Vicki Courtney is an author, speaker, and mom who has spent years helping parents navigate the hard conversations that come with raising kids in today’s culture. Through her books and ministry, she equips parents to talk honestly with their kids about faith, culture, relationships, and the challenges they’re facing.

In this top 10 episode (which originally aired on March 18, 2019), Vicki and I talk about how to parent with courage and humility in a culture that can feel increasingly unfamiliar to Christian families. Instead of parenting from fear, Vicki encourages us to make space for honest questions, lead with love, and create an environment where our kids know they can come to us with anything. Even when the world feels uncertain, Jesus is still our hope, and our kids need parents who are willing to walk alongside them as they wrestle with faith.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How Vicki came to know Jesus and the ministry God called her to
• The culture our kids are growing up in and why it can feel increasingly unfriendly to the Christian faith
• Why we need to teach our kids to walk in truth while leading with love
• How to make room for meaningful conversations by creating margin in your family
• The pressure moms feel to make sure their kids are doing everything: sports, music, activities, academics, and more
• Letting go of the belief that we have to orchestrate our children's futures
• Giving our kids room to fail, wrestle, and learn from failure
• Creating an environment where our kids feel safe coming to us with anything
• Why real-time conversations and our attitude toward our kids matters
• Parenting without shame, finger-wagging, or pretending we have it all together
• What the prodigal son and the older brother teach us about God's grace
• The challenges young men are facing as they grow into adulthood

• Finding hope when you're afraid of the world your kids are growing up in

• Website: Vicki Courtney
• Instagram: Vicki Courtney (@vickicourtney)
• Facebook: Vicki Courtney

• 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter: By Vicki Courtney
• 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Son: By Vicki Courtney
• The Prodigal God: By Timothy Keller
• Revolutionary Parenting: By George Barna

• How Parents Can Equip Kids to Find Freedom, Healing, and Identity in Christ :: Jennifer Barnett [Ep 577]
• Gospel-Focused Conversations :: Joel Fitzpatrick [Ep. 251]
• The Parenting Shift That Changes Everything :: David Thomas and Sissy Goff [Ep 572]

Featured Sponsors:

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• Finding Jesus Countdown to Christmas Kit: Finding Jesus is a fun and meaningful countdown to Christmas that turns seeking Jesus into a daily family tradition. You can find the Finding Jesus Countdown to Christmas Kit at SeekHimFirst.com/HEATHER. You can also order on amazon here.

Amanda Taylor is the woman behind From Playgrounds to Psych Wards, where she shares her story of postpartum mental illness, recovery, motherhood, faith, and hope. After the birth of her fourth child in 2013, following a traumatic labor and delivery, Amanda experienced severe postpartum mental health challenges that ultimately became an 18-month journey through postpartum psychosis, hospitalization, and recovery. Today, she uses her story to help other women and families recognize the warning signs, ask for help, and remember that there is hope beyond the darkest seasons.

We talk about the difference between the normal challenges of new motherhood, postpartum depression and anxiety, and something more serious like postpartum psychosis? In this powerful conversation, Amanda shares her firsthand experience of racing thoughts, sleeplessness, becoming disconnected from reality, hospitalization, and the long road back to herself. We talk about the warning signs that require immediate support, the critical role caregivers and family members play, how postpartum mental illness can impact a marriage, and how friends and church communities can practically support a struggling family. Most importantly, Amanda shares a message of hope for the mom who cannot imagine feeling normal again: your story is not over, you are not a burden, and healing is possible.

In This Episode:

• Understanding the differences between postpartum depression, anxiety, and psychosis
• Warning signs that may indicate a postpartum mental health emergency
• Mania, racing thoughts, confusion, rapid speech, and becoming disconnected from reality
• Why caregivers should trust their instincts and seek an evaluation when something feels wrong
• The importance of listening to the perspective of spouses, siblings, and caregivers
• How postpartum psychosis affected Amanda’s marriage and family
• How her husband continued to see Amanda beyond her mental illness
• The practical ways friends, family, and church communities can support a struggling family
• Why sometimes the best way to help is to simply show up and do something
• Asking for help and finding one trusted person to say, “I’m struggling”
• Amanda’s experience of feeling like she would never have a normal life again
• Why postpartum mental illness does not have to define the rest of your story

• Website: Home
• Instagram: Amanda Taylor (@amandataylor.life)

• From Playgrounds to Psych Wards: By Amanda & Colby Taylor
• Emergency Resources: Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department when someone may be experiencing psychosis or presents an immediate danger to herself or others.
• Emergency Resources: Call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
• Emergency Resources: Postpartum Support International HelpLine: 1-800-944-4773 or text HELP to 800-944-4773. The PSI HelpLine is not an emergency service. Postpartum Support International
• The Engaged Life
  
  

• Shame, Perfectionism and Smiling Depression :: Misty Persefield and Stephanie Coker [Ep 154]
• Hope and Help for Taboo Topics in Postpartum Care :: Krystle Howald [Ep 467]
• Postpartum Depression :: Brittany Turner [Ep 277]

Featured Sponsor:

• Honeylove: Save 20% off Honeylove by going to honeylove.com/DMA #honeylovepod

Melissa Harrison is the President and CEO of 4word, an organization that equips professional Christian women to integrate their faith and work through community, mentoring, and leadership development. 4word creates spaces where women can build authentic connections, grow in their leadership, and live out their purpose in every season of life. Melissa brings a unique perspective as a working mom navigating career, family, faith, and the many demands that come with trying to do it all.

About This Episode
What happens when you're trying to be a great mom, a great employee or leader, a good friend, and still take care of yourself? In this conversation, Melissa and I talk honestly about the pressure women feel to do it all, and what can get lost along the way. We talk about the loneliness that can come with busy seasons, why friendship and connection often get pushed to the bottom of the list, and the importance of intentionally making space for people. Whether you're a working mom or a stay-at-home mom, there's an invitation to step back and ask: Who am I beyond the roles I fill, and what would it look like to stop carrying everything alone?

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Balancing motherhood, career, family, and personal needs
• The loneliness that can come from living in a busy season
• Why friendship and camaraderie are often the first things to go
• Creating intentional connection through consistent, committed gathering
• Recognizing the triggers behind our need to measure up
• Knowing when it might be time to talk to someone and dig deeper
• The challenge of always feeling available to everyone
• Navigating seasons when work and family collide
• The power of mentorship and meaningful community

• Website: 4word
• Instagram: 4word (@4wordwomen)
• Facebook: 4word

• Work, Love, Pray: By Diane Paddison
• Tyranny of the Urgent: By Charles Hummel
• Mentor program for women
• BOLDLY Conference - 4word

• Corporate Working Moms :: Causha Jolly and Stacey McCabe [Ep 205]
• Working from Home :: Jehava Brown [Ep 288]
• Mentoring for Women in the Workplace :: Diane Paddison [Ep 412]

Featured Sponsors:

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