Hey, it's Anthony here. We're excited to share a special episode featuring Crystal's recent presentation from the Whole Hearted Abundance Summit, hosted by Amy Wicks of the Simply Hearted Podcast. Since many of our listeners are entrepreneurs, we thought you'd love crystal's, encouraging talk called grace in the jungle, thriving in faith, family, and finances as a woman entrepreneur

a fast growing number of parents are starting their homeschooling journey while others have been homeschooling for years. All of these parents are asking one big question, how can I afford to homeschool? We are here to answer that important question once and for all. Hi, I'm Crystal Obby. And I'm Anthony Obby. We've been homeschooling our five kids for 13 years and we funded it. Through our online consulting business that we've been running for over 17 years now, we're combining Crystal's financial coaching expertise with my digital marketing background where I help entrepreneurs launch and sell online. We're here to help fellow homeschooling parents self-fund their homeschool journey and create lifestyle businesses. For financial freedom without a nine to five job, are you ready to start living life on your own terms and make your homeschooling experience a lot more fun? Well then sit back, crank up the volume, and enjoy this episode of Homeschool Money.

As women entrepreneurs, we often feel like we're navigating a wild jungle, balancing faith, family, and finances, while facing uncertainty, setbacks, and overwhelm. But just like in any jungle, there's a way to move with grace, strength, and divine wisdom instead of feeling lost or stuck. This talk will equip you with the mindset, strategies and faith field principles to thrive in every area of life. There are five key takeaways I want you to get from this talk. Accept the call in your life. Increase your capacity for impact, accelerate your progress on your goals. Discover resources and provisions to accomplish your goals, and then of course, prevent burnout, especially during times of transition or crisis. There are three top activities we're gonna focus on. Number one is gaining clarity about your own personal jungle. Number two is we're gonna create a vision for walking and grace. Number three, we're gonna build confidence so that you can thrive and not just survive. My name is Crystal Obie and I'm the co-founder of Life and Launches, a direct response copy and launch firm that helps coaches, course creators, and entrepreneurs craft high converting messaging and marketing campaigns that drive sales. I'm a certified Enneagram coach, have a master's degree in life coaching and mentoring, am a doctoral candidate and am married to my college sweetheart. Anthony and I have been married 23 years and we homeschool our five kids in Dallas, Texas. I included a picture here of us with our five kids because today is family day and a big deal for me was to have five kids. Anthony and I both always wanted five kids, and we ended up having to go through nine pregnancies to get to our five kids. We have four miscarriages and two near death experiences, so family is huge for us and I'm so glad to be able to encourage you today. Just in case you're wondering, I'm an Enneagram eight and Anthony is an Enneagram one. Now. I prayed and prepared for this message by imagining what I would say to you if we were sitting next to each other talking. I considered my own goals and life priorities and decisions that I've had to make. I prayed over a lot of scriptures that have really helped me and played back conversations that I've had with clients. I thought about how one of my favorite TV shows is called I Shouldn't Be Alive. I just love watching people overcome challenges. There was this one episode where a guy was lost in the jungle and it totally seemed hopeless that he was gonna make it out, but ultimately he did. One day we watched a movie called Jungle and it turned out to be based on the same story that we watched on I Shouldn't Be Alive. And it was an incredible movie, and I recommend you check it out if you ever get a chance. Now, women entrepreneurs face the challenge of keeping our faith strong, our family nurtured, and our finances in order. One of the definitions of a jungle is a situation or place of bewildering complexity or brutal competitiveness. This definitely reminds me of being a woman entrepreneur sometimes. The first question I want you to ask yourself today is, what is my jungle? What exactly is on your plate? Once you've asked the first question of what is your jungle? I want you to think about the second question, which is, how did I get here?

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You may look at your life sometimes and just really wonder just, you know, how did I get here? And I have noticed there are three ways life can get chaotic. The first way is what I call camping. That means that's when you signed up to be here, and you have just become overwhelmed. It's things that you've wanted to do. You signed up and you just keep adding to the plate and you just get overwhelmed. But you asked to be here. The second thing I've noticed is that people wander into places. So basically you drifted because you said yes to too many things and you just need more boundaries. You just keep overcoming, um, things that you should be saying no to and saying yes to things, and you end up kind of drifting off of the path that you were on, and that can lead to overwhelm. The third thing I've noticed is that people get into situations because they basically crash there. There's unexpected crisis or transitions that create some unfortunate circumstances. Now, no matter what is on your plate and no matter what your jungle is made of, it is very critical that you are clear about your priorities. Anthony and I do an annual planning meeting and we discuss what is the one thing we can do in each category of life for the next year so that we can go to the next level of thriving, and we only include one thing when you're in a real jungle. There are some specific priorities you have, and I looked them up. It's finding drinking water, building a shelter before nightfall, creating a weapon or tool for making things and finding a source of food. Your priorities and your faith, your family, and your finances should be focusing on the basics and release any guilt about any unrealistic expectations. You can't do it all. That leads us to question number three. What is your top priority in each of these areas of life that is essential for your survival? So what's your top priority in your faith, your family, and your finances right now? And just list just one thing. Your top priority. As a woman in business, you need to be aware that outside of the regular everyday challenges in life, there are real threats and enemies that can take you out. In the real jungle, there are some dangers of falling trees, slippery rocks, sunstroke sunburn, heat, stroke, dehydration disease, mosquitoes, and venomous snakes. The your dangers are basically anything that can hinder or kill your faith, hurt your family, or ruin your finances. For question number four, I want you to take a moment and just identify any threat that you. Have thought of that you need to address today. There may be a threat in your family. It may be a threat in your, uh, uh, your finances or a threat in your faith. But as we're talking here, something has come up and I want you to take the time to write that down right now 'cause there's a threat that you need to address and I want you to deal with that starting today. Now, women entrepreneurs face unique challenges that can create risk in family, faith and finances, if not carefully navigated. So I've got some dangers here that I want you to take a look at. For faith, we've got drifting from God. The pursuit of success can lead to prioritizing work over spiritual disciplines like prayer, bible study, and church involvement. Then worldly influences. That's the pressure to conform to secular business standards may lead to ethical compromises or a mindset that prioritizes profit over your integrity. You might face an identity crisis that's it's easy to find self-worth in business achievements. That's always easy rather than in Christ leading to pride or insecurity. And last isolation from Christian community. Entrepreneurship you already know can be lonely, and if faith-based relationships aren't nurtured, spiritual accountability and support can fade. So I'm so glad that you're attending this summit today. Next, under family, we have neglecting family relationships. The demands of business, constrain marriages, parenting, and outside relationships, like extended relationships leading to emotional distance and lack of quality time. There can also be role confusion. You know, Anthony and I work together and I know that balancing business and leadership with family roles can be difficult sometimes leading to resentment or guilt. That's something you have to, to watch out. We all know that burnout and stress can be at the top list of dangers, and because over overworking can result in exhaustion, making it harder to pre be present and engage with loved ones. And one thing that I know a lot of people are always working on is lack of boundaries.

Hey, friend, quick break. If you're ready to fund your homeschool without relying on a nine to five job, you have to check this out. We're giving you instant access to. Our free class is called Get 30,000 a year to Fund Your Homeschool Without a nine to five job. In just 90 minutes, you'll learn how to create consistent income. Afford a world-class education for your kids and get the lifestyle freedom you deserve, that's gonna give you more time to invest into the people that matter the most, your children. This is the system that changed everything for us, and it's changed everything for hundreds of other families too. Go to homeschool money.com to register and watch the free class on demand and get our newsletter full of tips and support. Don't wait. Your freedom starts right now.

Bringing work home constantly can blur the lines between business and family life, making it hard to truly rest and connect. Anthony and I have had to create specific rules that we follow in order to keep family and work separate. And whenever we follow the rules, that's great, and if we don't, then you know it's not so awesome. Dangers in finances include financial instability. One thing is that business revenue can be unpredictable, leading to stress and risky financial decisions. Also debt and overinvestment. Some of entrepreneurs take on too much debt too soon, putting personal assets and family finances at risk. A big danger for women entrepreneurs is underpricing and overworking. Many women struggle to charge what they're worth, leading to financial strain. Despite hard work and last legal and tax issues. Failing to set up proper business structures, contracts and tax planning can also result in costly mistakes. So those are a lot of dangers, but don't worry because I have some excellent solutions for you. If you feel like you're drifting from God, I want you to schedule daily non-negotiable prayer and Bible study time just as you would a business meeting. If you feel like worldly influences are a danger, I want you to set clear business values rooted in scripture, and regularly assess decisions against them. If you struggle with an identity crisis, I wanna remind, I want you to remind yourself that success is stewardship, not identity. Your worth is in Christ, not in revenue. And if you feel isolated from Christian community, I wanna invite you to intentionally connect with a faith-based business group or accountability partner. Next we're gonna talk about some key family solutions. If you feel like you've been neglecting your family relationships, I want you to start by blocking off family time in your calendar and treat it as sacred as work appointments. If you are dealing with role confusion, I want you to communicate openly with your spouse and children about expectations and seek their input on balancing responsibilities. You know, sometimes people just don't know what you need, so you just have to express it, and that can go a long way. If you are dealing with burnout and stress, I want you to set strict work hours and prioritize rest, including Sabbath days. Anthony and I and our kids just celebrated five years of taking a Sabbath every week, and when we started. We didn't think we could even do it, but we did. We committed to trying a Sabbath once a week for a hundred weeks, and we said, once we get to a hundred weeks, we're gonna see if we like it and if so, we're gonna keep going. And well, of course, a hundred weeks came and went. And now we just celebrated five years. And our kids, uh, we asked them if they wanted to keep going and they said yes. They wanna keep that as a lifestyle habit for our family. And so it's been amazing. And I wanna invite you to, to try in, in installing that in your life, a weekly status. If you're one of the many people that struggle with lack of boundaries, I want you to establish a dedicated workspace and commit to shutting off work after a set time each day. That way you can keep your work and your family separate, and then you don't have to feel like you need to be working with your, when you're with your family, and you don't have to feel like you need to be with your family when you're working. Whenever you have those boundaries, you can feel great all day. Now we're gonna go over a few key finance solutions. Financial instability is a danger for you. I want you to start with building an emergency fund to covering at least three to six months of personal and business expenses. This is gonna give you a lot of peace if you are dealing with debt and over investment. I want you to start lean in your business and reinvest profits rather than taking on large amount of debt upfront. And definitely. Look at options for doing things super lean and super simple, and not having to overextend yourself. There are a lot of ideas that you can look into for that. I love helping people with that.

Hey, I hope you're enjoying the show. We'll get right back to the discussion, but I do want to talk high level with you real quick. You see, transforming your finances so you can self-fund your homeschooling journey without a nine to five job takes a roadmap, right? And you may be wondering, where do I even start? Start at step one. Our Homeschool Money Makeover program breaks it down into five practical steps that help any family achieve a financially abundant. Homeschooling lifestyle. Step one, install the abundance Operating system. Most people believe that they need two, nine to five jobs to make it in America the truth. With all the technology and the tools available today, there's never been an easier time to generate six figures. A year in income working just 15 to 20 hours a week than today. When you have a strong why for homeschooling and you know the real costs, you unlock the courage that you need to become a money magnet without a nine to five job. Step two, get crystal clear about what you're gonna do with your first $1,000 that you make outside of your day job. Write down specific homeschool needs that a thousand dollars can cover. Yes, this is a small amount, but if you can learn how to set a target of make your first thousand dollars outside of your nine to five job, that's going to set a fire in your belly and the determination that you need. To make the next a hundred thousand dollars. Step three, find all the money falling through the cracks in your budget with Crystal's. Three financial coaching certifications. Listen, she's gonna help you be able to streamline your budget and free up money without sacrificing your favorite things. You can't build a strong financial future with money falling through your pockets, right? So let's plug up the leaks. Step four. Discover new ways to make money and claim free money available for homeschooling families. We discuss grants scholarships, proven fundraising opportunities that Savvy Homeschoolers are using, and we show you how to use them too. Step five, launch or Scale your Moneymaking Success System to completely replace your nine to five job income. Whether it's a side hustle, a freelance work, or a new business, identify your single most viable opportunity and turn that into $3,000 in income. $5,000, $10,000 a month in income or whatever you need to feel financially abundant. Implementing these five streamlined steps will make you feel more financially empowered than ever before. You'll gain the momentum that you need by step number five when you're making more money. You're going to feel unstoppable financially. Through our marketing consulting business, we've helped literally hundreds of entrepreneurs build online selling machines. That's what we do in our business life and launches, and we share our million dollar automated selling system with you. Inside the Homeschool Money Makeover program. Inside the course, you're gonna get all the video lessons, worksheets, templates, and guides that you need to walk through all five of the steps to transform your finances. And right now, during our special introductory offer period, you'll get bonus gifts plus our lowest enrollment price ever. Making it easy to enroll and make your first thousand dollars back. Fast. Go to homeschool money.com to watch our free class, and then you're gonna get an inside look at the full Homeschool Money Makeover program. Don't wait. Go to homeschool money.com to start the free class and enroll into the full program today.

If you have been underpricing and overworking, I want you to research your industry and look at the pricing and confidently charge rates that reflect the value that you provide. If you are being bogged down with legal or tax issues, I want you to consult a financial advisor and ensure your business is set up with proper legal protections and tax strategies. That's way you don't have problems later that you could have prevented now. Now, when I think of. The show I shouldn't be alive, I the actual jungle or dealing with the everyday challenges of being a successful woman entrepreneur who serves clients, bullying, uh, while being a loving wife, nurturing mother, and has time to walk with Jesus in every moment. I don't usually think of the word grace, actually. I think of busy hustle, overwhelm, and how am I gonna do it all while at the same time being a hundred percent happy to do it all. Now I'm happy because I'm doing exactly what I wanted to do, and at the same time, I acknowledge the level of investment that everything inquire requires. This is how I experience peace, and that's what I hope for you too. So I've pulled out the definition of greats and I want you to check it out with me. The first definition is unmerited, divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification. That sounds amazing to me. The second definition I thought was interesting was ease and suppleness of movement or bearing, and the example was danced with such grace. When you think of grace in the jungle, I want you to think about that unmerited, divine assistance that's available for you. And I also want you to think about how you're walking through your day-to-day activities and are you doing it? With such grace that it's with ease and suppleness of movement and bearing, or does it look, uh, frustrating and hard, or do you feel like it's, it is just a struggle? We should actually be experiencing it, experiencing it as ease and suppleness because we are doing what God called us to do. Second Corinthians 12, nine says, but he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. Now, I want you to really meditate on this scripture. You are a leader, and not only do you have to take care of yourself, but your family and your team are depending on you, but you were not built to carry all this weight alone. You'll only start to thrive when you acknowledge the great tasks that you have received from God himself. While you receive that task, I also want you to receive the rest that he's already made available for you. This is how you're going to accomplish every task that you've set out to do. Now, I hope that you answered the four questions that I asked you, because if you do that, they're gonna unlock the next level of action that you need to take. I love to to know what is the next step? What is the one next thing I need to do, uh, for my level of faithfulness. So after you've answered those four questions, the one thing I want you to leave knowing today is that though there are a thousand tips, tricks, and techniques you can employ to strengthen your faith, your family, or your finances, the only true advice I can give you is to lean on the Lord. So one question I ask myself every day is, is this a moment that I need to trust the Lord, or is this a moment where I need to be obedient? That helps me make a lot of decisions and experience a lot of peace. So you have invested in yourself by taking the time to listen to this message today, and I'm so thankful that you are here Now. I am telling you as your friend, that God's grace is sufficient for the vision that he's given you. And when your faith is tested, do like I do, ask yourself, do I need to be trusting or obeying? Which area do I need to focus on right now? Because trusting or and obeying is what's gonna get you focused on what your next step needs to be. If you currently have a family member that is struggling, I want you to remember that they belong to God. I want you to always remember that God loves you, he loves your family, and he has them, and it's not your job to carry the weight of everything. I want you to remember that His grace is sufficient for you in your faith, in your family, and in your finances. Now, Anthony and I have a personal goal of providing trusted guidance to everyone who ask. I hope that today you are encouraged to remember that you can experience more peace, more calm and ease, especially as you walk in faithfulness by leaning on God's strength, not your own to carry the weight. I have an exciting new program called Homeschool Money where I am personally helping moms find the money they need to homeschool their kids like we have for 13 years. So if you're interested in that, I invite you to email me. Just reach out. If you're on LinkedIn, then I invite you to connect with me there because LinkedIn is where I hang out the most online, uh, as far as social networking and media. I wanna thank you so much for listening today. I just pray that this year is a year of abundance for you and your faith in your family, and in your finances.

If you like today's episode, make sure you tap the follow button so you never miss a thing, and if it help you share it with a friend or your homeschool group sharing is caring. Do you love free stuff? Like me? Sign up and watch our free games class called Get 30,000 a year to Find Your Homeschooling. With our nine to five job, when you sign up, you'll gain instant access to a class and you'll get our weekly newsletter. For tips and strategies to make your homeschooling journey affordable, go to homeschool money.com and register right now, ready to get your homeschool money. Head over to homeschool money.com to enroll in the full Homeschool Money Makeover course. You'll get the tools, templates, and step by step help to find your first $1,000 fast. And create 30,000 or much more every year. Each module of this program is designed to transform your finances and help you experience financial abundance, so you have the flexibility and lifestyle freedom to homeschool your children with a nine to five job and without sacrificing. And right now we have an amazing limited time offer that gives you huge savings and bonus gifts you're going to love. Go to homeschool may.com to enroll today, and don't forget to give us some love with the five star rating and review. It'll help more people find ourselves. Have a great day. Bye.