Becca Stevens: Sparking Revolutions with Creativity

Takeaways

• Creativity can be a powerful tool for healing and justice.
• Arts and crafts provide women survivors with healing,  economic opportunities, and a sense of purpose.
• Finding a space like the woods where your heart can sing is important to the creative process. 
• No creative effort is too small to a difference.
• Don’t hold back on starting a project just because you think you don’t know enough!
• Creativity can spark new revolutions in our lives, our communities, and in our world.

Resources

Learn more about Becca and her work here: https://beccastevens.org/

Support the effort — shop at Thistle Farms: https://thistlefarms.org/

And check out Thistle Farms fan Banksy and his work: https://banksy.co.uk/

Transcript

Tricia: [00:00:08] Our guest today is Becca Stevens, founder and president of Thistle Farms, who believes, like me, that this is No Time to be Timid. Hey there. I’m Tricia Rose Burt, and I want to ask you some questions. What creative work are you called to do but are too afraid to try? Is there a change you want to see happen in your community, but you’re waiting for someone else to step up and do it? Is fear of failure preventing you from starting new things that will make a difference to your life and to others? In this podcast, we look to artists to lead us and show us how they use creativity and courage to make changes in their lives and in the world. Pay close attention because this is no time to be timid. Hey there. Welcome to the show. So as most of y’all know, I’ve lived in New Hampshire for nearly 25 years, and I was born and raised in Tampa. But Nashville, Tennessee holds a special place in my heart. Back in 2015, I went to Nashville for a two month creative sabbatical after years of being away from the city. And after that, I just kept coming back. For the next six years, up until the pandemic, I spent months at a time in Nashville. At one point, I spent 14 out of 17 months there. Now I’m a churchgoer, and when I’m in Nashville, I go to Saint Augustine’s, the chapel at Vanderbilt University. To be clear, I never stepped foot in that chapel when I actually attended Vanderbilt. But about 35 years later, it seemed like a good fit. And that’s where I met today’s guest, Becca Stevens, the chaplain of Saint Augustine’s. She’s also the president and founder of Thistle Farms, a program that provides women survivors of prostitution, trafficking and addiction with free housing, health care, counseling, and job readiness training for two years. And what began with five bedrooms in Nashville back in 1997 is now a global movement. So fair warning: Becca will take whatever excuses you may have about why you can’t start a project and obliterate them. She makes something out of nothing on a regular basis. She has founded 13 nonprofits and justice enterprises, mentored another 60, and has raised over $75 million to support them. She’s been featured on PBS NewsHour, The Today Show, CNN, ABC World News. She’s been named a CNN Hero and White House Champion of Change, and she holds five honorary doctorates. Most importantly for us, Becca, believes she was born at the crossroads where arts and crafts and justice meet to heal the world. In this episode, she teaches us two very important things. One, creativity can be a powerful tool for healing and justice. And two, that creativity can spark new revolutions. The word timid is not even in Becca’s vocabulary, and I’m so excited to have her on the show. And hey, stay with us until the end of our conversation because we’ve got free beautiful giveaways from the Thistle Farm Shop. Supplies are limited and you don’t want to miss this offer, so stay with us. And it’s the first time we’ve ever given away anything free on the show, and it’s very exciting. Now on to the conversation. Hi Becca. It’s so great to have you on the show. [00:04:02][234.7]

Becca: [00:04:03] Thank you. Tricia, it’s so good to see your face. We miss you down here. [00:04:06][3.4]

Tricia: [00:04:08] You have no idea. I am way overdue getting back down to Nashville. Okay, so I just have to let our audience know. I’m pretty sure that Becca is knitting right now through the course of this podcast. Yes? [00:04:19][11.6]

Becca: [00:04:20] Yes, I have to. Or else you would be so sad about how jittery I get. [00:04:24][4.0]

Tricia: [00:04:24] Well, also, since we’re talking about the importance of arts and crafts and healing, it just seemed appropriate. So I wanted to have you on the show for so many reasons. One, because in your book, Practically Divine, which to my listeners, if you have not read that book, go get it now. It’s called Practically Divine by Becca Stevens. And on the back cover it says we can use creativity to spark new revolutions. And you were sort of the poster child for that kind of thing. But I wanted to set you up a little bit, because it’s not like you came out of the womb, “I’m going to do revolutions!” In the introduction of Practically Divine, you say, “My mother was a great inspiration to me. When I was five, my father was killed by a drunk driver, and my mother was left alone to care for five young children. Despite being poor and alone, she served as a powerful example of how to find the divine love surrounding us by tending to practical needs through arts and crafts and through her wise sayings. If she taught us how to make things, maybe we could make it through this world that had left us poor and traumatized.” Now I know you, and I know one of the things you make is sanctuary. And that’s what you did when you started Thistle Farms all those years ago, 1997. And I want you to give me the origin story of how you started this house. And then we can talk a little bit about how now it’s a global movement. But talk to me a little bit about what inspired you to start that house and really the humble beginnings of it. [00:06:00][96.0]

Becca: [00:06:01] Absolutely. And again, thank you. Thank you for having me on your podcast and getting maybe the chance to talk to a few new creators who can, you know, help us create more for women survivors. So that’s what I’m hopeful about. But 1997, I opened a house in Nashville for five women who were survivors, who were leaving prison, leaving the streets, who on average, you know, their first trauma has happened between probably five and seven years old. And, you know, who hit the streets on average, around 15 years old. And I thought, you know, we could do so much better if we could just create community. So the model in my mind was just stay there two years, never pay a penny, and don’t have any authority in the house with the women. That was the model. That’s old school. So it wasn’t anything new. But I kept thinking like, you know, if authority is one of your triggers, don’t have somebody over everybody. You won’t create community that way. And then really, the five women came in and they did honestly amazing work. I mean, in their recovery, in forgiving people, in thinking about what restitution looks like, all these great things, but they were still dirt poor. So after opening a couple houses and about four years later. We started creating products. So that women who really didn’t have any work history, nothing like needed so much more training and help could really start their own business making bath and body care products. And we started making like healing oils and candles. And that’s really when the, you know, exponential growth started. [00:07:51][110.5]

Tricia: [00:07:52] And so what sort of led you to say, okay, what we’re going to make is candles. What we’re going to make is healing oils. I mean, who had that idea? Where did that come from? If this is the product that makes sense for us to make. [00:08:01][9.1]

Becca: [00:08:02] So, you know, I’m also an Episcopal priest. I’ve been ordained for 32 years. [00:08:06][3.9]

Tricia: [00:08:06] I do. I’ve been on the receiving end of that. Thank you. [00:08:10][3.7]

Becca: [00:08:11] Well, so it was like, I know candles and oils, right? I’m a priest and they’re universal. They’ve been around forever. They’re so easy to blend and make. They have a long shelf life. It felt like perfect for what we could do. And also, I loved the idea of turning the idea of healing almost on its head. Our mantra is love heals. But when you think about it, what we were able to do instead of saying, oh, these are people that we are working with who need healing, it was like, no, they’re the creators of healing. They are making the oil for other people. And so you could make oil and it be healing for you, and you’re giving something that can be healing for someone else. And what I realized pretty early on is, oh my gosh, if you do this well, you can translate oil into education, into housing, into clothing like it can transform into anything if you do it well. [00:09:10][58.9]

Tricia: [00:09:11] And it has transformed into anything because like now, how many? There’s an okay, tell me if I’m wrong. It’s like you have 30 global partners, right? Is it 30? [00:09:21][9.5]

Becca: [00:09:21] Yeah. It’s about 20 countries, about 30 global partners. Our first one was in Rwanda with a group of women who survived the genocide, who went back and started making oils, healing oils in those fields. And so we bought geranium, patchouli, all these great oils. That was our very first global partner. [00:09:40][18.4]

Tricia: [00:09:41] How do you find your global partners or do they find you? [00:09:43][2.2]

Becca: [00:09:43] Oh my gosh. It’s a it’s such a beautiful organic way in which is I think how community has to grow. We also have 70 sister communities around the US. So there’s about 600 beds now, long term free beds for women who are surviving so so much. But it comes from building relationship. I’m big into friendship first model. If we’re talking about creativity and women coming together to create, it’s a friendship first model. We’ve started organizations, you know, we’ve been to places that women want to organize and come together. We’ve just been basically a distributor for some organizations. We’ve been investors and developers with other organizations. But we only like grow, you know, about two a year. We try to be pretty focused in how we’re growing, and it is a global movement for women’s freedom. But it’s slow growth. You know, that’s how you get the oak tree is slow growth. [00:10:45][61.6]

Tricia: [00:10:46] You know, I’m a storyteller. I know you’re a storyteller. We both believe in the power of story. I just want you to quickly talk about the teacup chandelier or sculpture that is in the Thistle Farms Cafe because it’s beautiful to look at, but also what it’s representing. [00:11:03][16.8]

Becca: [00:11:06] Yeah. So back in 2013, so about 12 years into really doing a justice enterprise, I knew that we needed to open a cafe so we could welcome people. It’s right in the heart of Nashville. It’s how we sell so many products, but it’s also feeding people and it’s also a lot more jobs for women. And I wanted it to be about hospitality. That was the main thing. And so the idea of hospitality is basically loving people without judgment and welcoming them in. And I thought when people come in, if they could see this big chandelier of teacups and the idea of story in every cup, like everybody walking in here has a story, all of us have a story. So how can we visualize that? And so this amazing artist came in and hung, I don’t know, 800 teacups off little strings with lights behind it and made a big wave. And so it’s just this wash and wave of welcome when you come in of teacups dangling above your head. [00:12:11][65.3]

Tricia: [00:12:12] Yeah, it’s just beautiful. And, you know, there’s a story with every single teacup. You create space and experience. It’s an incredible skill and talent to be able to create those experiences that move people to action. You know, it’s one thing to say we need to do something. It’s another thing to be able to move people to do it. A lot of your inspiration, or when you’re telling a story about how you were moved to do something, begins with the line, I was walking in the woods. And so talk a little bit about what the woods mean to you and your creative process. [00:12:44][32.0]

Becca: [00:12:45] Oh my God, who doesn’t love the woods? That’s my question. Like, why would you not love the woods? The woods can handle your grief. The woods can like, celebrate your joy. And the woods are big enough in my mind to handle a new idea without it feeling overwhelming. You know, like if you’re in a little room with, like, four other people and you have a new idea, probably three of those people will feel overwhelmed and tell you stuff like, well, let’s put that in the bottom drawer. You know how they say things when they don’t want to do anything, but if you’re out in the woods, you can go, like, I want to start something and the woods will celebrate with you and you have room to imagine it. And if you walk long enough, you can actually put some flesh on that idea. And so it has what I think is that so many ideas die before, you know they have a chance. And so at least the woods give you a chance. That’s what I would say. And so when I walk in the woods, like I started this conservation cemetery years ago, and it was because I was walking in the woods by an old slave cemetery that’s out in the parks. And you realize that they buried people naturally, and it’s like we’ve just gotten so far away from it, and it’s humbling. And it’s a way to love the earth. Could I do that? And then by the end of the walk, it’s like, oh, I know somebody. I can do this, I can do this. And now we have 900 acres, you know, whatever, eight years later. But it’s just a place I think it’s sacred. And I think it’s, you know, as long as you know you don’t want to get lost, you don’t want to be fearful. None of those things because that’ll ruin it. But if you can just find a space so that you’re able to sing from your heart, it’s good. [00:14:35][109.9]

Tricia: [00:14:48] We’ll get back to the second half of our conversation in a moment. But right now I want to tell you about our sponsor, Interbang Books, a Dallas-based independent bookstore with a terrific online collection. At Interabang, their dedicated staff of book enthusiasts will guide you on your search for knowledge and the excitement of discovery. Shop their curated collection online at interabangbooks.com. That’s interabangbooks.com. [00:15:18][30.1]

Tricia: [00:15:38] Well, I know one of those ideas you had was weaving life vest for Syrian refugees. So can you talk about, because I bought several of those welcoming mats, because what I love about it the most is you had no idea how to weave anything. So talk a little bit about that. I love it, like I don’t even have the foggiest idea how to do this, so let’s do it. [00:16:00][21.8]

Becca: [00:16:00] You know, it’s crazy. What I’ve come to learn and appreciate is like, you know, you can have a tradition for a thousand years, and if no one in the next generation knows how to do it, it’s gone forever. Like, do you know what I mean? Like, if no one teaches somebody, how do weave, there’s no more weaving. Or the reason we have to teach basic blending of oils, even though that’s like 4000 years old and and every, you know, faith and healing tradition in the world. If we don’t teach each other about those oils, you have to start from scratch. It’s crazy. So for me, learning how to weave was a way to remember and to teach other people to, like, go through that process was saying, just like I’m I’m fine being a link in a very, very, very long chain of learning and teaching it, you know, together. So the women were leaving Syria. The men, a lot of men had already fled. And when 2016, 2017 chemical weapons were being dropped, the women and their kids got on those boats and everybody was seeing those newscasts. It was horrific and so sad. And I started thinking about how love calls us, really to welcome people and how it would be good to be able to take some of those life vests and weave them into welcome mats, that that would be a really great outward and visible sign of that inward longing to welcome people that we have. So we went to a refugee camp in Greece in 2016, 2017. We went to a refugee camp in Greece and we had a weaver with us from North Carolina. We had, you know, Arabic speakers that I had worked with. We had a photographer, we had all this stuff, and we go there and people are saying in the camp, you can’t really organize, you can’t pay refugees. If you just invite 9 or 10 women into this circle, there’s going to be a riot because, you know, resources are so scarce. And I was like, none of that is true. None of that is true. You know, women can organize, there are small groups of women all over the world doing amazing work. So ten women got together and we started just, weaving. And it was beautiful and it was humbling. And then a friend of a friend of a friend, somehow, Banksy got ahold of the idea and he loved it. And he said, can he do a design for the women in the camp? Same women, same concept of a welcome mat, but just a Banksy design. And of course [00:18:43][162.7]

Tricia: [00:18:43] No way. [00:18:44][1.3]

Becca: [00:18:46] That changed the whole thing. So we were selling those original mats at $85 a piece. When Banksy got involved, we were selling him for $500 a piece, and I will concede that Banksy’s design was better than mine. I will concede that. [00:19:01][15.2]

Tricia: [00:19:04] And that very humbling of you Becca, really. [00:19:06][2.3]

Becca: [00:19:07] I know, really. I know, I know. Then it went to 50 something women in the camp being employed in this long waiting list. And we were — I mean, it was rocking long. And then the most heart breaking thing happened, which was, we’d already started a, non-governmental organization, an NGO. We were based in England and Covid hit and the refugee camp shut down any gathering. No one could gather. It was over. So we basically had to move operations from the camp into the UK to work with refugees that had already landed. All the original weavers had already reunited with their families. Like it dawned on me like in this creativity we’re talking about, when you have access to money and finances, you don’t stay in the refugee camps. You get attorneys, you get out. There are not — people with money don’t stay in refugee camps. And all the women were reunited with their husbands in like Germany and Sweden. And it was such a learning time for me. And it was this gratitude that some people found their way home through this creative work. But I have been heartbroken about the state of the refugee camps. It’s been horrible. [00:20:29][82.3]

Tricia: [00:20:30] Yeah. Is there any plans to be able to go back in there at this point or? [00:20:34][3.7]

Becca: [00:20:36] At this point? Not yet. No. Yeah. No, they, it’s all very, very different and more shut down since, I mean, it’s just very different now. [00:20:44][8.5]

Tricia: [00:20:45] Yeah. Yeah. So in a, in a recent Instagram post, you have and I would encourage everybody to follow Becca on Instagram and Thistle Farms on Instagram. You said creating is critical and healing in justice. And just talk about that just a little bit more. [00:21:08][23.4]

Becca: [00:21:09] Just for me, it’s like, oh my gosh, if you want trauma informed care, give people the space to have a thought. That’s what creativity is. You know, it’s. What is it that. You know, the idea of like. It’s revolutionary to have an original thought. It’s the best. And so if if people who have had trauma are given the space and the time and the resources to be able to conjure up, like, what is it that I want, what is it that I long for? You know, it reminds us in a creative process, our role is just to be a good host. We’re not the hero of anyone else’s story. All of us get to be the hero of our story. So for me, creativity is a sign of that, and it is a sign that we just need to be in community together so that we can provide the resources so people can do that heroic work. That’s it. I mean, it’s not anything more complicated. And when people are doing like arts and crafts, creative kind of stuff, not only do you feel like, oh my gosh, this is helping me economically, which, you know, money is one of the biggest stressors in the world. But also it is this idea of like, while I’m knitting for the thousandth stitch, I can tell a story about really what’s going on with me. You know, I can do group therapy in many, many ways. Not that it takes the place of mental health care. I’m just saying it’s a, it is also part of mental health. [00:22:39][89.6]

Tricia: [00:22:39] Yeah. Well I mean just to be validated by the people around us and be heard is something that’s remarkable. But you also had said that when we create something that has value and that we see that it has value, then it reminds us that we have value too, which I thought was just so beautiful. You know, because there is something about making something that sort of says, oh, that. I did that. It’s so life affirming. It gives you that confidence that you need to say, okay, I can do one more thing. You know I can just do one. Okay. We’re going to do another one. We’re going to do another one. And, and it just starts building that strength that you forgot perhaps that you had. [00:23:21][41.3]

Becca: [00:23:22] Well, that’s got to be part of your story even on this podcast that, you know, you create this, you create this so that there’s conversation and then you get this positive feedback and then you’re like, oh my God, I did something beautiful. I, I’m good at this. [00:23:36][13.6]

Tricia: [00:23:37] Well, it’s interesting that you say that because, you know, I was having a particular day, like, why am I doing this podcast for, this is, what I don’t know. And a friend of mine called me and said, I just needed to let you know how much good you’re putting in the world. And I was like. Thank you. Yes. And I have such amazing guests that I, I just want to give a platform so people can hear their stories, you know? Yes, I really do. And if there’s anybody out there that hasn’t heard about Thistle Farms and the work that you’re doing, they now know it and like again support them. Now. You know because it matters. It really matters. [00:24:16][39.7]

Becca: [00:24:17] Thank you. I was thinking Tricia too, that how fun it would be — one person is listening to this podcast while they’re walking in the woods. And we’re talking about, like, this gift of the woods in an idea like, what if like, this is what I love to think about, like one candle or one idea that sparks something big. And, you know, that’s what I have to go with. I have to go with this idea that these small acts of love, you know, in totality, they do help the whole world be more loving. And whether it’s in a podcast or candle that we can, we can all do our little part is, you know, Mother Teresa says with with great love, with great love. But I’m just going to tell you one thing that happened the other day that was my experience of that. Like when you’re saying like, oh, should I do this podcast? Does it make any difference? Blah blah blah. So, about a month ago, this guy calls me and said he was in a store and he saw our candle and he loved the store, and he was having a birthday party for his wife, and she was inviting friends from New York. And they want to see where the where we manufacture those candles. Could they come by? And I was like, absolutely, we would love to welcome you. And it ended up being this huge A-list. His friends are the A-list celebrities that I’m sure you saw that on Instagram. [00:25:41][83.4]

Tricia: [00:25:41] I was going to ask you, I’m like, what is this celebrity birthday party? It was insane. Tell this story. Tell this. [00:25:48][6.7]

Becca: [00:25:49] Okay, so it’s from one candle sitting in a store that somebody picked up and read the box, and it was people like Uma Thurman, Paul Rudd, Marishka… [00:25:59][9.9]

Tricia: [00:26:00] Deborah Messing. [00:26:00][0.4]

Becca: [00:26:01] Debra Messing and Molly Shannon. I mean, on and on. I mean, there was a lot of people there and it was super fun. And they were posting and they were doing all this great work. And it was like, you just don’t know, like one candle or one story. And that’s what I’m like, that’s one of the things I’m trying to focus on now is not that, wow, you know, for being in business this long, we’re still probably too small. But then I think you know what? I’m doing the best I can. Maybe I’m not. I don’t know if that’s true. I hope I’m doing at least up to 90% of what I could possibly be doing. I probably goof off too much. But. [00:26:42][41.3]

Tricia: [00:26:43] Yeah, but that’s how that’s. I describe you as a goof offer, Becca, that’s the first thing that comes to my mind. [00:26:47][4.6]

Becca: [00:26:48] Good. Thank you. I like that because the goof off is pretty good, you know? You know, wandering in the weeds and the woods is the best. But anyway, just that you and I are doing our little part, and we’re doing it with love and gratitude, and the rest is just trusting it lands somewhere. [00:27:05][16.8]

Tricia: [00:27:06] So, Becca, now, what are you working on right now in Bethlehem? Tell us about that. [00:27:11][5.1]

Becca: [00:27:13] Sure. So the last summer I was put in contact with a woman named Rasha, who was an amazing potter in Bethlehem. And I thought it’d be really fun to make, like, holy hands, making holy vessels from the Holy Land. Like, I could really imagine it. So we were commissioning, you know, goblets, chalices and patents plates. People put bread and wine on that and serve it in community. And I didn’t hear anything back from her after we talked originally. And then on October 4th, I received 125 chalices and patents. Mind you, I had never seen a prototype. I had never really figured out what the pricing was. I received the whole order and I was kind of shocked, but then, you know, didn’t really have a chance to even talk about it because of course, three days later there was the Hamas bombing. And things got very, very dicey. But then the crazy thing was, and she, three of the folks who are refugees in Bethlehem — amazing Palestinian potters — a couple of them went to Greece and then some of them are still there, but obviously they’re not gathering and doing their pottery. But right before Thanksgiving, I got the second part of the order, another 125 of these, and we were unloading the boxes. And I saw that the universal symbol on every box around the globe for being fragile is this chalice the same thing I was unpacking. And how this beautiful, fragile chalice made of clay made its way, you know, through a war zone to come here. And it was like, these are sacred and holy, and we’ve got to set the altar with these. And, you know, we’ve had a few zoom since then. We are, you know, all the money is going in this holding account so that when all the women return, this is part of a, part of a community that’s attached to a Lutheran university that teaches artisans in Bethlehem. And, all of this is going to help set up a new center for women to take their place back in this ancient craft of pottery. Where they can, you know, raise their kids and hope and communicate and figure out all the collective trauma and how it works. But right now, what we’re doing is it’s not all the sales, 100% of it is being held so that we can dream together when people can come back home. [00:29:56][163.0]

Tricia: [00:29:57] Yeah. That’s fantastic. It’s fantastic. Oh, Becca, that’s important stuff. Thank you. So, we’re gonna have to wrap up , I’m going to ask you a question though. What do you need courage for these days? And how can we lift you up in that effort? [00:30:20][22.9]

Becca: [00:30:21] That’s such a sweet question. It can be stressful here at Thistle Farms, whether it’s because there’s been a relapse or because people are stretched pretty tightly. But the more people can help us get the word out on these products, honest to God, that’s what we need. We need to increase our sales so that we can support, you know, the 125 women who are here. That’s one of the things that, you know, as I’m approaching the summer, I really feel like, oh my gosh, if there are people who can just elevate our products and keep talking about them, you know, there’s a lot more people who haven’t heard of our products. So that’s one thing. It’s like, you know, we need free advocates, people who are there and love justice and love women and believe that when we invest in women, we heal communities. But when we rape women, we kill community. So this is about intervention. It’s about prevention. It’s about, you know, a holistic approach. It is about the environment. It is about health. It’s all of those things because it’s community for women. So that’s what really I could use, you know, the courage about. [00:31:32][71.0]

Tricia: [00:31:33] And so, you know, I have said that before, I’ll say to you again, use me in any way possible to help things move forward at Thistle Farms. And I will encourage everyone who’s listening, go to thistlefarms.org right now and buy yourself candle, damn it. And, you know, just there’s just so many beautiful things online to purchase there. I can personally attest to the bug spray, rose geranium bug spray, which is miraculous. You are helping an amazing, amazing effort. [00:32:03][30.3]

Becca: [00:32:04] That is so nice. And one thing I want to say to that, Tricia, is that, you know, I think sometimes people have this idea that if you’re doing it for justice, then you’re doing crappier work. Like, if you’re a brand that is not justice, then somehow it’s higher quality if it’s a beauty care product. And one of the things that you’re pointing out about the bug spray that I think is really important is it is the highest quality. That geranium does come from Rwanda, and it’s like it tests out by the FDA as the most effective natural bug spray you can purchase. [00:32:36][31.8]

Tricia: [00:32:36] So all of the products are beautiful. It’s amazing. [00:32:39][2.6]

Becca: [00:32:40] It is amazing. But I think sometimes what I wish is the people thought, like, when we’re being creative and we’re grounded in justice, it can still still be the highest quality. [00:32:49][9.7]

Tricia: [00:32:50] Which is what y’all achieved. It’s exactly what you’ve achieved. Well, you can count on me to spread the gospel continuously. So we just want to support what you’re doing is it’s wildly important, Becca. It’s wildly important. [00:33:02][11.6]

Becca: [00:33:03] Thank you for having me. Thank you to anybody that has been listening. It is a gift to see Tricia and to be a part of her amazing podcast. I’m grateful. Thank you. [00:33:12][9.6]

Tricia: [00:33:31] They don’t come more fearless than Becca. And boy, do we need her example, her leadership, and creativity in the world today. And she made me think of a few questions. Becca says the woods is her space where she can sing from her heart, to dream big. Where’s your space? Are you afraid that your project or creative effort is too small and won’t make a difference? Remember, Thistle Farms started with five beds and now it’s a global movement. And are you holding back on starting a project just because you think you don’t know enough? Becca knew nothing about weaving, and yet she started a weaving program in Syrian refugee camps that was so successful Banksy got involved. So get started now. You can follow Becca on Instagram and Facebook @beccastevens. And that’s Becca Stevens with a V @beccastevens. And learn more about her at beccastevens.org. Also follow Thistle Farms @thistlefarms and go to thistlefarms.org to learn more and to donate and to shop. You heard Becca, they need our support. Their products are of the highest quality and you’ll be supporting such a worthy cause. And like I said at the top of show, I have free samples to give away. And these aren’t piddly little samples. These are beautiful full size candles and proper sized bottles of their amazing bug spray. So email me at podcast@triciaroseburt.com if you’d like a free gift. It’s going to be first come, first serve and supplies are limited. But again, email me at podcast @triciaroseburt.com. That’s podcast@triciaroseburt.com and get a taste of Thistle Farms amazing products. If you’re listening to this podcast, it’s because you care about creativity and courage too. And believe, like I do, that this is no time to be timid. This year I’m taking the no time to be timid message on the road. And maybe your part of the world needs to hear it. If you’re looking to awaken boldness and creativity in your company or organization, I’d love to come speak to you. Let’s have a conversation. Please reach out to me at booking@triciaroseburt.com. Join us next week when our guest will be Dava Whisenant, founder of Cactus Flower Films. She’s an Emmy Award winning writer and director of one of my favorite documentaries, Bathtubs Over Broadway, which was the first time she’d ever directed. And for taking that big step, she received a Best Directing award at the Tribeca Film Festival, a Writers Guild Award for Best Documentary Screenplay, and an Ace Editing nomination. Dava has worked in both narrative and nonfiction film for more than 20 years, mostly focusing on music and comedy. But most importantly to me, she’s a creative risk taker with a lot to teach us. Make sure to subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen so you don’t miss a single episode this season. No Time to Be Timid is written and produced by me, Tricia Rose Burt. Our episodes are produced and scored by Adam Arnone of Echo Finch, and our theme music is Twists and Turns by the Paul Dunlea Group. If you like what you hear, please spread the word, subscribe to the show, and review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. No Time to Be Timid is a presentation of I Will Be Good Productions. [00:33:31][0.0]