Connections Podcast

For some of us, the fear of failure holds us back from trying new things. Stacey Morgan, Executive Leadership Coach, shares how she quieted that fear in her life and became less risk adverse. Stacey shares some great tips to help us move out of our comfort zones to help build our resiliency. 

Jeannie Blackmer is an author and MOPS staffer who lives in Boulder, Colorado.  She's been writing professionally for more than 30 years and her favorite type of writing is storytelling. Today Jeannie tells her own story of loss and rebuilding and shares with us what she learned about God in the process. jeannieblackmer.comVerse mentioned in this episode:  Luke 12:15-21 

Jennifer Iverson chats with Kelli Smith, VP of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships about the brand new Barna study, Motherhood Today. Learn interesting data to share with your church leadership and how your group can help reach moms and families in your community.Moms need communityChurches can meet that need.Moms are valuable to a child's faith formation.Get the Motherhood Today study from Barna.Learn more how you can create community for moms at growthechurch.coLaunch your own customized version of Motherhood Today in your community. This survey was developed by Barna Group and gives you the ability to add customized questions to the end of the survey.  To get started: Create an account here: https://admin.assessments.gloo.us/sign-up. Click on “Library” in the top menu. Scroll to find and click on “Motherhood Today Assessment” Click “Configure New Assessment” (Blue Button) and Edit the Name in the Popup. Edit any of the options to customize your survey data, including adding questions. Click on the “S

October is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss month. Because we know many moms experience this, Sherri Crandall talks with Heather Baker about her experience and how we can support moms and walk alongside them in their grief.

In this Say Yes year, Jennifer chats with Sarah Ferraro about what it means to say yes intentionally, not say yes to everything. These tips can help us combat the burnout that can plague moms and leaders. Items Mentioned in episode:Connections: the Podcast, episode 51The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of DistractionOrganizational We Are Statements

Have you ever asked yourself that question? Kelli Jordan and Jennifer Iverson give you the answer as they chat through what it takes to be a leader.

Did you know MOPS is in over 72 countries? Sherri Crandall chats with Global Managers Monica Rovira and Destiny Leahy about everything happing in MOPS Latin America and MOPS Africa. Get involved with our Global Sisterhood.

We are excited to see groups kick off the Say Yes year. As leaders, you are not behind! MOPS provides all the resources you need to plan your year. Don’t reinvent the wheel -listen as Kelli and Jennifer share what MOPS has already created for you.Every meeting should include three elements:Invite:Market Group tab at leader.mops.orgManage Group tab at leader.mops.orgMeet:Say Yes CurriculumSpeaker NetworkKids CurriculumConnect:MembershipPlanFor leadersFor momsFor kidsFor your churchFind support:The Cohort Communityleaders@mops.orgservice@mops.org

Our theme verse for this Say Yes year talks about the small things in life. Jennifer sits down with Executive Leadership Coach, Andrea Fortenberry, and talks through the five times the phrase “small” is mentioned in our theme write up. A self-proclaimed recovering perfectionist, Andrea offers a unique perspective on how to approach the small things in life. Read the full Say Yes theme.

While distractions, forgetfulness, and technology dependency might feel like surface-level issues, author and speaker Katie Westenberg asks what is the bigger cost of living a distracted life? Kelli and Katie talk about Katie’s new book, But Then She Remembered: How to Give God Your Full Attention in a Distracted World, where Katie highlights the fight for focus as our attentions are drawn away from what’s important. Katie charges women to pursue a solution: remember.Verses referenced during the podcast: John 14:15-21 and Isaiah 40:11 Find more from Katie at katiewestenberg.com 

Summer can be fun, but it can also be stressful to manage kids and work. Executive Leadership Coach, Laurie Jarvis, and Jennifer Iverson share their best tips for how to approach the season without guilt. 

This is the year to make some moves. This is the year we will SAY YES. Join Sherri Crandall and Kelli Jordan as we chat about what "Say Yes" means to us and what it looks like lived out. It’s amazing how one little word can change your life.Curious about what MOPS is? Visit sneakpeek.mops.org for a look at what "Say Yes" and MOPS looks like. 

Sherri Crandall invited the daughters of MOPS legend, Janis Kugler, to share the leadership lessons their mom wanted every woman to know.  Kelli and Karri share the 15 "P" words that guided how Janis lived her life.Present - Matt 6:25People - 1 John 4:18Prayer - Phil 4:6Peace - Phil 4:7Purpose - Rom 8:28Pain - Psalm 6:1-10Presence - Isaiah 43:1-3PerspectivePlatformPerseveranceProclamationPleasingPowerfulPartyPositive

How have you lived the theme out this year? Kelli reflects on the We Go Together year with Executive Leadership Coach, Melodi Leih. Did you dream bigger, risk greater, and love better? Kelli and Melodi talk through the three challenges to Expect Good Things, Show Up, and Be Unoffendable. Mentioned in this episode:How to Human by Carlos WhittakerWhy Her? by Nicki Koziarz"We don't stand on issues, we walk with people." -- Carlos Whittaker

Jennifer chats with Sarah Ferraro about what happened when their group suddenly had to come up with more funds. Hear some great fundraising ideas that will be more money for less work. Grocery Stores:In Denver, King Soopers offers a program to give back to your organization. Kingsoopers.com You can find information at Look for grocery stores owned by Kroger or check at your local grocery store customer service. MOPS + Noonday:MOPS has partnered with Noonday Collection to impact moms around the globe. We have set a goal to host 300 MOPS Trunk Shows in April & May. By working together, with just 300 trunk shows, our MOPS sisterhood can provide 1 year of dignified work for 6 artisans around the globe, 1 year of school for 2 scholars, 1,500 hours of MOPS childcare, or 700+ scholarships for MOPS moms. Learn more at Noondaycollection.com/mops

Pastor Nirup Alphonse and Sherri Crandall unpack the idea that bold leadership is living in the conviction of doing the next good thing. How can we incorporate boldness in our invitations to relationship? Friendships, MOPS, church - they all start with an invitation.

Are you the kind of leader that panics and tries to do everything before a deadline or the kind of leader that sees the deadline coming and just gives up, knowing it can't be all done? You might be dealing with a touch of perfectionism! Jennifer chats with Andrea Fortenberry about ways to combat that spirit of perfectionism as a leader. Andrea gives us three tips on how we can have the impact we desire without the chaos.You can hear more from Andrea on her podcast, The Perfectionists Guide to Mothering.Have questions? You can ask us at leaders@mops.org 

Offense obscures our vision. It literally changes what we see. If we can look past the offense, we can see people in new, amazing ways. Kelli Jordan shares some tips for how we can live unoffended, or at least strive to. 

Do you ever look at your life and wonder, "Is this as good as it gets?" Our guest Wendy Pope helps us discover the power of Yes, No and Maybe - three words that can revitalize our relationship with Jesus and move us toward the ‘immeasurably more life’ Jesus died to give us. WendyPope.orgwordupministries.org

Mindset is just popular word that means our attitude, intention, or mood. Kelli and Jennifer talk about how we can positively impact our mindset about ourselves, our time, and our motivation. Resources:Jon Acuff, author of SoundtracksKendra Adachi, author of The Lazy Genius Way