4word Women

When something really exciting happens in your life, or you stumble across something new and interesting or just plain fun, you tell people about it, right? The same feelings of excitement and wanting to tell others should be true of our faith, too. There’s one big hurdle that many of us have met or anticipate coming up against, though: where do you even begin to share your faith at work? Nicole Arnold, Communications and Public Affairs Manager for an electric cooperative in Asheboro, NC, and a former lobbyist, shares what your spiritual walk can look like in your workplace and how to use your faith to navigate the current environment in the office and the world. Links for this episode:Add Nicole on LinkedInWild at Heart ministry by John EldredgeGet Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone MadJesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence Guest Bio: Nicole Arnold’s career spans public relations and government affairs activities for corporations. Currently, she is the Communications and Public Affairs Manager for an electric cooperative in Asheboro, NC. Previously, Nicole worked as a lobbyist for the North Carolina Association of REALTORS and spent several years working for political campaigns and community causes.  One of the highlights of Nicole’s career was the privilege of distributing over $1.2 million in aid for victims of natural disasters like Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. Nicole received a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit budget and finance from UNC Charlotte and received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Studies from Duke University.  She lives in High Point, NC, with her husband and three children, and enjoys painting, reading, and spending time outdoors whenever she gets the chance. Orginal broadcast dated: July 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

As Christians, we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ every day. For some of us, that may be easy to do. But what about when you’re at work? Dr. Denise Daniels and Shannon Vandewarker, co-authors of Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work, share their research to help us all become more confident in living out our faith at work everyday. Links for this episode:Faith & Co documentary “Aligning Your Work With Your Faith”Shannon’s websiteShannon’s Instagram: @shannonvandeOrder Working in the Presence of God on Amazon and Christianbook Guest Bios: Denise Daniels is a Professor of Management at Seattle Pacific University. She earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the University of Washington. Her scholarly interests include meaningful work, Sabbath, leadership, gender, and motivation. Denise is the co-Principal Investigator on a $1.5M research project funded by the Lilly Endowment examining how Christians in the United States understand and engage their faith at work. She recently co-authored, “Working in the Presence of God: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Work,” is also the producer of the “Faith & Co” films, which are designed to deepen connections between faith and work (www.faithand.co). Denise has been married to Craig for 25 years and they have four adolescent and young adult children. Shannon Vandewarker is passionate about helping people find God in their ordinary, everyday lives. This passion was fueled during her years of study as she earned her BA in Biblical Studies from Azusa Pacific University and a Masters of Divinity from Bethel Seminary. As the Program Coordinator for Fuller Seminary’s Cascade Fellows Program, Shannon worked with professionals in many different industries helping them create a vision for whole life discipleship, and the disciplines for how to live out their faith at work. Shannon lives in San Diego, CA with her two young sons and daughter and husband, Dan who is a pastor. Shannon writes on finding God in the ordinary on her blog at shannonvandewarker.com. Orginal broadcast dated: July 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

Hearing God and being able to follow His guidance in your life is a massive part of growing spiritually. So how do we get some quiet in our lives? Predictably, it’s not an easy thing to do, but it is possible and it is worth the effort in the end. Patty Ross, former executive with Nike and Apple and 4word Board Member, talks about what silent retreats and making time for daily quiet have helped her achieve in her career and personal life. From Patty: “Tools To Reset” Most of the major mistakes and blunders in my life have come from making impulsive decisions. Trust me; I have made many in my journey. These impulsively bad decisions have come at high cost or regret, as I’ve been held accountable for my choices and sometimes suffered severe consequences for sin. As followers of Jesus, we have a pathway to help us avoid such impulsive mistakes. At the suggestion of my spiritual director, I have tried to implement a four-pronged litmus test to my decision making trying to find God’s guidance in my choices. I have used the analogy of buoys. Most harbors have a system of buoys to guide you safely from a mighty unforgiving ocean and rocky shoreline into the safe harbor. In life, I use buoys when trying to make a secure, wise, and godly choice. I line up four buoys, and if I can pass all four, I move forward with confidence that it will be a godly decision.  Here are those buoys: Buoy 1: Does this decision line up with what the Bible teaches?Buoy 2: Have I really prayed about it?Buoy 3: What is the Holy Spirit telling me?Buoy 4: (the hardest) Seeking godly wisdom & counsel.  If all four buoys line up, I move forward. If one buoy is off, I do not choose that path. What you must be careful of is if the first three buoys (the Bible, prayer, and the Holy Spirit) can be manipulated by your desire to make this decision go your way. That is why the fourth buoy is so difficult. Godly counsel can put the “kibosh” on a decision, even if I want it badly. But the right godly people can give you wisdom, direction, and a warning that can protect you from running your life onto the rocks. They help you respond to decisions, not react to them. The key is trusting the process to make a godly decision and sticking to that decision once made. I am thankful for God’s grace in the decisions that I have made that were impulsive and a big mistake. I try not to beat myself up for them, but to learn from them and be wiser and more cautious in the future. Links for this episode:Abide appShe Reads Truth appRightNow Media (Become a 4word Member Insider and get access to curated RNM content!)Soul Space appJesuits Retreat Center  Guest Bio: Patty Ross is a corporate board director for two public companies, and before that, Patty served as an Executive Advisor at Apple. Before Apple, she was at Nike for more than 30 years, including her last role as VP of Global Workplace Design and Connectivity. Patty specialized in strategy development, leadership development, talent management, employee engagement, culture shifts, change management, innovation, and design thinking, and executive team development. She was also the founder and executive sponsor of Nike’s Global Women’s Diversity Network. Patty is married and a member of the 4word Board of Directors. Orginal broadcast dated: June 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

How often do you think of your workplace as your mission field? If you said, “Not very often,” don’t worry; you aren’t alone. Kim Vastine, a Dallas/Ft. Worth area realtor and the Chaplain for 4word: Southlake, explores why we struggle to bring our faith to work and the advantages we have as Christians in the workplace. Links for this episode:https://kingdomatwork.com/https://kingdomatwork.com/kingdom-films/sigma-pro-engineering/https://faithandco.spu.edu/ Guest Bio: Dr. Kim Vastine is a passionate communicator who enjoys equipping people to live a vibrant life in Christ and fulfill their God-given purpose.  She is a REALTOR® in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and serves as Chaplain on the 4word Board in Southlake, TX. In 2018 she launched Ambassadors of the Kingdom (AOK) which brings together local Christian business leaders to pray and serve their clients and communities well in the cities in which they serve.  She is a designated International Goodwill Ambassador by the Interfaith Peace-Building Initiative for her international work to build reconciliation on behalf of impoverished women and children through a non-profit organization she founded, Ambassador Alliance International. Numerous opportunities include serving in as Worship Pastor at Shady Grove Church, Contracts Management for Raytheon and Small Business Consulting for several years. Today she is a certified Chaplain and licensed Minister and holds certifications in coaching, counseling, chaplaincy and public speaking.  She co-wrote a book entitled from Fear to Courage that tells the story of her life choices to move from fear of past abuses into a courageous future. With a love for all things Texan and a Doctorate degree in Philosophy and Humanities, her greatest joy is being married to Wade and celebrating family life with her adult children and their spouses along with GrandJoy’s Sophia & Dietrich who live in Germany! Orginal broadcast dated: June 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

In this episode, we hone in a little more on the lies we believe and discuss limiting beliefs. These go slightly beyond the lies we believe and dive into deeper, potentially more detrimental thought patterns and behaviors. Kristen Stockton, a business performance consultant, executive coach, and the chair of 4word: Washington D.C., coaches us through how to release ourselves from limiting beliefs. Guest Bio: Kristen Stockton is a business performance consultant and executive coach who works with senior leaders and their leadership teams to address workforce and workplace challenges. The mission of JASKAP Consulting and Coaching is to guide and support business leaders in creating organizations that inspire and engage people, build customer loyalty, and enrich and improve the marketplace. She brings over 25 years of professional experience facilitating, speaking and working with non-profit, private, and public sector businesses.  Leaders choose to work with Kristen because she knows how to listen, and support them with insight, experience, and innovation. She leads and coaches’ leaders through the strategic planning and change management process, so they better align their mission, vision and values with their products and services to increase value to their key stakeholders.  She brings tools and techniques that support all areas of business, including leadership development, strategic planning, succession planning and personal and professional skill development, all which will tap into your organization’s brilliance and move people forward. Kristen has coaching experience that supports leader effectiveness and organizational change efforts. She helps people lead better business and better lives. She also serves on the faculty of SHAMBAUGH Leadership and Progression Partners as a Senior Business Partner and Executive Coach and The Forum for Workplace Inclusion and Diversity Woman as an external coach.  In addition, she has master facilitation skills and led numerous experiences that transform individual contributors into leaders. An accomplished speaker and presenter, she’s spoken on business topics through notable professional organizations: World at Work, Conference Board, Working Mother, 4word, Museum of the Bible, Points of Light Foundation, Corporate Voices, Disability IN, Diversity Women, and Disability Matters.   As a human capital leader, she specializes in culture change and inclusion, and is an expert in helping organizations and leaders address “blind spots.  She participated and is published in the 2017 Center for Talent Innovation study examining the issues facing both professionals with a disability in the workforce, as well as their caregivers.  Kristen is also an advocate for self-care creating tools and resources to support “selfcare” strategies that help you make time for what matters most.  Kristen’s training includes a master’s from American University in Arts Management. Certificate in Community Relations from Boston College Carrol School of Management, Bachelor’s degree in Education from West Chester University, Center for Executive Coaching/WBECS’s Coach Master’s Certification, Mastermind Facilitator, and is earning ACC certification through International Coaching Federation.   Kristen resides in Northern Virginia with her spouse. She holds memberships with NOVA and Prince William Country Chambers of Commerce, Human Resources Leadership Forum, SHRM, and the International Coaching Federation. She volunteers as Chair of the Washington, DC metro area’s local 4word group, a global non-profit organization market ministry, and has been a speaker, facilitator and coach for 4word’s national leaders. She also is the Co-Chair for the Women’s Business Collaborative DC Advisory Board. She and her husband give back to support local community leadership through their 501C3 non-profit ministry JAS Ministries. Orginal broadcast dated: May 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

Have you ever felt inadequate? Have you ever questioned the true value you bring to the world each day? Have you ever found yourself avoiding risky situations or big “next steps” because the fear of failing was greater than the hope of succeeding? Susan Tolles, 4word’s Director of Local Groups and Member Insider, talks about the lies we all believe and how their shared foundation is fear. Links for this episode: The Flourishing Life International MinistriesSusan’s book Created to Flourish by God’s DesignThe Gifts of Imperfection by Brene’ Brown“The Lies We Believe” workbook, excerpted from Created to Flourish by God’s Design Individual exercises:Conquer Your FearsCrush PerfectionismOvercome DoubtClaim Victory Over Shame Guest Bio: Susan Tolles is the 4word Director of Local Groups, overseeing the development and growth of new and existing 4word communities around the globe. She also leads the 4word: Austin Local Group.  Prior to joining 4word, Susan developed a website for women over 50, FlourishOver50.com¸ and was a Christian Life Purpose Coach. Her passion for inspiring and equipping women to discover and live out God’s purpose for their lives led her to create a nonprofit, The Flourishing Life International Ministries, with a mission to awaken hope and significance in women who have been wounded by abuse, addiction, exploitation and poverty.  Using her book Created to Flourish by God’s Design in workshops and conferences, Susan ministers to women in Uganda and Asia, helping them find direction and faith in God’s plan for their lives, regardless of where they live or what their circumstances are. In her hometown of Austin, Texas, Susan works closely with Red Oak Hope to provide holistic care for survivors of sexual exploitation.  Orginal broadcast dated: May 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

Networking is something that most, if not all, successful business people would tell you is a must if you want to see your career grow. But it’s just not that enjoyable. Why? And is there a way to fix it and make something to look forward to? JoAnne Baldwin, marketer at PitchBook and marketing co-director for 4word: Seattle, discusses why she goes into a networking situation with the intent to encourage others rather than simply use them for their connections and shares tips for you to reinvent the way you network. Guest Bio: JoAnne Baldwin is a Northwest-raised, Pepperdine grad, outdoor enthusiast, multi-sport athlete, avid home chef, and traveler. During the day, you can find her loving her job as a marketer at PitchBook, a data provider for the capital markets. She leads a team developing programs to influence product adoption and expand existing licenses, aiming to delight PitchBook customers every day.    Throughout her life, JoAnne has been shaped by the positive mentors and peers who demonstrate integrity and intentionality. Her confidence is founded in knowing that all things come from God and it is an honor and responsibility to give generously and love others well. She aims both personally and professionally to be an encouragement to those around her.  Orginal broadcast dated: April 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

4word community, we are grateful to come to you each week with content that is helpful as you navigate the successes and challenges of life. As we continue to stay apprised of the impact of COVID-19, we want you to know that we are praying for you as you navigate each day! We are grateful during this time to be an army of intercessors praying for the physical and spiritual wellbeing of our friends, our families, and for our world. If you have specific prayer requests, please send those to Irrayna as she consolidates prayer requests for our Boards and staff to pray over each week. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9. At work, you’re likely surrounded by people with tons of experience and business savvy that could truly help catapult you to your career dreams…but how do you even begin to approach the topic of getting their help? Diane Paddison, founder of 4word, shares her advice for utilizing the people in your circles and creating a network of allies. Links for this episode:FacebookLinkedInDiane’s first book, Work, Love, PrayDiane’s 365-day devotional, Be RefreshedGuest Bio: Diane Paddison, 4word Founder and Executive Director, is a Harvard MBA, former global executive of two Fortune 500 companies, CBRE and ProLogis, and one Fortune 1000 company, Trammell Crow Company, and serves as an independent director for two corporate and four not-for-profit boards.  Diane is a leading advocate for Christian women in the workplace. Diane published Work, Love, Pray in 2011, and Be Refreshed . . . a year of devotions for women in the workplace in 2017, laying the foundation for 4word. She authors weekly posts at 4wordwomen.org and is a featured columnist for The Washington Times and the 4word Mentor Program has been highlighted in The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch. Diane and her husband, Chris, have four children and one grandchild and live in Dallas, Texas. Orginal broadcast dated: April 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

Conflict is an unavoidable part of life; we will all be in some kind of disagreement before we die. Maybe at work, maybe in a relationship, or maybe even at church. Lisa Adams, coach and leader of 4word: Saratoga Springs, talks about conflict and how you can try to avoid it with better communication. Guest Bio: Lisa Adams has a contagious enthusiasm for training and coaching leaders at all levels of an organization. She utilizes her 20+ years in management to coach leaders to intentionally develop their own leadership skills and mentor their teams for long term success. Her career spans from various marketing and small business ownership opportunities to corporate human resources at American Express, training and development at Ceridian, software sales at Lawson Software, and strategic partner management and business development at Lycos.com and Monster.com. In 2009, Lisa decided to begin her formal coaching work. Since then, Lisa has coached a variety of professionals, from young leaders fresh out of college to senior executives. Lisa is an active mentor through 4word. She has been a preferred expert with Keystone Partners and Work It Daily.com. At one time, Lisa co-hosted a leadership podcast called LEADTHIS! Lisa is a graduate of the Paul College / Whittemore School of Business at the University of New Hampshire. Her coaching certifications were received through Career Coach Academy and Susan Whitcomb, one of the premier career experts in the field today. Personally, she and her husband, Mike, have been married for 20 years. They have 2 teenage sons in high school. Mike has been a pastor for 23 years for 3 different churches. Lisa understands a life in ministry and business. In her free time, she attends the boys’ football, baseball and volleyball games, and spends time with her girlfriends. She and Mike love to vacation on warm ocean beaches. Orginal broadcast dated: March 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)

Have you ever had a disagreement with someone and you thought there was literally no way either one of you was going to make it out alive? Conflict pops up anywhere and everywhere and doesn’t really care about swarming into your life at a convenient time. Conflict also has this knack for twisting the truth and warping the reality of the situation. Sandi Mitchell, CEO of Apex Catalyst Group, joins the podcast to share her insights on navigating conflict with some tried-and-true tactics and a little bit of neuroscience. Links for this episode:Apex Catalyst Group websiteResources mentioned in the episodeIgniting Inspired Leadership online classFacebookLinkedInTwitter Guest Bio: Sandi Mitchell is CEO of Apex Catalyst Group. She works with leaders from small businesses to major corporations and nonprofits to help improve and/or accelerate in areas such as: leadership, new manager transitions, team alignment, communication, emotional intelligence, strategic planning, negotiations, work place stress and employee engagement. Sandi has over 25 years working in the corporate world, as a business owner, as a Professional EOS Implementer, and as a certified Executive Coach. Her experience is in learning and development, business operations, sales, and management. She is a bestselling author and has written Coloring Outside the Lines: A Grown Up’s Creative Guide to Increasing Emotional Intelligence. Orginal broadcast dated: March 2020 Click here for the latest Podcast from 4word - Work Love Pray Podcast - 4word (4wordwomen.org)