‘Embrace the Crazy’ weekly podcast with Dan & Kristy Marks
Dan and Kristy live in Canberra Australia and have been together for more than 20 years. They are a dynamic duo that are active in the community raising a young family and facing the challenges of everyday Australians.
The pair have four kids, a dog, run two businesses and have large extended families and a wide range of friends all over Australia and the world. They struggle daily with health, wellbeing, financial challenges, parenting, relationships and much more like most people do.
The podcast is grounded in sharing their real accounts of what they are learning as being parents and raising a family. It is real, insightful and reassuring to hear that you are not alone in the challenging journey of life.
Dan and Kristy have a wealth of real world experience, they are just like anyone else, yet the energy and enthusiasm they have for sharing is infectious, interesting and thought provoking.
Follow them on their journey of learning, sharing and laughing about life raising a family.
Latest Episode
How can parents better shape their kids’ friendships? Making friends is an important aspect of every kid’s sense of connection and development. Dan and Kristy talk about how to help your kids be and make good friends from before they start school, at school and as young adults. They talk about the importance of being good friend to each other and the affect that can have on their kids.
Dan and Kristy talk about how amongst the crazy of their life they try and get balance and wellness. From juggling kids and their businesses the couple find time to be together every Friday. They have a baby sitter that they use regularly to have focussed time amongst help from family. Importantly they talk about it regularly knowing when they need time away or together. List to how this busy family make it work for them.
Embrace the Crazy podcast talks about consistency in parenting. From modelling good behaviours, managing outbursts to fairness with your children. Dan and Kristy talk share stories about their parenting and how they work towards consistency with their children.
Kristy and Dan provide some insight into how the functions of their house work, the traditional and not so traditional ways that they make things work. From managing finances, doing jobs around the house and getting the kids involved so that they take responsibility and contribute to the running of the household. See how it has evolved overtime and the strategies they use to make sure the important things get done.
The insta holiday vs reality. You know when you have seen your friends or family post these happy smiling photos of a holiday and you think… that’s not exactly how our holidays go. Kristy and Dan share their experiences of holidays with a big family. The ups and downs of spending time and being with each other. They also reflect on their holiday upbringings and how it shapes their values, thoughts and dreams on family holidays today.
How hard is it to navigate kids and digital media? As our kids get older it becomes more challenging to keep up and to know the right thing to do. We struggle with it every day, but we discuss how we do it with our family. We discuss the rules we put into place, and we also talk about ways we can be ahead of the game by keeping up to date and knowledgeable about what is going on in the world of digital media.
As they move into the new year, Dan and Kristy discuss their 2024 podcast and family plans. Listen as they talk about the process they use to recap the year that has passed and plan for the year ahead, a process that has been refined over time and is still being perfected. Dan and Kristy have some big plans for 2024 and they look forward to bringing their listeners on their crazy journey!
Managing rest within a busy family is one of the key ingredients to achieving harmonious family dynamics. Dan and Kristy look at how a lack of proper rest impacts the family, the tell tail signs of tiredness and what needs to be prioritised so that proper rest and recuperation can happen.
Kristy and Dan discuss the huge topic of environmental friendliness. You can’t do it all in this space and Kristy and Dan have learned that along the way. They do what they can to green their own home and discuss who they admire, follow and which products they use to be a good example to their children.
How do you feel about creativity? Many of us don’t think of ourselves as creative however this episode looks at Dan’s passion for the importance and power of creativity, its diverse applications, and its integral part in learning. We look at the Mark’s family way of applying and driving creativities, the activities that encourage different ways of thinking and working, why it’s so important, ideals versus reality, the fun and discomfort of it and how creativity plays into developing every one of us.
Are you the 'yes' or 'no' parent? Either way, you need to deal with the consequences which can appear to be soul destroying for your kids and sometimes yourselves. Dan and Kristy look at why parents need to say no, the benefits to their kids and themselves, and how it can assist creativity, resilience and contribute to many other positive outcomes.
It is so easy to believe the Insta life but scratch under earth and you see quickly the craziness of a parents life raising 4 kids. One of the keys to our success is our partnership. It's tough almost everyday but we have each other. That gets stretched pretty quickly when tensions rise and so knowing when that is going to happen, understanding each other and having strategies in pace to help each other is a massive factor in getting through it. Dan and Kristy share how they manage the tough times, look after each other and keep their family happy and strong.
Planning and Organisation = Sanity, or Does It? looks at what we do to try and build in a fraction of structure to our crazy lives. The things that work and the things that don’t and how we work through it when it doesn’t work.
Coming to you from Rio in Brazil, Kristy and Dan talk about how they built up to being able to go on holiday a week without the kids and feel totally at home and comfortable with life. From the incredible support structures around them that they have fostered, to the small steps they have taken over many years, they share how being themselves, and focussing on themselves brings the best out in them and for their families. It is possible to still enjoy your life, have your own time and have a happy family.
Kristy and Dan talk about the dangerous trap of overscheduling. Dan continues to want to do more, with no time making commitments that just can’t be delivered. This edition follows the challenges Kristy and Dan have on not overscheduling, becoming aware of when it is happening and strategies to schedule appropriately. From asking for help to saying no, Kristy and Dan discuss how they try to get the balance of life right and what they do to keep checking, managing and monitoring it.
Christmas and the end of the year round up is such a stressful time for many families, but it can be a time of magic for children and adults alike. This week we discuss the magic and the crazy of Christmas and how important family time is at the end of the year. We discuss how we have brought both of our family Christmas traditions together and created our own traditions with the four kids. Merry Christmas to all, thanks for following along with us on our crazy journey, we’ll see you in the new year for more Embrace the Crazy!
Kristy asked this one question; it opened a discussion then led to her entrance into the business world with Dan. She often thinks it was a silly question to ask but she speaks about how joining the business has assisted with her growth and development to start thinking about life and seeing her passion with more clarity. Dan shares his passion for the business and how support from others has shaped his experience. They discuss the often-incorrect assumptions people make about their working together and leave us hints about what might be coming next.
Negativity creeps into everyday life and affects us all. Dan and Kristy discuss the appeal of negative talk and why it's so destructive to ourselves, careers and family. They also go further and look at how to shut the negative chatter that can sometimes dominate our headspace.
Dan and Kristy reveal how they manage their family’s household finances. Dan dives into his insights around healthy financial planning and healthy relationships while Kristy talks about prioritising, drawing on lessons learned from childhood and how it can shape each of our personal view of money and what we do with it.
Getting things done can take over from some of the more important aspects of parenting. Dan and Kristy talk about how they ignite the spark in their children by getting involved in their children's interests and games.
Do you stand in the way of your child learning and connecting with others? Working out when to get involved in your child's interaction with others is an important part of parenting but, how do you improve awareness and get good at it? Dan and Kristy open up and laugh with what they have learned over more than a few bad examples.
Dan discusses the key ingredients to maintaining a good exercise and self care schedule focusing particularly on the importance of a good network, a flexible approach and consistency. Kristy speaks frankly about the limitations imposed by kids on ones self care and the importance of joining a gym with a creche. Both reflect on how their relationship has changed with children but also why the need to invest in each other and its payoff!
We get asked all the time 'how do you do it with four?' This episode provides some insight into the challenges and joys we have with four time everything. Yes, it is mayhem and the volume of everything can be overwhelming but there are some silver linings we experience that makes it all worth it.
Each of our children are so different but we easily catch ourselves trying to treat them and bring them up the same. We discuss our children’s differing personalities and needs and talk about what works well for us. The differences in interests, personalities, feelings and lists goes on. What we do to help get the balance and ensure that everyone has a voice in our family. That includes our dog and the role she plays in our family. It is a very important and soothing one!!
Kristy and Dan speak frankly about the choices they made to move to beautiful Canberra, the emotional, social, and financial reasons behind the move. They expand on what lead them to the suburb where they now live, the importance of a collaborative discussion and how their choices align with their family values. Dan’s insight on rental/mortgage pressures is powerful and they discuss how they manage with this day to day and over the life of their mortgage. A show home is not what they want, but they openly talk about how important that sense of a welcoming home is in their life.
This session we discuss one of Dan’s favourite thing…. food! It is often said that food brings us together and that the kitchen is the heart of the home. The significance of food and its influence on our family table is not lost our family. We discuss all the wonderful memories we have made around family tables and how the crazy of the meal is embedded into our family life.
Dan and Kristy delve into one of their biggest challenges - developing themselves as parents. They discuss giving and receiving feedback from partners, children and trusted others - a difficult thing for anyone to do, especially as a parent. They talk about how they learn and parenting confidence. It is not always smooth sailing in their family however with an open mind they continue to develop their skills to become "better" parents.
Are entitled children a new phenomenon or are parents tackling an age old dilemma rooted in their own sense of entitlement? Dan and Kristy dive into why it happens and what to do about keeping this pervasive attitude at bay.
Dan and Kristy talk about the healthy lifestyle choices they have chosen and implemented for their children. They explore the value of each activity and how it aligns with their families view of health and recreation. Dan explains why sport plays such an integral part of their day-to-day life and how they managed to put into action schedules that reflect their values and the benefits they have experienced from doing so.
Big change is afoot as Kristy returns to her first career love. Dan and Kristy talk about how they transition into this new role that has implications individually and as a family. Kristy talks about the journey and how support and belief in her has helped her embrace the sometimes uncomfortable journey back into her first career.
Embrace the Crazy - A Mother’s Voice
Monthly podcast presented by Kristy Marks
Returning to Work
In this episode, Kristy talks about returning to work after a long 10-year absence from work. Kristy provides an overview of what that absence looks like and how she was able to capitalise on the experience not only for herself but also for her family. She honestly and intimately shares the challenges many face returning to work and what she found most beneficial in re-gaining her confidence and sparking her passions and new career vision.
The Mental Load
Kristy explores the much talked about woman's mental load in today's society and how she experiences and responds to the burden. She looks at the difference between mens and woman's brains and the feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion that comes with that mental load.
Pregnancy & Birth
Kristy speaks candidly about her journey through pregnancy and birth. She gives her unique yet positive experience and touches on the power that she felt through her birthing journey.
If this episode has brought up any trauma or other feelings for you please reach out for support Lifeline 13 11 14 Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 Panda 1300 726 306
Mum Guilt vs Self Care
Kristy shares a recent unique experience she had travelling overseas to visit her best friend. During that week away Kristy was able to let go of her mother coat and be herself. It has been many years since Kristy experienced this feeling, but it was a satisfying moment in life to recognise where we are as a family, how we are working together and how that person before kids is still alive and well.