Dina Deleasa Gonsar is an author, speaker, TV personality, and the creator of DishItGirl. You know her from Good Morning America, Fox News, E! News, Married to Jonas, or her podcast She Lives Fearless—but today, Dina Deleasa Gonsar is pulling up a chair to get real about life beyond the kitchen.

We talk about her journey through postpartum depression, her battle with thyroid cancer, and how both experiences shaped her perspective on life and faith. We also dive into her new cookbook, At the Kitchen Sink: Recipes to Fill Your Table, Words to Fill Your Heart. It's so much more than a collection of comforting recipes—it's a journey of inspirational stories and encouragement, celebrating the joy of gathering, cooking, and finding meaning in everyday moments.

It’s SWE’s birthday, and—shocker—we forgot…again. Emily takes a gestational diabetes test and promptly throws it up all over the parking lot. Matt and Emily are deeply immersed in Yellowstone, and everyone agrees Wicked was a hit. 

Kaitlin’s life has been completely transformed by sleeping with earplugs. Emily consistently vetoes Scott’s décor ideas. Kaitlin values Emily’s opinion more than her husband’s. 

Kaitlin and Scott can’t stop chatting up strangers, while Matt and Emily are perfecting the art of avoiding human interaction. And Emily now wants to adopt a dog with no eyes. So yeah, just another totally normal episode.

This week, it's an honor to welcome a dear friend, Brook Outland Bryant. Brook works with Safe Families, an organization that seeks to keep kids safe and families together. We dive into her journey of blending a family through marriage, adopting two boys internationally and a son domestically, and, most poignantly, the birth and loss of her daughter Blakely. Born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, Blakely spent almost a year in the hospital before she went home to be with the Lord. Brook's story is one of resilience and hope despite heartbreaking loss.

Kaitlin and Scott hold down the SWEpisode fort this week as a stomach bug invades the Elliott household. They chat about grown-up things like microwave covers and saving money, and Kaitlin meets with a spiritual director. 

Emily Holthaus is the founder of Raising Little Millionaires, an organization dedicated to helping parents raise financially confident kids. We dive into practical tips like teaching kids about budgeting, navigating the tricky topic of allowances, and answering the age-old question: Should you gift your kid a car? Plus, we’re breaking down how to help kids figure out what really matters when it comes to money and how to instill a spirit of generosity from a young age.

This week, the B-team takes over! Imposters, Caroline and Josh, crash this week’s SWEpisode in Emily and Matt’s absence and bring their own brand of chaos. 

New year, same chaos. Welcome to 2025, SWEople! Kaitlin gets a new phone and promptly forgets how phones even work. “Chip it!”—don’t worry, that’ll make sense later.

Meanwhile, Route 80 East literally falls into the earth, trapping us in Western Jersey. And what does one do when stuck in traffic and desperately needs to pee? Post-Christmas, we’ve officially declared the sibling gift exchange dumb and are finally switching it up.

Plus, Kaitlin and Scott fight over Boxbollen. Emily and Matt get heated over window shades, and have the “luckiest” adventure of all time at CarMax.

This week, we’re thrilled to bring you Part 2 of our conversation with Donna-Jean Breckenridge. If you enjoyed Donna-Jean's story in Part 1, you won’t want to miss Part 2, where we dive deep into the world of homeschooling!

Donna-Jean shares her passion for education, offering insight into common questions like: Can homeschooled children get enough social interaction? How can parents ensure their kids are learning everything they need? What are the unique benefits of the homeschooling lifestyle?

We also explore the timeless philosophy of Charlotte Mason and how it shaped the curriculum Donna-Jean co-created: Ambleside Online, a free resource empowering families to provide a rich and meaningful education at home.

Whether you’re a seasoned homeschooler, just curious, or somewhere in between, this episode is packed with inspiration and practical advice!

This week, we’re bringing you Part 1 of an incredible two-part conversation with Donna-Jean Breckenridge. Her story was so inspiring and rich with insight that we couldn’t fit it all into one episode!

Donna-Jean is a mom, grandmother, widow, author, speaker, and co-founder of Ambleside Online—a free Charlotte Mason-based homeschool curriculum. In this episode, she opens up about her life, sharing her struggles with infertility, the joy and challenges of adoption, the profound grief of losing her husband, and the heartbreak of losing her son-in-law.

Through it all, Donna-Jean’s resilience, faith, and wisdom shine as she reflects on finding hope in the midst of loss. Don’t forget to come back next week for Part 2, where she shares her passion for homeschooling and how Ambleside Online came to life!

Scott manages to order a lifetime supply of Fabletics apparel. Kaitlin orders her own not-so-secret Santa gift from Matt and ships it to the wrong address. But shoutout to Theo from DSW for saving the day. Emily’s henna brows are failing. What’s up with all the Christmas skeletons on people’s lawns? Matt calls Emily passive-aggressive…yikes. Kaitlin thinks no-wheel drive is a thing. Eggnog…what the heck is it? Do SWEpisodes ever cause fights when we stop recording?

They’re back! The Chicola Sisters come in clutch this week to dish on life’s most pressing topics: Emily's brand new eyebrows, favorite childhood Christmas movies, and Caroline's complete lack of skill for baking sourdough bread. But it wouldn’t be a Sisters episode without some sibling spice—Caroline spills the tea on childhood trauma caused by Kaitlin.

Emily fainted. Scott gets the most ill anyone has ever been. (We’re so healthy.) Kaitlin gets a big pay day from selling her clothes. Why do some people put absolutely no effort into their Christmas lights? The Elliott family takes the leap into Christmas cards. Let’s bring back church directories!!

In this episode, I sit down with Brenda Yoder, licensed counselor, speaker, educator, and author of Uncomplicated: Simple Secrets for a Compelling Life. Brenda shares insights from her Mennonite upbringing, offering timeless lessons from Amish and Mennonite values, including resourcefulness, folk knowledge, and cultivating contentment. We also tackle some common parenting and personal challenges; how to decide the right number of activities for your kids, strategies to be less reactive in the moment; and tips for gaining control of your thoughts. This inspiring conversation is filled with practical wisdom for a simpler, more intentional life.

Jill Savage is a speaker and author of No More Perfect Marriages. In this episode, we sit down to have a heartfelt and honest conversation about relationships. Jill opens up about her and her husband's journey through infidelity and the hard work of rebuilding trust. We dive deep into the subtle "slow fades" that can erode relationships, how attachment styles impact our connections, and the dysfunction we all carry from childhood into our marriages. Jill shares practical advice for navigating conflict, healing broken trust, and strengthening your relationship. Whether you’re married, engaged, or simply interested in relationship dynamics, this episode is packed with wisdom, encouragement, and actionable insights.

It’s Election Week, so naturally, we don’t talk about it. Scotty has fallen ill so sadly SWE is reduced to three (Ts and Ps for Scott). Kaitlin gets a library card. Apparently libraries are still a thing. We check in on the sour bread dough journey and discuss Emily’s “pregnancy brain”… Emily has a few gaps. Matt and Emily are going to Disney, so Emily is deep in the trenches of packing for a pregnant vacation. 

Lisa Steven is the author of A Place to Belong, a former teen mom and co-founder of Hope House Colorado, a sanctuary for teen mothers that empowers them to strive for personal and economic self-sufficiency and to understand their significance in God’s sight. Together, we dive deep into the realities of generational poverty, exploring the differences between middle-class and poverty mindsets. Our guest shares transformative stories of resilience and success from Hope House, offering insight into the challenges and triumphs of young mothers striving for a healthy future for their families.

Frozen waffles get canceled because of a listeria outbreak—right after Emily spends a month binging frozen waffles for breakfast. Jayce battles pneumonia and Kaitlin… well, sort of cares. Emily and Matt might just have the worst luck with cars of all time. Emily gets caught being less than truthful. And Kaitlin nearly runs head-first through the bedroom door in the middle of the night.

This might just be the most relatable topic of our generation. Meghan Ryan Asbury joins us to chat about her book, You Are Not Behind: Build a Life You Love Without Having Everything You Want. We talk about how to find true satisfaction between where you are and where you want to be; how to avoid manipulating our hopes; how to deal with unmet expectations, and so much more.

A member of the SWE team is pregnant. Hint…it’s not Scott. And contrary to popular belief, nor is it Kaitlin. Scott and Matt go golfing and are now obsessed. Kaitlin finally admits she has a shopping problem. Emily’s everlasting-simmering-scented-pot draws a lot of attention at a recent family party. Scott is never more offended than when he’s given a subpar rental car. Emily and Scott throw down with the HOA. 

Clarissa Moll is back and she's here to talk about her new book, Hurt, Help, Hope. She co-wrote it with her daughter and it's all about teenage grief. Today we chat about; the difference between intuitive and instrumental grievers, spiritual guidance for dealing with grief, what to do if you have regrets about the person you lost, the hidden gifts of grief, and so much more. Clarissa's book is available starting TOMORROW (October 8th).