The Career Playbook for Christian Women

Introduction Concealed Potential It was just an ordinary phone call with a friend, the kind where you catch up on life over a cup of coffee. But little did I know that conversation would plant the seed for an idea that would challenge my convictions and reveal an important lesson about embracing my voice, owning my influence, and no longer playing small in spaces where I was called to lead. As we chatted, my friend mentioned a connection, a contact at a notable cable TV network. And in that moment, inspiration struck. I had a colleague at a major university. What if we joined forces to host an event? An event where my company could take center stage, alongside the TV network and the esteemed university. Fueled by excitement, I shared my vision with a few coworkers, and together, we brought the idea to life. I poured my effort into every detail: designing invitations, compiling the guest list, and hand-picking speakers for the program. But when it came time to select an emcee, I found myself hesitating. Even though I had been the driving force behind the event, I just couldn’t bring myself to step into the spotlight. I wanted to be a “good Christian girl,” and the desire to be humble created an inner conflict. That conflict didn’t come from out of nowhere. I had just received feedback from my boss during a performance review. In our company’s competitive and high-performance culture, he encouraged me to be more visible and showcase my leadership abilities. How could I reconcile that encouragement with my Christian values? In the end, when the call for an emcee went out, one of my more ambitious colleagues eagerly volunteered, and I couldn’t bring myself to speak up. It stung a little, I must admit. Here was someone who knew the event was my brainchild, yet she didn’t hesitate to put herself forward as the face of it, rather than nominating me. The event unfolded seamlessly, a testament to our collective efforts and dedication. Yet amidst the praise and applause, I couldn’t shake the nagging realization that I had missed an important opportunity to showcase my leadership skills. My reluctance to advocate for myself had relegated me to the role of a silent orchestrator who had concealed my potential, rather than the leader I aspired to be. And in that moment, I realized it was time to stop playing small and start showing up with the confidence, clarity, and purpose of the leader God designed me to be. Shrinking Back and Playing Small Before becoming a Christian, my work defined me. I was constantly striving, achieving, advancing, and setting new goals, yet something always felt missing. When I came to faith, the empty space I tried to fill with achievements was finally filled by God, and my identity shifted toward a deeper sense of purpose rooted in Him. But while my purpose had changed, my ambition didn’t disappear. Instead, I encountered a new tension: how to pursue growth, influence, and impact in my work while still glorifying God in all I did. I didn’t know how to reconcile my faith with my desire to get ahead in my career. So I began to shrink back and play small, believing that visibility, ambition, and leadership might somehow conflict with my Christian values. I didn’t speak about my accomplishments because I didn’t want to be boastful. I didn’t pursue higher visibility assignments because I believed humility required me to stay in the background. I didn’t want to ask for a raise because I feared it would come across as greedy. Over time, my hesitation to advocate for myself led to missed opportunities and slowed my career progression. Eventually, I realized I couldn’t honestly say I was pleasing God with my choices. The outcome of my behavior didn’t align with what I was learning about God in scripture. What I had labeled as humility was, in practice, limiting the gifts He had entrusted to me. The more time I spent in scripture, the more I realized that “being good” and staying true to my Christian values didn’t mean I had to play small or stifle my desire to get ahead in my career. God was never asking me to shrink back. What I was missing was a different perspective. My career wasn’t competing with my faith; it could be an extension of it. The Bible says, “Make your light shine, so others will see the good you do and will praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16, CEV). This verse changed how I saw my work. Jesus did not call us to hide the good we do in our lives, including our careers. He calls us to let it be visible so that others may see it and glorify God. When I began to see my work as service to God, my faith started shaping how I showed up every day, how I led, how I spoke up, how I pursued growth, and how I treated the people around me. Shining at Work I define a Christian career woman who shines at work as a woman who is confident and proactively pursues her goals. For our purposes, that woman’s confidence is rooted in God, and her faith propels her to fulfill her God-given potential as she goes after the dreams God has placed in her heart. Did you get that? There’s a whole lot of God in there. The desire to honor God in all you do, is indicative of a noble character. But the idea that succeeding in a competitive workplace is diametrically opposed to your Christian values is incorrect. If God placed you there, He will equip you if you do it His way! As a lawyer, a corporate executive, and an entrepreneur, I know what it’s like to climb up the career ladder, a climb that comes with many highs and lows. I’ve dealt with promotions and job loss, good bosses and bad managers, collaborative colleagues, and mean coworkers. I once heard that we teach what we need to learn. So it’s no surprise that after I earned my certification in Christian life coaching, I focused my practice on helping women develop leadership skills and navigate workplace dynamics.