From Striving to Trust with Sheeba Philip
Moving Forward
What if moving forward in your calling begins with releasing the pressure to make everything happen? In this episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Sheeba Philip, founder of Impart Group, for a candid conversation about career setbacks, identity beyond achievement, and learning to build with God. With more than 25 years of executive leadership experience, Sheeba explains that her most formative seasons came through failure and disappointment. After a leadership change ended her role at JCPenney, she found herself wrestling with a deeply personal...
info_outline
From Burnout to Renewal with Dr. Ioana Popa
Moving Forward
You can love your work, believe deeply in your mission, and still find yourself depleted. Sustainable leadership requires paying attention to the person carrying that mission—and making room for renewal along the way. In this BOLDLY Breakout Spotlight episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Dr. Ioana Popa, a physician-psychiatrist educator, executive coach, and co-founder of Team For The Soul Institute, for a conversation about burnout, daily regeneration, and discerning God’s direction for your life and work. Drawing on her professional...
info_outline
From Brokenness to Boldness with Kisha Smith
Moving Forward
Leading authentically begins with the courage to acknowledge our own stories—and trust that our struggles do not diminish our worth or our ability to make a difference. In this final episode of our BOLDLY Breakout Spotlight week on the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Kisha Smith, known as “The Transparency Coach,” for a candid conversation about healing, faith, vulnerability, and leading with conviction. Drawing on more than two decades of corporate HR experience and her own journey of healing, Kisha shares how God invited her to address pain she had spent years...
info_outline
Anchored to Lead Boldly with Rachael Jackson
Moving Forward
The achievements that shape our careers can also shape how we see ourselves. An unexpected change can invite us to discover a deeper foundation for our identity—and a new way to lead. In this special BOLDLY Breakout Spotlight episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Rachael Jackson of REV, a West Point graduate and former Army Apache helicopter pilot, for a candid conversation about identity, faith, perseverance, and the power of meaningful connection. Rachael’s journey began with a praying mother and a conversation with an Army recruiter. As a strong-willed...
info_outline
Ambition, Faith, and the Courage to Grow with Ellie Nieves
Moving Forward
What if growing in your career doesn’t require choosing between ambition and humility? In this special BOLDLY Breakout Spotlight episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Ellie Nieves, a leadership coach, public policy professional, and author of The Career Playbook for Christian Women, for a practical conversation about pursuing professional growth while remaining grounded in faith. Ellie shares that becoming a Christian didn’t make her ambition disappear. Instead, it invited her to examine what was driving it. As she explains, “He wasn’t calling me to...
info_outline
Finding Purpose Right Where You Are with Dr. Jessica Rimmer
Moving Forward
What if living with purpose doesn’t require a new job, a clearer five-year plan, or a dramatic change in circumstances? In this special BOLDLY Breakouts episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Dr. Jessica Rimmer, CEO of Solomon Strategic Advisors and author of The Purpose Formula: How to Live Fully Alive, to explore how women can recognize and live out their God-given purpose. Jessica describes purpose as a “pilot light in the soul”—a source of energy that can help us recognize when it is time to bring our gifts to a situation. She also...
info_outline
Finding Your Way Back to Joy with Joy St. John
Moving Forward
What happens when you reach a career milestone you worked hard for—and realize you may be called to take a different path? In this special BOLDLY Breakouts episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Joy St. John, founder of The Joyous Edge, to talk about success, calling, and the courage to slow down when the life you are living no longer feels aligned with the one you want to lead. Joy was thriving in her career at KPMG. She was on the partner path, developing leaders, advising clients, and helping grow a global community of women in risk. Yet as...
info_outline
The Courage to Lead Imperfectly with Melissa Russell
Moving Forward
What if becoming a stronger leader isn’t about getting everything right—but becoming more honest about where you need to grow? In this episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with Melissa Russell, President of charity: water, for a candid conversation about leading through failure, receiving feedback, and releasing the expectation of perfection. Melissa explains that leaders have to become comfortable with acknowledging when something hasn’t gone as planned. If perfection is the goal, every criticism or mistake can feel crippling. But when leaders...
info_outline
The Ripple Effect
Moving Forward
Three women. Three different stories. One beautiful picture of what can happen when we invest in the life of a woman. What happens when you invest in the life of one woman? The impact rarely stops with her. When a woman grows in her faith, confidence, leadership, and sense of purpose, she carries that growth with her—into her home, her workplace, her relationships, and her community. And often, she turns around and invests in someone else. That’s The Ripple Effect. In this special Giving Week episode of the Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with three...
info_outline
Leading from a Healthy Place with Kobe Campbell
Moving Forward
What does it really mean to be a healthy leader — not just an effective, successful, or high-performing one? In this episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa Harrison sits down with licensed trauma therapist, bestselling author, and speaker Kobe Campbell for a conversation about the inner work of leadership — and how the stories, wounds, and emotional patterns we carry can shape the way we show up at work. Kobe explains that healthy leadership begins with congruence: understanding what is happening inside of us while also being able to respond appropriately to what is...
info_outlineMany women work hard, deliver results, and assume their work will eventually speak for itself. But as Dr. Merary Cruz Simeon shares in this episode of the Moving Forward Podcast, that is not always reality.
In this conversation, 4word President & CEO Melissa Harrison talks with Merary about finding your voice at work, advocating for yourself with confidence and humility, and learning to use your influence with wisdom and discernment.
Drawing from her own journey—from growing up in a Puerto Rican family and becoming a first-generation college student to serving in senior leadership roles inside major global organizations—Merary reflects on the moments that taught her to ask for opportunities, name her accomplishments, and stop assuming that hard work alone would move her career forward.
She also challenges women to use their voices with discernment. Unmuting your voice is not about speaking up about everything. It is about understanding where your voice can make a difference, paying attention to God’s nudge, and being willing to speak when the moment matters.
The conversation goes deeper into the inner work behind healthy leadership as well. Merary explains why healing matters if we want to fully activate the gifts God has given us and why ambition itself is not the enemy—the deeper question is what we are working out of.
And ultimately, stepping into your voice is not only about advancing yourself. Merary encourages women to use their influence to advocate for others, create opportunities, share what they have learned, and help someone else move forward.
In this episode, we get into:
Your work won't always speak for itself.
Have the courage to advocate for what you bring.
Use your voice with wisdom and discernment.
Listen for God's nudge before you speak.
Your voice can help others move forward.
Influence isn't only about advancing yourself.
You’ll also hear about:
-
Finding your voice and advocating for yourself at work
-
Why speaking about your accomplishments is not the same as bragging
-
The role of healing in leadership and personal growth
-
How to know when your voice can make a difference
-
Ambition, achievement, and what is driving you
-
Using influence to advocate for other women
-
Living out your faith in the workplace
-
Staying open to where God may be leading you next
About Dr. Merary Cruz Simeon
Dr. Merary Cruz Simeon is an executive, author, speaker, and leadership strategist with decades of experience leading within major global organizations. She is passionate about helping women recognize their potential, use their voices, and step into positions of influence while remaining grounded in purpose and faith.
She is the author of H.E.R.A.C.T.: Activate Your Potential and is known for her work around leadership, healing, sponsorship, multicultural women, faith in the workplace, and creating opportunities for others.
🔗 Learn more about Merary: HERE
About Melissa Harrison
Melissa Harrison is a journalist, nonprofit leader, and President & CEO of 4word. She is passionate about helping women integrate faith, leadership, and purpose in the workplace. As host of the Moving Forward Podcast, Melissa brings a storyteller’s perspective to honest conversations about work, calling, growth, and the courage to keep moving forward.
🔗 Learn more about Melissa: melissaharrison.net
Follow Melissa on LinkedIn and Instagram
About 4word
4word is a global community for Christian women in the workplace, helping women grow in their faith, thrive in their work, and become the women and leaders God created them to be.
Find out more about 4word 👉 https://4wordwomen.org/