76. From Burnout to Hope: Reclaiming Your Identity and Purpose in Christ with Dr. Brandi Kelly

Foreign.

You're listening to how's all that working for you?

The podcast where we keep it real, ditch the sugar coating and ask questions that bring actual change, not just more noise.

I'm your host, Rachel D. Baker, helping you create some breathing room, set healthy boundaries and reclaim your time without the guilt trip.

This is real talk with a bit of sass and we're always seeking the truth in God's word.

Today I'm so excited.

I have a new friend and you get to hear from her and her amazing message.

If you don't know her already, let me tell you.

Dr.

Brandy Kelly is a two time principal of the year, former superintendent and the CEO of Spark Hope Edu, dedicated to empowering leaders to rise with clarity, courage and purpose.

She's got over 20 years of experience leading schools and organizations.

She's renowned for her ability to blend storytelling, strategy and hope, specifically helping people lead with unwavering confidence and resilience in their careers.

I love this message.

I love everything about it and I cannot wait for you to hear about her.

She's the creator of the System of Hope.

It's H O P E. You know, I love a good acronym, so that's Habits, Optimistic Outlook, Purpose and Excellence.

It's a framework designed to support leaders in overcoming burnout, strengthening their mindset, leading with greater alignment, all things we talk about here.

And this system is a vital tool for leaders navigating the challenges of today's professional landscape.

So if you are in leadership, even if you're just in leadership in your home, I know today's conversation is going to be so helpful for you.

She is a highly sought after speaker and the author of Lead with Hope.

Get ready.

We're going to talk about her, her system, her book, and this concept of hope in general.

Dr.

Brandy Kelly, welcome to the podcast.

Well, thank you, Rachel.

I have enjoyed getting to know you.

We've spoken before this podcast, mutual friend of ours, Bethany Reese, connected us and I am so grateful for this connection.

Looking forward to a wonderful, insightful conversation today where we are helping women leaders thrive.

Yes, well, I cannot wait to jump in.

Before we dive into all the things that you bring to the table, I do have to ask, what does breathing room look like or feel like for you?

For me, one of my most protected times of the day is first thing in the morning.

I think I look forward to my morning coffee more than any other time of the day because that's my breathing room.

I get up, I brew one cup of coffee and I read the scriptures.

I start Trying to read through the Bible this year all the way through.

And so I spend some time just reading the Bible.

Some days it's reading the Bible and then maybe another book just to fuel my mind and my spirit.

But some.

Some days it's just time journaling.

Then yesterday, for instance, Rachel, I got my journal out, and I started reading back through the pages of the journal.

Went back over a year ago.

And it's amazing to see what God can do in just that short period of time, in one year's time, the difference in me.

And as you well know, it all starts with the heart.

You know, God wants to work in our hearts, and he wants to draw us closer to him.

And he's really been doing that in my protected, quiet time, in that time that I can breathe in the morning and just draw close to God.

Yeah, I love that.

Yeah.

Journaling is something I. I've done it for a while, and then I'll stop and then do it.

And so I'm not real consistent with it.

But when I have done it, I love that aspect of it, of being able to look back and go, wow, you know, who was that girl?

Or, look how that changed.

Or, it's so good.

I love that.

Well, for those who don't know you, because, like, we just connected.

So I've been learning more about you.

Can you share a little bit about your personal journey?

So everybody listening just has a better understanding of why this concept of hope.

Because it's in.

It's in everything, like your foundation, your book.

We talk about hope.

So this concept of holding hope in the midst of grief, why is this such an important topic for you?

You know, thinking about our world today, there are so many hurting people.

Everywhere we look, people are hurting.

They're hopeless.

And I believe that they need hope more now than ever.

Oh, wow.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yes.

I was a sophomore in high school.

Friend of mine had asked me to go to prom.

And my mom, she.

God love her, she's.

She's in heaven now.

She's with God.

And she told me.

She said I could.

You could go to prom, Brandi, but you still got to do your weekly chore.

I had to clean the house every Saturday, and so I felt kind of like Cinderella cleaning the house before I could go to the ball.

And when I was Just finishing up cleaning the house.

My little brother, Dustin.

I had two brothers.

Brandon was the middle child, and Dustin was the oldest.

I was the eldest.

Bossy sister.

Yeah.

But Dustin ran into the kitchen, and he said, brandon fell in the creek.

I really didn't think a whole lot of it.

I was annoyed, honestly, because he dirtied my kitchen floor that I had just mopped, and I would have to clean that up before I could finish getting ready for prom.

You know, perspective, it really matters.

And my perspective was the same little babbling brook that we waited in whenever we were, you know, younger.

But that Saturday, it had been raining probably weeks on end.

I. I can't remember how long it had rained back then, but it had rained a lot.

And the boys tried to cross a creek that was swollen on horseback.

Dustin got scared.

He.

He grabbed a limb and he ran home to get help.

He asked Bub.

He.

We called him Bub.

That was his nickname.

And he.

He said, bub, where are you?

And, you know, he heard bubbling.

That's the last thing Dustin talked about.

Came home, he got help.

We didn't find Brandon that day.

The next day was Mother's Day, Rachel.

And so we were at the creek searching for my brother on Mother's Day.

And it wasn't until Monday afternoon divers safely could go in, and they waited over a mile, and they found him.

His body was buried under a sandbar, and his hand was above the water, and that's how they knew he was there.

And they pulled him out, put him in a body bag in a boat.

I was on four wheeler riding alongside the creek, and my uncle, because our community was amazing, Rachel, they came out and they searched for him until he was found.

My uncle saw me on four wheeler, and he said, brandy, go back to the house.

He's not here.

Well, he saved me a very traumatic experience because he was there, and they were pulling him out of the creek at that very moment.

Yeah, but that's really where my fascination, my obsession with hope came from, because our community showed up for us.

They brought us food, they consoled us.

They sent us letters and flowers.

Brandon's classmates, they call themselves the 95ers now.

He created a memory book, and that memory book really captured his mischievous spirit.

You might have had a kid like him in school.

He was ornery, the class clown, told his teacher he didn't need school.

No, I. I have one of those, actually, in my house.

Yeah, no, I feel that.

But he was also that kid with Such a kind heart.

He would do anything for anybody.

You know, Rachel, back then, those seventh graders, their teachers put those kids on a bus during a school day to attend their classmate's funeral.

That is magical to me.

That is hope in action.

And that was my first glimpse of it.

And so I didn't know it then, but fast forward a few years.

When I went to college, I decided I wanted to be a school social worker and hold hope and help people in their.

In their times of hopelessness.

And so I did that for 10 years.

I then felt like there was more I could do more, you know, the calling was bigger on my life.

Yeah.

So I became a principal, and my goal was to retire at that same school, that same school that I attended that did everything for us in our time of grief.

And I got the opportunity to leave that school for four years.

And it was an amazing opportunity.

But, you know, what's that old saying?

We make plans and God laughs.

Right.

Like, that's cute.

Yeah, nice try, Brandy, but, you know, I have other plans for you.

Well, he moved me on to two more school districts where I served as a principal.

I love middle school kids.

So my last principal job was at a middle school during COVID Oh, bless you.

Bless you on two counts, middle school and Covid.

I can't even.

It was an amazing journey, and.

And there were amazing educators there.

Caring community.

You know, everything that I really love about education was really exemplified in that school.

But then I got an opportunity while I was getting my doctorate in leadership in Educational Leadership to come closer to home.

Both of my kids are grown, and they had gotten married.

They were talking about having a family.

And so when a superintendent role came open, I jumped at it.

I applied because I wanted to be closer to my kids, and I didn't want to miss anything whenever the grandbabies came.

Yeah.

And so I took that job.

We have now three grandbabies and one on the way.

Amazing.

It was crazy how, you know, I got the job, and then that summer, my daughter had her first child, and then six months later, my son had his first child.

And it's kind of just been a lot of activity ever since then.

But what I thought on the outset looked like my dream job.

Similar kind of community that I had attended.

It was at Greek K12 district that looked a lot like Ramsey on the outside, but it was a misalignment with my values.

It really was not what I thought I was signing up for.

And so about this time last year, I was really having a lot of health Problems.

I feel that I was depleted.

I was so depleted.

And I won't go into all of the nitty gritty with the health stuff that I've dealt with.

It's getting better now, but part of it was just stress and cortisol was flooding my brain.

And, you know, I'm of that age, that menopause was part of that hormonal equation as well.

Yeah.

And I was exhausted, I was depleted, I was stressed out.

And my doctor told me, randy, you either need to make the choice to step away or your body's going to do it for you.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

That's how it works.

It does.

And so I made that difficult choice, and it was probably one of the most difficult professional choices because it was like, one day I was a superintendent, and the next day I was not.

Right.

So fast.

It was so fast.

It's jarring.

It is.

But, you know, for the listeners, something that I will say about that period in my life is it was a little bit humbling when I reflect on it.

But like I said, one day I was a superintendent.

Fast forward a month later, I was replaced.

There was a different car in my parking place because it was no longer mine.

Yeah.

And I think we need to remember that because our identity oftentimes gets wrapped up in our titles and in our roles.

But that school district or that organization or that business, they can replace you, but your family can't.

So you have to take care of yourself, and you have to really tap into your identity apart from your titles and your roles and look at who God created you to be.

Mm.

Yeah, I was just.

I just literally had this conversation with someone earlier today about.

And we were talking more about.

Because we both had autoimmune diseases, and we both were talking about how, you know, if you let it, something like that even can really, like, this is who I am.

And you start having thoughts about yourself as that as your identity instead of this illness is part of who I am.

You know, I work within it and with it and take care of myself because of it and all those things.

So I think whether it's your role in a business, superintendent, CEO, mom, wife, daughter, sister.

We have all these different roles that are pieces, and they can all come and go.

Most of them can come and go.

But I agree, getting down to, like, who am I at my core, as God created me as a whole person.

Right, right, right.

Versus this is all that I am, and if it is gone now, who am I?

And honestly, I think we all kind of go through that identity Crisis at some point.

Oh, 100%.

And, you know, at the core of our existence, we are children of God.

And when we can see our identity in Christ, get our eyes set on him instead of our circumstances, we're gonna be much better off.

But as we all know, that's easier said than it is done.

Right?

Right.

A hundred percent.

Well, that's, I think, perfect transition I wanna get into.

Because I think when we do get to that point, we are also able to find the hope.

To see the hope instead of everything is awful, you know, like, what do I do?

So, you know, as a fellow educator and leader, I love a good acronym.

I love.

So I want to know, how did you come up with your HOPE H O P E system?

And I kind of ran through it quickly.

But tell.

Like, what does it stand for?

Tell me all about it.

Well, my system of hope is rooted in a theory or a science of hope.

So to kind of get us started on that conversation, let's.

Let's start with the idea of a Science of Hope.

Dr. Rick Schneider created that term.

Okay.

Science or the theory of hope.

Yeah.

And that is basically, it's three components.

Goals, pathways and agency.

So our goals are kind of where we're headed, what we're doing, the intended outcome, the pathways.

Oftentimes, people feel helpless or hopeless because maybe you have a goal and you have one pathway and you're trying to get to that goal, but then you hit an obstacle.

Yeah.

And you get stuck.

Yeah.

Pathways are multiple routes to achieve those goals.

Because when you do get stuck, it's not if an obstacle comes, it's when the obstacles come.

Or when the adversity comes.

Yes.

So you gotta have multiple pathways.

And then the third component is that agency.

It's a belief in your capacity to initiate and sustain effort.

So he talks about pathways as your way, power and agency as your willpower.

So I created the system of hope because, as anybody that has read Atomic Habits knows, James Clear says, you don't rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.

So I created a system to help us cultivate multiple pathways and to create those acts of agency to get to our goals.

Let's go.

I love it.

As I said, habits is the H. And I love habits because there's so much out there about habits and the importance of the cue and the craving and the reward and how all of the science behind how habits form.

But as you said earlier, Rachel, habits are mind, body, spirit.

We were created as a whole person.

We're Very complex.

We're very complicated.

People are messy.

And if you're an educator, you're in the people business.

So it's a messy business.

And I think we have to frequently consider our habits.

Which ones are serving us and which ones aren't, which ones are helping us to reach our goals and which ones are holding us back.

We all have good habits and bad habits.

So if we do maybe a habit audit, we consider what we need to start, stop, or continue.

Yeah.

And looking at that kind of in the same way that we would look at the goals on a strategic plan or a school improvement plan.

And then we have O for optimistic outlook.

I used optimistic outlook because I am more of an optimism by nature.

But by no means does that mean blind positivity.

What I mean by that is just thinking about your thoughts, your mindset.

The Bible says to take captive your thoughts.

Right.

And so if you look at just in a typical day, write down your thoughts that you have, how many times do your thoughts go negative?

Well, researchers say 70 to 80% of our thoughts tend to be negative.

And of those negative thoughts, they're on a loop.

So you're going to notice patterns and themes in your negative thinking.

Yeah.

So we need to consider our thoughts.

Our thoughts are going to shape our actions, and that becomes our habits.

And then our habits shape our character, our legacy, all of the big picture things.

Right.

So mindset is so important.

And again, I call that optimistic outlook because there are some habits that can help our mindset to get more positive, to.

To get more productive, to create those possibilities so we can thrive.

Things like gratitude exercises.

Yeah.

Oh, that's something I have to start.

You know, you talked about your morning routine.

That's something I had to incorporate into every morning for myself.

I have.

I do have a little journal.

I'm not like, journaling about my day, but I have to write down three things I'm thankful for every morning.

And some of that is, you know, with autoimmune disease, I wake up and I don't always feel great.

I may be super achy or my teenager may be melting down.

You know, whatever it is, I have to start and go, I do have things to be grateful for.

And it does reframe my mindset.

And it helps me as I go through my day to be able to take every thought captive, as we're instructed to do, you know, so God can renew our minds.

That's, you know, the rest of that scripture.

So I do think gratitude is such a powerful, powerful thing.

It is.

And if we can set an intention for the day, you know, and you can speak to this as well.

Like when you wake up and you take those thoughts captive, you do that gratitude exercise and then you set an intention.

Today my intention is to love my cranky 15 year old, even though I don't really want to.

I mean you create that pathway and you visualize it and it's more likely to come to fruition.

Or you can choose to perseverate on your achy body or your grouchy teenager and focus on the negativity and then that's what you're going to get more of in your life as well.

Yes, we get to choose.

That's the crazy wonderful thing about being a human being is you have the power to choose.

And God gave us that free will.

Absolutely.

And it for those of us who are a little neuro spicy, that rumination is epic.

Like those thoughts can just go on repeat without.

Without you urging them on.

They just go and go.

And so yeah, so it is, it's a big deal to be intentional.

Be awareness.

I think first of all is the biggest piece being aware that it's a thing that you can do something about.

Yeah.

And catching it.

It really, when it says taking it captive, I really, I feel like I have to like physically with my hand to get out and like catch the thing and do something with it.

Sometimes you have to wrestle it to the ground and you know, contain it and make sure that you are moving forward in the direction that you want to go.

Mm, yeah, I love that.

So okay, next part.

That is the P and it is the ppp.

So there's three P's Purpose is the main one purpose.

You know, that why I got into education.

I started, you know, having that desire to help other people because people showed up for our family.

People helped us in a time that was really pretty dark.

And so that's my why.

That's always been my why my.

My brother Brandon was.

I like the way you said that little neuro spicy.

He had, I am sure he had ADHD before it was diagnosed, you know, as frequently as it is now.

But he, that's probably why he got on a horse that Saturday afternoon.

He was bored, he was a little hyper, he was a little impulsive.

And so for that purpose piece, it goes back to Brandon and it goes back to that tragedy that our family faced.

But the other piece of that, and I've learned this along the way, is passion.

I have always been a striver.

I'm an enneagram type 3.

And I've always been a striver.

I'm the oldest child, the oldest daughter, so high achiever.

Always feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, and I didn't enjoy the journey as much as I should have looking back.

And so for me, the P is purpose and passion.

And passion is doing something every day that lights you up.

God created us with beautiful gifts, and the gifts are meant to be shared with the world.

But we have to create breathing space.

Yeah.

Put that pause in there and make sure that we are cultivating the things in our life that really light us up and bring us joy, our life.

And when you have purpose and passion, I believe it helps you to persevere.

The hard times and adversity is like the fire that shapes us.

It is a struggle.

And God did not.

You know, some I've heard people say, why did God do this to me?

Well, I don't believe God did this to me, but God has allowed this to happen so that I will draw closer to him, that my character be strengthened, that I become the best version of me that I can become.

And I believe that when you tap into your purpose and your passions, you can persevere towards the last letter of the acronym Excellence.

Yeah, that best version of yourself.

I just would like to say, I want to make sure everybody heard there as we're going through all the P. Like, she preached my sermon.

Like she's preaching my sermon.

All of those words.

And creating the breathing room to know those pieces of who you are as God created you.

Like, listen, Dr.

Brandy Kelly preaching my sermon today.

I love it so much.

And that is how we get to excellence.

I love.

That's where we land in this.

Tell us about excellence.

Excellence is just becoming the best version of Rachel, the best version of Randy.

The best version of the person God created you to be.

And that doesn't mean perfection.

I know early on I will shamefully admit I wanted to be perfect.

I still strive sometimes for perfection until I catch myself.

I have to catch myself.

Because perfection is not a realistic goal.

It's Progress.

It's getting 1% better each and every day.

So let's not get caught up in that perfection trap.

Let's just look for progress and consistently try to become the best version of yourself today.

Because consistency compounds, you know, and when we do a little.

A little bit like that micro action, that micro habit each and every day, that consistency compounds, and you're getting better and better all the time.

Yep.

I love that.

And there was something you said earlier Talking about, you know, adversity, going through the hard times.

Absolutely.

People have different views of that.

Yeah.

There is, you know, God puts you in the middle of that, or why does he?

Or as you said, you know, maybe he doesn't cause it, but he allows it.

There's also, you know, there is evil in the world.

Hard things happen.

People make bad choices.

Sometimes we make the bad choices.

Right.

The things happen.

Whether it is allowed or just is.

I.

100%.

I'm with you.

That God is with us in it.

Right.

I talk about going through the valley of the shadow of all the things, whatever that is for you.

God doesn't leave.

He doesn't.

He's not going anywhere.

And he does bring us through that.

And I think recognizing his presence in it, drawing closer to him or depending on him, leaning on him, like, okay, I got nothing left here.

Can you just, like, carry me the rest of the way?

He 100% does.

And if we allow it, if we look to him, he does refine us.

Talking about that refining fire, he refines us through it.

And, I mean, I know that's a lot of where I am today is straight because of that.

And when you're in the middle of the fire, you're not like, thanks, God, this fire's awesome.

I'm so glad you're refining me.

This feels great.

Like, that's.

Please don't hear us saying that.

No.

It's miserable.

There are tears.

There is weeping and gnashing of teeth in the middle of it.

Yeah.

And we also know from Scripture that he's weeping with us.

Yeah.

He weeps with us in it.

And we all get through to the other side, and that's that hope.

Right?

I love.

I love.

It's all coming together.

And Rachel, my life verse, it's a verse that my mom said, you know, God gave to her when she lost her son, when she lost my brother Brandon.

And it's Romans 8:28.

All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called in accordance to his purpose.

God is our Father, and he's a good father.

Yeah.

And he created us to love him and to love other people.

Yep.

And if we are open to it and obedient to it, he will turn all things around for good.

And I believe one of the biggest lessons through everything that I just shared with your audience is that we were never meant to do this alone.

Sometimes we are in the valley, we are in our wilderness experience.

We are in the adversity, and we are trying to Fix it ourselves.

Yeah.

Oh, listen, I am really good at trying to fix everything.

And in my, you know, in the epitome of Rachel trying to fix all the broken things is when I literally physically lost the ability to walk for a few years.

Like, it was.

It was like, God, you know, little pat on the head.

You know, like, that's cute.

Sit down, child.

Yeah, yeah.

Let me just take your ability to control anything and let's see how this goes.

And we sorted it out.

It's fine now.

I get it.

But like you said, it wasn't fun going through it.

It was miserable.

And that's something that, you know, people don't see the misery because we don't show it to them.

Yeah, yeah.

That's not on my Instagram.

Highlight reels.

No, no, we have that mask on and we just share the highlight reels.

The good things, the family vacations where everybody's smiling and happy and color coordinated.

With their outfits by the ocean waves.

But that's not life.

Let's be real.

That's not life.

Yeah.

Yeah.

A hundred percent.

So, okay, you've got some practical tools and strategies for us.

I want to talk about that in a second.

But for the woman who's listening today, I mean, we got a few dudes.

Hey, dudes, we appreciate you.

I love you.

I hope this blesses you.

But mostly, we got the ladies listening today struggling to find hope in the midst of whatever difficult season is happening.

What would you say to her today?

You know, I would remind her that you were not meant to do this alone.

And I'm not sure, Rachel, which you might have to help me with the practical strategies if I don't bring them out in this conversation, because I don't want to leave anything out.

But the reason I created the Spark Hope community is because we weren't designed to do this alone.

And so, you know, we all probably have went through a painful season or numerous painful seasons.

Right?

We maybe have all went through a striving season or numerous driving seasons.

Yeah, yeah.

But we need spaces where we can slow down, pause, breathe, and know that there are other people around us who they may not get our exact situation, but they get it.

And they're there to support us and to encourage us and to lift us up.

So the Spark Hope community was created for that specific purpose.

We do a monthly empower, Her Mastermind, where I have guest speakers this month on Monday, March 4th.

Not sure when this will air, but on Monday, March 4th, it will be Amy P. Kelly, and she's going to be talking about difficult conversations.

And then later in the year, your very own Rachel D. Baker is going to be joining us in the Mastermind.

So I'm excited about that.

I am pumped.

That's going to be so fun.

It's going to be so much fun.

And there's just so much wisdom that we're able to bring.

And we record them.

They're in the community and you can watch them on demand.

If life gets busy and you can't join the Mastermind, there's free resources in there.

There's discussion boards.

Truly, it's just a community meant to support female leaders.

Yes, Yes.

I love that you have created a place.

You know, it's a virtual place, but I think our world has opened up to a place where that works.

I've made so many amazing friends.

Virtually never met them in person, but, like, we've been friends for five years or, you know, whatever.

And I love that.

And I do.

I'm more and more, I'm loving these online communities.

Not like a Facebook group.

We're kind of.

We're out of the Facebook group mode right now.

We're done with that.

Okay.

So this is not a Facebook group.

I just want to make clear this is on its own, in its own space, online community.

And this, like, for sure was the main resource I wanted you to be sure and mention today because I do want those listening to know that if you don't have a space or if you're really resonating with what Brandi is talking about today, maybe this is your space that you want to come and check out.

And as always, I leave every link in the show notes, which means they're available on my website.

So you can find the link for that.

Tell us the name of the community again.

It's called the Spark Hope community and there is a link that I've shared.

Like you said, it'll be in the show notes and you can join the community that way.

But if you want to join the Empower her Mastermind, that link is in the community and you can register for that Zoom Mastermind as well.

But they're two separate things.

But the Empower, her Mastermind, lives within the Spark Hope community.

So I just want to make that clear as well.

Perfect.

We will have all that.

And also I want to make sure everybody has the link to your book that's in the show notes as well.

Lead with hope building a system of self efficacy.

And I love that.

You've taken the.

The science of hope and created this system within it.

It.

It just puts a more practical, tangible handle on hope.

Because I think sometimes when we talk about it, it feels very ethereal.

It feels very like, how do I. I don't feel like I can get a handle on that.

Right.

And Rachel, I do want to point out too, you know, additional research and people can go to Google Scholar or, or look at research studies.

High hope individuals have less depression, less anxiety, less stress.

Those are some metrics that you know when you look at hope.

It is a cognitive, trainable skill.

A lot of times people think of hope as a personality trait.

It's something you're either born with or you're not.

Right?

Right.

That's not true.

It's just not true.

It is a trainable cognitive skill and you can grow your hope.

You don't have to be born with it.

These pathways, these practical skills that I give you in my book help you to train yourself and to create more hope in your life.

I love it so much.

Anything where.

When something feels difficult but important.

Right.

Those.

The actual practical strategies to get there, I think are so helpful.

Okay, so as far as strategies, tools or strategies, just last couple questions because we gotta wrap up.

Cause I could just talk to you forever about hope.

What have you found to be most helpful personally when you are managing your time and, you know, trying to allow for that breathing room in your life?

Are there any tools, you know, planners, digital paper?

What are you using?

What's helping you?

Yeah, for me, it goes back to my mindset.

That is where I really can get stuck if I allow myself to.

If I don't put an intentional plan into place.

And so, you know, again, going back to that scripture, taking your thoughts captive so that you can renew your mind.

For me, it's journaling is what works best for me.

So it's either like at the beginning of the day, I might set an intention and it might be something simple.

Like, I'll be honest, there are days that I actually write it out and say, my intention for today is.

And I bullet.

I bullet it.

But there are other days that I just give it to the Lord and I say, okay, Lord, what intention can we partner on today?

Help me to create an intention for my day.

What is my intention?

I don't even.

I'm just here, help me, God.

Yes.

I'm just showing up and I don't really know what I'm doing.

What you got?

I love it.

Help me.

Yes.

But then at the end of the day.

And I don't do this as much.

This season of my life, I haven't needed to.

But when my life gets really busy and my mind is just going a hundred million miles a minute before I go to bed.

Just doing a thought dump.

Yes, girl.

We call that a brain dump over here.

Putting it all on paper.

Yes.

And shutting the book and going to bed.

It helps me sleep.

Yeah.

And I'm the kind of person that if I don't get seven to eight hours of sleep every night, it's not pretty.

Right.

Nobody wants that.

I need that sleep.

And I know that about myself.

I would say those are probably the most practical takeaways for me from.

From what works for me, but something that I would also encourage the audience to do if they haven't done it before, go online and just Google free Enneagram test.

Because self awareness is key here.

And I did this probably a decade ago.

I took that Enneagram test and then I went to the Enneagram Institute and I looked up my type.

Understanding who you are, your blind spots, your motivations, your desires, your strengths, your weaknesses, all of that.

Understanding yourself, that is key in helping you to know how to kind of curate that life that you want to live.

Because a lot of us are on default mode.

We are on autopilot.

We don't really know.

Like you said, I don't know what I'm doing over here.

I'm just going through the motions and hoping everything works out.

Yeah.

In real life, that's a lot of.

Of the people that I talk to.

And we need to put some intention based on who we are.

But first, you have to get still, you have to get quiet, and you have to really invest in.

In getting to know who you are.

Do Y' all hear Dr.

Brandy Kelly preaching my sermon again?

Do you hear her?

She just.

She just came in and is like reinforcing all the things.

I will also link with everything you just mentioned.

I'm going to link back to a previous episode.

I did just like, brief overview intro for Enneagram.

Because I love me some Enneagram.

I do think it's helpful with the free tests.

I think it's a really good place to start.

Like you said, it's a good place to start.

They're not always super accurate, but it gives you a good starting point.

And in that other episode, I mentioned some other books you can read.

Ian Morgan Cron, I love.

He has good books.

He's got a good website, good podcast.

There's a lot of good Stuff out there.

I personally am a full on two.

Okay.

With a very strong three wing.

So I'm with ya.

I'm with you on the achieving part.

I'm definitely a three and I think I'm a two wing.

So we are just.

Yep.

And I come across that a lot in this space when we talk about leadership and stuff.

I find that a lot.

Okay.

We obviously are like wanting everybody to check out your stuff.

Your book.

Is there another book or a podcast that you would recommend to our listeners today?

Well, since you mentioned it, I will shamelessly plug the Lead With Hope podcast where I interview on my show, change makers, innovators, leaders who share their story.

Because, Rachel, you and I both know we all have a story.

We all have a story.

Let's turn that pain into purpose.

Let's take our stories and share it with the world and help somebody from our stories, because I believe we can.

And the first step in doing that is to let go of the doubts and the shame and all of those negative emotions and thoughts that go along with it and share your story.

So tune in to the Lead With Hope podcast.

Absolutely.

Amazing educators, amazing leaders and change makers sharing their stories and talking about how they implement habits or optimistic outlook or purpose or excellence in their life and in their leadership to help other people.

Absolutely.

You know, it's going to be linked in the show notes.

Thank you.

This has been so good.

Is there anything, what did we miss?

Anything?

I want to make sure we hit it all.

So we talked about the podcast.

We talked about the Spark Hope community.

Yes.

We talked about the book Lead with Hope.

And just a little teaser.

I'll leave the audience with this.

Yeah, I have two, not one, but two new books coming out.

Let's go.

The first one is a devotional journey.

It's a 30 day devotional journey and it's going to be titled When Life Speaks.

Because life is always speaking to us.

And so stay tuned for that.

That will be coming out.

Awesome.

And then, Rachel, when my babies were born, when my grandbabies, my first two were born, my heart was so full of joy that I just started writing a children's book.

Oh, fun.

It's called Spreading Sunshine with Kindness.

Jensen and Rhett's Kindness Adventure.

So I take the readers, the young readers, through stories where my boys are sharing kindness with the world.

And so that will be coming out within the next few months as well.

And I'm super excited to release both of these books out into the world because it's two of my core values, Faith, which is number one and family, which is number two.

And there's nothing more precious than faith and family.

And so I'm excited to share those two resources coming soon.

That is so exciting.

All right, when those are out and available, you know you're going to be hearing about it from me, so stay tuned for that.

Brandy, thank you so much for being here today.

This is such a.

A blessed conversation for me.

Good reminders, good information strategies.

I'm just thankful.

I'm excited to come speak with your people and be part of that community.

And I just, I'm grateful that you would be here today and share with our listeners.

Thank you.

And Rachel, I'm grateful for the opportunity and I also look forward to partnering with you as you not only come to the Spark Hope community and share your story, but I'm hoping you will agree to be on the lead with Hope podcast as well.

And that'll give us another opportunity to grow our relationship and just continue to.

Get to know each other 100%.

So be looking for that too, whenever we can make that happen.

That'll be amazing.

I would love it.

Awesome.

Thank you for today, guys.

Check out all the links in the show notes.

We shared a lot of different stuff today, so there's a lot of goodies for you to dig into.

If you're not sure where to find that, it should be where you are listening, but if not, you can always go to racheldbaker.com podcast and locate the podcast right there on the page.

All the links will be available for you.

And as always, remember, you are loved more than you know.

We'll see you next time.