How Setbacks Prepare You for Something Greater with Jill Donovan

How did that shape your confidence rather than destroy it? Can you take us back to that time?

If you ever meet somebody who's, like, never been hurt in a relationship, you can recognize those people because they're not guarded when they're in a relationship.

Right.

They're just free. It's like a child. Right? And same with relationships. And that is how I was with life. I kept doing things because I had not had that big setback, that big moment of embarrassment.

How did you kind of stay grounded throughout the process when your company has blown up so huge?

I think as we began to grow, and then, you know, you have so many things tugging at you, and then you're on bigger stages. And I think I just always remembered that God created us all equal. I just happened to have this thing. Who am I? I am no great. Greater than any other man. I think the less that you care about trying to grind and make money, and the more that you just want to flow in the gift that God really gave you, it actually does work out. Finding the way to protect that, that has been the hardest part. Not so much staying grounded, but really understanding that you have to carve out that time as well.

What if the hardest season of your life was actually preparing you to impact more people than you ever imagined? Thank you for tuning in to the Amberly Lago show, where we talk about resilience, joy, and what it really takes to live an unstoppable life. And I have a real treat for y' all today, someone I have been just so excited to have on the show. We have the one and only Jill Donovan with us. She's an entrepreneur, author. She's got a new book coming out. She is an incredible speaker, and she went from practicing attorney and law professor to building a nationally loved brand rustic cuff. I have on some rustic cuff right now. I love it. And she built this from her living room floor. What I love most about Jill is not just what she's built, but how she's built it. And her mission has always been rooted in connection, generosity, and creating meaningful reminders of hope and people that people can carry with them. So in this episode, we're going to be driving into entrepreneurialship, identity, faith, and how to follow your calling, even when it makes no logical sense. So get ready. This conversation is going to inspire you to trust your path and step boldly into what you were created for. Jill, welcome to the show. I am so excited to have you here.

I am excited. I'm more excited than you are. How's that? If you're that excited? I am more excited than you are.

Thank you. Goodness.

Thanks for the invite.

I. Well, I've been wearing rustic cuff. I should have brought. I've even got saved boxes from years ago. And I know your. Your boxing and branding is totally different now. It's transformed. And you always have the most beautiful bags and boxes that you put your jewelry in, and I love your jewelry, and then it's so meaningful. But this episode's not even about, like, the jewelry. It's, like, how it got started. And I had the honor of meeting you. So I was the emcee of Brooke Hemingway's align event, and you were a speaker, and I just was telling you before we started recording, you were my favorite speaker. And you close. You wrapped up the whole event, and Brooke has, like, a marathon event, and you brought the energy. You are one of the most incredible speakers I have ever, ever heard. And I don't know if you remember this, Jill, but I was backstage, and I could. Could not contain my clapping because I was like, everything that you were saying, and I was clapping. Do you remember one moment you looked over at me because I was backstage clapping, and you were like, is that my cue to come off stage? And I was just like, oh, no. Do you remember that?

I didn't even realize that you. We had not met yet. And I didn't realize for the first part of the message that you were there. And then I thought, oh, that's a paid hype girl.

She's.

Somebody paid her to be the hype girl back there. Because every time I looked at you, you were just so excited. And then. Because it was kind of dark, and then I realized it was you, and we had not met yet, but I was so excited that you were sitting. I was closer to you than anybody else in the audience, and it just made me. Made me smile, made me laugh. And you were smiling so big every time that I loved you before I ever even met you.

Oh, well, I was grateful that my flight was canceled and I met you outside of the hotel, and your driver was loading up the suitcases, and I was waiting for an Uber, and he starts loading up my suitcases with y'. All. And I should have just gone with you.

You should have. Since we both got stuck for three days in San Diego, we would have had a really good time. We stayed in hotel with all the chick fil. A convention. So we would have had really. Yeah, we would. Had a really good time together.

Well, I wanted to ask you, did you take, like. Did you do Stand up comedian. Like, did you take classes on comedy or anything?

I, I don't think I'm that funny. I think. I really don't. It's just that when nobody has ever heard you speak before, they expect nothing from you. If you're talking to an audience of 400 people or 500 people and nobody has heard you, then you could say boo. And they're like, oh, yeah, okay. Because they don't have any expectations. And so it's easier to just to have a little wit in a crowd like that who doesn't have any. Who doesn't know what to expect. But that was. I think I just, I think I have sat through enough messages of other people where there's no laughter at all. And so I just like to take the opportunity where I see it to just, it just relaxes. It relaxes everybody in the room and it makes it so much more enjoyable if you're going to be up there for 45 minutes or an hour.

Yeah. You know that you are just such an incredible storyteller. And. No, you, you really are funny. And you guys need to head over to her Instagram at Jill Donovan, and you will be binging every one of her reels. You and your daughters are beautiful.

Oh, thank you. Amberly.

There's. How old are they?

They are 21 and 8. 18. Yeah. 21 and 18. Yeah, it's. Yeah, it's, you know, there. The years when they were younger, they were very, very, very slow. And then all of a sudden, you know, they're just, they're. They're grown up. Just, just like that. It just happened.

Yeah, it happened so fast. My youngest. Well, My oldest is 30. My youngest is going to be 18 next week. And I'm just like holding on to every moment that I have with her until she goes to college. And so it goes by fast. You. I, I wanted to ask you. So you were an attorney. Attorney.

You were a.

A professor. How did you go from that to knowing that you wanted to do something completely different?

I was an attorney. I was a divorce attorney, which it's just. That's not. It's not very fun. I mean, I bet. I don't. I mean, I'd like to meet a divorce attorney that says this is really enjoyable, but. And family law. So I did that for a little while and then I just knew that if the greatest part about being an attorney was the fact that I got to decorate my own office, then I think I'm in the wrong profession. If the joy of decorating an office is way greater than anything else I was doing at my job. I was for sure at. At the wrong job. I would. I loved my clients. But then when they started talking about their problems, I mean, it just became. And. And. And I had to get into the really nitty gritty details of their finances that they would just come and, you know, like, for discovery. I had to dive deep into that, and then they would. And I was new at the firm, so it's not like I had a bunch of people working for me, and they would just bring all this paperwork from home. And I would think. I think you. I think you have the wrong attorney. I definitely. I feel bad for the people who got me because we had great times, but I'm not sure that I was the best representation for them. So that's the number one that right there. I knew I was in the wrong profession. Then I got. I got the opportunity to be an adjunct law professor with one of my previous law professors. The two of us did it together. Now it was trial practice, was the class. And I not one time had ever done an actual trial because we had settled everything. I never wanted any of the students to know that I was teaching trial practice and had never done a trial. And I did it for eight years.

Gosh, that's hard.

Well, I mean, when you do trial practice, a lot of it is teaching them how to communicate with the jury. And so I sort of took that part of it. But, oh, my gosh, people would come up to me and ask me questions at the break, and if I was ever teaching by myself, they would ask me a question that I really should know. But since I was extremely under qualified, because I had not actually done trials, I would. Amberly, I would do things like. You know what? Hold on, John, just a second. I would, like, lose my contact, like on the ground and have the whole class looking for it because I didn't want to answer the question they just asked me on a break. And then I would say, I'm so sorry. It's actually in the back of my eye. There we go. Everybody sit down. I would have John ask the question again, and then I would have Lisa answer it. And that is how I got through eight years of being an adjunct law professor was. Was deflecting questions. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

Wow. Well, you know, it just sounds like you were very creative.

Creative.

And that's. I think what makes a great entrepreneur is you have to think of different ways around and be creative. And so that. That just cracks me up that you would have people Looking on the floor for your.

Oh, yeah. One time I had. I had something in my throat so bad that, like, I just couldn't speak until I went to the bathroom and then looked up the answer. I know, like, it feels freeing to tell this now, but at the time, you feel a little bit like a fraud, which that might be because I. A little bit was. I mean, I knew there was a whole bunch that I knew, but then the rest. Now it makes me wonder about all my professors in law school and college. How much did they really.

How much did they really know? Yeah, well, you know what? I've always. I've always been like, you know what? I have no idea. Let me check that and get back to you. Yeah. Because. Yeah, I, I. Because I. Yeah, I. I don't. I always. I remember when I bought my first computer. So, Jill, before I wrote. I wrote 90% of my first book by hand. I didn't even own a computer.

On a notepad. A yellow notepad.

Yep.

Yeah.

Yeah. And I remember, didn't. I? Did not. I spent my, you know, all my life, my career was a professional dancer, so on the dance floor and then in the fitness industry for 26 years, so on the gym floor. So I wrote this, handwrote this book and had to go to the Apple Store buy a laptop. And when I bought it, I was. I took a class, one of their free classes. And I was raising my hand, and the guy goes, he stopped the class. And he goes, I have to tell you, I've never had anybody that is raising their hand, asking the most ridiculous questions like, that you're not embarrassed. And I was like, I'm not. I had to learn. I know. I. I know I don't know what I'm doing, so. Yeah, but I love. See, I love how you tell stories. And one of the stories that I love that you told was at the event, and you really talked about having a public setback. I mean, I'm talking about being embarrassed and having some shame. And you tell a story about a moment of embarrassment, and how did that shape your confidence rather than destroy it? Can you take us back to that time? Because I really think it catapulted you to where you are, actually.

Yeah. You know when, if you ever meet somebody who's like, never been hurt in a relationship, then that you can. You can recognize those people because they're not guarded when they're in a relationship.

Right.

They're just free. It's like a child, right? He walks into a room like he's not Looking around like, what are they, what are they thinking about me? Because he hasn't learned, he hasn't been scolded in such a way because his heart is just free. And same with relationships. And that is I think, how I was with life. I just, I kept doing things because I, I had not had that big setback, that big moment of embarrassment. And so I felt completely free to try things and fall because it just was. Everything to me was so, was so enjoyable. Whether I failed at it or not. I just, I was not, I was never shamed. It just like I just, I would try something brand new, fail at it, try it again, and with just reckless abandon. That's how my heart was. Just reckless abandon in a good way. And so every goes back to when I was 10. I had decided after not I wanted to be a gymnast and after being told that I would never be an elite gymnast, I had decided that I would start a brand new hobby every year, starting at 10 years old.

Really. Because if I started at 10, I

didn't realize I was nine when my coach just said, you're. I just, I'm gonna tell you, you're never really gonna make it in the way that you want to. And which, which really hurt me at the time. And I, I really, honestly, I think people should be a little bit more honest with, with other people. Like coaches should say, listen, I. You don't have that thing. And I didn't, I, I probably knew it even at 9, but I went home and I was my. And I wasn't going to be able to be on the team anymore, the gymnastics team. And I just said if I can't do this thing that I have wanted to do for a few years from the ripe age of six, you know how mature we are at six years old. If I can't do this, then I'm going to start a new hobby every year on the first week of the year, because my birthday is the first week of the year and I'm going to do that hobby every day, every week for one year. And at the end of the year I will say, okay, God, is this my calling? Like, I was, I was in search of the get to which by that I mean everybody says I have to go to work or I have to and fill in the blank. And I really went in at a young age, went in search to beat the odds of the thing that I could ultimately say I get to do this because I think Amberly, I found so many people that loved Friday so much that they came Alive and then died slowly starting Sunday night. It didn't even wait till Monday morning. I watched people on Sunday. Their Sunday nights were ruined because they dreaded the Monday. So I thought, well, that's a terrible percentage. You know, two days of the week, 48 hours you're alive, and the rest of the time you're slowly dying. Like life is short as it is. Why. Why do I want to spend my life only partially living? And so I went in search of that, starting at 10. And I, I did it. I. Every year I would do a hobby for one year and I documented all of these hobbies. I still do them, but it really is something that I think actually that all kids should start at a young age because of what it teaches them. Teaches them. I don't know anything about this subject. Oh. Month three, I know a little bit. Month six, I probably know more than any of my friends or people around me. Month 12, you think, God, what a beautiful thing that you have been able to teach me. I. I know that you're not going to waste this, but is. Is this the thing that I should carry on into my next year? And so I, I really wound up doing that. The biggest thing from doing that that I realized, because you would think, what a waste that for an entire year you are going to. And fill in the blanks, whatever. I mean, it's 45 years of hobbies now, but it.

But I think that it's not, I don't think a waste at all. I think, wow, how aware you are. Were at age 10 to do that. Where do you think that came from?

Well, I was going to say that people would say, what a waste if you don't ever actually do anything. And then in hindsight, I realized God wastes absolutely nothing. Like nothing in our life. But where that came from, I think I had such a, uh. I can't point to one particular thing except that I realize there's. There are too many things in life that are calling my name. There's so many things that we can do, and I can figure out anything if I just spent enough time daily doing it. And even if it wasn't something I wanted to start off doing. By the. After the first month, this desire started springing up inside of me to learn more. I think I just had a thirst. A thirst for. No, maybe I was born with it. I really. I don't know.

I really.

That's a great question, Amberly. I. I don't know the answer to where that came from. Just a thirst for joy and Trying new things for me is what my middle name is, Joy. I mean, it's Felice, but it means Joy. And I think I loved doing things that just brought joy. And newness brought great joy. Even newness without knowledge brought joy for me. And I never wanted to stop it. Even when I found that get to, I wanted to keep going on with the hobbies. So anyhow, back to the question, sorry, like 20 minutes ago, how that got started. I. I kept doing this year after year and would watch my friends fall into their get to, whether they were a teacher and a nurse, a dancer, an accountant. Like they all knew. It seemed like by late 20s people just. Or even early 20s people had a sense of what it was they were created for. And I don't think that I did. Plus, I also didn't have mentors telling directing me, which I think is such a. Such a wonderful thing for people to have, but I did not have that. And so I just thought, well, I think it's because I'm not around enough people, around somebody older than I am who has walked through that. I think, what if I'm just around that person? Maybe just that would soak. I could soak some of that in. And so for me back then, it was Oprah Winfrey, because I watched her every day and I thought, that is somebody who wakes up and says, I get to do this thing of connecting with people. Did you watch her growing up?

Oh, yeah, it was. It's been a dream of mine to get to meet Oprah. Like, that is. So when I heard you speak at a line and I'm like, I saw you on the Oprah Show, I was like, oh, my God. Goodness, what that must have been like. I mean, I remember Megan Kelly asked to interview me, and I was going to be on Megyn Kelly today when she had her own show. And they were flying me to New York and my youngest daughter and husband went with me. And I have a picture of me. I took a selfie on the airplane and my eyes are big like a deer staring into headlights. I was freaked out. My husband sleeping, sleeping on this shoulder. My daughter's sleeping on the other shoulder. And I was just like, scared to death to be going on the show. And I remember asking the producer, well, what questions is she going to ask me? And the producer was very stern and she goes, this is news. You just need to go in with your ears open and your eyes open. And I was like, okay. So I was scared to death. How did you feel? First of all, how did that Happen to where you were going to be a guest on her show? And then how did you feel knowing that you were going to be on the Oprah show?

Okay, but can I have you on my podcast so I can hear the rest of this Megyn Kelly story that, that I want to hear? I didn't know it. I did not know that I have to hear that story. Yes, I, I wanted to just go to the show that was back. You know, I didn't have kids yet, but I just wanted to just go sit in the audience. And it was very difficult to get tickets back then. And years, it took me years and I actually never got a ticket. But one day when I was practicing law, I got online and it said, do you want to be on the show on the screen? And I thought, well, that's brilliant. Like, I should have thought of that sooner. Like, I should have looked on the area where they were looking for people because that's probably a faster ticket. And so I really didn't care what they were looking for. I just thought, I'll make something fit. As long as it's not illegal. I'll make, I'll make whatever they're looking for fit my life. And as, as it turned out, the very first thing they were looking for did fit my life. And it was, the question was, are you a regifter? If so, write Oprah and tell her your story and tell her your thoughts about it. Well, I grew up in a home that my mom actually where you would have linens. Amberly. We had my mom's gifts that she had been given for her birthday that she didn't use. And that was where we went shopping for our friends gifts who were 30 years younger than my mom. So they were always age, age inappropriate gifts, you know, like candle, Yankee candles for like a 10 year old. And I just remember thinking, I don't, I don't want to live this life of pretending like, I bought this gift and my friends open it and it's got my mom's name on the bottom of it because she forgot to take it off. So. But you know, you know what it's like when we get to be older. We do the things that our parents did and then we just do them like times 10. I had the most amazing regift closet when I graduated college. It was so good. I was so proud of that closet that now, Oprah, you have. Do you still have one? Yes. Well, let's, let's find out each other's birthdays and send each other gifts from Our gift closet. Yeah.

Okay.

I decided to write Oprah and tell her these stories. I have a twin brother, and the two of us used to get caught doing this all the time. And you would think I have a little PTSD from it, but I just kept doing it. And I wrote three stories when I was practicing law and sent the email. And like, two hours later, the Maria from the Oprah show called. My secretary said, maria from the Oprah show's on the phone. And I thought, well, that's strange. I haven't even left my office. Like, nobody even is. Could be pranking me, because I haven't told anybody that I sent this. And I said, all right, patch her through. Like, I was best friends with Maria. It's like, hey, Maria. And she said, hey, Jill, we got your letter, which I thought was super fast for the Oprah Show. Like, I pictured it to be, like, two years later. They read your letters, and, yeah. And she said, we loved it. We want to fly to Tulsa and we want to film your gift closet. And we're doing a show on etiquette. We'd love to interview you about it. And I thought, how big is God? Like, I've been trying to get tickets to sit in the audience, and now I get to talk about my gift closet on a show about etiquette, which I'm terrible at. And so they flew to Tulsa. Well, actually, I looked at my gift closet, which was a little empty. Ish. And I went to our shopping mall across the street or to this outdoor shopping center and bought everything that I could find that I thought would look good in that closet on my credit card. I didn't have any money to, like, go spend to fill this up. And it looked so good. It was TV ready, and I took it all back the next day. But they. They interviewed me. It was so much fun. I didn't know where it was going, but it was just all about regifting. The following day, she called and said, we love the producers, loved your interview. We want to fly you and your husband to sit in the front row during the show, and Oprah will air your clip, and then she'll thank you for being there. It was that simple. And I thought I wouldn't have cared if I were in the back row, but now I get to be on the front row. It still. The whole purpose was, like, I wanted to be near somebody that had this get to. Anyhow, flew out there, sat in the front row. Show had not started yet. Maria came up and she said, there's been A change of plans. Oprah wants you on the stage with her, and you're going to tell your three stories that you wrote in for the first segment. And I thought, this is. It was airing to 20 million people at that time, and there were 300 people in the audience. And I thought, okay, you just go with it. You know, you've been in those situations. You're like, this is. I had 00 heads up on it. I mean, a minute, and then next thing I know, I am sitting on that couch and Oprah sits down. And it was really. When I'm telling the story, I realize how you could be in a place, you know, on Monday and by Wednesday afternoon, like, life can change on a dime. And it really is. We often think we're so stuck in something, and it is amazing if you just stay open. Like, life literally can transform. And that's. For me, I was like, you mean, for four years I've been trying to get a ticket to the back row, and I'm now sitting on the couch with her. This is crazy. So they aired the clip, and I was thinking, okay, I have to segue into these stories. But. But she said, hey, let's ask the etiquette. How do you feel, Jill, that now that you've been exposed to the world for re gifting? And I started to laugh and I said, well. And she said, well, let's go ask the etiquette experts how they feel about re gifting. And, you know, they were from Canada, and apparently I think Canada might have different rules than the states on that, which I didn't have a heads up on that at all. And these girls seemed so sweet before the show. And when they were thrown this question, they looked at me and I thought, oh, this is. This is fun. This is like, this is the greatest moment of my life that I didn't even expect any of this. And they just looked at Oprah and said, oprah, we think that Jill, what she's doing is wrong. As if, like, I'm in a court, you know, I'm on trial. And we think she's wrong. And all that closet, all that stuff she has in her closet, she needs to give that to Goodwill. And I'm thinking, yeah, I'm taking it back to my outdoor shopping mall because I'm not going into debt and being embarrassed on this national stage. So they kept going on, and in my mind, they didn't know what they were. I think that's just their opinion. But what they didn't know was that for me, it Felt like they were stealing this really special moment. I really would have rather been in the audience. And. And so this happened. This went on for, like, 13 minutes, and then it ended. And I didn't get to tell a single story. Nothing. I just remember sitting there thinking, I'm so stunned right now. I don't even. I don't even know. This feels like a joke. Like, it feels like it's not real face.

The look on your face. Because I saw it. The look on your face is a like. Kind of like, what is. Like you were being pranked almost.

That's. That's how it felt. And. And it. And it ended as soon as it started. And I remember going to sit next to my husband, and, you know, he just patted my leg, like, good job. Which really means I. I know this. We'll talk about this at home. I. I'll. I'll walk you through how. I'll walk you through all the emotions you're going to have. So we left. We left the studio and went to lunch, just my husband and I. And. And I said it just in. I was crying, and I just said. I. Just so embarrassed. It hadn't even aired yet. And, you know, when you go through something that you're shocked by or that's painful, everything. It feels like you're watching the world move, but you are in a fog, and you're like, how are all those people moving about? Like, everything's okay. When I just went through something that now compared to death, divorce, and there are a lot of worse things. But at the moment, when you're in the middle of humiliation or whatever it is, it's your pain. And so it's. It's. I mean, it's all relative. But I said, I. I had this one clear moment at lunch in the middle of this fog, and I said to Terry, my husband, I really have no idea, like, why God would have allowed me to go to this, like, really high mountaintop and then this really, really low valley in a matter. In less than 15 minutes. Like, he knew that I was gonna be. Like, that was gonna happen. Why couldn't I have just been in the audience? That's what I wanted in the first place. And then I said this. And I think you should always write down when you have moments of clarity, you think you're gonna remember them, but you don't, and you should write it down. And I said, I have this strong, strong sense that but for this happening today, I don't know how it's gonna turn out. But whatever it Is that is my get to. It would not have happened but for this. Like, but for what happened on that stage. And I didn't even understand what I was saying. Went home, took everything back to the stores, got rid of the rest of the stuff in the closet, and said, I'm not re. Gifting anymore. And I'm. I'm. I'm done with this. If this is what, like, desiring new. Define my get to. Got me. I don't. I don't want this. So four or five years went by, and I was laying in bed, and I thought, you know what? Like, you know, Amberly, sometimes if something happens to you, it's a slow burn. It's not like suddenly you become, like, bitter or suddenly you become, like, not living. It's like you just adjust. It's like you have a limp, and you just. You just adjust. It becomes your new normal, and you just. You just walk with it. You're not even. You don't even have crutches. You just, like, you just limp. When. Before you would run, and that's how I felt. Like, before this Oprah thing, I would run with reckless abandon to new things. And so. And so I stopped running without even realizing it. And so I was laying in bed five, four or five years later, and I thought, I want to run again. I want to be free to try new things without the fear that it's going to go wrong. Which, by the way, it aired three times that year to 20 million people. And you will get this, because I feel like we're born maybe in the same decade, but people would come up to me after the show aired that year, each time people I didn't know, and they would say, I just feel like I know you from somewhere. And I was like, that's an Oprah watcher. But I would always tell them that I looked like. Not that. I would always tell them that I was Susie Orman. You know, the financial. You know who Susie Orman is? Yeah. And I gave out really bad financial advice. It was super fun. I still do that at the airport. I don't know why. Airport security always thinks that wherever I go, they're like, are you Susie Orman? And I was like, put your money in CDs. It's like, it'll save you. It'll save you a lot. I. I don't even know what all that means. And I just pass out bad advice. So.

Oh, my gosh.

So I. I said, I don't want to. I don't want. I want to run again. So I sat up in bed in the middle of the night, and I said, I forgive Canada. I, I, that's what I called those girls, like the whole country of.

Country.

Oh, country. I forgive Canada. And if you've ever let go of something that you have been holding on to for a long time or maybe not even realized you were hanging on to it, something like actually physically happens because I said, I forgive. And something like, literally, it was as if I had been carrying these weights, you know. You know those weights when you walk? People wear those weights.

Yeah. Weighted. Yeah.

I don't like those people because then they're, they're high achievers, but they, that's what it felt like. A weighted vest came off of me. And I got up out of bed and I opened that closet, and I, I remember being excited again. And I said, God, would you give me an idea of something I can create so then I can put it in the closet and give it away myself? And just like that, because I, I had this weight lifted off of me, I felt like I was now available for things to like to. I was now available for things that I was not for the last five years, because that's where my heart was. And. But now I felt free. Not that I got an apology. Not that they even needed to give me an apology. I mean, that was. I forgave Canada. I've. I've gone back to Canada since. But I opened this drawer as soon as I said, God, would you give me an idea? I opened a drawer, and it was filled with cuffs. Bracelets. I worked my way through law school by working American Airlines, and every country that I. Or city that I would go to, I would buy a bracelet to remind me of that place. That was my thing. And I got this idea, why don't I teach myself how to make bracelets and engrave on their words that I wished I would have had when I was in that season of, you know, just really, like, sleepwalking. Like, all kinds to so many different phrases. And I don't think I have slept since, because I got up that night, was alive again. Typed on the computer, how do I engrave cuffs? How do I die cuffs? How do you. Where do I get leather, everything? And every night until like, 4 or 5 in the morning, I was so obsessed with this that I became alive again. And when people ask me, like, how did rustic start? It's very hard to tell that story without saying that I forgave. I forgave somebody who didn't ever even know they did anything to me, these dream stealers, they didn't even know they were taking a special moment from me that would sour me. But when I forgave them. And so I filled. I made so many cuffs that I filled that entire closet until it was overflowing. And. And that is. It began because I felt very prompted to start wearing these cuffs and giving them away. And the. The first time I did this, I hadn't even. I barely started this little company. I didn't want. Really want a company. But I put the cuffs on, and I went to the grocery store, and I walked in, and a woman was. Was a cashier. And I felt like that's the first person I need to give one away to. And I didn't. It was uncomfortable because, like, that's kind of awkward. But I remember it was really crowded. And I walked up to her, got some groceries, walked up to her, and I said, I just feel like I'm supposed to give this to you. And I had three bracelets on underneath my sleeve, and I didn't even look down. I just unsnapped one of them that probably took me, like, five hours to make. And I handed it to her, and she started to cry, and she just said. She said. I said, are you okay? I'm so sorry. Like, my first bracelet giving away, and this woman is crying, and now people are watching me watch her cry. And I said, I'm so sorry. And she said, I've never seen you before. But I. I. Yesterday I was at the doctor's office, and I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Oh.

And. And I. After I got my diagnosis, I just prayed that God would give me a sign of hope that everything was going to be okay. And I started to choke up, and I looked down at this bracelet, and it was this really big pink bracelet, which I didn't even realize when I was unsnapping it that it was a pink bracelet. And she said to me, just look me straight in the eyes. And she said, I just want to thank you for being that sign of hope. And so I got in the car and I shut the door, and I said, that's it. I now know what my get to is. My get to is that actually everything has been part of my get to. It wasn't like, have to and now get to. It has all been part of my get to. But I know now, specifically with clarity, that my get to is I get to give away hope every day. And it's been in the form of a bracelet for the last 15 years. But that but for emptying the closet, but for coming home or. But for what happened on the show. But for emptying the closet, but for learning what the beautiful miracle of forgiveness. I don't know that all of this would have happened the way that it did. And the get to of giving away hope was such a beautiful thing through this, even if it was just for that one woman, it wound up being thousands, thousands later. But at that one moment, I was like, if it's for that one woman, fine. So that was, that was, it was really. It was a story that. It's hard to tell in two minutes, but it was a story that I could not have written myself. And then to top it all off and to end this part, part three years later, I got a letter from the Oprah show from Oprah's creative director, Adam Glassman, with the March issue of the Oprah Magazine. I don't even know if she still does. You should have an Amberly magazine. Like, we should talk about that after this show. But with you on every cover, like, wearing, you know, looking spectacular like you do.

But with my bracelets.

Yeah, yeah. Glasses on your head on one, you know, like holding your glasses another. But yeah. So, yeah, we can talk about that when you come on my podcast. We definitely will dive into that. But it was Oprah. And I looked down at the COVID of the magazine, and she was wearing this really big cuff. And actually it's called the Dallas. That's so funny. But it was, it just when I, this was a few years after I started, so I wasn't just doing leather anymore. And it had this genuine stingray on it, which was orange. And, and when I saw that cuff, I realized that I had sent out cuffs to a lot of different people just for the fun of it. A lot of different people that would watch on TV. And Gayle King was somebody that I sent like, 15 cuffs to.

Really?

She used to wear that? Yeah. And she would wear them. It still does, actually. She, she wore that on, and I recognized it. She wore it on the CBS Morning show on several occasions. And now I'm looking at this magazine cover realizing that the way Oprah got that bracelet was because, like, Gail re gifted Oprah a bracelet, and that Oprah is wearing it. And I just thought, God has the greatest sense of humor that he can take something that happened that you have zero idea how that will ever turn out. And he's like, just trust me. Just trust me. Because this has an ending in a way that you can't script. And, and, and then That's. That's how. That's the rustic half got started. Oh, there's no short way to tell that.

I. I just love that story, though. But that you had that forgiveness led to sparking that joy and running again instead of holding on to all that weight that you were carrying and creating something. And it really just started to boom because of your generosity be and because you. You care so much about others. And I love your jewelry that it has meaning that so many of the pieces say hope or you can do like all the different sayings. But I mean, this is my favorite, newest piece is the blinged out piece.

Oh, yeah.

I love the bling I got right now. But you know what I didn't realize, Jill, is that you have like, like a cuff of the month, right?

That's probably my favorite. I mean, it is my favorite because

a new bracelet every month.

Yeah, well, yes, more than one. But we did it for years. So in the beginning, we did that for maybe like seven years. Seven years. And then I took a break from it right after Covid and started it back a year, a year ago. It is one of my favorite things because imagine having all of these people that you get to create for that have no idea. And they all open it, like around the same day, open it up to this surprise. It's like you're sending all these friends a gift. I love the creation, and a lot goes into creating that. I really love the creation of the cuff of the month. And then I put, you know, a card in there with a little blog, like, saying about that. It's just like you feel like you have this whole family that you're creating for. I love cuff of the month has been one of my favorite, favorite things. Well, I gotta put you on it. I'm. I'm putting you down for cuff of the month.

I. No, I'm gonna join because I didn't even realize that. And I saw one of your posts on Rustic Cuff and I was like, because I follow along your stuff. And then I was like, well, how am I missing out on this? And how did I miss this post and that post? And I was like, how did I miss out on cuff of the month? So I am definitely going to be cup of the month. I love your jewelry. That. I love the crosses I. That you have on the bracelets. Do you make rings too? Because I have an Y.

We do. You know, I have another site that is. That I started less than a year ago, but it's Jill donovan.com, which really sounds so pretentious. But. But I. I wanted to do bracelet. I. It does. But people were like, well, Tory Burch has her name and so does Kendra Scott.

I know.

I love that. I can do. I can do it. So I started making rings over on Jill Donovan. On Jill Donovan.com side. Yeah, we. Amberly, there was a time in the craziness, like, maybe four years after it started that people would say, hey, you should make. You should do, like, candle candles and then do matches. You should do slippers. Whatever people would say, we began to make. I really have learned just because you can doesn't mean you should, because we literally, we were doing everything. And you get your eyes off of, you know, this sort of this race that I feel called to run, which is, you know, put words of life on bracelets, which definitely. We do earrings and rings and necklaces, which I love, too. But nothing has my heart the way that bracelets the way that bracelets do, probably because I just love being able to look down and say, oh, yeah, I do need to take this one day at a time. I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about next month, and this is my reminder. Like, I'm only required to just today. That's it today.

So, yeah, I love that, and I love the reminder of, you know, there are always going to be a lot of opportunities and shiny objects out there. And. And this year, my motto really is keep it simple. And I've started saying no to a lot of things. And, I mean, I'm sure your inbox is full of opportunities, and I'm thankfully blessed that I get a lot of opportunities, but I've had to go, wait a minute. Is this in alignment with the vision that God has given me that the path that I'm on, and most of the time it's not. Not.

So how is that working out? To say no? How is that working out? Like, do you feel. Do you feel freer?

Well, I do. At first, it was really kind of hard, but now I'm like, okay, is it harder to feel, like, that little bit of guilt at first that I get over quicker, or is it harder to feel, like, resentment that I've said yes to all these things and now I'm resentful because I'm tired, I don't have time. I'm off the path that I'm supposed to be on, so I kind of measure it that way. And. But it was hard at first because I actually had an incredible publicist who had told me, say yes to everything. You say yes to Everything. And so I did. I was saying yes, and. Which was important at the time because, yeah, I needed to do a lot. I needed to get out there, but then I had to go, okay, I need to reel it in. Yeah. How. How has that been for you with your company growing to what it is today? And, I mean, everybody loves your jewelry. I think I'm the president of the fan club, though.

Yeah.

I want to say I'm president of the fan club, but.

Okay.

How does. How did you kind of stay, you know, rooted and grounded throughout the process when your company has blown up so huge?

Yeah. I think I was just talking about this with somebody, about people who. When something starts to grow, you.

It. It.

However you were beforehand, it tends to. What's the word I'm looking for? To increase. How. Not increase.

It intensifies.

It really intensifies.

Yeah.

How you were. And I think I had had some experiences with people who I watched that. Even celebrities, I would watch them go from this to that. And the arrogance level that I began to see. I remember one time I went to this event and George Clooney was there, and just because I don't. I. I wouldn't do this now, but I went up and just started talking to. To him as if, you know, we were friends. And he. The way he treated me, it wasn't rude. It was very. It was just belittling. I mean. And I know. I mean, I just remember thinking that.

Walk by his house, I would go for walks. I was kind of.

Yeah.

With him. And I would go on these long walks and make sure to walk a little slow. Lower. In front of his house. This is when I lived in la. And so this is like, ugh, it's so yucky when you find out something like that. So how he treated.

Well, I mean. And maybe it was my fault for, like, maybe I shouldn't have gone up. I don't mean my fault. It was a small. It was a. It was after a movie premiere, and somehow I'd won tickets to this movie premiere, and it was a small group, and so I made conversation. And I just remember thinking, he doesn't think. Think I am anybody in his world. So he said. He called me sweetie, and it was just very. It felt very belittling. I remember not. Not because I'm not even projecting that. I'm just saying I remember thinking, if I ever got to be well known in any way, I would want. I would never want to make people feel the way that that made me feel just now. I would want to make that person feel as if they are the only person in my world at that moment, no matter what else is going on. And so I think as we began to grow and then, you know, you have so many things tugging at you, and then you're on bigger stages, and you. I think I just always remembered that, first of all, God created us all equal. I just happened to have this thing. So who am I? I am no greater than any other man. I am. I am like everybody else. And so I. I never, ever want even. I mean, it's been 15 years, and I never wanted anybody to ever walk away saying, well, she didn't. She didn't care. She didn't care. Not because I wanted them to buy jewelry. I just wanted and still do. Like, it's. I think the less that you care about trying to grind and make money, and the more that you just want to flow in the gift that God really gave you. It's like it actually does work out. But the hardest part, Amberlynn, you probably know this was not so much staying grounded was. There are times that you want to go into a little cocoon because you really, really value your quiet alone time. And so finding the way to protect that has been. That has been the hardest. The hardest part. Not. Not so much staying grounded, but, you know, just really understanding that you have to carve out that time as well.

Yeah.

For some good.

And I love that you had said before, I think it was before we started recording, about how, you know, when you're away and you have time for a creature creativity and. And I get that. I have. I get so much done, and I'm allowed to, like, be creative when I'm on an airplane, actually. Oh.

It's the. We should just fly around the world together and not talk. Just sit next to each other. Fly around the world and. And do nothing. But all the things that have just. You've been desiring to do or need to do, but you don't get. You don't get to do them.

Yeah, exactly. And I mean, it's also like when I am in a hotel room by myself. I know love my husband and my kids.

I'm with you.

Yep. Oh, my goodness. I can just. And I think that's what you're describing. Feels so much like I always say, you can. Joy is a strategy. And t. Jill, you just. Joy just comes out of you when you are in. When you are in the. I mean, even here, recording, but in person, the joy that comes out of you. It's no wonder your business is just flourishing. It's because you have such a joyful heart and spirit, and it's contagious. And I think people feel that through you, through your. All of your jewelry. And I love that your jewelry reminds me. You know, I've. I've often thought I want to get a pause symbol tattooed on my arm to remind me. Pause, don't react. You need to pause. Think about, yeah. Oh, my gosh. I'll just. Now I'll just wear some of your cuffs. I'll just wear some of your bracelets instead of getting a tattoo. But I'm just so. I mean, I could go on and on, and we are. I know we're out of time. I just treasure your time so, so much. And so we'll just do a real quick rapid fire. How's that?

Okay.

Okay.

Love that.

Do you have two minutes?

I've got all the time. Yes.

Okay, cool, cool, cool.

Yeah.

Okay, so finish the sentence. If you're feeling stuck right now, the first thing you need to do is

find something that you don't know how to do and do it for 10 minutes a day. Because in 10 days from. From there, you will have done something brand new for a hundred minutes, and you're going to feel unstuck. You might not even remember what you were stuck in. You will just have this new level of like, yeah, I just learned something new that I had no idea I could do. It is. It's. It's like this magic trick to go find something you don't know how to do. I mean, there's plenty of ways to figure it out now, but. Yeah, learn something new and do it 10 minutes a day for 10 days.

Yeah. And you have done it all, like, from playing instruments.

I mean, you name. Name it, whatever. Dancing. Break dancing. I mean, yeah.

It's one of my favorites, by the way.

Break dancing. Terrible. I'm not. I'm really. I. Like, if there's 45 of them, I might be, like, decent at three of them now, but. But I do. I can speak with other people who do that hobby as well. So you. You get new friends, you have something to talk about with new people.

Yeah. And you just have so much fun. Like, I love when you do your videos, you know, of your dancing or you're playing an instrument or whatever it may be. It's like we get to go on that adventure with you. But that is such great advice. Thank you. What's one thing you wish every woman truly believed about herself?

That she is fully known and fully loved by God and is capable of so much more than she probably ever dreams that she could do.

That's beautiful. That's beautiful. What was living an unstoppable life mean to you?

That you are so crazy forgiving of yourself for yesterday that that cannot hold you back from today and tomorrow. You just yesterday ended last night. And you go into today and then tomorrow with, without the weight of anything you did or was done to you that that makes you unstoppable.

Oh, that is beautiful. Just giving yourself some grace because I know I can sure beat myself up about stuff that I did or. That's good. Um, well, where's the best? Well, I. I want people to follow you on Instagram. Jill Donovan. Also Rustic Cup. But where's the best place for people to get your new book? First of all, do you have the title to your new book?

So I have a book out. It came out, I don't know, six, seven years ago called the Kindness Effect. And it does. Part of it tells the story of how Rustic got stuck, Rustic Cuff got started. But then the rest of it has quotes that I put on bracelets on each chapter and it tells a story from that quote. The. That's called the Kindness Effect. The new book and is not out yet is. Is done. Is. I mean it is finished, but it's with the publisher. It's titled Live like everyone loves you. And it talks about how we carry around the emotional prescriptions from middle school and we walk into every room with that and we allow the opinions of others to sway our own peace, our God given right to this piece. And the book is not saying that everybody actually will love you. It's saying if you live as if they do, then you don't walk into rooms bracing for impact. You don't go into every room auditioning for other people's approval. In the same way you wouldn't walk into a family gathering wondering who wants you to sit next to them or how they're going to receive you. If you walked into every room, you don't know, as if you walked into your own family room, how relaxed and comfortable you would be. You'd stop thinking about you and you'd have all this bandwidth to then start thinking about everybody else in the room. And that's what the book is about. Shedding the insecurity of yesterday so you can move freely into tomorrow.

Oh, I can't wait for this book. When do you have any idea when it's going to come out?

Well, it is finished. I'm waiting to see. I'm waiting to see when it is going to. I hate saying it because I would like to say six weeks from now.

Yeah.

But very, very, very soon. What's that?

It is a process, though. I mean, it is a process.

Once it's finished. Yes. That traditional part, I mean, if it were just up to me, yeah, it would be printed right now. But when you're going through a publisher, then that is a whole, that's a whole other ball game. But I'm really, I'm really, really excited. It is a, it is a labor of love, as you know when you write a book. But I want, I think my greatest desire is for women and men, but to live, to live free and not to just accept what has happened to you and your heart as a new normal in life. Because then everything you say and do is birth from that new normal instead of this open heart that God wants us to walk around with. And it's, I mean, everybody goes to therapy to just uproot this and all that. And like, I'm gonna protect myself. And I'm like, I. The best way is like, why don't we forgive ourselves and others in the same way that God forgave us? Who are we to hold onto something when he's already let it go, he's already moved into another chapter. Why are we still over here? He's like, come on, I, I've got great things over here. But you are still stuck where you are because you can't let it go what you did or what they did. I think so. My dream is for every woman to wake up and say almost as if she has amnesia. My mother in law got dementia, Alzheimer's, the last two years of her life. Do you know, she was a completely different person. She no longer remembered what the things, you know, the mean things people said or did in her in the years before. She woke up every morning with what a beautiful day it is without remembering those things. She had the greatest last couple years of her life. And if we could live with amnesia from yesterday, like, oh, wouldn't that be amazing?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think someday, I think it's so healing to do that. I think writing really helped me. Yeah. Forgive. It was very cathartic for me. Well, Jill, it has been such an honor being able to talk with you and have this time with you. And I will not forget when I got to talk to you after the event and you said, yeah, yeah, just email me. And I emailed you and you should have seen me when I got your email and you Said yes to being on the show. I was like. You would have thought that I was like. I was like a giddy schoolgirl. Like, oh, my gosh, Jill said yes to being on the show.

Amberly, you're the superstar. You are the superstar. So I was honored you asked me.

Oh, well, I just. I adore you. I just. Anything I can do to help you with your book when it comes out will shout it off the rooftops. So I'll keep checking in, and if this is coming out, I'll put that link. For now, you can go to Jill Donovan dot com. You can find her book, you can find out about her speaking. If you want to book her to speak at your event, you can find her podcast, all her amazing jewelry there, but follow her on Instagram. I promise you, you will just. You will fall in love with her, and you will laugh so hard at all the things that she shares. So thank you, Jill, for being on the show.

Thank you, Amberly. You know, we named a bracelet after you.

Oh, my goodness. That's. You told me that. Well, I. I need to buy it.

No, no, we're sending. So we named. We named a bracelet Amberly, and it has, like, five more coming out of it from that one. So I don't. So that whole collection, the Amberlee collection, is coming out. I just wanted to tell you. I don't even. I think only one is out. I think we actually sold out of that one. And I just remember telling Renee, we have to send. When this collection comes out, we have to send them all to Amberly. I love. I love this bracelet. This collection bracelet.

Oh, my goodness. I am so excited about this. I am so. So I got to put that in the show notes, too.

The Amberly bracelet. Everybody needs an Amberly bracelet.

That's right. You heard it here first. Let's see. Oh, my goodness. Well, just thank you for sharing about the power of forgiveness. And I just. Your kindness, your courage, your passion, your faith is so inspiring. And so thank you for being here. Y'.

All.

Take a screenshot. Whether you're listening on Spotify or you're watching on YouTube or you're listening on, I don't know, whatever platform you're listening on. Take. Take a screenshot and share it, because I love to see what resonated with you and tag me at Amberly Lago motivation, and Jill Donovan. And if you're ready to step into your purpose, build your influen, and surround yourself with women who are doing the same, make sure you check out everything we have going on in the Unstoppable life community. And thank you so much for tuning in. It's because of you, you've made this a top 1% podcast. I appreciate you tuning in. Thank you. And Jill, thank you again for being here and thank you, Emily, thank you. And I hoped it again in person. And I will see you all next week. Thanks for tuning in.