March 17, 2026

Cynthia Maselli in the Business Spotlight with Dori DeCarlo

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Cynthia Maselli is a sought-after Brand Strategist and founder of Her Mentor®, a faith-infused platform for women building intentional lives and purpose-driven businesses. With nearly two decades in creative design, brand development, and strategic marketing, she turns scattered ideas into stand-out brands through strategic listening and intuitive planning, and for 25 years has coached women toward self-awareness, growth, and decisive leadership.

The first in her family to earn a master’s degree and a proud granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, she is a pastor’s wife, mom, entrepreneur, and trusted mentor at the intersection of vision, faith, and family—creating transformation through strategy and soul.

Join host Dori DeCarlo on The Business Spotlight and connect with Cynthia at TheBrandStategiest.co and CynthiaMaselli.com and follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and BlueSky and click here and come tell us your story!

Please support UnsilencedVoices.org a global 501(c)3 nonprofit that empowers survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. We thank Smith Sisters and the Sunday Drivers for our theme song, "She is You".

WordofMomRadio.com - sharing the wisdom of women, in business and in life.

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WEBVTT

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She is sure, she is true, she is straw is straw,

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she is true, is true, she is praise, pray is

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she is you.

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Hello, everyone, welcome to today's Word of Mom Radio. Here

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on the Word of Mom Media Network. I'm your host,

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Dori Di Carlo. And you know we are here week

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after week, show after show, breaking those myths that morepreneurs

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and business women, especially those of us building our businesses

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from home, that we're just dabbling in between bake sales

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and getting our nails done. We're not. We are smart,

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we are savvy, and we are sharing the wisdom of

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women in business and in life. And I am looking

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forward to bringing today's guest into our Mompreneur Models show.

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Cynthia Massili is a sought after brand strategist and the

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visionary behind her Mentor, a faith infused mentorship platform for

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women ready to build intentional lives and purpose driven businesses.

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With nearly two decades of experience in creative design, brand development,

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and strategic marketing, Cynthia is known for helping clients transform

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scattered ideas into stunning, successful brands that exceed expectations. Her

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gift lies in strategic listening and intuitive planning. Equipping women

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not only with beautiful brands, but with the clarity and

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confidence to pursue the life and businesses they've envisioned. Though

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she stumbled upon in entrepreneurship, she always knew she was

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meant to mentor, and over the last twenty five years,

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as coached and championed women towards self awareness, personal growth,

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and bold decision making in business. Beyond business, Cynthia has

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a creative spirit. She finds joy and travel, dancing, and

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time by the ocean with her husband and son. She's

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a former Miss California u USA contestant and a trained

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mac makeup artist, so she brings beauty, depth and authenticity

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to everything she does. Blewin in Spanish, and passionate about

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legacy building. She's on a mission to help women become

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the first in their own families, just as she was

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the first in her family, earning a bachelor's and master's degrees.

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And she's the proud daughter and granddaughter of Mexican immigrants.

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And she wears so many hats, and I could keep

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telling you about them, but instead I want to bring

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her in. So Cynthia, with all that being said, welcome

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to Ward of MOMY.

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Hello, thank you so much for having me on.

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Oh it's my pleasure and I really look forward to

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sharing your journey. So really take us on that twenty

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five year journey that led you to your business.

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It is quite the story, mainly because I had never

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planned to own my business. It sounds funny to say

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that I stumbled upon it, but truly that's how it felt.

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Although looking back in time and being able to reflect,

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I can see the preparation that was actually taking place

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through the years, from when I was a child and

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I love to do and play with graphic design software

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to colors and scrap booking, and little did I know

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that it would slowly but surely start building that experience.

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And then when I had the opportunity to go to

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college and explore what it is that I, you know,

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wanted to be when I grew up and wasn't quite

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sure even at that point in time. And then honestly,

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it was through of course, my experiences, but I would

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even say the the real work experiences, not just my

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personal ones, but the real work experiences of working from

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or with small businesses, nonprofits to a large international corporation

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that really fueled the love for business itself. In me,

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and you know, I got my bachelor's, my bachelor's in

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marketing and advertising in psychology, but my masters was focused

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on business management. I really found a fascination and a

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love for understanding the intricacies of how a good foundation

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when it comes to businesses are really set, because successful

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brands and corporations don't just happen overnight.

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They are constructed, and you know.

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There's almost like an architect, if you will, in the

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background where there's pieces that are coming together, there's planning

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their strategy. And then fast forward to when I was

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married and I had my son at the.

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Time and I was a stay at home mom.

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I had a conversation with a friend that basically changed everything.

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But I really believe in perfect timing. So again, I'm

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so grateful for the experiences before that led me to

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that moment, because she said, just directly to me, you know,

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I think you need to stop giving.

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Out free business advice. I really think you should.

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Have a business of your own. And at that time,

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I thought, I don't know about that. That sounds very daunting,

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given I was a new mom at the time, but

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I just thought, well, the curious part of me was like, well,

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what would that look like and what could I offer?

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And so it was that moment that I just decided

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to do something that I wouldn't necessarily recommend to other entrepreneurs,

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but I just had to go with that feeling that

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I felt to test it out. And so I sent

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a message to my network and I let them know

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that I was going to be creating a business, and

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I let them know about my services, and within.

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A couple of weeks I was full.

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I had a full client roster that I could take

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on at that time and ever since it had been

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word of mouth, and still to this day, primarily all

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of my business comes through word of mouth.

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But then through the years, I had a.

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Moment to actually work on my business, and so I

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set up a website and all the things that you

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know you do, and here I am today as the

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brand strategist.

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See you now, I have to say, that's exactly what

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you should be doing at their entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs who

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are listening. You have a passion for something, go for

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at the time is right now? The perfect time to

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start is today. You haven't started yet, Start today, So

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I applaud you taking a week. I really do so

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let's talk about as a brand strategist, what do you

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bring what really makes you stand out when you're working

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with the people you work with.

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Well, again, having those experiences working for other businesses really

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gave me insight to see how different people run their

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businesses and what makes certain things work and what makes

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other things flop.

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But even in you know, the quote unquote fails.

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Of business, I think those are learning opportunities because you

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get to understand.

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What works, what doesn't work, and maybe wall you can

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do better next time.

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And I think just like a business is an you know,

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ever evolving organism, our life is ever evolving. I think

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should be we should continue to grow and desire to

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be better and figure out what is in alignment for

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my life in this season that maybe wasn't in alignment

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in the season before, and figuring out like those kinds

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of nuances and as a mom and then becoming a

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business owner, the value of understanding what I call the

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rhythm and flow for my life was really important.

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Knowing what was going to work for me.

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In that season, not trying to hold onto something from

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the past or just because someone else is doing it

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and maybe doing a great job. I really needed to

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pay attention to what works for me, because when you

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allow things to just fall into that alignment and they

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work for you and they're working for your business, then

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you'll notice just the natural success. For lack of a

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better word, it's just something that happens. You don't have

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to force it. And I find that when I don't

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force things, not only do I enjoy them more, but

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they really do there's something lasting about it. And I

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just have found that when I just listened to that

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intuitive sense and I just really hold on to that

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vision that I set before myself when I started this business,

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knowing what my values were, knowing what my priorities were,

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knowing what I would be willing to sacrifice and what

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I wouldn't. Motherhood was still really important to me, and

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I knew that there would be a way that I

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could figure out how to make it work. And did

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I trip along the way, absolutely, But I think again

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that's part of just growing and learning. And now I'm

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in a season where my son he's, you know, in

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his preteen years, and so I've kind of figured out

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some things that work for us at this point. And

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not to mention, I was a homeschooling mom for several years,

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and so you know, being able to again use those

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learning lessons to help me to get to where I

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am today has really helped me to have a firm foundation,

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because I really believe that the foundation, whether you're able

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to do a little bit today and a little bit tomorrow,

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and those little bits add up for the you know,

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the future. Those are the things that you're starting to

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put in place now that will help you build your

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life or build your business. And I have found so

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much value in that kind of perspective and mindset because

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we are under this illusion, especially with social media, that

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things just happen overnight, and while certain posts could go viral,

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that still doesn't necessarily mean something's of success. It just

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means there's been a lot of exposure. So being able

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to define what success is for you personally, being able

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to define what success is for you as a business woman,

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being able to define what success looks like for you five, ten, fifteen,

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twenty years from now. Those are the things that I

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was taken into consideration as I was building my business.

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But at the same time, even with not knowing exactly

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what I wanted to do in my business, and the

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evolution of what that would turn into today.

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I still kept true to those priorities.

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To those values, and so now I stand on a

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business that I'm very proud of and I'm very excited about,

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and I love helping other entrepreneurs and especially women, and

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it's just something that brings me joy. But it's because

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I've stayed true to myself. That's what I really believe

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is authenticity. You're not willing to sacrifice those things that

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value the most to you, and then as you see

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the picture unfold, you'll find yourself one day in that

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place that you never thought you could have been.

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So you were a homeschooling mom, you're also a pastor's wife,

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which carries a huge responsibility as a pastor's wife. How

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have you managed? And I can understand the faith based

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intuitiveness that is going on. How have you melded all

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of that together? Something?

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It was not easy.

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It had its challenges throughout the years, but again always

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staying true to what I know on my priorities, and

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I think quite honestly recognizing that there are sacrifices that

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come along the way, and so even building my business,

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there were times where if my son was sick or

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there was certain priorities that we're taking the forefront.

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I needed to be okay to let what I.

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Wanted to do go because my son, of course, is

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the most important thing to me, and that's my responsibility

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and I took pride in that and taking care of him.

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And you know that again goes back to my values

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and how I wanted to raise him alongside of my husband,

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of course, but I was the one with him every day,

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and so you know, being able to focus on and

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let go of the things and trust that God was

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going to work it all out, that just because I

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didn't get to do what I had on my list,

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that I could wake up that day or the next

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day going God, what do you have planned for me today?

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Is what is it that you are going to entrust me.

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With today that is going to be my priority and

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maybe not something that was again on my list to do,

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But at the end of the day, I really want

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to bring honor to God's name, and I want to

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be able to honor my husband and my child, and

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one day I want them to be able to look

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back and be like, Wow, you know, whether it's.

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My husband, I'm blessed that I have her as my wife.

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And whatever reasons he could say, right, But I always

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think in terms of legacy that what I'm doing today

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it's going to be talked about in the future, and

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so what I can't control what people say, but I

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know that I can live in the truth.

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Of what I know today to be.

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And if I live in alignment with God's word and

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his will and his way for my life the best

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that I can, because this is not about perfection as

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we know, then I know that God will fill in

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the gaps, and those gaps of maybe I'm not able

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to get certain things done on a certain day. God

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can just you know, give me more time the next day.

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Supernaturally there could just be opportunities that doors that could

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open the next day or the next week. And that's

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how it's been unfolding. I mean, there are doors that

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have opened for me that there's no way anyone nor

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I could have done myself. And again, looking back, everything's

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twenty twenty in hindsight, or at least many things.

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But I can see how.

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When you live true to when it comes to faith,

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the way that God has designed that season for you

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to live in and show up and be and truly

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trying to bring honor to his name and recognizing also

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the blessings that we have in our life. You know,

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sometimes when if I'm gonna get frustrated because I don't

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get to do something that I want, I can just

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take a moment and look around be like, you know what, God,

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I'm grateful for what I have. I'm grateful that I

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get to live in this country. I get to have

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a business, I get to be a mom, I get

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to be a wife, I get to and I could

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just go on and on and on, and then suddenly

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it's amazing how it just happens. But you aren't so

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frustrated anymore, because there's no room for any anger or

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bitterness when joy is coming in, when gratitude is filling you.

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And that's what I choose to fill myself up with

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every single day. No matter what is happening in the

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world or in my life, whether it's you know, I'm

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on the mountaintops or I feel like I'm in the valley,

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I'm gonna take a moment and I'm gonna thank God

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because at the end of the day, He's still on

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the throne no matter what happens in my life.

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On that note, Wow, please think of what Sophia's saying,

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and we're going to say thank you to our supporters

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and we'll be back here in just a moment. On

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We want to tell your story because when you win,

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we all win.

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In twenty seventeen, Unsilenced Voices was formed to help survivors

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of domestic abuse and gender based violence worldwide. The organization

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currently serves Siri Leone, Rwanda, Ghana, and the USA. In

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twenty twenty two, Unsilenced Voices gifted over thirty three thousand

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dollars to survivors in the USA and in Siri Leone.

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There are over twenty six young girls who have been

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rescued from sex trafficking and domestic abuse and now going

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through vocational training school in order to better their lives.

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We need your help. Donations are critical in order for

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us to continue our work. We also need volunteers to

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help with research and development. Please visit Unsilenced Voices dot

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org for more information.

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And We're back here on Word of Mom Radio. We

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are talking with Cynthia Macilla about faith. We were talking

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about it before we started recording Everything going on in

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the world right now. I think faith is so important,

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whatever your belief system is, that having faith in that

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being that is greater than us. And for me, it's

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why today is always my favorite day because wonderful is

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always out there. I made trip, I may fall, lots

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of things happen, but you know what, I'm here and

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all of us, we are all going through our own

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trials and tribulations and our tests of faith. And again

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that being greater than ourselves and our faith in ourselves,

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and how we're showing up in the face of everything

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going on and are we being true to ourselves and

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to those around us, Because if we're not showing up authentically,

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how can we do anything. So as you work, the

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leadership that you teach and the traits that you have,

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you know as a mom. We interviewed somebody who wrote

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a book called Manage Like a Mother, because think about

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it as women as moms, everything you do, it translates.

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We're born to be business people and we don't even

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realize it. So how had you brought those values into

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your business, and the things that you've learned.

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Oh gosh, I've learned so much as a mom, that

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is for sure, And I think more than anything, as

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a mom raising another human, it's the honor and privilege

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to be able to help.

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Form and shape another human.

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In their character, in their perspective, in their faith, in teachings.

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There's so many things, and that is such a full

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time job that I don't think that we really stop

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to just take a moment and soak in as moms

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at times, because we get caught.

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Up in the day to day and the day to

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day there's so much to do.

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I don't know that any mom really ever feels like

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she catches up with everything she needs to do on

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any given certain day.

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So I have found that I can.

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Miss the most beautiful moments if I don't force myself

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to slow down, if I don't force myself to just

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be appreciative of what I have in that moment, regardless

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of what is happening. I've had seasons where I thought

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they would take me out or break me, but I

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realize I have two choices. And I've always believed this

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that when you have those really dark seasons that you

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think I don't know God. If you don't help me

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out of this, I might not make it out. It's

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those moments that are so critical. And as I lean

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on my faith and as I glean from the wisdom

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of the Bible, and I see that I'm not the

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first one to deal with some really dark moments in

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my life, and so I'm not going to.

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Be the last.

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But I do have a choice, because there are so

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many examples, again in the Bible or even in history,

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where anything can literally change just in a moment, and

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everything changes by a choice that you make as the

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first step that leads to the next step, that leads

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to the next step, and so on. And so I

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have chosen in those moments that the defining moment is

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not necessarily what happens to me, but truly the way

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I decide to show up and respond, and again holding

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tight to my faith and my values, knowing that no

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matter what, I know that God is real because I've

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had my own encounters with Him that there's no way

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anyone can convince me otherwise, and so I hold on

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to Him in those really testing times. But I also

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know that I have the way and responsibility of being

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a wife and a mother, and I hold those so

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dearly to me and a friend and so on. All

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these titles, all the titles do is just describe the

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areas of responsibility and things that I've been entrusted with

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to steward. So even my friendships, I want to show

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up a certain way in my friendships. Do I think

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I'm perfect, Absolutely not. But my goal is not perfection.

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My goal is to be authentic and to be transparent

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and honest and cultivate. We'll first choose those relationships accordingly, right,

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because not everyone's values and beliefs are going to align

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with yours.

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And with that said, I have many that I know

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that we.

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Don't have the same religion, we don't have the same

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beliefs and all of those things.

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But it doesn't mean that they don't have a.

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Place in my life. It's just looks differently. And so

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those that I allow in a closer proximity, we are

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going to tend to share those same values and beliefs

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and whatnot. Because when you go through the hard times,

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the beautiful thing is you can lean on them when

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you feel like you don't have the strength, you can

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lean on them for me, that they will be praying

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for me. And so all of these things have really

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worked together to help me to understand that first and foremost,

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you know, you kind of.

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Alluded to it. Life is a gift. We're here one day,

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we may not be the next.

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We're not promised anything, and so what we do with

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today really counts. It matters, and we can't go back

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and do over anything. And that's not to say that

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anyone should live with shame of their past. You know,

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decisions or experiences we get today to start over, and

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it doesn't mean we pretend the past didn't.

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Happen, but we just glean what we want.

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To keep with us to move forward, to help us

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be better, not bitter, and to make good life decisions,

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to make good business decisions.

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All of it, all of it working together.

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I'm going to go into your past a little because

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you were a makeup artist. Do you feel like it

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