The One Where She Explains Why This Show Is Called “Good Vanilla”

Hey there, friend! I want to dive a little deep into my mission for this podcast. I am speaking mainly about wellness as it pertains to recovering from disordered eating, eating disorders, and negative body image. I believe these topics fall under the category of wellness, mental health.

It’s my mission to inspire women to pursue wellness from a foundation of faith. I want to talk about foundation and how it relates to the name of this podcast. Because, believe it or not, the name Good Vanilla was not a random choice. In a hidden way, it’s meaningful. I want you to understand where it came from so when you hear “Good Vanilla”, it can be a meaningful reminder for you, as it is for me.

It’s story time! Let’s dive in.

A couple summers ago, my family and I were driving to the lake to go fishing. My husband, Adam, and I started talking about how overwhelming and over complicated the world is today, and how we prefer simple, because that's where we are truly happy. It feels like everyone is trying to one up someone else, right?

I bought the new car. 

We're going on this vacation. 

We got this house. 

We're doing these activities with our kids. Monday through Friday, we're running around taking this kid here, that kid there.

 So many people are really putting “busy” up on a pedestal, right? Does it inject you with a sense of urgency? Making you feel if you're not busy, and if you're not running around crazy achieving constantly, something's wrong with you? That’s the feeling I get. 

And everywhere you go, there are so many choices. Our culture can be so exhausting. Now, don't get me wrong, I appreciate having the privilege of living in our culture and having the freedom to achieve whatever I set my mind to. I appreciate having choices, but for some reason, I think I'd be less overwhelmed if there were only three choices. At least then, if I'm indecisive, a good old fashioned, eenie meenie miney mo will do the trick.

Back to the story.

Envision Adam and I talking about this, and I gave the example of ice cream.

Going to get ice cream should be fun, but there's a lot of pressure. All the flavors and the toppings and the custom orders… it’s like the menu boards have 57 combinations. And don’t get me started on the lines to get up to the counter to order. They are never the right length.

If the line is short, you have to walk right up and quickly order before the teenager behind the counter gets that sideways look on their face…”How do you not know what you want?”

And then when the line is too long, I fall into this false sense of confidence. I think I have all the time in the world. I'm going to come up with a perfect order. But then you're standing there, listening to other people's orders, thinking, “hmm, that sounds good.”

And you see all kinds of ice cream cones and cups passing by, and you think, “What's that? That looks yummy.”

You have these outside influences starting to weigh on your mind, where before you thought you had to figure it out. You knew your plan of attack, and then you start observing other people, right? And before you know it, you're questioning your order, changing it so many times, by the time you get to the counter, you hurry and you randomly choose something.

And when you sit down with your ice cream, you kick yourself for ordering the over complicated, “double cookie dough explosion with bonus brownie bites.”

I don't know if that's an actual order, but it should be. That's how ridiculous most of them sound anyway.

And then as I'm eating it, my jaws are breaking, trying to chew the cookie and brownie, I say, “It'd be better with less stuff in it. Maybe even with just the ice cream. What's wrong with vanilla ice cream? There's nothing better than good vanilla.”

I also explained to Adam that vanilla, in my opinion, is the best starter for all the other good ice creams. It’s the best foundation. I want to apply that philosophy to life.

Have a solid, good foundation, and nothing is better. You can apply it to all areas of life. Does that make sense?

For me, God is that foundation. He is the foundation for everything in my life. Anytime I need a strong sounding board. Anytime I need constant companionship, resolute, undeniable faith and love, I look to God. Anytime I need wisdom, I pray.

Spend time with God. Spend time reading His word. Honestly, I gotta be doing more of that. I need to read His word way more because I'm really feeling pulled right now in my life, needing that wisdom, needing that guidance, needing that foundation of “where do I go from here? What is right for me?”

We are not randomly floating through this world. We have to be tethered. We have to be anchored to something. You have to have a foundation.

This podcast is rooted in the foundation of faith. It is rooted in God.

I do not get through a single day without needing God, multiple times a day. And that, for me, is wellness.

When I start from the place of “God is my foundation”, it really strips away so much complication and so much expectation. It really strips away the outside messaging and the outside pull of other influences to conform and perform for this world.

For so long, I was performing for this world. I still fight the urge to do it.

I believe to be well, as I have said in the intro to this podcast, when you are well, your gifts shine into the world. That wellness, that foundation, that wellness comes from God.

So friend, I hope that explains a little bit more why this podcast is titled as it is. I know it can be a little confusing, but there's a reason. I have a reason for everything:)

I hope that clears up some things if you were kind of confused.

“Why is the title Good Vanilla?”

Yeah, I will talk about food and body image on this podcast, but it goes deeper than that, because it is not about your body. It is not about the food. Even when you think it is and that is the point. It always goes deeper. It always goes to where you are grounded and where your foundation is.

If your foundation is in God. If your foundation is in Jesus, you're in the right place. This podcast is rooted in faith.

Have a great rest of your day, and I'll talk to you next week.