Moving Forward

What if the season that feels like waiting is actually preparation?

In this episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Dr. Nicole Martin, president and CEO of Christianity Today, for a candid conversation about trusting God's timing, surrendering the pressure to perform, and stepping into a new assignment with confidence and humility.

Nicole shares that becoming CEO was never her dream. When her predecessor encouraged her to consider the role, her first response was "absolutely not." As she brought her insecurities and concerns before God, however, she began to recognize that her hesitation had more to do with her own perceived limitations than what God could do. Saying yes meant trusting that He would go with her—even without knowing everything the assignment would require.

Looking back on her journey through ministry and organizational leadership, Nicole now sees how God used seemingly ordinary responsibilities to prepare her. Listening to people, leading teams, and translating someone else's vision into action developed strengths she relies on today. The seasons she once struggled to appreciate became places where God helped her discover her gifts and understand who she was.

As she shares, "Those times I discounted were the times that God was strengthening and deepening my roots."

Nicole illustrates that preparation through a story from college, when she spent an entire year preparing for and hosting a Bible study that nobody attended. Students would stop for cookies and keep walking. What felt like wasted effort became a foundation for her leadership: learning to study Scripture, sit before God, and seek His voice whether anyone else showed up or not. Those same disciplines continue to shape how she prepares for board meetings, donor conversations, and leading her team.

The conversation also explores what Nicole has needed to surrender as her responsibilities have grown. As a driven, high-achieving leader, she has had to release her expectations about timing and the belief that everything depends on her performance. She is learning that being present with God, her family, and the people around her matters more than getting every detail right.

Melissa and Nicole also discuss the pressure women can feel when entering rooms where they are the first, the only, or one of very few. Nicole shares how knowing she is loved by God helps her speak with confidence, listen without becoming defensive, and consider who else needs a place at the table.

Her encouragement is both freeing and practical: "You just have to be faithful to this moment and steward this time."

This conversation is ultimately about allowing God to deepen your roots wherever you are, trusting Him with the pace of your growth, and remaining open when He calls you to move forward.

In this episode, we get into:

God is preparing you where you are.

The ordinary responsibilities and unseen seasons may be developing the very strengths you'll need next.

Leadership requires surrender.

Nicole speaks candidly about releasing her timeline and learning to value presence over performance.

You can move forward with confidence and humility.

Knowing you are loved by God frees you to contribute, listen, and make room for others.

Nicole also shares what she is learning about leading Christianity Today through a complex cultural moment. She reflects on the importance of holding conviction and compassion together, seeking honest feedback, and helping people make sense of the world through a biblical lens.

She closes with encouragement for the woman discerning a promotion, career transition, or new assignment: pay attention to God's peace. During her own interview process, Nicole wanted an unmistakable sign. Instead, while praying on a walk, she sensed two quiet questions: "If not you, then who?" and "If not now, then when?" The circumstances were still challenging, but an inner peace helped her recognize that it was time to move forward.

About Dr. Nicole Martin

Dr. Nicole Martin is president and CEO of Christianity Today, an ordained minister, speaker, leadership scholar, and author of Made to Lead and Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender. Before becoming CEO, she served as Christianity Today's chief operating officer and chief impact officer and held senior leadership roles at American Bible Society. Through her teaching, writing, and leadership, Nicole encourages women to recognize their gifts, deepen their faith, and faithfully steward their calling.

Learn more about Nicole: nicolemassiemartin.com

Follow Nicole on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Learn more about Christianity Today.

About Melissa Harrison

Melissa Harrison is a journalist, nonprofit leader, and President & CEO of 4word. She is passionate about helping women integrate faith, leadership, and purpose in the workplace. As host of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa brings a storyteller's perspective to honest conversations about work, calling, growth, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Learn more about Melissa: melissaharrison.net

Follow Melissa on LinkedIn and Instagram

About 4word

4word is a global community for Christian women in the workplace, helping women grow in their faith, thrive in their work, and become the women and leaders God created them to be.

Find out more about 4word: https://4wordwomen.org/

Follow 4word on LinkedIn and Instagram

You spend so much time leading, serving, and encouraging others—but who's encouraging you? In this special solo episode of Moving Forward, 4word President & CEO Melissa Harrison reflects on the importance of making room for friendship, prayer, and community. As BOLDLY approaches, she shares a personal invitation to step away from your everyday responsibilities and connect with women who understand the intersection of faith, work, and leadership. In this episode:

• Making room to receive encouragement when others depend on you
• Finding women who can pray with you, challenge you, and walk alongside you
• What to look forward to at BOLDLY—and why you can come on your own
• A special invitation to the Impact Celebration Dinner featuring The Chosen

Join Us at BOLDLY October 23–24, 2026 | Bent Tree Bible | Carrollton, TX Gather with Christian women in the workplace for meaningful conversations, practical insights, and opportunities to grow in your faith and leadership. Speakers include Cynt Marshall, Liz Bohannon, Ruth Chou Simons, Kobe Campbell, and more. Learn more and register for BOLDLY Impact Celebration Dinner October 24, 2026 | Gleneagles Country Club | Plano, Texas 6:30 p.m. Reception | 7:00 p.m. Dinner & Program Enjoy an advance screening of Season 6, Episode 1 of The Chosen, along with conversation and insights from members of the team. Spouses, friends, and colleagues are welcome. BOLDLY attendees receive $100 off the public dinner ticket price. Reserve your dinner tickets Stay Connected Discover community, mentoring, and opportunities to grow with 4word at 4wordwomen.org. Follow Moving Forward wherever you listen to podcasts, and share this episode with a woman who could use some encouragement. Until next time, keep moving forward with faith, courage and purpose.

What if moving forward in your calling begins with releasing the pressure to make everything happen?

In this episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Sheeba Philip, founder of Impart Group, for a candid conversation about career setbacks, identity beyond achievement, and learning to build with God.

With more than 25 years of executive leadership experience, Sheeba explains that her most formative seasons came through failure and disappointment. After a leadership change ended her role at JCPenney, she found herself wrestling with a deeply personal question: Who am I without my executive title? Later, stepping down as CEO and winding down a startup challenged her understanding of success again. She believed she had been faithful to the work God had called her to do, yet the outcome was not what she had hoped.

Those experiences became places where God reshaped her identity and prepared her for a new assignment. Drawing on Ephesians 2:10 and the story of Joseph, Sheeba shares why we can remain faithful even when our current circumstances feel far from our calling. As she reminds us, "God doesn't waste anything."

The conversation also explores the importance of friendships that deepen over time. Melissa and Sheeba reflect on their own friendship, which began more than 20 years ago in New York City, and the value of having women who have witnessed your journey, recognize your gifts, and can speak truth into moments of uncertainty. Those relationships help us discern our next steps and remember who we are when our circumstances change.

Sheeba then shares how a season of exhaustion and rest gradually led her into advisory work with purpose-driven organizations. As she helped leaders navigate strategy and growth, she recognized the importance of bringing both operational expertise and spiritual discernment to the work. Eventually, she sensed a clear invitation from God: "You've had a time to rest. Now it's time to build."

That invitation led to the launch of Impart Group—and a new understanding of what it means to build with God. Sheeba describes the tension of starting a business, investing her savings, and watching an anticipated first client fall through. Through prayer and dependence on God, she began learning to rest in His love without making the success of her work the measure of her worth.

As she shares, "It doesn't mean the work isn't gonna be hard, but I can trust the outcomes to him."

This conversation is ultimately about trusting God through every season of your calling: allowing Him to shape you through disappointment, remaining faithful in the work before you, and moving forward with the confidence that you are deeply loved before you achieve anything.

In this episode, we get into:

God doesn't waste your setbacks.

Trust that even disappointing seasons can shape you and prepare you for what's next.

Your worth isn't tied to your achievements.

Rest in God's love, knowing your title and results do not determine your value.

You can build with God and trust Him with the outcomes.

Release striving, faithfully steward your work, and stay attentive to His leading.

Sheeba also shares how faith becomes visible through the way we lead. Our response to bad news, uncertainty, and pressure can create opportunities for others to experience peace—and become curious about its source.

She closes with encouragement for the woman who feels stuck or underutilized in her current role: protect your time with God, steward your assignment well, and remain expectant about where He may be leading. Even when the next step is unclear, your present season can hold purpose.

4word is excited to welcome Sheeba to BOLDLY this October in Dallas, where she will share more about her leadership journey and following God through seasons of transition.

Learn more about BOLDLY at 4wordwomen.org/boldly/.

About Sheeba Philip

Sheeba Philip is the founder of Impart Group, where she brings together experienced operators and trusted advisors to equip purpose-driven CEOs and organizations tackling complex challenges. She has more than 25 years of executive leadership experience, serving as a CEO, CMO, and senior leader across Fortune 500 companies, startups, and global nonprofit organizations. Her work brings together business strategy, operational expertise, faith, and social impact to help leaders discern their next steps and build organizations that fulfill their purpose.

Learn more about Impart Group.

Follow Sheeba on LinkedIn.

About Melissa Harrison

Melissa Harrison is a journalist, nonprofit leader, and President & CEO of 4word. She is passionate about helping women integrate faith, leadership, and purpose in the workplace. As host of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa brings a storyteller's perspective to honest conversations about work, calling, growth, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Learn more about Melissa: melissaharrison.net

Follow Melissa on LinkedIn and Instagram

About 4word

4word is a global community for Christian women in the workplace, helping women grow in their faith, thrive in their work, and become the women and leaders God created them to be.

Find out more about 4word: https://4wordwomen.org/

Follow 4word on LinkedIn and Instagram

You can love your work, believe deeply in your mission, and still find yourself depleted. Sustainable leadership requires paying attention to the person carrying that mission—and making room for renewal along the way.

In this BOLDLY Breakout Spotlight episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Dr. Ioana Popa, a physician-psychiatrist educator, executive coach, and co-founder of Team For The Soul Institute, for a conversation about burnout, daily regeneration, and discerning God's direction for your life and work.

Drawing on her professional background and her own experience of burnout twice, Ioana shares how she discovered the importance of caring for her whole self—body, mind, heart, and soul. After initially believing a career change would resolve her exhaustion, she recognized that she also needed to change her daily rhythms and the way she responded to her own needs.

Ioana explains that depletion can emerge through subtle signs: difficulty relaxing, decision fatigue, feeling continually behind, or dreading the demands waiting after a vacation. For capable women accustomed to pushing through, these experiences can be easy to overlook or explain away.

The conversation explores the beliefs that keep women overextending themselves, including the pressure to say yes, remain available, and finish everything before resting. As responsibilities and opportunities grow, waiting for an empty calendar can leave renewal perpetually out of reach.

Ioana invites women to build moments of regeneration into their ordinary days. As she shares, "Resilience is not something that we build once. It requires daily rhythms of regeneration."

Those rhythms can include preparing inwardly for the day, pausing between responsibilities, and creating space to release what you have been carrying before moving into the evening. Small moments of quiet and connection with God offer opportunities to notice your needs and respond with greater intentionality.

Melissa and Ioana also discuss how the desire to serve faithfully can become tangled with the pressure to meet every need. Ioana encourages women to extend to themselves the care they so readily offer others—and to pause long enough to ask, "God, what do I need today?"

Receiving support is another central theme. Ioana describes how working with someone who can help you recognize underlying patterns may reveal what another productivity strategy or self-help resource cannot. Whether through coaching, counseling, mentoring, or trusted community, women need spaces where they can receive care as well as give it.

Throughout the conversation, Ioana emphasizes compassion rather than self-blame. Recognizing depletion is an invitation to seek support and begin making changes, without turning your needs into another reason to criticize yourself.

This conversation is ultimately about renewing your capacity to live and lead with greater presence: caring for yourself, deepening your connection with God, and investing your energy in what matters most.

In this episode, we get into:

Burnout can begin beneath the surface.

Notice subtle signs of depletion and the patterns that keep you pushing through.

Renewal belongs in your daily rhythm.

Make room to pause, reconnect with God, and release what you're carrying.

Your mission needs discernment and support.

Receive care and consider where God is calling you to invest your time and energy.

Ioana also explores how renewal connects with discerning your mission for this season. When several good opportunities are before you, clarity can help you focus your limited energy on the work that aligns with your calling.

Through Christian women's coaching and executive coaching, Ioana helps clients clarify their goals, address burdens and internal patterns, and establish rhythms that support lasting change. She also shares about her Wake Up to Your Soul contemplation program and resources for incorporating renewal into a full life.

She offers a reminder about the importance of presence: "We don't want to miss life because we're so focused on the future and all the projects we want to do. Let's live in the present."

After speaking at 4word's Executive Women's Forum in San Diego, where her insights on "The Unburdened Leader" and burnout resonated deeply with attendees, Ioana has continued connecting with women in the community through one-on-one support.

4word is excited to welcome Ioana to BOLDLY this October in Dallas, where she will lead "Discovering Your Deep Mission for This Season." Her workshop will help women discern their God-given direction for the coming year, consider where to invest their energy, and identify a practical next step toward greater clarity, confidence, and intentionality.

Learn more about BOLDLY at 4wordwomen.org/boldly/.

About Dr. Ioana Popa

Dr. Ioana Popa is a physician-psychiatrist educator, executive coach, and spiritual-care life and leadership coach who guides high-capacity Christian women from burnout toward renewal and their highest potential in Christ.

As co-founder and CEO of Team For The Soul Institute, she integrates medicine, psychology, science, and Christian spiritual formation to support sustainable leadership rooted in wholeness. Through coaching, speaking, and retreats, she helps women integrate soul formation and performance so they can lead with joy, peace, and renewed capacity.

A wife, mom, and grandmother, Ioana brings clinical wisdom, theological depth, and grounded hope to her work with women navigating the responsibilities of life and leadership.

Learn more about Ioana, explore her coaching programs, or schedule a consultation at teamforthesoul.com.

Follow Ioana on LinkedIn.

About Melissa Harrison

Melissa Harrison is a journalist, nonprofit leader, and President & CEO of 4word. She is passionate about helping women integrate faith, leadership, and purpose in the workplace. As host of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa brings a storyteller's perspective to honest conversations about work, calling, growth, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Learn more about Melissa: melissaharrison.net

Follow Melissa on LinkedIn and Instagram

About 4word

4word is a global community for Christian women in the workplace, helping women grow in their faith, thrive in their work, and become the women and leaders God created them to be.

Find out more about 4word: https://4wordwomen.org/

Follow 4word on LinkedIn and Instagram

Leading authentically begins with the courage to acknowledge our own stories—and trust that our struggles do not diminish our worth or our ability to make a difference. In this final episode of our BOLDLY Breakout Spotlight week on the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Kisha Smith, known as "The Transparency Coach," for a candid conversation about healing, faith, vulnerability, and leading with conviction. Drawing on more than two decades of corporate HR experience and her own journey of healing, Kisha shares how God invited her to address pain she had spent years trying to suppress. She describes a life of striving for excellence and seeking fulfillment through accomplishments, while leaving parts of her story unacknowledged. As she began allowing God into those places, Kisha discovered a new sense of freedom and purpose. That experience now informs her work helping women acknowledge their silent struggles, find trusted support, and show up more fully as themselves in their lives and leadership. Kisha explains that transparency requires both courage and discernment. Sharing your story begins with identifying people and spaces where trust is present. You can be authentic while maintaining professionalism and setting thoughtful boundaries around what you share and with whom. She also challenges the pressure leaders feel to appear as though they have everything together. As she shares, "We just need to release the pressure of being perfect and lead authentically and then build authority grounded in truth." In her experience, appropriate vulnerability helps people relate to one another, strengthens trust, and creates a foundation for meaningful influence. The conversation explores Kisha's journey "from broken to spoken"—giving voice to experiences that once remained hidden. She shares how speaking honestly in supportive spaces helped her move from shame toward purpose, while offering encouragement to other women who recognized parts of their own stories in hers. Faith is central to Kisha's approach. Scripture, prayer, and time with God have shaped her understanding of who she is and whose she is. She encourages women to bring their fears, questions, and struggles before God and allow His truth to inform how they see themselves. Kisha also offers practical ways to begin: identify one safe person, connect with a trusted community, and make time to sit with God. These steps create space for honesty, support, and growth without requiring you to share everything at once. This conversation is ultimately about leading with freedom and conviction: acknowledging your story, releasing the pressure to perform perfection, and trusting that God can use your experiences to serve others. In this episode, we get into: Your struggles do not define your worth. Ground your identity in who God says you are. Transparency begins with trust. Share honestly in safe spaces, with thoughtful boundaries. Authenticity strengthens your leadership. Release perfection and build influence through honesty and connection. Kisha also shares how authentic leadership shapes workplace culture. When leaders communicate respectfully and allow themselves to be relatable, they help create an environment where others can build trust, ask for support, and contribute more confidently. Through individual coaching, group coaching, and women's masterminds, Kisha helps women explore how faith and transparency can move them toward a greater sense of purpose. She closes with a reminder for the woman wondering whether her story disqualifies her from moving forward: "Your present struggle or your past struggle does not define your worth or your future." 4word is excited to welcome Kisha to BOLDLY this October in Dallas, where she will lead "From Brokenness to Boldness: Leading Authentically in Faith and Work." Learn more about BOLDLY at 4wordwomen.org/boldly/.

About Kisha Smith

Kisha Smith, known as "The Transparency Coach," brings more than two decades of corporate HR experience to her faith-based coaching and leadership work. Drawing on her personal journey of healing, she helps women acknowledge their silent struggles, embrace their authentic selves, and lead with greater confidence and conviction.

Kisha offers individual coaching, Brokenness to Boldness group coaching, and women's masterminds that combine transparent communication, biblical principles, and trusted community.

Learn more about Kisha and her coaching at kishasmith.com.

About Melissa Harrison

Melissa Harrison is a journalist, nonprofit leader, and President & CEO of 4word. She is passionate about helping women integrate faith, leadership, and purpose in the workplace. As host of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa brings a storyteller's perspective to honest conversations about work, calling, growth, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Learn more about Melissa: melissaharrison.net

Follow Melissa on LinkedIn and Instagram

About 4word

4word is a global community for Christian women in the workplace, helping women grow in their faith, thrive in their work, and become the women and leaders God created them to be.

Find out more about 4word: https://4wordwomen.org/

Follow 4word on LinkedIn and Instagram

The achievements that shape our careers can also shape how we see ourselves. An unexpected change can invite us to discover a deeper foundation for our identity—and a new way to lead. In this special BOLDLY Breakout Spotlight episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Rachael Jackson of REV, a West Point graduate and former Army Apache helicopter pilot, for a candid conversation about identity, faith, perseverance, and the power of meaningful connection. Rachael's journey began with a praying mother and a conversation with an Army recruiter. As a strong-willed teenager, she was making decisions that concerned her family. Joining the military brought discipline, direction, and a sense of purpose. She went on to attend West Point, study physics and nuclear engineering, and become an Apache helicopter pilot. Over time, those accomplishments became central to her identity. But during a deployment to Iraq, significant medical issues left her unable to safely continue flying. Being grounded and eventually medically discharged brought the career she had worked so hard to build to an unexpected end. Rachael shares honestly about the anger, grief, and uncertainty of that season. Alongside losing her professional identity, she faced the pain of having her character questioned by leaders who did not understand what she was experiencing. Other leaders, who knew her personally, believed her and offered support. That contrast helped shape her understanding of why knowing someone's story matters. Through that experience, Rachael describes how God helped her build a different identity while redirecting the skills and determination she already carried. Her "warrior heart" continues to shape how she leads, parents, and serves—through perseverance, faith, and a willingness to keep going. She also reflects on her late mother, whose life was marked by struggle but whose faith continued to influence others. Even in a hospital room, her mother found opportunities to ask people about Jesus. Rachael's story reminds us that God can use our lives and experiences wherever we are. Today, through REV's mission of leading a "meaning revolution," Rachael equips leaders to build meaningful connection with the people they love, lead, and serve. She describes that connection as a deep sense of feeling "known, valued, supported, and part of something bigger than themselves." Rachael explains why meaningful connection and high expectations belong together. Leaders can support people through real challenges while calling them to greater growth, responsibility, and contribution. Through storytelling and a shared sense of purpose, they can help people understand both that they matter and that their contributions matter. The conversation also explores the competing messages and demands on our attention in a digital age. Rachael shares why leaders need practical ways to strengthen relationships, build trust, and help people stay connected to the mission and values they share. This conversation is ultimately about being anchored in faith: allowing God to shape our identity through change, making room for people's stories, and leading with both compassion and conviction. In this episode, we get into: Your identity reaches beyond your achievements. Trust God to shape your purpose through unexpected change. Meaningful connection begins with being known. Make room for people's stories and help them feel valued. Care and high expectations belong together. Support people while calling them to grow and contribute. Rachael also introduces REV's Meaningful Connection Foundations training, which equips leaders with practical tools they can use within their families, teams, and organizations. She shares how the same approaches that strengthen workplace relationships can also help parents connect with their teenagers. Her story offers encouragement for anyone navigating an unexpected transition: the skills and experiences you carry can continue to serve a purpose as God leads you into what comes next. 4word is excited to welcome Rachael to BOLDLY this October in Dallas, where she will share more about meaningful connection and REV's work equipping leaders to help people flourish. Learn more about BOLDLY at 4wordwomen.org/boldly/. About Rachael Jackson Rachael Jackson is a West Point graduate, former Army Apache helicopter pilot, and leader of REV. Drawing on her military experience and faith journey, she equips leaders to build meaningful connection with the people they love, lead, and serve. REV is leading a "meaning revolution," helping leaders create environments where people feel known, valued, supported, and part of something bigger than themselves. Through leadership equipping and its Meaningful Connection Foundations training, REV helps leaders strengthen relationships while calling people to greater growth, responsibility, and contribution. Learn more about REV. Follow Rachael on LinkedIn.

About Melissa Harrison

Melissa Harrison is a journalist, nonprofit leader, and President & CEO of 4word. She is passionate about helping women integrate faith, leadership, and purpose in the workplace. As host of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa brings a storyteller's perspective to honest conversations about work, calling, growth, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Learn more about Melissa: melissaharrison.net

Follow Melissa on LinkedIn and Instagram

About 4word

4word is a global community for Christian women in the workplace, helping women grow in their faith, thrive in their work, and become the women and leaders God created them to be.

Find out more about 4word: https://4wordwomen.org/

Follow 4word on LinkedIn and Instagram

What if growing in your career doesn't require choosing between ambition and humility? In this special BOLDLY Breakout Spotlight episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Ellie Nieves, a leadership coach, public policy professional, and author of The Career Playbook for Christian Women, for a practical conversation about pursuing professional growth while remaining grounded in faith. Ellie shares that becoming a Christian didn't make her ambition disappear. Instead, it invited her to examine what was driving it. As she explains, "He wasn't calling me to be less ambitious, he was asking me to filter my ambition through my faith." That shift helped her see career growth as an opportunity to use her gifts, serve others, and glorify God. For the woman considering a bigger role or a new opportunity, Ellie offers encouragement: you don't have to know everything before taking a step forward. Recognize the experience you already bring and trust your ability to learn. She also explores how remembering God's purpose for your presence in the workplace can help you respond to feelings of inadequacy. The conversation becomes personal as Ellie recalls a season when she and her husband were both laid off shortly after moving into a new home. While the uncertainty was real, that season also strengthened their marriage and gave her the vision to launch her coaching business. She encourages women navigating setbacks to make room for grief, reflection, and prayer—and to ask God what He would have them do next. Ellie also challenges the assumption that excellent work will always speak for itself. Communicating your contributions can be done with humility. She shares a simple practice: keep a record of accomplishments and positive feedback so you can clearly explain both your work and its impact. Together, Melissa and Ellie explore how influence develops through credibility, meaningful relationships, and an understanding of how an organization works. Ellie explains the difference between mentors who offer guidance and sponsors who advocate for opportunities—and why following through on advice helps build trust. This conversation is about becoming more intentional in your career: bringing your ambitions before God, recognizing the value you contribute, and taking your next step with faith and confidence.

In this episode, we get into: Bring your ambition before God. Examine your motives and pursue growth from a place of purpose. Communicate your value with humility. Keep track of your accomplishments and share the impact of your work. Influence grows through relationships and credibility. Build meaningful connections, seek guidance, and follow through. Ellie also shares how community has supported her through the responsibilities of work, leadership, and caring for an aging parent. Through 4word's Executive Women's Forum in San Diego and the DC executive cohort, she has found space to rest, receive encouragement, and connect with women navigating similar experiences. For the woman who feels stuck, Ellie recommends beginning with quiet reflection: sit with your Bible and a journal, invite God into the process, and ask what one step you can take. Her encouragement is clear: "She doesn't have to sit on the sidelines of her own career." 4word is excited to welcome Ellie to BOLDLY this October in Dallas, where her breakout session will explore building influence and navigating workplace dynamics from a godly perspective. Learn more about BOLDLY at 4wordwomen.org/boldly/.

About Ellie Nieves Ellie Nieves is a leadership coach, speaker, public policy professional, and author of The Career Playbook for Christian Women. She helps Christian women develop confidence, build influence, and pursue career growth while remaining grounded in their faith. Ellie is part of 4word's DC executive cohort and attended the 2026 Executive Women's Forum in San Diego. Learn more about Ellie and her book at ellienieves.com. Explore her work with Christian career women at christiancareerwomen.com.

About Melissa Harrison

Melissa Harrison is a journalist, nonprofit leader, and President & CEO of 4word. She is passionate about helping women integrate faith, leadership, and purpose in the workplace. As host of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa brings a storyteller's perspective to honest conversations about work, calling, growth, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Learn more about Melissa: melissaharrison.net

Follow Melissa on LinkedIn and Instagram

About 4word

4word is a global community for Christian women in the workplace, helping women grow in their faith, thrive in their work, and become the women and leaders God created them to be.

Find out more about 4word: https://4wordwomen.org/

Follow 4word on LinkedIn and Instagram

What if living with purpose doesn't require a new job, a clearer five-year plan, or a dramatic change in circumstances?

In this special BOLDLY Breakouts episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Dr. Jessica Rimmer, CEO of Solomon Strategic Advisors and author of The Purpose Formula: How to Live Fully Alive, to explore how women can recognize and live out their God-given purpose.

Jessica describes purpose as a "pilot light in the soul"—a source of energy that can help us recognize when it is time to bring our gifts to a situation. She also speaks honestly about a recent moment when she realized she had been numbing her feelings to cope with stress. Her experience is a reminder that even someone who teaches about purpose has to pause, pay attention, and make room to feel alive again.

The conversation explores three clues Jessica writes about in her book: design, desires, and disappointments. Design includes the personality, gifts, talents, and traits God has given us—even qualities we may have mistaken for flaws. Jessica also considers how to listen to desire with wisdom instead of dismissing it altogether.

Disappointment may be the most surprising clue. Jessica shares how painful experiences, when met with healing, can deepen our compassion and help us connect with people who need what we have learned. As she explains, "Our disappointments, when healed, become the most beautiful, approachable, relatable, credibility building part of us."

Melissa and Jessica bring the conversation into the workplace, where many women have responsibilities they cannot simply leave behind. Jessica's encouragement is that purpose is available there, too. The skills you use to bring clarity to a colleague or serve someone well may feel ordinary, but they can be part of how you live out your calling.

This conversation offers a practical place to begin: check your "pilot light." Notice what feels alive, what feels dim, and what is true about your life right now. You can start there without knowing the entire path ahead.

In this episode, we get into:

Your purpose isn't limited to your job title.

Look for ways to serve and use your gifts in the work already in front of you.

Your design, desires, and disappointments offer clues.

Pay attention to how God made you, what stirs your heart, and where your experiences have shaped compassion.

Start with a pilot light check.

Notice what feels alive, what feels dim, and where you are today. Clarity begins with honesty.

Jessica also shares what women can expect from her breakout session at BOLDLY. She will walk through the elements of her purpose formula and help participants begin the process of writing their own purpose statements.

For the woman who feels stuck, Jessica's invitation is to begin by noticing her current reality: "But start with where you are."

4word is excited to welcome Jessica to BOLDLY this October in Dallas.

Learn more about BOLDLY at 4wordwomen.org/boldly/.

About Dr. Jessica Rimmer

Dr. Jessica Rimmer is the CEO of Solomon Strategic Advisors, an executive advisor, and author of The Purpose Formula: How to Live Fully Alive. A leadership strategist and organizational culture expert, she helps individuals and teams gain clarity about their purpose and strengthen the way they work together. She previously served as an executive in higher education and has partnered with organizations on strategic growth, leadership development, and culture.

Learn more about Solomon Strategic Advisors.

Follow Jessica on LinkedIn and Instagram.

About Melissa Harrison

Melissa Harrison is a journalist, nonprofit leader, and President & CEO of 4word. She is passionate about helping women integrate faith, leadership, and purpose in the workplace. As host of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa brings a storyteller's perspective to honest conversations about work, calling, growth, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Learn more about Melissa: melissaharrison.net

Follow Melissa on LinkedIn and Instagram

About 4word

4word is a global community for Christian women in the workplace, helping women grow in their faith, thrive in their work, and become the women and leaders God created them to be.

Find out more about 4word: https://4wordwomen.org/

Follow 4word on LinkedIn and Instagram

What happens when you reach a career milestone you worked hard for—and realize you may be called to take a different path?

In this special BOLDLY Breakouts episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Joy St. John, founder of The Joyous Edge, to talk about success, calling, and the courage to slow down when the life you are living no longer feels aligned with the one you want to lead.

Joy was thriving in her career at KPMG. She was on the partner path, developing leaders, advising clients, and helping grow a global community of women in risk. Yet as her responsibilities increased and her hours stretched, she began to sense that something was off. "I was doing everything right," she recalls, but the work had started to feel more like a grind.

A serious car accident, followed by health challenges, forced Joy to stop pushing through. She describes the realization plainly: "My body was crying out and I wasn't listening." In the space that followed, she began to pray, reconsider her priorities, and ask what God was calling her to do in this season.

Joy shares how that process led her to create The Joyous Edge. Drawing on more than 25 years of experience in risk and compliance, she developed a framework to help leaders step back, evaluate what is on their plates, and bring their choices into closer alignment with their purpose. She also talks about making room for sleep and prayer, noticing her reactions instead of suppressing them, and allowing herself to ask for help.

For Joy, community was an important part of finding her way forward. She remembers how isolating it felt to navigate questions about faith and work while living in New York and traveling frequently. The connections she found through 4word gave her people she could turn to during a difficult season—and reminded her that she did not have to figure everything out alone.

This conversation is an invitation to pause and ask honest questions: What am I working toward? What needs my attention right now? And what might become possible if I make room to listen?

In this episode, we get into:

Success can be a signal to pause.

Reaching a career milestone may clarify what you want your life and leadership to look like next.

Pay attention when the pace isn't sustainable.

Joy shares how she learned to make room for rest, prayer, and the needs she had been pushing aside.

You don't have to find your next step alone.

Step back, listen for God's direction, and let trusted community support you through change.

Joy also introduces her EDGE framework, which begins with evaluating your priorities against your purpose and vision. At BOLDLY, she will guide women through parts of that process and help them identify an initial step toward greater alignment.

Her encouragement to the woman who feels stuck is simple: slow down, listen, and reach out. As Joy shares, it took time for her to say, "I need help. I need somebody to talk to about this."

4word is excited to welcome Joy as a BOLDLY breakout speaker this October in Dallas.

Learn more about BOLDLY at 4wordwomen.org/boldly/.

About Joy St. John

Joy St. John is the founder of The Joyous Edge and host of The Joyous Edge podcast. After more than 25 years working in risk, compliance, banking, and consulting, including a leadership role at KPMG, she now helps leaders and organizations evaluate their priorities, find greater alignment, and move toward their goals with intention. Through her podcast, Joy shares conversations about leadership and the challenges people face in work and life.

Joy invites listeners who would like to connect with her to book a free conversation at freejoycall.com.

What if becoming a stronger leader isn't about getting everything right—but becoming more honest about where you need to grow?

In this episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Melissa Russell, President of charity: water, for a candid conversation about leading through failure, receiving feedback, and releasing the expectation of perfection.

Melissa explains that leaders have to become comfortable with acknowledging when something hasn't gone as planned. If perfection is the goal, every criticism or mistake can feel crippling. But when leaders accept that they will not always get everything right, they become freer to receive feedback, learn from it, and keep moving forward.

She also challenges a common way of describing organizational culture: "We're not a family. We are a sports team." A healthy team can care deeply for one another, form lasting friendships, and have fun doing difficult work together while still remaining clear about roles, performance, accountability, and what the mission requires.

The conversation becomes deeply personal as Melissa shares about losing her mother and stepfather shortly after stepping into her role at charity: water. At the same time, she was helping her oldest child transition to college. That season brought her to the end of herself and taught her the importance of asking for help, receiving care, and allowing others to carry some of the weight. As she shares, "It's a very vulnerable thing to need help—and to receive it."

Melissa also offers an inside look at working alongside a founder, building trust with an executive team, and creating an organizational culture where people can "say the real thing in the room." She explains why empowerment and accountability must go hand in hand—and why leaders should never hold someone responsible for a goal without giving them the authority and clarity needed to achieve it.

The conversation also explores the global water crisis and its disproportionate impact on women and girls. Melissa shares how access to clean water can transform an entire community—improving health, allowing girls to attend school, strengthening families, and bringing a new sense of peace and hope.

This conversation is ultimately about leading with humility: accepting that you will not always get it right, creating teams where both people and the mission can flourish, and trusting God enough to move forward before you feel completely ready.

In this episode, we get into:

Perfection isn't the goal of leadership. Receive feedback, acknowledge what didn't go well, and keep moving forward.

Your organization is a team—not a family. Healthy teams care for one another while remaining clear about roles, accountability, and what the mission requires.

You can move forward before you feel completely ready. Trust God's prompting, trust what you know, and don't let doubt keep you waiting.

Melissa also shares why leaders need trusted relationships where they can be vulnerable, fully known, and reminded that they are not alone. Those relationships don't simply support us through difficult seasons—they change how we lead, parent, and show up in every part of our lives.

She closes the conversation with a clear challenge for the woman who knows it is time to take a step forward: "You know, you know, you know. So act on it. Don't wait."

4word is excited to welcome Melissa to BOLDLY this October in Dallas, where she will share more about her leadership journey and the life-changing work of charity: water.

Learn more about BOLDLY at 4wordwomen.org/boldly/.

About Melissa Harrison

Melissa Harrison is a journalist, nonprofit leader, and President & CEO of 4word. She is passionate about helping women integrate faith, leadership, and purpose in the workplace. As host of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa brings a storyteller's perspective to honest conversations about work, calling, growth, and the courage to keep moving forward.

Learn more about Melissa: melissaharrison.net

Follow Melissa on LinkedIn and Instagram

About 4word

4word is a global community for Christian women in the workplace, helping women grow in their faith, thrive in their work, and become the women and leaders God created them to be.

Find out more about 4word: https://4wordwomen.org/

Follow 4word on LinkedIn and Instagram