Lifegiver- Military Marriage & Leadership

My Life as a Military Kid

If you have kids, you don't want to miss this episode. My kids have been begging to be a part of the Lifegiver Podcast, and I thought it would be a great idea to interview them on what it is honestly like to be a military kid. Aidan is 12, and in his second year of middle school. Jackson is 9, and in 4th grade. We sat down for an unscripted interview where I encouraged them to be honest about their life and experiences, both the good and the bad. They share some of their struggles and successes, so you will definitely want to let your kids listen. This is a great one to listen to while in the car and then talk about it at the dinner table later. Dinners together as a family have shown in research to be one of the biggest keys to a successful, connected family. While at dinner, ask your kids what their thoughts were about the podcast, what they identified with, agreed wth, or disagreed with. Special thank you to Kelly Keseecker's son Carter for his courageous Shout Out and Janine Boldrin from, Chameleon Kids Magazine, for hers as well. You can find out more about Chameleon Kids Magazine, the only magazine for military kids, by military kids, here.

Sacred Spaces 05: New Vision and Questions Answered

It's another episode of Lifegiver and I am here to announce some really fun changes and new updates. Some of you said you would love to have access to webinars and various forms of media, so today I am pleased to offer two versions of the podcast. Today is all about the new vision of Lifegiver and it shouldn't be a surprise to most of you.

Sacred Spaces 4: An Update on Being Intentional

Today's episode is unpolished and raw- well maybe not emotionally- but definitely unpolished. I want to give updates on how life has been since coming out with the book as well as how living intentionally has changed me as a person and my relationship. I will talk through how you can join the campaign and create lasting changing in your own marriage as well as exciting updates on interviews coming soon!

Sacred Spaces 3: Amanda Marr

We are in the middle of our Sacred Spaces Series on the Lifegiver Podcast and today's interview is a special one. Those of you who have read Sacred Spaces will remember Amanda Marr as the Gold Star Widow I have the honor of serving back in 2009. One of my most Sacred Spaces from that deployment, Amanda joins me on the podcast to have an honest discussion on what it was like to receive notification of her soldier's death, how she took care of herself, and her process to where she is now. This is an inspiring podcast for any listener. Amanda shares her honest thoughts on what makes a Care Team successful as well as tips she has learned about marriage now that she is remarried to an Army soldier. You will be empowered, encouraged, and gain new perspective on your own marriage. Amanda Marr (left), Maria Cordova, Corie Weathers, Venessa Adelson (Gold Star Mother) at White House Medal of Honor Ceremony If you have not read Sacred Spaces, order now! Hundreds are already talking about how my story of being intentional in my marriage is inspiring them to do the same. If you have enjoyed Sacred Spaces, I'd love to hear about it! Join the Sacred Spaces Campaign, by committing to be more intentional in your own marriage. It is simple and free and you will receive a FREE Commitment Card to help you walk through your commitment.

Sacred Spaces 2: A Roundtable with 3-61

Sacred Spaces: My Journey to the Heart of Military Marriage comes out August 1 and will be available where most books are sold (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc). In celebration of the launch, I wanted to do a podcast series called the Sacred Spaces Series. During this series, I will be talking about common themes our service members and spouses go through during deployments, separations, as well as reintegrations. There will be interviews with key people from the book that shared sacred spaces with Matt and I as well as those I met during the trip with the secretary of defense. There will also be an interview with Matt where we talk about how Sacred Spaces can make a difference in your marriage. So, what is a Sacred Space? I will talk about that in this episode, but here is an easy definition: Many of us, spouses and service members, experience Sacred Spaces separately during trainings and deployments. After a while, it can feel like we are living independent lives more than a together life. This creates many opportunities for misunderstanding and disconnect. In this episode, I wanted to talk about what you can do if your service member comes home with mild, moderate, or severe changes from deployment. I will also address how you can care for yourself so that you can give your best to your marriage. More than anything, I want your marriage to succeed. Because of that, I am inviting you to join the Sacred Spaces Campaign. The Campaign is simple, I just want you to be intentional in your marriage. Only you know what your relationship needs right now. Only you know what the next step is. The Sacred Spaces Campaign invites you to take three steps: 1. Order and read the book Sacred Spaces. It is my story of how being intentional made a difference in my marriage 2. Join the Sacred Spaces Campaign by committing to be intentional. You will get a FREE Sacred Spaces Intentional Marriage Challenge Commitment Card that will help you identify your intentional commitment, nail down the length of time you want to try it out, as well as encourage accountability to follow through. 3. Share your story. Our stories are powerful, and so will yours be. If your service member came home different... if your marriage is different... you are not alone.

Sacred Spaces 1: PTSD

Sacred Spaces: My Journey to the Heart of Military Marriage comes out August 1 and will be available where most books are sold (Barnes & Noble, Amazon, etc). In celebration of the launch, I wanted to do a podcast series called the Sacred Spaces Series. During this series, I will be talking about common themes our service members and spouses go through during deployments, separations, as well as reintegrations. There will be interviews with key people from the book that shared sacred spaces with Matt and I as well as those I met during the trip with the secretary of defense. There will also be an interview with Matt where we talk about how Sacred Spaces can make a difference in your marriage. So, what is a Sacred Space? I will talk about that in this episode, but here is an easy definition: Many of us, spouses and service members, experience Sacred Spaces separately during trainings and deployments. After a while, it can feel like we are living independent lives more than a together life. This creates many opportunities for misunderstanding and disconnect. In this episode, I wanted to talk about what you can do if your service member comes home with mild, moderate, or severe changes from deployment. I will also address how you can care for yourself so that you can give your best to your marriage. More than anything, I want your marriage to succeed. Because of that, I am inviting you to join the Sacred Spaces Campaign. The Campaign is simple, I just want you to be intentional in your marriage. Only you know what your relationship needs right now. Only you know what the next step is. The Sacred Spaces Campaign invites you to take three steps: 1. Order and read the book Sacred Spaces. It is my story of how being intentional made a difference in my marriage 2. Join the Sacred Spaces Campaign by commiting to be intentional. You will get a FREE Sacred Spaces Intentional Marriage Challenge Commitment Card that will help you identify your intentional commitment, nail down the length of time you want to try it out, as well as encourage accountability to follow through. 3. Share your story. Our stories are powerful, and so will yours be. If your service member came home different... if your marriage is different... you are not alone.

Understanding ISIS

If we were honest, many of us would admit that we do not fully understand the current efforts against ISIS. Sure, I think we know the basics- many of which include how our own homes feel a little more vulnerable to the threat of terrorism more than 10 years ago. There is much debate on US involvement against ISIS, whether we should lead out in taking them down or even be involved at all. During my trip with the SECDEF, one of my favorite moments was watching the media have time with COL Steve Warren in Baghdad and Erbil, Iraq. COL Warren is the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) in Iraq. What that means is that he is THE person that is responsible for helping all of us, including all American citizens understand what our US military is doing as ISIS continues to threaten the middle east. He is often seen on major networks (CNN, FOX News, NBC, etc) giving updates on the US-led coalition. Now I am willing to play the ignorant card and say there was so much I wasn’t paying attention to, including where some of our troops are in Iraq, what exactly their mission is, and what ISIS has been trying to do. I think I am not the only one. Most likely, you are more like me unless you are heavily involved with foreign policy. It was a huge wake-up call for me as I listened to COL Warren in Baghdad on how little I understood about how our news is made and how much I needed to do to educate myself. In this awesome interview, COL Warren gives some of his time to explain ISIS, Operation Inherent Resolve, and how we can support our troops over there. He has a great way of explaining the complex dynamics of this fight in a way that anyone can understand. Stay tuned to the end where you will hear his person “Shout Out” to all of you and how you can have powerful influence into your service member’s heart.

My Confession

I recently put out a survey and asked for your feedback on what you have enjoyed from the Lifegiver Podcast and what you would like to hear more of. Overwhelmingly, many said they enjoy hearing real content and me opening up a little more. In this episode, I get very real and share with you the 5 biggest lessons I learned this year. I can tell you that this year was a massive character overhaul for me. I had those in my most inner circle praying for me during times that I felt that I was having to find strength to overcome insecurity and develop the courage and confidence to complete the task in front of me. So in this episode, I open up and talk about what that was like for me and the lessons I learned. I firmly believe these are lessons that all of us need to learn at some point. You will also hear about what the year ahead looks like and how you can join me in making our marriages great.