What if the end of the year isn’t about fixing what went wrong, but noticing what mattered most?

In this special end-of-year episode of The Problem With Perfect, we’re looking back on 2025 through a “Best Of” lens. What shaped us, surprised us, stretched us, and stayed with us. From books and boundaries to money well spent and lessons learned, this conversation is honest, grounding, and deeply reflective.

We’re also sharing our words for 2026- the intentions we’re carrying forward to help guide how we live, lead, and let go in the year ahead.

And finally… we’re making a big announcement about the future of The Problem With Perfect- what’s changing, what’s staying, and what this next chapter means for you.

If you’re craving clarity, perspective, and a little hope as one year closes and another begins, this episode is for you.

🎧 Press play! You won’t want to miss this one.

Show Notes:

January isn't about reinventing yourself. It's about returning to yourself. It is a change to slow down and listen to what your inner world has been trying to say beneath all the noise. Set intentions that feel like nourishment instead of punishment. Choose habits that support the person you are becoming, not the person you think you are supposed to be. Let this be the month you honor your boundaries, protect your energy, and move toward what feels aligned rather than what feels expected. January is a doorway, not a deadline. Step through it with clarity, softness ,and a willingness to grow at your own pace.

From HigherPerspective.com

In this heartfelt episode, we explore why grandparent-grandchild relationships matter, not just emotionally, but based on decades of research. Join us for this episode and learn how grandparents support children’s development, ease the parenting journey, and build lifelong bonds through simple, intentional acts of love, presence, and consistency.

This episode might prepare you for grandparenting in your future or take you on a walk down memory lane with your own grandparents. Either way, we hope you’ll be blessed and encouraged by it.

Show Notes:

1. Harvard Graduate School of Education – “The Supporting Role of Grandparents”

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/21st-century-learning-lab/supporting-role-grandparents

2. American Academy of Pediatrics – Grandparents and Child Development

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/Pages/Grandparents-and-Childrens-Development.aspx

3. AARP – The Value of Grandparent-Grandchild Relationships

https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2020/value-of-grandparent-relationships.html

4. Pew Research Center – Grandparenting in the 21st Century

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2015/05/21/raising-kids-and-helping-grandkids/

5. Journal of Family Issues – Emotional Closeness Between Grandparents and Grandchildren

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0192513X16676857

6. The Gerontologist – Benefits of Intergenerational Bonds for Children & Older Adults

https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/58/3/472/2632080

Caregiving is a sacred gift. Caring for someone who is chronically or terminally ill requires patience, understanding, and selflessness. Most caregivers are not professional healthcare workers; rather, they are loving family members who dedicate their lives to improving the well-being of their loved ones.

Caregiving often presents significant challenges and in this episode, Robin's husband, Tom, is here to talk about them. His mother, like many individuals who are ill, required round-the-clock care. For Tom and other caregivers who work outside the home, this situation leads to difficult decisions: choose between paying for private care or providing the care themselves. There are no easy solutions to this dilemma, as Tom explains.

When we care for one of God’s children, we are truly doing the Lord’s work. Most who have been in the caregiving role, including Tom after three months at his mother's bedside, deem the experience a blessing beyond measure.

If you aren’t a caregiver but know someone who is, consider offering support, respite, or, at the very least, prayers and encouragement. Also, send them this episode so they know they are not alone.

Special Guest: Tom May

Tom and his sister committed to keeping their mother at home as she battled Parkinson's Disease and cancer. This commitment didn't come easy or without challenges. He joins us today to discuss them.

Tom is the husband of Robin, and together they have two children and one granddaughter.

Show Notes

The Caregiving Crisis No One is Talking About https://www.mariashriversundaypaper.com/the-caregiving-crisis-ai-jen-poo/?utm_source=SailThru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Fall%20Issue%20No.%207%20November%209%2C%202025&utm_term=Sunday%20Paper

Caregiver Bill of Rights

https://www.caregiver.org/resource/caregivers-bill-rights/

Celebrating National Family Caregivers Month with BLS Data

https://www.bls.gov/blog/2023/celebrating-national-family-caregivers-month-with-bls-data.htm

The Overwhelming Financial Toll of Family Caregiving https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/financial-impact-caregiving/

Family and Medical Leave Act

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla

‘Tis the Season

https://denisebickel.com//tis-the-season