Our Time to Rise in Midlife

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Ep.509: A Checklist for Parenting Young Adults PART 1 with Krista Gilbert and Alex Kuykendall Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

Parenting young adults can feel like walking a tightrope. You're not fully in charge anymore, but your influence still matters deeply. So how do you walk alongside them well?

Helpful, but not controlling? Wise, but still letting them make their own decisions? Loving, but with healthy boundaries?

In this first episode of a two-part series, we dive into the art of parenting post-childhood:

✅ Building their confidence without overstepping ✅ Practicing healthy emotional detachment ✅ Equipping them with the practical life skills they actually need ✅ Offering the kind of timeless advice that sticks

Whether you're guiding a high school senior, a college student, or a 20-something finding their way, this conversation will both ground and encourage you.

A FEW THINGS MENTIONED

Tyler Lafferty Episode-PART 1: Helping Your Young Adult Find Their Career Path with Tyler Lafferty

Tyler Lafferty Episode-PART 2: Helping Your Young Adult Find Their Career Path with Tyler Lafferty

Mama Bear Legal Forms

Donald Miller Great advice- Instagram Reel

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE

In what way can you practice healthy attachment with your young adult?
As an exercise make a list of "You Are" statements that are true of your young adult that you can offer them or with the young person in your life, help them make a list of "I Am" statements that they can use when they need to fall back on remembering what is true of them no matter what.
What practical coaching can you give around one of the practical life skills that we discussed earlier?
Where do you need to offer yourself grace, maybe for a past response or maybe a place where you can grow into a new way of responding?

LET'S CONNECT!

Did you like this episode? Let us know and leave a review on itunes or share it with a friend.

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Get the Daily Dozen Checklist -12 habits that will immediately make you happier and healthier

Ep.508:The Female Spiritual Journey with Bekah Stewart Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

We often hear the first half of life is about building and the second half of life is about facing limitations. That can be true. What is also true is that many women spend much of their lives investing in others, that the life trajectories we often hear talked about reflect a traditional career path that don't exactly capture a female career path.

The same is true for discussions around lifetime spiritual journeys. The people who have written many of the books we follow about spiritual journeys have been men and so naturally their teachings reflect their experiences. Bekah Stewart, author of the new book Permission to Matter, is a spiritual director who has been considering the spiritual journey of women.

In midlife many of us are waking up to parts of ourselves that have laid dormant for a long time. This has sometimes been out of survival, other times simply out of our caretaking roles. What would it look like if our spiritual path included reimagining life to its fullest NOW? What if we are to reawaken or rediscover parts of us that have been sleeping for a while?

This conversation may bring up some questions for you about the direction you are headed and how God is available to you. Your spiritual journey may be at an exciting juncture as you consider what it means to wake up and stand up. It is our time to rise after all.

FIND MORE ABOUT BEKAH STEWART

Bekah Stewart – Website and Instagram

Bekah Stewart Book- Permission to Matter

FEW THINGS MENTIONED

Caretakers of Our Common House- Carol Lakey Hess

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE

Which of the two paths she laid out do you resonate with most? The one of ascent and descent or the one of self-abnegation.
What is one feature you can identify of your false self? How has it worked to protect you over time?
How might you wake up and stand up to hidden parts of yourself?
Who has authority over your decisions over your life, how might you offer God the most authority?

LET'S CONNECT!

Did you like this episode? Let us know and leave a review on itunes or share it with a friend.

Or message us on Instagram – we'd love to hear from you!

Get the Daily Dozen Checklist -12 habits that will immediately make you happier and healthier

Ep.507: Walking Kids Through Grief + Loss with Clarissa Moll Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

It's hard enough dealing with our own grief, but helping children, teens, and young adults navigate grief and loss is another level of hard, one that we often avoid or find ourselves lacking, not knowing how to do it.

Grief is never one-size-fits-all—especially for kids, teens, and young adults who are still learning how to make sense of the world.

In this conversation, we welcome Clarissa Moll—author, speaker, and widow—who vulnerably shares her personal journey of loss after her husband's sudden death and what it's looked like to walk alongside her own children through grief.

Together, we explore how to navigate conversations about death and loss with honesty and care, the unique ways children and adolescents express sorrow, and how presence—more than perfection—is what young hearts need most. From the role of trusted adults to creative outlets for grief expression, Clarissa offers wisdom for every stage of growing up with grief.

Whether you're parenting a grieving child, mentoring a teen, or supporting a young adult facing deep loss, this episode is filled with practical tools and hopeful truth. Clarissa reminds us: it's never too late to show up with compassion, courage, and connection.

FIND MORE ABOUT CLARISSA MOLL

Clarissa Moll's – Website and Instagram

Clarissa Moll's Podcast- Surprised by Grief Podcast

Clarissa Moll's Book- Hope Comes to Stay

A FEW THINGS MENTIONED

Clarissa's More Books

-Beyond the Darkness

-Hurt Help Hope

Till We Have Faces-Cs Lewis

Grieving Resources

-Dougy Center

-Refuge Widower

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE

How did you experience grief as a child?
How does that inform how you talk about grief with your own children?
Is there a child in your sphere, maybe not your own child, that you could be a trusted adult for?
No matter how long it's been, is there a conversation around grief that you need to have with someone in your life?

LET'S CONNECT!

Did you like this episode? Let us know and leave a review on itunes or share it with a friend.

Or message us on Instagram – we'd love to hear from you!

Get the Daily Dozen Checklist -12 habits that will immediately make you happier and healthier

Ep.506: Social Media Reset with Allie Marie Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

Distraction kills our purpose. It keeps us from focusing on what we truly want by throwing our attention to other things. Social media offers a new type of distraction for humanity and we are experiencing the repercussions. So how do we know if our own social media habits are hurting us? How do we assess we need a break? And then how do we actually take one? Our guest on the podcast this week, Allie Smith, gives us true and firm words about how social media use can impact quality of life. She also offers some ways to take a break, or "fast", or simply to turn down the volume of the virtual noise. It takes some humility and discernment to look at our own use and how it may be distracting us to a point of trouble. If you log on to a social media account on a regular basis, this is a great listen. If you have young people in your life that you are trying to guide through the murky waters of social media, listen. Full of practical tips, you won't want to miss this episode. FIND MORE ABOUT ALLIE MARIE SMITH

Allie Marie Smith's – Website and Instagram

Allie Marie's Podcast- Wonderfully Made Podcast

Allie Marie Smith's Book- Social Media Reset

A FEW THINGS MENTIONED

Allie's More Books

-Wonderfully made

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Psalms 139

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE

What do you want your legacy to be?
How does social media serve you, and where is it positive in your life?
In what way might social media be harming you?
What opportunities would a social media fast provide?
What boundaries can you set up to proactively prevent phubbing? (Phubbing means paying more attention to your phone than the person Infront of you)

LET'S CONNECT!

Did you like this episode? Let us know and leave a review on itunes or share it with a friend.

Or message us on Instagram – we'd love to hear from you!

Get the Daily Dozen Checklist -12 habits that will im

Ep.505: Living in Sync with the Holy Spirit with Margaret Feinberg Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

Holy Spirit feel familiar? Intimidating? Confusing? This part of the Trinity can be mysterious. And yet the Spirit is an integral part to living a life of faith. Author Margaret Feinberg joins the podcast to talk about the nature of Holy Spirit, how we can engage and access this delightful part of our Christian experience.

What have you been taught about Holy Spirit? What questions do you have? How might a life that dances in accordance with the Spirit bring you closer to God and to Jesus? These are questions we can walk through our days without considering, but when we do we discover there is more to our spiritual life than we often access. Let's do this together!

LISTEN TO THE EPISODE

Does Holy Spirit feel familiar? Intimidating? Confusing? This part of the Trinity can be mysterious. And yet the Spirit is an integral part to living a life of faith. Author Margaret Feinberg joins the podcast to talk about the nature of Holy Spirit, how we can engage and access this delightful part of our Christian experience.

FIND MORE ABOUT MARGARET FEINBERG

Margaret Feinberg's – Website, Instagram and Facebook

Margaret Feinberg Book's- The God You Need to Know

Margaret Feinberg's Podcast- The JoyCast

A FEW THINGS MENTIONED

Margaret's More Books

-Tohu Wahovu-representative of watery abyss( large body of water)

Five Prompting from Holy Spirit

Is the prompting consistent with the scripture and the word of God?
Does the prompting cause me to love God and love others?
Does the prompting leave me with deep sense of peace, the shalom?
Will the prompting yield the fruit of the Holy Spirit?
Does wise counsel affirm this prompting?

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE

What has been your experience with Holy Spirit?
What would it look like for you to pay more attention to the spirit in your life?
What is a journal prompt you can use to help you listen for Holy Spirit to speak?
What question can you use to help you discern if what you're hearing is from Holy Spirit?

LET'S CONNECT!

Did you like this episode? Let us know and leave a review on itunes or share it with a friend.

Or message us on Instagram – we'd love to hear from you!

Get the Daily Dozen Checklist -12 habits that will immediately make you happier and healthier

Happy June - we're taking a break Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

In all of our excitement this spring we forgot to mention that we are taking the month of June off! No new episodes until July.

We will connect with you again in July and until then, remember, it's our time to rise!

Ep.504: Going Back to School in Midlife with Ashley Larkin May 27, 2025

Show notes

Ever thought about going back to school to pursue that career you've always dreamed of—but life just got in the way?

In this episode, Ashley Larkin shares her inspiring journey of returning to school to study counseling—all while raising three teenage daughters. We dive into what it really takes to make a big move like this, from learning how to discern your next right step to leaning on community support and pushing through the challenges of stepping back into the classroom after years away.

More than anything, Ashley reminds us that your worth isn't tied to your resume—and it's never too late to go after something new. If you've been wondering whether this could be your next chapter, Ashley's wisdom and encouragement will help you!

A FEW THINGS MENTIONED

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE

How does your wiring point you toward next steps?
How can you borrow someone else's beliefs or courage on your behalf, and how can you ask that person to offer some belief or courage to you, that you can hold onto?
Is there a word phrase or image that keeps resurfacing for you?
How can you practice receiving God's love?

LET'S CONNECT!

Did you like this episode? Let us know and leave a review on itunes or share it with a friend.

Or message us on Instagram – we'd love to hear from you!

Get the Daily Dozen Checklist -12 habits that will immediately make you happier and healthier

Ep.503: This is What Courage Looks Like with Krista Gilbert and Alex Kuykendall May 20, 2025

Show notes

How do we face what makes us scared? How do we muster up courage when all we feel is afraid? Midlife has no shortage of fears, those things that are out of our control and threaten to bring us harm, or at least discomfort. We wake up in the middle of the night, we ask God for definitive outcomes, but mostly we wish for clarity and certainty when those outcomes were never promised. We have to figure out how to live with fear. We have to figure out what courage looks like.

In this episode, Alex and Krista share their process when they are facing fear and want to make courageous decisions. Hear how they understand God's call toward courage and the Biblical characters that exemplify it. We would love to know, what makes you afraid? And how do you find courage?

A FEW THINGS MENTIONED

Bible verses

Book

Courageous

Atomic Habits- James Clear

Quote

Krista's Quote on Courage

LET'S CONNECT!

Did you like this episode? Let us know and leave a review on itunes or share it with a friend.

Or message us on Instagram – we'd love to hear from you!

Get the Daily Dozen Checklist -12 habits that will immediately make you happier and healthier

Ep.502: The Power of the Underestimated with Mary Marantz May 13, 2025

Show notes

Ever felt like you're not enough, or that someone's going to find out you don't belong? You're not alone—and Mary Marantz gets it.

In this honest and inspiring conversation, Mary—author, speaker, and host of The Mary Marantz Show—shares her journey from growing up in a trailer in rural West Virginia to graduating from Yale Law and becoming a bestselling author. But this isn't a highlight reel. Mary opens up about wrestling with fear, imposter syndrome, perfectionism, and the pressure to constantly strive for more.

We talk about what it really means to feel stuck (especially in midlife), why procrastination isn't laziness, and how urgency can actually be a gift. Mary also breaks down the difference between setting goals and living with intention—and why that distinction matters.

If you're tired of chasing worth and ready to reclaim your story, this episode is for you.

FIND MORE ABOUT MARY MARANTZ

Mary Marantz - Website and Instagram

Mary Marantz Book- Underestimated

A FEW THINGS MENTIONED

Mary's Other Books

-Dirt

-Slow Growth, Equals Strong Roots

Other Books

-Be The Unicorn

Mary's Podcast Show

-The Mary Marantz Show

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE

Is there an area of life where you are feeling stuck?
What face of fear is feeding that: Perfectionism, procrastination, people pleasing etc?
How can you show up with authenticity in every area of your life so that you feel integrated as you go through your days?
Where do you feel like you've put on imposter syndrome as a means of self-protection?
How can you show up with intention daily to help you live in integrity?

LET'S CONNECT!

Did you like this episode? Let us know and leave a review on itunes or share it with a friend.

Or message us on Instagram – we'd love to hear from you!

Get the Daily Dozen Checklist -12 habits that will immediately make you happier and healthier

Ep.501: When the Pain Feels Like Too Much with Linda Dillow May 06, 2025

Show notes

How do we face grief when it feels overwhelming? How do we keep from being bitter when life turns out differently than we planned for? What do we say to God when we're simply pissed off and don't want to face the day because we did not ask for this kind of day?

Our faith does not need to be shallow, offering us only minor comfort for minor problems. Jesus understands pain and grief in ways no other human can. Yet we feel like we shouldn't go to him with our actual heartache.

Linda Dillow shares some of her life story with us. She is a woman who knows grief and anger. She also understands that life doesn't always get easier, sometimes it gets harder. And yet she has discovered some heart practices that connect her to God in these most grieved places.

If you are looking for more than a superficial faith, you are longing for a theology that withstands the worst life can throw at you and a relationship with Jesus that is authentic, push play. Linda is a comfort and a model of what it is to choose to turn back to God while asking the Holy Spirit to heal.

We want this kind of faith for us and for you.

FIND MORE ABOUT LINDA DILLOW

Linda Dillow's Book- Hope for My Hurting Heart

A FEW THINGS MENTIONED

Psalms 139

Romans 5

Chokmah- A Hebrew word meaning -Wisdom

Philippians 3

Linda's Book

Calm My Anxious Heart

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU RISE

What would you title the hard story you are living through right now?
Linda shared about her journey of forgiveness, who might you need to forgive and what is keeping you from doing that?
What is a declaration of hope that you can write over your story today?
What would it look like for you to worship in the minor-key right now?

LET'S CONNECT!

Did you like this episode? Let us know and leave a review on itunes or share it with a friend.

Or message us on Instagram – we'd love to hear from you!

Get the Daily Dozen Checklist -12 habits that will immediately make you happier and healthier

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