Christian Woman Leadership Podcast with Esther Littlefield & Holly Cain

Have you ever struggled to discern the voice of God amidst all the other voices, including your own? Do you have trouble making decisions and feeling confident that they are in line with God's will?   As leaders, hearing the voice of God is of utmost importance, not just for our own lives, but also as we lead others. But sometimes it can be difficult to discern God's voice and determine where He i...

What do you need to be an effective and confident leader? What traits will set you apart and help you lead well?   In this solo episode, I want to share with you 3 traits that every leader needs. These 3 traits are not an exhaustive list by any means, but they are characteristics that will help you lead more effectively.   Before we dive into the 3 traits, though, I want to share with you why I ta...

Have you ever felt like your past disqualifies you from stepping into a leadership role? Do you ever appear confident to others but truly struggle with feeling that way? In this episode, Holly and I talk with our guest Chelsey DeMatteis about her leadership journey and how she has overcome guilt and shame about her past and stepped into leadership. She shares some of the ways God used others to he...

Have you ever struggled to find the right ministry role for yourself--a place where you can use your gifts and skills to benefit God's kingdom?   In this episode, Holly and I chat with Gena McCown about her leadership journey which includes transitioning from the marketplace to the church world. She shares insights on the differences between the two worlds and how she has handled this. We also dis...

Our culture and our world sets us up to believe that the value of what you do in life is related to the size of what you do. Therefore, leadership can often be seen as 'unimportant' if it's on a smaller scale or with small numbers. But we believe that "leading small" is an important opportunity and can have a big impact. In this episode, Holly and I are talking about leading small--what this means...

Christian leaders are often passionate about what they believe. But they do not always share their personal convictions in ways that are healthy or productive. There is real danger when Christian leaders use their personal convictions as a mandate for how others should live. Doing this tends to lead towards legalism and away from discernment. But what should we be doing instead? In this episode, I...

How do you trust God when your entire world is turned upside down? And how do you cling to truth when you're the target of criticism and doubt? Amanda Florczykowksi joins me for this episode to share her story of a first-hand encounter with a sex trafficking attempt, her decision to go public with the experience, and the resistance she ran into as a result. Take a listen to hear how Amanda learned...

Do you have a dream or an idea about something God is calling you to do, but you're not sure how to step out into the unknown?  Often we sense God calling us to something new, something different… but we are afraid to take those first steps, especially when we don't know what the outcome is going to be. In our final episode of our Summer Throwback Series, you'll hear from several of our past guest...

What are some of the best and most unexpected things to come out of 2 years of the Christian Woman Leadership Podcast?   In this episode, Holly and I are celebrating our two year anniversary by answering some of your questions about the podcast. We'll share what we've learned, favorite guests, best things to come as a result, and much more. Plus, we share some of our reflections and let you know t...

How do you respond when you meet resistance to using your gifts as a female Christian leader? What about when you face criticism and challenges to what God has called you to do?   All of us will experience resistance, criticism, and challenges as Christian leaders. It's how we respond and handle these situations that really matters.    In this episode of our Summer Throwback Series, you'll hear fr...

Do you ever struggle to identify, embrace, or use your gifts with confidence? You're not alone, and this episode will help you reframe your thoughts about embracing your gifts. As Christian women leaders, it's important for us to embrace our gifts--but how exactly do we do this? In the first of our Summer Throwback Series episodes, we're sharing clips from several of our past guests around the top...

Lately it seems that there is content and information coming at us from every direction. And all of the information, content, and input leads may lead us to feeling pressured or even paralyzed about what to do next. In this episode, I'm sharing some thoughts about how I've been feeling lately, along with some of the themes I've been hearing from many of you. Here are some of the things I'm hearing...

Have you ever found yourself reeling from unexpected hurt and pain in your leadership and ministry? As Christian leaders, how can we find hope and healing when the unmet expectations and personal devastation goes beyond what we could have prepared for? In this episode, Holly and I talk with Kristen Joy about her personal journey through ministry hurt. She shares how this experience impacted not ju...

Are you struggling to determine how to respond to the collective crises we are facing in our country, the world,  and in the church? There is a lot of pressure on leaders at this time, yet each of our individual situations are slightly different, and how we will respond is different as well.   As Christian leaders, we want to respond to national and global crises with wisdom and love. We don't wan...

In the past few weeks, our country has been reminded of the reality of racism. As Christian leaders, how should we as the church be responding? And what can we do on an individual basis?  While some of us may not be affected by or see racism on a regular basis, the issue was brought to light in a significant way in recent weeks due to the death of George Floyd (among other incidents). As I conside...

Do you struggle to feel rested as a leader? Are you feeling mentally and physically drained, and you're not sure why? It may be that you are not experiencing the type of rest you need.   In this episode, I'm talking with Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith about the important issue of rest. She shares why so many leaders burnout, how she personally recovered from burnout, and how her life changed afterwards....

There is often confusion between developmental disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, and mental health disorders, such as depression or bipolar. As Christian leaders, it's vital for us to understand the differences as well as consider how we love and lead those who may be dealing with one or more of these conditions. In our final episode in our mental health series , Holly and I chat with o...

We are thrilled to be celebrating 100 episodes and even more excited to include several of our listeners in this episode! In this conversation, Holly and I are taking a break from our Mental Health series this month to pause and celebrate. We can hardly believe we're at episode 100, and we are so grateful to each of our listeners, our guests, and our team for helping us get here. To celebrate, we...

Every leader has a message to share, but we're not always sure the world wants to hear it. How can you move past the fear and start sharing that message? In this special bonus episode of the podcast, I'm chatting with Wall Street Journal best selling author Emily P. Freeman. We're diving into Emily's leadership journey and how her view of herself as a leader has shifted in recent years.  We also t...

Christian leaders need to take care of their mental health along with their spiritual health. But many times, leaders are hesitant to reach out to get healing from past trauma or speak up about mental health concerns. Why is that, and what can we do about it? In our 2nd episode in our mental health series , Holly and I chat with our guest Dr. Barbara Lowe about recovering from trauma, finding heal...

How can you lead effectively when you struggle with anxiety? And how can you support those you lead who face this mental health challenge? In this episode, we are kicking off a new series about Mental Health as Holly shares her struggle with anxiety. May is Mental Health Awareness month, so through this month we will be bringing you episodes to help you as a Christian leader. Whether you are facin...

Why does women's ministry matter, and how can it play a role in discipling women within the church? And what are some of the challenges leaders face when implementing discipleship programs?   In our last episode of the Discipleship Series , Holly talks with our guest Cyndee Ownbey about intentional discipleship and mentoring within women's ministry. Cyndee shares her own leadership journey and how...

Every day, we're hearing more and more stories of deconstruction and people publicly leaving the Christian faith. How can we navigate this issue as Christian leaders, and what are some keys to support people who are doubting?   In this conversation for the Discipleship Series , Holly and I dive into these topics and more with Alisa Childers. Alisa shares her own story of deconstruction and how tha...

We hear the term discipleship a lot in Christian circles, but do we really understand what it means and why it's important? And is it possible that discipleship can  play a role in keeping people in the church rather than walking away? In this episode of the Discipleship Series, Holly and I are talking with Madge Obaseki, a healthy growth advocate for churches in the UK and around the world. We're...

What exactly is discipleship, and why is it important to discuss on a leadership podcast? How can churches include discipleship in their structure, and what impact does this have on leadership development?   As Christian leaders, we cannot separate the issue of leadership from the issue of discipleship--the two are inextricably linked. But what exactly is discipleship, and how do we implement it i...