Podcaster Rich Bennett - We Talk Miracles, Spirit and Mental Health

Carrie is  honored to have been interviewed by Rich on the  Conversations with Rich Bennett podcast. You can find this episode and hundreds more on his podcast.  He has conversations with all types of people, from Miss USA 2022 to garden entrepreneurs.  He is a barrel of laughs, you will sure learn something when you listen!

Rich is a Marine Corps Veteran, Professional Disc Jockey, Entrepreneur, Professional Podcaster, and proud Father.

A graduate of the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland in 1989, Rich was in the radio field off and on from 1989 to 2012. He's been a professional DJ since 1986 and decided to start a podcast in 2015. In 2021 he won Best Podcast of the Year and Best Podcast Host of the Year from Maryland Podcast Month. Listen to stories and conversations with people from all walks of life and from different areas of the World. Rich Bennett speaks with different guests about business, art, addiction, and so many other interesting things. Rich is also joined at times by different co-hosts that make the conversations even more interesting.

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Chapters

• 13:38 Healing Mental Health
• 17:00 Young Adults
• 23:22 My Struggle
• 40:26 Surviving THREE Heart Surgeries
• 49:49 Lupus too?!
• 55:00 Spirits or Ghosts?

Transcript

Unknown: 0:00

I need to tell you a little bit about how I met my next guest. I host, my podcast on Buzzsprout. And Buzzsprout. Mail offers advertising. In other words, you can advertise your podcast on other podcasts. And you can approve of the podcast that you want to advertise on your podcast. And this one, I went ahead and accepted the advertisement and it ran on my podcast. And I just went to listen to this podcast once I heard the ad. So I did and I fell in love with it to the point where I had to contact the lady and ask her to come on my show. And we chatted through LinkedIn ad just hit it off right away. And then when we recorded this episode, we talked probably for about a half hour before we even started recording. And I'm telling you, it was as if I was talking to a relative, we just hit it off right away. In under this episode, we're going to talk about mental health. We're going to talk about podcast, we're going to talk about spirits. We're going to talk about God we're going to talk about so much and this woman is just a godsend. And you have to listen to her podcast, which of course is going to be the recommended podcast. So check it out at the end. Enjoy the conversation. Coming to you from the freedom Federal Credit Union studios, Harford County living presents conversations with rich Bennett. Come on. Guys you already said that I was gonna ask her she remembered the day Oh, I am sitting here today. I swear I think this young lady is a long lost sister cousin or something because we just have we just like, click first words when we met. But she's growing out my beard right now. No. Buddy. Oh, no, don't do that. You know, you're gonna have to come all the way out here and either be Mrs. Claus or an elf. That would be awesome. And we can have seasons because where I live, it's like, we don't have seasons it seems lately. Well, it's weird because here it was 70 some degrees the other day. And then it dropped like the next day drop 20 degrees. And now it dropped. It's like in the 30s It's nuts. I'd ever thought here in Maryland. People would be mowing their lawns in November. And we will. It's now it's crazy. Anyway, I am sitting here today she's a podcaster he does voiceover she her podcast chatterbox radio, you gotta listen to because it's it's just mind blowing the stories that you tell the get guests that you have on. It's great. I am honored to have on Carrie Farris and you are going to learn so much about her. We'll probably talk for hours. We've already been talking and we're like, oh yeah, we gotta start recording. We're all tired. We're tired now. Don't talk anymore. Carrie. I ain't doing so good. Actually. It's great to see you again. Because we had that first beat. What was it over? It was over LinkedIn or something, wasn't it? I can't read. Yeah, was yes. During the video chat. And like I said, we just clicked right there because I think I found out about you. It was because of your podcast, correct? Yeah. across it. Yeah. And I started listening. It's like, oh, yeah, cuz it was pretty new. Because you haven't done it yet. You haven't even been doing it a year yet? Which I gotta tell you this. Congratulations, first of all, because I'm looking at good pods. Do you ever use good pods? Because of you? I got on. Well, you're kicking tail. I am according to this year in like the top top 100 on mental health podcast. Wow. I didn't know that. glasses on. Rich poor. I'll go put them on. I'll go look at my other computer. Now. You're gonna see one number 16 in the top religion, spirituality month monthly chart. And number 16 are mental health in the monthly chart. Oh, that's great. That's awesome. So apparently people, you got people listening. I love it. That's Great. Yeah. Which is great. I love I love using good pods and that that that app is growing tremendously, but I love it because it's a billboard, which I think it's something that podcasters need. Yeah. Trey, ya know, congratulations on that. Because that's, that's awesome. Oh, thank you very much. Your message is getting out there. I have. So that's what I want to do is help people. You know, that's my heart for heavy help people. How did you end up decided that you wanted to do a podcast? God told me to. Okay. I love that. Yeah, in a nutshell. But you probably want a little bit more information on that. Absolutely. Well, it Well, I think the the big thing was, I'm a voiceover artist. And I've been teaching yoga classes and meditations for years and years, people have always asked, I wish that you would just do like a meditation that I could have on my phone, and that I can just sit and listen to at night. And it really helps. And I'm like, You know what, I need to do that, you know? So that's what I did. I got a little microphone and started doing that and realize that the sound quality was terrible. And so I started spending more money and digging into it and fell in love with it. And then I auditioned for audio book, and I got it and then I went full time. Full time. I've done ads for target. I've done ads for American homes. Corn. Corn, corn, have you ever heard of corn? The back end? No. Corn with a qu. It's yeah, it's like a pasta. They do a voiceover for a band? Yeah. Well, I can't Well, you know, I just did a jaw stone, Spotify. nuga. Lewis? Yeah. Oh, my gosh, I've done telephone messages. I've done all kinds of stuff. Yeah. So I'm on those platforms, you audition every day. You don't have an ego. If you're a voiceover, you know, anyone that has a voiceover, you do not have any go because you're told no. So many times. But it's so much fun to audition. And it's, it's so much fun just to, you know, to get those jobs. So I'm on my way doing that. And then look what happens to my son. You know, in episode two, my son shares his story attempting suicide. And it wasn't just like, a small attempt. I don't know if you want to know more about that. But yeah, that's the podcast. Yeah. Because of that story. That led me. I'm very spiritual. And I've always been very spiritual, as you know, raised by a Baptist deacon in the church all the time, I am not perfect. I was one of those kids that they were just like, she's gonna be bad. needs to be in here. And so I was, so I know scripture, like the back of my hand, and I've lived my life. And I've seen out God's been alive. And I meditate every morning every night. And thank God, thank God, I did. Because when that happened to my son, let me tell you, I have no idea where I would be today, what I would be doing, if I did not have my faith at that time. And it whether he lived or he died, I had my faith. And so either way, I know God was going to have it. So with that, he said, put yourself out there and go tell everybody what you do and go tell your stories that you've been writing in your journals for 20 years, and I said, Man, I don't think I can do that. Because what you don't know about me, is that I am scared shitless Oh, can I curse? Yeah, I hear you know, we have that thing that you can click the box that says explicit now for but, you know, I'm not gonna be fake and say, I'm a Christian. I don't cuss. I'm an I'm an asshole. Are you? I try my best every day. I find that hard to believe. I cannot see you being an asshole. No way. I mean, and let me let me tell you a little backstory on my social media. I trained as a personal trainer for 10 years for women only. Then I stopped doing that because women are being steered the wrong way. Yeah, and and that whole diet thing and obsession first. tamal that's a whole nother five podcasts in a row. Yeah, we did. And so, you know, these, these women are would come to me and tell me their life stories. And how many dramas did I hear about social media or talking about this or talking about that or affairs or that? It just seems so negative all the time? Yes. And I don't want to give anybody a reason to talk about me. I'm an introvert extrovert. Like I want to be. I want to love people, but then I want to go home and do my thing. I don't want you to know everything about me. Right? And then God said, No, you're gonna do at and that's your weakness. And I had several panic attacks. Trying to get that Facebook created trying to push the button to press send on that first podcast. You can see here it my boys. Oh my gosh, you can hear my voice on nervous I was on that first podcast. I was the same way. And that's weird because I used to do radio and I DJ in nightclubs and do weddings. There would a podcast is different because what number 1am I playing music. I'm interviewing people. Oh, don't even like say interviewing. I'm having conversations with people but to hear their stories. And yeah, that I was extremely, extremely nervous when I first started. Yeah. And now Now I love it. I will I look for I here's the scary thing. I even have dreams about podcasting, which is a good thing I you know, all those negative dreams. I don't have any more. I don't have the nightmares. I just I'm always dreaming of different ideas, different things to talk about. I guess I want it a week me it'll wake me up and then I can't get back to sleep. Because that's your gift. I need a dream journal. You do. So one of the ways I discovered my some of my gifts, spiritual gifts, I was woken up I first summer it was almost every other day I was woken about 333444555 asked my husband, like it's not. And I would sit down and I would just start journaling and writing. And so I believe that that you're tapping into your gift. And this is your gift. It gives you joy and it gives other people joy. Oh, well, thank you. i And it's everybody, Scott. I just talked about it on another podcast. When other people, especially when it comes to mental health, stuff like that, when other people tell their story. And people hear that. It helps the listeners. That's that's what I do. And healing for for me. Yeah. When I when I interviewed my son on the episode, too, I just got done. He took off those headphones and put it down. And he said, everybody needs to do that. Yes. And he didn't know if one person would hear it, you know? But even if it was so healing, here's it. That's right. That's right. I mean, that's the thing. And it. God, and you learn to me, since you've been doing how many episodes have you done now? I have 14 episodes, but many more that I haven't put on. Right but how much have you learned so far from doing them? About your from your guests and everything? So much. I mean, the depth and the stories that you have no idea what people are going through every day when I walk around and go the grocery store, meet with my kids, friends, parents, whatever, everyday car car line, I look at that car line. And I'm like, thinking about statistics. One in four girls last year, either thought about or attempted suicide to the math. Yeah, I know somebody. All right. Yeah. So when you're walking around, and you're thinking, Oh, that girl, she's got it all together. Look at her. She's this she's that. Not necessarily don't ever assume. I mean, I think that the world has shown us that with all the mental health awareness. I mean, look at the prescription drugs, you know, trying to get a therapist, good luck, you know, even in our little town that we live in, you know, trying to find it online now. So it's gotten a lot better. Look at all these lately, these celebrities influencers that are committing suicide, right? I mean, if you can make all the money in the world, sometimes that makes it worse. Because then you got everybody calling on you. I need this. I need that. Your lifestyle changes complete. Not for everybody, but it does for a lot. A lot of people Yeah. And it's i i love the ones that like, especially people that hit the lotto the millionaires or whatever, and love them. We'll give it a give a lot of it away to charity. Yeah, because because it's not all what it's cracked up to be. Why do you need it all? Have you ever heard of that game? Halo? No. Oh, you're talking about the video game? Yeah, yeah. So there's a guy on there. He's an actor. His name's David. And he's an amazing writer. He's he wrote my new demo that I'm going to be recording this Friday. All the scripts, 10 scripts. He's an amazing, talented person. And when we met, I was so enamored, right, like, wow, this guy. Hallo. I don't know what that is. But my kids sure do. And think that's so freakin nice. And I'm meeting with him right now. And then he ends up telling me that this whole thing and cracked up what it what he thought it was gonna be. He said that he has stalkers. He can't go anywhere. He said, if if he does meet someone, and they happen to Google him, he is like, they totally changed the way they act towards me. Yeah. That's, that's a sad thing. Because a lot of these people that become celebrities, they, a lot of them just want to be treated normal. They they miss that. Now, some of them do cherish it for some reason. They. Your ego, right? Yeah. And it's like, what do you need such a big ego? You know, just, you're no better than anybody else. Now get rid of this. Ego. I realize that, after all, who created us all equal? God? That's right. So yeah, just I think a lot of people tend to forget that. But so with, you've had your daughter on the podcast as well. Well, she doesn't she do a lot of episodes with you. Well, you know, I have five kids. So I have three daughters. Yeah, I have five kids. So I have. Yeah, so I have two boys and three girls. And my oldest is 22. And now two is speaking. Well, he's almost 23 now. And then I have three girls in between. And then my youngest is it is almost nine. Okay, but you did you did have one of your daughter's on Correct. All of them have been on? They've all been on? Well, my one of my daughters is in the first episode. Yeah. Signs in the second. That's yeah. And that they've all played a part. They played a part and like doing the intros or setback help, you know, that we know your son liked it. But what do your girls think of it? What did you girls think about it after they did it? Even if it's just the intro? Well, you know, Sophia does share in the first episode, she's, she's in high school. And so it took a lot. You could hear it in her voice too, though. She was so nervous. But she went through something during COVID I, I believe every single person on the planet did. Come on, we all did one way or the other. I loved having my kids home, I loved being home. I love all of that good stuff, too. But we were also struck all struggling in different ways. So after she did the first episode, I could just tell that she was very proud that she was taking her pain and sharing it with others to say, hey, because people don't know her, you know, either. Like she's a track volleyball player, you know, people would judge, you know, probably assume, Oh, your life's perfect this and that. But it's not. And I think coming from her, she had a lot of people listen to that. And a lot of kids can connect to it. Because as parents, we can say all the things we can pray and we can give them the material and we can get take them to church or not take them to church and tell them this is how we really, you know, believe but feeling that connection from their peer. Wow, that really helps them a lot. It does. There's a connection there. Yeah, because a lot of kids will and a lot of kids really don't want to talk to their parents word. But they'll, they'll talk to their friends. But yet at some. Sometimes they're also it's the other way around. Some don't want to talk to their friends. But they'll talk to either parents or maybe even just one parent, but they don't want to talk to the other one because they're afraid that that might do something. But yeah. I promise I would never do that. But no, you're right. And it's I I've had my son on one of the episodes we were talking about mental health. And he went through depression and he opened up he wasn't he was co-hosted with me. I had a lady on from the local hospital here, who talks to people all the time, about mental health. He opened up about his and I talked to him. I was blown away, because all this time I thought his depression was caused by a bad breakup. I know it was caused from when, because when he was very young, and God only because like he was three yet his mother and I split it up. And he didn't understand why he was growing up in a house of just his mother and not a father there. And then I had my daughter was on an episode of rent one of the roundtable discussions. So I asked her if she would come and take photos for us. And she actually spoke up, which I have left because I have to wear shoes. God, please don't do that. Because I don't like to hear my voice. Like, you've been you did the my intro for year. I said, everybody knows your voice, you're fine about it. So I'm trying to get her out of her shell to do more with me. So she's actually going to do a couple, a couple more with me because she was in that COVID class, the class of 2020. Graduation, that's our log lets her know, and prom, all those things. I mean, they missed out on a lot of some people say, oh, you know, they're at home, they don't have to do this or that they needed that. And I didn't want it to just be social media that was getting the only resource that they were getting a connection. So I decided to invite a hand group of kids over and come to the house once a week and connect. And Let's meditate, let's talk let's play volleyball outside. Let's, you know, let's do a craft. Let's anything and it was so great for those kids to be able to do that and connect. Yeah, you have to it's even now you know, that couverts pas. I want to say it's pas I mean, COVID scribe no Talon, right. Yeah. But yeah, we're not locked up in our homes anymore. But I think I'd, I'm hoping that a lot of people have learned something from that. And what you're doing is great, you know, with the kids coming over. I know, with my daughter's for the first time that we're doing a Friendsgiving. So she she invited her friends over. I'm gonna let invite any minor. So, but no, Dad's got to go out there and grill the turkey and 39 degree weather is so fun. It's for them. It's for the kids and and I love them all. And just creating community. That's really what it's about. Oh, yeah. immunity for your kids. Yeah. And the fact that they're sitting around talking, having a good time, they'll probably take over my TV and I won't be able to watch my show. But that's it. Yeah, for sure. It's totally one night, I think. Let's, I want to, because with you, you talked about mental health, briefly, but you actually went through a period as well. Right with anxiety. Oh, gosh, well, you know, I know it runs in families. And my mother battled with depression. I know my dad without being diagnosed. But looking back now is OCD and anxiety. And so is my grandmother, my grandfather. Do you do a family tree? I mean, come on. Yeah. So I always dealt with that anxiety growing up not knowing what it is. And then after I had my first child, I had postpartum depression. Wow, that knocked me off kilter like nothing else. In my life. I had no idea what depression was until I went to that depth of depression. And you know, having five kids, I didn't have twins or triplets though. I had five different pregnancies against 50 pounds with each pregnancy and also battled that so I know that God was preparing me for a lot of times he uses well, he uses your struggles. If you're willing to help other people. It's whether you're willing to want to face the struggle push past it, and then go help people by telling your story. That's where I want to strengthens you. Oh, yelling like no other. And so. Yeah, where was I? Getting off on a little rabbit trail there. I went through all of it, I went through, I tried every medication I got off of every medication. I researched everything for you, you know me, it's like, my husband would joke and say, you know, if you could go and take a test to be a nurse, and I swear, you pass it, because, you know, I would learn everything about my body being pregnant, I would learn everything about a newborn baby, a child, a toddler, just soaking up research and information. So that said, I tried everything trying to battle this depression, not wanting to carry it on to my kids, trying to figure out how to fix myself looking in the past of my ancestors, my family, how did it affect them? What can I do different, and I've always exercise because that's part of, you know, when I was young, and bouncing around AD D, and anxiety, that's what my dad did. He put me in sports to run it off, though it helped me honestly, was really just being still meditating, diet, exercise, friendships, dealing with your ego, because our ego, we point the finger, and we want to justify, and we want to blame everything. If you just stop for a second, and choose not to do that and just go with then you will heal. People will say, I don't want to go there. I just don't want to go there. Well, that's called a block. And why don't you want to go there? Well, I'm afraid what I'm going to hear, like, okay, but with the block, and you being afraid of what you're going to hear, you're never going to heal from it. So you're gonna stay stuck. And here's the other secret. When you do go in, and you sit there, you heal, and it passes through you, I promise, like, it's gone. Yeah, I struggle every day, with my physical, you know, I work out every day and meditate, I know what I need to do. I'm not on any medication, and know what I need to do in my life right now, to stay centered, to stay happy. And a lot of it is just believing all the lies that you hear in your head, you have arguments with yourself, most of the reason why people can't go to sleep at night. And they're really just arguing with themselves because they're going over the day. In the past. They're thinking about tomorrow, and they're stressing, so you know what they're doing. They're living in the future in the past, and they're not living right now. Because it's never what you think it is ever. And if you realize, when I threw out that statistic of one in four girls thought about business, if you just realize that there's so many people, not just the girls, the boys, the adults, the kids. There's so many people out there that are thinking and struggling with those same things. They are not thinking about you. They are not talking about you. And if they are, then who cares? Because I put on the covering of the Holy Spirit every morning, and ask him to take away all the trash from the day at night. And just be because guess what, this is one life, one body right here right now that we're living. And every day, we're getting closer to not be here. And we all have that in common. So why not make it the best one that we got right now? Right here be the best, best you that you can be. Don't believe what other people say. And have your feeling truth. And you. You go with that truth. Yeah, because he's your boss. I think problems with a lot of kids today and I one of the things that helped me was the law of attraction. You know, get away from the negativity. I think it's harder for kids nowadays, because there's so much negativity out there. You look at social media. You have 24/7 News. Now you have a lot of these TV shows and books, video games, it's just pushing negativity. And we know that negativity breeds negativity a lot faster than Positivity breeds positivity. Yeah. And I think that's, it's, it would be nice if stuff like that was taught in school, how to just stay positive and align yourself with the law of attraction and positivity. But the operation of church and state can't do that. Right? The private schools, teaching it at home. That's why, you know, I've taught my kids how to meditate. And I have a lot of Christian friends that are like, what's that? I'm like, Well, you are reading scripture. It says Be still it's the same thing. Call it being still. You don't like the word meditation, because people are afraid of Eastern religions or or Western religions, if you know, we're all separating ourselves, just go within and seek your Creator. I'm not trying to convince anybody of anything. That's not my job. I feel so strongly to encourage people to go with then deal with your shit. Go get freedom, because you're going to be happy. And you're going to fill yourself up, and then you're going to spill over to everyone around you. And if you know, what you're hearing and what you're being led to, you're going to be led down a great life. Are you going to have problems? Oh, yeah, you are. But when you've got problems, guess what, you've got a good basis to go back to and say, This is what I believe. If you don't know what you believe, I want to encourage anyone out there, you're like, Well, I don't know what I believe. I don't know, whatever I'm blow that off. Go figure out what you believe. I don't go to church, I have never read the Bible. I don't do this or whatever. Okay, then go, sit down, and be quiet for a minute. And just practice being in the present moment. That's what I do in my yoga classes. Like, I'm not trying to change your religion, I'm just trying to meet for you to be still to know that you have freedom and choosing that you don't have to take on the trap of holding on to a thought and let that thought just take you down a trail where you're like, in hell, you have a choice. You can say, You know what, no, I'm not gonna have that thought. I'm gonna have this other thought, because that's goodness. That's what I'm gonna focus on. That's what I think of meditation. I never understood why people are afraid of it. And yoga. I'll tell you why. Because I hear it all day. There, because yoga stems from an Eastern religion. People that are Western Christian religion, they are afraid of doing that. They feel like you're inviting in the devil, that you're going to hear spirits, or you're practicing something that is not about oh, oh, do I never heard. Wow, it is legit. These are people that I'm around. And that I know. And so, it is. There's a lot of people out there that feel like that. And it makes me sad. Because then I'm saying okay, then, what are you saying about your faith? Because you're saying that if I go stretch, and lift my arm this way, and think about my Creator and my God, that you're calling it wrong? And you're calling it Eastern? I mean, let's, let's try to separate that. That's what I'm talking about. That is what I mean about separating yourself even more from people. Like, are you kidding me? What you are separating yourselves, why do you love that person? Why don't you go to a yoga class and learn something about their religion, learn something about them, so you can tell them about you. And you can be in community together and learn new things and just do it on the basis of love. You've got nothing to argue about. And then guess what? Something always happens, like a similarity that both of you have, or a talent that both of you share, or an experience and then your friends. And then it just grows into more love. Because that's what this is all about. It's about love. Yeah. I love each other. And if those people tried meditating, guess what? I bet they would change completely. Yeah, I do. And here's the thing. A lot of people are like, wow, I want to go to church or read the Bible. Okay? Well, just be sell and just meditate and let the Lord let your Creator come and speak to you and show you what truth is. Because if you do that, that's your truth. Then you get to figure out what you believe. You know, I like to exercise. I do walking, running meditations, where I'm running, and I'm visualizing and I'm worshiping and I'm excited, you know, focusing on that. You know what, thank you for saying that because I think that's also a lot of people believe that when you meditate your spirits to sit down where they call down crisscross applesauce or whatever. Yeah, but I, I believe a lot of people don't like to meditate because they think that's the way you have to do it. And that's not true. You. You said while running a walking, you could do it laying down you could do it standing up. There's so many different ways that you can do it. And I think a lot of people don't realize number one it we were talking about earlier bad sleep and how hard it is to it is for a lot of people to go to sleep at night because they always had those thoughts going through your head. Well guess what? When you go Do to bed, lay down in bed and meditate? Yeah, it's you're gonna feel so much better. You're gonna fall asleep. If you have a TV in your room, turn it off. Get rid of it. I don't have a TV in my office. Yeah, when I go to bed, I'll sit there meditate. And I love to play the nature sounds. Well when you're playing in rain, and then it starts raining, it kind of ruins so I started listening to the, the Tibetan bowls. And my wife when she first heard that she gave her what it is that I said Tibet in most cases. Why we listened to the monks. Monks, it it's tight button bolts. She didn't like it at first. But let me tell you now, she's sleeping so much better. Don't Don't worry about the bowls. I love them. Oh, there's so spiritual in a way like, here's another thing that I've learned. This is amazing. So I've taken a lot of spiritual courses throughout my life. Just figure me I'm talking from Beth Moore to Rebecca Rosen to Gabrielle Bernstein. Like, just to figure out what I believe, not that I'm trying to be any one of these people. I want to know what I believe. So I took these courses to get real and figure that part out. And like what you were saying, you know, at night, you lay there, meditate. It's quiet. And it actually physically changes your brainwaves. Yes, they've proven this. So you're saying okay, well, I don't want to Sure that's just what you say it does. Well, if they go look it up. Like there's physical, scientific proof that it changes your brainwaves. It lowers your blood pressure. It lowers your heart rate, your breath, you're getting more oxygen to your brain. You're settling down. Yeah, we have to make the choice. That's the thing. The hardest thing is a choice to do it. It's not hard at all. Yeah, I don't just like of yoga. Not hard. And I learned this the hard way. When I started, I was 300 pounds. And when I started Yeah. Wow. Yeah. When I started doing yoga, I started with the DDP yoga Diamond Dallas Page, who was a wrestler. And one of the things he says, If it start, if it's starting to hurt, then stop. Yeah. Now keep in mind, I'm a Marine. So our philosophy was no pain, no gain. I got yelled at you by my doctor and for still having that money mentality. And it's I lost 50 pounds doing it. But one of the I think the biggest thing I need to get back to doing it again. But I think one of the biggest things I learned from doing that, and I still do it faithfully every day. The breathing exercises. A lot of people don't realize just doing simple breathing exercises can do so much especially for your mental health. I'm kind of upset now though. Why were you nervous about talking to me? Because maybe I have a mental illness. I have what's called anxiety. Oh, I'm gonna be talking to my brother rich. That's why I was so excited. I was doing laps around my house while I'm talking to. Can't wait to just workout sweat. If you listen to that, I have to tell you this. Okay, so we're recording for squad cancer, and I don't get any money for say that. But when we first logged on, there's a lot of you know that I do Santa every year. Hey, Carrie had a Santa hat on. I think she was kind of upset because I was not dressed as Santa Santa. Oh, my dad made my day though. In all honesty that made my day when I selected this hat. I wear this one before I do any of my happy commercials is my taco hat. A taco. So, this is what I wear when I was with a producer the other day, going through my lines. And I'm gonna I'm gonna put it on YouTube. Yeah, I'll put it on YouTube. Just low background one. Oh, and then once you collect different hats. Oh my god. I love hats. How many different hats do you have? Okay, yeah, we dress we dress up around here. We like to have fun. We did a whole Bob's Burgers theme. I saw the photos by the House Getting out taking pictures in our backyard. We are all dressed up. I was Linda. Major, my dad year old had the whole game costume on with. I love it. I love it with your Well, first of all of everything that you do, because you do a lot, I do a lot. Any plans on writing a book? Well, it's funny that you say that because I was showing you all my stacks of journals that I've written, I probably have 10 or more that I've just written. So many miracles that have happened to us, like you don't even know about my husband, he's had reopened heart surgeries, he had a 1% chance of three different times. The second time I was pregnant with our third kid like you have no idea I keep going. When I say miracles, I'm not talking just small. I'm talking. I'm talking about small, big in between all of it. It's it's, it's, it's mind blowing. And I owe it to God to tell our story. And that's that's what I feel like like, he's allowed these things to happen to me notice it, and I'm not gonna tell people about it. Talk about miracles. Yeah, I want to hear because three open heart surgeries. Oh, yeah. You want to hear about that story that is not on the podcast. So it's a story that you only hear see here, here, here, here, here. It's not on there yet. I want to hear Yeah, you want to hear hear go? Try starting at life. They want to hear her go. Um, so my husband, after we got married, and I was about to have my first child, he started having aches in his body. And we didn't know what it was I ended up finding out it was lupus, which was a little odd, because that is mostly you find that mostly in women, not men. So that was strange. So we dealt with that, you know, we struggled steroids that, but it was manageable. Yeah. And then, but he was still wasn't feeling right after I had my second kid. He just kept saying, I don't, I just don't feel right. I can't explain it. Well, because of the lupus, we thought we would go the extra mile and really trying to get down to business with figuring out what this was. And if it wasn't for lupus that take note, we wouldn't have, we probably wouldn't have gotten gone to the extent that we have to find a problem. Yeah, we go to a cardiologist, they do an echocardiogram EKG and they say, oh my gosh, you have a leaky valve, you have a valve that has two flaps instead of three that looks like a Mercedes sign. And then the flaps when you're born that way, you have an opening in the middle called the leak. And the cardiologists looked at me and my husband and just said, don't worry about it, your leak is so minut and small percentage, you'll probably live the rest of your life, never needing to get it repaired. And I had that feeling where I had that gut, I had that intuition. And I just said, Yeah, but we didn't know where he was before. There's no marker before to say this is where he was. So say he's at 20%, like leakage. We don't know if he was temper sent a week ago. And he laughed at me. He was like, Oh, you're just one of those wives that is going to be a worrier. And I just said, Alright, do this for me, instead of us coming back in a year, like you just told us to? How about we come back in six months? And he's like, Oh, well, we'll do that. We'll do that. So we go back in six months, walk in there, takes the test. And they're like, Oh, we don't know what the first one was wrong. Or what's happening. But it's so fast progressing at this point, that you'll you'll drop dead in a couple of months if we don't fix it. What? Yeah, so miracle number one, that he didn't drop that this is same thing that I believe John Ritter remember that actor? Yes. Yeah. I think that he's, that's how he died was from that. But I could be wrong, but that's what I remember. So we have the surgery. We're in Houston, Texas, at this point, the top heart surgeon in the world who is not for us, he was not the best because he made a mistake. And so he was in hospital for a week we went home. He did wasn't getting better. And there were these things that we had to do physically and he wasn't getting better. Like he had to take a walk. He had to do this by the end of the week. He could not walk from our bed to the couch without feeling like he was going to die. And so I was calling Emergency write saying he has this he has that. They're like, Oh, he has fluid on his lungs. It happens all the time. Again, five phone calls. And they're like, I'm being treated like, here we go. Another worried life. He's making everything a big deal. Right? So, after that call, we woke up the next morning and my husband looked at me and mind you, we were 32 years old at this time. They were young. And he said, If you do not drive me to the hospital right now at St. Luke's, I'm going to die. And so I wow, wrapped my two oldest in the car, put him in the car and drove 100 miles an hour down. I 10 flew into St. Luke's emergency, of course, I'm calling them on the way there, they grabbed him, put him in there. They stick a tube in his side because he was having a cardiac arrest. He was having all this fluid around. So he, from what they have found, they were like, there's no reason he should be alive by the time you got him here. So he made it there. So he made it through the first year we got, then this happens, right? Okay. So we think we're in the clear now, he comes home, we recover. They fixed it so good. One year later. I'm not feeling good. They same thing, James? Does it go to the doctor? Let's figure it out. He's like, Yeah, but I have a mechanical valve. And the mechanical valve doesn't leak because it's mechanical. Right, right. So we go, and we call the doctor and he said, Let's just put him into the hospital and go down his throat, do an echocardiogram so we can take pictures of the heart know exactly what's going on. Great. So we do that mind you, I'm pregnant with my third child about to have a baby. I'm huge. They take my husband back there to do the echo. And I'll never forget watching this doctor walked down the hall towards me, pregnant, their baby at that point. And he's like, I don't know your name. But I just did this on your husband, we need to talk. And I was like, okay, and he goes, the valve is hanging on by one suture. That means one stitch, the mechanical valve that was implanted into his heart that he said, if it comes out, there's no saving him, he will drop dead and we will not be able to get him back out. Because if your aid or aortic valve blows out later, wow. So I was like, okay, so they go put me in a room and they said, so when he wakes up, you need to tell them when he wakes up, because they did an echo Accardi echocardiogram. Yeah, right. They said, so when he wakes up, you need to tell him that we're gonna have to do another open heart surgery. And you're if you weren't there, then who was going to tell them? Right? So I'm crying. It makes me want to cry. Just thinking about it is so emotional. And then I had to tell them, hey, guess what? You get to go have open heart surgery again. And I don't know if you're gonna be alive this time. Oh, my God. You're pregnant with your third child? Yeah, that sounds more stressful, and your doctors even putting more stress on you. So we made it through it. And we got through it. And you know what? Those were hard times. Yeah. And I know at our times are, oh, my God, but the glory that God showed through that is unbelievable. And when you experience it, I mean, if you hear a story, hey, that's so great. But actually being experiencing that. Yeah, it's a feeling. He will. I mean, there's no words to describe it. But being thankful and grateful and thankful for my faith, they vote for my parents. Sure, they wrote, I grew up in a strict religion, but I got faith, and I'm old enough to now to know to go find what works for me, and how I believe and how I want to worship and what I feel is acceptable and what I want to teach my kids and not argue about it. Experience. Your faith is so real. And that is just one story, my friend. There are many more of those were those. How's he doing now? You're my husband. He's doing amazing. He's on no medications. The only thing that he takes is warfarin or Coumadin which is a blood thinner because when whenever you have Have something mechanical in your body, your body wants to create blood clots and that will kill you. So, but as far as the lupus, he's completely healed, we've healed. Yes, sir. He takes no prednisone, he takes nothing. And he was on prednisone. He was on. I mean, gosh, I don't even remember. Rex. He was on I mean, so many medications for lupus. He was in the hall every day, he couldn't lift a fork to his mouth to feed himself because he was so locked up and in so much pain today. Yeah, today nothing. And and so there were scary parts because we had a rheumatologist saying that he has heart problems because he has lupus and it's the tissue. And then we have the cardiologist saying no, it's the prednisone, that you have a mom because it's tearing up his body and it's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. I had all these I had people coming to me going, you should sue, you should see when it's like for what so I can lose more money and lose and then be out that like, that's really what's gonna happen. What was it that cured him, the lupus? Well, we saw I have a funny feeling. A lot of it was God, to be honest with you, of course and being led to do the right path, you know, was taking tests like for with your food, like, are you gluten intolerance? Does it make you flare up? You know, I know that we've done so many tests, soy milk is a flare up for him. Gluten is a flare up for him. soy foods, water like 9.5 iodized water, this water right here Cintia should pay me to do your commercial isn't Shia. Because I drink this every day all day long. It's got the perfect pH balance. You want a perfect pH balance in your body for several reasons. When you do you know cancer thrives on sugar and inflammation. And so are a lot of these issues and problems that we have. It's from inflammation. And so what are we feeding our bodies, we're feeding our bodies, things that help us have more informed inflammation that people don't want to change what they eat. So we give them medication. So that's why we have medication. If you really look to the earth and what God's provided might not let me say, God saved his life and used medication and drugs and anesthesia and doctors to get his heart right. So I'm not one of those that's anti meds, or antivax. Or whatever. I feel like you do you girl, boy, girl, whatever, do it. Figure out what's truth for you what your truth and food, your truth and water, your truth in life, how you want to live, the friends that you want, you have so many opportunities out there to heal. People just don't choose it because they're tired and they're lazy and they don't want to you know, what is they don't believe it. They don't believe it. Exactly. I know a lot of people that are that have lupus. My father had lupus. It's It's hereditary, which I did not know. And now my niece has it. And he got really, really skinny. And so, you know, when you're standing there like a man, that was really hard for all the hospitals and the lupus and open heart surgeries. And if you see him you would never know you would never like would run and I think that was part of the problem is people looked at us. We were 30 years old. And he was in there and they're like, I are fine. You're young. He'll be all right, you know? Wow. So that was really hard for him to deal with. He didn't want to tell anybody. He did not want to tell people that he had a sickness because he felt like people were gonna look at him like he was weak. You know, he wasn't a man. And so we've you know, 20 years later here we are and we've learned so much and it doesn't matter and and we let go of so much and now he knows this is something that he can share to people so you're right I would love to have him on to talk about you have to and him shared it makes him more of a man than anything. And I hate that term man doesn't make you a man. It makes you a strong human woman makes you a woman Mitch. Why do I got that Shanaya Can you sing along? Let's hear though. I would ask you for other other miracle stories, but I don't want to do that because I want you to save them for your show. Well, I'm glad that and I'm so thankful that I got to share that story with you and only here today. Oh stop but there is something I would like you to share with everybody. I kept saying when we were talking before I started recording because they kind of wish I was recorded. I wish I was recorded. Tell everybody would happen when we Yeah, when we first started. But before I hit the record button, that the story I was telling you about my neighbors selling the house and spirits and everything, and to connect the connection. I'm so okay. You and I got you know what I was I was listening listening to you so much I forgot what it was was what you were telling me about the ghost? Oh, the ghosts? Yes, yes, yes. Okay. Yeah, well, yeah, because with my neighbor's house and the spirits that they have come across and with me coming across them all the time. I don't want to say all the time. But a lot the first time I actually did see when I was scared but couldn't yell anything. But I just come to realize that they and for those of you that don't believe that, that's, that's fine. I believe I've experienced it. And I just think that I want to say they're trapped here. I think they maybe maybe they're here for a purpose. And you know, like you were talking earlier about? Yeah, given a message to a lady. And I think the spirits are the same way where they still have a message to give. I believe like my daughter, you know, our first daughter. We lost she was still born. I believe she's my guardian angel sitting on my shoulder. Watching me. Yeah. I believe that, in all honesty, I believe that my brother and my parents did because I ended up buying the house I grew up in from my parents. There's times I walk in here and I can smell you know, when somebody smokes a certain cigarette or cigar, it's got that smell to it. And there's times when I've walked into the house or even to the studio where I record at the house, I get small my father sometimes and my brother, the studio where I recorded it, there's times I can smell my brother where he was smoking. And I just put it doesn't frighten me I know believes in you feel and you know that they're there and they're not dead? And so I'm not sure what angle we've talked, you and I have talked privately a lot of several different ones. So many avenues with this. Like we could come back and talk about this some more. It's such good stuff. But I mean, are you talking about like feeling that and that some people believe and they're scared? And then you know, did you want me to tell them about last Friday? What had happened with the lady or the you know, I'm trying to remember if you did or not now. No, you did you? I didn't? I haven't? No. I haven't said it on this recording. I haven't said if you're if you're only if you're comfortable doing it. Okay. Well, I'll just kind of break it down real quick. Right? Let me do that. All right. So you know that I was raised in this very strict atmosphere. I live in Central Texas and the whole country. And there's a lot of people that don't want to talk about ghosts or spirits. They go to church, they pray, and that's great. I've always been able to hear spirit. And that's first time I'm saying that in public. There's several people that know that about me. And I keep that private. I don't call myself a medium. I don't call myself a spiritualist. I am a Christian. And I'm a child of God. Jesus is my Savior. And so my whole life, I've heard different things, and very clearly and written a journals. But I have been very hesitant to come out about that. Because people are very passionate about it. And they will pull out scripture and tell me that I'm a witch, and I'm not a witch. I read Scripture every day. And as a matter of fact, it's made me even go deeper into Scripture and learn more about my gift and is just validated me like over and over and over again. Because in God's word, it says that we will have these gifts and every single person on the earth as a gift, spiritual gift. And I wish that they would all learn that because if they did, they get blessed. So many others like healing. I'm just delivering a message to someone that needs to hear it. And so some examples would be like I was telling you earlier running through my house 20 years ago, and I'm looking at we're looking for the dog and we had just prayed me and my daughter, God that was on his dog. It's gone. We can't find it. We looked everywhere. And so we're running literally I'm running through my house, I am completely stopped, right up, stopped my grandmother standing right there. And she says, Carrie Hayes and I'm car and I was like, he's in the car that we run, here he is in the car. Those have had those types of things that happened over and over and over again. But that was God just getting my attention, because I didn't want to share that with anyone because what was the purpose? So, diving in learning more about my gift, I started writing messages for people. I've written so many journals and journals of messages, and it will just come on, because I'm close. And I have a relationship. And I've had this relationship my whole life. But until I went and just went one on one with God and just said show me I can't explain it. It would just take so long the synchronicities, calm synchronicities, follow up call them coincidences, like being woken up every single night, either at 333, or 444. And I'm like, what is that? Right? What is that And God's like, because I have a language. And we're me and you have a language. And I'm going to speak through everything that I've created, I've created numbers of created birds have created the sun upgraded people, I'm going to bring people in good. And the coincidences, the synchronicities, there's just, it's just wild. So I'm going to give you one example that I told you earlier, to kind of give people an idea where I'm coming from, was coming out with all this with my son and him attempting suicide. God has brought so many people along my path, their kids who have either committed suicide or attempted suicide, or they have or they have a cousin or a friend, or something. They he's brought these people to me. And there was a lady that was at a jet at the gym that I knew, for a couple of years, just acquaintance. And after that happened with my son, about six weeks later, I had the feeling come over me again about a message, got the pin and just start writing. And I knew it was for her. And I knew it was her son, and I can't explain how I knew it. I, I can explain that I went that it was from the Heavenly Father. And there's nothing evil about it. And that the whole sole purpose that God uses it for is to deliver a message and is not about let me freak you out. Let me really tell you a good story about this ghost, and you're not going to believe it. This happened, oh my gosh, and my grandmother did this, whatever it is that to prove to you, the senator the person, that, that I'm not making this up. And that if you believe in air, you can't see it, but you should believe in it, trust me, especially when you run out of it. So that's what I know and believe 100%, it is like air that he has this message and he delivers it. And it's whether it's up to you, whether you accept it or not. So write this message. And I'm like, I'm not giving her this message. There's no way this lady will hate me. First of all, you have got to be so careful with people's feelings, what they believe they may not want to hear it, they may want to hold on to that pain body their whole life, you know. And so I prayed and I left it. And people that know this about me that I've helped and they've helped me. They're just really encouraged me to give it to her. I didn't tell you this heart. So I met with these friends about six weeks ago, down at this place. And that woman that I wrote for was there. There. Nobody's ever there. It's outside. So she was there. I went over to my friends like the lady that I told you that I wrote for a year ago, is sitting right over there. Oh my gosh, what am I going to do? It's so crazy. It's such a coincidence and goodness needs so God but I'm not gonna walk over there and give it to her. And they're like, you've got to you've got to No, no, no way. Because I'm waiting on the Lord, I know that he will make it so apparent. So that night I went home, I prayed for her. For her son asked Jesus, Holy Spirit, please just if this is for her, you just show me that this is something I need to deliver. Because I don't want this to hurt her. Maybe it was just for me writing that. So for myself and a gift that God's trying to show me. So the next day I go and teach my cycle class. That woman showed up in my cycle class. I hadn't seen her in six months. Then she comes over to me. So I'm still praying in my head, right? I'm getting my oh my gosh, she's here, Lord, Ohio. And he says, Hold on, you're gonna do it. I'm like, Okay, well, you gotta show me because I'm still not gonna go there and walk over. After cycle class. You walk straight up to me crying. You know, how's your son Harry? I'm like, he's doing great this and that. And she starts just crying telling me about her son and how she just can't get over it. She just doesn't know But she's just hit this wall and she's on medication. It's been so long since he's been gone. And she just can't. And just finally was like, Girl, I wrote a message for you a year ago, you know nothing about me. And I took a big risk. I know a lot of people in this town. And I am too worried about I guess what they were thinking of me. And I don't want them to think the wrong thing. Because if they are thinking that this is bad, or evil, or whatever it is, it's not. So I meet with her. We met last Friday, we meet it was amazing. Of course, before we started the conversation, her anxiety level was so high, you could cut it with a knife like, right, the pain that she was still, it was like it happened yesterday. And this happened a long time ago. You know, she's still carrying it. And after I delivered the message, and there was a detailed message in there about certain things. He sat back, you should have seen her. She was just like, I have such peace. I can't even explain it. It's like, I feel so great. She was so happy. And it was just her having that connection with the Holy Spirit. And feeling God's presence and knowing that her son is still alive. And he's right there. And I love it. It's it's, it's the best thing I've ever done besides having kids. And yeah, it really, like really is just amazing. Well, you know what we have to do, right? What we're gonna have to do another episode, because what we have to talk about on the next episode that I have you on is all the miracles because yeah, Carrie, I want to thank you so much. It's been a true honor. And if you don't mind. Usually I end with a question. But I want to do something special. Oh, okay. I would like you to end with telling telling all the listeners one of your favorite scriptures. Oh, that's a hard one. That's a hard one. Favorite. Okay, that they can all learn something from I guess. Okay. I just when I was writing for that lady on Friday, there are two scriptures that came in really strong for me. And I think it's very applicable now. I'm gonna pull it up. Oh, it was the other thing. That lady was like, do you read the Bible every day? I'm like, yeah, she's like, how do you have time? I'm like, because it's on my phone. And I wake up and there's an app called the Holy Bible. And there's a verse every day, open it Yeah. And then if you search in there, they have like, little studies that you can do. But this is funny. You just asked me to give you that I opened my Holy Bible, which is always lands on today's verse. You're just talking about Adam and what everything we went through with his heart surgeries, right? This scripture came to me over and over again. And it's John 1427. And it's Peace I leave you my peace I give you I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Do not be afraid. Don't be afraid. We're so afraid. I was so afraid. And that surgery those surgeries, I thought I was going to be a a mom, that's widow with all these kids and a newborn baby like at that time and and I just I'm just so thankful for that. And he kept showing me that scripture over and over again, and I love it. Oh, that's a good yeah. Thank you so much. God bless you. And God, I cannot wait to have you on again. I can't wait.