Okay, welcome to the Eric Mataxas show. Eric is in disposal at the moment. I'm afraid he's been having GI problems in uncomfortable bloating, but I'm sure he'll be out in a jiff.

Oh, here he is now. Looking pale and shaken. Oh, you okay little buddy? The Eric Mataxas show.

Yeah, I'm great Todd. I'm just great. Thanks for blowing my cover. Speaking of blown my cover, I can't believe this were we have in the studio the author of a new book titled Breaking Cover.

Breaking cover my secret life in the CIA and what it taught me about what's worth fighting for Michelle Rigby Assad in the studio. Welcome to the program.

Thank you so much Eric. I'm really excited to be here. I think you're the first CIA agent I've ever had in here. You might not know otherwise, but there I know that's right. And is this gentleman your current husband?

He's my current husband. Yes, husband number one. Now you don't have a microphone. So you forgive me for it. But I always say that if you really believe in marriage, you can joke about stuff like that. You know what I mean? I always introduce my wife. This is my current wife. People say what?

Michelle, this is a big deal. I mean, you are first of all, and say you're your your personal faith. Your Christian. I am. You were in the CIA. You met your husband in the CIA.

Prior to the CIA prior to the CIA. Okay. The story of this book. I mean, I want I want the whole story. This isn't a to me. It's just it's mind blowing. So let's start at the beginning. How in the world does someone like you get involved in the CIA?

It was a long journey into the CIA and it was not one that I even knew I was on. But I was very passionate about foreign affairs. I used to read National Geographic magazine. And I love the pictures of these foreign places.

And it intrigued me because it was so far outside anything that I knew coming from a rural place in central Florida. And so it inspired me to go on mission trips.

Yeah, you don't expect a little Christian girl growing up in Florida to become involved in counterterrorism in the CIA. And so it's it's kind of it is amazing. What when you were in high school, what did you think you're going to do with your life? What did you want to do?

I either want to be a pharmacist or pediatrician. That's very funny. I mean, compare somebody who's a pharmacist like the life of a pharmacist behind the counter to what you did with your life. What you've done so far, because you're still young.

But okay. And so you can involve this in the CIA. What is the story of the book breaking cover just to start at the beginning?

So when you come from rural areas, you tend to think that in order to have a real impact in the world that you need to be from the big city and come from money and have good family connections to help you get ahead.

And since I was from such a from simple beginnings, I just didn't believe that I could have any kind of influencer impact.

But I think my life demonstrates quite opposite of that. And so when you have a faith for me and God, and you're willing to go through the doors, he opens for you even if they're to very scary places.

It's amazing where you will find yourself. And so one of the main messages of the book is that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when their faith is greater than their fear.

Well, I'm into that sister. So you I still I can't get over this. So but but so you went to college. Where'd you go to college?

Palm Beach Atlantic University. Okay. Okay. No, I know it. I think I said earlier that I was their commencement speaker about four years ago and go into college. Palm Beach. I mean, come on. That's not right. So that's that's kind of amazing. Did you meet Joseph there?

So I met Joseph in Central Florida earlier than college. We were both teenagers. And he had just come to United States. He's originally a Christian from Egypt and had been denied an education because of his Christian activity in Egypt in Egypt.

I wish we had a microphone, but we're going to we're going to let you. Okay.

And a church in Central Florida heard about what had happened to him and worked with the university to get him a full tuition scholarship to Palm Beach Atlantic to Palm Beach Atlantic University.

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