October 23, 2021
In this special family Q&A podcast, Ben Greenfield sits down with his wife Jessa and 13-year-old twin sons River and Terran of GoGreenfields.com to answer all your burning questions about parenting, cooking, traditions, legacy-building, family game nights, and much, much more!
During our discussion, you'll discover:
- Podcast with Paddy Pence of Zevia:
- Zevia zero calorie soda
-A quick and dirty summary of the Greenfield family history…11:08
- Mom was the jock, dad was the nerd
- Married at 21
- Ben changed his mind about medical school after working in the medical device industry for a year
-What are our key rituals/routines/comings/goings?…19:08
- Rich Christiansen, who helps make a family legacy playbook (use code BEN40 to save 40%)
- Meditation, listening to a song in the morning around 7:30 am
- Spiritual Disciplines Journal
- End of the day, come together for family dinner, sing-alongs, games, prayers
- The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett
- Weekly gathering with neighbors at the house
- Family prayer board in the pantry
- While traveling: escape rooms and cooking classes
-A typical day in the life of Jessa…38:15
- The woman is the curator of the home
- Begin with incense, prayer
- Ease into the day, school, etc.
- Sunrise alarm clock
- Take care of animals, have breakfast with the boys
- Jessa's mission in life is to serve the family (not as simple as it sounds)
- Play tennis, yoga, gardening, canning
- Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center
- Magnesium at night before bed
-How Jessa finds joy/meaning/purpose in being a wife and mother…52:45
- The children have been entrusted to her by God
- Want to make the home a sanctuary, a place her husband loves coming home to
-A typical day in the life of River and Terran…56:45
- Wake up at 6 a.m. with sunrise alarm clock
- Read the Bible in bed
- Breakfast: Dutch baby, eggs, bacon, Magic Spoon, overnight oatmeal
- Unschooling activities:
- Planned classes in the morning
- GoGreenfields podcast
- Painting on walls
- Kamana Wilderness Awareness School
- Podcast on unschooling:
- Afternoon: music, sports, lingering homework
- Read 2 hrs per day on average
-How do we approach screen time/TV/social media?…1:05:16
- Ben uses his phone almost primarily for work issues
- Jessa for listening to music
- Scrolling on a feed is a foreign concept
- No rules on screen time, video game time, etc.
- Understand the consequences of unhealthy choices
-How Ben and Jessa teach their kids to make good diet choices…1:10:30
- Teach kids to cook at as young an age as possible
- Teach to reverse engineer food; know what's in what they're eating
- Teach a person to fish, rather than give them fish
- When someone cooks something, they're more likely to eat it
-What supplements River and Terran like to take…1:15:30
- Kion Aminos
- Glutathione
- Liver capsules (10% discount automatically applied on checkout)
- Fish oil
- Lion's Mane
-Is it weird being “well known” or living with a somewhat well-known father/personality?…1:16:30
-Why does our family seem to be so happy and joyful?…1:21:00
- Greenfield family mission statement: We are the Greenfields. We live to faithfully shine the light of God’s love and Christ’s sacrifice to the world by savoring and sharing His Creation. We believe in the absolute truth of God’s word and commit to daily immersing ourselves in the wisdom of Scripture, prayer, and communion with God. We are lovers of life and savor all of creation with a spirit of curiosity, adventure, light-heartedness, community-building, and sharing our joy with all, knowing that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. We know that each of our blessings is gifted through grace for us to steward, to share, and to enjoy with an abundant spirit of generosity. In all of our relationships, we prize, prioritize and commit to love, sacrifice, forgiveness, radical honesty, transparency, and truth. We are uniquely created in God’s divine image and called as makers to intelligently create beauty that shines forth His glory. Our yes is our yes, our no is our no, and we are dependable leaders who endure and persevere through all, learning to be content with a spirit of gratitude and peace no matter our circumstances. We embrace in a spirit of full humility our interdependence and need for a deep, present connection with our ancestors, our community, our planet, and our legacy. We fully trust that as fruits of our faithful obedience, God’s promises and blessings will extend to our family, our children, their children, and a thousand generations beyond, so that the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
-And much more!…
Upcoming Events:
- Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldfitness.com/calendar
Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.
Resources from this episode:
– GoGreenfields Podcast
– Podcasts:
- A “Healthy Soda” Super-Special: Is Diet Soda Good For You, Stevia DeMystified, Sugar Alcohols, Natural Flavors & More, with Paddy Spence.
- The Ultimate Guide To Unschooling: Top Tips To Create Free-Thinking, Resilient, Creative Young Humans Who Can Thrive In A Modern World, with Judy Arnall.
– Book:
- The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett
– Food And Supplements:
- Zevia
- Bacon
- Magic Spoon
- Kion Aminos
- Glutathione
- Liver Capsules (10% discount automatically applied at checkout)
- Fish Oil
- Lion's Mane
– Other Resources:
- Spiritual Disciplines Journal
- Rich Christiansen (use code BEN40 to save 40%)
- Kamana Wilderness Awareness School
Episode sponsors:
–Kion Aminos: Building blocks for muscle recovery, reduced cravings, better cognition, immunity, and more.
–Organifi Gold: A new take on an ancient secret: Pain-soothing herbs, incredible antioxidants, and phytonutrients all in one delicious, soothing “Golden Milk” nighttime tea! Receive a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code BENG20.
–Magic Spoon: A brand new company that has reimagined all your favorite childhood breakfast cereals. Low carb, keto-friendly, ZERO sugar, and tastes just like you remember. For free shipping on your order at Magic Spoon, use discount code BENGREENFIELD.
–FUM: FUM is an all-natural, no smoke, no vape, and no nicotine inhaler made in Canada. All-natural, sustainable, and it works! Use discount code BEN10 for 10% off.
Just getting a chance to listen to this. I would like to know your perspective on stay at home dads? Do you believe that dads can have the same impact at home if the wife works?
This podcast was so inspiring to me that it brought tears to my eyes. I LOVE your daily routine including so much time with God. Thank you for sharing how important God and Jesues are in your family. When your boys were asked what makes them happy, one of them immediately responded with, “God”. That is so amazing. You guys seem like outstanding parents. Jessa, thank you for breaking down how important the work of a stay at home mom really is. I often miss my career, but this really is the most important job.
I have two very strong willed boys. 5 and 3. My 3 year old is so very challenging and my patience get tested more often than now. I know from other podcasts that you guys follow the Love and Logic parenting type. Did you follow that when they were younger as well? If you have any parenting podcasts from when your boys were much younger, please point me in that direction. Any tips are appreciated.
I also just started your Fit Soul Book and love it so far! Thank you again for spreading the word of God to so many people. Your family truly is impactful just as you all set out to be. I strive to be more like that. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
I am a long long time listener. Found your podcast while living in Japan and felt isolated as a fitness professional and loved having another smart trainer to Connect with. I recently listened to this episode (I am a bit behind and catching up :) and I just wanted to thank Jessa for her honesty and openness. I am a stay at home mom now and love it. I have no desire to work anymore…I had a fulfilling career as a Pilates instructor, personal trainer and nutrition consultant and now am satisfied to be a mom. I haven’t met a lot of other moms that are satisfied being a stay at home mom like I am so I was really touched by Jessa saying her purpose is to serve her family. I am with you and just want to thank you for sharing!
Could you please provide info on Rich Christiansen?
Never mind. Got it!
Yep! https://legadofamily.com/
This! This is what makes the world sing!
Jessa… way to go world changing mama! Word!
Loved hearing your family interact and how strong your family culture is.
You mentioned the sunrise alarm clock several times…which one do you guys use? It’s been hard to find one that doesn’t use Bluetooth or have bright lights
Enjoy your podcast and sharing your faith and habits and how you integrate your faith with daily life. WE are recent empty nesters with 3 kids in college and beyond. A habit family tradition we incorporated that we and our kids found very helpful that I encourage you and your family to consider incorporating would be yearly family international mission trips. There is nothing quite like going into a foreign country and sharing your faith and serving others to develop your spiritual fitness! We have been to Tanzania, Chiapas , India , Mongolia , Morocco , Costa Rica , etc. Also all our kids did summer camp at YWAM Tyler and they integrate mission trips with their summer camp , I think they do a good job at developing spiritual formation and helping the kids make their faith their own. Also you mentioned you admire Keith Green. His Last Day Ministries was right down the street from YWAM Tyler and so is his gravesite. Keith Green worked with YWAM Tyler and I believe there are still people there who knew him that you could talk to about him if you are interested in learning more about him. Keep up the good work. God Bless You and your family
Was exceptionally dazzled with Matt Cook webcast. He concisely clarified the wellbeing (not new) of MRNA antibodies so we could get it. Likewise liked his clarification of how antibodies in everyday work. Much obliged to you for continually attempting to share ALL appropriate data with respect to a given point.
Hi William! Glad to hear you enjoyed my conversation with Dr. Cook and found the information useful :)
More Jessa!!! I’m a mother of two girls, 10 and 12, and I loved hearing Jessa’s routine, perspective and wisdom.
I have been listening to this podcast for a few years, and I always think of how hard it must be to be married to Ben. I don’t mean that as an insult, on the contrary, he seems like he holds a really high bar for himself and those he loves, so I always wonder if all that ego is a bit much to manage as a wife. It seems like Jessa has an incredible grounded-ness and is the perfect compliment to Ben’s intensity.
Y’all are wonderful role models and I sure appreciated this episode. I’m inspired!
No offense taken! Sounds like you and Jessa have quite a bit in common! Thanks for the all the kind compliments!
Loved this episode! So inspiring…your family is amazing Ben. And would love that carrot cake recipe…hope you share it with your listeners :)
Here’s a super simple recipe for Carrot-Cake “Acai” Bowls
Per bowl:
2 carrots
1/2 frozen banana
1/3 can coconut milk
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Stevia to taste
Blend to a thick creamy texture, then layer in bottom of bowl and add toppings.
Toppings https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/Thrive-Market
Gluten-free Granola
Coconut flakes
Cacao nibs
Macadamia nuts
ENJOY!
I’m 29 I’ve listened to every episode for 6+ years and only commented once before (calling you to become a fisher of men if you recall) and I’ve been thinking for years that I want to be more like Ben Greenfield when I grow up, and hearing that carrot cake is his favorite, I feel honored to have the same favorite dessert now knowing that’s one more thing I can add to the Callum of things that we have in common. Love you all, these kids are role model kids too.
FUN FACT! I’m picky about baby names but my wife suggested “Jessa”, having never heard this podcast. I told her about the only Jessa I’ve ever heard of which is Jessa Greenfield, being the wife of my favorite podcaster and how cool she must be soooo we might be naming our future daughter Jessa! (Not after Mrs Greenfield)
Really enjoyed this
As a fellow gaming family, I would suggest the following if you do not already have them:
– unstable unicorns expansion packs (there are several)
– exploding kittens and all expansion packs (note: it does have a NSFW version, so order the right one)
– bears vs babies (has a NSFW version- so order the right one)
– the game of things (one if the best games to know how well you know family and friends- order the family version, not adult)
– think and sync (a great way to check how much you think alike)
– utter nonsense
Hopefully one of those will work to bring your family some fun.
Was very impressed with Matt Cook podcast. He succinctly explained the safety (not new) of MRNA vaccines so that we could understand it. Also appreciated his explanation of how vaccines in general work. Thank you for always trying to share ALL pertinent information regarding a given topic. It’s refreshing to hear available facts on a fitness/wellness podcast when many feature conspiracy theories and baseless information. Also appreciated are the family values you bring to your podcast. While I don’t always agree with your biblical interpretations, I always appreciate your sentiments. Thank you, Ben.
Thank you for this wonderful feedback Athena! Really appreciate it!
Really enjoyed listening to this. I have been thinking of doing a weekly game night with our family. You are a beautiful soul you are Jessa ❤️ Thank you all for sharing
From my family to yours, thank you Patricia!
I just want to say how encouraging this podcast was for this mother of a two year old who’s also expecting twins! I sometimes feel less than other Moms who have a career and “real purpose” in their lives. I love how Jessa has found such purpose and peace in motherhood and being a wife. It brings me hope and loads of ideas to bring to my own little family. So.. thanks!!
Yes, please update us on your vaccine update. I bet that episode had the most comments of any other.
I hope you have really done your research. Just like you do on so much else. Only this is more important than you can imagine. When you find out they were all fast tracked. There was no real testing even on animals. And most important to know. NO one is liable. All big Pharma all these companies, all the distributors everyone involved signed off on ALL liability. That means if you stroke out bleed out. have convulsions, blood clots or die. Too bad for you and your family. No one is held responsible. And there is no recourse. Please look that up.
Your kids are blessed. You are doing all the right things. Very nice family unit. Having the boys
learn to cook is such a wonderful idea.
Thank you Pamela!
Have not listened yet… but I know Ben looks at these comments. Ben what about the vaccine information? Even just a update would be appreciated. Maybe I missed it?
Sincerely Mike