Growing Home Together Podcast

Growing Home Together
  • 4.7 (15)
  • Kids & Family
  • Updated Semimonthly

Join us in prayer for a strong marriage and wisdom in parenting. We share uplifting advice and practical tools to help you grow closer to God and each other in every season of life.

  1. May 19

    Trusting God When Your Heart Breaks for Your Child—with Lori Schumaker

    As parents, we hurt when our children hurt. From those first cries during sleepless nights to the more complex struggles of adolescence and beyond, our hearts tend to ache right alongside theirs. Whether you’re watching your child struggle with bullying at school, battling an eating disorder, or walking through a mental health crisis, their pain can leave you feeling overwhelmed, afraid, or unsure of how to help. When someone you love so deeply is hurting, it’s natural to wish you could take the pain away yourself. In this episode, I’m having a mom-to-mom conversation about this tender topic: the heartbreak we parents carry for our kids. My guest knows exactly what it’s like to experience those intense emotions on behalf of our children. Lori Schumaker is a Certified Life and Mental Health Coach, speaker, and author with over 20 years of ministry experience. She is also a mother whose journey of adopting and parenting a daughter with special needs has brought her to a place of trust and surrender to God. I hope her story will encourage you! In this episode, Lori shares: The vital practice of releasing control to GodWhy we should prioritize our personal healingHow to stay connected with your spouse through the challengesAnd more!We hope you enjoy this conversation! Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/lori-schumaker-130/

    45 min

  2. May 5

    Parenting From a Place of Peace Rather Than Worry—with Laurie Davies

    Worry and stress can show up in every season of parenting—from the moment we first bring our newborn baby home from the hospital to the day they start preparing to head out into the world on their own. Over the years, we’ve felt the weight of countless uncertainties swirling through our minds as we raised our five children. Thoughts like: When will my baby sleep through the night? Are they hitting those developmental milestones on time? Will they make good friends? How will they adjust to going to school for the first time? And on and on it goes. We know firsthand that sleepless nights in parenting don’t end with the baby years—as our children grow and change, we as parents must learn how to navigate new challenges right alongside them. Being concerned for our children and watching out for the dangers they can’t yet see themselves is a normal part of parenthood; however, healthy concern can quickly transform into unhealthy worry. Our latest guest knows the destructive power of worry, and she is here to help us mark a path to peace. Laurie Davies is a speaker, lay counselor, and the author of an important new book, Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck. In this episode, Laurie shares: Key differences between concern and worryEncouragement for parents in every seasonHow to rely on God and release your worryAnd more!We hope you enjoy this conversation! Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/laurie-davies-129

    53 min

  3. Apr 21

    Practical Ways to Parent Your Child with ADHD—with Kirk Martin

    A few weeks ago, we were sitting around the dinner table, enjoying a simple family meal together. But it felt like our son with ADHD spent less time in his chair and more time moving around the house. During the course of the meal, he got up for water, then the bathroom, then a spoon, then to grab something from his room…the list kept going! By the end, we had lost count of how many times he’d been in and out of his seat. Moments like that remind us how often our expectations as parents don’t quite match the day-to-day reality of parenting a child who has ADHD. Getting out the door can feel like a challenge. Jackets and homework seem to disappear at the worst times. And some days, his room looks like a tornado passed through. There are days when it feels like so much of our energy is spent trying to manage behavior that we don’t always get to slow down and simply enjoy who our son is. If you’ve felt this too, please know you’re not alone. So many families are walking this same road, trying to better understand, support, and truly appreciate their child’s unique way of moving through the world. Our guest today, Kirk Martin, has walked this journey himself as a parent to his son, Casey. Kirk is the founder of CelebrateCalm, where he equips parents and teachers with strategies that help decrease power struggles with children who are diagnosed with ADHD or autism. In this episode, Kirk shares: Some of the benchmark behaviors of an ADHD childCreative ways to work with your child’s preferencesHelpful strategies to support our children in the classroomAnd more!We hope you enjoy this conversation! Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/kirk-martin-128

    1h 4m

  4. Apr 7

    How to Love Your Teen on Their Mental Health Journey—with Kristen Hatton

    As we’ve parented our five children through the years, we’ve held them when the tears wouldn’t stop flowing. We’ve listened as they questioned their worth, identity, and if the hard season they were walking through would ever end. We have spent plenty of time in the waiting rooms of counselors and therapists when our children were struggling. And we’ve spent even more time in prayer when we just didn’t know what they needed or how to help. If you are a parent, you’ve likely found yourself in a similar position at some point. You may even be questioning how you can support your teen with their mental health right now. That’s why we are so grateful to welcome Kristen Hatton to the podcast to have this important conversation. Kristen is a counselor, author, mother of three young adult children, and host of the Redemptive Parenting podcast, where she equips parents with wisdom and hope. Kristen is also the author of a powerful new book, Parenting Ahead: Preparing Now for the Teen Years. In this episode, Kristen shares: How family mealtime can have a powerful impact on our children’s mental healthThree signs you should seek additional support for your teenWhy we should offer support rather than solve problemsAnd more!We hope you enjoy this conversation! Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/kristen-hatton-127/

    42 min

  5. Mar 24

    Balancing Life: How to Live Your Priorities without Burning Out—with Kelsie Zarko

    In a “more is better” culture, how can women live lives that are balanced, not burned out? It’s easy to mistake a busy life for a meaningful one. Often, we don’t realize how exhausted we truly are until we reach a breaking point. I’ve had my own season of burnout, juggling a job, volunteer roles, and homeschooling while Rob traveled extensively for work and we prepared for a cross-country move. When the boxes were finally unpacked, I looked around and found myself in a new life that was shockingly quiet. Out of that stillness, I gained a lot of perspective about roles, priorities, and peace. As women, we care deeply for the close relationships in our lives. We want to love others well. We also want to give our best to the values and commitments that matter to us, whether that be a job, volunteer work, or homeschooling. How do we find the balance? My guest today has wrestled through these questions as well. Kelsie Zarko is a wife, mom of two, and owner of the small business, Curate Social. We sat down for an honest, mom-to-mom conversation about seasons, roles, identity, and so much more. Kelsie shares powerful insight into how women end up burned out, and how we can find a different path when we stop striving and choose to live from a place of being deeply loved. In this episode, Kelsie shares: Practical ideas for being intentional in relationships and prioritiesA helpful definition of self-care and how to pursue itThoughts on how to live from identity, not performanceAnd more!I found this conversation so encouraging and I hope you do, too! Show Notes: https://growinghometogether.com/kelsie-zarko-126/

    41 min

  6. Mar 10

    Finding Hope When Facing Addiction in Your Marriage—with Julie Sanford

    Every week, we hear from wives who are quietly carrying the weight of a husband’s alcohol addiction. “I am hoping and praying that he gets healed and that his addiction doesn’t kill him.” “I have anxiety. I have fear. I feel stuck.” “Too many times I have felt hopeless and have wanted to be dead so I wouldn’t feel this pain.” “Hopefully my marriage will turn out for God’s glory.” These words reflect the deep pain many women experience behind closed doors. Loving someone who struggles with addiction can leave you exhausted, confused, and wondering where God is in the middle of it all. That is why we are so grateful for today’s guest. Julie Sanford is a wife and mom of three who never imagined she would one day be married to an alcoholic. After walking through the long and difficult road toward her husband’s sobriety, she now comes alongside other Christian wives facing similar battles. Julie is a recovery mentor and the host of the Married to Addiction podcast, where she offers practical tools and biblical encouragement for marriages impacted by addiction. In this episode, Julie shares: Common misconceptions wives often believe about their husband’s alcohol addictionWhy shifting from “fixing him” to caring for yourself is a crucial step toward healingThe importance of understanding what addiction truly is, and what it is notAnd much more!We hope this conversation brings clarity and hope to your heart! Show Notes: growinghometogether.com/julie-sanford-125

    36 min

  7. Feb 24

    How to Stay Close When Your Spouse Has Anxiety—with Michelle Bengtson

    We all know that anxiety can take a big toll on the person who is personally suffering from it. But what we don’t talk about as often is how anxiety can take a toll on a marriage. The truth is, this challenging mental condition can often cause fear, exhaustion, and a sense of isolation that leaves both spouses wondering how to support one another or stay connected. If you and your spouse are navigating anxiety, this conversation with Dr. Michelle Bengtson offers encouragement and practical wisdom. Dr. Bengtson is a clinical neuropsychologist who understands anxiety both professionally and personally. She has endured anxiety and depression herself, and her book, Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises, became an unexpected guide during her own season of fearful thoughts as she and her husband faced cancer and all the accompanying unknowns. In this episode, Dr. Bengtson shares both clinical insight and spiritual wisdom to help couples navigate anxiety’s impact on their relationship. While anxiety can feel lonely and overwhelming for both partners, there is hope. In this episode, Dr. Bengtson shares: How couples can draw closer to one another, even in the midst of anxietyWhy presence matters more than perfectionHow to prevent compassion fatigue and caregiver burnoutAnd much more!We hope you enjoy this conversation! Show Notes: growinghometogether.com/michelle-bengtson-124

    42 min

  8. Feb 10

    Holding onto Faith While Fighting for Your Baby's Life—with Mauricio and Christin Rosa

    *In this episode, we talk about abortion, pregnancy reduction, potential loss of an unborn baby, and infertility. If you have an aversion or are sensitive to any of these topics, we recommend skipping this episode. How do we approach God with this? Has my view of God changed because of this hardship? Can I still trust God? Will I trust Him? If this doesn’t go well, will I resent Him? These are all questions that Mauricio and Christin Rosa faced when they received the news of a crisis in their pregnancy and learned that they were at risk of losing their unborn son. When doctors advised them to consider a “reduction” in their twin pregnancy, their hearts broke for their child and the hardships he would have to endure if he survived. But they held steadfast to their belief and trusted God with the outcome. This story touches our hearts deeply, and we are so grateful that Mauricio and Christin were kind enough to share it with us personally on the The Growing Home Together Podcast. This courageous couple is here to encourage us and to speak about how that difficult season of life impacted their faith. Christin is a teacher, author, prayer leader, and pro-life advocate. She has written a powerful new book called Saving Nate: Choosing Life after a Devastating Prenatal Diagnosis. In this episode, Mauricio and Christin share: The importance of guarding your heart against bitternessEncouragement for the “deep valleys” of lifeHow to go to God with your worriesAnd much more!We hope you enjoy this conversation! Show Notes: growinghometogether.com/mauricio-christin-rosa-123

    47 min
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4.7
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Join us in prayer for a strong marriage and wisdom in parenting. We share uplifting advice and practical tools to help you grow closer to God and each other in every season of life.

Information

  • Creator
    Growing Home Together
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    129
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Growing Home Together Podcast
  • Show Website
    Growing Home Together Podcast

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