Podcasts about stop being

Law firm leaders are often so busy putting out fires that they never get the chance to prevent the next one. In episode 634 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Debbie Foster about leading operations, the third cornerstone from their book, Be a Next Level Leader (beanextlevelleader.com).  Debbie and Stephanie explore what it means to shift from being the “hero” who solves every problem to the architect who builds systems that help the firm run better. They break down how leaders can help teams prioritize urgent versus important work, clarify decision-making authority, and develop the judgment to make better decisions without constantly escalating them.  They also explain why healthy firms surface problems early instead of hiding mistakes, how solving root causes can prevent recurring operational headaches, and why some law firm meetings cost far more than the decisions being made inside them.  If your days feel like an endless cycle of interruptions, emergencies, and meetings about the same problems, this episode offers practical ways to build systems that create more clarity, accountability, and consistency across your firm.  This week's homework: head to beanextlevelleader.com/resources for a free meeting audit calculator to see what your recurring meetings are really costing your firm.  Listen to our previous episodes on Law Firm Leadership, Systems & Stronger Teams  #633: Leading People in Law Firms: Building Trust, Developing Talent, and Holding Standards, with Debbie Foster & Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN  #632: Law Firm Leadership: How to Lead Yourself Before Leading Your Team, with Debbie Foster & Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN  #631: Tune In Before You Jump In: A Better Way to Delegate, with Shawn Vanderhoven Apple | Spotify | LTN  #616: From Solo to CEO: Letting Go of Legal Work to Grow Your Firm, with Ellen Williamson Apple | Spotify | LTN  #615: How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Stronger Teams, with Debbie Foster and Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN  #530: How to Design Meetings that Drive Results, with Matthew Homann Apple | Spotify | LTN  #522: The EOS Secret to Mastering Law Firm Challenges, with Mike Paton Apple | Spotify | LTN  Links from the episode: Kaleidoscope Conference, September 22-24 in Las Vegas: https://www.8am.com/events/kaleidoscope/ use code “Lawyerist26”    Have thoughts about today's episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram!   For more on leading operations, check out Be a Next Level Leader at beanextlevelleader.com. Looking for help beyond the book?  Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.   Chapters / Timestamps  00:00 – Introduction  00:37 – Lawyerist Heads to Kaleidoscope in Las Vegas  03:23 – What Law Firms Can Learn from the Savannah Bananas  05:01 – Why Ridiculous Ideas Can Lead to Better Solutions  07:20 – The Third Cornerstone of Law Firm Leadership  07:44 – Leading Operations: Turning Ideas into Systems  09:29 – Stop Being the Hero and Start Being the Architect  11:01 – Why Nonbillable Work Can Be Your Most Valuable Work  11:35 – Building Better Systems One Problem at a Time  12:32 – Urgent vs. Important: Helping Your Team Prioritize  13:13 – Why Urgent Work Keeps Taking Over  15:07 – Teach Your Team to Think Without Rescuing Them  15:54 – Priorities, Trade-Offs & Better Judgment  16:45 – Who Actually Gets to Make the Decision?  19:18 – Why Law Firms Struggle with the Fear of Being Wrong  21:02 – Create a Culture Where Problems Surface Early  23:24 – Stop Fixing Symptoms and Find the Root Cause  25:10 – Audit Your Law Firm Meetings  25:50 – The $7,000 Meeting Problem  27:02 – Death by Meeting vs. Not Meeting Enough  28:17 – How to Run Meetings That Actually Accomplish Something  29:27 – Stop the Law Firm Rumor Mill  30:25 – This Week's Leadership Homework 

Radical acceptance for homeschool moms starts with a hard question: what if the hardest part of your homeschool season isn’t actually the hard thing you’re facing? What if part of what’s exhausting you is the energy you’re spending fighting against the fact that it’s happening at all? Your child is struggling with something. Maybe you’re afraid you’ve made the wrong call. There’s uncertainty when the people closest to you don’t agree. Your teenager is launching into the world, and you’re not quite ready for how that feels. A quiet worry sits underneath it all: am I doing enough? Behind that struggle is usually a quiet belief: if I could just fix this, then I could finally breathe. If my child would just catch up to grade level. If only my homeschool would feel more successful. Maybe my husband or mom would finally understand. I wish I knew for sure the choices I’m making today would benefit my kids. If just one person would tell me I’m doing okay. Then maybe I could relax. Why We Can’t Just Relax But what if peace isn’t something that shows up after everything gets resolved? What if peace begins the moment we stop abandoning ourselves in the middle of what’s still unresolved? If you love deep, meaningful conversations like this, you won’t want to miss our Book Club Newsletter! Each month, we explore thought-provoking books that inspire personal growth, strengthen our homeschool journeys, and help us show up more fully for ourselves and our families. You’ll receive discussion highlights, reflection questions, and practical ways to apply these insights to your daily life. Join the Book Club Newsletter! Join the Book Club Newsletter! The Trance of ‘Not Enough’ (And Why Radical Acceptance for Homeschool Moms Matters) Tara Brach calls it “the trance of unworthiness” — the quiet, background belief that we’re not enough. Not patient enough, not organized enough, not spiritual enough, not calm enough. It’s a trance because we rarely notice we’re inside it. We just keep moving, comparing, researching, and looking for reassurance. Sound familiar? You make a homeschool decision — and then immediately Google whether it was the right one. You choose not to push your child through something, and wonder if you’re being too permissive. Or you do push, and worry you’ve damaged the relationship. There’s no decision that doesn’t seem to land you on trial in your own head. Underneath it all is one question: Can I trust myself without someone else confirming I’m right? If that trance feels familiar, it’s often rooted somewhere deeper — we talk more about that in Healing the Mother Wound for Homeschool Moms. What Radical Acceptance for Homeschool Moms Actually Means Radical acceptance doesn’t mean liking what’s happening, giving up, or becoming passive about harmful circumstances. It starts much simpler than that. It says: this is what’s happening right now. My child is struggling. I am overwhelmed. I don’t know what to do. The radical part isn’t the situation — it’s what we don’t add on top of it. Instead of layering judgment (“I should be handling this better,” “What’s wrong with me?”), we pause and simply acknowledge reality. There’s the pain of what’s happening. And then there’s the extra suffering we create by fighting the fact that it’s happening — and homeschool moms are remarkably good at generating that second layer. Two Wings: Clear Seeing and Compassion Tara Brach describes radical acceptance as needing two wings to fly: clear seeing and compassion. Clear seeing without compassion turns into self-criticism (“I always overcommit, I’m terrible at boundaries, why can’t I get it together?”). Compassion without clarity turns into avoidance (“Everything’s fine!” — when maybe something really does need to change). Together, they shift the questions we ask ourselves: Instead of What’s wrong with me? → What is happening here? Instead of Why can’t I handle this? → What is this experience asking me to notice? And instead of I need to fix myself. → What do I need right now? The Productivity Trance So many of us learned, early and often, that our worth is tied to output. Homeschooling can quietly become another productivity machine: Did we finish the workbook? How many pages? Are we ahead or behind? But what if the most important thing that happened today can’t be measured? What if presence was enough? That’s easier to believe on a podcast than on a Thursday afternoon when the checklist is half-done. Which is exactly why it’s worth asking: Where did I learn that today only counts if I produced enough? Is it true? And the harder question — what would happen if I stopped trying to earn my worth through productivity? If overwhelm is where you’re living most days right now, this companion post can help: How to Handle Homeschool Overwhelm. A Personal Season: Launching My Youngest This one is personal right now. After years of building life around the rhythms of children — lessons, meals, car rides, celebrations — the season is changing, and there’s a choice in how to meet it: fight reality, or let both things be true at once. This is beautiful. And this hurts. Pride in the young man he’s becoming, and grief for the little boy who no longer needs help spelling words (and now wins at Bananagrams instead). Homeschooling can become such a central part of a mother’s identity — organizer, facilitator, researcher, driver, worrier, celebrator — that when the season shifts, something in us shifts too. That identity shift is its own kind of grief worth naming — I explore it more in my identity as a home educator. Radical acceptance doesn’t say don’t grieve. It just stops making the grief itself a problem. A RAIN Practice for Radical Acceptance for Homeschool Moms When you’re in the thick of a hard homeschool moment, Tara Brach’s RAIN practice offers a simple way back to yourself: R — Recognize What is actually happening right now? Not what might happen — what’s here. A — Allow Can this moment be here, just for now? Not forever — just without the fight. I — Investigate Get curious. Is this about today, or is something older being activated? Is it uncertainty, grief, exhaustion, or an unvoiced need? N — Nurture What do I actually need right now? A break. Help. Food. A reminder that one hard day doesn’t define an entire education. Permission to be human in the middle of the unfinished, uncertain, imperfect reality. https://youtu.be/ABvnGnqM9-c?si=dybv0JgbRhPjIqUP The Real Radical Act Can you stop requiring external evidence before you let yourself believe you’re enough? Are you able to trust yourself even when not everyone agrees? What would it take to voice a need before you know how it’ll be received? (Voicing a need is often the first boundary — here’s how to start: Practical (& useful) steps to boundaries in your homeschool.) Could you have a hard homeschool day without turning it into a verdict on your motherhood? Is it possible to look at your child — and at yourself — with clear eyes and compassion, instead of through someone else’s checklist? Maybe what we’re really resisting isn’t the messy day or the uncertain season. Maybe it’s the possibility that we could stop striving long enough to simply be — not the ideal, fully-cooperating, everything-folded-correctly version of homeschool life, but this one. The real one. That might be the most radical thing we can do. Join the Conversation Joining the Homeschool Mama Book Club can be its own small act of radical acceptance for homeschool moms — an acknowledgment that you need space, support, honest conversation, and care too. Inside the Collective, you’ll meet women who understand the uncertainty, the relationship challenges, the identity shifts, and the pressure that can come with homeschool motherhood. On Fridays, we gather to read good books, explore meaningful ideas, and talk through shared challenges together. Bring us to your favorite café or close the bedroom door and join from home — either way, it’s an hour reserved for you. Find the link in the show notes to come join us. Join the Book Club in the Confident Homeschool Mom Collective Reflection Questions Where in your homeschool life do you notice the “trance of unworthiness” showing up? What’s one situation right now where you could practice clear seeing and compassion, rather than picking just one? Try RAIN this week: the next time you spiral, walk through Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture — even just once. Thank you for spending this summer in the Homeschool Mama Book Club. I hope these books and conversations have given you permission to pause, reflect, and remember that the most important work you may ever do for your homeschool isn’t found in a book — it’s found inside you. — Teresa Wiedrick, Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast Latest episodes How to Practice Radical Acceptance for a Better Homeschool Mom Life September 1, 2026 15 Fun Activities for First Day of Homeschool Party August 31, 2026 How to Deal with Homeschool Mama Guilt (In No Easy Steps) August 29, 2026 Feeling Lost in Homeschooling? Here's How to Find Yourself Again August 25, 2026 How to Facilitate Child-Led Learning in Your Homeschool August 21, 2026 Breaking Generational Patterns as a Homeschool Mom Is the Most Important Work You’ll Do August 18, 2026 How to Create an Effective Homeschool Routine that Works for You August 15, 2026 5 Game-Changing Ways to Streamline Your Homeschool Routines August 15, 2026 13 Things Mentally Strong Homeschool Moms Don’t Do August 11, 2026 7 Questions Homeschool Moms Are Afraid to Ask Out Loud August 4, 2026 How to Improve Homeschool Communication with the Best NVC August 4, 2026 How to Stop Taking Your Child’s Behaviour Personally July 21, 2026 You’re Invited to the Homeschool Mom Book Club 2026 July 14, 2026 Post-Partum Overwhelm in Your Homeschool: 12 Ways to Cope July 12, 2026 A 2023 High School Graduate’s Thoughts on her Homeschool Life July 11, 2026 What It’s Like? The Homeschool to High School Transition July 11, 2026 Navigate Homeschool High School (What You Need to Know) July 7, 2026 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development July 3, 2026 Declutter Your Homeschool Mama Mind: Overwhelm to On Purpose July 2, 2026 How to Handle Homeschool Criticism With Confidence June 29, 2026 How to Create a Personalized Homeschool High School That Fits Your Teen June 23, 2026 The Real Cost Of Being The “Good Girl” Who Became The Good Mom June 16, 2026 What Is an Education Anyway? Your Answer Changes Your Homeschool June 8, 2026 5 Reasons Your Homeschool Child Won’t Do Work & How to Motivate Your Child June 2, 2026 Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 Subscribe to the Confident Homeschool Mom podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify Originally published March 18, 2025. Updated August 31, 2026. (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load'); (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

Jesus did not save the Church to sit back and watch other people carry the gospel.Pastor Jessi Green teaches from Matthew 28 about the Church's primary assignment: to make disciples, baptize believers, teach obedience, and go in the authority and presence of Jesus.HIGHLIGHTS0:00 – Receiving the Word of the Lord 1:59 – “I Just Want All of Jesus” 3:38 – Searching Everywhere Except God 6:25 – The Joy of Participating in Salvation 12:29 – The Dishwasher Fire 17:11 – A Firefighter's Primary Assignment 19:46 – The Sin of the Older Brother 21:39 – Some Worship, Some Doubt 24:03 – All Authority Belongs to Jesus 25:18 – Go and Make Disciples 28:35 – What Bill Johnson Said About Corporate Prayer 33:19 – Come and Believe Together 34:02 – Why Jessi Almost Didn't Preach 36:13 – The Great Commandment 39:13 – The Body Helps Reveal Your Gifts 43:33 – Corporate Prayer Strengthens Faith 45:38 – Why We Still Pray for Revival 49:31 – Three Ingredients of Awakening 52:08 – Awakenings Born in Prayer 54:35 – Evan Roberts and the Welsh Revival 56:51 – Azusa Street and Persistent Prayer 58:34 – Signs of Awakening Today 1:01:32 – When Family Becomes an Idol 1:03:34 – A Church With Fire in Its Hands 1:06:21 – Stop Being a Spectator Plan Your Visit to SALT Church:https://www.saltchurches.com/Ways to Support the Ministry:https://www.saltchurches.com/givingSubscribe:https://www.instagram.com/saltchurches/Subscribe @saltchurchNC Connect with Parker + Jessi Green:Instagram Parker / https://www.instagram.com/parkerrichardgreen/Instagram Jessi /https://www.instagram.com/jessi.green/Websites https://www.saltchurches.com/https://www.jessi-green.com/https://www.saturateglobal.com/#prayer #bible #biblestudy #saltchurch #revival #parkergreen #jessigreen

Most lawyers are taught how to practice law, not how to lead people. Then one day, they are handed a team and expected to figure it out. In episode 633 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Debbie Foster about leading people, the second cornerstone from their book, Be a Next Level Leader.  Debbie and Stephanie break people's leadership into four essential responsibilities: building trust, developing others, communicating clearly, and holding standards. They explain why trust grows through small, human interactions, why leaders often overload their most dependable employees, and how delegation can become a tool for development instead of a way to clear your own plate.  They also explore why teams cannot meet expectations that were never clearly communicated, how positive and constructive feedback help people grow, and why “no news is good news” is not a leadership strategy.  If you want to build a team that can take greater ownership, perform at a higher level, and succeed without relying on one overburdened A player, this episode offers a practical place to start.  Listen to our previous episodes on Law Firm Leadership, Delegation, and Building Stronger Teams.  #632: Law Firm Leadership: How to Lead Yourself Before Leading Your Team, with Debbie Foster & Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN  #631: Tune In Before You Jump In: A Better Way to Delegate, with Shawn Vanderhoven Apple | Spotify | LTN  #616: From Solo to CEO: Letting Go of Legal Work to Grow Your Firm, with Ellen Williamson Apple | Spotify | LTN  #615: How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Stronger Teams, with Debbie Foster and Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN    Have thoughts about today's episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!   If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.   Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.   Chapters / Timestamps  00:00 – Introduction  00:21 – Track Your Firm's Progress with the Small Firm Scorecard  03:17 – Leading People: The Second Leadership Cornerstone  04:25 – Trust, Development, Communication, and Standards  05:59 – Why Law Firms Do Not Teach People Management  07:42 – Building Trust Through Real Relationships  08:58 – Small Conversations That Strengthen Trust  10:54 – Delegating to Develop, Not Just to Offload Work  11:26 – The Overburdened A Player Problem  12:48 – Becoming a Multiplier for Your Team  13:31 – Match Delegation to Skill and Readiness  14:52 – Set Clear Expectations Before Asking for More  16:38 – Why Feedback Is a Leadership Skill  18:33 – “No News Is Good News” Does Not Work  19:08 – Learn How Your People Want to Be Recognized  19:53 – A Simple Framework for Better Feedback  21:14 – Holding Standards Without Being Harsh  22:15 – Closing Thoughts and What Comes Next 

Why you should listenSarah McDevitt, a HubSpot leader and first-time author, breaks relational intelligence into five practical signals (Awareness, Presence, Empathetic Structuring, Connection Capital, and Human Differentiation) you can use to become the partner a client cannot swap out for a tool.Learn how to be a "context miner" in every meeting: the way sharp partners use full presence to extract how a business actually makes decisions, then feed that context into their AI agents to get outputs generic prompts cannot match.Get Sarah's read on where the retainer money moves next as AI creates a wave of "vibe coded" messes, plus the governance and platform cohesion work partners can charge for when customers realize they need one person to own the whole stack.You have spent years getting deep on the platform, and now AI can do a slice of that build work in minutes, so a quiet question sits at the back of your mind: what is a partner actually for now? In this episode, I talk with Sarah McDevitt, a HubSpot leader and first-time author of The Round Table, about relational intelligence, which she defines as the ability to build, sustain, and grow trust-based relationships that AI cannot replicate. We get into why the skills AI makes less scarce do not make you less useful, and why so many partners have their identity wrapped up in the exact technical work that is now being handed to agents. Sarah has spent years watching what separates the partners who stay in the room from the ones who get swapped out, and almost none of it is technical. If your value has always lived in the build, and you can feel that ground shifting under you, this conversation is about where your value goes next.About Sarah McDevittSarah McDevitt is the Senior Director of Partner Strategy at HubSpot, where she leads a global community of more than 7,000 partners through AI transformation. A native of Sligo and now based in Dublin, Sarah is the creator of the Relational Intelligence framework and the author of her first book, The Round Table: How Relational Intelligence Will Become Your Human Advantage in the AI Age. Her core thesis, "RI + AI = Trust," argues that the smartest organizations use AI to strengthen human relationships rather than replace them. A TEDx speaker and advocate whose work spans hybrid team leadership and responsible AI adoption, Sarah helps partners see that as technical skills become less scarce, the ability to build trust becomes their most valuable and defensible asset.Resources and LinksSarah McDevitt on The Paul Higgins Podcast: Episode 642 - Stop Being a Platform Expert - Why Business Growth Advisors Win in the AI Era with Sarah McDevittHubspot.comSarah McDevitt on LinkedIn20VC podcastNeed help with your WHO and WHAT decisions? Apply for a FREE Multiplier CallBook a Decision Session herePrevious episode: 694 - The 60% ShiftCheck out more episodes of the Paul Higgins PodcastSubscribe to our YouTube channel: @PaulHigginsMentoringJoin our newsletterSuggested resources

Leaders do not simply enter a room. They change it. In episode 632 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Debbie Foster about leading self, the first cornerstone from their new book, Be a Next Level Leader.  Debbie explains why “leaders bring the weather” and how a leader's emotions, attention, and energy can shape an entire meeting. Together, they explore what happens when leaders make promises they cannot realistically keep, become bottlenecks for their teams, or undermine decisions by delivering them as someone else's instructions.  They also discuss why honoring commitments is essential to building trust, how to renegotiate a deadline without hiding behind busyness, and what it means to speak as a leader even when you disagree with a decision. Debbie and Stephanie share practical scripts, exercises, and shared language law firm teams can use to make better leadership habits part of everyday work.  If you want your team to trust your word, follow your direction, and feel secure when pressure rises, better leadership starts with understanding how you show up.  Listen to our previous episodes on Law Firm Leadership, Self-Awareness & Building Stronger Teams.  #627: Building Stronger Law Firm Teams Through Better Communication, with Zeina Baydoun Apple | Spotify | LTN  #615: How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Stronger Teams, with Debbie Foster and Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN  #596: The Athlete's Mindset for Lawyers, with Jess Sargus Apple | Spotify | LTN  #592: Client Care, Culture, and Character: A Framework for Great Leaders, with William O'Neal Apple | Spotify | LTN  #527: Casting Your Vision and Leading Your Firm, with Kevin DeShazo Apple | Spotify | LTN  Links from the episode:  https://beanextlevelleader.com/    Have thoughts about today's episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!   If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.   Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.   Subscribe to Lawyerist Podcast: https://play.megaphone.fm/xrm0mqp4tqwi0ozntiu41g Chapters / Timestamps  00:00 – Introduction  01:19 – Why Leadership Teams Need Shared Language  03:16 – Meet Debbie Foster  03:45 – Why Leadership Starts with Leading Self  04:13 – Leaders Bring the Weather  05:27 – Showing Up Fully Present  06:17 – How Broken Commitments Erode Trust  08:15 – When the Leader Becomes the Bottleneck  09:29 – Speak as a Leader, Not a Messenger  10:11 – Disagree, Commit & Support the Decision  12:02 – How Leaders Undermine Their Own Credibility  12:57 – Turning Leadership Theory into Practical Tools  14:31 – Scripts for Renegotiating Commitments & Receiving Feedback  16:10 – How the Book and Workbook Took Shape  17:21 – Shared Language Creates Stronger Leaders  19:26 – Leading When Responsibility Exceeds Authority  21:21 – How Do You Show Up Under Stress?  22:34 – Closing Thoughts 

If you’ve been feeling lost in homeschooling lately, you’re not alone. One mom I coach is surrounded by people — a husband, kids, a faith community — and still feels profoundly alone. Not mountain-cabin alone, like she’s a hermit somewhere remote. Rather, the alone of being the most present person in every room and somehow the least seen. A Homeschool Mom’s Story of Feeling Lost That’s Donelle. She’s analytical, she journals, she notices things many people don’t — and none of it felt safe to share publicly, not even with the people closest to her. On her intake form, before we’d even spoken, she wrote: “I find I’m too often alone in my mind. I need someone who can relate with me.” surrounded by people — a husband, kids, a faith community — and still feels profoundly alone. Not mountain-cabin alone like she was a hermit on the mountain. Rather, the alone experience of being the most present person in every room and somehow the least seen. That’s Donelle. She’s analytical, she journals, she notices things many people don’t — and none of it felt safe to share publicly, not even with the people closest to her. On her intake form, before we’d even spoken, she wrote: “I find I’m too often alone in my mind. I need someone who can relate with me.” In this episode, I walk through the five ways losing yourself as a homeschool mom actually shows up and the eight words Donelle wrote to herself the evening things began to shift for her. I also share where I’ve seen this same pattern in my own life, and in another mom’s story about the moment she stopped rescuing her almost-grown sons from their responsibilities. “I want to be at peace to be myself. Not free to be myself. At peace to be myself.” If you’ve ever felt like you’re holding everyone else together and nobody’s holding you, this episode is for you. Signs You’re Feeling Lost in Homeschooling (Even If You Can’t Name It Yet) Why “losing yourself” doesn’t happen in one dramatic moment — and the five signs it’s already happening The intake-form message that told me how alone Donelle really felt What actually shifted things for her, and why it wasn’t a big, dramatic turning point The eight words she wrote to herself that night (and why naming the pattern is what loosens its grip) Another mom’s story about pulling back from being “the rescue,” and what it cost her — and gave her — to let her sons face the consequences Why growth in one relationship doesn’t automatically transfer to every relationship in your life, and what to do about that The difference between chasing freedom and finding peace — and why one of those is a fight you’ll never win I’m Teresa Wiedrick — homeschool life coach, graduated homeschool mom, and author of Stop Losing Yourself: The Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Boundaries, Confidence & Calm. I spend my days as the support, the clarifier, and the cheerleader for the woman behind the homeschool family, because I believe the most important curriculum in your homeschool is you. Most moms think the fix is a better routine (or a more consistent routine) or the ideal curriculum. It’s rarely that. Rather, it’s the internal pressure, the perfectionism, the shame-based scripts running underneath — and those don’t get addressed by external resources, like a planner. Not Feeling Lost in Homeschooling Anymore: Where to Start Like actionable tools you can work through on your own, plus a weekly check-in with me in the comments? Start with Stop Losing Yourself: The Homeschool Mom’s Guide to Boundaries, Confidence & Calm. Want something deeper and fully customized to your specific situation? That’s what one-on-one coaching is for. Not sure which fits? Don’t guess — book a free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session and we’ll figure it out together. Book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset call → Other Reading You May Enjoy: Big Emotions Journal for the Homeschool Mom How to Homeschool and Not Lose Yourself: A Path Back to Wholeness with FLOW 7 ways to find quiet & build boundaries in your homeschool How to Be a Good Homeschool Mom (Without Doing It All) How to homeschool without losing your mind in 11 Steps Rediscover Who You Are Beyond Homeschooling: The Homeschool Mom Identity Map Discover 10 Signs You Need a Homeschool Life Coach to Thrive Latest episodes How to Practice Radical Acceptance for a Better Homeschool Mom Life September 1, 2026 15 Fun Activities for First Day of Homeschool Party August 31, 2026 How to Deal with Homeschool Mama Guilt (In No Easy Steps) August 29, 2026 Feeling Lost in Homeschooling? Here's How to Find Yourself Again August 25, 2026 How to Facilitate Child-Led Learning in Your Homeschool August 21, 2026 Breaking Generational Patterns as a Homeschool Mom Is the Most Important Work You’ll Do August 18, 2026 How to Create an Effective Homeschool Routine that Works for You August 15, 2026 5 Game-Changing Ways to Streamline Your Homeschool Routines August 15, 2026 13 Things Mentally Strong Homeschool Moms Don’t Do August 11, 2026 7 Questions Homeschool Moms Are Afraid to Ask Out Loud August 4, 2026 How to Improve Homeschool Communication with the Best NVC August 4, 2026 How to Stop Taking Your Child’s Behaviour Personally July 21, 2026 You’re Invited to the Homeschool Mom Book Club 2026 July 14, 2026 Post-Partum Overwhelm in Your Homeschool: 12 Ways to Cope July 12, 2026 A 2023 High School Graduate’s Thoughts on her Homeschool Life July 11, 2026 What It’s Like? The Homeschool to High School Transition July 11, 2026 Navigate Homeschool High School (What You Need to Know) July 7, 2026 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development July 3, 2026 Declutter Your Homeschool Mama Mind: Overwhelm to On Purpose July 2, 2026 How to Handle Homeschool Criticism With Confidence June 29, 2026 How to Create a Personalized Homeschool High School That Fits Your Teen June 23, 2026 The Real Cost Of Being The “Good Girl” Who Became The Good Mom June 16, 2026 What Is an Education Anyway? Your Answer Changes Your Homeschool June 8, 2026 5 Reasons Your Homeschool Child Won’t Do Work & How to Motivate Your Child June 2, 2026 Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 Subscribe to the Confident Homeschool Mom podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

Most manufacturers did not decide to be invisible. They grew on referrals, landed a handful of customers who covered the bills, and never had to explain themselves to a stranger. Dave Crysler sits down with Curt Anderson, founder of B2Btail and author of Stop Being the Best Kept Secret, to talk about how that quiet approach stopped working and what to do about it. Along the way they get into the part most marketing conversations skip: what happens when the phone finally rings and the shop cannot carry the work. What You'll Discover: • Why "we're the best kept secret" started as a badge of honor and quietly became a growth problem • The buyer who flew in to tour a plant, loved it, and admitted he almost cancelled the trip because of the website • How the Digital Game Plan actually starts, with strengths and opportunities rather than a new website • Why "we can do it for anybody" is almost never true, and how to find the niche a shop is already in • The rounding the bases exercise, and the contract manufacturer who learned half their customers added up to less than four percent of the business • What "out-teach the competition" means in practice, and the football coach line that answers the secret sauce objection • Why a 40-person steel company outside Buffalo is building a real audience on Instagram • What happened when Curt turned the marketing on for a manufacturer whose office could not absorb the RFQs • The teeter totter effect, where cutting lead times and freeing up capacity can feel exactly like failing • The first thing to do on Monday morning if you already know you are the best kept secret in your market If you have ever looked at a slow quarter and realized nobody in the building knows how to make the phone ring, this conversation is for you. It is also for the operations leader on the other side of that problem, the one who knows what happens when demand shows up before the shop is ready for it. Curt and Dave work opposite ends of the same growth problem, and this episode is about where those two ends meet. Connect with Curt Anderson: b2btail.com | LinkedIn

Grab Schalee's Book on Amazon:The Humility You Want and the World Needs — everything from this episode, expanded with more stories, tools, and frameworks: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FD33PKTRCheck Out Schalee's Podcast — Flex With Purpose:Loved this conversation? Schalee hosts the Flex With Purpose podcast, where she has honest, authentic conversations with leaders about growth, humility, and living beyond yourself. Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@schaleesanchez/featuredSpotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/4Ab4itCSBGHQ1SPkajithCReady to Stop Being the Bottleneck in Your Business?See how The New Flat Rate gives your team the systems, pricing, and structure they need to run without you carrying every decision. Schedule a free demo: https://thenewflatrate.com/demo?hsCtaAttrib=192034463396Free Resource — Ultimate List to Retain Your Team:Want practical ways to lead your team without being the bottleneck? Grab our free guide with 100+ ideas to build a stronger, more loyal team: https://thenewflatrate.com/the-ultimate-list-to-retain-your-teamIn this episode, Natalie Koop and Danielle Putnam sit down with Schalee Sanchez, author of The Humility You Want and the World Needs, keynote speaker, and host of the Flex With Purpose podcast, to talk about why humility might be the most overlooked leadership skill in business — and how ego quietly holds contractors back. Schalee shares her powerful "race car with no steering wheel" analogy for the difference between ego and humility, why asking for help actually expands your capacity instead of shrinking it, the two historical disasters (Titanic and the Challenger) that show what happens when leaders stop listening, and why acknowledging a mistake fast creates freedom instead of costing you credibility. If you're a business owner carrying it all on your own shoulders and feeling like you have to have every answer, this conversation will hit different.Social Media Links:InstagramTNFR- ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/thenewflatrate⁠⁠Schalee Sánchez- https://www.instagram.com/schalee.sanchez/ FacebookTNFR- ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/TheNewFlatRate⁠⁠Schalee Sánchez- https://www.facebook.com/schalee.sanchez/ LinkedInTNFR- ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-new-flat-rate-inc-/posts/?feedView=all⁠⁠Schalee Sánchez- https://www.linkedin.com/in/schalee-sanchez-7207a7181/ YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@schaleesanchez/featured Links and Resources:https://thenewflatrate.com/https://www.schaleesanchez.com/

Leaders do not simply enter a room. They change it. In episode 632 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett talks with Debbie Foster about leading self, the first cornerstone from their new book, Be a Next Level Leader.  Debbie explains why “leaders bring the weather” and how a leader's emotions, attention, and energy can shape an entire meeting. Together, they explore what happens when leaders make promises they cannot realistically keep, become bottlenecks for their teams, or undermine decisions by delivering them as someone else's instructions.  They also discuss why honoring commitments is essential to building trust, how to renegotiate a deadline without hiding behind busyness, and what it means to speak as a leader even when you disagree with a decision. Debbie and Stephanie share practical scripts, exercises, and shared language law firm teams can use to make better leadership habits part of everyday work.  If you want your team to trust your word, follow your direction, and feel secure when pressure rises, better leadership starts with understanding how you show up.  Listen to our previous episodes on Law Firm Leadership, Self-Awareness & Building Stronger Teams.  #627: Building Stronger Law Firm Teams Through Better Communication, with Zeina Baydoun Apple | Spotify | LTN  #615: How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Stronger Teams, with Debbie Foster and Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN  #596: The Athlete's Mindset for Lawyers, with Jess Sargus Apple | Spotify | LTN  #592: Client Care, Culture, and Character: A Framework for Great Leaders, with William O'Neal Apple | Spotify | LTN  #527: Casting Your Vision and Leading Your Firm, with Kevin DeShazo Apple | Spotify | LTN  Links from the episode:  https://beanextlevelleader.com/    Have thoughts about today's episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!   If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.   Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.   Chapters / Timestamps  00:00 – Introduction  01:19 – Why Leadership Teams Need Shared Language  03:16 – Meet Debbie Foster  03:45 – Why Leadership Starts with Leading Self  04:13 – Leaders Bring the Weather  05:27 – Showing Up Fully Present  06:17 – How Broken Commitments Erode Trust  08:15 – When the Leader Becomes the Bottleneck  09:29 – Speak as a Leader, Not a Messenger  10:11 – Disagree, Commit & Support the Decision  12:02 – How Leaders Undermine Their Own Credibility  12:57 – Turning Leadership Theory into Practical Tools  14:31 – Scripts for Renegotiating Commitments & Receiving Feedback  16:10 – How the Book and Workbook Took Shape  17:21 – Shared Language Creates Stronger Leaders  19:26 – Leading When Responsibility Exceeds Authority  21:21 – How Do You Show Up Under Stress?  22:34 – Closing Thoughts 

Breaking generational patterns as a homeschool mom is some of the most important work you will ever do. And a few weeks ago, Diane Sorensen and I had a conversation that brought that home for me all over again. We talked about the good girl who became the good mom — the one who kept the peace, said yes when she meant no, and made sure everyone around her was okay. We talked about what that costs her. But here’s the question I keep sitting with since that conversation: Where did the good girl learn to be good in the first place? Because that’s where the generational pattern lives. That’s where the unhealthy cycle began its life. And that is what today’s episode is all about. If you haven’t yet listened to that conversation with Diane — go find it after this one. It’s called The Real Cost of Being the Good Girl Who Became the Good Mom, and it sits right alongside everything we’re talking about today. Before We Begin — What Breaking Generational Patterns as a Homeschool Mom Actually Means Breaking generational patterns as a homeschool mom doesn’t happen by intention alone — and it also doesn’t happen overnight. I want to share a belief I hold around this topic — because I think it needs to be said before anything else. You cannot break a cycle you don’t understand. And you’re not going to break a cycle completely and absolutely. You have your entire life to figure out how to do that. I prefer the term cycle interrupter over cycle breaker — because there is no magic formula here. The cultural conversation around breaking cycles can feel, if we’re not careful, a little too easy. As though declaring yourself a cycle breaker is the same as doing the work. It isn’t. What I do know is this: what you believe dictates how you experience life. The stories and the limiting mindsets you created when you first had a moment of trauma or challenge — or when you began recognizing generational patterns within your family of origin — those stories have a dramatic effect on everything. On how you approach your homeschool, your relationships, and how you see yourself. But it is 100% shiftable — the moment you acknowledge it. The moment you see it, you cannot unsee it. And that is where change begins. The Song That Keeps Coming to Mind About half of the women I work with are full-fledged focused on breaking generational cycles — or at least giving voice to the limiting mindsets that have kept them small, not living their fullest lives. And the song that keeps coming to mind when I sit with these women? This Is Me from The Greatest Showman — sung by Keala Settle. About not being a stranger to the dark, about hiding away, about learning to be ashamed of your scars, and about being told that no one will love you as you are. And then — the moment she decides she won’t be broken down to dust, that she is brave, that she is bruised, and that she is not scared to be seen. That song epitomizes what breaking generational patterns sounds like from the inside. If you don’t know it — listen to it here: This Is Me by Keala Settle from The Greatest Showman. Because those lyrics are the anthem of this episode. That song captures exactly what breaking generational patterns as a homeschool mom feels like from the inside. Five Ways I’ve Been Breaking Generational Patterns as a Homeschool Mom Here are five ways breaking generational patterns as a homeschool mom has shown up in my own life. I share these not to hold myself up as an example — but because I know that when you hear someone say out loud the thing you’ve been living quietly, something shifts. It invites you to shift too. Cycle One — I listen when my kids are vulnerable. My parents didn’t. “You can’t tell a kid how to calm down, you have to show them.” — Jodi Carrington My parents didn’t consistently listen when I was vulnerable. Not because they wouldn’t have wanted to — but because they were so locked into their own inner worlds, so focused on finding safety in their own experience, that they didn’t have capacity to hear mine. A very wise daughter said to me once — mom, the experiences you had as a child are not the ones I’ve had. We are not dealing with the same things. That stopped me. Because I had been so caught up in my own story that I couldn’t conceive there was a completely different narrative happening inside my own home. Your child’s experience is their own. Your job — and mine — is to be present enough to actually hear it. Cycle Two — I don’t make my kids responsible for my emotions. “The more times big people are able to regulate in the physical presence of a child, the better that child begins to develop the skills of emotional regulation.” — Jodi Carrington This is one I still catch myself in occasionally. But the quality of conflict in my home is completely different than it used to be. This past weekend I was trying to book a family event. The website wasn’t working. I tried another. I called the place directly. By the time I got to my kids they were frustrated with me. And I do not like disappointing the people I love. But here’s what I noticed: a long time ago I would not have been able to hear their disappointment at all. I would have been so locked in my own frustration that I couldn’t take in that they were disappointed. I would have made their frustration entirely about me. Instead I held my own emotions. I heard theirs. That is breaking generational patterns as a homeschool mom in real time — not perfectly, but meaningfully. Cycle Three — I ask my kids what they want and feel. No one asked me. This is partly why I am so fierce about homeschooling the child right in front of you. Not a curriculum. The actual child. Their actual interests. Their actual curiosity. I wasn’t asked what mine were. I loved my grade four teacher — Ms. Brenda Wiens at Harry Balfour Elementary in Grande Prairie, Alberta. She liked my drawing of lords and ladies. She gave me stickers on my birthday. And I was so starved for the feeling of being seen that I actually convinced myself she was my real mother. I planned to tell her. I told my mother first. Spoiler — Ms. Wiens was not my real mother. But that is what happens when a child feels unseen. The mind creates stories to explain the gap. So now I do the intentional work of making my kids feel seen. Fifteen minutes of eyeball-to-eyeball time where they lead. One-on-one trips — like the one to Newfoundland with just our son, where he caught cod after cod on the Atlantic and still wouldn’t eat a bite of it. However, we do it — we show up for our kids in ways that make them feel seen on their terms. Cycle Four — I stopped pursuing my mother for validation. This one is on the fresh side. Not new — but fresh. You’ve heard me reference the Mother Wound. I have a couple of episodes on that topic if this is new to you — go find those after this one. For a long time, I could see, plain as the sun rising, that my father’s behaviour was the source of so much fear and pain and unpredictability in our home. What took me much longer to understand was the dance that occurred between my parents — and the role my mother played in that dance. Subconsciously. An agreement to participate in a dynamic that had its own rules, to satisfy the unmet needs of each of them. What the Eldest Daughter Carries As the eldest daughter, I played my own unique role in all of that. First and foremost as a sort of parent — for those who didn’t know how to maintain peace, or for those who didn’t know what to do with the unhinged moments of unpredictable mental illness, anxiety, and violence. I was the one who held it together. Who read the room before she could read books. Who managed everyone else’s emotional world while her own went unattended. I came to understand that my mother has a limited capacity to fully see me — and to address the hardest challenges between us. But the little girl inside me still wants her. Still needs her. Still desires that mother — no matter how old I’ve become. Breaking the pursuit cycle means that when I don’t get my needs met from her — I turn inward. I ask myself: what do you need right now? And I find a way to give that to myself. “The answer to the world’s most significant human-centered problems is simply this: We all just want to feel seen.” — Jodi Carrington When we stop looking for that exclusively from the people who cannot give it to us — who have proven repeatedly that they can’t and they don’t know how — that is when we begin to find it in healthier places. In the people who actually can. Cycle Five — Breaking the Silence. This is the most radical break of all. I routinely receive emails from homeschool moms who are living in isolation and fear — unable to get out of very unhealthy relationships. And I hate that they feel trapped like that. I have lived experience that you cannot make someone get out. They have reasons for staying. But if you are someone who has broken her silence — who has left something like that — I want to say: bravo! You are doing extraordinary work. The hope and clarity and life you are bringing to your relationship with your kids and yourself — that is no small thing. And your children are receiving something that was never given to you. That is the cycle breaking. Right there. I’m sure it feels wobbly. But I believe in you. And the little girl inside me is genuinely grateful that you are doing it for your kids. The Email That Arrived This Week Just this past week I received this from a woman I’ve been coaching: “I feel I need help in learning how to parent myself. However, I have no idea how to do that and that’s what’s stressing me. Because I know a coach isn’t supposed to provide solutions to the coachee. So my question right now is do I need to prep myself before we meet? And what should I be doing or asking myself in order to parent myself?” And here is what I wrote back: “What a beautiful self-awareness. When did that become clear? Tell me why you believe reparenting would be useful for you now. And what about this conversation stresses you? Reparenting — also known as self-coaching — is a very useful tool. Been there, done that, still do. Your relationship to yourself is the most important thing. It directly informs how you relate to everyone else too. Before we next meet, you could get clear on a few things: What part of you knows she needs to be reparented — and when did you first begin to notice? If you had identified a need in front of your parents — how would they have responded? Your ideal self as a parent to your kids — what would she do differently? Those three questions are for you too. Right now. You don’t need to be in coaching to ask them. You just need to be willing to sit with the answers. We Are Story “We are not the things we accumulate. We are not the things we deem important. We are story. All of us.” — Jodi Carrington Girlfriend. That line. We spend so much time in the homeschool world accumulating things — curriculum, resources, methods, proof that we are doing this well enough. And I get it. When you have chosen an unconventional path, you want evidence that it’s working. But here’s what I know after two decades in this space: your kids are not going to remember the curriculum. They are going to remember you. Whether you were present or distracted. Did you listen or deflect? And in the hard moments — did you repair, or did you disappear into shame? That is the story. That is what gets passed on. And the generational pattern — the one we have been talking about today — that is a story too. One that was written before you were old enough to hold a pencil. One that you have been living inside without consciously knowing it was there. The moment you see it — really see it — you can begin to write something different. Not all at once. But differently. That is the generational pattern and that is what breaking generational patterns as a homeschool mom is really about. Ready to Start Breaking Generational Patterns in Your Homeschool? Book a Free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session If there is a cycle you are sitting in right now and you’re not sure where to start — book a free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session with me. It’s a no-obligation conversation where we get clear on what’s really going on, what might need to shift, and how you might begin to do that. Book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session Reading That Restores You — Book Club Newsletter Every Wednesday morning, a warm, thoughtful reflection lands in your inbox drawn from the books we’re exploring together — including Jodi Carrington’s Feeling Seen. Journaling prompts. Practical takeaways for your homeschool and your life. You don’t have to read the book. You just have to show up for yourself on a Wednesday morning. Join the Homeschool Mama Book Club People Also Ask: Why Seasoned Homeschool Moms Still Struggle (And How to Break Free) Foster Strong Relationships in Your Homeschool Family Are you homeschooling good enough? 7 Questions Homeschool Moms Are Afraid to Ask Out Loud The Relationship RESET Workbook Break the Cycle of Homeschool Mom Guilt—and Reclaim Yourself Everything you want to know about homeschool relationships How to Stop Taking Your Child's Behaviour Personally How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn't Know I Was Living) 8 Ways to Build Healthy Relationships in Your Homeschool Family Enneagram: A Self-Awareness Tool That Makes You a Better Educator, Mom & Partner Grow Yourself Up: A Guide for Homeschool Mom Personal Growth The Real Cost of Being the Good Girl Who Became the Good Mom — with Diane Sorensen How the Mother Wound Affects Homeschool Moms—and How to Break Free Healing the Mother Wound for Homeschool Moms How to Stop Taking Your Child’s Behaviour Personally 13 Things Mentally Strong Homeschool Moms Don’t Do 7 Questions Homeschool Moms Are Afraid to Ask Out Loud Is the Way I Talk to My Kids Making Things Worse? What NVC Taught Me Grow Yourself Up: A Guide for Homeschool Mom Personal Growth Latest episodes How to Practice Radical Acceptance for a Better Homeschool Mom Life September 1, 2026 15 Fun Activities for First Day of Homeschool Party August 31, 2026 How to Deal with Homeschool Mama Guilt (In No Easy Steps) August 29, 2026 Feeling Lost in Homeschooling? Here's How to Find Yourself Again August 25, 2026 How to Facilitate Child-Led Learning in Your Homeschool August 21, 2026 Breaking Generational Patterns as a Homeschool Mom Is the Most Important Work You’ll Do August 18, 2026 How to Create an Effective Homeschool Routine that Works for You August 15, 2026 5 Game-Changing Ways to Streamline Your Homeschool Routines August 15, 2026 13 Things Mentally Strong Homeschool Moms Don’t Do August 11, 2026 7 Questions Homeschool Moms Are Afraid to Ask Out Loud August 4, 2026 How to Improve Homeschool Communication with the Best NVC August 4, 2026 How to Stop Taking Your Child’s Behaviour Personally July 21, 2026 You’re Invited to the Homeschool Mom Book Club 2026 July 14, 2026 Post-Partum Overwhelm in Your Homeschool: 12 Ways to Cope July 12, 2026 A 2023 High School Graduate’s Thoughts on her Homeschool Life July 11, 2026 What It’s Like? The Homeschool to High School Transition July 11, 2026 Navigate Homeschool High School (What You Need to Know) July 7, 2026 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development July 3, 2026 Declutter Your Homeschool Mama Mind: Overwhelm to On Purpose July 2, 2026 How to Handle Homeschool Criticism With Confidence June 29, 2026 How to Create a Personalized Homeschool High School That Fits Your Teen June 23, 2026 The Real Cost Of Being The “Good Girl” Who Became The Good Mom June 16, 2026 What Is an Education Anyway? Your Answer Changes Your Homeschool June 8, 2026 5 Reasons Your Homeschool Child Won’t Do Work & How to Motivate Your Child June 2, 2026 Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 Subscribe to the Confident Homeschool Mom podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

Stop Being a Busy Fool: The 15-Hour Workweek Blueprint for Solopreneurs Stop trading your time for a paycheck and discover how to escape the overwork trap with the 15-hour workweek blueprint. Most entrepreneurs start a business searching for freedom, only to accidentally build themselves an expensive prison cell filled with back-to-back calls and manual busywork. In this episode of Join Up Dots, David Ralph tears up the rulebook on the forty-hour hustle to show you how to build automated business systems that let the money flow without you having to carry the buckets. You will learn why most founders stay trapped as busy fools and how to run a brutal operational audit on your daily schedule. Plus, we answer listener questions covering how to calculate fluctuating overhead when replacing bills, shifting from an operator to a leader, overcoming the emotional rollercoaster of your first year of freedom, and handling client pushback when narrowing your niche. Listen now to Join Up Dots, subscribe for more episodes, and share this episode with anyone looking to build a better business and a better life. Hashtags #BusinessSystems #TimeManagement #Entrepreneurship #Solopreneurship #BusinessAutomation #Productivity #ScaleYourBusiness #BusinessOperations #FreedomLifestyle #WorkSmarter #BusinessGrowth #OvercomeBurnout #SolopreneurLife #SmallBusinessOwner #JoinUpDots

When everything feels urgent, meaningful work rarely gets the attention it deserves. In episode 631 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with leadership researcher and author Shawn Vanderhoven about how law firm leaders can create the clarity their teams need to focus and perform at their best.  Drawing from his book, Pause: How to Lead Brilliant Work in a Busy World, Shawn explains why effective leadership sometimes requires slowing down before moving forward. He shares what his research revealed about the behaviors that improve focus, the leadership habits that amplify distraction, and why teams struggle when every project is treated like a top priority.  Together, they explore how to make realistic tradeoffs, involve your team in prioritization, delegate without derailing someone's entire day, and create systems that make difficult conversations easier. Shawn also explains why asking, “What will it take to do this well?” can lead to better decisions than simply asking whether the work can get done.  If your law firm is juggling too many priorities, this episode offers practical ways to reduce distraction, lead with greater clarity, and create space for work your team can be proud of.  Listen to our previous episodes on Law Firm Leadership & Building Stronger Teams.  #627: Building Stronger Law Firm Teams Through Better Communication, with Zeina Baydoun Apple | Spotify | LTN  #615: How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Stronger Teams, with Debbie Foster and Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN  #604: From Practice to Business: Scaling Beyond Yourself, with Andy Hays Apple | Spotify | LTN  #592: Client Care, Culture, and Character: A Framework for Great Leaders, with William O'Neal Apple | Spotify | LTN  #541: Why the Best Teams Have Keystone Conversations, with Michael Bungay Stanier Apple | Spotify | LTN  Links from the episode:  https://www.pausebook.co/  Have thoughts about today's episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!   If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.   Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.   Chapters / Timestamps  00:00 – Introduction  00:25 – A Different Kind of Law Firm Conference  03:10 – LabCon for Law Firm Leaders  07:05 – What Is Broken About Law Firm Intake  11:30 – How to Secret Shop Your Firm  15:15 – The Role of AI in Client Intake  20:45 – Why Clients Still Want Access to Humans  26:30 – Meet Shawn Vanderhoven  29:15 – Why Leaders Need to Pause  30:25 – How Leadership Can Improve Focus  33:25 – When Everything Feels Important  37:15 – Making Prioritization a Team Sport  40:20 – Choosing Your Majors and Minors  42:45 – A Better Way to Delegate Work  46:10 – Navigating Competing Priorities  49:10 – Making Difficult Conversations Easier  54:45 – Creating Clarity Around What Matters  56:10 – Pausing to Help Your Team Move Faster  59:05 – Closing Thoughts 

Clarence Ford spoke to Local writer Mia Arderne about her new book: How to Stop Being a Naai https://www.jonathanball.co.za/product/how-to-stop-being-a-naai/ How to Stop Being a Naai is a satirical take on the self-help genre. It serves as a brutally funny, fictional guide to become a better person. Because, if we’re being honest, there’s a bit of a naai in most of us. Views and News with Clarence Ford is the mid-morning show on CapeTalk. This 3-hour-long programme shares and reflects a broad array of perspectives. It is inspirational, passionate and positive. Host Clarence Ford’s gentle curiosity and dapper demeanour leave listeners feeling motivated and empowered. Known for his love of jazz and golf, Clarrie covers a range of themes including relationships, heritage and philosophy. Popular segments include Barbs’ Wire at 9:30 am (Mon-Thurs) and The Naked Scientist at 9:30 on Fridays. Thank you for listening to a podcast from Views & News with Clarence Ford Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays between 09:00 and 12:00 (SA Time) to Views and News with Clarence Ford broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk For more from the show, go to https://buff.ly/erjiQj2 or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/BdpaXRn Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5 Follow us on social media: CapeTalk on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk CapeTalk on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ CapeTalk on X: https://x.com/CapeTalk CapeTalk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A snowstorm, a few shovels, and a willingness to do the work became the foundation of a multimillion-dollar enterprise. In this episode, we sit down with brothers Wayne and Cornell Mills of RNS Facility Services to hear how a seasonal side hustle grew into a full-service facilities management company.We explore the moment they stopped trying to perform every job themselves, built a trusted subcontractor network, and shifted their attention toward sales, systems, recruiting, communication, and relationships. They also share how acquiring a cleaning company shortly before COVID-19 positioned them to meet a sudden surge in demand and scale their workforce.At the heart of their story is cooperative economics. By partnering with local tradespeople and supporting entrepreneurs through the Blue Collar Academy, Wayne and Cornell are building opportunities alongside revenue. We also discuss working with family, using AI in a blue-collar business, investing for the next generation, and what it means to be the CEO of our last name.We Talk About:[00:00] The CEO of Your Last Name[05:22] From Snowstorm to Startup[08:35] Turning a Side Hustle Into a Business[12:20] Dropping the Ego[16:35] Letting Client Needs Drive Growth[20:50] The Power of Cooperative Economics[31:38] Stop Being the Bottleneck[43:23] Building a Legacy That LastsResources:Learn more at The Color of MoneyRNS Facility ServicesBecome a real estate agent HEREConnect with Our HostsEmerick Peace:Instagram: @theemerickpeaceFacebook: facebook.com/emerickpeaceDaniel Dixon:Instagram: @dixonsolditFacebook: facebook.com/realdanieldixonLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dixonsolditYouTube: @dixongroupcompaniesJulia Lashay:Instagram: @iamjulialashayFacebook: facebook.com/growwithjuliaLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/julialashay/YouTube: @JuliaLashayBo MenkitiInstagram: @bomenkitiFacebook: facebook.com/obiora.menkitiLinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bomenkiti/Produced by NOVAThis podcast is for general informational purposes only. The views, thoughts, and opinions of the guest represent those of the guest and not  Keller Williams Realty, LLC and its affiliates, and should not be construed as financial, economic, legal, tax, or other advice. This podcast is provided without any warranty, or guarantee of its accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or results from using the information.

This episode is all about nonviolent homeschool communication — specifically, the patterns that make it harder than it needs to be. Nonviolent homeschool communication starts here — with understanding these old patterns. And there is one book that has shaped how I think about this more than any other. I’ve read a lot of books on relationships, parenting, connection, and attachment over the years — more than I can count. But Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication is the one I keep coming back to. For me, it is the bible of relationships and communication. And it has changed how I show up in my homeschool in ways I didn’t expect. Here’s what it taught me. https://youtu.be/J7kN_HHX52c?si=jZyaiXFDGyilrnsw But first, how does Marshall Rosenberg define nonviolent communication? NVC (aka Nonviolent Communication) is a language of life that helps us transform old patterns of defensiveness and aggressiveness into compassion and empathy and to improve the quality of all of our relationships. (Definition provided by the Center for Non-Violent Communication). We all have old patterns that need to be transformed. And we definitely notice we have reactive, defensive, and aggressive patterns when we attempt to create relationships. Certainly, we notice this when we saturate ourselves in the homeschool parenting role. The 4 NVC Components That Transform Nonviolent Homeschool Communication Observation: Observation without evaluation consists of noticing concrete things and actions around us. We learn to distinguish between judgment and what we sense in the present moment and to simply observe what is there. Feeling: When we notice things around us, we inevitably experience varying emotions and physical sensations in each particular moment. Here, distinguishing feelings from thoughts is an essential step in the NVC process. Needs: All individuals have needs and values that sustain and enrich their lives. When those needs are met, we experience comfortable feelings, like happiness or peacefulness, and when they are not, we experience uncomfortable feelings, like frustration. Understanding that we, as well as those around us, have these needs is perhaps the most important step in learning to practice NVC and live empathically. Request: To make clear and present requests is crucial to NVC's transformative mission. When we learn to request concrete actions that can be carried out in the present moment, we begin to find ways to cooperatively and creatively ensure that everyone's needs are met. (Definitions provided by the Center for Non-Violent Communication). Here’s how each component transforms homeschool communication in real life. Lesson One — The Homeschool Communication Shift That Changes Everything “What I want in my life is compassion, a flow between myself and others based on a mutual giving from the heart.” ― Marshall B. Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life This is what we all want: we want a flow within ourselves and between us. But we’re not all trained to enable that flow. We have walls built up to defend ourselves; sometimes we even have spikes and landmines built up to defend ourselves. Either way, those defenses don’t build relationships. Vulnerability and authenticity allow relationships to expand and grow. Nonviolent homeschool communication requires this foundation first — self-compassion. And that is an easy thing to say and a less easy thing to do. Big Emotions Journal for the Homeschool Mom Are you a homeschool mom navigating the ups and downs of daily life with your kids? Introducing the Homeschool Mama's Toolbox—a powerful resource to help you manage big emotions like anger, guilt, or overwhelm with clarity and intention. $9.99 Original price was: $9.99.$6.99Current price is: $6.99. Shop now Lesson Two — Homeschool Communication and Grace “All violence is the result of people tricking themselves into believing that their pain derives from other people and that consequently, those people deserve to be punished.” ― Marshall B. Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life We do what we do because that is what we know to do in the scenario at the time. And in the words of Maya Angelou, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.“ If we have a growth mindset about life and relationships, how we show up will shift over time. Growth changes everything. Over time, we show up differently in the same scenarios — five, ten, or twenty years later — if we choose that path. Looking back in regret and shame is one option. Forgiving ourselves and growing is another. And when we grow humble and self-aware enough, we realize that others aren’t trying to intentionally cause us pain or friction either. Punishment didn’t teach us when we simply didn’t know better. It won’t serve the people engaging us wrongly now either. So we choose grace — the same grace we’d want extended to our own growing selves. This shift in perspective is at the heart of nonviolent homeschool communication. Lesson Three — What Anger Is Really Telling You “At the core of all anger is a need that is not being fulfilled.” ― Marshall B. Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life Anger is that mighty sharp tip of an iceberg that protects our fragile hearts. It’s a useful tool to self-protect. But it also protects or keeps us from connecting with others if we self-protect too hard. Under the mighty iceberg of anger’s sharp tip is a whole lotta other big emotions. You name the emotion, it’s there. And those emotions are always fueled by our unmet needs. Nonviolent homeschool communication asks us to address those needs directly rather than react to the emotion on the surface. So we need to address our own needs and respectfully request that others meet our needs, so that we don’t spend our lives reactively, angrily demanding others meet our needs, and/or never connecting with ourselves or others. Lesson Four — The Danger of Not Knowing Yourself “We are dangerous when we are not conscious of our responsibility for how we behave, think, and feel.” ― Marshall B. Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life You know when you’re not a parent and you have heaped judgments on your own parents parenting approaches BUT THEN you have kids??? And all you can think to yourself is DANG, this parenting thing is only easy when I’m not doing it. (& also, I can see now that my parents were doing the best they could do with what they knew to do in their parenting years, no matter how unhealthy things were). Because parenting is SO CHALLENGING at times. Every parenting book I’ve read had something to say. And I’ve appreciated most of them for something. But this core point, that we need to grow in self-awareness and self-compassion has had the most impact on my parenting approach. I’ve made the gamut of parenting mistakes. I really have. Which means I have regret. (& lest you try to console me for my perfectly imperfect parenting, I will go to my grave regretting them, but I also don’t fuel them with self-contempt). Self-shaming won’t change how I engage my kids now. Mistakes were made — I’m human. Healthy examples weren’t always available to me, and no matter how many parenting books or hours in a therapist’s office, I was bound to struggle with this one relationship: the relationship with myself. My defenses and my reactiveness towards things that hurt me or offended me or confused me were my instinctive armour and battle gear that I brought into my family life, as a wife, and as a mother. I wish this weren’t true. But it is. I had (& still have) armour and battle gear. Do I like that? Hell no. Will it serve me to pretend that these patterns weren’t mine at the beginning of my family journey? Again, hell no. I’ve learned that including practices in self-awareness has helped me see me a little more clearly (a little more, because there will always be room for more self-awareness, I’ll never see myself clearly). Or in the words of Carl Rogers, “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Self-awareness is the foundation of nonviolent homeschool communication — and this is where it starts. Lesson Five — You Are Not Vanilla “My theory is that we get depressed because we're not getting what we want, and we're not getting what we want because we have never been taught to get what we want. Instead, we've been taught to be good little boys and girls and good mothers and fathers. If we're going to be one of those good things, better get used to being depressed. Depression is the reward we get for being “good.” But, if you want to feel better, I'd like you to clarify what you would like people to do to make life more wonderful for you.” ― Marshall B. Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life If we don’t acknowledge who we are, that we are separate people, and that we have separate needs, we force ourselves to go underground. Our identity becomes like vanilla ice cream. Vanilla is a flavour of ice cream, sure (aka it’s a personality of ice cream types, though it is a basic personality). But it doesn’t have a specific personality, a particular flavour, or a particular texture. It has an entry-level nothingness. (Clearly vanilla is not my favourite. Bring on the peppermint chocolate chip). But we each aren’t vanilla personalities: we have our own flair, our own flavour, and our own textures. We are unique and are meant to be here for a special purpose. When we put our efforts toward being good or right, enabling ourselves to go undercover, we aren’t really us. And so does our nonviolent homeschool communication. And when we put our efforts toward fully accepting all of our parts, and each of our needs, and acknowledging our real selves, we flourish. The Homeschool Communication Tool I Use Every Day The very most important thing I gain from Marshall Rosenberg’s book, Nonviolent Communication, is this fill-in-the-blank statement. It is a useful tool: a fill-in-the-blank conversation “instruction manual” to address my needs and request someone to engage my needs (which, not coincidentally when you practice doing this for you, makes it awfully easy to engage for others too). When I see that______________ I feel ______________ because my need for ________________ is/is not met. Would you be willing to __________________? This single sentence changed my nonviolent homeschool communication more than any other tool I’ve found. So my goal in my relationships with my kids and my relationship with my partner is to make observations, clarify and express my feelings, declare my underlying needs, and ask for my needs to be met. That simple. And not easy at all. If you want to go deeper in nonviolent homeschool communication Here are three ways I can support you: Reading That Restores You — Book Club Newsletter Every Wednesday morning, a warm, thoughtful reflection lands in your inbox drawn from the books we’re exploring together — including Nonviolent Communication. Journaling prompts. Practical takeaways for your homeschool communication and your life. You don’t have to read the book. You just have to show up for yourself on a Wednesday morning. Sign up free here. Get My Weekly Book Reflection The Confident Homeschool Mom Collective If you want to work through homeschool communication challenges live — with a community of women who genuinely get this life — come join us in the Collective. This month, we’re exploring Nonviolent Communication together. Roundtable conversations, book club discussion, writer’s room, and actionable strategy sessions. Every Friday. Your first Friday is completely free. Join the Collective here. Book a Free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session If homeschool communication with a specific child or your partner feels particularly stuck right now — I’d love to think through it with you. Book a free no-obligation Aligned Homeschool Reset Session and let’s look at what’s really happening and what might need to shift. Book your free session here. Book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session Keep Reading How to Use Non-Violent Communication in our Homeschools The Homeschool Communication Mistake Parents Make & How to Change It Counseling 101: a Homeschool Parent's Most Important Skill Conflict Resolution Toolbox How Listening to our Trauma Stories can Enable our Homeschool Families Homeschool Kids are the Audience to the Homeschool Marriage How to Address Your Big Emotions with Christine Dixon A Homeschool Mom Podcast to Transform Your Life Perspective-Shifting Homeschool Coaching Discussions Foster Strong Relationships in Your Homeschool Family Hold Onto Your Kids by Gordon Neufeld in Homeschool Mama Book Club How Marie Forleo Informs my Homeschool How Brene Brown's Inspiring Thoughts have Informed my Homeschool 8 Ways to Build Healthy Relationships in Your Homeschool Family The Ultimate Guide to Building Boundaries and Healthy Relationships for Homeschool Moms 13 Things Mentally Strong Don't Do: Amy Morin influences my homeschool Enneagram: A Self-Awareness Tool That Makes You a Better Educator, Mom & Partner 5 Reasons Your Homeschool Child Won't Do Work & How to Motivate Your Child How Brene Brown's Atlas of the Heart Influences our Homeschools Latest episodes 13 Things Mentally Strong Homeschool Moms Don’t Do August 11, 2026 7 Questions Homeschool Moms Are Afraid to Ask Out Loud August 4, 2026 How to Improve Homeschool Communication with the Best NVC August 4, 2026 How to Stop Taking Your Child’s Behaviour Personally July 21, 2026 You’re Invited to the Homeschool Mom Book Club 2026 July 14, 2026 Post-Partum Overwhelm in Your Homeschool: 12 Ways to Cope July 12, 2026 A 2023 High School Graduate’s Thoughts on her Homeschool Life July 11, 2026 What It’s Like? The Homeschool to High School Transition July 11, 2026 Navigate Homeschool High School (What You Need to Know) July 7, 2026 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development July 3, 2026 Declutter Your Homeschool Mama Mind: Overwhelm to On Purpose July 2, 2026 How to Handle Homeschool Criticism With Confidence June 29, 2026 How to Create a Personalized Homeschool High School That Fits Your Teen June 23, 2026 The Real Cost Of Being The “Good Girl” Who Became The Good Mom June 16, 2026 What Is an Education Anyway? Your Answer Changes Your Homeschool June 8, 2026 5 Reasons Your Homeschool Child Won’t Do Work & How to Motivate Your Child June 2, 2026 Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 The Truth About Finding Your Homeschool Rhythm January 13, 2026 The Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast: Introducing the 1% Pivot January 6, 2026 Purpose-Driven Homeschool Planning for 2026: How to Recalibrate the Year with Clarity December 23, 2025 1% Shift to a Calm Homeschool Life December 23, 2025 12 Things I've Learned About Homeschool Moms: Self-Care Tips for Overwhelmed Homeschool Moms December 10, 2025 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge to Come Back to Yourself December 2, 2025 What is the Reimagine Your Homeschool Group Coaching? November 18, 2025 Not Just a Homeschool Mom — Why You’re Disappearing (And How to Come Back) November 11, 2025 Subscribe to the Confident Homeschool Mom podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify Originally published July 6, 2022. Updated August 4, 2026. (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

If you’ve ever lain awake wondering what’s wrong with your homeschool, know this: you’re asking one of the same questions homeschool moms are asking every single week — you’re just doing it alone, at midnight, with a search bar instead of a friend. After two decades of homeschooling my own four kids, and six years coaching the women who do this work every single day, I can tell you this with complete confidence: the questions that keep homeschool moms up at night are almost always the same questions. Over and over. In every coaching conversation. In every Collective session. And in every message I receive at midnight from a mama trying to figure out what’s going wrong and why she can’t seem to fix it. So this summer on the Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast, I decided to address them directly. Seven episodes. Seven books. And seven questions that deserve more than a quick fix. Watch the video below — and then keep reading for the full breakdown. https://youtu.be/zkxm-irxoMQ What You’ll Learn in this Video: Why your child’s behaviour is almost never actually about you — and the personality framework that can explain it How the way you talk to your kids might be creating more friction than you realize — and what healthy homeschool communication actually sounds like The personal mental habits that are quietly making your whole life harder, whether you’re homeschooling or not Why your child needs to feel truly seen by you — and why that starts with feeling seen yourself What it actually means to let your child lead their own learning — and why that’s harder than it sounds Why so many homeschool moms feel like they’ve lost themselves — and how to find their way back Why you feel constantly in conflict with the way your life feels right now — and what radical acceptance actually means for your homeschool The 7 Questions Homeschool Moms Are Asking— And The Books That Answer Them: These aren’t random questions. They’re the same questions homeschool moms are asking — out loud and not out loud — every single week. 1. Why do I keep reacting the same way to my child — and is it actually about them or about me? The Road Back to You — Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile What looks like defiance is almost always a collision between two completely different core motivations. Yours and theirs. The Enneagram helps you understand both — and once you do, everything shifts. 2. Is the way I talk to my kids making things worse — and what does healthy homeschool communication actually sound like? Nonviolent Communication — Marshall Rosenberg Not just how you speak to your kids — but how you listen to them. How you hear what’s underneath the behaviour instead of just reacting to the behaviour itself. 3. What do mentally strong homeschool moms do differently — and how do I get there? 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do — Amy Morin This one isn’t just about homeschooling. These are the personal mental habits that are quietly making your whole life harder. And homeschool moms are particularly vulnerable to several of them — because we carry so much and ask for so little help. 4. Does my child feel truly seen by me — and do I even feel seen myself? Feeling Seen — Jodi Carrington Kids don’t need us to be perfect. They need to feel seen. But how can we help our children feel seen when we ourselves have never felt truly seen? This episode goes there. Still with me? Good — because these are exactly the questions homeschool moms are asking most, and getting through four of them without flinching means you’re already doing the hard, honest work. 5. What does it actually mean to let my child lead their own learning? The Gardener and the Carpenter — Alison Gopnik A carpenter shapes wood into a specific, predetermined form. A gardener creates the conditions for growth — and then trusts what emerges. Most of us were taught to be carpenters. This book helps you become a gardener. 6. Why do I feel like I’ve lost myself in homeschooling — and how do I find my way back? Stop Losing Yourself — Teresa Wiedrick This is the question underneath so many other questions. You started this journey with such intention. And somewhere along the way — between the lesson planning and the sibling conflict and the never-ending needs of everyone around you — you lost the thread back to yourself. This episode is drawn from my own coaching work with homeschool mamas, and there is a whole course built around it. 7. Why do I feel constantly in conflict with the way my life feels right now? Radical Acceptance — Tara Brach Radical acceptance isn’t about giving up or lowering your standards. It’s about stopping the war with reality long enough to actually see it clearly. And from that place of clarity — choosing what to do next. So if any of these are questions homeschool moms are asking themselves at 2 am, take it as a sign: you’re not behind, you’re not alone, and you’re not the only one wondering. Not Sure Which of These Questions Homeschool Moms Are Asking Is Yours? If none of these seven quite fit, and you’re still asking your own version of “what’s wrong with my homeschool,” that’s exactly what the free Homeschool Overwhelm Quiz is for.

Everybody wants more leads. The problem is most brokers overcomplicate where they come from. In this episode, I break down three simple things you can do right now to create more conversations, get more introductions, and find more opportunities inside the network you already have. None of these strategies require ads, complicated funnels, or new software. They just require you to put yourself out there and actually ask. In this episode, I cover: Send Video DMs - Reach out to everyone in your phone and social network so they actually know what you do. Clone Your Best Referral Partners - Ask the people you already trust to introduce you to other professionals they trust. Survey Your Past Clients - Find out which professionals they work with, who needs a better referral, and who you should meet. Why Warm Introductions Work - Borrowing trust is much easier than trying to create it from scratch. Why You Need to Stop Being a Secret Agent - Posting on social does not mean the people you know understand what you do. You probably do not need a brand-new lead source. You need to do a better job of working the relationships already in front of you. Follow me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/scottpeckford/ I Love Mortgage Brokering: www.ilovemortgagebrokering.com Find out more about BRX Mortgage: www.whybrx.com   Subscribe to my email list, Peckford's Playbook Join the Mortgage Mindset Daily  Gamify your prospecting with the 10@10 App I Love Mortgage Brokering is in partnership with Ownwell. To see how top brokers are keeping clients engaged and generating leads from their database, visit ownwell.ca/scott.

If you’re struggling as you learn how to stop taking your child’s behaviour personally, girlfriend, I get you! That feeling — that your child is doing something to you — is an easy one to fall into. Not just being difficult, but somehow, specifically, deliberately difficult, aimed at you. You’ve had the thought before, even if you didn’t say it out loud: why does he do this to me? First of all, I want to admit, I have most definitely been there. But I want to offer you a different question to reframe that. Not because your frustration isn’t valid — it is — but because that first question keeps you stuck. It keeps you reacting instead of understanding. And once you swap it out, something in the whole relationship starts to shift. “Why Is He Doing This to Me?” vs. “This Is Just How He’s Wired” In a recent coaching conversation, one of the moms I work with was working through exactly this. Her son has a hard time sitting still, gets bored fast, and constantly needs something new to stay engaged — and she’d been reading that as defiance. As him pushing back against her, specifically, was on purpose. But that constant need for stimulation, that low tolerance for boredom, that instinct to keep moving toward the next interesting thing? That could also be reframed as a personality thing. That’s a recognizable Enneagram Type 7 pattern — a child whose core wiring orients toward possibility and away from anything that feels confining. He’s not doing it to her. He’s doing it because that’s how he’s built to move through the world. That distinction changes everything about how you respond. A defiant child needs a consequence. A Type 7 child who’s drowning in boredom needs variety, movement, and a shorter runway between tasks. Same behavior. Completely different parenting response — and you can only get to the right one once you stop making it about you. A Quick Note on ADHD A quick caveat: trouble sitting still, low tolerance for boredom, always chasing the next stimulating thing — that can also be part of an ADHD profile, not just an Enneagram 7 pattern. The two aren’t mutually exclusive, and this isn’t a substitute for an evaluation, and it’s a separate conversation from learning how to stop taking your child’s behaviour personally — both can be true at once. The Enneagram points to motivation; ADHD is something more neurological. A child can be both — and understanding one doesn’t rule out the other. If this is showing up across settings, not just during school time, it may be worth a conversation with your pediatrician, who can guide you toward an evaluation if needed. And if ADHD is already part of your homeschool reality, you might also like How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted). It’s Not Just About Kids This same shift showed up for two other moms in a Confident Homeschool Mom Collective conversation, both talking about their husbands. One had spent years frustrated that her husband seemed to avoid conflict at almost any cost — going quiet in arguments, smoothing things over instead of hashing them out, seeming to just… ignoring the conflict instead of addressing it. And she read that as him not caring enough to address the unmet needs under the conflicts. Once she understood he was a Type 9, whose deepest instinct is toward peace and away from friction, she wasn’t excusing the pattern — but she stopped taking it personally. It wasn’t about her. It was his wiring, doing what it’s always done. Enneagram coaches often see 9s and 8s pair up in marriage — and 8s aren’t afraid of conflict at all. So imagine how he was receiving her in those moments: not as someone smoothing things over peacefully, but as someone withholding, someone who wouldn’t engage. (If you want to see this dynamic from the other side, I loved this Enneagram 8 mom’s story of growth — it’s a great window into how an 8 experiences conflict, connection, and homeschooling.) Kids, partners — the pattern is the same. The behaviour that used to feel like a verdict on you turns out to be almost entirely unrelated to you. It’s wiring. And wiring isn’t personal. How to Stop Taking Your Child’s Behaviour Personally When You Think in Black and White If you’re someone who tends to see things in black and white — this behaviour is good, another behaviour is bad — this shift can feel disorienting at first. It’s not that boundaries stop mattering or that behaviour stops having consequences. That is certainly not my goal here. However, it IS that you stop assigning motive where there isn’t one. Your child avoiding boredom isn’t defiance — in fact, there’s a bounty to boredom when it’s handled well (I go deeper on that in how to deal with your kids’ homeschool boredom). Your partner avoiding conflict isn’t apathy. Once you can separate the behaviour from an imagined motive aimed at you, you’re free to respond to what’s actually happening instead of reacting to a story you’ve built around it. And if it’s you who’s the bored one some days — bored of the routine, bored of the sameness, bored in a way that feels a little taboo to admit as a homeschool mom — that’s real too, and worth naming (here’s a whole post on being the bored homeschool mom). What Changes When You Stop Taking It Personally You start responding instead of reacting. You start getting curious instead of assuming offense or hurt. Instead of why does he do this to me, you start asking: What does this behaviour tell me about how he’s wired? What does he actually need right now? Is this about me at all, or is this simply him? That question — is this about me, or is this just them — is one of the most useful tools I know for a homeschool mom learning how to stop taking her child’s behaviour personally. It doesn’t make the hard moments disappear. Your Type 7 son will still get bored mid-lesson. Your Type 9 husband will still go quiet when things get tense. But you’ll stop absorbing those moments as a referendum on you, and that alone changes how much of the day you carry home with you emotionally. Where to Begin You don’t need to become an Enneagram expert overnight to make this discussion valuable. Start small: the next time your child’s behaviour sends you into a spiral of why does he do this, pause and ask instead, is this wiring, or is this really about me? If you do that, you’ll find it’s the former — and that single shift in framing can be enough to bring you back to curiosity instead of hurt. Certainly, if you want to go further, understanding your child’s — and your partner’s — Enneagram type is one of the fastest ways to build this reframe into a daily habit rather than something you have to remember to do in the moment. If this resonated, I’d love to help you think through it. Book a free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session and let’s find out what’s really driving the dynamics in your home — and how to stop carrying what was never yours to carry. Book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session Two Ways to Join the Homeschool Mama Book Club 2026 The Homeschool Mama Book Club 2026 is the one thing I wish someone had offered me in my early homeschool years. 1. Join the Book Club Newsletter — free, every Wednesday Every Wednesday morning, a warm, thoughtful email lands in your inbox drawn from the books we’re exploring together. Reflections, journaling prompts, and practical takeaways — even if you haven’t read the book. Sign up for the free Book Club Newsletter here → 2. Join us live in the Confident Homeschool Mom Collective Every Friday at 10am Pacific, a group of homeschool mamas gathers to talk about the things that actually matter — roundtable conversations, book club discussions, Writer’s Room sessions, actionable strategy sessions, and real talk about what it actually feels like to do this every day. Your first Friday is completely free. Join the Confident Homeschool Mom Collective here → Come Talk Through How to Stop Taking Your Child’s Behaviour Personally With Us This is exactly the kind of conversation we have, every single week, in the Homeschool Mama Book Club. A place where you say the thing out loud — why does he do this to me — and a room full of women nod because they’ve thought it too. We read together, we talk it through in book club discussions, we bring our real questions to Writer’s Room sessions and strategy conversations, and in the middle of all that, you get tools to really support your homeschool mom life. The women who show up every Friday will tell you it feels like a reset — a space where they’re actually seen, understood, and encouraged, without competition or judgment. If you’ve been carrying how to stop taking your child’s behaviour personally all on your own, this is where you bring it instead. You’re Invited — Join the Book Club → Get My Weekly Book Reflection Want to Go Deeper? Understanding the Enneagram for Homeschoolers Enneagram For Homeschool Moms: A Self-Awareness Tool That Makes You a Better Educator, Mom & Partner Sibling Bickering in Homeschool Families: What's Normal & How to Handle It The Guilt Journal for Homeschool Moms You're Invited to the Homeschool Mom Book Club 2026 How to Reimagine Your Homeschool Support: 7 Essential Lessons How to Create a Personalized Homeschool High School That Fits Your Teen Tired of Homeschool Sibling Fights? Try These 3 Simple Strategies! Understanding the Enneagram for Homeschoolers Interest-Led Homeschool for Confident Moms: An Enneagram 8 Mom's Story of Growth 5 Reasons Your Homeschool Child Won't Do Work & How to Motivate Your Child Child-Led Learning Benefits Your Kids (& You) Will Love How to Facilitate Child-Led Learning in Your Homeschool Latest episodes How to Stop Taking Your Child’s Behaviour Personally July 21, 2026 You’re Invited to the Homeschool Mom Book Club 2026 July 14, 2026 Post-Partum Overwhelm in Your Homeschool: 12 Ways to Cope July 12, 2026 A 2023 High School Graduate’s Thoughts on her Homeschool Life July 11, 2026 What It’s Like? The Homeschool to High School Transition July 11, 2026 Navigate Homeschool High School (What You Need to Know) July 7, 2026 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development July 3, 2026 Declutter Your Homeschool Mama Mind: Overwhelm to On Purpose July 2, 2026 How to Handle Homeschool Criticism With Confidence June 29, 2026 How to Create a Personalized Homeschool High School That Fits Your Teen June 23, 2026 The Real Cost Of Being The “Good Girl” Who Became The Good Mom June 16, 2026 What Is an Education Anyway? Your Answer Changes Your Homeschool June 8, 2026 5 Reasons Your Homeschool Child Won’t Do Work & How to Motivate Your Child June 2, 2026 Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 The Truth About Finding Your Homeschool Rhythm January 13, 2026 The Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast: Introducing the 1% Pivot January 6, 2026 Purpose-Driven Homeschool Planning for 2026: How to Recalibrate the Year with Clarity December 23, 2025 1% Shift to a Calm Homeschool Life December 23, 2025 12 Things I've Learned About Homeschool Moms: Self-Care Tips for Overwhelmed Homeschool Moms December 10, 2025 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge to Come Back to Yourself December 2, 2025 What is the Reimagine Your Homeschool Group Coaching? November 18, 2025 Not Just a Homeschool Mom — Why You’re Disappearing (And How to Come Back) November 11, 2025 Teaching World War to a Homeschooled Eight Year Old November 10, 2025 Reimagine Your Homeschool: Feel Free, Inspire Curiosity and Do What Works November 5, 2025 the role of imagination in a home education November 4, 2025 Subscribe to the Confident Homeschool Mom podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventureLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

Knowing your communication style is useful. Knowing when to move beyond it is what creates growth. In episode 627 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Zack Glaser talks with Zeina Baydoun about how law firm leaders and teams can use DISC to better understand themselves, communicate more effectively, and respond with greater intention.  Zeina breaks down why DISC is not a personality test or a permanent label. It is a starting point for recognizing the behaviors that come most naturally, the blind spots those tendencies can create, and the ways stress may amplify them. Rather than using a profile to say, “That is just how I am,” she encourages leaders to ask whether their default response is actually what the person or situation needs.  They discuss how different communication styles can create friction inside law firms, why understanding behavior can replace judgment with curiosity, and how teams can better support one another without lowering expectations for growth.  If you want to improve communication without forcing everyone to think and work the same way, this episode offers a thoughtful framework for building more adaptable leaders and more connected teams.  Listen to our previous episodes on Leadership, Communication & Building Stronger Law Firm Teams.  #615: How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Stronger Teams, with Debbie Foster and Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN  #596: The Athlete's Mindset for Lawyers, with Jess Sargus Apple | Spotify | LTN  #592: Client Care, Culture, and Character: A Framework for Great Leaders, with William O'Neal Apple | Spotify | LTN  #527: Casting Your Vision and Leading Your Firm, with Kevin DeShazo Apple | Spotify | LTN  Have thoughts about today's episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!   If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.   Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.   Chapters / Timestamps  00:00 – Introduction01:25 – Using DISC as an Active Leadership Tool04:10 – Meet Zeina Baydoun05:45 – What DISC Reveals About Communication08:35 – Understanding Behavioral Preferences12:00 – How Self-Awareness Changes Team Dynamics14:40 – The Problem with Personality Labels16:20 – Why Leaders Cannot Hide Behind Their Style17:40 – Developing Skills Outside Your Comfort Zone18:55 – Adapting Your Communication to the Situation21:55 – Leadership and Communication Under Pressure25:25 – Supporting Strengths and Managing Blind Spots28:50 – Creating Space for Other People to Lead31:05 – Moving Beyond Fixed Leadership Styles32:10 – Building New Behavioral Habits33:05 – Choice, Growth and Intentional Leadership35:05 – Closing Thoughts 

Welcome to the Homeschool Mom Book Club 2026 — a year of reading chosen entirely for you. Can I ask you a question? Who is nurturing you? It’s a question most homeschool moms never get asked. We pour everything into our children — our time, our creativity, our patience, our presence — and somewhere in all that nurturing, we forget that we are humans with needs too. Who Is Nurturing You? I’ve been there. I spent years showing up for everyone else and calling what was left of me enough. Occasional Wednesday nights at Starbucks with a latte and a journal were the thing that kept me going. I thought that was enough. It wasn’t. It’s cliche, but it’s true: I was surviving, not thriving. I craved time to read and write and learn for myself — not just enabling it for the kids. And when I began reading for me, I realized I could answer some of the challenges I was noticing in my homeschool family. After nearly two decades homeschooling and six years coaching women who home educate, I’ve learned that books, and their authors, can be incredible resources for us as home educators. I’ve also learned, from my own life, and the lives of other homeschool moms, we consistently DON’T put ourselves on our to-do lists. We leave our needs, our interests, our rabbit trails last on our lists. Our social lives can be abysmal (funny that onlookers are concerned that our kids aren’t socialized, when mom is driving them hither and yon, waiting in the parking lot while they meet new friends and do cool things). That’s why the Homeschool Mom Book Club 2026 exists. And that’s why I want to invite you into the 2026 lineup — twelve books, one per month, chosen entirely for the woman doing this work every single day. A Gift for the Mama Who Keeps Coming Last If you’ve been putting yourself last in your homeschool, I made something for you. It’s called the Permission Slip — 14 daily anchor practices for the homeschool mama who keeps coming last. It’s free and it’s yours. Grab it here: Yes, I Give Myself Permission You Are the Most Important Curriculum in Your Homeschool Before we get to the books, I want to say something I come back to again and again in my coaching work with homeschool moms: You are the most important curriculum in your homeschool. Not the books you choose for your kids. Not the actual curriculum you pull out each morning. And not the co-op or the field trips or the Charlotte Mason inspired nature study either. You. The way you show up. The way you regulate. Even the curiosity you model. The grace you extend — to your kids and to yourself. That is what your children are absorbing every single day. So investing in yourself isn’t something you do when you finally have time. It’s the most important work you can do for your homeschool. And a good book — and a community of women to think about it with — is one of the most accessible ways to begin. How the Homeschool Mama Book Club 2026 Works One book a month. Twelve months. Four quarterly themes that build on each other — so the reading isn’t just a list but a year-long conversation with yourself. When you’re listening to yourself, able to hear two thoughts in a row (because you know that is hard to do with kids afoot), and willing to unpack the challenges in your homeschool mom life, you’ll move toward enjoying the charms of your homeschool family life. And here’s the part I want you to hear clearly: you don’t have to read the book to show up. I know, crazy, right? A book club where you don’t HAVE to read. Of course, you’ll be more deeply benefited if you do. But I know I wouldn’t have been able to read a book a month in my busiest homeschool years and I’m certainly not expecting it of anyone else. Come for the conversation, come for the community, and come because for one Friday morning a month someone is asking what you think and what you need. Every month in the Confident Homeschool Mom Collective we gather for four Friday sessions built around each book: Roundtable Chat — the big question the book is really asking Book Club Discussion — diving into the ideas together Writer’s Room — putting pen to paper on what surfaced for you Actionable Strategies — taking what you learned and building it into your real homeschool life https://youtu.be/WX9ALm-uODU?si=j3xVN-WWRQWkyJWm The 2026–2027 Homeschool Mama Book Club Lineup ☀️ Summer — Your Inner Life June, July, August We start by turning inward. Before we can talk about education philosophy or creative practice we need to know ourselves a little better first. June — Atlas of the Heart by Brené BrownDo you actually know what you’re feeling — or are you just reacting to it? Brown maps 87 emotions and gives you the vocabulary to finally understand what’s happening inside you — and why it matters for every relationship in your home. July — The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne StabileWhy do you parent and teach the way you do? This warm, witty introduction to the Enneagram helps you understand your core motivations, your stress responses, and the invisible rules you’ve been living by without even knowing it. And when you join the Confident Homeschool Mom Collective (where the Homeschool Mama Book Club lives, you’ll have access to a workshop on how the Enneagram works in your homeschool family.) August — The Life That’s Waiting by Brianna WiestWhat would your life look like if you stopped forcing it and started living it? Wiest’s newest collection of essays is for the mom who has been pushing herself toward a life that doesn’t quite fit — and is finally ready to choose differently.

When a client suffers a major loss, the last thing they want to deal with is a claims process bogged down by miscommunication and a lack of empathy. If your agency is simply acting as a middleman passing emails back and forth, you aren't adding value - you are just in the way.My guest, Clayton Matthews, Director of Strategic Claims Advocacy at Oakbridge Insurance, joins me to discuss why the claims experience is the ultimate "moment of truth" for an agency. Clayton shares his unique background, from interning in politics to spinning records as a late-night DJ, and how reading a dance floor translates perfectly to reading a room during a catastrophic loss. We discuss the friction points between adjusters and producers, the power of letting a client tell their story, and why you don't need a four-year degree to learn empathy. If you want to understand how a proactive claims strategy can save your biggest accounts and set your agency apart, this episode is a must-listen.▶▶ Sign Up For Your Free Discovery Callcompletegameu.com/agaTimestamped Outline(00:00) The Most Outgoing Claims Advocate: Introducing Clayton Matthews(01:15) Politics and Public Service: From the General Assembly to Insurance(03:47) The Late-Night DJ: Learning the Psychology of the Crowd(05:22) The Real Job of a DJ: Keeping the Floor Packed and Selling Beer(07:37) The Billion Dollar Question: Solving the Claims Communication Gap(09:34) The Importance of Being Heard: Why Every Claim Needs a Storyteller(12:14) Case Managers and Adjusters: The Friction Between Empathy and Process(14:01) The Highest Paid Translator: Balancing Contractual Facts with Human Feelings(16:51) Boots on the Ground: Losing Hope and Finding Humanity in Catastrophe Zones(19:33) The Uninsurable Era: Why We Need a Stand-Alone Wildfire Policy(21:42) The Reality of Risk: A Personal Story of Driving Uninsured at 19(24:05) Stop Being the Middleman: Where Agencies Go Wrong in Claims Advocacy(26:53) The Bad News Requirement: Front-End Expectations vs. Back-End Excuses(30:42) Why Clients Leave: The Danger of Poor Agency Exploration and Expectation Setting(34:22) The Washout Factor: Why Empathy Trumps a 4-Year Degree Every Time(39:02) Clayton's Lightning Round: Checking Email at 5 AM, Southern Mafia Podcasts, and Stephen KingCONNECT WITH ANDY NEARY

Transitioning from homeschooling the early years to high school is a significant shift—for both you and your teen. It's not just about choosing the right curriculum or making sure they meet graduation requirements. It’s about fostering independence, supporting their personal growth, and adjusting to your evolving role as a homeschool mom as you navigate homeschool high school. If you're wondering how to confidently guide your homeschooler through these years, know that this is a typical concern at this transition season. Let's explore what this transition really looks like and how you can set your teen (and yourself) up for a satisfying experience. https://youtu.be/j7MClbBT3Sw?si=X-6czZiT2yXcryp_ How to Succeed at Navigating Homeschool High School with Confidence “Am I Covering Enough?” The Silent Worry of Every Homeschool Mom A homeschool mom recently shared with me: “Oh man, I am in that zone of figuring out how to finish the year in a fun, explorative way while also battling those ‘Am I covering enough?' thoughts. I know we're really okay, but I think it gets stressful as I'm listening to other families beginning to worry about high school and college. I don't want my kids' education to be reduced to a test score, but I do wonder if it would be easier than compiling a portfolio for each child.” Does this sound familiar? If you're navigating the transition from “learning through play” to “we should probably get serious about high school credits,” you are not alone. This shift is natural. But it doesn't mean you have to homeschool from a place of fear. Let’s talk about what really matters in these years—and how you can navigate homeschool high school with confidence. The Emotional Side of Navigating Homeschool High School One of the biggest challenges of homeschooling the high school years isn't just academics—it's navigating the emotional transition. One day, you're tucking them into bed with bedtime stories. The next, they're staying up later than you. One day, you'll be solving sibling conflicts. The next, they're telling you, “Mom, I got this.” Your role is shifting from hands-on teacher to supportive guide. And that shift isn't always smooth. It's okay to feel moments of panic. It's okay to wonder if you've done enough. And it's okay to grieve the little years while also embracing this new chapter. What’s most important is that your teen feels empowered and supported as you both navigate homeschool high school together. You’ve Already Succeeded — Navigating Homeschool High School Is the Next Step High school doesn’t have to be scary. Remember when you first began homeschooling and everything felt overwhelming? You conquered that challenge, and now you can master this high school transition too. A Guide Built for the Mom, Not Just the Curriculum My guide “Mindsets for Homeschool Mamas: Navigate Homeschool High School with Confidence” is designed specifically for YOU – not your homeschool teen – because your mindset and well-being are the foundation of a successful homeschool high school experience. This isn’t another homeschool high school curriculum guide. This is about your journey as you guide your teen through these transformative years. High school homeschooling brings new responsibilities, but it also offers incredible opportunities to: Customize learning to your teen’s unique passions and future goals Strengthen your relationship during these pivotal years of development Create a high school experience that aligns with your family’s values Prepare your teen for independence while maintaining meaningful connection What’s Included in “Mindsets for Homeschool Mamas” 1: Setting Your Homeschool High School Foundation Clarify your academic, personal growth, and family goals Guided journal prompts to address your concerns Define what success truly means for YOUR family during high school 2: Communication Strategies for the Teen Years Navigate changing dynamics as your teen grows more independent Discussion frameworks for collaborating on curriculum choices Ways to support your teen’s emotional well-being during this transition 3: Self-Care for the Homeschool Mom Practical wellness strategies that fit into your busy schedule Permission to prioritize your growth alongside your teen’s Tools to maintain joy and purpose throughout the high school journey Why This Guide Is Different Most high school homeschool resources focus on academic requirements, transcripts, and college preparation. While those are obviously important, they miss the most crucial element: YOU. Your mindset, well-being, and confidence directly impact your homeschool atmosphere. This guide addresses the human side of homeschooling high school – your thoughts, emotions, and growth as a mother during this season as you navigate homeschool high school. What Other Homeschool Moms Are Saying “Teresa is the real deal! An experienced homeschool Mom who’s been there and can help others get out of overwhelm. Her ability to hold space for silence and difficult feelings makes her “no small talk” approach so effective. I trust her. Her retreat, resources and ask me anything meetings have served me tremendously. I’m so glad she’s in my corner!” –Homeschool Mom of 2 Get Your Guide Here → Mindset Shifts for Homeschool Moms: Thriving Through the High School Years Confidently Homeschool Through the High School Years $12.99 $10.99 Shop now Get your Guide Here! Mindset Shifts for Homeschool Moms: Thriving Through the High School Years Confidently Homeschool Through the High School Years $12.99 Original price was: $12.99.$10.99Current price is: $10.99. Shop now Building a High School Plan While Navigating Homeschool High School Once your mindset feels steadier, the next layer is practical: building an actual plan. This is where you’ll face a new set of questions: Should we follow a traditional four-year plan? What if my teen wants to go to college? How do I balance structured learning with their individual interests? What about transcripts and credits? Instead of feeling overwhelmed, approach high school as a personalized journey. Here’s how: Four Ways to Build a Plan That Fits Your Teen ✔ Start with the Big Picture — Think about where your teen might be headed in four years. Are they considering college? A trade? Entrepreneurship? Plan backward from their goals while leaving room for flexibility. ✔ Lean Into Their Strengths & Interests — High school is an opportunity for teens to explore their passions. Whether it’s literature, science, the arts, or hands-on learning, tailor their education to keep them engaged. ✔ Consider Alternative Learning Paths — High school doesn’t have to look like a traditional classroom. Dual enrollment, apprenticeships, online courses, and independent study can all be valuable options. ✔ Encourage Ownership of Their Learning — The high school years should prepare your teen for adulthood. Give them increasing responsibility for managing their schedule, completing assignments, and setting personal goals. If this feels overwhelming, take a deep breath. You don’t have to figure it all out overnight. A flexible, personalized approach is key to making these years work for your family while navigating homeschool high school. If you want the authoritative guide to homeschooling high school, check out the Homeschool High School podcast and all the offerings at 7 Sisters Homeschool. https://youtu.be/ZQqrU5icsS8?si=gJ34S-zsZn-0Nq3Z Living Your Life on Purpose — For You, Too Building your teen’s plan is half the picture. The other half is a question a lot of homeschool moms don’t expect to face while navigating homeschool high school: what about your plan? Just as your teen is stepping into a new stage, so are you. Homeschooling through high school often brings up deeper questions: What’s next for me? How do I redefine my role beyond “homeschool mom”? Am I ready for this next phase of my own life? This is why I created the Living Your Life on Purpose Checklist. It’s designed to help homeschool moms reflect on their own journey and step into the next season with confidence. As we guide our kids toward independence, we have to honour our own growth too. Get Your Free Checklist Now → Does Homeschooling Feel Like It’s Pulling You in Too Many Directions? If that question about your own next chapter stirred something, you’re not alone there either. You likely started homeschooling with a deep desire to create a meaningful, connected learning experience for you and your kids. But somewhere along the way, the overwhelm, the exhaustion, and the never-ending to-do lists made you wonder: Am I really doing enough? How do I stay intentional when I’m just trying to keep up? What happens when my role as a homeschool mom changes — how do I find purpose then? I’ve been there. Every homeschool mom faces seasons of doubt, burnout, and transition while navigating homeschool high school. But the good news is you can realign with your purpose and homeschool in a way that truly works for your family. Get Your Free Checklist Now → Get Your Free Checklist Now! You Don’t Have to Navigate This Alone Feeling uncertain while navigating homeschool high school is completely normal. But you don’t have to figure it out by yourself. I’d love to invite you to a one-on-one coaching conversation where we can: ✅ Clarify your biggest challenges around homeschooling the high school years ✅ Create an action plan for your next steps ✅ Help you move forward with confidence If you need guidance, encouragement, or just someone to say “You’re doing better than you think,” I’m here. Book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session I help homeschool moms trust themselves, edit expectations, and make intentional choices that create a more confident, connected, and present homeschool life. Book your Reset Session with Teresa You Have Support if You Want It High school homeschooling isn’t just about academic requirements, transcripts, and college preparation — it’s about creating a meaningful journey for both you and your teen. With the right mindset and self-care practices, you can keep navigating homeschool high school with confidence. Ready to transform your approach? The guide includes printable journal pages, guided reflection exercises, and actionable strategies you can implement immediately. You’re also invited to join our private community of homeschool moms navigating their homeschool years together. You’ve got this, mama. And whenever you need a reminder, I’m just a conversation away. Book a No-Obligation Conversation with Teresa → — Renee, Homeschool Mama of 4, on coaching with Teresa Wiedrick Book a no-obligation conversation with Teresa You're Not Starting Over. You're Starting Fresh. If homeschool high school feels like unfamiliar territory — even after years of homeschooling — that makes complete sense. But here's what I want you to remember: you are not starting over. You are starting fresh. Everything you have learned about your child — how they think, how they learn, what lights them up and what shuts them down — you bring all of that into these high school years with you. That knowledge doesn't disappear. It deepens. The spiral you might be feeling right now isn't a sign that you're behind. It's just your brain catching up to what your gut already knows — this child is worth figuring out. And you are exactly the right person to do it. You've already proven that. You just have to trust it. And if you need someone in your corner while you do — I'm here. Book a free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session and let's think through it together. Related Reading Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University homeschool high school Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About Own Your Learning, Own Your Life with Stephanie Sewell How to Create a Personalized Homeschool High School (That Actually Fits Your Teen) Homeschool Teens Perspective: How to Homeschool High School a Letter to My Homeschool High School Daughter How to unschool high school. Helping Our Kids Live Their Lives on Purpose: A Practical Guide for Homeschool Moms Awakened Homeschool Family: Living with Purpose, Learning from Heart Mindset Shifts for Homeschool Moms: Thriving Through the High School Years What It's Like: Homeschool to High School Transition What are the benefits of a homeschool high school? Fun with your Homeschool High Schoolers Teaching Literary Devices via Pop Culture how I transitioned from homeschool to public high school the surprising transition from school to homeschool 5 Ways to Parent Homeschool Teenagers to Keep You Sane Latest episodes You’re Invited to the Homeschool Mom Book Club 2026 July 14, 2026 Post-Partum Overwhelm in Your Homeschool: 12 Ways to Cope July 12, 2026 A 2023 High School Graduate’s Thoughts on her Homeschool Life July 11, 2026 What It’s Like? The Homeschool to High School Transition July 11, 2026 Navigate Homeschool High School (What You Need to Know) July 7, 2026 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development July 3, 2026 Declutter Your Homeschool Mama Mind: Overwhelm to On Purpose July 2, 2026 How to Handle Homeschool Criticism With Confidence June 29, 2026 How to Create a Personalized Homeschool High School That Fits Your Teen June 23, 2026 The Real Cost Of Being The “Good Girl” Who Became The Good Mom June 16, 2026 What Is an Education Anyway? Your Answer Changes Your Homeschool June 8, 2026 5 Reasons Your Homeschool Child Won’t Do Work & How to Motivate Your Child June 2, 2026 Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 The Truth About Finding Your Homeschool Rhythm January 13, 2026 The Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast: Introducing the 1% Pivot January 6, 2026 Purpose-Driven Homeschool Planning for 2026: How to Recalibrate the Year with Clarity December 23, 2025 1% Shift to a Calm Homeschool Life December 23, 2025 12 Things I've Learned About Homeschool Moms: Self-Care Tips for Overwhelmed Homeschool Moms December 10, 2025 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge to Come Back to Yourself December 2, 2025 What is the Reimagine Your Homeschool Group Coaching? November 18, 2025 Not Just a Homeschool Mom — Why You’re Disappearing (And How to Come Back) November 11, 2025 Teaching World War to a Homeschooled Eight Year Old November 10, 2025 Reimagine Your Homeschool: Feel Free, Inspire Curiosity and Do What Works November 5, 2025 the role of imagination in a home education November 4, 2025 Helping Our Kids Live Their Lives on Purpose: A Practical Guide for Homeschool Moms October 28, 2025 Subscribe to the Confident Homeschool Mom podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify This post was originally published on April 3, 2025, and has been updated on July 6, 2026. Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventureLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

Most law firm owners know what it feels like to need help. But needing help and being ready to hire are not always the same thing. In episode 625 of the Lawyerist Podcast, Stephanie Everett sits down with Bernadette Harris to talk about the timing, planning, and clarity required to make a successful hire.  Bernadette shares why the biggest hiring mistake is not always choosing the wrong person. Sometimes, it is hiring at the wrong time. Hire too soon, and the firm may not have enough work or revenue to support the role. Hire too late, and the owner may be too overwhelmed to train, onboard, and set the new person up for success.  Stephanie and Bernadette discuss how to evaluate consistent demand, identify whether the owner is the real bottleneck, and use capacity planning to make a more grounded hiring decision. They also explore why lawyers need to define the role clearly before bringing someone in, including the tasks, expectations, soft skills, and success metrics that will shape the position.  If you are thinking about hiring because your firm feels chaotic, this episode will help you pause, look at the data, and make sure you are solving the right problem before adding another person to the payroll.  Listen to our previous episodes on Law Firm Hiring, Delegation & Building Better Teams.  #621: Stop Calling Them VAs: How to Build a High-Performing Remote Legal Team, with Raquel Gomes Apple | Spotify | LTN  #616: From Solo to CEO: Letting Go of Legal Work to Grow Your Firm, with Ellen Williamson Apple | Spotify | LTN  #615: How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Stronger Teams, with Debbie Foster and Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN  #523: Financial Red Flags: Are You Hiring Too Soon?, with Bernadette Harris Apple | Spotify | LTN    Have thoughts about today's episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!   If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.   Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.   Chapters / Timestamps  00:00 – Introduction00:17 – The Case for Closing the Firm for a Week01:30 – What Has to Be True Before You Can Unplug02:35 – Planning Ahead So Time Off Actually Works03:25 – Meet Bernadette Harris03:55 – The Real Hiring Problem: Wrong Timing04:20 – Financial Stress vs. Operational Chaos05:25 – How to Know When Your Firm Is Ready06:05 – Why Hiring Decisions Need Data06:40 – Capacity Planning for Law Firm Owners07:40 – Are People in the Right Seats?08:45 – Consistent Work vs. One Busy Month09:55 – The Referral Problem and Predictable Demand11:15 – When the Owner Becomes the Bottleneck12:25 – The Time Study Every Owner Needs13:05 – Stop Hiring for “Help”14:20 – Role Clarity and the Type of Person You Need15:45 – Soft Skills Matter More Than You Think16:40 – Why You May Need the Opposite of Yourself17:45 – Onboarding Is More Than Paperwork18:30 – Creating a 90-Day Training Plan20:25 – Why Expectations Need to Be Clear Up Front22:50 – Showing New Hires What Success Looks Like24:30 – What Really Makes a Firm Ready to Hire24:45 – Closing Thoughts 

Learning how to handle criticism about homeschooling is one of the quietest struggles home educating moms carry. If you’ve ever walked away from a family dinner, a grocery store run, or a casual conversation wondering how to handle criticism about homeschooling without losing your peace — this one is for you. It’s not always loud or dramatic. Sometimes it’s a raised eyebrow. A loaded question at Christmas. A relative who quizzes your kids on times tables with a little too much enthusiasm. And it’s exhausting. I remember standing in the produce section of the grocery store when an older man walked by and said, just like that, “Get your kids into school.” I had never seen him before in my life. Never recognized him. And yet he assumed he knew exactly what my kids needed. And then there was the relative at the barbecue table — someone I genuinely wanted in my corner — who looked around at all of us and said casually, “So you’re not putting the kids into homeschool high school though, right?” Not a direct criticism. But I heard it. I felt it. Maybe you have your own version of those moments. Maybe yours happened at Thanksgiving, or in a parking lot, or in a text from your mother-in-law. The details are different but the feeling is the same — that quiet sting of having a choice you love questioned by someone whose opinion lands. Get your free 7-Day Confident Homeschool Mom Roadmap Your step-by-step guide to homeschooling with clarity and confidence — even when the people around you don’t get it. Get your free 7-Day Confident Homeschool Mom Roadmap As a television actress, Lucille Ball had a lot of practice responding to other people’s opinions, and she learned, ‘not everyone likes me, but not everyone matters‘. Why Homeschool Criticism Feels So Hard to Handle Here’s the belief that makes criticism about homeschooling so draining: we think that if we just find the right words, explain things clearly enough, or present enough evidence, the people who matter to us will eventually come around. But they might not. And building your confidence on that hope is an unstable foundation. One of the most repeated voices that pulls us off course is the collective noise of what others might think. As Lucille Ball once put it, ‘not everyone likes me, but not everyone matters.’ I’d love to believe everyone should naturally understand and support each other’s choices. (You probably know I’m an idealist — you’re reading a site called Capturing the Charmed Life.) But the truth is, not everyone will get it. And learning to make peace with that is one of the most freeing things you can do as a homeschool mom. Knowing how to handle criticism about homeschooling starts with releasing the belief that you can bring everyone along with you. Watch: How to Handle Homeschool Criticism Without Letting Other People’s Opinions Run Your Life I unpacked this whole topic on video — because sometimes it helps to hear it out loud. If you’re in the thick of navigating homeschool criticism right now, press play. https://youtu.be/5387lYcjipA What to Say When Someone Criticizes Your Homeschool Choice You don’t owe anyone a dissertation. When a family member, a stranger in the produce aisle, or a well-meaning friend questions your decision, consider this first: they may simply be curious. They may be afraid for your kids because they love them and don’t yet understand what you’re doing. They may never have encountered an alternative to conventional school. Group think influences generations. A calm, kind, honest response is enough. Try something like: “Here’s what I’ve learned about this choice and what I want you to know.” Answer their questions directly, stay grounded, and then you get to go home. That’s it. You don’t need to win the conversation. And for the family member who insists on quizzing your kids? Kindly redirect their questions to you. Or if your child absolutely nails it — let them have the moment. Then casually mention it at every family dinner for the next four to five years. You’ve earned it. And yes, sometimes the ‘but what about…’ comes from another homeschooler doing things differently. That one can sting in its own particular way. How to Handle Homeschool Criticism With Integrity Instead of Defense Here’s what I really want you to hear. The goal isn’t to get everyone on board. The goal is to live in integrity and alignment — to make choices based on what you genuinely believe is right for your family, not based on what you’re afraid others will think. When you live outward — constantly asking what will they think? instead of what do I actually believe? — you absorb the cost of that. You feel frustrated, defensive, and like you’re not living the intentional life you set out to build. But when you get clear on your own convictions, something shifts. You stop writing the three-point persuasive essay in your head every time someone comments. You stop needing to make them wrong so you can feel right. And you become genuinely more curious about other perspectives because you’re no longer threatened by them. Confidence isn’t reactive and defensive. Confidence is living your life and minding your own business. And that is exactly how to handle criticism about homeschooling in a way that actually protects your peace long term. If you’re ready to go beyond reading and actually work through what’s holding you back, the Build Boundaries in Your Homeschool Journaling Workbook is your next step. It pairs beautifully with everything we’ve covered here — and at under $7, it’s the most affordable way to do the deeper work. Build Boundaries in Your Homeschool (& Life) Journaling Workbook Build Boundaries in Your Homeschool (& Life) Journaling Workbook $9.99 Original price was: $9.99.$6.99Current price is: $6.99. Shop now When Homeschool Criticism Comes From Someone You Love Sometimes the hardest part of handling homeschool criticism is that it comes from someone whose opinion genuinely matters to you — a family member you really wanted in your corner, who just doesn’t get it. That grief is real. I’ve lived it. There was someone I kept hoping would come around, and that door stayed closed. It hurt. Sometimes the person who isn’t on board is even closer than a relative. If your spouse or co-parent has doubts, that’s its own tender conversation — and it deserves its own honest attention. You’re allowed to grieve the connection you hoped for. And at the same time, spending your energy trying to convince someone who isn’t listening is costing you something. Accepting the reality of a relationship as it is isn’t giving up — it’s clarity. Brené Brown, author of Daring Greatly, The Gifts of Imperfection, and Rising Strong, puts it this way: the most boundaried person is the most compassionate person. Before you invest energy trying to be understood by someone, ask yourself honestly — does this person have the capacity to hold a differing opinion without steamrolling yours? How have they already shown up for you? If they’re not really listening, you already have your answer. 7 ways Brené Brown rescued me from one of those homeschool days How Brené Brown Can Teach Homeschoolers to Be Confident How Brené Brown’s Inspiring Thoughts Have Informed My Homeschool Handling Homeschool Criticism Starts With This One Mindset Shift Learning how to handle criticism about homeschooling is ultimately less about what you say to others and more about what you believe about yourself. Henry David Thoreau wrote: if a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears. Friend, you are stepping to your own music. That is not a problem to be fixed. That is the entire point of this homeschool journey. The more you practice living from integrity and alignment, the less you’ll be preoccupied with other people’s opinions. You’ll become clearer in your convictions, more curious about different perspectives, and far less threatened by them. It really is a practice. And I promise you — you will get there. If This Resonated, You Might Also Love Where do I find your book, Homeschool Mama Self-Care: Nurturing the Nurturer? How to Handle Homeschool Overwhelm how to connect with your homeschool kids: meaningful conversations How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) Raising Critical Thinkers: A Parent's Guide to Raising Wise Kids with Julie Bogart When Homeschooling is Hard: Six Perspective-Shifting Approaches How to Recognize Negative Self-Talk as a Homeschool Mom (& What to Do About It) Sibling Bickering in Homeschool Families: What's Normal & How to Handle It Burnout to Balance: How Boundaries Changed My Homeschool Life 14 Ways to Manage Impatience in Your Homeschool Self-Compassion for Homeschool Mamas Course to Nurture You learn not to care what other people think about your homeschool choice how to positively influence my homeschool mama thoughts so I can enjoy my homeschool How to Plan for Your Upcoming Homeschool When You're Not Sure You Want to Continue What are the Benefits of a Homeschool High School? Do you offer one-on-one homeschool (& life) coaching? Responding to homeschool criticism from a place of clarity rather than defense — that’s the shift that changes everything. If you’re done letting other people’s criticism rent space in your head, I made something just for you. The free 7-Day Confident Homeschool Mom Roadmap walks you through practical, encouraging steps to build the mindset and boundaries you need to home educate with clarity and joy — even when the people around you don’t understand your choice. And if you’re well past your first year and beyond frustrated with this storyline in your life, there’s a next step for you too. Book a free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session and we’ll get you out of the spin cycle and back to the most intentional, aligned version of you. Think of it this way: the Roadmap gives you clarity, the Journaling Workbook helps you do the inner work, and the Aligned Homeschool Reset Session is where we work through it together. Wherever you are right now, there’s a next step for you. If you want to take care of your homeschool mama self, start by taking care of your thoughts — because learning how to handle criticism about homeschooling is one of the most peaceful, powerful things you can do for your family. Book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session I help homeschool moms trust themselves, edit expectations, and make intentional choices that create a more confident, connected, and present homeschool life. Book your Reset Session with Teresa Latest episodes You’re Invited to the Homeschool Mom Book Club 2026 July 14, 2026 Post-Partum Overwhelm in Your Homeschool: 12 Ways to Cope July 12, 2026 A 2023 High School Graduate’s Thoughts on her Homeschool Life July 11, 2026 What It’s Like? The Homeschool to High School Transition July 11, 2026 Navigate Homeschool High School (What You Need to Know) July 7, 2026 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development July 3, 2026 Declutter Your Homeschool Mama Mind: Overwhelm to On Purpose July 2, 2026 How to Handle Homeschool Criticism With Confidence June 29, 2026 How to Create a Personalized Homeschool High School That Fits Your Teen June 23, 2026 The Real Cost Of Being The “Good Girl” Who Became The Good Mom June 16, 2026 What Is an Education Anyway? Your Answer Changes Your Homeschool June 8, 2026 5 Reasons Your Homeschool Child Won’t Do Work & How to Motivate Your Child June 2, 2026 Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 The Truth About Finding Your Homeschool Rhythm January 13, 2026 The Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast: Introducing the 1% Pivot January 6, 2026 Purpose-Driven Homeschool Planning for 2026: How to Recalibrate the Year with Clarity December 23, 2025 1% Shift to a Calm Homeschool Life December 23, 2025 12 Things I've Learned About Homeschool Moms: Self-Care Tips for Overwhelmed Homeschool Moms December 10, 2025 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge to Come Back to Yourself December 2, 2025 What is the Reimagine Your Homeschool Group Coaching? November 18, 2025 Not Just a Homeschool Mom — Why You’re Disappearing (And How to Come Back) November 11, 2025 Teaching World War to a Homeschooled Eight Year Old November 10, 2025 Reimagine Your Homeschool: Feel Free, Inspire Curiosity and Do What Works November 5, 2025 the role of imagination in a home education November 4, 2025 Helping Our Kids Live Their Lives on Purpose: A Practical Guide for Homeschool Moms October 28, 2025 Subscribe to the Confident Homeschool Mom podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify Originally published April 22, 2026 | Updated June 29, 2026 Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventureLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

What if the biggest thing holding your business back is you?In this episode of the Female emPOWERed Podcast, Christa Gurka tackles one of the most common growth barriers for Pilates studios, PT practices, and boutique fitness businesses: owner dependence.If every decision, client issue, schedule change, refund request, and team question still lands on your desk, you've become the bottleneck in your own business. Christa shares how owner dependence quietly limits profitability, scalability, freedom, and even the future value of your company.Drawing from her experience building and selling Pilates in the Grove, Christa explains why being "indispensable" isn't a strength—it's a liability—and outlines practical steps to help you build a business that can thrive without your constant involvement.In This Episode, You'll Learn: How to identify the hidden signs of owner dependence  Why being the go-to person for everything hurts business growth  The "Hub and Spoke" model and how it creates bottlenecks  How buyers evaluate businesses that rely heavily on the owner  The mindset shift required to move from operator to CEO  The first areas every owner should delegate  How systems and processes create consistency without sacrificing quality  Real examples of business owners who reclaimed their time and increased profitability Key Takeaways✔️ If everything runs through you, your business can't truly scale.✔️ Owner dependence creates stress, limits freedom, and lowers business value.✔️ Strong systems and empowered team members create sustainable growth.✔️ The most valuable businesses are built to operate without the owner being involved in every decision.Ready to Stop Being the Bottleneck?Learn more about Fit Biz Accelerator:

Want to create a personalized homeschool high school that actually fits your teen? Ditch the one-size-fits-all model and design a meaningful high school experience built around their real interests, strengths, and goals. When my son was little, he was deeply into LEGO, Minecraft, and Roblox. Like many moms, I found myself wondering: Is he going to be an engineer? Of course, loving to build might simply mean enjoying creative play. But as he’s grown, those early interests have taken shape in surprising and evolving ways. Now 16, he’s fully immersed in AP Physics — passionately trying to explain its wonders to me, a mom who, let’s just say, opted out of physics altogether in high school. (In case you’re also not fluent in physics, it’s the study of how the universe works — from motion and matter to forces and energy. According to my teen, it’s the language behind roller coasters, rocket launches, and even coffee machines.) So naturally, we’ve started planning a post-secondary tour of local engineering programs. From LEGO to Fire Halls: How One Teen’s Interests Keep Evolving But then—plot twist—he began volunteering at our local rural fire hall. Thanks to a provincial grant, he's being paid to train and get hands-on with emergency equipment and fire safety. He's found joy in team dynamics, truck maintenance, and yes—gear talk. He recently took a First Responders weekend course, which excludes ER scenarios—but with his dad being an ER physician, their conversations now sound like a medical podcast when they're driving home together. Will he be an engineer, a paramedic, a firefighter, a physicist, or a doctor? The truth is—I don't know. And that's exactly the point. Why a Personalized Homeschool High School Starts With Who They Are Now Having raised and launched three older kids, I've learned that what excites them at 16 may not at 17—or 25. What matters is that they have space to explore who they are now—not who we think they should become later. And that's the heart of a personalized homeschool high school. https://youtu.be/BdmKJSIJFik?si=GbEThW6xFG6cVa9f Why a Personalized Homeschool High School Matters for Your Teen As a homeschool parent approaching the high school years, you might find yourself fielding questions from well-meaning relatives, friends, or strangers: “But what about college?” “How will they get a diploma?” “Aren't you worried about gaps in their education?” These questions come from a conventional lens—and they often miss the deeper, more meaningful reality of a personalized homeschool high school: an education that honours who your teen is, what they care about, and how they learn best. And yet, every time I share our story, I’m met with the same questions Building a Personalized Homeschool High School for Your Unique Teen The traditional high school model often follows a rigid formula: Four years. Prescribed courses. Standardized testing. College prep. But personalized homeschooling invites us to pause and ask more essential questions: Who is this teen in front of me? What are their natural strengths, curiosities, and goals? How do they learn best—and how can we make learning meaningful? This isn't about lowering the bar. It's about raising relevance. It's about designing a path that grows with your teen—not boxing them into a predetermined one-size-fits-all plan. The “Cover Everything” Myth in Homeschool High School A major source of anxiety for homeschool parents is the pressure to “cover everything”—to make sure there are no academic gaps. But here’s the truth: Even traditionally schooled students with perfect grades have gaps. Like you–because you have gaps, right? What matters most is not checking every box—it's cultivating a love of learning, teaching critical thinking, and giving teens the skills to learn what they need when they need it. As one seasoned homeschooler once told me: “Everyone has gaps. The difference is, homeschooled teens often know how to fill them.” Also, as a medical professional I’m married to once told me, “I can resuscitate you, but I don’t know how to build a chicken coop”. Gaps. Everyone’s got them. This is my daughter in the OR with my husband (in Africa)–until she was a high school senior, she wanted to attend medical school. Then she went to ballet school. But that’s for another story. Teen-Led Learning: The Heart of Personalized Homeschooling The high school years are a time of individuation—when teens start carving out an identity that's distinct from yours. That might look like questioning long-held family decisions, including homeschooling itself. Which is normal. Developmentally appropriate growth. (Although, also undeniably surprising at times, and definitely annoying at times too, just sayin’) Some teens might stick with homeschooling through high school. Others may want to try a co-op, community college class, or hybrid learning experience. Some may choose to return home again after testing new waters. And some might even pursue public or private school. A personalized homeschool high school allows flexibility. It meets your teen where they are. What If Your Homeschool High Schooler Changes Their Mind? Remember my 16-year-old and his physics + fire hall + medical training journey? He’s exploring, he’s sampling, and he’s curious. And guess what? That's exactly what these years are for. (Truly, I believe all of life can be, but I digress). Just because your teen is passionate about something now doesn't mean they'll stick with it forever. And just because we adults once chose a path at 17 doesn't mean we're still on it today. (Raise your hand if you've changed careers, callings, or creative pursuits since graduating high school.) We need to stop asking teens, “What will you do for the rest of your life?” Instead, we can ask, “What interests you right now—and how can I support you in exploring it?” Interest-Based Learning in Your Personalized Homeschool High School We often approach high school with tunnel vision focused on college preparation. Yet statistics show that 70-80% of college freshmen change their majors during their first year. Most adults aren’t working in the field they planned to enter at 18. This suggests we might better serve our teens by helping them: Discover their authentic interests and strengths Develop transferable skills like critical thinking and independent learning Gain real-world experience through internships, volunteering, or entrepreneurship Build a portfolio showcasing their capabilities and achievements Explore potential paths without premature commitment Personalized Homeschool High School Paths Beyond the 4-Year Degree Wondering how to personalize your teen's homeschool path in real-time? Here are some simple ways to begin: Interest Inventory: Ask your teen what they're curious about. What do they love doing in their free time? What subjects spark joy? Flexible Learning Plans: Tailor academics to include subjects or electives that support those interests—think architecture for a builder, creative writing for a storyteller, anatomy for a budding EMT. Real-World Experience: Look into internships, volunteer work, shadowing professionals, or community-based opportunities. Teen Involvement: Let them co-create their schedule, choose electives, and reflect on their goals. Portfolio Documentation: Keep records of their personalized learning projects, papers, courses, experiences, and reflections. Want to Feel More Confident While Supporting Your Teen's Growth? Transitioning into homeschooling high school can stir up doubts and fears—Can I really do this? What if I mess it up? That's why I created the Mindsets for Homeschool Moms Transitioning into High School workbook—a journaling and reflection tool to help you shift your mindset, clarify your role, and feel more grounded as you walk with your teen into these transformative years.

If you’ve spent your life being the good girl — the one who kept the peace, said yes when you meant no, and made sure everyone around you was okay — this episode is for you. Cycle-breaking for homeschool moms is less about a dramatic declaration and more about the quiet, courageous work of dissolving the patterns that were never yours to carry in the first place. And today’s conversation goes right to the heart of that. We go deep on how approval-seeking and over-responsibility quietly shape the entire atmosphere of your homeschool home — and why so many moms don’t see it until they’re completely depleted. In this conversation, I sit down with Diane Sorensen, Boundaries and Empowerment Coach and host of the Chaos to Connection podcast, to talk about what it really costs to be the “good girl” who became the “good mom” — and what it looks like to finally find your way back to yourself. Cycle-Breaking for Homeschool Moms: Why We Dissolve Patterns, Not Break Them Cycle-breaking for homeschool moms doesn’t happen overnight — and it doesn’t happen by sheer willpower. It happens one honest moment, one new skill, one held boundary at a time. The wake-up call that changed Diane’s life and work The difference between breaking cycles and dissolving patterns Why transformation is a slow accumulation of new skills, not a dramatic declaration From Homeschool Mom Burnout to Self-Trust: The Real Work of Cycle-Breaking Boundaries as a self-trust practice — not a rule you enforce on others Why the most compassionate women are also the most boundaried Emotions as the missing link — and what it means to finally come home to yourself “You are the common denominator” — and why that’s liberating, not shaming Prefer to watch? This conversation is also on YouTube — sometimes seeing the faces behind the words makes all the difference. https://youtu.be/2BpX39Bz9ro?si=QgdG8D_iHKP9VrT0 Connect with Diane Sorensen Email: dsorensen@dianesorensen.net Podcast: Chaos to Connection Website: www.dianesorensen.net Want to go deeper on people-pleasing as a homeschool mom? Start here. Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope You're Not Failing—You're Just Carrying Too Much | Overcome Homeschool Burnout How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn't Know I Was Living) Life Coaching for Homeschool Moms: Feel Like Yourself Again You're Not Failing. You're Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here's How to Get Out 1% Shift to a Calm Homeschool Life The People-Pleasing Trap Every Homeschool Mom Falls Into How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom's Story) The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Make Everything Harder This work doesn’t have to happen alone. The Aligned Homeschool Reset Session is a free 30-minute call where we look at what’s really underneath the overwhelm — and what it might look like to start trusting yourself again. → Book Your Free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session Book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session I help homeschool moms release pressure, edit expectations, and make small, intentional shifts that lead to a more confident and connected homeschool life. Book a Free Aligned Homeschool Reset Latest episodes You’re Invited to the Homeschool Mom Book Club 2026 July 14, 2026 Post-Partum Overwhelm in Your Homeschool: 12 Ways to Cope July 12, 2026 A 2023 High School Graduate’s Thoughts on her Homeschool Life July 11, 2026 What It’s Like? The Homeschool to High School Transition July 11, 2026 Navigate Homeschool High School (What You Need to Know) July 7, 2026 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development July 3, 2026 Declutter Your Homeschool Mama Mind: Overwhelm to On Purpose July 2, 2026 How to Handle Homeschool Criticism With Confidence June 29, 2026 How to Create a Personalized Homeschool High School That Fits Your Teen June 23, 2026 The Real Cost Of Being The “Good Girl” Who Became The Good Mom June 16, 2026 What Is an Education Anyway? Your Answer Changes Your Homeschool June 8, 2026 5 Reasons Your Homeschool Child Won’t Do Work & How to Motivate Your Child June 2, 2026 Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 The Truth About Finding Your Homeschool Rhythm January 13, 2026 The Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast: Introducing the 1% Pivot January 6, 2026 Purpose-Driven Homeschool Planning for 2026: How to Recalibrate the Year with Clarity December 23, 2025 1% Shift to a Calm Homeschool Life December 23, 2025 12 Things I've Learned About Homeschool Moms: Self-Care Tips for Overwhelmed Homeschool Moms December 10, 2025 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge to Come Back to Yourself December 2, 2025 What is the Reimagine Your Homeschool Group Coaching? November 18, 2025 Not Just a Homeschool Mom — Why You’re Disappearing (And How to Come Back) November 11, 2025 Teaching World War to a Homeschooled Eight Year Old November 10, 2025 Reimagine Your Homeschool: Feel Free, Inspire Curiosity and Do What Works November 5, 2025 the role of imagination in a home education November 4, 2025 Helping Our Kids Live Their Lives on Purpose: A Practical Guide for Homeschool Moms October 28, 2025 Subscribe to the Confident Homeschool Mom podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventureLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

Hiring offshore staff can transform a law firm, but only if it's done intentionally.   In this episode, Zack Glaser sits down with Raquel Gomes, co-founder and CEO of Stafi, to discuss the most common mistakes law firms make when hiring remote offshore team members. Drawing on her background in psychology and experience supporting hundreds of law firms, Raquel explains why the term "virtual assistant" may be holding firms back and how successful firms build engaged, high-performing remote teams.  Zack and Raquel explore the importance of defining roles before hiring, creating effective vetting processes, building structured onboarding systems, integrating remote staff into firm culture, and continuing to invest in team members after they are hired. They also discuss how law firm owners can move from working in the business to leading the business by building teams they trust.  Listen to our previous episodes on hiring, delegation, leadership, and building stronger law firm teams:  #616: From Solo to CEO: Letting Go of Legal Work to Grow Your Firm, with Ellen Williamson Apple | Spotify | LTN  #615: How to Stop Being the Bottleneck and Build Stronger Teams, with Debbie Foster and Stephanie Everett Apple | Spotify | LTN  #523: Financial Red Flags: Are You Hiring Too Soon?, with Bernadette Harris Apple | Spotify | LTN    Links from the episode:   https://getstafi.com    Have thoughts about today's episode? Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and X!   If today's podcast resonates with you and you haven't read The Small Firm Roadmap Revisited yet, get the first chapter right now for free! Looking for help beyond the book? See if our coaching community is right for you.   Access more resources from Lawyerist at lawyerist.com.     Chapters / Timestamps:  00:00 Introduction  01:26 Why "VA" Is the Wrong Mindset  04:21 Mistake #1: Hiring Reactively Instead of Strategically  06:02 Mistake #2: Weak Vetting and Screening  09:29 How Stafi Evaluates Candidates  11:41 Mistake #3: Poor Onboarding Processes  13:19 Creating SOPs Through Training  15:20 Mistake #4: Failing to Integrate Remote Staff  18:51 Investing in Team Culture and Communication  20:39 Mistake #5: Giving Up Too Soon  22:58 What Makes Stafi Different  24:45 Immigration Case Outsourcing Explained  26:34 The Benefits of Getting Offshore Hiring Right  27:28 Where to Learn More About Stafi 

What Is an Education Anyway — And Who Gets to Decide? Forget every notion you have been told about what an education is. I want to ask you something I ask every single woman I work with in coaching. What do you believe an education is? And the second question — the one that tends to stop people cold: What did you believe an education was before you started homeschooling? Most of us never actually chose our definition of education. We absorbed it. From school, from our parents, from the culture around us. And then we built an entire homeschool on top of it. And then we wondered why it felt so heavy. And if you’re just starting out and wondering where to begin — I made something for exactly that. The 7-Day Confident Homeschool Roadmap is a free guide that walks you through your first year with clarity rather than overwhelm. Grab it below. Get your free 7-Day Confident Homeschool Mom Roadmap What Is an Education Anyway? The Definition Most of Us Inherited If you grew up in a conventional school system, your working definition probably sounds something like this: Education is the successful delivery of academic content across subjects. Demonstrated through coverage, completion, and measurable progress. Coverage. Completion. No gaps. Not falling behind. Making sure it’s enough. Sound familiar? That definition is exhausting. And it’s not even working in schools. Teachers leave many pages of their curriculum undone at the end of every year. There are interruptions. Substitute teachers. Sick days. Stops and starts. There is no perfectly covered, hundred-percent-completed, no-gaps education happening in a classroom either. And the very academic kids who were force-fed information and tested weekly? How much of that actually stuck? How much of it translated into a purposeful, meaningful life? It is not possible to create a perfectly covered education. Not in a school. Not in your homeschool. The sooner you stop measuring yourself against that standard, the sooner you can build something that actually works. If this is landing for you and you want to hear me unpack it further — I’m also diving into this on my YouTube channel. Same episode, same conversation. Watch it here → https://youtu.be/1T8pINVSeXc Do You Need a Teaching Degree to Define Your Child’s Education? And if you question whether you have the intelligence to answer that question — don’t be in self-doubt. Of course you do. This is your child. Does it seem daunting? It likely does. But it doesn’t have to. I’ve stopped counting the number of times I’ve been asked if I’m a certified teacher. Nope. I’m not. Does being a certified teacher enable me to educate my children better at home? Nope. It doesn’t. In fact, statistically, being a certified teacher has no bearing on a child’s home education. Teachers have classroom management skills. They know standardized learning materials. They have years of experience that homeschooling parents might not have in the beginning — and I am not denying those skills for a moment. But it doesn’t mean I’m not more motivated to learn how to engage my children’s education than someone else. When I asked a kindergarten teacher about Grade 2 math, she didn’t know what to say. When I asked a high school English teacher how to approach a history discussion with an elementary-aged child, she was stumped too. Turns out, teachers don’t have the full breadth of knowledge either. And I’m certainly not claiming to either. Why do we think we need to? Google doesn’t have it all. Neither does YouTube. But both are pretty helpful. And when they aren’t, there are always books. Lots and lots and LOTS of books. You just need to know where to find the information. A little research and it’s findable.  So Where Do You Find What You Need? When I was in junior high, we bought our first computer: a Tandy EX 1000. The only computer training we had was a Logo program that did next to nothing for me. I attempted to wield x’s and o’s. I’m pretty sure they meant something, but I didn’t understand. Some thirty years later, anyone who wants to know how to use a computer knows. Anyone who wants to know how to Google, YouTube, Facebook, Tweet — they figured it out. Why? Because they found out, by themselves. Tada. The human mind is capable of figuring things out because it wants to. P.S. You might wonder how I went about structuring a thirteen-year-old’s academic education. Self-Education: The Heart of What an Education Really Is Why do we assume kids need everything taught to them? We assume something needs to be done to them. Before anyone sat them down and formally taught them anything, they had already learned animals, language, and how to navigate relationships. In their first year. Their second. Their fifth — long before they ever walked through a kindergarten door. Kids want to learn. It’s simply what they do. When we ask the question — what is an education anyway? — we’ve just begun to really consider who our children are and what they need. And that is exactly what Charlotte Mason was pointing to. What Is an Education Anyway? Here’s What Charlotte Mason Said. “Self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer laid on the surface of a child’s nature.” — Charlotte Mason I have returned to this quote more times than I can count. Because it points to something we already know intuitively. We keep forgetting it when we sit down at the kitchen table and default to the curriculum, the workbooks, the boxes of books, the online programs everyone else is using. Your job is not to pour information into a vessel. Your job is to raise up the child right in front of you. So what does that actually look like in a real homeschool? Here’s one mom’s answer. What Does Real Home Education Actually Look Like? A mom I worked with had been homeschooling for six years, three kids, and had done a lot of the external work — curriculum, systems, showing up every day. And then she went deeper and found her own answer to the question of what an education really is: “Education is a process of exposure to knowledge while learning involves personal processing and growth. Character traits like discernment, self-confidence, and self-management are important outcomes that continue developing long beyond formal education years.” She also said something that stopped me: “Even if no one was watching or assessing my approach, I would maintain similar objectives and methods.” She has found her own answer — not borrowed from the school system, not borrowed from a curriculum company. Entirely hers. And that is what I want for you. For me, the answer starts in the same place it always has — in wanting to engage my child, teach them when necessary, and capture their little hearts. I am most definitely motivated to do that. And so are you. That’s why you’re here. Want to keep going? This conversation continues on my Rethinking Education YouTube channel. Find it here → https://youtu.be/lkFJglpaoqs What is an education anyway? What Is an Education Anyway? Questions to Sit With This Week As you move through your week, gently ask yourself: What definition of education am I actually operating from right now? Did I choose it — or did I absorb it? Where might I be able to trust what is already working in my child? If no one was watching or assessing my homeschool, would I do anything differently? You don’t need to answer all of it today. Just noticing is already meaningful work. Want to Go Deeper? If this post resonated, the podcast episode What Is an Education Anyway? goes much further — including the five shifts I see happen when a homeschool mom finally loosens the grip of a definition that was never really hers, and what it looks like when peace replaces pressure in a real homeschool home. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. When you’re ready to take the next step, here are three ways I can help: If you’re in your first year — start with the free 7-Day Confident Homeschool Roadmap. It will give you a clear, grounded foundation so you begin with confidence rather than overwhelm. If you’ve been homeschooling for a while and something feels off — take the quiz to identify the real root of your frustration. It’s free and takes five minutes. And if you’re ready for a real reset — book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset session. This is where we get clear on what’s actually going on in your homeschool and your life — and you walk away with a whole lot more peace than you arrived with. Teresa Wiedrick is a certified life coach and graduated homeschool mom who supports homeschool moms in building a life — not just a lesson plan. Her work focuses inward, because most homeschool overwhelm has nothing to do with curriculum. Book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session I help homeschool moms trust themselves, edit expectations, and make intentional choices that create a more confident, connected, and present homeschool life. Book your Reset Session with Teresa People also ask… Self-Directed Learning: the Art of Encouraging Independent Homeschooling Building Connection with Tamara Strijack of the Neufeld Institute Is there an art and a science to an education? Why Seasoned Homeschool Moms Still Struggle (And How to Break Free) How do I unschool my child: 5 ways to move toward it in your homeschool Can you homeschool without a homeschool room? “Should I Homeschool My Child?” Here's What You Need to Know Why You're Losing Confidence as a Homeschool Mom (and How to Get It Back) How I transitioned from homeschool to public high school 5 suggestions about buying a new curriculum How to Start Homeschooling Confidently in Year 1 What's the connection between self-directed learning & free play? Latest episodes What Is an Education Anyway? Your Answer Changes Your Homeschool June 8, 2026 5 Reasons Your Homeschool Child Won’t Do Work & How to Motivate Your Child June 2, 2026 Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 The Truth About Finding Your Homeschool Rhythm January 13, 2026 The Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast: Introducing the 1% Pivot January 6, 2026 Purpose-Driven Homeschool Planning for 2026: How to Recalibrate the Year with Clarity December 23, 2025 1% Shift to a Calm Homeschool Life December 23, 2025 12 Things I've Learned About Homeschool Moms: Self-Care Tips for Overwhelmed Homeschool Moms December 10, 2025 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge to Come Back to Yourself December 2, 2025 What is the Reimagine Your Homeschool Group Coaching? November 18, 2025 Not Just a Homeschool Mom — Why You’re Disappearing (And How to Come Back) November 11, 2025 Teaching World War to a Homeschooled Eight Year Old November 10, 2025 Reimagine Your Homeschool: Feel Free, Inspire Curiosity and Do What Works November 5, 2025 the role of imagination in a home education November 4, 2025 Helping Our Kids Live Their Lives on Purpose: A Practical Guide for Homeschool Moms October 28, 2025 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development October 20, 2025 How to Build Homeschool Routines that Support YOU October 14, 2025 Why Deschooling? To Feel Confident, Certain & Good Enough October 7, 2025 The Ultimate Guide to Building Boundaries and Healthy Relationships for Homeschool Moms September 23, 2025 Ultimate Homeschool Overwhelm Quiz That Reveals Your Hidden Stress Triggers in 5 Minutes September 15, 2025 Start Homeschooling in British Columbia: How to Decide September 9, 2025 How to Create an Effective Homeschool Routine that Works for You September 2, 2025 Interest-Led Homeschool for Confident Moms: An Enneagram 8 Mom's Story of Growth August 28, 2025 How Do I Unschool My Child? 5 Simple Steps to Set Them Free August 19, 2025 Top Tips for New Homeschool Moms in Season 3 August 11, 2025 Subscribe to the Confident Homeschool Mom podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventureLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

What if the reason your AI isn't performing has nothing to do with the AI and everything to do with you?You spent hours building AI agents, automations, and workflows. You followed the tutorials. You got excited about the possibilities. And then the results felt... underwhelming.In this Thursday Founder's Rant, Dawn shares a very real moment when her own AI Chief of Staff failed to deliver the magic she expected and the surprising reason why. The lesson isn't about prompts, tools, or technology. It's about something most founders completely overlook after the setup phase.If you've ever felt disappointed by AI output, this episode may save you from chasing the wrong solution.Want a place to test ideas, ask questions, compare notes, and learn alongside other founders who are actively building with AI?Join the AI for Founders Community on LinkedIn.You'll find business owners experimenting, learning, occasionally breaking things, and discovering what actually works without pretending to have all the answers.Because none of us are figuring this out alone.Key TakeawaysYour AI Can Only Work With the Version of You It KnowsBuilding the AI Is the Easy PartYour Knowledge Base Is the Real AssetThe Same Leadership Rules Apply to Humans and AIYour team can only execute the version of the vision you've communicated.Resources & LinksAI for Founders Community (LinkedIn)Related EpisodesEpisode 166: Stop Blaming AI for the Output You're GettingEpisode 128: How Female Founders Use AI to Stop Being the BottleneckEpisode 146: The Delegation Mistake That's Keeping You Stuck Working 60 Hours a WeekEpisode 165: The System Your Business Needs to Stop the Bottleneck Before You Add Any Other SystemSend us Fan MailWant to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Would you like access to our advanced agency training for FREE? https://www.agencymastery360.com/training Are you treating your podcast as one more thing on an already impossible schedule? Are you running a sales process that creates friction at every step when the alternative has been sitting right in front of you? Today's featured guest has been podcasting for over 11 years and nearly 1,800 episodes. In this conversation, he'll make the case that a podcast, run correctly, removes the sales cycle almost entirely. He also has a lot to say about what it took to step back from working 100-hour weeks in an entertainment agency and into a business that earns a healthy six-figure income on 15 hours a week. Doug Sandler is the founder of Turnkey Podcast Productions, a podcast production agency, and the host of The Nice Guys on Business, a show he has been running for over 11 years and nearly 1,800 episodes with more than 6 million downloads. Before podcasting, Doug spent 30 years as a Bar Mitzvah MC and entertainment agency owner, running an operation that handled between 700 and 900 events per year. He also wrote the book Nice Guys Finish First, which became the original vehicle for the podcast. Nowadays, he works roughly 15 hours a week and spends the rest of his time restoring classic cars and trucks. In this episode, we'll discuss: A podcast as a hub of the business The decision to stop being the founder who works 80-hour weeks Removing the friction from the sale Subscribe Apple | Spotify | iHeart Radio Sponsors and Resources E2M Solutions: Today's episode of the Smart Agency Masterclass is sponsored by E2M Solutions, a web design and development agency that has provided white-label services for the past 10 years to agencies all over the world. Check out e2msolutions.com/smartagency and get 10% off for the first three months of service. The Podcast as a Sales Tool, Not a Content Schedule Agency owners who consider starting a podcast tend to frame it as a content commitment: another thing to produce, another distribution channel to manage, another task to fall behind on. Doug's framing is different. He calls the podcast the hub of the business, not a spoke. Marketing, lead generation, business development, sales, and relationship building are all running through the same conversation. Instead of adding to those functions, the podcast replaces most of the friction those functions create. The mechanics of how he uses it to sell without selling are worth understanding in detail. Doug does not cold pitch podcast production services. He reaches out to a prospect, says he hosts a show and likes their message, and asks if they would come on. The answer is nearly always yes. The interview becomes a 30 to 45 minute relationship-building session. By the end of it, he knows whether they are a fit, they know who he is and what he does, and the question "have you ever considered podcasting as a marketing tool?" lands entirely differently than it would in a cold email. The wall that normally exists between a prospect and a vendor does not go up because the conversation never started as a sales call. What 15 Hours a Week Actually Requires Doug works 15 hours a week and earns a healthy six-figure income. That sentence tends to provoke two reactions: skepticism and envy. The skepticism usually comes from founders who have not yet identified what their zone of genius actually is, or who have identified it but have not yet hired out everything around it. Doug is direct about what made the shift possible: he stopped doing anything that did not require his specific capability and hired for everything else, including before he could comfortably afford it. The operations manager hire at Turnkey came when it was just Doug and one other person. They were paying her $40,000 a year before either founder was drawing a paycheck. That decision was possible because Doug had kept his entertainment agency running in parallel and was not dependent on the production company income yet. The broader principle holds regardless of the specific situation: the sooner a founder identifies what they should stop doing and puts someone qualified in that seat, the faster the business grows and the less the founder has to be inside it to make that happen. The Decision to Stop Being the Founder Who Misses the Kids' Doug spent 30 years working weekends as an entertainment agency owner. His children grew up with a father who was almost always working during the exact hours when they were doing the things that mattered. This was a wake-up call. The shift he made when he launched Turnkey was not about working less for its own sake. It was about not repeating the same trade-off. Revenue is not the thing you look back on. Some founders who tell themselves they are working hard now so they can be present later. We know how that story usually ends. The agency gets bigger, the demands grow with it, and the window closes before anyone decides to actually make the change. The structural path out of that loop is a hiring decision, a zone-of-genius identification, and a willingness to pay for someone to take the work you should not be doing before you feel financially ready to do it. Live on Air: What Real Sales Confidence Looks Like Mid-interview, Doug openly asked about the possibility to explore what a partnership with his podcast production company could look like. He narrates the logic as he does it: not asking means leaving a potential opportunity on the table simply because it feels awkward. Asking directly, transparently, and without pressure is not pitching. It is just an honest question between two people who have been talking for 30 minutes and have clearly established that they like and respect each other. The lesson Doug draws from it is about what podcasting actually trains you to do. Every interview is a pre-qualified sales conversation with someone who already said yes to spending time with you. By the time the recording ends, the trust is built and the friction is gone. Asking whether there is an opportunity is the natural last step, not a hard close. That is a fundamentally different sales experience than any cold outreach can create, and it compounds across every episode, every guest, and every listener who has been tuning in long enough to already want to work with you before they ever reach out. Do You Want to Transform Your Agency from a Liability to an Asset? Looking to dig deeper into your agency's potential? Check out our Agency Blueprint. Designed for agency owners like you, our Agency Blueprint helps you uncover growth opportunities, tackle obstacles, and craft a customized blueprint for your agency's success.

When your homeschool child won't do work, it's rarely just about laziness—it often signals a deeper need for curiosity, connection, and meaningful engagement. If you're a homeschool mom, you've probably said or thought something like: “My kids don't really care about their lessons. They just want to get through it so they can get on their screens.”“I think my daughter only enjoys going to coop because of her friends, not any actual learning.”“He races through his work without engaging—he's just checking boxes.”“There's outright resistance now. I don't know if it's the work or if it's me or if he’s just rebellious.” These situations are very common, not unusual. And the question behind them is universal: how do you help your child become an independent learner who is genuinely curious and engaged—not someone who treats learning like a chore to avoid? If this resonates with you, a great first step is my free Deschool Your Homeschool Checklist, which helps you step back from school-y thinking, reconnect with how your child naturally learns, and create space for curiosity, calm, and connection. Grab your free Deschool Checklist and Help Your Kids Love Learning 5 Reasons Why Your Homeschool Child Won't Do Work Reason 1: When Your Homeschool Child Won’t Do Work — Learning Feels Like a Chore Many children resist because they've learned to associate “learning” with compliance or tedium. They may rush through assignments just to get them done or outright refuse work that doesn't interest them. To be fair, we adults do that too. When someone says, “Hey, you know what would make tax season easier and more satisfying? Take a course on filing your taxes.” Interesting, you think, and clever, that’s exactly what I should do! (No, you don’t think that. You think, naw, thanks, I’ll do what I have to do until next tax season.) Can I hear an amen? ps don’t respond if you actually enjoy doing taxes, ha–it won’t serve my point;) Well, ditto for your kids. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck explains that a fixed mindset develops when children feel their worth is tied to “doing it right.” In these cases, resistance is not a character flaw—it's a protective response. What you can do: Follow your child's curiosity whenever possible. Show them that learning happens everywhere: in the kitchen, in nature, in everyday problem-solving. Reason 2: When Your Homeschool Child Won't Do Work—Check Your Own Motivation First Kids are highly sensitive to the adults around them. If you're scattered, anxious, or uninspired, they pick up on it. Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, notes that parents who raise resilient, motivated children model passion and perseverance in their own lives. And isn’t that what we all want? This homeschool lifestyle isn’t just equipping our kids to do live a purposeful life, it’s offering us that opportunity too! (And I encourage you to take it!) What you can do: Reconnect with your own curiosity and goals. Are you motivated? What gets you up in the morning? Model learning and persistence in ways your child can observe. Show them you're engaged by joining a book club, starting your own business, or simply signing up for a class at the local community college. Show them that you're learning math concept right alongside them (or whatever other topic you find challenging, I chose math because I had to learn it before I taught it

How do you scale a credit repair business to $10 million? Bruce Politano just made Credit Repair Cloud history as the first ever $10 Million Award winner, and he's breaking down exactly how he did it. Bruce is the founder of Credit Repair Junkies, made the Inc. 5000 two years in a row, and runs the largest credit repair outsourcing operation in the industry. In this episode, he gives the real version of his road to $10 million, the lessons that nearly broke his first business, and why he sold a 7,000-client company only to start over from scratch. He gets tactical too, sharing the exact pitch he uses to land lender partnerships, the Facebook tagging strategy that generates leads daily, the 5x5x5x5 follow-up method, and the five questions every credit repair CEO must answer to scale on purpose. Whether you're stuck at $5K a month or grinding toward your first million, this is the kind of advice you only get from someone who's actually done it. Tune in!  P.S. Join the #1 event to grow your credit repair business: http://creditrepairexpo.com/   Key Takeaways: 00:00 Intro  02:46 The Real Road to $10M. No Highlight Reel  06:00 7,000 Clients From One Strategy and Zero Ad Spend  07:20 Why He Sold It All and Started Over  09:10 Impact Over Income. Why the Money Stops Being Enough  13:00 Stop Being the Face. Build a Business That Runs Without You  18:44 The Biggest Mistake New Owners Make With Ads  20:56 Why Free Clients Is a Bad Idea and What to Do Instead  23:08 How to Land Your First Lender Partner  25:08 Stop Marketing to Everyone. Aim for the Bullseye  30:40 Zero to $100K Is Stepping on Legos  35:10 When to Hire Your First Employee  37:06 Stop Obsessing Over Leads Before You Have a Foundation  40:48 How to Get Clients for Free Using Facebook  47:10 How He Took 6 Months Off Without Touching the Business  01:02:28 The One Automation That Saves the Most Time 01:04:42 Customer Service Beats Results Every Time  01:07:36 The Best Time to Ask for a Referral  01:09:26 Rapid Fire Questions  01:10:06 What's Next for Bruce and How to Reach Him Additional Resources: Credit Repair Junkies Get a free trial to Credit Repair Cloud Get my free credit repair training   5 Possible Reasons and How to Fix Them Make sure to subscribe so you stay up to date with our latest episodes.

Let's be real—transitioning into homeschool high school feels big. It doesn't matter how many years you've been at this. That shift from middle school to high school brings with it a swirl of emotions: uncertainty, excitement, fear of missing something, and sometimes—let's be honest—a bit of guilt. Pin those thoughts in your mind for a moment as I share with you a conversation we recently had in the Confident Homeschool Mom Collective. It was a rich, heartfelt conversation about this very season. And the stories shared were so resonant, I knew I had to write to them. One homeschool mama said: “Oof, high school… well, Viv is starting 7th grade and I feel like we're already behind.

What This Decision Is Really About If you’ve decided to homeschool in British Columbia, you’ve already made the hard decision. But there’s a second decision waiting right behind it — and it stops a lot of families cold. Registered homeschooling vs online learning in BC — which is right for your family? After two decades of homeschooling in BC and six years of coaching families through this exact moment, here’s what I know: this decision isn’t actually about finding the right school or the right system. It’s about who you are as a family. It’s about the values you’re being called toward in this season of your life, the child standing right in front of you, and how much ownership you’re ready to take over the education you’ve already decided to give them. The government language matters — and I’ll give it to you plainly. The practical differences between the two paths matter — and I’ll walk you through them clearly. But neither one will tell you what you actually need to know. Only you can determine that. And the good news is, you already know more than you think you do. This post will help you hear it. If you’re still deciding whether to homeschool at all, start here first: Start Homeschooling in British Columbia: How to Decide What the BC Government Says About Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning in BC In British Columbia, the government draws a firm line between these two options — and it matters that you understand it. If you enroll in online learning, you are not considered a homeschooler by the BC government. You are an online learner. Your child’s education is authorized by the Ministry of Education, delivered through an online school, and overseen by an assigned teacher or learning consultant. You follow BC curriculum as defined by the online school, work toward learning outcomes, and may have report cards, check-ins, and grade-level expectations depending on which school you choose. If you register as a homeschooler under Section 12/13 of the BC School Act, you are fully responsible for your child’s education. No required curriculum. No mandatory testing. And no Dogwood diploma is received upon high school completion. You register by September 30th — or any time you pull your child from school — with a public or independent school of your choice. And that’s essentially it. The government steps back entirely. One path keeps the government close. The other lets you close the door. (Having said that, there may be reasons you choose to travel one path versus another. I address those reasons in the upcoming BC Homeschool Clarity Session.) Get your free 1st Year Confident Homeschool Roadmap What Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning in BC Actually Looks Like Day to Day Here’s where the registered homeschooling vs online learning in BC decision gets practical. Online learning gives you structure, a built-in support person, and in some cases funding. If you’re someone who wants a framework to lean on — especially in year one — that might be genuinely useful. The variation between online schools is significant, though. Some are flexible and relationship-based. Others feel much closer to a traditional school environment. Research the specific school, not just the category. Registered homeschooling gives you a lot of freedom. You choose the curriculum or resources, the pace, the philosophy, and the schedule. Nobody is checking in. Nobody is assigning grades. You are the architect. That’s exhilarating for some families and terrifying for others, and both responses are completely reasonable. What I’ve noticed across two decades is this: most families start more structured than they’ll eventually be. The families who begin with online learning often find, a few years in, that the structure sometimes becomes constraining rather than supportive. (But not always). And the families who begin with registered homeschooling often spend year one to four recreating school at home before they relax into something that actually fits. Both are normal. Both are part of the process. Neither choice need be permanent. My Registered Homeschooling Story in BC — The White Couch Moment When I started homeschooling, I had a vision. Three little girls in white dresses, slamming screen doors, running in from the garden, reading Anne of Green Gables on a white Ikea couch while we sipped afternoon tea. You know — utopia. The white couch lasted about a season. (A white couch in any family home is always an unwise choice.) But let me back up, because the vision didn’t start with a couch. It started with a book. We were living in Alberta at the time. My two oldest girls were in private school. I had no particular complaints — I genuinely loved my daughter’s kindergarten teacher — but something was quietly unsettled in me. I picked up a book called The Homeschool Option: How Do I Know If It’s Right for Me? and something shifted. Within the week, we decided to homeschool our family. She was naming things I didn’t know I was already thinking. What I was really looking for was freedom from other people’s goals and expectations for my family. A customized education for each of my kids — one that would let them walk in their own path, aligned with who they actually were. Not a standardized path. Not someone else’s vision of what their lives should look like. Ours. At almost exactly the same time, my husband was wrestling with his own version of that same question — about his life, his work, his sense of ownership and intention. Both of us, in the same week, arriving at the same place from different directions. That convergence felt like something worth listening to. So before we even moved to the interior of BC, I had already decided. I registered our oldest two — the ones who were school age at the time — as homeschoolers. We landed in BC already committed to the registered path, already clear that we weren’t interested in someone else’s curriculum or someone else’s timeline or someone else’s definition of what an educated child looked like. That clarity served us. But it didn’t protect us from the learning curve. My family shifted from structured homeschooling to unschooling to eclectic homeschooling over our first few years. I registered as a homeschooler and never looked back — but what that looked like changed constantly. Two of my daughters eventually entered public high school for grade 10, with no testing required and no difficulty adjusting. Another graduated without a Dogwood and went straight into college. The decision I made at the beginning — registered homeschooling, full stop — stayed constant. But everything inside that decision evolved as my kids grew and as I grew. That’s what I want you to hear: the path you choose today is not your forever answer. It’s your next right step. And if you choose it purposefully — because it fits who your family actually is, not because you stumbled into it or someone scared you into it — you’ll have something solid to stand on when it gets hard. And it will get hard. That’s not a warning. That’s just the truth of any meaningful thing. “The path you choose today is not your forever answer. It’s your next right step.” The Path You Choose Today Is Not Your Forever Answer If anything in that story resonates — the quiet unsettledness, the search for something that fits your family rather than someone else’s template, the desire to lead your own life on your own terms — you’re already thinking the right thoughts. You just might need a conversation to help you hear them clearly. That’s exactly what the BC Homeschool Clarity Session is for. A small group, a Friday afternoon, and a mom-to-mom conversation with someone who gets it. Choosing Between Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning in BC — Who Are You as a Family? This is the framework I use with every family I coach through this decision — and it matters more than any comparison chart. Are you moving toward something, or away from something? Both are valid starting points. But knowing which one you are helps you stay grounded when it gets hard. Families who are running toward freedom, connection, and a different pace of life tend to settle into homeschooling more naturally. Families who are primarily running away from a bad school situation sometimes find that the relief wears off and the uncertainty rushes in. Neither is fatal — but it’s worth knowing. How comfortable are you being the primary architect of your child’s education? Not forever — just right now. If the answer is “not very,” online learning gives you a scaffold to lean on while you build confidence. If the answer is “I’d love that,” registered homeschooling gives you the room to do it. Does your child need a transcript, credits, or a Dogwood? If your child is heading into high school with university or trades in mind, this plays into this discussion too. Online learning makes that path more straightforward. Registered homeschoolers can absolutely pursue post-secondary — my own kids did — but it requires more intentional planning. A note here: if your child is nowhere near high school, take this particular concern off your plate entirely. You have plenty of time to get to know your kid, plenty of time to help them find their direction, and plenty of time to figure out the transcript question when it’s actually relevant. Don’t let a high school concern drive a decision you’re making for a seven-year-old or even your eleven-year-old. What is the emotional atmosphere in your home? This is the question most families have never been asked. Not “is your home perfect” — none of ours are — but are you willing to look at it honestly and tend to it? Homeschooling magnifies whatever is already present in your family dynamics. The families who thrive are the ones who are willing to pay attention to this. Do you genuinely enjoy spending time with your kids? Even imperfectly. Even on hard days. This isn’t a trick question — it’s the most honest predictor of whether this lifestyle will be sustainable for you. These aren’t abstract questions. They’re the ones that actually shift something when you sit with them honestly. Here’s what one BC homeschool mom said after working through exactly this kind of conversation: The One Thing I Know for Certain About Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning in BC The families who thrive in homeschooling — regardless of which side of the registered homeschooling vs online learning in BC decision they land on — are the ones doing it purposefully. Not reactively. Not because someone scared them into it or shamed them out of conventional school. But because they looked at the child in front of them, asked honest questions, and made a decision that fit their actual family. That’s what this decision is really about. Ready to Stop Researching and Start Deciding? Here’s what I know after two decades of homeschooling and six years of coaching: every parent has one singular goal — to raise up their particular child for their particular purpose in life. You care the most about your child. You see your child most clearly. And you are the most invested person in the room, and you always will be. You also carry a set of values that are uniquely yours — a sense of what you’re being called toward right now, in this season of your family’s life. Whether registered homeschooling or a specific online school aligns with those values is something only you can determine. Every online school has its own culture, its own intentions, its own feel. Every family does too—the fit matters. Why This Conversation Is Different from Any Facebook Thread I have no skin in the game when it comes to your choice. I’m not here to talk you into a particular path. My only intention is to help you find your own clarity — because you already know your family better than anyone. Sometimes you need the right conversation to hear what you already know. That’s what the session is for. Every two to three weeks, I open a Friday afternoon for a small group of BC families at exactly this crossroads. Six to eight families. One hour. Real conversation with someone who has been doing this in BC for two decades. There are plenty of homeschool parents who could have this chat with you. What’s different is this: for the last six years, I’ve been working as a certified life coach, specifically with homeschool families — coaching and walking alongside women through every family dynamic imaginable inside the four walls of a home. I’ve been supporting women to untangle the overwhelm and find their footing, to stop second-guessing themselves and start leading their families with intention, to navigate the hard relational dynamics that homeschooling surfaces — the conflict, the burnout, the loneliness, the self-doubt — and come out the other side clearer and more confident than when they started. A graduated homeschool parent can tell you what worked for their family. I can help you figure out what will work for yours. You don’t have to spend hours down a rabbit hole of Facebook threads and government websites to get clarity. Not ready for that yet? Start here — grab your free Confident Homeschool Roadmap and keep it close for your first year. The BC Homeschool Clarity Session — $35 CAD → Register for the BC Homeschool Clarity Session — $35 CAD → (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load'); Frequently Asked Questions: Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning in BC Can I switch from online learning to registered homeschooling in BC? Yes. Neither decision is permanent. Families switch between the two paths regularly as their needs change. You can register as a homeschooler at any point in the school year. Do registered homeschoolers in BC get funding? Not typically. Registered homeschoolers under Section 12/13 of the BC School Act do not receive government funding. Online learners may have access to funding depending on the school — verify directly with the school you’re considering as amounts and eligibility change. Does a registered homeschooler in BC need to follow the BC curriculum? No. Registered homeschoolers are not required to follow the BC curriculum, complete mandatory testing, or work toward a Dogwood diploma. You are required to provide an educational program that enables your child to become literate and develop their individual potential contributing to their greater world. Can a registered homeschooler in BC enter public school? Yes — at any time, with no testing or pre-admission requirements. What is the deadline to register as a homeschooler in BC? September 30th if you know ahead of time. However, you can pull your child from school and register at any point throughout the year. Is there a homeschool life coach in BC who works specifically with homeschool families? Yes. Teresa Wiedrick is a certified life coach and homeschool mentor based in the Kootenays, BC. She homeschooled in BC for nearly two decades and has been coaching homeschool families for six years. She works with BC families navigating the registered homeschooling vs online learning decision and supports homeschool moms through their first year and beyond. You can learn more about her here. How do I start homeschooling in BC? Starting homeschooling in BC begins with one decision: registered homeschooling or online learning. Once you’re clear on that, the practical steps follow quickly. For a full walkthrough of how to get started — including the legalities, what to expect in your first year, and how to build confidence before you begin — read Start Homeschooling in British Columbia: How to Decide. What do I need to know before I start homeschooling in BC? Before you start homeschooling in BC, it helps to understand the two paths available to you — registered homeschooling and online learning — and what each one actually requires of you. It also helps to know that most families start more structured than they’ll eventually be, that the decision isn’t permanent, and that you are more ready than you think. For a deeper look at what to expect, visit Start Homeschooling in British Columbia: How to Decide Ready for a more personalized conversation? The Aligned Homeschool Reset Session is a free 30-minute call where we look at what’s actually going on in your homeschool — not just the surface stuff, but the real things underneath that keep you second-guessing yourself. → Book Your Free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session Book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session I help homeschool moms release pressure, edit expectations, and make small, intentional shifts that lead to a more confident and connected homeschool life. Book a Free Aligned Homeschool Reset Latest episodes Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 The Truth About Finding Your Homeschool Rhythm January 13, 2026 The Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast: Introducing the 1% Pivot January 6, 2026 Purpose-Driven Homeschool Planning for 2026: How to Recalibrate the Year with Clarity December 23, 2025 1% Shift to a Calm Homeschool Life December 23, 2025 12 Things I've Learned About Homeschool Moms: Self-Care Tips for Overwhelmed Homeschool Moms December 10, 2025 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge to Come Back to Yourself December 2, 2025 What is the Reimagine Your Homeschool Group Coaching? November 18, 2025 Not Just a Homeschool Mom — Why You’re Disappearing (And How to Come Back) November 11, 2025 Teaching World War to a Homeschooled Eight Year Old November 10, 2025 Reimagine Your Homeschool: Feel Free, Inspire Curiosity and Do What Works November 5, 2025 the role of imagination in a home education November 4, 2025 Helping Our Kids Live Their Lives on Purpose: A Practical Guide for Homeschool Moms October 28, 2025 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development October 20, 2025 How to Build Homeschool Routines that Support YOU October 14, 2025 Why Deschooling? To Feel Confident, Certain & Good Enough October 7, 2025 The Ultimate Guide to Building Boundaries and Healthy Relationships for Homeschool Moms September 23, 2025 Ultimate Homeschool Overwhelm Quiz That Reveals Your Hidden Stress Triggers in 5 Minutes September 15, 2025 Start Homeschooling in British Columbia: How to Decide September 9, 2025 How to Create an Effective Homeschool Routine that Works for You September 2, 2025 Interest-Led Homeschool for Confident Moms: An Enneagram 8 Mom's Story of Growth August 28, 2025 How Do I Unschool My Child? 5 Simple Steps to Set Them Free August 19, 2025 Top Tips for New Homeschool Moms in Season 3 August 11, 2025 5 Challenges Working Homeschool Moms Face—And How to Overcome Them August 5, 2025 Reclaim You: Rediscover Life Beyond the Homeschool Mom Role July 22, 2025 Subscribe to the Homeschool Mama Self-Care podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify Originally published March 3, 2022 · Updated May 18, 2026 Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventureLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

Thom's Nutshell: Step 16: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of someone else. I can't say I wasn't warned. They told me to stop at 12. “Taking others' inventory” gets to the heart of our functioning. Allen brings this back to Piaget's studies of pre-operational stages of development. Our emotional development influences our consciousness, and the more immaturity we have, the more we look at the world as reflections of ourselves. Rather than trying to manipulate these people and situations, in emotional sobriety we can try to meet them with empathy to have the best experience we can. The outcome of “taking inventory” all depends on motive. Our music is provided by the great southern artist Jefferson Ross. Learn more about Jefferson at jeffersonross.com Visit our website: www.emotionalsobriety.info Follow us on social media: Instagram: thomrutledge2 Joe C. Twitter: @Rebellion_Dogs Learn more about Joe C., Secular AA and Rebellion Dogs here: https://rebelliondogspublishing.com    Friendly Circle Berlin workshops: https://friendlycircleberlin.org/events   Allen's book, 12 Essential Insights for Emotional Sobriety: https://www.amazon.com/12-Essential-Insights-Emotional-Sobriety/dp/1955415129/   Join Allen & Thom at our Thursday night, 7pm PST Zoom meeting on Emotional Sobriety and the Steps (login information below):  https://zoom.us/j/330149513 Password: 375986   For our ongoing workshop video series on Emotional Sobriety and the 12 Steps, visit our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHEM2-kqLkfp3I4c0jy-X-g   Also, please join our “Emotional Sobriety and Recovery” FB Group at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120450976662519 We'd love to stay in touch in between meetings.   We appreciate feedback! Contact Patrick, our producer, at pndirective4@gmail.com for any questions or comments. Chapters (00:00:00) - Emotional Sobriety(00:01:15) - Step 16: Taking Other People's Inventory(00:06:47) - How to Manipulate the World(00:11:12) - How to Stop Being a Manipulator(00:16:25) - Tom Brokaw on Therapy(00:20:38) - The Self in Recovery(00:23:08) - Intro to Self-Realization(00:25:52) - Tom Clancy on His Meditations

Every year I finish the homeschool year kinda lackluster. And you know what? I’m good with that. I recognize it for what it is: a season. That’s exactly why I do a Homeschool Year End Review — and why I think every homeschool mom should too. Because, seriously, what are the chances I’m gonna love every dang minute of this homeschool thing? And when else would I feel homeschool fatigue? At the end of the homeschool year! (Oh, and February, cause ya know: slump month…Oh, and usually about year two or three of our homeschool journey when I need to have a giant shift from “how I thought homeschool would be” to “how homeschool actually is”…Anywho, I digress…) In this post, you’ll discover my approach to the Homeschool Year-End Review — and how it sets you up to actually enjoy your summer instead of dreading September. Finish your year with a Homeschool Mom Year-End Review https://youtu.be/z_GP9smtgBM?si=g3MIJgKK-OpAh_RI Join me for a Homeschool Mom Year-End Review. Finish Your Year With a Homeschool Mom Year End Review If we do a homeschool year end review now, I don’t have to return to it in July. I can sit by my watering hole of choice and not think about homeschool planning. By the end of May, I usually close the homeschool room door and don’t return till early July. I let stuff sit.The books get closed.The planner gets closed.And we just shift into a season of being outdoors. And you know what? We all need it after that point. A chance to recollect our ideas about last year, check what worked, check what didn’t, and springboard into the new year with ideas that did work and new ideas I want to include. If you’re there and want to springboard — join me at the Homeschool Year End Review. Join the Homeschool Year End Review Real Planning for Real Homeschool Moms: Why the Year-End Review Works Are you wrapping up your homeschool year? Even in my most traditional homeschool years, I’ve always wrapped things up by the end of May. Typically at the beginning of June, I’d bring the kids outside to sit, draw, read some poetry, write some poetry, narrate a Shakespeare play, learn Latin names for native plants, learn the name of cloud formations, and identify animal scat. (AKA harnessing my inner Charlotte Mason — although I don’t think she ever mentions animal scat, ha.) It’s also the time of year I assessed my past homeschool year and used that as a brainstorming tool to imagine my upcoming homeschool year. It was fresh on my mind! That’s why I created a Year End Review for you — a group coaching opportunity. If you want to do your homeschool and your life on purpose, you need regular breaks from the same-ole same-ole to check how it’s working for you and your kids. (Or if it’s not.) Three Things Your Homeschool Year-End Review Should Cover Over the years I’ve learned that a meaningful year-end review isn’t just about curriculum or schedules. It goes deeper. Here are the three areas that matter most. 1. Is your homeschool plan still working for this season? This is the question most of us are afraid to ask honestly — because what if the answer is no? A plan that fit beautifully two years ago can quietly become the thing that’s exhausting you today. Not because you failed. Because your season changed. Your kids grew. Your family shifted. Life happened. And if this year didn’t go the way you hoped — that gap between your vision and your reality deserves to be acknowledged. Maybe even grieved a little. Because when we skip that step and jump straight to “okay, new plan!” we carry the weight of disappointment straight into next year. The first part of a good year-end review is giving yourself permission to look honestly at what happened, release the expectations that were never realistic, and ask: what actually fits our life right now? Need a starting point for your planning? Homeschool Planning for Four Kids: Our Sixth Year walks through exactly how I’ve approached this in real life. 2. Where is your time really going — and does it match what matters? Here’s a question I love to sit with during my Homeschool Year-End Review: Is how I’m spending my time actually aligned with what I say I value? Because most of us are busy. Very busy. But busy doing what, exactly? When we slow down and look at where our time is actually going, we often discover a gap between our values and our daily reality. A time-and-values check-in isn’t about guilt. It’s about awareness. Once you can see where your energy is going, you can make intentional choices about where it goes next year. 3. How does homeschool mom life actually feel — and can it feel better? This one is the one we skip most often. Because we’re so used to asking how our kids are doing that we forget to ask the same about ourselves. How are you doing? Not your homeschool. Not your curriculum. The question isn’t about your kids’ progress. It’s about you. Are you enjoying this? Does homeschool feel like something flowing from you — or something running over you? Because when a homeschool mom is depleted and disconnected, the whole family feels it. And no curriculum swap in the world will fix that. This part of the Homeschool Year End Review is about reconnecting with yourself — with who you are beyond the role of homeschool mom, and what it would look like to actually enjoy the life you’ve built. If that question is sitting heavy on you right now, you might also want to read: Are You Homeschooling Good Enough? What We’ll Explore in the Homeschool Year-End Review Together In the Year-End Review workshop, we’ll chat about: What worked for you this year — and what didn’t What worked for each of your kids — and what didn’t And what you learned about your kids this year What you learned about yourself — and how you’re addressing that How you record and acknowledge the learning, growth, books read, and things done this year The hard moments you don’t want to repeat — and how to address them next year What your vision words are for next year How you used your resources, time, and skills this past year How you’ve contributed to the world — and how you want to What to Expect at the Homeschool Mom Year-End Review Here’s what we’ll do together in our two hours: Rethink your homeschool plan for 2026/2027 — and release what no longer fits your season Audit how your time and energy are really being used Reconnect with how homeschool mom life feels — and how to make it better Design a personalized Burnout Prevention Plan Explore child-inspired learning approaches Create a Y.O.U. Plan — one that includes your identity and wellness, not just your kids’ education You’ll work directly in two tools during the session — the Wellness Journal for Homeschool Mamas and the Homeschool Mama Vision Planner — so you leave with them already full of your own clarity. Not blank pages to figure out later. Bring your journal and a pen. Come without the kids. You’ll receive personal coaching feedback during and after the session. Save Your Seat → What You’ll Leave With After the Homeschool Year End Review Clarity & confidence about your 2026/2027 homeschool year An updated home education plan that fits this season A personalized Burnout Prevention Plan Personal wellness practices that fit your real life A Y.O.U. Plan — because your identity matters too The Wellness Journal for Homeschool Mamas The Homeschool Mama Vision Planner Kind Words “Before the Year-End Review session with Teresa, I felt overwhelmed and exhausted — even thinking about planning next year filled me with dread. After just that one conversation, I walked away feeling confident, hopeful, and clear. Teresa’s kindness, understanding, and gentle guidance saved me so much indecision and stress. If you’re a homeschool mom feeling stretched thin or unsure where to begin — this is the support you didn’t know you needed.” — Jen, homeschool mom of 3 Ready for a more personalized conversation? The Aligned Homeschool Reset Session is a free 30-minute call where we look at what’s actually going on in your homeschool — not just the surface stuff, but the real things underneath that keep you second-guessing yourself. → Book Your Free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session Book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session I help homeschool moms release pressure, edit expectations, and make small, intentional shifts that lead to a more confident and connected homeschool life. Book a Free Aligned Homeschool Reset Latest episodes Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 The Truth About Finding Your Homeschool Rhythm January 13, 2026 The Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast: Introducing the 1% Pivot January 6, 2026 Purpose-Driven Homeschool Planning for 2026: How to Recalibrate the Year with Clarity December 23, 2025 1% Shift to a Calm Homeschool Life December 23, 2025 12 Things I've Learned About Homeschool Moms: Self-Care Tips for Overwhelmed Homeschool Moms December 10, 2025 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge to Come Back to Yourself December 2, 2025 What is the Reimagine Your Homeschool Group Coaching? November 18, 2025 Not Just a Homeschool Mom — Why You’re Disappearing (And How to Come Back) November 11, 2025 Teaching World War to a Homeschooled Eight Year Old November 10, 2025 Reimagine Your Homeschool: Feel Free, Inspire Curiosity and Do What Works November 5, 2025 the role of imagination in a home education November 4, 2025 Helping Our Kids Live Their Lives on Purpose: A Practical Guide for Homeschool Moms October 28, 2025 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development October 20, 2025 How to Build Homeschool Routines that Support YOU October 14, 2025 Why Deschooling? To Feel Confident, Certain & Good Enough October 7, 2025 The Ultimate Guide to Building Boundaries and Healthy Relationships for Homeschool Moms September 23, 2025 Ultimate Homeschool Overwhelm Quiz That Reveals Your Hidden Stress Triggers in 5 Minutes September 15, 2025 Start Homeschooling in British Columbia: How to Decide September 9, 2025 How to Create an Effective Homeschool Routine that Works for You September 2, 2025 Interest-Led Homeschool for Confident Moms: An Enneagram 8 Mom's Story of Growth August 28, 2025 How Do I Unschool My Child? 5 Simple Steps to Set Them Free August 19, 2025 Top Tips for New Homeschool Moms in Season 3 August 11, 2025 5 Challenges Working Homeschool Moms Face—And How to Overcome Them August 5, 2025 Reclaim You: Rediscover Life Beyond the Homeschool Mom Role July 22, 2025 Subscribe to the Homeschool Mama Self-Care podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify Originally published June 17, 2022 · Updated May 11, 2026 Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventureLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

You've opened your shop. You're selling. You have loyal customers. And yet something feels stuck... (this episode features a free download resource at http://resilientretailclub.com/systemsYour sales are inconsistent, stock builds up or runs out, cash feels tight even on the good weeks.Hi, I'm retail strategist and founder of Resilient Retail Club, Catherine Erdly.In this episode, I'm naming the “invisible ceiling” independent retailers hit when they move from opening a shop to running a proper retail business — and explain exactly what structure the next level needs.Drawing on my recent road trip through Devon, Cornwall and Dorset, and nearly 20 years inside seven-, eight-, nine- and ten-figure retail chains, I'll talk you through the systems that separate hobby shops from real businesses: sales plans, stock plans, trading calendars, cash flow visibility, team roles and SOPs.If you've ever wondered “is there more to this?” — this episode is your answer.In this episode:Why so many independent retailers start their business “almost by accident”The invisible ceiling that stalls shops around the 1–3 year markThe difference between opening a shop and running a retail businessThe six systems every next-level retail business needsWhy there is no such thing as a “natural business person” — and what to do insteadHow to know whether you need the Stock Doctor, Retail by Design, or just the back catalogueResources mentioned:Episode 299 — Retail Bottleneck: How to Stop Being the “Go-To” for Every Answer in Your BusinessBook: Tame Your Tiger: How to Stop Your Product Business Eating You AliveStock Doctor — done-for-you stock managementRetail by Design — my 1:1 serviceThe Resilient Retail Club — reopening later this yearresilientretailclub.com

Many of us feel like we're drowning in invisible complexity. So I wanted to hit pause and ask a simple question: What are 1-3 decisions that could dramatically simplify my life in 2026? To explore that, I invited four long-time listener favorites—Anne Lamott, Claire Hughes Johnson, David Yarrow, and Diana Chapman.This episode is brought to you by:Incogni, which automatically removes your personal data from the web, helping shield you from fraud, scams, and identity theft: https://incogni.com/tim (use code TIM at checkout and get 60% off an annual plan)Helix Sleep premium mattresses: HelixSleep.com/Tim: https://helixsleep.com/tim for 27% off sitewide***Connect with David Yarrow: Website | Instagram | Twitter | FacebookDavid's previous appearance on this show: David Yarrow on Art, Markets, Business, and Combining It All | The Tim Ferriss Show #443Connect with Claire Hughes Johnson: LinkedIn | TwitterClaire's book: Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company BuildingClaire's previous appearance on this show: Claire Hughes Johnson — How to Take Responsibility for Your Life, Create Rules That Work, Stop Being a Victim, Set Strong Boundaries, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #724Connect with Diana Chapman: Website | LinkedIn | InstagramDiana's book: The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success, co-authored with Jim Dethmer and Kaley KlempDiana's previous appearance on this show: Diana Chapman — How to Get Unstuck, Do "The Work," Take Radical Responsibility, and Reduce Drama in Your Life | The Tim Ferriss Show #536Connect with Anne Lamott: Substack | Twitter | Facebook | InstagramAnne's new book: Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences, co-authored with Neal AllenAnne's previous appearance on this show: Anne Lamott on Taming Your Inner Critic, Finding Grace, and Prayer | The Tim Ferriss Show #522*Timestamps:[00:00:00] Start.[00:02:20] David Yarrow: British photographer in America and an unconventional divorcé.[00:02:32] The anti-remarriage thesis: why staying single was the boldest simplification of all.[00:03:19] The unlikely happy ending: ex-spouses who became best friends.[00:04:58] The friend audit.[00:06:07] Energy as a luxury brand.[00:06:34] No agent, no problem: the art of the direct “no.”[00:07:39] Claire Hughes Johnson: COO, author, and self-described bad simplifier.[00:07:59] The switch from default yes to default no.[00:08:39] Root cause analysis on the “yes” problem: earning love through usefulness.[00:09:21] Arthur Brooks' flip: think people, not tasks.[00:10:35] Mission clarity: knowing exactly why you said yes before you walk in the door.[00:11:16] The “retention exercise”: how Claire negotiated sleep and workouts into her job description.[00:16:45] Diana Chapman: Conscious Leadership disruptor, professional fear-finder.[00:17:07] The “whole body yes”: simplicity lives where your inner and outer worlds agree.[00:17:41] Decision #1: Evicting “should” from the vocabulary entirely.[00:19:15] Decision #2: The relationship contract — same rules, dramatically less drama.[00:20:37] The No-Blame Zone: signs on the wall, accountability in the air.[00:24:02] Curiosity over righteousness, feelings over suppression, play over seriousness.[00:26:29] How play unlocked a hard conversation.[00:27:56] Decision #3: Holding two truths — your work matters and the world will survive without you.[00:30:32] Anne Lamott: 21 books, one husband, and a very heavy 60th birthday.[00:31:00] Ditching the six-plate act: reclaiming the inner goofball.[00:32:18] “The point is not to try harder, but to resist less.”[00:33:18] The belly breath: watching your hand rise as an act of radical simplicity.[00:33:41] Ram Dass' heart-nostrils: expanding the spiritual core.[00:33:59] The third third: borrowed time, intentional days, and tossing boxes out of the plane.For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsorsSign up for Tim's email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Discover Tim's books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissYouTube: youtube.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferrissSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

George Wright II interviews entrepreneur and speaker Ben Kjar, who was born with Crouzon syndrome and overcame bullying and medical adversity to become an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, flip over 200 homes, and release the film “Standout: The Ben Kjar Story.” Ben shares a pivotal grocery-store incident that led his mother to reframe his difference as a purpose—“born to make a difference” and “born to stand out”—shaping his identity and gratitude. He explains why wrestling helped him create control through effort and attitude, and outlines his 3XSC framework: call your shot (clear goals), enlist “shot callers” for accountability, and set an expiring timeline (“shot clock”). They discuss disobeying averages across all life areas, daily discipline such as protecting mornings for family and routines, and Ben fulfilling a 20-year goal of speaking on stage with Tony Robbins.01:58 Ben's Early Challenges02:42 Confidence Through Effort05:02 Grocery Store Turning Point07:49 Identity and Support System09:53 Why Wrestling Chose Him13:43 Introducing 3XSC17:17 Breaking Down 3XSC17:56 Facing Fear to Call Shots18:33 Fear Of Being Seen19:02 Losing Still Inspires20:26 Why Call Your Shot20:59 Finding Shot Callers21:40 Half Marathon Support23:06 Lets Go Theory24:08 Disobey Average Mindset26:02 Raising Kids Standards28:50 Daily Rituals Discipline30:43 Stop Being 2.032:08 Adversity As Leverage33:22 Tony Robbins Long GameThanks for listening, and Please Share this Episode with someone. It would really help us to grow our show and share these valuable tips and strategies with others. Have a great day.George Wright III“It's Never Too Late to Start Living the Life You Were Meant to Live”FREE Daily Mastermind Resources:CONNECT with George & Access Tons of ResourcesGet access to Proven Strategies and Time-Test Principles for Success. Plus, download and access tons of FREE resources and online events by joining our Exclusive Community of Entrepreneurs, Business Owners, and High Achievers like YOU.Join FREE at DailyMastermind.comFollow me on social media Facebook | Instagram | Linkedin | TikTok | YoutubeGrow Your Authority and Personal Brand with a FREE Interview in a Top Global Magazine HERE.About Guest: Ben KjarBen Kjar was born with Crouzons syndrome (a craniofacial anomaly), and as a young boy, the doctors told him that he would live a different life.....and that's exactly what he's done! He has risen above any of life's challenges and become a Victor, not a victim. Ben is Utah Valley University's first-ever NCAA Division 1 Wrestling All-American and has represented the USA team internationally. Ben is an international professional speaker and has told his story to millions around the globe, in front of crowds of up to 10,000 people!Guest Resources:Website: https://www.benkjar.com/Instagram: @benkjarFacebook: Ben KjarX (formerly Twitter): @benkjarLinkedIn: Ben KjarFilm Website: https://standoutfilm.com/

Accepting remaining single is not always easy. For many people, especially those who once expected marriage to happen, singleness can feel like an unwanted reality. It can bring disappointment, questions, loneliness, and even grief. Yet learning how to accept remaining single does not mean giving up on life. It means learning how to live with peace, dignity, and purpose in the season you are in. For Christian singles in particular, this can be a deeply emotional issue. Many faithful believers […] The post How to Accept Remaining Single appeared first on Christian Singles Advice | Christian Dating Advice Tips. Related posts: “Why Am I Still Single?”: Insights and Hope for Christian Singles 5 Signs That God Is Preparing You for Marriage Dealing With Guilt as a Single Christian How to Forgive Myself as a Christian Single How to Stop Being a People Pleaser as a Christian Single

Is burnout inevitable in dentistry? Why do so many high-achieving dentists still feel unfulfilled? Are we too harsh on ourselves without even realising it? And what if the way we speak to ourselves is the real problem? In this episode, Jaz sits down with Dr Aditi Bhalla—a Prosthodontist and Integrative Psychotherapist, with over 15 years in dentistry and extensive training in mental health, mindfulness, and movement—to explore compassion-focused dentistry. They unpack burnout, perfectionism, fear-driven practice, and how understanding your mind could be the key to a sustainable, fulfilling career. https://youtu.be/pNsW6AiWsWQ Watch IC073 on Youtube Key Takeaways Burnout often stems from perfectionism, shame, and constant self-criticism Many dentists tie their self-worth entirely to clinical performance Childhood experiences can shape how we respond to stress and pressure High-functioning anxiety is common but often goes unnoticed NHS-style time pressure and fear of complaints drive chronic stress Decision fatigue in dentistry significantly impacts performance and wellbeing Social media amplifies comparison and feelings of inadequacy There is a growing gap between expectations and real-world dentistry Compassion requires courage, wisdom, and commitment—not weakness Dentists are good at caring for patients but neglect self-care Accepting positive feedback is as important as improving weaknesses Emotional awareness is the first step to managing stress effectively A “compassion toolkit” helps regulate emotions in real-time clinical scenarios Sustainable dentistry requires prevention of burnout, not just coping strategies Team culture improves when you recognise the human behind the role Compassionate leadership still requires clear boundaries and accountability Highlights of this episode: 00:00 Teaser 00:51 Introduction 07:50 What “Therapy” Means 11:43 Role of Childhood & Trauma 13:10 Therapists Need Therapy Too 14:40 Breakdown & Burnout in Dentistry 16:50 Causes of Burnout in Dentistry 19:50 Clinical Stress Factors 20:50 Decision Fatigue in Dentistry 23:35 Burnout in Modern Dentistry – Why More Now? 27:38 Midroll 30:59 Burnout in Modern Dentistry – Why More Now? 31:11 What is Compassion? 32:11 Lack of Self-Compassion in Dentistry 33:11 Three Directions of Compassion in Dentistry 35:11 Compassion Focused Dentistry (CFD) 39:11 Nervous System Awareness 41:31 Applying Compassion in DailyDental Practice 43:01 Compassion = Emotional Intelligence + Mindfulness 43:41 Compassion “Kit Bag” 45:11 Compassion in the Team 46:41 Creating a Compassionate Practice 51:51 Getting Started with Compassion 54:12 Outro

Is burnout inevitable in dentistry? Why do so many high-achieving dentists still feel unfulfilled? Are we too harsh on ourselves without even realising it? And what if the way we speak to ourselves is the real problem? In this episode, Jaz sits down with Dr Aditi Bhalla—a Prosthodontist and Integrative Psychotherapist, with over 15 years in dentistry and extensive training in mental health, mindfulness, and movement—to explore compassion-focused dentistry. They unpack burnout, perfectionism, fear-driven practice, and how understanding your mind could be the key to a sustainable, fulfilling career. https://youtu.be/pNsW6AiWsWQ Watch IC073 on Youtube Key Takeaways Burnout often stems from perfectionism, shame, and constant self-criticism Many dentists tie their self-worth entirely to clinical performance Childhood experiences can shape how we respond to stress and pressure High-functioning anxiety is common but often goes unnoticed NHS-style time pressure and fear of complaints drive chronic stress Decision fatigue in dentistry significantly impacts performance and wellbeing Social media amplifies comparison and feelings of inadequacy There is a growing gap between expectations and real-world dentistry Compassion requires courage, wisdom, and commitment—not weakness Dentists are good at caring for patients but neglect self-care Accepting positive feedback is as important as improving weaknesses Emotional awareness is the first step to managing stress effectively A “compassion toolkit” helps regulate emotions in real-time clinical scenarios Sustainable dentistry requires prevention of burnout, not just coping strategies Team culture improves when you recognise the human behind the role Compassionate leadership still requires clear boundaries and accountability Highlights of this episode: 00:00 Teaser 00:51 Introduction 07:50 What “Therapy” Means 11:43 Role of Childhood & Trauma 13:10 Therapists Need Therapy Too 14:40 Breakdown & Burnout in Dentistry 16:50 Causes of Burnout in Dentistry 19:50 Clinical Stress Factors 20:50 Decision Fatigue in Dentistry 23:35 Burnout in Modern Dentistry – Why More Now? 27:38 Midroll 30:59 Burnout in Modern Dentistry – Why More Now? 31:11 What is Compassion? 32:11 Lack of Self-Compassion in Dentistry 33:11 Three Directions of Compassion in Dentistry 35:11 Compassion Focused Dentistry (CFD) 39:11 Nervous System Awareness 41:31 Applying Compassion in DailyDental Practice 43:01 Compassion = Emotional Intelligence + Mindfulness 43:41 Compassion “Kit Bag” 45:11 Compassion in the Team 46:41 Creating a Compassionate Practice 51:51 Getting Started with Compassion 54:12 Outro

Stop Being a Sucker: Mastering Your Money with Riley MylesWelcome back to another episode of The Cory Cast. Today, I'm sitting down with someone who is truly changing the game when it comes to financial literacy and building a legacy. My guest, Riley Myles, is a Senior Wealth Advisor and a powerhouse behind the How Money Works movement. If you've ever felt like the financial system was designed to keep you in the dark, this conversation is exactly what you need to hear.One of the most impactful parts of our chat was Riley's take on generational wealth and the importance of financial education for the whole family. He isn't just talking about stocks and bonds; he's talking about a fundamental mindset shift. We explore how to transition from being a passive consumer to an active builder of your own future. Riley shares his professional insights on retirement planning and how to protect your assets so that the life you're building today stays secure for the people you love.I genuinely appreciated Riley's no-nonsense approach to personal finance. He's on a mission to provide financial freedom to everyone, regardless of their starting point or income level. This episode is packed with the kind of "aha" moments that make you want to pause and go check your bank statements immediately.Connect with Riley Myles:If you're ready to stop guessing and start growing, check out Riley's work and get your hands on the resources we discussed today. You can find everything at his official site: therealhowmoneyworks.com/us/Myles_Riley. Riley's Instagram: @RileyRmylesMake sure to follow Riley for more insights on wealth building and financial security. As always, if you enjoyed this episode of The Cory Cast, hit that subscribe button, leave a review, and share this with a friend who is ready to take control of their financial destiny. Let's stop being suckers and start building wealth!-----

Unrealistic expectations as homeschool moms — we’ve all been told to manage them, lower them, be more realistic. But what if they’re actually your greatest asset? Because here’s what I know about us homeschool mamas: we have lofty ambitions. For our kids, for their education, and honestly, for ourselves. And I don’t think that’s a problem. I think it’s actually the whole point. We spend so much energy trying to talk ourselves out of our expectations — lowering the bar, managing our hopes, bracing for disappointment. But what if we’ve been asking the wrong question entirely? The question isn’t are my expectations too high? The question is are my expectations fuelling me or quietly wearing me down? Because some of your expectations — the ones about who your children could become, about what your days together could feel like, about the kind of mother you’re becoming through all of this — those are worth keeping. Those are the reason you started. So let’s get honest about where our expectations as homeschool moms trip us up. And where they absolutely, beautifully don’t. https://youtu.be/GCj6l_UPfEI?si=curfAeJaa8VTA-KT Homeschool Mom Expectations: Be Realistic About What You Can Do Turns out, you can’t do everything. And truly, you can’t. Everyone else isn’t doing everything either. Actually, no one is doing everything. They’re doing some things. Just as you will be when you honestly, kindly, accept yourself as being a normal human being that can only do so much. And that it is even good enough. It’s essential to set achievable goals and prioritize what truly matters. I remember the year I planned Latin, four languages, nature journaling, NaNoWriMo every November, violin, ballet, and all of Shakespeare. For my own children. In my dining room. I got a great education out of it. The kids probably learned some cool things too. But at what cost? Learning to ask does this actually serve my child — or does it serve my anxiety? changed everything. Try a time audit. Evaluate how you’re actually allocating your time and energy. It will help you identify where you’re overcommitting and where you’re not leaving margins for the unexpected — or for yourself. Unrealistic Expectations Homeschool Moms Have About Sibling Harmony Darn it. (But wouldn’t that be nice if they would?) Here’s what I used to imagine: children moving harmoniously through their days, appreciating each other, grateful for every opportunity I lovingly prepared. Here’s what actually happened: someone breathed wrong and a sibling took offense. Sound familiar? This is one of the most common unrealistic expectations homeschool moms carry — that our homes will feel peaceful and our kids will cooperate because we chose this life intentionally. They won’t. Not every day. And that’s okay. https://youtu.be/p0uzjBYP0dQ No One Ever Complains About All the Cool Things Realize that children may not always express appreciation for the effort you put into their education and activities. In fact, it’s highly unlikely. You plan the most beautiful nature walk. Together you bake bread and study yeast as science. Then you find the most perfect living book on the exact topic they mentioned caring about last Tuesday. And they shrug. Instead of expecting gratitude, expect satisfaction in knowing that you’re providing opportunities for growth and learning. Those moments — the carrots pulled from the garden, the bread cooling on the counter — they become their childhood. Long after you’ve finished home educating, those moments become the story of your motherhood. They bring you joy so much longer than you think they will. Some Days You Will Feel Like Your Homeschool Was Hijacked Because of a surprise trip to emerg, a jarring phone call from afar, or kids that just breathe fire as they pass each other in the hallway — there’s always some reason why your homeschool won’t always go smoothly. Accept that unexpected events and disruptions are part of life. Be flexible and adaptable. It’s okay to reschedule or adjust plans when necessary. The goal was never a perfect day. The goal was a real one — and you’re showing up for it every single morning. The Emotional Reality Behind Homeschool Mom Expectations We have emotional reactions to those days that feel hijacked — to the bickering, to a kid who gets left out, even to getting cut off in traffic on the way to piano. That emotional atmosphere needs to be attended to just as you would attend to anything else important in your home. Recognize and acknowledge your own emotional reactions and expectations. Understand that it’s okay to have high ambitions, but it’s also important to be honest about what you can carry. You matter in this equation — not just as the person running the homeschool, but as a whole human being with needs of your own. You Have Other Relationships That Need Attending So many life events can interrupt your homeschool. Pay attention to your emotional wellbeing and address any issues that may be affecting your experience. It’s essential to maintain a positive emotional atmosphere in your home — and that starts with you. This is your big, messy, happy, not-always-happy homeschool reality. And it is enough. You are enough. Free Resource: Deschool Your Homeschool Checklist Let go of old school thinking — and make space for learning that actually works for your child. Whether you’re just getting started or need a fresh start, this free guide will help you trust yourself, trust your child, and build a homeschool that works for your real life. Download the free Deschool Checklist The Real Question About Unrealistic Expectations as Homeschool Moms Here’s what I want to leave you with. I sat on my patio one quiet Saturday morning with a cup of coffee and my daughter’s wedding planning file open in my lap. My husband was away, my son was away, and for three whole hours I just imagined. Anticipated. Pictured what that day could look and feel like. And somewhere in those three hours it hit me: the anticipation itself was joy. The expectation was the fun. I didn’t need to protect myself from hoping — I needed to learn to hold it with open hands. “It’s not the expectations that are the problem. Maybe the expectations are actually the fun — the anticipation, the imagining, the leaning into what could be.” That’s the reframe. Not lower your expectations. Look at them honestly. Figure out which ones are fuel and which ones are weight. Ask yourself: is this adding joy to my life, or is it adding pressure? Because there’s a difference. And once you can see it, you can do something about it. I don’t think we need fewer expectations. I think we need to hold them with a little more awareness and a whole lot less grip. Ready to Do the Deeper Work? If unrealistic expectations as homeschool moms is something you’re wrestling with right now — if the gap between what you hoped this would look like and what it actually looks like feels heavy — that’s exactly what we untangle in the Deschooling Breakthrough Workshop. Join the free Deschooling Breakthrough Workshop Want to Go Even Deeper? If you’re an overwhelmed homeschool mom who’s lost the joy she started with — let’s talk. Book a free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session and we’ll uncover what’s really driving the overwhelm, so you can move toward a homeschool that feels calm, confident, and aligned. No obligation. Just a real conversation. Book Your free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session People also ask… How to Plan for my Upcoming Homeschool? How to Address Your Big Emotions (& Your Kids' Big Emotions) in your Homeschool how to deal with dashed homeschool expectations a real-life approach to being realistic with Christmas expectations: banishing the picture-perfect Christmas An Antidote for Holiday Homeschool Overwhelm: Dealing with Expectations Time Audit to Address Unrealistic Expectations in your Homeschool How to manage unrealistic expectations in our homeschool 11 Practical Tips How Homeschool Moms Can Let Go of Unrealistic Expectations Homeschool Mom Boundary Issues? You're Not Doing This… How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development Latest episodes Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 The Truth About Finding Your Homeschool Rhythm January 13, 2026 The Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast: Introducing the 1% Pivot January 6, 2026 Purpose-Driven Homeschool Planning for 2026: How to Recalibrate the Year with Clarity December 23, 2025 1% Shift to a Calm Homeschool Life December 23, 2025 12 Things I've Learned About Homeschool Moms: Self-Care Tips for Overwhelmed Homeschool Moms December 10, 2025 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge to Come Back to Yourself December 2, 2025 What is the Reimagine Your Homeschool Group Coaching? November 18, 2025 Not Just a Homeschool Mom — Why You’re Disappearing (And How to Come Back) November 11, 2025 Teaching World War to a Homeschooled Eight Year Old November 10, 2025 Reimagine Your Homeschool: Feel Free, Inspire Curiosity and Do What Works November 5, 2025 the role of imagination in a home education November 4, 2025 Helping Our Kids Live Their Lives on Purpose: A Practical Guide for Homeschool Moms October 28, 2025 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development October 20, 2025 How to Build Homeschool Routines that Support YOU October 14, 2025 Why Deschooling? To Feel Confident, Certain & Good Enough October 7, 2025 The Ultimate Guide to Building Boundaries and Healthy Relationships for Homeschool Moms September 23, 2025 Ultimate Homeschool Overwhelm Quiz That Reveals Your Hidden Stress Triggers in 5 Minutes September 15, 2025 Start Homeschooling in British Columbia: How to Decide September 9, 2025 How to Create an Effective Homeschool Routine that Works for You September 2, 2025 Interest-Led Homeschool for Confident Moms: An Enneagram 8 Mom's Story of Growth August 28, 2025 How Do I Unschool My Child? 5 Simple Steps to Set Them Free August 19, 2025 Top Tips for New Homeschool Moms in Season 3 August 11, 2025 5 Challenges Working Homeschool Moms Face—And How to Overcome Them August 5, 2025 Reclaim You: Rediscover Life Beyond the Homeschool Mom Role July 22, 2025 Subscribe to the Homeschool Mama Self-Care podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify Originally published January 29, 2021. Updated April 20, 2026. Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventureLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

Stop Being a Crybaby: Are You Working the Deal or Waiting for a Miracle?The year is 2026, and the real estate market isn't what it was last year, let alone five years ago. If you find yourself struggling to close deals or complaining about a lack of funding, it's time for a serious reality check. In this episode, Scott Carson dives deep into the "mental side" of the business, stripping away the excuses that keep investors paralyzed. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a new realtor looking for distressed opportunities, the message is clear: Your success is directly tied to your marketing volume.Scott takes us back to his darkest days in 2009—living in a $400-a-month room, eating canned beans, and facing foreclosure himself. He didn't wait for a bailout or a "funding Jesus" to descend from the clouds. He hustled, expanded his market, and turned a desperate situation into a $35,000 wholesale win. If you're tired of being "sick and tired," this is the wake-up call you need to get off the sidelines and back into the game.Key Takeaways for the 2026 Market HustleExpand Your Horizons: Stop looking for deals in one tiny backyard. If your local area is dry, use the internet to market across multiple states where the inventory is actually moving.Fire Your "Old" Money Partners: If your previous investors refuse to fund distressed assets, sub-two deals, or non-performing notes, they aren't your partners anymore. You must go out and create new funding sources through aggressive networking.The 80% Rule of Sales: Most success happens after the fifth contact. Sending one email blast and giving up isn't marketing; it's laziness. You have to "carpet bomb" your message across Facebook, LinkedIn, and email databases.Leverage Case Studies: Even if you've only done a few deals, use them as proof of concept. Share your wins and your "near-foreclosures" as case studies to attract new investors.Show Up Where the Money Is: Stop avoiding the "scary" places. Go to local foreclosure auctions and REIA club meetings. The people bidding there have the cash you need; you are just one connection away from your next deal.Stop the Political Blame Game: Your bank account doesn't care who is in the White House. If you spend more time complaining about politics than you do skip-tracing leads, you are the reason you aren't succeeding.Dumbify the Deal: When presenting to new partners who don't understand the note business, break it down on a whiteboard. Show the numbers, the BPO, and the potential yield in simple terms.Conclusion: No Free LunchesAt the end of the day, you are where you are because of the decisions you've made. There is no "free lunch" in real estate. You have to be willing to make sacrifices—maybe that means stepping back from coaching soccer for a season so you can spend those two hours marketing your business.Remember Scott's $35K win: he didn't have the money to buy the note, but he had the "hustle jacket" on. He got the contract, marketed it everywhere, and closed the gap. Stop feeding yourself the "bullshit" that you aren't smart enough or good enough. Get beyond your comfort zone, take massive action, and remember: Chimichangas are for winners.Ready to get to work? Reach out to Scott, and let's see if you're ready to handle the tough questions.Watch the Original VIDEO HERE!Book a Call With Scott HERE!Sign up for the next FREE One-Day Note Class HERE!Sign up for the WCN Membership HERE!Sign up for the next Note Buying For Dummies Workshop HERE!Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review, and share!Here's How »Join the Note Closers Show community today:WeCloseNotes.comThe Note Closers Show FacebookThe Note Closers Show TwitterScott Carson LinkedInThe Note Closers Show YouTubeThe Note Closers Show VimeoThe Note Closers Show InstagramWe Close Notes PinterestGet Signed Up For the Next Note Buying Workshop HERE!

What if the reason AI “isn't working” for you… is you?You're overwhelmed, overworked, and running your business on caffeine and sheer willpower but still refusing the very tool that could give you your time back. In this Thursday velvet boot moment, Dawn calls out the truth most founders don't want to hear: AI isn't the problem your lack of clarity, trust, and leadership is.This episode dismantles the biggest excuses female founders use to avoid AI and reframes what it really means to lead in an AI-powered world. If you're ready to stop being the bottleneck and start building a business that runs with you not because of you, this one's required listening.If you're done white-knuckling your way through your business and ready to actually use AI like a CEO…Join Voice Lab, where you'll build your voice architecture in real time so AI finally sounds like you, thinks like you, and works for you.Key TakeawaysAI doesn't produce generic output—you do.“I don't have time” is often fear in disguise.Being the keeper of all knowledge isn't leadership—it's a liability.AI is not cheating—it's leverage.The real shift: from operator to architect.Resources & LinksVoice Lab Training (Live): Build your AI voice + systemsFree Guide: 10 Ways AI Will Make You a Better LeaderJoin the AI for Founders Community (test, learn, grow in real time)Related EpisodesEpisode 68: Top 10 Must-Have AI Tools for Female FoundersIf this episode called you out, this one shows you exactly where to start. Learn the essential AI tools that can save you hours every week and finally get you out of the weeds.Episode 128: How Female Founders Use AI to Stop Being the Bottleneck (The August Delegation Fix)This is the cleanest follow-on because it connects founder overwhelm, bottleneck behavior, and AI as the fix. Send us Fan MailWant to increase revenue and impact? Listen to “She's That Founder” for insights on business strategy and female leadership to scale your business. Each episode offers advice on effective communication, team building, and management. Learn to master routines and systems to boost productivity and prevent burnout. Our delegation tips and business consulting will advance your executive leadership skills and presence.

Feeling Like a Fraud, Homeschool Mom? Here's Why You're Not. Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “Am I really cut out for this?” Then you’re among the masses. Homeschooling is one of the most extraordinary things you can do for your kids, but it can also bring up a lot of self-doubt. You scroll past picture-perfect homeschool setups on Instagram or hear about families who are enacting their ideal Charlotte Mason schedule, and suddenly, you're questioning everything. So then, how to build confidence as a homeschool mom if these questions are your constant companions? Am I doing this right? Do I know enough? What if I'm not good enough? That voice? That's imposter syndrome creeping in. And I want you to know right now: you're not a fraud, and you are enough—just as you are. Let's unpack where that doubt comes from and how you can build confidence as a homeschool mom with authenticity, grace, and peace of mind. Prefer to listen? I recorded a full episode on this — press play above. What is Imposter Syndrome (and Why Does It Love Homeschool Moms)? Imposter syndrome is that feeling that you're a fraud like you're “winging it” and you don't really belong where you are. That voice says, “Who are you to be homeschooling? You're not a teacher. You don't know enough. You don't have the credentials.” It’s doubting your abilities, your expertise, and even your worth—all based on the idea that you don’t measure up. I hear this so often from homeschool moms—it’s a pervasive feeling, especially in the early years. And it was something Alicia, one of my coaching clients, really struggled with. Alicia's Story: Proof You're Not Alone. Alicia told me she'd use her last minutes of the day, replaying her kids' math lessons in her head, convinced she wasn't doing enough. “What if I'm ruining their education?” she asked through her wince. “What if I’m not setting them up the best I can for their adult life?” But what she couldn't see was how deeply her kids admired her determination. What she also couldn't see were their long-term stories unfolding and the lasting benefits they'd gain from this way of life. She also shared with me that she didn't feel capable of teaching her kids, particularly in areas like math and spelling. She told me, “I didn't think that I was able to teach my kids because I'm not great at math, and my spelling is a little bit off sometimes… so I don't want to teach because… I don't feel smart enough.” It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that if we aren't capable of teaching every subject, we're not qualified to teach. But here’s the thing: certified teachers in the conventional education system aren’t trained to teach every subject. Yet, they are still expected to teach various classes they have no interest in and have to learn on the fly. https://youtu.be/Z-bVVjI467E?si=4HQ9vTewJ7UJE9Pi And that’s not all, when you spend enough time watching children really engage and learn, you’ll discover that your role in their education is more about facilitator and guide and less about direct teaching anyway. Being an effective homeschool mom is about being present, being flexible, and being a meaningful guide and facilitator for your kids. Alicia surprised me when she revealed this: “I got straight A's… all two years straight A's. I got one B and I cried.” Even though she had proven her academic success in school, she still questioned her ability to teach her own kids. This is a classic example of imposter syndrome at play. Her mind fixated on her perceived imperfections—like struggling with spelling—while completely disregarding all the evidence of her capability and success. Feeling the way Alicia did? Feeling the way Alicia did? You’re not doing it wrong — you just haven’t deschooled yet. The Deschool Your Homeschool Checklist is your free reset button. It’s a simple, practical guide to help you step back from school-y mindsets, reconnect with how your child actually learns, and create space for curiosity, calm, and connection — so you can build a homeschool that fits your real life, not a replica of the system you left behind. Download it free — the link is below. Yes, I’m Ready to Deschool 3 Powerful Shifts: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom When Alicia began to realize that her doubts were based on limiting beliefs, things began to shift. She had already achieved great things in her life—things like earning a spot in a coveted summer mentorship at a leading corporation. I asked her, “You earned this mentorship after you wrote an essay of your thoughts, and you also don't think you can homeschool?” She began to see it: she had the capacity. Alicia stopped focusing on her perceived weaknesses and leaned into the strengths that made her uniquely qualified to homeschool them. She embraced her role as a guide and supporter, letting go of the need to be all-knowledgable in every subject and researched various things alongside her kids. Instead of worrying about not being “smart enough” for math or spelling, Alicia shifted her perspective. She used resources that she enjoyed so she could learn too, showing them that education is a lifelong journey. Her willingness to admit when she didn't know something—and then work with her children to find the answers—created an environment of curiosity and mutual growth. More importantly, Alicia's newfound confidence gave her the ability to focus on her kids' individual needs. She became more present during their lessons, more patient with their struggles, and more intentional about fostering their strengths. By letting go of the fear of not measuring up, she modeled resilience and self-acceptance for her children, showing them the power of trusting in yourself and your abilities. That’s why building confidence as a homeschool mom isn’t about knowing everything or being perfect — it’s about trusting yourself, leaning into your strengths, and releasing the schooled mindset that’s been quietly running in the background. And that starts with one practical step. The Deschool Your Homeschool Action Plan gives you a clear, grounded path to do exactly that — move from second-guessing everything to building a homeschool that actually fits your family. No recreating school at home. No wondering if you’re doing it wrong. Just a real plan, built around how your child actually learns. Get the Action Plan — Yes, I’m Ready to Deschool Deschool Action Plan for New (& Stuck) Homeschoolers The Deschool ACTION Plan is a printable PDF guide to help you reset your homeschool mindset, reconnect with your child's natural learning style, and take intentional steps toward a more confident, calm, and custom-fit homeschool. $13.99 Original price was: $13.99.$11.99Current price is: $11.99. Shop now You Are Enough: Here's How to Believe It. Imposter syndrome thrives on fear and comparison. It thrives when we focus on what we're not good at, rather than celebrating all that we bring to the table. The first step in overcoming it is acknowledging that you are already doing incredible things. So, let me ask you: What if you started to recognize that your unique perspective, the love and care you bring to homeschooling, and your commitment to your children’s growth are more valuable than any formal training? What if you gave yourself permission to say, “I am enough. I am capable. I don't need a piece of paper to prove my worth”? This episode is part of our 2025 series, The 1% Pivot — because small shifts in how you lead yourself create the biggest changes in your homeschool. You don't need anyone's approval but your own. Teresa Wiedrick, Homeschool Life Coach Break Free from Imposter Syndrome Shift your focus: Write down three things you did well in your homeschool today—even if they seem small. Stop the comparison trap: Mute social media accounts that make you feel “less than.” Seek support: Find a homeschool mentor or a community that reminds you of your strengths. Ready to silence that inner critic and homeschool with confidence? Don't wait—download the free Reimagine Your Homeschool Mini-Course today and take the first step toward a homeschool journey full of clarity, joy, and purpose. Reimagine Your Homeschool Journaling Workbook: If you're a self-starter and want to dive deeper into self-reflection and personal growth, my journaling workbook is packed with exercises, prompts, and strategies to help you reflect on your current homeschool situation, challenge limiting beliefs, and craft a vision for the future. Sometimes, overcoming self-doubt takes more than reflection—it takes guidance. If you're ready for personalized support to help you navigate homeschooling with confidence, I'd love to work with you one-on-one. Together, we'll create a homeschool plan that aligns with your values and gives you peace of mind. Let's connect! Book a no-obligation call today. The Next Step: Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom So the next time imposter syndrome tries to creep in — remind yourself: the voice that says you’re failing across the board is not telling you the whole truth. You have more evidence of your capability than you’ve been willing to see. You’ve got this, girlfriend. And I’m cheering you on every step of the way. Tend to yourself. Trust yourself. Lead your homeschool life from the inside out. If something in this post is sitting with you — a decision you’ve been circling, a knowing you’ve been ignoring — I’d love to talk. Book a free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session and let’s look together at what’s keeping you from stepping into your own authority. The link is below. Book your free Aligned Homeschool Reset Session I help homeschool moms trust themselves, edit expectations, and make intentional choices that create a more confident, connected, and present homeschool life. Book your Reset Session with Teresa People also ask: Discover 10 Signs You Need a Homeschool Life Coach to Thrive How to Homeschool Middle School with Confidence Reimagine Your Homeschool: Feel Free, Inspire Curiosity and Do What Works How a Homeschool Life Coach Can Transform Your Journey as a BC Homeschool Moms How to Address Doubt in your Homeschool Choice with Confidence 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 Why You're Losing Confidence as a Homeschool Mom (and How to Get It Back) How to Help your Kids Read with Confidence 6 Challenges Every Struggling Homeschool Mom Faces — and How to Transform Them The Honest Truth About Homeschooling: Struggles You're Not Talking About (and How Homeschool Mom Support Can Help You Overcome Them) Latest episodes Crush 1st-Year Homeschool Frustrations and Plan a Smooth Year 2 May 30, 2026 Encouragement for Homeschool Moms in the 1st Year May 30, 2026 Transitioning into Homeschool High School: What We're Really Talking About May 26, 2026 Registered Homeschooling vs Online Learning BC: What Really Matters May 19, 2026 Homeschool Year End Review: Celebrating your Success & Growth May 12, 2026 When You Buy New Homeschool Curriculum: 5 Clever Suggestions May 6, 2026 The Truth About Homeschooling the “Right Way” — But What Works May 5, 2026 9 Steps to Thrive: Confident Homeschool Mom in Year 1 April 28, 2026 What If Your Unrealistic Expectations Are Actually Your Greatest Asset? April 21, 2026 Overcome Imposter Syndrome: How to Build Confidence as a Homeschool Mom April 14, 2026 How to Get Started Homeschooling in 2026 April 11, 2026 9 Mistakes That Make Your 1st Homeschool Year Stressful (& How to Avoid Them) April 9, 2026 How to Make Confident Homeschool Decisions (Without Seeking Permission) April 7, 2026 How to Homeschool When Everyone Has ADHD (And You’re Exhausted) March 31, 2026 Exhausted Homeschool Mom? 8 Things That Will Give You Hope March 24, 2026 Stop Second-Guessing as a Homeschool Mom (& Use Your Magic) March 17, 2026 “You’re Not Falling Apart. You’re in the Winter Homeschool Slump.” March 10, 2026 The Lies Homeschool Moms Believe That Makes Everything Harder March 2, 2026 You’re Not Failing. You’re Caught In An Inner Critic Loop. Here’s How to Get Out February 24, 2026 How to Stop People-Pleasing as a Homeschool Mom (One Mom’s Story) February 17, 2026 How to Stop the Inner Critic as a Homeschool Mom: The Charmed Life I Was Chasing (& the Pattern I Didn’t Know I Was Living) February 10, 2026 The Most Important Way to Take Care of Yourself as an Overwhelmed Homeschool Mom February 2, 2026 How to Do Kindergarten in Your Homeschool: A Fun & Effective Guide January 29, 2026 The Real Reason You’re Overwhelmed (It’s Not the Curriculum) January 26, 2026 Unexpected Feelings When Your Homeschooler Gets Accepted to University January 22, 2026 How to Stop Being a Hostage to Homeschool Pressure (& What to Do Instead) January 19, 2026 The Truth About Finding Your Homeschool Rhythm January 13, 2026 The Confident Homeschool Mom Podcast: Introducing the 1% Pivot January 6, 2026 Purpose-Driven Homeschool Planning for 2026: How to Recalibrate the Year with Clarity December 23, 2025 1% Shift to a Calm Homeschool Life December 23, 2025 12 Things I've Learned About Homeschool Moms: Self-Care Tips for Overwhelmed Homeschool Moms December 10, 2025 12-Day Homeschool Mom Self-Care Challenge to Come Back to Yourself December 2, 2025 What is the Reimagine Your Homeschool Group Coaching? November 18, 2025 Not Just a Homeschool Mom — Why You’re Disappearing (And How to Come Back) November 11, 2025 Teaching World War to a Homeschooled Eight Year Old November 10, 2025 Reimagine Your Homeschool: Feel Free, Inspire Curiosity and Do What Works November 5, 2025 the role of imagination in a home education November 4, 2025 Helping Our Kids Live Their Lives on Purpose: A Practical Guide for Homeschool Moms October 28, 2025 How to Set Realistic High School Expectations? Learn Human Development October 20, 2025 How to Build Homeschool Routines that Support YOU October 14, 2025 Why Deschooling? To Feel Confident, Certain & Good Enough October 7, 2025 The Ultimate Guide to Building Boundaries and Healthy Relationships for Homeschool Moms September 23, 2025 Ultimate Homeschool Overwhelm Quiz That Reveals Your Hidden Stress Triggers in 5 Minutes September 15, 2025 Start Homeschooling in British Columbia: How to Decide September 9, 2025 How to Create an Effective Homeschool Routine that Works for You September 2, 2025 Interest-Led Homeschool for Confident Moms: An Enneagram 8 Mom's Story of Growth August 28, 2025 How Do I Unschool My Child? 5 Simple Steps to Set Them Free August 19, 2025 Top Tips for New Homeschool Moms in Season 3 August 11, 2025 5 Challenges Working Homeschool Moms Face—And How to Overcome Them August 5, 2025 Reclaim You: Rediscover Life Beyond the Homeschool Mom Role July 22, 2025 Subscribe to the Confident Homeschool Mom podcast YouTube Apple Audible Spotify Originally published January 24, 2025. Updated April 14, 2026. Call to Adventure by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3470-call-to-adventureLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (function(m,a,i,l,e,r){ m['MailerLiteObject']=e;function f(){ var c={ a:arguments,q:[]};var r=this.push(c);return "number"!=typeof r?r:f.bind(c.q);} f.q=f.q||[];m[e]=m[e]||f.bind(f.q);m[e].q=m[e].q||f.q;r=a.createElement(i); var _=a.getElementsByTagName(i)[0];r.async=1;r.src=l+'?v'+(~~(new Date().getTime()/1000000)); _.parentNode.insertBefore(r,_);})(window, document, 'script', 'https://static.mailerlite.com/js/universal.js', 'ml'); var ml_account = ml('accounts', '1815912', 'p9n9c0c7s5', 'load');

Is it important for you to be liked by everyone? Do you ever hold back on an idea because you're terrified of what someone else might say? Or have you made a major life decision — like what career to pursue or who to date — based on what others thought you should do, rather than what you actually wanted to do? If any of this sounds familiar, today's episode is for you. If your self-worth depends on an opinion poll, you'll always feel unstable. Fortunately, you don't have to let other people's opinions control your life. Some of the things I talk about are: Why your brain is wired to fear rejection and how it impacts your self-esteem The science behind why external validation creates stress and lowers autonomy How to build self-worth on a foundation you control A mental trick called "The Permission Slip" that frees you from needing others' approval Why setting boundaries feels awkward at first — and how to survive the discomfort A simple challenge to help you take back control of your life this week Subscribe to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mentally Stronger Premium⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for exclusive content like weekly bonus episodes, mental strength challenges, and office hours with me. Related Episodes ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 251 — How to Stop Being a People-Pleaser With Psychotherapist Meg Josephson 120 — How to Stop Being a People-Pleaser and Start Gaining the Confidence to Be Yourself Connect with the Show Buy a copy of⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Connect with Amy on Instagram —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@AmyMorinAuthor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Visit my website —⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AmyMorinLCSW.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sponsors Quince — Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Quince.com/stronger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns! AirDoctor — Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AirDoctorPro.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and use promo code STRONGER to get UP TO $300 off today! Function Health — Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠functionhealth.com/stronger⁠⁠⁠⁠ or use gift code STRONGER25 for a $25 credit toward your membership. One Skin — Go to ⁠⁠⁠oneskin.co/STRONGER⁠⁠⁠ and use code stronger to get 15% off using code STRONGER Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices