Minimalist Moms Podcast | Purposeful Life & Parenting Tips

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of our everyday lives - but where should we draw the line?
In this thought-provoking conversation, Diane sits down with Ben Peterson, Army veteran, founder of Engage Your Destiny, and author of When Intelligence Isn't Human, to explore the growing role AI is playing in our relationships, mental health, and sense of identity. Drawing from his military experience, years of mentoring service members, and his work helping others navigate trauma and purpose, Ben challenges listeners to see AI for what it is: a powerful tool - but a poor substitute for human connection, wisdom, and community.
Together, they discuss why so many young people are turning to technology for emotional support, how social media and AI are designed to capture our attention, and why the ability to think critically, wrestle through discomfort, and build real-life relationships may be more important than ever.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Subscribe to the Minimalist Moms Youtube Channel
Ben's Resource: The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character
Connect with Ben
Facebook
Instagram
Youtube
Website
Book: When Intelligence Isn't Human: Navigating Your Faith in the Age of AI

About Ben |
Ben Peterson is the founder and driving force behind Engage Your Destiny, the most impactful movement bringing faith and the Gospel to the U.S. military. He served in Iraq during the 2008–2009 Surge as a Chaplain’s Assistant, where he lost seven brothers in combat during his first week deployed. Carrying trauma, addiction, and deep brokenness, he turned to God and emerged with a mission to transform the most powerful fighting force in the world through the hope of Christ.
Over the last decade, more than 300,000 service members, veterans, and families have heard Peterson’s message. He has been trusted to train and speak across elite units including the 101st Airborne, 3rd, 5th, and 10th Special Forces Groups, the 75th Ranger Battalion, Navy SEALs, Recon Marines, Space Force, the 11th Arctic Airborne, and the 4th Infantry Division. In 2022, he produced the Heroes Honor Festival - which drew more than 40,000 attendees and became the largest Gospel outreach to veterans in American history. He has personally raised more than $15 million for nonprofit causes and advises nonprofits, companies, churches, and senior leaders on building cultures of emotional intelligence, resilience, and bold vulnerability.
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.

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When did technology stop being a learning tool and quietly become the learning environment?
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Subscribe to the Minimalist Moms Youtube Channel
Early Childhood newsletter signup: https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood/
Reporting on school technology: "IPads in kindergarten, YouTube videos at snack time: Parents are pushing back on screens in the early grades"
"Schools try to block kids from accessing dangerous content and games online. Little kids are outsmarting them."
"Many game sites evade school web filters"
All stories: https://hechingerreport.org/author/jackie-mader/
Connect with Jackie
Instagram

About Jackie |
Jackie Mader is a senior early childhood reporter at The Hechinger Report. She previously worked as a special education teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, and trained new teachers in Mississippi. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, USA Today, TIME, and NBC News, among others, and has won several awards, including the Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Nellie Bly Award from The New York Press Club, and a Front Page Award from The Newswomen’s Club of New York. She has been a fellow at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma and a Spencer Fellow at Columbia University. She received a bachelor’s degree from Loyola Marymount University and a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
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 Amazing Generation: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

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

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

If you've ever reached the end of the day wondering how you stayed busy but still didn't accomplish what mattered most, this episode is for you.
Diane sits down with time management coach and CEO of The Pink Bee, Megan Sumrell, to challenge one of the biggest productivity myths many women believe: that a longer to-do list will somehow make us feel more in control. Instead, Megan explains why traditional task lists often leave us feeling overwhelmed, behind, and stuck in a cycle of "time debt."
Together, they explore a more intentional approach to planning - one that starts by recognizing your actual capacity instead of trying to squeeze more into every day.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Subscribe to the Minimalist Moms Youtube Channel
Diane's Resource: Easy No Bake Protein Balls
Megan's Resource: A Better Share by Morgan Cutlip
Megan Can't Stop Talking About: Plan-A-Palooza
Connect with Megan
Website
Instagram
Podcast

About Megan |
Megan Sumrell is a Time Management Expert and creator of the TOP Program who helps overwhelmed women create harmony through planning systems built specifically for how women's brains work. With over 20 years of corporate process improvement experience, she teaches women to turn their unrealistic to-do lists into realistic, flexible plans that actually work with their lives, not against them.
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 Amazing Generation: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

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

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

In this episode, Diane shares about Weeknight Winners, Family Dinners by Jack and Emmy Zhang, the parents behind the wildly popular @cookingforlevi account featuring their five-year-old son, Levi. What began as a simple way to spend time together in the kitchen has become a family mission: raising a curious eater while creating lasting memories around the table.
Rather than focusing on perfect meals or picky eating battles, Jack and Emmy encourage families to see cooking as an opportunity for connection, confidence, and curiosity.
Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Subscribe to the Minimalist Moms Youtube Channel
Previous Episode: How to Get Dinner on the Table When You Don't Feel Like Cooking | Caroline Chambers (Bonus Episode)
Connect with Jack + Emmy
Website
Instagram
Book: Weeknight Winners, Family Dinners: Kid-Approved, Adult-Loved Recipes

About Jack + Emmy |
Jack Zhang is a chef who has cooked at casual and upscale restaurants and for NFL players in the Buffalo, New York, area. With his wife, Emmy, he launched Cooking for Levi (@cookingforlevi), the wildly popular online cooking channel featuring their now five-year-old son, Levi. Jack was born in Guangzhou, China, and raised in Brooklyn. 
Emmy Zhang earned her Ed.M in English Language from the University at Buffalo, where she also earned an undergraduate degree in applied linguistics with a special focus on child language development.
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 Amazing Generation: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

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

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

In this episode, I’m joined by clinical psychologist and Stanford adjunct faculty member Dr. Celeste Birkhofer for a conversation about a powerful truth: the mental health your child will have as an adult is being shaped right now.
But this isn’t about perfect parenting. It’s about understanding the everyday experiences and relationships that help children develop the internal resources they’ll rely on for the rest of their lives.
We also explore: what “good enough” parenting actually looks like, the five essential capacities children need for long-term mental health, supporting versus rescuing - and why children need opportunities to struggle, building tolerance for boredom, frustration, and discomfort, how parenting strategies may need to shift for children with ADHD and much more...

Links Discussed in This Episode |
Checkout the podcast storefront for recommendations from Diane.
Subscribe to the Minimalist Moms Youtube Channel
Dr. Birkhofer's Resource: Kristen Neff | Self-Compassion Institute
Connect with Dr. Birkhofer
Website
Instagram
LinkedIn
Book: Beyond Quick Fixes: Essential Ingredients for Better Mental Health and a Fulfilling Life

About Dr. Birkhofer |
Dr. Celeste Birkhofer is a licensed clinical psychologist and adjunct clinical faculty member at Stanford Medical School, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She maintains a private psychotherapy practice, teaches and supervises Stanford psychiatry residents, and is on the clinical advisory board for the Jed Foundation - a nonprofit dedicated to promoting emotional well-being in teens and young adults and reducing suicide risk. Her holistic approach to patient care integrates extensive experience and training in contemporary psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapies, grief counseling, couples therapy, dialectic behaviortherapy (DBT), and mindfulness and self-compassion practices.
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 Amazing Generation: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com
* Check out BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com
* Check out Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com

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

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