What accent? … I’ll hit on comments in a moment…. Yes, I sure do {and I love it!} … and yes, I am really this delightfully off my rocker.
Q: What is that ROAR thing you do?
A: I’m so glad you asked! The We ROAR Project is a little somethin’-somethin’ God dropped in my heart on a somewhat awkward day back in March 2015, and I’m still pretty psyched about it. ROAR stands for random, otherly, affirmation, revolution. It’s pretty cool. You should go check it out here.
Q: When I heard you speak a while back, you had some pretty prints and mugs with you – can I get those anywhere else?
A: As a matter of fact, you’ll find all my prints, cards, mugs and other pretty goodies I’ve created right in my shop, the Simply Bloom Shop.
Q: Why do you sound funny?
A: Because I am from a land far, far away. And because I occasionally like to talk with food in my mouth. Not really.
I was born in Cape Town (South Africa) and grew up in Windhoek (Namibia). I moved to Michigan when I was 13 years old for a year and a half (until our visas expired) and then we moved back to Namibia. We moved again to the States when I was 16 and have been here ever since. I have officially lived in the States for half of my life, and became a US citizen in 2011. My accent is now a royal mess. I sound foreign everywhere I go (even “back home”).
And no, I don’t dream with an accent, nor do I speak Afrikaans in my dreams. Those would be linguistic nightmares.
Q: What does “penduka” mean, and did you really write it in 6 weeks?
A: Penduka, in two of the tribal languages from the country I grew up in (Namibia), means “wake up“. My 2nd book, Penduka, is a clarion call to wake up one’s soul, and a bold invitation to live this life fully awake and engaged. And yes, practicing some of the productivity principles I wrote about in the ‘Process’ section, I really did write the initial manuscript in 6 weeks (fun fact: I wrote my first book’s manuscript in 6 weeks too). SOZO, on the other hand, took almost a year to write.
Q: Do you really talk about sex in public…and in churches none the less [insert awkward gasp here]? And when can I hear it? [wink, wink]
A: I sure do! The “sex talk” fast became one of my most requested topics and eventually became a book. Wham bam, thank you, ma’am.
You can check out my speaking schedule here, see topics right here, and read what others are saying over here. If you’re interested in having me speak at your church or event, you can fill out the form at the bottom of this page.
Q: Is your house always as clean as it looks in your photos?
A: Umm, no. But I must confess…I do LOVE a clean house, I find organizing to be therapeutic, and chaos on the home-front drives me up the wall. So it is usually pretty tidy and organized around here (except for those drawers and those closets). But don’t confuse tidy with clean. It is rarely clean. I do have a son, you know. But if you come over for dinner, I promise I’ll break out the toilet brush.
Q: What camera do you use and what is your favorite lens?
A: While I shot most of my early blog photos with a Canon Rebel T2i (my favorite lens is the Canon EF 50mm F/1.8), almost all of my images on social media are shot with an iPhone (8, 10 and 11 pro).
Q: Are you accepting new design clients?
A: Absolutely. Unless you’re wanting a boring logo utilizing Comic Sans and clipart. Then I’m not for hire. But if you’re looking for something fun, fresh & eye-catching, or your brand just needs a makeover, check out my portfolio here and contact me here. Let’s make magic happen, baby!
Q: Is that Fuze story true? Did you really, truly drink your husband’s…uh, pee?
A: It’s true. Sad, but true. And it was more of a sip. You can read all the gory details here. But try not to wet yourself, mm-kay?
Q: Why are you so freakishly transparent? Don’t you get embarrassed by your failures or ashamed of your past?
A: It’s the only way I know to be. Maybe the many years I spent hiding away in the dark, terrified that someone might discover the truth about me and call me out as the fraud that I was, was terrifying and exhausting enough to propel me into light-loving transparency. I kept secrets for far too long and they utterly destroyed me. You see, anything kept in the dark has power over us. Once we let it out into the light, we have power over it. I have no secrets. Except maybe that I still have my Celine Dion and Richard Marx CDs.
I let fear of rejection paralyze me for years, but freedom tastes too sweet to ever go back.
Also, I don’t see vulnerability as a weakness. I see it as powerful and courageous. It is a gift we give to those we do life alongside, and a means to connect heart-nakedly with a hurting world. We don’t need pretentious religiosity or stiff-necked rule-followers…we need more people who are willing to live whole-heartedly the life they’re called to, which inevitably means getting our hands dirty and our brow sweaty. It’s beautiful and raw and authentic. The way I believe we’re called to live.
Q: Is your husband really that hot?
A: Yes. Yes he is. Okay, so nobody asked me that, I just had to give credit to the fact that he’s one smokin’ hot babe.
