Grateful Voices: A Hidden Chapters Thanksgiving Special

There is so much to be grateful for this year!  ❤️

As I look back on these last 8 months, I’m filled with so much gratitude for every story, every conversation, and every person who has joined me either on the mic and have listened from across the U.S. and abroad.

This is a special episode on Hidden Chapters sharing my heartfelt THANK YOU with the help of some of my wonderful guests from the show.  They are sharing their own gratitude this season or a little piece of advice!

My hope is that this season you will find time to rest, reflect on your own journey this year, and find encouragement from all of the stories shared here! 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!   

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Transcript

SPEAKER_09: 0:38

Hey there, welcome back to Hidden Chapters. I'm Genevieve. As we head into the Thanksgiving week, I've been thinking a lot about this past year and what it has taken to show up here. When I first started this, I knew I wanted to create a space for the parts of our stories that we don't always get to talk about. The ones that we're still in the middle of. But I didn't realize how much I would need this too. So today, I want to express my gratitude to my family. I'm so grateful to my mom for her bravery and vulnerability in sharing her story. I would not be here without her, and I would not be able to share my own story without her strength and faith. I want to thank my husband for supporting me in all of my endeavors over the last 19 years. I've tried a lot of different things, and he's always said, go for it and see it through. When I started this podcast, I had no idea what equipment I needed or where to begin. He encouraged me every step of the way, helped me buy the best computer, and even suggested I get two mics for when we get to talk together. Coming from someone who usually doesn't talk much in public or in crowds, I'm deeply grateful for his support in this. I'm also honored to all of you who choose to listen to this podcast. With so many options out there, the fact that you listen to mine and share it means so much. Please keep sharing and downloading episodes. It's the best way to grow this space. And thank you to everyone who continues to support this work. From my fellow podcaster Dave Campbell for helping with editing, Selena Conmackie for checking in every Monday and helping me brainstorm through challenges, and those of you offering podcasting feedback, tips, promoting the show, and sharing this along from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I have a lot to be thankful for with this podcast. But more than that, I deeply appreciate the family and friends that I have in this time and season. Sometimes we think we can do things on our own, but when I've reached out in those hard moments, I've been met with so much love and support. And I'm so blessed to have my friends and family only a short drive or phone call away. And thank you so much for trusting this space with parts of your story too. For today's episode, I invited some of our guests from this year to share a short message of gratitude. You'll hear familiar voices and maybe a few words that land exactly where you need them. I hope as you listen, you feel encouraged and reminded that you're not walking your story alone. Here they are. Here's Justin sharing a note of gratitude.

SPEAKER_06: 3:37

What am I most thankful this year? There's so many things that come to mind, and obviously family and friends and health and those types of things. But I think the thing that I'm most thankful for is a loving God that provides no matter what we do. He pursues us so much and so hard that we have nothing to do but to say yes. So I'm thankful for a God that loves us, that provides.

SPEAKER_11: 4:12

Happy Thanksgiving. This is Laura Lynn Donahue, and I just wanted to give a piece of advice for your Thanksgiving. To eliminate a lot of the stress over the years. Just recently, I have started to order my Thanksgiving meal from local restaurants. And it has been a great way to support local eat good food that somebody else made. And it also offers me the opportunity to relax a whole lot more. I'm not nearly as stressed out as years past. And also I get to spend time and visit with my family and friends who join us. So I encourage you, if you're not big on cooking, then go local and happy Thanksgiving.

SPEAKER_09: 5:21

Here's Chris, a moment of thanks from my husband.

SPEAKER_05: 5:25

I suppose the thing I'm most grateful for this year is all the changes that have happened within this last year, and God has blessed us to be able to be um provided for in this season while we make changes of um starting a podcast and continuing on in that, uh finishing out my bachelor's degree, um uh pushing through to publishing a book and having that finished and completed and getting it out into the world. The feedback that we have both been receiving on both of these endeavors has been wonderful as well, uh, validating our existence and all that, um and being able to use that as a uh kind of diving board to continue to pursue the next steps, whatever it may be, in these endeavors. So I hope the next year brings us even more fruitfulness from these as we continue to go on in them.

SPEAKER_09: 6:30

Here's Melissa sending a little encouragement your way.

SPEAKER_01: 6:34

Hello, Genevieve. I'm gonna answer both questions and you decide which one you want to use. The first question: what thing I'm most grateful for this year? Well, besides family and friend, I would have to say faith and courage. Faith gave me the courage to move from Alabama to Pennsylvania, meaning that faith gave me the courage to move out of my comfort zone into an uncomfortable zone, which was literally the best thing I could have I have ever done, is moving to an uncomfortable zone and making that my comfort zone. And for two, I would say um, when you thing seem like it's unattainable, to me that means it's right there in your grasp. All you have to do is just reach out and grab it for question two. Can't remember what question two was. But if things seem unattainable, that means it's right there in your grasp. Okay. I hope that works.

SPEAKER_09: 7:38

Thank you. Here's Jillian offering her gratefulness this season.

SPEAKER_10: 7:43

Hello, this is Jillian Delgado. This year I am most thankful for my husband David Delgado. I'm so grateful for all the love and support he gives me every day. We truly are the best of friends. I love all the memories we created and the adventures we've been on over the past 20 years we've been together. I know my life wouldn't be the same without him, and for that, I'm so grateful. I love him dearly and I count my blessings every day. Thank you.

SPEAKER_09: 8:07

Here's Jay with a heartfelt note.

SPEAKER_08: 8:09

I am thankful for being alive. I am thankful for just being able to wake up and breathe and enjoy what God has given us. The one piece of advice that I can give now is just keep going, keep pushing through. No matter how hard it is, keep pushing through and hunt the good stuff out of every situation. If you don't hunt the good stuff, then you'll always see the world in the negative light.

SPEAKER_09: 8:33

Next is Jose sharing his perfect advice.

SPEAKER_00: 8:36

A couple years back, I have a friend of mine who haven't seen in years. And he happens to come to visit the town where I was living in San Antonio. And one of the things that he asked me was, Hey, where would you like to go eat? And which like immediately say, you know what? It doesn't matter where we go eat. It's the company that truly matters. And this is what really people need to understand about Thanksgiving. It's not so much about the presentation, the meals people are stressed so much about make sure everything is perfect. The meals are nicely looking presented, the tables are nice and set up, the silverware is nicely placed in specific areas. All of that does not matter. What truly matters is the company. The moment that you're gonna spend with your loved ones, celebrating one year of blessings, one year of good things that happen. Focus more into you know the health, the prosperity, the happiness that you and your family have achieved. Rather than just uh superficial things such as if my plates are good, did they match the color, did the tablecloth match everything? That does not truly matter at the end.

SPEAKER_09: 9:53

Here's a quick message to inspire from Simona.

SPEAKER_07: 9:56

Hi, I'm Simona Papalardo, author of Authentically Yours, the Global Woman's Guide to Confident Cross-Cultural Leadership. This year I am especially thankful for having found my own authentic voice. Back in January, I decided that voice would have been my word of the year, and that has guided my work as a business owner, leadership coach, and book author. What I've learned along the journey is how fortunate I am in having found listening ears along the way. And also that the person who really needed to hear that voice so loud and clear was actually me. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

SPEAKER_09: 10:42

Here's Lindsay with a beautiful reminder.

SPEAKER_02: 10:45

Hello, friends. This is Lindsay Swoboda, the author of Holding On and Letting Go: A Life in Motion. And it's a joy for me to answer the question about what is a piece of encouragement I would offer for the Thanksgiving season. And that is that gratitude can happen all year long. It doesn't have to be a one-day year moment in time. We can extend a gratitude practice to cover every day of the year. And I know that when I do this, I am able to see how even my toughest days have one element of goodness to be found. I would also say that one of the best gifts I can give my family over the holiday season is a relaxed and present self. That is something I've struggled with in the past as I strive for a perfect looking holiday or trying to manage all the details and make it so special that I am so worn out, I can barely enjoy it. So I move forward with gratitude this year and also the awareness that my family and friends can receive me just as I am. And that's the greatest gift we can provide each other is to arrive just as we are.

SPEAKER_09: 12:10

Here's Kristen sending warmth and thanks.

SPEAKER_03: 12:13

In this season of giving thanks, I am most grateful and thankful for my family. I am also thankful that God has the power to restore that which is broken and make it new again. So many things in our lives go wrong. We can either become a victim of our circumstances, or we can become a victor of our circumstances. And God is the only one who has the power to make us a victor over the circumstances that we face day to day. He is the one who gives us the ability to be better, do better, live better. And I am most thankful for the love, the compassion, and the faithfulness of Christ Jesus.

SPEAKER_09: 12:57

And here's Alex giving such beautiful advice.

SPEAKER_04: 13:00

For the past couple of years, our family has had this little dinner time habit or tradition. Every evening, the three of us shared a few things we're grateful for, usually two, three, sometimes four. It depends on the day. It can be something small, something big, something that has brought a smile on our face during that day. And what I come to love most about it is how natural it has become for my four-year-old daughter. When she has a hard time or a big feeling moment, like we call it, she reminds me and herself. She pauses first and reminds me and herself to say one thing we're grateful for right now. We take a few deep breaths and we say one thing that uh we're grateful for in this moment. It's her little way of saying, I want to feel safe again. And this is my little anchor. That's how I look at it. And maybe, you know, a way to steady herself during uh hard emotions. So honestly, I feel like that's what gratitude does. It helps us find safety and perspective in the toughest moment. And if you ever feel like find yourself struggling, just try to slow down. Just slow down, take two, three deep breaths, and just say one thing or two things that make you feel good in that right moment so you can ground yourself. And this is what gratitude does brings comfort and clarity. I hope this helps. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

SPEAKER_09: 14:23

Thank you to each of our guests for sharing those words of gratitude. I hope something in these messages met you right where you are today. I'm honored you spent this time with us, and I am so appreciative of every single one of you who pressed play, who sit with these stories each week, and who let them shape the way you move through your own life. This community matters to me. If this episode encouraged you, I'd love for you to join our email community on Substack. It's where I'm sharing personal reflections, behind-the-scenes thoughts, and ways to stay connected between each episode. You can join using the link in the show notes. And I'd love to hear from you too. If you feel comfortable, send me your own message of gratitude or a moment from this year that has changed you. You can share it on Speakpipe. The link is also in the show notes. You never know, your voice might be the encouragement someone else needs next season. I hope you all have a meaningful and restful Thanksgiving. May this season bring you health, joy, and full bellies. I'll talk with you in the next chapter.