Life Beyond the Picket Fence Podcast Brenda L. Yoder, LMHC

Author and counselor Brenda Yoder invites you to her front porch as she thoughtfully converses with Cassie Rademaker, the Life Beyond the Picket Fence podcast producer. Cassie is a homeschooling mom, a millennial, and together with her husband, forging an uncomplicated lifestyle. In this conversation, you’ll glean wisdom about:  


How to be intentional about your priorities while in the middle of parenting young children. 


Carving contentment with a more simplified life. 


Controlling your workload so it doesn’t overwhelm you.


Determining whether an activity or purchase is helping or serving your values and goals.



Pick up Brenda’s books: 

Fledge: Launching your Kids without Losing Your Mind by Brenda L. Yoder

Balance, Busyness, and Not Doing It All by Brenda L. Yoder

➡️Connect with host Brenda Yoder at: 

Website: https://brendayoder.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendayoderspeaks/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brendayoderspeaker 

Author and counselor Brenda Yoder invites you to her front porch as she relaunches the Life Beyond the Picket Fence podcast. In this conversation, Brenda interviews writer and speaker Ingrid Lochamire. You’ll glean wisdom about:  


How to not overcrowd your life. 
How to pay attention to time and how not to waste the time we have.  
Tempering life situations that seem to shipwreck us, but they don’t need to. 

Connect with Ingrid at https://ingridlochamire.com/ and on Instagram @ingridlochamire 

Pick up Brenda’s books: 

Fledge: Launching your Kids without Losing Your Mind by Brenda L. Yoder

Balance, Busyness, and Not Doing It All by Brenda L. Yoder

➡️Connect with host Brenda Yoder at: 

Website: https://brendayoder.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendayoderspeaks/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brendayoderspeaker 

Author and counselor Brenda Yoder invites you to her front porch as she relaunches the Life Beyond the Picket Fence podcast. In this conversation, Brenda interviews author and speaker Kim Ray Mishler. You’ll glean wisdom about:  


God’s faithfulness and grace in hard circumstances.


 How to ground yourself in the present when feeling overwhelmed with uncertainty and troubles. 


 How to not waste your suffering, but use it instead to help others. 



Connect with Kim at https://www.kimraymishler.com/



Pick up Kim and Brenda’s books: 

A Life Rescued: A Story of Adoption, Redemption, and Hope by Kim Ray Mishler

Fledge: Launching your Kids without Losing Your Mind by Brenda L. Yoder

Balance, Busyness, and Not Doing It All by Brenda L. Yoder



➡️Connect with host Brenda Yoder at: 

Website: https://brendayoder.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendayoderspeaks/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brendayoderspeaker 

Author and counselor Brenda Yoder invites you to her front porch as she relaunches the Life Beyond the Picket Fence podcast. In this introductory episode, Brenda shares lessons she’s been learning in the quiet season of the last two years. You’ll glean wisdom about:


How places where you thrive help the hard places in your life.


How to be present with what’s right in front of you.


Resizing your life and priorities for your current season.


And what Brenda’s been doing in the last two years during the show’s sabbatical.



Pick up Brenda’s books:

Fledge: Launching your Kids without Losing Your Mind

Balance, Busyness, and Not Doing It All



➡️Connect with host Brenda Yoder at:

Website: https://brendayoder.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendayoderspeaks/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brendayoderspeaker

The end of the school year and start of summer means life is going to get crazy...CRAZIER!! Do you ever wonder how you're going to make it??

Parenting is a really hard job. Juggling multiple schedules, emotions, and everything else pull at you from all sides and leave you utterly exhausted. If this is you, listen to today's broadcast, and soak in the encouragement and wisdom that you are okay and not alone.

Are you in the trenches of parenting irritable adolescents? Do you ever wonder "Who is this and where is my kid?"

In this episode, Brenda speaks about the psychological and physiological changes happening during the adolescent years. This and a few other factors can help parents navigate their child through these surly tween and teen years.



On top of raging hormones and body changes, children are also experiencing independence and autonomy. This can be excruciatingly difficult years to parent. In her book, Fledge: Launching Your Kids without Losing Your Mind, Brenda talks more about this natural and God given desire for independence.



Social pressures from peers, media, and culture are also bombarding teens these days with thousands of mixed messages about how they should act and what to believe.



All of these factors (biological, autonomy, social pressures, media messages) can be overwhelming for a tween/teen and cause them to behave differently than they normally would have. They may make stupid choices, speak disrespectfully, suddenly withdraw from family, throw temper tantrums, etc. Difficult as it may be, parents must try to empathize with their teen whose world is upside down at the moment.



Brenda urges parents to take an assessment of their child, themselves, and the situation. Is there something triggering the behavior? Does it seem to occur once a month?Sometimes even, our child's disrespectful attitude triggers our own insecurities which adds to an already stressful situation. For parents in these tough teen years, Brenda offers some practical, healthy responses that will help parents build up a positive relationship with their child. Every child/parent/situation is different so please seek professional guidance if behavior/situation is significantly worsening.



We'd love to hear from you! Please leave a review wherever you listen to the Life Beyond the Picket Fence podcast. Reviews help us reach more people with sound wisdom, biblical truths, and parenting advice! Thanks so much, we appreciate you listening!