Hey Steph! How are you doing? I'm good, I just wanted to turn the mute off.
Good, how are you? I'm doing good. Yeah, I had mute on, I didn't realize.
Are you home? Yeah, I'm at my parents' house, so this is as close to a home as I have.
I'm in the room in which it stored all of the things in my closet.
I don't know, it's good, I'm very happy. I'm actually headed out on the road tomorrow.
Oh, really? Yes, I'm headed to North Carolina for a conference,
and then I don't know where I'm going to go from there,
and then I'm eventually going to end up for two weeks in November in Houston for two other conferences.
I did not mean to make traveling be all about conferences, but so far it's been a really big factor.
Are you going to catch Holly? I'm going to try.
We're going to see if we can connect in Asheville,
because they're going to be there in Asheville for a little bit of an overlap.
Well, not in Asheville, they're going to be near Asheville, which is where I'm going to be,
and so we're going to see if we can have a bit of overlap, so we'll see how that works out.
Yeah, so how are you feeling? Feeling all right?
I'm good, really good. I kind of turned a corner last week and was like, oh, I feel better than I did before.
Oh, I'm glad. Good.
Yes, much better.
I was going to say, you're looking like you're feeling better.
Yeah. Oh, yeah, I looked pretty rough for a couple weeks, I'm sure.
No, you didn't look rough, you just felt, you just looked like you felt tired, you know,
and just kind of lack of as much energy.
Hey, Linda.
You're in, you've got no sleeves on.
My goodness, the weather must be real pretty up there.
It's starting to turn cool where it is here.
I'm in Indio, California.
Oh, that's right. I forgot. I forgot you're not in Missouri right now. It's beautiful.
How's the trip going?
It was 107 degrees today.
Oh, my word.
Does it ever get up to 107 in Missouri?
Well, we haven't had 107 all year.
Wow. Oh, my word.
I'm having as few clothes on as possible.
It looks gorgeous.
Oh, my word.
So pretty.
Somewhere over there is a mountain.
There, mountains.
Let's see.
Yes, I can.
Are y'all near any fires?
I mean, have you noticed that your view is kind of fuzzy from fires, like smoke?
Hazy.
Yeah.
Hazy, hazy.
Hazy, yeah.
Yeah, it was.
I didn't get as far as California.
Yeah, I didn't get as far as California, but in Colorado, they were having fires.
And so it was the mountains were hazy.
And I went to Colorado twice.
And, you know, once from your place.
When we left y'all, we went to Kansas City for three nights and then Denver for three nights.
And in Denver, we didn't realize how many mountains we were surrounded by until I left Denver and then came back.
And when I went back a week later, all of a sudden there were all of these mountains that I hadn't known existed because the haze was gone.
So, anyway.
So I'm sorry your view is a little hazy.
Okay.
Oh, looks like you're frozen.
So.
Oh, there we go.
Catching a little bit of sound every now and then.
That's why I was freezing.
My son is better than my signal outside. Oh, okay. Okay. Are you in a hotel or in someone's home?
We have condos. Oh, nice.
Yeah, so I've got three bed condo in California and I go to ocean.
Oh my goodness. Let's see here.
I think I'm missing people. Let's see here. Bye.
Nope. Maybe they're all all in. So apparently, I don't know if I need to fix the settings, but
I think that zoom has changed everything where now I have to admit everybody from the waiting room
and I didn't used to have to do that. So I don't know if there's a hopefully there's a hopefully
it's just a default that came with some kind of an update. And I can go in and fix that. So don't
so y'all don't have to sit there and wait in the waiting room.
Anyway. Hey, Laurie, how are you?
Good. How are you? Good. It's so nice to see you. And I watched your video. Absolutely loved it.
I don't know if you've got my return video. So I was at dinner. Yeah, I was at dinner. And so I
didn't get to see it. And my mom took me out to dinner before I leave tomorrow. And so anyway,
so I just got back and right before I jumped on, I left you a little video. So anyway,
I was so excited to hear what you had to say. There's nothing like nothing like the Lord
meeting us. It's huge. It's absolutely huge. I mean, it's such a it's always so touching when,
you know, our lover, you know, talks to us in the language that we need to that we need to hear him
in. So it was like a new Yeah, new experience. I don't know. I know. It's wild, isn't it? It's
wild. Yeah, when the Lord began to, when I began to interact with the Lord and talk to him like
that, and he would look at me, then it's like, you know, your world changes. You're like, I didn't
know it can be like this. I didn't know he felt this way about me. I didn't know that he would
like that. I'm so excited. And hey, April, how are you?
I can't see you, but I see your lovely picture. I'm assuming that's you and your mom.
So April and Lori have just joined this week since,
um, since our last Thursday call. So that's very exciting.
Well, let's see here. Okay, so does, oh, I don't know why I keep forgetting to do this,
but I keep forgetting to, um, maybe I can find something I keep forgetting to make sure that I
come on with, um, with a backup plan. If no one has a question and I can start out with,
oh, okay. Well, I was talking to a client about such and such earlier this week. Okay. I've got
something, but, um, uh, talk to my client about this earlier this week. And so, um, just kind of
get to get the ball rolling, but I always prefer if one of y'all has a question to start us out
with instead of me having to like pull into my, into my backup bag, something we could talk about.
Does anyone have any, any questions or anything they wanted to talk about or bring up or anything
they've been going through, um, with the Lord at all? So otherwise, yeah.
So I didn't know if you had anything in any of your
library videos that talked different, sabbaths or doing this rest intensive on a 24 seven basis
for the rest of our life. Um, I don't, I think it would be a good one. Um, I think that generally
speaking that, um, well, that God introduces that the principle of rest to us, um, in,
in a variety of ways. And so there are ways in which it's, it's not like it's concentrated,
but it's almost like, uh, lack of a better phrase, a rock of remembrance or whatever.
And that would be kind of like the daily, the daily, uh, not the daily, the, um, well,
we do have the daily rest, you know, during, um, during the eight hours at night, as well as, um,
you know, our weekly rest and then the, how the Bible would talk to Israelites about,
um, letting the land rest. I think it was every 70 years and things like that. So there's
ways in which he talks about implementing rest into our routine and our schedules,
particularly though in the old covenant. Um, but I, I believe that generally speaking,
kind of like in the 60 fold that it's like a, like a jacket or a rock.
of remembrance, it's something like, okay, so this is what it's like to rest.
This is the idea that I'm talking about that I'm trying to convey to, you know, the Lord
saying, you know, I'm trying to convey to my children, but he wants to teach us how
we are already, once especially we transfer into the new covenant, how it's actually of
our very essence and it's of our very DNA.
It's, it's, I mean, it, we have a right to it due to our DNA and the fact that it's actually
a place we abide in and that we can do everything from.
We don't have to stop everything in order to have it.
The interesting thing about the fact that in the old Testament, you had to stop everything
in order to have it.
Is it allowed for us to very clearly see the delineation between the only way that we understood
activity, which was in striving versus rest, that you literally could not do anything on
the Sabbath.
And so kind of like the priest going into going into the Holy of Holies, they weren't
allowed to sweat.
It showed the very marked delineation between between anything that had to do with strife
and rest, that nothing of strife could enter rest.
But as far, I don't think that it's wrong to have a practice of having, you know, following
the Sabbath, you know, every, every week or anything like that.
I don't think that it's obviously required anymore, et cetera, but I believe that it's
just one of those things that it just allows us in very clear ways, kind of like we stop
and observe festivals, or we stop and observe, and we, we, we're supposed to abide with God
all day, but we set aside specific times in order to meet with him very intimately where
we literally aren't doing anything else and we hide in our closet and whatever.
And yet we're not, not without him the rest of the day.
I think it's the Sabbath is just kind of like that.
There might be more to it.
I'm sure that Dr. O can talk about it, but that at least is the way that I see it can
related to what we're talking about in rest intensive.
Did that answer your question?
Yeah.
Thank you.
Sure.
Hey, Alana.
Oh, there you are, April.
Hello.
You didn't have to get on visually, but I always like to see everybody, so it's just
like, oh, where's April?
I haven't gotten to see her today.
So, does anyone have anything else that they have thought of?
I think I can think of one more thing, but I was going to want to do, I've already talked
about it and I want to do a live on it anyway, so just anything that maybe that y'all have
been going through with the Lord or some way in which you were struggling to shift
into rest this week, or maybe a victory that you've had.
I for one was struggling with things this week, and I do, like everybody, I do.
And so, it was very interesting how I had to shift into that.
I don't always, you know how I recommend that you kind of walk through first just telling
yourself to just stop, talking to your soul and your body and just telling yourself, stop.
Whatever it is you're doing, just stop.
Just let it go.
And that you don't even have to know what it is that your soul and your body's hanging
onto in order to tell it to stop, to let go of.
You just need to tell it, hey, look, whatever it is you're doing, let go of it.
I mentioned how that doesn't always work, and that sometimes if that doesn't work, well,
then you move on to another step, and then you move on to, and then eventually you move
on to choosing.
You know, you just go through these progressions.
Well, I was very surprised because the thing that I was struggling, that I was feeling
restless about, that I was feeling very much not at peace, was an emotional thing.
It wasn't necessarily an event that was happening or somebody that was in front of me that was
doing something or hurting me or anything.
It was something that I was just emotionally struggling with due to my own past experiences
and my own fears, and I was being triggered.
And so, they were all coming up.
And I was very surprised with how deeply rooted that I was.
I have that I had believed this thing to be in my life that I was actually able to shift
into rest and let go of things simply by telling myself to stop.
I was very surprised because which goes to prove that it's not necessarily that our ability
to stop or I should say that our inability to just tell ourselves to stop and for it
to work isn't necessarily connected to the intensity of it.
Because I was really, really holding on to this thing.
I mean this thing just was greatly affecting me.
It was something that was very deep.
Now I do believe that I've had an extreme amount of healing in this area and it was
in, how would you put it, I don't know how to describe it.
So I know that where I was going was a deeper level and that I've already overcome so much
in that one area that this was just a deeper route that was being pulled up and I was dealing
with it.
But still, I was very surprised that I was able to actually shift into rest simply by
telling myself to stop.
In other words, by coming into my identity and acknowledging my identity and my spirit
and understanding I'm the king and I'm the Lord that my soul and my body are looking
for and just like the rest of creation, it's subject to frustration.
It's terrified.
It's scared.
It thinks that it's been just like the accusation that we have against the Lord of I'm in lack,
I'm not being protected and provided for, I'm on my own, I've been abandoned or whatever,
that my soul and my body respond to my spirit in the same way.
So my body believes that it's in lack, that it's not being provided for and taken care
of.
So when I acknowledge and I realize that and come into agreement with the fact that my
identity is in my spirit and my spirit is the king that my soul and that my body need.
And when that king presents itself, my soul and my body calm down.
So I just think it was so fascinating to me that something as intense as what it was that
I was emotionally going through, in other words, the intensity of the restlessness that
I was experiencing and how deeply rooted that particular issue that I was dealing with is.
I was just really, really pleasantly surprised at how quickly it responded to my authority
in coming in and just saying, Hey, look, I'm your king, I'm your Lord.
And I'm telling you, there's no reason for you to be afraid.
I'm talking to my soul and my body that way.
There's no reason for you to be afraid, whatever it is that you are holding on to, where you
believe that you have to provide for and protect yourself.
You've been abandoned, that I've abandoned you, it's just not true.
And I'm here presenting myself and you can calm down and I've calmed down.
So I was really surprised about that.
So I was excited because I'm constantly learning.
As I move into deeper measures, sorry, I have to plug my phone in because it's decided
that it's running out of juice, even though I tried to charge it up before I got on.
That I'm still, I'm continuing to learn fascinating things, as I implement in my own life, what
it is that I teach in the Rest Intensive, because you know that this is how I learn
this stuff, when I teach in the Rest Intensive.
Yes, some of the foundational things were I learned from other people, but things like
about like this stuff, like the practical things of like, you start, you do this and
you talk to your soul and you talk to your body and all of that, that was stuff that
the Lord revealed to me about how to shift into rest in my own life because I was so
miserable and I was, I just felt oppressed and set against, et cetera.
So anyway, so that was something that I went through this weekend, this week, and maybe
I think it was day before yesterday, might have been yesterday, might have been yesterday
and it feels a lot longer ago, but it was either yesterday or the day before yesterday.
So I was really, really glad about that.
So that was, that was the victory for me.
Sorry, I thought someone else came on.
Do we raise our hands or?
Oh no, you can just hop on.
Yeah, I can.
and figure it out when someone unmutes themselves.
That's my clue.
Okay.
So I was, had been for a few months
and the day before I was supposed to leave
for 12 days in California,
three I got and four I staffed with.
So it would have been the most impossible time
for me to leave and go a day to day person.
Unfeeling, uncaring, abandoning ship
in the middle of crisis, being staffed already
was every reason ever
that I would not come.
So that was really hard getting on the plane
to come to California when they were all just diagnosed.
So you had no idea if anybody in the hospital
or I convinced myself that I would be better suited
in a different place and praying,
which was, so I mean, I have been praying
and three of them already say they're good,
but we just found out that the 13 year daughter
was in the house diagnosed today.
So, you know, it's an ongoing,
all the people that were exposed,
it's an ongoing how many more or less.
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm sorry about that.
I'm really sorry about that.
I'm glad, I'm excited to hear that,
that you chose to still go ahead and leave
was that in other words to,
because there's a measure of rest
in which you were operating.
And was that challenging?
Very, because Martha would always say I had to be there.
That's right.
Martha personalities of the company.
It's like, of course, I'm gonna stay.
Of course, I'm gonna help out.
Of course, I'm gonna get the front lines,
put my situation in front of them
because everybody else is gonna lead by my example.
So, but I did offer to give everybody
time and a half in my absence.
Anyone who chooses to work with these clients
that are positive COVID will get paid
time and a half for every hour that they did help.
And then I did give bonuses to people
that were gonna be in charge while I was gone.
Yeah, yeah.
That was huge.
That's really huge.
I'm so excited for you, Linda.
Because yes, and for those of you who don't know,
so Linda often talks about,
when she was talking about Martha,
she was talking about that,
Mary and Martha in the Bible,
and the Martha that always feeling like
there's always something that has to be done,
that always have something that has to be accomplished.
And which is wonderful and good.
But when we're talking about it in relationship
to feeling, to striving in order to,
in order and not being in rest,
then it's a problem.
And so anyway, so that's what Linda was talking about
when she was using the Martha.
And she was saying, oh, Martha would always.
So I know.
And that's a thing that women a lot of time deal with,
especially people like Linda,
because Linda's very, very driven.
She built a very, very successful business
and now has built an additional
multiple successful businesses.
And so for her to have all of the temptation
at the weight of all of this on her shoulders,
because we can be tempted to take all of that on
is a very, very, very big deal
to shift into, to understand how to shift into rest.
So anyway, that's the reference
that she was making to Martha.
I'm so excited for you, Linda, that's huge.
Because you were talking about operating,
leading by example.
And this is the best example to give
of like actually practicing what you preach.
All of these guest speakers that you bring in
and how you actually step out and follow the Lord
and whatever it is that he reveals and says,
and that they'll be able to see through your example
that you embody the fact that God can be trusted.
That if he says something, it really is true.
And it really, he's really is enough to sustain them.
And there's nothing to be afraid
because you're at their watch,
you risk everything on his character.
So that's great.
That's right.
Let's see.
Anybody else?
Is there anything?
Well, can I ask you a kind of a bit of a strange, strange thing has come up for me tonight.
And it's kind of like, you know, I loved your Marco Polo the other day.
That was really helpful and I'll respond to that separately.
And what I noticed came up for me today was a struggle around charging people money for
coaching them.
I I've been struggling to sell my coaching because I work with Christian women and I
work with Christian women who are wanting to overcome pain and hurt and like live God's
vision.
Right.
And I have this guilty conscience about asking them for money.
I want to lower the price so that they will all be able to afford it.
I want to not charge too much because I don't want to leave anyone out.
Even though I know people care more about what they pay more money for usually like
the more value to them when they spend more money.
I also know people have soul ties around money and it helps to call them into something different
and but I I don't know how to reconcile this and believe that it's OK as a Christian to
charge other Christians money where I feel like I should just be giving it away for free
to anyone who's interested because then I am serving everyone and I don't.
It's weird.
Like I've even had these thoughts about when I go up to heaven is God going to be like
you should not have charged people money for that.
You should have been doing it as like an offering and service.
And so I don't know I've had some tears tonight because of it and I just I don't even know.
I don't know what to do.
Yeah.
The multiple things I could say about it but I'll start with this.
And that is the fact that with because people's souls are attached to money and can be greatly
affected by money and then it lets it's it how how how do I approach this.
Yes it does let you know how serious they are but more importantly it it doesn't just
let them know how important it is to them.
It actually is is a way for them to make their first step towards their own healing because
you can't heal them.
So for those of you who don't you don't remember a lot of works with people who have been through
very severe trauma and are trying to heal and overcome all of those wounds.
So so one of the issues with people who've been through trauma is a lot of times they
come at it with a very victimized mentality.
They have been so worn down over the years either either they were susceptible to it
anyway or they became susceptible to it.
For instance someone like me who's an extremely strong person that the world would term is
very very independent.
Even I developed a victimized mentality because of how long that I'm that I was in the situations
that I was in and then it just wore me down.
The point is that regardless of how someone gets there it can develop it can develop yes
a victimized mentality but a poverty mindset that gets attributed to multiple areas of
their life including their relationship to money.
It'll it'll manifest and express itself there.
So it so money is a touchy subject when you talk about anything especially when you're
talking to people that have gone through abuse being taken advantage of by other people and
etc.
So just want to catch everybody up on where we are.
And so when as far as like the money or whatever it allows it allows them to actually make
the first step towards their healing because they you can't fix that.
You can't fix them.
You can't heal them.
They have to do it and the money is so is such a small step that they have to make in
comparison with what in themselves they're going to have to face that if they can't get
past that then they then the livelihood that they're going to be able to overcome and face
the other aspects of themselves is is less.
I'm not trying to just to proclaim that for anybody.
I am just painting this this concept of very broad brushstroke.
Now yes there are things such as well.
people have more money than other people.
And then so money is actually very relative.
It's $5 to one person could be a drop in the bucket
while it could be half of somebody else's money
that they have left.
So I do understand that it's relative.
So the way that the Lord had me structure things
for the rest intensive really surprised me
because you remember as a turnaround business consultant,
I used to teach people how to price.
I didn't used to teach people how to price
the way I'm pricing.
The Lord had to teach me this
because this is not what I've taught.
And used to teach people how to price things
at very, very high at very high ticket.
So that, but what it is that the Lord,
that the Lord showed me is he showed me,
actually this has to do about everybody.
This is all about the other person.
It, and yes, it's money's relative to them.
So make it relative to them,
but put the, what he had me do is he had me require,
the thing that he had me require of them
was commitment to change.
That's really the cost of the program.
It's not money because people can make,
can give me one cent.
I've told people that all the time when they joined us
that it can be one cent, it doesn't matter.
But what they understand is required
is they have to, they understand the seriousness
of what they're committing themselves to for themselves
and that they're committing to change.
According to whatever it is,
their father reveals to them in their spirit,
you know, on the journey.
So that just a bit about how I transitioned
into the what I'm doing and why.
I do not believe that everybody needs to do
what it is that I'm doing.
In fact, I think that very few people,
if hardly anybody would necessarily be called
to do what it is that I'm doing.
I shocked myself that this is what I'm doing.
Point is that there's nothing wrong
with doing it the way that I am
or doing it the way that I used to do,
which is where you have set a certain dollar amount
and you say, if you have, I'm just making something up.
You set a particular dollar amount and say,
this is the cost of the program.
What's important is, and what is going to give you peace
in your conscience and in your heart,
is if you take that before the Lord
and know from the Lord, okay, Lord,
this is the dollar amount that, you know,
what's the dollar amount that we wanna go for?
What is the threshold?
Because the Lord knows who he wants in your program
and the Lord knows, you know, the amount that,
the value threshold that he wants you to,
what is the word?
Put in monetary terms.
So I think that it's just important that,
for your own peace, that you just,
that you just make that determination in your heart,
with your heart, you know, in the Lord.
Lord, this is what I would like to do.
What is your heart and what would you like me to do?
But there's nothing wrong with money.
Money, and that's kind of my point here.
There's nothing wrong with money.
We have a very unhealthy perspective of money
because we're so used to thinking that it is the thing
that is going to provide our protection and provision.
And if we're taking the very thing
that provides our protection,
that provides for or protects somebody else,
the very means by which their world hinges,
that we're now abusing them.
It's because we have an unhealthy perspective of money.
We think that that money is somebody else's savior.
And that if we're using money in order to help them,
we're taking away their savior.
And so therefore it puts us in as part of the system
that is abusing them.
So no wonder we feel bad about charging people to help them.
But that's actually not accurate.
There's, God can provide the means for anybody
to be able to join your program.
You just determine with the Lord
what that value should be.
And he will use that value to help other people
filter themselves out as to whether or not
yours is the program they're going to join.
It's almost a means by which people can.
There's not a word, that filter isn't the word
that I usually use for that.
What's that word?
But anyway, they determine,
it puts the ball in their court
as to whether or not they want to join your program.
It is the value of that dollar.
out to them.
And so, but you always leave the decision up to them.
You're not coercing anybody.
You're not trying to make anybody spend more money than they feel that they can.
You just put it out there and you let them make the determination.
Basically what's very, very important.
And I talked about this on one of the videos, I don't remember which one, that it's important
when selling a customer or a client on any kind of a service is to empower the other
person to be able to make their own decision.
Most people feel that they're being disempowered by whoever it is that's trying to sell them
on something, which is why nobody, none of us trusts somebody who's trying to sell us
on something.
We feel that we're trying to be disempowered.
And so to stand out and to be something different, it's very important that we actually empower
someone to kind of clear the cobwebs and the fog from their own line so that they
know what's actually important to them.
And it may not be your program.
It may be something else, but at least they walk away knowing that whatever decision that
they made was the right one for them.
I think that that's very, very, very important for anybody who's trying to sell someone on
an idea or on a service or on a product or whatever, is to always empower them to make
the right decision.
Then you know that regardless of whether they walk away because, quote unquote, the money
was too much or they joined you regardless of how much money that it cost them and that
it might've cost them like half their savings, I don't know.
You can walk away with a clear conscience because you empowered them to make their own
decision of what's important in their life, according to their value system, as opposed
to trying to get them, trying to logically convince them to change their value system
to yours.
So how do you...
Yeah, no, it does.
And I appreciate that.
And how do you empower them then?
How do you...
And so that's my first question.
How do you empower them?
My second question is, how do you help them see that they are looking at money as their
protection and their provision, or do you even help them see that in the first place?
I don't help them see.
I don't actually walk anybody through that.
How do I do this?
It's been a while since I've talked about this.
For you, let's see.
I have a video on this.
I don't remember which one.
It might be attract...
Is it attracting clients?
No, I don't think it's attracting clients.
Oh, shoot.
I don't remember which one it is.
It's in one of the last six, I think, that says the word business in front of each one
of them in there.
And so when you're empowering somebody, the reason that it's hard for me to describe this
is it's a conversation that you're having with them.
You ask them questions and basically take their answers and sometimes rephrase their
answers back to them and to help them figure out what it is that they believe, what it
is that they want, and what it is that they value, and therefore what decision they want
to make.
So basically you're walking them through how to make their own decision instead of trying
to convince, instead of trying to help, instead of trying to convince them of a particular
logic or a particular perspective or a particular way of thinking, is you're kind of walking
them through, oh, okay, so that's such and such is your answer.
You said da, da, da, da, da, so why do you think that that is?
Open-ended questions are really big because you find that people, not yes and no, and
not ones that you can just, that the person can only answer yes or no on, but actually
open-ended ones like, and so, oh, I see, so why do you think that is, or whatever,
because then it gets people to, it kind of like opens the door and they just start talking.
And not only do, and because all of the sudden they're forced to have to articulate things
in their subconscious, that what it is that they really want and how it is that they really
think and what it is that's really important does start to come up.
It's one of those things where it's hard for me to describe, but as you, as you begin
to do it and you begin to really, truly care about the person and not about the outcome,
that's another thing that's very important, is whenever you talk to somebody, and I do
the same thing, whenever you talk to somebody, a potential client, you don't ever think about
the outcome.
Don't ever think about, oh, I hope this person does.
joins or what would happen if or whatever,
completely let go of the outcome,
completely let go of the salt.
Remember, it's in God's hands and he's gonna do it.
So just enjoy your time with them.
And one of the reasons why that's important
is it gets you focusing on them.
And as you get to focus on them,
it's a lot easier to think of the types of questions
to ask them, especially open-ended questions,
because you're trying to get to know them
and you're trying to enable and create an environment
that empowers them to answer their own questions.
So you don't answer questions for them or even suggest.
So do you think that it could be because,
that you know, this, that and the other or whatever,
because that's leading the witness.
Don't add, I highly recommend not asking,
you know, leading the witness questions.
But because again, that's trying to logically
convince their subconscious of a different perspective.
Oh, also another big, huge thing.
When someone feels valued, when someone feels listened to,
they feel again more, that empowers somebody.
Empowers them to really think about what it is
that they want, because they now feel
that they're in a safe place to make their own decision.
If you show that you trust
that they can make their own decision,
you show that you believe that they're wise enough,
have enough knowledge, have enough wisdom
to be able to make their own decision.
They will naturally feel empowered to do so
and they'll naturally come to discover
what it is that they really want, whatever.
So empowering someone to make their own decision
is providing a supportive environment
for who it is that they are
and it'll eventually start coming out.
So you're empowering them as a person, as an individual,
seeing them as their identity in Christ,
not who it is that they think that they are
or all the particulars of their past
that have brought them to where it is that they are,
because that doesn't matter.
Everybody has their own experience.
Everyone has their own unique events
that have brought them to this point.
We all deal with the same spiritual roots
and the same spiritual problems.
How they evidence themselves and manifest
all looks different and that's confused us
into thinking that we all deal with different things
and that's not true.
We deal with different manifestations
at the exact same roots.
And so if we don't get caught up
in all the particulars and nitty gritties
and the ugliness and the perverseness
of what it is that they've had to experience
and go through, but we focus on who it is
that they are in Christ and we talk to that person,
they'll like talking to you,
they'll feel better about themselves,
they'll feel empowered to make a decision
and they'll feel like what it is that you have,
that not only that conversation,
but what it is that you must have to offer is valuable.
And then they get to choose whether or not
it's valuable enough for them to actually make a move
that as a first step of what they're willing to do
for themselves to change their own lives
because that's going to take a lot of work
and they're going to feel that they can
if they have a supportive environment
based off the fact that you made them feel empowered
by seeing who it is that they really are
talking to that person.
Because someone who's been through trauma
has been disempowered.
I know I just gave you a lot there.
Does that make sense?
Yeah, totally.
No, it does for sure.
I am.
Yeah, that helped a lot for sure.
I just, I think I need to
just keep kind of working through it in my spirit
and ask God, you know, whenever I feel a number's right,
it's really not enough.
Like, and I know it's not enough
because the value is way higher.
So it's almost like somebody sells you a trip,
you know, a cruise to the Caribbean for like 100 bucks.
Like, it's just, that's where I'm at right now.
I'm charging way less than I should be
because I feel guilty taking the money.
So I just want to be like you and be like,
pay whatever you can, but then at the same time,
I've got, you know, things that I need to have money for too
to support and to pay for a house
and family and all that stuff.
So I just want to have the right number.
And I guess I just get to talk to God
and ask him more about how I can not feel guilty
about actually asking people for money.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, correct.
So again, the money has nothing whatsoever
to do with the transformation.
And it honestly has nothing whatsoever to do
with what it is that you're offering.
It's just, it's a transaction of how serious that they are.
heart and the very first step that they need to make on their own healing journey.
That is all that it is.
And so it needs to be completely disassociated from you because it is completely disassociated
from you.
It's completely disassociated from you.
It's disassociated from your services because your services are from your heart and that's
what it is that they're gaining as well.
They're gaining healing and they're able to be ministered to, et cetera.
So the money has nothing whatsoever to do with the services rendered, with their healing,
et cetera.
It is a way in which they are letting themselves, not just letting themselves know how serious
that they are, but actually literally making the first big step for their soul towards
healing because there's other steps that they're going to have to take towards their own healing.
This is the first one.
So you're offering them the opportunity to take the first step towards healing.
It's all about them.
That money is not about you.
Your God provides for you and protects you and takes care of everything it is that you
need.
The money is all about them and it's empowering them to have an opportunity to take their
own step towards healing.
It's extremely powerful thing that you're offering them has nothing whatsoever to do
with you.
So them choosing to pay the money or not pay the money is strictly based off of their season
in life and whether or not they feel that they have, that they're at a place that they
can do the hard, I don't want to say the hard work, but do the hard things in order to heal.
And I totally agree with you on all of that.
And what about people who just, like I tend to attract people who are on disability or
SSI or whatever it's called.
And so they don't, they bring in like 900 a month or something.
So that's, that's a problem I run into because they really don't have extra money.
And that's where it's tricky because it's like, okay, do I just say, you know what,
I appreciate that you don't feel like you have the money right now.
I will pray for you.
I will, I can recommend some books.
Is that where you go from there and just be okay with that?
Yeah.
I mean, if, again, you're, this is, this is a really old churchy cliche, but you're not
called to everybody, so to speak.
Not everybody is, is your, has been given to you.
Remember that Jesus talks about, you know, I only take those that the Lord has given,
that, you know, the father has given to me.
And so not going into all that verse and what all that means, just using that one, you know,
just really quickly, you know, as a, as a general principle of what we're talking about,
that God has specific people that he, that he intends for you to reach.
And is he calling you to them or not?
And you can ask the Lord, Lord, how will I know?
Is it the money threshold?
And that's how I'll know which ones or, or do I have the money?
But then you're going to be talking to me very specifically about certain people, because
it's always important to keep our heart and communication open with the Lord.
Because we never know when he might throw in a quote, unquote, exception, you know,
when he might suddenly talk to us and he'd be like, okay, yeah, but this one, this one
I want you to take or whatever.
Well, then we should be open to be able to hearing him for that.
But just, just because someone's in hell is, needs something doesn't mean that we have
to, that doesn't mean that they've been given to us.
And the Lord knows why, you know, could be that they're not ready and, and they just
want, they just want help and, but you may not be the help that God has in, intends for
them.
So you're not, everybody's, everybody is not your responsibility and you're not carrying
the world by yourself.
And so it's important to get peace between you and the Lord about how to know that, because
otherwise you'll just be, you'll just be chased by restlessness and by condemnation and by
shame and of like, Lord, should I be taking on all of these people?
Some people are called to all of that.
That's great.
If you are called to have a low ticket program, go for it.
If you're called to offer it to people for one cent, shockingly, then go for it.
If you are called for a high ticket, $4,000 package, which is what I used to sell, then
go for it.
You know, but, but come to peace between you and the Lord, because otherwise it'll just
eat you up because then you're, you're, you're, you're at not at peace because you're wondering.
what will please your father, but present shift into rest,
shift into rest.
And then from that place where you're no longer feel like
you're abandoned and that you're in lack
and that you've got to protect and provide yourself
and figure out how, what you need to do
in order to make the Lord pleased with you,
that he will make your business successful, et cetera.
Let go of all of that shift into rest
and from that place of rest,
where you no longer are worried that,
where you're no longer believing
that you're unprotected or unprovided for,
you believe, oh my word, God's completely got me,
I'm completely provided for and protected
and I'm loved and all of that,
and I choose that because he's,
even if I don't believe it,
I choose it because he says so.
And then you shift it into rest
and then from that vantage point,
you can more clearly see because you've removed that veil
from your heart of fear, you've removed that fear from you,
you can now more clearly see what it is you really want,
what's really on your heart,
where your spirit is really coming alive,
like what dollar amount
or how to structure your pricing.
And then you can more clearly see
because you're not shrouded in fear,
you can more clearly and objectively see
and sense what the Father's heart is
and then make a decision from that perspective
because you need peace between you and your Father.
That's what's going on here,
is you feel that the Lord is holding you responsible.
And so if you haven't heard for all of these people,
so you need to get a clear answer between you and the Father
about what it is you're doing
and who it is that he's calling you to,
and that'll give you peace
because God has a love and a heart for all of those people,
all the people you take on and all the people you don't,
but they belong to the Lord,
they don't belong necessarily to you,
they do in a way, but you know what I'm saying.
And so you just need peace between you and your Father.
For sure.
I think April had her hand up.
Did you have your hand up, April?
Yeah, I think just to support you
and I feel like I really appreciate that perspective.
So circling back to what Alana was saying,
if she, whatever she decides her price is
and then what's the language you can use
so that you are empowering your client,
like going back to what you said
so that I, the, you know, whatever I'm selling,
whatever Alana is selling,
I can say this is what it is,
but not to, like, let's use that example
of someone who only makes $900 a month.
Like, I know my heart is,
I hear the victim story or I can't afford,
and I'm like, oh, fine, I'll just give it to you for free.
So what kind of language do you use
to empower them and yourself in that moment to say,
what do you say?
That's the piece that I felt like, you know,
Alana's like, I can tell you to read this book
and I'll pray for you and good luck.
Yeah, so it's empowering them to make their own decision
as opposed to not coming up with solutions for them
and giving them solutions of,
hey, well, you could do this and you could do that.
Yes, that is empowering, so there's nothing wrong with that.
So that is really good.
But empowering, talking about, you know,
helping them, like, figure out what it is that they want
by asking very open-ended questions.
Like, I don't know, so what have you,
what have you tried before?
What interests you?
What things have helped you stay with something long-term?
Where do you see yourself?
I don't know, whatever.
In other words, getting them to really,
letting them know by your questions
that who it is that they are
and what it is that they want is important
and that it's valuable.
That's empowering someone and then also empowering them,
like, in how they're making their decisions.
So I'm trying to think,
I feel like I'm kind of like coming at this,
that, I don't know, it feels like a little bit like a,
I don't know, I'm boxing in the shadows here,
but to try to come up with it.
I have a, I have a question, Ashley.
Would you be open to this?
Would you be open to hopping on a call
and having me be the client who's in victim mode
and you be the me and, like, helping me understand
how you would do it?
Would it help you or help me to be, like,
in role a little bit so we could actually, like,
play it out?
Would that be possible?
Possibly, possibly, yeah.
Yeah, maybe we could record it and play it for a bit.
Yeah, Linda?
The one thing that I.
did when I was with people is I would give option ordering and sometimes it wasn't anything that I
really needed from somebody at that point but just take them by. So I had one where I had I
had them edit my book, give me input, run reviews so they were actually doing something for me
in exchange for what I was doing for them. So if there's anything you can see
that they can offer you still gives them a connection and it puts a value that they're
giving x amount of their time per week and it's for you giving them your time per week.
Yeah yeah yeah there's there's that there's always that as as well you know and just the
the um the exchange you know so yeah yeah yeah no I like that and yeah I mean if if you want
like if we do do that call like I'm super open to recording it and having other people
listen to it if you think it'll support them I'm totally fine with that so.
Okay all right well good I'm sorry that I can't come up with stuff it has been a very long time
since I've I've had to I've had to articulate it um uh so anyway I mean because it used to
just roll right off but it's been a while since I've accessed that folder I don't know I just
because sometimes I just I just do it now and and so it's been a while since I've had to explain
how it is that I do it but the majority of it is I just see someone the way that that the way that
Christ sees them and then I become the thing that they uh I don't want to say I become the
thing that they need the um but they just um I I make them feel like a very like a very powerful
contributor to the conversation as opposed to me being um me being the powerful in the powerful
position I was trained and I used to train people how to be the powerful position and I believe that
it is actually a lot more healthy and much more effective conversation to empower the other person
in the conversation where where you are actually drawing them up to be equal with you you're
inviting them and you are treating them as such in the conversation as opposed to being the person
that that it coming across as the person that has the knowledge has the wisdom has the experience
and they need you and they need your help and you're you're you're just figuring out if they're
a good fit um because it's very demeaning and it's very disempowering and not to mention the fact
it's going to trigger trauma trauma victims um but it but if to um but you are actually initiating
the the um uh giving them power to see to be equal with you because you are telling them that they
are and that is how you're choosing to treat them that makes a huge difference um really really huge
difference so but anyway the whole that I think we got started in all all of that um from me saying
that um that uh it's important to empower someone to make their own decision is really what it is
yeah no thank you so yeah you're welcome oh hey Lori oh my word there's a there's a raised hand
I think I've only seen those like once or twice I love it everyone else wants to figure out how
to do it that's awesome I do not know how to do it but I love it go ahead Lori so kind of along
the lines of what you were saying um so I'm a photographer and all of the training that I have
taken and all of the I don't know workshops and things that I have attended they often talk about
you know attracting your ideal client or uh reaching reaching high-end clients like that
should be your goal is to reach high-end clients and only share um like share on your social media
clients that are considered your ideal client so um that's really what they what they emphasize but
I um I always felt like I wanted to offer my service not just to high-end clients but I felt
like everyone deserved a professional photographer um not to the point where I mean obviously I need
to provide I mean I need to have not just lose money or whatever but to me
make it available to lower middle class incomes, whatever.
But anyways, I think what always struck me
was the idea that if you do have a client
that is not your ideal client,
then you should not share about them
or celebrate them on your social media.
A lot of photographers will share their images,
share about the client,
and really just make them feel good about themselves.
That's kind of what our goal is as photographers
is not just to capture memories,
but to also make people feel empowered
and good in their own skin.
Well, I had an experience
where I hired a high-end photographer
and she never shared anything about me on her page.
So I felt like, oh my word,
like my wedding wasn't good enough,
I wasn't good enough,
and I wasn't even worthy of her to share it
or celebrate me like she does her other clients.
So I just always felt like they really emphasized,
I heard it yesterday,
really work on your prized pumpkin,
like grow the biggest pumpkin,
which is your one, that whole idea.
So I don't know, I've always struggled with the idea
that you should only celebrate
your highest, most ideal client,
whether or not they pay your prices or not.
You know what I'm trying to say?
I don't get it.
Yeah, and so you're saying you're struggling with it
because you want to be able to do that,
you want to be able to share whoever you want, or?
Yes, I want to be able to celebrate everyone,
whether or not they're a high-end client,
whether or not they're a doctor or a lawyer or whatever.
I want to be able to celebrate them,
but they really emphasize that in order to attract
your ideal clients, you cannot be sharing,
you know, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Sorry, I'm trying to adjust this
so I can shift in my share.
Okay, so yes, there's a lot of things that I talk about
in the last half of the rest of the intensive.
So you get into the ones that start talking about business,
there's a lot of this that I talk about.
And that is the fact that based on our identity in Christ,
you know, shifting into rest,
because remember rest is simply,
it's a place in which we're abiding.
And that place that we're abiding is in God.
It's in the Father, we're actually one with Him
in all of that.
So because that is that, in that place rest,
you know, that being one with God, that's our identity.
We can do everything from that place.
And it's the same thing as,
I know that you've, just started this week,
so I know you haven't gotten into these videos.
So I will try to explain this as best as I can
without sounding confusing.
But so I'll just touch on some things
in a very highlighted way.
And I'm hoping that it won't like drown you in information,
but here we go.
So there's the tree of operating according
to the tree of life versus the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil.
Operating according to the tree of life is that option,
that choice that we have to operate
from relationship with the Lord,
where we understand it and understand our relationship
with Him and the fact that He is our Father
and that He provides for and He protects us.
He provides our clients that the results
and the outcome of our lives, of our business,
whatever is not dependent on our activity.
God gives good gifts to His children
and they're freely given.
And therefore, we have to freely receive them,
meaning we're not allowed to work for them.
Or we can choose to operate according to the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil,
meaning that, and the reason why we choose that,
just like Eve did, is this belief
that God's holding out on us,
that there's some way in which we're in lack
and God's not going to provide for and protect us.
God's not gonna give us the client.
We've gotta work really hard for them.
We've gotta work and we've gotta figure out
and follow all the tips and tricks
and strategies and formulas
in order to get something to work.
But remember that everybody who's telling you that
is operating according to this tree,
which, and it's the world's belief
that they're abandoned, that they're alone,
and that they have to work very hard
using very specific formulas and strategies
that do work, by the way.
But because they believe that their God has abandoned them
or that He is holding us responsible
for following all of these principles,
if He's gonna give us a gift.
So in other words, we've confused ourselves
in thinking that we have to work
for everything that we get.
We have to work for a wage.
So that's one of the things that I talk about
related to clients is.
that God is, that we have the opportunity to choose,
that God provides our clients,
and that we no longer have to be burdened with,
choose to live burdened with the responsibility
that whether we get a client or not get a client,
it was dependent upon our decision.
We made a good decision,
so therefore God rewarded us with a client,
or we didn't make a good decision,
and therefore God punished us with no clients or whatever.
So there's that aspect,
and the other thing is that I wanna mention
is that our business is, that your business is you.
Your business is your spirit.
You know, being identified with the Lord,
residing in Him, and having that relationship
with you are the beloved son of the Father.
You are what the world needs.
You are what your business needs.
You are who your clients are hiring.
They're not hiring your business.
They're not hiring your expertise.
They're not hiring your experience.
They're hiring your spirit,
and that is something that is very different
than what anybody else,
any other photographer can offer to them,
and because God intends for our spirits
to flow through our business in order to impact the world,
and it's your spirit that's the life,
that is giving life through your business,
and it's impacting the world.
It's very, then we have a,
not a responsibility, we have a privilege,
we have the opportunity to express who it is that we are,
and what it is that makes our spirit come alive,
as opposed to stifling it,
thinking there must be something wrong with it.
I can't trust it.
I have to, it can probably harm me.
It can probably be destructive,
and so therefore, I need something outside of me,
a formula, a strategy,
something that somebody else has figured out,
and I have to ignore me,
and I have to think about all these things
that other people that are apparently smarter than I am
think that I ought to do,
and I've proven that if I follow that list,
I'll get a particular result.
When God is just like, no, no, no,
I want your spirit to impact the world,
and so therefore, it's what comes out of your spirit
that needs to influence your business,
the decisions that you make in your business,
who it is that you want to,
the fact that you desire to celebrate all those people,
regardless of how much money they spend,
and what their package was,
and that they purchased from you,
and how many flower arrangements,
and how big the flower arrangements were,
and what the price tag was at that wedding,
and whether it was in a barn with 25 people,
or whether it was in a ballroom with,
with a, I don't know, 5,000 guest list.
If that is who it is that you are,
that's what your business needs,
and that is going to,
so allow your spirit to flow through your business
so it can touch other people,
because if you're hiding it,
quote, unquote, unquote,
behind formulas and strategies,
then the very life that God intended
to flow through the business
and impact someone is being stifled,
and you don't have to live like that,
and you need to know that you are what is needed.
You are not something that's destructive,
and that needs to be hidden.
That needs to come,
so you can learn to trust yourself,
and you can come on this journey into,
you know, with the Lord,
on how to trust yourself,
and trust that, trust how to know
when there's something that's coming up in your spirit
that the Lord desires to flow through your business.
So, yeah, the world won't understand it,
because the world thinks it's abandoned and alone,
has come up with all these objective ways
to get outside of themselves,
and look at something that they learn in a conference
about all of these things that someone else did,
all of these steps, one through 10,
that they did in order to make a million dollar business,
and God's just like, no, it's people that change the world.
So, is that helpful?
I feel like 50 tons have just been lifted off of me.
I just feel like, oh my goodness,
I, wow, yeah, I'm excited to listen
to the rest of the videos in your unit,
because I, as you were talking,
I just felt like the Lord just took.
all of this weighed off of me and just, I don't know.
And I just felt like the spirit of hope and peace just,
I don't know, was such a good feeling.
I was almost getting emotional because I just,
I just feel like it's been a long time
since I've trusted the Holy Spirit to lead
because I've been focused on all these formulas
and strategies that have been thrown at me
in order to succeed.
I don't know.
So thank you very much.
You're welcome.
And forgive me that I'm using this as an example.
It just occurred to me.
Ladies, that is empowering.
I don't, because it's not, you know,
I'm not telling you what you should do.
I'm not telling you, oh, well, this is the right answer.
No, I'm like, what is it that you want?
And what is it you need?
And then, and figure that out.
And so, whatever, I was a little more direct
in the fact that I was telling you
instead of asking you questions.
Normally, if I'm on a call with a potential client,
you know, I would always ask all of these opening questions.
So what do you think about, and da, da, da.
But anyway, it's that kind of a thing.
You just make somebody, help them to understand
that they have everything it is that they need
and they don't need anybody else.
So.
Thank you so much.
You're welcome.
Hey, Steph.
And just what was Flory was talking about,
we have two friends.
One was a high-end wedding photographer,
which she quit and went,
I think she's a nurse at a cancer center,
went and got her degree.
But she was very exclusive.
It seemed pretty cold, like kind of out of reach,
which I have taken a lot of the boutique photography courses
which I take pictures of the girls,
nothing for business.
But I remember the word she kept using was,
but you're a boutique, you're a boutique.
And the high-end, things like that.
And then there was a photographer friend of mine
that very well loved.
And the only reason that she quit her business
is she has an empty nest now.
So when the baby went to college,
she's like, okay, I'm done.
And they've traveled the United States and things like that.
But she stayed so busy, so busy,
because she literally, you would see some photos
and you're like, oh, wow,
that family was very well-to-do and things like that.
And you see others.
And knowing her and knowing her heart,
I don't know if she changed her prices or not,
family to family, and that's her business.
But it's like, that was really cool.
She made really cool memories for them, things like that.
She did a lot of our family pictures too.
So I guess we're kind of middle ground, I don't know.
But the fact that all of the families, all of the kids,
everybody gets celebrated, and that was a huge deal.
There was like a lot of,
you can see the love through her pictures.
She's like, oh, look, he's 10 days new.
And it didn't matter if he was wearing a high-end outfit
or just a little beanie, things like that.
So yeah, definitely follow your convictions.
So I get all teary-eyed too,
because I do that with my business.
It's like, yeah, I feel like I really need to do this,
so I do that.
So definitely convictions more than classes.
Oh, there you go.
I like that, convictions over classes.
That's really good, thanks, Steph, appreciate that.
Well, it looks like our time is up.
It's good to be with everybody.
I hope y'all have a good rest of the week.
I have looked at my schedule, and we will, unfortunately,
this is very rare.
I think this is only the second time this has happened,
but we won't have a call next week.
I'm sorry, I think I'm in a conference.
Yeah, I am, I'm in a conference.
Like, the first session of the conference is,
it's during our time, but we should be on the following week.
And then I'll send out a reminder to everybody
a couple of hours before our usual call next Thursday
that we won't be having it.
So for the new people, I apologize, this is very rare.
I've only ever done this once before
where I didn't have a call.
I don't remember why, I don't remember.
But oh, you know what, I do know why.
It was the first night I had arrived at Linda's,
at Linda's Retreat Center, that's what it was.
It was the first night, and I couldn't coordinate
my arrival with enough time to be able to do that,
until the Thursday night.
So yay, Linda, your retreat was a very momentous event.
So anyway, sorry about that,
we will not have anything next.
week, but y'all know that I am available by Marco Polo and for the new
people at the private sessions and so y'all reach out to me if you need
something. I hope y'all enjoy the, so April and Lori, I hope y'all enjoyed the
videos as y'all go through and I'm trying to think, I thought there was
something else I was going to say, but maybe I covered everything. So it was
good to see everybody and I will see y'all in a couple of weeks. Bye.