Finding Joy in Motherhood, Janet Quinlan

The mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship has been the subject of jokes, sitcom shows, stereotypes and unfortunately, for some, painful moments in our lives.In this episode, I'm sharing the "Families of Character" podcast episode in which Jordan Langdon and I discuss the sometimes complex relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.Let's talk about how to have a better (dare I say great?) relationship with your daughter-in-law or mother-in-law!Check out Jordan's resources on how to have a great family HERE.If you want help to make your relationship with your mother-in-law or daughter-in-law better, please see the details of my course:  "The MIL/DIL Dynamic Course" HERE.Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Do you also struggle with trying to control?Do you try to control your husband so you'll have a happier marriage?  Do you try to control your children's misbehavior with punishments and consequences rather than teaching them how to behave?Here's the truth - We can't control others – not our husband and not our children - but we can always control how we respond to them.To get on the waitlist for my Virtue-Based Parenting Course, click HERE.Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Summer can be great and it can be challenging as a parent.  Our parenting strengths and weaknesses are on full display!  In this replay episode, I give you the steps to help your child listen to you the first time.  Children need to be taught to listen.  And they're human, like us, so they naturally may not want to listen because they're busy with something else.  This episode helps you teach them to listen so you won't have a summer of angry frustration and so your children can really enjoy their time with you!  The chimes that I mention can be found HERE.Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

It's when a child responds to authority, usually a parent, in a rude, defiant, or disrespectful way.Now, back talk isn't always about rebellion. It often comes from frustration, a need for control, or emotional overwhelm. And while it's frustrating, it's important to understand that it's developmentally normal. Kids, especially early teens and teens, are learning to assert themselves. But just because it's a normal developmental stage, doesn't mean it's okay. And when we feel disrespected or angry, we often speak disrespectfully to them as we tell them – or yell at them – about how disrespectful they're being to us.So, rather than focusing on their action – we need to focus on our action – that comes from what we think our role as parents should be.We need to be teachers. Our job as parents is to teach our children to speak with respect.Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

In this episode, I talk about the importance of teaching your children HOW to behave rather than constantly giving consequences WHEN they don't behave.My course, "Virtue-Based Parenting" is open for enrollment now through May 17th.  You can go to janetquinlan.com/parenting to get all the details!Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Without a clear destination with anything we do, our chances of a successful outcome is really limited.It's no different with parenting.  As a parent, what's the destination for your children? What kind of adult do you want your children to become?When we have a clear idea of the end goal, the day to day has more meaning because we understand that each interaction and behavior either contributes to the end goal or it doesn't.My course, "Virtue-Based Parenting" is now open for enrollment.  I teach you how to create your "adult goal" for your children and how to uncover the actions you'll need to take to help your child reach that goal of a good, faith-filled, virtuous adult.Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

My parenting course, "Virtue-Based Parenting", will open for enrollment again on May 8, 2025.  Make sure to go to janetquinlan.com/parenting so sign up for the waitlist so you have access to all the enrollment information!Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Self-confidence isn't arrogance. It's not pretending to have it all together. It's not thinking you're better than other people.In fact, most people who exhibit that brand of self-confidence are actually over-compensating for their lack of confidence.Real self-confidence is a quiet, steady belief in yourself. It's knowing you can handle what life throws at you—even if you're afraid or if you fail. Self-confidence is built on trusting yourself, not just your abilities.Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Many years ago I heard a quote by St. Josemaria that spoke about how we should love our husband as our first, most precious child.I couldn't find the exact quote, but when I heard the message of loving my husband as I would love my first, most precious child it hit me hard.In my marriage course, "Foundations of a Happy Marriage",  I teach you how to love your husband - how to change your thinking about him, yourself, and your relationship, and how to treat him with the tenderness and compassion that with which you love your children.Check out my course, "Foundations of a Happy Marriage" HERE.Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

In today's episode, I talk about why putting your spouse first is one of the best things you can do for your marriage.  Many people prioritize their children, work, friends, or extended family over their spouse, but here's the truth: a strong marriage is the foundation of a strong family, more personal fulfillment, and a deeper, long-lasting relationship with the the one you said, "I do" to!Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

It's so easy to find faults in our spouse and blame them for any and all our marriage issues.But, the truth is, we each have strengths and weaknesses that we bring to the marriage.Rather than blaming our spouse for our troubles, let's look (bravely) at where we contribute to our marriage issues.Once we see where we contribute, we can begin to make changes that WILL effect our relationship in a positive way!Check out my free resources on marriage, parenting, home management, and faith life/mindset at janetquinlan.comFollow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

As we begin Lent, here are six steps that you can use to grow closer to God as you live your vocation to marriage and motherhood.We don't need to do extraordinary things in life to have a deep faith and love in Jesus Christ.We simply need to connect daily in a few different ways.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Listen in as I'm interviewed by my daughter, Mary Grace, for the Fairest Love Podcast Show.  We talk about what's really important in building a lasting relationship with your children.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Listen is as I'm interviewed by Jordan Langdon for the "Families of Character" podcast show.Jordan and I talk about essential skills to create a strong marriage which creates the foundation for a happy family life.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

I was in Chicago last week-end speaking at the Midwest Motherhood Conference - it was amazing!We laughed and cried and connected with so many friends and made new friends – the atmosphere was electric and I was so honored to speak to all these women.At this conference we had young women – some pregnant with their first, some pregnant with their 3rd or more.We had moms of elementary aged children and middle school kids.We had moms of high schoolers, college-age kids, and moms of children who have left the home.And one thing we all had in common was that everyone in that room gave up a Saturday morning for I think three reasons.  Listen to this episode to hear my thoughts on what moms are looking for.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

We get so busy in our lives that we forget we're here to do God's will.  We should periodically ask ourselves, "What is God asking of me?"This episode is a replay of an episode I recorded 1 1/2 yrs. ago.  I think we should revisit this episode every 6 months or so.  Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

So, what do you really want to achieve in 2025?Lose 10 lbs ( or 20?)?Workout 3 times a week?Read a book each month?While all those New Year's resolutions are important, what if 2025 could be the year you create that family life you really want?More connection and a deepening friendship with your husbandChildren who are happy and cooperativeA home that runs on systems and routines creating peace and predictabilityA deepening of your life of faith"The Faith & Family Project" is my new program designed to help you embrace and live your God-given mission to marriage, motherhood, and living in the world as a daughter of God.It's designed to merge your faith and your family into one cohesive life.Check it out at janetquinlan.com/projectLooking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

When you're a mom or grandma there are so many "things" we think we need to do to celebrate Christmas.  In this episode I'm reminding myself and you what the most important and cherished gift is that we can give ourselves and our family.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

And in learning how to nurture my interior life, I learned how to find peace – peace when life and relationships were good and peace when chaos was the order of the day.  In the Gospel of Matthew we read, "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” I wasn't going to God – I was carrying all the labor and burden of my life on my own. But once I started developing my interior life, I found peace - and I stopped yelling at the kids and being critical of my husband and those around me.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

We need to teach our children to have clear values of what's really important in life and satisfying their desires all the time is not it.  We need to help our children see that we're not here in this world to think constantly about what will make us happy and satisfy all our whims.Let's teach our kids that things of the world are here to enhance our life, not to make us self-centered, selfish, and always wanting more.If we want our children to practice moderation as adults, it's our job to teach them how to live it as children during boring days and celebratory seasons. Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

The mind finds what it seeks.  When we're focused on all the contradictions or negative parts of our life it is impossible to feel joy. But when we're focused on all that we're thankful for, our heart softens, and we can find the joy. Living in gratitude is a habit to embrace. It's not just one day on Thanksgiving or when special happy events happen in your life.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Family traditions strengthen family bonds and create a sense of belonging.  They also create a sense of predictability which heightens the anticipation of the experience.  In creating family traditions we can pass on our cultural heritage as well as our values and our faith.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

To begin preparing for the holidays, first ask yourself, "How do I want to feel during and after the holidays?"  Once you decide how you want to feel, then identify the actions you'll need to take in order to feel that feelings.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Through the years, I have coached, interviewed, and reached out to people to ask for their experiences with their daughter-in-law or mother-in-law and, quite frankly, it makes me sad.The responses I have gotten are 99% negative about their relationship with their in-law.Why is that? Why are there such issues between two women who love the same man but in different ways?As I looked at the responses and the complaints of women I coach, I found that there were four critical skills that both women need to develop.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

"Love means never having to say you're sorry."  Really?  In this episode I talk about the power of saying, "I'm sorry" -  how it can change the course of a relationship AND change you as a person.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

The #1 block for so many women I speak with in attaining joy and fulfillment in their marriage and their motherhood is that they aren't consistent.They aren't consistent in their faith life, showing up in their marriage or in the way they want to parent or in the creating and maintaining of their home.This episode explains why consistency is so important in the care of our families and our home.  It offers practical advice for ways to become more consistent.  Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

So many of us think we don't have time to have order.  But the opposite is actually true.  The more we have order in our home, our schedule, and our family life, the less overwhelmed and stressed we feel and have more time to actually enjoy our family life!Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Our self-image affects the the way we show up in our marriage, the way we parent our children, the way we keep our home, and ultimately, how happy and confident we are in our life.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Habits and routines help us define the day and move through it smoothly – without added stress of what to do next. On the flip side, it can be a drawback if we're so bound to the habit or routine that we make life unpleasant when it isn't achieved.  Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Many new parenting styles create an imbalance in the child/parent relationship.  When we adopt a parenting style that is child-led and emotion driven, we do a disservice to our children by hyper focusing on how they feel and what they want rather than teaching them how to think and how to feel and express their feelings in an appropriate way while learning the good habits or virtues that are the foundation of thinking, feeling, and acting.In Virtue Based Parenting, we 1.   Recognize that we are the leaders of our children and that we are their first and most important teachers.2.  We seek self-growth in virtue in order to better model those virtues for our children and as a point of connection with each child.3.  We are proactive in establishing our parenting and home life goals and we communicate our expectations clearly and consistently. We react calmly and thoughtfully to our children's misbehavior seeking ultimately to fulfill our long-term goals rather than simply implementing short-term solutions.4.  We focus on formation through lived virtues, understanding that virtue, or good habits, is the foundation of excellent moral, spiritual, and practical goals.   Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

New crayons, new backpacks, a special breakfast for the first day of school - these often accompany a new year as our children go back to school.  But…whether you see it or not, whether your children say it or not – and they probably won't – here's what they really want and need for success in school and in life.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

This episode airs on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, the Mother of Jesus – when Mary was taken up into heaven to be with her son.And so while so many moms in my audience are going through the chaos of back-to-school, I thought I'd record this episode as a reminder to all of us, that we have in Mary, the mother of Jesus, the perfect role model of the woman, the wife and mother, and the friend we are called to be.For my non-Catholic friends in the audience, I want to explain why Catholics and many other Christians honor Mary.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

I think it's important to see the cultural shifts that affect our families.Shifts in what used to be some issues for a few, now are so common place that EVERYONE suffers or deals with them.Serious issues are now considered normal or easily accepted and have become commonplace in our families.As soon as we make something common place – something we've said or thought so many times that we just think it is true – we've lost the control to make the decisions of how we want to live or change and how we want our children to live or our family dynamic to look.We voluntarily become victims.I know that some people deal with ADHD, anxiety or other issues and some people's children do.But we can't be in this victim mentality where we feel the need to quickly diagnose and either medicate or get therapy to help.Ask yourself, what else could this be?Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

School success for your children depends on what happens inside the classroom AND outside the classroom.  In this replay episode I talk about the most important habits to teach your children so they can love school and achieve all they're meant to achieve.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

As Michael and I celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, and as our 2nd daughter gets married, I had an opportunity to reflect on what really makes a great marriage.  This episode talks about the #1 secret to great marriages.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

One of the biggest problems we have is that we have "dreams" or "expectations" about how our life, relationships, the behavior of our children, and our home culture should be.  They're just fantasies with no clear actions to create them.  Setting goals helps us act in the here and now to create the life we really want.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Whatever form "evil" takes in your life - sadness, anger, unmet expectations, St. Josemaria's advice to "Drown Evil in an Abundance of Good" works!Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

We seem to always want to attack or find fault with people – with ourselves, with our husband, our children, our parents or in-laws.But if we take the “personal” away from assessing the situation, it's so much more neutral.  And when a situation is neutralized, we can let go of the flight or flight emotions we have and we can actually find solutions to a problem – rather than just blaming and holding someone at fault. Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

You can find my parenting course, "Virtue-Based Parenting" at janetquinlan.com/parentingcourseLooking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

In this episode, I explore the dangers of labeling our children.As parents, when we label a child that label becomes a part of his or her identity because they look to us to know themselves - we box them into a specific behavior rather than helping them explore all parts of themselves.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

The first step in creating your best summer for yourself and your family is to decide the results ahead of time.  In this episode, I teach you key routines to have in your home that will create a general structure for your family life, while also giving freedom for lots of play.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Who are you as a wife and mother?  When you die, what do you want your husband and children to say about you?  It's important to think about whether or not we're showing up in the world and in our family as we'd like to be remembered.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Why did you want to become a mother?  I don't think many of us ask ourselves that question.  It's just a rite of passage for many.  And yet, the enormity of raising humans is an endeavor that forces us to identify our "Why".  If not, we won't enjoy the process nor will we reap the benefits of sacrificial love.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Many different people have expressed this thought - you become who you surround yourself with.  We taught this concept to our children as they were growing up and choosing friends.  However, it isn't just for our children and the friends they choose.It's for all of us in many different ways.Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching

Did my motherhood shape my faith, or rather, did my faith shape my motherhood?  I'm not sure I have the answer, but after that retreat when I understood that I wasn't just marking time here, that I had a mission from God, I knew that when I embraced my vocation with a joy and fervor I had not done before, vocation and faith worked together to change me and to grow in virtue and love. Looking for a Catholic life coach to help you navigate marriage and motherhood? Sign up for a free coaching session with me to see how coaching can help you achieve the life you want! Go to janetquinlan.com for more information.Follow me on Instagram @janetquinlancoaching