Struggle Well School

Have you ever heard of a vampire facial? Ever considered a fanny pack for fashionable bike riding emergencies? This month we talk about the importance of treating yourself, or, as Tom and Donna from Parks and Rec say, “Treat Yo Self!”. This doesn’t have to be fancy or extravagant. We all need a little something fun to celebrate our fantastical selves every now and again. Listen to hear some of our...

What is a God Dare? Will it be scary? How can I be sure that it’s actually God speaking to me? I can’t WAIT for you to get to know Kate. She speaks to us today about letting Jesus pick your future and what that looks like. She’s down to earth and blows her own cover on some pretty personal things along her journey. Kate wrote her book, The God Dare , for anyone who feels they have lost their purpo...

WHAT WE CHAT ABOUT: Rebecky’s decision to stop homeschooling her kids (and she doesn’t care if you like it or not) Emily’s marathon training and what inspired her to try something she didn’t even think was possible saving up for our son’s weddings - is that a thing now? how FaceApp is making us all fear turkey necks and wrinkles with its age filter date night ideas for staying in or going out weig...

I don’t want to abuse food. I workout, but nothing changes. I try hard and then I fail hard. You are not alone, sweet girl! Alisa came on the show to talk to all of us about the lies we are telling ourselves when it comes to wellness. She is packed full of knowledge and hits us with some incredible science that links our brains and our bodies. You can’t help but feel motivated when you hear from h...

Really? My pants are tight again? I need a plan and some wellness motivation, stat! The Struggling Sisters just had this conversation in real life and it got us thinking about a wellness plan. We will share what it is and why it’s working for us. Em also shares that she has always wanted to run a marathon and how she plans to train for her first one ever! Katie pours out her heart as Yuliya in a p...

“Would you just help me trust you, Lord? I want to want to give it all up to you.” If you’ve prayed these prayers, you’re not alone. We know that the center of God's will is the best place to be, but surrender is easier said than done. A host of hurdles, from busyness and bitterness to complacency and control, can prevent us from moving where He directs. In her latest book, Vivian Mabuni provides...

Are you losing hope? Working through trauma? Man. Lora shared with us her journey of finding the other side of a horrible situation, and I’m so thankful for her wisdom and perspective. Lora talks to us about why it’s OK to question God and shares the story that lead her to a crossroads in her faith. Lora Jones graduated from Kansas State University with a degree in Accounting and from Midwestern T...

If someone asked you “Do you know your number?”, would you know what they mean? They’re talking about the enneagram, of course! If you like personality tests, you’ll love this episode! Rebecky brought on the first ever Problem Solved guest, Lauren, who is an enneagram coach. She typed Rebecky live on the pod and helped us understand other enneagram numbers in the process. Rebecky can’t decide how...

Do you think if you were diagnosed with cancer that you’d think things like “This is a blessing” or “I was chosen for this mission!“? I know that I would NOT be that insightful. It is my pleasure to introduce you to Ali Christian, a wife, mom and business owner born and raised in upstate New York. She was recently diagnosed with stage four cancer, uprooted her family from NY and moved to CA to get...

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the beginning of summer? Do you have any major plans? We shared a little bit of both + some of our favorite summer things and, as always, what is killing us softly. For Katie, the ticks are killing her and her family softly and the Penderwick series is giving the Thomas crew life. In this episode, you’ll understand why Em’s boss is constantly considering firing her a...

Tara Bremer is the founder of House Peace and has been bringing peace into homes for over fifteen years. She holds a BA in Psychology from Purdue University and a Master's in Counseling from Moravian Theological Seminary. She brings this knowledge of the human condition, behavioral psychologies, and habit formations to every home she visits, all with a judgment-free mentality. Whether she's helpin...

Do you think you’re hard to work with? Do you think you come on too strong? We talk through a few of these things and share some friendship and workplace insecurities. We also talk about the loveliness of Emilio Gavin and Rebecky’s pause from her million-dollar corporation + her new stay-at-home status. Rebecky shares more about her workout routine and why it’s working for her right now. It’s grea...

How do you know if you’re struggling well or just plain struggling? Just Em is back again with part three of a four-part series on what it means to Struggle WELL. This week we deep dive on the second L of WELL. L is for LEAN IN. TOPICS: what happens when you stop cursing your situation and get curious about it instead two things to ask yourself - What if I did something different here? What is God...

What are the signs YOU show when you need a mental health break? Do you think you could benefit from counseling but need some real-life details about it? We get deep about our own experiences with counseling and mental health issues but we also share some fun facts about some pretty outrageous arrests lately. Balance, right? From Justin Bieber to the Judds, we cover quite a lot in this episode. WH...

There is so much to know about foster care. Hallie has a ton of knowledge and such a beautiful perspective on parenting. You guys are going to LOVE her. Hallie Graves is a 30-something from the great Austin, Texas. Not a fan of the linear life, Hallie’s a speaker and writer, a lawyer with a boutique law firm, a foster care activist, and a #singlefostermom with infant and toddlers, and is overly in...

How do you know if you’re struggling well or just plain struggling? Just Em is back again with part three of a four-part series on what it means to Struggle WELL. This week we deep dive on the first L of WELL. L is for LOOK AGAIN. TOPICS: remembering that there are two sides to every situation two different perspectives for struggling moms embracing the hard times as a chance to grow how Emily is...

Do you have ten million pictures on your phone and need a plan? When is a good time to let your children have access to the cyberspace? How can you stay the heck off your phone? There is lot’s of talk about technology boundaries with kids and Emily’s favorite subject comes up: appropriateness! Rebecky and Emily both realize they are placing non-technology items out to be shared and discovered by t...

How do you know if you’re struggling well or just plain struggling? Just Em is back again with part two of a four-part series on what it means to Struggle WELL. This week we deep dive on the E portion of WELL. E is for Expect. Topics: Emily clears up why she decided to go back to work full-time how expectations have got a bad rap, but expecting God to do things is the same as faith knowing that Go...

Do your kids tell you they want a new Mom? Us too. Do you like peeps? Your mouth must be broken. There are new flavors out so try them and report back. We don’t think we have it in us. This week the Struggling Sisters talk spring. Find out what we found in our planters and what we’re planting next. Some spring blooms have brought up past trauma for Em and there is a little update on the new jobs....

How can you live your life more fully YOU? Do you need permission to take a hot minute to check in with yourself? This week we meet Emily, a grad student and a mom in a busy season of life who has practical advice on how we can connect with ourselves and our Father. We talk about creativity and all of the different shapes it can come in. Did you know you can be creative and connect with God withou...

We answer all of the tough birthday questions this month, like: What do you do when you forget a birthday? What’s the deal with gift bags? Do you do the party drop-off move with your kids? Rebecky has had a celebration breakthrough this year! She shared with us why it’s so important to celebrate yourself and how to not be weird about it. Em shares her go-to gift for girlfriends. Also, Rebecky got...

How do you know if you’re struggling well or just plain struggling? Just Em is back with a four-part series on what it means to Struggle WELL. This week we deep dive on the W portion of WELL. W is for Wait. WHAT WE CHAT ABOUT: how can we tell when we’re struggling well how our society has eliminated waiting, to our own detriment reminding yourself that waiting is an option heartbreak in the midst...

Do you need a laugh break? Have you always wanted to know the truth about St. Patrick’s Day? This week we give you a quick rundown of St. Patrick’s day history (as we understand it) and we explore some Irish phrases and accents that we enjoy. The original plan was to focus on community, so Emily shared her normal community “fake news”. A quick round of Are You into That? helped us determine we are...

Would you like to be released from the pressure to be perfect? Meet Dr. Barbara! Her job is to help people love the life they have and I’m so excited to share her with you! Dr. Barbara Lowe is a licensed psychologist who founded and owns her own practice in Durham, NC. She is also a Board Certified Life Coach, Somatic Experiencing practitioner, Speaker, Author, and Lay Minister. She is a wife, mot...

WHAT WE CHAT ABOUT: how we’re struggling not very well at the moment where to start when you’re overwhelmed with clutter how to enjoy your sanctuary, even when the kids keep destroying it identifying your non-negotiable clean spots the two types of people - clean, but cluttered and tidy, but dirty the frustration of unfinished projects which Girl Scout cookie is the best Girl Scout cookie tip for...