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E 18. From Survivor to Healer: Kelli Stahl’s Journey of Resilience, Faith & Giving Back
12 Plays3 months ago
In this heartwarming episode of Oh, There You Are, I sit down with Kelli Stahl—a childhood cancer survivor turned pediatric nurse—who now dedicates her life to giving back to the very hospital that saved her.
Diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia at just 8 years old, Kelli experienced firsthand the power of compassionate care. That experience led her to become a nurse at Cook Children’s, where she now helps young patients and their families navigate their own health journeys.
We dive deep into:
✨ How surviving cancer shaped her calling in life
✨ The emotional weight of being a nurse with firsthand experience
✨ The challenges and rewards of working in pediatric healthcare today
✨ The importance of faith, storytelling, and connection in healing
✨ Her advice for anyone going through their own life-altering challenges
Kelli’s story is a beautiful example of resilience, purpose, and the full-circle moments life offers us. Tune in to be inspired, and don’t forget—you are not late, you are right on time. 💛
Purchase Kelli's Story My Fight My Story: Behind every strong person is a story in which they had no other choice
Reach out to her on Instagram and or Facebook.
Connect with Danielle
- Instagram @itsdanielle.thats.me
- Subscribe to Oh There You Are for weekly episodes that help you unlock your potential and live with purpose.
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Purpose
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey friend, I'm so glad you're here. Welcome to oh There You Are. This is the podcast for anyone who's ready to step out of the shadows of self-doubt and into the life they've always dreamed of.
00:00:13
Speaker
I'm your host, Danielle, a wife, mom, and registered nurse who spent way too long believing my voice didn't matter. But guess what? It does.
00:00:23
Speaker
And does yours. If you've been holding back, waiting for the perfect moment or telling yourself you're not enough, this is your reminder. You are more than enough.
00:00:35
Speaker
You've always been enough. Everything you need is already inside you. In this phase, we're going to push past fear, stop hitting snooze on life and start going after what we really want.
00:00:46
Speaker
Each week, I'll bring you solo episodes and interviews with people who had the courage to go first so that you can go next. So grab your favorite drink, settle in, and let's go. And hey, don't forget to hit subscribe so you never miss an episode because we're just getting started.
00:01:05
Speaker
And remember, you're not late. You're right on time. And I can't wait to see where this journey takes us.
Meet Kelly Stahl: A Story of Resilience
00:01:15
Speaker
Hey, friends. Welcome back to oh There You Are. Today's guest is a true testament to resilience, purpose, and the power of giving back. Kelly Stahl is a childhood cancer survivor whose experience shaped not only her outlook on life, but also her career.
00:01:33
Speaker
Diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia at eight years old, she faced a battle that no child should have to endure. But instead of letting it define her in a negative way, she turned it into her life's calling.
00:01:46
Speaker
Now as a dedicated pediatric nurse at Cook's Children's, the very hospital that once saved her life, Kelly has come full circle. With a heart full of passion and a deep sense of purpose, she now stands on the other side of care, offering hope, love, and healing to the youngest patients and their families.
00:02:05
Speaker
She reside resides in Aledo, Texas with her husband, Corey, and their two beautiful daughters. Beyond her working in nursing, Kelly is deeply involved in her church and community, always encouraging others to share their stories and lean into their strength of connection.
00:02:21
Speaker
to- Today, we're diving into her journey.
Kelly's Cancer Journey
00:02:23
Speaker
Now she has transformed her pain into purpose what it's like to work in ah in the very place that gave her a second chance of life, and what she wants others to know about embracing their own stories.
00:02:36
Speaker
Hey, Kelly. Welcome. We're so happy to have you here. Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited. Awesome. Awesome. As we record today, it is International Women's Day. And so what an honor to be able to bring you a fellow woman, a fellow nurse, and introduce you and your story to the world. Yes. Happy National Women's Day. Yes.
00:03:00
Speaker
Yes. I think it's so fun um to be able to reflect back on life and use your own story to encourage other people to come out from underneath their shell and to understand yourself.
00:03:13
Speaker
no matter what they've gone through in life, there's something there hidden down that can just bring impact to other people. If you really allow a light to be shined on some of the darkest times that you might've been through.
00:03:26
Speaker
So, yeah. So I'll just let you kind of like honor you of where you want to start with your journey and what encouraged you then to do just that, to come out and share who you are.
00:03:38
Speaker
Yeah. um So all women struggle, you know, no matter what season of life we're in, we all we all have a story or a testimony. And so this is mine. This is my raw, real testimony and my God-given purpose.
00:03:54
Speaker
um So at the age of eight, I was in second grade and I was diagnosed with cancer. um I had my symptoms. my mom So I'm a third generation nurse. my My mom's mom was a nurse and then my mom and then me.
00:04:12
Speaker
um So my mom knew kind of what to look out for. um You know, cancer back then was not as common as it is now, but I had very low endurance. It was very hard for me to walk around our like our local zoo, which is highly unusual for a kid my age.
00:04:33
Speaker
um had lot of bone pain, um which led to grinding my teeth at night. um And then i had a lot of had some um a couple of episodes of like facial swelling,
00:04:47
Speaker
that was not going away with antibiotics. And then um the last symptom that um warranted a specialist was I had a huge knot on the middle of my forehead.
00:05:00
Speaker
And so at that point, our primary care physician, um i think in his mind he knew what it was. um But he did not want to be the one to tell my mom that's what it was. um Because they were good they were good friends, you know, aside from just being family ah being our doctor.
00:05:20
Speaker
so So she takes me over to Cook Children's. um The infectious disease physician looks at me for about five minutes and she knows that it's cancer.
00:05:31
Speaker
um She said, now she doesn't know what type it is at this point, right? She just knows that it's cancer the way that it, I mean, it's like textbook. um So she sends me to Cook's, ah the hospital.
00:05:45
Speaker
And if you've never been inside Cook Children's, it's like a castle as soon as you walk in. And I just, it's like, Disney World, the Disney World of the hospitals, if that can even coexist, but it does. um and so from from that very beginning is i got the royal treatment, and that's like the first or second chapter of my book.
00:06:10
Speaker
And it really, truly was the royal treatment. And so I spent that day um watching Disney movies while getting body scans, my blood drawn,
Community Support and Healing
00:06:20
Speaker
you know, toys given to me, candy given to me.
00:06:24
Speaker
i mean, they just take care of you and the family all around. And so um by that evening, we were able to meet my pediatric oncologist. His name's Dr. Paul Bowman. And...
00:06:37
Speaker
and um And then ah that night or that the next morning, I got a bone marrow biopsy. And that is the one that um confirmed that it was acute lymphocytic leukemia. and so protocol between St. Jude's, which is a very popular cancer research hospital in Tennessee, and Cook Children's is that I was started on chemo right away. Like within 24 hours of me being admitted, I was started on chemo.
00:07:09
Speaker
And that protocol was very successful. I didn't have any complications, no relapses. I did not have to have radiation. If you want to have a cancer, they said this is the one to have and this protocol and blah, blah, blah.
00:07:24
Speaker
So um God saved me. He truly did. And he led me down a difficult path to um a beautiful life. And so did i did I did chemo for about two and a half years, lost my hair, gained a lot of weight.
00:07:46
Speaker
I think as like as a girl that age, that was probably the most difficult part, is to see your body change and not truly understand it or process it.
00:07:59
Speaker
And then to go back to school with all your friends um that you rarely see and for them to see that you're different. And of course you look different than them. it was, it, it was just kind of like, it was hard, you know, it was hard to, to fit in in a way.
00:08:17
Speaker
No, everyone was nice to me and I was nice to them, but I, it just felt like ah was never fit in. You know, I was back and forth between school and home and the hospital So, so I did chemo for about, so that was second grade. And then I didn't finish chemo till about fifth grade.
00:08:39
Speaker
And, um, during that time i was able to do, uh, I was able to still go to school like Monday through Friday. and then I would do homework on the weekend when I was doing my chemo treatment. So I never really missed school.
00:08:54
Speaker
And I was definitely the guinea pig in that school because they've never had a child that had cancer. It just wasn't as common as it is now. Like, you know someone with cancer right now. Like, you could name probably four or five people. Back then, it was very rare for you to hear of a child having cancer.
00:09:13
Speaker
Now, social media has, course, brought that attention. And, you know, the breast cancer movement, and like the Susan G. Coleman thing. um But it just wasn't just wasn't what it is.
00:09:26
Speaker
And I remember going to a Relay for a Life event, and we did the Survivor Walk, and I just looked around me, and I was like, I am like by far the youngest person to walk the Survivor Walk in my community.
00:09:41
Speaker
But I think that God placed me in
From Survivor to Nurse: Finding Purpose
00:09:44
Speaker
my community for a reason. you know he he planted me there. He planted my family long before I was even diagnosed.
00:09:53
Speaker
where people knew us. They knew who our family was. And as soon as we got home from the hospital, that initial time, my mom wrote letters to our community, letting them know what was going on. You know, this was our Facebook post, our Instagram post, our stories.
00:10:09
Speaker
And at that point, when people were receiving letters, they just naturally rallied around us. They provided meals, garage sale fundraisers, auction fundraisers. But like the at the bowling alley, there was like I just remember all these auction items that took up the walls of the hallway, you know, and that was all for me and my medical expenses. And so that was another miracle is that I never heard my mom or dad talk about, Oh, we can't pay this bill.
00:10:38
Speaker
You know, even, even at that young age and then like getting older, like I just never heard of them talk about that. And so that is a miracle of itself. You know, there are, there are families that struggle. They have good jobs and,
00:10:52
Speaker
But mom has to take take off work or have FMLA to take care of these and their kiddo or sick kiddo. And I know that there's resources and funding in place now.
00:11:04
Speaker
but um But you still see the struggle, you know, the GoFundMes and things like that. Um, so so, yeah, it was just miracle after miracle looking back and, um, you know, once, so once I hit fifth grade, um, I stopped chemo, but, um, even though I stopped chemo and I was kind of progressing out of that cancer phase, so to speak, cancer treatment phase, I should say, i was still followed and doing blood work and research on me until I was 27 years old.
00:11:37
Speaker
Wow. wow So this was my life. Like this was, it was just indwelled in me. You know, I was immersed in it all the time.
00:11:48
Speaker
I was doing surveys, filling out surveys. um They, they, I would wear like this little monitor and they would just do research about my area and um the things around me, like the radiation rate, you know, all those things, which is great.
00:12:06
Speaker
um And so it wasn't just Chemo was part of my life in, you know, second to fifth grade. um And then the other sweet thing that I got to do was cancer camp.
00:12:18
Speaker
um I got to be a camper there. um and then... I got to return. So I was camper, you know, but as ah as a minor, right? And then once I was an adult, then I got to go back and be a counselor.
00:12:35
Speaker
and being a counselor was probably the most rewarding thing that you could ever do. of course, it was free and it was only for one week. But to go back to that place where where you know why that kid's bald or why they're struggling or why they look like that,
00:12:53
Speaker
And you, as a person that used to be a patient, you know exactly what to say. You know exactly what you have to do that week. in order to comfort them and give them the best week possible because this is the week where they get to feel normal and they don't have to explain to any of their new friends why they look this way or why they have to stop at the med clinic and go take some medicine or get some chemo.
00:13:19
Speaker
You know, it just wasn't ever questioned. You felt normal. They got to swim. They got to rock climb. They got to fish. They got to canoe. You know, they got to do all these normal kid activities.
00:13:32
Speaker
And so for me to be able to be invited back as a counselor and they entrusted me with these kids to give them the best week, it was just so rewarding. And know and of course, that led to bigger and better things.
00:13:47
Speaker
um God called me to be a nurse and um I found um the clinic to be where I thrive because I get to watch families grow and um connect with them.
00:14:02
Speaker
um I've been at the clinic for 10 years, and the same clinic. So you can imagine how many 10-year-olds that are running around right now that I gave vaccines to,
Writing and Publishing a Book
00:14:12
Speaker
you know? And like, it just, it warms my heart, you know? And um and they remember me, you know? It's it's crazy to for them to remember me, but they do. And of course, the moms recognize me. They know me. Yeah. And they have such a big smile or relief in their face when I open the door and they see that that I'm still here, that I'm here with that for their family, you know?
00:14:39
Speaker
And so God is just, He has been so good and just helped me every step of the way if I just was obedient and I just let go and let Him lead the way and for me to just follow His will.
00:14:55
Speaker
um And it's just been little miracle of raindrops every every ah every so often, you know, just looking back. Yeah.
00:15:07
Speaker
So what brought the book to life was that um I had put it on my bucket list to write a book. I was like, what could I do as a nurse, a mom, and a wife? What is it that I could do for a bucket list? Because I am not very adventurous. You would not see me bungee jump.
00:15:25
Speaker
I love to travel, but I'm not risky. I was like, a book is pretty safe. yeah so I just thought in my mind that I would write a book once the girls my girls got older. They're six and four. So, you know, they they yeah they're active and they depend on me a lot. yeah So um i was like, okay, well, we'll do this when I'm older and I'll have lots of stories to tell, you know, between cancer and cancer camp and nursing and and my girls.
00:15:56
Speaker
But God laid it on my heart. Yeah. yeah and every time i would step into the sanctuary at my church here in alito that was just he was like but but book so yes say yes yes and we went on we went back and forth for about six weeks with that and of course i had to convince my husband who's a cpa because we live very frugal is like, hey, um God's wanting me to write this book, and I know it's not going to be cheap.
00:16:25
Speaker
um And he's like he's like, okay, well, we'll make it work. I'm like, all right, because he he's a very strong Christian man, and he knows like when God's asked you to do something, you just don't say no, because resisting him yes even much is more of a battle.
00:16:41
Speaker
Right. And because if it's been placed on your heart by him, he's already planned the way. It's just then believing and having the faith. Right. Yeah. Yes, for sure. And um and so, yeah, from the time that I said yes, just doors have been open. i just recently celebrated my one year.
00:16:59
Speaker
book anniversary or book birthday whatever you want to call it and I would have never met Danielle if I had not written this book and she's a nurse and we've shared we've swapped stories and I just love yeah I love that that connection that community we just get each other yeah and um so yeah we I wrote the book um I started in January of 2024 and it was pretty much done by February of 2024 wow um it just went really quick. Once the doors opened, you know, I had an editor right away. Um, it just, I'm just telling you as God, like is usually people don't write books that quickly and it, and it is not a big, huge, long book. I will tell you that, but, um, but it, it shares my story. It shares what God was doing in my life, you know?
00:17:50
Speaker
and um, he my editor person so I wrote the majority of the book like I wrote the first draft or whatever and I tell you I stayed up late at several different nights writing getting it all together and then I would give it to him I would I gave it to him well so I wrote the drafts then my mom filled in the gaps you know conversations things that she observed as an adult right as the mom it just made sense for her to fill in those gaps so that she can get the full visual story of what was going on.
00:18:22
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, cause you're not expected to remember all of that as a child. Exactly. And as an adult, this is at a, this, a, this book is written for an adult to read. I mean, there's nothing bad in it. Um, we've had, you know, like upper elementary or junior high, uh, kiddos read it, but, um, you know, you wouldn't want to read it as a bedtime story. Let's just say that to your kids. But, um,
00:18:46
Speaker
But yeah, so she filled in the gaps. You know, there were conversations that were had behind closed doors, words, verbiage, you know, medical terminology, protocols talked about that I had no idea until I got older. And my mom explained all that to me, right?
00:19:02
Speaker
So um it made sense. And you see her in the book, like you see her heart and and um the work that she did. I mean, she um paved ah the way for... um chemo at home for children. You know, she worked alongside Dr. Bowman.
00:19:18
Speaker
um And so, so you see that. And so ah we wrote the book. So we got it done around like January-ish and I submitted my rough draft to the editor.
00:19:29
Speaker
Well, they put it through their their AI system and this AI system was kind of new what they were using. And so i was going to be kind of one of the first books to go through this AI system. So it was that.
00:19:41
Speaker
And along with The guy, his name is, oh my gosh, I'm drawing a blank. I feel so bad. but I remember the guy that actually, like, I had a conversation with. His name was Michael Stahl. Like, his same last name as me.
00:19:57
Speaker
Like, he was the ghostwriter, I guess, if you want to call it that. um and so ah michael goal and this other gentleman they kept they both told me two separate times they had not talked there was no way they said it's this is very unusual for for us to not have any other projects going on like you are our only project right now and then we're funneling your your book through the ai system and she they were like this is why your books it's getting like produced and and written like and edited really fast and he's like I just want you to know that usually you you have to wait I'm like okay I'm so sorry like and now looking back and remembering that conversation I'm like that's God yeah you know that's that's only something only God can do
00:20:43
Speaker
and um And so whenever the book got finalized, it was like leap day. And um and I remember reading ah a devotional on leap day.
00:20:57
Speaker
And it's like, hey, we get this and we get leap day this year. You know, this is unusual. And he said, make today extra. You know, make today something that you'll remember for the rest of your life kind of thing. Because it only happens so often.
00:21:13
Speaker
yeah And I remember... that's the day that Amazon approved my book to like be live and for people to buy it. And I'm like, only God can do that. Like I'm not in charge of Amazon. yeah And, um and so was just so, it was just great. And then there was actually another story I could go on and on about. I love it. I love it. And everything. But another part was there is a lady at our church and she has a terminal cancer.
00:21:43
Speaker
And she's doing okay right now. um course, she's older. And she had written a book about her terminal cancer and her illness. And I remember when she was initially diagnosed because they put a video of her up on the screen at church to to tell us about her and what was going on so we could be praying for her because she would not be able to go to church, you know, consistently. And so I didn't think anything of it.
00:22:10
Speaker
um remember her name, but I didn't think would be think anything of it. And we both wrote our books within like, I think a month of each other. And so hers was done first and then mine.
00:22:23
Speaker
And we had like a book fair at our church, like this kind of this introductory, um I don't want to call it a book signing, but it was kind of like that. Right. yeah And that was our first time to meet ever in real life.
00:22:39
Speaker
And for god to And our pastor kept saying, we've never had authors in our congregation. We've never had authors in our congregation. And for them to have two within the same month, that means God was working over here in Debbie's life. And God was working over here in Kelly's life, you know, and like keeping these
The Power of Sharing Stories
00:22:58
Speaker
balls spinning. And I'm like, God, only you could do that. And only we could say yes at the correct time and our books be together.
00:23:05
Speaker
And now we're just really good friends and we check in on each other and she lives in my neighborhood. And and you never met her? And I never met her. I mean, I heard of her. Yeah. And i mean, it's a small, it's a small, relatively small town.
00:23:21
Speaker
um But I'm like, my goodness, God, like what else? Like, how do I deserve these little sweet surprises in life? You know? and um And so, yeah, we've just done life together ever since. um We just check in on each other.
00:23:39
Speaker
Whenever you're fighting something, whether it's cancer or divorce or, you know, single parenting or abortion, or a loss of a child, anything like that, you've got to rally your community around you because you cannot do this alone. You cannot be isolated. You can't hide from the world.
00:23:58
Speaker
You will never heal. you will never be whole. You will never see God at work and what He's doing unless you are vulnerable and you break down those walls and you communicate and reach out and connect to people.
00:24:12
Speaker
ah think it's very evident with COVID and everything that it did to us, not just like mentally, right? Mentally and emotionally, it it brought us down, right?
00:24:25
Speaker
The rates of depression went up, ADHD went up. Like there's numbers out there now. We're far from it that we're seeing the effects of it mentally and emotionally. yeah And so that goes to show that no matter what you're going through, we need each other. Absolutely. National Women's day Reach out to that, your best friend.
00:24:42
Speaker
Reach out to... um that that mom or that friend that has mentored you, your grandmother that's mentored you, that taught you the Bible, that taught you to be the woman, what reached out to them. um You know, i wouldn't be here without my mom.
00:24:58
Speaker
and wouldn't be here without my grandmother and the spiritual life that they breathed into me. um and of course, you know, my church and my community. And we we just need each other. i mean, raising our babies is hard and we need other moms around us, um young and old, you know, not just the same age.
00:25:22
Speaker
So. Goodness gracious. Yes. I just love, i just love it. Like you just make this so easy and just yeah feeling the love just pouring out of you and the excitement and truly genuine.
00:25:33
Speaker
You know, you went through something so hard and just being able to find the good and like you said, without that support and community, like you, your family, everything, your thoughts could crumble so easily. And I just keep hearing like the importance of that. And I know I already shared this when I first met you that I used to put myself in a box and a bubble and say, I'm just a small town community nurse.
00:25:58
Speaker
And after I spoke with you, I'm like, no, I'm never going to say that again. and hearing the honor that you get to provide back to that community that kept you guys together Like, it's just, I just goosebumps the whole time you were speaking. Yes.
00:26:14
Speaker
It's that generational love and connection and the kids grow up and they remember you, you know, you've delivered some of their, you know, you've delivered different generations, you know? and so they'll always remember you. I will always remember my delivery nurse. You know, it's just one of those things that it's that touch of that small community that people love.
00:26:35
Speaker
And so we want to be that. We want to be that person. Yeah. Oh, so good. So I know you said like you felt God called you. Did you always feel like you were going to be a nurse knowing that you were following in that generational line? Or you were you like, I don't really know what I want to do when I get older? Yeah.
00:26:52
Speaker
Well, i I kind of pushed back on it because I was like, well, I don't want to be a nurse just because my mom and my grandmother were a nurse. And they probably expected to expected that of me a little bit.
00:27:03
Speaker
But um I did battle between being a teacher and being a nurse because I knew that I wanted to be a mom and and be able to stay at home with them some.
00:27:14
Speaker
um And I knew I had options there both ways, you know. um i could work PRN, which I do now. um And then with being a teacher, you know, I could teach where they are um get the summers off, you know, holidays off when they're off kind of thing. Right.
00:27:30
Speaker
um But God truly called me to nursing. Like, he like that's where I thrived. I have I have this medical terminology that I've grown up with, you know. there is a There is a language there that they talk all the time, and now I talk it.
00:27:46
Speaker
And my husband my husband gets annoyed by it, but but it's true. And so I had already developed all that, you know. and um And so it just was natural for me to fall into this. yeah Now, was nursing school hard to get into?
00:28:03
Speaker
Heck yeah. yeah um Was it hard to stay in? Heck yeah. but um But God carried me through and he got me through the right doors at just the right time.
00:28:14
Speaker
um I will never forget my friend Ashton who got me the job that I have today that I've been there for 10 years. Yeah. um But I've been full-time at this clinic. I've been part-time. And now I'm PRN. And I hope to go back um and work more as the girls get older. i work one day a week. And I'll pick up a weekend every now and again.
00:28:35
Speaker
But God has also brought me to where my... So I have a first grader. So I also have the opportunity to school nurse sub within Aledo.
00:28:46
Speaker
So um I'm trained for all the the schools here. So high school, middle school, and elementary And so that's been really fun is just to kind of have that nurse teacher,
Growth through Community Engagement
00:28:58
Speaker
you know, connection. yeah And it works really well to be a clinic nurse because, you know, you're running a clinic at the school.
00:29:04
Speaker
You're kind of alone, but, um ah you know, being all a medical professional there. Right. But but it's fun. i really love it. That's so good. Like I hear so many people saying, you know, you want to have a job in life where it doesn't feel like work.
00:29:19
Speaker
And that's what I get to hear you saying. Like you sincerely love it. And it's so encouraging because, you know, like in the state of medical right now, it's easy to get burnout pretty quickly. So I'm glad that you can continue to find the love and joy and just encouraging other people. Cause I don't know I'm guilty of it. Sometimes people are like, oh, you know, I think I might go into nursing. And I'm like, oh, really? You know, are you sure you want to think about that?
00:29:43
Speaker
But then it comes down to as long as you're not being driven by, oh you know, the money, because I know that can be a big thing driving from the medical field, and you really step back and allow it to be driven by your heart, then you're in the right place, because we need people to love on other people. It's so important.
00:30:01
Speaker
I remember when I told my mom that I wanted to be a nurse for the first time and she kind of talked me out of it. Yeah, see? Because she's been in healthcare care so long. She knew. she she understands. She's like, I want you to go through that.
00:30:13
Speaker
Of course, I've had a much different experience than her because she was she worked at a hospital for years, you know, um on the floor. like a floor nurse, and then she worked up to nursing supervisor and then administration.
00:30:25
Speaker
it was a different experience for her, right? Then she's taking care of employees rather than I'm taking care of direct kiddos, you know, like in pediatrics. So, you know, healthcare, care of course, is different for different experience, no matter, depending on what you are in, like what your field is in. But, um you know, I never had the desire to do administration stuff. I i love the direct care and the triaging and stuff because that's what that is where you're taking care of the the children and their family right then and there, you know. yeah
00:30:58
Speaker
And for me to go from like administration or something, I'm kind of like, that's where I'm losing my passion, you know. so Yeah, but that's good to know and to recognize where your strengths are and where you feel that your weaknesses are. so um So just a part of all of this, what then inside of you that said, you know what, Kelly, I need to stand up and encourage other women to come out here and just really speak their story. What kind of sparked that for you to start allowing other people to look deep down inside to show how much value that they truly bring to this world and that they don't need to hide it because we need them?
00:31:32
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I think growing up, I mean, I've had some friends that would agree with me too, is that growing up, you know, we didn't have Facebook or Instagram and stuff like that. And so um naturally things were kind of private, you know, what you went through in your household was private and you really didn't share it.
00:31:50
Speaker
And women back then were kind of, were kind of told to hide their emotions and like, let's not talk about our day and how, how stressed you are. you know, you just kind of,
00:32:04
Speaker
kept it in But now we know with research and the rates of depression and postpartum and all the things is that it, it, you got to share it. You got to be vulnerable in order to heal from the inside out. You got to admit it you know, you got to admit that there's something there.
00:32:24
Speaker
And so as time's gone on and research has gone on, it's only helps to share. Like it only, you heal and then someone else heals alongside with you. And so it only makes sense for us to sit here and encourage each other to share our stories.
00:32:42
Speaker
um You know, I grew up in a high school, in Weatherford High School, a little shy, was not popular. You know, I didn't hang out with the popular people. I didn't do popular things. And so that was really hard for me because I didn't know where I fit in.
00:32:59
Speaker
But it wasn't until college and then um finding more confidence in myself that I needed to share what I've been going through, you know, because there's others out there that are suffering and they need someone to understand and know what they're going through.
00:33:15
Speaker
And so is Facebook, you know, it was my space first, right? yeah My space and Facebook and Instagram, it just kind of led to this natural sharing of life, right? You get on there and there's so many people sharing their life and you can get on there and algorithm will help you find people to relate to, right? Yeah.
Building Genuine Connections
00:33:34
Speaker
And, um, and so it just helps like When I get to share with someone what I'm going through and they want to sit there and pray over me and vice versa. um and whenever we go, whenever I go to a second, whenever I go on Sunday to teach my second grade Sunday school class, one of the first things I do is like, hey, how's your week been going? You know, how do Do you have any prayer requests or things that you want to share? Good things.
00:34:01
Speaker
And they are so excited to share for someone to know their name and for someone to care enough about them in their week. Hey, share it out loud. Tell us about it. Tell us these wins or these losses.
00:34:14
Speaker
And that's when you get to hear their hearts and where you can pray for them. and this can go the same thing with your kids. You know, you hear where they're where they're worrying and their anxiety and you know how to pray for them.
00:34:27
Speaker
And they know to share. um i just don't know any other life other than to just connect and share and let your walls down and be vulnerable. I mean, we're all broken in some way and everybody knows that. So you might as well just tell them, right? yeah In my mind, it's that simple, but, and I get it if it's not that simple for others.
00:34:53
Speaker
But um we need each other to build each other up. God created us that way. Amen. Amen. And out yeah, and just understanding that we don't have to feel like, well, ours are too small to share, you know, exactly right? That's every little little small little thing. I know, like when you get into group settings and stuff, we can put little walls are around ourself going, well, what about if I say the wrong thing? What about, you know, they don't like what I have to say.
00:35:20
Speaker
And I hear though, you opening up your heart and allowing to set like kind of the, the room and the energy, not the energy, but just kind of like the feel and just the love that you bring.
00:35:32
Speaker
um and when you continually do that, people see that time after time after time and realize, you know, Kelly is a safe place. You know, the world can be a safe place when you just allow yourself to see the good that really is out there. So, yeah.
00:35:47
Speaker
Yeah. You think about those deep relationships that you have, you know, with your spouse or with your best friend, know, you draw closer to each other whenever you go through hard times. Yes.
00:35:57
Speaker
Same thing with God. When we go through hard times, we draw closer. Our faith and our obedience is stronger. So if you keep having these surface level relationships, you're not going to get anywhere. You're just staying, you're just staying, you know, going back and forth.
00:36:11
Speaker
And so I think about that and I'm like, I want to have these deep, meaningful cool conversations where I grow closer to people. So, yeah. Well, I really thank you for opening up that door for, you know, myself and just for,
00:36:23
Speaker
the other listeners and stuff to know that it is safe and definitely needed. you made it so easy just to sit and like I said, and just sharing your heart and feeling your energy and having tears in my eyes and just feeling so drawn in by you. Like questions really weren't necessary today. I just really thank you for showing up and again, just pouring your heart into your love and your purpose and just allowing us all to know how needed and valuable and loved we truly are out here. And that it's important to stop fighting it.
00:36:55
Speaker
Just lean in. Yeah. Right. Little by little each day and just allow your heart to be opened and the right people are going to be there when you're ready to finally say, here I am world. Yeah.
00:37:09
Speaker
And no matter how many times I share my story, you know, and I change it up a little bit, it still brings tears to my eyes because you, you just feel that God and you feel the Holy spirit. You feel the things that have worked together and you, you know, like no one else could
Conclusion and Call to Action
00:37:24
Speaker
have done that. No human could have done that. So.
00:37:26
Speaker
Yeah. Well, awesome. Well, I greatly appreciate getting to meet you and I'm looking forward to getting your book and just reading it and getting, I felt I didn't want to get it before I met you. I wanted to hear it from you first. and I just really love that opportunity to get to know the author before. And because I like to hear the actual voice of the person who wrote it and hear it and speak. And it's like, you're reading it to me. And i I love that. I just think it's so special. So yeah, you can,
00:37:54
Speaker
You can find my book on Amazon. um i am easily found on social media, Kelly Corey Stahl. I would love to connect with you via Facebook or Instagram. Hear your story, hear your heart.
00:38:05
Speaker
um It's not about selling books. It's about selling so sharing stories. Yes. Sharing stories with each other and connecting. so Absolutely. i Yes. And I will definitely include your things down in the show notes so that everybody can find you.
00:38:20
Speaker
And thank you for being the treasure that you are. And I know we're not recording video, but if people could just see your smile, I know they can feel it and they can see it in their minds. But thank you. best part. Thank you. Absolutely. It's so fun. so Thank you again. And I'm so grateful that we were able to cross paths.
00:38:38
Speaker
Yes, same. Thank you, Danielle. You're welcome, Kelly. Thank you. Until next time, everybody. Thanks so much for hanging out with me today on Oh, There You Are.
00:38:49
Speaker
Remember, everything you need to step into your power is already inside of you. So keep going, friend. You've got this. If today's episode inspired you, don't forget to subscribe so you never miss a new one.
00:39:02
Speaker
And I'd love to connect with you over on Instagram. Find me at it's danielle.thats.me. Drop by say hi let me know what resonated with you or just share your journey.
00:39:13
Speaker
And before you go, I've got something special for you. I'm offering a free seven day journal to help you start tapping into your potential and build that mindset shift.
00:39:24
Speaker
It's designed to guide you through the steps of unlocking your power. You can grab it in the show notes below. Let's take this journey together. All right, friend, go make it happen.
00:39:35
Speaker
And remember, you're not late. You're right on time