Latest / Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson / Empower Your Journey with Michelle Fields: Faith, Health, and Connection

Transcript

Empower Your Journey with Michelle Fields: Faith, Health, and Connection · Ready Set Collaborate with Wanda Pearson

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Ready Set Collaborate podcast with Rhonda Pearson, where we will dive deep into the world of networking, collaboration and partnership, unlocking the secrets to a successful team working within innovation.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Whether you're an entrepreneur, a creative professional or just someone eager to understand the power of networking and collaboration, this podcast is your go-to resource.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Join us as we explore the stories, strategies and insights from experts, entrepreneurs and thought leaders who have experienced the magic of networking and collaboration to achieve successful results.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: Tune in to Ready.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Set Collaborate podcast on a journey towards achieving your goals with host Wanda Pearson.
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: Welcome.
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: Welcome to the Ready Set Collaborate podcast with Wanda Pearson, and I have my awesome guest, michelle Hannah Fields, with us and she's going to give us some great insight on what she does, and I'm so interested in what you I was reading.
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: I'm going to read your bio in a minute, but, michelle, you have done a lot, especially in ministry and health and healing, and our audience want to.
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: I'm about educating and empowering.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: I want you to actually educate and empower people too, and how they can actually get it.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: So say hello, michelle, to our audience.
• 1:21
  Speaker 3: Hello, thank you so much for having me, michelle, to our audience.
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: Hello, thank you so much for having me.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: Wanda, I'm super excited to be here with you today.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: I am too.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: I am too.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: I'm Emma, chelsea.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: This is what happens when you network to meet great people, and people used to always say networking is that's when you build collaboration, where you actually get to meet people.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: And I am so happy that I got to meet you during this time and I said I that I got to meet you during this time, and I said I'm going to have you on my podcast.
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: It's funny because when COVID happened, michelle, I used to talk to people and when I hear what they do, I said I'm going to have her on my podcast or my webinar.
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: Yeah, but yeah, you have a lot to share and I appreciate that as far as you sharing what you do.
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: So let me get you started here and talk about your bio, and I was trying to put my client on here, but it wants to say it on the screen.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: I don't want to say it on the screen, I got to do it manually, so, anyway, so, michelle Fields, hannah, michelle, hannah Fields, is that right?
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: Yes, ma'am, okay, but I'm gonna call you Michelle, that's good.
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: Michelle grew up in church under the pastoral care and ministry of her grandfather and her later uncle.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: Through their teaching, she developed a solid foundation of faith.
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: She began her own ministry by singing with her parents and another couple, and later with a woman's trio.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: Wow, in 2012, god called her to preach the gospel.
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: Since then, she has authored and published both a devotional book and a journal.
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: She continues evangelizing through speaking engagements, leading worship and facilitating two Bible study groups.
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: She also hosts a podcast titled Hope, health and Healing, where she invites guests to share their testimony.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: In 2018, michelle began a health journey to reduce her risk of heart disease and related complications from obesity.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: As she began seeing great progress, she started a new health coaching business to serve others who were looking for the same thing.
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: Her passion is serving others I'm sorry, serving people, whether in their faith journey or physical health journey.
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: She feels like they parallel each other.
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: I agree, totally agree.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: Michelle.
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: That is great, this is awesome.
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: So, pastor, michelle, I'm going to call you, tell us a little bit more about you and I'm going to get into some questions I want to ask you.
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: Like Wanda said, I grew up with my grandfather as my pastor just developed that solid foundation of faith watching my grandparents just super solid Christians, and then their children.
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: My uncle was later my pastor.
• 3:50
  Speaker 3: My aunt was a Sunday school teacher.
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: My mom was piano player and Sunday school teacher.
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: My dad was a Sunday school teacher, played guitar and just a love of music and love of serving other people in ministry.
• 4:05
  Speaker 3: I watched that and that just became.
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: It seemed normal to me.
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: I thought everybody's family lived like we did and as I grew I realized that was not the case and other people didn't have that solid foundation that I did.
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: And I always say I wish, when I meet people that didn't grow up like I did, I wish I could take the trust and the faith that I have developed and just put it inside of them.
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: But I can't do that.
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: And so we all have to develop our own faith, our own trust in the Lord, and it comes through hardships.
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: Faith, our own trust in the Lord, and it comes through hardships, it comes through things that we walk through and we can encourage each other along the way and that's really where my heart is.
• 4:52
  Speaker 3: My gift is encouragement and I never realized that until my aunt introduced me.
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: Probably 20 years ago my aunt introduced me to a friend of hers and she said Michelle's gift is encouragement and I was like I never really thought about that.
• 5:09
  Speaker 3: But it's true and just having that solid foundation that you build upon really helps you in everything you go through.
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: And my heart is to share that with other people and help others develop that solid foundation as well.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: That's awesome.
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: I love that because I guess we have a similar encouragement, because I grew up with abuse and I wasn't given encouragement my stepfather, my mother and my father I did, but you are so right and that's why I became a social worker, so helping people to be more stronger and not let anything tear them down.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: So that's why I do mentoring with the middle school girls.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: I do affirmation.
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: So I love what you do as far as encouragement, because actually I have mentoring today.
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: But yesterday I told the girl that I had to leave early.
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: I said, ok, what's your affirmation?
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: Tell me your affirmation.
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: So one of the young ladies she came back.
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: She said Ms Wanda, I still have my affirmations from last year.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: I said that's awesome and that's what it's about, because we need encouragement, we need affirmations to say we are good, we are better, we are beautiful.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: All of those affirmations you have to say to yourself and continue to do it.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: So I did the same thing with my grandson.
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I send him affirmations every day and I said, okay, say it, write it down and repeat it and send it back to me so I know he read it but I love the more you do that, the more you read that and the more you speak it over yourself, the more you believe it absolutely you won't.
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: You may not believe it at first, it may just be something you're reading, but the more you say it and the more you see it, then you start believing it.
• 6:45
  Speaker 3: And then you're like, wow, I really am beautiful, I really am smart, I really can achieve whatever I want to achieve.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, absolutely, and that is so true, and you said in a nutshell but I think you asked my first question already, but maybe you want to add a little bit more Can you share your journey in health and healing space and what inspired you to pursue this path?
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: I believe you already answered that a little bit.
• 7:08
  Speaker 3: Yes, I really had developed a lot of unhealthy habits around nutrition just from life being busy.
• 7:15
  Speaker 3: I worked a corporate job.
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: It was very stressful, and so I sat all day long.
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: I was originally a computer programmer and worked some long hours.
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: I worked in the financial industry, so there was a lot of high stress there and other things I was involved in.
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: I played tennis, I served on my local tennis board, I helped with my youth group at church, and so I was involved in a lot of different things and life was busy, which meant I wasn't taking time for myself, and I just developed unhealthy habits of fast food, eating on the run and then not getting the proper sleep at night, being tired and then turning to caffeine and sugar to keep me going, and I just gained weight over time and then just found myself at a very unhealthy state.
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: Heart disease runs on both sides of my family and so I have the propensity for that and just knew that my habits were contributing to that and increasing my risk.
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: I had high blood pressure that had been controlled by meds, but because I kept gaining weight as you gain weight, if you have high blood pressure, your blood pressure continues to elevate, and that's where I found myself and my cardiologist was threatening to increase my meds yet again and being uncomfortable where I was.
• 8:40
  Speaker 3: Knowing my family history, my dad had passed away in 2006 from a heart attack at the age of 61.
• 8:48
  Speaker 3: And at this time I was 46.
• 8:50
  Speaker 3: And I was like, if I don't stop and get control of myself, then my mom may be burying me very soon.
• 8:57
  Speaker 3: So that was really what prompted me to go on my journey, and I had watched my best friend, who actually is my personal health coach.
• 9:06
  Speaker 3: I'd watched her on her own journey and been inspired by her and decided God, I don't.
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: And that's where I found myself.
• 9:14
  Speaker 3: God, I don't know what to do and help me.
• 9:18
  Speaker 3: I know I got myself into this mess, but I would really appreciate you helping me get out of it.
• 9:24
  Speaker 3: Isn't that the way he does?
• 9:26
  Speaker 3: We find ourselves in these messes and we're like God.
• 9:30
  Speaker 3: I need you to bail me out.
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: I feel like he brought me to this place and I saw results pretty quickly.
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: I started getting more energy, I wasn't as winded, walking to my desk every day and just saw my health improving and knew that, with my heart to serve others, that I believed everybody should feel as good as I was feeling and that prompted me just to help other people.
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: And so I began helping those closest to me and they began seeing results.
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: And then it just I realized this became a new passion.
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: Not only was I passionate about sharing my faith with people, I was passionate about sharing health, so it just blossomed from there.
• 10:13
  Speaker 3: I worked my corporate job for three years and did my health coaching business on the side, and then I was able to leave that corporate job and just focus on ministry, whether it was my faith based ministry or my health ministry and that's what I've been doing.
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: That's awesome.
• 10:32
  Speaker 2: That's awesome and I can listen.
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: I can relate to what you're saying here because it is, I realize, me to working for me to be doing podcasts.
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: And so you sit down, you eat, eat the right things than me doing podcasts.
• 10:44
  Speaker 2: And so you sit down, you eat, eat the right things.
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: And I said, okay, god, I have to get myself together because the same thing, my father died, when he died of dementia, and I knew I had to keep my mind going because I saw what he was doing.
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: But I also had to keep my body going and it runs in my family high blood pressure, high cholesterol, all of those things run in my family family.
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: So I knew I had to not tell you.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: I pray every day.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: Okay, lord, tell me what I'm supposed to do today.
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: You know, yeah, but no, it really is him giving us the grace and mercy to be able to turn our lives around to do what is, uh, best for us the long life, because I have grandchildren and now two doors.
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: I want to make sure that I leave that legacy to be able to do and I'm very active.
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: So they call me Nana, so they know Nana's going to do stuff with them and I got to be able to do stuff with them and it's just, it's just been, it's a journey.
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: Like you said, it's a journey, it's still a journey you never arrive.
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: You just have to keep improving.
• 11:44
  Speaker 3: Getting one percent better every day, that's the goal.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: Exactly, exactly.
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: So let's talk about health and wellness.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: That we'll be talking about.
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: So what role does your mindset play in the overall well-being and recovery?
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, your mindset is just key, and that's one of the things that we do is help people with mindset too.
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: We help with nutrition and mindset because if you don't change your mindset around your nutrition and your life, you're going to go back to those old habits, and so you have to change that.
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: And then just really even looking inside yourself, when you have those moments that maybe you fall back into those old habits, think about why did I do that?
• 12:27
  Speaker 3: What triggered that?
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: Was that an emotional response?
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: Was it a stress response?
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: Was it just because that was a habit and I just fell back into that habit?
• 12:38
  Speaker 3: And so it's.
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: Your mindset is really a key player.
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: You have to have your mind made up to even start, and I'll have people come to me and where are you on a scale of one to 10?
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: And if you're not a seven to a 10 in changing your life, then you need to come back to me when you're a seven, because if you're not, if your mind isn't made up that you want to change the way you live, then you're, your efforts are going to be futile because you're going to.
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: You're not going to succeed like you want.
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: You're going to have speed bumps all along your journey and if your mind's not made up, then you're going to.
• 13:20
  Speaker 3: You're not going to get over that speed bump, you're going to go backwards.
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: So your mindset really does play one of the biggest parts in everything does play one of the biggest parts in everything, absolutely, absolutely.
• 13:36
  Speaker 2: And I'd be telling my husband that I'm trying to get him on a road to recovery as far as mindset.
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: You don't go down at night and go make a sandwich when you just ate.
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, those are the things.
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: But I look at him and myself and I said, yeah, we're going to have to start walking more, get back into it.
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: So today I actually I put my they said new year's resolution.
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: Mine was to get into exercise more.
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: So every wednesday I go to kaiser and I do my exercise class.
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: So I just really try to because I'm working and even by doing podcasts, I'm still sitting and doing, I'm still sitting.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: So I try to do something that that I can do.
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: That's more like going up and down the stairs and walking and stuff.
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: But yeah, you put it in a nutshell as far as that.
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: What are some of the biggest obstacles people face when trying to improve their health and how they can overcome them?
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think really just identifying triggers what is a trigger for you If you are an emotional eater, what's a trigger that triggers that?
• 14:33
  Speaker 3: And then changing one thing.
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: So a lot of times we turn to food for comfort, we turn to food for emotions and when you have those triggers, already have a plan.
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: I'm not going to turn to the food, I am going to think of a scripture and or I'm going to read a chapter in the Bible.
• 14:55
  Speaker 3: Or a friend of mine says what she started doing was taking a walk outside around her house and doing something like that Because your brain is a very powerful thing and realizing, like the patterns you have they can be changed.
• 15:16
  Speaker 3: Your brain is so powerful that you can change.
• 15:20
  Speaker 3: So if you think about a truck going down a country road and it's going down the same path every day, it's going to wear a rut in that road.
• 15:29
  Speaker 3: That's the same with your brain.
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: If you have an emotional response and it's food you turn to, next time you have that same emotional kind of problem or stress, it's going to go that same path to that food.
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: The more times you do that, the deeper that rut goes.
• 15:44
  Speaker 3: But it may take work to get out of that.
• 15:48
  Speaker 3: But when you make a plan and you're like, okay, next time I have this situation, I'm going to take 10 deep breaths, I'm going to walk around my house, I'm going to read a scripture, whatever it is for you it's going to be hard to make that shift.
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: But each time you make that shift you're going to change to where your vehicle, your body, your mind no longer goes to that old path, it goes to the new one.
• 16:14
  Speaker 3: And so I think those are that's how you overcome those challenges.
• 16:17
  Speaker 3: It might it'll be different for everybody, but identifying what is not serving me and then what is one thing I can change that will help me shift that.
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: And then do that over and over, and as you do, that new thing becomes your new habit.
• 16:37
  Speaker 3: That is that's powerful.
• 16:40
  Speaker 2: That's an awesome tip that you just gave there and I appreciate that.
• 16:43
  Speaker 2: So let me ask you something have you worked with clients or patients who experienced major transformation, and can you share a success story?
• 16:51
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so I would love to share one.
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: This lady was a mutual friend, so she was a friend of mine and we met during COVID.
• 17:01
  Speaker 3: Actually, on social medias I interviewed, I did a kind of a podcast interview with her friend and she listened and started following me.
• 17:11
  Speaker 3: She had five major back surgeries.
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: She was a diabetic, she had high blood pressure, I want to say she also had a thyroid issue and she was severely overweight and had been for a long time.
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: She also was very depressed.
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: So she reached out to me.
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: We got on a call and talked about where she was in her health and then just what she wanted to change.
• 17:36
  Speaker 3: And so she became a client of mine and in 11 months she had lost 125 pounds, whereas before.
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: So when she first started with me, she was very depressed.
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: She had isolated herself.
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: She did go to pool therapy three times a week.
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: But I would say what's your day like?
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: And she said I get up, I go to my pool therapy, I stopped by KFC and pick me up something to eat on my way home and then I go to bed.
• 18:06
  Speaker 3: For several hours I get up and eat and then I go back to bed.
• 18:10
  Speaker 3: So basically she had no life outside of just going to the pool every day.
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: So fast forward.
• 18:19
  Speaker 3: She begins losing weight, she begins feeling better.
• 18:23
  Speaker 3: It changes her whole outlook in life and now she's making lunch plans with friends and she is getting out.
• 18:33
  Speaker 3: She goes when churches open back up, she's going back to church and getting involved.
• 18:40
  Speaker 3: She's doing involved in her women's ministry at church and and then she even started helping other people in their health.
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: Seeing that success she was able to.
• 18:52
  Speaker 3: She is no longer considered diabetic because she changed how she ate.
• 18:56
  Speaker 3: She's no longer considered with high blood pressure.
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: She completely changed everything about her life and for me that's what it was all about Somebody who had no reason to live but was existing to now she's thriving in life.
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: That's awesome.
• 19:15
  Speaker 2: That's an awesome success story.
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: I tell you that it takes courage and it takes that willpower to get to that, especially to lose over a hundred pounds.
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: That's a great success story.
• 19:26
  Speaker 2: I appreciate that.
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: So let me ask you something now and we're winding down here too how, what role does faith and spirituality play in healing for those who believe in higher power?
• 19:38
  Speaker 3: I believe faith really plays a huge role.
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: I believe that your physical journey, your health journey, your emotional journey, they're all tied together.
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: I know, with my own, with my journey, just really feeling better about myself, I was more confident to do those things that I felt called to do.
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: Speaking in front of people singing, I definitely had more wind, I had more breath to sing.
• 20:05
  Speaker 3: But I think, relying on that, asking God to help me every day, there's a book that I read.
• 20:12
  Speaker 3: One of my favorite authors is Lisa Turkhurst, and she has a book called I'll Start Again Monday and she outlines the parallel, spiritually and physically, and how a lot of times our physical health journey around food just the food, noise, the cravings, those kind of things how it's tied spiritually and how we have to trust God or to help us get a hold of ourselves Because, honestly, what it is, it's fighting against the flesh and the fleshly desires, and so you have to rely on your faith to help you die to the flesh and the fleshly desires, and so you have to rely on your faith to help you die to the flesh daily, which is what Paul says.
• 20:57
  Speaker 3: I die daily and allow God to be the forefront, and so you are allowing God to really work in your life and asking him help me with this thing in the flesh, so that I'm not giving in to these fleshly desires, but I'm feeding myself physically just like I feed myself spiritually, and feeding myself with what is good for my body.
• 21:25
  Speaker 3: And I think as we do that, we'll see that not only is our physical body strengthened and healed, then it also carries over into that spiritual aspect as well.
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: That's awesome, and really you said it in a nutshell as well, so that's great advice there.
• 21:44
  Speaker 2: So what are three simple daily habits anyone can adopt to improve their health?
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: Oh, I've got a few.
• 21:50
  Speaker 3: So one is I start my day every morning with a glass of water.
• 21:56
  Speaker 3: I actually add amino acids into mine, but if you will just drink eight ounces of water before you drink anything, now, I'm a coffee lover, I start my day with coffee, but I have that first glass of water first before I have anything else, and what that does, whatever you have first thing in the morning, is what your body's going to crave the rest of the day.
• 22:18
  Speaker 3: On days that I drink that water, it's easy for me to get my 100 to 120 ounces in every day.
• 22:25
  Speaker 3: If I start with coffee, I'm not going to get 100 ounces in.
• 22:29
  Speaker 3: I pretty much guarantee that.
• 22:30
  Speaker 3: But if I drink that one glass first thing in the morning, that's one tip.
• 22:36
  Speaker 3: Another tip is if you're able, then don't park when you're going in the store.
• 22:42
  Speaker 3: Don't park in the closest spot, park away.
• 22:46
  Speaker 3: That way you're getting in a few more extra steps.
• 22:48
  Speaker 3: Just add those.
• 22:50
  Speaker 3: It's called healthy motion.
• 22:51
  Speaker 3: You don't have to necessarily exercise all the time, but find little ways you can add in those extra steps.
• 23:00
  Speaker 3: So park a little further away, just like you said.
• 23:02
  Speaker 3: Take the stairs, if you can, instead of the elevator.
• 23:05
  Speaker 3: Those kind of healthy motions.
• 23:08
  Speaker 3: Whatever your step count is on average, try to increase it by 1,000 steps.
• 23:14
  Speaker 3: Don't go from 5,000 to 10,000.
• 23:16
  Speaker 3: You're not going to make it every day, so increase by little increments.
• 23:21
  Speaker 3: And then the other thing I would suggest is doing three things of gratitude three things you're grateful for in the morning and three things you're grateful for at night.
• 23:32
  Speaker 2: That's awesome.
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: I love that and I love those tips there and it makes sense and actually I'm going to start drinking my water first thing in the morning.
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: I take my medicine in the morning, so I need to drink the whole bottle thing anymore.
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: I take my medicine in the morning I need to drink the whole bottle.
• 23:46
  Speaker 2: That's awesome.
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: I love that, so thank you for sharing it.
• 23:50
  Speaker 2: So let's talk about your book as we're winding down here.
• 23:52
  Speaker 2: Okay, when did you start writing and did you always want to write a book?
• 23:55
  Speaker 3: I did not always want to write a book.
• 23:57
  Speaker 3: I was always the numbers girl in my family, not the words girl.
• 24:02
  Speaker 3: So in 2015, I had been praying for about two years leading up to that.
• 24:06
  Speaker 3: God, let me see spiritual things in everyday life.
• 24:09
  Speaker 3: I was reading my Bible, studying, and I was like I know that there's things that I can help people understand the Bible if I can see physical things that I can relate to.
• 24:22
  Speaker 3: And he started doing that.
• 24:24
  Speaker 3: He started showing me things just in nature and things in my day, or a word in a song that would point that to scripture, and gave me devotional messages.
• 24:33
  Speaker 3: I started writing them on Facebook, with no intent of publishing a book.
• 24:37
  Speaker 3: I was just sharing what God was giving me and so, as he gave them, I was posting them and I would get so many messages, privately comments on my post, text messages.
• 24:47
  Speaker 3: That was exactly what I needed today and I had.
• 24:51
  Speaker 3: After about six months, I had people telling me you should put those in a book and again I was like I'm not an author, but thank you, I'll pass, and just kept writing.
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: Thank you, I'll pass and just kept writing.
• 25:07
  Speaker 3: And then, finally, one of my friends' moms that I grew up with my friend I grew up with.
• 25:10
  Speaker 3: Her mom was a teacher and she asked me if she could read one of the posts that I had just written to her women's club.
• 25:15
  Speaker 3: And I was like, yes, she is, michelle.
• 25:17
  Speaker 3: You really need to put these in a book.
• 25:19
  Speaker 3: And I was like, no, I don't think so, ms Tuttle, but feel free to use it.
• 25:24
  Speaker 3: Then word got back to my grandmother that I had written this poem or this prayer is what she said, and she wanted to hear it.
• 25:32
  Speaker 3: And she actually went into the hospital a couple of weeks later and I sat by her bedside.
• 25:37
  Speaker 3: I stayed the night with her and sat by her bed and read to her for two hours things that I had written.
• 25:42
  Speaker 3: And she had been in ministry for 50, 60 years.
• 25:51
  Speaker 3: And she said, michelle, I've been in ministry a long time and I've read a lot of books, but I've never heard anything like this, and people need to hear what you have to say.
• 25:57
  Speaker 3: You should write a book.
• 25:59
  Speaker 3: I was like that's my grandmother.
• 26:02
  Speaker 3: No, she's supposed to tell me those kind of things.
• 26:05
  Speaker 3: But it was two months later that I felt led to actually pursue putting them in a book.
• 26:11
  Speaker 3: So I got that process started and pulled everything I had written and got it in a book and published it.
• 26:18
  Speaker 3: We published in 2016.
• 26:19
  Speaker 3: Now, what's the name of your book?
• 26:21
  Speaker 3: It's Reflections of God's Grace.
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: Awesome, and where can people get your book?
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: So they can find it on Amazon.
• 26:28
  Speaker 3: They can also go to my website, michellehannaministriescom, and they can find it there as well.
• 26:35
  Speaker 2: Oh, awesome, I'm going to have that in the show notes anyway, but definitely, amazon, send me that so I can put that in the show notes.
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: Anyway, definitely Amazon, send me that, so I can put that in the show.
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: I will.
• 26:43
  Speaker 2: I will, yeah, and I have a copy of your book.
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: So this is great.
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: But I want to tell you just a quick story here, and I know we got to get off.
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: I said I would never write a book.
• 26:52
  Speaker 2: So people kept telling me why do you need to share your story?
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: I said, no, I'm never going to write.
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: So then one of my clients said Wanda, and she's a minister.
• 26:58
  Speaker 2: She said, okay, I'm not going to disobey God.
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: So I got it out there.
• 27:12
  Speaker 2: So that was a collaboration.
• 27:13
  Speaker 2: And then I was asked to be in another collaboration.
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: So the next time they were writing part two, I said no, I'm going to write my own book, Cause my friends kept saying Wanda, you need to write your own book.
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so I had my editor when she started.
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: She said you need to get this out.
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: Just like you, you need to get this out to people.
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: And what I did?
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: Just like you, I had a journal after each chapter because I wanted people to say don't get stuck where you are, you can get out of the situation.
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: But yeah, we're on the same wavelength, yeah, for sure yeah that is awesome, so I appreciate.
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: So what are your future plans?
• 27:50
  Speaker 3: So I will be having a second and a third book coming out at some point.
• 27:52
  Speaker 3: I'm working on that second one now.
• 27:53
  Speaker 3: I have enough content.
• 27:53
  Speaker 3: I just it's just a matter of pulling it all in and getting it published.
• 27:55
  Speaker 3: So I have that going on.
• 27:57
  Speaker 3: And then, as far as so, I'm president of USDA Georgia right now, so I'm involved heavily in our tennis association working on that.
• 28:05
  Speaker 3: Have a couple of things up my sleeve for that that I'm pretty excited about that.
• 28:10
  Speaker 3: Maybe I can share later.
• 28:11
  Speaker 3: And then, just as far as ministry, just available for speaking engagements, I love speaking at women's groups, preaching at different churches.
• 28:19
  Speaker 3: I have my podcast, hope, health and Healing Currently getting some new episodes out for that and looking for other people to interview.
• 28:27
  Speaker 3: Just like you, it's been fun, I thought.
• 28:30
  Speaker 3: When I started doing that, I made a list and quickly I had 50 people that I wanted to interview.
• 28:35
  Speaker 3: And then God keeps bringing people across my path that have incredible stories and so, just like you, this networking has just brought so many more people across my path that have incredible stories.
• 28:44
  Speaker 3: And so, just like you, this networking has just brought so many more people across my path who have incredible stories that will encourage people.
• 28:51
  Speaker 3: So it's been fun doing that, something I never saw myself doing.
• 28:54
  Speaker 3: I say God has a sense of humor.
• 28:56
  Speaker 3: He can take the shyest, most introverted person and make them speak to people.
• 29:05
  Speaker 2: Exactly, and that's what he did to me, because I, you, I said I would never write a book and he said oh yes, you are.
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I would never do a podcast.
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: Oh, yes, you are.
• 29:11
  Speaker 2: So, yeah, he does have a sense of humor, but he's getting out there.
• 29:15
  Speaker 2: I was shy and but you know what this has got us out of shyness?
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: Because we have, um, what do you call it?
• 29:22
  Speaker 2: The spirit to be able to help other people.
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: And may not be, they may not get it, but they get it later on.
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, but it's just something to share with people and this is what god he shares.
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: And I do inspirations every day.
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: I send it out to my friends and family.
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: So someone, one of my, my marketing manager, said wonder, you need to start putting this out on facebook?
• 29:40
  Speaker 2: That's no, I'm just like'm, just like you.
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: I said, no, I don't want to.
• 29:43
  Speaker 2: But I do my affirmations on Facebook, but when God leads me.
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: So I listen to the abide message and I take that abide message and I actually put my own words to it.
• 29:53
  Speaker 2: But then I find a Bible verse to edify what I'm talking about and send it out to my friends.
• 29:57
  Speaker 2: Now my friends say Wanda, I haven't heard from you.
• 29:59
  Speaker 2: If I missed them, I haven't heard from you in a while.
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: Where have you been?
• 30:04
  Speaker 2: So I have to do it today.
• 30:07
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I have to put it out today after I finish talking to you, but it's just.
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: You have to think about what you're going to write and it's just something that God is leading me to do.
• 30:16
  Speaker 2: But that's us sharing.
• 30:18
  Speaker 2: What do you call it?
• 30:20
  Speaker 2: His shepherd?
• 30:20
  Speaker 2: He sends out his shepherds to share the word.
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: So it's just, and that's why we'd be blessed, michelle.
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: So you are definitely blessed and I love having you on my podcast.
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: It was just a.
• 30:30
  Speaker 3: It was just an inspiring Thank you so much for inviting me.
• 30:34
  Speaker 3: It was a joy to be on.
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Thank you for having me.
• 30:37
  Speaker 2: I'm going to have you on again because I'm going to see your other books that you have.
• 30:40
  Speaker 2: So we're going to see your other books that you have.
• 30:41
  Speaker 3: so we're going to talk more all right perfect.
• 30:43
  Speaker 2: Thank you for being on the ready set collaborate podcast.
• 30:46
  Speaker 2: Please make sure you follow, subscribe, because it's going to be on youtube.
• 30:50
  Speaker 2: I have youtube as well.
• 30:51
  Speaker 2: Subscribe and follow the podcast because we have so many guests, great guests such as michelle, that can actually share her story and share other people sharing their stories.
• 31:01
  Speaker 2: So it's entrepreneurs as well as inspirational stories that we have to share.
• 31:05
  Speaker 2: So thank you again, michelle, for being on my podcast.
• 31:08
  Speaker 2: Thank you, wanda, take care Bye.
• 31:11
  Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning into this episode of Ready Set.
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: Collaborate.
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: For more information about the host head to WDPearsonAssociatescom and that's P-E-A-R-S-O-N.
• 31:27
  Speaker 1: Want to connect?
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: Send an email to Wanda at WDPearsonAssociatescom and, as always, stay tuned for the next episode of Ready Set Collaborating.