Not just a collection of moments or memories, but a lived narrative shaped by joy, loss, resilience, questions, faith, and everything in between. No two stories are the same, yet every story holds value. As leaders, we must learn to see women through this lens. Because before a woman is a volunteer, a mother, a leader, or a participant, she is a person with a story that has been unfolding long before she ever walked into your space. And yet, not every woman believes her story matters.

Some carry the weight of shame.
Some have wounds that still feel too tender to name.
Some believe their story is too ordinary to be meaningful, or too broken to be redeemed.

Whatever the reason, many women remain silent, not because they have nothing to say, but because they are unsure if their story is worth telling.

This is where your role as a leader becomes sacred.

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

What may feel like fragments to her, God is forming into something whole. But we do not stop at simply listening and affirming God’s work on her life. We disciple. We encourage. We walk alongside. We create safe spaces for women to begin naming their stories out loud. We help them trace the thread of God’s faithfulness woven throughout their lives. And over time, with care and courage, something begins to shift. A woman who once believed her story didn’t matter begins to see that it does. A woman who once felt silenced begins to find her voice. A woman who once carried shame begins to walk in freedom.

And then she tells it.

“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony...” Revelation 12:11

She proclaims the power of Jesus over her life by the words of her testimony. Not perfectly. Not all at once. But faithfully. Our stories point beyond ourselves to a God who is present, who redeems, who restores, and who is still at work.

A leader who prioritizes belonging sees people. Who takes the time to truly know them, not at the surface level, but willing to go deeper. It is to listen with intention, to engage with curiosity, and to care deeply about where she has come from, and what she has carried.

It is also to listen with spiritual eyes, looking for the fingerprints of God in places she may not yet recognize. Because even when they cannot see it in their own story, God has been present all along.

In the quiet. In the pain. In the waiting. In the unexpected. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18. We remind her that God is in her story. He has not abandoned her. He is not finished with her. Inquiring of someone’s story allows for these kinds of conversations to take place. Thus begins the planting of seeds to cultivate a full and abundant flourishing.