Don't Mom Alone Podcast

Don't Mom Alone Podcast

Heather MacFadyen, mother of four boys, connects you the listener with people and resources to help you feel less alone. Consider it an invitation to "withness".

  • 1 hour 5 seconds
    School Choice Series: Homeschool to Private School with Kris Habashy :: [Ep 559]

    In episode one of my School Choice Series, Kris Habashy shares her family’s journey from homeschooling to Christian private education. From navigating dyslexia to the challenges of transitioning middle schoolers, Kris offers a heartfelt, honest look at the joys, struggles, and unexpected growth that come with trusting God in your educational choices.

    My hope with this series is to share a variety of school choice stories so you can hear different experiences and perspectives. As you listen, I encourage you to pray and seek God’s guidance, asking Him to bring to mind exactly what you need to know for your family’s journey. Trust Him to walk hand in hand with you, year by year, as you make decisions and navigate each step of your children’s education. Here is some of what we cover: 

    • Why Kris initially chose to homeschool and how her personality and family dynamics played a role.
    • The challenges of transitioning kids from homeschooling to private school — especially in middle school.
    • The importance of nurturing your own growth as a mom while guiding your kids.
    • Families navigating dyslexia, learning differences, or anxiety around school transitions.
    Connect with Kris Habashy: Links Mentioned:  Related Episodes:

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    9 February 2026, 6:10 am
  • 54 minutes
    Parenting a Spicy Child: How to Stay Calm, Set Boundaries, and Keep the Connection :: Mary Van Geffen [Ep 558]

    Parenting a spicy child can feel overwhelming, isolating, and exhausting, especially when traditional parenting advice just doesn’t work. In this episode, Mary Van Geffen joins us to talk about what it really means to parent a strong-willed, spirited, intense child without losing yourself or crushing their spirit.

    So often, as moms, we unknowingly tie our identity and worth to how our children behave. When our kids are calm, compliant, or successful, we feel like we are doing a good job. When they are loud, explosive, or struggling, we internalize it as failure. Parenting a spicy child brings this tension to the surface and forces us to ask deeper questions about where our identity really comes from. This conversation invites moms to loosen their grip on performance-based parenting and remember that our value is not measured by our child’s behavior, but by who we are and whose we are. 

    Here is some of what we cover: 

    • How to stay connected to your child so you can guide them long-term
    • A practical calm down recipe for flare-ups and explosive moments
    • How to set boundaries without crushing your child’s spirit
    • Why you are not responsible for your child’s happiness
    • How to support the mild child in a family with a spicy sibling

    Connect with Mary Van Geffen: 


    Links Mentioned:  

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    2 February 2026, 6:25 am
  • 56 minutes 22 seconds
    Paul David Tripp on the Everyday Habits That Shape Your Marriage *Top 10 Episode* [Ep 557]

    *Republishing our most downloaded episodes, one a month this year*

    Whether you’ve been married for a few years or are approaching a milestone anniversary, a healthy marriage takes intentional work. Marriage isn’t built in the big, dramatic moments, but in thousands of small habits and daily interactions that over time lead to either a God-honoring, joy-filled relationship—or one marked by strain and self-focus.

    Author and speaker Paul David Tripp joins me to talk about how those everyday habits shape our marriages and how to identify the ones that need to be uprooted. Drawing from nearly 50 years of marriage, Paul helps us see our relationships through the lens of the gospel.

    “A biblical view of marriage is a sinner married to a sinner in a fallen world—but with a faithful God. That means we can’t coast. There are things in each of us that threaten our marriage, and we need God’s grace every day.”

    My hope is that this conversation encourages you to re-engage your marriage with renewed faith and confidence in what God can do.

    What we talk about:

    • How marriages are shaped by thousands of small moments
    • Why daily habits matter more than big moments
    • Identifying healthy and harmful marriage habits
    • How sin turns us inward—and why marriage is a covenant of community
    • Confession, forgiveness, and navigating conflict
    • Unity vs. uniformity in marriage
    • The role of the fruit of the Spirit in a thriving marriage

    • Why isolation harms marriage and community helps heal it

    Connect with Paul David Tripp: 


    Links Mentioned: 


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    26 January 2026, 6:15 am
  • 46 minutes 6 seconds
    How to Help Anxious Kids: Max Lucado on Parenting, Faith, and Finding Peace [Ep 556]

    Are we living in the most anxious generation ever? In this powerful and hope-filled conversation, Max Lucado joins us to talk about anxiety, mental health, and the unseen struggles so many kids and teens are facing today—and what parents can do about it.

    With constant access to phones, social media, and nonstop information, anxiety often shows up sideways in our kids through anger, withdrawal, or fear. Max explains what’s happening in the brain, why anxiety feels like an alarm that never shuts off, and how parents can become a soft place to land when emotions run high.

    We also talk about the importance of parents addressing anxiety in their own lives, how worry steals joy and peace, and why our presence (not perfection) is what God desires most. Max shares encouragement for praying parents, reminding us that Jesus never turned away a parent who asked for help for their child. Here is some of what we cover: 

    • Why today’s kids are facing unprecedented levels of anxiety
    • The physical and emotional toll of chronic worry
    • Why a parent’s physical presence matters more than we realize
    • Max Lucado’s personal faith journey and what God taught him about presence over performance
    Connect with Max Lucado: 

    Links Mentioned:  

    Related Episodes:

    Featured Sponsors: 

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    19 January 2026, 6:04 am
  • 48 minutes 15 seconds
    How’d I Miss That? Parenting Perspective, Praying for Your Kids & Trusting God’s Process :: Cynthia Yanof [Ep 555]

    My friend and Sidetracked podcast co-host, Cynthia Yanof, joins me to discuss her new book, How’d I Miss That?

    Cynthia shares hilarious and poignant stories about family and kids that help uncover deeper truths—reminding us that God has a plan, and there’s no formula for this parenting journey. We often stress over things that feel big at the moment, like preschool registration or making the “right” sports team, but what really matters is having an eternal perspective—focusing on who our kids are becoming at 25 and who we are becoming as parents. In this episode, we talk about:

    • How to pray audacious, faith-filled prayers over our kids
    • Trusting the process, even when it doesn’t make sense in the moment
    • Why not all friendships are meant for every season of parenting—and being intentional about your inner circle
    • And we wrap up with some fun hosting tips from Cynthia

    Connect with Cynthia Yanof: 


    Links Mentioned:  


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    Featured Sponsors: 

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    12 January 2026, 6:05 am
  • 55 minutes 21 seconds
    People Skills That Strengthen Friendships, Marriage, and Family :: Debra Fileta [Ep 554]
    Moms, life throws us into so many conversations every day…

    Talking with our kids, navigating our husband’s work party, connecting with other moms, or building our own friendship. All of these moments show who we are and how we communicate.

    Today, Debra Fileta, counselor, author, and podcaster, joins me to share practical tips on how to communicate effectively with friends, family, and loved ones. In our tech-driven world, we’ve lost many opportunities for genuine connection, and often we don’t realize how we come across when meeting new people or entering a room full of strangers.

    Debra shares insights from her new book, People Skills, to help us connect in deeper, more authentic ways. Here’s some of what we cover:

    • Relationships and people skills: The strength of your relationships depends on the skills you bring into them. 
    • Communication matters: In a tech-driven world, real-life interactions with tone, body language, and facial expressions are more important than ever. 
    • Understanding communication styles: Learn the four types—assertive, aggressive, passive, passive-aggressive—and how to navigate them. 
    • Practical tips for being a great conversationalist: Honor your story, honor theirs, and create space for give-and-take in relationships.
    Connect with Debra Fileta: 

    Links Mentioned:  

    Related Episodes: Featured Sponsors: 

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    5 January 2026, 6:05 am
  • 41 minutes 25 seconds
    Overwhelmed at Christmas? The Women of the Bible Who Understand :: Mary DeMuth [Ep 553]
    In this episode, author, podcaster, and speaker Mary DeMuth returns to share the inspiration behind her latest work, which spotlights overwhelmed women in the Bible—women whose stories have often been minimized or overlooked. From Mary the mother of Jesus to Hagar to the widow with two mites, these women model faith, resilience, and wholehearted trust in God.

    We talk about how Christmas can be both beautiful and heavy. Mary opens up about her own seasons of overwhelm, from her water breaking on Christmas Eve to sleeping in a barn the week before Christmas. She reminds us that Mary, the mother of Jesus, lived through the deepest fears a mother can face, yet she remained faithful as a disciple. Here is some of what we cover: 

    • Why Christmas often heightens grief, trauma, and unmet longings
    • The consumerism of the holiday season vs. the simplicity of God with us
    • What Shalom really means: wholehearted, whole-bodied peace rooted in surrender
    • Jesus’ care for the overlooked, the aging, and the marginalized
    • The definition of “Whelm” which  refers to out-of-control stress,  “overwhelmed” is that same stress amplified beyond capacity
    Connect with Mary DeMuth: 

    Links Mentioned:  

    Related Episodes:Featured Sponsors: 

    • Green Chef: Go to Greenchef.com/ALONEGRAZA use the code ALONEGRAZA to get started with 50% off Green Chef + FREE Graza Olive Oil Set in your 2nd and 3rd boxes. This 50% offer is only available for a limited time, so don’t wait. 
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    15 December 2025, 6:15 am
  • 53 minutes 23 seconds
    How to Feel More Secure in Your Marriage and Family :: Marc Cameron [Ep 552]
    In today’s episode, I sit down with Marc Cameron, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, to explore one of the most influential (and often overlooked) elements of our emotional lives: attachment styles. Drawing from more than 80 years of research, Marc breaks down how our earliest experiences with our families shape the way we connect, communicate, handle conflict, and relate to the people closest to us well into adulthood.

    This episode offers a compassionate and scientifically grounded roadmap for understanding yourself and the people you love. Whether you identify as avoidant, anxious, vacillating, disorganized, or relatively secure, you'll walk away with clarity, validation, and practical tools for building healthier patterns of connection. Here is some of what we cover: 

    • Why attachment styles are not personality traits, but relational survival strategies formed early in life
    • Why “secure” doesn’t mean perfect; it means the relationship feels predictable and safe most of the time
    • How attachment ruptures can be healed in adulthood through awareness and practice
    • Why the holidays amplify attachment triggers—family roles, old wounds and unresolved expectations
    • How to move toward secure attachment by learning emotional language, practicing repair, and using the comfort circle 
    Connect with Marc Cameron: 

    Links Mentioned:  

    Related Episodes:Featured Sponsors: 

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    8 December 2025, 6:15 am
  • 47 minutes 32 seconds
    The Case for Miracles, Christmas, and Faith :: Lee Strobel [Ep 551]
    In this episode, I sit down with bestselling author and investigative journalist Lee Strobel to explore some of the most profound questions of faith: Are miracles real? What evidence supports the Christmas story? What are angels like? 

    Lee was famously an atheist, and when his wife came to faith in Christ, he set out to prove her wrong. In the end, he discovered that the evidence for Jesus was too substantial to ignore and he became a Christian. Since then, he has helped countless people wrestle with life’s biggest questions: Is God real? How do we navigate a spiritually mismatched marriage? How can we help our kids understand the evidence that Jesus came, died, and rose again? 

    Now, he has a new movie coming out called The Case for Miracles, bringing the supernatural to life in a powerful and compelling way. In this interview, we explore:

    • Documented cases of divine healing
    • Spiritual Mismatch in marriage and how to have hope 
    • The evidence surrounding Christmas and the incarnation
    • Do angels exist? Do we have guardian angels? What Scripture and research reveal
    • How God is using miracles and dreams around the world to draw people to Him 
    Connect with Lee Strobel: 

    Links Mentioned:  

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    Featured Sponsors: 

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    1 December 2025, 6:10 am
  • 52 minutes 45 seconds
    What Comes Next When Life Falls Apart: An Honest Conversation with Jess Connolly [Ep 550]
    In this powerful and deeply honest conversation, Jess Connolly—author, podcaster, and speaker—invites us into a season of her life marked by heartbreak and uncertainty. 

    Jess opens up about the winter of 2023, when her husband experienced panic attacks, heart issues, and a mental health crisis. At the same time, her family was facing major loss as her stepfather passed away after heart surgery, while also preparing for a book release. Followed by one of her children walking through a dark trial. Jess brings so much truth and gentle encouragement to anyone walking through a season that desperately needs hope, not the shallow Christian clichés we often hear, but a deep and steady hope that God is with us in the valley. Here’s some of what we cover:

    • The myth of the “prosperity gospel of parenting” and why 1+2 does not always equal 3
    • The pressure to assign purpose to a painful season 
    • Rethinking Psalm 23 and understanding the rod and the staff 
    • Learning to lament: why anger expressed to God is actually intimacy
    • An exclusive sneak peak at her next book! 
    Connect with Jess Connolly:  Links Mentioned:  

    Related Episodes:

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    24 November 2025, 6:02 am
  • 45 minutes 2 seconds
    The Type C Mom: Finding Peace Between Perfection and Chaos :: Ashleigh Surratt [Ep 549]
    As a young mom, I felt the tension of wanting to have it all together: the boys in matching outfits, the house spotless, and dinner on the table. But no matter how hard I tried, it always felt just out of reach. 

    Today, Ashleigh Surratt joins me to talk about what it means to be a Type C mom — a blend of Type A and Type B — and how this mix shapes the way we experience motherhood. She is a mom and faith-filled encourager who speaks honestly about motherhood, identity, and finding God’s grace in the messiest seasons of life. Her perspective helps moms release perfectionism and embrace the freedom found in authenticity. We talk about: 

    • How to stop comparing yourself and embrace what truly matters to you
    • How “ideal mom” expectations can become an idol
    • Why authenticity and vulnerability invite connection rather than shame
    • Create simple “catch-all” systems to manage chaos in your home
    • When you feel drained, pause and invite God into the overwhelm
    Connect with Ashleigh Surratt: 

    Links Mentioned:  

    Related Episodes:

    Featured Sponsors: 

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    17 November 2025, 6:30 am
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