All In Podcast

33: Intentional Parenting with Susan Seay

Daniel Giordano

About Manny Wolfe

Manny Wolfe had a rather unconventional start to life. His story starts out with being born into a cult in the late 60’s in the San Francisco Bay area, where he was programmed from birth not to fit into outside society. At 8 ½ years old, the cult moved from right into the middle of one of the top 10 most violent ghettos at the time, Stockton, CA. Overnight, he experienced violence and spent the next 4 years in a constant state of flight-or-fight mode and the children in the cult received no protection or guidance from the adults. Between the countercultural mindset instilled in him, 4 years of violence, and an environment where drug use was encouraged, by the time he was 12 and they moved away, he was set on a path of drug abuse, addiction, criminal behavior, jails and violence.

It took years for him to even realize that his youth was not normal and, finally, he had a moment of clarity at 28 years old that sent him running. He disappeared from the life and the crowd that he was in, never to be heard from again. That decision marked the exact moment when his trajectory started to change. From that time forward, he began to pursue self-exploration, personal development, and studied what internal mechanisms had led him to that point.

He looked to thought leaders and as he started absorbing their teachings and undoing his own damage bit by bit, the person that emerged was someone who was tender, vulnerable and wanted to be of service to others. It would be many years still until he put their thoughts and his calling together. During the intervening years he did everything from construction to being a playwright, until one day his fiancé told him he should write a book about his experiences.

After the book was done, the question became, “how do I get a platform to sell it?” A podcast was the obvious answer. From there, the possibilities just opened up a whole new life for Manny and today, he is a Public Speaking and Charisma Coach. If you need to deliver from the stage in a way that is dazzling, Manny will show you how to get there by using your body language and speech as your secret weapons.

Most Influential Mentor:

  • For some time, she took a bible passage literally and looked for that one woman who would be her ‘teacher’ in life. In time, she realized it wasn’t about just finding that one person; it would be several women that related to different aspects of her life.
  • Of course, one of her mentors, especially in marriage, is her mom.
  • But, there were also authors, radio shows, bloggers, conferences, workshops, and church peers, who would say something to her in passing that was bigger than just that moment. That’s when she discovered she had mentors all along her path.

Intentional Parenting:

  • Susan and her husband made a decision very early on that she would be a stay-at-home full-time mom so they designed their entire life around that lifestyle from day one, including living way below their means and having a rental asset.
  • From those early choices, everything else flowed. Each decision started with the question of “how do we continue to ensure that we are creating the culture and the dynamic in our family that we want?”
  • Essentially, they created core values and used those values to determine every decision.

A Day in the Life:

  • She was treating parenting as a sprint instead of a marathon. She was wearing herself and everyone else out!
  • She’s gotten to a point today where she’s learned to pace herself. They now only pursue the activities that are truly special and keep them connected to being intentional as a family.
  • Her whole family is entrepreneurial, including 2 of her teenagers. Homeschooling allows the family to have flexibility for education and enrichment as well as pursuing their individual and family businesses.

‘Mom on a Mission’:

  • Susan’s mission is having a message that encourages parents that it’s not so much about what we ‘do’ (our approach) but more about living a life of purpose and who we need to be to ensure our children are getting positive messages in our very crazy-busy world.
  • From writing the book, she’s had more doors of opportunity open up and she loves doing her workshops and one-on-one client sessions, where she works with moms on everyday issues as well as handling the big life transitions.
  • Her mission is to create a non-judgmental atmosphere where moms can go to get the advice and tools they need to deal with the challenges they face.

Advice on Being ‘All-In’:

  • Accepting your calling is a journey in itself. As you open the door and step into your role, the opportunities will continue to become bigger.
  • You always have room to grow as a person as long as you are committed to your endeavors.
  • Get clear on where you need clarity and the direction that you want to go. Then, seek the wisdom to help you bridge the gap from you are to where you want to be.

Favorite Quote:

  • “Time with your children is short. Be intentional with every moment.”

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About the Instructor