SNS 123: Saturday Night Special – Interview with Linda Bjork author of Crushed: A Journey Through Depression

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Welcome to tonight's Saturday night, special episode 123.

[00:00:06] Linda Bjork: I'm Linda Bjork. I challenge you to invest in yourself. Invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the ability to transform your life with hope is key.

[00:00:24] And one way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this, the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend, Scott Mader.

[00:00:33] and so we have to be able to get our power back. And power is a concept that is often misunderstood. Some people think of power, like a big monster is powerful and scary. And it's me being able to force other people to do what I want. And I'm not talking about that at all. I'm talking about personal empowerment.

[00:00:52] Where I have the power that I know that I can handle my own problems.

[00:00:58] Scott Maderer: Welcome. And thank you [00:01:00] 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 in the inspired stewardship podcast.

[00:01:15] We'll learn to invest in. Invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.

[00:01:24] And tonight, Saturday night special, I asked Linda Bjork about her personal journey of healing and transformation. I also asked her about how all healing begins with hope. Linda also talks with us about faith and empowerment and lots of. Now, one area that a lot of folks need some help with is around the area of productivity.

[00:01:48] Getting not just more things done, but actually getting the right things done can be really. I've got a course called productivity for your [00:02:00] passion. That's designed to help you do this and then to hold you accountable and walk with you so that you can tailor productivity, not just to be getting more done, but actually getting the right things done.

[00:02:15] What's more, we take the approach of looking at your personality and how you actually look at things in the world and tailor the productivity system to your personnel. Because the truth is a lot of the systems that are out there are written really well for somebody with a particular personality type.

[00:02:33] But if you have a different approach to things, they just don't work, but there's

[00:02:38] tools

[00:02:38] Scott Maderer: and techniques and approaches that you can take that will work for anyone. And we help you do that in productivity for your passion. Check it out over@inspiredstewardship.com slash law. Linda Bjork is a best-selling author, speaker blogger podcast, host and founder, and executive director of hope for healing, [00:03:00] nonprofit charity.

[00:03:01] Some of her books include crushed a journey through depression and the Amazon bestseller. You've got this, an action plan to call them fear, anxiety, worry, and stress Linda's personal mission is to empower people to become their best selves. Welcome to the show Lynn.

[00:03:19] Welcome to the show. Linda.

[00:03:21] Linda Bjork: Thanks you. I am so excited to be here, Scott.

[00:03:25] Scott Maderer: I is great to have you, and let's start with this. I'd like to give you a chance to share a little bit about your personal story and how you've come to a point of healing and transformation as you've gone through and come to this.

[00:03:40] Linda Bjork: Thank you. I think that's a great place to start because that's really where things started for me. So perhaps got you're familiar with the Japanese art form called kintsugi is where they take broken pottery. And then they reassemble it using this combination of lacquer and gold dust, and it turns something broken into something beautiful and it's actually [00:04:00] stronger than it was before.

[00:04:01] And that's how my story is. I went from broken to beautiful and there's different kinds of. For example, say you're crossing the street, accidentally dropped your cell phone and the screen cracks and you think, oh, dang it. I broke my phone, but you might just keep using it because it still works.

[00:04:18] So for me, my basic brokenness was feeling just lifelong feelings. I'm not good enough. I don't matter. I'm not important. In fact, I'm invisible, but even though I felt. I can still live my life just fine. Now there's another level of broken and that is say we're crossing the street, accidentally drop our cell phone and now a truck runs it over.

[00:04:44] K. Now we have a different situation. It no longer functions. It's not just broken. It is crushed. So for me, being crushed was struggling with debilitating [00:05:00] depression and social anxiety. It was as if my comfort zone collapsed and I didn't feel safe anywhere or with anyone. And I couldn't feel. Regardless of the circumstances, it was really frustrating.

[00:05:14] So what broke me? What was that truck that ran me over well in our lives, we all have trials and struggles and I'm no exception. And I have dealt with poverty at one point. I was so poor. I couldn't afford to buy food and I've dealt with sickness. At one point, I was so sick. I broke a rib coughing, and I have dealt with trauma in my life.

[00:05:34] At the time I arrived at the scene of a motorcycle accident in time to see my son. Broken body lying in the middle of an intersection, surrounded by flashing lights and emergency personnel. And Scott, that's an image that you can't forget. I also once took my lovely teenage daughter for some outpatient surgery to help correct some female issues.

[00:05:58] She was having it. Wasn't a big [00:06:00] deal and included some cut cutting and some cauterizing. And the doctor said a little bit of bleed. This is normal, but watch for blood clots and for infection. So I took her home, I put her to bed let her rest and then every half hour. So I tip to hunch your room and see if she was okay.

[00:06:17] And she was sleeping peacefully. After several hours, I got a text from her and I'm in the kitchen. She's in a room. She says, mom, will you come to my room? I need to show you something. And so I hurried to her room. I said, Hey, you're awake. How are you doing? And she didn't answer with words. She threw off the covers and she was soaked in blood from her chest all the way to her feet.

[00:06:42] And there aren't adequate words to describe the terror and the panic that I was feeling and also horrible guilt because I had been checking on her and I thought that she was okay. And the reality is she was bleeding to death. Ryan undermined. [00:07:00] I've also been a woken in the middle of the night with a phone call that my nine month old grandson had a seizure and was not expected to make it through the night.

[00:07:08] He was life-flighted to primary children's hospital, where they did emergency surgery to try to relieve the pressure from his brain, followed by a very delicate brain surgery to try to preserve his life and correct the problem. And they were successful in preserving his life. But unfortunately he did sustain brain damage through the.

[00:07:27] I also have another grandchild. He was diagnosed with cancer at age five months. So we all have trials and struggles. They're different, but we all have them and we do the best we can to be able to handle it and to move forward. But sometimes we're hit with something that is so big or so unexpected, or there's a whole bunch in a row that it overwhelms us and we don't handle it very well.

[00:07:52] And when we're in that situation, if we're not careful, we can slip into depression. And that is what happened with [00:08:00] me. It was as if I had slid into a deep dark pit, and it was so deep that sunlight and hope and happiness could not reach me. And there were no windows and no doors in this dark place. And I did not see any way.

[00:08:21] I thought this is my new reality from here on out. This is as good as it gets and the best I can ever hope for is to be able to endure and misery for the rest of my life. And I was in that place for about five years, but almost no one knew because I still want it to look normal. I still want it to look like I was okay.

[00:08:44] So whatever energy I had was used to manage. And to pretend that I'm okay. About that time, my sister, who was training to become a life coach, she had was organizing this women's retreat. She had reserved this [00:09:00] condo in the mountains and she was going to invite this group of women. And for three days and three nights teach them about how to be happy and to live fulfilled and all that sort of thing.

[00:09:08] And she had no idea what I was going through, but she invited me to come. And when I received her invitation, it made me sick. I thought there is no way. There is no way I cannot handle being around people strangers day and night with no means of escape. And besides there is nothing she can teach me.

[00:09:29] That's going to help anyway, because I am stuck. I am trapped and there's nothing that's going to work. So I didn't like. But the idea wouldn't leave my head and I felt like I, I should. And so I gathered my courage together. And I went and I am so glad that I did because that decision changed my life. It is as if my sister lowered a ladder down into my deep dark pit [00:10:00] and she showed me a way to climb out.

[00:10:04] And it was very much a ladder. It was not an elevator. It was instant at the press of a button. It was hard and it took time and it took effort, but it worked. I have learned that healing is not like flipping on a light switch. It is not instant. It is like a sunrise where the change from moment to moment might be imperceptive.

[00:10:28] But it does come and it is beautiful and it is powerful. And through my experiences, I have also learned that those feelings I had of being broken and crushed are actually quite common. Even among people that might look like they have it all together. And I wrote a book about my experiences. It's called crushed to journey through depression.

[00:10:53] And I have received letters from so many readers who have said, wow, I feel like I'm reading my own [00:11:00] story. I feel like you're in my head and they feel seen and feel understood and they feel. That they can heal too. And this is not just people struggling with depression and anxiety. It's all kinds of people dealing with all kinds of different issues.

[00:11:17] Because even though our life experiences can be very different, our feelings and our emotions are very similar and relatable. And that is what the book is about. It's me opening myself, allowing myself to be vulnerable so that I can help other people because. I want to be someone who lowers a ladder to anyone who feels trapped or stuck in a dark place.

[00:11:46] Scott Maderer: And I buy. Clinical depression runs in my family. I've been diagnosed with clinical depression in the past. I'm not currently under medication or anything, but I've been through [00:12:00] therapy. I've been on depressive medication and I've had, I've done a lot of work to get to a point where I'm not, but there's still days.

[00:12:07] I faced those battles just like many of us do. And so that description that you gave of we begin to feel like it's a permanent pit, we're stuck there. And it's, I call it the P's of permanent pervasive and. It's never gonna end it's all about me and it affects every area of my life, so it's permanent, pervasive and personal. And it does, it feels that way. Doesn't mean it's true, but it feels true that. In a way

[00:12:39] Linda Bjork: and it can be true. Could not

[00:12:41] Scott Maderer: be true. And that's why I said it doesn't mean it's true. Might be, might not be, you don't know yet.

[00:12:46] So as part of that too you've started a nonprofit, the hope for healing, a nonprofit charity as well. And you talk a lot about how if you think about this being in that pit, that the [00:13:00] beginning of that journey, or the beginning of climbing that ladder, the beginning of all of those journeys begins with hope.

[00:13:06] What is that message of hope that you try to bring to the.

[00:13:10] Linda Bjork: So every journey to healing begins with hope. And that is literally, and also hope is an acronym. And the H stands for having a hunger for healing, for happiness. When we are satisfied with the status quo, nothing changes we to stay the same. And if we have, yeah, I'd like to feel better.

[00:13:29] Things usually still stay the same. That desire has to grow until it reaches a tipping point. And the tipping point is when we want to change more than we want to stay the same. And you can tell when you've reached that point, because you're willing to do something about it. The O stands for being open.

[00:13:50] So when I was struggling with depression and anxiety, oh, I was closed tight. Did not want anyone to break through my shell. Like a little Armadillo, all rolled up in [00:14:00] a ball and the armadillos do that to protect themselves. And that's exactly what I was doing because I felt threatened.

[00:14:07] Everywhere and healing can't take place until we open up a

[00:14:13] little

[00:14:13] Linda Bjork: bit. And my first probably step toward that was being open enough to admit to another person. That I was not in a good place and another thing I had to be open to receiving help, and that was hard. And I had to be open to some new ways of thinking.

[00:14:35] I had to be open to trying new things. I had to be open to change and I had to be open to healing. All of that requires being open. And I didn't go from being tight to arms, open wide one little step. The first thing is I admitted to my sister. I said, I'm not in a good place. I'd kinda like to come, but I'm scared.

[00:14:56] And that allowed her to become a [00:15:00] help and a strength for me. So I didn't have to hide from one person. The pain stands for positive expectancy and positive expectancy mean we are expecting a positive. Outcome. And according to researchers and psychologists, having a positive expectancy is absolutely crucial to the success of any program or treatment for mental or emotional issues.

[00:15:23] If we don't believe that something is going to work, if we're going to have a change, if we're going to have healing and we won't put in the work it takes to do.

[00:15:31] Exactly. And that was my first step is I don't want to do this because nothing works for me anyway. So again, I did not go from thinking that there was nothing to wide open and I believe everything and everything's going to be okay, just that tiny, tiniest, little bit of hope that maybe she might have something that could help me.

[00:15:51] So we don't have to burst wide open, just let a little crack of light in the east. Empowerment when we're feeling depressed, when we're feeling [00:16:00] anxious, when we're feeling victim mentality, when we're struggling with a low self esteem or lack of courage, all of these kinds of things, we're feeling. And so we have to be able to get our power back.

[00:16:14] And power is a concept that is often misunderstood. Some people think of power, like a big monster is powerful and scary. And it's me being able to force other people to do what I want. And I'm not talking about that at all. I'm talking about personal empowerment where I have the power that I know that I can handle my own problems and I have the power to be able to know that everything is going to be okay.

[00:16:39] Even if I don't know what okay. Looks like. And it's the power to feel comfortable in my own skin. So where does that power come from? How do you obtain it? It comes from a combination of learning and doing so education by itself. It's helpful as necessary, but by itself it [00:17:00] doesn't change anything. It is when we add the application that changes began to take place.

[00:17:06] So I could maybe read about something or hear something or learn something and put it on the shelf. It's not, self-help in a shock. And inspired leadership. We're allowed to talk about faith things. Is that right? Okay. So Jesus taught about that combination of learning and doing when he taught the parable of the wise man and the foolish man, the wise man built his house on a rock foolish man built his house on the sand and the rains came and the floods came and the storms came the house on the rock, stood still the house on the sand washed away.

[00:17:38] When I was little, we used to sing that, but I didn't pay attention to what it was that made the wise man wise and the foolish man foolish. And the difference is Jesus said, whosoever, hear these sayings of mine and do with them. He's likened to a wise man. And who, so here at these things in mind and do with them not is likened unto a foolish [00:18:00] man.

[00:18:00] So our information is not completely. Until we act. And so we talked to just a little bit about my nonprofit called hope for healing. We have action plans, you teach something and then here's how to apply it.

[00:18:17] Scott Maderer: So let's kind of circle back a little bit. What you mentioned being in that dark pit and having the ladder lowered down.

[00:18:25] And now of course, you're at the point of doing, having a books out and during the nonprofit. I think we skip the middle one. What was some of the things that helped you climb that ladder and not again, it wasn't a light switch. You said it that way that caught you moving in that journey and got you to the point where you're at.

[00:18:49] Linda Bjork: That is an excellent question. It is a series of small, simple action steps. So some of the things I had to learn how to do, I had to learn how to change my self-talk [00:19:00] and that is not an easy thing. That's a challenging thing. So some of the things that I had to do is first become aware of that and then to be actively putting positive things into my mind.

[00:19:15] And some of the ways you do that are by repeating things, but other ways have nothing to do with talking or listening. They're doing things that change the chemistry in our bodies. So you're well aware that depression is not a matter of snapping out of it. Chemical, there are imbalances in our brains and our bodies.

[00:19:35] So we have to literally change the chemistry in our bodies. Of course, that's why we have doctors and that's why we have medication. And those things are fantastic. But in addition to those, there are things that we can do to change the chemistry in our bodies. So this can be used in addition to the other things that you're doing, or depending on your situation, you can just use it on it.

[00:19:58] So one of the [00:20:00] tools is music, and that sounds so simple, but I've had friends who've struggled with abuse and other issues and they would make up tapes. And at the time I thought, okay, that's nice. But then when I was in that dark place, myself, I thought, oh, I get it now. So music is one of the things that.

[00:20:19] It alters and affects more parts of our brain than any other activity. They've done FMR eye scanners. And it's the one thing that just, it just affects everything and it affects the way that you feel. And there have been research that shows that actually our brainwaves synchronized. To the beat of the music, which we can use in lots of different ways.

[00:20:39] If we're struggling with motivation and we decide, I still want to do anything, listening to positive, upbeat music can help you get going. And this is what people have playlist for when they go jogging, because literally makes a difference. Or if we're feeling stressed out and we can't think clearly listening to calming music can help us to be able to calm down and literally [00:21:00] to think better.

[00:21:01] And if you really want to boost the power of me, Yes, same thinking has been scientifically proven to help reduce muscle tension, to help load or lower cortisol levels to help the way that we feel. There have been studies that show that it reduces depression and anxiety. One of my favorite studies that took a group of people who were struggling with depression, anxiety, they said, you're the control group.

[00:21:22] Just keep doing what you're doing. They took another group and they said, okay, only thing we want you to do. Sing every day. And then after 30 days they checked the control group was the same as they were before. The group that had added singing to their daily routine had significantly lower levels of depression and anxiety.

[00:21:43] It does amazing things and it's such a small and simple step and they don't even know all of the reasons why, but one of the things scientists have discovered is there's a tiny little organ in the inner ear called the section list that is stimulated when. Same. And when that is stimulated, it sends an instant boost of pleasure [00:22:00] to the brain.

[00:22:01] And it's one of those things that can cause an instant change and it is amazing. So that's one of the tools. Another tool is gratitude, which sounds like again, such a smart. And simple thing, but again, so much research has been done on gratitude and the brain. They have shown that having an attitude of gratitude actually increases the neuroplasticity of the brain, which literally makes it so that we can handle change better, that we can be more resilient.

[00:22:33] And it is amazing. It does so many incredible things. And then they did another study. One of my favorites is done. It was done in. And they took a control group. They said just keep doing what you're doing. And they took another group that said, practice gratitude. We want you to write gratitude journals.

[00:22:48] You want you to think about things you're grateful for. And then after a while they put the FMRI scanners and checked out their brain activity and found that the group that had been practicing gratitude had more activity [00:23:00] in the prefrontal cortex area. Which is where we do our decision-making, it's where we are in the present.

[00:23:05] And it does so many incredible things. It helps us be able to make better decisions. It helps us be able to be in the present more. A lot of times we talk about, oh, I've got so much on my plate and everybody knows there's not some real plate, but it just makes sense. Cause there's like a lot of stuff on there and we have our problems we're dealing with.

[00:23:23] Plus we have the past and plus we have the future. We're worried about. And if we can just concentrate on the present for a little while it helps clean some of those items off the plate. So that for a little while, we're able to. Handle our situation better because we can see it better. So that's another one.

[00:23:41] I have tons. How many do you want another winner

[00:23:44] Scott Maderer: now that we can keep going? The but before we do the interesting thing about this is and you mentioned it off-handedly is all of these sounds simple and yet when you're [00:24:00] in those places, when you're struggling, they're not.

[00:24:03] Yeah, if that makes sense. So how, yeah, go ahead.

[00:24:08] Linda Bjork: Sorry. It can sound. Like I'm in this place, you have no, you don't understand how serious this is, how hopeless I feel. And you're telling me to sing a song that is offensive. You don't understand what the problem is. And and that can be a little frustrating as you're in the position of that.

[00:24:28] Again, we have to be a little bit open

[00:24:29] Scott Maderer: and

[00:24:31] Linda Bjork: it does. It's you're not taking my problem seriously. I have a real issue here. I have a real problem and you're treating it with little sugar sprinkles and it's ridiculous.

[00:24:42] Scott Maderer: But the thing of it is it's what it is doing is beginning the small steps of reprogramming.

[00:24:47] Cause w and we've got computers, so we can talk computer terms, but we do program our minds with thoughts and beliefs and history, and what's come before in breaking through. [00:25:00] Programming. Isn't it. It's it can be simple, but it's not easy. I think we confuse those. You know what I mean?

[00:25:08] We think that simple means easy, but easy means it would be the light switch, it would turn on and you'd be better. Oh, just sing one song and you're all better today. And that's not what you're saying.

[00:25:18] So how do you work with others to help them begin this journey and become their best selves?

[00:25:24] Linda Bjork: So a couple of things that my sister did for me, We had a conversation before we actually went. And I admitted to her, I said, I think I want to go to your thing, but I'm scared. And I said, I'm not in a good place.

[00:25:40] And she said, great. I had no idea. You look like you're so put together all the time. And she said, but I understand because people thought I had it all together when I was really miserable inside, but now I'm genuinely happy and it feels wonderful. [00:26:00] And when these, this is a simple conversation, but a couple key elements took place.

[00:26:05] One is she didn't judge me or whatever, but she. Made it sound like she might be able to understand how I was feeling. And that was a huge thing. And then the second thing is she gave me some hope that she might have something that could actually help me. So as I'm sharing my story, my point is those two things.

[00:26:29] First I understand because I have been there and second year, I have something that I can share that can genuinely help. And if I can help those people who were like me in that dark place and tight, if you can open up just a tiny bit of hope and that tiny bit. Maybe she can understand how I feel, cause I'm sure you probably felt this way, but man, in that dark place, I felt like nobody can understand how this is the only [00:27:00] person that has ever felt this way and that ever will feel this way worst.

[00:27:05] And to have that understanding that no you're not alone. And two, we can really help that, that, that is my main message. So through all of the hope for healing, for all my books, for everything, it's those two. I give the information, this is, and then how to apply it. But also that element of, I understand you're not

[00:27:27] Scott Maderer: alone.

[00:27:27] And that is again, I've dealt with depression in my own life and with others and other trauma situations as a school teacher for 16 years I've seen things like that play out. And when. Yeah, it's very common that's that feeling of like you said, I'm the only person that's ever felt this way.

[00:27:48] I'm the only person that ever will feel this way. Nobody else can understand. And it isn't necessarily that anyone ever does really understand exactly what you're going through or has had the same journey. [00:28:00] And yet there's a commonality there, like you said, there's a maybe I haven't had the experience you've had, but I've had a similar experience that.

[00:28:09] Some of the same emotions,

[00:28:10] Linda Bjork: our life experiences are different, but the feelings and emotions that we have are similar and relatable. So I'm not going to be able to tell anyone I understand precisely your life experience, but I can say I understand how it feels and that's not the same thing.

[00:28:30] Scott Maderer: And that's part of what going back to the tools that we were sharing and let's return down that journey.

[00:28:36] That's part of what makes. Yeah. That's why it's not belittling is cause again, it's not about, no, this is perfect. This is looking at cure you it's about having this commonality of again, the emotions and the way that this affects your feelings as common to,

[00:28:53] Linda Bjork: and it does it on a chemical physiological level.

[00:28:56] So when I was taught this, I did not understand that [00:29:00] point. I just thought I am so desperate that I'm going to do what you say. 'cause I need help. And then afterwards, when things changed around, I'm like, wait a minute. Why. So then I began to do the research and huh, this is very well documented. This stuff is legit.

[00:29:18] Scott Maderer: Yeah. And so a little background, I have a degree in biochemistry. I have a degree in genetics. And I enjoy reading the technical papers. So a lot of I love the research studies that have shown different ways of framing, your thinking and changing, limiting beliefs. I had the experience of, I was teaching to a group of about five or 600 folks.

[00:29:40] And I asked the question, how many of you have a voice inside your head that talks to you in some way, either in pictures or words, or communicates with you daily. And of course, every single hand went up and I said, now how many of you is that voice nights? Keep it. It's a nice voice.

[00:29:53] Keep your hand up. If it's nice, every single hand went down and it's that's the normal [00:30:00] experience. And yet it doesn't have to be.

[00:30:01] Linda Bjork: Very true. So the way I talked to myself, I would never, ever talk to another human like that because by nature, I am kind and I am compassionate and I was to other people, but not to myself.

[00:30:17] I didn't think it counted. And I certainly didn't think that I counted. Yeah. I, and I think that's common that our self-talk is. Often in words and phrases and pictures that we would never inflict on another human being. So I catch you off mid tools with singing and gratitude and being present in the present.

[00:30:39] Scott Maderer: Was there anything else in that, that you wanted to highlight for folks as well? That's an empowerment tool or a self-help tool that, that Being able to reflect

[00:30:49] Linda Bjork: on excellent question. I have many, and I would invite your listeners to come to hope for healing website so you can get [00:31:00] whole bunch of them.

[00:31:01] Let's see. One of the things I enjoyed was is service and service is fantastic. And it is one of my favorite studies done on service is about self-esteem and confidence. And so they took a. People struggling with self-esteem and confidence is that okay. Control group. Keep doing what you're doing.

[00:31:20] They took another group. They said, treat yourself, just go do nice things, go get your hair done, go get your nails done, go do a little retail therapy, just treat yourself. And then another group, they did all the things that we instinctively do. We want you to, when you go to a social function, you make sure that you have.

[00:31:39] All of your weaknesses and you bring forth all of the strengths that you have and try to get people to notice them and try to get them to comment. And then the fourth group was assigned to do random acts of kindness. Just go do nice little things for people. And then after a period of time, they brought them all back and the tested their before and their after [00:32:00] and the control group, they were the same after, as they were before.

[00:32:03] And then the interesting thing is the group that did that self pampering. Was exactly the same as the ones who did nothing, the group that did all those things that we instinctively naturally do about trying to hide all of our weakness and try to show our strengths. They were worse than they were before when they came.

[00:32:23] And then the group that had improvement, the only group that had improvement was the one who did the service. That those little kinds of things service does some magical things. When you're struggling with depression and anxiety, it is very inward. You are focused on it's like I was the only person in the world, which is really embarrassing to say, but when you serve it turns.

[00:32:44] You out. And just that act of turning from inward outward can do magical things, and it helps get us out of our own head. And it helps us to stop thinking about our problems for a little while. And so it does some [00:33:00] amazing things. So that's one, but there are several,

[00:33:02] Scott Maderer: Yeah. W we could probably list about a hundred if you wanted to try it.

[00:33:07] So one of the questions I like to ask, all of my guests is about my brand is inspired stewardship. I talk about stewardship. That's the lens that I put things through. And yet I've discovered over the years, that word means different things to different people. So I wanted to ask you, what does the word stewardship mean to you and what has its impact been on your.

[00:33:28] Linda Bjork: Excellent question. I love how you say that. Stewardship means different things to different people, because it can have different, I don't know, aspects to it. So stewardship basically to me means that you're using careful management and careful. Let me see. What's the word? I can't use the word stewardship, careful and responsible management, but it's specifically about things that you don't know.

[00:33:53] It is something that is interested into your care, which adds a whole other level of [00:34:00] all kinds of different things. So one of the, my favorite stories about stewardship would be, again, a parable that Jesus taught about the talents, where there was a man, he was going to go on a journey. He said, okay, while I'm gone, you guys take care of myself.

[00:34:17] Call disturbance one, you take five towns here, you take two. Here you take one. Then he left. When he came back, there was a reckoning. And I think stewardship also includes that reckoning. What did you do with the things that you had? So the question of course is to the guy with the five. Once you do, Hey, I've made five more.

[00:34:35] Awesome, good job. Well done. You've been faithful over a few things. I'll make you ruler over many. The one was too same kind of story, same kind of reward. The one with Ron and his thoughts. This was yours. And I knew that whatever I was going to do to it, wasn't going to reward me. It was going to reward you.

[00:34:52] So I did nothing here. It is, take it back. And that kind of a thing was not appreciated by the master. So [00:35:00] as we have our talents and we have our abilities, when we use them to share and to help other people, I think it benefits us as well. And we talk about stewardship of our earth and stewardship of the land.

[00:35:12] It means this is going to last longer than what. And we need to be able to hand something down. So lots of aspects to stewardship, that's a deep question. Good

[00:35:22] Scott Maderer: job. And on it's go a little deeper though. How does that understanding of stewardship affect your life?

[00:35:29] Linda Bjork: Affect my life personally, I want to leave things better than I found them. I want to leave. For my children for other people, I want to make. I want to use my talents to make things better.

[00:35:44] Scott Maderer: And so that leads into this question. If I could invent a machine and I can grab you from today and move you into the far future, maybe a hundred or 150 years and magically, you were able to look back on your life and see all of the ripples and the [00:36:00] impact that you've had.

[00:36:01] What's the impact that you hope you've left behind in the world?

[00:36:03] Linda Bjork: I see it like time planting. And I want to see him grow and I want to see him produce and they are based on who I am and what I choose to be now. So I am a woman of faith. I am an advocate for hope and healing. I'm a compassionate, humanitarian.

[00:36:22] I am a gentle and powerful influence. And I am a servant leader. And so when I look forward, I want to see that these things, these seeds that I planted have created wonderful fruit that helps nourish people far down the future.

[00:36:38] Scott Maderer: So what's coming up next for you as you continue on this journey of living those things out.

[00:36:45] What's what's on the.

[00:36:46] Linda Bjork: Specifically, like I said I'm planting seeds and I'm trying to nourish them and weed them and water them. So there's lots of effort on updating and keeping things going with the hope for healing website. I'm trying to get the word [00:37:00] out through like being a guest on your podcast.

[00:37:04] It doesn't do me any good to have these wonderful resources and have people not know about them.

[00:37:08] Scott Maderer: So you can find out more about Linda on her website. It's over at the hope. No, the sorry. It's over@hopeforhealingfoundation.org.org. You can also find Linda on Facebook as Linda's corner podcast and on LinkedIn as Linda York.

[00:37:30] B J O R K. Of course. I'll have links to all of that over in the show notes. Linda, is there anything else you'd like to share with the

[00:37:37] Linda Bjork: listener? No, except just a thank you for what you're doing and thanks for letting me be a part of this.

[00:37:42] Scott Maderer: Absolutely. It was awesome to have you today.

[00:37:45] Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship podcast. As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen, but act on what you've heard and find a way [00:38:00] to live your calling. If you enjoy this episode please do us a favor. Go over to inspired stewardship.com/itunes rate.

[00:38:13] All one word. ITunes rate, it'll take you through how to leave a rating and review and how to make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so that you can get every episode as it comes out in your feed until next time, invest your time, your talent and your treasures. Develop your influence and impact the world.