Unstoppable || An Empower Podcast

There's a thought you keep coming back to. You know the one - the voice that shows up when life gets hard, when things feel uncertain, when the calling on your life starts to feel less like a promise and more like a question mark. It's familiar. It's convincing. And it is not the truth.

In this episode, we sit with Paul's letter to the Philippians - written from prison, of all places - and discover that what he gives us isn't just theology. It's a framework. A practice. A way to actually fight back against the lies that have kept us running from our destiny instead of toward it.

Through the lens of Philippians 4 and the story of a lion cub who believed the wrong thing about himself for way too long, we walk through three steps to breaking the lies we believe: identify the lie, reject the lie, and speak the truth.

Because you can't break what you won't name. And you can't name what you've been calling home.

The lie doesn't get the final word. God's truth does.

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https://www.empowerww.org/

What's the first thing that cracks in a leader when the pressure gets high? In this episode of Unstoppable, Ashley sits down with her friend and fellow executive pastor, Dr. Jolander Headley, to talk about her HELP framework - Healing the soul, Equipping with excellence, Leadership with strategy, and Planning for purpose - and the leadership lessons behind her upcoming book, The Tightrope Principle.

Jolander opens up about the lies she's had to identify and break in her own leadership journey, including the moment she was told she wasn't qualified for a role God had clearly called her to. She and Ashley talk candidly about self-care as the foundation of healthy leadership, why leaders can't look down or look back once they've stepped onto the wire, and the practical first step to take when you feel like you're barely holding it together.

If you've ever felt the weight of leadership pressing in, this conversation will remind you: keep walking forward.

In this episode:

• The HELP framework for developing healthy, sustainable leaders
• Why self-care is the foundation everything else is built on
• The lies leaders believe under pressure - and how to break them
• A behind-the-scenes look at Jolander's new book, The Tightrope Principle
• One simple, practical step for anyone who feels like they're losing their footing

Guest Bio

Dr. Jolander Headley serves as Executive Pastor at Alliance Tabernacle in Brooklyn, where she leads as a servant leader across multiple areas of ministry. She developed the HELP framework out of her doctoral dissertation, using it to help leaders heal, grow in self-awareness, lead with strategy, and step into their God-given purpose with steady clarity. Jolander is preparing for her sacred ordination this September, and her new book, The Tightrope Principle — which explores how great leaders stay balanced under pressure — releases in January 2027. 

https://headleyleadership.com/

EmpowerOne is a nine-month journey for women who are ready to grow - in their faith, in their leadership, and in who God created them to be. Through real community, deep curriculum, and coaching that actually goes somewhere, EmpowerOne equips women to step into the calling that has always had their name on it. 

Click here to learn more!

Support the show

https://www.empowerww.org/

What do you do when you walk into a church out of sheer desperation - not really knowing what you're looking for, just knowing you need something to change? You might just find exactly what you didn't know you needed.

In this episode, recorded in April of 2026, Ashley sits down with her friend, PTA partner, and co-worker Jen Carlsen for a raw and honest conversation about what it looks like when God writes a story you never could have planned. Jen shares how she found her way to Risen King pregnant, exhausted, and quietly ready to file for divorce — and how a group of women with an unexplainable peace changed the trajectory of everything.

From her husband's sobriety journey to a women's retreat that finally broke something open, from leading a small group she felt completely unqualified for to stepping into EmpowerOne, to walking through the doors of her own church as the Children's Director - Jen's story is a testimony to what happens when you stop white-knuckling it alone and say yes to what God has been preparing for you all along.

Because the calling on your life isn't waiting for you to feel ready. It's waiting for you to be faithful.

EmpowerOne is a nine-month journey for women who are ready to grow - in their faith, in their leadership, and in who God created them to be. Through real community, deep curriculum, and coaching that actually goes somewhere, EmpowerOne equips women to step into the calling that has always had their name on it. 

Click here to learn more!

Support the show

https://www.empowerww.org/

What do you do when you walk into a room that doesn't want you? Whether it's a season of transition, a church that hasn't made space for you, or the quiet question that finds us all - do I belong here? - belonging is one of the most fundamental human needs we have. And when we don't feel it, it can feel like something is wrong with us.

In this episode, we sit with the story of an unnamed woman in Luke 7, known by everyone for all the wrong reasons, who walked into a room she had no business being in, broke open the most valuable thing she owned, and walked out completely transformed. Through the lens of her story, we explore three responses to the belonging question: recognize the resource in the room, break the jar of self-sufficiency, and saturate yourself in him.

Because the belonging you're searching for isn't something the room can give you. It's something you carry when you've been close enough to Jesus.

EmpowerOne is a nine-month journey for women who are ready to grow - in their faith, in their leadership, and in who God created them to be. Through real community, deep curriculum, and coaching that actually goes somewhere, EmpowerOne equips women to step into the calling that has always had their name on it. 

Click here to learn more!

Support the show

https://www.empowerww.org/

What do you do when the rest you planned becomes the wrestle you needed? In this episode, we sit down with Jenn Hong, Executive Pastor of Family Life at Princeton Alliance Church, for an honest and tender conversation about hard seasons, unexpected encounters with God, and what it really means to be close to Him when life doesn't go as planned.

Jenn opens up about a sabbatical that looked nothing like she imagined - and how a moment on a playground, a toddler running into a pole, and a string of Christmas lights became unlikely windows into the presence and goodness of God. Together we explore what intimacy with God actually looks like in the middle of the hard, what we default to when the adrenaline stops, and why the places we'd least choose are often the places where we find Him most.

If you're in a season that feels more like a collision than a calling - this one's for you.

EmpowerOne is a nine-month journey for women who are ready to grow - in their faith, in their leadership, and in who God created them to be. Through real community, deep curriculum, and coaching that actually goes somewhere, EmpowerOne equips women to step into the calling that has always had their name on it. 

Click here to learn more!

Support the show

https://www.empowerww.org/

In this personal episode, Ashley shares from her own life about navigating a season of transition, uncertainty, and emotion.

As she reflects on what God has been stirring, this conversation explores a deeper question many women are quietly asking:
 “Is there a place for me?”

Drawing from both personal experience and the heart behind Empower, Ashley unpacks:

• Why so many women are feeling disconnected from the Church
• The truth that every woman has a place, a voice, and a calling
• How pain is not always an indicator of something being wrong
• Why we often avoid what needs our attention most
• What it looks like to bring real emotions to God in uncertain seasons

Through a simple but powerful story, she reminds us that what we fear most isn’t always where the problem is - and that God is inviting us to look deeper.

If you’re walking through change, carrying disappointment, or questioning where you fit, this episode is a gentle but clear reminder:
 You are not alone. You are seen. And there is a place for you.

EmpowerOne is a nine-month journey for women who are ready to grow - in their faith, in their leadership, and in who God created them to be. Through real community, deep curriculum, and coaching that actually goes somewhere, EmpowerOne equips women to step into the calling that has always had their name on it. 

Click here to learn more!

Support the show

https://www.empowerww.org/

In this special episode, we’re bringing you a powerful panel conversation from last year’s More & The Next Conference (2025) - a glimpse into the kind of moments that happen when women gather with open hearts and expectancy.

In a world that constantly pushes us to do more, achieve more, and carry more, what does it actually look like to experience true rest?

This conversation dives deep into:

• The difference between physical rest and soul-level rest
• How busyness, burnout, and striving impact our leadership and relationships
• Recognizing the signs that your soul is not well
• Breaking free from guilt, performance, and the need to earn rest
• Learning to live within God’s rhythms and boundaries

Through honest stories, wisdom, and vulnerability, you’ll hear how women in different seasons are learning to slow down, trust God with outcomes, and create space for what matters most.

Whether you’re in a season of full capacity, burnout, or rediscovery, this episode is a reminder that:
 rest isn’t something you earn - it’s something you receive.

✨ This episode is a sneak peek into The More & The Next Conference—where women encounter God, grow in leadership, and are reminded that they have a place in what He is doing.

EmpowerOne is a nine-month journey for women who are ready to grow - in their faith, in their leadership, and in who God created them to be. Through real community, deep curriculum, and coaching that actually goes somewhere, EmpowerOne equips women to step into the calling that has always had their name on it. 

Click here to learn more!

Support the show

https://www.empowerww.org/

In this episode of Unstoppable (recorded in October 2024), Ashley sits down with Dr. Wanda Walborn, Director of Empower, to answer a simple but powerful question: What is Empower?

What began as a small class in Nyack, New York has grown into a global movement equipping women to discover their identity, develop their gifts, and step into their God-given calling.

Together, they share the story behind Empower - from the moment God spoke the words “What about the women?” to the creation of a program designed to help women understand who they are, how they’re wired, and where they belong in the Kingdom.

This conversation explores:

• How Empower started and why it was created
• The heart behind Empower One, Engage, and Proclaim
• The importance of community, mentoring, and spiritual formation
• How Empower has grown from one classroom to a global, accessible movement

At its core, Empower is about this truth:
 Every woman has a place.

Whether you’re leading in ministry, raising a family, working in the marketplace, or simply asking “What’s next?”, this episode is an invitation to discover how God has uniquely created you—and how you can step into the life He’s calling you to live.

EmpowerOne is a nine-month journey for women who are ready to grow - in their faith, in their leadership, and in who God created them to be. Through real community, deep curriculum, and coaching that actually goes somewhere, EmpowerOne equips women to step into the calling that has always had their name on it. 

Click here to learn more!

Support the show

https://www.empowerww.org/

In this episode of Unstoppable, we continue our conversation on transitions — picking up where we left off to talk about the often overlooked but essential part of change: grieving what was.

Filmed in October 2024, this conversation brings together the Empower leadership team as they reflect on how to navigate transitions with honesty, faith, and community. Together they explore the difference between lament and grief, the spiritual practice of processing emotions with God, and how allowing ourselves to grieve can actually create space for healing and growth.

From symbolic acts of letting go, to family check-ins that create safe spaces for conversation, to practical rhythms like journaling and storytelling, this episode offers real-life examples of how women can walk through seasons of change with both vulnerability and hope.

Because transitions don’t just shape our circumstances - they shape our hearts.

If you’re navigating a season of change, disappointment, or unexpected shifts, this conversation is a reminder that God often brings new life out of places we thought were buried.

EmpowerOne is a nine-month journey for women who are ready to grow - in their faith, in their leadership, and in who God created them to be. Through real community, deep curriculum, and coaching that actually goes somewhere, EmpowerOne equips women to step into the calling that has always had their name on it. 

Click here to learn more!

Support the show

https://www.empowerww.org/

Our first ever podcast! 

In this episode of Unstoppable, the Empower team invites you into one of their Thursday morning conversations - a time where they gather to pray, strategize, laugh, and talk about life together.

As the team reflects on a season filled with change - kids growing up, new roles, shifting responsibilities, and unexpected transitions - they share honestly about what it looks like to navigate these moments with faith. From raising teenagers and caring for aging parents to adjusting dreams and embracing new seasons, the conversation explores the emotional and spiritual realities of transition.

Together, they talk about the importance of grieving well, celebrating the good, slowing down to listen to God, and making space for what He may be doing next.

This episode is a reminder that change is a part of life, and while it can feel uncertain or overwhelming, God is present in every season — guiding, shaping, and preparing us for what’s ahead.

If you’re walking through a transition of your own, we hope this conversation encourages you to pause, reflect, and trust the work God is doing in your story.

EmpowerOne is a nine-month journey for women who are ready to grow - in their faith, in their leadership, and in who God created them to be. Through real community, deep curriculum, and coaching that actually goes somewhere, EmpowerOne equips women to step into the calling that has always had their name on it. 

Click here to learn more!

Support the show

https://www.empowerww.org/