July 8, 2025 • 32 mins
Elijah is back!! He gets you caught up on what he's been doing, and talks about the importance of taking a step back when things become overwhelming.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
You're listening to The Elijah Winfrey Show, a space for inspiration, impact,
and community connection. Each week, Elijah shares the latest on
his work in the community, answers listener questions, and reflects
on the week that was, from acts of kindness to
real conversations that matter. This is where purpose meets positivity.
(00:23):
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Here's your host,
Elijah Winfrey.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I like that intro.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Hello, folks, Welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. I'm Adijr
host Elijah Winfrey, and it feels good to be back
in the saddle. It's been a while, and first off,
I want to thank everyone who's been patient doing this
little hiatus that I've been on. You know, I haven't
(00:56):
recorded a show since early May. And the truth is,
you know, I was dealing with a lot of things.
I tried to pack some things and put some things
in place. I was overwhelmed, that's the bottom line. And
(01:17):
you know, unfortunately exhaustion kicked in, you know, physically, mentally, emotionally.
I was spent, and you know, sometimes you have to
take a step back in order to regroup. And that's
something that I did. This break gave me a little
bit of space to rest and reflect on where I
(01:38):
am and where I'm going and reconnect with things that
truly matter. It's refreshing to be back. I must say.
There's a lot of things that I'm going to get
into today, try to get you as caught up as
I possibly.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Can on.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
My work in the community and just me as a person.
But I'm happy to be here. I'm very happy, and
I love this new intro.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Listen.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
I love all my intros, but this intro that my
producer shout out to Greg Nice for putting this together.
I really really like that. We are definitely trying to
pivot in a way that still talks about the work
that I do in the community, but also kind of
(02:30):
take the show.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
In a different direction in a positive way. You know.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
I do hope to have guests on at some point
this summer. That is the goal, and that is something
that I have begun working on as we speak. So
we'll get into that down the road here. But today
on the show, I'm going to get you as caught
up on the things that I have been working on
as much as possible. The school, ye elementary school year
(03:01):
wrapped up, and we're going to get into that in
a little bit. Physically and mentally, I'm doing much better.
I'm still a bit tired. I don't know what that's about.
I'm going to get that checked out here this week.
But I'm in a good space. I do feel refreshed.
(03:23):
I missed all of you. Thank you all for the
emails pertaining to the show. You know, I think I
got some emails thinking that is that it. Are you
done with the show?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
No?
Speaker 3 (03:32):
No, no, we still have a ways to go. So
I want to thank everybody for their positive vibes and
it meant a lot, and you.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Know we're here now.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
My role as a per professional will continue. I'll start there.
We wrapped up the school year and it was another
outstanding year for the kiddles, for the for the teachers
and the rest of the staff. I am extremely happy
(04:14):
for all the students moving on to the next level,
whether that be middle school and those that are coming
to fifth grade. Shout out to my amazing para educator teammates.
Shout out to Tiffany Hatcher, who I worked closely with
throughout the year. Tiffany is a very special person. I
(04:38):
am always moved and inspired by her work as a as.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
A teacher.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
And I look forward to partnering with her in the fall.
And you know, this decision was something that I thought
long and hard about. A lot of things played a
part in making that decision of of coming back and
being a part of Sunset Elementary. There's there's a new direction,
(05:10):
new leadership in the building. I'm anxious and excited to
see the direction that the school will take. I'm very
confident in the new principal and the assistant and you know,
we'll see what what entails in the fall. I also,
(05:39):
this summer, I don't wae. I'm thinking like the summer
is over, it's just beginning.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Really.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
As we kicked off summer, I played in the Chambers
based Solstice supporting the First T of Seattle. And for
all of you listening to the show in the Washington
state area, I encourage you to get your kids involved
in the.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
In the first T they teach core values, life skills.
You play a little.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Golf, but you learn mostly about yourself, and they teach
kids starting from ages five to seventeen. And playing in
this charity event, first of all, I did not think
I was going to make it through thirty six holes.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
I did not.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I did practice a little, not nearly as consistently as
I wanted to, but nonetheless we got through thirty six holes.
It was really really good. I enjoyed my playing group.
We had a lot of fun. There were some great
shots hit. There was some pretty rough shots that were hit,
(06:53):
but it was all for a good cause. We didn't
keep score, which made things pretty easy, right. I think
physically you just had to get you know, through the
elevation changes that you was going to different tea boxes.
But it was great. I really enjoyed my time. I
(07:14):
do hope to put it on my calendar again next year.
We will see about that. But I ran into some
students that I taught at the first tea, some coaches
that I worked with. Evan Johnson, the program director. I mean,
(07:35):
he's really in all honesty the face, and it was
great to interact with him a little bit. I encourage
you all to follow First t of Seattle on social media.
They're on Instagram, they're on x they're on Facebook, and
get your kids involved. It is a beautiful thing and
they do a lot of things for beautiful causes that
(07:57):
are helping the youth in the community, and that inspires me,
So congrats on the money raise first t and let's
think about doing it again next year. My annual trip
to Springfield, Missouri, it's always special every year I go,
(08:24):
and this year is no exception. I got to meet
some wonderful people in the community, and I mean absolutely
wonderful people who are doing great things. I mean great things.
I got to visit with some families, and I reconnected
(08:47):
with Eli. So Eli and I go back ten years
my first ever visit to Springfield, Missouri.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
We did a.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
We did a night at the Zoo for kids on
the Spectrum and the name of the event's escaping me
right now.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
But it was a very very well.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Put on event, and you know, I was kind of
signing autographs and then I kind of flipped it at
some point and said, I wanted there are all the
kids' autographs on my board, you know, the kind the
kind of you know, uh, they're they're making me feel special.
I in turn want to make them feel just as special.
And Eli and I took a picture and we didn't
(09:38):
we didn't connect after that.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Really.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
The fast forward ten years later this summer, this past month,
as soon as I walked into Peyton's, uh, place.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
It's a Payton's Place, is.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
A apartment community that's being created for seniors and those
with disabilities, and everything about it I love. I love
the concept, you know, I love where they would like
(10:15):
to take it. But I went to visit and as
soon as I walked in the door that morning, I
think it was the twenty seven, Yes, as soon as
I walked in the building. No, it was twenty eight,
I'm sorry. As soon as I walked in the building,
Eli notices me right away, gets up, runs over, and
(10:38):
he hugs me. I mean, just a powerful embrace, and
I was moved just that he will remember me ten
years later.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
He did.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
He came out of that seat. You would have thought
I was Denzel Washington or somebody, you know. But it
made me feel really really good. And Eli's doing well.
I met his family, and that whole day I was
(11:19):
able to see some things that I gotta tell you
just they're special, very special. And it always happens to
me on that trip, you know, where I get to
(11:39):
interact with someone new, where I get to see new
ideas being formed or created, and it was it was
no different this time. Shout out to the amazing Elizabeth Aubrey,
who she puts these things together for me. She's kind
of like my uh my liaison for all of this,
(12:02):
you know, she makes sure that you know, I have
things to do. When I arrived, soon as I touch down,
and my only concern was my first day there. I landed,
I took a red eye and landed and hitting the
ground running right away. So we're moving about the community,
(12:23):
we're meeting people, we're talking about the.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Schedule, you know, in the days ahead.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
And then there's a break where she takes me back
to the hotel and she's coming to get me within
maybe an hour and a half. Right She's going home
to check on her family to make sure that they're good,
maybe eat a little bit, and then come back and
pick me up. And at this point I'm exhausted. I
(12:53):
don't say anything, but I am exhausted, and I tell
myself just go and lay down. We just had this
thing in May where you just kind of you're running
all over the place and trying to put a schedule together,
and you exhausted yourself.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Relax.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
So I thought if I just laid across the bed
in the hotel, I relaxed for a little bit and
rest my eyes. And I'm not a big proponent of naps.
I've never liked them. I find myself taking more of
them lately, but I've never been a big fantom naps.
So I'm laying across the hotel bed and i think
(13:33):
golf's on the TV. And I'm thinking, Okay, I'm gonna
set my phone, my timer on my phone to kind
of I'm gonna take a ten minute nap and then
I'm gonna get up and I'm gonna be ready. Well,
some forty five minutes later, she's called my phone a
couple of times. She sent me a text, and I
kind of roll over, and I'm wondering why my alarm
(13:57):
doesn't wake me. I hadn't woken me up. I don't
have the volume up. So I text back, I'm sorry,
you know I'm coming out now. And she waited for me.
She waited for me. I don't know if I would
have done that for myself, but she did. It speaks
(14:19):
to her character. So I got up, came downstairs and
we continued. You know that first day I say all
that to say, Elizabeth is just a godsend and she's
not only a great wife, mom, friend, advocate. She is
(14:47):
a special, special, special person. And you know, there was
a really bad storm on my trip and we had
to pull over into a gas station because the the alarm,
the what do they call it, the broadcasting alarm went
out in the city like you can hear the loud, know,
(15:08):
the loud alarm. So we had to pull over because
the stone was really bad. It could have produced tornadoes.
It didn't. It did knock down some trees. There was
a lot of debris on the road, but we weathered that.
But in those moments, you kind of stop and you
(15:29):
give thanks to people in your life that mean a
lot to you. And there was a moment there where
I thought about that, and I thought about the work
that Elizabeth continues to do, not just with me, but
with people in her community. She is definitely involved and
invested in the future of these kids, and I respect that.
(15:56):
I also, while in Springfield, I got to host my
ever wellness webinar. Now, folks, I'm going to tell you
straight up, I'm not I'm not a therapist, licensed therapist
or anything by that nature. I just speak on my
experiences and ways that you know, I've been able to
help myself. So doing this wellness webinar. I didn't really
(16:23):
know what to expect and how it was going to go,
but it went well, and you know, I think we
all were better for it. And this is something that
wasn't on the bucket list. You know, I get asked
(16:44):
to do, you know, some things from time to time
where I feel like I'm not sure if that's my calling,
but you never know until you try it. And you know,
I was willing to talk about my experiences this past
May and just through out my life and what things
I put in place to be successful.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
And I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
I enjoyed everyone that attended, I enjoyed the questions and
again it's continued growth for me. So my trip to
Springfield was absolutely special. Ran into some familiar faces like
Jan Luck.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Who.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Was part of the Stars for Autism nonprofit organization that
they've left a legacy there that I don't know will
be touched. They did so much for that community, for
the community.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Got to have a.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
Good dinner with Jan and catch up with her a bit.
It was overall, it was a terrific trip.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
I did a podcast with.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
The Navigating Autism Mom Elizabeth Aubrey is on that don Mary.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
It was. It was really really nice. I think it's
a two.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Part series and I'm not sure when they're going to
release that, but I really enjoyed kind of talking about
you know, my story a bit and autism and dads
and you know, we covered a lot of things and
I'm looking forward to that those episodes coming out at
some point this year. So it was. It was a
(18:33):
great trip. I'm sure I missed something. Shout out to
the Arc there and in Springfield, the Arc of the
Old Arks, you know, the things that they do for
kids on the spectrum and you know, kids with disabilities.
I was able to once again attend you know, one
(18:54):
of their camps. I think it was the last day
of their camp, and I ran into Kobe Fisher, who
is He's going to be a tremendous educator. He and
I were able to chat for maybe a couple of minutes.
He was pretty busy, but it was good to see
his face and I just wanted him to know how
important he is too, not just the world, but the
(19:19):
community that he's assisting in working with. So it was
a great trip. I enjoyed it. It always teaches me
something and I try to take these things back, bring
them back here, and apply them. So I look forward
to being back in Springfield in twenty twenty six, and
(19:43):
you want to lookout for those dates down the road.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
What else did? What else have I done? My children's book.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Little E Celebrates Juneteenth has been a huge success, and
I want to shout out everyone who just the book,
everybody who came to both of my children's book signings.
I did a book signing at Barnes and Noble and
it's a Quah, Washington, and then I did another one
and at brick and Mortar Books here in my home state,
(20:16):
of my home city of Redmond, and I learned a lot.
The support is always amazing, and again I I really
(20:42):
I'm starting to understand more of why I'm doing the
things that I'm doing. From that perspective, I am hard
at work on my fifth book that will hopefully be
out by the end of the year. I'm not sure
on the dates as of yet, but I am close
to finishing that book. But the support it was great.
(21:08):
And Juneteenth is in a very important day. It's freedom Day.
And you know, for me to be able to write
this book and tell the story in my words meant
so much. And again, I never saw myself as a
(21:32):
person that would write books, So all of that credit
goes to my son. I'll always say that, what a
rod it's been, What a rod it has been. And
I just feel like I'm just getting started, you know
(21:54):
what I mean. I'm just getting started. I'm really testing
the waters. And there are some things that I that
I'm working on behind the scenes with a couple of
amazing individuals that we will bring to life at at
some point. Right we're working on some things. I I
(22:18):
just finished up book club with two incredible human beings,
Jennifer McKinney and Megan Porter. Those two are like family
to me, and we we just chopped it up over
(22:40):
our latest book, which was really really good. And you know,
I didn't see myself as a book club person either.
I'm not a so so here's the thing.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
I'm not a.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
I'm not a book reader. I'm an audio book listener.
And that's not to say that I won't pick up
a book and read. Of course, from time to time,
I will do that. But I didn't think like i'd
be in a book club with two outstanding people. But
(23:14):
I am and I enjoy it and We talk about
more than you know the book. We talk about life,
we talk about the world that we see. We laugh,
sometimes we get emotional and we cry. But I really
I'm indebted to those two and I know deep in
(23:35):
my heart they see me. They see me, and that
means a lot. So anytime I can spend time with them,
I do it. I don't hesitate. So that was fun today,
And then I had to pop over here in the
studio and knock out this show as we get closer
(23:58):
to the end. Today, I wanted to take a moment
to share with you the importance of really really making
space for yourself and resetting as much as you need to.
(24:21):
And it's something that I was getting better at. You know,
I was decent. I wasn't great by any means. You know,
I've always been that person that will burn the candle
at both ends just to get things done. And that's
not necessarily the best way to do things.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
You know. I don't.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
I don't ever want to slow down, but I know
you have to at some point, and we're never too
old to learn these lessons because these lessons are valuable.
And you know, I was reminded of that in May
that I need to stop, just stop everything.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
And really reset, because it does you.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
It does mean no good to continue to pretend like
you know, I'm teflo that nothing will happen to me.
Eventually it catches us all. So I would encourage you
all today or at some point in your journey to
(25:39):
stop and reflect, recharge, really give yourself space to say
I need a break. Scan your progress. It is very
(26:01):
very important in the world that can be oftentimes.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Very cruel.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
And not care and keep pushing you. You got to
find a way to say no, I'm gonna stop, and
I'm gonna reset, and I'm gonna refocus, and.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
I'm learning to do that. And again I wasn't very good.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
I was I was becoming very decent at it, and
I'll get back there again, you know. But I think
you know when you when you continue to go and
go and go and go, you don't realize the damage
you're doing to your body physically and mentally long term.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Because eventually you will.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
I don't know what the kid what are the kids saying?
These kids? Oh yeah, the kids call it crash out.
You will hit that wall and I've hit it more
than once. Doesn't feel good, So please take time for
yourself and give yourself praise for the accomplishments that are
(27:17):
happening for you in your life, whether they're big ones
or small ones. Pat yourself on the back from time
to time. Don't wait for somebody else to do it.
You're in this journey. Give thanks that you're able to
do what you do every day, that you're able to
(27:38):
impact lives.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Don't never forget that. Don't never forget that.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
All right, folks, we have come to the end of
the show, and no, I didn't take questions this week.
I know there are many questions that I'm going to
get to next week or maybe in a couple of days.
We haven't figured out at least here in July, like
how many shows we're going to do for a week.
(28:12):
Maybe we'll add another show in a couple of days,
or maybe we'll wait till Sunday. Either way, you're going
to be getting a little bit more of me at
least until mid August, so be on the lookout for that.
And yes, I'm gonna pace myself, so no worries there.
(28:35):
But as always, I want to thank everyone for hanging
in there waiting for me to come back. It means
a lot that you take time to listen to this show.
I hope I continue to provide you with good content,
something to talk about, something to think about, and ways that.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
You can help your community. All right.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
Oh, one more thing I got to add. We gave
out grocery gift cars the families in the community, which
again it's something I love to do. You know, it
kind of goes under the radar. We don't really showcase
that or highlight that as much as we should, and
one is out of respect and consent for the families
(29:21):
right who wish to remain private. But we are going
to do this in a way moving forward where we
I think there's something on my nonprofits website page where
we talk about, you know, what we're doing for the month,
like we're going to give out grocery gift cars. Eventually
it'll turn the school supplies here coming up within a
(29:42):
couple of weeks or so. But I think it's important,
more so now than ever, that we stay engaged and
we help our community. So I need you to do
me a favor this week. Get out in your communities
and check in on your family friends, all right, do
me that one solid. Make sure everybody's good and if
(30:05):
you can assist, you should assist. Whether it be helping
someone putting gas in their car, right, maybe they need
extra five bucks. If you have it, despare share it.
Maybe it's a family that's in need of a grocery
gift card. If you have a despair, share it. Let
(30:29):
they'll let you see them. You don't have to go
to Facebook or social media platforms to talk about that.
And when I say that, I mean you don't have
to call out the family and say I help so
and so family. You can just say, hey, today I
felt really good, I you know, hand it out a
(30:50):
couple of grocery gift cards. It's something moving and inspiring
about that. Join me on this journey of helping folks
in my community. There you go, that's the message. But
if you can help, help, check in on your family
and friends, all right and put a smile on someone's face.
(31:11):
Remember it doesn't take a lot of energy to do
that at all. I want to thank you for listening
to the Elijah Win for the show. Please be sure
to download this show wherever you download your favorite podcast
until next week.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Take care and I would be a touch collo
You're listening to The Elijah Winfrey Show, a space for inspiration, impact,
and community connection. Each week, Elijah shares the latest on
his work in the community, answers listener questions, and reflects
on the week that was, from acts of kindness to
real conversations that matter. This is where purpose meets positivity.
(00:23):
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Here's your host,
Elijah Winfrey.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I like that intro.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
Hello, folks, Welcome to the Elijah Winfrey Show. I'm Adijr
host Elijah Winfrey, and it feels good to be back
in the saddle. It's been a while, and first off,
I want to thank everyone who's been patient doing this
little hiatus that I've been on. You know, I haven't
(00:56):
recorded a show since early May. And the truth is,
you know, I was dealing with a lot of things.
I tried to pack some things and put some things
in place. I was overwhelmed, that's the bottom line. And
(01:17):
you know, unfortunately exhaustion kicked in, you know, physically, mentally, emotionally.
I was spent, and you know, sometimes you have to
take a step back in order to regroup. And that's
something that I did. This break gave me a little
bit of space to rest and reflect on where I
(01:38):
am and where I'm going and reconnect with things that
truly matter. It's refreshing to be back. I must say.
There's a lot of things that I'm going to get
into today, try to get you as caught up as
I possibly.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Can on.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
My work in the community and just me as a person.
But I'm happy to be here. I'm very happy, and
I love this new intro.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Listen.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
I love all my intros, but this intro that my
producer shout out to Greg Nice for putting this together.
I really really like that. We are definitely trying to
pivot in a way that still talks about the work
that I do in the community, but also kind of
(02:30):
take the show.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
In a different direction in a positive way. You know.
Speaker 3 (02:37):
I do hope to have guests on at some point
this summer. That is the goal, and that is something
that I have begun working on as we speak. So
we'll get into that down the road here. But today
on the show, I'm going to get you as caught
up on the things that I have been working on
as much as possible. The school, ye elementary school year
(03:01):
wrapped up, and we're going to get into that in
a little bit. Physically and mentally, I'm doing much better.
I'm still a bit tired. I don't know what that's about.
I'm going to get that checked out here this week.
But I'm in a good space. I do feel refreshed.
(03:23):
I missed all of you. Thank you all for the
emails pertaining to the show. You know, I think I
got some emails thinking that is that it. Are you
done with the show?
Speaker 2 (03:32):
No?
Speaker 3 (03:32):
No, no, we still have a ways to go. So
I want to thank everybody for their positive vibes and
it meant a lot, and you.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Know we're here now.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
My role as a per professional will continue. I'll start there.
We wrapped up the school year and it was another
outstanding year for the kiddles, for the for the teachers
and the rest of the staff. I am extremely happy
(04:14):
for all the students moving on to the next level,
whether that be middle school and those that are coming
to fifth grade. Shout out to my amazing para educator teammates.
Shout out to Tiffany Hatcher, who I worked closely with
throughout the year. Tiffany is a very special person. I
(04:38):
am always moved and inspired by her work as a as.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
A teacher.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
And I look forward to partnering with her in the fall.
And you know, this decision was something that I thought
long and hard about. A lot of things played a
part in making that decision of of coming back and
being a part of Sunset Elementary. There's there's a new direction,
(05:10):
new leadership in the building. I'm anxious and excited to
see the direction that the school will take. I'm very
confident in the new principal and the assistant and you know,
we'll see what what entails in the fall. I also,
(05:39):
this summer, I don't wae. I'm thinking like the summer
is over, it's just beginning.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Really.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
As we kicked off summer, I played in the Chambers
based Solstice supporting the First T of Seattle. And for
all of you listening to the show in the Washington
state area, I encourage you to get your kids involved
in the.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
In the first T they teach core values, life skills.
You play a little.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Golf, but you learn mostly about yourself, and they teach
kids starting from ages five to seventeen. And playing in
this charity event, first of all, I did not think
I was going to make it through thirty six holes.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
I did not.
Speaker 3 (06:33):
I did practice a little, not nearly as consistently as
I wanted to, but nonetheless we got through thirty six holes.
It was really really good. I enjoyed my playing group.
We had a lot of fun. There were some great
shots hit. There was some pretty rough shots that were hit,
(06:53):
but it was all for a good cause. We didn't
keep score, which made things pretty easy, right. I think
physically you just had to get you know, through the
elevation changes that you was going to different tea boxes.
But it was great. I really enjoyed my time. I
(07:14):
do hope to put it on my calendar again next year.
We will see about that. But I ran into some
students that I taught at the first tea, some coaches
that I worked with. Evan Johnson, the program director. I mean,
(07:35):
he's really in all honesty the face, and it was
great to interact with him a little bit. I encourage
you all to follow First t of Seattle on social media.
They're on Instagram, they're on x they're on Facebook, and
get your kids involved. It is a beautiful thing and
they do a lot of things for beautiful causes that
(07:57):
are helping the youth in the community, and that inspires me,
So congrats on the money raise first t and let's
think about doing it again next year. My annual trip
to Springfield, Missouri, it's always special every year I go,
(08:24):
and this year is no exception. I got to meet
some wonderful people in the community, and I mean absolutely
wonderful people who are doing great things. I mean great things.
I got to visit with some families, and I reconnected
(08:47):
with Eli. So Eli and I go back ten years
my first ever visit to Springfield, Missouri.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
We did a.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
We did a night at the Zoo for kids on
the Spectrum and the name of the event's escaping me
right now.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
But it was a very very well.
Speaker 3 (09:13):
Put on event, and you know, I was kind of
signing autographs and then I kind of flipped it at
some point and said, I wanted there are all the
kids' autographs on my board, you know, the kind the
kind of you know, uh, they're they're making me feel special.
I in turn want to make them feel just as special.
And Eli and I took a picture and we didn't
(09:38):
we didn't connect after that.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Really.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
The fast forward ten years later this summer, this past month,
as soon as I walked into Peyton's, uh, place.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
It's a Payton's Place, is.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
A apartment community that's being created for seniors and those
with disabilities, and everything about it I love. I love
the concept, you know, I love where they would like
(10:15):
to take it. But I went to visit and as
soon as I walked in the door that morning, I
think it was the twenty seven, Yes, as soon as
I walked in the building. No, it was twenty eight,
I'm sorry. As soon as I walked in the building,
Eli notices me right away, gets up, runs over, and
(10:38):
he hugs me. I mean, just a powerful embrace, and
I was moved just that he will remember me ten
years later.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
He did.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
He came out of that seat. You would have thought
I was Denzel Washington or somebody, you know. But it
made me feel really really good. And Eli's doing well.
I met his family, and that whole day I was
(11:19):
able to see some things that I gotta tell you
just they're special, very special. And it always happens to
me on that trip, you know, where I get to
(11:39):
interact with someone new, where I get to see new
ideas being formed or created, and it was it was
no different this time. Shout out to the amazing Elizabeth Aubrey,
who she puts these things together for me. She's kind
of like my uh my liaison for all of this,
(12:02):
you know, she makes sure that you know, I have
things to do. When I arrived, soon as I touch down,
and my only concern was my first day there. I landed,
I took a red eye and landed and hitting the
ground running right away. So we're moving about the community,
(12:23):
we're meeting people, we're talking about the.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Schedule, you know, in the days ahead.
Speaker 3 (12:28):
And then there's a break where she takes me back
to the hotel and she's coming to get me within
maybe an hour and a half. Right She's going home
to check on her family to make sure that they're good,
maybe eat a little bit, and then come back and
pick me up. And at this point I'm exhausted. I
(12:53):
don't say anything, but I am exhausted, and I tell
myself just go and lay down. We just had this
thing in May where you just kind of you're running
all over the place and trying to put a schedule together,
and you exhausted yourself.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Relax.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
So I thought if I just laid across the bed
in the hotel, I relaxed for a little bit and
rest my eyes. And I'm not a big proponent of naps.
I've never liked them. I find myself taking more of
them lately, but I've never been a big fantom naps.
So I'm laying across the hotel bed and i think
(13:33):
golf's on the TV. And I'm thinking, Okay, I'm gonna
set my phone, my timer on my phone to kind
of I'm gonna take a ten minute nap and then
I'm gonna get up and I'm gonna be ready. Well,
some forty five minutes later, she's called my phone a
couple of times. She sent me a text, and I
kind of roll over, and I'm wondering why my alarm
(13:57):
doesn't wake me. I hadn't woken me up. I don't
have the volume up. So I text back, I'm sorry,
you know I'm coming out now. And she waited for me.
She waited for me. I don't know if I would
have done that for myself, but she did. It speaks
(14:19):
to her character. So I got up, came downstairs and
we continued. You know that first day I say all
that to say, Elizabeth is just a godsend and she's
not only a great wife, mom, friend, advocate. She is
(14:47):
a special, special, special person. And you know, there was
a really bad storm on my trip and we had
to pull over into a gas station because the the alarm,
the what do they call it, the broadcasting alarm went
out in the city like you can hear the loud, know,
(15:08):
the loud alarm. So we had to pull over because
the stone was really bad. It could have produced tornadoes.
It didn't. It did knock down some trees. There was
a lot of debris on the road, but we weathered that.
But in those moments, you kind of stop and you
(15:29):
give thanks to people in your life that mean a
lot to you. And there was a moment there where
I thought about that, and I thought about the work
that Elizabeth continues to do, not just with me, but
with people in her community. She is definitely involved and
invested in the future of these kids, and I respect that.
(15:56):
I also, while in Springfield, I got to host my
ever wellness webinar. Now, folks, I'm going to tell you
straight up, I'm not I'm not a therapist, licensed therapist
or anything by that nature. I just speak on my
experiences and ways that you know, I've been able to
help myself. So doing this wellness webinar. I didn't really
(16:23):
know what to expect and how it was going to go,
but it went well, and you know, I think we
all were better for it. And this is something that
wasn't on the bucket list. You know, I get asked
(16:44):
to do, you know, some things from time to time
where I feel like I'm not sure if that's my calling,
but you never know until you try it. And you know,
I was willing to talk about my experiences this past
May and just through out my life and what things
I put in place to be successful.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
And I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
I enjoyed everyone that attended, I enjoyed the questions and
again it's continued growth for me. So my trip to
Springfield was absolutely special. Ran into some familiar faces like
Jan Luck.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
Who.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Was part of the Stars for Autism nonprofit organization that
they've left a legacy there that I don't know will
be touched. They did so much for that community, for
the community.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Got to have a.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
Good dinner with Jan and catch up with her a bit.
It was overall, it was a terrific trip.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
I did a podcast with.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
The Navigating Autism Mom Elizabeth Aubrey is on that don Mary.
Speaker 2 (18:06):
It was. It was really really nice. I think it's
a two.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Part series and I'm not sure when they're going to
release that, but I really enjoyed kind of talking about
you know, my story a bit and autism and dads
and you know, we covered a lot of things and
I'm looking forward to that those episodes coming out at
some point this year. So it was. It was a
(18:33):
great trip. I'm sure I missed something. Shout out to
the Arc there and in Springfield, the Arc of the
Old Arks, you know, the things that they do for
kids on the spectrum and you know, kids with disabilities.
I was able to once again attend you know, one
(18:54):
of their camps. I think it was the last day
of their camp, and I ran into Kobe Fisher, who
is He's going to be a tremendous educator. He and
I were able to chat for maybe a couple of minutes.
He was pretty busy, but it was good to see
his face and I just wanted him to know how
important he is too, not just the world, but the
(19:19):
community that he's assisting in working with. So it was
a great trip. I enjoyed it. It always teaches me
something and I try to take these things back, bring
them back here, and apply them. So I look forward
to being back in Springfield in twenty twenty six, and
(19:43):
you want to lookout for those dates down the road.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
What else did? What else have I done? My children's book.
Speaker 3 (19:53):
Little E Celebrates Juneteenth has been a huge success, and
I want to shout out everyone who just the book,
everybody who came to both of my children's book signings.
I did a book signing at Barnes and Noble and
it's a Quah, Washington, and then I did another one
and at brick and Mortar Books here in my home state,
(20:16):
of my home city of Redmond, and I learned a lot.
The support is always amazing, and again I I really
(20:42):
I'm starting to understand more of why I'm doing the
things that I'm doing. From that perspective, I am hard
at work on my fifth book that will hopefully be
out by the end of the year. I'm not sure
on the dates as of yet, but I am close
to finishing that book. But the support it was great.
(21:08):
And Juneteenth is in a very important day. It's freedom Day.
And you know, for me to be able to write
this book and tell the story in my words meant
so much. And again, I never saw myself as a
(21:32):
person that would write books, So all of that credit
goes to my son. I'll always say that, what a
rod it's been, What a rod it has been. And
I just feel like I'm just getting started, you know
(21:54):
what I mean. I'm just getting started. I'm really testing
the waters. And there are some things that I that
I'm working on behind the scenes with a couple of
amazing individuals that we will bring to life at at
some point. Right we're working on some things. I I
(22:18):
just finished up book club with two incredible human beings,
Jennifer McKinney and Megan Porter. Those two are like family
to me, and we we just chopped it up over
(22:40):
our latest book, which was really really good. And you know,
I didn't see myself as a book club person either.
I'm not a so so here's the thing.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
I'm not a.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
I'm not a book reader. I'm an audio book listener.
And that's not to say that I won't pick up
a book and read. Of course, from time to time,
I will do that. But I didn't think like i'd
be in a book club with two outstanding people. But
(23:14):
I am and I enjoy it and We talk about
more than you know the book. We talk about life,
we talk about the world that we see. We laugh,
sometimes we get emotional and we cry. But I really
I'm indebted to those two and I know deep in
(23:35):
my heart they see me. They see me, and that
means a lot. So anytime I can spend time with them,
I do it. I don't hesitate. So that was fun today,
And then I had to pop over here in the
studio and knock out this show as we get closer
(23:58):
to the end. Today, I wanted to take a moment
to share with you the importance of really really making
space for yourself and resetting as much as you need to.
(24:21):
And it's something that I was getting better at. You know,
I was decent. I wasn't great by any means. You know,
I've always been that person that will burn the candle
at both ends just to get things done. And that's
not necessarily the best way to do things.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
You know. I don't.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
I don't ever want to slow down, but I know
you have to at some point, and we're never too
old to learn these lessons because these lessons are valuable.
And you know, I was reminded of that in May
that I need to stop, just stop everything.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
And really reset, because it does you.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
It does mean no good to continue to pretend like
you know, I'm teflo that nothing will happen to me.
Eventually it catches us all. So I would encourage you
all today or at some point in your journey to
(25:39):
stop and reflect, recharge, really give yourself space to say
I need a break. Scan your progress. It is very
(26:01):
very important in the world that can be oftentimes.
Speaker 2 (26:09):
Very cruel.
Speaker 3 (26:12):
And not care and keep pushing you. You got to
find a way to say no, I'm gonna stop, and
I'm gonna reset, and I'm gonna refocus, and.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
I'm learning to do that. And again I wasn't very good.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
I was I was becoming very decent at it, and
I'll get back there again, you know. But I think
you know when you when you continue to go and
go and go and go, you don't realize the damage
you're doing to your body physically and mentally long term.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Because eventually you will.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
I don't know what the kid what are the kids saying?
These kids? Oh yeah, the kids call it crash out.
You will hit that wall and I've hit it more
than once. Doesn't feel good, So please take time for
yourself and give yourself praise for the accomplishments that are
(27:17):
happening for you in your life, whether they're big ones
or small ones. Pat yourself on the back from time
to time. Don't wait for somebody else to do it.
You're in this journey. Give thanks that you're able to
do what you do every day, that you're able to
(27:38):
impact lives.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
Don't never forget that. Don't never forget that.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
All right, folks, we have come to the end of
the show, and no, I didn't take questions this week.
I know there are many questions that I'm going to
get to next week or maybe in a couple of days.
We haven't figured out at least here in July, like
how many shows we're going to do for a week.
(28:12):
Maybe we'll add another show in a couple of days,
or maybe we'll wait till Sunday. Either way, you're going
to be getting a little bit more of me at
least until mid August, so be on the lookout for that.
And yes, I'm gonna pace myself, so no worries there.
(28:35):
But as always, I want to thank everyone for hanging
in there waiting for me to come back. It means
a lot that you take time to listen to this show.
I hope I continue to provide you with good content,
something to talk about, something to think about, and ways that.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
You can help your community. All right.
Speaker 3 (28:59):
Oh, one more thing I got to add. We gave
out grocery gift cars the families in the community, which
again it's something I love to do. You know, it
kind of goes under the radar. We don't really showcase
that or highlight that as much as we should, and
one is out of respect and consent for the families
(29:21):
right who wish to remain private. But we are going
to do this in a way moving forward where we
I think there's something on my nonprofits website page where
we talk about, you know, what we're doing for the month,
like we're going to give out grocery gift cars. Eventually
it'll turn the school supplies here coming up within a
(29:42):
couple of weeks or so. But I think it's important,
more so now than ever, that we stay engaged and
we help our community. So I need you to do
me a favor this week. Get out in your communities
and check in on your family friends, all right, do
me that one solid. Make sure everybody's good and if
(30:05):
you can assist, you should assist. Whether it be helping
someone putting gas in their car, right, maybe they need
extra five bucks. If you have it, despare share it.
Maybe it's a family that's in need of a grocery
gift card. If you have a despair, share it. Let
(30:29):
they'll let you see them. You don't have to go
to Facebook or social media platforms to talk about that.
And when I say that, I mean you don't have
to call out the family and say I help so
and so family. You can just say, hey, today I
felt really good, I you know, hand it out a
(30:50):
couple of grocery gift cards. It's something moving and inspiring
about that. Join me on this journey of helping folks
in my community. There you go, that's the message. But
if you can help, help, check in on your family
and friends, all right and put a smile on someone's face.
(31:11):
Remember it doesn't take a lot of energy to do
that at all. I want to thank you for listening
to the Elijah Win for the show. Please be sure
to download this show wherever you download your favorite podcast
until next week.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Take care and I would be a touch collo
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