Moms Off the Clock

Surprise Episode! Life Updates and Part 1 of 'Big Faith, Little Fear'

• Deirdre Branick • Season 3 • Episode 56

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Hey, beautiful mamas! It's, Deirdre Branick, and I'm here to cozy up with you for another heartfelt episode of Moms Off the Clock—where we chat about the juggles and snuggles of motherhood. Have you ever felt like your fear was sitting in the driver's seat while your faith was squished in the backseat? We're turning that around today. Together, we'll unwrap how setting boundaries, embracing rest, and leaning into our faith can guide us through the busiest of our days, especially as the school year winds down. 

Join me as I share some soul-stirring insights from my own life—a moment of revelation in my garage gym and how a lesson from Steven Furtick sparked a desire to realign my priorities. There's something truly magical about slowing our pace to discover what's genuinely important, and I'm inviting you into that sacred space. Whether it's considering our unique purposes or finding peace amidst personal loss, we're about to uncover the power of surrendering to a higher plan and using divine guidance as our compass.

As we wrap up our time together, remember that this motherhood journey we're on—it's not a solo trip. We're a community and a sisterhood that cheers on each other's growth and celebrates every small victory. So, let's raise our cups (coffee or otherwise) to 'Big Faith, Little Fear,' and get ready to tackle fear pertaining to the uncertainty of your life with renewed clarity and research based on prioritization in Part 2 this Saturday. Until next time, stay strong and wrapped in grace, knowing God is with you, and wants your 'yes'.
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Speaker 1:

Hey, mama, I know you need a break, so go ahead and clock out, because it's time for the Moms Off the Clock podcast. What's going on, everyone? Welcome to the Moms Off the Clock podcast. I'm your host and fellow mama friend, deirdre Brannick. This everyone, welcome to the Moms Off the Clock podcast. I'm your host and fellow mama friend, deirdre Brannick.

Speaker 1:

This podcast is dedicated to the moms who need a break to just talk, laugh, feel encouraged and to examine what we are collectively facing as mothers Society standards and exhaustion. You are not alone. It is a pleasure having you all join me in my conversation about motherhood. Welcome to the new moms and welcome back to the moms who've been rocking with me since the earlier episodes. I'm so glad you all are here, but let's go ahead and get started Because, let's be honest, mom breaks are not that long and also, I missed y'all. I haven't seen y'all in such a long time. So we need to get into this. Okay, we need to get into this because I have so much to catch you up on and it's this is actually going to be a two part episode, so please stay tuned. So we're going to get into this, but before we get into our episode and our topic.

Speaker 1:

I first want to tell you all to please connect with me on my social media. My Instagram is at moms off the clock pod Okay, I'm a little stuffy, y'all, you got to work with me. It's allergy season Okay. And my Facebook is Moms Off the Clock just the way it's written on our podcast. If there are any topics you'd like me to talk about, or even if you'd like to give feedback, support, donate or would like your establishment or business to sponsor Moms Off the Clock for a shout out or even an ad, please connect with me. My email will always be in the description of every episode, okay. Also, email will always be in the description of every episode, okay. Also, please remember to write a review on apple podcast or rate the show there on spotify, and if you leave a review, I will shout you out on the next episode during this announcement portion.

Speaker 1:

Okay, I am so. Oh, my goodness, I miss y'all. I was like I just gotta read that script and just get to my ladies, because I have missed y'all. It is a monday night to read that script and just get to my ladies, because I have missed y'all. It is a Monday night, honey. I don't even have a visual for you. I'm like you know what I need to get to them. I need to just talk to them, I need to encourage them, I need to tell them what God is telling me so much. And so there is not a visual because, well, I'll get into that and we'll talk more about what is to come.

Speaker 1:

This will be a two-part episode, okay. Today's episode is Big Faith, little Fear. Big Faith, little Fear. Okay, or I should say Big Faith, little Fear, okay, and I can't wait to talk about this one. So, if you're listening, you know what to do Clock out and grab your wine, juice, water for the fitness moms, or coffee for the go-to moms, and let's talk motherhood. Okay. So you all know, before we start chatting, we have to say our affirmation of the week. Okay, if my allergies will let me. Okay, and as always, I'll tell you what I have learned, or what I am still learning through today's episode. This week's affirmation is my fear will not be bigger than my faith. My fear will not be bigger than my faith. All right, let's get into it.

Speaker 1:

First of all, where have I been? Child, y'all, y'all, because I'm in the Midwest, y'all. I have really been going hard for work lately. It's been a lot, it's been intense. Keep your girl lifted in prayer as we close out the school year, because it's a lot happening, a lot of behaviors, a lot of you know personalities, you know. It's just so much, you know, and I'm like God, I'm not gonna let up off this gas because I am just trying to make it to the end of this school year and I'm going to thrive and maintain and sustain. I'm to the end of this school year and I'm going to thrive and maintain and sustain. I'm going to get through this school year because, man, it has been such a long one. I'm looking forward to having that downtime. You know, that's been a lot, that's been a lot. It's just I'm just waiting for that time to really like drop my shoulders deep breath, rest, not feeling that anxiety to get up on Monday.

Speaker 1:

I'm just just in that mindset. I'm like I'm just asking God to just keep talking with me and walk with me, because I don't have it all figured out with certain things and certain I guess it's just that uncertainty. I will say that it's that uncertainty of knowing what's next after this school year, because I mean, this was a really intense one. I feel like I've learned so much in this job, but it was intense Right, and so lately, god has just been telling me to learn how to rest. Um, he's like I have no desire for you to be overworked, overwhelmed, stressed out mentally or physically. I have no desire for you to do that, and he's just been showing me how to rest.

Speaker 1:

And I was just chasing after so much. I was chasing out the validation for this job. I was chasing after making sure I'm doing all that I can and then some not setting boundaries. I was I'm chasing after building my community for moms off the clock. I'm chasing after keeping the algorithm pushing out my content, content. I'm chasing after making sure that you know, I'm still having that engagement with, with accounts, and chasing this and I'm chasing that. I'm comparison, comparison here, and I got to do more there and God was like slow down, what? What are you in a rush for? You know, and before I knew it, I wasn't coming to God about wisdom. I was thinking I had the wisdom. I've been looking at all these YouTube videos and all these things to show me how I can get this, this and that you know, to run up some numbers and some likes and some.

Speaker 1:

All this, that and the third, and God is like you are idolizing that, you are idolizing that, and I had to take a step back, even with this. I was supposed to push out an episode for two weeks. This, you know, I missed these past two weeks because I was so exhausted and God was just like relax, rest, rest, just rest, unapologetically rest. And I felt horrible because I missed the episodes and the community that I have built, but I couldn't do that and I couldn't that I have built, but I couldn't do that and I couldn't bring all of me when I wasn't in the place or didn't have the capacity to do so for you all, because you all are, y'all are my heart. You know, I really think that this community has helped me through some of the hardest parts of my life and has also inspired and encouraged me, and even you all who have written me or write dms or comment or whatever, saying that this episode blessed me. It's like that makes me feel that sense of fulfillment, but it's also like I'm feeling like I'm doing your work, I'm just encouraging your people, your mothers, to keep going, and so I felt bad, but at the same time it was God.

Speaker 1:

God was. You can't push out anything until I'm telling you to do so, because you have nothing right now. You're exhausted from work. You're trying to maintain your family life. You know, I have a family my husband and my daughter and my dog, you know and so it gets busy, and before I knew it, I was just passing out sleeping. My health was not the best either. I've just been trying to get that back on the up and up, the up and up, but it's hard, right.

Speaker 1:

And so I was just looking at my to-do list, looking at everything I needed to do, and God told me to prioritize myself and prioritize the things I need to get done. So I have been learning how to prioritize, which will be a part of part two. This part one is just us talking and me just telling you what God is saying through me to you, you know. And then the next episode, the part two of this, is when we're talking about how, necessarily, to prioritize all the things we need to get done, because some of us will say, oh yeah, I'll just write my top three things, and your top three things are still heavy-hitting things, you know. Like it's like change the world, what is your priorities, and and God is just like you gotta. You gotta break that thing down and focus on one thing at a time and make it a realistic goal, smart goal, you know. And so I've been learning the art of prioritizing things and prioritizing what needs to be done and what order I need to get it done in Right, and I'm excited to show you and talk about that in part two as well, but for right now we're just going to. I'm just going to tell you what God has really been telling me and he's been saying to slow down and seek him in your motherhood, your life and in your purpose. And I'm going to say that one more time he's telling me, to tell you all to slow down and seek him in your motherhood journey, your life and your purpose.

Speaker 1:

I was listening to a sermon from Stephen Furtick. Shout out to Elevation Church. I really, really love Elevation. I know, you know, some people don't, some people do, I don't know, but I for me, he teaches and I grasp it and I don't think anymore about who he is as a person. I'm just like what are you teaching me that helps me draw closer to God?

Speaker 1:

No-transcript, we have not yet had that realization or success with is because we haven't. We haven't sought out God for the wisdom. You know that scripture that's like lean, not onto your own understanding, right, and we have thought that now we are the experts of our life, of our goal, of our destiny, of our, of our fate. Almost right, like we're, like we're, like we are writing this. I can change this and I can change that, but ultimately, god is just telling me you need to come to me and I will give you the wisdom on what to do. He is my, he is the algorithm, okay, he is my social media manager. He is my manager. He is all of that and then some. And God is just like.

Speaker 1:

You know you are focusing too much on man-made things when God can do the impossible. And I don't know if some of you are listening to this. Maybe it's not your social media or your your business. Maybe it's about your career or your purpose in life. What are you supposed, supposed to be doing? And some of you all are just I need a mentor. You know I need someone to look at. I need to, I need a blueprint and then I'll know what I want to do. I need to follow somebody and instead you're not asking God to work in your authentic gift that he has given you, and then you're not asking him. How do I tap into that gift? Excuse me, and show the world what I am made of, and show the world the kingdom, and show the world what God has created in me. You're not even seeking him. You're seeking other people and the thing is social media now, and I you know I have to, I have to go to it.

Speaker 1:

Social media now has showed us ways of how we can grow shows. There's so many. If you keep I'm not even joking there are probably 25 videos I've seen this past two days telling me about digital products you can sell to make more money. And people are telling you they're making 200,000 a month. You know all these things and it's just like, okay, it's no way, run, run the rece receipts, you know. But here's the thing we're seeing all these videos and then we get so caught up in things like that of how can I get rich quick? How can I work in my purpose, how could I make that money that I ultimately may need? And God is like you're running to manmade things and you're not running to the source. You're not running to the source. Hey, mama, I hope you're enjoying this episode, but real fast, don't forget to follow us on social media. Our Instagram is at moms off the clock pod and our Facebook is written just the way it is on our podcast, moms off the clock. If you would like to discuss more with me about panels, conferences or workshops, my email will always be listed in the description of every episode. I'm so glad you're here and welcome to the Moms Off the Clock community. Ok, now let's get back to the episode. You're not running to the creator and I think, right now, in this place that I'm at, right now, god is like stop running to everything else and run to me.

Speaker 1:

I was working out in the gym and I turned on gospel music. We have a gym in our garage. I was working out in the garage and, um, I was just like you know what? I just need some peace of mind because I had so much on my mind. I was getting frustrated, so much, overwhelmed. You know, you know that that moment, when you're a mommy, you, like I, need to go scream in a pillow because what is happening? Or you start cleaning things for no reason, but, honestly, you start cleaning so you can have some organization in your mind. You know what I'm talking about. If you know, you know, okay. And so finally I just got up and I said, I told my husband, I said, you know, I'm gonna go out to the garage and just work out and lift something. And so I just turned on some gospel music on our um, on our JBL thing speaker boombox and, um, I'm listening to this gospel music and I'm working out and it's just so much peace in that gym. Um, it's so much peace in there, it's just like what is happening. You know, so much peace was in that room to the point where I just started to cry. I started to cry and I just started to sing the worship songs and in that moment I heard a still voice like all seriousness, I get chills thinking about it and it said this is right where I want you to be, this is right where I want you to be, this is right where I want you to be. And I just the tears just kept streaming, streaming down my face.

Speaker 1:

And how many of us are truly right where God wants us to be? You know, because sometimes we'll say things like I'm right where I need to be. This is the realization that I'm right where I need to be, from your perspective, right, but how many times are we right where God wants us to be? How many times? You know, and I don't know about you, but are you where God wants you to be? Are you right where you feel like you should be right? And sometimes we say that to validate ourselves as like we're not. I'm not there yet, but I'm right where I need to be. But, honestly, are you right where God wants you to be, in his face, seeking him in a place of peace, in a place of purity, in a place of prosperity? Are you right where God wants you to be?

Speaker 1:

Because some of you all are asking God for things and you feel like he's saying no, and it's not really true. Sometimes he just wants you to dig a little deeper, to hear what he has to say and to and where you need to be. He wants to guide you and where you need to be. But some of you all are just making these requests and you're like God is not hearing me, he is not hearing me. What are you seeking him? Are you seeking him? And sometimes he is telling you you're just not appreciative or grateful for where you are right now, because every season, god is walking with you in your life, even the seasons that are the darkest and the loneliest and the seasons you don't think you can bounce from. God is there with you, but you have to continue to seek him out and seek his voice and he will talk to you. In the still moments. When I was just peaceful, I just heard him in the still moment just say you are right where I want you to be, and that showed me that that place is a place of joy, happiness, peace that I could never understand or explain, and in a place where I don't have anxiety, I don't have worry, I don't have this doubt about the uncertainty, because God is with me. God is with me and it's just so much. It's just so much. I just want to tell you to slow down.

Speaker 1:

Some of you are probably listening to this not prioritizing and that's okay, we'll get into that in part two. Um, not prioritizing the things that you really need to focus on right, the things that will change your life for the better, and you need to just push that focus and push that energy to that, and that's okay. You know, that's okay. We don't understand. I've been researching for like a few weeks now of how I can prioritize and start to prioritize better so that I can reach some of these goals. And so we'll talk about that in part two, but for right now, slow down and hear God's voice and slow down and ask God to give clarity on where you need to go.

Speaker 1:

Next, that I am in a vulnerable place in my life for these next few chapters of my business and career. Specifically, y'all these allergies are really. I'm over here, struggling. I no, I'm already in the thick of this episode. I'm not giving up. Y'all just gonna have to hear me get through this, but I, I am in a very vulnerable place where God has taken away so much control from my hands or what I suspected I had control over right. And he is like no, you think you're running this show and it's actually going to be me helping you, guide you, and you need you just need to follow my wisdom and follow my words of what you need to do and I will guide you.

Speaker 1:

And I was thinking about I said God, you know I was really taking off with my community, with the moms out the clock on social media and all that, and then my mom passed away and things just went south. You know, it's crazy how you can be at the peak of your life, doing well, and in that same moment, something so traumatic and life altering happens, and then you just start set back again and I feel like ever since that happened, my engagement has not been the same. I haven't been as focused or I haven't been as able or even in the mindset to create Right, and so I have just been working my way back up what is it Working? My way down, down. I feel like I'm saying the word wrong, but it made me think of that song.

Speaker 1:

But I've just been working and trying to take it one step at a time, and I think I'm so in my head and comparing. Well, this is where I used to be at. What happened now? What happened now? And that's sometimes where we are all at right. We are just like I used to be here. I used to have it all together and now I don't. I used to be skinny and now I'm not. I used to be happy and now I'm not. I used to be joyful and now I'm not, and God is just like okay, yeah, you're not Okay, or me, and I'm choosing to focus on God.

Speaker 1:

So I'm pivoting my focus from trying to do it myself to an ultimate surrender right, an ultimate surrender like I'm God. I have nothing, I have nothing else to give. I, I cannot do it on my own. I need you, I need you, and some of us and some of you all listening might need to just say I'm waving the flag because I don't know what to do. I need your help, and so-.

Speaker 1:

One of the things that I am going to start exercising is taking I know, you know, pastors take a sabbatical. I'm going to start taking that time off from Moms Off the Clock from June 1st until July 12th, and then the 13th of July I come back for the Moms Off the Clock podcast. I think that would be good for my mental health also because my little one is going to get tubes in her ears. Good for my mental health also because my little one is going to get tubes in her ears, and so I definitely want to be with her when she's going through something like this, and I don't want to focus on anything else I don't want to focus on. Oh, I got an episode I need to push out. My little girl is my little girl and my little girl is my priority. Okay, no games will be played. My husband either. I don't play those games with my husband either. Okay, and that's on who? Mary had a little lamb, okay, and so I just want to start taking the time.

Speaker 1:

These allergies, y'all, I'm sorry, I'm going to get through it. I'm going to get through it. I'm going to start taking the time to be intentional with seeking God and having that private time with God and with myself to reset and calm my nervous system and relax and get those creative juices flowing again and to have conversations, to have laughter, to have joy, to have peace, and so I think that that's a good time frame for me to just relax and focus on my family. I will still be active on Instagram because I think I'm going to start posting more videos of like voiceovers, of me being very transparent about what God is showing me or even where my headspace is, because some of you all say things like I needed that I'm going through that same season of my life, and so, if you don't follow on Instagram yet, I would really follow us on moms off the clock, pod um on Instagram, because I think these videos will be very inspirational to you all, because you are not going through things by yourself, right For one, your situation is not unique, and I think sometimes we need to have that realization too, that my situation is not unique.

Speaker 1:

Someone out there is going through the same one, if not worse, right, and so I just want you all to know you are not alone. Okay, you are never alone with this community, and I'm just taking that time off to myself to get back to myself, and I also have a new concept of how I'm going to do this podcast. Okay, real quick, girl, real quick. I'm thinking of the next time. Okay, hold on. Oh, these allergies, you're not gonna kill me, you're not gonna kill me anyway. I'm thinking, the next time that I record and it's a visual I want to be sitting on my couch or in a nice seat talking to you all, and it's like a conversation. What do y'all think? Let me know.

Speaker 1:

I'm really looking forward to that, because you know how I used to do, uh, the videos on Instagram. If you all are, uh, you know, you found me from the Instagram videos hello, hello. I am here. It is me. Can't do things without God. It's all God. Okay, it's all God, um, but if you are here because of that hello. But I want to do something, like my medium mom tomorrow moments, these allergies aren't going to kill me. I'm going to need a shirt that says these allergies won't kill me. They won't, you're not going to kill me, you're not going to take me out.

Speaker 1:

But I'm thinking of doing that because I want to have a conversation. I don't want to teach all the time to you guys. I want to just have a conversation and then maybe it becomes a lesson for you all to listen to or a lesson to reflect on. But for the most part, I just want to sit down and make it like a conversation and it just feel like we're just sitting there talking together conversation. And it just feel like we're just sitting there talking together. What do you guys think you gotta let me know? Let me know on um, in a dm. You know my instagram mom's off the clock pod. Okay, m-o-m-s-o-f-f-t-h-e-c-l-o-c-k-p-o-d. Okay, mom's off the clock pod, follow me, dm me and just tell me. I like that idea of that couch conversation. Okay, let me know, because I think that would be really nice for the moms off the clock with that new approach.

Speaker 1:

Okay, but anyway, we are going to get into part two. I'm. I want to say I'm going to release it sometime this week because I really do want to um, push that out to you guys, because I really have been researching a lot, a lot, about how to prioritize things, but ultimately, having that big faith in that little fear as I'm pursuing part two OK, part two of this and we're talking about prioritization. We are talking about how we are going to start prioritizing our to-do list and the things we need to prioritize that are ultimately going to change our lives. Okay, what things do you need to prioritize? That is a game changer, a life changer in your life. Okay, I'm not talking about prioritizing doing that laundry. I mean, if it's going to change your life, go for it. I'm talking about those goals. Like I want to be a healthier version of me, a new, healthier version of me. I want to start school, I want to do my, I want to start my business. We're going to tap into that because that is how we're going to have that big faith, little fear, and we're going to talk more into that.

Speaker 1:

So I know I didn't talk too much about the big faith and the little fear in this episode, but I just want you to know the second part. Oh, it's going to be intense because we're turning it up a notch. You're gonna have to get some water. You're gonna have to get some water, okay, because we're going to start prioritizing all the things in our life that are going to be a game changer in our life. No more putting it off, no more being scared. You can be scared now. Let me be honest with you.

Speaker 1:

The title of this is called big faith, little fear. It's not saying big faith, no fear. Sometimes we have this big faith and on our heels it is ultimately fear, and that's okay. You're gonna still do it scared. That's the year of this is the year of doing it scared, and we're not letting anything or anyone talk us out of the things and the joy and the purpose and the fulfillment and all those things that we are trying to create and things that are going to come to pass in your life. So it's buckle up, buttercup.

Speaker 1:

Ok, part two we're going to be talking big faith, a little fear, but I hope that this episode blessed you. Please keep me in your prayers as I maneuver these new chapters and I just pray for you. I pray that everything wonderful and powerful and game-changing and life-altering in the best way possible and healthy and joyous, enters your life, enters your life. You are truly deserving, because you are a wonderful mother, but you are a wonderful human you are. I really do believe that if you're listening to this thing, then you know you're seeking something.

Speaker 1:

I pray that, whatever you are seeking in this message, you got something to take back with you, knowing that you just need to. You need to go and seek God more about something that you need, something that your heart is desiring, and to see and talk with God about what is the next step. Getting that clarity. Okay, you got this. God loves you, I love you. This is the community to continue to grow in. We're going to be back and we're going to be better than ever. All right, so, as you get ready to clock back in, mama, these allergies aren't going to take me out know that you're doing your best. You are doing your best. I'm going to tell myself that I'm doing my best. Okay, it's not about being perfect, it's about being progressive. Until next time, mamas, see you soon and let me go check on my baby. All right, bye.

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Deirdre Branick

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