08: Coach Carrie Ford - Oola Faith

Episode 8

Date Recorded:  February 10, 2023

Title:  Who is coach Carrie Ford- Oola Faith

Description:  A 30 year missionary, Carrie Ford has traveled to 25 different countries sharing a message of hope and the beauty of God’s unfailing love with people of all ages.  She uses her music & personal testimonies to connect and communicate.

Carrie is especially passionate about her work with teens and women.  It seems that no matter what country or culture she is in, teens and women everywhere underestimate their worth and potential.

Carrie is a Certified Oola Life coach and her coaching style will leave you feeling worthy, heard, unique and capable.  YOU will be the designer of your beautiful life and Carrie will help you master the skills needed to build it.  You do not have to build alone anymore.  She will be your greatest cheerleader always, and your toughest foreman when needed.

To reach Carrie, go to carrieford.com or you can follow her on Social Media.

You can also find the music on the Ministry tab on that website or you can look up Carrie Ford on iTunes if you would like to hear some music. Plus, she has a Facebook group called Midlife Mamas on a Mission. 

New episodes of Life Coaches in Cahoots drop every other Wednesday.

Listen and subscribe today !

Connect with coach Melinda here:
https://linktr.ee/melindasmindfulminutes

https://lifecoachesincahoots.buzzsprout.com/share

Transcript

Microphone Array (Intelr Smart Sound Technology for Digital Microphones) 1:08

Why are we here? What's our purpose in life? What's the unique calling that God has placed on our life that no one else can do? In this episode, you'll not only learn how to refocus on your daily faith. But you'll be encouraged to get plugged into a church, a daily practice of prayer or meditation, and a way to serve others. In Oola, we don't tell you what to believe or who to believe, but we do know that you can't have the Oola life without having a higher purpose for your life and without a close relationship with. The source of that

Melinda 1:50

today we have a 30 year missionary with us. Carrie Ford Carrie Has traveled to 25 different countries sharing a message of hope and the beauty of God's unfailing love with people of all ages. She uses her music and personal testimonies to connect and communicate. Carrie is especially passionate about her work with teens and women. It seems that no matter what country or culture she is in, teens and women everywhere underestimate their worth and their. I am Coach Melinda and we are here today with Coach Stephanie, my co-host, and a coach with a message of Hope coach Carrie Ford. Stephanie and I are excited to have Carrie with us to share about herself and ULAs F of Faith. Let's get started.

Stephanie 2:40

Hi, I'm coach Stephanie. Melinda and I are on a mission to showcase some of our fabulous Oola life coaches and share their. And we are very excited to introduce Carrie Ford to our listeners today. Welcome Carrie, and thanks for joining

Carrie 2:53

us. Oh my goodness. Thank you so much for having me. I feel very welcome and excited. This is one of my favorite topics, you know, so I'm very happy to be here today. That's great. I am eager

Melinda 3:05

to learn from you. We're your dedication to being a 30 year missionary comes from that is no small feat and one you should be especially. Can you tell us a little about your background and how you came to have such a long faith?

Carrie 3:19

Sure. I think it was somewhere in the middle of our pandemic when I realized it was 30 years. And I was shocked actually, because I became an intentional missionary right outta high school. Um, and it was because I had an encounter with the group that I had joined and it changed my life. And it was one of those miraculous, unexplained moments where I was at probably the lowest point in my life, and this group came to my school and found me as this high schooler, which is why I'm so passionate about helping teenagers, because I know that there is such a struggle to find your worth and your value, and there's so much comparison going on and and so on. And that was really where I was, I was at a place, a very dark place, and I, I was like, I don't wanna live in a world. People are so cruel and there isn't a lot of hope and you know, all of that in my life. And that is when this group came in and I saw them. They did some, they were doing, um, music and drama basically. And I am a musician, so that was really like piqued my interest that oh my goodness, here's these people doing, you know, drama music with a message, and their message. Was very poignant for where I was. It was a message about hope through suicide, which was That was the day that I had my plan all in place. and so I thought it was coincidental though because at the beginning of that day I had made it packed with God that if he was really there, if he really existed, then he would send someone to say something nice to me. And it wasn't that, you know, people were gonna come and talk about suicide. It wasn't anything like that. It was someone had to say something. and that someone ended up being one of these actors. And what was so incredible about it is she was from New Zealand. And what I came to realize later on was that in order for her to be in my little school in Western New York on the day that I needed to be seen and heard, she had to accept a calling for greater purpose in her life many years earlier in New Zealand, where she then said yes and then traveled from there to this country, that country, and then eventually to the United States and then eventually to my school. And, uh, out of all the students in our school, she saw me in this, these crowded bleachers. And she sought me out just to tell me that she thought I had pretty. and it was like the simplest, simplest thing. And what that did was show me that we can make an impact in people's lives. With the simplest gesture of kindness. So you don't have to be brilliant and published many, many books or have great degrees or all these accolades. All you have to do is be kind to make an impact. And so that was really kind of the start and I thought I'm gonna give back. I'm gonna go do this like she did for 18 months with this company. Well, 18 months turned into seven years of full-time with them in all those different countries, and then a lifetime career of trying to help people see their worth in value. That's really been my mission.

Melinda 6:14

That's amazing. I think that was a perfect example of how. People, places, and things are opted on your path if they're there for a reason. You might not always know it in the moment, but later they connect the dots and yeah, I think that was on your path for a reason.

Carrie 6:30

That's great. Exactly. Yep.

Melinda 6:32

We know when we talk about Oola and the seven Fs, that the F of faith was important to Dr. David to Dr. Choi. They didn't wanna publish their book and leave that out, so they ultimately ended up self-publishing. So I wonder when you found Oola, was that a factor that made you really think you want to coach Oola and share?

Carrie 6:55

I don't think when I first found them, that was a factor other than I felt comfortable with them because I felt like we had this commonality or this common ground in which we could connect. So there was a trust factor that came with that. if that makes sense, which isn't always the case. I realized when you meet people, who professed to be faith-filled people and don't live that way, but these guys were authentic in that. But I think. What first attracted me to them was a totally different message that they were sharing at that time. You know, just the overall encompassing Oola message. But what made me say I would want to be a coach with these people, with this company, with this vision that I align with this vision was the fact that I see Oola as an extension of my mission. So it really aligned with what I tried to do in my life, and so that was really it. But when I first met them, that was not, not the, not the driving factor. Okay. Did you

Melinda 7:52

have an aha moment or that eureka effect that you just remember, this is really for me, something resonated with you that

Carrie 8:01

strongly. I think in that moment I was, I was thinking about this, as I was preparing to come on today and when I first met them, I was really struggling in my role as a missionary because I was no longer in third world countries. I was no longer, you know, working with people in very, very dire situations. Instead, I was trying to find what my mission as a wife and a mother, and. You know, appliance salesperson was, and then eventually a teacher. And, and I really was having a hard time with it. And so when I met them, I was not in a great place, just personally, I was kind of all over the place and didn't really have a vision anymore and was trying to really figure all that out. And so what I found when I, when I was first introduced to them was like, This hope that I, I could fix this like that if I didn't give up, that I was gonna figure it out and there was gonna be balance and I wasn't gonna be so all over the place. But that first time when I first saw them, all I did was by the book. I was impacted by what they said. I was impacted by the story. But Dr. Dave handed me a sticker. He doesn't even remember this cuz he met so many people that day. But he handed me a sticker and he said, here, write down your dream and put it on the. and I took the sticker and I said, thank you. Got my picture with him. And I never wrote anything on that sticker. And I never put anything on the bus because I was not in a place where I could dream. I, I couldn't dream, I could barely hope I didn't have any goals other than to get up tomorrow and figure out how to take care of my kids and be a good wife, you know? and so that's where I was. So I took that sticker home with me and I read the. and I started to apply the book and it was a slow process to where I finally got to the point where I was living in my own Oola life, in my own Oola journey. And I think that is where we have to be willing to meet people. so there wasn't that great moment. Until later, after I was a coach Okay. When did you first

Melinda 9:58

find Oola? Do you remember? Like what the year timeframe was?

Carrie 10:02

I believe it was 2015, if I'm not mistaken, maybe 2016. So, they were guest speakers at my company conference in our local area, local conference that we were having. So they were just guest speakers at it. I didn't know anything about. I had no expectations in meeting them, and yet here it is all these years later and changed my life. I'm gonna go back for a

Stephanie 10:27

second. Your story you initially shared gave me goosebumps that was so impactful, and I had not known that about you, and I'm so glad that person. came forward and told you you had nice hair, It was a good story. I, I hope that that really resonates with people when they hear that. Um, you did also mention you're a musician. Mm-hmm. So I'm curious to know, could you tell me about how music and ministry have worked together in your life?

Carrie 10:54

Oh, absolutely. I mean, I've always been singing in church, and I learned to play guitar in church. My, our music director's husband taught me one chord every week. And when it came up in a song, I'd strum, It was like a super simple thing. Who knew someday I'd end up being a music teacher. but at that time, that was how I got started. But the missionary group that I joined was a music and drama company, and so therefore, that was our mode of communication. And it's so powerful. I mean, you just think about all the. Big events in your life and how usually there's a soundtrack behind that. You know what I mean? The popular songs at the time or whatever. And that's why I love when we do Oola Pooja, there's always a song attached to the time when we're going through things. And to me, that's just really, it just adds to the power of it. So music and drama are such. Powerful communication tools. So it made sense for me to kind of go into an organization or a mission where that would be the case. But for me personally, my prayer life really was born out of music. So whenever I had a struggle or e. Or the opposite, like either a very high moment or a very low moment. I would go to music and I would start to write a song, and years later, this ha started when I was about 12. And then as the years went by, I would look at those songs and I'd realize that the first verse was my prayer or my plea. And then the chorus was more of God's answer to me. And I'd listen to some of those songs and I'd be like, I don't even know where those thoughts came from. And that's when I knew that that was the spirit. Talking to me through the songs that I was writing in those moments. Um, I never intended to be a singer songwriter, but I do have three albums, out on YouTube and on um, iTunes and all that now. And that wasn't anything that I ever envisioned for my life. Um, but it was how I worked through trauma and my first album came. It's called Hope, and it came out right after nine 11 happened. Um, we all in our country felt so helpless. I'm sure anybody who was alive at that time remembers how they felt, and I didn't, there was nothing we could do. And my husband is a first responder, so he was there working. and I was just home writing songs because that's how I process. And what happened as a result of that was a Christmas album entitled Hope. And all I did was make a hundred copies of it. I went to New York City and I just distributed it to the firehouses that lost the most members. And I said, I don't know if this'll have any impact on anyone here, but it's all I have to offer. I felt like the little drummer boy, you know, and that's it. And I thought that was the end of my recording career. So anyway, that might have been a longer answer than you were looking for, but that's really. Kind of how it all started, the music. And then, you know, I've been a music director in a church for many years now, ever since. So,

Stephanie 13:39

no, that was a perfect answer. And I, I believe that we can only offer what we have and you took your skill and your passion and you offer that. And I think that's amazing. If more people did that, it would just be a much better world. you said that you were working with teens, I think our listeners would love to hear more about that. And do you serve anyone else? And like what opportunities do you offer?

Carrie 14:05

for coaching. Sure. Yeah. I have been doing kind of motivational speaking and workshops and retreats and things for many years, since I came back to the States and got married and was having, you know, had my own family and things. And the majority of those retreats were retreats for teenagers or conferences around the country where they would get like big, big conferences together of large groups of teens. And I would be kind of the guest speaker, there and I would share music and message. and prayer and experiences like that. and so that was something I love doing and was passionate about doing it. So hosting Oola workshops in teen settings and schools and things like that, I love to do. but when I first became a coach, this was before our coaching program, you know, really was super organized, you know, and this wonderful thing we have going on right now, which is so fantastic. There were no mentor coaches in place. There were no like people to kind of help you figure out you got certified. And this might have been your story too, I don't know, but you know, you got certified and then you were like, okay, go do Oola, And I was like, I don't really know how to do that. And so what I did was I started what I call them, my little signature programs. Life Balance Bootcamp for teens and then Life Balance Bootcamp for women, cuz again, these are the two, these midlife women that have had their, their last many years all wrapped up in their family and what their family needs and wants and lost track of who they were or stopped taking care of themselves or anything like that. And then the teens who really question their own purpose and value and, and, and struggle so much so that those are those two areas and the bootcamps are. They're kind of like our unstuck program with a little bit more. So, it's a four to five week session and we go through its group. So they, they do their individual work during the week, and then we come back and we do a group coaching session where everybody shares their experiences. and then usually of course there's a soundtrack and there's, motivational mantras and things like that that are, are packed in there that help to. Give the overall experience. So that was kind of how I started the coaching practice and really, and then from that, a lot of those people stayed on as private clients. I love that

Melinda 16:14

you rolled that all together and I'm loving that you do what you love and everything you're doing. It sounds like that's great. We know from Oola that a lot of people are unhappy with their jobs, but it sounds like you really have found a way to follow what you. So how about, I have heard there are some big things coming up for you this year. Do you wanna share with us a little bit

Carrie 16:34

about. Well, sure. And for some people it sounds so disconnected from everything I've just shared with you, so don't laugh too hard when you hear what I'm doing. But, my husband is retiring as a first responder. He is a police officer and he, is a long career, 26 year career with, uh, New York State Police, and he's retiring and I am. Retiring not from ministry of course, but from my teaching and from being a music director and things like that. And him and I have both took taken jobs. in Alaska we are going to be tour bus drivers and I'm gonna be working on boats that take people out for whale watches. And so we are very, very excited about that cuz it's nothing that either one of us have ever done, but Nature Mountains. Being on the water. These are all things that feed my soul. And I think I am in a season now where for that six months out of the year, it's going to be very much about being poured into through nature and being able to connect, really wholeheartedly with my husband at this stage in our life, but also with God. and just meeting all of these new people, which I think is gonna be great. I mean, this company took 70. Thousand tourists on on tours last year, and it's gonna be even more this year. So all these new people I'm gonna get to meet, but I'm so excited about my day-to-day job being that I get to see whales. It's a simple little thing, but I'm so excited about it. And then the beauty of it is the majority of the retreats and um, like church opportunities that I have fall between October and May during the seasons there and the church seasons and so on. And so the ministry, when we're back in the lower 48, will be able to continue. And because of Zoom, thank you pandemic for bringing Zoom. So predominantly into our lives I'll be able to stay up with my clients as well. So, I'm very excited about the changes that are coming. It's a lot right now cuz I got six weeks till the big move, but, um, it's very exciting. That

Melinda 18:33

is a lot, it sounds very exciting. I hope that you will keep up and share with us so we can all get a little bit of that experience

Carrie 18:39

ourselves. I will for sure. And if I can just share one of. Greatest things about this move for us is the fact that I finally found the motivation to reach. The Oola one that I've kept putting on my list over and over and over year after year, which I almost don't wanna admit because I feel like everybody has this one even though I know it's not true. But it's a fitness goal and I just, I just have not had enough motivation, enough gumption, enough whatever to reach this goal, and I keep putting it back on the list and to the point where I like get mad at myself over it. Cuz I'm like, I should have conquered this by now. But as soon as I made this decision to make this move, it all fell into place and all of these incredible doors opened and I've been working my, my tail off and it's been wonderful to be walking in my own Oola balance while preparing this crazy change in season in my life. So, I think if there's anybody that is listening that is struggling, Certain things in their lives that they just are having a hard time really conquering. I, I would just encourage you to, to maybe you haven't found what it is that is driving you yet. You haven't found the key, you haven't found the the why. We talk about the why all the time. You know, maybe you just haven't found that yet. And it doesn't have to be the bottom of, you know, the, the barrel like Dave talks about all the time. It doesn't have to, you don't have to hit rock bottom, but you have to find that thing that is gonna light you up and, and help you propel you when it gets. when I don't feel like working out or don't feel like, you know, whatever it is. So, okay.

Melinda 20:17

So just to clarify, do I understand that your number one for 2023 is fitness goal? Mm-hmm. is that right? Mm-hmm. And what, what exactly does that

Carrie 20:27

entail for you? Well, I am someone who is a chronic, back sufferer, back pain sufferer. And, it has been extremely limiting to me. For years and years and years. But eight years ago, I couldn't even put my own socks on. My kids had to do it for me every morning. I don't own shoes with laces. you know, just like things like that. Right. And so, fitness has always been a big challenge because I've always had a hard time. Doing anything other than walking. So, and all the things that you need to do to strengthen your back are things that I was really limited in doing. And there was a time when I couldn't even be upright without wearing a brace. So, I've worked hard in getting to the point where I am now. two years ago, my big, it's not like I haven't reached any fitness goal, but I had one goal that I'd be able to paddle board and I now have enough strength to paddle board. So that was great. That was two years ago. from paddle boarding. I want that to someday be kite surfing. And that's like huge. You need so much strength for that. I don't know. Who knows? Right? But it's on the bus, I put it on there. Right. And uh, and someday I hope that I'll be able to do that. but to get to a point, just to give you an example, I keep having different issues, but I, couldn't lift a water bottle with my left arm two months ago because I had such severe, tendonitis in my. And so I had been seeing it. I went to a chiropractor, my regular chiropractor, I went to have STEM therapy done and cryotherapy done. And I tried supplements and I did physical therapy and all this stuff, and nothing was making an impact. And when I decided to go to Alaska, I started praying about it. And I said, Lord, I don't wanna take all this pain. I don't wanna take this extra weight. I wanna release it. I don't wanna take it to the next chapter. I want to be strong so that I can really embrace this life that we're about to, engage on. And so I said, I just really need you to pave the way. And I put a little blurb on Facebook that said, Hey, I'm looking for out of the box fitness because I can't do the traditional. Join a gym, join a challenge kind of a thing. And I got a whole bunch of people saying, oh, I'm a trainer. I can help you whack in this. And it really just wasn't the right thing. And so I said, I just kept praying about it and kept praying and suddenly someone's. Name came to mind. A woman who came to my estate sale when we sold our house 18 months ago, to move into apartments so we'd be ready for this when it came. We didn't know what this was gonna be. We didn't know Alaska, we didn't know anything. We just knew we wanted to be ready for God to move us in one way or another. her, her face and her name came to mind and I looked her up on Facebook and I said, are you the woman that came to my estate sale and said that you own a gym in the town that I moved to? And she said, yeah, you should go check it out. My husband is there now. So I drove over there and I pulled up and it was a dojo. And I said, okay, God, I don't wanna be the karate kid. Like, why am I in front of a dojo right now? And I'm like, okay, I trust you. And I walked in and my headset say, also happens to be a chiropractor that specializes in tennis elbow. So he in two months have got, has gotten me about 90% better and I think I'd be a hundred percent better if I wasn't also lifting weights. So between the lifting and the combat that we're doing in defensive arts, right now, I, you know, I've been strengthening all this time, but I really felt led there and he also felt that I was led there and now he has joined our Oola community and, I couldn't be more happy for the way that this is going. So that's what I mean about just. You know, being prepared and following and I can lift my water bottle now and I can work out and, but while I was at that dojo and I was learning the defensive arts, I had that thought, God, what are you preparing me for? Why do I need this? Because I believe that everything that we encounter, everything that we experienced, everything we learn is preparing us. It's growing us, stretching us, moving. And guiding us. So hopefully I won't have stories of combat and things later on next time we talk, but there it is. Okay. Well connect the dot

Melinda 24:27

for me. How does Alaska come into the picture? How does that

Carrie 24:30

cross your path? Other than it just always drawing me, just beauty and wilderness and wildlife and all of that. I, I loved being a missionary in the Pacific Northwest. That was my second tour on the mission field and I love it there. but we actually have friends who own the company that. Has offered us the job. And she had planted that seed probably five or six years ago. She said, Hey, when Troy retires, you should come and work for us up here. And I was like, oh yeah, he's never gonna retire. So I just put it outta my mind until the time came and he was struggling to figure out, well what's next? You know, what am I gonna do next? And you're definitely painting a great picture

Melinda 25:10

of what it's like for people to be on your path. And it shows up later and you dunno why even the tenants elbow guy, that's

Carrie 25:16

awesome. Yeah. God works that way, and it's always wonderful and mysterious. I don't ever. I'm just someone who believes in, when I do my workshops with teens, I talk about this a lot. God speaks to us in a lot of different ways if you are open to hearing it. I love our Miracle Mindset program that we have now because that's what she speaks about and I see it all the time. I'm someone who loves to walk on the beach. I do it all season long, all winter long, and as I was going through Miracle Mindset and she said To open your eyes and look for signs, and I was discerning if this was the right move for us to go to Alaska. every single time I went to the beach I would find a piece of driftwood in the shape of a Y and I just took that as a yes. Like every time, cuz I would walk and pray and then I'd see a driftwood sign and say, yes, yes, you are on the right path. Do it, do it, do it. And uh, and so I mean, that's just how I see things, you know? I love that Miracle

Stephanie 26:13

mindset program too. Mm-hmm. that was amazing. And I saw that you hosted a workshop for teens and women too, for that program. Yes. Yeah. What did you, did you have a lot of turnout for that? A

Carrie 26:26

good. We did, we had, a group of people that, that's the wonderful thing about these Oola programs is I like to just do'em with people, not just for extra accountability. Right now I'm doing a body by design group and, and we're doing, cuz that was one of my goals and I figure I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna take people with me and we're all gonna hold each other's hand and we're gonna do this together. Right. And uh, but the Miracle Mindset Group was so wonderful because they were all like wanting to see, and when you. When you're at that place, when you are wanting this, you are thirsting for it. You are longing for it. Those are all the things. When I met the guys the very first time, there was something in me that was hungry. There was something in me that was thirsty and I didn't understand exactly what it was. But again, it's those things that, all those things that happened. And it wasn't until years later after reading the book and trying to apply the principles that I finally was like, you know, I'm doing this, I'm gonna be a coach. And that's kind of how it was with Miracle Mindset with this group. They were like, ah, I don't know. I, I mean I want God to talk to me. And if you come to it and you know for those listening that maybe faith is, is not their strongest f or one that they even care that much about, or maybe they don't share the same faith that I do, that's fine. That's the beauty of it. But you don't need to be afraid of miracle mindset cuz that's not what this does. It doesn't shove that down your, down your throat. But if you are a faith. Believer or if you are a Christian and that's how you live out your faith, you can very easily see and connect those dots. and I just felt like that's kind of important to know. Cause I don't want anyone to be like, well I thought of doing miracle mindset, but not if she's gonna be throwing God down my throat all the time. It's not that at all. But if you are open to God and you are thirsting for him to speak to you, he will use that program to do it. there's a lot of tools and so, and I think that's what our group. I agree with that

Stephanie 28:09

too. It's like I tell people that all the time. We, believe Oola faith is important, but it's not what you think it is. Yeah. Okay. So we're gonna shift gears a little bit in the interview. We're asking all the coaches on our show, some questions from the PRS questionnaire. Mm-hmm. which has its origins in a parlor game, popularized by Marcel Peris, a French essayist and novelist who believed that in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature. The first question is, tell us something in your life that has grown out of a personal disaster or challenge.

Carrie 28:46

Might have already shared that. I mean, my ministry for sure. Uhhuh. Yeah. Yeah. Coming outta that. I mean, you would think that after God has come into my life in so many miraculous ways, time and again, that I would stop struggling, I would just believe, but I'm a. I get on that bus way too often. not the Oola bus, the struggle bus. and so God just continually shows up like that for me. But I think, I think the most, there, there were some pretty significant moments, you know, and those, they usually are born out of those lowest points where hope is alluding me the most. Right. And that, whether that's hope for me personally, that I will ever change, that I will ever be the person that I believe is in there. We talk so much in Oola about being creative for greatness, and I've always felt that about myself. And yet after years of just kind of being beaten down by whatever was in my life at the time, whether it was pain or uh, you know, the back pain, or whether it was just seeing the worst in humanity all the time or whatever. You know, God finds ways to pluck me out of that and set me on another part of the journey, another part of the path. And it's not a different path, it's just another place in it. And sometimes we just reach that big mud pit and we need him to help us over it so that we can continue walking again. So those moments, and there's several I, those were those moments where I felt like he puddle jumped. when and where were you the happiest you've ever been so far? Well, I think there were two times I'm hard pressed to decide on which one it is. So there was a time when I was young, I was still a teenager, I was 19 and I was, I had moved to Europe as a missionary and I have no idea why I was in this field at night by myself. But the sky was incredible and the night was perfect and I felt so seen and valued and loved and cherished by my God. And I just burst out laughing and started dancing. And. Just singing in the field might just lay in the flowers and looked up at the sky and I was just like such pure happiness that I don't know that I've ever felt that before. And I think the only other time I can. Say that I felt that, level of happiness was when, my family and I, it had always been a dream of mine to take my family on a mission trip. And when my kids were teenagers, just before my daughter went into bootcamp, she's in the military. And right when my son was starting high school, we took a family mission trip to Peru and we had no, uh, technology with us. There were no phones, no cells, nothing. Um, and I watched my children become, The selfless, beautiful, fun, loving, compassionate humans, I had hoped was deep in there somewhere, and they were just, we had this moment with a, with a group of school children where I watched them just. Really be engaged and connected with them. And I felt so much joy and so much pride over that and realizing that, yeah, you know, there are times when I wondered if my family would be okay. And then I saw that moment and I'm like, yes, we will be. And it made me so, so happy.

Melinda 31:54

Stephanie and I sometimes talk about how when you realize that you created good humans, that that's just about everything. Some days. Absolutely. what relationship defines love for you? Real or fictional?

Carrie 32:09

Oh, definitely real, although some people might call it fictional, but my relationship to God Um, and without, you know, there's not enough time in this podcast to really tell you the whole story, but, I am an adoptee and I've always struggled with, um, Feelings of maybe rejection or self-worth or, or that around it, even though my family's wonderful, my parents are wonderful people. Um, and I've even since been connected with my birth mother over, over the, um, pandemic season. Um, I was able to find her and get reconnected with her, which has been really healing and wonderful, but my relationship with God is the one that made me realize that I wasn't lacking and I didn't. Anyone else's really approval. I didn't have to keep, you know, when I was a teenager, I just went from one relationship to another because I was trying to find myself worth in other people. And then I was trying to find self worth as a parent and as a wife, and there will always be. Someone that you think is a better, is better at whatever it is that you do. You'll always think there's a better mother, a better wife, or a better musician, or a better comedian, or a better podcast host. I don't know. But at the end of the day, it's irrelevant. If you guys would've thought there's a better podcast host out there, you would never have started your podcast. And that's, to me the most incredible thing that you were like, you felt called to it and you. And that's why I was so proud to be able to be invited to come and speak here with you guys. Um, and that's to me comes from knowing who you are and for how I found out who I was, was that connection, that relationship with God and

Melinda 33:44

I, I can tell that you honestly know that and feel that in your heart that really comes through from you.

Carrie 33:50

Yeah. You are

Stephanie 33:51

giving us so many good nuggets in this interview. It's so great. Um, so the fourth, question, what person, place, or experience has shaped you the most?

Carrie 34:01

Ooh, well, hmm. Again, I see those like moments, but I think probably that first encounter, because that day that I had my suicide plan and you know, I was just 16 years old, just barely 17, and you know, I was not going to see the next day. My plan was in place. I knew when I got home, my parents would be gone, my brother would be at rehearsal, and I would be alone. And I knew that the next day, my best friend who is now my husband, by the way, would not understand why I didn't come to school that day, and so on and so forth. And so to be at that place when you're so close to ending at all, because you cannot find any hope and you don't think there's a way out to have made that pact almost like. I dare you to show up God moment because it's not that I didn't know God existed or didn't believe at all, but just just having that time where you're doubting him, you're doubting yourself, you're doubting that there's goodness in the world at all, and you're doubting that there's a reason to go on. That to me is the most heartbreaking place to find anybody and. in my career of over 30 years. It's where I've encountered so many people. And I, you know, just the simple fact that Sue was obedient this one person and she took the time to listen to her spirit and to be led and to find me in, in that crowd and to see me. Cuz that's really all I wanted was to be seen, to know that there was good in the world and that, that I was seen. And, uh, and so not only. Impact my whole life and set me on a new path. I mean, I, someone didn't compliment my hair and then I woke up super happy the next day, you know what I mean? Like there was still trouble, there was still trauma. Um, and, and there were still things to overcome and there always will be. But that just showed me that even when I didn't think I had anything to offer, I could at least be kind, even if I struggled with my own talents, my own gifts, my own purpose, my own parenting, my own anything, I at least knew that I could do so. as small as be kind and you know that plaque be the change you want be, the change you want the world to see or whatever. Whatever that thing is. It kind of is a little cliche, but it's so true. If we want a kinder world, we have to be kinder people. If we want better humans, we have to be a better human. And I'm not perfect at that at all, but it's a daily reminder and it always goes back to Sue and the fact that she saw me. So when I watch my daughter, Tell a checkout clerk at the grocery store, she has beautiful eyes. I'm so proud of her because we don't know. We don't know what that girl was going through. So, and that's just it. Just to let people, to take people where they're at and just know that they might be at their lowest moment in that moment that you actually have eyes to see them. So that's always my prayer that I will have eyes to see.

Melinda 36:54

And

Stephanie 36:55

I feel like that is the answer to the last per question. Um, what advice would you give

Carrie 37:00

to your younger self? Oh yeah, that would, that would be it. Yeah. Well, and, and to, not to settle though, you know, like I spent so many years comparing myself to other people and I may not want to be exactly where I am yet in fitness or in my family, or even in my faith or, you know, any of those areas of my, certainly not my finances. I'm working on it, you know. But it doesn't matter because if you still believe, if, if you want to change, it means that you have not found the greatness fully inside you yet. So the fact that anyone is following Oola is wanting Oola in their life, um, is just, just an indication that that greatness is trying to come out of you. And, and it's, and it's not something you will find tomorrow. It's not something you will find the next day, because that's the beauty of the Oola wheel. It's even if you finally get it balanced and there's no funking, you still can expand it and it can get bigger and bigger and more beautiful and your impact can get bigger and bigger. That's the beauty. We never arrive at a true Oola life. It's continually growing and continually expanding. And so not settling. Don't be like, oh, I've arrived. I've paid off all my debt. I'm done. Or I'm finally the weight that I want it to be, or I can lift this much, or whatever. No, it's uh, it's don't settle. Keep going. Yeah. Well, you

Melinda 38:20

definitely seem like your personal growth just keeps on going,

Carrie 38:25

Let's talk

Melinda 38:26

about your coaching a little bit and faith. So we, when we talk about all the hardships that the people have, we often can encounter people who just don't have their faith, that it gets just

Carrie 38:37

stalled. Cuz

Melinda 38:38

they're pertinent so much they don't know how they're supposed to believe and they're asking a lot of questions like why? So the people who are really down and out, like you said, it's just so heartbreaking when you're at the

Carrie 38:49

bottom like that.

Melinda 38:50

What is your advice to them?

Carrie 38:54

I think it's really to be real with God. Um, I think there's a lot of confusion around faith because people think faith is actually a religion or it's a church or an experience, and it's none of that. It's a relationship and so I look at it like. So many people that I come in contact with have been hurt by church or by someone who claims to be Christian or whatever the case may be. And if they can, if, if people can just find it in their, in their strength or in their gut, to set that part aside and then just get real. Get real with God. Cry out. Ask him to show up. I tell my kids that all the time. Just ask God to show up. I. Nobody has to live. And I try to tell my family this all the time, you don't have to live your faith out the way that I live out my faith. This is just the way that I figured it out to, to, to work, to try to build my own faith stronger and stronger. It doesn't have to look like mine, but it has to look like yours. And so if there's an area that they're truly struggling in or truly need to see change in, to not give up, to just ask like me that day, prove it. God, prove it. You're here. Prove that you see. God had to bring someone from New Zealand. Good Lord was there. No one in America that could say something nice to me. Sue had to come from New Zealand. Right. But the point is, is I, I was ready to hear it because I asked for it. And that's the thing. so often we ask for something and then we don't think God's actually gonna do it. So we don't have the eyes to see it when it happens. And so I think just, just being able to be real and vulnerable because he already know. you know, you don't have to be afraid to let God see that you're broken. He already knows you're broken. He's just waiting for you to cry out. And I think sometimes we think that when we do finally cry out that we're gonna get an instant answer. I mean, it took years to be able to get on a paddle board. It wasn't I wanna be healed, Lord, so I'm healed. And some people have miraculous healing, and that's wonderful, but if you're not that person, it doesn't mean you don't have faith, and it doesn't mean that God doesn't love you or that you're not important to him. There are lessons to be learned along the way. And so it's just having the courage to cry out and then the fortitude to wait for the answer and the trust, which is the hardest. I think that's

Melinda 41:16

a great message. Thank you for sharing it that way. You bet. What, is there a quote or a motto that you value that you'd like to share with our listeners?

Carrie 41:25

Well, sure. I can share my motto if you want, which is a whole other story. I promise I won't get into cause you're like enough already with this one. But, I, uh, After, you know, getting married and moving, you know, away and trying to find my mission fields, you know, I, I just struggled with who I was and so I took a walk in the woods one day, cuz again, nature is where I find God. And, I asked God who I was. And in that moment I got dinged in the head with an acorn. And as you heard me say before, I don't think anything's coincidental. So I picked up that acorn and I looked at it and I said, God, are you trying to tell me I'm nuts? And I really think that God probably chuckled a little bit cuz he gave me my sense of humor. And I didn't really hear response in that moment. But I took that acorn home feeling like I didn't get an answer from God and that I asked him who I was. I got hit on the head with an acorn and so I'm just nuts, right? And I put that acorn on my table and my little son tried to pick it up and he said, what's this mama? And I grabbed it from him cuz it's a choking hazard and I try to be a good mother, And I said, don't worry about it, it's just a nut. And my eight year. Sassy little daughter. She said, mom, it's not a nut, it's a seed and you've underestimated it. And I realized in that moment that God used her to speak to me and that God really was telling me that I was nuts. And nuts became an acronym that stands for naturally unique and truly spectacular. And because I love Ackermans it acronyms, it also stands for never Underestimate the Spirit. So I take that N U T S and it has become my mantra. I am. And I go around the country and I tell other people that they're nuts. Exactly. And I think that people can just remember that they're nuts, that they're naturally unique and truly spectacular, and that if they will stop comparing themselves to others and realize that their uniqueness is what makes them spectacular, and embrace that it'll be a beautiful life. I love it. That's great.

Stephanie 43:20

Yeah. And on that note, we are also asking all of the coaches on our show if they have taken the Enneagram, Speaking of unique, um, for anyone out there unfamiliar, the Enneagram is a system of personality typing that describes patterns in how people interpret the world and manage their emotions. So Carrie, have you taken the

Carrie 43:40

Enneagram test? Well, I did actually, when you guys brought it up, and I landed at an Enneagram seven with a wing of. Nice. Okay,

Stephanie 43:50

so we're just gonna talk about the seven for the sake of time on the show, and seven is the enthusiast. Um, do you want me to share what that means, or did you, okay. So sevens are extroverted, energetic, and enthusiastic about life's possibilities. For sevens. The world is primarily a place of adventure. They live for excitement of the future. and the strengths of a seven are they have a gift to brighten up the mood wherever they go. They're good at seeing the big picture of things. They don't take themselves too seriously. They're great at making plans that are fun for everyone, and they have an agile mind that is able to switch between multiple things quickly. total sounds like everything you've shared today.

Carrie 44:35

Yep. That pretty much describes it. Yeah. Adventure. Let's go Yeah, I think that's perfect. Resonates. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So there's definitely something to the engram and it's actually good to know and uh, and to realize that not all my clients are going to be that. Uh, yes, we draw those same similar types of people are drawn to similar types of people, but to know that I can't. Two, seven on top of someone who's probably a three or a four and dial back the seven just a little bit. Um, so, uh, I think that can be really helpful also in coaching. Well, that's a great

Melinda 45:13

point too. Well, thank you for joining us today. Is there anything that we haven't asked you today

Carrie 45:19

that you'd like to add? Oh, I don't think so. I love the questions that you guys asked and I hope that, um, you know, I could talk all day about this. is my like, favorite subject. I'm so glad you wanted me to talk about this and not, you know, I don't know. Finance one,

Melinda 45:40

Troy, for sure. Hope out. You wanna share with us where the listeners can

Carrie 45:45

find. Absolutely. So my website is super simple. It's just carrie ford.com. and that's c a r r i e Ford, like the car.com. And, um, that you can also find the music and Ministry tab on that website, which will. Also, you can look up my name on iTunes if you wanna hear some music, but, that's the website. And um, I also have a Facebook group called Midlife Mamas on a Mission. And so if there's any midlife mamas out there that just want to have a community where you can just be a midlife mama on a mission to take back your health, your wealth, your family, and your future, that's where we kind of hang out. Um, and we do some things and there's challenges and, uh, I was thinking this time last year we were gonna doing a Date Your Mate challenge and um, I wanted to revisit that this year. Here I am packing I'm like preparing for a move. So those are kind of the, some of the things that we do and probably the two best places to just connect. Perfect.

Stephanie 46:41

So we're gonna ask one more question. and you may have also already answered this because you were just so amazing in this interview today, but for one last, tip for our listeners, what advice do you have for anyone who may need to refocus on their faith walk or having trouble

Carrie 46:57

just getting started there? I think allow yourself to be loved. And it may sound. Cliche or simple, but I think when you live in a place of feeling loved and accepted and cherished, you are able to find the greatness, the purpose, the drive, and the passion to do the things. One of the most impactful moments that I've had in Oola so far was at the inaugural global convention last June. it was so different from any kind of convention that I'd ever been to, and it was probably the first and only Cuz now we're Oola Life not even like Oola Global anymore, but it was, that convention was so powerful in what made it so powerful was Dr. Troy stood on stage and said, if all that you can do for Oola is wear a hat that says Oola on it, we love you. And it was at a particular time when I was wondering, oh my God, am I any good as a coach? Am I really, I've fallen short here. I've fallen short there again, comparing, comparing, comparing. But when he stood up there and said that on stage and, and the word surrounding that statement, all I felt was loved. And what it did was inspire me to up-level my coaching and to. To find more of what I was passionate about, what brought me here in the first place, and more creative ways to share it. And all he did was say, all I really have to do is wear a hat. So again, just allowing yourself to be loved so that you can understand how much you have to offer. And I can only imagine that was probably an aha

Melinda 48:33

moment for so many people that were there that day. That's fabulous. So just to recap a little bit, we'll talk about Oola faith tips a little bit. We would say Don't wait. Don't be close minded on the topic of faith. Listen to others learn. Explore the topic. Two, get plugged in. You wanna get out there. And whether it's a church or a spiritual community, or a blog, or a book or a group, that would be important. And then three, we didn't really touch on the giving part, but nothing is more Oola than giving. So as you explore your faith and plug into a community, find a place to give. And it doesn't have to be money. It can be given your time or your talent by giving. With no conditions, you will get a glimpse of the good in this world just like Carrie Ford gave us today. That was an awesome interview. Before we part ways, we wanna let our listeners know that our next episode will showcase coach April Lineen. The topic, and I'd like to remind you, we are all designed by God for greatness and with purpose. We want to truly thank Carrie for taking her time to share about herself and faith it has a real pleasure. Until next timeless, feel better and enjoy life a little more.