We tend to think that the struggle to stay connected to our families is a modern problem, invented by group texts, packed schedules, and long-distance moves. We feel a unique ache, but history's most resilient women faced very similar hurdles. In this video, I take you inside the pages of history to meet two extraordinary 20th-century women who faced staggering physical distance, political upheaval, and massive life shifts—yet managed to build unbreakable family legacies. They didn’t have smartphones, but they had a relational blueprint we can definitely borrow from today.

Graduations are important milestones - whether it’s 8th grade, high school or college. They all mark both a closure and a new beginning, and often bring with them a mix of feelings. So far for me, high school graduations have been the most bittersweet. The whirlwind of celebrations and logistics often leaves parents running low on emotional bandwidth. And almost as soon as you’ve finished the crazy schedule of "Maycember," it’s time to get ready to go off to whatever is next. While everyone focuses on packing the dorm room, the real challenge is packing up eighteen years of daily proximity and understand how to build a new connection from a distance.

The transition from middle school to high school is a profound shifts in a parent-child relationship. Suddenly, those comforting, close-proximity rituals—the tuck-ins, the last-minute hugs, the nightly bedtime stories—all go away. If you feel like you’ve been abruptly replaced as the primary narrator of your child's life, you are not alone. My own 8th grader recently graduated, and I realized my old methods of connection had expired. This isn't a time to mourn the loss of closeness, but to embrace a new, more mature form of connection. We must trade in the "Tuck-In" moments for "Talk-In" rituals. To help you navigate this quiet, pivotal season, I’m sharing three creative, low-pressure ways to stay deeply connected to your teen without resorting to hovering or interrogation.

We’ve all been there: you pick up the phone to talk to a loved one who lives far away, and you start with the standard, obligatory question: "How are you?" In return, you get the automatic, conversation-killing reply: "Fine, how are you?"

When you have long-distance family, it’s easy to let the day-to-day connection die, especially when you wait for the "big moments" like holidays or scheduled phone calls.

As graduation season descends upon us, our homes are filled with a bittersweet mix of celebration and packing tape. We watch our children stand on the precipice of adulthood, ready to "launch" into a world that feels faster and more demanding than ever before.

In the midst of this transition, it’s easy to focus on the logistics: the dorm essentials, the first job offers, or the starting salaries. But if we look at the data—specifically the Harvard Study of Adult Development—we find that these aren’t the things that actually predict a successful, flourishing life. For over 80 years, researchers have tracked the same group of individuals to answer one question: What keeps us happy and healthy?

In the fast-paced world of technology and corporate leadership, we are often conditioned to lead with data, KPIs, and market trends. While these metrics are vital, many executives find themselves in a quiet crisis, "doing" the work but losing the human "being." It’s time to stop leaving your values at the door and start leading with your whole self.

The Connection Experiment in the Boardroom

Leadership is, at its core, about relationships.

In the corporate world, the concept of retention dominates everything. We analyze, strategize, and budget enormous resources to keep our top talent and maintain key partnerships over years of shifting market conditions and distance. But as an executive and a mother of three—two of whom are now entering that high-velocity "launch" phase—I’ve realized that the most consequential retention work I will ever undertake happens not in a boardroom, but within the four walls of my home.

In the high-stakes world of executive leadership, we are often sold a lie: the idea that "work-life balance" is a scale that must sit perfectly level. We believe that if we just manage our time better or find the right productivity hack, we can keep our professional and personal lives in separate, equal boxes. But for the faith-led leader, this scale doesn't just tip from time to time —it often breaks down completely.

"You get what you give."

It's a saying we've all heard a hundred times, used in songs, poems and speeches. But it never hit home for me as much as it did last week as I was going through my dad's house, preparing for an estate sale. Removing the photos, sentimental items, and personal papers, I was overwhelmed by a beautiful, tangible confirmation of a life well-lived.

In our hyper-connected world, we often find ourselves caught in a paradox: the more "connected" we are digitally, the more "disconnected" we feel personally. This is the digital marketer's paradox I deal with, but it affects all of us. Whether you are a professional or a parent, you likely know the feeling of a phantom vibration in your pocket during dinner—a phenomenon I call Availability Creep.

I am a self-confessed productivity junkie. I love the "click" of a finished task and the "ding" of a sent email and my to-do list rivals the longest CVS receipt ever printed. For years, I applied this same logic to my parenting. I thought if I could just do more for my family—plan better vacations, cook more elaborate Sunday dinners, or facilitate more "deep" talks—we would be more connected.

But here is the hard truth I’ve learned: you can do everything for your family and still be completely absent from them.

Happy Women's History Month! Every March, the world celebrates the "strong woman," but we often only see the finished product—the statue or the headline. We rarely see the "everyday drudgery" or the "unassuming audacity" that actually built those legacies.

Today I’d like to explore the lives of three women who excelled as master "Relational Architects," using their vocations and faith as a means of transformation. The 2026 Women’s History Month theme is "Leading the Change," and these women didn't just survive the 20th century—they sanctified it. We are looking at a radical journalist, a political trailblazer, and a civil rights witness.

We talk a lot about the Sandwich Generation—that compressed season where you’re squeezed between the needs of aging parents and the needs of your growing children. It is a period of intense pressure, love, and exhaustion. But as intense as it is, it's a phase that, by its nature, is contained by two slices of bread: the generations above and below you.

But what happens when the top slice is gone?

I’m often asked why I focus so much on the "small stuff" of family life—the 30-second hugs, the carpool prayers, and the intentional texts to kids across the country.

The truth is, those small moments aren’t just "nice to have." They are the building blocks of a long, healthy, and meaningful life. Recently, I’ve been diving into a fascinating book called The Good Life by Robert Waldinger, MD, and Marc Schulz, PhD. It details the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the longest scientific study on happiness ever conducted (over 80 years!).

We’ve bought into the myth that true connection only happens during the big, perfect moments: the fancy Sunday brunch, the elaborate 'Family Fun Night,' or the annual unplugged vacation. We wait for these "Big Moments" to appear, and while we’re waiting, we’re missing the 1,000 tiny opportunities for connection right in front of us.

The truth is, connection isn't a destination we reach once we finish our endless To-Do list. If you're like me—juggling a career, writing, and raising kids—that list never ends. If we wait for "Quality Time" to happen, we’re essentially telling our families, "I’ll be fully yours once the world stops spinning." But the world doesn't stop.

We’ve all been there: the moving truck pulls away, the airport goodbye lingers a bit too long, or you realize it’s been three months since you had a conversation that wasn't interrupted by a weak Wi-Fi signal. In the "faith and family" world, we talk a lot about the "empty nest" or "leaving and cleaving," but we don't always talk about the emotional maintenance required when your support system is three time zones away.

Living far apart is a logistical challenge, but it’s often the "emotional drift" that scares us most. Here is how to keep the heart strings taut even when the miles are long. And my video on this topic is at the bottom of the page!

If you’re like me, you’re obsessed with productivity. You have the deadlines, the to-do list, and the laser-focus needed to "move the needle" in your professional life. And if you’re really like me, you’ve learned that the single biggest perceived "threat" to that productivity is often the people you love the most.

It’s the phone call from your kid right when you finally found your writing flow. It’s the unexpected FaceTime request from a sibling while you’re staring at a complex data set. It’s the "Hey, do you have a sec?" that we all know is never just a second.

It is dangerously easy to view these moments as annoyances—little roadblocks standing between you and your goals. But in the final installment of The Connection Experiment, I am flipping the script to tackle the heart of the matter: Availability.

Are you tired of the narrative that your phone is the "great divider" of your modern family? We've all seen—or been part of—that scene: the dinner table where everyone is staring at a glowing rectangle instead of each other. It’s easy to feel like our phones are noisy roommates, constantly clamoring for attention and stealing our presence.

But here’s the truth: for families scattered across time zones, the phone is more than a distraction—it's a lifeline.

If you're anything like me, your day begins with a silent pact: coffee first, conversation much, much later. I'm a firm believer in the sanctity of the pre-7:00 AM quiet, and my family knows to tread lightly.

But this personal rhythm creates a major problem when your loved ones live far away. I live with the constant struggle of trying to keep up with kids and other family members in different time zones, each with our own busy schedules. By the time I’m fully caffeinated and ready to connect, everyone in my family is already deep into their own days. It’s like we are playing entirely different songs at the same time—a frustrating situation I call the "Out of Sync" Syndrome.

They say distance makes the heart grow fonder. But let’s be honest—distance can also make the heart feel a little bit... lonely. Whether your kids just moved out, your grandkids live three states away, or your best friend is across the country, staying connected takes more than just a 'like' on a photo.

If you’re struggling to maintain solid, ongoing relationships with your distant loved ones, you are not alone. As someone who has lived in three different countries and is now watching her older children start their own adult lives, I know the struggle is real. The problem isn't a lack of love; it’s a lack of time.