Experiencing Amazing Transformation
Welcome to the Experiencing Amazing Transformation Podcast, where we dive deep into the power of personal growth, spirituality, and the incredible journey of transformation with God. This podcast is a beacon of hope, designed to encourage and inspire individuals from all walks of life.
Join us as we explore the remarkable stories of ordinary people who have overcome extraordinary challenges through their unwavering faith and connection with the divine. Through their experiences, we discover that no matter what you're facing—be it hardships, doubts, or insecurities—there is a path to victory and a way to conquer any obstacle with God by your side.
Each episode is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the limitless potential that lies within. We bring you conversations with thought leaders, spiritual guides, and everyday heroes who share practical insights, tools, and strategies to help you navigate your own transformative journey.
Through honest discussions and heartfelt stories, we provide a safe space for self-reflection, growth, and empowerment. Our mission is to remind you that you are not alone and that your connection with God can empower you to rise above any circumstance, no matter how daunting it may seem.
So, if you're seeking inspiration, encouragement, and the unwavering belief that you can overcome anything with God's guidance, this podcast is for you. Join us on this transformative adventure and discover the amazing possibilities that await as you experience the profound transformation that is within your reach.
Experiencing Amazing Transformation
The Leap: When God's Vision Meets Human Courage
What drives true entrepreneurs to push beyond comfort zones and build something extraordinary? Rachel and Mark Squire reveal the raw, unfiltered truth about their journey creating a thriving community space despite overwhelming odds.
Starting with just $30 in their account and bills looming, the Squires walked away from stable employment to pursue a vision they couldn't fully explain. "I always felt like I was meant for more," Rachel confesses, describing how her husband challenged her to quit her Starbucks job and take the entrepreneurial leap. What followed was a masterclass in faith-based business building that defied conventional wisdom.
Their approach turned traditional business models upside down. Rather than maintaining tight control, they discovered unexpected growth through surrender. When money was stolen and partnerships failed, they developed a transformative philosophy: "Bless it and move on." This counterintuitive response to setbacks became their superpower, with Rachel noting that resources always returned "in multiples" when they refused to become bitter.
The Squires have created more than a business—they've built a platform where others can shine. "Come speak on our platform, get your experience, get your followers, get everything you need," Rachel explains, describing their venue as "a springboard" for emerging voices. Their community-first approach challenges the scarcity mindset plaguing many entrepreneurs.
Most powerfully, they offer wisdom on decision-making and perseverance. "You can do this the hard way or the harder way," Rachel warns about postponing difficult choices. Their journey illuminates why many entrepreneurs fail: either "they're walking a path that doesn't belong to them" or "they give up too easily when the going gets tough."
Ready to transform your approach to business and community? Join us for this soul-stirring conversation about faith, purpose, and the courage to build something that truly matters. Share your thoughts about this episode and connect with us for more inspiring entrepreneurial stories!
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So all those people that are like not making it, it's either A because they're walking a path that doesn't belong to them, or they're walking a path and they give up too easy because the going gets tough and they just, they get going, Just keep tellin' her Just keep tellin' her.
Speaker 2:Before we jump into today's episode, we wanted to give you a little context. We started recording mid-conversation, but the insight was too valuable not to capture. In this episode, we're joined by Rachel and Mark Squire, two passionate leaders who are deeply invested in building an authentic community. Rachel shares how attending a recent women's event has helped her uncover her core motivation and find the confidence to speak to larger audiences with purpose. She also opens up about the Squire After Dark, a platform her and Mark created as a safe space for honest conversation and community connection. Hey, even though we're jumping in midway, trust us, what follows is meaningful, is heartfelt and worth every minute. So come on, let's get into it. That is it.
Speaker 2:That is perfect, that is purpose, that is vision and you can really feel in here and, of course, we all believers. You can feel when a place is anointed Because it's family. It's not only strangers, there's not any bad energy in here.
Speaker 2:I'm a person that had terrible social anxiety, terrible social anxiety, and, if I can just be so transparent with you, yes, please. God had set me down. I wrote a couple books. I wrote about 10 books, wow. And Linda's event was the one. God said I'm releasing you now you did all this other stuff You've been hiding. He said now come out. And I was nervous when I came in this place. It wasn't even Linda, it was your son in this place that made me go. This is God, amen, like. Immediately I looked around and God gave me a vision a couple months ago and I just knew it was for the place downtown, the, the kitchen, the, some kids community. But when I walked in here, this was the vision God showed me it was yours. So then I talked to your husband. He's like it was my wife's vision. I'm like that's God.
Speaker 3:Actually, I saw it too.
Speaker 2:Wow, because what God gave me was for me to get with Moms on a Mission. Those women, oh, I've heard about them. Please connect me, I will, please, I will, and just sit with them and let them have an audience and a place where they can talk about their losses, their gains, how they go through it. And when I saw it, I was like, okay, I got to meet her, I got to meet her I got to meet her and God just aligned everything.
Speaker 2:I just want you to know keep going. This is obedience, is way better than sacrifice, and I know you guys let go some things, but this is, oh, my God. God is in this. God is in this.
Speaker 1:I appreciate you saying that, because I know sometimes when it seems a little difficult, you know we struggle with that and it's like I don't need to know the how, I just need to know that God's got my back and that at some point, the how will show itself, and so that's how we relinquish control and that's how our business has been thriving and that's how, like, things are catapulting.
Speaker 1:I think when you hold onto things too closely with that vice grip because I know best and we know what we're doing you lose it. You lose it very, very quickly. And when you give away that control, you relinquish it and say I'm trusting. And in those moments when it seems like, oh my gosh, what are we doing? Things are not going the way we anticipated, but like that hand of favor is on it. We don't need to know how, like people were flocking to us, people were coming to us saying, hey, we want to help you, hey, we want to collaborate. We got so much advice in the beginning, so many great ideas.
Speaker 1:This was a community effort. Like we did not get here by ourselves and we are not maintaining or growing by ourselves. This has been Dylan and Mark myself, you guys. This has been every person that he reaches out to. That reaches out to us. Like we are all building this together and it's so, so beautiful and so rewarding, like hearing that music in there, hearing someone use their gift, their talent, on a stage on a platform, seeing everyone serve, like beautiful, like I can't imagine anything better happening in that space. Every time something comes to pass, a beautiful event, collaboration of entrepreneurs, community, shreveport specifically. Like there's so many big companies out here and I'm like why are we supporting them? We need to be supporting our own people. We can go, we can move mountains when we work together and so I want to work with our community.
Speaker 1:Like I'm not gonna lie, I I ran away from Shreveport for a very long time. I always thought I was running from the place, I was running for myself. And I came back here and my son pointed out. He said, mom, you love it because of the people that you're around, because of who you're surrounding yourself, and like Shreveport's growing on me, I love it, I want to support it. And like I can't imagine doing anything differently. And you guys have been so amazing. The whole community really like this has just been like unbelievable. Every day something new, constantly growing, and just the love and support like there's just you can't even put into words, like the amount it's overflowing every single moment in this business when visions come to life, overflowing, people coming in, overflowing relationships, overflowing collaboration, overflowing, like it's not just our dreams, it's free for it, it's everybody's dreams in there. Can you cry?
Speaker 2:about it again.
Speaker 1:But like people, this is, this is a great space for people who have a vision, who have a purpose, and no one wants to give them a chance. Yes, no one wants to give them that platform you know, and I don't believe in that.
Speaker 1:I think that we're all here for a specific reason, of specific purpose. I don't care if you don't have what you need to satisfy somebody else who's bigger. Come speak on our platform, come share your message, get your experience, get your followers, get everything that you need to get your message out. Gain the experience and go. Be bigger, spread your wings and fly. Just want to be like a jumping board, a springboard for people and at the studio we normally have tissue.
Speaker 2:I'm so sorry. I'm a hard try out, in case you didn't know yeah, my, I'm full of heart.
Speaker 1:There's no gut in. It's a little bit of brain but no gut, just heart.
Speaker 3:I'm the gut guy, she's the heart Balance.
Speaker 2:Yes, he definitely has balance.
Speaker 1:He keeps me grounded, but he also helps make the visions and the dreams become a reality. I kind of like fly off into the sky.
Speaker 3:I'm a hot air balloon and he's my anchor, and he's like honey, honey.
Speaker 1:Like I love your dreams, I love your vision. We got to be realistic about this. Let's see what we can do to actually make it happen.
Speaker 2:So all the hats you wear. How do you guys manage parenting, two businesses, marriage, family outside of your own family? How do you manage all of that?
Speaker 3:Difficult, it's been difficult trying to find a balance.
Speaker 1:It's been a lot of trial and error With managing the business. We both kind of had to figure out our roles, because when you start business with someone you think you know it all, you think you can do it all, and that's not true, and so it's taken a lot of like vulnerability and trust and you've had to admit, hey, I suck at this area but you're really really good at it. Can you like handle that? So we've just been playing off of each other's strengths and then with family, that's been tough. We've had to try and find a good balance and routine. We're finally in a really good place as far as that goes.
Speaker 1:But I mean, for the last year it's been our schedules been kind of like ebbing and flowing, and so sometimes we have a lot more time than other times. We are like pressed for time and we just have a lot of responsibilities. Prioritization, I would say that's important. We are still trying to navigate. So it's like work, family and then us, and so I would say we're probably on the back burner. So we have to be very, very intentional about it. We'll go through periods where we realize like, whoa, we're not connecting enough or we're not prioritizing our relationship. Around August, september, I got promoted to a shift lead, which meant more hours, yeah, and so he was.
Speaker 3:Non-traditional.
Speaker 1:Non-traditional. They were more mid-shift to evening, so I was missing out on bedtimes, I was missing out on all these things with my daughter, and so he was staying at home with her so I could go do that. And he finally was like Rachel. He's like this is not the family I want, this is. This is non-traditional. I don't support this. He's like if you want to continue working here, he's like you're gonna have to find a babysitter. He's like I'm not doing it. And I was like but we need to pay the bills. And so then he he pitched me on it and he was like why don't you quit and we'll go all in on insurance? And he had been pushing for insurance for a good several years, wow, and I quit. I used the last $500 on one of my credit cards, got us the office at the Regions building, regis, 13th floor, got our first little office, went all in, had no idea how we were going to pay our bills.
Speaker 3:We were pretty broke at the time.
Speaker 1:Very broke. We had like 30 bucks. We didn't make it last for two weeks. I was like tuna fish sandwiches, baby. We got onions and apples and eggs. Tuna fish, some mayo, Got some bread. We'll make it last for the week, Like we got this.
Speaker 1:And you know, it took a lot of trust in each other and a lot of just faith Because, again, we didn't know how. We just had the trust and it was come to pass. And let me tell you, if Mark hadn't challenged me, I didn't quit my job in Starbucks, I would still be there. This venue space would not be coming to pass. None of this would be coming to pass. Nothing. Because he challenged me and I would have stayed on the hamster wheel, I would have continued working the nine-to-five or the two to eleven, because those gotta be paid. And you know, you, you're being told you gotta, you gotta, work for the government to make your money, you guys are entrepreneurs.
Speaker 1:You know like literally in your purpose like you don't need to know the how right. You need to know that that check's coming in the mail the day that you need it, when you need it by the time you need it and let me say this there was a time where I was like, oh my god, we have these bills we have to pay and the money wasn't there.
Speaker 1:It was still on time, but it wasn't on the time that I thought I needed it by and I remember we were crying together about it and I was like it feels like he's late. Why is he not on time? He's always on time because I've never seen God not show up, never. I have he's always been on time, always. And it was at the last minute, girl, and I was, I was altering and I never falter and I was like I've never seen this before and even though I thought it was late, it was still on time.
Speaker 3:It wasn't my time, it was God's time, and so sometimes, like you, have to be reminded like girl, you think you know it all and you don't.
Speaker 1:Like God, is still on time. He's a good God all the time.
Speaker 3:On time, all the time Exactly.
Speaker 1:Not time, exactly not my time, his time, and so like it was so humbling, you know, for someone who's always had that faith and I've always seen him show up in my mind's time, right, and that was the first time I was actually challenged in that like I was pressed, I was my my safety was pressed and I felt so like I felt very fragile in that moment. But he showed up though, so I can't complain.
Speaker 3:The more that happened, the more our faith increased. So it's like it's okay. Well, we have a little bit of doubt, but God showed up on time, and the next time little smidgen of doubt. God showed up on time. Then the next time it's just like no, god's got this one and showed up on time. Then it's like it's.
Speaker 1:It's like your faith muscle continues to build yeah as you go on, but I don't know if you ever really experienced a lot of that like in your life, you know, with, with, waiting on god. I don't know like I think that was the panic strike at all points.
Speaker 3:I think that was me for him.
Speaker 1:I was like no, no, honey, I got this. I was like we got this, god got this. I was like he's always on time.
Speaker 1:And I always held fast, except for that one time where I was like, oh my gosh, what are we going to do? And I panicked. But no, we had to trust in each other, trust in God, trust in the vision. We had to be obedient. I love that word, I'm going to cling to it because that is exactly what it is, and through that, like that's where this is born. This is born on the foundation of faith, of not knowing how or why or any of that. Like that's how I know. Like God's hand is on this, and if it wasn't, girl, we would not be here. You're right, his challenge. You started this.
Speaker 3:I mean throughout this entire process we've had large sums of money stolen from us. We haven't been paid money that we were owed. I mean all sorts of crazy obstacles.
Speaker 1:Wild, wild. And it's like, oh, is this going to break us this time? Nah, wild, wild. And it's like, oh, is this gonna break us this time?
Speaker 3:nah, nah now we got this, god's got this, we're good, we're good. Yeah, he was a catalyst, lots of money stolen from us. But you know, we said you know what there's?
Speaker 1:there's an answer somewhere lurking behind all of this yeah, well, we always say bless it and move on too like anytime, we always say bless it and move on too Anytime something comes and goes, bless it and move on. I can't cry about it because I know God's blessing it. Maybe he's blessing it tenfold, maybe twofold, I don't know, but it's going to come back in multiples, and so I just say, honey, it left us, it's fine, bless it and move on.
Speaker 3:And we have been very richly blessed every time, and so we just want to be good stewards of it.
Speaker 1:Honestly, like this is, this is, this was not for us, this was for everybody else and so we have to be good stewards of it. And I I always tell him I'm like when we are trusted with small stuff and we're good stewards of the small stuff, we're giving bigger stuff. So we're giving more to more to manage. We, you know we get.
Speaker 2:We get to steward more things, and so we just try to be the best stewards as we can be, from a business standpoint, what would be something that you guys did go through that now you realize it could have gone a different way.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, so many things, so many things. So I'm going to take the reins on this one, because it's something that is really like. Stuck out to me is you know, you get little signs here and there along the way saying, hey, you need to make the decision, hey, you need to take care of this. And I told Mark I'm like we sit on those decisions and every time we sit on those decisions we end up losing more than we would have if we had just made the been strong and courageous in the first place. And so I tell him I'm like we can do this the hard way or the harder way.
Speaker 1:It's uncomfortable in the beginning when you have to make decisions and you have to let people go, or you have to make budget cuts and cause you don't want to, Right, and you can either do it when God calls you to or you can wait and you'll lose double. You lose 10 times more than you would have if you had just listened in the first place. And so we're learning you know you talk about obedience like we're learning how important it is to when you he's the gut guy, I'm the heart guy or the heart girl, whatever. Like you know, when he's got those gut feelings. Ooh, I think this person we got to let them go and I'm like, well, well, well, you know I'm, I give a different voice, but like, at the end of the day, his gut has always served us well and he knows it's just a matter of us making that hard decision, just committing to it and being obedient, like we've struggled with obedience so much. Those hard decisions, nobody wants to make them, nobody wants to be the bad guy.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so yeah and after it came back to bite us a number of times, yes, we kind of finally learned like, okay, we're gonna, we're going to listen to you now.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we're definitely, when we come across those hard decisions, we both it's not he makes the decision or I make the decision we're having to trust each other because a lot of times, I think I know better or he thinks he knows better. Again, we did not get here by ourselves, so why are we making decisions by ourselves? Right, and in those times where we're called to be obedient, I have to trust him, he has to trust me. We have to work together and I feel like we've been making a lot more, a lot of our decisions more quickly. Right, we haven't been sitting on them and I think that we've been spared a lot of heartache and trouble because of that. We we learned the hard way, the harder way.
Speaker 1:So, yes, I mean, it's harder, harder yeah you can be uncomfortable in the moment or you can be uncomfortable later and suffer a great loss financially. So it just I mean harder, harder. Yeah, just have to make the decision on what kind of discomfort and how long you want to stay uncomfortable. So not fun yeah yeah, but that would, that would. But that would be a good lesson for people in business and you know that kind of good lesson.
Speaker 2:Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1:Yes, ma'am, this was good, that was so good. I don't know if you had anything that you were thinking of.
Speaker 3:No, you nailed exactly what I was thinking of. Great, the exact situation. Yes, I could talk to you. Great the exact situation.
Speaker 1:Yes, I could talk to you ladies forever. Incredible job though you guys are so amazing.
Speaker 2:You guys are Like oh my gosh, we just connect. I just feel like y'all are my family, that's my brother, that's my sister. Y'all know them. Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:Every time someone comes in here we are family, like we're all connected, we're all in the same community. Like I can't stand the division. Like why does everyone have to be out for themselves? Like Right, right.
Speaker 3:I'm so happy you guys decided to come back.
Speaker 1:I know Thank you.
Speaker 3:They wanted to interview me at the vegan festival and I was like no, you gotta have she's.
Speaker 1:Like you're right, you gotta have she's like you're right.
Speaker 3:No, no, I told them. I said your passion is what created this whole thing.
Speaker 1:Oh, thank you honey. Yeah, but you were the catalyst. If you hadn't challenged me, we would not be sitting here right now, See. So I've always felt like I was meant for more and meant to do greater things, but I've always played it safe. I've always been responsible. And he's like eh, responsibility, who needs that?
Speaker 3:Throw caution to the wind, Just be done with it and I've always been the risk taker and I'm just like, eh, it'll work itself out, even though many times it didn't Gotcha gotcha, I mean, but that's how it goes in business, right?
Speaker 1:You guys took a leap of faith. Yes, I mean, I'm sure it hasn't been easy for you either. You're right.
Speaker 2:You're right, y'all really just told our story. Yeah, I did Okay.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to, I'm going to. I'm going to say this too, because I tell Mark all the time. You know what sets us apart from the rest of the people? Per faith in the unknown, most people give up. They get hit one, two, three times and they never get back up. We're walking in, we're walking in purpose, like I'm sorry, you don't have the option to not get back up. All those people that are like not making it. It's either a because they're walking a path that doesn't belong to them, or they're walking a path and they give up too easy because the going gets tough and they just they get going.
Speaker 2:So I mean, yeah, that's true. That's just saying, that's true, that was good, that was good. Did you record that that was? That was good. I had to clone that one that's got to go in the front.
Speaker 1:I don't even know what I said I just let, I just let the whole guy I told mark I'm like I don't even know what I said.
Speaker 3:I just let the Holy Spirit speak through me, girl.
Speaker 1:I tell Mark, I'm like, I don't care about public speaking, I just get up there and it just happens and it's so organic and it just flows. I don't need a script Like I'm just, it's organic, I'm like yeah, just the anointing, just the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2:I just thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus.
Speaker 3:Let him have it. Hallelujah, let them have it. That's it.
Speaker 2:Amen, that's it. Let them have it. That's it. No, I'm good, gosh babe. This was refreshing. Thank you All right guys. Thank you guys for tuning in. These are amazing, literally amazing people. I want you guys to check them out, check their Facebook pages out, check their LinkedIn pages, come and be a part of something great. All right, until next time, bye, Bye, guys.
Speaker 1:Well, I hope we can chat again sometime. Yes, you.
