Don’t worry -- I’m not spilling state secrets or even major family secrets. These are not the kind of secrets you have to wait for some folks to pass on before you can share them. But, secrets all the same! We have so little gossip in our house of very even-tempered boys -- it’s kind of fun when we do!

People change. I know that old saying: you can’t teach and old dog new tricks. Well, I’m not so sure that’s true. We are all changing/evolving and sometimes we have to remember that the people in our lives may not always ’be’ who we remember them to be.

I do a lot of driving. But today’s episode is not about my driving, but Ben’s. Yes, the editor of this podcast is finally working on getting his driver’s license and, as with nearly every life experience, lessons abound!

This past weekend I flew to North Carolina to lead a retreat at a friend’s house. My first time doing something like this so I was excited and a bit nervous. It was wonderful, and, as with anything new, there are always take-aways! So, let’s chat about the retreat today!

Inspired by yet another one of my friend Cara Bradley’s Sparks, let’s talk about the adage ’How you do one thing is how you do everything.’ Because when it comes to ’energy,’ it is spot on!

Today’s episode is exactly as advertised. For once -- no rambling, no random stories. Proving that, despite the last 270 episodes of this podcast, I can actually stay on topic for 8 minutes! If you are looking for a guided meditation to help you get your ’hands off the wheel,’ this is it!

In today’s episode I share a bit about the mother/daughter retreat I hosted in September -- namely to share some ’visuals’ that the girls created during the retreat. Friends, you will absolutely love them!

Today’s episode is about making decisions. Imagine two doors in front of you -- wouldn’t it be so great if you just knew, with absolute certainty, which door you should go through? You’d never make a poor decision again! Annnnd, you’d also not be human. So, today, let’s talk about deciding between those two doors.

I don’t love getting advice -- I don’t even like self-help (Yes, this may be the most ironic statement I’ve ever written!). And I happen to think most people the same way. We pretty much want someone to listen and share space with us but, advice, not so much. So, today, let’s chat ’advice!’

Today, I share a couple great questions I recently received in advance of a JOY SCHOOL call. The questions were so good, I just had to share!

Today’s episode is about how to actually talk yourself off the ledge. The metaphorical ledge, of course! Recently, I found myself very anxious, holding my breath -- I needed to start talking to myself to breathe and calm down. Here’s how I did it!

What can I say?? Bowling is life! Well, maybe not, but it is a big part of our lives here in Pennsylvania. Today I share stories from a recent bowling tournament I attended and some lessons in what happens when you just let yourself enjoy the ride.

Yes, I think we can all agree that ’comparison is the thief of joy.’ But, we somehow make an exception for comparison to our past selves. And we are usually not focused on the myriad of ways in which we are now ’winning.’ So, today, let’s talk about our self-comparison habit!

Can we talk about an alternate reality for a moment? I know we primarily live in a very pragmatic reality where there’s laundry to do and toilets to clean and money is a limited resource. I often live there too. But there’s an alternate reality that we occasionally step into that doesn’t feel like chores and lists and sensible choices. So, today, let’s chat about that alternate reality!

Do you feel any of that ’fall energy’ around? Whether you have kids going back to school or not, fall can feel a bit more hectic, like it’s time to ’kick it into high gear’ after chillin’ all summer. And I can feel myself rebelling against the new, quicker pace.

Well, it’s official! I now I have three children in high school! How is that possible? Today’s episode is all about the first day. Kind of sad but talking about it definitely helps!

Do you ever notice that your body has this ’premonition’ feeling before your mind attaches to a worry? It’s fascinating. It’s almost like we feel the worry before we think it. Sometimes, I find I will forget what I was worried about but my body doesn’t forget. Today, let’s chat about worry, magnetic thoughts, and how to get out of the spiral.

Well, yes, this episode is about my 46th year around the sun! It was a very low-key, simple, and perfect day. What I want for my ’perfect day’ has changed as I’ve gotten older. I’m trading ’stuff’ for ’time!’

Today’s episode highlights another big milestone -- a marker of time -- Ben’s 18th birthday! Aaaaaaah! It seems impossible because, in many ways, I’m still in my twenties trying to figure life out. It all goes so fast, doesn’t it?? All we can do is hold on tight and enjoy the ride!

I’m not sure how two somewhat Type A parents had such a laid back, go-with-the-flow child, but I did! And sometimes I wonder what it would feel like to completely go-with-the-flow!