Eps 118 | What Nobody Tells You About Investing in Yourself
Enough Mom Podcast
Did you pour out love on everyone around you this Valentine's Day—and forget to save any for yourself? You bought the valentines, made the heart-shaped pancakes, slipped the notes into the lunchboxes... and then turned that same gaze inward only to become your own worst critic. In this episode, Jennifer gets practical about what it really looks like to invest in yourself—not as a trendy self-care concept, but as the foundation of everything we've been building together in the last five episodes. Because here's the truth nobody talks about: compassionate parenting begins with compassionate...
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Eps 117 | Compassionate Parenting: A Better Way Forward
Enough Mom Podcast
Are you caught in the crossfire of the parenting wars? Tired of being told you're either too soft or too strict? Has someone made you feel guilty for apologizing to your child—or for holding a firm boundary? In this episode, Jennifer tackles the false dichotomy that's tearing apart mom communities and church small groups alike: gentle parenting vs. authoritarian parenting. She unpacks the fear that's actually driving both sides of the debate, clears up the dangerous confusion between gentle and permissive parenting, and introduces a framework she calls compassionate parenting—an approach...
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Eps 116 | From Burnt Out to Lit Up: Rediscovering What Makes You Come Alive
Enough Mom Podcast
Are you going through the motions of motherhood but can't remember the last time you felt truly alive? Do you find yourself wondering who you even are anymore beyond "mom"? Have the things that once brought you joy become just another obligation on your endless to-do list? Jennifer unpacks the dangerous pattern of numbing and disconnection that keeps mothers stuck in survival mode—and shows you the path back to rediscovering what makes you come alive. Through personal stories of her own journey from burnt out to lit up, she explores why we lose ourselves in the first place, the difference...
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Eps 115 | Breaking Free From Shame: Why Your Courage Matters
Enough Mom Podcast
This episode is for every mama caught in the shame spiral who believes one mistake defines her entire story. Have you been replaying that moment when you lost your temper, forgot something important, or didn't show up the way you wanted to? Are you stuck in the hallway of your mind, convinced that one misstep means you've failed completely? Jennifer shares a powerful moment from her recent speech and debate tournament where she watched a bright, capable student spiral into shame after forgetting part of her speech—and realized how many mothers are stuck in that same hallway. Through the lens...
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Eps 114 | The Permission Slip You've Been Waiting For
Enough Mom Podcast
This episode is for every mama who's been waiting for permission to be who you are, to do what you want to do, to dream bigger. Mama, have you been waiting for your kids to get older, for your husband to tell you it's okay, for someone else to validate your desires before you pursue them? That permission slip might never arrive—until you write it yourself. In this episode, Jennifer shares the four specific permission slips moms are often waiting for and why giving yourself permission isn't selfish but rather a crucial act of stewarding the life you've been given. Whether you want...
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Eps 113 | When You Wish You Could Start Over
Enough Mom Podcast
This episode is for every mama carrying the weight of parental regret—wishing you'd done things differently, taught them better, shown up more intentionally. Whether your children are still at home or already grown, this episode will help you understand why your regret doesn't have to be the end of the story. You'll discover how to heal relationships with adult children, how to repair with kids still under your roof, the power of neuroplasticity in creating new relational patterns, and how to initiate conversations that create space for truth and reconnection. If you've ever thought "I wish...
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Eps 112 | You're Not Behind - You're Beginning
Enough Mom Podcast
This episode is for every mama who's tired of feeling one step behind, constantly surprised by schedule conflicts, or exhausted from managing everyone else's lives. You'll discover why regular family check-ins are essential, the difference between managing and leading your family, how to ask questions that empower your kids instead of control them, and the three strategic times each year to pause and realign your family's commitments with your values. Whether you have little ones trying new activities or teenagers navigating their own schedules, this episode will help you stop managing magic...
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Eps 111 | Stop Managing, Start Leading: Family Check-Ins
Enough Mom Podcast
In this practical and empowering episode, Jennifer introduces her family check-in method that transforms chaos into calm—without micromanaging every detail. As we step into a new year, she reveals how three strategic conversations per year can change your family's schedule from reactive scrambling to intentional leadership. Drawing from years of managing teenagers with work schedules, a family restaurant, and homeschool activities, Jennifer shares the exact framework for leading your family with confidence while giving your kids space to grow into capable, independent humans. This episode is...
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Eps 110 | Breaking the Cycle: Why Emotional Intelligence is the Most Important Leadership Skill You'll Ever Learn
Enough Mom Podcast
Jennifer explores why emotional intelligence is the most critical leadership skill you'll ever develop as a mother. Drawing from corporate leadership research and personal experience, she reveals how your nervous system regulation directly impacts your children's brain development, health, and future relationships—and how breaking toxic patterns today creates a healthier legacy for generations to come. This episode is for every mama who's realized she's parenting differently than she was parented, who's seen her own reactive patterns show up with her kids, or who's ready to break cycles that...
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Eps 109 | When your kids want things you can't afford
Enough Mom Podcast
In this essential holiday episode, Jennifer tackles one of the most stressful aspects of gift-giving season: how to respond when your children ask for expensive things you can't afford. Through practical strategies and compassionate insight, she reveals how these moments aren't really about the toys at all—they're about emotional regulation, parenting triggers, and teaching children resilience through discomfort. This episode is for every mama who's felt the weight of comparison when other families buy expensive gifts, who's struggled with guilt around saying no to her children, or who's...
info_outlineIn this powerful episode, Jennifer explores the third pillar of the Enough Mom framework: Calling. Through insights on leadership, child development, and spiritual wisdom, she reveals how motherhood is a calling to influence—not through authoritative control, but through understanding your child's unique personality and meeting them where they are.
This episode is for every mama who questions whether she's doing enough, struggles with outside expectations, or wonders if she has what it takes to lead her children well. You'll discover what leadership truly means in motherhood, why you have the right to make decisions for your family, how to avoid projecting your fears onto your kids, and how to let go of the idols that steal your joy and your calling.
Timestamps00:00 - Welcome to Episode 104: The Calling of Motherhood
00:05 - Introduction: The Third Pillar of the Enough Mom Framework
01:00 - Courage, Confidence, and Calling Working Together
02:00 - Getting Moms Back to Thinking Clearly About Themselves
03:00 - You Are Called to Motherhood—An Enormous Responsibility
04:00 - Equipping Yourself Within the Boundaries of Being a Mom
05:00 - The Calling of Motherhood is a Calling to Leadership
06:00 - Rethinking What Leadership Actually Is
07:00 - Your Earliest Authority Figures and Images of Leaders
08:00 - Being a Leader to Your Own Children
09:00 - You Have the Right and Ability to Make Decisions for Your Family
10:00 - Understanding Child Development and Behavioral Science
11:00 - Harnessing Your Strengths to Inspire Personal Growth
12:00 - You Are an Autonomous Person with Choices
13:00 - What You Allow to Influence Your Thoughts Influences Your Children
14:00 - Taking the 16 Personalities Test to Know Yourself Better
15:00 - Understanding Your Child's Unique Personality
16:00 - Loving the Child in Front of You vs. the Child You Wish You Had
17:00 - Don't Put Outside Expectations on Your Children Before Knowing Them
18:00 - Navigating Seasons of Motherhood with Grace—Stay Curious
19:00 - When Your Kids Won't Bow to Your Idols
20:00 - The Idol of Cleanliness and Control
21:00 - The Idol of Success and Academic Achievement
22:00 - The Idol of Reputation and What Others Think
23:00 - The Desire to Do Well in This Calling
24:00 - You Can Control Your Input, Not the Outcome
25:00 - When They Feel Safe, They Trust You to Lead Them
25:30 - Closing & Next Steps
Key Takeaways
✨ Motherhood is a calling to leadership—a position of influence where you can confidently use your strengths
✨ True leadership isn't about control or big personalities—it's about meeting your child where they are
✨ You are an autonomous person with choices about what influences your thoughts and your children
✨ Understanding your personality and your child's personality helps you lead them according to who they really are
✨ Don't love the child you wish you had—love the child in front of you
✨ Our fear is often projected onto our kids when we don't feel like we're doing enough as a parent
✨ Beware of the idols of motherhood: cleanliness, success, and reputation
✨ The more pressure put on kids to achieve academically, the higher their mental stress
✨ You can control your input (love, care, support, listening), but you cannot control the outcome
✨ When children feel safe with you and trust you, they will respond better to your leadership
Episode Highlights
On the Calling of Motherhood
"If you are a mother, you are called to this special position of influence and you can confidently use your strengths to lead your children according to their unique personality and learning styles."
On Leadership
"If you don't feel like a natural leader, maybe we need to rethink what leadership actually is and what it should look like."
On Autonomy and Choice
"You are an autonomous person and you have choices about what you allow to influence your thoughts and your brain and therefore what you allow to influence your children."
On Knowing Your Child
"Please do not put outside expectations onto your children before you actually get to know your children. Please, please start with just spending time with them."
On Control vs. Growth
"That control is more about you getting your way instead of allowing the child in front of you to grow and develop as they need to grow and develop."
On Academic Pressure
"Studies show that the more pressure is put on kids to achieve academically, the higher their mental stress level will become. And you do not want to be the creator of that mama."
On Being a Safe Place
"Your kids need you to be a safe place for them. And sometimes we need to really, really question our own expectations."
On Comparison
"Comparison will not allow you to walk in the calling that you were called to do, the mother you were called to be, and to raise the child who is in front of you."
On Letting Go
"The more we can let go and relax and just accept our part in the life of our child, the more relaxed your children will be, the better they will respond to you, the safer they will feel with you, and the more they will trust you to lead them."
On Trust and Leadership
"You can be an excellent leader of your children when they know they're safe with you, when they know they can trust you, and when you allow them to have a voice into their own childhood experience."
About the Host
Jennifer Bryant is an educational leader, having worked in every sector of school from public to private to homeschool. She is a California girl living in Hawaii, homeschool mama to teenagers, and recovering perfectionist. As an ADHD mom and former authoritative parent turned compassionate parent, she brings raw honesty and deep insight to conversations about maternal mental health. With a background in child development and adolescent development as a trained teacher in various systems, Jennifer is passionate about helping mothers find courage, build confidence, and walk boldly in their calling.
Resources & Links
Take the 16 Personalities Test: https://www.16personalities.com/
Practical Family Podcast Episode 031 - The Secret Idols of Parenting: https://practicalfamily.org/episode-031-the-secret-idols-of-parenting/
Instagram: @jennifer_bryant_
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferLoganBryant
X (Twitter): @jennifer_bryant_
Website: jenniferbryant.com
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*Disclaimer: Jennifer Bryant is not a licensed professional counselor. The content shared on this podcast is based on personal experience and educational research. All medical and scientific information is credited to appropriate sources. For professional mental health support, please consult a licensed therapist or counselor.*
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