Episode 39: Sherry Surratt

Sherry Surratt joins me for Episode 39. In her personal life, she lives in Parker, Colorado with her husband, Jeff. She has two grown kids and two grandkids. Professionally, she is an author, communicator, former MOPS President & CEO and currently serves as the Executive Director of Parenting Strategy at Orange.

Since she has been through all the phases of parenting and has been married for over 30 years, we have a rich conversation about surviving parenting and marriage. 

Links Mentioned:

• Orange
• Orange Parent Cue
• Phase Project with Kristen Ivy and Reggie Joiner
• Find podcasts that might encourage you. Here are Sarah's off show suggestions:
  • Mom's Struggling Well // A Mom's Mission Field // A Journey To Balance // Parent Cue Live // Wire Talk Live // Feathers: Faith in Flight // Uniquely Woman

Sherry's book:

• Just Lead! A No-nonesense, No Whining, Practical Guide For Women Leaders In The Church
• Brave Mom: Facing and Overcoming Your Real Mom Fears
• Beautiful Mess: A Devotional For Moms

Survival Kit:

• Enjoying the great outside. Lift your eyes up at the beauty God has created. Figure out what feeds your soul.

Connect with Sherry: twitter // Instagram // Facebook

I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Sherry. She is a wealth of knowledge and experience. I took lots of notes when I went back to listen again. I needed to hear her advice about the importance of self-care. I had never thought of it in the context of how there is a connection between enjoying my kids in the moment and my self-care. But it's true--if I am not getting any time to myself then my kids usually see the most stressed part of me. My challenge is to think about what feeds my soul. I used to love to go to Barnes and Noble, get some coffee then sit and read. But I seem to never find the time to do that yet I would most likely be a better mom if I did that. Sherry said, "Carve out time to invest in yourself and that will pay off with your kids and help you enjoy the moment."

So that's my challenge to you, too. It doesn't matter if you have kids or not, we all need self-care. Some of the most stressed and tired women I know are single because they work tirelessly. They feel like they have no reason to say no to more opportunities. We can all push ourselves to much and forget to make an investment in ourselves. So, this week, what will you do to take care of yourself? Go for a walk, sit in your favorite chair and read, journal, or walk through Target. It doesn't have to be extravagant or expensive. But I'd love to hear about your experience. Come find me on Instagram or Twitter or SurvivingSarahPodcast on Facebook or you can simply shoot me an email through the website. I'd love to continue the conversation.

Thank you so much for listening to the show. If you enjoyed this conversation, would you please leave a 5 star review on iTunes. That will help other people like you find the show. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.