Finding the Floor - A thoughtful approach to midlife motherhood and what comes next.

Send us Fan Mail How do bad apples effect the whole barrel?  In this episode, I talk about 2 chapters in the book, Why we Click by Kate Murphy .  Have you ever felt an instant click with someone got along fantasitcally or felt the mood in a room change due to someone’s anger?  Is there someone in your life that is really easy to be around or someone who is difficult to be around? I share how latel...

Send us Fan Mail “There you are!”   In this week’s episode we talk a bit more about the lost art of small talk.  This week I give you a few tips on different ways to think about it and also topics or situations that can help you feel more comfortable.  Acronyms like S_O_F_T_E_N or F_O_R_D or A_R_E which can help you with your body language as well as topics ideas or ways to go about engaging in sm...

Send us Fan Mail  This week I am exploring the idea of small talk and calling it a lost art.  I notice how I am really not very good at it and want to try to be better.  Essentially I call it a way to notice people and make connections even for just a moment.  I mention how our phones are a contributing factor along with COVID helping us be a bit out of practice. I share a particularly mortifying...

Send us Fan Mail “There is nothing wrong with coming back to a story that loves you back.” I have been going back to my favorite books and movies lately, so I thought it would be fun to understand why we do that.  I share what I learned from an article and a youtube video.  A few things I mention is that we find emotional comfort in familiar characters, it helps us when we feel uncertain and we li...

Send us Fan Mail A road trip is a great metaphor for life.  In this episode I share 6 ideas  or rules for life that come from the road.  I share a few road trips stories and then weave them into how that can relate to our life in general.  Rules like, detours are part of life and make sure to stop and refuel.  In addition a few deeper metaphors, like knowing your destination and the people in the...

Send us Fan Mail  “When God seems silent … He is in no way absent.”  This week I am inspired by the story of Esther.  In the book of Esther, God is not explicit in the story but he is still there. I share a brief review of the story of Esther and then point out the ways that the Lord put people in just the right place to help in the deliverance.  Then relate it to our own lives, how many times we...

Send us Fan Mail  Different busy is the topic for this week.  I contemplate different seasons in our lives.  How I used to be so good at some things when my kids were little and now I don’t do those same things as well.  Like regularly getting to the grocery store.  I also share how we need to give ourselves grace because it is easy to compare how we used to be in one season and may not be now.  S...

Send us Fan Mail A good read by the pool!  That is what I have been daydreaming about as I go about my busy days this week. This episode I share a few of my favorite authors and some of their books to get ideas for when you get into the slower rhythm of the summer.  I mostly like romantic comedy books but also share a few different varieties of books.  First I talk of Beth Brower who is a sort of...

Send us Fan Mail  This week I reflect on a few mother’s day things.  First, I am becoming more like my mom by having all the expired condiments in my fridge.  That is something that is too much of a reality right now, my kids finding them.  Then second, while staying with my Dad and feeling like I was getting sick, there were not the normal things that my mom would have in the fridge or pantry.  I...

Send us Fan Mail  Lately I have been feeling pulled in so many different directions and in this episode I talk about a few solutions to help me go from chaos to a little more calm.  I share all of the things on my plate, (as I am sure many of you have) and an extra added concern.  I talk of the Eisenhower  Decision Matrix (also shared in 7 Habits for Highly Effective People)  and try to figure out...

Send us Fan Mail Back after spring break, and sharing two stories.  I begin by sharing our stranded story.  Our spring break road trip took an unfortunate turn with an overheated car and a need to get a tow, as well as other parts of the story.  I share a tender mercy with the rental car and a book that we really enjoyed listening to on our drive.  The second story is more of a reflection looking...

Send us Fan Mail   “Dream about your ideal future, even if it’s a lie compared to today’s reality, then get to work and make that reality happen.”  In this episode we are going to talk about being delusional.  I share this idea from The Confident Mind by Dr. Nate Zinsser who says that when we want to do something great we have to be constructively delusional.  This week we are especially talking a...

Send us Fan Mail  In this episode I share some ideas on how to build more confidence as a parent by making deposits in our mental bank account.  It can be easy to think we are doing well as parents when our children are doing well. I dive into an important mindset shift: learning not to base my confidence as a parent on my children’s outcomes.  I use principles from The Confident Mind - like the d...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I celebrate reaching episode 250 and explore something we all experience at times: getting stuck in what The Confident Mind calls the “sewer cycle.” After a stressful moment related to my church calling, I found myself spiraling into negative thoughts and worry. As I reflected on the experience, I realized how important it is to recognize when we’re in that mental...

Send us Fan Mail  In this episode, I continue exploring the powerful quote from Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis:  “I won with all of my strengths and I won with all of my weaknesses.” After reflecting on The Confident Mind last week, I wanted to dig deeper into the idea that excellence does not require perfection. I explore how perfectionism can quietly become a control strategy, what we’re a...

Send us Fan Mail  In this episode, I revisit one of my favorite books on mindset and performance: The Confident Mind by Dr. Nate Zinsser. As I’ve been re-reading and re-listening to it, I’ve felt completely re-energized about what is possible when we intentionally train our thoughts. This book isn’t just about sports — it’s a guide to building confidence in any area of life. I reflect on what real...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I share the story of how Valentine’s Day — a holiday I once protested by wearing all black — became one of the most meaningful days of my life. What started as a cynical college stance in 1995 turned into the beginning of my relationship with Nate. From minute rice and soy sauce to a late-night first kiss, I reflect on how perspective can change everything. I also...

Send us Fan Mail “Do you want to feel amazing?” Another book that I think is helpful to reread is Glucose Revolution by Jessie Inchaspé.  I review in the episode (and go in depth in episode 122, Glucose Revolution our bodies and glucose) how our bodies process glucose.  I remind you that our bodies need a lot of fuel but that we need it in certain intervals.  I share the story of the conductor of...

Send us Fan Mail   “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become." This week is a reminder of another favorite book, Atomic Habits by James Clear.  I shared this book 4 years ago in episodes 75-79 where you will find a good summary and more thoughts on the book. Some of the great points of the book I mention are: one percent better, make it part of your identity,...

Send us Fan Mail   “There is space between stimulus and response.”  In this week’s podcast, I share a reminder of the book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.  I mentioned making our own weather, so we are not so affected by other people's moods or reactions.  I remind you that there is a space between stimulus and response where we have a choice. I tell us the story of...

Send us Fan Mail “Keep the end in mind.”  Happy New Year and hello 2026.  This episode I share a handful of ideas as we look toward more becoming in 2026.  I mention two funerals I went to over the break and how they influenced me to think more about  how I want to become.  Which then reminded me of the second habit from Steven Covey’s book, 7 Habits for Highly Effective People which says “to begi...

Send us Fan Mail   “...foil thy foes with joy”   In this last episode for the Christmas season, I share about a song that I learned this year.  The song, This Little Babe, was written by a Jesuit Priest in the late 1500s and then put to music in the 20th century.  The song is like a battle cry to overcome Satan which comes in the unexpected form of a baby.  I share each verse of the song and how w...

Send us Fan Mail  “What do you value most about the holiday?” In this podcast I will share some ideas on how to simplify Christmas and let go of the “perfect Christmas.”  I share the idea of taking a moment to really reflect on what you love the most about the season and then go all in on that.  Then share a few examples of different ways to simplify decorations, menu, traditions and gifts.   Reth...

Send us Fan Mail “To hope in God means to wait with patient expectation, trusting that he will fulfill his promises.”   This week I explore hope a little more.  Hope in the waiting as we prepare for the coming of Christmas or the coming of our Savior.  As we prepare for Christmas, the advent can help us get spiritually focused which then can help us find just the right things and events that can m...

Send us Fan Mail  “Hope takes gratitude and turns it into resilience and action.”  I love talking about gratitude!  In this episode I share the connection between hope and gratitude.  Hope is an attribute of Christ that I am learning to incorporate and realized how gratitude helps with a sense of hope.  I share some  stories of people without hope and some challenging counting blessings to get hop...