Shows
LDS Missionary Moms76: Money (does that activate your nervous system?) with Lynda McDonellSend us a textThis week, we’re discussing something many of us don’t love to talk about: money. Whether your missionary is preparing to leave, has just come home, or is years away from that season, how we think, speak, and feel about money matters—and it affects our kids more than we realize.I brought in money coach Lynda McDonell to help us take a gentler, clearer look at how we can teach financial responsibility without shame, create independence without enabling, and stop letting money be a source of fear or drama.W...
2025-06-2337 min
LDS Missionary Moms75: Organizing Your Missionary's Room with Tracy HothSend us a textCleaning out your missionary’s room can bring up all kinds of emotions—grief, tenderness, overwhelm, and sometimes even guilt. Whether you’re eager to reclaim the space or clinging to their water bottle like it’s a lifeline (been there!), this episode is here to help.Organizer coach and life coach Tracy Hoth joins me to discuss the emotional and practical sides of this process. We discuss how to navigate letting go, how to decide what to keep, and how organizing can actually become a gift for your missionary (and for futu...
2025-06-0937 min
LDS Missionary Moms74: Nervous System or the Spirit? How to tell the difference.Send us a textWhen something feels off with your missionary, it’s easy to wonder—is this a prompting from the Spirit, or just anxiety in my body? In this episode, we’ll talk about how to tell the difference between a nervous system response and spiritual guidance. You’ll learn how your body signals fear, how the Spirit usually speaks, and what to do when you’re not sure. This episode will help you calm the chaos inside so you can respond with clarity and love.Join the waitlist for Missionary...
2025-06-0216 minLDS Missionary Moms73: Why Am I So Anxious?Send us a textIf your missionary is about to leave—or already out—and your body feels anxious, tense, or just “off,” this episode is for you.Today I walk you through how your nervous system responds to stress, what Team Hyper and Team Hypo really look like for missionary moms, and how to gently guide yourself back to Team Resilience.Using tools from Leah Davidson, nervous system expert, and my own framework, I’ll show you what resilient people do—and how you can apply these practices when emotions feel high and control...
2025-05-2719 minLDS Missionary Moms72: Your Thoughts Are the StorySend us a textHi friends—welcome back! Quick life update: I started a new job, met some great people, and explored new parts of Utah. But while I was away, my husband mentioned there were big storms in St. Louis—right where my son is serving. My old patterns of worry kicked in, but this time, I caught it. I reminded myself: I trust him. I trust God. It’s going to be okay.That’s what inspired today’s episode. We’re talking about the quiet, sneaky thoughts running in the background—thoughts that shape how...
2025-05-1921 minLDS Missionary Moms71: Growing PainsSend us a textHello, sweet friends. This podcast is my little love project, poured straight from my heart to yours. Whether you’ve been here from the start or just found me, I’m so grateful you’re here. If there’s ever a topic you’re struggling with that I haven’t covered, please reach out—I’d love to hear from you. My email is in the show notes, and you can always DM me on Instagram. Hearing from you is my favorite part of this work.Today, we’re talking about growing pains—the...
2025-05-1218 minLDS Missionary MomsBonus: A Grace Filled Mother's DaySend us a textHappy Mother’s Day, my sweet friends. Today, I’m doing something I’ve never done before—sharing a bonus episode just for you.Mother’s Day has sometimes felt more tender than joyful if you're anything like me. Maybe you’ve heard that loud, critical voice in your head reminding you of every misstep, every moment you weren’t enough. But what if today, we rebelled against that voice? What if we chose grace instead of shame?Join me for a few deep breaths and a heartfelt reminder: you are enou...
2025-05-1113 minLDS Missionary Moms70: "Dear Mission President, Please Don't Judge My Kid"Send us a textEver had the urge to email your missionary’s mission president to explain your child’s quirks, apologize for 18 years of parenting, and offer a few disclaimers? Yeah… me too.In today’s episode, we’re lightening things up and learning to laugh at the moments that usually send us into a shame spiral. Because let’s face it—sometimes the best medicine for a panicked mom brain is a little humor, especially when the situation is really just burnt toast, not a house fire.Here’s what we cover:Why ou...
2025-05-0513 minLDS Missionary Moms69: Loneliness Can be SacredSend us a textWhen the house is quiet and the calendar emptier than it's ever been, loneliness can feel like a fog that won't lift. In this episode, I’m sharing my personal experience with that soul-deep ache—especially after sending off my youngest missionary and transitioning out of full-time motherhood.We’re not talking about the kind of loneliness that a girls’ night can fix. We're talking about the kind that sneaks in during dinner-for-one, lingers in the silence, and makes you question your worth and purpose.Here’s what we dive into...
2025-04-2820 minLDS Missionary Moms68: Balancing Having a Missionary and Aging ParentsSend us a textThis episode is for the women in the middle—the ones answering emails from missionaries while navigating doctor appointments with aging parents. The ones holding everyone’s emotions, while their own heart quietly stretches and breaks.Today we talk about how to stay anchored when life pulls you in opposite directions.You'll learn:How to support your missionary without abandoning yourselfHow to love your parents without losing your sovereigntyHow to be onto your brain when it starts whispering victim-y liesWe’re not here to spiritually bypass hard t...
2025-04-2116 minLDS Missionary Moms67: Don't Waste A Good CrisisSend us a textHey friends—Michelle here.This episode was born from a simple quote: “Never waste a good crisis.” At first, it sounds counterintuitive—maybe even insensitive. But what if it’s actually one of the most empowering invitations we’re ever given?I’m joined again by my brother Travis, and together we unpack what happens when life flips upside down—when your missionary leaves, comes home early, struggles in the field, or when life back home brings its own heartbreaks. We talk about how disorienting those moments can be, and how they’re...
2025-04-1438 minLDS Missionary Moms66: What I'm Learning From My Missionaries (and you can too)Send us a textThis week, I deeply reflect on how we grow when our missionaries do. With stories from my own life and honest moments of vulnerability, we introduce a beautiful framework to help you see your quiet transformation: the mirror, the muscle, and the message.You’ll learn:How your missionary’s growth reflects places in you still unfoldingWhere you’re building emotional and spiritual strength (even when it doesn’t feel like it)How to listen for the gentle messages this season is whispering just to youThis episode...
2025-04-0723 minLDS Missionary Moms65: Self SabotageSend us a textYou set a goal, make a plan, feel excited… and then sabotage it. Procrastination, excuses, distractions—we all do it. But why?Why We Self-Sabotage:💡 It’s a worthiness issue. We only allow ourselves to succeed at the level we believe we deserve.💡 Fear keeps us small. Success brings change, and change feels risky.💡 More effort isn’t the answer. If you don’t believe you’re worthy of good things, you’ll block them—no matter how hard you try.For Mis...
2025-03-3122 minLDS Missionary Moms64: Why Self Confronting is GrowthSend us a textWhat happens when your expectations for your missionary’s experience don’t match reality? How do you handle the fear, frustration, and even resentment that can arise when things don’t go as planned? In this episode, I dive into the powerful concept of self-confrontation—the ability to see yourself and your emotions without judgment honestly.I share my journey of navigating fear and trauma during my son’s mission, how it shaped my nervous system, and why self-awareness is the key to growth. We’ll talk about the difference b...
2025-03-2423 minLDS Missionary Moms63: Helping Your Missionary Through DiscouragementSend us a textEvery missionary experiences discouragement at some point, and as moms, we feel it too. When our missionary calls home saying, “I don’t know if I’m cut out for this,” or “I don’t feel like I belong here,” our instinct is to fix it. But what if our job isn’t to fix their discouragement but to help them see their worth—no matter what?In this episode, we dive into how we (and our missionaries) often tie our worth to external validation—success, numbers, obedience, or even how well we support our...
2025-03-1714 minLDS Missionary Moms62: Aligning Morning Self and Evening SelfSend us a textHave you ever noticed that the version of you at night makes plans that your morning self dreads? Or that your weekday self is disciplined, but your weekend self throws everything out the window? You're not alone! In this episode, I explore the disconnect between different versions of ourselves and how aligning them can make life so much easier.I’ll share:✔ Why our nervous system plays a role in this disconnect✔ Small, doable steps to support your future self without needing perfection✔ How this applies to mi...
2025-03-1014 minLDS Missionary Moms61: Your Worth Isn’t Earned—It’s Already YoursSend us a textSo many of us unknowingly tie our worth to what we do—our achievements, our callings, even how our kids turn out. But the truth is, self-worth and self-confidence are not the same thing—and if we don’t understand the difference, we’ll keep chasing external validation that never quite fills the gap.In this episode, we’re diving into:✔️ The difference between self-worth and self-confidence✔️ Why external achievements (like temple recommend worthiness, appearance, or service) don’t define your inherent worth✔️ How...
2025-03-0318 minLDS Missionary Moms60: 4 Pillars to Feeling Like You AgainSend us a textYour nervous system is not being dramatic—it’s doing its job, constantly asking, "Are we safe?" And when your missionary leaves, that question can send you into stress overdrive. Whether you're lying awake composing emails to the mission president at 2 a.m. or zoning out on social media, your body is just trying to cope.But here’s the good news: You can get back to steady, sane, and like yourself again with four science-backed (and surprisingly simple) tools:✔️ Sleep – Your brain’s rese...
2025-02-2417 minLDS Missionary Moms59: What I Wish I Had Taught My Missionary Before They LeftSend us a textSending a missionary out is exciting, but there are always things we realize after they leave that we wish we had covered. In this episode, I’m sharing what I missed and what I got right before sending my missionaries into the field—so you can prepare yours just a little better.From cooking basics (trust me, pasta isn’t as foolproof as you’d think!) to packing food for long days, to the importance of reading scriptures out loud, I’m giving you all the small but essential things that will make...
2025-02-1717 minLDS Missionary Moms58: Conversation LullsSend us a textHave you ever found yourself on a call with your missionary and hit an awkward lull in the conversation? Maybe they’re giving one-word answers, or they just want to sit in silence. It can be frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be!In this episode, I’m sharing strategies to help your missionary (or any of your kids) open up and talk—while also helping you listen better. We’ll explore:✔️ Why some missionaries seem chatty while others hold back✔️ The role of nervous system regulation in meaningful convers...
2025-02-1021 minLDS Missionary Moms57: External vs. Internal Validation – How to Build Lasting Self-EsteemSend us a textEpisode Summary:Do you ever find yourself seeking approval from others to feel “good enough”? Whether it’s worrying about what people think of your parenting, your missionary’s success, or even your own emotions, external validation can be an exhausting cycle. In today’s episode, we’re talking about the difference between external validation and internal validation—and why shifting to internal validation is key to building unshakable self-esteem.I’ll walk you through how to recognize when you’re relying on external validation, why it keeps us st...
2025-02-0317 minLDS Missionary Moms56: The Power of Having a Minimum BaselineSend us a textIn this episode, I share a game-changing concept called the "minimum baseline," inspired by Brooke Castillo and the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. Learn how small, consistent actions can help you and your missionary create sustainable habits, tackle big projects, and avoid the overwhelm of all-or-nothing thinking.Highlights include:What a minimum baseline is and how it helps create lasting habits.Real-life examples of how to use this approach for goals, routines, and projects.Tips for helping your missionary transition home with grace and flexibility.How understanding your nervous...
2025-01-2712 minLDS Missionary Moms55: Emotional AwarenessSend us a textLife as a missionary mom can feel overwhelming—balancing emotions, family, and the ever-present “what ifs.” In this episode, we dive into understanding and managing your nervous system, starting with mapping where you are emotionally and physically.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:How your nervous system operates and why it can’t tell the difference between burned toast and the house burning down.The importance of identifying your emotional “you are here” point and understanding your body’s cues.Simple questions to ask yourself daily to increase self-aw...
2025-01-2014 minLDS Missionary Moms54: The Power of a Thought AuditSend us a textIn this episode, we explore the transformative tool of a Thought Audit—a simple yet powerful way to identify and challenge the thoughts shaping your life.What You’ll LearnLessons from Wrestling: How pre-match thoughts like “I’m so tired” impact performance—and life.What Is a Thought Audit?: A step-by-step process to uncover hidden beliefs, challenge them, and rewrite your story.Real-Life Examples:I share some of my thought audits and how they helped me transform how I was showing...
2025-01-1319 minLDS Missionary Moms53: Navigating Cultural DifferencesSend us a textIn this episode, we explore the challenges of cultural shock and differences your missionary might face, whether serving in a foreign country or a different part of the U.S. As moms, our role isn’t to shield them from the unfamiliar but to be a safe, nonjudgmental space as they navigate these experiences.Learn what happens in the brain when encountering something new, how curiosity can replace judgment, and why discomfort is a natural part of growth. You’ll also discover practical tips for responding empathetically and helping your missionary (and...
2025-01-0611 min