Let's Be Cleere

Have you ever watched your child struggle with something and immediately felt the urge to step in?Maybe they couldn’t find the right words in a conversation.Maybe they were frustrated by homework.Maybe they forgot something important.Maybe they felt nervous before an event.Maybe they were disappointed by a friendship.Or maybe they were standing on a stool trying to fill up their own water bottle, taking twice as long as it would take you.Maybe they were struggling to zip their jacket.Order their own meal.Ask the question themselves.Carry the bag.Tie the shoe.And before they even had a chance to work through it, you were already reaching for a solution.Explaining. Fixing. Helping. Rescuing.If you’re a parent, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Chances are, when it’s happening in real time, you don’t even realize you’re doing it.Because watching our children struggle is uncomfortable.Personally, I think it’s often harder to watch your child struggle than it is to face your own struggles.We love them. We want to protect them. We want to spare them unnecessary pain. We want to make things easier when we can.Sometimes we see the obstacle before they do. Sometimes we see their potential and all the possibilities that lie ahead, and because we can spot the roadblock coming, we want to clear it before they ever reach it.The motivation is beautiful. It’s love.We love them so much that we want to spare them heartache. Frustration. Disappointment. Embarrassment. Failure. We want to cushion the fall before it ever happens.And honestly, this is something I think about all the time with Sledge.As a special-needs parent, this question carries an extra layer for me. There are moments when helping is absolutely necessary. Moments when support, advocacy, therapy, and intervention matter deeply.But there are also moments when I find myself asking:Am I helping because he truly needs help? Or am I helping because I’m uncomfortable watching him struggle?Because if I’m honest, there are times when Sledge has proven himself far more capable than I expected.He adapts.He perseveres.He figures things out.He keeps trying.And over and over again, he reminds me that capability is often built in the very moments we’re tempted to step in.Lately I’ve been wondering something.What if, in our effort to help, we occasionally step in too soon?What if some of the very experiences we’re trying to save our children from are the experiences that would help them discover what they’re capable of?What if every time we rush in before they actually need us, we unintentionally communicate a message we never meant to send?Not, “I’ve got you.”But, “I don’t think you’ve got this.”What if our constant rescuing quietly teaches them to doubt their own resilience?To question their ability to problem-solve?To believe that discomfort is something to escape rather than something they can move through?Because confidence isn’t built when someone else always does it for us.Confidence is built when we discover that we can do hard things.That we can recover.That we can adapt.That we can try again.That we can survive disappointment.That we can face challenges and keep moving forward.That God has equipped us for more than we realize.Even if we fall.Even if it’s messy.Even if it takes longer than we’d like.Even if the water bottle spills all over the floor.That’s why I was so excited to sit down with my friends Sissy Goff and David Thomas to discuss their new book, Capable: How to Teach Your Kids the Strengths, Skills, and Strategies to Build Resilience.Get all the notes and resources on from this podcast at cleerelystated.substack.com and join the community!

What do you do when the outcome you want feels out of reach?When the people you love are walking through things you can’t fix…And when control feels like a survival tactic you just can’t shake?In this episode, I sit down with Jodie Berndt—speaker, author, and the voice behind the Praying the Scriptures series—for a conversation that goes way beyond parenting.Whether you’re single, married, parenting toddlers, teenagers, or simply trying to love the people in your life well… this episode is for you.We talk about:• Why surrender is at the heart of every healthy relationship (marriage, parenting, or otherwise)• What it really means to trust God when your heart feels protective, anxious, or out of control• How to pray Scripture over your marriage (and why praying for your spouse changes you, too)• What to do when God feels silent• Releasing the need for quick fixes and embracing the long game of faith• Identity in seasons when prayers feel unansweredThis is not a conversation about perfect prayers or tidy outcomes. It’s about choosing trust over fear… surrender over striving… and remembering that God cares even more than we do.Where to find Jodie:​Website: jodieberndt.com​Instagram: @jodie_berndt

What’s it like to grow up with a front-row seat to fame, only to find yourself center stage in a story you never saw coming?In this episode, Cleere sits down with the radiant and real Mattie Jackson—author, speaker, podcast host, and daughter of country music legend Alan Jackson—for a conversation that’s equal parts heartache and healing, grit and grace.Mattie opens up about what it was like to grow up in the spotlight, and how even that couldn’t prepare her for the deep grief of losing her husband just months into marriage. She shares how grief can shape us into people we barely recognize—not because we’re weak, but because we’re suddenly living in a world we never prepared for. And yet… God.This episode is rich with wisdom, full of laughter, and tenderly honest. Together, we talk about: • What happens when your life no longer looks like your life • The “limbo years” where God rebuilds slowly and sweetly • How to stay open to joy, even when it feels like betrayal • Why grief doesn’t cancel your calling—it deepens it • What Mattie’s learning now about love, dating, and rebuildingWhether you’re walking through loss, navigating transition, or just wondering how to hold joy and sorrow at the same time, this conversation will remind you: even in the ruins, God is still writing beauty. And He doesn’t waste a single tear.Find Mattie Jackson here: • Website: mattiejackson.net • Instagram: @mattiejackson • Books: Lemons on Friday and Through the Valley of Grief – available wherever books are sold

How do you know when support turns to enabling?How do we be proactive with our children while letting them build emotional resilience?How does grief and anxiety look different in girls and boys?What do we do as parents to help our kids deal with anxiety without removing the obstacles that help them grow?These are just a few of the things we dug into in my conversation with renown counselor and my dear friend, Sissy Goff. Through her many years in working with kids of all ages, Sissy has built a repertoire of skills and understanding to help champion kids and parents to live a full life, build emotional resilience, navigate complex emotions, and cultivate meaningful relationships.Regardless of whether you are a parent or just love growing ones around you, I can’t recommend this conversation enough.Sissy is a warm hug, an understanding ear, and a wise soul that meets you where you are, offers compassion regardless of circumstance, and provides practical ways to find your footing again.Learn more about Sissy and Daystar counseling here: https://www.daystarcounseling.comFollow Sissy Goff on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/sissygoff

What does it really mean to live from a place of wholeness? How do we seek healing? How do we know when we are operating out of a pain cycle— what does it look like to find the root, do the deep work, and let God restore us from the inside out?In this convo, my DEAR friend, Meshali Mitchell, digs into the process the Lord has taken her through— both in her own soul and literally as she restores a farmhouse that has now become her home.The truth is, if you want to experience love of any kind, you will have to risk rejection, hurt, and the pain that comes from being loved by imperfect people. As Meshali walks through her own personal healing process in her new book, “Restored: Partnering with God in Transforming our Broken Places”, she offers such deep practical insight that will meet you right where you are. And the way Meshali dives into scripture and helps you apply the Word of God is unparalleled — I’m so grateful for this conversation and this book!Life will be the continual process of healing until we become fully restored in Heaven. But until then? We get to partner with God as He breathes fresh wind and true healing to the deepest parts of our soul.Buy Meshali’s new book here: https://amzn.to/42Her2pFind Meshali on Instagram @Meshali Learn more about Meshali, her photography, her story, and her offerings here: https://www.meshali.co

You know the cycle: You start the day already exhausted and end it defeated, all the while telling yourself things will get better if you can just power through this week. But then the weeks turn into months, and you start to believe you'll never be able to stop, slow down, or catch your breath. You wouldn't even know how if you tried.Is this how God intended for us to live? How do we enter into the abundant life God offers us? Best-selling author, pastor, speaker, podcast host, and leader Jess Connolly talks all about this and her journey of writing, “Tired of Being Tired” helped her discover a new way of living..She is relatable, honest, practical, wise, and such a breath of breath air.. Buy Tired of Being Tired: Receive God’s Realistic Rest for your Soul-Deep Exhaustion here: https://amzn.to/4laL5ASLearn more about Jess here: https://www.jessconnolly.com/

Ever feel like you’re working really hard and somehow everyone else is walking in the blessing you’re praying for?Or maybe you just feel unseen or anonymous and you feel your flesh crying out for significance?Or maybe you’re tired of waiting and waiting and waiting to hold a promise that has yet to come to fruition?We dive into this very thing — Allison talks about what it means to choose a life hidden in Christ In a world that equates significance with being seen and excellence with exposure..How do we stop conforming and start embracing the FULLNESS of life exactly where we are? Allison Allen is a speaker, author, creator, podcast host, and a brilliant communicator of the Gospel.Her greatest desire is to include the themes of purpose, value, and identity as she helps people encounter the wild compassion of God. She has written several books and her most recent study, “Hidden”, dives deep into the truths discussed in this podcast.She serves as the wing woman on Lisa Harper’s “Backporch theology” podcast, where their greatest hope is to help people understand the Bible in a substantive but not stuffy way.Learn more about Allison and all her life-giving products here: https://www.allisonallen.netFollow along with Allison on instagram here: www.instagram.com/allisonallen

Your favorite guest is back— my husband!One of my favorite things about Will is he really ponders things before he speaks and he is so honest. I love hearing his perspective; his security in who he is has helped me learn what it means to really take God at His Word.We dig into:• the importance of stillness and why it’s so hard• Some things we are struggling with/learning in this season• What it means to get healthy + the importance of boundaries • Encouragement to anyone asking God, “ummm…what’s your timeline on this?”Follow along with @cleerelystated for daily encouragement!All products mentioned - and many more- can be found on www.cleerelystated.com 🤍