Episode 246 -- Vanessa Mulligan -- Slow Down To Feel Rich: Connection Over Perfection

What if richness isn’t a bigger house but a fuller table? We sit with pediatric nurse, homeschool mom, and Salted Oak founder Vanessa Mulligan to explore how faith, family, and craft weave into a life centered on connection. Vanessa opens up about choosing a homeschool hybrid that gives her girls community while preserving slow mornings at home, and why moving from bedside nursing to an inpatient education role restored her energy without losing purpose. The conversation gets real about resistant readers, social media pressure, and the loud inner critic that tells moms to master everything. Vanessa’s antidote is disarmingly practical: name your season, choose dinner together, and let the wrong plates drop.We trace the origin of Salted Oak from a love of raw wood and old-world textures to a small business that invites people to pause around beautiful, useful pieces. Vanessa shares how she outsourced board-making to protect family time and elevate craftsmanship, and how something as simple as a brick of cheese and grapes can turn a Tuesday into a memory. We also talk about guiding kids who aren’t our copies, building a village through church and homeschool friends, and using late dinners to spark the unhurried conversations that shape character.If you’re craving less rush and more meaning, this one is a warm nudge to slow down. Learn how to order engraved boards, get help styling a table, and create rituals that fit real life. Subscribe for more stories like this, share with a friend who needs encouragement, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.Music "STOMP" used by permission of artist Donica Knight Holdman and Jim Huff