Blog – Brandi Raines

Marriage Isn't Always 50/50, and That's Okay

Life has a funny way of showing us that marriage isn't always going to look perfectly balanced. Some days you're giving 80% while your husband only has 20% left to give, and other days, he's the one carrying the weight while you're just trying to make it through the day. And you know what? That's okay. That's part of doing life together.

Motherhood Is a Lot of Learning as You Go

To all my fellow mamas, here's your reminder that you don't have to have this whole thing figured out. None of us do! Some days you'll feel like you've absolutely nailed it, and other days you'll be counting down the minutes until bedtime. Some days you'll give the best advice, and other days you'll find yourself Googling something you probably should know by now. Laugh about it. Give yourself grace. Enjoy those babies, even when they aren't babies anymore. And don't be afraid to admit you're still learning, because we all are.

Be Someone Who Makes People Feel Good About Themselves

I think one of the best compliments you can ever receive is that people feel good when they’re around you. Not because you’re the funniest person in the room or the most interesting or because you always know the right thing to say, but because you have a way of making people feel seen, included, celebrated, and comfortable being exactly who they are.

Not Everything Needs Your Reaction

Not every comment needs a response. Not every misunderstanding needs to be cleared up. Not every person who has the wrong idea about you needs to be convinced otherwise. And not every situation deserves the amount of energy we’re sometimes so quick to give it.

Stop Taking Advice From People Who Don’t Have the Life You Want

One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that everyone has an opinion, but not everyone deserves a vote in your life.

We ask people what they think about everything. Should I do this? Should I take the job? Should I start the business? Should I spend the money? Should I go on the trip? Should I say something? Should I let it go? And before we know it, we’ve collected ten different opinions and somehow feel even more confused than we did before.

The problem isn't always the advice. Sometimes it's who we're asking.

The Life You Prayed For Can Still Feel Hard

You can love your kids more than anything in this world and still count down the minutes until bedtime. You can be incredibly thankful for your work and still have days where you want to close the laptop, ignore every notification, and pretend your to-do list doesn’t exist. You can love your husband and your marriage and still get annoyed over something completely ridiculous. You can be grateful for your home while staring at the laundry pile thinking, how are there already more clothes in here? You can have plans you’re excited about, people you love, a healthy family, opportunities you once dreamed about—and still feel tired.

Stop Making Yourself Smaller to Keep Other People Comfortable

I feel like there comes a point in your 30s where you start realizing just how much of your life you’ve spent worrying about how other people perceive you. And maybe it’s motherhood, maybe it’s getting older, maybe it’s simply living enough life to finally get a little tired of it lol — but somewhere along the way, you start asking yourself, why am I constantly making myself smaller just so everyone else can feel comfortable?

You Never Know When It’s the Last Time

There’s something about motherhood that nobody can fully explain to you until you’re living it. Everyone tells you, “It goes by so fast,” and when your babies are little, you smile and nod, but some days definitely do NOT feel fast. 😂

You Don’t Need Closure From Everyone

I think one of the hardest things I’ve had to learn in my 30s is that not every situation is going to end with a conversation that makes everything make sense. Not every person who hurt you is going to apologize. Not every friendship is going to end with both people understanding what happened. Not everyone is going to see your heart, admit where they were wrong, or give you the explanation you feel like you deserve.

Be Careful What You Say About Yourself

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the way we speak about ourselves. Not necessarily the things we say out loud for everyone to hear, but the quiet words we repeat in our own minds—the ones that come so naturally that sometimes we don’t even realize how often we’re saying them.

The Beauty Of Being A Girl's Girl

We need people who can celebrate with us, encourage us, pray for us, tell us the truth with love, and remind us who we are when life feels heavy. We need other women, and other women need us too.

Confidence Isn't Something You're Born With—It's Something You Choose

If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that confidence isn't reserved for a certain type of woman. It isn't only for the girl who seems to have it all together, the one who never gets nervous, the one with the "perfect" body, or the one who always knows exactly what to say...

The People You Spend Time With Will Shape Your Future

The older I get, the more I realize that life isn't just about the big decisions we make—it's about the little influences we allow into our everyday lives. The conversations we have, the people we text, the voices we listen to, the friends we call when life gets hard...they all leave a mark on us, whether we realize it or not. I've found myself paying more attention to who I feel like after spending time with certain people.

How to Stop Waiting for the "Perfect Time"

We love to call it “not the right time.”

Not yet. Maybe later. Once things slow down. Once money feels better. Once life is less busy, less messy, less unpredictable. Once we feel more confident, more ready, more sure.

But if we’re being honest, most of us aren’t waiting for the perfect time… we’re waiting for a feeling that never really arrives.

What I Hope My Daughter Learns From Watching Me

As moms, we spend so much time trying to teach our daughters. We remind them to be kind, to tell the truth, to work hard, and to love Jesus. But the truth is, our daughters are paying attention to so much more than our words. They're watching how we handle stress. They're watching how we talk about ourselves. They're watching how we treat people when nobody is looking. They're watching how we respond when life doesn't go according to plan.

The Power of Surrendering Control

There was a time in my life when I thought being strong meant carrying everything on my own. I thought if I worked harder, planned better, worried more, and stayed one step ahead of every possible problem, then somehow, I could protect the people I love and create the life I wanted.

Why Your Future Self Depends on Today's Small Decisions

Have you ever found yourself thinking about where you want to be a year from now? Maybe you want to feel healthier, grow your business, strengthen your relationships, or simply feel more confident in who you are. Most of us have a vision of the life we'd love to create, but sometimes that vision can feel so far away that it's overwhelming.

The Life I Never Planned for Became My Greatest Blessing 🤍

There are moments in life where I look around at my family, the little hands reaching for me, the laughter filling our home, the quiet moments with Casey after long days, and I just sit there overwhelmed with gratitude because this life wasn’t something I always had planned out perfectly.