Be Love

Today we have the definition of Be Love. do good on our podcast, our guest Carlos Whittaker. You may have read Carlos’ books, or maybe you have seen his good deeds on Good Morning America, the Nick Cannon Show, or anywhere they have gone viral, like raising a tip for Tonee the Piano man, or helping a woman get a service dog, or helping teens in Brooklyn.    Carlos sees people, like really sees people. People call him the Hope Dealer. He gives hope to people everyday and shares it with his hundreds of thousands of social media followers.    He gets to the heart of people and his passion is to help others see people too. People who are different from you, people you have bias against, people who get on your last nerve.    Today Carlos tells us story after story of how he has seen people tear down the walls and get to know others, which brings perspective and open hearts. Carlos gives us tangible ways of how to take the first step.    I promise you, you will be so encouraged and inspired to see others and love

The relatable and hilarious Jami Nato is sharing making intentional parenting simple. I love how she gives us permission to not do all the things. Just one thing at a time when it comes to parenting, and it starts with us! Jami is the best at sharing ideas that all of us can do! Jami is a blogger, amazing mother, speaker, and one of my favorite parent Instagram influencers. Today she talks about so many wise nuggets, especially to make intentional parenting simple, and how it starts with giving grace to ourselves.   Some things we chat about: We talk about how to recognize what is going on in our own heart and get our heart peaceful and right so we can express that to our kids. That comes first. How to help our kids navigate this world through open and hard conversations.  How carpool is the dream machine when it comes to having intentional conversations with our kids.  How to help our kids learn how to navigate the difficult things through a gospel lens.  Creating a space for them to normalize their feeling

Today I am in the podcast closet alone, talking about something that inspires me. When my kids were little my husband traveled during the week. I was exhausted and needed my kids to chip in and help make their lunches, lay out their clothes, small things that made a big difference; things that helped me out.    What I found is that by helping my kids learn to be responsible for their own things, contribute around the house and learn some life skills at an early age, it would pay off in the end.    Today we are talking about how to LET GO as parents, trust our kids and guide them to being their own problem solvers. Sometimes it’s more about US letting go of control and letting our kids make some decisions on their own.    Today I share ideas of what we can do to help our kids thrive on their own: Age-appropriate tasks How to manage their own homework, talking to adults and teachers Being responsible for their own person (luches, lay out clothes, water bottles)   Follow us on social media: Instagram:Bestron

Today I am interviewing Sally Clarkson, author of multiple parenting books, speaker, blogger, mother to 4 grown amazing children. Sally is the mentor everyone wants to have coffee with. Everyone wants Sally on speed dial when a problem arises in parenting. Sally is a gentle reminder that you are the perfect parent for your kids.    Today we talk about her new book Help, I am drowning, Weathering the Storms of Life with GRACE and HOPE.    From Sally: “It has taken me a lifetime to learn the truth about what it means to suffer in this world and yet live to see the grace of God. I want to come alongside others so they will not feel as lost or alone as I often have. I want you to know, my friends, that you are seen and loved in the place you find yourself right now. Friends, I want to encourage you today. I learned, through many of my own stormy seasons, that in order to bring light and truth into a dark world as a follower of Christ, I need to face the harsh realities of disappointment, despair, and difficulties

This week I have the powerhouse Ashley Abercrombie author of   Love is the Resistance: Learn to Disagree, Resolve the Conflicts You’ve Been Avoiding and Create Real Change, and we are talking about the last phrase of our napkin note: LOVING OTHERS, not the people who are easy to love, but the ones we have a hard time loving. You know who they are. And before you roll your eyes at me and think- but that person is just too hard, too different, too opinionated, too ______; listen to this episode about handling conflict, being an example to our kids, and teaching our kids to love, respect, and be curious about other’s stories.   What we find is that we are much closer than we seem if we just get to know each other.    Ashley Abercrombie is like your favorite big sister, teaching you truth through the most loving heart. Ashley is a speaker and writer, popular podcastor of the podcast Why Tho. She is the author of Rise of the Truth Teller: Own Your Story, Tell it Like it is, and Live with Holy Gumption, and the f

You probably know now, if you listened to our latest episodes, that a simple lunchbox note changed our lives.  Today I am talking about the second phrase on that note “Protect the Weak” - what that means to us, how we live that out, and how as families we can do this together.    We all want our kids to have open hearts, empathy, and truly SEE others, but we have to teach them to be aware. This podcast is all about how to do just that.      I explore these three takeaways: #1 keep your eyes open/ learn/ ask questions #2 be in proximity to others who have a different story than you.  #3 Get in the trenches    Some resources and quotes I reference:   Book: Tattoos on the Heart by Father Gregory Boyle Quote: “There is no them and us. There is only us.” - Gregory Boyle Quote: The problem with the world is we have forgotten we belong to one another.” -Mother Teresa Grab your FREE printable daily affirmations for your kids.

Today we are interviewing the generous and kind Dave Hollis, who also happens to be a NYT best selling author, host of the popular Rise Together podcast, keynote speaker, life and business coach and author of the new book Built for Courage.    Dave was our very first guest, and now he is in on our 100th episode.  As parents we desire to help our kids be strong in who God has made them; to be confident in their characteristics and live in their purpose. This can be a tough thing to figure out even in our 40s, so figuring out how to parent our kids to start understanding this when they are young is a huge gift.    Dave and I also talk about the hardships that he has faced in the last few years and how he navigated the grief; what he shared with his kids and how he was an example to them as they will one day face their own disappointments in life.   I encourage any of you who are going through challenges or who have been through something hard to give this one a listen for practical steps of how to help our kid

We are BACK, and we have missed you so much!   In this episode you will hear: Why we took a little break  The BIG NEWS we have been working on for the past few months What you can expect from the new and improved podcast and why in the world you would want to listen!    And if you are new to our community we also share how our business, podcast, and children’s book were inspired by a simple lunchbox note that changed our family’s life.    We would love for you to follow this show wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure you grab our free customized lunchbox notes you can print out for your kids’ lunchboxes!    Oh, and sharing is caring. Don’t forget to share this with your fellow parent friends! See you next week with a special guest!   Connect with us:   Instagram: @bestrongstory Facebook: @bestrongstory www.bestrongstory.com You can get your copy of the book, The Lunchbox Note: A Story of Loving Others, here.

Today I am interviewing Andy Stephenson, my brother! He is an author, family therapist, and Northview Campus Pastor.  Along with that, he is a loving husband, father, brother, and son.   Andy and I share how we have stayed close as siblings, even while being 11 years apart in age. Not only have we lived out these techniques, but we are seeing them work with our children and families as well!     I promise in this episode you will gain strategies to implement with your children and your family that bring you closer! You will be inspired to take action to make your family’s bond even stronger!

Today I am interviewing Justin Bane who is featured on the new Magnolia Network show the Fieldhouse and the owner of the Fieldhouse Gym.   Justin shares his story of growing up in a small town, overcoming adversities, dreaming big dreams, and how his passion for people rules his day.    I promise in this episode you will be inspired to love others well, be courageous to overcome obstacles, and motivated to take a chance on yourself.    Justin Bane and the Fieldhouse Gym are going to be featured on the Magnolia Network. His story that he shares with us today will show us that through dedication, staying humble, and being about others anything is possible.  Check Out the Trailer for Fieldhouse Instagram: @thefieldhouseabilene Download his show here:

This week Kristi is recapping her favorite lessons and concepts she will be implementing in her own marriage from her marriage series these last four weeks! Kristi has been married for 19 years, and found many takeaways from this series. Some of her favorite concepts she has implemented in her marriage already are: radical generosity, embracing the differences between her and her spouse, and not trying to be right, but trying to understand each other better. The podcast guests over the last few weeks have been so impactful, and we are confident if you give them a listen, you will be inspired! Listen to the Marriage Series here: https://www.bestrongstory.com/be-love-podcast Check out our show notes for more: https://www.bestrongstory.com/be-love-podcast  

As we wrap up our marriage series I am interviewing Nate and Kaley Klemp, authors of The 80/80 Marriage. Nate is an author, philosopher, life coach, cofounder of LifeXT, mindfulness junky, and an anthropologist of modern marriage. Kaley is a YPO-certified facilitator, executive coach, and guide for executive teams in communication, strategic planning, and conflict resolution. They have been married for 15 years. Nate and Kaley, high school sweethearts, started marriage off with the 50/50 rule, doing everything equal and fair while still pushing to grow in love. They quickly realized the 50/50 rule was more distracting and frustrating than expected. ⁠They now have found that you should not keep score while learning to love.⁠  They tell us how they went from the goal of a 50/50 marriage, to an 80/80 marriage and have found happiness and success through this mindset and the spirit of contribution.  Their story will encourage us to love our spouses well. If you have ever wondered what more you could do to love yo

As we continue our marriage series I am interviewing Toni Nieuwhof, author of Before You Split: Find What You Really Want For the Future of Your Marriage. Toni Nieuwhof is a family law mediator, former divorce attorney, author, speaker and co-host of the Smart Family Podcast. She has been married to Carey Nieuwhof for over 30 years.  Toni tells us how she went from unhappy marriage to thriving marriage. She is very vulnerable with her marriage story, which may have seemed hopeless for a time, but was restored.    Her story will encourage us to keep going. If you have ever thought about splitting or feel like it is just too hard, or there are too many things that are between you and your spouse, this is the interview you want to listen to.    Get in touch with Toni:  Instagram: Toninieuwhof Buy her book: Before you Split   Sponsors: Waco Hat Company, supporting the homeless in our city. https://wacohatcompany.com/

This week we are continuing our series on BE. LOVE in your marriages with Dr. Kelly Flanagan. Dr. Kelly Flanagan is a psychologist, author, consultant, and speaker who enjoys walking with people through the three essentials of a truly satisfying life: worthiness, belonging, and purpose. His blog writings have been featured in Reader’s Digest, The Huffington Post, The 5 Love Languages, and the TODAY Show. Kelly is the author of Loveable, and he just published his new book True Companions, all about relationships which we will dive into today.  Today we talk about COMPROMISE.  How do you compromise without losing yourself? What is a healthy compromise in a marriage? Why is this one of the most important things to have a healthy, thriving marriage? How can we seek to understand the other person? How do we live our lives putting each other first? No matter if you are newly married, in the middle passage, or have been married over 40 years this episode and series will encourage us to love each other well in our

This week we are starting our series on BE. LOVE in your marriages.  This week we have the opportunity to bring back  Dr. Kelly Flanagan who is answering all of our marriage questions.  Dr. Kelly Flanagan is a psychologist, author, consultant, and speaker who enjoys walking with people through the three essentials of a truly satisfying life: worthiness, belonging, and purpose. His blog writings have been featured in Reader’s Digest, The Huffington Post, The 5 Love Languages, and the TODAY Show. Kelly is the author of Loveable, and he just published his new book True Companions, all about relationships which we will dive into today.    Today we talk about what makes marriages healthy and thriving.  What are the common things that destroy a marriage? How can we be proactive in continuing to build true companionship? Kelly gives us practical advice, shares his communication tips of listener/speaker technique and gives us a place to start this week to better our marriages.    No matter if you are newly married, i

Have you ever wanted to create a mission for your life but didn’t know where to start? This is the podcast for you.   We are finishing up our RECOVER and REPLENISH series with an episode on creating our core values and mission statement. This is the how-tos! Identifying core values and mission for your life helps you say yes to the right things. It helps you decide what to prioritize and what really matters in life. If we don’t do this we can feel ?????? scattered when doing things or be doing the right things.    My friend Jeremy Bedenbaugh of Recreate-Solutions helps us figure all of this out. Whether you are just getting out of college or in midlife you will not want to miss this podcast. Make sure you join Jeremy’s 21 Day Challenge in February to dig into these even more.    And make sure you go to our show notes for specific questions and resources you can use to journal this process.  And if you haven’t listened to the three episodes before this, get caught up here:   Episode 88: RECOVERING from 2020

Today is episode 3 of 4 of our series RECOVER and REPLENISH with my friend Jeremy Bedenbaugh, founder of Recreate-Solutions. We talk about knowing yourself and why it is so important to know who we are and why we act the way we do?   How do we distinguish between our false self and our true self? What happens when we figure out who we are? Why it is important to always be learning and transforming.    We talk about boundaries? What happens when others are not ok with our transformation? How do we work through this? How do we say NO in a healthy way that connects to our passion and callings? How do we get past finding our worth in what others think of us, and live out of our worthiness?   In this episode we dig into our own transformation and boundaries. As you will hear in the podcast, I have an aha moment, that I am an overfunctioner. And as you listen you might be too! Jeremy helps us understand when helping others can really be hurting ourselves and others.   Jeremy connects the dots of our true self, what

This week we are continuing our series on Recover and Replenish for 2021.  I have Jeremy Bedenbaugh, founder of Recreate Solutions with me again to talk this week about building a resilient mind.    Last week we talked about the emotions we felt from maybe the losses or disappointments of 2020, and that it's ok to recognize those emotions and sit in them, write them out, but we don’t want to just stay stuck in those forever. This week we are going to talk about why mindset is so important. We are discussing  how we label things, how we can practice switching our mindset from negative to resilient.    One of my favorite things we discuss is the concept of story vs fact, and how to recognize when we let negative labels attach to our circumstances. You can find this worksheet in our show notes.  What did you learn about yourself, family, business, leadership, priorities?     Today we are going to be talking about mindset. How we stay resilient when things we can’t control happen to us.    Stick with us these ne

 How to Recover from 2020 so we can move into the new year with purpose 4 part series (Recovery and Replenish for 2021)   We are so happy to be back with our new series called RECOVER and REPLENISH.    We wanted to make sure BEFORE we got into goals or intentions for 2021, we looked at last year, took time to review and also recover. This month will feel a little like a master class, with questions and extra resources available each week in our show notes, so make sure you check that out. For this 4 parts series I have my friend Jeremy Bedebaugh joining me, founder of Recreate Solutions who works with leaders from every environment to help them start, get unstuck, and most of all get healthy.    We will talk about how to set ourselves up for 2021, making sure we take the time to replenish ourselves before we just forget 2020 and sprint to the new year.  We thought it was important to take the proper time to get ready for the new year as 2020 has not been normal and has collectively affected us in so many ways

This is a must listen before you get with your people for the holidays. Many of our families and friends are at odds with how to talk to each other about politics, religion; things that can pull us apart. Our guest today, Sarah Anderson, grew up in a family of politics and she wrote this helpful book,  The Space Between Us: How Jesus Teaches Us to Live Together When Politics and Religion Pull Us Apart   Sarah grew up in a family of politics and knows first hand how it can tear us apart. Today Sarah gives us some of the most practical ways we can stay curious, come to the table with a humble posture, and remind our people that our relationship with them matters more than anything else. Sarah is going to help us heal the space between us.    This is such an important topic for this moment in time.    For those who are looking for a better way to engage on the topics that mean the most to them, for those who are looking to build a bridge with the people politics and religion has isolated them from, for those who