Episode 79 | Hope Over Hustle: The Keys to Sustainable Leadership

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Welcome to the Lead with Hope
podcast.

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I'm so grateful that you're
here.

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On this episode, I am sharing a
glimpse into our very first

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Empower Her mastermind session
titled Heart, Home and Hustle, a

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faith-based approach to
leadership.

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And today, we're going to focus
in on the hustle, that constant

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drive to do more, to hold it all
together, constantly pushing

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even when your heart feels
tired.

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So if you've ever felt
stretched, then stretched

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between your calling and your
capacity, this conversation's

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for you.
So TuneIn, listen closely and

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let me know what resonates with
you.

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Before we get started, I want to
thank our legacy partner, Craig

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Williams, founder of Commissary
as Spark Hope.

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We believe this story matters
because story shapes how we

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lead, how we connect, and how we
show up in the world.

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Commissary helps authors and
leaders bring clarity to their

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story and confidence to their
voice so their brand truly

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reflects who they are.
You can learn more about their

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work by visiting the link in
today's show notes or on the

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Spark Hope website.
Thank you, Commissary, for

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supporting the Lead with Hope
podcast.

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As women leaders, we all carry.
So much of this image is a great

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representation of everything
that we carry.

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We are taking care of the things
going on within us.

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Things weigh on us.
We have a heavy heart sometimes

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and we're navigating that along
with a tired mind, the family

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life, a heavy heavyweight, and
that may be trauma or

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difficulties in the
relationships or maybe even in

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the home meetings, clerical
duties, these longer hours.

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We are responsible for so many
things and for a long time, my

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identity was so tied to what I
could produce.

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There was a time when I was a
Superintendent that I thought

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that business was kind of a
badge of honor.

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My calendar was super full.
My inbox, even though I am that

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person that likes to have Gmail,
my Gmail app on my phone, it

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needs to be a 0.
But it was never emptied.

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People were relying on me
constantly and from the outside

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everything looked fine.
But on those rare days that the

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pace slowed, instead of feeling
relief, I'll be honest with you,

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I was almost restless and that's
when I noticed something

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underneath it all, my worth was
tied to the results I could

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produce.
That is a question that is very

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subtle but also very dangerous.
Is your worth tied to what you

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can produce?
Your title, the work that you

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do?
When productivity becomes the

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measure of your worth, rest
starts to feel irresponsible and

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stillness feels like a weakness.
When I transitioned out of the

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superintendency, I felt that
quiet whisper, felt like God was

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telling me to be still.
He was interrupting me with that

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command.
Be still and know that I am God.

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And I want you to notice here
that God doesn't say be.

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Be efficient and know that I am
God.

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He doesn't say do more and prove
that you trust me.

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He tells us to be still.
Stillness is not laziness.

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It's an act of trust and an act
of obedience.

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Sometimes when we as leaders
refuse to be still, the hustle

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quietly becomes a substitution
for our faith and we act as if

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everything depends on us.
I mean, think about that.

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Have you ever felt like
everything was on your

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shoulders, your effort, your
speed, your output?

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Psalm 4610.
It reminds us of something that

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I have found very grounding and
very freeing in the season of my

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life.
God is in control even when we

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stop striving.
Your worth is not tied to how

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much you can produce, and your
leadership is not sustained by

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constant motion.
Your influence doesn't disappear

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when you pause.
Stillness restores your

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perspective, and when
perspective is restored, hustle

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can finally be guided by
alignment instead of pressure.

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Take that in.
When perspective is restored,

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hustle can finally be guided by
alignment instead of pressure.

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You know Jesus in the Bible, he,
he modeled this for us.

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He modeled purposeful work and
intentional rest.

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His disciples were doing the
most important work.

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They were going from town to
town feeding people.

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They were healing people.
They were ministering to people,

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but he knew that rest was
essential, and he modeled this

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as a consistent practice on the
screen.

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I have several scriptures that
point to this.

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Mark 135.
Very early in the morning, he

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went off to a solitary place and
he prayed.

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Luke 516 reminds us that Jesus
often withdrew to lonely places

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and he prayed, and then that
pattern is repeated in Matthew

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and again in Luke with the
Scriptures that I have provided

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there for you.
Here's the truth, guys.

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If Jesus needed quiet time,
golly, I definitely need it.

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Stillness is important.
It is so very important, but

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work is also important, and the
Bible teaches us that it's good

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and alignment makes it
sustainable.

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Ecclesiastes 910 tells us
whatever your hands fine to do,

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do it with your whole might.
Do it with all of your might.

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Our biggest drain in the hustle
isn't usually our workload.

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It's our limiting beliefs.
It's our mindset, negative self

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talk, our endeavors to do more,
to be more.

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But here is the truth, we can
change that.

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We have the power to make that
choice.

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And through mindset work and
practical systems, that's what I

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do.
I help leaders replace fear

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driven hustle with clarity
driven action.

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So a daily question that I asked
myself is what deserves my heart

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today, not just my time?
That alignment again, what

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deserves my heart today?
When I filter my hustle through

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this lens, asking what truly
deserves my energy, I start

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choosing with intention rather
than reacting out of fear and

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doubt or even habit.
The leaders who thrive aren't

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the ones that are constantly
doing more.

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They're the ones that move with
clarity and conviction.

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That helps you to move
undistracted by yourself,

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imposed, limiting thoughts.
Sustainable leadership requires

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alignment.
This is a simple framework that

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my husband and I have always
used in our home.

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We put God first.
God is always first.

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That is our goal.
We fall short of that goal

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sometimes because we're human.
But God is first.

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And then our spouse.
After that is our children and

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our grandchildren and then
finally work and everything

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else.
This is biblical.

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When your priorities are aligned
in this way, then you can have

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clarity and sustainability.
Scripture tells us to love God

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first, and I love this scripture
because it reminds us that

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loving the Lord your God with
all of your heart, with all of

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your soul, and with all of your
mind, this is the first and the

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greatest commandment.
Loving God anchors our values

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and it shapes our vision, gives
us the strength to lead with

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purpose.
And then after that we're told

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to love people.
Scripture in first, John 411 and

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12 says, dear friends, since God
loved us, we also ought to love

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one another.
No one has ever seen God.

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But if we love one another, God
lives in US and his love is made

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complete in US.
Leadership is relational.

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There's no bones about that.
And when we lead with love, we

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invest in people.
We invest in people first.

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I am my disk profile.
I am a Heidi.

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So I love people.
But sometimes I get sidetracked

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by the tasks.
The doing, you know, the doing

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instead of the being.
And every year I do John

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Gordon's one word challenge.
Last year I chose the word

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thrive.
This year I chose the word love

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because that's what I want more
of in my life.

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You've heard that saying hurting
people hurt people, but there is

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hope for the hurting when we
choose to love.

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And I believe we all need that
as as people.

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That's why these communities are
so important is we need a

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community to love us and to lift
us up and to help us be the best

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version of ourselves.
That connection refuels our

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resilience and it refuels our
impact.

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And then the last is serving
all.

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Each of you should use whatever
gift you have to serve others as

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faithful stewards of God's grace
in his various forms.

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Service reminds us that
leadership is not about your

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title, it's about your influence
and your stewardship and your

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contribution.
Serving creates that alignment

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between our actions and our
values.

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And when we lead from our gifts,
when we all have giftings, but

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when we lead from our gifts, the
focus is shifted to using what

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we have to serve other people.
Loving God, loving people, and

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serving all.
Very simple, sustainable

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leadership starts with who you
are and who you're becoming from

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the heart.
And when those internal habits

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support your for external
actions, alignment can happen

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naturally.
This requires two kinds of

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habits, being habits and doing
habits.

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And the being habits are the
internal inner habits.

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Things going on inside of you
like your attitude, cultivating

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that attitude of gratitude,
developing heart for other

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people, choosing faith over
fear, practicing stillness and

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reflection, and nurturing your
self-awareness.

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The doing habits are the
external habits.

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They shape what you accomplish.
They they shape how you are

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living out your purpose every
day, how you're serving others

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with excellence, building
collaborative relationships and

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setting and achieving goals.
And both being habits and doing

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habits are essential to my
system of hope.

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They're all very important in
helping you become the best

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version of yourself.
I'll pause for just a moment

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because I want to tell you about
a partner who truly aligned with

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the heart of this podcast.
Here on Lead with Hope, we

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talked a lot about clarity,
Clarity of purpose, clarity of

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voice, and clarity of direction.
And that's exactly where

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Commissary comes in.
They help leaders, educators,

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and change makers uncover the
story behind their work and

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share it in a way that feels
honest, meaningful, and deeply

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aligned with who they are.
If you've ever felt the nudge to

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write a book, refine your
message, or build a brand that

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actually reflects your values,
not just your resume, Commissary

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doesn't rush you or vox you in.
They walk alongside you, helping

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you shape your story with
intention and integrity.

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You can learn more by clicking
their link in the show notes or

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visiting them through the Spark
Hope website.

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A big thank you to Craig
Williams at Commissary for being

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a legacy sponsor of this podcast
and for investing in stories

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that matter.
Because when we share our

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stories with clarity and hope,
real change happens.

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You can join us each month if
you join the Spark Hope

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Community.
And this is a membership

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community that has been curated
for women who lead with heart.

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But you don't want to do it
alone.

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Inside this community, you're
going to receive the monthly

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Masterminds, a powerful midday
space to refuel your leadership.

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These masterminds are practical,
purposeful, and real.

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Because real leaders don't need
fluff.

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They need clarity, support, and
strategies that actually work in

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everyday life.
You will also get access to a

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full course.
It's called Why Hope Matters and

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it talk.
It walks you through the system

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of hope and the research that I
used in designing that system of

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hope.
Why Hope is not just a feeling,

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but it's a framework for
resilient leadership.

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Plus, you're going to get the
replays of all of these

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masterminds.
So when life gets busy and

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you're pulled in 100 different
directions, you can still join

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us.
You can still persist,

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participate with learning on
your schedule, and as a member,

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you will also receive within
that community purpose driven

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tools, strategies, early access
to upcoming events, all designed

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to help you lead with
confidence, clarity and

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alignment.
But just as important as all of

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that, you'll also get access to
each other.

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There's a discussion board
within this community where you

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can share information, you can
ask problems of practice, you

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can ask about experiences and
really connect with women who

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are exactly where you're at in
the leadership journey.

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A supportive network of female
leaders who understand the

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weight that you're carrying
right now and the importance of

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hope.
And be reminded that you're not

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doing this alone and you don't
have to.

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So if you're looking for that
kind of space and you would like

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to join us, we've had dropped a
link and you can check it out,

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you can learn more.
And there are two options.

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And this is an introductory
pricing for this year.

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You can either do it $37 a month
or you can get a little discount

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with $400 a year.
Thank you for being here today

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and spending your time with us.
And remember, fuel your life

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with hope.
Embrace your purpose and shine

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your light for others.
And if today's conversation

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00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:30,720
encouraged you, I'd love help in
spreading hope.

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00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:35,440
Leave a five star rating and
share this episode with a friend

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00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,080
or a colleague.
It all helps us reach more

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00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:41,640
leaders who need this message of
hope right now.

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Hope isn't just something we
hold, it's how we live and it's

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how we lead.
So until next time, keep leading

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with hope.