Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

This episode was sparked by one of Chris and Melissa's classic "walk conversations" — the kind where something clicks, and you realize it needs to be shared…
 They begin with a powerful testimonial from a Family Brand family who realized they were spending more time talking about what they don't like in the world — politics, division, noise — than they were talking about their own values. And that insight led to a bigger question:
Where are we allowing our attention to go?
Because wherever your attention goes, your energy follows.
Chris shares how easy it is to get pulled into news cycles, controversial figures, political opinions, and cultural outrage — sometimes without even realizing it. And while many of those conversations feel urgent, he began asking himself a better question:
What is this attention taking me away from?
When he thinks about his wife, his five kids, his team, the players he coaches, and the people in his real, immediate life — he realizes that his influence is strongest right there. And every ounce of attention spent elsewhere is attention not available for those relationships.
Melissa adds another layer: Sometimes it feels like we're being pressured — even bullied — into having opinions about everything. Social media makes it easy to take a stance instantly. But do we actually have to? 
You don't owe the world an opinion on every issue. You don't have to be dragged into every debate. And you definitely don't have to sacrifice your peace or your family's focus in the process.
 They also clarify: This isn't about sticking your head in the sand. It's not about ignoring real issues or not standing for something meaningful. It's about being intentional.
If you care about a cause, choose it on purpose. If you want to serve your community, do it intentionally. If you want to shape the world, start by loving your family well.
Because the most meaningful influence often begins at home.
 This episode is ultimately an invitation to do a personal audit:
Where am I giving my attention?
Is that aligned with who I want to be?
Is the energy tradeoff worth it?
What deserves more of my focus?
When you protect your attention, you protect your energy.
And when you protect your energy, you protect your family.
 
LINKS:
All Links Family Brand! 
stan.store/familybrand

familybrand.com/quiz

familybrand.com/retreats. 

 
Episode Minute By Minute:
00:00 – The walk that inspired today's episode
01:00 – The Nickerson family quote and cultural noise
02:30 – Where attention goes, energy flows
04:00 – The hidden cost of divided attention
05:30 – Do I actually care about this issue?
06:30 – Chris's example: where his energy truly belongs
08:30 – "If you want to change the world, go home and love your family."
09:30 – Being intentional about the causes you support
10:30 – Feeling pressured to take a stance
12:00 – You don't owe anyone an opinion
13:30 – Choosing principles over politics
15:00 – Protecting your attention
16:00 – Practical audit: where is my attention going?
17:00 – Final takeaway and weekly challenge

In this powerful episode, Melissa sits down with Tim Wright — former Lutheran pastor of 41 years, author, and passionate advocate for helping boys grow into strong, compassionate men of character.
Melissa begins the conversation with a question many parents of boys are quietly asking:
What does it even mean to be a man in today's world?
With cultural messages constantly shifting — and often equating masculinity with toxicity — Tim offers a refreshing, grounded perspective. He shares why boys need intentional guidance, not stereotypes. Why strength and compassion are not opposites. And why raising good men starts with developing character — not just behavior.
Tim explains how throughout history, many cultures practiced rites of passage to help boys transition into manhood. Today, we often lack those intentional moments. Without guidance, boys will still seek definition — but they may look in the wrong places. Tim shares how simple, intentional experiences can help boys build identity rooted in love, responsibility, empathy, and conviction.
He also shares a deeply moving story about the rite of passage ceremony he created for his son when he became a father — gathering strong male figures, reading letters of affirmation, and symbolizing the moment through intentional marking. It's a beautiful picture of what mentorship and generational blessing can look like.
The conversation then turns to Tim's middle-grade fantasy series, The Adventures of Toby Baxter. Through adventure, humor, and imagination, Tim weaves character lessons about courage, wisdom, love, grit, and truth into engaging stories designed especially to help boys grow.
Melissa and Tim discuss:
Why boys need strong male role models beyond just dad
The power of language and affirmation ("I love you. I'm proud of you.")
How parents can be intentional even if a father is absent
Why character must come before labels
And how to take back influence in an age of screens and algorithms
Tim closes with a simple but powerful reminder:
Look your child in the eyes every day and say, "I love you, and I'm proud of you."
Because when a child knows they are deeply loved, it becomes a protective force against so much of what culture throws at them.
 
LINKS:
All Links Family Brand! 
stan.store/familybrand

familybrand.com/quiz

familybrand.com/retreats. 

Links For This Episode:
: Tim Wright Books -- The Adventures of Toby Baxter

Episode Minute By Minute:
01:00 – Tim's background: pastor, author, and grandfather
03:30 – What does it mean to be a man today?
05:00 – Masculinity vs. "toxic masculinity"
06:30 – Why boys need intentional training
08:00 – The loss of rites of passage in modern culture
10:00 – Character as the foundation of manhood
12:30 – What rites of passage can look like today
14:30 – The ceremony Tim created for his son
16:30 – Why boys need multiple male role models
18:00 – Supporting boys when a father isn't present
20:00 – The Adventures of Toby Baxter series
22:00 – Using story to teach courage, wisdom, and grit
24:00 – Why boys need to rediscover reading
26:00 – Navigating technology and modern parenting
28:00 – Tim's final parenting advice: affirmation and love
30:00 – Where to find Tim's books and resources

This episode started the way some of our best conversations do — on a walk.
Chris and Melissa talk about why the idea of "balance" often leaves families frustrated, exhausted, and feeling like they're failing. Instead, they introduce a different lens that has brought them far more peace over the years: seasons of life.
Every season affords certain opportunities.
Every season also has real limitations.
And neither are permanent.
Chris shares a conversation he had with someone wrestling with a big opportunity — one that looked great on paper, but didn't quite align with the season of life he and his family were in. That's when the idea of seasonality clicked. Not as an excuse, but as a filter.
They walk through real-life examples — newly married seasons, seasons with little kids, seasons when kids are more independent, seasons packed with sports schedules, and even micro-seasons like coaching a basketball team or building a business. Each season requires different energy, different priorities, and different definitions of success.
Melissa reflects on how much pressure we put on ourselves to "do it all" at once — careers, health, friendships, travel, parenting — without acknowledging that something always has to give. The freedom comes when you choose what gives on purpose, rather than resenting it later.
They also talk about how comparison makes this even harder. Seeing other families travel, rest, hustle, or expand can make you question your own choices — unless you remember that you're not in the same season.
Chris shares one of the most grounding decisions he's made for himself:
If I choose it, I surrender my right to complain about it.
Whether it's coaching basketball, committing to a business season, or choosing rest — owning your choice removes resentment and allows you to fully show up where you are.
This episode is an invitation to pause and ask better questions:
What season am I in right now?
What does this season afford me?
What am I choosing to prioritize here?
And can I trust that the seasons will change?


Because no season lasts forever.
And no matter where you are right now, the belief that the best is yet to come is always available.

LINKS:
All Links Family Brand! 
stan.store/familybrand

familybrand.com/quiz

familybrand.com/retreats. 

Episode Minute By Minute:
00:00 – Why this conversation started on a walk
01:00 – The power of walks for connection
02:00 – Clarity, commitment, and consistency
03:00 – Why Chris doesn't believe in "balance"
04:00 – Introducing seasons of life
05:00 – What newlywed seasons afford
06:00 – Seasons with little kids
07:00 – When kids get older and independence grows
08:00 – Sports schedules and real-life limitations
09:00 – Evaluating opportunities through seasonality
10:00 – Equity, work, and family alignment
11:00 – Embracing a season instead of resenting it
12:00 – Choosing what gives (and why that matters)
13:00 – Health goals and shifting seasons
14:00 – Comparison and the pressure to do it all
15:00 – Behind the highlight reel
16:00 – Why seasons always change
17:00 – Micro-seasons (like coaching basketball)
18:00 – Choosing presence over forcing hobbies
19:00 – "If I choose it, I surrender my right to complain"
 20:00 – Releasing resentment
21:00 – Final encouragement: the best is yet to come

Couple's Playbook: Getting on the Same Page for the Year Ahead
It's easy to start a new year with good intentions — and just as easy to lose them once life speeds back up.
In this episode, Chris and Melissa talk about why so many couples want to be intentional but struggle to actually do it together. The issue isn't desire. It's structure. Most couples don't need more motivation — they need a simple playbook that creates the right conversations.
They kick things off with a lighthearted look at Chris fully embracing his cowboy era (yes, cowboy hats and horses included), which naturally leads into a bigger theme of the episode: when you don't slow down to get aligned, life starts making decisions for you.
Melissa shares how their family has built meaningful year-end and new-year rhythms — from vision boards to reflection questions — and why those traditions work so well, even with kids. Chris explains how reflection and planning became a cornerstone not just in their family, but in their business as well, helping them shape focus, priorities, and direction for the year ahead.
The heart of the conversation centers on the Couple's Planning Playbook Melissa created — a simple, guided experience designed to help couples reflect individually, then come together on the things that matter most. They share what it looked like to take the playbook on a date night, fill it out separately, and then talk through it over dinner — including the moment their waitress asked where she could buy it.
They also dig into why individual clarity is just as important as shared goals. From health and fitness to parenting and schedules, many goals quietly require two people to succeed — whether we acknowledge that or not. Without alignment, support turns into frustration and good intentions turn into resentment.
One of the most meaningful parts of their experience came from walking through questions about each child individually — stepping back from the rush of daily life to really see where each kid is thriving, struggling, or needing extra support. Chris explains how alignment around parenting doesn't happen by accident; it happens through regular, intentional conversations.
They wrap up with a hilarious (and very real) story about nearly being manipulated into getting a third dog — a perfect metaphor for what happens when couples don't pause long enough to compare notes. When you don't get on the same page intentionally, decisions get made for you.
This episode is an invitation to stop chasing your tail and start leading your family with clarity, unity, and purpose — one simple conversation at a time.
P.S. 
Get your couples playbook here: https://familybrand.com/playbook
 
LINKS:
All Links Family Brand! 
stan.store/familybrand

familybrand.com/quiz

familybrand.com/retreats. 

Links For This Episode:
Get your couples playbook here: https://familybrand.com/playbook

Episode Minute By Minute:
00:00 – Happy New Year and Cowboy Chris makes an appearance
01:00 – Chris's goals, cowboy hats, and qualifying for Vegas
02:30 – Vision boards, manifestation, and setting intentions
04:00 – Family year-end reflection traditions
05:15 – Why reflection without structure feels overwhelming
06:45 – Using the same process for business and family
07:45 – Why couples need an actual playbook
08:45 – Taking the Couple's Playbook on a date night
10:00 – Filling it out individually, then talking it through
11:00 – Why individual clarity matters inside marriage
12:15 – Supporting each other's health and personal goals
13:30 – One powerful question about each child
15:00 – Alignment in parenting doesn't happen accidentally
16:30 – The almost-got-a-third-dog story
18:15 – Why couples need "forcing functions" to align
19:15 – Final encouragement: stop letting life run your marriage

Wanting to Believe: Re-Enrolling Each Other Into What's Possible
This episode came out of a conversation Chris had this week — and it hit him so clearly that he realized he and Melissa had never talked about it publicly before.
They've shared openly about the hard seasons in their marriage. They've taught frameworks for having honest, productive conversations about what isn't working. But in this episode, they talk about the missing piece that made all the difference when their marriage was at its lowest:
They started talking about what they wanted to create — before there was any evidence it was possible.
Chris shares how a couple he was advising had been doing "everything right" — having authentic conversations, communicating well, addressing issues — yet still felt stuck. And the realization was simple, but profound: they were only talking about what was broken… not what they believed could exist on the other side.
Melissa takes the conversation deeper, sharing a moment from their own marriage when there was absolutely no evidence that things would improve. No proof. No results. No momentum. And yet, she chose to hold onto something smaller, but powerful: the desire to believe a miracle could happen.
They talk about faith — not as certainty, but as willingness. Wanting to believe, even when belief feels impossible. And how that willingness created the foundation for real change.
Throughout the episode, Chris and Melissa reflect on how repeatedly re-enrolling each other into a shared vision — "I want to be married to you. I want our marriage to be amazing. I believe we can create something beautiful together." — slowly shifted the trajectory of their relationship.
This isn't about ignoring what's not working. It's about balancing honest conversations with intentional vision-casting. Because if the only seeds you plant are about what you don't want, that's exactly what keeps growing.
If your marriage feels stuck… if you're tired… if belief feels hard — this episode is an invitation to start where they did:
You don't have to fully believe.
You just have to be willing to want to.
LINKS:
All Links Family Brand! 
stan.store/familybrand
familybrand.com/quiz
familybrand.com/retreats. 
 Episode Minute By Minute:
00:00 – Chris introduces an unexpected episode topic
01:10 – Why they've never talked about this before
02:15 – Authentic Conversations vs. vision-casting
03:15 – Asking the question: "What are you trying to create?"
 04:05 – Melissa reflects on their separation
05:10 – Faith when there is no evidence
06:10 – "Wanting to believe" as the starting point
07:25 – The scripture story and "help my unbelief"
08:40 – Talking about what's possible before it's possible
09:50 – Planting seeds through language and vision
10:55 – When you don't know what a good marriage looks like
11:50 – Looking for models and borrowed belief
12:45 – Re-enrolling each other during hard seasons
13:40 – Choosing to be on the same team
14:30 – Final encouragement: start with wanting to believe