Episode #61: Nourishing Your Spirit with Rev. Sheila Johnson
Michelle Fox: [00:00:00] Welcome to Nourish with Michelle Fox, your guide to a vibrant life after 40! If consistency has been a challenge for you and you occasionally forget self-care, you, my friend are in the right place. Tune in for weekly inspiration to nourish your mind. I know your plate's full and I want to help you support a life and a body that you adore. Let's dig in.
So, as we celebrate our one year anniversary of Nourish with Michelle Fox, I cannot think of a better guest to introduce my community to, which is my mother, a. k. a. Mamacita, a. k. a. Reverend Mom, a. k. a. She's got lots of a. k. a. s. Because if you know me in real life, [00:01:00] there is a good chance, you know, my mom. She has the most infectious laugh, the most beautiful spirit.
And I invited her to join us in this conversation because she also has a faith that is larger than anything I have ever experienced in my life. We grew up in a very faith filled household, and I say we. My sister and my younger brother as well. And then in that process, I'm giving you kind of the Cliff's Notes version, but in that process, mom did become a reverend.
She went back to school. She went through all the ordination process. We might even touch on that. so she took the faith to even a higher level than what we already were experiencing as children in the household. And so with that, I thought, None other than my mom could bring us perhaps some of the hope that Some of us need right now. In this spirit, a lot of us are in this period of whether [00:02:00] we are taking care of our parents.
In some cases, a lot of us have aging parents. Some of us are still taking care of younger children in the household. Some of us like me are going through a transition where we have teenagers and they need us a little bit less. And so this is the time that it's so important and even crucial, I would say, to lean into our faith.
And so Mom, welcome to the show.
Sheila Johnson: Thank you. It is my honor. Thank you for having me on this. Special, special topic. You know, I love this topic. So thank you.
Michelle Fox: You are welcome. Thank you for obviously being a mom to me and Andy and Mike, but also being a mom to our larger circle. If you're listening to this, I am sure there's a good chance
you probably see her as your mom as well. So before we jump into some of the juicy gems all around spirit and [00:03:00] finding our way, I would love to invite you to play a rapid fire game with me.
Sheila Johnson: I love those. When you interview your other guests, I love those. Okay. So hope I'm good.
Michelle Fox: Oh, I have no doubt. And I guess side note, you won't be surprised.
Mom is one of our biggest fans of the show. So just as a hip tip to my previous guests or maybe my future guests, please know I always get the notes from mom, whether it was a good conversation or not going to use some work.
Sheila Johnson: That's right.
Michelle Fox: I so love having you in my corner. Okay. So the fun let's jump in.
All right. We didn't necessarily grow up with too many animals, we had a few, but if you had to choose Mike's Pet Iguana or our Black Lab Malcolm, which one would you choose?
Sheila Johnson: I would choose the Iguana.
Michelle Fox: The Iguana, okay. Good job, rapid fire, here we go. [00:04:00] When I say sweet, savory, or salty, which one lands for you?
Sheila Johnson: Savory. Savory.
Michelle Fox: And then last but not least, would you be willing to share a story from your childhood in the kitchen?
Sheila Johnson: Oh, yes. Yes. I don't mind at all. My grandmother had so many wonderful things about her and a lot of cooking secrets. She would not tell us. She was an excellent cook. Back in the day when she was growing up, she had to work in a kitchen for a European family, and that was her job.
And so she learned how to cook really, really good. And some of her favorite recipes, I've forgotten most of them because she wouldn't write them down. She wouldn't even tell us, but I watched, I paid attention. And her best one [00:05:00] was macaroni and cheese. And she used the real butter, the real cream, the Gluten filled macaroni noodles.
all the things I no longer eat, but it was to die for. So, yeah. So, and I just loved being in the kitchen with her. She had, um, big hips and I was young, so they probably looked bigger than they really were, but, once in a while, you know, she would. rub the flour or whatever it was she was cooking on her backside and, giggle about it and continue to cook.
So those were some of my most favorite, times in the kitchen with my grandmother. And she didn't talk a lot at all. Yeah. So I had to fill in the silence, but she was wonderful.
Michelle Fox: Thank you for sharing that. So now, as I alluded at the top of this conversation, a lot of my [00:06:00] friends and women in my community are going through some really hard times, whether it's pain through transition of divorce, or even just
moving. And I shouldn't say just because moving can be yes, a lot of work and a lot of transition and as I have watched you through my life from day one, you have been one of the most faith filled people I know. And so, can we just start there like where would you say that your foundation. Where did that came from, as far as your belief in God and your faith but things
Sheila Johnson: always seem to work out.
Thank you for that question I, I rarely get to give that answer or that story, but I have shared with a few people. I knew God and my spiritual connection before I even knew who God was.
When I was growing up, we lived with my grandmother for the [00:07:00] first six years of my life as my parents were saving for their own home.
And they did an addition to the house. They built an addition to the house and that was my room. And it faced a huge maple tree in the backyard and the window was right there. So every night before I went to bed, the shadow from the moon would just reflect the leaves in the room. And I would look at them and many times in the background
there would be noise and cursing and just a sense of fear. But when I looked through the window and I saw the shadows coming in, that would put me to sleep. I built in a resistance to any kind of negativity just by looking through [00:08:00] that window. And I knew there was someone in there with me. Did not know the name God, didn't know Jesus, didn't know the Holy Spirit, but I knew someone was with me and it gave me great joy.
And I often just went to sleep just laying there talking to the spirit, feeling the spirit. When I got older, my mother and my grandmother, started me in Sunday school. And that's when I learned all of the, the names and the processes and the Bible. I learned about the Bible, Bible stories and went to Sunday school in church.
And that's where I met your dad and his family, which was the big family. and we all were friends and my life just was built upon faith and there were so many God moments along the way where I could have been taken out by a car accident, by something falling. I have so many stories and it didn't happen.
I just called on that spirit and say, you know, Please save me or thank you [00:09:00] or afterwards. Oh, that's what that was. So I knew it. So my faith was easy to come by because it's been built up over the years.
Michelle Fox: So as we grew up, You and dad were very social and in all the different social circles we found ourselves in, a lot of people would point at us and look at us and kind of say you guys are like the Cosby family like everybody's doing well everybody's always happy and of course, there's no such thing as a perfect family.
We were not a perfect family. And I just bring that up to say, you went through some really hard times. However, what I witnessed as your daughter is that, yes, you may have gone over some bumps, but you always survived and or thrived, I would say. And so, where does that come from?
Sheila Johnson: There is one of my favorite [00:10:00] scriptures that comes out of the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 11, the first chapter, and it describes faith. Being the
Hope .The hope of what we would like to see what we want in our life and the assurance of that happening after you have hoped for it and lived your life as you've lived your life. Well, I lived that before I ever read the book of Hebrews. if I would feel something tough coming on or like a job change or, work or, you know, arguments
with your dad or something in the church where I could not go ahead because I was a woman, I would keep my, my hope alive. I would say, okay, that's okay. This is this God, this is what I want. And I had the assurance that it was going to happen. right away.
Sometimes it took years, sometimes, oh, sometimes maybe a week, [00:11:00] or maybe instantly. And, that has just built up over the years. So there is nothing that I can think of that really frightened me. to let me know that I could not overcome it because I had God in my life and I lived it. I lived every bit of it.
and some of you who may be watching, if you are a pastor or clergy or have pastor or clergy in your life, there's the saying, we used to laugh about it, said we are going to end up living every sermon that we've preached. And that is so true. And I'm grateful. So, and gratitude. Gratitude was the biggest thing, I think, that pushed me through because we grew up, my two brothers and I, in a very poor house, but I didn't know it until I was in high school.
Obviously, when the other kids were wearing all the nice clothes and we couldn't afford them, but we grew up in, fairly dysfunctional, a lot of noise, [00:12:00] again, all of that stuff. But I had the audacity to believe that god was bringing me through this and it just is grown over the years. So that's, that's where I am.
Michelle Fox: Let me ask you something. Are you tired of those relentless hot flashes night sweats and the roller coaster ride of menopausal symptoms. Well look no further because your favorite culinary nutritionists. Yeah, that's me. I wrote the ultimate guide for you, my friend. In is it hot in here or is it just me? I do my best to empower you with the seven essential steps to dramatically reduce those pesky hot flashes through the power of nutrition. You are not meant to suffer during menopause. And I want to make sure of that. So just as a heads up inside this guide, [00:13:00] you will find that I dive deep into the science behind menopausal symptoms. I explain how specific foods and nutrients can work wonders in alleviating those symptoms. And the goal is for you to get a clear understanding of the root causes and how to address them naturally. I also take a step-by-step approach to outline very simple, yet
Effective strategies to minimize hot flashes. Mood swings. We'll weight gain. And a lot more. Take control of your hormonal balance and experience relief, like never before.
And as a special treat, you'll find a collection of delectable recipes designed to support your journey That is my bonus to you. I want you to take charge of your wellbeing and reclaim your vitality. And this guide, I promise you, my [00:14:00] friend will get you that much closer. So head on over to Michelle fox.com. You can order your book. Is it hot in here or is it just me there? Or we are now on Amazon. So head on over to Amazon, if you prefer to read the guide on your Kindle and just look up, is it hot in here or is it just me by Michelle Fox? I want to support you so please do yourself a favor and grab your copy today!
So you mentioned your ordination. Can you tell us a little bit more about that process? And one, like, how did you decide? Cause I remember as a kid and you told us you were doing this and we're like, ah, yeah, that's mom. She always has these creative ideas. But then you went ahead and you did it. So I want to hear about how you came to decide to be an ordained minister.
And then if you could walk us just like from a 30, 000 square foot view about how that ordination process takes place in the AME [00:15:00] church.
Sheila Johnson: Okay. Okay. My grandmother was AME and she is the one that made the decision that the rest of the family was going to be AME because way back in the day of slavery, we could not attend a European church.
And so Richard Allen, who was the founder, decided to set up a church where black people could go and slaves and former slaves. So that's how, the faith got started. The faith practice got started, but my coming into the ministry was a call and it was an actual call. I remember, so many things that had happened in airports and when I would, you know, we'd go visit you in New York or we'd visit Andy or Mike.
And this is before I answered my call. God put me in positions to help people in extraordinary positions. and I never really thought about it. I said, Oh, thank you God for letting me do that. And then [00:16:00] one night. I couldn't sleep and something nudged me. So I thought it was your dad cause he snored and I thought it was him and he was straight out.
No, that wasn't, wasn't him. And this happened about a week or about five days in a row. Every night, same time I'd wake up, I'd feel this nudge. And the last night that it happened, I sat straight up in the bed and I said, okay, God, I'm yours. And that was my call story. And I remember crying and just being so happy and, then probably the next week or the next weekend, I went into my pastor, the Reverend Jay Langston Boyd, who's now passed away.
And I told him of my call and he had the same reaction that some other, you know, folks may have a little, how about you just teach Sunday school? [00:17:00] Oh, yeah. How about you join the Women's Missionary Society? How about you come up with some other things that you like about the church?
Michelle Fox: And we already know, don't challenge Sheila Baker Johnson.
If you do. If you do. Watch out world. That just probably puts your heels in even deeper. It did. It did. You were determined to say, no, this is what I'm going to do.
Sheila Johnson: This is what I'm going to do. And so after a couple of times, you know, conversations with him, just really pushing, he said, okay. Come on in, you know, this isn't going to be easy.
You know, you've got to get your, your master's degree. And at that time I hadn't been to school in probably 15 years. And he was very encouraging, very supportive and told me that he started school as an old man and I could do it if he could do it. I could do it. And it just went from there. And they actually, he actually hired [00:18:00] me as the, treasurer
for the church for two and a half years so that my tuition would be paid and I live there was just it was beautiful. It is a beautiful story. Beautiful story.
Michelle Fox: So you put your desire out there and God met you and said, Yes, yeah, we're going to support you.
Sheila Johnson: Yeah, that's right. That's right. I put my belief in my hope.
And then I hoped for assurance, and the assurance came. So, that's exactly what, that's exactly what happened. And it was not easy, it was male dominated profession, as it still is, in, in most, places, and. it didn't matter. I mean, the ordination process was long. You had to take classes. There were many conferences you had to go through throughout the year.
You had to travel, to these places back and forth. And then you, of course, study your Bible. There's a lot of biblical studies to do. And then you had to have your Masters of Divinity, which I was working on at [00:19:00] Iowa School of Theology, where I now sit on the board of directors. So I'm very proud of my school.
And the education that I got there.
Michelle Fox: So, yeah, I'm so proud of you as well. Let's do your quick timeline around that. So you got your ordination. Then you became a pastor at Shorter AME?
Sheila Johnson: On the staff, the pastoral staff. I was not a pastor. So we were all, somewhere in the process. Some had already, been ordained and there's two ordinations.
You, you deacon, and then you're an elder. And once you become the elder, then you can perform communion. baptisms, marriages, weddings, all of those, those things of the church.
Michelle Fox: Awesome. Okay. So then quick recap. So you went back to school, got your ordination, became part of the staff at Shorter AME.
And then this is super cliff notes because then after some time you started [00:20:00] your own church.
Sheila Johnson: Yes, and that was after I left Shorter AME Church, and it was, it went for eight years. The first seven years were just blissful. It was wonderful. We served the community. We did food banks. We served the homeless.
I had a contract, non profit contract, with the city of Denver under Mayor Pena and it was, it was just a wonderful time, beautiful membership. And then the eighth year, um, was a formal divorce. And so I left that church and I sat out for, I want to say two, three years. and then, joined where I am now at Colorado Community Church.
So in between that time, those, those seven really fruitful years as a pastor, I learned so very much, and it was such a gift for me.
Michelle Fox: [00:21:00] And let's not forget, you were also a chaplain at the hospital for quite a few years.
Sheila Johnson: Yes. During this time, when I first went to I LIFT, there was a requirement that you do some kind of out service, at no cost.
pay. This is for free. So I had to do 15 hours a week, and I chose, Aurora Medical Center because the head of the department, David Reeves, is just, Reverend David Reeves, was just amazing. I interviewed with him at ILF, and he said, come on board, and so I did, and then I was recently, right before, right after COVID, I left after 19 years.
Michelle Fox: That is amazing. Yes. And then you also currently do weddings and funerals. Yes.
Sheila Johnson: Yes. Okay. Yes. I still do eulogies, weddings, anything that's pastoral I'm available for. And I did put up a website. It just wasn't [00:22:00] my time. And the website is still there, but it just, I had more fun, I think, putting the website together and learning all the new things with your help, of course, and, information from the community, but people do know about me and I just haven't done the marketing that's required, but I'm still here.
So anyone watching, you know, call me if you need any of those, those things. So house blessings, pet blessings, whatever. So, yeah,
Michelle Fox: I love it. We will put all your contact information in the show notes. And so for my friends who are listening right now, perhaps I'm just trying to think of somebody particular hat, perhaps she's a woman and she's running her business, her own business, and it's high pressure.
She's got a son who she's also responsible to take to and from school. She also has friends she wants to keep up with and she's in a marriage where she knows it's just not a good [00:23:00] situation. Okay. Do you have any words for her to give her hope as far as making those choices that she knows she needs to make for herself?
Sheila Johnson: I do. I would first say that she should meditate, go into a space with just her, and I don't know if she believes in God, if she's a believer in Christ, the Holy Spirit, Buddhism, if she's Sikh, whatever her higher power is, she needs to spend time with them and really discern what The basic issue is within herself, and no one can do that but her.
Once she decides that, then she has to move forward without fear, but with faith, everything with faith. And when we do that, the people around us either go [00:24:00] away, or they change. Or decide to support us one or the other. And then, you know, so many places in my life, those just seemed insurmountable at times.
At the beginning, I said, well, okay, God, you got this. I can't do this. It's all yours. And God took care of them in many creative ways that I would never think of. So that's what I think she should do. And, give attention to that child as much as she can, those things that she loves and if, you know, and I'm a proponent of counseling, if she is, can afford counseling, if, if her husband would join her fine, if not, she needs to go on her own and just really increase her faith in herself.
In herself and her God. Yeah. And she'll be fine. And it may not be overnight, but it might be. [00:25:00] Because God knows what, what's coming. That's, that's the other wonderful thing about my faith is, I may not know where this road is leading, but I know that God knows. And I know that if I just hold on fast, to my faith and my friendship with him and thanking him for visiting me in my childhood through that window through the shadows of the trees, then he's going to take care of me and he's done it every time, every time.
Yeah.
Michelle Fox: So, so you mentioned your childhood and that just Sparked memories from my childhood, specifically around college age and a little afterward. I went through some experimentation of some things, including telling you, I'm not a Christian and I'm finding my own way. And so with you being so faithful, what were some of the dialogues that perhaps you had with yourself and, or with God to help you know [00:26:00] that Michelle will find her way?
Sheila Johnson: I was just simply fearful. Of course, when you told me that, for the first time, I just, I cried. I got up the phone. I'm like, Oh, she's lost. And then two seconds later, God's, like, pick yourself up. She's your child. And because she's yours. She's covered and I just, I prayed a lot and with certain personalities and I'm not saying it's yours, you have to allow people to discover their, their bumps and their ways.
And some people, not you, are not comfortable with being told how to exercise their faith or, you know, really what to do, but it comes out, it comes, as they say, it comes out in the wash. So, and I was secure enough in my faith with God that I knew he was going to take care of you. And you had to experience those things before you made the decisions [00:27:00] that you have made, which I think been wonderful.
So yeah.
Michelle Fox: Yeah. Thank you for just being so consistent with your faith. I think that allowed me the freedom to kind of step out and explore, knowing that. Yeah. At the end of the day, mom's still praying for me and that's passed down through the generations because even Angel's like, Oh, don't worry. Grandma's prayed about it.
We're fine. And so
Sheila Johnson: she gets, she gets it, you know, she
Michelle Fox: knows, yeah. Including she might not use the word prayer. In fact, I know she's the word manifestation, just a fun story. I think I shared with you that at the beginning of the summer, she applied to one place to work. And of course, Steve and I were like, pumpkin, let's apply to quite a few different places, just in case you don't get that dream job.
She's like, no, I'm going to manifest it. Of course, a couple of weeks go by, no call, no call, no call. Yes. She's like, [00:28:00] I need money. I'm like, well, maybe you should have applied to different jobs. A week later, she gets the call. It is the place that she wanted to work. And she's like, see, I'm manifesting it. Oh, I love it.
Now she has an afterschool job, which is perfect. Yes. Yes. Yes. I just say that to say by you having faith. It showed me as that example, and somehow that showed Angel example and so for my listeners today, please know that whether we're talking about faith in your world, whether we're talking about the eating choices that you're making, and or your choices around fitness, or perhaps your attitude,
yeah. the children are watching like that. They see, they don't miss all of our moves. Yes. Whether we know it or not. Absolutely. That's just a friendly reminder to perhaps pay a little bit more attention to, to all these areas. Yes. Firstly, for yourself so that you are living the life that you are meant to.
And then [00:29:00] of course, absolutely. The children on the backside of that get permission to live the life that they want to live as well.
Sheila Johnson: Sure. Great advice, Michelle. Great advice. But yeah, faith is a wonderful thing. It's scary at first. It's scary to let go, of what you're feeling and all the things around you and totally give it over to God or your higher, higher power, because as people, we like to be able to control ourselves, to control what we do.
and there are people on, you know, Every extreme of that in terms of control, but when you totally release it, and that's what God wants us to do My God wants me to do that because he knows what or she knows what I'm going to or they end up or they He, she, or they. My kids
Michelle Fox: get me
Sheila Johnson: all the time. I don't know.
They do. I know
Michelle Fox: they do.
Sheila Johnson: Binary. Yes. I'm binary. I'm on the board at Iowa, so I'm very binary. [00:30:00] So, which I, which is wonderful for me. So I, yeah, I did just encourage people. You have to release. You have to release.
Michelle Fox: Yeah. So if you'd be willing to dive a little deeper and just share, like, I mean, you've lived, oh, long, don't bump me now, but I think 73 years, 72 years, 72 years on this planet.
And so obviously there have been some highs and some lows, but would you be willing to walk us through perhaps one of the lowest points in your life and how faith pulls you through those?
Sheila Johnson: there's so many things, taking my mind back, but it, pretty sure it was, when your dad got sick and it wasn't even, I, I foresaw that. I knew he would not be with us much longer because of his lifestyle and what he was eating. And his friends, my [00:31:00] friends, his clients, all would tell him, manage your blood pressure because blood pressure manifests itself sometimes in your forehead.
It's like little worms crawling across your head because your veins get real big because of the blood. So that's just a medical part of it. But At the time when he did have his stroke, the things that most people would think of, like, because we were divorced, but there's no way after being married 42 years, I was just going to let him just, okay, see ya, by the wayside, but I made sure that, the hospital, the ICU, everywhere he went was going to be the best care.
And so in that process, I didn't think about the mortgage, which we both still were on the mortgage. I didn't think about, really food buying food, fuel, all of those things, that most [00:32:00] people, responsible people would be thinking of. But I lived at the hospital.
Michelle Fox: You were in trauma?
Sheila Johnson: Yeah, I was in trauma and
God knew I was in trauma, and so along the way, I thought, well, you can't worry. I just, I did not worry or just would have been crazy. so I decided to go by the house one day and check the mailbox, which was full because I wasn't living there. Then I went through some things and found some things that said, Oh, maybe you need to take care of this.
Well, meantime, bye. There were people who truly loved your dad, truly loved me, who would just come up to me and put money in my hand. not little money, money enough to pay three months worth of mortgage. Oh my goodness. Wow. Yes. They would give me, king Soopers cards to buy gas for my car. They, they knew I had, I was, I was doing, sub substitute teaching at Denver, DPS.[00:33:00]
And it was just maybe once or twice a week. So the school called me and asked me, Hey, would you like the district? Would you like to become like a permanent, teacher, you know, and full time, What's the word I'm looking for? not full time teacher, but, Like a teacher's aide? not teacher's aide.
Substitute. Thank you. Oh, full time substitute teacher. Getting cuckoo here, but full time substitute. And it just so happened, there were teachers who were going on maternity leave. There's, you know, one woman took a three month journey to Europe. And, and I was there, and it was the most, That was a huge blessing because I was there every day earning money, doing things I loved, I loved the kiddos, you know, they loved you, that , doing field trips, all of that.
Those are things I could not have projected said, Okay, well, Michael's had this stroke. you need to go, you know, teach. I mean, those things [00:34:00] came at me. They fell into my lap literally fell into my lap. So I didn't have to worry about the money. I didn't have to worry about housing. All of that came in time.
So that was probably the toughest time because I was juggling so many things and wondering, okay, now where are you going to be at the end of this, but not worry about it.. It's like, OK God, what are you going to do with me? You know, am I going to teach forever? when I go back and, and preach, am I going to get my own church? What am I going to do?
And they were questions like you're asking me questions now. They were not like, oh my gosh, what am I, I would never got to that, never got to that. And, I'm forever grateful. And that was my faith.
Michelle Fox: What a testimony. Amen. Amen. God is looking out for you. God's had your back. Absolutely. From day one. And God had your back during [00:35:00] such a traumatic experience.
Yes, yes, yes. For my friends who don't know, my father did end up dying of stroke and high blood pressure. But before he actually, you know, his final day of death, it was two freaking long years of us watching him slowly die in and out of hospitals and in and out of, it wasn't in and out of hospice. I think hospice was the last stop.
Sheila Johnson: Hospice was the last stop. The last stop.
Michelle Fox: Okay. But yeah, that is a pain. I would not wish on anybody's family or anybody's body, which is why I'm so motivated to continue doing the work to help create healthier communities so that nobody has this type of demise in the future.. Yes.
Sheila Johnson: Yes. And it was, you know, I have such credit to my children who all stepped in, in so many different ways and just did what they do.
They just did what they do. And then for those of you [00:36:00] who do know, as we know, Mike moved back, he had a wonderful job at, Disney and I tease him about, you know, working for the rides, but no, he, he did much, much, much more. Yeah, he actually managed accounts for, for folks in their retirement and all kinds of stuff, but he gave that up and moved to Denver.
And then, of course, Michelle and Andy were just, they were just my right hand, my left hand, my feet, my everything, my eyes, my ears. And so they stepped right in during that time and just made it a smooth transition. You know, we had to sell the house and then I chose to, I chose not to stay in that big house.
They said, mom, if you want to stay, we'll make sure you can do this until you can afford it. I remember that. And I said, no way. I don't want to be in that big house by myself. And things just, just happened, just happened, and I landed on my feet and, and almost felt I was on my feet, but, lots of help
from my kiddos and, and people who love me. So many people from Shorter, so [00:37:00] many people, that I had met at Colorado Community hadn't really joined yet. people in the community, people at ILIF, just amazing stories. So things I could not have known about. So yeah, faith, faith is a real thing. And now that we are in A world that appears to just turn upside down, you need your faith so that you're not walking around in fear, because fear will kill you, it will literally kill you, it changes your mind, it physically changes your body, you go through a lot of things, so you don't need to be in fear, and there, there's a source higher than we are, who can handle that,
So in this world, you need your faith. So let's get working on it.
Michelle Fox: Yes. Constant process. Day by day practice. That's the word I was reaching for. Okay. Definitely. Day by day practice. [00:38:00]
Sheila Johnson: It is. Yeah.
Michelle Fox: Well, thank you. Your voice, of course, just soothes me. You're my mommy. And I know that your voice has been soothing our listeners.
Is there anything else you want to add before we go?
Sheila Johnson: No, I, encourage everyone who listens to continue to take care of your body. If you know, Michelle, you know, I know you're taking care of your body better. You may not be doing it a hundred percent like I'm not, but I'm trying every day. do that because you
need that in today's world, you need to be present, not only emotionally and physically, spiritually, you need all of those to get through. So let's do that. Let's not be afraid to do that and do it with joy.
Michelle Fox: Yes. So in all of my programs, I lead with nutrition, fitness, and mindset. And so your faith and your spirituality
absolutely informs and [00:39:00] strengthens our mindset. And so thank you for sharing you with us today.
Sheila Johnson: I'm so grateful for you. Thank you for having me. Thank you for having me and giving me an opportunity. Anytime I have an opportunity to share. I do. So thank you. Thank you. I love you, Michelle.
Michelle Fox: thanks so much for listening to Nourish. Have you been driving, doing laundry or walking around the neighborhood? Sweet. I've got show notes for you. Hop on over to michellefox.com/podcast. When you are ready. I will let you know that on the page, you will find resources to support what you just learned on today's show. And then of course you can grab some health supportive freebies as well.
If you enjoyed this episode, I would be honored. If you would leave a review on whichever podcast [00:40:00] platform you are listening on. It will help me with my mission to build healthier communities. One person at a time and it will help you because you will be part of that mission.
I'll be back next week and I encourage you to keep showing up for yourself and know that you and your health matter. Big love!