Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 950 ｜ Candace Cameron Bure on Body Image, Motherhood & Battling Backlash

00:00:00.000 You may know her as DJ Tanner or maybe the Queen of Christmas in several movies, but

00:00:06.340 her real name is Candice Cameron Bure, and she has been a light in the darkness of the

00:00:11.580 media industry for a very long time, making an incredible impact for the kingdom of God.

00:00:17.420 She is such a wonderful example and encouragement to Christian women, and I am so thankful for

00:00:24.540 her courage and for her joy, and today she joins me on the couch of Relatable to share

00:00:31.160 all kinds of wisdom and insight and even some fun stories and facts about herself and her

00:00:36.820 life that you may not know.

00:00:38.980 I know that you are going to love, love, love this conversation.

00:00:43.680 I am so honored to have her on the show.

00:00:46.280 You guys have been asking for her to be on for a long time, and we have made it happen,

00:00:52.420 and I am so grateful for that.

00:00:55.460 This episode is brought to you by our friends at Good Ranchers.

00:00:58.760 Go to GoodRanchers.com.

00:01:00.700 Use code Allie at checkout.

00:01:01.880 That's GoodRanchers.com, code Allie.

00:01:13.760 Candice, thanks so much for joining us on the Relatable Couch.

00:01:17.000 You're so welcome.

00:01:18.020 I'm very happy to be here.

00:01:19.220 Allie, I've been a very big fan for a really long time, and I will tell you that when podcasts

00:01:27.260 were becoming popular, I could not get into podcasts, and I would try a few here and there,

00:01:32.500 and I would rather listen to a book in the car than a podcast, and then I heard your podcast,

00:01:39.100 and you're the first podcast that got me hooked.

00:01:41.260 Oh, that is so sweet.

00:01:43.060 That means so much to me.

00:01:43.960 It's the truth.

00:01:44.600 Well, thank you so much, and the admiration is mutual.

00:01:49.420 I think I speak for everyone in my audience when I say we are so thankful to have a Christian

00:01:55.640 woman, wife, and mom representing so boldly Christian pro-life values in an industry that

00:02:03.940 just seems hostile to those values and those principles, and you have stood strong on them.

00:02:10.200 You haven't shied away from them, and you've been doing it for a long time, and you've

00:02:15.740 shown all of us how to do that with grace, and yeah, that's a really big role to take.

00:02:22.380 So let's go back a little bit.

00:02:25.700 I think everyone probably knows in general your story, but maybe for most people, it starts

00:02:30.600 at Full House.

00:02:31.280 That's probably when they first knew you, heard your name, but let's go back further

00:02:38.260 than that.

00:02:38.960 How did you become a Christian?

00:02:42.060 Oh, well, that comes after Full House.

00:02:44.800 Okay.

00:02:45.600 So we weren't raised in a Christian home because my dad was not a believer.

00:02:52.380 My mom was a believer, but my dad didn't want religion brought into our home and thought

00:02:59.080 that that was something that when us kids were adults could decide on our own.

00:03:05.560 And my parents had gone through a really hard time in their marriage, and when I was 12 years

00:03:10.480 old, they thought that they were going to get a divorce, and a friend had invited them

00:03:16.840 to church to help them work through some marital counseling, and that's when the church was

00:03:23.660 brought into our lives.

00:03:25.280 So at this time, I was already on Full House, and things started to change in my home because

00:03:31.300 my parents really wanted to work through their marriage, but they didn't know how.

00:03:37.500 So thankful to that friend for bringing them to church, and my mom was so happy because

00:03:42.020 she was a believer, and I think it was the first time in her life that she could start

00:03:47.220 saying these things out loud and be a little more bold to talk about God and prayer with

00:03:53.360 my dad.

00:03:54.500 And they worked through their marriage, and it was at 12.

00:03:58.340 We started going to church for the first time, and I was sitting in the church and heard

00:04:05.220 a sermon one day, and I really didn't know what it all meant.

00:04:08.940 I just heard, like, if you want Jesus in your heart to be the Lord and Savior of your

00:04:12.480 life, then say this prayer and ask him into your heart.

00:04:17.220 And so at 12 years old, I did that, and that's when I became a Christian.

00:04:22.140 However, I was not reading my Bible every day.

00:04:26.500 I was also working on television, so I wasn't necessarily going to church every week.

00:04:31.380 I wasn't always in a youth group.

00:04:33.420 I mean, all the practices that we want our kids to do nowadays or even back then.

00:04:40.540 And so church was a part of my life.

00:04:42.500 I knew I loved God.

00:04:43.820 I knew I believed that Jesus was my Savior, but it wasn't until my mid-20s, until I was

00:04:50.300 about 25, that I understood the gospel message for the first time and started living my life

00:04:58.960 with God and to know God and have a relationship with God.

00:05:02.340 Mm-hmm.

00:05:03.360 Okay.

00:05:04.240 And all of your siblings, because you're one of four, did they kind of go on the same

00:05:09.700 trajectory as you when your dad became a Christian and y'all started going to church?

00:05:14.120 So the interesting thing is my dad actually didn't become a Christian for probably another,

00:05:18.980 I'm going to say, 20 to 30 years.

00:05:21.300 Okay.

00:05:21.900 Okay.

00:05:22.960 Got it.

00:05:23.660 But my mom was very strong in it.

00:05:25.680 I think my brother was the first one to really grab a hold of his faith and start living it out.

00:05:32.180 And quite frankly, my sisters and I all thought he was pretty weird because he was like this

00:05:36.840 fun-loving, goofy Kirk that you kind of like saw as Mike Seaver on Growing Pains.

00:05:42.040 And then all of a sudden he was like this very serious student of the word of God in it.

00:05:47.120 And it changed him so much in his teen years, but I think to the extreme where it was shocking

00:05:52.400 because it was really hardcore.

00:05:54.220 And he hadn't quite found the balance of still enjoying life and being lovable and loving God

00:06:01.120 all at the same time.

00:06:02.900 And so my brother was the first.

00:06:06.060 And then my sister Bridget and I gave our lives to the Lord.

00:06:09.580 My sister Melissa, it was probably another 10 years later that she found God in her life.

00:06:15.600 And we're all pretty strong Christians to this day.

00:06:18.720 My dad was the very last one.

00:06:20.380 He's a teacher.

00:06:22.380 He is a man of science, had a very hard time believing in something that he couldn't touch

00:06:28.300 and feel.

00:06:29.500 And I know, you know, A Case for Christ, the Lee Strobel book, like really helped my dad

00:06:33.860 and through so many conversations over the years with so many people in our lives.

00:06:38.880 And that's the one thing I'm grateful to my dad for is that he's always open to the conversation.

00:06:43.600 He just couldn't quite grasp it until he did.

00:06:47.040 Yeah.

00:06:47.500 Praise God for that.

00:06:48.620 Yeah.

00:06:48.880 Praise God.

00:06:49.320 So how did you, you said that that was after Full House.

00:06:52.960 So how did you get into acting?

00:06:56.820 I'm sure a lot of people have heard this origin story, but not everyone has.

00:07:01.180 So you and your brother being successful actors, it's kind of unique.

00:07:05.660 Yep.

00:07:06.220 Both of you having been as prominent as you are.

00:07:09.700 So how did that start out?

00:07:11.680 So we, my mom had a friend.

00:07:14.840 Her name was Fran Rich and her son, Adam Rich was on the show, Eight is Enough.

00:07:20.800 And they were friends.

00:07:22.220 And Fran said, Barbara, your kids are cute little kids.

00:07:25.620 Let me give their picture to our agent.

00:07:28.200 And we lived in LA at the time.

00:07:30.460 So this wasn't something that was like, oh, let's upheave our whole entire life to go out

00:07:36.920 and pursue an acting career.

00:07:39.060 We just lived in LA.

00:07:40.380 So it was kind of like, instead of going to soccer practice or dance class, you would go on auditions.

00:07:47.320 And so my mom was kind of like, sure, you can give the agent my kids picture.

00:07:53.720 And the agent said, sure, we'll bring you in for an audition.

00:07:56.720 And she did.

00:07:58.740 And right away, she took my brother.

00:08:01.560 She took my sister, Melissa.

00:08:03.740 She didn't take my sister, Bridget.

00:08:06.140 And my sister, Bridget, has a wonderful testimony.

00:08:08.700 You can actually look her up online or on Instagram.

00:08:12.720 And she has a beautiful testimony about really feeling unseen within our family and by God.

00:08:19.440 I think I've seen her book or I've seen her post about it.

00:08:23.120 Yeah, she just wrote a book.

00:08:25.280 And then she told me I was only five at the time.

00:08:28.200 She told me to come, or I was four.

00:08:29.840 And she said, come back in a year.

00:08:31.600 So that's kind of how it started.

00:08:34.140 And ultimately, my sister, Melissa, didn't like it.

00:08:38.280 And my brother and I kept going on auditions.

00:08:41.560 And we were working.

00:08:42.760 We would book commercials and then television shows.

00:08:46.060 And it just grew from there.

00:08:47.220 And we were really an unexpected family in terms of the entertainment business.

00:08:51.720 My dad was a school teacher for over 35 years in the public school system.

00:08:56.220 And my mom was a stay-at-home mom.

00:08:58.300 So we just kind of fell into acting.

00:09:00.900 But my brother and I enjoyed it.

00:09:03.400 We were good at it.

00:09:04.720 And it just kind of, our family took that turn of events.

00:09:10.280 And here we are today, you know?

00:09:13.360 And through it, even my mom became an agent and had her agency for many, many years until she had grandbabies.

00:09:18.500 Yeah.

00:09:18.960 And then for you, Full House.

00:09:20.820 And for him, Growing Pains.

00:09:22.800 Did those cross over?

00:09:24.140 I just can't remember.

00:09:25.020 Okay.

00:09:25.520 They did.

00:09:25.920 And I was actually on, like, three episodes of Growing Pains before I was on Full House.

00:09:31.580 Oh, my goodness.

00:09:32.180 And then my brother was on one episode of Full House.

00:09:35.040 But they did cross over.

00:09:36.140 Well, I watched both of them growing up.

00:09:37.700 I'm sure most of the audience did.

00:09:39.300 So tell us a little bit about Full House, booking that.

00:09:43.220 Did you know at the time, or did your mom know at the time, okay, this is kind of our big break?

00:09:49.100 No.

00:09:49.720 You never really know.

00:09:51.840 Because you go on these auditions, whether you're a kid or an adult, I'd say it's a little bit different now.

00:09:57.620 But you really don't know much about a project.

00:10:01.060 You get sent a piece of paper that says, here are the sides.

00:10:04.100 They give you a tiny bit of backstory on what type of character they're looking for.

00:10:09.500 So, oh, a precocious 10-year-old girl who can outwit her parents.

00:10:14.780 You get this line, and you're like, here are the sides.

00:10:17.320 Here's a one-page scene, and then you come in and read it.

00:10:20.980 And I auditioned a couple of times for Full House.

00:10:24.340 And you were 10?

00:10:25.420 I was 10.

00:10:26.300 Okay.

00:10:26.640 I didn't realize you were that young.

00:10:29.020 I think I maybe thought, I don't know, you were just a little bit older.

00:10:32.140 Oh, my goodness.

00:10:32.920 Only 10.

00:10:33.580 I was 10.

00:10:34.160 And I had already been a veteran because I had been in the business for five years already.

00:10:38.640 Yeah.

00:10:39.220 Which is not like probably most people who are 10.

00:10:42.700 Or maybe it is.

00:10:43.320 I don't know if that's normal or not to start when you're five.

00:10:46.400 Yeah.

00:10:46.880 I mean, there's a lot of people who do.

00:10:48.920 A lot of variation.

00:10:49.400 You can start.

00:10:50.420 Yeah.

00:10:51.000 Anytime in life.

00:10:52.440 So when we booked this, when I booked the job, I was very excited.

00:10:56.920 But at the same time, I didn't know who was in this show.

00:11:01.160 It was a television show.

00:11:02.620 That's about as much as I knew.

00:11:03.980 And I showed up on the first day to have a read through and then saw all the people in the room.

00:11:09.260 There's writers, producers, directors, the network, which was ABC and Warner Brothers.

00:11:14.480 And it's very intimidating for a 10-year-old and probably even a lot of adults.

00:11:19.900 But then I saw the one face I recognized across the table.

00:11:25.060 And it was Blackie from General Hospital, a.k.a. John Stamos.

00:11:29.420 So then I was like, OK, this has to be something pretty good because he's in it.

00:11:36.000 And my sisters were so excited.

00:11:39.420 And that's when you shoot a pilot episode.

00:11:42.560 It's the first episode.

00:11:44.000 And then you wait to hear if it gets picked up.

00:11:47.460 And so we did that.

00:11:48.760 And it obviously got picked up.

00:11:51.700 But even within the first year of Full House, it was so panned by the critics, it got trashed so hard.

00:11:58.960 What was the biggest criticism?

00:12:01.360 That it was, I mean, that the cheese could not have been thicker than Velveeta.

00:12:08.320 It just was so cheesy, so sugary, so apple pie that no families would buy it.

00:12:16.940 And that's what the network thought.

00:12:18.720 Yeah.

00:12:19.260 And the critics thought.

00:12:20.280 Yeah.

00:12:20.660 However, the fans thought something else.

00:12:23.380 Yeah.

00:12:23.740 And so we were all shocked when we actually came back for season two because they were really giving us a shot.

00:12:30.740 They also changed the day and time that we were airing.

00:12:35.240 I think we started on a Tuesday night and then they changed the lineup to TGIF Friday nights, which was such a massive, huge success for family television.

00:12:43.760 And there was something about Full House that so many families related to, and that's why it was so beloved.

00:12:50.980 And we wrapped every episode up in 30 minutes with a bow and a hug.

00:12:56.840 But that was the very thing that everyone loved about it is that they truly saw conflict being resolved within family who loved each other.

00:13:06.800 And they talked about it in a way that was open and honest and loving.

00:13:13.260 And isn't it interesting because if you were to just describe Full House, it doesn't really sound like a show that would resonate with the traditional audience.

00:13:33.980 Because, okay, this is a family living in San Francisco, like with three men.

00:13:38.700 And so it's not your traditional, like, the Cosby show or something like that.

00:13:43.600 And yet it did bring that feeling of normalcy and stability and good-hearted values that people really loved.

00:13:54.780 Which is interesting that it was relatable to an audience that probably couldn't relate completely to the familial situation.

00:14:02.480 But I feel like there were so many in that, you know, the premise of that show is that the mom died in a car accident.

00:14:09.120 So the dad needs help raising his three daughters.

00:14:12.080 So he asks his best friend and his brother-in-law to move in.

00:14:15.460 And I feel like, especially, there's so many families today where grandparents are raising their children.

00:14:23.400 It's aunts and uncles.

00:14:26.480 Like, there's just family help.

00:14:28.080 So I think that part of it was very relatable to a lot of people.

00:14:31.920 Yeah, I think so, too.

00:14:33.140 And it seems like you are still close to most of the cast today.

00:14:38.340 How quickly did you guys bond on set?

00:14:43.020 Very quickly.

00:14:45.320 It's part of the reason why I'm still in the entertainment industry today.

00:14:48.600 Because that show, for me, set the foundation of my work experience.

00:14:54.380 And you're, as a child, you're going to either love it or hate it.

00:14:59.140 And obviously, there's other factors that go into it with how your parents lead you through that as a child.

00:15:08.140 But I had really good, have really good, honest parents who always kept family at the core, not work, and were very protective of work situations.

00:15:19.660 And I had this amazing cast and crew that we genuinely loved each other.

00:15:25.700 We truly bonded.

00:15:26.880 But all of the other people that were working on the show were family people.

00:15:32.860 And everyone that I can remember was really happy to be there.

00:15:38.660 Everyone wanted the best for the show.

00:15:40.460 It was a really great work environment.

00:15:43.080 And that set the tone for me.

00:15:45.000 So I didn't have all these horrible experiences that you hear from a lot of other child actors.

00:15:51.660 And even as an adult today, I'm listening to more and more come out with their experiences.

00:15:58.240 And it is awful.

00:15:59.980 It is heartbreaking.

00:16:01.760 And I feel so very much for them.

00:16:06.500 And yet I feel very blessed at the same time that I did not have those experiences, that I had people around me.

00:16:14.000 And I very much believe God's protection through my entire life to not experience some of those traumas.

00:16:21.900 Yeah.

00:16:22.200 You had a lot of people looking out for you.

00:16:23.880 Not just your own parents, but also your on-set parents.

00:16:28.080 Yep, exactly.

00:16:28.940 And you were really close to Bob Saget.

00:16:32.380 And how long has it been since he passed?

00:16:35.480 Two years.

00:16:36.140 Two years.

00:16:37.260 Just over two years.

00:16:38.160 Yeah.

00:16:38.780 What has that been like over the past couple of years?

00:16:41.500 I know that you've expressed how hard it was for you.

00:16:44.700 Is there anything that you just wish people knew about him that they don't?

00:16:52.120 Yeah.

00:16:52.900 You know, Bob is interesting to talk about in that he was one of the closest people to me in my life.

00:17:05.080 I love him and have loved him as a friend, as a father.

00:17:09.440 Where Bob is a person that would literally drop anything for you, no matter who you are or who you were and how well he knew you.

00:17:20.080 Bob had such a huge heart.

00:17:23.200 And he was really a helper at heart.

00:17:25.900 He just loved serving others.

00:17:27.820 And I think that's the thing that a lot of people, when they only look at the comedy.

00:17:33.120 I mean, he was a really raunchy comic.

00:17:35.620 No one's denying that.

00:17:37.300 And the comedy was very off-brand compared to Full House.

00:17:42.120 But he was always in that comedic space.

00:17:45.280 He was a comedian before Full House.

00:17:47.540 And so when people fell in love with the show, they were expecting Bob to be the exact same person as Danny Tanner.

00:17:55.840 And yet there are so many qualities that Bob truly had as Danny Tanner.

00:18:01.440 But then if they went to a comedy show, they were like rocked off their seat because they went, oh my gosh, this is like filth coming out of his mouth.

00:18:11.480 And that was true.

00:18:12.760 But it was like a shtick.

00:18:14.280 And I, most comedians have a shtick.

00:18:19.320 And that was the shtick.

00:18:20.940 And so in real life and in person, Bob was just, he was an amazing human being that I loved so very much.

00:18:28.080 And it was one of the, probably the hardest loss for me to date.

00:18:31.540 Yeah, I'm sure.

00:18:32.360 Yeah.

00:18:32.720 And how old were you when Full House ended?

00:18:35.540 I was 18.

00:18:37.120 You were 18.

00:18:38.140 Oh my goodness.

00:18:39.320 That, I mean, the most formative years of your life with these people.

00:18:43.160 Yeah.

00:18:43.340 Wow.

00:18:43.780 Exactly.

00:18:44.180 And when did you meet your husband?

00:18:47.060 I met my husband at 18.

00:18:48.700 You met your husband at 18.

00:18:50.000 Okay.

00:18:50.340 So tell me about that.

00:18:52.160 Tell us how you met your husband and what that romance was like in the beginning.

00:18:59.000 Well, Dave Coulier, who was on Full House, he played Joey.

00:19:03.200 He introduced me to my husband.

00:19:06.060 Dave's a big hockey fan, big Detroit Red Wings fan.

00:19:09.220 And he was playing in a charity hockey game.

00:19:12.100 And Bob and John were also at that charity hockey game, like being celebrity coaches.

00:19:17.140 So there were both professional hockey players and celebrities.

00:19:21.080 And then they invited Lori and me to go to the game.

00:19:25.260 So Lori and I were buddy-buddy.

00:19:27.120 We sat in the stands.

00:19:28.240 This is Lori Loughlin.

00:19:28.860 Yes.

00:19:29.860 And we watched the game together.

00:19:31.460 And then after, we all kind of hung out.

00:19:33.380 But Dave said to me, hey, they're these two great Russian hockey players.

00:19:37.980 And their names are Pavel and Valerie Bure.

00:19:41.700 And they had just entered the NHL.

00:19:43.900 But he said, I want to introduce you because who knows?

00:19:47.100 So I met them after the hockey game.

00:19:49.860 And Val was very, very nice.

00:19:53.020 And he asked for my phone number.

00:19:56.500 And I gave it to him on a whim.

00:19:58.620 I thought he was really cute.

00:20:00.180 You know, he had like his long, like flowing locks, like out of his helmet, like the wind

00:20:06.420 in his hair.

00:20:06.980 Like I just thought, you know, the mullet.

00:20:10.200 He was not a total mullet, but he had long hair.

00:20:12.760 Like he was a stunt.

00:20:13.680 It was the 90s.

00:20:13.940 It was the 90s.

00:20:14.840 Yeah.

00:20:15.340 Yeah.

00:20:15.660 So I thought he was really cute.

00:20:17.100 I gave him my phone number.

00:20:18.200 First phone number I ever gave away.

00:20:20.140 Really?

00:20:20.440 To a guy.

00:20:20.960 Oh, my goodness.

00:20:22.360 I didn't.

00:20:22.880 I didn't date anyone.

00:20:24.160 Yeah.

00:20:24.420 Really.

00:20:25.060 I was too busy working.

00:20:26.900 And so the cute part of the story is that Val and his brother had come from Russia just

00:20:35.800 a year or two earlier to play in the NHL.

00:20:41.120 And they learned English by watching Full House.

00:20:45.160 No.

00:20:45.920 Full House, who's the boss and married with children.

00:20:48.700 Like those were the three shows.

00:20:50.180 So cute.

00:20:50.960 I know.

00:20:51.820 Little did he know.

00:20:53.220 He was learning English from his future wife.

00:20:55.460 I know.

00:20:55.980 That is so sweet.

00:20:56.940 So he knew who I was.

00:20:58.120 I didn't really.

00:20:58.800 I just knew he was a good hockey player.

00:21:00.520 Yeah.

00:21:00.820 But he called me the very next morning at 10 a.m.

00:21:05.620 Said, do you want to go to lunch?

00:21:07.280 Because I'm getting on a plane and going back to the East Coast to play hockey.

00:21:13.100 So I said, sure.

00:21:14.140 I was so nervous, though, that I called Lori Lachlan.

00:21:17.240 And I said, you got to come to lunch with me because I don't I've never been on a date

00:21:21.620 with someone I don't know before.

00:21:22.860 And it was all crazy.

00:21:24.020 So anyway, Val and his brother came.

00:21:26.480 Lori and I were there.

00:21:27.480 We had lunch.

00:21:28.400 We ended up having dinner.

00:21:29.920 He met my parents.

00:21:31.760 And then we had this six month relationship that was by phone only because I was still

00:21:37.080 on the last season of Full House.

00:21:39.060 And he was playing hockey at that time in Fredericton, New Brunswick, because it was a lockout

00:21:44.300 year.

00:21:44.560 And he was playing for the Montreal Canadiens farm team because of the lockout.

00:21:50.840 And we he courted me for six months.

00:21:55.720 I really got to know him.

00:21:57.740 And I wasn't looking for a husband.

00:22:00.020 I wasn't really even in a dating type of mindset.

00:22:03.960 But we talked almost every day.

00:22:06.320 And I really got to know him.

00:22:07.980 And there was such beauty in dating someone without the physical to really get to know

00:22:15.000 who they are.

00:22:16.200 So six months later, when he was like, when are you going to come visit me?

00:22:19.900 I finally did.

00:22:21.540 And that was that was kind of it.

00:22:23.340 It was just like, oh, I really like this guy.

00:22:25.300 Because then when I saw him in person again, I was like, oh, this all matches up.

00:22:30.740 And then he proposed six months later.

00:22:34.180 Oh, my goodness.

00:22:35.220 So he proposed when you were 18 or 19?

00:22:37.220 I was 19 when he proposed and then was married at 20.

00:22:41.620 Wow.

00:22:42.380 And OK, so he was raised in Russia.

00:22:44.460 Did he have a similar theological Christian background at all?

00:22:50.660 So at this time, I I'm going to answer that question.

00:22:55.220 But I was not really walking in my faith.

00:22:59.760 Again, still would consider myself to be a Christian, loved God.

00:23:03.580 But I did not have any kind of relationship with him.

00:23:06.980 I wasn't actively pursuing God, reading my Bible, but, you know, but loved God.

00:23:13.560 So we're driving in the car one day.

00:23:15.760 We are engaged at this point.

00:23:19.620 And I think the Holy Spirit just hit me upside the head because out of the blue.

00:23:25.100 So I'm thinking about our wedding and then I thought about I've never even had a conversation with him as to what his religion is.

00:23:33.580 But I'm I'm pretty sure he's a Christian.

00:23:35.740 I think he's a Christian.

00:23:36.620 Yeah, because he wore a cross.

00:23:39.380 He wore a cross.

00:23:40.500 He had a gold cross.

00:23:41.900 I'm like, I think so.

00:23:43.400 So we're driving and I asked him one day.

00:23:45.140 I said, you believe in Jesus, right?

00:23:47.600 And he said, why?

00:23:51.080 Well, what if I what if I don't?

00:23:53.440 I was like, come on.

00:23:54.280 I'm like, we're getting married.

00:23:55.240 Like we never even talked about this.

00:23:56.760 You do believe in Jesus.

00:23:58.580 And he said, are you not going to marry me if I don't?

00:24:01.500 And I said, well, this is going to be really complicated.

00:24:04.860 I don't know.

00:24:05.740 But we need to have this discussion.

00:24:08.180 And then he goes, yes, of course, I believe in Jesus.

00:24:10.800 And I was like, OK, cool.

00:24:12.420 We're good.

00:24:13.060 That's good.

00:24:13.540 And that was the end of the conversation.

00:24:15.420 And we never talked about God after that.

00:24:18.360 So that's how much of a Christian I was when we were engaged and even got married.

00:24:27.600 I would love to finish the part of my testimony as to what changed.

00:24:41.340 Yeah, sure.

00:24:41.920 I'll just I'll just go right into that.

00:24:43.960 Yeah.

00:24:44.740 Go for it.

00:24:45.320 So you were you were 19 when you got engaged and then 20 when you got married.

00:24:51.280 And when how old are you when you had when you got pregnant with your I was 21.

00:24:57.600 OK, had Natasha at 22, finished full house, 18, met your husband, really started dating

00:25:03.140 like for the first time, found the one, got engaged, got married, got pregnant.

00:25:08.540 Oh, my goodness.

00:25:09.700 Yeah, that was pretty much it.

00:25:11.700 And it was after I had Natasha changed everything.

00:25:17.720 You become a mom and you start thinking about things that you've never thought about before.

00:25:22.140 Yeah.

00:25:22.600 And I started thinking about God and I started thinking about what I want to teach her.

00:25:26.420 And what can I share with her about God?

00:25:29.960 And I realized I don't really know God.

00:25:34.560 And the whole my whole teenage years and very young adult years, I always thought when when

00:25:43.140 people would ask me about God, because I had a few friends in my life that when I was 16,

00:25:48.560 17, 17, 18, going, tell me about what God's sharing with you.

00:25:53.500 And I would just kind of blow off that part of the conversation like, oh, you know, change

00:25:59.100 the subject because it made me uncomfortable because I wasn't I didn't spend time with God.

00:26:03.080 And so when I realized I really didn't know God, I kept thinking, well, you know, what makes

00:26:11.340 me a Christian?

00:26:13.280 And I always thought, well, I feel like I'm a Christian because I believe in Jesus.

00:26:19.560 But really, I'm a good person.

00:26:24.620 And I do a lot of good things.

00:26:27.320 And I am kind to people.

00:26:29.080 I'm respectful.

00:26:30.120 I give money to charity.

00:26:31.440 And I would compare myself to other child actors and say, well, I never got into drugs.

00:26:38.300 That's not my road.

00:26:39.600 I don't like dark things.

00:26:41.600 I'm just I'm a good person.

00:26:43.980 And I've been a pretty good daughter.

00:26:48.160 You know, I like my parents.

00:26:50.180 I love them.

00:26:51.000 I've pretty much done what they've asked me to do, you know, listen to the rules and follow

00:26:57.040 them.

00:26:57.540 And so in my heart of hearts, I really thought it was my goodness that made me secure in my

00:27:03.500 relationship with God.

00:27:05.780 And that's when my brother sent me a book.

00:27:08.880 Now, I hadn't talked to my brother about anything, but he just randomly calls me one day and said,

00:27:13.260 hey, Candace, I want to share this book with you because there's something about the way

00:27:20.380 the gospel message was presented in that in this book that has just rocked my world and just

00:27:25.580 changed me and I want to send it to you.

00:27:28.740 I hope that you'll read it.

00:27:30.200 I said, sure, go ahead and send it.

00:27:32.840 And so the Holy Spirit had really been working on my heart because I'm thinking about how I

00:27:37.160 want to raise my daughter, realizing I don't really know God.

00:27:42.100 Then my brother calls me randomly.

00:27:44.200 So as soon as I get the book, I start reading the book.

00:27:46.460 And, you know, there are a few other steps along with this that happened, but everyone's

00:27:53.780 going to want to know what that book is.

00:27:55.580 And it was called The Way of the Master by Ray Comfort.

00:28:00.460 And it's true in that it took me through the law of God.

00:28:08.120 It took me through the Ten Commandments and I never saw myself as a sinner my whole life.

00:28:15.740 I didn't think I was better than anyone.

00:28:18.240 I just didn't see myself as a sinner compared to other people that were hard on drugs or,

00:28:26.580 you know, like whatever the case is.

00:28:29.220 Their sin was blatant or out there.

00:28:30.100 Or I haven't murdered someone.

00:28:31.700 I haven't done all these bad things.

00:28:33.100 I was like, I'm not really a sinner.

00:28:35.500 And once I got put up against the law of God, have I honored God every day of my life?

00:28:44.700 Have I always honored my parents?

00:28:47.240 Have I ever told a lie?

00:28:49.240 Have I ever stolen something?

00:28:51.220 Like those four in itself, I'm like, yeah, I remember stealing gum as a kid.

00:28:56.580 No, I have not honored my parents every day of my life.

00:29:00.280 Yes, I've told a lie.

00:29:01.340 Who hasn't?

00:29:01.960 And as I went through all of these things, I'm like, okay, so I've broken these commandments.

00:29:10.240 And then I learned that God's going to judge me by his standard of goodness and not the

00:29:15.740 world's standard of goodness.

00:29:17.220 And I really love this analogy.

00:29:19.640 There's a little girl looking at a white sheep as it ate the green grass.

00:29:23.420 And she thought how nice and white the sheep looked as it ate the green grass.

00:29:27.500 And then it began to snow.

00:29:30.100 And she thought how dirty the sheep looked against the white snow.

00:29:34.460 It was the same sheep, but a different background.

00:29:37.600 So when we compare our sin to the standard of the world, most of us come up reasonably clean.

00:29:45.660 But when we compare our sin to the snow-white righteousness of God's law, we'll see that

00:29:50.800 we're in fact filthy, dirty.

00:29:52.400 And it was then that I realized, oh, I am a sinner because God holds a different standard of goodness

00:30:01.880 than the world does.

00:30:03.640 And that's when I saw my need for Jesus for the first time.

00:30:06.920 That it wasn't about, just like your book says, you're not enough.

00:30:11.740 And that's okay.

00:30:12.760 That's why Christ came.

00:30:15.060 That's why Christ came and fulfilled the law and died and rose.

00:30:20.340 And so that, I finally understood the gospel when I was about 25 years old.

00:30:25.160 It just, it took root and it's changed my life.

00:30:32.480 And then I've never seen myself as the same way.

00:30:35.200 It humbled me very, very much.

00:30:37.980 And from that day forward, like, I mean, I remember the moment in my bedroom that I felt

00:30:45.000 like the veil was just taken off of my eyes.

00:30:48.140 And I had a desire to get into God's word and to know him.

00:30:53.540 And it's been the best.

00:30:55.320 I love my husband and I love my children.

00:30:57.340 I love my family.

00:30:58.300 But my relationship with God is the best relationship of my life.

00:31:02.320 And for your husband, did you share this kind of epiphany with him?

00:31:08.960 And how did that transformation take place?

00:31:12.000 Yeah.

00:31:12.700 So I couldn't, I found a church immediately.

00:31:17.680 I wanted to start going.

00:31:19.720 My husband was still in the middle of this very highly successful professional NHL career

00:31:27.460 playing hockey.

00:31:28.880 And so he was traveling half the year and I would just go to church with my kids alone,

00:31:35.180 whatever.

00:31:35.580 I'd always invite him.

00:31:37.600 And, you know, in the beginning, he had no problem with it.

00:31:44.700 But I think I started very much like my brother when he was a teen.

00:31:48.680 I just grabbed a hold of it and it was like all I could talk about and it was all I could

00:31:53.920 share.

00:31:54.340 So when he'd come home from a road trip, I was like, honey, I have to share this sermon.

00:31:59.300 The pastor talked about this today and I read this in the Bible today.

00:32:03.360 And did you know that God's word says this and it says that and we really have to start

00:32:08.580 doing this now.

00:32:09.540 We shouldn't be doing that anymore.

00:32:11.160 And we got to change this and the kids need to do that.

00:32:14.200 And one day my husband looked at me and he just said, stop, like, stop.

00:32:20.380 You are you are just throwing this all in my face.

00:32:23.420 You're like vomiting Jesus with every other word.

00:32:26.120 And you're actually making me take two steps back.

00:32:29.800 He's like, I'd like to get to know God.

00:32:33.440 I like I see that.

00:32:35.020 Let me do this at my pace.

00:32:38.240 But if I have a question about God, I'll ask you.

00:32:40.760 I'll ask you.

00:32:41.480 Otherwise, don't talk to me about it because I you're you're turning me off.

00:32:48.160 So that was humbling.

00:32:50.900 And then I I went into my my Bible, of course, and I I found I found first Peter.

00:32:59.580 First Peter.

00:33:01.080 Is it three?

00:33:02.320 I know the anyway you're talking about.

00:33:03.820 It says, likewise, wives, be submissive to your own husband so that even if they do not

00:33:08.820 obey the word, they without a word may be won over by the conduct of their wife.

00:33:16.500 And so I thought, OK, God, I he asked me not to say anything about you.

00:33:22.200 And you actually are telling me in Scripture that my husband can be won over without a word,

00:33:28.420 but by my conduct.

00:33:30.340 So I started praying that day, said, Lord, mold me and shape me into who you want me to

00:33:35.240 be, that I can reflect you in my relationship with my husband and in my marriage with my

00:33:40.940 husband.

00:33:41.580 So change me so that he sees the changes in me and would desire to know you better.

00:33:47.620 And I prayed that every day.

00:33:50.100 I prayed for my husband to become the leader, the spiritual leader of our household.

00:33:53.640 And to know God.

00:33:56.200 And two years later, my husband gave his life to the Lord.

00:34:01.660 Praise God.

00:34:02.600 Yeah.

00:34:03.080 Praise God.

00:34:03.820 I love going to that passage because at first I think people can hear, wow, I'd be so offended

00:34:08.900 if my husband said something like that.

00:34:11.520 Can't he just be enthusiastic with me?

00:34:13.720 But you point to the word of God where they can be won over without a word by our pure and

00:34:20.240 honorable conduct.

00:34:21.200 And that can be really difficult, one, for people who love to talk and who like to communicate.

00:34:27.560 Maybe words of affirmation is your love language.

00:34:30.040 So you're just, you know, and you're a verbal processor.

00:34:32.380 Maybe I am for sure.

00:34:33.960 And you want the person that you love most to share this with you.

00:34:38.500 Yeah.

00:34:39.240 But how powerful that our conduct can actually be a stronger communicator with the power of

00:34:45.400 the Holy Spirit.

00:34:46.420 Yep.

00:34:46.980 To win people over.

00:34:48.160 Yeah.

00:34:48.380 And the power of prayer.

00:34:50.100 I know.

00:34:50.420 It has such an amazing effect.

00:34:53.980 Yeah.

00:34:54.320 That sometimes, and like not just in the case of your husband, but also with your dad.

00:34:58.100 I was going to say my mom prayed for my dad for over 30 years.

00:35:01.500 Yeah.

00:35:02.400 Wow.

00:35:03.040 And so that should just be encouragement for anyone, either for themselves or for the people

00:35:07.140 around them.

00:35:08.380 It doesn't always happen on our timeline.

00:35:11.100 Yeah.

00:35:11.380 But gosh, God is so faithful.

00:35:12.420 So young wife, mom, younger than especially a lot of people these days are getting married

00:35:31.720 and having kids.

00:35:32.780 You're figuring things out.

00:35:34.020 You have a spiritual epiphany, so much happening.

00:35:36.860 Are you still acting during this period in your 20s?

00:35:41.240 So I took a 10-year break once I had Natasha.

00:35:45.180 I thought I could do it all, realized I couldn't.

00:35:48.840 Yeah.

00:35:49.000 Just, yeah, not all at the same time.

00:35:52.480 So because my husband was actively playing, one of us wanted to be home, at least one

00:35:58.360 of us.

00:35:58.900 So he was traveling.

00:35:59.800 And he was traveling.

00:36:00.660 So it was a pretty obvious answer that I would lay down my career and be home.

00:36:06.640 And I wanted to be home with my kids.

00:36:08.520 But it was a difficult transition because I've been working since I was five years old.

00:36:12.800 So then to, by 25, become a full-time mom and not having a job outside of the home, like

00:36:21.560 that was a hard transition for me.

00:36:23.520 Yeah.

00:36:23.780 But one that I'm very thankful and grateful that I made because it really, that was the

00:36:29.140 time I grew so much in my relationship with God.

00:36:32.640 And it gave me the time to do that.

00:36:34.960 Yeah.

00:36:35.180 Because I'd open up my Bible when the kids were napping or when they were at school and

00:36:39.440 my home was quiet and I could have that hour to sit and spend with him.

00:36:45.900 So I took 10 years off outside of work, the entertainment industry.

00:36:53.400 And then when-

00:36:54.840 And you have three kids, right?

00:36:56.760 Natasha is the oldest.

00:36:57.720 Natasha, yeah.

00:36:58.360 Two boys.

00:36:58.780 I have two boys, Lev and Max.

00:37:00.840 Yes.

00:37:01.140 Yeah.

00:37:01.280 I had three kids by 25 years old.

00:37:03.320 Yeah.

00:37:03.660 Oh my goodness.

00:37:04.860 That's amazing.

00:37:05.760 Yeah.

00:37:06.640 And then my husband eventually retired from hockey.

00:37:10.700 And that was when, about a year after his retirement, we started, I started thinking

00:37:15.860 about it because I've always loved working.

00:37:18.400 I've loved the entertainment industry.

00:37:20.140 It's always been a desire and a passion.

00:37:21.860 But the cool thing about really diving into my relationship with God is that within a

00:37:29.140 few years of surrendering to motherhood and coming to terms, not having the career, enjoying

00:37:35.600 my time as a mom, I felt very much at peace that if God didn't open that door for a career later in life, I was okay with that.

00:37:45.880 I mean, truly, truly, he gave me such a peace.

00:37:48.440 Yeah.

00:37:48.620 But my husband retired and now he was home and it was kind of like, we prayed about it.

00:37:54.280 And my husband was supportive saying, yeah, give it a shot.

00:37:58.780 Call your old agent up.

00:38:00.520 Let's just see if something happens and we can talk about whether we move or what we do if your career picks up.

00:38:07.700 And wouldn't you know it, my career picked up pretty quickly and in a way that was unexpected for me.

00:38:18.760 But had I not had those 10 years at home to really build the foundation of my relationship with the Lord, I wouldn't be here today.

00:38:28.460 I wouldn't be the woman that I am today.

00:38:30.320 And I wouldn't be as Christ-centered and focused within my responsibilities and decision-making within my career.

00:38:38.300 And is that when you started with Hallmark or, okay, so that's when you started with Hallmark.

00:38:43.740 And what was it like from the motherhood perspective?

00:38:47.440 I know you took those 10 years off.

00:38:50.120 You were at home during those early years.

00:38:52.300 But your kids are still relatively young at this point.

00:38:56.020 So what was that transition like?

00:38:58.600 Balancing being home full-time to working and being a mom, finding that balance.

00:39:04.200 That can be tough.

00:39:05.740 It can be extremely tough.

00:39:07.220 And I couldn't have done it if my husband wasn't as supportive as he has been and was able to be home at full-time.

00:39:18.140 So even when I went back to work, we still didn't have an outside caretaker.

00:39:24.360 And that was just important to us.

00:39:26.460 We wanted one of us to always be home.

00:39:30.600 So it just allowed us with ease to be able to do that.

00:39:34.600 And my husband loves being a father.

00:39:37.220 I mean, half the times I would be like, do you even need me as a mom?

00:39:41.020 Because my husband's so good at whatever it was, whether it was changing diapers or, I mean, my husband loves cooking.

00:39:47.540 That's his passion.

00:39:48.540 So even making dinners and meals and packing lunches, like, I know not all men feel that way.

00:39:54.660 But I was very fortunate.

00:39:55.960 My husband loves that stuff.

00:39:57.440 So it was an easy transition in that way.

00:39:59.820 And when I started back, it wasn't a full-time job.

00:40:03.760 So when I make a movie at that time, I would go away for three weeks, which sounds like a long time.

00:40:10.320 I mean, it can be away from your kids.

00:40:12.040 But I felt good about Val being home with the kids.

00:40:14.760 And then I'd come home.

00:40:17.000 And, you know, that might be the—I think at the beginning, I did one movie the whole year.

00:40:21.300 That was it.

00:40:21.880 So it was like three weeks of work.

00:40:23.520 And then when work started picking up, I eventually was on this show for three years called Make It or Break It.

00:40:29.240 And I wasn't the lead on that show.

00:40:34.080 So even working for three seasons on that show, I was maybe working two to three days a week.

00:40:40.000 And so it still gave me a balance that I felt confident in being able to work and still being a prominent teacher and parent in my kids' lives.

00:40:54.260 Yeah.

00:40:54.680 It's not always so black and white.

00:40:56.520 And sometimes I just find the conversation about working mom versus stay-at-home mom as if they are like these nice, neat, and clean categories.

00:41:06.540 I kind of find it unhelpful because there's guilt on either side of it.

00:41:11.160 I agree.

00:41:11.600 In reality, there are so many different seasons.

00:41:14.000 There are so many different ways that couples work together and make it work.

00:41:18.400 Even as Christians and believing that the husband is the head of the household, the spiritual leader of the family,

00:41:23.340 there are just so many different ways within that biblical framework that women and men can fulfill the calling that God has for them,

00:41:35.920 even as they're prioritizing their kids in their home and maybe fulfilling something outside of the home.

00:41:42.640 Yeah.

00:41:43.160 It's all really messy.

00:41:44.520 And everyone's circumstances are different and unique.

00:41:47.660 And they can all work.

00:41:51.420 It's not a one-size-fits-all.

00:41:53.700 Yes.

00:41:54.300 And I think that's something to remember when you're dating is to marry someone that you can see being a good father.

00:42:05.560 That doesn't mean that he has to love to cook.

00:42:07.200 My husband also is a great cook.

00:42:08.520 But that's not necessarily a deal-breaker.

00:42:11.840 But look for those qualities in your husband or in the boyfriend, in the guy that you're dating,

00:42:18.160 that you can see him being an involved and present parent, no matter what your occupation circumstances.

00:42:25.680 I mean, that's such a big deal.

00:42:27.060 I think sometimes we're not thinking about it when we're teenagers.

00:42:30.480 But man, that's a big one.

00:42:32.360 It's so true.

00:42:32.900 And that can make or break a lot of things.

00:42:35.040 Yeah.

00:42:35.680 And you can see that really easily, too, if you have other friends or there's cousins or nieces or nephews that you might have around.

00:42:44.260 And I know my boys, when their little younger cousins would come over, my boys love playing with them.

00:42:51.960 Let's play a board game.

00:42:53.140 Let's play cars.

00:42:54.040 Let's play dolls, whatever.

00:42:55.260 And that's just an easy way to know if the man or the woman that you're dating in your life is, you know, just accessible and at ease with young people.

00:43:06.560 Yeah, definitely.

00:43:08.380 Okay.

00:43:09.320 We want a few more motherhood tips from you.

00:43:13.240 Okay.

00:43:13.600 And so I have three little ones, too.

00:43:17.660 Congratulations, by the way.

00:43:19.100 Thank you so much.

00:43:20.120 It is, I feel extremely blessed to be able to have the flexibility to be at home as much as I am while also, you know, talking about things, doing something that I love.

00:43:31.020 And I would love to hear from you, just like, I don't know, it's hard to narrow down, but maybe just one big lesson or a couple tips that you would give someone who is kind of just starting out their motherhood journey or something that you wish that you knew early on.

00:43:50.980 The biggest thing I wish more people had told me was to take the pressure off myself, especially in our Instagram world.

00:44:03.620 We see the best of everything and we see everyone multitasking all the time.

00:44:10.340 And you don't have to do that.

00:44:12.980 And I love, I know you've heard this analogy before.

00:44:16.360 It's a simple one, but I really love it.

00:44:18.300 And it's, it's about how do you manage all of the things in your life that you want to do.

00:44:25.540 And if you, if you took a jar, if you fill it with rocks first up to the top, it looks like it's full.

00:44:35.060 But yet you could throw pebbles in there and it would fill in all the cracks.

00:44:39.000 So you're still adding more and it looks like it's full.

00:44:42.540 And yet you could still then throw sand in there and it would fill in even the smaller cracks.

00:44:49.240 You could fill that up to the top and then it's solid and it's full.

00:44:53.240 And the moral of the story is, it's the order in which the, the ingredients go in.

00:45:02.260 So if you had put the sand in first and then tried to add the pebbles and then the big rocks, there would be no room for the big rocks anymore.

00:45:12.700 So the order in which you prioritize your life is especially important.

00:45:17.700 Make sure you, you have decided what the big rocks are in your life because you can only do all of the other little things that fit in is if you prioritize the big ones.

00:45:28.280 So if you're a mom and you've got little kids and you say, my priority is caring for my children and my husband and, um, and my time with God every day.

00:45:43.300 Great.

00:45:44.000 Those are the big rocks you put in there and, and those you don't waver on it.

00:45:49.020 But then the things like, oh, but I really want my body back and I really want to exercise and I really wanted to go to the gym.

00:45:55.820 I'm like, okay, you can do those things, but those are the, those are the pebbles.

00:46:01.320 You're going to throw those in next.

00:46:03.100 And if you get to them, great, but they're not going to change the core of your life if you don't get your gym time in.

00:46:09.280 And for all you young moms out there, I always tell you like, who cares about the gym when your kids are young?

00:46:15.320 Go for a walk with them, put them in a stroller, go to the playground, do the monkey bars with them.

00:46:21.120 Like get your exercise in that way, play tag with them.

00:46:23.700 Those are all ways you can feel that way that you're getting movement and exercise without feeling stressed that you didn't get your one hour at the gym.

00:46:34.100 And the same things.

00:46:35.480 And then maybe with, with the, the, the sand you go, but I have all these friends and I, and there's school and there's crafts and there's PTA and there's whatever.

00:46:46.160 And it's like, those are all great things, but they're not the priority.

00:46:50.680 So let them go.

00:46:53.020 And I promise you, you're going to have other seasons of life.

00:46:55.960 They're going to, they're all going to come back around and you get to choose what you want to participate in, but just figure out what your big priorities, what the big stones in are in your life.

00:47:06.840 And it will, it will change the way in which you manage your day without changing who you are and what you want your values to be.

00:47:15.620 Yeah.

00:47:16.140 I found it helpful to remember that there are seasons for things, that it's not always going to be this way.

00:47:24.900 It's not always going to be this sleepless.

00:47:28.940 It's not always going to be this needy.

00:47:32.480 And I don't mean that in a bad way when it comes to this stage of motherhood, but just literally your children need you physically and emotionally in every way at every hour of the day.

00:47:44.120 And there's like, you can see that both ways.

00:47:46.600 It's not always going to be this way.

00:47:48.140 It's not always going to be this way.

00:47:49.560 Okay.

00:47:49.780 One day I'll get more sleep.

00:47:51.020 It's not always going to be this way.

00:47:52.380 Oh my goodness.

00:47:53.420 It's not always going to be this way.

00:47:55.320 They're not always going to be this little.

00:47:56.860 They're not always going to need me this much.

00:47:58.700 So it's like the relief and the sadness that comes with it.

00:48:03.460 And I think remembering the temporal part of it can both kind of give us the endurance to keep going, but also remind us like that these difficult moments are really precious.

00:48:15.260 They're really precious and they're so fleeting.

00:48:17.880 It's even just having my oldest is only four and a half.

00:48:20.920 But even being there, it's like I do see that what everyone said when I was pregnant for the first time, it goes by so fast.

00:48:28.700 It goes by so fast.

00:48:29.720 I already see.

00:48:30.880 Oh my goodness.

00:48:31.680 I know.

00:48:32.180 It goes by so fast.

00:48:33.800 All my kids are in their 20s.

00:48:35.380 I'm like, what?

00:48:36.340 You have a married child now.

00:48:37.460 I have a married child.

00:48:38.740 I'm like, I feel like I just, I blinked and they're adults.

00:48:42.780 It really does go fast.

00:48:44.060 And it's true.

00:48:44.780 It's all seasonal.

00:48:46.240 Yeah.

00:48:46.600 And not one season's going to last forever.

00:48:49.120 They change and that's the beauty of it.

00:49:02.920 Okay.

00:49:03.420 One thing you mentioned, I want to ask a question about, you mentioned like, you know, going to the gym, things like that.

00:49:09.380 One thing that I love following you for is you talk a lot about your fitness routine and being a healthy eater.

00:49:16.120 I am not in the stage of life right now of working out as much as I used to or as much as I would like to one day.

00:49:25.040 Hopefully that will change in the next couple of years.

00:49:28.160 But I do still love watching you for that.

00:49:31.760 Tell me about navigating Hollywood and the beauty standards that are inherent in Hollywood and in the entertainment industry as a Christian.

00:49:43.880 Obviously, there's nothing wrong with caring about your appearance and being healthy and all of those things.

00:49:49.100 But as you know, better than the rest of us do, there are unrealistic and unhealthy beauty standards in the entertainment industry that I'm sure that you kind of had to battle against or maybe still have to.

00:50:00.700 I still do.

00:50:02.000 I mean, let's just talk about the exemplet craze right now.

00:50:05.900 Because the reality is, I'll be completely honest, I'm like, hmm, hmm, who, should I go on Ozempic?

00:50:15.160 I'm a very small, petite person, but I'm not going to go on Ozempic.

00:50:21.420 But like, these are the things that go through my mind because the standard is so high and I'm in front of the camera all day.

00:50:29.180 And I don't want to do that.

00:50:30.640 And then it's like I shake my head and I go, Lord, like, stop, like, stop.

00:50:36.900 But it is a little bit crazy.

00:50:39.000 There is definitely a pressure that is on you.

00:50:43.600 And I wouldn't, for me now, I will honestly say that I don't have outside pressure of people telling me that I have to look this way or be a certain weight or dress this way.

00:50:54.540 But the pressure is so ingrained, a lot of the pressure just comes from myself because I've grown up in it.

00:51:02.320 And I don't always know how to not feel that pressure.

00:51:06.820 I've done a lot of work in my life.

00:51:08.560 And I've been very public and open about having an eating disorder, which has been, like, really good for the last, I'm trying to, probably, you know, 20 years.

00:51:20.860 But I still mentally battle it all the time, just not as much as I used to.

00:51:25.380 And I have tools in place that help me.

00:51:28.460 But these are, like, the crazy thoughts that still go through my head.

00:51:31.540 And they're so dumb and they're so unrealistic.

00:51:34.960 And I hate that I have them.

00:51:37.240 But the fact is, I do.

00:51:38.800 But the more I just share it and I'm open about it, it frees me from it.

00:51:43.260 Because I can hear myself say it out loud and realize, like, this is not what life is all about.

00:51:49.380 And so I do love fitness for the reasons that, obviously, I want my body to feel strong and healthy.

00:51:58.820 But it frees my mind.

00:52:02.400 So if I get a sweat on and I work out, it's like all of those endorphins.

00:52:06.520 I don't know all the science behind it, but the endorphins are released and it just feels good.

00:52:10.680 So I feel better and then I can make better decisions.

00:52:14.420 My mind feels clear.

00:52:15.380 So that's part of my fitness journey is really a lot for my emotional health.

00:52:21.540 Yeah.

00:52:22.340 And there probably are some people out there that have struggled with an eating disorder.

00:52:26.280 Maybe they do right now.

00:52:28.420 If you could just talk about, like, a couple of the tools that you just mentioned that you have in place when you feel that pull or feel that temptation.

00:52:36.760 I also understand that I struggled with an eating disorder in college.

00:52:39.940 So what are some of the things that have helped you?

00:52:42.120 Yeah.

00:52:42.320 Well, exercise has helped me very much.

00:52:45.260 And I also understand that that can be a disordered way of eating and dealing with that to overexercise.

00:52:53.720 We've read lots of stories.

00:52:55.480 I don't struggle with it in that way.

00:52:57.420 But exercise helps clear my mind.

00:53:01.140 And it just, yeah, it changes my emotional health.

00:53:05.140 It gets me in a less foggy place and helps me feel clear.

00:53:10.140 So I enjoy the exercise, you know, and want to get in three or four workouts or walks a week.

00:53:18.600 And I'm better and healthy for it.

00:53:19.800 So, you know, I talk to God a lot.

00:53:24.180 I have an ongoing dialogue with God.

00:53:27.320 And so my prayer life is pretty strong.

00:53:29.580 My conversations with Him are very strong.

00:53:32.120 And it's a way in which, because really it's a battle of the mind, a lot of disordered eating is.

00:53:41.100 And so if I pull the Holy Spirit into my mind and I'm constantly praying and asking God to renew my mind, it helps.

00:53:53.620 It doesn't always help.

00:53:54.960 It doesn't always fix it.

00:53:56.120 Sometimes I'm talking back and saying, like, God, I don't care.

00:54:00.020 I just, like, this is how I'm feeling.

00:54:02.240 And I want to eat my feelings right now instead of run to your word.

00:54:06.640 I mean, that happens often.

00:54:08.300 But then through, you know, I've talked to health professionals that have said, well, trying to get to the root of some of those issues.

00:54:19.000 So I kind of remind myself often when I'm having a pull of a decision that would be a bad decision, I walk myself through some steps and say, okay, if I choose to do this right now, I'm going to remind myself how I'm going to feel.

00:54:37.940 I'm going to remind myself of, like, every physicality that's going to, whether my stomach's going to feel bloated, whether my eyes and my face are going to hurt.

00:54:46.840 I mean, I was bulimic for a long time.

00:54:49.260 So you remind myself, I remind myself the things that feel awful and the consequences of it.

00:54:56.540 And that often will snap me right back into reality of, like, no, I don't want to feel that way.

00:55:02.160 It feels awful.

00:55:03.500 It hurts.

00:55:04.980 That's what I was going to say, too, because it was bulimia for me as well.

00:55:08.760 And I just, like, that's what I remind myself of.

00:55:11.460 That I did not feel good.

00:55:12.660 It was embarrassing.

00:55:14.460 And that I, like, had to, you know, go to the bathroom after I ate.

00:55:20.100 And then one time a friend, like, heard me.

00:55:22.220 It was so embarrassing.

00:55:24.060 Yeah.

00:55:24.200 And I hated, when I think about something having control over me, that I was really a slave to.

00:55:32.300 And I tried to convince myself that I wasn't, but I really couldn't stop until I went to counseling and all this stuff.

00:55:37.300 But, yeah, I was enslaved to that.

00:55:39.820 And that's what I think about.

00:55:41.000 I'm like, do you want to be enslaved to that again?

00:55:43.420 Yeah.

00:55:43.900 Do you want to be controlled by that again, something that is so unhealthy?

00:55:47.600 And then, of course, I think about my girls.

00:55:50.400 And I'm like, oh, my goodness, if that was them, if they were doing something like that, how much would that break my heart?

00:55:58.020 Yeah.

00:55:58.360 I know.

00:55:59.680 It's hard, though.

00:56:00.560 It's so hard.

00:56:01.060 It is an addiction.

00:56:02.280 Yeah.

00:56:02.840 Yeah, it's hard.

00:56:03.660 But I'm grateful for the work that I've put in and then a lot of the mental tools that I have and then some of the physical tools.

00:56:10.080 And so it's not something I struggle with on a daily basis.

00:56:13.680 But sometimes before that camera, you know, you get on something, these crazy thoughts come to mind.

00:56:18.580 And I'm like, Candace.

00:56:19.800 Yes.

00:56:20.560 It's ridiculous.

00:56:21.680 Yes.

00:56:22.060 Well, you I mean, you are so beautiful and you are so youthful.

00:56:25.640 And I'm sure that there are a lot of people that are sitting out there shocked that you have a child who is married and that you have adult children because you do look so young.

00:56:34.840 And you are young, but you look even younger than you are.

00:56:37.220 So but there is I mean, there is a temptation for I'm almost 32 there.

00:56:44.120 You know, I am just now in the past couple of years seeing my face change and like being able to look back when you're 25 and you look at yourself when you're 18.

00:56:52.920 You're like, oh, I kind of look better that actually than I did when I was 18 because I don't look like a kid anymore.

00:56:58.200 And you finally look like a woman, but you don't have wrinkles.

00:57:01.100 But now I'm looking back at 25 and I'm like, oh, man, like I didn't have the smile lines or things like that.

00:57:08.740 And so that is something that I think a lot of people struggle with, whether they're in front of the camera or not.

00:57:14.440 Yeah.

00:57:14.600 You see people on social media like, wow, that person hasn't aged at all.

00:57:18.480 I've really aged or I look so much older.

00:57:20.880 The filters and everything.

00:57:22.800 I know.

00:57:23.240 Don't help.

00:57:24.260 No, it doesn't.

00:57:24.940 And so I'm guessing I don't know if you I'm sure that that can be a struggle, too, especially in the entertainment industry.

00:57:30.840 I mean, listen, I'm on Instagram.

00:57:32.260 If you do follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I'm I'm on there.

00:57:36.200 No filters, no makeup all the time.

00:57:39.280 Yeah, because I think we need to see it.

00:57:41.520 And I always love when people do that.

00:57:43.440 I love seeing a real face.

00:57:45.300 So why would I not be a real face on there?

00:57:47.700 Yeah, I love getting my hair and makeup done, too.

00:57:49.780 So I'm you know, I got that done before sitting on your show right now.

00:57:53.160 And I will when I'm on my podcast or on on camera or something.

00:57:56.640 But like in my real life, I'm happy to show the world that part of me.

00:58:02.280 And like this, I'm not embarrassed.

00:58:04.020 I also have a mom.

00:58:05.920 My mom is in her early 70s.

00:58:07.900 My dad is 80 and I'm so blessed and privileged and love that they are still with us and here and have so much energy.

00:58:18.660 And like my mom's never had anything done to her face ever.

00:58:22.660 My dad never.

00:58:24.040 Yeah.

00:58:24.240 And they are beautiful.

00:58:25.800 They are beautiful.

00:58:26.660 So I look to them and I'm like, this is what I have to look forward to when I'm 70.

00:58:32.660 My mom is gorgeous.

00:58:33.760 My dad is so handsome.

00:58:35.800 And that inspires me.

00:58:37.800 And I'm like, why?

00:58:39.020 This is who God made me to be.

00:58:41.220 Yeah.

00:58:41.480 So I'm going to take care of myself.

00:58:43.200 Of course.

00:58:43.600 I'm going to, you know, enjoy makeup and getting my hair done and all of that.

00:58:47.420 But even with that, I do not want to become a slave to that.

00:58:51.240 And I don't want to be embarrassed aging.

00:58:53.820 Yeah.

00:58:54.320 There's a reality check when you're like, when you see the new wrinkles popping up.

00:58:59.360 But at the same time, I look at my parents and I'm like, well, if this is how I'm going to age, then I'm okay with that.

00:59:04.960 And if this is the exchange that I have to make for having another year and having another year with my kids and my husband, not everyone gets to see 32 or 42 or 52 and so on.

00:59:16.480 And so it is a blessing.

00:59:18.780 Yes.

00:59:19.020 It is a blessing.

00:59:20.840 Okay.

00:59:21.680 Before we talk about some of the things that you're doing now and in the future, I do just want to rewind briefly because a lot of people, even though if they knew you on Full House,

00:59:31.680 they definitely, so they followed you for a while, but I think you came into a lot of people's sphere again, when they saw you standing up for your values on the view.

00:59:46.320 And so they knew you from Hallmark, but especially when you were on the view, the spotlight was on you because you were the opposing voice there.

00:59:55.600 You were walking into the lion's den.

00:59:57.840 And you were not just a conservative because they've had people like, you know, Meghan McCain on there, who I also really admire, but you're walking in there, this like angel of Christian light.

01:00:08.160 And you're like, actually, I think abortion is bad.

01:00:12.100 And there was a lot of criticism.

01:00:14.140 So tell me a little bit about that time.

01:00:16.320 Did you feel like it was redemptive and fruitful or was it like, I don't know if I would ever do that again?

01:00:24.660 It was both.

01:00:26.080 Yeah.

01:00:26.200 I, I wasn't looking for that job.

01:00:31.280 That job came by surprise to me.

01:00:35.980 And I, I may have just been really naive, but when they asked me to guest co-host a few times, I thought, sure, a new experience.

01:00:45.100 I would love to try it.

01:00:46.940 I didn't realize that they were in a sense of vetting me for a position for the show.

01:00:52.380 And that's probably why I felt so comfortable to just say like, oh, I'm going to do this once or twice.

01:00:57.360 And that's it.

01:00:57.880 There was no pressure on me.

01:00:59.060 And then when they, they offered me the job, I had thought, you know, I'm, I'm not a person that grew up discussing politics.

01:01:09.600 My family didn't talk about it in our house.

01:01:13.360 I know today, like my brother's so vocal about it.

01:01:16.880 And I had to learn how to talk about politics on the show.

01:01:21.460 And that was one of my biggest fears.

01:01:23.120 But as a Christian, I had no fear.

01:01:26.560 I'm like, oh, I'll talk about my faith all day long.

01:01:28.820 I'll talk about faith values.

01:01:30.000 I'll talk about God.

01:01:30.760 I'll talk about Jesus.

01:01:31.620 Like that is felt very comfortable for me.

01:01:35.260 So I thought if I can stay in that lane, I'm good.

01:01:38.480 And I'll kind of figure out the politics part of it.

01:01:42.600 And that, that show took everything out of me.

01:01:47.140 I was also commuting from L.A. to New York every single week because we shoot, that show is shot live in L.A., in New York.

01:01:57.360 And I was living in L.A. and I didn't want to permanently move.

01:01:59.940 My children were in L.A. and in school and all the things.

01:02:03.720 So I was pretty wiped out on top of trying to learn and navigate how to talk about these hot topics through a show and even interview people.

01:02:16.320 I didn't have experience.

01:02:17.780 I'm an actress.

01:02:18.480 That's a that's a whole different skill set to interview people.

01:02:22.200 So it's a show that I am so grateful that I did.

01:02:26.820 And it taught me so much.

01:02:29.040 I bet.

01:02:30.000 But.

01:02:31.480 I don't think I'd ever want to do that show again in terms of being a co-host.

01:02:36.180 Yeah, that's what I hear from a lot of the conservatives who have sat in that seat.

01:02:40.760 It does grow you.

01:02:42.000 Of course it does, because you're holding down the fort for one perspective when pretty much everyone else is going to agree on the other side of it.

01:02:49.700 And that is tough to do.

01:02:51.980 I have never been on The View.

01:02:54.000 The closest I got to it, I actually filmed a pilot for CNN in 2018.

01:03:00.180 And now I look back and I'm so thankful it didn't work out because I ended up getting pregnant a couple of months later.

01:03:05.280 But it was the same kind of situation where I was like the only conservative Christian.

01:03:09.680 There were a bunch of liberals that most people would know.

01:03:11.980 And we shot a pilot that never went to air.

01:03:14.740 And that one episode was hard.

01:03:17.080 That one episode was tough.

01:03:19.180 I felt like I was in the lion's den then.

01:03:20.900 So I can't imagine.

01:03:22.340 Allie, I think everybody listening would love to have you on that show because you would kill it on that show.

01:03:29.000 That's sweet.

01:03:29.700 Thank you.

01:03:30.400 Thank you.

01:03:30.920 And so tell me just in general, not just The View, what it's been like to kind of be in that hostile environment and speaking up as a Christian.

01:03:43.080 And we won't get into like the specific conflicts that have come up over the years.

01:03:47.500 But in the last couple of years, you have kind of been under fire just for having Christian values and being outspoken about that.

01:03:54.380 And even if you're not political, it seems to somehow like bleed over into politics and the culture war.

01:04:01.440 And I'm sure that's been tough.

01:04:02.920 Yeah.

01:04:03.140 And so how have you navigated that over the past couple of years specifically?

01:04:08.420 Yeah, it's been really, really challenging because I'm actually my intention is not within my world of entertainment.

01:04:19.180 I'm not even trying to raise a respectful ruckus.

01:04:22.460 I'm just trying to be me.

01:04:24.780 I'm trying to do the things that I love and do my job.

01:04:28.060 And Jesus always comes with me.

01:04:29.960 And my faith always comes with me.

01:04:31.720 I don't leave it at the doorstep at home and then go to work.

01:04:34.140 It's just who I am.

01:04:35.620 And I recognize that within my job in the entertainment industry, I am to entertain people.

01:04:45.680 That also means that people like you to some degree.

01:04:49.280 Now, it is tough to live in a world where you need people to like you when you don't always share the same worldview or have the same opinions as others or are not complacent to just let, you know, live and let live.

01:05:06.340 Do whatever you want and not really care about anything.

01:05:09.480 It's challenging to do that, but yet I've always believed in family entertainment.

01:05:18.460 I've been intentional about living my entertainment life in the family space.

01:05:25.860 And the older I've gotten, it's been more and more important to live it in the faith and family space.

01:05:34.200 And so, yeah, the last few years have been challenging.

01:05:38.260 And I'm not I'm not trying to upset people.

01:05:41.640 I'm not going out on the attack.

01:05:44.040 I'm not even trying to make a statement.

01:05:46.780 I'm just trying to live by what I believe is true and right and honorable to God.

01:05:53.480 And I remind myself that when I get scared of man or the public or the press or the media that I go, well, who am I really to fear?

01:06:02.300 Am I to fear man or am I to fear God who's going to judge me on judgment day?

01:06:06.520 And I want to be able to stand as holy as I can.

01:06:10.360 And I know I'm clean.

01:06:11.660 I'm redeemed before God.

01:06:13.700 And I know I'll stand before him on judgment day, saved by his grace through faith.

01:06:19.500 It's not not of our works.

01:06:21.360 So I get that.

01:06:22.720 But I want to hear him say, good, good job.

01:06:26.160 Well done.

01:06:26.780 My good and faithful servant.

01:06:28.020 I so I'm like, I will cry thinking about that.

01:06:30.760 I so desperately long to hear that.

01:06:32.660 And it helps me make those decisions in my life when they seem like tough ones.

01:06:38.520 But I'm like, I just want to I want to honor God.

01:06:40.720 Yeah.

01:06:41.360 You know, the other day I was at a Christmas party the other day.

01:06:44.180 I guess it was a couple months ago now.

01:06:46.440 My husband and I were at a Christmas party for church and it was trivia.

01:06:50.100 And one of the questions was, what actress has been on?

01:06:55.560 I forget the phrase of the question.

01:06:57.000 The highest number of Hallmark movies, the most Hallmark movies.

01:07:01.580 I was like, I know.

01:07:03.020 And we got it.

01:07:04.380 We got the answer right because the answer was you.

01:07:06.920 Yeah.

01:07:07.540 Tell me about transitioning, though, from Hallmark, which was a big part of your life for a while, to Great American Family.

01:07:15.280 Yeah.

01:07:16.120 It was not an easy transition.

01:07:18.280 It was not an easy decision.

01:07:20.200 And I think, I mean, I haven't really talked about it much in detail, but it was a more challenging decision than anyone's known.

01:07:31.620 And I had a wonderful, great 14 years at the Hallmark Channel.

01:07:37.140 And there are still so many people in terms of the actors and everyone that's there that I still love and have so much respect for.

01:07:49.060 However, there was a change of guard at the Hallmark Channel.

01:07:56.360 And there were different relationships there.

01:08:02.780 And that's where it got a little challenging.

01:08:05.780 I kind of felt like the old guard and the new guard came in.

01:08:10.900 And it definitely influenced the decisions that I made to start talking to Great American Family Channel.

01:08:20.920 And what I loved in talking to them, and for those of you that don't know, Bill Abbott is the CEO of Great American Family Channel, who was the former CEO of the Hallmark Channel.

01:08:34.680 And under his leadership, I had, it was great.

01:08:39.160 And so Great American Family gave me an opportunity to help build something that I've been praying about for a really long time.

01:08:53.160 So while I'm an actress and I'm a producer, I've been an entrepreneur for a very long time.

01:08:59.400 So I have my hands in a lot of things within business.

01:09:03.360 And building and growing a network has been on my prayer list for about 15 years.

01:09:11.300 And this gave me the opportunity to start from the ground up and build something really great.

01:09:17.760 And that was what was most attractive to me.

01:09:22.600 And I will tell everyone, I took a pay cut to go to Great American Family Channel.

01:09:29.400 Okay, it wasn't about offering more money or anything like that.

01:09:35.040 I liked the idea of building something great and that had a focus on family and faith.

01:09:42.360 And that for me is what was missing even under the leadership of Bill at Hallmark Channel.

01:09:49.100 Then was that, and you know, he has bosses above him.

01:09:53.400 But the faith wasn't really a part of that channel.

01:09:57.100 And as I've gotten older, I want that to be a part of my catalog of the movies I produce and I'm in because they're important to me.

01:10:06.060 And there was much more opportunity to do that at Great American Family.

01:10:12.340 And I'm so excited about it.

01:10:15.700 Like, and it's been wonderful.

01:10:18.340 We are a growing network.

01:10:19.900 So we are still small beans, guys.

01:10:22.440 We are.

01:10:22.980 We need your viewership.

01:10:24.760 We need people to tune in.

01:10:27.260 We're not, you know, we're going to, we're trying to compete with the big dogs, but we're not even in all households on cable yet.

01:10:33.920 We're not in all markets yet.

01:10:36.200 Lots of available options on streaming.

01:10:38.560 But we also, we also have taken over the Pure Flix, which is online streaming.

01:10:46.220 We've now rebranded it as Great American Pure Flix.

01:10:49.420 But we want to become the destination for faith and family programming.

01:10:55.220 I saw that Mario Lopez just joined, right?

01:10:57.700 He did.

01:10:58.460 We signed him to a multi-picture deal.

01:11:02.080 We're very happy to have Mario at the channel.

01:11:05.640 And so, and I, you know, it just makes it great when people believe in the mission.

01:11:11.780 And it's really just all about family.

01:11:14.440 But we want faith to be in there more and not just a place where we talk about God in lowercase g, which could be any kind of God that feels very universal.

01:11:25.720 I want to say the name of Jesus in my movies.

01:11:28.040 And we're saying that at Great American Family.

01:11:30.520 Yeah.

01:11:31.180 And you just, you can't find that very many places.

01:11:34.080 And so often the depictions of Christianity and Hollywood are negative.

01:11:37.800 They're caricatures of some kind of stereotype.

01:11:41.060 And so to have entertainment that says the name of Jesus, that honors the name of Jesus.

01:11:45.920 And you've said before, it's not like you're making these movies to make a point necessarily.

01:11:52.020 You're just being yourself.

01:11:53.660 This is, right.

01:11:54.600 You're going to, most creative storytellers will make projects that have influenced their life.

01:12:03.840 They will tackle issues that are important to them.

01:12:07.400 And that's what I'm doing.

01:12:09.200 Yeah.

01:12:09.460 My faith and my family are the two most important things in my life.

01:12:12.700 So that's what my focus in my, and my mission will be in entertainment.

01:12:18.140 And that's it.

01:12:19.240 It's not about excluding someone else.

01:12:21.840 It's not about like, I'm like, I'm just going to focus on what I know.

01:12:25.820 And I'm going to stay in my lane.

01:12:27.200 And I know faith and I know family.

01:12:29.220 Yeah.

01:12:29.560 And there are a couple other projects that you're doing right now that are in that vein.

01:12:32.860 I'm sure you're doing a lot more than this, but we'll talk about a couple, a couple of them.

01:12:36.640 And one of them is the new movie that you're in, The Unsung Hero, that's going to release April 26th.

01:12:41.860 Tell us a little bit about that.

01:12:43.260 I'm so excited.

01:12:44.100 So this is a feature film.

01:12:45.420 It'll be in theaters.

01:12:46.360 And it is with this, it is all about the Smallbone family.

01:12:50.920 And you would know them from the band for King and Country and Rebecca St. James.

01:12:56.120 Yes.

01:12:56.380 I actually did not know that they were related until recently.

01:12:59.220 I know both of them.

01:13:00.480 I know who both of them are, but I did not know that they were siblings.

01:13:04.340 There's still that 1% that don't know my brother Kirk and I are related either.

01:13:08.700 My husband was in that 1% until last week.

01:13:12.120 I blew his mind when I told him, I was like, oh yeah, you know, Candace and Kirk.

01:13:16.720 And he was like, wait, what?

01:13:17.980 If this is a clip on socials, you need to comment below and say, if you didn't know that Kirk

01:13:24.900 and I were brother and sister.

01:13:26.520 Well, I think y'all look alike.

01:13:28.060 And so it's funny to me that people don't know.

01:13:29.960 So yes, I did not know that they were related.

01:13:32.220 Okay.

01:13:32.480 Yeah.

01:13:32.780 And this is their family story.

01:13:35.220 The origin of how they came from Australia to the U.S., basically lost everything.

01:13:43.220 And it was their community and people in church, even though they were people of faith, but

01:13:49.040 really helped them get their feet grounded and settled and grew into who they are today.

01:13:57.280 And it was ultimately looking to their own family that their dad was a long time, very

01:14:04.200 well, a successful music producer in Australia and then having enough belief in their own

01:14:11.360 family.

01:14:12.040 But really the title of it, Unsung Hero, is all about their mom.

01:14:17.140 She was the unsung hero of the family.

01:14:19.140 It is a beautiful movie.

01:14:21.900 It's a beautiful story.

01:14:23.060 Bring the tissues because you will cry.

01:14:25.020 It is gorgeous to watch.

01:14:26.540 I'm so proud to have been a producer on it.

01:14:29.520 My company co-produced it.

01:14:31.160 And I have a little, little part in it.

01:14:34.040 So you'll see me on screen, too.

01:14:35.700 And that was just really fun to be a part of the movie that way as well.

01:14:39.460 Unsung Hero, that comes out April 26th.

01:14:42.760 And then you have a new partnership with the Generous Family Kids Book Club.

01:14:47.380 Tell us about that.

01:14:48.820 Yeah.

01:14:49.740 So I love books and reading to my kids was truly one of my favorite.

01:14:56.540 activities to do while they were young.

01:14:59.840 It's just a way to be creative and expressive.

01:15:01.980 And the Generous Family Book Club are books that you would get once a month and they teach

01:15:08.820 about good values.

01:15:10.160 So they aren't Bible stories, but they are all biblical principles.

01:15:14.580 So they teach about generosity and kindness and love and joy.

01:15:20.100 I mean, the fruit of the spirit, all of those principles.

01:15:23.920 And they teach them with really fun characters.

01:15:26.240 They're really high quality, beautiful books and illustrated very well.

01:15:30.880 And what I also love is that it is not one person that's writing them.

01:15:34.620 It's written under a pen name called Betta to Give.

01:15:38.800 And it is really a collection of Christian moms and dads, parents, teachers that have

01:15:45.580 come together to write these books with these groups of characters.

01:15:48.760 So they're wonderful to just incorporate if you're a parent or a grandparent into your

01:15:56.400 reading with the kids.

01:15:57.920 And there's also, if you are a homeschooler, there's a separate homeschool curriculum you

01:16:03.040 could add in as well.

01:16:04.980 People can go to generousfamily.com and then it's right there.

01:16:08.580 It's really easy.

01:16:09.920 Join the kids book club or you can check out the homeschool curriculum.

01:16:13.680 And Candace's cute picture is right on the homepage right there.

01:16:17.780 So the Generous Family Kids Book Club.

01:16:20.880 OK, so you've got the great American family.

01:16:23.600 Can I add one thing to that?

01:16:25.020 Because I wanted to share, this is the first I'm going to tell, because I want, I love

01:16:29.400 your audience and they're getting the scoop.

01:16:31.820 OK, I'm ready.

01:16:33.440 So coming soon to Great American Family Channel, if you used to love my mystery movies, because

01:16:39.880 I hear it all the time.

01:16:42.220 Aurora Teagarden.

01:16:43.000 The Aurora Teagarden mysteries, which I'm no longer doing.

01:16:46.240 But I have a new mystery series coming out on Great American Family Channel.

01:16:50.520 So mysteries are being added.

01:16:53.300 And I also produced a really wonderful Easter movie that will be on Easter weekend.

01:17:00.900 And you're going to want to watch it with your husband or your wife and your kids.

01:17:06.460 It's a beautiful story that's all about faith.

01:17:09.400 And I'm so proud of the movie.

01:17:11.900 So good things coming to the channel as we continue to build.

01:17:15.100 OK, good.

01:17:15.440 Well, that's exactly what I was about to ask you.

01:17:17.140 I was about to ask you what else you're working on.

01:17:18.820 Oh, great.

01:17:19.220 And there you go.

01:17:20.000 So you have lots of irons in the fire right now.

01:17:22.300 Well, thank you so much.

01:17:23.600 Thank you so much for all the work that you do.

01:17:25.780 And really just being an example for so many Christian women in so many different spheres,

01:17:31.800 whether they're a stay-at-home mom, whether they are not married or have kids yet.

01:17:36.400 Like, you really are an example in standing up for your faith in a culture that, you know,

01:17:42.860 doesn't always reward that kind of thing.

01:17:45.840 It can be really tough.

01:17:47.140 And you've done it really well and honorably.

01:17:49.840 So thank you so much.

01:17:51.460 And thank you so much for taking the time to come on.

01:17:53.980 You're welcome.

01:17:54.900 Thanks for having me.

Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - February 13, 2024

Ep 950 ｜ Candace Cameron Bure on Body Image, Motherhood & Battling Backlash

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