Project Sisterhood

What happens when you've built your identity around a life that suddenly doesn't exist anymore? After losing her husband, Melissa Khan found herself raising two children, leaning on her church community, and trying to understand who she was without the marriage that had shaped so much of her life. In Part 1 of her conversation with Chrissy Cole, Melissa shares the unexpected ways grief surfaced, why she moved away from the people she loved, and how therapy, prayer, and time with Jesus helped her face emotions she didn't even realize she was carrying.

• (00:00) - Introduction and friendship

In this Men of Faith and Project Sisterhood crossover, Caleb and Chrissy Cole sit down with Scott and Karen Hagan to talk about more than four decades of ministry, leadership, marriage, family, burnout, resentment, community, and learning to live with an eternal perspective.

Scott and Karen unpack why serving should come from spiritual overflow instead of anxiety, how resentment can lead to isolation, and why family and healthy relationships cannot become casualties of ministry. Karen also shares what her cancer journey taught her about suffering, healing, prayer, and trusting that God is with us even when He does not answer the way we expected.

They also discuss generational leadership, calling, encouragement, prophetic words, and becoming comfortable with both who God made you to be and who He did not.

• (00:00) - Living With an Eternal Perspective

Friendship, burnout, AI, and sacred work—four very different topics that all have something to say about how we lead and who we are becoming.

Recorded at the E21 Conference, this special Project Sisterhood episode features four focused talks from Caitlin Zick, Stephanie Caine, Thay Feitas, and Stephanie Sposeto. Together, they explore friendship and accountability in leadership, the warning signs of workaholism, how AI may be shaping our spiritual habits, and why marketplace work can carry genuine Kingdom purpose.

Four talks for women who want to lead well, stay rooted in Jesus, and pay attention to what is forming them along the way.

• (00:00) - E21 Conference Introduction

Recorded live at the E21 Women’s Alliance NorCal event, Evie Rodriguez-Aleman sits down with Emma Pleune, Maddie Brown, and Dianna Nepstad for an honest conversation about what it actually takes to raise up the next generation of women.

They talk about spiritual motherhood, finding mentors outside your own age group, why younger women need opportunities to lead before they feel completely ready, and the responsibility older generations have to intentionally pursue and invest in them. The conversation also gets real about marriage, motherhood, ministry, the cost of saying yes to your calling, and why sometimes healing between generations begins with something as simple—and difficult—as an apology.

This is a conversation about making room for one another, giving the next generation real reps, and building relationships across generations that are rooted in honesty, forgiveness, and a shared desire to follow Jesus.

• (00:00) - Project Sisterhood

What does it actually mean to champion women in leadership, not just say that we do? In this Men of Faith and Project Sisterhood crossover, Chrissy Cole sits down with Caleb Cole, Tim Bittle, and Banning Liebscher for an honest conversation about men and women leading together in the church, ministry, and the marketplace. 

They unpack why women often enter leadership without the same years of experience or “reps” that men have been given, and why healthy leaders have to intentionally create opportunities for women to develop, fail, learn, and grow. Tim shares the moment his wife wanted to quit preaching after a difficult message and why he refused to let one failure become her off-ramp from leadership. Caleb challenges leaders to let obedience trump insecurity, trusting God with the results instead of allowing fear or criticism to determine whether they step into their calling.

The conversation also gets into some of the harder tensions surrounding men and women working and being discipled together, healthy boundaries, cross-gender mentorship, equal authority in leadership, and the church culture many Christians are still having to unlearn. Rather than pretending those tensions do not exist, this conversation asks what it looks like to become healthy enough to navigate them while building churches and organizations where both men and women can fully lead.

• (00:00) - Why Male Voices Need to Champion Women

Physical intimacy does not exist separately from the rest of a marriage. In Part 2 of this Men of Faith and Project Sisterhood crossover, Caleb and Chrissy Cole continue their conversation with Jason and Stephanie Caine about scheduling intimacy, emotional disconnection, marriage growth, and the deeper issues that can show up in a couple’s sex life. Caleb shares why he says sex saved their marriage during a difficult season, while the group explores pride, insecurity, therapy, blind spots, withholding affection, receiving feedback, and learning to keep growing together.

• (00:00) - The Red Bow Signal

Marriage can be full of love and still feel lonely. In this Men of Faith and Project Sisterhood crossover, Caleb and Chrissy Cole talk with Jason and Stephanie Caine about getting married quickly, raising twins, surviving the demanding early years of parenting, and learning how to reconnect when marriage starts feeling more like survival. They unpack the importance of community, dating your spouse even when you do not feel like it, naming loneliness and disconnection honestly, and choosing committed love before the feelings catch up.

• (00:00) - Why Marriage Gets Hard After Kids

In this Men of Faith and Project Sisterhood crossover, Caleb and Chrissy Cole join Joel and Kate VanZanten for an honest conversation about marriage, insecurity, spiritual leadership, and becoming one. Drawing from 14 months and nearly 18 years of marriage, they discuss how marriage exposes pride and fear, why passivity and independence weaken unity, and how intentional connection, vulnerability, prayer, and adaptability help couples grow together. They also explore the difference between supporting your spouse and expecting them to become the source of your security, with a clear reminder to take your needs and insecurities to Jesus first.

• (00:00) - The Hard Parts Don’t Outweigh the Good

Following Jesus often becomes uncomfortable when obedience interrupts the life we planned. Chrissy Cole and Kate VanZanten talk about calling beyond titles, the sacrifices involved in saying yes to Jesus, sharing the gospel in everyday life, and keeping Him at the center of marriage, family, work, and ministry.

• (00:00) - When Following Jesus Gets Uncomfortable

The pressure to know what is next can make us create vision, force momentum, or mistake anxiety for faith. Chrissy Cole and Gabby talk about planning without outrunning God, discerning obedience from a step of faith, building prayer rhythms before life gets busy, and choosing God’s presence over performance.

• (00:00) - Discerning Obedience and a Step of Faith