June is almost over. Summer is here. And for the woman in ministry, summer is the one season where the pace actually slows down enough to do something different — if she decides to use it that way. This episode is about making that decision before July starts and the moment passes.

Melissa Mashburn and Dr. Brandy Baxter close out June with one honest question: now that you've heard all of this — what are you actually going to do differently? Keywords: women in ministry, ministry leadership, faith-based leadership, rest, summer, rhythms, sustainability, women of faith.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• What refueling actually looks like in her real life — not a retreat, not a sabbatical, the week she is actually living
• Why she already knows what fills her and the real reason she hasn't done it yet
• One specific decision she can make before July starts that changes how she leads in the fall

• Individual Membership → member.ministrychick.com/courses/membership
• Free Clarity Journal → member.ministrychick.com/courses/clarity-journal
• Church Membership → ministrychick.com/the-church

You've been in ministry long enough to know that the calling doesn't get easier — it just gets deeper. And somewhere between the hard seasons, the budget meetings, and carrying other people's weight while managing your own, you've wondered if you have what it takes to stay in it for the long run. Lori Stansbury has been asking that question for 40 years — and she's still standing.

In this conversation, Melissa sits down with Lori — a ministry leader, coach, and people developer whose life has included unexpected illness, caregiving, and decades of navigating leadership in spaces that weren't always built for her. Lori brings the kind of wisdom that only comes from showing up for a very long time.

Key Takeaways

• How to stay rooted in your God-given identity when ministry gets hard — and what it looks like to rebuild it after a season that nearly takes you out
• What walking through illness — your own and someone else's — teaches you about caring for yourself that no leadership book ever will
• The single most important thing a woman in ministry needs to hear when she wonders if she can keep going

• Free Clarity Journal → member.ministrychick.com/courses/clarity-journal
• Connect with Lori Stansbury → https://loristansbury.com/
• Individual Membership → ministrychick.com
• Church Membership → ministrychick.com/the-church

You already know something is off. The tank isn't empty yet, but you can feel it getting there. And instead of stopping, you've been telling yourself you just need to push through to the next break, the next season, the next time things slow down. Melissa and Brandy want to say something to you about that.

In this conversation, Melissa Mashburn and Dr. Brandy Baxter name the thing a lot of women in ministry feel but rarely say out loud — that you are running low, that it is not a character flaw, and that you actually have permission to stop. Keywords: women in ministry, ministry leadership, faith-based leadership, burnout, emotional health, rest, calling, women of faith.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Why running low feels like failure in ministry — and why it isn't
• What it actually costs to keep pouring from empty — named specifically, without shame
• The one thing you can give yourself permission to do this week that you've been telling yourself you don't have time for.

RESOURCES & LINKS:

• Individual Membership → member.ministrychick.com/courses/membership
• Free Clarity Journal → member.ministrychick.com/courses/clarity-journal
• Church Membership → ministrychick.com/the-church

A lot of women in ministry are leading well on the outside and quietly unraveling on the inside. In this conversation, Melissa sits down with Erica St. Bernard — ordained minister, licensed therapist, and founder of Your Life's Well — to talk about protecting your emotional health, your marriage, and the friendships that keep you standing while serving in ministry. This one is going to hit close to home — in the best possible way. 

RESOURCES & LINKS

• Free Clarity Journal → https://ministrychicknetwork.newzenler.com/courses/clarity-journal
  Connect with Erica → yourlifeswell.com | @yourlifeswell on Instagram
  We Over Me: Principles for Marital Partnership → yourlifeswell.com/we-over-me-principles-for-marital-partnership
  Melanated Moments with Erica → Spotify
  Individual Membership → ministrychick.com
  Church Membership → ministrychick.com/the-church

You've been in ministry long enough to know you're called. What you're less sure about is whether you're equipped — and whether more training is even for someone like you. Maybe you've told yourself seminary is for pastors, or for people with a clear credential track, or for a season of life you can't access right now. Lauren Lowery thought some version of that, too. Then she went to Manila first, then to the classroom, and found out that the order was exactly right.

In this conversation, Melissa sits down with Lauren Lowery — Director of Development at Pillar Seminary, a former missionary, and a woman who discovered her clarity not by waiting for a sign but by going and then going deeper. If you've ever wondered whether more training is for you, or why biblical fluency matters for the ministry you're already doing, this conversation is going to give you something to hold onto. Keywords: women in ministry, ministry leadership, faith-based leadership, women of faith, calling, seminary, biblical fluency, ministry training.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• You'll walk away understanding why seminary is for you — not someday, not in a different role, right where you are right now
• You'll see what it looks like to let experience lead and training follow — and why that order can actually give you more clarity than doing it the other way around
• You'll recognize something in yourself about biblical fluency that you may have been treating as optional when it's actually foundational

• Free Clarity Journal → member.ministrychick.com/courses/clarity-journal
• Pillar Seminary Preview Day → pillarseminary.org/events
• Follow Pillar Seminary → @pillarseminary on Instagram
• Women of Color Biblical Scholars Award → https://pillarseminary.org/women-of-color-as-biblical-scholars-award/
• MCN Individual Membership → ministrychick.com
• MCN Church Membership → ministrychick.com/the-church

You have been showing up. In rooms that don't always see you. In roles that don't always have a title. In seasons that didn't always make sense. And somewhere in all of that showing up, you have built something — even if you haven't stopped long enough to recognize it yet.

This episode is an invitation to stop and see it. Melissa Mashburn and Dr. Brandy Baxter are pulling back the curtain on what's new at the Ministry Chick Network Podcast, and more importantly — what it means for you. 

• What you've already built in ministry is real, and it matters — and this episode is going to help you see it before it invites you to go further
• What's changing about the podcast, who Dr. Brandy Baxter is, and why her voice belongs in this conversation every month
• What "Multiply Your Ministry" actually means — and why it starts with recognizing what's already in your hands

Resources & Links:

• Individual Membership → member.ministrychick.com/courses/membership
• Free Clarity Journal → member.ministrychick.com/courses/clarity-journal
• Church Membership → ministrychick.com/the-church

Rejection doesn’t disqualify your calling — it often redirects it.

In this episode of the Ministry Chick Network Podcast, Melissa Mashburn talks with Jessie L. Young about how God used seasons of rejection, disappointment, and unmet expectations to lead her into a deeper relationship with Him and a clearer sense of calling.

From letting go of personal plans to walking closely with Jesus, Jessie shares how God reshapes identity, restores hope, and reveals purpose through unexpected seasons.

If you’ve ever felt overlooked, redirected, or unsure of what God is doing next, this conversation will remind you that your story isn’t off track — it’s being rewritten.

•  How God uses rejection to shape identity and calling 
•  What it looks like to release your plans and trust His direction 
•  Encouragement for women navigating disappointment and redirection

Clarity Journal → https://www.ministrychick.com/freebies
 “See His Goodness” Scripture Journal: https://amzn.to/4uSSaKA
“See His Faithfulness” Scripture Journal: https://amzn.to/4uORuWf
 Ministry Chick Network → ministrychick.com

What if spiritual growth isn’t just theological — it’s neurological?

In this episode of the Ministry Chick Network Podcast, Melissa Mashburn sits down with Harvard-trained neuroscience expert and Whoology founder Jessie Cruickshank to explore how brain science, identity formation, and discipleship intersect.

They discuss how God designed us for transformation, why repentance and forgiveness are essential to both spiritual and biological maturity, and how questioning the narratives we live in helps leaders grow with clarity and confidence. If you’re navigating calling, identity, leadership, or spiritual growth, this conversation will give you fresh perspective and hope.

• How neuroscience supports spiritual formation and discipleship
 • Why identity formation shapes leadership effectiveness
 • How repentance, forgiveness, and narrative renewal foster lasting growth

Whoology.co
 YourBrainByJess.com
 Social: @yourbrainbyjess (BlueSky, Instagram, X)

Books:
 • Ordinary Discipleship https://amzn.to/48JwuI5
• Becoming Good News (releasing August 2026) https://amzn.to/4tiB4nS

Ministry Chick Network: ministrychick.com

How do you balance ministry, career, marriage, children, and your relationship with God — without burning out?

In this episode of the Ministry Chick Network Podcast, Melissa Mashburn talks with Lysandra Osterkamp — pastor’s wife, entrepreneur, mother of four, and author of Balancing the Crazy — about time management, spiritual clarity, and choosing what truly matters.

If you feel stretched thin but still deeply called, this conversation will help you discern how to spend your time wisely, stay close to God, and lead with peace instead of pressure.

• How to balance ministry, family, and leadership without losing your spiritual center
 • Practical time management rhythms that actually work
 • How to discern between “good opportunities” and God’s best for your season

Ministry Chick Network - www.ministrychick.com
Family Meeting Ministry - https://www.familymeeting.org/
Balancing The Crazy - https://amzn.to/49fjxG5
31 Days of Wisdom for Couples - https://amzn.to/4tVktIa
Happily Never After - https://amzn.to/4tc0kfP

Discipleship That Works - https://amzn.to/4ncLofR

Leadership pressure can quietly pull women away from clarity, peace, and spiritual alignment — especially when expectations are high, and responsibilities keep growing.

In this episode of the Ministry Chick Network Podcast, Melissa Mashburn sits down with transformational leader, author, and educator LaNell Polk to discuss what it truly means to live fully surrendered to Christ while leading with courage and integrity. Drawing on her leadership work and her book Aligned Under Pressure, LaNell shares insights on emotional intelligence, spiritual resilience, and how surrender strengthens leadership rather than weakens it.

If you’ve ever felt stretched, uncertain, or spiritually fatigued while leading, this conversation offers both grounding encouragement and a practical perspective for staying aligned in your calling.

Key Takeaways

• How surrender to Christ strengthens clarity, leadership confidence, and emotional resilience
• Why emotional intelligence is essential for spiritually grounded leadership
• Practical ways to stay aligned with purpose while navigating pressure and responsibility

Clarity Journal → https://member.ministrychick.com/courses/clarity-journal
LaNell's Website → LanellPolk.com
Ministry Chick Network → www.MinistryChick.com