Bethany Hamilton, on Life with Preschoolers {Episode 62}
I’m so so excited to share this interview with one of the most inspirational people ever…one of Luke’s early inspirations for becoming a professional surfer, and someone who has inspired our family (and people all over the world) for years: BETHANY HAMILTON.
Bethany became world famous after surviving (though losing her arm to) a shark attack at age 13, then going on to become one of the best female surfers in the world. Today she is surfing better than ever, and is also an author, speaker, and…A BOY MOM to TWO PRESCHOOL-AGE SONS! woot woot! This woman is big time #momgoals.
Photo Cred. Mary Cernsdorf @rockingseaphotography
This talk with Bethany kicks off a fun, new, summer series:
EXPLORING AND CELEBRATING EVERY STAGE OF RAISING BOYS…FROM THE BABY YEARS…to ALL GROWN UP! I have an amazing line-up of Moms joining me who I know will make you laugh, cry, savor the stage you’re in, and look forward to all that is to come.
THIS IS GONNA BE SUCH A GREAT SUMMER SERIES!!
In today’s episode, Bethany and I talk about her current stage of raising two rambunctious preschoolers, complete with joys and challenges. We also talk about Bethany’s life as a professional athlete– how she balances raising little boys, training, travel, and competition. Bethany talks about health and nutrition, (for herself and her boys!), about her marriage (I laughed at the one difference between how she and her husband, Adam, approach life) and how they’re raising they’re pointing their son to faith. I really enjoyed this conversation and I think you will, too!
Photo Cred. Trevor Murphy
SHOW NOTES:
Bethany’s UNSTOPPABLE FILM (Scroll to the bottom of this post to see movie trailer!)
Chocolate Mana Bar Recipe (these have become a regular in our house!)
*BOOKS BETHANY MENTIONED:
The Dirt Cure
Deep Nutrition
Rules for a Knight
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You can find the Boy Mom Podcast on all of the podcast platforms…here are just a few of them:
Or you can listen right here! 🙂
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Thank you to this epsiode’s Sponsor, CLASSICAL CONVERSATIONS homeschool curriculum. If you missed it, I hope you can go back and check out Podcast EPISODE 54 with Classical Conversation’s CEO, Robert Bortins. 
Classical Conversations (CC) is an outstanding homeschool curriculum, perfect if you’re looking to balance a home education with community learning. Classical Conversations has over 125,000 students in over 42 countries and there is likely a group meeting somewhere near YOU! CC Families thrive using three keys to education: CLASSICAL, CHRISTIAN, and COMMUNITY. If you are looking into homeschooling in the school year ahead (it seems like a LOT of people are!) I highly recommend you check out CC!
Learn more about CC Curriculum on their website!
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ALSO I’m happy to announce that we are teaming up with Surface Sunscreen to do another SUMMER BUNDLE GIVEAWAY at the end of JULY (See bottom of post to enter!)
GET 20% OFF ALL orders at the Surface website using CODE: BOYMOM!
Find out more about Surface at their site.
More about BETHANY:
Known most notably as one of the biggest comeback stories of our era, Bethany Hamilton has become synonymous with inspiration. Her story of determination, faith, and hope has resounded in encouragement worldwide. At the age of 13 as a rising surf star, Bethany lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark, which seemed to end her dream career. However, one month after the attack, Bethany returned to surfing and within two years had won her first national surfing title. Bethany’s foundation of faith has been her backbone; her source of truth, hope, and strength. At 17 years old, she realized her dream of surfing professionally and she is still an active surf competitor to this day. Bethany has been able to touch a large number of people with her faith message, charitable efforts, and overall spirit. Her greatest joy is being a wife and mother, and she continues to touch and inspire lives globally as a professional surfer, author and motivational speaker. She currently has her own blog and online course on helping others become unstoppable.
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Thanks for reading these show notes! If you found this podcast episode helpful, please share it using social media links below!
I’m grateful for my listeners and readers, and would love to connect. You can subscribe to my blog for a weekly update on anything new I’ve published, say hi on Facebook , or find me on Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest.
My book, BOY MOM, was released in August of 2019 (Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers) and is full of practical advice and helpful resources for raising boys. It’s a great study for small groups!
Order it here: Boy Mom: What Your Son Needs Most from You
*I am an Amazon Affiliate and some of the products I share will benefit me if you click through and purchase. Thank you so much!!
ENTER TO WIN A JULY BUNDLE OF SUNCARE PRODUCTS!! Leave a comment below answering the question:
What is your favorite stage of raising KIDS (so far) !? And…What do you love about it!? Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win! (Winner will be picked from all of the podcast notes comments at the end of the month! You’re allowed to enter each week!)
My oldest is 4 and i am globing all of the things he is learning! He is always saying something new that makes laugh out loud or showing us something new he learned. I LOVE seeing his brain grow and develop. And I love the way he interacts with his 15 month old brother! The love they have for each other is just the sweetest.
My son will be 1 on Saturday. I love getting to watch him learn. And I love to see him laugh or clap when he’s enjoying something. We worked for a longtime to get him to get down from a couch safely and it’s so fun to see him turn around and do it correctly. Some of the things we are teaching are starting to stick!
My favorite stage of raising my boys was the preschool years, especially for my 2 oldest who are 2 years apart in age and made great playmates for each other. I was blessed to be able to be home with them and be apart of mom groups to make friends for them and me. I loved it at the age when they were cute and good listeners and fun to watch while they played. I loved taking them on adventures at that age when they went along and didn’t whine about going and always had fun.
My favorite stage is the infant stage because they are just so little, so cuddly, and so sweet. They don’t talk back and they stay where you put them (until they become mobile)! You can carry them everywhere- strapped on you or in your arms. But honestly, I have loved every stage (and my oldest is almost 21 years old!).
This conversation really resonated with me! As a boy mom of a 6 yo, 3yo, and 1yo, I loved everything about this episode. There are far too many days that I feel like a failure and think “all the other moms can do this, why am I having such a hard time?!” It really is a hard stage of mothering and it’s nice to know that even Bethany thinks so! Also, I had to laugh about your jogging stroller comment bc I’ve definitely been there, pushing my double Bob and snapping at my kids who just want to talk to me while I struggle to get my run in! I also loved how Bethany discussed the importance of nourishing our kids with healthy foods and bring role models in leading an active lifestyle. Overall, fabulous episode! ♥️
I love the early infant stage for the sweet baby snuggles and them being so portable and comfy in a baby carrier anywhere you go. However, my oldest is almost 6 and I’m enjoying his growing independence and maturity.
So far, really enjoying the elementary age! I love our conversations and listening to them talk about their hopes and dreams…so sweet at this age!