Communication is just talking.

Communication is having a conversation, responding to questions, smiling, offering a speck of hope, and listening.

I was at an event on Tuesday’s Election Night (big election day in Michigan this week!) and got to hear “the conversation” from the new Republican Party Chair of Michigan, Pete Hoekstra.

What I heard from him was:

• Conversation - even from the stage
• Authenticity - both one on one and on the stage
• Humility - he shared the stage with others
• Kindness - offered kindness to those in the room who worked against him at one time or the other

He did not give a 3 hour speech, or read from a teleprompter or stand in the corner and assume “communication was happening.”

I walked away with an extra speck of hope.

We must all learn TO communicate. We must stop hiding from it.
And it’s time to stop assuming someone else is doing it.

Talk with purpose and intentionality. Communicate with joy, interest, and a heart of service and watch how things get better. It can make all the difference.
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Silence and hiding from communication is no longer an option. It’s time to lean in and start to communicate. Thank you Chairman Hoekstra for encouraging me: there is hope on the horizon.

Communication matters.

And if we ever want to win again as conservatives, as leaders, as peers - we need to embrace it.
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Lean into some of these resources to start to take yourself to the next level!

• How to Win Friends and Influence People
• Saying It Well: Touching Others with Your Words
• Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us
• The Value of Communication: Why It Should Matter to You

The secret is out: I was homeschooled for 12 glorious years and it was well worth it.

Here is the message I gave to homeschool families gathered at the State Capitol a few days ago. Watch it and let me know what you think!

Yes, I was homeschooled.
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Some of you will say “ah hah! Now we know what is wrong with her! She was homeschooled!!!” You’re funny. Believe me, I’ve heard it all.

Everything from, “Wait, are you Amish?? Were you the Valedictorian of your class? How big was your basketball team? Did you have any friends?? Who was your favorite teacher!!”

All jesting aside, I get the jokes: homeschooling is an anomaly and in a world that focuses on individuals desperate to fit in, it feels like a very strange road to choose to stand out.

​Oh but what a beautiful road it is for those who are called to take it.

There are so many good men and women who serve as Teachers, Administrators, School Board Members, and educational advocates around the state. 

In this hour of growing turmoil in the education arena, as more and more parents are realizing what is not being taught in the classroom, seeing first hand the agendas that are being advocated, and speaking up until they are horse to try and get things changed, we cannot overlook the men and women who are doing good on the inside. 

Though they could be few in comparison to those who have used the system, we must acknowledge the heroes who have stood in the gap and pushed back on this growing monstrosity of Progressive agenda in our education systems.

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