Speaker 1: Carol. She's a queen and she's getting I'm not afraid
Speaker 1: of so just let flu No one can Caral this
Speaker 1: sounds Carol. I am grilled to be here with Wed
Speaker 1: a cozy, which is my love language, and I feel
Speaker 1: like probably most people's love language. If it wasn't your
Speaker 1: love language before the pandemic, it definitely became your love
Speaker 1: language after the pandemic. How to make your life, your house,
Speaker 1: everything about your existence cozy. This is Liz Galvan and
Speaker 1: you are absolutely a powerhouse, incredible woman, mother, inspiring human.
Speaker 1: I'm so happy to have you here. Thank you for
Speaker 1: joining me, thank you for having me, and thank you
Speaker 1: for that peff talk. I feel like I want to
Speaker 1: hear that every morning and to get me going, So
Speaker 1: thank you. I have a lot of friends who are
Speaker 1: incredible like you, because I I live in this space
Speaker 1: where women, women especially have just taken life by the
Speaker 1: horns and like sees the moment and created incredible businesses
Speaker 1: and companies. And I always just marvel and you are
Speaker 1: one of those. I just marvel at a woman like
Speaker 1: you who writes this is your second book, right, it
Speaker 1: is second book. I mean, you have a New York
Speaker 1: Times Best selling book already and then this is your
Speaker 1: second one, which is Cozy White Cottage Seasons a hundred
Speaker 1: ways to be cozy all year long. I mean, you
Speaker 1: have a book, you have a is it a is
Speaker 1: it called a brick and mortar? Is that what it's called. Yeah,
Speaker 1: So we have a brick and mortar and an online
Speaker 1: shop that we run as well, called the found Cottage,
Speaker 1: and then we also have one on our personal um
Speaker 1: on our farm here, a shop on my blog lisbe
Speaker 1: blog dot com as well. And then you have a
Speaker 1: it's a whole like it's not it's not a festival,
Speaker 1: but you have all as like a vender thing once
Speaker 1: a year where everybody comes. What is that going? Sorry,
Speaker 1: I'm so like naive to all that. I'm like my
Speaker 1: dram I love talking about it. So it's the found
Speaker 1: Cottage Mercantile and it's every Labor Day weekend in Holland, Michigan,
Speaker 1: and people from all over the country come. We have
Speaker 1: about a hundred and fifty vendors from around the country
Speaker 1: and ten thousand plus people come to visit in shop
Speaker 1: and it's the best weekend of the year. So do
Speaker 1: you are you just a visionary? Do you just like
Speaker 1: dream these things up and how do you actually make
Speaker 1: them reality? That's what I always am marveling at. It's
Speaker 1: like a lot of people have ideas, but then to
Speaker 1: actually put the pin to paper and the boots on
Speaker 1: the ground and to make it happen like that takes
Speaker 1: so much energy and work and so many people have
Speaker 1: to be involved, and you're managing so many plates. How
Speaker 1: do you do all that? I think it's too things.
Speaker 1: And I think one thing is the thing that you've
Speaker 1: already said that you do as well, So I hope
Speaker 1: you give yourself credit on this. But it's surrounding yourself
Speaker 1: with um go getters that want to join you or
Speaker 1: just cheer you on the whole time, and that's huge,
Speaker 1: but also kind of just taking leaps of faith and
Speaker 1: it's your passion. So you either do it or you
Speaker 1: sit back and watch someone else do it. And so
Speaker 1: it's like not thinking maybe sometimes and just taking that
Speaker 1: leap and praying for the best and it's it's worked.
Speaker 1: So yeah, So tell me how you got into all
Speaker 1: of this. How did you get your start? I want
Speaker 1: to talk about all your journeys, because you've had a
Speaker 1: very long journey to becoming a mother, which is such
Speaker 1: a very important topic for me because motherhood. I have
Speaker 1: a mother. I'm a mother material too. And I didn't
Speaker 1: have a big infant to your infertility struggle, but for
Speaker 1: a year we couldn't get pregnant. I had a couple
Speaker 1: of miscarriages and it was very heartbreaking. And I know
Speaker 1: you had like years of trying and miscarrying, like I
Speaker 1: know you had like several maybe like tin miss carriages. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 1: so our way, I guess way back in the day
Speaker 1: for talking the start of everything, it was I was
Speaker 1: always doing creative things. I was always going to garage sales,
Speaker 1: thrift shops from the time I was in high school
Speaker 1: and kind of just doing all of this stuff. And um,
Speaker 1: I'm married really young to a marine and we're still
Speaker 1: married fourteen years later, and thank you. Life has been
Speaker 1: great and wonderful and he's my biggest supporter and has
Speaker 1: pushed me as well. So I think finding those people,
Speaker 1: including a partner that pushes you and encourages you to
Speaker 1: do the things that you love. Um. But one day
Speaker 1: my friend said you should start a blog and start
Speaker 1: sharing what you do. I had no idea what the
Speaker 1: word blog was. It sounded dirty. To me, I was like,
Speaker 1: what is that? And my husband, yeah, I know. I
Speaker 1: was like, okay, yeah, g Blogger two thousand, two thousand nine.
Speaker 1: It was just for the fun of it and to
Speaker 1: meet people that we're doing what you were doing. There
Speaker 1: was no money involved. It was the wild West. It
Speaker 1: was great. So you always were known though, for being
Speaker 1: the Queen of cozy to your friends, like you always
Speaker 1: were known for like house styling, and and like or
Speaker 1: and I like you like was that like a home
Speaker 1: decor and the way you like put things together? And
Speaker 1: three everyone knew that was your gift. Yeah d I
Speaker 1: y maybe yeah, family, Like I was the kid that
Speaker 1: wasn't watching cartoons. I was watching I don't know if
Speaker 1: anyone remembers Christopher Lowell, Um, he was my hero. I'm listening,
Speaker 1: probably knows what I'm talking about. But he was on
Speaker 1: daytime TV talking about tassels and stuff, but in trading spaces.
Speaker 1: So it was always a passion um and over time
Speaker 1: it evolved into what it is today, and um, you know,
Speaker 1: we're able to make a living off of it. It's
Speaker 1: obviously as different um things that's taken on, like markets
Speaker 1: and the store and things like that. But UM. In
Speaker 1: between there as well, we started to try to grow
Speaker 1: our family and quickly realized that wasn't going to be
Speaker 1: an easy journey. And we have had ten miscarriages and um,
Speaker 1: I'm years of infertility and no answers, you know, and
Speaker 1: you know that struggle too. It's like losing a child
Speaker 1: why you want to know why? And so that was
Speaker 1: always a struggle. And so I started blogging about that
Speaker 1: as well. And I think that's when UM I started
Speaker 1: really growing a following and meeting this community. Is when
Speaker 1: I started to share the real things UM and that
Speaker 1: it wasn't that hard for you to share when you
Speaker 1: were going through it, because I feel like when you
Speaker 1: want to grow your family, most people are like, Okay,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna wait to grow my family because then I'll
Speaker 1: just get pregnant and it will happen. And then you
Speaker 1: try and it doesn't happen. That everyone else around you
Speaker 1: is getting pregnant, everyone is growing their families and like
Speaker 1: all the and then it's like the only thing that
Speaker 1: you want in your life is a child. Like it
Speaker 1: makes me tear you thinking about it, because it's like
Speaker 1: that burning desire and it's like, why is this not happening.
Speaker 1: Why am I having to lose these children? It's like
Speaker 1: the I can't even imagine your journey, having to go
Speaker 1: through it so many times, like that's just how did
Speaker 1: you get yourself up to go again? It was really hard,
Speaker 1: and to be honest with you, um I I do
Speaker 1: think that it pushed me to find my passion for
Speaker 1: sharing cozy because I needed that in my life. I mean,
Speaker 1: if you can imagine years of infertility and miscarriages and
Speaker 1: being far away from my family at the time as well, Uh,
Speaker 1: you know, we were living the Marine Corps life, and
Speaker 1: so my husband was also deploying. You mean, it was
Speaker 1: I had to find the sanctuary and make it. And
Speaker 1: so I do think that it pushed me to where
Speaker 1: I'm at today and to be able to share that
Speaker 1: with other people and help other people. Um But I
Speaker 1: do think it was just keeping faith alive and um
Speaker 1: just knowing that one day God was going to give
Speaker 1: us a baby. It just wasn't gonna be on my timing,
Speaker 1: and so letting that go helped a lot. And now
Speaker 1: we have adopted our beautiful soun of CoA limbo who's
Speaker 1: too and I just can't imagine any other plan for me,
Speaker 1: and so I'm glad it wasn't my plan, you know.
Speaker 1: And it's just it's really cool to witness that being
Speaker 1: on the other side. Um, and so anyone listening who's
Speaker 1: having that struggle with anything in your life, if you're
Speaker 1: in the storm right now, it gets better and you'll
Speaker 1: look back and be really appreciative of yourself if you
Speaker 1: use your time now in that storm wisely and maybe
Speaker 1: start a new business, maybe do something, you know, do
Speaker 1: something exciting with your time, or um, just keep your
Speaker 1: hope and yeah, you'll be proud of yourself. That's really
Speaker 1: powerful that you said the storm of infertility and miscarriages
Speaker 1: is what kind of led you to creating what is
Speaker 1: blessing so many people. And in your blog blessed talking
Speaker 1: talking about your journey, but this like blesses so many people.
Speaker 1: And that is such a great point because I didn't
Speaker 1: do that when I was in the storm, and I
Speaker 1: was only in the storm for like a year, but
Speaker 1: I just stayed in the storm like I was depressed,
Speaker 1: I was sad, I was like kind of hopeless, and
Speaker 1: like I just like it. And then I did end
Speaker 1: up getting pregnant and so I didn't continue I was
Speaker 1: able to move on that way, but like I didn't
Speaker 1: see any hope from it. Like I felt like it
Speaker 1: was life ending when you want a child, so not
Speaker 1: life ending. That's dramatic. I'm sorry. I don't mean to
Speaker 1: say that, but like it was like the only thing
Speaker 1: that I wanted in life anymore. And it's like when
Speaker 1: you don't get it, it's so hard to get out
Speaker 1: of that storm. But the fact that you poured into
Speaker 1: your passion what and what a great message to send
Speaker 1: to people. I hope so. And you had asked earlier
Speaker 1: if it was hard to share, and I do think
Speaker 1: you know, it's it's really awesome that you're sharing now
Speaker 1: to um. It gives other people hope and it also
Speaker 1: makes them feel less alone. When I started sharing, it
Speaker 1: was kind of similar to you. It was out of
Speaker 1: anger and it was out of um, I guess, you know,
Speaker 1: losing that hope and faith in that moment, and it
Speaker 1: pushed me to share. It was actually on Mother's Day
Speaker 1: after maybe like our second or third I everyone was
Speaker 1: sharing their Mother's Day posts and I was like, you
Speaker 1: know what, I'm a mom too, but my babies are
Speaker 1: in heaven, and so I just wrote this blog. Post
Speaker 1: is I know, my God? Yeah, And I pressed published
Speaker 1: and I was like, what did I just do? I
Speaker 1: just told the world. And at this time, when I
Speaker 1: was doing it many years ago, I didn't feel like
Speaker 1: it was like a heavy topic in the blogging world
Speaker 1: or something talked about often. But it led to really
Speaker 1: good things. It was therapy for me. I had I
Speaker 1: met other people going through similar struggles and so it
Speaker 1: helped me and in turn, I hope it helped others too.
Speaker 1: Isn't life just so? It just it's so fragile, It's
Speaker 1: so there is no playbook, there is no We have
Speaker 1: all these dreams and all these ideas for our lives,
Speaker 1: but when it comes down to it, there it's just
Speaker 1: we just have to kind of like roll with the
Speaker 1: circumstances that were dealt with and make them beautiful and
Speaker 1: cozy and into something that has a meaning or else
Speaker 1: it will swallow you whole. That's incredible, is like incredible?
Speaker 1: How and then how did you guys decide that it
Speaker 1: was time for adoption? Like what was that moment when
Speaker 1: you released because I'm sure that was like a moment
Speaker 1: for you when you was it releasing that post to
Speaker 1: Mother's Day? No so we had many many years after
Speaker 1: that of infertility and miscarriage. UM, I mean many many years.
Speaker 1: And then it was actually we moved after my husband
Speaker 1: got out of the marine, where we moved back to Michigan. Um.
Speaker 1: We opened our store, the found Cottage, and then one
Speaker 1: day at our market, we my husband and I work it.
Speaker 1: You know, we obviously we're helping and doing all this stuff,
Speaker 1: but we are not together the entire day. And we
Speaker 1: came together at the end of the day and we
Speaker 1: looked at each other and we're like, everyone talked to
Speaker 1: you about adoption today, and it was the weirdest thing.
Speaker 1: We had never mentioned. We wanted to do it, and
Speaker 1: hundreds of people came up to us. They were birth moms,
Speaker 1: people who had been adopted, or people that had adopted,
Speaker 1: and they all came up to us and shared their story.
Speaker 1: But it was like kind of like every time, I
Speaker 1: was like, why did you just share that with me?
Speaker 1: And so at the end of the day, we like
Speaker 1: looked up at the sky like, Okay, God, we'll look
Speaker 1: into it. You know. It's one of those moments. And
Speaker 1: I always used to hate when people said they had
Speaker 1: like a calling. I didn't. I'm like what does that mean?
Speaker 1: I know too. I'm like, yeah, I love to use
Speaker 1: that word too, but I'm like, this is so lame.
Speaker 1: That's how I feel. Okay, Well, the weirdest thing, um,
Speaker 1: I know, God, I just talked to you. I know,
Speaker 1: are you? Are you Moses exactly? Like where's the burning bush?
Speaker 1: I now know though, what I think a lot of
Speaker 1: people mean, and my definition of getting a calling is
Speaker 1: feeling complete peace about a decision. I mean, you do
Speaker 1: not question it, you do not hesitate, and you're like,
Speaker 1: this is my path to me. That's what it was.
Speaker 1: It was like we went to one class about adoption
Speaker 1: and we're like, oh my gosh, I do not ever
Speaker 1: want to be pregnant again. That is not our journey
Speaker 1: and to let that go and have complete peace. I
Speaker 1: was like, ohill telling yeah, and so that's what it was.
Speaker 1: It was. I honestly, it was like, this is how
Speaker 1: we want to grow our family, and that's how we
Speaker 1: still feel and we've never been like, oh maybe we
Speaker 1: could do No, it's just complete peace. And I now know.
Speaker 1: I think that's what the majority of people are saying
Speaker 1: when they feel they have a calling, Like that's where
Speaker 1: God wants us and so adoption, and I never saw
Speaker 1: us here. I always looked at families that adopted. I
Speaker 1: always put them on a pedestal like they were this perfect,
Speaker 1: like they were at some point in their life that
Speaker 1: I would never be until I was like maybe fifty.
Speaker 1: I totally get that, like so much more spiritually evolved
Speaker 1: a whole as a human, Like yeah's able to do this.
Speaker 1: I feel that same way. It's like it's so powerful
Speaker 1: the people who adopt them, like, wow, that's amazing. I can't.
Speaker 1: I can tell you that there are normal people who
Speaker 1: are very because that's where we're at. I mean, I
Speaker 1: just never and for a birth mom to select us
Speaker 1: and entrust us with this child she gave birth to
Speaker 1: and loves wholeheartedly is the best gift that I mean.
Speaker 1: I think of her every day and we talk and
Speaker 1: thankfully we have an open relationship with her where she's
Speaker 1: able to come and see him and she's like, wow,
Speaker 1: she's so so cope knows his mommy or whatever. How
Speaker 1: do you how do you do it? How do you so?
Speaker 1: So he's too and so I you know, we talk
Speaker 1: about it, like we say her name and then we say,
Speaker 1: you know, you grew inside her belly and you know
Speaker 1: he doesn't grasp it. Yeah, And it's really cool because
Speaker 1: another way I can explain it is she actually allowed
Speaker 1: me to be in the room when she gave birth,
Speaker 1: and which was the best gift ever. And so I
Speaker 1: got to cut the cord, which how symbolic is that?
Speaker 1: Oh my god, that is I'm like, I'm gonna I
Speaker 1: already mess, I know. And I got to do like
Speaker 1: the first hour of like skinness, like she gave me.
Speaker 1: She gave me that she was there. Yes, she was there.
Speaker 1: I was at the end of the bed, which no
Speaker 1: one ever talks about as um an adoptive mom. The
Speaker 1: guilt that you feel watching this amazing woman in labor
Speaker 1: and at the end you will be receiving the baby.
Speaker 1: And it's no one tough. I got that overwhelming feeling,
Speaker 1: and I was like, I wish someone had warned me,
Speaker 1: but maybe I would have been too nervous. But about
Speaker 1: that experience, Like what is that experience like? Because that
Speaker 1: is so powerful and bigger than this life, Like that
Speaker 1: is so beyond this life. Yeah, So she could have
Speaker 1: chosen meant, she could have chosen to parents. She's an
Speaker 1: amazing woman, She's a nurse, UM. I mean, she could
Speaker 1: have chosen to parent like she would have been an
Speaker 1: amazing mom to cope, UM. And she could have chosen
Speaker 1: another option as well. You know, it probably maybe would
Speaker 1: have been easier, UM, But she chose adoption, and she
Speaker 1: chose to give us that time in the hospital when
Speaker 1: that is her time, that is a birth mom's time,
Speaker 1: and she chose to let us in. And she said, so,
Speaker 1: my husband was there too. He was not there for
Speaker 1: the labor um as far as like the pushing and
Speaker 1: things like that, but um, he was there all before
Speaker 1: in an hour after, and she allowed us um to
Speaker 1: sleep with him at night. We got our own room,
Speaker 1: and then we would wheel him in during the day.
Speaker 1: And it honestly was four days of blocking the entire
Speaker 1: world out and we all were there as a family
Speaker 1: with her mom and dad, and we could pretend like
Speaker 1: nothing was happening. The last day was hard because obviously
Speaker 1: we were leaving the hospital with baby, and she was
Speaker 1: leaving with no baby, UM. And so I'm sure that
Speaker 1: was probably the worst day of her life. UM. And
Speaker 1: it it really is, UM, such a crazy junxtaposition that
Speaker 1: your happiest day of your life is someone else's most
Speaker 1: tragic day. UM. And so that's something that you have
Speaker 1: to work through on both ends. UM. And you really
Speaker 1: have to love each other to keep this open relationship. Gosh, yeah,
Speaker 1: it's heavy. And I have a friend right now who
Speaker 1: just got the call that they are adopting, Like they
Speaker 1: just are flying to go be in labor with the mom,
Speaker 1: like right now, like today. And I have another friend
Speaker 1: who was telling me her story where the baby was
Speaker 1: born and she was in the room as well, and
Speaker 1: the birth mom just like hated her the baby. You know,
Speaker 1: it's like, yeah, this is your baby, but like what
Speaker 1: the power to like do it for the child. It's
Speaker 1: all for the child, you know. That's exactly it. And
Speaker 1: and every eye anyone listening to who wants to adopt
Speaker 1: or maybe feels like, oh wait, that's not how adoption goes.
Speaker 1: I want to like emphasize how every adoption is different
Speaker 1: and and everyone is you know some end where birth
Speaker 1: mom comes back and wants maybe and and so there
Speaker 1: are so many different avenues and different things to think about. Um.
Speaker 1: And and no story is perfect. I mean, it's kind
Speaker 1: of I always compare it to pregnancy. You know, some
Speaker 1: pregnancies and and some you know, you know, it's it's
Speaker 1: you have those ups and downs. Just with any journey
Speaker 1: to motherhood, there's these ups and downs and different roadblocks
Speaker 1: and um, different things. So I want to emphasize that
Speaker 1: too totally. And I want to go back to the
Speaker 1: point it you said, if you have a calling on
Speaker 1: your heart to be a mother, you will be a mother.
Speaker 1: Like it will happen in in the calling word all that,
Speaker 1: but like you know, when you have a desire that
Speaker 1: is beyond just like a want, it's like it's like
Speaker 1: a part of who you are as a human, your soul.
Speaker 1: When you have that calling, like, it will happen, it
Speaker 1: will take form, it will you will get led down
Speaker 1: the road. But it doesn't mean it's gonna It could
Speaker 1: be the hardest word of your life. Yes, And I
Speaker 1: do think God puts these um callings and desires on
Speaker 1: us because that's where we are meant to be. And
Speaker 1: it's hard to be like, Okay, if you want me there,
Speaker 1: then why do you not just give it to me?
Speaker 1: But right, yeah, And but being on the other side
Speaker 1: when it happens, you're like, oh, because the craziest thing
Speaker 1: to um is every time I had a miscarriage, something
Speaker 1: very big happened, like right then, like what do you
Speaker 1: mean we would I had a miscarriage, and then the
Speaker 1: opportunity to open our store happened. I had a miscarriage
Speaker 1: in a week later, a publisher called me to write
Speaker 1: a book. It was like, I would look make any
Speaker 1: of that out it all to you, yes, And I
Speaker 1: would have chills just being like, okay, God, like I
Speaker 1: am meant to be here. So yeah, So if we
Speaker 1: really look about ourselves too, we can be like, oh,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, I think we just have
Speaker 1: to keep our eyes open and our hearts open and
Speaker 1: our ears open for these things. And I'm not saying,
Speaker 1: like again that God speaking to us through burning bushes
Speaker 1: and things like that, but if you really look about
Speaker 1: your life right now, it's, oh, yeah, you're right. I
Speaker 1: got this job opportunity after my boyfriend broke up with me,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean. Like, I just think that
Speaker 1: if you really look around you, you can feel that
Speaker 1: you are meant to be where you're at um And
Speaker 1: and that was really cool that be significant things happened
Speaker 1: because I don't know if I would have survived tennis
Speaker 1: carriages if you had to add something to pour into yes, something.
Speaker 1: It was another passion of heart. Obviously being a mother
Speaker 1: was a huge focus and passion of your heart. But
Speaker 1: like these opportunities that showed up for you, that came
Speaker 1: to you seemingly out of like nowhere, maybe like getting
Speaker 1: a publisher come to you. I feel like people hound
Speaker 1: down publishers, like, don't hunt them down to get a
Speaker 1: book deal. You know, I actually hate talking about that
Speaker 1: because I know there are a lot of publishers out
Speaker 1: there that are like, oh, come on, they like a
Speaker 1: big I roll and I get it. I actually when
Speaker 1: they called, I was like, there's no I am writing
Speaker 1: a book. I There's just no way. And again my
Speaker 1: husband pushed music, you can do this. And I've since
Speaker 1: learned that there are editors and there are people that
Speaker 1: photographers that help with these things, you know, as professionals,
Speaker 1: and um, to get those books out. It's not just
Speaker 1: the author, because I was thinking, you again, I put
Speaker 1: authors on pedestals and um, please don't to anyone listening,
Speaker 1: because there are normal people sitting around in their cozy
Speaker 1: pajamas all day, um, with help from editors and things
Speaker 1: like that. So anyways, UM, it is one of those
Speaker 1: things where I'm very thankful because it probably kept me
Speaker 1: going um and keeping my hope and faith alive. So
Speaker 1: looking back on your journey to motherhood, because it is
Speaker 1: so intertwined with your journey to cozy white cottage, like
Speaker 1: it is like they literally are like sisters. Like I
Speaker 1: feel like it is like they are siblings. These these
Speaker 1: passions of yours and it's like mixed with beauty and pain,
Speaker 1: and it's an outlet and it's also like a place
Speaker 1: for you to pour your pour your heart. So why
Speaker 1: do you feel now that you are on the other
Speaker 1: side and you are this successful author, you are the
Speaker 1: successful business woman, You have a beautiful marriage, you have
Speaker 1: a beautiful child, you have gotten to the dream that
Speaker 1: you wanted. But like you said, you were in the
Speaker 1: storm for so long. Now that you are on this
Speaker 1: other side and so many amazing gifts happened to you
Speaker 1: in the it's of the storm that kept you going.
Speaker 1: Why do you think your journey played out the way
Speaker 1: it did? Now? That is a good question, and I
Speaker 1: feel like there's many different thoughts on that. But my
Speaker 1: first thought when you said that was how I feel
Speaker 1: like I am on the other side. Is I think
Speaker 1: going through something so dark you actually don't know how
Speaker 1: dark and scary it is, and tell you are out
Speaker 1: of it and looking back, you're like, wow, Um, I'm
Speaker 1: really glad I did not know how bad that was
Speaker 1: or I did not know how dark that was. And
Speaker 1: because now you, I mean, things happen every day to us,
Speaker 1: Like lately, I'm like, did I do something wrong? You
Speaker 1: know what I mean? You're still getting things thrown at you.
Speaker 1: But things seem very insignificant now after leaving such a
Speaker 1: dark time, and so and I do think that I
Speaker 1: was meant to go through all of that to find
Speaker 1: and really hone in on my passions. Maybe if I
Speaker 1: had started growing my family at twenty four, when I
Speaker 1: first had the desire, I would not have any of
Speaker 1: these passions of my own. Um, maybe I wouldn't be
Speaker 1: doing any of it, and maybe I would be bored,
Speaker 1: and maybe you know what I mean, I I I
Speaker 1: guess for me, it's like, I'm really glad that God
Speaker 1: gave me that time to find myself and maybe I'm
Speaker 1: a better mother because of it. And and I just
Speaker 1: have to think like that because I still do moren
Speaker 1: those babies that are in heaven, and I can't wait,
Speaker 1: like when I enter heaven one day to be able
Speaker 1: to meet them. And I often think of them like
Speaker 1: sitting on my grandpa's lap now and so I still
Speaker 1: more than that all the time. But it's just seeing
Speaker 1: how dark it can be and that there had to
Speaker 1: have been a purpose for all of it. I have
Speaker 1: to think like that. And I think too, because you're
Speaker 1: such a passionate, intentional person that, like you said, like
Speaker 1: you probably gave so much to your passions, like you said,
Speaker 1: because you had nothing else too, Like you had nowhere
Speaker 1: else to go, So you probably poured in so intensely
Speaker 1: that maybe you would have never been able to, like
Speaker 1: you said, have that kind of focus or it's probably
Speaker 1: like your your only safe refuge. Yeah, And I anyone
Speaker 1: who knows me in real life knows I'm kind of
Speaker 1: like an all or nothing person. I obsessed over things
Speaker 1: and I pour everything into it. Um so I am
Speaker 1: all or nothing and it and I do think, um,
Speaker 1: I had to find cozy, and not to be cheesy,
Speaker 1: but I did have to find it. And I think
Speaker 1: one of the pillars of being cozy is feeling safe.
Speaker 1: And I think in this world and everything that we've
Speaker 1: been through lately, I think everyone can relate to that.
Speaker 1: I will say the start of writing this book, I
Speaker 1: was a mom at the time, so my first book
Speaker 1: I was going through. I had just had my ted miscarriage,
Speaker 1: so I was in the darkest storm. So my first
Speaker 1: cozy book with a hundred tips was really written in
Speaker 1: my darkest time. But I think that helped me really
Speaker 1: find these like simple approachable cozy tips. Anyone could use
Speaker 1: this one talking to yourself and that first book, were
Speaker 1: you like talking to yourself, this is how like a
Speaker 1: hundred tips to be cozy? Was it like, this is
Speaker 1: how I'm comforting myself. And it's and it's not just
Speaker 1: like you know, a lot of like hate were like
Speaker 1: influencers and people who are in that world. A lot
Speaker 1: of it's like staged and it's like for to sell something,
Speaker 1: But yours is really because you had to figure out
Speaker 1: how to be cozy in your life. I do. I
Speaker 1: think that's exactly it. And I think it's just like
Speaker 1: looking around the house and being like, Okay, what do
Speaker 1: I do share it? Like how do I find comfort?
Speaker 1: Because like, yes, whole life was to try to find
Speaker 1: comfort for yourself. Yeah, And in this book was written,
Speaker 1: we started at the beginning of and I was like, wait,
Speaker 1: why does a book on home to court even matter
Speaker 1: right now in the grand scheme of what's happening. But
Speaker 1: I had a few really good people in my life
Speaker 1: look at me and go now, more than ever, cozy
Speaker 1: is important. So this book was going to be filled
Speaker 1: with a lot more like complicated like holiday d I wise,
Speaker 1: and we mixed that and we're like, no, how from
Speaker 1: season to season, all year long do you make your
Speaker 1: home cozy? And so we really simplified it. We brought
Speaker 1: in a lot of tips to do with like family
Speaker 1: and just how to like incorporate your kids and other families,
Speaker 1: and so we really just went back to the basics.
Speaker 1: And I do um, I do think God uh puts
Speaker 1: us in like he doesn't. Nothing's by accident. I do
Speaker 1: think like there was a good time to start this book.
Speaker 1: And that was the beginning of because I do hope
Speaker 1: it helps people really look around them and realize, oh,
Speaker 1: I don't have to have a lot of money or
Speaker 1: I don't have to have a lot of time to
Speaker 1: make my home cozy. Um, And everyone's definition of cozy
Speaker 1: is different. I hope when they look at the photos,
Speaker 1: they're like, oh, well, I don't think that's cozy. And
Speaker 1: it's kind of like, no, cozy to you is going
Speaker 1: to be something totally different than me. And I hope
Speaker 1: they get that from every tip. And I always say,
Speaker 1: cozy to me is my five senses being at peace
Speaker 1: at once, and so obviously everyone's senses are different, and
Speaker 1: so I do hope people gather that from every tip
Speaker 1: in the book. But you cover it all like you
Speaker 1: cover it all in this book, and that's what I love.
Speaker 1: It's like you have a title like, okay, so here's
Speaker 1: your fifty one at fall stems, like how to incorporate
Speaker 1: fall stems into your life, but then you have you
Speaker 1: lay it out, you give examples, so like for me,
Speaker 1: someone who doesn't understand even like where to start with that,
Speaker 1: and like Garlands and like you, then it's like here
Speaker 1: are your options, and you lay it out and you
Speaker 1: lay it out and then you very simply tell you
Speaker 1: how to do it, how to set up a cozy
Speaker 1: apple bar, and then you like lay it out. It's
Speaker 1: just like all the things that like you walk into
Speaker 1: a perfect cozy white house and you're like, how did
Speaker 1: they achieve this? I'll never be able to do something
Speaker 1: like this. I mean, it's like it's incredible and I
Speaker 1: love this, like your fall bucket list, like what to
Speaker 1: do in the fall, like people who want to make
Speaker 1: traditions with your family, Like you're saying, it's like, okay,
Speaker 1: well here are some things to do. It's like sometimes
Speaker 1: people want to do all these things, but they have
Speaker 1: no not sometimes most times they have no idea where
Speaker 1: to start, and it feels so overwhelming. So you pick
Speaker 1: up This is why I love this book. You pick
Speaker 1: it up and then you find the tip that resonates
Speaker 1: with you. You don't have to do all one hundred
Speaker 1: of these tips, but like you search through this and
Speaker 1: you find like, oh man, I really want to like
Speaker 1: have a handmade ornaments. I want to do that with
Speaker 1: my kids, Like how do I do that? And you
Speaker 1: go and then you lay it out. I just think
Speaker 1: that that is just brilliant because you give it in
Speaker 1: bite sizes and then you cover the whole spread. So
Speaker 1: it's like I don't have to go reinvent the will.
Speaker 1: I just pick up this book and then I figure
Speaker 1: out what what hits me and then you've told me
Speaker 1: how to do it. That's just it's incredible. It's such
Speaker 1: a gift that you give to people. Thank you so much.
Speaker 1: That's how I learned better with like little bits of information.
Speaker 1: Please don't so I'm hoping that's what people gather. So
Speaker 1: thank you for that review that was I like that,
Speaker 1: like each each thing though, is not too long, you know,
Speaker 1: it's like that copection. It's like it's like one or
Speaker 1: two pages, like and so that's like great for me
Speaker 1: because I'm a terrible reader. But like I'll read a
Speaker 1: page and you know, I'll goat, I'll read this and
Speaker 1: I'll be like, okay, this, let me look at Coke.
Speaker 1: Are you reading his cookie? It's just like I'll go
Speaker 1: and I'll be like, okay, where to hang stockings? That's
Speaker 1: a great question because like when I was starting up
Speaker 1: with my Christmas decorations, I literally I bought some of
Speaker 1: mine are still lived over from the Dollar Store and
Speaker 1: I was in college and I'm like, oh my god,
Speaker 1: like I need to update, but like what am I
Speaker 1: supposed to buy? You pick up this book and it
Speaker 1: tells you like, Okay, here's how to do it, here's
Speaker 1: how to hook them, here's how to like find the
Speaker 1: right shop. I mean, it's just so great because then
Speaker 1: I'm like, Okay, you are an expert. You have already
Speaker 1: done the work for me. You have already like you know,
Speaker 1: checked it all out done and all you know what
Speaker 1: is right and what is wrong as far as aesthetic
Speaker 1: and how to feel codes. So I don't have to
Speaker 1: go reinvent the wheel. I can just like pick this
Speaker 1: up and be like, great, here's where I can do
Speaker 1: this based on these tips. I love that. Thank you.
Speaker 1: I I do hope it helps, so thank you for
Speaker 1: saying that well. And I also think with writing a
Speaker 1: book and tell me this if you feel this way,
Speaker 1: I feel like really amazing books that I gravitate towards.
Speaker 1: They really offer you useful information, like whether it could
Speaker 1: be like a biography of someone who's had a great
Speaker 1: life story and like you heal from that. But like
Speaker 1: this is like such an offering of information to a
Speaker 1: lot of people in the world, like a lot of wives,
Speaker 1: a lot of housewives, a lot of people who are
Speaker 1: not even married, who have anyone who owns a home
Speaker 1: or lives in a house. Really Lee, And like you said,
Speaker 1: it doesn't have to be expensive. You can do it
Speaker 1: on a budget. You can d I y it yourself,
Speaker 1: like one of the things that you did that blew
Speaker 1: my mind. And this goes back to you having all
Speaker 1: this energy you you had for the fall season. You
Speaker 1: took all of your books off of this incredible book
Speaker 1: you had, and you put like so many pumpkins on
Speaker 1: there that I I don't even I couldn't even count them.
Speaker 1: But it's like, how did you come up with that?
Speaker 1: And then the fact that like anyone can go buy
Speaker 1: pumpkins and do that, it's just creating that thought to
Speaker 1: do something so make a special feeling and a cozy
Speaker 1: feeling in your house. But it just like it takes
Speaker 1: so much thought and energy to come up with those things.
Speaker 1: But you're did your brain just like work like that?
Speaker 1: You just see stuff. Unfortunately, the brain never stops. Um.
Speaker 1: And so that's just I that is my brain, um,
Speaker 1: and that is what I think of, and so I
Speaker 1: do try to share, like the more approachable side. I
Speaker 1: realized that not everyone wants to go put seventy pumpkins
Speaker 1: on their shot? Seven eight? Is that how many? It was?
Speaker 1: I know, I think it. I forgot it was like
Speaker 1: it was like it was a lot, but it was
Speaker 1: It's definitely like, oh, well, I could keep my books
Speaker 1: on there and maybe put like seven, you know what
Speaker 1: I mean. So I hope that even when I do
Speaker 1: some wild things like that, because once in a while,
Speaker 1: I have to I have to let it out. Um,
Speaker 1: I have to let the crazy out. Um. I do
Speaker 1: like a lot of approachable things, but once in a while,
Speaker 1: you know, I let loose. But I hope that even
Speaker 1: seeing something like that, people can go, oh, I can
Speaker 1: do it in my own way. Yeah, and we're on
Speaker 1: my own budget or with the time that I have,
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Because I know that not
Speaker 1: everyone is up till two am after babies asleep, decorating.
Speaker 1: But that's just how my brain works. But I hope
Speaker 1: that you know it inspires in some way, so I
Speaker 1: can't stop the brain. So how do you have that
Speaker 1: much energy? Like I'm literally I just what is your
Speaker 1: number on the angiogram? You're probably a three? No, I
Speaker 1: am a solid four. I'm for I'm a solid four
Speaker 1: and every you an emotional wreck if you only knew I,
Speaker 1: I am a laughing off the screen right now. Yes,
Speaker 1: because everyone knows everything is emotion everything, and I take
Speaker 1: everything personally. I honestly taking the angiogram, though, I sometimes
Speaker 1: when you talk to people about it, They're like, okay,
Speaker 1: like astrology, and I'm like, no, taking the Instagram has
Speaker 1: given me a lot of grace for myself. It's taught
Speaker 1: me so much about myself. And I feel bad for
Speaker 1: people that don't have a solid number or they don't
Speaker 1: know exactly. But I mean I am the negative and
Speaker 1: positive of a four, so that's that you are too.
Speaker 1: I can't believe you're a four because you have so
Speaker 1: much like energy, Like I'm a four, but like I
Speaker 1: sit in my feelings, like I like, don't I don't
Speaker 1: love to do stuff? Are you also an access service person? No?
Speaker 1: Because I'm just like I wanted to sit around and
Speaker 1: talk to people and feel feelings and like but then
Speaker 1: you also like do these giant spreads and you've created
Speaker 1: a mercantile and like all this stuff. I'm like how
Speaker 1: because like I'm like, oh, that's so amazing, but like, oh,
Speaker 1: my feeling just took a hold of me and I'm
Speaker 1: actually just gonna like sit here and feel I do.
Speaker 1: There's like I do think there's like two sides to it,
Speaker 1: because I think one of the negative sides of being
Speaker 1: afore is that you always want to be an individual
Speaker 1: so you want to do things first. So when I
Speaker 1: get an idea, I'm like, well, I better execute it
Speaker 1: before someone else does it. And so I feel I
Speaker 1: think that is where I'm at. But everything is tied
Speaker 1: to emotion. So everything's exhausting in the sense of if
Speaker 1: I talk to someone, which I never have small talk
Speaker 1: with anybody ever, and it drives me freaking bonkers. I
Speaker 1: know everyone's story when I leave the gas station and
Speaker 1: my husband laughs so hard. He's like, do you have
Speaker 1: that written on your forehead? Because someone will just walk
Speaker 1: up to you and go, um, well I have kids,
Speaker 1: her and then this and they and you're in the
Speaker 1: gas station grabbing a coat, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1: And so but I love it, but sometimes it is exhausting.
Speaker 1: What's your husband number? He is a five, so that's
Speaker 1: interesting that we're but you know what, I don't know
Speaker 1: if he's one with a solid number and he's not
Speaker 1: super into it, but definitely a five. And I work
Speaker 1: closely at my shop with a three. And it also
Speaker 1: has made me realize how to nurture her as one
Speaker 1: of my employees. So it's been I think the angiogram
Speaker 1: can be really great and helpful. I know what to
Speaker 1: say to her and how to say it, because sometimes
Speaker 1: when I say things, I think it can come out
Speaker 1: short or harsh. And I now know how to say
Speaker 1: it to her because she's very like by the book
Speaker 1: and you know what I mean. And so it is
Speaker 1: it's so interesting. Well, and I always like, I'm kind
Speaker 1: of like jealous of threes because like that's an achiever
Speaker 1: and like three, like they're the ones who are just
Speaker 1: like go go, go, go go. They got like these
Speaker 1: big ends and they just execute and execute and execute,
Speaker 1: and they like never stop. And I'm like, it's probably
Speaker 1: great to work with the three. It's probably fault though.
Speaker 1: I once in a while, we were doing our Christmas
Speaker 1: reset and it was one in the morning, and I
Speaker 1: was like, I think you need to go home, Like
Speaker 1: this is not you're you're literally an employee. I I
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, you need to go home.
Speaker 1: But there's such an achiever and they want you to
Speaker 1: see that. So now that I know that, I have
Speaker 1: to be forceful, like go home, you know, you know
Speaker 1: I have to be forceful. But that was really helpful,
Speaker 1: you know. Um And I think being afoord too, you
Speaker 1: can really um stop yourself and you can really give
Speaker 1: yourself grace when you're seeing those negative parts come out.
Speaker 1: So it's just interesting. So I don't know about you,
Speaker 1: but being a for my whole life has been I'm
Speaker 1: just always an emotional record. I'm the same thing with you.
Speaker 1: I'm like, it's like my my husband's like the same thing.
Speaker 1: You have something on your forehead. I will go to
Speaker 1: a party and like, I'm not going to a party
Speaker 1: to like wine and dine. I'm going in and I'm like,
Speaker 1: who in the room is hurting? Who is hurting? Who
Speaker 1: feels like they? Who's not like in the mix? Who
Speaker 1: needs to be brought in? Like I gravitate towards all
Speaker 1: the souls who have something that's aching inside of them.
Speaker 1: And I'm like, let's talk about this. I want to help,
Speaker 1: Like I don't know something, I want to help heal you.
Speaker 1: I just want to hear you. I want you to
Speaker 1: feel heard, I want you to be seen. I want
Speaker 1: you to feel better. I hate when people feel bad,
Speaker 1: Like I hate it when people are sad and when
Speaker 1: people feel excluded or whatever. So like, how has how
Speaker 1: have these past two years in the world been on you?
Speaker 1: Because like I feel like I have just been catapulted
Speaker 1: with emotion, like realizing all the pain and suffering and
Speaker 1: injustice and everything wrong. And I know the world has
Speaker 1: always had terrible things going on, but like it's been
Speaker 1: so heavy it has really like taken a toll on me.
Speaker 1: I feel the same way. And it's interesting talking and
Speaker 1: I don't know, are you. I struggle with a lot
Speaker 1: of like social anxiety, and I'm kind of um, I'm
Speaker 1: very introverted. Uh. Sometimes I joke that I'm like a
Speaker 1: little hermit, like I want to leave my house if
Speaker 1: someone didn't beg me to leave. And so I wonder
Speaker 1: if we're opposite as a foreign that too, because I
Speaker 1: when I go to something social, I don't talk for
Speaker 1: two days after that. And so yeah, I'm very um
Speaker 1: going to like conferences. I will go to the hotel
Speaker 1: room after and cry because I'm so it takes a
Speaker 1: lot out of me. Um, I'm I'm very much good
Speaker 1: on my alone. Like I'm very much good alone. So
Speaker 1: it's interesting. You know, if you had asked me at
Speaker 1: the beginning what I thought your angiograand was, I would
Speaker 1: have never guessed before. But I do think we're proof
Speaker 1: that there is arrange. You know what I mean within that. Um,
Speaker 1: but I forget what you asked me. I think I
Speaker 1: forgot he just but I just want to say that
Speaker 1: that I do think that's interesting. Um yeah, iver introvert,
Speaker 1: because I will here is how my extrovert works. I
Speaker 1: am a people pleaser to a fault, Like I am
Speaker 1: a people pleaser, and so I always had this. My
Speaker 1: passion was drawn towards like music and singing and the
Speaker 1: special thing. I always wanted to be special because I
Speaker 1: never felt special. So I was like, I need to
Speaker 1: go get to Nashville and get in the entertainment industry
Speaker 1: and get in the music industry so I can get
Speaker 1: validated and become special and everyone will know that I'm special,
Speaker 1: and then I can fulfill this whole in my heart
Speaker 1: of not feeling of everyone knowing that I'm special because
Speaker 1: I never felt like. I always struggled with major insecurities,
Speaker 1: major self worth issues, all sorts of stuff like that.
Speaker 1: So I'm like, if I could just get famous, then
Speaker 1: everyone will know I'm special and I can heal myself.
Speaker 1: And that is like was my teenage thoughts. Believe me,
Speaker 1: now that Ione was forty, I'm like, I absolutely do
Speaker 1: not have that same desire. I have a fame and limelight.
Speaker 1: All that is like it's a trap. It's like literally
Speaker 1: that anyway. So I but when I was an extrovert,
Speaker 1: I would do it as a I would give so much.
Speaker 1: Like so I go to party and I just give
Speaker 1: everything I had because I just want everyone to like me.
Speaker 1: I want everyone to feel good. I feel like it's
Speaker 1: my job to make sure everyone's incorporated in a conversation
Speaker 1: and it's my job to make sure the room is happy,
Speaker 1: and like that would be so then people like me
Speaker 1: or whatever, and then that's my contribution. So I would
Speaker 1: just give so heavily in that way that now I'm
Speaker 1: kind of becoming like you where I much preferred not
Speaker 1: to be in large groups and I hate small talk
Speaker 1: and I definitely just want to be with people that
Speaker 1: I know and can chill. Because I enter into this
Speaker 1: like range of my voice gets higher, my energy gets higher,
Speaker 1: like almost turned into like a tornado, and it's like exhausting,
Speaker 1: and then I feel like I have to come down
Speaker 1: for days two and I'm like, God, why do I
Speaker 1: do that? It's so exhausting. Well, I have to say,
Speaker 1: like even you know, meeting you face to face to
Speaker 1: the first time to day. You're really good at that
Speaker 1: making someone feel welcome and comfortable. I felt like when
Speaker 1: we sat down and we're looking at each other obviously, UM,
Speaker 1: I just felt, oh, I'm I'm welcome here. So you're
Speaker 1: really good at it. Um, and I feel the same way.
Speaker 1: It's it's just kind of an exhausting thing, um, not
Speaker 1: being able to go anywhere and not bringing all that
Speaker 1: emotion with you. Let's have some small talk, let's do that.
Speaker 1: But it just it's it's it never happens. It always
Speaker 1: is deeper. Um. And I remember what you had asked
Speaker 1: me about what was the same same and how that
Speaker 1: was affecting as a for now and yeah, and I
Speaker 1: will say, um, it's just every it's very heavy. Um.
Speaker 1: You I look at the world totally different now, Um,
Speaker 1: in good ways. But you see a lot of things
Speaker 1: that I think you probably have this too, where you
Speaker 1: see things a lot deeper than other people. And also
Speaker 1: when you meet people, you can feel right away their
Speaker 1: vibe of out you and my husband can't do that,
Speaker 1: and I wish that I couldn't because I would love
Speaker 1: to like not know when someone doesn't like me or
Speaker 1: doesn't you know what I mean, I'd love to not
Speaker 1: know that, but you can feel that. And so there
Speaker 1: are these really heavy feelings, a lot of guilt and
Speaker 1: just really heavy feelings. Um you know, I I feel
Speaker 1: guilty um with health or like with being okay, or
Speaker 1: even um at the beginning of it all. We live
Speaker 1: on a farm, not in the middle of nowhere, but
Speaker 1: we do have a little farm met and I felt
Speaker 1: guilty for the space we had to roam when other
Speaker 1: people didn't have that, Like, it's just it's it's a lot.
Speaker 1: I would love to talk to you about that, actually,
Speaker 1: because I feel guilt all the time for blessings, Like
Speaker 1: I feel guilty for being being blessed in the ways
Speaker 1: that I have been blessed, where I know everyone has
Speaker 1: their own blessings, that I feel guilty for being blessed,
Speaker 1: and I oftentimes want to downplay it, and I have
Speaker 1: a hard time, like sometimes I feel like I need to,
Speaker 1: Like I have a hard time being my full expression
Speaker 1: of what I think I fully can be because I
Speaker 1: don't want to make anyone feel bad. And it's not
Speaker 1: because I'm so I think I'm so great, but I
Speaker 1: feel like I just don't want anyone to feel bad
Speaker 1: about their life. If I'm saying, oh, look at what
Speaker 1: I'm doing, or look at what I've created, or look
Speaker 1: at me and this like you know, I just it
Speaker 1: makes me feel guilty because I don't want anyone to
Speaker 1: feel like like you said, well, well screw her, like
Speaker 1: I'm struggling, you know, And I'm like, I don't want
Speaker 1: to do that. But then I also want to fully
Speaker 1: express who I came to this earth to be, and
Speaker 1: this is the life that I was born into and
Speaker 1: this is who I have become. And so I'm like,
Speaker 1: I want to honor God in that way and fully
Speaker 1: express myself and be because like now, I'm so intentional
Speaker 1: with my soul. I'm not doing anything for the wrong reasons.
Speaker 1: I'm doing it because I want to express my soul.
Speaker 1: And I know you are too. But sometimes when you
Speaker 1: get to that place, blessings do start flowing in, and
Speaker 1: I feel like I blocked them a lot because I'm like,
Speaker 1: I don't want to be too much for people. I
Speaker 1: don't want people to be feeling like they don't have enough.
Speaker 1: Does that make sense? Well, it's hard to even say
Speaker 1: that you feel guilty because when you say that, you're
Speaker 1: you're hoping that people aren't thinking that you're thinking less
Speaker 1: of other people. It's hard to also say that you
Speaker 1: feel guilty, but I do think that when I was
Speaker 1: in the thick of it and I saw my friends
Speaker 1: and family having babies and they would like, like really
Speaker 1: talk up motherhood, it also gave me hope in that
Speaker 1: time to see. I mean, I look at babies now
Speaker 1: after ten miscarriages, and I'm like, you're like, the fact
Speaker 1: that you're here is a straight miracle. It's just a
Speaker 1: plain miracle. And I look at babies totally different now.
Speaker 1: So I'm glad that they shared how amazing it was,
Speaker 1: so you know what I mean. I mean, it hurts
Speaker 1: sometimes you're like I want that so bad, But at
Speaker 1: the same time, it gave me hope, and so I
Speaker 1: hope that maybe when we're sharing the happy things, it's
Speaker 1: giving someone else hope as well. So there there is
Speaker 1: a fine line there, And I think, um, just knowing
Speaker 1: that it's on your heart that there is this like
Speaker 1: guilt and you're thinking of other people means that I
Speaker 1: don't think it's coming across that way if that makes
Speaker 1: And I think as being a four, like you said,
Speaker 1: you feel everything like when I want when I meet
Speaker 1: someone I like, and I know you get this. It's
Speaker 1: not like we're mine readers whatever, but like, I immediately
Speaker 1: know so much about a person just from being in
Speaker 1: their presence, like I and they give me five minutes
Speaker 1: of a conversation with them, and we're like, I got this.
Speaker 1: I know what's happening here emotionally on some level. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I think because of that, I immediately tap into the
Speaker 1: pain of people I don't know and do you Like,
Speaker 1: I can immediately see the pain that everyone feels like
Speaker 1: and every person has a different story. So I immediately like,
Speaker 1: I don't walk in and think everyone is fine, Like
Speaker 1: some people are like you know, they walk around and
Speaker 1: I think everyone's just fine. I don't. I think everyone
Speaker 1: is suffering. I literally walk around and I think everyone
Speaker 1: is suffering and everyone has a story. And so like
Speaker 1: when I meet someone, I'm like looking for their suffering
Speaker 1: points so I can try to help with it, like
Speaker 1: to talk to them, because I don't want to walk
Speaker 1: in and be like, oh, life is great, because I'm like,
Speaker 1: where is the pain that where's the spot that's painful
Speaker 1: for you? Because like life might be hard for you,
Speaker 1: and I don't want to just like at this moment,
Speaker 1: I don't want to just like come in with like
Speaker 1: confetti in your face when you're like struggling with something,
Speaker 1: so like, I find that struggle immediately with everyone, and
Speaker 1: so I feel like that's why I have a hard
Speaker 1: time trying to shine, because it's like, but everyone has
Speaker 1: a struggle. But then also everyone else shines. Everyone shines
Speaker 1: in the room way too, so it's like it's so
Speaker 1: and it's so after well, no, and I do think
Speaker 1: I'm I think we need those people that don't see
Speaker 1: it and don't feel it so they can be the
Speaker 1: hype men. They can come in and make people forget
Speaker 1: and ignore and all that, and then unfortunately, I think
Speaker 1: the world needs people like us as well that are like,
Speaker 1: let's talk about it, like you're heard, you're scene, and
Speaker 1: let's talk about it. But I find that all of
Speaker 1: my best friends are sevens and they're like, they don't
Speaker 1: they don't see anything going on in the room. They're
Speaker 1: just like, what, it's it's fine, it's a party, it's great.
Speaker 1: And I think that's needed to And I'm probably best
Speaker 1: friends with sevens because they are relentless at trying to
Speaker 1: get you out of the house and you finally leave
Speaker 1: your house and do something with them. So it is funny.
Speaker 1: I do think all of it's needed, and you're not
Speaker 1: bad if you can't see it or don't want to
Speaker 1: talk to people about it. Um, I just think it's
Speaker 1: all needed, and so thank goodness that we're not all
Speaker 1: the same. Like if you and I were married to
Speaker 1: each other, we would just be crying all the time.
Speaker 1: Everything we would just it would just all be tears.
Speaker 1: And do you hate me? And why did you say that?
Speaker 1: Like that? And I feel like this, I'm married to
Speaker 1: the seven and I think that is very intentional because
Speaker 1: he always chooses Sevens for anyone who hasn't. On the Instagram,
Speaker 1: they're like joy seekers. They always are trying to find
Speaker 1: the adventure. They always there last half fool. They're always like,
Speaker 1: let's go do something exciting, let's live life. And they
Speaker 1: don't get lost in like the sad depression of it all,
Speaker 1: even though they have a lot of times Sevens have
Speaker 1: a lot of pain themselves, they just are like, Nope,
Speaker 1: we're gonna enjoy life. We're gonna be happy, We're gonna
Speaker 1: live it. A little envious of seven sometimes a little envious.
Speaker 1: I probably would not have to go to therapy. Maybe
Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know, but it's um, it's definitely. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I bet it's really interesting being married to a seven
Speaker 1: I find my seven friends very exhausting and I'm glad
Speaker 1: that I can go home at the end of the
Speaker 1: day and you know what I mean, So, oh yeah, no,
Speaker 1: my husband wears me out. But but because I am
Speaker 1: that extrovert too, oh yeah, that's I can hang with it.
Speaker 1: But like he he goes and goes and goes and
Speaker 1: goes and goes. And I'm literally like I wasn't married
Speaker 1: to you, I would not be I would be less social.
Speaker 1: God knew what you needed. You needed that, and that's awesome.
Speaker 1: That's really cool. So what was your first big project?
Speaker 1: So when you first poured into this, was it? You're
Speaker 1: it was start with antiquing. Is that where it started? Yeah? Really, honestly,
Speaker 1: just kind of a flipping furniture. I don't know if
Speaker 1: you remember, like two thousand and eight, two thousand nine,
Speaker 1: there was like this whole like let's paint a piece
Speaker 1: of furniture and d I y. I think that was
Speaker 1: just on the up and up and all these shows
Speaker 1: about it. It was definitely like flipping furniture and um
Speaker 1: selling it. That was one of my first things I
Speaker 1: was in college for Into Your Design. I was working
Speaker 1: kind of at a lighting store, like helping with builders
Speaker 1: pick out lighting. So I mean I was, you know,
Speaker 1: like trying in the world. I was very young and
Speaker 1: so um that's when I started the blog, and then
Speaker 1: the blog kind of took off, and that's where all
Speaker 1: of these opportunities have come from, is the blog and
Speaker 1: now social media. So social media was really not a
Speaker 1: thing when I started blogging. There was no Instagram or
Speaker 1: anything like that. So it's really interesting in this world now.
Speaker 1: I still think of myself just as a blogger who
Speaker 1: happens to have an Instagram, And so when someone says like, oh,
Speaker 1: you're an influencer, I'm like, oh no, man, I'm a blogger.
Speaker 1: You know. But like you know, some people say blogs
Speaker 1: are dead, but I think they're coming back. I think
Speaker 1: they're um with I think social media being so saturated,
Speaker 1: I think it is really nice to kind of escape
Speaker 1: to a website where you can see all of this
Speaker 1: person's work and not be distracted. Um. So yeah, that's
Speaker 1: just the point I'm gonna roll with and keep going
Speaker 1: with because I do enjoy having my own corner of
Speaker 1: the internet, um. Rather, and I do enjoy social media
Speaker 1: because that's where you connect with everybody, with your readers
Speaker 1: of the blog and things like that. That's where you chat. UM.
Speaker 1: But I do really in joy blogging and that's a
Speaker 1: passion of mine. Still. So how did your blog take off?
Speaker 1: I think just you know, Pinterest and people finding you.
Speaker 1: I do think it was very helpful to start early
Speaker 1: because there wasn't just millions of blogs out there to
Speaker 1: sift through. Um. I don't think by any means it
Speaker 1: was like all my words or work is outstanding, it
Speaker 1: needs to be in a museum. I just think I
Speaker 1: was an early adapter and um, you know, maybe people
Speaker 1: found it relatable. I I I'm not a perfectionist, um
Speaker 1: in some aspects, I guess. So it's my work isn't
Speaker 1: just out here, you know what I mean? I just
Speaker 1: I think that people can relate to it. I hope
Speaker 1: at least. How often do you like to blog and
Speaker 1: what do you like to blog about the most? Like
Speaker 1: when you're blogging, what is how do what does it?
Speaker 1: How did it come out of you? Like? How do
Speaker 1: you know when it's time to blog. Yeah, so you
Speaker 1: know it started as kind of just like blogging. You know,
Speaker 1: whenever I do probably put up one blog post if
Speaker 1: out more a day, um like five days a week
Speaker 1: on Lisberry blog dot com. Um. And it's now we're
Speaker 1: doing I I do have help now, um My husband
Speaker 1: helps with a lot of it, and I do have
Speaker 1: an employee, m Taylor, who helps with a lot of it.
Speaker 1: So I am able to do more because they're helping
Speaker 1: with um like the logistics of it and helping me
Speaker 1: put these blog posts together. I wouldn't be able to
Speaker 1: do that many um on my own, especially mommy and
Speaker 1: things like that. So one day I thought you were
Speaker 1: gonna stay like two months, one a day. So we're
Speaker 1: doing like a lot of gift guides and a lot
Speaker 1: of um. You know, we're showing different areas of our house,
Speaker 1: especially now like we're kind of technically in the blogging
Speaker 1: world probably very behind showing like our house for Christmas,
Speaker 1: so we're showing one space at a time or like
Speaker 1: this year's Coco bar. We're just sharing these little um.
Speaker 1: Not every blog post is like super extravagant, like oh
Speaker 1: I readid our whole bathroom renovation today, you know what
Speaker 1: I mean. It's it's just you know, little bits of
Speaker 1: our life every day here. And like I said in two,
Speaker 1: I hope that, um we're able to We have a
Speaker 1: lot of like demo and stuff we want to do
Speaker 1: it to our house and to get it where we
Speaker 1: want it. So I think it's just going to be
Speaker 1: a more exciting year, um, rather than a lot of
Speaker 1: like decorating, it will be like a lot of renovating.
Speaker 1: So do you so you share so much of your life,
Speaker 1: Like you share your house, you share your family, you
Speaker 1: share all your passions, you shared your journey. Do you
Speaker 1: ever struggle with sharing so much and like being scared
Speaker 1: that like every like people know so much about you?
Speaker 1: Because like I struggle with that, like and I like
Speaker 1: with the whole social media thing, Like I oftentimes I'm like, God,
Speaker 1: I just need to like commit to it and go
Speaker 1: all in and share my life fully. But then I
Speaker 1: have like all this anxiety about like sharing, Like how
Speaker 1: do you walk that line of sharing your life and
Speaker 1: like having boundaries with it? Because I feel like it's
Speaker 1: it is hard when you are like a figure like
Speaker 1: you are and like you're it all is so intertwined
Speaker 1: your your work and your life. Yeah, and I think
Speaker 1: you just said it. I think it's everyone's personal boundaries
Speaker 1: and sticking to it. Um. You know, people will ask questions,
Speaker 1: very personal questions, especially when you're sharing a personal topic
Speaker 1: like infertility and miscarriage adoption. People ask the most wild
Speaker 1: things and just knowing like you don't have to answer it.
Speaker 1: Um And I get that question a lot, like when
Speaker 1: I run into readers like out in public. Um, They'll say,
Speaker 1: is it weird that I know you and you don't
Speaker 1: know me? And it's not because I've chosen what to
Speaker 1: share with you, Like you don't you see five seconds
Speaker 1: of my day? And sometimes it bothers me as of
Speaker 1: four probably that people think they know your life off
Speaker 1: of five seconds, Like they'll see me like quick redoing
Speaker 1: Cope's room, but they don't know like that day that
Speaker 1: I had a terrible meeting with the publisher, cried, worked
Speaker 1: at my store, because they don't see any of that,
Speaker 1: and so it's like, Wow, they just think I'm like
Speaker 1: living this like fairytale life and that bothers me. But
Speaker 1: at the same time, you have to set those boundaries
Speaker 1: and know that anyone will interpret your life how they
Speaker 1: want to and being okay with that, and that was
Speaker 1: a hard thing as before I think probably to let
Speaker 1: go because I want you to know the struggle in
Speaker 1: the deep parts of it, but you're just not going
Speaker 1: to know any of that. So you know that I
Speaker 1: decorated my son's room today, um, and that I made
Speaker 1: some banana bread, you know what I mean, But like
Speaker 1: there was so much more, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1: And I think just setting those boundaries. Um. I did
Speaker 1: make a decision I think probably last year, um to
Speaker 1: share less personal as far as like cope and things
Speaker 1: like that, just because you know, I'll share a little
Speaker 1: glimpses here and there. Um. But I did make that
Speaker 1: decision as he was like getting older, to share less
Speaker 1: of him. UM. So just setting your own boundaries, that's
Speaker 1: where my struggle has really come in with Sonny, my daughter.
Speaker 1: I feel I just don't. I don't have a steady
Speaker 1: feeling about it. And I have so many amazing, incredible
Speaker 1: friends who are completely comfortable sharing every journey of their child,
Speaker 1: every step of their child's life, and I just like,
Speaker 1: I don't. I don't know what to do with that
Speaker 1: because sometimes I'm like sharing sunny and sometimes I'm like, oh,
Speaker 1: I don't ever want to share a sunny again, you know.
Speaker 1: I just like I don't know how to like create
Speaker 1: that boundary because social media is still so new, we
Speaker 1: have no idea like how this is going to affect
Speaker 1: the younger kids. And then like this is where my
Speaker 1: crazy head comes in. I worry like what if some
Speaker 1: like psycho person gets obsessed with her or something? And
Speaker 1: then I don't you know, I just like I don't
Speaker 1: even put that in the world, but I just and
Speaker 1: then like anything can happen at any time, and you
Speaker 1: can't like I just like then I just live in
Speaker 1: chaos in my head about it now. And I think,
Speaker 1: like this is a moment where you go, oh, like,
Speaker 1: if I'm having these feelings, it's it's I shouldn't do
Speaker 1: it because you also don't want to live with guilt
Speaker 1: or regret. And definitely for me, Ebbs and Flows that
Speaker 1: there will be six months where you don't even see
Speaker 1: a glimpse of a glimpse of him, like does a
Speaker 1: child live in that house? And you know what I mean,
Speaker 1: Like and then it's like, oh, like I am really
Speaker 1: passionate right now of taking little lifestyle shots of my
Speaker 1: family in the house that are very natural. It will
Speaker 1: be like three months of like, that's my passion, and
Speaker 1: then you don't see him, you know what I mean.
Speaker 1: So it's like it's definitely like what you're comfortable in
Speaker 1: the moment and giving yourself grace and not comparing your
Speaker 1: decision to someone else's or your journey to someone else's,
Speaker 1: or being like, oh, if I wanna grow my account,
Speaker 1: I need to like share something personal. You know. It's
Speaker 1: just it's not doing that because it never works, and
Speaker 1: it's everyone has like their different journey. And I wanted
Speaker 1: to say you said earlier like growing up not feeling special.
Speaker 1: It's I look at you and what you do, and
Speaker 1: I'm like, you are so special and you're just like
Speaker 1: this like bright light and knowing that your light is
Speaker 1: different than someone else's and the way you share and
Speaker 1: how you help people is what makes you special. So
Speaker 1: I think that's cool. And I also want to say
Speaker 1: your journey and like trying what you wanted when you
Speaker 1: were a kid and like realizing maybe that's not what
Speaker 1: you wanted, but you still did it and that's so
Speaker 1: cool and inspiring, I'm sure to so many people. So
Speaker 1: I wanted to say that as well. I appreciate if
Speaker 1: the words of information, So thank you so much that
Speaker 1: really I love the words. I feel all that you
Speaker 1: and I often think too. Like I had mentioned, I
Speaker 1: went to school for intier design and I tried to
Speaker 1: do design work for other people and quickly realized that
Speaker 1: wasn't for me. I felt very discouraged and I felt
Speaker 1: very um it wasn't good for me mentally, and so
Speaker 1: I was like, wait, I went to design school. You're
Speaker 1: supposed to do design work for other people, and realizing
Speaker 1: that you tried it, it wasn't for you, but you
Speaker 1: can use those passions in a different way, and that's
Speaker 1: what you've done, and that's kind of what I've done too.
Speaker 1: It's like, oh, I'm using my degree in a different
Speaker 1: way and helping people in a different way. So I
Speaker 1: hope that people realize that and that inspires them that
Speaker 1: they don't have to follow someone else's journey or you're
Speaker 1: where you originally started. I love that too, and I
Speaker 1: could not echo you more by saying like for me,
Speaker 1: and people are like because sometimes people asking, well a
Speaker 1: lot of times like how do you start a podcast?
Speaker 1: And I'm literally like I don't know, Like I don't know.
Speaker 1: I literally just fell into it because I was just
Speaker 1: in this journey of following my curiosity. And I think
Speaker 1: that like that's how you are too. It's like I
Speaker 1: don't know how I ended up. I don't even know
Speaker 1: what my job is, to be quite honest with you,
Speaker 1: like I don't even know how I ended up here
Speaker 1: with all the like twists and turns that I've gone on.
Speaker 1: And I'm sure you feel the same way. But it's
Speaker 1: like I always just kept following my passion and like
Speaker 1: I felt the same way too. I always felt stifled.
Speaker 1: I do not like having someone tell me how to
Speaker 1: live my life and what to do. And you said
Speaker 1: with your designer, like I do not like I I
Speaker 1: can like hop on a team and be a team
Speaker 1: player for something that that's not my true true passion.
Speaker 1: But like if it's like in my soul, like I
Speaker 1: don't want you to like tell me how I'm supposed
Speaker 1: to do it, even though I don't really know how
Speaker 1: I'm trying to do it. I just know that I
Speaker 1: want to do it my way, you know, And like
Speaker 1: I've just always followed my curiosity and let that lead me,
Speaker 1: even though it's let me down some massive like moments
Speaker 1: of like sheer depression and feeling yes and like life
Speaker 1: crashing down. But it's like it always there's always something
Speaker 1: that comes from it, and so you just kind of
Speaker 1: have to like keep following that passion, right yep. And
Speaker 1: I'm glad that you said that because I see that
Speaker 1: in myself too. It's following your own journey and making
Speaker 1: your own mistakes, learning things the hard way, but also
Speaker 1: landing somewhere really good. And I know everyone listening and me,
Speaker 1: we're really glad you landed here, um, because you're really
Speaker 1: good at it. And and it's it's just cool to
Speaker 1: um know that you did that on your own, without
Speaker 1: you jumped into it not knowing what you're doing. And
Speaker 1: I think I hope that inspires people to like I
Speaker 1: just opened a store and I had no idea what
Speaker 1: I was doing, and people ask, how do you start
Speaker 1: a store? It's like, I just did it, and looking back,
Speaker 1: that's really scary to think about that someone just let
Speaker 1: me open a store. But it's like, if it's your
Speaker 1: true passion, just do it and take a leap of faith,
Speaker 1: you know, And if it's not your true passion, then
Speaker 1: you probably won't do it for long. And the doors
Speaker 1: will shut and it will be hard. Like and not
Speaker 1: that it's not hard work, because everything is hard work,
Speaker 1: but do you feel that as you've done all these
Speaker 1: different endeavors from like starting with your blog to writing
Speaker 1: your incredible books, to opening your store to having I'm sorry,
Speaker 1: what is that? It's not a festival, it's a market.
Speaker 1: It's the thing market. Yeah, like a like an antique market. Yeah,
Speaker 1: the ten thousand people antique market. Like how could you
Speaker 1: ever dream of doing that? But like it was probably
Speaker 1: just on your heart. It's what you love to do,
Speaker 1: and so these opportunities flowed into your life. And I
Speaker 1: feel like looking at you, like when I was like
Speaker 1: stalking your Instagram and learning about you fool heartedly even
Speaker 1: though like I've always done who you are, but like
Speaker 1: really like taking you in from the interview, I was like, God,
Speaker 1: how does she do all this stuff? Like how has
Speaker 1: she done all of this stuff? Like this is and
Speaker 1: it's also well done and it's also beautiful, And like
Speaker 1: looking at you before I had this conversation like you're
Speaker 1: very intimidating because it's like, wow, how how have you
Speaker 1: created all this? Have you done all this? But when
Speaker 1: you hear your story, you have let your passion lead
Speaker 1: You have like jumped in when you're in like your
Speaker 1: darkest moments, You've thrown yourself into your passion and like
Speaker 1: God has opened these doors for you and you've just
Speaker 1: gone through them and your life has manifested. But it's
Speaker 1: probably something you could have never dreamed up. No, never,
Speaker 1: and I think that you probably feel the same. And
Speaker 1: and looking to knowing that someone was ever intimidated by me,
Speaker 1: I don't think anyone's ever said that, but that is
Speaker 1: the most wild thing. But I feel really cool for
Speaker 1: this moment it But now knowing that I am a four, like,
Speaker 1: I'm sure that explains a lot to you now looking
Speaker 1: at it. You can look at those photos and be like,
Speaker 1: I know, there was like probably tears in between this
Speaker 1: and this, and she probably had a breakdown here, and
Speaker 1: like knowing that, and I'm also glad you said that too,
Speaker 1: because I mean, social media is just one big highlight
Speaker 1: reel and if you're in a bad space, and it's
Speaker 1: it's not necessarily bad that it's a highlight reel, but
Speaker 1: it's how you are mentally scrolling. Because when you have
Speaker 1: a bad day and you're like uh, and you're so
Speaker 1: annoyed with everybody and you're feeling less than that's assigned
Speaker 1: a log off because it's also not anyone's responsibility to
Speaker 1: share in the moment, like I'm having a miscarriage today,
Speaker 1: Like they don't know that to anyone, like you don't
Speaker 1: and you're not less real by sharing it. I have
Speaker 1: a lot of people saying you're so real for sharing that,
Speaker 1: and I'm like, but my sister next to me that's
Speaker 1: having one that doesn't share, that doesn't make her less
Speaker 1: real for sharing that. And I don't need to share
Speaker 1: my dirty laundry room every day for you to know
Speaker 1: there's a dirty laundry room. I only have five minutes
Speaker 1: a day to share online, so it's probably gonna be
Speaker 1: what I'm passionate about and what I'm working on. Once
Speaker 1: in a while, you'll see glimpses of a messy house
Speaker 1: because it's there. I'm a real person, but it's it's
Speaker 1: my place to share my passions and my work, and
Speaker 1: so I hope when you're scrolling, it's knowing that this
Speaker 1: is a highlight reel and that you're a normal person
Speaker 1: and uh we are as well, and don't be intimidated
Speaker 1: by anyone because they're normal people. I could talk to
Speaker 1: you forever. I love everything about you. I just have
Speaker 1: a few more questions and I know you have a
Speaker 1: lot of other things to do today. How do you
Speaker 1: I want to talk to you about boundaries really quickly,
Speaker 1: like boundaries of social media? Like how did you come
Speaker 1: up with your boundaries of social media? Because I feel
Speaker 1: like I am in that phase right now where I'm like,
Speaker 1: I've got to create boundaries. I've got to create a
Speaker 1: system for social media for sharing, and I need to
Speaker 1: create boundaries so I'm not just engulfed by it. Because
Speaker 1: if you just like log onto social media with no
Speaker 1: real plan for social media, it can swallow you whole. So, like,
Speaker 1: how do you navigate that? Because it is a big
Speaker 1: part of your life, like from your blog to your
Speaker 1: website to Instagram which now is like its own wild fire. Yeah, like,
Speaker 1: how how do you create healthy boundaries with it where
Speaker 1: you do use it productively and share your passions, but
Speaker 1: you don't like let it overrun your life? I think, um,
Speaker 1: with anything, I also jumped into all of this. There
Speaker 1: are people that jump in with strategies and they know
Speaker 1: beforehand that will never be MEA never plan anything I am, yeah, No,
Speaker 1: nothing is planned. I mean even designs. It's like fly
Speaker 1: by the seat of my pants and everything in life.
Speaker 1: And so with that, if you're going to approach it
Speaker 1: that way, you will learn the hard way. And I
Speaker 1: have learned the hard way. There's certain topics I now
Speaker 1: know that I will never talk about again, um as
Speaker 1: specifically like on a health journey this year. UM, I
Speaker 1: realized I could never be like a fitness influencer or
Speaker 1: someone that talks about like bodies in general, because when
Speaker 1: I started to go to the gym and eat right
Speaker 1: and lose weight, that's all anybody would focus on. And
Speaker 1: I quickly realized that put me in a very bad place.
Speaker 1: And so I was like, I'm never talking about my
Speaker 1: body or where did I put you? Where did it
Speaker 1: put you? In your mind? It put me like that
Speaker 1: was my worth? Um? Who was I before? Um? It
Speaker 1: definitely was like, wait, like I I did this to
Speaker 1: be a better mom. I realized, you know, I gained
Speaker 1: a lot of weight and I was from depression and
Speaker 1: all that, and I was like, wait, how did you
Speaker 1: view me before? And I became obsessed with how people
Speaker 1: viewed me before and where was this my worth now?
Speaker 1: Or like is my other work not as important because
Speaker 1: that's all you want to talk about. It put me
Speaker 1: in that in that place, and I quickly was like,
Speaker 1: I'm ever touching on that topic again. Um, I do
Speaker 1: you know? When people ask I, I will briefly say, um,
Speaker 1: you know, that's part of my health journey is eating right,
Speaker 1: um and exercising. So I will say like brief little
Speaker 1: things like that, because you do want to help people
Speaker 1: maybe that are on the same journey and wondering how
Speaker 1: how did you get here? And I will say to
Speaker 1: another thing I'll say is you have to reach a
Speaker 1: point yourself. No one will make you make those health changes.
Speaker 1: It's it's definitely like I had to reach my lowest
Speaker 1: low and then I was motivated, you know, so I
Speaker 1: will share things like that. But I quickly learned um
Speaker 1: and insane. With becoming a mom um, I had to
Speaker 1: learn the hard way of oh I this is my boundary.
Speaker 1: Like I don't share really any I'll share like a
Speaker 1: funny moment here and there, like once a month or
Speaker 1: something funny he says, or a cute photo, but nothing more.
Speaker 1: You know what I mean, it's just you. I had
Speaker 1: to learn the hard way about the boundaries and again
Speaker 1: with even taking on jobs or UM, I learned the
Speaker 1: hard way this year a lot of being overwhelmed and
Speaker 1: UM having an emotional breakdown. It's like, oh, I can't
Speaker 1: do that anymore. I can't take on six jobs at
Speaker 1: a time or you know what I mean. So everything
Speaker 1: has been the hard way UM for me. UM, But
Speaker 1: I am thankful for that. I'm thankful for boundaries. Have
Speaker 1: you learned through all of this to really trust your
Speaker 1: like gut and you're like, obviously you're a feeler your
Speaker 1: form and we po this this whole podcast, but like,
Speaker 1: what does it feel like when it starts coming on?
Speaker 1: We're like, oh, okay, that's the boundary. I'm not doing that.
Speaker 1: Like how do you feel if I question anything and
Speaker 1: and wonder like should I do that? It's an automatic
Speaker 1: no now if there's any whereas before it was definitely like,
Speaker 1: oh it could be good and then I would just
Speaker 1: do it. I wouldn't people about it. I'd regret it. Yeah,
Speaker 1: And I did learn um from of my really good
Speaker 1: friends this year, UM about instincts. UM. She lost her
Speaker 1: son this year and I'll never forget this day. And
Speaker 1: it's kind of a side topic, but it has to
Speaker 1: do with gut feelings and instincts. She was at my
Speaker 1: house the day that her son passed, and he's grown,
Speaker 1: he was forty, um. But the entire day she never
Speaker 1: talks about him, never asks about him. Never in the
Speaker 1: entire day, she was like, have you seen his car?
Speaker 1: Have you this? And this? And then that that night
Speaker 1: we found out and we talked about it all the
Speaker 1: time now and I'm like, it is a real thing.
Speaker 1: She never before has done this before, and the way
Speaker 1: she acted and she knew and it's like, wow, we know.
Speaker 1: But it sounds crazy when you say it. But when
Speaker 1: you go through something like that, you see one of
Speaker 1: your best friends do that, you realize it's a real thing,
Speaker 1: your gut instinct, however you want to describe it. You
Speaker 1: know earlier we're talking about a calling, however you want
Speaker 1: to call it. Those feelings are real and we should
Speaker 1: listen to them. I so agree, And I feel like
Speaker 1: if that is I know that now from all the
Speaker 1: trial and era of life, and it's like I just
Speaker 1: try to always remind myself just flow with it, listen,
Speaker 1: even like with like business opportunities. Sometimes I've stressed out
Speaker 1: and I'm like what do I need to do to
Speaker 1: create more to like grow this? But I'm like, even
Speaker 1: hearing your story, like all of your things that have
Speaker 1: blessed your life have flowed into your life at the
Speaker 1: time they were supposed to flow because you were on
Speaker 1: your path, following your passion, pouring yourself into it, and
Speaker 1: it was like the timing was right, the situation, it
Speaker 1: was divine how things were supposed to happen, And like,
Speaker 1: I just I think that is so important for people
Speaker 1: to remember. And I'm telling this to myself to like
Speaker 1: there is a bigger force field, energy field, powerful spiritual
Speaker 1: field working for our favor at all times. And yes,
Speaker 1: there's also the opposite there too, but like, if we
Speaker 1: can just stay and flow with our soul and our instincts,
Speaker 1: that is really the road map, don't you feel? Yeah?
Speaker 1: And I will say too, because we're human that because
Speaker 1: I have had that happen so much and I talked
Speaker 1: about it with like the miscarriages and all of these things.
Speaker 1: I still doubt, I still question, and I'm because we're human.
Speaker 1: I don't think that we're ever going to stop doing that,
Speaker 1: but I do think maybe we're more in tune with
Speaker 1: those things Um, I do think that you're constantly going
Speaker 1: to ask you made the right decision or wonder if
Speaker 1: you should do something. It's never going to be perfect
Speaker 1: and clear and again like a burning bush outside. But
Speaker 1: I do think that you could listen to yourself and
Speaker 1: not think that something is um and not trust ourselves.
Speaker 1: I guess I don't know how to put it, but
Speaker 1: sometimes we can think it's fake or cheesy and I
Speaker 1: hate that word, but you know, listen to your heart,
Speaker 1: listen to your gut. Um, it's I think all of
Speaker 1: those things happen for a reason. So do you get
Speaker 1: like a sick feeling in your gut when it's the
Speaker 1: wrong thing to do? Completely, And my thing is going
Speaker 1: back to what you said being a people pleaser. I
Speaker 1: never got to reiterate how much of a people pleaser
Speaker 1: that I am. Um to an absolute fault that when
Speaker 1: you get these sick feelings, sometimes it's really hard to
Speaker 1: speak up, especially when it has to do with work
Speaker 1: or business, and it's very uncomfortable. But this year was
Speaker 1: the year of Liz Marie learning to speak up, and um,
Speaker 1: I learned the hard way. I mean, terrible things happened
Speaker 1: with my business and my job this year because I
Speaker 1: didn't speak up because it was uncomfortable and now I'm paying.
Speaker 1: I'm paying for it, you know, and I'm like, why
Speaker 1: didn't I say anything? I'm so mad at her, And
Speaker 1: again learned the hard way, like you have to make
Speaker 1: things uncomfortable sometimes, um, and nippit in the butt because
Speaker 1: you know, yes as soon as you know, you have
Speaker 1: to just yes yea. And it's so hard, but it's
Speaker 1: actually so much easier than letting it all just be
Speaker 1: and saying it's all gonna be fine when you know
Speaker 1: you know, you know, And and I let that go
Speaker 1: this year, and I promised myself never again make it uncomfortable. Um,
Speaker 1: you might fumble over your words. I am not good
Speaker 1: with my words, with speaking, I'm actually terrible, and so
Speaker 1: you might fumble. Um. I might have had tears in
Speaker 1: a meeting the other day. Um, and it was you know,
Speaker 1: with some like hiring it out. I got it out
Speaker 1: and and I can be proud of myself now and
Speaker 1: I learned my lessons. So if any people pleasers out
Speaker 1: there speak up, don't regret it later. I love that, Liz,
Speaker 1: and just know that it's like intense in the moment
Speaker 1: and it feels terrifying, but like it will save you
Speaker 1: so much in the long run. I love that. That
Speaker 1: is such a good piece of advice. Okay, I'm gonna
Speaker 1: wrap up with just a couple more questions. Do have
Speaker 1: you do? What is your why? Because I feel like
Speaker 1: that's like my big journey is just like right now,
Speaker 1: is to be like what is my why? Like I
Speaker 1: need to like be and I know my why, but
Speaker 1: like just be so clear about why am I doing
Speaker 1: what I'm doing? What is your why? I and I
Speaker 1: know we've said this word a lot, but my I
Speaker 1: have a lot of wise. I guess my I'm not
Speaker 1: going to call it selfish, but a personal one is
Speaker 1: because I know this is what I'm meant to be
Speaker 1: doing and it is my passion. It may have been
Speaker 1: flow and it may look different year to year, but
Speaker 1: I am supposed to be doing what I'm doing no
Speaker 1: matter what anyone says. Um. And again, I want to
Speaker 1: make my son and my husband proud of me. And
Speaker 1: so even on my days where I don't want to
Speaker 1: get out of bed, um, you know, with those struggles, Um,
Speaker 1: I I do. And I haven't said this yet, but
Speaker 1: I don't. I know it's a fourthing being emotional, but
Speaker 1: I also have a lot of struggles with anxiety and depression.
Speaker 1: And so there are days, especially I'm in Michigan right
Speaker 1: now and it's currently the grayest, snowiest day. I'm like,
Speaker 1: looking at all these windows. It may look right right now,
Speaker 1: but it's it's it's a gloomy day. And there's days
Speaker 1: where I don't want to get out of bed. But
Speaker 1: I want to make myself proud, and I want to
Speaker 1: make my son and my husband proud. Um and I
Speaker 1: those are my wives. And so it's passion And also
Speaker 1: another why is every day getting a comment or a
Speaker 1: message saying you helped me with this in my wildest
Speaker 1: dreams if we didn't have We talked about social media
Speaker 1: sometimes like it's a bad thing, but it keeps a
Speaker 1: lot of creatives going because I don't know what I do.
Speaker 1: I'm like, oh, this is dumb, like whatever, everyone knows
Speaker 1: how to do this earlier. He knows how to do
Speaker 1: this exactly, but we wouldn't hear that. And so sometimes
Speaker 1: social media is terrible and people say awful things. But
Speaker 1: when you get those comments that are like you help
Speaker 1: me do this, You're like, that's my why, Like I'm
Speaker 1: helping someone. It may seem silly to me, and it's
Speaker 1: so natural to me that I'm like, oh, why am
Speaker 1: I sharing this? Everyone knows but you're helping someone, and
Speaker 1: so that's that's really cool. Well and I love that too.
Speaker 1: That made me think of this quote. I think, like
Speaker 1: Jennifer Anderson said it a long time ago, there's something
Speaker 1: going on in the world. It was a while ago,
Speaker 1: and she's like, nobody the friends, Like why are we doing? Friends?
Speaker 1: Like this is like a comedy, Like the world so serious,
Speaker 1: But then it's like, oh, because people need to laugh,
Speaker 1: Like that's important. And it's like when you say that,
Speaker 1: like everyone knows this, but like I don't know this,
Speaker 1: and like, but you giving me these tips, you are
Speaker 1: relieving so much stress from me because I want a
Speaker 1: cozy home. I want to figure out how to do this,
Speaker 1: but like I have no idea where to start. So
Speaker 1: the fact that you are sharing information making it like
Speaker 1: bite size where I can digest it and understand it
Speaker 1: and then elevate my life because now, all of a sudden,
Speaker 1: I'm living in a home that makes me feel cozy,
Speaker 1: which your environment totally changes your mood. And once you're
Speaker 1: in a good mood, then you want to be a
Speaker 1: better person. And so it's like all of this is
Speaker 1: so important for people's well being, and it's like, this
Speaker 1: is your contribution to the world, this is your passion,
Speaker 1: this is your talent, and you're taking the time to
Speaker 1: share it. It's it is like being cozy is a
Speaker 1: huge deal. Like that brings people peace and happiness, and
Speaker 1: it's your home where you are. So you offering ways
Speaker 1: to make your home a cozy sanctuary. That is so
Speaker 1: helpful for people who don't know how to do that naturally,
Speaker 1: which to me and most of the world. So I
Speaker 1: think that is incredible, it is that's amazing. Thank you,
Speaker 1: And that's a good point to like Oftentimes we think
Speaker 1: of like when we say, oh, this space is cozy,
Speaker 1: we're saying, like, I like the decor, But having a
Speaker 1: cozy home is so much deeper than that. It's having
Speaker 1: a nurturing environment for you and your family and creating
Speaker 1: memories with your children and nurturing your own personal health.
Speaker 1: A cozy home is not the decor. It is the
Speaker 1: feeling um being welcoming and really just creating that environment um.
Speaker 1: And it looks different to everyone how your home functions
Speaker 1: is cozy? How is it serving you? How is each
Speaker 1: room serving a purpose and really making your life better?
Speaker 1: So it's not just the decor again, it's your five
Speaker 1: senses and how they're reacting to each space. And so
Speaker 1: I hope that that's what people get from it. Well,
Speaker 1: I love it, and I can say this from the
Speaker 1: bottom of my heart. Cozy White Cottage Seasons a hundred
Speaker 1: ways to because all year long, Like I cannot recommend
Speaker 1: this book enough for everyone to get it is such
Speaker 1: a great book. It is so informative, It is so
Speaker 1: easy to read and understand. And the people who are
Speaker 1: like myself, who are not good at d I Y
Speaker 1: or anything like this at all, it actually makes you
Speaker 1: feel like you can do it, which is great. And
Speaker 1: I think that it is such an incredible contribution. So
Speaker 1: thank you for writing this, Thank you for all that
Speaker 1: you do. Thank you for sharing your story with me. Liz.
Speaker 1: Like I am, I was already like blown away by you.
Speaker 1: Like I said, I was so intimidated about you because
Speaker 1: you're just so powerful with everything that you've put out
Speaker 1: into the world. But like hearing your soul and like
Speaker 1: getting to have this conversation, you are just such a
Speaker 1: real soulful, incredible human and it is like so inspiring
Speaker 1: of someone like you who has just used your life
Speaker 1: experiences to turn them into beauty, to make the world
Speaker 1: a more beautiful, cozy place. And so thank you for
Speaker 1: blessing us with all of that. Well, thank you for
Speaker 1: having me and for this conversation. UM, I know it's
Speaker 1: helped me, and so I hope it helps others out there.
Speaker 1: This was a beautiful conversation. I love where it went,
Speaker 1: So thank you, thank you. Okay, I always wrap up
Speaker 1: with one question, which is super open ended, just whatever
Speaker 1: comes to mind, leave your light. What do you want
Speaker 1: people to know? That is such a good question. I
Speaker 1: guess you know, if we're going on what we talked
Speaker 1: about today as far as UM creating a cozy home
Speaker 1: and UM creating a cozy life, I just hope that UM,
Speaker 1: everyone out there knows that your individual path means a
Speaker 1: lot to people and staying on that path, staying true
Speaker 1: to yourself and UM living a life taking leaps of faith.
Speaker 1: UM can do really biging. So keep that hope and
Speaker 1: faith alive, and UM, you can do big things in
Speaker 1: this world. So yeah, I needed to hear that probably
Speaker 1: today too. So, I yeah, we often I think with
Speaker 1: social media we're looking at other people's journeys and thinking
Speaker 1: that ours needs to look identical, and um, that's just
Speaker 1: not the truth. And I think that we all need
Speaker 1: to adjust our brains and know that we all have
Speaker 1: individual paths and individual gifts and to hone in on
Speaker 1: them is really special and important. So you're amazing, List, amazing,
Speaker 1: Thank you so much for joining me today. You're actually
Speaker 1: going to be my last podcast of this year. Oh wow,
Speaker 1: it's an honor. Thank you. Thank you for wrapping up
Speaker 1: to the perfect conversation to end one. Thank you so
Speaker 1: much for this inspiration and for sharing your soul with me.
Speaker 1: I appreciate it. I am such a fan and now
Speaker 1: like your soul. Your a piece of my soul. I
Speaker 1: love your story. Thank you so much for joining me,
Speaker 1: List and have a great day and great holiday. Thank
Speaker 1: you you too. Okay, all right, byem