Minimalist Moms Podcast | Purposeful Life & Parenting Tips

What if raising independent kids actually made life easier - for everyone? Today I’m joined by Jenna Michael, author of Let’s Choose Less and the children’s book We Can Help, for a conversation about simplifying family life by inviting our kids into it. Jenna’s work centers around one powerful idea: children are more capable than we often give them credit for. And when we allow them to participate - really participate - in the rhythms of daily life, we’re not only building their confidence and life skills… we’re also creating a more sustainable, connected home. We talk about why parents tend to step in too quickly (hint: time pressure and perfectionism), how to thoughtfully hand over responsibility, and what it looks like to balance independence with a strong sense of safety and attachment.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Subscribe to the Minimalist Moms Youtube Channel
Diane's Resource: [REPLAY] Love People, Use Things | The Minimalists
Previous Episode: Let’s Choose Less: Simplifying Life with Young Kids | Jenna Michael (EP389)
Jenna Can't Stop Talking About: Homemade Candles
Connect with Jenna:
Website
Instagram
Substack
Book: Let's Choose Less: A Young Family's Guide to Simply Living
Book: We Can Help

About Jenna|
Jenna Michael is a wife, mother, author, and coach specializing in simplified and intentional living for families. Her writing covers topics such as family-friendly activities and events, wellness, travel, gifts, and essential parenting tips. Her coaching helps moms turn these valuable insights into practical action, reduce clutter and chaos, and ultimately pursue a life of purpose on purpose. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, curled up with a book, or enjoying the outdoors.
Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/MINIMALIST
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Boll & Branch: http://bollandbranch.com/minimalist
* Check out Time4Learning: https://www.time4learning.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

If you’ve been a listener here for awhile, you’ll know that minimalism goes beyond stuff. I’m thrilled to share today’s guests, Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus - otherwise known as ‘The Minimalists’. Today they’ll dive deeper into the seven essential relationships in our lives: stuff, truth, self, money, values, creativity, and people and how minimalism makes room in our lives to re-evaluate and heal these areas.  
Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/MINIMALIST
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Boll & Branch: http://bollandbranch.com/minimalist
* Check out Time4Learning: https://www.time4learning.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

In this episode, Diane sits down with philosopher, artist, and founder of Sword and Pencil, Josh Nadeau, to talk about his book, Heaven Meets Earth: A 40-Day Journey of Transformation Through the Nicene Creed. Josh explains how the Nicene Creed - written in 325 and foundational to historic Christian belief - can serve as a stabilizing anchor in a time marked by distraction, burnout, and cultural noise. We discuss how intentional living can take shape through small, daily practices, and how this 40-day journey invites just 5–15 minutes a day of reflection, prayer, and art. Josh shares how ancient rhythms like silence, fasting, and structured prayer can feel freeing rather than restrictive when rooted in relationship with Christ. We also explore how beauty, art, and contemplation can help reorient our attention and deepen our faith, offering a grounded, accessible way to engage spirituality in everyday life.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Diane's Resource: 
Previous Episode: "Art is the Signature of Man" | Jake Weidmann (EP53)
Josh's Resource:
Connect with Josh:
Substack: https://substack.com/@everydaysaints
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swordandpencil/
Book: Heaven Meets Earth: A 40-Day Journey of Transformation Through the Nicene Creed

About Josh|
Josh Nadeau (nuh-doh) is an artist, writer and creative theologian from the west coast of Canada. Beauty is his apologetic, and his work seeks to translate ancient ideas of embodying the transcendent for a modern time. His art and writing invite Christians to recover the “holy ordinary” and behold the beauty of Jesus in everyday life. He has appeared on numerous podcasts, contributed to magazines and websites, and created art for Jordan Peterson’s History of Western Civilization, The Chosen, Searock, Vuvivo, the Daily Wire, and other churches and organizations. Josh holds an undergraduate degree in physics, a master’s degree in theological studies and—as he quips—a doctorate from the School of Hard Knocks. He is a husband, father, reader, boulderer and explorer of every good and perfect gift
Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/MINIMALIST
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Boll & Branch: http://bollandbranch.com/minimalist
* Check out Time4Learning: https://www.time4learning.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Today’s kids face more anxiety, stress, and pressure than ever before. In this episode, I sit down with therapists and parenting experts Sissy Goff and David Thomas to talk about the missing piece many parents overlook: capability.
Capable kids believe they can do hard things. They face challenges with confidence, bounce back from setbacks, and keep going when life gets complicated. Drawing from more than fifty years of combined counseling experience, Sissy and David share practical, research-backed strategies to help parents raise confident, resilient kids who can navigate stress and thrive.
Whether you’re parenting young children or teens, this conversation will equip you with tools to build confidence, resilience, and a deep belief in who your child is becoming.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Diane's Resource: Minimalist Moms Youtube Channel
David's Resource: Hope Heals
Sissy's Resource: App: Pray As You Go
David Can't Stop Talking About: Book: Theo of Golden
Sissy Can't Stop Talking About: Hootenanny Games
Connect with Sissy & David:
Website: https://www.raisingboysandgirls.com/
Instagram: @RaisingBoysAndGirls and @SissyGoff
Book: Capable: How to Teach Your Kids the Strengths, Skills, and Strategies to Build Resilience

About Sissy + David|
Sissy Goff and David Thomas are parenting experts who have spent over 30 years helping kids and families build confidence and resilience. They serve as Executive Directors of Daystar Counseling Ministries in Nashville and are bestselling authors of over 25 books, including Raising Worry-Free Girls and Raising Emotionally Strong Boys.
They also co-host the popular Raising Boys and Girls podcast, with more than 13 million downloads, encouraging parents to feel less alone and more equipped.
Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/MINIMALIST
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Boll & Branch: http://bollandbranch.com/minimalist
* Check out Time4Learning: https://www.time4learning.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Going Deeper episodes will be less structured with a more conversational tone. These conversations will focus on interesting people I've come across that share similar values, perspectives and intentions expressed on the Minimalist Moms Podcast.
In this episode, Diane sits down with author and Faherty Brand co-founder Kerry Docherty to talk about her memoir, Selfish, and the idea of redefining what it means to choose yourself. Kerry shares how the concept of “selfishness” emerged during couples therapy, when she realized how much of her life had been shaped by prioritizing others - often at the expense of her own voice and desires. We talk about what it looks like to reconnect with yourself, make choices that feel aligned (even when they’re uncomfortable), and allow every part of who you are to have a place at the table.
-------------------------------------------------
Previous Going Deeper Episodes:
Buzzing with Purpose: Teaching Kids to Protect Pollinators
Building Fount: Business, Family, & the Balance In Between
Ironman Battling Brain Cancer
Unschooling
My Parent is a Hoarder
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Connect with Kerry:
Website
Instagram
Book: Selfish: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth

About Kerry|
Kerry Docherty is the author of her memoir SELFISH: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth and her children's book SOMEWHERE, RIGHT NOW (featured on Dolly Parton's Imagination Library). She is the cofounder of the lifestyle clothing company Faherty Brand and is passionate about community building, sustainability, and creativity. She lives with her husband and two children on the New Jersey shore, where she is constantly looking for sea glass.
Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://avocadogreenmattress.com/MINIMALIST
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Boll & Branch: http://bollandbranch.com/minimalist
* Check out Time4Learning: https://www.time4learning.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy