Podcasts Episodes That Are Giving Me Life – 

I started getting into podcasts after my dear friend Tracy started hers. This was after years of her telling me to listen to them. I really do not know what my hesitation was, after all, I listen to audiobooks all the time. Once she decided to start her own, I wanted to support my girl. This opened a whole new world to me. Apple Podcasts then started suggesting others to me and I listened to them. I find I can actually multitask easier while listening to a podcast because they are conversational vs. listening to a book. Do not get me wrong, I still love my audiobooks. There are few I have been able to listen to with my young listeners in the room. I thought I wish I could review podcasts for my site as well. I had been pondering that thought for a week and finally had an “AH HA moment”. My website is called “Listen Up and Read” and podcasts are covered in the whole listen up portion, duh!

 

Here is my list of podcast episodes I’ve really enjoyed lately.

Melanated Mom – Be in The Room – My girl Tracy is changing the world one podcast at a time. In this episode she talks about being present and mindful. Being intentional about not being distracted.

 

Rise Together – Episodes 13 & Episode 14 – Keynote Speeches from Rachel Hollis and Dave Hollis’ Rise Together Conference – I am not even going to summarize these episodes. Just take a listen and thank me later.

 

Memories in Moments – Episode 41 – Personal Growth and Crushing Dad Life with Dave Hollis – Okay so the Hollis’ are taking up a lot of my list but I love them, they are in my inner circle of influence. I happened to stumble upon this podcast that Dave Hollis was a guest on. Dave Hollis is the author of the upcoming book Get Out Of Your Own Way: A Skeptic’s Guide to Growth and Fulfillment. In this episode Dave talks a little of how he started showing up for his life to be a better human for himself, his wife, and his children. He talks about how he was feeling stuck in his life and not reaching for more. The talks about how he had to get out of his own way to learn how to cope with his life and to reach for a better version of himself. He also talks about fun traditions his family enjoys around the holidays and some of his favorite memories.

 

Mindful Mama – How to Be a Scream Free Parent – Hal Runkel [110] – I’d been meaning to listen to the audiobook ScreamFree Parenting by Hal Runkel, LMFT but had not gotten to it. I figured I could get the jest from a podcast, so I searched for “scream free” and found a few. I love this particular interview because it demystifies different concepts about parenting. For example, we are not raising kids, we are raising adults. We are raising adults to not need us. We are not picking our battles; we are not to battle our children at all.  Hal gives practical tips to help your children grow in their own decision making while we remain calm. Parenting advice applicable to children of any age.

 

The Vanika Lewis Show – Ep. 43 – Everyone Can’t Have Access! – I like this episode because I have been doing a lot of thinking in regard to being in community with others and being brave enough to be vulnerable with others. Vanika balances boundaries by reminding us to be mindful access you give to other people into your life. Give access to people who show you that they honor you and respect you. Vanika encourages us to take an assessment of every relationship in your life. “When you give people access into special parts of your life you have to be mindful that they have earned and deserved that access”.

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  • Melanated Mom – FOMO is the thief of destiny – In this episode the Melanated Mom talks about the fear of missing out and how in our social media driven society we can tend to sit around not doing the things we are called to do. This causes us to not strive towards our goals because we are envious or even just observing what everyone else is doing. Meanwhile, we have dreams placed in our own hearts that are slipping away.

 

  • Oprah’s Master Class – Pt. 1 & 2 – Oprah Winfrey is not shy about her background and where she comes from. There are books and countless episodes of the Oprah Winfrey Show detailing her very rough childhood. I appreciated this episode because she goes into details about how she overcame her trauma and her drive to better her life. She also talks in great detail about her career journey.

 

  • RISE Together – Episode 61 – Rachel Hollis (author of Girl, Wash Your Face) and her husband, Dave Hollis, have a relationship podcast. In this episode, Dave, interviews their four children. He asks them about what they are most looking forward to this school year and what they are concerned about. He talks in great detail about how their family starts the school year with intention and how they set academic and social goals with their children. I really liked hearing their children’s perspectives because your children will show if you practice what you preach as parents.

 

 

Honorable Mention:

  • I am going to talk about the morning show that no one is talking about – If you already love Rachel Hollis and her husband Dave Hollis, or you just need something funny to listen to, listen to The Start Today Morning Show. Dave and Rach turn their phones on every morning and talk about whatever is on their minds. It is silly, they are hilarious, and I can’t stop watching.

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  • Melanted Mom – Episode: Homeschooling While Melanted (Pt.1 & Pt. 2) – This week Tracy interviewed Homeschooling Mom and Teacher Deanna Dyer regarding her educational journey and decision to homeschool her 3 children while working full time as a homeschooling teacher. In this episode series Deanna and Tracy discuss school choice and how Deanna tackles working and advocating for her children’s education. Deanna also demystifies some of the concerns a lot of parents have regarding their options to homeschool.

 

  • RISE Podcast – Episode: Finding A Bigger Dream with Ed Mylett – You should already know Rachel Hollis is my girl. I did not know she had a podcast until recently and felt like I have been living under a rock when I discovered it. In this episode Rachel discusses how she felt after the success of Girl, Wash Your Face   and how that success temporarily left her feeling like she had to redefine many of her goals and dreams. She interviews Ed Mylett and he gives so much practical advice about parenting and actually more specifically motherhood. Detailing how your children are watching you striving or not striving for your dreams. I listened to this episode 3x it was that good.

 

  • For The Love With Jen Hatmaker – Episode: It’s Okay to Be a Late Bloomer: Forbes Magazine’s Rich Karlgaard – Wow! What an episode! Okay, so Rachel Hollis often talks about how Jen Hatmaker motived her to write Girl, Wash Your Face . I decided to check out her podcast and I am so happy I did. Jen Hatmaker essentially picks a theme for the month and then interviews inspiring people around that theme. In this episode she interviewed Rich Karlgaard, the publisher of Forbes magazine. Rich talks in detail how our culture is pushing our children academically in ways that are not necessarily healthy for their emotional well-beling and how letting children use their creativity is beneficial in them discovering their passion. This episode is jammed packed with so many nuggets for all walks of life, no matter if you’re raising children or looking to take a step towards your passion at a later time in life.

 

  • RISE Together Podcast – Episode: 53: How to be the Best Version of Yourself ALL the Time – Rachel Hollis and her husband Dave Hollis have a podcast together! Hooray! I hesitated to listen to this podcast at first because I did not necessarily want to listen to a couple talk about how much they loved each other and be all cute. Rachel Hollis and Dave Hollis are the most practical version of a cute couple. They are adorable! However, they give real advice about how they have navigated different stages of their marriage. They have been married for 15 years and have 4 children. In this episode, they talk about how they stayed true to their healthy lifestyle even while on vacation. They discuss how they have matured into going on vacation to remember who they are and not escape from life.

 

  • Daily Inspiration – The Steve Harvey Morning Show – Episode: Hope Is The Beginning Of Faith – I love the Steve Harvey Morning Show. They took it off the air in my area and I did not know I could listen to it on demand until very recent. The Steve Harvey Morning Show is broken up into several podcasts, or you can listen to it in its entirety. I like the Daily Inspiration section of the show. It is usually 8-10 mins. This episode talks about hope and the power of your imagination. Much like his book Jump, he talks about “Imagination is the key to life’s coming attractions”.

I hope you enjoy these reviews and listen up.