Rachel G Scott knows all about leaps!  She's one of those women who make it look so easy.  With a smile on her face and joy in her heart, Rachel is a mother, wife, author, speaker, podcaster, coach and entrepreneur extraordinaire, but in all those things, her deepest desire is to encourage women to live boldly in their calling as they take big leaps.

Connect with Rachel on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, or her website.

Rachel's favorite time saving gadget is her iRobot Vacuum

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This is a transcript of the This Mom Knows Podcast - Episode - 71

Jennifer Uren
Rachel G. Scott is one of those women who make it look so easy. With a smile on her face and joy her heart, Rachel's a mother, wife, author, speaker, podcaster, coach, and entrepreneur extraordinaire. In all those things, her deepest desire is to encourage women to live boldly in their calling. I know you'll love Rachel as much as I do. So welcome, Rachel.

Rachel G. Scott
Thank you so much for having me Jenn, I'm so excited to be here with you.

Jennifer Uren
Yes, me too. Now, Rachel G. Scott - I recently discovered what the G stands for. Do you want to tell us what it is? And I'm wondering is there any story behind it?

Rachel G. Scott
You know, so funny, I get that question all the time. And it's literally just my middle name but because there is a Rachel Scott that's out there already - she was actually a part of the Columbine shooting - I want to make sure that, you know, I just continue to honor her legacy so I added the G just to differentiate, and it's just a part of what I do, which is branding. So I was like, let me just add the G for my middle name. So my middle name is Genell and I just use that.

Jennifer Uren
I love it. I love it. My middle name is a blend of two women's names that my mom knew. And so I've never seen Janelle with a G so that was that was interesting for me.

Rachel G. Scott
I don't know any other Janelle with the G every Janelle I know which is about four or five of them has a J. So yeah, I guess my mom wanted to be unique or something.

Jennifer Uren
Well, she did it, she succeeded. Now you do something that I'm a little jealous of. Tell us about your Sleep-in Saturdays.

Rachel G. Scott
Oh, my goodness, let me tell you. So Sleep-in Saturdays are like my favorite day of the week, because my kids are you know, I wake up in the morning, whenever I want to. I get me a bowl of cereal - sugary cereal is my preference. And I just lay in the bed all morning until probably maybe one or two o'clock. Sometimes I'll start reading the Bible and just studying, other times I watch a TV show. Whatever I come up with it's my morning, whatever I want to do with it, it belongs to me. So that's, that's Sleep-in Saturday, I have a song and everything for it.

Jennifer Uren
I would try it but I'm afraid of what I would walk out into in the rest of the house.

Rachel G. Scott
Right? You never know. But you don't even worry about you're like you're all little oasis at the moment, it doesn't even matter.

Jennifer Uren
That's fabulous. Well, today we're going to talk about what you know, which is taking leaps. Now, I love a good connection story, and you and I have one of those. We met just a few months ago at an in person conference. And that was a great connection but God knew it needed to be a deeper connection. And we ended up at the same airport, in the same security line, heading for the same flight where we got to sit next to each other. And that was honestly the highlight of that trip for me.

Rachel G. Scott
Me too.

Jennifer Uren
Oh it was fabulous. But as we talked during those hours, which was a gift, you shared some of your story with me and you weren't always in such a joyful place. So what was it that first got you to think about calling in your life and the place that it had?

Rachel G. Scott
Yeah, you know that I think that's a loaded, that's a loaded question in itself. Because, um, you know, for a really long time, I was just going through different things and one thing in particular was a season where I walked through like a custody battle. And that pulled so much, so much out of me during that time and I feel like what evolved from that, though, was my ability to really see the significance of life and what it is that God has called us to do. And so I've always kind of been this person who would go and do whatever I felt like God called me to like, "Okay, if he told me to move here, take this, do that. I'm like, Okay, I'm doing it". I'm walking in obedience. But something about that season, just the it became very important for me to not just listen to God, but understanding how to encourage other people to do the same. So my husband and I, we had a ministry for a little bit called Better than Blended and that a lot of what I walked through in that difficult season of not just just blending, because that can be challenging, but definitely with the custody battle, I talked about it and encouraged people during that time, but then a season came where I no longer needed to lean into that so much. And I really felt like God call me into encouraging people to walk in their purpose and in their assignment with focus. So that came out of Nehemiah. And when that when that came about, it really became clear to me that my calling was to just encourage people to walk in their purpose, walk in their assignments, stay focused, whatever it took, but I also realized that people weren't moving like you can get all the encouragement in the world.

Jennifer Uren
Yeah.

Rachel G. Scott
Because if you don't actually do it. Then there's a disconnect. So then I began to navigate what is that disconnect? And I just felt like he said they're afraid to take leaps. So that's kind of where it all came about.

Jennifer Uren
Got it. Okay, yeah, cuz you just told us you in two minutes, a lifetime of stuff. And I know it didn't change that fast, it wasn't over- overnight. So, what was sort of as God started you down this process, sort of what, what were those steps in discovering, in leaning in, in, in even I guess maybe the better question is in being receptive and open to hearing what his calling is and making those changes?

Rachel G. Scott
That's such a good question, Jenn. I feel like one of the first things I had to do was realize, not even my lack of obedience, but where I was just comfortable, that there's this place where we're like, "Okay, I'm comfortable here, I'm comfortable with this, going this way, doing things this way". And as I began to become more aware of like, my place of comfort, I also became aware of where he was calling me to, and how uncomfortable it was for me to go there. And then I just started leaning into the Word and realizing like, most things that God calls people to do are outside of their comfort zone. And I really have to become comfortable being uncomfortable. That's what I will always tell myself just ratio get comfortable being uncomfortable, because you're gonna have to do things that are completely outside of your comfort zone, but completely in the will of God. So it was just that realization, that number one, I had to become comfortable being uncomfortable. And then the second thing I would say, for me was the lies that I believed about myself that I would tell myself that were holding me back from just everything that God could call that God called me to do. I mean, I had made some just these internal beliefs or internal battles within myself that I was never going to do this or that I was going to do that. And each of those things, really were hindering me from doing what I was supposed to be doing. So recognizing what those were was important.

Jennifer Uren
Yeah, I love that you bring up uncomfortable I have a friend who, who has declared that uncomfortable is her word for this year and that's brave, that's like praying for patience, you know? But it keeps popping up. I've been reading Francis Chan's Forgotten God, and he talks about, we need to be willing to be uncomfortable. And so it keeps coming around so I'm like, "okay, well, maybe that's supposed to be my word too" but, but you, you identify that it's not, it's not a twelve-month thing. It's a it's a lifestyle. It's learning, like you said, to be comfortable in the uncomfortable. And I think I think that's the hardest part, right? Because we like, we like our four walls and our Saturday Sleep-ins and you know, the comfortable things. Right?

Rachel G. Scott
Right. Yeah. And you said it right there it's a lifestyle, like, not necessarily what I want my life to look like but really, it's a surrender. It's a surrendered life, I tell people all the time, like, I surrendered my dreams to God a long time ago, because I realized that the things that I wanted to do, let me say exactly, exactly what happened. Everything that I wanted to accomplish, and I wanted to do, happened. And I got to this point where I literally was like, am I about to die? Like that was my fear. I'm like, everything I though I wanted to do..

Jennifer Uren
check, check, check, check

Rachel G. Scott
...is done. What is it? What is about to happen to me,

Jennifer Uren
Right?

Rachel G. Scott
And I realized that at that moment, I was like, now, can I do more abundantly than you could ever think? Or imagine? And I'm like, okay, yeah, so it just showed me how small in comparison to the big thing that I wanted to do. How small my plans and my vision actually was.

Jennifer Uren
Yeah. Well, sometimes, I think we get hung up sometimes on figuring out because calling sort of ties into what's God's will and we're always looking for this very clear, specific thing. And sometimes I think it is obvious and sometimes it's obvious to those around us, and we're clueless, but sometimes, it's just, it feels very elusive. So how does one begin to open themselves up and pray for and begin to uncover what is this personal calling in their life?

Rachel G. Scott
I love that question. So first, let me define a few things.

Jennifer Uren
Okay.

Rachel G. Scott
An assignment - Well, let me go to purpose first, because everyone wants to know, first, what is my purpose and I believe that we all have the same purpose, which is to bring people to the kingdom of God and to his knowledge of who God is. So we are all as followers of Christ working toward the same thing. However, our assignment is unique, it is different, how I'm going to do it is different to then how you're going to do it Jenn, and how the listener is going to do it. We all are given different assignments in different roles to help fulfill the bigger purpose. But a calling is that moment where you begin to feel like there's something more that you're supposed to be doing, that there's something more that's supposed to be extracted out of you in this life. And it's when you begin to become clear about how your assignment will be fulfilled. And so I think when people really are trying to figure out like, they've already usually heard the calling. That's why they're there. Like, what do I do now? Because they already are realizing, okay, I'm going this way, or am I supposed to go this way? I feel like I want to, I feel like I want to adopt or I feel like I want to support, you know, widows or I feel like I I want to go in helping the shelter. Why do I have this feeling? That's the call that feeling is the calling the assignment is how you're actually going to fulfill it and walk out that, that calling. So I don't know if that answered the question by answering the question one more time.

Jennifer Uren
Yeah, well, how does one begin to uncover this calling, but I think you kind of said it by when we live in our purpose and the assignment that we've been given, then that's when we can begin to feel the stirrings of there is something more and so, it sounds like it's, it's not formulaic, for sure but it's, it's not quite as you know, if you just pray for it and are open to it, then God is going to reveal it in some way. And it could be with great clarity, I would imagine and it might just be with those little nudges.

Rachel G. Scott
That's it right there. Like sometimes he'll give you, he'll be the lamp into your feet, and other times he's the light unto your path, right. So sometimes he just gives us the next step, whatever the next step is, because he doesn't want to overwhelm us with anything and other times he'll give us a longer, the longer vision or the longer view of what he wants to do.

Jennifer Uren
Yeah, so do callings change. I mean, we know our purpose doesn't change. But do callings change, or they just sort of lived out differently in different seasons?

Rachel G. Scott
Oh, that's good. I think both. I think that they do change but - yeah absolutely, I do believe that callings change because what I did in one season before I was like music, and everything had to do with music and singing and being around music community, and now everything is like writing and speaking because that's more of what I do and podcasting. But I'm still delivering the Word of God, I'm still, I'm still encouraging people, I always say that I'm called to the bride and the broken. So I'm still doing all of those things. So I would, I would essentially say that maybe the calling doesn't always change but the assignment does, so the way you're gonna fulfill it, like is what seems to change but the call to do something, it doesn't always change. Some people have the same calling for their entire life, other people will get multiple ones. I love to say that the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. So he's not going to get the few laborers one thing to do. So we're doing a lot of things. Okay. So when we feel overwhelmed, and because we need some more laborers out here, but...

Jennifer Uren
Yes,

Rachel G. Scott
But I do think that there's, you make, there are people who they are called to do this for the, their entire life. But then there's other people who, they almost whatever they're doing is the pitstop, it's not intended to be the full thing and they have to begin to lean and as they're getting uncomfortable when they're like, "Oh, it's something more, Oh, I'm not enjoying this as much or", that begins to happen. That's kind of a sign that it's time for you to lean into something else or new assignment and to listen.

Jennifer Uren
Okay, so it's, it's goes back to how we're uniquely created.

Rachel G. Scott
Absolutely,

Jennifer Uren
Yeah. Well, one of the things that I do love about you is that you live this message that you share. And like we've kind of alluded to, it's not a straight line, step by step process. So how do you keep a pulse on how you're leaning into your calling as a daily bas- on a daily basis. So you kind of go, today I am in light of this bigger thing I know, I'm part of.

Rachel G. Scott
You know, to be honest, I feel like the first thing that I try to do is ask God what He wants me to do. It is so easy for Rachel to do what Rachel wants to do, but I have become very self-aware. And what I mean by that is I've become aware of what it feels like for me to be out of the will of God, and also what it feels like for me to be overwhelmed, because I'm out of the out of his will. So because of that, I tend to ask, God like, "What is it that you want me to do today", you know, or "What does my day look like, for tomorrow" because I can go and become the Energizer Bunny, I just like keep going and going and going and doing my own thing. And then I look up and nothing that really needs to be accomplished was accomplished. And I don't get the outcome that I essentially want to see or that I feel like essentially should be done. So it is the fact of me being very self-aware but also me inviting God into this like he is the ultimate CEO, and whatever instructions he gives me is what I want to follow even when it's super uncomfortable. When it's super outside of my, my box I like I can stay in a little box real easily and he's like "No, let's go outside the little box". I feel like it's just it's a mixture of all of that but just being aware that not my will but Yours be done. And I'm not saying this to sound really like super spiritual, I don't want to sound that way, I literally have to live day to day, based off of what he tells me because when I don't, I feel it as a mom, I feel it as a wife, I feel it as a person, like I can tell when I'm doing what I want to do. And I've done it long enough to recognize the importance of not doing that.

Jennifer Uren
Right, right. And that's not to say that you don't have, you know, a plan and a to do list and you're like, "This is what I believe needs to happen", because some things we just know, like, "I got to do the laundry".

Rachel G. Scott
Yeah.

Jennifer Uren
And I know what's gonna happen this week. I think it's Monday, it might be Tuesday. So I think it's, it's, what I hear you saying is, you move forward with flexibility, because you might have to make a change.

Rachel G. Scott
Right. And like the, even the, for me, the everyday things, I'm gonna be honest, everyday things, I can tend to be really loose with my responsibilities sometimes like, "Okay, well, the laundry can just sit there and" because I'll get overwhelmed with all the other things. So I have to even ask for a strategy with that, like, I have to ask for you, self-discipline, like, I need more of that so that I'm not on social media, instead of like folding laundry or, and me in and of myself, I've realized over time that I can't do it on my own because my, just my natural tendency is just to these things that draw me away. And I say, just being transparent, it goes back to probably my childhood, where I, I was, I have siblings, but I kind of grew up as an only child so I'm used to going into my bubble, being, being to myself. And so even as, as a parent, when it's like too much going on, I like go off into a bubble, a mental bubble and I have to check myself and catch myself like, okay, no, no, no, no, this is not the time you still have parenting responsibilities to do. When it becomes too frequent, I have to take inventory like, why are you going off so much? What is, what's happening? Why are you so overwhelmed? What, what is taking up your time, that's just overwhelming you so much that you feel like the best use of your time is to scroll like I have to begin to do that.

Jennifer Uren
Well, knowing your calling is one side of the coin, but living out that calling is really the other. So let's talk about now, what it takes to take that leap into living out that calling, I know you have a few that you, you've named and there's more, but you want to tell us more about that?

Rachel G. Scott
Yeah, so one thing that I have learned is that it's easy for us to believe that okay, in order for me to do what God wants me to do, I got to walk away from every single thing. And just like, give it all up. And that's not the case. So I've realized that there are multiple ways that we can take leaps of faith, and it doesn't always have to be walking away from every single thing that is one way. But then there are times where, you know, we may have to temporarily leave a job to take care of a loved one or take care of to start a business but we go back to the job afterward. Or we may be working simultaneously while we're building a business or ministry at the same time. Or, you know, we may be having to leave and move to a new location and trying to figure out what does that actually look like. So, I have learned that leaping is a lifestyle, it's not a one and done thing. It is a consistent, just lifestyle that we are living as we are leaning against having a heart to the, our ears to the heart of God and saying, "Okay, what is it that I'm doing next?". So it's a constant assessing of "Ok, I have done this, obedience here, then to the next thing". So leaping is literally a lifestyle, and when we look at it that way we don't get so, what's the word? Overwhelmed, you don't get so frazzled by the idea of leaping.

Jennifer Uren
Yeah, it's funny, because the way I'm wired, I sometimes find it much easier to make those big leaps and those big decisions and those big changes than I do the little things. So

Rachel G. Scott
Seriously, it's like, go ahead, do the big thing butthe little ones are like ah, but you know, we overthink it. I don't think you're the only one because I'm the same way the little ones just take a lot more work.

Jennifer Uren
Right? And I wonder if it's because it's more obvious, the big ones are more obvious to ourselves and to people around us, but the little ones are a little more personal and private in the sense that you know, it's like watching your child grow up when you see them every day. But then watching your, your, you know, sister's child who you see twice a year, you're like, "Whoa, these are big changes". I wonder if that plays into it. That's just..

Rachel G. Scott
Yeah, I think so. And I also feel like it has something to do with just things that we, that, the small ones tend to become more of habits, like they become more of a part of our everyday life as opposed to like, the bigger ones are okay once you do it is over with. The smaller leaps are usually connected to something that we do really frequently. And it's harder to say, Okay, I'm not going to do that I'm going to leap into something that looks different, even though it's something I'm still accustomed to.

Jennifer Uren
Yes, yes, that makes sense. So, in this conversation of these leaps, how is it, what is it that kind of prompts someone that this is coming, that they need to do this? Is it, is it usually like, this flash of realization? Is it more of a logical conclusion because you've been following God's calling? Is there a pattern? Or is it just sort of, you know, if you know, you know,

Rachel G. Scott
I feel all of the above.

Jennifer Uren
Okay.

Rachel G. Scott
Everything you said, but it also goes back to that self awareness when you start to feel this stirring? That's the best wackiness, if you feel a stirring, like what is does not feel like it is what should continue to be. There is this, this stirring that goes on within us and we know or an opportunity comes up, and some people will look at the opportunity and not give it a second thought, but you gave it 2-3-4 thoughts?

Jennifer Uren
Yeah.

Rachel G. Scott
That's usually a sign that there is, you know, a leaping on the horizon. It may not be that, but it even got your wheels turning like, I never thought about possibly even moving. And all of a sudden, they're talking about this, and I don't want to necessarily go there but why all of a sudden did I feel like that is something I should even begin to think about and, you know, so it's, it's that awareness, but it's also realizing everybody didn't respond to whatever that leap opportunity was, the way that you may have ultimately responsed. So why am I feeling this way about that opportunity? Why is it even mattering?

Jennifer Uren
Yeah, yeah. And I guess this is where, and I'm terrible at this, but journaling can be really helpful because you can kind of go back and look, you know, "Hey, I've been thinking this for three months and I didn't realize that", you know, you see those patterns. But...

Rachel G. Scott
Yes, I love journaling, I never looked back at my journal.

Jennifer Uren
Interesting. And I hate my handwriting so I don't journal because I can't read them. I can write them, but no one knows what they say.

Rachel G. Scott
Maybe that's why I've never looked back at them.

Jennifer Uren
Well, as I mentioned, in the intro, you're a bit of a renaissance woman, you have a lot of irons in the fire. So tell us more about the different ways that you encourage women in finding and living out their calling.

Rachel G. Scott
Yeah, I, so of course, I have a website. But the big thing in that is definitely just encouraging them to walk into purpose and assignment focus and to take these bold leaps. So I do blogs, I do devotionals, I do speaking, I have a podcast. And interestingly enough, the podcast is a mix of both men and women so I love that because you just, you know, getting the perspective of both. So I do all of those things. I'm actually working on a book, so multiple different ways to just continue to pour out and encourage.

Jennifer Uren
Yeah, and you have reading plans in the YouVersion Bible app, too, right?

Rachel G. Scott
Yes. So I have several I've been writing for YouVersion since about 2016. So I have quite a few in the YouVersion Bible app, if you were to just type in Rachel Scott, or Rachel G. Scott.

Jennifer Uren
Yeah, I love that. I think, I think that's really cool.

Rachel G. Scott
Thank you.

Jennifer Uren
So well, I am all about systems and processes. And so I have to ask you, how do you manage all these things? What are the strategies and support that you have to have all these irons in the fire and not drop something?

Rachel G. Scott
Oh this is a good question. I would have to say the first thing is definitely, I have a really supportive husband. So that's really helpful. He does a lot when it comes to the background for me. But then when it's things that I have to do myself, especially when it comes to like my business, I love ConvertKit, so I'll use that and I use Later. When it comes to like just the household, I'm developing systems, but what I have found to be helpful, helpful for me is one little tweaks, say for example, the kitchen so I cleaned the kitchen like 50 times a day. What I have found is helpful for me is like if I wake up in the morning, and the dishes are already unloaded and making sure that throughout the day, I'm loading the dishes back up. So just that one little tweak in my system has helped. The last thing is I have iRobot an that robot is my friend and it helps a lot.

Jennifer Uren
Have you named your robot?

Rachel G. Scott
Oh, the kids have named it, I don't remember but it definitely has a name.

Jennifer Uren
My daughter has one it's named Robert and we just found a, a hedgehog costume that goes over him. So now she has Robert the hedgehog going around her apartment.

Rachel G. Scott
I love it.

Jennifer Uren
It's her pet, right? Well, your family sees you modeling all this as you live it out. But do you intentionally, strategically work to instill the same sort of sensitivity to God's calling in the lives of your children? Or do you just sort of go, I'm going to live it, and they're going to see it, and I'm going to pray for them.

Rachel G. Scott
Both. I do strategically, just pay attention to the giftings of each of my children and kind of lean into that, whatever that might look like whether, you know, my one daughter, she sings getting her into lessons and my other daughter, she's into baking so buying her things to help her do more of that. So I do that, but also when it comes to just them drawing closer to God, I've learned that I try to model it because they're picking up a lot more from me showing them, them waking up and see me in my work, them seeing me journaling, they're picking up a lot more from that. And then they'll come and ask me questions as they get older, of course, they want, they right now they want. They asked me questions, and as they're trying to grow in their walk, and being able to answer those questions, as opposed to kind of just pushing that down their throat. So they see me living it out. You know, they're, they, my kids love to Google me for whatever reason, and so they Google me all the time. So I guess that's helpful, because then they realize I do actually have a real job and things that I do, you know, so they do.

Jennifer Uren
You're just MOM

Rachel G. Scott
Yeah, they're like, and then they see, they see me here all day so they're like, really not doing anything? Like yes, I have, I promise.

Jennifer Uren
You like, I am a gaming extraordinaire, you caught me.

Rachel G. Scott
You caught me. So I think it's a balance of both for me, like when it comes to they're, like my, my son, he just started a Christian clothing line called YCLG and, like, so me teaching him like, "Listen, this isn't just gonna show up on people's feed, you're gonna have to market it, you're gonna have to do things like that". He comes to me because he sees some of the things that I'm doing. So there are the hands on and then there is the modeling. I think both of them. Yeah.

Jennifer Uren
Excellent. Well, when you look forward to 2023, what do you see on the horizon that's really exciting you?

Rachel G. Scott
What do I see I'm doing more traveling, which is generally exciting to me. It's traveling is so different now. So, but I typically love traveling, I love being in the airport, because I can just write and just kind of get a nice little break. But other than that, I'm super excited about just this book that I'm working on and it's going it's all about the leaps, and it's diving deeper into the leaps, it doesn't come out until March of 2024. But as I'm writing it, I'm having such a good time just understanding how this has really impacted our lives and helping people to just have a broader view and understanding of what it looks like to leap. So I'm excited about that.

Jennifer Uren
That's great. Well, this has been a great conversation. And as we wrap up, one thing I asked every guest is a little more lighthearted, but what's your favorite time saving gadget, system, or tool?

Rachel G. Scott
I will say the robot.

Jennifer Uren
Okay, okay.

Rachel G. Scott
That saves me so much time and frustration of telling kids vacuum, vacuum, vacuum.

Jennifer Uren
Oh, yes, yes, I'm afraid that I would trip over it constantly if we had one.

Rachel G. Scott
You hear it - it makes a noise. So you know, it's somewhere around.

Jennifer Uren
Okay. Now, I know that you have a freebie for our audience. Do you want to tell us about that? And maybe how people can connect with you further?

Rachel G. Scott
Yes. So you can connect with me by going to rachelgscott.com. And the freebie is going to be Five Days of Declarations Over Your Children's, your children. I have found that declarations over my children have just been another way outside of just the modeling, that I had been able to really speak into their future and to who they are called to be. And I've seen so much from just speaking those declarations over them as they grow closer to God and become more aware of who God is calling them to be. So I'm a huge advocate first because it was declaration. So that is what the freebie is all about speaking those declarations of your children.

Jennifer Uren
Fabulous. Well Rachel, thanks so much for joining us and being here today.

Rachel G. Scott
Thank you so much for having me.