The Found Mama with Author, Kristina Brooks

“Lost in motherhood” gets likes, nods, and instant agreement, but we’ve both felt how quickly that kind of language can shape your attitude, your gratitude, and even your spiritual footing. That’s why this conversation hits differently. I’m joined by Kristina Brooks, a Christian author, wife, and mum, to talk about what it looks like to navigate overwhelm without letting it define you, and how anchoring your identity in Christ changes the way you see your days.

Kristina shares the turning point that led her from a successful side hustle into a clear God-led calling to write, plus the very real struggle of creating a devotional while raising little kids. We talk about feeling unqualified, working without deadlines, and learning to keep going when motivation runs out. If you’ve ever tried to build something while juggling nappies, school runs, meals, and the mental load, you’ll feel seen.

We also get practical about self-publishing and book marketing: formatting, design, editing fatigue, trying for a traditional book deal, and the surprising peace that can come through “no response” moments. Christina opens up about showing up online with honesty rather than polish, and why a “real” voice matters even more in a world full of curated content.

If you want faith-based encouragement for mums, a fresh perspective on Christian motherhood, and a reminder that organisation is meant to serve your purpose, press play. Subscribe, share this with a mum who needs it, and leave a review so more women can find the conversation.

Transcript

Welcome To Beyond Organised

Mel 0:18

Welcome to Beyond Organised, the podcast that helps you simplify your life and amplify your purpose. I'm Mel Schenker, life coach, speaker, founder of She's Organised, but, more importantly, a wife and mum of four little kids. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, like you're constantly juggling everything but never quite catching up, this is the place for you. Here we go beyond just the tidying up and creating systems. We're talking about real life strategies that bring order to your life, but also we talk about the things beyond the organising, the things that really matter, like your parenting relationships and so much more. So grab your coffee and let's dive in. Welcome back to another episode of Beyond Organised. Today I have Kristina Brooks with us. And to give you a quick rundown on this lady, Kristina is a 37-year-old wife, mum, and Christian author. She was raised in rural South Carolina, where her husband and now two children live. She has known and loved Jesus from a young age where her faith has deepened since becoming a mother. Her greatest desire is to point her children to him. And through the challenges of motherhood, she's found encouragement in the Bible and now shares that encouragement with others. And I'm really excited to have Kristina on today because it's not every day that we get an author on here. So welcome to the show, Kristina. So lovely to have you.

Speaker 1 1:49

Thank you. I'm excited to be here. This is my first podcast. I'm looking forward to it.

The Calling That Sparked Writing

Mel 1:53

Yay. Let's make it a good one. So I would love to hear a little bit about your story and what got you inspired into writing and take it from there.

Speaker 1 2:05

Well, it's one of those funny things where I could go on and on. I could start you back when I was in like the third grade, and I was like, I can be a writer when I grow up. And but I didn't follow through that path. So I mean, it's crazy. It's a very long story, but I can definitely look back on my life and just see the way that God was setting all of this up for it to happen when it happened and how it happened. Um of the the big, like the big aha moment for me, um, I was doing a Bible study with a friend. Well, it was a group Bible study. One of my friends was leading it. It was the Priscilla Shire study called Elijah. It was fantastic. Um, but it was really through that study that God spoke to me. It was so amazing how it happened. Um, at the time, I was doing some network marketing online and was doing pretty well as far as supplemental income for my family. I was staying home with I just had the one child at the time. And I was, you know, doing like a four-figure business. And it was in this study where she was talking about God calling Elijah out into the wilderness and waiting on his assignment. And it could not have been any more clear. Like it was a cool experience, but it was so clear to me that God was like, it's time for you to stop that, and I'm gonna give you something better to do. And there was nothing wrong with what I was doing, but it was very, very clear to me through that study that God wanted me to use my gifts for him, not for self, which it wasn't, you know. I I was trying to help my family. And there, again, there was nothing wrong with it, but it was very clear that God had something specific that he wanted me to do. And there was a period where I wasn't sure yet what that was. And so I was just begging God and praying, like, please just tell me what to do. If you tell me what to do, I'll do it. Give me something to do. Yeah. Um and he eventually, of course, followed through with that and um led me into writing a devotional for moms that specifically was a book that I wished that I had been able to have read when I was struggling through some early motherhood things, and we can get into that later. But that was kind of how it started for me.

Mum Life And Feeling Unqualified

Mel 4:22

Wow. Wow. Yeah, I feel like I feel like a lot of us have had that experience of just God, just get me to do something, like make it good though, too, right? Exactly. Like, I'll do whatever you want me to do, but please let it be good. And but then we start in it, right? And it's maybe not as easy as what we initially thought. Did you have any struggles along the way in writing your devotionals? Oh, absolutely, plenty of them.

Speaker 1 4:55

Um, I had a toddler at the time, and gosh, he's seven years old now. So don't need to say anymore.

Mel 5:01

Toddler, yep, got it.

Speaker 1 5:04

It's so fun now to look back and like remember, you know, because he's seven and now we homeschool, and so he's, you know, always running around and doing his own thing, but I can remember putting him in his little high chair and feeding him puffs and like, okay, I just gotta, I gotta finish this. Like, I'm right now, I'm in it, I'm in it, I've got to get this out. Um, another really big thing was feeling like I was good enough. Like I knew that God wanted me to do this. I knew that I was exactly where he wanted me to be, doing exactly what he wanted me to be doing, but I still felt like I wasn't qualified.

Mel 5:38

Oh my gosh. I knew that was coming. I feel like I feel like we all know we just we all go through that. Oh, anyway. Like, God was coming.

Speaker 1 5:51

I'm the one to write this. Like, I'm I'm pretty sure somebody could do a better job. Somebody could do it faster than me, especially. Um, just that balance between like being a wife, being a mom, keeping house. I stay home. I stayed home with my son from the beginning, but just that balance, you know, um was its own struggle. And then feeling like, well, you know, if I don't do it, nobody really knows. Like, of course, Godney. But there was no deadline like pushing me to do it. And whenever I worked outside the home, there's always like a deadline. There's always, I have to get this done by whatever, or this bad thing happens.

Speaker 2 6:26

You're fine.

Speaker 1 6:27

Um, and that just wasn't there. And I am not the most self-motivated person to finish things. I'm great at starting things, but then I tend to like taper out.

Mel 6:38

So Yeah, dwindles off. Yeah.

Speaker 1 6:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that motivation, I feel like, was its own thing was that I had to keep going because I knew that God wanted me to, and I had to like stay on top of myself. I had I had to make it happen, which was really a growing experience for me, honestly. Yeah.

Mel 6:55

Because no one else is gonna do it for me. Right.

Speaker 1 6:58

I didn't have a boss.

Mel 7:00

It's it is different stepping out on your own, and it's like, well, if I'm gonna make it and I'm gonna be successful in this, in whatever way success looks like, it I'm gonna have to put in the work. And yes, I'm gonna have to see it through from start to finish and probably multiple projects, not just the one. And you've got to keep going. And so, how um how did you find the whole process of writing a book, Juggling Motherhood? Like, I know, I know you said it's crazy, I I get that, but how how did you find that process, even just on your own spiritual journey? Because I'm sure there was quite the spiritual journey in there in trusting God through the process and everything too. Like, how did you find God taking you through all of that?

Speaker 1 7:50

It was one of my most favorite experiences ever. Like, you know, everybody you hear people say things like the Bible is alive, and that is definitely backed up by scripture. But I would there were some times where it was like, okay, something happened in my life that I knew that I wanted to write about. Or, you know, like my kid did something and I was like, oh, this is such a good story that, you know, would lead into talking about this verse or whatever. But then there would be other days where I would just be faced with like a chunk of time that I knew, like, I don't know, it was like the schedule just opened up and I was like, okay, well, I'm gonna write, but I don't have anything to say. And so I would just pray and ask God to, you know, what do you want me to write about today? And it was so cool. I wish that I had my Bible right here. It's not, it's in the kitchen. Um, but I would just open the Bible and like there would be the most perfect verse. And like there was just it was such a god thing. It was so much fun. I I stand by my favorite part of writing a book is the writing, not the editing, not the proofreading. For sure, not the proofreading. Yeah, no, nobody likes that. Um and so just to be up front with you, there's gonna you're be I've already found a mistake or two in my book, and that drives me completely crazy.

Mel 9:03

But better to have it out there though, right? Than to try and make it perfect for years. Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 9:10

Oh yeah, it took me years to do, and I have decided that I'm not gonna let that stress me out.

Mel 9:17

Um probably won't pick it up.

Speaker 1 9:20

Right. Well, and at no point have I claimed to be perfect, and that's one of the things that I try and really drive home on social media whenever I do post about my book, is that I am not offering advice to anyone from up here on my little pedestal, or I'm not riding around on my high horse. Like I have no clue what I'm doing. And my days not afraid to admit it. Right. And my days are just as much of a hot mess or a struggle as anybody else's with two kids in the house. But I know that but I know without a shadow of a doubt that I've got one thing right and it's the only thing that matters, and it's that like I turn to God through all of it, and that's what I want to help other people do, and so it's not gonna be perfect, it's not gonna be flawless or it's gonna be messy a lot of times. And there was but I got the Jesus part down, yeah.

Real Beats Polished Online

Mel 10:14

Um it's real though, people want real. Yeah, I I feel like we're going through, I don't know if you're seeing this uh on your end of things, but I feel like for me, we've gone through the whole trying to make things pretty and perfect and polished, and we've kind of entered this season of we want real, especially with the growth of AI and all of that, too. And I'm not against AI at all. I I have a lot of fun with it, but it's more there's a level of polished fakery and all that kind of stuff out there that I think people are really craving something real that they know is real and and genuine and genuine connections with people as well. And I think when you put something out there and it's not perfectly polished and it's got a mistake or something in it, but it's real, I I think people are a lot more forgiving of that these days, and they kind of crave it almost. I know I do. I I I really appreciate things that are real and genuine. And you mean you see it on reels and things these days, and you can uh for me, I can easily spot something that's being created by AI because I'm in this industry, right? But for so many people, they comment and they'll be like, Oh, how could that happen? And how and they treat it like it's a real thing, because obviously it's getting portrayed like it's a real thing. Right. And I'm just so sick of seeing things trying to pass as the real deal, and it's not, and I just feel like we're stepping into this season where a lot more people are just wanting real. Yeah, they're wanting real, and definitely what you're doing is just heart depth, real. So I think that's good.

Speaker 1 12:04

That's what I try to I try to show up authentically or not at all. And um, for a while, my bio on Instagram said, like written by a mom in her bathrobe. And because all of my posts, the only time that I had time in my life to sit down and write or work on anything was in the morning when I'm drinking my coffee and the kids are eating breakfast. But then after the year, you know, our day kind of gets rolling from that point. And all of my posts on my feed, I was in my bathrobe, and I was like, maybe I should be embarrassed, but I'm not. It was just how it played out.

Mel 12:36

So I think any real person is gonna just totally relate to that. I mean, I've certainly done a lot of my work in my tracksuit pants and my hair a mess and no makeup, and yeah, with a coffee and I don't know. It's just real. And yeah, anyway. So going through this process of of writing a book and all of that, what would you say has been probably your biggest learning point through writing a book? Oh goodness. Um loaded question, maybe, but right. I'm asking anyway. The question wasn't on the list. No, it wasn't on the list. It's a bit, yeah, it's a bit out there, but I feel to ask it.

Speaker 1 13:25

So I'm a creative type, and my biggest learning experience was definitely the back end stuff. Um all of the like the formatting of the book. I did my formatting myself. I knew that you know, you can pay people to do that for you. I did all the graphic work my on my own. Um because one of the it was a struggle. I'm sure somebody else would have been able to do it much more efficiently. But when I felt God telling me that like he wanted me to stop with the the network marketing and all of that, I was spending a lot of time writing posts on Facebook. And it was like, okay, well, if you can write, and I've always loved reading books and writing. Oh my goodness, I I could just go on and on about that. But like I am just a writer at heart. And so it was I was pouring all of this effort into writing Facebook posts that people, you know, would find relatable. And so it was like, okay, we're gonna stop writing that and we're gonna start writing this. And then I would spend time, you know, making fancy graphics. And it was like, okay, we're gonna stop doing that and we're gonna do it for a book. Um, and so it was just a very intentional. Yes, yes, yes. And so, and I wanted God to use me. I wanted him to take what I felt like I was good at or at least capable of doing and instead of using it for anything else, just use it for him. And so but there was a lot of learning that it went into that because I was like, oh, well, this will be easy, and it was not easy. Yeah, right. Very time consuming. And I felt like I was spending so much time and energy getting on Google and saying, How do I fill in the blank? And then I would have that, you know, pulled up on my screen, and then I would have the book pulled up on the other half, and then I'm trying to take what Google says that I should do, and then find the answer for it, or find the solution, or make it fit, or make it work. And you know, it was like, well, what size do you want your book to be? And it can be any size in the whole world. So now I'm going around and I'm measuring all of the books on my bookshelf.

Mel 15:27

And like, what what size is this book? I like this size. I don't know.

Agent Rejection And Peace To Self-Publish

Speaker 1 15:31

Right, right, right. And then it there was just a lot of back-end stuff. Um, and so I did I did self-publish. Um, and oh, this is a cool story. I wasn't planning on sharing this, but um so I wasn't sure if I was gonna self-publish or if I was going to attempt to get a traditional book deal. And I just kept praying about it, praying about it, and praying about it. And I was on one hand a little bit afraid of rejection because from what I had researched, you know, everybody said, well, prepare to be rejected a lot. And I was like, Well, I don't love that. Like, that's gonna feel like that doesn't sound like a good time at all. And but then I was in this coffee shop one day. I was visiting my grandparents, we were in Florida, and I was in this coffee shop, and there was like a quote that they had written on the wall. And oh my goodness, I wish I could remember what it said. But it was something about like, you're never gonna know unless you do it. Or like, but it was a it was from a Christian perspective, it was a Christian coffee shop. And I was like, I think this is my sign that I'm supposed to try and find an agent and get that book deal. And so then I went into researching. Well, who is the agent? I I continued to pray about it, and God was like, try one, find one and start there. And so that was what I did, and I found the perfect agent. I I mean, she was everything that I needed in an agent. She was a Christian. Her specialty was books about mu motherhood and families and devotions, and I mean, just so perfect. She, there was even something on her bio that said that, you know, she liked the quirky people. And I'm like, hello. Yeah, hello. Here I am. I'm like, this is perfect. She is perfect. She has everything that I would want in an agent. And I queried her and I never heard back. And after I did that, and it was okay. I was very, I was surprised because I was so certain that God had led me to her. And I read countless biographies, and I just the amount of research that went into that, I spent months getting my query ready for her. And I never heard back. And it was okay because it was so cool because after that happened, I felt complete peace for the first time to go ahead and self-publish. And it was such a God thing, again, that he led me through this like season of preparation and seeing how much goes into it and following through with that process. But then it was like, you know what? You don't, I'm gonna give you the gift of self-publishing, which was what I wanted to do anyway, because I wanted complete creative control over all of it. And I didn't want somebody to, you know, take my manuscript and make it look like what they imagined it would look like. I wanted it with what I wanted, what I imagined it looked like. Yeah, what you intended. Yep. Right. And but it was like God gave me the gift of not having to wonder if I would have done better if I had gotten a traditional book deal. Yeah. And that was so cool. That was it really was a really, a really special thing that it was, I don't have to wonder what if. I don't have to worry that, well, gosh, did I did I mishear him? Did I do the wrong thing? Because not all months are, you know, high-selling months. And so how do I know that if I would not have attempted to find that agent and go through that process of getting a book deal, that I wouldn't be sitting around and, you know, oh gosh, I didn't have any book sales this month. And I wonder if me, is it my fault? Did I not hear God correctly? Did I do something wrong? But I feel like He just gave me that gift of complete certainty and peace through that experience, even though it was a huge learning experience that looking back, yeah, I didn't have to go through it, but because I didn't use anything that I learned. But you're grateful for it.

Mel 19:17

I uh I find that really interesting because I I feel like the Lord has put on my heart to write a book at some point, but not now. So I'm kind of like almost gathering the evidence and the things that I need to put in it one day. Yeah. Um, because I I started writing it and I I flew through it. Like I I don't know, I wrote like four chapters in like a day, right? I just sort of flew through it and I was like, this is so good. And then I felt him say, stop, you need to stop. Like now is not the right time. I need you to continue learning things before we can we can finish this. There's stuff that needs to come in this book that you don't know yet. Like, you need to stop. Yeah. And I'm like, okay, but I kind of just want to get it done because I'm the kind of person to just like I've got something in my mind, let's just get it done, let's just do it. And also I'd had a dream back at the start of last year where I was being introduced onto a stage as an award-winning life coach, speaker, podcaster, and author. And I was like, okay. And at that point, I was just a life coach. And even now, I'm an award-winning life coach. I'm a speaker, I'm a podcaster, yeah. I'm still yet to be an author, but that's okay. I still don't feel like it's anytime soon. But I love hearing your story on the whole getting a publisher, going self-publishing, because in my mind I keep thinking, yep, self-publish, self-publish. Like that, that's just sort of what I want to do. But then I also hear how difficult it is to kind of really get your book anywhere, other than being able to sell it privately online or through Amazon or something. Um like you can't really get into the bookshops and you can't really get into the other places. How have you found this process in being able to even just sell your book when there's probably some limitations around where you can sell your book?

Speaker 1 21:24

Th there definitely are limitations there. I have found that if you go to bookshops in person, they're like um, like mom and pop bookshops, indie bookstores, one thing they call them here, that so far they've been very receptive to putting my book on their shelves. It's normally like a consignment situation, um, which is fine. That's hard for me to do because my kids are always with me. And taking two kids in tow to a bookstore, usually we, you know, spend more uh on our room. Oh no, right? You walk out with More books than you brought in. Right. Yeah. So, you know, taking the kids into the bookshop is a whole adventure on its own. And so I have gone to a few bookstores around me. There are more. I've tried reaching out other ways. I think going in person is much more effective, but I just try to promote online the most. There's TikTok shop where you can create like a business profile, and then you can, if you get your book uploaded into TikTok shop, then it's easy to for people to buy it like that.

Mel 22:28

I'm not even on TikTok anymore. I was so sick of the random men that would just message me and I'm like trying to do my thing, talking to mums, I'm getting organized, and they're just I was just so over it. I was like, I don't need this. I'm just sticking with Instagram, Facebook.

Speaker 1 22:44

Right. Well, and I feel like as far as posting TikToks compared to posting reels, that how you make it is so much more user-friendly on TikTok than it is on Instagram. My views are always higher on TikTok than they are on Instagram. But that's good. They say, I've I've researched this a little bit too, that authors do best on Facebook. But I cannot stand flipping back and forth between Facebook personal and Facebook pages, and things always get lost, and messages don't come through like they're supposed to. And I feel like it is just the least user-friendly experience in the whole world.

Mel 23:18

Fair enough. I don't mind Facebook for me. I I'm I'm quite happy with Facebook and Instagram and and threads, you know, like little bits here and there. But Instagram and Facebook are kind of my main hangouts.

Speaker 1 23:32

Right. So I try to post my videos on TikTok because I just like the video platform better and I can link my book there to where it's super easy and user-friendly for them to just buy now, hit that buy now button.

Speaker 2 23:45

Yeah.

Speaker 1 23:45

And if they buy, if people were buying a book for me on TikTok shop, I can sign it. Like I send it out myself. I can't do that from Amazon. Um, and Amazon charges a lot of overhead. But if I buy books in bulk, which is what I have done, then I get a discount. So my profits are higher if I sell through TikTok, but I feel like it's a win-win because then you get a signed book. Like I could like write your name in it and like write you a little note or like whatever. And almost like more of an in-person um experience. That's cool. I'll try to do um in-person events around me from time to time. It's hard with the kids. I've and I feel like a lot of I don't know, it's the ages.

Mel 24:27

Especially a younger one. It's it's just a very tricky age.

Speaker 1 24:31

Right. My kids are seven and two, and I feel like as a homeschool family, the two-year-old's always getting left with grandma because it's Oh, thank goodness for grandma.

Mel 24:41

Hey, I'd be lost without both my mom and mother-in-law. Man, yeah.

Speaker 1 24:48

Yeah, for sure. So I I feel like in-person events are people's uh go-to thing. I'm just not at a phase of life where that works for me. And so I feel like through TikTok shop it's comparable. Yeah. Um, because I can sign the book and I just like I like that. Um Amazon is a little bit different, but I just try to post on social media the most. Um, and so I do Instagram stories um because I feel like that's just easy. And I I don't know, there's there's sketchy people on TikTok too.

Mel 25:17

And yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 25:19

Um I feel like it's not the case on Instagram. So I like the stories on Instagram and then they do post to Facebook, but then I like posting like TikToks instead of reels. So I try to find balance and then I usually get burnt out and then I disappear for a little while and then I'll come back.

Mel 25:37

Yep, I I've been there. I I feel like my time is just better spent on other things, but I I probably really should be more active on social media. But I agree. Oh, the things you gotta do for just to try and make a sale, right?

Speaker 1 25:52

Oh, I know, and I feel the same way because it's you know, I have two more books that I've written them and they need to be edited to come out behind my devotional. Their follow-up originally it was gonna be one giant 90-day devotional, and then my editor suggested we break it up into 30 days, and I just I liked it, and I don't know, but I prayed about it, felt like that was what we were supposed to do. So, but I've got these two more books that need tending to. And but it's like, oh, but I've got a post on TikTok today, and I it's okay.

Mel 26:24

It takes up so much time. I don't think people realize, and I know a lot of my audience here, they are just normal mums. And before I got into this whole online world, I only really saw the people that said it was how easy it was, how easy it is to make this money online and all this kind of stuff. And yeah, it's easy enough when you've jumped through a whole lot of hoops and you've figured it out and you've paid ten thousand dollars for someone to help you with it. Like you know, that there's so much that goes into it that it's it's really not as easy as you think. But I feel like even just with this whole book process or anything else, you don't even realise just how present you really kind of need to be on social media and you have to be producing the content, not consuming the content. Um and so that all takes up time, and for someone like me, I just I don't care enough about social media. I know it sounds terrible, but I just don't. And so to spend uh potentially even hours on it every day just to try and connect with people and and get things going with my business, it's just uh there's other things that I'd rather be doing. So I really shifted how it all looked at the start of the year, and I I actually archived all my posts and just kept my nine grid up there, and then I've got reels and and stuff separately anyway. But it's just like if people come to my page, they get their main info, everything they need, uh you can DM me, I'm there, like I'm still active in there, but and and I'll have stories going, but don't expect like too much more because I just I I I'm busy. Like I've got a business to run, I've got I've also got an a another job on the side, I've got four kids, I've got like I've got enough things going on.

Speaker 1 28:27

Right, and it's a lot to juggle.

Mel 28:29

I think even just yeah, whether you're writing a book, whether you're coaching, whatever it is, you just don't realize how much time behind the scenes you need to just do what it is you're trying to do at the end of the day.

Speaker 1 28:43

Right, exactly, exactly. Like I definitely didn't think that I would have to spend that much time finding my people. Um tell me about it. Oh yeah. And I know that I didn't write this book for me. Um I know that this wasn't just some idea that I cooked up. Like it was such a god thing. And so, but there is a lot of time that goes into it. So you have to spend the time, you know, creating the thing. So for you creating your podcast, for me writing my books, I have to spend that time doing, like actually doing something so that I have something to even post about. But then you have to figure out how to post about it effectively and in a way that people can connect with, and you know, it is time consuming.

Lost In Motherhood Versus Found

Mel 29:22

It sounds exhausting. But I guess going back to staying on on topic, but with this whole process, writing a book, but also doing the devotionals and just coming from the perspective of being a mum whilst doing all of this, what is something the a mum and a woman out there that's listening to this, what would you like them to know just about this whole process that you think might help them?

Speaker 1 29:52

Well, if I were sitting down with somebody and they were just overwhelmed by motherhood, and we really haven't gotten that much into this, but there's such a viral, trendy thing to say, like outlook on life about being lost in motherhood. And I don't know if you see stuff about that, but I am just I there was a point where I was just bombarded with it, and it all sounded true, and it made me so unhappy and so discontent. Where at first I felt like I was seen and oh, these women get it. Like, but then it so easily turned into well, I don't like being a stay-at-home mom, and these kids are getting on my nerves, and I can't believe my husband left his shoes. I'm looking at him right there again. And I was not joyful at all, and I was like, but this is not how God wants us to feel, and you it's easy to feel overwhelmed, but there is another like thin line there between saying what is true and being authentic and being real and being raw about the struggles that are there, and there are hardships that come with being a mom, being a stay-at-home mom, being a working mom. It's different, but it's it's all the same.

Mel 31:10

I mean something. Right.

Speaker 1 31:13

Right. And but there is a I think we have to be careful that we don't slip into not being grateful for our greatest blessings. And to speak life and speak that positive, yeah.

Mel 31:31

I don't know, it's it is a fine line. You're so right.

Speaker 1 31:34

Exactly. And it hit me. So the name of my book, I'll show it to you, is The Found Mama. And the reason that and I the reason that I kind of arrived at that is what you said about speaking life over ourselves. And to sit here and say, as Christians, that we have lost ourselves in motherhood. We are speaking lostness over our lives. Yep.

Mel 31:54

And just open the door for the enemy to come in and make and make that true. Exactly.

Speaker 1 32:01

And as you know, you look through the Bible and lost is not a word that is used flippantly. That is something that Jesus came to deliver us from. Right. He saved us from our lostness, and then we just throw it around so casually. Like I lost myself in motherhood. My life doesn't look the way it used to. I don't do the things I used to do, I don't have time for myself. I, you know what? We'll fix it? Self-care. And that's not really completely true either. So I feel like we have to be careful with the things that we say, the things that we do, and the solutions that we seek.

Mel 32:37

Yeah.

Speaker 1 32:37

Because while sure, a bubble bath sounds nice, I took one last night. It's a band-aid. Right. It's a band-aid. And the the root of this is that we need Jesus. Yeah. And if we're feeling overwhelmed by motherhood, the solution is changing our perspective. And you're not going, you know, I mean, kids are going to be kids and husbands are going to be husbands, and the dishes are always going to be there.

Mel 33:05

And we're going to have our own flaws. Right. Oh, for sure.

Speaker 1 33:10

And, you know, how many times have we done, like, I've done things. It was like, I know better than this. Why did I say that? Why did I react this way? Like, I like thankfully the Lord is still working on me too. But yeah.

Mel 33:22

Oh, yeah.

Speaker 1 33:24

I think our identity being rooted in Jesus is forever going to be the most important thing about us. It's not going to be motherhood or being lost in motherhood or anything else, or what our hobbies are, even though they're important and they can be fulfilling. I don't think that I think that our focus as a whole society is so much on self.

Mel 33:45

Yeah, it's very selfish.

Identity In Jesus Above Everything

Speaker 1 33:47

That as Christians navigating, you know, well, what should my life look like as a mom and a wife and whatever, I feel like sometimes we get so caught up in needing something that makes us unique. Like, oh, well, I'm a writer or I'm a painter, or you feel like you have to fit into a category of what type of mom you are. And those are fine. You know, there's nothing wrong with any of these things, but I feel like the most important thing about us should be our relationship with Jesus and priority. And right, not who we think we are. And, you know, my life has changed so much since becoming a mom. I um one of the books I'm working on now, um, and I haven't shared about this online at all, is my entire testimony, like start to finish, like my life story, because there's so many ebbs and flows to and from God that whenever I've been asked to share my testimony in the past, it's usually like a specific part of it.

Mel 34:49

Yeah. You kind of need the whole thing, right? To really see the magnitude of God.

Speaker 1 34:55

Right. And my my past involves drugs and alcohol and just complete living in sin, surrender to living in sin. Um, intentionally walking away from God, divorce, like terrible, ugly, ugly things. Wow. And knowing, you know, and there was a time where I was, you know, I tried to live God's way and it still brought me to a divorce. So I'm all set. I'm gonna try it my own way this time. And this was after I had already walked away and come back. And instead of continuing to walk with Jesus, which was what I knew was the only solution, it was I'm gonna go back to the drugs and alcohol because they never let me down. And even though that wasn't true either. And there's so much more. Like there, there's just such a big picture. And so when I say that I know what it feels like to wake up one day and feel like your life is not recognizable. Like I know that feeling. I we my husband and I, we were married when we had our first son, but he was a complete surprise. We did not want to have children. Um and that is so much part of my story as well. That I know what it feels like to be like, who am I? Like, I don't have time for myself. I don't have time for any hobbies. I used to paint a little bit. I dabbled in painting and like flipping furniture and stuff, and I had a whole room in our house dedicated to you know, my art. It's a playroom now. It's a playroom. And so I I definitely understand how easy it is to to, you know, think I've totally lost my identity and I've swapped it in for chicken nuggets and wiping noses and yeah, um like I get it, but that is not but God didn't bring me here to let me feel that way and not offer me a solution for it.

Mel 36:49

Oh, yeah.

Speaker 2 36:50

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 1 36:50

And I feel like that's just not a message that is out there enough.

Speaker 2 36:55

Yeah.

Speaker 1 36:56

But is that that Christian take on motherhood and like how he wants our attitudes to be and how he gave us this job specifically and for our specific children to glorify him, that that's our whole that's our life purpose. It's not hobbies and feeling like I do enough self-care, and it it's not about us, it's about glorifying God, and we can do that through our hobbies and through our interests, but we can also do that as moms who want their children to grow up to know Jesus. Um, and I feel like that that's just so much more important than anything else that you see on social media trying to get you to like latch on to people post a lot of things. I think people post a lot of things um in the name of relatability, but it's not it's not always necessarily helpful.

Where To Find Christina And Final Words

Mel 37:52

Yeah, it could be taking them down the wrong path, so yeah, I hear you on all of that. And thank you for sharing some of your testimony even now, because I know that that's not always easy to do, especially when it's humbling at times, but you're certainly not alone in it. Look, we all we all have a past up until this point, right? Like we've all gone through things we think maybe we could have made better choices on or whatever else. But the truth is we're here, and I certainly wouldn't change any of the things that have happened to me or choices that I've made or anything like that, because truth is I like who I am today, and I like where God is taking me and taking my family, and yeah, it was certainly bumpy, but I wouldn't change it. And I don't know if you feel the same, but I absolutely feel the same way. It it's amazing what God can do because I was saying this in a previous podcast episode that you can't fail when God is in it, when God is part of your life, when he's part of your calling, when he's part of your children, whatever it is, like you can't fail. You you just can't go wrong because he's in it, so it's always an opportunity. He'll always have it as an opportunity to learn, to grow, to you know, teach us something. Yeah, but there's no such thing as failing. I feel like we could keep talking about a lot of things. Oh my gosh, time just disappears so quickly. If people wanted to get in touch with you, wanted to buy your book, all of that, where is the best place to find you?

Speaker 1 39:29

Um, well, I'm everywhere. Sometimes my page is there, even if I'm not right, right, right. But I'm on TikTok. Author, it's at author Kristina Brooks. It's Kristina with a K. And that handle is everywhere. It's the same on Instagram and Facebook and TikTok, and my books are on Amazon. And I also have a website. It's www.author kristina brooks.com. It's in the middle of uh getting redone. Upgrade. Yes. But um I I try to I I try to show up on social media. I want to connect with people. I but this sounds this sounds silly, but like I'm not a famous person. Again, all these thin lines we're talking about, I feel like it just keeps coming up. But there are a lot of books that I've read by very famous authors who I have gleaned from and who I respect. But that's not how I'm showing up. That's not the type of person that I am. You know, I'm the like independent author showing up in her bathrobe and you know. Just connecting. Like, right, just connecting with people because and that was one thing that I really wanted my book to feel like, and I was so excited when some reviews started rolling in from people who had read my book that they were like, it feels like you're having coffee with your best friend, or it feels like you're just sitting in, you know, they're sitting in my living room and we're just talking about like motherhood. That was just one one thing that I really wanted for my book, and that's one thing that I tried to try to do achieved. This book was not written from the perspective of somebody who has it all figured out. I certainly don't. It I mean, every single devotion is it has a Bible verse or a passage of scripture, and it's like things that God has shown me. Um it's lessons that I've learned or application that He's like opened my eyes to, things like that. And so I I don't know, that's how I try to show up on social media as someone that like you would want to be friends with, someone that you could be friends with, because that's how I want my book to come across. And I I just it's just real life. And I'm not polished. That's perfect.

Mel 41:37

That that is perfect in itself, in my opinion. I think that's really good. Well, I'll make sure that all the details are in the show notes to make it nice and easy for everyone listening. But I just want to thank you for taking the time out today to to speak with me for for the coming on to Beyond Organized as your first podcast. Thank you very much.

Speaker 2 42:02

Thank you for having me.

Mel 42:04

It was an absolute pleasure having you on. And I feel like we could have talked for a few more hours, but again, let's uh give people a break that I'll just be and I could always have you back another time. So that's fine.

Speaker 1 42:18

I was glad this was this was so much fun. Um I do have to say it was funny. I told my husband the name of the podcast uh that I was going to be on, and uh when I told him it was beyond organized, he laughed, and I laughed, and we all laughed because I am so not organized. But I I feel like, and I should have mentioned this somewhere, but anyway, I feel like when it comes to spending that time with Jesus, we have to be somewhat organized, and that's that's where I shine. That's my shining moment is like we have to prioritize, and I'm like organization is all about that. I'm just not good at it in other areas of my life. But if we prioritize spending our time with God, you schedule it into your life, and you like that that's the whole point.

Mel 43:02

Um that doesn't really need to be more than that. Like, yeah, so a big part of of this podcast, but also what I do in my business, she's organized, even though organizing is like it's just the starting point, but it's certainly not the end point. Like, it helps us to be able to have the time for the things that are more important, like our relationships and and all that kind of stuff. But even then, I'm not the whole pretty canisters in the kitchen kind of thing. I I'm totally downright, just whatever simplifies everything, just makes it so easy, so I can get on with the things that are more important. And that's the whole point of Beyond Organized. You know, we we have a little bit of order in our life, but it's just so we can get on to the things that are more important in life, like spending time with friends, family, connecting with God, all these kind of things. It's just part of that enablement to make that happen, you know. Things that are really important at the end of the day. So definitely. You certainly don't have to be an organized person to be on here or listening. Totally fine. All are welcome. But um thank you again. I I really appreciated having you on today.

Speaker 1 44:17

Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. This was so much fun. You were right. This was so much fun.

Subscribe And Free Toolkit

Mel 44:22

Yep, always is. If you like this episode, don't forget to hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you want to continue the conversation, you can connect with me on Instagram @shes.organised or for some free resources, head over to beyondorganised.com/toolkit. Remember, organising is a tool to live the purposeful life beyond it. See you next time.