CA Sisterhood Sessions (00:21)
Welcome, welcome, welcome to Challenge Accepted Sisterhood Sessions. I am your host, Samone and I have with me my very special guest,

today, my sister has joined the sisterhood all the way from Washington state to represent women all over the world.

Again, we are so excited to have her on here today. We're just going to jump right into the session. This is a sisterhood without boundaries. So we want to dive into one of our sister's experiences. Just get to know a little bit about her. And remember, this is a space of healing. This is a space of no judgment,

So wherever you are, wherever you are listening from, sit back and enjoy. Sis, come on in and have a seat. It's space here for you. So my sister Danielle, I want to start with you just telling us a little bit about yourself, whatever you like to share. Nothing's off limits. ⁓

Danielle (01:23)
You

CA Sisterhood Sessions (01:26)
So just tell the sisterhood who you are.

Danielle (01:30)
Alrighty well thanks for having me first of all I am so very very proud of you and the platform that you are on and What you're getting ready to do on this. I think it's amazing and I think it's gonna allow more women to open up and like you said share stories and know that We're in this together we're sisterhood, so I think that's great But as you said I am your sister the one and only

No, I'm just kidding. I am your older sister. I'm a mom. I'm a wife. A daughter. I try to be a positive friend. I try, you know. I have so many boundaries up that I think there's like a very small bowl of friends that I have. I'm just a person who loves God, loves seeking after God.

trying to raise children who were, you know, trying to put God first in their lives. I love being at home. I'm a homebody, hence the stay at home mom. Love family game nights, love reading. Just very simple. That's who I am.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (02:27)
Amazing. So sisters, Just like many of you, she has many layers And I think that's what makes this sisterhood beautiful.

I didn't have the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom because I think it is a privilege to be able to stay at home and nurture your kids while they are in school and grow them to beautiful young adults. And so my sister was afforded the opportunity to be able to stay at home and do just that. So to the moms all around the world that are stay-at-home moms, we thank you for everything that you do.

Danielle (03:02)
Okay.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (03:06)
for building our community and our society with what you do day in and day out for your children and your households. And community would not be the same without the stay-at-home moms around the world. So shout out and big salute to the stay-at-home moms all around the world. ⁓ Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Danielle (03:24)
Absolutely.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (03:27)
how would you best describe sisterhood in your own words? ⁓

Danielle (03:32)
To me, being in a sisterhood or having a sisterhood means being authentic, being able to be myself, not having up a wall, just a safe space. Cause I believe that's what you're trying to do. Build a safe space for where women can just come and just let loose. that security blanket,

you know, it's kind of cliche or it's kind of, you know, you might have women out here to go, no, my husband is my safe place or being with my family is my safe place. I don't, or say safety blanket. I don't mean it like yet, but I mean it as when we're with our families or when we were our spouses, I believe us women, put up these masks that we feel like we have to be. We have to be a certain way with our husband. We have to be a certain way with our children.

When we all go out as a family, we have to be a certain way. So I feel like in the sisterhood where there's no judgment, where there's no, what she got on her. Why she looking like it or why she's talking like that. It's really just a free space to just come in and say, sis, I'm feeling like this. And I can just pour out and empty myself and my sister, not just my blood sister, but those that I can.

hold and say, this is my sisterhood can pour back into me and fill me up so that I am able to go back and be a strong wife, be a strong mom, you know, be there for my community. I believe a sisterhood is something that can hold you accountable when you feel like no one else can.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (05:00)
That's amazing that you say that. We talk about the different roles that we fill in our society. We talk about what we have to be to all people. I think the beautiful thing that you said about Sisterhood is that it is a space where you come to refill. It is a space that you come to let it all out, right? With no judgment, being able to get some good advice, right? Sisters, don't be in the Sisterhood giving bad advice.

Danielle (05:21)
Mm-hmm.

Yes.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (05:29)
because we don't do that in the sisterhood. Giving good, solid advice ensuring that we turn our women back to their families, back to their spouses, We're just filling cups, right? In the sisterhood, we want your cup to be full so that you are able to go back into the world and be the best version of yourself that you can be, your most authentic self, not having to wear a mask.

Danielle (05:29)
Please don't.

Yes, yes.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (05:53)
So that's outstanding in your own words describing what I hope the sisterhood can be to women all over the world. Not only to just the women all over the world, to their daughters.

Danielle (06:06)
Mm-hmm.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (06:06)
to

other women that they're connected to. You also said something really good that not just me, your sister, as being your blood sister, but other women that you have connected with in your spaces. Because we're not in the same state, right? And so you have to build sisterhood in Washington.

Danielle (06:22)
Absolutely.

⁓ yeah.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (06:28)
Right?

And I have to build sisterhood here and, Indy, where I am. So just understanding that sisterhood has no boundaries. It doesn't reside with just in a bloodline. It doesn't reside with just in a state. It is who we are as the collective of women all over the world.

Danielle (06:33)
Yeah.

Yes.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (06:49)
If you could tell your younger self, if you could tell your younger specifically, your younger sister self, if you could tell her anything about sisterhood, what would you tell her today?

Danielle (07:10)
think I would tell her to...

I think I would tell her to embrace those around her meaning

As an adult, I'm very guarded and I believe that's because of my childhood. I was very guarded and not letting a lot of people in, but just being able to go and hang out with other female friends or whatever, not living in that fear of what's going to happen or how are they going to treat me or whatever. believe

Because like I said, because I live like that as a younger me now as an adult me I'm like Yeah, now you can't you know, you can't come past this boundary because you look like you're getting ready to not treat me well but I say that only because

I feel like I'm a good judge of character, but sometimes I feel like my character can be, choosing people can be off. So just not having that fear of so what they, they don't like you or so what, you know, they were friends with you for a little bit. I feel like that, that opens up. Not being just stuck in this box where it's just like, this is my safe, my safe zone and I don't go outside of this.

It's okay. Don't be in fear. People are going to be people regardless. You just continue to be yourself. Just be you. So I think that's what I would tell my younger self.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (08:41)
That's good. That's good. Being able to say to yourself, and women, if you didn't just hear what she said, we have to treat each other better. Because having a fear that another sister is going to see you and tear you down, that's problematic, right? We have to take better care of our sisters.

Danielle (08:52)
Absolutely.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes, it is.

Absolutely.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (09:11)
We can't look at each other, right? Sisters, we're the standard, right? We are the standard of sisterhood in all things society, right? We cannot look at our sister and throw darts. We have to be the person, I want to be the first person to compliment you in a day if you cross my path.

Danielle (09:15)
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

We can't.

Exactly.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (09:34)
I want to be the first person to tell you how amazing I think you are, how good I think you look today. Because sometimes we are only met with surface, right? And because I am just seeing you in passing,

Danielle (09:46)
Yes.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (09:50)
sometimes all I can do is compliment you physically. But I don't want sisterhood to be so surface that we aren't able to look at a sister and say, I think you needed a hug today. Or I think that you needed to tell me, or I needed to tell you that you matter.

Danielle (09:58)
Absolutely.

yes.

Yes.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (10:11)
and

you're important. And no, I don't know who you are. I don't know what you're going through. But I just wanted you to know today that you matter. And so sisters, I'm saying this to you. Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, You are loved. You are beautiful. And you are worth the energy that life has given you, that God has given you. You are worth the existence.

Danielle (10:34)
Yes.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (10:36)
in this world today. And I hope that touched you wherever you are. So going back to being a mom and being able to pour into your children, you have girls. You have girls. So I know what our relationship was like as kids. And we'll get to that in just a second, one second. But.

Danielle (10:44)
Mm-hmm.

yes, three.

you

CA Sisterhood Sessions (11:04)
How do your girls navigate sisterhood? Different personalities, different wants, different needs, how do they navigate sisterhood and what nuggets do you give them as young girls?

Danielle (11:12)
Yes.

I think they're navigating. Okay. I think me and my husband always because of our relationship and how close we are, I try to use that as a foundation for them as sisters as well that, you know, no matter where they are in the world, that they are each other's best friends. Yeah, you have other friends out here, but at the end of the day, you are your sister's keeper. You know what I'm saying? And so,

having them at different age range, college, middle school, elementary. Yes, I got them all over. It's a little hard at times because like I said, the college daughter, she's the oldest and she wants to kind of live her own life and do her own things. And I have to worry about her younger sisters. And then the younger two are a little bit, they're a little bit more closer.

But they have their moments where they're like, you know, no, leave me alone. Get out of my space. And I'm like, yeah, it's okay to have those moments. But at the end of the day, make sure that you're always come back and reassure each other that no matter what, I'm here for you. I know you're always going to be here for me. And I love you So I'm just trying to make sure that they kind of have that same foundation that we did that, even though you may get on my nerve, I still got your back no matter what. You know what I'm saying?

CA Sisterhood Sessions (12:29)
That's good, that's good. I think it's time for a story here. And I'll see where this story takes us, okay?

Danielle (12:37)
Okay.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (12:39)
I can remember, one, I'm going say, I was a very clingy little sister. I was very wanted to be in my big sister's space, wanted her to take me with her everywhere. And I was the little sister who went and tried to force my parents to make my sister take me with her. I didn't care where she was going. She's going to the store, putting gas in the car. I wanted to be there. She was going to hang out with her friends. I'm not even old enough to go with

Danielle (12:59)
yeah.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (13:08)
where they were going, I wanted to go too. It didn't matter. That was the type of sister that I was. But I remember a moment, where I found out that I was pregnant. And I was in college at the time,

Danielle (13:19)
⁓ woof.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (13:25)
I had just eaten breakfast and I had gone to the bathroom and I had a moment, right? Well, keep it cute, but if you know, you know. I had a moment and I immediately knew that I was pregnant. I didn't say anything to anybody. I didn't do anything different, didn't change up my routine, anything.

Danielle (13:36)
Absolutely.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (13:52)
and then a friend of ours asked us to come and support her and to go to this clinic with her. And like the good women in the sisterhood we are, we obliged, right? We obliged. And we went to this clinic and we took some pregnancy tests. I know, I know.

Danielle (14:02)
Yes.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (14:11)
We were young women at the time. We were adults, but we were still young women at the time. And our parents had no idea that we were there. We all get put in separate rooms. And everybody is in the room, door closed, having their own personal journey at this point in time. And like I said, I felt like I knew. I felt like I knew. And I take this test.

Danielle (14:15)
Yes.

CA Sisterhood Sessions (14:37)
and it comes back positive. My sister and the other young lady, our friend and sister,

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (14:44)
got their test back, and it was negative. And I just remember saying to myself, I'm OK. I'm OK.

I'm okay. In that moment, I was not okay. Not because I found out that I was pregnant, but not okay because I didn't know what to do next. So I asked the young lady that was in the room who brought me the news if she could go out and get my sister because I needed my sister in the moment. the great thing about the moment was my sister was just

in the other room. She was just in the other room. And oftentimes, our sisters are just a phone call away, just a text away. when my sister walked into the room I was a a ball of tear she knew what had just transpired. She knew. I didn't have to say anything. she asked me if I was OK.

And my response was, I'm OK. I'm OK. I'm OK. And again, I was not OK in that moment. But seeing my sister walk into the room gave me a comfort and gave me a relief knowing that if she said I was OK, because my mom didn't know I was there, my dad didn't know I was there.

And there was nobody else in the world in that moment that I wanted to tell more than my sister. And so she was the first person that found out. And it's something good about being able to share tough information or overwhelming information with your sister. And I think your girls have the same type of experience, right?

Danielle (16:19)
yeah.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (16:19)
When you have something heavy or weighty to share, and you're not really sure how society is going to take it, or you're not really sure how other people are going to take it, my sister was right there in even until now,

Like, my sister is the one where I'm like, get your nephew. My sister is the one where I am like, I don't know what's going on, but let me run this past you. ⁓ Hey, you got a second? Are you available for a phone call? If I need prayer, if I need anything, my sister has always been there. And now we haven't always seen eye to eye.

Danielle (16:47)
Mm-hmm.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (16:59)
It's understandable, right? With women, it happens sometimes. But there has never, and I repeat never, been a moment in my life where I thought for a second that my sister didn't have my back or that she didn't love me or I her.

Danielle (17:00)
Yeah.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (17:17)
And I think that is the value of sisterhood, and that is the value of having that sister there is super beneficial. To this day, my son will call his aunt and or his nini, my apologies.

Danielle (17:31)
Yeah, because I'm not his aunt.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (17:33)
He will call his nini, and I say she gets all the tea, all the secret things. She gets those. And I'm OK with that, because as long as you have a safe space within the community that you are able to go to and understand that you are not alone.

Women, offer that to you. Understand here in this space, you are never alone. So Sis, let me ask you, we're talking to women all over the world, right? With similar stories and experiences or journeys. Some women that may be in tough situations or overwhelming situations in their lives right now in this moment, listening to this session.

Danielle (17:52)
Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (18:14)
What is your message for women that have a similar story as you or just women in general? What would you like to share with those women?

Danielle (18:23)
I think I would like to share that it's just okay to be you. I think in the society that we are in today or what the world is trying to portray today with social media and things and what the next person has going on, that's what's important. Or you have to live up to what their high is. And for me,

think that takes a toll on us everyday, you know, regular people. don't have to be out here in the world trying to make sure that our family is going on eight, nine vacations because that's what the top celebrities are doing. We don't have to make sure that we're cooking these fine meals because so and so on such platform is doing that. No, it's okay to be you. It's okay to be normal.

You don't have to have these high expectations. And for the women that do, that's okay also. ⁓ But just don't make other women feel bad because that's not what their expectations are. That's not where their bar is set. ⁓ Again, I just feel like society is making women feel like if you're not here, you're less than what you're supposed to be as a woman. And that's not true. And I believe that's something that I had to learn. ⁓ I feel like it was...

putting a lot of stress on me, making me not want to be in certain spaces around certain people because, they might look and see this flaw of mine, or they might look at me and see that ⁓ this is a name brand or something. And it's like, who cares? Who cares? Be yourself. Be yourself. It's OK if, I think I was just having a conversation with you the other day that I'm grateful that my husband

he's okay with a simple meal and he's okay with like, I don't know, just regular. Regular is fine. And I believe women in the world today just need to hear that, being able to go, I don't want to do that. It's okay to say, I don't want to be up there like that. I just want to be me. It's fine. It is okay.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (20:30)
Yeah. So, women, you heard that. It's fine. Give yourself some grace. And the standards that we set for ourselves are the ones that we have to answer to. We don't have to answer to the expectations of others. We don't have to answer to the expectations of societal norms, whatever they may be.

Danielle (20:35)
Yes.

Yes.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (20:51)
But we do have to be honest with ourselves. What are we capable of doing? What are we capable of carrying? And do we want to? Because regardless of what the standard is, if you don't want to do it, you're going to find yourself in an unhappy place.

Danielle (20:54)
Yes.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (21:09)
or you're going to find yourself living behind a mask because you weren't authentic to your own self and to your own journey. So that's what I hear you saying right now. Just women be authentic about your own journey. And it's supposed to look different.

Danielle (21:17)
Absolutely.

Yeah.

Absolutely. I

think you said something powerful too when you said being honest with yourself. Just be honest. I think honesty when women sit down and they're honest with themselves and like you said taking down these masks and going you know what

That don't make me happy. I was doing that to make somebody else happy. That honesty is what women need not to be afraid of. Let it go. Let it be honest. Be honest. You're only helping yourself and the next generations to come because you're being honest. think generations, the women generations before us, I'm not going to say that they weren't honest, but it's things that they tried to hide or cover up.

but I believe if they were just honest and you know, I think that's something that I carry over to my girls. You know, if they come to me with a question and they're like, hey mom, did you wait till marriage to have sex?

Be honest. No, I didn't. But also too, sitting down and having that conversation and just going, I didn't. Here's why. And try to get them on the path where, you they're not making the same mistakes we made. feel like, like I said, if those that older generation did that to us instead of do as I say, why can't I do it? Because I said so. Giving us some explanation behind it with honesty. think, I think we will be some.

more powerful women, not saying that we're not powerful now, but even more powerful because of the honesty.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (22:50)
Yeah, and I think that's good, like, ⁓ to do as I say, generation, right? ⁓ I think that it is empowering to have those honest conversations about why you didn't wait until marriage. It is authentic to say, I did not do that. However, because of those choices, this is also...

Danielle (22:56)
Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

Exactly.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (23:12)
the weight that I had to carry because of those decisions instead of just saying, well, you didn't wait and the math is not mathing thing because I know how old I am. I knew when you and daddy got married. And I can count. But being honest about the burdens that come with making decisions.

Danielle (23:12)
Mm-hmm. Yes. Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Exactly.

Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (23:37)
that sometimes are not in our best interests, right? And if somebody would have said how amazing it is to have a spirit and a soul that is not tied to our bad decisions and our mistakes that we make in those intimate moments in relationships, I most definitely would have chose a different route.

Danielle (23:54)
Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (24:02)
believing and trusting that my son would have still graced the Earth. ⁓ But I most definitely would have chose a different route. And no matter what your journey is, no matter what your story is, no matter what the decision you chose to make when you were trying to figure it out, We own those experiences. We own what

Danielle (24:02)
Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Yes.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (24:23)
those consequences were that we had to go through. Talk to your children about the consequences that come with those decisions and those actions. Talk to them authentically about not just the decision to or not, but if you choose to go that route, understand it's going to be hard. And it doesn't have to be because there's a better path to take. And you may be.

Danielle (24:33)
Yep.

Yeah.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (24:49)
the only one, you may be the only one that still holds your V-card. And it's OK. Don't feel embarrassed. Don't feel shameful. Don't feel like you are degrading yourself or you're missing out on something because you are choosing to walk a different path. And if you are the other group of women in the world,

Danielle (24:55)
Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (25:14)
that chose a different path. Don't beat yourself up. Heal from the experience. Understand why you chose to make that decision and walk down that path. Own it and grow from it. Don't stay there. You cannot stay there. You cannot stay there.

Danielle (25:21)
Yes.

Absolutely not.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (25:32)
What do you hope that women leave this space knowing? Or what do you hope they gather from these conversations?

Danielle (25:42)
think it'll be amazing if women could come here and hear other women's stories and see themselves in it and ⁓ leave knowing that one, they matter. They're not the only ones out in the world dealing with it or going through ⁓ certain situations. ⁓ That they can

start to become authentically themselves and know that it's okay to be themselves and not put up masks to pretend that they feel safe and know that this is a non-judgmental place for them to come and be like, hey sis, I need advice. Hey sis, I got a question. And know that, like I said, they're not gonna be judged. ⁓ It's coming from real women who

want to build the sisterhood and continue to reach other women to, like we said, help keep families together, help ⁓ moms reach out to their daughters and keep that mother-daughter relationship. I hope everybody is... ⁓

pushed to be a better them, a better version of themselves.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (26:48)
that is a great hope to have for women that grace this platform, that women, to the women that are listening, who may not ever say anything, who may never comment, who may never join the Sisterhood in a live session or recording, who are just listening to be filled, that they know that we see them.

that we hear them, that we understand, and that we're not here to judge. But hopefully there's information that is shared that allows you to glean from our experiences, from the experiences of different women from all walks of life, and that we are able to just leave here in a better space, a better mindset, knowing that we are okay.

We're okay. Is there anything that you would like to add to the sisterhood or anything that I did not ask you that you would like to share?

Danielle (27:37)
Absolutely.

I think I just just really want to share that women, it's our time. It's our time to come together. ⁓

and be authentic be real with each other. ⁓ You know, not walk around with our feelings on our sleeves anymore, but to live in our power and know, hey, it's some women out here that really got my back, that really want what's best for me. ⁓ And for us not to be in fear anymore, fear has really had a real, has had.

because it doesn't have it anymore, a real strongness on me not doing certain things. And I just say, don't walk in that fear. Don't let fear continue to keep us from doing what we're supposed to do. And I believe that, like I said, it's our time now to just.

Just be amazing women and push this community, this world forward like we're supposed to.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (28:40)
Amen. Women, you heard it here. It's our time now. It is our time now. From one sister to another sister, it is our time. Do not live in fear. Don't allow fear to keep you from doing the things that you were called to do, the things that you were good at.

the things that you enjoy, you know those secret talents, those hidden gifts that you have. ⁓ Don't live in fear. trust God, trust that he will lead you to its fulfillment, right? Trust in your ability. Trust in the women that you have pulled into your circle.

And if you have questions about the women that you have pulled into your circle, we'll talk about that in another session. We'll get to that in another session. If you need to reevaluate the circle, we understand. And that's OK. But do it with grace. Do it with love. Do it with empowerment. Do not tear your sister down. Danielle says something good.

Danielle (29:32)
Absolutely.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (29:40)
some people are not in your life for a lifetime. They are in your life for a moment, for a journey, for a season, and it's okay. It is okay. Well, I think that that's a good place to wrap it up. And I would like to say that no matter where you are, no matter where you are in the world, we have a seat waiting for you.

Danielle (29:43)
Yes.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Challenge Accepted Sisterho... (29:59)
And it's here. It's in the sisterhood. And I want you to know it's more than just a sisterhood. It's a lifeline. So until next time, take care of one another and we'll see you

in the next session of The Sisterhood. Thanks for joining us, us sending you love all the way to Washington State.