Christian Woman Leadership Podcast with Esther Littlefield & Holly Cain

Have you ever wondered how to lead a small group well? Or maybe you've been asked to be a small group leader, but you didn't feel equipped to do so. So many of our listeners wonder how to lead small groups well, so we have dedicated an entire episode on tips and tricks for leading a small group with intention and purpose. Many churches have what they call small groups. They could also be called Bi...

Are there times you want to speak up in a meeting, but you don't know how to share your ideas with confidence? Do you ever wonder why your voice isn't being heard? Or have you felt ignored or dismissed by your peers or other leaders in your organization in the past? In today's conversation, you'll hear from our guest, Karen Laos, who equips women to stand out with confidence. She champions female...

How do you lead an event that people will love? What do you need to consider in order to have a successful event or retreat for your church, organization, or business?  One of the most powerful ways to help accomplish the mission or vision of your church, organization, or business is to hold in person events. Over the past couple years, many of tehse events have been put on hold. But as we are sta...

If you are a leader, it's likely at some point, you will be asked to or need to lead a meeting or facilitate a small group, or perhaps a project that includes several people and multiple meetings. So how can you lead effective meetings that your team will not hate being a part of? As a leader, it's vital that you develop certain character traits that will allow you to lead effectively. But it's al...

Have you ever wondered if your story matters? Do you feel like you know you have something to say, but you don't feel comfortable showing up and speaking publicly? Maybe you don't feel like you are a dynamic speaker and therefore you hold back in meetings or in public settings.   In today's conversation, you'll hear from our guest Roshanda Pratt about why it's so important to show up, to tell your...

What if disagreement was not our enemy nor our best friend? What if we decided to embrace disagreement as an opportunity rather than try to avoid it at all costs? I believe this is possible when we reframe how we see disagreement.   In this episode (part 2 of the conversation), I'm going to share how we can gain a different perspective about disagreement--one that reflects the love and light of Ch...

Have you ever sensed God calling you to something that you didn't want? Maybe He has spoken to you about something and you think, "nope, that's not for me God." Today I'm chatting with Alissa Circle about her journey of stepping into a new season and a new calling–one that she didn't feel ready for at first.  You're going to love what Alissa shares about learning to surrender her business to God,...

The Christian Woman Leadership Podcast has been going strong for 3.5 years. So where are we now, and what are our plans for the future? Tune in to hear all the updates and some changes for the coming year. In this conversation, Holly & I are sharing some reflections on where we've come with this podcast over the past 3.5 years, including some behind the scenes stories & stats you may not have hear...

What has 2021 taught you? And how do those lessons apply to leadership? As leaders we are continually learning, so today I'm sharing what I've learned this year and some books I'd recommend you check out.   We always ask our guests on this show what they are learning, but I realized recently that I haven't shared what I'm learning. So today, I want to share with you a few reflections about what I'...

Have you ever thought about starting a business? Or have you ever had a dream in your heart that you wanted to follow but weren't sure how to get started? Maybe you've already taken action and seen some success, but you haven't figured out how to make the jump from your full time job to your dream.   Today we are talking to Polly Payne about how she left a successful career in advertising to pursu...

Do you start the year out with lofty goals, only to abandon them a month later? What if you could set goals that bring peace instead of added stress? And how can you include God into your planning?   Today, we are chatting with our friend Christa Hutchins about the idea of goals, planning, and dreaming. This is the time of year when we're all looking forward to the next year, and we often start dr...

When a leader doesn't deal with emotions properly, it can have negative impacts on those they lead. Are you in touch with your emotions as a leader? Do you find healthy ways to manage and process your emotions? One of the things that often comes up as we enter the holiday season are feelings and emotions. We can have unwanted emotions, family challenges, or too high of  expectations. Perhaps there...

When was the last time you took time to reflect on what you have to be grateful for in various areas of your life? Join us today as we share a few of the ways we are grateful this year. In this conversation, Holly and I are sharing what we are grateful for this year in our leadership, our businesses, and our personal lives. We reflect on some of the ways God has worked and answered prayers. We enc...

Is it possible to experience hope in the midst of grief? What does it look like for God to redeem the pain you go through in your life and leadership? In this episode, you'll hear a conversation that Holly has with our guest Ashely Opliger. Ashley shares her story of infant loss with candor, grace, dignity and such love for those experiencing similar circumstances.  You'll hear about the moment sh...

Have you ever felt like no one else could possibly relate to your situation or circumstance? Have you ever been afraid to share some of your deepest pain or struggles as a leader for fear of what others might think or worse, losing your leadership role? Many leaders feel alone, struggle with being vulnerable, and find it hard to make time for soul care even when they know how important it is for t...

Have you seen friends and family experiencing division and even 'unfriending' one another over differences? Why is this happening, and what is the impact on our faith and leadership when we view disagreement as the enemy? Disagreement does not have to be the enemy. Yet, for many in our culture and even in our Christian communities, disagreement is viewed as something to be avoided. And when we vie...

Do you feel like you need to work harder in your leadership roles? Are you constantly striving to reach a certain outcome? Or do you get overwhelmed with the responsibility of leadership and become passive in your approach? In this episode, I am chatting with Erica Wiggenhorn about her leadership journey and how God formed her message through struggles in her relationship with him. She shares how...

Have you ever found yourself in a job, business, or ministry situation where you were not sure if you should stay or walk away? How do you discern what path you should take when God hasn't clearly spoken to you? When you're a multi-passionate leader, there's almost inevitably going to be a time when you are going to start feeling restless in your life. It might be that you're not satisfied with yo...

Have you ever found yourself in a leadership situation where you were leading a group to accomplish a task, but balls were being dropped, people were not completing their work in the way that you wanted, and it was driving you crazy?  Maybe you started to feel like you needed to do it all yourself because this mission was too important for things to be messed up. Can you relate?   Maybe you've bee...

How Christ-like is your communication? Are you able to patiently lead others to answers? Do you feel the need to speak up, or are you able to stay silent sometimes? In this episode, I'm discussing communicating as Christian leaders. Through the year, we've had a few episodes related to communication but today I want to look at our best example of communication: Jesus. When I look around at the way...

Is there such a thing as 'life balance' and if so, how do you find it? And how do you discern when you need to stop doing something in your life? As ambitious, multi-passionate women leaders, many of us struggle to manage all the roles and responsibilities we hold. And when the issue of balance comes up, we often feel shame, guilt, or confusion about what it actually looks like or whether we can e...

How do you pursue a passion project while also working full time, running a business, or managing home & family life? Is this even possible or is it a pipe dream?   As a multi-passionate leader, it's likely that you have many ideas and dreams you'd like to pursue. In addition, you probably have plenty of natural gifts, skills, and experiences that you could use to create a career or business.   Bu...

Do you ever run to food for comfort when you are feeling sad, angry, or upset? Do you ever have negative self-talk with body image? Or have you prayed and asked God to give you freedom in this area, only to feel like He's not listening? If you've ever felt like food has a hold on you or you can't break free from negative body image issues, you are not alone. In this podcast episode, you'll be enco...

What happens when you are the leader, and someone brings a concern to you? How do you handle it? And how do you respond? This is a key skill that we need to develop, because we all will get feedback from others in our leadership.   As leaders, it's inevitable that we will receive feedback and criticism. And since we cannot control what other people say about us or how they go about bringing us the...

Have you ever had a part of your life that you haven't wanted to give God control over? If we're honest, most of us would have to admit that there's at least one area of our lives where we struggle with trusting God.   In this episode, you'll hear from Angie Tonini-Rogers and how she had to learn how to trust God with her career and her finances. In addition, you'll hear some of the powerful leade...