Be Sweet Ya'll

Last time, Sheldon and I talked about the hard stuff. This time we're talking about the good stuff, the things you get back in recovery. For most of my life I've been waiting for Sheldon to get sober. But this time I was waiting on the side of the road in downtown Panama City holding a poster, watching my son ride his bike around the corner at the end of a 500-mile ride. And that kind of waiting w...

Nine years ago, I hired a private detective to find my son in California. He had been homeless on the street and I barely recognized him. But today I’m SOOO grateful he's sitting across from me and he’s sober in my adorable studio.  💛 By popular demand, Sheldon is BACK, and this time we're talking about addiction, family, and the long road to recovery. Sheldon explains why people remain in addict...

When life throws us curveballs, we often obsess over what we can't control. It’s true we can’t change what happens but we always have the power to choose how we respond. Yet, when life catches us off guard, that’s the easiest thing to forget. What if we found a way to be more proactive and less reactive for our own peace? You can't control the outcome, but you can control your reaction. And in tha...

Over the weekend I got to sit in the front row with my longtime mentor John Maxwell. He’s one of my favorite leadership role models and he’s written nearly 100 books! I'm sharing the lessons that hit me hardest, like redefining failure and why you can't help others grow until you're growing yourself. I also share a little about my own morning practice for staying grounded no matter how full my pla...

Have you ever walked into a room and thought, "Everybody in here knows more than I do"? That's exactly where I found myself at my first mic drop workshop, y'all, surrounded by brilliant women speakers, trying to answer one simple question: what is my transformational promise? What is the thing you'll feel after you hear me talk? This week I'm letting you in on that messy, beautiful middle part, th...

Have you ever felt like your best days were behind you? Like once you hit a certain age, that's just it, time to settle down and stop having any dreams!  That's the lie I'm calling out on this episode, y'all, because I promise you, no matter what age you are, your time is now. This week I'm taking you back to a memory from when I was just 11 or 12 years old, visiting my dad's AA sponsor, when I fi...

Have you ever felt like a fraud saying something nice about yourself? Like the second the words leave your mouth, some voice in your head goes, "Girl, who are you kidding?" That's exactly what my producer Ashley admitted to me when we sat down for this episode and it's a feeling I bet almost everyone has. This week I’m joined by my producer Ashley Feller and she turns the mic on me!  We talk about...

Have you ever been frustrated with yourself because you don't have your friend's talents? I sure have. I'm surrounded by talented people, my daughter who has the most beautiful singing voice, so many artists, and even tax professionals! I would love to have their talents, and maybe if I worked hard enough at art, I'd be an artist too. But what I do know is that God gave each of us gifts uniquely f...

She was never supposed to make it. Statistically, Barb shouldn't have become a loving wife, mother, and GG. This week she tells us why the statistics were wrong. 💛 This week I'm sitting down with two of my favorite humans at Beachy Beach Real Estate, Barb Wade and Kay Blanchard for a conversation that got a lot deeper than any of us expected. Barb grew up in foster care, bounced between homes sta...

What if the friendships God gives you were never just about coffee dates, but about calling each other higher? 💛 Jody Morgan is BACK for part two, and this time we're having a spirit conversation about the books that changed our lives.  We also talk about why excellence, experience, and celebration have been the secret ingredients to Jody's success. Jody shares how she brings "unreasonable" celeb...

What if the healing you've been waiting for has been available to you all along you just needed to find the right tools and the right people? 💛 If you've ever felt like your health, your family, or your future was out of your hands, this episode is for you. My dear friend Jody Morgan joins me today, and her story is one of the most powerful I've ever heard. Jody's story is proof that God doesn't...

Welcome to Be Sweet, Y'all ! New episodes drop every Monday, focusing on how to be kinder to ourselves and others while growing in mind, body, and spirit. Tune in each week to learn how to hit the sweet spot in life and make the world a brighter, sweeter place. 

If you're one of those people who says "I'll be happy when I make more money," "I'll be happy when my child gets sober," "I'll be happy when my husband starts eating healthy" please stop. You cannot put your happiness on an "if," because you will constantly be chasing that if. What if the things you're not getting right yet aren't failures… but proof you're still growing? 💛 I've learned to find h...

What if the self-doubt you’re feeling isn’t a sign to stop… but your signal to keep going? 💛Y’all, I am sitting right outside the Women’s Symposium, getting ready to launch my very first book, Joy Is My Favorite Color, and my heart is just overflowing. Ever since I was a girl of 10 years of age sitting on my bed in an uncertain home shaped by alcoholism, books have been my sanctuary. I learned fr...

What happens when you spend your whole life connecting people, telling their stories, and showing up for your community? This week I sat down with my longtime friend Marta Rose Thorpe, a lifelong magazine publisher, marketing connector, and dedicated volunteer, to talk about the throughline of her career: communityMarta opens up about the entrepreneurial spirit she inherited from her artist mother...

Have you ever heard of having a servant's heart? It's when your life feels chaotic, the absolute quickest way to find abundance is to throw yourself into the service of others. This week on Be Sweet Y'all, I sat down with one of the most dedicated, servant-hearted humans in our community, my dear friend Ron Sharpe, the President and CEO of The Arc of the Bay. Ron opens up about the calling that le...

Y'all, this encore episode takes us back to the very first time I brought a guest onto the podcast  my dear friend and former fitness coach turned life-changer, Dr. Jenn Burg. What began as hiring a fitness coach turned into me losing 50 pounds and totally transforming my mind, body, and spirit. Today we're talkin' about why struggle is actually a gift, and how learning to ask for help changed eve...

Y'all, what if the thing you've been resistin' the most is the very thing you were made to do? For years I watched my daughter, my friends, and peers publish their books while I let fear win. But I finally pushed through, did it scared and unsure but I did it anyway. Y'all, my book just went to press and I cannot tell you how good it feels. Today I'm sharin' everything I've learned about resistanc...

One of my favorite speakers, Jon Acuff, said something this week that stopped me cold: "We like labels because they offer an explanation for behavior we don't want to change." Ouch. I felt seen, called out, and set free all at the same time and I had to bring it straight to you. In this episode, I'm sharing the quote that changed the way I see every excuse I've ever made, why "I'm just not good at...

Some seasons of life have a way of testin' everything you've built inside yourself  and honey, right now is one of those seasons for a whole lot of us! This week, I'm poppin' in with a special episode fresh from my heart to yours all about the one thing that can never be taken from you: your attitude. I'm sharin' John Maxwell's powerful "Law of the Lid," what it really means to dig your well befor...

Hey y'all! Sometimes we get so caught up lookin’ at the rest of the world, thinking about what everyone else needs to fix or how everything else ought to change. But real transformation always starts in our own hearts! This week, I’m comin’ to you with a special little pop-up episode to talk all about personal responsibility spiritually, physically, and financially. Today, I'm openin' my heart wid...

Y'all, we recorded this one in May for Mental Health Awareness Month, but this conversation is so good it will carry you well into June  and honestly, straight through the rest of the year. I sat down with one of my most favorite precious humans on this planet, my sweet friend Brandy Haiman, a licensed therapist and social worker with nearly 30 years of experience.  She is everything: compassionat...

Sometimes, we get so scattered by the craziness of life, the never-ending projects, and the habit of saying "yes" to everyone  we miss the beautiful masterpiece God has already put right in front of us!!! This week, I’m coming to you with a pop-up episode recorded on May 15th my wedding anniversary to my beloved late husband, Hugh F. Smith. Today, I open my heart to share the story of how Hugh wal...

When service becomes the foundation of your life, the structure you build is unshakable. This week, I’m sitting down with Ronnie Grissett, owner of Team Patriot Home Stewardship Services and a medically retired Army veteran. Ronnie  joins me for a conversation that spans from construction mission fields in Honduras and Uganda to the importance of proactive home maintenance right here in Bay County...

It’s  mental health awareness month and today I’m reflecting on how much has changed... I can remember when I was younger, if you needed to go to therapy, it was almost a secret. We were surrounded by shame, feeling like we were defective if we couldn’t handle it all on our own. But now, things have shifted, and we are finally dropping that stigma thanks to the brave young people in our lives who...