Sit With Me: A Connection Experiment

This episode is absolutely delectable! Meg had so much fun talking with Elena Davis about connecting using a tool every person uses every day...FOOD! Elena teaches that using food in an intentional way can lead to deeper relationships and a connection with family and friends everywhere. 

In this episode, Meg talks to Megan Woodbury, a junior high counselor, about what teens are doing well and what they are struggling with in regards to social relationships. Some key points from this episode: how the pandemic has affected teens' social lives, what parents can do to play a supporting role in their kids' relationship building, and thinking about ways to praise our teens for their resilience in the last two years. 

In this episode, Meg and Brooke Romney have a pretty fantastic conversation about holding space for your teens, finding moments of intentional teaching every day, and creating opportunities for teens to develop empathy and kindness. Those are just a few of the highlights, but this episode is stuffed to the rafters with goodness. 

In this episode, Meg gets into some wilderness talking about fun stuff (periods! pre-frontal cortex development! listening!) with Penny and Steph from The Messy Bun Podcast. It's fun, pinky promise. Penny and Steph have a lot of insight into the minds and hearts of teens, and how we can improve their experiences in relationships.

In this episode, Meg finally snagged her most favorite guest to date...her teenage son. He has some great insight into what relationship training COULD look like, and what his opinion is of current relationship training he has received. If you can look past the generous use of the word "like" and other typical teen boy sounds, this episode is delightful. Also, high fives. 

That title sounds sort of space shuttle inspired, but what we're ACTUALLY talking about is a pivot on purpose here on Sit With Me. This episode discusses explicit relationship training, and how to get more of that in the lives of the young people in your care. 

In this final episode of season two, Meg reviews all the best lessons from the last fifteen episodes. It has been such a joy to learn from the guests. The next season will have some fun surprises as well, so, as always, thanks for being here. 

In this episode, Meg talks to Trevor and Keirsten Hall about the landscape of their unique marriage, building trust after divorce, keeping a family together through deployments and PTSD, and the power of therapy. 

In this episode, Meg continues talking to Randi Fuller, who provides some fantastic recommendations about how each person, regardless of body size, can be an ally and an advocate for those living in larger bodies.  1. Recognize everyone is different (2:42) 2. Say less, listen more (3:14) 3. Acknowledge the differences (5:02) 4. They already know (7:25) 5. Mourn with them and lead with compassion (9:45) 6. Celebrate with them on things they can do (14:28) 7. Be a second witness (17:36) 8. Your actions will signal your allyship (21:44)

In this episode, Meg talks to one of her dear friends Randi about body size and its effect on pretty much every aspect of life. Randi has spent most of her life in a bigger body, and she has great insights into how all bodies can be better about supporting one another and overcoming biases. 

In this episode, Meg talks to one of her good friends, Kamden, a "professional ADHD-er." Kamden was diagnosed with ADHD in the spring of 2020, and has since created an online directory for others receiving similar mental health diagnoses in order to connect people with needed resources. She talks about how advocating for herself led her to now become an advocate for others. Kamden says that education is the key to overcoming the stigma that exists toward seeking help with our mental health. Also, she teaches us that self-compassion is the remedy for the self-criticism and perfectionism that often plagues both neurotypical and neuro-atypical brains.

In this episode, Meg talks to her good friend Catherine, who shares her journey with an eating disorder and how she has used self-compassion to wrestle with this difficulty. 

In this episode, Meg is talking to an incredible force of a woman, Jami Healey. Jami shares her ideas about being a whole person thinker, how she developed an attitude of body neutrality, and suggestions to combat negative media and societal messaging by using observational language. Jami also explains how non-body compliments have helped her transform her relationship with herself and others to build strong and deep connections. Y'all, this is a MUST LISTEN!

This week, Meg talks about finding hope amidst the weirdness by seeing people treat each other kindly. There is so much goodness in the world! Also, she shares a suggestion of what to do when listening gets sticky...(hint: keep listening). Meg also explains what balanced thinking is and how it is helping her cope with her own feelings as well as those of the teens that surround her. 

We're back! It's 2021! In the spirit of renewed energy and kids going back to school, Meg is talking about resetting and listening. Also, Wednesday Walks will now be a thing, and YOU'RE INVITED!! Listen for more details!   Instagram: @sitwithmepodcast

In the second part of the best friend interview, Molly, Libby and Meg talk about receiving service, being mindful of when people have full garbage cans, different friends serving different purposes, and being open to sharing your life with friends. And also, if you can make it to the end, there's a really good Popeye impression to look forward to. 

In this episode, things go completely off the rails. Meg invited two of her best friends to have an in-person interview, and a lot of hilarity ensued. Amidst the giggles, though, is some friendship analysis that everyone can probably relate to. 

In this episode, Meg lovingly (emphasis on love) reminds herself and everyone else that it isn't enough to wait for friends to serve you. She talks about the importance of adding value to the lives of others, being a creator rather than a consumer, and how to tell the difference. She also describes the trick she uses when she's caught as a guest at a pity party...it's called flipping the script. And it's awesome.

Building friendships can be tricky work, but very, very worth it. In this episode, Meg shares some of what has helped her create and contribute to fabulous friendships. 

Bruce Feiler says in Secrets of Happy Families that "bringing down parents is much harder than bringing up kids." As parents begin to age, the responsibilities of caretaking can be rough waters to navigate as siblings. Meg shares the perspectives of several people who have successfully loved their siblings AND taken care of their aging parents. This heavy topic is actually full of hope and opportunities for connection. 

In this episode, Meg talks about overcoming connection difficulties by practicing general conflict resolution strategies like allowing for change, finding compassion, and using humor as a diffusing technique. Also, she explains how nurturing grown siblings can lead to stronger connections and just a better life path generally. 

Welcome to Season 2! We are now focusing on building stronger connections outside the home. Meg talks about the importance of letting go of childhood roles, allowing your siblings to grow up, and expressing love when it feels weird. Also, bonus question: How many combined times have Meg and her siblings moved as adults? I think you'll be amazed. Or appalled.

In this final episode of season one, Meg synthesizes (thank you, Bloom's taxonomy) all the most powerful and lasting lessons from the past four months. It has been so good to focus on the insides of ourselves and our homes. But now, it's time to break free! Plus, if you listen to the end, there is a pretty phenomenal giveaway, just sayin'.

In this episode, Meg is finally wrapping up her "kid challenges" by talking about her relationship with her youngest child and only girl. She talks about leaning into the messy play of childhood, seeking connection at three critical times during these LONG days, and what it means to be "best friends" with your child. 

In this episode, Meg interviews parenting expert (not a flippant term, she really is SO GOOD), Lisa Andersen. There are about a billion golden nuggets in this episode, but some of the things Lisa emphasizes are: controlling oneself and one's own emotions first, why being a positive parent doesn't mean being an eternal optimist (phew!) and how to break the loops we have created in our minds in order to discipline in a more connective way. 

In this episode, Meg ironically talks the listener's ear off about staying quiet and how that one elusive skill can help build a stronger bond with your child. Also, she explains how acknowledging a child's "energy type," as taught by Carol Tuttle, author of The Child Whisperer, can help your parenting run more smoothly. Throw a few other random connections to obscure studies in and you've got yourself this episode! 

In this episode, Meg interviews her dear friend, Carrian Cheney, food blogger and cookbook creator at Oh Sweet Basil. However, as much as they share a love of good food, this podcast is about marriage. Carrian has an amazing worldview, which is reflected in her efforts to make her marriage a safe and loving space. She uses questions and love to build a stronger connection in her marriage and family. Come listen to this inspiring story and participate in the challenge of seeing the good in your spouse!

In this episode, Meg talks about how to come at parenting in a way that isn't necessarily intuitive. Because her second boy is so different from her oldest, these four suggestions are also entirely different. But there is hope! Connection doesn't have to be easy to be extremely valuable. 

In this episode, Meg analyzes her efforts in connecting with her oldest son. She takes a four-sided approach, with a hope that at least one of them will stick! Parenting pre-teens is no joke, but seeing the good can give us a lot of mileage, especially when time doesn't feel like it's on our side!

In this episode, Meg uses lots of big words to explain why taking walks changed everything in a very difficult time of her marriage. Ethnography meets the BOB stroller. It is a circuitous route, but a good one. Also, she explains how reframing what a ritual looks like can lead to a restoration of your marriage. 

In this special Valentine's week episode, Meg talks about the very sexy, very sensual theory of equal partnership. And while that sounds decidedly unsexy, finding a good balance in your marriage when it comes to division of labor is definitely one of the best and most healthy things you can do for your relationship! 

In this episode, Meg talks about how she's trying to understand the innards of her husband's mind. (That sounds so gruesome...and cool) Also, she reveals the shocking secret that she fights with her husband pretty regularly, and how that is actually beneficial in their marriage...as long as she does it correctly. 

In this episode, Meg shares two options for the weekly challenge based on how you show yourself love and respect. In a long-winded story, Meg describes her path to discovering the energizing effect that solitude provides for her, and then invites everyone else to figure out how they can fill their own souls by showing self-compassion. 

In this episode, Meg talks about some of the successes in her new meditation practice and how it has helped her connect to her best self. She also subliminally encourages listeners to try mantra meditation by using the word "ummm" SEVERAL times.  Listen to the end for a sweet giveaway! SHOW NOTES: Brooke Snow Christian Meditation course Calm app, Insight Timer app  

In this episode, Meg has a giggly conversation with her childhood friend, Jessy Flinders Baird, about what it means to her to celebrate your life when it doesn't look exactly the way you anticipated. What started out as a "body love conversation" turned into a chat about family, connection and crossing the monkey bars with no hands. 

In this episode, Meg waxes poetic about her beloved gym in California, and then explains what she's doing to keep herself motivated to exercise in an attempt to connect better with her inner mediocre athleticism. You will also hear some thoughts from her community about their one good reason to keep on trying!

In this episode, Meg explains where the idea for the podcast originated and also makes a crazy connection to science projects. It's weird. You'll love it.