WHOA That's Good Podcast - How Savannah Chrisley Continues to Choose Joy in Tragedy | Sadie Robertson Huff

Episode Date: December 13, 2023

Sadie and Savannah Chrisley have similarities in their stories: growing up on reality television, their faith, and they both love Auburn men! As Sadie says, "Good men come from Auburn!" Savannah talks about the first Father's Day and Thanksgiving without her parents as they're both serving federal jail sentences and how even in the midst of tragedy and difficulty, she is choosing to find happiness and remembers that God IS good even when it's bad. And Sadie can't wait to ask Savannah about being a part of the second season of "Special Forces" and when she knew it was time to go! https://bit.ly/47d3MvL — Sign up for Sadie & Christian's 90 Day Challenge! https://helixsleep.com/sadie — Get 20% off all mattress orders AND 2 free pillows! https://www.stitchfix.com/whoa — Get 25% off when you keep everything in your Fix! https://drinkag1.com/whoa — Get a FREE 1-year supply of Vitamin D3K2 & 5 FREE AG1 travel packs with your first purchase! - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. What's up? Well, that's good fam. Happy Wednesday, everybody.

I hope you're having a great week, but per usual, it's about to get so much better. I'm so excited for the guests I have on the podcast today because actually long long long time ago we were actually good friends in Nashville, me and Savannah, Chris Lee got to go to get some pretty dang good barbecue together and it's been a while. So Savannah welcome to the podcast. Thank you for having me. Also, congratulations on all the babies. And I feel like it's amazing. Oh my gosh. Well, it's crazy how much life has happened

because I was thinking back. I don't even know how old we were, but I might have been in high school when we, maybe. Yeah, when we hung out because it was whenever I was on days with the stars, which I was in high school, I saw you and your family at the grove that day. Yes.

And LA, the thing that's kind of like when we met. And then I was in Asheville for something and you took me to this great barbecue place. I know, and you lived here at one point. I did, yes. I was there for like right after high school for about three years. And then when Krishna got married, I moved to Auburn because that's where he was going to school,

where you go, and then we moved to Louisiana. Which is wild because that's where my boyfriend went to school. Oh, no way. Yeah. No, that's awesome. Hey, Auburn. It's a great place and good men come from Auburn, so.

Hey, that is true. He played football at Auburn. Oh, that's awesome. I know, it's why. But it's, everyone's like stories connect some way that's sweet That's so true. So how long have you and your boyfriend been dating? Oh Oh gosh just since August so like very very fresh. That's awesome. So sweet. Well if he's from Auburn I bet he's a good one and that he's a good one. Oh yes

That's great. Well, I'm so excited to have you on. Just have a conversation. It really has been so long since we've even caught up. And I've been seeing all your posts on Instagram and everything going on. And I was like, you know what? You got to come in on podcast and then you're like, you got to come be on mine. So I'm so excited to then do the swap. But before we kind of jump into our conversation,

I ask everyone that comes on this podcast, the same question to start it. And it we kind of jump into our conversation, I ask everyone that comes on this podcast the same question to start it. And it's kind of a big one, but we always start with what's the best piece of advice you've ever been given. Massive start to a great conversation. So it's kind of always been, I say, my dad would always say, you know, growing up on TV is hard. People have throw their opinions at you, and it's hard to not believe what they're telling you. And my dad would always say, it's none of your business. What someone else thinks of you. And I loved that because I was like, all right, why do I care? Like it's none of my business, what they think as long as I feel

good about myself, it doesn't matter. So I've always tried to stick with that. And then this past week, though, I actually went to, or it's Thursday now, so earlier in the week, I went to a conference and I was listening to a bunch of people speak and the founder of Spanx, Sarah Blakely, and her husband husband both spoke. And just hearing their stories, it may not be advice, but you can hear people's stories and kind of take your own advice from it maybe. But you hear that, like, it's never too late. I think that's the best advice.

Is it's never too late to start over? It's never too late to chase after your dream. It's never, I mean, her husband got married for the first time to her at 40. It is never too late. It's awesome. mean her husband got married for the first time to her at 40 Mm-hmm. That's like it is never too light. It's awesome That's so good. That is such good advice and it's so true that it doesn't have to be necessarily like a piece of advice But seeing how people live through stories and live through their life is you know Just as inspiring as a piece of ice sometimes more that's why like my favorite books have become memoirs and like nonfiction And just hearing about someone's story because I feel like in a lot of ways I learned more from sometimes more. That's why my favorite books have become memoirs and nonfiction and just

hearing about someone's story because I feel like in a lot of ways I learned more from those stories even though it's not like, oh here's one point. It's like here's this person's life you can learn from as opposed to a book that has like three good points. Those books are great too. In fact, I write books a lot like that. It's like, here's the message, live fearless. But whenever I read this story of someone's life, there's so much I gain from the inspiration. And so I love that, that's so true. And I love that your best piece of advice

was what it was, because a lot of times, I feel like I could almost guess what someone would say based on just how they live their life. And as I was kind of preparing for this podcast, one thing I noticed about you is you really don't, I don't know if it's that you don't care about people's comments, but you don't let it shape you and you don't let it stop you. And in fact, someone was saying something rude on your Instagram and you commented back, you're like, get off my page. Like, you don't know. Like, just get off. So how, how do you practically like, was that hard for you

when you first started with the comments that people were giving you? Was it hard for you to see that, or have you always had that kind of boldness when it comes to people's response to things that you post and whatnot? Mm-hmm. I think growing up, I grew up,

I mean, there's, you know, you come from a big family. Both my parents, like my dad was very outspoken, you come from a big family, both my parents, my dad was very outspoken, very, but very strict growing up. And so I was used to kind of tougher personalities, so it made it a little easier for me to deal with it. But I think you go through ebbs and flows to say that what someone says doesn't affect you would be a lie. I mean, if anyone could tell me that someone could say something negative and it didn't affect, they would be like, whoa, give me your secret. Yeah. Because I feel like it just, you go through different phases of life. So if someone touches on something that you're already insecure about, or if you're going through a tough phase

and someone comes at you, like, it may not even be what you said, what they said, it may just be the fact that they said anything. So I feel like we're all. There's there's different times in life to where things will just bother you a little bit more. And I've tried to like drown out the noise, not pay attention to it, but there's certain things. I mean, when people attack your character, when people try to say you're something that you're not, especially too, when I've lived my whole life trying to, it's funny. And not to ever, there are people in reality television that make it big. It seems like in the snap of the finger, because they live their life in a way that's just, I'm going to put my whole body out for the world to see. I'm gonna basically like sell my soul.

And you're like, well, this is tough because they've made it this big while doing all the things that I was taught you don't do. And I know I'm doing the right thing and it's taking me longer to make it. Yep. Man, that is so true. That's so great. I remember fighting the tension of that whenever I was younger. And, you know, we have similar uproarings of just being

on reality TV and being from big families and whatnot. And I just remember, you know, looking at other people who had similar stories as me as far as like they started in reality TV or they started whatever. And then the way that they went about things and it did lead them to like huge success And then I would notice that like if I would post something more

Towards that that wasn't necessarily what I Would have been proud of or it was what I really stood for it did get more attention and whatnot And it's so true. It's like well, you know, what what is that worth? You know because is that really the success that you want? Even it's fast and it's quick and it can feel exciting, but in the long run, like, who did you become? And the longer on what impact did you really make

on people's life? And actually remember this was like a for real moment for me, so I had just, I was like 18 years old, I had just grown a big following and I was just filling myself. I was like, you know, posting on my selfies, filling cute whatnot. And I'll never forget. It was like the most embarrassing thing ever to me, but I looked back and I'm so grateful for it. But Priscilla Shire, she's like my

favorite female speaker. And I used to like really look, I've still looked up to her so much, but I looked up to her a lot. This is before I got into like ministry and doing women's ministry and stuff like that. This was just back when I was like, oh, I love what you're doing. I'm doing my thing. I was like more Instagram influencer.

And so I was like posting these pictures. They weren't like inappropriate, you know, but they were not really representing me in the way that I typically did, and it was leaning more towards that route. And Priscilla Sharr texted me, this first time she ever texted me, I don't even know how she had my number.

And she started with like little sister. And I'm like, oh my gosh, this is so cool. And Priscilla Sharr texted me, and she's like, I've been seeing your post lately on your Instagram, and I don't think that the way you're portraying yourself is probably in the way that you would like to be. And she just like set me straight was basically like, you have a bigger purpose in this. I understand that's getting attention, but that's not the attention that you want in your life.

That's not the attention that's actually going to bring you the satisfaction that you're looking for. And I am so thankful, like truly so thankful that she sent me that. It came out of left field. I would have never expected to get a text from her, especially saying something like that. But let me tell you something. I'd never posted something like that again, because not even because I was embarrassed, but because she was right. And I was like, you know what, you're right.

I was seeing that this was working for other people, so I was trying to do that, but that's actually not what I'm trying to do. And I think sometimes it does take stopping and asking yourself, what kind of impact am I actually trying to make in the world? This is giving me like quick followers, but what do followers mean if you're not leading them to something that matters, right? If you're not impacting them in a way. So I love how you've used your influence. I know you've started a podcast and you are so open about everything going on in your life. What pushes you in such

a way to continue to share your life with the world when it is hard. People have their opinions, people are judging, people are commenting, rude stuff. How do you keep using your influence for good in the midst of such hard things? Y'all, there is just nothing like climbing into your cozy bed on a winter night, MRI or MRI. And that's why I am such a big fan of Helix Sleep mattresses with a premium mattress from Helix Sleep. You'll be comfortable and cozy all night long and who doesn't love that on a chilly day? Helix mattresses are tailored to you

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offer yet and it's not going to last long with Helix better sleep can start now. Just go to helixleap.com slash saty. better sleep can start now, just go to helixleep.com slash saty. Yeah, I think during COVID or like in the midst of COVID, everyone was searching for something to believe in. I feel like everyone was like locked in their houses. Everyone didn't just during the pandemic as a whole. And as people were coming out of it, I feel like a lot of people lost themselves. A lot of people were trying to figure out what do I believe in. I want to believe in something like we needed something to hold on to because we had lost just about everything. And I was no stranger to that. And so I think coming out of the pandemic, I also, as I'm transitioning in and out of TV, everything happens with my parents. I think I saw, I posted a video on Instagram and there was um CC Wine and Song

in the back, ground playing of the song and I just went on to say how tough life was and how I was really struggling and how I could put on a smile, but also it's those people who put on a smile a lot of times that are the ones struggling. And just going on to say like I had become this angry person, I had become just because I felt like life was so against me, my family, whatever it may have been.

And when I posted that and it was just like, all right, I can't do it anymore, like no more being strong. Millions of people, millions of people watched it and commented and were like, I needed this more than you know. Like I needed this. And I think seeing that people don't care to have perfect. People don't care, you know, to make sure every photo is edited and everything looks great and whatever it may be, people want something they can relate to and

people want to know that they're not alone. And I saw how much that one video gave so many people hope. Yeah. But I was like, all right, at this point, like all gloves are off, I will be as open and honest as I can possibly be about everything that I'm going through, because you don't know who it can touch and who it can affect. And I think that's just the driving force behind why I keep speaking is because I always have people that are like what you said here really helped me. Or, and that for me is enough. Sometimes I have to help others in order for, like other people, it may seem like I'm helping them,

but in reality they're helping me. Yeah, just from a mental and emotional standpoint of seeing, because sometimes I hear people's stories, and I'm like, and I thought that I thought that what I was going through was tough. Wow. But when you hear people's stories, it opens your eyes to something bigger than yourself. Yeah, man, that's so true. Just like gain's perspective for where people are at. That's so powerful. And I think that, it's crazy. I have it at a similar thing.

I felt like whenever I was younger, I was living a little bit more of a, I guess you could say like hypocritical lifestyle where I was doing the whole thing, smiling in front of the cameras. It looked like life was good, but behind the scenes, I was just really struggling with a lot of different things.

And at the time, I just had such bad anxiety and so much insecurity and whatnot. And, but I was presenting myself like I didn't. And so I did this, this was before I even had YouTube, I actually just did this video about it was just an honest video really to myself. And kind of what you said, I was actually just doing this to encourage myself and speak truth in life of what I needed to hear and my little sister came home and she like saw it, saw me do this video and she was like, Oh, what are you doing? And I said, I'm just been going through a line.

I kind of just need like speak truth to myself. And she was like, you should post this on YouTube. And this is whenever she was like really into different YouTubers. And I didn't even have an account. She's like, Well, let's make an account. This would be like, so great. I really think this would help people. And so she helped't even have an account. She's like, well, let's make an account. This would be like, so great. I really think this would help people. And so she helped me make my YouTube account.

So it was my first video I ever posted was really a video that was never meant to go out to everyone else. And it's funny because when I look back at that video, I was saying it to other people, but I knew I was saying it to me. And it's crazy because to this day that's the most viewed video I have on my YouTube page but that's what made me go oh people really just want real like people want authenticity people want to see what you're going through and go oh me too and know they have a friend in it and

also like they need the truth that you're finding through those situations too and you're so right making making things into a message, making things that are happening into your life into something that inspires other people, it helps you get through the things that you're going through, always say, if you hear me preaching about something that's not because I figured it out,

that's because I'm going through it, you know? Exactly. And so I love that you're doing that so beautifully with your platform, you know, with the holidays coming up, I know holidays can be such a hard time for so many different people. Yeah. Sometimes it feels like Christmas and sometimes the feeling necessarily isn't there and it's been hard.

And I know with your life changing a lot and whatnot coming up for the holidays, it could be hard. Can you speak to just people who are going through changes holiday season and kind of encouraging them with where they're at if it doesn't feel like it always does? Yeah, for sure. I think obviously for people listening that aren't really aware of my story, just as past year, both my parents were sentenced to federal prison, 12 and seven years each. to federal prison, 12 and seven years each. And at 25, 26 now, but at 25, I got custody of my 11 year old sister and 17 year old brother.

And with that, I mean, I joke, so my car right, we're growing up together. Like I didn't have them and get to experience them as babies and learn as we go and all these different things. But now with the holidays, Thanksgiving was our first holiday without mom and dad. And that was, I say it was a little easier because we were out of the country, so I felt like kind of just another day.

But waking up that morning, I felt just an overwhelming sense of sadness and grief and just like a piece was missing because normally I would be up cooking with my mom. I would be like, it was just what we did. So there were things that should have been happening that weren't happening. And that day, I mean, I was with my boyfriend, his kids, me, Chloe, Grayson, I mean, we were all together. So we were with people we loved and cared about and cared about us. And that's what that morning. So we were like going out on a boat and my boyfriend texts me and he was like, I just want to let you know. Like, I love you. And I like, he just sense that there was a heaviness about me. And then that night, I, like, just sat in the bathtub

and I just cried. Like, I cried. I, and then I started looking through my phone and something just switched in me. I had, like, worship music on as I'm sitting there and something just switched. And I was like, you know what? It sucked.

I miss mom and dad so much. But I'm surrounded by all these people that love and care about us. And in a time, where you could be very alone, I'm not. And I started looking back throughout this past year of all the friends who had shown up for me. And I think there's a big emphasis on Thanksgiving

or holidays being with family, which, sure, yes, but at the same time, family doesn't have to be your biological family. Yeah. It can be friends who have shown up like family. And I looked back at all the pictures and videos of my friends and moments through this past year to where they've shown up. Yeah. And I immediately, I feel like my mindset shifted. And instead of being in the state of sadness, it was being in this state of gratitude for

all of the love and people that are here. But at the same time, it's not invalidating your feelings because I truly do believe that grief during the holiday season is, it's maximized for sure. And especially this year, I mean, even though my ex-fiancé and I like, we weren't together, we had both moved on. He passed away in a motorcycle accident two, three months ago. And he was with us last Thanksgiving.

He was with us at Christmas. He was with us on his birthday that's coming up in January. So it's really tough because during the holidays, you're reminded of everything you have, but also everything you don't have. And I think it's just about sitting in it, allowing yourself to feel it and validating how you feel, but also remember the good things.

I think very early on, I ran away from anything that reminded me of my parents, whether it's a restaurant or whether it's just like out of sight, out of mind, don't wanna be reminded. But now I feel like I'm at a place where it's like lean into those things. Lean into the things that your loved ones loved that they're not here to love anymore. Lean into like the different activities or things you did together because you

can find happiness and the midst of tragedy. 100%. As we all know, the holiday season is so much fun, but it tends to be the time that everyone gets sick. So we are trying to say as healthy as we can, that is one of the top priorities right now on the hub. House and AG1 is helping us do that. If you've been listening to, well, that's good for a while, then you know that we have been drinking AG1 for years.

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So if you want to take ownership of your health, it starts with AG1. Try AG1 and get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3, K2, and 5 free AG1 travel packs with your first purchase. Go to drinkag1.com slash woe. Go to drinkajone.com slash woe again that's drinkajone.com slash woe. Wow my gosh well I just want to say I am genuinely so sorry for all that you walk through and all that has happened in the past year because I can't even imagine what you're going through. And the fact that you keep showing up

and like, are as strong as you are and sharing what you're sharing, that like what's coming out of you, you're incredibly well-spoken. And I know those words are not something that are easy to say, that's something that you're having to like walk through and struggle through,

but just what you said earlier, you really are helping so many people, and I really hope that through it, you feel that purpose, you feel that joy, that is a strength, and not just a little side happiness, it's something that only the Lord can put inside of you. And so I'm sorry for what you've gone through, I can't imagine, but thank you for being the voice

that you've been in so many people's lives who as I can't imagine how many people are listening to this right now who are going, thank you that you just said that. I cried in the bathtub, but thanks, Givi, and I don't want to even, I don't even know what Christmas is going to feel like. You know, whenever I was seeing yourself on Instagram,

one of the reasons I wanted to have you on the podcast is because when I started this podcast five and a half years ago, one of the big reasons I started it is because I felt like, you know, I would do these interviews with people or not or a story would come out about me or my family's life. And it would be like on a headline everywhere. And that headline may or may not have been accurate to what was actually going on. Or, you know, it's like everyone else's side and it's like you didn't even get your voice in it. Or people would say, hey, come on, your podcast.

And then you just feel like it was for their gang or whatever and not just because they cared about you. And that was like, I want to start a podcast where people can really be heard for who they are, for people to really get a chance to share like the good things in life and the truths of life and the hard things and the struggles through it. But like people can see them for them.

It's no headline clickbait, it's no. We're trying to get you a gacha. It's like how can we encourage the person who's being interviewed to? And I just wanted to see like, just kind of give you an opportunity to share the things about your family that maybe people don't see. People are seeing all these headlines

about your family this year, but what does your family mean to you? What's special to you in your life right now that you want people to know that might not be the thing that all the headlines are talking about? Yeah, I think what should so hard, as you know, like growing up in the public eye, when you have so much on TV

and then you have all these headlines being thrown your way and things that are true and things that aren't true. And I think that's the toughest part, but it's this year's been a year full of growth and a lot of transition and basically just like being torn down to the very bottom and now like building myself back up. And I think I look at it in our situation and there's actually a quote that I just emailed it to my parents yesterday because when I was at this conference it really spoke to me and it says God will call you to an upward calling in a downward

time. And a guy's name's Tim Story, he's the one who said it. And so God will call you to an upward calling in a downward time. And it just clicked to me and with everything that's going on in our life with my parents being in prison, I have used it as a chance to educate myself on our system, on the injustices that have occurred for decades. I mean, it's been there. I was just tone deaf to it because it didn't affect me. And I think now that's what I'm focusing so much time and energy on is giving people the advice to not be me. Don't be the one that turns a blind eye to it just because it doesn't affect you.

But because at the end of the day, like we have to open our eyes to something more than ourselves. Just because it doesn't affect you, doesn't mean it's not happening. And now I've been educating myself on it, and I believe that, you know what, it's possible to find beauty in the ashes, and I feel like God has a reason for everything.

And part of the reason now that this is happening to my parents is because now I'm being educated. I get to be a voice for people who feel like they don't have a voice. And I get kids, wives, husbands, sons, what daughters, every I get all these people reaching out to me. And they're like, thank you so much for speaking up. We felt like we had no one. And now we finally have someone that's speaking up. Wow. And so I think that's what this next year of my life is going to be, is just being a better steward of what has been given to me and also learning that life's more than just yourself.

Yep. And now being in this position with my family and not knowing what's going to happen, you know, it's, I see like God working in so many different ways. They've just got granted oral arguments on their appeal for our case, which is huge. It's only 6% of cases get granted that. So I see and like God keep showing up just when it feels like, all right, I can't do this anymore. Like I just break down. I feel like it's every two to three months maybe. It's like I just run, run, run, run. I mean, being a single parent, single income household, not knowing how you're going to do it all by yourself, figuring, you know, paying for legal fees, trying to fight for my parents.

And then finally, I just crashed. I'm like, I can't do it. And but it feels like when that happens, it's like, God's like, no, I'm not finished with you yet. Like, I'm not, I'm not finished with you yet. And I think for me, it's this past year's definitely been one of trying to dig deeper into my faith and trying to just go and there's a little, there's a chapel not far from my house and it's open 24 hours. And so I'll go in, it's actually like a Catholic church.

And so I'll go in and I will sit and just pray and light a candle and just sit there. And not long ago, there was, I had walked in and I just fallen apart. Like, I was hysterically in tears because I was just like, I can't do this. Like, I can't keep doing it. And this older woman came in and she just hugged me. She just sat down and I never see anyone in there when I'm in there by the way. Wow. Never. I never see anyone when I'm in there. And she walks in and she goes, can I hug you?

And she hugged me and she like said a very long prayer and just was so intentional in her words and and giving love and being there and I was like this it literally felt like such an angel experience it's so hard to explain but I left there and I was like all right that was God that was God placing someone there to show up for me because I just couldn't do it anymore. And I think that's the toughest thing. It's like there's so many times you wanna give up. There's so many times, but now I have to remember

in those moments I'm like, all right, something good is coming from this. Something good is coming. And even just with the kids, it's seeing them succeed and seeing smiles on their face or doing something fun. And now my boyfriend, who I'm just like so grateful for, God placing such an awesome person in my life, that, and you have to be able to see the little wins, I guess. Yeah. Wow. That's so, that is so powerful. And I think even just seeing that you've leaned into God

instead of running away from him is so important. And because I think a lot of people, if they go through hard things, the tendency is you get mad at God. You want to run away from him. God, why would you do this? And we're not always going to understand the why. But for you to lean in and say, God, how can I steward what's been given to me? You know that even when you said I was like dang what an amazing question to ask God in the midst of such

hardship like in the midst of looking around like you could be blaming God asking God why but instead It's like how God how do I lean into this? How do I do this? Give me the strength to do this, you know That's an amazing thing in a testament. And I was reading in the book of Acts today and it was so interesting. I like underlined this, started. I was like, this is so crazy to me

because Paul was talking about, he was about to go to Jerusalem. And basically, he said, I don't know what to expect when I get there, but what the Holy Spirit has shown me this far is that it'll probably be imprisonment and all this crazy stuff because always, everywhere he was going, he was getting beat up in prison, stone, like crazy stuff. So he's like, I don't really know what to expect when I get to where I'm going, where God's kind of leading me, but I know when I get there, it's probably going to be jail,

and it's probably going to be this and that and whatnot. And I think sometimes we have this expectation with God, where it's like, I expect it to be like good on the other side. I expect it to be easy. I expect you to be like the provider and our version of provision would look like perfection and all these different things. I'm gonna love Paul's faith to say,

it's probably actually gonna be bad when I get there. But I don't count in my life where there's anything and less I'm following. What God has put me on this earth to do to share the good news of the gospel. And it was just this cool thing to me of seeing Paul's faith be like, God, I don't need you to give me a perfect life.

I just need you. I don't need everything to be like, you know, I don't expect when I get there to just somehow be put on a pedestal and everything to work out, but I do know that you're gonna be with me, that you're gonna be the strength in my life in the middle of that, that you've sent me there

on mission and on purpose. And so I've just think about your life right now and like there's a lot of bad things that have happened obviously your parents are in prison You just mentioned that your ex fiancee a password. That's hard stuff But the fact that you're not writing off God and you're not saying oh, he's not there because it's not good But he's good even when it's bad I think is a testament and it of itself. And so not saying that that's easy, it's definitely not easy to live a kind of faith like that.

It's definitely not easy to lean into God in those moments when you really just wanna run, when you really just wanna give up. [♪ OUTFITS MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ OUTFITS MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ OUTFITS MUSIC PLAYING [♪ [♪ OUTFITS MUSIC PLAYING [♪ I love picking out outfits for the day. It is one of the ways that I like to tap into creativity first thing in the morning, but no matter what your personal style is, or if you have fun doing that or not, Stitch Fix is here to help you. Think of them as your personal style partner. They learn your taste and collaborate with you on looks that they know you're going to love,

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for my style today. Try it today at StitchFix.com slash woe and you'll get 25% off when you keep everything in your fix. Again, that stitchfix.com slash woe stitchfix.com slash woe for 25% off. Well, I think one, I remember my dad and I have a conversation one time and it was like, all right, why me, why me? And my dad was like, why not? Why not you? Like, what makes you better than anyone else to ever have to go through what you're going through? And I think, and it's a real, so I had back when I was 15. I tried committing suicide. This was after we had already started the show. And no one ever knew about it. I kept, like it was kept very hush, very quiet. And I will never forget coming home from the hospital. And I was just like, why me, why me? And my dad had printed off a devotional that came in his daily devotional that came from Joel Osteen.

And it was Romans 828. And it basically says, like, God will take every hardship in adversity you go through and turn around and use it to your advantage. And it was just like that. Like in the snap of a finger, I was like, all right, that's it. That's the reason this is happening because sometimes you have to, it's tough, but you have to go through things in life. Like disappointment and hurt and trauma is all part of life. And it's

up to us what we decide we want to do with it. And I just got to a point of like, all right, I'm tired of being angry. I'm tired of like, I want God to soften my it. And I just got to a point of like, all right, I'm tired of being angry. I'm tired of, like, I want God to soften my heart. And just being more intentional about how you pray, because if you ask God to give you strength, sometimes he may put some hardships in your way to teach you the strength that you need. So I think it's just about being more intentional with that as well. Well, that is, that's so cool. You know, whenever you said that,

it makes me think about Joseph and the story of his life and how at the end of Genesis it says, he said to his brothers, you know, everything you meant to harm, God used for my good. And it's amazing when you read the story of Joseph because he was like thrown in a pit, sold by his brothers in a slavery,

accused of things he didn't do, misunderstood, in prison, all these different things. But what did that lead him to? Ultimately, it led him to being like second in command in the palace because of his gifts of interpreting dreams. But what's so cool, if you go and read that story in every single scenario, whether it was, you know, at Potiphar's house when he was's so cool, if you go and read that story in every single scenario, whether it was, you know, at Potta First House, when he was getting so misunderstood, or then

in the prison, and the palace, it says, and everything that he did, he succeeded. And everything that he was doing, he would be put like at the top, you know, of everywhere that he was at. And, you know, your story, it really is similar to that. That, although you're going through a hard time, you could call it a pit, you could call it a valley. God has made you successful in it, and I don't mean successful in worldly terms. I mean that you are standing strong, I mean that you are leading people,

that you are making a massive impact, and what the enemy might have meant for evil, God is working for good. I believe he'll work for good in your family's life. We're believing for this opportunity that your parents have coming up. I believe that he'll work it for good for the kids, for all of it, but also for good for everyone

who's following along the journey and learning from the way that you're leading and learning from just honesty and the openness that you have. And so your story reminds me a lot of that. Speaking of leaning into hard things, I saw you were on special forces. Oh, yeah. And so, Christian and I, we love the first season.

We watched that show and somebody was like, you should go on it. And I was like, heck, no, that is scary. That is crazy. And so you did go on it. What was that experience? Like, what gave you the courage to say, yeah, I'll sign up for that.

OK, so it was the last show I watched with my parents before they left. Wow. And when we were watching it, my mom goes, oh my God, you would do so good on this show. Like, if they ever asked you to do it, you need to do it. Wow. And then, few months later, it felt like such a God thing. Honestly, when I got the call,

because I didn't reach out about it at all. Like, they had reached out to my publicist. And it was like, we've been trying to get in touch with, like in touch with someone for Savannah. We really want her to do this. It's coming up. We don't have a lot of time. And she called me and I was like, yes. Like I didn't even have to think about it.

Because I was like, all right, that was the last show we watched. And this will give my parents an opportunity to be a part of it because they get to watch it. So even though they're in prison, they still get to watch a little bit of TV. So they they get to watch it. So even though they're in prison, they still get to watch a little bit of TV. So they would get to watch it. Now it would be a way for us to connect.

And I was just like, all right, I'm gonna go and do it. Now I would have done much better on the first season to where it's like hot to weather. You should hold. That's bad. Oh, it was so bad. And then when you get what, like you don't get new boots, you don't get dry boots, you don't none of that.

And I was like, this is, it was bad because especially being in the water and freezing cold weather. And I, no. That would, that would, yeah, that would be so bad. That's a Christian I was saying, we were like, okay, that would, that would be so bad. That's a question I was saying. We were like, okay, first season, at least it was hot, but the cold and wet cold is just like, I know, but I, I don't know.

So for me, I was watching the season, which by the way, you handled yourself so well. We really thought you were going to go all the way. Like she can do it. You're so strong. You're so strong. But then it was just so funny almost because you see the thing and you're like, yeah, no, like I'm just not doing that. Were you already kind of like done or did you really just walk up on that and you're just like, no, I'm just I'm literally not about to do that. What made you go? So I was basically already done. I was like, what made it so hard was that

during this time of filming was during Father's Day. Oh wow. And that's one thing they didn't point out. So it was my first Father's Day without my dad. And like I always went out for Father's Day. Like I maybe a few years ago, like I took my dad on a trip for Father's Day. I would always, he was just like my best friend.

So being there on Father's Day and not even being able to go and visit him, or speak to him was already really weighing on me. And then also, I was like, there should be a monetary prize for making it to the end. I was like, you get paid the same, whether you stay or you leave. And it's like, I'm cold, I'm wet, I'm hungry. And I had already pukeed like going down a 400 foot dam

so I was like, I'm good. I'm done. We so I was like I'm good. I'm done it. I'm done. They definitely should have mentioned that it was fallers day because I feel like that is a huge part and that plays a huge part into all of that. And it was interesting because I'm a feeler. You know, I like to, that's why I interview people

on the podcast. I wanna understand what they're going, they're wanting to understand. And I did feel like you could tell you were like emotionally out of it that day in the sense that you were just kind of like, this is a lot. Like this is too long. And to, I think it was tough because all of this was still like, I say, even though mom and dad yes, they're still alive, but it is a form of grief. It's kind of like grieving the loss of people who are still alive.

And all of the first things without them are really tough and just leaving Chloe and Grayson. Like I don't have a huge support system here at home. My grandparents are in their 70s. Like it's not a real reliable. Like I love them all to death. They help me when they can. But you know, when you get older, it's tough, especially when you're dealing with a 17-year-old. And an 11-year-old. And so knowing I was going to be without my phone, not being able to speak to the kids, Grayson had a baseball tournament. My mom always went to every single baseball tournament he had.

So it was all these first things that were happening that just made it really tough. Yeah, gosh, I really can't even imagine. And I think you handled yourself so well on the show. You really did. And you gave it your all. And I would have tapped out too. I would have said, heck, to the knoll.

And especially if there's, I mean, there should be a little incident to get to the end. It's like, okay, I did this thing. I can't pay you off, I said we worked hard. I made it. There should be a prize. Like a prize at the end, if you make it, you get this. Yes.

I probably would have stayed. I probably would have forced myself to stay. But there wasn't. So I was like, what? And you had already done so much. So no, you shouldn should be, I mean, I'm sure you are proud of yourself, but you should be. But no, you really are such an inspiration and truly it's it's amazing. You said this earlier when your dad said, why not you and I was thinking about one of my friends so one of my friends just went through something just extremely traumatic. She lost her husband and they have kids and it's just been like so hard. But it was just really interesting

because when we had coffee right after that happened, she said to me she was like, you know, as horrible as this is, as like, I would never want this to happen, of course. Like, if I could rewrite our story, I would not want this to happen. I hate that this is happening. She said, I also look at it because for a little while, she was saying I was like, why me, why him, why him, why me. But then she had this moment where she was like, but why not him because of the way that he lived his life as such a light that whenever he did pass so many people, like truly so many people in our area have like come to the Lord because of his life and just his funeral and us honoring him

and all these different things. And then she said in me, like I've always had this strength about me because of the things I've been through in my life. And as much as I don't want to have to be this strong, I am strong. Like God made me this way. He created me in such a way that I know

I'm gonna use this for good. Like I know I'm gonna impact people's life and just hearing her say that and like recognize that, you know, not that she would have wanted it to happen to her, but because it did, she knows that God created her in such a way and is equipping her in such a way and empowering in such a way to be able to handle it. And look at your life and of course,

I would not want any of that to happen to you. Just as I'm sure you do not wish this upon anyone or yourself, but God has created you in such a way that you are such a strong leader. You are so well spoken. You're such a great, when I say influencer, I'm not talking about blue check more. I'm talking about truly leading people

to live a better life. And so thank you for using your platform, for using your voice, for being who you are, and for being the mom that you are to the kids, that even to say, you know, that is a huge part of it, to know that 17 year olds at home, that you're helping lead and guide, even though you're not that much older than him.

Like you've taken this and you have to the best of your ability, stepped in and honored the Lord in it. And from a friend, from afar, I just, I'm thankful that you came on podcast and shared your story. And I'm excited for more chats, more convos, and here for you, cheer and you on and all the things.

Thank you so much. I cannot wait to have you and just keep the conversation going. Yeah, it's going to be so fun. Well, thank you so much. Oh yeah!