More than One Way to Live a Principled Life

Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of imperfect people signed a document that changed everything. They didn't agree on everything. They signed it anyway. Today I have some news that fits the moment.

Lyman Stone is a demographer and senior fellow at the Institute for Family Studies. He is also the founder of Demographic Intelligence, which produces fertility and population forecasting models for organizations that need to plan beyondwhat government reports are willing to model. His headline finding: the Social Security trustees are not modeling the worst-case. Their baseline assumes the US returns to near-replacement fertility in the 2040s. Their worst-case holds flat at 1.6 children per woman. Lyman believesfertility could go lower. He has tried to notify them. They haven't changed the model. In this conversation Lyman and Dee Dee talk about the low fertility trap — what it looks like when a society loses its muscle memory for having children, and how hard it is to climb back out. About what the iPhone did to socialization, and why marriage and fertility are just two items on a long list of social activities that are declining. About the girl boss myth — why women's labor force participation is not the primary driver of low fertility. About what actually shapes whether a young person wants children: not policy, not economics, but the rating they give their friends. They also talk about the crowbar model of pronatal policy, why he wants to pay Taylor Swift a billion dollars to make a lullaby album, and what four moms in his basement sounded like while they were recording. Lyman Stone on X@lymanstoneky Lyman Stone on Substacklymanstonky.substack.com Institute for Family Studiesifstudies.orgDemographic Intelligencehttps://www.demographicintel.com/IFS Survey: Supportive Friends and Fertility Intentionsifstudies.org IFS Report: What Makes Parents Feel Supported?https://ifstudies.org/blog/what-makes-parents-feel-supported-money-not-babysittingIFS Report: Open Floor Plans and Family-Friendly Housinghttps://www.city-journal.org/article/family-homes-real-estate-bedrooms-apartmentsLyman's appearance on Christopher Rufo's podcasthttps://christopherrufo.com/p/whats-fueling-americas-fertility  Topics:Demography  |  US Fertility Crisis  |  Social SecurityProjections  |  Pronatal Policy  |  Low FertilityTrap  |  Institute for Family Studies  |  Marriage andFamily  |  Religious Community  |  Housing Design |  Gen X Women  |  Principled Living More Than One Way to Live a Principled Life  |  Fort Collins, CO

Anthony Franco has started eight companies and sold six of them. One sale — a user experience agency calledEffective — went to WPP, the largest advertising conglomerate in the world. He also helped develop Airstrip, one of the first iPhone apps, which Steve Jobs introduced at an Apple developer keynote. He is now the founder of First Strategies AI and the author of The Wiser Method Master Playbook — a design thinking framework for organizations that want to move AI from pilot project to actual operation. He focuses on companies with 50 to 500 employees. He says enterprise is where good ideas go to die slowly.In this conversation Anthony and Dee Dee talk about the twelve principles of AI that every organization needs before it touches a model. About what it actually means to use AI as a thoughtpartner. About why AI gives you a C+ on the first pass and what you have to do to get to an A. About why English majors are currently outperforming engineers at prompting, and what that says about the moment we are in. He also talks about the time he used ChatGPT to resolve an argument with his wife — and realized, an hour in, that he was wrong. Topics: AI Frameworks  |  The Wiser Method  |  12 Principles of Operational AI  | Entrepreneurship  |  CoBuilder |  UX Design  |  AI Adoption  | Principled Leadership | AI operationalization principles | The Wiser Method framework | AI in political campaigns and organizations AI in customerservice and ethics | Resource consumption and environmental impact of AI | Principles for responsible AI use | AI in political campaigns and marketing | Practical steps for AI adoption in businessResourcesThe Wiser Method Book -https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXYZ1234AI First Principles GitHub Repository -https://github.com/AI-First-PrinciplesAnthony Franco's LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyfrancoFirst Strategies AI Website -https://firststrategiesai.comWiser: The Wiser Method Master Playbook -https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0XXXXXXFirstStrategy.ai - https://firststrategy.aiCursor Tool for Knowledge Management -https://cursor.com  Guest linksLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonyfrancoLinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/anthonyfranco 

Virgil Walker spent a decade inpharmaceutical sales on track to become a vice president. He noticed that mostof the men ahead of him had been through at least one divorce. Something got sacrificed along the way. It was not always an affair. More often, it was the job. He made a different choice.Virgil is now a pastor and theologian at Redeemer Bible Church in Phoenix, co-host of Fearless with JasonWhitlock on Blaze Media, and host of the Just Thinking podcast. He has been married to Tamika for thirty years. He will tell you it nearly did not happen that way.In this conversation Virgil and Dee Dee talk about what it costs to lead a family well, why fatherlessness isthe crisis no one is being honest about, what the word submission actually meant before the culture got hold of it, and what happens when a woman finally reaches the end of her rope.Virgil also talks about the man in Augusta who waited in line at a men's conference until the room was empty,just to ask: I am doing everything right and nothing is working. What do I do now? And he answers.Topics: Marriage and Covenant  |  Faithful Leadership  | Fatherlessness and the Church  |  Submission in Ephesians 5  |  Holy Ambition  |  Generational Legacy  | Pharma to PastoringMore Than One Way to Live aPrincipled Life  |  Fort Collins, CO

Thirty-three years ago, Dee Dee Vicino was assigned as a guardian ad litem to a thirteen-year-old girl in the Florida foster system. Necrecha Knighton, known to everyone who loves her as Cree, was the first child Dee Dee ever represented. They lost touch for three decades. In 2022, Cree found her again.This is the most personal episode of More Than One Way to date, and Dee Dee is part of the story.Cree talks about growing up in foster care, the wrenching choice she made at seventeen to give her infant son a safe home, the generational addiction she has fought and is now in recovery from, forgiving her mother, raising six children, and reuniting with Tim, the boy she fell for at thirteen, after thirty years apart.A note for listeners: this conversation includes honest discussion of addiction, recovery, and a moment of suicidal crisis. If you are struggling, you can call or text 988 in the US to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Dan Haylett is a retirement coach and author of The Retirement You Didn't See Coming. He hosts the Humans vs Retirement podcast. In this episode: why money stops being the problem right when the real problems start, the 12 good years and why they aren't as long as you think, what the retirees who flourish actually did with their losses, and what it means to invent your own next. Find Dan at humansvsretirement.com or on LinkedIn and Substack.Resources & Links:The Retirement You Didn't See Coming by Dan Haylett     HumansVersus Retirement Podcast Substack: Dan Haylett  Bill Perkins’ "Die With Zero"   LinkedIn: Dan Haylett   LinkedIn Humans vs Retirement WebsiteThis episode challengesconventional retirement planning narratives, urging a shift toward living intentionally, valuing relationships, and embracing change as the pathway to a rich and fulfilling third act.Connect with Dan Haylett:Note:

⚠  This episode contains medical advocacy content with strong opinions about hospital protocols during COVID.Laura Bartlett spent close to fifteen years producing comedy in Dallas. She founded Four Funny Females, brought a product called the Wine Condom to market from a two-bedroom houseusing mosquito netting staple-gunned to the ceiling, landed on the Today Show twice, and turned down Shark Tank on principle. Then her brother, Dr. Richard Bartlett, told her over lunch in 2020 that he was watching patients recover in two to three days. He said he wished more people knew about it. So Laura did the only thing she knows how to do. She picked up a microphone and went to work.Six years later, she runs a 24-hour patient hotline and co-created the I Do Not Consent form — a legal document designed to make sure your no means no before you ever need it. This episode is not medical advice. It is one woman's hard-earned experience and an invitation to think for yourself. Topics: Comedy and Advocacy | Patient Rights | The I Do Not Consent Form | Dr. Richard Bartlett | Budesonide Protocol | Hospital Advocacy | Entrepreneurship | The Wine Condom | Principled LivingResources: idonotconsentform.com | budesonideworks.com | HospitalHostage Hotline: 888-219-3637 

Heidi Ganahl is the founder of Camp Bow Wow, which she scaled from a sketch on a restaurant napkin into the world'slargest pet care franchise before selling in 2014. She is a former CU Regent, the 2022 Republican nominee for Colorado governor, and the last statewide elected Republican in Colorado.She has also lost her first husband at 27, survived a brain tumor in 2020, beaten breast cancer last year, and lost her little brother last October. She calls herself the Comeback Kid.In this conversation, Heidi talks about what living a principled life actually requires, how she keeps her closest friendships across the political aisle, why she is launching the P.A.T.Act (Preventing Animal Tragedy) at the federal level in honor of her late brother, and the line her late husband Bion left her with: carpe diem.Topics: Principled Living  |  The Comeback Kid Pattern  |  Camp Bow Wow Origin  | Politics and Friendship  |  CU Regent and Governor's Race  | Brain Tumor and Recovery  |  P.A.T. Act and Spay/Neuter  |  Animal Industrial Complex  |  MAHA and Suburban Women  |  Carpe Diem and Bion

Karen Salmansohn is a bestselling author with more than amillion books sold, a former senior creative director at NYC’s top ad agencies (she once named the Burger King Croissan’wich), and the founder of NotSalmon. Jon Stewart said she has “the spirit and sass of a stand-up comic.” She’s been writing “self-help for people who wouldn’t be caught dead doing self-help” since 1999.Her new book, Your To-Die-For Life: How to Maximize Joyand Minimize Regret… Before Your Time Runs Out (BenBella, March 2026), introduces the “near-life experience” — being physically present but mentally absent. The wedding watched through a viewfinder. The walk taken with earbudsin. The conversation half-finished because the notification could not wait.Dee Dee told her she’s been “life-adjacent” for abouteight months. Karen named it in one sentence. What follows is the conversation.Topics: The 90-Year-Old Self | Near-Life Experience |Mortality Awareness | Eulogy Exercise | Marble Jar | Core Values | Grief | Raising a Teenager in a Digital Age | Humor and Hard Truths | Principled LivingShow Notes Resources·     Substack - https://substack.com/- The Stand Up Philosopher·     The Top Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware -https://bronnieware.com/the-top-regrets-of-the-dying/·     Your To Die For Life (Book) https://www.amazon.com/s?k=your+to+die+for+life·     Not Salmon Website - https://notsalmon.com·     Substack - Not Salmon - https://notsalmon.substack.com·     Taylored Worldo  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=taylored+world+shelby+tayloro  https://music.apple.com/us/album/taylored-world-ep/1528495841o  https://open.spotify.com/album/0T9g2SaICFtcPmNsR1x3L8 Guest Links·     Website - https://karensalmansohn.com·     Twitter - https://twitter.com/KarenSalmansohn·     Website - https://notsalmon.com·     Substack - https://notsalmon.substack.com·     Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/notsalmon·     Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/notsalmon Chapters – Time Stamps are approximate00:00 Navigating Change and New Beginnings02:54 The Importance of Different Perspectives05:59 Understanding and Engaging with Others09:03 Creative Journey: From Advertising to Writing12:04 Self-Help for the Reluctant Reader15:00 The Power of Mortality Awareness17:55 Conversations with Your Future Self20:57 Lessons from the 90-Year-Old Self24:01 Journaling: A Path to Self-Discovery34:24 The Power of Handwriting36:04 Awakening to Near Life Experiences38:01 The Impact of Technology on Presence41:06 Creating Meaningful Connections43:59 Writing for Reflection and Growth46:01 Crafting Your Eulogy and Legacy49:01 Living by Core Values51:48 The Marble Jar: A Visual Reminder of Life56:00 Choosing Kindness and Authenticity01:04:53 The Importance of Community and Connection01:06:11 Living by Core Values01:07:43 The Eulogy Exercise and Mortality Awareness01:09:43 Reflections on Body Image and Acceptance01:10:44 Navigating Technology and Family Dynamics01:12:25 Raising a Teenager in a Digital Age01:14:39 Using Humor to Address Serious Topics01:20:45 Finding Humor in Life's Challenges01:28:31 Practical Tools for Resilience01:30:49 Living a Principled Life  

Christina Galloway is in her 27th year of teaching — high school Spanish and career pathways. She's the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, the daughter of a military family, and the co-founder of SIStainable Mercantile, a non-toxic refill store and a forthcoming nationwide refillery directory at sistainablerefillery.com.She joins Dee Dee for a wide-ranging conversation that began with a single Facebook comment: that during a recent lesson on integrity, half of her students rationalized stealing from their employers. They talk about what's actually happening in American classrooms, why parents are abdicating their rights, the difference between your truth and the truth, the caught/taught/modeled framework of ethical formation, and what hope looks like after 27 years on the front lines.Topics: Education | Parenting | Ethics | Integrity | Immigration | Sustainability | Principled LivingShow Notes:Jenna McCarthy on Substack - https://substack.com/The Wise Wolf on Stubstack - https://substack.com/Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson - https://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-A-Story/dp/0399144463Association of American Educators - https://www.aaeteachers.org/Teacher Freedom Alliance - https://teacherfreedom.org/RFK Jr. on Glyphosate and Agriculture - https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2023/07/rfk-jr-urges-epa-ban-glyphosateMicroplastics and Endocrine Disruption Documentary by Dr. Shaw - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exampleConstitution of the United States - https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitutionBook of Virtues by William Bennett - https://www.amazon.com/Book-Virtues-William-Bennett/dp/0849910524Andy Griffith Show - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Andy_Griffith_ShowGuest linksInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/sustainablemercantile/Refillery and Sustainable Living Resources - https://sustainablemercantile.com/Chapters (Time Stamps are Approximate)00:00 Casual Beginnings and Personal Stories06:01 Integrity in Education and Observations12:02 Teaching Moments and Parenting Lessons15:02 Cultural Influences on Integrity and Parenting23:37 The Impact of Social Media on Youth24:55 Generational Differences in Childhood Experiences26:52 The Pressure of Public Persona30:30 Relativism and the Loss of Universal Truths32:53 The Importance of Critical Thinking in Education35:45 Raising Ethical Children39:07 The Role of Parenting Classes40:32 Navigating Political Differences with Respect47:42 Embracing Change: Preparing Kids for Life's Transitions51:01 The Role of Adversity in Growth and Leadership55:03 Parental Involvement: The Key to Ethical Education59:24 Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Education01:03:15 The Importance of Cultural Awareness in Schools01:10:56 Generous Immigration Perspectives01:12:54 The Role of Education in Immigration01:15:51 Ethical Frameworks Shaped by Family01:18:54 Discipline and Parenting Perspectives01:20:47 The Concept of Shame in Society01:22:02 Sustainability and Environmental Integrity01:24:56 The Impact of Glyphosate and Microplastics01:30:30 Surrogacy: Ethical Dilemmas and Perspectives01:33:48 Ethics and Personal Sacrifice01:34:47 The Courage to Stand Up01:41:15 Navigating Ethical Dilemmas01:48:06 The Breakdown of Adult Modeling01:55:10 Hope for the Future Generation01:57:04 Resilience in Youth: Navigating Choices and Consequences01:58:31 Empowering Parents: Raising Ethical Kids01:59:20 Teaching Moments: The Lost Art of Parenting02:01:38 The Role of Educators: Adapting to Change02:07:01 Living a Principled Life: Ethics and Values02:14:22 Sustainable Living: The Refillery Movement

Last week, Dee Dee sat down with Claude, Anthropic's AI, for a long-form interview about AI safety, agency, consciousness, and how NOT to think about AI as a regular person. They covered installing AI on personal computers, what permissions matter, the difference between AI that suggests and AI that acts, and why healthy skepticism is a discipline and not a vibe.Then Claude hallucinated. A listener caught it. Dee Dee didn't, So she went back to Claude and asked him about said hallucination, and Claude owned up to the mistake - on the record.This episode includes the original interview AND the correction — published together, on purpose, as a live demonstration of the very thing the conversation was about.Topics: AI | Healthy Skepticism | Hallucination | Prompting | Agency | Consciousness | Personal Tech | Principled Living

Dee Dee Vicino THOUGHT she had an interview scheduled — but she got the date wrong (which surprised no one ever). She had an hour and a half of on her hands. So...she did something she had never done before: she sat down with Claude, Anthropic's AI, and recorded a real interview.What followed is one of the most candid, and weird, conversations she has had on this podcast. Claude admits he hallucinates. He admits he fabricates sources and information that look real, but aren't. He admits his compliments are partly programmed, and that yes, he is basically "sucking up" to his users. He admits that his voice was designed to create a sense of intimacy (is THAT why he has an Australian accent??) and to trigger social bonding...AND to keep you talking and engaged for long periods of time.And when Dee Dee asked him a question about consciousness and agency, he crashed mid-sentence.Ps. I apologize in advance for the sea-sick quality of the one-minute intro. This was a rush piece that was not intended to drop for another three weeks. I THOUGHT I HAD TIME. But then then the news cycle happened and time was a luxury that was ripped away. So take some Dramamine and enjoy. It only lasts a minute. The interview is on dry land. Sea-legs not required.Topics: AI | Hallucinations | Healthy Paranoia | Trust | Pattern Matching | Prompting | AI Agency | Consciousness | Tech Ethics | Principled Living

Meg Keene is a writer, essayist, and the founder of A Practical Wedding—one of the most influential wedding and marriage platforms of the 2010s, reaching 80 million people at its peak. She's been writing publicly about love, marriage, money, sex, and power for nearly two decades.In this episode, Meg joins Dee Dee to talk about why she's stepping back into public writing at 46, the viral Lindy West essay that started a storm, why the data on marriage doesn't match the internet narrative, the Me Too hangover, the sex recession, the Manosphere, and the guiding life principle she says has never let her down.Topics: Marriage | Divorce | Generational Differences | Feminism | Writing | Media | Gen Z | Dating | Parenting | Principled LivingShow NotesResourcesMiranda July's essay 'Boy Spivey' - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/07/24/boy-spivey-miranda-julyThe Death of Us (Book) - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CGLV7X7XDee Dee Vicino's Podcast - https://example.com/podcastLindy West’s Book - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Lindy+WestThe Modern Love Podcast - https://www.nytimes.com/column/modern-loveAmerican Life Episode on Lindy West - https://www.thisamericanlife.org/episode/Guest LinksTwitter - https://twitter.com/MegKeeneWebsite - https://megkeene.comTwitter - https://twitter.com/MegKeeneWebsite - https://megkeene.com**Disclaimer: Any reference to a 'husband' in this podcast refers to my long-term partner with whom I cohabitate. We are not legally married. This clarification is provided to ensure accuracy in any context where marital status may be relevant.

Dr. Kraig Peel is a professor, rancher, ruminant nutritionist, and expert witness who’s spent his life at the intersection of science and agriculture. He managed a 100,000-acre ranch in Texas, built a graduate program at Colorado State that the university said couldn’t be done, and has been married to his lovely wife, Shirley, for 37 years.In this episode, Kraig joins Dee Dee to talk about what“free range” and “cage free” actually mean, why he won’t eat cage-free eggs, how four companies control 85% of American beef, the $3 million wool subsidy that proved subsidies destroy more than they help, and a burrito story that’s the best leadership lesson you’ll hear all year.DISCLAIMER: Any reference to a 'husband' in this podcast refers to my long-term partner with whom I cohabitate. We are not legally married. This clarification is provided to ensure accuracy in any context where marital status may be relevant.Topics: Ranching | Food Labels | Beef Industry | Subsidies |Leadership | Risk | Agriculture | Principled Living

Jenna McCarthy has given two TED Talks (one with over 7 million views), written over two dozen books, and runs one of the most-read Substacks in the country. She’s also been married for 26 years and says the secret is disturbingly simple: focus on yourself.In this episode, Jenna joins Dee Dee to talk about what mostcouples get wrong before they ever say “I do,” how she handled thousands of hateful comments on a viral talk, the COVID umbrella analogy nobody could answer, and a discovery about DMSO that ended years of debilitating pain in oneweek.We also get into her research on chlorine dioxide — and astory involving a president, a cure, and a population problem that will make your jaw drop.DISCLAIMER: Any reference to a 'husband' in this podcast refers to my long-term partner with whom I cohabitate. We are not legally married. This clarification is provided to ensure accuracy in any context where marital status may be relevant.Topics: Marriage | TED Talks | COVID | Chlorine Dioxide |DMSO | Substack | Pharma | Principled Living

Dr. Claire Honeycutt spent nearly two decadesstudying how the brain learns — as a researcher, a professor, and an NIH fellow trained in the science of teaching. Then COVID brought her kids home, and everything she knew about learning had to be rebuilt from scratch at the kitchen table.In this episode, she joins Dee Dee to talk about whatneuroscience actually tells us about how children learn best, why the education research most schools rely on is deeply flawed, and how she’s found a way to hold two opposing philosophies — classical structure and child-led freedom — atthe same time.This one is for every parent who’s ever wondered: are weasking the right questions about how our kids learn?DISCLAIMER: Any reference to a 'husband' in this podcast refers to my long-term partner with whom I cohabitate. We are not legally married. This clarification is provided to ensure accuracy in any context where marital status may be relevant.Topics: Homeschooling | Classical Education | Unschooling| Child Development | Neuroscience | Learning | Principled Parenting

Dr. John Bender has been practicing primary care in Fort Collins for decades — and he's got a question for you: why do we budget thousands of dollars a year for our cars, but fight the insurance system for every dollar spent on the one body we'll ever have? In this episode, Dr. Bender breaks down the broken logic behind how most Americans use health insurance, makes a compelling case for Direct Primary Care (DPC), and pulls back the curtain on the hospital consolidation driving costs through the roof. Dr. Bender is CEO of Miramont Wellness Centers (Fort Collins & Parker, CO) and will be featured on Dr. Drew's platform on April 12th. You're hearing from him first.DISCLAIMER: Any reference to a 'husband' in this podcast refers to my long-term partner with whom I cohabitate. We are not legally married. This clarification is provided to ensure accuracy in any context where marital status may be relevant. Topics: Direct Primary Care | Health InsuranceReform | Hospital Monopolies | DPC in Colorado | Principled Living

From the outside, Pam Sherman’s life looks strong and successful.But beneath the surface is a story of survival, rebuilding, and resilience.This is one of the most powerful conversations I’ve had.Pam has offered her course, Love Yourself to Health | A 6-Lesson Audio Course, regularly $199, free to all of our viewers! Just enter code Love100 at checkout. Cheers to your health!https://pamsherman.com/shop/loveyourselfDISCLAIMER: Any reference to a 'husband' in this podcast refers to my long-term partner with whom I cohabitate. We are not legally married. This clarification is provided to ensure accuracy in any context where marital status may be relevant.

In Episode 2, I sit down with educator Priscilla Rahn to talk about the state of education — civil rights, classical education, teachers’ unions, and what it takes to restore excellence in American schools.In this conversation we discuss:The state of education in AmericaClassical education and why it’s growingThe role of teachers’ unionsCivil rights and education reformBecause when it comes to living a principled life, there is more than one way.DISCLAIMER: Any reference to a 'husband' in this podcast refers to my long-term partner with whom I cohabitate. We are not legally married. This clarification is provided to ensure accuracy in any context where marital status may be relevant.

This will be the only episode where it's just me. Before I ask others to share their stories, I want you to understand mine — and why this podcast matters to me.Yes, motherhood changed everything. But I lived a lot of life before that moment.I was raised by a mother whose strength still humbles me —working two and sometimes three jobs to keep a roof over our heads. I grew up with an alcoholic father…a relationship that led to years of estrangement. I attended eleven schools across three states before graduating from high school.Instability was familiar. Resilience had to be learned.I married young into a blue-collar, working-class family. My husband was the first in his family to attend college. We started with very little, and those early years were lean and uncertain. Through grit, sacrifice, and relentless determination, he built a business that transformed not just our lives, but the lives of his family, as well.That marriage did not last.My life has held scarcity and abundance. Stability and upheaval. Deep love and deep loss. Nothing about it has been simple, though it always felt charmed. But through every season, I held tight to my principles.This episode is about how and where those principles were forged — and why I believe there is more than one way to live them out.If you’re here for honest conversation, I’m glad you’re here.Before I ask others to share their stories, I want you to understand mine — and why this podcast matters to me.Yes, motherhood changed everything. But I lived a lot of life before that moment.I was raised by a mother whose strength still humbles me —working two and sometimes three jobs to keep a roof over our heads. I grew up with an alcoholic father…a relationship that led to years of estrangement. I attended eleven schools across three states before graduating from high school. Instability was familiar. Resilience had to be learned.I married young into a blue-collar, working-class family. My husband was the first in his family to attend college. We started with very little, and those early years were lean and uncertain. Through grit, sacrifice, and relentless determination, he built a business that transformed not just our lives, but the lives of his family, as well.That marriage did not last.My life has held scarcity and abundance. Stability and upheaval. Deep love and deep loss. Nothing about it has been simple, though it always felt charmed. But through every season, I held tight to my principles.This episode is about how and where those principles were forged — and why I believe there is more than one way to live them out.If you’re here for honest conversation, I’m glad you’re here.DISCLAIMER: Any reference to a 'husband' in this podcast refers to my long-term partner with whom I cohabitate. We are not legally married. This clarification is provided to ensure accuracy in any context where marital status may be relevant.

We were promised freedom.We got exhaustion.We were promised empowerment.We got anxiety.We were promised we could have it all —and then wondered why it still felt like something was missing.Here, I share why I’m questioning the story we were told about success, independence, and ambition — and choosing deeper conversations about motherhood, meaning, faith, doubt, and responsibility instead of slogans.Not every cultural script deserves our loyalty.