Classically Abby - The Girl Named Blake On The Struggles Of Faith, Mental Health, And Politics ⧸⧸ Ep. 7

00:00:00.200 Chatting with the girl named Blake, all about being brave enough to speak your mind, balancing

00:00:05.640 motherhood and breadwinning, and going viral in 2020.

00:00:09.520 All this and more on today's episode of the Classically Abbey podcast.

00:00:30.000 I'm so excited to have Blake on the podcast.

00:00:34.240 Thank you so much for coming on.

00:00:36.300 Oh, I'm so excited to chat again.

00:00:38.660 Yeah, we recently, I was on your podcast, so thank you so much for having me.

00:00:43.500 Yeah, I'm pumped about it.

00:00:44.840 Yeah, so I want to start with asking you, how did you go viral back in 2020?

00:00:53.720 And tell us a little bit about your mission, because you are such a, just an outspoken woman,

00:01:00.520 and it's so amazing to see.

00:01:02.080 So I'd really love to hear kind of what gets you up in the morning, what you want to talk

00:01:07.120 about, and how it kind of attracted people to your Instagram, to your platform.

00:01:13.500 Yeah, so I started in 2018, like with a podcast and being on Instagram, and was mostly talking

00:01:19.620 about things like mental health, and motherhood, and hustle culture, and work, and all of that

00:01:24.940 kind of stuff, 2020 hits, which we all know was just freaking insane.

00:01:30.940 It was like such a microcosm of a year, and by, let's see, the world shuts down early March,

00:01:39.120 by May, I am like, I don't know how much longer I can make it not saying the things I actually

00:01:45.680 believe publicly on the internet, right?

00:01:48.340 I'm saying all of these things in real life, like around my kitchen table, things like,

00:01:53.120 I mean, from the get, I was like, masks are a sham, they don't work against COVID, like

00:01:58.360 this is, this is like BS, like stay, you need, you don't need to stay in your house, you need

00:02:03.740 to get out in sunlight, like that, all of those things.

00:02:06.620 And I don't say that to be like, I knew before everybody else.

00:02:09.620 I grew up in a medical family, like I was just like, the box says that, that was the

00:02:15.260 first time I went viral, was when I got on the internet, and was like, hey guys, the box

00:02:19.440 says it doesn't protect against COVID, what are we doing?

00:02:23.840 Like, so that was the first time, and then from there, it was really just this waterfall

00:02:30.380 effect of continually just showing up and saying the things that I think a lot of us were thinking,

00:02:35.880 you know, about COVID or about the presidential election was a really big, you know, source

00:02:42.180 of that as well.

00:02:42.660 I love politics, I've always been deeply politically invested.

00:02:47.800 And so, you know, 2020 was really contentious within the church in that subject, just like

00:02:53.580 people were really okay saying they were voting for Biden, but you had to like, keep it a secret

00:02:57.460 if you were voting for Trump, because people were getting like canceled and doxxed and all

00:03:00.760 that kind of stuff.

00:03:01.340 And so I just came out and was like, I'm voting for Trump, this is why I'm not sorry.

00:03:04.660 And so that was kind of my 2020 was like, just pulling off the bandaid and being like,

00:03:10.140 here's all the things.

00:03:12.460 And so it was, but it was really cool, because I mean, my platform blew up in that year, because

00:03:20.220 I was, I wasn't alone, right?

00:03:22.720 So many of us felt so alone and felt so isolated from one another period, and then felt isolated

00:03:28.160 in our beliefs that I think it just kind of became this rallying point for people to be

00:03:32.540 able to be like, Oh, me too.

00:03:34.560 Okay, cool.

00:03:35.220 Like me too.

00:03:36.180 And like from a Christian perspective.

00:03:38.420 And so that was kind of 2020 was I had started two years before, but 2020 was definitely when

00:03:44.480 things kind of like, picked up and took off for sure.

00:03:48.580 Yeah, I mean, that's what attracted me to your page was just you were saying what I was

00:03:53.880 thinking.

00:03:54.360 And I was like, that's awesome.

00:03:55.740 And it's coming from a woman who is, you know, it's coming from a woman, number one, 1.00

00:04:00.680 but also a woman who shares my values.

00:04:03.260 That's so cool.

00:04:05.220 And you're a mom, you are a wife. 0.95

00:04:08.720 It's not like you have, you know, a girl boss, total mentality where you can't have those 1.00

00:04:14.380 things and also take these positions.

00:04:17.260 Right?

00:04:17.980 No, I definitely lean a lot more towards they are the most important thing in my life,

00:04:24.060 like outside of my relationship with God, like my kids and my husband come before everything.

00:04:28.420 There is, it's not even, it's not up for conversation, but also like I can do other

00:04:35.600 things.

00:04:35.900 I can prioritize that and never like not, not drop the ball, but cause I definitely dropped

00:04:40.440 the ball, but like keep the most important things, the most important things and have

00:04:44.240 other passions and have other, you know, like, I think that whole like balance is a myth.

00:04:49.300 I think that hurts women because I, I think that balance is balance and it's, it can 1.00

00:04:53.640 be off balance and you can not do it perfectly and you can do it messily, but you can still

00:04:58.600 like show up and use your gifts in a multitude of ways.

00:05:03.560 Absolutely.

00:05:04.380 I think that's so important.

00:05:05.480 I actually did a, I did an Instagram reel today on that topic, just about, I think that

00:05:10.960 there is a misconception that when, you know, I say women should have, should have children

00:05:18.400 and should get married and should prioritize those things. 0.99

00:05:20.540 That means I think they're incapable of other things.

00:05:24.140 And that is not the case.

00:05:26.260 Women of course are capable of things. 1.00

00:05:28.200 That's why we are so incredible is that we can be incredible mothers and incredible wives 1.00

00:05:32.760 and do everything else that we do.

00:05:35.140 Well, and you and I wouldn't be talking if that's what you believe.

00:05:38.300 Like you wouldn't have a podcast, you wouldn't have like a platform.

00:05:42.100 You would be a wife and a mom and there's nothing wrong with that.

00:05:44.220 Like that's such a beautiful calling.

00:05:46.820 And I don't think that everybody, you know, I think everybody in the body has different

00:05:51.460 gifts and they're not all things that need to be stretched and flexed on the internet.

00:05:55.940 But for those of us that do like, that's okay too.

00:05:58.620 It's okay.

00:05:59.120 Like it's the whole like good for her, not for me.

00:06:01.900 Like, I love that.

00:06:03.440 One of my favorite people in the world is a stay-at-home mom to four kids.

00:06:06.960 Her whole thing is wrangling the zoo and keeping her house. 1.00

00:06:12.280 And she barely even uses Instagram.

00:06:15.180 I love that about her, you know?

00:06:17.420 And so it's not better or worse.

00:06:19.020 It's just different.

00:06:20.340 Yes, absolutely.

00:06:21.800 So let's talk faith for a second.

00:06:24.380 We're going to be hopping all over the place because I feel like we overlap in so many different

00:06:27.980 ways and I'm excited to talk about all those things, but let's talk faith for a second.

00:06:32.260 So I know your faith hugely informs what you do.

00:06:36.480 Your podcast is called Confessions of a Crappy Christian. 1.00

00:06:40.480 Where did that name come from?

00:06:42.280 It came from the verses where Paul talks about God's power being made perfect in our weakness

00:06:48.960 and therefore boasting all the more about our weakness.

00:06:52.480 When I started the podcast, I really was, I was drowning.

00:06:56.860 I was drowning in motherhood.

00:06:58.200 I have had horrific postpartum anxiety after both of my girls.

00:07:02.140 I was lonely.

00:07:03.160 My husband was working like crazy.

00:07:04.740 And I, and I say this all the time, like the landscape of podcasting has changed so significantly

00:07:11.600 in the last four and a half years.

00:07:12.660 And I think we've seen it take leaps and bounds towards true vulnerability and hard conversations.

00:07:18.300 But at the time, honestly, it was kind of like a glorified Bible study.

00:07:21.800 A lot of the time, like it was all pretty like superficial.

00:07:24.460 And I, at the time, like really needed conversations on mental health.

00:07:28.640 I was like, that's what I need.

00:07:30.560 And so I was like, I'll show up and say, I don't know how I'm going to make it, make it through

00:07:35.060 tomorrow other than God.

00:07:36.340 And, and got to have these really incredible conversations with people who had also like

00:07:40.800 gone through the fire or were in the fire and also like hustle culture and the idea of

00:07:45.320 hard work and, and, but not like burning yourself out for the sake of chasing a dollar or some

00:07:50.660 kind of recognition.

00:07:51.460 And so it really just, it started.

00:07:54.980 And honestly, I'm so proud and thankful that it's really stayed true to its original mission

00:08:01.220 of like, this is a place, this is a safe place to land with your questions.

00:08:05.380 This is a safe place to land with your doubts and your struggles.

00:08:09.380 And I'm not saying that I'm going to have all the answers.

00:08:11.880 Maybe somebody I know does, uh, like I'll share all my friends with you.

00:08:16.100 And we're just like, we're all in the same team.

00:08:17.980 We're all like, we're all just trying to do the best we can with what we got.

00:08:21.580 And God made me talkative.

00:08:24.020 And so I'm going to, I'm going to use it that way.

00:08:27.900 That's incredible.

00:08:29.160 Also, yes, I think that that's so important.

00:08:31.900 And I really value that side of social media because we're always seeing the highlight reel.

00:08:37.440 We always use that phrase, the highlight reel, but what's so important for us to see is also

00:08:42.420 that people are human and we're all struggling sometimes.

00:08:45.600 And we're all working through this life and hearing somebody going through those same struggles

00:08:52.140 who also shares what we're, what we believe in.

00:08:56.060 That's, that's wonderful.

00:08:57.840 That's so wonderful.

00:08:59.560 Yeah.

00:08:59.940 Yeah.

00:09:00.360 And it's, you know, the, the highest compliment that anything I do is given is just like,

00:09:05.860 it made me feel seen.

00:09:07.240 Or I walked away from church because of this X, Y, Z experience, but you've kind of got me

00:09:13.920 like curious or looking at my Bible or, you know, so I think we see in the, in the Bible,

00:09:21.140 we see in the early church that there were, there were disciples and apostles who, who

00:09:26.140 proselytized to the Jews.

00:09:27.720 And there were the ones that went to the Gentiles. 0.98

00:09:29.360 There are people that are, but I think their gifting is the equipping of the saints.

00:09:35.340 And I think that there are people whose gift is like for the people in the fringes and being 0.99

00:09:39.680 like, yo, like you're good, come on, like just come with all your crap. 0.97

00:09:44.160 Don't plan to stay that way. 0.99

00:09:45.860 And that's kind of the, the bridge that we're kind of getting to build.

00:09:51.120 Yes, yes, definitely.

00:09:52.800 And I remember I, I did a post early on, um, when I was still back in Nebraska and I lived

00:09:58.300 in Omaha, I remember I had been doing all of my content about how to be a classic woman.

00:10:03.620 And there was a day that I was just absolutely the least classic human being on the planet.

00:10:08.020 And I said to my husband, I'm like, if anyone saw me, I would be a failure.

00:10:13.480 And he was like, you know, you don't have to be perfect to be aiming for an ideal.

00:10:17.940 Like you can say, this is the goal.

00:10:20.740 I'm not always at that goal or reaching that goal.

00:10:23.800 This is just what we would like to do.

00:10:26.140 And it's okay to not always be there.

00:10:28.800 And I was like, oh, that's actually very helpful.

00:10:33.120 Yes.

00:10:33.840 Well, and how helpful to the people who are following you.

00:10:36.620 So, you know, I think that is, you said that earlier, kind of can be the downside of social

00:10:41.100 media is it is easier to show up when you're landing it.

00:10:44.900 Like when you're sticking it, it's easier to show up, but people need to see you not stick

00:10:49.780 it.

00:10:50.380 Like they need to, can you tell, I come from a gymnast family, like, like people need to

00:10:55.060 see you not do it perfectly so that they know when, when they inevitably don't, that they

00:11:00.660 don't need to like give up, that they're not a failure, that God's not disappointed in them,

00:11:04.520 that they're human and like, all right, let's get back on the horse.

00:11:08.700 Exactly.

00:11:09.540 Exactly.

00:11:10.400 So I wanted to mention something I saw on your website.

00:11:13.680 You wrote, you described yourself as too conservative for progressives and too progressive for

00:11:19.000 conservatives.

00:11:19.880 Can you talk more about that?

00:11:22.500 Yes.

00:11:22.920 So grew up in the South, in the Bible Belt, in a very Republican family.

00:11:30.500 And I love that.

00:11:31.880 I, there, I don't, I hold no ill will towards any kind of party or anything like that.

00:11:38.640 I just, in the last, like probably five or six years realized that there were things about

00:11:46.140 the Republican conservative party line that I don't agree with.

00:11:50.120 And that like, I, my life experience informs that that is not always the best way or thing,

00:12:01.400 but then also I'm not willing to bend on the things that I do believe and the things that are

00:12:08.580 based in scripture that are required of you.

00:12:11.940 If you want to align with the more progressive or liberal side.

00:12:15.060 So it's just this fun middle ground where they all don't like you.

00:12:18.600 Like they're all mad at you, but there's also this really sweet, like crew that's starting to

00:12:26.580 accumulate.

00:12:27.100 I think as both ends of the spectrum move more and more radical, there's more people who feel

00:12:32.800 politically homeless essentially.

00:12:35.120 Um, and so, yeah, I'm just, I'm an equal opportunity offender is what it really boils

00:12:42.740 down to.

00:12:43.960 Yeah.

00:12:44.140 Well, and I think that it's, it's good to know where you stand on all issues, as opposed

00:12:49.200 to saying I'm a conservative and I'm throwing all of my eggs in that basket, no matter what

00:12:54.820 those positions are, I'm, I'm part of it.

00:12:57.840 And you don't even think about it.

00:12:59.040 And I think that that's an issue is that people kind of, they want to pass the buck on them

00:13:05.100 having to actually consider their, their opinions and their positions and there's something good.

00:13:12.480 Yeah.

00:13:12.900 I think that's present in both, like both ends of the spectrum or like it's either, it's

00:13:18.060 either like it was your upbringing.

00:13:19.420 So you just believe what your parents believed or you completely rejected what your parents

00:13:23.780 believed and, and adopted a new set of beliefs.

00:13:26.840 And like it, honestly, you're just like, you're trading one indoctrination for the other, right?

00:13:31.340 You're like trading one religion, like conservatives, their religion may more than often not be

00:13:37.640 Christianity.

00:13:38.420 And like, there is a religion of like the worship of, of self and the world.

00:13:44.340 Like it's all where you're trading one thing for the other and both think they're right.

00:13:50.860 Like if you talk to a, like a true blue liberal, like they think that they are right. 0.98

00:13:57.080 And so I can think you're wrong and still not need to like be a jerk about it, you know? 0.97

00:14:03.740 Also true. 0.99

00:14:04.880 And I think that it's usually not going to be as effective to be a jerk to somebody who 0.95

00:14:10.380 you disagree with, uh, than it is to be, I always say using, I use the term gentle guidance 0.97

00:14:15.720 usually when I'm like, Oh, you and I disagree.

00:14:18.460 Well, here's why I think what I think, maybe that gives you an opportunity to change your 0.99

00:14:23.660 mind as opposed to you're just dumb. 0.99

00:14:26.640 Right. 1.00

00:14:27.460 Exactly.

00:14:28.720 Yeah.

00:14:29.920 So men and women are different.

00:14:32.520 Uh, I think we can both agree on that.

00:14:34.980 There's, uh, you know, there's a place for men, there's a place for women. 1.00

00:14:38.420 We have different roles, but we're also both incredibly strong.

00:14:41.380 So what, in what ways are women strong and what should we love about our role as women? 0.96

00:14:49.540 So my favorite thing to say about this subject is if you've ever seen my big fat Greek wedding,

00:14:54.380 where the mother gives the advice of like, the man is the head, but the woman is the neck.

00:14:59.660 Like she turns the head from side to side.

00:15:01.980 I actually did an episode on my podcast this week when we're recording about women and women

00:15:07.400 in the church and how our obsession with what we can or cannot do by biblical standards,

00:15:13.120 because we're so focused on that, we're missing the opportunity to do all of these really

00:15:19.260 incredible, impactful things that scripture like lays out for us and that God has put before us,

00:15:24.940 you know?

00:15:25.180 And so I do hold like the relatively traditional conservative belief that I don't think that

00:15:32.380 women should be in authority over men or in teaching positions over men, but that doesn't 1.00

00:15:39.740 mean that I don't think that women should have a seat at the table, that their voices should 1.00

00:15:43.740 be heard in decisions, administratively ministry, like throughout the church and throughout like

00:15:50.880 copy and paste that over to your home.

00:15:54.320 Like at the end of the day, my husband is the head of our household and he is the leader

00:15:59.420 and I am going to submit to him, but he also listens to what I have to say and he values

00:16:05.620 my opinion.

00:16:06.300 And he knows that like, I fully believe women have more discernment than men.

00:16:10.220 Like I will, I'll hot take say that, you know, and I think he sees that and knows that

00:16:15.420 and listens to that.

00:16:16.360 He's learned from experience that like that mom gut, which is actually the Holy spirit counts

00:16:22.960 for something.

00:16:24.560 And so I think it's just a matter of, well, I don't want to be a man.

00:16:27.560 I don't want that responsibility.

00:16:29.500 I'm not created that way.

00:16:31.520 So I'm going to like fully step into what God, like God created women for a purpose. 0.99

00:16:38.300 And it is a powerful, impactful, world changing purpose.

00:16:45.300 I'm going to focus on that versus like what I can't do or can't be.

00:16:48.500 I love it.

00:16:50.160 And I think I, you know, what you were talking about that you talked about on your podcast,

00:16:54.340 I find this issue in the Jewish community as well.

00:16:57.180 And it's often very, very potent in the Jewish community where women are like, why can't 1.00

00:17:01.540 we do a B C D E?

00:17:03.360 Cause there are like a whole list of things that men have commandments to do that women 0.82

00:17:08.780 don't.

00:17:09.320 Now there's kind of a misconception that women are not allowed to do those things because 1.00

00:17:14.940 we're lesser than, but it's actually that men have to do those, have to do those things

00:17:20.940 because they are not as holy and close to God.

00:17:23.860 So they have to do these actions that bring them closer to God because women are naturally 1.00

00:17:28.520 closer to God.

00:17:29.300 So women don't need, don't need to do them. 1.00

00:17:31.720 It's not that we don't get to do them.

00:17:33.440 It's that we don't have to.

00:17:35.220 And I always loved that because it's like, you know, we have a different connection to

00:17:40.160 God through just, we are, this is something, an idea that I really love is we have an understanding

00:17:47.400 of God that men don't because we do the act of creation by growing children and raising

00:17:52.540 them.

00:17:53.180 So that brings us closer to God, just innately.

00:17:56.040 And men don't have that same luxury. 0.79

00:17:57.940 So they have to, they have to go to synagogue three times a day and they have to like do the

00:18:03.160 Torah reading and they have to do a lot more than we do.

00:18:06.840 It's just an interesting concept.

00:18:08.500 It is.

00:18:09.560 Well, and I think simultaneously, like there are, there are characteristics of God that

00:18:13.780 are more present in men as like leadership and decision making.

00:18:18.560 And like, like essentially when I read the, how God laid out that relationship in scripture,

00:18:25.080 like men stand in front of women, right?

00:18:28.120 Like they stand in front of women to allow us like in a protective way, not in a, like

00:18:35.400 I'm casting my shadow or you're beneath me.

00:18:38.140 It's like, no, it's their responsibility to protect us, to love us the way that Christ

00:18:42.020 loved the church, which is a massive responsibility because he, I mean, in the end laid down his

00:18:46.820 life to allow women to do like, like you're saying, to be more connected to the Holy spirit

00:18:53.140 and have that discernment and like hear those things from him.

00:18:56.200 And so I think like we both serve these really holy, incredible purposes.

00:19:02.080 And I think we, it would be easier to walk in them if we would stop focusing on like what

00:19:07.340 the other person is doing or not doing.

00:19:09.440 Yes.

00:19:10.440 Yeah.

00:19:11.440 I think that's exactly right.

00:19:12.440 So you, I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you're the primary breadwinner

00:19:18.120 through your content.

00:19:20.120 So how do you balance all of your responsibilities?

00:19:23.320 I mean, we kind of touched on this a little bit, how you prioritization and all of that, but

00:19:27.240 how do you actually, in practical terms, balance your responsibilities as a wife and a mom and

00:19:33.240 a content creator?

00:19:34.620 And this is kind of like a bonus part of this, but how does that affect your relationship with

00:19:39.560 your husband?

00:19:40.100 I'm just curious.

00:19:40.860 Cause that's, you know, we, so as far as like balancing it, we, um, I worked really,

00:19:50.360 really hard for a couple of years, like maybe too hard.

00:19:53.720 Like I went real hard for the first three ish years.

00:19:59.400 Uh, and it, I don't have any regrets.

00:20:01.660 I think I had like the stamina and my kids were in school.

00:20:05.300 And so I really like, I, and also I just have a, I don't know how to do things halfway.

00:20:10.540 And so I just like really went at it.

00:20:13.480 And so I have had the essentially like luxury of the last year, 18 months of kind of getting

00:20:21.520 to experience the harvest of what I had sown.

00:20:26.960 Um, but even still, like, I mean, and so I am the primary breadwinner.

00:20:32.580 My husband actually just started his own like entrepreneurial journey a couple of weeks ago.

00:20:37.260 So our family dynamic is shifting, which is really cool and really exciting.

00:20:40.540 But in that trans, you know, there's always that like weird limbo transition period where 0.96

00:20:45.960 right now, like I am the primary breadwinner and also like he's working out of the home.

00:20:50.700 So I'm taking on more like home and motherhood duties.

00:20:54.360 And I was, it's so funny that you asked this question because I was literally just talking

00:20:57.580 to him about this earlier in the week.

00:20:58.900 Like I had to draw some really hard and fast boundaries that require a lot of self-control.

00:21:03.540 Like I log in and I log out and yeah, like maybe outside of those hours, I think of something

00:21:09.160 and I want to post it and I can get all my stories and put it up really quick or run to

00:21:13.160 my computer and like write an email.

00:21:14.580 But by and large, like I've been like logging in at nine and logging out at four and like

00:21:20.620 working it, like treating it like it's a job.

00:21:24.120 And that has been how, like how I've been able to find balance is like, even when it would

00:21:31.920 be easier to like zone out and scroll through Instagram and answer DMS, like I want to be

00:21:38.520 intentional and I want to be present.

00:21:39.720 And so it's just like the, the prioritization and boundaries, like, and taking your thoughts

00:21:45.760 captive and, and all of that kind of stuff, just being able to be like, what is my identity?

00:21:51.020 And my identity is one in what God says about me.

00:21:53.620 So I don't need social media to affirm that.

00:21:56.880 I also don't need my children to affirm that.

00:21:59.160 So like, I'm going to, I'm going to treat the, I want to store this responsibly, I guess

00:22:05.160 is what I say.

00:22:05.800 I'm saying, and I've had seasons where I didn't do that.

00:22:09.580 And like all those studies that tell you that social media is really bad for your mental

00:22:13.480 health.

00:22:13.740 Like the, that data comes from somewhere, right?

00:22:16.260 Like, so I've experienced that side of it as well.

00:22:19.840 And I don't want to be there.

00:22:21.160 I don't want to be like being beaten up in my brain by the internet all day.

00:22:25.520 And then I have nothing to give the people that mean the most to me in the end.

00:22:28.960 Um, so yeah, that's kind of totally right.

00:22:33.340 Yeah.

00:22:33.800 Like just, it's about boundaries and yeah.

00:22:37.560 And I know that with me, for me, social media, you know, the number of times I have said like,

00:22:43.000 I need to be better with my phone and then I'm home alone all day and I don't have a

00:22:48.360 lot of people around me.

00:22:49.080 So I'm like, I have my baby.

00:22:50.620 So I'm like, okay, well, I guess I can hop on here for a minute.

00:22:53.260 Well, why, why do I have to?

00:22:55.680 So I think treating it with, you know, I think the truth is even outside of work, use drawing

00:23:02.260 boundaries with your phone is important because I think, let's say you say, okay, I'm going

00:23:06.160 to use it nine to four or five in the afternoon and then I'm done.

00:23:09.420 And the phone is going away.

00:23:11.260 Like it doesn't have to just be about work.

00:23:13.280 It can be about, um, being online.

00:23:16.260 Oh yeah.

00:23:16.880 I mean, that's, so we, when this transition and again, it just started two weeks ago.

00:23:21.700 So like maybe circle back in a month and we'll see how things are going.

00:23:25.880 But I pretty much drew a line with everybody and like the people, you know, like the people

00:23:30.020 that I talk to the most, my parents and my best friends, I was like, Hey, I'm putting

00:23:32.980 my phone away at four.

00:23:33.860 Like, if you need me, call me twice and it'll ring, you know, like how your phone will like

00:23:39.740 on the second call, it'll let it through like an emergency call.

00:23:42.560 But otherwise, like, because we're so freaking over-connected and over-saturated.

00:23:47.600 And then like, that makes it impossible to be with your, with your people.

00:23:52.180 And to your question about like our dynamic, it, my husband is a unicorn.

00:23:57.080 Like I married one of those ones where people are like, where did he come from?

00:24:01.800 Like, how is he so wonderful?

00:24:04.040 He's not perfect.

00:24:04.860 And we definitely butt heads on stuff, but he has never cared.

00:24:09.560 Like he, it has never been like a decrease in his masculinity or his leadership that I

00:24:15.540 made more money than him or was the only one making money.

00:24:18.900 He jokingly will be like in the early day, in the end, he got bored, right?

00:24:24.400 Like in the end, he just wanted something of his own to do.

00:24:26.940 And I love that for him.

00:24:28.160 And I'm so proud of him, but for the last eight months, like he's really been Mr.

00:24:32.280 Mom and, and just been like doing carpool and doing laundry and keeping the house clean.

00:24:37.740 And he's like, I will do this all day.

00:24:42.640 Like, if you want to like, just keep being the one that makes us money, you know?

00:24:46.480 So that was not, thankfully that was like not one of the hurdles we had to jump.

00:24:51.480 That's awesome.

00:24:52.400 That's a huge blessing.

00:24:53.620 It is.

00:24:54.520 It really is.

00:24:56.120 So last question here, uh, you got married pretty young and had your children pretty young.

00:25:02.120 So what's your advice for young women dating in today's day and age and any marriage advice

00:25:09.260 you want to share?

00:25:10.820 Yeah, I, uh, it's so funny because my sister and my dad had an outstanding bet that I wouldn't

00:25:17.580 get married until I was 30.

00:25:18.920 And so when I got married at 22, one of them had to pay the other $50.

00:25:24.160 So it was definitely not like, I was not the little girl that was like, I'm going to get

00:25:28.120 married.

00:25:28.720 Like I wanted to go to law school.

00:25:30.000 I had all these things I wanted to do.

00:25:31.980 And then I like met this man and was like, I want to be with you 24 seven.

00:25:36.380 We were literally talking about that the other night where it was like, we got married because

00:25:40.160 we were instantly best friends and just obsessed with each other.

00:25:43.480 And it was like, I'm sick of saying good night.

00:25:44.800 Like I'm sick of going our separate ways. 1.00

00:25:47.060 Well, and like, I wanted to have sex with them. 0.99

00:25:49.300 Like, obviously, you know, and like, we were, we were better, we're better together. 0.99

00:25:54.500 Like we're better together than we were apart.

00:25:56.420 And I think, I, I think this can be very dependent on like where you grew up.

00:26:01.480 Right.

00:26:01.800 Cause I grew up in a place where girls got engaged their senior year and then got married that 1.00

00:26:06.360 summer.

00:26:06.860 Right.

00:26:07.260 Like that was the like running thing.

00:26:09.060 And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

00:26:11.320 I essentially followed that path.

00:26:13.220 I think it's just like real releasing that the best advice I ever got was like, run your

00:26:19.760 race, like keep your eyes on Jesus and run your race.

00:26:23.780 And at some point, like, you'll know that you should look from side to side and there

00:26:27.860 will be people running their race next to you.

00:26:30.800 Like, those are the people that you want to like consider dating or doing life with.

00:26:37.080 Like, and I think, you know, that's a whole podcast episode probably of how much the church

00:26:43.860 hasn't done a great job.

00:26:45.000 Like the church has strangely prioritized that.

00:26:48.000 Like I have no regrets over getting married young.

00:26:50.400 I think I was supposed to get married young.

00:26:52.020 Cause I think I would have been wild if I hadn't.

00:26:53.920 I think we would, I think I would have some not great stories probably if I hadn't got married

00:26:58.700 as young as I did.

00:26:59.640 But I don't think that that's everybody's experience and everybody's story.

00:27:05.400 And I think like run your race, do the next right thing, like keep your eyes on Jesus and

00:27:10.700 what he has next for you.

00:27:11.960 And if that's something that enters your orbit, that's awesome.

00:27:16.160 You know, like that's great.

00:27:17.720 Um, as far as marriage advice, I really think our primary one was like, we just had to learn

00:27:23.140 each other's love languages because they were foreign languages to us.

00:27:26.500 Like his love language was a foreign language to me 10 years ago.

00:27:30.440 And we have gotten into like more disagreements and more misunderstandings because we just

00:27:35.880 spoke different languages.

00:27:38.040 And now thankfully 12 years in, like we still jack it up sometimes, but by and large, we've

00:27:43.180 like learned like, how does this person feel love?

00:27:46.440 How do they receive love?

00:27:47.200 How do they give love?

00:27:49.040 That's been hugely helpful for us.

00:27:53.120 Yeah, I think.

00:27:54.180 Yeah, I know that for me and my husband, we constantly have the conversation about love

00:28:00.460 languages.

00:28:01.360 And the problem is we both speak multiple, like very strongly.

00:28:06.640 So we'll be like, that wasn't what I was looking for at this moment.

00:28:11.280 Good try, but like not relevant right now.

00:28:14.080 Yeah.

00:28:14.540 Yeah.

00:28:14.920 Didn't land it.

00:28:17.020 Didn't stick it, as you would say.

00:28:18.440 Yeah, exactly.

00:28:20.120 So now we're going to move on to today's faith talk.

00:28:24.060 So this week's Torah portion is Mishpatim, which means ordinances.

00:28:28.780 And here's the summary of this week's Parsha from Chabad's website.

00:28:32.880 Following the revelation at Sinai, God legislates a series of laws for the people of Israel.

00:28:38.420 These include the laws of the indentured servant, the penalties for murder, kidnapping, assault

00:28:43.360 and theft, civil laws pertaining to redress of damages, the granting of loans and the responsibilities

00:28:48.820 of the four guardians and the rules governing the conduct of justice by courts of law.

00:28:53.820 There's a lot of other laws that I'm actually not going to read because there's just a lot

00:28:57.900 of them.

00:28:59.220 This is not my favorite Torah portion, to be honest, just because it is mostly laws.

00:29:03.120 But then we get into God promising to bring the people of Israel to the Holy Land, and

00:29:09.220 he warns them against assuming the pagan ways of its current inhabitants.

00:29:13.340 The people of Israel proclaim, we will do and we will hear all that God commands us.

00:29:18.300 Leaving Aaron and her in charge in the Israelite camp, Moses ascends Mount Sinai and remains

00:29:24.240 there for 40 days and 40 nights to receive the Torah from God.

00:29:26.840 So, what we're going to talk about today is this very important phrase, we will do and

00:29:33.800 we will hear all that God commands us.

00:29:36.420 This is something we talk about a lot in the Jewish faith.

00:29:39.960 We've heard this, I heard this phrase growing up like all day long, every day of my life

00:29:45.020 I heard it.

00:29:45.960 And it seems crazy because you kind of sound like it's backwards.

00:29:51.520 We will do and we will hear.

00:29:53.720 Shouldn't it be we will hear and we will do?

00:29:55.320 Like we will hear the commandments and then we will do them.

00:29:59.420 We are often taught in Jewish day school that it's a huge lesson in faith for us that the

00:30:04.100 Jews accepted God's word without even knowing what it would be in a sense and that we were

00:30:09.080 willing to go forth and trust in him, even if we didn't understand it.

00:30:12.480 And I do love that lesson and it's what I grew up on, but I have another interpretation.

00:30:17.200 So, nishma, which is the Hebrew word for we will hear, also has a different definition,

00:30:24.460 which is we will understand.

00:30:26.480 So, the idea is when the Jews say we will do and we will understand, they are sharing

00:30:32.960 a deep insight into practice.

00:30:36.700 We can fulfill the commandments and in so doing, we understand them.

00:30:42.220 The very act of doing teaches us in our hearts their importance.

00:30:47.700 And this is, I feel like, so relevant to us in today's day and age.

00:30:52.420 There's so many things that you can't understand until you do it.

00:30:56.520 Motherhood, I feel like, is such an obvious one.

00:30:59.560 And I mean, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, but I've been thinking about this

00:31:02.800 lately is this idea that there is no way to describe to someone.

00:31:08.060 If someone had tried to describe to me and people did what motherhood would be like and

00:31:12.020 why it was so, you know, amazing, I would not be able to comprehend it.

00:31:17.600 Until I did it, I was not able to comprehend it.

00:31:20.460 You know what I mean?

00:31:21.620 Oh, 100%.

00:31:22.520 I was just thinking about that the other day because I'm kind of coming out of the motherhood

00:31:27.840 woods a little bit of those, like, little years.

00:31:30.540 Like, my kids can wipe their own butts and, like, get their own snacks and get their own

00:31:35.100 water and kind of, like, put themselves to bed, wash their hair, like, that kind of stuff.

00:31:40.560 And so I'm seeing, like, oh, wow, like, you really do come out of the woods and you gain

00:31:45.600 a little bit of yourself back and your independence back and those kinds of things.

00:31:50.080 And then I was sitting there thinking, oh, yeah, people tried to tell me that.

00:31:53.380 Like, moms tried to tell me that, like, it gets better and not better.

00:31:58.340 It's not better.

00:31:59.000 It's different.

00:31:59.740 Like, it gets, like, easier and harder, right?

00:32:02.680 Like, having older kids, it brings a different set of problems, but I'm like, oh, yeah, like,

00:32:07.980 they tried to tell me, but I had to live it out first.

00:32:11.180 So I think that's definitely, I think that should stop us from telling people, like, that

00:32:17.160 are coming behind us, motherhood, marriage, faith, prayer, like, whatever.

00:32:22.800 But also, I think, like, for the tellers, there is some grace to give as well.

00:32:27.780 Like, sometimes you just got to live it out.

00:32:29.920 Like, sometimes you got to walk it out.

00:32:32.140 Right.

00:32:32.680 And I feel like this kind of spans the gamut from things that have not nothing to do with

00:32:37.620 faith, because everything is, like, in within a faith.

00:32:40.420 Right.

00:32:40.640 When you're living a faith-filled life, everything is within that, but that are sort of separate

00:32:44.860 from that.

00:32:45.420 So, like, why you should move to a community, why that's actually really great when you get

00:32:50.620 there.

00:32:51.100 Oh, right.

00:32:52.060 There are, like, people who I can see all the time.

00:32:54.700 And, like, I can go to synagogue and see my friends or go to church and see my people.

00:32:59.420 Like, that's something you don't understand until you're in it.

00:33:03.640 And then there's the stuff that's, like, actual practice, where it's like, why do we pray?

00:33:07.940 Why do I have to sit and talk to God?

00:33:10.920 Like, does this actually do anything?

00:33:13.840 And in the doing of it, you're like, oh, actually, this is not.

00:33:18.160 Yeah.

00:33:18.300 Right.

00:33:18.640 Like, I'm learning something.

00:33:20.180 I'm learning.

00:33:20.720 I'm growing as a person.

00:33:22.060 I'm deepening my relationship to God.

00:33:23.960 It's such an interesting thing that we can learn in the doing something that we couldn't

00:33:29.780 have learned just by somebody trying to teach us.

00:33:32.540 And it's like, maybe that's a little bit of a, it lessens the burden on us as parents

00:33:36.600 a little bit.

00:33:37.700 Oh, right.

00:33:38.740 Amen.

00:33:39.060 Because I think as parents, I know my son isn't old enough yet, but, you know, I cannot

00:33:46.260 imagine the point at which I'm trying to explain to him why something that feels like it would

00:33:50.680 be fun and attractive and great is actually not none of those things.

00:33:55.740 Yes.

00:33:56.200 So he may have to make those mistakes on his own, unfortunately.

00:34:00.240 Yeah.

00:34:00.760 Which, like, I think that you can only protect them to a certain point, right?

00:34:05.480 Like, they're like, this is proving there are some things that you have to learn by doing.

00:34:10.280 Yeah.

00:34:11.060 Yeah.

00:34:11.380 And I appreciate that so much of parenthood is also stuff that we can learn from God because

00:34:19.440 God is our father.

00:34:21.220 So we can kind of see how, yeah, like he doesn't, God can tell us in the Torah or in the Bible

00:34:27.780 in the New Testament, you know, this is how you should live your life and this is why

00:34:32.720 and this is what you should do. 0.99

00:34:33.740 And, you know, we're 17 and stupid and we want to do fun things. 0.99

00:34:38.060 Right. 1.00

00:34:38.820 Exactly.

00:34:40.100 Exactly.

00:34:41.660 Oh, man.

00:34:42.800 So, yeah, that's today's Faith Talk.

00:34:46.300 And let's move into our premium subscriber questions.

00:34:49.600 If you would like to submit questions for future episodes of the Classically Abbey podcast,

00:34:54.260 make sure to head over to classicallyabbey.substack.com where you'll get access to a ton of exclusive

00:34:59.020 content, including my book club, weekly exclusive articles, and being able to submit questions

00:35:04.180 for podcasts just like this.

00:35:06.580 So I'm very excited to ask these questions because they are directed towards you from my

00:35:10.520 amazing subscribers.

00:35:12.580 So number one is Abbey often says on her podcast that happiness is possible in the mundane

00:35:18.700 for moms.

00:35:19.380 What are some small ways you think moms can invite novelty into their routines? 1.00

00:35:25.240 Oh, I love that question.

00:35:27.480 I just started, I don't know, if this isn't the right, like the answer that you're looking

00:35:32.200 for, you can tell me.

00:35:32.980 But I just started like making a big deal out of the small holidays.

00:35:37.500 Like I love it Valentine's day.

00:35:40.500 Like I did the heart pancakes and we decorated and then we got balloons.

00:35:45.160 Like it doesn't have to be a money thing.

00:35:47.380 We just have started.

00:35:48.780 And even like the, my dad is like the best grandfather in the world.

00:35:52.820 And he has one of those calendars that tells you like what every day is, you know?

00:35:56.980 And so like, he'll text us and be like, it's chocolate chip cookie day.

00:35:59.560 And we'll be like, let's go get some chocolate chip cookies.

00:36:01.360 Like that kind of stuff has been really fun.

00:36:04.140 And then also inviting them into the things that interest us has been something that's

00:36:10.200 been really fun.

00:36:10.800 Like I love puzzles.

00:36:12.000 And so the girls will sit with me and like, help me like find the edges or like we'll bake 0.86

00:36:18.220 together or my oldest and I have started running together, like inviting them into the things

00:36:24.800 that you kind of, I think it would be natural to be like, this is mine.

00:36:28.760 And that doesn't mean that it's not yours.

00:36:30.580 Like I still love putting them to bed and doing a puzzle by myself, but it's been really

00:36:35.920 sweet, like incorporating them into those things as well as just being like, I don't

00:36:41.300 know, like, oh, it's just like a random Wednesday, but it's hot dog, national hot dog day.

00:36:46.720 Let's grow hot dogs and like, you know, celebrate just like making life a celebration, I guess

00:36:53.600 has been really fun.

00:36:56.180 Yeah.

00:36:56.360 Yes.

00:36:56.920 I, we never did Valentine's.

00:36:59.360 Okay.

00:36:59.500 So here's my story about Valentine's.

00:37:01.020 I love the idea of like playing up those holidays more.

00:37:04.700 I didn't used to be that kind of a person.

00:37:07.200 And now I'm like, no, I really like this.

00:37:10.700 Yeah.

00:37:11.120 So my story with Valentine's is that growing up, my parents were like, every day is Valentine's.

00:37:16.120 We don't need Valentine's.

00:37:17.460 And as I got older and other people were celebrating it, I was like, oh, it'd be nice to like get a

00:37:22.360 little something.

00:37:22.980 So this year I said to my husband, I was like, here's the deal.

00:37:27.300 I don't deeply care about Valentine's day.

00:37:30.660 It would make me happy if you just got me some flowers.

00:37:34.420 Like that's all I need.

00:37:35.540 Just if you get me flowers, I will feel loved.

00:37:38.680 And then it ended up kind of snowballing where it was like, okay, we're going to go to dinner.

00:37:42.500 And then, okay.

00:37:43.320 Like with the baby, we brought our baby along.

00:37:45.500 And then it was like, oh, after he goes to sleep, we're going to bake some cookies and

00:37:49.720 we're going to play Hogwarts Legacy.

00:37:53.500 We were just like, that was our evening.

00:37:55.480 It was dedicated to each other.

00:37:56.740 We did something kind of fun and it was just so sweet.

00:38:00.100 And I will remember that Valentine's day because we did something for it.

00:38:04.360 Yeah.

00:38:04.780 And it wasn't even like y'all spent a bunch of money or did anything extravagant.

00:38:08.940 Like we literally, I put like a garland up and got some balloons and like got a heart

00:38:14.780 shaped waffle maker.

00:38:15.920 Like I probably spent in total $30 on Valentine's day.

00:38:20.100 But you have to also remember like being a kid, everything was magical.

00:38:24.860 Like everything was magical.

00:38:26.360 And so just putting a little bit of extra effort and time into it, I'm like really excited

00:38:32.640 about St. Patrick's day.

00:38:33.580 We have very Irish heritage.

00:38:34.800 And so I'm like, we're doing St. Patrick's day.

00:38:37.460 Like we're doing the same thing, you know, like, and there's basically a holiday every

00:38:41.060 month.

00:38:41.420 So you can like find something to hype up pretty much every month.

00:38:45.400 I love that advice because it's not, you know, oh, well, if you're looking for novelty,

00:38:51.000 take a vacation every, every two weeks or like do a date night, which is like a more

00:38:55.460 typical piece of advice, it's that is novelty is just making a Thursday, a special day, because

00:39:03.200 it happens to be some holiday that maybe you don't care deeply about, but it actually

00:39:06.620 becomes something really fun.

00:39:08.500 Right.

00:39:08.660 Well, and my kids are hopefully like my kids will remember that the hope is that like

00:39:12.080 when my kids are older, they're like, oh my gosh, my parents made the biggest deal about

00:39:14.940 everything.

00:39:15.240 And it was so awesome.

00:39:16.060 Like, and then like your hand, like you're creating a legacy of celebration, which is like

00:39:21.560 that is God.

00:39:22.560 That is part of God.

00:39:23.640 Like God is a God of celebration and of joy and of like togetherness.

00:39:27.600 And so it's just continuing that and kind of passing it on.

00:39:32.580 Yes.

00:39:33.140 Yeah.

00:39:33.460 That is so great.

00:39:34.280 That's so great.

00:39:35.320 Okay.

00:39:35.560 So this is a funny one.

00:39:37.020 What do you think about guys named Blake?

00:39:41.860 So, I mean, obviously I, I have known that I had a dude's name my whole life.

00:39:47.040 I've, there's a really funny story of when, uh, I was like, I was probably like 13, 14.

00:39:52.320 I went to my first, first like sleep away camp and I show up and like, it's chaos.

00:39:58.220 And I've got my big double back.

00:39:59.300 It's like the beginning of parent trap with Lindsay Lohan.

00:40:02.320 Like got like my big double back.

00:40:03.900 That was exactly what I pictured.

00:40:05.540 Exactly.

00:40:06.000 Like that is, that's a very good depiction.

00:40:08.000 Cause that's exactly what it was.

00:40:09.940 And they, you know, like the, the camp coordinator with our megaphones, like you're in cabin three.

00:40:16.300 And I walked to cabin three and I opened the door and it's a cabin full of boys.

00:40:21.280 And because they just like not looked at the gender that was assigned when I like signed up.

00:40:27.580 And so they just put me in a dude's cabin.

00:40:29.860 And I remember like, I literally dropped my bag and like turned around and walked out

00:40:34.260 and like went and found a camp counselor.

00:40:36.240 And I was like, I think there's been a mistake.

00:40:38.600 And so that's, I mean, I got harassed.

00:40:42.300 I got like made so much fun of when I was a kid for it.

00:40:45.320 But as an adult, I love both of my girls have unisex names.

00:40:49.600 So I don't, I don't have any kind of feelings about dudes during named Blake.

00:40:53.600 Like how do the dude's name Blake feel about girls named Blake?

00:40:56.420 I don't know.

00:40:57.860 It's so funny.

00:40:58.680 Cause it's, I'm so used to unisex names that I didn't even like your handle.

00:41:04.900 It didn't even click.

00:41:05.860 I was just like, oh, that's your handle.

00:41:07.280 The girl named Blake.

00:41:08.020 Like, okay.

00:41:09.240 Yeah.

00:41:09.680 Like it didn't even click to me that Blake is also a boy's name.

00:41:13.180 But I had to make it that because people continually thought I was a man.

00:41:17.200 Right.

00:41:17.640 Right.

00:41:18.160 It didn't even occur.

00:41:19.040 And now that's just really, really funny.

00:41:22.000 That's awesome.

00:41:23.640 Okay.

00:41:24.100 So last question.

00:41:25.800 Your podcast is called Confessions of a Crappy Christian, but your website says one of the 0.93

00:41:30.980 things you are not about is religion.

00:41:33.080 How do you square those two things? 0.98

00:41:36.200 I mean, not in like a rude way, but I feel like the crappy Christian like squares itself 1.00

00:41:41.520 with not being very about religion. 0.97

00:41:44.060 Like the whole essence of it is like the whole, like come as you are, just don't plan to stay

00:41:50.080 that way. 1.00

00:41:50.620 It is okay that you are a crappy Christian. 1.00

00:41:54.400 It is okay that you don't like maybe do it perfectly to a T because that's the point 0.99

00:42:00.160 of grace and that's the point of sanctification and salvation.

00:42:03.800 And so I, as someone who has been habitually burned by traditional religion and religious

00:42:10.560 people, I am much more inclined to talk about a relationship and a person like the person

00:42:19.180 of Christ and that he, like Jesus is my religion.

00:42:23.880 And that's just my experience.

00:42:25.480 I also do life really closely with people who, who have an, a really beautiful, strong

00:42:32.760 relationship with religion. 0.98

00:42:33.960 So like, I'm never like, uh, religion is dumb. 0.99

00:42:37.520 Like that is not the take at all. 0.90

00:42:40.160 It's just like, I think that we were all created really differently with different experiences

00:42:45.440 and that there's something there for all of us.

00:42:47.660 Like it's just going to look a little different.

00:42:51.080 Yeah, no, I mean, that makes sense to me.

00:42:53.180 And I think that it is whenever, you know, it's funny, Christians use the term grace a lot. 0.91

00:42:58.840 We don't really use that word so much in Judaism, but I think it is so relevant and so important

00:43:04.360 is giving grace to people so that they have the room to explore their faith and get closer

00:43:11.580 to God on the terms that they can.

00:43:14.860 And that's so important.

00:43:16.760 Right.

00:43:16.940 Well, and I just, I think changed hearts is what changes behavior and, you know, it can

00:43:23.120 be really difficult.

00:43:24.120 Like if you have lived a life apart from God and a life of sin, it can be extremely difficult

00:43:30.980 to step straight into religion and not feel like you don't belong and you have nothing

00:43:38.700 to offer.

00:43:39.340 Like sometimes we just need to like tiptoe into it a little bit.

00:43:42.400 We need to take baby steps.

00:43:43.640 And so I think that's available to us as well.

00:43:46.880 Yes.

00:43:47.580 Agreed.

00:43:48.440 So the last question that I have is actually from me.

00:43:52.200 I'm my own premium subscriber.

00:43:53.740 No, I just, I wanted to ask this question and I, and I want, I'm going to ask it now

00:43:58.220 to finish off the podcast.

00:44:00.240 So you said that you love, you know, following politics and I mean, that's so much of your

00:44:07.300 content, which is awesome.

00:44:09.140 Any tips for following along?

00:44:11.140 Because I'm more of a cultural commentator, so I don't get into the weeds too much with

00:44:15.520 the day-to-day stuff, but you have some hot takes that make your Instagram page super

00:44:19.480 fun to follow.

00:44:20.160 So how can we follow along without getting bogged down by the doom scrolling or feeling

00:44:26.100 overwhelmed or just feeling like, eh, maybe this isn't so relevant to me?

00:44:30.860 Yeah.

00:44:31.320 Uh, that's another area that I just have really strong boundaries.

00:44:34.300 Um, so kind of like, I check my email three times a day.

00:44:39.020 I check the news three times a day.

00:44:41.360 Uh, it's got a time, like a time limit on it.

00:44:44.080 I typically check like CNN, Fox news, maybe I'll hit NPR, just kind of like, I don't have

00:44:50.640 alerts on my phone.

00:44:51.720 I don't get the doomed day headlines because I think I used to, and that's just really

00:44:56.000 bad for your mental health personally, especially the way things have been lately.

00:44:59.540 Like just, you keep shooting the stuff out of the sky.

00:45:02.260 I don't need to know about it.

00:45:03.840 What am I going to do about it?

00:45:05.360 Right.

00:45:05.900 And so I think it's like, if that is a priority, if that's something that you like want to

00:45:11.080 keep up with, it's setting boundaries.

00:45:13.700 Cause it is really easy to get stuck in the doom scroll spiral.

00:45:17.040 And then it just jacks and taints everything that you're doing.

00:45:21.680 But for me, it's boundaries.

00:45:23.640 It's going to multiple sources so that I'm not living in an echo chamber.

00:45:27.920 It's like, okay, Fox news is saying this, what's CNN saying about it?

00:45:30.960 And the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

00:45:33.180 Um, and also turning it off.

00:45:36.540 Like I pretty much, there are a lot of Mondays.

00:45:39.600 I take the weekend usually off of the internet.

00:45:41.700 And there are a lot of Mondays that I come back and I'm like, oh my gosh, like what

00:45:48.320 in the, why do I even catch up?

00:45:50.480 And I just had to like get to a point where I'm okay with that.

00:45:53.460 Like it's going to hit the fan.

00:45:56.460 You know, I'm like, if, if, if somebody drops a nuclear bomb on America, like somebody will

00:46:01.360 call me and let me know if it's on the weekend, you know what I mean?

00:46:04.280 Like call and let me know.

00:46:05.440 I don't need to like be the first one to know.

00:46:07.740 And so it can be really tricky to navigate.

00:46:10.900 And I think a lot of people who have been really invested in it, especially since 2020

00:46:16.040 are kind of tapering off a little bit.

00:46:18.580 Like I'm having a lot of really interesting conversations with fellow commentators that

00:46:21.900 are like, I'm tired.

00:46:23.680 Like I need a break from this administration from like the world.

00:46:30.820 And I think that's totally fine too.

00:46:34.240 Yeah.

00:46:34.820 I think that's, that's all super helpful.

00:46:37.860 And I'm so glad you came on the podcast.

00:46:40.040 Thank you so much.

00:46:41.880 This was awesome.

00:46:42.600 So make sure.

00:46:43.360 Yeah.

00:46:43.720 It was wonderful to have you.

00:46:44.860 So let's make sure everyone knows where to follow you.

00:46:47.500 I want to make sure everyone is, you know, getting your content.

00:46:50.120 So where can we find you?

00:46:51.160 Uh, I mostly hang out on Instagram, the girl named Blake, uh, my website is the girl named

00:46:56.300 Blake.com and you can find everything from like links to the podcast, to courses and coaching

00:47:01.400 and everything in between there.

00:47:04.280 Awesome. 0.51

00:47:05.000 And the crappy Christian podcast, we can listen to you there. 1.00

00:47:07.500 Yes. 0.97

00:47:08.340 Yep.

00:47:09.520 So thank you again for coming on.

00:47:11.780 And if you aren't already following or subscribed, make sure to subscribe wherever you listen

00:47:17.060 to podcasts, Spotify, Apple podcasts, anywhere you'd like, and make sure to leave a review

00:47:22.320 on Apple podcasts.

00:47:23.140 That would really help me out.

00:47:24.240 Thank you guys so much for listening and I'll see you guys in my next episode.

00:47:28.100 Bye.

00:47:41.780 Bye.

Classically Abby - February 22, 2023

The Girl Named Blake On The Struggles Of Faith, Mental Health, And Politics ⧸⧸ Ep. 7

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