Little Hands, Big Plans - Motherhood and Business
Becoming a mother changes everything—including how we view work, career, and purpose.
After this shift, many of us crave more freedom, flexibility, and family time, but we also want to make an impact and contribute financially.
On Little Hands, Big Plans, we explore the many ways moms are building a life that works for both their family, faith and their dreams—without getting stuck in hustle culture.
✨ You’ll hear:
✔️ Stories from moms who’ve shifted careers, paused, pivoted, or started businesses
✔️ Actionable tips on creating time and financial freedom
✔️ Conversations about letting go of guilt, overcoming fear, and taking the leap
✔️ Encouragement to build a life beyond the 9-5, if it’s not working for your family
If you’re ready to embrace motherhood while still dreaming big, join me every week for honest conversations and real-life strategies.
🎧 Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen!
Little Hands, Big Plans - Motherhood and Business
Corporate Life to Classical Homeschooling with faith-centered intentionality
Corinne Lantis shares her journey transitioning from full-time corporate work in marketing to very part-time hours, reshaping her approach to motherhood, and discovering deep purpose in everyday family life.
• Former marketing professional who initially said she would "never be a stay-at-home mom"
• Struggled with her achievement-oriented personality (Enneagram 3) when first becoming a full-time mom
• Transitioned slowly into motherhood while moving from Colorado to Michigan to be near family
• Created intentional rhythms inspired by "Habits of the Household" including nighttime routines of pray, hope, story and song
• Deleted Instagram to be more present and intentional with her time and attention
• Chose classical education and hybrid homeschooling for their focus on cultivating wisdom and virtue
• Trained for marathons after each baby as a form of self-care and personal goal-setting
• Makes faith central by keeping her Bible visible and accessible throughout the day
• Prioritizes praying with her husband over their children each night
• Embraces the challenges of motherhood while seeking to be fully present in this season
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with another mom who needs encouragement. Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and connect with me on LinkedIn.
For other episodes and resources, visit our website at https://littlehandsbigplans.co/pages/podcast
Today I am joined by Corinne Lantis, a mother of three, former corporate professional and woman committed to intentional living. After thriving career in marketing, corinne chose to downshift her work and reorient her life around motherhood, home and faith. She shares her journey of transitioning from full-time corporate work to very part-time hours, how her Enneagram 3 personality reshaped her approach to parenting, and how faith has grounded her through seasons of change, including a cross-country move, homeschooling and training for a marathon. This is a conversation about surrendering control, embracing small beginnings and discovering deep purpose in the everyday work of motherhood. Welcome to Little Hands, big Plans the podcast for moms who want to reimagine work after kids and build a life where family comes first, without giving up your dreams.
Speaker 1:I'm Emilia and I know firsthand how much motherhood shifts our careers, our priorities and our pace. But instead of seeing it as a setback, what if we saw it as an invitation, an opportunity to design a life with a little more freedom, a little more presence and a little more fulfillment? Each week, we'll have honest conversations with moms who've shaped their work and business around what truly matters. Whether you're considering a career pivot, dreaming of a slower pace or just wondering what's possible, you're in the right place. So grab a little something warm, settle in and let's explore the possibilities together. Hey Corinne, thanks for having me. I'm so excited to hear more about your journey, motherhood, career, all the fun stuff. Tell us a little bit about what your career was like before kids.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I was actually a exercise science major in college Me too. Really, I didn't know that either. We'll have to definitely talk more about that because, yes, there's a lot. So I took a after I graduated, I was applying to grad school and just really I moved out to Colorado pretty immediately to go be with Scott, my then boyfriend, soon to be fiance, now husband but moved out to Colorado from Michigan and was okay, am I going to do grad school? What am I going to do with this major that I don't really like, don't really enjoy?
Speaker 2:And I was actually nannying and I heard about a job on the radio, on the Christian radio station, and they were, like, apply for this job. And so I felt totally unqualified. But I had a career, a job in college that like fulfilled all my kind of creative needs and desires and like the way that God made me, and so, anyway, I applied for the job, got it, and it was marketing for Caleb Radio, which is a Christian radio station, and it was marketing for Caleb Radio, which is a Christian radio station, christian radio network, and so I worked concerts events promotions for Caleb Radio in the Denver office.
Speaker 1:So it was a lot of fun. That is amazing and I don't think I knew that. Yeah, yeah, okay. So before you had kids, what was your plan? And then did it change? Did it stay the same?
Speaker 2:I had always said that I would never be a stay-at-home mom. I was just naively. I will never do that Because you just didn't think it was for you. I feel God made me very achievement-oriented. The three on the Enneagram so I just I love goals. Achievement oriented a the three on the enneagram so I just I love goals. I love accomplishing things and having that feeling. And so the corporate. I loved working.
Speaker 2:I loved working, I felt good at it, I loved managing people, I felt accomplished, I had good results from the work that I did, and so I just never, I never really felt like I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom.
Speaker 2:So then with Emerson, we had maternity leave and it was COVID. So it was weird and I also am grateful to God for it, because it was the work from home movement started. So I went back to work after I had my first daughter and I was working from home after that. So we had a babysitter come in and I would hear her play with Emerson and would sit there and I started having these feelings of what is God doing? Do I want to do this? This is really hard to hear my baby in the other room and not be in there and be sleeping. So it was back full time, back full time with Emerson. And then we got pregnant pretty quickly with Brooks, our second born, and that's when I felt like God was totally calling me to be a stay-at-home mom and I immediately just had a strong gut feeling of I want to be the one to raise my kids and did you quit right away?
Speaker 1:How did you handle that?
Speaker 2:It was a tough transition because that's when I got pregnant with my second. It was again. They were 13 months apart, so incredibly close age gap and that's when we decided we're gonna go move to Michigan to be near family and so my husband's job changed. My job changed. I did transition slowly, but we were moving across the country so I couldn't keep my job in Denver and they slowly trickled it out to part-time and then it eventually fizzled out. So it lasted the transition of our move to Michigan, but then I was pretty much done working by the time we moved. So Emerson was not yet one.
Speaker 1:How did you find that change of pace and do you think that the way that you run your household or manage motherhood, do you think you still incorporate that part of your personality?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I do, because I have been told before that I'm like high capacity and so I just again, with having three kids or having two close in age, it feels like I, just I can manage it a little bit better. And again, I think that goes all glory to God and how he made me. But just sometimes the chaos and the stress doesn't affect me as quickly and I'm I'm okay multitasking and I'm I'm always laughing that one before we have people come over, I just go into like turbo mode and I need to accomplish, watch the kids clean the house, house, cook the meal and have it ready by the time people come. So I would agree.
Speaker 1:I think sometimes, even when we're gonna get together, you can do so many things like make sourdough bagels, oh, and so I report on you too. So how long did you go before you decided that you were ready again to take on a little bit of work? How did you transition into something different?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that I honestly do think I was scared for the full stay-at-home mom concept. So even after I quit at K-Love, there was another job that was marketing and it was part-time but fully remote. I hopped in with that immediately and so I was working about 20 hours a week, yeah, and it felt like a lot, but I was just. I felt like I was clinging just with all that I had onto I need, I want to be a working mom.
Speaker 2:This is what I've always. I never said I was going to be a stay-at-home mom, so I, I'm gonna white knuckle this until it kills me. And it was a lot, and I think it was a lot of pride, but yeah, so I worked until my son was born and then I went on maternity leave again.
Speaker 1:So I, yeah, then worked for that next year part-time, and so did you take any time for maternity leave or okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, then I had about three months maternity leave, okay.
Speaker 1:Second time, okay, and then you downshifted a little bit more.
Speaker 2:Then I downshifted. I was still part-time and again it was just getting harder and harder and I again was just white knuckling, not being a stay-at-home mom. So I have to work and I think it was I probably hit. I think my son Brooks was probably six months by the time I said I can't do this anymore. And I think it was I probably hit. I think my son Brooks was probably six months by the time I said I can't do this anymore and I just fully quit okay and did you feel it was a sudden?
Speaker 1:it was okay, I had a hard day, or did you? How do you come thinking about it for a while.
Speaker 2:It was a couple months of hard. My husband looking at me saying why on earth are you doing this?
Speaker 1:you don't need to do this and for child care. Then you still had someone coming to your house to help you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, a babysitter, yeah what do you have? A flexible schedule, or was it? Yeah, flexible schedule, but they wanted a lot of face-to-face, like client meetings. Yeah, and again, as a stay-at-home mom, I can't always be face-to-face ready, and it was. So the hours were not regular and that was also.
Speaker 2:What didn't work for me is I needed regular hours where I could schedule a babysitter and so I couldn't take a client meeting at the last minute and expect to not have a screaming child in the background. So then I was done. I was. I think it was. Yeah, maybe I the timeline is escaping me, but yes, then I was done. When I was done with that second marketing job months after my maternity leave, so it was probably yeah. Six months in then I was just done and I was home with kids full time. Stay at home mom Amazing, yes.
Speaker 1:And then when I first met you, you had a very flexible, not very many hours, still something. Yeah, how for someone that wants that type of job that works with mostly being stay at home but not full-on, let's say, 20 hour a week job? How did you find that and what tips do you have?
Speaker 2:I honestly feel like God has been very gracious in, at the right time, giving me things that he knew that I needed. Yeah, just something, because, again, I do love working, I've always loved working, it fulfills a part of me, and so God was gracious in giving me those opportunities in the right time, especially that one. But a lot of it was networking just people I knew. This most recent one was a friend that I met in Colorado and it's a company in Colorado and he basically was like hey, any hours you can work, come work for me. And he was.
Speaker 1:He is a great guy and you had mentioned that you might be interested, or it just came up in conversation, I think it was out of the blue.
Speaker 2:It was similar to the work. So the work that I did previously was like a pretty specific. Again, my background is christian marketing yeah, for christian radio station, and a lot of it is seo and working with churches and grant writing and all that sort of thing um so again it's like, yeah, very specific, very niche, random. So these other companies are essentially marketing companies that are like an outsourced marketing team for churches. And I have a very strong history of working with churches, Christian nonprofits or personnel.
Speaker 1:Is there like a specific type of job board for someone that's interested, that has not had a job like that to get, or I would say the community? Yeah.
Speaker 2:I would just say yeah, I would say it's a very small network of people who are in Christian nonprofits or ministries, because a lot of that is churches. So I would say LinkedIn is a really great tool and even church, just looking up church marketing personnel. Online you can connect with some people because, again, all the comms people they're going to generally know each other or they'll know what they need in terms of like marketing.
Speaker 1:Okay, so any parting advice on that topic for working very part-time hours?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would just say be very upfront and transparent with your employer from the jump. Just be very clear of and protect that. And also, when they don't stay true to what they've promised, you don't sacrifice on your kids. That's not what you need to be sacrificing. You need to. I should have been more defensive at times of my schedule and what I had said and what was promised to me and what was ultimately given up was time with my kids, and so make sure that there's transparency on your end of what works for your family, and I do think there are employers out there that will work with you on that absolutely shifting gears a little bit.
Speaker 1:one of the things that really stands out about your journey is how intentional you are with, I think, the way you live your life, the way that you seek faith, priority household, and I would love to hear, if you were always that way, how you became that way, because I think most people would want to be intentional with the way we spend our time, but it's very difficult to actually do it and to make difficult decisions like deleting Instagram, to be able to be more present and to not have a lot of distractions. I really look up to you in that sense and I would love to know how that comes about, because you make it seem easy, but I'm sure that it wasn't always that way maybe yeah, that is very nice of you to say Really Thank you, that's very kind.
Speaker 2:I do not know. It was not that way and I still struggle with it and work very hard on it, and I think that's why I have to work really hard on it. But my first year as a stay-at-home mom, or right after my son was born my second-born son I felt like I was just existing and just in that black hole of day-to-day, there's no routine, there's method or rhyme or reason and I'm just being swallowed alive by motherhood and it feels exhausting and overwhelming and I have nobody and it was just.
Speaker 2:it was dark, honestly. So I don't think it was really until I quit my job and I just was in therapy and had community in church and and that's when I started God started working in me, saying I've created you for this and this is what gets your attention now and this is what you need to be.
Speaker 2:Do not grow weary of doing good in motherhood and really starting to be intentional about it. And then, when I think our third born, jack, was born, I really started to enjoy it in terms of I can do this is still hard, but I'm going to make the most of this, and this is by calling, and I'm going to work with everything that I have and put all my energy and everything that God made me into this and I think it it was just a slow development and everything that God made me into this and I think it was just a slow development, a slow boil over time of God working in me a thousand percent, but it was not always like that and I think I needed time to say that time and those moments of this is overwhelming. I can't do this and to really then shift and say, nope, you're going to do this, we're going to work hard at this and this is going to be intentional. One of the books that you said had helped.
Speaker 2:You is called Habits of the Household, do you?
Speaker 1:want to share one or two or three little things that someone that might not have read the book could try to implement.
Speaker 2:Yes, I cannot recommend it enough. I think it's really good. One of them, one of my favorite ones, is just the habit at nighttime and it's just little rituals of things that you can say again, so that when you are overwhelmed or it has been a hard moment, you still are grounded and you can go back to saying the same thing that you say every night to your kid yeah, and he has one specifically that he says. But basically I started implementing what we call praying hope story song, and so every night before bed we do pray and so we'll say a prayer and then we do hope, which is our Bible verse. So we memorize the Bible verse and the kids it's crazy how much they love it and they know it and they will learn it and we'll go through different verses and so they have a memory.
Speaker 2:Verse One per week no, it's like per year, no, we've done maybe three or four. And then story We'll tell them a story Kids love stories and then song. And so we'll sing a song to them and I'll scratch each of their backs and then, before I leave, I just say to them and this was taken from the book, a version of it is I'll say, emerson, there's nothing that you could do that can make me love you more than I love you right now. There's nothing that you could do that can make me love you less than I love you right now. And God loves you that way. To rest in that love. And then I go to Brooks and I say that and those are just yeah, just and again, all taken from him.
Speaker 2:It's like I made it my own and did my own version. But those are just things that like, at the end of the day, I'm grounded to remember that, no matter how crazy this day was. We went to this museum today and you saw firsthand how crazy it was and there's misbehaviors, but having those moments of reminder of the bigger picture and helps me and, I think, helps them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I really love that. Yeah, great book.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So Instagram, you deactivated it, deleted the app? Yeah, how has that been? What are some of the things that you have noticed most, and do you plan on having it deleted forever? I don't know.
Speaker 2:I feel like right now, I don't miss it at all. There was a moment when I felt like I lived under a rock and I realized how much of the world news I miss out on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so it's just reshifting those things of. Okay, I need to be getting the news somehow. Yeah, I need to be staying updated on that. That's practical. So I started subscribing to the Pour Over, which is like a Christian news source and you just get daily emails every day. So, again, it's reassessing what am I going to do to fill this time, because I also easily get. Okay, I'm going to turn the show on now, that's my new thing. Or I'm going to online shop.
Speaker 2:So something's always going to be pulling for your attention. It may not be social media, but it's going to be a show or something. It's going to be a show or something, and so I have tried to work in podcasts, audio books. Let's be filling my mind with these things that are going to be giving me knowledge and wisdom from the Lord. Am I reading my Bible more? The point of this is to be more intentional with the time that I'm spending. So I feel like those are the two observations I've made. Is okay. Now I have to be careful of what I'm filling my time with, and also something will always be wanting my attention. So I still have to have moments where I'm putting my phone down and I say I'm going to leave this here for an hour and I'm going gonna go play with my kids. Doesn't always happen, but that's the goal, have you noticed?
Speaker 1:any loss of connection, because I love the concept, but when I think about it, I think my biggest fear is you have people that you wouldn't necessarily see as often, but that you would love to stay in touch with. Social media feels like such an easy way to do that. Yeah it does, although sometimes I think it also is more superficial, because then you feel like you're caught up, but you are only caught up.
Speaker 2:And everyone's highlight reel. Yep, no, totally. What I started doing with my friends who are long distance is we'll do a monthly update and so we'll just send each other 10 photos. Oh, I like that Of a month's update, of See. You have such good ideas.
Speaker 2:It was hard at first because I was. We were saying I haven't seen you, are you alive? And I'm also a phone talker, which is scary to most people that I'm talking on the phone Like I would rather pick up the phone and call you than text you. So luckily, I have a lot of friends in Colorado. That's how we will communicate. Is we just talk on the phone? Yeah, on the way over here I called three people. Oh good, so again, you just have to reevaluate that. But yeah, it is hard. You do feel like you're missing out. But again, it's everyone's highlight reel and I also didn't want it to get to the point where I'm not conjuring up this life. That's not really real. You're seeing my highlight reel, but this is not my day-to-day and I just I don't want to put time and energy into something that's not super authentic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, If that makes sense. So another thing that I know wasn't necessarily in your plans was to do any form of homeschooling. Yes, absolutely.
Speaker 2:And that has changed. That was another thing I said I would. I will never. Okay, God, yeah, Okay.
Speaker 1:Before that I didn't. I had never heard about classical education before you, even though now I hear all the time and I know it's this big way of educating. Yes, so for someone that's never heard of it, can you do the high level of what classical education is and then how it ties into hybrid homeschooling?
Speaker 2:yeah, so I have to look at my notes for this one because it's multifaceted.
Speaker 2:My husband and I went to a college that was a classical education and it was really impactful in what I want for my kids, and when we moved back to Michigan I didn't know that it was an option until we found the school that they are now at.
Speaker 2:So classical education the purpose of classical education is to cultivate wisdom and virtue, and this happens by nourishing the soul on truth, goodness and beauty, which is often done through liberal arts and the four sciences, and then, if you think about christian education, all that is so that the student is able to know Christ and glorify him forever.
Speaker 2:So I think essentially the short version of it is that classical education focuses on the whole of the student and it's not just we're not trying to throw some numbers at you and just memorize all this stuff so that you can pass the test, but it's really cultivating the person as a whole and you do that through means that have withstood the test of time rhetoric, logic, resuscitation, which is something. To have kids stand and memorize things for lengthy, meaningful passages is really neat and then the hybrid level that just works alongside with the parent, so it is making sure that the parent comes alongside in building the child and building the student. And it's not just you ship your kid off to school and it's the school's job to throw a bunch of numbers in their head, but it's, how are we collectively going to form the soul of this student? Which seems like a lovely task.
Speaker 1:I agree. Okay, so you did not want to homeschool or you did not feel called to homeschool. So when you learned of the school which assigned to your church, why did you consider it, knowing that was not something you were interested in?
Speaker 2:I think because of the purpose and the mission of the school, it was very compelling and we felt really called to where God was leading us in this direction and also it didn't feel like that much pressure of I have to be my kid's teacher. It is I am just helping work out and helping them rehearse the things that they've already learned and I'm just reemphasizing that. And again, that is how you learn is through practice and through the whole right. And so when we now I get to take them out on nature walks and we're saying, oh, you learned about this animal, let's go find it out in nature.
Speaker 2:Or let's go talk about why this is happening outside and the leaves are changing. What is the science behind it? So it's just cool that it's all. It all can work together. Yeah, and so I feel like it takes the pressure off too when I'm just using simple logic to re-emphasize the things that they've been taught in class, and it's not like I have to be their teacher. Yeah, she feels less pressure for me.
Speaker 1:I've never heard of hybrid, hybrid homeschooling, hybrid schooling, I guess that wasn't too familiar Homeschooling in general, but yeah. So how many days do your kids go to school and what does your portion look like, let's say, for elementary school?
Speaker 2:So, yeah, a lot of this is not. We are not not yet there, but from my understanding is it will be. Monday is an independent study day, they call it, and so they're at home with us and again, we can be on vacation or we can be traveling. We don't have to be home, we can take our school anywhere, and but then tuesday, wednesday, thursday are school, normal school day, eight to three.
Speaker 1:And they learn all the core things?
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, yep, yeah, all the normal things they do have. They have. I like how intentional they are with like this is what the portrait of a student is going to look like after you graduate. This is what our school looks like, and just, they're very intentional with how they want it to look like and and their goals are right. When you have a very specific end in mind, there's more intention with building that. Yeah, so Tuesday, wednesday, thursday are in school and then Friday's home, which is nice because you have kind of those long weekends to shift gears a little bit again.
Speaker 1:You did a big move. You were living in Colorado, moved to Michigan and a big part of that was being around family. But I guess, having gone through it, do you still feel that it was the right decision, because I'm sure you still miss Colorado and all the community. Great things For someone that's considering weighing pros and cons of living far away from family but really loving where you're at, versus feeling like you're giving that up but being family. Now that you've had the hindsight and have explored both options, what do you think someone should keep in mind?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think that you have to choose your heart. So it's going to be hard either way when you have a community. For us, we had a community that we really loved and culture and an outdoor culture that we really loved, activities based. We loved our lives. But you have to choose your heart of do you want to be near family or do you want to lose and leave behind something that you really love and that you took a lot of pride in, and so I think for somebody considering a move like also could be different. You could be choosing to move away from your family or moving towards your family.
Speaker 2:But I think for us our move didn't come without losses and I probably regretted our move for the first full year that we were back and then some. It really took a toll on my mental health and we had a lot of change happening at the same time. I was pregnant with our second, we were moving across the country, we changed our jobs and I was on my way to becoming a stay-at-home mom, and we were moving across the country. We changed our jobs and I was on my way to becoming a stay-at-home mom and we were moving. So for us it was very compounding.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a lot of change, but I think that I have people in my life that are considering moving, and it's going to come with losses and wins too. So I would say that be prayerful and remember your why, of why you're the bigger picture, of why you want to do it or why you don't want to do it. I think that also it really ask those deep, big questions on the front end and be prayerful about it. And I think that a lot of my regret stems from feeling like we made a rush decision, and so if I had known that we really had been prayerful and intentional and slow in making our decision, then maybe I would feel more confidence during the hard moments. But because I felt like it was a little bit rushed on our end, then sometimes I feel like I had more regret. So be prayerful, be in constant conversation with your husband or wife or your community, and have those people who are reminding you of your why too.
Speaker 1:So that's what I would say, and you mentioned having a small age gap, your first two babies, and how that was something that was really difficult. Now that you look back on it, what do you think are some things that a mom that is going to be having a small age gap, intentionally or not intentionally, that they can do to ease that transition a little bit, because I know that it can be more challenging?
Speaker 2:yeah, I would say definitely make sure that you have good health care, like collective or like whole health care. In terms of therapy, yeah, in terms of an ob exercise, like physical therapist, because it's a lot. It takes a big toll on your body physically to have kids. That close together and I don't think, I think that I overlooked that. So definitely make sure that you're getting holistic health care, yeah, for every part of you, because it will it does affect you hormones are that's a lot on your body, yeah, especially hormone wise.
Speaker 2:and I also think that healthcare for every part of you because it will, it does affect you Hormones are that's a lot on your body, especially hormone wise. And I also think that my husband and I had to learn how to do it as a team, because it did take teamwork in that I couldn't do it all by myself. I essentially had two babies, and parents of twins will know that too. You have to work as a team and also to get help and to know that you do need help, and it's okay to ask for help, and it's okay to have seasons where you need a house cleaner or a season where you need a regular babysitter. There is no shame in that A season when you need to be able to maybe have more walks than normal.
Speaker 2:And that's why I got into running was because I needed not only personal health but just that mental clarity. It's a lot, and it's okay that it's a lot, and it's okay that it's hard, but there's joys in it on the other end, for sure. I feel like we're experiencing some of those really fun joys, but, yeah, I feel like having those moments of it's okay that it's hard and now that you have three, you have experienced a bigger age gap and you also have experienced a 13 yes age gap.
Speaker 1:Did you have to prepare the older siblings differently with the age gap or do you feel that it was the same?
Speaker 2:yeah, I'm. It was just night and day different, I think, between the two, because we my daughter wasn't really talking, she wasn't super verbal. She, I remember, had the video of him coming home. She was like baby, that was her first words. But and so, yeah, this time we were more intentional of explaining what was going to happen and how to treat babies and we would practice with their baby dolls and all that and, being older, they're helpful. Yeah, I'm loving this. It's been about two years. So, yeah, they're very helpful and they've been. It's been super fun. Yeah, it's been fun, both kinds, but I get what you're saying Okay.
Speaker 1:Another thing that you're really intentional on is making time for God and making time to not let that relationship just be on the side. Again, how do you do it? What are some habits that you have cultivated to make that happen?
Speaker 2:Yeah, again, I am worried. This is work in progress, a thousand percent. I am not at the place where I feel like I have arrived by any means. But one thing that I feel like has helped me and this was recommended by another mom was, instead of feeling like you're going to have this time, that you're going to just go to your secret place of God every day and have time in your prayer closet, just bring your Bible out and just have it on the counter so that while you're cooking dinner or while there's two minutes of silence, to just have it to look at and to reference. And I feel like that's helpful in making scriptures the authority of your home and making it really predominant in your kids' lives too is seeing you read it. And a lot of times when I have my Bible out and I'm reading it, my kids will ask me what I'm reading. So that's fun to be able to share the scriptures with them in that sense. But that's one little habit that I like to incorporate.
Speaker 1:Are you like your mom a lot? Do you feel that she?
Speaker 2:would yeah, I think we're similar.
Speaker 1:We get that a lot that we're similar, yes, and so are some of the things that you have incorporated, things that you grew up with, that you remember. Do you have?
Speaker 2:anything like that. I just remember that my mom is a bible study teacher now and she always has been ministry minded and focused and has always been ministry. She went to seminary and so I just I have memories of growing up and having walking into her room and she's surrounded by books on her floor. She's surrounded by books and she's got her Bible out and she's reading her Bible and I just feel like she always was grounded by reading scriptures because she had four kids, and so you need to have those moments with the Lord and him refining you, and so I feel like I am impacted by that to this day of just I need to be parented by God as much as I'm parenting my kids Do you have habits like that with Scott that you do together.
Speaker 2:He actually just started, which I really appreciate, because after a busy day it's hard Again if you haven't read your Bible. It's hard to not just want to crash in your bed. But he started reading just one chapter. He just we picked 2 Corinthians and he's I'm going to read this every night before bed, no matter how late it is. We're reading this together and that's been really helpful, and so we'll read one chapter a night together at the end of the day, and then I think just praying over our kids together is really powerful, and so we always try to do that, because somebody said that to me once if you're not praying for your kids, who is praying for your kids? You have to hope other people are.
Speaker 1:But you don't know, yeah, and who's going to be doing it with as much consistency as the parent?
Speaker 2:And specifically praying for their spouse, praying for their salvation, praying for their safety, praying for them to love the scriptures. Yeah, who is praying for all those things if not us. And that was another thing in the Habits of the Household that they talked about is just every night before bed praying over your kid before you go to your bed, because you always do the checks before you go into sleep.
Speaker 2:But having that is another time of I'm already checking on them. So how can I habit stack and say a prayer a little bit before bed?
Speaker 1:I don't know Singing all these songs. That book is awesome. Yeah, for sure. I'm going to add it to my list. Yeah, it's really great. Okay, running you mentioned that on top of all these things, we're training for a marathon, and okay, so I'm also training for a marathon.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you are, but I want to know how you've done it. What are some habits that you have incorporated? You and Scott do such a good job, it seems like as a team, to both get your runs in, and you started because you did a half marathon already after Brooke. After Brooke yeah, someone that has never run before where?
Speaker 2:do they start? I started simply because I was again in a poor mental state and I needed something for myself and something that was also healthy and just me time. Were you a runner before?
Speaker 2:yes yeah I did cross country in high school. I ran a half marathon before. Oh, I always meant a thing for me. So, yeah, that was easy. But whatever it is, I feel as mothers we have a minimal time, typically of alone time or whatever, and you always feel like you have to. I am I gonna shower, am I gonna read my body, gonna work out what am I gonna do, and so, just again, being intentional with something you enjoy, that is me time. So maybe it's not running, but maybe it's yoga that you love or barre class. So, whatever it is, that's you time and also healthy.
Speaker 2:You're doing your multitasking, but yeah, so I started it as just some me time. That was good for my mentals, but yeah, I think it's fun to do it with somebody who is a good partner. So Scott's really generous in making sure that I get my run in and doing what I need to do. I think a schedule helps. Of this is my training schedule so we know every week I'm going to be running. On certain days there's a Friday, saturday and he can work. He works around that.
Speaker 2:So, you do the same days every week, yeah, and then we'll throw in a workout class in there, but I'll typically do the mornings. He likes to run at night. I'll do mornings. We take turns with it, and when I signed up for this marathon, I intentionally was like you got to sign up for something too, because I don't want this to just be me. You have to do all the sacrifice for me, like I want this to be you do something for you too.
Speaker 2:I'll take some time, you take some time, let's do it yeah and so it's been fun in that sense where we're not maybe running together, but we each have our own thing and we can sacrifice and let the other person have their moment and you did the first one together too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, did you do. Is that something you did after every?
Speaker 2:baby. Yes, so it's again goal-oriented, correct, where I'm like after every kid. My goal was to run a half marathon after every baby, so I never did one for emerson, so I've done one for brooks and I've done one for jack, but emerson gets my marathon, so she gets two oh, they're whole. Yes, and that's amazing. Hopefully we don't have twins in the future, or something.
Speaker 1:You're not on social media. But if someone wants to connect with you, what is the best way that they can connect with you? You can give them my phone number.
Speaker 2:We can be friends in person because I feel like the community of motherhood, of moms, is just so strong and so needed across the board. So I feel like friendships are something I will never, ever neglect and would always love to be more friends and be encouraged by other moms.
Speaker 1:Okay, any other final words of encouragement for moms that want to be more intentional in motherhood, home, work-life balance.
Speaker 2:I have a little passage that I this is from one of my favorite. This is the classical education in me. This was given to us by our school and it's called the duties of parents by jc ryle, and it's a beautiful picture of just the duties of parents and I was looking it over and I think it sums up like classical education, parenting, and obviously like biblical parenting. This is I hope this is encouraging, but it says train up a child in the way he should go and that he never laid a command on man which he would not give man grace to perform. And I know too that our duty is not to stand still and dispute but to go forward and obey. It is just in the going forward that god will meet us.
Speaker 1:The path of obedience is the perfect example of just how intentional you are in finding encouraging, and I really hope that you find a friend that listens and could use more current in their life.
Speaker 2:But this was sweet of you to have me on here and to chat, so thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:I have six episode takeaways that I want to share with you today. One career downshifting is both emotional and freeing. Corinne shared how she moved from a fast-paced corporate role to working part-time and eventually to full-time at home, and how it challenged her identity and reshaped her values. Her high capacity skills are still used to bless her household. Two small age gaps are intense and survivable, with her first two children born 13 months apart. Curran offered encouragement for navigating physical, emotional and logistical demands during those early years, including the importance of teamwork with your spouse and holistic postpartum care with your spouse and holistic postpartum care.
Speaker 1:3. Intentional rhythms transform motherhood. Inspired by the book's Habits of the Household, corinne shared the nighttime routine she developed, pray, hope story and song, and how a few intentional moments each day ground both her kids and herself. 3. Deleting Instagram can create more presence and peace. Corinne explained how stepping away from social media helped her reclaim time, avoid comparison and become more intentional about how she connects with God, her kids and her community. 4. Classical education and hybrid homeschooling can work beautifully. Corinne explained what classical education means, how hybrid homeschooling supports the whole child and why it was a surprising but meaningful choice for her family. Five running is an excellent form of self-care. Training for a marathon after each child has helped Corinne find clarity, discipline and joy. She offered insight into how she and her husband make space for each other's personal growth goals, even in a full season, and six faith shapes it all. From moving across the country to structuring her days. Corinne shared how scripture, prayer and spiritual community guide her decisions and how it sustains her through motherhood's hardest and holiest work.
Speaker 1:That's it for today's episode. Thank you for spending this time with me. I know how valuable your time is and I hope you're walking away feeling encouraged to dream a little bigger about what's possible for your work and family life. If this episode spoke to you, it would mean so much if you shared it with another mom who needs this kind of encouragement. Make sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode, and if you want to keep the conversation going, connect with me on LinkedIn. Just search Emilia Cotto. That's E-M-I-L-I-A-C-O-T-O. Until next time, remember, motherhood isn't the end of your dreams, it's just the beginning.