Interview: A Mother-Daughter Talk on Leadership and Faith
Listen to Interview: A Mother-Daughter Talk on Leadership and Faith
00:04
Hey there and welcome. Are you a woman who is unapologetically ambitious, but you're also deeply focused on honoring God, loving your family well and pursuing meaningful work? Well, you've come to the right place. My name is Dana Byers and you and I are going to be fast friends. Let's get started.
00:29
Before we get started today, I wanna take just a moment and share with you a recent five star review, my podcast received. She says, I am loving this podcast. It's full of encouragement, useful tips and scripture to help me step into what God has for me, but allows me to put down the hustle and the hurry. I feel like Dana is my own personal coach, as she is so relatable and helpful. Thank you, Chris, for taking the time to share this five star review. If you are listening to this and any of my episodes have been helpful to you, it would mean the world to me. If you would take just a moment to leave me a five star review so that we can reach a lot more people. Thank you friends.
01:11
Well, hey everyone. Welcome to another episode of Been There, learned that this is Dana Byers. I am your hostess and I am so excited about our very, very, very, very, I am biased, very special guest today, my own daughter Mackenzie. Mackenzie, welcome to the podcast. Thanks. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
01:37
I'm Mackenzie. I'm a sophomore at the University of Oklahoma. I'm studying criminology as well as military science and criminal investigations.
01:48
Wow, that's a mouthful. It is. I haven't heard you say all that together at once. Yeah, that is a, that's a lot of words at once. Well, I am thrilled, Mackenzie, that we're getting to do this interview on a random Saturday afternoon because a while back you said to me, Hey, I need to be on your podcast. And I was like, oh, I would love that. And the handful of friends that I have mentioned that to are holding me accountable to it, they're like, Hey, I haven't heard Mac on your podcast yet. When are you gonna do that interview? So I'm very glad. Thank you for making time to chat today. Of course, we can talk about anything we want, I suppose, but I'm especially excited to allow the people who are listening to this podcast, many of them are women probably in their thirties to mid fifties, and you are a member of the Gen Z generation and I am learning so much from your generation, you and your brother, both your generation is the future.
02:47
Some people would say that's scary. I think it's exciting because I'm learning so much from you and your friends and your brother, and also I think it's exciting because we have a lot to learn from your generation, but also we have a great opportunity to coach, develop parent support, love on train, all the things for you and your peers. So I thought maybe we could start off first by talking about maybe the idea of, I guess let's talk about what people your age, and again, I know you're not trying to present everyone, but we're just talking about your experience. What would you say has been your experience growing up in our family and growing up in the church as a member of the Gen Z generation? What are some observations you've made or things you've had to walk through?
03:38
I think my experience with our family at least has been a lot more freeing with the relationship to the church. And I, it's not always a great thing to compare, but for me, looking at my experiences compared to others, I see it line up in the beginning stages of really developing your faith. It looks similar at the front end of things, enjoying a lot of youth activities and really being involved and feeling close to Christ. But in our family, we've also been given the ability to explore faith on our own to see what it looks like to be authentic for ourselves. And in my observation, I feel that some, some kids in my generation feel as though they may not have the most authentic relationship and that it has to look like everyone else's. Mm. And for me, that's just not a comfortable thought to feel like I have to fit the same mold and faith that everyone else does.
04:40
And I think a lot of our generation has this idea of what church is and what it's supposed to look like, and whether that's due to church influence or parental influence, to me it's, it's an issue. And I wish that wasn't how people felt because I do love authenticity and I want people to really dive in because they want to experience God and they want to be closer because it's important to them, not because of what else that looks like, whether that's through media representation or that's just what you know. So you're gonna do it because it's comfortable and you know what it looks like. But with our family, I think I'm more thankful that I've had the ability to figure out what it really looks like to me and that it doesn't have to look the same as everyone else's.
05:35
Yeah. I think the first time you, I think when you were, I think you were seven maybe the first time you came to me. So you were like in second grade you were seven and you were like, mom, what if we're wrong? Like, what if Christianity is wrong? What if we missed out or we have something wrong? And at first I'll admit I was a little bit like I felt thrown off course slash anxious that you were asking that at age seven, but I didn't yet understand that, you know, you're very intellectual, you're very logical and you have a really big heart, but you wanted to talk through your faith. And so that was great because it pushed me into deeper theology to have conversations with you. But then probably around the time you were 12, you started saying, mom, I feel like church is a cultural thing.
06:21
Like that's different from my relationship with God. And you were trying to process, how do I, you know, intersect those things And you were, you weren't saying, I hate church or I'm against church or anything like that, but you were more like, Hey, I feel like in some cases church feels like I have to show up and have an emotional experience to prove that I've connected to God when in fact, you know, maybe I pray to God and talk to him before an exam at school or talk to him alone in my room. Or you were a journaler, you know, you, you would be like, I would write things out in my journal. Is that still connecting to God? Because I was so thankful that you were really direct with your questions because it let me know, oh, she's picked up on some things that we don't actually intend to communicate, but that you were just picking up by observation because you were always observing.
07:12
Yeah, always observing. You're either like deeply asleep or fully alert in my experience every year of your life that I've known you. So it was funny because it was like, oh wow, okay. But we did really figure out, your dad and I did pretty early on, like what you were craving was authenticity. Like you were like, you know, from really a few years through middle school and high school because you were wrestling with your faith. I remember you just being like, if, if this thing is real great, but if it's like a cultural, just like game, I don't wanna play it I and you, but you chose to dig your heels in, you chose to dig your heels in and be like, I'm gonna pursue God because I want an authentic relationship with him, not because I'm checking the box of church. And I think that's something that can be difficult for a lot of adults to feel okay doing that. Tell me about that. Like how did you get yourself to a place where you were willing to experience your doubts in the hopes that you would draw closer to God?
08:08
I think it was a lot of the way I was raised and the lessons that I had learned as a child that we all hear, but there's a reason we hear them. They're like the biggest things that they want you to take away. But instead of just being a takeaway, like I really felt those and it was almost like a reliance on past experiences, past messages that I had heard. And I've always loved the statement, like to have a faith like a child because that faith really, even like being a young adult helped. And it was like knowing that I had had rough experiences as a kid, but knowing that God hadn't left me through those and really looking to dig deep into my own experiences of where I had seen God, to know that I'm okay in this season of doubt, but if I really lock into that and I really lean on what's already been done for me, I know that more can be done and that more will be, I have to, I have to have a willingness to be in that though.
09:28
I can't just ask for it and when I need it, I have to ask for it and go through the process of it. And so it was tough to dig through my own experiences because some of it was rehashing like old wounds and rough moments, but it was really an emotional experience too for me, knowing that like I hadn't been abandoned by God. And so digging in be and locking into that became easier because it's like I'd already gone through rough stuff. I know I'm going to in the future, but I'm able to do that because I know I'm not gonna be left because of those doubts and because of those questions.
10:14
Right. And I think that really leads into, well, a phrase that, I mean I think it was just, God just laid it on my heart a few years ago. That's become kind of the foundation of how our family interacts. And what phrase is that,
10:28
I love you always and no matter what, yes,
10:31
I love you always and no matter what. And I think that, you know, that is my experience with God. Like as I, as, as much as I can understand as a human, my sin and my fault and the understanding, the limited understanding I have that I'm definitely not God. I also have as much of an understanding as I think I can today for his unconditional love for me. So the thought of creating an environment in our home where it was safe to be me, safe to be you, and that we aren't, you know, encouraging anyone to go into danger, but really to just be like, I love you always no matter what. And to start like marketing that to our family as a reminder to send you a text, to tell you eye to eye, to write you a note. Like to really be like, I want you to know this is true and I'm trying to give you the love that God's given me.
11:27
And, and I've done it super and perfectly, but it's been so cool that God just kind of gave me that idea as a mom because I feel so supported in our family and I think we all support each other really well, but we also know we have each other's backs, right? Like you could make a decision that doesn't go well and that doesn't change our love for you. And I could make a decision that doesn't go well and that doesn't change, you know, your love for me and really leaning into that hard has actually helped, I think you and your brother and your dad and me actually lean into our leadership strengths and our faith more. Like, I'm more willing to take risks now because we have such a safe home environment. The vulnerability of the middle school and teenage years of you and me figuring out how do we have a conversation like you are like, you know, us having different leadership styles and how we communicate about things and finally figuring that out and being like, oh, we're actually for each other.
12:26
And I think in a lot of the cases, the conversations we had, we wanted the same thing. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? Like we wanted the same thing. Why? How is it that we thought we were like speaking a different language, but I think it was, 'cause at least in my case, I was often protecting my heart or I felt like I didn't want you to get hurt in any scenarios. But it's really cool because the, I love you always, no matter what approach I think has given us the chance to understand our unique leadership better. I love, I remember telling you when you were little, I, I would tell you guys this, I'd tell my direct reports at work this, you know, I wanna be an expert in you, not in like a weird creepy way, but like, Hey, I wanna understand you so well Mackenzie that not that I'm trying to predict your behavior or say what you're going to do, but like, if this is what she needs, I'm gonna provide this for her. Or if these are her strengths, let's help her magnify those. And if these are the things she's not interested in, let's just take that off the table. Like how can we really get you to lean into the things that matter the most? Which has created such a fun education for me because your interests have been so vast and different from anything I've known about that it's opened up my world to all kinds of new things I never knew I would enjoy your experience. So I'm curious, how would you explain your leadership style?
13:47
I think my leadership style is pretty blunt. I think it's you're, you're gonna know what I'm, what I'm getting at and sometimes it doesn't come across the best, but my goal is to always keep the relationship still meaningful and not to have any tension, but to really use it to lift each other up. Because as much as I'm asking something or wanting something to happen, I'm also open to the same being said to me. And I think my leadership style is definitely not just asking but doing it alongside someone. Like I don't love the, I don't, I wouldn't even call it leadership if that's what someone's doing is just telling someone to do something. Mm. I want to be in the nitty gritty. I want to figure out problems with people and show that I'm there for you. Not just telling you that I'm there for you. Because I think actions, people say actions speak louder than words, but I think they go hand in hand like you're, you know, you have to match what you're saying and what you're doing to each other. And so yes, it's blunt, but I'm gonna be there with you.
15:11
Yeah. Yeah, that's definitely true. I remember a conversation a couple years ago where you were like, mom, just like, don't beat around the bush, just say it. And I was like, well, I'm trying to be delicate. And you were like, oh, please like just say it. You're not gonna hurt my feelings. And I was like, well, we could have saved hours of conflict probably over the years if, but you had really come to a recent, I think even a stronger understanding of something unique about you is, yeah, you can be pretty direct and blunt, but you can receive it that way. And it didn't actually harm our relationship and we were actually, I, I was able to communicate in a way that served you, but you also learned like, hey, sometimes when I'm talking to mom I wanna make sure I am, you know, delicate or I wanna make sure I'm open to that.
15:52
We both actually, we both wanted to be more open to, instead of making assumptions, like being curious like, oh, she might have had something come up or maybe she meant something totally differently. I'm gonna ask before I assume or make a judgment and I'm proud of us. We've definitely improved. Yeah, it's, and there's, there's room to grow, but we've definitely improved in that. Let's talk about strength. For those of you listening right now, you cannot see Mackenzie, but Mackenzie is, she's a force to be reckoned with. Mackenzie is, I basically tell her like she's a one solid muscle. And something I love about that is Mackenzie has always had just the sweetest, biggest heart, very big heart for justice. But there have also been times where maybe we've been in an environment that doesn't feel safe or there's a moment of conflict and Mackenzie's there with me.
16:46
And she really is a force of strength, not just her physical presence, but also she just kind of, you, you just kind of experience her as someone who's easy to be around. So, and she's pretty vigilant. Like you're always aware of what's going on around us and I'm like, well I guess I have my own security guard. I can just be living my life however I want. She'll keep an eye out on me. So Mackenzie is very strong. And Mackenzie, when I was in Kenya a couple months ago, I was giving an example about spiritual strength. And I explained to them, my daughter is very strong, she lifts big heavy weights. And I had asked you the weight you were lifting at the time and you shared it with me and I converted it to the metric system for them. And a couple of the women were like, no, no, no, that's not what you mean.
17:31
I was like, no, that's literally how much she lifts. It is a lot of weight. Like you could literally, if I upset you on this interview, you could just pick me up and carry me outta the room. Right. You'd just be like, I'm done with this and walk, walk me out. Which is pretty impressive. But, so the, the physical strength though is something that I'm very mesmerized by because I, you and I have talked about this and you had a discovery that your physical strength and the discipline of that is actually something that kind of calibrates or partners with mental strength, like the ability to keep those two in check with each other. And I think that's really interesting. I'd love to hear you share with us, for example, like in your disciplined approach, not just lifting weights, but all the other military workouts and things that you do and even schoolwork, I mean, things like that. How do you, because authenticity is a big value of yours, how do you get yourself to an authentic place in your mind where you're able to show up and do the things you've committed to do, even if you don't really feel like doing it that day?
18:34
Yeah, I think it's, for me, it's become a very future forward looking process and finding a balance between mental strength, discipline and physical strength. Because you have a goal and you want to achieve it, but there's different ways to look at it. And I think I used to look at it as like punishments and rewards. If I go, it's a good thing if I don't go, it's a bad thing. But I think what I've switched to now is it's a much healthier way to look at it and to be like, I want to be there. I'm going to be in this place. I'm going to achieve this goal. And I think it's, it's, it's harder to make yourself figure that process out by saying, I have to do something. I don't like the, I don't like that phrase being like, I have to do this because then as much as we've said, authenticity is important and it's not authentic if you say you have to. And I think with all of those things working out school, those different things, it looks different for what the end result is. Mm. But it's important to have the same future look like, I don't know what you would call it, process, I don't know what you would call it, but looking to the future because you wanna see yourself achieve different things.
20:18
I don't know, for fit fitness is my easiest example. Oh I, you know, lift heavy weights, but I have to have the discipline each day and I'm like, I have the ability to do these things, but that applies to those other categories. I have the ability to learn to receive more information that can help me achieve my goal in school. I have the ability to eat healthy, I have the ability to walk somewhere. I have the ability to lift weights, so I'm gonna do it so that I can achieve my goals. I think there's steps between getting yourself into a disciplined mindset and achieving what you want to, what you want to do, but you kind of have to baby yourself with the, I call it a crawl, walk, run. And you kind of have to go through those steps before you achieve those goals, but still keeping your goal in mind. And I think that's been super helpful for me. And that's what I do.
21:21
Crawl, walk, crawl, walk, run. Yes. That's good. You know, because even like even on the days that are a crawl, you're still crawl, you're still doing something. Yeah. You know, when you're sharing that, remind me of in your junior year in high school you were playing two different sports kind of back to back and which was no big deal for you. For me, I would've like been like, that's it. I quit school. Like you were just so, like no big deal. Got up early, early practice school, all day, intense classes, practice or a game after school and go to bed and do it all again the next day. It was just not a big deal for you. And then you got a concussion and that was really hard because it was like, gosh, that impacts your mental strength, impacts your physical strength. Both of them are impacted that way.
22:03
And I remember you being like, man, I just wanna get back out there. I just wanna get back on the field. I wanna get back on the court. And all of a sudden you were like, I wouldn't even mind so much going to practice today. Which other days, you know, it wouldn't be your favorite. But just the, that was such an important lesson for me to observe, to watch you walk through that as your mom. Because it reminded me, even in my day-to-day life, there are things that I, that are in front of me to do that maybe I don't have to do, but I've, I've committed to. And so my mindset is like, man, I don't wanna do this. But if I lost the opportunity to do those things, if I was on the bench or if I was injured, I would be really upset about it.
22:40
And so that gratitude perspective of like the first time you got back on the field, the first time you got back on the court, it was like, oh, this feels so good. This is where she belongs. She's glad to be back at practice. She's glad to be, you know, free and release to play again. And so, and you did, you had to start, you kind of had to crawl. You said, you know, your speed, your things weren't back where they were, but you crawled walked and ran and got back there. And that was just a really special example to me to watch you walk through that. And definitely an encouragement to me as well. When I think about, you know, obviously you weren't like a hundred percent grown, but we, we noticed dad, your dad and I noticed probably when you were in middle school, you know, you matured pretty quickly as far as like your observations of things around the world and you kept us on our toes For sure.
23:27
You keep us on our toes for sure. Let's say that. And we started noticing, you know, it's not like Mackenzie's making dangerous decisions. She has a lot of ideas. What would it look like to support her instead of giving pushback on a lot of things. So you would bring up ideas, you wanted to try something or go somewhere or do something and we would say, well, you know, help us get to, yes. Or how can we make this happen? Like what kind of support do you need to do that? And it was interesting, the, the answer was rarely money, the answer was rarely, even much time. It was just kind of like, I wanna try this thing out. And so it didn't really cost us much except trusting God depending on God and giving you that freedom to pursue the thing you're interested in, whatever that would look like.
24:14
And that has been so cool because I think, and, and I'm not patting ourselves on the backyard, I really think God gave us that idea. Like seeing you go, oh whoa, okay, we got to lead your brother in a different way that I think was really strong and healthy and then we wanted to lead you in a different way that was really strong and healthy, best for kind of how you're wired. And we got a lot of things wrong. We got a lot of things wrong. Yes. You're nodding your head and smiling, yes this is true, but I won't bring your dad into this. This is all about me. Right. I got a lot of things wrong. So like even for the moments I was trying so hard to give you freedom I would want to control in a different area. Right. And it was interesting to discover that you realized, okay, of course you knew your mom wasn't perfect, but you realized my mom's trying to figure some of this out on the fly.
25:04
And I remember saying to you once, like Mackenzie, I've never raised you before, right? Yeah. You've never had me as your mom at this age before and I've never raised you at this age before. I'm gonna get some things wrong. And that has shifted even now. Like, you know, now you've lived outside of our house at college and we're navigating, what does that look like to be your parent, for you to come and go, for you to have your own life and us to support you in that and wanting to, you know, not like throw you to the wolves but also communicate to you like, hey, we trust you, we trust God and we trust you. How can we stay engaged in your life? What does support look like at this age? So thinking back on especially those kind of middle school, high school years, what were some things that I got wrong? What were some things that worked just, you know, share things that you remember that you're like, oh okay, maybe we could have done that differently. Or here's what we did. Whatever comes to mind.
26:01
Yeah, I think a lot of the things that worked were all the big support moments. 'cause we've had conversations where I'm like, oh that's what you were doing. Like you really, you really stood up for me in this case. And that felt good. That worked like that. That allowed me to know that you're in my corner and that's been able to really help me now because yes, I'm doing some things on my own and I'm figuring stuff out, but I know you're in my corner even if it looks a little bit different. And there were a lot of moments throughout elementary and and middle school where it was a lot of conflict for me in school and, but hearing the stories, phone calls from the school, yeah, sometimes. And to hear the stories now about some things that weren't the most comfortable for you to do, but that you did because you're an advocate for me and like you really want that relationship to work and you, you know, you believe in our relationship and it was just cool like to hear those moments of you really stepping in and 'cause that built something in me to want to do the same for other people.
27:25
Like I think that's why now I have that strong just like sense of justice for people and I want to do that. 'cause I want people to know that I'm like in their corner as well.
27:37
I think some things that didn't work were maybe we would both do it, but you know, like you said earlier, trying to protect ourselves. Mm. Because in a way we're just going in circles and we really had to figure that out through a lot of, a lot of conversations. Yeah. And a lot of escalations and conversation. And it seems like it's something that would work, that didn't work. Like, you know, you think it would be best to protect yourself so that you can protect the other person. But really that was more harmful in the long run. 'cause what we really wanted was what was best for each other. But when you do that, sometimes it doesn't, you know, it doesn't fully work out that way. And, but I, but we've gotten through that and we've shifted our approaches with that. And so I think that was also what worked well was the, you know, letting off the reins, which seems hard to do 'cause giving up control is super hard.
28:41
Yeah. Everyone's natural instinct is to want to have control over something. 'cause chaos is, you know, no fun for anybody. Right. And we want harmony, we want peace. So we do everything we can to control it. But that, that really, like you've talked about, has set us both free because we still know we have each other's back. Yeah. But that was super helpful because, but but it, at the same time it was almost like, are you sure? Like are you sure I really have that freedom? But it really did wonders for us and we were able to talk about the things that didn't work and we were able to use those things that didn't work to figure out what would work for us and what has. And I think it really created a, a, I don't know, a, I don't know, our style changed to work better together. Yeah. And it was more unified than us trying to play tug of war on who, who needed this or that. But really it was working together. So I like that it shifted that
29:45
Yeah. That that was a big deal. 'cause it took both of us, didn't it? Yeah. I mean because we both, we kind of got to a point where it was like this is either gonna work or not. And it wasn't like we weren't gonna have a relationship. Yeah. It was like this is our, we're kind of getting to a crucial point where we have to be vulnerable and say what we're afraid is gonna happen. Like for me, my, you know, my biggest fear was that I would parent you in a way that caused you to be like, the second I'm out this door, I don't wanna have a relationship with mom. 'cause I knew I, you know, wasn't perfect. And I was like, am I the most annoying mom? Like, what's happening here? And, and I also, this wasn't fair to you, but I also doubted the grace that you were giving me.
30:29
'cause I was like, no, but for real I raised my voice or no, but for real I forgot something. Or I like, and I was very hard on myself because 'cause like parenting you and your brother is, you know, one of the most important roles of my life. Things happen to my business. Things happen when I volunteer. Even with your dad, it's different. He and I have a different relationship where it's like there's so much more give and take with my kids. I'm like, I can't expect I'm the adult here. I need to get a lot more things right. I need to give them all the grace, but I wouldn't give myself grace. And so as I was giving myself more grace and as I saw you give it to me, it was like, whoa, this is awesome. Like the layers were kind of peeled back.
31:08
And I just said to you at one point, I was like, I'm afraid that if we have conflict about things and if we don't get it right, which whatever that meant, who knows what I meant by get it right? Right. But like, if we don't get this right that we won't have a relationship and I care so much about being in your life in any capacity that you want me in your life. Like I am here for you. This matters to me. And you were like, you were, you honestly looked at me like, for real? Is that what you're worried about? Like, I'm not going anywhere. Yeah. Like I, you know, we're, this is fine. I I I love you, we're gonna be fine, but we have to talk more about these things and say, you know, your dad uses that phrase like the last 2%.
31:48
Like the, that means we say the things that bother us, but there's maybe just a handful of words that feel the most vulnerable and unsafe to say. And we've said those things like we've said them and we even have different perspectives on things that have happened in our lives. And we don't even have to say we completely agree on all of that. It's like, no, I, I respect your experience and I honor you for that. I would never say I got everything right. But what does it look like for us to own our stuff and, you know, apologize, but also show respect. What does that look like? And so I'm, I'm so thankful that we have been able to, it is been kind of like a moving needle. But we've followed it like once we were like, oh wait, we're actually on the same team.
32:35
Yeah. Let's do this together. And we're still figuring that out. I mean I don't wanna, I don't want anyone listening to this today being like, oh wow, that's perfect. No, it's, it's really not. But the safety and the vulnerability of our conversations has shifted to the point where even to the point where you just, you know, walked in a few months ago and you're like, mom, I'm gonna be on your podcast. And I was like, okay, whatever. You know, well who knows what we're gonna talk about? And we've talked about a bunch of different things that we would talk about and then it was kind of like, well we'll hit record and we'll just talk about whatever we talk about. Right. And that's kind of how you and I function.
33:10
As we wrap up, I thought it would be interesting to kind of hear from you as far as what you think something would be really helpful for moms who follow Jesus. You know, like someone like me moms who follow Jesus who are in the workplace. What would be something important that would be maybe even encouraging to them Mackenzie as they think about, you know, if they're raising more than one kid, they're raising two very different kids, right? Like as soon as you have a second kid it's like wow, this is a whole other different human. So how would you encourage women listening to this who are trying to lead and develop kids that maybe they feel unequipped to raise?
33:59
I would, I think I have two things. Hmm. We talked about how, yeah, it's your first time raising me and it's my first time having you as a mother like that. That's true for everybody. This is your one lifetime. It's both of your first lifetimes and you're navigating it together. So the pressure, any pressure that you're putting on yourself, you can release that because you know you're going through it together. And I think that's, that's huge because you have to stop and pause and it really calms you down because it's like, yeah, it's okay that there's some frustrations or the feelings of being ill equipped. But it's like, yeah. So all of us are at times, you know, and you don't have to get it perfect. And I think the second thing would be that it, it looks, it's okay that it looks different for, you know, child to child or for yourself.
35:07
It doesn't have to look the same as everybody else. And that's been helpful I think for us because I know that my relationship with people and with God doesn't have to look the same as yours and it doesn't have to look the same as everybody else's. And I think just knowing that gives like a peace of mind and yeah. That's super helpful. I, I think just taking time to realize you don't have to have it all together. Even if it's cliche it, it is true. Like it, it doesn't need to be fixed this second. It's okay. And I've, I've loved saying this with the two of us, you know, like sitting in it. Yes. Like you sit in some frustrations in grief and whatever emotion you're feeling sit in it but don't dwell on it. 'cause I think that, I think those two are different.
36:10
If you dwell on it, you become so immersed into it that it may be hard to get yourself out of it. And I think if you sit in it, you can sit in it with other people and that's been super helpful. Like we sit in frustration with each other and when we do that, we share whatever emotions so that we all feel it. It's instead of one person taking it all on, everybody gets to know it and we can all like build each other back up. So I would say yeah, sit with things but don't allow yourself to be consumed.
36:44
Yeah. Well we have to end on that because that is such a high note. Thank you for sharing that wisdom. Mackenzie, you have always been wise beyond your years. I'm so proud of you and I'm so thankful that you came to share with me and everyone listening today. And gosh, yeah, I'm still just thinking about what you said because you know, those have even been things we've really just learned the last few years and I'm so thankful as I think about your future, future and all that God is doing in your life right now, all that he's going to do, I'm like worshiping ahead of time as I just see him work in you and through you. And imagine what you and your brother and your generation is going to do is really a personal encouragement to, to me. And I'm thankful for your leadership and your example in my life.
37:35
Yeah.
37:35
Alright friends, well thank you so much for joining us for this episode. Have a wonderful week and I'll catch you next time.
37:47
Hey lady, are you looking for some inspiration? Check out my blog for insights on leadership decision making, your career money and more. It is a treasure trove of knowledge and ideas that is waiting for you. And I update it every week. Dive in now@danabycoaching.com. Let's explore together.
