"Root, Root, Root for the Home Team," Episode #183, October 29, 2026

Wellness Compass Podcast · Season 4: How's the Family? Hosts: Holly Hughes-Stoner and Scott Stoner, licensed marriage and family therapists

Holly@WellnessCompass.org and Scott@WellnessCompass.org

The Milwaukee Brewers just won the World Series, and Wisconsin is celebrating. Holly and Scott have been collecting wisdom from the team's manager and players all season, and they share how those lessons apply to family life. When we think of our family as a team, we can learn to lead with love, lift each other up, let go of perfectionism, honor those who came before us, and keep cheering for one another through every season.

1. Love and discipline, in that order. Manager Pat Murphy describes his coaching philosophy as love first, then discipline. Players need to know he cares about them before he can offer feedback or correction. Scott connects this to parenting and to a technique he uses in family therapy: when a family arrives stuck in conflict and blame, he asks them to share what they love about each other. The energy in the room shifts, and the family becomes more creative, flexible, and forgiving when they return to the problem.

2. Play for each other. Murphy encourages his players to focus on the team rather than their individual stats. Everyone will hit a slump, and teammates are responsible for lifting each other up. When catcher William Contreras won World Series MVP, his first move was to invite pitcher Aaron Ashby to share the trophy. Families thrive when the goal is lifting each other up, not getting credit. As the African proverb says, if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.

3. Gamers, not Hall of Famers. After beating the star-studded Dodgers, Murphy called his team "a bunch of gamers, not Hall of Famers." Every family member brings different gifts, and everyone's contribution matters. This also challenges perfectionism: the pressure for perfect grades, holidays, homes, photos, and relationships. Gamers make mistakes. They're known for grit and resilience, and they don't let errors define them.

4. Honor those who came before. Throughout the series, the team honored the people who built the franchise, including longtime broadcaster Bob Uecker and Bud Selig, who brought the team to Milwaukee. Families can do the same by telling stories about earlier generations: those who immigrated, served, worked hard, or sacrificed. Those stories help children and young people feel part of something bigger than themselves.

5. Root, root, root for the home team. Inspired by "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," Holly and Scott consider what it means to cheer for our families. "Root" has a double meaning: families give us our roots, and families root for each other. It doesn't take big gestures. A note in a lunchbox or a word of encouragement before a test can make home a place of "home field advantage." And since even the best hitters make an out about 70% of the time, rooting for each other means sticking together through the losses as well as the wins.

• What do you love most about each person in your family? When did you last tell them?
• How can your family lift up a member who is going through a slump?
• Where does perfectionism show up in your family life, and what would it look like to be "gamers" instead?
• Whose shoulders does your family stand on? What stories about them could you share with younger generations?
• What is one small way you could root for someone in your family this week?

Until we gather again, may you be at peace, may you be happy, and may you root, root, root for your home team.