Family Brand: Take Back Your Family

This episode started the way some of our best conversations do — on a walk.

Chris and Melissa talk about why the idea of "balance" often leaves families frustrated, exhausted, and feeling like they're failing. Instead, they introduce a different lens that has brought them far more peace over the years: seasons of life.

Every season affords certain opportunities.
Every season also has real limi...

Couple's Playbook: Getting on the Same Page for the Year Ahead

It's easy to start a new year with good intentions — and just as easy to lose them once life speeds back up.

In this episode, Chris and Melissa talk about why so many couples want to be intentional but struggle to actually do it together. The issue isn't desire. It's structure. Most couples don't need more motivation — they need a ...

Wanting to Believe: Re-Enrolling Each Other Into What's Possible

This episode came out of a conversation Chris had this week — and it hit him so clearly that he realized he and Melissa had never talked about it publicly before.

They've shared openly about the hard seasons in their marriage. They've taught frameworks for having honest, productive conversations about what isn't working. But in t...

Couple's Playbook for 2026: Setting the Frequency for Your Year

It's that time of year when the Smith family pauses, reflects, and intentionally sets the tone for the year ahead.

In this episode, Chris and Melissa walk through exactly how they approach vision boards, words (or frequencies) for the year, and why doing this work up front creates so much more ease as the year unfolds. While they ...

The Power of Boredom: Learning to Live in the Present

In this solo episode, Chris shares a personal experiment that quietly changed the way he experiences life.

It started with a conversation around a Harvard study shared by Arthur Brooks — research suggesting that one of the biggest challenges we face today is that we never experience boredom. Every spare second is filled. Every pause is inte...

You Are Firemen: Built to Lead, Built to Last

This week's episode is part reflection, part celebration, and part reminder.

Chris and Melissa sit down to talk about two big milestones: the recent Family Brand Blitz and the five-year anniversary of The Family Brand Podcast. And instead of just sharing highlights, they unpack the deeper lessons that emerged — about consistency, leadership, and wh...

The Family Brand New Year's Kickoff: A Tradition That Builds Culture

Every year, right after Christmas — during those quiet, in-between days when no one quite knows what day it is — our family slows down and does something that has become one of our most meaningful traditions.

We reflect.
We celebrate.
And we intentionally step into the new year together.

In this solo episode, Mel...

As we head into a new year, Chris and Melissa wanted to revisit a conversation that has quietly shaped their family more than almost anything else: the power of language.

This idea — that language creates — was one of the very first topics ever discussed on The Family Brand Podcast, and it's still one of the most talked-about episodes to this day. Because once you see it, you can't unsee it.

I...

Chief Reminding Officer: The Power of Repetition in Your Family

If you've ever felt like a broken record as a parent — constantly reminding your kids (or yourself) of the same things over and over — this episode will make you feel a whole lot better.

This week, Chris and Melissa talk about something they've been feeling in both their home and business lately: that quiet drift that happens when...

Have you ever caught yourself saying "no" to your kids' adventures out of pure instinct — only to wonder later if maybe the risk was worth it? In this episode, Chris and Melissa talk about how they're learning to raise kids who are more confident, capable, and adventurous by saying yes a little more often.

The idea started after Melissa read The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt — a powerful book that e...

Making Jesus Famous One Song at a Time with Angie Killian

This week, Melissa sits down with award-winning songwriter and composer Angie Killian, whose music has touched millions of hearts around the world. Angie's songs — like her viral hit "My Own Sacred Grove" — have been streamed over 30 million times and translated into dozens of languages, inspiring faith, joy, and connection in homes everywhere.

Living with Intention: The Daily Habits That Build a Life You Love

This week, Melissa continues the conversation from Episode 239 — The #1 Thing Standing Between You and the Life You Want — where she shared the importance of getting clear on what you want. Now, in Part Two, she goes deeper into what to do once you've found that clarity, and how to live with intention even in the middle of life's stress, ch...

You Are What You Consume: How Media Shapes Your Family

What we watch, listen to, and read matters more than we realize. In this episode, Chris and Melissa open a conversation that every family needs to have: how the media we consume — from music and books to shows and social media — shapes who we become.

It all started with a walk and a conversation about Taylor Swift's latest album, but the d...

How to Celebrate Dia De Los Muertos as a Family (and Why You Should)

Every year around this time, Chris and Melissa share one of their favorite family traditions — celebrating Dia De Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead. What started years ago as an invitation to a friend's backyard gathering has turned into a cherished Family Brand tradition that connects their kids to their heritage in the most fun and meanin...

Creating Unity in a Divided World

In this powerful and emotional episode, Chris and Melissa explore one of the most timely and important topics of our day — unity. The world feels more divided than ever, and yet, as Chris and Melissa remind us, the healing of that division starts at home.

Drawing inspiration from past guests like Connor Boyack and Bubba Page, and from recent events in their fa...

In this episode, Chris and Melissa get real about what it means to truly support your spouse—not just when it's easy, but through every season of life and marriage.

Inspired by a listener question, they dive into what support actually looks like when your goals, energy, and responsibilities are constantly shifting. From the early days of raising five kids under nine to their current phase of parenting more...

Clarity: The First Step Toward the Life You Actually Want

What if the reason you're not living the life you want isn't because you're lazy or unmotivated — but simply because you haven't gotten clear on what you truly want? In this powerful conversation, Chris and Melissa kick off a two-part series on living with intention, starting with the one thing that has to come first: clarity.

They unpa...

Faith, Fatherhood, and Leading at Home with Intention

In one of the most heartfelt episodes we've ever recorded, Chris and Melissa sit down with Bubba Page — a single dad of eight, serial entrepreneur, and unapologetic follower of Jesus — to explore what it really means to lead your family with faith, intentionality, and purpose.

Bubba's story is raw, real, and deeply inspiring. From building ...

What if the future of our country doesn't hinge on elections, courtrooms, or political battles—but on family dinner conversations? That's exactly the vision today's guest, Connor Boyack, shares with us.

Connor is the bestselling author of over 50 books, including the wildly popular Tuttle Twins series, which has sold more than seven million copies worldwide. He's also the founder of Libertas Network, a thi...