Inspiration from this Episode

“What's more dangerous for you when your heart is full of anxiety or when your heart is full of love?”

“It is a very, very powerful tool in terms of avoiding the blackness that anxiety can bring into a household”

“Maybe one of you thinks this is awesome and one of you thinks this is awful, but both are real for both of you.”

030 | Us & Kids: Falling in Love, Not into Anxiety

Intro 

On today’s show, we are taking it back to the times and memories of when you and your partner first fell in love. What were those feelings like? What about them made your heart skip a beat? So many things in our lives can cause anxiety, especially with everything that is going on in the world right now.

If we take the time to reminisce on the things our partner did or the things about them we loved, those chemicals in our brain can help combat some of that anxiety. We might be trying to find a new normal right...

Inspiration from this Episode

“We can feel like deer in the headlights. We're not making that adjustment so quickly.”

“It can become very tempting for us to take on the blame for things gone wrong.”

“How did your parents handle change? How did people that you admire handle change?”

029 | Us & Kids: Perspective, Childhood Beliefs, and Generating Change: Adults

Intro 

On today’s show, we talk about all the changes that we have to make. How do we make them and stay an adult? Sometimes there are so many changes. They come at us so fast that just even the change of what's for supper can tip us over. We wonder how that can happen? Why can't I just stay self-composed for that little thing?

This shouldn't be such a big deal. Well, sometimes we have these thoughts, right that everything goes wrong. Even when we're adults, and it can be a fairly common thought when there are lots of big changes and we're not really sure about...

Inspiration from this Episode

“Their brains are much like ours in terms of, always gathering information, always trying to figure things out.”

“They have ways to act it, but no ways to say it.”

“Anything that's different for you, they probably are picking up in some ways.”

028 | Us & Kids: Helping Kids Adjust to Life Changes

Intro 

On today’s show, we're going to talk about adjusting to life changes and what happens to our kids. We all know, life changes and usually not when we want it to. And, if we have littles, then life changes for them too. And, what might be a good change for mom and dad might seem like chaos and disconnections for our little ones.  

Every little milestone that our kiddos acheive or strive for often comes with a lot of hard times in their little minds. All of the things that come simply and easily to us are huge challenges that they face constantly. It takes about 3 months for a change...

Inspiration from this Episode

“Adjustment to a newborn is a big deal for our brains and our bodies.”

“They’re not trying to make your life miserable, they’re trying to figure it out too.”

“Don’t always talk about the baby. Talk about the future. Talk about real life plans.”

026 | Us & Kids: The Infant Between Us

Intro 

On today’s show, this is going to be an interesting episode especially if you are a new parent. We are going to be talking about infancy and adding an infant to our lives and family. It’s not always an easy adjustment to bring a little one home. People like to think about all the great and fun things that come with a new baby arriving.

But we also have to remember that it's hard, it's tiring, and we usually don’t know what’s going on. We usually don’t really know how to care for this new being but we sure have to figure it out quickly. It can be very easy to...

 Inspiration from this Episode

“When we encourage, we help our kiddos gain courage.”

“It’s easy to be nice when somebody is being nice to you.”

“Encouragement also brings calmness because the encouragement says, I believe in you.”

024 | Us & Kids: P is for Parent (or How to Encourage our Kids to Gain Courage)

Intro 

On today’s show, we are going to talk about what it means to be a parent. We all have different things come to mind when we think about what it’s like to be a parent. Some people think exhaustion, others might think encouraging, challenging, or funny. 

There are so many different approaches to parenting because we all have different personalities. Parenting also might look different for people because of the kiddo’s they are parenting. As we work our way into through the letters in PARENT we will find some many reminders that being a good parent is mostly about us.

...

Inspiration from this Episode

“Don’t just say I love you, also act it.”

“Listen to feedback from your spouse on what makes them calm down and hear them.”

“Help them learn, help them through the flops.”

023 | Us & Kids: How to Become Bilingual

Intro 

On today’s show, we are learning how your brain best receives love so that it can sink into your heart and being is good to know - and good for others to know. Of course - you would also then want to know what language your spouse speaks so that you can clearly and deeply communicate your deep love for them in a way that they easily understand.  

Did you know that love can have many different languages? And that you and your spouse and other family members can all speak a different language? Don’t be overwhelmed just yet - these languages are pretty easy as they share the common base to them - the base of love.  

What You’ll...

Inspiration from this Episode

“We don’t have much control when the sun shines, but we must take advantage of it when it’s there.”

“15 to 20 minutes outside can really give you a nice boost.”

“When we have that sense of camaraderie, we're not alone.”

020 | Us & Kids: Light to Feel Right

Intro 

On today’s show, we're talking about something most people like to avoid talking about - depression. Depression can affect many of us for so many reasons and in so many different ways. The reason depression leaves us feeling a variety of different emotions from sluggish to sadness or even loneliness is because of the serotonin levels in our brain. Serotonin is a hormone that brings us happiness, pleasure and that upbeat feeling. 

Many of us are also affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD due to the gloomy weather, lack of sunshine or grey skies we see a lot of in the winter. Yes, weather can impact...

Inspiration from this Episode

“I can encourage them, but I don’t have control over them.”

“I had to own those emotions and make a plan.”

“Challenge what you think is truth and ask yourself internally whether or not it’s really true.”

019 | Us & Kids: Resolutions

Intro 

On today’s show, even though we are 14 days into the new year, are we still thinking and talking about resolutions? So much has happened this year already that whatever I was energized for on December 31, 2019 is long, long gone!  

But, what if we think about resolutions in a different way - that doesn’t have this winner/loser message in it? What if we think about it in a way that let’s us be creative, make small changes that bring about good wins and successes?

What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode

• Reevaluating how we think about resolutions.
• Getting clear on what you want to change.
• How your...

Inspiration from this Episode

“We know your brain and your body wants you to sleep.”

“They don’t know what to do with those emotions so sometimes they just cry.”

“Your goal is to help them go to sleep efficiently or quickly.”

018 | Us & Kids: Sleep, Please! Sleep.

Intro 

On today’s show, in honor of National Sleep Day, we'll take some time to remember why sleep is so important. And why getting to sleep can be so tricky—for us adults, who have practiced sleeping for many, many hours—to our littles who are not very great at it just yet. Physical and emotional connections play a significant role in turning your brain down and letting the delightful weirdness of sleep move in. Enjoy—even in your dreams!

What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode

• The effects of caffeine and alcohol.
• Cutting out the extra screen time.
• Working on the quality time with our partner.
• How to maintain a...

Inspiration from this Episode

“It really helped us stay steady in the traumatic year we had.”

“We had learned to value each others input and perspective.”

“Maybe it’s ending a habit, maybe it’s starting a new one.”

017 | Us & Kids: How to Have Remarkable Courage in Difficult Years

Intro 

On today’s show, we are celebrating the last day of the year as we bring in the New Year. It’s often hard not to get up in the “year in review” mode when we get to the end of the year. It can be important to look back and see where we have been and how far we’ve come. Sometimes though, we might have difficult or painful that happened to us this past year that are hard to relive. 

What You’ll Learn in Today’s Episode

• Reviewing the good and the bad.
• Finding calmness through our partner.
• What we can achieve if we don’t quit.
• How to build that solid foundation.

Resources...