The Fruit of a Purposeful Family, with Melissa Brown

As we near summertime, we look forward to so many things! Perhaps less stress and more downtimeslowing down, and maybe even sleeping in! Yet, summer is also a great time to work on healthy family habits: Chores, *Character Training, and a daily quiet time with the Lord! 

I receive a lot of questions about kids and devotionswhen did my kids start, what did that look like, and do I have devotionals that I recommend? Today, my oldest son, Josiah, joins me to talk about all of these things. Josiah shares what he remembers about starting off doing devotions as a boy, and he shares some Scriptures that motivate him to spend time with the Lord. We also discuss the role of a devotional to go along with the Bible and prayer each day.   

And then!...Josiah shares a special announcement about his brand new devotional for teens! Its called The Gospel in 30 Days and he has been working on it over the last couple years. We love how it turned out and believe it is a great devotional for tweens or teens (and even young adults/parents!) Listen to hear more of Josiahs heart for the new devotional, and head over to show notes to get links and read more!  

Find show notes at: http://www.monicaswanson.com/kids-devotions 

*My Character Training Course doors will open in June with a summer sale! Leave your name on the wait list here!

Looking for a Bible-based math or science homeschool curriculum? The DIVE/Shormann Math and science is an amazing choice for short-but-thorough lessons through the AP level! My sons used DIVE throughout their high school years and they believe it was the best preparation for their college studies in engineering and data analytics. Shormann Algebra 1&2 prepares kids for everything on the Pre-SAT, SAT, and ACT with over 200 practice questions! Go todiveintomath.comto learn more! 

General podcast page:http://www.monicaswanson.com/podcast 

The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visitwww.christianparenting.org 

Today I like to imagine I am gathered with all of you moms for a big group hug and some sincere encouragement. I wish you all a happy Mothers Day (week) and I want you to know how valuable and precious you are as a mom!  

Today also marks the one-year birthday of my book, Becoming Homeschoolers. To celebrate all these things, I decided to read a short excerpt from the bookspecifically the part about How we started homeschooling. For those of you who homeschool, I hope you are encouraged today. For those of you who dont homeschool, I think youll still enjoy this story. Either way this should help you get to know me a little better. Also, I offer a prayer for ALL of the moms at the end of this episode! 

Find links to everything I mention, including my viral blog post + podcast: Five ways to Avoid Mothers Day Disappointment in show notes at: http://monicawwanson.com/mothers-day-2025

Find show notes at: http://www.monicaswanson.com/mothers-day-2025 

Thank you to my new podcast sponsor, Previnex - clinically effective supplements that promote longevity, performance, and everyday health. I use their Muscle Health + (with creatine!) and Gut and Greens daily to support muscle health, digestion, and overall health. Go to Previnex.com and USE CODE: MONICA for 15% off your first order!  

General podcast page:http://www.monicaswanson.com/podcast 

The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visitwww.christianparenting.org 

Welcome to the final week of this spring series on Womens Wellness topics! Today, Leanne Benson flips the mic to interview ME to talk about my personal wellness journey. We gathered questions that many of you sent in via email and Instagram, and were covering a great range of topics! 

Leanne opens with a chat about my book, The Secret of Your Naturally Skinny Friends, as Leanne calls it the last diet book youll ever read! J. Leanne asks how my approach to diet and nutrition has changed over the years, and what my workouts currently look like. I share how the Thin Cycle from my book can be applied to our mindset in all areas (including peri/menopause!)  

Then Leanne goes into rapid fire Q&As, asking my thoughts on everything from Infrared lights to collagen, my latest go-to meals, and much more.  

Find show notes at: http://www.monicaswanson.com/womens-qanda 

Thank you to my new podcast sponsor, Previnex - clinically effective supplements that promote longevity, performance, and everyday health.  I use their Muscle Health + (with creatine!) and Gut and Greens daily to support muscle health, digestion, and overall health. Go to Previnex.com and USE CODE: MONICA for 15% off your first order!  

General podcast page:http://www.monicaswanson.com/podcast 

The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visitwww.christianparenting.org 

Welcome to the fourth week of this spring series on Womens Wellness topics! Today, Jessica Smartt joins me to chat about womens fitness; specifically, walking and runningfor physical and mental health, in every season!   

Jessica and I have been online friends for years, but we met IRL (and went running together!) a couple years ago in North Carolina! Since then, we have enjoyed chatting, not just about family, homeschool, and writing, but also about all things fitness! Jessica is a few years younger than I am, so I love that we are in different seasons and approaching our fitness uniquely as we go.  

In this conversation we cover the benefits of walking vs. running. Jessica shares some of her experience using a blood sugar monitor for a season, and we also chat about weighted vests. (She convinced me I need one! J) I hope you feel like youre out for a walk (or run! ) with us as you listen. Be sure to get links to mentioned articles and chime in on this conversation over in show notes:  

Find show notes at: http://www.monicaswanson.com/walking-running 

Thank you to my new podcast sponsor, Previnex - clinically effective supplements that promote longevity, performance, and everyday health. I use their Muscle Health + (with creatine!) and Gut and Greens daily to support muscle health, digestion, and overall health. Go to Previnex.com and USE CODE: MONICA for 15% off your first order!  

General podcast page:http://www.monicaswanson.com/podcast 

The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visitwww.christianparenting.org 

Welcome to the third week of this spring series on Womens Wellness topics! Today, my friend and fellow-running enthusiast (as well as running podcaster!) Lindsey Hein joins me for a fun, girlfriend chat about the hot topic of fitness trackers. From the Garmin to Fitbits, Apple Watches, the Oura Ring, and the Whoop, there are a lot of options out there! And today, Lindsey and I are sharing from our own experience using, avoiding, and ultimately finding a happy balance with trackers! 

Fitness trackers give us a good look at our daily activity, sleep data, and more. They can help women track their cycle, heart rate, and stress levels! Lindsey and I agree that, depending on your health goals, personality, and season in life, fitness trackers can be super helpful. We also agree that they can add stress to our lives or feed obsessive tendencies. While we may not tell you what is right for you, I think this conversation offers some great food for thought!   

I love that Lindsey shares some of the creative ways she is getting movement into her days (twice a day!) and I take some time to share about my latest minor fitness tracker-obsession: heart rate variability! J I hope you feel like youre hanging out with us for this convo, and wed love to hear from you over in show notes. (Ill also be linking to some of the mentioned articles as well as where you can compare various fitness trackers over there!)  

Find show notes at: http://www.monicaswanson.com/fitness-trackers 

Speaking of obsessingAre you looking to find peace with your weight and mindset without dieting? Hear my story and find the simple, step-by-step path thousands have followed to find freedom and their best weight in my tiny little book: The Secret of Your Naturally Skinny Friends. (audio version here.)  

General podcast page:http://www.monicaswanson.com/podcast 

Christian Parenting Gift Guide for Moms, Dads, Grads, and more

The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visitwww.christianparenting.org