S1 E12: Leading with Love: Brooke Walker on Authenticity, Confidence, and Staying True in Leadership

In this episode of Born to Lead, Connie Sokol and Madison Lattin sit down with Emmy Award-winning journalist and Studio 5 host Brooke Walker for a powerful conversation on leadership, authenticity, and personal growth. Brooke shares her unexpected journey into broadcasting at just 21, the lessons she learned navigating early responsibility, and how she developed confidence without losing her sense of self.

From overcoming imposter moments to embracing a Christ-centered approach to leadership, Brooke reflects on the importance of love over “tough love,” the power of reading the room, and the value of showing up as a sincere cheerleader for others. She also opens up about comparison, social pressure, and how choosing alignment over competition shaped both her career and personal life.

This conversation offers practical insight for young adults stepping into new opportunities, reminding listeners that leadership often begins in simple, everyday moments—and that authenticity is one of the most powerful tools you can bring to any role.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Brooke Walker is the host and executive producer of Studio 5 with Brooke Walker. She is an Emmy Award-winning journalist and a member of the KSL news team, where she contributes as an anchor and reporter. Brooke is also the host and executive producer of Family Rules on BYU TV and BYU Radio. Brooke attended Brigham Young University where she studied broadcast communications. Prior to her time at KSL, Brooke worked for the Public Affairs Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her family fills her schedule and fills her. Brooke's most important and cherished titles are wife and mother. She and her husband, Mark, are the proud parents of Emmy, Boston, Lucy, Penny, and their newest one, Sydney.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Welcome back to Born to Lead. We're your hosts, Connie Sokel and Madison Latin. And we are so delighted, personally, especially, for our beautiful guest today, Brooke Walker. Brooke, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_02 1:09

Thank you, ladies. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

Oh, we are so thrilled and we are so honored. If you do not know Brooke, where have you been? You are going to be so delighted today because we're going to go back to the very beginning. A very good place to start. Thank you, Julie Andrews. But we're going to talk about how do you become a leader at this young stage and the opportunities that come at you that are going to feel impossible or beyond you, beyond your capacity. What do you do in those moments? We're going to find out because Brooke is going to tell us. So we're going to jump right in to the first question. Let's go back to the beginning. You are a youngin'. You are, I believe it was 21 when you started to do in Studio Five. Tell us how that came about and what were your thoughts?

SPEAKER_02 1:50

Yes, I it was a long time ago. Decades, in fact. Decades, Connie. Um, I was actually 20 when I started working at KSL. And I began as an intern and um they couldn't get rid of me. So then I then I moved on to a field producer, was the title, meaning I would go out in the field, I would uh do the interviews, I would write the stories for everyone else who would then step in front of the camera, read my words, present my work. So it was great training ground. And one thing led to the next, and I started to do some fill-in reporting. So um it literally literally was when someone was sick and the backup was sick and the backups backup was sick, they were like, Brooke, do you want to go try it? So at 20, I'm out, you know, various cities, towns around Utah delivering breaking news reports and delivering news headlines. Um, and I I heard I got word that I heard that KSL was thinking of starting a lifestyle show, um, which KSL, the NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City, Utah, they are a legacy news station. They are known around the country uh for the quality of their news product. So a lifestyle show was really new and foreign uh for an institution like KSL. And I was just so young and naive, which proved to be a blessing in many ways. But they they were in the process of developing this show, I'd heard, and I knew things were going. I actually had some colleagues and friends who had much more experience than I did that were talking to me about their auditions and their screening processes. And I was just, you know, the cute little 20-year-old at lunch listening. And I got a call one day by a woman named Michelle Torsack, and she asked me to fill in. Again, I was always the backups, backup, backup, at uh a telethon that KSL was doing for primary children's hospital. And I said, Okay, do you have a tape? And she said, A tape. And I said, I've never seen the telethon, but I'd love to study up and I want to do my best for you. And so I remember that night, I mean, the telethon was like two days away. And I remember going home and watching last year's 24-hour telethon. I swear I watched the whole thing, just trying to study on what I was supposed to do and how I was supposed to present and show up. And I did the telethon, and uh, little to my knowledge, Michelle was also the one producing and creating Studio Five, this lifestyle show that KSL was seeking to start and launch. And apparently the weekend went well, and apparently Michelle is a bit delusional, but gratefully she had trust and confidence in this little 20-year-old. And I was invited to screen test for Studio Five. And for me, it was sort of a why not situation. I didn't have, you know, huge aspirations. For me at the time, uh, my greatest goals were more personal. I would like to get married, I'd like to have a family, I'd like to be a mom. And that was kind of driving my, you know, daily decisions and opportunities. And so while this sounded like a great professional strike, it wasn't anything I was seeking out necessarily. And so I screen tested for the show and we'll just cut to the chase and saying they offered me the co-host position. And by then I was 21, so still a youngin', definitely still very green, still no experience. And while I questioned that decision to give that naive, young, inexperienced 21-year-old such an opportunity, I'm so deeply grateful because that opportunity went on to shape both my professional and personal life in such beautiful ways. Uh, the show wrapped a couple months ago after 19 years. And I grew up on that show and I was able to, you know, get married and start a family while presenting a show that focused on the themes that were important and that I valued, like motherhood and sisterhood and parenting and relationships. And yeah, we do the fun fashion cooking um beauty too. But the meat of Studio Five was so aligned with my personal values that I just feel so deeply grateful that I feel like I got a PhD in life as I sat in front of these amazing experts and learned about topics that are so influential and important. So it definitely was a great blessing. It definitely came early and young and in an unexpected way. But gosh, I'm so grateful that uh Heavenly Father, among others, was able to, or was willing, I should say, to take a little chance on me.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

Wow. That is incredible. And I just want to follow up with another question. You are so capable. And I know that you were 21, but you really, even when I first met you, and I came onto the show just a few months after you all started. So I was there for I think eight years ago.

SPEAKER_02 6:06

You were one of the first, Connie. We were so lucky to cross paths with you so early.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

You're so darling. I actually told her I went back and I found some of the DVDs because I would ask them to do the, you know, send me the segments. And I see you were so, so young. And I was pathetic. It was so bad. But the beautiful thing about you and this team is that they pulled the best out of people and they gave people chances and they gave them opportunities to grow and become. We all grew up on that show. And I was just telling her I brought my kids sometimes to the set because I needed, and you had your kids sometimes there. And it was this family. It was a space that that gave that opportunity and that space for us to all grow and live our values and and connect with each other in the community. It really was and and still remains to be a community gem. So amazing. Now, saying that, you jumped into this and you are 21 going on 40, you know, savvy-wise, right? Like at this point, there had to be a moment that you were like, I'm out of my depth. And we've all been there where we're like, I said yes, but I didn't know what I really said yes to. And I am crossing the Indiana Jones chasm. And I am gonna, I'm gonna fail. Did you have a moment? Is there an experience that comes to mind where you felt that? And what did you do?

SPEAKER_02 7:21

Yeah, I felt it often. I will say the the naivete of a 21-year-old mind and heart was a gift and a blessing. I think there was a lot that I floated above just because I was so ignorantly unaware. Uh, but one particular moment comes to mind, and it it was a it was a tender one. You know, they I think they quickly realized what what level of newbie they had on their hands. And in TV, it is common to be assigned a consultant. They were throwing all sorts of consultants at me, hair consultants, wardrobe consultants, um, performance consultants, and coaches. And I was grateful and eager for that, you know, immersive help because I needed it. Um, but I do remember after one particular consultant meeting or coaching session, um leaving feeling, you know, I don't, I don't buy into imposter syndrome syndrome in quite the way it's been defined and embraced by our society now, but I remember feeling like, oh, this isn't for me. This is not, this is not for me. And and I'm not for it. And it was kind of this mutual, I didn't feel like down and discouraged per se. It just became this reality of like, oh, I'm not the girl for this right now. And I took those concerns to the executive producer at the time, Michelle Torsack. And I, it was tender and tearful, but I just very clearly outlined if this is what you want, you know, pulling from these consultant notes. And this consultant was kind of hoity-toity, New York's finest, you know. And here we are in Utah, where, you know, I can now say the female dynamic in Utah is different than the female dynamic in New York. And so the advice, the well-intended advice this professional and talented consultant was giving me ultimately didn't translate to the women and the value set in Utah. But anyway, I take this one sheet of notes and feedback to Michelle. And I was trying to be so brave. I remember thinking, don't cry. Don't we have those moments? Like, don't cry, don't cry. And we went through the feedback, you know, line by line. And I said, here's what I'm hearing that you need. And we went through kind of a level of, you know, maturity and sophistication. Someone who had an eye on really trendy, I would say, salacious Hollywood headlines and um, you know, styles and trends that were edgy and forward and, you know, a family dynamic that is evolving and women that want to be empowered in really, you know, pronounced professional ways. And so I'm going down this list and I looked at her and I remember this is where the brave part came where I thought, don't cry. And I said, I'm not the right person for you. I'm not the right person for this. And again, to Michelle's credit, I remember she listened. She didn't dismiss it because, you know, one plus one did not equal two in that moment. You know, there were gap points that certainly I wasn't able to deliver on, and we both knew that. But um, she took my, she said, Let me think about it, which I appreciated. It wasn't like an automatic dismissal or an empty, let's fluff her up buttercup. Um, but she came back to me the following week and said, you know, with respect to this consultant, and yes, there are definitely a long list of things that we can, you can, need to work on. Um, I think what you're what you are expressing in the person that you are does accurately reflect the women who we want to watch this show. And this is, it's funny talking to young people, Maddie, Maddie girl, um, because it's hard to, it's hard to explain that this was before social, this was before social media. This is before influencing was a thing. This is before authenticity was a thing. You know, content was very contrived and polished and shiny. Content wasn't, you know, real women sitting on the couch. I mean, Oprah did some, you know, made some strides in the early 2000s toward that direction. But this idea of authentic conversation and real woman connection wasn't what was being produced or reflected in the media landscape. So I appreciate Michelle's trust and belief in me. And I also appreciate Michelle honoring who I was. I think anytime you put yourself out as a leader or as a content creator, you have to choose projects that reflect who you truly are because that's going to attract the audience. I mean, it's all wrapped up into this beautiful bundle of as that we call content, right? But I'm grateful that that KSL saw a little bit into the future in the sense of, you know, influencing and authenticity. Those weren't things back then, but they are, I hope, values that Studio Five became known for and that Studio Five was able to um encapsulate through the work and the messaging and the and the conversations that we put out.

SPEAKER_01 11:47

Oh, they absolutely did. And you will never say this, but you just embodied all of that and gave us permission to do that too. In fact, we were like, keep the background, keep the background, because that's the green room, right? That's where she gets ready for doing the Studio Five and all the things she does. And I've been back there many a time. It's been so great and borrowing her hairspray before we go on. Oh, I remember the authenticity piece. You with Studio Five, you nailed that. And I think those listening, these young adults, need to hear that. That using your voice matters. Those things that will keep you in alignment with those values, you need to say, you need to speak up and ask. When I was asked to do a radio show for KSL, they asked me to do it every day from I think it was nine to no three to six. And I it was an amazing opportunity. And I said, I can't. I have kids. I am on three to six, absolutely. And I can't do it every day. And they were so gracious. They ended up making it for three moms, and we all took two days, and then the last one took one day. But it wouldn't have happened had we not used our voice and said, I can't do that. Is there another way we can work it? And then KSL being so gracious to say, yes, yes, we can. And I love too when you talk about this authenticity piece and this realness, because that is what drew the hosts and the contributors that you brought on because we felt comfortable. I remember at the beginning, I would end up tearing up on the show. It's so unprofessional back in the day. You did not do that. And I would tear up and be like, I'm so sorry. And I remember them being so patient. And then at one point, we were talking about that years later, and Brooks, like, well, I think that was kind of that started that whole phase of, yeah, I think we want to be able to be more like that. And not like you're wearing your heart in your sleeve when you go on.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

But no, there's a way to be authentic and professional at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

Exactly. And that that was part of being professional. I remember when I asked you, hey, I'm coming up back for this next season. Is it okay if we don't wear suits? We were wearing suits, and you were like, We ditched the suits, couldn't be happier. I've gotten rid of them in my closet. And I felt that shift coming. And again, you and the team were so pivotal in in sharing that with us and showing in a show, don't tell, you can do that. So sorry to belabor that, but just you really did do this whole shift in not just media, but in us watching that gave ourselves permission to be more authentic as well. That's really kind, Connie. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 14:03

And Brooke, I want to touch on, I mean, you started this when you were 21. I think that is, I mean, I'm 21 right now, and I'm like, oh my goodness, could I do that? And I just think about our listeners who are these young, you know, young men, young women. It's it can be really daunting to get over the barrier of, you know, I am young, I'm a young adult, and there are adults in this new environment that I'm in. And I think that can be really hard to have the confidence to do that. So, how did you go get over that barrier and have the confidence and know I can do this? They accepted me, I can do this.

SPEAKER_02 14:40

Yeah, that is such a smart question. And I I I've I've been at this long enough to see um a lot of pendulum shifts, which is what we see in our society, right? We'll go really hard one way and then we'll go really hard the other, and then hopefully ultimately we land in the middle. And I referenced the pendulum shift, Maddie, because I think when I was doing it, you know, 20 years ago, the strong shift was fake it till you make it, right? Put on a face, don't let down, pretend you know, you know, pretend as you do. And and now I have seen, and this is maybe in my maybe this is showing my age, but I have seen a pendulum shift the other way, where it's like all cards on the table, I don't know what I'm doing. And I really would love to see young people embrace kind of a balanced middle. I remember my first job actually was working for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in their communications and media relations department as an intern. And then I went on to be a producer for them for about a year. But I remember this is laughable. I remember the first time my manager said to me, Will you log this tape? Now, logging a tape is the most menial, basic thing that you could do in broadcasting, right? It's what they have the interns do, which is why as an intern, I was being asked to log the tape. It's when you transcribe an interview, you write out verbatim with time codes and timestamps what someone said during an interview. I had no idea what log the tape meant. And this is like, this is like going to uh someone with a PhD and saying, Can you say your ABC? I mean, I should have known at least what it meant to log a tape. I kept my game face on and I said, yes, I would love to log that tape. So there's that fake it till it make till you make it, right? But then what I did is I ran back to my desk and I called my sister and I said, Under my bed is a broadcast 101 book. There's a glossary in the back. I want you to go to the end and look up logging, L-O-G-G-I-N-G, and tell me what it says. And my cute sister, who was in high school, was like, okay, okay, logging to transcribe words being, you know. And so I guess I reference that silly, embarrassing, stupid example. Sorry, I said stupid, but um, I can't let my kids say it. I shouldn't say it. But anyway, because I think I think that represents kind of the meat in the middle. It's okay to have moments where you do put your game face on and you try to own it. You try to aspire to the role or the task or the opportunity that's in front of you. Yes. But then do the work. Then in the background, you know, go figure out how to log the tape or go figure out uh how to put together a speech or go figure out whatever you're being asked to do, go put in the work so that when the time really does come for you to shine and step in, you're you are prepared. You are an imposter. You don't have to throw all of your insecurity cards on the table and and and bear it all in front of people. I think there's a happy medium between, you know, uh faking it a little bit. We all do that, I think, in every job and situation, but don't fake it for too long. Roll up your sleeves, put in the effort, you know, be the person, be the thing, be the job, be the task that you're being asked to be with full authority and authenticity. And you can do that by putting in the work.

SPEAKER_00 17:48

So I love that so much. Brooke, do you think it would have been appropriate if you were to ask her, that lady, I don't quite know how to log a take tape. Can you help me? I'm so willing to do that. Do you think that's appropriate at that time, or should you still just go do the work by yourself? Trying to figure out that pendulum. Yeah, is it appropriate?

SPEAKER_02 18:08

Sure. Uh I was reading the room. This person was really busy. This person had much bigger things to worry about. And I didn't want her to lose confidence that I had, because I was able, I had the ability to log a tape. I just didn't know, you know, how to execute that ability. So I think, yeah, I totally could have. And it would have been fine. But I think in hindsight, there's stuff you can do on your own. There's work you can put in on your own without having to belabor or drag down someone's confidence or perception of you because we do make those snap judgments, right? Um, now that said, I don't want to counteract what I just said. I am so grateful now for the intern who tells me, I don't know, I messed up. Like there is time and place for that. But I do think it takes kind of some social EQ to read the room and decide if this is something that I really need help on, or is this something that I can dig in on the back end and figure out by myself?

SPEAKER_01 19:03

So so genius because you're spot on. And I love how you said read the room because you're right. That was your job. That's why you were there. So if you didn't know that piece, there's somebody else that you could go ask. And that you're just right. That person, the reason why you're there to help them ease their burden, right? So I love that read the room. And I think that's a skill for young adults, that discernment, that read the room, those nuances, that's vital. And that kind of leads us to the next question, which is we talk a lot about Christ-centered leadership principles. And I know you have had a lot, wore a lot of hats. You produce a segment, you're hosting the segment, you are welcoming people, you are connecting with people, you're corresponding with people, you're doing all of these pieces. Is there a Christ-centered leadership principle that helped you be able to successfully do what you were doing? Is there something that stands out to you that was like, you know, this leadership principle, I kind of kept coming back to again and again, maybe seeing the one or being able to be present where you are, whatever it might be. But is there a leadership principle that comes to mind? I'm sure there were many, but just one that kind of stands out.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

That is such a good question. A Christ-centered leadership principle. I guess two things come to mind, and I'll try to be brief. Um, early on, you know, when I was a a young, a young leader, a young manager, I assumed the creative team, the roles as executive producer of the creative team for Studio Five when I was about 30 years old. So I felt young. And I remember looking left and right at leaders I admire and kind of taking and picking and choosing different um mannerisms, characteristics, or practices that they would demonstrate in their leadership roles. And I remember one time a woman I really deeply did and still do admire um gave me a lecture on tough love. That sometimes these young people, they just need tough love. Make them fix their mistake, make them go back. And I remember listening to her and thinking, this just doesn't land right. And I understand what's behind it, and I think every parent does too. Like there's a time where accountability is necessary. But I remember in that moment, a thought came to me so strongly that I've embraced and held on to to this day, and that was there is no such thing as tough love. Um, there's just love. And I actually think in moments where, you know, you might feel inclined as a leader to demonstrate or execute tough love, I think what that really means is that someone is having a tough time loving. Either you're having a tough time as a manager loving this person who's struggling, or maybe they're having a tough time loving. It can be tough to love, but I don't believe in tough love. As I, as I, you know, ponder the scriptures and as we look to our brother and savior Jesus Christ as an example, as the ultimate example of love, I don't see a lot of tough love moments out of Jesus. And I I think I think love is just love. And ultimately, leadership is love because leadership is service. Like your role as a leader is simply to serve, and true service and meaningful service come. From a place of love. I think the other principle that came to mind as you were articulating that really good question that now I'm going to think on even a little bit more after this conversation, I'll probably have 10 things that I wish that I would have said, but um I feel so grateful that Studio Five specifically put me in a leadership chair and a and a role that simply required me to do two things, to ask smart questions and to be a sincere cheerleader of strength. My job, don't tell my boss, but my job was actually really easy to sit there and admire women and support women and cheer and hoop and holler and celebrate and make noise around women's strengths. What a job. Like what a role. That's all I really had to do to be successful. And it wasn't a hard job. And so I realize not everyone is going to have the literal assignment of, you know, asking smart questions and celebrating people's success. But we, you know, metaphorically, we can all put ourselves in that chair. And no matter what your job or your role, no matter what your leadership opportunity or position, I think if you look at a situation and say, how might I be this person's best cheerleader? Um is really a gift. And you see Christ do that again and again in the scriptures to champion people, to celebrate people. Um, you know, the woman at the well who, you know, he called out many sins, but yet was able to esteem her to be someone who carried forth the message of his good gospel. Or I mean, you could go on and on with all of these ways that that Christ was able to champion and celebrate people. And I think good leaders do that. And even if you aren't given an obvious opportunity like I was to do that um outright, I think we can look for those chances to slide into the chair of cheerleader and just to esteem and champion people for the for the best that that they have and that they are.

SPEAKER_00 23:50

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 23:50

That's and that's so you. That that is the embodiment of you, and all of us felt it. And I don't want to embarrass you, but I just I think this is so good for young adults to see that at 21 that you chose that path. You said, this is the kind of person I want to be, this is the kind of host I want to be, and this is the way I want to show up and not just cater to an opportunity. And because of that moral integrity and that clarity, you have spent 20 years doing this and becoming this host and who you are, even more than you started out. And it's just radiates from you. It's and now because of that, you've impacted hundreds and hundreds of people over all these years with feeling celebrated and cheered on. And then the dominoes just keep falling of the good that we were able to go out and do. So it really does matter. I think this is a beautiful show, don't tell, for young adults to be able to go, oh, end result. I can see the connection.

SPEAKER_00 24:43

But I want to touch on what you said about love yourself. I think a problem we can see today is social media can be really difficult for especially young men and young women. And we can get in this mindset of comparing ourselves to others and you know, losing the confidence in ourselves. So, have you how have you been able to get over that comparison, move forward without comparing yourself, and also finding that covenant confidence from knowing your worth and loving yourself?

SPEAKER_02 25:17

I love that question. You ladies are good at this. I'm really struck with what Connie just said about making the choice. I think all goodness and all good works start in the mind, right? We have to think it before we can do it, and we have to do it before we can be it. Um, and what I mean by that is I'm actually taken way back to an example of when I was really young. I had a mom who was so wonderful at, you know, prepare role-playing, preparing us for these situations. And um, not to go too far in my childhood weeds, but my best friend in the Hawaii world, Tara, was the most talented and gifted musician, singer, actress, everything performing arts was Tara. And her mom, who became like my second mom as it goes, right, with your best friends, parents, um, um, was so good to nurture and engage her. She also was very musical. And I remember my mom early on, like we would try out for these little school plays, uh, me and Tara. And my mom early on saying, Okay, now what are you gonna do when Tara gets the lead? Like you look at that sheet and it says, you know, lead role, Tara. What are you gonna say? What are you gonna do? How are you gonna react? Anyway, I just remember so many thoughtful preparatory conversations with my mom about how I would show up and celebrate my best friend when we were going head to head. And I remember a particular time, it's all I it's all I knew. My mom was so good at that, and she raised all daughters, and I'm grateful for that lens and that thoughtfulness on her part. But I remember a particular time when Tara, she got a part for the high school. We were in, we were in elementary school, but she got the part of I think Amaryllis and the music man for the high school. So it was this big deal, and she was on the stage. And and I remember her mom, Tammy, calling my mom and saying, She'd like Brooke to come. Is that okay? And being very sensitive. And to and my mom's like, Yes, Brooke would love to be there. And I remember watching my friend on this huge stage. It felt huge, it was high school, right? And we were just mere fifth graders, and feeling such overwhelming pride. And I remember Tammy, who again is a dear mother and mentor figure to me, looking at me and saying, Brooke, this is this is cool that you can. I I think she just sensed genuinely that I was thrilled for for my friend upon that stage. And she had been so worried about the sensitivities of competition. Um, but that preparation, it starts in your mind. It's who I want to be and who I want to show up as. You know, there was a situation in my 20s professionally where I found myself um often put side by side with another female. Um, and we were up for the same jobs, the same opportunities, the same roles constantly over and over. And I look back, and the managers, bless them, who were kind of constructing this competitive relationship, they didn't handle it great. Like I think of what they would tell me about her and what I'm sure they would tell her about me. I look back and see some fueling that was probably unintentionally going on. And I didn't handle ladies, every situation in a way that I was proud of. In fact, I can look back and think of two particular conversations that, you know, I had with this colleague, this woman, this friend. And I didn't show up how I wish I would have for her. And I think I reflected some of that, you know, competitive energy and ultimately mean girl behavior. And I'm not proud of that. But I do look back at my 20s and think, but I wanted to be different. I wanted to do it differently. I had this internal, you know, mental goal to be the woman that throws confetti at everyone else's feet. And and I think you just have to remember that in those times of competition and comparison, when you're tempted and pulled to look left and right and say, well, she has, but I am. And, you know, why, why him? And I'm working stuff. When you're tempted to do that, I mean, just go to the brain work and say, here's who I want to be. I wanted to be someone who celebrated Tara on the stage and who threw confetti at the feet of people who are succeeding around me. I wanted to be the woman that didn't feel jealous but felt thrilled by other people's success. And so it does the good works start in our mind. And then all you can do is try to practice. Practice those good works and practice that good energy, and which is what I did, I think, for the first stretch of my 20s, is just tried to practice and I didn't get it right all the time. Um, but practice is never perfect. And then I think what you hope ultimately, and and still obviously a work in progress in many ways myself, but you hope ultimately that it goes from kind of mind to action to heart. And then ultimately who you wanted to be becomes who you are. And yeah, I know that work is ongoing, and I hope that that evolution is happening, but it wasn't perfect. And I think just keeping your eye on the prize, so to speak, or keeping your your intention and your energy focused on who you want to be and practicing that that goodwill and that support, you hope that eventually it just takes over and becomes part of your um spiritual and emotional DNA.

SPEAKER_01 29:53

That's beautiful. Perfectly said, and that's what's happened. And again, I'm not trying to be annoying, but like we see it. We can see it. I mean, you have been able to go back to the Today show. You've done Kelly Clarkson and Rachel Ray and Hoda. You've sat down and interviewed all the greats and you have stayed authentic. You have stayed you, happy mom with the kids. It doesn't matter who you're interviewing, it could be someone who's doing insurance, and they come and sit in that chair. And I've watched, and you love them, you see them, you value them, and you're the same Brooke. Whenever I'd see people and they say, Oh, Studio Five, I love Brooke, and I would always say, She's as good as you can imagine, she seems on screen. She is just as great as and good in person because it's true. And I think this all the thread that's kind of been weaving through this conversation, which is so vital, and especially in media, is this genuine moral integrity, this alignment, this authenticity that is not trying to influence in that way, but you're influencing because of how you genuinely, truly morally show up. Interesting. Such a gift.

SPEAKER_02 31:02

I'll add to trust the timing. Like I, and this is probably comes with age and wisdom, but I find myself thinking sometimes that things will work out how they're supposed to, no matter what. Meaning, I could take, I could turn right and it might end up here, or I could turn left. And if I'm aligned and listening to the spirit, it might end up at the same place. So I've come to trust the timing. So in terms of competition and comparison and opportunity, like if you see someone else really succeeding and killing it, I think sometimes it's just a matter of timing, like the right opportunity for you at the right time. And I've come to trust that timing more and more, um, I guess as I age, as I become aged.

SPEAKER_00 31:37

Spot on. Thank you so much for sharing, Brooke. We want to wrap this up with one final question. And we're asking our guests what it means for them to be born to lead, because we we recognize that everyone has their own understandings and definitions. So could you share that with us today?

SPEAKER_02 31:55

Yeah, what it means to be born to lead. I think what I like about this particular question, I know it's the name of your podcast for good reason, is it applies to every single person. Like my definition of leadership is so broad. My definition of leadership, actually, the most pronounced leadership that I do doesn't happen in a professional setting. It happens in a personal one. Um, and so I think the idea of being born to lead is a beautiful notion in that we all are born to lead. Whether you're leading, you know, a team of television producers or whether you're leading a household, I think uh I think God expects us all to be good leaders. I do think as women we have to be a little bit careful. You know, it's easy to throw around, I was called to do this, I was called to do that. Actually, we're called to do very little. What we're called to do is quite simple, right? We're called to love God, we're called to love our neighbor. It kind of stops there. Um, certainly as you, you know, make other covenants, there's obligations and responsibilities and callings that come with those promises that that you share with God. There are things God wants us to do because it will make us happy. There are things God wants us to do because it will utilize our talents to, you know, further the gospel and help him build his kingdom. And I'm not diminishing those, but I think, especially professionally speaking, we have to be very careful with the idea of how the spirit's going to lead us, because the spirit, I mean, really, if we're focused and centered on that core spiritual request, it's to love God and to love our neighbors. And I think through those simple tasks are actually where the greatest leadership opportunities arise. I'm so grateful for the chance to be a leader in my home. I'm grateful for the chance to be a leader in my primary room every Sunday as I as I help kids sing irreverent songs and hopefully feel God's love through those simple melodies. I just think looking for leadership in the simple tasks and even meaningal tasks of life is where we ultimately will thrive in that idea of I was born to lead. Um, we can lead in very simple ways, but I think those simple opportunities and and um chances we have to lead will ultimately be the most significant in the end. So don't undercut or undersell um the simple leadership opportunities because I think that's where God actually needs us the very most.

SPEAKER_01 34:08

I love that. And to me, that kind of harkens back to that telethon, that yucky opportunity, like and if we would have been, you know, bougie, it would have been like, I don't want to do that. Yeah. But there's honor and there's value and meaning in every good endeavor that we pursue or that we take on. I love that. Being able to enjoy and and feel the fulfillment of that and not needing to have confetti necessarily, but to feel the confetti inside. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

Thank you, Brooke, for being part of this. We have learned so much. I personally have, and I feel just a greater motivation to go over those barriers that I feel like might be trapping me down and have the confidence to go forward. Until next time, knowing that you are born to lead, how will you live as leaders for him?