Hey everybody. We are here with Michelle Prince. She is Zig Ziglar's ambassador. She is a published author. She is a mother. She is a wife and we are just so happy to have her here. Michelle, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to be here. Fantastic. I know we've been working on this a long time and I'm just so glad to have you here. I've been looking forward to this, Michelle, can you share with everyone your salvation story? Oh, I'd love to. As. With most people, I'm sure it's a long journey of how I am, where I am today. But actually Mike started really young. I was seven years old. I was. I can remember the moment like it was yesterday, but I had a, the moment where I meet met in Jesus, this is how I put it, I was in a. Catholic school actually at the time. And we were talking about. About how Jesus is always near. And I just had this moment of clarity and I invited him to come and sit with me and it was this. Crazy moment where I just. And it's hard to explain it now as an adult, but that was the first time that I actually had. And knowledge acknowledgement or understanding of who Jesus was and who he was in my life. And I felt like he was with me throughout my life, but what's really interesting is I didn't know. What I didn't know for most of my adult life. And I actually had a more. Relationship building experience with my salvation about 15 years ago. And it's a longer story that I won't get into, but my love for Jesus, my love for God. My, my commitment to my faith has been there since I was seven. But my understanding of my relationship didn't really go deeper until, like I said, about 15 years ago. I see. Wow. Wow. Yeah. And it's evolving. I feel like I've changed so much. In so many different ways, but God has just really opened my eyes to so many things and. I w I've learned things at such a rapid rate and I've understanding of things that I just didn't have when I was younger. And, God's been working on me for a long time and I'm finally listening and trying to just take it all in and absorb it as much as I can to really understand his will for my life. Beautiful. I know I'm a work in progress and I. I will always be a work in progress. Yeah. Exactly. It's like you can't say you got. We don't have it figured out. It's It's so far from it, but.

It is a good day though.

It's interesting because Jesus was all about relationship. It was never about religion. Yeah. And the best relationships go on forever. If you can keep a best friend from childhood on.

That's your person. Yes. And that's exactly how I felt with, and sometimes it's hard to explain it. 'cause some people say where are you really a Christian? Or if you didn't understand, but I did. And I had this moment and it's like my whole life. I always knew Jesus was by my side. I. I just knew it. I knew it and I could feel it and sense it even without my understanding. Fully. What I didn't know, but that's how God works. I. He has protected me, has favored me and my family. He has given me so much and. And so when I, 15 years ago when I went through a Bible study I really didn't study the Bible. When I was young. The way that I do today. And so I remember going through this Bible study and it was just the most eyeopening, like, why didn't I ever see that before? Or how come? I didn't understand that before. And it was I actually had a. Somebody prophesied over, beyond an airplane. One time, it was a strange experience. And they said to me that my faith was about to radically change. And my my my understanding of it is going to just, grow rapids, and it did. And it was in that moment from, like I said, that was about 15 years ago to today. I still so much to learn, but I've the journey is just so much different and better and yeah.

That's an amazing story. Thank you. I've got it. I'm dying to ask you this. Tell me about what it was like working with Zig. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my gosh, just. Incredible. And I don't know that there's no other word to describe it. I met sake when I was 18. I was, yeah, like in funny enough, I was, I just graduated from high school and my mom and dad sent me and my brother to his born to win conference. Wow. Thinking we'd be thrilled about it. And I went kicking and screaming.

I did. I was like I don't want to go to a seminar, especially not a motivational seminar. I'm 18. I have an 80 year old. I know he feels the same way. But it changed my life. And I walked up to Zig at the end of the conference and not thinking beyond what was just the words at the moment, but I just knew, I just loved everything about him in the seminar. And I said, I'm going to work for you one day. You just wait and see. And I went off to college and it was almost five years to the day that I started working for him. And it was such a God thing because. I didn't even remember that. I said that until I was in my first job after college cold calling on businesses and I accidentally, we know there's no accident, cold called on the Zig Ziglar corporation, which I didn't even know was in Dallas. And that's when it just that light bulb of oh my gosh, that's right. I'm supposed to work here. And I ran in and I, applied for a job and I got it. And that's how I started, but that was when I was 23 years old. I yeah. So that's where it all began. And so working with him, being around somebody with so much integrity and so much. I didn't know any different. I didn't have another conception of corporate America is as much as I did there. So to see him and his love for people, his love for Jesus, he. My life and he didn't even know. I didn't even know. How he was shaping me. At that stage because I wasn't I wasn't the Christian I am today. That I w then sure. I listened to his stuff. I think I want to say in the early nineties and my gosh, he had such an impact on me so I can imagine working with him. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. It's funny because people ask that question a lot and he's such a bigger than life, man, and he's great on stage. And I always say he was actually better. Behind closed doors. Truly he and he, it was never about him. It was never ego. His only motivation in everything he did was to serve God and help other people. And it came out in every conversation. Yeah, it was extraordinary. And in, looking back now as an adult, I'm so incredibly grateful and I was, So blessed to have that opportunity and. Which is what makes it so much more special now? That it's a long story, how I got here, but I, now when I speak or when I do podcasts or when I write my books, every bit of my story is around Zig because that is the beginning of my transformation. And so now to be on the other end and to help keep his legacy alive is just it's. It's just so incredible. That's wonderful. I can imagine. Yeah. I. I can imagine in my mind what it's like, but I'm sure you experienced, it was so much better. That's just incredible. Tell us about the books that you've written. I've written several books. The first one was called winning in life. Now how to break through to a happier you and Zig actually was gracious enough to write the forward, but that was a book I never intended for anyone to read, but my family. Famous last words. That is literally how my business started, because I just wrote this book because I felt truth be told. I felt like I was telling me to tell my story and I thought you know what, if I write it just for my boys, that'll be, it'll be okay. And then it took off. But my second book was called busy, being busy, but getting nothing done. And it was just all about, how to juggle everything that we juggle in life. And then my last several books have been all about story. I help people to tell their story. One of the books is called your book is your business card. The next book is called the power of your I'm sorry, the power of authority, which is a play on words. You can't spell authority without author. And the book that hasn't published yet, but is closest to my heart than any of them is called shine through your story. And it's, and it is really more about that. God's given us our story and it's a gift and gifts are meant to be shared. Amen. No to our listeners, we're going to put a link to all of those books in the podcast notes. That is wonderful. And I can't wait to see your new book. Thank you. It's taken me a little longer than I, it should. But. Especially during COVID I'm sure that had an impact on everything. Yes. Yes. But all in due time, I can't actually wait to read your net the end published book, because a person's story is so important. Not just to them, but to other people. But also it allows them to reflect on feedback they get when they actually share. That there may be not the worst that they're not. The best. They're not alone. Yep. That's what it boils down to. It makes our story is what it gives people hope. If somebody can know, wow, he went through that or she went through that and look at where they are now good or bad. We all have parts of our story that were. For wonderful and awesome that we want to talk about. And then we all have parts of our story that are dark and maybe, we've been through things such as the Boris or abuse or bankruptcy or things that maybe we don't want to talk about, but when we do and we share it and say, Hey, I've been there. It gives people hope and. I just think that when you think of your story even the parts that were afraid to talk about, we can't change your story and God's given it to you for a reason. And it's usually to inspire and give hope and inspiration to somebody else. And I think we learned the best, their stories. The perf the best example of who did this better than anyone is Jesus. Jesus told stories.

But where I go beyond that is it's not just about knowing your story and sharing it with a girlfriend or a friend over coffee. It's when we document our stories. I think that's when we have the potential to make the biggest impact. And again, the apostles had documented for us to all be sitting here today. With the hope we have. It's just an opportunity for us to, just to. What is God doing in your life and how has that helped you and how could you share that to help someone else? That is so fascinating. I've never thought of it that way. You're exactly right. Our story. So our testimony is so important. That's amazing. Yeah. And the authenticity of it too. When I think back to the people that have changed my life in dark times, I think about somebody who came alongside and said, you know what? I've been there. And you're going to get through this and let me tell you how and that's. I think it's for an, That's again, it's our responsibility in a way to share our story. To give hope. And we wouldn't withhold it to a friend or a family member, or if we were in front of somebody. So just think of the potential that you could have if you share that on a bigger scale. Wonderful. And impact someone you don't know. So true. So do you have a favorite. Story of Zig you can share with us.

Oh, my goodness. I have so many yes. Okay. This one. It's just, it just shows it's more Testament to his character. So when I was there in 19 94, 95, 96, somewhere in that range I was there for about four years. And we had about 80 people in the company at the time. So it was pretty big company. Yeah, the way the warehouse, we had sales, we had management. All of that. I was in sales for a sec. And every, and this was before cell phones, by the way, or right around the time that not everybody had them. Christmas morning every year. You would get a phone call from Zig personally, he called every single person in the company. Wow. Yeah, I still get choked up thinking about it because who does this and when I would call them up and I'll, If his ex voice, Michelle.

And he would just say, I just want to tell you how much we appreciate you. I couldn't do this without you. He did this for everyone, no matter what their role was. And it was such a. I just remember feeling and he would, that was Sunday or Christmas morning. So he was walking away from his grandchildren, his children, his own family celebration to go call each one of us. Who does that. And so that's one of them with. Actually one other, if I can tell one more. Sure. Again, when I worked there, there was so many of us. And so when I tell you these stories, he treated everyone like this. I wasn't any different, but he just made you feel like you were the most important person in the room. Wow. And he would walk around the office and I, we were all in cubicles and I remember him coming in my cubicle many times. And he said, Michelle, is that boy still treating you? And he was talking about my then boyfriend, Chris, who is my now. A husband of almost 25 years. Huh. And he would, he's the moment he don't, he starts, he doesn't treat you. You let me know.

I just remember being like, yes, Mr. Ziglar.

These stories are amazing. And. They really emphasize that Zig truly was the man. He presented himself on the cassettes and the videos and everything else. Boy cassettes that's been a long time ago. Has. Yes. Yes. I still have all my consent, so I don't have anything to play them on. Get rid of them.

So we've got one more question for you and then we'll let you go. What is your biggest praise for God? Oh, Goodness. Now you make me really cry.

He's so faithful.

So faithful and I've seen it. In generations of my family. And so undeserved. But yet he's so faithful and.

Just as goodness and my, My, my family. Whew!. And. He's part of every moment in every detail. If we stop and we listen and he, this I'm so grateful that God speaks to me. He speaks to you. He speaks to all of us. And we all have the power to hear his voice. And but that's how much he loves us and the relationship he wants with us. So he's just so faithful. That is wonderful. Thank you for sharing that. And thank you for being here with us. You've been a fantastic guest. Again, this is Michelle Prince check out her books. She does a wonderful job with this. Thank you so much, Michelle. Thank you for having me.