Homeward: The Sovereign Business Podcast

Friends and fellow mamapreneurs, if you’ve ever wanted to see a living and breathing example of stunning dignity and grace in the most difficult of circumstances, you’ve found it in today’s guest.

Heather Crabtree is a mama, a wife, a friend, a daughter, and yes- a rockstar entrepreneur. But 8 months ago she found out the devastating news that her 9 year old daughter had Stage 4 cancer, and ever since that moment, she has been on a journey to remain grateful, hopeful, and immensely clear about what it is that matters most of all in her life.

(Hint: It isn’t the 6 figure months and a growing business.)

WE ALL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT GRATITUDE IS, BUT DO WE EVER THINK ABOUT WHAT PURPOSE IT TRULY SERVES IN OUR LIVES?

In the United States we just celebrated Thanksgiving, the time of year where people spend a little extra time and attention on what they're grateful for.

This Focus Friday, however, I am calling you to welcome that practice into your lives each and every single day. We're not just talking about a morning practice or nightly devotional, but as a way of being.

This one is all about tuning ourselves to the things we truly want, by expressing overflowing gratitude for the gifts we already have.

THIS IS A PRACTICE THAT CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING FOR US.

So be sure once the audio ends, to take a moment and reflect on all the gifts you've been given, and then feel free to share them in a comment below. I'd love to join in your joy with you.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FRIENDS, I AM OH-SO GRATEFUL FOR EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.

Each and every one of us has gifts that we have been given and seeds that are meant to be sewn.

What matters isn't that we have them; what matters is that we cultivate the courage to plant them...and find the willingness to get our hands dirty in the process.

If you're looking for some guidance on how to do just that, my friends, look no further; Lara Casey has one heck of a green thumb.

Lara is the inspirational powerhouse behind PowerSheets: the "grace filled goal setting planner", author of the epic book Make it Happen: Surrender your Fear. Take the Leap. Live on Purpose, founder of Southern Weddings Magazine, mother of 3, wife of 1 and devoted mother and wife.

What is most magnetizing about this woman, however, is not on her list of accomplishments; it is her willingness to share her journey with us in full transparency. We are not drawn to her success in all of it's sparkly-ness just because; we are drawn to it because of the message that's woven into it. And, as you'll find out in this episode- the path to our message almost always begins... with our mess.

This conversation has been a long time in the making, and I couldn't be more excited to share Lara's genius with each and every one of you.

So get ready to plant some seeds and water the soil, sisters- this one is all about tending to the business of our souls.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

• How pride can become our greatest hinderance

• How to keep faith even when your journey doesn't seem to make much sense

• Why purposeful goals are important

• How Powersheets came to life

• What mindful parenting actually looks like in practice

• Lara's secret to a strong and faithful marriage

IN THIS EPISODE I ASK:

• How have you found your voice and the courage to share it?

• What has lead you to this part of your story?

• What is your favorite flower and why?

• What is the story behind how Powersheets began?

• What is your "Mama Mission"?

• What is the constant theme that you're being tasked to do your deepest work around?

• If you could go back to any former version of yourself, what would you say to her?

SOUL SHIFTING QUOTES:

"I was chasing all the wrong things, and I was chasing them because I thought that they were attached to my worth."

"Anything can change with careful nurturing, tending and getting our hands in the dirt...because good things grow in the dirt, not despite it."

"No matter how small you perceive your pool of influence is; it matters."

"It really is those points of pain we experience, that might just be the very things that bring us the deepest connections with other people."

"Even when you can't see it or feel it, there is life below the surface."

"You can't do it all and do it well."

"The pursuit of my life is to hopefully serve people."

You know those moments we've been preparing for our whole lives?

The ones that we do the work for, so that when they show up we are able to handle them with dignity and grace? The ones that matter?

Yes- those ones.

On this Focus Friday, I share with you a conversation I had to have with my sweet daughter this week, that was precisely one of those moments.

I invite you to sit down and listen to this one, with an open heart (and maybe a tissue or two), as I welcome you into the sacred interaction that was shared not only between a mother and her daughter, but also between a 36-year-old woman, and her former self.

This one is for all of us, friends- to help us remember that the most important thing that we may have forgotten along the way.

PS - You. Are. Magic.

What does celebration mean to you? Is it the birthday parties, the weddings, the engagement dinners or the anniversaries? Is it the cakes, and the centerpieces and all of the sparkly gifts?

But, what if the celebration, itself, IS the gift?

What if we reframed celebration as a way to give (and to receive) love… and a vital part of the foundation that you could build an entire empire off of?

Are you wondering what in the world I am talking about?

You're going to want to stick around for this one.

In 2012 Kristen Ley didn't just "start a business". What she did was find a way to make a living celebrating others by simply trusting her passion and following some truly Divine guidance.

Starting with an $800 letterpress and a yearning for something more, Kristen gave birth to her company Thimblepress; a lifestyle brand contributing magnificently designed and crafted products to the world. Products that not only tell a story; products that help people tell and *celebrate* THEIR story.

Thimblepress has evolved from a garage housing an old letterpress that was collecting dust; to a team of 15 souls, retail in over 1500 stores, and 2 brick and mortar shops. Kristen Ley has used her passion, her faith, and her vision to celebrate not only the BIG moments in life, but more importantly, the seemingly tiny and often missed moments that are oh-so worth honoring.

If you're wondering how to build a business that gives more than just a product... if you're wondering how to learn how to use your stumbles as stepping stones... and if you're wondering how to stay true to yourself and your beliefs, while simultaneously creating an epic brand that is an extension of who you are; look no further.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

• What is celebration and how important is it to make it a part of our lives

• How you can use your "love languages" to do your sacred work

• What she is REALLY selling to people (Hint: It's not just confetti)

• Why you don't need to have a big vision right away to start a business

• How to turn your weaknesses into your greatest assets

• How trusting God has played a pivotal role in creating her business, and building a team of people she loves and honors

• Where Kristen gets her inspiration from and why she will never step away from designing and creating

IN THIS EPISODE I ASK:

• Why does celebration play such a central role in your life and in the sacred work you do?

• Where did that level of intentionality come from for you?

• Did you imagine Thimblepress being what it is now? How did you make a beginning?

• What has continued to pull you forward?

• What has been most challenging about the growth and what has been the most surprising?

• How do you go from being the person who does it all by herself to bringing in team members in a way that feels really good?

• Are you still doing every single design that comes through?

• What are some of your non-negotiables?

• Where do you get your inspiration for your designs?

SOUL SHIFTING QUOTES:

"Celebration does not just mean a birthday party, or a wedding…there are so many different ways we can honor each other and celebrate each other, little and big. And I want to be a part of that in people's lives."

"I was surrounded by so much love as a child. I see what encouragement can do for you not only as a child but as an adult, and you can encourage through celebration."

"Weaknesses manifest into the best qualities that make you up."

"When you start a business you either go into knowing you're starting a business. Or you have a passion for something…and that passion becomes a business."

"I wouldn't have been able to continue this business, if I didn't have faith. Because I believe worry and fear stop so many people from doing what they were meant to do. "

"It's so hard, when we're in a season of little fruit, to see that that season isn't going to be forever. And to also accept that time we have to breath…"

"I want people to feel honored and celebrated that work here, because…at the end of the day, I see these people more than I do my family."

"I need people that are different than me- that bring different thoughts and different opinions to the table. I need people that will challenge me to grow this brand in a bigger way."

"Sometimes it's the prayers that we don't want to pray…that God says, "Alright, I was just waiting on you."

"The happiness and the environment that I want to cultivate with my team is a non-negotiable."

"Take time to cultivate the roots of what you're doing and take time in your decisions, even through quick growth. But don't take too much time to feel like you have to have things perfect…that you don't leap."

What does celebration mean to you? Is it the birthday parties, the weddings, the engagement dinners or the anniversaries? Is it the cakes, and the centerpieces and all of the sparkly gifts?

But, what if the celebration, itself, IS the gift?

What if we reframed celebration as a way to give (and to receive) love… and a vital part of the foundation that you could build an entire empire off of?

Are you wondering what in the world I am talking about?

You’re going to want to stick around for this one.

What does celebration mean to you? Is it the birthday parties, the weddings, the engagement dinners or the anniversaries? Is it the cakes, and the centerpieces and all of the sparkly gifts?

But, what if the celebration, itself, IS the gift?

What if we reframed celebration as a way to give (and to receive) love… and a vital part of the foundation that you could build an entire empire off of?

Are you wondering what in the world I am talking about?

You’re going to want to stick around for this one.

What does celebration mean to you? Is it the birthday parties, the weddings, the engagement dinners or the anniversaries? Is it the cakes, and the centerpieces and all of the sparkly gifts?

But, what if the celebration, itself, IS the gift?

What if we reframed celebration as a way to give (and to receive) love… and a vital part of the foundation that you could build an entire empire off of?

Are you wondering what in the world I am talking about?

You’re going to want to stick around for this one.

Have you ever watched someone on stage, playing out on the field or in the middle of a creating a work of art? They just have this poetic and captivating way about them...lost in concentration, seemingly unaware of anyone else's opinion of them. Watching them connect so deeply and beautifully to their art and in complete service to their heart's expression is one of my favorite things to do.

I am eternally fascinated with musicians, athletes and performers who allow themselves to completely surrender to their craft.

This weekend, I had the honor of watching my friend Chris Lester performing his craft twice over the course of 2 nights. In this episode, I will share the story with you of what it felt like to witness him in two very different settings and what I learned in watching him.

This Focus Friday is your permission to surrender to your own genius, soul sisters...so listen on up, the world is waiting.

Every now and again, if you are lucky enough, you get to connect with people whose words are SO powerful- they just knock the wind right out of you.

Jeanine Staples, my friends, is one of those people.

She stunned the world (and me) with her TED Talk, "How To Die Peacefully", when she challenged the notion that humans are born, they live and then they die. No- Jeanine believes we are born and then we die a thousand tiny deaths. She claims, we can only learn to live, when we learn to die those deaths peacefully.

Oh, I KNOW; and this is just what I learned before our conversation.

Dr. Jeanine Staples is the Associate Professor of Literacy and Language, African American Studies, and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Penn State University. She is the founder of "The Supreme Love Project" , a movement which seeks to embolden marginalized people to heal their souls and liberate themselves. Not to mention, she is a genius, a soul excavator, a humanist and an all around "Be Your OWN Hero", kind of Wonder Woman.

I am beyond thrilled and honored to share this conversation with you. I just know that these words will touch you in a way that could literally shift the way you live your life, today- if you let them.

So, grab a notebook for this one, sit down, and get ready to let it all sink in to your soma (how Jeanine refers to our bodies). This one's a game changer.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU WILL LEARN:

• How our to heal our soul terrors and begin our own Personal Liberation Project

• Why seeking external affirmation can only lead to suffering

• What it means to "Go Deeper"

• The truth about our conditioned fear of experiencing pain

• How to teach our children to understand their body and their pain

• How your unconscious beliefs about money hold you back from being free

• What it means to own your womanhood

• What your "lover identity" is

• How to begin to stand up for social injustices and become a voice for for the voiceless

THINGS I ASK:

• How did you heal your emotional break and move forward?

• What are the side effects of a life commitment to suffering and avoidance of pain?

• Why are we so afraid of experiencing pain?

• How do we meet our children right where they are to support them on their journey?

• How does this work help bring in more abundance and wealth?

• How do we start exploring and rebuilding our womanhood?

• How do we, as white privileged woman who have businesses, who want to say something, who want to stand up, begin? What do we do?

SOUL SHIFTING QUOTES:

"My generation of terror was so complete and so huge, I didn't have that ability to bide my time and create a status quo. I had to break."

"I was at what I thought was my bottom. And the voice of God, the Holy Spirit said… "Go deeper."

"There's so many of us who run from pain. It's suffering that we need to cease, not pain. Suffering is this long term uninterrupted source of despair without hope. That's what we need to move away from. But pain, pain is actually what we need to generate bigger emotional muscle. To grow the capacity to go deeper."

"Let your child get attuned to their body. Because their bodies are instruments for their emotionality."

"Our salvation and our liberation project would not exist, unless there was something we were in bondage to. And that bondage is your pain. Best to become really enamored with it."

"You can only be satiated from the inside out."

"Do I feel real? Or do I feel like I am wearing labels and descriptions that had been given to me."

"I had to really do the work of saying, I am not the woman I want to be. I am not the woman I say I am. And I want to be congruent. I want to BE that person, and not perform that person.

"Your interior life is the precedent to any other exterior attachment or endeavor that you want to take part of."