Off-Balance

The Path to Enlightenment: Embracing Life's Lessons

June 22, 2023 Season 1 Episode 9
The Path to Enlightenment: Embracing Life's Lessons
Off-Balance
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Off-Balance
The Path to Enlightenment: Embracing Life's Lessons
Jun 22, 2023 Season 1 Episode 9

On this episode, I speak with Dr. Heather Matthews, an educator, about her non-profit, educating adults with disabilities, forgiveness, and more. As an educator, she focuses on individual student needs across academia, social and behavioral development. In her current role as a college professor, she guides other teachers on their journey of earning master's degrees in various fields of education to learn the theories and skills necessary to be successful educators. Dr. Heather is passionate about educating others and creating opportunities for individuals with disabilities. 

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Show Notes Transcript

On this episode, I speak with Dr. Heather Matthews, an educator, about her non-profit, educating adults with disabilities, forgiveness, and more. As an educator, she focuses on individual student needs across academia, social and behavioral development. In her current role as a college professor, she guides other teachers on their journey of earning master's degrees in various fields of education to learn the theories and skills necessary to be successful educators. Dr. Heather is passionate about educating others and creating opportunities for individuals with disabilities. 

Clothed by J. Christine
J. Christine offers quality and comfortable clothing for the everyday fashionable-conscious woman. W

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the Show.

You. 1s Welcome to the Off Balance podcast, where faith, family and business collide with your host, Dr. Brooks Deming, Christian life coach, intercessor and entrepreneur. 11s Hello, 

 U2 

 0:25 

 everyone. I'm Dr. Brooks. Welcome to Off Balance, a podcast for adults trying to balance balanced life. Thank you for tuning in each week to learn strategies to help you be the better version of yourself. The sponsor of today's episode is clothed by J Christine, a Christian based clothing store offering quality and affordable clothing for the everyday fashionable conscious woman. 1s Today's guest is an educator with a specialization in sped, an entrepreneur, a mother and a leader. As an educator, she focuses on individual student needs across academia, social and behavior development. In her current role as a college professor, she guides other teachers on their journey of earning a master's degree in the field of education to learn the theories and skills necessary to be successful teachers. Please welcome to the show Dr. Heather Matthews. 

 U1 

 1:19 

 All hi. How are 

 U2 

 1:20 

 you? I am well. How are you today? 

 U1 

 1:23 

 I am wonderful. 

 U2 

 1:25 

 I am so excited that you have joined me as my guest today for the listening audience. Who is Heather Matthews? 

 U1 

 1:34 

 So, first and foremost, I identify as a believer in Jesus Christ. And my main focus in all parts of my life right now is to discover and follow God's purpose in my life, whether that's in ministry, my family, my career, upcoming business, all of those things. 2s I am a teacher, and at Georgia Network of Educational Therapy, I work with students who have severe emotional behavioral disorders and autism. I primarily have students who are 18 to 22 years old, and I work with them on vocational education and life skills. I also teach other subjects, other content to the students at that school. In addition, I'm a professor at Grand Canyon University. I teach special education teachers in their Master's program, and I supervise student teachers, which is really exciting because I'm helping them get to that last part where they're embarking on their career. I'm able to network with them. I'm able to see them get everything completed and walk across the stage. So that's really exciting. And those are the two things I'm doing for my main job right now. But currently I'm working on a new business that will be open September 1, and that business is called Richmond Hill Educational Coaching. And we are actually located right here in Richmond Hill. But we will also have virtual options. We're offering all types of educational services for learners of all ages. We'll have tutoring for elementary through high school, college prep, college coaching, Aba therapy, music therapy, and job sampling, job coaching, and life coaching. So you need to add services as they are needed. 

 U2 

 3:23 

 That is so good. So it sounds like the core of who you are, besides being a believer, is an educator. What sparked your interest in education? 

 U1 

 3:33 

 It. Well, to be honest, my interest is not in education. I'm also the mother of six kids, and I was married previously, and I kind of inherited two. I had four. And as I was a mother, raising these young children and working in different jobs, I started going to college. And I really wanted to get involved in criminal justice. So it's really interesting. I went to see my advisor, and being new to college and very busy, I wasn't your typical student straight out of high school. So I was looking for my advisor and I went to the wrong hallway. So this particular professor, Dr. Lloyd, he said, hey, you're in the wrong hallway. This is education. And I said, okay, well, can you guide me to criminal justice? He said, yeah, I can, but maybe you should just sit down and talk to me first. So he calls me into the office and we start talking and we talk about special education. And I couldn't tell you why. I think God just put me in the right place at the right time. And I just said, okay, you know what? I'll give it a try and just change my major right there. And that's how I got into education. Went through school, loved it. Got my master's degree, got my specialist degree, got my doctorate degree, kept moving through education. I really love learning, too. So as I move forward, I'm raising my children and teaching, and it got to the point where the kids are getting older, and I really felt like I needed to move on to something else. And I thought I was going to move into administration or full time faculty at the college, but I guess God had different plans for me. So this is where I'm at now, embarking this brand new journey. 2s That 

 U2 

 5:17 

 is awesome. So what made you decide to start your own business? 

 U1 

 5:23 

 So, to be honest, there's something that I read about recently, and psychologists are even diagnosing people with this, and it's called post traumatic growth. So I have to say I attribute it to that. I went through a time in my life that was extremely traumatic. So my kids felt like we had a normal life. I'm raising these kids. We have a family. I'm married, 1s and 1s my ex husband actually was in a car accident with my oldest son, and he had taken him camping and fishing. They were exhausted, and he was driving, and he fell asleep at the wheel. When he fell asleep at the wheel, the SUV rolled six times and actually ejected both of them from the vehicle. And my son was airlifted. He was in a coma, and so he was airlifted. His femur was completely severed from his body. Had a lot of injuries, brain injuries. Wasn't at the time expected to wake up, right? So he was in there. We're staying in the hospital. My husband was on a different floor. He was in a body cast. His pelvis was cracked. He had brain injuries, et cetera. So dealing with that, once we came out of that, my son was miraculously healed. I mean, when I tell you and that's a whole 

 U2 

 6:38 

 story miracle, 

 U1 

 6:39 

 right? He was. 1s I mean he went from being in a coma to just waking up and then he had traumatic brain injury and then he was healed from that. Currently he's a student at Georgia Southern and he is the executive assistant of Nine line. That's awesome. 1s He recovered. He was absolutely healed. He was not expected to walk, he was not expected to have a typical life but he was was healed. 1s His father actually was, he did have those brain injuries and after the accident 2s he almost woke up as a different person. And part of my specialist degree was brain research and we studied a lot of these prefrontal lobe injuries and that is exactly what he had. So his personality changed completely and he became an alcoholic lick and over time it got worse and worse and he went to impatient and things like that and it became so bad that he has, I'm not sure exactly where he is at this time. So that happened. I lost my husband, the father of my children and then got into another relationship that was extremely traumatic. 1s And so after all of those things happened I got so low that I became depressed even considering suicide. And at that time God really started speaking to me and I mean speaking to me and saying this is your time to run. You have to get up right now. This is your time to run. You can't spend any more time with this. You cannot look back anymore. And so I started getting back involved in church, church and in ministry. And then actually started relaunched a women's empowerment group with a friend of mine and we started encouraging other women. Started working with nonprofits. 2s I actually started a nonprofit called Divisibility that will help fund vocational education and opportunities for students who cannot get the Medicaid labor who are waiting on the waiting list. And started moving towards my purpose. And then Guy really started showing me this business and I didn't believe that it was going to happen because finding a space like this in this area is so challenging. There's so many dynamics, so many things I was facing as a single mom and feeling like I had no support. And God literally opened every door. I mean a realtor called me that I hadn't spoke to in twelve months and she said, hey this isn't on the market, I just want you to come see it. 2s And there our building was right then and there, signed the next day. She said you have to sign the lease by May 1. And I said I can't, I need to sign it on August 1. And she said well let me ask the investor but they're probably going to say no. But they said yes. And that is exactly everything has fallen into place. So many people have already reached out in support. So many people are supportive of this business. We have so many resources already. Financially the resources are available. I mean it has been absolutely amazing already and we haven't even begun. 2s That is awesome. 

 U2 

 9:53 

 And so you mentioned that you're going to provide so many different services. Are you going to have, like, is it after school services or these services that are during the daytime? What would your schedule look like or your hours of operation? 

 U1 

 10:07 

 Right, so I'm glad you asked that, because there's so many dynamics to this business. So the actual educational services that will be in the building, we will be open in the afternoon until 800 in the evening, Monday through Friday. However, we'll have services by appointment as well. So if people want to make an appointment, sometimes there are students who are private school or college students who want to make appointments but also offer virtual services. And then eventually and this is really the vision. The vision is to offer services for adults with disabilities. And 1s this Richmond Hill coaching business is dynamic in that it can offer as many services that are needed. And it's also going to be used to empower people to build their own businesses. So we're partnering with other professionals who are great in their area. For example, I have a music therapist right now. She has her own business, but she'll work with us. And we'll continue to empower and help build those businesses because we only want the best people. That was the idea of building this collaborative approach is so that you just don't have one person offering different services, that you have that best person for that field, for that age group, for that child, and we can match them. So that will be the set up of those hours. And in the long term, we want to open a facility that's open 24 hours a day. And that facility will be able to employ anyone at any level so that we can hire adults that have disabilities that would prevent them from working in a typical setting. And in that building, we plan to have a coffee shop and a retail area. And in the back, we plan to have a place where the manufacturing occurs and then a gardening and an art room as well, so everybody can have a place no matter what level they are, because everybody's valuable to society, no matter what level they are, and everyone needs a purpose. That 

 U2 

 12:06 

 is amazing. That is so amazing because I'm listening to you. And then the areas for adults with disabilities is very limited because you may have one employer that says, okay, I'll take you if you have limited physical disabilities, but I don't want to work with you if you have maybe mental or psychiatric disabilities. So that is awesome to know that you're going to create a space to where adults with disabilities can have a place where they can feel a sense of normalcy with their day to day life. So that is very awesome. So when it comes to. 

 U1 

 12:44 

 To 

 U2 

 12:44 

 that portion of your business, are you going to also have a collaborative approach? 

 U1 

 12:50 

 Yes. So we are already partnering with some organizations in this area, and the Kwanas here, even and Kwanas I don't know if you're familiar with Kwanas, but I really didn't understand what they did. And I actually joined Kawanas recently. The Kawanas organization here focuses on disabilities, so they brought all kinds of people in already that are searching for these services or that can offer these services. So I'm already networking with them in the school system and some other representatives so that when this actually is open and when it rolls out, that we will be completely prepared. When COVID happened, they put a lot of safeguards in place, which is great for accountability. They put a lot of things in place that are really hard to get around. So we've actually been talking about opening this type of facility for years, but because of when COVID like I said, when COVID occurred, there's so many obstacles. So we want to make sure we're fully prepared to support all the individuals that are part of this program. But there is a lot of people that have wanted to do the same thing. It's just they didn't realize, I think there were so many other people that were looking for these services here, and even in the Savannah area. Effingham. Savannah Hinesville I mean, it's really limited everywhere. There is a waiting list in every quality program that's anywhere in this area, and people are taking their adult children hours away just to be part of something. And sometimes they will have to leave them there overnight. And it's so far that maybe they only visit with them a couple of times a year or there's just not a lot here. 

 U2 

 14:28 

 Yeah, I really think that your organization is going to 

 U1 

 14:31 

 really sounds 

 U2 

 14:32 

 like it's going to feed a need that's in your community. 3s So people that are listening and they have a desire and they want to start an organization. You had so many obstacles in your way. What advice can you give them to just push forth and just make it manifest? 

 U1 

 14:52 

 Well, one thing that seems so simple, but it's really been a dynamic difference in my life is when I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is have a conversation with God. And that has completely changed my motivation. I know a lot of people do listen to motivational tapes and things like that, but that has absolutely changed my ability to want to move forward. And you would be surprised the things that you can do. A lot of times we get tired and we think, well, I can't do all of this, but God will literally give you energy. God will literally give you the opportunity to do what you need to do. And I think another piece of that is taking care of your physical and mental health. Because if you don't, then you don't have anything to give. So really taking that time and making yourself a priority, making sure that you have decent nutrition and that you exercise and that you rest in the midst of that, because you really can suffer from burnout really fast. So it's kind of like both sides. But that's why I always depend on God. He speaks in Isaiah about whether you go left or right, they'll hear a voice behind you. And I try to focus on that. I try to put 1ft in front of the other, but constantly in prayer and kind, constantly seeking God's voice in each step that I make. 

 U2 

 16:11 

 That is really good. And you mentioned earlier that you had experienced oppression at one point in your life. So when you were in that season, was it God that helped you kind of transition out of that? 

 U1 

 16:25 

 Oh, absolutely. 1s I really had to actually get away from people. It's just like how Elijah was at the Brook, and he had to be by himself. It was exactly where I had to be. And I spent a lot of time just being pressed and molded because a lot of things, a lot of the situations that I was in were not just because of the trauma experience, but also things that I was doing because I was not walking with God. So I was also suffering those consequences, and I had a lot of influences around me. 1s This culture today will tell you, do what makes you feel good, and those are the kind of things that I was experiencing and feeling, and those were the influences that I had. So I had to completely create boundaries in my life and spend time alone with God. And he literally transformed me. And when I started coming out of that time, I mean, I wasn't on social media, I wasn't on the phone, I wasn't watching TV. I mean, I starved every distraction and spent all of this time with God. And it was amazing, the transformation. I felt like a completely different person as I started coming out of that experience. 

 U2 

 17:40 

 And see, that's very good, because you have someone that's maybe listening and they're like, well, she's a doctor, she has her education, she has a career, she has all of these things. But they may be afraid to take that step because they may not have accomplishments right now. What advice can you give to them to just take the step? 

 U1 

 18:01 

 Well, that's what you have to do. It's just like it's just like getting on a roller coaster and you're scared, but once you're on it, you can't get back off. Sometimes you just have to look at life like that. There are so many things I felt like I couldn't do even when I was young. Even when I started my undergrad in college, I had two kids very young. I already had two kids, so I was very young with two kids. I had not started college. I didn't even have a regular diploma. So I felt like I'm going to be working in daycares all my life or something like that. But God will always open the doors for you. He already has seen your entire life. He already knows the decisions that you're going to make. And so even if you've made poor decisions, even if you're in a situation that you think you can't do it, he will open a door. I actually always think about the bamboo plant. 1s I don't know, it's planted in the ground for months and months and months. Nothing comes. Or years, maybe three years, it's in the ground. But once it comes up, it grows so fast, you could literally watch it grow. And I think about that with people who suffer trauma and people who feel inferior. Sometimes you are in the ground for a long time. But if you allow God into your life, you allow Him to really water you and you've completely let go, you will grow faster. Something that could have taken someone three years, 30 years could take you months. That's what God can do with your life. 1s So that would be my advice. It's that simple. Just let it go. Give it to God. 1s That 

 U2 

 19:34 

 is actually good advice. As you're speaking, I was just thinking, because sometimes when you're going through things, it may feel like God isn't present. It may seem like that he is not there. So what would you say for that person that's like, I'm trying, I just don't feel like that I'm getting anywhere, or I don't feel like that God is here with me. What would you say to them? 

 U1 

 19:59 

 I felt like that for a long time. I really felt like I could not hear God's voice. And I talked to a lot of women that feel that way, because you're already discouraged, and then you're looking for God, like, hey, I'm looking for you. Why are you not speaking to me? Why am I not hearing your voice? But a lot of times I believe that's because we're still looking in other places and we don't even realize it. Sometimes it's even Christian places, like church or prayer or Christian friends. But you have to start with the source. If you're not spending time alone with God and you're not in the Word, I really don't think you can hear his voice the same way that you do. When you spend that time alone and you develop a language that's just between you and God. That's how you can. And when we're in those lowest places, you really need God. That is all you need. And I did that, and I was listening to sermons, and I was reading little messages, and I was doing therapy, which is great. I was talking to people. But it wasn't the same until I had that authentic time and built an authentic relationship with God, because he's just waiting. But we also have to make a step forward towards Him. 

 U2 

 21:11 

 That is really good. And you are a mother. So when you were transitioning, trying to find who you were after your trauma, how were you able to still be a mom? 

 U1 

 21:26 

 It's interesting you asked that, because at first, I felt a lot of guilt. I felt like I was taking so much time to myself, and I felt a lot of guilt because I looked around at my life and I said, oh, my goodness. My kids also went through this, and what have I done to support them? And so what I really found was that as they watched me grow and get stronger, they were able to grow. They really needed to see, because I can hide things from them all they want, try to shelter them. But they knew exactly what was going on. They knew what was going on. They experienced it with me. And so showing them has been and then they start asking questions, and they start coming and saying, how did you do this? 2s And then when you start sharing the Word with them, I used to take a very traditional approach. I was like, we're going to have a devotional. We're going to do this. But this generation is a little different, and they're getting older. So I find that it's just important to constantly take care of myself and my relationship with God. So I'm constantly prepared to share a Word with them instantly when they're going through something. I'm like, oh, it says it in this book. It says this. This is what God says about this. And so they're constantly hearing it from the source, too. And that seems like that has been the best thing for me as a parent. But also intercessory prayer. I mean, I think we really underestimate that, because even when we're not with our kids, I know sometimes I felt guilty because I forgot to pray with my kids and they fell asleep and things like that, or I was busy. But even if they're asleep, I found myself going in there and praying at their door. Or just constantly praying for them, bringing their names to God. Not just saying, Pray for my children, but bringing each one of their name to God every single day. And that intercessory prayer is powerful. 2s It 

 U2 

 23:19 

 is definitely powerful. I can definitely attest to that. What would you say to a woman that's having a hard time finding her identity outside of being a mom? 

 U1 

 23:34 

 And then there's so many that was actually one of the main goals of the women empowerment group, because sometimes you do just define yourself as a mother. And I define my self as a mother for a long time, too, where I felt like that was my only job. I mean, I had six little kids running around here, and at the end of the day, I felt like there was nothing left for me and I had no other purpose. And so I think that sometimes we have to realize that in that season, that is our purpose, and it's an important purpose. You being the mother is an important purpose. And I think, again, God will open doors for you when you're tired and you're exhausted with that season, and you need an outlet, and you really need to find your purpose outside of that. I think God will open those doors for you when you need them. Not when we want it, but when you really need it. 

 U2 

 24:27 

 So you speak about women empowerment. So what made you and your friend decide to birth that 

 U1 

 24:33 

 nonprofit? So she actually had a women's group years before, and so we were in conversation and she was sharing about it. And I told her, that's something that I really want to do as well. So we met, we had breakfast, and we talked about it, and we realized that our goals were very much aligned. Even though we wanted everything that we do to be Bible based and church based, we also wanted it to be completely open to any woman, no matter what path of life she's in and no matter where she is in her walk with Jesus. Because we wanted to bring people in. So we wanted it to be secular in that aspect. We wanted to be very simple, a place that women can come and receive support, they can work on self care, they can come and network. They can come and work on being successful in their careers and their motherhood, whatever. They're working on that they can come. And we can also do service projects together. We actually have a service project coming up in June. We're going to pack food for homeless people and then we're going to go out into the community and pass it out. That's just kind of some of the little simple service projects that we do. But this one is really great because we're also bringing our children in. So again, we're setting that example and showing them that we're leaders in the community and bringing the children in so that they can help pack the bags and be part of a concrete activity where they're giving back in their community dollars. 

 U2 

 26:00 

 And so typically, when you meet the women that come to your nonprofit, are there also women that would need the educational services? Do you typically see an 

 U1 

 26:11 

 overlap that's actually been expressed as a needs? A couple of people have asked about classes and things like that. So that is definitely something that we want to work on and work towards. I really want to offer some free services for women. In fact, part of this particular business, there will be 2s actually the music therapist. She also does kids yoga. So one of the things I want to do is offer classes, pilates, yoga, different workout classes for women where they can come, and there will be a place where their kids can go and they can have free child care. This is further down the road. I'll have to probably charge at first, but that's definitely something that I want to offer, where they can come in and have a free service and have a time just to be with other women, where their children are safe right there, but under the supervision of another staff member. 1s That's really a good idea. And you also mentioned earlier that it's very important to take care of your mental health and your physical health. I know. I like to work out a lot, and when I work out, what I find is I'm able to decompress. I'm able to kind of replenish myself. So can you kind of explain why you, like, what made you realize that working out is something that's going to be 

 U2 

 27:31 

 vital to your business? 

 U1 

 27:34 

 Well, part of our focus with educational services, especially for students with special needs or other challenges, is that we're meeting all the needs the mind, the body. When I was actually in my program for Brain Balance, we learned about how nutrition, how everything affects your brain. So, for example, a student with ADHD, their brain doesn't function the way everyone else is doing the morning. Their neurotransmitters are not firing like everyone else's. They're kind of stalled. So if you give them high protein, if you give them activity, if you give them essentially that's why people take medication stimulants, then those neurotransmitters will start firing. But it's like that with all students, and they're learning challenges. One side of their brain is working. Usually on the other side it's not. So when you start exercising and you get those neurotransmitters moving, your connections from the left side and the right side of the brain can come together. So then, of course, you have a faster connection and they're able to think more clearly than they did without the exercise. So I really do want that to be a component of the entire program, that movement aspect. A lot of people use Aba therapy, and we will, but I really love some of these therapies like rough and tumble therapy, which is exactly what it sounds like. Yeah, where kids are moving around and they're getting their body going, their brain going. And also you have those positive endorphins when you run or when you exercise, you get those positive endorphins. I try to get at least a few minutes in every morning, because when I start my day and I've had time with God and I've had some activity, I feel like I'm at my best. 

 U2 

 29:20 

 I can definitely relate to that because I used to work out at 05:00 A.m. And I noticed that I was energized throughout my day, and it just seemed like I was able to make it through my day, but I had to switch my workout to afternoon or evening workouts, and I noticed I'm more sluggish. Doing what I had to do is kind of compensate with my diet. I had to take away a lot of the foods that caused me to be sluggish, a lot of the sweets because I didn't have the energy. 

 U1 

 29:50 

 Right. So working out 

 U2 

 29:53 

 eating rights is very important. So I'm glad that you're focusing on the entire person and not just one aspect of it. I think your program is going to be very successful because I don't know of any programs that really focus on the person as a whole. 

 U1 

 30:09 

 Right. And I've seen some that's kind of how we got a lot of these ideas. We spent about a year visiting programs all over the Southeast. So we started visiting educational programs, day, vocational programs, 24 hours programs, group homes, any of these programs that we felt like even leisure programs. We went and we would call them and say, hey, we want to come visit because we want to open a business, but we want to make sure that we're opening the right business and that we know what we're doing. And people would sit down and speak with us and explain how they started and explain all the dynamics of the business. So that's where we were actually able to gain the most valuable ideas, is just going in and visiting. And, I mean, we have seen some dynamic programs, particularly in the Atlanta area. Yeah. And has just been amazing how people have been willing to sit down and talk with us, knowing that we really weren't going to be able to do anything for them and just be able to tour the facilities, meet their clients. So we were able to really get a lot of great ideas and put them all together then. 

 U2 

 31:19 

 A person is listening and they want to volunteer, or if they want to connect with you, how can they contact 

 U1 

 31:24 

 you? Okay, so currently the Richmond Hill educational coaching is on Facebook, and all the even though there's not a lot of content there yet because we're not open, all of the contact information is there. The business phone number, the email, the website will be linked there, and anybody who would like to contact us through that Facebook or through any of those means of communication would be great. That 

 U2 

 31:50 

 is awesome. You shared a lot here. You have encouraged women as well as men that it doesn't matter how it started, it doesn't matter what happens in your life. You have to make a conscious choice to be able to move forward. So if you can leave them with any final thoughts, what would you say? 

 U1 

 32:11 

 I think I've really focused a lot on depending on God and relying on God. And I really think there's nothing else that you can do greater than relying on God. It is so hard to give it up. I always wanted to be in control, and I think a lot of us as women, we really do. We want to be in Troll. We want to make the decision. But if you really let go of things, you will grow so fast. 

 U2 

 32:42 

 That is so good because control is a big issue. But what about the people that feel like that religion, that faith is a mind control thing? Like, what would you say to encourage them to seek for themselves? 

 U1 

 32:58 

 No, that's so important. I don't support religion. I go to church because I feel that our church is based on the Bible. 1s But religion as a whole has hurt so many people, and there are so many people that really can't even set foot in the church. So I understand that completely. I think that you do have to seek God for yourself and you do have to make sure that it's something that you have faith in, because you cannot just rely on what someone else says. And that goes back to going to the source. You have to go to the source and you have to get it yourself. 1s That is 

 U2 

 33:36 

 so awesome. I have enjoyed you, Heather. I know 

 U1 

 33:39 

 what doctor heather, I know that the listening audience is going to benefit tremendously from you. So I appreciate you for stopping by today and just sharing your upcoming projects and the things that you're working on because your organization is going to bring such value to your community. 

 U2 

 33:57 

 And you said you're opening September 1, 

 U1 

 33:59 

 correct? Yes. Well, we'll be in the building August 1, but our grand opening will be September 1. 

 U2 

 34:05 

 Okay. And so what I'll do is I'll make sure that I have all of your information on my website so that listeners will be able to just come to my website and I'll have all of your social media links and everything like that so that they can get in touch with you. Because I am sure that there are going to be some people that want to connect with you because I'm not even in education and I'm like, where can I be of service? Because I know that this is going to be such a blessing. So thank you for allowing God to use you. And again, thank you so much for being a guest on our show today. 

 U1 

 34:38 

 Well, thank you so much for having me, and thank you for everything that you're doing. I really appreciate it. 

 U2 

 34:45 

 This concludes today's episode. Thank you for tuning in. I hope the information presented adds value to your life. Be sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube at brooksdemming. The sponsor of today's episode was clothed by J Christine, a Christian clothing store offering quality and affordable clothing for the everyday, fashionable, conscious woman. To learn more about today's guests, visit brooksdimming.com. Until next time, be res. Brilliant. 

 U1 

 35:16 

 Thanks for joining. 

 U2 

 35:17 

 Please rate this episode 

 U1 

 35:19 

 and share this podcast with your family and friends. To learn more about your host, visit www.brooksdemming.com.