There was a time when we thought the only ways to be successful were to climb the corporate ladder or make it big as an athlete or entertainer. Everything seemed to go according to plan when he signed as a free agent to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But then just a few weeks before we got married, he was cut and didn’t have a back up job waiting. The most money he made playing in the NFL were the weekly stipends to cover his food expenses each week. AKA no big signing bonus or nest egg to fall back on. I, on the other hand, was fresh out of college and hadn’t pursued a full time career yet because I had anticipated moving to Pittsburg and settling into life as an NFL wife. My main sources of income were unpredictable: a small Etsy shop side-hustle, a blog, and some freelance marketing and photography work for a local wedding venue. Nevertheless, we were two weeks away from tying the knot and didn’t have much of a plan. Over the last 4 years (+ a few months), we’ve been able to do MORE than I could have ever imagined that day he called to tell me he was released. And I’ve had to learn that there are indeed more than one or two ways to build wealth for our family while we’re in our 20’s. Over the last four years, we’ve... 💰 Prioritized a debt-free lifestyle (Outside of a mortgage) 💰 Created multiple streams of income 💰 Built our own small businesses 💰 Saved an emergency fund 💰 Hired financial planners + learned how to make regular money conversations FUN 💰 Dreamed together 💰 Invested in our future 💰Increased our net worth by buying and selling real estate 💰Learned how to define enough (yes, that’s part of wealth building because wealth isn’t just about money) You know, it may not be the National Football League. But the challenge of doing it from scratch has out to be way more fun — and that’s more than enough for me. Ask us anything, or tell us what steps are you taking to build wealth for your future + family! ⬇️ 
Women have a powerful contribution to make in the home and in the marketplace. As I’ve dug into Proverbs 31 through an unapologetically practical lens over the last year, I’ve considered what this can look like as it plays out in our modern culture and world. I’ve considered the ways so many young women feel ill equipped when it comes to managing a home, as well as creating streams of income (especially Christian women). In the world, I saw the girl boss movement. In the church, I heard Bible studies on family, marriage, etc. Online, I saw a million pins with ideas on how to decorate a room. But I could not find a resource that blended these three in a common-sense and biblically based way without being an inspirational sermon series. I didn’t see many women my age talking about it, teaching on it, or celebrating it. I often didn’t see ambitious women being championed and encouraged to steward their everyday life at home, and I definitely did not see Christian women being equipped or encouraged to take ownership of their finances and learn strategic ways to earn. So since I couldn’t find what I was looking for, it really began to be a space I felt led to step into + something I wanted to create for women like me. We spent the better half of last year preparing to step into this gap, and even revamped our podcast plan to best do that. Instead of just providing inspirational episodes, we decided to focus in on making it a workshop style show with practical tools to help working women (whether your work is entrepreneurship, employment, or SAHM) steward their home and health well. Today, the first episode of 2021 dropped and its all about hospitality + practical ways to create a welcoming home, even if you’re renting or on a budget. 🏠 I’d love for you to give it a listen and tell me what you think! We’ve got upcoming episodes on budgeting, scheduling, and more. If this sounds like something you would enjoy or need, I invite you to subscribe to @shepodcast and spend 2021 with me! ♥️ #OwnYourEveryday 
Ok I have to tell you this because God has been majorly working in my life over the last 18 months. About 1 1/2 years ago, something began to stir in me. I had been so busy doing and building and chasing dreams that I began to lack clarity... So I began to simplify and tried to do less for awhile until I could really uncover my God given mission in the business + life he’d given me to steward. When this past year was met with a lot of pain, and time for healing and reflection, I began to take myself through a process to dig even deeper into what exactly I need to do. As I did, I rewinded back to the beginning, and revisited my why. I realized that I had kind of lost sight of why I started... why I started my Etsy shop that started it all: In addition to the more fun reasons, I remembered that I decided to go for it because I wanted to create options for my future family. I hoped one day to have the flexibility to stay at home and work for myself when I had a family. Although motherhood didn’t exactly start off how I planned, as I recovered on the couch one day last year during our loss, I realized that even through the ups & downs & twists & turns, I’d done it. I’d done the very thing I said I wanted to do. I had the option to rest, recover, and focus on my family and health without the pressure to report or clock in somewhere. And that’s when I saw my experience with and passion for small business, and God-given mission, collide: I saw how I can help other women with that exact same desire in their heart do the same thing. Not to be a girl boss. But for something deeper. Bigger. More meaningful. Lasting. Holy. I flipped open Proverbs 31 and saw a visual of legacy through small business and homemaking play out so beautifully... and it all clicked. So in a couple of weeks, we’re rolling out a program to help women start their own home business in @theownitacademy... and it might be my favorite project to date because I wholeheartedly believe women don’t have to choose between home + business. If anything, I hope this encourages you in this: God can use your greatest pain to reveal your most powerful purpose. #ownyoureveryday 
I want scream this from a mountaintop for every woman to hear: It is NOT selfish or annoying to advocate for your health. It is not taboo to seek to understand your hormones or make massive changes for your overall health. It’s wise. Not crazy. Period. At times I’ve felt crazy, and maybe at times I have been a little crazy. But in my persistence to find answers around an issue society at large would say is “common” and “not to worry about,” I’ve learned important things about my health that I can take steps to heal and care for now—while I’m still young. In my quest for clarity after 2x losses this year... I found out I have an MTHFR mutation that can affect not only pregnancy but also other aspects of health. I found out my thyroid has been slightly off, and have learned how to adjust my lifestyle and nutrition to support it. I learned I had inflammation that could be the start of autoimmune had I not caught it this early. I learned that I had the beginning of arthritis in my neck and my spine was misaligned — and compression in the spine can affect the function of other organs in the body. I found out my body doesn’t respond well to gluten. And it’s been simultaneously so freaking exhausting and empowering. So, if you’re a young woman and noticing small smoke alarms your body is sending you, seek answers. Or if you’ve experienced something similar to me, I just want to encourage you to advocate for yourself. If a doctor makes you feel like you’re a pain, find a new doctor. If you worry about what others will think of your persistence, remember why you’re doing it. If you have to pay out of pocket like I did, I can tell you it’s worth it (even if you have to re-allocate funds you planned to use in other ways). We don’t need to feel ashamed or weird about this. Don’t be afraid to seek answers, invest in, and advocate for your health. Because in doing so, we invest in our futures, our families, & communities — in our legacy and the impact we were born to make. And that matters. #ownyoureveryday 
Relived a piece of childhood today and it was magical ❄️ 
Curious if this resonates with you... This has been a year that has forced me to FOCUS. Through the fire, there’s been in intense refining. Answers that I’d been looking for everywhere else but in pain were found in suffering, plans not going according to plan, and having to hit pause when everything in my nature says to go. I’ve found clarity in my purpose, clarity in my businesses, clarity in my message, clarity on what I prioritize, and clarity in what I actually want in a world that constantly tells me to want it all. Up until very recently, I’d often tell Matt, “Why’d you have to play that *stupid worship song* so much at the end of last year? It’s like we were asking for it!” That *stupid worship song* was called “Refiner.” The lyrics say, “I want to be refined by the fire.” And once I found myself in the fire, I regretted ever saying it. But I’m beginning to see it now: in the blazing fire, there’s not only been pain but also a refining — a humbling of my pride, a softening of my spirit, and a fierce focus on what matters most — has emerged as gold. So if you find yourself walking through hell, I want to encourage you with this: The most unexpected gains can be born out of the most unwanted pain. It doesn’t make it hurt any less. But I hope it’ll give you the tenacity to keep going. Even when you fight it. Even when you hate it. I can assure you that you will be refined by the fire. And you’ll barely recognize the woman — the focused, softened, and more intentional woman — staring back at you in the mirror in the very near future. #ownyoureveryday 
Our little one was due to be born today. I look at the second picture, when I was just shy of 12 weeks, & instantly remember how proud I felt. I wish I could put into words how strangely confusing it is to see your baby grow from a tiny poppy seed to a fetus with arms and legs over the course of multiple ultrasounds in several months time only to have that growth inexplicably and abruptly end. I can’t describe how weird it is to see women and friends who were due around the same time begin to share photos of their newborns and birth stories knowing you should be but aren’t. It’s like your soul just silently screams inside but you do your best to act totally fine. Honestly, at the end of June, I didn’t know how I’d bare to face two would-be due dates this year. I dreaded December all year, not only because this baby would have been due but also because December of last year we found our we were pregnant with our first. You know, I used to think miscarriage was no big deal. “The body is just doing its job and taking care of a life that wouldn’t have survived,” I thought. “She’ll get another chance,” I’d think, as if babies are replaceable or as if it was a church league softball game and not life & death we’re talking about. Now I know how complex and traumatic it truly is... and how naive I was to think that it’s just that simple & something women should move on from quickly. I don’t share this for pity or sympathy. I share it because I want to validate every other grieving mama this holiday season, and because I believe someone might need to hear this tonight: If I could go back to myself at the end of June, when I was having labor pains and spiraling into a very dark place, I would kneel by my own bedside and say: In six months, you won’t believe how far you’ve come. It still won’t make sense. You’ll still have those moments where your soul screams inside. It won’t be fixed and you won’t have your happy ending just yet. But you will be so refined by this fire. And you’ll look back at the end of the year & know one thing for sure: this pain and this little life was NOT in vain. And this is NOT where your story ends. #soulscripts 
I’m just going to say it. It is not selfish to get really focused and figure out what you want. In fact, I actually think it’s responsible. Otherwise we just end up spinning in circles, hopping from thing to thing, unable to really steward anything. If you’re a believer AND you’re multipassionate, I think this can make it even more confusing. I think so many of us get so stuck, and end up spinning in circles, trying to figure out what God (or other people) wants us to do. And while I 10000% believe in following His lead and leaning into discern what He is telling us, I also have found that sometimes we can really overcomplicate this and get stuck in analysis paralysis. I mean, have you ever found yourself trying to decide between two or three all seemingly equal options and just spinning in circles waiting for God to paint a sign across the sky that tells you which to pick? And if he doesn’t, you just do nothing? Again, don’t get me wrong, sometimes we do need to wait on the Lord. But I genuinely wonder if sometimes He chuckles at us as we panic about making the wrong decision. Maybe he leans back and whispers, “Hey gal, I’m giving you multiple options. Pick one and honor Me in whichever option you choose. I’m with you.” At least that’s been my experience this year. I’ve felt the Lord really convict me on the importance of getting clear on what I want — or what I prioritize — and then make decisions accordingly with Him. I’ve heard it said that he doesn’t always lead us from the front with big huge signs painted across the sky, but that sometimes, he leads from behind and allows us to make a choice. But we can only choose well when we’re clear on what’s most important and on what we value. So don’t be afraid to sit down, clarify your priorities, and figure out what you actually want in a world that tells you that you should want it all. And then take the necessary action steps to partner with God as you blaze a trail and pathway forward with purpose and intention, not chaos or confusion — together. #ownyoureveryday 
The last month or so has just been weird and hard for me. We’ve been in a transitional season when we thought we’d be in an establishing season. Literally nothing about my current reality is what I expected it to be, not only when it comes to family building but in other areas, too. A story for another time. Anyway, in some ways, it’s a major blessing and creating LOADS of clarity. In other ways, it’s maddening and some days I just need to have a good cry because that’s real life. These words are from the Own Your Everyday mantra — penned into the last chapter of the book I wrote nearly two years ago. I was reminded of them today... in the middle of an emotional moment where I was just fed up with life. And I thought, “Wow, I needed to read my own words today.” So here I am. Learning to re-adopt the mantra I wrote down but lost sight of through the chaos of life. Thought maybe you might need these words, too. From my heart or yours — x #ownyoureveryday