Minimalist Moms Podcast | Simple Living for Overwhelmed Moms

For those who are new here, I occasionally release bonus episodes that speak to a specific part of my audience. If this content is not what you’re looking for right now, feel free to explore the other episodes released this week - or join me back here next Tuesday for a conversation you won’t want to miss.
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Resilience doesn’t start in middle school - it begins in toddlerhood. In this episode, Diane sits down with parenting and education expert Gigi Schweikert, CEO of Lightbridge Academy, to explore how emotional regulation, confidence, and grit are developed long before kindergarten. Gigi explains why everyday moments are actually powerful training grounds for lifelong skills. Together, they discuss why allowing young children to struggle in healthy ways builds emotional strength, how preschool environments foster independence and problem-solving, and what parents can do at home to support resilience without creating unnecessary stress.

Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Connect with Gigi:
Lightbridge Academy: https://lightbridgeacademy.com/
Gigi’s website: http://gigischweikert.com/
Gigi’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gigischweikert/
Gigi’s Twitter: https://x.com/gigischweikert

About Gigi |
For over 35 years, Gigi Schweikert has dedicated her life to early childhood education. From the classroom to leadership, she has worked in just about every role imaginable—parent, director, consultant, author, and speaker. Her passion has always been helping children thrive, supporting educators, and building strong partnerships with families.
Today, Gigi serves as the CEO of Lightbridge Academy, a leading early childhood education franchise that I’m proud to be part of. Their unique Circle of Care philosophy ensures that children, parents, staff, and franchise owners all feel supported and connected. They are not just providing childcare; they’re creating a community where learning, care, and leadership come together every day.
Aside from her role as a CEO, Gigi has also written over a dozen books and countless articles for business owners, educators and parents, sharing practical guidance and encouragement. Her goal has always been to elevate the field of early childhood education and empower those who work within it.
Whether she is speaking at a conference, walking through a Lightbridge Academy center, or mentoring leaders, the goal is the same: to inspire excellence in the care and education of young children.
Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://AvocadoGreenMattress.com/MINIMALIST
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/minimalist-moms-podcast-simple-living-for-overwhelmed-moms/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

For those who are new here, I occasionally release bonus episodes that speak to a specific part of my audience. This particular conversation is rooted in a Christian perspective. If that’s not what you’re looking for right now, feel free to explore the other episodes released this week - or join me back here next Tuesday for a conversation you won’t want to miss.
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Bestselling author Joshua Becker shares how a pivotal conversation led him from pastoral ministry into a life of radical simplicity - and ultimately into becoming one of the world’s leading voices on minimalism.
In this episode, we discuss his newest book, Uncluttered Faith: Own Less, Love More, and Make an Impact in Your World, and explore how consumerism quietly competes for our devotion. Joshua unpacks how minimalism reshaped not only his home, but his spiritual life - offering believers and spiritual seekers alike a compelling invitation to loosen their grip on worldly possessions and rediscover the fullness of life Jesus promises.

Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Connect with Joshua:
Website
Instagram
Book: Uncluttered Faith: Own Less, Love More, and Make an Impact in Your World: A Minimalist Book

About Joshua |
Joshua Becker, the bestselling author of The More of Less and The Minimalist Home, is the founder of Becoming Minimalist, a website dedicated to inspiring others to find more life by owning less. His websites have inspired millions around the world to consider the practical benefits of owning fewer possessions. His work has appeared in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Christianity Today, and on numerous other outlets. Becker and his family live in Peoria, Arizona.
Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://AvocadoGreenMattress.com/MINIMALIST
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/minimalist-moms-podcast-simple-living-for-overwhelmed-moms/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Is your child deeply emotional, stubborn and seemingly immune to traditional parenting advice? In this episode, Diane sits down with parenting coach Mary Van Geffen, author of Parenting a Spicy One, to explore how to raise intense, big-feeling kids without crushing their spirit - or losing yourself in the process.
Mary shares tools for staying calm during explosive tantrums, choosing connection over control, maintaining firm boundaries, and avoiding burnout when parenting feels relentless. If “gentle parenting” hasn’t worked in your home, this conversation offers a compassionate, realistic alternative rooted in calm, kindness, and confidence.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Previous Episode: How to Stop Mom Rage: Calming Strategies Every Parent Needs | Jessie Ereddia (EP420)
Connect with Mary:
Website
Instagram
Book: Parenting a Spicy One: A Compassionate Guide for Raising a Deep-Feeling and Wonderfully Strong-Willed Kid
Quiz: Are You a Spicy One?

About Mary |
Mary Van Geffen is an international parenting coach for Moms of Spicy Ones, as well as a Spicy One herself. Mary helps parents practice the spiritual discipline of staying calm, kind, and firm with their strong-willed kids--especially when they don't deserve it. She combines her training as a Simplicity Parenting counselor and Professional Co-Active Coach with hard-earned personal experience raising her own spirited child as well as her mild-mannered child. She has transformed the lives of over eight thousand mothers with her eight-week group program and on-demand digital courses. She shares daily inspirational tips with her nearly half a million followers on Instagram. Her greatest achievement is cultivating a connected relationship with her now-adult children.
Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://AvocadoGreenMattress.com/MINIMALIST
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/minimalist-moms-podcast-simple-living-for-overwhelmed-moms/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

As we head into late winter/early spring, the pressure to “get organized,” “purge everything,” and finally become our "most minimalist selves" starts to creep in. But what if our decluttering intentions don’t fail because of laziness - but because they’re rooted in guilt? In this episode, I’m joined by Ari Kimmelfeld, founder of Commonplace, a company rethinking how we buy and sell large wellness and fitness equipment. We talk about the items that often feel hardest to let go of - the big investments that once represented our best intentions. And yet, for many of us, they quietly become reminders of goals unmet or seasons that have shifted. If you’ve been staring at something in your home that represents an old goal, a past version of you, or simply a season that has passed - this episode will give you permission to move forward thoughtfully.
Because minimalism isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about living honestly with who you are right now.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Diane's Resource: Marco Polo
Connect with Ari:
Website
Instagram

Episode Sponsors |
The Minimalist Moms Podcast would not be possible without the support of weekly sponsors. Choosing brands that I believe in is important to me. I only want to recommend brands that I believe may help you in your daily life. As always, never feel pressured into buying anything. Remember: if you don't need it, it's not a good deal!
Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. You can also share this with your fellow mothers so that they can be inspired to think more and do with less. 
Order (or review) my book, Minimalist Moms: Living & Parenting With Simplicity.
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://AvocadoGreenMattress.com/MINIMALIST
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/minimalist-moms-podcast-simple-living-for-overwhelmed-moms/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This podcast is part of the Clear Intentions series of the show.
What happens when a high-powered entrepreneur realizes that success has come at the cost of her well-being? After launching an award-winning sustainable fashion startup in Hong Kong, Michelle Jungmin Bang found herself in the emergency room, overwhelmed by years of stress. Determined to prioritize health for both herself and her family, she embarked on a journey of healing and self-discovery, chronicled in her new book, SUN & SSUKGAT: The Korean Art of Self-Care, Wellness & Longevity. She dives into the wisdom of traditional Korean wellness practices, the power of food as medicine, and the importance of functional foods and phytochemicals in promoting longevity. Along the way, she reveals insights on terrain theory, keeping a food journal, shifting perspectives on aging and more.

Links Discussed in This Episode |
Connect with Michelle:
Book: Sun & Ssukgat: The Korean Art of Self-Care, Wellness & Longevity 
Website | Instagram | Grow New York City

About Michelle |
Michelle Jungmin Bang is an award-winning eco-entrepreneur and Harvard Business School graduate who spent 16 years living in Asia as a Korean-American from New York City. She is the author of Sun & Ssukgat, a wellness guide covering her research, interviews, and personal eco-conscious journey in uncovering centuries-old well-being traditions from her time in Asia and Korea, where scientists project its people will top longevity charts in 2030. Michelle is the co-founder and founding CEO of The R Collective (formerly BYT), a sustainable fashion brand that creates affordable luxury pieces out of high-end materials that would otherwise have been disposed of in a landfill. She is passionate about driving social impact and serves as a board director and founding member of various mission-driven organizations.

Enjoy the Podcast?
Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning into this podcast, then do not hesitate to write a review. Please share with friends that could be inspired by the wisdom of each and every guest!
Further Questions |
You can contact me through my website, find me on Instagram, Pinterest or like The Minimalist Moms Page on Facebook.
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane (and a FULL list of previous guests' books!)
Grab a copy of my first book Minimalist Moms: Living and Parenting with Simplicity
Checkout a list of my past collaborative podcasts here!

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Avocado Green Mattress: https://AvocadoGreenMattress.com/MINIMALIST
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out PharmaNutra and use my code MINIMALIST for a great deal: https://pharmanutra-us.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/minimalist-moms-podcast-simple-living-for-overwhelmed-moms/exclusive-content

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy