Single Mom Smiling | Arming Warriors in the Battle for Marriage & Family

Who gets to define you? For many of us, the answer has been other people. Their expectations, their criticism, their rejection, their approval, or the wounds they left behind tell us who we are. But what happens when we build our identity around people who are themselves imperfect and wounded? In this episode, I talk about a moment when I had to choose between going along with something wrong to g...

What happens when what you believe about yourself is no longer true? This is what happens to those caught in the battle over marriage and family. They believe they are living out vocations as wives and mothers when a husband walks away, a child turns her back, or a loved one treats her as less than.  When we place our identity on other people's opinions, on what the world values, or on our circums...

What If You Are Wrong About Yourself? What if some of the things you've believed about yourself for years simply aren't true? In this episode of Fiercely Formed, Kerri Bishop explores growth mindset, Catholic metanoia, and what it means to allow Christ to transform the way we see ourselves and our lives. You are not finished yet. God Bless... Kerri   Let's Keep in Touch... Share Your Story here -...

Have you ever given in to something and later regretted it? If so, you are not alone! In a world that is increasingly hostile to marriage, family, faith, and freedom, it is difficult and vital to stand up for God's plans, and that seldom begins in the heat of big battles.  It begins with little things we do ourselves when no one else is watching.  Join me as we launch Fiercely Formed, training wom...

My husband suddenly walked out on me on Mother's Day 2009. I had been a stay at home mom. I had no job, an expired teaching license. I followed a checklist in my faith. I was also 5 months pregnant with our fifth little boy when my husband suddenly left. Broken-hearted and faced with an unwanted divorce, I was forced into an unjust court system and through the Catholic annulment system before I kn...

This summer flew by! Maybe you had a list of things you wanted to get done. Maybe you were looking forward to some downtime, peace, or family vacation, but time got away from you and you feel like you missed your chance. Whether your ex changed children's schedules, life got complicated, or time simply slipped away faster than you hoped, there are reasons to be thankful for this summer and hope fo...

If you feel alone after suffering a break up, you're not the only one. It happens to all of us in the beginning. Even after years, it can sneak up on us in unexpected moments after we think we have healed. The scars of rejections, abandonment, infidelity, betrayal, and abuse can cause us to isolate. What we think will protect us makes us feel incredibly lonely instead, but there is hope! Jesus rai...

Hearts break in divorce. When you are blindsided by the breakup or when your husband suddenly abandons you and the family, the pain is unimaginable. Many women cry out to God for help. They wonder why the Lord doesn't step in and fix things right away. In today's episode, we look at Sunday's Gospel from Matthew 13 and the harvesting of the weed among the wheat. This passage offers understanding an...

So often we think the other person is the problem. We fight the same battles over and over again and wonder why. Whether we are talking about our exes, estranged children, or someone else entirely, the other person is not our biggest problem. We face an unseen, spiritual enemy who wants us to focus on darkness. To win the battle, stop fighting the person in front of you and start doing these 5 thi...

Summer can be a lot of fun, but too much alone time over the summer can lead to negative thinking and even depression. For single parents, kids going with their other parents for extended visitation and exciting vacations can be particularly difficult to deal with. In today's episode, women's strength leader, Kerri Bishop, helps you understand what is happening spiritually in these moments. She sh...

Do you think you can love without having faith? Can a family's love survive without hope? The evil one attacks everything God brings together. We see this in race, religion, Marriage, and virtue. In Marriage, the evil one strives to separate husband and wife, not just through arguments, comparison, and temptation. He also seeks to divide the very virtues God gives us to help us know, love and serv...

Are you trying to give your kids everything they could possibly want? Are you secretly competing with their dad and feeling bad because he can buy gifts you can't? Are you feeling guilty raising kids in a broken home and running yourself ragged trying to make up for that? In today's episode, we take advice Mary Bell Washington, the widowed, single mother of President George Washington, gives to he...

What do you do when the life you planned is no more? Last week I went to see the movie Young Washington and found parallels between our first President's life and struggles we face in our families today. Young George Washington was only eleven years old when his father died.  This left George to be raised by a single mom and a duty he was required to fulfill. Overnight, Young Washington's future c...

How will you be celebrating America's 250th birthday? Is it just about pool parties, hotdogs, and fireworks or is there more? As America celebrates 250 years, we reflect on the blessings of freedom, faith, and family. As a suddenly abandoned-while-pregnant single mom of five, I thoroughly appreciate opportunities single moms have in America that women have not had through history and still do not...

You made it through the school year! The days of running kids from event to event, checking homework and praying it is done are over for the year. You look forward to spending down time this summer. Summer is supposed to be a time of peace and relaxation, but when kids go with dad and single moms are left alone for extended periods of time, life gets hard. The Enemy uses that time to amplify three...

Fathers are important. They have a unique and special role in the home. It is one women cannot fill but can learn from. This Father's Day, single moms can honor good men by learning from them. In today's episode, we discuss advantages children raised in a home with two parents have over those raised in single mom homes and 10 things single moms can do to bring some of what a dad brings back into t...

Single mama, have you ever had someone wish you a happy Father's Day? It happens to most of us at some point or another. I understand the sentiment but cringe too. Fathers fulfill a unique and important role. It's a role even the best mother cannot fill. In today's episode, we'll look at the importance of fathers, why father wounds hurt so deeply, and what we can do about the gap in fathering. Sin...

Do negative thoughts or words dominate your conversation? Whether you are struggling in a relationship with a parent, spouse, or child or are discussing issues in the Church or America itself, words matter. If you do not building on a foundation of good, the chances of healing wounds and building peace are slim. No one wants to hear the bad stuff all the time. This is even more true when the bad s...

Should you leave a difficult Marriage? When is your husband's behavior abusive and leave-worthy and when do you stay and hope things get better? Michael Jackson's mom, Kathryn, was married to what appears to be a mean, selfish, unfaithful man, and yet she did not divorce him. She used her suffering for good, but should she have stayed or was her husband's behavior bad enough to qualify as abusive?...

Is Memorial Day just about barbecues, pool parties, and living modern the American dream? Of course not! In today's episode, we look at the roots of Memorial Day, who started it, and when and where it began. We'll also look at how to celebrate with your family so you both enjoy the day and remember the fallen because the human cost of Memorial Day cannot be forgotten. As a single mom, I know how i...

We live in an era of loneliness, but even when we are surrounded by others we can feel neglected and overlooked. Mother's Day should have been a joyous occasion, but many women spent the day feeling forgotten or wondering if anyone notices them or remembers the work they did. They wonder if anyone cares about them or appreciates their sacrifice. It is an awful feeling. And it is one Our Lord knows...

Motherhood is beautiful—but it can also be overwhelming, exhausting, and all-consuming. Somewhere between raising children, managing a home, navigating relationships, and carrying invisible emotional burdens… many women lose themselves. Or worse—they begin to believe their identity must come from someone else. A husband. A relationship. Approval. Validation. But what if your identity was never mea...

Is America still united or have we become a divided family? In this episode, we examine the growing division in our nation through the lens of the Catholic faith, family, and spiritual warfare. Inspired by the words of Pope Saint John Paul II and Ronald Reagan, we reflect on what it means to be family and the “invisible tie” that once held Americans together. We also ask whether it can survive tod...

It's no longer a question of if you experience loneliness after a broken relationship. It's a matter of how you handle it. Loneliness has reached epidemic proportions and is something everyone who has been abandoned goes through at some point. Loneliness is experienced by those who have gone through: marital abandonment by a spouse, estrangement from children who have walked away, the loss of pare...

What do you think of when you think of the person who has hurt you the most? Revenge? Anger? Bitterness? Walking away? Wanting to be left in peace? What if I asked you to think of mercy? What if the Bible commanded you treat those who hurt you mercifully? And what if mercy was defined as, "loving the unlovable and forgiving the unforgivable" and we must freely offer merciful love and forgiveness t...