Leading Together: Marriage, Governance, and Divine Design for Sustainable Success with Benita and A.M. Williams

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the key to it all is surrender.

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The key to it all is surrender what we're talking about.

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surrender, who you used to be, surrender your old identity,

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surrender, the way you used to govern, the way you used to do business.

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Things like that.

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Just surrender to that.

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There may be something more, there may be something greater, there is something

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greater that God is calling you to

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A previous conversation opened the door.

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Today we're inviting both voices to the table.

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Bonita Williams is the author of the sustainable CEO, equipping leaders

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to move from burnout overflow through rest, clarity and stewardship.

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AM Williams coaches founders with the leverage leader approach, helping

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them create capacity and margin by building systems that scale.

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We'll explore how spouses lead together without losing their marriage.

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How values become your operating system and the habits that

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sustain profit First growth.

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This is what it looks like when leadership marriage both thrive.

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Benita am

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welcome to seek, go create.

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Thank you so much for having us.

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We are excited to be here.

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indeed.

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We are recording this on a Saturday morning and, and, and it's, crispy time

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of the year fall, which is a great time.

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I think it'll be releasing around that time, maybe close

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to Thanksgiving actually.

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there's nothing that people in the leadership and coaching

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space love on a Saturday morning getting together and talking

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about this stuff.

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Am I right?

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You're absolutely right.

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Some people be like getting ready for

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Yeah.

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games and stuff like that.

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what we do.

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we're gonna talk about the stuff that we love.

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So, we've had Bonita before and, I actually listened to

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your episode this morning.

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Bonita,

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we'll put links to so people

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Awesome.

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But am give us, give us a quick intro, man.

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tell us a little about you.

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Well, the work that I do is, a very interesting, and unique work it's called

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In Identity Architecture and Expansion, which, my specialty is in governance, and

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if I could just put that in real layman's terms so we can talk like ground level.

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I help

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Thank you.

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I appreciate it though.

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we need some simple explanations.

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what I believe my calling and what I'm called here to do is to help leaders

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become who their next level requires.

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So that they can carry

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what they're being called to.

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we do

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Hmm

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in the realm of leadership, life and legacy.

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And so a lot of what you'll hear from me today is in governance and

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how that relates, to stewardship.

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Bonita and I, we both approach leadership through the lens of stewardship.

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We just do it from two distinct different angles where they come together help the

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hmm.

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to grow in governance and ultimately, become who their next level requires.

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Yeah, and I, the conversation that Bonita and I had, I guess it was a few

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months ago, I can't time sort

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Yeah.

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all, all together.

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I don't know if it's when you get to a certain age or just

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the way life is moving along.

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I felt.

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I was inspired.

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That might be a good word to say, by the heart and the story and things like that.

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And one of the things, and I wanna go ahead and dive into it now, and I'm

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gonna get your perspective on it, then I'm gonna bounce back to Bonita, is that

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she brought up how word caregiver and all fit in with her leadership journey.

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and part of it was, it seems like she's caregiver just wherever she goes.

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Okay.

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care of me all over the place.

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can you give a little bit of background to your story to put it in context?

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Just, the short synopsis.

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'cause I do want us to get into some leadership and discussions, but the

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perspective of where you're at, those watching the video now see you're

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in, you, you're in kind of a, a a, a

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bed.

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Yeah,

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situation.

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Therapy bed.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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Which actually looks, I, I'm not saying this lightly.

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It looks comfortable, but still there's a reason for it.

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Not, probably not, super exciting.

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But give, give a little background for us.

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I was diagnosed incomplete paraplegic in like, 2000 year 2000.

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in that process of having a surgery, I ended up contracting staph infection.

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So I had to, lay it dormant for a few years, and then it came to

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the surface and caused my body to implode in several different places.

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And in that process I did a lot of, acute wound care, had to be in the

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hospital for a long period of time.

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in 2007, I faced a situation where the doctors told me, that if I didn't have a

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specific surgery, I'd be dead in 10 days.

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I'm still here today and sometimes there's the part of me that's

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like wanting to go back to 'em and say, Hey, you seeing dead people?

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but really ultimately, it's God's glory that I'm here today.

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But it was in that process, Tim, that, in that hospital bed, he told

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me something in my life could be leveraged create something that I want.

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And, in that period of time since then, you know, I literally built my business

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a bed bound condition in the hospital.

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Um, on for literally 13 to 15 years after that coaching training, doing

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leadership, trainings and things of that nature from a bed bound condition.

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I do have a condition of incomplete paraplegia and, decided to put it all in

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a book that I'll be releasing later this year, or next year called How to make it

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to the Top when you Can't take the Stairs.

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Hmm.

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identity expansion and the importance of operating from your divine design.

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And so, Bonita has been extremely first of all, the level of my life.

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And I get, if I get too caught up in her, this podcast is gonna take a far left.

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but, she has been a gift.

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Let's keep it pg.

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Let's don't get, too saucy.

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she's a gift from God.

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She's an angel.

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she has assisted me.

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and while there are a lot of things that she does physically, the support in my

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own identities, the support reminding me of who God created and call me to

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be and to carry out due to things.

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In fact, the only reason why I'm coaching today is because of her.

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Mm

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of her, the things that she led me to.

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And ironically enough, the material that she had gave me, it just kept feeding

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it, kept feeding me and feeding me.

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she gave me a book and I read the book and it had a number in it, and

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I reached out to the office that was in the book, and I got the owner and

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she put me on a path and led me to a relationship that, I've carried and

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developed for many, many, years from that.

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And so this whole path of coaching and things of that nature was something

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that she helped to awaken within me.

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And it's been an amazing path.

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So when we think about the dynamic of caregiving, it's not just about physical

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mm.

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because if you just look at it from that lane, that angle,

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it could be very burdensome.

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You know?

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It, it can

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Yeah,

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I'm not trying to make light of it.

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Because I know I'm a tough case to deal with, you know?

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But at the same time,

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I sense that in UAMI sense that you'd be tough.

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Tall glass of water, but tough to deal with at the same time.

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So, it's just, it's a beautiful.

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Peace because the balance and how, you know, what she does for me and then

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what God allows me to do, for her and

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yeah.

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supports me, which is tremendous.

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She's truly indeed the arc frame that's keeping me up like this.

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but at the

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Yeah.

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it's just been amazing because to see how God turns around and allows

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me to support her and what it does, and it's him because I'm like, man, I

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bonita's

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completely above my pay grade.

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I didn't even have the sense, of mine to be able to ask for

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God for something like her.

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and what she's given me has been life giving and life changing.

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but it's

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We, we, we interview, interview.

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Seems like we lean in.

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Maybe it's just what we attract a lot of, guys, you know, kind of like us.

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that talk a lot and run our mouths and it's a fairly common theme.

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A few things are common.

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Number one, everybody's on this unique journey with their own struggles

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and challenges and things like that.

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We love to lean into that.

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But there's another thing that's in common.

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It's like every guy, went way up the food chain with their spouse.

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It's like every single time, you know, Benita asked early, he says, oh, I thought

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Gloria might be joining us on this call.

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maybe we did put that in the email or something.

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It's like, well, yeah, we

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Yeah.

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had she been on here because I, I went way up the food chain too.

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So congratulations on that.

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Benita, I want to come back to something on ams.

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I want to drill down on something that was, I want to ask him about his pre 2000

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life in just a second, but me, respond, I guess, to what he said, because I

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believe words are powerful

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absolutely

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is.

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in the power of the

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it is.

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And to hear, a couple either male or female speaking of

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their spouse in the way am did,

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just is nourishing

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how to put a smile on my face,

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But,

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so.

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I want to hear your response, but I'd love to hear a little

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bit about how y'all connected because, you know, I know that you,

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you know, you had a, a

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Mm-hmm.

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and at some point along the way

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Mm-hmm.

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He was obviously, in a, position where he's in roughly now, I

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think at the time y'all connected.

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So tell me a little bit about that.

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But then I do wanna go back.

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There's some

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things I want to ask about identity

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prior to 2000 for

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Sure.

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Absolutely.

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So, one of the, the biggest things about our relationship is that we

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were friends, before anything else.

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You know, I met him actually, during the work that I was doing,

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with the nonprofit that I was with.

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we were, helping people who had disabilities in the community with,

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advocacy and, independent living skills, training, things like that.

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And so he actually became, one of our, consumers, at the center.

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And so I got to really know him, know about, you know, his story,

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his backstory, things like that.

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And just.

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He's just a really cool person, you know, and, we became friends and

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so our friendship has been over the span of what, over 20 some years.

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just started out as a friendship and grew from that.

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I went through, a divorce, with my first husband.

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and after that, our relationship blossomed from there.

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but I, I, when I met a, he was already, you know, living the adjusted lifestyle,

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in terms of, being a wheelchair user, trying to get access to services

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and supports in the community,

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And so, You know, I didn't know him prior to him having, a disability.

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And so it was basically just, helping to navigate the process of change for that.

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And then also just making sure that he knew, certain resources and things

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like that, that were available.

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But, what he mentioned about, introducing him to different books and things, he

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always came across as a person that.

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you know, could really, he just has a way with words.

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I told him he's very influential.

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He has a way with words, things like that.

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And has he ever thought about, you know, coaching or doing something in that lane?

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And so that's kind of how that process began.

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just started introducing him to certain material that I was reading

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at the time, certain coaches that I was following at the time, and

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mentors and things like that.

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And so that just kind of opened up the world, of coaching and mentorship for him.

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Yeah.

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with anything the AM does, if he is truly committed to it, he is going to devour it.

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He's going to take it in and literally devour it.

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And so that's what happened.

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He just kind of found his niche, so, yeah.

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Yeah.

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And it doesn't hurt.

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I mean, I was sitting there listening to him I'm going,

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dang man.

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Am sounds like Barry White to me.

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Good gracious.

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I

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mean, he could just light into a song and I'd, I would be swooning.

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I could tell you,

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man, I'm going good gracious.

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he has a gift.

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to Barry White.

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That may not be, some people may not know that reference.

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Yes, absolutely.

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I wanna dig a little bit because I love the love fest we're having here,

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but I wanna dig into some principles.

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Tell me what your life was like pre 2000.

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I don't know what age you're at now.

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I don't know what age you were then.

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Maybe you could share that.

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But I actually have some theories about identity that I

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want us to dig on a little bit.

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So tell me a little bit about pre 2000 am.

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Oh, wow.

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Keep it clean.

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I feel like I'm living in a different

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I feel

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Hmm.

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I'm living in a different lifetime.

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a lot of what I had before 2000 I was walking, I was in

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Hmm.

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you know, another relationship.

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I was in a, I was married before,

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In that period of time, I think there was a lot of, searching, a

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lot of searching, a lot of training.

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I came out the, the, um, industry of finance.

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I worked in banking.

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I did, my, one of my first businesses was, financial advisory.

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I worked, in the arena of, helping people, to, I could take tear a

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mortgage apart, showing people how to, restructure to, structure

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mortgages, provide the necessary, asset protection as far as insurance

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coverage and things of that nature, and helping them to structure things.

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And I didn't even realize it.

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But even then, I was operating in some form of governance and like showing

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people how to structure things, put it in place so that they can scale, scale.

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But it was a lot of, trying to do something that would, allow me to be able

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to get a stronger sense or, a sense of like what being successful in life was.

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And, trying to do what I saw.

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I was trying to model what I saw to become something more.

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however, when this condition was introduced into my life,

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it's like, man, now I'm living.

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Because you get to see something, get to see something in life

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that you couldn't see before.

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while I'm tall in stature, I'm six eight.

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I'm 52, 52 years of age.

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A lot of, what I thought, what I saw in life, it's just

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like I went behind the veil.

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Like I saw something and I saw people and I saw situations and I gained a

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heart for persons, with disability

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Hmm.

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of that nature.

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'cause they was going through things I didn't even know, existed in life.

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Yeah.

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it challenged me in ways because, people, they just had this thing,

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you know, like they look at you a certain way if you're disabled.

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And I've had everything from, having people look at me and like, talk to

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me like as though they thought I had some kind of, you know, condition and

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I couldn't comprehend and all of that.

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I pride myself on being very academically astute certain things, but they

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looking at me and talking to me crazy and I'm like, you know, sometimes I

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can be a cheerleader for foolishness.

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I'll engage you in that for a minute just to show you, like just expose some stuff,

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but at the same time, I hadn't lost that.

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I hadn't lost that at all.

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I just feel like life was totally different and it's hard to

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speak on it and talk about it.

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The one thing that I carry from it though is like, with everything I've gained, God,

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I am just so ready to get back on my feet.

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Yeah.

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say this, Tim, it was Benita that told me when we were friends, this is powerful.

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She said, God allowed your ability to walk like everybody else to

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be impacted because he's gonna give you a walk like nobody else.

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And I

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literally

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Yeah, that's.

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I fell apart when she said that because she spoke.

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To my purpose.

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She spoke to who he created me to be.

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And even though I'm still in a chair, I do believe, you know, in me being

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able to walk again, but I'm walking in so many different ways now.

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I've touched lives.

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I've impacted, people through my coaching and training and leadership.

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I've done things that I never thought I would've ever before.

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Yeah,

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grateful,

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for it all.

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So I don't, I'm not trying to dodge the question, but it's just like, it's

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hard to think about what it was before because whole life is seen through a lens

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and that I, like, this is what I know.

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yeah.

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and I listen, I believe that has a way of equipping us.

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of the situations we're in, I think sometimes we have this, and especially

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in the world we're in today, and this also feeds into leadership.

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We have this perfectionist mindset of the way things should be.

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But yet that's not really the world we function and operate in.

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I, spend a lot of time studying first century, the time that the

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New Testament was written so that we could have a proper perspective.

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Many times we take scriptures, we try to apply it to our modern

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perfection, mindset, et cetera.

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But I, I'll be specific about it.

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before we move on, you seem like someone who was, six foot eight,

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you have an athletic feel to you.

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I don't know if that's correct or not, and maybe I'm drawing assumptions and

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many times people's identity, if it's wrapped up in their physical ability.

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It takes a hit when all of a sudden they lose some physical ability.

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I've spoken to a lot of former pro athletes and all that.

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when they leave sports or whatever, they don't know what to do.

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and I believe that identity with the ability to walk or hear or see or

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speak or any of that kind of stuff, if it's lost, can really erode identity

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until someone like Benita comes back into your life and speaks into it.

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But you an athlete or physically, what were you able to do at six foot eight?

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Good, gracious.

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You were probably wanting to do some things, maybe, I don't know.

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Or were just, you were just a tall, dark and handsome dude that, you know,

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around and played cello or something.

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I don't know.

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No, interestingly enough, I think as it pertains to the identity lens, what

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many people look at as identity really is more like the dynamic of the lens

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at which we see ourself and we talk about self-concept, you know, that's

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stoned around a lot in the arena of coaching, self-concept, how the way you

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see yourself and things of that nature.

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ironically, God gave me a musical ability and I was, really big and

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like music and things of that nature.

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I played sports, I did play some sports, and I was nowhere

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near as good as I wanted.

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I could tell you when I was in high school, I wanted to be recruited.

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I wanted to play for Tommy Osborne, play for Nebraska, and I wanted to

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be that, I had that kind of ambition.

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I wanted to be super successful and have a lot of things.

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And I just wanted to, live life through that lens.

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interestingly enough,

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when these things came along, I never saw myself as a person with disability.

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I never saw myself as limited.

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I never saw myself as like, well, I'm not just gonna go lay up under the bed.

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While there was plenty of people that said, you have every reason or excuse

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if you don't wanna do this and that you've gone through this condition

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and we understand if you don't wanna do something more, I never saw that.

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In fact, I didn't learn how to swim until after I became disabled.

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never got on a plane until after I was disabled.

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there were so many things.

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I've done leadership trainings and things for cohorts.

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I was part of a leadership group that we did, leadership training for, a Fortune 50

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company, a division out in Southeast Asia.

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and I did a lot of these things from this place.

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when Paul talked about strength being made perfect in my weakness and the stages that

Speaker: 00:21:35

I have done, people say, lemme tell you something, you might be in a wheelchair.

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But that thing is not a cripple.

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It's not a crutch, it's a cape.

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Because when you talk that wheelchair disappears.

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I don't see a wheelchair, and that's all God.

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That's all God and me operating through me.

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I can't tell you the amount of people who said, man, I listen to you talk.

Speaker: 00:21:56

I have no excuses.

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I was doing, leadership lectures in colleges before I had a college degree,

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I, mean, there were things that have happened in my life that he has shown

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his strength being made perfect.

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Now, that doesn't mean I don't have moments.

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That doesn't mean I don't have times where I'm like, boy, I wish I could

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do this and I wish I could get up and well, you don't know if I could do this.

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Boy, what I would do.

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But I think it was, I don't think it was ever that God didn't want me to walk.

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It was just a motive behind what I was wanting to do that

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was wrapped up in self concept.

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The ambition behind

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Mm

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I

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can prove something.

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I could perform something.

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in entertainment and music, you do a lot of performing, you do a lot of that.

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And so performing was instilled in me.

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It was instilled.

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And so now as I do the work that I do now, it's a lot of that dying,

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ambition driven effort, proving, performing, and you see it so much

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in business and so much leadership.

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It's like everybody's trying to prove something and perform something

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to get, you know, and I call that ambition driven effort, we help

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to shift from that to alignment driven expansion where it just flows

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mm.

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And I'm not talking about like this puff, like, oh, you know, just

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sit there and like flower child and, you know, thing all that.

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No, I'm talking about where you allow.

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God's life in you to flow and things that you do in leadership is by divine design.

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when I think about that period of time and what I was before, I see so much presence

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improving and trying to perform because I didn't like the way things were and I was

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determined I'm not gonna be that person.

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I'm not gonna, I'm gonna be more than that.

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I'm gonna do than, than what I've seen.

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And I'm going to constantly try to, you know, outlive

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things that I had experienced.

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Like I was constantly like living, like I'm above that now and I'm

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above, you know, this and that.

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And at the end of the day, it's like, man, to see how strength that

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has come from that how God uses.

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People may see me in the beginning in a wheelchair, but they sit and

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they listen and they're like, man, I could listen to you talk all day.

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I've heard some of the things that you say, but I haven't heard it

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through the way that you shared it.

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And that's what changes everything.

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So the, a couple of things, and I think we've now caught up.

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I've allowed to catch up to the conversations I've had with Benita.

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So we're gonna spend the next probably 30 minutes diving into kind of how

Speaker: 00:24:46

two of you have merged your leadership journey and things like that.

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But one of the things that jumped out at me was I think one of the biggest.

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I don't wanna say struggles.

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Challenges that I see with we're lumping things.

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Leadership's a big word.

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In fact, I think leadership isn't a good word general nowadays because

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it throws so many things at us.

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But say in general, is attempting to be somebody that you're not to strive for.

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I believe in stretching.

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I really do.

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But I also believe that we kind of have to understand who we

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are and what we're equipped for.

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And like you said, and I've talked to Benita about it, we've

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gotta allow God to be God and for him to operate in our lives.

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Because leaders listening in can at times start thinking that we're all, that,

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you know, we are, we look at the skills.

Speaker: 00:25:44

you are a great speaker.

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But you show up in a wheelchair and that showing up with that vulnerability or

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something that's perceived as a weakness, I'm not gonna say it is a weakness, but

Speaker: 00:25:57

it's perceived, opens the door for people to hear things that they need to hear.

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when Benita shows up, she shows up and says, I went through a crash.

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I was not sustainable.

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I wasn't the sustainable C-O-C-E-O, I was broken.

Speaker: 00:26:13

and I think at our root coaches leadership, people training, we had this

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tension between speaking with confidence.

Speaker: 00:26:25

Can cross over into cockiness or arrogance.

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I have that issue.

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I will readily admit it.

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My wife tells me, when you speak, it really

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comes across as if you know

Speaker: 00:26:38

Hmm.

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And I said, I don't know how to change that tone.

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it is a success tool in our world we're in

Speaker: 00:26:48

today, but

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Mm-hmm.

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Hmm.

Speaker: 00:26:50

heel.

Speaker: 00:26:50

I think many times our superpower can become our weakness.

Speaker: 00:26:53

anyway, Benita, let's start tying some things together here, and I'm gonna

Speaker: 00:26:58

let you kinda lead us here as we go through the next handful of minutes.

Speaker: 00:27:03

How has it impacted your leadership journey?

Speaker: 00:27:09

Not necessarily the physical, but that mental that we just heard

Speaker: 00:27:13

some of that wisdom that he shared.

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And do y'all just sit around and talk coaching and

Speaker: 00:27:18

leadership stuff all the time?

Speaker: 00:27:19

Like who does the laundry?

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Right.

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I wouldn't be able to do the laundry

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because

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Yeah.

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my wife and I do that.

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We do that too.

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And then just so you

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You do the laundry.

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right?

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I'm about

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to, after we finish this

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There you go

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the laundry.

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But anyway,

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Yeah,

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Share, I mean,

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Yeah,

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let's just kinda let, let's

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just kinda

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absolutely.

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Um,

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I would say, am helps me with the laundry for sure.

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So he does have a part to play.

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But yeah, it's so interesting because, hindsight is always 2020 again, I have to

Speaker: 00:27:49

revert back to our friendship days and, you know, and we're still friends today.

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Let me make sure I say that.

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But when we were just friends, We would have these dialogues all the time,

Speaker: 00:28:00

about leadership and about growth.

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'cause I was very much into, the whole self-growth and

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things like that, at the time.

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And so I was reading a lot of self-help books and, you know, that's the kind of

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material that I was, actually passing along to a e and we just, we had really

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good conversation, really good dialogue

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I would say probably as we just continued to talk and continue to grow and learn

Speaker: 00:28:23

more about each other, we realized that we both had strengths, that we could pull on.

Speaker: 00:28:29

And so we kind of bounce ideas off of each other.

Speaker: 00:28:32

we recognize, the spiritual gifts, which is very important, to recognize your

Speaker: 00:28:36

spouse's spiritual gifts and, their spiritual strengths and things like that.

Speaker: 00:28:40

And then recognize where, your spiritual gifts kick in and how

Speaker: 00:28:44

to marry those gifts together.

Speaker: 00:28:45

So, AM is very much a great.

Speaker: 00:28:48

Or Ada, he's a great, he can speak and he has that gift as a part of his gifting.

Speaker: 00:28:54

the word of knowledge is a strong gift that he carries.

Speaker: 00:28:56

And so a lot of times I feel like I have my own personal coach, when other people

Speaker: 00:29:01

are out looking for, coaches and things like that, of course to grow and things.

Speaker: 00:29:05

But I feel like God just gave me my own, personal coach.

Speaker: 00:29:08

'cause I'm always going to him about ideas, going to him about,

Speaker: 00:29:12

Discussions and just different things that are on my mind and

Speaker: 00:29:14

my heart, and we talk it out.

Speaker: 00:29:16

he's very big on communication and so, that's a huge one for us as well.

Speaker: 00:29:21

It's just our ability to communicate, to really share, what we are both feeling

Speaker: 00:29:26

or what we are both trying to express and respect what it is that we're both saying.

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I, I consider myself, Somewhat a, a a alpha female, and he

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is of course an alpha male.

Speaker: 00:29:37

And so sometimes our differences of opinions will clash.

Speaker: 00:29:41

but we have worked it out over, 16 plus years now of marriage.

Speaker: 00:29:45

So we've learned how to coexist and allow those instincts to coexist together, but

Speaker: 00:29:51

still, be able to help each other out.

Speaker: 00:29:54

And so I think that's the strength of.

Speaker: 00:29:56

working together where you both know what you're after, what you're going

Speaker: 00:30:00

for, and you can both compliment each other along the journey.

Speaker: 00:30:04

You know, he respects, what I do and I respect what he does.

Speaker: 00:30:07

and we just want the best and to bring out the best in each other.

Speaker: 00:30:11

And I think that's the key to, you know, working together in leadership.

Speaker: 00:30:17

Yeah, so I've got a few windows that are up on my computer and his website

Speaker: 00:30:24

says,

Speaker: 00:30:26

Yeah.

Speaker: 00:30:27

am Williams.

Speaker: 00:30:29

You, I do think you have coach in your realm, but I don't know that

Speaker: 00:30:33

you specifically lean in that coach.

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I think when we talked before, I shared with you that

Speaker: 00:30:39

I, at my core, I

Speaker: 00:30:41

Mm-hmm.

Speaker: 00:30:42

I've added strategy and things I've layered in.

Speaker: 00:30:44

But at my core,

Speaker: 00:30:46

I am.

Speaker: 00:30:47

Okay.

Speaker: 00:30:47

and I know you and I, caregiver and different things came

Speaker: 00:30:50

up in our last conversation.

Speaker: 00:30:52

Benita, tell me what are the things in what

Speaker: 00:30:56

you and am do that

Speaker: 00:30:58

Mm-hmm.

Speaker: 00:30:59

like if something let's just say the two of y'all worked together

Speaker: 00:31:03

with an organization or someone.

Speaker: 00:31:06

What are the things that are similar and then what are the

Speaker: 00:31:08

things that are different?

Speaker: 00:31:10

what is the things that your unique

Speaker: 00:31:13

are?

Speaker: 00:31:14

And then, I mean, I

Speaker: 00:31:15

Yeah.

Speaker: 00:31:15

already said his is probably

Speaker: 00:31:17

coach, but tell me

Speaker: 00:31:18

Yeah.

Speaker: 00:31:18

So I lean more towards strategist, consultant, and

Speaker: 00:31:22

so I am very detail oriented.

Speaker: 00:31:25

a MC is the big picture.

Speaker: 00:31:26

So he's always the visionary.

Speaker: 00:31:28

He's always casting vision.

Speaker: 00:31:29

He's casting vision for our house.

Speaker: 00:31:30

He's casting vision for a business, casting vision for our lifestyle.

Speaker: 00:31:34

Like he's the visionary.

Speaker: 00:31:35

I'm the person that puts the details to it, you know, I'm the implementer.

Speaker: 00:31:39

I like to get down to the details.

Speaker: 00:31:41

I like to plan things out, I like to be very specific in,

Speaker: 00:31:44

what it is that I'm doing.

Speaker: 00:31:45

And so when it comes to leadership and the work that we do together,

Speaker: 00:31:49

oftentimes our work crosses over.

Speaker: 00:31:51

It does, it kind of, connects and crosses over because you know,

Speaker: 00:31:55

without a vision of people perish.

Speaker: 00:31:57

Right.

Speaker: 00:31:57

But then you also have to have, implementers, you also have to have

Speaker: 00:32:01

people who know how to work the vision.

Speaker: 00:32:04

in leadership it's a lot about, getting people to buy in.

Speaker: 00:32:08

And he's great.

Speaker: 00:32:09

He's so good at that.

Speaker: 00:32:10

He's great at getting people to really buy in.

Speaker: 00:32:13

that's the influence and that's the impact, whenever you get, people to buy

Speaker: 00:32:17

into the vision, but for me, it's more about, okay, so we bought into vision.

Speaker: 00:32:20

Now who's gonna do the work?

Speaker: 00:32:21

what are we gonna do?

Speaker: 00:32:22

How are we going to move forward in the things that we've already set out to do?

Speaker: 00:32:26

And so a lot of our, leadership styles compliment each other

Speaker: 00:32:29

and kind of coexist together.

Speaker: 00:32:31

And, I think that's the brilliance of how, and only God could, only

Speaker: 00:32:34

God can do something like that really, to have it where, you're

Speaker: 00:32:38

so complimentary to each other's, leadership styles and things like that.

Speaker: 00:32:43

And so, that's what I appreciate the most about him is he's

Speaker: 00:32:46

always able to give direction.

Speaker: 00:32:49

he's always able to lean in, and for me to see the big picture.

Speaker: 00:32:52

'cause sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees.

Speaker: 00:32:55

and for me to be able to realize what the big picture is and not get so

Speaker: 00:32:59

caught up in the small details that, you end up, just a hoard of activity,

Speaker: 00:33:05

but you're not really moving forward.

Speaker: 00:33:06

And you've gotta continue to see where it is that you're going.

Speaker: 00:33:09

and for him it's just the opposite.

Speaker: 00:33:11

it's more like, you know, cast the vision.

Speaker: 00:33:15

What's the big picture?

Speaker: 00:33:16

What does that look like?

Speaker: 00:33:17

And then, leave the details to be delegated,

Speaker: 00:33:21

Gloria and I are very similar.

Speaker: 00:33:23

We both on strength finder's, strategy is

Speaker: 00:33:26

our number

Speaker: 00:33:26

okay.

Speaker: 00:33:27

strength finder

Speaker: 00:33:27

Mm-hmm.

Speaker: 00:33:30

but it looks a little bit different.

Speaker: 00:33:31

I'M strategy

Speaker: 00:33:33

at 10, 20, 30, 40,000 feet and she's

Speaker: 00:33:36

often strategy

Speaker: 00:33:38

Mm-hmm.

Speaker: 00:33:38

Mm-hmm.

Speaker: 00:33:40

She is

Speaker: 00:33:40

Yeah.

Speaker: 00:33:41

the heck outta things and I'm just like moving bigger

Speaker: 00:33:45

organization around and all that.

Speaker: 00:33:48

What you, you mentioned, you know that

Speaker: 00:33:51

you can at times be alpha

Speaker: 00:33:53

Mm.

Speaker: 00:33:53

This, I think is, is some valuable conversation.

Speaker: 00:33:56

I'm about to ask both of y'all's opinion on this because I think it's

Speaker: 00:33:59

valuable for leaders listening in.

Speaker: 00:34:03

How do y'all handle conflict when something, when all of a sudden

Speaker: 00:34:09

the head's butt, or somebody wants

Speaker: 00:34:12

Yeah.

Speaker: 00:34:13

charge and, and sometimes a two-headed monster?

Speaker: 00:34:17

We know what that can look like.

Speaker: 00:34:19

I'm gonna ask you first Bonita, then I'm gonna, how, and you know, if

Speaker: 00:34:23

y'all have got an example or whatever.

Speaker: 00:34:25

'cause I do want this to be a real conversation here because I can see

Speaker: 00:34:34

that this, this, there could be some challenges here.

Speaker: 00:34:36

So how do y'all handle, how do y'all handle when something

Speaker: 00:34:38

comes up that's a conflict?

Speaker: 00:34:40

would say better these days.

Speaker: 00:34:45

Not very good.

Speaker: 00:34:46

Wasn't always the case, but definitely better these days.

Speaker: 00:34:50

again, I think it goes back to, something my husband shared earlier

Speaker: 00:34:55

and that is, the word governance.

Speaker: 00:34:57

You know, when you start to realize.

Speaker: 00:35:00

Who you are, the identity that God has given you.

Speaker: 00:35:03

And you start to buy into that 'cause you actually have to buy into that.

Speaker: 00:35:07

I think that what happens with a lot of us is that we don't, we hear things

Speaker: 00:35:11

or we may have been told things, maybe prophesied to you, may have gotten

Speaker: 00:35:14

dreams about, but are you really bought into who God is calling you to be?

Speaker: 00:35:19

Like who you really are in him.

Speaker: 00:35:21

And so that identity aspect of it.

Speaker: 00:35:24

what I'm learning, through my husband's teaching and sharing is that.

Speaker: 00:35:27

There's certain things that I'm really, really good at.

Speaker: 00:35:30

I'm confident in, and I should be the one to lead in that capacity.

Speaker: 00:35:34

And then there are other areas where he's really, really good.

Speaker: 00:35:37

He's solid, he's called to it.

Speaker: 00:35:39

It's, it's what God has put in him.

Speaker: 00:35:41

And so I yield.

Speaker: 00:35:42

to that I yield to what it is that he's very good and very strong at.

Speaker: 00:35:46

I think the more we start to buy in and we stay in our respective, places and spaces,

Speaker: 00:35:52

it helps to merge or bring together, you know, those leadership styles.

Speaker: 00:35:57

So, so that you can resolve conflicts, in an amicable way, and that that's.

Speaker: 00:36:02

That's kind of how I see it today.

Speaker: 00:36:04

Hasn't, again, hasn't always been that case.

Speaker: 00:36:06

But, today we're getting better at it because I believe we're

Speaker: 00:36:10

both being respectful of the areas that we've been called to lead in.

Speaker: 00:36:14

So that's how I would sum it up.

Speaker: 00:36:17

Well.

Speaker: 00:36:17

if we said, oh,

Speaker: 00:36:18

we never have conflict, that would be

Speaker: 00:36:20

Oh yeah,

Speaker: 00:36:20

world.

Speaker: 00:36:21

people that

Speaker: 00:36:21

are growth minded, we're

Speaker: 00:36:23

Oh yeah.

Speaker: 00:36:24

we're doing things Alright.

Speaker: 00:36:26

I am, I'm

Speaker: 00:36:26

Hmm.

Speaker: 00:36:27

you the same question and, and there is only one right answer for you, but I'll

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allow you to say something different.

Speaker: 00:36:32

And

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it is, the way we handle conflict

Speaker: 00:36:34

Yeah.

Speaker: 00:36:34

always right.

Speaker: 00:36:35

I'm, I'm wrong and I just yield.

Speaker: 00:36:38

how do y'all deal with conflict?

Speaker: 00:36:39

How do y'all work through things?

Speaker: 00:36:41

I, I'll, I'll add a little humor to this.

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and maybe it's a joke that, leaders can be able to take with them if you

Speaker: 00:36:48

can handle it now with discretion.

Speaker: 00:36:50

If your relationship can't handle it, don't do it.

Speaker: 00:36:52

But a long time ago, a man asked me, who wears the pants in your house?

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Out of ego.

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I said, I wear the pants.

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And I said, well, who wears the pants in your household?

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He says, she does.

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I just tell her what pair to put on.

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Okay.

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Hmm.

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governance man is tough because when you're so used to being the manager,

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when you're so used to being the one, oh, well this is what's needed.

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Men take a lot of pride in that.

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You know, as a leader, I, look, I do what I want to do.

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I, I, this is my business.

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This is what I want to do.

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This is what we're gonna do as is how, and I'm gonna be the

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manager this whole situation.

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Well, my wife is exceptional at management, okay?

Speaker: 00:37:43

She's an exceptional manager, but me willing to let that go.

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Govern is is the key.

Speaker: 00:37:54

so many leaders feel like they got to do everything to accomplish anything.

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When you learn not to just delegate a role, empower

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authority, that's the difference.

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moves from.

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You do what's in your design.

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It's not that one person is better than the other.

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It's you have a

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design.

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Yeah.

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You have a design in which you do things, and so you lead differently.

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You got to appeal to whose strengths are in what and when

Speaker: 00:38:29

you learn how to govern in life.

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You learn how to govern in leadership.

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You learn how to govern in legacy, you learn how to do these things.

Speaker: 00:38:40

it really, everybody gets to reach their full potential.

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So as I begin to learn more about governance, then I'm able to

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say, okay, this is her design.

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So I have to relinquish and say, okay, I'm gonna empower her to be able to do this.

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And that's by putting

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structure

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That's good.

Speaker: 00:39:05

in place so that she can now, okay, I got this part, now I can

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take it from here and be okay.

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And let that go.

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But that takes

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growth into it.

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Yes.

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People hold on to things like their

Speaker: 00:39:19

Hmm.

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They

Speaker: 00:39:20

never want to leave the house.

Speaker: 00:39:22

You never let them reach the maturity that they need to

Speaker: 00:39:26

grow in governance themselves.

Speaker: 00:39:28

'cause you're always holding on to something.

Speaker: 00:39:31

And so when you learn how to release and say, okay, that's what you are great at.

Speaker: 00:39:38

so therefore I, you have to operate according to your design.

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I have to operate according to mine.

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And then we grow in that, we grow.

Speaker: 00:39:49

And how we flow and conflict is minimized.

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But I would also like to add something to what Bonita was saying earlier.

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A coaching term that I believe really helps to really support

Speaker: 00:40:05

each other is holding space.

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Benita doesn't have to be super to be my wife.

Speaker: 00:40:18

She operates supernaturally, but she doesn't have to be perfect.

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she can have her moments.

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And so when she's having her moments for me to hold space for her and

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let her have that moment, and then share what God gives me to share

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with her, not to look at her and say, look, this is what's wrong with you.

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This is what's wrong.

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You know this, but hold space.

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And then for her to do the same for me, I have moments, she's like, you

Speaker: 00:40:47

know what, okay, I'm gonna let you have your moment, let you do that,

Speaker: 00:40:50

but then we gotta come back because again, your divine design is too

Speaker: 00:40:56

important for what God has for us to do.

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And so as we begin to come back to that and, and if we begin to look at

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leadership as like, divine design is too

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important.

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Mm-hmm.

Speaker: 00:41:12

For me to not be in it, and that this organization do what God created it to do.

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If we don't, that's the biggest thing.

Speaker: 00:41:20

So that's why it has to start with identity.

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If you don't understand your divine design, then you're constantly

Speaker: 00:41:26

gonna be stepping on somebody else's toes and trying to do

Speaker: 00:41:29

everything that they're doing.

Speaker: 00:41:30

You need to be the hero.

Speaker: 00:41:31

You need to be the one to save the day.

Speaker: 00:41:33

You gotta do everything for anybody to accomplish anything.

Speaker: 00:41:37

it's just not, that's not sustainable, and it's definitely not scalable, you know?

Speaker: 00:41:42

So if we don't get that part right, we miss everything, that's just alignment.

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When I operate according to my divine design, she operates

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according to her divine design.

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Where there is unity, he commands the blessing.

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so I wanna be in unity.

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I wanna be that I don't want to just take

Speaker: 00:42:02

Hmm.

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and, you know, just to get along and tolerate things or whatever.

Speaker: 00:42:06

I share what I feel about it and then we go on.

Speaker: 00:42:09

But at the same point of time, it doesn't mean it has to be conflict.

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You right.

Speaker: 00:42:17

My greatest conflict is not with my wife.

Speaker: 00:42:21

My greatest conflict is within my greatest conflict is fighting who I

Speaker: 00:42:26

was versus who God created me to be.

Speaker: 00:42:30

When I work through that conflict.

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And sometimes she gets caught up and, you know, she, she's,

Speaker: 00:42:35

the object of like, misfire, you know, and she gets that a lot.

Speaker: 00:42:40

But it's because I'm wrestling between who I was and who God created me

Speaker: 00:42:45

to be as it pertains to how I lead.

Speaker: 00:42:49

lead.

Speaker: 00:42:49

in my household, lead in my business lead in life.

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It's not her.

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Oftentimes it's not her, it's me.

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And so

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understanding that, that's

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key.

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I will say though.

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we have not yet figured out, you know, when it comes to,

Speaker: 00:43:05

what we're having for dinner.

Speaker: 00:43:08

We have not yet figured out

Speaker: 00:43:11

this is not,

Speaker: 00:43:12

'em

Speaker: 00:43:12

How to handle

Speaker: 00:43:13

this is not work

Speaker: 00:43:14

can't get it up.

Speaker: 00:43:15

You can't win 'em all.

Speaker: 00:43:16

when it comes.

Speaker: 00:43:17

things just forever.

Speaker: 00:43:18

We,

Speaker: 00:43:18

ever.

Speaker: 00:43:18

There.

Speaker: 00:43:19

we haven't been able to figure that part out yet.

Speaker: 00:43:22

I could fast for three days in a row.

Speaker: 00:43:24

So if we go eat, it's up to you, sweetie.

Speaker: 00:43:27

we'll figure it out.

Speaker: 00:43:28

It's beautiful.

Speaker: 00:43:29

I love what you said.

Speaker: 00:43:30

There's a couple things pop to mind.

Speaker: 00:43:34

I am not one that uses profanity.

Speaker: 00:43:36

I grew up in the Bible belt and it never comes outta my mouth.

Speaker: 00:43:42

and we're a clean show here, but I'm gonna bleep myself out because there's

Speaker: 00:43:46

a phrase that someone brought up to

Speaker: 00:43:48

Mm.

Speaker: 00:43:50

that is sometimes you just gotta let that bleep go.

Speaker: 00:43:56

That's one of

Speaker: 00:43:56

Yes.

Speaker: 00:43:57

that came to my mind.

Speaker: 00:43:58

the second thing was the word stewardship.

Speaker: 00:44:01

Bonita, I'm gonna throw it over to you in just a minute 'cause

Speaker: 00:44:03

I think you and I. Skirted.

Speaker: 00:44:05

This the last conversation, but I think it ties in with this, you said

Speaker: 00:44:10

something that, you know, if you're not sustainable, you can't scale.

Speaker: 00:44:14

The unfortunate thing in the world we're in today is so many people

Speaker: 00:44:17

are hustling after scale they're not sustainable, and we see the results of it.

Speaker: 00:44:22

We're building a company right now that's in quite the

Speaker: 00:44:25

Hmm.

Speaker: 00:44:25

phase and part of some of our roles is to create some sustainability,

Speaker: 00:44:32

foundation, some structure, et cetera.

Speaker: 00:44:35

But, the biggest thing that you said there, and I think it ties

Speaker: 00:44:40

into stewardship that I'll, again, I'm coming to you in just

Speaker: 00:44:44

a second, Benita, so get ready.

Speaker: 00:44:48

I think you worded it as best as I've heard on what our

Speaker: 00:44:53

journey's really all about.

Speaker: 00:44:56

And that is identifying what we were created for, clearing out

Speaker: 00:45:03

all the junk and admitting the things we weren't created for.

Speaker: 00:45:07

Because often what we will do is we will get in this mode of trying

Speaker: 00:45:13

to be everything for everybody.

Speaker: 00:45:16

Sometimes that fits into the caregiver role too, Benita, that we try to be all

Speaker: 00:45:22

to everyone, and we do that in leadership roles and business roles and all too.

Speaker: 00:45:26

But I, I really do believe that part of our journey, the leadership

Speaker: 00:45:31

journey, that's one of our subtitles here at Seek Go Create eight, is

Speaker: 00:45:35

coming to terms with what God created us for and also what he didn't.

Speaker: 00:45:45

I believe that's part of stewarding what the gifts, talents, when we connect with

Speaker: 00:45:50

a spouse, identifying their gifts and talents, merging those together, not

Speaker: 00:45:56

conflicting where we can and all of that.

Speaker: 00:45:58

So, Stewardship, you know, let's kind of tie up with that and then we're

Speaker: 00:46:03

gonna talk a little bit about the sustainable CEO before we wrap up here.

Speaker: 00:46:07

so when it comes to stewardship, a big part of stewardship is stewarding well,

Speaker: 00:46:13

what God has given you, the identity that he's given you, who he's called you to

Speaker: 00:46:18

be, your assignment, the mantle you carry.

Speaker: 00:46:21

All of these things are directly related to and tied to stewardship.

Speaker: 00:46:26

We are to steward well, the gifts, talent, skills, abilities, the things

Speaker: 00:46:31

that God has given us in our domain.

Speaker: 00:46:33

You know, that's what he did.

Speaker: 00:46:34

Whenever he created man, he gave us a domain.

Speaker: 00:46:37

He told us, to take possession, to subdue, to replenish, to cover the

Speaker: 00:46:40

earth, to multiply all these things.

Speaker: 00:46:42

And so we are just steward well, that which God has given us.

Speaker: 00:46:46

And so stewardship is a big key.

Speaker: 00:46:49

and even in business, you want to learn how to go from what I call ownership

Speaker: 00:46:54

or self effort or performance that my husband was talking about earlier,

Speaker: 00:46:58

to stewarding, to understanding that, you know, you're not necessarily

Speaker: 00:47:02

owning everything but you, but you are managing, you're stewarding what God

Speaker: 00:47:06

has, has allowed and giving you to do.

Speaker: 00:47:08

and that's a big responsibility.

Speaker: 00:47:10

So yes, stewardship is definitely directly connected and related

Speaker: 00:47:13

to, how we see ourselves, the identities that we have in Christ.

Speaker: 00:47:18

And what we are here to do.

Speaker: 00:47:20

And being able to govern it.

Speaker: 00:47:22

Yeah, I think you said something in there.

Speaker: 00:47:24

I'm gonna pull out just a little bit more, and that is when we start

Speaker: 00:47:28

thinking we own and control you.

Speaker: 00:47:32

Last time you and I talked, we talked about control.

Speaker: 00:47:35

When we get confused and believe that we are in control, which also means we

Speaker: 00:47:41

kind of push God down to a lower level.

Speaker: 00:47:45

he might be someone that we honor and respect and

Speaker: 00:47:48

acknowledge, but we don't submit.

Speaker: 00:47:52

That's me, that's my thing.

Speaker: 00:47:54

Probably a lot of leaders listening into and also a lot of relationships

Speaker: 00:47:57

and don't understand that we don't own this business and this company.

Speaker: 00:48:00

We don't own these skills and talents.

Speaker: 00:48:03

We don't own this spouse that he blessed me with.

Speaker: 00:48:06

we don't control it or own it.

Speaker: 00:48:08

We steward it and, and we have to give it back when we're done in a better

Speaker: 00:48:12

condition than when we received it.

Speaker: 00:48:15

That's the thing that I think is a challenge for a lot of us.

Speaker: 00:48:18

We think, man, you know what, I gotta, I gotta make this better and all that.

Speaker: 00:48:21

So I think that fits into this word we're gonna finish up with called

Speaker: 00:48:27

Sustainable your book, sustainable CEO, which I appreciate Sabrina

Speaker: 00:48:31

and y'all sending it over my way.

Speaker: 00:48:33

I think you sent it after our last conversation though.

Speaker: 00:48:35

Is this something you wrote since then?

Speaker: 00:48:38

Yeah.

Speaker: 00:48:39

Wow.

Speaker: 00:48:40

Well you are cranking it out here.

Speaker: 00:48:42

This is the subtitle.

Speaker: 00:48:43

I love subtitles.

Speaker: 00:48:44

'cause I think often they tell us more than the titles unlocking

Speaker: 00:48:48

the Divine Overflow sequence for Leadership Alignment and Legacy.

Speaker: 00:48:54

Those are some big words there.

Speaker: 00:48:56

Tell me about those.

Speaker: 00:48:57

Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker: 00:48:58

So the sustainable CEO is a book, I believe just Download From Heaven.

Speaker: 00:49:02

That's what I say.

Speaker: 00:49:03

that came to me, as I was doing research basically for just understanding more

Speaker: 00:49:08

about leadership, understanding more about how God wants us to align with

Speaker: 00:49:12

our divine design, and then the legacy that we all desire to lead, right?

Speaker: 00:49:16

And so as I dug into this, God really spoke to me and he was like, you know,

Speaker: 00:49:21

we don't have to miss the mark on this.

Speaker: 00:49:22

We don't have to guess, you know, how to, to be in alignment

Speaker: 00:49:26

and how to, to have sustainable growth and even scalable growth.

Speaker: 00:49:30

We don't have to miss the mark on it.

Speaker: 00:49:31

There's actually a divine design.

Speaker: 00:49:33

There's a divine pattern, I should say, or sequence of how we can,

Speaker: 00:49:37

sustain alignment so that it reaches.

Speaker: 00:49:41

the leadership levels that we are aspiring to and also leaves the legacies that God

Speaker: 00:49:46

wants us to lead and we want to lead.

Speaker: 00:49:47

in doing so, there is a sequence that he has given me that's

Speaker: 00:49:51

spelled out in the book.

Speaker: 00:49:52

It's basically seven steps that they're not all linear steps.

Speaker: 00:49:56

You can find yourself in any one of these, seven, steps.

Speaker: 00:49:59

But the idea is that there's this cyclical, cycle that we go through,

Speaker: 00:50:05

to continue to sustain what it is that God has given us to.

Speaker: 00:50:10

that sustainability is tied to stewarding it.

Speaker: 00:50:13

It is the mantle of stewardship and how we are to govern our lives and

Speaker: 00:50:17

govern things that God has given us.

Speaker: 00:50:19

And so, that's what I talk about in the book, those seven steps

Speaker: 00:50:22

to how leaders can do that.

Speaker: 00:50:24

Yeah, and I read it.

Speaker: 00:50:25

It's actually a good, it's a good read for a leader because it can be quick,

Speaker: 00:50:31

it's concise, but it's got good content, not a lot of fluff, which I like.

Speaker: 00:50:35

Hey, am I'm gonna let you do something kinda unique.

Speaker: 00:50:38

You got 30 seconds, so you gotta be quick here.

Speaker: 00:50:40

I want you to do a quick commercial for her book.

Speaker: 00:50:44

I want you to tell people why they should read Benita's book.

Speaker: 00:50:48

You haven't written yours yet, so we're not gonna let you promote it.

Speaker: 00:50:51

You gotta write a book first before we promote it.

Speaker: 00:50:53

Do a real quick commercial for her book.

Speaker: 00:50:55

Oh, there it is.

Speaker: 00:50:56

Oh my gosh.

Speaker: 00:50:57

I have written, a book.

Speaker: 00:50:58

It's just my new one.

Speaker: 00:51:00

how to make it to the top when you

Speaker: 00:51:01

Yeah,

Speaker: 00:51:01

It's not out yet.

Speaker: 00:51:02

but, as far as the sustainable CEO goes, if you are a leader that

Speaker: 00:51:08

is truly, we know, we talk about, you know, we wanna make impact,

Speaker: 00:51:12

we wanna operate with influence.

Speaker: 00:51:15

And yes, we do want to increase income.

Speaker: 00:51:17

I've never come across a business owner that said, oh no, I just don't,

Speaker: 00:51:21

I don't need to make any more money.

Speaker: 00:51:22

the first key to it is that, you gotta understand your divine design

Speaker: 00:51:27

you have to learn how to steward, you have to learn how to sustain.

Speaker: 00:51:35

And the way that you're gonna do it is you're gonna do that through

Speaker: 00:51:37

operating in the divine design.

Speaker: 00:51:39

You really wanna understand how to usher in overflow into your life, how to

Speaker: 00:51:44

operate in it and let it flow through you.

Speaker: 00:51:47

Then you're gonna have to learn how to become sustainable.

Speaker: 00:51:52

the sustainable CEO is an amazing read.

Speaker: 00:51:55

it's a great reference material, and you wanna continue.

Speaker: 00:51:58

Don't read it once, continue to go back to it, read it often, and, it will help you

Speaker: 00:52:04

to Grow and move you towards governance.

Speaker: 00:52:08

governance is the mature form of stewardship in this

Speaker: 00:52:12

When you get this divine overflow sequence, you're going to move and

Speaker: 00:52:16

mature into governance so that you learn not just how to hold everything

Speaker: 00:52:21

together, but to begin to govern it.

Speaker: 00:52:24

You don't have to, try to make this happen.

Speaker: 00:52:26

No, you move away from grind and you learn how to govern overflow.

Speaker: 00:52:33

I believe that this is an amazing, piece of material.

Speaker: 00:52:36

In fact, don't just get it, get it today, and allow it to operate, in your life.

Speaker: 00:52:43

Put yourself on the path to greater governance through the sustainable CEO.

Speaker: 00:52:49

That's good.

Speaker: 00:52:49

Thank you.

Speaker: 00:52:50

we'll include some links to your stuff below, but, we have to

Speaker: 00:52:53

acknowledge Bonita's the star here.

Speaker: 00:52:56

we're just bit players in this world.

Speaker: 00:52:58

Hey, Bonita, last words from you.

Speaker: 00:53:00

Give a word of encouragement to either I'll let the Holy Spirit

Speaker: 00:53:03

lead you here to either a leader or, a couple's type, since this has

Speaker: 00:53:09

kind of had a couple's theme to it.

Speaker: 00:53:11

Someone who might be in a role that they're maybe challenged with.

Speaker: 00:53:17

some of the things we talked about just dealing with, leadership

Speaker: 00:53:20

and all from a couple standpoint.

Speaker: 00:53:22

Just, just, you know, real quick word of encouragement that,

Speaker: 00:53:25

that we could finish up with.

Speaker: 00:53:26

Absolutely.

Speaker: 00:53:27

Again, I just wanna thank you and thank my husband as well

Speaker: 00:53:30

for being here with me today.

Speaker: 00:53:32

I really appreciate and we are able to get together and have these type

Speaker: 00:53:35

of conversations because I believe it just strengthens the body.

Speaker: 00:53:37

So, thank you so much, Tim for, sharing your platform with us today.

Speaker: 00:53:42

I would say, it's something I wrote actually in the book and I just wanna

Speaker: 00:53:46

just kind of reference it because I think it's fitting for today.

Speaker: 00:53:49

the key to it all is surrender.

Speaker: 00:53:52

The key to it all is surrender what we're talking about.

Speaker: 00:53:55

surrender, who you used to be, surrender your old identity,

Speaker: 00:53:58

surrender, the way you used to govern, the way you used to do business.

Speaker: 00:54:01

Things like that.

Speaker: 00:54:01

Just surrender to that.

Speaker: 00:54:04

There may be something more, there may be something greater, there is

Speaker: 00:54:06

something greater that God is calling you to surrender those old patterns.

Speaker: 00:54:10

surrender is the key.

Speaker: 00:54:11

It's the starting point for change.

Speaker: 00:54:14

surrender that ownership.

Speaker: 00:54:15

If you wanna move into stewardship, surrender.

Speaker: 00:54:18

Having to take responsibility for so much, instead of just receiving first,

Speaker: 00:54:23

before you pour out to other people.

Speaker: 00:54:25

that's where my caregivers, you know, surrender, receiving,

Speaker: 00:54:28

before you, you pour out so much.

Speaker: 00:54:30

So if we just operate in the words of or in the heart posture of surrender.

Speaker: 00:54:36

But just the beginning of the divine overflow sequence, then all

Speaker: 00:54:39

these other things shall be added.

Speaker: 00:54:42

So it's so fitting for, this podcast to be called Seek Go Create, because that

Speaker: 00:54:47

chapter, of the Bible, that scripture, where you talk about, you know, seek first

Speaker: 00:54:51

the kingdom of God and this righteousness, all these other things shall be added.

Speaker: 00:54:54

Well, how do you do?

Speaker: 00:54:55

How do you get there?

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You get there through surrender.

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And the sustainable CEO is a book to help you to surrender areas to God

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that you need so that he can show you how to be more, of a steward.

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And that will lead to being more of a sustainable CEO

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according to your divine design.

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Surrender's good?

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Yeah, I, again, it could also be described as, let that blank go.

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coach Am Williams, thank you for joining us.

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coach at heart, man, what a great sound.

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Great voice, great words, great wisdom that you shared.

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I appreciate that.

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And, Benita, great to have you on again, the sustainable CEO.

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I've got a copy right here that they shared with me, For those

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that are watching, pick that up.

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And, I appreciate this conversation.

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I love getting couples together that are doing things together.

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I think the Lord has some projects for you two where you'll be working

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together more than you currently are, because I think leaders need to hear.

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Couples that are working together.

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So take that for either just a, little nugget or prophetic

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or whatever you want to.

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We're seek, go create here.

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We have conversations just like this every week.

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We like to go deeper.

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We like to discuss the things that are really important.

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as Bonita just said, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and

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all these things will be added to you.

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From Matthew 6 33, I realized in my life that I was chasing after those

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things, I had that verse flipped.

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And we're looking for people here that wanna listen in, that know they need to

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get the order right on that scripture.

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So thanks for joining us.

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We've got new episodes every Monday.

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We're over on YouTube, we're on all the platforms.

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Keep listening in, commenting.

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Great things are going.

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We will see everyone next week.

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Thanks for joining us on Seek Go Create.