Restoring Hope with Deborah Bigda
Deborah is a passionate entrepreneur who is committed to igniting women with hope to live a life full of passion. She believes that every women is destined for greatness and just needs the right community to help achieve it. As a mother of 4, married for over 27 years, she has experienced both the highs and the lows of life. She knows all too well what it feels like to be thrown into a trench, through no fault of her own, and the challenges of finding the treasure when all hope seems to have disappeared. While facing years of unemployment, she and her husband also endured skin cancer, a tornado, loss of a parent and a depression so dark that no light ever seemed possible.
After climbing out of this trench, Deborah finally found relief for herself and her family through a holistic approach. As a holistic health coach, Deborah is committed to teaching women how to restore health for both themselves and their families, as well as restoring hope to those who feel like all is lost .
Join her each week as she and her guest speakers share from their hearts so that you may have your hope restored and live life to its fullest being the person that God has designed you to be.
Restoring Hope with Deborah Bigda
Finding Hope and Healing from Financial Struggles and Job Loss
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When the ground beneath us gave way during the 2008 recession, my husband and I found ourselves in uncharted waters, navigating the emotional whirlpool of job loss. On this episode of Restoring Hope, we peel back the layers of our journey, revealing the resilience and humor that buoyed us through. From scrutinizing our family budget with a fine-toothed comb to finding joy in the midst of chaos—like when a tornado left us without fences but, comically, with our gate still standing—we recount the transformative power of hope and the practical steps that carried us to calmer seas.
The laughter shared in the face of adversity became a lifeline; it was the unexpected twist in our tale that kept us tethered together. Offering a candid look at our life's playbook, we dive into how slashing luxuries like cable TV and embracing the solidarity of community support can make all the difference. We found strength in spirituality and solace in church retreats, which became oases of peace amidst the storm. And even as we tackle serious subjects like utilizing food pantries and staying afloat financially, we underscore the importance of maintaining a light heart.
Our story isn't just one of survival; it's a beacon for those who may feel adrift in the wake of job displacement. By sharing the financial strategies and creative income solutions we considered, from refinancing mortgages to exploring unconventional employment opportunities, we aim to light the way for others. Whether you're feeling swamped by similar struggles or simply seeking a dose of inspiration, join us to chart a course toward renewed hope and financial stability.
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Hope and Healing After Job Loss
Speaker 1I'm Deborah Bigde , and this is the Restoring Hope podcast , where you can come to discover that , no matter how bleak your situation may seem , you can experience true hope and ultimate health . And I'm not referring to just your physical health . I'm talking about a holistic approach to your health , including your mental , emotional , spiritual and financial health . Join me as I share inspiring stories , incredible guests and tangible actions that will transform you into the healthiest version of you , that version of you that is fully restored and helpful for all that is possible . Can we get real for a minute ? Let's talk about finding hope and healing through job loss . I don't know who out there might need to hear this right now , but for many of us , when we lose our job , especially when it's through no fault of our own , it can feel absolutely devastating . Most people pour their heart and soul into their job , and so when suddenly you are let go because of budget cuts or whatever they're shipping the jobs overseas or whatever the reason is it could feel like your world is crashing down around you and , honestly , you might start to have your heart palpitate because fear might immediately start to set in , because , even if you have a lot of money set aside and a savings somewhere , you do immediately start to think okay , what are we going to do ? I'm not getting income consistently each month . So I want to give you my seven tips on how my husband and I survived our job loss and we found hope and healing through it . Now , just to let you know , my husband lost his job back in the beginning of 2008 . For those of you that do not remember , 2008 was the beginning of a major recession , so you want to talk about a really tough time to lose a job . That was not the best of times right Now . When he first lost his job , we had no idea that we were getting ready to go into a major recession , and I was homeschooling our children at the time , so I was not working outside of the home . I had no income source at the time . But I'm going to give you the seven tips that , looking back , helped us maintain hope and have healing through the process , and the first one is this as soon as my husband lost his job , the first thing I did now I'm a finance major , but the very , very first thing he did on day one I basically looked at our budget right away . I mean first I probably gave him a hug and I told him it was going to be okay . God has a purpose in everything . But literally I started looking at our budget right away and I started looking at things that we could cut immediately . Now some people might be like , well , is that really necessary ? Because what if I find a job , like in a month from now or two months from now ? But my thought process was we have some money in savings and maybe you do or you don't , but potentially you have some money in savings . Potentially you're going to get maybe some sort of compensation plan . It might be a week , it might be a couple of months , but you might have some type of compensation plan . And then unemployment . And so what I wanted to do is , whatever money we had , whatever money my husband had for his severance package , whatever money that we were going to get from unemployment , I wanted to try and stretch every single dollar as far as I possibly could . So I immediately looked at things that we could
Financial Tips, Spiritual Guidance, and Humor
Speaker 1get rid of .
Speaker 1Now our kids were young at the time we actually got rid of cable TV . That was one of the first things that we got rid of . I was like you know , we don't really need that . We started looking at . Look at all your subscriptions that you have . So many of us have subscriptions that we don't even necessarily realize that we have . There might even be subscriptions where you might take them . I have a Spotify account and while I love it but I don't have to listen to ads , I could get rid of that . So look at everything and just start slashing the things . Don't eat out as often . We stopped eating out as often . We weren't eating out a lot , but I basically really kind of was like okay , we will eat out , you know , maybe once a week , maybe once a month as a special treat . So look at the ways that you could slash your budget almost immediately and do those .
Speaker 1The second thing that we did is make time for God . My husband and I had been at church for many , many years . I mean , we were faithful churchgoers . We went every single week . We would go to adoration at different times , but there was always this retreat that they talked about . They came up every year around Lent and we were like we can't do that , we're too busy , we have baseball , my husband has work you know all the excuses right and we were sitting there because my husband lost his job at the end of January we were sitting there in church and they made the announcement the retreat was going to be in March . And I looked at my husband and I was like , well , we can't say we're too busy with work now , right . And so we each went to the retreat . There was a women's retreat and a men's retreat and then we followed it up with the weekly prayer group . That happened afterwards and that lasted for a year .
Speaker 1And I tell you to take time for God , not because , like you're turning to God , like , oh , I'm in this desperate moment and you know you have to help me now and as soon as things get better , like I'm done here . No , so many of us don't make time for God because we're super busy , right , but this is an opportunity to build a relationship with him . So oftentimes in life you feel like something is missing , and what's missing really is that relationship with God . So I wanna tell you , take the time , spend extra time in prayer , spend extra time reading the Bible , spend extra time going to adoration , going to church . Just make time for God . You will be amazed at how having a relationship with God can help ease your worries and your fears . Now , I'm not saying eliminate them , but you will just be amazed . So make time for God . The third thing is keep your humor , people . Life is way too short to take things super serious .
Speaker 1So I want to tell you , my husband lost his job in January and then in February a tornado hit our property and it pretty much destroyed everything on our property other than our house . Our house was intact , which seems great , right , until you realize that homeowner's insurance does not cover the damage done to your property . So the trees that had been uprooted and left craters the size of like six feet by eight feet , by five to six feet deep were not covered by insurance and it was over $10,000 worth of damage . And you could not leave the property as is and our fence had been completely destroyed , except for get this the gate . So if you can picture this , close your eyes and just picture like this yard and trees all uprooted all over the place , laying down all around the fence , completely destroyed , but standing there strong and true is the gate and we had a dog and we would tease . Actually , we had two dogs . We were at tease . If you let the dogs out , just make sure you lock the gate so they don't get out into the front yard . Now people remember there's no fence , locking that gate is not keeping a dog anywhere in the backyard .
Surviving Financial Hardship With Positivity
Speaker 1But we just had to find the humor because literally in a time span of 30 days , may husband lost his job and then our house was hit by a tornado . There wasn't a lot to smile about or laugh about , right . So we just had to look for the little things just to maintain that humor . So , maintain a sense of humor , find something to laugh at . If you can't find something to laugh at , watch a good comedy movie , but just don't get so serious about yourself in life .
Speaker 1The fourth tip I have for you is movement . So when we slashed all of our budget , there was one budget item that we did not slash , and that was we had a membership to a gym at the time , and we kept that membership , not because it necessarily felt like we had the money to spend on it , but because it was a sanity keeper for my husband , and so he went to the gym like every single day , either went swimming , lift weights , used the treadmill , whatever it was he just moved his body , so moving your body . Now , maybe you don't have a membership to the gym , maybe you really need to cut that membership to the gym because you just need that money . That's okay . Get outside and move your body . Go for walks . My husband and I walk almost on a daily basis . It's the most incredible thing being outside in nature . That fresh air is so good . See the beauty of everything that God has created . As you're walking by different things , so move your body . If it's chilly where you are , I don't know , turn in some dance , music and dance . Just do something to move your body every single day .
Speaker 1The fifth thing that I wanna encourage you to do is look for the positive . Now what I haven't told you in this job loss for my husband and myself , it ultimately lasted two years okay , two very long years . January he lost his job , february our property was hit by a tornado and in March we had a health diagnosis which was going to require some surgery and we had no health insurance . So that wasn't really a positive thing . Right , there was more money coming out of our savings account for that , but we did try to find the positive in everything . Through those times we were like you know . My husband is getting to spend time with the kids . My husband was able to spend time with his father fishing , my husband and I were able to spend time together . So you have to look for the positive . There is always something positive , even in the most difficult of times , even if you are literally feeling like you're dealing with tragedy and you just can't imagine that things could get worse . There is something positive , even if the only thing positive is that you have finally realized how precious life is , how limited time we have here on earth , right , and so it makes you gain a greater appreciation for every moment that you have with people . So look for the positive in everything . I'll just tell you my kids , when my husband did eventually get his job , so my youngest child , when he first lost his job , was not even two years old . It was my third son and for the first for the next two years of his life . So pretty much from about the time when he was eight just five of two to the time when he was almost four , my husband was at home . When my husband went back to work , I remember my kids it had been so long they were kind of like why is that ? He's leaving every day , right ? So it was such a beautiful blessing to have that time . So look for the little positives .
Speaker 1The sixth tip I wanna give you is do not be too proud to ask for help Now . In the beginning , when my husband first lost his job , we did have quite a bit of savings saved up . We did get a severance package and we did slash our budget right , so we were able to try to stretch the dollar . But as it went on and on and on and it went past the year mark , there were times where I was like I don't really know how we're going to put food on the table . And I remember having a conversation with my husband one month where I honestly wasn't sure how we were gonna come up with the money to pay for the bills . And I said to him I go , I think we might need to ask for help .
Speaker 1In our church there's an organization called the St Vincent DePaul Society and they do help people with bills and different types of things like that . And so I just said to him I think we might just need to call the church and ask for help . And he was like I don't wanna do that . One out of pride and two in all honesty . We were seeing people around us that they hadn't seemingly worse off , right , and I was like , okay , well , if we call the organization , I mean they vet everybody and if they deem that we do not need help , then they won't give it to us . But I was like I just feel like we might need to ask for help , but what we will promise ourselves is that one day , when we are back on our feet again , we will pay it forward . And so I remember talking to the organization and they did . They picked up our utility bills for a month or two , but it was a huge blessing . And we went to the food pantry . And I am here to tell you I remember walking in and I had my three young boys with me and I remember feeling very insecure about going to the food pantry . You're like I just didn't feel like it felt awkward . I will just tell you real quick , as a small caveat we did .
Speaker 1Actually , I did a couple of things I did try to do too is I tried to look at refinancing our mortgage and getting it for a slightly lower interest rate , because interest rates were lower at that time , and so I kind of looked at it . I was like , okay , well , we could potentially refinance our mortgage , get a lower interest rate . That would bump down our mortgage payment and then , once we're back on our feet again , we could just basically pay what we're accustomed to paying to get paid off faster . But here was the funny thing we could not refinance our mortgage because we did not have an income , even though when I talk to the person like , well , this doesn't actually make sense because you're basically telling me that I can't refinance my mortgage to lower my monthly payment because I don't have an income , but you're going to let me have this higher payment as is . And it was kind of crazy , but that was the way it was , so we couldn't do that . I also looked at whether or not we would qualify for food stamps and I will just tell you when I looked for that . That was probably one of the lowest moments in my life having to look into that program and I couldn't believe that I was doing it . But I finally got the courage and put the pride away to do it . And here's what I found out Because we had a 401k , we did not qualify for it because we basically would have had to have depleted our 401k and we were depleting our savings , but we did not touch our 401k and I really did not want to touch our 401k , so we did not qualify for any state assistant type programs because of the 401k savings that we had .
Finding Hope and Financial Stability
Speaker 1So I remember walking into this food pantry with my three young boys and they were so excited . You walk in and the people there are so sweet . They hand you like a little grocery bag and they're like here you go , like , get whatever you want . And I distinctly remember whispering to my boys don't pick out too much , just get like two items each . That's it . Because I oh it was such a hard moment Like I just I didn't want to feel greedy , I didn't want to feel needy , I didn't want , I didn't know how much food you were allowed to take , so I didn't want to seem like I was taking more than we should . And I remember the ladies there and the gentlemen there were like oh , just take as much as you need . And like when my kids would get like one , whatever can of something off , they're like oh , you're taking extra one , take three . And I mean we walked out with several bags of groceries from there and I think we probably visited the food pantry two or three times . We didn't go a lot , but it helped us during those times when we needed the help the most . So I want to encourage you to not be too proud , and the seventh thing I want to tell you is the seventh tip I have is to think outside of the box for ways to make money .
Speaker 1Now , back then , like I said , I was homeschooling my kids full time , and when my husband lost his job , we had honestly looked at him getting another job . Now there's a couple of things you need to know . That was during a major recession , like I said , and so he did try to apply for a few jobs , and it was really shocking to me that no matter where he applied , he was either overqualified like if he applied to a retail store , he was overqualified for those jobs and when he was applying for other jobs , they just weren't hiring . But we finally got to the point where I was like you know , even if you eventually find something like , your job is to find a job , and so if you go out and you're working some retail place , or you know flipping burgers somewhere or something and you're working 30 or 40 hours , then what happens when you get that phone call and you can't go to an interview at the last second ? And so there was a part of us that was like I didn't necessarily want him working 30 , 40-some-on-hours at like a retail store . That would prevent him from being able to stay focused on looking for a job and being able to have the freedom to just leave whenever he wanted to or just take a phone call whenever somebody called him , because he literally was . It was a full-time job looking for a job , but I was like you know , I could do something Now .
Speaker 1At the time I had not heard about network marketing , but at home schooling I ended up getting a job tutoring students in the summertime . It was kind of a perfect job because I worked 20 hours a week during the summer . Somebody a husband stayed with the kids . I was able to come home in the afternoon , so if he had an interview he was able to schedule it for the afternoon . That was typically always pretty easy . Like it was pretty easy . If somebody's like can you come in for an interview , it was pretty easy for him to say yes and get like an afternoon time .
Speaker 1So two summers and a row . I did actually tutor . The second summer I was actually pregnant with our fourth child and I worked literally up until the day . Basically , I just told him like I'll just work up until the day I have the baby . That's okay , but I want you to think outside of the box . What are some things that and you know find a way . See if there's a way . Like I had not been working in the workforce for a while . I was working through our homeschool community . I was a leader within the organization that we were a part of , but maybe there's something that somebody else can do . So if you have one spouse that normally works , you can let them focus on trying to find that job .
Speaker 1But also think outside of the box . Since this full 2008 two-year unemployment period , I have become involved with a company . I'm partnered with a company in network marketing and I am here to tell you oh my gosh , when you get with the right company , it is phenomenally amazing the opportunities and income that you can have from that . So think of that . I have seen so many people that were like on . You know they're like I was $60,000 in debt , I had lost my jobs and this came across and I honestly thought there is no way I could do this . I'm not a salesperson , you know . I've tried network marketing before in the past and it has never worked for me , but they were desperate , and so sometimes when you're desperate , you're like , okay , I'll try something , and it has been such a huge blessing . So think outside of the box . And if you're thinking outside of the box and you want information , I'll share with you the company that I have found , because they're not all created equal . I will just tell you that , but I hope that those seven tips can help you find hope in healing through job law .
Speaker 1So look at your budget right away . Right , slash expenses that you don't need and you know what . It's okay to sit down and talk to your kids and explain things to our kids , because these were life lessons and we don't want our children afraid of , like , what's going to happen . We're also not trying to get them to focus on money all the time , but these are lessons for them to learn . And it's okay to look at your kids and say you know what , like this month , we're going to . You know we're going to start not eating out as often . I mean , I talk to my kids all the time about money and the best thing you can do actually is teach them about money , because one day they might be in the same situation and you want them to know there's nothing to be afraid of .
Speaker 1So look at your budget right away . Make time for God , keep your sense of humor , move that body , look for the positive in everything , because I promise you there is at least one tiny glimmer of positivity out there . Don't be too proud to ask for help and think outside the box , and don't snuff your nose when somebody gives you an opportunity that might seem different or unusual . I hope you guys have an amazing day . I am here to help you and I hope you have hope all the time . It is my passion and my joy to bring you hope , to help you live with purpose , passion and vibrancy every day .
Speaker 1I'd love for you guys to share this episode with somebody that you know that is either experiencing job loss or is concerned about job loss , or maybe they have a job but they still are just barely making ends meet . Honestly , in today's economy . I just heard last night like , I think , an economist said that with inflation , the average household income basically needs to make $11,000 more a year right now than they did last year , just to account for inflation , and so that's an after tax , which means before tax , you have to make $16,000 more than you did last year . There's not that many people's jobs who just gave them a $16,000 a year raise . So everybody , to some extent , could probably benefit from hearing some of these steps , because these steps will help you whether you're through a job loss or you're just struggling financially right now .
Speaker 1So please share this episode like this , leave a review . It means the world to me . It helps other people be able to see this podcast . Look on the show notes for how to get in touch with me , and I thank you for taking time to be here with me today . Thank you for joining us today on the Restoring Hope podcast with your host , me , deborah Bigdown . It would mean the world to me . If you'd like and subscribe to this podcast , share it with your family and friends , those that you think might benefit from what it is that we've shared today . Follow me on Instagram and Facebook . Check out my website . The link is listed below . My prayer for you , my friends , is that you are able to lean into the person that God has truly designed you to be Restoring hope for both yourself and all of those around you . Until next week , have an amazing day . Love you all . I can't wait to chat next week .