[S3] [E8] Learning to Accept Ourselves Through a Spiritual Journey with Stacy & Danah Gutierrez, Founders of Raw and Real Podcast

As individuals, we have different beliefs and values that we live by and uphold. But along the way, we can lose sight of the original purpose behind the work we do. We may end up straying from our initial direction. However, this spiritual journey is God’s way of leading us to the right path. By trusting in Him, you will receive a power that will guide you toward your truth.

In this episode, Stacy and Danah Gutierrez get raw and real with their transition from self-love to spiritual work. They also share the story behind their separation phase and how it has helped them become whole on their own. They highlighted the importance of finding out the truth and living up to the values based on that truth.

If you want to know how a spiritual journey can help you find wholeness in your life, this episode is for you!

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

1. Find out how Stacy and Danah rediscovered the purpose behind their work after their separation phase.
2. Discover why sinfulness is a way to elevate your standards instead of viewing it as a source of shame.
3. Learn more about their spiritual journey and how it helped them accept who they are.

Resources

• R and R with Danah and Stacy on Instagram
• R and R with Danah and Stacy podcast
• Check out the items that have been crucial for my self-development here! 

Episode Highlights

Stacy & Danah’s Advocacy

• Stacy and Danah are twin sisters. They started the body-positive revolution back in 2009, which led to a self-love movement.
• The blog they had when they were 18 gave opportunities to advance their advocacy work. Since then, they’ve done modeling, book writing, public speaking, styling, social media influencing, and more.
• As they reassessed their faith and their advocacy trends, they realize that they’ve gotten sidetracked with their mission and vision.
• They had to make a hard stop at that time and went on to embark on their separate journeys.
• They’re now back into the digital world with their podcast. There, Stacy and Danah talk about womanhood, Christian walk, dating, singlehood, etc.

Separation & Transition

• As twins, their separation phase felt like a divorce after being co-dependent for 28 years.
• Danah shared that it felt like her life was collapsing as she started going back to her old ways and got into a toxic relationship. Overcoming this experience led to her rebirth and journey of womanhood and wholeness.
• Stacy believes that their separation was necessary for making them whole in themselves as individuals.
• Stacy also got into a relationship during that period, where she treated her partner as her world. She said it wasn’t right because nothing should be above God in our lives.

The Fortunate Fall

• Stumbling and sliding back will help you learn the lesson you need.
• It also enables you to take a transparent and fair look at the real and ugly parts of your heart.
• The Bible says, “God opposes the proud.” Stacy and Danah had been proud for a while, diverting them from a proper purpose.
• They believe that their separation phase was God’s way of disciplining them.

Where Would They Be If the Separation Didn’t Happen

• Stacy says that she would probably still be making everything about her and her ego.
• Stacy would still be insecure and hungry for attention.
• Running your advocacy based on your ego makes you want to control other people.

Staying Grounded Through the Bible’s Teachings

• For Stacy, it was knowing her sinfulness. She had to come to terms with sinfulness as nature and embracing that God is above everything.
• People perceive the word “sin” as something archaic and anti-progressive. The Hebrew word for sin means “missing the mark.” Hence, it merely means falling short of God’s standard.
• The standard of God and man are distinct from each other. As humans, we like our sins, and we have personal truths. 
• According to Danah, everything that society deems progress has supposedly given birth to many negative consequences. Danah says that after her rebirth, she let the Bible have the final authority over her life.

Religion as an Answer

• Danah says that every religion must answer basic questions that man has. 
• God honors our free will. We have the power to choose and the capability and capacity to decide and reason.
• Stacy and Danah have tried many religions across their lifetime. They can attest that the Bible is the one that answers everything logically.

The Search for a Religion

• Their spiritual journey wasn’t about what they’re going to like; it’s about the truth.
• Other religions require you to perform, sacrifice, or pray inside a specific location. However, the Bible puts no limitation to when or where you can access God.
• For Stacy and Danah, there is a deep sense of peace and joy that they experience through believing in God.
• It’s about looking for the truth and being holier whichever master you choose.

5 Powerful Quotes from This Episode

[05:00] “I say that I heard the gospel of Jesus when I was 16. I was in college, I was a very young, impressionable lady. But it’s very different when you really figure things out and test the things you believe in as an adult.”

[11:54] “There’s this thing we call the fortunate fall, where after a lot of stumbling and a lot of sliding back and straying will really make you learn the lesson you need to learn. And it also allows you to take a good look at the real and ugly parts of your own heart.”

[24:54] On God’s standard on sinning: “You always take that standard one notch higher, but it doesn’t apply to you because you like your own sins. We like our own sins. I have my own propensities. I have my own tendencies.”

[25:58] “But in the end, there is the truth that I think our society has long forgotten, and it may sound so archaic and barbaric to say that, that it’s so anti-progressive. But everything that we deem progress has really also gave [sic] birth to a lot of consequences that we don’t want to admit, because as a society, we’d like to think that we’ve made progress, we’re pushing for a better humanity.”

[31:04] “God honors our free will. We have the power to choose; we have the capability and the capacity to decide and reason.”

About Stacy and Danah

Stacy and Danah Gutierrez are Filipino twin sisters. They host the R and R with Danah and Stacy Podcast, where they share raw and real conversations regarding womanhood, life, and faith. As keynote speakers and authors, they transitioned from spreading body positivity and self-love to finding the truth through spiritual work.

You can connect with Stacy and Danah through their Instagram accounts. Don’t forget to check out R and R with Danah and Stacy through Spotify and on Instagram!

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