Welcome to Good Company – #242

Sherri Crandall sits down with MomCo President and CEO Mandy Arioto to talk all about our new theme.

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You can connect with Mandy at mandyarioto.co and on Instagram @mandyarioto.

You can also find our cohosts on Instagram: @andreafortenberry, @ivymamma and @sherri_crandall.

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Transcript

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Welcome to the Mom Co Leadership Podcast. We believe that life and leadership are better in community. We're here to equip and encourage you as a leader and mom. We'll talk about real issues and practical tools to help you grow in your leadership, motherhood, and faith. Welcome to the Mom Co Leadership Podcast. My name is Jerry Crandall, and it is my honor to be your host today. And I'm super, super excited because this is one of my favorite episodes of the year. It's where I get to interview our CEO, Mandy Ariotto, about the new theme. So, hey, friend, welcome. Hello, I'm so excited to be here with you. Me too. I was thinking about it this week and I'm like, we have been doing this now for a while. Um, and how fun if I think back like the past almost 10 years that I've been here, and we think of the themes and all of the different um themes and tenants and stuff that is like rallied, like this rally cry around the world. And it's really fun and really exciting to think about. And this year is no exception. I'm super excited. I think the interesting thing about the theme is God shows up and like goes before us every year. And like we start working on it, and sometimes it changes a little bit. Um, but it always ends up in a point where I'm I look back at the end of the year and think, wow, God was way ahead of us. We didn't even know what we were gonna need that year. But yeah, it's pretty cool to see. It's very cool. And I wanted to say to you before we get started is I think the theme brings out the best of you of who you are. Um, and I wrote down these words because I think um what is the best of you is creative, thoughtful, insightful, and in tune to what God is telling you. And I do agree that he goes ahead and he kind of puts this little idea in your mind. And then you start, you hold it pretty tight, and then all of a sudden you start to go, I'm thinking this. And I know when you start to say, I'm thinking about this, that that's kind of where you're being led. And it usually ends up going pretty much along that line. Like you said, maybe some tweaks here and there, but it starts with this little like I think whisper. And so I'm really grateful that you listen to God's whisper because it leads our entire organization, not just our staff team, but everyone, from the leaders to our volunteers to the moms sitting at the table or around a tree or wherever they find themselves. And so um, I just wanted to thank you for listening to the nudging of God. Okay, my first question to you, friend. What inspired this year's thing? And I want you to walk us through how it got from this little whisper, this concept, to um full-blown out our theme this year. Yeah. So as you know, it's a whole year process. I actually I was looking ahead at my calendar and I have uh two hours blocked on my calendar next month to think about the theme for next year. So we're already, you know, getting out ahead of it. Um, but you were you really nailed it when you were talking about listening. And um, I really try to listen to a few different things. One, as we're traveling around the world, I try to really listen to what women are telling us and what they're experiencing and what they need. Um, but mostly the biggest thing is I really try to listen to the voice of God and where he wants to lead us and um what are the things that he wants to teach us over the course of a year? And so um my process starts, like you said, with prayer and fasting and really asking God. And the thing that I ask God for is do not send me out to your people without a word for them. And so that's why it's really important to me to not say what I'm thinking or where I think we're going until I have a pretty clear direction from God. And so I hold that close, and God and I have a lot of conversations around it. Um, and it usually honestly stems from I read, I try to read through the Bible, the whole Bible in a year. I go through a chronological reading plan. And without fail, there's always something that kind of jumps out at me as I'm reading. And that's the thing usually where I kind of keep circling around and then coming back to. And so I'll get an idea and then work on it, kind of sense where God is taking us, and then reveal it to the team. And also it's a process of asking the team, like, Cher, what are you hearing? What are you seeing? Where do you think we need to go? Uh, so it really is this huge collaborative effort where we bring our best ideas together. And then once we have the write-up pretty much done, it goes to the leadership team, it goes to our design team, and everybody starts adding their ideas and thoughts and um gifts to it. And it just gets so much better from there. I always feel like I hand it over and then it levels up like 10 times once everybody gets their hands on it. And so um, I'm so, so excited about where this year has landed. I think the graphics are so fun. And really excited about where our curriculum is. And so I just think it's gonna be a good year. And for me, what it does is it takes us back to the start of Mom Co. It's like the foundation of who we are: friendship, Jesus, belonging, community. And so it's really in many ways a true throwback to the basics. I think so too. I love, and I don't know how this happens, other than I I'm gonna just give God the big credit. Um I guess some people would argue like, does he really care about our graphics? Like, is that a big deal? I personally think he does. Because every year, no matter what, and we've kind of joked, like, I think these stores are watching, like, what is Mom Co. gonna do, and then we'll provide those things because every year, all of a sudden, that becomes like the thing, or maybe you're just in tune to it and you're seeing all the different things. But this whole idea of the throwback, the analog moments, and I'm gonna talk to you that about that in just a little bit, um, about your ideas about even the word analog. But in the theme write-up, because I think this is super important, you talk about how we've learned to optimize everything in our lives. And this theme seems a little more simple. Like we can use Chat GPT to tell us, like, okay, what is the best rhythm for me? What is my schedule to look like? What should I say? How should I reinvent this? You know, there's so many things to optimize our health, our well-being, our just who we are. And yet, as we travel the globe, which you and I have fun getting to do together, um, we start to hear people say, I feel lonely, I feel out of control, I feel anxious. Instead of if you think about optimizing, you should be feeling like calm and controlled and together. But instead, it's sort of created this opposite effect. Um and people are saying that they feel burnout and lonely. So, can you expand on that? Like when you chose these words that God was telling you, it's really the antithesis of what people are living out. So that became like a bigger theme, I think, than you actually intended. Tell us a little bit more about that. Yeah. So I think so many of us in the research shows, you know, we tried to optimize our mornings and like do all these things to improve our day. And we tried to, you know, um, create all of these habits and rhythms throughout our lives. And we thought that by doing that and optimizing every minute, we'd have so much more time to enjoy ourselves. And actually, what the data is suggesting is that we feel actually less like we're enjoying ourselves, less optimized, like you said, more lonely. All of the indicators that we thought would improve have actually decreased. And so it just kind of goes to show that we're trying to um improve our lives in areas that actually uh aren't measuring in a way that matters for us. And so it really is, it goes back to relationships, it goes back to being inconvenienced, and it goes back to um recognizing what are the actual things that are gonna make us feel like we're really thriving and flourishing versus um what we've been told are gonna help us thrive and flourish. And it always goes back to in-person relationships, um, neighbors, family who pops by, unexpected, um, just eyeball to eyeball and having community where you feel like you belong and are seen and are known. And the art of this, and the thing I think is really important for us this year, is I think we live in a culture where we have lost the ability to have friendships with people who might think differently than we do, or that make us uncomfortable, or you know, have different political views, or whatever the qualifier is. And so this is really a coming back to we can be friends with people who aren't exactly like us. And actually, that's a really good thing. And so it's a really nuanced theme. It's about friendship and belonging, but it's expanding our vision of what it means to be a person who navigates the world with love and empathy and really follows the way of Jesus and interacting with people. I love that so much because we see that as we have just said, as we travel the globe and meet people who are so different from us, how they were raised, the foods that they eat, um, the way that they interact every day in their life, or even just how hard it is to get to someplace because of the way that they can travel in their country. And yet we can sit down at the end of the day over a cup of tea, which might taste different than what we would have in the States, and have these really in-depth conversations when we say Jesus is at the center and we want to build community that matters. And all of a sudden, the things that we think that matter or that we think we've, you know, streamlined to make us more efficient, they don't matter at all. And I'm just seeing that so much. The more that I have been able to travel, I would say the older my kids are getting. Um, when they were little, I thought, you have to have the tour chart and we have to do this and we have to do that. And what I found is that really they just wanted a snack and a hug. Like it was so simple. Like to be a good mom at the end of the day, if I gave them their favorite snack and a hug and looked them in the eye and was like, hey, I see you, I love you. Everything went so well, versus the streamlining things of what the I put in place that I thought would make our family run, kind of overcomplicated things. And so there was a point when my kids were like in all in elementary school, and I was like, okay, we're down to hugs, look you in the eye, and what do you want to eat? And that seemed to work. And I think for our mom co-groups, we get a little stressed out sometimes on like all the details of what it has to be to be great, and we just need to get back to like let's look each other in the eye. Always a good cup of coffee and food is a good place to start. But seeing people and seeing people to say, you know what, Candy, you're different than I am. And that's a cool thing. Like, what can I learn from you? What can you learn from me? And how can we meld that together to make everybody feel included? Yeah. I just I love that. And I think that's such a good point, too, that you brought up in our motherhood. It's so true. It's like when we try to make it overly complicated, it raises the stress levels in our home and really it just is about a few basic things, and that's where our kids feel so loved and seen and a part of something that they're gonna carry into the future and and into their homes. So yeah, I love that. Yeah, me too. Well, you also challenged us to bring back earnestness, and you say that life isn't a rehearsal. I love this. Um, you said this is the show and we're gonna make it spectacular. So, how can we uh be more mindful to live like that? How can we realize that we're in the show right now? This isn't dress rehearsal. This isn't like we're gonna show up five years from now and the show starts. Like today's the show. So, how how do you do that? Yeah, I have been working on this myself, just this recognition of like, oh, I don't need to, it's not like okay, when I finish this, then I get to enjoy myself, or when this happens, or when our kids are out of diapers, or whatever the qualifier is, then we will this. And what I'm recognizing is, and I I'm guessing that you can speak more eloquently to this because you are navigating something really significant at the moment. Um, but I'm just recognizing like today, right now, is a gift, and I can enjoy this moment and be present and not constantly thinking about the future, worrying about what's next. Um, and and within that, this sense of earnestness. And I love that word because I think sometimes we're afraid of being cringe, we're afraid of making um ourselves look, I don't know, silly, or being the first one to kind of make a move or risk. And what I've found is the people who I love the most, my friends who we became friends the quickest, were the ones who were earnest and forthright and honest, and they're like, hey, let's go like grab coffee, or like they made the first move. And so I just want to lead like that, and I want to be that way in my life where I'm earnest and honest. And if I love you, I'm gonna tell you right away. Um, if I see something in you, I'm gonna say it right away, and not be so afraid of um coming across as looking weird or making things uncomfortable because people love it when we're earnest, they do, and your earnestness might look different than mine based on personality or how we were brought up or things that we bring into our life or our leadership, right? But you do that so well. And for me, probably 15 years ago, I was really being challenged by someone that I was working with, and it was a very difficult relationship, and I just couldn't figure it out. And one day she said to me, You're just too much. I just can't do this. Like she wanted everything to be super serious, and everything was a Bible study, and I love God's word, and you know, but I'm also a little silly and maybe a little goofy, and you know, I don't know, but that's just who I am. And I allowed that to stop me from interacting with people the way that I feel like God designed me to be. I'm a natural encourager, cheerleader that just comes out to me and it is very genuine, but I felt like I was being told it was cringe. And so for a while, I allowed that to just stop me. So before I would do something, I think, oh, I better not do that because I would be like too much. Or I better not like be so enthusiastic about it because it could be like, but I'm pumped when I'm excited about something, like I'll let you know, right? And so finally I had this mentor say to me, Hey, is something going on? Because I've just noticed, like, I don't feel like you're showing up as fun and like, is everything okay? And and I realized that I had allowed criticism or those words to stop who I earnestly am and how God created me to be. So if you're listening today, I would say don't let the critic's voice be so loud. Like you are the way you are, and don't use that as an excuse to for bad behavior. But it's also like that is who you are. And if you show up and and you're fun and enthusiastic, or maybe you're really serious and you analyze things, like bring your best game forward because it's not a rehearsal. And when you're earnest, people get who you are. And um, so that was such a good lesson for me because I allowed criticism to stop me from interacting with people the way that I intended to or that I wanted to because I was afraid of that it was too much. I also another thing I've learned is we have to give people the space to not respond perfectly the first time. Right. So, like we show up earnestly and we do something that's like a little over the top and they don't respond perfectly, and then we're like, oh, I'm never doing that again. I don't respond perfectly the first time all the time. Right? Like there's a lot of times where I'm like, I would have handled that way differently if I did it again, or if that happened to me. Like someone resp does something to me and they're earnest, and I'm like, ooh, and I didn't respond great. And so I just think like just because someone doesn't respond to how you're showing them love or appreciation or admiration, like don't let that slow you down and don't let that keep you from doing it again. Um, because people don't always respond perfectly the first time. And that's so good. That's so good. Well, I love the word earnest, and I hope that our leaders um will take that to heart. So, next I want to talk about these concepts that we're embracing or the challenges, or like the the old-fashioned word tenant of the theme. Um, but they're really like challenges of how we can live out good company this year together. And so you come up with we have what I would say are four of these challenges. And really, I would just encourage you to like not get caught up in it or feel like you have to do everyone and it has to be perfect. But this is a guidepost, like, how can we have good company in our communities? And we're gonna go through there's four of them, and I want you to kind of tell us like where that came from and how you see that like interacting with the theme, but then specifically, I'm gonna ask you the question how are you challenging yourself to live this out in your own life? Yeah, great, and I'll answer two. So we're gonna start with be interruptible. Yeah, this is a big one for me. Um, I was actually at dinner with some friends a couple of weekends ago, and we were having dinner, and one of my friends was telling me how she was so annoyed because her parents had visited and they wanted her to drive them to the airport. And she's like, it's like two and a half hours round trip from where she lives to drive them to the airport. And I got home from dinner that night, and it was bothering me because it was the kind of thing I would say. It was the kind of thing where I was, I would be like, we have friends or family visiting, and I'm like, oh, I have to like take two and a half hours out of my day to drive them to the airport. And I the reason it was bothering me was because I don't want to be that kind of person. I want to be the kind of person who's like, I am so excited that I get to take you to the airport. And I don't get annoyed by minor inconveniences, and I prioritize the people in my life who I love over getting an extra two and a half hours to respond to email that day. And so being interruptible is really recognizing that friendship requires participation. And oftentimes, I was reading this fascinating research article the other day, and it was talking about the three predictors of friendship. And one of the fastest ways to build an immediate friendship with someone is to experience something weird together. So it's like, have you ever had a moment? We have we've had this happen many times where something weird happens and we make eye contact, and then like for the next three days, we're referencing it over and over again. But it like builds this immediate connection, or like you um, I don't know, something happens and it just immediately creates this bond. I had it happen to me over a wedding weekend one time. My dress got like tucked up into my undies, and this other woman who was there was like, hey, uh, and she like fixed it for me. And the whole weekend after that, we were like BFFs because I was like, She's got my back. And there was something that happened in that moment, yeah, that we were like immediate friends. Yeah. And so it was like that interruptible weird moment that happens where you suddenly become closer, or you're vulnerable and you become closer, or you're patient when your kid's friend spells juice on your couch. Like friendship is about that. Like, there's gonna be things that are annoying and happen at inconvenient times, but that's really where the beauty of connection and community is found. So That's how I'm practicing being interruptible is prioritizing the people I love over getting things done. I love that. I am a doer and I am highly motivated to get things done. And I have a couple, I have four kids, and several of them are, I would say, especially when they were little, they would be like, look at me, you know, like they wanted your attention. So when I say look in your eye, that was so incredibly important to them. But it's so much easier to be like, I gotta get this done. I'll be with you in just a few minutes. But really at the end of the day, no one is gonna say, Mandy answered all of her emails on time. She did this so well. She did that, her, you know, spreadsheets were incredible. No one would ever say that about me, but it's it's true. Like some of the things that we prioritize to think we've done a good job or we're being productive, leave out the most important thing, which is the relationships. So I share a story in one of my talks that I do about one of my kiddos asking me to drive their baseball team. And he was afraid to ask me because he knew I was so busy. And he was in tears. And I remember thinking, that's what I'm showing him. That I'm too busy to do that. So I started to change a couple of things. When my kids would get in the car after school, I would make sure I'm done with all my phone calls. I would not pick one up. When someone was walking towards the car, I'd say, Hey, I gotta go. My kids are getting in the car. When my husband would get home, I'd make sure like I was available to, you know, not like June Cleaver with pearls and everything on, but I was like, hey, I'm glad you're home, because that sets the tone of like, I'm not so busy making dinner or so busy doing this or doing that, but I'm not acknowledging who you are. And so um, even now, obviously my kids are grown and out of the house, but when they call, um I always say, Hey, I'm gonna pick this up, especially during the day, because I don't just call if I'm working. And if they do, I know like I need to pick up something's going on. Nothing's more important than making sure they're okay. So whether it's your kids or your spouse or driving your parents or whomever to the airport, I think we should all strive to be the person that says it's okay to interrupt me because you're worth it. Yeah. But it's intentional. It's intentional. And I think if I'm not intentional, I can easily blow past it and do the to-do list. So yeah, I love being um interruptible. Okay, the next word over worry. So this really goes hand in hand with this concept of friendship. And as I was I was thinking about like how do we understand God better? How do we, you know, the concept of becoming friends with God? God is holy and um big and uh is a sacred uh relationship, but there's also a friendship element to our relationship with God. And in thinking about how do we cultivate knowing God as um a friend, one of the ways we do that is getting to know his voice and getting to know about him and his story and all those kinds of things. And one of the most profound things that I have experienced in my walk with God and in my faith is reading scripture because it is alive. And I this is so starts to sound so churchy and cliche, um, but it's true. And every time I read God's word, I hear something different, I see something different. It's like I experience something that I need at that season of my life. And so I'm just excited about this year and this concept because we're gonna read the Bible together and we're gonna read the whole Bible together. And um I just love that we have that goal that we get to accomplish together. And so women from all across the world are gonna be reading scripture. We're gonna go through a chronological reading plan, which is the order of how things happened. It's not the order of how the Bible is put together, right? It's like a timeline of how things actually happen throughout scripture. And so we're gonna be doing that together and we're starting in the Old Testament, ending up with um Revelation and the New Testament. And I'm so excited to see how God breathes life into each of us and into this organization and into this community of women as we get to know his word better, um, because it's been transformational in my own life. And so I'm really excited that we get to do it as a community. I am too. And I think I love the chronological plan because the first time I used to, the first time I read the Bible, um, I was on church stuff, and it was like, you know, through Genesis, through, and I'm not gonna lie, halfway through, I'm like, oh my gosh, I don't know if I can do this. This is like a lot and it's not making sense to me. And it just felt like I was just trying to do it for a check the box kind of a thing. And then a couple years later, someone said, Hey, what if we did it chronologically? And I was like, well, explain that to me. She basically was like, what you just said, like how it happened, the order of events um from creation to the return of Christ. And I was like, Oh, that starts to make more sense. And then you start to see the characters and the people and the time in which things happened, and it makes more sense to you. So I'm super excited about that. And I love that you are saying word over worry because for me personally, I know the more that I'm in God's word, the less I worry because I know that I can trust him because I hear his voice. I'm getting to know him personally. It's like if I never, if I met you and then I never had another conversation with you, how would I know that I could trust you? How would I know that who you are or what you're about if I never tried to learn more about you? And so this is what I love this year that we get to do together is learn more about who God is and um and that we can trust him, and that when you know the character of who he is, it does replace your own. Um, one of my very favorite verses is Proverbs three, five, and six, and starting with lean not on your own understanding, because my own understanding is super flawed most of the time and is more um worrisome than it would be. Um, but then it goes on to say, in all your ways acknowledge him. So that's what we're doing as we're reading. And it says he'll direct your path. And I think he never wants to be on the path of worry and um being so worried that we don't allow his goodness and graciousness to overcome that. So this is a big year for us to do this and to offer it. And we've created this beautiful companion. Um, it's really beautiful, it is a beautiful book um that you can purchase. And um, we would love to have you join us and um be a part of doing that this year around the world. So we're super excited about that. So word over worry is really good. Okay. Make things beautiful. I love this one. And I think so often when the world, when the world feels weird, um we think that we shouldn't enjoy our lives or that it feels um indulgent or uh, you know, it just feels like, oh, there's so many tough things going on. So many people are experiencing horrible things that it almost feels like we shouldn't um add extra beauty or joy into our lives because it's you know extravagant. But I think as God created women, that's actually part of who we innately are. And I love in the theme write-up how it says as women, God uh gave us the natural ability to elevate everything we touch. And I see this so often across the Momco. You know, give us the raw materials for a cake and we make like this beautiful, delicious meal, or a bachelor pad, and we make it into a cozy home. You know, you give us a little bit and we can turn it into something magnificent. And so this is really just about recognizing the innate gifts that God has given us and then using them to bring a little more beauty and joy and hopefulness into the world. And the scripture for this one is a cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. And I have found this to be so true. It's like what I focus on is actually what is cultivating and growing within me. When I focus on the good and the joy and the positive things that are happening, that tends to grow within me in my spirit. But when I think about, you know, all of the bad things, or I feel frustrated, or I'm constantly like in a sense of outrage or negativity, that also will grow. So whatever we cultivate, whatever we water is gonna come to life. And so I just think as the culture setters in our home, whether we want to admit it or not, we have this unique gift to bring beautiful things into the world. And so we want to jump on that and uh make it just an incredible year of bringing beauty wherever we go. I agree. Beauty is our spirit, our the way we interact with people is beautiful, but beauty is also like the little touches that make things special. And um, you had alluded to this earlier, and some people know I'm in the middle of going through cancer treatment right now. So it is easy to focus on I don't feel good, my stomach hurts, this hurts, this, that, all the things I'm losing my hair. Like I could just focus on all the bad things, and so it's intentional. I've decided to really take this theme to heart and make things beautiful. And so, um, two things that have happened in this last week that just have blown me away when you make that choice. So I chose the day that I was going to get my haircut, and the lady who does my hair, she did this incredible little razor cut instead of like a marine haircut. And my son made this video and we put it up on the internet, and it's gone crazy. It has like a million views, and I share that because it was just something I wanted to do to make myself feel okay. But what has happened is that other people are seeing that and saying, I can make a choice to either make this hard or make it beautiful. And so um to me, that was inspiring because that was my hope and my prayer that I could say or do something that wouldn't be have the focus be on all the bad and have it be on something beautiful. And so I'm really thankful for that. And then something super silly. I made an edible birdhouse yesterday, and I wasn't having a great afternoon, but I was like, I want to make something that was just pretty. So I put peanut butter on this birdhouse and seeds and edible flowers and all this stuff, and I was turned out super cute. And so I hung it up and I was like, these birds are just because they're gonna come to the yard, it's gonna be beautiful. And the squirrel is who ate the whole birdhouse, and it's like licked clean today by, and I caught the guy in like kind of midway of like eating all the almonds off of the roof. But here's the deal for like maybe two hours, it looked beautiful, and it brought a smile to my face, and hearing the birds and watching that, it was so simple. It took me literally 20 minutes, but it added beauty to my life and to my surroundings. So it doesn't have to be something profound, it doesn't have to be something super complicated, or when you get good enough at a skill, just do something, create something, include your kids in it. Um and I and I think surrounding yourself with beauty just makes us all feel better because God made beauty, like he is the best creator, right? And so we can do a little bit in following in his footsteps, even if the squirrel decides to destroy it. Okay, our last challenge is stay true. What do you mean by that? Yeah, this is a really important one to me. And um I really learned this concept from my husband, who his life, I think everything his life revolves around is this concept. And when um, you know, Solomon was interacting with God and God said, you know, I will give you whatever you want. What do you like? Ask me for whatever you want. And instead of asking for riches or you know, any tangible thing, Solomon asked for wisdom. And that's been my husband ever since he was a little kid. He was like, God, all I want is wisdom. And it's so profound to me because I have a very lengthy list of things I want from God. A very lengthy list. Um, but I think what we need most of all in our culture nowadays is wisdom. It's discernment, it's dignity, it's recognizing what actually is important and staying true to that, staying true to who God has called us to be, staying true to what is best for our family rather than feeling swayed by the decisions of the people around us. Um and so it really comes back to this verse in 1 Kings where it says, so give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. And it's just this deep knowing, this deep sense of reading God's word, asking God for wisdom, and getting discernment about what's best as we make decisions. And it's really living the the word for me is congruent inside and out, being the same person in whatever setting I happen to show up in. Um is doing what I say I'm gonna do and not, you know, backing out. It's being really consistent and saying the thing that I don't want to say and just dealing with it instead of like rounding off the edges. And I think that's true as leaders, especially. Sometimes it's hard to say what we need to say and have the hard conversation, but actually in the end, it's way better just to hit it head on. So this idea of staying true is really asking for wisdom above everything else and cultivating a sense of discernment in our lives so we know what's right and wrong. That's so good. Yeah, you're I can see that in Joe, uh, but I see that in you as well. And it's super important, I think, um, as we're talking to leaders across the world, those hard conversations aren't always easy. But when we don't stay true to what God's asking us to do or to how the ministry is being run, and we're just so worried to say, oh, we really shouldn't be doing this, or it never goes well. And so when you pray for it though, when you pray for wisdom and discernment, I don't always love the answer I get. Like what you said, the list could be long, and maybe if I'm praying for that and I get this answer, I'm like, huh. That wasn't maybe what I was thinking. But that is the truth. Like the truth is staying true to what God is asking you to do. So I I would say that's how you're running your family, I would say that's how you're leading your mom co-group or anything that you're doing. Um, if you're working outside of your home or inside, like those prayers of discernment are just so important. And then when we get the answer to actually listen and then act upon it, um, requires intentionality. Yeah, and I would say that's one of the biggest lessons I've learned is to respond quickly. To when you know what you're supposed to do, do it. Don't let it sit for a couple of weeks. Like the more, the quicker I respond, the more I have found that God is quick with his answers. Um so I would just say to to move move fast when you know what to do. Oh, that's so good. We don't move fast because why? We're afraid of what somebody else might think, or I think we second guess ourselves. Yeah. Um, a lot of times when I hear from God, it's like, ugh that feels that feels like it's gonna, or people aren't gonna understand, or we're gonna hurt we are afraid we're gonna hurt someone's feelings. Um and the truth is that people aren't always gonna understand. Right. And that's the burden of leadership is you have to do what God asks you to do. And sometimes for your whole life, people aren't gonna know understand or like get to know all the details of of why you made that decision, and that's okay, because you you are the leader. Yes, and sometimes I I would just piggyback on that. Like, not everybody deserves to know all the reasons why, and we tend to over-explain as leaders. And instead, if like, hey, I've been praying about this, this is what I feel God shown me, we acted on it, and then like you don't have to go back and relive and rehash and try and justify like this is the answer that I received, and so I think that's important. It helps us with um the exact statement is to stay true. I love that. Yep. Okay, let's chat about this idea of analog, because when you talked earlier about how um the graphics and everything have come together, and it's got a lot of this theme, and even articles that I'm reading like all over the place. Um, like I said, I think they copy us and are like, yeah, we're gonna all be analog. But is there's this whole resurgence of like, what it was like in the 90s? Like, what were you doing? You know, all these um reels and things that have been very viral. It all goes back to this time of what we would say is analog. So explain to me like how you felt this good company and the idea of analog fit so well together. So as I thought back on like all of my most favorite moments of friendship, every one of them revolved around like something tactile, sitting around a fire pit with people dancing at a wedding, um, clinking glasses, uh, late night sleepovers where something silly happened. It's all very tactile and in person. And it wasn't a lot of technology or other things that made it special. It was being with people, and it usually was very, very simple. Right. And so this idea of analog is just recognizing it doesn't take a ton of extra work or details or crazy, you know, decorations or anything to make friendship meaningful and special. And so um, I just love, I don't know if it's on your social feeds, but this whole trend of the 90s butter mom. Yeah, I'm all about it. Yes, like I'm like, I want to be a butter, I thought I was a buttermom. So that's like my goal for the summer. Insane 90s butter mom. Um, but it's just this idea that my goal for the year under this canopy of good company is that we have people in our backyard um every week. And whether that's like we're out around the bonfire and we don't have a big backyard, we have like a tiny backyard, and it's not fancy, but I just am committed that we are surrounding ourselves with people in real life, whether we have to like order pizza or whatever it takes, and we're gonna be off our phones, we're gonna be um listening to music and just like being in our bodies, and that's what analog really means to me is simple, present, eye to eye, tactile, and just enjoying conversation and good company. I had such a great day yesterday. Um I've had a friend since kindergarten. We met the first day of kindergarten. Her name's Marian, so shout out woo to Marion. And um, she's been coming up to visit with me as I've been recuperating, and she brings a chai tea, which is one of my favorite things. And so when I say first day of kindergarten, like we've been friends for a few years. Let's just say that. And what was so fun yesterday, she brought her daughter with her, brought a chai tea. We put our phones up. We were no phones, we didn't have the TV on, and we sat and we laughed and we told stories not only about the past, but like our Hopes for the future and just like talking about we talked about the 90s buttermom yesterday, which was so funny. And she's like, I need one of those chambray shirts. Like we were figuring out how we could like really pull it off, right? And the recipes, and then I got out my recipe book, and she took a picture of a couple of the recipes she wants to try. But it was so fun because there was nothing complicated at all. It was sitting on my couch, sitting on a chair, and just talking. But I could see her expression. I could, you know, when a text, you're like, were they mad? Was that okay? Was that short? Is she annoyed? Like, you don't second guess that when you're sitting with someone because you can feel it, you can see it. Um, it's this energy that we've had. We had the sleepovers when we were little, our albums. We were looking at um my album collection. We got a new um turntable recently, and like that's analog. I love stationary, that's like pretty that I can and I love to get sweet text, but I love to get a handwritten note. And um just things like how can we make that into our everyday life that it matters? Because when I was showing recipes yesterday, one of them's from my grandma. And right away when I pulled it up, that's her handwriting. Like how special that I had this old-fashioned card that I could put up and right away knew that that was her handwriting. I'm not sure a lot of people I would know that that's their handwriting. I don't know what their handwriting looks like. And that was such a special thing. Or when I was talking to Marian when we were little, I was attached to the wall because my phone, I couldn't move so many feet, right? And my sister and I would fight over who was talking to their friends the longest and could use the phone. It is this like you're tied to something. So when we were talking about how do we play this out in the world with this analog thing, um, and encouraging people to really be present with each other, it's bringing back some of those really sweet things of face-to-face, tangible, tactile things that you can hold that you can um relate to that don't feel just like another part of a scroll or a digital space. And I think one of the things that it does as well is it slows your life down a little bit. When the pace of life feels like it's just too fast, like I can't catch up, I can't catch a breath. Incorporating more analog practices just kind of slows things down a little bit. And that's a pace that I enjoy much more. I'm recognizing when things are just uh downshifted a little bit and um a little more tactile, just create space to really be with each other. Well, I encourage all of us to um tap into your analog side and then share with us like what is it that you're loving that you're finding that you've re-engaged with that maybe is bringing you joy? That would be awesome. I have one more question for you. All right. As someone who really oversees this whole theme, what is your hope for how our mom co groups around the world will embrace this theme good company this year? Yeah, I think um I hope that there's this transformation that happens throughout our groups this year. And what I would like to see is that women who don't know Jesus or who are hurting or are struggling with their motherhood or some aspect of their life are compelled and wooed by the way that we model how we love each other. Because I think what so much of the world is desperate for is a different way of living and they don't know what that looks like. And so I think we get to model that. We get to model what it looks like to have joy and beauty and all the good things of the kingdom that sometimes we forget are there and that we get to enjoy ourselves. And so I just really hope that we can be um fulfilled in friendship ourselves, that we can be seen and feel like we have this community that we belong to who um totally gets us, and then we can extend that out to women in our community and uh in the world so that we can say you're with us too. And then it just trickles out into other communities and other places and families and creates this ripple effect of um the love of Jesus really. And uh we get to change the world just by having some fun together. And so that's what good company is about. It's striking up conversations with strangers and welcoming people into our homes and um just regaining this sense and recognition that God cares deeply about friendship and family and the household of God. And so we get to welcome people into this household of God and show them just how truly good it is. Oh, how good. We get to be the trendsetters this year for that. And I think what I'm most excited about is that we have been, I think, very intentional over the last few years, building up to maybe even maybe we weren't quite ready to open this door so big to everyone. And I really feel that we are. I really feel that as we have expanded across the globe, that we have put things into place that allow us to be um centered on Jesus, centered on creating communities that matter and that are helpful and hopeful. And so this is the year that I think we really get to extend and link arms and say everyone has a place at the Mom Co. And we want you to be a part of it because we are good company. So I'm super excited. Yeah, me too. Well, thank you for your time today, and thank you for the love and the passion that you put into this theme this year. And it's such a privilege to be a part of it and help uh bring it to the world and bring it to life. And leaders, we're so happy that you could join us today. We invite you into this amazing sisterhood called the Mom Co. We are good company, and let the other sisters around the world know that we are, so that they can be a part of it too. Leaders, we know that your time is valuable. We're proud of you for investing in yourself by listening in today. We know that when you invest in mom, you change the world. We believe in you and we're here.