Live Empowered. Lead Empowered.

Are you living on purpose, for a purpose? Or are you of the thought that life is just happening and will

keep happening whether you engage with it or not?

God has a big purpose for each one of us. He wants us to engage and make decisions that will

impact and influence. Yet so many of us struggle to believe we are capable of, or even worthy of,

achieving this great purpose for our lives.

We all have obstacles that hold us back: past wounds that need to be healed, our mental and

physical health, the way we communicate with others, how we spend our days, and what we allow into

our spaces. This book is all about the small steps you can take right now—just as you are in this

moment—to live out your purpose.

Part of my inspiration for this book was the people in my life who I could see had such big

potential but who hadn’t quite found it in themselves. When they told me their dreams, I could look at

them and say authentically, “That’s incredible. You can do that!” The only problem was they couldn’t

believe it for themselves. It’s what’s inside of us, not what’s outside of us, that holds us back from

living our biggest dreams.

I believed in these people so much, but I couldn’t do the work for them. I know this because this

is the journey I have gone through. I have had to go through my own process of healing and make the

changes that allow me to live fully in my calling. I’m still growing and will be for my whole life.

Sometimes, it takes just one person who has walked the path before to encourage us to keep the

course. I have had lots of people do that for me, and I hope to be one small voice that empowers you to

do the work.

I am a firm believer in working through the garbage, not just pushing it down. When we try to

push it down, it will always come back up. Someone gave me the visual of trying to hold a beach ball

underwater. The farther down you push it, the higher it will pop into the air when it inevitably comes

back up. The more we try to push down our emotions, the more out of control they will be when they

finally burst. We have to work through our emotions for them to lose their power.

I want to hold your hand on this journey. You should get a few other people to do the same. I am

so excited for you to be pursuing growth. It isn’t about me giving you the answers. It is about reflecting

and being introspective.

Everything you need is inside of you. Trust me, I know how ridiculous that can sound when you

feel like you have nothing left, but I promise you there is hope and life on the other side. You don’t

have to be bound and limited by the negative beliefs that keep you stuck.

I want to give you practical tools to move forward, yes, but mostly, I want to be your

cheerleader. I want to encourage you that no matter how hard it feels, keep leaning in.

Do the work. It will be worth it.

You, my friend, have something valuable to offer the world. You don’t have to go learn a new skill.

You don’t have to go to school to become an expert. You don’t need to be certified or qualified in the

eyes of the world. Share what you already know. The truest thing you have to give is what is already

inside of you.

Identify and speak truth to the lies that hold you back. Build the confidence to share your gift. If

you are afraid to lead, it’s not because you don’t have something to share. You just need to identify

what it is that’s holding you back from sharing it.

This is the foundation of Live Empowered. Lead Empowered. When we live empowered, we

live on purpose with a mission. We have something to share with others, and we propel them into

motion, purpose, and passion. Here’s the thing: a person doesn’t have to have the same purpose and

passion as you for you to inspire them. Creating a community with diverse strengths is actually more

powerful and effective.

We all live with voices in our heads that try to hold us back. If we’d stop believing these lies,

more people would be living their dreams and sharing their gifts. The spectrum of lies is wide and far.

Sometimes we believe our knowledge is too basic or that it’s common knowledge. Sometimes we

believe no one will be interested in what we have to say.

The reality is that the thing that comes most easily to you is often the thing you should be

sharing. That thing that is easy for you is hard for someone else, and what is easy for them might be

hard for you. That is why we need each other. Think about that for a minute. You can use your

knowledge to empower others. Just because something comes naturally to you doesn’t mean you don’t

have the authority to share it. Our culture says if it isn’t hard, it isn’t valuable, but what if the fact that it

comes easily to you actually makes it more valuable?

When you are living fully in your strength, people will be attracted to you even if other people

have similar skills. Living confidently in your strength is magnetic.