May 5, 2025 • 21 mins
On today's Aktivate KB is giving a State of the Union about how there has been a transformation in the content and what is the future of the show.
KB talks about a new era that promises to enhance the listener experience while aligning more closely with her spiritual journey. KB, who has navigated the tumultuous waters of personal branding and professional development, shares insights gleaned from a recent intensive podcasting workshop. This workshop not only equipped them with essential tools for improving her podcasting approach but also ignited a profound sense of purpose and direction.
The discussion delves into the importance of building a personal brand that transcends the conventional limitations of a mere podcast and extends into the realms of health, wellness, and spiritual growth. KB expresses a deep commitment to evolving the podcast's content, focusing more on the spiritual messages that resonate with their audience, while also addressing the fears and hesitations that accompany such transitions.
Stay tuned to hear about the history of Aktivate and get ready for the future.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Island Boy J Music hello friends.
Welcome to Activate, a podcastconsisting of purposeful conversations
aimed at encouraging listenersto embrace both the beauty and chaos
of life.
I'm KB and I can't wait toshare valuable insights on health,
(00:23):
fitness, nutrition, aging,faith, family, and everything in
between to help you level upand activate your life.
I'm a former network marketinghater turned top leader in my industry.
I'm a certified life andnutrition coach, helping women to
break the same chains.
That once kept me stuck.
I'm so happy you're here.
Let's do this.
(00:45):
Hello friends.
Happy Monday.
How are we?
I hope you're great.
I am.
Good.
Good.
It is.
It is Wednesday evening as Irecord this.
It is deadline day and I toldmyself I cannot go eat my dinner
that I really want until I getthis podcast recorded for you.
(01:06):
So here I am, showing up,getting it done.
I'm always so proud of myselfwhen I get it done on the day of
deadline or before, whichshould just really be the lowest
bar.
But sometimes, I don't know,my creative juices run dry and it's
a challenge to get get it inby Wednesday.
(01:26):
But here we are doing it andI'm so glad you're here.
Today we're going to do a little.
A little Activate podcast.
State of the Union last weekwas so fun for me to record.
I so enjoyed the Q and A.
I want to keep that going.
I want to do that again.
So if you ever have a questionfor me, just DM me, text me, whatever,
(01:47):
however we communicate so thatI can keep a running list of listener
questions and then we cancircle back to a little Q A episode
because that was actually veryenjoyable for me.
And who knew you don'tactually have to prepare for a podcast
where you're just answeringquestions about yourself.
So that was also a blessing.
(02:09):
So thank you to everyone whosubmitted questions.
I hope that you got a chanceto listen to that and that you found
some value in it or justenjoyed it.
So let's talk.
Okay, so I've shared with youthat I started this brand building
coaching course, whatever youwant to call it, at the end of March,
(02:31):
I guess it was.
And it was a scary.
It was a big old leap of faithand a lot of money when I wasn't
making any and just a littlenerve wracking, I honestly, I had
buyer's remorse likeimmediately after I pushed send on
my payment because it was ascary number.
(02:52):
So the cool thing is thatsince then I've been really just
plugging into what Brandbuilders has to offer.
And I've been pleasantlysurprised and I've gotten a lot already
out of, out of their offerings.
So I'm really excited about that.
My goal with doing this was tocreate a personal brand, number one,
(03:16):
because even as I shared withyou all recently about Modere just
closing their doors after 23years in business with no prior warning
to their affiliates or totheir corporate team, just they had
a paycheck and then they didn't.
They ended up not getting paidfor an entire month and a half of
(03:37):
work that they did, productthat they sold, no commissions were
paid, and that's horrible.
So I don't ever want to backmyself into a corner where one, that
could happen to me and two,it's just so important to build your
brand around yourself becauselike, I'm not going anywhere.
So if I build a brand aroundmyself, I can, you know, change what
(03:59):
it is that I'm doing.
The brand is me.
So I wanted to figure that outand I also wanted to make the things
that I do cohesive.
So I have Activate podcasts, Ihave my nutrition coaching business
and I have Make Wellness andthen I have CrossFit coaching as
well.
But I felt that they'd becomeso kind of like fragmented as Activate
(04:24):
as, you know, has become allabout Jesus.
And then my Instagram tend toair on the side of a little Jesus,
but a lot of fitness,wellness, health, nutrition, things
like that.
So, you know, I felt like noneof these things really made sense
(04:45):
together and I wanted to, tomake them into a real life grown
up business.
Because if you know me, I'mjust someone who all these years
I just been throwing spaghettiat the wall and seeing what sticks.
I've not done anything likequote unquote, how you are supposed
to do it.
Nothing has been done theright way.
(05:08):
I just, I just take messyaction and then sometimes it stays
messy, unfortunately.
And that's kind of what I'vedone with my businesses.
So for instance, Activate, Iinvite a guest on Activate, right?
And they might be a podcasteror someone who is on lots and lots
of podcasts and they will sendme back.
(05:28):
Absolutely.
Send me a calendar invite andI'll email you my media kit.
And I'm instantly like, do what?
Do what?
Like, my calendar is fromAmazon and it's on my coffee table.
And what even is a media kit?
Like, I'm so unprofessional inall of this.
You have, you, you have no idea.
(05:49):
Um, so I wanted to become more professional.
So last Friday I signed up forthis full day intensive podcasting
workshop.
It was also Jonathan's 50thbirthday on Friday.
So he.
He blessed me with the abilityto be able to do this by being a
person who literally does notcare about their birthday and looks
(06:12):
at it like any other day.
So, so I was able to sign upfor this intensive training from
10 to 6 last Friday.
So I wanted to figure out howto, like, be like one of these people
who wanted.
Who.
Who had a calendar link and amedia kit and advertisers and a website,
(06:33):
et cetera, et cetera, etcetera, all the things that, like,
professionals have.
I guess I was feeling insecureand like, I'm not good enough.
Surprise, surprise.
So the course ended up beingfive people plus one instructor,
and the other people wereeither very new to podcasting or
(06:54):
were working through theirkind of concepts for what they wanted
their new podcast to look like.
So as I listened to theinstructor coaching the other podcasters,
the Holy Spirit guys, the HolySpirit gave me an idea and I immediately
just started franticallywriting all of these ideas down.
(07:16):
And when I tell you, you couldnot have wiped the smile off my face
or extinguish the excitementthat came out of me.
I was so filled withexcitement and just.
I just.
It was so clear that this wasnot me, this was the Holy Spirit.
My goal here was to simply bemore professional and run these things
like a business, and God hadother plans.
(07:39):
So, having said all that, I'mso excited to share with you that
a full rebrand of ActivatePodcast is currently in the works.
There's lots to share, and I'mgonna share a little of it today,
and I'm gonna keep a little ofit a secret, but there's going to
(08:00):
be a new name, a new look,there's gonna be giveaways and a
new theme song and more guestsand swag.
We are going to have just allthe things, a whole new life for
this podcast.
Activate has served me sowell, and hopefully you, because
(08:22):
that's the whole goal.
I hope that Activate hasserved you well, but I feel like
I've outgrown the concept ofActivate your life and get unstuck
from a less than life.
Right?
Like, these are what.
These are kind of the conceptsthat I built Activate around.
And so much has changed.
I do this on my own now.
No co host.
(08:42):
And the focus of what I sharehas changed.
And, you know, I think that isa really, really good thing.
I have felt a little scared.
I'm going off the notes here.
I'VE felt a little scared thatI'm, I'm.
I'm pushing people away by howmuch I'm talking about God and salvation
(09:09):
and the enemy and all of these things.
And I know for me, there arethings where I don't.
I immediately, like, say it's a.
A tick tock pops up and it'sabout, like, maybe it's about your
kids playing too many videogames, like what that's doing or
the dangers of YouTube for children.
And instead of, like, instead of.
(09:30):
Or that book, the Anxious Generation.
I bought that book because Ithink it would be so valuable, but
it is so convicting to mebecause all of my kids have had this
video game addiction andthey've spent a lot of time online
and I don't even want to hearit or read it because once you hear
it, you can't unhear it.
And I feel so convicted and soafraid to hear all the things that
(09:55):
maybe I've done wrong.
And I don't ever want you tofeel that way about tuning into this
podcast.
And so I feel like there'sthis fine line, but I also feel this
calling on my life to sharewhat the Holy Spirit is giving me
to share with you all.
So I.
I feel so aligned with thisnew vision and I can't wait to share
(10:17):
it with you because ultimatelyI do this for you and I also couldn't
do this without you.
So ahead of this course that Itook, I asked my producer, Jason
to tell me the numbers.
I never ask about the numbersbecause ultimately I don't care how
many people listen.
I don't care.
This has always been about.
This is a passion project of mine.
(10:39):
I show up because I love itand I love you.
And the feedback I've gottenis that you love it, too.
And so I just continue to show up.
It is truly just something inmy life that I loved.
So I don't care about the numbers.
But I felt like it was aquestion I might get asked.
And in trying to look slightlyprofessional, I felt like I should
probably know.
(11:00):
So I literally braced myselffor disappointment after I asked
him that question.
And over a fear that, again,all my talk about Jesus had turned
some of my audience away.
Well, to my surprise, thenumbers have stayed the same.
So they have.
I have not grown.
I have not gotten smaller.
(11:20):
I've.
I've stayed the same, whichwas such a blessing for me to hear.
And the other cool thing toput that into perspective for myself
was I asked my husband aboutour church and I'm like, how Many
people show up each week toour church, and he told me the number,
and I was just kind ofawestruck because the number of people
(11:42):
that show up here every singleweek is four times the number that,
like, my pastor gets to preachto every single week.
And that is such a responsibility.
And.
And I feel so grateful.
And I look at all these thingsbecause this is what I do.
It's like me comparing myincome to Jonathan's.
It's like, not comparable.
(12:02):
And so I do this too.
I'm like, well, Joe Rogan,like, dude, you don't gotta compare
yourself to the number onepodcast in the world.
Okay?
It's fine.
So it gave me really greatperspective on really the impact
that I can have.
And again, God showed me atthe beginning of the year that my
success is not in dollars.
It is an impact.
And.
And so that really, reallyexcited me.
(12:27):
So I also looked up some stats.
So in 2025, there are 4.4million podcasts and there are 505
million listeners of podcasts.
Like, that is incredible.
Imagine the opportunity apodcaster has to reach the masses.
That is absolutely wild to me.
(12:49):
But the even cooler part isthat only 22,000, 542 now, all these
numbers can change probablydepending on where you're looking,
but have over 200 episodes.
We are approaching 300episodes here.
Somewhere around 600,000 ofthose have had new content in the
(13:11):
last 90 days.
So we've had a ton of newcontent in the last 90 days.
I show up here every single Monday.
So that means that Activate isin the top 0.51% of podcasts for
a number of episodes, andwe're in the top 5% of all podcasts
for monthly downloads.
What?
(13:31):
Top 5%?
That's an A.
That's 95%.
That is something I wouldnever have known or absolutely never
have thought was possible orthat I could possibly be.
I don't know.
It's not a big deal.
I'm not, like, tooting my ownhorn, but that's so cool that you
guys have sustained this forso long, and I'm so grateful and
(13:53):
feel so blessed and even moreso, just so excited for what's coming
and what we're going to get todo here together.
So here's the other thingabout me that you probably won't
be surprised to hear.
So I have convinced myselfthat God has kept this community
small because it's safe.
So even though I said I didn'tsay the number, I'm not.
(14:15):
I'm not Going to.
It's still a small number.
We are a small group of people.
However, it was cool to seewhat the statistics show, right?
So I convinced myself that Godhas kept this community small to
really to keep me safe frommean people on the Internet because
I do not do well with Internet hate.
It's like 9, 11 for me.
(14:37):
I still remember exactly whereI was the first time a troll came
after me on the Internet aftera podcast episode.
It did not feel good.
It absolutely ruined my day.
Absolutely ruined my day.
It was so hard for me to deal with.
So I also know that I haven'tdone the work to grow the podcast
(14:57):
out of this same fear.
Like, I'm like, what if likesomething goes viral, clip goes viral
on TikTok and I'm not preparedfor all these people to come after
me.
But God has given me apowerful testimony and I feel, I
truly feel a divine calling onmy life to share.
(15:20):
And it means no more playingsmall because it's not for me anymore,
it's for him.
It is such a bigger purposethan me.
In the Bible, Peter tells usto do his work and speak out for
him, to tell others of thenight and day difference he he made
for you.
I am to be a witness and sharewhat God has done for me.
(15:42):
So as long as there's anunbeliever in my stratosphere, I
will keep sharing.
I believe with all my heartthat the eternal salvation of a single
soul is more important thananything else I will ever accomplish
in this life.
So I want to share something that.
It was actually in my emailthis morning, randomly.
I don't ever open these, butit was a devotion and I just want
(16:05):
to read it to you.
So it starts that Sunday evening.
The disciples were meetingbehind locked doors because they
were afraid of the Jewish leaders.
Suddenly, Jesus was standingthere among them.
Peace be with you, he said.
As he spoke, he showed themthe wounds in his hands and his side.
They were filled with joy whenthey saw the Lord.
(16:27):
If we were feeling.
I'm sorry.
If we were telling the originstory of the Christian church, this
would be a compelling first scene.
A handful of Jesus's followershiding behind closed doors, shell
shocked, confused and tooscared to show their faces in public.
Suddenly, the risen Jesusmiraculously appears in the flesh,
victorious over sin and death,confirming the truth of everything
(16:50):
he taught and promised them.
At some point, either whileJesus was in the room or after he
left, the truth must havedawned on them.
If the one they served is morepowerful than sin and death, then
one they had nothing to fear.
And two, the world needed to know.
We see their newfound boldnessand sense of purpose in the passages
that follow.
(17:10):
That's the power of the resurrection.
Armed with that power, thissmall group of believers changed
the world.
And most of them sacrificedtheir lives to do it.
According to church tradition,Peter took the Gospel to Pontus Galatia.
Just so you know, I don't knowhow to pronounce most of these words.
And that is not a prerequisitefor sharing about Jesus.
(17:32):
Thank God.
Bithynia, Cappadocia and Asia.
He was crucified upside downbecause he told his executioners
that he wasn't worthy of beingcrucified in the same manner as Jesus.
Andrew spread the Gospelthrough what is now Russia, Turkey
and Greece.
He too was crucified.
Thomas wasn't present whenJesus first appeared to the disciples
(17:53):
in John 20, and he doubtedtheir story.
But when Jesus appeared againand Thomas saw him, his doubts disappeared.
He took the good news ofJesus's resurrection all the way
to India.
He died after being impaled bythe spears of four soldiers.
Philip spread the Gospel inNorth Africa, in Asia Minor, after
he converted the wife of aRoman official.
(18:13):
The official had him put to death.
Matthew, the tax collector,traveled to Persia and Ethiopia to
spread Jesus message.
He was stabbed to death.
Bartholomew accompanied Thomasto India and also shared the Gospel
in Armenia, Ethiopia andsouthern Arabia.
He was crucified.
James, the son of AlphaAlphaeus, shared the good news of
(18:35):
Christ throughout Syria.
He was stoned and then clubbedto death.
Simon took the gospel to Persia.
He was put to death there whenhe refused to make a sacrifice to
the Son to the Sun God.
Matthias was the man chosen toreplace Judas Iscariot.
He shared the Gospel in Syria,where he was burned to death.
John is believed to be theonly disciple who died a natural
(18:57):
death.
He was exiled to the colony of Patmos.
The Apostle Paul traveledextensively to share the Gospel.
He was beheaded in Rome.
The Apostle John ended hisgospel with these words.
Jesus also did many other things.
If they were all written down,I suppose the whole world could not
contain the books that wouldbe written.
(19:17):
Among the many other thingswas the impact Jesus had on a small
group of ordinary people.
He changed their lives forever.
And in turn, they changed theworld in his name.
As Jesus followers, we'restill called to change the world
one life at a time.
We have good news to share thebest news.
In fact, if we're faithful toour calling, we can impact lives
(19:38):
for eternity.
I felt like that summed upexactly what I've been feeling and
exactly what I want thispodcast to be and what I want the
new and improved version.
I can't wait to share with youthe name that the Lord gave me that
the Holy Spirit put in myheart for this next iteration of.
(20:01):
Of this podcast.
So thank you for being here.
I truly, obviously could notdo this without you.
I show up here for you and Ishow up here for me, too.
But I can't be afraid ofpersecution or judgment or, you know,
Internet trolls, because allI'm doing, all I'm wanting to do
(20:22):
is share the truth of whatJesus did and offer the gift, the
free gift of salvation withevery single one of you.
And if I could ask one thingof you, it would be that you would
pick an episode that you lovedthat resonated with you or that made
you think of someone else inyour life and share that episode
with them.
(20:43):
Share it.
You can share it in yourstories on social media and tag the
person.
You can text them the.
The link to the podcast.
It would.
It's just the most simple waythat we can get the word out to more
people.
And I just pray that you would.
You would take the time toshare an episode of Activate.
Maybe it's my testimony.
(21:03):
I would love for you to sharemy testimony with anyone who could
be moved by it.
I am so eternally grateful forall of you and I hope that one day
we're all going to be inheaven together.
And I love you and I thank you.
I hope you have the mostwonderful week.
Later.
(21:26):
That's a wrap on anotherepisode of Activate.
Stay up to date by followingHristenleighballard on Instagram.
And if this episode made youlaugh, offered value, or simply entertained
you, please, like, share andgive a five star review on itunes.
Thanks for being here.
Love y'all.
Island Boy J Music hello friends.
Welcome to Activate, a podcastconsisting of purposeful conversations
aimed at encouraging listenersto embrace both the beauty and chaos
of life.
I'm KB and I can't wait toshare valuable insights on health,
(00:23):
fitness, nutrition, aging,faith, family, and everything in
between to help you level upand activate your life.
I'm a former network marketinghater turned top leader in my industry.
I'm a certified life andnutrition coach, helping women to
break the same chains.
That once kept me stuck.
I'm so happy you're here.
Let's do this.
(00:45):
Hello friends.
Happy Monday.
How are we?
I hope you're great.
I am.
Good.
Good.
It is.
It is Wednesday evening as Irecord this.
It is deadline day and I toldmyself I cannot go eat my dinner
that I really want until I getthis podcast recorded for you.
(01:06):
So here I am, showing up,getting it done.
I'm always so proud of myselfwhen I get it done on the day of
deadline or before, whichshould just really be the lowest
bar.
But sometimes, I don't know,my creative juices run dry and it's
a challenge to get get it inby Wednesday.
(01:26):
But here we are doing it andI'm so glad you're here.
Today we're going to do a little.
A little Activate podcast.
State of the Union last weekwas so fun for me to record.
I so enjoyed the Q and A.
I want to keep that going.
I want to do that again.
So if you ever have a questionfor me, just DM me, text me, whatever,
(01:47):
however we communicate so thatI can keep a running list of listener
questions and then we cancircle back to a little Q A episode
because that was actually veryenjoyable for me.
And who knew you don'tactually have to prepare for a podcast
where you're just answeringquestions about yourself.
So that was also a blessing.
(02:09):
So thank you to everyone whosubmitted questions.
I hope that you got a chanceto listen to that and that you found
some value in it or justenjoyed it.
So let's talk.
Okay, so I've shared with youthat I started this brand building
coaching course, whatever youwant to call it, at the end of March,
(02:31):
I guess it was.
And it was a scary.
It was a big old leap of faithand a lot of money when I wasn't
making any and just a littlenerve wracking, I honestly, I had
buyer's remorse likeimmediately after I pushed send on
my payment because it was ascary number.
(02:52):
So the cool thing is thatsince then I've been really just
plugging into what Brandbuilders has to offer.
And I've been pleasantlysurprised and I've gotten a lot already
out of, out of their offerings.
So I'm really excited about that.
My goal with doing this was tocreate a personal brand, number one,
(03:16):
because even as I shared withyou all recently about Modere just
closing their doors after 23years in business with no prior warning
to their affiliates or totheir corporate team, just they had
a paycheck and then they didn't.
They ended up not getting paidfor an entire month and a half of
(03:37):
work that they did, productthat they sold, no commissions were
paid, and that's horrible.
So I don't ever want to backmyself into a corner where one, that
could happen to me and two,it's just so important to build your
brand around yourself becauselike, I'm not going anywhere.
So if I build a brand aroundmyself, I can, you know, change what
(03:59):
it is that I'm doing.
The brand is me.
So I wanted to figure that outand I also wanted to make the things
that I do cohesive.
So I have Activate podcasts, Ihave my nutrition coaching business
and I have Make Wellness andthen I have CrossFit coaching as
well.
But I felt that they'd becomeso kind of like fragmented as Activate
(04:24):
as, you know, has become allabout Jesus.
And then my Instagram tend toair on the side of a little Jesus,
but a lot of fitness,wellness, health, nutrition, things
like that.
So, you know, I felt like noneof these things really made sense
(04:45):
together and I wanted to, tomake them into a real life grown
up business.
Because if you know me, I'mjust someone who all these years
I just been throwing spaghettiat the wall and seeing what sticks.
I've not done anything likequote unquote, how you are supposed
to do it.
Nothing has been done theright way.
(05:08):
I just, I just take messyaction and then sometimes it stays
messy, unfortunately.
And that's kind of what I'vedone with my businesses.
So for instance, Activate, Iinvite a guest on Activate, right?
And they might be a podcasteror someone who is on lots and lots
of podcasts and they will sendme back.
(05:28):
Absolutely.
Send me a calendar invite andI'll email you my media kit.
And I'm instantly like, do what?
Do what?
Like, my calendar is fromAmazon and it's on my coffee table.
And what even is a media kit?
Like, I'm so unprofessional inall of this.
You have, you, you have no idea.
(05:49):
Um, so I wanted to become more professional.
So last Friday I signed up forthis full day intensive podcasting
workshop.
It was also Jonathan's 50thbirthday on Friday.
So he.
He blessed me with the abilityto be able to do this by being a
person who literally does notcare about their birthday and looks
(06:12):
at it like any other day.
So, so I was able to sign upfor this intensive training from
10 to 6 last Friday.
So I wanted to figure out howto, like, be like one of these people
who wanted.
Who.
Who had a calendar link and amedia kit and advertisers and a website,
(06:33):
et cetera, et cetera, etcetera, all the things that, like,
professionals have.
I guess I was feeling insecureand like, I'm not good enough.
Surprise, surprise.
So the course ended up beingfive people plus one instructor,
and the other people wereeither very new to podcasting or
(06:54):
were working through theirkind of concepts for what they wanted
their new podcast to look like.
So as I listened to theinstructor coaching the other podcasters,
the Holy Spirit guys, the HolySpirit gave me an idea and I immediately
just started franticallywriting all of these ideas down.
(07:16):
And when I tell you, you couldnot have wiped the smile off my face
or extinguish the excitementthat came out of me.
I was so filled withexcitement and just.
I just.
It was so clear that this wasnot me, this was the Holy Spirit.
My goal here was to simply bemore professional and run these things
like a business, and God hadother plans.
(07:39):
So, having said all that, I'mso excited to share with you that
a full rebrand of ActivatePodcast is currently in the works.
There's lots to share, and I'mgonna share a little of it today,
and I'm gonna keep a little ofit a secret, but there's going to
(08:00):
be a new name, a new look,there's gonna be giveaways and a
new theme song and more guestsand swag.
We are going to have just allthe things, a whole new life for
this podcast.
Activate has served me sowell, and hopefully you, because
(08:22):
that's the whole goal.
I hope that Activate hasserved you well, but I feel like
I've outgrown the concept ofActivate your life and get unstuck
from a less than life.
Right?
Like, these are what.
These are kind of the conceptsthat I built Activate around.
And so much has changed.
I do this on my own now.
No co host.
(08:42):
And the focus of what I sharehas changed.
And, you know, I think that isa really, really good thing.
I have felt a little scared.
I'm going off the notes here.
I'VE felt a little scared thatI'm, I'm.
I'm pushing people away by howmuch I'm talking about God and salvation
(09:09):
and the enemy and all of these things.
And I know for me, there arethings where I don't.
I immediately, like, say it's a.
A tick tock pops up and it'sabout, like, maybe it's about your
kids playing too many videogames, like what that's doing or
the dangers of YouTube for children.
And instead of, like, instead of.
(09:30):
Or that book, the Anxious Generation.
I bought that book because Ithink it would be so valuable, but
it is so convicting to mebecause all of my kids have had this
video game addiction andthey've spent a lot of time online
and I don't even want to hearit or read it because once you hear
it, you can't unhear it.
And I feel so convicted and soafraid to hear all the things that
(09:55):
maybe I've done wrong.
And I don't ever want you tofeel that way about tuning into this
podcast.
And so I feel like there'sthis fine line, but I also feel this
calling on my life to sharewhat the Holy Spirit is giving me
to share with you all.
So I.
I feel so aligned with thisnew vision and I can't wait to share
(10:17):
it with you because ultimatelyI do this for you and I also couldn't
do this without you.
So ahead of this course that Itook, I asked my producer, Jason
to tell me the numbers.
I never ask about the numbersbecause ultimately I don't care how
many people listen.
I don't care.
This has always been about.
This is a passion project of mine.
(10:39):
I show up because I love itand I love you.
And the feedback I've gottenis that you love it, too.
And so I just continue to show up.
It is truly just something inmy life that I loved.
So I don't care about the numbers.
But I felt like it was aquestion I might get asked.
And in trying to look slightlyprofessional, I felt like I should
probably know.
(11:00):
So I literally braced myselffor disappointment after I asked
him that question.
And over a fear that, again,all my talk about Jesus had turned
some of my audience away.
Well, to my surprise, thenumbers have stayed the same.
So they have.
I have not grown.
I have not gotten smaller.
(11:20):
I've.
I've stayed the same, whichwas such a blessing for me to hear.
And the other cool thing toput that into perspective for myself
was I asked my husband aboutour church and I'm like, how Many
people show up each week toour church, and he told me the number,
and I was just kind ofawestruck because the number of people
(11:42):
that show up here every singleweek is four times the number that,
like, my pastor gets to preachto every single week.
And that is such a responsibility.
And.
And I feel so grateful.
And I look at all these thingsbecause this is what I do.
It's like me comparing myincome to Jonathan's.
It's like, not comparable.
(12:02):
And so I do this too.
I'm like, well, Joe Rogan,like, dude, you don't gotta compare
yourself to the number onepodcast in the world.
Okay?
It's fine.
So it gave me really greatperspective on really the impact
that I can have.
And again, God showed me atthe beginning of the year that my
success is not in dollars.
It is an impact.
And.
And so that really, reallyexcited me.
(12:27):
So I also looked up some stats.
So in 2025, there are 4.4million podcasts and there are 505
million listeners of podcasts.
Like, that is incredible.
Imagine the opportunity apodcaster has to reach the masses.
That is absolutely wild to me.
(12:49):
But the even cooler part isthat only 22,000, 542 now, all these
numbers can change probablydepending on where you're looking,
but have over 200 episodes.
We are approaching 300episodes here.
Somewhere around 600,000 ofthose have had new content in the
(13:11):
last 90 days.
So we've had a ton of newcontent in the last 90 days.
I show up here every single Monday.
So that means that Activate isin the top 0.51% of podcasts for
a number of episodes, andwe're in the top 5% of all podcasts
for monthly downloads.
What?
(13:31):
Top 5%?
That's an A.
That's 95%.
That is something I wouldnever have known or absolutely never
have thought was possible orthat I could possibly be.
I don't know.
It's not a big deal.
I'm not, like, tooting my ownhorn, but that's so cool that you
guys have sustained this forso long, and I'm so grateful and
(13:53):
feel so blessed and even moreso, just so excited for what's coming
and what we're going to get todo here together.
So here's the other thingabout me that you probably won't
be surprised to hear.
So I have convinced myselfthat God has kept this community
small because it's safe.
So even though I said I didn'tsay the number, I'm not.
(14:15):
I'm not Going to.
It's still a small number.
We are a small group of people.
However, it was cool to seewhat the statistics show, right?
So I convinced myself that Godhas kept this community small to
really to keep me safe frommean people on the Internet because
I do not do well with Internet hate.
It's like 9, 11 for me.
(14:37):
I still remember exactly whereI was the first time a troll came
after me on the Internet aftera podcast episode.
It did not feel good.
It absolutely ruined my day.
Absolutely ruined my day.
It was so hard for me to deal with.
So I also know that I haven'tdone the work to grow the podcast
(14:57):
out of this same fear.
Like, I'm like, what if likesomething goes viral, clip goes viral
on TikTok and I'm not preparedfor all these people to come after
me.
But God has given me apowerful testimony and I feel, I
truly feel a divine calling onmy life to share.
(15:20):
And it means no more playingsmall because it's not for me anymore,
it's for him.
It is such a bigger purposethan me.
In the Bible, Peter tells usto do his work and speak out for
him, to tell others of thenight and day difference he he made
for you.
I am to be a witness and sharewhat God has done for me.
(15:42):
So as long as there's anunbeliever in my stratosphere, I
will keep sharing.
I believe with all my heartthat the eternal salvation of a single
soul is more important thananything else I will ever accomplish
in this life.
So I want to share something that.
It was actually in my emailthis morning, randomly.
I don't ever open these, butit was a devotion and I just want
(16:05):
to read it to you.
So it starts that Sunday evening.
The disciples were meetingbehind locked doors because they
were afraid of the Jewish leaders.
Suddenly, Jesus was standingthere among them.
Peace be with you, he said.
As he spoke, he showed themthe wounds in his hands and his side.
They were filled with joy whenthey saw the Lord.
(16:27):
If we were feeling.
I'm sorry.
If we were telling the originstory of the Christian church, this
would be a compelling first scene.
A handful of Jesus's followershiding behind closed doors, shell
shocked, confused and tooscared to show their faces in public.
Suddenly, the risen Jesusmiraculously appears in the flesh,
victorious over sin and death,confirming the truth of everything
(16:50):
he taught and promised them.
At some point, either whileJesus was in the room or after he
left, the truth must havedawned on them.
If the one they served is morepowerful than sin and death, then
one they had nothing to fear.
And two, the world needed to know.
We see their newfound boldnessand sense of purpose in the passages
that follow.
(17:10):
That's the power of the resurrection.
Armed with that power, thissmall group of believers changed
the world.
And most of them sacrificedtheir lives to do it.
According to church tradition,Peter took the Gospel to Pontus Galatia.
Just so you know, I don't knowhow to pronounce most of these words.
And that is not a prerequisitefor sharing about Jesus.
(17:32):
Thank God.
Bithynia, Cappadocia and Asia.
He was crucified upside downbecause he told his executioners
that he wasn't worthy of beingcrucified in the same manner as Jesus.
Andrew spread the Gospelthrough what is now Russia, Turkey
and Greece.
He too was crucified.
Thomas wasn't present whenJesus first appeared to the disciples
(17:53):
in John 20, and he doubtedtheir story.
But when Jesus appeared againand Thomas saw him, his doubts disappeared.
He took the good news ofJesus's resurrection all the way
to India.
He died after being impaled bythe spears of four soldiers.
Philip spread the Gospel inNorth Africa, in Asia Minor, after
he converted the wife of aRoman official.
(18:13):
The official had him put to death.
Matthew, the tax collector,traveled to Persia and Ethiopia to
spread Jesus message.
He was stabbed to death.
Bartholomew accompanied Thomasto India and also shared the Gospel
in Armenia, Ethiopia andsouthern Arabia.
He was crucified.
James, the son of AlphaAlphaeus, shared the good news of
(18:35):
Christ throughout Syria.
He was stoned and then clubbedto death.
Simon took the gospel to Persia.
He was put to death there whenhe refused to make a sacrifice to
the Son to the Sun God.
Matthias was the man chosen toreplace Judas Iscariot.
He shared the Gospel in Syria,where he was burned to death.
John is believed to be theonly disciple who died a natural
(18:57):
death.
He was exiled to the colony of Patmos.
The Apostle Paul traveledextensively to share the Gospel.
He was beheaded in Rome.
The Apostle John ended hisgospel with these words.
Jesus also did many other things.
If they were all written down,I suppose the whole world could not
contain the books that wouldbe written.
(19:17):
Among the many other thingswas the impact Jesus had on a small
group of ordinary people.
He changed their lives forever.
And in turn, they changed theworld in his name.
As Jesus followers, we'restill called to change the world
one life at a time.
We have good news to share thebest news.
In fact, if we're faithful toour calling, we can impact lives
(19:38):
for eternity.
I felt like that summed upexactly what I've been feeling and
exactly what I want thispodcast to be and what I want the
new and improved version.
I can't wait to share with youthe name that the Lord gave me that
the Holy Spirit put in myheart for this next iteration of.
(20:01):
Of this podcast.
So thank you for being here.
I truly, obviously could notdo this without you.
I show up here for you and Ishow up here for me, too.
But I can't be afraid ofpersecution or judgment or, you know,
Internet trolls, because allI'm doing, all I'm wanting to do
(20:22):
is share the truth of whatJesus did and offer the gift, the
free gift of salvation withevery single one of you.
And if I could ask one thingof you, it would be that you would
pick an episode that you lovedthat resonated with you or that made
you think of someone else inyour life and share that episode
with them.
(20:43):
Share it.
You can share it in yourstories on social media and tag the
person.
You can text them the.
The link to the podcast.
It would.
It's just the most simple waythat we can get the word out to more
people.
And I just pray that you would.
You would take the time toshare an episode of Activate.
Maybe it's my testimony.
(21:03):
I would love for you to sharemy testimony with anyone who could
be moved by it.
I am so eternally grateful forall of you and I hope that one day
we're all going to be inheaven together.
And I love you and I thank you.
I hope you have the mostwonderful week.
Later.
(21:26):
That's a wrap on anotherepisode of Activate.
Stay up to date by followingHristenleighballard on Instagram.
And if this episode made youlaugh, offered value, or simply entertained
you, please, like, share andgive a five star review on itunes.
Thanks for being here.
Love y'all.
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