Hello, and welcome to the Why Not Today podcast.
My name is Leslie, and I'm the host of the podcast.
And this podcast was started to celebrate people who have been courageous and said,
Why Not Today?
I started this podcast in honor of my father, Patrick Kano, who often did say, Why Not Today?
I am based in Reston, Virginia, a planned community right outside of Washington, DC, and thanks
for joining us today.
And I'm excited for my guest, Tara Wall.
She's done all these cool things.
And I love how we met.
And I always talk about connections.
And if you listen to any of the episodes, I spent a lot of time at Smith Mountain Lake,
and I was there having coffee with a friend, and she had a really cute bracelet on.
And I asked her where she got it.
She told me this cute little store called Consider the Field.
Never heard of it.
And it was one of those days that I need to take a break from work.
And I just went in there.
I met Tara and just started connecting with her and then met with her another day.
And I just love all the things you're doing to help women, support women, women.
So many causes that are dear to my heart and so many connections we had.
So I'm super excited to have you on here to partner with you.
And we'll talk about, as we go through the episode, some different ways you can give
back and help them.
As we're approaching the holiday season, it's always a good time to be able to make a difference.
So Tara, why don't you introduce yourself?
A little quick fact about you and a fun fact.
And the other kind of fun thing too is that we connected and figured out, if you know
me at all, that I have this connection to Buffalo, New York.
I was born there and I always meet people.
And Tara is from Batavia, New York, which is a planned community which my dad helped
redevelop and I have a good friend from there.
So small little world.
So go ahead.
Yeah, that was my fun fact.
Oh, no.
That's okay.
Me too.
Thank you so much for having me.
Yeah, that was my fun fact.
I have one of three girls raised in Western New York.
And so my husband and I down here 10 days after we got married and that was over 22
years ago.
And we thought we were only coming for like six months.
We were going to Bible school and I was going to get all straight and out and go back to
state college in New York and here I am finishing college at Liberty University online 22 years
later.
So yes.
So and I know you are a busy woman and have a lot going on and we can kind of talk about
that through the courage part.
But let's start with what does courage mean to you?
What's your definition of courage?
I thought about this while I was reading through your notes and all I can phrase it as is just
doing the next right thing that think that's the simplest easiest way to say just do the
next right thing.
I love that simple and easy and doesn't you don't have to think twice about it.
So you've had an interesting life the parts I've heard and you've got a nonprofit.
You have a store.
You have a ton of kids.
You've given back you.
You're going to school like you know they say if you need something done give it to
a busy person.
You sure as heck is that busy or that busy person.
So tell us you know some of the courage things you've done about the nonprofit the store how
that evolved and yeah sure story.
Well yeah I'll start from that part of our story in 2020 we ended up adopting two kids
from foster care and our journey had started in 2017 and there is I wrote a blog post about
it if you ever want to go back but I know this is only like a 30 minute podcast so I'll
save you the whole story.
What word do you find your blog post just so people know.
Consider the fields dot com.
Yep.
There's a whole list of like our foster care journey and what we went through and how we
experienced it really through.
Well well I wrote it in real time a lot of it and so I had four biological kids already
so we have seven all together.
My husband had a daughter she's my bonus baby and then we have four together and so when
we started down this foster care journey I had already felt in my heart there were two
kids that we needed to adopt.
I didn't know who they were I didn't know where they were and so we just needed to feel
safe and so we told the Lord will never foster and it'll never be local and within two weeks
we were signed up to be therapeutic foster parents and our yes was from the next closest
city Ronan.
Wow.
Of course.
You know so it makes me say I'll never do that I usually laugh at.
That's exactly what happened and so going through the system and trying to get those
kids reunited and seeing addiction and abuse and a broken system it shattered our hearts
and that was our first experience hands on you know with that and so our kiddos that
we said well we said yes to our one little boy and he had a sister and she also needed
a home by the end of the two years we adopted both of them and that was 2020 and so we had
to close our home to foster care.
Our family was broken we were exhausted the trauma the pain that they we had all gone
through and so closing our home I knew it was the right thing to do but my heart was
broken because you can't unsee the problem right.
So my answer to that was well what can we do and so I literally had a dream that I had
twins and the reason yeah this is after six kids and so I knew it was the Lord because
in in the dream I was happy that I found out I was and so I knew that was impossible but
I kept trying to convince everybody that no this is a good thing this is a good thing
and I came to understand that consider the fields and project hope were my my next babies
you know and so consider the fields as our store and we started as just an online t-shirt
club and we said hey listen we want to create a long term a faith based home for women to
be able to recover from addiction and abuse with their children if we can get those kids
back to them then we will not see families you know if we can help them make better choices
if we can see them unite if we can reunify them and give them the tools that they need
and option to make a better choice that's going to be our invitation that's going to
be our goal and that's where project hope came from just healing opportunity purpose
and education and that's our goal for these women in the program to have those opportunities
and to and to get that start to have that safe place and get those kiddos back to them
whenever safely possible so those are my twins that's awesome well let's talk about consider
the fields it's such a fun store I really wish I lived more local come play there more
often and such a fun store that I actually have somebody on my team that was going through
a rough time and there was a devotion I got there I was able to connect with you you said
she picked up the book I paid for it and it was a great way to give something to somebody
local I know you probably send it to but so your store has shirts earrings devotional
stickers baby it's got it's just like so much fun lots of cool stuff a lot of it Christian
base so and I love your t-shirt club and your earring club so talk about those two things
that you've done right so that was the invitation that we gave I had no idea how people would
like it but I always was like the t-shirt girl I thought like if our family went on
a vacation I'd put my kids in t-shirts you know really so I could count them and find
them but even for like our extended family if we would go on a vacation I just wanted
to you know get that picture with everyone together and we have photos of our adoption
day we all have like matching t-shirts on you know and like it takes a bit so that's
where it started and I thought what if we just invite other people to partner with us
on this journey and so we started asking do you want to be a part of our t-shirt club
and so for $27 a month you get a new t-shirt is our t-shirt club always has a scripture
on it somewhere hidden in there or it might be the front it might be the whole thing like
it's different every month but then we unpack it in a Bible study online you could even
join that if you want and then we just added the earrings about 16 18 months ago so you
could pick one or all three you could pick one or the other and so people were saying
yes and that was our community that's our village you know the people that are supporting
us month after month they get a new package in the mail that has a t-shirt and earrings
there's your outfit you know you pair it with jeans or a jacket and a cardigan and you're
good to go and so it has really been our our sustainer as we got to store off the ground
and opening the brick and mortar that just happened last November we haven't even officially
a year yet so we're so grateful for the local support and having a home base location but
it's taking time to to to ramp that up especially in such a difficult economic and political
season so the support from the community is amazing but it's really the t-shirt club that
is in the earrings and our Bible study any one of those is sustaining us with that monthly
support and those people constantly coming in it's just really beautiful to watch we
have people from Texas and Pennsylvania and a huge New York showing because of our family
at home that just wants to help but they can't be there with us you know so my sister's been
in it since the beginning and you know she cuts her shirts every month and wears them
the volleyball and all the things like that and so it's just people showing up and doing
what they can and that's why we say everyone can do something and that's so true and just
a little bit and people want to help and people you know I have been involved with lots of
nonprofits and things and people always ask the question like how do I get involved how
do I help and so it's knowing and people may not have time you know especially those moms
like you that have all these kids and a lot's going on you don't physically have time but
you have funds and you have you know can I mean $27 a month and a cute t-shirt which
I love and the earrings and so yeah I definitely need to get involved in the t-shirt or the
month club and a full of fun facts just two months ago we actually have an option for
the guys because some of our mom has wanted to be a part you know but then either the
closet gets full or what if you're not a t-shirt person well you can buy for your kids now instead
so like you want to transfer yes and our guy shirts are phenomenal so hey I know you said
you're gonna help me with v-neck shirts because I prefer a v-neck so I know you do yes I've told
several people about that and I you know it's a great thing I was not a big t-shirt girl until
probably COVID happened and then it's like you know you can really express people are more casual
you can express things and I love you know we have t-shirts for why not today and so being able to
share that the other fun thing you did and I think you're doing it again next week and I'm so bummed
that I'm not there and I'm gonna beg you and twist your arm it's doing it when I'm gonna be there
it is your do-it-yourself t-shirt and earring event it's so much fun so you're not only selling stuff
supporting a cause but you're building community which I love yes in connections and you know what
I've really found especially women these days are just hurting they're lonely life is hard and we need
that community in connection so you've got the t-shirts the earrings and then the bible study
you can get involved with and go to your store it's like I loved going in there I felt like I was
just hanging out in the front oh I'm so glad our people are amazing I have some girls that work
for me and with me and they are just there to make it have my daughter Abby you know she's just
starting out and she's learning so many things and just to support and the the goal is to serve
our people they understand that we're building relationship with people that God is sending
the people to our store and our job is just to serve them and that's probably the highest compliment
that I can get is when a customer comes in saying they just love being with us and they feel like
they're home and their family yeah it's just a very welcoming store and you guys are all welcoming
I love your daughter got to meet her and yeah it's just all the things you do in there it's just
very fun and welcoming and so your project hope so where your store is is actually a house
which I know there's a whole story behind that but that is that where you envision the project
hope women to be okay so these are our first steps that's a great question thank you so much and
you know what project hope has a website it's called project hope is here dot com if anybody
does want to go check that out and I'll share all those things on show notes too yeah yeah thank you
and that shows a little bit about you know our vision for for project hope and so because we
don't have the long-term home right now we have our eye on some land um the the bottom line is we
have been finishing the store and renovating it so as we open those front rooms so for like Thursday
night we're practicing right we're opening those doors to the front rooms where people can come in
and have that coffee and they're designing their shirts and we're pressing them on site we're creating
earrings you can sit there with a friend you can come by yourself and make a friend um but the whole
point is we want to be getting those women in for because we don't have the the the home right now
we have connections with like Piedma and our local community where these women who are in the out
patient programs we want to be bringing them into the store at least one day a week and working with
them we want to be teaching them how to make the earrings how to make bath bombs how to
dress for a job you know it's got the full kitchen in there so we can be teaching them and
showing them how do you balance a checkbook how do you make macaroni and cheese for your kiddos
wherever the need is that's our intention of training these women and above all things letting
them know that they're not alone and somebody is rooting for them so our earring girl Christy
is phenomenal she just moved from Pennsylvania a couple years ago and her story is so beautiful
God just sent her here I'm so sure for me and so her job before COVID in Pennsylvania was
taking mops into the women's prison and her heart is for these women and so she is just chomping
at the bit to get these women in here just start talking because they have the mantra like busy
hands open heart you know if you can get somebody working on something their heart will open up I
know that really resonates with you and the way that you live and yeah so I love how we have all
these common connections but those are the people that God is bringing to us to say like let's all
pitch in and use our gifts and talents to bring healing into our community yeah and so many things
you can do and lift up women and you know in crisis but also just in general you know
right lift up and help and teach women part of my mission is promote myself as a courage
hope coach you know through the podcast but also through my marik a business being able to help
women give them courage and confidence and yeah feel better about themselves just a new lipstick
or something just to make them feel good it makes a difference this is what God has been
sharing with me about how multi-purpose he really is that I used to think like okay t-shirts you
know you really want me to do t-shirts I mean how spiritual is that and now I'm seeing like the
difference that it makes t-shirts and earrings and Bible studies sure they encourage my heart
they encourage your heart you know so many of the women are like this is exactly what I needed to hear
or how do you get the same the right shirt month after month and I'm like only the Lord would come
up with something that blesses you and me and also has a bigger purpose and a vision that's
bringing hope and healing to community like that's the multi-purpose God that we serve and what it
and what it does is when you wear the shirt people notice it it's a conversation starter
yeah talk about the mission and I love that you have a sheet the talk about project hope that
the book that I bought it was the the bookmark bookmark for me yeah exactly and you have cool
stickers and different things so yeah lots of cool stuff you're doing I'm excited about that so
so any other courage stories you want to share things you've done or seen or and I definitely
need to connect with Christy to talk about her story for the podcast yeah that's going to be so
exciting um one thing I did want to encourage um anyone who's listening because I know that they
don't know me very well or anything like that so I just wanted to share really quick um it was just
over two years ago and I think we talked about this a little bit where I had gotten you know the
dreadful C word and then I got pneumonia from that and I um almost uh did not recover like I just
yeah and I have no no no issues no nothing and I'm 40 years old literally at this time with
six kids at home struggling to to survive and so um that's why I get short of breath sometimes
sorry I'm still working on that and notice it okay great look at it we're look how far we've come
but um two months after that happened I um I lost over 85 percent of my hair within uh 40
within within a month and um it was devastating so not only could I not breathe I could not um
uh walk out of the house like I lived in beanie's and you know I had to get a hair piece and you
know be brave for my kids and still try to recover when there were days I didn't even want to and so
coming out of the woods of that and um looking back and seeing what the last two years have done
I just felt in my heart to encourage who is ever listening that you can still do the next right
thing right there were days I I did not want to get out of bed and there are days that um it didn't
even seem like it was worth it and some sometimes I still struggle with that when when I can't breathe
and yes this is all my original hair now but it took me to grow it back right and so even in the
darkness you know a lot of times the best thing we can do is turn around and serve somebody else
and and get our eyes off of our own problems and do the thing that I couldn't fix my hair
and I couldn't fix my lungs but I could keep doing something and I could keep offering an invitation
and and trying to keep growing this for somebody else that is so so true and I know that you know
we don't always have uh days that are unicorn and roses and everything yes and we do even those of
us that are positive and have a lot going on we have bad days um and being able to give back to
somebody else and to serve and just little things I remember during that 2020 year that I had a really
bad day you know and it was scary for me running my own business and what was I going to do but I
remember one day in particular it was one of those days I got up and just wasn't feeling very good and
and I was purposeful during that whole process to get up and do my hair and do my makeup and shower
well this one day I just didn't feel like it wasn't feeling and so finally I was just in such a funk
and I finally took a shower did my hair did my makeup put on some fun jewelry and went to the
dollar store and it was in February so I remember I just went and bought a stack of valentine's cards
and I just came home and just sent them all the people I knew and I'm just like you know who can
I bless and you know what when you give back you feel better and you're gonna be blessed and you
get out of your funk and you're making a difference for somebody else I was talking to that about this
to somebody the other day that unfortunately it's just in a bad place I'm like who can you go give
to who can you go what can you do you know and I think we need to be there you know for our friends
and be watching out for you know people that are going through stuff like with you you know to have
somebody to have dropped off food or just a little love or you know those little things we can do
that don't need to cost you money and yeah they may take some time but you can even do a simple
thing and send a card to someone you know in the mail with a fun sticker and a fun stamp and just
make a difference I love that and you're doing all those things so I love it so I always ask you
what would you say to encourage somebody anything other than just do the next best thing so yeah
what was your question sorry I wrote so that's okay just to encourage somebody to be courageous
yeah to me I thought about that story of where you know Jesus Jesus is out there with his disciples
and they're in the storm and the boat is rocking and Peter wants to get out of the boat you know
and he was like lord if this is you then that bid me to come to you and you know when we feel like
those storms are coming what did Jesus say like come on get out on the on the water you know in
the middle of the storm and Peter climbed out of that boat and so it's not going to be all it's
never going to be you know smooth sailing and that that boats there's never going to be a perfect
time but there always is this moment right you said why not today right that he climbed out of that
boat and so I think a lot of times we talk ourselves out of it before we get there and that's why we
say do the next great thing right and everyone can do some you don't have time okay fine join the
t-shirt club you don't have you know the the effort to put in sign up one time and then you can just
yeah and all do something yeah and it's just doing the thing just like and we're so bad it's like
all right should I do this and ask 20 people and we ask the opinions people we don't even care about
and yes we think about it and we pray about I'm like listen to the first voice that said do it
and just do it count five four three two one and just do it yes we overthink it until we talk
ourselves out of it and now what are we like going to do you know listen to the news a little bit
longer or you know some more hardship no we don't need that we need action on the things we know
that we should be doing absolutely well I always try to connect back to my dad and that was an easy
peasy one from the very beginning um butavia connection and you know you're the second person
I've met from butavia that's um and the other person I met who is a great friend of my now her
father-in-law worked with my dad when he did the redevelopment of butavia so you know going back
to that and yeah you've just got a big heart and my dad was an only child and hated it and so I am
one of six kids and every other kid in we didn't we didn't adopt any they're all six biologic but
every holiday if anybody didn't have a place to go they were always invited so our house
always the open place and sounds like kind of consider the fields and I'm probably your
personal home is the same way everybody can go and knock on the door and be there so well I'm
excited with this episode coming out um and I'm gonna time in and we'll share on social media
exactly I'm gonna come to the store and we are gonna have some why not today stuff so we've got
today's t-shirts with their signature teal color yes and the logo on here for those listening
and don't know this is my dad's logo he had an ipad on handlebar mustache so that's logoed with it
and then we have cups that I'm gonna have there and some t some stickers so we're gonna have some
cool things and one of the ideas I've had with why not today and I think this is a perfect time to
kick it off is I am all about giving back and contributing so we are going to do anybody that
buys a why not today t-shirt or cup any why not today swag from the debut of this podcast
probably a month or maybe even through the holidays that a percentage is going to go back to
um project hope so anybody that buys a t-shirt buys a cup we're going to give back and we're
going to start a t-shirt club of our own with why not today t-shirts and every month have a new
charity to be able to share so we're going to kick it off with you and yeah we'll find out exactly
when I can be there because of course I'm not local um but then we will connect and we'll have some
stuff there and I'll be in the store if anybody wants to come in and meet me and just love to meet
some of your customers and friends and followers so yay all right well thank you for being my
guest any closing remarks anything we missed oh I'm so grateful to be here thanks for letting me
share my story are you welcome thank you for sharing it so you can find the why not today
podcast at our website which is why not today podcast.com we're on Spotify and iTunes and
Google and all the places so listen like it review it share it with a friend and as I always say just
say why not today just do it all right thanks a lot for being my guest.