Don’t Parent Alone with Heather MacFadyen

To finish out Season 6 of the Still Coloring podcast, I want to give you some snippets of conversations I’ve had recently with three voices I trust to speak into my own life and grief – Dr. Curt Thompson, Dr. Alison Cook, and Debra Fileta. These three licensed professional counselors have some good stuff to share, and I hope you find hope and direction in what they have to say. It’s real good, I promise. Thank you to my two incredible sponsors for this season of the Still Coloring podcast: Bark Technologies and Dwell Differently! Y'all go check them out. Bark Technology – The Bark Phone for Kids starts at $39/month and was named a Best Invention of 2023 by TIME Magazine! Bark has an app for device monitoring, too. DwellDifferently.com – Use the code TONI for your first month of scripture-memorization resources FREE! Watch podcast episodes on YouTube!Connect with Toni: Personal Instagram | Broken Crayons Instagram | FacebookNewsletter: ToniJCollier.com/NewsletterWebsite: ToniJCollier.comPurchase Toni’s children’s book: Broken Crayons Still ColorPurchase Toni’s book: Brave Enough to be BrokenWant to partner with Toni or advertise on the podcast? Reach out here.

I believe that when God brings you to a Red Sea moment in your life, He’s going to part it. We serve the God of miracles, and He’s still working miracles every single day. And no matter what it is you’re facing, He has a plan to bring you back to His goodness. The pain you feel, the heartache you’re enduring, the loneliness and depression and sadness… not one bit of it will be wasted in the story God is writing – I promise you. Thank you to my two incredible sponsors for this season of the Still Coloring podcast: Bark Technologies and Dwell Differently! Y'all go check them out. Bark Technology – The Bark Phone for Kids starts at $39/month and was named a Best Invention of 2023 by TIME Magazine! Bark has an app for device monitoring, too. DwellDifferently.com – Use the code TONI for your first month of scripture-memorization resources FREE! Watch podcast episodes on YouTube!Connect with Toni: Personal Instagram | Broken Crayons Instagram | FacebookNewsletter: ToniJCollier.com/NewsletterWebsite: ToniJCollier.comPurchase Toni’s children’s book: Broken Crayons Still ColorPurchase Toni’s book: Brave Enough to be BrokenWant to partner with Toni or advertise on the podcast? Reach out here.

I want to tell y’all the story of one of my favorite scriptures, Psalm 91. It was given to me by a deacon in a church during a church service that I barely wanted to be at, and at the time it didn’t mean a thing to me. But it came alive to me during a “spiritual encounter” weekend retreat where I was finally pursuing being a follower of God and not just a fan. I realized that God’s word comes most alive when we are looking for God Himself. Let’s go find Him. He isn’t too far. Thank you to my two incredible sponsors for this season of the Still Coloring podcast: Bark Technologies and Dwell Differently! Y'all go check them out. Bark Technology – The Bark Phone for Kids starts at $39/month and was named a Best Invention of 2023 by TIME Magazine! Bark has an app for device monitoring, too. DwellDifferently.com – Use the code TONI for your first month of scripture-memorization resources FREE! Watch podcast episodes on YouTube!Connect with Toni: Personal Instagram | Broken Crayons Instagram | FacebookNewsletter: ToniJCollier.com/NewsletterWebsite: ToniJCollier.comPurchase Toni’s children’s book: Broken Crayons Still ColorPurchase Toni’s book: Brave Enough to be BrokenWant to partner with Toni or advertise on the podcast? Reach out here.

I have a tendency to live in a scarcity mindset about money, that there’s not going to be enough of it, and when I do have it, I might lose it. Maybe you feel that way too. Finances can impact what we believe about God, but goodness, do I have some God winks to tell you about the ways He’s provided in this season of my divorce. I was scared to take time off the stage because speaking is how I make money, but I heard God say, “Toni, I am the author of good things. I am working out all things out for the good of those who love me. Love me, follow me, surrender to me, and I got you.” He’s got you too, friend. Let me show you how. Thank you to my two incredible sponsors for this season of the Still Coloring podcast: Bark Technologies and Dwell Differently! Y'all go check them out. Bark Technology – The Bark Phone for Kids starts at $39/month and was named a Best Invention of 2023 by TIME Magazine! Bark has an app for device monitoring, too. DwellDifferently.com – Use the code TONI for your first month of scripture-memorization resources FREE! Watch podcast episodes on YouTube!Connect with Toni: Personal Instagram | Broken Crayons Instagram | FacebookNewsletter: ToniJCollier.com/NewsletterWebsite: ToniJCollier.comPurchase Toni’s children’s book: Broken Crayons Still ColorPurchase Toni’s book: Brave Enough to be BrokenWant to partner with Toni or advertise on the podcast? Reach out here.

One thing that has been super consistent in this season of my life is how my community has SHOWN UP for me. God saw fit that out-of-town friends would physically be down the hall when I got the worst phone call of my life. They’ve comforted me and helped me discover things about myself that I hadn’t realized before. My community furnished my new home and reminded me of my purpose, coaching me through attacks of the enemy when in a moment I believed that the pain would absolutely crush me.Listen, friends. We need each other. We can't heal alone. So, after you run to your Savior in moments of pain and darkness, make sure you find your people too. Thank you to my two incredible sponsors for this season of the Still Coloring podcast: Bark Technologies and Dwell Differently! Y'all go check them out. Bark Technology – The Bark Phone for Kids starts at $39/month and was named a Best Invention of 2023 by TIME Magazine! Bark has an app for device monitoring, too. DwellDifferently.com – Use the code TONI for your first month of scripture-memorization resources FREE! Watch podcast episodes on YouTube!Connect with Toni: Personal Instagram | Broken Crayons Instagram | FacebookNewsletter: ToniJCollier.com/NewsletterWebsite: ToniJCollier.comPurchase Toni’s children’s book: Broken Crayons Still ColorPurchase Toni’s book: Brave Enough to be BrokenWant to partner with Toni or advertise on the podcast? Reach out here.

I tell people all the time to “embrace your pain,” and now coming out of the devastation of the past six months, I have to call myself to that same standard. So, I’m sharing the story of what God has brought me through. This season is called “God Winks, Moxie and Rescue,” and I’ll tell you more about those things in this first episode, starting with a look at the parable of the wandering sheep in Matthew 18.  Sneak peek: Sometimes we’re the 1 and sometimes we’re the 99. Whichever we are—our Heavenly Father is coming for us.Thank you to my two incredible sponsors for this season of the Still Coloring podcast: Bark Technologies and Dwell Differently! Y'all go check them out. Bark Technology – The Bark Phone for Kids starts at $39/month and was named a Best Invention of 2023 by TIME Magazine! Bark has an app for device monitoring, too. DwellDifferently.com – Use the code TONI for your first month of scripture-memorization resources FREE! Watch podcast episodes on YouTube!Connect with Toni: Personal Instagram | Broken Crayons Instagram | FacebookNewsletter: ToniJCollier.com/NewsletterWebsite: ToniJCollier.comPurchase Toni’s children’s book: Broken Crayons Still ColorPurchase Toni’s book: Brave Enough to be BrokenWant to partner with Toni or advertise on the podcast? Reach out here.

I am going to bring you all the way in. This is probably going to be my most vulnerable series of podcast episodes ever because it's me processing through some of the hardest moments I've ever had to walk through. In Season 6, you'll hear me shining a light on how God came for me in my darkest moments at the end of 2023. And how He's coming for you too, friend. God is still on the move. I hope this season heals you, in ways you didn’t even know you needed.  Watch podcast episodes on YouTube!Connect with Toni: Personal Instagram | Broken Crayons Instagram | FacebookNewsletter: ToniJCollier.com/NewsletterWebsite: ToniJCollier.comPurchase Toni’s children’s book: Broken Crayons Still ColorPurchase Toni’s book: Brave Enough to be BrokenWant to partner with Toni or advertise on the podcast? Reach out here.

We decided this season needed one final episode, and it’s with Titania Jordan of Bark Technologies! Let’s go deep on the topic of navigating the online world with our kids. I’m not even exaggerating when I tell you that Bark is absolutely revolutionary and has changed my life as a parent. Titania is mom to a high schooler, and she serves as the Chief Parent Officer and CMO of Bark. Today she shares with us some pretty scary statistics from their annual report that analyzed 4.5 billion data points across 30 social media platforms, but with this bit of fear comes a whole lotta hope! Let’s be a safe space for our kids. We have an incredible opportunity to take the things we didn’t have access to and the ways tech hurt us and get it right for the next generation. And Bark’s gonna help us do it.This season of the Still Coloring podcast is sponsored by Bark Technologies. The Bark Phone for Kids starts at $39/month and was named a Best Invention of 2023 by TIME Magazine! Bark has an app for device monitoring, too. Connect:Titania's Instagram | Bark Technology’s InstagramView Bark’s Annual Report here Watch podcast episodes on YouTube!Connect with Toni: Personal Instagram | Broken Crayons Instagram | FacebookNewsletter: ToniJCollier.com/NewsletterWebsite: ToniJCollier.comPurchase Toni’s children’s book: Broken Crayons Still ColorPurchase Toni’s book: Brave Enough to be BrokenWant to partner with Toni or advertise on the podcast? Reach out here.

Today’s podcast guest, Kendall Mariah Tart, says she wants to authentically and unapologetically engage in conversations that are sometimes really uncomfortable, so we go there in this episode! Kendall is a self-described “modern southern housewife” with a husband in the active military and a beautiful adopted daughter who is Black. As a blonde-haired white woman in America, Kendall has navigated some hard things in her parenting journey, so we talk about what it looks like to parent a child outside of your race. It’s all about honoring them and their humanity. Kendall has some bold thoughts and I appreciate her perspective, curiosity, and convictions so very much. This season of the Still Coloring podcast is sponsored by Bark Technologies. The Bark Phone for Kids starts at $39/month and was named a Best Invention of 2023 by TIME Magazine! Bark has an app for device monitoring, too. Connect with Kendall:Instagram | Facebook | TikTokWebsite: KendallMariah.com Watch podcast episodes on YouTube!Connect with Toni: Personal Instagram | Broken Crayons Instagram | FacebookNewsletter: ToniJCollier.com/NewsletterWebsite: ToniJCollier.comPurchase Toni’s children’s book: Broken Crayons Still ColorPurchase Toni’s book: Brave Enough to be BrokenWant to partner with Toni or advertise on the podcast? Reach out here.

Parenting is a treacherous journey – don’t we all know this to be true! But the beautiful thing is, we don’t have to do it alone. We shouldn’t do it alone. Today I talk with Heather MacFadyen, the founder of a brand and podcast called Don’t Mom Alone, about the idea of community. It can be awkward to seek out and pray specifically for, but we’ll be better parents if we find like-minded people to walk through this with. And Heather says that of course, parents matter, but we’re not the end-all, be-all, and that’s both hard and incredibly freeing to realize. Don’t mom – parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle, etc. – alone, okay? Find your people! This season of the Still Coloring podcast is sponsored by Bark Technologies. The Bark Phone for Kids starts at $39/month and was named a Best Invention of 2023 by TIME Magazine! Bark has an app for device monitoring, too. Connect with Heather:Instagram | FacebookWebsite: HeatherMacFadyen.comListen to the Don’t Mom Alone podcastBooks Heather mentioned – Good and Angry by Scott Taranski and Joanne Miller and Tired of Trying to Measure Up by Jeff VanVonderen Watch podcast episodes on YouTube!Connect with Toni: Personal Instagram | Broken Crayons Instagram | FacebookNewsletter: ToniJCollier.com/NewsletterWebsite: ToniJCollier.comPurchase Toni’s children’s book: Broken Crayons Still ColorPurchase Toni’s book: Brave Enough to be BrokenWant to partner with Toni or advertise on the podcast? Reach out here.