She Leads with Intention

By Kristen IvanovReligion & Spirituality Christianity Education Self-Improvement

She Leads with Intention episodes

September 07 Rest & Sleep- You Cannot Afford to Skip This!
Episode 23 — Rest and Sleep: You Cannot Afford to Skip This
Ask any woman how she is really doing. Somewhere in her answer you will find the words...I am tired.
In this deeply personal and practical episode, Kristen makes a passionate case for one of the most underrated tools available to any ambitious woman: genuine rest and quality sleep. She shares her own years-long struggle with sleep, what finally shifted, and why she now protects her rest more intentionally than almost anything else in her daily life.
This is not a light topic. Kristen goes deep into the science, the Scripture, the Sabbath principle, and ten practical practices you can begin implementing tonight.
In this episode you will discover:
Why ambitious women are some of the worst resters on the planet, and why that needs to change
Kristen’s personal story of years of struggling with sleep and what finally shifted
What actually happens in your brain and body while you sleep
How sleep deprivation impairs decision making similarly to legal intoxication
What chronic sleep deprivation does to your emotional regulation, physical health, hormones, and presence
Why seven to nine hours per night is the actual requirement for optimal function
What Matthew 11:28, Psalm 127:2, Proverbs 3:24, and Mark 6:31 say about rest
The story of Elijah, God’s response to his exhaustion was a snack and a nap
Why the Fourth Commandment begins with the word Remember, and what that tells us
The case for one full day of Sabbath rest per week
Why resting one day per week actually produces more in the other six
Ten practical tools for protecting your sleep starting tonight
Ten Practices for Protecting Your Sleep:
Stay on a consistent schedule, same bedtime and wake time every day including weekends
Create a wind-down routine, screens away, lights dimmed, amber bulbs or blue light blockers
Keep your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet, your body needs these conditions to sleep well
Put your phone away before bed, charge it outside your bedroom if possible
Watch your caffeine intake, caffeine has a five to seven hour half life
Move your body during the day, even a thirty minute walk improves sleep quality
Manage what you carry into the night, pray, journal, brain dump, pray, and hand it to God
Be intentional about alcohol, it disrupts deep sleep even when it feels like it helps
Get morning light, outside without glasses within thirty minutes of waking
Protect your rest as non-negotiable, everything benefits when you are genuinely rested
Scriptures referenced in this episode (Amplified Bible):
Matthew 11:28-29 — Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.
Psalm 127:2 — He gives rest to His beloved.
Proverbs 3:24 — When you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Mark 6:31 — Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.
Exodus 20:8-10 — Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.
Also referenced in this episode:
The story of Elijah — 1 Kings 19
Episode 12 — Emotional Resilience (the natural light and walk connection)
Mentioned in this episode:
Private 1:1 Coaching with Kristen — [email protected]
Connect with Kristen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Visit kristenivanov.com
Did this episode encourage you?
Share it with a woman in your life who needs permission to rest. And if you are enjoying She Leads with Intention, a review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find this show. Thank you so much for being here.
Choose Brave. Lead with Intention.
28 min
August 31 Boundaries: Protecting Yourself Without Guilt!
Episode 22 — Boundaries: Protecting Yourself Without Guilt
Boundaries are one of those topics that most women know they need, but may not feel truly confident doing. In this warm and practical episode, Kristen shares her own personal journey of learning boundaries, and the moment that changed everything.
The most important reframe in this episode: a boundary is not about controlling another person. It is about protecting yourself. It is about letting someone know what you are okay with, how you expect to be treated.
This episode is practical and personal, anchored in Scripture, and closes with four real-life scripts you can use immediately.
In this episode you will discover:
Kristen’s personal journey of learning boundaries from scratch as an adult
The most important reframe: boundaries protect you, they do not control others
The difference between a boundary and a wall
Why setting a boundary is an act of self-respect and not selfishness
What Proverbs 4:23 (Amplified) says about watching over your heart with all diligence
What Matthew 5:37 says about letting your yes be yes and your no be no
How Jesus himself modeled healthy boundaries throughout his ministry
Four real-life situations with actual scripts you can use today
Why you do not need the other person’s permission or agreement for your boundary to be valid
Why it gets easier with practice and why that is worth starting today
Four Practical Boundary Scripts:
With a friend who oversteps — addressing broken confidence and unsolicited advice with warmth and clarity
With a family member who crosses a line — setting a standard with love and following through
In a work situation — protecting your time outside of work hours professionally and without apology
With someone who disrespects your time — addressing chronic lateness and cancellations with grace and self-respect
Scriptures referenced in this episode (Amplified Bible):
Proverbs 4:23 — Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
Matthew 5:37 — Let your yes be yes and your no be no.
Mentioned in this episode:
Private 1:1 Coaching with Kristen — [email protected]
Connect with Kristen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Visit kristenivanov.com
It will feel uncomfortable at first. Do it anyway. You are worth protecting.
Did this episode help you?
Share it with a woman in your life who needs permission to protect herself. And if you are enjoying She Leads with Intention, consider leading a review. It helps more women find this show. Thank you so much for being here.
Choose Brave. Lead with Intention.
17 min
August 24 Being Trustworthy
Episode 21 — Being Trustworthy: The Foundation of Everything You Are Building
Fair warning — this episode may step on your toes a little. But stay with Kristen. It is a good one.
Trustworthiness is one of those qualities most of us believe we already have. And yet when we look honestly across four specific areas, our relationship with God, with ourselves, with others, and in our leadership, most of us find there is genuine room to grow.
In this warm and personally honest episode, Kristen Ivanov walks through each area with conviction and grace. She includes herself in this conversation too, making this an invitation rather than a lecture. This is the kind of episode that asks you some questions you may not have been asking yourself.
In this episode you will discover:
What trustworthiness actually is, and why it is more comprehensive than most of us realize
Why integrity is not just a moral virtue but a navigational tool that guides every area of your life
What it means to be trustworthy to God, faithful in the small things, honest in His presence, obedient even when it costs you something
What Luke 16:10 reveals about how God determines who He can entrust with more
What Psalm 15 says about keeping your word even to your own disadvantage
Why being trustworthy to yourself is the most overlooked area and what it costs when you are not
How consistently breaking promises to yourself quietly erodes confidence and self-trust over time
What Proverbs 11:13 says about being a genuinely safe place for the hearts and stories of others
The honest leadership questions about what you model and what you allow in the culture around you
Why the world needs more trustworthy women.
Four Areas of Trustworthiness:
Trustworthy to God, faithful in the unseen small things, honest in His presence, following through on what He has called you to even when it costs you
Trustworthy to yourself, keeping your own commitments, honoring your non-negotiables, living in alignment between your inner world and your outer one
Trustworthy to others, keeping your word, being a safe place for what is shared in confidence, honoring people in their absence, showing up consistently
Trustworthy in leadership, steady and consistent, following through, speaking hard truths with love, modeling what you ask of others
Scriptures referenced in this episode (Amplified Bible):
Proverbs 11:3 — The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
Luke 16:10 — He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much. And he who is dishonest in a very little thing is also dishonest in much.
Psalm 15 — O Lord, who may lodge as a guest in Your tent? Who may dwell continually on Your holy hill? He who walks with integrity and strength of character, and works righteousness, and speaks and holds truth in his heart. He keeps his word even to his own disadvantage and does not change it for his own benefit.
Proverbs 11:13 — He who goes about as a gossip reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy and faithful keeps a matter hidden.
Mentioned in this episode:
Private 1:1 Coaching with Kristen — [email protected]
Connect with Kristen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Visit kristenivanov.com
Your action step from this episode:
Sit with the four areas this week. Where is your trustworthiness strongest? And where is there the most room to grow? Start there. Not with shame, but sith intention and grace.
Did this episode challenge you?
Share it with a woman in your life who is ready to grow in this area. And if you are enjoying She Leads with Intention, a review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find this show. Thank you so much for being here.
Choose Brave. Lead with Intention.
20 min
August 20 Calendar Blocking: Your Time Reflects Your Values
Episode 20 — Calendar Blocking: Your Time Reflects Your Values
Life happens. Seasons get busy. Calendars fall apart. And there is absolutely no shame in that.
But every once in a while it is worth pausing, looking honestly at where your time is actually going, and doing a gentle reset. In this practical and grace-filled episode, Kristen invites you into exactly that, a 30-day calendar reset that starts with honesty and ends with more peace, more accomplishment, and more presence than you have felt in a long time.
This episode also makes a distinction worth sitting with: your calendar is not just a scheduling tool. It is a values statement. And when you look at it honestly, it tells you what you are actually saying yes to, which may or may not match what you say matters most.
In this episode you will discover:
Why how you spend your time is one of the most honest reflections of what you actually value
The gap that most ambitious women find between their stated values and their actual calendar
What Ephesians 5:15-16 (Amplified) says about making the most of every opportunity
Why Psalm 90:12 calls numbering our days a path to wisdom
Why time stewardship is a spiritual practice not just a productivity strategy
How cutting distractions during focused work blocks can help you get more done in less time
A simple filter for evaluating every commitment and saying a gracious no when needed
The five-step 30-Day Calendar Challenge including color-blocking, non-negotiables, and scheduling rest first
How to request Kristen’s personal weekly time-blocking template
The 30-Day Calendar Challenge — Five Steps:
Step 1: Audit where your time is actually going — look honestly at the last two weeks without judgment
Step 2: Map the next 30 days with intention — block non-negotiables first including rest, health, God time, relationships, and focused work
Step 3: Add your yeses intentionally — run each commitment through the values filter before saying yes
Step 4: Schedule rest as a non-negotiable — rest is a leadership strategy not a reward for when everything else is done
Step 5: Protect your focus blocks fiercely — phone away, notifications off, one thing at a time
Want Kristen’s personal time-blocking template?
Email [email protected] and ask for the weekly time-blocking calendar. It shows every half hour from 6am to 9pm and is perfect for color-coding your time blocks.
Scriptures referenced in this episode:
Ephesians 5:15-16 (Amplified) — Therefore see that you walk carefully, not as the unwise, but as wise, making the very most of your time, buying up each opportunity, because the days are evil.
Psalm 90:12 — Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Mentioned in this episode:
Free weekly time-blocking template — email [email protected] to request
Private 1:1 Coaching with Kristen — [email protected]
Connect with Kristen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Visit kristenivanov.com
Your action step from this episode:
Start the 30-Day Calendar Challenge today. Audit the last two weeks. Map the next 30 days. Block your non-negotiables first. Say intentional yeses and gracious nos. Protect your focus. And schedule your rest like the leadership strategy it is. Thirty days. Finish the year strong.
Did this episode help you?
Share it with a woman in your life who needs a practical reset on her calendar. And if you are enjoying She Leads with Intention, a review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find this show. Thank you so much for being here.
Choose Brave. Lead with Intention.
21 min
August 17 Is Complaing Blocking Your Blessings?
Episode 19 — Is Complaining Blocking Your Blessings?
This episode might get a little uncomfortable. And everything in it comes from a place of love and genuine desire for your growth.
The honest answer for most of us, if we are truly willing to look, is that complaining may be blocking more than we realize. In this longer and deeply layered episode, Kristen addresses complaining honestly and directly across four dimensions: what it actually is, what it does to your brain and your faith, what Scripture says about it, and the leadership responsibility of what you model and what you allow around you.
This episode also makes the important distinction between seeking wise counsel, which is healthy and necessary, and chronic complaining, which is a habit that keeps you exactly where you are. And it introduces the gut check, when that twinge comes, that is conviction from the Holy Spirit. Honor it.
In this episode you will discover:
The critical distinction between seeking wise counsel and complaining
How to identify which one you are doing using one honest question
Why the gut check twinge is the Holy Spirit's conviction and how to honor it
How chronic complaining rewires the brain toward negativity, the opposite of the gratitude episode (Episode 16)
Why complaining is a declaration of what you believe and how it affects what you can receive
What Proverbs 18:21 says about the life and death power of the tongue
Why the Israelites’ eleven-day journey took forty years and what that means for you
What Philippians 2:14-15 promises to the woman who does life without grumbling
What Galatians 6:7 says about sowing and reaping in every area of life
Two honest leadership questions about what you model and what you allow
A gentle and loving redirection script for when conversations cross into complaining
The seven-day Complaint Fast, five practical steps to begin rewiring the habit
The Seven-Day Complaint Fast — Five Steps:
Step 1: Notice — pay attention to how often the impulse to complain arises without judgment
Step 2: Pause at the twinge — when the Holy Spirit says not this, stop and choose what comes next
Step 3: Redirect — replace the complaint with something true and forward-facing
Step 4: Examine what you allow — practice gently redirecting complaining conversations around you
Step 5: Replace with gratitude and declaration — every redirected complaint becomes a seed of life instead
Scriptures referenced in this episode:
Proverbs 18:21 — Life and death are in the power of the tongue and those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.
Philippians 2:14-15 — Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.
Galatians 6:7 — Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows that shall he also reap.
Proverbs 11:14 — There is wisdom in a multitude of counselors.
Also referenced in this episode:
Episode 16 — Gratitude as a Spiritual Practice (the neuroplasticity connection)
Mentioned in this episode:
Private 1:1 Coaching with Kristen — [email protected]
Connect with Kristen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Visit kristenivanov.com
Your action step from this episode:
Begin the seven-day Complaint Fast today. Notice. Pause at the twinge. Redirect. Examine what you allow. Replace with gratitude and declaration. Seven days. Watch what shifts.
Did this episode challenge you?
Share it with a woman in your life who is ready to level up in this area. And if you are enjoying She Leads with Intention, a review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find this show. Thank you so much for being here.
Choose Brave. Lead with Intention.
28 min
August 13 Waiting Seasons: How to Wait Well!
Episode 18 — Waiting Seasons: How to Wait Well
You have prayed. You have shown up faithfully. You have done the work. And the breakthrough, the answer, the thing you have been believing for, is nowhere to be found. Just crickets.
In this deeply personal and honest episode, Kristen speaks directly to the woman in the middle of a hard waiting season. Not from a place of having it all figured out — but from the middle of the waiting herself. With real vulnerability, genuine faith, and five practical tools for waiting well.
This episode also makes an important distinction: some waiting seasons are the result of correction or consequence, and if you feel conviction about something specific, that is worth addressing. But the waiting seasons Kristen focuses on here are the ones where you are doing everything right and God seems quiet. Those seasons are not punishment. They are preparation.
In this episode you will discover:
The important distinction between waiting seasons that are corrections and waiting seasons that are preparation
Scripture’s greatest waiting stories, Joseph, Abraham and Sarah, David, Hannah, reveal about what God is doing in your waiting
Five things your waiting season is producing in you when you navigate it well
What Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 27:14, and Lamentations 3:25 say about God’s faithfulness in the waiting
Why the Lord is described as good right now, even in the middle of the not yet
Five practical ways to wait well, including staying close to God, guarding your mouth, pursuing excellence in what is in front of you, finding community, and remembering His past faithfulness
A reference to Episode 10 on Praying God’s Word Over Your Life as a companion practice
A personal prayer spoken directly over every woman listening
Five things your waiting season is producing:
Genuine faith — the deep, tested kind that learns to trust God when it cannot trace Him
Character — patience, perseverance, and the ability to stay faithful under pressure
Clarity — the waiting refines what you truly desire and aligns your will more deeply with His
Compassion — your waiting equips you to walk alongside others in theirs
Testimony — the story of how you waited and what God did becomes one of the most powerful things you carry
Five ways to wait well:
Stay close to God, press in rather than pulling back. Daily Word, worship, prayer, and communion
Stay faithful and excellent in what is in front of you, Joseph was faithful in the prison before the palace
Guard your mouth, speak faith not defeat. Read scripture over your life daily
Find community, do not isolate. Find at least one trusted woman who will pray with you and refuse to let you quit
Remember what He has already done, gratitude for past faithfulness builds faith for present waiting
Scriptures referenced in this episode:
Isaiah 40:31 — Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.
Psalm 27:14 — Wait for the Lord. Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Lamentations 3:25 — The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him.
Also mentioned in this episode:
Episode 10 — Praying God’s Word Over Your Life
Private 1:1 Coaching with Kristen — [email protected]
Connect with Kristen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Visit kristenivanov.com
Did this episode encourage you?
Share it with a woman in your life who is in a hard waiting season. And if you are enjoying She Leads with Intention, a review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find this show. Thank you so much for being here.
Choose Brave. Lead with Intention.
24 min
August 10 Taking Responsibility, It's Empowering!
Episode 17 — Taking Responsibility: The Most Empowering Decision You Will Ever Make
Taking responsibility is not about blame or shame. And, it is not about beating yourself up for anything that has already happened.
In this episode Kristen reframes personal responsibility as one of the most freeing and empowering decisions a woman can make. Because when you take genuine ownership of who you are, where you are, and what you are going to do next, you reclaim the agency that was always yours.
This conversation is for the woman who has been waiting for circumstances to change or waiting for someone else to go first. This episode will challenge you to stop waiting and start deciding. Because the life you want does not happen through waiting on someone else. It happens through you choosing.
In this episode you will discover:
The critical difference between blame and genuine personal responsibility
Why taking responsibility is forward facing and produces power rather than shame
What it means to take full ownership of your healing and your inner work
Four specific things that become available when you take full ownership of your life
What Galatians 6:4-5 says about carrying your own load and the freedom that brings
Why Proverbs 4:23 calls guarding your heart an active daily responsibility
What James 1:22 says about the difference between hearing the Word and actually doing it
Why the gap between where you are and where you want to be is likely a responsibility problem not a resource problem
Three honest ownership questions to help you identify where to begin
You stop letting life dictate your decisions and start directing your own life
Emotional ownership produces the maturity that transforms how you show up
Women who move consistently produce different results than women who wait
Confidence is built through the consistent act of showing up for yourself and following through
Partnering with God rather than passively waiting for Him to move without you
Your Three Ownership Questions:
Where in my life have I been waiting for someone or something outside of myself to change before I allow my life to change?
What belief or pattern have I been holding that has contributed to where I am right now?
What is one decision I can make today that reflects full ownership of my life and my future?
Scriptures referenced in this episode:
Galatians 6:4-5 (Amplified) — Each one must carefully scrutinize his own work, examining his actions, attitudes, and behavior, and then he can have the personal satisfaction and inner joy of doing something commendable without comparing himself to another.
Proverbs 4:23 (Amplified) — Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.
James 1:22 (Amplified) — But prove yourselves doers of the word, actively and continually obeying God’s precepts, and not merely listeners who hear the word but fail to internalize it.
2 Peter 1:3 (Amplified) — For His divine power has bestowed on us absolutely everything necessary for a dynamic spiritual life and godliness through true and personal knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
Mentioned in this episode:
Private 1:1 Coaching with Kristen — [email protected]
Connect with Kristen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Visit kristenivanov.com
Your action step from this episode:
Work through the three ownership questions this week. Write your answers honestly. Then make one clear decision that says you are no longer waiting. You are choosing. You are moving. Starting today.
Did this episode challenge you?
Share it with a woman in your life who is ready for her next level. And if you are enjoying She Leads with Intention, a review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find this show. Thank you so much for being here.
Choose Brave. Lead with Intention.
16 min
August 06 Gratitude & How It Can Rewire Your Brain!
Episode 16 — Gratitude as a Spiritual Practice: How Thankfulness Rewires Your Brain and Your Faith
You have probably heard that keeping a gratitude list is a good practice. And it is. But in this episode Kristen takes gratitude somewhere deeper, into the difference between listing and truly receiving, the neuroscience behind how genuine thankfulness rewires the brain, and the profound faith dimension of giving thanks not just when life is good but in the middle of the hard things too.
Kristen also shares something deeply personal in this episode, a real and moving example of what it looks like when gratitude moves beyond a list and lands fully in the heart. It is one of the most genuine moments she has shared on the podcast.
In this episode you will discover:
The profound difference between listing things you are grateful for and truly receiving them
What neuroplasticity is and how consistent gratitude literally rewires the brain over time
Why regular gratitude is associated with increased positive emotions, greater compassion, stronger immune function, and deeper resilience
How science has caught up to what Scripture has been saying for thousands of years
What 1 Thessalonians 5:18 means when it says give thanks in ALL circumstances
The critical distinction between being grateful FOR hard things versus grateful IN them
Why gratitude and grief are not opposites and how they can coexist as an AND
How gratitude is part of the pathway to the peace described in Philippians 4:6-7
A three-step gratitude practice that moves from listing to genuine receiving
Your Three-Step Gratitude Practice:
Step 1: Choose one thing, not five, not ten, just one, and sit with it for two full minutes. Feel what it would mean to not have it. Let the weight of it land in your heart not just your mind.
Step 2: Talk to God about it specifically, a real conversation not a general thank you. And if it is a person, consider telling them directly.
Step 3: Find the AND in a hard thing, what goodness exists IN this difficult season even while the difficulty is real? Name it. Not to minimize the hard but to refuse to let it be the only thing.
Scriptures referenced in this episode:
1 Thessalonians 5:18 — Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 — Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Mentioned in this episode:
Private 1:1 Coaching with Kristen — [email protected]
Connect with Kristen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Visit kristenivanov.com
Your action step from this episode:
Practice the three steps this week. Choose one thing. Receive it. Talk to God about it specifically. And find the AND in something hard. Give thanks in all circumstances. Not because everything is good. But because God is good. In all of it. Always.
Did this episode move you?
Share it with a woman in your life who needs a deeper gratitude practice. And if you are enjoying She Leads with Intention, a review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find this show. Thank you so much for being here.
Choose Brave. Lead with Intention.
15 min
August 03 The Power of Play
Episode 15 — The Power of Play: Giving Yourself Permission to Have Fun
You are really good at working. Really good at serving. Really good at showing up for everyone around you and getting things done.
But when did you last do something purely because it was fun?
In this lighter and life-giving episode, Kristen makes a compelling and science-backed case for why play is not frivolous, it is essential to your health, your creativity, your relationships, and your ability to lead well. She also brings faith into the conversation in a way that will make you laugh and think at the same time.
Joy is mentioned over 300 times in Scripture. A cheerful heart is called good medicine. And you were not created to endure your life. You were created to live it.
In this episode you will discover:
Why ambitious women lose play without realizing it and why it matters
The real science behind what play does to your body and brain
What Dr. Stuart Brown of the National Institute for Play says about why play is a biological necessity
How play reduces cortisol, releases dopamine and endorphins, and improves cardiovascular health
Why joy appears over 300 times in Scripture and what that tells us
What Proverbs 17:22 and Nehemiah 8:10 say about the spiritual necessity of a cheerful heart
Why Jesus himself modeled celebration, laughter, and joy throughout the Gospels
Two honest reflection questions to help you identify where your joy lives
Four practical invitations for reclaiming play this week
What play and laughter actually do to your body and brain:
Reduce cortisol, the primary stress hormone
Activate the brain’s reward system releasing dopamine which improves mood, motivation, and focus
Trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals
Improve cardiovascular health and lower blood pressure
Expand creativity and produce clearer thinking and better problem solving
Deepen relationships through shared laughter and genuine presence
Replenish energy reserves that routine depletes
Your two reflection questions:
What used to bring you genuine joy that you have stopped making time for?
What would you do this week if you had two unscheduled hours and your phone was put away?
Your four practical invitations for this week:
Leave your phone behind for one outing, be fully present without notifications
Do something spontaneous with your people, unplanned and fully enjoyed
Try something new, a class, a place, a hobby you have been curious about
Schedule time with girlfriends, put it on the calendar with the same seriousness as a work appointment
Scriptures referenced in this episode:
Proverbs 17:22 — A cheerful heart is good medicine.
Nehemiah 8:10 — The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Mentioned in this episode:
Dr. Stuart Brown — National Institute for Play
Private 1:1 Coaching with Kristen — [email protected]
Connect with Kristen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Visit kristenivanov.com
Your action step from this episode:
Answer the two reflection questions honestly. Then choose one of the four practical invitations and do it this week. Not someday. This week. A cheerful heart is good medicine.
Did this episode encourage you?
Share it with a woman in your life who needs permission to have more fun. And if you are enjoying She Leads with Intention, a review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find this show. Thank you so much for being here.
Choose Brave. Lead with Intention.
21 min
July 30 The Father Wound
Your earliest relationship with your father, or the absence of one, shaped something fundamental in you. Your sense of what you are worth. Whether you are safe in the world. What you believe you deserve. And in the deepest and most significant way, what you believe about your Heavenly Father.
In this deeply personal and faith-rooted episode, Kristen addresses the father wound with the same compassion and clarity she brought to the mother wound in Episode 13. This conversation is not about dishonoring our fathers. It is about bringing what was formed in us into the light so we can receive the healing that is available and step into the fullness of who God created us to be.
Kristen shares honestly from her own ongoing journey with this work, names the specific ways the father wound shows up in worth, income, relationships, and faith, and offers a five-step healing practice that includes a spoken declaration of forgiveness and a reminder of who you truly are: a Daughter of the King.
In this episode you will discover:
What the father wound is and how it forms, even in relationships where your father was present
How the absence of a father creates its own profound wound
The most significant dimension of the father wound, how it shapes your relationship with God as Father
How each type of father wound creates a specific filter through which you approach God
What Psalm 68:5 and Romans 8:15 declare about who God is as your Father
How the father wound shows up in your income, your relationships, your ambition, and your relationship with authority
Five powerful things that become available when you begin healing the father wound
A five-step healing practice including a spoken declaration of forgiveness for your father and for yourself
How the father wound may be shaping your relationship with God:
Critical or hard to please father, striving endlessly to earn God’s approval
Absent or emotionally unavailable father, difficulty trusting that God is truly present and paying attention
Harsh or frightening father, approaching God with fear rather than love
Inconsistent father, fluctuating faith that never quite settles into deep trust
Father who left or abandoned, deep unconscious fear that God will do the same
Your Five-Step Healing Practice:
Step 1: Name what was there and what was missing, journal honestly about what was present and absent in your relationship with your father
Step 2: Trace how it has shown up, identify where the father wound is visible in your relationship with God, your worth, abundance, love, and authority
Step 3: Separate the wound from the truth, his limitations were not the truth about your worth
Step 4: Let God refather you, bring your specific wounds to God in prayer and read Psalm 68:5 and Romans 8:15 out loud over yourself
Step 5: Extend honor and release, say out loud: Dad, I forgive you for... Today I am choosing to forgive you, release you and bless you. Then: I forgive myself for partnering with those hurts. I forgive myself, I release myself and bless myself.
Scriptures referenced in this episode:
Psalm 68:5 — A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
Romans 8:15 — The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father.
Mentioned in this episode:
Episode 13 — The Mother Wound: Healing What Shapes How You Love, Lead, and Connect
Private 1:1 Coaching with Kristen — [email protected]
Connect with Kristen on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn
Visit kristenivanov.com
Your action step from this episode:
Work through the five-step healing practice this week. Be gentle with yourself. Speak the forgiveness declarations out loud — for your father and for you. And remember: whatever your earthly father was or was not, your Heavenly Father has never stopped seeing you, delighting in you, and calling you His own. That has never changed. And it never will.
Did this episode move you?
Share it with a woman in your life who needs to hear this. And if you are enjoying She Leads with Intention, a review on Apple Podcasts helps more women find this show. Thank you so much for being here.
Choose Brave. Lead with Intention.
29 min

About She Leads with Intention

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She Leads with Intention is a podcast for the ambitious woman of faith who is learning to lead herself, and her business or career, well. Each episode delivers real truth, practical tools, and faith-integrated conversations designed to help you break through the identity blocks holding back your income, and stop living by default so you can start living by design.

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She Leads with Intention

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