00:00:00 Thanks for joining me on episode 611 of the inspired stewardship podcast I met and I'm Jocelyn from the family life movement podcast. We challenge you to find a way to balance your work and your family. And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this inspired stewardship podcast by my friend Scott Mader are white. Don't have to and shouldn't be the only person working in the house. You know, it should be us. It should be, you know, whether that's being a stay at home parent or working full time or you know,
00:00:45 whatever that is, you know, it's, it's not our wives job to do the dishes. We're not above that. It's not our job to mow the grass. Uh, instead, welcome and thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent, and your treasures for your true calling and the inspired stewardship podcast. We'll learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world. and today's interview with Matt and Jocelyn Woodrum for the family life movement podcast.
00:01:34 I ask them to share their own definition of stewardship and the impact it's had on them as well. I asked them to share their best tips for making a real impact on the world and Matt and Jocelyn also talk and share some of their hopes and dreams for the future. One reason I like to bring you great interviews like the one you're going to hear today is because of the power in learning from others. Another great way to learn from others is through reading books, but if you're like most people today,
00:02:06 you find it hard to find the time to sit down and read and that's why today's podcast is brought to you by audible. Go to inspired stewardship.com/audible to sign up and you can get a 30 day free trial. There's over 180,000 titles to choose from. And instead of reading, you can listen your way to learn from some of the greatest minds out there that's inspired stewardship.com/audible to get your free trial and listen to great books. The same way you're listening to this podcast. Matt and Jocelyn Woodrum had been married for 12 years and have three beautiful daughters and really they are.
00:02:48 And later on you'll hear about their Facebook page. You see pictures of the kiddos on there all the time and they are acuities. They enjoy traveling while Jocelyn continues to work as a speech language pathologist. And yes, she's still working even right now during this time of covert 19. And they, they constantly move, they move locations every few months. I, I joke that every time I talked to Matt, they're in a different house. Um, so Matt is at home with the girls homeschooling and at the same time they're trying to try to balance creating a business and of course maintaining their own household together.
00:03:25 They host a podcast called the family life movement. I've been a guest on there that's focused on creating a community of family focused entrepreneurs who build profitable businesses that allow them to have a business without sacrificing their kids or their family. Welcome to the show, Matt and Jocelyn, thanks for having us. Thanks. We're excited to be here. So one of the questions that I've, I've started trying to ask everybody, you know, with the title of the show being inspired, stewardship and stewardship is a filter through which I run my coaching through which I run my business.
00:03:58 So I started asking people about that word because what I've discovered is it means different things to different people. So Matt and Jocelyn, how would you define stewardship as a person, as a business owner, as a parent? Um, and what impact has that definition had on your life? I think the stewardship to me being grateful for what I've got. You know, I, as a Christian, I live with the mentality that everything I've got comes from God. The money that I've got, the clothes I've got on my back,
00:04:33 the bed, the air mattress that we, Jocelyn and I both sleep on because we're traveling the cars that we've got. And if we've got this mentality that everything comes from God, you know, including our financial resources and different things like that, then our mentality changes of, Hey, you know what? All of a sudden I want to take a little bit better care of God's car because he's letting me have it. He's keeping it together. I want to take care of God's daughter, my wife.
00:05:04 And that's exactly how I view Jocelyn. She's my wife. Even more so. She's the daughter of God. And when we change our mentality, we take care of the things that we have. We're thankful. We have an attitude of gratitude for those things that we have, no matter how big they are or how small, you know, there's, there's people who do podcasts and they've got a microphone that costs a couple hundred dollars more than what I've done. Uh, and you know, my microphone's at the top of the line and different things.
00:05:34 But I'm very thankful for what I've got because it's in my mind, it's a gift from God. There are other people who have better and nicer cars. That's awesome. But the car I've got was a gift from God that it's now my job to take care of is my job to respect. It's my job to take care of it, to do things that I think and I feel like God would have done with his stuff. And so stewardship to me means understanding that nothing I own is mine. And then the second part of that is that everything that I have,
00:06:14 everything that I own, everything from Oh man to the cell phone charging cords all the way up to my car, to this apartment that we're in. It's stuff like that. All of it's gods at any given point, any given time, God has the right and the privilege to take any of it away. And so that means that I'm very thankful for my three ring binder. It means I'm thankful for the toilet brush. So right now a lot of people are thankful for toilet paper. exactly.
00:06:52 And so stewardship to me simply means taking care of what I've been given and my definition. Yeah. And you were talking about physical possessions. I was actually thinking more along the lines of money, which is it's the same. Um, you know, you want to make sure that you're using what income money you have. Um, it is a blessing from God. Um, and we need to be using it properly. So if someone really wants to make a dent in the universe, what would be a principle or a resource or a tip that you would give them on how they can really make an impact?
00:07:34 That's what we all want to do to make a dent in the universe. We really need to be visible to the world,
00:07:42 otherwise we're not going to be able to, um, make an any income, any kind of an impact.
00:07:49 Um, and, and to do that, you know, it, it's going to vary depending on your,
00:07:53 your platform and your, what your business is. Of course. Um, and, and it's interesting,
00:07:59 I'm actually just thinking about something along these lines recently. Um, as a speech therapist, I feel like there's a lot I could be doing more than just working at a nursing home.
00:08:09 I mean, as, as important as that is, I can reach my impact. I can make it reach more people if I find a different way to run that.
00:08:18 Um, and, and the only, really the only way to do that is to just be visible.
00:08:24 Um, and right now it's such a digital media, internet world. That's probably the best way to do it is through podcasts and Facebook lives and YouTube and things like that.
00:08:37 Yeah, I would say that if somebody really wants to make a dent on the impact, I think there's something powerful about being your authentic self.
00:08:46 You know, in an earlier podcast we talked a lot about, you know, imperfect action and stuff like that.
00:08:51 Um, if somebody really wants to make an impact, uh, impact in the world, be yourself,
00:08:58 share your struggles, share, Hey, you guys, we don't have the perfect marriage. We don't have everything figured out.
00:09:04 Your message, your message. Exactly. Because people are going to see that and they're going to be able to connect with that.
00:09:11 You know your listeners, if they're wanting to build a business and they've got a family, they're going to respect that.
00:09:18 During the podcast, the last couple of podcasts, there's been a screaming kid in the background because they're going to know what that's like.
00:09:25 They're going to know, Hey, Holy cow, here's some people who don't have it figured out, who like me can't shut their kid up.
00:09:32 And, and there are some still ran out of duct tape so that my wife had by our comment when,
00:09:44 when David was very little, our son is, my wife came out of his room one day after she'd had one of those days with him and he's finally asleep and she walks into the living room and she looks at me and she goes,
00:09:58 I never understood how someone could hurt a child until today. And I mean, we didn't, you know,
00:10:04 there was no money involved. The child survived. But, but literally it was like you didn't even comprehend that.
00:10:10 And now all of a sudden it's like, I understand how somebody who's trapped at home with a screaming child all day could actually do that.
00:10:17 I mean, now again, that doesn't excuse it. That's not what I mean. But you comprehend the feeling.
00:10:23 It's like, Oh my Lord, you could be completely overwhelmed and if you aren't equipped to take care of yourself and take care of the child,
00:10:30 that could happen. Obey. But it's okay to walk away. That's where it, exactly. That's again,
00:10:38 the line that we've used with our child. You need to go to your room right now, not because for your own safety.
00:10:43 Okay. You know this is, this is literally like we need some distance because I don't want to do anything that is wrong.
00:10:52 So you go away for a little while. By the way, we still do that. He's 17 now.
00:10:57 I have a feeling that what? That line is going to be coming out at some point. Oh no.
00:11:02 Yeah, we, we've told, we told my son when he was about four, we were like,
00:11:05 you need to go to your room right now for your own safety. Okay. Just go in there,
00:11:08 close the door, wait 15 minutes and then we'll talk. That was, that was the day that,
00:11:15 I can't even remember what it was that he did, but it was something particularly, particularly four year old boy,
00:11:21 if that makes sense. So, sorry Matt, I cut you off. But it reminded me of that and that's why I think these conversations are so important to have because there's somebody listening right now who is going to be able to relate to,
00:11:36 you know, Jocelyn IRA's saying, and because we're being real, because we're being honest, because you know,
00:11:41 through the giggles and laughter and the nervousness and, and having a screaming kid in the background, if somebody is going to be able to relate to where we're at,
00:11:51 the mess, the, the conversations that we've had. Somebody listens to our podcast. It's not always,
00:11:56 you know, clean cut, cookie cutter. You know, we've had all three of our girls at one point or another,
00:12:02 you know, quote unquote cohost our, uh, our, our podcasts. But I think that there is something to be said with you know,
00:12:10 authenticity and taking your mess and turning it into your message. And you absolutely can do this, that you can take one step and put it in front of the other that,
00:12:22 you know, one of the things I love about your story sky is, you know, you, you shared on our podcast,
00:12:27 and I'm sure your listeners know, uh, about your story and the struggles that you've had in financial struggles and how they got to your head.
00:12:35 And so the reason why people can, can come to you and talk to you is because they can relate to you and your story.
00:12:43 So get out there, publish, tell your story, get out there and share your mess. Not because it makes you look bad,
00:12:50 but because it makes you actually, I believe it makes you look good to look authentic and makes you look real.
00:12:58 It makes you look relatable. It makes you, uh, it draws people to you. So if you really want to make a dent in the universe,
00:13:07 take your mess wherever you're at, whether that's financial stress, whether that's marriage, stress regarding divorce, kids,
00:13:14 uh, some sort of addiction or something like that. Get on, be authentic, started publishing like Jocelyn said there a blog,
00:13:21 a podcast video and all that good fun stuff and turn your message, your message, because there's somebody else out there that needs to hear what you're saying and needs to hear how you went through and accomplish all of those goals either with a one year old kid screaming in the background.
00:13:42 And if that's your message, then the person you're talking to or the person you know that, that the message is for,
00:13:49 they're going to be able to relate to that. Um, and, and, and again, I mean,
00:13:52 I, you know, I family life movement, this is part of y'alls quote brand, right? Is that idea of how,
00:13:59 how do you do life? How do you do business? How do you do family all in the real world?
00:14:05 Because, you know, it isn't always perfect. It isn't always clear. You know, I'm lucky enough that now I have an office that is mine,
00:14:14 you know, but, but that's not always the case. And if it's not okay, you know,
00:14:21 and again, I have a 17 year old, so it's very easy for me to tell him I'm going to go record.
00:14:25 I need an hour. He's fine, you know, but not very different. Well, actually right now he's kind of reached the point because he's been in self isolation where he's basically saying,
00:14:38 you know, I, I would like school to start again so I can see people, you know,
00:14:42 he, he's, he's about done with this thing home thing. He, he's, he's, uh,
00:14:48 uh, he's not thrilled about it. So Madden and Jocelyn, if, if you could travel into the far future,
00:14:55 go forward in time 150 years, let's say, and you looked back on your life, 50 a hundred,
00:15:01 whatever, you know, you're no longer here. Um, what impact do you hope you've had on the world?
00:15:07 I don't necessarily want people to, I don't feel like my name needs to be remembered. I just want people to know that it is possible to focus on whatever your goals are and have a family at the same time.
00:15:25 I think that there's a misconception a lot of times that you can't do both. Um, and you know,
00:15:30 there's, you know, there's a lot of mommy bloggers out there, but then there's also a lot of people who really focus on business and I,
00:15:37 we're trying to mesh that together. I feel like I'm in a way that you can have, I don't want to say have it all,
00:15:46 but, you know, and in some regard I do want, I just want there maybe, maybe,
00:15:51 um, I think, I don't know what, you know, 150 years down the road, what business is going to look like.
00:15:58 I feel like it's going to look very different than what we think than what it is now. I mean,
00:16:05 I think, I think even after Alex COBIT stuff, things are gonna look very, very different. How businesses works.
00:16:10 Um, just because people are realizing, Hey, we can't make people work from home. Um, yeah.
00:16:17 So I just, just knowing that it is possible, I think it's probably the biggest, the biggest thing I want.
00:16:26 So there's a couple of things. One, I want both parents to know that they are essential for childhood development because without both parents,
00:16:39 without mommy and daddy, my girls do not have that proper founded a foundation. Now, if you're a single parent out there,
00:16:48 I was raised by a single parent. I know how phenomenal you're doing. I have a small understanding of how difficult your job is,
00:16:56 keep up the good work. But one of the biggest things I want and family life movement is for people to know and understand,
00:17:04 Hey, my wife, you know, this whole idea of, uh, of equality, right? I believe that God created us different but with equal value.
00:17:17 My wife is just as important as I am in this family for different reasons. And I think that that's important to know,
00:17:25 is important to understand that she has gifts, that she has, ways that she can help people, that I would never be able to,
00:17:31 she can reach people that I'll never be able to. And when I understand that I value her, I value her uniqueness.
00:17:38 I value her not as somebody below me or somebody as I'm supposed to be. You are a leader of her or anything like that.
00:17:45 But I value her as a, as a gift from God. At the same time, you know,
00:17:51 it's especially with wrestling with fatherhood, my kind of my other business I've got going on and stuff, I won't mend that understanding.
00:18:00 Discover your strengths, understand your own value, uh, accomplish your goals and you can live out your dreams.
00:18:05 Become your children's biggest heroes. Uh, men. If you're listening, it's not time for us to man up.
00:18:12 It's time for us to data. It's time for us to get into our kids' lives. It's time for us to take this incredible and as this awesome responsibility of raising our kids,
00:18:21 raising our sons, of raising our daughters. Our wives don't have to insure, be the only person working in the house.
00:18:30 You know, it should be us. It should be, you know, whether that's being a stay at home parent or working full timers or you know,
00:18:36 whatever that is, you know, it's not our wife's job to do the dishes. We're not above that.
00:18:42 It's not our wives job to, to mow the grass. Uh, instead that we had this insane value and that we need to own up to this incredible responsibility we have to our family.
00:18:54 Whether that's in a business, you know, like family life movement, we're, you know, our job is to Deliv and try to make our children's lives better and make our life,
00:19:08 our wife lives a little bit better, you know, by making and creating a business and bringing them home so that the entire family can be together or whether that's as a man,
00:19:18 like understanding our own personal mindset and getting over our own demons, getting our over our own struggle and our own mess so that we can move that and get that out of the way so that we can be,
00:19:29 become the best version of ourselves for our kids. So what's coming next for Matt and Jocelyn and the family life movement as you continue on this journey towards living out your call and impacting the world?
00:19:46 Oh, the next thing that we're working on is on May 1st we're going to be launching a group coaching program.
00:19:53 And that group coaching program is all about helping people to be able to build a business to create that,
00:19:59 that initial income that will, you know, that first thousand dollars. Cause once you make those first that you make that first step,
00:20:07 the next step is a little easier and then the next step is a little easier. So it's a 12 week program.
00:20:12 Uh, can't wait to go and do that. We're going to be talking about affiliate marketing and eCommerce and coaching and speaking and publishing and how do you create an income doing all of this so that once you've created an income and have that money coming in,
00:20:32 you can be at home with your spouse, with your kids, making that impact in their life. If we're going to be continuing the podcast that's not going away.
00:20:43 Um, and we are maybe looking at coaching at some point as well on top of the group coaching.
00:20:51 Um, it's group coaching slash course is kind of the way I'm looking at it. It does have like a course component.
00:20:58 It's going to be 12 weeks, 12 weeks long, and every week there's a different component. So we'll talk about websites and funnels.
00:21:05 We'll talk about uh, your, you know, your avatar and, and, uh, different key businesses that you can go into and,
00:21:12 and different things. So like each week there's going to be a specific goal. So at the end of that week,
00:21:18 your, the goal is going to be to know how to build up your own website to build up your own funnel.
00:21:23 Uh, you know, the next week is going to be all about building up and understanding traffic and how to get people onto your website and different things.
00:21:32 So I'm pretty excited for that. It's going to be fun. I definitely think that we are going to be continuing to travel as well as a family.
00:21:39 Um, and I don't know if that necessarily is going to be impacting family life movement in any way,
00:21:47 but I mean that's, that's a dream of ours right now. Um, and keep on working on trying to bring me home is the ultimate goal.
00:21:59 I don't know that if I'll ever completely stop working, but having that as an option would be really nice.
00:22:05 Yeah, I would definitely say like, I want these businesses to get to the point where Jocelyn has the option to work because when she's got the oxygen,
00:22:15 she's no longer stressed out about money and finances and having to go to work and different things like that.
00:22:21 If she wants to, she can do some PRN work or some work where she has paid as needed.
00:22:28 She can still go and help people. But at the same time she can be at home with her kids,
00:22:32 boating up her daughters and it being the phenomenal mom that she is. So Matt and Jocelyn, is there anything else you'd like to share with the Lister?
00:22:43 Uh, yes. Uh, Matt created, um, a workbook. Um, it's called the five areas to change your life.
00:22:51 It's all about a lot of it's about mindset and um, it has very actionable steps in it. Um,
00:22:58 but it's free and it's on our website, family life movement.com. And it's right there at the top of the page.
00:23:03 So I want to say no matter where you're at, no matter where you're at, physically, mentally,
00:23:10 emotionally, spiritually, that you got up this morning and you know that that's, that's a gift. So take that first step.
00:23:19 Whatever your goals are, whatever your dreams are, you know, whether it's physically, mentally, emotionally,
00:23:23 spiritually with your kids, with your wife. Take that first step at first step is the hardest. Once you've taken that first step,
00:23:31 if you've already taken it, take one more. Just one more guys, we look at life. When we look at business,
00:23:38 when we look at our marriage, our children and stuff like that. So many times we want to be at the top of Mount Everest.
00:23:43 We want the best business, want the best marriage. We want the best relationship with our kids. Guys,
00:23:49 it starts one step at a time. Taking one moment at a time, one minute at a time,
00:23:53 one hour at a time, one day at a time when we get a time, one month at a time.
00:23:57 You guys can do this. I've got an absolute faith in you guys and you guys are already taken a great step by listening to my friend Scott spot gas so you can find out more about the family life movement over@familylifemovementdotcomandyoucanfindthatcommunityoveronfacebookatfacebook.com slash groups family life movement.
00:24:21 You can find all of the social media links and all of that stuff over on the website as well as that great free download.
00:24:27 So thanks for much so much for coming on the show today. Oh, a lot of fun. Thanks for having us.
00:24:33 It's great fun. Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast. As a subscriber and listener,
00:24:49 we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling.
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00:25:26 Until next time, invest your time, your talent, and your treasures. Develop your influence and impact the world.