Artificial intelligence is transforming the workplace—and many professionals and organizations are quietly asking one of two questions: Am I going to lose my job? or Is my organization already behind?

In this episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, 4word President & CEO Melissa Harrison talks with Melissa Peak about how women and organizations can navigate AI transformation with wisdom, intentionality, and courage.

Melissa is the Chief Growth Officer at Servant, the Founder and CEO of The CEO Project, and a member of the 4word Advisory Board. Drawing from nearly 30 years of experience leading businesses and large-scale transformation, she explains why fear may be a natural starting point—but cannot become our staying point. In moments of uncertainty, leaders have an opportunity to bring calm, clarity, and direction.

The conversation explores the difference between experimenting with AI as a personal assistant and developing a responsible strategy that creates meaningful value across an organization. Rather than beginning with the latest tool, Melissa encourages leaders to identify the problems they need to solve, define what success looks like, assess their organization's readiness, and establish guidelines that reflect their mission and values.

Melissa also addresses concerns that AI could diminish the human element of work. She challenges leaders to approach AI with a different goal: use technology to handle repetitive tasks so people have greater capacity for relationships, creativity, mentorship, discernment, and the meaningful connection only humans can provide.

The conversation also introduces an exciting new year-long partnership between 4word and Servant. As 4word's AI transformation partner, Servant will help equip women at every stage of their careers to engage with AI thoughtfully, responsibly, and confidently through workshops, thought leadership, digital content, and experiences at BOLDLY and the 2027 Executive Women's Forum.

And in the final part of the conversation, Melissa shares a personal leadership lesson that changed the way she approaches work: God did not create us to be "human doings." He created us to be human beings. She reflects on boundaries, burnout, stewardship, and learning to trust God when the work is not finished—but the workday is.

Fear can be a starting point—but not a staying point. Lead with calm and clarity through change.

Start with the problem, not the tool. Define what you're solving before adopting AI.

Let AI free people to do what only humans can do. Create more capacity for human creativity, relationships, and discernment.

• How to assess your personal and organizational readiness for AI

• Moving from AI experimentation to an intentional business strategy

• Why organizations need clear guidelines for acceptable AI use

• The risks of telling employees to avoid AI altogether

• Identifying the right problems for AI to help solve

• Protecting human dignity and strengthening relationships at work

• Why Christians need to participate in conversations about AI

• How AI fluency can become a career accelerator

• FaithBase and its role in helping faith-driven organizations use AI

• Setting healthier boundaries as a high-achieving leader

• The new year-long partnership between Servant and 4word

Melissa Peak is the Chief Growth Officer at Servant, the Founder and CEO of The CEO Project, and a member of the 4word Advisory Board. She brings nearly 30 years of experience leading organizations, teams, and P&Ls ranging from thousands to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Before joining Servant, Melissa served at Amazon Web Services, where she led sales and delivery for some of AWS's largest Fortune 100 and enterprise customers. Throughout her career, she has helped organizations navigate transformation, accelerate growth, develop leaders, and align business strategy with meaningful human impact.

Melissa is passionate about equipping leaders and organizations to use technology thoughtfully while protecting human dignity, strengthening relationships, and creating opportunities for people to flourish.

Learn more about Melissa on LinkedIn

Learn more about Melissa's work at Servant

Servant is a management and technology consultancy that helps faith-driven organizations amplify their missions through strategy, technology, AI transformation, and digital experiences.

As 4word's AI transformation partner, Servant will provide thought leadership, workshops, digital content, and learning opportunities designed to help women and organizations move from uncertainty and experimentation to responsible, strategic AI adoption.

Learn more about Servant and explore FaithBase AI

Follow Servant on LinkedIn and Instagram

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

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

Many women work hard, deliver results, and assume their work will eventually speak for itself. But as Dr. Merary Cruz Simeon shares in this episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, that is not always reality.

In this conversation, 4word President & CEO Melissa Harrison talks with Merary about finding your voice at work, advocating for yourself with confidence and humility, and learning to use your influence with wisdom and discernment.

Drawing from her own journey—from growing up in a Puerto Rican family and becoming a first-generation college student to serving in senior leadership roles inside major global organizations—Merary reflects on the moments that taught her to ask for opportunities, name her accomplishments, and stop assuming that hard work alone would move her career forward.

She also challenges women to use their voices with discernment. Unmuting your voice is not about speaking up about everything. It is about understanding where your voice can make a difference, paying attention to God's nudge, and being willing to speak when the moment matters.

The conversation goes deeper into the inner work behind healthy leadership as well. Merary explains why healing matters if we want to fully activate the gifts God has given us and why ambition itself is not the enemy—the deeper question is what we are working out of.

And ultimately, stepping into your voice is not only about advancing yourself. Merary encourages women to use their influence to advocate for others, create opportunities, share what they have learned, and help someone else move forward.

Your work won't always speak for itself. Have the courage to advocate for what you bring.

Use your voice with wisdom and discernment. Listen for God's nudge before you speak.

Your voice can help others move forward. Influence isn't only about advancing yourself.

• Finding your voice and advocating for yourself at work

• Why speaking about your accomplishments is not the same as bragging

• The role of healing in leadership and personal growth

• How to know when your voice can make a difference

• Ambition, achievement, and what is driving you

• Using influence to advocate for other women

• Living out your faith in the workplace

• Staying open to where God may be leading you next

Dr. Merary Cruz Simeon is an executive, author, speaker, and leadership strategist with decades of experience leading within major global organizations. She is passionate about helping women recognize their potential, use their voices, and step into positions of influence while remaining grounded in purpose and faith.

She is the author of H.E.R.A.C.T.: Activate Your Potential and is known for her work around leadership, healing, sponsorship, multicultural women, faith in the workplace, and creating opportunities for others.

🔗 Learn more about Merary: HERE

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

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 burnout is not only about how much you are doing, but also about the fears, expectations, and beliefs driving you?

On today's episode of Moving Forward, Melissa Harrison talks with author, speaker, and leadership coach Jo Saxton about becoming an unburdened leader. Jo explains why meaningful rest requires more than taking an occasional break. It begins by examining the internal messages, external pressures, and responsibilities shaping how you work, lead, and spend your time.

Jo also shares practical ways to audit your life, identify what only you can do, and release responsibilities that do not need to remain yours. She encourages women to protect the relationships, creativity, rest, and joy that restore them rather than treating those things as optional.

Their conversation also explores what Scripture says about women as image bearers and leaders. Jo challenges Christian women to stop minimizing their God-given gifts, find communities that celebrate rather than merely tolerate them, and approach the workplace as an important part of their calling.

What You'll Learn

• How internal beliefs and external pressures contribute to burnout

• Why rest and identity are closely connected

• How to audit your responsibilities and decide what to release

• Why life-giving relationships, creativity, and joy are essential for leaders

• What it means for women to lead as image bearers of God

• How to stop minimizing your leadership gifts and expertise

• Why Christian women need communities that see, support, and challenge them

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

What if powerful women were never meant to compete with one another, but to become each other's greatest collaborators and allies?

In the first episode of Moving Forward, Melissa Harrison talks with entrepreneur, author, and speaker Liz Bohannon about faith, business, leadership, loneliness, and the power of community. Liz shares how moving to Uganda changed her view of entrepreneurship and eventually led her to build Sseko Designs and merge with Noonday Collection.

Liz also challenges the belief that two ambitious women cannot succeed together. She explains how honesty, reconciliation, and intentional relationship-building helped turn a business partnership into a meaningful friendship.

The conversation is a reminder that purpose is often built through curiosity, obedience, and the courage to take the next faithful step. It also shows why Christian women were never meant to pursue leadership, calling, or meaningful work alone.

What You'll Learn:

• How Liz's time in Uganda reshaped her view of business

• Why ambitious women should form alliances instead of fearing competition

• How transparency and reconciliation strengthen partnerships

• Why leadership often creates loneliness

• The difference between consuming community and co-creating it

• How rhythms and rituals can support deeper relationships

• Why peer support is essential for healthy leaders

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

The Work, Love, Pray podcast is now Moving Forward.

Hosted by Melissa Harrison, President and CEO of 4word, Moving Forward features honest conversations with remarkable women navigating faith, work, leadership, relationships, career transitions, and calling.

Each episode explores the decisions that shape us, the setbacks that refine us, and the courageous steps that lead toward greater purpose and impact. You'll hear practical wisdom and faith-filled encouragement for becoming the woman and leader God created you to be. Even when you do not have everything figured out.

Because Christian women can change the workplace and the world when they are connected, supported, and equipped to live out their faith and calling with confidence.

Follow Moving Forward and join us as we move forward together with faith, courage, and purpose.

To kick off Season 6 of Work, Love, Pray, we are bringing you some exciting revamps. First new addition: a co-host! Host Jordan Johnstone welcomes her new co-host Jane Doerman to Work, Love, Pray, and together, they discuss the upcoming changes for the podcast in 2025. For the whole year, Work, Love, Pray will be focused on the theme of unity, tying into the merger of Polished and 4word.

In this episode, Jordan and Jane share personal stories, including unique life experiences and unusual jobs, while also reflecting on valuable life advice and the importance of being mindful in daily interactions. The conversation wraps up with a light-hearted round of deep dive questions, showcasing their personalities and shared experiences. We hope you'll join us for an exciting Season 6!

In this episode, host Jordan Johnstone speaks with Sharon Beach, a remarkable individual whose life story exemplifies resilience. Sharon shares her harrowing experience of being kidnapped and the strength she found in her faith to escape and recover. In this conversation, Sharon shares her profound journey of healing and resilience following her traumatic experiences. She emphasizes the importance of forgiveness, the role of faith in overcoming obstacles, and the significance of surrounding oneself with supportive people.

• Resiliency is defined as embracing God's promise for our lives.
• Childhood challenges can shape our ability to be resilient.
• Community plays a crucial role in personal growth and support.
• Resiliency is a mindset that can be cultivated throughout life.
• Planning and mental strength are key in overcoming trauma.
• Living well is a powerful form of revenge against adversity.
• Faith can guide us through the darkest times.
• The journey of healing can take time but is achievable.
• Sharing our stories can help others find strength. Forgiveness can be a powerful release from burdens.
• God's presence can carry us through difficult times.
• Resilience often comes from a blend of faith and personality.
• Sharing one's story can help others find healing.
• Surrounding yourself with supportive people is crucial.
• It's important to take life one day at a time.
• God's timing is essential in our journeys.
• Emotional struggles are common for victims of trauma.
• Encouragement can come from scripture and faith.
• Helping one person can fulfill a greater purpose.

In this episode, guest Reagan Cannon and host Jordan Johnstone discuss the importance of feedback in professional growth and how to give and receive feedback effectively. Reagan emphasizes the role of trust in feedback, and addresses the challenges that women face in giving and receiving feedback. Reagan and Jordan also explore the Christian approach to feedback and the importance of teaching and setting clear expectations.

• Feedback is crucial for professional growth and should be given and received regularly.
• Trust plays a significant role in the effectiveness of feedback.
• Women face unique challenges in giving and receiving feedback due to societal expectations.
• The Christian approach to feedback involves teaching, setting clear expectations, and giving feedback with love and empathy.

In this episode, Melissa Harrison, Executive Director of 4word, and Catherine Gates, Executive Director of Polished Network, share their initial reactions to the decision to merge organizations, the vision for unity, and the importance of collaboration in serving Christian women in the workplace. The conversation also highlights the Taste of 4word Roadshow and the excitement surrounding the changes expected in 2025, emphasizing the commitment to support and empower even more Christian women in the workplace through this merger.

In this episode, Heidi Rasmussen, 4word board chair and president, and Sheila Walls, Polished Network board president, discuss the origin of the merger between 4word and Polished Network. They share their personal journeys into leadership, the divine calling that led to the merger, and the importance of empowering women in the workplace. The conversation highlights the unity and collaboration between the two organizations, emphasizing the positive impact we aim to have on Christian women in the workplace.