Taking Turns Building Their Careers

Lisa Valentine Clark is not living the life she planned. After several years of supporting her husband's artistic career, raising five kids, and working freelance to be at home and provide for the family, Lisa's husband, Christopher Clark, got diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and later passed away.

The story is tragic, but it's not entirely a tragedy because she has no regrets about the choices they made together. Toward the end of her husband's life, Lisa recalls Christopher saying, "I don't have regrets. I went for it, did as much as possible, and did the best that I could."

She agreed.

At the start of her career, Lisa taught junior high and high school English before transitioning to at-home work to start a family. From there, she got creative, literally and figuratively. Lisa took on various projects, from developing an online curriculum to voiceover work, acting, writing, and more, to earn income while her husband pursued master's and doctorate degrees. But Lisa had goals too. She also wanted an inspired career.

Her husband agreed.

Together, the couple supported each other in building the life they wanted, primarily by taking turns. Lisa said, "it worked because it wasn't about the money. It was about supporting our family, using our creative gifts, making a difference in our little corner of the world, and making it count. I feel a lot of satisfaction that we earned that together."

Trading Places

By all accounts, the family had a beautiful life packed into too-few years. Then, just as Christopher reached the pinnacle of his career, he told Lisa he was ready to switch places and stay home more, so she could pursue her career more earnestly. Unaware of the foreshadowing in that statement, his health declined until he eventually lost the ability to move and speak, forcing him home on permanent disability. With the loss of his income, Lisa sought full-time employment to get health benefits and a salary--not quite the career "leaning in" she longed for, but a move that would turn into an unexpected blessing.

BYUradio hired Lisa to host a podcast in a time slot that, by divine design, lined up perfectly with her family's schedule so she could work and still be her husband's primary caregiver. After he passed in 2020, she slowly returned to a little freelance acting and writing in addition to her work on The Lisa Show.

Despite the unfairness of the plot twist, Lisa remains faithful and grateful, describing her feelings as a "weird mixture." She explains, "I didn't get what I wanted. This isn't my Plan A, but I have to be careful to express the gratitude that I really do feel. It gets so complicated with grief...being so grateful and seeing 100% the Lord's hand in caring for my family and me" while suffering simultaneously.

Listen to the episode as Lisa shares her journey with heartfelt authenticity and her typical sense of humor. She is grateful for all she's experienced, God's guiding hand, and the unexpected blessings received. So it's worth the listen.

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