Created for This with Danielle Roberts

Notes coming soon!

Notes Coming.

Follow Melissa Whaley on Instagram

Check out her website

Steph is the Founder & Director of City Moms Blog Network (since this recording, they've changed their name to City Mom Collective); growing the network after founding its original site, Scottsdale Moms Blog, in 2009.

Now living in the greater Minneapolis area, she oversees the national network by spearheading growth strategies, sales initiatives and shepherding and encouraging an ever-increasing number of moms managing individual local parenting websites.

What happens when you lean into how God's created you and what he's called you to.

After her first daughter was born, she felt the urge to serve moms in her area. Blogging was just beginning and she helped create an industry. Scottsdale Moms Blog launched about 9 years ago born out of a heart to serve her local community. The heart is to create local communities with motherhood being the center of it.

While it's a secular blog, it's still a ministry. They have women of all faiths that participate and own sister sites.

We grow when we invite others to take part in what we're doing.

Early on they invited other moms to volunteer and write for them. They then brought on entrepreneurs who want to grow blogs in their cities and they bring on volunteer writers and that's led to growth.

At first it was difficult to release control and start to delegate. It's freeing to allow others to do kingdom work. Someone encouraged her to say "you decide" and allow her team to decide. It allows them to believe that she belives in them. It might not be done the way that you would have done it, but it will get done and the results will blow you away.

This is Steph's personal ministry. She started Scottsdale Moms Blog as a way to reach all moms, not just moms in the church. She knew that not every mom was going to step foot into the church, even to a MOPS group. I knew I needed to create a sense of community outside the church.

It's not easy to be a Christian person in a secular business, because culture does not gravitate toward Christian values. She's become good at being PC from a business sense, however, the way I do business and the way I treat people is always based out of the foundational truth of the gospel and the Bible. The values of the business may be a little different than other businesses.

If you don't know what your business values are, you can use this free resource I've created to help you identify those values. Click here to download it.

I always feel like a person's business grows out of what their values and mission statements are. Values and mission statement don't have to be Jesus all over everything. You can live out of your relationship with Jesus through your values.

City Moms Blog's values are not specifically Christian, but they do come out of the Bible. The writers have to adhere to the values with their writing. Steph's prayer is that readers would also pick up on those values.

One of their values is respect and they want to create cultures of respect.

Steph's advice is to always learn. If you are not leaning into a growth mindset and the ability to learn from anyone is that you are not leading. Find the way you learn and make space for that as a priority. The learning aspect of life often goes to the bottom of the priorities, however, it's important. You have to put the important things on the calendar first then everything else around it.

Be open to any criticism that comes your way. Look for the kernel of truth in it. You can learn from it and adjust accordingly.

Seph's social media info: City Mom Collective Instagram | Steph's Personal Instagram

Referenced:

Bob Goff's Instagram

Jessie Pierce is a Simplicity Strategist who focuses on empowering female dreamers to overcome the overwhelm with simple solutions and strategies for their lives and homes so they can do more of what they love and less of what they don't.

She realized after graduating from college that she couldn't do everything while working full-time. She had to learn what she wanted her life to look like. After doing reading, talking with her friend and self-reflection, she realized purpose as a mindset instead of finding purpose and identity not in a job, but in what you're doing.

We dig into:

• Simplifying what purpose is and how to stop managing the chaos of everyday life.
• The process Jessie uses to identify her priorities.
• Practical steps to declutter and organize our mind and physical spaces. It has to start with the mind before you can ever get to the physical spaces.
• Clarifying questions on how to declutter physical things like clothing.
• Her tidying routine.
• How you have more breathing space when you have less clutter.
• Involving the kids in decluttering and teaching them that less is more.

*Affiliate links present in this post. Amazon provides me with a small commission when you buy a product through my link, at no cost to you.

More about Jessie in her own words - I'm all about pursuing what brings you joy, doing more of what you love, simplifying and streamlining what you don't, serving others with your gifts and skills, and leveraging systems and routines to simplify your home and life so you can invest more in what matters most to you! I equip, empower, and encourage women through mindset work, goal setting, decluttering, organizing, time management, self-care, productivity, routines, and making more natural choices for their personal and household products so they can live a simpler, saner, more abundant life! In my free time, you can find me cooking up new recipes in the kitchen (probably making a big mess), relaxing with a good book and a cup of tea (one of my faves), or spending time with my people (they're the best!).

Buy Jessie's book, Ready, Set...Now What?: Discovering Your Identity, Gifts, and Purpose in the Real World

Follow along with Jessie on her website, Facebook group, or Instagram.

Jillian Jones is a recording singer and songwriter. She's been singing since she was 4, played piano and went to school for a music degree. After getting married she put music on the back burner. She spent 5-6 years away from music completely. During her second pregnancy she had a rough pregnancy with months on bedrest, two days her son was delevered healthy, she was diagnosed with a health scare and that was the catalyst for postpartum anxiety.

It was during that time that Jill spent a lot of time in prayer, having to give up control and having to relearn who I was. He made it clear that aside from being a wife and a mom, that I was a musician. She hadn't been a song writer before, but she started there and two albums later, here she is.

More from my conversation with Jill:

• What it's been to be a musician and step into that calling.
• Getting through postpartum anxiety.
• Slowly reintegrating music into her life.
• Obedience in the journey into becoming a recording artist.
• Life as a recording artist.
• The life cycle of recording.
• How Jill stays fresh in her relationship with God as a Christian artist.
• What her previous album was about.
• Struggling with faith and doubt and being okay with that.
• What her next album is about.

*This is an affiliate link. Amazon gives me a tiny commission for any purchases through my links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for feeding my family!*

Own Your Every Day by Jordan Lee Dooley

More about Jill: After her introduction into the music scene in 2016 with her EP album He Is Everything, Jillian Jones recently returned with her first full length debut, Perfectly Clear. Produced by Aaron Ankrum (Aerial View Studios, Minneapolis, MN), the 10-song record features an eclectic blend of piano-driven pop and acoustic singer-songwriter styles reminiscent of Nichole Nordeman, Christy Nockels and Sara Groves with writing that's honest and accessible for her listeners.

Jillian's love of music began at a young age while singing and playing piano for area churches, events and festivals. Years later, following the birth of her second child, an experience with postpartum anxiety served as a catalyst for the next season in her life. It was then that music became her healing outlet.

Shortly after, she began writing music with the intent to record and share her story through song. "I believe that music connects us to each other. Through it, we discover shared joys and struggles, and those common threads remind us that we are not alone." Jillian lives in Minnesota with her husband, Blake and their two children. In addition to music, she enjoys photography, woodworking, and spending time with her family on the shores of Lake Superior. To follow along with her, head to her website, Instagram, Facebook Buy her CDs Perfectly Clear

Aubrey Mathis is the wife of her cowboy, Robert and mom to two girls. When she is not telling stories, she is the CEO of a business that through the grace of God, the opportunity presented itself. She had the courage to yes and now she has created a life she doesn't need a vacation from. Her family is her WHY ...storytelling is her PASSION...Encouraging women who want to step into their calling and show up every day with feminine courage is her PURPOSE.

What we talk about how 2018 was a year that changed her life forever. At the beginning of 2018, Aubrey took time to reconnect with her family. She was present in the lives of her girls and what they were doing. She also reconnected with her faith which led her through what happened in the rest of 2018.

What else we talked about:

• How her husband's accident changed her life.
• How Aubrey learned to share her faith and add her faith into her business this time around.
• What the word one means for 2019.
• How life has changed for the whole family since the accident.
• Being strong and feminine at the same time.
• How Aubrey felt like she had lost herself and then spent time to find herself again.
• Asking God to remind us who we are.
• Being afraid to talk about Jesus.
• Imperfection.
• The power of prayer.

Productivity Intensive - During this in-depth assessment and implementation, we will help you love your business again and allow you to be present with the people you love.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We'll deep dive into what makes you light up, fills your heart and identify your priorities and how you can live them out.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ After 2.5 hours, you'll walk away with a schedule that you love and have your mission and vision statements to give you a clear direction of where you're going and what direction you need to take your business.

Ready to schedule? Click here to schedule a chat to see if this is the right option for you. I can't wait to work with you!

Connect with Aubrey on Instagram, read her blog on her website and join her Facebook group.

With a heart to see people connected, Elisa Pulliam is a coach, author, podcaster, and speaker passionate about helping women savor life every day and cultivate a meaningful legacy.

She is the founder of More to Be, a ministry devoted to helping women experience a fresh encounter with God and His Word so they may live transformed and impact this world with kingdom hope.

Elisa is also the founder of It Is Well, where she helps women simplify the transition into wellness by cultivating a whole food and toxin-free lifestyle for themselves and their families. She is enjoying the adventure of being married to Stephen for 22 years and raising their brood of teenagers together.

*Amazon affiliate links are present in this post. When you buy through these links, I receive a small portion of the profits, at no extra cost to you.*

We talked about:

- How Elisa began her journey of finding out how to love God and raise Godly children.

- Her revelation of Parakaleo and the full circling of mentoring.

- How there are not generational relationships happening in the church.

- Tips for people who don't feel qualified to mentor.

- Being emotionally and physically available for someone to be mentored or to mentor.

- Take unrushed time to be present.

- Creating margin in our schedules for relationships.

- Titus 2:3-5, 11-12, 15

- Psalm 78

- The Great Commission (Matthew 28) - making disciples and intentionally come alongside others.

Ann Ortlund - Disciplines of a Beautiful Woman

Elisa's Mentoring Training Program

Impact Together, Elisa's book on mentoring

Created for This, Danielle's devotional for Christian business owners was written based on Proverbs 31, specifically for Christian business owners. If you want to get your own copy, go here.

Comparison and identity are topics that are important for us as Christians, as business owners and as women.

We're going to dig into the Bible and see what it says about identity and how we can use our identity in Christ to remind ourselves who we are.

This show is a continuation of show number 69, Remember Your Identity. If you haven't listened to it, I invite you to go listen now.

One of the things I wrote in my devotional book, Created for This, is how powerful God's love is for you. He calls you his daughter and we can find our identity deeply rooted in him.

Psalm 139:13-16 says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

I love the idea that God knows us. We're deeply rooted in him and we have the identity of being his child.

We don't need to compare ourselves because God created us an individual, he created our personalities, our values and what we hold dear. Our priorities.

We might have the same values, but we've had different life experiences.

If you look at the Proverbs 31 woman, she's confident in who God created her to be, and in her identity.

When we continually find our identity in him, we can focus on him and who he's created us to be, instead of people on Instagram and what our competitors are doing. Or those who judge us.

I don't know if you have people in your life who ask you what you're doing. As an essential oils educator and distributor, there's automatically a label. Yes, it's a direct sales business, but God's given me a passion to teach and educate people and SO much good has come out of it.

I can teach people how to use oils to help their bodies for wellness or to support emotions.

He's created me with my specific enneagram number, with my specific life experiences so I can coach Christian business owners so I can say that I've walked this path, let's get you through this too. And helping them come from step A to step B.

One of the things I love to coach on is identity. So that they can be who God has created them to be, as a child of God. So they're able to embrace and love who God has created them to be.

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Productivity Intensive - During this in-depth assessment and implementation, we will help you love your business again and allow you to be present with the people you love.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We'll deep dive into what makes you light up, fills your heart and identify your priorities and how you can live them out.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ After 2.5 hours, you'll walk away with a schedule that you love and have your mission and vision statements to give you a clear direction of where you're going and what direction you need to take your business.

Ready to schedule? Click here to schedule a chat to see if this is the right option for you. I can't wait to work with you!

Katie Fleming is the founder of $1k Mom, a community of moms who are building businesses and raising a family, and doing both well. Weekly, she hosts the Ambitious Motherhood podcast where she dives into interviews with other moms going after their calling, both in their home and outside of their home.

She is the creator of the MOM METHOD™ - the methodology to building a profitable business on "nap time hours" without sacrificing your sanity or your family life! She loves handing out permission slips to moms and encouraging them to go after their calling both in their home and outside of the home.

Katie is married to her high school sweetheart and together, they have two little girls.

Today on the podcast, we're going to be talking about personal branding.

Here's what we talked about:

- 1K Mom is a call for moms to embrace working in their homes and their businesses.

- Network Marketing today doesn't work the way it worked a few years ago.

Network Marketers need to connect with people on a personal level, not just sharing your products on social media.

- The key elements to personal branding. What are the different pillars you want to talk about?

- Creating knowables in your own personal brand.

- Addressing the fears of personal branding.

- God wants us to show up as our authentic selves. It's how we're going to make the biggest impact.

- How Katie has woven their faith into their business/personal brand.

- Trusting that at the end of the day, God's the one who provides the fruit for us.

- Sharing Jesus through DMs.

- Having a polarizing statement. Who do you want to retract and who do you want to repel.

- Five steps to getting your social profile up to speed for your business.

You can find Katie over on Instagram or her own podcast, Ambitious Motherhood.

Identity is something that, as I've been learning more about and dwelling on identity in Christ, I've seen how important it is in the way I do everything. It impacts your business, your household, how you are with your friends and more.

Let's dive into scripture.

Galatians 3 - when we put on Christ, we are in Christ. When we become a Christian, it changes everything.

Sanctification - we become more like Christ, we put on his identity. It defines who you are, your purpose and your calling.

As we think about our identity, I'm going to read you some verses that give me an idea of who I am in Christ, because when we take that step to become a Christian, we may not see an immediate change, it may take time, but change happens. The fruits of the Spirit develop over time. I've become more patient since I was a little kid, and I accepted Christ into my life when I was eight. It's through different things and different life experiences.

Romans 1:5-6 says, "Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name's sake. And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ."

Part of our identity is that we belong to Jesus. We are no longer apart from him, we are a part of him.

We can know that the ways we should live because we can see that in the Bible. We can look at the life of Jesus and see how he handled situations. We know God's purpose for us and his will. If you want to learn more about God's will, you can listen to the two episodes I did with my brother on God's will - those are episodes 48: Knowing God's Will with Ben Reedy and 49: Knowing and Praying God's Will with Ben Reedy.

When we look at God's will, Jesus tells us a few things. He says for us to love God and love our neighbors (Matthew 22:37). That's God's will for us. Out of that, we determine God's calling. Maybe we have a specific calling. My calling is declaring freedom for women. In that, as we learn about this whole idea of sanctification, Romans 6:18 says, "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness."

We have freedom. I don't know if you guys love that as much as I do, or if you've grasped that. I'm still wrapping my head around that. It's our sinful tendencies, even though we are Christians, we still have sin that we struggle with. The ability we have to be free and realize that yes, we still make mistakes, but we are not being punished for that anymore, we've been set free (Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." The ability to using our gifts, being concorors - we have victory over death.

As I've grown in knowing who I am in Christ, I've become more confident. It's easy to be confident in Jesus when you know that it's not yourself that's being condemned. God is seeing Jesus - it's like a sheer overlay of Jesus being seen over me. That confidence helps me as I'm a mother, as I'm a wife, and a business owner.

I don't need to compare myself and my calling to another person because we have different callings. We are walking two separate paths.

Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved."

Those verses are ones that remind us of what we have done as we become Christians. We've agreed that Jesus is Lord and we decide to serve him. Paul talks about being a servant to the gospel. Part of that servant heart is understanding that that's who we are serving. That's saying that we're serving God. We're no longer serving men.

When I was painting our fence this past weekend, it was very hot out, I didn't want to be doing it, but I knew I needed to serve God and have his attitude as I served him and my family. That is the perspective that I've learned as I've learned more about my identity in Christ.

If you're a new Christian, it takes time. If you're an old Christian it takes time. It's not immediate. If we're moving forward in that place then we are able to grasp everything God has given us. If we're able to live out of our identity and be who he has created us to be, we're able to throw off the sinful binds that hold us back. We're able to live for him and bring him glory.

We see this lived out in our businesses as we move forward in the freedom we have in Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:56-58 says, "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

When we are devoting our business to Jesus, when we are living out the freedom from sin, we can be working fully to the Lord and knowing our labor is not in vain. That's never going to be wasted. When we have the values of integrity and servanthood, using Jesus, we know we will be witnesses of Jesus and who he has created us to be.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

We know as Christians that life is not going to be easy. I was sitting in church this weekend and the pastor was talking out of Psalm 34. he was talking about how there was going to be hard times for the righteous people. God knows. He knows it wasn't going to be easy and he gives us the ability to move forward through that. He's with us.

That's the identity I want you guys to remember that identity.

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I'd love to invite you to a productivity intensive with me. During this in-depth assessment and implementation, we will help you love your business again and allow you to be present with the people you love.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We'll deep dive into what makes you light up, fills your heart and identify your priorities and how you can live them out.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ After 2.5 hours, you'll walk away with a schedule that you love and have your mission and vision statements to give you a clear direction of where you're going and what direction you need to take your business.

Ready to schedule? Click here to schedule a chat to see if this is the right option for you. I can't wait to work with you!