redeems, and still works today. 

Connect with Nadia Louise: 





YouTube: Nadia Louise (youtube.com)

Instagram:  nadia louise (@itsnadialouise)




Links Mentioned:  






Dancing on the Grave–Naomi Cantwell and Christ for the Nations 
Kiddell (@ohkiddell)
Upperroom (uprmdallas.org)



Related Episodes:





Forgiving What You Can’t Forget :: Lysa TerKeurst [Ep 304]
Faith in the Unexpected :: Christine Caine
You Are Never Alone :: Max Lucado [Ep 298]
Life Giving Faith in Every Circumstance :: Lisa Appelo [SofM wk 2]



Featured Sponsors: 






Trust & Will- Get 10% off plus free shipping of your estate plan documents trustandwill.com/DMA


Vegamour- For a limited time get twenty percent off your first subscription order at VEGAMOUR.com/DMA

Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 

Bruce joins me today to discuss 25 years of marriage and answer listener questions like-  What did you learn in year 25 that you wish you knew in year 1? How do you make time for intimacy? How to handle times when your significant other is having a struggle with faith? And, What are you looking forward to when your kids are grown and flown? 

I discuss how I’ve grown in emotional maturity while Bruce talks about how to get out of the ruts and routines of work and family life. We also tackle different personality types and how we handle those when parenting our boys. Teen parenting is hard y’all, there are no formulas but we have learned that teamwork is essential. 

God had been so good and faithful through 25 years of marriage and parenting. Join us today as we share the vulnerable, hard, and good parts of the journey. 

Connect with Bruce: 


Website:  zello.com/about-us

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-macfadyen/ 


Links Mentioned:  





A Drama Triangle explanation
A Definition of Locus of Control 

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow 

Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age: by Melissa B. Kruger 
Shōgun: The Complete Novel: by James Clavell
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany: by William Shirer



Related Episodes:





Bruce Learns to Label His Feelings :: Bruce and Heather [Ep 316]
Talking, Teens, and Twenty-four Years :: Bruce + Heather [Ep 399]
Changing the Atmosphere of Your Home with Positive Parenting :: Ralphie Jacobs [Ep 456]
Helping Socially Anxious Boys :: David Thomas [Ep 451]



Featured Sponsors: 






Better Help- DMA is sponsored by BetterHelp. BetterHelp.com/DMA today to get 10% off your first month.

Greenlight- Greenlight is a debit card and money app made for families. Get your first month free at GREENLIGHT.com/DMA


Total Gym- For an ADDITIONAL 20% off your order, head to TotalGymDirect.com/dma

Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 

Do you feel like you are on the hamster wheel of expectations this culture throws at your teen? Do you feel the pressure and pull of having them in every sport, activity, and tutor to excel? Is church becoming a point of struggle every Sunday? 

Melissa Kruger joins me to talk about all things teen and how to raise them in this culture that is pointing to everything but Jesus.  Melissa is an author and Bible teacher who encourages women as they walk through life and motherhood. We talk about how to enjoy our teens instead of curating their lives and how to allow them space to fail. Melissa shares the three pillars that are the foundation of a home focused on Christ- God’s word, prayer, and the Church. We dive into each of these and how to practically walk them out in our homes and with our teens.

Melissa ultimately reminds us that as recipients of God’s unfailing grace, we get to share that identity with our kids as we guide them through these challenging years. 

Connect with Melissa Kruger 


Website:  Melissa Kruger (melissabkruger.com)

Facebook: Melissa B. Kruger

Instagram:  Melissa Kruger (@melissabryankruger)


Links Mentioned:  





Pre-order “Parenting with Hope”

Books – Melissa Kruger

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein  
Wherever You Go, I Want You to Know by Melissa B Kruger
The Gospel Coalition (TGC)
Article on Melissa’s family prayer routine: Now’s the Time! Resources for Family Devotions 


Related Episodes:





“What is My Responsibility in My Child’s Salvation?” :: Vela Tomba [Ep 431]
Freeing Your Adolescents to Step Into Adulthood – Ages and Stages – Teens :: Dr. Ken Wilgus [Ep 382]
Doubt, Questions and Your Teen’s Growing Faith :: Mary Jo Sharp [Ep 375]

Featured Sponsors: 






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Thrive Market- Get convenient, high-quality, affordable groceries delivered with Thrive Market! Go to ThriveMarket.com/DMA for 30% off your first order, plus a FREE $60 gift!

Vegamour- Elevate your hair wellness routine this year with Vegamour. For a limited time get 20% off your first subscription order of Gro Hair Serum by going to VEGAMOUR.com/DMA


Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.