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). 

Kaitlin’s sour bread dough journey is going VERY well! Scott is committed to making his smart phone as dumb as possible. Kaitlin discovers Scott’s secret stash of Magic Mind. Julia Roberts. Emily and Kaitlin are supporting their families financially with online shopping returns. Kaitlin’s car eats her credit card.

Emily and Kaitlin get into a bidding war over a Cape May sweatshirt and things turn physical. Scott turns into the hulk when he drinks coffee. Kaitlin’s lettuce edge socks are Scott’s new favorite women’s sock. Barrel jeans are an interesting choice society is making. And everything you’ll ever need to know about sour bread dough. 

Wait...Walmart fashion is having a moment...I'm OBSESSED. Does anyone understand how thrifting actually works? Scott reveals his secret thrifting past. Parker goes flying. Matt’s (never used) razor subscription saves the day when Emily discovers the superiority of men’s razors. Emily and Kaitlin go on a walk from hell. #VoteForScott

Emily chose a career she’s allergic to. Scott doesn’t know when summer ends. Matt annoys the heck out of everyone on the internet with his incessant posting on Facebook Marketplace. Kaitlin has read so many books that she’s starting to unknowingly reread books. Local “newspaper” shouts out local hero, Kaitlin Elliott, for “saving” a man’s life.

Kaitlin and Scott have a cute little date night (meaning…they sat down to record this podcast together). They discuss RIVETING topics like Kaitlin’s hair (again) and nails (again). They discuss Scott’s deep desire to save people from the rain and Kaitlin’s desire to let them soak and deal with their own life choices. Scott also wants to go on a marriage retreat and have lots of deep conversations and Kaitlin does not.