Authentic Thriving Podcast
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Authentic Thriving Podcast
Faith in the Waiting Room: Seven kids After
Samantha Lubanzu shares her extraordinary journey of waiting 10 years for children before going on to have seven, including a miraculous twin pregnancy predicted by her three-year-old daughter. Her story demonstrates how maintaining faith, pursuing other goals, and celebrating others during difficult waiting seasons can lead to unexpected blessings.
• Career and business coach specialising in DEI who helps women of colour reach senior roles
• Pursued education, career advancement, travel and personal goals during her 10-year waiting season
• Made conscious decision to celebrate others' pregnancies and babies while waiting for her own
• First child conceived through IVF after complete surrender to God's will
• Three-year-old daughter accurately predicted twin pregnancy despite medical professionals saying one twin wasn't viable
• Balances motherhood of seven children with successful career through strict boundaries
• Practises intentional self-care through monthly "self-love in a jar" activities
• Faced racism and sexism in corporate world before creating career acceleration programs
• Emphasises hearing God's voice through different channels - audibly, through dreams, impressions, or other people
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Links to Samantha resources
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Hello and welcome to Authentic Traveling Podcast. I am your host, abiyasunia Ebenezer-Barramudbaran. I am an investor in positive transformation through counseling, life coaching, speaking and also writing books. Have you read my book yet? Inner Harmony Resilience Beyond Chronic Stress and Burnout resilience beyond chronic stress and burnout. This book is available on amazon and also on my website, wwwasebconsultancycom. On this podcast, we talk about our mental health, emotional well-being and also our holistic well-being in order for us to thrive authentically. This is a safe space for you to speak about soulful truth and talk about the things that will help you to come back to yourself and regain your self-awareness. Welcome to the Authentic Podcast once again. Right on today's episode, I am with the lovely Samantha Lubanzu. I hope I pronounced your name right. I always ask my guests Okay, samantha, please can you introduce yourself?
Speaker 2:Of course. So my name is Samantha Lubanzu which you said perfectly, by the way, and I'm a career and business coach, especially for diversity, equity and inclusion, so I really help elevate women of colour into senior level roles and onto boardrooms. So that's what I love to do, and I've actually been in HR. I've been in HR for over 20 years and that's where it all stemmed from, but I'll wait to kind of give you more if you want it.
Speaker 1:Okay, thank you very much, samantha. So I have done a podcast on waiting seasons and stuff in life and we know that waiting seasons can be, especially those waiting seasons where you do not have a date, an aspiring date. When people tell you that, okay, I, I will see by the end of the year, then you can know that, okay, fine, there's a particular time. It might be long, but when the time is given to you, a specific time, it kind of easy of the patient.
Speaker 1:patients as well help you to relax, knowing that you just you'll be counting down absolutely right, but when you're going through seasons where you do not know the aspiring date, it can be really really tough, whether physically, mentally, emotionally, even spiritually, in every aspect. It affects every aspect of your life and I've read some of your articles and I know that you have been through very, as in a very, critical seasonal seasons in your life. So I know they're different because, as you might be, we'll go through different times. But I just want, if you would be willing to share, um, what as in a particular one that's done that to you. Um, in the waiting, season?
Speaker 2:oh yeah, there's definitely I. I always go back to the day where I, when I was younger and I realized I wasn't patient enough, and I did. You know, they say be careful what you wish for. Well, in my case, as a Christian, it's be careful what you pray for. So I remember saying God, help me with patience.
Speaker 2:And the biggest thing that I feel like I've had to wait for is children. So I was married for 10 years and nothing, just nothing, happened. We had lots of tests, everything said on you know, unexpected infertility, nothing to untoward at all, but we just wasn't having any children. And in that mean, in the meantime, in the waiting like in the waiting room, as they like to call it now, in the waiting room one of the things that I did is I just didn't put my life on hold while I was waiting for God to come through for me. So what that looked like for me was I went to go and do my studies. I went to finish my master's, I moved to London for a time so I could progress my career. I lived in France, I learned, you know, new languages.
Speaker 2:I went on to go into my dream, my dream career, and promotions after promotions. I bought my dream home, I traveled the world, I did everything that you can imagine and I'm extremely grateful, and even everything I've done or achieved is always a testimony, and to the glory of God and including the home we live in, where we. We prayed for a nice home and God just gave us abundantly a four bedroom home, but we didn't have children. I had a beautiful big car, you know, four by four I didn't have children. And I will never forget just one day just saying, ok, now I'm ready, like I've literally achieved everything I've ever wanted in my life. And I know that not many people have that blessing there's always something they want but I can honestly say at that particular point in my life I'd have done it all. The only thing I didn't have is children. And I remember just saying to God you know, I'm ready, like I'm just so ready now, and um, feeling the peace, knowing that if I didn't have children, will I surrender it all to God.
Speaker 1:I did, I just said you know regardless, love Lord, surrender it all to God. I did.
Speaker 2:I just said. You know, regardless, Lord, I will continue to just love you, no matter your decision. Your will be done. And I remember hearing in the spirit, just hearing God saying to me your child is on its way, and I'll never forget that that was a year. And then I went for IVF and I felt like that was the nudge from the Lord to go for IVF. I know that's very controversial to some people, but I'll explain the situation so we went for IVF and it was successful first time round.
Speaker 2:Like they said, god builds the house. You will never label in vain. Yes, first time round we were successful. The reason why we couldn't do IVF before is because the area that we lived in didn't have um, the didn't have the funding that we did, and we were quite young when we got married as well. So we didn't go. We didn't want to pay the extortionate amount, we just wanted to believe in faith. And when the funding did come we, there was nothing to really stop us. So we went for um IVF first time round. I produced 22 eggs, 22, which is a lot. I oversimulated, which meant that I couldn't um. They couldn't progress with the, with the um to insert the, the, the babies in the baby, old babies in. So I had to have a three month break. So me and my husband said let's, let's take the opportunity to travel again.
Speaker 2:So we went to Canada, the west of Canada, traveled all the way around the wild wild west. Beautiful, stunning, absolutely stunning. If you've never been, please do go. It's the most picturesque place I've ever been to in my life. We did that for three weeks, and then, when we came back roughly around the time we're coming back, it was time and I was rested and relaxed to the glory of god, and then, um. As you probably know, sonia, I've gone on to have seven children. Yes, all of them have been natural, including twins who were born at 26 weeks again another testimony for us and they were all natural, so we didn't have to use ivf ever again. And I must say, though, we still have eight eggs in the freezer, in the ivf freezer, so we still have eight more whoa wow, wow, wow.
Speaker 1:Samantha, you've just whisked through that in less than five minutes and I am going to unpick everything you've said because 10 years 10 years, that is not 10 days. It's not 10 hours, it's not 10 seconds, it's 10 years of waiting. That's 24 months, 244, 240 months, oh very good at maths yes, let's. We need to make it out there and just how big.
Speaker 1:It is how big what it is god has done for you and your husband. And there was no mention of you saying you were getting frustrated, you were getting tired or anything, but you just carried on doing other things. I'm just wondering how did you, the first year of waiting, second year of waiting, 30 of waiting, as in? How did you reconcile, like, okay, I'm gonna get busy with other things and I'm so glad that your husband also buy into that. Um, I'm just wondering how did you do that? We've got. We've got a baby with us. Ah, this is the first baby we've had on this podcast, so what a privilege. Thank you so much for joining us baby, so I'm just gonna please unpick it as in the process of waiting. How did you what? What was your mindset at that time?
Speaker 2:I think, because I I'm a woman of faith and I feel like one of my gifting is that I just hear from God. I'm a messenger, or prophet, however you want to word it, which means that I can hear God quite audibly, which helps, or it doesn't, because when God tells you to wait, you just know you have to wait. But one of the things that I knew I wanted to do is yes, I was frustrated at times. Yes, I just stopped and cried out to the Lord, like you would every single period. You did the calculations. But if you do 10, 10 times 12, that's 120 to 119 where you get no, it's not this time, it's not this time. It's not this time as a woman who this time, it's not this time as a woman who is going to, you know, go for her normal monthlies, yeah, so you still. I still had that. But one thing that God said to me was you will have children, but the children will come after. You see, everyone you know have children. So I was young when I got married. I was 24 and my friends hadn't really had children yet. I was just not really married yet. I was one of amongst the first. So to hear that, I knew that all my friends had to get married, all my friends had children, so I just started to celebrate everyone, like anyone around me, I would encourage come on, have children. Come on, because I knew that eventually it would be my turn. Yes, the blessing in the midst of the storm, I would be the one that would be at baby showers, giving the biggest gifts, giving the biggest blessings, not because I wanted something out of it, but because I really, truly, on my genuine heart, wanted to pour into people. And and also God also made me speak to other people who were struggling to have children and tell them that their time was going to be next month, next year. This time next year, you'll have children. So I felt like it was a blessing in disguise, some may say and I also felt like it is a testimony in myself. I was so blessed to see others just be blessed and the happiness that came from it. Yeah, just get ready for it.
Speaker 2:I served um diligently in children's ministering worship team and I just served from when I was 17 until the day I had my third or fourth child and I was like I can't do, I need a break now. But generally I just carried on serving, serving, serving. And I believe that God tests your heart. It's not about what you do and the actions you do, but your heart condition. And my heart condition, you know, went through the fire and I was tested a lot, but I really did it with all my heart and just carried on living, because a lot of the time when you speak to people who are waiting, they, they put everything on hold, um, and when you're putting things on hold, then you can live with regret and you can yeah, a lot of you'll have a lot of regret and a lot of what ifs, but I didn't do that.
Speaker 2:I just carried on living and doing the things that I really aspired for, like you know, traveling, um, traveling, buying a home, um, going to um, go for that promotion, because before, like, oh, should I go just in case something happens? No, I'm going for it and if it's god's will, I'll get it. And that's one of the things that I did and I feel like, um, I can be and I oh. There's a book that I always give out. It's supernatural childbirth, and when someone was wanting, I used to just have these books in my handbag. Someone was like, I'm trying for a baby, I would just give them this and say here's my blessing to you read this book. I think her name is Jackie. Uh, I'll find it in a minute.
Speaker 2:Mira add it to the um yes, please the bits, but that was one of the true blessing for me, as well as the movie Fighting the Giants. Oh wow, obviously the Bible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, you mentioned. Thank you so much, samantha. You mentioned something very profound. You hear from God and a lot of people I know. You're not a pastor, samantha. A lot of people just expect that it's only the men and the women of God with a tie to the hear from, and sometimes almost as if it's like a mystery, when you say you hear from God. How does that come about? How did you get to that point where you know that I can hear from God? This is God talking to me.
Speaker 2:So when I was eight years old, one day I had a dream and I also had dreams, but the dream that I had was that I was the secretary of God and God was giving me messages and I had to give these messages to people. And I remember waking up it was really clear as day and I said to my mum I had a dream that I was God's secretary and I had to give all these messages out to people and they were coming fast and thick and I just had to keep giving them. And then my mum stopped and says oh, that's your gift. And I you mean, that's my gift, you're a messenger of God and that's the name meaning of my name, actually messenger of God.
Speaker 2:So from there, that was that, was it. Nothing happened after that. I just knew that that was something, that was my gift, but I didn't really understand it. And I feel like after I was baptized, then things started to elevate, where I could hear God more clearly and I knew God's voice. You know he says you um, my, I'm trying to remember the actual word where it's my sheep in my voice my sheep in my voice so I just could hear, and I think I've always been able to hear.
Speaker 2:But I didn't understand the difference. And when I got baptized, there was a, there was like a cloak or a veil that was completely um opened, where I see clearly that God was speaking to me. And I can't explain any other than that, because it's something that's always been there for me and I know that from speaking to a lot of other people. It's not something that they get um and I'm going to say that it is a blessing, but it also means, like you know, like jonah in the in the whale yes, it's not. You cannot not hear it, you cannot avoid it. You can run wherever you want to run, but that is still very, very clearly there.
Speaker 2:There was one time um, I don't ever share this little thing where I was um angry with god one once and I was like I'm never going to listen to you again. Tell that I was a teenager at this point because I got baptised quite early as well, about 17, 18, maybe 19,. I got baptised. I was like I'm not going to listen to you again and I remember God. I was just trying to stop the hearing of God and I remember things flashing in front of me God will. There'll be a car coming in it will say Jesus loves me, or there'll be a wall that will spray a message on. And I was just like. God will use whatever he needs to use to talk to you. So, even though mine is audible, if I was to shut, if he was to shut my ears tomorrow, there'll be another way he'll communicate with me. That means that everyone he communicates with every person in their own unique way.
Speaker 1:There's no way that he's not communicating. It's just that you need to know how he's communicating with you. That's it. Yeah, he's communicating, you just need to listen. Absolutely I love the fact when you said you fell out with god. You fell out with god, like I'm not listening to you again, stop talking to me. And then he said okay, fine, I'll. I'll speak to you through your side. You're going to see this one. You're not going to close your eyes.
Speaker 2:You're going to continue to see me and hear me. Yeah, there's just no way. Like I said, like Jonah and the whale, I continue to hear from God. So it has been a blessing. I have been used by God in so many ways and I do help pastors sometimes to, to, to discern um and to be able to speak to them directly. He'll just tell me, go and speak to this pastor, go and speak to that pastor, and I'll be like all my days, but that's the pastor. How can I go? But usually, yeah, usually, whenever I have a message, I'm a confirmer. So it will be and I'm so grateful for that and that helps me with my confidence. It will be something that they've already heard or they already know, and I'll be able to just be the encourager, to say this is just to confirm what God has already told you. So now I'm just making sure I'm just a normal person being used by God and these are the specifics. The specifics, yeah, what's interesting, um about it is my daughter, eliana, which means God has answered her. My prayer, which was the firstborn child, um, hers is amplified. So what I have I thank God for. But she is like next level, gifted um, for example, um. In fact, her story went viral. So when she was three, she told me that I was pregnant with the twins and um. At first her story was that she'd had a dream very similar to me. But I was eight when I had mine, um, and she said that she had a dream and that, um, I was gonna have a girl, baby girl. And I was just like, no, I'm not ready for any more children. So I just like, okay, yeah, yeah. And every day she would say mommy, you're gonna need a bigger car. And in my back of my mind I'm thinking why would I need a bigger car? Because that means I'm going from two to three. There's no, we don't need another bigger car unless we're going from two to four or something. But I just ignore these little things. She would go to the um childminder and every day she'll talk about her, her new sister that was coming. And the childminder go are you sure you're not pregnant? I'm like, no, I'm not pregnant. I don't know why she keeps talking about this, this, this new door, this new sister that's coming. She would describe her she's gonna look like me, she's gonna wear my, my old clothes, my baby clothes. She's gonna be, and she would be very specific. And then one day, um, I missed my period and I was like, oh, maybe she's right. So then I started questioning her, going, okay, so I'm supposed to be having a girl, right. And she goes mom, you're so silly. She actually said that that's why I don't let her watch peppa pig anymore. Um, and she said you're gonna have two babies. And I was like, now you're telling me we're gonna have two, what? And she's like you're gonna have have two babies. And I was like, now you're telling me we're going to have two, what? And she's like you're going to have a boy and a girl. And I was like, why, all this time, you've only talked about the girl? She said because I just want a sister. So you went and talked about your brother. This is what you're saying. You said you're going to have a boy and a girl. Okay, so at to to believe what she's saying.
Speaker 2:Then she started to get very specific the baby's going to come early. The baby, the babies are going to come early. They're going to come out like an explosion. She started and I said okay, when is it going to come? And my door is number 10 and she she didn't really know her numbers very well. She knew them, but not to that level and she went and said the same number as the door. So when I went and I said what do they look like? He said, right now, they look like black circles. And I found that very interesting for a three-year-old to say they look like black circles.
Speaker 2:So when they took me for the scan and the first scan that I had, um, they turned the screen around and the first thing I saw was two black circles and um, and they told they told me the date would be the 10th of July, that I was due, and I was just like what. And they told me the date would be the 10th of July, that I was due, and I was just like what. And then they told me some bad news. They told me that one of the twins don't worry, but the baby is, is is no longer with you, with us. Baby's died, the baby has not gotten yoga, it's not got a heartbeat. So you know, but don't worry, at least you got one healthy one, the heartbeat's there. And I just said I looked at and I said no, the that baby's fine.
Speaker 2:And and the nurse was like telling me no, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 2:Did you hear what I said? There's no yoke. It has to be a yoke. I don't understand. If anyone's listening in their medical, they might know better than me. There has to be a heartbeat. Yes, there are neither of those, so it will just be absorbed. We can see there was like a sack. There was, there was something there, but it's not there anymore and I just said no, and you're gonna find this hard to believe.
Speaker 2:I said but my daughter, who is only three years old, has told me I'm gonna have a boy and a girl, twins, and she told me that I'm pregnant right now. She's giving me very specific specifics about them growing up. She told me the boy was going to have big feet and be very tall. She said the girl was going to look like her. She told me they're due on the 10th, which she just told me now. And she also told me that she's getting all her messages from God. Now, why would God lie to her? Now? This point this nurse looked at me like I was crazy and I was just like god won't lie to a three-year-old. I don't believe that. I just don't believe that. I said what's the process for checking again? She goes. Well, you can come back in two weeks. But, as I said, there's no yoke, there's no heartbeat, and I just said okay, I'll come back in two weeks, then shall I?
Speaker 2:and um, obviously, clearly she was like rolling her eyes at this point yes another one, one of them probably, and I just remember we, we left and I remember going right. Okay, we're gonna just fast and we're gonna pray. I didn't fast, but the people around me, my church, was praying, everyone was praying that when we got back in two weeks that these babies were going to be healthy, they're going to be fine yeah in the meantime I was questioning my daughter more and more like what, tell me what they're going to look like when they grow up?
Speaker 2:and it was kind of encouraging me. She would tell me very specifics about them, like what you know, my son was going to like ball, you know playing ball games and my daughter is going to just very specific stuff and it encouraged me. So when I did go back after the two-week time, yeah, and they did the scan and we just were standing in faith, me and my husband were standing in faith because she had started the conversation God had already showed us and when we went to the scan they just turned it around going oh yeah, two healthy heartbeats, and I remember it was. I was so happy, you know, I was so happy about it was the same nurse that I see on me the second time and I was just so glory. Um, because in manchester st mary's is massive, the chances of seeing the same person is slim to nil I was so grateful to go back to say well, I did tell you that my daughter had already foreseen this.
Speaker 2:Anyway, the story is viral If you go and put three-year-old predicts twins. The story went all over the world because it was during, like you know, 2020 COVID. The twins were born early. Although we didn't share that with people, we just believe. We just prayed and just hoped that that would not be the case, but unfortunately it was. They were born at 27 weeks.
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Speaker 2:So they basically came and they said right, we're going to give you 30 minutes if this baby is not out in 30 minutes yeah we are going to have to cut you and take the baby out by force. And I said, okay, 30 minutes. Okay, let's do it. So they gave me the drugs to um, I can't remember what the drugs were called. Yeah, the aesthetics To restart labour, because when you have wins, it slows.
Speaker 2:Within the 30 minutes to the second, I'd pushed him out and he came out like an explosion. The doctor because it was a doctor that delivers babies the doctor got soaking wet. She was like I'm soaking, like it was like an explosion and I was just like wow, and they both got risked to um intensive care. Um long, long and short of the story, they were there for 61 days and they came out and they're healthy, they're five and they're um thriving all right.
Speaker 1:Wow, wow, samantha, this your story is just amazing. The work of God. I love the fact that God, when you, when you hold on to faith, god has a way of confirming his word. Of all the nurses to that, my placenta was not placed right, so on the day of delivery I might need an operation and all of this stuff. And she was drawing it because I wouldn't agree with her. And she was drawing it and I was telling her that when God bless, he had no sorrow. When God bless, he had no sorrow. And I was telling my husband can you speak to your wife? I said you don't need anybody to convince me. I know that when God bless, he had no sorrow. And she, she just get really fed up of me. When he said the nurse was rolling her eyes, as one of these Jesus fanatics, I could relate with that because that's the way she was behaving. And then at the point she was like stop, I know you are a woman of faith, but you need to listen to me now. And I was saying to her that. But when God bless you, I had no sorrow. So I am going to do everything that you want me to do, but I'm not going to buy in into your report.
Speaker 1:So on the day that I gave birth, what happened was that, of all the doctors to call me to do ward runs, it was this same doctor that came back in and then I closed my eyes and then she's saying hello, congratulations. Do you know? Is this? I said, I know you are. I called her name and she was just laughing and I told. And then the next thing I said I told you my god would do it. And she started laughing. So it's just I don't know who is out there that your faith right now might be winning and you want to just give up.
Speaker 1:This is a message for me and Samantha, because we've not even discussed this prior to this discussion about the wonderful way that God will show up for you. All you need is faith, and if you've ever seen a mustard seed, you will know that a mustard seed is so tiny that even if you put it on your palm, the mustard seed can just disappear into the palm of your hand right. And then imagine when you put it in a cotton wool and add water to it it grows really fast. So God said if you have just a fate as small as the mustard seed, it's enough. So if you are in your waiting season whether it be as a result of children, maybe job, maybe just business, anything in your life I'm just trying to use this message to tell you that God said it's with you. You just need a fate as tiny as a mustard seed. So that is just. I don't even know I so on peak this year? Um, it's not.
Speaker 1:This is not a discussion anymore. Is a testimony on how, when you, when god give you a gift, when he give you a gift, it doesn't look at, um, who are you, or the number of age, or your age or whatever. You just give it to you and they give it to you freely In that 10 years. I just want to quickly ask something Did you have any pregnancy at all, any miscarriage or anything in that 10 years?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I had three miscarriages but very early on. Yeah, so I did have three miscarriages, unfortunately.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, I know that will not be easy for you as well, because that's another, you know, really, really difficult to challenge yourself, for you to process all of that stuff. And there was something that you said you did. You did not wait and just be rotting away because what you wanted so much is not there. You carry on leaving, I don't just leave. You were thriving because then you were pursuing other things traveling with your, with your husband.
Speaker 1:You know, having a very good and understanding partner in when your waiting season is very, very good and it seems like you have a good support system when we're talking about people praying for you and waiting with you in the church as well. So if you're waiting, you need a great support system to also stand in the gap for you. You need someone that is in your car cause inner circle your husband, your good friend that will be able to share things with you. You need to also talk to them as much as you trust them. And then you also said something about, you know, pursuing that career and doing the traveling.
Speaker 1:So you were living and you were thriving as you're waiting in that season, and you were not being bitter because you said you were celebrating other people. Do you know how hard that can be for some people, samantha, where people because it what they want, other people have it, they can't get it, that can lead to a sense of depression, a sense of pain, a sense of regret like God, why me? How come you're giving other people, not me, but in your own case, you were celebrating with them until it was your turn for them to also say yeah, that is.
Speaker 2:That is, I think it's really important and I think that's for everything that you're doing in life always celebrate. There's always going to be your turn and then, when it's your turn, you'll be celebrated. So, always celebrate. I always think, celebrate people, you know. Always celebrate people for whatever they're achieving and genuinely celebrating them. You know, yeah, yeah, I, you know. And look, look what the lord has done. I know, now you've got your bands full yeah, you know good measure, shaking together and he says Thank you for your patience with my children.
Speaker 1:Oh, no, no, no, no, no. We are talking about waiting. I know what you've been waiting for they're all around you now. This is your evidence. Yeah, this is true, this is your evidence and a testimony that God can be trusted. That God can be trusted. Yeah, my God, my God. It will definitely bring to you what you've been waiting for. So you've got nothing to apologize. It will definitely bring to you what you've been waiting for.
Speaker 2:So you've got nothing to apologize and just in everything in life, just use that same. You did it, yeah, just use that same, um, the same theory. That continue to just celebrate and pour in. You know, one thing I I would recommend anyone who's listening is, if there's an area of your life where you are personally struggling, struggling, pour into that person or that those people. So, if you're struggling in your marriage, go and pour into those marriages that you see that you think are, because sometimes they'll be hand closed so you don't know what's going on but go and pour into that that marriage. Go and give them a blessing on their 20th anniversary. Go and pour in.
Speaker 2:If you're waiting for a child, go and go into those baby showers. Go and be a big giver. Go and pour in. Go and, um, buy a, a moses basket or whatever it may be pouring to people. If you're waiting for that job, then go and the people who you're waiting for, go and celebrate. The people who have already gone before you promoted that they've been promoted, go and celebrate. Take them out for out for something to eat, to celebrate them. Just celebrate other people and just pour into those people in whichever way. And again, you talk about gifts. I know that everyone has their gift, so use your gift For me. I am just a natural giver, so I will give. But guess what? If you give, god will also one day, in the right time, receive this natural order of things. So pour into people, give, celebrate and you will be celebrated. God is not.
Speaker 2:I don't know what's just happened there and saying god is not, god is not a man, that he will ever lie. Whatever he said, he will do. He will surely do, yes, surely do. God is big, god small, or big, small, god is big we've got a contributor to the podcast.
Speaker 1:God is big indeed.
Speaker 1:God is big indeed. I like the way you summarized that and you brought that together, brought everything together. You know, when I, when I was coming down, I just finished from somewhere when I was coming for this podcast and I was just thinking this podcast is about waiting and I was trying to go through my questions again, but in the end I just said, god, just take control of how you want this podcast to be today. This is not a normal podcast. This is not a normal way that I do my things in my podcast. To be honest and I know god, this is for you I know that somebody definitely needed this podcast and god wanted it to be like that.
Speaker 1:I don't know what you're waiting for. Samantha may not know what you're waiting for if you are finding it difficult to be around those that have what you want. Remember she said pour into them what you do not celebrate. You are telling god that you do not deserve it and you do not want it. What you celebrate will come back to you in double measures and also support system. Don't do life alone by yourself. It doesn't matter. Just go, because there are some people when they see other people doing exactly what they are doing, it's almost as if they become your enemy. They are not your enemy, they are your allies. They are good for you to support. They will support you. Collaborate with them and just move with god's speed. Be patient as well, and keep living while what you are waiting for become your testimony and a celebration.
Speaker 1:Samantha, I don't even know what else to say, but I just know God has moved and he has done what he wanted to do in these sessions, in these sessions. Um, just one final question before you go, because I feel like maybe at some point I might bring you back for something else. This is just a tip of the iceberg. Like you said, god gives people different gifts. If you do not hear from God, it doesn't mean that God is not speaking to you. If you, there are some people. It might be dream, it might be imprint For me. I just have this imprint.
Speaker 1:Or, like Samantha said, different ways. I am asking God in my closet and then I'm speaking to people. They are speaking as if they are answering what I ask God in the closet and I'm thinking what is this all about? That is what I ask God for, and someone else is just pouring out the answers. I'm like, oh God, you are teaching it. You have a good sense of humour. It might be that as well. Listen, pay attention. When you ask, you need to pay attention, and then someone else will just give you the answer, which is sick. Someone sent me um, the intercessory book from Kenneth Higgins this two days ago. I don't understand it. It's almost as if the person knew I needed that material at this time and then, when I asked him, please can you explain the reason you sent me this material I really appreciated it. And then he sent me about five lines of the reasons why he sent that to me you won't believe it, samantha about four key words. Four key words that are personal between me and God were in those answers that he gave.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:Four key words. Wow, that's amazing. Four, incredible.
Speaker 1:And then as I read it I was like, okay, I hear you, god, thank you, you heard it again. So it might not be the way somebody hear the voice, so the belief might be an imprint. It might be when you're reading the bible and then that just resonates with you that you can hold on to it. It might be true, people. It might be when you have a dream. It might be different way. But just know your gift and know that god is not silent, he speak even when in that silent he speaks. You just need to pay attention.
Speaker 2:You're um, you're muted I was going to say you talked about silence as well. Um, just at the end. So I just wanted to say that, because god said be still and know that I am god. So when you are trying to hear from god and you're like, well how I can't hear anything, because I've had people say to me but I can't hear anything at all for what is god actually telling me? I don't know what to do, and it's just reminding you to be still and know that I am God. So you just need to stop in order to hear sometimes as well. Just stop, be silent and let God speak to you in the way that he is going to speak, and that's it. Just be still, don't expect anything and just wait wow, wow.
Speaker 1:In this podcast, samantha, we normally ask people what are the ways that they replenish themselves in order for their mental and emotional well-being. Because, especially with you having so many children, now that's a lot. That is a lot. Right, I know you have support from family and stuff, but how do you remain? Because I know you're a career woman, I have to bring you back on that career path again to come and speak on that, because she's a lady that wears so many hats. Uh, introduction was very modest, so I'll have to bring her at some point at some point I don't know when um to come and speak again. What are the things that you do to ensure that your stress bucket doesn't run over and you get overwhelmed or burnout? What are the things that you do to ensure that you authentically thrive?
Speaker 2:so definitely one of the. It's very, very easy to get burnout, so I'm a big advocate of self-care. So one of the things that I did this year which I absolutely loved I'm so glad I started it's called it's. It's something I just kind of coined myself. It might exist, I don't know. I just I had this feeling that I should do it called self-love in a jar. So I just had all these different ideas of the things I wanted to do for myself and I put it in a jar and every month, just like a little post-it note I'm gonna try and see if I can find just like a little jar I don't know if it will show you this just like a little, like a little jar of yeah, and then each month you just take one out and do whatever it says on that.
Speaker 2:So the first month was um was to go and date myself, which I've never done before, and date myself. I'd never done it before. I realized that. So I went out and took myself for a meal for two. I was pregnant at this time, so just bear with me. I was pregnant and I enjoyed that meal for two. I literally said bring it all.
Speaker 2:I then went to the movies on my own. Again, it's something that I hadn't really been able to enjoy for a long time, but I haven't been to the movies on my own. I walked myself to the movies, so I held my own hand, and then I did a bubble bath at the end and, yes, so that was quite nice. And then the second, the next month, was I went on a woman's retreat. Well done so. I went on a woman's retreat. Then the following month, I just went and I'd given birth by that point. So I, my mum, said I look after the baby, go and do something for yourself. I went and just did. Oh, you're gonna hear all sorts now I went to go and get, um, my nails done and my feet done and just a little massage yeah three months I'm doing something.
Speaker 2:Then, uh, april was a hike with one of my friends. I actually didn't do it on my own. I went on a hike. Um, then, last month, which was may, what did I do in may? I can't even remember. But this month, um, it's meant to be I'm going to go and do like sip and paint, paint something, oh yeah. Or even going to pick up my clarinet so I can play the clarinet, and I haven't done it in like 20 years. And it's been looking at me and I'm like, oh, I'll just sit there one day and just play around with it, and that could be that that month, just creatively expressing myself in a different form. So it could be writing, it could be painting. So I think I might do that one where I just start playing again, because I really want to start playing again. So these are the things that I do. But I also go to the gym. I just started the gym in May. Oh, that's what I did in May. I started the gym. I, that's what I did in May. I started the gym. I was wondering what did I do? So I started the gym in May.
Speaker 2:I go three times a week. I go. I wake up at 5am to go because I have to get back from the school run. I do a 6am class or I do a PT, and then I get home to take my children to school. So then my husband is very, very patient, so he's he will help me get the kids ready so I can go to the gym, come back, they're ready and I will walk them to the school and then, when he's working, I'll do the bits of getting him ready and then he'll take him to school. So we kind of do what we can. And he started going gym again now so he's having him. Uh, so when you see us we're going to be looking at the incredible hopes, but, um, that that's mainly the things that I I try to do. I try to pour into myself so I can pour out to my children, to my clients, to, to, to my community, my friends, everything. I can't do it unless I look after me. Um, so I'm a big advocate of people just looking after themselves, and I'm also a big advocate.
Speaker 2:I've got seven children. I take the time out for them, I drop them to school, I pick them up and I make sure that my times are very, very, um, quite strict. So I have boundaries of work. I pick them up, I pick them up and I make sure that my times are very, very, um, quite strict. So I have boundaries of work. I pick them up, I make them dinner. They see me there, I'm visual. And then I will do client work again when they're going to, after they go to bed, so I make sure that their time is their time.
Speaker 2:I'm mum. When I'm at work, I'm at work, but when I'm for me, I do me so, and when I'm a wife, I'm a wife. So just making sure that there's very clear boundaries between the two, otherwise you forget yourself and who you are, um, so I've made a very big point of not doing that, especially as a mom of seven. So, and they're very well looked after and really cared for, and I'm grateful as long as you know, lord god provider, you know ira, so I'm I'm very, very grateful.
Speaker 2:I know that not everyone has what I have and um hence why I do what I do pouring back to people and helping them um elevate their careers so that they can be in a position that I'm in yeah, amazing, amazing can you?
Speaker 1:just touch on a bit. How do you do it? Like that's quite a lot. What I see there is that you understand the different roles, that you are, that you that you are, that you under responsibility, and you intentionally look after yourself in each of those roles, which is why you're able to show up right, which is able to show up.
Speaker 1:Can you just speak briefly as to what you do regards the the career stuff, in case anybody is interested? You know this is a woman that you should. Regards the, the career stuff, in case anybody is interested.
Speaker 2:You know, this is a woman that you should you should, you should get in touch with in terms of your career elevation so because of my HR background and because, even though I said that I have gone in and gone into all these different promotions, what I didn't say is that I actually faced a lot of racism, microaggression and sexism you name it. I faced it. It was a tough journey and a very competitive one to get where I got to. And when I got to where I got to, I still looked around and there wasn't anyone that looked like me. So it wasn't satisfying to me at the end because there were people who were still in the same positions they've been in for 20 years that look like me and I wasn't happy with that. So when in the same positions they've been in for 20 years that look like me, and I wasn't happy with that. So when I just I felt God telling me that it was time to leave, I couldn't believe it. I was like I've just got here, I'm finally made it, and now he's telling me to leave what? But God has a way of doing things, doesn't he? So what that meant is that I understand what people have experienced in the workplace, and it's not fun, it's all they're masking that they do. It's exhausting, burnout. They're trying to get the promotion, trying to move on and nothing quite happens. So I've been through it personally. But I also have helped if not thousands by now leaders to progress in their careers to the highest level. I've worked, you know, at the highest levels. So what I do now is I've got my career accelerator program, which helps individuals to accelerate really quickly. I'm very proud of it because every single person moves on into their dream career within, usually straight after my career program. Some, during my career program, moves into their dream career, and I'm very much big about not just having a career, not just a job, a career, but it's you're also having an amazing life as well and happiness, because you need to have both. So that's what I do.
Speaker 2:I do have a free gift actually I'll share it on here a link which is my free masterclass, which is called the career breakthrough formula masterclass. It's absolutely free and I'll search, I'll send you the link to put into the subscription. Yes, so look out for that. It's just literally, you click on it, you grab your, you grab it and it's on demand to watch it, and it's going to help you to how to be authentically you and be able to elevate yourself in your career and have a breakthrough that you've been wanting, so definitely grab that. Um, I literally just launched it recently and the feedback has been astronomical. I'm so proud of it, so please do grab it. Like I said, I love pouring into people, so grab that, have that for yourself thank you very much.
Speaker 1:Thank you very much, samantha. You are still giving. Even on the podcast she is still giving. So make sure, on behalf of myself and the audience, I'm just going to say thank you very much, samantha. Even though you've got your hands full there, you still created time to come and speak to us on authentic travel podcast today.
Speaker 1:We do not take this for granted. So thank you so much and keep being your amazing self. And if you are listening to this for the first time or you've listened several times but you've not done us a favor, please just click on like and you can share with friends and family, and also you can share on your status on your social media or your whatsapp and things like that, and also comment what stood out for you in this. I'm calling it a very, very blessed podcast. What stood out for you on this episode today? Right in there, if you've got any question for samantha, please share and I will ensure that she gets it and the link as well. Make sure you do well with it and do something very, very nice and elevate yourself as a career woman or whichever capacity that you are in. My name is abia sonia and I remain your host on authentic, thriving podcast podcast. Thank you so much for joining us and for now, bye. For now, bye.