How We're Prepared For Such A Time As This - Shari Rigby & Claire Yorita Lee

In this episode of Called As Creatives, uncover the transformative power of faith-led storytelling with Claire Yorita Lee, an award-winning writer and producer whose journey from Hollywood success to divine purpose is truly inspiring. In this episode, Claire shares how God's timing and their obedience transformed a quiet season of motherhood into a thriving media enterprise that empowers women and elevates biblical stories—culminating in the groundbreaking project, A Lady in Defiance. This isn’t just a behind-the-scenes look; it’s a masterclass in trusting God's plan through every season of life.

You'll discover how faith, resilience, and bold innovation are redefining what success looks like in a media industry often driven by worldly standards. Claire breaks down the evolution of their projects—from award-winning short films like Birdie’s Song to the multi-layered development of Divine Influencer, and now, a full-fledged media company dedicated to telling women’s stories rooted in truth and hope. She shares the invaluable lessons learned in the trenches—building scripts, casting, navigating rejection, and celebrating divine doors opening in unexpected ways.

Connect with THE WOMEN IN MY WORLD:
Official website: https://thewomeninmyworld.org/
Instagram:   / thewomeninmyworld  
Facebook:   / thewomeninmyworld  
YouTube:    / @thewomeninmyworld  

Claire's Instagram -  @claireyoritalee
Beautifully Flawed Productions - @beautifullyflawedproductions
www.beautifullyflawedproductions.com

Song: “Blessing in Disguise” 
Performed by: Carlie Conner
Written by: Carlie Conner, Maggie Youngs
Produced by: Nick Lewkowski

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:06

This podcast is a celebration of women who are shaping culture, influencing the world, and boldly stepping into the entertainment industry to create God-honoring content across all media platforms. I'm your host, Sherry Reapy. Grab your coffee, settle in, and join me for an inspiring ride. Welcome to the Women in My World. Today's guest is not only an incredible storyteller, but one of my dearest friends and creative partners in everything we're building through Beautifully Flawed Productions. Claire Eurita Lee is an award-winning writer and producer and a former recipient of both the ABC Disney and Fox Writing Fellowships. She's written for Paramount, PBS, Hallmark, and Great American Pure Flix, as well as animation for Disney, HBO Max, Sesame Workshop, and more, including two seasons on Jade Armor. She is also adapting IP for our new dramatic audio series, including A Lady in Defiance and Defiant Ones. Her work spans film, television, and devotional content, including co-writing Beautifully Flawed, Creating a Devotional for the Passion of the Christ, and writing and producing Divine Influencer, which received both the ICVM Gold Award and the Epiphany Movie Guide Award. Claire and I have been working together since 2013, and we've built a slate of projects we could not be more proud of, telling female-driven, bold, redemptive stories that reflect faith, resilience, and truth. But more than that, we've walked through a lot of life together, both the broken and the beautiful. And that depth shows up in everything that we create. Please welcome my dear friend and sister in Christ, Claire Ureelee. And I'm so excited that you're on here and you and I are getting to catch up and talk about all things. This is going to be so much fun. I know. I'm excited. I am so excited to be here and to be talking about it because you and I have been entering into what feels like a new season. So thank you for joining me today. And I know that there's so many who are going to be blessed by the conversation that's getting ready to take place. But one of the things I want to talk a little bit about as we open up and we start to share is you and I have been in this season where we have been talking about specifically Isaiah 43. And there's a lot lately that it feels very significant around this verse where it talks and right out of the get-go, it's, Behold, I am doing something new. Will you perceive it? And the conversation you and I have had over the year and a half, probably two years now, has been so much of will we perceive it? Asking that very, very deep question, right? And so it feels like all the new things they're unfolding. And how I guess, how would you describe the season of your life that you're in? And what are some of those new things that you're seeing right now as well?

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Well, I think that God is always doing something new, honestly. I just think sometimes it takes a little while for us to get on his plan. Yeah. And say yes. So I feel like this is the first time that we are really stepping out and being courageous and doing what God's been calling us to do. I think there's been a season prior to this where we were doing the writing, doing the momming, doing the being a wife and being the support. But I think God has taken us into this new place and asked us to do something and we're finally surrendering and walking in obedience of it. And it's exciting. I mean, when you do that and you step into what God has been calling you to, there's so much that happens. And I think the exciting part for me, and I would think you as well, is being able to work with these women, this new working with the ministry, working with the women of my world, working with these new authors and these new writers and these actors and editors and composers and sound designers, all of it. It's just been such a thrill. And I think God is moving and building.

SPEAKER_03 4:21

You know, we talk so often about people, or I guess maybe I do. I feel like I'm the broken record, or at least I'm pushing it all the time. I always think about the peas, right? And it's people plan and provision, right? And it's like we've been seeing this something new now for a while that the Lord is doing. And, you know, what you shared about was these women coming along and how God is bringing his people, he's bringing his women together. He's showing up in ways that we could have never imagined, you know, just the talents and the gifts and just really incredible women who desire to serve the Lord through the art of storytelling, who desire to really elevate the culture and do it in a way that is so full of faith and just epic and really stories. And whether it's music or authoring, you know, books or whatever that might be. And so what I love is that when you and I finally said yes to stepping in and not doing things the old way, all of a sudden we started to see this. It's like we used to joke around a lot about we were always trying to push the boulder up the hill without it rolling over us, right? And now it's like not necessarily pushing the boulder up, it's almost like we're running as fast as we can to get out of the house.

SPEAKER_00 5:35

Try to keep up, oh yeah, or try to keep up with it, you know, like it's going and we're just like, okay, oh, it's a big hill.

SPEAKER_03 5:42

Absolutely. Yeah, it's crazy. Think, you know, I'm thinking a little bit about just even the change in season from where we were even a few years ago. I'd love for you to talk a little bit about before we get too much further in those new things, is share a little bit about your backstory, your testimony. We talked about the fellowships with ABC and Disney. Talk a little bit about your testimony and how the Lord has navigated your steps and called you into being a creative.

SPEAKER_01 6:11

I was thinking about this. You know, my 20s, I it was all about like what I wanted to do in terms of the world's success. Okay. So I get out of college, I'm like, I'm gonna work for Warner Brothers, or I'm gonna work in film. That's what I thought. I'm gonna work in film. And so I ended up getting this job at Warner Brothers. And I was 20 years old. I was so excited. Um, I didn't even know I wanted to write yet. I just wanted to be on a big studio. And I had this fantastic job with benefits and a 401k, and it was really exciting. And, you know, one day another assistant walked by and said, Do you want to write? And I was like, sure, sure, why not? I have time. I'm 20. And so we started writing. And I had always written when I was a little kid, but I never really thought about it as a job. And as we went on and I started to learn to write television, I it just was so exciting to me. I love telling stories. And then she ended up getting pregnant and having to go home. And I was left there and I thought, what am I gonna do? What am I supposed to do? God always opened the doors for me. An executive came to me and said, if you really want to write, then you need to work for a writer. And so I said, Can you get me a job? And he said, No, but I can get you an interview or I can send your stuff. So I sent a script and I interviewed, and I ended up getting the job. And I I worked for a showrunner for three years. And I learned everything I could, wrote, I got to go to set, I learned so many things working for him. And after three years, I decided to take a step back and just leave the job and work on my own and just write, write, right, write. I got the Fox Writing Fellowship, and then I ended up needing another job because I mean, we eventually need to make money. And so I ended up getting a job at Disney working for another showrunner, and I learned much more as well and worked on another show, and we we worked, we worked so many long hours. And during that time, I actually got the ABC Disney Writing Fellowship. And so I left to go work on that for a year. But in the same during that same time, I got married. We were living in Culver City, and I was building my life, my personal life. Um, at the end of my writing fellowship, I ended up getting pregnant. And when it should have been the most exciting thing in the world, I think at the time I felt like, no, why?

SPEAKER_00 8:44

I've ruined my career. I ruined my career. I spent all this time doing this and I've ruined my career.

SPEAKER_01 8:50

But now, looking back on that, I feel like it was one of the greatest blessings I could have had, really. I don't know that had I continued with the success that I had been having, I think I would have just kept going. And I would have never stopped to have family and to do the things that have I look back on now that are some of the greatest things I've been able to experience. And for those next few years, I think it was really difficult for me because back when I was 25, a discipler told me, you are going to use your gift of writing for God's glory. And I was like, no, no, I'm not. I'm gonna be super successful and I'm gonna be Shonda Rhimes and I'm gonna do all great things and have lots of shows. And I think it took me having children and surrendering my career to really see what God wanted for me. And it was a hard few years, like just heartbreaking, watching everybody else move up and being jealous. And I think at one point I finally got tired of being jealous and said, Lord, I don't want this anymore. If I can't be happy for my friends when they are successful, then I don't want it. So if you don't want me to write, just take away this desire to write and I'll do whatever you want me to do. And it was right about that time, Sherry, that I met you and I had just come into a new place of my life. I I had surrendered my career to him and you stepped in. And but it did take someone asking three times for me to meet you because you wanted to write a book. And I was like, I don't write books. But you know, God told me, God told me. These are specific times I can remember God speaking to me in my lifetime. That was one of them. God said, You're the one who puts yourself in a box. I don't put you in a box. I just gave you this gift of writing. I didn't say you're a television comedy writer. Yeah. So God told me I could write this book. And I remember starting to write with you and how exciting and fun it was. And it was actually like doing television format in a way.

SPEAKER_03 11:03

Well, and I love going back a little bit to your story because here you are, you're in Hollywood where you're, you know, so many people want to be, right? They want to be right in the heart of everything that's going on. And the shows, I think one of the shows that you were working on was it Medium? Mm-hmm. Yes. So you were working on that, which was a big show. It was very successful. So you're in a place where you're getting to learn and experience this. So I I can only imagine that I'm sure as you continued the journey and seeing that the Lord was opening up all these doors for you, all of a sudden to feel like something kind of shut when you started having family, your children. But really, I think he was getting ready to set you up for something so much deeper and bigger. And we've talked about that a lot before, and we're gonna talk more about that. So as we go on, the cliffhanger, as we all do, and these stories that we tell. I remember the time that we met, and I, you know, that was probably one of my biggest things. I already was thinking about my story being told as a television series. I really wanted it to be a story that continued for a season or two that really was able to tackle all of these big topics because it was a testimonial type thing. I had done October baby, and then, you know, I wanted people to be able to read more of the testimony. I wanted them to be able to experience it. And so when you and I met, that was the heart behind it. So I love that the Lord literally took us and went, Oh, here's this TV writer, and I'm gonna take and we're gonna do your book together. And it was so great. I just love how he fused us together like that so long ago. And I actually I remember when I met you, I thought, oh, she has great legs and she has really cool boots on.

SPEAKER_00 12:47

I did have really cool boots on that day.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

You did! I know my sister-in-law had given them to me. They were the rag and bone boots. Yeah. I'm like, I'm like, I'm a sucker for shoes.

SPEAKER_03 12:56

You know, it's just those things that connect us, right? I want to talk a little bit about. So you end up, you're now in the faith space world, and all of a sudden we're writing this book together, and you just put your fingerprints on it so beautifully because you were thinking about all of these things that I had not even thought about and how you were able to take it and refine it and just to really hone in. I think sometimes we're so close to our own stories, it's really hard for us to step away and see something that we should be talking about or sharing with. And I think that you just did such a beautiful job with that. So thank you for that.

SPEAKER_01 13:30

Oh, thanks.

SPEAKER_03 13:31

No, absolutely. I guess the other thing is you you continue on. So you now have three children, correct? You have three children. Yeah. So all teenagers. They're all teenagers now, but yeah, when we met, they were quite a bit younger. And so definitely you were right in the throw of re you know, raising children. How today, in your life, because we go through seasons and changes just like you did then, how would you define success today? And what does that look like for you?

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Success has totally morphed for me. I think in the beginning, I really saw success from the world standards. You know, I wanted to win awards, I wanted to be a showrunner of the most popular show on television, and I wanted to make lots of money. But I think that God has really taken me to such a different place. I think it took a lot of humbling, a lot of refining, giving me a family that shows you some of the real true treasures of what life is. And so now I would tell you, success is so much different. It's it's not really about me at all, which is crazy for me to say because it's so the opposite of what it was. To me, success is doing whatever it is that God wants me to do and figuring that out. When we do what God's called us to do, then we can find joy and success in that. But it's not easy to actually hear the calling and and walk in that. And I so to me, success is being able to figure out what God wants for my life, do it, and then do it well. And nothing else really matters. I do find that that mentoring these women and bringing these women up and seeing them succeed is actually so much of the success because again, it doesn't, it it's not about me anymore. It's really about what God's doing. And to see these women, they are the fruit, they are the harvest to me. To see them come into their own, to see them grow in their relationships with the Lord. To me, that is the success that I love. It's the long-lasting success, the things that matter.

SPEAKER_03 15:53

You know what? It's so good because it's the sick, the success is the fruit. It's that fruit that we get to see being birthed from the projects that you and I have been working on for such a long time. You know, going back a little bit too, is so we started writing Beautifully Flawed, probably right around 2013, because that was about the time that we met. And um, I was on the road quite a bit traveling and speaking. And so we had to do a lot of long distance communication at that point. And I want to talk a little bit about just the you and I have been on a journey now for a while making content. So we've learned a lot, right? So talk a little bit about because when you when I came back and you and I thought, okay, we're gonna step into this. We stepped in to make a short film. Take us down the road of some of the projects that you and I have been on and how we, you know, because they're all different. I mean, you and I have actually, I look at and I go, we have put our hands to so many different kinds of projects that we've learned from, and so many people don't get to experience that. So take us down that kind of list of projects and take us up to the point of where we ended up with Divine Influencer.

SPEAKER_01 17:02

Okay. Let's see. We began by writing a book. So we started in book format. Yeah. And then from there we went to book trailer and this short film that we did with Colleen and Marianne and Lucas. We did our short film. Which was Birdie's song. Which was Birdie's song. Birdie's song. Yep. And that was an award-winning short film, too. Yes. Yeah. We did it for the was it 169? 168. 168?

SPEAKER_03 17:32

168. That was closed.

SPEAKER_01 17:34

I was like, it's a number. Sorry. 168. 6'7. I'm not. Oh my gosh, my kids would kill me if we're doing that. We did that. We did the short film. And then we rolled into doing another short film for the Dream Center called Dream Center, which then led us to do the Dream Center docuseries, which looking back on it now, that was we were thrown into the fire.

SPEAKER_00 18:03

We were doing everything. We were doing production design. We were doing writing. You were doing the directing. We were doing. I would not be surprised if I got to hold the sound boom that time.

SPEAKER_01 18:13

We would be doing every little piece of it. We would learn how to create smoke and special effects. And we were doing all every single piece of it. And it was long, hard days. And I, but I feel like we learned so much about poor man shooting, but also figuring out how to make something look beautiful in the background. I think that gave us such a good lesson as because we did 20 episodes.

SPEAKER_03 18:39

It really taught us as filmmakers that if you have an imagination and the ability and the hard work and the ethics, like you can get it done. And also, I think about how much all of those experiences took us into the next project.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

Each one rolled into the next one, right? Then we ended up doing Beautifully Flawed. We did the pilot for it, which we raised money for, and then we shot it at the Dream Center as well. But that one was difficult because that was for full narrative. We had full-on set, full on wardrobe, full-on production design, all of those pieces, a huge crew, as huge as we ended up having later, but a pretty big crew. So it was just learning with each step. And then after that project, we did spend a lot of time writing after that. I would say we started writing lots of scripts. We had the passion of the Christ. So we did the Passion of the Christ, and we did that. We did a devotional. That was the devotional for the re-release. And then we did a video to promote that, which was amazing. And we got to, I remember that was the first time we used drones and stuff like that. And then after that, we went into Divine Influencer, I think. I mean, I think God took us in, He taught you and I in separate spaces during that time as well. Before Divine Influencer, you started directing, directing different projects. You did a couple different films. And then I was in television and I was working in animation and doing some other scripts, doing the Hallmark stuff during that time too. So I feel like God was growing us separately, but to work together. And then we ended up doing Divine Influencer. But even that project, it's funny because we get a lot of yeses, Sherry, but then we also, the yeses often turn to no's. And then we end up going, oh, I thought we were supposed to do that. And then we get a yes again later down the road. So I think that was a good learning lesson. But doing Divine Influencer, man, that was that was fun, but that was a ride too. 18 days to shoot the whole movie. Uh 15 days. We did it in 15. We did it in 15 days. Yeah. It felt like 18.

SPEAKER_00 20:55

I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_03 20:56

I wish it was 18.

SPEAKER_00 20:58

Think of all we could have done with 18 days.

SPEAKER_03 21:01

I know. Wow. It could have had a sequel. I know. I you know what? It's such a great reminder though, and just taking this step back to go over, we forget so often how many doors have been open and how many things we've been able to put our hand to. And also just the experiences that we've actually learned, filmmaking. We've learned, and it's really set us up for where we're at today. I I want to go back though, just to think through and talk a little bit about, you know, we started these projects, we started working on them. Of course, it was you and me in 2013. But by the time we got to 2015, you also mentioned some women who were part of the ministry, The Women of My World. And those women, Mary Ann and Cynthia and Colleen, these different ladies who came to be part of Bertie's song. And Mary Ann was producing it with Cynthia. You know, I I look back at that and I think about where we've come to be able to work with women, them, and then, you know, the Dream Center, and here we are today. I mean, does that do you do you sometimes sit down and think about that too and you go, wow, look at God, you've literally the fruit that you have continued to move forward, not only continuing to bring these ladies back together again, but just the fruit of being able to take a couple, a few back then, elevate them, work with them to see where we're at today, as you and I will start to talk about another project here in a minute that we're on. So does that, I mean, it's crazy.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

It's really crazy. And actually, I was working with Marianne the other day and I stopped and I was like, Marianne, I have to tell you, I am so proud of you because I have seen you. First of all, Marianne's been on every project we've ever worked on. And I didn't even remember that. I I mean, I kind of started going through my head and I said, You've literally been on every project we've ever done from the beginning, but I've watched you grow. Like you've gone from this young actress who really just a really young, hungry actress that you just wanted to act, to a mother, to being willing to move across the country, yeah, to now producing and starring in your own film, but after like truly surrendering your career and your life to Jesus and then doing this, then having that kind of success, and then coming humbly to again work and learn to write with us. I just blown away when I thought about that. And I I was talking to her the other day, giving her notes on something, and I was just like, I am so proud of you. I am so proud of you. Like it's it brings me so much joy to see where she's come from and where she's at today.

SPEAKER_03 23:44

I think there's something to be said about that too, is God's timing, right, is so important. And really, you know, Marianne has been a part of so many of our projects, and also she really stepped in over the last couple of years. She's a lead-on Vindication series. She was part of The Forge, she plays lots of great characters. She wrote a movie that was picked up. It was the first movie done by the Faith Channel. I mean, this is what you and I get to watch, you know, and so I think that even looking back today, it's all of the projects that we've been able to experience, and then not only us, but we've been able to see the fruit of these women who we've been able to literally cultivate. I think about, you know, in the scripture where it talks about sowing the seeds and then seeing the harvest. And I feel like, you know, we get to continue to sow seeds, but we're also seeing daily the harvest and what we get to do and how we get to keep putting women to grow. You know, it's a it's an interesting time for us because here we are in 2026. We are journeying into a new place, new season, new space. There's some really incredible projects that we've been able to put our hands to. And before we talk about that, though, it's one thing you and I talk and have talked about is for such a time as this. And so you've used that phrase, such a time as this. And what does that mean to you? And how does it feel so applicable to you today and what we're doing also as a production company?

SPEAKER_01 25:07

Wow. I think to me, it's all about God's sighting. It feels like at times that you and I were working, working, working, working, and it felt like nothing was ever coming to fruition at the time. I think we spent, look, you said we started in 2013. That's 13 years ago. Yeah. So we spent all this time working. And we weren't getting a lot of things made, even though we listed all those things. They weren't all constantly getting made things more. We weren't getting a lot of yeses. We were getting a lot more no's. And I think about it, but during that time, we were writing scripts, putting them on the shelf, writing scripts, putting them on the shelf. And nothing was coming about from them, but we were learning. One, and two, we were in a different season of life. And you were raising your kids and being family and being a wife. And I was here raising little kids as well, and being a wife and doing life like that. So during that time, I felt like it really was that season, that that season was meant for that. And I feel that as we've gone through all of this, it was for such a time as this. I mean, we were writing all these scripts, and now we're actually they're coming back. And it's been such a shocker to me, even down to us talking about doing verticals. And Debbie was like, What scripts do you have that are written? And I was like, We have this script, 60 page script, we have this 60 page script. Take your pick, and we have a whole bunch more, just if these don't work out. And she was like, I love them both. And to think, Sherry, some of those scripts probably were written almost 10 years ago or started, right? But fully written and then put on that shelf for such a time as this. And we were being refined for such a time as this. And all the things that we've gone through, all those projects I just listed, were for such a time as this, that we can walk into this space to create a media company and know how to do all these pieces of it, not be scared of it. That God taught us so much. He took us through the trenches, but he also allowed us that time in those years to be mothers and wives, do the things that I guess we were supposed to do during that time that we didn't get the yeses that we wanted. So I believe that God has brought us to this moment for this very thing for such a time as this.

SPEAKER_03 27:33

I think it's so good. And when you say that, you know, going back and really thinking about being mothers and wives and learning and really honing in on our craft and the the stories, you know, praying about it and being diligent. God, I think through the years has given us a lot more wisdom and understanding. He's given us discernment. I think you and I are very focused on praying about, you know, not only what's a good story, but what's the God story. As we've navigated our seasons of life for such a time as this, we're realizing what God has called us into, but we've seen the preparation, you know. So all of those scripts, even though we've taken them now a lot of them off the shelf, we're seeing them actually get done. We can put our hands back into them and go, man, I think, I think this storyline could even be deeper or better or more intentional. And so it's been good. But I also see how through this process, you and I have been diligent. And I would say to anyone who's listening out there is you are supposed to do things with integrity and the skills of your hand, right? That talks about that with David in Psalm 78. And we've really tried to navigate integrity and doing them with the skills of our hands so that as you know, we've learned, we've also learned how to create the tools. We've created and refined our pitch decks, we've created the story Bibles that need to go with television. We've worked on and really refined character arcs. We've done our research on who the market is that we're taking these projects out to and why these stories matter, and why we work so diligently to put women of faith at the center of these stories. Because those hero stories are transformational to generations of all ages, right? Yeah. So we've learned all of these things as we've begun to grow not only in our family and in our faith, but also just this extension of what God is refining us to do today and the stories that He's calling us to tell, I think. And also with women, that we've learned so much to see the fruit from the women that he's called into our time and place and space, that it's it's easier for us now to be able to elevate those women and do it quickly rather than to kind of take a step back and go, is this really what we're, you know, we're actually like, no, no, no. We actually know that we're supposed to be calling these women up and putting them out there.

SPEAKER_01 29:48

Yeah. And the funny thing about that too is I also feel like it takes a lot of courage to be able to do what God's calling you to do because there's so much unknown, right? You're walking down this path, you can't see what's ahead. You know, you're, I feel like you and I right now are walking down a path that we can't see where the end goal is, but we know that God is leading our steps, which is not easy. But I think there's something also to remember about that story of Esther. Is she going to do this? Because if she's not, then God will put somebody else to do what he's really got already predestined to happen, right? So there's a part of that as well for you and I. We can say no to the calling, but if we do, then God's plan will still carry out. It just won't be through us.

SPEAKER_03 30:37

Hey friends, if you're enjoying today's episode, we'd love your support. Hit like, subscribe, comment, and share this video, which helps us grow the channel that directly supports the women in my world and our mission to develop, educate, and launch Christian women in the entertainment and media industry. Every action you take truly makes a difference in our ministry. And now we'd like to share a brief video about the heart and mission behind the women in my world. Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey with us. Hi, I'm Sherry Ritby, the founder of the Women in My World. Our goal is simple but powerful. We focus on developing, educating, and launching Christian women in entertainment and media. Our aim is to train up emerging talent, empower them to craft impactful, God-honoring content across various platforms, and contribute to positive global change through leadership roles. We invest in women by providing opportunities to learn essential skills in their desired field. Through hands-on education and on-the-job training, we build a community of like-minded women who shepherd others to grow and flourish in their careers. The Women in My World has helped support and launch women into key positions, such as producers, script supervisors, production and costume designers, directors, makeup and hair artists, and so many more. These women have gone on to expand their resumes and their relationships, which have provided opportunities to work on major network television shows and feature films. Due to the small percentage of Christian women and decision-making roles and entertainment, believers must invest in their training, mentoring, and discipleship. These women can then become a voice to change in the negative narratives influencing our culture and shed light on topics we desperately need to tackle from a biblical worldview. The women in my world is honored to help support women and their careers in entertainment and media as they bring redemptive stories to life and uplift, encourage, and influence the world for Christ. You know, I think you and I really started to dig deep a couple years ago after we did Divine Influencer because just to think about it, we going back to even a thought of success, you know, Divine Influencer became an award-winning movie. It was the Epiphany, you know, it received the Epiphany Award through Movie Guide, which is one of the top movie awards that there is of that entire, you know, award ceremony. And so I think you and I both walked away from that particular event and then won again for Best Picture. And here we were going, wow, this is gonna open a lot of doors. It's gonna be it, they're gonna fly open. I mean, I I guess my heart was like, that's gonna happen. It's gonna fly open. It's gonna be everybody's gonna want our number.

SPEAKER_01 33:33

I mean, someone did tell us they were gonna make movies with us every year. Yeah. So you think that, but then it doesn't happen, which is probably more common than right, not right?

SPEAKER_03 33:45

Right, right, right. Well, it goes back to not only how do we define success, how are we looking at the wins, how are we looking to perceive what the new thing is. Talk a little bit about what you and I had made a decision. I guess it's been now about a year, maybe a year and a half. We'd started talking about our plan a couple of years ago and really talking about what the vision was for a media company versus just a production company, but a real media company. So, number one, talk a little bit about that. And number two, talk a little bit about when we decided to step into the project that we are in post-production on right now and how that came about.

SPEAKER_01 34:26

Well, I think I think it's so funny. Started so everything that you and I do seems to start from something biblical. Yeah. Usually it's you, Sherry, you digging into some story in the Bible, and then we start talking about it. And I believe that this time it was Nehemiah, and you were studying Nehemiah, and then we both started studying Nehemiah and this idea that Nehemiah is called back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls and rebuild these 12 gates and the people that come doing this. And this is kind of where you and I began in this book of the Bible. And looking back now at all the things that God has called us to do and how we decided to put one foot in front of the other, it's daunting when I think about it. And I won't lie, I probably felt a little bit of resistance in the beginning because it's scary to think about doing something like this. And we wanted to do multi-level platform, doing different kinds of things, like doing books, doing we wanted to do makeup because we love makeup, doing television series, doing verticals, doing film. And when you look at that on paper in a pitch deck, it is scary. It's daunting. It's really big. It's so big. Yeah. So when you look at it on paper, you're I remember thinking, can we do this? Can we do this? But it's funny because the Lord is greater and bigger than anything we can imagine. And He really can do it. And the funny thing is, as I've as we've walked through this last year, especially, God keeps opening these doors. And it's not the doors I thought he was going to open. First, he would open these doors would open that I thought were certain things, like for sure things, things that were so big and grand and yet easy. This company has money. This company has all access to everything, has a platform, all these things. And we're getting the opportunity to work here. But God would close that door for us unexpectedly. When things were even up to things being promised, like where I was for sure, like this is it. Lord, you must want this, you know? And then the door would close, right? Yeah. But then the doors keep opening to these women. So all these things that I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to do, like, how are we gonna do this? How are we gonna do a vertical? I don't know to do a vertical. What is a vertical? You know, like things like that in the beginning. And then God, every time we go somewhere, every time we do something, God brings a new woman. And God's like, oh, here's it. This is how you're gonna do this. Who's an expert? Really, yeah. This is how you're gonna do this. Yeah, yeah. Okay, God. So over this last year, God keeps bringing these women to be a part of something, either an author or a writer, or somebody who knows about books, or somebody who knows about verticals, an actor who works in verticals, you know, just these pieces. Yeah. A singer who could knows how to compose, or didn't know she knew how to compose really until we asked her to step into that. Yeah. I I think back even at of Donna, how you and I were on a Zoom call with Donna, who's a manager, and inside I thought, this lady needs to be a producer with us. And then you and I got off the phone and you're like, I feel like Donna needs to be a producer with us. I was thinking the same thing. I mean, these are the things that God is doing. He's bringing these women that have these gifts, right, that are gonna be part of this. And I think this part of God humbling us over these years also and refining us, and but also allowing us to have experience and dip our toes in all these things allows us to one trust these women and give them the motivation and they need to do it, to step into their for such a time as this. And at the same time, we aren't controlling enough that we like we can let go of those things because we know God has put them into this place for to be working with us. And so we're also able to support them without hand holding or micromanaging. We're just here as support while we all work together. And I think for me, the most exciting part of all of this is every step that we've been taking, is been we look at what every gift is of every woman, yeah, and we are able to cultivate that.

SPEAKER_05 38:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:50

And in the end, it really is like that verse about, you know, the body of Christ. What someone's the arm, someone's the leg, someone's the head, you know, it's mirroring that and it's exciting.

SPEAKER_03 39:02

It is so exciting. I want to go back and talk to a little bit about, and I love, love, love that you brought up Nehemiah, right? Because that is, we we, you know, we dug in and we started talking, you know, when we started reading about Nehemiah. But I think what was so incredible and kept resonating was this story of Nehemiah and what was breaking his heart, and that it took a certain amount of time for him to be able to actually have the king ask a question. And when the questions asked, you know, the way that he presents it, but I love that he says, I'm I'm just a cupbearer. But really, they were important at that point in time, very important. And then he goes on and he's given so many things to be able to go and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. And what was so wonderful about that story, and I think what really hit home for you and I was that he brought people who were not maybe even the skilled laborers in construction, but he brought others who were skilled and who were willing to do whatever it took to fight for these rebuilding of the wall and the gates. And they were on ladders, you know, around the clock, building this wall. I think it says that they rebuilt the wall in 57 days or something like that. And there were people who were up at the top building, there were people who were holding the ladder at the middle, and there were people at the bottom of those ladders who were fighting the fight to make sure that nobody came in to hurt or hinder what they were doing. And I look at what we're doing, and I'm thinking that's kind of where you and I started to dig in and go, we know that we could build this media company with all of these different arms. And it was a beautiful picture of what God was putting on our heart. You know, books, music, verticals, film, television. He was doing accessory items, like you said, makeup and or and different things. And here we are today. And it's really cool because at this particular point in time, we've we've put our hands to almost actually probably everything at this point that he called us to. There was another piece, though, that he called us to, and we continue to pray over this, but one of our specific gates, so to speak, is audio dramas. We had been on this journey to talk about how do we do what we do and be good stewards of what God has given us. We had acquired and optioned several pieces of IP with um Heather Planton and a couple other ladies, Becky Lindsay and so on. Women's stories told by women and um really, really well done. And so we decided wait a minute, and this is where the we also dug in and started to study who's the market, who are we serving, what kind of stories are out there? How do we build a fan base? How do we step into something and go, hey, we've already created a fan base and we have all of these cool assets that can be for each and every person, whether it's a reader or a listener or a music or whatever it might be. So talk a little bit about that because that was a big moment for you and I to step into that particular space and place of this new content and say yes to it, and then making the decision for the green light to go.

SPEAKER_01 42:12

I think the interesting part about that was yes, we opted the IP for these books, not thinking that we were gonna write TV series for them. And we did write pilots for them first. But God has been telling you and I for a while now that we are supposed to do podcasts series. It was one of the smartest things we could have done because one of the things was we decided we're not getting, we're getting a lot of no's. We're not making this next film, we're not getting yeses to this television series or to this film. What what do you want us to do, Lord? And we were like God was probably like, I've been telling you ladies for a while now, but yeah, you need to step into it.

SPEAKER_03 42:54

And also, I've given you the small things, be obedient with them. And once you're obedient, yeah. So it was great.

SPEAKER_01 43:01

Then you can be in the bigger things. Right. And I think what God really reminded us of Sherry, while we've been doing the this audio podcast series was I've already given you the provision, ladies. I've given you this. I've given you you have enough money to make this. You have the actors to make this, you have the people to make this. Now just make it.

SPEAKER_03 43:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:22

There was one trip, not last year, but the year before, when I went to Atlanta and we dug in. We took those books and we turned both books into scripts for our dramatic audio podcast series. And here we are making a lady in defiance. I mean, it's and it's more phenomenal than I thought it could have been. I never would have thought about the way this Netflix for your ears, I would never would have realized that Dolby Atmos could go from one ear to the other, and I can feel like I'm immersed in it. And here we are. We just put one foot in front of the other to do it. We started with the scripts, then we cast it, we set A date to record, we did it, and here we are. We found a sound designer and found a composer. We found all these pieces, and yeah, God just kept bringing them. You know what?

SPEAKER_03 44:11

Well, and what I love about that is when we stepped in and we said yes, because the lady in Defiance, well, first of all, it's uh it's about these three incredible sisters set in the 1880s, and they go from the Carolinas to across the plains when tragedy strikes, and they end up in a little town in Colorado called Defiance. And this is where, so to speak, all hell breaks loose. But we know that they are there believing that God has allowed them to be put in this place. And so we saw that. And what I love too is what you just said was there was a couple things that I want to chat about really quick is that number one, we saw provision come in. We said yes to digging in and doing this series, right? It was a book series, you know. We started together, you and I, uh with books. And then the next thing we decided that we were gonna do is we weren't gonna just tell an audio drama. We weren't just gonna do it in three, four hours. We were gonna actually turn the book into episodic television. And we were gonna break that down. And you look at the history of you and what you started with in this industry and some of the things that we were believing for, right? It was television and even the book. We we modeled the book after episodic television. So here we are today. And then we see the fruit of these women. We were able to go, Divine Influencer, I think, had seven, some, I don't even know where we ended up, how many women we ended up putting to work. And after A Lady in Defiance came about, we know as of today, we've put over 30 women to work in all different places and spaces on this particular series. And I just keep thinking about that, that that's what's resonating with me right now about the series and for such a time as this. Talk a little bit about though, because here we were, we stepped in, we have, you know, a lady in defiance we had had for several years. We finally were like, this is the way we're gonna, we're gonna tackle these projects this way. We're gonna step in and use the resources. So we made the decision to do it. Talk a little bit about that project and what then became the shift of the season.

SPEAKER_01 46:15

Well, the season of my life and how it started to reflect actually the story. Man, that was it's you know, this last year has been probably the hardest I've I've ever had to experience. And I think I never would have imagined that my life would mirror the life of the main character, you know, when we when we first started it, when we even first began writing these pieces. I never would have thought about that. And right before, so we had gotten everything ready, we were getting ready to record it in uh about two weeks before we recorded. Yeah, you know, Ed passed away and Ed passed away, and your husband. My husband, yes. My husband Ed went hiking and camping with my son with the scouts, and that's when you know he he passed away, and I never would have expected that to happen. And I know that I still went to Atlanta to be part of it. I needed to get away and immerse myself in the work. I the kids were were doing okay, and they seemed to be, you know, happy having my mom and my stepdad watching them. And and then I went. And and the funny thing is, I felt like I've always felt like going to Atlanta or going to Alfa Redda, really, or John's Creek has been very therapeutic for me because it's you live far off from you live in nature, you live in a forest, basically, Sherry. And I felt like every morning I would wake up early and I would look, I would watch the sunrise, and I felt like God was like, I'm doing something new. I'm doing something new in your life, you know?

SPEAKER_03 48:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:12

It's it's so funny. I think back at even the recording, and I didn't even realize Naomi's a widow, you know, this character. I didn't even really it didn't really put it all together for me because I had written those scripts like the year before. And when we stepped into it, I remember hearing Macy recording some of these lines, and I thought, oh my goodness, that's exactly how I feel. But I feel the same way. That's how I feel. Like, Lord, how could you take away the one person that supported me, the one person that I would I would go to the ends of the earth for? I think that's what one of her lines is. I'd go anywhere if he was with me. And so I think that that part was really difficult for me, you know. Hearing that from the in the script and hearing the character say that was it was resonated with me. But I feel like God is doing something new and God reminded me of the seasons, and God reminded me that just because this happened doesn't mean that he doesn't have goodness for me ahead and that he doesn't want me to finish out the series and to continue to telling the stories and that he had brought me to this place. And there was a point where I I feel like it was another moment in my life where I had to surrender everything because I felt like so much had been taken with Ed's passing. But I feel like God had put me in this place in this moment to do this and that he had prepared me. God reminded me one day I was kind of mad. I felt like the character, I really felt like Naomi sitting there praying and praying to God about what had happened. But I felt like God had reminded me and he said, You're looking at it this way, but I'm but you know, I've never given you more than you can handle. And I've said I will never give you more than you can handle. And God took me back to that time 10 years ago, with when more than 10, 14 years ago, when he first got he had a heart problem. And the first time it ever came up was 14 years ago. And he almost died then when Austin was born. I had three babies, they were all under five, and God took me back to that time and he said, you know, I knew you couldn't handle it then. You know, you wouldn't have been able to handle that. And he started to take me through those last 14 years of my life. He took me through Austin getting sick and having seizures and some other things that had happened throughout our lives, some really difficult things up until the death of my father in 2022. And he was like, You couldn't have handled that, you couldn't have handled taking care of your father and during that time with without him. So I I I I let you have all those years with him. And then and at the end, he I felt like God said to me, So you couldn't have handled all those things, but you can handle this. And I feel like God has set me up to with all these things that we've done through all these years to put me here in this place to do this, to give me purpose, to um keep me going, to do what he's called me to do. And I feel like this these projects, whether it's a lady of defiance or defiant ones or angels within, all of them. I feel like God has put me into this place to do these. And he's even given me to my chagrin a little bit, to you know, a story that mirrors theirs. And but God uses widows. He does. He does. He's told stories of them and he's used them.

SPEAKER_03 51:53

Yeah. I love that um you and I talk about that, how so many of our projects touch on widows. And, you know, here we are today, and how he also really not only talks about it biblically to make sure that we are serving and caring for the widows and the orphans. You know, and I think though, the stories that we get to tell also is not only loving them and caring for them, but really that they are strong and courageous women, that they continue to move and and do things that serve and glorify the kingdom of God. And I think that's you get to bring such a your voice now brings a whole nother dynamic to the stories that we're telling. And also just to be in community with women who have experienced that part of the women in my world, women who, you know, have lost a husband. And I think that the beautiful thing is that I've seen you just grow and and stay so close to the Lord as you've been taking through this journey. And I think he really is preparing you for such a time as this. He's allowing you to be that strong and courageous and bold woman, but never losing sight of the goodness of God through each, you know, each piece of it. There's such a focus on Gen Z and bringing up the next generation, right? And we were talking about this last night. And of course, you and I really believe that too. We want the younger generation to be followers of the Lord. We want them to be bold and courageous and doing great things and teaching them. But there is also just a moment that it hit me and I thought, age is nothing but a change of season for us. Because there's so many women that you and I get to encounter that, you know, this year for me it's been Carly Connor, 15 years old, all the way up to, I mean, we have women who are, you know, in their 60s. And I think that's such a beautiful reminder that God uses his women, he uses each and every one of us according to his time, according to his the season of our lives. And so I'm just so thankful that we are in a place now where I know that there's even a deeper, deeper well. And I guess that one of the last things I would, as we're kind of wrapping up, is thinking about what do you feel as though God might be saying to you through this theme and what he will also be saying to those women who will encounter the stories that we're telling, some of them with widows.

SPEAKER_01 54:17

I think God is, and my this is my hope, that we would tell stories that give women hope, that they would know that they are loved, that they are cherished, that they are resilient and strong and courageous, that they can do the things that God has called them to do. That He has given them gifts to continue to keep going. That even you might feel like you are done, like there's a time period where you feel like, oh, I'm gonna ride off now into the sunset. But no, that's not what God wants. He wants us to keep going and he keeps a lot of times it's a pivot, but yeah, it's some kind of pivot. But God, God has called his women to do big and great things. Doesn't matter if you're 15 and it doesn't matter if you're 65. God still can use you. He wants to do something great with your life. We just have to step up, get it, get on his plan, right? Like, and and say yes.

unknown 55:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:17

And I hope that the stories that we tell will encourage women that are watching, whether it be the story that we're telling in a film or a vertical or a podcast series or a book, whatever it is, whatever format that is, I would hope that they were inspired by that, but that they would also be inspired by what happens behind the camera as well. That behind the camera are women of different ages, women doing things for the first time, women teaching other women, women mentoring other women, men mentoring women, all of that, you know, all the good stuff that comes with creating these projects. And I just I just hope that women will be inspired and that they will grow in their faith because of the things that we're doing and that they will know that they are loved.

SPEAKER_05 56:07

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_03 56:08

Before we wrap this up, there's there's two things that I want to ask you. One, you know, I was talking to Kristen Grace Gonzalez that you and I have had the pleasure of working with multiple times now. And I want to talk a little bit about entertainment and media for a minute with you before we wrap our combo up. How are you feeling today? Because we know we talked about diversity and we talked about just some of the incredible opportunities for women today in front of the camera and behind it. Talk a little bit about that. What are you seeing and you know, the diversity that's happened today in our culture? And what excites you as co-founder of Beautifully Flawed Productions and 12 Gates Media and what we're doing with the women in my world and ministering to women? Like, how how do you take and incorporate that diversity also into all the projects that you and I are working on?

SPEAKER_01 56:59

Well, I feel like we are in a different time period. I feel like we have come far, even though some people might say we have not come as far as we need to go. I think I look back at the beginning of my career, like in the early 2000s, when I made a project, an Asian American project, and we just couldn't get it to go. It we just weren't cool enough, I guess, at the time, or we weren't popular enough, people weren't watching, or people didn't want to think that people were watching. Right. So the doors weren't open. But I look at today, now there's so many series that feature Asian Americans, or there's, you know, crazy rich Asians, or there's all these pieces that have so we have come a long way. And I even look at something that made me really happy, and I was thinking about this, Sherry, is now a woman has won an Academy Award in every in every position. Now that we have a female cinematographer who has won. I mean, how exciting and a woman of color, how exciting is that? I mean, amazing. That's amazing. So we have come a long way, and we have more, we have so much more to go. And to be able to hire these women, to be able to put diverse women into leads in our films is so exciting to be able to tell Defiant Ones, the story that's next, that's coming up next, Defiant Ones, to talk about the women of the American Revolution, but have women of color, not just not just, you know, women from, you know, not just white women, but women that are black women and an and a Native American woman and all like be able to tell stories of diverse women is so exciting. Old women, young women. I mean, it's like, yeah, how exciting is this? And this is like back in the 17th. So we're being able to tell these stories that can that that is very they are very diverse. And first of all, they're diverse because they're women, because we don't usually even get to hear the stories of women from the American Revolution. So I think the projects we get to tell are gonna open doors for us to tell many more projects. Even being able to hire Lara Selva to be the lead in Divine Influencer. I mean, what a gift. And then to have Kristen Grace Gonzalez and to be able to utilize her in any role we want to, really. How exciting. Like we we can do that. It's the doors are wide open for that.

SPEAKER_03 59:22

They're wide open. And I and I love that. And I think about Princess Elmore and, you know, I think about Rebecca Kuhn. I think about all of these women who really have been able to come to the table. I think about the, you know, just the incredible cast and crew from A Lady in Defiance. And I love that you mentioned Defiant Ones. It's gonna be brilliant. And I I'm really, really excited about that series that we get to tell these stories about these women, these true heroes that really made a difference in the Revolutionary War and really put their fingerprint on the Declaration of Independence. And I hope that this generation below us and above us that people really dive back in and study about these incredible characters. Okay. Last thing, what would you say to a woman who is ready to give up? And how would you encourage her?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:14

I would say don't give up first. God has so much He wants to do with you. He He has put you in a place for such a time as this to carry forth the things that He's done. He's given you giftings, He's giving you um provision. Sometimes he won't know that it's there. You forget. So you have to be reminded and you have to have your community that lifts you up to be able to do that. That he's not done with you. You just have to say yes.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:43

I love that he's never done with us. That he is never done.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:47

Never.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:48

Thank you for being with me and thank you for sharing your heart and the journey and the depth behind the stories that we're building together. And it's so clear that everything that you walk through has just been preparing you for such a time as this. So, you know, we get to tell stories that reflect faith and resilience and truth, and your life really reflects that. So I'm so grateful to be on the journey with you and to be expectant for what's ahead for Beautifully Flawed Productions and our media company in general and all the things that God is going to do. So thank you for being with the women in my world as called us creatives today.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:24

Oh, thank you for having me, and I hope other women come and be a part of this because we're excited.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:30

We hope today's episode inspired you. If it did, don't forget to like, subscribe, and share with somebody in your world so we can reach more and more amazing women in entertainment and media. We'd love to hear from you. So drop us a comment below. Your support truly means the world to us and it helps us keep doing this important work. Also, don't miss out on signing up for our newsletter and you get our acting prep guide for free. It's packed with tips to help you step into your purpose. If you feel led, also please consider donating to support our ministry. All the links are in the show notes below. We can't wait to hear from you to join us next time.