Famous at Home

Why does it feel like stress always has the loudest voice during “busy” seasons? We want everyone in our family to get along, enjoy the holidays, and be truly present. Yet, it seems we all too often end up bickering, overwhelmed, and somehow wishing it could be different. Good news! Your family doesn’t have to succumb to the stress. You can find “the good!” In this episode, we walk through 5 ways...

Have you ever felt stuck in knowing how to disciple your kids? Or perhaps even where to begin? We’ve got some answers! In this episode, biblical scholar and founder of Walking the Text, Brad Gray joins the podcast to talk about his new book Bringing Heaven Here, and his new feature film now airing on Angel Studios called The Lord’s Prayer. Brad joins us to talk about what fascinated him so much ab...

Advent season is about “waiting in anticipation” for Jesus’ coming. In the Western world, we wait by throwing Christmas parties, buying presents, and trying to avoid the hustle and bustle. But instead of trying to avoid, what if we tried to embrace? It’s one thing to avoid, it’s quite another to step into something with intention. In this episode, Josh and Christi share ways of embracing presence...

Have you ever said your child, “Don’t yell at your brother!” What’s happening in a child’s body filled with anger is louder than what’s going on in their brain. As Christi says in this episode, “Our body sends 10 messages to our brain for every 1 our brain sends to our body.” This is why lecturing an overwhelmed child often feels useless.  In other words, our body speaks louder than our brain. So...

Have you ever taken a device from your child only to have them lose their ever-loving mind? According to social researcher Dr. Jean Twenge, “That’s a good thing.” Dr. Twenge graciously joins us in season 6 to talk about raising kids in a high-tech world. Dr. Twenge is one of the most prominent researchers of our day on generational differences and how screens are harming our brains and ability to...

"I used to think church was boring," says Landon, Josh and Christi’s 13-year-old son. He joins the show to talk about how he is learning to navigate faith and doubt, the defining faith moments he's had as a child, and what he's focused on now that he's entering his teenage years.  In this episode, we continue season 6 on Relational Intelligence in Kids by talking about how kids navigate faith and...

If you have children, this episode is worth every minute. Kennedy Straub, Josh and Christi’s beloved daughter, joins the show to talk about how she’s learning to navigate emotions and feelings through the lens of an 11-year-old.   In this episode, we continue season 6 on Relational Intelligence in Kids by talking about the difference between emotions and feelings. For example, did you know that em...

Make no mistake, we live in a matrix. And the bar set by Western culture for raising children is deceptively low. As parents, we do everything we can to give our kids an advantage. But is more parenting “knowledge“ really what we need? Are child outcomes really better today than they were 10 to 20 years ago?   In this episode, we continue season 6 on Relational Intelligence in Kids by offering a n...

Kids are vulnerable, and vulnerability longs for safety. Perhaps it’s no wonder Jesus tells us to become like little children. Over time, our hearts grow hardened. In this episode, Josh describes what children need, and talks about the “why” behind the new KidsRQ (Relational Intelligence) curriculum.  *Note: This is a continuation from last week's episode  Cultivating Relational Intelligence in Ki...

We all want to raise emotionally intelligent kids. Even more, we want them to be spiritually alive. For us, that’s what relational intelligence is all about. An overflow of experiencing the relational gospel of Jesus. As we begin season 6, we’re covering relational intelligence in kids. In this episode, we start by introducing a brand new initiative called KidsRQ! Time Stamps: 0:00 Introduction 3:...

Christi and Josh talk about the nervous system, childhood wounds, and why the motivation behind our spouse’s anger or criticism is deeper than we often give them credit for. If you’re looking to have an understanding of your pain cycle and how to cultivate a deeper sense of emotional safety in your marriage, this episode is for you. Time Stamps: 0:00 Introduction 1:15 Christi and Josh update on li...

The Tender & Fierce cohort is coming up again this fall! As we find ourselves sitting in between seasons on the Famous at Home podcast, we are replaying an interview with Christi about what it means to awaken the tender & fierce parts of your heart. In this interview, Christi talks about how Tender & Fierce got started and answers questions about the Tender & Fierce cohort. She als...

Think about the deep neurobiological connection happening in your brain as you walk into a room and encounter someone who lights up at your presence, and the fulfilling sensation of knowing that person is beaming from the inside out with only one message, “I am so glad to be with YOU!”   Without relational joy, there is no relational intelligence. Instead, relational joy is the antidote to the num...

Sam Jolman says, “Talking to your children about sex should be likened to having 100 one-minute conversations.”   As we continue season 5 on relational intelligence, therapist and author Sam Jolman joins us once again, this time to talk about how to help our kids script a narrative of romance.   In this episode, Sam shares profound insights on age-specific ways to talk to your kids about their bod...

Sam Jolman says, “The realm of evil hates your sexuality… [and] tries to, as quickly and as early as possible, join shame to your sexual story.” As we continue season 5 on relational intelligence, therapist and author Sam Jolman joins us to talk about sex in marriage. Shame wreaks havoc on intimacy and relational connection, keeping us isolated and feeling alone. It was never intended to be this w...

How well do you manage your relationship with the screen? How would your spouse describe how well you manage your relationship with the screen? What about your kids? As we continue season 5 on relational intelligence, we discuss screen time and its effects on our nervous system. We share some sobering statistics about screens and hope by the end you honestly evaluate the answer to the question, “W...

Forgiving others can be complicated. Especially when you’ve been hurt deeply by those you love the most. As we continue season 5 on relational intelligence, we discuss the reality of forgiveness, why it’s so complicated, and a helpful process for forgiving others. We also offer a beautiful story of deep forgiveness in marriage as a model and a path forward.   Time Stamps: 0:00 Introduction to forg...

Why do we self-protect in relationships? Especially if it hurts our deepest levels of intimacy with those we love?   Though we’re hurt in relationships, we’re also healed in relationships. As we continue season 5 on relational intelligence, we discuss the ways we self-protect, why self-protection is a form of artificial intelligence, and how to break free. Our hope for this episode is to give you...

In season 5, we’re talking about relational intelligence. In this episode, we’re specifically looking at it through the lens of marriage, the delicate dance of intimacy, and why emotional safety is so important.   We also introduce season 5, which covers hot topics that challenge how we think about relationships, why we become numb to them, and how to navigate relational connections with those we...

In this episode, we address listener submitted questions, each of them around the constant demands and interruptions that come with raising children. Christi also walks us through an exercise to help calm nervous system dysregulation.   Time Stamps: 0:00 Introduction 4:15 Costco trips, homeschooling, and the evolution of a marriage and family 8:48 A practical exercise for nervous system regulation...

What does it mean to "love your marriage?" Is it something you've thought about? Or perhaps something you brag about to others?  In this episode, Josh talks about what we mean by loving your marriage, the deeper meaning of marriage, and poses three revealing questions to ask yourself about your marriage.  Time Stamps: 0:00 Introduction 1:50 Tender & Fierce coming up 2:55 What we mean by loving...

Sometimes people come into your life as mentors, but they also become dear friends. We met Bill and Laurie Lokey in 2018 and little did we know how Bill’s cancer journey would unite our hearts and deepen our friendship. As we continue our series on The People Who Shape Us , Laurie joins Christi to talk about the healing nature of relationships through grief and loss. No matter the loss in your lif...

Have you ever been walking through life when you happen to look over and see someone else walking in the same direction? It’s like your spirit shouts, “Oh, me too!” This is precisely what happened to Josh and Christi with their dearest friends, Luke (one-half of 4-Time Grammy Award winning For King & Country duo) and his wife, Courtney (founder of Technicolor Woman and author of Technicolor Wo...

For the first time ever, Josh’s parents, Mike and Sharon Hess, join the show! We’re in a season called The People Who Shape Us , and we thought it fitting to have the most influential people in our lives share their own story of faith, and in this case, blended family.    Josh shares his perspective of growing up in a blended family, and Mike and Sharon address co-parenting, raising kids in a two...

Did you know that being socially isolated is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day! What's really sad about this is that we're seemingly more "connected" than we've ever been, but research shows we're also more isolated.   Friend, it should be obvious by now that being "connected" does not equal relational intimacy.  That's why we're addressing the beauty found in friendship as we continue our...