Mom to Mom Podcast

Moms, we are in a battle--a battle against the culture for the hearts and minds of our children. Today, Heidi St. John has joined us to help us prepare for it.  

Heidi has an uncanny ability to bypass our prejudices and preconceptions allowing her to speak directly to the heart of every mother as she offers wisdom, inspiration and grace to those who are all too often feeling overwhelmed by all that's on their plate. Heidi’s been married to her husband Jay since 1989. Together they have seven children and several grandkids. The St. John children range in age from tweens to adults. They’ve homeschooled their kids all the way through high school, with 5 graduates now. In addition to all this, Heidi is running for Congress for the 3rd district of Washington state.

We don’t know what myths…or really lies you’ve believed about what it means to be a “good” mom, but we hope that our discussion today will dispel some of those misguided beliefs.

The truth is, we’re all in process–trying to be the best moms we can be to the children that God has specifically given to us to mother. We’re gonna get it right some times and we’re gonna mess it up at other times. But, let’s not get discouraged in doing well. Let’s remember Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” That’s not a myth. That’s a truth and a promise, not just for you but for your kids.

If you’re raising a strong-willed child, you’re well aware of it without having anyone tell you. Strong-willed kids aren’t bad but they can be incredibly frustrating. They’re often smart and confident, able to problem solve quickly, and are determined to achieve their goals. Although those are great traits, they’re probably not the first things that pop in your mind when you think about your child.

The defiance can be exhausting and the disrespect crushing. The weight of it all can exhaust you and become all-consuming.

Strong-willed children crave two things: respect and choice. So how do you find out what makes them behave the way they do? What do they need from you to help you both move forward and build on their strengths?

Motherhood can be overwhelming and quite honestly, as much as we organize, set up boundaries, and have a healthy view of our daily life, the peace and joy may be absent from our soul and our calm feels like chaos.  How can a mom be transformed from the inside out?

Today’s guest, Tricia Goyer, understands what it’s like to be pulled in a dozen different directions with the longing and intention to do all things well.

Perimenopause and menopause are God-designed. They are seasons that can and should be welcomed and celebrated. But unfortunately, they are often talked about with undertones of regret, embarrassment, or lament.

Today, we hope to change the narrative.

In Psalm 141:3, we read, “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!” This verse echos the theme of dozens and dozens of verses in Scripture. And it’s not by accident that God warns us more than once to watch what we say. Our tongues are powerful and as we’ve mentioned before on the show, they can give life. Today's guest, Ginger Hubbard, is here to give us some tips for taming our kids' tongues so that they too might speak life. 

It’s been said that lost time is never found again. You have but one life to live. So, how you use your time each day really counts. Today, we are looking back on all the promises we made to ourselves last month and doing a quick assessment of our goals. Hopefully our chat will be like a shot in the arm to you to keep pressing in to yours.

When we gossip, we’re sharing information about someone that’s not public knowledge…if they wanted you to know it, they’d share it themselves. Before you're tempted to share news about someone else, ask yourself this: "Would I say these words if the other person were standing right here in front of me?"

Gossip is extremely harmful and, if what you're sharing is not true, it’s slander. When you gossip, you’re telling only a partial truth about someone because you can’t possibly know the whole story. The hard truth is this: Gossip is sin and it can destroy a home, a church, and a friendship. It’s like a secret hunger that we try to avoid but when someone starts talking about someone else, we almost can’t resist it.

When left unchecked, the seasons of a woman’s body and her ever changing hormones can often lead to discouragement, spiraling emotional and physical crashes, and a shadow loneliness. Sadly, after decades of ignoring the natural response of our bodies and the intricate design and purpose we were created for, many of us struggle to respond to our beautiful womanhood in healthy ways.

Our husbands have volunteered to be in the hot seat and we’ll be turning the mics over to them to give us all a peek at what it means to be a husband and father with intention and hopefully help us all as moms know how best to love, support, and partner with them in helpful ways. This is obviously the Mom to  Mom Podcast, so the episode is for you. But, if you’re married,  we’d encourage you to grab your spouse and listen together.