My kids are 11 and 14, and I will be the first to tell you that teaching them practical life skills is not my strongest suit. I am genuinely good at the emotional work, the hard conversations, the staying connected through difficult seasons. But the cooking, the chores, the keeping-a-home-running piece of parenting is an area where I know, with great compassion for myself, that we have room to grow.

Summer has a way of opening up just enough space to do something new, and this episode will give you a clear and hopeful place to start if you're like me and it's not your biggest strength.

This week's guest is Katie Kimball, founder of Kids Cook Real Food and a life skills educator who has been doing this work with her own four kids long enough to be living the results.She gave me so much hope that it is not too late — even if your kids are older, even if you feel like you've missed the window, even if you've been meaning to do this for years and just haven't gotten there yet, and even if, like me, you sat down with a life skills expert and within the first five minutes had to ask what a chef's knife was.

Come join us to hear:

💜 Why Katie's 14-year-old was vacuuming the stairs unprompted on his day off from school, and the surprisingly simple system behind it

💜 The exact language shift Rachel made with her own son that reframed how he thinks about contributing to the family — and why the words matter more than you'd think

💜 Why Katie says letting your kid use a sharp knife might be one of the best things you can do for their mental health If you've been meaning to do more of this and just haven't quite known where to start, this conversation is for you.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

***

Announcements: Katie's Life Skills Now Summer Camp is happening June 8–12, 2026 — a free, week-long event where over 70 teachers (including me!) teach kids practical and emotional life skills. Register here. Flecks of Gold: This week is also the last week of our Mother's Day Sale — all journals are 10% off through the end of the week!

Related Episodes:

373: Teaching Children to Work Without Being a Drill Sergeant // Danielle Porter

369: How to Teach Your Kids about Money // Abby Chipman

350: Rethinking Chores: A Quick Mindset Shift to Help with Overwhelm

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There comes a point in parenting where you realize the approach that worked when your kids were little just doesn't work anymore. The rules, the structure, the ability to redirect and reset — it all starts to feel like it's slipping. And if you have a teenager, you might already know that feeling well (iykyk 😅).

The older our kids get, the more we bump up against a humbling truth most of us weren't quite prepared for: We never really had control to begin with. And once we accept that, we can finally ask a much better question — not "how do I get my teenager to behave?" but "how do I stay connected to this person I love so much while they figure out who they are?". That's exactly what today's episode is about.

This week's guest is Emily Ricks, a certified life coach who especially loves working with moms of teenagers. She shares three mindset shifts that can help any mom of a teen move from white-knuckling the relationship to genuinely enjoying it, including:

💜 Why Emily admitted that having a teenager "woke the Kraken" in her — and how she found her way back to connection

💜 Why the rules you're enforcing are likely costing you the very thing you're trying to protect

💜 What it actually looks like to take back your "emotional remote control" in the middle of a heated moment with your teen

If you're in the trenches of raising teenagers, this one's for you.

***

Announcements:

Flecks of Gold Mother's Day Sale: Shop the Mother's Day Sale! Get 10% off every journal, plus free shipping! Use code MOMS10.

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Related Episodes:

393: How to Enjoy (Not Just Endure) the Teen Years // Amie Anger

396: How to Help Your Teen Live a Better Story

303: How to Talk to Teenagers // Brooke Romney

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All of us have hard feelings that need somewhere to go — frustration, resentment, grief, the anxiety that just sits there and won't quite leave. And if you're anything like me, finding a reliable way to process any of it doesn't always come naturally. We push through, or we vent to someone who didn't necessarily sign up for it, or we just wait for the feeling to pass on its own. And sometimes it does. But sometimes it doesn't, and it just kind of settles in.

This week's guest is Kim Christensen, a published writer and master's graduate in creative writing who has spent her career helping people find their voice — even people who never thought of themselves as someone who does that sort of thing.

In this episode, you'll hear:

✏️ The surprising research on what just two minutes of a simple daily practice can do for your physical health — and why the numbers are bigger than you'd expect

✏️ Why the most healing version of this practice has absolutely nothing to do with being good at it

✏️ The one question Kim says you can answer today, even if you have no plan and no idea where to start

So if you've been carrying something heavy lately and you're not quite sure where to put it, I hope this episode can offer a tool that can help.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

***

Related Episodes:

424: When LIFE Doesn't Turn Out as Planned // Jessica N. Turner

407: A Two-Minute Daily Practice to Transform Your Mental Health

319: Three Tools I Use to Manage Anxiety and Depression // Cheryl Cardall, Ember Pilati

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There is a specific kind of worry that lives in the back of most mothers' minds —the worry that we're not doing it right. That somewhere in the gap between who we are and who we wish we were, our kids are absorbing something we never meant to give them: our unresolved stuff. Our triggers, our patterns, the things from our own childhoods that we're still working through. Is all of that making its way to our children?

The uncomfortable truth is that some of it will. That's just the reality of being parented by a human. But what Eli Harwood taught me in this conversation is that parenthood itself is a developmental stage, which means we are not finished, and the work we do on ourselves is one of the most profound gifts we can give our children.

This week's guest is Eli Harwood, licensed therapist, author, and creator of Attachment Nerd.In this conversation, Eli shares why doing the deep inner work of understanding your own emotional world isn't just good for you — it's the foundation of everything your kids actually need from you.

In this episode, you'll hear Eli share:

💜 Why she built an asterisk right into her book title (you'll love her reasoning!)

💜 What it means when she says our kids can't rely on us for needs we haven't learned to meet in ourselves

💜 What she said to her child after being barky and short at the end of a long day

If you have ever looked at your kids and felt that specific worry that you might be getting this wrong, I think you're going to find my conversation with Eli both honest and deeply freeing.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

***

Related Episodes:

415: How to Get Help for Mental Illness // Sarah McKenna

458: Three Simple Phrases Your Kids Need to Hear from You // Eli Harwood

387: Why Calming Yourself Helps Calm Your Child // Eli Harwood, MA, LPC

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I have been a striver my entire life — the kind of person who color-coded her notes, lost sleep to get straight A's, and genuinely believed that doing more and finishing faster was just who she was. Until the season when it didn't work anymore, and I found myself wondering if what I actually needed wasn't a better system, but permission to put some things down.

This week's guest is Yvette Henry, author of Release, Rest, Remain: A 30-Day Devotional to Embrace Abiding Over Striving. In this episode, she gives language to something I think so many of us moms carry but rarely take the time to name — and a rhythm for living that actually feels sustainable.

A note: this is a faith-rooted conversation, which isn't my typical format — but the three takeaways Yvette shares are for every mother, regardless of where you land spiritually.

In this episode, you'll hear:

🤍 Why the tiredness you're feeling might have nothing to do with sleep — and the seven types of rest that actually replenish you

🤍 The glass ball and rubber ball framework — and how to tell the difference between what you need to protect and what you can safely let fall

🤍 What it can look like to remain present in your own life, even on the most ordinary days

Presence is not a reward for finished productivity — it's available to you right now, in whatever ordinary moment you're standing in. I hope this episode reminds you of that.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

***

Related Episodes: 441: Self-Care for Moms That Actually Works // Mia Hemstad466: Permission to Pause129: Rethinking Meditation as Busy Moms // Dr. Leah Weiss

Sponsors:

Knix Teen: Go to knixteen.com and use code 3IN30 for 15 percent off.

Shopify: Start your business today with the industry's best business partner, Shopify, and start hearing ✦[CHA CHING]✦ Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at shopify.com/3in30.

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***

Happy 3 in 30 Day, my friends! Today is March 30th — which, numerically, is 3/30 — and years ago I dubbed this our national holiday.

When I started 3 in 30, I did not set out to build a community. I was a busy mom who desperately wanted a parenting resource that would just get to the point already — and when I couldn't find one, I sat down at my kitchen table with a cheap microphone and created it. What I did not anticipate is that moms all over the world would listen, and that through it all, something that genuinely feels like a community would grow up around this little show.

To celebrate, I asked the 3 in 30 community to send in voice messages and written notes about their favorite episodes and why those episodes mattered. In today's episode, you'll hear eight of those messages — each one followed by a short clip from the episode being mentioned.

In this episode, you'll hear:

🎙️ A mom who finally stopped feeling guilty about resting — all because of one permission-giving line from one of our guests

🎙️ A mom who was walking alone during COVID when an episode about mom guilt made her feel, for the first time, like someone understood exactly what she was going through

🎙️ A mom who lost her mother years ago and started a food tradition with her own children after hearing an episode about keeping a loved one's memory alive — and how her kids now ask for it every year

Almost nine years of getting to the point and actually helping busy moms in the trenches. That's what this community is, and I'm so grateful it exists — and that there is so much good here waiting for you whenever you need it.

For full show notes click here.

***

Featured Episodes:

293: Rethinking Housework // KC Davis

469: 3 Ways to Lighten the Load of Motherhood // Greg McKeown

24: Fighting Against Mom Guilt

186: Helping your Children Connect with Someone You've Loved & Lost // Dara Kurtz

461: "I Hate You, Mom" — How to Respond When Holiday Stress Brings Big Emotions

415: How to Get Help for Mental Illness // Sarah McKenna

416: When Someone You Love Struggles with Mental Health // Logan McKenna

433: Making Friends as a Mom: Why It's Hard — and How to Do It Anyway // Dr. Marisa G. Franco

118: How to Raise Confident Children // Marilyn Faulkner

Episode Sponsors:

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***

Spring is a season I genuinely love, but it also has a way of sneaking up on me. One minute I'm enjoying the slower pace of winter, and the next I'm looking at my calendar wondering when it got so full. If you're coming off of Spring Break trying to find your footing again, or you can already see Maycember on the horizon and feel your shoulders creeping up toward your ears, this episode is for you.

A few years ago, during one of those stretched-thin, running-on-fumes seasons, I shared three things that were genuinely helping me stay sane. I went back and listened recently and thought, these are still so good, and I wanted to share them again, because I think we could all use some practical tools to reach for when life piles up.

In this episode, you'll learn:

🌸 The simple two-column list that cuts through mental overwhelm and tells you exactly what actually has to get done (and what can wait)

🌸 Why choosing just three non-negotiable soul care essentials — even tiny ones — can be the thing that holds you together during your busiest weeks

🌸 The mindset shift that keeps the spiral at bay, and why what you say to yourself during hard seasons matters more than almost anything else

And one more thing worth mentioning — this episode is less than 15 minutes long. So if you're already feeling the busyness piling up and the idea of a full episode feels like one more thing on your list, this one was made for exactly that moment. Short, sweet, and full of things you can actually use.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

***

Related Episodes:

353: How to Declutter Your Busy Schedule // Miranda Anderson

333: How Can a Busy Mother Get Back to the Essentials?

463: What If Your Only New Year Goal Was to Let Go of the Shoulds?

Episode Sponsors:

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***

Last week, I found out that one of my kids' teachers unexpectedly lost her husband in a car accident. She's in her early 30s with a toddler, and when I was telling Ryan, I just started to cry. I don't often cry, so it surprised both of us a little. The truth is, I was crying for her — and for all of the heaviness that has been building in my heart for months. The political division, the international conflicts, the injustice — it has felt like a lot lately.

My teenage son sometimes says to me when we talk about hard things, "Mom, why does life have to be so hard?" And I tell him, "I don't know, Buddy. But you're right — and I also know that it is beautiful too."This week's guest is Shannan Martin, bestselling author of the brand new book Counterweights, and she has a practice for holding both of those things at once.

In this episode, you'll learn:

💜 Why Shannan writes down both the weights AND the counterweights every night — and what happens when you hold them together on the same page

💜 Why Shannan (a self-described introvert) pushes herself to gather people in her home regularly — and the surprisingly low bar she sets to make it actually happen

💜 The tiny silver fork that has become one of her most treasured daily rituals (you'll understand when you hear it)

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

***

Announcements: March 30th is 3 in 30 Day — and this year I'm celebrating by highlighting YOU! Share your favorite episode and its impact at 3in30podcast.com/tellrachel before March 20th, and your message may be woven into a very special episode.

Related Episodes:

424: When LIFE Doesn't Turn Out as Planned // Jessica N. Turner

401: How Radical Gratitude Can Change Your Life // Dr. Tanmeet Sethi

390: Living with Grief without Losing Yourself // Shelby Quinlan

Sponsors:

Shopify: It's time to turn those "What Ifs" into ✦[CHA CHING]✦ with Shopify today. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial at shopify.com/3in30.

BetterHelp: 3 in 30 Takeaways for Moms is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to betterhelp.com/3in30 to get 10% off your first month of online therapy.

AirDoctor: Head to AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code 3in30 to get up TO $300 off today! AirDoctor comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, plus a 3-year warranty—an $84 value, free!

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***

I didn't learn until I was 40 years old that my body moves through four distinct phases every single month — and that each one of those phases affects my mood, my energy, my patience, and my ability to connect with the people I love. Which means that the version of me who felt so present and empathetic last Tuesday wasn't just "having a good day." And the version of me who snapped at everyone before dinner on Friday wasn't failing. Both of those women were showing up exactly on schedule — I just didn't have the language for it yet.

This episode is about what becomes possible when we finally have that language, and how empowering it is to understand our bodies well enough to show up the way we actually want to — and to have real grace for ourselves when that's harder.

This week's guest is Shara Jackson Harper, a licensed mental health therapist, hormone and cycle guide, and mother of five who helps women understand how their internal rhythms shape the way they show up for the people they love most.

In this episode, you'll learn:

✨ The golden conversation Shara had with her 15-year-old son — and the specific reason she believes the timing made all the difference

✨ Why most women are often carrying a "basket of shame" about their hard days, and what Shara says we can do with it instead

✨ The simple three-part formula Shara uses to talk to her own family about where she is in her cycle — and why her kids actually know what "lower bandwidth week" means

So here's to understanding ourselves a little better, giving ourselves a little more grace, and showing up for our people in the ways we actually want to.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

***

Announcements:

Hormone Cycle Guide: Shara has created a free handout with an overview of all four phases of the menstrual cycle plus a printable tracker to help you start noticing your own patterns. Grab it at 3in30podcast.com/cycleconnection.

March 30th is 3 in 30 Day! This year I wanted to celebrate by highlighting YOU. I'm collecting voice messages from listeners sharing your favorite episode and what about it made an impact or stayed with you, and my podcast editor is going to weave them all together into one really special episode. Prefer to write it out instead? You can do that too. Just head to 3in30podcast.com/tellrachel before March 20th. It only takes a minute, and I really cannot wait to hear from you.

Related Episodes:

410: Align Your Goal-Setting with Your Menstrual Cycle // April Davis of Haus of Vagina

314: How to Feel Like Yourself in Motherhood // Aleisha McKean

205: How to Coach Yourself Through Big Emotions // Georgia Anderson

Episode Sponsors:

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***

A year ago this month, the travel and motherhood world lost Elise Caffee — blogger, adventurer, mother of three, and the woman behind the hashtag "take the trip." Elise believed, down to her bones, that making memories with your kids was always worth it — the chaos, the cost, the exhaustion, all of it. This episode is for her.

This week's guest is Tiffany Rosenhan, Elise's dear friend, co-author, and co-founder of Jumelle Press. Together, they wrote Pippa and Poppy Adventure — a beautiful children's book about two identical twins exploring Europe — and Tiffany is here today to carry Elise's message forward. With spring break just around the corner, her three takeaways feel especially timely — whether you're heading somewhere far or just loading up the car for a day trip an hour from home.

In this episode, you'll hear:

🧳 The story of why Tiffany's family pulled their kids out of school and traveled abroad for five months — and why she says she'd do it again without hesitation

🧳 What Elise's daughters did three weeks after she passed away, and what it reveals about the culture she built in her family

🧳 The surprising science behind why travel builds stronger memories in kids' brains than almost anything else you can do together

So here's to loading up the car, booking the day trip, or simply putting the phone down and being present with your people this spring. The memories don't require a passport — they just require you.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

***

Announcements:

March 30th is 3 in 30 Day — and this year I'm celebrating by highlighting YOU! Share your favorite episode and its impact at 3in30podcast.com/tellrachel before March 20th, and your message may be woven into a very special episode.

Related Episodes:

453: How to Travel for FREE with Your Family (Really!) // Amber Paul

418: Staying Home for Spring Break? 3 Ways to Make it Memorable (and Manageable!) // 3 in 30 Team

431: 3 Road Trip Hacks for Traveling with Kids // Brittney Hanks

Episode Sponsors:

BetterHelp: 3 in 30 Takeaways for Moms is sponsored by BetterHelp. Go to betterhelp.com/3in30 to get 10% off your first month of online therapy.

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***

A few years ago, I read a book that made me think it was reading my mind. In the introduction, the author asks: Do you ever feel like you're running faster but not moving any closer to your goals? Do you want to make a higher contribution but you lack the energy? Are you teetering right on the edge of burnout?

I wrote, "Yes, yes, yes!" next to each question in the margin of my copy.

The book is Effortless by Greg McKeown, and it's the follow-up to his first book Essentialism, which I talked about in last week's episode. In today's episode, Greg talks about how we can lighten the load of motherhood without burning out.

Greg acknowledges that life is genuinely hard—raising children is hard, paying the bills is hard, strained relationships are hard—and he's not promising to eliminate those hardships. But he does offer tools that can help lighten the load, and that's exactly what we talk about in this episode.

In this episode, you'll learn:

💜 Why striving for 100% effort actually makes you less effective—and the optimal pace that will help you go further without burning out

💜 The question Greg asks when everything feels overwhelming (hint: it's not "what can I cut?" but something far more freeing)

💜 What radical gratitude actually means—and why it's the only thing powerful enough to counter the suffering we all experience in motherhood

If you've been running on empty, if the mental and emotional load feels crushing, or if you're wondering how to keep showing up when everything feels so hard, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

For full show notes, including takeaways, click here.

***

Announcements:

My Declutter Your Motherhood audio course walks you through the exact process I use to release the "shoulds" that don't fit me anymore and make room for what actually brings me joy.

Related Episodes:

468: Stop the Runaway Train: How to Get Back to What Actually Matters

412: How to Overcome Overwhelm

401: How Radical Gratitude Can Change Your Life // Dr. Tanmeet Sethi

Episode Sponsors:

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Laundry Sauce: For a limited time only, our listeners get 20% off your entire order when you use code 3in30 at LaundrySauce.com.

Skylight: Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch Calendars by going to MySkylight.com/TAKEAWAYS.

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***