The Holderness Family Podcast

Kim and I have a phrase that we talk about in our marriage book: Name it to tame it. It’s the idea that when you say your fears out loud you take away some of its power over you. It was the inspiration for today’s podcast about naming what you are afraid of... without getting too heavy. I promise this is a fun podcast episode.We also call this exercise "naming the tarantula" - more on that in the pod. Another inspiration for today’s podcast was a recent video we did about Halloween costumes in the 80s. I have a fear of clowns and when we asked our followers for their throwback photos we realized: EVERYONE WAS A CLOWN. Whyyyy? What are you afraid of? Name your tarantula and tell us! Call 323-364-3929 or email us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com.Play Our GameShop Our MerchGrab Our BookJoin Our NewsletterKim and Penn are online content creators known for their award-winning videos, including original music, song parodies, and comedy sketches.&nbs

In our society of overabundance, we are constantly craving more, more, more. For me, I can't stop scrolling. It’s like a slot machine, but in this case, the slot machine is my phone. You know you can get something of value, you know you’ll eventually get a reward if you keep trying, and oh boy can you play it over and over again. Luckily, we had Michael Easter on the podcast this week to talk about fixing our craving mindset and rewiring our habits. Michael Easter is the bestselling author of the books, The Comfort Crisis and Scarcity Brain: Fix Your Craving Mindset and Rewire Your Habits to Thrive with Enough. We were so happy to have him on because we've quoted his book numerous times. Easter has dedicated his life to researching and writing about what leads humans to live healthier, happier, and remarkable lives. Hear all about the scarcity brain, rewiring our habits, and why he needs to go to space. You can learn more about Michael here: https://eastermichael.com/We're trying a book club episode! On

We’ve all done it – looked into our dog’s eyes and wished we knew what they were thinking. We enlisted the help of our dear friend, Victoria Stilwell. She is the dog-training mastermind behind the hit show It’s Me or the Dog, the Victoria Stilwell Academy, and many other projects. She’s a big deal in the dog-training world and we were so excited to have her on this week’s podcast.We're trying a book club episode! On November 7th, we will talk to Nikki Erlick, author of The Measure. Send your questions about the book and for Nikki at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. You can get the book, The Measure, here! Kim and Penn are online content creators known for their award-winning videos, including original music, song parodies, and comedy sketches. Their videos have resulted in over 2 billion views and 8 million followers across their social media platforms since they (accidentally) went viral in 2013.&nbs

We have a very special guest joining us for today's podcast. Academy Award-winning actor and New York Times bestselling author, Matthew McConaughey! Matthew graciously gave us some of his time to talk about his new children's book, Just Because. (It's fabulous and you can get it wherever books are sold.) We talk about dreams, creative inspiration, his Greenlights Grant Initiative, and if his three children finally think he is cool. (Spoiler alert, he may be with the rest of us parents on that. Even though he is Matthew McConaughey.) For more on the Greenlights Grant Initiative, visit here: https://www.greenlightsgrantinitiative.org/. Big thanks to Matthew! Kim and Penn are online content creators known for their award-winning videos, including original music, song parodies, and comedy sketches. Their videos have resulted in over 2 billion views and 8 million followers across their social media platforms since they (accidentally) w

Recently, we put out a song parody in response to Taylor Swift showing up to watch Travis Kelce at the Kansas City Chiefs game. (The rush of a deadline is exciting for Penn’s ADHD brain as well as both of our former news journalist backgrounds.) After we hit publish on the video, we kept getting the same comment: "I wish you would sing every news story!"On this week’s podcast, we explore the idea of how it would sound if Penn sang the news and he gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his writing process. Listen to the three news stories we sing about and tell us what you think. Should we start making this a regular series? Let us know by calling 323-364-3929 or emailing us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. And if you like this podcast, please consider leaving us a review!Play Our GameShop Our MerchGrab Our BookJoin Our NewsletterKim and Penn are online content creators known for their award-winning videos, including original music, so

I like to think I am a recovering ‘snow plow’ parent. You’ve heard of helicopter parents that hover over their children, right? Well, instead of just hovering, you remove all the obstacles for your kids in order for them not to experience disappointment. I think it’s hard for any parent to see their kids struggle, but the struggle is what builds resilience, right? This week on the podcast, we interviewed Jess Ekstrom to hear her story in entrepreneurship and her new book, Create Your Bright Ideas, for tweens and teens. A piece of advice I love from Jess is around  “safe falls.” Jess is a new Mom and her daughter is learning to walk. She said that she knows she can give her daughter more room to explore and test her new found skill when she knows she can fall safely. Jess said that’s the same for kids and entrepreneurship. You have to let them try on their own, especially when they can fail safely. Listen to our talk with Jess and tell us know what you learned! Let us know by calling 323-36

Who remembers what it was like to walk around the mall on a Friday night and seeing all your friends? It takes so long nowadays for my friend group to make plans. I miss the days when there was a standing social event you could just show up at. You couldn't text anyone to say you were there. You did laps around the mall and got to enjoy the surprise and delight of seeing people you knew. This week, Penn and I decided to avoid my anxiety and make Top 5 lists. What 5 things do you wish came back and what 5 things should never come back? Tell us what you miss about days gone by (and what things should just say away forever.) Also, should this be our new thing? What should we make a top 5 list about next? Let us know by calling 323-364-3929 or emailing us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. And if you like this podcast please consider leaving us a review!Play Our Game Shop Our Merch Grab Our BookJoin Our NewsletterKim and Penn are online content creators known for thei

Penn and I have had our fair share of interactions with hospice as our loved ones grow older. There are so many people who don’t always have access to hospice care in the way they would like. But one thing I do know, the nurses who care for us in our final days are a special breed. One of these special nurses is Hadley Vlahos, a registered nurse devoted to hospice care.Hadley (or Nurse Hadley as she is known online) recently wrote a New York Times best-selling book The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments and she joined us on this week’s podcast. She writes about the life lessons she gained from her patients and the phenomenon of “the in-between.” These are the days where it seems people have one foot here on Earth, and the other somewhere else. It turns out, you can learn a lot about living from the dying. We talk to Hadley about some of her stories in the book, our own experiences, and her efforts to change the way we die with her non-profit, Hadley House. Ask a questio

I am constantly wavering about being proud of my kids for good grades and feeling overwhelmed with how much work they have to do. The same goes for sports as I’m the loudest one cheering on the sidelines, but sometimes brought to tears when they have a hard loss. We wanted to discuss how to deal with setbacks, so we brought Michelle Icard onto the podcast to tell us how to turn failures into character-building moments, something she lays out in her new book, 8 Setbacks That Can Make a Child a Success. We talk about teen archetypes, the value of having a poker face, and the 3-step approach for problem solving common failures. It’s important to schedule a time to talk, share your own mental health journey, and try to keep your face emotionally uninvested as your kid shares their feelings. Ask a question or just say hi, by calling 323-364-3929 or emailing us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. If you like this podcast please consider leaving us a review!Play Our Game - now at Target stores na

When you've been married for a long time, it's hard to learn something new about each other. Luckily, our producer, Ann Marie Taepke, joined us this week on the podcast to help. Inspired by our friends, Shawn Johnson and Andrew East (who did this on their podcast recently) we play "How Well Do You Know Your Partner?" Learn what I have pretend fights about, Penn's worst vacation, and why Penn thinks he married a cat. (I agree, by the way.) Also, do this with your partner by using the questions on our blog post: https://theholdernessfamily.com/how-well-do-you-know-your-partner/ (and you can see the photo of our first date!)Ask a question or just say hi, by calling 323-364-3929 or emailing us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. If you like this podcast please consider leaving us a review!Shop Our Merch - and our Selkirk line of pickleball paddles!Play Our Game - now at Target stores nation-wide!Grab Our BookJoin Our NewsletterKim and Penn are online content creators known 

Some people get FOMO (the Fear of Missing Out) but I have FOMS (the Fear of Missing Sleep.) I go to bed early and I am an extremely light sleeper. Penn, on the other hand, likes to say up a bit later than me and... is a snorer. Recently, Penn had a cold and slept in the guest room and I had some of the best sleep of my life. It got me wondering, are there couples who have happy marriages and sleep in separate rooms? This week we have Dr. Shelby Harris, a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in behavioral sleep medicine to talk all about it. She says there is nothing wrong with a sleep alliance for couple who has different sleep styles or nighttime routines. Is this happening at your house? Let us know and learn more about Dr. Harris here: https://www.drshelbyharris.com/. Ask a question or just say hi, by calling 323-364-3929 or emailing us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. If you like this podcast please consider leaving us a review!Shop Our MerchPlay Our GameGrab Our BookJoin Our NewsletterKim&nb

It's back to school time and we honestly needed a little pep talk. So, Dr. Seidel joined us on the podcast this week to calm our nerves. Her biggest piece of advice? You have to let your kids fail. (As a perfectionist who wants to cover my kids in bubble wrap every single day, it’s hard to hear.) Parents often say, I’ll worry about my own needs later. However, Dr. Seidel says we need to put our own oxygen masks on first. There is no better way to teach our children than to model it with our own behavior. We talk about what success really means for kids and how to instill (and standby) family values. Dr. Hope Seidel has been practicing medicine for over 20 years. She is a pediatrician, a mom, and now runs a 1:1 parent coaching company called Parent With Hope. As always, Dr. Seidel’s episode is filled with a ton of useful nuggets for parents preparing for back to school. We hope you enjoy!You can get our an exclusive version of our game, Family Faceoff at TARGET! Ask a question or just say hi, by calling 3

This week we were in the mood to laugh, so who better to invite back to the podcast than comedian Charlie Berens. Charlie is about to embark on his fourth stand-up tour, and he creates content for the internet just like us. He’s learned over time to stop chasing likes and algorithms and to focus on enjoying the process. Even if you don’t make silly videos for the internet, we’ve all fallen into the trap of “I’ll be happier when…” We keep moving the goalpost forward without taking time to admire how far we’ve come. As the great Miley Cyrus once said: It’s not about how fast I get there, it’s not about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb. (And we talk all about it.) Enjoy our hilarious chat about Midwest bowel habits, snakes in lakes, and what’s next for Charlie. You can get more information about his tour at charlieberens.com and if you missed him the first time, check out his first appearance on our podcast! PS. - You can get our an exclusive version of our game, Family Faceoff at TARGET! Ask a q

I have the best, most loyal friends from different parts of my life but I’ll be honest, the idea of making NEW friends makes my pits sweat. I’m in my late forties, but even thinking about making new friends and all of a sudden I’m thrust back into my middle school when a group of girls made fun of me for walking into their circle and introducing myself. On the podcast this week, Penn and I spoke to Dr. Marisa G. Franco, a friendship expert who wrote the book “Platonic: How The Science of Attachment Can Help You Make—and Keep—Friends.” She explained why friendship is essential at every stage of life, and friends can help you discover a totally new side of yourself. We dive deep into the science of friendship, trends between men and women, and how you can apply these same concepts to having healthy relationships with family. Dr. Franco shares one thing you can do right now to make friends—and it’s probably not what you think.PS. - You can get our an exclusive version of our game, Family Faceoff, at TARGET! Ask

Penn got me kiteboarding lessons for my birthday. It was so cool, but also very painful. I learned a few life lessons when I went outside my comfort zone. Grab a Comfort Zone tee here!Ask a question or just say hi, by calling 323-364-3929 or emailing us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. If you like this podcast please consider leaving us a review!Shop Our MerchPlay Our GameGrab Our BookJoin Our NewsletterKim and Penn are online content creators known for their award-winning videos, including original music, song parodies, and comedy sketches. Their videos have resulted in over 2 billion views and 8 million followers across their social media platforms since they (accidentally) went viral in 2013. They have a best-selling book on marriage communication, a top-rated podcast, a fun-filled family card game, and most recently, they were the winners on Season 33 of The Amazing Race.The Holderness Family Podcast is

Our guest today is Dr. Gladys McGarey, a visionary doctor and co-founder of the American Holistic Medical Association. Dr. Gladys is 102 years old and known as the mother of holistic medicine. Dr. Gladys has lived an amazing life - she had six children, ran a medical practice for six decades, beat cancer twice, and still walks 3,800 steps a day. She just released her new book, The Well-Lived Life: A 102-year-old Doctor’s Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age. Ask a question or just say hi, by calling 323-364-3929 or emailing us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. If you like this podcast please consider leaving us a review!Shop Our MerchPlay Our GameGrab Our BookJoin Our NewsletterKim and Penn are online content creators known for their award-winning videos, including original music, song parodies, and comedy sketches. Their videos have resulted in over 2 billion views and 8 million followers across their social media p

True story, when Penn first got diagnosed with ADHD in the mid-90s, his doctor handed him a book called Driven To Distraction. It was a brand new book by Dr. Ned Hallowell about ADHD and it was groundbreaking at the time. Penn's doctor encouraged him to read it to understand his brain. Penn said, "Great!" And then he proceeded to leave it in the backseat of his car... forever. This week we come full-circle and interview the ADHD OG, Dr. Ned Hallowell on the perception of ADHD, what we should do for ADHD caretakers, and life coaching works. You can learn more about Dr. Ned and his new book, ADHD 2.0, here: https://drhallowell.com/.You can get our game, Family Faceoff, for 30% on Prime DayCheck out our ADHD Is Awesome t-shirt (in youth sizes too!)What are some questions you use to start important conversations with your family? Listen and send those our way. Ask a question or just say hi, by calling 323-364-3929 or emailing us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. If you like this podcast please consider lea

On the podcast this week, we are answering your questions, but we picked questions you can also ask your family! These are great discussions for a summer roadtrip or around the dinner table. We discuss everything from goals, happiness, and fun conversation starters like: If you had to move, where would you go? One big thing Penn and I share is a love for travel. Some of my favorite family memories are days spent on the go—from skiing to beach days and everything in between. This may not be a surprise, but when it comes to quality time, I like to go big or go (literally) home. I crave that time away together and the fun conversations we have.Get your Currently Adulting hat (for big heads)Get your Family Faceoff gameWhat are some questions you use to start important conversations with your family? Listen and send those our way. Ask a question or just say hi, by calling 323-364-3929 or emailing us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. If you like this podcast please consider leaving us a review!Shop Our

For some reason, this summer feels busier than our regular school year. Our teen and pre-teen kids are involved in camps, sports, studying for SATs, and thinking about college. When I was their age, I was happy to hang with my friends and maybe get a part-time job scooping ice cream. Nowadays, teens are looking for internships to put on college resumes. What happened to summer? What happened to slowing down?We invited Carl Honoré, an international bestselling author, broadcaster and the voice of the Slow Movement to help us this week on the podcast. His two main-stage TED Talks have racked up millions of views, and his counter-intuitive message is this: To thrive in a fast world, you have to slow down. You can learn more about Carl Honoré here: https://www.carlhonore.com/Ask a question or just say hi, by calling 323-364-3929 or emailing us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com. If you like this podcast please consider leaving us a review!Shop Our MerchPlay Our GameGrab Our BookJoin Our NewsletterKim and&nbs

I probably say sorry at least twenty times a day. Of course I want to take accountability, but sometimes I apologize when I didn’t do anything wrong. Which got me thinking, is there a problem with saying sorry too much? This week on the podcast, Penn and I invited Award-Winning Leadership Strategist & Global Peak Performance Consultant to Fortune 500s, Shadé Zahrai, to talk to us about what our sorries mean and what to say instead.If you have “Saying Sorry Syndrome” you can flip from apology to appreciation. Shadé helps us with some tips and tricks this week. Click here if you want to learn more about Shadé and her guide to stop over apologizing: https://www.shadezahrai.com/sorry. Tell us what you like, ask a question, or just say hi. Call 323-364-3929. Your support means the world to us. If you like this podcast please consider leaving us a review. We also love feedback. Email us at podcast@theholdernessfamily.com.Shop our merch: https://holdernessfamilyshop.com/Play our game: https://amzn.to/3NBEiRPGrab