00:00:06 Archita: Today, we are exploring how spirituality can guide us back to that inner peace not as an escape from life, but as a deeper way of living it.

00:00:16 Archita: Welcome to sacred Harmony, a space where we explore the connection between spirit healing and the deeper rhythms of life. I'm your host, and today I'm joined by LaTonya Renee Flood, a Kingdom strategist, author, and creative producer whose work bridges faith, leadership, entrepreneurship, and purpose driven living. Through her foundation and global initiatives, she is helping people move from identity confusion to her, what she calls holy confidence. In this conversation, we will explore the idea of sacred calm, how spiritual grounding can help us navigate uncertainty, find clarity, and reconnect with peace within ourselves. LaTonya, it's truly a joy to have you here today.

00:01:07 LaTonya Renee Flood: I mean, it's honestly an honor to be invited to a podcast. So thank you so much for having me.

00:01:16 Archita: Thank you so much for being here. And this is, uh, you know, such a calm kind of, uh, topic. And I'm really looking forward to learn more from you through this conversation today. So without wasting any time, let's dive into it. And I, I would love to start with something simple but meaningful. When you hear the phrase sacred calm, what does that mean to you personally? Not just spiritually, but in your everyday life?

00:01:48 LaTonya Renee Flood: To me, a sacred calm is just a sense of this inner peace where you're absolutely grounded and you're not bothered by the surroundings. It's like your inner peace doesn't have anything to do with your current situation. You're not moved by the way things look. You're not moved by the dysfunction. You're not moved by anything you see or hear in the news. Any bad reports? Like when you are at that that sacred harmony, you're just such at a peaceful state. And it's an inner peace that that's something that that exists inside of you and it just can't be shaken no matter what.

00:02:39 Archita: Yeah, I totally get that. And it must not be easy to reach that stage. And I'm sure that through this conversation today, you will take us there. You'll teach us how to navigate this journey together. So this really sets the tone for this conversation. LaTonya now moving on, many people assume that inner peace means removing stress or escaping the challenges of life. But in reality, life keeps happening. From your perspective, what's the biggest misunderstanding people have about spiritual peace?

00:03:17 LaTonya Renee Flood: Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. Um. Most people think that spiritual peace means that you're oblivious to life. Like you're walking around as if life does not affect you. But it does. The, the, the, the reality of it all is that when you have inner peace, you don't allow what's happening around you to control your emotional state and your emotional response. So when you have inner peace, you can, um, navigate on a completely different level. Like I'm going to tell you a true story here. Back in, um, earlier this last year, God told me not to work like August first was going to be the last day that I worked for someone else. So sure enough, I put my month notice in August first with my was my last day. So that meant I no longer had income contributing to my household. And I'm married and I have two younger children and um, one adult child and one adult godchild godchild that, you know, they're depending on me and my husband. So that meant that we shifted to just having one income. And then in October, in the middle of October, he found out that he only had thirty days left on his job. Now, if you don't have inner peace, I could see how that could be extremely Upsetting to find out that, okay, you're not working now, your spouse is not going to be working and you have all these dependents depending on you. But I had such a the joy of the Lord that my husband made a joke one time. He was like, babe, I only have like two, two more weeks left at work. But you're booking massage appointments. Like you're not even trying to save money for what's to come. But I wasn't bothered. I knew that I have the understanding that God is my provider and just and being in touch with my faith and knowing that I was able to just, hey, put it all on him. Like I'm not, I'm not responsible for providing for my household. God said that. That's what he does. So I wasn't concerned. November fourteenth was his last day scheduled in his job. He didn't have, um, all the jobs that my husband was applying to. He never once got an interview, but while he was on his old job, he got a phone call. Another company was trying to acquire his old company, and while he was on the phone with them, they said, hey man, are you looking for a job? Because you sound like a very intelligent person. So November fourteenth was his last day, but November thirteenth was the thirteenth was the day that he got a job that he did not. Well, he got a job offer in writing that he did not apply apply for. And I genuinely believe it's because I was grounded in my inner peace, and I didn't allow the circumstances of potentially not having income to take care of our daily needs to affect me, because I kept moving through my inner peace. I just kept doing life as though it was normal that God made the way for that. But I genuinely believe if I didn't have that inner peace, then I would have brought about anxiety in the household, depression in that household. And when those things. Then you start isolating yourself. And if I, if I were to bring that energy into the house, then it would have transferred to my husband. And maybe when he was on that phone call, he wouldn't have sound, um, he wouldn't have sounded sound enough for another company to want him. So it's, it's imperative that every individual find a way of living in inner peace so that they won't be negatively impacted by life happenstance.

00:07:20 Archita: Wow. That is that is really powerful. And that's real inner peace right there because, uh, what you just said it, it reframes peace not as a perfect environment, but as a steady presence inside us, even when life is messy or unpredictable. So even if everything is crumbling around us, I think it's you're still standing. And that is real inner peace. And that takes a lot of courage to do it. It's not easy. But when that is achieved, I think anything can be possible.

00:07:57 LaTonya Renee Flood: Yeah. And just quickly I'll share a story. Um, won't be as long is when I didn't have inner peace. So about, uh, give or take two, two and a half years ago, um, my life didn't look in the natural how I saw it in the spiritual. Like, I know God has all these plans for me and I see all these visions and I don't believe that he gives me these visions and ideas and solutions for it, not for me not to do anything with. And I kept trying all these different avenues, but nothing was working out. And because I did not because I wasn't grounded and because I did not have the inner peace that I that I do in this moment. I called my husband and asked him, can he please, um, take me to, uh, what do you call those, like a mental facility? Because I genuinely thought that I was losing my mind. So it's again, it's it's it's, it's crucial that we have these inner peace because when we don't, you can become very depressed and confused and then you start questioning your identity. You start questioning what you see and what you hear. And when we start questioning those things, we welcome depression, we welcome isolation. We welcome all the negative things. If you Google peace, whatever the opposite of that is, you welcome all those things. So yeah, it's, it's very important to make sure you have the inner peace because the opposite is horrible. So I've lived through that and I dare not wish that on even my enemies to live in a place where they're not at peace.

00:09:35 Archita: Absolutely. And I think that inner peace can have such a big impact in everything in your life and your mental health, your physical health, your emotional well-being. So yeah, it really comes down to that. And, um, now, LaTonya, moving on, you speak about identity and purpose in your work and how people often struggle with identity crisis. I'm curious, how does a disconnect from our spiritual identity affect our ability to experience inner peace?

00:10:11 LaTonya Renee Flood: Oh my gosh, when you're not, when you're not grounded in who you are, you, you can't be at peace. It's literally impossible. Let's use you for an example right now. I don't know if being on podcasts or interviewing people bring about any nervousness or anything, but if you if you didn't know that you were called to to do this, then you won't have the boldness to pass the nervous energy to be able to get online and do these types of interviews. And that speaks for everybody. If you don't know who you are, then every single time you enter a room, you will question yourself. And when you question yourself, you cannot be at peace because the whole time they call it self sabotage. The whole time you're thinking, oh man, that person over there, they have this amount of experience or I don't have a degree like the other person, or I'm gonna use myself as an example. I've entered into spaces when I didn't know who I was. And next thing you know, instead of networking, I'm on the wall because I'm telling myself that I don't belong in the room. So it's, it's imperative to not just know who you are, But it is who you are. I genuinely believe that every single person that's on this earth is here for a very specific purpose, and they are the only ones in the entire world that can fulfill their purpose. And their purpose will be fulfilled, whether it's willingly, whether they want to do it in like the most peaceful, blissful way, or their purpose is going to be fulfilled through in a way that that won't bring them peace. So it's like, well, why pick that option, right? Like if you have an option to live life purposeful, meaningful, and, and intentional and you get all the blessings and like you said, there's not a perfect world, but you're at peace because you know who you are. You know what you're called to do. It'll be completely different than you're fighting it every step of the way. So you, you cannot have this level of inner peace. If you have identity issues, you may think you do, but you don't.

00:12:39 Archita: That makes so much sense. I mean, definitely at the end of the day, who you truly are. I think knowing that it's the most important part. And it sounds like inner peace isn't just about quieting the mind. It's about remembering who we truly are at our core. And that's that's beautiful. That's really important. And, you know, in real life, people juggle responsibilities, family pressures, financial stress, and uncertainty about the future. What tends to happen spiritually when someone is constantly operating in survival mode.

00:13:18 LaTonya Renee Flood: If someone is operating in survival mode, they will continue to operate in survival mode. That's the easiest way. The Bible says so as a man thinks, so is he. So if you believe that you're operating from a point of lack, then you will always lack. If anybody, no matter where they are in life right now, would like to have prosperity. Um, financial blessings through wealth. The, the first and most important thing that they have to do is believe that it can happen. They have to believe that they're not living in a life of scarcity, but they're living in a life of abundance. And it's not until you accept that. And again, it goes back to your identity. You have to know that you weren't put on this earth to be in lack. Now, because there will always be sickness, there are some people that will always struggle mentally. But once you are aware, once you are aware that it's a mental thing and you snap out of it, there's no telling how much wealth you can have, and it doesn't take years to achieve that. I've seen a lot of interviews done. Um, I'm a huge fan of Myron Golden. He interviewed this lady one time and I can't remember the months per se, so don't quote me. But when he was interviewing her, it was like in the month of January, she made zero dollars. And she said, you know what? I'm going to be committed. I'm going to show up. I'm going to do the lives I'm going to put in the work, and I'm going to do the things in the next month. It wasn't like a thousand or five thousand. I again, I don't remember exactly the number, but it was something like twenty thousand dollars. Within a month she was living. She was about to be homeless, but in thirty days or less, her whole situation changed because her whole mindset changed. She realized, I don't have to live this way. So that goes to Anybody in the world. There's no such thing as special people. There's no such thing as, oh, it'll work for that person and not for me. That, that that's a lie again that we continually tell ourselves. So at any point, um, you want to be grow in wealth, you just have to change your mindset and it goes back to your identity. I hope I'm answering your questions because you know, your girl likes to talk and sometimes I get lost in my own words. So I hope, I hope I answered your question.

00:15:55 Archita: No, thank you so much for sharing that. And that is that is really important because it's an important reminder that spirituality isn't reserved for quiet retreats. It can be woven into the middle of everyday life. And it's like what you just said, it really resonated with me because I believe that we become what we believe and that is that is really important. So yeah, and, uh, LaTonya. For someone listening right now who genuinely wants more inner peace but doesn't know where to begin, what are some simple spiritual practices or daily habits that can help cultivate that sense of sacred calm?

00:16:38 LaTonya Renee Flood: Yeah. So for the most part, you know, again, you know, I believe in Jesus and I, I, I pray to my God. So every morning, um, I do my best to be intentional about praying and having a conversation with the one who I believe, who I know created me and that helps stay grounded. Um, uh, I believe that for me personally, you just have to figure out where that space is for you. Me, it's bad when I feel like I'm getting because you know, I'm not perfect. And although I, I have this inner peace, there are some distractions that's a little harder to, to accept than others. So I have to take a step back from life, and I. Like taking these long, extensive baths. Sometimes they're two hours. I put on some, um, prophetic instrumental worship music and I just take time out to get my life together. Sometimes we just have to step away from others. So I think it's extremely important to pray, and it's extremely important to have quiet time. And most people, especially Christians, when they pray, they just do a lot of talking. But prayer is, is actually a conversation. So we have to be reminded to make room for God to speak back. So just kind of rest your mind and just only focus on the creator. And he, I believe he is the only one that can give us peace. Um, so for me, again, it's bath music, worship and prayer.

00:18:16 Archita: That's beautiful. And yeah, I think every person have to find that for themselves. But what you what you shared just now, that's that's really important and that it's going to be a lot helpful for the listeners, I'm sure. But, uh, the question is, how can someone stay consistent with these practices that you just mentioned without turning them into pressure or obligation?

00:18:41 LaTonya Renee Flood: MM. That's good. Um, the, the, the only way I can say, um, is the one word that comes to mind is intentional. You, you, you have to be intentional about going after the life you want. If anybody want to be better in any area, they just have to be intentional. So let's just say like, I'm, I'm not the girl who goes to work, wake up every day at six a m I try that for a year. Every day at six a m I woke up and prayed every day at six a m and then that was like, this is not the life for me. Like, I wasn't born to wake up this early and do that. So I said I had to give myself grace. So now I do pray, but it's just when I wake up. So I just think everybody has to give themselves that same grace too. But the only way to be consistent is just to make sure you're being intentional, and you can't be intentional one day and not intentional for a week, and then be intentional for a week and then take off a month. Daily. You must choose the life you want first, because if you don't choose to hear me when I say this, if you don't choose the life that you want, you will get the life you don't want. And if you can understand that, that will help you stay consistent.

00:20:07 Archita: You couldn't have said it in a better way. I mean, truly, I think consistency comes from being intentional and from being true to yourself. And I love that approach because it makes spiritual grounding feel accessible, something gentle and supportive rather than another thing to get right. So. Right.

00:20:28 LaTonya Renee Flood: Exactly.

00:20:30 Archita: Absolutely. But even when we find moments of peace, life has a way of pulling us back into stress or doubt. So what helps someone return to their spiritual center when they feel like they've lost that calm?

00:20:46 LaTonya Renee Flood: Yeah. So for me, see, once you experience the inner peace, once you have actively seen how it works out on your in your favor, when you have peace, it's so much easier to bounce back because you have, we have something tangible that you know we can look to. So in the moments where I feel as though I'm slipping away, I just quickly tell myself, no, um, you know our mind. You know, I don't know if people know this, but we have about seventy thousand thoughts a day, right? So whenever I have these thoughts that sneak into my brain to tell me or try to get me to be anything other than peace, I just have to take a step back and tell my mind I have to speak to myself. No, we're not doing that today. We're not doing that today. Just today, I had someplace to be at ten and I was like, oh my gosh, I gotta rush back to get to, um, to be here and present with you now. But I couldn't find a parking space and I could have easily just lost it. And I almost did. But then I had to remember, you know what? Um, I know all the things I'm supposed to do today. And if they're, if they're going to happen, it's just that it's going to happen. So I just patiently kept driving and lo and behold, the perfect spot opened up for me. I paid less money than what I would have paid if I parked where I wanted to park initially. So yeah, it's just you just have to remind yourself, um, again, the Bible, it says daily, you have to seek. So this isn't you don't you don't get inner peace and then, oh, you got it for the rest of your life. It's something that you have to constantly work towards. So anytime when life happens, especially the hard ones are always say, give yourself grace. If you got to cry it out, cry it out and then come back, don't dwell on it.

00:22:49 Archita: Absolutely. I, I love all of the things that you shared because it's like returning to yourself again, again, you know, and that idea of returning again and again, it feels very human because peace is something we achieve, something we keep coming back to, even when things are hard, even when our mind is telling us others. So that really helps. Thank you for sharing that.

00:23:19 LaTonya Renee Flood: Oh yeah. Absolutely. It's an honor to share. I genuinely believe that, um, life is meant to be shared. It's one of the lies that we tell ourselves when something is going on and we try to retreat, but we were never meant to be alone. We are people of community. So when you go through life, it's very important you share because what you went through will help someone else. It's not a matter of if it will, it will. So thank you for asking.

00:23:48 Archita: Yeah. And on that very note, for someone listening today who feels lost, overwhelmed, or disconnected from their sense of peace, what would you gently want them to remember about themselves?

00:24:06 LaTonya Renee Flood: You created to be a peaceful person. Anything that contradicts that is a lie. So don't believe it. No matter what arises on your day to day. Choose peace. It's a choice. It will not be forced, but is only your choice. No one has control over you to dictate whether you're going to be peaceful or not. So just make sure that you're choosing it for yourself daily.

00:24:35 Archita: That's powerful. And if there's one message I'm taking from this conversation today, it's this inner peace isn't something we chase outside ourselves. It's something we reconnect with when we remember who we truly are. And I think you have today helped us a lot to remembering who we are in our inner core. So thank you once again for this. And this conversation has been so enlightening. I'm feeling lighter than I was feeling when I, you know, started this session. So thank you for everything, for all the wisdom that you brought today. And LaTonya, truly, this has been such a meaningful conversation and I'm sure our listeners are feeling the same way. So for listeners who want to learn more about your work, your mission, or connect with you, where's the best place for them to find you?

00:25:32 LaTonya Renee Flood: Yeah, the best place is my website and it's w w w dot Renee dot com. Everything that, um, everything is there. Just my name.

00:25:47 Archita: Amazing. And we will make sure all those details are available in the show notes so that our listeners can feel free to reach out to you whenever they want. And thank you for joining us today on sacred conversations like this. Remind us that peace isn't something distant or unreachable. It's something we can nurture through awareness, faith, and intentional living. If this episode resonated with you, take a moment to follow the podcast and share someone who might need a little more calm in their life right now. These conversations exist to create space for reflection, healing, and growth, and your support helps keep that space alive. Until next time, take a breath, slow down and remember that harmony often begins within.