My Why: Behind the Scenes Story of How This Began
How adventure happens when God hijacks your comfort zone.
By Brandi Perossa, Creator of Magic Minutes Club
I’ve tried to trace my steps back to where Magic Minutes really began.
You know, the “Wait…how did I even get here?” kind of moment.
For me, all good things start with a nudge from God.
My quiet time with Him? That’s where my imagination gets its caffeine.
I mean…He is the Creator of the Universe, so I trust His creative direction 😉💫
Now let’s rewind to COVID.
Yes. That COVID.
The one where we all became sourdough bakers,
amateur epidemiologists,
and professional pajama-wearers.
Or was that just me?
Somewhere between lockdowns and late-night scrolling,
I found a book called Becoming Better Grownups by Brad Montague.
And I’m almost positive that Instagram Reels introduced us.
Because that’s when I entered a serious relationship with Reels.
I would sit and laugh for hours, not even exaggerating.
This is a judgment-free zone, okay?
My girlfriends and I were sending each other reel after reel like, “Did you see this one?”
“No, but HERE’S another one.”
“Okay, but THIS one is even better, it’s us, right?”
And BOOM – there was Brad’s book on my algorithm.
When God Lit the Spark
During COVID, something shifted.
I went from journaling my worries in spiral notebooks…to reaching for books that stretched me, steadied me, and sometimes gently corrected me.
And Brad’s book? It lit something inside me.
I was already walking a lot.
Like, thinking-about-life-with-my-Gen X-headphones in, yes, the wired ones.
I know, I feel your judgment already. I never said I was cool 😉
People were isolated.
Kids were stuck at home.
Some kids didn’t even feel safe at home.
And school – for many – wasn’t just learning.
It was food.
It was structure.
It was safety.
My Heart Felt Heavy
And when my heart feels heavy, I don’t just feel things –
I DO things (my love language is Acts of Service – I’m a DOER)
My heart wanted BIG – to do more.
Because I’ve always been a BIG dreamer…
with a HUGE imagination…
and a God who specializes in “more than I could ask or imagine.”
The Words that Changed Everything
In Becoming Better Grownups, Brad wrote:
“Kids want grownups to be present…So, what does it mean to really show up in the world?”
That question followed me on every walk.
Then I kept repeating this part:
“No one is better suited to be you than you…
Children need you.
The world needs you.
So, show up. Show up. Show up.”
Okay, Brad.
I hear you.
But what does “show up” look like
For a midlife mom of older kids in a global pandemic living in little ole Statesboro, GA?
Enter: Bebe and Bailey
One day it hit me.
Write a children’s book.
Well, if I’m being honest here, I started writing an inspirational fiction novel. THIRTY-THREE THOUSAND WORDS of it….33,000!
I was convinced this was it.
My big calling.
My literary moment.
But at 33,000 words I was only half way through.
And then…it got hard.
Like, stare-at-the-screen-and-question-your-life-choices-hard.
Somewhere in the middle of all those chapters,
I had to admit something uncomfortable: Maybe I hadn’t heard God wrong…but maybe I’d heard Him incomplete. (That’s a whole other blog – the art of confidently walking in the wrong direction for a minute 🤪)
So I pivoted.
Not dramatically.
Not heroically.
More like the humble little side-step.
I went back to what I love most. My favorite people.
Kids.
And dogs.
So, I wrote a children’s picture book instead.
Turns out, the story in me wasn’t meant to be longer.
It was meant to be smaller.
Simpler.
Truer.
And honestly?
That felt more like me anyway.
I felt a book series was in me…because why dream small when God dreams BIG?
And just like that,
Bebe and Bailey were born – a curious girl and her rescue pup/best friend. Together, they learn how to:
BELIEVE
BELONG
BE BRAVE
At first it felt almost too simple.
Almost too sweet.
But sometimes the smallest names carry the biggest reminders – and I needed those reminders just as much as any child would.
Fear tried to drive the bus (But God took the wheel)
Now, let’s talk about fear.
And imposter syndrome.
And overthinking (one of my many weaknesses).
They showed up loud.
But Romans 12:2 helped me tame these thoughts and
Mark 9:24 reminded me it’s okay
to believe and still need help believing.
After five revisions (yes, FIVE),
I finally finalized Bebe and Bailey BELIEVE
and started to collaborate with a Brand & Marketing Consultant.
Why?
Because at She Speaks Conference I learned:
You need a brand AND an audience (not just Perossa 5 because they must) 😊
At the time, I had…
None of that.
Posting on social media?
Uncomfortable.
Completely out of my comfort zone.
Very much not my natural gift.
So, God did what God does best – He connected the dots.
A former babysitter opened a door.
That door led to a consultant.
That consultant had worked with the “big dawgs”
and that experience spoke straight to my spirit.
And that’s where this adventure really started to grow.
Let’s sit with these questions together
I’ll share the rest of the story next time…because there has to be a whole lot more that happened between:
a book no one’s heard of and trying to get published with an audience of literally none.
(Like, just me, my phone, and God.)
So, stay tuned – because this did not happen overnight.
But for now, let’s sit with the same questions I had to ask myself (and maybe you need these too):
Am I made for more?
What do I do now?
How can I use the gifts that make my heart smile, in a bigger way?
Because here’s the truth:
You weren’t created by accident.
You weren’t gifted randomly.
And you weren’t meant to live small.
You were made to leave a mark –
in a practical, beautiful, God-sized way.
Let’s figure that out together.
While my book is getting published, I’m sharing some of my favorite parent-kid connection resources in Magic Minutes Club. Join us?