Homeschool Coffee Break

If you’ve ever started your day trusting God — and ended it trying to control everything — this episode is for you. Negative thoughts don’t just affect your mood. They shape your homeschool, your relationships, and the way you mother. In this episode, you’ll learn 2 practical steps to take back your mind with truth.
Most life’s battles are won or lost in the mind — and homeschool moms are fighting on more fronts than most. This episode walks you through exactly how to identify the negative thought patterns that keep pulling you back, replace them with truth from God’s Word, and finally stop the spiral before it takes your whole day.
✅Why negative thoughts are actually easier to think the more you think them (and how to break the cycle)
✅The 2-step process to demolish mental strongholds — straight from Scripture
✅What to do when you compare yourself to other moms and feel like you’re not enough
✅Real examples of the lies homeschool moms believe — and the specific truths that demolish them
✅Why waiting on God renews your strength — even when waiting feels impossible
Ready to stop letting your thoughts run your day? Click the link below to join the waitlist for the Raising Leaders community and get early access.
Resources for You
Win the War in Your MInd, by Craig Groeschel
Homeschool Encouragement Circle
Show Notes:
Winning the Battle of the Mind
Most of life's battles are won or lost in the mind. And I decided to talk about this topic today partly because once I made the decision to tackle it, the enemy has been having a field day in mine.
Yesterday I came home from church and wrote in my journal — I will wait on you, God. I will trust you, God. You are my joy, my strength, my deliverer. By evening I was trying to take control of all of my life and everyone else's life, fixing everyone's problems. I was not trusting. I was not waiting. It was all going on up here. And today I had to apologize. I had to confess my sin of trying to control someone. I wrote in a text — I'm sorry for not being patient. I'm sorry for not being kind. I'm sorry for being proud. Will you forgive me?
Waiting on God is really hard. It requires patience, self-control, and trust and faith in God.
What Scripture Says About the Mind
Psalm 25:3 says no one who waits on the Lord will be put to shame. That word wait also means trust and hope. No one who trusts in the Lord, no one who hopes in the Lord, will ever be disgraced. When we take it off of us and give it to God and put our trust and faith in Him — that is when we can move forward.
Isaiah 40:31 says but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary. They will walk and not faint. That word wait again — those who wait on the Lord, who hope in the Lord, who trust in the Lord.
Craig Groeschel and Winning the War of the Mind
During the Texas blizzard in February, I went online to watch church. I came across Craig Groeschel beginning a four-part series on winning the war of the mind. I want to share a few things he shared that Sunday and show how I've been applying them as a mom, a grandma, and in helping kids with their education.
He makes this statement — most of life's battles are won or lost in the mind. So are we waiting on God or are we taking things into our own hands? Taking things into our own hands means saying — I can control my life. I can do better. It's all on me. That's wrong.
Are you having a worried attitude or a peaceful attitude? If we're worried, we have fear. If we have peace, we're casting all our cares on God — casting all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Do we have a negative mindset or a positive mindset? A negative mindset means we're critical and complaining. A positive mindset means we have faith in Jesus, we are thankful.
And here's the key thought — what comes into your mind comes out in your life. In your words. In your actions. What are you filling your mind with? That's what's going to come out in your life.
Your life is always moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts. Let me repeat that. Your life is moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts. What are those strong thoughts pushing you toward?
Renewing Your Mind With Truth
Romans 12:2 says do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — His good, perfect, and pleasing will.
Ephesians 4:23 says let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God — truly righteous and holy. I pray this verse almost every day. I say — Holy Spirit, renew my thoughts, attitudes, and emotions. Renew our families.
And 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 tells us how we fight these battles in our mind. For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.
We don't fight with the world's weapons. We fight with God's weapons — the Holy Spirit, prayer, and truth.
Two Steps for Overcoming Negative Thoughts
Step one — identify the biggest stronghold. What is holding you down? What is churning in your head? Name it. When we think a negative thought, there is a chemical release in the brain — a dopamine release — that gives a temporary high and then pulls us back down. And every time we think that negative thought, it becomes easier to think it again. Dr. Caroline Leaf is an expert in neuroplasticity and talks about this very idea — taking our thoughts and rewiring our minds so we think positively.
So first, name the stronghold. What is it for you? Maybe you feel like a failure as a mom. Maybe you feel like your marriage isn't good enough. Maybe you compare yourself to other moms, other bloggers, other speakers.
I'll be really honest — I struggle with comparing myself to other bloggers and authors and speakers. I see bloggers get book deals and I think — I guess I'm not as important. That is a stronghold. I am comparing myself and saying I'm not enough.
I once spoke at a conference in a workshop at 5 p.m. — not a great time — and they had doubled up everything that evening. Zero people showed up to my session. I'm admitting this to you because it was humiliating. But I had to say — God, you took each person at that conference to the workshop where they needed to be, and this is just not the one they needed to hear. I had to humble myself.
Step two — name the truth to demolish that stronghold. God says He has given us weapons to demolish strongholds, and one of those weapons is truth. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
So instead of — I'm comparing myself to other bloggers and I'm not enough — speak the truth. I have been given everything I need for life and godliness. I don't need more. God gives me all I need. God is using me in a special way with moms and wives. He uses me when I trust Him. I walk by faith, not by sight.
Say that truth every morning when you get up. Speak truth to yourself. That is godly self-care.
Tim Tebow said it this way — when I wish I were like someone else, I'm really being mad at God. He didn't make me like that person. He made me. And when I compare myself and wish I were different, I'm not accepting who God made me. He has given us gifts and callings, and we need to walk in those.
The truth is Jesus Christ. Name the stronghold. Name the truth. And the truth will set you free.
I'll put a link in the comments to Craig Groeschel's book on the mind, as well as Dr. Caroline Leaf's book — both deal with retraining our minds and getting our thoughts focused in the right direction. It takes some work, but it is absolutely possible.
Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts, your questions, or your favorite springtime activity.

What if your homeschool needs to change because life has changed? Flexible homeschooling gives you permission to adjust your lessons, priorities, and expectations without feeling like you are failing your children.
In this episode, you’ll discover how to keep learning meaningful when life gets hard, even if your normal homeschool schedule is impossible right now. You’ll learn how everyday life, books, nature, conversations, and relationships can still provide rich educational experiences.
✅3 priorities to preserve when life feels overwhelming
✅Why a minimum viable homeschool may be exactly what you need
✅How everyday life can become meaningful education
✅Why your relationship with your children is not an interruption
✅How 2–3 minutes of quiet prayer can help you find direction
Want help simplifying your homeschool during a difficult season? Grab the resources below by clicking the links.
Resources for You
Don’t Worry Prayers
Homeschool Encouragement Circle
Read Aloud Magic Pack
Jim Hodges Audio Books
Show Notes:
What If Homeschool Doesn't Look Like Homeschool for a While?
Sometimes we sit down with our carefully planned homeschool planner and schedule — and then life happens. Someone gets sick. A parent needs care. You move. A child isn't sleeping. You have appointments every week, sometimes every single day. And you can't make homeschool look like what you're picturing in your mind.
What if the most faithful thing you can do in this season isn't to figure out how to get your old homeschool back — but to figure out what homeschool needs to look like for now?
You Are Not a Failure
When life falls apart and you're trying to homeschool, the guilt pressure is real. I'm not doing enough. I'm not doing it right. My kids are not going to be prepared for adult life. I'm a failure.
That is not true. Let me just say it again. You are not a failure. You are doing exactly what God has called you to do. You just need to press into the season of life you're actually in right now. Give yourself permission to acknowledge this — this is a hard season. You don't have to pretend everything is normal when it isn't.
Hard seasons may require fewer subjects, shorter lessons, more read-alouds, more audiobooks, more independent work, and more learning through everyday life. That is not quitting. That is adjusting.
What Are Two or Three Things You Want to Preserve?
If life is falling apart, I want to encourage you — what are two or three things you want to preserve in your homeschool right now? Not five subjects, not ten activities. Two or three things. Let those become your priorities. Everything else is secondary.
For me, personally, thinking back to when we were homeschooling, I know what I would choose. The first would be Bible. The second would be reading — reading aloud to my children, and my kids reading on their own if they knew how. Because I believe with reading you can cover almost anything. If those were the only two things I got done every day for an entire month because I was in a hard season of life, I would say — okay. It'd be hard, because I'm a Type A person. But that's where I would be.
Think minimum viable homeschool instead of perfect homeschool. Keep the basics moving without trying to maintain your ideal schedule. Reading plus one meaningful thing might be all you get done during a difficult day. And that's enough.
Maria Montessori Started Without the Perfect Anything
Maria Montessori's first children's house opened in 1907 in a very poor neighborhood in Rome. She was serving about 50 kids ages 2 through 6 who had been left without adequate care from their parents. She didn't begin with the perfect classroom or perfect curriculum. She observed the kids and created an environment around what they actually needed — real-life activities, independence, exploration, and allowing kids to work at their own pace.
Sometimes our job isn't to force our original plan to work. It's to observe our kids and our circumstances and ask — what do they need right now?
Don't Underestimate Real Life as Learning
A sick child can learn about the body by taking care of their body. Moving to a new place can involve geography, budgeting, planning, writing, and research about where you're going. Caring for grandparents teaches compassion and responsibility. Cooking gives you math, reading, science, and lots of practical skills.
A difficult season can still be an educated season. Don't write it off.
If you're in this season of life, make a life as school list. Write down three things your kids can learn from the season you're in right now. If it's moving — map the new area, calculate the distance, write about the experience, start a travel journal. Real life provides so many educational opportunities. Take advantage of it.
Charlotte Mason was educated at home as an only child, and her later educational philosophy was built on a broad education through books, nature, history, literature, and experiences — not dry facts. If you're moving, you can read books in the car. You can visit new parks. You can look at the history of the area. You can find literature set in the places you're driving through. That's natural. That's real learning.
Protect Your Relationships
It's not we have to get school done. That becomes a checklist. If everyone is exhausted, no one is going to learn anything and there is no lesson there. Use this time to read together. Eat lunch together. Go outside for a walk. Go to the backyard, eat lunch in the fort, or have an outside picnic.
Even that can be educational — you can look at the nature around you, listen to what you hear, see what's happening, and go back inside and research some of those things. But more than anything, your relationship with your children is not an interruption to your homeschool. It is the most essential part of it.
Pray — and Read the Psalms
Hard situations require prayer. Two things — pray and read the Psalms. The Psalms are soothing to the soul when things are hard. Open up and just start reading, and it will be calming.
Go to God and ask for peace and wisdom. I would encourage you to have silent prayer — put a timer on for two or three minutes, ask God what He wants you to do in your situation, and then be quiet and listen. Write down any thoughts you receive during that time. When it's over, evaluate them. If those thoughts don't contradict the Bible, I would say go for it.
That is what I do pretty much every morning right here at this table as I plan my day. When I started it with a genuine desire — God, what do you want me to know today, what do you want me to do today — it changed my prayer life. And I think it will change yours, especially in a hard season.
A hard situation does not mean you failed at homeschooling. Sometimes faithfulness looks like doing less and knowing what matters most. Your homeschool can change as seasons change in your life. That's not failure — that's wisdom.
I have a few things to help you right now. The Don't Worry Prayers are scripture-based prayers moms can use when they're in the middle of a hard situation and feeling worried. I'll put a link in the show notes. Our new Homeschool Encouragement Circle is centered around what matters most — that's the theme, and I'll leave a link to that as well. And if you'd like help with read-alouds, the Read Aloud Magic pack gives lists of books and shows you how to use read-alouds in any season of life. All links are in the show notes.

Let’s celebrate - 200 episodes!
You’re doing everything you think you’re supposed to do — finishing the curriculum, adding more activities, checking every box — but still wondering if it is enough. The homeschool help you actually need is not another thing to add. It is permission to do less and purpose to guide what stays.
After 200 episodes of conversations with homeschool moms, this episode shares 5 things that actually matter in your homeschool — and most of them will surprise you with how much they simplify instead of adding to your plate:
✅Why you do NOT have to teach every subject every day or even every year — and what to do instead
✅Why more curriculum & activities almost always lead to more burnout, not better kids
✅How to shift from teaching your kids what to know to teaching them how to think
✅Why character and leadership must be built intentionally — not left to chance
✅The simple purpose filter that helps you make every homeschool decision easier
Click the link below to join Raising Leaders Not Followers and get the framework that finally makes your homeschool feel purposeful.
Resources for You
Raising Leaders Not Followers fall class
Homeschool Encouragement Circle
Show Notes:
200 Episodes — 5 Things I Wish I'd Known Sooner
200 episodes. When I recorded my first episode back in 2022, I couldn't even imagine that. Almost four years later, here we are — years of conversations about homeschooling, thousands of moms listening, asking questions, struggling, learning, trying to figure it all out.
And meanwhile, my kids are grown adults raising their own kids, and I'm getting to do some of the homeschool activities with my grandkids now.
These are not five things to add to your schedule — that would be completely overwhelming and would never give you that coffee break. These are five things to help you take things off your plate so you can do what's most important.
#1: You Don't Have to Teach Everything, Every Day, or Every Year
Homeschool moms feel like they're constantly behind. You're looking at the curriculum thinking — we didn't finish this, we haven't covered that, we're already behind in this subject.
But when I was a public school teacher for six years, I never finished a curriculum. Not once. Does that give you some grace and permission to take a step back?
Your kids have years to learn. Not everything has to happen this week. Not every subject needs the same amount of attention every single year. Some seasons require more academics. Some seasons require more rest, relationship, and character building. Simply getting through life.
The verse of the day when I was preparing this episode was Galatians 6:9 — let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. There are seasons of dormancy, and what's happening under the earth is preparing for growth. When you slow down, your kids will be more prepared to grow into whatever God has called them to do.
Rest isn't failure. Homeschool is not a race to see how much you can get done in 180 days. Homeschool is to truly prepare our kids for life.
I took Hunter off math from 1st grade through 5th or 6th grade. In 6th grade, he caught up in a year and a half. When we sent him to a private school in 10th grade, he won the math award his first year. I took Gentry off math in 7th grade because she had a real negative attitude and struggled with her times tables. We started again in 8th grade. By Algebra 1, she knew her times tables — and in college, she helped her friends with their math homework.
You don't have to teach every subject, every day, or every year.
Look at tomorrow's homeschool plan and circle one thing that absolutely has to happen. Everything else is negotiable.
#2: More Isn't Necessarily Better
More curriculum, more activities, more field trips, more co-ops, more extracurriculars, more worksheets, more enrichment — I was tired just making that list. Sometimes more simply means more overwhelmed for you, more rushing, more frustration for you and your kids, more mom burnout, and less time actually spent with your children.
When your children are grown, what do you think they're going to remember? Will they remember that you finished every workbook page? Or will they remember reading together?
Both of my girls read to their children. My grandkids love being read to. I think that goes all the way back to the memories of reading aloud together. Or they'll remember the spontaneous trips. The family conversations. Our family loved sports, and we had big back-and-forth debates around the dinner table. Ashley brought Jesse home for the first time — now her husband — and Gentry immediately started bantering with him over the Yankees and the Red Sox because that was just normal for us. I was mortified. But those are the conversations my kids still remember.
Or maybe the crazy breakfast traditions. Every first day of school, we had ice cream sundaes for breakfast. Even Hunter's senior year. My grandkids had it for the first time last year and were thrilled because they'd heard all about it from their parents.
Your kids are going to remember more about time together than all the activities. Here's the what-can-we-remove challenge — look at your coming week, pick one activity or commitment that really isn't necessary, and cross it off your schedule. Use that time to reconnect with your children.
Each of our kids could have two outside activities. That was it. They had to choose. Because I was driving them to two activities a day sometimes, and I said — this is not happening anymore.
More is not better.
#3: Your Child Needs to Learn How to Think — Not Just What to Know
Information is everywhere. My grandkids ask Hey Google a question and get the answer instantly. The question isn't does my child know this. The questions are — can my child think about this? Can they evaluate it and come up with a wise judgment call? Can they make a wise decision? Can they look at it through a biblical worldview? Can they solve a problem without mom standing right here?
I wanted my kids to grow up and influence the people around them — influence the world for Jesus, at least their neighborhood, at least their family. I wanted them to make wise, biblical decisions. I wanted them to be prepared for adult life.
When our kids were in high school, they did a humanities class every year — watching two lectures a week, going through time periods. Steve and I listened to the same lectures so we could have discussions with them over dinner, guiding their thinking biblically. One of the first books they read in high school was More Than Dates and Dead People by Stephen Mansfield — recovering a Christian view of history.
At dinner tonight, replace what did you learn today with what made you think today? And then zip your lips. Let them think. Don't fill the silence. Silence encourages them to get their brains working.
#4: Character and Leadership Can't Be Left to Chance
Academics matter, but character is the foundation for adult life. You can have a child who knows a lot and learns a lot but still struggles with perseverance, work ethic, self-control, integrity, and responsibility. Character is something we need to intentionally develop — not just hope for.
I used the Bible and took it off my shoulders and put it on God's. His shoulders are a lot bigger.
Ashley participated in 4-H skeet shooting — she didn't always win, had to deal with defeat, but also had leadership opportunities there. Hunter didn't make a basketball team in 6th or 7th grade — he had to figure out how to handle that. But he later went to a week-long high school sports leadership program in New York City. Gentry was the only homeschooler on a public school basketball and softball team in high school. She became captain — voted by her peers — as a junior and a senior, and won the Bear Award in both basketball and softball her senior year.
I believe all of those things happened because of their character foundation.
Look for one responsibility this week that actually belongs to your child. Don't micromanage it. Don't immediately rescue them. Let them experience responsibility, work ethic, consequences, and problems. If the dog doesn't get fed, the dog's going to be hungry — and whose responsibility is it?
This is where we move past how to homeschool and start thinking about who our children are becoming.
#5: A Simple Framework Makes Homeschooling Easier and More Purposeful
About five years into homeschooling, I discovered leadership education. And all of a sudden I had purpose. I had intention. I knew why we were homeschooling because I could see the end goal.
Do you know why you're homeschooling? More than just getting away from the public school — do you know the real end goal?
Andrew Pudewa put me onto leadership education, and it changed the way we homeschooled for the rest of the journey. I figured out our vision. I figured out our mission. I set annual goals for each of the kids. And I became a lot more intentional.
When you know your purpose, you can make decisions on curriculum — does this help me accomplish what I'm trying to accomplish? On books — will this help my child think, grow, develop character, understand God's world? On activities — does this serve our purpose as a family, or are we doing it just because everyone else is? On schedule — does our schedule allow room for relationships and real life?
Suddenly you're not asking am I doing enough? You're asking what matters most to my family?
Use a purpose filter. Before you add something to your homeschool — books, activities, whatever — ask does this help me raise the child I want to raise? If the answer is no or you're not sure, don't automatically do it.
A Note for Episode 200
When I started this podcast back in 2022, I wasn't thinking about episode 200. I was thinking about one episode at a time. One conversation. One homeschool mom who needed to hear — you're not failing. You don't have to do everything. You don't have to do it alone.
Thank you to everyone who has downloaded an episode, shared one, left a review, sent a kind message, or told another mom about it. That means the world to me.
Here are the five things I'd go back and tell myself:
You don't have to teach everything every day or every year. More isn't necessarily better. Teach your kids how to think. Build character and leadership intentionally. And have a purpose for your homeschool.
Enrollment for Raising Leaders, Not Followers is open for the fall class right now. We start next week. If this is the kind of homeschool you want, I would love to help you put it all together — the things I learned the hard way, so you don't have to.
The link is in the show notes wherever you're listening. If you have questions, send me an email or leave a comment. Here's to the next episode, the next 200, and the next season of your homeschool.

Most schools reward kids who give the right answer — but real life rewards kids who know how to ask the right question. If you want your child to lead instead of simply follow, thinking differently about education is where everything starts.
This episode shows you exactly how to shift from raising compliant students to raising confident thinkers, with 3 practical changes you can make starting this week:
✅Why followers wait for answers but leaders learn to ask better questions
✅The difference between checking memory and developing real thinking skills
✅How discussion builds discernment, communication, and confidence in your kids
✅Why one better question this week can do more than an entire curriculum change
✅What two brothers with no college degrees teach us about thinking differently
✅One practical thing to do this week that builds wisdom instead of knowledge
Click the link below to join the Raising Leaders Not Followers Early Access List and get a private homeschool chat.
Resources for You
Raising Leaders Not Followers Early Access List
FREE Masterclass - Start School Right in 2026 STOP your overwhelm and find confidence for this school year
Show Notes:
Followers Wait for Answers. Leaders Ask Better Questions.
Imagine your child is 25 years old. The boss gives them a problem no one has seen before. How does your child react? Do they say — well, what am I supposed to do? Or do they say — let me think through this?
That's the difference between followers and leaders. Most schools reward students with the right answer. Leaders become leaders because they learn to ask the right questions.
Today I want to challenge you with one of the biggest assumptions we've inherited from the current school system.
The School System Was Built for Workers, Not Leaders
Traditional education often rewards memorization, compliance, following directions, and getting the right answers. Those skills have value. But leadership requires something different. Leaders evaluate. Leaders solve problems. Leaders make decisions where there isn't one correct answer.
The Wright Brothers Never Had Engineering Degrees
Most people think of the Wright brothers as one person. There were really two of them — and they used their individual giftedness together.
Wilbur Wright was steady and focused. His father described him as never rattled in thought or temper. He was highly intelligent, an avid reader, a talented writer, and a gifted speaker. After an accident in high school, he was uncertain of his health and future, dropped his plans to attend Yale, and spent most of his time alone — reading and thinking.
Orville Wright was curious, optimistic, energetic, and impulsive. He had a wide range of interests, a quick mind, and was always coming up with new inventions. He actually chose a series of advanced college prep courses in his junior year of high school — but that meant he couldn't graduate at the end of his senior year. So he just decided not to attend school that term.
That's right. The co-inventor of the airplane never graduated from high school.
Despite their lack of formal diplomas, both brothers committed to broad learning. All the reading they did would have been equivalent to — or bigger than — a modern four-year college degree. And they did it on their own, outside of school.
Neither one had an engineering degree. They owned a bicycle shop. They questioned accepted scientific ideas instead of assuming the experts were right. They built wind tunnels, tested hundreds of wing designs, and learned by experimenting. Their willingness to think independently led to the first successful powered flight.
They weren't simply collecting information. They were learning how to think through problems. And that's what I want for my kids — and I think that's what you want for yours too.
The Questions That Develop Thinking — Not Just Memory
Instead of asking what did you learn today, ask what surprised you today? What question do you still have?
There's a real difference. What did you learn just repeats facts. What surprised you and what questions do you still have make your kids think. One checks memory. The other develops thinking.
For older kids, ask what do you think about this topic? That forces them to have an opinion. And opinion is a higher-level thinking skill.
Followers wait for answers. Leaders ask better questions. And great education is less about you, mom, giving answers — it's about teaching children to investigate. It's about asking questions and letting them discover answers. Instead of saying here's what to believe or here's what to know, teach them to ask — is that true? How do we know? What's the evidence? Does this line up with Scripture? What are the consequences?
Charlotte Mason understood this over a hundred years ago. She believed education is the science of relations — that children connect ideas, not just memorize facts. She encouraged narration, living books, nature study, and discussion because those require children to think instead of repeat information.
Louis Braille Changed the World by Refusing to Accept the Problem
Louis Braille lost eyesight in one eye at age three, and by the time he was five, an infection took his sight in both eyes. But instead of giving up, he kept learning. Schools for the blind had almost no useful books. And so he thought — there has to be a better way.
His curiosity changed education around the world. At age 15, he invented the Braille reading system, which has impacted millions — possibly billions — of blind readers around the world.
His education wasn't just about covering subjects. It was about persistence, creativity, and solving real problems. Followers in life accept problems. Leaders solve them.
The Power of Discussion
One reason homeschooling is so powerful is that you can have real conversations with your children. Discussions develop thinking in ways that lectures, worksheets, and fill-in-the-blank assignments simply cannot.
Try asking — why do you think the character acted the way they did? What would you have done? Was it wise? Is this what God would want? Those open-ended questions build discernment, communication skills, and confidence — all part of leadership education.
Katherine Johnson was a NASA mathematician featured in the movie Hidden Figures. She was known for asking serious, careful questions and checking her calculations before accepting anything. Even after computers arrived, astronauts trusted her mathematical reasoning. John Glenn specifically requested that Katherine run the same numbers by hand — and said if she says they're good to go, I'm ready to go.
Leadership often begins by asking better questions. That's exactly what Katherine Johnson did.
What to Do This Week
When your child asks a question this week — don't answer it. Ask them instead — what do you think? How could we find out? You might be amazed at what happens when your children have permission from you to wrestle with ideas.
Replace one answer this week with a question. Just watch what happens.
The goal isn't smarter kids. It's wiser leaders. Twenty years from now, would you rather your child know every state capital — or know how to make wise decisions?
Knowledge matters. But wisdom matters more. In Proverbs it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. That is the direction we need to go if we're raising godly Christian leaders — not simply educated children, but leaders who love God, think biblically, and influence the world around them.
Every discussion, every read aloud, every family conversation, every dinner table question can become leadership training.
Leadership education is at the heart of my Raising Leaders, Not Followers course. Right now there's an early access VIP list open. Join it and you'll be invited to my private VIP chat, get early access to Raising Leaders, and receive $150 in early bird bonuses.

Good grades can open a door — but wisdom determines what your child does after they walk through it.
Your child could finish every curriculum, earn good grades, and still walk into adulthood completely unprepared — and most homeschool moms never see it coming until it is too late. The trap is real, and this episode shows you exactly how to avoid it.
We are breaking down why good grades are not enough and sharing 2 practical things you can start doing this week to raise kids who are ready for real life, not just the next test:
✅Why good grades measure compliance and memory but miss what actually determines adult success
✅The difference between knowledge and wisdom — and which one the real world rewards
✅What the most influential problem-solvers in history had in common that no test could measure
✅ONE dinner table question that trains wisdom starting tonight
✅How to stop solving your child's problems & start building real independence instead
Click the link below to join the Raising Leaders Not Followers Early Access List and get up to $150 in bonuses plus a private homeschool chat.
Resources for You
Raising Leaders Not Followers early access waitlist (FREE fireside chat, FREE Back to School Pack, & up to $150 in bonuses)
Show Notes:
What If Your Child Got Straight A's and Still Wasn't Prepared for Adulthood?
What if your child got straight A's, completed every assignment, finished every curriculum — and still wasn't prepared for adulthood? That would be really sad and scary. And yet, some of us as homeschoolers, that's exactly what we're focused on — getting good grades.
But do good grades really prepare your kids for what they need in adult life? When someone is 45 years old and looking for a job, does anyone go back and look at their high school transcript? I don't think so. Real life success and good grades are not the same thing.
The Trap Many Homeschool Moms Fall Into
A lot of homeschoolers assume that good grades mean success. Advanced academics, harder and harder curriculum — that'll be a better education. But none of that is automatically true. That's what most of us were taught because we grew up on the conveyor belt. Always checking off the boxes. If we check off all the right boxes, everything will be fine.
But many top students struggle when nobody tells them what to do. They can follow really well — but they can't necessarily think for themselves.
David Green Started Hobby Lobby in His Garage
David Green, who founded Hobby Lobby, grew up in a poor family and did not attend college. After high school, he started a business by learning through hard work and hands-on experience. In 1970, he started building frames in his garage and selling them to family and friends. Two years later, in 1972, he founded the first Hobby Lobby store.
His business became one of the top privately held retail companies in America. But he didn't build Hobby Lobby by chasing grades or accumulating knowledge. He focused on principles that mattered — honesty, serving customers, treating employees well, and honoring God through his business.
The skills that actually grew that company were not good grades. They were vision, perseverance, leadership, problem solving, and the ability to make wise decisions.
Education is not only about what someone knows. It's about who they will become and how they will use their giftedness to serve others.
What Good Grades Actually Measure
Good grades measure the ability to remember information, complete assignments, follow directions, and perform on a test. Those aren't bad skills — they're just incomplete.
Real life requires other types of skills. Making decisions without a teacher or parent nearby. Managing your time. Solving problems. Following God's direction. Leading a family. Evaluating culture through a biblical lens.
Your kids may not become CEO of Hobby Lobby or president of the United States, but they will influence the people around them. And almost all of them will grow up to be moms and dads who need to lead their families well. That is what leadership is — influence. Nothing more, nothing less.
It's not the ability to pass a test, but the ability to lead well, that will send your kids into adulthood ready for real life.
Florence Nightingale Didn't Save Lives With Good Grades
During the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale arrived at a military hospital where soldiers were dying at alarming rates. Most people assumed the dying was just from wounds. But Florence looked further. She observed what many overlooked — the hospital was filthy. The sewage contaminated the water, ventilation was poor, beds were crowded.
Instead of accepting that, she asked — what is causing this problem and how can we fix it? She organized nurses to clean the wards, improve sanitation, increase ventilation, and improve patient care. The death rate plummeted.
Florence wasn't remembered for the medical information she knew. She became a leader because she observed, thought critically, and had the courage to do what needed to be done. She revolutionized nursing through observation, leadership, and courage — not through a test score.
The Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom
Knowledge is knowing facts. Wisdom is the ability to apply truth. Let me give you a few examples.
A smart person knows how compound interest works. A wise person avoids unnecessary debt. A smart person can win an argument. A wise person knows when not to argue. A smart person memorizes Bible verses. A wise person lives them out.
Louis Pasteur is another great example. In the 1850s and 60s, French winemakers kept losing their wine because it spoiled, and most people just accepted it as the way things were. But Pasteur wasn't satisfied. He started observing under a microscope. He discovered microbes were causing the wine and milk to spoil. He asked how we could stop it. He found that heating the liquid would kill harmful microbes without ruining the taste. That discovery is called pasteurization.
Pasteur didn't become influential because he memorized a science textbook. He became influential because he learned how to ask good questions, investigate carefully, and work toward a solution. That's what I want for your kids — to see problems, collect information, observe, think, persevere, and find solutions.
What to Do Tonight
At dinner this week — and I hope you're eating dinner together — ask your kids one day this week: what decision did you make today, and why did you make that decision? You're training wisdom, not just knowledge. You might be really surprised at what they say.
And when your kids are stuck and don't know how to figure something out — don't solve it for them. Ask them — what do you think? Why? Give them a chance to work through it on their own.
Good grades can open doors. But wisdom determines what happens after they open that door. The goal isn't academic kids. The goal is prepared adults.
That is something we teach in Raising Leaders, Not Followers. Right now, there's an early access opportunity — join the VIP list and you'll get an exclusive private homeschool chat with me to help you become confident this year and make wise decisions for your upcoming school year. You'll also get early access to Raising Leaders and up to $150 in bonuses.
The link is in the show notes wherever you're watching or listening.
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