From People-Pleasing to God's Peace - Anne Wooten

Join me on this powerful episode as Anne Wooten shares her powerful story of breaking free from the need to please everyone else and finding true peace and purpose in Christ. Learn how she overcame imposter syndrome, unforgiveness, and self-doubt to discover God's unconditional love and start a new journey as a certified Christian coach and author

Ways to connect with Anne Wooten:

Her blog called “One Day at a Time” 

Link to purchase her book of inspirational poetry “Where Faith Takes Flight”

Social Media Links:

LinkedIn

Facebook

Instagram

YouTube

Threads

Twitter or now “X”

Transcript

Israel Caminero: 0:16

Welcome to Living Testimony, Stories of Faith and Redemption. I'm your host, Israel Caminero, and I hope everyone that's listening is blessed and doing well today. With me today I have my sister in Christ, Anne Wooten. Anne is from North Carolina and wanted to be on the podcast. And here she is to share her story. So Ann, could you introduce yourself to everyone, please?

Anne Wooten: 0:39

I will. Thank you. It's an absolute pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for having me. Yes, I am Anne Lewin, and I am from North Carolina. I was born here, raised here, now living here. Um, I am a retired accountant that now God has called uh to be a certified Christian uh kingdom life coach. And also I am an author. I self-published my very first book of inspirational poetry in April of this year. I've written a blog called One Day at a Time, and it's found on substack.com. And I've done that about two years where I just kind of started off kind of sharing my story, but now it's almost gone to more, I would say more of a devotional type blog. It's just whatever God lays on my heart. I'm a musician, I've been in choir for most of all of my life. I've played piano growing up. Now I've transitioned to teaching myself acoustic guitar, dabbling at songwriting. So all of that said, it's just from going from accounting to writing, that was a big, it was a huge decision, but one I'm so happy that to have made.

Israel Caminero: 2:55

We ask that you continue to guide and inspire her as she shares the story of your love and grace in her life. May her words be a blessing to all who hear them, and may her story bring glory to your name. Give her strength and peace as she shares her experiences, and may her testimony be a beacon of hope to those who may be struggling. We pray that you continue to work in and through Anne, and that her life is a shining example of your faithfulness and goodness. And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Anne Wooten: 3:26

Amen.

Israel Caminero: 3:27

So, Anne, like I was saying, everyone has a story behind their life, and that's what you're here for. So if you could start sharing your story with everyone, that would be great. I don't know if Christ was in your life back then or if he was in your life your whole life. Could you just share the beginning of your journey, please?

Anne Wooten: 3:46

Sure. It's like if you think, well, like many of us, I've had a journey of ups and downs. That's just life is never perfect. We're not, it's not going to be while we're here. And my faith journey hasn't been like what I call a straight line. It's been kind of crooked, but it's been one of incredible, you know, transformation and of growth. Um, I first gave my life to Christ back in 1971. I was 12 years of age, and that came after a gentle nudge from my mother to go and speak to our senior pastor at my home church where I grew up. And I talked to him, and I, you know, I think as of 12 years of age, you're still young, you're still gonna learn a lot. And even though I understood the concept of salvation, it's a I what I've discovered, it's been a long, a lifelong journey of understanding what that truly means. And for you, you know, I grew up, my parents, we all went to church, and that was the great foundation that I will say that I had, and a lot of people don't have that. And um, for years I worked as an accountant, and while I was good at my job, something I will say through the years, something just felt off. And through the years, I struggled with a deep-seated need for approval and validation, and I was constantly trying to please everyone around me. And this is what I've come to find out. It's one of the um symptoms of imposter syndrome, it's people pleasing, it led me down a path of pure exhaustion, it left me feeling unloved, unworthy, and during those dark times, a growing disconnect from God. Okay, and yeah, there was this constant need somehow for me to keep proving myself. It and what that meant was during those times, I was missing out on personal growth opportunities, maybe meaningful relationships, and neglecting my own self-care. And God doesn't say don't neglect yourself, but it is essential and it and it also affects us both emotionally and physically.

Israel Caminero: 6:42

That's correct. That's totally correct. Can you um can you elaborate a little bit more on what what you mean by people pleasing and how it affected your life a little more in depth?

Anne Wooten: 6:56

Absolutely. Um the people pleasing for myself growing up. Um, I grew up in a family. They they loved me. I knew they did, but I was a person that set such high expectations on people, whether it be my family, whether it be my friends, I set them so high that they just almost had to be perfect.

Israel Caminero: 7:24

Okay.

Anne Wooten: 7:25

And when they didn't, because you know, we're fallible human beings, we have flaws, but when you do that and they don't meet those expectations, uh it just you only end up hurting yourself. And I started to believe lies. I started to believe lies that my parents didn't love me. Um, because they were raised, um, my father was in World War II. So what that tells you back then I saw um, I guess what you could say, I could say it this way, I kind of envied where some of my friends' parents would would absolutely tell their children or tell them that they outwardly loved them. And my parents didn't really say those words, but I know deep down that they did. But you know, when you're in those backslidden times, which we all have them, the enemy likes to attack those weak spots. That's right, and and he's gonna tell you, and I want you to believe those lies that you're not unworthy. Because what I did to compensate that, when I would go out of my way to try to please somebody, I didn't know how to say no because I was seeking the validation in the wrong place.

Israel Caminero: 9:00

Okay.

Anne Wooten: 9:00

I was see, yeah, I was looking to seek the validation from my friends. I wanted that immediate affirmation, but it only is temporary, instead of seeking it from God. I knew better, but when you get in those dark times and you let the enemy in, he's gonna tell you otherwise.

Israel Caminero: 9:25

That's totally correct. So, how did you come to realize that people pleasing was the root cause of your imposter syndrome?

Anne Wooten: 9:33

Well, that that is the next part of the journey. It wasn't instant because I knew I think over the years you grow like there were times during the years between I was 12 and now, there were years that my faith was just, I don't want to say right on target, but it was a lot stronger than other times. And so it wasn't all the time, but over the years, when you start having these in and outs, I call them in and outs, and during those backsliding times, there was a time in 2019. Like 2019 was a turning point. Okay, and I say that because there was a time during that year for about a period of eight or nine months, I stopped going to church, I stopped singing in the choir, I stopped having my quiet time, and I stopped praying. Okay, yeah, and I think God, I finally got to a point in late 2019, God nudged me so hard, so much, it's like, and you are spiraling down backwards and such at a rate that if you don't do something, you're gonna end up being emotionally on an emotional basket case, or my physical health was going to deteriorate. Um, because I could see the signs of both. And later I just felt I knew I had to make a conscious decision, and this is kind of where part of my story really takes a turn for the better, but um, I had to learn what was the root cause of why did I have to people please? Why did I feel like having to do that? What was what was it that was making that happen? And that's when I discovered, like I said before, it was the lies that Satan wanted me to believe that I self-manipulated. I was like my own worst enemy, I was hard on myself, and when you keep telling yourself that, you're gonna end up believing it. And that's when I kind of made a conscious decision. Do I want to sit in the sin of unforgiveness and let it eat me alive? Or and do you want to let God in and do you want to do something about it? It's a choice we God gave us the free will to choose. So I needed to find, you know, am I going to physically deteriorate, emotionally deteriorate, or do I want to let God back in? It was like if something pretty significant happened that day, I knew that I would have to walk through now what I call a process, and it's messy, it's disorient disorienting, but it's a process of forgiveness. And God gave us that gift to be able to forgive through his love and his grace for us. In fact, he commands it. Um, we forgive those who persecute us. And in my case, I was the one who had to let go um and do this inwardly. Uh verse five. But that day in 2019 was very powerful. Um, both of my parents were deceased, and they, you know, then, and but I like I said, I felt an overwhelming nudge or tug on my heart to drive to my hometown, which is about an hour away from where I live.

Israel Caminero: 14:06

Okay.

Anne Wooten: 14:08

And I what I needed to do was I felt like I needed to stand over my parents' graves and start this process of forgiveness. And even though their physical remains were there, I knew that both of my parents are in heaven. I knew that both of them were saved. And I will say, on the way driving to my hometown, and in the very direction that I was going, I stopped on the side of the road. It was a busy road usually, but I had a few minutes, as I saw a rainbow in a low-arching rainbow in the direction that I was going to be going. And I'm one of these rainbows are very significant for me because they are God's promise. Um, they are sign of God's promise or as a covenant to us. And I believe if you think about it, the first time the rainbow was ever mentioned in the Bible was in Genesis when he promised Noah that he'd never flood the earth again.

Israel Caminero: 15:16

That's correct.

Anne Wooten: 15:18

And yeah, and God does not lie, and he keeps his promises. And so when I got to um the grave site, I stood over their graves, I can just remember it now. I could feel God's presence so vividly, and so grasping and acknowledging the hurt that I felt, I actually walked through the process of unforgiveness, and what that meant was I had to ask God to forgive me of the resentments and bitterness that I held against them, and then secondly, which I think it's very hard on a lot of us, but it's essential because we, you know, we're hard on ourselves. That's just the nature of humans. But we also have to ask God to help us forgive ourselves, okay, and then there's a third part for myself, and it depends on somebody's situation, but for mine, it was all inward because I was the enemy of myself. I had to ask, I kind of said, God, if my parents can hear me, I want to know that I hope that they will forgive me for holding for harboring these resentments all these years. And there was a lot, there's a lot of self-discovery that happens when you walk through that. Um, when you walk through this process of uh forgiveness.

Israel Caminero: 17:00

That's crazy.

Anne Wooten: 17:00

But it's absolute, it's absolutely necessary to do because if we walk around it like I did so many years, I just kind of put it on the back burner. Um if we walk if we we gotta walk through it, and then that's the only way we can overcome it with God's help. Because if we don't, we end up stuck in the past, like I was.

Israel Caminero: 17:27

That's totally correct. That's totally correct. Yeah. So from that moment on, is that when you felt God's love, and that's when it impacted your self-worth and gave you peace?

Anne Wooten: 17:42

It was it was the beginning of um the path forward, yeah.

Israel Caminero: 17:48

The breakthrough.

Anne Wooten: 17:49

In that process, yeah, there was a big breakthrough that day. Because in that process of forgiveness, I experienced what you were talking about, an incredible sense of peace, a peace that I had never felt or before. It was like the weight of the world was lifted from my shoulders, and those burdens were released to God because that's basically what forgiveness is. We let it go. We don't forget our past, it's always going to be with us, and depending on the a person's um whatever might make them feel stuck in the past, whatever their trauma or whatever it was, what it does is like we may not trust that person again, but we let it go and re-re-release the weight of that burden from our shoulders to God, because God just takes it those sins that we uh confess and repent. He just like tears them up and throws them away. But I started to understand, like you said, what it truly meant to be loved by God, not just by him, but the people around me, because his unconditional love filled the void that I had been trying to fill with the approval of others.

Israel Caminero: 19:20

Okay.

Anne Wooten: 19:21

Um and there's one more thing I wanted to share about that special day.

Israel Caminero: 19:27

Yeah, go ahead.

Anne Wooten: 19:28

You know, I think, you know, like most of us, if you think about it, humans, we like to know that we are forgiven, or we like to see sometimes like tangible efforts or tangible evidence, I should say, you know, from God to know that maybe we're truly forgiven or an answer to prayer. We don't always get to actually see something, but in this case, something happened. And um, I said a prayer on the drive high. That day, and I asked God, I said, God, I know I'm forgiving, I feel it, but you know me, and you know, like most of us, I want to see something tangible. And um so that day, about three hours later, as I turned into my subdivision, I immediately pulled over, I stopped, and the tears just came, just started pouring. Mind you, they were happy, they were joyful ones, not sad. Okay because as I looked straight ahead, I kid you not, I saw the most beautiful and high arching rainbow over my entire subdivision. Second one in the day, going and coming back.

Israel Caminero: 20:50

That's awesome.

Anne Wooten: 20:51

And the highest point of that rainbow's arch appeared to be centered right over my house from that vantage point.

Israel Caminero: 20:59

Oh wow.

Anne Wooten: 21:02

Yeah, twice in one day. But of course, you know, I'm like I took I have a picture of both of those, and they're still on my phone because it's time and date stamped. I'll never forget the day, I never forget the time, because it's a picture of the significance of what I encountered with God that day. And I can't ever recall feeling anything like that prior to that time.

Israel Caminero: 21:30

That's right. It's it's funny how God knows what you need when you need it at the right time. For him to put those rainbows there right after you said that prayer of forgiveness just goes to show you that he was comforting you, letting you know I'm here and everything's gonna be alright.

Anne Wooten: 21:51

Yep. And I think that kind of started um a journey uh forward because I began to see myself through his eyes, and that's when my self-worth through him started to blossom. It wasn't immediate, but it's transformative like everything else is, and um and although that was a powerful and transforming experience, there have been several experiences since then, but that was the start of it, and that's when I started um it led me to discover a new passion. Um, because that happened in 2019, and if you think about it, I think it was 2020 and 21. That's when we had the COVID and we had the lockdowns. That's right, yeah, and so during those lockdowns, my faith began to grow um more, but I also came upon, and this is where uh a very pivotal point in the journey started to come. There was I kind of launched during those uh COVID lockdowns. Sometimes I would like watch TV or something, but you know, you gotta be careful what you choose to watch. But there was a popular Canadian drama, um, it's a long time running called Heartland, and the show is based in Alberta, Canada, and it's about a family that has a ranch where the main character, Amy, um, she takes care of troubled or abandoned horses, she really rehabilitates them, and I was taken away, taken by the way they wrote one of the lead characters on that show, and his name was called Ty. And it was played by Canadian actor Graham Wardle. And I mentioned Graham's name because um after the after Graham decided to leave that show, I became a little bit interested just to see what he was all about, and um just curiosity, um, I kind of discovered that he was a writer, a podcaster, and he had a podcast called Time Has Come, and there was also a community over on Substack.com. Substack.com is known as a writer's paradise.

Israel Caminero: 24:42

Okay.

Anne Wooten: 24:42

Um, and I had no idea why God would lead me to join this community, um, but through interacting with others within the community, I began to learn why. Um there's a lot of them that were close to my age, and I knew that a lot of them also had accepted Jesus into their lives. So there was the commonality. God was trying to bring me to a community to encourage me, even though it was online, because through that community it encouraged me to open up a lot more to new and wonderful possibilities, and this is where I discovered I guess I had a love for writing. I've always been an accountant, and so numbers was basically my thing, and growing up I really did not like English much or creative writing, but evidently I had maybe that was just it was just a time for it to be discovered and come. But through that, um it I started to open up sharing in the comments, and what it also it I felt a nudge from God to start writing a blog. So June two years ago, that's when I started the blog called One Day at a time, and it's on Substack, it's an Wooten.substack.com. And I started sharing my faith journey, started being transparent about what I had just previously um shared earlier. And it I was beginning to let my creative passions, they started to be blossom within me. And also, Graham also challenged us with an August um 20, I think it was in 2022, a writing challenge, and that's kind of where her poetry began to be introduced to me. And also the faith side started to progress. Graham had a unique guest on one of his podcasts, and that that guest, his name was Don McCloud. He goes by Donnie Mack. He was an actor, singer, songwriter with an awesome um story. And that through that podcast, I don't know what it was, I think it was just with him sharing his testimony. That is when I discovered I really forgot about the passion that I always had. I wanted to learn the acoustic guitar. And I got later on, I got to meet uh Donnie on a couple of occasions, and that's where I dabbled into songwriting, and songwriting has become a part of the healing process for me. I've discovered that. So and I thought that's what it was, and uh Graham, you know, just encouraged us. The people in the community just encouraged us, and um and through that, through the last couple of years, I've gotten to meet some of them within the community, and within that community, they are all over the world. Um, they're in Australia, somewhere in New Zealand or uh the UK, France, um, you know, so you interact with them as much as you can online.

Israel Caminero: 28:47

Right.

Anne Wooten: 28:49

So having those those two years, um the COVID lockdowns introduced me to the community, but now in the two years since that, I threw my writing on the blog, I have just and through um the songwriting, my faith ever since that podcast that night, which was about two and a half years ago, I have not missed one of one morning having a my quiet time with God.

Israel Caminero: 29:23

Amen.

Anne Wooten: 29:23

I have been consistent on that because I think having that quiet alone time with God is so valuable.

Israel Caminero: 29:32

We we need that.

Anne Wooten: 29:34

Well, if I know if I don't have it, my day will not go right, it'll kind of go off the rails as I say it, because you you have that time with God, you have that time in his word, and I know that now when I have it, and then when I share on the blog or on social media, lately I read a devotion or read a verse in the Bible, I end up sharing about it because I get this feeling in my heart that God says just pushes me immediately to share what I just read or something on social media or on the blog. And I think that's important, and people do realize that because there's a lot of hurting people out there that need to be encouraged.

Israel Caminero: 30:30

That's right. There's a lot of them out there, a lot, yeah.

Anne Wooten: 30:34

And all this time I was still working, you know, full-time in accounting. Um, I was what they called a project accountant. I worked for construction, uh, multifamily construction, where they build um like um partner communities all over the U.S. But just being in accounting, you can kind of know when there's some changes within the company. You see it, you realize something was going on. And this comes to kind of the next part of the uh the story. It's like last year, 2023, was a very the very first part, I guess five or four or five months, I had a lot of stress um at work. My faith didn't falter because my faith has just gotten so much stronger. But the stress at work, I just could sense something was coming, or either God was preparing me to make a decision about something. And last June in 2023 on my birthday, I was praying, and it was about 6:45 in the morning, and I can remember I haven't felt this kind of an overwhelming tug since that day in 2019, and it was a huge decision, not one that I wanted to make personally, but God always wins out that's right as he should. And God called me to step away from a over 50-year accounting um career and start onto a new path. What that new path entailed, I had no idea. And um like you it you can't deny those overwhelming tongues because if you do, I've learned that they're only going to get more intense as time goes on, and they're gonna get to the point where you're just you just naturally are going to say yes and surrender to God and his will. So I started on the new path, and that leaving that job was hard because being a number person, yeah.

Israel Caminero: 33:04

I was just gonna ask that. I was just gonna ask did did you struggle leaving that job since you were there for so long?

Anne Wooten: 33:11

Well, um, I was just in the accounting career for so long. I was at this particular company for about four years, but it was something that I was not prepared for. I thought, you know, wait another three or four years, but God had other plans. And try and I'll tell you what really gets to me, and I think it gets to a lot of us, the financial insecurity of the unknown is what scared me the most. Change doesn't frighten me as long as I know God initiates it. But trusting Him for the provisions and for no money coming in. I'm like, I was like, that's kind of like, God, I think I hear you correctly. Are you sure this is what you I kind of needed more confirmation and more clarity, but I did say yes to it.

Israel Caminero: 34:10

That's so true. What you said about the financial part of it. A lot of people struggle with that, yeah.

Anne Wooten: 34:18

But what it allowed me to do, um, it allowed me the time to where I'm at now. And what I say is the writing, if I had stayed with that company, what I didn't know then, but what I do know now, I was correct. I would have lost my job sometime this year. Um, if I had stayed there because they were closing the division of the company that I worked in, they were closing that sometime this year.

Israel Caminero: 34:53

So God got you out of there in time.

Anne Wooten: 34:56

Yeah, and during that time I would not have had the time to devote to learn what God wanted me to learn. Um, because since I had the love for writing, um, I wanted to learn what was the entrepreneurship of writing, like what did it entail? Um, so I I got uh was I was put in touch with this best-selling author, and she was offering a beta for first-time writing course, and it was yes, you had to pay, but it was a lot lower price than if you had if you took it later. And so I under I discovered that a lot of writers were podcasters, speakers, you know, coaches, etc. And so I I will admit it was a little daunting to take it, but I know now if I was working either full-time or part-time, I would not have had a chance or really put into it and to vote and learn what I learned. And so um I so having said that, after I was into that course a little bit, one day I received something from my cousin through like Facebook messaging. And you know, sometimes you don't know, even though you know that person, you don't know if it's spam, whether or not you should click on it. So I delayed it for yeah, and even her, but she's like a sister to me, and I know she's trustworthy, but I delayed it a couple of days, but God encouraged me to click on that, and I just soon discovered that the person was there was a faith-based kingdom life coach that had her own company and had an incredible story, and I knew that I could receive the training and certification to become a Christian kingdom life coach. Now, I didn't know what it involved. It's like I've always been the one behind the desk for over 50 years where people would ask me questions, but now having to learn and ask the questions, that's one reason I needed to be trained on what kind of questions to ask. So I um I took a meeting with her, and I loved her from the get-go. She remembered my cousin, and um, she's based out of Dallas, Fort Worth, and she has her own company. And what inspired me more was she helped me through the 12 weeks to discover that a lot of coaches coach they coach others by their own story, and they want to help others. So she told me, you know, like what I've shared today, it's that what I'm coaching now is or what I hope to do is that I want to help others um break free or let go of their fear or whatever is holding them back, to grab hold of their faith, and to renew their mind to unlock their God-given purpose and their calling with confidence using biblical led strategies. That's awesome. That um is what and what she discovered, she says, Anne, you're called a freedom coach. And I'm like, okay, I like the sound of that, but what it kind of means is like there's kind of three big tiers in our program. It's like what I had to do, I had to grasp and acknowledge the fear. In other words, what was holding me back from being able to move forward. Okay, and the central part, I guess, which is the hardest, what I did back in 2019, was the process of forgiveness, or you can call it the sins of unforgiveness. But that's what I did. You know, it's three parts where you ask God to forgive you, you ask God to help you forgive yourself, and then when you release those two, you're more open to forgiving maybe that person who hurt you, or asking that person if they're still alive or whatever. Saying, I'm sorry, I held these resentments, vice versa, whatever the case may be. And then the second part, after you've done that, then those that burden is released to God, and you can live again, set free in Christ, to discover maybe your spiritual gifts can change. Mine did when I walked through it. And also I want to help them discover maybe through those gifts, maybe what God is calling them to. I want to encourage them to write their testimonies. But the main thing is I want to use, I want them to use their story to encourage others and to further God's kingdom. That's what it's all about because we can't stay stuck. We cannot stay stuck. And that's basically what my coaching is about. And during the last part of the coaching, my um my coach, uh, her name's Francine, she encouraged me to say, Ann, you have written some beautiful poems, you have shared them over on your blog. To get it out, you ought to just take those poems and pull them together in a book. And so she encouraged me to publish or self-publish my first book of inspirational poetry, and it's called Where Faith Takes Flight One Day at a Time. And you can find it on Amazon. And the book is a testament of the power of transformation and the endless possibilities that can happen when we open and when we open up, but we surrender our lives to God. I'm living proof that God's guidance and his unwavering faithfulness through that we can overcome any obstacle and step into the abundant life that He has planned for us.

Israel Caminero: 42:12

Amen. Amen. Wow. What an incredible, what an incredible journey.

Anne Wooten: 42:20

It you know, um I didn't have a lot of trauma, you know, it was not that, but it was self-inflicted trauma. But God has a plan. If there's a plan, um, the reason, yes, I've made mistakes along the way, but what I've learned is mistakes can lead to blessings and lessons learned. And what we learn becomes our story when we pass that forward and we can help others. I am just starting out, I'm just starting out in the coaching that God has placed this on my heart with this passion to help others because we live in a world that's chaotic, that needs a lot of help. And of course, both of us know Jesus Christ is the only answer. But but more than that, there's a lot of hurting people that should not be hurting, and they sit stuck in the past, they must move forward, or it's going to like my pastor says, he gave a sermon one time on forgiveness, and I said, God, you are really giving me more um, you know, more things to use and share within my program, and I love I love him for it, but if we sit and chew in that pot of unforgiveness, it's gonna eat us alive. And in my case, um, if I didn't make that decision to move forward in 2019, I mean, I'll be honest with you, I don't know if I'd be here today talking to you. I was not at a point where I was unhealthy, but it could have gotten that way. But now I can tell you from my age, I am not on any medication whatsoever. And I was pre-diabetic and no longer am I pre-diabetic. So that has been a physical healing, but more than that, it's not a it's been an emotional and faith healing experience, like like I can't subscribe. So it's hard to describe sometimes until you walk through it. It's messy, it's disorienting, but you must walk through it, but you've got to grasp and acknowledge what the root of the problem is first.

Israel Caminero: 44:45

That's so true. You know, like I always say, you you can't have a testimony unless you go through the test first.

Anne Wooten: 44:54

That's correct.

Israel Caminero: 44:55

And it's funny, um, you were mentioning COVID, and I was just talking with a friend of mine, this was a couple days ago, actually. How, you know, a lot of people hated that the world got shut down. And I told I honestly said I kind of enjoyed it. Because, like you said, it got me so much closer to God, because you know why? There was no distractions. There was no type of distractions in the way, and all you had was your family and the Bible and God, pretty much. Although it was a pandemic, as they call it, which I don't know how I feel about that, but I think it helped me and and listening to you, you also get closer to God. And I I I loved it.

Anne Wooten: 45:56

Well, yeah, because I had even though I worked, you know, I still worked full-time and we worked remotely from home, it left me time. I didn't have to have that 45-minute um commute in the morning and coming home, and I didn't have to deal with the stress or the traffic. It was actually pretty, pretty awesome. And it kind of, you know, I got to watch a show that God now I understand why God led me to that particular um television show, and but it really wasn't the show. He was leading me to a community that would help me grow that's right, and be able to be comfortable in sharing and open up.

Israel Caminero: 46:46

That's right.

Anne Wooten: 46:47

God will put people in your in your path for a reason, sometimes for a season, sometimes for a lifetime.

Israel Caminero: 46:55

And it's not a coincidence.

Anne Wooten: 46:58

No, it's not. Some people will call it God wings, but no. God has a purpose, he has a plan.

Israel Caminero: 47:05

Speaking of the show that you were watching, I've never watched it, but I love horses.

Anne Wooten: 47:12

Well, I do too. And the um actually the landscape and everything in Alberta, what they showed on that particular show, was absolutely incredible. Um, I don't watch that show particularly too much anymore, but it's still going. And um, but I do I do like it. I will watch it occasionally.

Israel Caminero: 47:37

Okay. Well, Ann, I just want to say thank you for just sharing that story with everyone of here and the listeners. And how are you doing today, Ann? Everything's good today, and I mean you shared a lot of what you're doing today, which is a lot. You have a lot on your plate. You're uh you're writing music, you're coaching, you're doing a lot. Poetry.

Anne Wooten: 48:05

I am. I am, but I could not do it working um in accounting. That's the main thing. Um, I didn't realize it then, and yes, at times, you know, fast forward a year later, um, yeah, sometimes that insecurity comes up about you know the finances, but I did have some of those retirement savings. It was just, and I don't call them call myself retired. It's just I went from one to another. And but it's like I didn't want to touch that, but I have a like a little a little phrase sometimes you have to invest to be blessed. So um sometimes God does ask you to invest, you just have to watch out where you invest it, um but for the blessings to occur later on, and I'm seeing small doors open, um, but this is I just want to get the word out. It's not coaching for me is not a way to make the money. I'm unapologetically faith-based, I don't do it for the money. If God chooses to bless it that way, then that's up to him. It's not up to me. And um I do it because the passion that I truly believe and the way things have happened, there's no it's got to be totally from God. There's just no other way that I can even begin to frame it. Um, and I wouldn't want to do it. So He gets all the glory for what's happened uh thus far. I'm pretty amazed how my faith has grown, and even some of my closest friends have noticed a change in me. So I will take that.

Israel Caminero: 50:12

Amen. And you're right, he gets all the glory, you know. And like I always say, this podcast, people share their stories and everyone goes through things, but it's just to glorify him throughout everyone's journey in life, to also have someone out there that might be lost and going through the same thing, listen to it and say, hey, I'm not alone.

Anne Wooten: 50:35

That's exactly right. We are never alone.

Israel Caminero: 50:38

That's right. That's right. He's always watching over us, regardless if we think he is or not. He's always there.

Anne Wooten: 50:46

That's exactly right.

Israel Caminero: 50:48

I would like to ask you what's your favorite Bible verse if you're having a bad day, which you don't seem to be having anymore. Like, what's your favorite Bible verse that you go to every day or one that's touched your heart for a while? And what that is and what it means to you.

Anne Wooten: 51:12

Actually, if I could share, I was uh there's about four of them that are very significant. They're pretty short.

Israel Caminero: 51:19

Okay.

Anne Wooten: 51:20

And one is 2 Corinthians 10 5, and it states we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. That word obedience sticks out like a sore thumb because Christ God commands us or to be obedient, but it also reminds me of something that I have to do almost every day, every day, every minute of the day. It reminds me that when my thoughts become consumed with worry or doubt, I need to realign them with God's truth, and it's a call to reject anything that tries to pull me away from my faith. And it kind of goes along with the next one, um, James 4, verse 7, where it says, Submit yourselves then to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. That's a practical reminder that facing struggles often starts with a choice. Submit to God, resist the negativity, and then watch it lose its power. And there's two more in 2 Corinthians 12, 9. But he said to me, My grace is sufficient to you for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. And it's just beautiful because it teaches us that when we're in our weakest, God's strength becomes more evident. And it's a permission slip to embrace our imperfections, knowing that God's grace is always sufficient, and that's something I didn't do in the past. But the last one I will say is probably a little bit more significant for others. It's Isaiah chapter 40, verse 31. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. And sometimes it uh different translations will say, But those who wait on the Lord. But it's a beautiful promise of renewal, and it reminds me that even when I'm exhausted, hope in the Lord brings that fresh strength, allowing me to soar above the challenges and just keep moving forward and trust him and his timing, not mine. Because these verses woven together, they created a roadmap for me in those tough times, tough times. And I also use them in my coaching. They remind me to totally surrender, to resist, to embrace my weakness, and to trust in a renewal that can only come from God. That even in the midst of struggles, He is the hope and the strength to be found in all in need.

Israel Caminero: 55:00

Well, thank you for those. I don't think I've ever had anyone share four verses that well.

Anne Wooten: 55:07

I hope that was okay. No, no, no.

Israel Caminero: 55:09

It's just like it's totally fine. I'm just saying, like, that was awesome. I've never had anyone share four verses that meant so much to them, and like you said, and they were all good. They were all good verses.

Anne Wooten: 55:23

I actually have to use them nearly every single day, to be honest.

Israel Caminero: 55:28

That's good. I like those. But now I'd like to go to my back to the past section in my podcast, which, if you're not familiar, my back to the past section is where if the Anne of today can go travel back to the younger Anne, what would you say to her that you didn't know back then that you know now?

Anne Wooten: 55:58

Uh there's probably a lot that I would say. But if I could only say one thing, I think I would say this. Stop trying to earn love. You are already loved beyond measure. And I say that because um just to go a little bit more, it's like I know you're seeking approval and validation from everyone around you. You're working tirelessly bending over backward, trying to be misperfect, and so that people will like you, but Dan, it's a never-ending chase. True acceptance, true worth comes from one place only, and that is God of unconditional love, because he sees you not for your accomplishments or your failures, but for the beautiful soul you are. So when I tell you, let go of the people pleasing, the perfectionism, the endless striving, and embrace the freedom that comes from knowing you are deeply loved, cherished, and accepted by the one who matters most. Your worth isn't found in what you do, but in whose you are a child of God, dearly loved and chosen.

Israel Caminero: 58:11

Wow. That was good.

Anne Wooten: 58:16

Well, thank you. But it's it's truly what I would say because it's truly what I did, and it's truly what I don't do anymore. And I would say stop doing it. Stop just trusting God that He loves you, and your past is your past. Let it stay there. But remember it that you don't have to go back there.

Israel Caminero: 58:41

Correct. That's correct. Well, and I'd like to thank you for being here and taking the time to share your testimony with everyone. And like she said, she's got blogs, she's got books, all those links will be in the description of this podcast if you want to go and get her books, read her blogs, and whatever else she gives me links for will be there. But I like I said, I want to thank you again for being here, for taking the time out of your day to just sit here and glorify God. Before we close out, Ann, could you close us out in prayer?

Anne Wooten: 59:25

I would love to do that, and I just want to say thank you for having me. It's been an honor and a privilege to share my story with you and your listener and I listeners. And I hope it just brings the encouragement, the hope, and co and hope I should say, to anyone who me who might be walking a similar path.

Israel Caminero: 59:47

Amen.

Anne Wooten: 59:49

So and here I'll say a prayer for us. Heavenly Father, you get all the honor and glory and praise. We thank you for loving us so much, for sending Jesus Christ to be the answer for our redemption, for our freedom. I just think about that picture of Lord over 2,000 years ago with Jesus on the cross, sacrificing his life for each and every one of our sins. I can't imagine. I just I still, Lord, I just when I think about it today, I try to picture it, I just kind of shake my head, Lord. But I'm thankful that you love me all of us so much for that, and that we are truly forgiven. Because three days later, you rolled a stone away, Lord. Jesus rose from that grave, walked the earth, and ascended into heaven, where he's at your right hand right now. Father, we ask, we thank you for that. We are blessed that death was defeated. The enemy, Satan, has been defeated, and it's just up to us to resist him when the temptations come. Father, I just want to lift up this world that we live in. There's a lot of chaos, there's a lot of resentment and bitterness and anger. And Father, we just I lift it all up to you, and I know that Jesus is the only answer. But Father, we just ask that you would just be with those of us who are willing to speak up, to share, that we would be your beacon, that we would be your servant, that we would serve you, giving you all the honor and glory, and that you we would reach out to plant the seed in those hearts of the people who are lost and do not know you. That is all we are commanded to do to plant the seed. That's the other person's effort to make the choice to choose you, but we can pray for them. We can pray. So we can help them, Lord, and encourage them and be your light in this dark world that we live in. So as we leave here today, Lord, remind us, Lord, that we are grateful to you for your strength, for your almighty power. And let us remember, Lord, that the fear of God to fear you means to tremble at the very thought of being separated from you. It's not for us to be scared or afraid, but it is to embrace that fear of you, to let it be the foundation of our faith. And I thank you for for convicting me of that. For that to be my rock, solid foundation of my faith is to remember to surrender to you daily. Thank you, Lord, for this time that I got to share the story. You get all the honor and glory and praise. Thank you for speaking through me. And I pray that if even just one person hears this story, if they're affected, that would that would just frighten my day. Thank you for Israel and for what he does. This is an incredible podcast for people sharing their hearts, sharing their stories, so we can lift up your name and that of Jesus. So as we leave and go forth, remember that we seek you first and your righteousness and help us to further your kingdom according to your will for each and for every one of us. Thank you once again, Lord, and I'm grateful to you each and every day.

Israel Caminero: 1:04:57

Amen. Amen. Thank you for that powerful prayer. Thank you for that.

Anne Wooten: 1:05:03

I just want to say that you know God's love is real, it's powerful, and it's available to all who seek him.

Israel Caminero: 1:05:12

Amen. That's true, that's so true. First, you have to take that leap and seek him. A lot of people are afraid, it seems like, to seek him. They live in their flesh, and yeah, that's not a good thing, but one day at a time, you know, one day at a time.

Anne Wooten: 1:05:43

Every time God has called me to something, it is very uncomfortable in the flesh. But usually I know when he's doing something like that, that means he has kind of called me to take that step forward into the uncomfortable.

Israel Caminero: 1:06:00

Uncomfortable to get comfortable.

Anne Wooten: 1:06:04

That's exactly right. I think my name, I don't want to stay too comfortable.

Israel Caminero: 1:06:10

Well, again, I'd like to thank you once again. And like I said, I'll have links to all her books and her blogs and everything else that she's part of in the description if anyone wants to check her out. Again, I'd like to thank all the listeners, you know, that have been joining me throughout this journey with this podcast and all the love and support that you guys have given me. Like I said earlier, it's not about me, it's not about Anne, it's the glorifying God throughout all these stories, and that's what it's about. So you can see how he's worked in others to change them and work in their life to be there for them in all of this. Once again, I'd like to thank the listeners for the continued love. I'd like to thank Anne again for being here. That being said, I'd like to say everyone stay blessed until next time.