This August we are rebroadcasting some of our top episodes from Season 2. Enjoy this throwback episode with Jenessa W. Broderick! Co-Parenting and Blended Family Life has been one of the most requested topics here on the podcast. I'm happily bringing on Jenessa W. Broderick to offer insight about co-parenting with an ex-spouse. Jenessa has had a successful corporate career for over a decade, is a wife, and mother to four boys ranging in ages from 12-3. She has also been my friend for over 15 years. She shares a son with an ex and is incredibly intentional about how their child is raised amidst two households. On this episode, we talk about communication, grace, scheduling, flexibility, and the idea of being accommodating with an ex-partner, even when you don't want to be. Listen, share, and tell us how you're managing. Connect with Jenessa: LinkedIn // Email: [email protected] Connect with Susannah: Susannah on Instagram // Facebook // Website // Instagram: The 5 to 8 Shift --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/susannah-mcmonagle/message

This August we are rebroadcasting some of our top episodes from Season 2. Enjoy this throwback episode with Darlynn Childress! Darlynn brings over a decade of experience to moms who desire to stop yelling at their kids. She helps moms understand how feelings drive behavior and provides powerful, yet tangible ways moms can help dissipate bad behavior. We talk about why parents react the way they do, where to start, and how to build an emotional (but not loud) connection to kids' misbehavior. Listen, share, and tell me what you think! Connect with Darlynn: Calm Mama Website // Stop Yelling Free Masterclass // Darlynn on Instagram Connect with Susannah: Instagram // Facebook // Website // Instagram: The 5 to 8 Shift --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/susannah-mcmonagle/message

This August we are rebroadcasting some of our top episodes from Season 2. Enjoy this throwback episode with Kristen Poppa! Self care is important for the whole family. You want your kids to feel replenished and rested, and you want to pour from a full cup. Kristen Poppa is a professor at Eastern University and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with over 15 years of experience meeting with couples and families. We talk about the interconnectedness of all aspects of wellness and the practicalities of getting in that oh-so-important self care. Listen, share, and write a review. Thanks for being here and investing in your family! Connect with Susannah: Instagram // Facebook // Website // Instagram: The 5 to 8 Shift --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/susannah-mcmonagle/message

Episode 56 brings you a candid and lively conversation about what it means to be a wife. LB, Founder of The Wife Coach, wants you to shift your mindset from being "a married woman" to being "a wife" - and she's got all the details about how women can influence their marriage, common communication challenges she sees in her work, and how a solution-based approach can strengthen an entire family. We chat: - The difference between being "A Married Woman" and "A Wife" - Manipulation vs. Influence as a wife - How communication, expectations, and resentment impact your marriage - Solution-focused approaches to strengthening your relationship - How your role as a wife influences your family life - Why waiting on your husband might not be the best approach - Why women are the THERMOSTAT in their marriages! You'll love LB's energetic and passionate approach to married life - listen in and share with a friend today. Connect with LB: Instagram // Website Connect with Susannah: Instagram // Facebook // Website --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/susannah-mcmonagle/message

At the beginning of every summer, I always get excited about traveling with my family.   I'm aware this does NOT excite every parent out there - there are a gajilion bags to pack, gas is outrageous, snacks end up all over the car, sand (or mud) stays in the bottom of sacks and packs for months, and I could go on and on. Without question though, I've never regretted a trip with my family; I don't think you will either.  Please enjoy this rebroadcast of my interview with Travis and Heather Sherry - two of the most well-versed travelers I know.   Trav and Heather travel as much as they can, dabble in real estate, constantly upgrade their short-term rental game, are passionate about location independence and so much more. They're also parents - and well, that keeps things interesting. You'll love this episode, and hopefully, get inspired to plan a getaway with your kids this summer. Happy traveling, families!  Trav and Heather share their story of creating a life different than most, how traveling has changed them, how kids has changed everything, and why "slow travel" might be the perfect way to approach traveling with the whole gang. They've got great tips for families - just in time for travel season - listen in and let us know what you think!  Connect with Trav + Heather: Extra Pack of Peanuts - Instagram + Podcast // Location Indie - Instagram + Podcast Connect with Susannah: Instagram // Facebook // Website --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/susannah-mcmonagle/message

Episode 54 brings us an excellent conversation with Story Shares Founder, Louise Baigelman. Story Shares is a nonprofit organization, dedicated to dreaming up a new shelf in the global library filled with diverse, compelling, and accessible books to engage & inspire the millions of underrepresented teens and adults and transform them into readers. Louise and Susannah chat: - What prompted the founding of Story Shares - The prevalence of illiteracy in the United States and why reading changes lives - Why diverse representation is so important in an endeavor such as this - How Story Shares books can transform your home, your school, or your public library - What it means to "scaffold" books for our kids ...and we end on a high note - success stories!  I love when I meet people who are so passionate about helping kids, and Louise is definitely one of those people. Enjoy this episode and learn more about her work helping families and communities at storyshares.org. Connect with Louise + Story Shares: Website // Facebook Connect with Susannah: Instagram // Facebook // Website --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/susannah-mcmonagle/message

Episode 53 brings a whole lot of insight for parents - thanks to the great information shared by Dr. Carrie Jackson. Even if you aren't managing ADHD in your own home - this is a great episode for every parent out there. The more we understand about the kids in our neighborhoods and communities - the more compassionate we all become - and the better we can show up for our friends and neighbors! In this episode Susannah and Carrie discuss: - Why parenting kids with ADHD is a marathon, and not a sprint - Common missteps made when trying to parents ADHD kids - Why positive reinforcement and praise are SO powerful for an ADHD-diagnosed kid - The differences between hovering and scaffolding - and how it can help you parent a child with ADHD - How to support a friend whose child has an ADHD diagnosis Link to episode #12 (referenced in this conversation) - Helping the Special Needs Family You Love, Julie Falcone Connect with Carrie Jackson, PhD: Instagram // Website Connect with Susannah: Instagram // Facebook // Website --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/susannah-mcmonagle/message

Spring is here. Let's switch up our 5 to 8 shift family fun. In today's episode - the tables are turned and Susannah is the interviewee. Thanks to Courtney Florey over at Declutter and Dwell for allowing us to share this interview with you guys where Susannah shares 5 ways to maximize your 5 to 8 shift this Spring.  All of these ideas are simple, inexpensive, and just take a little mama magic. We hope you enjoy this episode and think about trying an idea or two with your favorite little people. If you do, let us know on Instagram over at @susannah.mcmonagle by tagging us in your posts and stories. Don't forget to add dirt! Connect with Susannah: Instagram // Facebook // Website  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/susannah-mcmonagle/message

No matter how much we want to stick our head in the sand, the truth is that families need a plan when it comes to technology. I give you - Andrea Davis, founder of Better Screen Time. Andrea wants parents to worry about tech less and connect with our kids more. She takes a "slow tech, relationship-first approach," and you are going to love her insight. On episode 51, we chat: - Why it's important to set screen time boundaries - Thinking intentionally about WHERE tech is used, HOW tech is used, and WHEN - Doing the work to model good screen time behaviors - The mental health battle our young teens are likely to experience with social media before they are ready - How to know when your kid is ready for their own device - What age should a child get a phone and... - Andrea's 4 Phone Process that she recommends to parents she works with Honestly, I'm biased but I think every parent out there should give this one a listen. Tech is only getting bigger and the sooner we are having conversations with our kids - the better! Connect with Andrea, Better Screen Time: Website // Instagram // Creating a Tech Healthy Family (Book on Amazon) Connect with Susannah: Instagram // Facebook // Website --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/susannah-mcmonagle/message

Some stories take a lot of courage and vulnerability to share. Stories like Chelsea Patterson Sobolik's. When I began to read the pages of Chelsea's book, I was so moved by her words, by the beautiful way she shares about brokenness and shattered dreams in a fallen world. This raw and touching conversation uncovers what it's like navigating childlessness in a world full of children. In episode 50 (!!!), Chelsea and I discuss: - How Chelsea's world was turned upside down in college, detouring, in a very big way, her motherhood dreams - What it can feel like to suffer in silence and why every woman needs a trusted tribe - The invisible shame many women traversing childlessness and infertility must work through - How the church can do better and why they should - What to do if you are a friend to someone in a hard infertility season or navigating childlessness This episode strikes an entirely different cord - and I hope you listen and share and encourage anyone you know dealing with the weight of childlessness. The burden is too heavy to carry alone. Connect with Chelsea Patterson Sobolik Website // Instagram Connect with Susannah: Instagram // Facebook // Website --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/susannah-mcmonagle/message