Moving Forward

In this episode, Diane Paddison and Melissa Harrison discuss their journey of meeting and working together to address the issue of loneliness among women leaders. They share their personal experiences of loneliness in their respective roles, and Diane shares how it led her to start 4word, a ministry that provides community and support for women leaders. Diane announces her transition to the founder role of 4word and introduces Melissa as our new executive director. They discuss the growth of 4word and their excitement for the future of the ministry.

Key Takeaways

• Loneliness is a common struggle among women leaders, especially those in senior executive roles.
• Community and support are essential for combating loneliness and providing a safe space for women leaders to share their experiences.
• 4word has experienced significant growth and impact, reaching millions of women and providing resources and programs to support their leadership journeys.
• Diane's transition to the founder role and Melissa's appointment as the new executive director mark an exciting new season for 4word, with a focus on expanding its reach and continuing to serve women leaders.

Beginning this month's discussion on loneliness is someone who has become a huge voice for speaking on it. Liz Forkin Bohannon, founder of Sseko Designs and the author of Beginner's Pluck, is a dear friend of 4word and we love her because she is fearless, empathetic, and not afraid to get in the trenches on things she is passionate about. And what she is most passionate about these days is dissolving the stigma around loneliness and getting all of us very comfortable with identifying and resolving loneliness in our lives.

• Watch "You Are Not Alone in Feeling Alone"
• Sign up for Liz's newsletter to download her FREE reflective listening

Continuing the conversation on grounded leadership is Linda Valdez Thompson. Linda is an accomplished executive with extensive experience in leading global private and public sector organizations. After a 20+ year successful career at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport as an executive vice president and at Fortune 500 companies such as Levi Strauss, Baxter, and Hasbro, Linda consults with clients in the areas of Leadership Development & Training, Human Resources, and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Linda is also a 4word Board member and a Certified Strengths Coach from Gallup. She is passionate about helping people not just find their strengths but also put them to use individually and combined with the strengths of those around them.

As Christians, we know the Bible is God's Word, meant to be a guide, a comforter, and a motivator as we each follow the path God has laid before us. But what might be of interest to you as you think about moving forward in your career, is that the Bible also talks extensively about business and offers insights for leaders at any place in their professional journey.

In this episode, you will hear from Nicholas Leone, founder of Business Bible, and 4word founder, Diane Paddison. They discuss how faith integrated into business can produce miraculous results, and share about the exclusive 4word edition of Business Bible.

In this episode, Dr. Nicole Martin walks us through her final two aspects of her personal meaning of Christmas, and both Nicole and host, Jordan Johnstone, share why they think Christ coming as a baby and not as a full-grown adult holds significance for all Christians.

To wrap up the 2023 season of Work, Love, Pray, we wanted to bring back one of our favorite guests to speak about Christmas and what it means to her. Dr. Nicole Martin, Chief Impact Officer at Christianity Today, is one of our favorite people to share with our 4word community! We have never had an interaction with her in which we did not feel God speaking through her to us with the exact words and encouragement we needed most in that time.

In this episode, Nicole talks about three things that make up her personal definition of Christmas and what the holiday season means to her.

In this episode, 4word founder, Diane Paddison, and 4word's Director of Programs, Marion Medina, speak on how your gratitude can actually transform the lives of others. Diane and Marion also share what gratitude means to both of them and what they are especially grateful for at 4word this year.

To begin this month's conversation centered around gratitude, Marisa Fienup, 4word advisory board member and Senior Director of Product Management for Tandem Diabetes, joins host, Jordan Johnstone, to share why gratitude is something she is very mindful to dedicate time to each day. Marisa also shares a list of 4 ways gratitude can transform every area of your life.

In this episode, Kay Lynn Mayhue, President of Merit, and host, Jordan Johnstone, talk about why financial planning can be an uncomfortable process, which can also lead to some mistakes or missteps when approaching your finances as a professional woman. Kay Lynn also shares her financial planning top win and biggest mistake, and offers advice on how to start financial planning, no matter where you are in life.

To help you as you wrap up this year and plan for the next one, we are dedicating the month of October to talking about financial planning—what it looks like, how you do it, and why it's so important. Join host Jordan Johnstone as she interviews Kay Lynn Mayhue, President of Merit, which manages over 5 billion in RIA and Brokerage assets under management. Kay Lynn is passionate about helping people take their careers – and themselves – to exceptional levels, which is exactly what we hope you are able to do with the resources that 4word provides this month!