Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

Hey there, Family Brand OGs and newcomers alike! This week, we're joined by our friend Wayde Elliott, who we had the privilege of meeting this summer while cruising through Croatia with our families. We got to know Wayde and his daughter, Avery, on that trip, and some of the conversations we had together made us realize he had a perspective we haven't shared enough of here on the Family Brand Podcast: what does it look like to intentionally build a strong family when your family doesn't necessarily look the way you once imagined it would?
Wayde's story has included some massive changes. After 20 successful years as a dentist, a spinal fusion surgery suddenly took him out of dentistry at nearly the same time he was going through a divorce. He eventually reinvented himself professionally through self-storage and real estate development, but in this conversation, we really wanted to talk about what was happening at home. When Wayde realized his marriage was ending, he made a conscious decision that the divorce didn't have to become destructive. Instead of approaching it from a place of winning or losing, he asked his ex-wife what she wanted and committed to creating the best possible outcome for her, himself, and most importantly, their kids. That decision wasn't always easy, but more than a decade later, Wayde says they still have a good relationship and have been able to remain flexible and supportive as co-parents.
We also get into the parts of co-parenting that aren't so simple. What happens when you and your ex have completely different ideas about parenting? How do you respond when a decision in the other household undermines something you're trying to teach in yours? Wayde shares why he's learned to create space before reacting and to pay attention to the meaning he's assigning to an experience. We also talk about the difference between living in what Wayde calls a "suffering state" versus a "beautiful state," and why he's committed to continually becoming a better version of himself. That leads us into one of our favorite parts of the conversation: personal and family core values. Wayde shares his own values—love, learning, abundance, fitness, family, and contribution—and how he uses them as an alignment filter for his life.

But maybe the most powerful moment of this episode happened before we ever hit record. During our time together in Croatia, Wayde and Avery had a conversation that changed the way he thought about showing up as her dad. Like a lot of entrepreneurs, Wayde is wired to solve problems—but Avery didn't need him to solve hers. She needed her dad to listen. She told him she wanted more one-on-one time with him, and instead of immediately trying to fix the situation, Wayde sat with her and listened. Since coming home, he's intentionally created more time that's just for the two of them. It's such a simple reminder, but one we all need: sometimes the people we love don't need our solutions. They need our presence.
Hit play to hear the full conversation with Wayde! We talk about divorce, co-parenting, fatherhood, ego, forgiveness, personal growth, core values, and what it can look like to choose a beautiful family life even when the original plan changes.
P.S. We're here to help you build your own Family Brand, one episode at a time. So go ahead, hit play, and let's grow together! Or, if you are ready to dive into our community, follow the links below!

 
LINKS:
All Links Family Brand! 
stan.store/familybrand
familybrand.com/quiz
familybrand.com/retreats. 
Links For This Episode:
https://www.instagram.com/waydeelliottdmd?igsh=MTc0emRjMDBxcG1mZA%3D%3D
https://www.linkedin.com/in/waydeelliottdmd
Episode Minute By Minute:
00:00 Meet Wayde Elliott
01:00 Why Wayde Chose the Family Trip to Croatia
02:00 Losing His Career While Going Through Divorce
03:00 From Dentistry to a Completely New Career
04:18 Choosing an Intentional Divorce
05:00 Asking, "What Does Success Look Like?"
07:00 Creating a Win-Win for the Entire Family
08:00 Preserving a Relationship With Your Ex
09:00 Why Communication Matters in Co-Parenting
10:00 Parenting Differently in Two Households
12:00 The Meaning You Give an Experience
13:00 Love and Forgiveness Over Criticism
14:00 Deciding What Your Family Will Look Like
15:00 Interested vs. Committed
17:00 Why Ego Can Destroy Relationships
18:00 Responding Instead of Reacting
19:00 Living in a "Beautiful State"
20:00 Wayde's Personal Core Values
22:00 The Conversation With His Daughter That Changed Him
24:00 Your Kids Don't Always Need You to Fix It
26:00 Staying Present With Your Kids After Divorce
28:00 Wayde's Advice for Parents Going Through Divorce
30:00 Choosing the Meaning You Give Hard Experiences

Hey, Family Brand community! Have you ever had an idea that just wouldn't leave you alone? Maybe it was starting a business, improving your health, strengthening your marriage, or trying something completely outside your comfort zone. The question isn't whether you've had those moments—we all have. The real question is: what separates the ideas we simply think about from the ones that actually change our lives? That's exactly what we're exploring in this episode.
One of our favorite stories in this conversation comes from Melissa's unexpected "side quest" of starting a vintage business with her sister called Yarn Chasers. It wasn't something they had years of experience doing or a perfectly mapped-out business plan for. They simply decided they were going to do it, rented a booth at a huge market, spent months preparing, and went all in. Whether it lasted forever wasn't the point. The point was that they stopped wondering and started moving. That single decision created opportunities, memories, confidence, and lessons they still carry with them today.
Throughout this episode, we talk about something we've both seen play out over and over in our own lives: there's a huge difference between making a decision and truly deciding. It's easy to say, "Someday I'd like to..." It's much harder—and much more powerful—to commit, take action, and move forward before you have every answer. We've found that once you begin moving, opportunities appear, people show up, and clarity often comes through action rather than before it. You don't have to be certain—you simply have to be willing to take the next step.
One of our biggest hopes is that this conversation encourages you to look back at your own life. Think about the moments that changed everything. Chances are they began with a simple but powerful commitment: "I'm doing this." Whatever season you're in, maybe this is your reminder to stop waiting for perfect certainty. Choose a direction. Commit to it. Trust that you'll learn along the way, even if the path eventually changes. Sometimes the greatest growth doesn't come from making the perfect decision—it comes from becoming the kind of person who isn't afraid to decide.
Hit play to hear the full conversation! We dive into the stories, the mindset shifts, and the powerful quote that inspired this entire discussion—and why we believe commitment often creates the conditions for miracles.
P.S. We're here to help you build your own Family Brand, one episode at a time. So go ahead, hit play, and let's grow together! Or, if you're ready to dive even deeper into our community, follow the links below.
 
LINKS:
All Links Family Brand! 
stan.store/familybrand
familybrand.com/quiz
familybrand.com/retreats. 
Episode Minute By Minute:
00:00 Chris Surprises Melissa With a Question
01:31 Melissa's Yarn Chasers Story
03:37 What Happens When You Go All In
05:45 The Power of Truly Deciding
08:00 Possibility 2.0 and Radical Commitment
10:05 A Quote That Changed Everything
11:38 From Wishing to Doing
13:00 The Difference Between a Decision and Deciding
14:17 Why Commitment Attracts Opportunity
16:00 The Kitchen Table Analogy
17:26 The Hidden Cost of Indecision
18:40 Looking Back at Life-Changing Decisions
20:32 Expect Miracles
22:00 What If You Choose the Wrong Path?
24:08 Why Deciding Is Never Wasted
25:18 Be a Person Who Commits

Hey, Family Brand community! Have you ever had one of those moments where nothing is necessarily wrong... but something just feels off? That's exactly where we found ourselves not too long ago. On the surface, life was full of good things—work, activities, commitments, opportunities—but somehow we looked around and realized we didn't actually have much time left to simply be a family. That realization eventually led us to create one of our favorite Family Brand exercises: Take Back Your Family's Time.
The truth is, your calendar will always fill itself if you let it. We learned that the hard way. We had said yes to so many good opportunities that there wasn't much room left for the best things—the conversations around the dinner table, family traditions, slow evenings together, or simply doing the things we genuinely love as a family. Sometimes the problem isn't that we're filling our lives with bad things. It's that we're filling them with so many good things that there's no space left for what matters most.
One of the first things we did was ask a simple question: "Our family works when..." We started making a list of the moments when we feel the most connected. Maybe it's eating meals together, camping, turning off devices in the evenings, going to church, reading together, or having a nightly family check-in. Every family will have different answers, but identifying those rhythms gave us clarity about what we wanted to protect. From there, we took an honest look at where our time was actually going. It wasn't always easy, but it gave us permission to say "no" to some things so we could say a much bigger "yes" to our family.
As another busy season approaches, this is the perfect time to pause and do your own family time audit. Involve your kids in the conversation—they often have incredible insight into what makes them feel most connected. You might be surprised by what they remember and what they value. The goal isn't to create a perfect schedule. It's to intentionally create a life where your family has room to thrive instead of simply trying to keep up.
Hit play to hear the full conversation! In this episode, we walk through the entire Take Back Your Family's Time framework, the questions we ask ourselves every year, and the practical exercise you can use with your own family this week.
P.S. We're here to help you build your own Family Brand, one episode at a time. So go ahead, hit play, and let's grow together! Or, if you're ready to dive deeper into our community, follow the links below.
 
LINKS:
All Links Family Brand! 
stan.store/familybrand
familybrand.com/quiz
familybrand.com/retreats. 

Episode Minute By Minute:
00:00 Why We Needed to Take Back Our Family's Time
01:19 When Good Things Become Too Much
02:11 The Family Exercise We Shared in Croatia
03:14 The Wake-Up Call Our Family Needed
04:13 Identifying What Your Family Loves Most
05:00 Good vs. Better vs. Best
05:46 The Story That Changed Our Perspective
06:46 Why Every Family Needs a Time Audit
07:46 Rediscovering Family Traditions
08:27 Preparing for a Busy Season
09:00 "Our Family Works When..."
10:00 A Family Tradition That Inspired Us
11:06 Give Yourself Permission to Say No
11:47 Involve Your Kids in the Conversation
00:00 Why We Needed to Take Back Our Family's Time
01:19 When Good Things Become Too Much
02:11 The Family Exercise We Shared in Croatia
03:14 The Wake-Up Call Our Family Needed
04:13 Identifying What Your Family Loves Most
05:00 Good vs. Better vs. Best
05:46 The Story That Changed Our Perspective
06:46 Why Every Family Needs a Time Audit
07:46 Rediscovering Family Traditions
08:27 Preparing for a Busy Season
09:00 "Our Family Works When..."
10:00 A Family Tradition That Inspired Us
11:06 Give Yourself Permission to Say No
11:47 Involve Your Kids in the Conversation

Hey, Family Brand community! We are so glad to be back in the studio. It probably doesn't feel like we've been gone since we recorded a few episodes ahead of time, but after spending the last few weeks traveling through Croatia and Turkey, we're excited to sit down and share some of the biggest lessons we brought home with us. Every trip has a way of changing us, and this one was no exception.
Our first stop was Croatia, where we hosted another Family Brand cruise with our good friend Antony and the Solomori team. If Croatia has been sitting on your travel bucket list, consider this your sign to move it to the top. It's absolutely beautiful, but what impacted us most wasn't just the scenery—it was the culture. Everywhere we went, we saw families making time for one another, preserving traditions, sharing stories, and simply slowing down. Meals weren't rushed. Conversations stretched for hours. We even learned a Croatian word that quickly became the theme of our trip: pomalo—which simply means take it easy, slow down, don't rush. It became a reminder that maybe we're not meant to race through life quite as fast as we often do.
Then we landed in Turkey, and talk about a complete shift. Everything felt unfamiliar—in the best possible way. From hearing the call to prayer echo across Istanbul to visiting beautiful mosques, trying a traditional Turkish bath, navigating a language barrier, and experiencing a culture completely different from our own, we found ourselves having conversations as a family that we never would have had otherwise. It challenged some assumptions, expanded our understanding of another faith and culture, and reminded us how valuable it is to step outside what's comfortable. We left with an even greater appreciation for the kindness we experienced everywhere we went and for how much there is to learn simply by being curious.
By the time we made it home, each of us had something different we were bringing back. For some of us, it was a renewed commitment to slow down and prioritize family. For others, it was a deeper appreciation for home, or even a desire to start reading physical books again instead of always listening to audiobooks. More than anything, this trip reminded us that growth doesn't just happen through travel—it happens anytime we're willing to be open to new people, different perspectives, and meaningful conversations. Whether your next adventure is across the world or simply across town, we hope it stretches you in all the best ways.
Hit play to hear the full conversation! We dive much deeper into the stories, the laughs, the culture, and the lessons that simply can't all fit into a blog post.
P.S. We're here to help you build your own Family Brand, one episode at a time. So go ahead, hit play, and let's grow together! Or, if you're ready to dive even deeper into our community, follow the links below.

LINKS:
All Links Family Brand!
stan.store/familybrand
familybrand.com/quiz
familybrand.com/retreats. 
Episode Minute By Minute:
00:00 Back in the Studio After Three Weeks Away
00:41 Our Family Trip Through Croatia and Turkey
01:03 The Family Brand Cruise Through Croatia
02:18 Why Croatia Should Move Up Your Travel List
03:05 From Croatia's Coast to Istanbul, Turkey
04:13 A Croatian Village Where Everyone Knows Your Family
06:06 Preserving Family Stories and Traditions
07:15 What Strong Families and Croatian Culture Have in Common
09:28 Pomalo: Slow Down, Relax, and Don't Rush
10:33 Experiencing Istanbul and Turkish Culture
11:26 What Turkey Taught Us About Faith and Perspective
12:30 Stepping Outside Our Comfort Zone as a Family
13:12 Helping Our Kids Experience a Different Way of Life
15:00 What Each of Us Brought Home From the Trip
15:27 Travel, Curiosity, and Learning From Other People
16:21 Slowing Down and Prioritizing Family
17:05 Rediscovering the Joy of Reading
18:13 Here's to the Rest of Summer

Welcome back to the podcast! Today is a fun one because we're recording from an Airbnb in Istanbul with a very special guest—our son, Tate. After spending a week with incredible families on our Family Brand retreat in Croatia, we decided to extend our trip and let our kids help choose the next adventure. Somehow, that led us here to Turkey, which also felt like the perfect place to have a conversation we've wanted to record for a long time: homeschooling, education, and what it looks like to create a learning path that's unique to your child.
Over the last few years, we've had so many parents ask us about homeschooling. Not because they know they want to do it, but because they're wondering if there's another option besides the traditional path. We certainly didn't have it all figured out when we started. In fact, Tate's educational journey has included charter school, public school, homeschooling, a microschool, community college, and plenty of learning that happened outside of a classroom. Looking back, one of the biggest lessons we've learned is that education doesn't have to look the same for every child. Sometimes the best thing you can do is stop asking, "What's normal?" and start asking, "What's right for this child?"
One thing I appreciated hearing from Tate was how honest he was about the experience. It wasn't perfect. There were semesters that went really well and one that went really, really poorly. There were moments where we had to adjust, fill in gaps, and learn alongside him as parents. But that's part of the process. I think so many parents are afraid they'll make the wrong decision and somehow ruin their child's future. This conversation reminded me that kids are incredibly resilient. If there's a gap, it can be filled. If something isn't working, it can be changed. Education doesn't have to be perfect—it just has to keep moving forward.
One of the unexpected gifts of taking a less traditional path was the freedom it created. Tate was able to travel with us, take college classes while still in high school, play sports, explore hobbies like cooking, filmmaking, guitar, and even bird watching, and graduate with an associate's degree before most students graduate high school. More importantly, he developed perspective by experiencing different cultures, meeting entrepreneurs, and seeing that learning happens everywhere—not just inside four classroom walls. Those experiences have shaped who he is every bit as much as his academics.
At the end of the day, this episode isn't really about homeschooling. It's about giving yourself permission to ask better questions. What kind of education will help your child thrive? What environment helps them become curious, confident, and capable? There may not be one perfect answer, and that's okay. Our hope is simply that this conversation reminds you that you have more options than you may realize, and that the best educational path is often the one that's intentionally designed for your family—not the one everyone else expects you to choose.
 
LINKS:
 
All Links Family Brand! 
stan.store/familybrand
familybrand.com/quiz
familybrand.com/retreats. 
Episode Minute By Minute:
00:00 – Recording from Istanbul + introducing Tate
03:45 – Why we wanted to have this homeschooling conversation
05:00 – Tate's unconventional education journey (K–12)
08:00 – Graduating college before high school
09:00 – Will homeschooling ruin your kids?
10:30 – Tate's biggest academic failure—and what it taught us
12:00 – Why kids are more resilient than parents think
13:30 – The courage to choose an unconventional path
15:00 – The unexpected benefits of homeschooling
16:30 – Why travel became part of Tate's education
18:00 – There are more educational options than ever before
19:00 – Tate shares his biggest regrets and lessons learned
21:00 – Chris and Melissa reflect on parenting through uncertainty
23:00 – Advice for parents considering homeschooling
24:00 – The goal isn't homeschooling—it's finding what works for your child