Sorry, I wore a sweatshirt, I'm trying to make sweatshirts business casual, like I often wear sweatshirts, I normally wear sweatshirts, but, you know, very little things fit me these days. And what's your due date?

May 4th. Oh, my gosh. That's so soon. May the fourth be with you or just let it be Cinco de Mayo.

That's my hope. Like, I genuinely hope that she is born for Cinco de Mayo because I love birthday parties and I'm like child. You would be blessed with guac and fajitas. That's right.

She would be highly favored. Highly favored.

I hope. All right. Are we ready?

Well, Annie I was so glad you were on the podcast again. Thank you for having me back. This is my dream come true. Thank you.

Well, it's my dream come true. And, you know, I think you and Bob Goff are the only two people I've had on this show twice. And yall are like kind of similar people who are both-

I'm like I'm like a cheaper bob goff. I like the bottom shelf bob goff. And he's the top shelf BobGoff. No, you're just the girl version. That's right. That's right. That's right. It's awesome. Well, I miss you. I miss seeing you in Nashville. Our frothy monkey hangs, which I don't even know if that is a thing anymore, because on the porch you can be on the porch there.

Oh, that's good. Yes. Do you like how the sun is coming in right now, by the way? The sun is setting in Nashville. That is one thing you don't miss in West Monroe is the sun does not set at three o'clock or whatever in the winter there.

No, that's very early. That's bad. Yes, I was I was thinking about this because I was thinking I haven't talked to you in forever and how you were the first person that I really saw on social media talking about covid and how you had the pants count.

And I was just wondering, do you still have a pants count? Yeah.

I mean, so what happened is I got quarantined the first week of March, so like literally my friend who got covid was one of the first 10 people in our city to get it. And so at that point, the health department, jokes on them, literally thought that they could contain it if all of us stayed home. And of course, I'd come home from tour. I'd gotten off the bus Monday morning. And Tuesday night I went watch The Bachelor season finale.

Yes. And Wednesday morning she tested positive for covid.

And we're all like, no, wait, people have that in America. Wait, what are you talking about? And so and so then because I'm not married yet, I don't have kids yet and I live alone. I was like, I have to be in my house by myself for 14 days. And then it just kept going as everything shut down. It sounds like I have to count whether I have on what kind of pants I have on.

I have to wear a different lipstick every day. I mean, I made all these rules to try to have I mean, it's what we're talking about. It was, I had to set up all these little almost like boueys or tent poles in my life when I was trapped in my house to try to help me have fun in a really scary and and sad situation.

I don't want to be alone that much. It's terrible.

Yeah, that is terrible. I mean, Annie you do have a thing for taken what it limited to making it lemonade. Yeah that's right. That's exactly right. Botched the quote but no you do end like like you said is what we're talking about today. Your new book which I actually have right here. "That sounds fun". And you do you just make life fun and it's cool too, because not only did you make something good at out of something that was really hard and have fun in a really hard time.

And I know that was hard. It's not like that was necessarily fun, but you made fun things happen. Yeah, my mom took you know, you said you learn from her, she learned from you. She took from your advice. We had charts on our house. Every kid had to put, like, what they're going to do in quarantine. What hobbies, what fun. Like you have the bucket list. You. Yeah. You were a fun instructor.

Yeah, that's right. I'll take it.

You know, that happens to me all the time Sade. But people will back when we traveled in such they'd stop me at airports or or at restaurants or even at church and be like, Annie, can I tell you what I do for fun? Because it's the last question I always ask on my podcast. It's also called that sounds fun. And it's because people have kind of set me up as like the judge and the expert, like they want me to coach them and they want me to judge.

They're fun. And I'm like, if it's fun to you, it's fun. You're doing it.

It's awesome as so good. I love that. Well, that is a good point. And it's funny. It's fun because like my friend Steph, that, you know. Yeah. Loves puzzles. That's not neccessarily fun for everybody. But, hey, I love that she loves it. She's in here. That's exactly right. Well, I know you've been on the podcast. You've answered the question, what's the best piece of advice? But do you have any other good piece of advice that you've been given recently or whenever that you thought that you want to share with us?

OK, so I've been thinking about this for some days.

And I'll tell you the thing that has changed my life the most in the last probably three to four years has someone literally said to me, just open your Bible every day, which I know sounds ridiculous because I've been a Christian a long time and you have too. And but I didn't have a very good rhythm of spending time in. Scripture, I would have quiet times, quote, quote, as I say, and I would read, but it wasn't like daily.

And so what I did last year is I got a plan and I read the gospels 12 times. I read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John every month for the whole year. Wow. And and it has I know this sounds silly, but it has changed my life because now when we live in a world where governments confusing and the unrest is confusing. Right. And and who is right and who is wrong, I have spent an entire year reading the Gospels and knowing what Jesus is like.

It's awesome.

And so that would be that's the advice that someone gave me a few years ago. The last few years has really changed me, is like it doesn't have to be one hundred chapters a day. It doesn't have to be 100 pages a day. But just every day, if you'll open your Bible, there's so many plans out there. You version has a bunch. You've created some. And she reads truth has them, he reads truth. And we did one on that's on my website.

That's the the gospel one that I did. We designed it for the whole year. And it just I know that sounds crazy, but it just, you know, this it changes your life.

It does change your life. I love that. I saw you do it on Instagram post saying about the Gospels each day. And I thought that was so cool. And I can relate to that because, you know, I'm someone that I love the word. I read the word a lot, but I am not that consistent. And so this year I was like, I'm going to do a plan. So I started the Bible in a year with Nicky Gumbel on the Bible and even the first 18 days this year, like, I have felt so like secure just knowing that, like I'm rooted in the word and like that's my every you know, every day I read it.

And it's not every time in the morning sometimes I read before I go to bed. But just having that consistency of every day has been huge. And I think for me, I used to be like, oh, you don't have to have like a plan. You know, you can just read it. And it's true. But sometimes in your life you need a plan like you need to follow something that consistency. So that's such good advice. I'm taking it.

I love it. I was thinking about this I don't want to talk to you about because I saw you at Q conference and you and Jenny Allen actually got into a great discussion about that, yall are hilarious, discipleship online. And I think you use your platform for so much good, your social media, your podcast, everything. But what would you say, practical tips for like the average following person? They're not necessarily an influencer, but they have social media and they're like, I'm the light of the world, like I'm a Christian.

I want to use this. Like, what's a practical tip to help somebody use their platform for good?

Yeah, that's a great question. Sadie, and the truth is, everybody's an influencer there. If you have more than one follower that's not your mom, then you are influencing someone. Someone's looking at you and they are saying, I wonder what they're wearing. I wonder what they're doing. I'm following them because I want to have some view into their life that may change my life. Every person I follow, the reason I follow them is I want to keep up with who they are or I want to learn from them or both.

And so that. So I think one the first thing I'd say is remember that actually you are influencing you don't have to have millions of followers to be impacting someone's life. The other thing I would say, especially in times of unrest, is be quick to listen and slow to speak, because once something is on the Internet, it is screenshot for all to see. It only takes it only takes you losing self-control in anger or in lust or in unkindness or in gossip or in races.

It only takes one moment of you losing self-control and posting something that other people can screenshot it and we can all read it forever, even if you deleted it. Yeah. So Jesus telling us or God telling us to be quick to listen and slow to speak was a gift before we even knew we would have Instagram and Twitter and Snapchat and take talking all the things.

I love that because I think when something happens in the world like you feel, I have to say something I need to say to her, I want to say something. And it's so wise to just stop and to think and to listen and pray about it. Ponder before you put it out, as I think we saw that a lot this year. Like, obviously, cancel culture is not a good thing. Right. But I feel like there's also something to us thinking a little bit longer.

Or pray a little bit more before we just put something out so that we can avoid offending someone. And we can't always, people are very offendable all these days. Yes. But at the same time, just using that wisdom with your words so I think thats so good, because it's important to remember that scripture doesn't say be quick to listen and then be silent.

It actually does say there is a right time. If you're supposed to be slow to speak, there is a right time to speak up for justice for our neighbors. For those that are less fortunate than us, there is a right time to speak up. We just need to be slow to it, just not never to it. It's great.

I love that. That's good advice right there. Someone's gotta take that, I love it. Well, I want to talk about your book. That sounds fun, which is also like your podcast. That sounds fun. OK, so I have to ask you, because, you know, Enneagram is so fun for anybody to talk about, do you think that being a seven kind of. Helps you influence your writing a book called That sounds fun, totally, because like when I did it, I just talked Jenny out and I just talked about this.

When you think about who wrote the Bible, I'm like, I wish a seven would have written one book so that we'd be like, what were the funny things going on? Right. Yeah. So, yeah, I totally I think each it's just like the body of Christ.

We need all these people serving in all different ways so that we can see the fullness of who got it right. And so I need to write books like a seven because the world does need someone. While the media are reminding us to work hard in the fives, are reminding us to research and the nines are reminding us to care about other people more than we care about ourselves and the twos are reminding us to serve and all that. The Sevens have to remind us like, yeah, but are you all having a good time at all?

Is anyone having a good time? And is anyone making space? Because that's what it is, is it's the healthiest.

Moment of fun is the moment where you've made some space and there's a little deep breath for your soul so and and so.

Yeah, I absolutely think my seven is plays into writing about fun. But you know what? When I was growing up, I would think, man, why how come everybody else doesn't think about fun this much? Am I immature? Am I like, is there something wrong with me? And the longer I've been Annie the more I've gone like, no, you know what? God doesn't mess up when he makes me and he don't make it mess up when he makes any of us.

And so the things that I love are the things I'm meant to love and the things I mean like puzzles with steph. Right? Yeah, really.

The like the the strengths that I have are meant for the world. And so and really the book is called That sounds fine. It is about fun, but it's so much about learning how to love how God made you. So you go after the things that you love. So I love that whole world flourishes, not just you quietly in your own little life. So good.

That's the message of live original. It's like take what God has originally placed in you, whether that is something specific or something like the idea of having fun and use it for his glory, use it for good. And I think that's so cool. Annie is so fun and I love that we're going to start talking about some hobbies that you can pick up on, but there's another place that you can really hone in on the hobbies that you're good at.

It's called Skillshare. Skillshare is a place you can go online and take classes of any sort if you want to go learn how to do something new this year. And this is a great place to start because it's literally less than ten dollars a month to do it. Not to mention if you go to school. Sure. Dot com slash. Whoa, you can get a free premium trial. I did my first little enter class in the DIY product photography, so I went and learned a little about that, saw what that was all about.

There's a teacher, Daniel and Rachel, and it's so cool because for me, like I have a lot of products and you have to give photographers and different things is like this could be a cool skill to just like learn. And what I love learning is that you don't have to have a professional camera. You can literally use your iPhone. They teach you skills like that. And so there's just a lot of practical things you can learn on school here.

Like I said, you can go to school in Chicago and get a free premium shower run. And again, these are classes of all different types. You can add some fun, a little color in your life by going on Skillshare and trying it out for less than two months.

So go take a look.

I want to ask you, because obviously being a seven, it has played into that. But also this is who you are to God made you to be. Do you think genuinely that everybody can have fun like, everybody?

I think it I think it looks different for everybody. I think what happened is that we've decided that fun is Disney World and there are people who think fun is rocking in a rocking chair on a back porch. And so they would say to me, well, I'm not very fun. Like a lot of my friends who are moms will be like, well, I'm not the fun mom. And I'm like, well, your kids think you're the fun mom, but when you look on Instagram, you don't think you're the fun mom.

That's true, right? So everybody, it happens to me all the time, Sadie, where people walk up and say, you know, they'll be telling me their fun thing and they'll start with I don't know if this is very fun or when I ask my guests are on the podcast at the end. What sounds fun do you like?

I don't know if you're going to think this is fun, but I'm like, yes, if you think it is like it is fun. If Steph thinks puzzles are fun, then game on puzzles are fun for her. But the problem is, is when we decide that fun has to be expensive or big or Disney World and then we think, well, then what I'm doing is not fun. So and the reality is no.

If you think you're having fun, you probably are having fun.

You probably are. That's so interesting because, you know, we talk about comparison a lot, but you never think about comparing your fun except for you do that all the time.

All the time. Because it's comparing your cool. It's the same thing. It's that you think you aren't purposely going. Is that person more fun than maybe you're going wait. They look like they're having more fun than me, which makes me sad because I'm in pain or it makes me sad because I didn't think of it or makes me sad because I don't have the money to do that because of course, they're having a great time because they're married or of course, having a great time because they're rich.

And you're like, nah, man, do you like cross stitching? Then you're having a good time. Do you like cooking in your kitchen?

Have you learned to make your own marshmallows during covid? You're that's awesome. Like you're having as much fun because the thing we don't know or we can't really define about the people who are going to Disney World for fun are going to Paris for fun, is normally their hurts and their pains are about equal to the level of of escapism.

We see them doing so. And so you're like, man, these big celebrities who get to do these big, massive trips. Yeah, there's a lot of pressure and a lot of pain in their lives, too, that we don't experience. So let's like celebrate that a puzzle is relaxing to us because that also means our stress is at a level that a puzzle can help.

Yeah, that's so good. I love this. I, I you don't even know. You can learn so much about fun like oh.

Oh I love this. This is amazing. I guess so. I found whenever I write books is that like every time I go to write a book I always get challenged the message I'm writing.

And I feel like in the writing process, like I start down in like, well am I really like fearless because I struggle with fear? Am I really like living? Because today was kind of stinky or whatever it is, you know, it's like had you been challenged in this message as you wrote it to and especially in the year that we've had write a book like that, since when have you felt that challenge in your own life?

So I turned in the first draft in April of twenty twenty and we changed about a third of the book by September, October of twenty twenty because it was like, I'm talking a big game, but now I'm trapped in my house alone and all my trips are cancelled. I mean I had a big birthday in the summer and I had a big trip to England scheduled.

And I mean, you know, we all lost a lot in twenty twenty and so far in twenty, twenty one. And so it was it I'm with you that most of my other books, it's while I'm writing that I'm wrestling it down. And this one I wrote, it was kind of like, yeah, I feel all that now there's a couple of, like, really sad moments in this book before covid of like, man, I had to like I thought this was going to be a thing and it didn't work out.

There's a chapter about how I had a dog for six days and then I was allergic to it. Sadie, it was awful.

I cried writing it, I cried reading the audiobook.

Men tell me all the time that are reading the book that that chapter that would make them cry. Awful. It's awful. It's called The Pet Shop.

Read it or don't. But I've warned you. I've warned you. I only had the puppy for six days.

But what happened during covid is I this felt like such a gift from God sort of in that I got to go through the whole book that I had already written with the eyes of someone living through covid and rewrite the pieces that were tone deaf to a world where we didn't know we'd be stuck in our houses for that long or have everything canceled.

So then I got to go, man, do I actually it's almost like I got to write a first draft and then I got to watch to see if it was actually true. And there were a couple places I was like, well, that isn't true anymore. If I can't write a whole chapter about flying to Europe because who's going to do that. Europeans and that's it, you know, like.

And so. So I feel I feel that same thing you feel writing.

I just in in a brand new way that I've never done before.

It's almost like I got to lay that filter over the whole book and shake it out and all the stuff that wasn't true during covid and after covid and in the book anymore.

Wow, what a blessing. That's so cool. I was glad and that's so great. Even for people knowing who are going to get this book, which you should get this book for sure, obviously, but for people you know and getting there. But this isn't going to be something that is, like you said, tone deaf to the situation that we're in. It's actually speaking straight to the situation that you're in. And so, you know, you just talked about going through a hard time and that's still in your book.

That sounds fun.

So what is your advice for people who, you know, are going through a hard time, went through the worst of Covid, like lost somebody, these really hard things like what's your advice to them and why would you say like this book is for you? And I think it can encourage you because of this. Yeah.

I mean, I think the thing I learned the most when I watched that movie Inside Out is that joy and sadness are better together.

And so and so I think for people who are really hurting after covid or in the middle of covid, we arent after it sadly yet, come Lord Jesus and set us free from covid like.

But but for people who are living through it, as we all are, I actually think fun is a little bit of the medicine we need for the sickness that our hearts feel. We just need a release. And the problem is we think I will feel better once I can fly to fill in the blank or you know what? I'm going to feel better this weekend because I'm going to drink as much as I want to drink or I'm going to eat as much as I want to eat or the thing I've been seeing.

If I'm being real honest with you, Sadie is my friends are hooking up in ways they weren't doing before covid because they the single people aren't meeting new people and so they're just scrolling through their phones and making decisions in secret that nobody knows because there's not accountability, because you don't have to look, the dudes don't have to look each other in the face. They can do whatever they want in secret. And the girls, too. And and so there's been all these things we've run to and covid because we didn't want to feel alone or abandoned or sad.

And so for our friends who are feeling any of that or who have run to those things, I would say you are allowed to feel that. Just stop trying to medicate that with things and instead just feel it and believe yourself and then go, well, what really brings me joy, because here's how we figure it out. You want another quiz? I'll give you the fun quiz. When you got home from school and third grade on a Tuesday, what did you do?

What did you really do after school on Tuesday Sadie?

What would you do when you're a kid? So great. I'm trying to think, well, you know, my mom and dad always made me and John Luke go play outside. Yep. And that is actually true. Like, to this day, whenever I need a break, like me and Christian going to walk or I take the dog outside, like there's something about just getting outside and being in the freshness and the quiet of Louisiana woods. So that's right.

That is so interesting. It stays with you. That thing you did as a kid that made you feel wild and free actually still lives in you now.

It doesn't mean so I had to have time to tell you a quick story. Yeah, this I was talking to another guy. We are talking about this. And I said, OK, so tell me what you did after school. And he was like, this isn't going to sound fine, blah, blah. And I was like, OK, get all that out of your system now tell me. And he said, I used to get the kids together in my neighborhood and we would like be a choir and I would direct the choir and I was like, that is the sweetest thing I've ever heard that is so cool.

And I was like, Do you sing now? And he's like getting teary. He's like, No, I don't.

Why don't I do that? Why don't I why are why am I not in a chorus? Why am I not, you know. And so because there is something in us. That fun thing, the reason I want to say that when we're talking about pain is because that thing we're longing for when we're in pain, it actually is this thing in us that, you know, our eternity is set in our hearts. What we're really longing for is to be with Jesus.

What we're really longing for is Eden before everything was broken. And the truth is, we don't get that here. We don't get that here. And there was never a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, right? There was never a pot of gold. And so we're sad that we can't get to we always look at a rainbow. I wish we could get to the end and you never can.

God never promised the pot of gold. He promised the rainbow. And so in your pain, find the kind of fun that is not chasing a pot of gold, but is celebrating the rainbow. The thing you did when you were a kid that made you feel alive, whether it's painting, playing, writing, puzzles, anything, singing, I don't know, riding a bike, playing outside the thing you did as a kid, if you will, put 30 minutes on your calendar this week and just label it fun and you'll go try that thing again, you're going to learn something about yourself.

You're either going to love it or you're not going to love it. And it's going to give you direction on what happens next. Preach.

I love this Annie, it is just so, so good. I feel like people are going to be so set free from this book and even this podcast, the different things that you talk on, because like even that simple thing of like going back, I was like, what did I do? And it was like, you know, it came to my mind like that that was so cool and you still do it. It's you still do it, cause it is something about being outside.

Being outside is always a win. I mean. Yeah, you know, what are the things they tell you? You should know this when you're about to have a baby is they say when a kid gets crabby, put them in water, you know, like when they act crabby, put them in water. And the same is true in where adults put us in a swimming pool or put us outside. And it helps. It just helps.

It does. That's so good. I love it. OK, so you talk about this in the book, The Joys of Being an Amateur. Yes. Tell me about that. Yeah.

You know what's happened to us. And this is this kind of goes back to your influencer question a little bit, as we've all kind of been convinced that you can't try a make up look or have a conversation about racial injustice or try a sport if you're not a professional at it. So don't say or do anything unless you're sure you're going to be the best. Yeah, and that is a concern with cancel culture, right. Is that if you make a if you're trying to learn and grow and you make a misstep, you're going to get canceled.

Yeah. And so but the joy of being an amateur is what if we just let ourselves and each other be new at something like what if we just were allowed to not know how to do everything? Like, so why? When did we stop? When did I stop saying to you, I hope I didn't say to you, but when did I stop saying to you, like say to your you can't try anything new. You have to only do what you're good at.

And it just limits our fun. It limits our fun and put so much pressure on you.

I think that's because that's the thing. Like people who are even my age 23 is like, why do I have to be a professional at twenty three I like I can't be I have so much to learn. I have so much to grow in. But when you think you have to be that to start that, you're never going to start because the pressure's too high.

And Sadie I didn't write my first book until I was twenty six. It didn't come out till I was thirty two. When I was twenty three, I was teaching elementary school. I was playing guitar for fifth graders trying to teach them how to spell words. Right. Like we never know where our life is going compared to where we are. So don't make yourself don't take the pressure off of I can't post this picture unless it's edited perfectly or I can't tell the story unless it's worked out just like I thought it would, or I can't try the sport or this craft or this recipe.

Until I know I'm going to be good at it.

We are losing so many opportunities at funds by forcing ourselves to be pros, be an amateur, be not perfect at something, and you're going to have so much more fun.

I love that we got to do it for each other, too.

We got to start letting people like, yeah, you know what? She's not a professional at that conversation, but she's trying. That's what I was going to say.

Like, everybody wants this, but it takes us, like, actually doing it and cheering other people on in it, too, for this actually happen. It's like everything you're saying is so practical. Everything you're saying is it preaches it. It's practical. It's what everybody needs is actually like a breath of fresh air, actually and honestly. But it just takes us actually listening and following through and doing it. And yeah, like you said, not judging others, not canceling others, allowing people the grace to learn.

Oh, so good.

It's one of the things when we're having hard conversations either online or in person and you get so offended, I get offended by people that my first question needs to be tell me more.

Yeah. Tell me more about I don't even have to start yelling if I want to engage. My first thing is like, I'm surprised at what you're saying. Tell me more, because if I'm going to be an amateur and learn from you then and I also need to give you Grace that you're a learner. That's how I have to walk into these conversations that are hard online. They're hard to have online. So true, but but it's happening. Yeah, it's so good.

I was actually at the dinner table with somebody two nights ago and we have totally different lives and I knew we had totally different views. And you know, you kind of tiptoe around those things and you don't really ask. You don't really dive in. And I finally was like, can I ask you a question? I just asked him, like, this question that was super controversial, but I knew he liked it, like thought, believed. And I was like, help me understand what I'm missing, because I don't I don't see it, you know, and it was such a me like our conversation was so awkward.

Like we just awkwardly stumbled over words and didn't really, like, get to the whole point. But it was a start. And that conversation was so good that night, it opened the door for not even that conversation to get an answer, but so many other things. And I was like, you know what, we need to do this more like just awkwardly dive into it, you know, quietly dive into it.

If I could make a T-shirt today, just awkwardly, dive into it. That relationship you're scared of that conversation you're scared of that grad school. You're scared to apply to awkwardly dive into it. You will be fine. You will not drown in front of the shirt.

You say be an amateur. The back says awkwardly, dive in, I'm wearing it. Um OK. So I love how your subtitle you talk about why you need a hobby. And I thought that was really cool because why do you need a hobby? And so I want to ask you, what is your hobby and how does it help you?

OK, so I'm still working on getting hobbies lined up in my life and but I'll tell you the one and I don't think they have to last forever. But I'll tell you, the one that I've been really working on lately has been I picked up cross stitching.

Like when my grandmother taught me a hundred years ago.

When you said cross stitching earlier, I was like, I wonder she's referring to herself. Yeah.

It was, because you know what I noticed as I was watching TV and I was scrolling on my phone like, why do we double screen?

It's so annoying. I do it for a long time. So what I did is I went on Etsy and I found a pattern from Hamilton and it's the three sisters in Hamilton and they're saying work and it's so cute. And I was like, I can cross stitch that. And so I so now I do that when I'm watching TV or whatever. And but the other cool thing Sady is so we need hobbies because we need to make space for things like that. We need things that don't involve our brains.

I actually like puzzles too, like steph. And sometimes I listen to audiobooks or listen to podcast and just awesome work on with my hands. It's just nice. One of the things Matt Chandler taught me is if you Sabbath sorry, if you work with your hands, Sabbath with your mind and if you work with your mind, Sabbath with your hands. Wow. Right.

And so we need to now, of course we do some of both because you're like, well I type and I use my brain. I know, I know people yell at me on the Internet like, well, I'm a mom, so what? And I'm like, stop, stop ripping this apart.

Just figure it out.

But so part of hobbies is you need to rest your brain and do something with your hands or you need to if you're building stuff every day, rest your hands and read a book and let your brain engage. So crosshatching has been that for me. And, you know, the other sweet thing is I've met people in the craft store that I would have never met in any other way, except we both needed the same yellow.

That's so right. So hobbies build community that you don't have in a world where we want friends who don't believe everything we believe because we know we have the right answer and we want people to know who Jesus is.

Yes, sometimes you can stand up and preach in the in the aisles of Joanne's fabric, and that's fine. But other times you can just meet the girl by the yellow and make friends. And that's so good some day believe that that that interaction will continue to lead to people knowing who Jesus is.

I love that. That's so good. You know, it's funny you talk about the double screen because I admit I have this terrible addiction to Candy Crush the game. Yes.

And how many levels are you? It's like like it's like I'm in the 900, so I'm close to that. But this is so funny. So the other day I was Iike listen Christian, I know you get annoyed that I play Candy Crush. And he was like, no, I don't. And I realize he doesn't get annoyed, I'm annoyed at myself that I play Candy Crush because I'm like, this is annoying. I don't even like that.

I'm looking at my screen and it's not like I'm not like always on it. But I do turn to that and like, if I'm just like want to just like, turn my brain up and I'm like, I need a better hobby. But what I will say is, like, tennis has always been my hobby. Yeah. And I always tell Christian it's so weird when I play tennis. It's the only place like truly that my mind shuts off.

And that is so cool that you said that because I am working and moving my hands in my body. But like my brain is at so much peace, I'm not thinking about anything. It's like my true like time to be still, even though I'm not being still. And so that's so cool. So important and it is important to get a hobby that's not also on your screen. And I dont hate candy crush. I'm not against Candy Crush. I have it too.

It Does turn your brain off a little bit too. It's to turn your brain off.

I love it on airplanes. But I also wonder. So when you say that to me and you like that, I wonder if you've got a deck of cards and did the same thing, but it was in your hands instead of the blue screen in your eyes.

So true. Or if you look I mean, you're about to have a tiny person.

You could start working on making knitting blankets or making little things that. And lanies about to have a baby too. Right. So you stay together. Oh my gosh. I love it so much. Yeah. Y'all can like learn. And so there is just something what you've tapped into with Candy Crush and what you've if you and I if we were doing a coaching. A fun coaching.

No, that's why I'm I actually was like throw in that candy crush as bait is like, is that a hobby? Because I don't like that it's on the screen, but. Right. But I like that. Right. So what what I'm actually hearing you say is that you like games. Games are fun. I know that's part of your family history. So you love games and and you need your brain to turn off, but you don't mind still using your hands.

You don't need to be asleep. So you need to start making you don't you don't have to.

But I if you said what should I do, I'd say think about things you want to make you like making things with your hand, making things.

And so there's got to be something small that doesn't matter. It doesn't have to be a huge blanket that lasts forever. It doesn't have to be like the most beautiful thing ever. You're going to be an amateur at whatever you do. And don't delete Candy Crush. Play it sometimes, too.

Trust me, I wont delete it, cause that is my that's my plane go to too. That's where the love started. Yes, me too. The love started like 2012. Flying across the country is when I fly. That's what I do. And we're nowhere to nine hundred. That's okay. That's the last thing I want to ask you because obviously the podcast is that sounds fun. Your book is. That sounds fun.

So you know and I know this could probably be a longer story and you can tell whatever your long short version of it that you want. But when it where did that all come from? Like the podcast was like, I'm going to start this podcast because your podcast has killed it. Like, by the way, just congrats. I love seeing your Instagram. Who all your interviewing, how much fun you're having, how much fun the guests are having.

It's truly become such a huge thing. And so where did all that fun start?

Yeah, you know, the podcast really started because of fiction. Authors like PR team called me and said, will you interview him. And I was like, well, yeah, but where are we going to release it? They're like, at the time I was like, I have a blog and I have Twitter. What do you want me to do? And they said, Have you ever thought about starting a podcast? And I said, That sounds fun.

Had to have it. I said, That's no way. And then went home and I was like, that sounds fun.

Podcast, OK, nobody has it. So here we go. So that's really how it started. But that's how the best thing start. I was an amateur. I didn't know what I was doing. I just I what I love is I love when my friends meet my friends and become friends. Right. So like, if you met someone else here in Nashville and we all went to coffee together and then y'all got coffee by yourselves, that's a dream to me.

I love when my friends become friends, but that's what I get to do now. In the podcast, too, is introduce my friends who are making something great, a book, an album, a recipe, whatever, to my friends that are listeners. And so because I called the podcast that it kind of accidentally set me up as the expert on fun.

And then I was like, you know what, no one else is talk- people use joy, people use happy, people don't say fun.

And I believe in it. And so I was like, well, if they're going to call me an expert, I'm going to figure it out so that that is so good.

The best things do happen like that. It's the same for us, it's like somebody asked you me best piece of advice I've ever been given. I said it and my mom said, whoa, that's good. And that's literally how it started. It's so funny. God, there's a rabbit trail. Like if you follow the Holy Spirit like a rabbit trail, you'll fall into the coolest thing. That's right.

That's reference. Listen to hear is like neither of us had a massive business plan when we started this.

No, we had a little inkling of something that might bring us a good time. And we stepped toward it one time and then we did it again and then we did it again. And that is the actual essence of what sounds fun. What sounds fun is do do the little thing, the little door that's opened and see if and see if and see if and see what happens.

Yeah. That's so good. I love it. Annie, this is so good. It's been so fun and I cannot wait for people to be coached on fun and stoked to have fun be amateurs and awkwardly dive in. That's right. You're the best. You're such a good friend and just such a good human. And thanks for being on the podcast.

I'm so grateful for you. I'm so glad we're friends. Thanks for having me.

All right, welcome back to The Good, the Bad Advice segment, the part of the podcast where you all love more than the other part, probably, probably, probably maybe five because you're in it.

Maybe, I don't know. But maybe I'm just thinking that they are just some of the neighbors and some of the comments he reads, his comments. I don't read so good and bad advice. Every time you get in front of a mic, you should make a fart noise. Good advice about what instead of doing like check, check. One, two, three. Why don't you just do check, check(fart noises). Well, we just had a citation here that that worked because, like, every time he sits down here, he goes like(fart noises) I like how he says, oh, like me, to the point where you stop doing that.

I got in trouble last week for doing that at my friend's rehearsal dinner. Yeah, that was totally inappropriate. That was bad advice. But everything else it can be good at.

Oh, this is not good or bad advice but can I ask you a question? Ask me and ask all of you too. Sonic ice or Chick fil A ice.

Oh, that's a good question. I would say by buying in bulk sonic something you can buy chick for in bulk, but you can intentionally buy Sonic in bulk. But if I'm just going to drink, drink, drink, drink for me to like sonic ice is where all the hype sat.

And I love sonic ice but like Chick fil a ice is like really good. The crunch is specifically good.

Speaking of Sonic, did you like the movie Sonic. Yes, and remember how much I liked it. Yes, of course I do. All right, we have to get to this, OK? Sorry. All right. Good or bad advice and see, don't be sad it's such a waste of time.

Dang. Brutal.

I think that's bad advice because there's definitely a time and place to mourn. The more you taught me this too, because I used to like not want to cry because I was like cryings sad, why would I cry. Let's just get past it. And Christians like you need to feel that like you're like tears are a good thing. Like also that movie The Shack, like when it talked about the tears and how the Holy Spirit, like collected all the tears and it was just so sweet.

But yeah, you really taught me a lot about that. And now I cry at the appropriate times and it helps because it helps you actually move forward.

Yeah. And I think and I think that idea of like sadness can like not be a sign of masculinity. You know, I think a lot of people who like, want to be masculine want to be a man, don't sad they don't they don't cry, but they don't they don't they don't act sad whatever they want to do because because it's something in their life. But I think it's completely OK to cry and still be a man like King David, that dude was a beast.

Yeah.

Really love those. So good. All right. Let's see. Sushi is great. You should try it. Yeah.

So sushis my favorite. You can crush. You can crush some sushi, Im talking like four rolls is like child's play. Yeah.

That might not even be good for you.

I actually read something this morning on my glorify app that's actually really good advice. You know, bring it here. Yeah. You have no authority where you have no love.

Sheesh, oh that's good.

Anyway, you have no authority or you have no lover. So I get that a heart. I give it a heart. Christian I did have the Glorify app and they send you a piece of advice every day like it starts with that's a quote.

And it's always so good that one was particularly good, it's always this little nugget of gold. He makes fun of me when I say a nugget. It's not weird that it's not weird. OK, final debate. After you tell us if you like Chick fil a or Sonic ice , let me know if saying "that is nuggets of gold" is weird or not. But Chick fil A actually does have nuggets of gold. It's valid.

So check out Chick fil A today.