215. Cultivating Greater Gratitude with Shannon and Matthew Missimer

Hey Family Brand! It’s Chris and Melissa here, and today, we have an incredible conversation for you with Shannon and Matthew Missimer, co-founders of The Motion of Gratitude. Their work is all about helping families move from just going through the motions of life to living with intention, presence, and gratitude. If you've ever felt stuck in survival mode or wondered how to cultivate more joy and connection in your home, this episode is for you!

Shannon and Matthew share their personal journeys that led them to create The Motion of Gratitude. For Shannon, it all started as a young mother feeling completely drained, giving everything to her children but losing herself in the process. Her turning point came when she realized that practicing gratitude—intentionally and daily—was the key to transforming how she showed up as a wife, mom, and individual. Matthew, on the other hand, was deep in the financial services industry, constantly focused on providing for his family, but ultimately realizing that success without presence wasn’t enough. It wasn’t until he saw the impact of Shannon’s gratitude practice firsthand that he truly embraced the power of this mindset shift.

We dive deep into the science of gratitude and how it physically rewires our brains and nervous systems. Shannon explains how gratitude journaling isn't just a nice habit—it actually shifts us from fight-or-flight mode into a state of peace and connection. When we make gratitude a regular practice, it changes the way we see the world, helping us become more present with our families and more intentional with our time.

If you're wondering where to start, Shannon and Matthew break it down with simple, actionable steps. They introduce The Experience, their 28-day guided gratitude journey, designed to help individuals and families build a strong foundation for a gratitude practice. They also share their new workbook series, designed specifically for kids, to help families cultivate a culture of gratitude together.

As we wrap up, we challenge you to take one small step today: take a deep breath, ask yourself what is still going right in my life?, and see how that one simple shift can change everything.

 

LINKS:

All Links Family Brand! 

• stan.store/familybrand

 

Links For This Episode:

• https://themotionofgratitude.com/the-experience

Episode Minute By Minute:

• 0:00 – Welcome Shannon & Matthew Missimer
• 2:00 – How The Motion of Gratitude was born
• 6:00 – Shannon’s turning point as a mom and how gratitude changed everything
• 10:00 – Matthew’s journey from financial services to finding deeper purpose
• 14:00 – The science of gratitude: how it rewires the brain and body
• 18:00 – How to start a gratitude practice (without overcomplicating it)
• 22:00 – The Experience: A 28-day gratitude journey for families
• 26:00 – Simple breathwork and mindset shifts to bring more gratitude into your day