Hey, friends! I am absolutely thrilled to have my good friend Lisa Whittle back on the show today as part of our Smart Girl Summer series! We go behind the scenes in Lisa’s story and share never-before-told stories of our friendship over the years along with our co-founding Called Creatives. I can’t wait for you to hear this one! Listen in as Lisa talks candidly about a season she experienced with wanting to step away from what she knew deep in her marrow God had called her to do. It is often a challenge to push through the hard places in pursuing our God-given missions, and Lisa brings so much truth-telling to this topic for us.  We also debunk the self-sabotaging mindset that if we don’t have success in the beginning or in the first few years, even then, “it’s just not meant to be.” We both agree what this means is that maybe it’s merely the time to acknowledge you’re in some pretty good company because we’ve all been there at some point or other in our callings and creative endeavors.  Lisa Whittle is the author of eight books, a sought-after Bible teacher, founder of Ministry Strong and the popular Jesus over Everything podcast. Lisa is also the co-founder of Called Creatives and has been featured in numerous media outlets. Listen in to learn more about: How Lisa wanted to quit writing after book 3 or 4 and seriously contemplated going back to school to become an interior decorator, an attorney, or a chef! The ways we can over-spiritualize the hard places in our lives and self-sabotage ourselves. The importance of keeping company with other people who have things in common and who make us better. Favorite quotes: ~One of the biggest lies is that we are the only one that is facing rejection or lack of traction or whatever the case may be. And so, because we are very self focused and we only know our own experience I think the most powerful thing is when women find community with other women. ~Just because you have hit an impasse, just because you have come to a place where you are feeling uncomfortable or you are getting a rejection or things did not go smoothly that does not mean you need to quit, that is a sign that you are in a very normal situation of trying to move forward in a calling or a creative entrepreneurship role. ~There’s something about keeping company with other people who not only do we have things in common with,  but also make us better. ~ If you are a woman who is concerned about doing business with another woman do your due diligence but I wouldn’t let your trust issues get in the way. Links to great things we discussed:  Called Creatives About Lisa - Lisa Whittle Breaking Bad (TV Series 2008–2013) - IMDb Magnetic Eyelashes - Amazon Lightyear (2022) - IMDb Remember Two Things - Album by Dave Matthews Band - Spotify Vaseline - Amazon  Join the Confident Motherhood Community here. Hope you loved this episode! Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and slap some stars on a review! :) xo, Alli