Jennifer Sheldon
Episode 195

Narrator:

Welcome, friends, to another episode of the Story & Experience Podcast. Join your host, Japhet De Oliveira, with his guest today and discover the moments that shape us, our families, and communities.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, friends. Welcome to another episode of the Story & Experience Podcast. I'm delighted to be able to connect with our guest today. Even though it's virtually, it's great, and you'll soon get to see why this is going to be an amazing episode.

If you're brand new to the podcast, we have 100 questions. They are about stories and experiences that shape this person into the leader that they are today, and they progressively become more vulnerable closer to 100. So, I'm going to ask the first 10, which they're nodding in affirmation, this is a good sign, and then they'll choose between 11 and 100 where we're going to go.

So, let me begin with the first one. Could you tell us your name? Does anybody ever mispronounce it?

Jennifer Sheldon:

My name's Jennifer Sheldon. And generally, no. They call me either Jennifer or Jen.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Brilliant. Well, Jennifer, that's fantastic. All right, so first thing up. Tell me, what do you do for work?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I am the associate patient care executive for both the Hanford and Selma campuses, which is located in the Central Valley North network, or as we call the CCN.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, nice. Nice. That's fantastic. All right, so now what does that job actually entail? Patient care executive?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Patient care... I know, right? It's like a fancy little title for all things loving the people that all report to me. So, I would say my day-to-day job, I interact with my team on a daily basis. I have directors that directly report to me and we oversee all things nursing, so anything to do with the ICU, the med surge units, and the emergency department, of course. So, any of those areas where there's vulnerability to nursing or patient care or families that we love, we do all things for those people.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Wow. Now, do you ever get to sleep?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I do. Some nights, not as much. Yesterday was Experience Day and it was so exciting. We were celebrating in the south, and so I-

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic. That's good. Now, have you been a nurse a long time?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I have been a nurse for 30 years.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Wow, fantastic. That's great.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I know. A long time.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, that's fantastic. All right, so now Jennifer, where were you born?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I was born right here in Hanford, California.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Really?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I'm a native to the area.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, a local. Okay.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Local girl who loves her community and wants to give back. Absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic. So, now when you were a child growing up there, what did you imagine you would grow up to be?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I ironically always wanted to be a nurse. I am-

Japhet De Oliveira:

Really?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yes. I am a care-

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, this is great.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I'm a caregiver by trait. My father had epilepsy, and so we had a health journey. But I dabbled all the time in any way I could fix an animal or fix a person or help my father. I just always knew that I needed to do something that helped people either heal emotionally, spiritually, physically. And people who know me now would say, "You're in the right profession, for sure."

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, that's fantastic. So, it's always affirming when you've chosen something and then others see it in you as well.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yes, I would 100% agree.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, that's great. That's great.

All right, now are you an early riser or a late night owl?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I'm an early riser.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Ooh. And what's early?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I get up around 4:15.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Okay, that's early.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I like to slow start. I get up and I like to drink my cup of coffee and play with my dogs and enjoy the fresh air. I live on two and a half acres, so I have a lot of farm animals, and so I enjoy-

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, wow.

Jennifer Sheldon:

... the birds and the peacocks and all the noise. But yeah, I enjoy being up early.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Peacocks?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Peacocks, pea hens, both. Some miniature donkeys. We mix those in. Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira:

You are kidding. All right.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yeah, so I'm an early riser and I tend to fall asleep, even though I try to stay up late. By 9:00, it's pretty hard for my-

Japhet De Oliveira:

Well, if you're getting up at 4:00 in the morning, yeah.

Jennifer Sheldon:

For sure.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Well, that makes sense.

And then your coffee. How do you have your coffee?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I take a little bit of marshmallow Nutpod creamer. Not very sweet.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Very specific.

Jennifer Sheldon:

But yes-

Japhet De Oliveira:

Very specific, yeah.

Jennifer Sheldon:

... very specific. I don't prefer sugar. Just a little dab of creamer.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Is that your first drink of the day, or do you have water first, or?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Sometimes with a cup of water. I usually keep water by the bedside, so I would say water.

Japhet De Oliveira:

There you go. That's fantastic.

Now, personality-wise, if people were to describe you, would they say you are an introvert or an extrovert and would you agree?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I am a super extrovert and I would say that everyone would agree. We did assessments on our personality traits and I was a WOO, which is win others over. And I tend to be the life of most parties, so I could be good to some extent and bad to another. But yeah, yesterday, Experience Day, I'm on the hype team and I'm living it up. I'm dancing and yelling and screaming and enjoying the environment. So, definitely an extrovert.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I saw some fun photos on LinkedIn. It looked good. It looked like a great day.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yes, it was amazing.

Japhet De Oliveira:

It's pretty good.

First thing this morning, what was the first thought that went through your mind?

Jennifer Sheldon:

First thing this morning, honestly, because I had done 28,000 steps was I am getting too old to be on the hype team. I got out of bed and I was so sore. But other than that, my first thing I would honestly say is I'm awake and I'm ready for a new day and I'm ready to conquer this world just like I do every day. I tend to have that mindset of, God, it's you and I, let's get this done. And where can we meet someone and do what they need for their needs? I'm always looking out for someone else's needs.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, that's great. That's great. That's beautiful. I love that.

Right, the floor... Oh, actually, no, I've got a leadership question for you, and then I'm going to hand it over to you. So it's, are you a backseat driver?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I am growing to be more of a backseat driver. My team would tell you that I give them a lot of trust but verify. So, I tend to, I back up and I allow them to do them and grow, yet I verify that things are completed, so I always have their back. I tend to make sure things are done to the way they need to be done so that we're meeting all the right measures and tending to things that need to be tended to.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I love that. That's good. Good, beautiful.

All right, the floor is open. Where would you like to go? First number.

Jennifer Sheldon:

First number. I'm going to be a little vulnerable here. I'm not going to go all the way to 100, but I think I'll do... Let's do number 30.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Number 30. All right, here we go. Ooh, tell us about something you're really looking forward to.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Something I'm really looking forward to. I just recently got invited to a wedding in Guadalajara, Mexico, and I've never been.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Wow, okay.

Jennifer Sheldon:

So, I'm anxiously excited to travel. I love to travel and do certain things, but I've never been to this part of the world and I would like to see it and taste it and venture, and so I am excited to see how this whole trip works out. Plus, I'm excited to celebrate one of my great friends.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, hey, that's going to be beautiful. Great. Excited for you.

That was 30, so up or down?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let me take it down just in case.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Sure. Okay, all right.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let's do number 15.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Number 15, all right. What's the one thing that you always misplace?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Ooh, I'm not a misplacer. I'm going to have to think about this. I have a little OCD there, so I don't know that I misplace a lot.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's okay.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I don't know if I have that one. My sunglasses probably, because they're usually on my head.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Sunglasses?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yes. Or I've left them in the car or I thought someone set them down somewhere. Maybe my sunglasses.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Okay. That's fair.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Fair.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Good. All right, good. Where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

So, let's go number 20.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Ooh, tell us something you would rate. Jennifer would say, "This is 10 out of 10."

Jennifer Sheldon:

I think my spiritual walk is a 10 out of 10. I love the Lord with all my heart and I try to lean on Him and not my own understanding. I think that I have opportunities and slides sometimes to that seven and eight where I'm not walking the journey the way I should, but I would say that my firm foundation is in Christ.

Japhet De Oliveira:

And where did that come from?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I actually had a very interesting testimony as I grew up. I was raised Catholic, and then I went a period of time without doing a lot with religion. And I don't know the real cause. I don't know if it was when my dad was sick and I lost my dad at a young age, but then I was-

Japhet De Oliveira:

I'm sorry.

Jennifer Sheldon:

... reintroduced into the Christian faith and just became passionate and on fire, just developing that relationship and walk with Christ. And once I was married and had my children, I wanted to raise them in such a way that they had that support and faith and foundation, so I got deep. And I would attribute most of that to my sister. She's an amazing soul and I'm so blessed to have her.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Wow.

Jennifer Sheldon:

She never gave up. She prayed and prayed and prayed and she said, "Jen, you're coming back to where you belong." That's my story there.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Well, praise God for that. I'm really happy for you. And does your sister know-

Jennifer Sheldon:

Oh, yes.

Japhet De Oliveira:

... this joy-

Jennifer Sheldon:

My sister-

Japhet De Oliveira:

... that she had on you? Okay.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yes, absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I'm blessed to have her.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's great.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Everyone needs a sister like mine.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Aw, hey, that's great. That's lovely. Very happy for you both.

All right, where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

47.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, you just met someone. What would you want them to know about you and why?

Jennifer Sheldon:

If I just met someone for the first time, I generally come off as I've been a friend for a really long time, and I would want to make sure that they knew my genuineness. So often, because I can maintain that same level of intensity a lot, it can be maybe seen as ingenuine. And so even when I'm rounding or talking to the team or anyone that, families, I just want them to know that what I exhibit is truly my heart.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's nice. I like that. I think it's easy if people are just out there all the time.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Correct.

Japhet De Oliveira:

And you want to make sure that they know, actually, that's who I am.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yeah. And I can be vulnerable at times. And so if you see me where I'm not me, usually I want them to know it's okay to say, "Hey, is everything okay?" Because something might be bothering me, and that's okay. We can chat about it and I'm pretty open book.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, that's great.

All right, that was 47. So, where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let's do 48.

Japhet De Oliveira:

48, all right. Ooh, tell us about your best personality trait.

Jennifer Sheldon:

My best personality trait is I'm pretty humble. I tend to at times be a pleaser and I want people to know that if there's feedback for me or I can grow or learn, I want that. And I would tend to say that I appreciate that. I look to always grow and be better. And sometimes I can be that rocky road that gets there, but in the most parts, I'm very humble. I tend to be who you see in me is who I am on a daily basis, and I just want to love well. I would hope people would see that in me.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, loving well is good. And actually, my own faith community in my church, it's one of our favorite phrases. "Just love well."

Jennifer Sheldon:

Love well.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I'm with you. Yeah, that's good.

All right, where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let's go 80.

Japhet De Oliveira:

80. Ooh, you jumped up. How would you like to change-

Jennifer Sheldon:

I jumped.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, this is great. How would you like to change in the future?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I think I'd like to change in the future with having a little more trust in certain situations. I think I shared a little bit of my personality trait of being intense. And sometimes I can take back control, and I think a good growth for me would be to trust more, that things are out of my control and often I can sit back and know that I'm going to be led down the right path and that if I lean not on my own understanding, that things are going to guide me in the way I need to go and it's okay that if I just let some of those pressures off myself. I think that would be something I would say.

Japhet De Oliveira:

A little grace for yourself.

Jennifer Sheldon:

A little grace for myself, yes. I would agree.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah. Hey, that's good. Hey, that's good for all of us, actually. That's great.

All right, so that was 80. Where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let's go to 75.

Japhet De Oliveira:

75, all right. Here we go. Do you remember the very first thing that you bought with your own money? And if so... Oh, you do? Yeah.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I do.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Look at the excitement on your face.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I got excited.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, go on.

Jennifer Sheldon:

But you had a second part.

Japhet De Oliveira:

No, it's just like, if so, what is it? Yeah.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yeah, I worked at a very young age. That was back when work permits were very accessible. So, I worked at a local fence company in town. I was their secretary. And I remember my very first purchase was my own pair of designer jeans and I thought I was so fancy. And now, I'm that girl who's like, "Can I buy two pair of non-designer jeans for the same price as a pair of designer jeans?"

Japhet De Oliveira:

I like it.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I think they were Jordache, to be honest. They were something funny. But yeah, I do remember that.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's great. What a good memory.

All right, super. Where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let's do 82.

Japhet De Oliveira:

82, all right. If you could only keep three possessions, what would they be and why?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I would keep my faith. I would keep my children, or my family. I should preface that. My family.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, I like that. Your family feels more welcome now.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yeah, exactly.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Sheldon:

My faith, my family, and probably my friendships. My really close friends. And I would say why is obviously my faith is foundational to who I am and what's got me to where I am in life and where I'm going to eternally be. And I think that's super important. And I would say that my family, of course, it should be a given to the majority, but they're my rock and my support and the people who walk alongside of me through the ups and downs and things that life gives me. And then, of course, my friends for maybe that same reason and maybe a little fun in there too.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Doesn't hurt.

Jennifer Sheldon:

It doesn't hurt.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, that's beautiful. That's good. All right. I like the way you thought that out.

All right, where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

33.

Japhet De Oliveira:

33. All right. Ooh, tell us about the best gift you've ever given to someone else.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I tend to be a gift-giver, but sometimes it's just cards or really nice little thank-yous or notes. I've done some personalized gifts that have photo faces or fun things or memories. I know my mom got a lot of joy when we gave her the video, I think it's the digital camera. Not camera. Digital... Get me there.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, you mean the picture frame?

Jennifer Sheldon:

The picture frames, yeah. The digital picture frame because-

Japhet De Oliveira:

And she loved that?

Jennifer Sheldon:

She loved it because we loaded it with all these fun family pictures, and then they turn. We put some honoree ones on there and she'd say, "Jennifer, why this?" Yeah, my sister and I. So then she's like, "I think I need number 12 photo taken down."

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, that's good. That's a good gift. Creating memories, because photos trigger so many great memories.

Jennifer Sheldon:

They do. Absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Right. They tell so many wonderful stories. All right, good. All right.

Actually, I've got to ask you now, bonus question, what's your favorite photo in that that you shared with your mom?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Probably a photo of, it's a very old photo, but it was a photo of my dad, my mom, my sister, and I. We didn't have very long of time with my dad. My sister and I were both young, and so just the memories that we have seem to feel like photos versus the voice and the touch and the things that you can tangibly access. And so I think it's neat when we see it. It just reminds us of when we did have time with him.

Japhet De Oliveira:

I'm going to ask you a harder question.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Okay.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right. I'm going to ask this for personal reasons because I'm a widower and my kids have lost their mom, who was an amazing woman. Glioblastoma cancer.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I'm sorry.

Japhet De Oliveira:

But they were young, and they are young. So, from a person who's actually gone through something like that where you've lost a parent, what advice would you give my boys?

Jennifer Sheldon:

I would say to lean into each other and to you. When we first went through this, we were like a mobile of four. I related to that spinning mobile over a child's crib, and there was four of us. And then when one fell off, we became lopsided and wonky for a while. And we struggled. And so I would say be vulnerable with your feelings. It's okay to have anger and sadness. We sought professional counseling. I think it was necessary because there was a lot of grief just within my mom herself, but then even with just where my sister and I fit into that piece. And so I would say allow yourself grace, allow yourself that space to know that it hurts, and it's okay to hurt, and then just to lean into each other because no one really understands. Like you mentioned when you asked the question, you can't understand what you're going through at that tragic loss at a very young age unless they've been through it themselves.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I hope that answered your question.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Good words. That's good words, good wisdom. Thank you for sharing. All right, great.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, no, I love that.

All right, so where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let's do 72.

Japhet De Oliveira:

72. Tell us about what you want to do when you retire. And then Jennifer, why are you waiting?

Jennifer Sheldon:

So, that's a great question. I think I'm only waiting so that my reserves pile up a little higher so I can retire with the love and passion that I want to do. I'm a traveler by nature. I love to go. I've been to Italy, I have family there. I would love to revisit. I'd love to travel other places of the world. I haven't seen Canada. Just some of the other fun spots. I would love to do Banff and Niagara Falls and see some things from different areas. So, I hope that my health allows me when I retire to be able to do some traveling, see family, visit places that I hadn't seen before.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Well, I hope that you do do that, but I also hope that you get to do a little bit more earlier.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yeah, well, I'm great... I started working at Adventist Health. I've been here almost as long as I've been a nurse, 29 years.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Wow.

Jennifer Sheldon:

So, I'm hearing there's a little buzz that if I stay with the same organization a certain length of time, I could retire a little earlier. I'm hoping that's true.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, hey, that's great. That's great. I'm excited for you. All right, well, that's good.

All right, where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let's do 37.

Japhet De Oliveira:

37, all right, here we go. Oh, this is fantastic for you. What do you like most about your family?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Okay, so my immediate family is we're just fun. And I think what I love most about our family is we are together a lot. We enjoy each other's company and time. We bicker, but then we still love, so it's all relative. We do a lot of family things together, even with my immediate extended family. We do all of our holidays both on my husband's side and my side together always, so we have just great memories with traditional things and our Christmases and our Thanksgivings and all of those fun things. I would say it's that we enjoy each other and enjoy life.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's the best. That's what makes family real.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Absolutely. Yeah, for sure.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, great. All right, where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Some people don't always enjoy their family, so I'm pretty blessed to be able to say I do.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's true. But if you have a magical family and you invest in it, that's good.

All right, where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let's do 62.

Japhet De Oliveira:

62, all right. Oh, what does the sense of community mean to you?

Jennifer Sheldon:

The sense of community, I would say, means, to me, family. Where I'm currently at is my community in which I live, so everyone here is people that I've either encountered, know, or plan to encounter in some way or shape or form. I feel like it represents, at least where I live, a sense of agricultural and farm. It represents a sense, for me, it's always felt safe and secure. I have the support of other people, neighbors, family, friends, work. So for me, community encompasses just an environment of church, friends, family, and a place where I've always called home. I didn't know any different. And so for me, I love where I live and I just want to give back to where I am.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic. Good. Love that. And a good picture for others as well for what the community could be like.

All right, where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let's do 90.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Oh, okay, 90.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I'm going there.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right, Jennifer. All right. Tell us about how you overcame a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, but you did it.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I would say the largest obstacle that I recall in my life was just the battle with my father and just my faith at the time. And I would say honestly, some of the bitterness and the way I turned to my own strength through that because of the frustration I had. And for the longest, I felt a tad lost and I didn't know if I would ever overcome it. And then through just my sister not giving up and faith and my journey, I feel like I was able to almost, it's the typical cliche word, but it shouldn't be, but reborn to where I was able to grasp a hold of something that, to me, was the largest part of me, my faith, and bring everything back because I truly struggled through that and I was very vulnerable, and then I was angry and I went through all of those stages. And so for me, it was nice to be able to overcome it and see some of the great things that did come out of it in the end.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, that's good. Sometimes we have to go through the journey, right?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, that's good.

All right, where next?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let's do 40. 40.

Japhet De Oliveira:

40, okay. Here we go. Ooh, tell us about a time when you failed.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Failure is common, so-

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yes, it is.

Jennifer Sheldon:

... there's a lot of times that I probably have failed. But to identify the largest failure point, I think it's just recognizing... I think I could say failure in itself is pretty common, and I think it's just providing the grace that you need to know that you're going to have episodes of failure, I think. I would say some of my failure points was some sternness. You guide your kids in a certain way and you give them love and grace, and so there's expectations, but I don't know that I always in my heart feel that I... I always feel like I could have done better. I don't know that they would say that, but for me, I feel like I could have not been as stern about things that didn't matter, looking back. I think it's sometimes the journey and what they become versus the straight As or the perfect attendance or the things that are just factual numbers. And really, it's the journey and the things that walk them through it.

I don't know. Raising kids is a challenge, and I think-

Japhet De Oliveira:

It is.

Jennifer Sheldon:

... there's times I probably have failed immensely, but they've given me a lot of grace. And still extremely close, but I would think that if I could do anything over again, it would probably be enjoying every moment of the journey and not representing it from what people expect from you or what they want you to see, but what it is at the time for each individual. And they're different kids. They're just totally different kids, and so you don't handle them the same way.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's true. And as they grow up, we don't stop parenting.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Absolutely not. No, not at all.

Japhet De Oliveira:

It stays. It changes.

Jennifer Sheldon:

It changes. I even got a call on the way here, "Mom." And I'm like, "Yes?" So yeah, still parenting.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah. We still parent. But I think that your story is true, and of so many people. So many parents feel the same way.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Oh, yes.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Right?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yeah, absolutely. I think there's so much worldly pressure to be something or perfectly aligned as a family unit, and often, and I'm seeing that now, especially as I've aged, that's sometimes not the real world. And so just allowing grace in the situation and grace with my family, my kids when mistakes, failures happen to them, that it's okay and then work through those.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah. That's good.

Jennifer, we have time for two final numbers. Where do you want to go?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Two final numbers. Let's see. I'm going to hope I can retire at 55. Let's go there.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Okay. All right, 55. All right. Share about something that frightens you.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Oh, frightens me. I don't like snakes. I don't prefer snakes. And it really scares me. And you know what? It's not a real fear, I don't think. It's just this mental fear I have. But my son loved every reptile under the sun. He loved rats and snakes. And when I say-

Japhet De Oliveira:

Of course.

Jennifer Sheldon:

... we lived on a farm... Of course. And so we had a friendly corn snake that lived in our home that I couldn't stand, and I would stick a rock on top just in case, and then one day it gets out. And I have this really weird fear of snakes and I don't know why.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fair enough.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Otherwise, I'm pretty much a daredevil. There's not a lot that scares me.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Hey, that's good. That's great.

All right, and for your last number, where do you want to go?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Do I dare do 100? That little giggle tells me no.

Japhet De Oliveira:

No, I love it.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I'm a daredevil.

Japhet De Oliveira:

[inaudible 00:27:38], yeah.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Let's just try it. Let's see what happens.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right. Ready for 100?

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yeah, I'm going to give it a go.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Give me a question that you don't want to answer.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Give you a question I don't want to answer. And then are you going to make me answer this?

Japhet De Oliveira:

I don't know. Let's hear the question.

Jennifer Sheldon:

What's a question I don't want to answer? That's interesting. I don't know. I'm pretty open book. I don't know that I have... I guess if there was a question that you did ask and I was like, "Ooh, that's tough." I don't know if I can come up with one. Let's do 99 really fast. Let me think about it. I don't know if I know a question I wouldn't answer.

Japhet De Oliveira:

All right then. All right, here we go, 99. And you may come up with something. Let me know.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I will. If I do, I'll tell you.

Japhet De Oliveira:

No, that's okay. That's okay.

99. What is the most difficult truth you've ever told?

Jennifer Sheldon:

That I've ever held?

Japhet De Oliveira:

Told.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Oh, truth that I've ever told.

Japhet De Oliveira:

What's the most difficult truth that you've ever told? Yeah.

Jennifer Sheldon:

So, my motto is clear is kind, and often I can be a little bit too truthful at times. And so there are times, even with my journey with my mom, the hard truth is he's gone and it hurts and we've got to move forward, or your health journey is now important and you're not living up to these measures and we need to go through that. I don't know. I'm pretty truthful with my mom, and sometimes I feel like in doing so I could hurt her in a way that is not intentional, but out of love.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Sure, yeah.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I think the question-

Japhet De Oliveira:

But she knows you love her.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Yeah, she does. Oh, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Beyond a shadow of a doubt. I think the question I would want you to not ask me is when I'm stressed and all at my wits' end, what's my vice? Because I'd have to tell you that I eat, and I shouldn't eat. It's horrible. That's a barrier of mine. It's that hidden little vice, that eating for stress. But I don't know.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's real.

Jennifer Sheldon:

That's real. People have that.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's real. Yeah, they do. They do.

Jennifer, you are a good person, a good leader. I want to thank you for your honesty. I want to thank you for what you shared as well. It's wonderful that you get to serve in local community that you grew up in.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's phenomenal. Thank you for doing that. That's great. It's interesting, some people leave and they go away, but you have stayed and you serve. That's such great investing. And I love your passion for community and for family. Those are good values.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Thank you for-

Japhet De Oliveira:

That's fantastic.

Jennifer Sheldon:

... recognizing it.

Japhet De Oliveira:

No, it's great. Thank you for sharing that. And I look forward to hearing what your family feels about this podcast when they listen to it as well and hear-

Jennifer Sheldon:

Absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira:

... that you love them as well, just as much.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I absolutely do. They're my rock. I appreciate the time and allowing me to do this journey with you.

Japhet De Oliveira:

No worries. I'm going to encourage people to do the same thing. I do this every episode. And just meet with someone, ask them good questions. We learn from each other and we're better human beings for it.

Jennifer Sheldon:

I 100% percent agree. And then we become more human and more real.

Japhet De Oliveira:

Yeah, totally. Totally. God bless, everybody else, and we'll connect again soon.

Jennifer Sheldon:

Thank you.

Narrator:

Thank you for joining us for the Story & Experience Podcast. We invite you to read, watch, and submit your story and experience at adventisthealth.org/story. The Story & Experience Podcast was brought to you by Adventist Health through the Office of Culture.