Untitled - June 2, 2025
00:00:00 Speaker: Hi, I'm Denise. Host of the Working Moms Redefined podcast. Let's join together as we lessen the hold of mom guilt in our lives, thrive in our careers, and raise great kids. You are doing enough. Let us boost your confidence today on this episode of Working Moms Redefined podcast. A beautiful season ahead here in the Working Moms Redefined podcast. And today, a guest who is very close and special to my heart. We, through the Working Moms Redefined podcast, get to really empower working moms to feel good enough in their day to day while realizing that motherhood is a gift from God. And one of the people in my life that models that more than anybody is Sarah Stevens. Now, Sarah is a mom, a wife, but most importantly, she is a follower of Christ. and that is seen in her actions day in and day out. In addition to all of those roles, she's also the executive director of Horizons in Quincy. In the show, notes are opportunities for you to learn about horizons, but ultimately it is a reflection of God's love here on earth, and that poses a fabulous topic for us to discuss about. How do we teach our children to be servant leaders, to put others before themselves, to model the love of Jesus in our day to day life, and no better person, as I've said, than Sara, to model that she has one daughter, Sophie, who is growing so quickly as she is so proud to say and has been married to her husband Mark for 40 years. So Sara, welcome and thank you for joining us. Thank you. Uh, it's really, um, an incredible blessing and honor. It's been so fun to watch you grow over the, um, journey where I've known you probably the last three years and and just. Absolutely. I'm so proud of you taking advantage of this incredible platform, um, to to just, um, help moms be better and and feel better about themselves and, and be part of community. Um, there's nothing more important, I think, than being transparent and vulnerable with each other. Um, because then we can lean on each other and grow together. And so I'm, I'm quite honored to be here with you today. That sets the perfect landing spot for what we're going to discuss about servant leadership. And you have had a career from a stay at home mom to a banking career. And for the last 15 years, you have spent your time and energy and love leading the nonprofit horizons. What first stirred your heart towards this life, career and honoring that has shaped you to be the mother that you are. And what was it that stirred your heart to do this? You know, um, that was a fun question to think about. And honestly, um, I really land on coming from the place that it's all I've ever known. I grew up on a small farm in Golden, Illinois, so I'm a farm girl. Um, I have a special affinity for farmers in my heart. Um, I think they're incredibly special people. Um, I would watch my dad help neighbors, um, get their crops out when someone was sick or when someone's equipment was broken down, and vice versa. Have them help him back. Um, I watched my mom make vats of homemade vegetable soup, uh, to take to someone who had just had a baby or someone who was sick. And I just really watched her. Um, you know, how the community rallied around each other? And I think that that, um, God created us to live in community, and and it's not a weakness to, you know, to lean on each other, to lean on others. And so I think that when we can, um, get outside of ourselves, um, there are a lot of benefits for that. Mhm. Very well said. And then that's your background and your history and honestly has made you the person that you are today. How do you feel as if that shaped you in regards to specifically being a mother to Sophie. Well, you know, I think, you know, you just live a life of service. You make it, you know, you it's not even it's it's it's purposeful. Um, but it's just part of life, you know, I think about, you know, we loved to bake. We loved to shop. So when you're baking, you make an extra plate of cookies to take to a neighbor who, um, you know, you know, might eat a friend. Um, when we would go shopping, we loved to shop. So, you know, we'd go to the store and it's like, well, let's, you know, why don't you pick out a toothpaste that you think, um, somebody your age would like? Why don't you, um, pick out a shampoo or something fun? So, you know, we did the, you know, buy one for for ourselves and buy one for somebody else. And then we would take it to, um, you know, take it and drop it off at a food pantry or a, you know, Salvation Army and talking about why, you know, I think it's important to understand the why behind it. Um, because you want to understand that, you know, people are in different places, you know, and you have to be careful that, um, you're not ever coming at a place from, you know, we're better off than we're, you know, we're judging someone for not being able to. Because, you know, we don't, you know, we don't know what somebody's story is. So I used to I mean, I even like to do this in the food pantry when I give tours to little kids. You know how you go to the grocery store with your mom and dad and sometimes mommy's and daddy's, you know, because of no fault of their own, have had something happen in their life and they can't buy groceries for their kids. And so you're going to get to help those moms and dads. And so I think that it's really important as well to talk about the why behind instead of just the doing, because it becomes more of a legalistic thing. You know, if you're just doing because it's something that you want to check off. Um, it's more something that's coming from the heart and they understand the why behind. I think that fosters a passion for, you know, that child. And then I think also to just, you know, find out what your child is passionate about. You know, I think that, um, just by listening to them, you know, um, things that they're interested in. And so you can, um, kind of tailor your service projects for your families towards things that are geared toward your child's passion. And I think they become more excited about it. Weaving in service based mindsets to what you're already doing is so, first of all, smart and efficient with your time. I know that it might sound silly, but I honestly, I didn't even think about it in regards to add to what you're already doing. Sometimes I think I get caught up in my own mind as to, okay, we need to go visit the nursing home. We need to go play piano. We need to go do all of these things that ultimately are of service to others, but adding it into the things that you already do is a great use of time. And then taking that extra step and then explaining the why so that they can acquire their own reason why is really, really insightful and good. So what? In addition to picking out an extra item, what other types of service projects have you or have you heard of your friends weaving in to have their kids be part of? Well, you know, one thing that we thought was really fun. We picked a sponsored child that had the very same birthday that Sophie did a girl. I mean, that was by God's grace probably that we were able to find that person. Um, but that was really fun being able to have that sponsor child. And you could, you know, especially then when she had the very same birthday stuff we did, we had opportunities to talk about her and what her life might look like, where she's at. And, you know, what were maybe some of the hardships that she might be facing. And then also, I mean, I think prayer is a big part of it, you know. Then you can be praying for that person. Um, when you're talking about them. And so I think that's just another great way just to weave that in. Um, again, I mean, there's there's so many different types of service projects that you can do with your child. Um, I see it all the time. Families, you know, people will call and ask about volunteering at horizons and what age is too small. And I'm like, you know, if you're going to be their their guardian. Well, there, there there's no age that is too small because I think that it's really important to start that from a really young age. So I think that, um, you can find a mission, um, a missionary that you want to support, find out about his mission work. Um, again, the sponsor children. I think that's a great idea. Um, you mentioned, um, going to a nursing home. Um, you said your child or your kids are taking piano lessons, go to the nursing home and play piano for someone. Um, I think that there's just, you know, there are so many, so many ways that we can just do little things. And I think it's about the little things. It's not about the big things. The little things are what matter because they they they're part of your day. They just, you know, and they don't take all the time and the energy and they're not overwhelming when life can already be overwhelming. So I think it's the little things that matter when we are part of groups like forage or FFA or Fccla, sometimes those types of service activities are integrated in. And I can think of one I absolutely despise in a local town here, it was in Golden, which is where Sarah is from. We, the country cousins for age club, were in charge of planting and weeding the marigolds that spelled out golden in the side of the hill every year. We knew that that was expected of us. Did I do it with a heart that was pure? Yes, because I do believe that is who I am to a core. But did I do some heavy breathing and annoyance? Yes. And yet, having done things for someone only to benefit others while me not so much enjoying it, there's a lesson there. I'm not telling you to put your kids in sports that they don't like. I'm not telling you to put them in activities. I am telling you to potentially press your child to that window. Had to have them see what is capable because maybe they just don't know. Maybe I had planted and weeded these flowers and I would have found a love for horticulture. That did not happen. But you just never know. Never know. And so before we go much further into asking you about the demands and the challenges that you experience as a nonprofit leader and being a working mom, can you explain what horizons is to our listeners? Well, horizons is a soup kitchen and food pantry, but I say it's so much more than that. Food is what brings people in the doors at horizons. Um, but once they get inside, I think that, um, they feel seen, they feel loved, they feel valued. And then, um, those things ignite sometimes a renewed interest in life and hope. And so that's when we feel like our real work comes into play and really just loving them well. And, and and hopefully helping them find their purpose and, um, you know, discover the roots of, of what has brought them to horizons to begin with. Um, for a lot of people that can be addictions. And, and so we have an incredible addiction recovery program. And so that's just been, um, just been an amazing thing. I think a lot of people know we do food really well, but I don't necessarily know. They know, you know, they know the rest of it. And then it's kind of crazy when you the volunteer part of it is such a big thing. Um, we had over 19,000 volunteer hours last year, and, um, I love to see the transformation in a person. Um. Um, you know, you kind of like when you're talking about planting your flowers and you didn't really like it. You know, it's easy to see when you have a volunteer who doesn't really want to be there, but they're there because of because they they feel like they have to. It's a box to check or they're part of, you know, a group that's brought them along. And, um, you know, we've had some, you know, I would go back to the 15 years ago, some kind of people that were, you know, a little, um, curmudgeonly, I'll use that word, um, and then to see the transformation in them, to see their hearts become soft and to see them become regular volunteers, to see them become personal donors. Um, that's an incredible thing. I got a good someone who's become a good friend. That's one of the blessings of horizons I've gotten to know, just like you, so many amazing people. Um, because of my work, um, she told the story of coming one day to volunteer, being completely exhausted from her work. And. And she worked really hard when she was at horizons. But she noticed that when she left, she felt energized. She felt like it was life giving. She felt like, you know, she had gotten so much more than she had given, um, from her, um, time there as a volunteer. And I think that when we can, um, live outside of, you know, get outside of ourself and, and, you know, you don't have to look too far, um, to find somebody who needs help. And so I think that, um, it helps to be more grateful. You know, it makes me more grateful, um, that that's the one thing that, um, you know, I think that being at horizons helps keep me, um, humble and grateful. Um, and there are so many benefits for that. You know, I think one of you might be the one that said this, or one of our good friends maybe said this, that, um, anxiety and gratitude can't live in your mind at the same time. And so, you know, we talk so much about mental health issues these days and, and all the anxiety that everyone's facing, all the stress that everybody's facing, you know. And when you have a grateful heart, the gratitude and anxiety can't live in your mind at the same time. And so I think you don't have to look too far, um, when you're doing service work, um, to recognize all the reasons that you have to be grateful with your experience in that and seeing so many transformations, see, specifically in young adults that have started with a service and leadership and giving mindset at a younger age over their time with you or within our community. I think it fosters resiliency in them. Um, it deepens their empathy. Um, you know, it helps them to get outside of themselves. And there's so many things in this world that want to say, me, me, me. It's all about me. And I gotta tell you, um, because I can be guilty of this when I spend way too, when I spend too much time focusing on me. Usually does not end up in a, in a, in a good place. And so I think that the ability to, you know, again, to just get outside yourself, it builds character. You know, it builds character. Um, it it, you know, grows the community. It builds the community. And and it also, um, it can create, create a hopefulness in, in not only, um, you know, the individual who's doing the serving, but helpfulness for the people that are being served. Um, think about the times when somebody has done something really special for you that was something that that, you know, you knew was a servant hearted act on their part. And they took the time to do that for you, Denise, or they took the time to do that for me. Sarah makes me feel really special, and it makes me feel hopeful. And so I think that there are multiple benefits of, um, of, you know, developing that servant heart, uh, at a young age because it's it's not, you know, and it's not just going to happen. It doesn't just happen because we we by nature have a tendency to be self-focused. And I mean, you know, you have to you know, you have to, again, be purposeful about weaving that into your life. But it doesn't have to be hard either. It does not have to be hard. It really ultimately, it just has to be done. Amen. And that's where how do you start realizing or recognizing that now is the right time? Well, I'll be the first person to tell you it's always the right time. Gotta pick the time. We gotta make the time. And as you're talking about this selfless mentality in this mindset, ten minutes ago, I left the school from an awards ceremony, and there was a lot of kids up at the front, and there were some several people chosen for specific awards, and we were able to celebrate them at the end. However, a sweet little six year old boy who was nominated named Hudson that did not receive the award came up to me and started to be tearful. Mom, I didn't get chosen, I didn't win. Now he is pretty good at sports. He has won previous things and so a little part of me in that moment extended him grace. But I did not speak that with my words. I literally said, Hudson, do not make this about you right now. We are here to celebrate your sister. This is not about you. And then he said to me, I'm not trying to make it about me. I'm sad. And then in my mind I'm like, crap. I don't want to negate his feelings. But as I'm replaying that scenario in my head right now and listening to you, he very much could benefit from being put in situations like servant leadership at horizons, or at a nursing home, or at a food pantry or a connect family services, anything like that that shows it without me having to say, this isn't about you. And so it's moments like that where we as parents can reflect and look back and say, oh, if I needed proof, there was some. And I'm humble enough to realize that that is something that we can work on with him. Sydney will do it because she knows it's the right thing to do. And I'm not saying that Hudson doesn't, but it's having those conversations now so that two, three, four years from now, we don't continue to have moments like this. And I would say that that's partly my motivation into. Okay, we're ready. We're ready to do the next because it's different than dropping off food for horizons. It's it's in addition to shopping for Christmas presents for those that are less fortunate. It's different. And that's okay. That's okay. It could be anything. It's all it's in all the small, the little small moments. Because even in that moment, you know, um, sometime now, he can maybe encourage a friend who doesn't win something that, you know, it's okay to not win, that you know, it's okay to not get that, um, you know, I remember a situation when that happened to me. Here's what my mom said. You know, it's funny. I would a lot of times think that Sophie wasn't listening to me, and then I would hear her say the very same thing I'd said to her, to somebody else. And so I think that, um, you know, one of the most important gifts that we can give our children is a life anchored in our values. You know, when we lead with love, um, when we stay grounded in our faith, when we, um, make time for the things that matters, we're winning. And that's where you. You know, it doesn't have to be big. It just, you know, and I'm going to say that, you know, faith is the whole pie, you know, um, it's, you know, when we when we when we operate out of faith, our love looks different. You know, um, when we operate from our faith, um, you know, the use of our time, it's it looks different, um, when we go, because there's a motivation behind it that's pure hearted. And so, um, I think that, you know, um, giving is I remember, um, hearing a message from one of our pastors early on and kind of when I was, you know, um, growing in my faith, talking about how, um, giving is a form of worship, we're actually worshiping God when we give. And I'm like, gosh, that was a game changer for me. You know, it made me think differently about my generosity. You know, it made me think differently about, wow, I'm honoring God with my generosity. I'm honoring and generosity. It doesn't have to be money. Many times it's not, um, I always say time is one of our most precious resources. Can't buy a bore. You can't make more. And so when somebody gives me their time, when somebody gives horizons or time. Wow, I value that. That's it's a that's an incredible gift. Um, yeah. We are all thinking I know, okay, how can I get involved? And we'll get to that in one moment before we do that. Sarah, you are obviously one of the most selfless people on this entire Earth. And for a moment, could you share maybe some of the challenges that you experienced as a working mom and working outside the home in a life of service at the nonprofit? Well, I would say you don't have to do it all. Can you say that again? That you don't have to do it? You know, I started to say, you don't have to do it all perfectly, because for me, that's a challenge. Then I like, you know. So I think that's two twofold. You don't have to do it all and you don't have to do it all perfectly. Um, because I am I am a perfectionist by nature, and so it's hard for me not to do something and go the extra mile. And so sometimes, because I can't go the extra and I don't have time to do the extra, then I just don't do it. And so I think that, um, missed I missed the mark in that opportunity. You know, um, it's funny, I was listening to one of your podcasts with your mom, and you were talking about cookies and homemade cookies, and, and and I remember that I resonated so much with that, you know, because I felt like, okay, I had to make homemade cookies, and I had to make the homemade cupcakes with the fancy icing and the frosting. And sometimes, you know, like, you just don't have the margin in your life to do that. And then also, I would find that if I went ahead and did it, I just was exhausted. And then, you know, you know how that affects your attitude. And so, you know, um, you're better off sometimes. First of all, it's okay to say no. You know, I think it's okay to say no. And you have to give yourself permission to say no. Um, and and then it's okay to know that, um, there are simpler ways to do things. Mhm. I love that you brought up the cookie example with my mom because over the weekend she said, I bought my first cookie mix and I made it and they were delicious. She didn't realize that in the moment when she told me that I might even get emotional right now. Yeah. When she told me that one. Wow. That was big. That was a big deal for her to not make cookies from scratch to get a box mix. Well done, well done. And the fact that she shared it with me, it was almost like she was saying it was okay. It's okay. And so when we think about motherhood and a servant heart, it goes back to what you said. It's the little things. It's the little things that add up to the big things. And sometimes being humble about what we do in a service mindset is that we don't always talk about it. Sometimes I think that we should do good and not tell anybody about it, because it's is that does that make it self-serving? And so I, I walk that line and then I ultimately go back to however, when I tell people about it, they learn. And they then could help too. And so that leads us right into a new opportunity that horizon gets to be part of through the Tracy Family Foundation and the WCI gives program. Sarah, can you explain what is going to be happening The June 9th through the 12th for horizons and WCL gifts. I can't stop this without talking about the Tracy family. They are so intentional about giving. They are so intentional about being servant hearted leaders. And that's why we're we're having this we have this opportunity right now. Because of that, they are purposeful about teaching their you know that and, you know, their younger generations. You know, they they have they have a plan in place for, um, you know, their generations. Um, I think that they talk about up to five generations of Tracy right now. And so like it's woven generosity and service is woven through the fabric of that family. And our community, uh, is reaping the benefits, um, tenfold for that. And so, um, I just think what an incredible example of exactly what we're talking about today. About being purposeful. And so, um, I am I'm beyond honored that horizons get to participate in will give um, they are sponsoring a four day giving campaign. It is June 9th through 12th. Um, and all the area not for profits in western central Illinois were, um, invited to participate. You just had to say yes and and apply. And so I think there are numerous not for profits uh, participating. And during that period of time, um, we have an online giving campaign and, and, and Tracy Family Foundation has made it extra fun. Some of that there are different categories and the different not for profits are competing within those categories. And so in addition to raising money ourself, uh, through our campaign, we have an opportunity to, um, you know, be awarded money through their, um, fundraising campaign that they're, that they've offered, that they're offering. And so, um, we have chosen to strike out hunger as our theme. And so we have 12 captains, um, our own Denise Talcott right here from Teleco Media being one of those captains. And so we're charging each of those captains, um, with trying to raise money during that period of time. We've asked them to ask 40 people to give $25. That $25 represents a week of meals for one person. And and so and that's impactful. You know, I think sometimes people think again, we go back to small things. People think that giving has to be big. You know, giving doesn't have to be big. If enough people, um, band together, you know, work shoulder to shoulder, you know, we can make a really big impact. And so I love the proverb, you know, many hands make light work. And and, you know, I think that that's exactly, um, you know, um, proof positive with this particular campaign, you know, we've got 12 captains. We're asking each of them to ask, um, 40 people to donate $25. We'd like to take it a little bit further and ask those people to donate the 25. To ask five people to donate five, because there's one of the awards is for the most number of donors and most number of new donors. So we're trying we tried to be creative. And I've got to give hands, hands a big round of applause to to um, um, Deanna twaddle for her incredible campaign that she has really come up with on her own and inspired by God. And so, yeah. So, um, do you think that explained it? Well, you can go to, you know, we're going to have it on social media. Um, hopefully our captains are going to be reaching out to people. I think you've got, um, information on your site about it. So, um, we just want to say thank you to you for saying yes, uh, to coming alongside and hopefully doing something that, um, is not too time consuming, but, but but incredibly impactful. And they have a star studded lineup for their team captains as well for this campaign through WCL gives. There are politicians. There are former presidents of colleges. There are those within. I mean, it is mind boggling. A mayor, a principal. It is so cool to be alongside these team captains and such a true honor. And so if you are thinking, okay, in the next 2 or 3 weeks, I'd like to get a plan together to go and serve with my kids. And yet it's still on my heart right now to make a difference. We are asking that between the dates of June 9th and the 12th, that you visit the website that is in the show notes that will be on the Working Moms Redefined Social Pages horizon social pages. Because, Sarah, why is it so important that they do it between the June 9th and 12th dates? That is the actual competition date. Obviously, as a fundraiser, we're happy to have a donation at any point in time. But the donations that come in the ninth through the 12th count towards the fundraising Seeing competition and we have opportunities to to make extra money. Um, because the Tracy Family Foundation has um, designated categories again, like for, you know, the largest campaign, the most donors, the most new donors, the most creative campaign. So they just they they're making it fun. They're making fundraising fun. And it's been really I gotta tell you, it's been a really fun process. I've gotten to again, just, you know, reconnect with, um, some old friends asking them to participate. Um, just seeing again, you know, Deanna's, um, joy, really, in creating this amazing campaign. Uh, the excitement of the people as we talk about it. And, again, being able to talk about, you know, the importance of giving and how sometimes people think, you know, oh, $25 doesn't really make that much difference. Well, for that one person, it makes a big difference. It's a big difference and makes a huge difference. You can feed a person for one week with your $25 donation. And so if it is on your heart to do so, feel free to do it now. You can. No one's going to be mad at you, much like Sarah said. If you want to visit this link and donate now, you can donate towards our team or you can set a reminder and choose that during June 9th and 12th you give up, you know, a couple lotus drinks or a couple iced coffees or in my case, lately, I'm a big fan of Hula Balls. Why? Me too. Two of those literally feed somebody for a week. And that, in my mind, is a great first or next step. Sarah, you give such grace and love and value to those who get to walk alongside you in life. And when we talk about that servant heart, you are the epitome of that. And when people experience horizons, you will be the last person to take any credit for it. Because yes, we know that that is God's work and you have an amazing team to do it as well. But there is a testament to the person at the that leaps. And so thank you for doing what you do day in and day out, and for sharing ways that us working parents can feel better about creating this type of mindset for our children. So thank you, thank you, thank you. Anything else you'd like to add? No, I just I am honored to be here with you today and so proud of you. And and again, just how you're using this platform for good. If you want to learn more about horizons, you can visit Horizons quincy.com. That website will also be in the show notes. If you want to learn more about the Tracy Family Foundation or the WCL gives all of those show notes as well as a direct link to the donation link. Direct link to the donation Page is available in the show notes as well. Remember, you all are doing a fabulous job raising your kids, thriving in the workplace, and showing up. And this is another way to fulfill your heart and not add more to your plate because you are doing good enough with that. We part ways and remind you that you can do hard things. Thank you for listening to the Working Moms Redefined podcast. It is not lost on me that you chose to spend time together. Thank you. Let's connect outside of this space on socials. We'd love for you to follow us on Instagram Facebook LinkedIn, Pinterest. We've got it all to connect with you. If you feel as if someone in your life could be impacted by this message, feel free to share it. That is the biggest compliment as we part ways together. Remember, you can do hard things.
