Host Rochelle Jones discusses purpose, business, entrepreneurship, & faith with guest Cassandra Desrosiers!
WBCA Podcasts
Never Give Up "Where Giving Up Is Not An Option"
>> Hello. Hello. You're listening to Never Give Up. We're giving up as not an option. I'm your host, Rochelle Jones. We just say thank you for returning. We have an exciting program for you today, and we're going to be talking about purpose, and we're talking about business. We're talking about not giving up, and we're talking about just how to bring an idea into fruition. Have with me in our studio today, Cassandra Derrosier, who's from Desro Digital. Tell us a little bit about you and how you began your journey in your career. >> Amen. Yes. Thank you for having me. I love being here. Well, my name is Cassandra Derrosier, and I am a web designer, developer and business strategist, and I own a boutique web design and development studio called Desro Digital. God place this business in my heart so that I could help other solve problems, and specifically, this is so that I can ultimately help others answer the call that God has on their life. Many times we find ourselves with an idea, something that he's downloaded in us that we feel that we can't escape. For some reason, this idea, this thought, this thing keeps coming up in our minds. We can't escape it, and we know it's sent from God because it's so big that it actually kind of scares us, and it has to be a God idea because you look around and it's like, "Well, Lord, how is this going to happen? How are you going to get me from where I'm at today? To this big old dream that you've placed inside of my heart?" My company specifically helps to design websites for purpose-driven entrepreneurs, to help them master their message and turn that message into a movement, and to also help to take that purpose that you have and help to turn some profit from it as well, for yourself. Now, how did you get started in this? Yep, so in 2018, I earned a certificate in interactive web development from the top creative portfolio school in Atlanta, Georgia, and just driven by ambition, you know, I've spent 10 years in marketing and advertising, specifically with corporate retail, and while juggling multiple jobs, I've been able to gain this unique perspective on entrepreneurship. You know, I dabbled in freelancing and I've been sharpening my design skills, and that's been amazing. It's also allowed me to work with various clients, from marketing agencies to design studios, and it's been in that work and been in that transition of industries that God has led me to discover my true passion, which is helping other people pursue their goals and live out their God-given purpose and chase their dreams. So, did you land on this easy or what would you find to be the most difficult in your journey that you had to overcome? That's a great question. Well, it's funny because I officially founded Desro Digital in 2021, the summer of 2021, and shortly after, I found out I was pregnant. And the excitement I had of starting my new business, that slowly began to turn, and I found myself navigating the challenges of prepartum depression and anxiety, and I put my business on pause, feeling defeated and hopeless, not knowing how I was really going to be able to handle motherhood and business, and just truly started to doubt whether this was the plan that God had for me. But thanks to God and His mercy, you know, God had other plans for that pregnancy and for what He had for me. You know, He used my pregnancy to deliver me from addiction and drew me closer to Him. So, I rededicated my life to Christ, and in 2022, my daughter was born, and she was the gift that I never knew I needed, and through her, God saved my life. And like most first-time mothers, a new life would never be the same. I didn't exactly know how, I just knew like, now that she's here, there's no way that I can, you know, live life the same way that I had been, and I felt called to be a strong example of faith for my daughter, and I decided that it was time to embrace God's calling for my life and never look back. But it happens for many that in that phase and in that excitement, you're ready to go. You've said yes to Jesus. You've said yes to God, and then life happens, and you know, that's why I always try to emphasize in this journey that you can't expect to, you know, that life won't have its obstacles. But because you serve a big God, you have something to stand on. He is your rock. So I stood on the promises of God. I kept close, just those downloads he was giving me. I had to truly, you know, work and pray, and thankfully the prayer of my family, and just had to really find my way out of that season, and it took also realizing that God's not done with me. That although I had this, you know, the situation, this new child to raise, I didn't want to let that be the reason that I didn't fulfill what God called me to do. And if anything, I used that. I used those obstacles to press in to what God had for me. You know, that sounds so God ordained opposed to man ordained. It's like we can't make it up. And that's what we don't realize. We have to fall in the safety of God and his plan that he has for our life. And what I hear in what you're saying is that you're kind of like ambushed by this situation that could have set you back in a way to where you would give up or just say, oh, no, or you put so much emphasis on your now and what's happening that you lose sight of the goal or the dream. And I think many of the listeners here today are in that predicament where they had a dream. You know, I had to go so far back as when I was 18, you know, I've had so many mishaps in life. I'm like, well, what was it originally? Like God, what was your original plan now that I've been through this and this, this, and this, you know, now I may not be an Olympic swimmer. I may have to adjust some things, but it doesn't mean I can't swim. You know, and so and it's it's teasing out, you know, what we say is impossible because I've been scarred or I've been broken or I've been hurt or I find myself in a pregnancy or I find myself in prison or I find myself addicted as that there is hope in Jesus and that he can get us through it, but it won't be easy and it won't be quick and that we have to, it's a little, a little bit, a little dab, line upon line, precept upon precept, hear a little, there a little, and if you hold on, God is going to get you through it. And he's in the getting through it business. Sometimes we get right to the door, but we won't open it or we won't go through it or it looks so scary and I know what it's like to be in tunnels that are dark and they seem scary and you don't see any light coming on the other side, but I love it where the Bible says that the word is a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path, that you may not have the full perspective and view of the of the whole tunnel or how long you're going to have to go or how far you are, but just each step is lit up, take the next step until soon you'll see the light and soon you'll be out of the tunnel. So Cassandra continue on with you know, how you continue to press and push until you birthed out this dream, this vision. Yeah, well, as am I saying, you know, the obstacles came, but it really took my faith. It took my faith and it took my unwildering faith as well. And that only got built up by truthfully, I think at that time I was in community. I was in community with other women who were striving to hear from God, wanting God to direct their steps and we would meet weekly and just talk about where we were at, talk about our goals. I was also got back into church. I started going to church faithfully and started getting more involved with just people in my church community, you know, going out to eat with elders and pastors and just hearing their wisdom. I also just started asking for God to be in my presence more often. I'd put more gospel music on than secular music. I would listen to sermons just to have it in the background while I'm doing the dishes or caring for the baby. I would also take more time to journal and to read the word. I would write to God and tell him how I was feeling, so I was able to use journaling as an outlet to share my deepest emotions with the Lord. And he would always speak to me in those moments and while I'm starting the first bit of my journal in in complaint and in anger, by the end of my journal session, he would speak to me and show me that he needed me in a particular position or he needed me to go through a specific circumstance so that I could always realize and always strengthen that understanding that Jesus is my strength and that he is the one I can go to for everything and anything. And so the Lord began to build me up. The Lord began to build up my faith and I feel that today I'm at an unstoppable level. I'm at a position in my faith and in my drive that I'm not really sure anything that's not if God can penetrate if I'm keeping him you know the word as my shield, you know. Right, right, right. If I'm keeping the full armor of God on and so that's what I choose to do today. I choose to wake up every day, put that full armor of God on, understand that I can do anything that I put my mind to and ultimately I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I have a saying in my business that if you can dream it, you can achieve it and if he called you to it, you must do it. And so I'm totally all about eliminating the obstacles, eliminating the overwhelm, eliminating the things and the excuses that you use to stop you from ultimately fulfilling like myself at that time the calling that God has for your life. I want to help coach others through what that season in their life will look like as they're pursuing those goals and then my web design business is ultimately to help you execute on what that dream and vision is in your life. You know, we're in that digital age now where everything needs a website, all great ideas kind of have an online presence and so if you have reached the point where you know that you have a calling on your life and you know that God's included in it and you feel a strong pull to say yes to the Lord and you're in that in that space and phase where you have said yes then I want you to know that there are people out there who are willing to work with you, cultivate that gift inside of you to bring it to life because I believe that by helping others I ultimately help the kingdom of God and so it's all it's all embedded into the same mission of glorifying Christ. Yeah because you're helping them to basically walk in their purpose and their gift and goals and help bring alive what seems dormant within them and that that takes some strategizing. I'm pretty sure you have difficult clients who may come to you who are not really sure all they have is these pieces of paper of ideas on napkins and you take those ideas and you transform them into a product that people can begin to get a product or go purchase. But I love a lot of things what you're saying just to recap community is very key and important. Our role, our accountability in terms of putting yourself in an accountability group that's when you're really serious because I've also experienced people in our accountability group who aren't really ready to shift or to change so they're still in their excuses but they're around seed planners and what happens is when you're around you know if a coal can be contagious so can't plant in seeds and moving in your gift and I love it he said you'll be like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water bringing forth fruit in its season and your leaf shall not wither and whatever you do it will prosper. I say that constantly to myself I'm looking at where I'm planted and what's around me right and he said you weren't planted you know like way off in the bush somewhere you were planted by the river of water getting nutrients getting a nourishment and we're nourishing on the word of god and like-minded people now there every now and then you got to watch your group because the enemy can slip in through people because we don't fight against flesh and blood right so we're not fighting against people but we're fighting against doubt and unbelief and people who have not fully adapted to the lifestyle and the ways of Jesus amen hallelujah so this still you know justifying and making their excuses and um and uh you know but it's being around positive people he said there's wisdom in a multitude of counsel amen and so we have different age groups and different perspectives find you a group um that's going to have integrity that's going to help encourage you lift you up and hold you accountable to what you said god is saying for your life you know and um another thing that you kind of was talking about or I want to ask you about is forgiving yourself right you know um you in order to move forward sometimes we have to forgive the mistakes and the things maybe you can speak into that a little bit yeah of course yeah that's part of the process you know it takes um you know life is filled with disappointment life is filled with pain yeah and so many of the things we go through they hurt and they stick with us and the I think the thing that hurts the most is when we do it to ourselves right that's right when we know better and don't do better and now we got to um you know feel the consequences of our own actions that that's the one that gets to us the most oftentimes leaves us in anger leaves us with that with this sensibility to not trust ourselves and not take the steps and now our our our whole psychology is out of whack and we don't have confidence and we're no longer you know we're no longer going forth in the power of with the power of god you know right right with the same energy and passion it takes our power away it takes our our walk it drifts our walk into a direction and that's ultimately how you know those seeds of you know the enemy get planted oftentimes is because it will it's difficult for us to deal with the shame of our own actions yeah and the shame of what our look life looks like because it went a different way and the shame of what life looks like because I I should be here and you know I've done this this this in life and life shouldn't look like this and that's where you have to stop and that's where you have to remember that don't forget that god can use anything anything he can use anything that your story matters what you've gone through matters and it's not your world to to have that shame for yourself you're really supposed to give it to god yes right and there's no condemnation in god none and so I think that process of forgiving yourself it gets worked out when you when you set your eyes on the things of Christ it gets worked out as you were in that process I can't say the first day out I was you know I'll forgive yourself I'm forgiven and it was a process it took the community that that you were just stating it took it took reading god's word and then not just reading god's word and looking for the answers in it and wanting to hear about myself in it read god's word because it's true read god's word because it's god's word and that's our ability to know him and as we seek to know god we'll get to know more about ourselves he tells us exactly who we are in his word and who he's created us to be so I think that process that we go through um of just kind of getting out of our own way that's part of the work you know it's in it but when you're when you're with god and you're holding his hand you'll get to the other side of it and what I and what I am often encouraged by is that sometimes you know like the idea I had for my business and then life kind of happened and things got derailed it's what I appreciate from from the lord is that when it's a god-given idea it doesn't have to it doesn't have to look any particular way but the way god needs it to look you know yeah that's that's something too I wanted to um it's it's like we can't allow the enemy to hold us in shame and guilt that's our life even our mistakes we made them it's our life I get to own it you know I'm saying but I think what happens is we've been around or I find that's why I don't like really um talking too much or too down about people is because really we'll begin to hold our own selves and contempt and so a lot of times the very things that we'll say about others is the fears that we have about ourselves and so we have to learn that look um no I'm not proud of it but it is me and if it wasn't for those things or those mistakes or those mistakes you know right then um I wouldn't be who I am today you know and so that's how we get our strength you know that's how but the enemy wants to turn it you know to negativity he is a liar right right and so we've got to learn how to make that exchange like what are you feeling at this moment and a lot of the work is really self-work it's like okay where are you what how are you feeling about yourself and is that the truth is the did the Lord say that or did the enemy say that and then we have to learn how to pull down those strongholds cast down those thoughts the you know those imaginations those negative thoughts that we allow to sit in our head and our hearing you know when these say faith come by hearing hearing by the word of the Lord right well then guess what happens when we're not hearing the word of the Lord whatever that opposite is we're hearing that and that's the street we're going down and so we've got to turn that around and watch who we allow to say things in our ears you know and um you know and sometimes people try to share the negative before the positive so you know I may have like for instance if my my son or my daughter came to me and said you know mom I'm thinking about going back to school you know sometimes the mom asked would be well how are you going to do that and you what about work whatever you know and they and and you know mistakenly we bring up all the the things that would cause a person to doubt not meaning to just you know are you considering these things you know and so but instead it's like you know I wish I had trained myself to say wow where's that thought coming from is the Lord steering you in that direction because the one thing I've discovered about the Lord if he has given you the vision he's going to also give you the provision right he's going to give you the time he's going to things will start working out you know um and so it's it's just it's an exciting journey if we allow it to be a journey and not a punishment and you know and I'm now in the process of realizing that God isn't always looking to punish us and he really does love us and he really is looking and waiting for us to make the shift right yeah as you were speaking um a verse came to my mind it's Proverbs 19 21 and it says many are the plans in a person's heart but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails and I mean that speaks right to it right that essentially we can have all these plans this blueprint of our life that we have had our mind focused on as children perhaps you know every little girl thinks about what how you know what they're going to have all accomplished by the time they're 30 and then all of a sudden you're 32 and you're looking for the first one to get checked off um but but that reminds me that you know many are the plans in a person's heart yeah but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails it's God's plan you know it doesn't always have to look the way we think it needs to look and when it doesn't look the way we want it to look like you said it doesn't mean God is punishing us look for the love of the Lord and the things that are happening in your life because it's love you know he he wants us to prosper and he wants to give us an abundant life we serve a good God yes yes and so I think when you look at the aspects of even how your life has gone and where it is today there's love all around you you really just have to change that perspective yes yes we do to seek God in his face and be in his word to have that mindset shift that can see it that negativity that negativity and the darkness and the lies from the enemy yes it won't allow you to see all the good that is in your life and if you allow it to stay and if you allow it to become just the picture of how you see life I mean that's the though that's specifically the thing that can derail you from the good things that God still wants to continue to give you oftentimes it's our it's our lack of faith that keeps us you know from being on the Lord's path in itself you know it doesn't have to be as bad as you make it don't allow the enemy to lie to you and tell you that you're worthless that you'll never make it that the idea will never come to life I don't have the resources I don't have the money I don't have the team I don't have this or I don't have that look many are the plans in a person's heart but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails and if he said it I believe it you got to believe it you got to believe it well once again we are at our time and I love it that time goes by so quick but if we could just speak a word into those who are listening tonight and one thing that Cassandra brought to us she simply said that I had to get these things together and in order so that I could start and get to the place of helping others yeah and that's that's where God wants us right but he's not he's not he doesn't want to send us out broken and damaged you know but he does want to use our testimony he does want to use our hardships amen he does want to use our journey and so no more excuses no more doubting God is calling you and he loves you with an everlasting love don't forget it because we have others we have people coming behind us in our family line we have our legacy we have our businesses we have things that God is wanting to do with our life and so just remember the greatest he that is in you than he that is in the world that God's got a purpose and a plan for your life and it's time we rise to the occasion you've been listening to never give up we're giving up it's not an option i'm your host Rochelle Jones we'd like to thank Cassandra Duroja for coming to the studio today y'all have a great week see you next sunday