Minimalist Moms Podcast | Simple Living for Overwhelmed Moms

The teenage years can feel like unfamiliar territory - for both parents and kids. In this episode, Diane sits down with author and Bible teacher Melissa Kruger to talk about what it means to raise teens with hope in a culture shaped by social media, constant information, and increasing isolation.
Melissa shares how parenting adolescents today is different than even a decade ago, particularly when it comes to mental health and digital influence. Instead of leading primarily with rules, she encourages parents to lead with conversation - doing the research, staying engaged, and setting boundaries that feel protective rather than punitive.
If you’re navigating the teenage years - or preparing for them - this episode offers practical wisdom and steady encouragement for raising teens with intention, connection, and enduring faith.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Book: Surviving Religion 101 by Michael Kruger
Connect with Melissa:
Website
Instagram
Book: Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age

About Melissa |
Melissa Kruger serves as the vice president of discipleship programming for The Gospel Coalition (TGC). She’s the author of multiple books, including The Envy of Eve: Finding Contentment in a Covetous World, Walking with God in the Season of Motherhood, Growing Together: Taking Mentoring Beyond Small Talk and Prayer Requests, Wherever You Go I Want You to Know, and Parenting with Hope: Raising Teens for Christ in a Secular Age. Her husband, Mike, is the president of Reformed Theological Seminary and they have three children.
Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity. You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/minimalist-moms-podcast-simple-living-for-overwhelmed-moms/exclusive-content

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There’s a quiet fear many mothers carry — but rarely say out loud:
What if I’m messing this up?
What if my impatience… my selfishness… my exhaustion… is shaping my kids in ways I don’t intend?
In today’s conversation, I’m joined by Abbey Wedgeworth, author of the upcoming book Help I’m Ruining My Kids. Abby shares candidly about her early struggles in motherhood and the uncomfortable realization that sometimes the problem wasn’t her kids...it was her heart.
We talk about what it really means to be a “work in progress.” Not self-condemnation. Not blaming our circumstances. But honest repentance - the kind that leads to repair, growth, and deeper connection with our children.

Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Connect with Abbey:
Website
Instagram
Book: Help! I'm Ruining My Kids: A Gospel Guide for the Mom Who's Desperate for Change

About Abbey |
Abbey Wedgeworth is a Bible teacher, speaker and writer. She is the author of Held: 31 Biblical Reflections on God’s Comfort and Care in the Sorrow of Miscarriage (a Christian Book Award finalist), as well as the nine-book children’s series, Training Young Hearts. She is known for her popular parenting reels on Instagram and enjoys serving and teaching in her local church as well as at conferences, retreats and conventions. Abbey and her husband, David, live in the South Carolina lowcountry, where she homeschools their three young sons. 

Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/minimalist-moms-podcast-simple-living-for-overwhelmed-moms/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, Diane talks with trauma therapist and parenting expert Maggie Nick about the hidden cost of growing up as the “good kid” - the responsible, high-achieving child who never caused trouble but often learned to ignore their own needs. Maggie explains how this pattern can follow many adults into motherhood, showing up as perfectionism, people-pleasing, anxiety, and the pressure to keep everyone else happy. Together they explore “good kid trauma,” why even loving homes can unintentionally create relational shame, and how these early scripts shape the way we parent. If you’ve ever struggled to relax or felt responsible for everyone else’s emotions, this conversation offers a compassionate path toward raising emotionally healthy families.

Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Connect with Maggie:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
Book: Good Kids: Why You Suffered in Silence and How to Break the Cycle

About Maggie |
Maggie Nick, LCSW, is a trauma therapist, parenting expert, and author of Good Kids: Why You Suffered in Silence, and How to Break the Cycle (out January 27, 2026). A recovering Good Kid herself — and a former burned-out, overachieving, people-pleasing perfectionist, pushover, and shape-shifting chameleon — Maggie helps people make sense of the invisible cost of growing up as the Good Kid nobody ever needed to worry about, and why so many high-functioning adults still feel anxious, exhausted, and responsible for everyone else. She is the founder of Camp Lovable and the creator of Good Girl Rehab, a membership for women who are done earning rest, done apologizing for having needs, and ready to stop believing they are too much, too needy, or too hard to love. Known for translating complex psychology into language that feels validating, accessible, and deeply human, Maggie’s work helps adults heal themselves — and break cycles for the next generation.
Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/minimalist-moms-podcast-simple-living-for-overwhelmed-moms/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Confused by labels like “grass-fed,” “natural,” or “organic”? In this episode, Diane talks with Jenni Harris of White Oak Pastures about what’s really happening inside America’s industrialized food system - and why cracks are beginning to show. From fragile supply chains to soil depletion and greenwashing, they unpack the hidden costs behind cheap food and the promise of regenerative farming. You’ll learn how rebuilding soil and decentralizing food production can strengthen communities and increase resilience. This isn’t about perfection—it’s about making more intentional choices at the dinner table.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Local Resource: Yellowbird Foodshed (Local to Columbus)
Previous Episode: Beyond Organic, Local, Delivered: Rethinking the Way We Grocery Shop | Benji Balmer (Yellowbird Foodshed) (EP390)
Connect with Jeni + White Oak Pastures:
Website
Instagram
YouTube
Blog

About Jenni |
Jenni Harris, Will's middle daughter, is a member of the fifth generation of the Harris family to tend cattle at White Oak Pastures. After living on the farm her entire life, Jenni went to Valdosta State University and earned a degree in Business Marketing, graduating in 2009. She remained intimately involved in the family business throughout her studies. Jenni now works for White Oak Pastures full time. As the Director of Marketing, Jenni spends her time focusing on the balance of ecommerce growth and wholesale relationships.
Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/minimalist-moms-podcast-simple-living-for-overwhelmed-moms/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Why do we say things we don’t mean in the heat of conflict? Why does connection disappear the moment we feel criticized, dismissed, or misunderstood?
In this episode, Diane sits down with clinical psychologist Dr. Kelly Flanagan, author of The Road Less Triggered, to explore what’s really happening when we get “triggered” in our closest relationships.
Dr. Flanagan explains how conflict shifts us from connection mode into protection mode and introduces the powerful practice of “regulate, then relate,” a concept rooted in nervous system science. Together, they discuss defensiveness, emotional reactivity, compassion, and how learning to notice when your heart is closing can change the way you show up in marriage, parenting, and everyday interactions.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Book: Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
Book: What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
Dr. Flanagan's Resource: Front Row Dads
Connect with Dr. Kelly Flanagan:
Website
Instagram
Facebook
Book: The Road Less Triggered: Turning Conflict into Connection with a Single Choice―The Self-Help Guide to Conflict-Proof Communication, Healthy Relationships & the Belonging You Seek

About Dr. Flanagan |
Dr. Kelly Flanagan is an author, speaker, coach, and clinical psychologist with two decades of expertise in interpersonal relationships. His thought leadership has been featured in The 5 Love Languages, the TODAY show, and SUCCESS magazine. Kelly's proprietary frameworks will take your relationships to a level that traditional communication strategies can't touch. He is married to another clinical psychologist named Kelly, and they have three children--one adulting, and two at home in their small town outside of Chicago.

Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!

Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/minimalist-moms-podcast-simple-living-for-overwhelmed-moms/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy