Wifemotherleader Podcast

How can you successfully navigate a changing environment or challenging culture at work? How do you determine if you should stay or if you should go? What happens when you get stuck or your performance is subpar? In today's episode, we tackle the issue of external challenges and internal struggles at work. Specifically: What should you do when people (including your boss) leave? What if the the environment or culture is toxic? What should you do if you when you get stuck? Where do you turn when you’re not performing well (bored, overwhelmed, lacking skills, etc.)?

You’re likely reading this after some form of a Thanksgiving gathering/meal. Maybe you traveled or maybe you stayed put and hosted. Maybe (but I doubt it) the day was only full of joy and loving emotions. More than likely, it was a mix of love, laughter, chaos, some emotional tension or frustration, and maybe a meltdown. While I’d love for this to be an episode that only encourages you, my most important goal with WifeMotherLeader is meeting women where they are, in the messiness of family and work life. That mix isn’t always pretty and is almost never balanced. So, I am grateful for you. I am grateful that you take time to share your journey with me. And, I am grateful that I get to have my own journey, even when it’s messy and hard. I hope that in the midst of this holiday, you have things to be grateful for, even if they are messy. Happy Thanksgiving. As I reflected on this year, the things I am most grateful for are: Change Accountability Self-awareness Becoming a better listener My Faith My Family What

Today’s episode is going to focus on a highly practical topic of understanding and maximizing your benefits at work. Now, depending on the size of your employer you'll see a huge variety in the benefits offered. But, whatever the size, you can and should be maximizing what they have to offer. Step 1: Understand all of your benefits Step 2: Identify gaps or things that you want to follow-up on Step 3: Discuss with your spouse/partner Step 4: Keeping things on your radar and make friends in HR

Over the past month, I shared a series focused on marriage. Throughout that series I shared tips and strategies, but not a lot of actual resources. This podcast is providing the practical elements if you are looking for tools and resources to help you improve your communication, especially in relationships and marriage. I am going to share 3 books and a DVD/video. Bible The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God by Tim Keller The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman Laugh Your Way to A Better Marriage by Marc Gungor (DVD)

We are finally coming to a close of this Marriage First Series!  I hope you enjoyed last weeks episode in which I interviewed my Husband, Cullen.  We had a blast and if you listened you got a glimpse into our relationship dynamics and how much fun we are having on this journey called marriage!  Now, our marriage is not perfect.  None are. But, we’ve worked hard, especially in the area of communication, which is the focus of today’s episode.    You hear it all the time at work and in life generally--communication is the key.  So, I’ll spoil things for you if you’re hoping for something deeper in this episode.   Clear, thoughtful and ongoing communication is critical to marriage success.  But, getting to that place is the topic of today’s episode.  Question about not speaking ill of your spouse from Episode 41 Marriage Communication Framework There is almost no such thing as a single conversation in marriage. We don’t make complex or challenging decisions in a single conversation Step 1: Introductory convers

In this episode, a long awaited guest joins the show! My husband, Dr. Cullen Buie, comes on to answer some questions about the lessons he’s learned in marriage and advice he would give husbands and wives to build a loving and thriving marriage. Tune in to hear his very wise and often funny perspective on things. And, if you’ve wanted a glimpse into our relationship dynamic, this is your chance!

Who listens to a podcast to hear policies? Sounds totally boring, right? Well, today’s episode is important, not to listen to the policies Donielle and her husband have, but rather to help you think about your own. In the past two episodes, Donielle has been sharing about the concept of being marriage first. If you haven’t listened, you can check out episode 39, which focuses on what it means to be marriage first and episode 40 which talks about some marriage first habits. Today, she shares some policies in her own marriage. They don’t fall in the category of habits, because they are closer to guidelines that they both have committed to following. 1. Create the policies together and agree to adhere to them 2. Act loving even when you don’t feel like it. 3. Don’t speak ill of your spouse to other people 4. No “L” relationships

In last week’s episode, Donielle shared about being marriage first and why that is the framework that she and her husband live out in our marriage.   This week’s episode is focused on the how as much as the why.  Last week, was the why and this week will focus on the how. Donielle shares 6 habits that from her marriage.  Some of them you will have heard discussed before and some haven’t been explored on the show yet.  First, why focus on habits?  Habits are the daily actions that build our lives.  It’s the patterns that we adopt and the things that become second nature to us.   And, they are important because we can create them and break them. That means we have control or power over them.  And, in a world where we don’t have control over much else, including our spouse and their behavior and habits, taking control of your own is quite empowering.  Prayer Together daily Have a regular date night Build in Sex and Intimacy Serve One Another Work on Your Communication Skills Share Your Dreams

Being marriage first means that we believe one of the best things that we can do for our kids is to have a strong marriage. It provides them safety, stability and, hopefully, an example for later in life. And, it provides us the relationship that we dreamed of when we got married and vowed to try and create. Why be marriage first? Having kids certainly changes your marriage, but it doesn’t (or shouldn’t) redefine it When you’ve seen divorce, you see the work it takes to make marriage work very differently Marriage Takes Work Kids at the center is bad for kids Kids at the center is bad for you

We all feel stuck at times. It sucks! But, often we don't know a systematic way to get unstuck. In this episode, Donielle shares a 3-step process to get you unstuck: Acknowledge that you are stuck. Decide if you want to get unstuck (or if you want to quit, which is ok!) Use some creative strategies to start getting momentum. The process takes some honest conversations with yourself!

Excitement for others is great, but it’s not sufficient. In this episode, Donielle shares why you need to be excited about where things in YOUR life are going, as much as you’re excited for those you love and support. Donielle shares some key lessons including: Why excitement for other is not enough How to avoid the trap of the BIG thing you’re excited about Where your excitement should stem from Questions to ask about what you’re excited about Questions to ask to figure out what you can get excited about

The job of parenting is only getting more complex. It can be an overwhelming and lonely experience, as we share less with each other out of fear of judgment. In this second part of the series, Donielle shares how the role of coach needs to be incorporated into parenting as your kids get older. You still give them love, support, guidance, and discipline, but you also have to figure out how to share advice, wisdom and help them learn to weigh the consequences of their decisions. Further, Donielle shares the importance of finding other parents to share with, while making sure that you don't fall into the trap of comparing. These strategies are simple, but not easy. Tune in for a thoughtful discussion and practical examples that every parent can relate to.

The job of parenting is only getting more complex. It can be an overwhelming and lonely experience, as we share less with each other out of fear of judgment. In the first of a 2-part series, Donielle shares strategies on how to approach your parenting goals from a holistic framework, including academic, social, vocational, financial, emotional, spiritual, and physical goals. Further, Donielle shares how she and her husband try to keep the focus on long-term outcomes, even in the midst of day-to-day parenting challenges.

We all have dreams and goals for our children.   For many of us, college is one of those dreams. But, what should you do at each educational transition to help your child prepare?  What does the right amount of support look like? And, why have so many parents crossed the line into being too involved?    In today’s podcast, Donielle has a great conversation with Dr. Pamela Ellis, also known as The Education Doctor®.   Dr. Pamela shares her own journey from being a leader in business to finding her passion helping students and parents successfully prepare for K-12 and college.    Tune in to hear Dr. Pamela share:  How she found her why   The steps she took to transition from her business career to getting her doctorate in education while raising 3 kids!  How to work backward from your goal to help you achieve it!    How she found support for her goals The classic productivity book that Pamela re-reads every few years How Pamela remains calm in the midst of a stressful work 3 Ways that Pamela works with par

In this episode, I share my personal testimony at the DuPage AME Church Women's Day Lunch in June 2019. Listen in to hear about my journey to peace, even in the midst of challenging life circumstances.

Have you ever imagined leaving your family for a night so you could get a break? A full nights rest, maybe some time to think without interruption or just a freaking bath? In today's episode, Donielle shares details on how she regularly takes a night away from her family in order to re-charge. You'll Learn: Why taking time to recharge is important and why it's different than just getting a break for a few hours. How do you actually get away (how long, where, how frequently)? What the heck do you do when you finally do get some time to yourself? (Hint--remember that stuff you used to do before you had kids) What objections are going to pop into your mind and tell you that this is not possible? Money, time, your family needs you, your husband wouldn't be supportive, you don't deserve it, etc. WRONG! Bonus--learn how Donielle plans to take this to the next level.

In this episode, Donielle shares how she went from stressing out about how much she "had" to get done this summer, to embracing a few key tasks she wanted to accomplished. Here are some practical tips to help you enjoy your summer and still feel productive and refreshed: Use your vacation time strategically Commit to 1 self-care practice Pick a specific organizing project. Connect with friends Have fun! Try something New Sleep!

Rebecca Xiong is a serial entrepreneur, wife, and mother. Originally from China, she is passionate about helping parents connect with each other. Rebecca built an app called Yana that helps parents connect locally. They can ask each other questions, share about events and classes, and plans meet-ups. My conversation with Rebecca is funny, thought-provoking and super practical. She's a mom of 2 who is balancing her career and family while helping others do the same. Listen in as Rebecca shares why she rejected perfectionism parenting and has embraced "good enough" parenting. She'll share the 3 research-based things that she focuses on as a parent. Rebeccas Origin Story: 1:30 How raising a family in the US is different from her childhood: 5:30 The Challenges she kept hearing from parents: 6:45 How Rebecca finds connections for herself while also helping others connect, especially immigrant parents: 11:00 What is Yana and how does it create community?: 16:10 How the fear of judgment impacts parents: 20:24 Good

Do you have favorite apps to help make your life "work" successfully? Are you looking for recommendations or hacks to help your home run better, manage your money, have more time to think, or just find great new content? In today's show, Donielle shares some of her favorite apps and tools. She shares the apps for grocery shopping, meal planning, personal development, and personal finance that help her on a daily basis. Here are the tools/apps mentioned in this episode: Instacart (www.instacart.com) Amazon Prime (www.amazon.com) Target (www.target.com) Dinner Daily Meal Planning (www.thedinnerdaily.com) SkinnyTaste (www.skinnytaste.com) Fitbit (www.fitbit.com) Focus at Will (www.focusatwill.com) Audible (www.audible.com) Apple Podcasts App (https://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/discover/) Goalsetter (www.goalsetter.co) Everydollar (www.everydollar.com) Redfin (www.redfin.com) Do you have favorite tools that you want to share with the WifeMotherLeader Community? Email them to donielle@wifemotherleader.com

You know you need it (and your family does, too!). So, why do women feel guilty about taking a vacation from work? In this episode, Donielle talks about the importance of vacation for you AND for your boss. It's your time. You earned it! Your mind and body need the rest. Taking a vacation can teach something very important to your boss and your team The distance from work can give you a perspective on work challenges and opportunities. You can return with clarity  Bonus--if you can take a no-kid vacation, it can be great for your marriage!