The Greta Eskridge Podcast

 Episode 100 10 Favorite (current) Worship Songs 1. My Testimony by Elevation Worship 2. Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me by City Alight 3. Scars by I Am They 4. I Thank God by Maverick City Music 5. Goodness of God by CeCe Winans 6. Sing Wherever I Go by We the Kingdom 7. Thank You Jesus for the Blood by Charity Gayle 8. What an Awesome God by Phil Wickham 9. Bless God by Brooke Ligertwood 10. Jesus Lifted Me by Cain  10 Favorite Bible Verses 1. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 2. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” II Corinthians 1:3-4 3. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 5:20 4. “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19 5. “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart. I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9: 1-2 6. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Act 4:12 7. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 8. “So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,” Joel 2:25 9. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4: 6-7 10. “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” Ephesians 6:19 10 Favorite Treats 1. Milka chocolate bars 2. Iced lattes 3. Manzanilla green olives from Trader Joe’s (yes, specifically these) 4. Homemade popcorn 5. Coffee ice cream 6. Roasted and salted macadamia nuts  7. Kettle cooked potato chips 8. Kouign-amann pastries 9. Chips and salsa 10. Italian Confetti Almonds from Trader Joe’s (yes, specifically these) 10 Favorite Books 1. How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn 2. Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri 3. The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings 4. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom 5. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder 6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 7. Persuasion Jane Austen 8. The Chronicles of Narnia (the whole series) C. S. Lewis 9. Rainbow Valley by Lucy Maud Montgomery 10. God’s Smuggler by Brother Andrew 10 Favorite Movies 1. It’s a Wonderful Life 2. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 3. Napoleon Dynamite + Nacho Libre (cannot pick one and they are a pair to me) 4. My Fair Lady 5. Sleepless In Seattle 6. Little Women (1994 version) 7. Sense and Sensibility 8. That Thing You Do 9. To Kill a Mockingbird 10. Up  10 Favorite Places I’ve Visited 1. Cinque Terre, Italy 2. The Cotswolds, England 3. Big Sur, CA 4. Murren, Switzerland 5. Meteora, Greece 6. Olympic National Park, WA 7. Annecy, France 8. Hyderabad and Secunderabad, India 9. Reykjavik, Iceland 10. Glacier National Park, MT  10 Favorite Coffee Shops  1. Scout Coffee, San Luis Obispo, CA 2. Honest Coffee, Franklin, Tenn 3. Orange Inn, Laguna Beach, CA 4. Certified Kitchen and Bakery, Boise, ID 5. Merchant, Long Beach, CA 6. Giovanni Cova & C, Milan, Italy 7. Jo’s Coffee, Austin, TX 8. Barista Parlor, Nashville, TN 9. Hooray Coffee, Redlands, CA 10. Sant’ Eustachio Il Caffee’, Rome, Italy  10 Favorite Things That Were Also Really Hard 1. Natural childbirth 2. Writing books 3. Being a public high school teacher 4. Becoming a speaker 5. Sharing the most vulnerable parts of our marriage story publicly 6. Running a half marathon 7. Fighting porn 8. Parenting teens and young adults 9. Home schooling 10. Becoming a podcaster  10 Favorite Things from Nature 1. Giant Sequoia trees 2. Cardinals 3. Sea otters 4. California Poppies 5. Coast Live Oak trees 6. Moss 7. Tidepools 8. Red Tailed Hawks 9. Wild Mustard 10. Dolphins  10 Favorite Adventures 1. My Christian walk 2. Being married to Aaron 3. Becoming a mom 4. Spending 2 summers in my teens in India with my dad 5. Summering in Scotland with 25 teens + Aaron when we were newlyweds 6. Becoming an author 7. Family road trip from California to Minnesota 8. Home schooling our kids 9. Backpacking through Europe as a young married couple 10. Family trip to Italy  10 Misc Favorite Things: 1. The color yellow 2. My Blundstone boots 3. My Nugget ice maker 4. Wearing brand new socks 5. Watching travel shows with Aaron (especially Stanley Tucci, Rick Steves and Travel Man) 6. Colorful bags from Orla Keily 7. My collection of Yearly bangles that Aaron started for me 8. Red shoes 9. Stickers – especially travel and encouraging words 10. My collection of Ronnie Kappos jewelry that Aaron started for meThe Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 99 If you had told me 15 years ago, or even 5 years ago that I’d be doing a podcast episode on masturbation, I’d never, ever believe you. But here we are, 99 episodes into my podcast having a conversation that I couldn’t imagine having. But over the years as I have talked with parents about creating a healthy sexual culture in their homes, one of the most common questions I get is: how do I talk about masturbation with my kids?” So it is something we absolutely need to talk about. But I’ll be the first to admit, it is a challenging topic.  That’s why I appreciate people like Molly Bertles and her boldness and vulnerability in writing an entire book on the topic of masturbation. And more specifically on women and masturbation, which is even less talked about. In fact, the topic of women and masturbation often has so much shame and loneliness attached to it. And that is part of the reason it is hardly ever talked about. Molly bravely and compassionately steps into this topic in her book and in this podcast episode with me.   Our goal is to help women find freedom from the shame and the addiction of masturbation and instead experience the goodness God is offering. This episode might be one you need to listen to for yourself, or to offer understanding and hope to a friend, or to equip you to talk about this with your own daughters and sons. I hope you’ll listen to this episode and hear in our voices and conversation that you don’t have to be embarrassed or uncomfortable talking about this topic. God cares about every part of our lives, our struggles our heartaches, our questions and our confusion. So yes, He cares about this. And we do too. So join us for episode 99, the one where we talk about masturbation.   Important things we talk about in this episode:  *That kids using masturbation is most often not a sexual act, but simply a kind of self-soothing. *When masturbation does changes into a sexual activity. *How so many of us never had parents or anyone talk about it with us as kids or teens. *The way we act like masturbation is a male problem only and how that impacts women. *Why people use masturbation and how it is often used to numb negative feelings. *How masturbation is unhealthy and even harmful. *How culture tries to make us think masturbation is perfectly fine and healthy. *How masturbation hurts others. *The danger of fantasy and masturbation. *Why the gospel isn’t about performance or working for God’s love, but accepting the free gift God gave us. *How some people choose masturbation after they’ve been hurt sexually and how God loves you so much in that place and why there is hope in this place!  Resources and other important things mentioned in this episode:  *Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here *Quote from Molly’s professor: “Sex in marriage is as holy as prayer.” *The 2 lies Satan wants people to believe when they are stuck in sexual sin: “you are uniquely ruined by this and no one can ever find out.” Sam Alberry *“The gospel applies to every part of our life, even our sex life.” Greta Eskridge   *We can, through Christ, renew our minds. That is spiritual and scriptural and scientific! Romans 12:2 is a good place to start with this understanding from a scriptural standpoint. *Find more on the topic of women using masturbation and porn in this episode right here that I recorded with Joy Skarka and in Joy’s book here.  Where to find Molly Find Molly’s book here Find Molly on Instagram here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 98 Happy New Year friends! I am delighted to be starting a new year with you on the podcast and I already have so many great things in store for us. We’re starting today with my guest, Dr. Kelly Cagel. Dr. Kelly is all about helping families navigate life with kids who interact with the world differently through things like ADHD.  She came to the US from Brazil as a little girl, knowing no English and that experience made her want to help kids who are navigating school and growing up in the midst of challenges, just like she did. If you are feeling frustrated or discouraged about your kid who always wants to move or be with his friends, let this episode be the one that encourages you to see those things as a benefit and not a detriment. We’ve all been in that place of discouragement, but we don’t have to stay there. Dr Kelly has tons of resources for you to help you with all this and more. Use the links below to find her! Also, as we start this new year, can I ask a favor of you? Will you leave a review of this podcast? It’s one of the best ways for the podcast to grow. Leave one here. Secondly, if you’ve read it, can you leave a review of my book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn?  Thousands of you have read the book, but most of us don’t bother to leave reviews. But they are wildly important to the success of a book because they help put the book in front of more people. So please, will you take a moment and leave a couple of reviews for me?  Thanks friends! And happy new year!  Where to find Dr. Kelly: Find Dr. Kelly’s website here Find Dr. Kelly’s podcast here Find Dr. Kelly on Instagram here Find Dr. Kelly’s book here Where to find Greta: Find Greta’s most recent book here Find info about Greta’s upcoming Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 97 Well this episode was far more emotional than I intended it to be. Get ready to hear me cry quite a bit as I process a little bit of 2025 with you. And then hear me cry even more as I talk about my hopes for the year ahead. I guess I had some things to process, and you get to come along for the ride. You’re welcome! But I am glad you’re here with me. Really truly glad you are a part of this little podcast community we have here. Thank you! Links for all the things I talk about in this episode down below for you.  Happy, happy new year my friends! See you in 2026!  Resources mentioned in this episode:  *Get my new book, help protect your family and read Aaron and I’s story here *Join me walking through the Cotswolds in 2026! Find info here *See the “Footprints in the Sand” poem here *Hebrews 13:5: “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” *Jesus Lifted Me by Brooke Ligertwood and CAIN (listen to it today!) *Ephesians 6:19: “Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.”  *Find Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri here (if somehow you have not read this book, read it first in 2026! *Find Theo of Golden by Allen Levi here. (if somehow you have not read this book yet, read it next in 2026! And join my January book club where we’ll talk about it. Get updates on that in my newsletter here and on Substack here)  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 96 Get ready for a short and sweet Christmas episode! Today I want to talk about the power of generosity and how it points us to the ultimate act of generosity, Jesus coming down to earth and giving His life for humanity. So today I am spending a little time talking about the beauty of being an intentional, thoughtful, gift giver and why I really admire the love language of gift giving. I’ve seen gift giving bring joy to the people in my family who love giving gifts and I’ve seen, and experienced, the way receiving intentional and thoughtful gifts bring joy to the receiver. This feels especially relevant at Christmas time when gifts feel all important, but it can be less about the thoughtfulness behind the gift and just making sure you have something. That’s why in today’s episode I am sharing two “gifts” with you that will bring joy to your life and to other’s if you share these gifts. What are they? A favorite recipe and a favorite new book. You’ll find links to both below and I want to know if you enjoy either or both! And I want to wish you a merry, merry Christmas friends. God bless you.  Resources mentioned in this episode: Find recipe for the cinnamon rolls here Find Theo of Golden book here Find the link for my online seminar here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 95 It is not too late to grab a couple of my books for last minute Christmas gifts. Choose my first book, Adventuring Together, (on major sale here!) for the mom in your life who is looking for inspiration and practical tips for enjoying her kids and enjoying motherhood.  For kids, choose 100 Days of Adventure, (on major sale here!) and set them loose having fun and being creative off screens and in the beauty of nature, with art, books, cooking and with friends. And lastly, grab my latest book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, for every parent, friend, grandparent and person in your life who works with children so they can start the new year learning how to keep kids safe in online spaces. Books are always a great gift!  Now, on with the podcast! I am so glad to have KyAnne Molina on the podcast today! KyAnne is a homeschooling mom to 3 little kids, a host of the very popular Simple Rhythms For Busy Moms podcast. KyAnne is also a coach for moms to help them create rhythms and systems to run their homes and businesses in a way that brings life rather than overwhelm. I was so excited to talk to KyAnne because I felt like I could really learn from KyAnne in my life right now.  In this conversation with KyAnne I reflected on times of overwhelm in my early days of motherhood and now. Then we talked about creating rhythms and systems for those things and also ways that anyone facing those same things could find relief. This conversation was practical, and helpful for me and I know it will be for you too. Be sure to follow KyAnne and keep learning from her.  Where to find KyAnne Find her website here Find KyAnne’s podcast here Find KyAnne on Instagram here And don’t forget, you can still sign up for my online seminar, “Parenting in the Digital Age” and get a recording of this incredibly important seminar. Get yours here. The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 94 What an absolute joy to have my friend Jen Dees on my podcast today. Jen and I used to podcast together when we had a podcast with 4 other friends called At Home. But that was a long time ago and we haven’t podcasted together since those days. I’m really glad we got to do this again.  Today we focused on Jen’s pursuit of creativity and art in her own life and in her kids’ life as well. We talked a lot about helping our kids pursue art and creativity, helping them not quit, and creating space and habits for our own creativity. We also talked about Jen’s newest venture of creating commissioned paintings for people that are not necessarily portraits but capturing a moment in their life with their kids. Jen is taking commissions for Christmas (she only has a couple spaces left!) and is offering gift certificates for people to get a commissioned piece in the new year. Check it out on her website linked below. You’re going to love learning all about Jen and the beautify she is bringing into the world!  Resources mentioned in this podcast: Get Greta’s online seminar here Get info about Greta’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds here 3 Point Perspective Podcast  Undraped Artist podcast  Where to find Jen: Find Jen’s website here Find Jen on Instagram here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 93 Resources mentioned in this episode:  Register for Greta’s online seminar, Parenting in the Digital Age here  Where to find Brook, Justin and their work: Find the Intentional Fatherhood podcast here  Find the Intentional Fatherhood retreat here (Aaron will be there too!) Find Brook’s new book here Find Justin’s new book here Find the Intentional podcast here Find the Intentional Motherhood retreat here (I’ll be there too!) Find Brook on Instagram here Find Justin on Instagram here  I am incredibly excited about today’s episode!  It was so good to have Brook Mosser and Justin Whitmel Earley on my podcast. We had so much fun together recording this episode, going down lots of rabbit trails, and talking about some spiritual stuff too. Get ready to laugh, to learn and to wonder why we are talking about dogs and candles so much. It’s a good time, I promise.  Both Justin and Brook are authors, speakers and busy fathers of 4 kids and they really care about helping other fathers in the hard and beautiful parts of being a father. Their new podcast, Intentional Fatherhood, is on season 2 and is already meeting fathers around the world and inviting them into a more intentional way of fathering.  In this episode we do talk about dogs and candles, but also talk about some of the things that dads struggle with, as well as what it looks like to talk about that vulnerably and in community. Justin and Brook are finding that those conversations are really resonating with fathers. And that leads to the next conversation of how God meets fathers in those hard places to shape us more in His image, which is what Brook and Justin are all about!  We also got to talk about the next thing that these two guys are doing—a fatherhood retreat in February of 2026! This retreat is going to be a wonderful place for dads to gather, grow, embrace vulnerability and really celebrate godly, intentional fatherhood. My own husband will be there! And maybe yours will too. Be sure to check out the show notes above for links to the all the things we talked about. And share this episode with some of the fathers in your life and get excited about how God will meet them.  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 92 What a thrill to have my friend Sue Lee back again. Last time we talked about Madam Lee’s French classes for home schoolers. And that was wonderful. You can listen to that episode right here. Today, though, we are talking about another part of Sue’s life and that is raising her son Marcus, who was diagnosed at 4 months with an extremely rare genetic disorder called Joubert syndrome. Joubert syndrome is characterized by a variety of neurological and developmental abnormalities. After diagnosis, the Lee family just had to wait and see how Marcus’s brain and body would be affected by this syndrome.  Sue vulnerably shares her story in this episode. From the moment of Marcus’s diagnosis and the early years of sleepless nights and endless therapies, the Lee’s realized they had to cling to the truth that Jesus is better. Jesus is better than what we thought we’d have in this world, better than comfort or no suffering. And they have clung to that truth through the rest of Marcus’s life thus far. Through deciding to home school him and helping him follow his passion for music and now applying for college, they have clung to the truth that God is with them in this and He allows trial but He also provides grace to get through it.  Sue doesn’t sugarcoat the hard, but she also doesn’t deny that God has been with them through every bit of this lifelong trial Marcus and the Lee family have walked through. Sue’s story, but especially her reminders to cling to  faith in God during times of suffering will be an encouragement to anyone walking through trial and especially the trail of raising kids with special needs. You are not alone in this.  Resources mentioned in this episode: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” Online Seminar update: Unfortunately my online seminar, Parenting in the Age of Pornography, had to be postponed due to problems with my website. I’ll be rescheduling for a Thursday evening in early December. I will keep you posted on the details here on the podcast, on Instagram and via my email newsletter. Make sure you are following along in those places so you don’t miss out! Thanks for being excited this resource. I promise it will be worth the wait! Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds: Our retreat is live and open for registration! You can get all the info right here.  Where to find Sue Find Sue’s website here Find Sue’s French classes here Find the essay Sue wrote about this journey here Find Sue on Instagram here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 91 Friends, this is a catch up with Greta episode! There is a lot going on in life and a lot I wanted to tell you about so… here we are. And since I recorded this podcast, a couple of things have, and haven’t, happened so I’ll update you on the updates. Insert laughing/crying emoji face here.  First, the link to my digital seminar is still not live because I am having issues with my website. I do so wish I could speak with a human instead of trying to solve problems with the “live chat”. Anyway, all I can say at this point is, please, please, check my Instagram account and my blog for updates and links because hopefully they’ll be there in the next couple of days. I’ll put the links to both those things at the end of these show notes.  Now something that is up is my food and travel book post on Substack. Do you follow me over there? I am trying so hard to get more writing up there. It is fun to write about whatever I want! I think you’ll love it there too. Link at end of these notes.   And oh the excitement my Instagram fam had over my post about the book Everything Sad is Untrue! It was so fun to hear from so many people who loved it and so many people who were going to read it for the first time! And yes, I am going to do a zoom Book Talk with you all about that book soon. All the deets will be on Insta and I’ll share on my blog too. So you’ll have to check those spaces for the link when it’s ready to go!  Lastly, there is my 2026 Women’s Walking Retreat in the Cotswolds!  Oh my goodness, I am over the moon excited about this!! We have our full itinerary up and pricing will be up soon. Link for this information is, you guessed it, at the end of these notes!  You know I always deeply appreciate you leaving reviews of my book and this podcast. Reviews really are key to getting my stuff shown to more people, and also to people deciding to purchase my book or listen to my show. People want to know if something is worthwhile. Will you please tell them it is!? You can leave book reviews on Amazon and podcast reviews on iTunes.   Thank you, friends, for all the ways you support me and my work out in the world. Now here are the links for all the things!  Links and things: Find my blog and website here Find me on Insta here Find out about our Women’s Walking Retreat here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 90 Amy Hughes is a mom to nine, yes nine! She is also a home schoolteacher and an author. In today’s episode we are talking about her brand-new book, Words Like Honey. This book, and our conversation, is all about the power of our words as parents. Not that our words have some kind of magical powers or that we can manifest something happening. But that God is the one that gives our words power to bless our children, to nurture them, comfort and exhort them. It’s so important for us to remember this as parents.  Amy and I have a lot to say on this topic because as lovers of words and as authors and communicators, we know very well the power words have. We share stories from our parenting and the way we’ve learned to speak gently and in life giving ways. Amy shares 4 really practical tips from her book about how to speak life into your children. You won’t find this episode overwhelming, but rather encouraging and helpful. I just know you’ll appreciate it very much.  Resources mentioned in this episode: Provers 18;21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger.” *Be sure you are following Greta on Instagram here to get first notification for her upcoming online seminar! *Or you can sign up for my newsletter here to get notification of all the things!  Where to find Amy: Find Amy’s book here Find Amy on Instagram here  Find Amy’s website here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 89 Today’s episode is with Andrea Davis is the founder of Better Screen Time. Better Screen Time exists to help kids engage with screens in a healthy way. Andrea is a former teacher, a mom to five and her husband is a tech expert. Together they bring a wealth of expertise to Better Screen Time and to all of us who are raising kids in a screen saturated world. I found this episode with Andrea to be wildly encouraging and motivating in terms of giving our kids a full childhood—yes all the way through high school—that isn’t ruled by screens and social media. I know it doesn’t feel possible sometimes, but Andrea’s story reminds us it is!  As a parent, it takes courage to ask that of your child and hold to it. As a child, it takes courage to be the only one not on a smart phone or a social media account. It is absolutely possible and people like Andrea show us the way. And if you’re kid has been given a smart phone and/or social media, and you realize it is not the best way for your child, remember what Andrea says:  “is never too early to prepare and it’s never too late to turn things around”. Be sure to check out all of Andrea’s resources in the show notes below and share this encouraging episode with a friend! Resources mentioned in this episode: Learn more about a home phone through VoIp here Get Greta’s book It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here  Find Andrea here: Find the Better Screen Time website here Find Andrea’s book here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 88 True to form, this episode starts with me feeling sure that I messed up my guest’s name. I didn’t even bother to edit it out because the reality is, I am who I am. Laugh with me! My guest, Eryn Eddy Adkis, is the founder of the company So Worth Loving, and a host of the podcast God Hears Her.  I loved learning about Eryn’s upbringing and how it impacted her as an adult and the company she started called, So Worth Loving. This company exists “to create product as an entry point to vulnerable conversations”. When I read that, I was instantly intrigued. In the work I do, so many people I talk to have been hurt or are hurt. What I find is that they often want to go deep and share vulnerably but it is scary to do so. By going first, I get to help them find the courage to do that. And that is exactly what Eryn is doing with So Worth Loving.  Eryn and I also talked about the podcast God Hears Her, and the way it has given space for women to have the courage to share their own difficult stories. And that has given Eryn and so many others freedom to walk in freedom and not in shame. What a gift! Be sure to look up the work that Eryn is doing with both her company and the podcast. You will be blessed.  Where to find Eryn: Find So Worth Loving here Find Eryn on Instagram here Find God Hears Her podcast here  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 87 Laura Smith is a writer, speaker and mom to four young adults. She is from the charming, small college town of Oxford, not England, but Ohio! These are the kinds of random facts I love getting to know about my guests. Even more, I loved learning about Laura’s newest book, Brave Women, Mighty God: 30 Things You Can Do. I’ve been a Christian my whole life, since I was 3 years old, but I loved learning about some of these women that I have never heard of. And then to think about the women, whose stories I know, in new ways and to learn from them. It's so important for us to know and remember that God created us as women with intention and purpose. We have a reason for being, and we matter in His plans for us and His plans for eternity.  Talking about these stories, and some in particular, with Laura brought me to tears. I felt such a deep connection to many of them and realized I needed the reminder that I am God’s daughter, and I am beloved. This conversation was so encouraging, and I am sure you’re going to love it just like me!  Resources mentioned in this episode: Books about Godly, inspiring women that Greta has loved reading: Corrie Ten Boom, Amy Carmichael, Betty Green, Darlene Deibler Rose, Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God (great for kids!) Find Laura: Find Laura’s website here Find Laura’s book here Find Laura on Instagram here  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Today I got to talk to Brian Smith and Ed Uszynski about their new book, Away Game—A Christian Parent’s Guide to Navigating Youth Sports. This is a new topic for the podcast but as soon as I saw the title pop up in my email, I was intrigued.  Youth sports are such a huge part of the lives of many families, and I love that Brian and Ed are asking the question, “where does the Gospel fit into youth sports?” Brian and Ed were collegiate athletes and now work with an organization called Athletes in Action that brings Christ into the lives of coaches and athletes of all levels. But it was when their own kids began playing youth sports that they decided to begin looking at things like: how kids and families can grow in relationship with Christ through sports, not allowing sports to become an idol, showing grace through failure, reflecting the love of Christ to every other athlete on the field, and so much more.   In their book, they talk about “spiritual formation rather than sports formation”.  And I just love their desire to make sports culture something that reflects Jesus’ heart instead of making it self-focused, like so much of sports can be. We discussed the youth sports industry that really isn’t about what’s best for our kids, but rather about playing into our own insecurities as a parent, and the pressure we parents are putting on our kids as a result. That led us to talk about the importance of making sports about joy and fun and less about winning. 70% of kids are quitting youth sports by age 13 because the joy of play is gone for them. As Christians our joy isn’t in winning or being the best, but in showing and knowing the love of Christ no matter the outcome of the game. I found this book and my conversation with Brian and Ed so encouraging and helpful. I know you are going to enjoy it too.  Where to find Ed and Brian: Find their new book here Find Brian and Ed on Instagram here Find more of Brian and Ed’s writing here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

I feel so fortunate that I got to interview today’s guest, Dr. Trish Leigh. As soon as I saw her book, Mind Over Explicit Matter: Quit Porn and Improve Intimacy Through Neuroscience, I knew I had to talk to her about it. Friends, this conversation is incredibly important, and you must not miss it!  Dr. Trish is a neuroscientist, a sex addiction recovery coach, a brain health coach, an author, speaker and mom to 5. She is a wealth of knowledge about the way the brain is impacted by pornography. So, if you are wondering how porn impacts the brain, and you should, this episode is for you! Dr. Trish helps us understand how porn hijacks the brain’s dopamine system and the problems and dangers that causes. She explains the main reasons people use porn, how people use porn to numb negative feelings and ultimately how it causes a lack of joy in life. We talk about toxic relationships fueled by porn use. We also discuss masturbation and why it is not harmless. Yep, we went there! (If you want to learn more about the topic of masturbation, I have a whole chapter in my book on this topic because it is a question I get asked so often. So many parents have questions and so many of us don’t know who to ask or where to go. I’m here to help!) We also discuss how putting boundaries in place for our kids is hard, but worth it.  Dr. Trish gives us practical, doable tips as we are raising kids in this new era of parenting. There is just so much here.  Dr. Trish and I don’t agree on everything—for example, I do believe porn is a moral issue as well as an addiction issue—but wow, I am so grateful for what I have learned from her! Learning how things like pornography impacts and even changes the brain is a powerful tool as we raise kids in this porn saturated world. I know that God is the designer of our incredible, intricate brains and that we can honor Him by protecting not just our kids’ bodies, but their brains and hearts too. It is up to us offer our kids something better than porn could ever give them. If you don’t know how to do that, read my book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn.  And if you are ready to educate yourself about how porn impacts the brain, get Dr. Trish’s book.  Where to find Dr. Trish: Find Dr. Trish’s new book here Find Dr. Trish’s website here Find Dr. Trish on Instagram here  Resources mentioned in this episode: Find my new book here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 84 What a treat this episode was to record! A conversation with my friend Jaime Fennwick about our recent women’s walking retreat in the Cotswolds! What are the Cotswolds, you ask? Well we explain everything in this episode. We talk about where we went (England!) and what we did (lots more than walk!) what we ate (the food was sooooo good!) where we slept (the nicest inns and hotels!) the incredible nature we saw (God is the master artist) and how He met us through the week in the beauty we saw and in the friendships that we formed. He even met us in the middle of a thunder and lightning storm! Ultimately what we found was this trip was so much more than a sightseeing tour. It was soul care.  Jaime and I are so excited to share a glimpse of this trip with all of you. But even more we’d love you to consider joining us on our next trip! We don’t have the exact dates yet, but you can be the first to know by signing up for alerts and newsletters from Jaime and I. You’ll find all the links below as well as on our Instagram pages. This was honestly one of the most wonderful trips I have ever been on. I hope you’ll be inspired to walk through the Cotswolds too! Or at least your own neighborhood.  Where to find Jaime and info about our next retreat: Get updates about the next walking retreat here Read Jaime’s blog here Find Jaime on Instagram here Find Greta’s blog here Find Greta on Instagram here  The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 83 Oh friends, this episode made me smile so big! I loved, loved my conversation with Hosanna Wong. Hosanna is an author and spoken word artist and she is intent on equipping people to share the gospel around the world. She also loves basketball and sports so much that she and her husband call themselves a sports family and especially a basketball family. In fact, we spend the first 5 minutes of this episode (at least) talking about sports and basketball. But then! Then we get to the heart of our conversation, which is all about Hosanna’s new book, “What God Says About You”.   Friends, this book is fantastic! And Hosanna’s heart for Jesus shines through each page, the pictures and the words too. This children’s book came about from a spoken word poem Hosanna wrote and shared around the world. The poem is called, “I Have a New Name” and she wrote it for herself, but it resonated with so many people as she shared it. But it was in 2023 that she heard kids sharing her poem online and it made her sit up and realize that kids need to know who they are in God’s eyes too. Thus, the book was born.  I loved hearing Hosanna read to us from her book and also to hear her explain some of the different names in the book and what our kids can take away from it as they read it. In fact, I found myself in tears as I listened to Hosanna read. The message of her book is powerful and profound. And it is needed! You are going to love it and want to add it to your bookshelves right away.  PS. Be sure to have your kids count the dogs as they read the book!  Other things we talk about in this episode: the weight of writing children’s books, Illuminate Literary Agency (Hosanna and I’s literary agency!), the way the truths in this book can combat the shame, the immense value and importance of speaking God’s words over our children, and even how parents can use What God Says About You to reenforce the truth that they are made in God’s image and their bodies are worthy of respect and protection.  Where to find Hosanna: Find Hosanna’s new book here Find Hosanna’s new book on audio here Find Hosanna’s other books here Find Hosanna’s website here Find Hosanna on Instagram here  Other resources mentioned in this episode: Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 82I am so over the moon excited about today’s guest!  I have followed Ashley Campbell online for about 16 years but this is the first time we have actually talked to each other and it was just so much fun! Over the years I have found Ashley to be such a source of inspiration to me. I watched her raise her 5 kids, home schooling them, making art with them and on her own, and living an intentional lifestyle in pursuit of dream. That dream was to take their family of 7 on a trip around the world for a whole year.  Then they actually did it and she wrote a book about it!   Ashley’s new book I’ve Never Been Here Before: Our Family’s Year of Budget Travel, Wandering the World and Finding the Sacred is even more wonderful that I imagined it would be. And in today’s episode we get to hear all about the details, planning, dreaming that went into creating this trip and then about the trip itself. Ashley is candid about the parts of this experience that were challenging, exciting and so fulfilling. We talk about what her family learned about the people of the world as they met other teens on basketball courts and soccer fields. Spoiler alert: it was far better than they imagined!  I know you will be so inspired by this episode and even more by reading Ashley’s book. The photography is all from their trip and the stories will just fill your soul. Be sure to go grab your copy after you listen to today’s episode!  Where to find Ashley: Find Ashley’s new book here Find Ashley on Instagram here Find Ashley’s website and blog here The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Episode 81 It's been a while since I’ve sat down to talk with you heart to heart, and I felt like it was time. Mostly because I know that in my desire to help you protect your kids from the devastating effects of pornography it is important to share them with you. In today’s episode I am covering 3 things I want you to know about pornography right now. First, I’m talking about how pornography steals sexual integrity, and secondly, how erotic (some people call them spicy) books are pushing girls into consuming pornography. The last one is more encouraging: how it’s easier to talk to your kids about pornography than you think! You’ll have to listen to hear about each one, but I am certain you will find this episode encouraging and helpful. I hope you’ll share it with friends because we all need to do our part and join in this fight to protect our kids. I mention quite a few things in this episode that you’ll find in the resources listed below. Be sure to take some time to look through them. God bless you! Resources mentioned in this episode: Find the Forest Frank video here Find Greta’s book, It’s Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, here Find info about Forest Home family camp here. *Mention my name for that first time family discount. The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org