In today’s episode of the 100xLife Podcast, Rob and Nancy Dayton get brutally honest about family, triggers, and what it actually looks like to follow Jesus in the middle of holiday chaos, not just sing about Him over pie.
As Thanksgiving and Christmas close in, they refuse the usual “just survive your relatives” Christian talk. Instead, they invite you into the “family gym,” where old childhood programming collides with the words of Jesus and you have a choice. Stay triggered and offended, or let Jesus retrain your reactions in real time.
This episode pulls apart the stories, fantasies, and wounds you carry into family rooms and shows how they are discipling you more than you think. Rob and Nancy expose their own triggers, adoption wounds, and marriage patterns, then walk through how Jesus has led them into real healing, not churchy pretending.
You will hear:
- How your childhood “programming” still runs the room at every gatheringRob’s laundry room story and his lifelong fight with worth and attentionNancy’s adoption and abandonment journey and how God rewrote itHow fantasy and “what if” stories can either poison you or transform youA simple sentence Nancy used to stop running and start communicating angerWhy so many Christians are numb to conviction and stuck lukewarmHow to walk into the holidays as a servant, not a victim keeping scoreA simple way to turn conflict into growth instead of another family blowup
This conversation will confront your inner “nice Christian” who avoids conflict but still holds grudges. It will push you to stop blaming your family, own your triggers, and walk into the holidays as someone who actually follows Jesus with your reactions, not just with your theology.
👉 Reflect and Apply
Jesus, where am I still letting old triggers run the show instead of your love when I am with my family?
Journal Prompt
Pick one holiday moment that usually sets you off.
- Write the “old script” in detail. What they say, what you think, how you react, how it ends.Then write a “new script” with Jesus. Same moment, but you walk in secure, unoffended, and ready to serve with no payback.
Ask Him: What mindset do you want me to practice this year in that exact situation?
Resources & Links
📘 Read 100xLife → https://100xlife.com
📱 Follow Rob on Instagram → @100xlifemovement
Join the 62-Day Challenge:
🙌 Individuals → https://100xlife.com/62-day-challenge
👥 Coaches → https://subscribepage.io/100xCoach
🏠 Church Leaders → https://subscribepage.io/church-challenge
Chapters
00:00 Welcome and why family is a “gym” for your soul
03:56 Moving from Santa Barbara to Bend and following Jesus with money and lifestyle
12:18 Nancy’s family story, adoption, and messy holiday dynamics
17:46 Rob’s triggers around worth and being “at the table”
24:00 How fantasy, mindset, and imagination shape your response to family
39:42 Practical holiday strategy in the kitchen and in conflict
43:10 Questions, curiosity, and how to de-escalate instead of explode
47:00 Preview of next week on gratitude and finishing the holiday series