10 Things I learned at the She Speaks Conference
I came to the She Speaks conference hoping to become a better writer & focus on my book,
I left having a deeper understanding of how to integrate my faith into my practice.
I showed up with a notebook full of dreams. A book proposal. Podcast ideas. Ministry plans. Conversations I hoped to have, and prayers I hoped God might answer.
But somewhere between the sessions, the quiet mornings with Jesus, and the conversations over coffee, I realized God was doing something deeper than helping me write a book.
He was reshaping my heart.
Here are the ten lessons I brought home. Most of them changed me more than they changed my writing.
What is the She Speaks conference?
She Speaks is a conference hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministries, the organization founded by Lysa TerKeurst. It gathers women who feel called to write, speak, and lead in ministry.
This year around 500 of us were there in person in Charlotte, with another 12,000 joining online.
I came for the teaching. I stayed for what God did in the quiet. Here is what I am still thinking about.
10 Things I learned from the She Speaks Conference
1. God cares more about my heart than my platform
One of the sessions that stayed with me most came from Kia Stephens.
She walked us through the moment Samuel assumed Eliab would be king because of how he looked. And God answered with words every writer needs to hear.
People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7
It is easy to get caught up in platforms, follower counts, and book sales. But God keeps asking a harder question. How is your heart?
Before I ask Him to grow my influence, I want to ask Him to grow my character. Character comes before calling. Every time.
2. My story is something to steward, not spotlight
Cindy Bultema shared a framework I keep coming back to. She called it S.T.O.R.Y.
See God's faithfulness.
Trust His timing.
Own your story.
Remember you are a steward.
Yield the spotlight to Jesus.
One line settled deep in me. Speak from a healed scar, not an open wound.
Toni Collier modeled this on stage. She waited until she had done the healing work before she shared one of the hardest chapters of her life. There was so much grace in that.
Healing is not about hiding our stories. It is about letting Jesus finish writing them before we teach from them.
3. Which voice are you actually listening to?
Dr. Joel Muddamalle taught on discernment, and one sentence has stayed with me since.
Discernment is not about seeing demons everywhere. It is about learning to test every voice.
We are surrounded by voices. Culture. Social media. Podcasts. Publishers. Friends. Our own fears and ambitions. The question is not whether the voices are there. The question is which voice has authority.
He gave us three questions I will carry for a long time.
Are the lies I am believing distorting God's character?
Is this a pattern, or a one time struggle?
Am I becoming isolated from Scripture, prayer, and community?
Those questions do not just help us spot false teaching. They help us understand our own hearts.
4. The source of wisdom matters
Dr. Joel also walked us through James 3, where there are two kinds of wisdom. One is fueled by selfish ambition and envy. It leaves chaos behind. The other comes from above. It produces peace, mercy, gentleness, and good fruit.
He challenged us to stop filtering our choices through what is best for me? and start asking how can I honor God and the people He loves?
As someone writing a book, launching a podcast, and building a ministry, that one went straight to my heart.
Every decision begins somewhere. So does every story.
5. Sometimes the battle is bigger than what I can see
We spent time in Daniel 10, where Scripture pulls back the curtain on a spiritual realm we cannot see.
Not every hard thing has the same explanation. But that passage reminded me that God is at work even when I cannot see the whole picture.
When the answers do not come right away, I can still trust that He is faithful.
6. God writes better stories than we ever could
One slide simply read, God turns broken stories into beautiful prose.
I sat with that one for a while. It felt like the mission statement for The 61 Exchange.
I started that space because another woman's testimony gave me hope in one of the hardest seasons of my life. I wanted to build a place where women could read story after story that reminds them God still redeems.
That is why testimony matters. Our stories become gifts when they point back to His faithfulness, not our own strength.
7. The words inside you matter
Another line I will not forget. The words tucked inside you matter too much to stay there.
Sometimes fear dresses up like humility. We tell ourselves we are being modest when really we are just afraid. Sometimes God is simply asking us to be obedient with what He placed inside us.
8. Write because God made you to
Kia Stephens reminded us why we write in the first place. Not because we have a contract. Not because we are published. Not because the numbers are good.
We write because God formed us to.
When I hold it that way, writing stops being about performance. It becomes worship.
9. My story is about Jesus, not me
The Samaritan woman at the well did not have all the answers. She simply said, come and see. That is the whole invitation. I do not have to have it all figured out. I just get to point people toward Jesus, not toward myself. That takes so much pressure off.
10. Faithfulness is success
This might have been my biggest takeaway.
Success is not a bestseller list. It is not followers or downloads or speaking invitations.
Success is faithfulness. And faithfulness looks different in every season.
For the past six years, mine has looked like raising babies, supporting my husband, and caring for my family, including a child with special needs.
One session, Pursuing Calling When Parenting Is Hard, spoke right to the mom guilt I carry. The reminder there was simple. God gives grace for more than one calling at a time.
I do not think this new chapter is meant to replace motherhood. I think it is meant to be built on it.
If you are holding a story of your own
Maybe you are sitting on words you have been afraid to share. Here is what I would gently pass along.
Let your story heal before you tell it. There is wisdom in waiting until you can speak from a scar instead of a wound.
Test the voices you are listening to. Ask whether they are pointing you toward God's character or away from it.
Start small and stay faithful. You do not need a platform to be obedient. You just need to begin.
What I carried home from She Speaks
I left Charlotte with pages of notes, a few new friendships, and a heart that felt recalibrated.
I also left with a clearer sense of calling. While I was there, I enrolled in a year long certification to become a trauma informed counselor, so I can weave sound biblical truth together with real care for the people I walk alongside.
Kia Stephens reminded me that God cares more about my heart than my platform. Cindy Bultema reminded me that my story belongs to God, and my job is to steward it well. Dr. Joel Muddamalle reminded me that every message and every decision gets filtered through God's Word.
Those are not just lessons for writers. They are lessons for living.
If you want to read the kind of stories that first gave me hope, come sit with us at The 61 Exchange. It is a place for real, redemptive testimony, and there is more coming soon. You can also find more about my story and what God is doing next.
And if God planted words inside you too, I hope you will trust that He is faithful to bring them to life.
