April 21, 2025 • 33 mins
Parenting is a journey filled with unexpected twists and turns. In this heartfelt episode, I sit down with Whitney Archibald, a mother of five who shares her inspiring story of resilience, adaptability, and the power of family bonds.
Whitney’s journey began with the challenge of infertility, leading to IVF for her first child. Little did she know that her family would grow to include five children, ages 9 to 19. As we dive into her experiences, Whitney opens up about:
Navigating the Chaos of Motherhood
- The transition from envisioning a perfect motherhood to managing the reality of multiple children
- Creating flexible systems to maintain sanity while raising a large family
- Balancing structure and spontaneity in parenting
A Life-Altering Moment
Whitney candidly shares a harrowing experience that changed everything – a 30-foot fall during a rock climbing accident. She reveals:
- The immediate aftermath and her surprising clarity in those crucial moments
- How the accident reshaped her family dynamics and her children’s roles
- The unexpected gifts of gratitude and perspective that emerged from trauma
Rediscovering Purpose and Joy
As Whitney continues to heal and adapt, she discusses:
- Finding new hobbies and passions that align with her current abilities
- The importance of savoring small moments with her children
- How her accident has influenced her approach to parenting and life
This conversation is a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the strength of family bonds. Whether you’re a parent navigating your own challenges or simply seeking inspiration, Whitney’s story will touch your heart and perhaps shift your perspective on what truly matters in life.
Join us for this moving discussion about family, resilience, and finding joy in life’s unexpected journeys.
Want to skip ahead?
00:02:25 Expectations vs. Reality of Motherhood
00:06:59 Flexibility in Parenting Approach
00:12:46 Life-Changing Accident and Recovery
00:21:14 Family Dynamics and Gratitude Post-Accident
00:27:00 New Hobbies and Future Outlook
Whitney Archibald
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (00:00):
Welcome to Easy style with Sami. I'm your
(00:02):
host. Sami Bedell Mulhern, eachepisode, I invite a friend,
family member, colleague or justsomeone I've met on this journey
called life, to come and sharetheir personal style and
approach to business, parenting,life and everything in between,
you'll hear motivational andinspirational stories that will
help you refine and build yourown personal style. Remember,
(00:25):
style is easy when it comes fromwithin.
Welcome back to Easy style withSami and Today, my guest is
Whitney. Archibald, Whitney,thanks for being here today. Oh
so excited to be here. Yeah, andI'm excited we're talking about
parenting and parenting styles,because everybody has an
opinion. So I just am verygrateful for you to be here
today to share your personalstory. I'm excited to hear a
(00:48):
little bit more about it myself,but before we kind of get
started, maybe just give peoplea brief introduction to who you
are.
Whitney Archibald (00:56):
So I am the mother of five children, four
boys and one girl, ages nine to19, and that's all kind of
remarkable, because we had to doin vitro fertilization for our
first baby. So we never knewwe'd have any kids, and now we
have a whole slew of them. Sowe're really excited to have
such a great big family. It'sbeen a wild ride for the last 18
(01:20):
years, and it i before kids, Iwas a magazine editor, and then
once my youngest started goingto preschool, I started a
podcast, and that was called howshe moms, and I've now rebranded
that to the family lab. Sothat's kind of where I am,
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (01:41):
yeah, and I was lucky enough to be on a
guest on your podcast. So we'lllink that up in the show notes
as well, if people want to checkthat out. We talked all things
tech tools, which was super fun.So I kind of, you know, I didn't
realize that you did IVF foryour first pregnancy. And so
that kind of even makes thisconversation, the beginning of
this conversation even kind ofmore aligned with kind of where
(02:04):
I wanted to start in, that wekind of grow up thinking, Okay,
well, I want to have kids. Like,did you always know you wanted
to have kids? You always knowyou wanted to have so many kids
and, like, kind of when you wereyounger? Like, what did you kind
of envision motherhood to belike, like, what were you most
excited about as a mom?
Whitney Archibald (02:25):
Well, yeah, I my husband and I both come from
big family, so we alwayspictured that we'd have these,
this big family. We just thoughtwe'd start sooner than than we
were able to. So we took fiveyears of, you know, trying and
treatments and all the thingsbefore we were able to have
kids. So I just thought it wouldbe easy, you know, I thought, oh
(02:46):
yeah, we'll just have kids whenwe want to have kids. And, you
know, often not the story. Andso, you know, we went through a
lot of sorrow in those years,but, but eventually, then the
joy when we did get pregnant.Like, I loved being pregnant,
especially that first time,like, everything was magical,
everything was amazing. And Iwas gonna be like, the most
(03:09):
amazing mother, and have it alltogether and do all the fun
things. I'd been like, I'd beenbabysitting my friends kids,
like, preparing for this. I'dbeen like, I kind of like
adopted children when Icouldn't, like, you know,
unofficially, when I couldn'thave kids. And I was like, I'd
be the one that swooped in andhad all these, let's paint with
pudding and let's do thisadventure house. Like, I was
(03:33):
like, Bring it on. And I'd havethem over to my house and give
their moms a break. It wasgreat. Anyway. So so I actually,
you know, did a lot of thosethings. I had saved up all these
ideas I was, I was pretty gungho. And then two kids came, and
then, and then the third one,and yeah, we didn't have to do
in vitro with the rest. Theyjust kind of started coming. And
(03:54):
yeah, and, but, but by the thirdone, I was in a little bit over
my head. I was living inMinnesota like you are, and I
remember that first doctor'sappointment where I had just
more kids than I had hands andcouldn't handle. I had one in
the stroller, one in my frontpack, like little pouch thing,
(04:18):
and the third I had just perchedon this footstool of the
stroller, and it's mid winterbecause, for some reason, I had
all my babies in the winter inMinnesota and and we, like, hit
a snow bank. The first one comestoppling off the foot rest. He's
crying face first in the snow.I'm like, juggling the other
(04:38):
ones. Everybody's crying. I'mlike, Why did I get myself into
so so that was kind of the pointwhere I was like, Okay, I need
to start, like, systems and likefiguring this stuff out. So
that's when I kind of startedresearching things and taking
this seriously as, like, a ajob, caregiving as a job, and
home management as a job. Yeah.And like, Okay, I'm gonna figure
(05:02):
things out. And so I justlearned stuff, and I talked to
lots of people, and that's kindof what morphed into the
podcast. Because I was like, I'mdoing all this research, I'm
doing all this workexperimenting. I might as well
turn it into a podcast so, butotherwise, I was very active
hands on moms. I always mom. Ialways had hiking groups with
(05:24):
all the kids, you know, I'dbring all the kids, and my
friends would bring all theirkids, and we'd just get the kids
out and doing bike rides. Alwayshad a couple kids on the on the
back, pulling them in a trailer,a couple next to me, you know,
just, just kind of really alwaysout hiking, biking. Biking, just
really active lifestyle, verymusical. We had, like a family
(05:47):
band and get learning differentinstruments. So that's kind of
our family culture,
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (05:53):
okay, but I want to, because I think a lot
of times as younger moms, like,moms of younger children. I
shouldn't say younger moms,because it doesn't matter how
old you are, but when you haveyounger children, there's like,
that point. So you mentionedyour example of, like, the kids
falling out of the stroller, andyou're like, oh my gosh, what am
I doing? We all have thesemoments. Like we all have had
(06:14):
that moment. So kind of, there'sdifferent ways that you can go
with that. It's either like,Okay, well, we're just going to
figure this out. You decided todo some learning and figuring
things out and creating systems.A lot of us go into this, I'm
overwhelmed. I can't handlethis. This is way too much.
Like, how what was that for youthat kind of drove you in one
(06:35):
direction versus the other? Andkind of like, how do you still
take those moments when you'relike, Okay, I did all this work,
I put all this stuff together,and it still is like, well, and
I have to kind of just pickmyself up and keep going,
because it doesn't define me asa good mom. It just defines the
moment, like how you kind ofwork through those things and
keep moving forward and havingthe same energy that you bring
(06:57):
to everything.
Whitney Archibald (06:59):
That is a great question. And I think that
was a shift that happened aboutthat same time, because
especially when you have infantsand toddlers, everybody's
telling you, like, consistency,consistency, consistency. That's
how you should be a good parent.And it was like, you know, I was
like, okay, schedules, we've gotto be on these schedules and and
(07:20):
I was kind of a slave to thoseschedules. And I really thought
that was the way, you know, andI thought there was one way. I
thought, when I created allthese systems, that I would find
that magical thing. And aboutabout that time, and maybe it
was after my third was born alittle down the road, because,
you know, there's that survivalmode for a while,
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (07:43):
fogginess, that's
Whitney Archibald (07:44):
okay, yeah, yeah. I kind of realized like,
oh, wait, actually, flexibilityis way more important than
consistency. And I think thatwas one of my biggest mindset
shifts. Is like, Oh yeah, thereis no one right way, because
every kid is different, sodifferent, like, the answer has
(08:04):
been different for every kid,and what I really need to lean
into is flexibility and beingokay with the messiness. And so,
yeah, there were these systemsbut, but they weren't rigid.
They they were very flexible,and that's why I kind of leaned
into this experiment thing,because I try one thing and then
(08:25):
pivot and flexible and shift andand once I realized that I
didn't have to always be fairand I didn't always have to be
flexible, I could customizethings to the individual needs
of my Kids, because I have somefirecrackers in the mix like
none of like my, my husband andI are pretty calm people, and
(08:49):
always have been, and we didnot. Our children are not that
way. So, yeah, we have strongpersonalities, and you got to be
flexible.
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (09:00):
No, I love that. And I think you and I are
very similar in that I love agood routine. I love a good
schedule. I like having thingsplanned out. I like having our
meals planned. I like and ittook my husband a really long
time to understand that havingthat framework in place gives me
the flexibility to be able to bemore calm, because he is very
(09:21):
much like, if it's I don't liketo have a schedule, because if
it's on the schedule, then wehave to do it like he hates when
things shift. When we say, Okay,well, we're going to dinner at
this restaurant at seveno'clock, and then we say, okay,
just kidding, we're going to goto this other restaurant at six
o'clock, like that drives himbonkers. So it's like, we've had
to come together and teach eachother that same thing and that
(09:42):
scheduling and planning actuallyleads to flexibility and
creativity, because I'm notsitting here all day long,
going, okay, what are we doingfor dinner? Like, you know,
funneling all day long, like Ihave a framework so that I can
be more in the moment. So it'sreally interesting to kind of
bring all those things.Together. So I don't know if you
guys had a similar experienceand like that process as you
(10:05):
know, co parents trying to sortthrough that together as you're
trying to raise all fivechildren, not trying to raise as
you are raising.
Whitney Archibald (10:16):
Yes, yeah. So, so my husband is kind of the
opposite. He's more rigid andmore kind of type A, if we want
to go stereotypes, than I am.I've always been kind of a
little bit more flexible. SoI've always been trying to like
part of part of the structure islike learning to to live with
(10:40):
his personality also, like,like, I've, I'm a little bit
more fly by the seat of my pantsand so so. And I mean, he's,
he's flexible and fun too, butthat just having that schedule
and things, I mean, I don't knowhow how scheduled it is, but
yeah, we like, keep a familycalendar, we and we do have
(11:04):
these systems in place. And I'vealways thought about it as like,
let's get the house rolling onautopilot as much as possible so
that we can have thatflexibility. And he's kind of, I
guess, more. So our challenge isless of like, different
different styles, than it isjust that he's not here very
(11:28):
often. He's a surgeon, and so Ireally had to get things in
place so that I could run thingsbasically on my own. And he's
very supportive and helpful andand, you know, works hard in the
house when he's in the house,yeah? But he's just, especially
in those early years, duringtraining, the time I'm talking
(11:49):
to you about, he was just notpresent. He was in medical
school and residency, yeah,during all those times when I
had to figure all that out. Soit was just, it was, I don't
want to say single parenting,because I still had him for
that, some of the mental loadand for for the strategic side
of things, but I I had tobasically do the
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (12:12):
rest well. I think what you're talking
about is seasons. We all gothrough these seasons, right?
The seasons of our childrengrowing up, the seasons of our
businesses, the seasons of thethings that we choose to do. And
so this kind of leads into,like, fast forward a few years,
and you went through kind of acrazy season yourself when you
had a pretty serious accident.So why don't you kind of share a
(12:35):
little bit about kind of whathappened and how that may be
then also shifted your frame ofmind and how you kind of
organize and structure and yourparenting.
Whitney Archibald (12:46):
Yeah, so about a year and a half ago, a
little bit longer than that. SoJuly of 2023, I was, you know,
doing that active thing that Iwas talking about, I was we were
in Utah on a trip, and I hadsome of my kids, and, well, just
(13:08):
one of my kids, but a bunch ofnieces and nephews, and I was
taking them. This was the secondshift I had taken a bunch of
rock climbing the day before.This is the second shift that I
was taking the next day and goteverything set up. My my son
helped me. But then, you know,kind of right as we were
beginning, I I thought, oh, thatdoesn't quite look safe. I'm
(13:31):
going to reset this rope. And I,I reset the rope, got it all set
up. Anyway, I realized I didn'thave my equipment, the equipment
I needed to repel down, so I hadmy brother send it back up. Got
all hooked in, didn't realizethat I had not sent the rope
(13:54):
back down that second time. Youknow, you have to send both
sides of the rope down whenyou're rappelling. In my mind, I
had already checked that box anddone all the double checks,
because I had done that before Iforgot the equipment. So
basically I short roped myself.I came, I came off, and then
started lowering, and the roperan out, and I fell 30 feet.
(14:21):
Yeah, yeah, right, flat on myback. And that was a life
changing event,
Unknown (14:28):
yeah,
Whitney Archibald (14:30):
a very miraculous one, because I
survived it, you know, and Ilanded, really, in the only
Whitney shaped spot that therewas. There were my sister took a
picture. There were rocks allaround my head. If I had hit any
one of those with my head, Iwould have had a head injury as
it was. I broke my pelvis inthree places, my back, in my
(14:54):
spine in three places, mysternum, some wrist. Ribs, my
wrist is all still pretty jackedup because of it. So that was a
that was an open compoundfracture. My sacrum snapped off
anyway, just basically my wholetorso was was shattered, and I
(15:17):
was in unbelievable pain. Theygot the ambulance up there and,
well, an ATV and down to theambulance to the hospital, three
days of surgeries and then amonth in the hospital. So wow,
that kind of suddenly puteverything on major pause. We
(15:41):
had been so we were about to,yeah, go ahead. Oh, I
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (15:44):
was just gonna ask, like, what like in
that I mean, obviously, like, inthat moment, you're probably
not, I don't know how muchmemory you have from like, those
first few days, but like,spending a month in the
hospital, having your kids comevisit you, like, what is, what
are the conversations? Or whatare you going through as you're
thinking about, like, I need toheal. I'm a mom my kids, because
(16:06):
you said you had some of yourkids with
Whitney Archibald (16:08):
you. I had one son with me. Yeah, yeah.
Like, the trauma that he
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (16:12):
would have experienced from seeing that and
going through that, and thenalso, like all of your children,
you know, like, how do youemotionally as just you like,
start to process all of that,because that's a lot to take on.
Yeah, yeah, it
Whitney Archibald (16:29):
was a lot all at once. And my husband wasn't
even in town still. He he had,yeah, he had been in Utah with
us, and he had had to go backearly to work, and so he wasn't
even there in the same state hehad to fly in. So yeah, like
immediately I had, actually, Inever went unconscious. I
(16:52):
remember in great detail thewhole experience, and I actually
had a very like spiritualexperience, and I I knew I was
going to be okay, and that wasthe most important thing. Like,
I wasn't afraid. I like, knewthat I was going to make it
through, and I knew that I gotto raise I would get to raise my
(17:16):
kids. I like, I knew my my youknow, the first thing I did was
wiggle my toes, wiggle myfingers, and then I checked in
with my head. I was like, I canthink clearly. I can think very
clearly. It was, it was almostlike in high relief, you know,
like everything, every detail Icould see, these dragonflies
overhead. I was staring up atthis, wow. It was very, a very
(17:36):
clarifying experience. And I wasconscious the whole time in the
they couldn't even give me painmeds when I got to the ambulance
because my blood pressure was solow. So I remember the whole
ambulance ride. I remembergetting to the ambulance. I
remember all of those things.And the thing I remember most is
just the perspective that I had,like we had, we were about to go
(17:58):
to Europe. I had, we had beentraining for six months to go on
this 100 mile hike around MontBlanc with my son for a senior
trip. And yeah, so that wassupposed to happen the very next
week, and I remember thinking,Europe's still going to be
(18:20):
there, like, everything, like,everything that I had been doing
that day, I had, like, all thesepodcast interviews scheduled
that day. We were going to aconcert that night. I was like,
none of that matters. All thatmatters is, I'm still here. I'm
with my family. We'll figureeverything else out. So I wasn't
(18:43):
actually stressed about any ofthe details, really the whole
time I was in the hospital,yeah, and I part of that's
because I have a great village,like my family was all there.
They just swooped in and took mykids. We still, we still had,
like, three weeks before schoolstarted. So my kids stayed in
Utah, visited me at thehospital. You know, most days,
(19:09):
my sisters made sure they had agreat summer. They took them to
water parks and things likethat, and yeah, and then then
they when it was time for schoolto start, I was still in the
hospital when school started,but my in laws took over the
care of the children, and myparents took over the care of
me, and then I stayed foranother month and a half, even
(19:30):
after the month in the hospital.Then I stayed for another month
and a half in Utah, at myparents house while I re learned
how to well in the hospital, Ilearned how to sit up, I learned
how to roll over, like like ababy, I basically started. I
went from being the caregiver tobeing the one who needed to be
(19:52):
cared for from the ground up,like I had people helping me
brush my teeth and roll over andall. All the things by the time
I went to my parents are and allall the things, and they are me
then, yeah, my in laws and myhusband, when we're taking care
(20:13):
of the kids here, yeah, justtalk about upending your whole
life all at once. I mean, that's
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (20:22):
incredible. And I think you're spot on,
right that that whole experiencewas, it sounds like you have an
incredible community around youand village around you, and that
can be a game changer. And beingable to do that, especially
since you weren't home, like inyour hometown, yeah, when it
happened. So I would love tokind of know, like, now that
you're kind of past that. I loveyour attitude and just like how
(20:42):
you were just, you know whatthis is, just what it is I'm in
the present, like I can't doanything else about it. I think
that's beautiful. I think in allsituations, we would do a lot
better if we had thatperception, no matter what big
or small. But like, now thatyou're kind of past, past it, I
know you're still kind ofrecovering a little bit, but
what does that look like for youand your family? Like? What has
(21:04):
that changed in maybe yourapproach? And how has it maybe
changed the way that even yourkids interact with each other,
or like your whole family justoperates as a unit?
Whitney Archibald (21:15):
Yeah? So, yeah. Once I got home, I was
still in a wheelchair, and theystill had to help me a lot. I
got out, you know, within acouple weeks after but, but I
was still, you know, not veryfunctional. I had to figure a
lot of stuff out. So that wasone of the great blessings too,
is that it really kind ofswitched things up, so that now
(21:37):
my kids have to serve me whenthey released to me serving
them. And so that was a verygrowing experience for for my
family, just to shift gears andlike, Oh, okay. Like, we need to
step up. We can, we can, firstof all, do a lot of more, lot
more things on our own. Youknow, they had to gain a lot of
independence with that. But thenalso that service element. And
(21:59):
like, what do you need help withmom? And for a while pushing me
in the wheelchair and and afterthat, you know, like letting me
lean on them while I relearn towalk, and all the things and so,
so that's been a that's been abig thing. I think for me,
personally, one of the biggestthings was just the increase of
(22:20):
gratitude for the little things.You know, while I was even on
the ground with all the thoughtsswirling through my head head,
it wasn't like the big momentsthat I was like, oh, I want to
be here for their weddings andtheir graduations. It was like,
I want to be here to read tothem at night. I want to be
there to go to their sports. Iwant to be there when they come
home at the end of a date, or,you know, after they've been
(22:44):
with their friends and and sobecause of that perspective,
like, I savor those things somuch. Like when the kids ask for
a ride somewhere, I used to belike, Oh, I'm just a glorified
chauffeur, just driving over.Now I'm like, the first one to
volunteer. Like, yeah, I'll pickyou up from that dance. I want
to be there when all the friendsare like chirping about what
happened. And I I don't mindwaiting up for the teenagers
(23:09):
that are out late. I'm excitedto see to be there when they get
home. I cried the first time Idrove the kids to school and
dropped them off, because Icould do such a normal thing,
you know. And so it did make mereally grateful for those little
things. I
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (23:24):
love that, um, and it's, you know, it's a
shame sometimes that we have toexperience something traumatic,
hopefully not as traumatic aswhat you went through, to remind
us of those little things and totake advantage of those little
moments. Because I know, for me,you know, I've got a daughter
who's leaving the house in acouple years. And, you know, got
two years. We realized lastsummer, like, we literally have
(23:45):
two summers left with her, thissummer and next summer before
she's moving off to college. Andso that alone, we're like, okay,
like, let's we need to kind ofmake sure we're doing more
things together, and like,capturing those little moments,
because it goes so fast. But didyou find like, was it kind of
one of the questions that I'mcurious about was, like, when
(24:05):
you're going through all of thisstuff and your kids are having
to help out, was it interestingto see, like, with each of your
kids personalities, like, whatarea they stepped up into, and,
like, where they kind ofnaturally led into? Like, well,
I'll take care of this, and I'lltake care of that. Like, was
that kind of a fun thing to seeevolve? Yeah,
Whitney Archibald (24:24):
yeah, it was. And just, just to see at what
level they they kind of noticedwhat needed to be done. And, you
know, we had been, I had apretty, I have a pretty
structured training program thatwe had already been doing for a
long time, where we, like, Istart them out as, like, they go
(24:46):
from helper to worker to managerin a lot of different things.
And so, so we always have kindof led them through that system.
And so, so I already kind ofknew where a lot of their
strengths were. So I was like,yeah. There's a one of my sons
we could always count on to makedinner, and that's the kind of
chore he wanted to do. Anotherone wanted nothing to do with
(25:08):
the kitchen, but, but he was,you know, always, always willing
to do some of the like, youknow, like, I'll take the I'll
take the basement, and I'llclean the basement, or whatever,
you know, like, so, yeah. Sothey, they definitely had
different, different roles thatthey'd already kind of
established. So that was kind ofnice. We didn't have to reset up
(25:28):
a lot of Yeah, yeah. So thatthat was interesting and, and
just to see, mostly, it was justsweet to to see them tune into
my needs, like they could tellif I was hurting. Like, No Mom,
sit down, I'm gonna take this orwhatever, you know, like it was
just, it was just pretty sweetto see, like, especially
(25:51):
teenagers, like, yeah, it's avery self centered time of life.
So so having to look outside andand, like, they were all all
just so glad I was still alive,you know, like, like, so they
they were really because, like,it's pretty miraculous that I
didn't die with that accidentand and so, yeah, it was just
(26:13):
really sweet to see them, like,step outside themselves and
recognize Another person's needsand each other's like, they
really supported and helped eachother too. Yeah.
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (26:25):
Okay, so as we wrap this up, kind of now,
like, what are you excited aboutin the future? Because I know
that this was a big shift foryou, just in your life, and how
you live your life in general,and how active you can be and
what activities you can andcannot do. So I guess 2.1 is,
(26:45):
what kind of new things have youlearned to love, or are you
excited about doing? And whatare you excited about for the
rest of 2025 as you continue,kind of getting more space from
this accident and continuing toheal,
Whitney Archibald (27:00):
yeah, yeah. The identity piece has been
really interesting because,like, I said, that was my
identity, like, being active,being like, oh, yeah, you need
that done. I'll do it. I'll, youknow, like, and so one of the
things as I was having to rest alot more, I still wanted to,
like, feel productive and notjust be, like, scrolling on my
(27:21):
phone every time I had to rest.And so I took up crocheting. So
so I just decided, like, Okay, Ijust need a new hobby. And it
actually worked for rehab for mywrist. So yeah, so I've started
crocheting. I can still play thepiano, so that's a wonderful
thing. And and I, I just havestarted to fill my active
(27:45):
activity needs with just goingon walks and I and because,
like, again, with that gratitudeof being here, I just knew I
would just want to spend all thetime I can with friends and
family. And so I try to invitefriends on on walks, like two or
three times a week, so that Ican kind of fill that cup too,
and just just be reallyconnected with people. It is I'm
(28:11):
starting to get back on a bike,just a trainer for my physical
therapy, so I do have hope thatI'll be able to hike and bike
again and maybe some light rockclimbing. We'll see about that.
My wrist is pretty messed up andbut I was like, I'm like, I
will, like, just to overcome thefear. Like my kids still rock
climb, and, you know, like, Ihaven't felt much anyway. I I'm
(28:35):
not against rock climbing again,if I can make it happen. But,
you know? So, so, yeah, justthat, just shifting identity,
identity, to find some hobbiesthat are more more sedentary,
but also more creative. So it'sopened up a new side of me that
I I always thought I'm just nota crafty person. I'm just not
(28:56):
crafty, but now I'm likeinventing patterns and putting
colors together, and likeopening up a whole new side that
I that I hadn't discovered. Andso, yeah, just committed to
continuing to learn new thingsand add things back in, and
everything I can add back inagain. Just so grateful to have
(29:19):
that back so, so I just, it'sjust a very full way to live
life when you get kind of asecond chance, and, and, yeah,
just especially embracing thatconnection with my kids, like I
try to have at least oneconnecting experience with each
of my kids every day, you know,and just, you know, I made
(29:44):
efforts before, obviously, but,but I'm just more conscious of
it, like I just got to eat upall this time I have with these
kids, and again, with, with allthis whole accident coinciding
with my first leaving home, too.Yeah, a lot. So. So, yeah. Just
treasuring the moments andcontinuing to learn new things.
(30:05):
It's kind of my MO going forwardwell,
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (30:08):
and it sounds like you have always had
a positive attitude in generaland lived in the present moment
in general. And I think thatthat goes a long way towards
healing, and just like yourability to kind of pull all that
together. So Whitney, I reallythank you for coming today, for
being vulnerable, for sharingyour story with everybody,
because it's pretty amazing whatyou've been through and where
(30:29):
you're going and your attitudeabout it. And so it's super
inspirational to me, and just agreat reminder for all of us,
even if it's just something assimple as, like you said, Call a
friend or call a family memberand say, Hey, let's just go for
a walk, like, just startsomewhere and do something to
continue to engage, because it'sgood for our mental health. It's
good for our relationship. So Ilove that. But Whitney, if
people want to connect with you,want to listen to your podcast
(30:50):
episodes, because I know they'regreat. How can people do that?
Whitney Archibald (30:55):
So the podcast is called the Family
Lab. I'm on Instagram at familylab podcast. And my website is
family lab podcast, also familyof podcast.com. And, yeah, tune
in. We'd love to have you. Ihave a YouTube channel too, so
you can access it there oranywhere you listen to podcasts.
(31:17):
So I
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (31:18):
love that. Well, Whitney, thank you so much
for being here today. We willlink all that up in the show
notes ateasystylewithsami.com/41 thank
you for your time. Thank you. Wejust want to say a big thank you
again to Whitney for joining uson this episode and for her
vulnerability. We don't all gothrough a life altering event
like almost losing her lifefalling off a cliff, but we all
(31:43):
definitely face and experiencethings in our life that help us
shift perspective, or changeperspective, or the way that we
kind of approach things. And soI'm really grateful for Whitney
coming for coming on andinspiring us to kind of think
about our lives and how weapproach our kids, their needs,
our needs, and how we kind oftreat each other as a family
unit, to kind of all step in andhave our roles and understand
(32:06):
like how we can support eachother in times of need. You can
grab the show notes, resourcesand all the extra goodies at
easystylewithsami.com/41 I hopethat you enjoyed this episode,
and if you're watching this onYouTube, I'd love for you to
comment below on what was yourbiggest takeaway, what was
something that you learned, whatwas something that you were
inspired by in this episode? Ordrop below somebody you think
(32:29):
should be on this podcast thathas an inspiring story to share
with others. I'd love to hear itand be able to connect with them
for now. Thank you so much forlistening to easy style with
Sammy. I hope that you findthese podcast episodes
inspirational and supportive toyou in whatever journey it is
that you are going on. Style iseasy when it comes from within,
(32:49):
and we all have our own personalstyles for how we like to
approach things, and that's whatmakes us great. So for now,
thank you so much for listening.Make sure you subscribe wherever
you listen, so you don't miss anepisode, and I will see you in
the next one.
Welcome to Easy style with Sami. I'm your
(00:02):
host. Sami Bedell Mulhern, eachepisode, I invite a friend,
family member, colleague or justsomeone I've met on this journey
called life, to come and sharetheir personal style and
approach to business, parenting,life and everything in between,
you'll hear motivational andinspirational stories that will
help you refine and build yourown personal style. Remember,
(00:25):
style is easy when it comes fromwithin.
Welcome back to Easy style withSami and Today, my guest is
Whitney. Archibald, Whitney,thanks for being here today. Oh
so excited to be here. Yeah, andI'm excited we're talking about
parenting and parenting styles,because everybody has an
opinion. So I just am verygrateful for you to be here
today to share your personalstory. I'm excited to hear a
(00:48):
little bit more about it myself,but before we kind of get
started, maybe just give peoplea brief introduction to who you
are.
Whitney Archibald (00:56):
So I am the mother of five children, four
boys and one girl, ages nine to19, and that's all kind of
remarkable, because we had to doin vitro fertilization for our
first baby. So we never knewwe'd have any kids, and now we
have a whole slew of them. Sowe're really excited to have
such a great big family. It'sbeen a wild ride for the last 18
(01:20):
years, and it i before kids, Iwas a magazine editor, and then
once my youngest started goingto preschool, I started a
podcast, and that was called howshe moms, and I've now rebranded
that to the family lab. Sothat's kind of where I am,
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (01:41):
yeah, and I was lucky enough to be on a
guest on your podcast. So we'lllink that up in the show notes
as well, if people want to checkthat out. We talked all things
tech tools, which was super fun.So I kind of, you know, I didn't
realize that you did IVF foryour first pregnancy. And so
that kind of even makes thisconversation, the beginning of
this conversation even kind ofmore aligned with kind of where
(02:04):
I wanted to start in, that wekind of grow up thinking, Okay,
well, I want to have kids. Like,did you always know you wanted
to have kids? You always knowyou wanted to have so many kids
and, like, kind of when you wereyounger? Like, what did you kind
of envision motherhood to belike, like, what were you most
excited about as a mom?
Whitney Archibald (02:25):
Well, yeah, I my husband and I both come from
big family, so we alwayspictured that we'd have these,
this big family. We just thoughtwe'd start sooner than than we
were able to. So we took fiveyears of, you know, trying and
treatments and all the thingsbefore we were able to have
kids. So I just thought it wouldbe easy, you know, I thought, oh
(02:46):
yeah, we'll just have kids whenwe want to have kids. And, you
know, often not the story. Andso, you know, we went through a
lot of sorrow in those years,but, but eventually, then the
joy when we did get pregnant.Like, I loved being pregnant,
especially that first time,like, everything was magical,
everything was amazing. And Iwas gonna be like, the most
(03:09):
amazing mother, and have it alltogether and do all the fun
things. I'd been like, I'd beenbabysitting my friends kids,
like, preparing for this. I'dbeen like, I kind of like
adopted children when Icouldn't, like, you know,
unofficially, when I couldn'thave kids. And I was like, I'd
be the one that swooped in andhad all these, let's paint with
pudding and let's do thisadventure house. Like, I was
(03:33):
like, Bring it on. And I'd havethem over to my house and give
their moms a break. It wasgreat. Anyway. So so I actually,
you know, did a lot of thosethings. I had saved up all these
ideas I was, I was pretty gungho. And then two kids came, and
then, and then the third one,and yeah, we didn't have to do
in vitro with the rest. Theyjust kind of started coming. And
(03:54):
yeah, and, but, but by the thirdone, I was in a little bit over
my head. I was living inMinnesota like you are, and I
remember that first doctor'sappointment where I had just
more kids than I had hands andcouldn't handle. I had one in
the stroller, one in my frontpack, like little pouch thing,
(04:18):
and the third I had just perchedon this footstool of the
stroller, and it's mid winterbecause, for some reason, I had
all my babies in the winter inMinnesota and and we, like, hit
a snow bank. The first one comestoppling off the foot rest. He's
crying face first in the snow.I'm like, juggling the other
(04:38):
ones. Everybody's crying. I'mlike, Why did I get myself into
so so that was kind of the pointwhere I was like, Okay, I need
to start, like, systems and likefiguring this stuff out. So
that's when I kind of startedresearching things and taking
this seriously as, like, a ajob, caregiving as a job, and
home management as a job. Yeah.And like, Okay, I'm gonna figure
(05:02):
things out. And so I justlearned stuff, and I talked to
lots of people, and that's kindof what morphed into the
podcast. Because I was like, I'mdoing all this research, I'm
doing all this workexperimenting. I might as well
turn it into a podcast so, butotherwise, I was very active
hands on moms. I always mom. Ialways had hiking groups with
(05:24):
all the kids, you know, I'dbring all the kids, and my
friends would bring all theirkids, and we'd just get the kids
out and doing bike rides. Alwayshad a couple kids on the on the
back, pulling them in a trailer,a couple next to me, you know,
just, just kind of really alwaysout hiking, biking. Biking, just
really active lifestyle, verymusical. We had, like a family
(05:47):
band and get learning differentinstruments. So that's kind of
our family culture,
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (05:53):
okay, but I want to, because I think a lot
of times as younger moms, like,moms of younger children. I
shouldn't say younger moms,because it doesn't matter how
old you are, but when you haveyounger children, there's like,
that point. So you mentionedyour example of, like, the kids
falling out of the stroller, andyou're like, oh my gosh, what am
I doing? We all have thesemoments. Like we all have had
(06:14):
that moment. So kind of, there'sdifferent ways that you can go
with that. It's either like,Okay, well, we're just going to
figure this out. You decided todo some learning and figuring
things out and creating systems.A lot of us go into this, I'm
overwhelmed. I can't handlethis. This is way too much.
Like, how what was that for youthat kind of drove you in one
(06:35):
direction versus the other? Andkind of like, how do you still
take those moments when you'relike, Okay, I did all this work,
I put all this stuff together,and it still is like, well, and
I have to kind of just pickmyself up and keep going,
because it doesn't define me asa good mom. It just defines the
moment, like how you kind ofwork through those things and
keep moving forward and havingthe same energy that you bring
(06:57):
to everything.
Whitney Archibald (06:59):
That is a great question. And I think that
was a shift that happened aboutthat same time, because
especially when you have infantsand toddlers, everybody's
telling you, like, consistency,consistency, consistency. That's
how you should be a good parent.And it was like, you know, I was
like, okay, schedules, we've gotto be on these schedules and and
(07:20):
I was kind of a slave to thoseschedules. And I really thought
that was the way, you know, andI thought there was one way. I
thought, when I created allthese systems, that I would find
that magical thing. And aboutabout that time, and maybe it
was after my third was born alittle down the road, because,
you know, there's that survivalmode for a while,
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (07:43):
fogginess, that's
Whitney Archibald (07:44):
okay, yeah, yeah. I kind of realized like,
oh, wait, actually, flexibilityis way more important than
consistency. And I think thatwas one of my biggest mindset
shifts. Is like, Oh yeah, thereis no one right way, because
every kid is different, sodifferent, like, the answer has
(08:04):
been different for every kid,and what I really need to lean
into is flexibility and beingokay with the messiness. And so,
yeah, there were these systemsbut, but they weren't rigid.
They they were very flexible,and that's why I kind of leaned
into this experiment thing,because I try one thing and then
(08:25):
pivot and flexible and shift andand once I realized that I
didn't have to always be fairand I didn't always have to be
flexible, I could customizethings to the individual needs
of my Kids, because I have somefirecrackers in the mix like
none of like my, my husband andI are pretty calm people, and
(08:49):
always have been, and we didnot. Our children are not that
way. So, yeah, we have strongpersonalities, and you got to be
flexible.
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (09:00):
No, I love that. And I think you and I are
very similar in that I love agood routine. I love a good
schedule. I like having thingsplanned out. I like having our
meals planned. I like and ittook my husband a really long
time to understand that havingthat framework in place gives me
the flexibility to be able to bemore calm, because he is very
(09:21):
much like, if it's I don't liketo have a schedule, because if
it's on the schedule, then wehave to do it like he hates when
things shift. When we say, Okay,well, we're going to dinner at
this restaurant at seveno'clock, and then we say, okay,
just kidding, we're going to goto this other restaurant at six
o'clock, like that drives himbonkers. So it's like, we've had
to come together and teach eachother that same thing and that
(09:42):
scheduling and planning actuallyleads to flexibility and
creativity, because I'm notsitting here all day long,
going, okay, what are we doingfor dinner? Like, you know,
funneling all day long, like Ihave a framework so that I can
be more in the moment. So it'sreally interesting to kind of
bring all those things.Together. So I don't know if you
guys had a similar experienceand like that process as you
(10:05):
know, co parents trying to sortthrough that together as you're
trying to raise all fivechildren, not trying to raise as
you are raising.
Whitney Archibald (10:16):
Yes, yeah. So, so my husband is kind of the
opposite. He's more rigid andmore kind of type A, if we want
to go stereotypes, than I am.I've always been kind of a
little bit more flexible. SoI've always been trying to like
part of part of the structure islike learning to to live with
(10:40):
his personality also, like,like, I've, I'm a little bit
more fly by the seat of my pantsand so so. And I mean, he's,
he's flexible and fun too, butthat just having that schedule
and things, I mean, I don't knowhow how scheduled it is, but
yeah, we like, keep a familycalendar, we and we do have
(11:04):
these systems in place. And I'vealways thought about it as like,
let's get the house rolling onautopilot as much as possible so
that we can have thatflexibility. And he's kind of, I
guess, more. So our challenge isless of like, different
different styles, than it isjust that he's not here very
(11:28):
often. He's a surgeon, and so Ireally had to get things in
place so that I could run thingsbasically on my own. And he's
very supportive and helpful andand, you know, works hard in the
house when he's in the house,yeah? But he's just, especially
in those early years, duringtraining, the time I'm talking
(11:49):
to you about, he was just notpresent. He was in medical
school and residency, yeah,during all those times when I
had to figure all that out. Soit was just, it was, I don't
want to say single parenting,because I still had him for
that, some of the mental loadand for for the strategic side
of things, but I I had tobasically do the
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (12:12):
rest well. I think what you're talking
about is seasons. We all gothrough these seasons, right?
The seasons of our childrengrowing up, the seasons of our
businesses, the seasons of thethings that we choose to do. And
so this kind of leads into,like, fast forward a few years,
and you went through kind of acrazy season yourself when you
had a pretty serious accident.So why don't you kind of share a
(12:35):
little bit about kind of whathappened and how that may be
then also shifted your frame ofmind and how you kind of
organize and structure and yourparenting.
Whitney Archibald (12:46):
Yeah, so about a year and a half ago, a
little bit longer than that. SoJuly of 2023, I was, you know,
doing that active thing that Iwas talking about, I was we were
in Utah on a trip, and I hadsome of my kids, and, well, just
(13:08):
one of my kids, but a bunch ofnieces and nephews, and I was
taking them. This was the secondshift I had taken a bunch of
rock climbing the day before.This is the second shift that I
was taking the next day and goteverything set up. My my son
helped me. But then, you know,kind of right as we were
beginning, I I thought, oh, thatdoesn't quite look safe. I'm
(13:31):
going to reset this rope. And I,I reset the rope, got it all set
up. Anyway, I realized I didn'thave my equipment, the equipment
I needed to repel down, so I hadmy brother send it back up. Got
all hooked in, didn't realizethat I had not sent the rope
(13:54):
back down that second time. Youknow, you have to send both
sides of the rope down whenyou're rappelling. In my mind, I
had already checked that box anddone all the double checks,
because I had done that before Iforgot the equipment. So
basically I short roped myself.I came, I came off, and then
started lowering, and the roperan out, and I fell 30 feet.
(14:21):
Yeah, yeah, right, flat on myback. And that was a life
changing event,
Unknown (14:28):
yeah,
Whitney Archibald (14:30):
a very miraculous one, because I
survived it, you know, and Ilanded, really, in the only
Whitney shaped spot that therewas. There were my sister took a
picture. There were rocks allaround my head. If I had hit any
one of those with my head, Iwould have had a head injury as
it was. I broke my pelvis inthree places, my back, in my
(14:54):
spine in three places, mysternum, some wrist. Ribs, my
wrist is all still pretty jackedup because of it. So that was a
that was an open compoundfracture. My sacrum snapped off
anyway, just basically my wholetorso was was shattered, and I
(15:17):
was in unbelievable pain. Theygot the ambulance up there and,
well, an ATV and down to theambulance to the hospital, three
days of surgeries and then amonth in the hospital. So wow,
that kind of suddenly puteverything on major pause. We
(15:41):
had been so we were about to,yeah, go ahead. Oh, I
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (15:44):
was just gonna ask, like, what like in
that I mean, obviously, like, inthat moment, you're probably
not, I don't know how muchmemory you have from like, those
first few days, but like,spending a month in the
hospital, having your kids comevisit you, like, what is, what
are the conversations? Or whatare you going through as you're
thinking about, like, I need toheal. I'm a mom my kids, because
(16:06):
you said you had some of yourkids with
Whitney Archibald (16:08):
you. I had one son with me. Yeah, yeah.
Like, the trauma that he
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (16:12):
would have experienced from seeing that and
going through that, and thenalso, like all of your children,
you know, like, how do youemotionally as just you like,
start to process all of that,because that's a lot to take on.
Yeah, yeah, it
Whitney Archibald (16:29):
was a lot all at once. And my husband wasn't
even in town still. He he had,yeah, he had been in Utah with
us, and he had had to go backearly to work, and so he wasn't
even there in the same state hehad to fly in. So yeah, like
immediately I had, actually, Inever went unconscious. I
(16:52):
remember in great detail thewhole experience, and I actually
had a very like spiritualexperience, and I I knew I was
going to be okay, and that wasthe most important thing. Like,
I wasn't afraid. I like, knewthat I was going to make it
through, and I knew that I gotto raise I would get to raise my
(17:16):
kids. I like, I knew my my youknow, the first thing I did was
wiggle my toes, wiggle myfingers, and then I checked in
with my head. I was like, I canthink clearly. I can think very
clearly. It was, it was almostlike in high relief, you know,
like everything, every detail Icould see, these dragonflies
overhead. I was staring up atthis, wow. It was very, a very
(17:36):
clarifying experience. And I wasconscious the whole time in the
they couldn't even give me painmeds when I got to the ambulance
because my blood pressure was solow. So I remember the whole
ambulance ride. I remembergetting to the ambulance. I
remember all of those things.And the thing I remember most is
just the perspective that I had,like we had, we were about to go
(17:58):
to Europe. I had, we had beentraining for six months to go on
this 100 mile hike around MontBlanc with my son for a senior
trip. And yeah, so that wassupposed to happen the very next
week, and I remember thinking,Europe's still going to be
(18:20):
there, like, everything, like,everything that I had been doing
that day, I had, like, all thesepodcast interviews scheduled
that day. We were going to aconcert that night. I was like,
none of that matters. All thatmatters is, I'm still here. I'm
with my family. We'll figureeverything else out. So I wasn't
(18:43):
actually stressed about any ofthe details, really the whole
time I was in the hospital,yeah, and I part of that's
because I have a great village,like my family was all there.
They just swooped in and took mykids. We still, we still had,
like, three weeks before schoolstarted. So my kids stayed in
Utah, visited me at thehospital. You know, most days,
(19:09):
my sisters made sure they had agreat summer. They took them to
water parks and things likethat, and yeah, and then then
they when it was time for schoolto start, I was still in the
hospital when school started,but my in laws took over the
care of the children, and myparents took over the care of
me, and then I stayed foranother month and a half, even
(19:30):
after the month in the hospital.Then I stayed for another month
and a half in Utah, at myparents house while I re learned
how to well in the hospital, Ilearned how to sit up, I learned
how to roll over, like like ababy, I basically started. I
went from being the caregiver tobeing the one who needed to be
(19:52):
cared for from the ground up,like I had people helping me
brush my teeth and roll over andall. All the things by the time
I went to my parents are and allall the things, and they are me
then, yeah, my in laws and myhusband, when we're taking care
(20:13):
of the kids here, yeah, justtalk about upending your whole
life all at once. I mean, that's
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (20:22):
incredible. And I think you're spot on,
right that that whole experiencewas, it sounds like you have an
incredible community around youand village around you, and that
can be a game changer. And beingable to do that, especially
since you weren't home, like inyour hometown, yeah, when it
happened. So I would love tokind of know, like, now that
you're kind of past that. I loveyour attitude and just like how
(20:42):
you were just, you know whatthis is, just what it is I'm in
the present, like I can't doanything else about it. I think
that's beautiful. I think in allsituations, we would do a lot
better if we had thatperception, no matter what big
or small. But like, now thatyou're kind of past, past it, I
know you're still kind ofrecovering a little bit, but
what does that look like for youand your family? Like? What has
(21:04):
that changed in maybe yourapproach? And how has it maybe
changed the way that even yourkids interact with each other,
or like your whole family justoperates as a unit?
Whitney Archibald (21:15):
Yeah? So, yeah. Once I got home, I was
still in a wheelchair, and theystill had to help me a lot. I
got out, you know, within acouple weeks after but, but I
was still, you know, not veryfunctional. I had to figure a
lot of stuff out. So that wasone of the great blessings too,
is that it really kind ofswitched things up, so that now
(21:37):
my kids have to serve me whenthey released to me serving
them. And so that was a verygrowing experience for for my
family, just to shift gears andlike, Oh, okay. Like, we need to
step up. We can, we can, firstof all, do a lot of more, lot
more things on our own. Youknow, they had to gain a lot of
independence with that. But thenalso that service element. And
(21:59):
like, what do you need help withmom? And for a while pushing me
in the wheelchair and and afterthat, you know, like letting me
lean on them while I relearn towalk, and all the things and so,
so that's been a that's been abig thing. I think for me,
personally, one of the biggestthings was just the increase of
(22:20):
gratitude for the little things.You know, while I was even on
the ground with all the thoughtsswirling through my head head,
it wasn't like the big momentsthat I was like, oh, I want to
be here for their weddings andtheir graduations. It was like,
I want to be here to read tothem at night. I want to be
there to go to their sports. Iwant to be there when they come
home at the end of a date, or,you know, after they've been
(22:44):
with their friends and and sobecause of that perspective,
like, I savor those things somuch. Like when the kids ask for
a ride somewhere, I used to belike, Oh, I'm just a glorified
chauffeur, just driving over.Now I'm like, the first one to
volunteer. Like, yeah, I'll pickyou up from that dance. I want
to be there when all the friendsare like chirping about what
happened. And I I don't mindwaiting up for the teenagers
(23:09):
that are out late. I'm excitedto see to be there when they get
home. I cried the first time Idrove the kids to school and
dropped them off, because Icould do such a normal thing,
you know. And so it did make mereally grateful for those little
things. I
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (23:24):
love that, um, and it's, you know, it's a
shame sometimes that we have toexperience something traumatic,
hopefully not as traumatic aswhat you went through, to remind
us of those little things and totake advantage of those little
moments. Because I know, for me,you know, I've got a daughter
who's leaving the house in acouple years. And, you know, got
two years. We realized lastsummer, like, we literally have
(23:45):
two summers left with her, thissummer and next summer before
she's moving off to college. Andso that alone, we're like, okay,
like, let's we need to kind ofmake sure we're doing more
things together, and like,capturing those little moments,
because it goes so fast. But didyou find like, was it kind of
one of the questions that I'mcurious about was, like, when
(24:05):
you're going through all of thisstuff and your kids are having
to help out, was it interestingto see, like, with each of your
kids personalities, like, whatarea they stepped up into, and,
like, where they kind ofnaturally led into? Like, well,
I'll take care of this, and I'lltake care of that. Like, was
that kind of a fun thing to seeevolve? Yeah,
Whitney Archibald (24:24):
yeah, it was. And just, just to see at what
level they they kind of noticedwhat needed to be done. And, you
know, we had been, I had apretty, I have a pretty
structured training program thatwe had already been doing for a
long time, where we, like, Istart them out as, like, they go
(24:46):
from helper to worker to managerin a lot of different things.
And so, so we always have kindof led them through that system.
And so, so I already kind ofknew where a lot of their
strengths were. So I was like,yeah. There's a one of my sons
we could always count on to makedinner, and that's the kind of
chore he wanted to do. Anotherone wanted nothing to do with
(25:08):
the kitchen, but, but he was,you know, always, always willing
to do some of the like, youknow, like, I'll take the I'll
take the basement, and I'llclean the basement, or whatever,
you know, like, so, yeah. Sothey, they definitely had
different, different roles thatthey'd already kind of
established. So that was kind ofnice. We didn't have to reset up
(25:28):
a lot of Yeah, yeah. So thatthat was interesting and, and
just to see, mostly, it was justsweet to to see them tune into
my needs, like they could tellif I was hurting. Like, No Mom,
sit down, I'm gonna take this orwhatever, you know, like it was
just, it was just pretty sweetto see, like, especially
(25:51):
teenagers, like, yeah, it's avery self centered time of life.
So so having to look outside andand, like, they were all all
just so glad I was still alive,you know, like, like, so they
they were really because, like,it's pretty miraculous that I
didn't die with that accidentand and so, yeah, it was just
(26:13):
really sweet to see them, like,step outside themselves and
recognize Another person's needsand each other's like, they
really supported and helped eachother too. Yeah.
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (26:25):
Okay, so as we wrap this up, kind of now,
like, what are you excited aboutin the future? Because I know
that this was a big shift foryou, just in your life, and how
you live your life in general,and how active you can be and
what activities you can andcannot do. So I guess 2.1 is,
(26:45):
what kind of new things have youlearned to love, or are you
excited about doing? And whatare you excited about for the
rest of 2025 as you continue,kind of getting more space from
this accident and continuing toheal,
Whitney Archibald (27:00):
yeah, yeah. The identity piece has been
really interesting because,like, I said, that was my
identity, like, being active,being like, oh, yeah, you need
that done. I'll do it. I'll, youknow, like, and so one of the
things as I was having to rest alot more, I still wanted to,
like, feel productive and notjust be, like, scrolling on my
(27:21):
phone every time I had to rest.And so I took up crocheting. So
so I just decided, like, Okay, Ijust need a new hobby. And it
actually worked for rehab for mywrist. So yeah, so I've started
crocheting. I can still play thepiano, so that's a wonderful
thing. And and I, I just havestarted to fill my active
(27:45):
activity needs with just goingon walks and I and because,
like, again, with that gratitudeof being here, I just knew I
would just want to spend all thetime I can with friends and
family. And so I try to invitefriends on on walks, like two or
three times a week, so that Ican kind of fill that cup too,
and just just be reallyconnected with people. It is I'm
(28:11):
starting to get back on a bike,just a trainer for my physical
therapy, so I do have hope thatI'll be able to hike and bike
again and maybe some light rockclimbing. We'll see about that.
My wrist is pretty messed up andbut I was like, I'm like, I
will, like, just to overcome thefear. Like my kids still rock
climb, and, you know, like, Ihaven't felt much anyway. I I'm
(28:35):
not against rock climbing again,if I can make it happen. But,
you know? So, so, yeah, justthat, just shifting identity,
identity, to find some hobbiesthat are more more sedentary,
but also more creative. So it'sopened up a new side of me that
I I always thought I'm just nota crafty person. I'm just not
(28:56):
crafty, but now I'm likeinventing patterns and putting
colors together, and likeopening up a whole new side that
I that I hadn't discovered. Andso, yeah, just committed to
continuing to learn new thingsand add things back in, and
everything I can add back inagain. Just so grateful to have
(29:19):
that back so, so I just, it'sjust a very full way to live
life when you get kind of asecond chance, and, and, yeah,
just especially embracing thatconnection with my kids, like I
try to have at least oneconnecting experience with each
of my kids every day, you know,and just, you know, I made
(29:44):
efforts before, obviously, but,but I'm just more conscious of
it, like I just got to eat upall this time I have with these
kids, and again, with, with allthis whole accident coinciding
with my first leaving home, too.Yeah, a lot. So. So, yeah. Just
treasuring the moments andcontinuing to learn new things.
(30:05):
It's kind of my MO going forwardwell,
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (30:08):
and it sounds like you have always had
a positive attitude in generaland lived in the present moment
in general. And I think thatthat goes a long way towards
healing, and just like yourability to kind of pull all that
together. So Whitney, I reallythank you for coming today, for
being vulnerable, for sharingyour story with everybody,
because it's pretty amazing whatyou've been through and where
(30:29):
you're going and your attitudeabout it. And so it's super
inspirational to me, and just agreat reminder for all of us,
even if it's just something assimple as, like you said, Call a
friend or call a family memberand say, Hey, let's just go for
a walk, like, just startsomewhere and do something to
continue to engage, because it'sgood for our mental health. It's
good for our relationship. So Ilove that. But Whitney, if
people want to connect with you,want to listen to your podcast
(30:50):
episodes, because I know they'regreat. How can people do that?
Whitney Archibald (30:55):
So the podcast is called the Family
Lab. I'm on Instagram at familylab podcast. And my website is
family lab podcast, also familyof podcast.com. And, yeah, tune
in. We'd love to have you. Ihave a YouTube channel too, so
you can access it there oranywhere you listen to podcasts.
(31:17):
So I
Sami Bedell-Mulhern (31:18):
love that. Well, Whitney, thank you so much
for being here today. We willlink all that up in the show
notes ateasystylewithsami.com/41 thank
you for your time. Thank you. Wejust want to say a big thank you
again to Whitney for joining uson this episode and for her
vulnerability. We don't all gothrough a life altering event
like almost losing her lifefalling off a cliff, but we all
(31:43):
definitely face and experiencethings in our life that help us
shift perspective, or changeperspective, or the way that we
kind of approach things. And soI'm really grateful for Whitney
coming for coming on andinspiring us to kind of think
about our lives and how weapproach our kids, their needs,
our needs, and how we kind oftreat each other as a family
unit, to kind of all step in andhave our roles and understand
(32:06):
like how we can support eachother in times of need. You can
grab the show notes, resourcesand all the extra goodies at
easystylewithsami.com/41 I hopethat you enjoyed this episode,
and if you're watching this onYouTube, I'd love for you to
comment below on what was yourbiggest takeaway, what was
something that you learned, whatwas something that you were
inspired by in this episode? Ordrop below somebody you think
(32:29):
should be on this podcast thathas an inspiring story to share
with others. I'd love to hear itand be able to connect with them
for now. Thank you so much forlistening to easy style with
Sammy. I hope that you findthese podcast episodes
inspirational and supportive toyou in whatever journey it is
that you are going on. Style iseasy when it comes from within,
(32:49):
and we all have our own personalstyles for how we like to
approach things, and that's whatmakes us great. So for now,
thank you so much for listening.Make sure you subscribe wherever
you listen, so you don't miss anepisode, and I will see you in
the next one.
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