The Healing Mama Podcast

After a long break, I’m finally back — and this episode is personal.In November, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. What I thought would just be a physical healing journey became something much deeper. This season has stretched my faith, exposed pride, and forced me to wrestle with rest, discipline, and motherhood in a whole new way.In this episode, I’m sharing:• Why I stepped away• The guilt I felt about inconsistency• What God has been teaching me about rest vs. laziness• The emotional and spiritual layers of healing• How this season has affected my motherhood• Why you can appreciate a season without liking itIf you’ve ever felt discouraged, behind, inflamed (physically or emotionally), or like you’re not showing up the way you want to — this conversation is for you.There can be joy and sorrow at the same time.There can be peace while your body feels on fire.And you can choose again tomorrow.I’m so glad you’re here.

Ever feel inadequate in motherhood? its in our inadequacy that we yearn for God's grace. That's purposeful so lets talk about what that means.Discussing Paul Tripp's book Parenting ch 2!Follow along

If you're a mom and you are wondering if motherhood is your calling, the answer is yes so let's talk about what this means.Here are some questions you might wrestle with or discuss with a partner:If someone observed your parenting this week, what would they say is your highest priority? Is it the formation of your child’s character and heart, or something else?What are the things in your life that tend to compete with your parenting calling? Work, comfort, material things, image?How do you want to view parenting differently going forward—not just as behavior management, but as soul-shaping?What is one small change you can make this week to align more with your calling? Maybe fewer activities, more intentional conversations, reminding yourself daily of the bigger picture.Link for the book: https://amzn.to/48vYTBY

In the book Parenting by Paul David Tripp he writes... “God has given you authority for the work of change but has not granted you the power to make that change happen.”This is so encouraging for us as parents to know its no up to us! Yes, there are things we are called to do as parents but as long as we are showing up and living out our calling each day, the rest is up to God. So what does this mean for us today? I want to leave you with a few takeaways:    1.    Release control: You can stop carrying the burden of trying to change your child’s heart. That’s not yours to carry.    2.    Be faithful in the small things: Model kindness, set consistent boundaries, teach scripture, and guide with love. That is your role.    3.    Pray continually: Every time you’re tempted to “fix” your child, turn that into a prayer: “Lord, I’ve done my part. Please do what only You can do.”    4.    Trust the process: Parenting is a long journey. The seeds you plant today may not bloom until years from now. But God is faithful. And if you believe that God is faithful then you have to trust him to take care of your child just as he is trusting you with them today.If you'd like to purchase the book to follow along for the coming weeks I'll link it below. Using this link will help to support my family and I thank you!https://amzn.to/42nXJVe

ScriptureJohn 14:27:“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”Philippians 4:6–7 says:“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”So often, our peace gets stolen because we’re trying to do it all, fix it all, and control it all. But Scripture tells us the opposite—lay it down before the Lord. His peace will guard us. How to prioritize peace in motherhood?Pause Before Reacting When you feel your frustration rising, stop. Take three deep breaths, whisper a short prayer like, “Lord, give me peace,” and then respond. That tiny pause changes everything.Simplify Your Life Sometimes we lose peace because we’re overcommitted. Every “yes” we give to something outside our home is a “no” to peace inside it. Don’t be afraid to slow down.Create Peace Rhythms This could be morning prayer, a scripture verse written on your fridge, or even a “peace corner” in your home where you and your kids can go when you need to calm down. For us  lately it’s been sitting together on our grounding mat for 10-15 minutes. Anchor Yourself in Scripture Pick one verse that speaks peace over your heart. For me, it’s Philippians 4:7. When I’m overwhelmed, I repeat it to myself until my spirit softens. I don’t need to understand WHY in the moment. I just need to get through the moment and restore my peace.See Self-Care as Stewardship Peace starts with how we care for ourselves. Getting rest when you can, eating nourishing food, being mindful of caffeine intake, stepping outside for a breath of fresh air, moving your body—all of these are acts of stewardship that allow you to mother from a place of peace. When you feel better, you show up better. Lord, thank You for the gift of peace. Help us as moms to receive it, to walk in it, and to model it for our children. Remind us that we don’t have to be the ones to create peace--it’s already ours in You. Guard our hearts and our homes with Your presence. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scripture for the weekProverbs 21:9 — Better to live on a corner of a roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.Proverbs 27:15 — A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike.Ephesians 4:29 — Speak only what builds others up.Proverbs 3:5 — Trust in the Lord, not in your own understanding.James 1:19 — Be quick to listen, slow to speak.Why We NagFear: “If I don’t keep reminding, it won’t happen.”Control: Wanting it done our way, our time.Habit: It’s become automatic.Lack of trust: Not believing they’ll follow through without us.Positive Discipline TipsSay it once, then follow through — Don’t repeat; let natural consequences do the teaching.Hold family meetings — Problem-solve recurring issues respectfully.Encourage over criticize — Replace “You never…” with “I appreciate when you…”Pray before you speak — Invite God’s wisdom in.Trust God with the outcome — Release the need to control with words.Practical Steps This WeekPray before reminding.State the request clearly one time.Use natural/logical consequences instead of continued talking.Practice silence and trust—sometimes the most loving choice is to step back.Watch how respect and peace grow in your home.RememberNagging doesn’t change hearts—God does.Our role is to speak with grace, set healthy boundaries, and trust Him with the rest.You are not responsible for changing anyone.

It’s easy to point the finger—at our kids, our spouse, or someone else. But God’s Word invites us to look inward first.✨ Romans 2 reminds us that:Hypocrisy hurts more than our witness—it confuses our kids.God’s kindness isn’t a free pass—it’s an invitation to grow.How we live when no one’s watching still matters.✨Just like Romans 2 calls us to humble self-reflection, Positive discipline teaches that strong discipline begins with the adult—not just controlling the child’s behavior, but growing in our own emotional regulation and humility.✨I want to give you three simple heart checks to come back to when you find yourself being challenged by your child or wanting to react in a less than ideal way.1. Before I correct someone, have I corrected myself? Whether it’s your child, your husband, or someone else—pause and ask, “Lord, is there something in me You want to refine first?”2. Am I using grace as permission, or transformation? God’s grace isn’t a license to ignore our sin. It’s a gift that makes repentance safe.3. Am I teaching my children to follow Jesus by how I follow Him in private? Who you are when no one’s watching—that’s who you’re inviting your kids to become.✨✨Heavenly father I love you, so so much, You see it all. The moments I get it right, and the moments I don’t. Thank You for Your patience. And Lord, I need you. I ask that you help me not to judge others while ignoring the work You want to do in me. Teach me to lead my children with humility, authenticity, and grace. And when I fail, remind me that Your kindness is not permission to stay there—it’s an invitation to grow. Amen.✨✨

“Perspective Shifts for Motherhood”When it’s hard… pause. Breathe. Shift.I like to write my "new perspectives" on my mirrors in my house so I'm constantly reminding myself of my new way of thinking.☀️ Tired MomentsOld Perspective: “I’m running on empty.”New Perspective: “I am pouring out love. God will refill me.”😩 Behavior BattlesOld Perspective: “They’re trying to push my buttons.”New Perspective: “They’re struggling. I can lead with calm.”🙋‍♀️ Messy DaysOld Perspective: “This is chaos.”New Perspective: “This is life. I don’t need perfection to be present.”😔 Feeling Like You’re FailingOld Perspective: “I’m messing this up.”New Perspective: “This is hard, but I’m still showing up. God sees me.”❤️ Spiritual LensOld Perspective: “I’m not enough.”New Perspective: “God chose me for this child. His grace is enough.”🌸 Scripture to Root Your Perspective:“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”—Romans 12:2“She is clothed with strength and dignity…”—Proverbs 31:25“You are God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved.”—Colossians 3:12

So you woke up and it feels like it's gone be a bad day. You're irritated, short tempered and touched out all before 8 am. Here's five simple ways to transform your day. It's a hard morning, not a hard day. You get to choose how your day goes!1. Step away for 90 seconds. Get outside. Put your feet in the grass and face the sun. Take 3 deep breaths or as many as you need until a weight feels lifted. Can't get outside? Choose your favorite spot in the house. 2. Pray and speak truth. Your feelings are liars. "Lord, slow my spirit. Fill me with your gentleness I can't do this in my own strength but I know you are with me."Say aloud - "I am safe. This is hard, not bad. I can start fresh."3. Speak truth over the moment and remind yourself...- "My child is not trying to upset me - they are learning."- "I can hold boundaries and be kind."- "This moment is stretching me, no breaking me."Shift your mindset, shift your response.4. Reset the atmosphere in your home.-Turn on worship music-Open a window, turn off the lights, light a candle-Give your child a big bear hug until they let up and say "let's start over."-Name what you see "We are having a hard morning. Today is still a good day. Let's take a deep breath together and choose joy."FEELINGS LIE. You get to CHOOSE what you think. Shut down the negativity. Say out loud STOP I choose good thoughts. I am a patient and present mom. I am a light for my family. I am joy. Today IS good. Speak it. Declare it. Choose it. YOU'VE GOT THIS.Remember if you haven't , check out The Whole Brain Child so you can have appropriate expectations for your child especially when your feelings are lying to you and telling you your child's behavior is too much.https://amzn.to/44wkwzYThis is an affiliate link and when you use this link you bless my family. Thank you :)

💛 You are the mom God designed for your child.Not a different version of you. Not the mom who loves crafts if you don’t. Not the one who seemingly has it all together all the time.Your child needs you—the real you.This episode is a reminder to stop parenting from comparison and start parenting from connection. When you invite your child into the things you enjoy, they feel your joy—and that joy is a gift.Scripture for the week Psalm 139:13-14 says, “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”God is intentional. He knew exactly who your child would need—and He chose you.Galatians 6:4, Paul reminds us: “Let each one examine his own work… for each will have to bear his own load.”That’s a call to focus on our lane. Our assignment. Our gifts.2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” That means even on the days we fall short—His grace is there. And it’s enough.What to focus on this week:1 You are the mom God intentionally chose for your child. That is not a mistake.2 Don’t parent from comparison. Your joy is more powerful than your perfection.3 Do things you enjoy with your child. Let them see you smile. Laugh. Dance. Thrive.Let God use the real you. He’s not asking you to be someone else. Mom and son connection journalhttps://amzn.to/44mjXbLMom and daughter connection journalhttps://amzn.to/40bRFhIThese are affiliate links so when you purchase through them at no extra charge to you, you help support my family and we are grateful for you. Thank you :)

Have you ever found yourself reacting out of fear in your parenting? Whether it’s fear of failing, fear of judgment, or fear that your child’s behavior means you’re doing it wrong — you’re not alone. But here’s the truth: God didn’t give us a spirit of fear.In this episode, we’re unpacking what fear-based parenting looks like and how it can lead to disconnection, shame, or control — instead of teaching and transformation.You’ll learn how to shift from reacting in fear to responding with confidence through three powerful Positive Discipline tools:    1.    Pause and Pray — Take a breath and invite God in before you respond.    2.    Connect Before You Correct — Build emotional safety first so your teaching can land.    3.    Be Firm and Kind — Set respectful, clear boundaries without shame or punishment.🕊️ Key Scripture:“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7Want to learn more about how your child's brain is growing so you can set appropriate expectations and boundaries? Check out The Whole Brain Childhttps://amzn.to/3TSeyTEThis is an affiliate link that helps support my family. Thank you.

When They’re Too Young to Understand Their FaithShow it in how you correct, teach, and discipline.👶 What They Don’t Know Yet:    •    The Bible    •    Deep theology    •    How to pray with understanding💡 What They Are Learning:    •    What love looks like when they mess up    •    How safe it feels to confess    •    What grace feels like in hard moments    •    Who God might be… by watching you⸻✨ 5 Ways to Show Faith Through Parenting:1. Discipline as Discipleship“God disciplines us for our good…” – Hebrews 12:10Correction is coaching — not punishing.2. Model Grace + Truth“Speak the truth in love.” – Ephesians 4:15Be kind and firm at the same time.3. Create Safety for Growth“I’m here. I won’t let you hurt your sister (me, yourself, etc.) Let’s calm down together.”Safety teaches the heart — not fear.4. Let Faith Be FeltEvery calm boundary, every patient response, is a picture of the gospel.5. Ask Forgiveness When You Mess UpEven our mistakes can reflect God’s grace when we model humility.⸻📖 Simple Phrases That Show Your Faith:    •    “I’m here to help you calm down.”    •    “I won’t let you hurt others.”    •    “Let’s try that again with kindness.”    •    “You can make a better choice next time — I’ll help you.”    •    “I love you always, even when we have hard moments.”

Scripture + Tiny Truths to Remember“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,but only what is helpful for building others up…”— Ephesians 4:29Speak life. Teach gently. Build up.Tiny Truths to RememberKids aren’t born knowing how to speak kindly — they learn it from us.Correction doesn’t have to be harsh to be effective.Your calm, coaching voice helps them build the voice they’ll use for life.Why Your Preschooler StrugglesPreschooler brains are still developing:Right brain (feelings) is stronger than the left (words).Under stress, they may lose access to language.Whining, shouting, or hitting often signals dysregulation, not defiance.They don’t need punishment — they need coaching.What To DoPractice in calm moments“If you need help, say: ‘Can you help me, please?’ Let’s practice!”Name the emotion + offer the words“You’re feeling mad. You can say, ‘I’m mad, I need space.’ I’ll help you.”Model kind language consistently“Try that again with your kind voice.”“Say it in a way my ears can really hear you.”“Let’s rewind and try again.”Remember, mistakes are wonder opportunities to learn and it shows your child what humility looks like when you own your mistakes and you actively do better. xoxo Danni

Does it feel like your preschooler whines over every seemingly small thing? This episode is all about the why and what you can do about it.

Ever dread meltodowns in public and how to handle them? In this episode you'll learn a step by step process.

Biblical encouragement for how to lean closer to God and your child in moments that can do just the opposite.

Wisdom knows when to speak. Patience waits before reacting. Self-control chooses gentleness over anger.Motherhood stretches all three—but thank God, we don’t walk it alone. EP 32 is all about encouraging conversation surrounding this and how to implement a couple of verses from Proverbs into your day today. Some fruit for the soul!

Consistency isn’t about perfection—it’s about trust. When we lovingly follow through, our children learn that our words mean something, and they can rest in that security.‘Let your yes be yes and your no be no.’ – Matthew 5:37This week’s episode is all about why follow-through matters and how to do it with love.What boundary are you working on being consistent with right now?

Ever wonder if you're being too firm or too soft? This episode is for you. Join me for some encouraging conversation and real life examples on how to handle common situations while sticking to your boundary and being kind and respectful towards yourself, your child, and the situation.

Let's dive deeper into why your child might be misbehaving and learn three simple tools that you can start implementing today to help your child's misbehavior.

Encouragement is love in action. Sharing scripture + how to implement it to encourage you and your child.

Encouraging conversation surrounding gratitude, finding joy, thriving over surviving, and parenting out of faith over fear.

Let's discuss how you can handle moments where your spouse parents differently, what it looks like when your child is needing attention in a way that is different than you've been doing, and the importance of taking time for training.

Real life, slowing down, the importance of belonging + significance, and simple ways to help achieve this.

Join me for some encouraging conversations on being the best mama through God, a couple tips on handling common struggles you might not have tried before, and goals for you so that you can be the best mama to your littles!

Let's discuss how to earn your child's respect willingly instead of demanding it. Tools to respond respectively in situations where you feel anything but calm. Learn tools for how to respond to your child talking-back.

Many people know how to punish a child but not many know how to encourage a child. Let’s discuss what encouragement is and how to use it effectively.

Let’s discuss discouragement in children so we can better understand why misbehavior happens in the first place.

Let’s discuss what punitive and positive time-out is and learn how to make time-out an intentional and encouraging experience for your child and you.

[19] Let’s revisit what the Bible says about spanking, learn the detriments of spanking, and discuss other options that are more valuable to our children.

Learning to take responsibility for the parts of our children’s behavior we are responsible for.

Sharing an answered prayer and the importance of putting your marriage before you children.

Sharing my testimony for personal healing, growth, God’s love for me and how this encourages me in my parenting.

A short introduction on what discipline means and how to encourage positive discipline in the Christian household

What does it mean to parent as a child yourself? Making sure the message of love makes it through our fearful reactions in parenting.

Unpacking whether or not the beliefs we believe about ourselves are true or things that were said to us and about us as children. Acknowledging the certain beliefs we unconsciously pass on to our children and whether or not we actually believe it.

Let’s discuss how giving our children more control can actually help make our lives as parents easier. In this episode we bring awareness to how many commands we are giving our children and how we can word things in a different way for better cooperation.

Helpful tools for respecting yourself, your child, and the needs of a situation. What it means to be both firm and kind and the importance behind meaning what you say and saying what you mean.

Sharing some good news, some positive discipline tools, and what it means to have the courage to be imperfect.

Words of encouragement going into the new year.

Prioritizing connection over correction and helpful ways to discourage reacting in a negative manner.

Sharing my heart during this heartbreaking season God has called my family through in hopes of offering you comfort in knowing you aren’t alone.

Taking an uncomfortable look in the mirror and acknowledging how often you are gossiping, complaining, repeating negative things and how a simple shift in perspective can lead to gratefulness and more fulfilling conversations.

A pick me up if you’re going through a dark season and some tips to set you up for success with the winter blues.

Let’s talk about doing what you’ve been called to do in the face of fear and discover tips that lead us to reacting less out of anger, yelling less, and showcasing our emotions to our children in a healthy light.

How often do we stop to acknowledge if the words we are speaking to our child or our spouse are ones of encouragement or if they are words of discouragement and do we know how it looks when we unintentionally criticize those we love. Relinquishing control of others and focusing on ourselves.

Let’s talk about self awareness as a parent and if we are showing up as the parent that we want to be, what this looks like and some ways we can get there.

Learning how to become more aware of the thoughts we choose to think and learning to pause and see our intent before speaking.