With the addition of personal phones and laptops, social media, e-learning, and more, school education has changed. We find ourselves saying, “Back in my day…”, while our kids roll their eyes and misjudge our age by 25 years. Things are different, yes. Our kids are facing new challenges in school, yes - but what they need from us while they’re living at home hasn’t. Today, Paige is joined by Cleve Million, currently a high school principal in Fort Wayne, IN. Cleve has been an educator for 26 years, serves as an elder at his church, and is married with three kids (one just married, one in college, and one in middle school). Paige and Cleve discuss the school landscape, the after-effects of COVID-19 on our kids, and what educators really want from parents. This is an insightful and hopeful conversation about education in today’s society and how we as parents can encourage our children throughout academia.

Paige’s Takeaways

1. Speak life, identity, and truth over your kids.
   1. The words spoken over them both in school and at home have the power to dictate their future! Be mindful of what you are saying and what they are hearing from their circle of influence.
2. Maintain an open dialogue with school administrators and teachers.
   1. Don’t brush off the opportunity to reach out if you have questions or concerns - most of the time, teachers want to be in communication with parents!
3. Tell your kids that you love them!
   1. Don’t forget what our top priority is as parents: to let our children know that they are loved unconditionally and that they have worth and value as individuals and as God’s children. On busy days it’s easy to forget that we need to get on our kids’ level, look them in the eyes, and connect. You know how your children feel loved, so do that!

Links:

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: paigeclingenpeel@gmail.com

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

HomeWord

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #school #principal #highschool #middleschool #technology #educators #education #connection #postCOVID #behavior #anxiety #parents #communication #socialmedia #pfcaudiovideo

In today’s episode of Embracing Your Season, Paige shares an interview from her recent trip to AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors) in Dallas, TX with Dr. Gregory Jantz. Dr. Jantz is a nationally certified psychologist, a licensed mental health counselor, the author of over 45 books, and the founder of The Center, a Top 10 Facility for Depression Treatment. Together, Paige and Dr. Jantz discuss how to identify a toxic individual and the steps we can take to instill boundaries, have compassion and gentleness in confrontation, and know when it’s time to walk away.

Paige’s Takeaways

If you’ve been in a negative relationship with someone for many years, you may brush off their treatment of you or make excuses for their behavior. Depending on how you grew up, you may accept this treatment as normal or suitable because you believe you aren’t worthy of anything different. In these instances, it’s important to find a trusted voice who can give you an objective opinion of this person.

• How do you determine the toxic person?
  • Ask yourself (and your kids): how do you feel when you’re around this person? Do you feel relaxed, happy, and at peace? Or are you on edge or tense, does your head or stomach hurt? Pay attention to your body to help identify the people in your life who may create a more negative environment.
  • If you start feeling like the person is speaking criticism, invalidating you, rationalizing their behavior or comments despite you bringing it up and asking them to stop, that may be a good indicator that they are an unhealthy person.
• When we want to see a change in a toxic person, we can’t just demand that they change their behavior! We instead can model gentleness and compassion in our request, it produces a greater chance of them listening to us as well as leading to positive behavior changes.
• Once you identify a toxic person:
  • You still have power over how you interact with them. You can choose not to engage in a conversation by telling them a boundary, ie. ‘I don’t want to talk about this issue’ or you can walk away, if needed.

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: paigeclingenpeel@gmail.com

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

HomeWord

Connecting with Dr. Gregg Jantz

Dr. Gregory Jantz

The Center: A Place of Hope

Books Mentioned:

How to Deal with Toxic People

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #therapy #counseling #aacc #toxicpeople #toxic #drgregoryjantz #thecenter #dealingwithtoxicpeople #boundaries #healthyboundaries #pfcaudiovideo

In today’s episode of Embracing Your Season, Paige shares an interview from her recent trip to AACC (American Association of Christian Counselors) in Dallas, TX with Zach Clinton. Zach is a licensed resident counselor who currently serves as the Vice President of the American Association of Christian Counselors, is the host of the renowned ‘Built Different Podcast’, and is President & Host of Ignite Men’s Impact Weekend which gathers nearly 10,000 men each year. Paige and Zach discuss how to create a flourishing life in the various facets of our lives: from physical health, mental health, spiritual discipline, and marital intention, to showing up in the lives of our children. This is a power-packed conversation - you’ll probably want to take some notes!

Paige’s Takeaways

How do we help our kids create a flourishing life?

• Remind your kids that their worth is NOT dependent on their performance.
  • We get to show them that their worth has been assigned to them by the Creator of the universe! Created with a purpose, for a purpose.
• Communication: Speak truth over your kids
  • Pointing out in a loving, grace-filled way the areas that they can grow in actually loving them well! We care about them enough to ensure they don’t stay stuck in unhealthy patterns. Read Proverbs 27:5-6.
  • Show them their worth through your behaviors and choices! Prove to your children their significance by being PRESENT. Are your time management choices showing your children that they are of great importance to you?

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: paigeclingenpeel@gmail.com

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

HomeWord

Connecting with Zach Clinton

ZachClinton.com

Even If by Zach Clinton

Books Mentioned:

The Power of Showing Up by Dan Siegel

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Made for People by Justin Whitmel Earley

The Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #therapy #counseling #aacc #flourishing #flourishinglife #evenif #spiritualdiscipleship #hope #inthefire #intentionaltime #growth #choice #healthywholisticlifestyle #pfcaudiovideo

In today’s episode of Embracing Your Season, Paige welcomes Sara Baldwin, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Story House Ministries, a licensed mental health counselor, wife, and mother of 4. Paige and Sara dive deep into the practice of therapy and how knowing your story intimately; the good, the bad, and the ugly, is paramount to a healthy life. They discuss common misconceptions surrounding therapy, how prioritizing our own healing is a gift to those around us, and how a thriving life mentally, emotionally, and spiritually comes down to connection with others (and Jesus).

Takeaways:

• When choosing a therapist:
  • Ask around! Referrals are a great way to find trusted options.
  • When you are paired with a counselor - know that you don’t have to stick with them if they aren’t a good fit! Your counselor will not be offended if you want to work with someone else. Think of it like speed-dating: Try a few out before you decide who you feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable with and begin healing.
  • AACC.net is an amazing resource if you don’t know where to start!
• Recognize how the gift of counseling isn’t just for you, but for the people around you who you love!
  • You helping yourself prevents generational bondage from transferring to your children, your spouse, and others who are close to you.
• Ask yourself: Am I resistant to counseling? Why is that?
  • Maybe it’s your personality type and you don’t want to be transparent, maybe it’s financial, maybe there’s a spiritual warfare component - the truth is, there will always be reasons why you don’t want to or can’t enter into counseling. But here’s a bigger truth: Healing will never come if you keep making excuses.
  • When you start focusing on how your life and happiness could improve with counseling, look at your excuses and see what can be renegotiated to make room for it.

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: paigeclingenpeel@gmail.com

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

HomeWord

Connecting with Sara Baldwin

StoryHouse Ministries

Email StoryHouse: hello@storyhousecounseling.com

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #therapy #counseling #trauma #healing #process #benefits #happy #connection #storyhouseministries #storyhousecounseling #pfcaudiovideo

*Listener Discretion Advised* This episode contains adult themes such as depression, suicide, self-harm, sex, and others. We suggest listening to this show with headphones or when your littles are not around.

On today’s episode of Embracing Your Season, Paige welcomes Jennifer Barnes, a licensed K-6 educator with over 14 years of experience in the field who is currently the Director of Programming with The Respect Team. Jennifer and Paige dive into a powerful conversation about the work Jennifer and her team are doing in schools, equipping kids and teens with essential life skills. They focus on teaching practical tools like setting boundaries, understanding consent, healthy communication, and respect for self and others. This is a must-listen for parents of children at any stage, as Jennifer and Paige highlight how modeling kindness, honoring boundaries, and being a safe space for your child to learn these lessons are vital, not just during childhood but well into adulthood.

Takeaways:

1. Using everyday scenarios in our homes to help equip our kids to navigate hard circumstances:
   1. i.e., talking about kindness, how do we navigate giving consent? How do we help set our boundaries and make sure people are respecting them?
   2. Ask your kids in daily life - Was that kind? How would you have done that? How can you share this boundary with your sibling, friend, etc.?
2. Model boundary behaviors with our kids
   1. What we speak over our kids, what we enforce or let them get away with is teaching them their worth and value in our home. This also informs the relationships they will have outside the home!
3. Be educated about the policies that are being implemented at your child’s school
   1. Figure out what the teacher “standards: are coming into the classroom from the school board at the state and federal levels - this is our responsibility as parents!

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: paigeclingenpeel@gmail.com

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

HomeWord

PassItOn: Trainer of Trainers

Connecting with Jennifer Barnes

The Respect Team

Instagram: @the.respect.team

Facebook: The Respect Team

TikTok: The Respect Team

Email Jennifer: jennifer@respectteam.com

Suicide Hotline: If you need emotional support, reach out to the national mental health hotline: 988.

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #therespectteam #teens #school #consent #respect #boundaries #model #teach #getinvolved #pfcaudiovideo

Picture the scene: your kid tells you so-and-so’s parent (your friend) said something mean about them to someone else. You see red. There’s no deep breath, there’s no prayer sent heavenward - you pick up your phone, shoot off a text…and then come to find out it was all a big misunderstanding. UGH. Friends, we’ve all been there. Parenting fails are REAL and probably more frequent than we want. So, how do we handle these moments of embarrassment and use them as teaching moments for our kids? Paige and producer Mike Segovia tackle this subject by vulnerably sharing some of their recent fails. Get ready to cringe, laugh, and join them in solidarity as they examine what they would have done differently, and how we can use our shortcomings to model integrity to our kids.

Takeaways:

1. Continue to create opportunities for your kids to come to you.
2. If you fail (as we all do), ask forgiveness and then ask your kids what you can do differently to support them next time.

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: paigeclingenpeel@gmail.com

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

HomeWord

Guest Info:

Mike Segovia - PFC Audio Video

Keywords/Hashtags

#embracingyourseason #mentalhealth #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #pfcaudiovideo #communicationfails #parenting #drama #communicate #lifelessons #livinginintegrity #honesty #learning

On today’s episode of Embracing Your Season, Paige has a special conversation with Rhonda Haslett and her son Maxx. Maxx’s story is one of hopelessness to hope; of chasing substance-induced highs and self-harming behavior to encountering God and His love in a deeply powerful way. With honesty and vulnerability, Maxx and his mom share the journey their family navigated while he was in some of the darkest seasons and how God in His goodness brought him out and led him to light. This testimony is a beautiful picture of how God pursues the hearts of those He loves - and a reminder that He is always waiting for us to surrender ourselves to Him.


Paige’s Takeaways:

• God is the one that saves, and my role as a parent is one to love.
  • Don’t put yourself in a role that you were never designed for! As hard as it is, we have to surrender our children to God and trust that He saves and He loves them!
• Am I overstepping in my advocacy for my child?
  • We want our kids to build resilience and sometimes that means we have to step back, love them well by allowing natural consequences to happen and only step in when absolutely necessary.
• If you find out your child is self-harming:
  • We automatically assume that they can be suicidal, but more often than not it is a coping mechanism.
  • Don’t let your fear rule you! Talk to your child with love and curiosity - ask questions to try and help find what is causing this.
  • FIND A COUNSELOR for your child and your family. We are trained to help so your child can start to heal.

Resources:

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: paigeclingenpeel@gmail.com

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

Sponsored by: HomeWord

Donate to HomeWord

Connect with The Hasletts

Email Rhonda: TheRhondaHaslett@gmail.com

First Assembly Ft. Wayne: https://www.fafw.org/about/

Keywords/Hashtags:

#embracingyourseason #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #pfcaudiovideo #rhondaandmaxxhaslett #ministry #prodigalson #ADD #ADHD #substanceabuse #selfharm #depression #loneliness #redemption #love #testimony #Godencounter #healing #teen #parents #treatment

“First, we form habits, they they form us. Conquer your bad habits, or they’ll eventually conquer you.” - Anonymous

Most of us don’t really think about our daily habits. Aside from our morning coffee or making lunch for the kids before they head off to school - our days just kind of happen. If we started being intentional in the way we lived each day, how much of a difference could we expect to see? Today, Paige welcomes author, speaker, and lawyer Justin Whitmel Earley to discuss the power of habits and more specifically his book, Habits of the Household. With grace and encouragement, Justin shares how intentionality in the areas of discipleship to Jesus, dedication to your spouse, and focused parenting leads to a life positioned toward peace and growth.

Paige’s Takeaways:

• Our Routines Become Who We Are
  • When we aren’t intentional in our routines, we tend to be emotional and reactionary - which means our “routines” can be stressful.
  • To become intentional - we need a plan!
    • Start with creating a Rule of Life. What do you value as a family? What are your expectations for how you relate to each other and to your community? What do you want to prioritize in your life?
• Discipline - What it Is and What it Isn’t
  • There’s a difference between punishment and discipline
  • Punishment is about inflicting pain/hurting someone as a consequence of their mistake or deliberate action
  • Discipline allows for consequences, but it’s based on a foundation of teaching: teaching why their actions were harmful (to others and themselves), asking where their reaction came from (a place of anger, hurt, confusion, shame, etc.), helping to change their heart to act out of truth and right action next time.
  • Take a ‘Pause Prayer’ moment. Invite God into the equation!

Resources:

Paige Clingenpeel

Questions About the Podcast? Email: paigeclingenpeel@gmail.com

Facebook: @Paige Clingenpeel

Instagram: @paigeclingenpeel

YouTube: Embracing Your Season Sponsored by HomeWord

Sponsored by: HomeWord

Donate to HomeWord

Connect with Justin Whitmel Earley

Justin Whitmel Earley

Instagram: @justinwhitmelearley

Books:

Habits of the Household: Practicing the Story of God in Everyday Family Rhythms

The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose for an Age of Distraction

Made For People: Why We Drift into Loneliness and How to Fight for a Life of Friendship

Keywords/Hashtags:

#embracingyourseason #podcast #podcastcommunity #paigeclingenpeel #homeword #pfcaudiovideo #justinwhitmelearley #author #speaker #lawyer #habits #habitsofthehousehold #intention #family #marriage #parenting #kids #grace #transformation #discipline #discipleship