What a time! We've stepped into a new year, a new decade, and a new season of life, and although that can be refreshing and encouraging, it can also breed expectation and pressure to succeed. What do you do when there's something you want to step into, but don't know if you can? What do you do when you're at a crossroads and have no idea where to go? What do you do when the plans change? When you have something inside of you that you're not sure how to steward? When you want more for your life, but fear settling for less?

We all feel this tension. We all crave to do extraordinary things and have aspirations and places we desire to reach. In this premiere episode, I get the absolute pleasure of picking the brain of Paul Taylor Smith and what it looks like to have the faith and obedience to step into a God-Sized dream that is larger than you. Paul is the CEO and President of FRVR Free, a worship band based in Georgia, a father to two children, and a husband to his wife Lauren.

I hope that this conversation gives you the surge to start this year off with dreaming big, but stepping in accordance as well. In this space of vulnerability, I hope you are challenged that whatever has been put on your mind or in your heart, big or small, can no longer stay concealed. It's time to write things down, take action steps, and walk into the bigger that you've been equipped to step into. Resources or not, take the step.

To keep up with Paul and FRVR Free, follow their Instagram at @frvr_free and keep updated on their website https://www.frvrfree.com/#event!

Let's face it -- it's super easy to be fake deep. It's easy to retweet, like, or favorite posts in which we feel seen and understood. It's easy to lean into zodiac signs and personality tests in hopes to be better understood. But what happens when our ability to be real with those around us is only skin deep? What happens when we stifle our growth process by only being 20% real with ourselves and others? What happens when we fail to steward our stories well? 

In this introductory episode of Naked + Unashamed, I open up about why I started this podcast, as well as the tensions I feel living in a world where we are comfortable with only hearing the good and polished parts of our stories. My goal with this podcast is to heal through reflection and have a space where we can shed the layers that we tend to keep on. In our nakedness, we possess the ability to steward our stories well and help those around us in their growth process while also growing ourselves.

I'm super excited to go on this growth journey of hearing others' stories, processing together, and being reminded that we are all broken people -- it's just a matter of how you steward your brokenness.