This week, I watched my son walk across a stage at his kindergarten graduation... his very first. And just days later, I sat in the audience while my husband Cam delivered the keynote address for the first 4th grade graduating class of a Jesuit elementary school here in Baltimore, one he sits on the board for. Both moments. Same week. And I couldn't stop thinking about beginnings. That elementary school was founded by a priest named Father Watters, the same Father Watters who founded the middle school Cam attended, the school that became the starting point for the journey that led him to where he is today. But Father Watters didn't start with a portfolio. He started with a vision, a middle school, taking boys starting in 6th grade. Then he founded a high school. But somewhere along the way, he kept listening. And what he heard told him he needed to reach young men earlier. So he moved the middle school entry point to 5th grade. And then he kept listening. And eventually, he realized that earlier still wasn't early enough. That if he really wanted to shape the trajectory of these young men's lives, he needed to reach them at the very beginning of their education. So he founded Loyola, a preschool and elementary school, welcoming children as young as two years old. This week, that school graduated its very first 4th-grade class. Thirty-three years of listening. Adjusting. Refining. Without ever abandoning the original vision. That's validation. Not just something you do once before you launch. It's something you return to as your offer grows, as your audience evolves, as God sharpens what He's already placed in your hands. Father Watters didn't abandon the vision. He refined it. And the refining came from paying attention to the people he was called to serve. That's exactly what this week was asking you to do. So as you head into the weekend, a few honest questions: Did you have the conversation? Did you send the poll? Did you gather even one insight from someone you're building for?

This past weekend I set up my office. We moved about a month ago, but before moving, most of my office furniture had been sitting in storage for years as we navigated the home buying process. Now, my style has changed. My taste has changed. A few of the items that came out of that storage unit are not what I would choose today. But it is what I have. And this weekend, what I have is what I worked with. 😏 I started excited. I had a clear picture of where I was starting and a clear picture of where I needed to end up. A functional workspace. A backdrop for my meetings, consultations, and workshops, as well as for filming curriculum for both this community and my course. That was the goal. What I did not fully anticipate was everything that had to happen to get there, and in what order. The shelving units had to go up first because everything else depended on them. They were fine when they were delivered, but between my daughter's recent party and the chaos of them not fitting back up the stairs, my husband took them apart and rebuilt them, and somewhere in that process the original screws went missing. So before anything else could move forward, I was on a hunt. I checked the house and could not find them. I went to the store and they did not have them because my unit is now discontinued. I eventually tracked them down on Amazon and waited the weekend for them to arrive. That was just to get started. Once the shelves were secured, the drawers had to be reinstalled. They did not just slide back into place. That was its own process. Then the decor could finally go on the shelves, which sounds simple until you are doing it with a tweaked back and trying to figure out what actually looks right in a space that still does not feel fully yours yet. I went hunting for old photos of how the shelves were styled before, just to save myself the mental load of starting from scratch. Then the cabinet that lives between the shelves had to be moved from another room entirely, which meant more lifting, more arranging, and more adjusting. Then the chair had to be put together. And finally, the art piece went up on the wall, held in place by thumbtacks because I could not find a single Command Strip anywhere in the house.

Hey Ladies, Friday is here and we are closing out Week 6 strong! Before we head into the weekend, I just have to take a moment to celebrate some of the ladies who showed up this week because you deserve to be seen. @Jewel Caldwell - Sis, you opened up this week and shared something real and honest. That took courage, and it made this space richer for everyone in it. Thank you for trusting us with that. @Stacie Cannon @Niesha Ellis @Khadeeja Muhammad - You were in the community this week engaging with posts. That is worth celebrating! This community is better because you all show up. And if you moved forward in any way this week, big or small, that counts too. Drop a number below and let us celebrate you: 1 - I made progress on the course 2 - I had a real conversation or validation moment 3 - I just came back and that was enough All three are a win. See you in Week 7!🎉

Hey ladies, week 6 check-in! One thing I've been thinking about this week is just how much ground we've covered over the last several weeks. We've gone from getting clear on who we are, to understanding who we're called to serve, to identifying the problem we're being called to solve. Now we're in a week that asks us to pause and listen. Not because we haven't done the work. Many of us have spent weeks researching, reflecting, and building. Some have already started. Others are preparing to. But no matter where we are in the journey, there's always something we can learn from the people we're called to serve. So I'm checking in. How is Week 6 going for you? 💬Have you had a conversation yet? 📊Sent a poll? 🫶🏽Reached out to someone? 📚Learned something surprising? 👀Or are you still figuring out your next step? Drop an update below, it could be big or small. I'd love to hear where you are right now and how we can encourage you along the way. And when you're ready, head over to the Week 6 checkpoint post and share one insight, pattern, or takeaway you've gathered this week.

When I was validating the Six-Week Nonprofit course, I thought I was simply gathering information. What I didn't expect was how much those conversations would strengthen my confidence in what God had already called me to build (see a screenshot of one of my calls below). I learned that my course was, without a doubt, not for everyone, but specifically for faith-led nonprofit founders. I learned how people described their struggles. I learned what confused them, what they had already tried, and where they were getting stuck. But what surprised me most was that I walked away encouraged, too. Those conversations didn't create confusion. They created confirmation. They helped me see more clearly what God had already been showing me. They helped me see that I was on the right track. And even though I didn't have a finished course to sell at the time, many of the people I spoke with still walked away feeling heard, understood, and clearer about what they were trying to accomplish. Not because I was coaching or selling during the conversation, but because sometimes being deeply listened to is valuable all by itself. The goal of those conversations was to understand them better. The trust that came from those conversations was simply a byproduct of that. I wasn't selling. I was listening. And that's really what validation is. One of the biggest misconceptions about validation is that it's asking people what you should build. It's not. By this point, you've already spent weeks praying, reflecting, learning, and making decisions. Validation isn't about asking people to decide for you. It's about understanding the people you're building for. Because no matter how clear the vision is, if you don't understand the people you're serving, you'll end up building in isolation. And that's what we're trying to avoid this week. Validation is not a lack of faith. It's wisdom. It's counting the cost. It's seeking understanding. It's listening. In many ways, validation is one of the most loving things you can do for the people you're called to serve because it requires you to listen before you build.