Now, before we get into these questions, allow me to introduce our distinct guest. Evelyn is the mother of two young women. She is 53 years young and married to her husband, Michael. She is a divorcee, trice over and a survivor of domestic violence from her first husband. What she wants people to know the most is that she's okay and that she's working through her life memories and adjusting to the fact that she's free to enjoy her life as Evelyn and not anyone else
J.L. Beasley
@Her_Sisu · 0:13
Okay, Lady Phi, question number one. Please share with us today your love story. How did you and your current husband, Michael, meet?
Evelyn Phipps
@LadyFi · 4:39
I said, how many children do you have? He said, I don't have any kids. And then I said, have you ever been married? He said, no. I said, this guy is a unicorn. What is going on here? Jesus. I said, this don't make no dang on sense. This is the real hookup. So I agreed to go out with him. He wanted to go out on my birthday, but he couldn't wait. Neither could I
J.L. Beasley
@Her_Sisu · 1:08
Wow, that is a beautiful beginning of a love story because it's not over. You guys are still going strong. And what a handsome couple. Thank you for sharing a photo of the two of you. I liked all of the elements of how you all met. And you're right. Michael is a unicorn. Okay, as a woman a certain age, you don't meet men who are single and unmarried and they have not 1000 diagnoses or issues with them. That's a stereotype
Evelyn Phipps
@LadyFi · 2:03
I'm sorry. I decided to just re record that because the audio was just awful. After three months of dating, he asked me to marry him. We were out and about. We were driving, and we went to lunch. And then after lunch, he said, let's go to Walmart. I got to get a couple of things. And I said, okay. And I hate Walmart. And he was like, well, do you want to come in?
J.L. Beasley
@Her_Sisu · 1:45
Wow. That is beautiful. Talk about a man who had a goal, saw the vision, executed it without delay. And he has, from how it sounds, definitely professed his love over and over because he still there today choosing you right and is providing and protecting not only you, but and your girls as well. That is beautiful. It's almost straight out of a it could be a lifetime movie network Hallmark story. The Wally World part
Evelyn Phipps
@LadyFi · 3:14
I know you're going to have times where you don't understand how much I love you. But he said, I love you more than you can imagine. And when he said that, I almost cried. But I was trying to be tough, but I almost cried because who tells you that? Who says that I love you more than you could ever imagine because trust and believe. I can imagine a lot. I can imagine a lot. And for him to say that to me
J.L. Beasley
@Her_Sisu · 1:32
Wow, Evelyn, that's really brave of you. And responsible as a survivor of domestic violence. And you're correct. As a survivor of domestic violence, one experiences trauma memories from those traumas and experiences differently from someone who has not had an experience of a traumatic relationship. And I co sign the way that you addressed your history of domestic violence early in the relationship. It was very responsible. It was very mature
J.L. Beasley
@Her_Sisu · 2:16
Earlier, you talked about, or you used the phrase being damaged in relation to being a survivor of domestic violence. Now, I have to say, Evelyn, respectfully, I disagree in terms of, I believe in the power of words and the importance of the choice of words that we use when describing ourselves, because words reveals a person's mindset and state of mind and where they are. And so personally, for me in this interview, it's not about me
Evelyn Phipps
@LadyFi · 1:49
Michael is very responsible. He's very responsible, very hardworking, very caring. He went to church all the time. He'd be dead tired because he usually didn't get in from work till like, one or 02:00 in the morning, and he still would get up by 08:00 in the morning and go to church. And I thought, wow, you know, and I'd go with him and we sit there and he'd be falling asleep because he'd be dead tired
Evelyn Phipps
@LadyFi · 2:46
And I struggle with getting past being me. Because, like I said, for 17 years, it was just me and my kids. So Evelyn was in charge of everything, every bill, everything that I did. The buck stopped with me. Every thought, anything with the kids, anything, period. So having someone else to come in now that has a perspective and has an opinion is hard for me because I'm used to doing things my way and my way works
J.L. Beasley
@Her_Sisu · 2:11
The other part I wanted to touch on is your answer to question five, which was things that you are doing well, which is you are doing the work
J.L. Beasley
@Her_Sisu · 0:31
Question six is different. Question six is three pieces of advice for women who have experienced traumatic relationships when it comes to dating. For question seven, I am opening the floor to you to share any last additional words of wisdom or guidance for men or women that you would like to share in conclusion of this interview with
Evelyn Phipps
@LadyFi · 2:04
First of all, thank you so much for waiting because I was in the store with my mom. You know, Moms, they go in for one thing and come out with everything. But anyway, for women that are dating and that have had the most horrible experiences, I will say this. Please take the time, first of all, to get to know what you don't want because you cannot figure out what you do want until you absolutely figure out what you don't want
Evelyn Phipps
@LadyFi · 3:23
Not consciously meaning to do that, but we do it. So you need to take the time and be careful. Be careful who you date. Don't give out information if you don't have to. It's not necessary, not at first. Really seek out what you want and be careful. And I guess another thing I would say is just keep praying. Just keep praying and believing. Because if you pray, that's your conversation to God
J.L. Beasley
@Her_Sisu · 1:27
And then you get the added bonus and blessing of sharing that with other people who enter your life intimately and non intimately. Thank you so much, Evelyn, for sharing that feedback. And yes, I get it. Moms go into stores and they come back with a whole bunch of stuff. My mom's favorite store is Michael's or the store called at home. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that. A crafter and a person who's into decor, as my mother is
Evelyn Phipps
@LadyFi · 0:30
Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate this. This is an opportunity for other people who are listening to know that they can do it, too, that love will find them, and not so much that there is a possibility. After domestic violence, there's happiness. After domestic violence, there is joy, there's opportunities, there's possibilities. New possibilities that you never even thought you could have. So thank you so much for having me on your podcast today
J.L. Beasley
@Her_Sisu · 1:27
I want to also thank you for your bravery and boldness and again transparency and your willingness to share with us your love story, your road to your love story and all of the things therein. You and Michael are a beautiful couple. Thank you for the photos and many many continued blessings to the two of you as individuals as you navigate your own journey in life and the two of you as a married couple as you support each other in love on this journey in life. Thank you again