The Most Important Thing

Welcome to the very first episode of TMIT Teammates—our new segment where we talk with real families we love and admire about how they’re building culture at home.

Our first guest is our brilliant and adventurous friend Jennifer Zelman. Jen is raising a blended family across two continents—splitting time between New York and Rome—and in this episode, she shares what th...

🎙️ Episode 16: Joy

“I want you to know joy, so together we will practice gratitude. I want you to feel joy, so together we will learn how to be vulnerable.” — Brené Brown, Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto

This week, we’re talking about joy—what it feels like, why it can be hard to stay with, and how we’re learning to welcome more of it into our family life.

We explore the kind of joy that sneaks up on you, the kind that’s la...

🎙️ Episode 15: Accountability & Respect

This week, we’re diving into two words that carry a lot of weight—and often get misunderstood in parenting: accountability and respect.

We unpack what these concepts really mean in a family setting (hint: it’s not about obedience), and how we’re trying to model them at home—imperfectly, but intentionally.

From birth stories to playground conflicts, we talk about:

• Why impact matters more...

This week, we’re talking about boundaries—inside our home and outside of it.

The kind that protect our family culture… and the kind that make everyone just a little bit uncomfortable (in the best way).

From Brené Brown’s Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto:
“We will set and respect boundaries. We will honor hard work, hope, and perseverance. Rest and play will be family values, as well as family practices.”

We sta...

This week, we’re digging into self-compassion—not just as an idea, but as a practice we’re actively building at home.

Our starting point: “We will teach you compassion by practicing compassion with ourselves first; then with each other.” Because if we want to raise kind, resilient kids, it starts with how we treat ourselves.

We each took Dr. Kristin Neff’s Self-Compassion Test 💝 to see where we’re growing—a...

🎙️ Episode 12: Courage

Courage usually gets the Gladiator treatment.
We picture epic battles, high-stakes wins, and shirtless heroics.

But in real life?
It’s not just about “being brave.”

This week, in Episode 12: Courage, we’re talking about what makes it possible for families to practice courage—not just in big moments, but to show up persistently courageous, day to day.

🧱 The Most Important Thing:

Courage ne...

🎙️ Episode 11: Worthiness<br><br>

In our newest episode—<strong>Worthiness</strong>—we’re continuing our journey through Brené Brown’s <a href="https://brenebrown.com/art/the-wholehearted-parenting-manifesto/">Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto</a>.<br><br>

📜 “I want you to engage with the world from a place of worthiness.”<br><br>

🌱 <strong>Worth...

🧪 TMIT Experiment Update #4 + Greg’s Technology Corner!

Our fourth experiment update—this time as a stand-alone episode. It’s a quick check-in on what we’re trying at home, how it’s going, and what we’re adjusting next.

This week’s highlights:

🏀 The “Talking Ball”
At Friday’s family meal, we introduced new popsicles and a “talking ball” to help each person feel seen while answering three questions: what we liked...

Loved & Lovable ❤️💗

As a kid, you likely knew you were loved. But did you also know that you were lovable no matter what?

We didn’t always get that message growing up, as we’ve since learned about one another. But we are all worthy of love, just as we are. So how do we internalize this as adults, and pass along the right message to our kids?

With our tenth episode, Loved & Lovable, we’re introducing a new arc at The Most Imp...

After eight family experiments in three weeks, it’s time to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what’s emerging beneath the surface.

In this episode, we return to TMIT base camp—our space for regrouping and sense-making. We talk through:

• What’s working
• What’s shifting
• And the invisible threads tying it all together

Two big ideas anchor this reflection:

• Keep it simple (“Floss one tooth.” �...

🎙️ TMIT 08: Family Money

In this episode, we explore how to make the implicit explicit when it comes to money at home. This isn’t a how-to talk about chores and allowances (no jars labeled Spend, Save, Share here). Instead, we reflect on the subtle ways money influences us—and how to start naming (and questioning) those influences out loud.

TMIT about Family Money: Accept that money influences our family culture, whether we...

🎙️ TMIT 07: Family Movement

“Movement can be a pursuit, not a punishment.”

In this episode, we explore how when families co-create movement that feels fun, chosen, and skill-building, they create lasting motivation and connection.

TMIT about Family Movement: Building intrinsic motivation through Autonomy — “I choose this.” + Competence — “I can do this.” + Connection — “I belong here.”

We also discuss:

• Why movement often ...

🎙️ TMIT 06: The Most Important Thing About Family Space (with Experiment Update)

“A room is only as good as you feel when you’re in it.” — Philip Johnson

What makes a home nourishing to its members? In this episode, we explore how space shapes family connection, creativity, and calm.

Drawing on research from the Journal of Environmental Psychology, we discuss why perceived spaciousness matters more than squa...

The Most Important Thing About Family Play

In this episode, we explore why play isn’t just for kids—and why families who play together are more connected, creative, and resilient. Drawing from the work of Dr. Stuart Brown, founder of the National Institute for Play, we unpack how play acts as developmental glue that holds families together.

We discuss:

• What pla...

The Most Important Thing About Family Values

In this episode, we dive into a foundational family topic: family values, and specifically, how they can be more than just words on a wall.   

We explore why values matter—not just for adults, but for kids too—and how research supports the idea that the way we communicate values shapes how deeply they’re understood and lived. We share a practical framework for making values REAL – Repeated...

TMIT 03: Family Meals

“Instead of feeling guilty because you don’t have the six o’clock thing, it’s about coming together as a family whenever you have the time.” - Jennifer Besh, as quoted in The Secrets of Happy Families

This week on The Most Important Thing, we’re sharing updates from our first two experiments—family meetings and family stories. We also unpack the research (and our own hesitancies) around family meals: are ...

The Most Important Thing About Family Stories

Why do some individuals grow up with a stronger sense of who they are? In this episode, we explore the research behind family storytelling—how sharing the right kinds of stories at the right times can build resilience, self-esteem, and identity. We even came up with a simple mnemonic—STORY—to help us remember five practical ways to make storytelling a natural, powerful part of everyday l...

🎙️TMIT 01: Family Meetings

“What works about the family meeting is that it’s a regularly scheduled time to draw attention to specific behaviors. If you don’t have a safe environment to discuss problems, any plan to improve your family will go nowhere." - David Starr

What makes a weekly family meeting not just happen—but matter? In this episode, we kick off a conversation about one of the most recommended tools in famil...