October 9, 2024 • 43 mins
Fawn and Keith Weaver take us on an unforgettable journey through their love story to becoming the CEO of the most-awarded American whiskey for 5 years running. Celebrating over twenty years of marriage, they share how their partnership was built on a foundation of deep connection, mutual respect, and connection with the Lord. Fawn's book, "Love and Whiskey," weaves their personal narrative with the rich history of Uncle Nearest, the first Black master distiller, and his friendship with Jack Daniel. Together, the Weavers are dedicated to preserving this incredible legacy through the Uncle Nearest Distillery and the Nearest Green Foundation, showcasing the power of love, faith, and a shared mission.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Brad Aldrich (00:04):
Welcome to the Still Becoming One podcast.
We are Brad and Kate.
Kate Aldrich (00:10):
In our more than 20 years of marriage, we've
survived both dark times andexperienced restoration.
Brad Aldrich (00:15):
Now as a licensed marriage counselor and
relationship coaches.
We help couples to regain hopeand joy.
Kate Aldrich (00:23):
We invite you to journey with us, as we are still
becoming one.
Brad Aldrich (00:27):
Let's start the conversation.
Hello everyone, and welcome toStill Becoming One.
We are really excited that youare here with us today.
We've got a great, great showfor you.
Kate Aldrich (00:42):
We are super excited.
We have some guests with ustoday and I want to introduce
them a little bit.
I don't know that theynecessarily need it, but we
wanted to kind of share who theyare and how we've gotten to
know them a little bit out inthe marriage ministry world.
Now they're mainly in thewhiskey world, which we also
love, and so we are very honoredand excited to be hosting our
(01:04):
guests today Fawn and KeithWeaver.
We got to know Fawn and Keith alittle bit through being
marriage champions when Fawnpublished her first book called
Happy Wives Club, which wegreatly have appreciated their
focus on marriage that hasalways sort of had a focus or
(01:30):
push on just the happiness andthe joy we can experience in
marriage, the optimistic andjust that hope that like, as we
focus on that, that we canwithstand and have fun for the
the whole time of our marriage,which we just love.
Um, through that interactionbrad and I followed fawn and
(01:52):
keith's journey to lynchburg,tennessee, and the untold story
of nearest green, the firstblack master distiller and his
apprentice and friend jackdaniels.
So with that we have had thehonor of visiting Uncle Nearest
Distillery twice now.
Every time we launch a kid tocollege.
We go on a whiskey tour.
Brad Aldrich (02:11):
Seems like a really good idea.
Kate Aldrich (02:15):
So we have done that twice and found that it
feels like a little slice ofhome each time that we go there.
As a multi-race familyourselves, we're passionate
about bringing awareness tostories such as uncle nearest in
any way that we can as a family.
Fawn and Keith speak openlyabout their love for each other,
their marriage of I think it's20 or 21 years I'm not sure
(02:36):
where you guys are in that theirfaith and their founding of
uncle nearest distillery and thenearest green foundation.
Fawn recently released her bookLove and Whiskey which was
phenomenal we hope you all willcheck it out in which she shares
her journey of uncovering andnow sharing with the world the
story and legacy of UncleNearest, fawn and Keith.
(02:58):
A humble welcome to both of youtoday.
Thank you very much.
Keith Weaver (03:02):
Thanks for having us both of you today.
Yes, thank you very much.
Brad Aldrich (03:05):
Thanks for having us Breaking in with a super
quick announcement.
Don't miss it at the end.
We are going to have a giveawayfor two copies of love and
whiskey, Fawn Weaver's newbestselling book.
Don't miss it.
At the end We'll tell you howto enter.
Kate Aldrich (03:23):
We're super excited, we are.
Brad Aldrich (03:25):
Yeah, no, we're so excited.
We loved the book.
We loved kind of hearing someof the story of your journey and
how that wove together withUncle Nearest and Jack Daniels,
which is such a great thing, oneof the things that we wanted,
since we do a marriage podcast,we wanted to talk to you guys
about the relationship that madesome of this happen, and I got
(03:50):
to hear you speak, fawn, and oneof the things that you said I
think really well, and it's inthe book too is you said you
chose well when choosing.
Fawen Weaver (04:00):
Yes, I did, yes, I did.
Brad Aldrich (04:03):
What did you guys see in each other that you knew
you were choosing?
Fawen Weaver (04:07):
well, oh well, first of all, the way that I met
Keith is his mother set us up.
Okay, she, he met me, she hadspent a little bit of time
around me.
She was at, she owned a hairsalon in Los Angeles.
My girlfriend had been going toher for about 15 years and
Keith's mother's favorite topicis her son, her one and only son
(04:31):
, and so everyone in the salonwould be gossiping and, but not
his mother.
His mother just wanted to talkabout everything he did that
week and so he is absolutely her, her cherished gym and and she,
she spent a little bit of timearound me and she called Keith
(04:54):
and said I met your wife.
And no, no grown man wants tohear from his mother those words
.
So, so, so he, he wasuninterested in calling me and
it took her a while to get mynumber.
Actually it she, she, every weekthat I would go this was back
(05:16):
in the day, where it's not.
The appointments were like realappointments, not necessarily
cell phones and stuff, so shedidn't have my contact
information.
And every week I would go toget my hair done and she'd say
don't forget to leave yournumber before you leave, and
every week I would leave out andnot give my number.
And I realized after doing this, maybe four times, that either
(05:37):
I was going to have to find anew hairdresser, because she was
not letting off of this, or I'dhave to meet her son.
And so I called my girlfriendand I said tell me about this,
keith Weaver.
And she said, oh, dear son.
I said yes, and she said whatabout him?
And I told him you know whatshe said.
And she says no one's goodenough for Odia's son.
And so, babe, I'll let you takethe story from here.
Keith Weaver (06:04):
It's really cool and I feel valid for some,
because you wouldn't be able torecreate it today is that we
were able to develop arelationship without seeing one
another.
So in today's world there'sapps and there's swiping and
there's the Internet.
Of course there was theInternet when we met we're not
that but but there was nointernet when we met.
(06:26):
We're not that old, but therewas no Facebook.
And so our relationship wasreally began off of connecting
really on a blind date where wehad conversations and we talked
about family and faith andinterest and fun, and it was so
(06:46):
good that I almost didn't wantto mess it up by meeting her in
person, because my mom describedFawn as this woman who comes to
the salon, she reads and shehas a sweet spirit.
So paint that picture in yourhead of what you might think a
sweet spirit girl who's who canread a book like that's kind of
(07:08):
like maybe at least on thereading side, a low bar, but it
was just, it was just reallygreat.
And then when we finally met, uh, it was it's cliche, but it was
love at first sight.
And then since that time I'vebeen just rocking with my best
friend.
What's really cool is to seehow we develop and how our
(07:30):
relationship respects thosedevelopments of each of us as
individual, individual peopleand collectively as a couple.
So it's been quite awesome andbeautiful, yeah.
Fawen Weaver (07:43):
Kate, you were right.
It's been 20 years.
It'll be 21 years in.
Kate Aldrich (07:48):
December.
Brad Aldrich (07:49):
Okay, that's awesome.
Kate Aldrich (07:50):
That's amazing.
I love that, guys.
That's so great.
Brad Aldrich (07:53):
So there's this point in the book where you Fawn
had fallen in love with thisstory of Nearest Green, the
Green family, the call farm andits connection with Jack Daniels
, and you stumble upon thisopportunity to buy the farm and
(08:16):
you paint it in the book likethat was just like this easy.
Yeah, let's do it kind ofmarriage thing.
But those are huge harddecisions.
There's several places in thebook that you guys made big hard
decisions.
How do you guys do thattogether?
Fawen Weaver (08:34):
We spend a lot of time with the Lord and so the
alignment.
I think a lot of times peopleare focused on aligning with one
another.
We're actually focused onaligning with God and in that
alignment, that triangle.
So if you've got, you know, ifyou've got a perfect triangle,
right, then as long as we'reboth aligned, this is
(08:56):
automatically, that what bringsus together is automatically
going to make a perfect triangle, because we're we're both
aligned at the same place, andso for us I can't say that any
there's decisions in the bookthat I think would cause most
couples to go back and forth fora year, where Keith and I
(09:18):
probably made the decisions in10 seconds, because, again, our
alignment is with one anotheronly as a result of our primary
alignment, which is with god.
So, babe, do you want to add tothat?
I love that.
Keith Weaver (09:34):
I mean that was so well expressed.
I mean, we do, we?
I always say with fawn shethinks and moves like almost
it's one simultaneous action, asI'm teasing her, as I'm often,
you know, doing, but it's reallytrue of both of us.
I mean, our faith foundation isso strong and our instincts are
(09:59):
so aligned that we don't havetons of deliberation, we're able
to look at each other, thinkabout it, pray about it and move
, and it moves pretty rapidly.
So some of the things thatpeople said wow, you came on a
visit and then within a matterof hours, really a couple of
(10:19):
days, you're buying an entirefarm in a state where you don't
reside.
For us, that's kind of normal.
It's kind of normal.
And the reality is we've doneit multiple times and so I've
(10:40):
purchased things.
Fawn doesn't even know Ipurchased them and I'll drive by
and be like, oh babe, I forgotto tell you we bought this
building, okay.
Fawen Weaver (10:48):
This is true.
We have three buildings on thesquare that I've never been in.
But here's the thing and Ithink that this is the important
part, because it soundshaphazard if you don't
understand our relationship withGod and our prayer life our
relationship with God and ourprayer life.
So so that when I met, when Imet Keith, we had this amazing
(11:13):
conversation, as he described.
We talked on the phone and wetalked for hours and we get to
the end of the conversation andthe last thing I said to him was
I know that, you know we had agreat conversation.
I love talking to you, you lovetalking to me and I know that
you think that this is probablygoing to go somewhere.
However, if you wake uptomorrow morning and you have no
desire to call me, go with thatemotion yeah and he says it was
(11:39):
like a Jedi mind trick.
Right, but.
But.
But what I explained is it wasa prayer that I have prayed for.
At that point I had prayed this, that prayer, for about four or
five years.
At this point, I have prayedthat prayer for 28 years and or
27 years, and the prayer wasvery simple.
The prayer is is what I call mybox me in prayer?
(12:02):
Lord, if this is, your will openthe door in a manner in which
no man, including myself, canclose.
If it is not, your will thenclose the door in a manner in
which no man, including myself,can open.
And so for when Keith called meback, I already knew he was the
(12:24):
one.
Yeah, because the Lord shutdown on that prayer.
The Lord shut down everyone whocame before him, and, and, and.
So that is the same thing whenwe are.
The reason why I'm notconcerned when he, you know we
pass by a building and he says,hey, babe, we're an escrow for
that building is because theconstant prayer is if this is
(12:48):
not, your will close the door ina manner in which no man can
open, including us.
So if he opens a door for us togo through it, we're going to
go through it.
Brad Aldrich (12:59):
I love that.
Kate Aldrich (13:00):
That's phenomenal.
Brad Aldrich (13:01):
I love that.
So all right, but thisdefinitely cues up my next
question.
This one's for you, keith.
So I have encouraged.
I love that I married a strongwoman and I've encouraged other
men that, like at every women'sconference, proverbs 31 is read
as this ideal woman and I'veencouraged men.
(13:23):
We need to read that and figureout what it means to support
that strong woman wife.
You married a strong woman whois out there doing amazing
things.
What does it take for you to beable to do that?
Be that strong husband that sheneeds?
Keith Weaver (13:52):
do that, be that strong husband that she needs.
It's, it's a few things.
One, it's respect.
I think one of the challengessocietally that we grapple with
not so much me and it soundslike not so much you all is
people want to put genders inspecific boxes, people in
specific lanes, and they wantthe construct of marriage to be
(14:12):
defined by what these supposedlanes and boxes are supposed to
be.
And when you understand thatwe're human, that we're
developing, that we're changing,and you love the person you're
with and you appreciate thatthose changes are happening and
(14:33):
you're secure, you can love andsupport and play you can play it
from the back, as I can do.
And then sometimes that shiftswhere I'm in the front.
And there were years as anentertainment executive where we
go to these events andeverybody's focused on me
(14:57):
because I'm the entertainmentexecutive guy and then would
look to fawn, say so, what doyou do?
And now it's reversed.
Yeah, people will look at melike okay, well, what do you do?
I'm like nothing, just keepbumping along.
And so I think if you're not,you know again, like I said,
(15:17):
secure, but if you're not aperson that takes yourself so
seriously which I do not thattakes yourself so seriously
which I do not, and if I'm, youknow, confident and supportive
of what my, my best friend andpartner's goals and ambitions
are, and we're prayed up andconnected together, it's really
easy to support that strength.
(15:38):
I'm actually, you know, maybeoversharing, but I'm going to
share it anyway.
I'm attracted to strength?
Brad Aldrich (15:44):
Yeah, absolutely.
Keith Weaver (15:47):
You know, it's exciting, it's a lot of fun, and
so, and then that allows us tobuild things together which are
pretty cool.
Kate Aldrich (15:56):
I love that for sure.
Fawen Weaver (15:58):
So I want to add to something, because I think
this whole Proverbs 31 thing hasbeen turned into a bunch of
rubbish, nonsense that is notbiblical.
So let's talk about whatProverbs actually says.
The first thing it says is ofthe wife is she is worth far
more than rubies.
We have to understand inbiblical times, rubies were more
(16:21):
precious and rare and valuablethan what we now know as a
yellow diamond or a that.
So we need to start there,because we don't look at rubies
as being as rare as they wereback in biblical times.
So we need to begin there.
We then have to go to the factthat she selects wool and flax
(16:42):
and she works with her hands.
Right, she is a worker.
And so then people go oh well,she works at home, she sews.
So many women that work at homesews.
No, no, no.
It says she is like the merchantship bringing her food from
afar.
She gets up while it is nightto provide food for her family.
Okay, who made the husband thefull provider and and and
(17:06):
portions for her female servants?
Can we just hard stop here forevery Proverbs 31 woman who
thinks that they are supposed tocook clean, take care of the
kids, take care of the husband,go out where she had had
servants hard stop, let's not aservant.
And and and and it says femaleservants.
(17:29):
What does that mean?
That means that they had tospecify the female because there
were also male servants.
So you've got.
You've got that.
Then she considers a field andbuys it out of her earnings.
She plants a vineyard OK, nowthere's plenty more here and
(17:51):
about the fact that she'strading and her trading is
profitable.
The Proverbs 30 woman, 31 womanis a businesswoman with servants
looking, because all of thesewomen are miserable and trying
(18:13):
to find worth and trying to findpurpose, trying to live out.
This Proverbs 31 life that thechurch has convinced them is
something completely differentthan what is in the Bible.
It's also like the Christianswho then speak out against
drinking, when the Bible notonly did it not speak out
(18:35):
against drinking, but there's areason that Jesus's first
miracle performed was not justturning water into wine.
We've got to remember thecircumstances.
He turned water into wine at awedding, into wine at a wedding.
Now, mind you, in those daysthe weddings would last for days
and it was an absoluteembarrassment to run out of wine
(18:57):
at any point in the three-daywedding.
So the wedding would last fordays and people would be
drinking the entire time thiswedding.
They drank so much that thewine ran out.
(19:18):
So Jesus's mother asked for himto prevent the embarrassment to
make to turn water into winefor people who had already
consumed too much.
Okay, so let's, let's start here, and and.
And.
So the thing that's importantis is that then people will say
and I've heard this all the timein the church Well, you know,
what they were drinking thenisn't what we're drinking now.
It wasn't as fermented and itwasn't as strong.
(19:39):
Really, then why didn't?
Noah sleep with his daughtersBecause he drank too much.
I mean, what?
What kind of booze was that?
Kate Aldrich (19:46):
You don't recognize your daughter.
Fawen Weaver (19:49):
What kind of wine was that?
And and so what the Bibleadmonishes of us is to not get
drunk.
What the Bible admonishes of usis to drink and consume in
moderation, to consume incelebration.
That's why God created it.
We keep taking all theseamazing things that God created,
(20:10):
like the Sabbath, that so manyChristians refuse to take off.
They decide to spend 24 hoursvolunteering because Jesus said
in a parable would you not pullyour sheep out of a ditch?
Yes, but you're not doing thatevery week, Like Jesus was
referring to extreme situationswhere something might happen,
(20:30):
but the commandment is still torest.
And so all these amazing things.
Because God knew us so well andGod knew how he created us, he
gave us drink to imbibe, to notonly enjoy and to celebrate.
But there's a reason why.
During prohibition, the doctorswere giving prescriptions for
whiskey.
(20:51):
Hello, like and it, but it's allabout moderation, and so one of
the things that I think Keithand my life do is we really
challenged the miserable natureof what the church has created
in most Christian households.
Yes, most marriages not happy.
(21:12):
Keith and I I don't know amarriage genuinely more happy.
We laugh so much that peoplehave tried to put cameras in our
house for like reality shows,and Keith and I always always
say no, because no one wouldbelieve that we play and joke
and have this much fun becausethe world doesn't allow that for
(21:35):
married couples.
Yeah, correct.
And so now we're on 21 yearsand we can't even count the
number of times we say I loveyou in a day.
We can't count the number oftimes we hug and kiss each other
in a day, and that's somethingthat the church really messed up
, because the church has made itseem like marriage should,
(21:56):
should, just be so, much, somuch work, and and it's not if
you are laying down your lifefor your partner, for the one
that God chose for you, itshouldn't be that much work
Right.
Kate Aldrich (22:13):
Endurance, it's not.
It's not to endure, no.
Fawen Weaver (22:18):
Yeah, that's the, that's the intention and it's.
It's interesting becausethere's a book that's still, you
know, one of the most famousbooks of all time, called Think
and Grow Rich.
It's a guy by the name ofNapoleon Hill and he was hired
by Carnegie Andrew Carnegie togo and interview all of the
American titans of their day,right?
(22:40):
So you're talking about thepeople that we see on the side
of buildings Charles Schwab,john D Rockefeller, the people
that Benjamin Franklin, peoplethat we see in the history books
and, and we know, jp Morgan butwe sort of forget.
These were actually humanbeings, right, that actually
built things.
And he entered, he interviewedabout 500 of America's
(23:01):
millionaires and all ofAmerica's titans at that time to
do a college course and hewrote out this college course.
It's in this book called I.
I think it's like the, the, the10 laws of success, or
something like that it's.
It's literally looks like anacademic book to this day, the
way that they sell it, but whatso many people miss when in that
(23:23):
book, when reading and there'sa lot of stuff in the book I
toss out.
It doesn't apply to me becauseof my Christian faith, but I
don't believe in throwing outthe baby with the bathwater,
right, you just need to know theBible, to know what's what, and
, and Satan will float athousand truths just to get one
lie across.
And so you have to know, ok,what are the thousand truths and
(23:45):
what is the one lie, and tossout the one lie.
And so, going through the book,there's a lot of truths and
then there's some that is like,oh, satan, you tried to get in
there, okay, cool, you gottossed Right.
But one of the things that hesaid and I absolutely believe it
to be true is he said in all ofhis interviewing, the one thing
that was the top indicator asto whether or not a person would
(24:10):
fail or succeed in this lifewas the partner they chose.
And when people talk about thatbook and they talk about all
that, they never talk about thatone thing.
It's almost like when peopletalk about the Bible and they
talk about all these laws, butthey miss the law that is above
every law and above the prophets.
(24:31):
They miss that, that one right,and it's, it's the, it's the
same thing, and so I take veryseriously that God selected
someone for me and because ofthat I hold him in the highest
regard and the highest esteem.
I adore him.
I place him above everybody.
(24:52):
But God Right.
And when you do that, your egois checked at the door.
Like you it is.
There have been.
I can count on one hand thetimes my ego has gotten in the
way in our relationship, andevery single time it ends very
quickly with an apology.
Brad Aldrich (25:15):
Yeah, and when I even think back in those moments
my stomach still cringes yeah,I love the look he's giving you
right now, where he's like Idon't even know those times that
you're talking about right nowlike he's just like whatever,
there are water under the bridgeI really don't.
Keith Weaver (25:34):
It's so funny.
I was, I was what I was.
What I was thinking was I waslike she's so cute.
I just you know.
Kate Aldrich (25:40):
Well, that's what I actually thought when you were
saying that I was like he'schecking around um yeah, but I,
I love that.
I, I think you know.
Coming back to what we weretalking about with Proverbs 31,.
You like and I hope that I'mthis for you like, whatever
dreams you come up with, I wantto figure out how to make them
(26:02):
happen.
Brad Aldrich (26:02):
That's the next verse that Fawn stopped at.
I mean the next one is she goesto the gates and is talking up
her husband right, so there isthat place of it.
So is a partnership in thatProverbs 31 that we miss often
in this world.
Kate Aldrich (26:22):
Because he's walking alongside of her in ways
that allow all of that to bewhatever she's doing and
whatever she's accomplishing.
And I just appreciate thatabout you guys so much and I do
think you're not wrong.
It's something that's missingin marriages.
It's something that's missingin the church.
Brad Aldrich (26:40):
Yeah.
Kate Aldrich (26:41):
I mean Brad, and I could go on and on for that for
a long time, but I appreciatethat you guys are out there
showing that example of of theway that it biblically should be
.
Brad Aldrich (26:52):
And this kind of goes along with it.
Statistics show in Americancouples that couples who've been
married for more than 10 yearsI think the rate is now
something like they spend 20minutes a week in actual
dialogue together, and you guysare both incredibly busy.
The amount of things you'redoing.
(27:12):
I can't even imagine how muchyou guys are both incredibly
busy.
The amount of things you'redoing.
I can't even imagine how muchyou guys are doing.
But I've heard you severaltimes talk about making sure
you're spending time together,taking Sabbath together.
How do you guys do that?
How do you guys prioritize timetogether?
I'll tackle this one.
Kate Aldrich (27:30):
It's it's.
Keith Weaver (27:32):
It's it's, you know, what matters most, which
is one the Sabbath.
It's biblical, it's fun, it'ssaying as we all know.
And then you know, we all makechoices, and so there are ways
in which you can create excusesfor things.
We make the Sabbath and ourrelationship together a priority
.
So do we travel a lot?
(27:53):
Yes, it used to be.
On the first half of ourmarriage it was me that was
traveling far more because myjob was global, and now Fawn is
traveling an inordinate amountof time.
She's on the road to supportthe brand and the growth of
Uncle Nearest.
But we've made a priority forthe most part.
Wherever we are, and it's timefor us to observe the Sabbath,
(28:18):
we will come to where we are.
I mean so I'll fly to her,she'll come to me, and that's
just been something that we'vefound important.
We also, even in boomingperiods where there's a lot of
travel demands on us, we stillfind time to go find each other.
And Fawn has orchestrated herspeaking schedule and her travel
(28:43):
schedule to where she's notgone for weeks and weeks on end.
She makes it so that she's backon the weekend or I'm going to
meet her wherever she is, and soit's priorities right and then
we talk, we have a.
It doesn't happen in the way weprefer it to happen each day,
(29:05):
but we have a board meeting andsometimes it's when it's ideal
meeting and sometimes it's whenit's ideal board meeting is
really coffee hour, but, but theboard meeting sometimes it's
coffee hour and we're talkingabout nothing, sometimes we're
talking about something, yeah,and sometimes it's just minutes
(29:25):
of time, um, and sometimes it'sactually the board meeting in
the morning is actually in theevening because of just the way
today it's going to be in theevening because I had to get to
the office early.
So that's just where it is inthose foundational components.
Those things you put intoposition are fairly critical
(29:50):
because there's not that muchtime that goes without observing
these principles.
Fawn wrote a book entitled.
Well, she's written a couple, afew now.
A Happy Wives Club is one,argument of Free Marriages is
another, and really for both ofthose books it was really
getting after.
What are these principles?
(30:12):
What are these commondenominators for successful
relationships?
And for me, I really appreciateit because, unlike Vaughn's
parents I came from, you know,parents who divorced, and so
going into a relationship,particularly with marriage, you
know, sort of at the start of itwas really disconcerting to me
(30:37):
and I appreciate, wow, there arethose who have come before us,
those who have these verysuccessful marriages, and what
are those key ingredients and sowe've really folded that in.
And so we've really folded thatin.
(30:58):
I I know in the way fawn didthat research, it was really
fueled by.
This is amazing what we havebeing told.
Relationships don't last thislittle way.
No, your honeymoon, oh, it'syour one, it's your two, it's
your three, it's your five, okay, okay, it's year one, it's year
two, it's year three, it's yearfive, okay, it's 10 years, but
wait for the next 10 years.
And so, like putting this doomand gloom and this termination
on something that, in our case,has just developed, that cadence
(31:36):
for how we're connecting hasbeen just really foundationally
fortifying for us and it'spulled us closer together,
especially with what we dealwith.
Here's a little secret Mostpeople, when you look at us, and
if you Google Fawn and youGoogle me, like, ok, great, well
, two highly successful peoplethat join together and become
(31:59):
that much more successful.
Those books, which I love whenpeople have read them, like you
all, have a reallyfoundationally just a blessing
to us and I'm happy that it'shelped and been beneficial to so
(32:19):
many others.
Kate Aldrich (32:20):
Yeah, so good, that's so good.
Yeah, I love that.
I mean, I think, with thecouples that we work with, there
is that piece of people.
I find it painful when peoplesay like we just, we just don't
have the time, we just we can'tcarve it out.
And I mean, like you guys are,it's different, but our lives
(32:40):
are very, very busy, and I'mlike, but this is, this is what
we carve out and figure outfirst, and then fit everything
else into it.
Right, because that's what's?
That is our priority and ourour, um, yeah, our number one
after God.
And so I'm always thinking youcan, you can figure it out.
(33:01):
I know it's hard sometimes, butyou can.
Brad Aldrich (33:04):
Well, I I always end up challenging people that,
as long as the you know ratingsnetworks are saying that you
know, viewing hours keep goingup and amount of time on
Instagram and keep going up.
You can right Like you can makethat time.
It's just you need to choose itExactly, so exactly yeah.
Keith Weaver (33:26):
It reminds me of when Fawn and I first met.
I didn't grow up in a church,going home, you know.
So I'll be transparent in that.
And so I was saved as a lateteenager, and then I went deep
into work and just work, work,work, work, work.
(34:06):
And then so, when Vaughn and Imet, even though I was saved,
even though I had, you know,this faith foundation, it wasn't
as strong as I wanted it to bein one area in particular, which
is I didn't observe the Sabbath.
So, for Vaughn, a meeting, itwas a non-negotiable and it made
me nervous.
And it made me nervous becauseI had this crazy job, I was
climbing up the Hollywood ranksand I felt I needed to look at
the time of the Blackberry so Ineed to look at my Blackberry
all the time.
I have a global job and becauseit was a non-negotiable for
(34:33):
Fawn, the Blackberry aside andwhat I found and it's not
intuitive, but it's certainly inaccordance with faith, which is
when I put it aside todiscipline myself, to submit to
his word and his will I actuallyended up being that much more
productive, I actually got moreaccomplished.
And so, as it relates to whatwe've been talking about, oh, I
(34:56):
don't have time for the coffeehour or the time together or the
time for this.
I'm going to wait till thispoint to get to that time
Actually, that time may nevercome and actually, the time that
you're connecting with yourspouse, they end up benefiting
you in such a great way, evenbeyond the greater connectivity
(35:18):
to the two of you.
You know Fawn has shared withme and others that it's not just
two halves make one, it's amultiplication that we're
together, we are a superpowertogether.
That we're together.
Fawen Weaver (35:46):
We are a superpower together and so those
benefits we don't want to havepeople not benefit and rob
themselves of those things thatcan make them great and
superpowers that.
The church for so long hastaught that the husband is half,
the wife is half, and a halfplus a half equals a whole.
That's not how God intendedmarriage to be.
He intended for both of hischildren to be whole.
So marriage in the church hasbeen about addition.
(36:07):
But marriage in God's kingdomis about multiplication.
One whole person times onewhole person equals one whole
person.
That's what the two becomes oneneed.
God never said half and halfbecomes one.
He said the two become one.
How do two become one?
It's one times one equals one.
Kate Aldrich (36:28):
Right, I love that and I have to be honest, I
don't want half of Brad, I wantall of him, all of who.
Fawen Weaver (36:32):
God, I have to be honest.
Kate Aldrich (36:33):
I don't want half of Brad, I want all of him, all
of who God made him to be.
If it's half, that means we'reactually shedding some parts of
who God made him to be, and Ilove that.
I think that that is key.
Brad Aldrich (36:48):
And that is truly our vision for the podcast for
our blog that we did in the past, our podcast now of still
becoming one, and even ourministry, where we're helping
couples try and figure out whatdoes it look like to get back on
that journey of becoming one,so that so speaks to our hearts.
Kate Aldrich (37:06):
Yeah, for sure.
Brad Aldrich (37:08):
I know we have limited time because I know you
guys are super busy, but I couldnot help but acknowledge today,
october 1st, as we're recordingthis you released a new label
with Nearest Green's name on it.
Fawen Weaver (37:23):
Yes, we did.
Brad Aldrich (37:25):
Man like that is such a vision.
I wanted you to talk about whatthat means for the two of you.
Fawen Weaver (37:32):
Yeah, well, you know Uncle Nearest, that is what
everyone called him, right?
But if Nearest Green, duringthat period of time, would have
been able to own his owndistillery because, remember, in
the prime of when he wasworking and when he was
distilling for Jack,african-americans were property,
(37:52):
not considered people.
We were not allowed to patent,we were not allowed to trademark
, we were not allowed to ownbusinesses.
And so I have to think that ifhe was able to own a business,
if he did start a business hisfriend Jack Daniel had Jack
Daniels, I have to believe, andhad Jack Daniel distillery, I
(38:13):
have to believe he would havenamed his distillery nearest
green distillery.
And so one of the things that'sbeen confusing for people for
so long is that the brand nameis uncle nearest but we
intentionally did not name thedistillery uncle nearest
distillery.
And the reason is is because itwas always intended that
(38:33):
Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskeywould be what takes this company
to the next level.
That price point, that $29.99price point that is able to
compete with the big boys,that's able to go toe to toe,
that's able to go all around theworld.
That was always the case.
But if you think about it, whenwe began this if we had said the
(38:54):
name nearest green, if we hadput that on a bottle, people
would think number one.
They must have run out of namesto call something Number two.
It sounds like your closestgolf course.
So we really had to definenearest green as a human being.
Now when people say nearestgreen, they don't think about
the closest golf course, theythink about the human being.
(39:17):
But it took us about sevenyears to be able to do that.
For people, when you hear thename nearest green, to
immediately think of near screen, the master distiller, the
teacher of jack daniel, thementor of jack daniel, the only
known master distillery for jackdaniel distillery 7, we had to
define him as a human by puttinguncle in front of it first.
(39:40):
But now that we have done that,that line will still absolutely
remain that top tier $50 to$200 bottle.
But what will really go aroundthe world and what will go into
every market is NearscreenTennessee Whiskey.
Kate Aldrich (39:55):
Wow, that's awesome.
That's amazing.
Brad was so excited when he waslike they're announcing
something the day that we get totalk to them.
I know we announced it just two.
Fawen Weaver (40:05):
we just announced it two hours ago, so I'm talking
to you while my text messagesare flooding.
Kate Aldrich (40:11):
Oh, my goodness, yes.
Brad Aldrich (40:13):
So I saw it as soon as and just man, seeing
that name on a bottle, I'mreading the book, knowing how
much that's been a passion andhow God's been leading in that
passion for so long, and seeingthat today was just really kind
of cool.
Kate Aldrich (40:28):
So it was really awesome, absolutely, guys, it's
been phenomenal having you.
Thank you for taking time outof your busy schedule to chat
with us.
It has been an honor.
We're super thankful for youguys.
Fawen Weaver (40:43):
Yeah, it's just everything you are doing is just
near and dear to our hearts andwe will promote it, as in our
little way, as much as we can,because we appreciate it so very
much thank you very much,appreciate you thank you kate,
thank you brad, and I'm alwaysso grateful when, when people
have like zoom meetings or oranything in the middle of the
(41:03):
day, where I get to see keith inthe middle of the day this is
two days in a row where we'vehad zooms where I got to see him
in the middle of the day.
And because I don't actuallypay attention to my calendar
other than to do what it says todo, I didn't know he was on
this call.
I didn't know he was on the oneyesterday.
Kate Aldrich (41:20):
So this has just been awesome, oh good, good Well
, thank you so much, guys.
Yes, thank you.
Fawen Weaver (41:26):
Thank you, kate, appreciate you, Appreciate you
all, appreciate you, appreciateyou all.
Brad Aldrich (41:30):
Before we sign off today, we want to give you a
chance to get your hands on afree copy of the remarkable true
story of Jack Daniels, hismaster distiller, nearest Green,
and the improbable rise ofUncle Nearest, the book Love and
Whiskey by Fawn Weaver.
We had such a great timetalking with them and we loved
(41:50):
reading the book.
I think you will too.
All you have to do is go ontoInstagram, go to stillbecoming1,
follow our page and you'll seethe post where we talk about
love and whiskey and we talkabout this episode.
All we want you to do is likethat post and make a comment,
tell us something that you likedabout the episode, and we will
(42:12):
be choosing two people onOctober 23rd 2024 to receive a
free copy of the book.
So watch your DMs.
We'll be sending you a messagefor your address and we hope
that you enjoy the book as muchas we do.
So thank you guys.
So much for tuning in.
Until next time, I'm BradAldrich.
Kate Aldrich (42:33):
And I'm Kate Aldrich.
Be kind and take care of eachother.
Brad Aldrich (42:37):
Still Becoming One is a production of Aldrich
Ministries.
For more information about Bradand Kate's coaching ministry
courses and speakingopportunities, you can find us
at aldrichministriescom.
At aldrichministriescom Forpodcast show notes and links to
resources in all of our socialmedia.
Be sure to visit us atstillbecomingonecom and don't
(43:00):
forget to like this episodewherever you get your podcasts,
and be sure to follow us tocontinue your journey on Still
Becoming One.
Welcome to the Still Becoming One podcast.
We are Brad and Kate.
Kate Aldrich (00:10):
In our more than 20 years of marriage, we've
survived both dark times andexperienced restoration.
Brad Aldrich (00:15):
Now as a licensed marriage counselor and
relationship coaches.
We help couples to regain hopeand joy.
Kate Aldrich (00:23):
We invite you to journey with us, as we are still
becoming one.
Brad Aldrich (00:27):
Let's start the conversation.
Hello everyone, and welcome toStill Becoming One.
We are really excited that youare here with us today.
We've got a great, great showfor you.
Kate Aldrich (00:42):
We are super excited.
We have some guests with ustoday and I want to introduce
them a little bit.
I don't know that theynecessarily need it, but we
wanted to kind of share who theyare and how we've gotten to
know them a little bit out inthe marriage ministry world.
Now they're mainly in thewhiskey world, which we also
love, and so we are very honoredand excited to be hosting our
(01:04):
guests today Fawn and KeithWeaver.
We got to know Fawn and Keith alittle bit through being
marriage champions when Fawnpublished her first book called
Happy Wives Club, which wegreatly have appreciated their
focus on marriage that hasalways sort of had a focus or
(01:30):
push on just the happiness andthe joy we can experience in
marriage, the optimistic andjust that hope that like, as we
focus on that, that we canwithstand and have fun for the
the whole time of our marriage,which we just love.
Um, through that interactionbrad and I followed fawn and
(01:52):
keith's journey to lynchburg,tennessee, and the untold story
of nearest green, the firstblack master distiller and his
apprentice and friend jackdaniels.
So with that we have had thehonor of visiting Uncle Nearest
Distillery twice now.
Every time we launch a kid tocollege.
We go on a whiskey tour.
Brad Aldrich (02:11):
Seems like a really good idea.
Kate Aldrich (02:15):
So we have done that twice and found that it
feels like a little slice ofhome each time that we go there.
As a multi-race familyourselves, we're passionate
about bringing awareness tostories such as uncle nearest in
any way that we can as a family.
Fawn and Keith speak openlyabout their love for each other,
their marriage of I think it's20 or 21 years I'm not sure
(02:36):
where you guys are in that theirfaith and their founding of
uncle nearest distillery and thenearest green foundation.
Fawn recently released her bookLove and Whiskey which was
phenomenal we hope you all willcheck it out in which she shares
her journey of uncovering andnow sharing with the world the
story and legacy of UncleNearest, fawn and Keith.
(02:58):
A humble welcome to both of youtoday.
Thank you very much.
Keith Weaver (03:02):
Thanks for having us both of you today.
Yes, thank you very much.
Brad Aldrich (03:05):
Thanks for having us Breaking in with a super
quick announcement.
Don't miss it at the end.
We are going to have a giveawayfor two copies of love and
whiskey, Fawn Weaver's newbestselling book.
Don't miss it.
At the end We'll tell you howto enter.
Kate Aldrich (03:23):
We're super excited, we are.
Brad Aldrich (03:25):
Yeah, no, we're so excited.
We loved the book.
We loved kind of hearing someof the story of your journey and
how that wove together withUncle Nearest and Jack Daniels,
which is such a great thing, oneof the things that we wanted,
since we do a marriage podcast,we wanted to talk to you guys
about the relationship that madesome of this happen, and I got
(03:50):
to hear you speak, fawn, and oneof the things that you said I
think really well, and it's inthe book too is you said you
chose well when choosing.
Fawen Weaver (04:00):
Yes, I did, yes, I did.
Brad Aldrich (04:03):
What did you guys see in each other that you knew
you were choosing?
Fawen Weaver (04:07):
well, oh well, first of all, the way that I met
Keith is his mother set us up.
Okay, she, he met me, she hadspent a little bit of time
around me.
She was at, she owned a hairsalon in Los Angeles.
My girlfriend had been going toher for about 15 years and
Keith's mother's favorite topicis her son, her one and only son
(04:31):
, and so everyone in the salonwould be gossiping and, but not
his mother.
His mother just wanted to talkabout everything he did that
week and so he is absolutely her, her cherished gym and and she,
she spent a little bit of timearound me and she called Keith
(04:54):
and said I met your wife.
And no, no grown man wants tohear from his mother those words
.
So, so, so he, he wasuninterested in calling me and
it took her a while to get mynumber.
Actually it she, she, every weekthat I would go this was back
(05:16):
in the day, where it's not.
The appointments were like realappointments, not necessarily
cell phones and stuff, so shedidn't have my contact
information.
And every week I would go toget my hair done and she'd say
don't forget to leave yournumber before you leave, and
every week I would leave out andnot give my number.
And I realized after doing this, maybe four times, that either
(05:37):
I was going to have to find anew hairdresser, because she was
not letting off of this, or I'dhave to meet her son.
And so I called my girlfriendand I said tell me about this,
keith Weaver.
And she said, oh, dear son.
I said yes, and she said whatabout him?
And I told him you know whatshe said.
And she says no one's goodenough for Odia's son.
And so, babe, I'll let you takethe story from here.
Keith Weaver (06:04):
It's really cool and I feel valid for some,
because you wouldn't be able torecreate it today is that we
were able to develop arelationship without seeing one
another.
So in today's world there'sapps and there's swiping and
there's the Internet.
Of course there was theInternet when we met we're not
that but but there was nointernet when we met.
(06:26):
We're not that old, but therewas no Facebook.
And so our relationship wasreally began off of connecting
really on a blind date where wehad conversations and we talked
about family and faith andinterest and fun, and it was so
(06:46):
good that I almost didn't wantto mess it up by meeting her in
person, because my mom describedFawn as this woman who comes to
the salon, she reads and shehas a sweet spirit.
So paint that picture in yourhead of what you might think a
sweet spirit girl who's who canread a book like that's kind of
(07:08):
like maybe at least on thereading side, a low bar, but it
was just, it was just reallygreat.
And then when we finally met, uh, it was it's cliche, but it was
love at first sight.
And then since that time I'vebeen just rocking with my best
friend.
What's really cool is to seehow we develop and how our
(07:30):
relationship respects thosedevelopments of each of us as
individual, individual peopleand collectively as a couple.
So it's been quite awesome andbeautiful, yeah.
Fawen Weaver (07:43):
Kate, you were right.
It's been 20 years.
It'll be 21 years in.
Kate Aldrich (07:48):
December.
Brad Aldrich (07:49):
Okay, that's awesome.
Kate Aldrich (07:50):
That's amazing.
I love that, guys.
That's so great.
Brad Aldrich (07:53):
So there's this point in the book where you Fawn
had fallen in love with thisstory of Nearest Green, the
Green family, the call farm andits connection with Jack Daniels
, and you stumble upon thisopportunity to buy the farm and
(08:16):
you paint it in the book likethat was just like this easy.
Yeah, let's do it kind ofmarriage thing.
But those are huge harddecisions.
There's several places in thebook that you guys made big hard
decisions.
How do you guys do thattogether?
Fawen Weaver (08:34):
We spend a lot of time with the Lord and so the
alignment.
I think a lot of times peopleare focused on aligning with one
another.
We're actually focused onaligning with God and in that
alignment, that triangle.
So if you've got, you know, ifyou've got a perfect triangle,
right, then as long as we'reboth aligned, this is
(08:56):
automatically, that what bringsus together is automatically
going to make a perfect triangle, because we're we're both
aligned at the same place, andso for us I can't say that any
there's decisions in the bookthat I think would cause most
couples to go back and forth fora year, where Keith and I
(09:18):
probably made the decisions in10 seconds, because, again, our
alignment is with one anotheronly as a result of our primary
alignment, which is with god.
So, babe, do you want to add tothat?
I love that.
Keith Weaver (09:34):
I mean that was so well expressed.
I mean, we do, we?
I always say with fawn shethinks and moves like almost
it's one simultaneous action, asI'm teasing her, as I'm often,
you know, doing, but it's reallytrue of both of us.
I mean, our faith foundation isso strong and our instincts are
(09:59):
so aligned that we don't havetons of deliberation, we're able
to look at each other, thinkabout it, pray about it and move
, and it moves pretty rapidly.
So some of the things thatpeople said wow, you came on a
visit and then within a matterof hours, really a couple of
(10:19):
days, you're buying an entirefarm in a state where you don't
reside.
For us, that's kind of normal.
It's kind of normal.
And the reality is we've doneit multiple times and so I've
(10:40):
purchased things.
Fawn doesn't even know Ipurchased them and I'll drive by
and be like, oh babe, I forgotto tell you we bought this
building, okay.
Fawen Weaver (10:48):
This is true.
We have three buildings on thesquare that I've never been in.
But here's the thing and Ithink that this is the important
part, because it soundshaphazard if you don't
understand our relationship withGod and our prayer life our
relationship with God and ourprayer life.
So so that when I met, when Imet Keith, we had this amazing
(11:13):
conversation, as he described.
We talked on the phone and wetalked for hours and we get to
the end of the conversation andthe last thing I said to him was
I know that, you know we had agreat conversation.
I love talking to you, you lovetalking to me and I know that
you think that this is probablygoing to go somewhere.
However, if you wake uptomorrow morning and you have no
desire to call me, go with thatemotion yeah and he says it was
(11:39):
like a Jedi mind trick.
Right, but.
But.
But what I explained is it wasa prayer that I have prayed for.
At that point I had prayed this, that prayer, for about four or
five years.
At this point, I have prayedthat prayer for 28 years and or
27 years, and the prayer wasvery simple.
The prayer is is what I call mybox me in prayer?
(12:02):
Lord, if this is, your will openthe door in a manner in which
no man, including myself, canclose.
If it is not, your will thenclose the door in a manner in
which no man, including myself,can open.
And so for when Keith called meback, I already knew he was the
(12:24):
one.
Yeah, because the Lord shutdown on that prayer.
The Lord shut down everyone whocame before him, and, and, and.
So that is the same thing whenwe are.
The reason why I'm notconcerned when he, you know we
pass by a building and he says,hey, babe, we're an escrow for
that building is because theconstant prayer is if this is
(12:48):
not, your will close the door ina manner in which no man can
open, including us.
So if he opens a door for us togo through it, we're going to
go through it.
Brad Aldrich (12:59):
I love that.
Kate Aldrich (13:00):
That's phenomenal.
Brad Aldrich (13:01):
I love that.
So all right, but thisdefinitely cues up my next
question.
This one's for you, keith.
So I have encouraged.
I love that I married a strongwoman and I've encouraged other
men that, like at every women'sconference, proverbs 31 is read
as this ideal woman and I'veencouraged men.
(13:23):
We need to read that and figureout what it means to support
that strong woman wife.
You married a strong woman whois out there doing amazing
things.
What does it take for you to beable to do that?
Be that strong husband that sheneeds?
Keith Weaver (13:52):
do that, be that strong husband that she needs.
It's, it's a few things.
One, it's respect.
I think one of the challengessocietally that we grapple with
not so much me and it soundslike not so much you all is
people want to put genders inspecific boxes, people in
specific lanes, and they wantthe construct of marriage to be
(14:12):
defined by what these supposedlanes and boxes are supposed to
be.
And when you understand thatwe're human, that we're
developing, that we're changing,and you love the person you're
with and you appreciate thatthose changes are happening and
(14:33):
you're secure, you can love andsupport and play you can play it
from the back, as I can do.
And then sometimes that shiftswhere I'm in the front.
And there were years as anentertainment executive where we
go to these events andeverybody's focused on me
(14:57):
because I'm the entertainmentexecutive guy and then would
look to fawn, say so, what doyou do?
And now it's reversed.
Yeah, people will look at melike okay, well, what do you do?
I'm like nothing, just keepbumping along.
And so I think if you're not,you know again, like I said,
(15:17):
secure, but if you're not aperson that takes yourself so
seriously which I do not thattakes yourself so seriously
which I do not, and if I'm, youknow, confident and supportive
of what my, my best friend andpartner's goals and ambitions
are, and we're prayed up andconnected together, it's really
easy to support that strength.
(15:38):
I'm actually, you know, maybeoversharing, but I'm going to
share it anyway.
I'm attracted to strength?
Brad Aldrich (15:44):
Yeah, absolutely.
Keith Weaver (15:47):
You know, it's exciting, it's a lot of fun, and
so, and then that allows us tobuild things together which are
pretty cool.
Kate Aldrich (15:56):
I love that for sure.
Fawen Weaver (15:58):
So I want to add to something, because I think
this whole Proverbs 31 thing hasbeen turned into a bunch of
rubbish, nonsense that is notbiblical.
So let's talk about whatProverbs actually says.
The first thing it says is ofthe wife is she is worth far
more than rubies.
We have to understand inbiblical times, rubies were more
(16:21):
precious and rare and valuablethan what we now know as a
yellow diamond or a that.
So we need to start there,because we don't look at rubies
as being as rare as they wereback in biblical times.
So we need to begin there.
We then have to go to the factthat she selects wool and flax
(16:42):
and she works with her hands.
Right, she is a worker.
And so then people go oh well,she works at home, she sews.
So many women that work at homesews.
No, no, no.
It says she is like the merchantship bringing her food from
afar.
She gets up while it is nightto provide food for her family.
Okay, who made the husband thefull provider and and and
(17:06):
portions for her female servants?
Can we just hard stop here forevery Proverbs 31 woman who
thinks that they are supposed tocook clean, take care of the
kids, take care of the husband,go out where she had had
servants hard stop, let's not aservant.
And and and and it says femaleservants.
(17:29):
What does that mean?
That means that they had tospecify the female because there
were also male servants.
So you've got.
You've got that.
Then she considers a field andbuys it out of her earnings.
She plants a vineyard OK, nowthere's plenty more here and
(17:51):
about the fact that she'strading and her trading is
profitable.
The Proverbs 30 woman, 31 womanis a businesswoman with servants
looking, because all of thesewomen are miserable and trying
(18:13):
to find worth and trying to findpurpose, trying to live out.
This Proverbs 31 life that thechurch has convinced them is
something completely differentthan what is in the Bible.
It's also like the Christianswho then speak out against
drinking, when the Bible notonly did it not speak out
(18:35):
against drinking, but there's areason that Jesus's first
miracle performed was not justturning water into wine.
We've got to remember thecircumstances.
He turned water into wine at awedding, into wine at a wedding.
Now, mind you, in those daysthe weddings would last for days
and it was an absoluteembarrassment to run out of wine
(18:57):
at any point in the three-daywedding.
So the wedding would last fordays and people would be
drinking the entire time thiswedding.
They drank so much that thewine ran out.
(19:18):
So Jesus's mother asked for himto prevent the embarrassment to
make to turn water into winefor people who had already
consumed too much.
Okay, so let's, let's start here, and and.
And.
So the thing that's importantis is that then people will say
and I've heard this all the timein the church Well, you know,
what they were drinking thenisn't what we're drinking now.
It wasn't as fermented and itwasn't as strong.
(19:39):
Really, then why didn't?
Noah sleep with his daughtersBecause he drank too much.
I mean, what?
What kind of booze was that?
Kate Aldrich (19:46):
You don't recognize your daughter.
Fawen Weaver (19:49):
What kind of wine was that?
And and so what the Bibleadmonishes of us is to not get
drunk.
What the Bible admonishes of usis to drink and consume in
moderation, to consume incelebration.
That's why God created it.
We keep taking all theseamazing things that God created,
(20:10):
like the Sabbath, that so manyChristians refuse to take off.
They decide to spend 24 hoursvolunteering because Jesus said
in a parable would you not pullyour sheep out of a ditch?
Yes, but you're not doing thatevery week, Like Jesus was
referring to extreme situationswhere something might happen,
(20:30):
but the commandment is still torest.
And so all these amazing things.
Because God knew us so well andGod knew how he created us, he
gave us drink to imbibe, to notonly enjoy and to celebrate.
But there's a reason why.
During prohibition, the doctorswere giving prescriptions for
whiskey.
(20:51):
Hello, like and it, but it's allabout moderation, and so one of
the things that I think Keithand my life do is we really
challenged the miserable natureof what the church has created
in most Christian households.
Yes, most marriages not happy.
(21:12):
Keith and I I don't know amarriage genuinely more happy.
We laugh so much that peoplehave tried to put cameras in our
house for like reality shows,and Keith and I always always
say no, because no one wouldbelieve that we play and joke
and have this much fun becausethe world doesn't allow that for
(21:35):
married couples.
Yeah, correct.
And so now we're on 21 yearsand we can't even count the
number of times we say I loveyou in a day.
We can't count the number oftimes we hug and kiss each other
in a day, and that's somethingthat the church really messed up
, because the church has made itseem like marriage should,
(21:56):
should, just be so, much, somuch work, and and it's not if
you are laying down your lifefor your partner, for the one
that God chose for you, itshouldn't be that much work
Right.
Kate Aldrich (22:13):
Endurance, it's not.
It's not to endure, no.
Fawen Weaver (22:18):
Yeah, that's the, that's the intention and it's.
It's interesting becausethere's a book that's still, you
know, one of the most famousbooks of all time, called Think
and Grow Rich.
It's a guy by the name ofNapoleon Hill and he was hired
by Carnegie Andrew Carnegie togo and interview all of the
American titans of their day,right?
(22:40):
So you're talking about thepeople that we see on the side
of buildings Charles Schwab,john D Rockefeller, the people
that Benjamin Franklin, peoplethat we see in the history books
and, and we know, jp Morgan butwe sort of forget.
These were actually humanbeings, right, that actually
built things.
And he entered, he interviewedabout 500 of America's
(23:01):
millionaires and all ofAmerica's titans at that time to
do a college course and hewrote out this college course.
It's in this book called I.
I think it's like the, the, the10 laws of success, or
something like that it's.
It's literally looks like anacademic book to this day, the
way that they sell it, but whatso many people miss when in that
(23:23):
book, when reading and there'sa lot of stuff in the book I
toss out.
It doesn't apply to me becauseof my Christian faith, but I
don't believe in throwing outthe baby with the bathwater,
right, you just need to know theBible, to know what's what, and
, and Satan will float athousand truths just to get one
lie across.
And so you have to know, ok,what are the thousand truths and
(23:45):
what is the one lie, and tossout the one lie.
And so, going through the book,there's a lot of truths and
then there's some that is like,oh, satan, you tried to get in
there, okay, cool, you gottossed Right.
But one of the things that hesaid and I absolutely believe it
to be true is he said in all ofhis interviewing, the one thing
that was the top indicator asto whether or not a person would
(24:10):
fail or succeed in this lifewas the partner they chose.
And when people talk about thatbook and they talk about all
that, they never talk about thatone thing.
It's almost like when peopletalk about the Bible and they
talk about all these laws, butthey miss the law that is above
every law and above the prophets.
(24:31):
They miss that, that one right,and it's, it's the, it's the
same thing, and so I take veryseriously that God selected
someone for me and because ofthat I hold him in the highest
regard and the highest esteem.
I adore him.
I place him above everybody.
(24:52):
But God Right.
And when you do that, your egois checked at the door.
Like you it is.
There have been.
I can count on one hand thetimes my ego has gotten in the
way in our relationship, andevery single time it ends very
quickly with an apology.
Brad Aldrich (25:15):
Yeah, and when I even think back in those moments
my stomach still cringes yeah,I love the look he's giving you
right now, where he's like Idon't even know those times that
you're talking about right nowlike he's just like whatever,
there are water under the bridgeI really don't.
Keith Weaver (25:34):
It's so funny.
I was, I was what I was.
What I was thinking was I waslike she's so cute.
I just you know.
Kate Aldrich (25:40):
Well, that's what I actually thought when you were
saying that I was like he'schecking around um yeah, but I,
I love that.
I, I think you know.
Coming back to what we weretalking about with Proverbs 31,.
You like and I hope that I'mthis for you like, whatever
dreams you come up with, I wantto figure out how to make them
(26:02):
happen.
Brad Aldrich (26:02):
That's the next verse that Fawn stopped at.
I mean the next one is she goesto the gates and is talking up
her husband right, so there isthat place of it.
So is a partnership in thatProverbs 31 that we miss often
in this world.
Kate Aldrich (26:22):
Because he's walking alongside of her in ways
that allow all of that to bewhatever she's doing and
whatever she's accomplishing.
And I just appreciate thatabout you guys so much and I do
think you're not wrong.
It's something that's missingin marriages.
It's something that's missingin the church.
Brad Aldrich (26:40):
Yeah.
Kate Aldrich (26:41):
I mean Brad, and I could go on and on for that for
a long time, but I appreciatethat you guys are out there
showing that example of of theway that it biblically should be
.
Brad Aldrich (26:52):
And this kind of goes along with it.
Statistics show in Americancouples that couples who've been
married for more than 10 yearsI think the rate is now
something like they spend 20minutes a week in actual
dialogue together, and you guysare both incredibly busy.
The amount of things you'redoing.
(27:12):
I can't even imagine how muchyou guys are both incredibly
busy.
The amount of things you'redoing.
I can't even imagine how muchyou guys are doing.
But I've heard you severaltimes talk about making sure
you're spending time together,taking Sabbath together.
How do you guys do that?
How do you guys prioritize timetogether?
I'll tackle this one.
Kate Aldrich (27:30):
It's it's.
Keith Weaver (27:32):
It's it's, you know, what matters most, which
is one the Sabbath.
It's biblical, it's fun, it'ssaying as we all know.
And then you know, we all makechoices, and so there are ways
in which you can create excusesfor things.
We make the Sabbath and ourrelationship together a priority
.
So do we travel a lot?
(27:53):
Yes, it used to be.
On the first half of ourmarriage it was me that was
traveling far more because myjob was global, and now Fawn is
traveling an inordinate amountof time.
She's on the road to supportthe brand and the growth of
Uncle Nearest.
But we've made a priority forthe most part.
Wherever we are, and it's timefor us to observe the Sabbath,
(28:18):
we will come to where we are.
I mean so I'll fly to her,she'll come to me, and that's
just been something that we'vefound important.
We also, even in boomingperiods where there's a lot of
travel demands on us, we stillfind time to go find each other.
And Fawn has orchestrated herspeaking schedule and her travel
(28:43):
schedule to where she's notgone for weeks and weeks on end.
She makes it so that she's backon the weekend or I'm going to
meet her wherever she is, and soit's priorities right and then
we talk, we have a.
It doesn't happen in the way weprefer it to happen each day,
(29:05):
but we have a board meeting andsometimes it's when it's ideal
meeting and sometimes it's whenit's ideal board meeting is
really coffee hour, but, but theboard meeting sometimes it's
coffee hour and we're talkingabout nothing, sometimes we're
talking about something, yeah,and sometimes it's just minutes
(29:25):
of time, um, and sometimes it'sactually the board meeting in
the morning is actually in theevening because of just the way
today it's going to be in theevening because I had to get to
the office early.
So that's just where it is inthose foundational components.
Those things you put intoposition are fairly critical
(29:50):
because there's not that muchtime that goes without observing
these principles.
Fawn wrote a book entitled.
Well, she's written a couple, afew now.
A Happy Wives Club is one,argument of Free Marriages is
another, and really for both ofthose books it was really
getting after.
What are these principles?
(30:12):
What are these commondenominators for successful
relationships?
And for me, I really appreciateit because, unlike Vaughn's
parents I came from, you know,parents who divorced, and so
going into a relationship,particularly with marriage, you
know, sort of at the start of itwas really disconcerting to me
(30:37):
and I appreciate, wow, there arethose who have come before us,
those who have these verysuccessful marriages, and what
are those key ingredients and sowe've really folded that in.
And so we've really folded thatin.
(30:58):
I I know in the way fawn didthat research, it was really
fueled by.
This is amazing what we havebeing told.
Relationships don't last thislittle way.
No, your honeymoon, oh, it'syour one, it's your two, it's
your three, it's your five, okay, okay, it's year one, it's year
two, it's year three, it's yearfive, okay, it's 10 years, but
wait for the next 10 years.
And so, like putting this doomand gloom and this termination
on something that, in our case,has just developed, that cadence
(31:36):
for how we're connecting hasbeen just really foundationally
fortifying for us and it'spulled us closer together,
especially with what we dealwith.
Here's a little secret Mostpeople, when you look at us, and
if you Google Fawn and youGoogle me, like, ok, great, well
, two highly successful peoplethat join together and become
(31:59):
that much more successful.
Those books, which I love whenpeople have read them, like you
all, have a reallyfoundationally just a blessing
to us and I'm happy that it'shelped and been beneficial to so
(32:19):
many others.
Kate Aldrich (32:20):
Yeah, so good, that's so good.
Yeah, I love that.
I mean, I think, with thecouples that we work with, there
is that piece of people.
I find it painful when peoplesay like we just, we just don't
have the time, we just we can'tcarve it out.
And I mean, like you guys are,it's different, but our lives
(32:40):
are very, very busy, and I'mlike, but this is, this is what
we carve out and figure outfirst, and then fit everything
else into it.
Right, because that's what's?
That is our priority and ourour, um, yeah, our number one
after God.
And so I'm always thinking youcan, you can figure it out.
(33:01):
I know it's hard sometimes, butyou can.
Brad Aldrich (33:04):
Well, I I always end up challenging people that,
as long as the you know ratingsnetworks are saying that you
know, viewing hours keep goingup and amount of time on
Instagram and keep going up.
You can right Like you can makethat time.
It's just you need to choose itExactly, so exactly yeah.
Keith Weaver (33:26):
It reminds me of when Fawn and I first met.
I didn't grow up in a church,going home, you know.
So I'll be transparent in that.
And so I was saved as a lateteenager, and then I went deep
into work and just work, work,work, work, work.
(34:06):
And then so, when Vaughn and Imet, even though I was saved,
even though I had, you know,this faith foundation, it wasn't
as strong as I wanted it to bein one area in particular, which
is I didn't observe the Sabbath.
So, for Vaughn, a meeting, itwas a non-negotiable and it made
me nervous.
And it made me nervous becauseI had this crazy job, I was
climbing up the Hollywood ranksand I felt I needed to look at
the time of the Blackberry so Ineed to look at my Blackberry
all the time.
I have a global job and becauseit was a non-negotiable for
(34:33):
Fawn, the Blackberry aside andwhat I found and it's not
intuitive, but it's certainly inaccordance with faith, which is
when I put it aside todiscipline myself, to submit to
his word and his will I actuallyended up being that much more
productive, I actually got moreaccomplished.
And so, as it relates to whatwe've been talking about, oh, I
(34:56):
don't have time for the coffeehour or the time together or the
time for this.
I'm going to wait till thispoint to get to that time
Actually, that time may nevercome and actually, the time that
you're connecting with yourspouse, they end up benefiting
you in such a great way, evenbeyond the greater connectivity
(35:18):
to the two of you.
You know Fawn has shared withme and others that it's not just
two halves make one, it's amultiplication that we're
together, we are a superpowertogether.
That we're together.
Fawen Weaver (35:46):
We are a superpower together and so those
benefits we don't want to havepeople not benefit and rob
themselves of those things thatcan make them great and
superpowers that.
The church for so long hastaught that the husband is half,
the wife is half, and a halfplus a half equals a whole.
That's not how God intendedmarriage to be.
He intended for both of hischildren to be whole.
So marriage in the church hasbeen about addition.
(36:07):
But marriage in God's kingdomis about multiplication.
One whole person times onewhole person equals one whole
person.
That's what the two becomes oneneed.
God never said half and halfbecomes one.
He said the two become one.
How do two become one?
It's one times one equals one.
Kate Aldrich (36:28):
Right, I love that and I have to be honest, I
don't want half of Brad, I wantall of him, all of who.
Fawen Weaver (36:32):
God, I have to be honest.
Kate Aldrich (36:33):
I don't want half of Brad, I want all of him, all
of who God made him to be.
If it's half, that means we'reactually shedding some parts of
who God made him to be, and Ilove that.
I think that that is key.
Brad Aldrich (36:48):
And that is truly our vision for the podcast for
our blog that we did in the past, our podcast now of still
becoming one, and even ourministry, where we're helping
couples try and figure out whatdoes it look like to get back on
that journey of becoming one,so that so speaks to our hearts.
Kate Aldrich (37:06):
Yeah, for sure.
Brad Aldrich (37:08):
I know we have limited time because I know you
guys are super busy, but I couldnot help but acknowledge today,
october 1st, as we're recordingthis you released a new label
with Nearest Green's name on it.
Fawen Weaver (37:23):
Yes, we did.
Brad Aldrich (37:25):
Man like that is such a vision.
I wanted you to talk about whatthat means for the two of you.
Fawen Weaver (37:32):
Yeah, well, you know Uncle Nearest, that is what
everyone called him, right?
But if Nearest Green, duringthat period of time, would have
been able to own his owndistillery because, remember, in
the prime of when he wasworking and when he was
distilling for Jack,african-americans were property,
(37:52):
not considered people.
We were not allowed to patent,we were not allowed to trademark
, we were not allowed to ownbusinesses.
And so I have to think that ifhe was able to own a business,
if he did start a business hisfriend Jack Daniel had Jack
Daniels, I have to believe, andhad Jack Daniel distillery, I
(38:13):
have to believe he would havenamed his distillery nearest
green distillery.
And so one of the things that'sbeen confusing for people for
so long is that the brand nameis uncle nearest but we
intentionally did not name thedistillery uncle nearest
distillery.
And the reason is is because itwas always intended that
(38:33):
Nearest Green Tennessee Whiskeywould be what takes this company
to the next level.
That price point, that $29.99price point that is able to
compete with the big boys,that's able to go toe to toe,
that's able to go all around theworld.
That was always the case.
But if you think about it, whenwe began this if we had said the
(38:54):
name nearest green, if we hadput that on a bottle, people
would think number one.
They must have run out of namesto call something Number two.
It sounds like your closestgolf course.
So we really had to definenearest green as a human being.
Now when people say nearestgreen, they don't think about
the closest golf course, theythink about the human being.
(39:17):
But it took us about sevenyears to be able to do that.
For people, when you hear thename nearest green, to
immediately think of near screen, the master distiller, the
teacher of jack daniel, thementor of jack daniel, the only
known master distillery for jackdaniel distillery 7, we had to
define him as a human by puttinguncle in front of it first.
(39:40):
But now that we have done that,that line will still absolutely
remain that top tier $50 to$200 bottle.
But what will really go aroundthe world and what will go into
every market is NearscreenTennessee Whiskey.
Kate Aldrich (39:55):
Wow, that's awesome.
That's amazing.
Brad was so excited when he waslike they're announcing
something the day that we get totalk to them.
I know we announced it just two.
Fawen Weaver (40:05):
we just announced it two hours ago, so I'm talking
to you while my text messagesare flooding.
Kate Aldrich (40:11):
Oh, my goodness, yes.
Brad Aldrich (40:13):
So I saw it as soon as and just man, seeing
that name on a bottle, I'mreading the book, knowing how
much that's been a passion andhow God's been leading in that
passion for so long, and seeingthat today was just really kind
of cool.
Kate Aldrich (40:28):
So it was really awesome, absolutely, guys, it's
been phenomenal having you.
Thank you for taking time outof your busy schedule to chat
with us.
It has been an honor.
We're super thankful for youguys.
Fawen Weaver (40:43):
Yeah, it's just everything you are doing is just
near and dear to our hearts andwe will promote it, as in our
little way, as much as we can,because we appreciate it so very
much thank you very much,appreciate you thank you kate,
thank you brad, and I'm alwaysso grateful when, when people
have like zoom meetings or oranything in the middle of the
(41:03):
day, where I get to see keith inthe middle of the day this is
two days in a row where we'vehad zooms where I got to see him
in the middle of the day.
And because I don't actuallypay attention to my calendar
other than to do what it says todo, I didn't know he was on
this call.
I didn't know he was on the oneyesterday.
Kate Aldrich (41:20):
So this has just been awesome, oh good, good Well
, thank you so much, guys.
Yes, thank you.
Fawen Weaver (41:26):
Thank you, kate, appreciate you, Appreciate you
all, appreciate you, appreciateyou all.
Brad Aldrich (41:30):
Before we sign off today, we want to give you a
chance to get your hands on afree copy of the remarkable true
story of Jack Daniels, hismaster distiller, nearest Green,
and the improbable rise ofUncle Nearest, the book Love and
Whiskey by Fawn Weaver.
We had such a great timetalking with them and we loved
(41:50):
reading the book.
I think you will too.
All you have to do is go ontoInstagram, go to stillbecoming1,
follow our page and you'll seethe post where we talk about
love and whiskey and we talkabout this episode.
All we want you to do is likethat post and make a comment,
tell us something that you likedabout the episode, and we will
(42:12):
be choosing two people onOctober 23rd 2024 to receive a
free copy of the book.
So watch your DMs.
We'll be sending you a messagefor your address and we hope
that you enjoy the book as muchas we do.
So thank you guys.
So much for tuning in.
Until next time, I'm BradAldrich.
Kate Aldrich (42:33):
And I'm Kate Aldrich.
Be kind and take care of eachother.
Brad Aldrich (42:37):
Still Becoming One is a production of Aldrich
Ministries.
For more information about Bradand Kate's coaching ministry
courses and speakingopportunities, you can find us
at aldrichministriescom.
At aldrichministriescom Forpodcast show notes and links to
resources in all of our socialmedia.
Be sure to visit us atstillbecomingonecom and don't
(43:00):
forget to like this episodewherever you get your podcasts,
and be sure to follow us tocontinue your journey on Still
Becoming One.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.