Surviving Sarah

I am so happy to welcome Heather Adams to the show today. I was in Nashville this past September and was able to sit down face to face with Heather. Heather is the founder and CEO of Choice Media Communications which is a boutique public relations firm in Nashville. And I’ve had the opportunity to work with her firm over the last few years and they are so kind and gracious to work with.   Not only is Heather a leader and entrepreneur but she is also a boy mom. So you know we had to talk a little bit about what she’s surviving currently as a boy mom to tweens. Then, we had a really insightful conversation about mentorship. We talked about the importance of pivotal relationships, advice she’s learned from them in regards to leading others, advice for finding a mentor and advice for being a good mentor.   Connect with Sarah Shownotes Support Surviving Sarah on Pateron

I am so happy to welcome Courtney DeFeo back to the show. Courtney is an OG Surviving Sarah guest making her first appearance on the show back on episode 18. She is such a creative entrepreneur who has a big heart for helping others. She is an author and podcast host for the Treasured Podcast which is a great resource for moms of girls. Courtney has partnered with Parent Cue from Orange to create a resource for moms and tween girls so that is the basis for our conversation today. We talk about raising tween girls, the areas in which we feel inadequate to help, and even the area that we struggled with as tweens. And since we are in the throws of the holiday season, we talk about ways to make the holidays less about what we receive and more about what we give. Courtney shares some very practical and helpful ideas to light up your community during this holiday season. Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Website Support Surviving Sarah on Pateron

We are celebrating 200 episodes and 4 years of Surviving Sarah!!! It’s hard to believe that the show has existed for so long. It has been such a fun ride and it has afforded me opportunities that have been incredible. In this episode, I answer listener questions like how I produce an episode, how I juggle mom, kids and home, who my dream guest would be and what’s next for Surviving Sarah. Support Surviving Sarah on Pateron Connect with Sarah on Instagram Download Sarah's FREE planner pages

I am so happy to welcome Tricia Goyer back to the show. To me, Tricia is one of those women that I just want to be around. She is a wife, mom, author, speaker, and podcaster. You may remember her from a previous appearance on the show where we talked about how to calm angry kids. This time around, we talk about her book The Grumble Free Year which documented a challenge that her family took to live a grumble free life for a whole year. We talk about what triggered her to take this challenge, ways that we all grumble that we may not realize is grumbling and some very practical help and phrases to say to help yourself and your kids to be grumble free. Connect with Sarah on Instagram Sign up for Sarah's monthly survival kit newsletter

I am so happy to welcome Ashley Abercrombie to the show. Former Surviving Sarah guests, Kelsey Chapman and Tiffany Bluhm, connected us and I am so glad they did! This was one of my favorite conversations. Ashely and her family live in New York City. She is a blogger and writer and her first book, Rise of the Truthteller, hit stores this fall. She is also the co-host of the podcast Why Tho with Tiffany Bluhm.    Ashley has fought to overcome addiction, rape, abortion, perfectionism and dysfunctional relationships. She pretended to be someone she wasn’t for far too long and then decided that it was time to tell the truth. In this episode, we talk about how she became a truth-teller and owned her story, how she stopped wearing a mask and stopped pretending to be someone she wasn’t. We also talked about how to find safe people when you are ready to tell your story to and some phrases to say to people who are hurting that aren’t cliche. This was one of my favorite conversations. And I think you are going to love i

I am so happy to welcome Tara Bremer to the table. She is the founder of House Peace which helps people find order in their homes. Her family and business is based out of Birmingham, AL. This was one of the most fun episodes to record. Tara is just a delight. She has a BA in psych and an MA in counseling which I think allows her to bring a unique perspective to her organizing business. First things first, we talk about the enneagram and then we dive into simplifying life. We kick off our conversation in a creative, funny way as we try to experience life as Betty Draper. Which then naturally led to some interesting commentary about parenting in light of being our authentic selves. Then, she shares lots of tips about simplifying different parts of our lives.

I think a lot about the struggles of my youth and how I never thought I’d still struggle in the same ways. But newsflash, I’m 41 and still struggle in some of the same ways—it just looks a little different. But as I am growing up, there are things that I truly no longer want to live by. There are things that I’m finding in my life that have dominated my thinking for far too long. One of those is perfectionism. In this episode, I talk about how perfectionism meets my fear of failure and how I am learning to embrace my authentic self by practicing failure. Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Website

My good friend Heidi Rew joins me around the table. Heidi is a creative entrepreneur. She’s a full-time voiceover actor, occasional on-camera actor, co-owner of the Atlanta Voiceover Studio and host of the Heidi Rew Podcast. I was honored recently to be a guest on her show to talk all about that podcasting life. Hit pause and go subscribe to her show. There is no shortage of amazing conversations there.   Heidi and I met a couple of years ago and have just really connected. She quickly became one of my favorite people. We start our conversation by talking about the enneagram and how we are both 3’s. And we transition to talk about something that many women especially enneagram 3’s struggle with—eating disorders. Heidi struggled with eating disorders for over 2 decades. We talk about the dangers of growing up in diet culture, what helped her move out of the struggle, what helps her maintain a healthy perspective now, and advice for moms of daughters in this area. Heidi also opens up in such a vulnerable way a

I am happy to welcome Sarah Beckman back to the show. I always enjoy welcoming guests back. Sarah is an author and speaker who recently became an empty nester. So you know I capitalized on sitting with a mom further down the road from me and asked for some advice. She shares some really great advice for us moms who are in the tween/teen years. So have your mental pen and paper ready. Then, we talk about her latest book “Hope in the Hard Places: How to Survive When Your World Feels Out of Control.” We talk about why its so important to give yourself permission to grieve and feel during the hard times, precautions around social media during those times, how sometimes our faith prevents us from seeking what we need while walking through a hard season and some practical tips to help you get to the other side of a hard time. Connect with Sarah Bragg: Instagram // Website    

I am happy to welcome Haley Evans to the table. Haley is a lot like you and me. She works and is a mom spending evenings carting kids around to different activities. She is also a woman who realized that her phone had evolved from a device designed to simplify her life to one that ruled it. So she has committed to not only making changes for herself but hopes to help others do the same. We talk about why she wrote the book Hung Up; how we’ve lost all sense of manners when it comes to our device and how to set up some boundaries with our phones.   Did you know that I have another podcast called Raising Boys & Girls? Favorite Surviving Sarah guests, Sissy Goff and David Thomas, join me along with Melissa Trevathan. We are committed to helping you confident and normal as parents. You can binge listen to two seasons on your favorite iTunes app.   Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Website

I welcome Jane Mosbacher Morris to the table. She is the Founder and CEO of TO THE MARKET, a company that connects businesses and consumers to ethically made products from around the world.    Before starting To The Market, she served as the Director of Humanitarian Action for the McCain Institute for International Leadership and currently serves on the Institute's Human Trafficking Advisory Council. Prior to joining the Institute, she worked in the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Counterterrorism and in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues. She is also the author of the book, Buy the Change You Want to See: Use Your Purchasing Power to Make the World a Better Place.   She brings such a rich experience and understanding to the table to talk about the power that we have to change the world and our own neighborhoods. We talk about how working in counterterrorism gave her a first-hand look and experience with how work had the power to transform women’s lives; how seeing women around the world gav

Today, we talk about a tension that many of us feel. I think that many of us feel pulled between work and motherhood. We want to find the magic formula to be able to do it all—work all the hours and do (and be) all the things with (and for) our kids. Sarah talks about that tension and what has helped her. Connect with Sarah Download Sarah's FREE planner pages

I am so happy to welcome my dear friend back to the Surviving Sarah table. Sissy Goff is no stranger to your ears. She’s been a guest here way back in the day and then I hope you’ve heard her on our Raising Boys & Girls podcast. Sissy is the Director of Child & Adolescent Counseling at Daystar Ministries in Nashville and has written so many helpful books about kids.    She joins me today to talk about her well anticipated latest book Raising Worry-Free Girls: Helping Your Daughter Feel Braver, Stronger, and Smarter in an Anxious World. We talk about the difference between anxiety and worry; why anxiety has risen dramatically over the years; what kids are worrying about at different developmental stages; and practical ways to help our girls manage these anxieties.   Connect with Sarah   Download Sarah's FREE planner pages   Show Notes for this episode

I am so excited to welcome Nancy Swanson to the show today. Nancy is a teacher at my daughter’s elementary school. I jump at any chance I have to sit across the table from someone further down the road from me. Nancy is married and her three children are all grown. The reason, I invited Nancy to the table is because she is the mother of Dansby Swanson—the shortstop for the Atlanta Braves. I can’t tell you how many people have asked me to have an episode dedicated to navigating sports with children. So, I knew Nancy would be the perfect person to share her wisdom.   We talk about what’s she’s learned from raising three athletes and seeing one of her children reach the highest level of competition. She talks about setting expectations for kids, navigating the delicate relationship with coaches, how to foster work ethic, what good sports brought to her kids and advice from one mom to another.   Connect with Sarah on Instagram Download FREE planner pages created by Sarah to help you be more efficient & produc

I am so happy to welcome Natalie Taylor to the table today. She is a Certified Financial Planner, Professional and Behavioral Financial Advisor who is passionate about helping people cultivate a plan for their finances based on their values and goals. She is also a wife and mom who lives in my favorite place, Santa Barbara. I am so excited to share this conversation with you. I found it extremely helpful and I think you will, too. We talk about 3 common pitfalls that we fall into with our finances. And with that topic, we talk tips for budgeting, advice about how to avoid debt or get out of debt, and how to align our finances with what we value. Plus, she turns the table on me and coaches me on the subject of values and finances. Connect with Sarah on Instagram Download Sarah's FREE Planner Pages: a weekly page, daily page, meal plan page & morning checklist

If you’ve been listening to the show for awhile, then you know how much I benefit from the research, teaching and writings of Brené Brown. One thing that Brené does every week for her email subscribers is something called TGIF. That stands for… TRUST // GRATEFUL // INSPIRED // FUN Each week, she talks about what she is trusting right now; what she is grateful for; what is inspiring her; and what’s fun. TGIF. So for this episode, I thought it might be fun to do that here in regards to August. I want to look back over the month, and talk about what I’m trusting for, what I’m grateful for, what I’m inspired by and what’s fun.  Connect with Sarah: Instagram // Website

I am so excited to welcome my friend Dan Scott to the table. Dan has been working with kids for over 20 years as a teacher in education, pastor and communicator. He is also the father of 4 and he is passionate about reaching the hard to reach preteen age group.    He is the author of the book Caught in Between: Engage Your Preteens Before They Check Out which offers the latest research findings on preteens, sums up conversations every ministry leader is having about preteen ministry and walks readers through a comprehensive plan to engage preteens in ways that will ensure they have what they need to build an authentic faith.   We have a conversation centered on the topic of tweens. We talk about who tweens are at this phase of life and what they need from us; why they are literally losing their minds at age 11; how to help our kids become critical thinkers as they are moving from a concrete way of thinking into an abstract way of thinking; we talk about handling technology and how to handle the bible with thi

I am so excited to welcome Bri McKoy to the table. She calls herself an accidental home cook, turned food blogger, turned author. She loves to gather people around her everyday table. She is the author of Come and Eat: A Celebration of Love and Grace Around the Everyday Table which is an invitation to anyone who is searching for a deeper community and a desire to show more of Jesus’ love right from their very own dining room table.    I discovered Bri on Instagram through some mutual friends and she instantly became one of my favorite people. Her energy is contagious. She is so easily to chat with that I felt like we had been friends for years. We talk about what it looks like to create a new normal which she completely relates to as being a military wife. She also shares some tips on how to settle into a temporary space. She talks about what gave her the heart to create a longer table for people and in the process reveals some of her go-to recipes and kitchen tools. Prepare to be hungry by the end of this ep

I am happy to welcome my good friend, Amberly Deavours to the table. Amberly and I go way back—we’ve known each other since college. We have seen each other walk through a lot of life. She is a normal mom just like you and just like me except I sorta feel like she’s got some hidden superpowers because she is a mom of 5 who drives a 12 seat passenger van. Amberly is a certified FASTer Way to Fat Loss coach and we talk about what it looks like to take charge of your health. We talk about her journey with mental health and physical health and how it's all connected. She shares how motherhood wasn’t what she expected, how she battled anxiety and depression, how she finally took charge of her physical health through the FASTer Way to Fat Loss and why she’s so passionate for women to do the same. Click here for more information about the FASTer Way to Fat Loss Connect with Sarah on Instagram Click here for show notes

This week is the last installment of re-releases for our parenting series. And I picked the second conversation I had with Jennifer Walker from Moms on Call. Jennifer has played a big role in helping me as a young mother. There is just something about her that makes you feel like you can do this hard thing called parenting. This episode is all about surviving toddlers (which honestly, listening to it is relatable to surviving tweens, too) heaven help us. If you want to hear more from Jennifer, she was one of my very first guests! You can listen to Episode 6. Connect with Sarah: Website // Instagram