Life Builders By Julie Hamilton

"God is always present and at work in all aspects of our lives to prepare us for what he has for us at this time in our lives."

Anita had found her forever job in ministry. That is, until earlier this year when she was scooped up in a dramatic transition to a huge international organization in a business role. She is as surprised as anyone to now be operating as Regional Director of the Florida/Puerto Rico Region for Operation Christmas Child. Looking back, Anita can see how God has been preparing her for this unexpected role since she was in high school! I loved this opportunity to draw on Anita's 30+ years of business and ministry experience to chat about what she's learned in walking through this tough transition and her tips for high capacity leaders on how to remain healthy even through life's most unexpected storms. 

Some of the topics we touched on were: 

-Building a legacy

-Hope for a kinder & gentler nation

-The power of influence

-Transition from small ministry to huge int'l organization

-Operation Christmas Child in process/behind the scenes

-3 Lessons she's learned from this challenging transition

-God prepares us and we don't even know it 

-What surprised her most in the new job

-The main thing that helped her through the transition.

-Why it's critical to build relationships right now

-Why every person needs counseling

-Tips for healthy high Capacity Leaders

-Why you need people who will call you out 

-God sees you.

-Songs for hope

-The message on her heart

-Whom we should interview next

Resources mentioned:

Lead Like Jesus by Ken Blanchard & Phil Hodges 

Be Worth Following: How to Be Different and Influence People in a Crowded Social World by Dr. Jennifer Bennett

Song: "Reckless Love" by Cory Asbury 

Song: "Rescue" by Lauren Daigle

Undaunted:Daring to do what God cals you to do by Christine Caine

Unexpected: Leave Fear Behind, Move Forward in Faith, Embrace the Adventure by Christine Caine 

Unashamed: Drop the Baggage, Pick up Your Freedom, Fulfill Your Destiny by Christine Caine

"There’s no other way to experience love except through allowing another to meet a need, so I have to become vulnerable. Learning to trust people is scary, but it’s more scary to not get loved." 

When John talks he makes you feel like you're the only person on the earth. In this chat, international speaker, pastor, and author John Lynch sits down & rips his heart out to show us the most important things in life -- being vulnerable, grace, humility, trusting others and even reveals the lessons that he's learned about God, faith, and others through chronic illness.  This is a chat you will want to digest again and again and share with others! 

"I love you more than 10 million yet unnamed galaxies on your worst day." -God

Some of the topics we touched on were: 

 -John's beautiful roller coaster ride of faith

-How to "remove the mask"

-The only way to experience love

-Winning at parenting

-Most important quality in a leader

-What humility looks like

-Creating an environment of grace for our homes & businesses

-Increasing productivity with grace

-Truth for Today devotional

-Lesson learned from chronic illness

-Finding the sacred space of revealing ourselves

-Getting to love

-Nuanced faith

-Strength isn't lack of weakness

-The message on John's heart

-Whom we should interview next

Resources mentioned:

Trust for Today devotional

Two Roads, Two Rooms (short campfire version)

Two Roads, Two Rooms (long version)

Truefaced 

Bo's Cafe: A Novel

The Cure: What if God isn't who you think He is and neither are you?

The Cure & Parents

On My Worst Day

Ascent of a Leader: How Ordinary Relationship Develop Extraordinary Character & Influence

TED Talk: What Kids Wish Their Teachers Knew

Lysa Terkheurst (Olives) on Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast

Trueface Podcast

"Even If" by MercyMe

Recentered Group  with Ed Underwood

Naked Gospel: The Truth You May Never Hear in Church by Andrew Farley

Follow John's journey at www.trueface.org

"You don’t have to do this the hard way like I did. I didn’t know. I didn’t have anyone. So these are all the lessons I had to go through the hard way." It's only fitting that preschool teacher turned author, Carol Woodiwiss, touches on topics from A - Z included how she continued to love a spouse with an addiction and why finding a good mentor is key to living the life you want! 

Her book is perfect for individual study or small groups and is called "ABC's of Life for Women". Find it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble & Copperfields. 

Some of the topics we touched on were: 

-The benefits of being in the second half of your life

-Why she walked away from church & what brought her back

-Loving a spouse or child through an addiction

-Praying the hardest prayers

-Being in the "waiting"

-Inspiration for ABC's of Life for Women

-The chapter she refused to write

-Even God made marriages have hard things

-How a good mentor changed her life

-Learning lessons the hard way

-What makes a great mentee

-How to be a great mentor

-Surrender

Resources mentioned:

ABC's of Life for Women

Kleenex Warning: Heather's life changed the moment her 9 year old daughter London was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pediatric cancer (Neuroblastoma). As a business strategist and community builder, Heather had spent years helping other people, but now she found herself on the receiving end of getting help. You will be touched, captivated and inspired by this true story of how Heather & the Crabtree family learned to find joy and gratitude even on the very hardest days imaginable. 

"What it boils down to is that every moment in your life matters and you don’t know when that final moment is going to come. So live every moment to it’s fullest."

Some of the topics we touched on were: 

-Early lessons on why every moment counts

-Overcoming hardship to realize purpose

-The different between purpose and assignment

-At what age Heather discovered her purpose more fully

-London's stage 4 cancer diagnosis & treatment

-A "beautiful awakening" born out of hard things

-The new Crabtree Family motto

-How seeing through a positive lens helped them do the impossible

-Handling emotions throughout the process of cancer treatment & facing current scans

-What you give comes back to you multiplied

-What friends did that meant the most

-The surprising strength of children

-How this trial is being used for good in their lives

-Pediatric Cancer Awareness

-How grief and hardship AND joy and positivity can occupy the same space

-Whom we should interview next

Resources mentioned:

Lighthouse for Hope -- Providing support for families fighting pediatric cancer

Follow Heather's journey at www.heathercrabtree.com or @heather_crabtree on IG

This conversation with inspirational podcaster Carrie Robaina took us to some really interesting topics...and ones that we should probably spend more time talking about! Carrie is the one that ultimately helped me launch my podcast, so I was so curious about what she's learned through years of podcasting. 

Some of the topics we touched on were: 

-Why she closed down her first successful podcast

-The hardest part of starting a podcast

-What she's learned from years of interviewing women

-One of her most unforgettable episodes (She Walks in Truth Podcast Episode 57) 

-Racial issues within the church

-A personal encounter with racism

-Why we need to have the hard conversations

-Life changing revelations in grad school

-Overcoming denominational division

-Finding her place as a woman in ministry

-Questions that led her to conclusions about women in ministry

-What she's seeing in women today

-The message on Carrie's heart

-Whom we should interview next

Resources mentioned:

She Walks In Truth Episode with Chastity Stemmons (57)

Divided by Faith: Evangelical Religions and the Problem of Race in America by Michael Emerson & Christian Smith

Women of Destiny by Cindy Jacobs

How I Changed my Mind about Women in Leadership: Compelling Stories from Prominent Evangelicals by Zondervan, Alan F. Johnson, Dallas Willard

Propel Wheaton Cohort (Grad School) 

Follow Carrie's journey at www.carrierobaina.com & find her podcast She Walks in Truth Podcast 

Anybody else need a little more happiness in your life? You'll be all on your way after listening to this chat with author, speaker, and business coach Alli Worthington as she shares the fascinating results of studying happiness for an entire year! She busts through the myths of joy vs. happiness, teaches us why some beliefs we have about happiness are unbiblical, and reveals practical tips that we can take to be more happy.

Some of the topics we touched on were: 

-Does current scientific match what the Bible says about happiness?

-Is happiness ok? 

-Joy vs. Happiness

-Our Pinterest-worthy, but unbiblical beliefs about happiness.

-Ultimate recipe for happiness

-Permission to "be me"

-Happiness set point

-Our enneagram profiles

-Harm caused by not being self aware

-How to trick your kids into practicing gratitude

-Two most powerful things we can do for our happiness on a macro scale

-The message on Alli's heart

-Whom we should interview next

Resources:

"The Year of Living Happy: Finding Contentment and Connection in a Crazy World" by Alli Worthington

"Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life" by Shawn Achor

"The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self Discovery" by Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile

"The Four Dimensions of Extraordinary Leadership: The Power of Leading from Your Heart, Soul, Mind & Strength" by Jenni Catron

Follow Alli's journey at www.alliworthington.com & find her podcast The Alli Worthington Show

Some of you are in a moment that feels like time has stopped. Your heart is so crushed that you don’t know what the next moment, the next day even holds. And you’re STILL standing. It is so hard to see now, but all of these moments are created something far bigger & much more beautiful than you can ever imagine. Inspired by a recent experience at Sainte-Chapelle de Paris and the story of it's restoration! 

Here's an article about this incredible restoration. 

From pastoring young business women in the heart of San Francisco to being a strategist for Grit & Virtue, influence and mentoring are two major parts of Kimberly Saquing's life. I'm so glad we had a chance to sit down with her and dig deeper into what women are needing in our current culture.

Some of the topics we touched on were: 

-The true root of influence (this changed my social media strategy)

-What we need to teach the younger generation

-The most surprising discovery in her research for Grit & Virtue (and it's probably not what you would expect!)

-Why women feel disconnected from each other in today's world

-What our soul really needs

-How to look for a mentor

-The importance of making the next generation stronger

-The power of telling stories

-Why some leaders don't really have influence

-Leading through vulnerability

-Tips for being a good mentee 

Resources:

"A Creative Minority: Influencing Culture Through Redemptive Participation" by Jon Tyson & Heather Grizzle

"Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek

Follow Kim's journey on IG at @kimberly.saquing!

Let's be honest. I am in the broken season and some of you are too! God is taking me back to the very basics of finding out what my motivations are in everything I do. It hurts. It's gut-wrenching. But it's not all bad. He is doing something really good, even in our hardest seasons that may be John 21 moments. What does God do when you're broken down into dust? Let's chat. 

Resources: 

TV Show: "The Selection"

Podcast: Journeywoman Podcast, "The Art of Asking Intentional Questions" with Lauren Weir 

From working in the White House to moving into women's ministry and being a newlywed, Denise Gitsham Jones is full of rich wisdom to share about tackling transitions well, feeling unqualified, and why we must fight for abundance in our lives, not just settle.    

Some of the topics we touched on were: 

-How past doesn't indicate your future

-Maintaining identity while shifted assignments (Also a bit about personality tests!)

-What surprises her most about being involved in women's ministry

-Why every story matters, even those who seem "boring"

-Why we must FIGHT for abundance

-How to work through feeling unqualified & imposter syndrome

-What truly disqualifies a leader

-Struggles as a 1st generation American

-Navigating politics in a divided world

-The third option

-Who Denise believes we should really be hearing from 

Resources:

"Unqualified: How God Uses Broken People to Do Big Things" by Steven Furtick

"The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation" by Miles McPherson

Follow Denise's journey on IG at @dggitsham and look for her speaking in your area!

What’s your IPA? No, we're not talking about beer today ;) but this simple object lesson on understanding your IPA clearly will help you navigate the changing seasons of your life with grace! (Identity, Purpose and Assignment)

Here is the link to the Kobe Bryant & Lewis Howes episode that was referenced: https://lewishowes.com/podcast/kobe-bryant-mamba-mentality-nba-championships-and-oscars/

From the inside view of women's ministry and walking through one of the toughest times of her life, Karen Harmon shares her heart in this powerful, raw interview! By the time she is done, you might want to conquer the world -- if that's your season. :) Some of the topics we touched on were: 

-Sticking with the right assignment for your season

-What we can learn in difficult seasons of life 

-Why freedom lies in authenticity

-Getting over fear of offending others

-Finding our true identity

-The thought that has rocked Karen's world lately

-What she would say to the women of the world

You can find Karen on IG at @karenharmon360, blog Karen Harmon 360 or FB at Karen Raju Harmon. 

The podcast is on the road this week in NYC, but I had an inspiring experience and wanted to share it with you all! I was privileged to be a guest at a speech by Daymond John, most well known as creator of FUBU brand and an investor on Shark Tank. He shared his life story and trajectory of his success with us and it was so valuable to hear. Here are just a few of the inspiring lessons I learned from him AND his answer to the only question I got to ask him.  Hope you are inspired and encouraged to dream big and think out of the box! 

"Draw a circle around the world & say that everyone is in!” If you want to book that will challenge you, grow you, move you, make you cry, make your jaw drop AND kick your butt...read this book! Here are a few of my biggest takeaways from “Everybody Always” by Bob Goff. PS Also, you'll want to read it to find out the crazy way the cover was made!

Gardening with my daughter recently, she mentioned how I should leave the dead blooms on the plant because they "might come back to life." How many times do we do that with our life? It's time to deadhead our lives and stop feeding what is already dead or toxic, so that we can use our energy more effectively in bringing life! 

Our series is over, but I just couldn't leave this out! You are so contagious! Learn why it's so easy to catch emotions and attitudes within 2 minutes of being around someone and how it's possible that we are affecting an estimated 1,000 people every day...and it all originates with our thought life. Your thoughts are affecting your world more than you know, even down to future generations. Your influence is powerful.

Today's topics include: mirror neurons, our brain's ability to recognize emotion/energy within the blink of an eye, how we can "catch" an attitude from another person within just 2 minutes, leadership's impact on contagious thoughts, how you are affecting 1,000 people ever day

Action step: "Infect" other people with a smile today--give away a smile and hope it reaches 1,000 people!

Resource: 

Check out this brilliant comedian who doesn't even need to speak to make you laugh, Lee Ridley "The Lost Voice Guy." Hoping this infects you with joy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsqInns6LXQ

Our brains will look for the patterns that we teach it to seek, whether they are positive or negative.  Today we explore the difference between those who see themselves as "lucky" or "unlucky" even if they have the same amount of opportunities available. Learn how your thought life affects your opportunities, your success, and possibly even your wallet. 

Today's topics include: Tetris effect, Negative and Positive Tetris effect, experiment showing the difference between those who saw themselves as "lucky" or "unlucky," priming your brain for gratitude, impact of a gratitude journal

Action step: Before you go to bed tonight, write down 3 things you are grateful for from the last 24 hours OR write a thank you note to someone and share it with them. 

Resource:

Cute 52 week bullet point gratitude journal: "Good Days Start with Gratitude" 

Half page gratitude journal with space to draw: "The One Minute Gratitude Journal"

Gratitude journal with bible verses: "Gratitude Journal: A Journal Filled with Favorite Bible Verses KJV" 

Men's bullet point gratitude journal: "Gratitude Journal for Men: A 52 Week Guide to Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude" 

Gratitude journal with pre-written prompts: "Start with Gratitude"

The habit of revisiting the same stories in our mind, whether they are real or imagined scenarios, leaves a big impact on the brain. Unlike a record that stays the same each time the needle passes, our brains change every time we rehearse the same story. Here are a few tips on how to change our memories so that they are not continuing to inflict damage every time we remember them. The most important takeaway ; whatever you think about the most grows! 

Today's topics include: Why you argue with yourself in the shower (Maybe!), what happens when your brain can't tell the difference between real or imagined scenarios, the way in which your brain changes each time you revisit/rehearse a story, 2 techniques to bring healing to memories

Action step: Think of a great memory and practice changing it using the techniques mentioned in the podcast. 

Resource: "Switch on Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health" by Dr. Caroline Leaf

Also mentioned: 

"Live Free" The Inner Journey to Healing" by Gayle Belanger

"Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical, and Financial Destiny!" by Tony Robbins

Just 3 minutes of negative news at the beginning of your day can affect you up to 6 - 8 hours later. Here are some tips to help analyze your news sources and change them so that they prime you for a better day! 

Today's topics include: Lasting effects of negative news, what kind of news is better for you, and how to curate your morning and your social media feed to benefit your day. 

Action step: Analyze the first few minutes of news that you see or hear everyday. If the sources are negative, take action to curate a better influence for yourself. 

Resource: "Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life" by Shawn Achor

Doctors and scientists once thought that DNA was king, but now it's been proven that there's something even more powerful -- your thought life. Today we explore why 75-95% of diseases are caused by thoughts and chronic stress. You'll be introduced to "epigenetics" (the study of what is stronger than your genes) and simple quantum physics. 

Today's topics include: How thoughts contribute to disease, effects of chronic stress on cells and body including DNA & proteins, epigenetics, quantum physics, why a glass can shatter when a singer hits the right frequency, speed of energy vs. speed of chemicals, how worries & fear trigger degenerative processes in the body. 

Note: In my analogy of the glass breaking, I want to clarify that this is not the same degenerative process that our bodies go through from negative emotions. It was simply physical evidence of how all material is vibrating at a specific frequency of energy.  

Action step: Examine your level of stress.  Are you at a Level 1 that is helpful and acceptable or a higher chronic level of stress?

Resource: "Biology of Belief" by Bruce H. Lipton, PH.D.