Love. Communication. Discipline. Respect. Resilience. Adaptability. Empathy. Humility. Tenacity. Curiosity. Patience. Consideration. All key words for parenting and for life, and how you apply them matters.

In this episode Byron + Ashley Hunt share how they fostered healthy cohesion while nurturing individual empowerment  - for themselves + their kids. They reveal how they became a close family team that shows up for each other in every way.

They tell us what made the difference for them in cultivating a family that genuinely respects + supports each other.

Their approach contains heavy-hitting life lessons for ALL of us. Worth listening to even if you’re not a parent. Worth listening to if you’re a human who values connection.

Connect with me on Facebook and Instagram @the_nativist

The books we reference in the show:

• The Boy Crisis: Why Our Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It by Warren Farrell and John Gray

• The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt

• Way of the Warrior Kid: From Wimpy to Warrior the Navy SEAL Way by Jocko Willink

Today’s episode is moving, it’s enlightening, it’s illuminating, it’s inspiring… It’s as remarkable as the woman who shares it: Mindy Cervantes.

Mindy candidly and compassionately shares her story of being married to someone addicted to alcohol. She takes us through how it began, how it progressed, and how it resolved. She outlines what steps she took on her end to empower and heal herself, so she could deal with the issue, and notes how those steps actually revolutionized not only her relationship with her husband, but also her relationship with herself and others. She highlights the importance of doing our own work, whether we’re the addict or we’re supporting one.

She answers the million dollar question of what was finally the catalyst for change. She spotlights the less-often discussed phase of navigating post-sobriety and its accompanying questions and considerations.

As in past episodes, we emphasize addiction touches us all, whether directly or indirectly.

The website Mindy mentions is www.loveoveraddiction.com and you can click here for the podcast.

Find and follow Mindy on Facebook @MindyCervantes and Instagram @mindy.d.cervantes

I thank you and I love you.

-w-

In this third installment of my series on discrimination, I sit down with one of my best amigas, Cheli Brubaker.

I’ve always admired Cheli’s openness and acceptance of others. To know her is to adore her. Cheli is a first-generation American of West Indian descent, as her parents migrated here from the Caribbean. Cheli shares her experience living in predominantly white communities (particularly sheltered, conservative communities) as a youth and as part of a biracial couple.

Though she and I know each other well, I was intrigued to hear her views on race relations. She and I discuss using labels, taking accountability, commanding respect, reciprocating support, and reserving judgment.

It’s a thought provoker.

You can find Cheli on Instagram @chelitb or on Facebook under Cheli Brubaker

Cheli sporting her Nativist tee: open eyes, open minds, open hearts