The Greatest Influencers

In today’s culture, the word influencer has become synonymous with social media personalities and brands with many (many) faithful followers. Want to monetize on YouTube, stand out on Instagram, or be a successful entrepreneur on TikTok? Then you will have to produce relevant, captivating, and attention-grabbing content designed to meet the needs reflected by our current cultural norms. The more riveting, the better.

However, with so many voices vying for a share of the market, the world can become a hectic, noisy, and stressful place. Wouldn’t it be nice if the world, or more accurately, our culture, could collectively just take a break and step off the productivity treadmill?

To those I have not yet met, my name is Teresa, and I appreciate your interest in homemaking. In addition to being an educator and family therapist, I am also a wife, mother, grandmother, author, writer, and follower of Christ. In my role as a marriage and family therapist in private practice, I focus on helping people build stronger relationships, heal from generational trauma, and develop new mindsets that support new ways of being with themselves, others, and God. However, my role as a homemaker remains my favorite and (I believe) the most significant, life-affirming contribution I have made in life.  

Over the past several years, I have seen a progressive increase in the number of clients who have become completely overwhelmed with the stressors associated with everyday life, which has resulted in all manner of relational disconnection, distress, confusion, emotional pain, and a kind of general life malaise. People are tired, lonely, disconnected, sad, and stressed.

We have become a generation in need of a reset.

A return, if you will, to a less stressful, more satisfying, and more realistic way of life. In short, we could all use a good dose of common-sense living that highlights relational connection, life purpose, healthy food, balanced exercise, and faith!

Less doing and more being.

At the heart of this epidemic of discontent and stress is the loss of our safe haven: Faith and Family. With the deterioration of the family and the loss of our foundational biblical beliefs, our nation has succumbed to the hopeless pursuit of MORE. More money, more friends, more things, more work, and more distractions- as if that would fix anything. Is it any wonder anxiety and depression have become the hallmarks of our stressed and harried culture?

What changed? 

But what if we took a moment to slow down and examine how we arrived at this point? What shifted? How did we become so heartsick and frantic? When did we lose sight of the most important things in life?

Many of our younger generations have never known anything but hurry and stress. They have grown up in a world of hurry, productivity, and expectations. I once had a 13-year-old client outline her entire life plan, starting with the college she would attend, the advanced degree she would earn, the career, the home, the car, the partner, and even the retirement plan that dominated her every decision. Such over-focus and drive are worrisome.  

For some of us, however, we remember a slightly slower pace of life that focused more on the joys of family, friends, and faith. But those days are quickly becoming nothing more than a list of faded ideals and misplaced memories as our culture progressively marches forward into an ever-expanding expectation about what we are “supposed” to be able to manage.

So what do we do? How do we reset cultural norms and bring rest to a weary and despairing nation? How do we find places of rest, connection, health, and mental well-being?

WE START IN THE HOME. 

We reestablish the value and influence of God-Centered homes, managed by women (and men), that promote and sustain the home as the epicenter of relational connection, safety, rest, faith, leadership, and character development, and reject cultural fixations against home and faith.  

The most powerful and lasting influence does not come from viral videos or brand sponsorships – it comes from the home. Homemakers are the greatest influencers in the world because they shape hearts, mold character, instill faith, and establish values that influence generations.

Homemakers are not just caregivers or housekeepers.

They are the Greatest Influencers.

Every day, they shape their children’s character, their families, their communities, and, ultimately, the nation. Their intentional influence may not always be openly recognized, but it is always felt, echoing through generations as a testament to faith, love, and steadfastness.

If you are a homemaker with many years of experience or just beginning to explore a new way of thinking about faith, family, influence, and life purpose, I hope you will find encouragement and value in the information I will provide through homemaking articles that emphasize the value of Common Sense Homemaking.

It is my prayer that these articles will serve to teach, lead, encourage, and equip you to build Christ-centered homes where God is honored, relationships thrive, and practical living ideals align with eternal truth.

“My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.”

                                                                                                                      Isaiah 32:18

Heart-peace and love to you all,

Teresa

If you would like to read more about common sense homemaking topics or are interested in learning more about the philosophy of the Natural Realational Health Institute, you may find the following articles helpful and supportive. 

Our Philosophy

Natural Relational Health Foundation

Spiritual Formation

Solving the Marriage Mystery 

Originally published under Chrysalis Connections, LLC, and updated in 2026 as part of the Natural Relational Health Institute rebranding and expansion.