Hallie Anderson
Episode 74

Narrator: Welcome friends to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. Join your host, Japhet De Oliveira, with his guest today and discover the moments that shape us, our families and communities.

Japhet De Oliveira: Welcome friends to another episode of The Story & Experience Podcast. I am delighted to have the guest today. You will hear me say this often, that I'm delighted with the guest. Is there a guest that I don't like? No, not yet. But, look at this guest. This guest is trying so hard not to laugh, which is great to see them moving and refraining and holding it all together. So the way it works, you’re brand new to this podcast, we have 100 questions. They become more vulnerable and more open, and they share stories and experiences that shape this particular person as the leader they are. So I'm going to begin with the first 10, and then they get to pick 11 to 100. Right. Let's start. Question number one. Could you tell us your name and does anybody ever mispronounce it?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, do they ever!

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, OK.

Hallie Anderson: Yes. My name is Hallie Anderson. The first name is what trips people up. Thankfully, I have a last name that is a little hard to say wrong. But my first name, Hallie, I get Hayley, I get Holly. I get all kinds of things, actually, but it's Hallie and I always say it rhymes with valley or think of Halle Berry, even though she does spell it differently with no I.

Japhet De Oliveira: That helps.

Hallie Anderson: I owe her a lot because, what would we do without Halle Berry? What reference could I give people? Who knows how they'd get it right. But yes, it's Hallie.

Japhet De Oliveira: So when somebody says your name differently, do you correct them?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, yes, I do. Unless it's something, if it's something I messed up on, that's Hayley, for sure. That's Hayley's fault. But yes, I do try to correct people, but I definitely respond to Hayley also. It's understandable.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. Hallie, what do you do for work?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, for work, I am a Story & Communication Manager at Adventist Health. So I get the pleasure of working for you right now. And we're on a wonderful team that I really do adore. And we have gotten to know each other over the last few months and it's a good spot to be. So yes, I do internal communication right now for Adventist Health.

Japhet De Oliveira: You do. You do. And great writer, great supporting crisis and all sorts of things we do.

Hallie Anderson: Oh, thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic. And then helping out here with everything else, the head office, and so it's great.

Hallie Anderson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Glad for that. How long have you been in your current role?

Hallie Anderson: Well, I guess it's been, I've been at an Adventist Health a year and a half now. I know that because I just had to change my password again, and that's every six months. So, that's when I know another six months has gone by.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good.

Hallie Anderson: But it's been a year and a half. I really can't believe how much time has gone by, but it also feels like I've been here longer than that. I don't know. It's a great place to be. You feel so welcome.

Japhet De Oliveira: And what is your password?

Hallie Anderson: I have trouble remembering it, in fact.

Japhet De Oliveira: Good answer.

Hallie Anderson: I think I shouldn't share, but I do type in the last two, every time still.

Japhet De Oliveira: I think you shouldn't share. That's a great way.

Hallie Anderson: I probably shouldn't. Yes. We take our security very seriously here.

Japhet De Oliveira: We do. This is great. That was a test. Well done.

Hallie Anderson: Oh, thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. All right. That's fantastic. In the morning, Hallie, when you get up, your drink for the first day, do you have water, coffee, tea, liquid green smoothie? How do you start off?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, I wish I could say I'm a water person in the morning. I aspire to be a water person in the morning. Someday. I actually have an aunt who, she starts every morning with four glasses of water. So she's halfway done with her water first thing in the morning.

Japhet De Oliveira: Like little, little glasses?

Hallie Anderson: No, four cups out of the eight you're supposed to drink. And I don't think that will ever be in my future because I think that would drown me in the morning. But I am a coffee person. I have a whole little morning ritual Japhet, of, I make my coffee the night before in the drip coffee maker, if you're a coffee purist, this is probably the worst thing you've ever heard. But I don't make it the night before. I prep it all, and then I get up and I go and start the button. I could set a timer, but I like to hear it actually making coffee. I love that sound. And yes, I drink half-caff coffee because I can't take the full caff, and you can drink more if it's half caff. So, that's what I drink in the morning.

Japhet De Oliveira: That is great. All right, Hallie, where were you born?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, I was born in a little town not far from here called Yuba City. Grew up in [inaudible 00:05:00], Bulgaria, but I was actually born at what was then Fremont Rideout Hospital in Yuba City, Marysville, California.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic. Great. And when you were a kid, what did you imagine you would grow up to be?

Hallie Anderson: Oh my. I think I'm still figuring that out. But, let's see. There's been a few iterations. I used to actually want to be a doctor, but not for the right reasons. So it's a good thing I didn't become one.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK.

Hallie Anderson: My mom is a physician, and at the time when I was young, she was on call all the time. And so I would say, "Well, I'll become a doctor so you don't have to work as much, and we can share it." But, then I shadowed her one day later in life and couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Japhet De Oliveira: It's intense.

Hallie Anderson: Oh, yes. I quickly realized that was not in my future. I took a career aptitude test in high school, I think, and I'm supposed to be a florist.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really great. That's really great.

Hallie Anderson: I may still pursue that someday, because they might be onto something.

Japhet De Oliveira: They do bring so much joy to people, right?

Hallie Anderson: Yes. Who could be unhappy arranging flowers? Maybe some people, but maybe I'll find out someday.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's true. That's true.

Hallie Anderson: But yes, those are the things. It wasn't a communication person, but I discovered my love for communication in college.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes. And to everybody, you should know this, that Hallie is a little bit relentless about not letting things go and make sure a story's done and complete. I love it. I love it. It's great.

Hallie Anderson: Got to see it through.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, you got to see it through. It's really good. Great writer. So it's great. Habits. Are you an early riser or late night owl?

Hallie Anderson: I'm not sure I'm either. I know that's such an unfair answer, but I feel like I go to bed at a reasonable time and I get up at a reasonable time. But, I do find if I do wake up early in the morning, I mean, it's tough for me to wake up, but once I'm up, I really love having a few hours in the morning just to myself or to work on some things or read some things or just go slower in the morning rather than rushed. I really do love the morning time, but I also love sleeping in the morning, so it's quite the conflict I live in.

Japhet De Oliveira: That is a dilemma, but well done for resolving it some way.

Hallie Anderson: Thank you. Thank you. Reasonable bedtime, reasonable wake-up time.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. That's good. Hey, if people were to describe your personality, if they were, they say you were introvert or extrovert, and would you agree?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, maybe right off the bat, people would mistakenly, sadly think I'm an extrovert. But I think once you spend a little time with me, you realize I am an introvert. Someone once described to me, and the difference between introverts and extroverts as introverts can do the people time and hanging out and those energizing things with socialization, but just need to recharge on their own.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Hallie Anderson: With some downtime.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Hallie Anderson: Whereas extroverts are recharged by being with other people. And that socialization.

Japhet De Oliveira: Yes.

Hallie Anderson: And once that was described to me, I was like, "Oh, I'm such an introvert. I love the socialization. I love people time and talking to people and being around everybody, but I need that downtime alone." I think honestly, a true extrovert is pretty rare, if that truly is what they are? I've only known a few people in my life I could say that I think are ...

Japhet De Oliveira: Recharged by others.

Hallie Anderson: ... energized, truly, by socialization and being around people.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's pretty good. I appreciate that. That's great. So this morning at the reasonable hour that you woke up, what was the first thing that went through your mind?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, probably, "Oh, today is the day that I do the podcast with Japhet."

Japhet De Oliveira: No, no.

Hallie Anderson: No. Usually my first thought is, what time is it? What day is it? It takes me a little bit to ...

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good.

Hallie Anderson: Figure out where we're going that day.

Japhet De Oliveira: Good to remember.

Hallie Anderson: But yes, I do like to start the day thinking of what's ahead of me and what I'm expecting. And usually there's plenty of surprises along the way, too.

Japhet De Oliveira: There really are. There really are. So here's a leadership question for you. Are you a backseat driver?

Hallie Anderson: A backseat driver? Do you mean metaphorically or ...?

Japhet De Oliveira: Could be. Well, are you literally, Hallie, in the ...?

Hallie Anderson: I'm literally climbing from the backseat to help drive?

Japhet De Oliveira: Metaphorically.

Hallie Anderson: Metaphorically. I would say no. If it means that you want to do the driving yourself when somebody else is supposed to be doing it, I think I would say no, because I'm happy to do my job as passenger, metaphorically and let them do the driving. But in the literal sense, I do also love being a passenger.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK. All right.

Hallie Anderson: I'm a terrible navigator, so ...

Japhet De Oliveira: OK.

Hallie Anderson: I think I would in fact be a bad backseat driver. No help with the directions.

Japhet De Oliveira: So in a rally race, you shouldn't be the navigator.

Hallie Anderson: Exactly. I like to just sit back and watch the driver drive.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK. All right. All right. Fair enough. Fair enough. All right, the floor is open. So we go to now number 11, all the way through to 100. Where would you like to begin?

Hallie Anderson: Oh boy. OK. How about 12?

Japhet De Oliveira: 12.

Hallie Anderson: We'll start low.

Japhet De Oliveira: What is, oh, this is great for you. What is your favorite movie or book of all time? And why?

Hallie Anderson: All time?

Japhet De Oliveira: Well, within reason?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, well, let's see. I would say my favorite movie, at least one that, I'm one of those people that can watch something over and over again. That's why I love Christmas so much. It's just socially acceptable to watch a movie you've seen before. But my favorite is You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. I just love that movie. I love the score. I love the soundtrack. I love the cast. I just love the story. It's just a little feel good movie for me. I love it.

Japhet De Oliveira: And those houses on the lake, just amazing.

Hallie Anderson: It's not that one. They're in New York City, Japhet.

Japhet De Oliveira: Are they really? I thought they went, oh ...

Hallie Anderson: What are you thinking?

Japhet De Oliveira: I was thinking of the one in Seattle.

Hallie Anderson: Are you trying to trick me? Oh, that's Sleepless In Seattle. Another great one with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, I wasn't trying to trick you.

Hallie Anderson: You've Got Mail's the little IMing, back in the back century.

Japhet De Oliveira: Back in the century. Thank you. OK.

Hallie Anderson: It's a good one. You should see it.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's really funny. All right, brilliant. So after 12, where now? Down or up?

Hallie Anderson: There's only one to go down. I feel like we got to go up from here.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK.

Hallie Anderson: How about we go up a little bit to 15.

Japhet De Oliveira: 15. Oh yeah. What is the one thing you always misplace?

Hallie Anderson: Oh my. What do I misplace? OK. Well, it depends on who you ask because I think I misplace my phone quite a bit, but if you ask my mother, she would say, your phone's glued to your hand.

Japhet De Oliveira: But she has a voice like that?

Hallie Anderson: No she doesn't.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK. Right.

Hallie Anderson: You've met her actually now. So we won't tell her that's my impersonation of her.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, she'll just hear it and suddenly wonder.

Hallie Anderson: Yes. No, but I really do feel like I misplace my phone or I'll set it down and have no idea where I left it. But it's usually in the times where I'm with the people that I'm usually texting because then it's like, "Oh, they're here." And I've been known to just leave my phone for a whole evening, a weekend, leave it at home. And it's funny because speaking of my mom, I get after her for doing that. I'm like, "How am I supposed to call you?" But yes, I'd say my phone so, I don't know what to do about that. I probably need to put an air tag on it or something. I mean, I do have Find my iPhone.

Japhet De Oliveira: They also have that device on the Apple Watch where you can just ding your phone.

Hallie Anderson: See I don't have one of those.

Japhet De Oliveira: We'll pay for you.

Hallie Anderson: Someday. Maybe we'll all have microchips or something.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. I like your vision of the future. All right, great. So after 15, where next?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, let's see. Let's go up to 21.

Japhet De Oliveira: 21. All right. Share the very best compliment that you've ever received.

Hallie Anderson: Oh, the best. Let's see. I don't know that there's one that really stands out as life altering, but I do appreciate a compliment about how I'm a positive person or a happy person. Because I hope I'm leaving that impression places. And it also means I must have kept my snarky comments to a minimum, that day.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. That's good. So if I were to ask you, in addition to that, where do you think that joy and happiness comes from?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, I don't know. A lot of people in my life have done the same for me. And I enjoy being around happy, positive people as well. I think it's a better place to live than the opposite. Not that we don't need our days to rant and maybe have a little pity party, but I think happiness is the way to go. So, if I can share that, that's my joy.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. That's good. All right. Where next?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, what was that one? 21? How about we stay in the twenties with 25.

Japhet De Oliveira: 25. All right. Share with us, Hallie, the most beautiful thing you've ever seen.

Hallie Anderson: Oh man. These are all just, the most amazing thing.

Japhet De Oliveira: I know. I already have.

Hallie Anderson: It sounds cliche in my head and may out loud as well, but I have yet to be disappointed by a beautiful sunset. I've done a lot of traveling in my life. I've been very fortunate to see a lot of the world. But I lived in a little town called Walla Walla, Washington for about seven years of my life. And I still think those are some of the best sunsets.

Japhet De Oliveira: They really are.

Hallie Anderson: I don't know what it is. It's those blue mountains. The clouds. They're just beautiful. And there's just been many a beautiful sunset that I've seen there, and I miss them.

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh, that's fantastic. It was great. Good. All right. Where next?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, that was the twenties. Maybe we could leave the twenties, cautiously.

Japhet De Oliveira: Cautiously. We could return.

Hallie Anderson: We could. That's true. How about 30?

Japhet De Oliveira: 30. All right. Tell us about something that you are really looking forward to.

Hallie Anderson: Oh, I think it's so important to have things to look forward to. I always try to have something I'm looking forward to. It can be little, or big.

Japhet De Oliveira: Sure.

Hallie Anderson: But right now, I would say I'm most looking forward to Christmas. It's just that time of year. I love the anticipation of Christmas. I love that Christmas is a season. Actually, Christmas Day is kind of sad to me because it's like it's over. That's the last day of it. I mean, it's still a wonderful day with great food, but I like looking forward to it and the anticipation of seeing family, knowing that there's going to be amazing food and just time together. So I'm looking forward to Christmas. We have a lot of family coming in and I'm excited.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. You know, you could adopt the British thing and have Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Hallie Anderson: Oh, Boxing Day. Is that the day after? Where you box up all your gifts you don't want and return them?

Japhet De Oliveira: Let's just go back to the questions, shall we and focus on that.

Hallie Anderson: Boxing Day. I mean, there's also New Year's.

Japhet De Oliveira: I don't think that's pitched exactly the same way. And there's New Year's. Let's stay focused there. Great. All right. So after 30. Where next?

Hallie Anderson: I like these thirties. Let's see, how about 35?

Japhet De Oliveira: 35. All right. Share a special interest or unique talent that you have.

Hallie Anderson: Oh, a unique talent or special interest. Actually, I guess I was just talking about one of these this week. I have just a deep love of jigsaw puzzles.

Japhet De Oliveira: No judgment.

Hallie Anderson: I'm proud of it. I do love jigsaws. They've got to be the 1,000 piece ones. I don't really love the ones that have crazy shapes. I mean, I'm not insane. And then the puzzle does have to get done at some point. But I love puzzles. I actually, I grew up doing them with my grandparents. My mom's parents in Southern California. And they always had a puzzle out. Anytime we visited them, we made a lot of trips down there. And they always had one out that they were working on. And it was a team effort for sure. Between the two of them, my grandpa was colorblind and so yes, he was a patient man and loved his puzzles.

And they also they were from an era of the Great Depression where you didn't waste money on anything, so good grief, they glued every puzzle they ever made. I loved that part. And they used to hang them in the garage and then they ran out of space on the walls in there, of course, so they had glued puzzles just in stacks in places. I mean, they couldn't bear to just take it all apart and put it in a box and be done with it. So, they were just a really special part of my childhood. And I have just found that now, in this day and age we live in where everything's on screens, it's so nice to have just an outlet and a hobby where it's not a screen. And actually I listen to a lot of audio books when I'm working on them or podcasts or talk on the phone with a friend or something. But it's just nice to have something tangible that you can touch and hold. And it also comes together in a beautiful picture at the end, which I love.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good. That's good.

Hallie Anderson: So I'm a jigsawer.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic. So how many are you working on right now? Just one?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, just one at a time. Again, I'm not insane. But yes, just one and right now, it's been out longer than I'm willing to admit. But it's actually of Walla Walla. I got it on my last trip there. And, it's just a beautiful picture with the Blue Mountains there and actually the hot air balloons from their hot air balloon stampede. So yes, I haven't made much progress. The Blue Mountains are just so blue, all the same color, and I don't have the excuse of being colorblind, so, yes. Just taking my sweet time.

Japhet De Oliveira: I'm not quite sure I understand how stampede and hot air balloons go together, but I'm willing to ...

Hallie Anderson: It's a site to take in.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK. All right. All right.

Hallie Anderson: We should go.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. All right. So after 35, where next?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, these thirties are good. But how about, we'll go up a little. How about 42?

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. 42. Tell us about your phone. And what's the story on the photo on your phone? What's the story behind that photo?

Hallie Anderson: Would you like to see it?

Japhet De Oliveira: You could describe it to us.

Hallie Anderson: Just describe? OK.

Japhet De Oliveira: You could show me, but you'd have to describe it to everybody else.

Hallie Anderson: Sorry, I forgot we're with others.

Japhet De Oliveira: Lots of people around the world. I know.

Hallie Anderson: OK. Well I'll describe it to you as if you can see it.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great.

Hallie Anderson: And then maybe I'll show you later.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right.

Hallie Anderson: But it is a picture of one of my favorite places in California. I hesitate to even share it because if everybody goes there, it won't be just mine anymore.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK. Sure.

Hallie Anderson: No, it's of the Sierra Buttes. They're also known as The Lost Sierras. They're not far from here, really. Our family goes to a small town called Gray Eagle every year. It's our annual family trip we've been doing ever since I've been around. And it's just a beautiful place. Not far from Tahoe and not far from Grass Valley, but it's just a good spot. It's in the Lakes Basin. There's just so many lakes tucked in there that are so beautiful. Most of them you have to hike to. I'm not a huge hiker, so I can't say I've seen very many of them. But the ones that you can get to more easily, we love going there and seeing it. That's my background. It's my favorite picture. One of my favorite places to be.

And now with the iPhones update, with all those little widgets and the new clock, I have it so that all the little widgets that I do have, I think it's the weather and a little analog clock, but they're like nestled in the mountains. It just worked out so perfectly.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. That's great.

Hallie Anderson: But I don't know how I'm ever going to change my background. Because I'm quite attached to it.

Japhet De Oliveira: You have to write to Apple about that, make sure.

Hallie Anderson: I think so.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic. Good. All right, where next now.

Hallie Anderson: Oh my. Let's see. How about 55?

Japhet De Oliveira: 55. All right.

Hallie Anderson: We'll brave the fifties here.

Japhet De Oliveira: Well, if you would, share with us about something that frightens you.

Hallie Anderson: Oh, where to begin? I'm a frightful little person. No. There's a few things. But honestly, I'm still very afraid of the dark.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK.

Hallie Anderson: I know it sounds like a little kid thing.

Japhet De Oliveira: I like how you're laughing through that, but it's good. That's good.

Hallie Anderson: It's really how I deal with everything, Japhet. As long as I can remember, I've just not liked being in the dark. I can't see well in the dark. I know nobody can, but I feel like it's especially bad for me. Well, I have corrective lenses and everything and an astigmatism, so especially driving at night, I hate because all the light will refract if there is any.

And then I just remember it was my brother and I, it was our job to feed the dog, when we had a dog at home and her food was out in the garage and we'd have to go get it. And it was always dark in the garage. And I hated going out there. And my very sweet dad would always offer to go with me. And say, "I'll go with you and the light's right here, just turn it on. It's really awesome. And makes the dark go away." But to this day, actually, he has a little motion sensor lamp that ...

Japhet De Oliveira: Oh really?

Hallie Anderson: ... that comes on now when you walk out there and I'm like, "This would've been nice. Don't have to reach into the dark for a light switch." But no, I truly, I really just don't like being in the dark. I'm afraid of the dark. And as silly as that may sound.

Japhet De Oliveira: No, no, it's real. There are lots of listeners who are like, "Oh, I'm with you."

Hallie Anderson: You know what's funny, too, is here in the Roseville office, all the lights are motion censored as well, and this time of year when the sun is going down so early, if you're not waving your arms around to keep those on, you will find yourself here in the dark. So, yes, I try to keep those on.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fantastic.

Hallie Anderson: Big fan of motion lights. All right.

Japhet De Oliveira: Big fan of motion lights. That's a great plug for the companies and well done. All right.

Hallie Anderson: Thank you. Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. After 55, where next?

Hallie Anderson: Oh my. Trickle back down.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK.

Hallie Anderson: I don't know. Let's see. The thirties were just good. What's 38?

Japhet De Oliveira: 38. If you needed encouragement, who would you call?

Hallie Anderson: I guess it would depend on the situation, but I would say either of my parents, I would call them for different things. I would say my mom is better at the pep talk of, you can do it and just buckle up and you've got this. And my dad's more of the, "Oh, I understand how you feel," and that. But I would call either of them. Yes. They're both, well, my mom is semi-retired now, I would say. And my dad's fully retired, so I have the privilege of calling them whenever I want. They're very available now.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey, that's great.

Hallie Anderson: Yes. They weren't always able, worked all the time and very hard. But yes, I would call either of them and I'm pretty sure they would answer if they have their phones on them.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's the secret.

Hallie Anderson: Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey, that's awesome. That's awesome. All right, so that was 38. Where now? Up or down?

Hallie Anderson: How about 41?

Japhet De Oliveira: 41. All right. What are you excited about in life right now?

Hallie Anderson: Excited about in life right now. Actually I have several very good friends all getting married next year. I'm now going to be a bridesmaid in three of them. And there's at least five others that I hope to attend as a guest.

Japhet De Oliveira: Do you need to just mention their names, so they know that they should know ...?

Hallie Anderson: Hello everyone. No, no. It's actually so exciting to be part of that and just see that happening in their lives, and I'm so excited for them. But yes, it's going to be a busy year, next year. Yes. Super busy. But it's exciting to be part of that for them.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. Hey, that is fantastic. All right. Where next, now?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, let's see. Have I done? I don't know, 39?

Japhet De Oliveira: 39. No, you haven't.

Hallie Anderson: OK.

Japhet De Oliveira: If you didn't need to sleep ...

Hallie Anderson: That'll never happen. But yes, your pigs will be flying. I won't need sleep. And what ...?

Japhet De Oliveira: What would you do with that extra time?

Hallie Anderson: Oh goodness. Well, more puzzles. No. I would, with my extra time, actually, I would love to read more. And I think I would like to invest in more hobbies. Sometimes, especially this time of year where it is dark by five, even though the day is totally not over, it just feels like it is. And sometimes I just wish I had more time to do some hobbies. So maybe I would do that or spend more time with friends. Probably just do more of what I do every day in general. But I would love to need less sleep, but I think I could easily hibernate.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's fair enough.

Hallie Anderson: If I were a bear or something. But yes, I do love my sleep.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. All right, so we have time now for literally two more numbers. Do you want to tell me the two or do you want to just pick one on the side or ...?

Hallie Anderson: I guess one at a time.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK. So what's the first one?

Hallie Anderson: How about 63? We'll just jump up a little bit.

Japhet De Oliveira: All right. Hey, tell us about a time if would, Hallie, when you felt lost.

Hallie Anderson: Oh, I mean, honestly? I know you're looking for a deeper answer here, and maybe I'll come up with one, but truly I need Google Maps everywhere I go.

Japhet De Oliveira: OK. That's fair.

Hallie Anderson: I get lost very easily. Again, terrible navigator. I just love having the Google Maps thing on, and it's her job, not mine, to get us where we're going. But I get lost very easily. But in life? It's maybe been a couple years, but I was doing freelancing for a while and that was a little unexpected in my life and I was not really sure how to navigate it. But just got through that season and was super happy to find that I could make my own work and really lean into things that I love to do. And found that just because you aren't really sure what your plan is, doesn't mean you're necessarily lost. Not all who wander are lost as they say, right?

Japhet De Oliveira: That's true. That's true.

Hallie Anderson: But yes, I don't feel lost right now, I can tell you that.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey no, that's great. What advice, this is 63A and so special. What advice would you give people if they felt they were in that stage of life?

Hallie Anderson: I would just say to lean into the things that you do know and can rely on, whether that's your family or friends or your faith or all of them. That's what helped me. Yes.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's good.

Hallie Anderson: Just knowing that God has great plans for our life and it's an adventure.

Japhet De Oliveira: It is. It is.

Hallie Anderson: Throughout the whole thing. Even the best laid plans may not come to pass. So I would just say lean into the things that you can rely on and that don't change. And for me, that is my walk with God and my trust in Him.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's true. Good. Thank you. All right, last question, last number. Where would you like to go? I know.

Hallie Anderson: I don't know. Let's see. How about 58?

Japhet De Oliveira: 58. All right.

Hallie Anderson: I don't think I did that one.

Japhet De Oliveira: What is something that's really small that you're really passionate about?

Hallie Anderson: Oh, really small, that I'm really passionate about. Oh, I have to think a little bit. I guess, for me, it's just, I don't know. I think sometimes the smallest things can mean the most. I think I have a lot of long distance friendships and relationships in my life right now. Family that lives far away and friends that live all over the place. And for me, it's those little connections throughout the year to stay in touch rather than planning a big event to see them. Many of them are some of the ones getting married. And while I'm looking forward to those big events that we get to share, I like the small little text throughout the day, or a quick FaceTime. Those things.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. That's great.

Hallie Anderson: Passionate about small moments of staying in touch.

Japhet De Oliveira: Hey, that's pretty good. And you know what's interesting, Hallie, is that, I mean, here, obviously in this office and in this space here, so many people come to you for support, for information, story development, communications, but they come to you because you are a person who pulls lots of things together, you know a lot of answers, and you can help people. So it's great.

Hallie Anderson: I'm glad I've created that illusion.

Japhet De Oliveira: Well, it's a good illusion. It's working well.

Hallie Anderson: No, I will say, I mean, I am always a little surprised at how people do ask me a question or come to me and I realize, even if I don't know the answer, I would love to help you find that answer, because I know what it's like to have a question or want to know something. So I love that part of my job. I am glad that I don't always have the answers and know everything. I would not want that burden. But I love all those connections here and the camaraderie. And everybody's just so friendly here, too. And it's not just the in-person. I mean, I'm here a lot in the office, but it's on teams. I mean, I love it when people reach out and I love getting to meet people this way. And there's just so many fascinating, wonderful, smart, awesome people here, and it's just my privilege to get to work with them.

Japhet De Oliveira: That's great. That's great. Well Hallie, thank you so much for your time.

Hallie Anderson: Thank you.

Japhet De Oliveira: It's been a privilege. I want to encourage everybody who is listening to this to do the same thing. Every time I record one of these episodes, they say, look, find time, meet with someone, ask good questions, listen. You grow. They grow. We get transformed and changed by these moments.

Hallie Anderson: Absolutely.

Japhet De Oliveira: So thanks so much. God bless to everybody, and I'll see you guys all another episode.

Hallie Anderson: Thank you.

Narrator: Thank you for joining us for The Story & Experience Podcast. We invite you to read, watch, and submit your story and experience at AdventistHealth.org/Story. The Story & Experience podcast was bought to you by Adventist Health through the Office of Culture.