What's up, everybody? Welcome to the final episode of the year 2025 of my podcast, your favorite podcast. I'll just let myself in, which a girl is speaks. It's the podcast where we don't wait for an imaginary permission slip or some seat at an imaginary table. We let ourselves into our God-given doors. And this year, let ourselves in we did. Let me just say I am so proud of myself this year. I am proud of this podcast. I am proud of my small but mighty man of one production team. I'm proud of my management. Proud of the friends and family who have stuck it out with me. But man, did we have to push through in order to give you evergreen episodes? Give or take a couple weeks. We uh put out a new episode every single week. And on Holy Culture, shout out to Holy Culture, we put out an episode every week because we had about eight episodes in the bank before we did our deal with holy culture. And so every Monday on Holy Culture for this entire year, 52 weeks, an episode of I'll Just Let Myself In has played on Monday night, 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. And I am so grateful for that collaboration and partnership. This year I went through several transitions, life transitions, spiritual transitions, uh, things that really just helped me to grow. And my hope is that you guys have been able to see that growth in the podcast. So, what we're gonna do today is we're gonna do a little bit of a year in review of the podcast where I get to talk about some of my favorite episodes, uh, where I get to talk about some of the moments behind the scenes that maybe didn't make it to the screen that really transformed me or maybe even went into my preparation for the episodes. You know, this year we leaned harder into guests. And I think that um that was really purposeful because I really wanted to be able to bring you guys, the audience, value and storytelling. And I have stories. I got plenty of stories, and y'all have heard them and will continue to hear them. But I really wanted my guest to be able to share the ways in which they have let themselves in, the ways they've been successful, the ways they've maybe been not so successful, and the ways that they have listened to God even when it was difficult. And boy, did we have some storytelling guests on the podcast this year. You know, uh, we really pushed myself, my husband, my management team, uh, shout out to Marcus and Danielle. We really pushed to try and make the podcast a place that people want to come when they have something going on, when they have something they want to promote, uh, and a place where they know they're gonna get fair questions, a place that where they know they're going to enjoy themselves, right? And a place where they know they're gonna get quality content that they can then go on to use on their platforms and to share with their audiences. And uh our hope, right, was that that would attract, I don't even want to say higher caliber of guests, because my first season of guests were some movers and shakers and hitters, um, but more of that quality and people who are doing great things. And so this year, in no particular order of my favorite, I was able to have Jordan G. Welch on the podcast, Enrique Holmes, Brenda Palmer, Mia J, uh, Anike, Portia Love, Kev on Stage, uh, which we'll talk about, Shonda Scott, Nico Flowers, Dr. Bobby Jones, which that episode just means the world to me. Um, and so many others, friends, uh, people who I've known for years, people who are running for, you know, state and government positions, authors, great, great people on the podcast. And last but certainly not least, my family. I've had every member of my immediate family on the podcast this year. And uh so we'll talk about those things and get into kind of how they they pushed me. But I was so excited to get into this podcast because what many of you don't know is that we shoot this podcast for most of this year in between two full-time jobs. Uh, I have recently gone full time into podcasting media slash social media, and that's been amazing. But up until about three months ago, that was not the case. I was working full-time. My husband was and still is, praise the Lord, working full-time. And so shooting this podcast really has been a choice. Like, we've had to decide hard weeks, long weeks, tough weeks, tough times, even grieving, moving, all the things that we would still prioritize putting out quality content. And I'm just so grateful and proud because we have before we left Atlanta uh to come back to the Northeast, we filmed about 10 episodes. Is that right, babe? About 10 episodes? Maybe more? A lot. We filmed a lot because we didn't have to film here for about two months once we got here. And we just put we put the time in to just make sure that we could get those episodes filmed. And in that time, some of the people that came through didn't even know that they were speaking into my life and encouraging me through a very difficult season. And that's the beauty of doing content, of hosting a podcast. You are giving, but you're also being given to at such a high level because you interact with, uh, if you have to have a podcast, I have, you interact with people who are thinking, growing, writing, speaking to the highest of who we are as people. And I count myself as very, very blessed to have been able to do that this year. So let's get into my favorite episodes of 2025. Now, you know, favorite episodes are hard because all these episodes are like my babies. They're just, they mean so much to me. They are hard fought. I put a lot of effort into one getting the guest, right? I don't have a booking agent. So if you've been on my podcast, nine times out of 10, I personally reached out to you, or you personally reached out to me, or you know, some friend of ours connected us. But most of the time, I am doing the corresponding, right? So um, you know, I am the one answering the emails or answering the DMs and trying to decide what's best, you know, trying not to necessarily turn anyone away, but also making sure it makes sense for my brand and for their brand, right? It makes sense for what they have going on, right? It's sometimes it's better for you to come sit on the couch or sit at the table with me when you actually have something to promote for yourself, you know. So really taking the time to do that makes every episode feel so personal. So it is definitely difficult to choose a favorite. But the truth of the matter is there are some episodes that you just they just leave an imprint on you that they just transform you. And first and foremost, I got it. This is not a surprise to you guys, but this year for me, that was the episode with Kev on Stage. Um, Kev on Stage is a comedian, an author, a show writer runner, a creative, uh, has shows on multiple platforms. Kev on Get the Bag Stage is doing his big one in 2025. And I, like I said, really counted as a blessing to have been able to be a part of his press run. He went on an enormous press run for his book, Successful Failure. And he went to podcast all over. And uh I was probably the least known podcast that he came to. And the way that that happened, and the reason it's so special to me, is because I I reached out to him and shot my shot on threads. And so being able to do that, to put myself out there, right? To to maybe be embarrassed or maybe be shot down or ignored, and it actually working out and coming through was a big exercise in faith for me. Kevon Stage is somebody whose story I really look up to, I really admire. I actually, you know, I pattern my um social media style after his, in the sense that we we do two different things, obviously, but in the sense that he's just like a gorilla with the videos. Like he's going to put out videos every single day, multiple times a day. And so that's something that I'm really working to imitate. And uh just his story and the way that he has not ever let life knock him down and stay. Like he gets back up every time something doesn't work out. It's just something admirable. So our interview meant so much to me, and it's so funny because there's a part in the interview where I say something, he goes, Lish, that's good. Lish really do be speaking. Lish speak. That's a good name for you. Lish really speaks. And I laugh about that and think about that often because I am really who I am, you know, and Lish really do be speaking. And I love that affirmation from Kev. But that episode was so special to me, you know. There are parts of that story that are really his to tell. And I don't want to put him out there so that other people be expecting him to do what he did for me. But I gained a lot of respect for Kevin Fredericks for how he made sure that interview happened. And it spoke to me that oh, I'm getting emotional. Um that always surprises me when it happens because I be thinking I got it, but it spoke to me about my worthiness and my place in this business. I don't know that that was his intention or if he just was trying to make things easier for him. But the lengths that he went to to make sure that interview happened let me know you belong here and people see your value. And so, Kev, that was a life-changing interview for me, an encouragement to my soul. Um, not just in numbers that it did on social or numbers that it did on YouTube, but personally, that episode meant a ton to me. I think right after that, I gotta talk about Dr. Bobby Jones. Dr. Bobby Jones, man, uh just somebody who I grew up watching, grew up seeing on television. And I think that before I got into the media space, right? I've said this before on the podcast, it's always something that was like in the back of my mind. Like I when I was doing music heavy, I would always look at the media people in the room. If I had a show or if I was with the network or doing something, I would always look at the people in the room who were either hosting or covering or even filming. And I would always say, if I wasn't doing this, I'd be doing that. And so when I started to really tap into that and I thought about who else has done media the way that I want to do it in the Christian space, right? And as you guys know, I am not limited to the Christian space, but that is my heart. That's my desire. Dr. Bobby Jones is the blueprint, right? To this day, no one has had a longer running show on cable television than he had. And he just has done it with so much grace, so much honor. Um, he is respected both in the Christian world and outside of the Christian world, which is something very important to me in my career. Uh, if you can only be respected by people who think like you, you're not doing so much. Um, so to see Dr. Bobby Jones, to meet him, to talk to him, to have him agree to come on my show and be somewhat of a mentor to me, um, and to speak so much life into me. You know, if you have not watched that episode, please go back and watch it. He spoke life into me, into my career. Um, he told me these things on and off camera. And to have someone like that tell you that you're gonna be successful, you have no choice now but to be successful. And so the episode with Dr. Bobby Jones was special. We got to film it in Nashville in a museum that honors him and has an exhibit about him. And so just being able to walk through the museum with him and talk with him, it is something that I will literally never, ever, ever, ever, ever forget. Another episode that I love, and guys, it's so hard. Again, it is very hard because I could go for every episode for the well-known guests and for the guests that are not that well known yet, because I believe everyone who's ever sat on my couch is gonna be a bona fide star. But um, I could go through this for all of them. So I had to narrow it down. I had to narrow it down. Uh, but next up is going to be Jordan G. Welch. Now, that episode is really special to me for very personal reasons. I think there are times where, you know, you get to sit down with someone when you're in this space and you talk with them and it's great and it's cool, but it's really just business as usual. I felt like when I got to sit down with Jordan, I was really able to give flowers to someone who was impacting my life in real time, right? Whose music was actually helping me get through the day that week. Like, you know what I mean? And I just really took it to heart that I was able to give her her flowers in real time to let her know hey, what you're doing is making a difference. What you're doing is changing lives. Mine in particular. What you're doing can help somebody go from having a day where they're in unbelief and doubt about their life to where they're in full faith and believing that God can do something with their lives. And I was just so grateful to be able to tell her that. And you know, on a personal note with that interview, one of the reasons it was so heartfelt for me is because I was literally in the middle of moving. So the movers were at my apartment. You know, I helped my husband get everything we could get together. I threw some makeup on my face. If you go back and watch it, you can tell I threw it on my face. And I drove down to Atlanta to do this interview, met up with Portia and Don. Shout out to Porsche and Don, who always step in when my husband is traveling for work or he can't, he can't produce the podcast. They always step in and help and met up with them. I was very emotional. I was very emotional that day because leaving Atlanta was very difficult for me. And when the movers are at your house, it's real. Like it's you're looking you're leaving. And so that morning was very emotional. And then Jordan was on tour in the middle of a tour and in the middle of a very intense press run. And so, shout out to her PR, Sarah, uh, who got this interview, you know, done for us, who made the arrangements for us after we met at the Stellars. She was a little frazzled as well. You know, nice, kind, but tired. You could tell, you know, when you can tell someone is just, I'm here and I'm gonna do my best, but I don't really necessarily want to do this right now. And I don't hold that against anyone because when you're interviewing people who are very busy and important, they are tired. They got a lot going on. And so one of the things I take pride in is that by the end of that interview, both of us were in a much better mood. I take pride in being professional enough to do this even when life is hard for me, but also being warm and professional enough to bring the best out of my guests, even when they're not having the best day. And that episode proved, I proved to myself in that episode that I can do those two things simultaneously. And so that's not only a special episode for me because of the fact that I was able to give Jordan her flowers and let her know how much her music means to me, but I was able to push through and she pushed through, and we encouraged each other and many of you who have watched that episode. And so I really do love that one. I really enjoyed my episodes with Portia and Anike and Enrique Holmes, uh, just people who are doing great things in the Christian music space. Uh, and really just people who I admire, people who I love, people who I think are brilliant and fun. I love their stories. They they both were uh in those, both those episodes, they were able to share stories of overcoming in order to get where they are right now, able to share stories of letting themselves in where they may not have been as accepted or wanted, but they decided this is what we're gonna do and how it's changing lives. And I just thought that that was super cool. Another thing that I really, really loved about the podcast this year is that it became a place where people came to promote their books. I am an avid reader. I love to read. I my husband and I were just talking last night about how, you know, growing up, I didn't really love math and I could kind of handle science because it has some reading in it. But language arts, which is what we called it growing up. I don't know what they call reading now in school. Language arts was my thing, English was my thing. I actually did not like to read until about the fifth grade. I had a teacher named Miss Barbara, and she made me love reading. And since then, I have loved to read. My sister, who is three and a half years older than me, she loved to read as well. And she loved words. And she would, when she had a spelling test growing up, um, do kids still have spelling tests? I feel old. Like she would have spelling tests, um, you know, growing up. And she would have me study with her, and I would take spelling tests at home with her, with her words from three or two and a half, two grades up from me. And so I've just had a love for words. And so to be a place, I love this, where people want to come and promote their books is so important to me. You know, this year we had Shonda Scott come on and promote her new book. Um, we had Nico Flowers come and promote his book, Brenda Palmer, Kev on Stage, obviously come and promote their books that came out this year. These are all books that you guys should definitely read. Many of them are on Audible as well. You can listen. It has just been a pleasure to have them come on and speak about the lessons that they've learned, the ways in which they've let themselves in, uh, that they've also written about in these books. And before the end of the year, Jalen Clark Owens came to promote her new book that is coming out next week, which you guys will see her episode called A Black Girl in Her Braids. It's a children's book. And I was just, I'm just excited because that's something I definitely want to do more of in 2026. You know, all those episodes were incredible, and many others that I had this year. People who, like I said, I've grown up with, people who I've seen the trajectory of their careers, people like Trey Bryant, who I literally watch climb to a million followers on more than a million now on TikTok and a million on Instagram and several hundred thousand on YouTube. You know, Atika Green, who I've watched from acting from college to now being in major things. Just people who I really enjoyed having on the show. I don't want to start going because then I'm gonna forget people. All that stuff. But I really did enjoy every single guest and some of those solo episodes. And like I always say, I hear you guys, I know you love the solo episodes. The data shows that you love the solo episodes because your retention in them is longer. Uh, we look at our analytics here and it shows, you know, kind of when people drop off. They might watch the first 20 minutes of the podcast and drop off. When I do a solo, you guys watch that whole episode. And so, in that vein, I will be making sure to give you some more solo episodes in 2026 and make sure that we are using our resources to get guests that are really, really worth your while to listen to and watch. But I have to say this of all the episodes that I did this year, my absolute favorites, and this I can say favorites, were the four episodes that I did with the four immediate members of my family. Being able to sit down with my father, my mother, my sister, and my brother truly did something for me that I didn't even know it was gonna do. Obviously, in an hour-long episode, you can't get through every single family memory, feeling, thought, you know, hurdle. And I actually would love to have them on again at different times to talk about different things. But it was just very refreshing, healing in some ways, encouraging, fun to sit down with the people who know me best, particularly with my siblings who have known me through every season. And with my mom, who literally carried me in her body. There's no more intimate relationship than that in terms of being known. And to my dad, who really has had the greatest impact on my personality and the reason I'm able to sit in front of a camera and do the things that I do and impact people and speak to people the way that I do. It was just an honor to be able to have them on the podcast. You know, my sister is one of my very best friends in the world. You know, whenever I'm like cackling, like laughing hard on the phone, my husband is like, you must be talking to Sephora because nobody else makes you laugh like this. And my brother, you know, is someone who I feel like understands me in a way that is very different than the way other people understand me. And so just having those moments with them on camera, I think about this for our family legacy. This is something that generations will be able to go back and watch. I wish I had videos of my grandmother talking to her siblings or her parents. And so just to know that I've been able to provide that for my lineage of God, would decide I have one, uh my personal one. I'm just grateful. I'm so, so, so grateful for that, for that opportunity. And so those for sure, I gotta say, are my favorite episodes of the year. Honorable mention to our annual uh Valentine's Day episode that I do with my husband, where we sit and we talk about the state of our love and our relationship. Um, you can look forward to that coming soon. Uh, that is something that we will always do. And um, that episode, obviously, you know, where we had the viral clip talking about when he becomes Joe Jackson on me when I'm not acting like Michael. It is just a testament to why we were able to, in a year of intense transition for us, grief, difficulty, uh, thank God, not in our relationship, but in our life, while we were able to still execute the way that we have, it's because my Joe Jackson makes sure that I am being Michael. And uh, you know, that's just a funny thing we say. He is in no way in here, you know, doing any Joe Jackson-like behavior, but he is very strict with me about realizing my full potential. He works very hard so that I can focus on this and be excellent at this without distraction. And in 2026, baby, you're gonna see the fruits of that labor. Okay. Uh 2026, you guys will see an uptick in the way that we produce the podcast and the way that we do things. Uh, prayerfully, you'll see an elevation in the level of guests that we're able to consistently have. And even an elevation in the solo episodes. You know, I talked about this earlier, but one of the reasons that I want to do way more solo episodes is because, to be honest, I think it connects us, me and you guys, in a way that is more difficult to do when I have a guest. Obviously, when I have a guest, I need to let them talk, right? I need to let them tell us talk about whatever they're here to promote. But when I do a solo episode, I really get to share my heart with you guys. And the feedback that I'm able to get from you all really helps me to know what else we need to be talking about or what else I need to be researching to bring you guys better and more quality podcasts. And so we're gonna lean back into some solo episodes, but we are going to make sure that we are using our resources to have the best guests possible. So that may mean things like me traveling at times, because you guys know, if you haven't realized, you have never seen me do a virtual episode on my podcast. I virtually have joined other people's podcasts. But generally, I like to do in-person podcasts. Not to say that I'll never do a virtual episode, but my preference is in person. I would rather fly to somebody to do an episode than to do it virtually. And obviously, you know, when I'm in in the city, we have to get studios and things like that. So we want to make sure that we are using our resources wisely to bring you the best product, the best guest, the best episodes, so that you are getting the information, the value that you deserve from this podcast. You know, as I close out here, one of the things that I always ask people is in the grand scheme of things, what do you want your legacy to be? And after having done over 50 episodes, actually, this is probably our 60th episode filmed, after having over a year in the game of doing this podcast, I'm starting to think about what I want the legacy of this podcast to be. And if I'm honest, I think the legacy of this podcast has to be that someone watched this and decided to get up and walk through a God-given door. We are inundated with so much information these days. So many podcasts, so many clips, so many viral moments, so many books, so many seminars, so many fill in the blank of opportunities to learn how to do something. I want to be a place where you don't just learn, but you feel a divine push to get up and do. You know, I talked about this on the episode with Jalen Clark that you guys will see next week. But I believe in my soul that one day somebody is gonna come up to me and say, You don't know me, but I watched your podcast, I watched your media content, and I decided that this was something that I could do. Your representation let me know that I could do this thing. Because I have people who, when I meet them one day, and some of them I have met and I have told them, like Dr. Bobby Jones, who I can say to them, you and your work and what you decided to do is the reason that I'm sitting here today. And so my desire for the legacy of this podcast is that it inspires someone to get up and do the very thing God has chosen them in the earth to do and to walk through their God-given doors. I thank you guys so much for watching. I thank you so much for listening. I thank you for sharing every clip you've ever shared, every time you've sent the link to a friend, every comment you left on YouTube. I thank you guys so much for your participation. And I need it to continue. I need you guys to continue to engage and support the podcast the way that you do. Um, it is nothing without you. And so I want to thank you. I want to thank Holy Culture, who became my partner in January of this year, and all the work that we were able to do uh this year together. Uh, the red carpets that I was able to do, the press events that I was able to do, the great people who I was able to meet and interview through uh Holy Culture and Sirius XM's uh co-sign. I am grateful. I'm super grateful for every listener that I've gained through holy culture and just blessed in that way. As I've said earlier, I want to thank my husband, who is my co-producer and helps me to execute this podcast at a high level. I'm gonna thank my management team, uh Marcus and Danielle, who helped me brainstorm and figure things out and you know, help me to try and find guests and write fits. And we're gonna do a whole lot more work in 2026, y'all. So get ready. But I really thank you for the support. And I hope that this podcast is giving you guys half of what you give me by watching it. If you've listened to this on Holy Culture channel 140 on Sirius XM, 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on a Monday night, we thank you for listening there. If you've watched on their YouTube, we thank you for watching there. And if you're watching on my YouTube, thank you for watching and subscribing, hitting that notification bell so that you do not miss an episode. Guys, it's been an amazing year. Thank you for rocking with me and happy new year. I pray the best blessing over your life and that you let yourself in in 2026. And I'll see you guys next week. Same time, same place. Peace.