Blessed Before You’re Dressed - an Interview with Zoë Bishop
On gratitude practice and journalling habit
Dear The Gentle Roadmap friends,
Let’s start the new year with a new habit to cultivate, which I felt I could do better in convincing people to do so: gratitude practice and, by extension, journalling. That’s part of the reason why I’ve got someone with me today.
You read that right. Today we’ve got a guest! (Yeay to my new venture as well, a podcast format).
Say hi to Zoë Bishop, the founder of a movement called Blessed Before You Dressed, or BBYD for short.
I met her during a conference call by TLG (that’s Transforming Life for Good) Online Christian Business Network. Hearing about a movement centred on gratitude practice piqued my curiosity at once, in particular, her initiative to incorporate gratitude practice into our daily lives.
Some of you might have read my previous articles here and here about me maintaining a gratitude journal, but I’m glad I reached out to her to understand more, as she’s been organising gratitude into practice, more than just a personal habit.
After that TLG call, I checked Zoë’s website and learned that she’s been quite an entrepreneur. Not only BBYD, her offers also encompass various retreat programmes focused on well-being, and a lovely selection of journals with prompts and pretty looks.
It was like a bingo moment for me that I knew I could invite her in to this platform to share her story.
If you’re visually occupied, you can still hit the Play button to listen to the audio podcast, thanks to Substack for this feature.
The Gentle Roadmap Podcast Episode 1 - Blessed Before You’re Dressed with Zoë Bishop
And for you who like to watch it on YouTube, get a cuppa and enjoy the conversation here.
Segments and Takeaways
Introduction
What started the gratitude practice 02:25
What began as a personal journaling practice evolved into a larger project, thanks to the connections she made along the way.
A series of events to the birth of BBYD 05:40
Who would have thought that the article she contributed would evolve into something much bigger?
Take a hint, fellow writers :)
BBYD movement 10:10
Blessed Before You’re Dressed, a philosophy that changes how you see your day.
Building community on gratitude practice 12:36
This practice eventually expanded into a thriving community.
Overcoming the challenges 14:50
In this day and age where people are expected to move fast and social media have become vanity platforms, how has she navigated the challenges of maintaining a gratitude practice for herself and her community?
How Christian faith has helped shape BBYD 21:33
Zoë shares the role her faith plays in her journey, along with one of her favourite Bible verses about gratitude.
Journal prompts and journals for gratitude 25:26
Here Zoë lists down three different types of journal prompts: money mindset, self-reflection, and happiness and growth. Also available is a year's worth of journal prompts which are suitable for extended use. All of them can be used again and again too.
Closing thoughts 32:36
Actionable plan and takeaways from her so you can start your gratitude practice now in this new year.
Songs Mentioned in This Video
Zoë shares her favourite songs about gratitude near the tail of the podcast, so I put the links here so that you can check them out.
Counting Every Blessing - Rend Collective
Memorable Quotes
Since the podcast was primarily for me to learn as well, I noted down several takeaways in quote form that resonated with me.
You can’t be anxious and grateful at the same time.
Take note, Sekar, take note. This is why gratitude practice is vastly encouraged across the board to help people with anxious thoughts.
Eighty per cent of our thoughts are negative.
And we’re still wondering why by the end of the day we feel tired and sceptical. Rinse and repeat, day in and day out, and voila, the recipe for a miserable life.
Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:20
My commentary here: the traditional Christian prayers follow a structure, similar to The Lord’s Prayer, that we praise and be grateful first, and then to follow that with the humble seeking the help from God. Giving thanks isn’t just necessary, it’s an essential part of our prayer lives.
Thanks again to Zoë Bishop for the time and insightful story.
Pop to Zoë LinkedIn to say hi and connect with her, and check out her programme at BBYD page.
Before you close the tab . . .
The Gentle Roadmap is a publication centred on my reflection on a holistic healing journey. As a practising Catholic, the articles sometimes portray my layperson experience with the faith. If you like my writing and want to be notified of new posts, please subscribe (it’s always free). You’re always welcome here regardless.
Until next time,
