221. From Surviving to Leading – How Dee Taggart Found Her Voice and Helps Other Women Do the Same
Family Brand: Take Back Your Family
Release Date: 04/25/2025
Family Brand: Take Back Your Family
Hey Family Brand, it’s Chris and Melissa! Today’s episode is inspired by something we’ve found to be one of the most underrated (but absolutely essential) roles in leadership — whether you’re running a company or raising a family: becoming the Chief Reminding Officer. This idea came up during one of our walks, and we realized how much of parenting and leadership isn’t about coming up with something brand new every day. It’s about consistently reminding your team — or your kids — of what’s already true. Who you are. What you stand for. What you value. And honestly? That kind...
info_outlineFamily Brand: Take Back Your Family
Hey Family Brand — it’s Melissa here. Today’s episode is a little different, and honestly, it’s one I tried to record six different times. It took me a while to even figure out what I wanted to say because this one hits close to home. Last week, my cousin and his wife passed away unexpectedly in a tragic plane crash, leaving behind two little ones. Even as I write that, my heart feels so heavy. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare to even imagine not being there for your kids as they grow up. It’s something we never want to face — and I never thought we’d have to. But this...
info_outlineFamily Brand: Take Back Your Family
Hey Family Brand—it’s Melissa here! I’m so excited to share this conversation with someone I’ve admired for a long time: Alex Bean, co-founder of Divvy and a passionate leader with a heart for family, community, and building something bigger than yourself. I’ve wanted to have Alex on the show for a while because he embodies what we talk about so often—legacy, leadership, and how our values shape the way we show up in both business and at home. In this episode, Alex shares the behind-the-scenes journey of building Divvy and what he learned when the company sold for $2.5 billion. But...
info_outlineFamily Brand: Take Back Your Family
Hey Family Brand! It’s Melissa here, and this week I’m sharing something I’ve been thinking about a lot—how summer gives us a unique opportunity to pause, reflect, and upgrade our family culture. Whether your kids are home more, you're traveling, or you’re just trying to juggle a different routine, summer naturally gives us space to reevaluate what’s working… and what’s not. In this episode, I walk you through a few changes we’re making as a family this season. They’re small on the surface—things like setting limits on video games, resetting kitchen expectations, and...
info_outlineFamily Brand: Take Back Your Family
Hey Family Brand! It’s Melissa and Chris here, and today we’re diving into a topic we’ve never tackled before on the podcast—how families can use AI to live more intentionally. We’re not tech experts, but we’ve had some surprising (and honestly life-changing) experiences with tools like ChatGPT, and we think it’s time to pull back the curtain and share how we’re using AI in our everyday family life. This isn’t a conversation about robots taking over. It’s about how smart technology can save you time, help you communicate better, and create more space for connection—all...
info_outlineFamily Brand: Take Back Your Family
Hey Family Brand—it’s Melissa here, and this episode is just for the girls. Inspired by that old Martina McBride song (yes, I looked it up—2003!), I wanted to sit down and have a really honest chat about womanhood. From postpartum recovery to hormones, breast implants, Hashimoto’s, perimenopause, and trying to figure out what wellness even means in your 40s—this is the episode I wish I had heard years ago. And honestly? I hope it’s one Ivy listens to one day when she’s grown. Because we don’t talk about this stuff enough. I take you all the way back to my post-baby...
info_outlineFamily Brand: Take Back Your Family
Hey Family Brand! It’s Chris and Melissa here, and today we are joined by one of our dear friends and someone who constantly inspires us—Dr. Sean Cook. Sean is a husband, a father of four, a dentist, and a proud Family Brand graduate. In this episode, we’re flipping the script on what it means to be “successful.” Instead of talking about the typical nine-to-five hustle, Sean shares what it looks like to master the five-to-nine—the hours after work that can so easily slip away from us but hold the most potential for connection, growth, and joy. Sean opens up about the moment that...
info_outlineFamily Brand: Take Back Your Family
Hey Family Brand! It’s Chris and Melissa here, and this week we’re talking all about summer plans and how to create meaningful, memorable family vacations. If you're anything like us, summer can sneak up quickly, and planning can feel overwhelming. But what if the best family trips aren’t the most expensive or extravagant ones? What if they’re the simple, unstructured ones where everyone just gets to be together? Today, we’re sharing one of our favorite family exercises for figuring out what really matters when it comes to travel—and how it might just change the way you vacation. A...
info_outlineFamily Brand: Take Back Your Family
Hey Family Brand! It’s Melissa, and I’m so honored to introduce you to my guest today, Dee Taggart. After getting to know Dee at one of our recent couples retreats, I knew she had a story that needed to be shared with our community. Dee is the founder of Her Xpansion, a space where women can grow in confidence, connection, and self-leadership. She’s a mom, coach, spiritual mentor, and all-around powerhouse. This conversation is full of heart, hope, and honest truth—and I think every woman will hear something in Dee’s story that resonates with her own. Dee opens up about her...
info_outlineFamily Brand: Take Back Your Family
Hey Family Brand! It’s Melissa here, and today I’m thrilled to introduce you to someone whose work is all about personal mastery and lasting transformation—Joey Klein. Joey is a transformation expert, author, and founder of Inner Matrix Systems. He’s helped over 84,000 people across the globe—from Fortune 500 executives to everyday families—create real results by mastering their emotions, nervous system, and mindset. In this episode, Joey and I go deep on why the inner game matters most, how to change your reality from the inside out, and what it really takes to live the life you...
info_outlineHey Family Brand! It’s Melissa, and I’m so honored to introduce you to my guest today, Dee Taggart. After getting to know Dee at one of our recent couples retreats, I knew she had a story that needed to be shared with our community. Dee is the founder of Her Xpansion, a space where women can grow in confidence, connection, and self-leadership. She’s a mom, coach, spiritual mentor, and all-around powerhouse. This conversation is full of heart, hope, and honest truth—and I think every woman will hear something in Dee’s story that resonates with her own.
Dee opens up about her incredible journey—from being a 20-year-old caring for four children under the age of two, to navigating single motherhood, divorce, and ultimately rediscovering her strength and purpose. Her story is one of resilience and spiritual awakening, and she’s the first to say she didn’t always feel strong. At one point, she was in a dark place, believing she wasn’t enough. It wasn’t until she hit her “ignite moment”—a quiet realization in the car—that she began to rebuild from the inside out.
What really stuck with me is Dee’s approach to confidence. She says confidence doesn’t come from doing something once—it’s built by keeping promises to yourself. For any mom or woman who feels like she’s lost a part of herself, Dee offers a beautiful reminder: your spirit knows what’s calling you, and if you get quiet and listen, you’ll start to find your way back. Her practical advice for rebuilding confidence—through courage, small commitments, and daily self-leadership—is something I wish every woman could hear.
We also talked about spiritual practice, and Dee shared how reconnecting with God and spending time in nature changed everything for her. She’s unapologetically faith-driven and believes our wholeness comes from something bigger than ourselves. If you’ve felt disconnected from your own sense of calling or are simply craving a deeper sense of peace, her insight on creating intentional time for reflection is powerful.
Finally, Dee breaks down the Five Cs that guide her work with women: Confidence, Connection, Capabilities, Community, and Consciousness. These are the pillars of Her Xpansion, and they’re not just concepts—they’re tools to help women lead themselves well so they can lead their families, their communities, and their lives with purpose.
LINKS:
All Links Family Brand!
Links For This Episode:
Episode Minute By Minute:
- 0:00 – Meet Dee Taggart and her powerful story of motherhood and resilience
- 3:00 – Raising four babies under age two and the emotional toll it took
- 6:00 – Shifting from “I’m not enough” to “I’ve had enough”
- 10:00 – The power of a single decision and where her healing began
- 14:00 – How movement and health became the catalyst for transformation
- 19:00 – Coaching women through nine categories of wellness
- 22:00 – What builds confidence: keeping promises to yourself
- 26:00 – Her Xpansion: Dee’s divine calling and the mission behind it
- 31:00 – Staying anchored to your mission when doubt creeps in
- 36:00 – Dee’s spiritual practice: solitude, nature, and prayer
- 42:00 – Final encouragement: You don’t need more time—you need more intention