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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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_outlineWhat 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 speaks honestly about a recent moment when she realized she had been numbing her feelings to cope with stress. Her experience is a reminder that even someone who teaches about purpose has to pause, pay attention, and make room to feel alive again.
The conversation explores three clues Jessica writes about in her book: design, desires, and disappointments. Design includes the personality, gifts, talents, and traits God has given us—even qualities we may have mistaken for flaws. Jessica also considers how to listen to desire with wisdom instead of dismissing it altogether.
Disappointment may be the most surprising clue. Jessica shares how painful experiences, when met with healing, can deepen our compassion and help us connect with people who need what we have learned. As she explains, “Our disappointments, when healed, become the most beautiful, approachable, relatable, credibility building part of us.”
Melissa and Jessica bring the conversation into the workplace, where many women have responsibilities they cannot simply leave behind. Jessica’s encouragement is that purpose is available there, too. The skills you use to bring clarity to a colleague or serve someone well may feel ordinary, but they can be part of how you live out your calling.
This conversation offers a practical place to begin: check your “pilot light.” Notice what feels alive, what feels dim, and what is true about your life right now. You can start there without knowing the entire path ahead.
In this episode, we get into:
Your purpose isn’t limited to your job title.
Look for ways to serve and use your gifts in the work already in front of you.
Your design, desires, and disappointments offer clues.
Pay attention to how God made you, what stirs your heart, and where your experiences have shaped compassion.
Start with a pilot light check.
Notice what feels alive, what feels dim, and where you are today. Clarity begins with honesty.
Jessica also shares what women can expect from her breakout session at BOLDLY. She will walk through the elements of her purpose formula and help participants begin the process of writing their own purpose statements.
For the woman who feels stuck, Jessica’s invitation is to begin by noticing her current reality: “But start with where you are.”
4word is excited to welcome Jessica to BOLDLY this October in Dallas.
Learn more about BOLDLY at 4wordwomen.org/boldly/.
About Dr. Jessica Rimmer
Dr. Jessica Rimmer is the CEO of Solomon Strategic Advisors, an executive advisor, and author of The Purpose Formula: How to Live Fully Alive. A leadership strategist and organizational culture expert, she helps individuals and teams gain clarity about their purpose and strengthen the way they work together. She previously served as an executive in higher education and has partnered with organizations on strategic growth, leadership development, and culture.
Learn more about Solomon Strategic Advisors.
Follow Jessica on LinkedIn and Instagram.
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/