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The Lord Provides

I have been reading a devotional this month that has been focusing on the story of Abraham. Though I have read these passages in Genesis many times, I find myself really engaged in the passages more than I have ever before.

Today’s passage (Genesis 22) was about when Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac. This has always made me stop and assess my faith! As a mom I cannot even imagine what type of choice and obedience that must have been for Abraham to be willing to sacrifice his son.

If you don’t know the story of Abraham, God has made a promise to Abraham that he would make him a great nation through his only son Isaac, the one he was now asked to sacrifice. (You can start reading the full story of Abraham in Genesis 11.)

Though I have never had any sort of test in my faith like this one of Abraham, I can count numerous times where I let my fear and doubt creep in my mind rather than trusting in God’s promises to me. I think I do that because I forget that the faith I have comes from the Lord. I am not relying on my own power to have faith in the first place! My faith, when rooted in the Lord, cannot be shaken. Abraham’s faith was so aligned with God that he knew God’s plan was right. He knew God would provide the sacrifice for the offering. Abraham had faith that God knew what He was doing!

No matter what may be coming at me in my life, I so want to remember that the faith I have is rooted in the Lord. He knows what Is set out for me. No matter the worry or fear I have, will stop what the Lord has planned in His perfect will. I am not saying this means it will be easy to surrender my fear over to the Lord, but I know deep down He has the plan.

“No matter what may be coming at me in my life,
I so want to remember that the faith I have is rooted in the Lord.”

Put it in your God box

In Craig Groeschel’s book, Winning the War in Your Mind he talks about a God Box. He says,

“Every time you have a worry, burden, temptation, or runaway crazy thought, write it down on a slip of paper…Write them down and put them in your God box.”

Next he instructs you to give these worries to God by asking Him to take them and then release them in the box for God to take care of. However, as Craig continues writing he says,

“From this point on, if you decide you want to worry about whatever it was, go to the God box, take it out, and tell God, ‘I don’t trust you with this, I’m going to take it back from you.’”

Yikes!

That illustration hit me right between the eyes. I had heard about a type of God box before, but I never thought about every time I would take on that fear or worry I was no longer putting my faith in God, but I was trying to control the situation. I was holding on to the burden as if I thought I was in control.

It seems to me that my faith, when focused on my own power, is really empty. The definition of faith is in Hebrews 11:1 says,

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11 has a lot to say about faith and also highlights the faith of Abraham we learn about in Genesis.

By faith…

By faith, Abraham trusted that God had a plan and would fulfill it as he promised. Abraham learned lessons along the way to build his faith, but here he chose to obey the Lord in faith and God was able to fulfill His promise.

We may not have a covenant with God to become a great nation, but God does promise to love and provide for us when we choose to follow after Him. We are allowed the chance to believe in faith that God’s plan is perfect and He will be with us through it all.

God sent His only Son Jesus to be our sacrifice so we don’t have to provide our own. Just like God provided the Ram for Abraham, God provided our amazing Lamb to be the sacrifice for us. If we can put our faith in the Lord, we have no room for the doubt and fear to live.

Where is your faith resting?

Where is your faith resting right now? Do you need to shift your focus and truly rely on the Lord to fill you with the promise He gives? What worries and burdens are you holding onto that need to go in your God box and stay there?

Ultimately I am thankful the Lord loves me and is walking through my days and allowing my faith to grow!

Stephanie

Weary to Wonder

Weary. That is quite the word, isn’t it? It seems like a fitting word for how many of us feel as we continue to walk through the unknown of our days. We stepped into a new year and realized that a turn over to a new year doesn’t fix all the chaos in our world. Somehow, we hoped that the clock striking 12 would be the thing we all needed to reset and make all things better. 

I know we all knew that moving from one day to the next wasn’t going to fix all of our problems, but the hope for new still rang true. What if things would magically be healed and we can go back to “normal”? 

As I was reading in my devotional time this morning and this verse jumped out at me. I think we can all identify with the word Weary. It is a perfect descriptive word about our crazy times right now. With Covid and all that has come from the illness, our lives will never be the same. I know many days it feels like a bod movie that will never end. I want to yell “Serenity Now” and hope all goes back to normal. (If you don’t know the reference to serenity now, go ask someone who enjoys the sitcom Seinfeld, they will fill you in. 🙂

However, the good news is, the verse isn’t focused on weariness at all! It doesn’t say, sit in weariness, but actually, the focus is on goodness. We are told keep on doing what is good and to not allow the weariness to rule. There is better coming and walking in the wonder and the Light of the Lord is where an how we rise up!

We are to rest in the Lord and keep on moving forward and encouraged to not give up and keep walking toward the good. We learn to keep on living and focusing on what will come. No, we don’t know how long this crazy will last and if there is really any “normal” for us to ever go back to, but that is not where our focus should lie. 

What we can focus on is continuing to live.

Choosing to flip the switch of living in fear, weariness and doom and focus on the good, the life, the love. Focusing on what we can control and living each day with the intention of goodness, kindness and love. What a brighter world we can live in when we focus on what is all around us now. We have the opportunity to bring hope to those around us by doing good and not giving up.

We cannot control what is going on in our world around us, but we can choose to continue to do good. Our focus gets to be on what we can control and choose how we walk through each day. Doesn’t that sound so much better than weariness?

Our focus gets to be on what we can control and choose how we walk through each day.

Now don’t lose me here, will all days be rainbows and sunshine if you switch your perspective? Of course not, we are human! The problems of our world are very real and affect so many lives every day. However, we can flip the switch and look toward what can do. We have the chance to live and continue on doing good. 

For those of you who feel like you are in a sea of weariness, I see you. I do not make light of how you feel at all! I just encourage you to take one small action and flip the switch toward the wonder that is still all around us. There is still so much good around us and why not embrace what you can control and be an overcomer!

If you can’t comprehend the Peace, Wonder and Light I speak of, please reach out. We are not meant to live life alone or carry our burdens without others to support us. Please know that this weariness can be healed by the Lord. Seek Him and allow the Peace only He can provide to surround you.

Keep on doing good, my friends. God has a plan. Don’t let the weariness rule and make a choice to shift your heart to the Light. 

Are You in a Box?

Decided to be a bit vulnerable. Sharing a bit of my heart today…

After a conversation with someone today, I came to the conclusion that even though I continue to work on myself and grow and expand, I still let the old soundtracks define me moving forward.

Real Talk

Do you ever do that?

It’s so easy to talk yourself out of going toward something that’s important to you and letting your insecurities and doubts creep in. I try to be as authentic as I can when I post and share my pictures of what’s going on in my life. I’ll be honest that sometimes I don’t share the things that I’m contending for as openly as other things, but I guess that makes me, well, human.


My life has changed dramatically with my health journey, but I still have things that I am contending for. Each of us have a goal or an ideal way that we want to see ourselves and can quickly jump into criticizing ourselves for not reaching something we put in front of us.

Grateful

Overtime I have been fortunate to have the mentorship, coaching and tools in front of me to help me far beyond anywhere I thought I could have. I cannot say how very thankful I am for this!

Proverbs 4:11,12


When we were children we dreamed big, we lived out loud and enjoyed life. However, at some point we let the world around us affect how to respond and what we say and what we do. We put that child (US) in a box and added expectations to perform in a specific way. You can read my last post (from quite awhile ago) about who we are as a child here.


God created YOU unique and for a purpose. God created me unique and for a purpose. He really did!!

One of the ways that God has allowed me to grow is through my journey of wellness. Not only have I released weight off my body, but I’ve released all kinds of mental weight as well. I don’t know which I am more thankful for.

I still contend every day, but with the support I have in my coaches and community I’m able to continue to grow.
 

Confession, even though I feel better than I have in a really long time, I’m not at my healthy BMI. Being at the healthy BMI has been a goal I’ve had for many years, but have settled where I am. (This is a goal I have for myself and I am reaching for this because it is what I want to accomplish.) I do feel amazing, but knowing the full goal is not met tries to creep in and make me feel unworthy. This is SO not true, it is just what my old soundtracks are trying to tell me.

I am reminded to be grateful! What I have accomplished and maintain for three years has completely blown my mind and way more than I thought I ever would be able to do again. This is to be celebrated and it is more than okay to do so!!

Psalm 32:8

However, even thought I am still contending for a goal it is okay that I am not perfect. I tell my clients all of the time it is progress, not perfection. Even though I still make choices that may not serve me well, I now have something different. I have learned the tools to pick myself back up and contend for what I want. Through this journey I have learned I am worthy of reaching the goals I have set before me. My journey is not done and that is okay!

How is YOUR journey?

How is your journey? What do you want to move past and continue to do the heart work. Yes, I said heart work rather than hard work. We get to create something amazing in our lives amongst the ups and downs. YOU get to create what you want in your life!

So, how do you do this? First, I say this all of the time, but I am here for you. Will the road be perfect and easy? Probably not. However, it will be totally worth contending for you!


 I would love to walk alongside you and help you discover this journey as well. Let’s bring out who you once were and let them get out of that box and shine radiantly. 

Thanks for listening. As usual, if this is something that you want to chat about, please reach out. If you think this would help someone else, please pass it on to them!

A Message to Younger Me

So, it has been a minute, or way more than a minute since I wrote on here. Besides the busyness of the end of the year, I will say I was in a funk. I was not sure what I should write to you or if I even had anything of value to send to you. You see, I am a work in progress, but I do have a message to share. I have spent way too many days and months and dare I say, even years wondering if I have anything of value to bring to others. I have learned how quickly I can let in the stinkin’ thinkin’ about myself creep in. No matter what personal development I listen to or read, let’s face it, I am still human. I am not perfect, nor am I expected to do so. I know that the steps I am taking toward creating a space for you to feel loved and encouraged is still there even if I don’t do it exactly toward plan. So, today I am writing to you with a raw and open heart. 

I really truly know that God has placed me in this position to speak to you and share what I have learned in the hopes to help you along. My passion for lifelong transformation is true in all areas of my life and sometimes that journey is messy. In my company we talk about Embracing the Obstacles as the way. So, I am embracing my lack of posts and using them as a fuel to help me move forward. It is time to show you the real and true Stephanie when I write to you. I always say that it is all about “Progress, Not Perfection” to those I coach, but often forget to tell that to myself. So, just in case you are like me, I am letting you know that it is okay to not be perfect and we are actually growing even more when we fail forward!

On Saturday morning

On Saturday during our team time after our amazing training (this is truly my favorite part of Saturdays! It is not required training, but more like hanging with the some of the most amazing, encouraging and loving people for an hour or so.), we talked about who we are and the way we speak to ourselves verses what we said to ourselves when we were younger. We were encouraged to look for a picture of ourselves when we were younger . I was trying to look for a picture that incorporates all of the thoughts and growth I made during my years and was just stuck. I don’t have too many pictures to choose from and went through the small amount many times. 

What picture do I choose?

Do I share the picture of me at Kindergarten graduation when, as young as I was, remember that my dress was not as frilly as my friend? Or so I post the many school pictures where I didn’t smile quite right and wonder why in the world I wanted to cut my hair? What if I share a picture from when I was little and would stand with my arms out wide without a care in the world? Then it hit me, each one of those pictures shows a history of who I was and what has made me who I am today. When I see some of the pictures I noticed that even at a young age I already worried about what others may think of me. I remember wondering if I was good enough or worthy enough for friendship or success, but then see things I accomplished during my young life. I see the friendships I shared and the friendships lost. I see the growth, I see the change and I see the woman God created me to be. 


Today in my team time we talked about failing forward and how the failures we embrace will carry us farther. I cannot help but see the correlation between these two talks.

  • These questions came to mind
    • Who would I have become if I didn’t have those thoughts of comparison?
    • How would I view others if everything came super easily to me?
    • What kind of compassion would I hold if all of those relationships always went smoothly?

Even though there are points in my past that I would love to re-do, I know every step I have walked through has allowed me to be who I am.

I am so very thankful for the team time that is like a special time with family. Each time we are together I have the chance to look beyond who I am and see how I have been crafted by Him to walk with others and their journey. I have the privilege to be part of someone else’s story even for a little while. 

So, from now on I will keep this picture of me near me. I chose a picture that I liked. One that was before any stinkin’ thinkin’ about who I was started to creep in. I will talk to her and speak to her the words that I would want her to know. I want to tell her to “Fail Early. Fail Often. Fail Forward.” I will tell her that the journey she is walking are the stepping stones to all she will become in the days ahead. She is loving and worthy to be loved, she has all she needs to move forward with the Lord at her side, she is an encourager to others and has a passion to love and serve others more. <3

Questions to ask yourself…

What do you need to tell to your younger self? What lessons have you learned along the way that help you now? What do you tell yourself now that you are on the other side of the failures in your life? 

I do hope you find some encouragement in this post and the ones in the future. Please share this with anyone that may need to give themselves a little grace today. 

I appreciate you!

Thank you for reading, thank you for listening. I hope you have an amazing day and a wonderful week! 

Love, Stephanie

Bah-Covid! Can You Find the JOY?

Bah-Covid! Ha, am I right? Holidays are Here, Covid is Still Here, Things are Different. So very different! I know this is nothing new to you, but man are we feeling this year or what? To think we are 9 months into this mask wearing, social-distancing world seems hard to believe. I am sure you are like me and never thought 2020 would turn out the way it has. We had goals and aspirations for the year that were changed forever. 

Scripture to Encourage You Through the Season

Some of you have been through harder times than others and I recognize this truth. With friends and family affected by the virus, job losses and over-worked employees, financial stress, loneliness and social-distancing, etc. this year has been tough. A year we will most likely never forget.

I know this is nothing new to you, but I just wanted to let you know, I GET YOU! Each of us wishes we had the ability to look into the magic mirror and see when this will all end, but that is not our option. So, we must move forward. You may have heard this before, but it really is true!

I wanted to send a note to you as we enter into this week of Thanksgiving and let you know it is okay to not be okay! This year has been a year we will never forget, but I do hope you can find some place for gratitude through it all. I take comfort in knowing that God is ultimately in control and I rest in that daily!

Through the month of November I have been reading through a devotional on Joy. Typically I choose to go through a thankfulness bible reading, but I felt like I needed to add more Joy into my daily life. So, I have been reading through it and you know what? Joy brings out gratefulness too! This morning I read this quote from the YouVersion devotional, A Jolt of Joy and it said,

Thanksgiving is the password that opens the door of His presence to His people. And, when you enter into His presence, you know that you will find there:JOY!

I couldn’t have said it better myself. 

I was trying to decide what to write about or how I wanted to share a little joy to you and then I thought I could share a few verses that have encouraged me as I have moved through this season. Covid, Unknown, Health Concerns, Thanksgiving, Approaching Christmas, etc. All of these thoughts and more fill our minds daily, but I hope that these verses will bring some joy and encouragement to you! You can just grab the images below by clicking on the images and saving them to your phone or desktop. They are my gift to you this Thanksgiving season. I do hope that they will lift you up and bring some encouragement and joy to your days ahead.

Scripture to Encourage Your JOY

I truly am thankful for you and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Here are the list of verses I made images for, just in case you would rather look them up on your own. 🙂

James 1:17

Colossians 4:2

Isaiah 44:3

Psalm 103:2

2 Timothy 4:17

Psalm 43:3-4 NLT

Psalm 34:5

Psalm 16:11

Psalm 106:1

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Psalm 28:7

Psalm 16:8

If you haven’t yet, I do encourage you to join our Facebook group Flourish for daily encouragement. You can follow the link HERE to join us.

If you haven’t subscribed to the blog, you can go HERE to be sure you are one of the first to see my posts. You will receive a pack of FREE encouragement cards for joining in the journey.

To hear more about me and why I started my journey, you can visit HERE.

A Time for Thanks

I have always loved the focus on Thankfulness in the month of November. Even though I know we should be thankful all year, there is something about a themed month of thankfulness is just fun to do. So, today I am sharing a few ideas I had that could help you have a thankful practice in November. 

First, let’s focus on why we should be thankful. I know there are a lot of things that are coming at us each day and life can certainly be hard. However, even if all of the junk is filling your life, if you do take some time each day to be thankful, it truly does change the tone of your day. Choosing to be thankful for the little things, even if it is as little as you were able to brush your teeth today, really does make a difference. The more we look at things through a grateful heart, the more joy comes out of our life. 

Today I read a short devotional about when Paul and Silas were in prison. If you don’t know the passage, you can go here to read it. Even though they were in prison, and prison back then was just completely awful, they spent time in joyful praise to the Lord. I don’t know about you, but I am not sure I would be singing praises when I had been beaten and stuck in a rat infested prison, but they did. A practice of gratitude helps us see beyond ourselves and our current situations and helps us focus on all that God has given us. It does seem unnatural, but I promise, when you look for something to be thankful for, it will shape your day for the better.

Make a Thanksgiving Tree.

One fun way to focus on giving thanks is creating a thankful tree. You can do this as fancy or as simple as you want. All you need is to create some form of a tree, a drawing, painting, or actual tree branches in a jar and a bunch of leaves. You can either have the leaves cut out it in different colors, paint them on the tree or find another creative way. The idea of the thankful tree is to have each person in the family write down what they are thankful for on a leaf each day. So, by the end of the month your tree will be filled with everything you are thankful for during the month. 

You can make this as simple or detailed as you want. So, those who are really artistic, you could make this a keepsake forever. If you are painting a tree on a canvas, you can have everyone write down or share what they are thankful for and then you can transfer them on the canvas when you’re ready. 

If you want, get a poster board and draw out a tree. Make some leaves and as you write what you are thankful for on a leaf, you can glue them to the tree. What is fun about this is everyone can be involved. As you think of something you can grab a leaf and stick it on the tree. Have fun with this and share them with us on our Flourish page.

Thankful Journal

If you don’t want to do an art project, find a journal and write down what you are thankful for each day. There are all types of ways you can do this. I practice gratitude every day in my morning routine, but you can make a journal specifically just for November if you want. If you want to have a gratitude journal that you can keep all year. My friend Laura Miller has a great one. You can find that here.

Thankful List to album

Okay, you don’t want to journal and you don’t want an art project, what if you just put a piece of paper on the fridge and a pen next to it. Anytime anyone thinks of something to be thankful for, they can write it down. Then at the end of the month, take a picture of it and you will have your thankful album started. What is fun about this is you can have everyone’s handwriting on there. It is like a double keepsake. If you have little ones, this will be fun to see what they write.

Post a Thankful Thought

With so much yuck in our world, what if we flooded social media with thankfulness? You could share something you are thankful for every day in November on social media and encourage others to share as well. Can you imagine how awesome it would be to see gratitude posts every day? One little positive word could be an encouragement to someone else!

I would love to hear your thoughts on how to spread thankfulness in November. Please comment and let me know your idea. Or, share it with us on the Flourish page, You can even post what you will do on social media and tag me. I would love to see what you are doing and be in thankfulness with you. 🙂 

Happy Thankfulness Spreading!!

Put the Tree Up & Call it A Year

When we enter into Fall I don’t know about you, but family gatherings coming up start to fill my mind. I know Thanksgiving and Christmas are a little bit away yet, but the way time goes, they will be here before we know it. 

Ever since my son Ryan moved on to college, the fall has been different. We still have Makenna home so our weekends are still full of activities, (A whole lot less thanks to Covid-19, but that is a different topic altogether!) but somehow it is still different. There are whole seasons that can pass by without Ryan even being home. Fortunately, Ryan was able to surprise Makenna for her senior night at the football game, or he may not have been home until Thanksgiving. When I went to college I only came home at Christmas and Summer. I grew up in the state of Oregon and went to college in Pennsylvania so I didn’t travel home much.

I am thankful Ryan’s school is within driving distance, but we really don’t see him as often as I would like. Had Ryan not stopped home for the evening for senior night, he would have left the house early August in full blown summer to deep into Fall with little leaves on the trees. Time passes quickly and so much has already taken place and it is late October. 

A Few Tips to Look Ahead

I thought I would share a few tips for you as you begin to look ahead to the Holidays and planning in the unknown. No matter what season of life you are in, we all have a chance to prepare ahead for what may come for our holidays. Today’s email isn’t about planning all the details, but maybe some things to think about as you build on what you want your holiday season to look like. I think many of these tips will help you in any stage of life, a few of these will make most sense for those who have an empty nest. Since I cannot fully relate to those who are truly empty nest, I have a lot more to learn. However, I did want to pass on a few things I am learning along the way that may help you during this season. 

Now, don’t throw things at me for bringing up the holidays, but I know they will be here before we know it. I know some people have resolved to just put their Christmas trees up and call it a year early since it has been such a strange 2020. I am not encouraging to put the tree up yet, but maybe look ahead to what may need to be planned for.

When it comes to planning the holidays ahead, it can be difficult to navigate the different places we need to be. This can be quite the task for families with all of their kids home, let alone grown kids who are out of the house and maybe even have families of their own! 

Determine Traditions

I read a book recently and one of the chapters was talking about traditions and how to implement these traditions with grown children. She gave a suggestion to ask your kids what their favorite traditions, foods, activities are during the holidays before making plans. You may be surprised that some of the traditions, food, or activities you always made sure to do may have not been important to the kids. This may help you decide on what to do that will be the most enjoyable for all and maybe even lighten your load a bit. 

Another thing to think about is what traditions they want to keep or create for themselves or their family. One thing we have always done is have Christmas Day at home with our family. We have done so far, but soon enough my kids will have their own traditions to start. So often I hear of families who are trying to fit in several family gatherings into one day. Often is seems like their holidays are exhausting. Even though we have a specific day named for the holiday, doesn’t mean it’s the only day you can celebrate.

For instance, remember how I said we are always home for Christms day? We have another day we do a get-together with my husband’s family. Our day is so fun, low on stress and allows us each to have time with our own families. We typically get together the Sunday before or after Christmas (depending when it falls) and have time together. This allows us to be together without the pull to be at someone else’s home in the same day. 

What could you do to create a time for you to be together with your family without putting pressure to be at several places in the same day?

When Kids Are Not Home

So, what do you do if your kids are on their own and you are left home without them? Is it just you and your spouse or maybe you are single and your kids aren’t able to come home. Then what do you do? I can’t say I know all the tips, but here are a few ideas I can share.

First, it is okay to acknowledge your sadness. Too often we try to brush our feelings under the rug and try to will the hurt away from us. Eventually you will need to let go of the sadness, but if this is your first year, it is OK TO BE SAD! You have been needed and mom for so long, it is okay to acknowledge the empty space in your heart. 

If you are used to a big family gathering and you won’t have that, you can make some new traditions? What if instead, you could plan a special vacation or time away with your spouse? If you are married, this is a great time to learn to focus on your spouse more. Maybe learn a new hobby with them or plan a special time just for them. If you are near other family, join in the gatherings even if your kids cannot be there. You could be the cool Aunt! 

You Are Not Alone

If you are single or possibly widowed, reach out to others who may be in your same situation. We have invented Galentine’s Day for those who don’t have a Valentine. Maybe we need a name for the other holidays where we are separated from those we love?  I know for sure you are not the only one out there in your situation, so don’t be afraid to ask around and see what others may be doing for the season. You never know, you reaching out might be exactly what someone else was hoping for!

There is also the idea of serving others. Just as gratitude can fill our hearts and set our intention for the day, serving others can do this as well. There are so many places that are looking for volunteers, especially on holidays, who are willing to extend a hand. When your focus is on serving others, it is so much harder to leave room for loneliness. 

I do hope that these tips were helpful as you slowly begin to look ahead to what is next for your upcoming holiday. This transition to the Empty Nest is definitely different, but it does not mean it is the beginning of the end. Get excited about what you will be able to create for this season and many more to come. 

Fall, Mindset & Some Podcasts

Wow, time is flying by! I cannot believe we are in mid-October. I have really enjoyed our Fall here in Ohio and am so thankful for the nice weather we have had. Last week I enjoyed all things Fall and visited the local pumpkin patch with my daughter, her friend and my health coach. We had a great time taking pictures and walking through the corn maze. Do you have a favorite Fall activity? I would love to know!

Podcasts to Listen to

Last week I shared some of my favorite mindset books and this week, as promised, I wanted to share another amazing way to grow your mindset, and that is through podcasts! Much like my love of audio books, I have really learned to love listening to podcasts. You can find almost any topic you can think of and there will be a podcast on it. I actually hope to have my own podcast someday. I would love the chance to share with all of you in a different way than typing on my computer! 


​​In my health journey, my mentors are always talking about our Traveling University and that is my favorite thing to do too. I do love to kick back at times and listen to some great music, but I love to listen to podcasts while I am in the car, on a bike ride, while folding laundry or even when I am getting ready in the morning. Do you listen to podcasts? If so, when do you make time to listen?​

Many of the podcasts I listen to help me grow and learn and others challenge me and inspire me to be a better entrepreneur and coach. Today I will share some that I have really enjoyed listening to and hope you will too.​My first podcast I listened to was a long time ago before podcasts were common knowledge about making Primitives. It was fun and I always learned new ideas. I learned a few things about blogging from another podcast, but didn’t act on any of that knowledge until recently. Since those beginning days of listening and learning, I realized that more and more people were doing them.​

Some Recommendations

The podcast that really got me into listening regularly is The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman. Her podcasts are short, simple and so encouraging. I have listened to her podcast almost every week since her first one. If you have any sort of decision fatigue, her podcast is a must! I love her soothing voice and her references to pop culture sometimes too.​

Another podcast I really enjoy is the Purpose Driven Mom Show by my friend, Cara Harvey. Her podcast is filled with all things motherhood and developing systems to help you along your life journey. She has some business tips for mompreneurs in some episodes as well. Seriously, I have learned so much from her and she is such a kind and caring woman! Cara has taught me a lot in her podcasts and other avenues as well. Check it out, I know you will love it!​

For a fun and fulfilling podcast, you should check out That Sounds Fun by Annie F. Downs. Her infectious laugh makes her show worth it. She is so down to earth and has awesome guests on her show. She has had a few series on Enneagram and you are in for a treat at Christmas time with Annie! Her podcast is fun, rewarding and a great add to your listening each week.​

A few more

Every week you can tune into the The Habits of Health Community zoom call on Wednesday night at 8:30 pm (EST) live, but if you miss it, it is okay! There is a podcast channel for this gold nugget of a encouragement for your midweek. The name is Optavia Habits of Health Community Time Podcast and it really does touch so many aspects of health to help you learn to create overall well being. I love the encouragement, lessons learned and positivity I get from these every single Wednesday. If you are wanting to create optimal health and well being in your life, this podcast is perfect!​

Okay, I will share one more. Again, there are so many out there I could mention. If you want some ideas of some business podcasts I recommend, reach out. I would love to share those with you too.​

The last podcast for today is the Crystal Paine Show. Crystal and her husband Jesse have a great dynamic and bring encouragement to your day. She is so authentic in her podcasts and shares her faith, life tips, family growth and more. I love Crystal and her husband doing these episodes together sharing their life and ways to create a well-rounded life each episode. Let me know if you decide to check this one out!​

I know there are tons more podcasts I could highlight, but these were a few I had on my heart to share today. As I have said a few times, I love learning about new podcasts and the opportunity to grow my mind, heart and life. I added a few more suggestions in the picture above too. If you have some recommendations, pass them along. Comment and let me know!

Books for Growth! Read (get it?) Inside!

Books, who ever thought I would like books as much as I do? When I was a kid, I remember having reading time. Reading was not always an easy thing for me to do and even though I hated it, I am thankful for the time Mrs. Horning would come to our house and help me learn better skills with reading. Comprehension was always difficult for me too, but I am realizing that the more I read, the more I understand and take in. 

I spent many years rejecting reading and saying I didn’t like to read or I didn’t have time to read. Deep down, I really thought it was a waste of my time. But then, Audiobooks were introduced into my life. I remember the day I decided to “read” a book by audio. I decided to listen to a book while taking my walk in the morning instead of listening to music. This was many years back, even before my health journey began, but somehow I came across audiobooks and I am so very thankful I did.

I remember listening to Breaking Busy by Alli Worthington. She was reading her own book, which is my favorite when listening to an audio book. When the author reads it, I think you get the full grasp of the book. No offense to the book readers out there who do it for the author, it is just my preference. Anyway, I listened to Alli read this book to me and not only did I identify with the book and felt like she was talking right to me, I began a new love for books! I can still remember walking along the path I took and doing my silly loop around the end of a parking lot that looked onto a field and heard Alli say something that hit me right between the eyes. I knew that day, I was a fan of listening to books and couldn’t wait to walk again so I could listen more.

I listened to several books and her book was the start of my mindset shift. I really started my growth once I began my health journey and was introduced to so many more amazing authors and resources for learning and growing. There are so many amazing resources out there!!  Nowadays, I actually pick up books and read them! I still love listening to audiobooks, but I enjoy the time I take to read a book too.  (I have even been on launch teams for new books coming out. Who would have known? ha!) 

So, today I wanted to share a few of the many books that I have grown and learned from. My list to share would be much longer than this, but I wanted to highlight some today. Obviously, Alli’s book Breaking Busy I mentioned above is on the top of my list along with her brand new book that just released this week called Standing Strong, A Woman’s Guide to Overcoming Adversity and Living with Confidence. (This book is excellent and yes, I got to be on the launch team for this one! Yay) This book is really cool because it has some of her main points bolded, has discussion questions and action steps at the end of each chapter. (I hear a book club coming soon!?)

Another book that has made a huge impact in my life is The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino. This book is so full of wisdom with amazing principles to live by for anyone! Don’t let the title fool you! I was introduced to this book last year and you may have heard me talk about reading a scroll before, it is from this book! It is a super short read and one you will want to refer to often. 

Obviously, the Bible is a life changer for me. God’s Word is the foundation for all I do and there is so much to learn and gain from it daily. Reading The Bible is part of my daily lifeline and I would not be where I am without His Love, Wisdom, Truth, Guidance, Hope, Peace, and on and on! 

It also wouldn’t make much sense for me not to recommend my Habits of Health and LifeBook by Dr. Wayne Anderson. He is the co-founder of my health/coaching program. This is the key to changing my mindset for growth and overall wellness. It is not only full of information for a healthy body, but all the resources to learn to grow in mindset. Whether or not you are part of my program, this book is amazing. If you have followed me at all, you know I often reference the LifeBook and how much it has impacted my growth. I could write a full paper on the benefits, but since I am highlighting lots of books, reach out if you want to know more about this amazing book. 🙂

I knew this would be hard to limit the books so I am sure I will have more to share with you another day. Since most of these books are relating to mindset I will just share a few more.

This book is one you may not have heard of entitled No Place Like Known by Megan Valentine. I really love this book and definitely recommend you taking the time to read (or listen, Megan narrates it herself!). This book is full of mindset shifts that fit for any woman wanting to grow. Megan also has a group on Facebook you can join in called We AreTeam Brave. She has Brave Women’s Wednesday on Facebook Live every Wednesday. She always has awesome guests and you walk away encouraged every week! 

The last book I will talk about today is for fun. I have learned over this last year that it is okay to read for fun sometimes too. I have always loved stories and have actually fallen into the club that you should read a book before the movie. I never would have done that before, but I am so glad I did with this series. Yes, I hope I don’t lose all my credit with you (If I had any in the first place, lol), but I love the Twilight series too. I know it is not at all a mindset growth per se, however, reading these books allowed me some time to let go and just have fun. I don’t know about you, but I find myself always doing something, going somewhere, and feeding my mind with things to learn. I love all the things I do, but part of changing my mindset, was learning it is okay to take time to do something I enjoy too. So, reading this series was a time I took just for me. I even purchased the newest Midnight Sun. I still haven’t finished it, which reminds me to carve out some more time for fun, but I really enjoy getting caught up in a story like that.

 

Well, I hope these suggestions gave you a little insight on a few mindset books to check out. Believe me, I am So Very Thankful I have taken time to read and grow and hope that you too will enjoy these books. If you have a favorite book that has impacted your life, please share it with me! I would LOVE for you to Hit Reply and let me know!

If you don’t want to hit reply here, you can always share in the Facebook group Flourish here!

Stephanie

PS Don’t forget you can still get The Ultimate Guide to More Joy and Less Stress through tomorrow, Friday October, 9 for only $15 here.

Want to Finally Make Time for You?

Umm, yeah…show me how to make more time for me! Am I right?

How often do we put ourselves on the back burner and forget to put any focus on ourselves? We give and give to our kids, friends, work, church, and the list goes on and we put ourselves last. Well, let me tell you that this is your chance to make that change! 

“Let’s do this thing”

One of my favorite quotes from the Disney movie Ratatouille is when Linguini and Remy head into the kitchen and start cooking together. Linguini gets motivated and revved up to show their stuff in the kitchen. I love his passion and enthusiasm when he says “Let’s do this thing!” Ever since I saw that scene I will often burst that quote out when I begin something new.

So, what does a movie about a rat secretly cooking have to do with you? I promise you there are no other rats or talk of cooking in this email. Ha ha! I am excited to let you know about something new that we can do together! I have created a fun challenge where you will get to join other women just like you and experience my 5 day Who Am I audio course for FREE! “Let’s do this thing!”

Who Am I Audio Challenge

If you don’t know, I created a free audio course entitled Who Am I. In this 5 day challenge we will learn to put ourselves as a priority and take a break from putting all of our energy and focus on others. As women we begin to wear out and have lost that sense of purpose and often even throw out any attention on ourselves at all.

It’s Time to Reverse the Script

Can you relate to that at all? I know I can for sure. I was always giving to everyone around me so by the end of the day I was depleted and the thought of doing anything for me was always pushed aside for the next day.

So, it is time to reverse that script running through your head and learn that YOU are worth a few minutes each day to take care of you. When your cup is full it is much easier to spill out and help others. So, I want to help you learn how to do just that! 

What is the course about?

Through this FREE Audio course challenge you will learn how to take a few moments each day to focus on you as a woman and learn how to move beyond the day to day life as a mom. In our time together we will do the following:

  • Discover Who YOU are in Christ
  • Learn that He has Big plans for YOU
  • Begin Making time for YOU
  • Re-Discover how to Dream again

Sounds great, right? So, I am sure you are thinking, why a challenge?

One of my biggest beliefs is that we are Better Together. Even being an Introvert, I still like to know there are others around me who can identify where I am at and are walking through it alongside me. Another benefit of a challenge is you have that box to check off. Somehow when there is a date set, time frame or accountability to do something we are more likely to complete it. So, a challenge is a perfect way to be part of something with others and have a timeline in order to complete it and have fun too!

So, how does this work?

All you will need to do is sign up and you’ll have a video giving you all of your next steps! Once you are enrolled into the challenge you will be invited into an exclusive Facebook page just for those enrolled. Our challenge will begin on Monday, September 14! I will have a Live video in the exclusive Facebook page for each day of the challenge with content only for those who take part in the challenge and there will be an opportunity to create teams and have chances to win some prizes!! What? I am so excited!! 

So are you ready to say it with me?…3, 2, 1… “LET’S DO THIS THING!”

All you have to do is click this link HERE and enroll in the challenge. 

I am so excited to partner with you along this journey and I surely hope you will join me. Remember, the challenge begins on Monday, September 14 so you will want to be enrolled before then. So make sure to go HERE, enroll in the challenge and then you will have a chance for us to connect on the exclusive Facebook page before the challenge starts. 

See you soon,

Stephanie

PS

PS: If you have a friend who you think you would like to join you, please feel free to send them the link to join. What better way to have the accountability you need then having a friend come alongside you?

PPS: If you have already gone through the course, I would still love for you to join us in the challenge! Not only will it give you a chance to connect with others and possibly win a prize, but it will help you really hear what you need for your next step of growth. Did you know that you only retain about 10% of what you hear? I promise, you will learn something new when you go through this with us a second time! Make sure to follow this link to enroll in the challenge so you have all the access to the challenge resources. 

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