 Who are your close friends? What do you do to cultivate friendships in your life? Friendship as an adult can feel like we’re unicorn-hunting, clinging to some childhood ideal or tv show standard. But real life friendship requires risk and it can come and go in seasons. And it is so worth it.  We’re taking time this summer (as usual) to be mentored by an experienced mom and benefit from her wisdom. Bonus! My guest for these 6 weeks is both wise AND funny.  Join me for conversations with wife, mom, author, and podcaster Cynthia Yanof. We’ll answer some listener questions, share our experiences, and laugh a lot. Connect with Cynthia Yanof:  Website:  https://cynthiayanof.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.yanof  Instagram:  @cynthiayanof  Podcast: MESSmerized Links Mentioned:    Find Your People by Jennie Allen  Related Episodes: Be Vulnerable, Find Your People :: Jennie Allen [Ep 354]  Friendship is Hard :: Amy Weatherly & Jess Johnston [Ep 350] Healing from Broken Friendships :: Shundria Riddick [Ep 321] Helping Our Kids Foster Friendships :: David Thomas & Sissy Goff [Ep 338] Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 

Don't Mom Alone Podcast

The Unicorn That is Adult Friendship :: Cynthia Yanof - Summer of Mentorship - Wk 3 [Ep 416]

 What do you feel when your child is struggling? How do you decide when to step in?  Whether it's fighting for your attention from a new baby or struggling with a new skill there are times for us to intervene and there are times for us to let our kids be uncomfortable. Yes, because we’re limited, but also because, as our summer of mentorship guest puts it, “If I want to raise kids that can stand alone, then I've gotta let them.” We’re taking time this summer (as usual) to be mentored by an experienced mom and benefit from her wisdom. Bonus! My guest for these 6 weeks is both wise AND funny.  Join me for conversations with wife, mom, author, and podcaster Cynthia Yanof. We’ll answer some listener questions, share our experiences, and laugh a lot.  Connect with Cynthia Yanof:  Website:  https://cynthiayanof.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.yanof  Instagram:  @cynthiayanof  Podcast: MESSmerized Related Episodes: Resolving Sibling Conflict :: Jim & Lynne Jackson [Ep 126] 5 Principles to Guide Motherhood :: Rosemary McFadyen [Ep 44] Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors. 

Raising Kids Who Can Stand Alone :: Cynthia Yanof - Summer of Mentorship - Wk 2 [Ep 415]

12What do you do when your kid lies? What about when your kid doesn’t make the team? Is this your failure or theirs…or is it something else?  We’re taking time this summer (as usual) to be mentored by an experienced mom and benefit from her wisdom. Bonus! My guest for these 6 weeks is both wise AND funny.  Join me for conversations with wife, mom, author, and podcaster Cynthia Yanof. We’ll answer some listener questions, share our experiences, and laugh a lot.  Connect with Cynthia Yanof:  Website:  https://cynthiayanof.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cynthia.yanof  Instagram:  @cynthiayanof  Podcast: MESSmerized Related Episodes: Focus on Growth vs Guilt :: Lisa Bever [Ep 291] Choosing Connection Over Critique :: Rachel Macy Stafford [Ep 280] Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.   

Little Liar Face :: Cynthia Yanof - Summer of Mentorship - wk 1 [Ep 414]

How does your child’s behavior reflect on you?  That’s a trick question -  it doesn’t. But it’s easy for us to feel that it does. Parenting a neurodivergent child can heighten those feelings of guilt or shame when our child doesn’t behave in an expected way or when traditional forms of discipline or parenting simply don’t work. Pile on top of that everyone’s summer activity and vacation social media posts and you might be tempted to believe the lie that your family is less than somehow, or always missing out.  My guest this week, Carrie Cassell, is mom to some fantastic neurodivergent kids. Her profound encouragement to “go with the child you have, not the child you wish you had” reaches to every mom. Through her honesty with her own emotions and journey through motherhood thus far she reminds us neurodivergent brains aren’t bad or broken, they’re unique.  Carrie created a space online for parents and caregivers of neurodivergent kids, Mosaic Connection. She invites parents into community to free them from isolation and shame, to connect them with themselves and do the inner work so they can help their kids believe the best about themselves.  Connect with Carrie Cassell:  Website:  https://www.mosaicconnection.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089418138152  Instagram:  @MosaicConnectionInsta  YouTube: Mosaic Connection - YouTube    Related Episodes: It’s Not About the Food :: Angie Buja & Carrie Cassell [Ep 173] Helping Your Child with Sensory Processing Issues :: Lynne Jackson [Ep 258] Parenting Sensitive and Intense Kids :: Lynne Jackson and Lydia Rex [Ep 395] When Your Child is on the Autism Spectrum (Part One) :: Terri Conlin [Ep 182] When Your Child is on the Autism Spectrum (Part Two) :: Terri Conlin [Ep 182] ADHD :: Sarah Furlich [Ep 165]   Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

Parenting Neurodivergent Children--Summer Edition :: Carrie Casell [Ep 413]

If your God-given assignment is to work outside of your home or the WFH life,  how do you manage the schedules and responsibilities and feelings that accompany those places?  Mothering well is always hard - whether you work outside of the home or not. But moms who do work outside the home can feel a particular kind of difficulty caught between wanting to be the best mom and the best at work. My guest this week, Diane Paddison, gives us great encouragement and insight. As a single mom on a global executive team she zeroed in on what was important and built her schedule from those priorities. Diane has served as global executive of two Fortune 500 companies and is a leading advocate for women in the workplace. She is the founder and president of 4Word Women, a mentoring ministry for Christian women.  Connect with Diane Paddison:  Website:  https://4wordwomen.org/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/4wordwomen  Instagram:  @4wordwomen LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/4wordwomen   Links Mentioned:   https://4wordwomen.org/  Work, Love, Pray: Practical Wisdom for Professional Christian Woman and Those Who Want to Understand Them by Diane Paddison Be Refreshed: A Year of Devotions for Women in the Workplace by Diane Paddison   Related Episodes: Corporate Working Moms :: Causha Jolly & Stacey McCabe [Ep 205] Working from Home :: Jehava Brown [Ep 288]  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

Mentoring for Women in the Workplace :: Diane Paddison [Ep 412]

What do you feel when you hear, “It’s summertime”? Dread? Excitement? Anxiety? All three?  No matter how many summers you’ve been mom-ing it’s the same - there will be fun and boredom, magical moments and fighting and we’ll be tired of it and wish it wouldn’t end. Join me this week as we talk about how to ENJOY summer, navigate sibling conflict, and much more.  Clips from these original episodes: Summer (& Sibling) Survival Guide :: Kirk Martin [Ep 77] Summer Strategies :: Laura and Courtney [Ep 249]  Links Mentioned: Evil for Evil [DMA BLOG POST] Laura Hernandez Surviving Summer Course Courtney Cleveland All the Best Days Travel Guides, Packing Lists and Bags Kirk Martin Celebrate Calm Reusable Water Balloons Water Gun Activity  Sidewalk chalk Cynthia Yanof, host of the MESSmerized podcast Summer of Mentorship (sign up here for podcast club emails)  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

A Mash-Up of Summer Support [Ep 411]

What are your patterns of prayer? Has it been hard for you to fall into a rhythm of prayer? We know that prayer matters and works. It changes us, it opens our eyes to where God is at work around us. We want to pray for our kids, for ourselves, for others we love - why does it feel so difficult to jump in? My guest this week is Natasha Miller, The Praying Mama, and our conversation is full of encouragement for your prayer life. Through her own journey into connection with the Lord through prayer, Natasha invites us to know God’s nearness and to leave a legacy of trust in Him.   Connect with Natasha Miller:  Website:  https://natashaannmiller.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/natashaannmillerlive  Instagram:  @natashaannmiller  Podcast: Her Freedom Podcast  Links Mentioned:    Praying the Scriptures Journal by Jodie Berndt Related Episodes: Praying the Scriptures :: Jodie Berndt [Ep 194] Listening to the Lord :: Kelsey Phillips [Ep 279]  When You Don’t Know What to Pray :: Kayla Craig [Ep 344] Available Now:  Heather’s new book, “Right Where You Belong” is now available wherever books are sold.  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.   

The Praying Mama :: Natasha Miller [Ep 410]

What’s The Thing you knew that you couldn’t talk to your parents about when you were growing up? Emotions you had or mistakes you made?  As moms we want to connect with our kids, we want to be their source of truth and guidance as they grow, but how do we cultivate that sort of connection and trust?  My guest this week, mom and author Kristen Hatton, helps us set the stage for walking alongside our kids through the tween and teen years (and beyond!). Her new book, Parenting Ahead, helps you evaluate your parenting and learn strategies for redemptive living and genuine connection with your kids. She encourages us that from the foundation of deep trust in God and his great love for you and your children, you can faithfully coach them through the realities of growing up. Connect with Kristen Hatton:  Website:  https://www.kristenhatton.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kristenhattonauthor  Instagram: @redemptiveparenting  @kristen_hatton  Twitter: @hattonkb  Links Mentioned:    Parenting Ahead: Preparing Now for the Teen Years by Kirsten Hatton   Related Episodes: Get Your Story Straight :: Kristen Hatton [Ep 113] Summer of Mentorship 2018 :: Kristen Hatton [Week Four] Connecting With Your Daughter Through Humility and Compassion :: Kari Kampakis - part 1 [Ep 390] Ages & Stages Series - The Tween Years :: Charissa Lopez [Ep 380] Available Now:  Heather’s new book, “Right Where You Belong” is now available wherever books are sold.  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.   

Parenting Ahead :: Kristen Hatton [Ep 409]

What do modern manners look like? Manners are simply social behaviors or habits - you can have good ones or you can have bad ones. But it's been 101 years since Emily Post first published her book on manners and etiquette and it only seems as though lately we, as a society, have regressed in our social behaviors.  My guest this week, Lee Cordon, has long felt called to make an impact on this generation and the next, to help people be gracious in all they do, say, and give. Sure, manners include which fork to use when, but it is much more than that. It’s a way to show love and respect to our neighbors and ourselves. In our digital age where boundaries can be blurry, Lee offers us encouragement in training our children (at any age) to respond with grace and dignity.  DoSayGive tackles the topics that most traditional manners classes don’t, like social media and texting etiquette, how to be a good friend, and how to communicate with ease and consideration. DoSayGive also offers on demand video courses for tween and teen girls and boys (see links below).  Connect with Lee Cordon:  Website:  https://dosaygive.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dosaygive  Instagram:  @dosaygive  Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/dosaygive/  Twitter: @DoSayGive    Links Mentioned:   https://theturquoisetable.com/  A Young Man’s Guide to Manners on Do Say Give  use code: HEATHER for 20% off Etiquette Course for Tween/Teen Girls on Do Say Give use code: HEATHER for 20% off  Feeding the Mouth that Bites You: A Complete Guide to Parenting Adolescents and Launching Them Into the World by Kenneth Wilgus, Ph.D. 52 Modern Manners for Today’s Teens by Brooke Romney Related Episodes: The Turquoise Table :: Kristin Schell [Ep 37]  Adventures of a Boy Mom :: Monica Swanson [Ep 254] Tea Time for Boys {A Tribute to my Mom Mentors} blog post  Available Now:  Heather’s new book, “Right Where You Belong” is now available wherever books are sold.  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

Important Topics to Cover with Tweens and Teens about Manners, Technology and Friendship :: Lee Cordon [Ep 408]

What is a place you’d rather not go? One that sounds nearly unbearable. The DMV? The school pick-up line?  What about going into a serious medical diagnosis or a financial crisis?  Following Jesus is no safeguard against difficulty in life. God may give you an assignment that feels impossible and overwhelming. That is where my guest this week, mom and author/speaker Cari Trotter, found herself in early 2021.  But what Cari also found in those hellish months following a difficult diagnosis echoed what concentration camp survivor Victor Frankl says, “Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.”  Cari’s life shifted in an instant and her identity, health, and expectations of the future shifted too. But she found a solid rock to anchor to in her relationship with God - wherever he was leading her. However dark or lonely the path she was never alone. Her meaning and purpose were not gone because the Lord was her strength and her song. She is right where she belongs.  Connect with Cari Trotter:  Website:  https://www.caritrotter.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caritrotter1  Instagram:  @cari.trotter  Twitter: @caritrotter  Links Mentioned:   Struck: One Christian’s Reflections on Encountering Death by Russ Ramsey Every Moment Holy, Volume I: New Liturgies for Daily Life by Douglas Kaine McKelvey    Related Episodes: Two Questions for a Glorious Becoming :: Cari Trotter [Ep 40] Week Six Summer of Mentorship 2020 :: Stacey Thacker  You Are Never Alone :: Max Lucado [Ep 298] Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.   

Occupying Suffering Spaces :: Cari Trotter [Ep 407] RWYB Series Wk 6

Have you ever seen a “magic towel” that swells and “grows” when you put it in water? Have you shrunk a shirt in the laundry? At different times in our lives God assigns us a space that we have to shrink or swell to occupy. This could mean giving up beloved roles, or taking on responsibilities we don’t want. How do we respond when we find ourselves in these situations?  My guest this week is Courtney Defeo. At God’s leading she stepped back from a high-profile career and dreams of being a CEO so her husband could step forward in his career pursuits. She put certain things on hold to create the family and home culture she wants. While at first glance it might seem like she’s squandering her talent and intellect, when she looks around her life she sees things that can only be done now. She feels the freedom to use her gifts in the spaces she’s in now.  Connect with [Courtney DeFeo]:  Website:  https://courtneydefeo.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CourtneyDeFeoPage/  Instagram:  @courtney_defeo Links Mentioned:   Right Where You Belong by Heather MacFadyen  Treasured Journal: An Interactive Experience for a Tween Girl & Her Mom by Courtney DeFeo  In This House, We Will Giggle: Making Virtues, Love, and Laughter a Daily Part of Your Family Life by Courtney DeFeo  Raising Them Ready: Practical Ways to Prepare Your Kids for Life on Their Own by Jonathan & Erica Catherman   Related Episodes: Uninvited :: Lysa TerKeurst, Kay Wyma, & Courtney DeFeo [Ep 131] Light ‘Em Up :: Courtney DeFeo [Ep 50] Inner Healing Prayer :: Jennifer Barnett [Ep 323] Listening to the Lord :: Kelsey Phillips [Ep 279] Available Now:  Heather’s new book, “Right Where You Belong” is now available wherever books are sold.  Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.   

Shrinking or Swelling to Fill Your Space :: Courtney DeFeo [Ep 406]

What is my God-given space? How do I figure that out? What if my God-given assignments feel at odds with one another?  My guest this week is wife, mom, and singer-songwriter Caroline Cobb. She also deeply enjoys studying the Bible and writing songs, and at times, with little margin in her life, she has asked those questions and more. She shares with us how she learned to lean in, not to the perfect formula for time management and balance, but to the relationship she had with God and his daily and minute-by-minute leadings.  Connect with Caroline Cobb:  Website:  https://www.carolinecobb.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carolinecobbmusic  Instagram:  @carolinecobbmusic  Spotify: Caroline Cobb  YouTube: Caroline Cobb  Links Mentioned:   Caroline’s albums  Psalms: the Poetry of Prayer Album Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy With God by Timothy Keller  Related Episodes: Listening to the Lord :: Kelsey Philips [Ep 279] Thinking Differently About Rhythms of Rest :: Shelly Miller [Ep 181] Sunday Planning :: Retha Nichole [Ep 349] Exclusive Pre-Order:  Pre-Order Right Where You Belong: How to Identify and Fully Occupy Your God-Given Space and receive a FREE audiobook copy narrated by Heather MacFadyen (offer expires 4/18) Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.   

Listening for God's Leading :: Caroline Cobb [Ep 405] RWYB wk 4

What is unique about your life experience? Was your first thought, “Nothing”? Even the life that feels ho-hum is unique because no one else is wired precisely like you are, experiencing life precisely like you are.  My guest this week is author, speaker, and mom, Sally Clarkson. Having moved 23 times in her life she has had to find things she can take with her wherever she goes. A favorite of hers is connecting with people over tea. She encourages us to adopt simple rhythms that fit our experience and wiring and allow us to connect with who and what matters most to us.   Connect with Sally Clarkson:  Website:  https://sallyclarkson.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/therealsallyclarkson/  Instagram:  @sally.clarkson Links Mentioned:    Tea Time Discipleship: Sharing Faith One Cup at a Time by Sally Clarkson  Related Episodes: Weathering Life’s Storms :: Sally Clarkson [Ep 336] Week Four Summer of Mentorship :: Sally Clarkson Cultivating Friendships in a World of Isolation :: Sally Clarkson [Ep 233]  Choose What Matters to You :: Kendra Adachii [Ep 293] Exclusive Pre-Order:  Pre-Order Right Where You Belong: How to Identify and Fully Occupy Your God-Given Space and receive a FREE audiobook copy, narrated by Heather MacFadyen Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.   

Identifying Your God-Given Space (Part 2) :: Sally Clarkson [Ep 404] RWYB Series wk 3

What do you think when you hear the word “boundary”? Boundaries keep things in, keep things out, and help us feel safe. But they can also feel limiting, and we don’t always get to choose our boundaries. That’s where my guest this week, Cleere Cherry Reaves, encourages us to humbly submit to the space and assignment God has given us. Through her experience as a follower of Christ and a mom, she reminds us of this: in whatever way we are experiencing the boundaries of time and place, we can control where we spend our attention, our perspective, and how we inhabit our God-given space.  Connect with Cleere Cherry Reaves:  Website:  https://www.cleerelystated.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cleerelystated/  Instagram:  @cleerelystated  Links Mentioned:    The Miracle of You by Cleere Cherry Reaves  Related Episodes: Praising Through the Pain of Physical Limitations :: Karen Harmon [Ep 231] Signpost Parenting :: Ann Voskamp [Ep 394]  Recovering from Mom Burnout :: Nicole Zasowski [Ep 357] Exclusive Pre-Order:  Pre-Order Right Where You Belong: How to Identify and Fully Occupy Your God-Given Space and fill out the form to get a FREE audiobook copy narrated by Heather. Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.   

Identifying Your God-Given Space (Part 1) :: Cleere Cherry Reaves [Ep 403] RWYB wk 2

What would it look like for you to live your best life? What if someone told you that you already are living your best life? Not because you’ve accomplished and arranged things just how you want, but because not only is God with you exactly where you are, but because he purposefully placed you there.  My guest this week, author and mom Vaneetha Risner, encourages us with her harrowing story of intense suffering and God meeting her right in its midst. Frustrated by circumstances and eager to experience God in the same manner others did she felt the Lord gently saying to her, “This is where I've placed you. This is where I'm gonna meet you. I'm not gonna expect you to climb mountains or do things you can't do to meet me.”  Do you feel out of place? Are you looking for the unique and specific ways God wants to use you? Join us for a series focused around my new book, Right Where You Belong: How to Identify and Fully Occupy Your God-Given Space. We’ll walk together through six stories of women leaning into the varied assignments God has given them.   Connect with Vaneetha Risner:  Website:  https://www.vaneetha.com/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vaneetharisner  Instagram:  @vaneetharisner  Twitter: @vaneetharisner    Links Mentioned:   Walking Through Fire: A Memoir of Loss and Redemption by Vaneetha Risner Desperate for Hope: Questions We Ask God in Suffering, Loss, and Longing by Vaneetha Risner (Bible Study)  The Scars That Have Shaped Me: How God Meets Us in Suffering by Vaneetha Risner Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament by Mark Vroegop Suffering: Gospel Hope When Life Doesn’t Make Sense by Paul David Tripp Walking With God Through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller  A Lifetime of Wisdom: Embracing the Way God Heals You by Joni Eareckson Tada   Exclusive Pre-Order:  Pre-Order Right Where You Belong: How to Identify and Fully Occupy Your God-Given Space and receive a FREE audiobook copy, narrated by Heather MacFadyen Related Episodes: The Good God Wants for Our Families :: Paul David Tripp [Ep 285] Bottles of Hope :: Lindsey Wheeler [Ep 386] Faith for the Unexpected :: Christine Caine [Ep 202] Brave Enough to be Broken :: Toni Collier [Ep 388] Featured Sponsors:  Find links to this week’s sponsors and unique promo codes at dontmomalone.com/sponsors.

How to Never Miss Out :: Vaneetha Risner [Ep 402] RWYB Series Wk 1

Heather MacFadyen, mother of four boys, connects you the listener with people and resources to help you feel less alone. Consider it an invitation to "withness".

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Don't Mom Alone Podcast

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