The Holderness Family Podcast

While we typically only hear the dreadful things about menopause, I’m happy to report that there are actually silver linings to this stage of life. Lately I’ve been feeling a little bit like I’m going crazy. My anxiety has been elevated and I’ve been on edge. Maybe that’s why when I saw Dr. Kourtney speaking on TikTok, her words about hormones struck me. Could this be what’s making me feel like this? We invited Dr. Kourtney Sims, M.D. to join our podcast to educate us, and, after our discussion, Penn and I agreed that anyone that is a woman or lives with a woman would benefit from hearing this information. While some symptoms of menopause are less than desirable, Dr. Kourtney explains that we don’t need to think of it as something that we must suffer through. What did you think of our discussion? You can learn more about Dr. Kourtney here: https://www.drkourtney.com/ 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 co

We've talked in the past and in our book about secret contracts you have in relationships (i.e. - who always empties the dishwasher, who always makes the meal plan...) but it got us thinking... what about the holidays? We've always said "mature people ask for what they want." So this week we took those two ideas: talking about what we need for the holidays and making an agreement on who does what. Only this time, it's not a secret. Fair warning, there are a few tears but hopefully hearing our conversation helps someone. 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.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholdernessfamily.com/book Join our Facebook family: www.facebook.com/theholdernessfamilyFollow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/theholdernessfamily Find us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/th

I love talking to a Mom... especially one who is kicking as much butt as Leigh Waters. Leigh Waters was a practicing attorney a few short years ago, who is now one of the top female Pickleball players in the world. More over, her 15-year-old daughter is now ranked #1 in the sport. The mother-daughter duo even play doubles together. We talk to Leigh about how she started in pickleball, her daughter's rise in the sport, and her advice for us. Currently, I need something to get obsessed over, and I think it's pickleball. Follow Leigh Waters on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waters_pb/Follow their tour: https://www.ppatour.com/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.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholdernessfamily.com/book Join our Facebook family: www.facebook.com/theholdernessfamilyFoll

With Thanksgiving around the corner, I have been thinking about thankfulness and gratitude. On today’s podcast episode, we spoke with Dr. Robert Emmons who is the leading researcher on gratitude. His work focuses on the psychology of gratitude and joy as they relate to human flourishing and well-being. It even came up that gratitude (when done properly) can turn the dial down on anxiety. We walked away from our conversation with Dr. Emmons feeling (no surprise here) very grateful. We hope you do too. If you want more help on your path to being grateful, Dr. Emmons has a book, The Little Book Of Gratitude, which I think would be a great stocking stuffer... and Penn thinks would be a very helpful bathroom book. Thank you for listening, we truly are so very grateful for you! 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.c

Couldn't we all benefit from a little political therapy? Originally, I wasn't even sure if this episode would be a good idea. Some political issues have been very upsetting to me (as they have been to a lot of people) but speaking to Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers from the podcast, Pantsuit Politics, calmed my nerves. If you're feeling anxious about political conversations or politics in general, I hope you feel better having listened to this. I know I do. You can learn more about Sarah and Beth by visiting their website, listening to their show, or reading their book, I Think You're Wrong (But I'm Listening): A Guide to Grace-Filled Political Conversations:https://www.pantsuitpoliticsshow.com/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.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholdernessfamily.com/book Jo

Now that my daughter is in Driver’s Ed, she likes to remind me when I’m not completely following the rules of the road. So much so that the other day I reminded her how long I’ve been driving. You guys, I’ve been driving for over 30 YEARS. (How did that happen?) To combat this, we got nostalgic and played some fun games to remind us of our youth. Personally, I was reminded that I hate it when I don’t know the answer to something. Especially in a game. Play along with us and see how many you can get right! (Sidenote - Our game is live! You can get your copy of Family Faceoff here: https://amzn.to/3UaPzJA.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.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholdernessfamily.com/book Join our Facebook family: www.facebook.com/theholdernessfamilyFollow us on Instagram: www.in

We've gotten so many good questions from you recently, we dedicated our podcast to answering them! In this episode, we cover evolving dreams, insecurities, and post Amazing Race blues... and why your heart should always be open. 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.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholdernessfamily.com/book Join our Facebook family: www.facebook.com/theholdernessfamilyFollow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/theholdernessfamily Find us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/theholdernessfamilyAbout the Holderness Family
: Penn, Kim, Lola, and Penn Charles Holderness create original music, parodies, and Vlogs for YouTube and Facebook to poke fun of themselves and celebrate the absurdity in circumstances most families face in their day to day life. They published "Christmas

In honor of Penn's birthday, we decided to ask the question: What would 10-year-old Penn think of his life now? It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and sometimes forget to really appreciate what you’ve accomplished. I know there’s a lot of hard things in life that really suck, but sometimes you look back and are actually grateful in some way for hard things you’ve been through that led you to where you are today. 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.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholdernessfamily.com/book Join our Facebook family: www.facebook.com/theholdernessfamilyFollow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/theholdernessfamily Find us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/theholdernessfamilyAbout the Holderness Family
: Penn, Kim, Lola, and Penn Charles Holderness create

What’s that emotion that’s excited but a little nervous? Nervcited? Well, I’m nervcited because our new game Family Faceoff has just launched into the universe (and we asked you listeners to call-in for this episode to play it with us!) Family Faceoff is officially available for pre-sale now and will ship in 3 weeks. We made Family Faceoff, becuase we are game people. A rainy day, vacation, or even just 20 minutes after dinner on a school night. Penn and I wanted to create a game that would get our very active kids out of their seats and in situations where they could be competitive with the whole family, no matter their age. Basically if charades, karaoke, and a scavenger hunt had a baby, that would be Family Faceoff. So many people have worked so hard to bring this to life in its current form. Big thanks to our Holderness Family team and the team over at Watch Ya' Mouth who helped us make this a reality. We hope you love it as much as we do.Tell us what you like,

On this week’s podcast, I walked Penn through my month of mental health discovery, what worked, and what has room for improvement. The more we talked, the more insight Penn had on how my mind works. Speaking of how minds work, it should come as no surprise that we somehow detoured to a story of Penn performing the Heimlich maneuver on our friend (she is fine). We learned that, in a crisis, Penn will be the first to perform a life saving technique, and I’ll be the one bringing you a high-quality glass of water. I think we balance each other well. Bonus: We also give a sneak peek of next week’s podcast episode and how you might be able to join us on the show. We have exciting new things coming up, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter here to be the first to know. 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 holdermesspodcast@gmail.co

In recent years, I often have shied away from parenting podcasts and books because the older our kids get, the more I feel like they're "cooked." For better or worse, the damage of my parenting has been done. That is, until I started parenting coaching with our friend Dr. Hope Seidel. Through our sessions, we've reframed the way I parent for the better starting with the basis of our unique family values. (In our discussion too you will hear how many themes are similar to our marriage book on communication. Apparently, we've had some parenting strategies all along.) Do you know your family values?Learn more about Dr. Hope Seidel and subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear about our new game!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 holdermesspodcast@gmail.com.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholdernessfamily.com/book Join o

Let me start by saying I have the best wife on the planet. Let me also say that even though Kim and I wrote a book about marriage (and went to marriage counseling) we are still passengers on this flight. We are still learning. The reason I’m telling you this is because we opened our podcast this week fresh off a fight. Tears and all. I went on a really fun guy’s trip recently, and I forgot to thank my wife for handling all the things while I was gone for 5 days. She addressed it and initially I didn't react well. I was wrong. I asked Kim if we should redo the show, and not post this week. But we both decided that we wanted to be real. (This is real stuff other couples go through, right?) While our personal life took a front seat on this week’s podcast, we did manage to answer one of your questions: “What does ‘Doing the best I can’ really mean?” It’s a phrase that embodies both ends of the spectrum. Listen for more on our explanation. Also here is the "Doing The Best I Can" origin story: https://www.yout

ADHD is a spectrum neurodiversity, which means that everyone has at least just a little of it. Because ADHD is Penn's superpower, he gives his best tips to achieve hyperfocus, aka concentration nirvana, in this week's podcast. Hyperfocus means you can tune out everything around you, completely freeze time and space (well, in your mind) and focus on one single task. (Sounds pretty great, right?)When you finally achieve hyperfocus, it feels like time is standing still. Penn often forgets what time it is, or to have lunch, but he achieves being in the zone. Bonus: You get to hear Kim and I have a full circle moment in real-time. Tell us if these tips work for you! And to follow along with my mental health focus month, click here.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 holdermesspodcast@gmail.com. We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholder

Now that the kids are back in school, I’ve decided to use September to focus on my own mental health. I’ve talked openly about how I’ve battled anxiety and depression. I know what it takes for me to feel better, now I just have to do it. On this week's podcast I take Penn (and YOU!) along for the ride as I explore meditation techniques with Susan Lee of Body & Brain. Susan helped us with a very approachable and easy way to meditate that instantly lowered our blood pressure. She reminded us that thinking about the past can bring depression, while thinking about the future can bring anxiety. That's why it's so important to meditate to be in the present. You can find more about the type of meditation Susan leads here and you can follow my full 30 day mental health journey here. **DISCLAIMER: Please do not meditate while driving.**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 a

This week we explore your questions, but we keep circling back to a few themes of our own. 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 holdermesspodcast@gmail.com.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholdernessfamily.com/book Join our Facebook family: www.facebook.com/theholdernessfamilyFollow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/theholdernessfamily Find us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/theholdernessfamilyAbout the Holderness Family
: Penn, Kim, Lola, and Penn Charles Holderness create original music, parodies, and Vlogs for YouTube and Facebook to poke fun of themselves and celebrate the absurdity in circumstances most families face in their day to day life. They published "Christmas Jammies" in December 2013 and life hasn't been the same. Since then, their popular parodies, "All About That Baste", "Baby Got Class," an

This week on the podcast, we spoke to Dr. Anthony Fauci about the current state of COVID and advice for parents on the upcoming school year. We had a mix of fun and serious questions planned. Early on in the interview, we asked what the pandemic was like for him and his family on a personal level. He said he couldn’t answer that because their experience isn’t typical. “My children get threatened, they get harassed… I’ve had people who are now in jail because they’ve been convicted of literally trying to kill me with a credible threat,” explained Dr. Fauci. To be honest, I almost couldn’t even focus on the remaining questions we had for him because all I kept thinking about was, how did it come to this? Where do we go from here?There are many times we put out a video, podcast, or blog about something we believe in, and people tell us that they are leaving our channel. We lose followers, but life goes on. If you’re someone who is reading this and upset about this interview, I would encourage you to listen. So m

The past few years have been rough for all of us, especially teachers. As we approach a new year of school, we want to learn more how to support both our kids and teachers, especially those in a neurodivergent situation. We called our friend, Child and Family Psychologist, Dr. Emily King, to ask her advice on the subject. Now that there is much more awareness and research about neurodivergent learning, there are ways the education system can be improved to meet the needs of all learning styles. Dr. King is working to improve this area of need through her course for teachers called The Neurodiverse Classroom. We discuss more about supporting teachers, strategies for neurodivergent learning, and our soapbox about standardized testing.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 holdermesspodcast@gmail.com.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theh

I tend to carry the weight of other people’s happiness on my shoulders. I want the people I care about to be happy; so much so that I let it weigh me down mentally and even physically. My friend so very wisely brought up a great point: Why is happiness the goal? On today's podcast, we discuss the pursuit of happiness, our behind the scenes filming antics, and Penn shares an update on his life right now. Mom’s health has been declining, only a month after the loss of his Dad. Our year has had major highs and major lows with the real potential for more rough lows in the days ahead. We talk through how to balance things we can control in life with the really sucky things we can’t control. 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 holdermesspodcast@gmail.com.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholdernessfamily.com/book Join our Facebook

Ever since our daughter, Lola, has been getting older, people have been telling me how much "trouble" I'm in as a Dad. That basically, I'm going to have to chase the boys away with a stick... and it's starting to bother me. (Like all of the sudden, my daughter isn't going to be able to handle herself and by God, CAN she handle herself.) So Kim and I called up Dr. Lisa Damour, clinical psychologist and author of two New York Times best sellers, to unpack this cultural phenomenon and explore better language to use instead. (Oh and you get to hear my impression if Gilbert Gottfried was a psychologist.)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 holdermesspodcast@gmail.com.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholdernessfamily.com/book Join our Facebook family: www.facebook.com/theholdernessfamilyFollow us on Instagram: www.i

“So what did you do with your winnings from The Amazing Race?” is probably the most common question we get asked recently. But when we asked this wonderful community if you had questions for us (WHEW…) you came up with some good ones that were not that. On our latest podcast we answered the The Amazing Race money question in full detail and so many other really, really insightful questions that may even spark meaningful discussions in your house. Like, “If you listed all the things you love, how long before you listed yourself?” (That one got me.) We also played a lightning round of our favorite things, one of which included our favorite meal to make at home: Pork Lettuce Wraps. Recipe here! 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 holdermesspodcast@gmail.com.We wrote a book! Learn more here: www.theholdernessfamily.com/book Join our Fa