Ooh, darling, cause you'll always be my baby.

Surprise! It's a bonus Thursday – the 5th of the month – and we're doing something extra special today. ✨ It’s time for a Subscriber Spotlight, where we get to showcase one of the incredible people who make up the Modus Medley community. This quarter, we’re excited to highlight someone who truly embodies the balance of work and life, while spreading joy and fulfillment along the way.

And don’t forget to grab your freebies at the bottom of the newsletter – just a little something to say thank you for being a part of this community!

1. How do you spend your time on a typical day?

   • Time is my most precious commodity in this stage of life. I have a really full, meaningful life. I try to be really intentional about how I use each day and mindful of how much I say “yes” to keep my schedule from being overwhelmed.

     • Whenever I can, I try to wake up naturally, with no alarm. This isn’t possible most days, but I try to do it a few days a week! After that, I start my day slowly- I make coffee in my vintage percolator and spend time with God reading His Word and listening to His voice. After that, make a plan for how to use my time that day, make a list, and get to it.

     • I love being bi-vocational because I am able to engage with so many passions and interests. Doula work involves me being on call to go to births with very little notice. The unscheduled nature of birth often means I need to work ahead or prep a lot in advance for other areas of my life to be successful without me being around!

2. What's a recent accomplishment you're proud of?

   • January 2025 marks 5 years of my small business, Legacy Birth Services and also 15 years in support based missions through Reliant Mission! Both are dreams come true and I’m so proud of myself for chasing them down. Starting a new business or having my salary in ministry be fundraising-based were both huge, vulnerable steps for me. I’m glad I did them both and it has also given me courage in making other big moves.

3. What's a productivity tip or tool you swear by?

   • Set small goals and make the next right choice. If I look at a whole list of what I’d hope to accomplish in a day, I can get really overwhelmed. I set small goals and choose what to tackle based on importance. I go based on importance because everything I want to do in a day doesn't always need to be done in a day. There’s grace to wait and move things to a new day.

4. What's a piece of advice you've received that's stuck with you?

   • Whenever possible, choose people over tasks. Tasks typically won’t expire whether it’s paperwork, chores, or maintenance things. People and our time with them can be very fleeting; kids grow up fast, friends move away, relationships thrive with time and energy, and the chance to show up and care for one another doesn’t happen daily. I choose to be present with people first and trust the tasks will still get done. I have 24 hours in my day and I’ll always do my best to prioritize them towards people.

5. What's a book, podcast, album, show, or movie you're currently enjoying and would recommend?

   • I recently read Upside-Down Spirituality by Chad Bird. He’s a new-to-me author and when I read his books I feel connected to his thoughts and that he just gets it. His approach to people, God, and the world around him speaks to me. He also brings a lot of healthy vulnerability to his writing and isn’t a person who feels the need to have a shiny life tied up with a bow. He’s divorced (hey, me too!), has made some questionable choices in the past (don’t you know I have), and is choosing to live life differently because of who God is and how He’s impacted his life (I’m leaning into the grace!).

   • KAB note: Sa-Ma also loves Traitors! We’re on a text thread together to dissect each new episode.

6. What's your go-to recharging activity?

• Daily - Reading! The half an hour I read before bed is the best 4 hours of my day.

• 2-3 Times a year- Silence and solitude in a beautiful, rustic nature area. I’m going to Arizona with my Nana in February and I have 3 days alone in a vintage airstream trailer in the desert!

7. Who makes up your community?

• My community is really fantastic and diverse. They are people that I’ve met over the years and we’ve chosen each other. My friend Beth taught me that one of the hardest parts of being an adult is choosing to still be friends when it’s not convenient. When you’re in school or a young person, we tend to live with our friends, be in the same groups at church, or have similar schedules. As we age, our lives start to look different, we aren’t living together, people move, babies are born, and our time is spread more thinly. The people in my community are ones that I'm choosing to try to love and be in a relationship with even when it’s not convenient.

• Places I’ve built my community from: My family, especially my 14 year old nephew, Church, the birth community, Washtenaw Community Concert Band, a bimonthly food distribution that I help run, college and grad school, and friends of friends who I’ve claimed as my own. I also have a lot of chosen family, including my 84 year old nana that I’m traveling to Arizona with! We aren’t actually related by blood. She introduces me as her, “granddaughter by affection”.

Enjoy these fun freebies as a thank you for subscribing! We’ll share some every quarter.