The Girlfriend's Guide to an Empty Nest

Anne Watson and Becky Kopitzke
  • 4.7 (26)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Biweekly

Hey! We are Anne & Becky! Here we discuss the challenges and joys of the empty nest phase, sharing personal experiences and advice. You aren't alone if emptying nesting feels HARD! We cover topics such as the grieving process, reconnecting with spouses, rediscovering purpose, and the transition from parent to friend. We share the importance of faith and humor in navigating this season of life. We pray these episodes bless and prepare you for emptying nesting... and make you giggle!

  1. Sep 29

    49. The Big (and sometimes contradicting) Feelings Moms Experience

    It really is a demand on the heart to mother, right? Like, so many intense feelings come along with the job description of mom. So much tension is held and felt. You truly can feel opposing emotions AT THE SAME TIME. And today we unpack our thoughts on empowering our kids to make good choices as adults and how doing that can be hard on parents. It really is a growth opportunity to learn to live with the tension between our various feelings. Things we chat about in this episode: Why personal experience is sometimes needed for learning The tension of feeling many things as a mom Having faith in our parenting and learning to trust our kids Thoughts on how much advice to give grown kids Personal examples of “both/and” things we are going through How much should you actually know about our launched kids day to day activities?  Why silence from your kiddo can actually be a GOOD sign How getting away from us helps our kids learn their own preferences Why we love tracking apps (so handy for one main reason!) The struggle of wanting to orchestrate our kids futures Not getting in the way of our kids dreams Blessing our kids with no strings attached or manipulation The desire to want our kids to like being with us BUT also wanting them to thrive without us The tension and “both/and” feelings our kids feel too! The positives of having our kids moved out Get in Touch With us!⁠⁠ Connect with Anne: ⁠Swayology Business podcast⁠ Instagram Connect with Becky: Website⁠ ⁠Her books⁠ The Inspired Business podcast

  2. Sep 15

    48. The Fun Parts of Having Adult Kids & Hobbies for Mid-life

    Today you are in for a big giggle fest. We start the episode with a hilarious story from Anne’s life messing with her son (in a very harmless way) and also give some conversation topics for making your kids cringe! Lol!  We also dissect an article about current trending hobbies for mid-life women and give our thoughts on it. Today we chat about: Why fun is important to incorporate into your relationship with your launched kids Ideas of ways to add laughter and play into your life Why hobbies are not a luxury but a need Bird watching … Yay or nay? Why it’s not a failure to not finish a book Our experiences with book clubs The protein train … are we on it? Explanation of mahjong (a tile game) Surprising trends amongst college aged kids Wonderments about if certain lingo is dating us??!! Get in Touch With us!⁠⁠ Connect with Anne: ⁠Swayology Business podcast⁠ Instagram Connect with Becky: Website⁠ ⁠Her books⁠ The Inspired Business podcast

  3. Sep 1

    47. We are Baaaaccck! Season 3 is HERE! (Chatting Influencers Impact on us and Our Kids)

    Ahh! We are SO ready to be back with the girlfriends on this show! As Anne says, we are back BABY! What a joy it is to hop on these mics and share our hearts with you. Recording these conversations truly is so dang fun and we pray they bless you immensely too, friends.  Things we dive into today for our first episode back: Highlights (and lowlights) of our summers Plans for fall for the podcast Thoughts on make-up today vs when we were kids TikTok, ADHD, trends and marketing thoughts  A very interesting influencer neighbour that Anne has Social media’s influence on kids and adults (the good, the bad and the ugly) How social media makes you notice aging and bodies more Aging in an anti-aging world The online message of “You aren’t doing enough.” Our opinions on nylons (are they of the devil? Possibly) What we can learn from younger generations and their approach to the socials Dust to Dust: Aging Wisely in an Anti-Aging World: Amazon link here Get in Touch With us!⁠⁠ Connect with Anne: ⁠Swayology Business podcast⁠ Instagram Connect with Becky: Website⁠ ⁠Her books⁠ The Inspired Business podcast

  4. May 19

    46. Advice for When Your College Kids Move Home for the Summer

    Today we are sharing our thoughts on how our parents raised us and how that influenced how our generation then raised kids in a “hovering” fashion.  Becky also shares her concerns about her daughter moving home for the summer and Anne shares her experience with this with her own kids. For any girlfriends in this boat of kids temporarily moving home, we pray this one is so encouraging and empowering!  Topics in our conversation today: Do you give your child rules when they return home from college to live at home for the summer? The balancing act of not policing your kids but still giving them independence and healthy expectations for living back at home Things giving us joy with our kids right now (there ARE pros of social media!) The only rule Anne had for her kids when they moved home for the summer Factors that impact your future relationship with your kids positivity  The powerful teacher that failure can be and why we need to let our kids make mistakes The struggle to trust your kids AND God Practical statements you can say to your kids when giving your opinions to them without judgment The wisdom of still investing in what fills you up, even when they are home for the summer.  The grief of things still changing and evolving and how to deal with that in a healthy way Validation that this season has really hard, awkward and not fun parts Hope for a future where you actually enjoy an empty home Get in Touch With us!⁠⁠ Connect with Anne: ⁠Swayology Business podcast⁠ Instagram Connect with Becky: Website⁠ ⁠Her books⁠ The Inspired Business podcast

  5. May 5

    45. Raising Boys & Gaining Sons-in-Law

    No brothers? No sons? No problem! :)  For those girlfriends who want to better understand raising boys or how to interact with/encourage the boys in their lives (sons-in-law, boyfriends of your daughters etc.), this episode is for you!  We share today about: Anne’s experience raising a son vs raising her daughters Helping your kids navigate online dating  A funny story of Anne standing up for her son his freshman year of college  What matters to boys in college compared to what matters to girls  Things Anne wishes she would have talked to her son about more Different techniques for learning about what is going on in a son’s life Anne’s biggest fear as a mother of a son Why you have to sometimes be more intentional connecting with your sons than your daughters once they leave home/get married Tips for being an open and not pushy parent, so your kids want to come to you for advice Unique Advice on welcoming new “kids” into the family via sons-in-law Get in Touch With us!⁠⁠ Connect with Anne: ⁠Swayology Business podcast⁠ Instagram Connect with Becky: Website⁠ ⁠Her books⁠ The Inspired Business podcast

  6. Apr 21

    44. Becoming Someone Joyful to Be Around

    There is a different tone in homes when laughter is easy, jokes are made more often and when your spouse is actually enjoyable to be around and not weekly getting a case of the Sunday Scaries (you know, dreading the upcoming work week). So today we pose the question: what can we do to set a joyful atmosphere in our homes as wives and moms? This episode is all about intentionality. Taking action to get a better outcome.  We pray this one encourages you, girlfriends! Today we dive into: How our contentment at work (or lack of) impacts our home lives Why YOUR pursuit of joy benefits your loved ones too Thoughts on changing jobs in the Empty Nesting season to bring you more purpose Looking for next steps once your kids leave, to lead you to new callings  Our experience with being Empaths and how that feels when your spouse is down Recognizing the impact you have as a woman on the mood in the home Ideas to have more fulfilling relationships and days How to find things that bring you joy and how to allow your deep dreams to awaken Amazing stats about productivity in your 50’s and 60’s Accidental joy hunting vs intentional joy hunting  The importance of staying curious Episodes mentioned:  Doing Some Thing Badly episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/37-how-about-not-setting-goals-this-new-year/id1760203235?i=1000743952619 Smothering Your Dog Once Your Kiddos Leave episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/4-where-to-put-your-mom-energy-now/id1760203235?i=1000664451393 Get in Touch With us!⁠⁠ Connect with Anne: ⁠Swayology Business podcast⁠ Instagram Connect with Becky: Website⁠ ⁠Her books⁠ The Inspired Business podcast

  7. Apr 7

    43. Letting Your Kids Walk Through Difficulty in Order to Grow

    Today is an episode for all the mama bears out there who just want to swoop in and fix things for their kids. It is such a HARD thing when your cub is grown and now you are required to play a supportive role, not a fix it role.  We chat today: The importance of life’s trials being allowed to be a teacher Encouraging vs fixing Thoughts on how hardships in life shapes you (and your kids) The natural feeling of wanting to fix things The pain of watching your kids experience pain (even when it results in good things)  Why the answer isn’t always to make struggles go away How issues in relationships can teach our kids how to handle conflict and more Ideas on how to give your perspective to your kids with loving language Successes AND failures providing lessons for all Noun Parenting vs Verb Parenting  The skill of trusting your kids and your good job as a parent   Get in Touch With us!⁠⁠ Connect with Anne: ⁠Swayology Business podcast⁠ Instagram Connect with Becky: Website⁠ ⁠Her books⁠ The Inspired Business podcast

  8. Mar 24

    42. When Your Adult Kids Are on the Struggle Bus (and you can’t really help)

    Today we are navigating a tough topic: what to do when your grown children are struggling. It is SO hard on a mama’s heart when situations arise that you can’t practically do anything to fix, other than letting them know you are there to listen and sympathize.  Today we chat about: Reflections of our own childhoods Our own parent’s style for parenting vs our own styles How to to give our imperfect parents grace Becoming the mom you wish you had growing up yourself How the older generations view emotions as weakness (and the impact of that on their kids) Thoughts on mental health in the church and our kids lives The wisdom of just asking your grown kids how to best help them The importance of apologizing to your kids Giving yourself grace for not knowing how to do everything right Why looking to the grace of God first, helps you to then have grace for yourself Get in Touch With us!⁠⁠ Connect with Anne: ⁠Swayology Business podcast⁠ Instagram Connect with Becky: Website⁠ ⁠Her books⁠ The Inspired Business podcast

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4.7
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About

Hey! We are Anne & Becky! Here we discuss the challenges and joys of the empty nest phase, sharing personal experiences and advice. You aren't alone if emptying nesting feels HARD! We cover topics such as the grieving process, reconnecting with spouses, rediscovering purpose, and the transition from parent to friend. We share the importance of faith and humor in navigating this season of life. We pray these episodes bless and prepare you for emptying nesting... and make you giggle!

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