I thought I would never be a mother. I remember standing in my old law firm’s hallway late at night… exhausted… hungry… trying to impress the partners… and walking past a woman partner’s cracked door. She was in her office crying while her kids cursed her out on speakerphone. Not once. Not twice. I had seen this happen enough times that I silently promised myself: “Oh no… I’m not doing that. I’m not having kids. I’m giving my ALL to my career. My husband. My ambition. That’s it.” And y’all… I meant it. I couldn’t see how motherhood fit into the life I was building. I didn’t think I had room for it. I didn’t think I had capacity for it. And I definitely didn’t want my future kids mad because I couldn’t be around. Fast forward. May 5, 2020. I had my daughter, Christelle (Christ+Elle) Kirkwood. 10 lbs. 9 oz. of pure light, fire, joy, and God’s reminder that He writes better stories than I do. And now, in just a few weeks, I’m taking 30 days off to travel the WORLD with my family — Dubai, Thailand, Bangkok, the Philippines, Nigeria, Ghana… and more. Not to work. Not to hustle. Not to keep up. To rest. To hear from God. To be with my family. To live the life I built to the fullest. Because I didn’t build a cage. I built a business. And that business gave me freedom the moment I stopped trying to do it the “corporate way.” When I think about that younger version of me… that girl in the hallway… that girl who thought motherhood would smother her ambition… I just want to hug her. She had NO IDEA how much possibility she carried. She had NO IDEA that ambition and motherhood could coexist. She had NO IDEA that building big things models freedom for your children — it doesn’t take it from them. My dad was an entrepreneur. And the greatest gift he gave me wasn’t money. It was proximity to purpose. Watching him work. Watching him dream. Watching him build. And watching him never miss a big moment of my life in the process. He never made me a scapegoat for his vision.

I used to say, “Chris and I left ministry…” but the truth is—we didn’t. It just looks different now. Chris was in seminary to be a pastor. Third-generation preacher’s kid. His dad pastors a historic apostolic church on the west side of Chicago. Me? I didn’t have that same call to the pulpit, but I was down to serve right alongside him. At 22 and 24, we were young and married—learning, growing, doing street ministry, feeding folks, running youth programs. We loved the people and the purpose. That heart to serve never left. It just evolved. When we started Speak Your Way To Cash®, we thought we were stepping away from ministry. Turns out, God was just giving us a new platform. Now, every event we host cording to @yolanda_k_churchwell feels like “business church.” People tell us they feel different after attending—and that’s because love, faith, and service are built into the DNA of everything we do. Our whole family’s involved—Chris, my mom, my brothers, my baby girl, my nieces and nephews. It’s a full-blown family mission. Ministry didn’t end. It expanded. So if you’ve ever felt called to serve but thought, “I’m not supposed to be in a pulpit,” hear me—ministry isn’t confined to a stage. It’s anywhere you love, lead, and lift people higher in the name of Jesus. It’s wear you surrender your plans to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And hear me on this; whatever you put your hands to do you’re supposed to work as unto God. That means learning and executing in excellence. That includes investing to be the best at your craft and putting in as much time as it takes to be great. If your business is a gift from God treat it with the respect such a gift deserves. God can use your voice—right where you are. Maybe more of us are in ministry than we think. 😉

Waiting is not Synonymous to doing Nothing!

“Make sure you don’t lose your man.” That’s what an older sistah told me after I graduated law school. She meant well. She really believed love, success, calling, and purpose couldn’t live in the same house. But MY Bible says differently. “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows grace and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” — Psalm 84:11 So why would I believe God blesses me with brilliance…just to punish me for using it? Why would I believe He puts desire in my heart… just to shame me for wanting more? Lack is not holy. Shrinking is not spiritual. Fear is not discernment. Don’t choose between obedience and abundance. The Bible never asked you to pick. You don’t lose your man by walking in purpose. I don’t think a woman can “lose” a man actually but that’s a different post. Be who you’re supposed to be and let life show you how good it can get. And you don’t get everything you want by hustling harder… You get it by becoming the woman who can HOLD what God is trying to HAND you. Here’s the real formula: • Desire needs permission. You can’t receive what you won’t admit you want. • Fear loves inaction. Courage happens after the movement, not before. • Obedience needs identity. Corporate may have conditioned you. But God called you. • Abundance needs alignment. Stop praying for overflow while practicing lack. 👉And here’s what most women don’t know: If God designed you for MORE, peace will leave every time you settle for LESS. You’re not confused. You’re conditioned. You’re not stuck. You’re misaligned. Fix the identity… and everything you want stops running from you. P.S. If you’re a licensed expert looking to make more sales, hi! I’m your coach. I help experts make more sales by identifying and leveraging their unique selling power!

The most successful women in my programs aren’t the loudest… or the boldest… or the most extroverted. They’re the ones who aren’t afraid to be corrected. They don’t crumble when they’re coached. They don’t fold when they’re redirected. They don’t take feedback as failure. Shame slows more businesses than strategy ever will. Being coachable is a cheat code. P.S. If you're coachable and want help improving sales in your business, my mastermind is open until Monday at midnight. Comment COACH and I'll send you the application.