Wendy and Terry kick off the new year with an honest, heart-led reflection on 2025, the moments that stretched them, shaped their family, and changed them in ways they didn’t fully recognize at the time.

From navigating grief and faith to watching their kids step into confidence, leadership, and generosity, they share what this past year taught them about trust, commitment, and listening to intuition, even when outcomes weren’t guaranteed. They talk candidly about what it really takes to stay all-in through uncertainty, in parenting, marriage, and everyday life.

They also share their Word of the Year for 2026, inviting listeners into a simpler, more trusting way of moving forward and choosing what truly matters next.

This episode is reflective, real, and deeply encouraging, perfect for parents who want to begin the year feeling connected, clear, and anchored in what matters most. Perfect for parents reflecting on the past year and stepping into a more intentional new year of family life.

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Episode Highlights:

• You don’t stumble into the life you want, you commit to it.
• It’s safe to trust what you want.
• Waiting doesn’t mean you’re behind.
• Leadership looks different with each child, and that’s a good thing.
• Healthy parenting isn’t about perfection, it’s about presence over time.
• Not everything deserves your full energy.
• Your nervous system knows before your logic catches up.
• Family legacy isn’t built in big moments, it’s built in daily choices.

Resources Mentioned:

Catch the full episode on YouTube!

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Unable to listen, or prefer to read along? Here’s the transcript!

Wendy
Hello families, and welcome back to a brand new episode of The Fresh Start Family Show. Happy New Year. We have Terry Snyder on the show today to kick things off, and I could not be more thrilled.

Honey, we’ve missed you. I feel like you haven’t been on the podcast much in 2025.

Terry Snyder
It’s been a minute. It’s beanie season.

Wendy
It is beanie season. They can’t see that if they’re listening.

Terry
I’m painting a picture. Beanie, jacket, all-terrain shoes. Podcast chic.

Wendy
I have a goal to have you on the podcast more in 2026. I think the people want more Terry Snyder.

Terry
I’ll have to check my schedule. You don’t want to overdo it. Gotta stay a little hard to get.

⸻

Wendy
This is becoming a bit of a tradition. We come together at the end of the year, reflect on the biggest takeaways, and then choose a word of intention for the year ahead. We did this at the end of 2024.

You never actually chose a word for 2025.

Terry
I think I did. Didn’t I choose the F word?

Wendy (laughing)
You joked about choosing the F word, but I don’t think that counts.

Terry
I was testing the censorship limits. Free speech experiment.

Wendy
Fair enough. But I chose my word, lived into it, and this year I lovingly challenged you to pick one for 2026. You say you have it, so we’ll come back to that at the end.

First, I want to look back. Not just parenting, but life, work, faith, all of it. And we didn’t prepare this episode. We’re just coming from the heart.

⸻

Looking Back at 2025

We started the year with something incredibly heavy and sacred. We lost our little cousin. He was stillborn, a beautiful baby boy named Brooks Taryn. He came into the world as a sleeping angel.

Terry, Stella, and I were with his parents. He was in his mama’s belly for three days before delivery. Supporting our cousins through that grief was heartbreaking and also deeply beautiful.

I got to host his celebration of life ceremony. It was my first eulogy ever, and it was for a child. That experience changed me forever.

Terry
Brooks was a monumental soul in our lives, and still is.

Wendy
That grief softened us. It brought our family closer. It shaped the entire year.

Then, just a few months later, we experienced one of the highest highs of our lives. Watching Stella, now 18, reach the dream of her life, committing as a Division I beach volleyball player for a top-10 school in the nation.

That happened in early April.

Terry
April 6th.

Wendy
April 6th. Unreal.

The summer felt rocky for the country. We used our voices respectfully and intentionally around democracy and justice. Then I finished Fresh Start Your Family, which was absolutely a collective effort. I wrote the book, but it’s our parenting story.

That August, we turned it in and went to Mexico to celebrate your 50th birthday.

Terry
Alert, I’m old now.

Wendy
We spent a magical week in Cabo. Surfing, fishing, friends, joy. It was everything.

Taryn started high school. Stella entered her senior year. And I also want to name that this space, my office at Oceanside Sanctuary, became a huge part of 2025.

Terry
You spent almost the whole year here. This space represents belonging, alignment, and community.

Wendy
Yes. And our faith journey, too. Finding a church community that feels healthy, inclusive, rooted in justice and joy. After some scary years spiritually, anchoring into that in 2025 was huge.

And then… Stella turned 18 on November 2nd.

Terry
That’s your birthday too.

Wendy
Exactly. And she chose to celebrate by taking us to Disney World. Four parks in one day. Rope drop at 7:30 a.m. First on the Avatar ride. Left at 12:20 a.m.

We let Stella lead.

Terry
She had a minute-by-minute plan. Notes pages. Transportation mapped out. And when things went sideways, we worked through it together without shame.

Wendy
That’s powerful parenting right there. Letting kids lead, trusting them, learning through hiccups instead of punishment.

She even bought the family fast passes with her own money.

And now she’s a giver. Buying gifts. Finding joy in generosity.

⸻

Taryn’s Year

Taryn entered high school and joined a nationally ranked surf team. He stepped into something intimidating, competitive, and new.

Terry
The biggest win wasn’t results. It was community. Confidence. Belonging.

Wendy
Watching him move past fear of comparison and into growth was beautiful.

⸻

Stella’s Recruitment Journey

Supporting Stella’s dream of Division I beach volleyball was one of the most intense emotional journeys of our parenting life.

Holding belief and fear at the same time. Empowering her while knowing there was a real chance it wouldn’t work out.

Terry
There were so many layers, physical training, nutrition, networking, emails, NCAA lawsuits, waiting, patience.

But when you love someone that deeply and they’re focused on a dream, you do everything you can.

And when it finally happened, it was perfect timing. Nothing else would’ve shaped her the same way.

Wendy
My biggest takeaway from 2025 was learning that it’s safe to trust myself. Safe to trust desire. Safe to follow intuition, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

Stella showed us how to do that.

⸻

Terry’s Biggest Takeaway

Terry
My word for looking back is committed.

When you’re committed, you’ll do anything for it. And when you’re not, be honest. Don’t expect fruit from something you’re not truly invested in.

Commitment brings clarity.

⸻

Words of the Year for 2026

Wendy
My word for 2026 is Simple.

I tend to do too much. This year I want ease, focus, and simplicity. Fewer things, done well. It feels scary, which tells me it’s exactly right.

Terry
My word is Trust.

Trust myself. Trust timing. Trust divine guidance. Trust that I’m enough. Trust that what’s meant for me will arrive.

Wendy
Thank you, babe. I love doing this with you.

Listeners, please share this episode with your spouse. Let them hear from a dad who’s been doing this work for 15 years and has the relationship of his dreams with his kids.

We love you all. 2026 is the year to commit, to trust, and to create the family legacy you want.

We have a very special free event coming January 28th. Mark your calendar. Spend that day with me. You won’t want to miss it.

We’ll see you in the next episode. 💛