Episode 10: Our Spooky Halloween Episode

It's our Halloween special! Brielle and Michael dress up as Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth (with Roman joining as Hulk Hogan!) and get into real-life ghost stories, remote viewing, Skinwalker Ranch, childhood Halloween memories, and how they plan to celebrate with their own family.

00:00 Welcome to our spooky episode

00:30 Our costumes: Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth

02:38 Today's topic: Halloween

03:04 How do you say it? The great "Halloween" debate

03:30 Growing up in a Halloween-loving family

04:27 Brielle's real-life ghost story

08:33 When other family members saw the same figure

09:17 The knocking behind the mirror

10:28 Michael on remote viewing and David Morehouse

12:00 What is remote viewing?

15:06 Skinwalker Ranch

17:37 Hallucinations, belief systems, and the mind

21:37 When multiple people see the same thing

23:28 Lessons from the Salem witch trials

27:41 How we celebrated Halloween growing up

28:37 Brielle's dad's legendary front yard displays

32:35 Michael's Halloween memories

36:50 How we'll celebrate with Roman

37:15 Our take on Halloween candy

39:16 Picking costumes as a family

40:03 Why New England does Halloween best

41:09 Wrap-up

Mentioned in this episode:

David Morehouse on The Danny Jones Podcast

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The Ma-Honeys: @ma_honeys.podcast

Michael:

@the.michaelmahoney

Brielle:

@brielle_colleen

Episode 9: Creating on Limited Time

How do you keep creating when you're a parent and your time is no longer your own? In this episode, Brielle and Michael talk about making room for music, content, and business while raising a toddler at home: shifting your state, choosing your priorities, and letting go of the perfect plan.

00:00 Welcome back (and Brielle's new "chic" shades)

00:46 Michael and the "kinda chic" trend mix-up

03:11 Today's topic: creating on limited time

04:37 Brielle's day: music, content, and full-time mom life

06:41 The pros and cons of working from home as parents

08:38 Structure that supports you vs. structure that restricts you

10:39 100% effort doesn't mean 100% clarity

11:46 Getting into a creative headspace at the end of a long day

12:55 Desire: you have to really want it

14:20 "Unresourceful," not "bad": shifting your state

15:36 Challenging the fear stories we tell ourselves

17:15 You can't manage time, only your priorities

17:57 Our week with hand, foot, and mouth

19:20 Harmony over balance

19:54 Where your attention goes

21:00 You're always creating, even when you're just "being"

22:10 When outside factors get in the way

23:27 "I'm tired, but..." How you finish the sentence matters

24:28 How being present sparks creativity

25:59 Left brain, right brain, and flow state

28:30 Conducting your own mind and energy

30:15 The "wake up earlier" mom trend

31:47 Seeing setbacks as tests, not failures

33:46 Guilt, mistakes, and the stories we tell ourselves

36:53 Your challenge: look at your priorities, not your time

37:51 Wrap-up and a sneak peek at next week's spooky episode

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share it with a friend. Send us your comments, questions, or topics you'd like us to cover!

CONNECT WITH US

The Ma-Honeys: @ma_honeys.podcast

Michael:

@the.michaelmahoney

Brielle:

@brielle_colleen

What does it actually take to become more emotionally intelligent? In this episode, Brielle and Michael share how they each work on it day to day: journaling, check-ins, getting curious instead of reactive, and changing the beliefs underneath our emotions. We're not perfect, and we're not experts. This is what's working for us.

00:00 Welcome back to the Ma-Honeys

01:09 Today's topic: emotional intelligence

02:05 Why affirmations alone don't work (the thermostat analogy)

03:12 Taking feedback and growing up emotionally

04:41 Music as a metaphor for the mind

06:09 Brielle's routine: journaling and asking herself questions

09:58 Autopilot, and setting check-in timers

13:30 "Emotions validate what you believe, not what's true"

14:50 Shadow work: whose voice is that?

16:09 Useful and resourceful vs. right and wrong

17:02 Why the best athletes stay calm

18:05 Getting triggered: pause, get curious, respond

20:20 How we handle disagreements in our marriage

21:06 The cost of holding grudges

25:15 Emotions and the body

27:08 Why kids should be taught emotional intelligence

28:25 You can't breathe your way into a new belief

29:37 How do you change a belief? Step by step

34:57 Core beliefs and confirmation bias

37:05 Why coaching and being pushed helps you grow

39:13 A message for anyone going through a hard time

41:36 Brielle on changing her beliefs during a hard season

42:56 Man's Search for Meaning and the power of faith

44:40 Wrap-up

Books mentioned:

When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté

You Are the Placebo by Dr. Joe Dispenza

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share it with a friend. Send us your comments, questions, or topics you'd like us to cover!

CONNECT WITH US

The Ma-Honeys: @ma_honeys.podcast

Michael:

@the.michaelmahoney

Brielle:

@brielle_colleen

@brielle.colleen.music

Our son Roman isn't even two yet, but we're already thinking about his education. In this episode, Brielle and Michael share why they're leaning toward homeschooling Roman and their future kids instead of traditional public school.

00:00 Welcome back to the Ma-Honeys

00:45 Today's topic: why we're leaning toward homeschooling

02:13 Looking at school like any product: who's behind it and what are their values?

03:25 Respect for teachers: it's the system we question

04:25 How much of what we learned in school do we actually use?

06:04 The Industrial Revolution roots of public school

08:20 Brielle: everyone learns differently

09:50 The "father of American education" homeschooled his own kids

10:47 Keeping other people's beliefs out of our kids' education

11:40 Our views on gender topics in schools

12:39 Napoleon Hill's "Outwitting the Devil" and the power of suggestion

15:12 Brielle's public and charter school experience

19:17 Intermission: we're back, recording from Utah!

20:30 Our homeschool vision: creativity first

22:07 Letting kids move and burn off energy

23:33 "What about socialization?" Social interaction vs. social conditioning

24:43 Entrepreneurship, door knocking, public speaking, and sports

26:50 What we were exposed to in school

29:13 Core subjects and the freedom to fail

31:40 The NASA creativity study (Dr. George Land)

34:05 Losing and rediscovering our creativity

38:20 Gratitude, and a challenge to working parents

40:54 What about single parents?

41:58 Homeschool families: we want to hear from you!

42:58 Wrap-up

Are you homeschooling or thinking about it? Comment below or reach out. We'd love to learn from you! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share it with a friend.

CONNECT WITH US

The Ma-Honeys: @Ma_honeys.podcast

Michael:

@the.michaelmahoney

Brielle:

@brielle_colleen

@brielle.colleen.music

Brielle and Michael are back after a short break to fix their audio! This week they talk about how becoming parents to their son Roman (21 months) has changed them as individuals and as a couple.

00:00 Welcome back to the Ma-Honeys

00:18 Back after a break (goodbye, audio issues!)

01:04 Recording from home

01:20 Today's topic: how parenthood changed us

02:13 The biggest change: going from zero kids to one

02:40 Brielle: less independence, more structure

04:50 Michael: living and modeling your values

06:35 Sleep, schedules, and night wakings

08:30 More intention in our daily routines

09:33 Filling your cup: faith, prayer, and energy

11:30 Releasing expectations

12:20 The diaper blowout story

14:00 Learning joy from a toddler

16:50 Slowing down and being present

17:45 Mother's intuition and "what if I'm not a good mom?"

20:40 Brielle chasing her music dreams

24:10 Being an example for our kids

28:35 Honoring stay-at-home moms

30:40 Better communication as a couple

31:50 A word for those who aren't parents yet

33:20 Michael on becoming a dad later in life

36:35 The twin baby boys debate

38:07 Wrap-up

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share it with a friend. Send us your comments, questions, or topics you'd like us to cover!

CONNECT WITH US

The Ma-Honeys: @ma_honeys.podcast

Michael:

@the.michaelmahoney

Brielle:

@brielle_colleen

@brielle.colleen.music

Ep. 5: Roman's Birth Story — Our At-Home Birth

Brielle and Michael share the full story behind their decision to have an at-home birth — from frustrations with the hospital system to the 46-hour labor that brought Roman into the world.

Show Notes:

- Intro & static noise apology

- Life update: sold the Arizona house, new Jeep, Roman's diaper blowout story

- Why they chose to share their at-home birth story

- Starting with the hospital system — feeling like "just a number"

- C-section statistics & suggestive language from hospital staff

- Brielle's anxiety and the weight of restrictive hospital guidance

- Talking to friends who'd done an at-home birth

- Researching doulas and midwives

- Doula vs. midwife — the difference explained

- The birth class & taking accountability

- Cost comparison: doula/midwife vs. hospital

- Finding out it's a boy

- Labor begins — November 22, 2024, Brielle's birthday

- Early labor, walking, and natural positioning exercises

- Hip pain & signs the baby wasn't positioned well

- Active labor intensifies — the belly-lift technique

- Stalling at 7cm for 10 hours

- The tub, wine, and calming the nervous system

- The "shock" scare & considering a hospital transfer

- Brielle's mental shift — surrendering into the pain

- Water breaking & the meconium scare

- Final stretch — pushing begins

- Roman is born — Michael catches him

- The spiritual moment of catching Roman

- Brielle's recovery & would she do it again

- Wrap-up & final thoughts on the decision

Follow along:

Ma-Honeys Podcast

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ma_honeys.podcast

Michael

IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.michaelmahoney

Website: http://www.iamconductr.com

Brielle

IG: https://www.instagram.com/brielle_colleen/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/brielle.colleen.music

Ep. 4, Pt. 2: Our Relationship with God (Continued)

Part two of Brielle and Michael's conversation on faith — including the story of a life-changing trip to Israel, how they pray now versus how they used to, and what they hope Roman inherits about faith and gratitude.

Show Notes:

0:00 – Intro, picking up the story

0:16 – The 2023 trip to Israel begins

1:16 – Meeting IDF soldiers & the mission behind the trip

2:22 – Michael's naivety about religion going in

4:03 – Arriving at the King David Hotel

5:16 – The Garden of Gethsemane & meeting the Catholic priest

7:00 – Michael starts feeling something shift inside

9:38 – Sitting with the weight of Jerusalem's history

11:36 – The priest, the rabbi, and the guitar song

13:06 – Why God put him there — searching for the purpose

15:15 – Sharing the story with Brielle afterward

17:35 – Present day: no church home yet, watching Elevation Church on Sundays

18:00 – The song "Let You Go" & letting go of a fear-based God

20:04 – Wanting Roman to find God through love, not fear

21:00 – Brielle's hopes for how their kids come to faith

22:00 – Relationship with God as a two-way relationship

23:01 – Morning gratitude practice & nightly prayers with Roman

25:00 – Brielle on praying from vulnerability and gratitude

27:04 – Praying from gratitude vs. praying from need

29:18 – Letting go of timing and expectations

30:22 – Learning to ask different questions in prayer

33:14 – Wrap-up, Roman wakes up

34:00 – Clarifying: Mormons are Christian

35:15 – Outro & call to action

Mentioned in this episode:

Elevation Church

IG: https://www.instagram.com/elevationworship

Follow along:

Ma-Honeys Podcast

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ma_honeys.podcast

Michael

IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.michaelmahoney

Website: http://www.iamconductr.com

Brielle

IG: https://www.instagram.com/brielle_colleen/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/brielle.colleen.music

Website: http://www.theballroomedit.com

Ep. 4: Our Relationship with God

Brielle and Michael open up about faith — their different upbringings, the moments that pulled them away from God, and the experiences that brought them back. A raw, personal conversation about belief, doubt, and what they hope to pass down to Roman.

Show Notes:

0:00 – Intro & welcome back

1:07 – Framing today's topic: our relationship with God

3:00 – Where they are now — gravitating toward Christian faith

4:12 – Different upbringings: Catholic vs. LDS

5:22 – Recommended resources: Wesley Huff, Dr. Jordan Peterson

7:12 – From atheist/agnostic to belief — Dr. John Lennox's influence

9:42 – Brielle's LDS upbringing & early questioning

12:53 – The "take care of the men and children" moment

15:06 – The patriarchal blessing & turning point

17:14 – Rebellion, marriage, and stepping away from God

17:58 – Hitting bottom during divorce — praying as a last resort

19:43 – Feeling seen again & rebuilding the relationship

21:00 – Michael's take: generalizing one experience onto a whole religion

23:19 – Michael's Boston Catholic upbringing & the Spotlight-era context

26:56 – The Joshua 14:10 passage — "kept me alive, not kept me waiting" (Pastor Steven Furtick, Elevation Church)

30:38 – On faith, certainty, and passing it down to their son

32:15 – The dog attack story — part one

35:23 – The second German Shepherd attack, two weeks later

41:06 – Finding gratitude & recognizing the pattern

43:52 – The friend's question: "Is this the program you want to pass to your kid?"

45:29 – Committing to a relationship built on love

48:44 – Teaser: the Israel story, coming in Part 2

Mentioned in this episode:

Wesley Huff

IG: https://www.instagram.com/wesley_huff

Dr. Jordan Peterson

IG: https://www.instagram.com/jordan.b.peterson

Elevation Church

IG: https://www.instagram.com/elevationworship

Follow along:

Ma-Honeys Podcast

IG: https://www.instagram.com/ma_honeys.podcast

Michael

IG: https://www.instagram.com/the.michaelmahoney

Website: http://www.iamconductr.com

Brielle

IG: https://www.instagram.com/brielle_colleen/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/brielle.colleen.music

Website: http://www.theballroomedit.com