Managing What Matters — Leading from Identity, Not Expectation
Your Mission Forward Podcast
In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Ashley Baxter challenges high-achieving women to rethink how they lead, live, and define success. Drawing from her own experience as a business leader, mother, and founder, she speaks directly to the pressure many women feel to “do it all”—and do it perfectly. Ashley explores the hidden cost of achievement-driven living, where the desire to excel can quietly turn into the need to prove worth. She invites listeners to confront a transformative question: Who are you without what you do? From this foundation, she unpacks how true leadership...
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From Combat Cockpit to CEO: Building Discipline-Driven Businesses with Josh Cherry
Your Mission Forward Podcast
In this episode, we sit down with Josh Cherry—a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot turned entrepreneur—whose journey is a masterclass in leadership, discipline, and building businesses that scale. Josh shares how his 14-year military career, including three combat tours in Iraq and earning nine Air Medals, shaped his mindset around trust, systems, and high-stakes decision-making. But the real story begins when he transitions out of the military and into entrepreneurship—facing uncertainty, redefining identity, and ultimately committing to building something of his own. Through the...
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Mission Forward: Judith Rias on Empowering Nations
Your Mission Forward Podcast
In this episode of Mission Forward, we sit down with Judith Rias, Founder of Empowering Nations, to explore a powerful model for transformational impact across the globe. Empowering Nations operates through a holistic approach—addressing body, mind, and spirit—to equip individuals and communities with the training, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive. Judith shares how the organization partners with local churches, community groups, businesses, nonprofits, and individuals across the USA, Europe, and Africa to create sustainable change. From grassroots initiatives to global...
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For His Glory: How to Bring God Glory in Every Season
Your Mission Forward Podcast
I’m honored to be joined by Darlene Harkins — a pastor’s wife, women’s ministry leader, worship leader, retired corporate executive, and author who has dedicated her life to serving others. After a miraculous healing from stage four cancer, Darlene developed a deep passion for guiding people toward Christ and helping them engage with Scripture in a meaningful, Spirit-led way. Her story is one of faith, surrender, courage, and obedience. Whether she was raising her family, leading in the corporate world, ministering to women, or walking through one of the darkest seasons of her life,...
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Hope in the Hard Places: Finding Purpose Beyond Rock Bottom
Your Mission Forward Podcast
In this month’s episode of the Your Mission Forward Podcast, Ashley sits down with Mike Stu O’Brien — founder of the hit podcast Two Addicts and a Moron, a show that’s reaching people across the country with real stories of recovery, hope, and raw honesty. Stu opens up about his journey through addiction, the moment everything shattered, and the unexpected redemption that followed. This episode, “Hope in the Hard Places: Finding Purpose Beyond Rock Bottom,” is a reminder that God never wastes pain — He transforms it. Stu’s story is one of grit, grace, healing, and the kind of...
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Mission Forward: Leading Through Adversity with Courage and Clarity
Your Mission Forward Podcast
In our first episode, I sit down with Lauren, a VP of Operations, author, and a woman who embodies strength in motion. As she navigates life and leadership while battling Stage 4 cancer, Lauren shares powerful wisdom on leading through adversity, finding purpose in pain, and showing up with grace even when the pressure is real. Her story will challenge you, inspire you, and call you higher.
info_outlineIn this powerful and deeply personal episode, Ashley Baxter challenges high-achieving women to rethink how they lead, live, and define success. Drawing from her own experience as a business leader, mother, and founder, she speaks directly to the pressure many women feel to “do it all”—and do it perfectly.
Ashley explores the hidden cost of achievement-driven living, where the desire to excel can quietly turn into the need to prove worth. She invites listeners to confront a transformative question: Who are you without what you do? From this foundation, she unpacks how true leadership begins with self-leadership—grounded not in performance, but in identity.
Through a moving story of her colleague Lauren Gilbert, Ashley brings urgency and perspective to the conversation around time, reminding us that life’s value isn’t found in doing more, but in being present for what matters most.
Listeners will walk away with three practical strategies to reclaim control and lead with intention:
- Schedule your values first—align your time with what truly matters
- Empower others—release control to create growth and multiply impact
- Outsource without guilt—protect your energy for what only you can do
She also highlights the importance of community, emphasizing that no woman is meant to carry leadership, business, and life alone. Growth requires proximity to the right people—those who challenge, support, and elevate you.
This episode is both a wake-up call and a permission slip: you don’t need more time—you need more intention. Stop proving your worth and start leading from it.