Embracing Life's Crossroads: Finding Fulfillment, Identity, and Purpose with Dana Seibel

Explore the crossroads of life with Dana Seibel as we delve into pivotal moments and the emotions that accompany significant life changes. From children leaving the nest to rediscovering identity beyond motherhood, we offer empowering insights and strategies for a future full of potential and hope.

Embark on Dana's journey from corporate life to founding Full Faith OT, where faith intertwines with Occupational Therapy, showcasing resilience and the harmony of spiritual beliefs guiding physical recovery. Our conversation transitions into embracing the art of aging gracefully, challenging cultural norms, and finding wisdom and beauty in every stage of life.

Finally, join us in exploring spirituality and uncovering your divine calling. Discover the profound sense of purpose that comes from connecting with God. Together, let's navigate faith, identity, and the belief in the unique calling that resides within each of us.

Dana's Contact Info:
Email - Danaseibel@full-faith-ot.com

Check out Ministry Makers Focus Groups go to:
https://ministrymakers.thinkific.com/courses/focusgroups

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:16

Hello and welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast. I'm your host, Kristen Kurtz, and I'm also the founder of New Wings Coaching, where I empower and unlock women to soar in their calling and roar with their voices. If you're curious to learn more about how coaching can help you unlock your potential, be sure to explore the show notes for ways to connect with me further. Get ready to dive in as we uncover empowering keys and insights in this episode. So tune in and let's unlock hope together. Welcome to the Hope Unlocked podcast. I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host.

Speaker 2: 0:50

I pray this episode is like a holy IV of hope for your soul. Please help me welcome my sweet friend Dana Siebel to the show. We are just freshly connected, I would say within the last, maybe the last month or something. We have both been, I would say, divinely connected through a mutual friend named Kendra, and Kendra has a ministry called Ministry Makers and both of us have been led in by, I would say, by Holy Spirit, in, uh, by, I would say by Holy spirit. For sure, Like this is a Holy spirit plan, um, to be coaches within ministry makers. So we'd love for you to share a little bit more about yourself and then we'll just get down with our conversation. We're we're really just sharing what's on our hearts today, and I can't wait for her to share more about herself.

Speaker 3: 1:45

Well, thank you, kristen, I'm excited to be here. Oh my gosh. Okay, so so much has happened in the last year and I really do believe God is like, just like we had a conversation before we were talking about. God is calling us to the front line. Right, he's building an army, a front line right, he's building an army. He is looking for women to lead these armies specifically. Right, and so just being able to say yes to God, right, and just letting him guide you, like this past year.

Speaker 3: 2:24

So I guess maybe I could just start by saying this I am an occupational therapist. That's what my heart has been called to do. I love working with geriatrics. That's like where my heart has been for the last five years. Now I have two kids. My daughter is graduating college in like two weeks. I'm really excited for her. My son is 15. He's in high school. So I'm actually like getting ready to face this huge transition, right? My daughter is just like she's an adult now, and then my son daughter is just like she's an adult now, and then my son, like I only have a couple more years and then he'll be an adult too. And I'm really excited about that, because I keep telling myself, like I get to have my husband all to myself, and so we never really had a time in our life where we didn't we weren't taking care of kids.

Speaker 3: 3:22

So I'm really looking forward to the future. So much fun yeah.

Speaker 2: 3:30

And transition. Yeah, I'm in transition too over here with my boys. It's very, it's very interesting to be in transition with children and go wow, how did that time go by so fast? I don't understand Lord.

Speaker 3: 3:48

Right, right, and like, with that transition, right we have, we are, so our identity is embedded in these roles that we've created for ourselves. Right, and so I love to have conversations with other women who are in the same position about where do they see themselves in, like 10, 15 years from now. You know, because for a lot of us, like, it's hard for us to give up that role that we're transitioning out of. And I think that's where, like, the empty nester syndrome comes in, where people just start, where, especially women, just start to feel lost, you know, because they just they're so they look to that role for their identity. And so part of what I like to, I guess, educate on or bring more awareness towards is that your life is not ending, it's just beginning, like a new season of life, like what else is there for you? Like, get excited, because the possibilities are endless.

Speaker 2: 4:56

Right. So when you have had those conversations with women asking them to like envision 10 to 15 years out, Do you find that women have a hard time with that?

Speaker 3: 5:10

Oh, absolutely Absolutely. I mean. So what God has really put on my heart, working in the field that I'm in, with a population that I get to work with, has really opened my eyes between the here and then what's coming later for us, right? So what I mean by that is as a mother, as a wife, as living in my mid life. Right, I have kids, I have a household, I have a career. I have all of these things that keep my focus, that keep me busy, and in the midst of the chaos I don't have time to think about.

Speaker 3: 5:54

You know, what's going to happen to me in 10, 15 years from now. And I don't know where I'm going to end up. I don't know if I'm going to be taking care of my husband. I don't know if I'm going to end up. I don't know if I'm going to be taking care of my husband. I don't know if I'm going to have a husband. You know what I mean. And then also, too, who's going to take care of me in 15, 20 years? Nobody thinks about that. And then go even further. Nobody thinks about what it's like, like where to die. Even right, does death scare you? But the thing is, the closer that we get to the older ages, the more that thought creeps up in the back of our mind. So it's really interesting to have these conversations now, and 90% of the women tell me that they never even thought about that. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 6:48

Yeah, I don't, I actually haven't thought out that far. I often tell people like I'm I'm kind of cool today, I know Terrible, I am working on like visioning out like 90 days. That's where God's got me focused. Right now is like kind of having a 90 day focus, but then, yes, having some broader, you know, spectrum focuses as well. Occupational therapy I would love to hear, like, was that something that just came across your path or was it something that you'd always kind of thought about when you were a child? You know, some people are like I have been dreaming about this since I was five years old, like what did that?

Speaker 3: 7:35

look like no for me, like I had no idea what what OT was not even a clue, and I went to. First of all I never even thought that I would even graduate college and I think the Lord really put it on my heart like you need an education, you know, and right out of high school I got married. So I felt a lot of resistance from my family because school is expensive, right, college is expensive, and that was one of the biggest thing that deterred me from going to college. But once I got into college I like my eyes were opened, like there's so much possibility here, right. And then I discovered physical therapy first, and so that was kind of my focus. But then I absolutely love mental health.

Speaker 3: 8:31

I minored in psychology and so when I was actually working for a physical therapist, I met an OT and she was the one that introduced me to occupational therapy. And she says you know, with your background, she's like you would be perfect for OT because it's heavy in mental health. And I was like that's all she had to say and I was like I'm hooked. So I did my research, I applied and at that time there was like over 800 applicants to one school and they only accepted 20. Wow, so I prayed about that and I was like God, if, like, I'm only going to apply to one school and if I get in, then I know that that's the career for me, and if not, then I'll do something else. So, yeah, so tell us else.

Speaker 2: 9:26

So yeah, more about like. So there's physical therapy and occupational therapy. What is the difference?

Speaker 3: 9:34

so what I like to tell people is I like to keep it very simple. So OT is heavy in mental health and physical therapy is heavy in physical health. Okay.

Speaker 3: 9:47

So with physical therapy they really focus on the biomechanics of the person and with occupational therapy we are more of like a general um, a holistic generalist, where we can look at the entire person and we can work on whatever it is that they need right, Whereas physical therapy can really only focus on the person and how they're functioning and that's like and that really is to say that that's the way billing works. Ok, because they do a lot more and we do. We cross paths a lot. But defining it according to, like Medicare Right, what can what can they bill for versus what can we bill for so it gets like really into the details when you talk about like the corporate world. But as far as like just baseline, I mean, I like to separate it between mental and physical health, If that makes sense.

Speaker 2: 10:56

So like what would your like you go into work one day? Like what would your workday look like? What would your like a client interaction look like? I'm just curious, and maybe others are too.

Speaker 3: 11:09

Yeah, um.

Speaker 3: 11:10

So right now one of the clients that I work with, she has, um her diagnosis with, like the stroke.

Speaker 3: 11:19

She's about six years post-stroke, so she has like left side paralysis. She's really working to integrate both of her arms into whatever it is that she's doing, because when you stop using your limb right, that the muscles start to atrophy and then also, too, with stroke, you have neglect to where you don't even focus on the side that's been affected. Like you, you don't even know that it's there, you don't know what it's doing, it's lost in space, sometimes even, like you, get it caught in like doorways and you just don't, don't notice. So what I do is I go in and I purposely create like tasks and activities that require her to use both hands, and sometimes what we call I can't even think of the word now, but what I'll do with her is I'll put like an oven mitt on the hand that isn't affected and then it'll force her to use the affected hand, um, and then it also brings awareness towards that side. So she really has to be intentional about what she is doing and how she is doing it so what would be so she's most?

Speaker 2: 12:42

uh, I guess like with this how long have you worked with her?

Speaker 3: 12:48

Um, I've been working with her for about a year now Well, I shouldn't say a year, it's probably been about less than eight months.

Speaker 2: 12:56

So have you seen like some amazing miracles happen in the midst as well, like in the workplace, happen in the midst as well, like in the workplace.

Speaker 3: 13:08

Um, miracles, as far as somebody being completely healed, like miracles and like the things that we've seen that the bible talks about. I've never witnessed those kinds of miracles, but, um, what I would say maybe little miracles are people who have worked so hard at regaining their function that they've gone from a wheelchair to walking with nothing. You know when the prognosis was. You'll never get out of the wheelchair you know, so who?

Speaker 3: 13:40

said I guess, yeah, I mean that's true. So who said I guess? Yeah, I mean that's her. So I don't know. I honestly I don't know, because that's just the the perception that they have at first right when they're given statistics people with your injury, this is, you know, their prognosis.

Speaker 2: 14:08

So, being that this is called hope unlocked, um, I remember getting a prognosis that I couldn't have kids from a doctor and I thought to myself you don't know at all, you don't have the final say. And god, obviously I have two miracle children. Um, but it's beautiful because I mean, in the work that you're doing, you may not be able to say you know, I don't know if you can, but, like god can do anything right, get your hopes up. I mean, you are like a I don't know you're, you're like a ball of fun and joy. So I can imagine people get to experience joy and hope and love through what you carry, just by being you.

Speaker 3: 14:58

Oh well, thank you, that's really sweet, you know, I tell people this all of the time, like, if you know God, god has given you the gift of the spirit and with the fruit of the spirit is joy, it's peace, it's patience, it's love, it's kindness, and when you are able to express those and I feel like there is such an opportunity to live in that spirit when you are faced with somebody who has, um, maybe a perception of themselves that's not very good, and then you have an opportunity to be like, but God sees you this way.

Speaker 3: 15:40

Like this is how God sees you. You know like you are worth this, like you, you know like you are worth this, like you, you know. And just being able to give off that type of energy, I guess maybe it helps them to realize, like you know, you're right. Yes, you know, I see it in you, so why can't I have it too?

Speaker 2: 16:06

can't, I have it too exactly you get to reflect Christ others, even if you don't necessarily say all of the you know Christian quote-unquote lingo, right, you get to be.

Speaker 3: 16:15

You get to be Christ with skin on wherever you go right, yeah, yeah, and, and I too, the reason why God had brought me out of the corporate world.

Speaker 3: 16:26

So last year I ended up quitting my job and, um, because God had called me into this new season where he wanted me to create my own company and really let women know how much they are worth. Know how much they are worth, and so just giving them that. What do I want to say? My heart is to warn them. My heart is to get them to start thinking about what is going to come next, because when you are prepared for that next season of life, your mental and your physical health will be so much better off that you're not going to start seeing these early onset of disease. Right, you'll have. You'll be able to take care of yourself that much more longer and be as independent as possible in all of the self-care tasks and all of and doing all of the things that you absolutely love. Yeah, so, um, I forgot where I was going with that well, you know, with your, with your own business, like what?

Speaker 2: 17:33

what is the name of your business?

Speaker 3: 17:36

it's called full faith ot so what is the like?

Speaker 2: 17:42

are you contracting through, like where you're working right now, like subcontracting, and then like, what would it look like for somebody? Yeah, like, what are you doing with your business and who are you specifically trying to reach? If somebody hears this today, now, what does that look like right now for you?

Speaker 3: 18:00

offer you. Yeah, so, okay. So I remember now where I was going with that, that last um discussion, but, um, for God, calling me out of the corporate world. I have more freedom in ministering to the people that I come in contact with, and so I take every opportunity I can to let them know who Jesus is right, what they can do to start to really heal from the inside out.

Speaker 3: 18:30

So my company, full Faith OT, I am doing contracting work. I'm helping a friend of mine that I had met. She is actually building her company and hers is geared towards home health, so she does like functional mobility exercise with her clients and it's the same population, it's the older generation. But now that she brought me on, people have reached out to her that have other disabilities and they're outside of her normal population of people, which has actually worked out amazingly. I mean for both of us and still being able to gain that experience being in the community and also being able to just bring in that faith, that's more of that spiritual awareness. And so with that contract I've been able to raise funds to build my own company and it's just been an amazing adventure because, girl, I'm not like business minded at all. I have no idea what I'm doing and I am like how to run a business. I am still learning the very basics, and marketing is definitely not my strength, but I have been able along the way.

Speaker 3: 20:00

God has brought people into my life that have taught me different things, and one of the people that I'm working with now he's actually just moved here from Argentina. He is an amazing web designer and I mean this is like this is so God, because I am like I don't know how to design a web, like a web page. I tried it. It took me three months and I feel like it just is not worth anything. But so, meeting this this guy, he's really young, but he's super smart. He's just started his own business, too, and he's like I want you to be my first client. He's like I want to build your website, I want to do all of your marketing for you. So I'm like okay, you know like it's just like when, when you think there is no way God will bring somebody some resource into your life, and he like this is this is how you're gonna do it. So it's just been, yeah, it's been amazing, and so, for full faith, um, I am really wanting to advocate for the women who are in the midst of the chaos right, who feel like maybe they, they there's a higher calling for them, but right now they're focused on their children, they're focused on managing their home, they're focused on their career, but what is creeping up in their mind is the idea of what am I going to do next?

Speaker 3: 21:41

What does the rest of my life look like?

Speaker 3: 21:43

Do I? Am I going to have to be a caretaker for my parents, you know? And how am I going to manage all of this and take care of myself? And so my message to these women is if you can do something every single day which is for your mental and your physical health, you can create a routine that fills your bucket to overflowing. You are going to have more than enough to give. And so when that time in your life comes to where you have to make those hard decisions like do I move into an assisted living place, or do I move in with my parents? Or do I move into an assisted living place, or do I move in with my parents, or do I move in with my daughter or my children you know what I mean Because you feel like either you need to be taken care of or somebody else needs to be taken care of. But the idea is that you've taken such good care of yourself that you are prepared for that long term responsibility. Does that make sense?

Speaker 2: 22:49

Yeah, so what would you like? What age group would you say that you're reaching for? What? Um? I think you mentioned like geriatrics. Is that more so your career, um? In. Ot. And then, as far as your business goes, like, what age group have you seen that you've worked with? Um? That really like resonates with that message.

Speaker 3: 23:16

So anywhere from like as early as the thirties and as late as women in their seventies. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 23:27

So I mean right now, because there's such a shift between the generation, right, the focus has just been such a there's huge gaps in between, and so I feel like that, like my daughter's generation that's coming up, they're a little bit more intuitive about taking care of themselves, about being more prepared for the future. But women who are I share the same age group with which is I'm in my 40s, right, we grew up in an era where I feel like the here and now was more important than what comes later. And two, there's been this talk about the sandwich generation too. There's been this talk about the sandwich generation, and that's us too, where we're being prepared to take care of our parents, but yet we still are raising kids, we still have a family, and that really requires a lot of a lot from you.

Speaker 3: 24:31

And then even women in their 70s, like, maybe they feel a calling from God, right, and they are starting to really see the decline in their health. Maybe they're starting to see their mental health decline and it's like, okay, well, what can they do to change that? You know, the body is such an amazing source of life that is constantly regenerating. So until the day you die your body, you can learn, you can grow, you can change your habits.

Speaker 2: 25:08

Well, I love that you mentioned that, because, you know, I don't know if people have said before like hey, you got to narrow down your niche. And I like to say I love that you answered such a broad range with like, no, like you weren't hesitant in that, because I agree with you. Um, the women that I work with, uh, are anywhere between you know, I would say, late thirties to almost 70. And there's this resonating message between all of them, one of the things that the Lord was showing me a few years ago. You know, with the women, especially in their like sixties, you know the world would say that you got to retire, like you're going to, you're going to retire when you're 65, like you're just done.

Speaker 2: 26:03

And I kept hearing in my spirit, refired, you're not retiring, you're refiring, like you can still keep going. And what I was talking to you about earlier today, even the gym that I go to, it's incredible because there are classes that I go to where there's 20 to like 80 year olds, seriously, and some of these eight year olds like do like bigger weights than I do, because they've been like conditioning themselves, like one of the gals that I was talking to today, she's early seventies, she's like I've been working out for 45 years. I don't miss, you know, my workouts, because I know what can happen if I stop moving. And I'm just like you know.

Speaker 3: 26:56

yeah, that is key, that is key. And I have women friends who are in, you know, the same um age group that I am in, and they are complaining already. You know, their body hurts, they're overweight, they can't keep up there, they wish that they were 20 years old again or 30 years old again, and and it's like bringing the idea to them that there is nothing left for you in your past life. You know, what can you do today to look forward to this new life? And it's like just you have to really work on that mindset shift, because that's where it all begins.

Speaker 2: 27:45

Yes, absolutely. Well, that's interesting. You'd say that too, because I just did. I was driving the other day and I just looked in the rear view mirror and I decided to do a little Instagram live talking about reflections, and we got to stop looking in the rear view mirror.

Speaker 2: 28:02

We got to stop looking to the side mirrors because you're comparing yourself to everybody else around the side. Look forward that windshield. It's in front of you for a reason. And those little words on the little side mirrors that say this object may appear or this object is smaller than it appears. You know I'm talking about like that's. That's breakthrough. It may look small but you keep going forward and those little like steps that you take by moving forward. It's going to accumulate and there's going to be a big breakthrough. But you've got to be able to, like, celebrate the small milestones, because there's way too much that people just stay stuck in in the past, wouldn't you say?

Speaker 3: 28:46

yeah, oh yeah, absolutely. I wish I was this, I wish I was, I used to be this. I wish I was that again. Yeah, what?

Speaker 2: 28:54

do you think people?

Speaker 3: 28:55

just the what.

Speaker 2: 28:57

What do you think? What do you feel? The?

Speaker 3: 29:01

root of that is the root of that, their identity. For sure they don't have a solid enough foundation and knowing that they're worth what they are worth, and also to like God. There is so much to celebrate in the aging process. There's so many benefits to aging and unfortunately we don't highlight enough those wonderful, beautiful things that God gives us. And also, too, if we're even blessed to get to, you know, to be as old as we are. When people don't even get to grow old, you know they don't even get the opportunity. So being able to to realize that and focus on the blessings that God has waiting for us. And it even says in the Bible right, god, like people look at the outward appearance, right, but God looks at the heart. And so we really have to know like, okay, we've been there, we've done that, what is there for us? But here's the barrier, though the world is telling us something different. Absolutely.

Speaker 3: 30:19

The world is constantly throwing anti-aging, this anti-aging, that you should try your hardest to not age, because you don't want that. But I love to talk about how can we age naturally, how can we age gracefully and, you know, how can we become the people that God sees us being in our old age.

Speaker 2: 30:50

So what would be some keys that you would share? You know I shared with you that I feel like I do this. You know, podcast for the one, and you've got a gal who's listening. I'm just imagining visioning this woman who's listening and she's like I don't know what that means to age gracefully Like. What does that even mean? What are some keys that are, like I like to say, counterculture to what the world is telling her? What tangible things can she start to do to kind of flip the script on what the world is like screaming at her?

Speaker 3: 31:29

Yeah, absolutely, and that's what my company. So faith is actually an acronym. So faith is actually an acronym and it's for foundation, accountability, integrity, transformation and then holistic health. So you really have to build that foundation of identity. You have to know who you are, where you came from and why were you even created, right? Why did God even create women? And then, with that, you take that and that morphs into your identity. Like, you know your worth, you know that your time here on earth is very short, so let's make the most out of it, right? So you're building that foundation and then you're becoming accountable for yourself.

Speaker 3: 32:14

What are you going to do with the time that you have here? Are you going to make the most out of each day? Or are you going to wait until the end of the week and complain about the things that you didn't do? Right? Are you going to start to create these good habits? That's going to lead you into the vision of yourself that you have for the future, right? This person, this woman who is thriving and that requires you to take action every single day. And then the integrity is being able to align your actions with your beliefs, right? And then all of the things that come against you to cause you to break that chain, right. And then that's when, like, the self-sabotage comes in. That's when all of these things break you away and then that's when you go into that depression because your actions aren't following what you, what you believe. There's a huge disconnect there and then we have this beautiful transformation. Right, you've designed this woman. Now step into her.

Speaker 3: 33:21

When you wake up in the morning, you're going to ask yourself would my future self, what would she do today? She would take 20 minutes to go and strength train. She would take 15 minutes and read scripture. She would feed her spirit, right, and just have that outlook on life where I am strong because my bucket is overflowing, just like I was talking about earlier, I have enough energy to make it through. Whatever it is that is going, you know, is going to come my way, and then you have, like, holistic health.

Speaker 3: 34:00

So it's not just focusing on fitness, not just focusing on mental health, right, it's all of these things that come together. It's emotional, it's spiritual, it's physical, it's mental, it's all of these things. Are you feeding yourself first? Are you taking care of yourself enough every single day to know when your bucket is depleting? Right to know, to feel comfortable enough to say hey, no, I can't do that today because I know my bucket is going to be empty soon and I need to do the things to take care of myself first. So that way, when I show up, I'm going to show up as my best self. I'm going to show up as this woman that I know that I am beautiful.

Speaker 2: 34:49

Definitely blueprint right there. That acronym did you? Did you sit down one day and it just like dropped on you?

Speaker 3: 35:02

Uh, yes, so this whole program that I created. It took me three months to put the mental health piece together, and that was when God was calling me at his hardest and I had no idea how to communicate this to anybody, even my husband. My husband and I we used to fight all the time because I just couldn't communicate what God was trying to tell me to him, and I like we would get so frustrated. But come to find out like God was like. I don't want you to communicate this to anybody, Like I want you to have. I'm trying to download something to you and I need your full attention. And so when I finally told my husband that right, then he was like, okay, all right, you know, like, and it was like almost like a breakthrough for him too. And so I sat down, I wrote this program out. Like these things just kept coming. And so I was like almost like a breakthrough for him too. And so I sat down, I wrote this program out like these things just kept coming.

Speaker 2: 36:02

And so I was like, okay, god, like it's all you, it is all you, because I could not, in my own strength, come up with any of this and that's where you know it's so beautiful, because you, you said, you know I don't really know what I'm doing in business, and the beauty about it, though, is that we really don't have to, when we're in partnership with god, like he's gonna give us what we need, and we need for the people that are already waiting for you, because you were created for this time. There's other people that were created to do other things, but they're supposed to be connected to you. They're just not connected to you yet, right so we don't have to strive.

Speaker 2: 36:43

We don't have to hustle, we don't have to follow everybody else's blueprints. Girl, I had to go through a whole dying to myself process in 2017, like I was like, yeah, please tell me how to do my business and I'll do it. And then to let go and just like ask him, like, what does this look like? What is it? And a lot of times it looks kind of crazy, actually, yeah. So yeah, that's been fun.

Speaker 3: 37:13

Yeah, I checked out your website and I love your website. Girl, I cannot tell you how similar like we are. I was just. I'm still like on this high from our first conversation, how God had called you, in the spirit, woman of wonder, and God calls me woman of worth.

Speaker 3: 37:36

And God calls me woman of worth. Like I finally was like telling my husband that and I'm like I am still like I don't know how to say this, because I just every time I think about it, like it's just like that wellspring of, like this geyser I don't know, like I just get so excited.

Speaker 2: 37:53

Well, it's beautiful too, because when he said woman of wonder, when I wrote it, I actually use like acronyms a lot and I was like it's. It's beautiful too, because when he said woman of wonder, when I wrote it, I actually use like acronyms a lot and I was like it's a wow and you're a wow, we're wow, we're wow. Girls, um, yeah, it's so beautiful, like how, so you're a woman of worth, okay, so let's, let's, let's, kick it back a little bit. Did, did you always feel like a woman of worth?

Speaker 3: 38:18

No.

Speaker 2: 38:19

Did you? Always identify yourself that way yeah.

Speaker 3: 38:23

And I think that's why God calls me that in the spirit, right, because I had such a hard time so growing up. I never fit in anywhere. My mom is Italian, my dad is black, so I never like fit in with in the. The community that I grew up with was all white, so you could count the minorities on your hand of the school that I went to, and so I just never felt like I fit in anywhere.

Speaker 3: 38:55

And I think there is such purpose in that that there's such beauty in that, because God, my entire life was like, look, I set you apart for a reason, you know, like, take that to heart, and I did. But I feel like I was, you know, just took it the wrong way and was like, if I don't fit in anywhere, then what am I worth, you know? And I just felt like I led my life like that for a long time, just not feeling like I deserved anything, and that was a huge barrier to me even going to college. I'm not worthy of a degree, I'm not worthy of making something of myself, I'm not worthy of you know. But God brings the right people into your life to help guide you and it's just yeah, so, and it's just been like that all of my life.

Speaker 3: 39:52

So when he called me a woman of work, he's like this is where we're going to start, and so the foundation of my business is we go through scripture and I pull out the women in the Bible and I educate women on. This is how God sees you right. These are all the women that made all of these mistakes in redemption Right and this is why God even created you. Nobody. You know what I'm going to challenge you. Next time you have a conversation with somebody, ask them if they know why women were created. Because everybody that I talk to, like, they come up with these, like, they start joking and I have to tell them like, you're joking because you don't know Like and is that okay? Like, are you okay with that?

Speaker 2: 40:48

Well, share, share with us. Like what? What has he shown you through? What is the answer to that question? Through his eyes.

Speaker 3: 40:57

It's found in Genesis. So Genesis I think it's Genesis 2 or something. I have to look it up but he tells us exactly why women were created. And what's interesting is, when I was doing a study on this, is that he uses the word helper. He created us from Adam's rib, right, so, and if you think about where the rib is, it's close to the heart. So when we were created, God was like Adam. You need a helper, and for the longest time I got hung up on that word like helper. Like this is gonna sound really bad, but I feel like it was like more of like a janitorial role, you know, like somebody.

Speaker 3: 41:43

I don't know that's just what was in my mind. Well, do laundry, yeah, yeah, exactly. And I was like, well, there's got to be more to this, right. So, doing more in-depth study, there's a place in, I believe it's, exodus I could be wrong, don't quote me on that but where god calls himself a helper and he helps the israelites out of egypt, right. So the idea that God even calls himself a helper and then he calls us women a helper and it's like, wow, ok, so that completely destroys my idea of a helper and elevates it to the level of God is calling me a helper.

Speaker 3: 42:31

You know like wow, and so just having that idea right In our mind, that, and then you build on that idea with marriage. Okay, why did God create marriage? And, um, I forgot where what. I'm sorry, I lost my train of thought I had like four things going on in my brain at the same time.

Speaker 3: 42:57

I understand yeah, okay, no, and then, like, when you read how Adam describes woman and you can maybe think about it in more modern day words that we would use he calls her woman, right, but it could be you could replace that word for beautiful or gorgeous, or I mean Adam knew how beautiful this woman was, and so he writes like poetry to her, basically you know, like just telling her what an amazing creation she is. So I mean all of these things like come together and if you build your identity on that, I mean if you understand your worth, like, and then for Eve too, like any one of us could be Eve, right, god created us with such intricacy that. And then for Eve too, like any one of us could be Eve, right, god created us with such intricacy that any one of us is Eve. He loved us each individually that much that he put in the time to create each one of us. So it's just, it's a heart issue is what it really is.

Speaker 2: 44:20

Yeah, amen. I mean one thing that you know, even when you're talking about the rib, because there was something I was reading recently and I can't even remember what it was, but you know, the ribs protect the lungs, they protect the heart. We are protectors. Yeah, I mean, look at at, we are like mama bears, lionesses out there. I don't know about you, but I'd I'd jump in front of a car if my kid was running out there. I'm to me that's fearless. I think a lot of women are very fearless, but there's something that's causing fear to hold them back from really stepping into the woman that they are.

Speaker 3: 45:06

Right, have you noticed that? And I think it has a lot to do. Yeah, and I think it has a lot to do with who they believe they are and where do they come from. Right, I mean, this world tells us that women are not worth as much as men. And now the narrative is if you don't want to be a woman, you can just change your gender. Right like, it's just like. No, there's so much purpose and so much worth in how God created you. I mean, he knit you together. He knew you before you were even conceived, knew you before you were born, like if people really understood that.

Speaker 2: 45:50

I keep saying, like there's such an identity crisis, like it's, it's like a plague, and we get to do the work to come alongside, re-identify with who god created them to be, because in that they can actually be free and then go set others free. But until then, I've had my own identity crisis. Um, I don't know about you like. I know you mentioned some of the stuff you grew up with.

Speaker 2: 46:23

But there was a lot of trauma growing up and I didn't know who I was. I looked in the mirror and I just thought I was worthless. That was the lie. I was worthless and that was a lie that I carried for probably two or three decades.

Speaker 3: 46:41

Yeah, A long time. How did you get out of it? How did you get out of it, though?

Speaker 2: 46:47

Well, I was rescued from addiction when I was 25. And then it began this process of just unwinding from addiction not like literally not knowing who I was at all and him like learning to be loved and to be like that's been a big thing is learning to just be still because I was on such a like uh, just a path of like being busy so I didn't have to like face my emotions or feel or anything. Yeah, so if I just kept myself busy, and even before that, if I just, you know, stayed drunk or high or smoke cigarettes or worked out a lot or did all the things that would kind of keep me going, the moment I had to feel like actually feel my feelings, that was, that was a whole breaking. It was a breaking like that was a a year or two of like straight breaking, like a yeah, it was a whole process.

Speaker 3: 47:58

you had to break me yeah, break you out of the old shell, yeah, take off your plate of news, right? And you know what's interesting now that you say that. So a part of my program, I have women go and interview somebody that's very close to them and most of them interview their husband of them, and most of them interview their husband. And so I tell them, ask them very specific questions about who you are, like, what and and, and it's not even like mind boggling questions, okay, so it's like what are your strengths, what are your weaknesses, and who do they see you as in the future? It's those three questions.

Speaker 3: 48:47

I've had one, one of the women, her husband told her well, wait a minute, give me some time to think about this, I'll get back to you tomorrow. And she was like okay, fine. But one of the other women, she asked her husband and he was like I don't know, I never even thought about that and that was it. And so, in reviewing that with her, I was like well, what did he end up saying? And she's like he just said that he never thought about it. And I was like okay, are you happy with that, you know? And she was like well, I mean, he, he just that's what he said. And I was like okay, so this gives me insight into how surface level we are living. Yes, right, we. We don't even want to dive deep into these hard questions, but that is what it takes in order for you to figure out who you are and where you're going. Right, like it's, like it opens up your eyes, like you, now that you're living, like to know what it is to actually live.

Speaker 2: 49:57

It's so much like well, that's the thing Like for us as coaches, that's a big part of what we do is we ask questions? Because questions help dig in. I like to call myself a gold digger, because there is actual gold when you ask somebody a question they've maybe never been asked before or confront something that's never been confronted before. Jesus asked questions. The Bible is filled with him asking questions because they had to have a literal come to Jesus moment and answer the questions, rather than having having somebody tell you like, yes, we bring, we bring resources, we bring keys, we bring um. You know all the things right, but a lot of what happens in coaching is asking those questions. People have the revelation and then they run with it, wouldn't you say?

Speaker 3: 50:59

Oh yeah, absolutely, absolutely. I mean, one of the big questions that Jesus asked is who do people say that I am, or who do you say that I am? You know? And I think we can take that question and ask people that like who do you think I am? You know what I mean? And it's just and it and it's not, and what that creates is like a perception of how people see you and doesn't match how you see yourself.

Speaker 2: 51:31

Right, exactly Because a lot of times, wouldn't you say when, like, if we look in the mirror I just did a video about this recently Like, when we look in the mirror, we don't actually see like a hundred percent of who we are. There's no way to like, see the mirror is a mirror? Like, the reflection on the mirror isn't a hundred percent. You, you can't see all things. You need somebody to hold up a mirror to you and, like you said, have these people that come along in your path that literally help bring breakthrough to you, because they do draw out the gold in you, they remind you of who you are. Where are you going? What are you doing? Where are you Like? Where are you Like, where are you going? Because it's so easy, especially in this world right now, I would say, there are so many distractions, wouldn't you say, oh, absolutely, how do you see that affecting a lot of the women you work with right now, with all the distractions?

Speaker 3: 52:41

I think it comes down to like a comparison game, right, like, and not only that too, but it's like if you're not good at that, move on to something else. Instead of taking the time to figure out how it's going to work for you, how you do fit in into your life, you know, and then, too, like the distractions, I need to continuously keep moving on to the next thing. So, whatever it is that I'm doing now, how can I get the quickest results?

Speaker 2: 53:12

Right.

Speaker 3: 53:14

And that is such a huge barrier because it doesn't give you time to find your strength in whatever transition that you're in or whatever point in life that you're in. Yeah.

Speaker 2: 53:30

Well, what is it like? What does your program look like? Is it something that's ongoing, or is it something that you do like every few weeks? What does that look like on your end for the women that are listening?

Speaker 3: 53:40

that might be interested in hearing more on your end for the women that are listening, that might be interested in hearing more. So it is a 12-week program, and what we focus on is how do we create a routine that best fits your lifestyle and what is important to you? So I'm still working on the finer details of how to um really incorporate the mental and the physical aspects of it. So I had um. So right now I'm actually writing a book. I'm putting the mental health piece into a book, and because, being an occupational therapist, I understand the importance of repetition. So there's all of these self-help books out there, self-help programs, but once you're done, like you're done and it's very rare that you come back to it and they say there's a certain amount of time to create a habit, right, but here's. Here's. My thing, though, is that you have to know yourself well enough to know if that habit is going to stick. And then also, too, how can we modify that habit to to your lifestyle, to your lifestyle?

Speaker 3: 55:08

Um, there's so many programs out there that are like follow this line by line, by line, and then, once you get out on your own, like nobody's holding your hand anymore. So it's either go back to this program or find another one, right, but I want to be able to create such a daily plan, something that you can carry out every single day. That's going to get you to your goal. And then we do like accountability. There's also a book club that goes along with it and that holds accountability too. So we have like these.

Speaker 3: 55:42

At first it's like one-on-one, and then we slowly taper off, we go to the group and then we go to like a maintenance program where I check in like once a week, and that's just for the full 12 weeks. And then at the end of the 12 weeks, you decide, like how do you want to proceed and how are you going to serve your community? So do you need assistance in maybe creating some type of online presence? Do you want to start your own book club? Do you want to have continuous one-on-ones Like what does that look like for you? You know, what?

Speaker 3: 56:18

what is benefiting you? So, it's a very customizable program.

Speaker 2: 56:25

Yes, because, like people don't fit in a box, let's just be real. At least people think they maybe do, but they need to have that revelation that no, you are not called to fit in a box.

Speaker 3: 56:41

Right and long-term success too. Like you have to be motivated yourself enough to do it. Nobody outside is going to motivate you to get it done right. So this hand holding that everybody does with this line by line instruction sheet that does, that's not long term, that's not going to last. That like that will serve you in the moment, but what's going to serve you when you're on your own? How are you going to be able to function on your own?

Speaker 2: 57:12

Yes, well, I love what he is doing in and through you. So we also, as I mentioned in the beginning, we're part of ministry makers with Kendra D Carroll, and she brought us both in. There are several coaches, but I was led to interview you because you interviewed me on your Facebook last week and I was like, hey, like, why not share what you're doing too? So what is your focus group going to be all about?

Speaker 3: 57:43

What is your focus group going to be all about? So my focus group I'm so excited is about spirituality, building that foundation of the spirit of God. Who is the Holy Spirit, right? How do you tap into the power of the Holy Spirit and how do you develop the gift of the Spirit, Because each of us have a unique gift and like, how do you tap into that? And then also to, how is that going to guide you into what comes next? And so I like to explore that idea and I feel like there's so much ambiguity with spirituality these days. Right, People claim that they're spiritual, but what does that mean? And the Bible is very clear about when you claim to be spiritual. It talks about the spirit of God and how to know that it's the spirit of God, and that is what you absolutely need to draw from the energy, the strength that you're drawing from, because there are other spirits in this world.

Speaker 2: 58:49

Yes.

Speaker 3: 58:49

And so you want to be very careful about which ones you allow in. So that's where we're going to start.

Speaker 2: 58:58

So good, yeah, we're getting started in May, which may is in two days, but you know it's kind of like kickoff, um, and then I'm going to be doing a group called embracing the wonder of god. Again, going back to the, you know, woman of wonder, I'm constantly seeing details and as we're, you know, walking out our calling, I like to say I help women. You know, walking out our calling. I like to say I help women, you know, soar in their calling and devour with their voices. And you know, along the pathway there are going to be some challenges, there's going to be maybe some arrows, things that are going to try to stop you, but we can still continue to like stay above the snake line, come up higher his perspective, like the wonders, like the seeing him in the details, because every single day I don't know about you, dana, but like he is showing me signs and wonders every single day, like there's not a day that goes by that I'm not seeing.

Speaker 2: 59:56

um something from him, yeah, whether it's in the word or a song, or a connection, or um you know somebody sending me like a prophetic word that I needed at that very moment Um, I'll never forget a mentor of mine. Um, when I was walking through a really, really dark Valley, probably six, seven years ago, it was like I think it's six words, see him in the details, five words, see him in the details. And it just it unlocked wonder in me, literally like it absolutely unlocked wonder.

Speaker 2: 1:00:32

So I want to really impart that to women, you know, as we're walking out this path, and just to bring back that childlike faith, that childlike wonder like I people think I'm like, oh my gosh, you were, how do you see these things? Oh well, you gotta look up, you gotta look around. Like, stop looking at just your phone, we gotta get outside, we gotta do different things. Um, so that's just a little bit of what um Kendra actually saw that in me and she was like this is the group that you are going to need to do, and I'm like, okay, well, I'll go for that. So, um, like I said, we get started in May.

Speaker 2: 1:01:10

Um, if you want to get in touch with us and check out the groups that are available, I think we have three groups, three different coaches so far that are leading um, in the show notes I will link up the website where you can check everything out and, yeah, anything else you want to share. I always like to say if there's anything else, like thinking of this one woman who's listening. Obviously there's going to be more, but I always focus on the one. Is there anything else you wanted to say this one woman? And also, would you be open to praying over her today?

Speaker 3: 1:01:45

Oh yeah, absolutely. Your time is now. Your time is today. It is now God is calling you and, oh gosh, what is it going to take for you to answer? You know, when God gets a hold of your heart, he's not going to let go. So, yeah, okay. So I'll close this out in prayer. Oh my gosh, god, you are so good.

Speaker 3: 1:02:11

Thank you for these opportunities, lord. Thank you for bringing us together, father, because we know that where we are gathered, father, two or more in your name you are with us, and so we just pray that you continue to work in our hearts, father, just continue to show us who you are, just to continue to be in those details and to give us eyes so that we can see your heart, so we can know you, father. And I just pray for these women who are listening to this Lord, that you touch their heart just as much as you touched ours. Let them know who they are, lord, who they belong to, father, and just let them know their worth, lord, that you want them in your kingdom with you, father. And we thank you for today. We thank you that you continue to work through us, lord, and build your army. So I want to welcome the women that have made the decision today and thank you, Father.

Speaker 2: 1:03:24

In my dog started like howling like she was singing. I had to mute for a second but I was like, oh, she was like thank you so much for sharing today. You are a gift. I'm so thankful that we've connected and like it's just the beginning, so so much fun. Thank you, Kristen, and I'll share any contact information for Dana in the show notes. Like I said for ministry makers, I will also share the website below. If you guys have any questions, please reach out to me or Dana and we will chat soon on the next Hope Unlocked podcast. I will. Well, I actually I almost forgot. I have to close with our anchoring verse. It's me.

Speaker 2: 1:04:11

Okay, hope, fill you with all joy and peace and believing. Set by the power of the Holy spirit, you may abound in hope, and that's Romans 15, 13. So thank you for being a brave voice that sets others free, and I will be back with another episode next week. Take care, hope. Unlock listeners.