Shows / A Time to Sharpen
A Time to Sharpen
A bi-weekly podcast that examines how working with teenagers can make us better versions of ourselves: better teachers, better counselors, better parents…better people. Join two of Whetstone Boys Ranch's co-founders, Axel Liimatta and Brandon Maxwell, as they discuss what twenty years of serving struggling teenagers and their families has taught them about how to address the most challenging of behaviors. You'll find answers without dogma, encouragement without false hope, and sharpening…
Episodes
- A Time to Sharpen
Forged & Sharpened: The History of Whetstone Boys Ranch Part 4
Brandon and Axel welcome Whetstone co-founder and Executive Director,Jeremy Thompson, to A Time to Sharpen, for a fascinating and inspiring trip down memory…
- A Time to Sharpen
Beyond Whetstone: The 1st Boy
On October 9, 2011, Whetstone Boys Ranch opened its doors to its very first resident: Austin . Today, exactly fifteen years later, we're opening a new…
- A Time to Sharpen
Forged & Sharpened: The History of Whetstone, Part 3
Whetstone Boys Ranch opened October 9, 2011. But in some ways, our first boy showed up almost ten years earlier. This week on Forged & Sharpened, our oral…
- A Time to Sharpen
Forged & Sharpened: The History of Whetstone, Part 2
There are seasons when God’s providence looks less like a straight road and more like a crooked map. This second chapter of Whetstone’s history includes a…
- A Time to Sharpen
Forged & Sharpened: The History of Whetstone, Part 1
Every story has a beginning, but some beginnings are harder to locate on a map. This week on A Time to Sharpen, we share the first installment of a multi-part…
- A Time to Sharpen
Pivot
Every family has a story. For years, we’ve spent this podcast telling you about Whetstone Boys Ranch: what we do, why we do it, and what we’ve learned from…
- A Time to Sharpen
Guy Talk
Men talk different. Ask a guy, “How are you feeling?” and suddenly he needs to check the oil in the truck truck, sharpen his knife, or discuss brisket…
- A Time to Sharpen
Taking Out The Trash
I grew up in a household with six kids. Needless to say, things could get pretty messy, and so every once in a while my dad would rally the troops and proclaim…
- A Time to Sharpen
FAQ'S Part 4
So this is the last installment of WBRFAQS. That's a lot of letters. We hope that these 4 episodes prove useful to anyone with questions about what we do, how…
- A Time to Sharpen
FAQ's: Part 3
In this third installment of FAQ’s, we’re gonna dig into some of the practical details that matter a lot: what life at Whetstone actually feels like day to…
- A Time to Sharpen
FAQ's: Part 2
FAQ’s: Part Two will address some of the questions that come out around the kitchen table at 11:30 at night: Is this place actually professional… or just a…
- A Time to Sharpen
FAQ's: Part 1
If you’re considering a place like Whetstone for your son, you’re not just looking for a brochure, you’re looking for answers. Real ones. The kind you ask when…
- A Time to Sharpen
Next-Gen
Everyone likes new things. New phones. New systems. New news. That’s weird phrase, but you catch my drift. The problem is, new doesn’t always mean better. On…
- A Time to Sharpen
Hygiene for Boys
Self-care doesn’t announce itself at Whetstone with spa music and soft lighting. It shows up in the mundane: brushing teeth, washing clothes, tending a cut…
- A Time to Sharpen
Money
No one likes to talk about money. The very word is a little cringy. We prefer to talk about wealth, finances, the budget. These are more palatable. The same…
- A Time to Sharpen
Spiritual Life
It’s a little ironic that has taken us 65 episodes to get this topic. You could argue it should’ve been the first one we ever recorded, because spiritual life…
- A Time to Sharpen
Girls
Running a boys ranch means we spend a lot of time talking about manhood—but you can’t really understand boys without talking about girls. God made us different…
- A Time to Sharpen
Light's Out
When most of the world goes to sleep, life at Whetstone keeps rolling. The lights may be out, but the work doesn’t stop. Boys still need care. Emergencies can…
- A Time to Sharpen
Bumps & Bruises
Bumps, bruises, and bug bites—it’s all part of growing up in the Ozarks. Around here, ‘rub some dirt on it’ isn’t just advice, it’s practically a lifestyle. Of…
- A Time to Sharpen
Harvard-Bound
It’s not everyday that a former student of yours says that he’s been accepted to Harvard Law School - or every year...or every lifetime! But recently…
- A Time to Sharpen
Sleep Matters
Sleep is the secret weapon most of us are too tired to use. We hustle, grind, and caffeinate our way through exhaustion, ignoring the one thing our minds and…
- A Time to Sharpen
Neurodivergence
We all think differently. But some of us think more differently than others…if that makes sense. Maybe it doesn’t. I don’t know. Which is why we invited…
- A Time to Sharpen
Growing Pains
Some of us are old enough to remember when Kirk Cameron was a teenage heartthrob and the star of an 80’s family sitcom called “Growing Pains.” This show was…
- A Time to Sharpen
Staying Married
It’s impossible to overestimate the importance of marriage. Sure, some marriages fail, some are toxic, and some are even deadly. Still, there is nothing that…
- A Time to Sharpen
Sick & Tired
Flu season is almost over, but if you hurry, there’s just enough to catch the seasonal bug if you want. You have until the end of May, in case you're…
- A Time to Sharpen
Childhood Bullying Pt. 2
In part two of this special podcast dealing with school bullying, Axel, Brandon and Thomas share thoughts about the bullying problem, along with some simple…
- A Time to Sharpen
Childhood Bullying: Pt. I
Whetstone's Thomas Brown joins Brandon and Axel for the first of a two-part series on the subject of childhood bullying. Once a victim of terrible bullying…
- A Time to Sharpen
LOL!
Rules without Relationship = Rebellion. We’ve said this before on the podcast, but it bears repeating. Whetstone Boys Ranch was founded upon this basic…
- A Time to Sharpen
Snowplows & Helicopters
Bad parenting is often compared to snowplows and helicopters. There is a very strong temptation to rescue our kids from their mistakes: swooping in to save the…
- A Time to Sharpen
'tis the Season?
‘Tis the season to be over-working, over-spending, over-eating…and under-sleeping. I don’t know about you, but I feel like the time between Thanksgiving and…
- A Time to Sharpen
No Pain, No Gain
Did you know that the second Friday in January is known as “Quitter’s Day?” Studies have shown that by this day each year, 80% of all New Year’s Resolutions…
- A Time to Sharpen
A Holiday Lesson
Is there anything better than a good holiday tradition? Well, yeah, lots of things I guess. Two good holiday traditions…three good holiday traditions…
- A Time to Sharpen
Meet the Parents, Video
What’s it like to be the parent of a boy at Whetstone? There is really only one person who can answer that question. You guessed it. It’s the parent of a boy…
- A Time to Sharpen
Meet the Parents
What’s it like to be the parent of a boy at Whetstone? There is really only one person who can answer that question. You guessed it. It’s the parent of a boy…
- A Time to Sharpen
Tool Time
In The Tech Wise Family, author Andy Crouch describes the difference between devices which do our work for us, and tools which allow us to work for ourselves…
- A Time to Sharpen
Let's Go To The Movies!
Movies are a powerful tool. They have the ability to not just change people, but to change the world. The film industry proclaims and celebrates this power…
- A Time to Sharpen
Safety First
“Safety first,” the old saying goes. And it’s true, it’s pretty dumb to ignore safety issues before deciding to do something potentially dangerous. But that…
- A Time to Sharpen
Volunteering
What person in their right mind travels 9 hours in a cramped vehicle, with no Buc-ees between there and here, to work for 3 long days in hot, humid, 100 degree…
- A Time to Sharpen
Rebounding
In high school, Dennis Rodman was my favorite basketball player. Not because he dyed his hair pink, got married to himself while wearing a wedding dress, and…
- A Time to Sharpen
Adulting
It’s sad to see your kids grow up…but it’s more sad if they don’t grow up. That’s the conclusion I’ve come to with my four children. It’s my job to prepare…
- A Time to Sharpen
Success Rate
We often get asked about our “success rate,” as if the boys who come here are games on a schedule. People want to know our win/loss record. Is it above .500?…
- A Time to Sharpen
Youth Sports
Sports, sports, sports…and more sports. We can’t seem to get enough. We have 24 hour coverage of every athletic competition across the globe. Sports on…
- A Time to Sharpen
Field Trips
Sir Isaac Newton observed that “an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion…unless acted upon by an outside force.” And while his…
- A Time to Sharpen
You Are What You Eat
You are what you eat. If you eat exclusively chicken nuggets, you’ll probably end up looking like a chicken nugget. Literally. Remember the documentary, Super…
- A Time to Sharpen
The Whetstone Way
What is the “Whetstone Way?” Well, to state the obvious, it’s the way we do things at Whetstone. It implies grit, determination, and a commitment to quality in…
- A Time to Sharpen
Clothes Make the Man
Mark Twain once said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.” Join us this week on A Time To Sharpen, as we discuss the…
- A Time to Sharpen
Art is not Optional
In the academic world, we sometimes refer to Art as an “elective,” intentionally or unintentionally implying that it is not necessary. At Whetstone, we believe…
- A Time to Sharpen
Stuck
We’ve all been stuck in the mud. Even Brandon, with his vast array of man-skills, has found himself up his axles in mud a time or two…or maybe it's just the…
- A Time to Sharpen
30,000 Feet
Goals are good. I have nothing against goals. My dad gives all of his kids, grandkids, and in-laws $100 bucks every time the New Year rolls around for making a…
- A Time to Sharpen
Fathers & Sons
Fathers and sons. Mother and daughters. For some reason, these relationships seem fraught with conflict. Is this because we would never separate from our…
- A Time to Sharpen
Gratitude
During chapel on Thursday mornings at Whetstone, we practice the art of gratitude. We take about 15 minutes to write down 10 things that we are each grateful…
- A Time to Sharpen
Sarcasm
The word sarcasm is descended from a Greek word which literally means “to strip off the flesh” - as in with a knife, or with one’s teeth. It is a violent word…
- A Time to Sharpen
Table Manners
Sit up straight. Elbows off the table. Don’t chew with your mouth open. We’ve heard this advice since we were little, and we’ve probably passed it on to the…
- A Time to Sharpen
A Time to Say No
Two little letters: “n” and “o.” They shouldn’t be so hard to say, but there are times when it’s just so much easier to take the path of least resistance. We…
- A Time to Sharpen
Meant 2B Outdoors
Have you ever felt that something was “meant to be?” Like that time you opened a pack of baseball cards and there, lying on the very top, was a 1989 Upper Deck…
- A Time to Sharpen
Youth Ministry
Brandon tells us at the beginning of each podcast that the ensuing conversation will help us to become better teachers, better counselors, better…
- A Time to Sharpen
The Power of Music
Music is the universal language. It crosses the boundaries of culture, gender, age, and race. It speaks to us before we have the words to understand language…
- A Time to Sharpen
Home...but not Alone
At least once during a boy’s stay at Whetstone, he will return home for an entire week to test out what he has learned about living with his family. As you can…
- A Time to Sharpen
Aircraft Carriers
“I feel the need…the need for speed.” This iconic Tom Cruise line in Top Gun accurately describes the drive that many teenagers feel while they work to create…