The following podcast is a deer media production.

Hey friend, it's Nicole, host of the Nicole Walters Podcast.

Here's where we laugh, we cry, and we grant ourselves grace as we do life together.

Let's get started.

Hey friend.

Now, there's this phrase that is used often in my house, and I wonder if you have a version of this in your own life.

And the phrase is, there's a face on your face.

And it's something that we say to each other, Alex actually started this one.

Whenever someone is clearly in a mood, like in some sort of funk or some sort of something,

but maybe not expressing or openly communicating, there is a face on your face.

And this is said because it basically is saying, hey, look, I'm acknowledging and seeing how you feel.

And I'm opening up the door for you to talk to me about it, share about it because I want to know.

And it's great because I have a partner who makes sure that all the ladies in the household are seen, especially when we have faces on our face.

And it's great because I often in this season, you know, have a face, my face, just, you know, having that with the force, having to be responsible for all of the finances, you know, for my babies and caring for them.

It's a lot, you know, so I mean, I can wake up and just be in a mood or I can get an email and, you know, be kind of like, what the heck or, you know, like crazy things can happen.

And so it's incredible because no matter what, I won't stay in my funk for long or I won't be allowed to just not explore it because I've got someone with me who will help support me.

But what I wanted to talk about was this sort of misconception that I think a lot of us have, whether we're in partnerships or not in partnerships that our partner is going to be responsible for helping us change or grow or be more successful in respect of seasons.

The reason I want to talk about this is twofold. One, if you're not in a partnership, I have heard from Alex has a good number of single friends. I don't know if you all have noticed, but I feel like guys are saying single longer.

But Alex has a good number of single friends and they're talking all the time about how they want a woman who's like independent, right?

And not independent, just in the financial way or self-care, like their ability to care for themselves way, but independent in terms of being purposeful and chasing their own goals and having their own skill sets and being driven and ambitious and being really motivated to go do things.

And I've asked some of them, you know, like, why, you know, why do you want to be with someone like that? And their answer was always, you know, because I want to make sure I have someone who's on me too.

Like, I want to be a power couple. I want to be someone who's like going for it together. So pin in that thought, hold that, right?

...