Show Transcript

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What if one moment, one discovery could completely change the direction of your life?

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Today, we're diving deep into a story of courage, of resilience, of transformation.

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It's the story of my absolutely phenomenal guest today, Tondi Montgomery.

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Her journey, it's not just about survival. rival. It's about discovering her

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true self, the strength of faith, and the power of family.

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Tandi, she's going to share with you her real, raw, unfiltered story that goes

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through the course of a chapter in her life that started with a moment, just a second.

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It was just the size of a pea, and yet it all changed from that day forward.

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So if you were looking for a story to not only inspire you, but to also just

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remind you of the strength within us all, then this is an interview you will not want to miss.

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This, my friend, is episode 300.

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This is the story of Tondi Montgomery.

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Yo, are you ready to flip the script on life? Because those bad days,

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they're just doors to better days.

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And that's exactly what we do here at Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

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Your host, Kevin Lowe, he's been flipping the script on his own life,

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turning over 20 years of being completely blind into straight up inspiration,

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motivation, and encouragement just for you.

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So, kick back, relax, and let me introduce you to your host, Kevin Lowe.

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What is up, my friend? Welcome back to the podcast, as always.

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Hey, we made it. It's our 300th episode.

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I am excited you're here, whether it's your first time or you've been here from the beginning.

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I am so thrilled and appreciative that you are here today.

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Now, I'm going to get to my interview with Tondi real quick,

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but I just wanted to be sure that I told you thank you.

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Thank you for being here. Thank you for being a part of this amazing journey.

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Podcasting has has brought so much joy to my life.

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It has brought so many new opportunities and I just cannot be more grateful.

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And so I just wanted to be sure that I said, thank you.

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I also want to remind you that right now we are in the midst of summer and I

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have my sizzling summer special where I am offering free one-on-one coaching all summer long.

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All you have to do is text summer 2024.

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That's all one word, no spaces, summer 2024 to the phone number 33-777.

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Again, that phone number is 33777, and I will give you a link to book your free

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one-on-one coaching call.

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30-minute deep dive where we can explore what you've got going on in life,

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where you're trying to get to, and figure out what roadblocks are standing in the way.

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You can find that information plus a direct link inside of today's show notes

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if that makes life any easier. year.

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With that out of the way, my friend, it's my pleasure to introduce you to today's

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absolutely incredible guest.

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Here is Tondi Montgomery.

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I refer to the Tondi before the diagnosis as Tondi 1.0.

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So I'll give you a little background about Tondi 1.0.

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And so I've been in advertising for almost 15 years now.

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So led a lot of really great work from Verizon to Capital One to AT&T, so many great clients.

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And so Tani 1.0 was and is still ambitious, just really excited about life and what it had to offer.

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I've had two little kids and I've also been married for 17 years.

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And so life before the diagnosis on paper, you would think that everything was

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copacetic, everything was great, But there was still something missing.

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And that was my purpose and my desire to do more than just, you know,

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live day to day and check the box. Yeah.

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I get it. I get it. How would you describe that feeling?

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Like to say to somebody that you felt like there was something missing?

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You know, when I woke up in the, you know, every day, I'm like,

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okay, I know what I'm supposed to do.

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I'm Tandi, the wife, Tandi, the mom, you know, Tandi, the ad executive.

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I knew that part, but in terms of who I was at the core, I was still trying to find who she was.

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So I always felt that something was different. and something was missing, something was lacking.

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It was as if I had a mask on every single day, kind of afraid to share and show

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the world who the real Tondi is.

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Yeah, I love it so much.

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So I know the big part of our story is, of course, your cancer diagnosis.

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Before we even get to that, though, did you ever have any family history?

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Anybody in your family with cancer?

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Well, not breast cancer. So my grandfather had prostate cancer,

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but breast cancer didn't run in my family.

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Okay. Okay. Wow. Interesting. Okay. So unless there's anything before it,

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let's go ahead and dive in.

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And I would love for you to kind of just walk us through the events from how this even got started.

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And I would love to hear that story. Yeah, absolutely.

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And so I am, I'm very in tune when it comes to my body and my health.

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I eat healthy. I work out five to six times a week.

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And so if you can imagine this diagnosis came as a surprise,

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but I'm always do my monthly checks. And so what does that mean?

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So as females, it's important to do your monthly breast exams.

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And so I found my own cancer, Kevin, I found my own cancer and I was like,

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something's not right here, but I don't think it's too much,

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but I don't want to overlook the lump. It was a small lump, the size of a pea.

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And so I went to the doctor immediately.

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They did a mammogram, an ultrasound.

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They told me to come back for a biopsy. And when they told me to come back,

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that's when something, I knew it wasn't right. I'm like, okay,

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something is not right here.

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And then after all the results came back, my PCP called me. It was November 1st, 2021.

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And my PCP, it was over the phone and she said, Tondi, you have invasive ductal carcinoma.

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And at that time, Kevin, I was like, is this a new strand of COVID?

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Like, I don't, you know, I had no idea what that was. I'm like,

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oh, that's interesting. You know, but I said, so what is that?

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And she looked, you know, she said, you have breast cancer. Right.

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Hmm. And my world literally stopped.

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Kevin, I had a meeting scheduled for five o'clock that day.

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My appointment was at four o'clock. I no longer thought about the presentation

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or my client work or anything else.

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The first thing that I thought about was what about my family?

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And I'm too young to die. I was 38 at the time.

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And so a lot of times they tell you don't get a mammogram until you're 40.

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Well, I'm so glad that I took the precaution and did my own exam and found my

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own cancer so that I could be proactive.

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And of course, start while it was early. So it was a stage one,

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which is the very beginning stages of breast cancer.

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Yes. Oh, my gosh. I mean, what though a testament to the fact of doing your

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own self-exam. Yes, absolutely.

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Yeah. Incredible.

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Wow. So you get this diagnosis now.

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Were you in the doctor's office or was this all over the phone?

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It was over the phone. So I was at home.

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Wow. Yeah, I was at home and I was literally taken aback.

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And, you know, like I said, so many thoughts flooded my head. What about the kids?

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I'm too young to die right now. There's still purpose left in me.

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There was so much that I thought about because when the reality of death is

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kind of in your face, you're like, oh, my God, like, what did I do wrong?

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You know, but again, I decided to talk to my family. They have been and continue to be very supportive.

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And I was like, Tondi, this is not what you expected.

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This is this sucks. It's not what you expected.

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I'm going to be honest with you, but you're going to fight through this and

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you're going to win. And so after the original diagnosis, we had planned to

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just have a double mastectomy.

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And that's when you have both of the girls removed.

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And I was supposed to get on my merry way and have reconstructive surgery and

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get back on to life as normal within two months.

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But after my initial surgery, when the results came back, Kevin,

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the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes.

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And so the two month journey ended up turning into 12 months.

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So within that 12 months, it was 16 rounds of chemo, 30 days of radiation and four surgeries.

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Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Briefly backing up about your family.

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You were a mother. How old were your kids? At that time, they were eight and four. Wow.

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Yeah. How young?

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Does Tondi, the mom, even do that?

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Yeah. I mean, continuing being a mom while going through this treatment.

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Yeah, absolutely. And that's a good question, Kevin, because life doesn't stop.

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You know, the kids still need things. You still have to show up to soccer games

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and the PTA meetings and all of those things.

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And what I ended up doing was, Kevin, and I want your audience to really hear

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this, Tani 1.0 would have had

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this superwoman cape on and tried to pretend as if everything was okay.

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And I was like, you know what? I can't get through this journey pretending as if I'm okay.

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And so I really allowed myself to tell the kids what was going on.

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So we educated them on what is cancer.

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We educated them on the process. So they knew what is chemo?

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What is radiation? how does this help mom feel better they

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also knew about like the unconventional side of

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that which is the supplements and working out and

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exercising just to make sure that those two

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were married and really which would help me to expedite the

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the recovery process and so we literally my husband

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and i sat down and we talked to them about the entire process and it was really

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good that they saw mom not just as a strong tondi 1.0 but they saw mom in her

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weakest moments which increased their faith and increase their responsibilities

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and their reliability on themselves. Yeah. Oh, wow.

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That's so powerful. Now, during this basically year journey,

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did you have to spend any extended time in the hospital?

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So with the surgeries, the only time I had to spend in the hospital was like two nights.

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And that's when I had the reconstructive surgery. With the chemo,

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it was every week for the first 12 and then every other week for the the last four.

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With radiation, I was there every day, Monday through Friday. So I was in and out.

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Yeah. Yeah. What kind of like side effects and stuff did you have to deal with?

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I mean, I think of, of course, like, you know, like losing your hair,

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but just kind of curious. Yes, absolutely.

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And so, Kevin, I'm a strategist by by profession and by nature.

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So I went in with a strategy when it was my faith.

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And then, of course, finding out and researching everything that I had to learn

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about breast cancer and everything that I needed to learn about chemo and radiation.

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So what are the side effects? What's the recovery time period?

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And so I went in there, I had a spreadsheet, Kevin, and I said,

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okay, side effects, possibility one can be losing your hair.

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Okay. What is the solution?

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Okay. Let me go ahead and get my wig first. Side effect option B could be,

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you know, low blood cell, low blood count.

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Let me go ahead and get some supplements. And so literally, I had a spreadsheet

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that light up all the possible side effects so that when and if it happened, I would be prepared.

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And so even down to like the gum sensitivity, and there's so many different

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things that you, the fatigue as well.

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So even when it comes to fatigue, I knew that there were going to be certain

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times throughout the week that I'll be very fatigued.

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And so I saw an integrative medical doctor and she basically gave me some holistic

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things that I could do to help fight against the fatigue, like drinking bone

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broth or having a lot of protein to really help my cells rebuild.

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Yeah. Wow, wow, wow.

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Were you able to work during this period or no?

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So I decided to take off. And so, like I said, I have been in advertising over 15 years.

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So I had a really great employee and employer, excuse me, and they were so supportive,

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Kevin, so supportive in terms of me being able to take off that time because

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I really wanted to focus on my health and to make sure that I was able to go

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to the doctor appointments,

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making sure that I had the time to research and recover without focusing on

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the deadlines. Yeah, absolutely.

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So here's when we're going to introduce the variable.

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Here you are. You're a woman. You're a mother. You're a wife.

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You now have cancer. You're fighting it.

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And then you have some crazy idea to start posting it on YouTube.

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You got to talk to me about this because you documented this entire process.

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It's funny that you mentioned that because, again, kind of referring back to

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Time D 1.0, even though I was in theater, I did a lot of things on stage,

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but I was still private when it came to my personal life.

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So I didn't really share a lot of the intimate moments in terms of what I was

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doing behind the scenes.

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But my brother, who was a videographer, he said, Tondi, I don't care what you're

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going through, whether it's a high moment or a low moment, I need you to record

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what's going on because you are going to help so many people.

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You may not see it right now, but I need you to record it. And I was like,

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I don't think I'm going to do that.

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No, that's not going to happen. But something prompted me and I knew that was

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a part of my mission was to not just share the highs,

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but also to show the lows, show me getting my hair shaved, show me going in

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and out of the doctor's office, show me crying and in my most vulnerable state.

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And to this day, I am so incredibly grateful that he gave me that wisdom because

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yes, to your point, I was able to use my experience in advertising and put my

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story across different channels. So you mentioned YouTube.

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So creating the documentary 16 Tuesdays. So that really focused on every Tuesday

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I was getting chemo for 16 rounds.

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And so I called it 16 Tuesdays. And I also was able to use my story and post

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it across Instagram and Facebook, create an affirmation book,

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just so many different things, do motivational speaking.

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There are so many things that I was able to do by the grace of God because of

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the journey that I went through.

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Wow. Wow. So what we're saying is Tondi 2.0 became pretty darn amazing.

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She's resilient. She's pretty resilient.

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Oh, my goodness. I love it so much. during that time,

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is there any moments that kind of stand out for one or two reasons,

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either memorable because of something good, even in all that bad,

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maybe it was a person or something happening.

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And then on the opposite spectrum, one of your lowest moments.

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Yeah, that's a really great question. I would say the high moments, Kevin, are,

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I jumped off the hamster wheel of life and I slowed down for the first time ever.

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And I began to really enjoy the moment with my family.

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I wasn't rushing trying to do this and do that, but I slowed down for the first

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time and I literally noticed the seasons change.

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I noticed the trees and I noticed the leaves coming back.

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I noticed the snowfall. I heard the birds chirping. So my sensitivity in terms

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of just being in the moment and really appreciating life and my family really heightened.

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Yes. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. That's so beautiful.

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For sure. And then I also, you know, I found my voice, Kevin.

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I learned how to advocate for myself because sometimes, you know,

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in the health care industry, they can be dismissive at times.

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So I learned how to one, be prepared, do my research, you know, have a plan.

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And when I went to the doctor's office, it wasn't like, let me just hear what

00:17:15.467 --> 00:17:17.547

you want to say. It's like, no, this is my research.

00:17:17.787 --> 00:17:23.327

What is best for me? And so I really went in there and I learned how to advocate for myself.

00:17:23.447 --> 00:17:26.867

And I'm teaching other cancer patients as well. It's like, you know,

00:17:26.907 --> 00:17:28.367

your body better than anybody.

00:17:28.647 --> 00:17:33.307

So it's up to you to do the research and advocate for yourself because there

00:17:33.307 --> 00:17:37.627

were certain times, For example, when I was having chemo, the pre-meds were

00:17:37.627 --> 00:17:42.127

too much. They were giving me the same medication as someone that was probably twice my size.

00:17:42.307 --> 00:17:46.647

And so since I did my research, I was able to say, can we bring it down a little bit?

00:17:46.787 --> 00:17:50.767

And because of that, the side effects dwindled severely.

00:17:52.387 --> 00:17:55.507

Wow. Wow, wow, wow. Yeah, that's incredible.

00:17:56.167 --> 00:18:01.647

My gosh. The way that you approach this whole thing with your research is just

00:18:01.647 --> 00:18:04.707

that's that's literally amazing.

00:18:05.227 --> 00:18:08.547

Wow. Wow. Thank you so very much. Thank you so much.

00:18:08.647 --> 00:18:12.807

And to answer the second part of your question in terms of some of the moments

00:18:12.807 --> 00:18:14.807

that may not have been as high.

00:18:15.087 --> 00:18:20.567

I remember, you know, as a female, oftentimes we identify ourselves based on

00:18:20.567 --> 00:18:22.307

our hair and our boobs. loops.

00:18:22.367 --> 00:18:26.627

And once you lose both of those, it really causes you to really,

00:18:26.647 --> 00:18:30.247

really search deep down inside to figure out who am I at the core?

00:18:30.427 --> 00:18:33.607

You know, you lose your hair, you lose your eyebrows, you lose your eyelashes.

00:18:33.987 --> 00:18:39.167

And it's like, wow, well, who is Tandi? Who is Tandi behind all of that?

00:18:39.407 --> 00:18:46.407

And it really caused me to sit a lot and journal a lot and create a lot so that

00:18:46.407 --> 00:18:50.867

I could express myself because cancer is not just a physical journey.

00:18:50.947 --> 00:18:55.367

It is a mental journey. It is a financial journey, is a spiritual journey.

00:18:55.507 --> 00:18:57.447

And so I'm like, how do I navigate this?

00:18:57.607 --> 00:19:02.247

And so I learned the art of yoga and meditation and journaling so that I could

00:19:02.247 --> 00:19:06.467

release those emotions because the emotions will come, you know, they will come and go.

00:19:06.627 --> 00:19:11.547

And so like, how do I release these emotions in a healthy way so that they're

00:19:11.547 --> 00:19:13.207

not all bottled inside? Right.

00:19:13.787 --> 00:19:19.447

Yeah, absolutely. Your faith. Talk to me about your faith journey.

00:19:20.027 --> 00:19:25.447

For myself, my faith, my family, I say you're the only way I got through my

00:19:25.447 --> 00:19:27.227

own, you know, life changing experience.

00:19:27.587 --> 00:19:31.287

And I hear you talk a lot about your faith, a lot about your family.

00:19:31.427 --> 00:19:37.947

And I would love to hear your faith journey and the impact it had on this whole experience.

00:19:38.607 --> 00:19:43.967

Absolutely. And Kevin, when I first heard about the diagnosis, I was so angry.

00:19:44.267 --> 00:19:48.687

I mean, just really, really angry. I'm like, God, why would you allow this to happen to me?

00:19:48.827 --> 00:19:54.487

Like I said, I ate healthy. I worked out. I checked every box I thought to stay cancer free.

00:19:54.687 --> 00:19:59.647

And so I was so angry. And I remember like it was yesterday after I found out

00:19:59.647 --> 00:20:04.987

that I had to have the chemo and radiation, I came home and I slept for 21 hours

00:20:04.987 --> 00:20:09.227

because I felt like I was literally dead to the world. I had nothing else to give.

00:20:09.467 --> 00:20:14.647

And Kevin, I turned off my phone. And in that time, those 21 hours,

00:20:14.847 --> 00:20:19.487

again, I went to bed angry, but there was something in my spirit,

00:20:19.587 --> 00:20:21.847

Kevin, that said, you will fight and win.

00:20:22.067 --> 00:20:26.427

And I knew from that moment that that was my faith. That was God really speaking

00:20:26.427 --> 00:20:29.607

to me, letting me know that, Tondi, this is not the end.

00:20:29.767 --> 00:20:32.487

This is not the end. As a matter of fact, it's just the beginning.

00:20:32.747 --> 00:20:38.067

And when I was in bed for 21 hours, I literally saw saw a bow and arrow, right?

00:20:38.147 --> 00:20:41.927

And so if you think about the bow and arrow, the further back you pull a bow

00:20:41.927 --> 00:20:45.467

and arrow, when you let it go, the further the trajectory.

00:20:45.887 --> 00:20:50.167

And so I felt like I was saying just for a small moment, a small portion of

00:20:50.167 --> 00:20:52.587

your life, I'm going to pull you back just a little bit.

00:20:52.647 --> 00:20:57.347

But once you're done with this, once I let it go, the impact that you are going

00:20:57.347 --> 00:21:01.287

to make on this world is going to be like amazing.

00:21:02.767 --> 00:21:06.527

And so I held onto that, Kevin. So I prayed a lot. I said, God,

00:21:06.827 --> 00:21:10.267

I need wisdom. Give me wisdom to get through this.

00:21:10.467 --> 00:21:15.287

Give me a strategy to get through this. Give me the faith that I need to get through this.

00:21:15.347 --> 00:21:19.667

And yes, there were some dark days, but I will say, Kevin, that throughout the

00:21:19.667 --> 00:21:23.287

journey, I know that God was with me every step of the way.

00:21:23.367 --> 00:21:28.107

I mean, hands down, there's no way that I could have gotten through it if it

00:21:28.107 --> 00:21:32.567

wasn't for my faith and my belief in God. Yeah. Oh, my gosh.

00:21:32.787 --> 00:21:38.227

And what a beautiful visualization of the Bellinero.

00:21:38.727 --> 00:21:46.007

Wow. I mean, that is that is such a beautiful way to look at what you are going through. Hmm.

00:21:47.168 --> 00:21:54.128

Thank you. Yeah, that's amazing. What other groups I was curious about,

00:21:54.288 --> 00:21:59.888

were there any support groups or or certain friends or anything that you found

00:21:59.888 --> 00:22:01.108

yourself really leaning on?

00:22:01.808 --> 00:22:06.428

Absolutely. As I mentioned, like this is a journey that you cannot walk by yourself.

00:22:06.728 --> 00:22:11.848

And so I learned how to be very transparent. I learned that in this season,

00:22:11.968 --> 00:22:15.668

like I'm used to being the strong one, Kevin. I'm used to everyone relying on

00:22:15.668 --> 00:22:17.448

me and saying, Tanya, I need this. I need that.

00:22:17.648 --> 00:22:23.728

But in this season, I allow myself to be vulnerable and really say when I needed help.

00:22:23.908 --> 00:22:29.028

And so my friends from college, my friends in the area, they really rallied around.

00:22:29.368 --> 00:22:33.108

We literally, before my first surgery, 30 days leading up to it,

00:22:33.188 --> 00:22:36.468

we were on calls every day. They would give me inspiration.

00:22:36.748 --> 00:22:41.348

They would pray with me. And it was just an incredible moment to have my family

00:22:41.348 --> 00:22:44.988

and my friends and my co-workers be of support.

00:22:45.188 --> 00:22:49.388

So they would send care packages. They would come. They created a meal train.

00:22:49.688 --> 00:22:55.388

They just did so much to help me through this, to help lift my head up day after day.

00:22:55.848 --> 00:23:02.268

Oh, my goodness. We think sometimes it seems like we default to the idea at

00:23:02.268 --> 00:23:03.968

times in our lives that we,

00:23:04.461 --> 00:23:08.281

It's our burden to carry and we don't want to put it on anybody else.

00:23:08.801 --> 00:23:12.981

And the truth is, is we're meant to do this life together.

00:23:13.461 --> 00:23:21.301

Yes. You know, and so I am so happy to hear that you were able to find support in others.

00:23:21.861 --> 00:23:29.361

Thank you so much. Yeah, absolutely. So talk to me about when this starts to

00:23:29.361 --> 00:23:32.981

wrap up all this treatment and you're coming to the end.

00:23:32.981 --> 00:23:39.981

And was it like, I'm kind of wondering, like, at the end, did you get that amazing news?

00:23:40.401 --> 00:23:44.061

You know, talk to me about that doctor's appointment. Yeah, absolutely.

00:23:44.321 --> 00:23:47.701

So after my last surgery, you know, I was counting down like,

00:23:47.781 --> 00:23:54.641

yes, the last surgery and really excited about, you know, the progress that was being made.

00:23:54.881 --> 00:23:59.061

And then when I went in for my follow up and they told me that the cancer was

00:23:59.061 --> 00:24:03.081

in remission, that was like music to my ears. I was so excited.

00:24:03.241 --> 00:24:07.701

And what some people fail to realize is, you know, even after the surgery is

00:24:07.701 --> 00:24:13.241

over, even after the radiation, the chemo, there is like a post treatment journey

00:24:13.241 --> 00:24:14.781

that I didn't know about.

00:24:14.921 --> 00:24:19.441

And so I finished my quote unquote, my treatment, thinking that I would go into

00:24:19.441 --> 00:24:23.221

this blissful state that, oh, everything was going to be peaches and cream.

00:24:23.401 --> 00:24:29.221

No, Kevin, there is a side of the journey that happens after treatment.

00:24:29.221 --> 00:24:31.521

You start to worry about a recurrence.

00:24:31.541 --> 00:24:35.221

You have to do maintenance checkups. You know, so there are so many things that

00:24:35.221 --> 00:24:37.341

I didn't know about that happened.

00:24:37.401 --> 00:24:41.481

But yes, it was a breath of fresh air because I wasn't going in and out of the

00:24:41.481 --> 00:24:43.701

doctor every week or every other day.

00:24:43.781 --> 00:24:45.981

So I have more time to create.

00:24:46.161 --> 00:24:49.261

I have more time to think. I have more time to reflect.

00:24:49.581 --> 00:24:54.401

I have more time to see my therapist and really figure out, okay, what happens next?

00:24:54.601 --> 00:24:58.261

How do I create or how do I build this Tandi 2.0?

00:24:58.835 --> 00:25:04.975

Yeah, absolutely. How long did it take you to really get over?

00:25:05.095 --> 00:25:08.775

Because I would imagine, and I would imagine maybe even still today,

00:25:08.895 --> 00:25:10.495

I mean, goodness, it's not been that long.

00:25:11.175 --> 00:25:15.075

Is there still that fear of what if it comes back?

00:25:15.735 --> 00:25:21.815

Absolutely. Every week, Kevin. So something I may see, something that reminded me of my journey.

00:25:21.855 --> 00:25:26.115

I may hear a song or I may do a certain recipe that I did when I was going through

00:25:26.115 --> 00:25:29.115

my journey and it will trigger something in me.

00:25:29.235 --> 00:25:33.595

And so trauma, when you think about trauma, it's ongoing, it's recurring.

00:25:33.855 --> 00:25:38.615

And so to help me heal, Kevin, and I'm continuing to heal every single day,

00:25:38.775 --> 00:25:42.795

I really pour my work into breast cancer advocacy.

00:25:42.795 --> 00:25:47.715

I really pour my work into and my time into helping others, you know,

00:25:47.715 --> 00:25:51.795

that have gone through trauma, whether it's a loss or a diagnosis or abuse.

00:25:52.115 --> 00:25:54.995

How do you turn that trauma into creativity?

00:25:55.415 --> 00:25:59.375

And so I've created courses and I just finished a course, an eight week course.

00:25:59.535 --> 00:26:03.155

And it has been amazing to help others who have come behind me.

00:26:03.375 --> 00:26:05.575

How do you create creativity?

00:26:05.855 --> 00:26:08.575

Like whether it's a documentary, whether it's a one woman show,

00:26:08.815 --> 00:26:13.435

whatever it may be. So a part of my healing is to really give back to the community

00:26:13.435 --> 00:26:17.955

through breast cancer advocacy work, through, you know, health and wellness

00:26:17.955 --> 00:26:20.215

workshops, through motivational speaking.

00:26:20.395 --> 00:26:25.895

So everything that I do now, it's literally centered around cancer as well as

00:26:25.895 --> 00:26:27.595

overall health and wellness for women.

00:26:27.855 --> 00:26:30.615

Yeah, that is absolutely incredible.

00:26:31.875 --> 00:26:38.835

You mentioned before all of this happened that you felt like you were missing

00:26:38.835 --> 00:26:40.535

something. your life's purpose.

00:26:41.195 --> 00:26:44.975

Through all of this, do you feel like you found that purpose?

00:26:45.355 --> 00:26:47.895

Without a shadow of a doubt, 100%.

00:26:49.495 --> 00:26:53.835

Okay. Talk to me about how you knew when you found your purpose and exactly

00:26:53.835 --> 00:26:56.375

what you came to identify your purpose as.

00:26:56.915 --> 00:27:01.355

Absolutely. I would say throughout the journey, I journaled a lot and trying

00:27:01.355 --> 00:27:04.555

to figure out what is this all about? What is this all about?

00:27:04.815 --> 00:27:08.035

And what I wrote in my journal is this is not punishment.

00:27:08.415 --> 00:27:10.255

This is a realignment.

00:27:11.795 --> 00:27:14.815

That's what I wrote down in my journal. And I'm like, okay, what does that mean?

00:27:15.075 --> 00:27:18.655

And I just looked at the word realignment, you know, to put in position.

00:27:18.995 --> 00:27:20.395

And so I was like, okay, well, what is,

00:27:21.071 --> 00:27:25.951

tell me more. So I started writing more. And so I realized that through this,

00:27:26.771 --> 00:27:32.111

the mask that I talked about earlier with Tandi 1.0, I was able to remove the mask.

00:27:32.271 --> 00:27:36.311

I was able to remove all of the superficial things that quote unquote made me a woman.

00:27:36.471 --> 00:27:40.971

And I really dig down deep inside to figure out, okay, Tandi,

00:27:41.091 --> 00:27:49.671

your purpose in life is to help women shift from existing to living because Tondi 1.0 was existing.

00:27:49.871 --> 00:27:55.351

You know, now after this diagnosis, I feel as though I am living my best life.

00:27:55.851 --> 00:27:59.591

Yes. Yes. Wow. So powerful.

00:28:00.411 --> 00:28:06.451

You know, you, you're like the epitome of the whole thing of like post-traumatic growth.

00:28:06.671 --> 00:28:14.431

Yes. Of growing on the other side of trauma. Yes. That is Tondi 2.0 on the way.

00:28:16.511 --> 00:28:25.631

My goodness. Yeah. Talk to me about the growth even of your family, of your children,

00:28:25.871 --> 00:28:30.991

because I can imagine they probably grew in that year more than you probably

00:28:30.991 --> 00:28:31.851

ever could have imagined.

00:28:32.491 --> 00:28:36.691

Absolutely. And even at a young age, they were eight and four at the time,

00:28:36.771 --> 00:28:41.751

now they're older, but their faith has increased because I mentioned we had

00:28:41.751 --> 00:28:45.491

prayer calls and calls leading up to the surgery, sometimes,

00:28:45.571 --> 00:28:47.211

Kevin, they would pray on the call.

00:28:47.431 --> 00:28:51.671

Sometimes they would really provide that inspiration for the day.

00:28:51.831 --> 00:28:53.811

And so their faith has increased.

00:28:54.191 --> 00:28:57.751

Their maturity has increased because mommy couldn't do it all.

00:28:57.931 --> 00:29:02.311

I couldn't cook every day. I couldn't wash all the clothes every day.

00:29:02.351 --> 00:29:06.191

So they had to learn how to do some of that themselves, which again,

00:29:06.231 --> 00:29:11.151

helped them to be more responsible and really dig down deep inside and say,

00:29:11.211 --> 00:29:12.791

you know what? I can do this.

00:29:12.851 --> 00:29:16.591

I can help out around the house. And so they have grown tremendously.

00:29:17.151 --> 00:29:21.111

My husband as well. You know, we've been married. It'll be this year for 17

00:29:21.111 --> 00:29:24.831

years. And we have such an appreciation even more now.

00:29:25.788 --> 00:29:30.028

For each other than we did before the diagnosis. And I would say for my immediate

00:29:30.028 --> 00:29:33.008

family, it's interesting, interesting story.

00:29:33.148 --> 00:29:35.388

My mom and my dad, they are divorced.

00:29:35.628 --> 00:29:40.908

And so it has been probably 20 plus years since we have spent the holiday together.

00:29:41.248 --> 00:29:46.408

So Kevin, the year of my diagnosis, 2021, we spent Christmas together.

00:29:47.768 --> 00:29:55.388

My entire family. So my stepmom, my dad, my mom, We spent Christmas together

00:29:55.388 --> 00:29:57.748

for the first time in probably 20 plus years.

00:29:58.028 --> 00:30:03.288

And so when I say that, this diagnosis not only changed my life,

00:30:03.408 --> 00:30:06.308

but it has brought my family closer together.

00:30:06.908 --> 00:30:08.768

Yeah. Oh, my goodness.

00:30:09.488 --> 00:30:11.048

It's so powerful.

00:30:11.968 --> 00:30:17.268

And talking about powerful, I want you to expand on something that I heard in

00:30:17.268 --> 00:30:19.648

one of your videos I was watching on YouTube.

00:30:20.608 --> 00:30:26.388

And when I was watching it, I couldn't help it, but trying to not cry myself because,

00:30:26.848 --> 00:30:33.788

you were crying when you were trying to let the words come out that you felt

00:30:33.788 --> 00:30:35.808

like all of this was worth it in the end.

00:30:37.108 --> 00:30:40.548

Would you, would you talk to me about that? Oh my goodness.

00:30:40.608 --> 00:30:46.548

Those words, it kind of triggers something as well. So it's like, oh my God, yes, I can.

00:30:46.848 --> 00:30:50.348

But just thinking Thinking about it, to your point, it just almost brings me

00:30:50.348 --> 00:30:54.308

to tears as well, because oftentimes when we go through a journey,

00:30:54.388 --> 00:30:57.168

when we go through something, you know, when I was at the very beginning,

00:30:57.388 --> 00:30:59.808

I could not see my way out.

00:30:59.868 --> 00:31:04.848

I could not understand the why, you know, and so I stopped asking myself why.

00:31:05.148 --> 00:31:07.688

And I started asking myself, what now?

00:31:09.068 --> 00:31:12.508

Since it happened to me, what now? What do I need to do as a result?

00:31:12.768 --> 00:31:18.108

And so when I say it was worth it, would I want to go through it again? Absolutely. not.

00:31:18.508 --> 00:31:23.108

No way. But the 12 months of the journey that I went through,

00:31:23.208 --> 00:31:28.568

it was worth it because as I mentioned, I found out who I was at the core.

00:31:28.728 --> 00:31:31.948

I found out how do I value and appreciate life.

00:31:32.128 --> 00:31:37.208

And I learned so much. There were so many lessons. I learned probably over 81 lessons, Kevin.

00:31:37.368 --> 00:31:41.248

And one of the biggest lessons that I learned was life is all about perspective.

00:31:41.648 --> 00:31:44.588

Your situation changes when your mindset changes.

00:31:45.648 --> 00:31:49.468

And that's what shifted during those 21 hours that I talked about when I was

00:31:49.468 --> 00:31:53.668

in the bed, sleeping dead to the world, I began to change my mindset.

00:31:53.788 --> 00:31:58.268

And when I heard the words, you will fight and win that changed my mindset and

00:31:58.268 --> 00:31:59.368

that changed my perspective.

00:32:00.008 --> 00:32:06.968

Wow. You are a warrior, aren't you? Yes, absolutely. Yes. Oh my goodness.

00:32:07.648 --> 00:32:12.928

Wow. So there's something that's kind of fun that I want to talk about.

00:32:12.928 --> 00:32:17.408

And I got a few more questions after this one, but I think it's just time to

00:32:17.408 --> 00:32:24.048

get it out there is I am a long time, pretty much lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

00:32:24.348 --> 00:32:31.048

OK, so I don't really understand why I want to talk about the Dallas Cowboys. Oh, my goodness.

00:32:33.148 --> 00:32:39.768

But I heard a story about you and the Cowboys that I would love for you to share.

00:32:40.788 --> 00:32:44.668

Yes. So we were friends at first, Kevin, before you said that.

00:32:45.888 --> 00:32:48.808

I may have to pull that friendship title back.

00:32:51.788 --> 00:32:57.208

Oh, wow. Too funny. So I've been a Dallas Cowboy fan for like probably all of

00:32:57.208 --> 00:33:00.108

my life and I enjoyed the Dallas Cowboys.

00:33:00.288 --> 00:33:04.808

They are near and dear to my heart. You know, it's sometimes I have to take

00:33:04.808 --> 00:33:08.588

my magnesium to calm my nerves before a game because you just never know,

00:33:08.628 --> 00:33:12.128

Kevin, you know, they'll be up and then they will just come back down.

00:33:12.288 --> 00:33:13.648

So I keep my magnesium handy.

00:33:14.788 --> 00:33:20.248

But last year, because of the advocacy work that I've been doing in the community,

00:33:20.428 --> 00:33:22.828

I was selected by Susan G.

00:33:22.868 --> 00:33:27.148

Coleman, as well as the Dallas Cowboys to be one of the five,

00:33:27.787 --> 00:33:31.967

star survivors. And it was such an incredible moment.

00:33:32.087 --> 00:33:33.407

When I received the phone call,

00:33:33.607 --> 00:33:37.287

I thought I was being pumped by Ashton Kutcher. I was like, no, no way.

00:33:38.747 --> 00:33:43.927

Who did? No, seriously? And because it was over a hundred applicants.

00:33:44.227 --> 00:33:50.007

And so to be chosen as one of the five was, it was an incredible moment that

00:33:50.007 --> 00:33:51.547

I will never, ever, ever forget.

00:33:51.927 --> 00:33:55.947

And so throughout Throughout that time, they gave us a three-day experience.

00:33:56.367 --> 00:34:00.387

And so day one, we were able to go to the stadium. We were able to stand in

00:34:00.387 --> 00:34:01.667

front of the practice field.

00:34:01.807 --> 00:34:05.487

And so when the players went by, they were able to hug us. So when I hugged

00:34:05.487 --> 00:34:07.507

Dak Prescott, I almost fainted, Kevin.

00:34:11.127 --> 00:34:17.067

And so it was amazing to see Dak and CD and all of the other players live and in person.

00:34:17.207 --> 00:34:19.927

And so they do this every year. So they've done it for, I think,

00:34:19.927 --> 00:34:26.007

the past maybe five or six years. And so to be selected as a 2023 cohort was

00:34:26.007 --> 00:34:27.927

indeed an amazing experience.

00:34:28.147 --> 00:34:30.827

And then we had like a little shopping spree, a pampering day.

00:34:31.027 --> 00:34:33.947

And then on that Sunday, we were honored on the field.

00:34:34.107 --> 00:34:37.647

So we were able to go to a home game, honored on the field. And then we had

00:34:37.647 --> 00:34:39.967

some like box seats up at the top.

00:34:40.547 --> 00:34:43.667

Wow. Wow. That is so amazing.

00:34:44.607 --> 00:34:52.047

Thank you. Thank you so much. Oh, my goodness, man. Man, that is America's team.

00:34:52.127 --> 00:34:53.827

Let's just face it. It is, it is.

00:34:55.487 --> 00:35:01.587

Oh my goodness. That is, I heard that story and I was like, oh my goodness, we got to talk about it.

00:35:01.747 --> 00:35:05.967

Wow, thank you. Thank you so much. Of course, of course.

00:35:06.687 --> 00:35:10.887

Talk to me a little bit about life today. It's been a little bit.

00:35:11.087 --> 00:35:16.327

I'm curious how it's impacted your day-to-day life with what you're doing now.

00:35:16.327 --> 00:35:21.047

Now, we've talked a lot about your mindset on life, but I'm just kind of curious,

00:35:21.127 --> 00:35:26.787

this Tondi 2.0 who's going through life, what does her life look like?

00:35:27.490 --> 00:35:30.330

That's a big question. How much time do you have? I'm just kidding.

00:35:32.850 --> 00:35:37.670

I will keep it short. But I will say that, Kevin, after I had my last surgery,

00:35:37.910 --> 00:35:39.810

I decided to go back to work.

00:35:39.870 --> 00:35:45.230

So still a marketing executive. So I went back to work and it was a struggle

00:35:45.230 --> 00:35:48.930

for me because the things that were once important, like revenue,

00:35:49.070 --> 00:35:52.830

bottom line, client, you know, appreciation, all that stuff.

00:35:52.970 --> 00:35:55.610

It was really important before the diagnosis.

00:35:55.810 --> 00:36:00.290

And then when I came back, I'm like, you know, I'm in these back to back meetings.

00:36:00.370 --> 00:36:02.710

We're talking about revenue and profitability.

00:36:03.310 --> 00:36:07.870

I don't really care about this anymore. You know, it's not important to me.

00:36:07.870 --> 00:36:11.230

And the clients that we're working on, it's like, yes, it's still good work,

00:36:11.290 --> 00:36:16.550

but this is, I didn't survive to stay alive to go back to this.

00:36:16.970 --> 00:36:20.650

As much as I was grateful for it, it was just something that was missing.

00:36:20.690 --> 00:36:22.750

And so I stayed for five months, Kevin.

00:36:23.150 --> 00:36:28.430

And then I've always been on the entrepreneurial path, you know, but this expedited it.

00:36:28.770 --> 00:36:32.390

So I've always, it's not like I just snapped my finger one day and decided to leave.

00:36:32.450 --> 00:36:35.970

No, I had already been working on the plan even before the diagnosis.

00:36:35.970 --> 00:36:37.910

Like, Tondi, what is your exit strategy?

00:36:38.230 --> 00:36:43.090

What are your goals for the next five to 10 years? And so on that plan,

00:36:43.410 --> 00:36:46.210

I've always wanted to go the entrepreneurial route.

00:36:46.410 --> 00:36:52.450

And so Kevin, after five months, I was like, you know, I think I've had enough. I've had enough.

00:36:52.630 --> 00:36:56.270

And so even during my diagnosis, I was working on my business plan.

00:36:56.490 --> 00:37:01.950

I had my website. I started working on things slowly because I knew that somewhere

00:37:01.950 --> 00:37:07.930

along the way, I would have to say say goodbye to the agency world and start my own thing.

00:37:08.190 --> 00:37:12.270

And so May 31st of last year was my last day in corporate.

00:37:13.210 --> 00:37:19.210

I said goodbye. Yes, I said goodbye. And it was very scary because I had been

00:37:19.210 --> 00:37:21.110

doing that for 15 years, very comfortable.

00:37:21.910 --> 00:37:25.750

I knew the paycheck was coming, so it was really great.

00:37:25.890 --> 00:37:29.690

But when I took a step of faith and said, you know, it's time.

00:37:29.690 --> 00:37:35.570

And it wasn't just me, you know, just razzle dazzle. No, I had a plan in place.

00:37:35.870 --> 00:37:41.470

And so I began to reach out to a few of my former clients and people in my network

00:37:41.470 --> 00:37:44.610

for my doctors or whatever. And I told them that I'm leaving.

00:37:44.830 --> 00:37:48.510

I said, but I'll be more than happy to consult to do, you know,

00:37:48.510 --> 00:37:49.910

health and wellness or marketing.

00:37:50.190 --> 00:37:54.330

If you need help, just let me know. And I reached out to so many breast cancer

00:37:54.330 --> 00:37:58.030

advocacy groups to let them know what I was doing. And before you know it,

00:37:58.050 --> 00:37:59.470

Kevin, I got my first client.

00:38:00.570 --> 00:38:04.250

Woo-hoo! I got my first client last year.

00:38:04.350 --> 00:38:07.150

And, you know, one client turned into two, two turned into three.

00:38:07.370 --> 00:38:09.270

And it's just, you know, continuing to grow.

00:38:09.981 --> 00:38:14.701

The Tandi Monet brand. And so as I mentioned earlier, my purpose in life is

00:38:14.701 --> 00:38:17.181

to help women shift from existing to living.

00:38:17.341 --> 00:38:22.261

And that is the mission of the Tandi Monet brand is to help women all around

00:38:22.261 --> 00:38:24.641

the world shift from existing to living.

00:38:24.741 --> 00:38:28.001

And so that's what I do full time, whether it's health and wellness,

00:38:28.181 --> 00:38:30.901

whether it's marketing, whether it's breast cancer advocacy,

00:38:31.261 --> 00:38:35.121

whether it's working with moms to show them that, hey, even though you're a

00:38:35.121 --> 00:38:38.181

mom, you're not just a mom. You're more than a mom.

00:38:38.321 --> 00:38:43.081

And so how do you still find your life's purpose, even as you're being pulled

00:38:43.081 --> 00:38:44.821

a hundred thousand different ways.

00:38:45.021 --> 00:38:50.501

And so through consulting and courses and just really helping those who have,

00:38:50.581 --> 00:38:54.681

are going through what I've gone through, that's what I do on a day-to-day basis.

00:38:54.921 --> 00:38:57.061

And it's fulfilling work. It's impactful.

00:38:57.421 --> 00:39:01.781

It's a lot of work, but at the end of the day, I can, I can rest knowing that

00:39:01.781 --> 00:39:08.601

today I did something that will help someone shift from existing to living. Yeah. Wow.

00:39:09.421 --> 00:39:16.321

You know, when, when you talk about becoming this almost a new version of yourself and,

00:39:16.521 --> 00:39:22.201

and I feel like anybody listening who's been through something dramatic in your,

00:39:22.221 --> 00:39:25.801

in your life, one of these life shattering moments, like I referred to them,

00:39:25.841 --> 00:39:30.601

the fact is true is on the other side, we're, we're changed.

00:39:31.221 --> 00:39:34.421

We, we become a new version of ourselves.

00:39:34.601 --> 00:39:42.541

And, and so to hear you talking about going back to that career and realizing,

00:39:42.801 --> 00:39:44.641

you know, stuff, it doesn't matter.

00:39:44.761 --> 00:39:51.141

It's not important to me because you just literally realized how limited our

00:39:51.141 --> 00:39:56.981

time here is on earth and how fragile every single day is. Yeah.

00:39:57.766 --> 00:40:02.086

And so I just thought that was such a powerful, you know, realization.

00:40:02.166 --> 00:40:08.726

I applaud you for realizing that it is okay.

00:40:08.846 --> 00:40:10.966

I have become somebody new.

00:40:11.086 --> 00:40:15.106

And so therefore, it's perfectly good for me to pursue it.

00:40:15.486 --> 00:40:18.526

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.

00:40:19.346 --> 00:40:24.726

Yes. Yes. Well, amazing. Well, listen, I have one last question for you.

00:40:24.726 --> 00:40:29.386

But before I ask you that question, would you please share with with anybody

00:40:29.386 --> 00:40:34.026

listening the best place to get connected in your world? Where can we send them?

00:40:34.386 --> 00:40:38.166

Yes, absolutely. So you can go online to my website.

00:40:38.506 --> 00:40:47.606

It's www.tandimone.com. And Tandi is spelled T-H-A-N-D-I.

00:40:47.986 --> 00:40:55.806

Monet is spelled M-O-N-E-E. You can also find me on Instagram and TikTok at Tondi Monet.

00:40:56.346 --> 00:41:00.646

Yeah. Okay. I will be sure that all of that is in the show notes.

00:41:00.726 --> 00:41:05.686

And just to mention, you do have a pretty cool resource that I found on your

00:41:05.686 --> 00:41:10.626

website that goes back to the affirmations, right? Yes, absolutely.

00:41:10.906 --> 00:41:17.766

Yes. So it's called 15 Positive Affirmations to Reignite Passion and Purpose.

00:41:17.766 --> 00:41:21.766

And so, as I mentioned before, Kevin, like this is, this is my life now.

00:41:21.906 --> 00:41:27.946

This is my life now. And so what I did was put together this really simple PDF

00:41:27.946 --> 00:41:31.406

and it's an ebook that people can download for free on the website.

00:41:31.566 --> 00:41:37.306

And it talks about, you know, clarity and it talks about your progress and how

00:41:37.306 --> 00:41:42.106

you're worthy and just certain things that you can do to reignite your purpose.

00:41:42.106 --> 00:41:45.786

So for those who may feel as though they are just, you know,

00:41:45.806 --> 00:41:50.446

checking the box or they're on the hamster wheel of life, this ebook will really

00:41:50.446 --> 00:41:52.966

help you kind of pause and say, you know what?

00:41:53.859 --> 00:41:57.799

There's more to life than what I'm experiencing right now. There's more to me

00:41:57.799 --> 00:41:59.319

than what I'm experiencing right now.

00:41:59.499 --> 00:42:04.019

And so I want to reignite the passion that I once had, you know, when we were kids.

00:42:04.159 --> 00:42:08.139

I reignite the passion that I once had when life wasn't so hard.

00:42:08.339 --> 00:42:13.499

And so my hope is that as people begin to comb through the pages of this e-book,

00:42:13.559 --> 00:42:19.559

that they will begin to feel and reignite the passion that was once dormant inside of them.

00:42:19.879 --> 00:42:22.039

Yeah, that is incredible.

00:42:22.459 --> 00:42:28.899

Woohoo! Yeah. No, I mean, I just, I just, I love your spirit.

00:42:28.979 --> 00:42:34.079

I love who you are and the way that you, you just view life.

00:42:34.399 --> 00:42:40.119

And I think it's really just like a breath of fresh air to speak with somebody

00:42:40.119 --> 00:42:45.519

like you, who, I mean, you just, you literally can see your smile simply through your voice.

00:42:46.059 --> 00:42:50.299

And, and yet you've been through all that you've gone through.

00:42:50.299 --> 00:42:54.659

And yet look at who you are and where you are today.

00:42:55.539 --> 00:42:59.679

Wow. Thank you so much. Of course, of course.

00:42:59.779 --> 00:43:08.019

My last question for you is for the woman listening today who maybe she's a few steps behind you.

00:43:08.339 --> 00:43:10.199

Maybe she just found a lump.

00:43:11.219 --> 00:43:15.919

Maybe she just had that mammogram and is waiting on a call back from the doctor.

00:43:15.919 --> 00:43:22.219

Or maybe she's a little bit further along in the process and she got that devastating news.

00:43:23.019 --> 00:43:26.399

What would you like to say to her right now?

00:43:26.799 --> 00:43:30.079

Well, first I want to reach out and give her a hug. So I hope she can feel the

00:43:30.079 --> 00:43:32.939

hug that I'm giving her because it's a journey.

00:43:33.039 --> 00:43:36.499

And that initial phase is very difficult.

00:43:36.699 --> 00:43:43.399

And I would tell her to give herself permission to feel all of the feelings.

00:43:43.399 --> 00:43:46.419

Feelings don't try to go into this toxic

00:43:46.419 --> 00:43:49.659

positivity and say oh everything is hunky-dory no no

00:43:49.659 --> 00:43:52.619

it's really it's really hard right now and

00:43:52.619 --> 00:43:55.439

give yourself the space and the grace to

00:43:55.439 --> 00:44:00.179

feel those emotions that would be the first step because oftentimes Kevin we

00:44:00.179 --> 00:44:04.539

try to rush through those emotions but if you're feeling angry allow yourself

00:44:04.539 --> 00:44:10.099

to feel angry if you're if you're mad be mad you know so it's okay to feel those

00:44:10.099 --> 00:44:13.839

emotions the second thing that I would say is find a support system.

00:44:14.059 --> 00:44:17.799

So whether it's your family, whether it's a cancer support group,

00:44:17.979 --> 00:44:22.099

whether it's your hospital, they have support groups as well.

00:44:22.319 --> 00:44:27.779

It's very important to find a support group so that you can see someone who

00:44:27.779 --> 00:44:31.839

has already made it through what you've gone through and they can hold your hand.

00:44:31.999 --> 00:44:35.339

It's very, very important to do that. So I would say that's number two.

00:44:35.639 --> 00:44:40.659

And then number three, I would say, what do you want to learn in this situation?

00:44:41.697 --> 00:44:46.297

And whether it's you documenting your experience, whether it's you speaking

00:44:46.297 --> 00:44:49.597

about your experience, there's something in this journey.

00:44:49.977 --> 00:44:53.337

There's a test and there's a lesson in this test for you to learn.

00:44:53.657 --> 00:44:57.997

You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't cause it. So give yourself that grace

00:44:57.997 --> 00:45:05.757

to release the pressure of saying, what did I do to deserve this? You did nothing wrong.

00:45:06.097 --> 00:45:08.357

It's just so happened that it happened

00:45:08.357 --> 00:45:12.417

to you, but there's going to be something on the other side of it.

00:45:12.497 --> 00:45:18.617

And I pray that you will have the energy and the wisdom to, to make it through

00:45:18.617 --> 00:45:22.057

this journey and fight like you've never fought before.

00:45:23.797 --> 00:45:27.697

Such powerful words from one powerful woman.

00:45:28.577 --> 00:45:33.717

Tondi, thank you so much for being here today, for sharing your story and,

00:45:33.737 --> 00:45:40.117

and just making us kind of look at even the hard times in a little bit different light. Yeah.

00:45:40.457 --> 00:45:44.217

Thank you so much, Kevin. And thank you again for creating this platform.

00:45:44.557 --> 00:45:49.737

I wish you nothing but the best as you continue to allow this platform to just

00:45:49.737 --> 00:45:54.437

spread your voice and spread positivity because it is definitely needed in the

00:45:54.437 --> 00:45:57.137

world. Yeah, thank you so much.

00:45:57.377 --> 00:46:04.317

And for you listening today, my hope, my prayer is that this impacted your life.

00:46:04.657 --> 00:46:10.877

And if you have somebody who you feel, wow, they need to hear this story too,

00:46:11.037 --> 00:46:13.057

please go ahead and share it with them.

00:46:13.637 --> 00:46:17.537

The best thing that we can do for anybody is to reach out. So whether it's a

00:46:17.537 --> 00:46:20.017

friend you haven't talked to in a while, but you know they're going through

00:46:20.017 --> 00:46:26.217

some stuff, or whether it's somebody you know very well, your sister, your mom, a cousin,

00:46:26.957 --> 00:46:29.057

a woman who's experiencing this.

00:46:29.857 --> 00:46:35.117

Same thing that Tondi has gone through, send them this episode and let them

00:46:35.117 --> 00:46:38.177

experience the love that this woman has to share.

00:46:38.657 --> 00:46:42.597

And remember this, we can't control what happens in this life.

00:46:43.057 --> 00:46:49.297

But we can control how we react to it. And for Tondi today, she couldn't control

00:46:49.297 --> 00:46:54.357

what happened to her, but she sure could control how she reacted to it.

00:46:54.477 --> 00:47:00.117

And I think you and me can agree that the way she reacted is absolutely remarkable.

00:47:00.717 --> 00:47:05.377

Until next time, I'm Kevin Lowe, and this is Great Grace and Inspiration.

00:47:05.840 --> 00:47:24.463