And how God invites women of color in leadership into rest, identity, and freedom
I’ve seen this way too often.
Women of color in leadership doing everything in their power to deliver outcomes, do the right thing, and stay in alignment with expectations, only to end up questioning themselves after one or two hard moments.
Some may call it imposter syndrome.
In faith, I call it what it is: plain old FEAR.
Not because they didn’t follow the process.
Not because they were disrespectful.
Not because they failed to work as a team.
But because someone else in the organization didn’t agree with something that directly or indirectly involved them.
And most of the time? It was a case of poor communication between leaders.
And guess what?
‘We’ minority women take it on as our fault.
We carry the burden.
This is a pattern.
It’s what I see so often in minority women who lead while also carrying the weight of being the only one or one of few in their space.
Women who are not just responsible at work, but at home, in their churches and in their communities.
Women who can’t afford to lose their jobs because they are the backbone.
The provider.
The planner.
The protector.
They need the job.
There’s no backup plan.
So when something goes wrong; a meeting, a comment, a misunderstanding, our minds go straight to survival:
“Did I mess this up?”
“Am I going to lose my job over this?”
“Why do I always feel like I’m being blamed?”
“Why does it feel like I have a target on my back?”
And beneath all of that what exists is – Fear.
Not just fear of failure.
Fear of loss.
The kind of loss we’ve witnessed over and over again:
Women who look like us laid off, overlooked, pushed out, or silenced.
Fear of instability.
Fear that everything we’ve worked so hard to hold together might fall apart not because of what we’ve done, but because of how we’re perceived.
The truth is many minority women are leading under pressure that no one is talking about.
They show up with wisdom, faith, and excellence and still live in fear that one moment will undo it all.
They’re constantly working under:
That fear has been the corporate form of bondage.
Not because our beautiful minority women lack the ability and capacity but because the system wasn’t built to make room for their humanity and everyday reality.
They are overextended.
They stay up late, overthinking every word.
They pray hard but still walk in anxious.
They keep showing up but inside, they’re losing themselves.
Through it all they are –
Just trying to hold it together.
Just trying to keep their salary.
Just trying to be there for those that matter most in their lives.
Plain truth, bad manners:
This is not what you were created for.
God never meant for you to lead in fear, or to be lead in fear.
He didn’t call you to sacrifice yourself to be seen as “safe.”
He never intended for your peace to depend on a paycheck.
He never told you to hide behind a title.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
He said come.
Not after you fix it.
Not after you get it together.
Not after you break down.
Come now. Just as you are.
Because you were never meant to carry all this alone. Jesus is right there with you in the mess. He is right there with you, ready for you to give him your burdens. For you to surrender your fears.
So What Do You Do When Fear Creeps In?
Here’s what I tell the women I coach:
Jesus calmed the storm and He brings peace into yours.
Even when all you can say is His name:
“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”
— Mark 4:39 (NIV)
Speak His name. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. That’s enough.
God is omnipresent, he sees it all. Every detail. Every whisper. Every fear. This means he knows EVERYTHING! There is nothing about you or your situation that he doesn’t know.
You don’t have to figure out the outcome, just ask him to show you the lesson.
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?”
— Psalm 139:7 (NIV)
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
— Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)
Remember: You are carrying a bag of rocks that you’re not meant to carry. Jesus is asking you to both empty rocks you shouldn’t be carrying and rocks you should be surrendering to him.
Examine your bag of rocks and see why it is so heavy. Lighten your load!
Ask: “Why is this so heavy?”
And then let Him lighten the load.
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you.”
— Psalm 55:22 (NIV)
“Come to me… and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
Managers change. Job titles fade. But God’s word over your life remains.
People may not like this one but managers opinion of you really doesn’t matter. Evaluate whose opinion of you really matters.
God places people in your life who can remind you of the true you. Tap into community, spiritual covering, or coaching support that knows the real you not just the ‘performance’/ ‘professional’ version of you.
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
— Proverbs 15:22 (NIV)
“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”
— Proverbs 29:25 (ESV)
Peace is a strategy. Don’t let fear drive your decisions. Invite God into it.
Ask Him: What are You showing me here? What needs to be released?
Peace isn’t passive. it’s intentional. It’s strategic. It’s spiritual.
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”
— Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
“Do not be anxious… And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
— Philippians 4:6–7 (NIV)
Here’s what I know:
Your bag of rocks is way too heavy. The opinion of others is shaping you identify and you’re placing too much value to drive the outcome of your life. Their opinion doesn’t matter in the grander scheme of life.
You’re not alone.
You’re not alone.
You’re carrying more than most people can see and you’re doing it with grace.
But you don’t have to carry it in fear.
There is another way to lead.
A path that is rooted, intentional, and grounded in who God called you to be.
You were not meant to survive corporate life by assimilating, conforming, masking or surviving.
You were meant to lead with discernment, clarity, peace and rest even at the highest of roles.
If this resonates with you…
Then I want to personally invite you to my Crystal Clear PATHs Plan.
Let’s take the next step. Together.
If this spoke to you, I want to personally invite you to my Crystal Clear PATHs Plan.
This is a space where we untangle what’s been driving you and focus on what God is really calling you to do.
You need space to be poured into.
You need language for what you’ve been carrying.
You need clarity on what’s next without fear driving the process.
📩 Book a Discovery Call or learn more here:
👉🏾 https://shapingpathwaysinc.com/appointment/
