The Mic Is On

Give Her the Mic: Episode 1 - Reconciliation, Friendship, and New Beginnings

In the inaugural episode of 'Give Her the Mic,' Kristen Phillips and Chloe delve into their remarkable journey from being best friends to losing contact and eventually finding their way back to each other. They introduce themselves and discuss their backgrounds, experiences as single mothers, and their professional lives. The duo opens up about the importance of reconciliation in friendships, the value of joy, and their personal growth through healing and reconnecting. They also tease what's to come in future episodes, promising honest, heartfelt conversations about life's challenges, relationships, and more.

Transcript

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We're rolling. We're rolling. We're rolling, sis? We are rolling. Oh my gosh. I literally can't even believe we're here, so I can't either. Here's our podcast. Yeah. We have a lot to say. We're so dead. I can't even believe it. Give her the mic is live episode one. Yeah. And let's kind of just give them the scoop on who we are. Yeah. And why we're doing this. You wanna go ahead and take it away? Yeah, yeah, I will. I will. Everybody. This is crazy. We're so excited to be here. We never thought that, um, number one, that we would be sitting next to each other No. Again, in our lifetimes. Um, but we definitely never thought that we'd be doing a podcast. And my name is Kristen Phillips. I am a 42-year-old woman. Very proud to be 42 for sure. Um. I feel like I'm probably about 29 most days of the week. Definitely, yeah. Way, way cooler than me, for sure. Well, you better stop it right now for I'm not, I'm definitely a type B person. Um. Have some type A tendencies for sure. I've got two teenage boys. They're 15 and 17. They're my entire world. They're one. Wonderful. They're sweet. They're so good. They're They're so sweet, man. They're really good. They're really, really good. I'm a single mom. I've been a single mom now for six and a half years, meaning that I raise my children completely by myself. Yeah. 99.9% of the time, so I do that. I'm also a nurse. Sure are. I've been a nurse for almost 13 years. That is. It's a wild time. I worked with you for a bit. That was fun. She did. She did. We worked together. Yeah. It was actually like, really? And we worked night shift together, which was a good time. It was, it was a lot of fun for a long time. We do. I also do a company called Sensei. Um, I've been doing that for about 11 years now, I think. 12 years. Yeah. Which is crazy. Um. I'm a very creative person. I love to, if I'm not creating, I'm usually just dying inside, to be honest. But yeah, same. Yeah, I'm an empath for sure. There's a lot of things you guys are gonna learn about us over. Yeah. Over the next little bit, but that's just a little bit about me, Chloe, tell me. I love you so much. So many versions of Chloe. This is a, this is a good version. I like this version that I'm in right now. So you know like how I am as a person and I love to be creative. I also have two kids. Mm-hmm. Different age gap, 10 and five sweet babies, which I love that for us.'cause it's like I get to watch all the seasons you've been through with your boys and get advice. Um, but we are both creative and yeah, we have a lot in common. We both love fashion, literally. Absolutely both. Love fashion. Absolutely love fashion. I used to be a nurse. Mm-hmm. Um, and do sensei as well. Mm-hmm. So it's just been, our friendship was really organic and I can't wait to like get into that. Um, but I really love. Real stories. And I feel like with the podcast, and I know we'll talk about that, you know, throughout this episode, it really feels right to be doing this. And you know, we've been through so much. Yeah. That's pretty from us being best friends for five years and then not talking for five years. Yeah. And. That's a, you know, 10 years, 11 now.'cause we've been talking again for a year, which is amazing. Amen. Hallelujah. Back, back together. Thank God. Back together. The duo is back, but the gap is like super important. We gotta talk about the gap for sure. We're, and we're gonna talk about the gap. We get gap for sure. Like kind of how our friendships started and. You know? You know like it started because of Sensei. It did. It did started. Remember when we met up at that coffee shop? It was like in Winterville, what was it called? The Coffee Bean something. The Coffee and the Bean. I, yes. We should totally know. Biscuit and the beans. I was about to say that is Biscuit in the Beans. Biscuit and Embarrassed had the best sweet potato biscuits and it was like a. Bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on there. It was to die for. Yeah. Yeah. That's where we met the first time. That's where we met. Yeah. I, I probably had a freaking notebook. I probably had like supplies. She did. You had a notebook for sure. You had supplies and I remember that. Um, my phone was very,'cause most of my life, you know, I've been a people pleaser, thank God. These days I'm not anymore. But I always felt like I had to respond to people quickly. I was always on their time, not mine. And when I met her, I remember, um. My phone was blowing up twenty four seven'cause I was really, I was building this business with Sensei, which was so awesome.'cause that's essentially why we sat down and talked a friend of ours, um, she knew Chloe and she saw her and she was like, you like you have got to meet this girl. You guys are so much alike. You're literally so much alike. And thank God we are in so many ways. Yeah. And we're different in so many ways too, which I enjoy too. And I think that's. Really what good friendship calls for, because you both, you, everyone's gonna have strengths and weaknesses, but that's when you can pick each other up, you know? Yeah. And I think what I love the most about you, because you know, in this podcast we're gonna be talking about like. Organic like relationships and friendships and tough things and trials and all the things. But with us it felt so natural. And I remember when we met, it's almost like when you meet your life partner, which I know you're still looking for, he's out there. God has him for you. It's but's like when you meet, it's coming your partner and you just know. And I felt like that first day that we met, we met because of our business. Yeah. But we. Just talked for hours in there. I feel like we were in there for three hours and so it was just like so cool because it fit. It was like this puzzle piece because I was 22 when we met. Yeah. And um. I just remember like,'cause Brody, Brody, my oldest was like two and a half at that time. And I remember when, I remember when you criminal. Yeah. You, you walked in my house and you were like, I knew I was gonna love you because I walked in your house. This was after like the coffee shop. Maybe even the same day or day after. Maybe I came right over. That's, you know, that is how it is when you find like the love of your life. You never wanna leave them. Yeah. And that's how it was with you when I met you. It just felt so Right. I never, I. And that's how I am when she leaves now for like a week on business, I'm like, my leg is gone. Where are you? Come home. But yeah, tell tell the story about that because it's so good. So literally like one day Kristen walks into my house, it was in the morning. Yeah. I don't, we were about to probably do something for our business because we were like. Building. Yeah. Yeah. And she walks in. My son was like two and a half at the time. And in a diaper? In a diaper, definitely a wet diaper. It was like hanging down, you know when a baby Yeah, it was, was, yeah. Some kind of granola bar. And you walk in and I was like, I'm, it was wild. I'm sorry. This is my life. I'll be ready and minute it. And you were like, oh my gosh. Like I'm the same exact way You're my people. No, there was granola bar on the floor. He had smeared it everywhere and he was like stomping on it. And I was like, these are my kind of people. Yeah. Like, I mean, I'm not perfect. Yeah. I've never been a perfect mom. I will never be a perfect mom. And what people don't realize is that there's no rule book when it comes to parenting. They don't give you like a guideline. Like they don't hand you a book when you bring a baby home from the hospital. No. And every kid is different. So like I just really enjoyed the way that she parents and I still do because you're very like. You love your kids and you're so in tune with them, but you're also laid back in the right kind of ways, which is the way that I am too. And I think that kids really need that, those things, you know? Yeah. Which is totally not my natural. Yeah. How I grew up. So I can't wait. I cannot wait for us to get into family stuff. Because it really shapes the way that we are everything and don't wanna be and do things we do want to take from that. Yeah. Hundred percent the natural. No, I grew up in like super chaotic environment and so, um, yeah, let's kind of tell them now, like moving on on our little inspired, the podcast, our little note cards because we're just. You know, we're prepared. We practiced, we did. We know what we're doing. We have no idea what we're doing. But I don't think you're supposed to know what you're doing when you start something new. No, but I feel like we felt it. Right. So maybe we can tell them a little bit about like what really struck the podcast. Yeah. To actually come to life.'cause I felt like it was very quick. We like created the business in a day, in 30 seconds, three weeks ago. Yeah. We literally did. We just. We have been through so much in our lives, um, you know, personally with our families, with our relationships, with so many things, and we've been through a lot of heart. Yeah. And to me, I, my vision for this podcast and really what I, why we want to do it, and also, I know Chloe feels the same, like we want people to stop in their tracks and be like. What she's talking about I can relate to. And maybe I didn't even realize that was abuse or that was trauma, or that was something that I can justify being hard. Yeah. And I think that we just want people to maybe not have to go through so much hard, you know? Yeah. And that's the point of all of this. But that's, you know, clearly I can't get my shit together. So Chloe, maybe take it from there. Like what, what do you envision from us doing this? Because I know like. This is also not easy either. Like talking about things. We're gonna talk about a lot of things that people don't talk about, and we're gonna bring up things from our past that we probably haven't even talked about. Because once you start talking about stuff, other things will pop into your head and you'll talk about, this is not easy, but why would you wanna put yourself out there in this way and like truly do this? Yeah. And you know, thank God we got tissues. That's all I'm saying. I think, I hope y'all do too, when our relationship fell apart. Yeah. You know, in 20, from 2020 to 2024. Yeah. When we stopped talking, going from being with, you know, s somebody that was so close to you every day to then not having that, it almost was like once we got that back. I knew there's no chances we can take for granted. Yeah. Like there, we, we cannot go back there. And also I was thinking, how can we help women that really have never seen anything like this before? Yeah. What we've done and what we've reconciled. Yeah. So with being in a leadership position in our company and us dealing predominantly with women, I feel like for me, my heart is for the woman. Like my heart is for. God being able to unlock her purpose. And there's been so much in both of our lives that we have been, um, made to feel small or insignificant or, um, that we don't have a story, AKA right. A testimony because as believers, which we both are Yeah. You know, that relationship with God and that testimony is, is how women get saved and people come to Jesus and. That is what unlocks me and helps me feel like I'm in my purpose when I am helping women, but I can't do it alone. And so that's why when we started talking about the podcast, which we've always, even before we stopped talking, which we'll get into that y'all. Oh yeah. It sounds confusing, but when we were, you know, first became friends, like we had always talked about a podcast, you had always talked about a book. Yeah. We had always, you know, I think that's why we love. Sense you so much is because we can help women feel seen and heard. Yes. Because we did not. Yes. And now that we have tools with that four, five year separation of us not speaking now we could come together. And I felt like it just fit. Like I was like, it's perfect. So, yeah. Yeah. And I think it's so important. Um oh. One thing I know that we really wanna focus on during this podcast is how important reconciliation is. Yeah. And in relationships, you know, with your family, loved ones, friendships, co. Anybody, coworkers, because when you have things that aren't reconciled mm-hmm. Number one, your body's not okay. Like, you can feel it, your body knows and it can feel it. And you're not getting, like there's. Why would you just not reconcile? So we really do want to talk about that a lot. Um, and really like too, you know, stories. Yeah, stories of healing, stories of, I mean, really deep stuff we're gonna get into. But you know, when I look at. Our friendship and what we have. I know it is very unique. Mm. And I also know that God has the perfect pair. I believe in a friendship like he has the perfect partner for us. A hundred percent. And I would love for us to help women discover that because it is very different being, being in a marriage as opposed to having a best friend. Right. Yeah. And I believe that. Both are significantly important. And as you know, seeing pictures of what I looked like four years ago, my health drastically declined. Yes. When we stopped being friends, when I didn't have that piece. Mm-hmm. And I just wanted to emphasize that if there's anybody who is watching this that is married, that you know, you can't just depend on your husband or your wife, et cetera, to feel. That different kind of space. And I think when I missed that, I was like, it was a big part of my downfall personally, because I didn't have somebody to have that girl talk or confinement in or you know, those kinds of things. And so I'm excited for their voices to be heard and for us to kind of see where it goes. And yeah, I guess we can kind of tell'em like. What do we want them to take from it? Yeah. Like what? Because there's gonna be lots of stuff we talk about, but tons. Like, what would you wanna take away from it? I, so like if you were listening, what, what do you, what would you want I, when I, when I was hearing you talk, one thing I was thinking about is like, looking at you now. Looking at me now versus how we were 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 years ago. We just have so much joy and I think that a lot of people are missing joy in their lives, and I think that that has to start with truly caring and loving yourself and like giving yourself what you need as a person. And I really would love. For people in general, women, whoever, honestly listens to this podcast. We love men too. We love all the people. But the thing is like we want people to have joy in their lives. Happiness is great. Happiness I think is a temporary thing sometimes, but joy is something that will carry you through. So, and we've found a lot of the joy, obviously through healing, reconnecting, reconciliation, um. So many things that we're gonna go into and talk about, but that's something that I would love that joy in. Definitely finding your voice, even when your hands shake, even when you feel like your mouth is gonna quiver.'cause normally it does, when you say things that are hard at first, but you get used to it. Yeah. But just knowing how to have conversations. There's a lot. I can't wait. Yeah, there's a lot. There's so many things. Yeah. And I feel like too, you know, when we first met, it was 2014 when we met. We were so focused on, because I know I can speak for you as well, like we were so unhealed Oh yeah. From our childhood. Oh yeah. Teenage years and young adulthood that we were so let's make each other successful, because if we're successful, then we're gonna, then we're gonna be okay. Yeah. Then our parents are gonna finally say like, we're good enough. Yeah. Or, you know, we're gonna get that fulfillment. We're gonna get that. We're gonna get that joy. And it's been such a deep dive too, you know, with our relationship with God that me and you have talked about a lot, you know, changing from religion to relationship. Yeah. When you look at our lives now. The relationship that we have with God as opposed to where our friendship started. Yeah. That also is so needed to find that joy and to tap into where God needs you to be. Because for me, I've tried so hard my whole life to just be great. And I remember a couple years ago looking at my husband and just going, I don't wanna be great anymore. I don't wanna feel like I gotta be great. Yeah. I wanna be where God needs me to be and it's not always gonna freaking feel great. And so I had to switch my mindset to like, yeah, this is really hard. Yeah, this sucks. Not having my best friend now at these business events and just all these things that our viewers don't realize was going on when we weren't talking like that. It really made me realize, again, once we reconciled by the grace of God, literally, I was like, I'm not gonna take anything for granted. Yeah. Like I'm not going to not. You know, take opportunities to really help her be the best version of herself and not project or react or,'cause that's what happens too, when you're in a relationship with somebody, whether it's your partner or best friend, you start to react to them differently or you'll project things on them. And in the beginning of our friendship, I did a lot of that. And then you did a lot of that too. Oh yeah. So it's like the growth now, like from us being in our twenties, we're completely different here. Yeah. Like, I mean, I was 22 when you were 30. Oh my gosh. Y'all. I was, I was the most emo. So I've always been an empath, always been a very emotional person. Which is, which is, look at me. I just cried like two seconds ago. It is so great. But I love that part of myself. I love it. But I've also learned through healing how to control it. And I had a lot of triggers. I had so many triggers, and so I would become overly emotional. And she's very, you know, she's a Leo. See, and I love that about her. And I love that she's very, because I wouldn't, you know, I wouldn't fuck with her if she wasn't. Yeah. But back then I was clearly not, you know, healed emotionally. And she would say something to me and my feelings would get so hurt and I would become this little like poppy dog. It was like looking back at it now, I'm just like, no, but also, let me say this because. All the therapy I've been in, all the things I've been in. I was dismissing you though. Mm. That was a coping mechanism for me back then. Like just shut up and get over it. Yeah. Just shut up and work. Yeah. Which was my unhealthy way of coping. Yeah. But I had no tools. And I also knew like if she gets stuck in that mindset, she's gonna fail and I don't want her to fail. Yeah. But now looking back, it's like. I would move so differently now. I would look at you and be like, Hey, are you, are you, how? Yeah. Are you good? Like, yeah. How are you feeling right now? Yeah. You know, instead of like dismissing. And you were dismissed a lot of your life. Oh yeah. And so that trigger a hundred percent though, was a hundred percent significant. Yeah. Because I was dismissing you. Yeah. You know what I mean? Yeah. And so looking back on those kinds of things from when we were building our business before, it's like now we've built the business. Now we've, we've done that task, we've checked it off, and it's like. For me, I am very much a checklist person. Very much thank God. Um, it's a blessing and a curse. It's, and so it, it really like evens us out really well. It does, like the healed versions of us need each other in that way. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Because I'm very go with the flow. Very like, you know, I was raised by hippies, very like flower child, very just like. Spontaneous things like not, but you're spontaneous too. But she's such a planner, you know? And I'm like, where are we going? I'll show up with my back. But now our personalities and the way that we are,'cause thank God she's so type in, she's like, let's do this. And I'm like, hell yeah, let's do it. I didn't think about that, you know, these days because thank God we went through what we did and um, we fixed a lot of things that. Unfortunately we're not broken by us, but we mended them through God. Yeah. You know? Yeah. And now we can be the best versions of, and that's the thing people don't realize if you're not healed. If you still have things to work on, if triggers still really, really trigger you, you can't have healthy relationships. No. And they will not work a hundred percent. You cannot. Percent. And I feel like too, so much, so many times in my career, whether it be in. My direct sales business or as a nurse, like I always felt like I was too much. And then I also was always told I'm not vulnerable enough. And so this is way outta my comfort zone. You know what I mean? Like doing this podcast because you know I'm a vault and you are too. I am too. And um, I am too. Nobody knows any of the things, but we're really freaking putting ourselves. We really are on out. But I'm really proud of us for doing that because it takes. It takes a lot. People are gonna be upset. And you know what? Those are not the people that like, people are not gonna like, some people are not gonna like this. Yeah. And some people are gonna be hurt. But the thing is here, and I've said this millions times to you over the past couple weeks, like we're here to tell the truth. Yeah. And we're here to tell stories because stories are what change people. Yeah. And. It's gonna be hard, but it's also gonna be so beautiful. And I'm here for all of it. So I can't wait. I can't wait. Okay. So I'm excited. So, so we're gonna wrap up because we have a lot to talk about in our other episodes. Yes. But do you want to tell them where to find us? Yes, I would love to. So we are definitely gonna be on Instagram. Our name is, give her the mic. And TikTok. TikTok. Spotify. Spotify, YouTube, apple Music. All the things. Apple Music. We're gonna be everywhere. I'm already tired, but I love it for us. So I mean, thank God we have somebody producing this podcast and upload. Can you imagine Espresso? It'd be like on a freaking iPhone. It would be like propped on a iPhone. Smudgy like wouldn't be able to. See us like, and so that, that's, I would've probably wrote that on the background with like a magic marker or something for Yeah, literally the logo, like Hunter Harrison is king, so Yeah, he's fantastic. I love him. There's, there's him. So, and shout out to Josh for having this beautiful space for us.'cause literally beautiful space, beautiful logo. And we're the talent. I'm just kidding. I'm not kidding. I'm not kidding. But yeah, we will see you guys on the next episode, next week, and we're super excited. Because we're gonna be talking about a lot of, let's see, what are we gonna talk about? We about go deep real quick. Oh yeah. We're gonna be, yeah, we're gonna be, it's gonna be a tough one. Yeah. But we're gonna get through it. So we hope you guys will be there. All right Queens. See you later. See ya.