Madhouse Parents Podcast

Don't become a home for other people's issues. It's easy to let others impact your life and your mood. In this podcast, Luke breaks down how this recently impacted him and what he's done to cast those demons away.

You're probably not going to agree with this thought right away?!? We're hurting our kids by praising them too much! Sounds a little hard right? In this podcast, Jena and Luke break down why we must stop over praising and start constructively correcting! The impacts are already visible in the classroom, on youth sports teams and in general all over society. This impact will be significant and long term if we, the parents, don't act now!

Feel like you're living Groundhog day repeatedly? Not feeling challenged? Feeling lost? Incomplete? Those feelings have persisted the last few months for me and it's time to bust out of the rut. In this podcast Luke breaks down exactly how he plans to do so and how you can to!

Teaching Our Kids Honor #66 by Luke and Jena James

Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you were so laser focused, amped up, on that one thing? That's all you think about, it consumed you. Then it's over. Now what? How do you get past the lull? Or better yet, ensure that it doesn't happen? In this podcast, Luke and Jena break down their latest lull and how we're planning to get through it.

Boundaries?? Where do we start? How do we know what's too much? Too little? Are we restricting our kids too much? Are you protecting them enough? How do we manage? In this podcast, Jena and Luke discuss how we're handling boundaries in our new setup and what we've learned.

You're wrong! Why would you do that? You're making a mistake? Ever heard these words? From a friend? Family member? Random person? Ever feel confused, conflicted, after hearing these words? "Uncle Bill, he's been around for a long time, accomplished some great things, but has never home schooled his kids, so should I really listen when he tells me my kids will be socially inept if I home school??" Other times the advice is warranted and helpful, how do I know?!?! In this podcast, Jena and Luke dive into this tricky subject and share some of our experiences making big decisions over the last 15 years and when we did and didn't heed the advice.

Hey, we missed you too! It's been a minute! We've had some big changes happen in our life! Taken some leaps of faith! Gotten a little uncomfortable! And feeling pretty awesome about it. Jena and Luke jump into what's been happening in their lives over the last few months and dive into the big life change their family made. Looking forward to getting back on track with y'all! The fun has just begun, looking forward to an awesome 2021 with Madhouse Parents!

Wow! What an impactful interview! In this podcast, Jon and Kathryn Gordon share the key to overcoming the so many challenges we all face, or will face, in relationships and the key to developing a resilient relationship that will last the test a time! No marriage is perfect and every marriage experiences the changing of the seasons and not only can we survive these seasons, but we can stay together, grow together and thrive together!! Luke and Jena dive into Jon and Kathryan’s experiences and what they did to overcome some difficult times in their marriage and also share some insights from our takeaways and how we related to their journey. You’ll take away from solid nuggets in this podcast! Who are Jon and Kathryn? Jon is a best selling author and keynote speaker. His books and talk have inspired readers and audiences around the world. He is the author of over 20 books including many best-sellers like: The Energy Bus, The Carpenter, The Power of Positive Leadership and more.. In Relationship GRIT, Jon and Kathryn team up and reveal what brought them together, what kept them together through difficult times, and what continues to sustain their love and passion for one another to this day. Grab a copy today at www.relationshipgritbook.com

Are you fired up? I don't know about you, but I've found myself fired up quite a bit recently??! Fired up and ready to share! Ready to share and influence, but what's missing here?!? I would not describe myself as an empathic person, definitely something I struggle with. The real unfortunate thing here is being fired up and non-empathic; not a great combo when you're trying to help forge a message forward, hoping to sway someone from theirs. In this podcast, Luke dives into the power of empathy and why he's working at being more empathic.

We've all heard and likely all said it! "I can't wait for 2020 to be over!" It's like we're all waiting for some mystical change of calendar to make everything right again?!?! Keep dreaming... In this podcast, Luke breaks down how we're working to win the year! We've got 4 months left to 2020, let's make it memorable for something great!

We’ve all heard the phrase, “If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you?” We’ve all heard it, yet it feels like a large portion of our society is diving face first off the ledge. Why do we tend to take this path when we know it’s not what we believe? Why are we constantly challenged with the “You're either with me or against me” narrative? Is it even real? What impact does that have on our life and our kids? Especially if we give in to the narrative. In this podcast, Jena and Luke dive into why it’s imperative to be confident in staying true to yourself and your beliefs even when it seems like everyone else is doing the opposite. How we’re going against the herd in some aspects of our lives and why SELF CONTROL is critical when doing this in a positive and respectful manner.

Guess what, you're right!?! There are things outside our control and they SUCK when they happen, but guess what?!?! There are far, far, far more things that are WITHIN our control; including most of these things that seem outside our control. And when we're able to take control of those items, our life reaps the benefits. Is this easy to do?!?! Absolutely not, which is why most people develop the "victim mentality" and simply accept what will be, will be. We don't have to do this and we shouldn't! Can we blame our circumstances, certainly we can, but what's that do to our quality of life? What are we teaching our kids? We must take control! In this podcast, Luke and Jena dive into some big decisions that they've made recently and how we're taking control of our family's lives.

You feel that? The pressure from society to be like everyone else. Do what everyone else does. Speak like everyone else does. Believe exactly what everyone does. I feel it and I know our kids do. But guess what? We don't have to conform to what everyone else wants. We can and we must be true to OUR values! In this podcast, Jena and Luke dive into our responsibility as parents to teach and develop our kids' confidence to be true to them.

Ready for a break? No doubt you and your kids are ready for something new. We're half way through summer and the same old routine is probably getting old. Kids are getting touchy and constantly at each others throat. How do we break this madness? We interrupt it! In this podcast, Luke and Jena break down how they break the cycle of madness in our home!

Raise your hand if you've ever said "Why can't my kids behave like everyone else's?" or "Wow, that couple just seems to have it all together!" or "How do they do it? They seem like the perfect little family." Guess what?!?! They're not. It's a mirage! In today's society we're constantly bombarded with perfection mirages. They're all over social media, on tv, and even in the community around us. It's hard to see someone else gliding through life, while you're in what feels like a constant battle. I get it. We've felt the same struggles. But guess what.?Those lives that seem perfect, they're not. They're not real and they're harmful. Harmful for you and the individuals living in the mirage. When you live in a fake reality or try to live up to a fake reality you're hurting yourself and all those around you. In this podcast, Luke and Jena break down what a perfection mirage is, why it's harmful, and our opportunity to live authentic lives.

This is a tough one for sure…. Any parent knows the challenge of discussing any complex subject with their kids. War, death, starvation, global pandemics, racism, etc..These are difficult subjects to discuss and often also difficult subjects for our kids to comprehend. But, they’re also critical to discuss with our kids. So how do we do it? Great question! We’re on the same journey as you! In this podcast, Jena and Luke discuss our struggles and how we’re handling discussing this important subject with our kids.

Who's the boss in your house? Lately, it seems like our kids are running the show... Not ideal, right? From demanding snacks every 20 seconds to interrupting nearly every discussion Jena and I are have. Admittedly, we have work to do here. But, why's it feel so hard? Why do we feel guilt when we "ignore" our kids? In this podcast, Jena and Luke break down our struggles and how we plan, hope?!?, to turn it around!

Having a difficult time keeping positive? Suck in a rut? No energy? We’ve got 5 ways to get back on track! New podcast up: Imperfect Positivity! Positivity doesn’t have to be perfect, but you got to have it! Jena and Luke dive into 5 key things we have learned to stay on track with positivity in our home. It’s a journey and by no means perfect, but essential for a quality life! We discuss 1) How to get yourself out of a rut 2) Winning each day 3) Finding opportunities 4) Shielding yourself from negativity 5) Focusing on controllables. Podcast link in profile. Available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, SoundCloud, Castbox and others. Subscribe today and please share the message with someone you know that needs a little boost.

Tensions a little escalated in your home? It's like a roller coaster you can't get off! Jena and I have definitely had our battles, not only during this time, but over our nearly 12 years of marriage. We have learned some valuable things over the course of that time that are even more important now than ever with our increased time together. If you continue to do nothing, ignore or hold those emotions in.... oh man, you're in for some fireworks! In this podcast, Jena and Luke break down how to NOT destroy your relationship during this 24/7 lockdown, what we've learned that works for us when tensions get high and what we’re doing to continually improve in this area.

What do we all fear the most? Spiders? Snakes? Open water? Heights? Death? All of us have experienced fear and most of us are experiencing it today. What do all these fears have in common? Uncertainty. We all fear uncertainty. Uncertain when a spider will appear next. Uncertain that we’ll be able to swim to shore. Uncertain when we’ll die? This isn’t any different today than it was a year ago. We’re constantly surrounded by uncertainties. You know the thing about uncertainty? It’s uncertain! We can’t control it. So why do we waste so much energy focusing on something we can’t control? What if we used all that energy and put it towards something that we can control? What would happen? How would you feel? In this podcast, Luke and Jena break down why we can’t let fear and uncertainty control us and how we’re able to focus on what we can control. Does fear creep in from time to time? Absolutely it does. We’ve found ways to push it back out and want to share that with you all! “Only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Franklin D. Roosevelt

How's your new, kids at home, routine going? Ours looks a lot different then the one we sketched out last week! In fact, I'd say we failed hard on upholding that one! In this podcast, Luke and Jena break down how we're adapting to our new journey for the next however long?? and what we've learned and how we've adjusted over the last week.

Anyone else have a 1st born child that likes to take charge? A great characteristic, but also a challenging one to manage and develop. Especially when she's got two younger siblings that don't always appreciate the consistent direction! Jena and Luke dive into our situation and how we're coaching our little leader up and pulling our hair out along the journey!

Find yourself stuck at home? Kids out of school for..... yeah a while. No worries! Use this OPPORTUNITY to unite and connect with your family and community. AND TO DO THIS EFFECTIVELY you've got to establish a solid routine. But, no freight it doesn't have to be hard. Don't be overwhelmed by leading school for 8 hours, build a simple and intentional routine. Listen in as Luke and Jena chat through our plans!

We've all heard the phrase, "Double down on your strengths and forget your weaknesses!" This advice is well...... not accurate if you want to succeed. Many of our weaknesses are self-proclaimed and not really weaknesses, but skills that need developed. We all have unique strengths and they can help us even overcome weaknesses. However, we shouldn’t stop developing a skill that’s lacking and when we do develop that skill, even just a little, it’s a huge confidence booster. I used to be terrible at public speaking, terrified even, and considered it a weakness. Through my career and other ventures I found myself in public speaking opportunities, even sought them out, and turned what I considered a weakness into a, maybe not strength, but a skill that I can be fairly effective at. In this podcast, Jena and I dive into and unpacked why many of our self proclaimed weaknesses aren’t actually weaknesses at all, but skills that need sharpened…

We all know that guy in the neighborhood that's always irritated. Constantly upset about something. Never a smile on his face. What do you think made him this way? Past event? Loss of a loved one? Always sees the burden in everything? Let's say he has kids. What will their outlook on life be? Either they'll be so turned off that they'll be polar opposite OR they'll follow suite and be exactly the same. Then what? They have kids and the vicious cycle continues... What if we could control our thoughts and how we perceived responsibilities, obligations, opportunities… If we possed the ability to transform our mindset. And in turn our kids. Good news! We can! In the latest Madhouse Parents Podcast Luke and Jena discuss having a get to mindset vs have to. Mindset Transformation: Shifting From Have To 2 Get To! Give it a listen today and shift your mindset! Don't miss another episode, subscribe today!

Parenting sucks, you feel like a failure, what now? Can you relate? We feel like we’re doing all the right things and then one thing happens and it feels like your parenting world comes tumbling down… Feel like you’re not having any impact? Tried and true methods failing? Just feels like nothing works anymore? Don’t give up! We all go through this, most daily! In this podcast, Jena and Luke break down how to deal with the feeling of parenting failure, what to do next, and how to overcome this massive challenge...

We've all done it. Spoke that one word that we meant to be a harmless tease. That innocent little jab or label. Oh Billy, you're so clumsy... Poor little Jena, she's so shy... Have you ever stopped to think what impact that has on our kids? Especially if they're consistently hearing it from us. From their friends. Family. Neighbors. What's the compounding effect? Does it build their confidence? Do they conform to that label? Strive to be more like it? Use it as an excuse to continue a behavior? In this podcast, Jena and Luke dive into why labeling our kids can be dangerous and what we have to watch out for.

You shouldn’t set a New Year’s resolution! That’s right, don’t do it! Instead set small daily goals and build momentum. Pick a theme for the year that narrows your focus on all your activities. Encourage your kids, your wife, your husband, your friends, and build confidence. In this podcast, Jena and Luke break down how! Best podcast of the year! ;) But really, you don’t want to miss this... Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and SoundCloud.

The holidays are here and so are the crazies! Are you ready? Are you one of them? ;) I’m sure I’ve been labeled the crazy one at least once! But do we have to be the crazy one? The cousin, brother, aunt, dad, grandma, or the long lost relative that always comes to the holidays guns blazing, with an agenda to fix the world, slam it down your throat style.... In this podcast, Jena and Luke break down how we are approaching the holidays, why it’s important to simply enjoy the time with family and how to disagree and still be friends.

What's a linchpin? According to the Dictionary.com Its a pin passed through the end of an axle to keep a wheel in position. It also defines it as a person or thing vital to an enterprise or organization. The key word here is vital. The pin is vital to keep the wheels on the axle. The person is vital to an organization. What's this have to do with raising kids? Everything! Do you think we're developing linchpins at school? Are linchpins naturally conditioned in society? No, mediocrity is! As parents, we have an opportunity to raise little linchpins. Vital little humans to lead. Lead organizations. Lead their families. Lead their community. Lead their society. Leaders… In this podcast, Jena and Luke break down how we have an opportunity to raise linchpins. What that means and how we're working towards it! Want to learn even more about becoming a Linchpin and what inspired this podcast? Checkout @sethgodin book Linchpin! Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and SoundCloud.

It's hard enough to improve on our own weaknesses, let alone help our kids develop their confidence! And then add a sibling that excels at the other's weakness! Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? How do you encourage the child with the weakness, while not discouraging the other sibling from continuing to excel? Your fear is the child with the weakness will give up, get frustrated, lose confidence. And if you give them false confidence, shield them, over praise, "You're actually pretty good at that…" Then later at school they get punched right in the gut when they realize they're not and their confidence is destroyed… In this podcast, Luke and Jena break down this exact scenario in our home and how we're leveraging this as an opportunity to really, really build our kids confidence! Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Castbox and SoundCloud.

Man, what an episode! Victor Pisano of Charge Up brought it! Victor, Jena and Luke break down the challenges with being a teenager, specifically a student-athlete, today. The significance of establishing core values and non-negotiables at a young age, how to teach our kids gratitude and a parents role as an influencer. Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and SoundCloud. https://www.chargeuptoday.com/ Follow Victor @charge_up_today

We all need a friends, right? Guys night, girls night out, that stuff is important and cultivating relationships is key to happiness and health, but do you prioritize this time over time with your significant other? As we age we change, we grow, we become different people than we were when we met each other. What happens when we don't do that together? What's our relationship look like in 15 years after our kids are gone? In this podcast Jena and Luke discuss why it's important to be best friends with your spouse. Why it's important to grow and invest in each other. Podcast available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and SoundCloud.

Feel like you’re consistently coming up short? Things just aren’t going your way? Seems like everything is against you? Man, we all feel this way from time to time. Life’s full of ups and downs, but it’s how we respond to these situations that determines who we become. It’s easy to give in and just become a victim to the circumstances, but what does that do to us long term? What example does that set with our kids? In this podcast, Luke and Jena dive into taking control of your life, including what they’re learning along life’s journey and how we all have to seek to consistently get better, one day at a time. Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!

Attention Moms! You’ve all without a doubt felt the dreaded mom guilt. From missing little Joey’s baseball game to his first burp, it doesn’t matter how big or how small of perceived importance they all hurt... How do we manage the guilt? Hint, don’t do it alone! In this podcast Luke and Jena break down parenting as a team to overcome the feared mom guilt. Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play, and SoundCloud.

Anyone else feel like their little children are quickly morphing into dramatic teenagers? Full of attitude, flare, drama, emotional, strong willed, always right, knows everything, oh and did I mention they’re only 7 years old! Our oldest daughter is paving her way towards full blown teenager attitude and she just turns 8 in a couple weeks! How do we manage this? How do we connect with her? How do we discipline her? How do we not get sucked into the teen drama? Jena and I struggle with this, but recently came across a good article talking about this exact subject; https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/a-teen-battle-worth-ignoring/. In this podcast we talk about managing the teen drama, letting stuff go, and the importance of letting our kids fail (natural consequences). Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!

Would you do something everyday if you knew it would have a big impact? Something simple? Something that would have a positive impact on the world? Teach our children how to be kind and influential? Great, us too! Good news, we can! ALL of us have this opportunity right in front of us everyday! Little acts that if done everyday have big influence! In this podcast Jena and Luke dive into how these everyday opportunities, little acts, translate into big influence AND how to find these little acts and capitalize on them everyday! Good stuff that will change your life and lead your kids! Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!

Say NO! So that you can say YES! You’ve likely heard the saying “When you say yes to something you’re saying no to something else.” What if instead of focusing on what we’re unintentionally saying no to we focus on saying no to the lower priority things in our life so that we can say “yes” to the important ones. Focus on taking control, rather than being a victim to the circumstances of saying yes. In this podcast, Jena and Luke break down how to prioritize your life in a way that makes it easier to say no and how to be ‘all in’ on the priorities of your life. Say no! So that you can say yes! Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!

Attention single parents, divorced parents, parents trying to date have we got a story to share with you! Welcome our first guest Carmen Williams and her inspiring story of triumph, struggle, depression, self love and redemption! Episode notes below as it is a longer one. 1:00 - Intro. Early life and embarking on a new career 10:00 - Meeting her husband and getting married at 20 while in the military overseas 13:00 - Son born overseas. Daughter born after in US apart from her husband 16:00 - Reunited with husband in US 18:00 - Depression, anxiety, rocky marriage and divorce 25:00 - Single mom life begins. All alone. 30:00 - Most important life altering thing learned 34:30 - Dating as a single mom Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!

The single most important part of any relationship is???? You guessed it COMMUNICATION! We all communicate, but do we really communicate well? Jena and I struggle with communication in various areas of our relationship from unspoken expectations to making communication a priority when apart. In this podcast, Jena and Luke chat through 4 common areas that they and many other couples struggle in. They share the challenges and also how to better communication and improving your relationship in the process. Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!

What do you do when your child continues to be singled out by the “perceived” mean girls? What do you do when you later discover your other child is the mean girl? Things aren’t always as they seem.... In this podcast Jena and Luke talk about a recent few experiences with their daughters and the sibling rivalry that exists.

Sex, everyone's favorite subject to talk about! Or not… In this podcast Jena and Luke pull back the sheets, No pun intended ;), on the importance of sex in a marriage and how they've adjusted throughout their's, most notably after having kids. They talk about the importance of knowing your spouse's love language, why you must make sex a priority, the deep connection that sex brings to a marriage, and making adjustments as your life and family change. You're not going to want to miss this one! Podcast available on iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening!

At some point we all go through ups and downs of marriage, the dark days. Some last months, some years. It's not a matter of if they happen, it's when. Too often we just give up or wait for the other person to change. Mix in kids and the dark days become even harder. In this podcast Jena and I talk through our dark days, actually months, that we went through shortly after Presley was born and Jena started staying at home with two kids under two and a traveling husband. She was on an island to say the least. We talk through how we got through it and why you should to!

I bet you have a friend, out of your group of friends, that you feel more connected to? A deeper connection to this person, without even trying. What if I told you the same was true with our kids? That we naturally connect with some more than others. For me it's our middle daughter, we just naturally connect. Doesn't mean that I don't like, or love, my other girls any less. But what happens when I start sacrificing time with the other girls without even knowing it? it's something that we all have to be conscious of, because if we don't it can really impact our kids confidence and relationships with us. In the latest Madhouse Parents Podcast Jena and Luke dive into how we're managing this in our home. It's a good one! Plus as usual share some straight madness from the James house!

What’s the greatest investment we can make in our kids? How can we inspire our kids to grow? To become the little leaders we hope they grow into? To overcome challenges? To constantly seek growth opportunities? Through us! As parents we I must invest in ourselves. Those investments are deposits into our children. #leadbyexample

How often do we cast judgement on someone before we truly understand them? Almost always, right? We're all guilty of it! Far too often we gear up to unload on someone and tell them why they're wrong and why we're right! Seems to be the norm in today's world. It's almost like we seek out these opportunities to make ourselves feel better, more important, you're either with me or against me! BUT what actually happens is we drive a wedge further between us AND put ourselves in a terrible mindset. This mindset then takes hold of all aspects of our life and we find ourselves in a downward spiral. It pours over into our social life, professional life, and family life. Destroying relationships along the way. Compassion, compassion is the key AND we have to find it! In the latest Madhouse Parents Podcast, Jena and Luke break down why we must break this cycle by leading with compassion. Available in iTunes, Google Play and SoundCloud. Thanks for listening and sharing!

Recently I heard someone mention how anxiety has increased in kids over the last several years, so I did some reach and confirmed those comments. Then I started to wonder why? Has anxiety increased in adults too? How can we as parents manage this in our kids? What’s considered anxiety anyway? Luke dives into this topic and breaks down our impact as parents.

Are you a passionate person and parent? Proud of what you stand for and stand against? Active in sharing that message? Want to have an impact? That's what this country was founded on, freedom of speech and belief. When we are passionate it's really easy to want to pass our beliefs and share what we stand for. We're vocal with our friends, family, on social media and take pride in these beliefs. That's great and I encourage you to continue this, but don't let it distract you from parenting the fundamentals! It seems we're so focused on our own agenda and getting our point heard that we lose track of what's important and what those important values are that need to be taught to our children. Manners, respect, responsibility, love, and on and on... Sure exposing our kids to different cultures is important, but so is teaching them to hold the door open for the person behind them at the store. Guess what,when the fundamentals aren't taught what do you think happens? Kids become solely focused on themselves. Lack true empathy. Lack social awareness. Lack the communication skills to have a conversation with someone with different beliefs. In this podcast Jena and Luke dive share our thoughts and what we're doing with our kids to teach the fundamentals first!

Raise your hand if you struggle with discipline?

Anyone else tired of hearing how awful kids are today? It’s like our youth has mysteriously mutated into crazy virus infected monsters, all under the watchful eyes of parents…. Can we really blame society for how our kids turn out? Do we really believe it’s on society to raise our kids? As parents are we held hostage? Hands tied? Do we really believe our influence is less than societies? In this podcast Luke dives into how take control and turn the tide... Stop talking, start acting!