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

00:00:00.240 Chatting with the girl named Blake, all about being brave enough to speak your mind, balancing

00:00:05.680 motherhood and breadwinning, and going viral in 2020.

00:00:09.820 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.

00:00:34.300 Thank you so much for coming on.

00:00:36.360 Oh, I'm so excited to chat again.

00:00:38.680 Yeah, we recently I was on your podcast.

00:00:41.640 So thank you so much for having me.

00:00:43.360 Yeah, I'm pumped about it.

00:00:45.460 Yeah.

00:00:45.700 So I want to start with asking you, how did you go viral back in 2020?

00:00:53.020 And tell us a little bit about your mission, because you are such a just an outspoken woman

00:01:00.580 and it's so amazing to see.

00:01:02.140 So I'd really love to hear kind of what gets you up in the morning, what you want to talk

00:01:07.180 about and how it kind of attracted people to your Instagram, to your platform.

00:01:13.540 Yeah.

00:01:14.040 So I started in 2018, like with a podcast and being on Instagram and was mostly talking

00:01:19.660 about things like mental health and motherhood and hustle culture and work and all of that

00:01:25.000 kind of stuff, 2020 hits, which we all know was just freaking insane.

00:01:31.000 It was like such a microcosm of a year.

00:01:33.880 And by, let's see, the world shuts down early March by May.

00:01:41.100 I am like, I don't know how much longer I can make it not saying the things I actually believe

00:01:46.360 publicly on the internet, right?

00:01:48.320 I'm saying all of these things in real life, like around my kitchen table, things like,

00:01:53.200 I mean, from the get, I was like, masks are a sham.

00:01:56.720 They don't work against COVID.

00:01:58.240 Like, this is, this is like BS, like stay, you need, you don't need to stay in your house.

00:02:03.680 You need to get out in sunlight, like that, all of those things.

00:02:06.720 And I don't say that to be like, I knew before everybody else, I grew up in a medical

00:02:11.300 family.

00:02:12.100 Like, I was just like, the box says that that was the first time I went viral was when

00:02:16.380 I got on the internet and was like, Hey guys, the box says it doesn't protect against COVID.

00:02:22.060 What are we doing?

00:02:23.720 Like, so that was the first time.

00:02:25.660 And then from there, it was really just this waterfall effect of continually just showing

00:02:33.220 up and saying the things that I think a lot of us were thinking, you know, about COVID

00:02:37.820 or about the, the presidential election was a really big, you know, source of that as

00:02:42.560 well.

00:02:42.840 I, uh, I love politics.

00:02:44.860 I've always been deeply political, politically invested.

00:02:47.560 And so, you know, 2020 was really contentious within the church in that subject, just like

00:02:53.620 people were really okay saying they were voting for Biden, but you had to like, keep it a secret

00:02:57.500 if you were voting for Trump, because people were getting like canceled and doxxed and all

00:03:00.820 of that kind of stuff.

00:03:01.380 And so I just came out and was like, I'm voting for Trump.

00:03:03.300 This is why I'm not sorry.

00:03:04.720 And so that was kind of my 2020 was like, it was just pulling off the bandaid and being

00:03:09.820 like, here's all the things.

00:03:12.100 Um, and so it was, but it was really cool because I mean, my platform blew up in that

00:03:19.180 year because I was, I wasn't alone.

00:03:21.920 Right.

00:03:22.780 So many of us felt so alone and felt so isolated from one another period and then felt isolated

00:03:28.220 in our beliefs that I think it just kind of became this rallying point for people to

00:03:32.480 be able to be like, Oh, me too.

00:03:34.620 Okay, cool.

00:03:35.260 Like me too.

00:03:36.240 And like from a Christian perspective.

00:03:38.440 And so that was kind of 2020 was, I had started two years before, but 2020 was definitely

00:03:44.340 when things kind of like picked up and took off for sure.

00:03:49.420 Yeah.

00:03:49.820 I mean, that's what attracted me to your page was just, you were saying what I was thinking

00:03:54.260 and I was like, that's awesome.

00:03:56.140 And it's coming from a woman who is, you know, it's coming from a woman, number one, but also

00:04:01.160 a woman who shares my values.

00:04:03.320 That's so cool.

00:04:05.300 And you're a mom, you are a wife. 0.95

00:04:08.640 It's not like you have, you know, a girl boss, total mentality where you can't have those 1.00

00:04:14.420 things and also take these positions.

00:04:17.760 Right.

00:04:17.860 No, I definitely lean a lot more towards, they are the most important thing in my life.

00:04:24.100 Like outside of my relationship with God, like my kids and my husband come before everything.

00:04:28.480 There is, it's not even, it's not up for conversation, but also like I can do other

00:04:35.640 things.

00:04:35.940 I can prioritize that and never like, not, not drop the ball, but cause I definitely dropped

00:04:40.480 the ball, but like keep the most important things, the most important things and have

00:04:44.280 other passions and have other, you know, like, I think that whole like balance is a myth.

00:04:49.200 I think that hurts women because I, I think that balance is balance and it's, it can be 1.00

00:04:54.060 off balance and you can not do it perfectly.

00:04:56.680 Can you can do it messily, but you can still like show up and use your gifts in a multitude

00:05:02.220 of ways.

00:05:03.620 Absolutely.

00:05:04.400 I think that's so important.

00:05:05.440 I actually did a, I did an Instagram reel today on that topic, just about, I think that

00:05:11.020 there is a, a misconception that when, you know, I say women should have, should have

00:05:18.120 children and should get married and should prioritize those things.

00:05:20.580 That means I think they're incapable of other things.

00:05:24.180 And that is not the case.

00:05:26.200 Women of course are capable of things. 1.00

00:05:28.140 That's why we are so incredible is that we can be incredible mothers and incredible

00:05:32.560 wives and do everything else that we do. 1.00

00:05:35.180 Well, and you and I wouldn't be talking if that's what you believe.

00:05:38.080 Like you wouldn't have a podcast, you wouldn't have like a platform, you would be a wife 1.00

00:05:42.680 and mom.

00:05:42.920 And there's nothing wrong with that.

00:05:44.280 Like, that's such a beautiful calling.

00:05:46.880 And I don't think that everybody, you know, I think everybody in the body has different

00:05:51.520 gifts and they're not all things that need to be stretched and flexed on the internet.

00:05:56.040 But for those of us that do like, that's okay too.

00:05:58.680 It's okay.

00:05:59.200 Like it's the whole, like, good for her, not for me.

00:06:01.800 Like, I love that.

00:06:03.520 One of my favorite people in the world is a stay-at-home mom to four kids.

00:06:07.000 Her whole thing is wrangling the zoo and keeping her house. 1.00

00:06:12.520 And she barely even uses Instagram.

00:06:15.220 I love that about her, you know?

00:06:17.480 And so it's not better or worse.

00:06:19.100 It's just different.

00:06:20.400 Yes, absolutely.

00:06:21.860 So let's talk faith for a second.

00:06:24.440 We're going to be hopping all over the place because I feel like we overlap in so many different

00:06:28.020 ways and I'm excited to talk about all those things, but let's talk faith for a second.

00:06:31.960 So I know your faith hugely informs what you do.

00:06:36.860 Your podcast is called Confessions of a Crappy Christian. 1.00

00:06:40.540 Where did that name come from?

00:06:42.240 It came from the verses where Paul talks about God's power being made perfect in our weakness

00:06:49.000 and therefore boasting all the more about our weakness.

00:06:52.120 Uh, when I started the podcast, I really was, I was drowning.

00:06:56.920 I was drowning in motherhood.

00:06:58.240 I have had horrific postpartum anxiety after both of my girls.

00:07:02.200 I was lonely.

00:07:03.200 My husband was working like crazy.

00:07:05.400 And I, and I say this all the time, like the landscape of podcasting has changed so significantly

00:07:11.640 in the last four and a half years.

00:07:12.720 And I think we've seen it take leaps and bounds towards true vulnerability and hard conversations.

00:07:18.340 But at the time, honestly, it was kind of like a glorified Bible study.

00:07:21.840 A lot of the time, like it was all pretty like superficial.

00:07:24.940 And I, at the time, like really needed conversations on mental health.

00:07:28.700 I was like, that's what I need.

00:07:30.600 And so I was like, I'll show up and say, I don't know how I'm going to make it out and

00:07:34.660 make it through tomorrow other than God.

00:07:36.960 And got to have these really incredible conversations with people who had also like gone through the

00:07:41.340 fire or were in the fire.

00:07:42.760 And also like hustle culture and the idea of hard work and, and, but not like burning

00:07:47.600 yourself out for the sake of chasing a dollar or some kind of recognition.

00:07:51.500 And so it really just, it started.

00:07:55.040 And honestly, I'm so proud and thankful that it's really stayed true to its original mission

00:08:01.260 of like, this is a place, this is a safe place to land with your questions.

00:08:05.420 This is a safe place to land with your doubts and your struggles.

00:08:09.400 And I'm not saying that I'm going to have all the answers.

00:08:11.780 Maybe somebody I know does, uh, like I'll share all my friends with you.

00:08:16.140 And we're just like, we're all on the same team.

00:08:18.020 We're all like, we're all just trying to do the best we can with what we got.

00:08:21.620 And God made me talkative.

00:08:24.060 And so I'm going to, I'm going to use it that way.

00:08:27.920 That's incredible.

00:08:29.200 Also.

00:08:29.720 Yes.

00:08:30.120 I think that that's so important.

00:08:31.940 And I really value that side of social media because we're always seeing the highlight

00:08:37.160 reel.

00:08:37.480 We always use that phrase, the highlight reel, but what's so important for us to see

00:08:41.760 is also that people are human and we're all struggling sometimes.

00:08:45.820 And we're all working through this life and hearing somebody going through those same

00:08:51.320 struggles who also shares what we're, what we believe in.

00:08:56.100 That's, that's wonderful.

00:08:57.860 That's so wonderful.

00:08:59.160 Yeah.

00:09:00.000 Yeah.

00:09:00.340 And it's, you know, the, the highest compliment that anything I do is given is just like,

00:09:05.840 it made me feel seen, or I walked away from church because of this XYZ experience, but 0.57

00:09:13.080 you've kind of got me like curious or looking at my Bible or, you know, so I think we see

00:09:19.900 in the, in the Bible, we see in the early church that there were, there were disciples

00:09:24.320 and apostles who, who processized to the Jews and there were the ones that went to the Gentiles.

00:09:29.420 There are people that are, but I think I had their gifting is the equipping of the saints.

00:09:35.560 And I think that there are people whose gift is like for the people in the fringes and being

00:09:39.720 like, yo, like, you're good.

00:09:41.000 Come on. 1.00

00:09:41.560 Like, just come with all your crap. 1.00

00:09:44.180 Don't plan to stay that way. 1.00

00:09:45.920 And that's kind of the, the bridge that we're kind of getting to build.

00:09:50.360 Yes, yes, definitely.

00:09:53.040 And I remember I, I did a post early on, um, when I was still back in Nebraska when I lived

00:09:58.340 in Omaha, I remember I had been doing all of my content about how to be a classic woman.

00:10:03.660 And there was a day that I was just absolutely the least classic human being on the planet.

00:10:08.700 And I said to my husband, I'm like, if anyone saw me, I would be a failure.

00:10:13.500 And he was like, you know, you don't have to be perfect to be aiming for an ideal.

00:10:17.980 Like you can say, this is the goal.

00:10:20.820 I'm not always at that goal or reaching that goal.

00:10:23.860 This is just what we would like to do.

00:10:26.200 And it's okay to not always be there.

00:10:28.860 And I was like, oh, that's actually very helpful.

00:10:33.160 Yes.

00:10:33.860 Well, and how helpful to the people who are following you, you know, I think that is,

00:10:38.300 you said that earlier, kind of can be the downside of social media is it is easier to show up when

00:10:43.920 you're landing it.

00:10:44.780 Like when you're sticking it, it's easier to show up, but you need to see you not stick

00:10:49.840 it.

00:10:50.240 Like they need to, can you tell, I come from a gymnast family.

00:10:53.140 Like people need to see you not do it perfectly so that they know when, when they inevitably

00:10:59.140 don't, that they don't need to like give up, that they're not a failure, that God's not

00:11:03.500 disappointed in them, that they're human.

00:11:05.560 And like, all right, let's get back on the horse.

00:11:08.840 Exactly.

00:11:09.680 Exactly.

00:11:10.040 So I wanted to mention something I saw on your website, you wrote, you described yourself

00:11:15.720 as too conservative for progressives and too progressive for conservatives.

00:11:19.920 Can you talk more about that?

00:11:22.560 Yes.

00:11:23.100 So grew up in the South, in the Bible belt, in a very Republican family.

00:11:30.100 And I love that.

00:11:31.920 I don't, I hold no ill will towards any kind of party or anything like that.

00:11:38.620 I just, in the last like probably five or six years realized that there were things about

00:11:46.180 the Republican conservative party line that I don't agree with.

00:11:50.160 And that like, I, my life experience informs that that is not always the best way or thing,

00:12:01.440 but then also I'm not willing to bend on the things that I do believe and the things that

00:12:08.180 are based in scripture that are required of you if you want to align with the more progressive

00:12:14.100 or liberal side.

00:12:15.000 So it's just this fun middle ground where they all don't like you.

00:12:18.840 Like they're all mad at you, but there's also this really sweet, like crew that's starting

00:12:26.340 to accumulate.

00:12:27.160 I think as both ends of the spectrum move more and more radical, there's more people who feel

00:12:32.860 politically homeless essentially.

00:12:35.180 Um, and so, yeah, I'm just, I'm an equal opportunity offender is what it really boils down to.

00:12:44.000 Yeah.

00:12:44.180 Well, and I think that it's, it's good to know where you stand on all issues, as opposed to

00:12:49.440 saying I'm a conservative and I'm throwing all of my eggs in that basket, no matter what

00:12:54.880 those positions are, I'm, I'm part of it.

00:12:57.880 And you don't even think about it.

00:12:59.080 And I think that that's an issue is that people kind of, they want to pass the buck on them

00:13:05.160 having to actually consider their, their opinions and their positions and there's something good.

00:13:12.520 Yeah.

00:13:12.940 I think that's present in both, like both ends of the spectrum or like it's either, it's

00:13:18.120 either like it was your upbringing.

00:13:19.460 So you just believe what your parents believed or you completely rejected what your parents

00:13:23.820 believed and, and adopted a new set of beliefs.

00:13:26.900 And like, it honestly, you're just like, you're trading one indoctrination for the other, right?

00:13:31.460 You're like trading one religion, like conservatives, their religion may more than

00:13:36.900 often not be Christianity.

00:13:38.460 And like, there is a religion of like the worship of, of self and the world.

00:13:44.380 Like it's all where you're trading one thing for the other and both think they're right.

00:13:50.600 Like if you talk to a, like a true blue liberal, like they think that they are right. 0.98

00:13:57.300 And so I can think you're wrong and still not need to like be a jerk about it, you know? 0.97

00:14:03.800 Also true. 0.99

00:14:04.900 And I think that it's usually not going to be as effective to be a jerk to somebody who 0.95

00:14:10.420 you disagree with, uh, than it is to be, I always say using, I use the term gentle guidance 0.97

00:14:15.780 usually when I'm like, Oh, you and I disagree.

00:14:18.500 Well, here's why I think what I think, maybe that gives you an opportunity to change your 0.99

00:14:23.700 mind as opposed to you're just dumb. 0.99

00:14:27.460 Exactly. 1.00

00:14:28.720 Yeah.

00:14:29.940 So men and women are different.

00:14:32.640 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

00:14:38.560 We have different roles, but we're also both incredibly strong.

00:14:41.440 So what, in what ways are women strong and what should we love about our role as women? 0.96

00:14:49.580 So my favorite thing to say about this subject is if you've ever seen my big fat Greek wedding,

00:14:54.480 where the mother gives the advice of like, the man is the head, but the woman is the neck.

00:14:59.700 Like she turns the head from side to side.

00:15:02.020 I actually did an episode on my podcast this week when we're recording about women and women

00:15:07.460 in the church and how our obsession with what we can or cannot do by biblical standards,

00:15:13.160 because we're so focused on that.

00:15:16.220 We're missing the opportunity to do all of these really incredible, impactful things that

00:15:21.840 scripture like lays out for us and that God has put before us, you know?

00:15:25.200 And so I do hold like the relatively traditional conservative belief that I don't think that women 0.99

00:15:32.600 should be in authority over men or in teaching positions over men, but that doesn't mean that

00:15:40.140 I don't think that women should have a seat at the table, that their voices should be heard 1.00

00:15:44.520 in decisions, administratively ministry, like throughout the church and throughout like copy

00:15:52.200 and paste that over to your home.

00:15:54.540 Right.

00:15:55.000 Like at the end of the day, my husband is the head of our household and he is the leader and

00:15:59.640 I am going to submit to him, but he also listens to what I have to say.

00:16:04.640 And he values my opinion.

00:16:06.340 And he knows that like, I fully believe women have more discernment than men.

00:16:10.280 Like I will, I'll hot take say that, you know, and I think he sees that and knows that and

00:16:15.660 listens to that.

00:16:16.420 He's learned from experience that like that mom gut, which is actually the Holy spirit 0.52

00:16:21.720 counts for something.

00:16:23.820 And so I think it's just a matter of, well, I don't want to be a man.

00:16:27.360 I don't want that responsibility.

00:16:29.580 I'm not created that way.

00:16:31.640 So I'm going to like fully step into what God, like God created women for a purpose. 0.99

00:16:38.280 And it is a powerful, impactful, world changing purpose.

00:16:45.260 I'm going to focus on that versus like what I can't do or can't be.

00:16:49.100 I love it.

00:16:50.180 And I think I, you know, what you were talking about that you talked about on your podcast,

00:16:54.200 I find this issue in the Jewish community as well.

00:16:57.140 And it's often very, very potent in the Jewish community where women are like, why can't 1.00

00:17:01.580 we do a, B, C, D, E?

00:17:03.400 Cause there are like a whole list of things that men have commandments to do that women 0.82

00:17:08.820 don't.

00:17:09.380 Now there's kind of a misconception that women are not allowed to do those things because 1.00

00:17:14.980 we're lesser than, but it's actually that men have to do those, have to do those things

00:17:21.000 because they are not as holy and close to God.

00:17:23.920 So they have to do these actions that bring them closer to God because women are naturally 1.00

00:17:28.560 closer to God.

00:17:29.360 So women don't need, don't need to do them. 1.00

00:17:31.760 It's not that we don't get to do them.

00:17:33.480 It's that we don't have to.

00:17:35.280 And I always loved that because it's like, you know, we have a different connection to

00:17:40.200 God through just, we are, this is something, an idea that I really love is we have an understanding

00:17:47.460 of God that men don't because we do the act of creation by growing children and raising

00:17:52.600 them.

00:17:53.280 So that brings us closer to God just innately.

00:17:56.520 And men don't have that same luxury. 0.79

00:17:58.200 So they have to, they have to go to synagogue three times a day and they have to like do the

00:18:03.200 Torah reading and they have to do a lot more than we do.

00:18:06.920 It's just an interesting concept.

00:18:08.880 It is.

00:18:09.600 Well, and I think simultaneously, like there are, there are characteristics of God that are

00:18:13.960 more present in men as like leadership and decision making.

00:18:18.660 And like, like essentially when I read the, how God laid out that relationship in scripture,

00:18:25.140 like men stand in front of women, right?

00:18:28.160 Like they stand in front of women to allow us like in a protective way, not in a, like

00:18:35.460 I'm casting my shadow or you're beneath me.

00:18:38.180 It's like, no, it's there to protect us, to love us the way that Christ loved the church,

00:18:42.760 which is a massive responsibility because he, I mean, in the end laid down his life to

00:18:48.140 allow women to do like, like you're saying, to be more connected to the Holy spirit and

00:18:53.540 have that discernment and like hear those things from him.

00:18:56.300 And so I think like we both serve these really holy, incredible purposes.

00:19:02.300 And I think we, it would be easier to walk in them if we would stop focusing on like what

00:19:07.400 the other person is doing or not doing.

00:19:09.760 Yes.

00:19:10.380 Yeah.

00:19:11.120 I think that's exactly right.

00:19:12.780 So you, I believe, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you're the primary breadwinner

00:19:17.720 through your content.

00:19:19.960 So how do you balance all of your responsibilities?

00:19:23.660 I mean, we kind of touched on this a little bit, how you prioritization and all of that,

00:19:27.180 but how do you actually in practical terms, balance your responsibilities as a wife and 0.99

00:19:32.500 a mom and a content creator?

00:19:34.780 And this is kind of like a bonus part of this, but how does that affect your relationship

00:19:39.380 with your husband?

00:19:39.940 I'm just curious.

00:19:40.880 Yeah.

00:19:41.420 Cause that's, you know, I think an interesting point.

00:19:44.640 We, so as far as like balancing it, we, um, I worked really, really hard for a couple of

00:19:51.360 years, like maybe too hard.

00:19:53.660 Like I went real hard for the first three ish years.

00:19:59.180 Uh, and it's, I don't have any regrets.

00:20:01.700 I think I had like the stamina and my kids were in school.

00:20:05.400 And so I really like, I, and also I just have a, I don't know how to do things halfway.

00:20:10.580 And so I just like really went at it.

00:20:13.520 And so I have had the, essentially like luxury of the last year, 18 months of kind of getting

00:20:21.580 to experience the harvest of what I had sown.

00:20:26.980 Um, but even still, like, I mean, and so I am the primary breadwinner.

00:20:32.620 My husband actually just started his own like entrepreneurial journey a couple of weeks ago.

00:20:37.320 So our family dynamic is shifting, which is really cool and really exciting.

00:20:40.700 But in that trend, you know, there's always that like weird limbo transition period where

00:20:46.000 right now, like I am the primary breadwinner and also like he's working out of the home.

00:20:50.760 So I'm taking on more like home and motherhood duties.

00:20:54.420 And I was, it's so funny that you asked this question.

00:20:56.620 Cause I was literally just talking to him about this earlier in the week.

00:20:58.960 Like I had to draw some really hard and fast boundaries that require a lot of self-control.

00:21:03.580 Like I log in and I log out and yeah, like maybe I'm going to go.

00:21:07.300 Outside of those hours, I think of something and I want to post it and I can get on my stories

00:21:10.960 and put it up really quick or run to my computer and like write an email.

00:21:15.100 But by and large, like I've been like logging in at nine and logging out at four and like

00:21:20.680 working it, like treating it like it's a job.

00:21:24.160 And that has been how, like how I've been able to find balance is like, even when it would

00:21:31.980 be easier to like zone out and scroll through Instagram and answer DMS, like I want to be

00:21:38.580 intentional and I want to be present.

00:21:39.780 And so it's just like the, the prioritization and boundaries, like, and taking your thoughts

00:21:45.820 captive and all of that kind of stuff, just being able to be like, what is my identity?

00:21:51.080 And my identity is in what God says about me.

00:21:53.880 So I don't need social media to affirm that.

00:21:57.000 I also don't need my children to affirm that.

00:21:59.460 So like, I'm going to, I'm going to treat that.

00:22:02.780 I want to store this responsibly, I guess is what I say.

00:22:05.860 I'm saying.

00:22:06.260 And I had seasons where I didn't do that.

00:22:09.400 And like all those studies that tell you that social media is really bad for your mental

00:22:13.520 health.

00:22:13.800 Like the, that data comes from somewhere, right?

00:22:16.380 Like, so I've experienced that side of it as well.

00:22:19.880 And I don't want to be there.

00:22:21.140 I don't want to be like being beaten up in my brain by the internet all day.

00:22:25.560 And then I have nothing to give the people that mean the most to me in the end.

00:22:29.000 Um, so yeah, that's totally right.

00:22:33.420 Yeah.

00:22:33.860 Like just, it's a balance.

00:22:36.060 Drawing boundaries and yeah.

00:22:37.680 And I know that with me, for me, social media, you know, the number of times I have said like,

00:22:43.100 I need to be better with my phone.

00:22:44.600 And then I'm home alone all day and I don't have a lot of people around me.

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

00:22:50.320 So I'm like, okay, well, I guess I can hop on here for a minute.

00:22:53.320 Well, why, why do I have to?

00:22:55.640 So I think treating it with, you know, I think the truth is even outside of work, use drawing

00:23:02.320 boundaries with your phone is important because I think, let's say you say, okay, I'm going

00:23:06.200 to use it nine to four or five in the afternoon and then I'm done.

00:23:09.480 And the phone is going away.

00:23:11.280 Like it doesn't have to just be about work.

00:23:13.300 It can be about, um, being online.

00:23:16.280 Oh yeah.

00:23:16.920 I mean, that's, so we, when this transition and again, it just started two weeks ago.

00:23:21.740 So like maybe circle back in a month and we'll see how things are going, but I pretty

00:23:26.820 much drew a line with everybody and like the people, you know, like the people that I talk

00:23:30.640 to the most, my parents and my best friends, I was like, Hey, I'm putting my phone away

00:23:33.520 at four.

00:23:34.140 Like, if you need me, call me twice and it'll ring, you know, like how your phone will like

00:23:39.780 on the second call, it'll let it through like an emergency call.

00:23:42.600 But otherwise, like, because we're so freaking over-connected and over-saturated and then like

00:23:48.500 that makes it impossible to be with your, with your people.

00:23:52.200 And to your question about like our dynamic, it, my husband is a unicorn.

00:23:57.200 Like I married one of those ones where people are like, where did he come from?

00:24:01.840 Like, how is he so wonderful?

00:24:04.100 He's not perfect.

00:24:04.920 And we definitely butt heads on stuff, but he has never cared.

00:24:09.600 Like he, it has never been like a decrease in his masculinity or his leadership that I made

00:24:15.960 more money than him or was the only one making money.

00:24:19.000 He jokingly will be like in the early day, in the end, he got bored, right?

00:24:24.480 Like in the end, he just wanted something of his own to do.

00:24:26.980 And I love that for him.

00:24:28.220 And I'm so proud of him.

00:24:29.640 But for the last eight months, like he's really been Mr. Mom and, and just been like doing

00:24:35.300 carpool and doing laundry and keeping the house clean.

00:24:37.780 And he's like, I will do this all day.

00:24:42.580 Like, if you want to like, just keep being the one that makes us money, you know?

00:24:46.600 So that was not, thankfully that was like not one of the hurdles we had to jump.

00:24:51.440 That's awesome.

00:24:52.440 That's a huge blessing.

00:24:53.680 It is.

00:24:54.560 It really is.

00:24:56.180 So last question here, you got married pretty young and had your children pretty young.

00:25:02.160 So what's your advice for young women dating in today's day and age and any marriage advice

00:25:09.300 you want to share?

00:25:11.080 Yeah, I, uh, it's so funny because my sister and my dad had an outstanding bet that I wouldn't

00:25:17.620 get married until I was 30.

00:25:19.120 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

00:25:28.180 married.

00:25:28.760 Like I wanted to go to law school.

00:25:30.040 I had all these things I wanted to do.

00:25:32.160 And then I like met this man and was like, I want to be with you 24 seven.

00:25:36.600 We were literally talking about that the other night where it was like, we got married because

00:25:40.200 we were instantly best friends and just obsessed with each other.

00:25:43.540 And it was like, I'm sick of saying goodnight.

00:25:44.960 Like I'm sick of going our separate ways. 0.99

00:25:47.140 Well, and like, I wanted to have sex with him. 0.99

00:25:49.500 Like, obviously. 0.99

00:25:50.760 Yes.

00:25:51.040 And like, we were, we were better, we're better together.

00:25:54.640 We're better together than we were apart.

00:25:56.460 And I think, I, I think this can be very dependent on like where you grew up.

00:26:01.540 Right.

00:26:01.860 Cause I grew up in a place where girls got engaged their senior year and then got married 1.00

00:26:06.180 that summer.

00:26:06.920 Right.

00:26:07.320 Like that was the like running thing.

00:26:09.120 And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

00:26:11.360 I essentially followed that path.

00:26:13.280 I think it's just like real releasing that the best advice I ever got was like, run your

00:26:19.820 race.

00:26:20.340 Like, keep your eyes on Jesus and run your race. 0.98

00:26:23.700 And at some point, like, you'll know that you should look from side to side and there

00:26:27.920 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.

00:26:37.120 Like, and I think, you know, that's a whole podcast episode probably of how much the church

00:26:43.900 hasn't done a great job.

00:26:44.960 Like the church has strangely prioritized that.

00:26:48.040 Like I have no regrets over getting married young.

00:26:50.440 I think I was supposed to get married young.

00:26:52.060 Cause I think I would have been wild if I hadn't.

00:26:53.980 I think we would, I think I would have some not great stories probably if I hadn't married

00:26:58.720 as young as I did.

00:26:59.920 But I don't think that that's everybody's experience and everybody's story.

00:27:05.440 And I think like run your race, do the next right thing.

00:27:09.240 Like keep your eyes on Jesus and what he has next for you.

00:27:12.000 And if that's something that enters your orbit, that's awesome.

00:27:16.220 You know, like that's great.

00:27:18.240 Um, as far as marriage advice, I really think our primary one was like, we just had to learn

00:27:23.180 each other's love languages because they were foreign languages to us.

00:27:26.560 Like his love language was a foreign language to me 10 years ago.

00:27:30.500 And we have gotten into like more disagreements and more misunderstandings because we just spoke

00:27:37.100 different languages.

00:27:38.080 And now thankfully 12 years in, like we still jack it up sometimes, but by and large, we've

00:27:43.220 like learned like, how does this person feel love?

00:27:46.500 How do they receive love?

00:27:47.300 How do they give love?

00:27:49.100 That's been hugely helpful for us.

00:27:53.200 Yeah, I think, yeah, I know that for me and my husband, we constantly have the conversation

00:27:59.260 about love languages.

00:28:00.860 And the problem is we both speak multiple, like very strongly.

00:28:06.700 So we'll be like, that wasn't what I was looking for at this moment.

00:28:11.340 Good try, but like not relevant.

00:28:13.560 Not right now.

00:28:14.120 Yeah.

00:28:14.580 Yeah.

00:28:14.960 Didn't land it.

00:28:17.300 Didn't stick it as you would say.

00:28:18.500 Yeah, exactly.

00:28:19.280 So now we're going to move on to today's faith talk.

00:28:24.120 So this week's Torah portion is Mishpatim, which means ordinances.

00:28:28.800 And here's the summary of this week's Parsha from Chabad's website.

00:28:33.420 Following the revelation at Sinai, God legislates a series of laws for the people of Israel.

00:28:39.020 These include the laws of the indentured servant, the penalties for murder, kidnapping, assault

00:28:43.420 and theft, civil laws pertaining to redress of damages, the granting of loans and the

00:28:48.420 responsibilities of the four guardians, and the rules governing the conduct of justice

00:28:53.040 by courts of law.

00:28:54.500 There's a lot of other laws that I'm actually not going to read because there's just a lot

00:28:57.960 of them.

00:28:59.200 This is not my favorite Torah portion, to be honest, just because it is mostly laws.

00:29:03.160 But then we get into God promising to bring the people of Israel to the Holy Land, and

00:29:09.280 he warns them against assuming the pagan ways of its current inhabitants.

00:29:12.760 The people of Israel proclaim, we will do and we will hear all that God commands us.

00:29:18.360 Leaving Aaron and her in charge in the Israelite camp, Moses ascends Mount Sinai and remains

00:29:24.280 there for 40 days and 40 nights to receive the Torah from God.

00:29:27.460 So what we're going to talk about today is this very important phrase, we will do and

00:29:33.860 we will hear all that God commands us.

00:29:36.460 This is something we talk about a lot in the Jewish faith.

00:29:39.600 We've heard this.

00:29:40.820 I heard this phrase growing up like all day long, every day of my life.

00:29:45.140 I heard it.

00:29:46.060 And it seems crazy because you kind of sound like it's backwards.

00:29:51.480 We will do and we will hear.

00:29:53.760 Shouldn't it be we will hear and we will do like we will hear the commandments and then

00:29:57.760 we will do them.

00:29:58.320 But we are often taught in Jewish day school that it's a huge lesson in faith for us, that

00:30:04.000 the Jews accepted God's word without even knowing what it would be in a sense, and that

00:30:08.500 we were willing to go forth and trust in him, even if we didn't understand it.

00:30:12.540 And I do love that lesson and it's what I grew up on.

00:30:14.680 But I have another interpretation.

00:30:16.000 So Nishma, which is the Hebrew word for we will hear, also has a different definition,

00:30:24.980 which is we will understand.

00:30:27.220 So the idea is when the Jews say we will do and we will understand, they are sharing a deep

00:30:33.820 insight into practice.

00:30:36.740 We can fulfill the commandments.

00:30:38.320 And in so doing, we understand them.

00:30:42.180 The very act of doing teaches us in our hearts their importance.

00:30:48.400 And this is, I feel like, so relevant to us in today's day and age.

00:30:52.460 There's so many things that you can't understand until you do it.

00:30:56.580 Motherhood, I feel like, is such an obvious one.

00:30:59.600 And I mean, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, but I've been thinking about this lately

00:31:03.200 is this idea that there is no way to describe to someone.

00:31:07.960 If someone had tried to describe to me and people did what motherhood would be like and

00:31:12.080 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.

00:31:20.500 You know what I mean?

00:31:21.680 Oh, 100%.

00:31:22.560 I was just thinking about that the other day because I'm kind of coming out of the motherhood

00:31:27.900 woods a little bit of those like little years.

00:31:30.760 Like my kids can wipe their own butts and like get their own snacks and get their own water

00:31:35.620 and kind of like put themselves to bed, wash their hair, like that kind of stuff.

00:31:40.640 And so I'm seeing like, oh, wow, like you really do come out of the woods and you gain

00:31:45.660 a little bit of yourself back and your independence back and those kinds of things.

00:31:50.020 And then I was sitting there thinking, oh yeah, people tried to tell me that.

00:31:53.500 Like moms tried to tell me that it like, it gets better and not better.

00:31:58.360 It's not better.

00:31:59.000 It's different.

00:31:59.640 Like it gets like easier and harder, right?

00:32:02.720 Like having older kids, it brings a different set of problems, but I'm like, oh yeah, like

00:32:08.000 they, they tried to tell me, but I had to, I had to live it out first.

00:32:10.880 So I think that's definitely, I think that should stop us from telling people like that

00:32:17.200 are coming behind us, motherhood, marriage, faith, prayer, like whatever.

00:32:22.080 But also I think like for the tellers, there is some grace to give as well.

00:32:27.880 Like sometimes you just got to live it out.

00:32:30.160 Like sometimes you got to walk it out.

00:32:32.160 Right.

00:32:32.700 And I feel like this kind of spans the gamut from things that have not nothing to do with

00:32:37.660 faith because everything is like in, within a faith, when you're living a faith filled

00:32:41.880 life, everything is within that, but that are sort of separate from that.

00:32:45.480 So like why you should move to a community, why that's actually really great when you get

00:32:50.660 there.

00:32:51.140 Oh, right.

00:32:52.120 There are like people who I can see all the time.

00:32:54.740 And like, I can go to synagogue and see my friends or go to church and see my, my people.

00:32:59.520 Like that's something you don't understand until you're in it.

00:33:03.700 And then there's the stuff that's like actual practice where it's like, why do we pray?

00:33:08.000 Why, why do I have to sit and talk to God?

00:33:10.860 Like, does this actually do anything?

00:33:13.720 And in the doing of it, you're like, oh, actually this is not, yeah.

00:33:18.440 Right.

00:33:18.680 Like I'm learning something.

00:33:20.020 I'm learning, I'm growing as a person.

00:33:22.100 I'm deepening my relationship to God.

00:33:23.980 It's, it's such an interesting thing that we can learn in the doing something that we

00:33:29.080 couldn't have learned just by somebody trying to teach us.

00:33:32.560 And it's like, maybe that's a little bit of a, it lessens the burden on us as parents

00:33:36.660 a little bit.

00:33:37.720 Oh, right.

00:33:38.800 Amen.

00:33:39.320 Because I think as parents, I know my son isn't old enough yet, but you know, I, I cannot

00:33:46.320 imagine the point at which I'm trying to explain to him why something that feels like it would

00:33:50.740 be fun and attractive and great is actually not none of those things.

00:33:55.720 Yes.

00:33:56.120 So yeah, you may have to make those mistakes on his own, unfortunately.

00:34:00.320 Yeah.

00:34:00.800 Which like, I think that you can only protect them to a certain point, right?

00:34:05.540 Like there are like, this is proving there are some things that you have to learn by doing.

00:34:10.320 Yeah.

00:34:11.120 Yeah.

00:34:11.420 And I, I appreciate that so much of parenthood is also stuff that we can learn from God

00:34:19.160 because God is our father.

00:34:21.280 So we can kind of see how, yeah, like he doesn't, he, God can tell us in the Torah or in the

00:34:27.460 Bible, in the new Testament, you know, this is how you should live your life and this is

00:34:32.400 why, and this is what you should do. 0.98

00:34:33.800 And, you know, we're 17 and stupid and we want to do fun things. 0.99

00:34:38.160 Right. 1.00

00:34:38.840 Exactly.

00:34:39.960 Exactly.

00:34:41.560 Oh man.

00:34:42.940 So yeah, that's today's faith talk.

00:34:46.180 And let's move into our premium subscriber questions.

00:34:49.740 If you would like to submit questions for future episodes of the Classically Abbey podcast,

00:34:54.300 make sure to head over to classicallyabbey.substack.com where you'll get access to a ton of exclusive

00:34:59.080 content, including my book club, weekly exclusive articles, and being able to submit questions

00:35:04.240 for podcasts just like this.

00:35:06.620 So I'm very excited to ask these questions because they are directed towards you.

00:35:09.480 From my amazing subscribers.

00:35:11.700 So number one is, Abby often says on her podcast that happiness is possible in the mundane

00:35:18.760 for moms.

00:35:19.980 What are some small ways you think moms can invite novelty into their routines? 1.00

00:35:25.340 Oh, I love that question.

00:35:26.680 And I just started maybe, I don't know if this isn't the right, like the answer that you're

00:35:32.080 looking for, you can tell me, but I just started like making a big deal out of the small holidays.

00:35:37.560 Like I love Valentine's day.

00:35:40.560 Like I did the heart pancakes and we decorated and then we got balloons.

00:35:45.220 Like it doesn't have to be a money thing.

00:35:47.420 We just have started.

00:35:48.820 And even like the, my dad is like the best grandfather in the world.

00:35:52.880 And he has one of those calendars that tells you like what every day is, you know?

00:35:57.020 And so like, he'll text us and be like, it's chocolate chip cookie day.

00:35:59.620 And we'll be like, let's go get some chocolate chip cookies.

00:36:01.400 Like that kind of stuff has been really fun.

00:36:04.180 And then also inviting them into the things that interest us has been something that's

00:36:10.240 been really fun.

00:36:10.840 Like I love puzzles.

00:36:12.080 And so the girls will sit with me and like, help me like find the edges or like we'll bake 0.86

00:36:18.280 together or my oldest and I have started running together, like inviting them into the things

00:36:24.840 that you kind of, I think it would be natural to be like, this is mine.

00:36:28.860 And that doesn't mean that it's not yours.

00:36:30.640 Like I still love putting them to bed and doing a puzzle by myself, but it's been really

00:36:35.960 sweet, like incorporating them into those things as well as just being like, I don't

00:36:41.360 know, like, oh, it's just like a random Wednesday, but it's hot dog, national hot dog day.

00:36:46.740 Let's grow hot dogs and like, you know, celebrate just like making life a celebration, I guess

00:36:53.640 has been really fun.

00:36:56.240 Yeah.

00:36:56.580 Yes.

00:36:56.960 I, we never did Valentine's.

00:36:59.360 Okay.

00:36:59.560 So here's my story about Valentine's.

00:37:01.040 I love the idea of like playing up those holidays more.

00:37:04.680 I didn't used to be that kind of a person.

00:37:07.280 And now I'm like, no, I really like this.

00:37:10.660 Yeah.

00:37:11.180 So my story with Valentine's is that growing up, my parents were like, every day is Valentine's.

00:37:16.160 We don't need Valentine's.

00:37:17.200 And as I got older and other people were celebrating it, I was like, oh, it'd be nice to like get

00:37:22.260 a little something.

00:37:23.360 So this year I said to my husband, I was like, here's the deal.

00:37:27.620 I don't deeply care about Valentine's day.

00:37:30.000 It would make me happy if you just got me some flowers.

00:37:34.480 Like, that's all I need.

00:37:35.620 Just if you get me flowers, I will feel loved.

00:37:38.740 And then it ended up kind of snowballing where it was like, okay, we're going to go to dinner

00:37:42.540 and then, okay.

00:37:43.360 Like with the baby, we brought our baby along and then it was like, oh, after he goes to

00:37:47.980 sleep, we're going to bake some cookies and we're going to play Hogwarts Legacy.

00:37:51.340 We were just like, that was our evening.

00:37:55.540 It was dedicated to each other.

00:37:56.800 We did something kind of fun and it was just so sweet.

00:38:00.380 And I will remember that Valentine's day because we did something for it.

00:38:04.600 Yeah.

00:38:04.840 And it wasn't even like y'all spent a bunch of money or did anything extravagant.

00:38:09.080 Like we literally, I put like a garland up and got some balloons and like got a heart

00:38:14.820 shaped waffle maker.

00:38:15.960 Like I probably spent in total $30 on Valentine's day.

00:38:19.680 Like, but I, you have to also remember like being a kid, everything was magical.

00:38:24.620 Like everything was magical.

00:38:26.400 And so just putting a little bit of extra effort and time into it, I'm like really excited

00:38:32.680 about St. Patrick's day.

00:38:33.620 We have very Irish heritage.

00:38:34.840 And so I'm like, we're doing St. Patrick's day.

00:38:37.440 Like we're doing the same thing, you know, like, and there's basically a holiday every

00:38:41.120 month.

00:38:41.400 So you can like find something to hype up pretty much every month.

00:38:44.700 I love that advice because it's not, you know, oh, well, if you're looking for novelty,

00:38:51.060 take a vacation every, every two weeks or like do a date night, which is like a more

00:38:55.500 typical piece of advice.

00:38:56.560 It's that is novelty is just making a Thursday a special day because it happens to be some

00:39:04.260 holiday that maybe you don't care deeply about, but it actually becomes something really fun.

00:39:08.280 Right.

00:39:08.700 Well, and my kids are hopefully like my kids will remember that.

00:39:11.140 The hope is that like, when my kids are older, they're like, oh my gosh, my parents made

00:39:14.200 the biggest deal about everything.

00:39:15.300 And it was so awesome.

00:39:16.100 Like, and then like your hand, like you're creating a legacy of celebration, which is

00:39:21.320 like, that is God.

00:39:22.600 That is part of God.

00:39:23.720 Like God is a God of celebration and of joy and of like togetherness.

00:39:27.500 And so it's just continuing that and kind of passing it on.

00:39:32.620 Yes.

00:39:33.180 Yeah.

00:39:33.500 That is so great.

00:39:34.320 That's so great.

00:39:35.360 Okay.

00:39:35.600 So this is a funny one.

00:39:37.040 What do you think about guys named Blake?

00:39:41.140 So, I mean, obviously I, I have known that I had a dude's name my whole life.

00:39:47.140 I've, there's a really funny story of when, uh, I was like, I was probably like 13, 14.

00:39:52.360 I went to my first, first like sleep away camp and I show up and like, it's chaos.

00:39:58.260 And I've got my big double back.

00:39:59.360 It's like the beginning of parent trap with Lindsay Lohan.

00:40:02.280 Like got like my duffel back.

00:40:03.940 That was exactly what I pictured.

00:40:05.600 Exactly.

00:40:06.060 Like that is, that's a very good depiction.

00:40:08.040 Cause that's exactly what it was.

00:40:09.980 And they, you know, like the, the camp coordinator with our megaphones, like you're in cabin three.

00:40:16.360 And I walked to cabin three and I opened the door and it's a cabin full of boys.

00:40:21.360 And they just like not looked at the gender that was assigned when I like signed up.

00:40:27.620 And so they just put me in a dude's cabin and I remember like, I literally dropped my bag and like turned around and walked out and like went and found a camp counselor.

00:40:36.400 I was like, I think there's been a mistake.

00:40:38.660 And so that's, I mean, I got harassed.

00:40:42.340 I got like made so much fun of when I was a kid for it.

00:40:45.380 But as an adult, I love both of my girls have unisex names.

00:40:49.700 So I don't, I don't have any kind of feelings about dudes named Blake.

00:40:53.660 Like how do dudes named Blake feel about girls named Blake?

00:40:56.480 I don't know.

00:40:57.960 It's so funny.

00:40:58.720 Cause it's, I'm so used to unisex names that I didn't even like your handle.

00:41:04.960 It didn't even click.

00:41:05.960 I was just like, Oh, that's your handle.

00:41:07.320 The girl named Blake.

00:41:07.960 Like, okay.

00:41:08.620 Like it didn't even click to me that Blake is also a boy's name.

00:41:13.220 That I had to make it that because people continually thought I was a man.

00:41:17.240 Right.

00:41:17.700 Right.

00:41:18.180 It didn't even occur.

00:41:19.120 And now that's just really, really funny.

00:41:21.980 That's awesome.

00:41:23.660 Okay.

00:41:24.200 So last question.

00:41:26.220 Your podcast is called Confessions of a Crappy Christian, but your website says one of the things you are not about is religion.

00:41:33.680 How do you square those two things? 0.97

00:41:35.100 I mean, not in like a rude way, but I feel like the crappy Christian like squares itself with not being very about religion. 1.00

00:41:44.120 Like the whole essence of it is like the whole, like come as you are, just don't plan to stay that way. 0.99

00:41:50.660 It is okay that you are a crappy Christian. 1.00

00:41:54.440 It is okay that you don't like maybe do it perfectly to a T because that's the point of grace. 0.99

00:42:00.840 And that's the point of sanctification and salvation.

00:42:03.840 And so I, as someone who has been habitually burned by traditional religion and religious people, I am much more inclined to talk about a relationship and a person like the person of Christ.

00:42:19.980 And that he, like Jesus is my religion.

00:42:23.940 And that's just my experience.

00:42:25.700 I also do life really closely with people who, who have an, a really beautiful, strong relationship with religion. 0.98

00:42:34.000 So like, I'm never like, uh, religion is dumb.

00:42:37.440 Like that is not the take at all.

00:42:40.140 It's just like, I think that we were all created really differently with different experiences and that there's something there for all of us.

00:42:47.720 Like it's just going to look a little different.

00:42:50.020 Yeah, no, I mean, that makes sense to me.

00:42:53.240 And I think that it is whenever, you know, it's funny, Christians use the term grace a lot. 0.91

00:42:58.960 We don't really use that word so much in Judaism, but I think it is so relevant and so important is giving grace to people so that they have the room to explore their faith and get closer to God on the terms that they can.

00:43:14.340 And that's so important.

00:43:16.380 Right.

00:43:16.980 Well, and I just, I think changed hearts is what changes behavior and, you know, it can be really difficult.

00:43:24.180 Like if you have lived a life apart from God and a life of sin, it can be extremely difficult to step straight into religion and not feel like you don't belong and have nothing to offer.

00:43:39.280 Like sometimes we just need to like tiptoe into it a little bit.

00:43:42.420 We need to take baby steps.

00:43:43.500 And so I think that's available to us as well.

00:43:46.920 Yes, agreed.

00:43:48.360 So the last question that I have is actually from me.

00:43:52.240 I'm my own premium subscriber.

00:43:53.960 No, I just I wanted to ask this question and I and I want I'm going to ask it now to finish off the podcast.

00:44:00.860 So you said that you love, you know, following politics.

00:44:04.920 And I mean, that's so much of your content, which is awesome.

00:44:09.120 Any tips for following along?

00:44:11.160 Because I'm more of a cultural commentator, so I don't get into the weeds too much with the day to day stuff.

00:44:16.460 But you have some hot takes that make your Instagram page super fun to follow.

00:44:20.200 So how can we follow along without getting bogged down by the doom scrolling or feeling overwhelmed or just feeling like maybe this isn't so relevant to me?

00:44:30.100 Yeah, that's another area that I just have really strong boundaries.

00:44:34.380 So kind of like I check my email three times a day.

00:44:39.180 I check the news three times a day.

00:44:41.600 It's got a time like a time limit on it.

00:44:44.140 I typically check like CNN, Fox News.

00:44:47.780 Maybe I'll hit NPR.

00:44:49.440 Just kind of like I don't have alerts on my phone.

00:44:51.760 I don't get the doomed day headlines because I think I used to.

00:44:55.360 And that's just really bad for your mental health, personally.

00:44:57.980 Yeah.

00:44:58.120 Especially the way things have been lately.

00:44:59.580 Like just you keep shooting the stuff out of the sky.

00:45:02.280 I don't need to know about it.

00:45:03.900 What am I going to do about it?

00:45:05.420 Right.

00:45:05.980 So I think it's like if that is a priority, if that's something that you like want to keep up with, it's setting boundaries because it is really easy to get stuck in the doom scroll spiral.

00:45:17.060 And then it just jacks and taints everything that you're doing.

00:45:21.720 But for me, it's boundaries.

00:45:23.700 It's going to multiple sources so that I'm not living in an echo chamber.

00:45:28.140 It's like, OK, Fox News is saying this.

00:45:29.820 What's CNN saying about it?

00:45:31.000 And the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

00:45:34.640 And also turning it off.

00:45:36.860 Like I pretty much there are a lot of Mondays.

00:45:39.660 I take the weekend usually off of the Internet.

00:45:42.020 And there are a lot of Mondays that I come back and I'm like.

00:45:44.700 Like, oh, my gosh, like what in the way do I even catch up?

00:45:50.540 And I just had to get to a point where I'm OK with that.

00:45:53.560 Like it's going to hit the fan.

00:45:56.500 You know, I'm like if somebody drops a nuclear bomb on America, like somebody will call me and let me know if it's on the weekend.

00:46:03.900 You know what I mean?

00:46:04.360 Like, let me know.

00:46:05.460 I don't need to like be the first one to know.

00:46:07.780 And so it can be really tricky to navigate.

00:46:10.940 And I think a lot of people who have been really invested in it, especially since 2020, are kind of tapering off a little bit.

00:46:18.740 Like I'm having a lot of really interesting conversations with fellow commentators that are like, I'm tired.

00:46:23.980 Like I need a break from this administration, from like the world.

00:46:31.160 I think that's totally fine, too.

00:46:33.060 So, yeah, I think that's that's all super helpful.

00:46:37.940 And I'm so glad you came on the podcast.

00:46:40.200 Thank you so much.

00:46:41.900 This was I'll make sure.

00:46:43.420 Yeah, it was wonderful to have you.

00:46:44.900 So let's make sure everyone knows where to follow you.

00:46:47.540 I want to make sure everyone is, you know, getting your content.

00:46:50.160 So where can we find you?

00:46:52.180 I mostly hang out on Instagram.

00:46:54.000 The girl named Blake.

00:46:55.120 My website is the girl named Blake dot com.

00:46:57.240 And you can find everything from like links to the podcast to courses and coaching and everything in between there.

00:47:04.480 Awesome.

00:47:05.040 And the crappy Christian podcast. 0.99

00:47:06.820 We can listen to you there. 0.98

00:47:07.560 Yes.

00:47:08.400 Yeah.

00:47:09.620 So thank you again for coming on.

00:47:11.820 And if you aren't already following or subscribed, make sure to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, Spotify, Apple podcasts, anywhere you'd like.

00:47:20.360 And make sure to leave a review on Apple podcast.

00:47:23.180 That would really help me out.

00:47:24.280 Thank you guys so much for listening.

00:47:25.860 And I'll see you guys in my next episode.

00:47:28.220 Bye.

00:47:28.580 Bye.

00:47:28.660 Bye.

00:47:29.660 Bye.

00:47:30.660 Bye.

00:47:31.660 Bye.

00:47:32.660 Bye.

00:47:33.660 Bye.

00:47:34.660 Bye.

00:47:35.660 Bye.

00:47:36.660 Bye.

00:47:37.660 Bye.

00:47:38.660 Bye.

00:47:39.660 Bye.

00:47:40.660 Bye.

00:47:41.660 Bye.

00:47:42.660 Bye.

00:47:43.660 Bye.

00:47:44.660 Bye.

00:47:45.660 Bye.

00:47:46.660 Bye.

00:47:47.660 Bye.

00:47:48.660 Bye.

00:47:49.660 Bye.

00:47:50.160 Bye.

00:48:20.160 Thank you.

00:48:50.160 Thank you.

00:49:20.160 Thank you.

00:49:50.160 Thank you.

00:50:20.160 Thank you.

00:50:50.160 Thank you.

The Classically Abby Podcast - February 22, 2023

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

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