3 in 30 Takeaways for Moms

There comes a point in parenting where you realize the approach that worked when your kids were little just doesn't work anymore. The rules, the structure, the ability to redirect and reset — it all starts to feel like it's slipping. And if you have a teenager, you might already know that feeling well (iykyk 😅).

The older our kids get, the more we bump up against a humbling truth most of us weren't quite prepared for: We never really had control to begin with. And once we accept that, we can finally ask a much better question — not "how do I get my teenager to behave?" but "how do I stay connected to this person I love so much while they figure out who they are?". That's exactly what today's episode is about.

This week's guest is Emily Ricks, a certified life coach who especially loves working with moms of teenagers. She shares three mindset shifts that can help any mom of a teen move from white-knuckling the relationship to genuinely enjoying it, including:

💜 Why Emily admitted that having a teenager "woke the Kraken" in her — and how she found her way back to connection

💜 Why the rules you're enforcing are likely costing you the very thing you're trying to protect

💜 What it actually looks like to take back your "emotional remote control" in the middle of a heated moment with your teen

If you're in the trenches of raising teenagers, this one's for you.

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Announcements:

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Emily's Free Guide

Related Episodes:

393: How to Enjoy (Not Just Endure) the Teen Years // Amie Anger

396: How to Help Your Teen Live a Better Story

303: How to Talk to Teenagers // Brooke Romney

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Knix Teen: Finally period protection that keeps up with long school days and everything in between. Go to KnixTeen.com and use code 3IN30 for 15 percent off.

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All of us have hard feelings that need somewhere to go — frustration, resentment, grief, the anxiety that just sits there and won't quite leave. And if you're anything like me, finding a reliable way to process any of it doesn't always come naturally. We push through, or we vent to someone who didn't necessarily sign up for it, or we just wait for the feeling to pass on its own. And sometimes it does. But sometimes it doesn't, and it just kind of settles in.

This week's guest is Kim Christensen, a published writer and master's graduate in creative writing who has spent her career helping people find their voice — even people who never thought of themselves as someone who does that sort of thing.

In this episode, you'll hear:

✏️ The surprising research on what just two minutes of a simple daily practice can do for your physical health — and why the numbers are bigger than you'd expect

✏️ Why the most healing version of this practice has absolutely nothing to do with being good at it

✏️ The one question Kim says you can answer today, even if you have no plan and no idea where to start

So if you've been carrying something heavy lately and you're not quite sure where to put it, I hope this episode can offer a tool that can help.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

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Related Episodes:

424: When LIFE Doesn't Turn Out as Planned // Jessica N. Turner

407: A Two-Minute Daily Practice to Transform Your Mental Health

319: Three Tools I Use to Manage Anxiety and Depression // Cheryl Cardall, Ember Pilati

Episode Sponsors:

First Day: For a limited time only, our listeners are getting an insane deal. Use code 3in30 to get up to 57% Off at FirstDay.com.

Knix Teen: Finally period protection that keeps up with long school days and everything in between. Go to KnixTeen.com and use code 3IN30 for 15 percent off.

Shopify: Start your business today with the industry's best business partner, Shopify, and start hearing ✦[CHA CHING]✦ Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/3in30.

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There is a specific kind of worry that lives in the back of most mothers' minds —the worry that we're not doing it right. That somewhere in the gap between who we are and who we wish we were, our kids are absorbing something we never meant to give them: our unresolved stuff. Our triggers, our patterns, the things from our own childhoods that we're still working through. Is all of that making its way to our children?

The uncomfortable truth is that some of it will. That's just the reality of being parented by a human. But what Eli Harwood taught me in this conversation is that parenthood itself is a developmental stage, which means we are not finished, and the work we do on ourselves is one of the most profound gifts we can give our children.

This week's guest is Eli Harwood, licensed therapist, author, and creator of Attachment Nerd.In this conversation, Eli shares why doing the deep inner work of understanding your own emotional world isn't just good for you — it's the foundation of everything your kids actually need from you.

In this episode, you'll hear Eli share:

💜 Why she built an asterisk right into her book title (you'll love her reasoning!)

💜 What it means when she says our kids can't rely on us for needs we haven't learned to meet in ourselves

💜 What she said to her child after being barky and short at the end of a long day

If you have ever looked at your kids and felt that specific worry that you might be getting this wrong, I think you're going to find my conversation with Eli both honest and deeply freeing.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

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Related Episodes:

415: How to Get Help for Mental Illness // Sarah McKenna

458: Three Simple Phrases Your Kids Need to Hear from You // Eli Harwood

387: Why Calming Yourself Helps Calm Your Child // Eli Harwood, MA, LPC

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Shopify: Start your business today with the industry's best business partner, Shopify, and start hearing ✦[CHA CHING]✦ Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/3in30.

AirDoctor: Head to AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code 3IN30 to get up to $300 off today!

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ind Your Magic in Motherhood: Free 3-Day Email Course

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I have been a striver my entire life — the kind of person who color-coded her notes, lost sleep to get straight A's, and genuinely believed that doing more and finishing faster was just who she was. Until the season when it didn't work anymore, and I found myself wondering if what I actually needed wasn't a better system, but permission to put some things down.

This week's guest is Yvette Henry, author of Release, Rest, Remain: A 30-Day Devotional to Embrace Abiding Over Striving. In this episode, she gives language to something I think so many of us moms carry but rarely take the time to name — and a rhythm for living that actually feels sustainable.

A note: this is a faith-rooted conversation, which isn't my typical format — but the three takeaways Yvette shares are for every mother, regardless of where you land spiritually.

In this episode, you'll hear:

🤍 Why the tiredness you're feeling might have nothing to do with sleep — and the seven types of rest that actually replenish you

🤍 The glass ball and rubber ball framework — and how to tell the difference between what you need to protect and what you can safely let fall

🤍 What it can look like to remain present in your own life, even on the most ordinary days

Presence is not a reward for finished productivity — it's available to you right now, in whatever ordinary moment you're standing in. I hope this episode reminds you of that.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

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Related Episodes: 441: Self-Care for Moms That Actually Works // Mia Hemstad466: Permission to Pause129: Rethinking Meditation as Busy Moms // Dr. Leah Weiss

 

 

Sponsors:

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BetterHelp: 3 in 30 Takeaways for Moms is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to betterhelp.com/3in30 to get 10% off your first month of online therapy.

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***

Happy 3 in 30 Day, my friends! Today is March 30th — which, numerically, is 3/30 — and years ago I dubbed this our national holiday.

When I started 3 in 30, I did not set out to build a community. I was a busy mom who desperately wanted a parenting resource that would just get to the point already — and when I couldn't find one, I sat down at my kitchen table with a cheap microphone and created it. What I did not anticipate is that moms all over the world would listen, and that through it all, something that genuinely feels like a community would grow up around this little show.

To celebrate, I asked the 3 in 30 community to send in voice messages and written notes about their favorite episodes and why those episodes mattered. In today's episode, you'll hear eight of those messages — each one followed by a short clip from the episode being mentioned.

In this episode, you'll hear:

🎙️ A mom who finally stopped feeling guilty about resting — all because of one permission-giving line from one of our guests

🎙️ A mom who was walking alone during COVID when an episode about mom guilt made her feel, for the first time, like someone understood exactly what she was going through

🎙️ A mom who lost her mother years ago and started a food tradition with her own children after hearing an episode about keeping a loved one's memory alive — and how her kids now ask for it every year

Almost nine years of getting to the point and actually helping busy moms in the trenches. That's what this community is, and I'm so grateful it exists — and that there is so much good here waiting for you whenever you need it.

For full show notes click here.

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Featured Episodes:

293: Rethinking Housework // KC Davis

469: 3 Ways to Lighten the Load of Motherhood // Greg McKeown

24: Fighting Against Mom Guilt

186: Helping your Children Connect with Someone You've Loved & Lost // Dara Kurtz

461: "I Hate You, Mom" — How to Respond When Holiday Stress Brings Big Emotions

415: How to Get Help for Mental Illness // Sarah McKenna

416: When Someone You Love Struggles with Mental Health // Logan McKenna

433: Making Friends as a Mom: Why It's Hard — and How to Do It Anyway // Dr. Marisa G. Franco

118: How to Raise Confident Children // Marilyn Faulkner

Episode Sponsors:

Knix Teen: Go to knixteen.com and use code 3IN30 for 15 percent off.

Skylight: Right now, get $30 off the 15-inch Calendar at MySkylight.com/TAKEAWAYS.

Let's Connect!

Join me on Instagram!

Get weekly-ish emails with BTS of my life

Find Your Magic in Motherhood: Free 3-Day Email Course

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