Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I was joined by a woman who I wish I knew 20 years ago - or at least, had her book 20 years ago! Her name is Janel Breitenstein and she’s the author of, “How to Stop Yelling Up the Stairs: Keeping Your Cool While Raising Your Kids” which is the topic of this episode.

Long-time listeners may know some of my story and how I truly struggled as a mom with my littles and especially after adopting my precious little girl. The adoption-reality was completely different from the adoption-dream I had - countless sleepless nights and a traumatized baby who would not sleep and wouldn’t accept anyone but me. The external triggers were intense, but I realized many years later there were also things in my heart, too. I still carry guilt over how I yelled at my kids which is also a part of today’s conversation with Janel.

I am so glad you’ve joined me for this episode! Let’s dive in!

Key topics in this episode:

• Managing anger in parenting
• Modeling emotional health for children
• Creating a gospel-centered home amidst chaos

Connect with Janel on her website and blog: https://www.janelbreitenstein.com/

Buy her book, “How to Stop Yelling up the Stairs” by clicking here!

To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Christian Parenting resource for you: Moms, Dads, and Grads Gift Guide!

And this year's edition is our best one yet! Whether you're honoring a loving mom, a

devoted dad, or an inspiring grad, we've got you covered with meaningful gifts they'll

truly love. From Bibles and study tools to encouraging books, you're guaranteed to find something special for everyone on your gift lists this spring.

Visit christianparenting.org/gifts to explore the 2026 Moms, Dads, and Grads Gift Guide today!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I was joined by the amazing author and parenting coach, Mary Van Geffen. Since 2011, Mary has coached over 1,700 moms of “Spicy Ones”, walking with them through the same struggles she once thought would break her. She now has a book titled, “Parenting a Spicy One: A Compassionate Guide for Raising a Deep-Feeling and Wonderfully Strong-Willed Kid” which prompts today’s conversation.

As parents of foster and adoptive kids, sometimes we have a “spicy” child - a child who is very emotional, passionate, strongwilled, and maybe labeled as “challenging, difficult, stubborn” and any other descriptors. It can be extremely taxing and difficult navigating this relationship - what do you do when the kid refuses to brush their teeth or change out of their pajamas? It feels like one battle after another, and it can send our nervous systems into overdrive and survival mode, hijacking us into an overly reactive state because we are at our limit. Mary offers a ton of practical advice throughout this conversation – it’s almost like she’s an amazing coach! She has a lot of great insight for shifting our perspective on this “spicy” little one of ours and how to truly connect with them.

I am so glad you’ve joined me for this episode! Let’s dive in!

Key topics in this episode:

• Defining a spicy child and their temperament
• The importance of communication and connection
• Practical tools for daily parenting challenges
• The power of repair and forgiveness in relationships
• Shifting mindset from control to compassion

Connect with Mary on her website or Instagram, and get a copy of her book!

To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Christian Parenting resource for you: Morning Minute

Subscribe now at MorningMinute.org to receive each weekday morning a verse to strengthen your spirit, one parenting insight grounded in Christ-like wisdom, one short action item to guide your heart and your kids’ and one resource to help you go deeper.

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I was joined by a mom who’s message spoke near to my heart and I believe many parents in this calling: Jamie Erickson. Jamie is the busy mama of five kiddos, ages ranging from college to 8th grade, and she also homeschools. She is also an author with a recent book that speaks to my heart, “Overwhelmed Mom: Quiet the Chaos, Mind What Matters, and Enjoy Your Life Again.”

As adoptive and foster parents (and even just biological parents, of course!), we are carrying a very heavy load and I feel overwhelmed. Jamie’s book comes at a perfect time in my life and I hope you will also find it encouraging and practical.

Key topics in this episode:

• Types of overwhelm: circumstantial, emotional, and self-inflicted
• The importance of managing priorities and setting boundaries
• Practical tips for reducing overwhelm: analog life, digital detox, and community support
• The role of faith and trusting God in overcoming stress
• Recognizing physical and emotional signs of overwhelm

Connect more with Jamie on her website.

And check out new book and topic of today’s episode, Overwhelmed Mom: Quiet the Chaos, Mind What Matters, and Enjoy Your Life Again

To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Christian Parenting resource for you: Morning Minute

Subscribe now at MorningMinute.org to receive each weekday morning a verse to strengthen your spirit, one parenting insight grounded in Christ-like wisdom, one short action item to guide your heart and your kids’ and one resource to help you go deeper.

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I was joined by Dr. Kelly Flanagan. Dr. Kelly Flanagan is an award-winning author, international speaker, personal and relationship coach, and licensed clinical psychologist with two decades of expertise in interpersonal relationships. His thought leadership has been featured in The 5 Love Languages, the TODAY Show, Reader’s Digest, HuffPost, and Success Magazine. Kelly’s two non-fiction books, Loveable and True Companions.

He has recently released The Road Less Triggered which is the topic of our discussion as foster and adoptive parents. Dr. Kelly discusses what it means to be triggered in the clinical sense and how we as parents can experience it and our children - biological, adoptive or foster. He also shares his own personal journey and how he overcame his own triggers which were causing destruction in his relationships. This is a great and practical conversation to help us in any stage of this calling.

Key topics in this episode:

• Understanding the clinical and broad definition of triggers
• Physiological signs of being triggered and interoception
• Balancing regulation and recognition in emotional responses
• Empathy and boundaries in trauma-informed care
• Practical steps for owning moments and teaching children

Connect more with Dr. Kelly on his website.

And check out his book, The Road Less Triggered.

To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Christian Parenting resource for you: Morning Minute

Subscribe now at MorningMinute.org to receive each weekday morning a verse to strengthen your spirit, one parenting insight grounded in Christ-like wisdom, one short action item to guide your heart and your kids’ and one resource to help you go deeper.

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I chat with the amazing Abbey Wedgeworth and through our conversation we promise you: you are not ruining your kids!

Abbey is a wife, mother, bible teacher, and writer. She's the author of the Training Young Hearts children's book series, Held, a resource for women who have lost life in the womb, and most recently Help! I’m Ruining My Kids: A Gospel Guide for the Mom Who’s Desperate for Change. Abbey and her husband, David, live on the South Carolina coast, where she homeschools their three boys.

In our conversation today, we unpack some of the ideas in her latest book. Abby drops some amazing truthbombs for us as adoptive and foster moms. Sometimes we feel the pressure to “do it all” and forget that God is in control and sovereign. With this unnecessary pressure, we can feel like we’re failing and “ruining” our kids. Abby reminds us that human limitations are not sin. While our role as parent is a large one in our child’s life, it is not equal to or as big as God’s role. We are imperfect people trying to raise these broken kids and God knows exactly what He’s doing when He pairs us with them. It will not be perfect and that’s where He shows up. Abby says if our kids share their testimony and they share something we did wrong, then praise the Lord because it is part of their testimony!

Connect more with Abby on her website and Instagram.

Click here to buy her book!

Christian Parenting resource for you: Morning Minute

Subscribe now at MorningMinute.org to receive each weekday morning a verse to strengthen your spirit, one parenting insight grounded in Christ-like wisdom, one short action item to guide your heart and your kids’ and one resource to help you go deeper.

To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, I was joined by the amazing author, mother, and ministry warrior Blair Linne. Blair recently wrote a children’s book called, “Yara the Brave and the Swirling Worry” and any time we have a resource for our adopted and foster kiddos, I want to talk about it! This children’s book is all about anxiety which sparks my conversation with Blair - what is anxiety, how does it manifest physically in us or our kids, what are some techniques to cope or calm down? Those are just a few of the things we cover and all from a Biblical perspective.

Connect more with Blair online and Instagram!

Click here to buy her book!

Christian Parenting resource for you: Morning Minute

Subscribe now at MorningMinute.org to receive each weekday morning a verse to strengthen your spirit, one parenting insight grounded in Christ-like wisdom, one short action item to guide your heart and your kids’ and one resource to help you go deeper.

To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, my special guest is so full of energy and passion for uplighting you as a prayer warrior: Shellie Rushing Tomlinson! Shellie is a multi-published author, speaker, and farmer’s wife known for saying “Life can be hard when it’s good, but it’s always better when you’re laughing.” She joins me today for a conversation about prayer, and specifically Shellie says, “Don’t pray like her!” It is easy to compare ourselves to others at church, in bible studies and such, thinking “Oh, she’s got it all together, her prayers are so nice and she knows what she’s doing” but Shellie reminds us that no one can pray like we can to our Father in Heaven!

Shellie encourages us to embrace what makes us unique and our season of life. Instead of obsessing over “quiet time,” just pray right then and there when you feel led to do it. Don’t wait for an opportunity to pray - just talk to God! Shellie also gets into other practical tips and advice she has learned over the years on her walk with God and hopes you feel empowered to pray. It is especially important as foster and adoptive parents in this calling to be rooted in God as we face so many challenges.

Connect more with Shellie on her website, Instagram, and Facebook.

Click here to buy her book!

Christian Parenting resource for you: Morning Minute

Subscribe now at MorningMinute.org to receive each weekday morning a verse to strengthen your spirit, one parenting insight grounded in Christ-like wisdom, one short action item to guide your heart and your kids’ and one resource to help you go deeper.

To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!

Welcome to the Called to Love Podcast!

In this episode, my special guest is a children's book author, public speaker, and a busy biological, adoptive and foster mom: Beth Guckenberger. Beth is someone I have seen speak in sessions at Christian conferences and my daughter loves her latest book! I am so grateful she is my guest today to speak into the lies our kids believe and even ourselves, and how we can combat this with God’s truth to build emotionally stable homes.

Deception, manipulation, triangulation, aggression, even violence, these are just some of the challenging and problematic behaviors we may experience with our foster and adoptive kiddos but what if I told you these were symptoms? These behaviors come from a child’s fear and insecurity, and not knowing how to deal with it in a healthy way. Often these kids have needs which are unmet, and when you grow up not having your needs met by parental figures, it develops these unhealthy coping mechanisms or methods of getting what you want. While this is frustrating for us as the parents trying to love our kids (and then to feel like they’re angry at us or lying to us all the time) it is important to remember this is coming from a place of fear, insecurity, and not knowing any difference. This is the key to breakthroughs - addressing the roots and not the symptoms: overcoming lies with truth.

Here are a few key takeaways:

• Understanding children’s emotions and thoughts
• How challenging and problematic behaviors are often symptoms to a child’s inner identity and thought-process, and that’s the root which should be addressed.
• Identifying lies and intrusive thoughts
• Recognizing behavioral signs of struggle
• Creating emotional safety in chaotic environments
• Marriage as the concrete foundation for the home and how to protect it
• Balance between child’s needs and parent’s needs
• Understanding spiritual warfare in your home
• Empowering children with tools against the lies of the enemy

Connect more with Beth on her website and Instagram!

Check out her children’s book series, StrongHeart Series:

The BRAND NEW addition to the series, “The Heart Who Wanted to Lasso Thoughts (A story about turning bad thoughts to good with prayers of gratitude)

The Heart Who Wanted to Be Free (A story about finding freedom through admitting our wrongs)

The Heart Who Wanted to Find a Way (A story about calming anxiety through resting in God)

The Heart Who Wanted to Be Whole (A story about healing from negative talk through God's truth)

Christian Parenting resource for you: Morning Minute

Subscribe now at MorningMinute.org to receive each weekday morning a verse to strengthen your spirit, one parenting insight grounded in Christ-like wisdom, one short action item to guide your heart and your kids’ and one resource to help you go deeper.

To submit your prayer requests, use this form by clicking here!

You can email me your questions about adoption and foster care at somercolbert@gmail.com.

I would love to connect with you on Instagram or send you my monthly newsletter with free resources and first access to episodes and more!