A Storied Table

Travel | A Mountaintop Escape

• Amy Kathleen Smith • Season 5 • Episode 69

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Text me! Tell me something good!

What if the best part of your trip all started with a mindless mistake?

We booked a few quiet days while the boys were at camp and ended up on a cliff in Tennessee—inside a geodesic dome at Bolt Farm Treehouse with views that made time actually slow down. The funny part? I’d accidentally booked the wrong dates. But instead of it turning into a mess, their team turned it into the most amazing stay.

This episode’s all about the kind of travel that helps you reconnect with your person. We spent our mornings chasing waterfalls around Chattanooga and tackling trails that tested both our balance and our grit (pretty sure “rope-assisted descent” wasn’t in the brochure). 

Then we’d come back to the domes for slow afternoons—hot tubs overlooking the valley, somewhat tenacious games of corn hole, and Smith in charge of a pizza oven that made dinner an adventure of its own. 

Every detail there—handwritten notes, conversation cards, all of it—made it feel like hospitality done right. Simple, thoughtful, and somehow exactly what we needed.

We also got to meet the owners, Seth and Tori, and hear the heart behind Bolt Farm—how faith and a few big pivots shaped the whole thing. And then there’s Candi, the “Dreamweaver,” who made the place feel like home and became my biggest cheerleader. 

If you need a reset, want a little Chattanooga travel inspiration, or just love hearing about places that value connection as much as design, this one’s for you.

_______________________________________________________

Hosts:

Amy Kathleen Smith | Insta @astoriedtable | www.astoriedtable.com


Edited by:

Ben Hill | http://benhillsound.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/benhillsound/


References:

Bolt Farm Treehouse | boltfarmtreehouse.com


“Before I forget…”

Axis Conversations | Biblical Resources to Help Parents Disciple Their Teens | Podcast

Hosts: Amy Kathleen Smith | Insta @astoriedtable | www.astoriedtable.com

Edited by: Ben Hill* | http://benhillsound.com/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/benhillsound/

*starting with episode 60


SPEAKER_00:

Life happens at the table, like in those rare family dinners when everyone's actually home, or when you finally get to go and catch up with your friends. We don't get enough of those. Those moments that we all wish would happen more often. But that's the feel that I want here. That place where you get to finally shift out of survival mode. So what do we talk about here? Nothing, everything, you know, the kind of nothing that turns into everything good. Sometimes it'll be just us here, and sometimes a friend will join. Welcome to a story table. I'm Amy Kathleen, and I'm so glad you're here. Hey, happy fall break to everybody who has kids at home. I unexpectedly have three boys home today. We're only two were out for fall break this week, one next week, but there was an incident, one of the schools. Um, nothing crazy. They just had a down power line. So everybody's home now. And uh and I thought this would be great. They'll have a fun day. Unexpected, you know, being able to hang out with each other and uh and break up the monotony of the few days that the other two have had home by themselves. But uh I sent them outside to give me a little peace and quiet so I could go ahead and get this checked off my to-do list today. I've been really excited about this episode, really and truly. But I was like, hey, y'all just go outside. I mean, it's it's gorgeous, it's not too hot right now, and um, and we did that, except apparently they decide to not get out the bikes, but get out the dirt bike and rev it up like 50 times outside my window. Like, what's the purpose of y'all going outside if you're still out? So, yeah, if you do hear a dirt bike, that's just that's where we're at today. And I'm just gonna roll with it because you know, I don't think y'all really care if you hear a dirt bike in the background. But anyway, so um this week I'm so excited because I have been thinking about uh how I wanted to share this experience that we had at the most amazing place. A few years ago, Smith and I kind of stumbled upon an unexpected delight in that we had our three boys who all went to camp on the same exact week. So we had about five days where it was just he and I. And I don't know, like outside of like a planned vacation, we would, I don't know, we'd we would have to have sitters or grandparents or somebody stepping in to help out, obviously. But when they're at camp, you don't have to worry about that. And so we had looked into just where we might go. It was kind of like a kid in a candy store kind of feeling of like, oh my gosh, you mean we can go somewhere for like five days? That's incredible. And so uh I had a friend of mine who told me about this place. It's called Bolt Farm Tree House. And she had told me just through conversation about kind of their story about how they started in South Carolina. They built this tree house, it turned into a really, really popular um short-term rental. Then they decided to keep growing that business, but then it kind of fell apart and then they decided to go at it again. And y'all, third time was a charm for them. They hit it out of the park. I can't even wait to tell you about all the details of this trip, but it truly was just a luxurious mountaintop stay, and the views were absolutely striking. So it was so cool. We had this rare window of opportunity for just Smith and I to get away together. And um, but here's the funny thing is I totally booked the wrong dates. You know, leave it to me to do something like that. But I did, like not the wrong week, but I had us coming and going on the wrong days. But uh that ended up turning into something unexpected and even better than I could have imagined. This booking misap of mine just really kind of stressed me out completely because the way that you book at Bolt Farm, it's you check in on certain days and out on certain days. And I thought I had totally just botched our trip. So, as just kind of a last chance, like I'm just gonna call and see what can happen. Y'all, it ended up turning into the biggest gift. They like worked with me and really diligently. I mean, there was like a calling back and forth, just trying to make it work because they knew how long we had planned out for this trip and how much we wanted to be there. And y'all, they ended up just being so kind and working with us and even kind of making an exception to like kind of the way they have things set up there, because that's the best way for them to run their business. But y'all, we ended up getting to experience two of the different domes that they have. And it was just, it was just kind of like an added bonus to this whole adventure. Now, I hope that I can do it justice by describing it here, but um, all I can say is as beautiful as their Instagram feed is and all the views and everything, y'all, it does not do it justice until you step out there. Now imagine this: there are these domes. And if you do go to their Instagram or their website, which is just Bolt Farm Treehouse, there are these domes that they have. And just on the other side of these domes, when you pull up and you park, you walk out and they sit right on this cliff. It's a it's a significant cliff. It's not like Rocky Mountains, but it's definitely like Appalachian. And so it's a significant cliff that just washes out into the most beautiful valley. And then you kind of see like Chattanooga off in the distance, and uh, it's just unbelievable. It feels like it just immerses you in nature, but then where it's located is like this perfect balance of a getaway that you really want, but also with like a little side of adventure, which I'll get into in just a minute. But it truly was just a dream escape for the two of us. We had so much fun. For years, Smith and I just had talked about going over to eastern Tennessee and just kind of exploring that area. You know, we've always heard so many great things about Chattanooga. We really used our time there just to experience like the whole area, you know, and um, where we were located, we were able to take a short drive and go basically all around in every area. And there were so many activities to do. The only thing we missed out on was white water rafting um because of something, I don't know, a dam or something being shut down for a short time. But we did so much hiking and waterfalls, and oh my gosh, they were just absolutely gorgeous. I mean, some of them were just breathtaking, and it was just so cool. It was like the first one we went on was like an easy hike down to just see this amazing waterfall. And that one was just right outside of Chattanooga. But then one time um we uh, because we had gone to dinner the first night that we were in town, um, we went to dinner in Chattanooga and we had this Uber driver and young guy, real sweet, and we're like, uh, you know, where would you suggest? Like what's your favorite hiking place to go? And he's like, Oh, you have got to go to Rainbow Falls. I was like, Great. He's like, it's stunning, it's amazing. Like, you just you, it's a it's my favorite place. It's like great. So we put it on the list. Y'all, it was equal parts amazing and absolutely scary because this trail, like if you ever been on a hiking trail, there's always markers that kind of tell you where to go. And we lost and found our way back to the trail probably at least a dozen times because it had just, I mean, between fallen trees, like having to hike over these giant rocks just to try to find the path again. It was um, you know, we we thought like by the time we were getting close to the waterfall, that like, okay, it can't get any worse, right? I mean, we've basically kind of wandered off and found our way back several times. But then we realized that, like, no, it looks like the path goes down here. I'm like, well, it can't go down right here because that's down the side of a mountain, you know. Um, where's the path? Like, where's the uh where's where's the path where you put your feet? And so we start walking forward and we come back again. We're like, no, that's the path. Michael goes, No, that's that is the path right there. Like, what? That's not a path, that's a rope. He goes, Yep, that's the way we have to go down. I'm like, Wait, you mean like rappel down into it? And he's like, Looks like it. I mean, I was like, that's steep. He goes, Well, that's why the rope's there. I'm like, but no, okay, all right, let's do it. And so I'm literally, okay, it is green, it is lush, and we are like using this rope to kind of lower ourselves down. And sometimes you can be standing upright, but sometimes you're flat, like Spider-Man, like going down this wall. And uh I was thinking, we've lost our minds. I mean, I know we can get up out of here, but this is just more than I had intended for this day. I mean, we had already been out there for I think probably a couple hours at that point, and um hiked over and under and through every down tree you could think of. Anyway, so we make our way down, but y'all, when we got there, I can't wait. Like, I'm gonna put these pictures on Instagram. It was unbelievable. And I think in that moment, it's like when you work so hard to get somewhere, but then the views and the water and the sounds and just being able to hang out there for a while was so totally worth it. Water was a little chilly. It was Smith went for a swim. I just dipped my toes in. But um, it was just like you just sit there and you just like absorb the nature around you. And I'm pretty sure it was at that point when Smith and I just fell in love with Tennessee even more. It's just a beautiful, beautiful state. Uh, but we make our way back up and I'm laughing. Like as we're coming back out of the waterfall area, I'm literally scaling rocks and grabbing onto tree roots like they're ladders, you know? Um, it's got like the green mossy stuff, and you're trying to figure out what what moss is um has traction to it and what moss is slippery. It's a miracle that we got out of there, but we did, and we we finally hiked our way back out. And um, and I'll tell you, probably the beer we had after that was the best one I've ever had in a long time. But it was uh it was a really cool adventure, but we made our way back to uh Bolt Farm and it was always like after each morning, we would get out, we'd go find somewhere to hike or check out or just explore the area. And in the afternoons, we always made our way back, and it was just such a nice retreat to come back home to. We started this little routine the first night that we were there, and there was a cornhole set outside of our cabin. And so we would go out there and play cornhole. It's something that we always play whenever we're around Michael's family. We comes out at Thanksgiving and Christmas and any other time we're getting together. It's just a family activity that we always do. And just like with everything, everything but basketball, actually, uh, Smith's really good at it. He's just one of those guys that's aggravatingly good at everything, every sport, every whatever you need him to do or muscle through, he can do it. But Cornhole is one of those things that he's just good at. I mean, I'm pretty sure he could close his eyes and throw it backwards over his head and it would land at least on the little wooden pallet thing. Um, but anyway, so there's not many things. Like I've never been really athletic. Uh, I've never been naturally good at a lot of sports. In my younger years, I used to say, you could make me dance and rehearse for like eight hours, but don't ask me to run a mile. I just wasn't gifted so much in the uh athletic realm. But after many years of training and coaching by Papa, which is Smith's dad, I finally got decent at Cornhole. And every evening we'd go out there and play cornhole, and I was just determined to beat him. I was just determined to. But then it was tricky because we're like on this like side of a mountain. So the land is uneven. It's not like here where we live in Louisiana, where it's all flat. And so depending on, you know, you rotate sides of where you're throwing from, and then you had to figure out which way you had to throw from that side. Anyway, I'm getting way too technical on this. But it became an afternoon thing where all I wanted to do was beat him. And I would beat him like here or there. But when it came to like two out of three, dude would win every time. And it made me so mad. But there was the sweetest person in the world who works at Bolt Farm. Her name is Candy. She is the first person that we met when we first checked in. And she took care of us the entire time that we were there. And I'm gonna talk more about Candy in a minute, but uh, she was just the most precious thing. Like it was, she was one of those people that like when we met, I'm like, oh, we're gonna like each other. She was just one of those people that you you just knew you you liked hanging out with. But um, she became my biggest cheerleader when it came to Cornhole. And I appreciated like every afternoon as it's kind of like hitting dusk and she's making her way out, she always like give me some words of encouragement. And I always appreciated it. Okay, let's talk about these domes for a second. Whenever we first got there, I did make the effort to kind of do the whole like video of like walking in and checking it all out. And I did make a reel a while ago on that, and maybe I'll put it back on my stories or something. I don't know, repost it, however, I can do that. And uh, but I wanted to capture it all because there was something so cool and different, just really unique about this place. And so it's kind of like a one-bedroom studio type place, you know, and everything is really cozy and all the textures and everything are wonderful. And then each room has like a little kitchenette area where you just have all the little miniature need-to-have kind of things, but your other living space was just outside. And this is where uh we probably spent the majority of our time. But each dome had its own decking around it, and it's got like a hot tub there that just overlooks this cliff and valley. And and then there's also like these really cool outdoor showers that even had like heaters in them that were just made it just toasty and warm. It was such a cool experience. And then, of course, they've got the really like posh, like either swings or lounge spaces uh where you can just kind of lay back on one of those like round, what is it? It's like a chase lounge, but it's giant and round where like several people could climb up in there. Anyway, every place had its own little cozy spots. And there was even a table out there where we'd have coffee some mornings. Oh, and then Smith's favorite part was the outdoor pizza oven. So you had a grill, but they also each one has a pizza oven. And y'all, apparently the man can cook. All he's needed this whole time was a pizza oven. And speaking of food, whenever I booked our stay, I had forgotten that there was like a meal package where they would actually stock your room with meals that could just be cooked with this pizza oven or the grill. And uh, they were delicious, by the way. But y'all, I've forgotten that I'd gotten that package. And so when we were in Chattanooga for a little bit, we had gone to a farmer's market and gathered up some food. So we had um a plethora of food, but it was all amazing. And um, and it was so cool because like, because it was something that Smith could like take out of the fridge and like get going on the pizza oven, like he took full ownership and was like all into it and was so proud of himself, y'all. He was so proud. It was kind of cute. Have you ever stayed in a place that just takes such good care of their guests where there's just little surprises and delights around every corner? So, you know, when I went in and I was taking the little videos and just kind of checking it all out for the first time, I saw some things that were just so sweet. And one of them were these handwritten notes from Candy, actually. And they even referenced the fact that they knew our boys were at camp and hope that they were having a great time and that they hope that they can help us have the best experience together while the boys are away having their fun. And that was just such a nice touch, you know, that's like hospitality to the next degree. And of course, they were like little chocolates and just little treats all around. But uh, one of the coolest things was that they have these conversational cards. It looks like a pack of cards. And um, the whole idea with Bolt Farm, part of the experience they want to offer people is to help them really reconnect. And so they've got these conversational cards. And as I was kind of doing something in the little kitchenette area, um, Smith pulled them out and he's like, Okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna read you our first conversational card. And I laughed because I was like, all right, let's let's let's get this going. Let's get to know each other again, you know, outside of running kids around. And he looked at the first and he's like, Oh yeah, no, you're not gonna like this one. I was like, and y'all, I've I've forgotten what the card said, but it's I was like, well, go ahead and read it. And uh he read it and I was like, yeah, I'm not answering that. I don't even know what it was. I might have to go back through that set and see. But um, we worked our way through those and it reminded me of something that we used to do whenever we had just kind of started dating. We probably actually did this for the first couple of years, but it was basically like 20 questions. It's like, okay, ask me a question. And we would just go back and forth, you know, whether we were in the car on a drive or wherever we were. I think um whenever we were backpacking around Europe, we even did it. You know, it was just something we always like, or tell me a story I don't know about you, you know, and so having these conversational cards really brought me back to those first couple of years that we were together, where it really is like, you know, I want to get to know this person. And we laugh now because every once in a while, Smith might turn, uh tell one of our boys a story from his past. And I'm like, oh my gosh, that's actually one I haven't heard. You know, after you've been together for, you know, nearly 25 years, there's little that you don't know about each other. So, but these conversational cards were just such a cool touch that they did for everybody who stays there. Now, while we chose to kind of get out each day and go explore the area, I want to tell you, you could absolutely book full days here. And it's not because the property is so vast and huge and so much to do, but even in the space they have, there's still so much to do. So we did take advantage of the spa that was there. And from what I can tell, it looks like it's even grown more since we've been there last. And it was such a nice treat. You know, if you've ever been at maybe like an exotic location where you get to have the spa, but you get to hear like ocean waves or something like that. It was just like one of those spa experiences that just immerses you in nature. It's it was super cool. And then they even had like little, small little hikes, like mini hikes that you could do on the property. And it was, it was so neat because you're literally like finding these little trails that kind of take you down parts of that cliff that kind of drops off. And it was almost like you're getting to explore as a kid again. You know, that was really neat. And there was this one little hike they had, and it was like a path that went up or in between two huge like stone walls. It was um, what am I trying to say? It's like a little path that went between, yeah, two walls of stone, like the mountain split is basically what it seemed like. And uh, and of course, Smith, he starts scaling it, you know, like they do on uh American Ninja Warrior, um, because that's Smith, and that's what he does, and that's what he's trained all of our boys to do too. So I'm out there and I'm like, you know what? I can do this too. So I start scaling my way up too. We do have a picture. Um, Smith got up and did his thing and got back down, no problem at all. I decide to get up there, and what do I do? I end up basically climbing up and on my way back down, lose my gripping and slide down one of the walls and had like half side of my arm bruised for the rest of the trip. I mean, that's what happens whenever I try to scale a wall. But it was one of those moments where um, you know, the Broadway show a chorus line. Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you. So it was that kind of moment. Sorry, you had to hear me sing, but that just came to mind. And every once in a while, that little competitive nature in me comes out. I guess it was the cornhole. Maybe the cornhole is what brought out that competitive nature that I thought, sure, I can scale this wall. So um, again, we got to figure out a great way to share all these like pictures because it was uh it was so cool. It's just a neat spot. It's a hidden gem for sure. Now, one of the last nights we were there, they had uh an opportunity where I guess they were just looking for more content pictures from guests that were staying there, and we got a complimentary photo session together. Um I I wish that I had planned better and maybe made an effort, which I'm not really that great at making efforts as far as like what I'm wearing. I just kind of grab stuff and throw it on. But I wish I'd done a little better because I think that could have been a cool opportunity, but it was really sweet. It was fun uh to go and do that and to see the pictures after. That was like a I I doubt they used any of them. I don't actually know, but um it was it was still cool. It was still kind of fun. And all the couples that were there that night were doing it. And then after we did that, we actually went into the main little reception area where you check in and everything, which is another really large dome. That night they were doing a little meet and greet with the with the owners, with Seth and Tori Bolt, who actually created the whole atmosphere, you know, their Bolt Farm Treehouse. That's them. And that was a really cool opportunity to just kind of get together with everyone else that's staying there, get to visit with them a little bit. And then uh Seth and Tori came in and they kind of told their story, and then we got to visit with them for a bit. But one of my favorite parts is that their little girl came with them too. And she was a little bitty at the time. She was probably about like maybe 15 months old, some somewhere around there. But of course I went to the baby. Of course I did. So I got to play with her and it was so sweet and fun. And um, but getting to visit with them, we were telling them about how, you know, so Smith flew us over there. And the way that we were coming from the west from Louisiana over to that part of Tennessee, we came up behind the domes and flew directly over them and got to see where they sat right there on that cliff from like an aerial view. And I was telling Seth, I'm like, have y'all ever been able to do that? And they're like, No, we haven't. You know, we have several friends who have flown into the little small FBO, which um an FBO is like a small little airport, and uh, which was right up the road. And that's he's like, that they've always talked about it. And I was like, Well, you got to get up there. It's absolutely amazing. Now, of course, you have drones and everything that can show you now, but just not quite the same. But that was such a cool experience. And then um, you remember how when I told you that my friend who referred us to this place was telling us about their journey, you know, Seth and Tori's journey from where they started in South Carolina, the first tree house they built and kind of the journey they've been on. Well, my friend was telling me that one of their stories reminded them of the story in the Bible of Gideon and the fleece, where, you know, he's he's asking God to like, hey, Lord, if this is you, will you make this fleece wet? And he woke up the next morning and it was wet. And it's like, okay, Lord, if it's you, would you make this fleece dry? And the next morning he wakes up and it's dry. So these things aren't normal things that would happen in nature, but with the spirit, they happened because the Lord was speaking to him. Now, Seth had a moment like this with an eagle. And I'm I'm I'm actually gonna direct y'all aware to hear the whole story because it's so much better than the way I could share it with you here. But um, I told Tori, I said, Oh my gosh. So we heard about y'all through a friend. And when my friend and I would refer to this place, we would call y'all the fleece people. So, but it was just really neat how, like, you know, it wasn't Netflix that directed us there. It wasn't um the accolades they gotten from like Airbnb or any other the major notables uh in the media world that had gotten us there. It was a conversation about a story about them and their past and how that related to kind of this cool story in the Bible. I don't know. It was just, it was just neat that it was more word of mouth and the way that that happened that pulled us there. And I will tell you, it was that conversation that got me to go and look at their Instagram and look at their website. And I was like, oh my gosh, we have to go here. And I remember actually like showing Michael one night. I'm like, I think I know where we need to go this summer. And when I showed him, I knew he would fall hook, line, and sinker. And he did. And he loved every minute of it. Recently, that same friend texted me a link to this video series that Seth and Tori have put together about their journey. And uh, and I started watching it just kind of here and there as I had time. And y'all, it just made me fall in love with this place all over again. And that's the reason that I wanted to come on here and just kind of share it because, you know, Smith and I have had some really cool travel experiences, but the way that we find these places is typically through just friends that we know telling us about them. And that spurs us along to kind of check things out and and find these cool adventures. So I'm hoping that, you know, y'all can take what we're sharing here and just remember it whenever you're ready to plan something fun. As I was watching their story and watching them build out the domes that we actually stayed in. That was super cool and be able to see the hardships and everything they came through. And uh, and you think about construction's not always easy. And they had some doozies of moments there. But I had this feeling of like I've I've met them and I kind of felt like I know them a little bit. And it just made me so proud for them. It made me so proud to see, you know, the way they were recovering from this kind of pitfall moment that they had and were coming back out of it again, and that we were there as it was like restarting, or not restarting, but starting and uh and really kind of establishing itself again to now see what they've done with that place and like anticipating where they're about to do it all over again next. It made me just have this kind of like proud um big sister moment, you know. I don't have any younger siblings, but like, you know, which I would imagine it's that kind of feeling. Just being able to watch their dream come to life, it just makes you want to like root for them that much more. And when you see how much care they pour into their people, I mean, I see that in what Michael and his sister do at like our family business. But to see that other businesses out there are seeing the value of pouring into the people, um, that's what's was such a special part. You know, you take Candy, okay? So she said, like she started out as a housekeeper there. And so she started working there, but she had such an attention to detail. She had such a gifting for creating moments and uh and just beautiful spaces for people and and sharing those little surprises and delights just to kind of make their stay even more special, that they really quickly realized that she's so much more than a housekeeper. She has so much more potential. And they even created a title for her. And I love it because when we got back home, I just I cherished our time there so much that I decided I'm gonna send Candy a note. Uh, I don't know, you know, you think people don't always get to get a note uh letting them know how much they're appreciated. And I just wanted to do that for her because she made that stay so special. So when I went to go put this in the mail, I realized I didn't know Candy's last name. And so on the front of the envelope, I just put Candy and in quotations, Dreamweaver, because that's the title that Seth and Tori gave Candy because she weaves dreams there and she does. Like she's so good at it. She's such a sweet gifting of hers. It really is amazing to see just what a big difference it makes whenever you have those thoughtful details that are taken care of, that intentional hosting that just can make an experience elevated in so many more ways than anyone would ever expect. I think they've done that so well there. And, you know, sometimes making mistakes like me booking the wrong day and dates. I mean, who does that? Me, apparently. But they turn out to be some of the best parts of that story. I love that my friends sent me the link to their series because it reminded me of just how special that time was. And when you find the places or just the people really that truly refresh you, you know, you want to revisit them and you want to root for them. And it just makes you that much more excited of when you're gonna be able to go back again. And so being able to share this with you today is a way of just me getting to kind of re-experience it again, share that experience with you, maybe help spur you along to go check it out for yourself and just see if that's a getaway that you can schedule for uh for you and your husband. Because Bold Farm, it just wasn't just a getaway, you know, it was an experience that honestly Smith and I didn't even realize that we needed. We were just excited to get away. But it provided like those moments that just really helped re-establish us again and reconnect us. And y'all know how big I feel about all that. So, you know, from the pizza ovens to just those waterfalls, hiking and scaling up and down a mountain to get there, you know, the unexpected people that you get to meet, that's just the kind of trip that stays with you. And uh, and thank y'all for like just entertaining me and letting me like share this all with you because it's been special just to remember all of that and and just think about all the special ways that they have created something that I just haven't seen anywhere else. Okay, so before I forget, I don't know about you, but I'm really skeptical of a lot of information that's put out there. So we live in this world where there's information coming at us all the time from everywhere. And a lot of times I'm just skeptical. I don't know what do I believe, what do I not believe, what should I even entertain listening to or not. So I love a good referral. And I really like when those referrals come from people that I really know and just love and just trust. And that's where this week's topic for before I forget comes from. And it was from our principal at my son's school. I think the world of her, she's an amazing woman. And every Friday she sends out a Friday message to all the parents and students and everyone else. A lot of times she'll put either different books that she's found that are helpful, other resources, and uh, and that's where I learned about Axis. Access is an organization that has helped millions of parents navigate conversations with their teens. And in doing that, they've also spoken directly with just as many students. So it's really neat because what they do is they actually bridge this gap between parents, maybe even grandparents, other leaders in their lives, uh, and connect them with these teens in ways that I haven't seen done before. I think it's an amazing resource because once you sign up on their website, you'll automatically get the emails they send out every week. So it's just a regular newsletter, like you would see from anywhere else. But what's great about it is it's called the Cultural Translator. And for me as a parent, I'm not keeping eyes on everything that my child might be interested in, but they will give you kind of that week's synopsis of what are the key things kids are talking about, like the topics around the latest Taylor Swift album or the latest K-pop trend that's happening on Netflix right now. It might even be about just those weird things they're saying, like this whole six, seven thing and whatever the heck that means. And then other times it's more serious things like the topic of Charlie Kirk and everything that was happening around then and what was showing up on their phones in some cases. So it's really cool is they give you everything that's happening in and around our kids' lives, and they give you ways to talk. About it with them. And there's a couple avenues that I've experienced so far where they do this and I really like it. Okay, first off, and this is a huge win for me, that newsletter they send out, I have skimmed over it before and I have enjoyed it. But they have created a podcast where they just read the newsletter to you. Thank you. Can everyone with a newsletter do that? I would totally read more newsletters if they were just read to me. So their podcast, that's called Access Conversations. It does have episodes where it reads that newsletter to you, but the other episodes are actually a roundtable discussion. And I've really enjoyed listening to the different uh ages of everyone around the table that's discussing all these topics and the way they kind of flush them out. And there is this Christian perspective to it, but it's not coming from this like holy roller type voice. You know, it's very reasonable, it's very understanding of the culture that we live in today. And it's not attacking anything, it's just giving you perspective around it and then facilitating questions and thoughts for you to actually engage with your child in different ways than maybe you're doing right now. I've already started using some of the questions that they have, and it's been really cool. Like my boys who don't really openly share a whole lot with me, we've had some pretty cool conversations. So I just thought this was one of the best resources that have come across my email in a while. And I just thought this was something y'all might want to check out. Of course, I'm going to link all this in the show notes for you so you can just click and check it out. But all you have to do is sign up online, or you can definitely just go search and find their podcast as well. It's called Access Conversations. Okay, guys, I hope this was really helpful. And if you haven't noticed, we're gonna start doing the podcast about every two weeks now. Every one week was a little bit audacious for me. And so we're just gonna take a little step back and release these about every two weeks. So I hope that sounds good to you. All right, y'all take care. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks for being here today. I cannot wait to hear back from you. For you to just come tell me something good. I have no doubt that you have so much good stuff to fill me in on. And this season we have a new feature to help you do that. You can now text me by clicking the tell me something good button that's at the top of our show notes. Or if you're old school, that's totally fine. You can always DM me on Instagram at a story table. Either way, I'm excited to hear from you. But until then, have a great week and y'all take care.