Worth Your Time

Anna LeBaron is an incredible woman. She grew up the daughter of polygamous cult leader, Ervil LeBaron. She has dozens of siblings and lived through heartbreaking trauma and abuse as a child. Even after escaping the cult at the age of 13, Anna went through even more horrific circumstances no child should ever have to experience.

In today’s podcast episode, Anna recounts some of the stories from her past, drawing on her book, “The Polygamist’s Daughter.” I read the book cover to cover — and it was riveting and well-written. I was honored Anna took the time to speak with me today. She is a warm and friendly soul — and quite the book worm like myself. Anna says:

Your parents are going to do the best job they can. My mom did the best job she could with what she had. Forgiving and letting go of some of those grievances is so important…that frees you.

I met Anna last year when she led my book launch team. In fact, she is a professional book launcher these days, having led teams for Jen Hatmaker, Bob Goff and most recently, the best selling “Girl, Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis. Pretty impressive stuff! I love following her on social media, where she exhibits positive vibes and plenty of social media marketing wisdom. Oh yeah — and she loves CrossFit! — and of course we talked about that in this episode as well. 

Anna proves the resilience of the human spirit and the power of redemption through faith in Christ. She’s now a Christian who has worked through the issues of her origin family, and she has shown that there is life after even the worst of trauma. 

What We Talked About: 

• The Polygamist’s Daughter by Anna LeBaron

• The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner

• Other Books: For the Love, Girl Wash Your Face, Love Does, Own Your Everyday, Grateful American

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Coming at you today with a pop-up episode with my friend Billy Hallowell. He’s the author of three books, a podcast host and Director of Communications at Pure Flix, a family friendly movie, TV and documentary film company.

Billy and I thought we’d take our mutual love of faith and politics and bring it to you in podcast form today. We are both conservatives who struggle with Trumpism sometimes dominating the Right side of the aisle — and in today’s episode, we talk about that divide. We also talk about “Unplanned,” a movie Pure Flix produced about the life of former Planned Parenthood Director Abby Johnson — and the impact the movie has had nationwide.

It wouldn’t be a complete convo without some book talk. We discuss our books and how we have dealt with some of the disappointment that can come with being a writer, even with a big accomplishment like that under your belt.

This is the most freely I’ve ever really talked politics (at least in audio form), so you can get a peek at what I *really* think, ha ha. Thanks for tuning in!

What We Talked About:

* Pure Flix* Unplanned* The Billy Hallowell Podcast* Fault Line by Billy Hallowell* Left Standing by Billy Hallowell* The Armageddon Code by Billy Hallowell* Leaving Cloud 9 by Ericka Andersen* Counter Culture by David Platt* Lost Connections by Yohan Hari

Connect with Billy:

* Facebook* Twitter* Instagram

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I’m so excited to speak today with Annie Grace, the founder of “This Naked Mind” — a book and a large community dedicated to helping people change their relationship with alcohol, or quit all together. I found Annie after I sought a resource for finding a healthier relationship with alcohol. Since I started drinking my senior year of high school, I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the substance. And a substance it is — as Annie points out the major health downfalls of drinking. After quitting drinking, digging into the science behind the substance and realizing there were a lot of people out there who didn’t quite feel like a program like AA was for them, she started her 30-day challenge. The program has morphed into a massive Facebook group, live support groups, a yearly conference, training programs & more. Annie says:

After quitting drinking, digging into the science behind the substance and realizing there were a lot of people out there who didn’t quite feel like a program like AA was for them, she started her 30-day challenge. The program has morphed into a massive Facebook group, live support groups, a yearly conference, training programs & more. Annie says:

“The thing I hear most is, why didn’t I do this sooner?”

I’m so impressed by how Annie turned this simple transformation in her own life into an entire career — and only because she was so enthusiastic about sharing how positively her life changed when she quit drinking. She also frequently tackles the dicey issue of the “mommy drinking culture,” where wine brands, memes and jokes tell moms they need alcohol to deal with the stress of parenthood.I did the 30-day challenge in December — and since then have cut my drinking back by probably 10 times. I had gotten to the point of drinking wine almost daily for stress relief and I was feeling gross, but struggling to stop. I thought of all the experiences I’ve had with alcohol over the years an realized the lies I’d been telling myself about why it was so great. I appreciate Annie’s approach and that she makes “normal” people like me realize we are not alone in feeling uncomfortable with relying on a substance for stress relief. Also for me, I felt it was a barrier to my relationship with God and ultimately increased anxiety in the long run.

What We Talked About:

* This Naked Mind Website* This Naked Mind Book* The Alcohol Experiment* This Naked Mind Coaching* The Exchange Group Support* This Naked Mind podcast

Connect with Annie:

* Facebook* Twitter* Instagram* YouTube

Recent Episodes:

* Lila Rose on Choosing Life with Love* Hunting, Fishing & Politicking with Gabriella Hoffman*

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I’ve watched Lila Rose, the president and founder of the impactful pro-life organization Live Action, from afar for man years. She was just arriving on the scene back when I first made my way in Washington, DC.

Lila started the organization when she was only 15 years old. At 30, she’s grown it into a very visible and powerful entity that is helping to change hearts and minds around the issue of abortion. Her commitment to the issue from such a young age and the reasons behind why she’s dedicated her life to this cause are admirable. Lila says:

“The ultimate antidote to abortion is people who are living lives of love.”

Abortion is a hard issue to tackle on a daily basis. She’s received death threats and plenty of hate mail, but Lila doesn’t waver on her belief that life is worth fighting for. With the recent controversy over abortion laws in New York, Alabama and Georgia, Lila has been very busy.

She has also been making the rounds in podcast world, her interview with Candace Owens last week receiving quite a bit of attention for discussing something you hear little about these days: chastity until marriage. Kind of refreshing in this day and age if you ask me!

She also launched her own podcast and recently announced her first pregnancy, so I can only imagine it makes the issue she cares most about even a little more significant.

What We Talked About:

* Live Action* The Lila Rose Show* Spiritual Batteries podcast* What to Expect When You’re Expecting* Good to Great by Jim Collins* Jacque Phillipe Books* Lila Undercover in 2008

Connect with Lila:

* Facebook* Twitter* Instagram

Previous Episodes:

* Hunting, Fishing & Politicking with Gabriella Hoffman* Fox News’ Shannon Bream on Finding the Bright Side of Life* The Melody of Autism: Faith Clarke’s Parenting Journey* Changing the World One Conversation at a Time: Annafi Wahed’s Bold Vision* The World Needs Your Story: Speaking Well with Alex Perry

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I had no idea that women were making such big moves in the conservation space, but Gabriella Hoffman is one of them who is paving the way!

She’s an avid fisher (wo)man, likes hunting and dedicates her time to efforts that empower both men and women in the conservation field. In fact, she has a whole podcast and YouTube series about it! At the same time, Gabby runs her own marketing and consulting business — and her entrepreneurial spirit is incredibly inspiring and contagious!

Though Gabby and I met through our political connections in DC, I’ve become so interested in her hobbies, which she’s turned into ventures of their own. In this interview, we talk about being a woman in these male-dominated spaces, what’s its actually like to be a member of the NRA and why she loves what she does so much.

Her parents fled Lithuania as adults and she and her sister were born in California soon afterward. Because of her history, Gabby cares deeply about the freedom offered here in the United States. Like me, she enjoys the political scene, but has plenty of other things she is passionate about — and she shares it all in this episode.

Things we talked about:

* Gabby’s marketing & consulting business* District of Conservation podcast* The Resurgent* Cast and Blast podcast* Not Your Average Feminist podcast* She Thinks podcast* The Meat Eater Podcast

Connect with Gabby:

* Instagram (personal)* Instagram (podcast)* Twitter* Facebook

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I’ve been watching and listening to Shannon Bream on Fox News for years, so when I got the chance to hear her speak and meet her last summer, I was thrilled! Her career story was so inspiring — and then I found out she was writing a book!

That book, her first and only (as she will tell you!), is released today! I was lucky enough to interview Shannon for the podcast and since the book release just so happens to fall on a Tuesday, we got very lucky.

In our interview, Shannon reveals:

“I got fired from my first TV job..he said, ‘I don’t know why anyone ever put you on TV or thought that was a good idea. You’re the worst person I’ve ever seen on TV and you’re never going to make it in this business.”

Shannon is truly as sweet as she seems on TV, but also a serious lawyer lady who values truth! More importantly, she is a Christian who values her faith above all — and has used it in some pretty rough things life has thrown at her, including very serious health problems.

Things got so bad that Shannon even considered ending her own life at one point, something she writes about in the book and speaks to me about in this episode. I admit, I was surprised to hear that and to read about the extent of her issues. You would never know it watching this beautiful, talented woman on TV, but she has had to overcome so much.

It’s still a battle and like all of us, she is a work in progress, but Shannon’s awesome perspective on life and her incredible relationship with God is something to admire. I was so honored to share this time with her and I know you’ll be blessed by it too.

What We Talked About:

* Finding the Bright Side by Shannon Bream* Living the Bream (Shannon’s podcast — we didn’t talk about it but check it out!)* Fox News at Night with Shannon Bream* The Federalist Papers* Educated by Tara Westover* Same Kind of Different as Me* Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust

Connect with Shannon:

* Facebook* Twitter* Instagram

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Faith Clarke’s son, Jaedon, was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 2. Since then, she’s been on a roller coaster of parenthood. But Faith isn’t the kind of person who just lets things happen. She armed herself with knowledge, awareness and resources — enough to go around to other parents who were unexpectedly living out the journey of Autism with their children.

After Jaedon was diagnosed, Faith eventually created the organization, Melody of Autism to provided resources, community and support for other families. She wrote the book “Parenting Like a Ninja” and has become a fierce advocate for children and parents in the Autism community.

In our interview, Faith speaks about how faith impacted her experience with a child with special needs and poignantly, how God showed her how her son was answering the prayers of many people. She felt God was giving her a responsibility and an opportunity to offer hope and help to others — and she took it. What I loved most about our conversation was when Faith told me why she called her organization “Melody of Autism.” She said this:

“Find the music, don’t be in conflict with it — but be in alignment with it. So many therapies were trying to stop Autism and trying to control it and I shifted to try and understand my son and be in sync with him. When you an come in sync with yourself…can we step into peace and harmony and flow WITH, not against, the life we have?”

Amen and amen! I think this applies to our lives in a multitude of ways and is wisdom for the ages. Faith is also a podcaster, a writer and has a new venture for entrepreneurial moms in the Autism space. Talk about an inspirational lady!

What We Talked About:

* Melody of Autism* Parenting Like a Ninja* Autastic Biz Moms* Disrupt & L.E.A.D. podcast* How I Built This* Revisionist History* Life Coach School podcast* The Go Giver (book)

Jamaican recipe Faith mentioned: Bread fruit fried in coconut oil with codfish and tomatoes stir fried with onions!

Connect with Faith:

* Facebook* * Instagram

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Annafi Wahed left a lucrative job in finance to join the 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign. She was unfulfilled by her career and wanted to do something to make a difference.

Like many people, helping out with a monumental Presidential campaign seemed like a good way to do that immediately. She was blindsided on Election Day 2016 when Donald Trump won the election — and admits, she shed more than a few tears in the days that followed. Annafi says:

“Even if you can’t change the world today, if you change your world — your small sphere of influence today — that could someday change the world.”

But she soon dried her tears and start having conversations with those she didn’t agree with. She didn’t like the vitriol coming from her fellow liberals and wondered if Trump voters were really the horrible, racist people those she knew cast them as.

Her curiosity led her to places she never expected and she eventually started The Flip Side, a daily newsletter than offer both sides of the political aisle on big issues of the day. She’s still a hardcore liberal, but has lost friends who don’t like her approach to respecting conservatives. The Flip Side has exploded in growth as people from both Parties and in between hunger to find common ground and courtesy once again.

I love chatting with Annafi about her experience and what she’s learned about people over the past three years. You are guaranteed to be inspired and will definitely want to sign up for the Flip Side by the end of our conversation!

What we talked about:

* The Flip Side* Annafi in the Wall Street Journal: A Hillary Staffer Goes to CPAC* The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt* Annafi on Fox News* Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neil* Actor Chris Evans new venture: A Starting Point

Connect with Annafi:

* Facebook (The Flip Side)* Facebook (Annafi)* Twitter*

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Alex Perry has an infectious personality — cheerful and spirited — she is the kind of positive warrior everyone would like to have in their life. I’m guessing that’s why she’s so great at her job teaching people how to craft and share their stories through public speaking.

After starting her career working with individuals who were unable to speak — either from birth or a condition — as a speech therapist, she transitioned to started her own business, PS with Alex.

Alex says:

My basic underlying belief is that we all have a message to share and we owe it to those that an’t speak to speak well. 

I got a taste of her skills last summer, when we met for coffee to discuss a few ideas for speaking I was doing for my upcoming book tour. Even spending one hour with Alex got my gears going. She truly knows how to bring the important messages to the surface. That’s partly why I was so excited she agreed to chat with me for today’s episode.

We’ve all heard that statistic that people fear public speaking more than death. In today’s episode, we tackle why that is — and get to the root of why Alex loves her job and how every single person has something worth sharing with the world.

What we talked about:

* PS with Alex* See Alex speak!* Becoming by Michelle Obama* No Ego podcast with Cy Wakeman

Connect with Alex:

* Facebook* Instagram* Linked In

Don’t miss the most recent episodes of “Worth Your Time”:

* Love Your Neighbor: Shannan Martin’s Messy, Beautiful Life* Trust Your Gut: Creative Life Lessons with Michelle Cordero* Bold and Beloved Community with Carrie Sheffield

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Today’s episode of “Worth Your Time” is a real treat. I was honored when writer Shannan Martin agreed to speak with me, after becoming a HUGE fan of her writing.

Her two books — both incredible and worth buying — are “Falling Free: Rescued From the Life I Always Wanted” and “The Ministry of Ordinary Places” will convict you to your core the moment you crack them open.

Shannan’s story of building the life she wanted, complete with monetary security, good jobs, a great home, neighborhood and friends was turned upside down when she her husband Corey tuned into God’s call on their lives.

Shannan says:

It’s worth looking at the world through the lens of Jesus, that we can see beauty in hard places and we can see interruptions as our redemption.

They did a 180, moving to a place they never expected with their three children and striking up relationships with the most unlikely folks. They also ended up adopting their 4th child, a 19-year-old named Robert who brought unexpected blessing and joy to their new lives.

Shannan’s life is one example of how we can live a bit more like Jesus did here on earth. It’s a life that includes less money, lots of interruptions, reams of grace, humility you never thought you could muster and a true dependence on God for whatever may come with each day.

I was just as inspired and moved by hearing her in real life as I have been reading the words in her books. She’s got plenty to teach us all, but you can tell she doesn’t hold herself in any kind of high regard. She’s just listening to God and trying to love the people around her. It really is that simple.

What we talked about:

* Falling Free* The Ministry of Ordinary Places* Glorious Weakness by Alia Joy* Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle*

Connect with Shannan:

* Facebook* Instagram* Twitter* Website

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