Tea Of Life Podcast

Today, I talked about a book that changed my life years ago, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie and how it can change your life too! It’s weird to think that winning friends and influencing people can have an impact on you loving the life you’re living, but it really does. When you treat others this way, it makes a big difference in the influence that you have on them and the world around you. It makes your life and relationships a whole lot less stressful and demanding. People tend to respect you and look up to you when you treat them this way. For show notes and links, visit our website at http://teaoflifepodcast.com/.

Reclaiming joy during the holidays can be tough; especially if you have a hard time enjoying those around you. News Flash! The holidays are upon us! Just in case you didn't know. For some, these holidays bring joy and happiness, but for others, and maybe you, the holidays bring nothing but pain and misery; however, you have the ability to take back your joy during this holiday season! I want you to know today that these holidays do not have to be dreaded. They can actually bring you joy and happiness if you preemptively set some healthy boundaries by taking control of your schedule, money, emotions, and the time you dedicate spending with those who tend to suck the joy and life right out of you. You are in control of you; no one else! YOU have the ability to choose how you come out of this holiday season. YOU can choose to be refreshed instead of exhausted, excited instead of depressed, and joyful instead of miserable. I believe this is Jesus' wish for us - to have a joyful celebration of His birth; for us to

Jennifer Langley shared a story of a child predator incident that she witnessed right in front of her face, and after hearing her story, I knew that we had to get this word out to parents and caregivers of children as soon as possible. We want to make sure that our children are as safe as possible, and someone needs to hear this message. So,  what Jennifer was witnessing was the perpetrator “befriending” the children there (mostly girls I might add) so that they would no longer be strangers; that they would see him as a familiar face in order for the little girls to feel more comfortable around him. He was also “showing off” for the parents as well. He was showing them how much he “loves” little children (yeah, I bet he does) and “grooming” them to the point to where they feel that he is a safe adult for them and probably thinking, “Wow! He’s really great with kids!” This way, they inch their way in little by little; seeing how far they can go, getting the child more and more comfortable with them until it’s

What if I don't want to be more than average? Is that really not Ok? Today we talk about an article that I came across on social media titled, "What if All I want is a Mediocre Life?"  This is an article that I feel that I could have written myself. It truly speaks to my heart for myself and my family. I was so relieved to find out that I am not alone; that I am not the only one feeling overwhelmed or even rebellious of what society tells us we need to be or have accomplished by my age or in my near future. Carolyn Penner is a guest with me again today, and we talk more through living a "mediocre life" through motherhood and how we desire to be more than ok with where we are on our journey through life. We are tired of all of the outside influences constantly telling us that we need to be better, bigger, faster, achieve more, be better leaders; better wives, moms, and daughters. We are tired of always having to have a picture-perfect house and lifestyle. When is enough enough? For us, it is now! Know that whe

Whether we are parents of newborns or teenagers, we can sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by parenting; however, most of the time, those feelings may not be coming from the kids; they may actually be from outside influence. When my kids were smaller, I sometimes felt that if others just left me alone, I could actually be somewhat successful at being a parent. Something else that we may feel as parents is that this current season with our infant is our forever. It isn't! In fact, it changes faster than I can type out these show notes. Yesterday, my son was 6. Today he is 16! At least, that's how it feels. Today, I invite Carolyn Penner, our interviewee from episode #23 and a mom to 3 boys of her own, to discuss some of the difficulties of parenthood. Along the way, she asks me a question that leads to an answer that every parent should hear. We end our talk with a list of shows that we binge-watch with our kids now that they have become older. This has become our new bonding-time with them. We have loved ins

Have you ever thought of going on a mission trip and just never thought that it would be possible? Is God telling you to GO, but you are hesitant because of the thought of paying for the trip or leaving your family behind? In this episode of TEA of Life Podcast, I talk with Amanda Heutig, and she shares how God told her to go on a mission trip years ago, but she used all these excuses and more to stay at home where she was more comfortable. Amanda's trip was planned in order for her to go and help change the lives of others, but, in return, it was her life that was ultimately changed. She traveled to Ecuador where she had the privilege of being a part of a group providing medical care for children and families. Her stories of change are amazing, and you can see her absolute delight on her face as she is sharing every detail.  For links, show notes and to see additional pictures from Amanda's trip, visit our website at teaoflifepodcast.com.

A while back, I wrote an article called The Dangers of Journaling. In this article, I briefly mentioned how God and I started on a journey last April 2016. The big reveal is that I was dealing with some major life-long issues that were (but are no longer) leading to depression. Through the healing process, God is teaching me to be transparent as He continues to form my story. It’s super hard! The good news is that I am learning how to deal and manage the depression; however, the source still remains. As I began to track back through my prior months, I was able to pinpoint almost when it started. It was at that point, it all began to make absolutely perfect sense; thus, promptly beginning my long, grueling, healing process. For links, show notes, and a transcript of this episode, visit our website at teaoflifepodcast.com. 

Taking the time to make sure that we allow our kids the opportunity to grow into great leaders could be more important than ever before. I am really not sure that there has ever been a time where it has seemed to be more imperative to focus on a new generation of upcoming leaders. I am passionate about a lot of things, and another thing would be quality leadership. As far as my kids are concerned, quality leadership at the foremost of my mind most of the time. I feel that every decision that I make, in both my professional and personal life, boils down to what kind of leader I want to be, what kind of leader I want my kids to see me being, and what kind of leader I want them to be. The more I read, study, listen and learn about how to grow myself as a quality leader, I realize that I also have a big responsibility as a leader (and a parent) to teach my children to become great leaders. We hear about natural-born leaders, but I feel that no leader is naturally-born. Some may acquire more training in this field

Here, at TEA of Life Podcast, we want you to do life better...YOUR life better, and we want to give you the encouragement and tools you need in order to achieve this. This week, I talk about a video that’s being shared around Facebook about the effects of using cell phones. They call this effect, Digital Dementia, and their purpose is to persuade you to stop using your cell phone so often. Although I agree with lowering the use of our digital devices, I am not sure that I agree with some of their reasoning.  The video that I talk about starts out with slow, emotional piano music and a guy who looks like he about to have a nervous breakdown. I’m sure you’ve seen it. He says that he cannot even imagine what the rates of suicide, homicide, rates of depression, and accidental deaths due to overdose is going to look like in the future. He is blaming all of this on the use of cell phones. After this scene is over, it automatically goes to another guy who introduces the Digital Dementia word that spawned the name of

I posted a picture on Facebook with a comment about investing in your kids that has gotten quite a bit of attraction. The comment ended with this, "Do what it takes to invest in your kids! Do something crazy! Do something out of the ordinary! Do something they love! Insert yourself into their world for a bit! Don't be afraid! Take a chance! Just go for it! #noregrets" Time with your kids is way more important than anything that you could possibly own. Our oldest son is 16, and we have only 76 more weeks until he turns 18. Because of this, we decided that family adventures were a top priority for our family. These adventures come with a price, but because we are debt-free and living below our means, we are able to invest our money in any way that we desire. We chose this, and we want this for you too. Listen in today, and receive the encouragement you need to GO FOR IT!  Visit our website at teaoflifepodcast.com for a transcript, show notes, and episode links.

Rayson Choo is the host of The Ragacy Show where he encourages others to become the best at who they are and what they do. After losing his job as a Japanese Clinic Nurse, along with experiencing other difficulties, including taking care of his mom who suffers from schizophrenia, Rayson was inspired to seek his passions. Through this, he also gained a deep desire to help and inspire others to chase their own dreams as well. Rayson believes that "...why some people thrive in challenging times while others don’t is clearly distinguished between their mindset and choices." Rayson's desire is to inspire 50,000 people by the year 2020. Visit teaoflifepodcast.com for additional show notes and links. 

Jessie Cole works at the Chick-Fil-A Dwarf House in Woodstock, GA. Today, we discover the man behind the smile and learn that his desire is to finish strong. If you've ever visited the Chick-Fil-A Dwarf House in Woodstock, GA, chances are you've seen him. He is a bundle of joy and his smile is completely contagious to everyone he comes in contact with.  Every time you step foot in the door and he is anywhere around, he will immediately greet you and make you feel loved. I feel that it is impossible to be in his presence and not walk away with a smile. Because of this, I wanted to get to know Jessie and the man behind the smile and share his story with you. Jessie talks about his life and how he wants to be remembered. 

Chanelle Neilson is the host of Moms Who Know Podcast, in addition, she is also a wife, a mom to 5 kiddos, and has a passion for family, health, fitness, and personal growth. I wanted to have her on the podcast today because sometimes momming can become very overwhelming; therefore, wonder, “What have I gotten myself into?” Sometimes, in order for moms to love their life, they may need a little change. That change can sometimes be something as simple as just taking better care of themselves in small, practical ways and, most importantly, not feeling guilty for it. Chanelle has 5 easy self-care ideas for moms who want to be the best they can be.  Visit our website at teaoflifepodcast.com for links and show notes.

This week, I invite my husband, Brandon, into the podcast, and we talk about the art of saying, “NO!”, in order to say, “YES!” Saying no can be super hard; especially if you’ve always been taught that telling someone no is a bad thing. Whether we say yes or we say no, there’s always an opportunity cost involved. What we need to figure out is which opportunity cost we’re most willing to give up or live without. We talk about how we only have 936 weeks of influence from the day our children are born until their 18th birthday. (We actually said 986 in the podcast. That was not the right number. The actual number is 936.)YES! 936 weeks, people! That's it! So... I went out and bought 1872 marbles to represent both of our boys (and counted each and every one) as a visual that we will be using in a video later this week, so stay tuned. You get to see how many marbles (weeks) of influence we have left with our older son. I seriously wanted to cry! Visit our website at teaoflifepodcast@com for shownotes and links.

April began the podcast by sharing two verses that came to her while she was getting ready for her goodbye episode. Yes, you read that right. Today, April says goodbye to TEA of Life Podcast. Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." Matthew 6:11 "Give us this day our daily bread...." Visit our website at teaoflifepodcast.com for shownotes and links. 

In this episode, Allison Hodges shares her story of being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at age 25. She shares her journey through life before, during, and after diagnosis, which includes: continuing to pursue her love of acting, getting married, starting a family, and now, more recently, her son's recent T1D diagnosis. This girl is totally unstoppable when it comes to choosing to love the life she's living! Visit teaoflifepodcast.com for shownotes and links. 

 Aneurysm Survivor finds her purpose... In this episode, I talk with a long-time friend, Kristina Thrasher, about her journey leading to her very own aneurysm story and being told that her "purpose is to die." She goes through the time leading up to her diagnosis, how it was eventually diagnosed, through the medical process after it was found, her surgery, and now, how life is after four years of healing.   Visit our website at teaoflifepodcast.com for show notes and links. 

Have you ever had a dream or a desire to do something only to have that dream squashed by the people around you? Have you ever had your dreams shattered by someone who has told you that you can't or shouldn't do it? How many of you have been told that your dream is impossible, stupid, completely unachievable? In this episode, we talk about this and what to do about it.  Visit our website at teaoflifepodcast.com for show notes and links.

Kristi Hayes has been in ministry for over 15 years. She has been involved with different church staffs and worked closely with non-profit ministries. She has worked in DC as a lobbyist on Capitol Hill and helped with President Bush’s Advance Team. She is currently the Founder and CEO of Be Strong Story- a business that is spreading a simple lunch box note that her husband wrote in her son’s lunchbox that says: Be StrongProtect the WeakLove Everyone   Visit our website at teaoflifepodcast.com for show notes and links.  

Sometimes we can feel overwhelmed with life and don't know where to turn. That's why we came up with Eight Simple Steps to Living the Life you Love. If you need help creating space to breathe and live a great life, look at these eight steps for a little help and inspiration.   Visit our website at teaoflifepodcast.com for show notes and links.