Bethany Hawkins [00:00:02]:
In these positions, these CNA positions, these RN positions, these are positions that people have invested in their time and their money. One of my very best friends, she's actually going to nursing school right now. She works full time. She goes to nursing school at night. And she sends me these chemistry questions that I'm like, well, this is just clearly alien. I could never. What are you even doing? What is that? Potassium? Like, what is that? Oh, my God.
 
Shay Cook [00:00:31]:
That's crazy.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:00:34]:
She's in her late 40s and she felt that this was a calling. She. We had talked about her being a nurse, being a nurse since we were freshmen in college.
 
Shay Cook [00:00:44]:
Wow.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:00:45]:
And now she's actually doing it. So there are people who are still so dedicated to, to this industry who know that God has put that in their heart for them to serve, to be helpers.
 
Shay Cook [00:01:00]:
Ever felt those awkward vibes? When religion and money come up, you're not alone. Welcome to Yahweh's Money, the podcast where we tackle the crossroads of faith and finance. I'm Shay Cook, an Accredited Financial Counselor and the CEO and founder of Crusaders for Change, LLC. Join us on our journey as we discuss topics like tithing, saving, and conquering debt through religious perspectives. Let's get started. 

​

Shay Cook [00:01:30]:

Hey, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of Yahweh's Money. I'm super excited about our guest today, but before I get into that, we're going to be talking about servant security, equipping caregivers with faith and financial wellness.
 
Shay Cook [00:01:42]:
Because today and many days, we're trying to shine a light on the group of critical servants in our society, caregivers and those who work in senior care. Part of my Goldman Sachs 10,000 small business program was a growth plan. We're going to be focusing on offering financial wellness programs to employees of senior care facilities. So I'm super excited to talk about this today. These are the people fulfilling a profoundly biblical mandate, caring for our elders and the vulnerable. Yet many of these dedicated workers face face crushing financial stress themselves. And I saw this a lot when working with the military, so I see a true alignment with the senior care facility employee. So when the hands that serve are strained by personal finances, their sacred work suffers.
 
Shay Cook [00:02:32]:
We are exploring the powerful interaction of faith, finance and compassionate corporate stewardship through the work of Crusaders for Change, our financial wellness programs, showing how organizations can invest in the financial peace of their employees as an act of ministry. So our main scripture for today is Galatians 6, 9. It states, and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. This verse is a profound reminder for both the caregiver and the employer. Caregivers must not grow weary in their mission. But employers, too, have a righteous duty to sustain and equip their staff so they don't burn out or break under financial pressure. Investing in a caregiver's financial health is an act of doing good that leads to a harvest of better care, reduced turnover, and a more devoted workforce. Today, for our first time in this role, our client success manager, Bethany Hawkins is on the show today. Hey, Bethany.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:03:39]:
Hello, Shay.
 
Shay Cook [00:03:41]:
Hello. How are you, beautiful lady?
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:03:46]:
I am well. Thank you so much for having me. I get to see your gorgeous face at least twice a week. So this is just even more exciting because this will be the third three times this week.
 
Shay Cook [00:03:58]:
And we're behind the scenes. I woke up this morning, I was like, man, we are in true research and development, y'. All. You're going to see some great things coming out of Crusaders for Change with Bethany on the team. So tell us a little bit about yourself, Bethany.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:04:11]:
So I started my career in criminal justice, which totally makes sense that I'm here now. I worked for the district attorney's office. I worked for a defense attorney's office, and then I went back to the district attorney's office, and I decided I want to do something different. I want to have help women, mostly Black women, get their voices heard and their mission. And that brought me to podcasting. And for six plus years now, I created my company, Crackers In Soup. And then you and I had an opportunity to work together.
 
Shay Cook [00:04:48]:
Yes.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:04:49]:
And I produced this amazing podcast. And then we got to talking about a position that you were thinking of for client success manager. And I was like, ooh, ooh. I volunteer as tribute. Please put me in coach. And you did crazily. You were like, okay, bet, let's do this. And I was like, what? And you were like, yes.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:05:09]:
And I was like, let me know where to sign on the docusign. So, yeah. So here we are now.
 
Shay Cook [00:05:14]:
Here we are now. Yeah. God is good. I know. I have been thinking about, well, we had a similar position, but going through the Goldman Sachs program. It was perfect timing, y'. All. The people that's on my team right now is all God.
 
Shay Cook [00:05:27]:
Like, the timing of Adriana, even Ileah, Janessa, Elena and Dawn from our marketing crew, Alana, our social media, and of course, me as the visionary and just leading this along. God has really placed the right people on this team. And so I'm really excited for you not to still be our podcast producer, because she does an amazing job, and she's taking this podcast to levels I never even thought of. And I know we got even more ceilings to break through. I'm just excited about now being able to offer our financial wellness programs, our community financial empowerment series, all of the great programming to. To people that need it, especially in this time of day. I mean, a timestamp. It is October 28, 2025, the day that we're recording this.
 
Shay Cook [00:06:07]:
We'll be releasing this in November. But it is a challenging time with government shutdowns and crazy administrations and chaotic, just crap going on all around the world. But here in America, there's a lot going on. So we just wanted to say, y', all, we're here for y' all. We're praying for y'all, and we know it's a crazy time. So hopefully by the time you're listening to this, the government will be open for the right reasons.
 
Shay Cook [00:06:28]:
People have the subsidies that they need and the resources that they need. Because that's what I'm praying for. Cause God knows we deserve that, and we put our tax dollars into that. Hello.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:06:38]:
Yes. Yes. Yes. And this is a way more important than a ballroom being built. Just saying, girl. Just saying.
 
Shay Cook [00:06:47]:
Yeah, she said it. And I concur. Well, let's get into our rapid fire question. 

Rapid Fire Question Jingle [00:07:00]:
Take your seat. Let the wisdom inherit. Hit the rapid fire questions. Say what's on your spirit? Take your seat. Wisdom inheritance. Hit the rapid-fire questions. Say what's on your spirit?
 
Shay Cook [00:07:13]:
All right, thinking back on your own career journey, what was a personal financial challenge that fundamentally changed. Okay, if I can learn how to speak. It changed the way you view workplace well-being.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:07:32]:
Well, being in my career journey, I feel that the workplace didn't fundamentally change my personal financial challenges. I had to change my behaviors, which I know is something that you really. You and your financial consultants really dive deep into. Because the same behaviors I was bringing, no matter what I was earning.
 
Shay Cook [00:07:59]:
Mm Hm.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:08:00]:
And I found that the struggles that I was having were the same struggles that I was having no matter what I was earning. So if I was earning $5 an hour or if I was earning $50 an hour, the behaviors didn't change. Once I really got to notice that, it was me. Hashtag, I'm the problem.
 
Shay Cook [00:08:20]:
Yeah.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:08:21]:
I feel like that's when my financial situation took a better turn. 
 
Shay Cook [00:08:27]:
I love that. Yeah. And that's right. It's your behaviors, your mindset, and we always sprinkle. There might be some trauma there. Right. But I know for me, it was working in the credit unions, them actually teaching me about credit and savings and all that, and then working with the military and financial counseling and financial readiness with the military members and. And actually becoming an accredited financial counselor and seeing all these different behaviors people have. And you're right, it don't matter if you were enlisted officer.
 
Shay Cook [00:08:52]:
E1O10 is the behaviors. And I saw that a lot, and people thought, oh, well, their officers are getting paid more. Yeah, but they were had. They were getting paid more, but they had same problems that a low enlisted had. So it's definitely the behavior. So that's great. So in your experience, is the financial stress in an employee feels more rooted in a lack of income or a lack of financial literacy? That kind of goes back to what your response was? Yeah, 

Bethany Hawkins [00:09:19]:
Yeah, I think it's both. Yeah, I think it. It is lack of income. I feel as if you have the literacy to get you through those hard financial times, those struggling financial times, and you're able to adopt that behavior and that knowledge. When you go from lack of income to regularly streaming income, you can very easily bring those learned behaviors with you and start saving.
 
Shay Cook [00:09:48]:
Yes.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:09:49]:
So if you are running into challenges where you're having an increased credit card debt and you want to kind of take control of that before it starts spiraling even more out of control. If you take the opportunity to learn financial literacy, when you start increasing your income, then you know how to apply it better. And then with the money left over, then you can apply it towards savings.
 
Shay Cook [00:10:13]:
Exactly, exactly. And I would even say if you have, you start to learn and get that financial literacy and education. And then, like you said, maybe job loss happens, you're laid off. You can depend on that education to take you where you need to be or prepare. Like, for example, when I was laid off from the government back in 2011, I had all this financial education. I knew before I left that government job, I was laid off. I had to put some things in order. Right.
 
Shay Cook [00:10:42]:
Had my budget in order, cut back on some things, all that. My husband and I sat down, like, all right, what can we afford? I was prepared, and thank God I got a job two weeks later after I was laid off. But I was prepared to go a few months without a job because I had that education. So that's great. All right, last question. What is the core value or philosophical belief that guides an organization to treat employee financial health, as central to its overall mission? That's good.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:11:10]:
I think that, like you, you give your employees the opportunity to share their experiences without shame. And I think that financial conversations come with a lot of shame.
 
Shay Cook [00:11:26]:
Yes, they do.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:11:27]:
It comes with a lot of hiding, it comes with a lot of embarrassment. So if you are an employer, you need to have an open door policy where your employees feel comfortable coming to you with these type of problems and conversations, because when they are holding them inside, it's going to affect their job, it's going to affect how beneficial they are at their organization. And when you're dealing with senior care, you can't and don't have the opportunity to mess things up. When you're dealing with medications, when you're dealing with people who are unable to move as agile as they used to be, you have to be very present. So if you're consumed with am I going to be evicted? And you can't share that with your employer because your employer A, doesn't care, or B, is going to make you feel even more shameful, that's going to have a trickle effect for the people that you have taken an oath to care for.
 
Shay Cook [00:12:31]:
Amen.
 

Bethany Hawkins [00:12:32]:
So having the employer be the first line of defense of when you have something seriously going on and happening and saying, I will stand by you and I will hear you. I may not be able to give you a raise, but let's see what we can do that is so pivotal for any organization. I don't care if you have five people or 500 people.
 
Shay Cook [00:12:50]:
Exactly. I agree with that. Yes. I was going to say some people just don't care. Bethany, as we know, there's some employers like, okay, they can figure they're grown, they can take care of that themselves. But those that really have like that core value of taking care of their people first, I mean, then everything else just flows right. It's gravy. Like, not, you know, it's going to be hard times.
 
Shay Cook [00:13:12]:
But if your people are taken care of and they really feel like you care about them, then they're going to do whatever they can to make that business grow, to make you look good, whatever. And I know, I saw that a lot working for the government. We had leaders coming in that actually cared about you. I was like, sign me up. I'm here to help you in any way I can. But if you didn't, I ain't even trying to be around you. I'm not. I'm calling in, you know, I'm going to use my sick leave, you know, I'm going to try to find another job.
 
Shay Cook [00:13:39]:
But, you know, it's very important. And money, of course, as we all know, that's one thing. It could be health care, which we're dealing with right now. It could be childcare, it could be, you know, exercise, whatever programs you offer. Pet care. I see that a lot right now. People are like, sign me up. You got pet insurance, you offer pet insurance, you offer pet daycare.
 
Shay Cook [00:13:58]:
But we're here to offer financial wellness, and that's huge. I always tell people that runs through everything you do in life. And if you're there providing some kind of financial programming for your employees, they're really going to be grateful to you and do better and, you know, and they're going to help you, whether it's the. The seniors, the military, where anywhere in between. They're going to be there to support you and do a better job and be more productive. So that's great. All right, y', all, let's get into our main. This discussion.
 
Shay Cook [00:14:25]:
So when we're talking about mission and money and discussing the unique financial burdens that many of us face, whether it's low wages, high emotional demand, this is what CNAs are dealing with. Certified nursing assistance, RNAs, whatever, working in senior care. Direct care workers. Bethany, speak to what you might have seen in your experience. I know you've dealt with that recently. And being in, you know, that world, you ever had a chance to talk to a senior care provider or caregiver about these kind of issues?
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:14:53]:
I just recently lost my mother and her.
 
Shay Cook [00:14:56]:
I'm sorry to hear.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:14:57]:
Thank you. Prior to her passing, she was at hospice at home, which was a phenomenal experience. Nurses CNAs came in daily, took her blood pressure, took her temperature, made sure that she was moving her legs so her legs didn't atrophy. One even gave her a haircut.
 
Shay Cook [00:15:17]:
Oh, wow.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:15:19]:
These people were so unbelievably patient and sweet. And my mother had dementia. And during some days she was hostile because that is the signature of dementia. And they were just a breath of fresh air. And how they cared for my mother truly and utterly, like they were her grandchildren. And my sister resided with her to take care of her. So if we wanted to, they would have even cooked meals for her.
 
Shay Cook [00:15:51]:
Oh, wow.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:15:52]:
They would have done her bedding. They were just such an instrumental part in loving on my mom while I was working 12 hour days and my niece and nephew were working and they gave us the opportunity to breathe during this duress. And then when it got to a point where she had to be transported to hospice care to a facility, I cannot say enough accolades about that facility. They were so kind. They allowed us to be there 24/7. Whenever we wanted to be there, they just asked that we signed in. They had a death doula come in.
 
Shay Cook [00:16:33]:
Oh, wow.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:16:34]:
And talk to us. She did Reiki with my mom. They asked us what religion we were. They had a priest come in. It was just such a place of calm and pleasantry in one of the most distressing times of my family's life. And that's what you need. You need somebody to come in who has a calm, caring disposition. You don't want somebody coming in all sassy and all loud, and it's like, your mother's, like, transitioning, and so she's, like, sleeping.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:17:16]:
Somebody coming in with, like, headphones. I'd be like, oh, my God, what's up? Like, you know. Or on the other hand, somebody coming in and is like, hey, how you doing? Like, my dog needs surgery, needs $10,000. Like, I didn't need any of that crap. I needed exactly what they provided for me. And from an organizational standpoint, I'm sure the employers actually. No, I don't know, because I've never employed nursing assistants. But I hope that they are looking to people who have that caring disposition, who have that understanding, even if it's not in a hospice care situation, even if it's in, like, just a senior care, that it's going to have a disposition that's going to bring light and happiness to that senior every day, because that may be the only person that they see.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:18:13]:
A lot of families aren't super extra like us and, you know, around their loved one 24 hours. A lot of family members don't go to senior care facilities and see. See their loved ones for whatever reason. So those people and those establishments may be the only people that they engage with at the end of their life. So having somebody who's going to bring joy to them towards the end is really important. And if you are overwhelmed financially, at least for me, I know it's hard sometimes to show up.
 
Shay Cook [00:18:50]:
Yeah, yeah. Because you're so focused on how I'm going to make this next bill. If I'm going to lose my house, how am I going to feed my family? Oh, Lord. It's a struggle, right? And if. I mean, your mind is literally clouded by that. And then if you bring in low wages, like, again, we're not here to change the wages, y', all, but some of y' all need to do better. Some of y', all, businesses, organizations, corporations, we have to do what we can, what we're given. So.
 
Shay Cook [00:19:19]:
And we, as counselors, financial counselors can teach you that. I mean, we, we will motivate. If we find out that you are making such low amount, you can't even afford your basics, we are going to encourage you to look at more schooling or different training, find other job opportunities. But if you really are where you are right now and in this world there ain’t much out there to find when it comes to jobs, or it's just everybody looking for the same jobs, then we're going to. Might have to say you might have to cut back on this or whatever budget better save more or whatever you can do. And you might not even be able to save. And that's a reality as well. But if you're, if you're clouded by that.
 
Shay Cook [00:19:55]:
Again, I want to keep aligning this to me because with the military, because thinking about a military, a member that is in war and he's out fighting the enemy, but all his concern is, is his spouse and his children. He is not mission ready. He is not ready to be out on a war, on a field, a deployment, even if he's working behind IT play or. Yeah. Organization or command or he's. He or she is. And having to man a drone, I mean, whatever it may be, they should not have to be worried about finance.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:20:33]:
And even on a simplistic everyday level, there are so many times when somebody will all of a sudden realize that they're at their house when they were driving because they were so consumed by their thoughts that their muscle memory brought them home to where they were going, but they weren't even really, truly paying attention on the road. So in addition to it affecting your day to day at your job, it affects your day and day at your life. If you, if your child asks for something simplistic like Halloween is coming up, wanting a Halloween costume, and they're that age of trick or treating and you don't have it and you're working yourself to the bone. That could be a trigger. And then you're snapping at your kid and the poor kiddo is like, what happened? I just wanted to be Superman. Like, why are you yelling at me?
 
Shay Cook [00:21:25]:
Yeah, exactly. And that same goes with any holiday. Or like you said, let's make it very simple. Like, mama, what am I gonna eat for breakfast?
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:21:32]:
Yes.
 
Shay Cook [00:21:32]:
Mm. I don't. I'm sorry, baby, I don't have anything for you. You're gonna have to go to school. And that's real for a lot millions of people in this country and around the world
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:21:41]:
Because there are so many educational programs who are eradicating those Type of meal programs. Not appreciating. I'm not gonna say not understanding because they know full well, but not appreciating that those two meals are sometimes the only meals that children get. And it's not because their parents are lazy mooching off of the system.
 
Shay Cook [00:22:05]:
Not at all.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:22:06]:
It's because price for literally everything is so expensive and exorbitant and they're just trying to survive.
 
Shay Cook [00:22:17]:
Lord, Lord, help us all. Lord.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:22:20]:
What a time to be alive. What a time.
 
Shay Cook [00:22:25]:
And I'm just gonna be real with y'all. Some days it's hard to even just do the work of crusades for change or. And whatever. We're working in any capacity because people are really struggling. But God gets me up every day and I'm grateful and like, all right, we're out here about sit down and change the world or what way I can, man. Let's talk about corporate stewardship, right? How organizations, especially mission driven ones, demonstrate their faith by investing in employee financial security rather than just focusing on retention and turnover. Those there's.
 
Shay Cook [00:22:56]:
And there are y', all, but mission driven organizations out there, you should really be going to their websites and seeing what their mission is, what their values is, and see if what they're doing aligns with that. But. And in addition to all of that, who's out there really helping their employees, right? With the financial, providing whatever programming or support or tools so they can focus on the job at hand, but you know, and also help with retention and turnover because it really does affect that. Like, if you want to retain your people, give them the tools they need to take care of themselves personally, as an individual, and then they'll do the job secondary or tertiary or whatever. But. And in the turnover, people are going to leave. If you're not taking care of them, they're leaving.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:23:38]:
In these positions, these CNA positions, these RN positions, these are positions that people have invested in their time and their money. One of my very best friends, she's actually going to nursing school right now. She works full time, she goes to nursing school at night. And she sends me these chemistry questions that I'm like, well, this is just clearly alien. I could never. What are you even doing? What is that? Potassium? Like, what is that? Oh, my God.
 
Shay Cook [00:24:09]:
That's crazy.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:24:11]:
She's in her late 40s and she felt that this was a calling. She. We had talked about her being a nurse, being a nurse since we were freshmen in college.
 
Shay Cook [00:24:21]:
Wow.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:24:22]:
And now she's actually doing it. So there are people who are still so dedicated to this industry who know that God has put that in their heart for them to serve, to be helpers and no dig on doctors. Doctors are amazing.
 
Shay Cook [00:24:39]:
They do great things.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:24:40]:
We love our doctors.
 
Shay Cook [00:24:41]:
Yeah.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:24:42]:
However, comma, we all know in the senior care industry as well as in the hospital industry, those nurses, the patients belong to the nurses. The doctors come in, they do all of their amazing things. Thank you, thank you, thank you. But when you can't get up off of the bed and you have to go to the bathroom and you need assistance, you call the nurse. If you have an inquiry, if you feel a pain, if you're feeling dizzy, you hit that button and you call the nurses. The nurses are the driving force of the health field.
 
Shay Cook [00:25:19]:
Yes, they are.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:25:20]:
And they don't, I feel, get enough love and appreciation for who they are in the industry and what they do.
 
Shay Cook [00:25:28]:
Until a pandemic happens.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:25:30]:
Until a pandemic happens.
 
Shay Cook [00:25:32]:
And it was like, why are we thanking our nurses now and our doctors now? We should be thanking them at all times. And there's a shortage of nurses and doctors because of the pandemic. So. And that's funny now that I don't know if it's. Because now we're moving into offering our programs to senior care and working in this world. More and more people in my circle are talking about how they want to be a nurse and they want to be a nurse. I'm like, what? And so it's like, really amazing to see it. I'm like, and that is a amazing thing to be able to want to help.
 
Shay Cook [00:25:58]:
And you're right to help people. But it takes a lot of time and dedication to become a nurse. And I don't know the levels. I think I messed up and said RNAs. Earlier you write it's RN, CNA, but then there's LPN, right. I don't know all of them, but I know there's these levels. And you know, you get paid more, you got more responsibility and everything, but regardless, wherever you're at in the spectrum, we need all of them. And yes, thank you.
 
Shay Cook [00:26:21]:
for your service
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:26:23]:
And it could not be me. Thank you for your service. Because it could not be. I could never, never would. I never would. I never. Like, I could not. I could not. My husband was an EMT, and he would come home and tell me these stories, and I'm like, no, no, sir, you leave that outside of our door.
 
Shay Cook [00:26:40]:
I never thought about that. I always used to say, I could never be a teacher because that, that takes a. You have to be a very special person. To be a teacher. But I never thought about it being a nurse like you. Right. That takes a very special person in attitude, personality, special spirit, soul, like, to be able to do that.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:26:56]:
Dealing with blood pathogens. Oh, no, I'm sorry, did you get your saliva on me? Oh, no, it was accidental. I understand. But also, I quit.
 
Shay Cook [00:27:07]:
Just even having to wash somebody and wipe somebody's butt, like, that's enough, man. Don't even get me going there. I don't even want to wipe my own behind or have somebody else's.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:27:15]:
I had my daughter potty trained a little after one because I cannot do this anymore. And like, I hatched her out of me.
 
Shay Cook [00:27:26]:
Oh my, that's hilarious.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:27:28]:
I was like, no, we're gonna learn. How to put on pull ups now.
 
Shay Cook [00:27:31]:
Yeah. Really, you need to take care of this on your own, right?
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:27:36]:
Yes. So, nurses, thank you for your service.
 
Shay Cook [00:27:39]:
Thank you for your service and everything you're doing all around in every area. It's pretty amazing, man. And let's talk about our financial wellness program solution. You know, like Crusaders for Change. We're offering this personalized, customized financial program for. And we're focusing on a niche area of senior care facilities in the senior care industry. Because I know it's our calling. God has been leading.
 
Shay Cook [00:28:03]:
Let me tell this quick story. So when I started the business in 2016, I knew I wanted to help black and brown women. I wanted to help couples and seniors. It was like, I just already knew that, like that came from. That was downloaded programmed from God right off the back, helping black and brown women, like, moving forward with that. Really excited about that. Couple started coming in the mix because people, you know, they partnered up, they booed up, they got married, they're married and everything. So I'm helping them.
 
Shay Cook [00:28:30]:
But then I was like, I don't know how we're gonna help seniors. And after a while, 2018, ‘19, ‘21, ‘22, I was like, well, I guess that's not gonna be a thing. Well, God knew what was coming. So in ‘25, I don't know what happened, but God's like, nah, we're taking this, this turn into there. And I'm like, oh, he always told me, black women, couples, seniors. So I'm excited about that. And what does look like? We're going to offer financial counseling, individual counseling to employees. We're going to have interactive workshops, whether it's budgeting, debt management, how to buy a car, a house.
 
Shay Cook [00:29:02]:
Like, we have proprietary programs like money goals matter, the list goes on, and then a bunch of great tools, calculators, resources that we offer. So I used to actually buy this service for the federal government. So I'm glad to be able to finally move into that. We've kind of, we've done some financial wellness programs. Well, actually done a lot in the community side Community Financial Empowerment series. It's pretty much a financial wellness program for the community. But now moving into that and having God leading us to that, I'm really excited. And now we got Bethany, help us make these sales and make these connections and partnerships.
 
Shay Cook [00:29:35]:
Man, that's exciting.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:29:37]:
I'm very excited because, like I said, my best friend is in nursing school. I have another very good friend of mine who actually works in senior care facilities. She is too a nurse. And I love the idea and the concept. My favorite tool that you're offering in these financial wellness programs is the engage in group workshops. Because like, with anything, even like walking and steps, when you do things as a group, you get the opportunity to encourage each other. You get the opportunity to rally. You also get the opportunity to share your journey and hardships and slide backs with these core people that you work with side by side every day.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:30:23]:
But also now you're taking your friendship to a new facet. You're growing financially together. So I love community. I love people just getting together and just hyping each other up. Because I'm a cheerleader, I'm a hype girl. I will do that all day, all day. So when you shared that that was going to be part of the financial wellness program, that was my favorite tool. The calculator is dope. Don't get it twisted. Like, like, yeah, I feel super smart.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:30:52]:
When I'm in there just making up numbers. But like, the engaging group workshop, that's, that's my jam.
 
Shay Cook [00:30:58]:
I love that. And I have to plug us accredited financial counselors because that's one of my big things is being able to one on one with a counselor that's not only accredited and certified, most likely been kind of through some of your experiences. You can speak from that. You know, being able to offer that customized and individual programming and counseling is huge. Because even though, and I love a good workshop, I love a cohort. Just having those cheerleaders, those people around you rah rah all day. But that individual, I mean, being able to feel comfortable sharing some of your most deepest, darkest, shameful, guilty trauma around money and like, all right. And then come out of fresh air and be willing to share that with your cohort.
 
Shay Cook [00:31:42]:
Like, man, I did my work and let me Tell you, y', all, it takes discipline, self control, and sacrifice to get change. Any kind of behavior. And that's what your counselor, our financial counselor, C4C for change will come in to help with that. So having those financial counseling interactions, interactive workshops like Bethany's talking about all the tools and resources that we're going to have as part of this program. Super excited to offer this to our senior care facility employees. All righty. So, you know, I want to share our stats for today here. Financial stress.
 
Shay Cook [00:32:12]:
And we've been talking about this a lot with our silent tax. It's all on our website. If you go to Crusaders, number4change.org or C, the number 4C, LLC, and check us out there. But financial stress is often called a silent tax. It costs US companies over $300 billion every year, with lost productivity alone accounting for $605 billion annually. And the senior care industry, this stress translates to a high turnover rate, which can cost an organization more than 1.5 times the new employee's salary to replace a financially distressed worker, which is crazy, y'all. So, man, Bethany, this has been amazing.
 
Shay Cook [00:32:54]:
Any final thoughts?
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:32:56]:
Talk to your employees Again, I cannot reiterate this enough. They are not just there for a paycheck. They're there because it is a calling, it is a desire. It's something that is important to them. These type of jobs, you just don't do just because you do it, because it's in your heart and in your soul. And as an employer, it is your job not to just make sure that they get paid. US Government, I'm talking to you. But it's also to make sure that they have stability, albeit mental health, financial assistance, et cetera.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:33:36]:
So if you're listening to this, I know that you're listening to this as an employer, even if you've never done it before. Check on your peoples. They may be like, why are they checking on me? What's going on? Be like, I listened to Yahweh's Money and they told me to check on my people. So that's what I'm doing. Exactly.
 
Shay Cook [00:33:53]:
Check on your people. I love that. That's amazing. You know, we cannot ask people to perform a sacred mission while enduring profound personal financial strain, y’all. Like, true leadership means recognizing that a peaceful servant is a productive and compassionate servant. Oh, I love that.
 
Shay Cook [00:34:11]:
Organizations that partner with programs like Crusaders for Change aren't just making a sound business decision. They're acting in faith and ensuring that the hands serving our most vulnerable, our seniors, are strengthened and not stressed. So I'll say our call to action for this episode is this week. Dedicate your efforts to securing the stewards who serve. So practical. If you lead an organization or manage a team in the senior care industry, visit the Crusaders for Change website and schedule a consultation to see how a financial wellness program can transform your workspace. And in the spiritual realm, spend time in prayer for the caregivers in your own life or community, asking God to bless their hands, their efforts and their finances because they're super important people. We cannot do life alone.
 
Shay Cook [00:34:58]:
We need each other and we need to take care of each other. So thank you for joining us today. Bethany. You're amazing and beautiful and blessed and everything great and so thank you.
 
Bethany Hawkins [00:35:08]:
Thank you. Shay. 
 
Shay Cook [00:35:12]:
Take care. A big thank you for listening to this episode. We hope you found today's chat about the inner intersection of religion and money insightful. We would love to hear your feedback. Hit that subscribe button or follow the podcast and please feel free to leave us a review for the latest Yahweh's Money content. Visit us at crusaders4change.org or find us anywhere you listen to podcasts. Until next time, stay financially fit and spiritually inspired. And remember, it's always better Yahweh's way.