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Establishing Your Calling: Kingdom-Focused Business and Women in Leadership with Cherice Stoltzfus

Finding our calling is a challenging journey of continuous growth, honing, and identity building. For many of us, our calling and purpose is tied to leadership and business. And while we have many great leaders today, the majority of them are men. However, many amazing women are born leaders who can change and impact the world. By developing nameless collaborations, men and women can work together toward achieving purpose and Kingdom advancement.

In today's episode, Cherice Stoltzfus joins us to relay her story of purpose and the challenges she went through to achieve it. She emphasizes the importance of women's leadership and participation in business through her organization, Nameless Collaborative. Cherice reiterates how men and women should complement each other. She also talks about security and how we can work to achieve it.

If you are currently at a place where you are establishing your calling, then this episode is for you.

Resources

Nameless Collaborative
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Episode Details

3 Reasons to Listen:

Learn more about finding your calling and purpose.
Know the role and importance of women in businesses and leadership.
Find out which word in Seek, Go, Create resonated with Cherice the most.

About Cherice

Cherice Stoltzfus is the founder of Nameless Collaborative, which aims to encourage and connect women in leadership roles. Cherice has 20 years of experience in ministry leadership. Together with her husband, Dwayne, she also founded several businesses and Kingdom-focused projects in the United States and internationally.

To connect with Cherice and her organization, you may send an email to connect@namelesscollaborative.com or cherice@namelesscollaborative.com.

Episode Highlights

[02:51] What Cherice Does

Her life has two different categories: home life and running an organization.
She founded the Nameless Collaborative in 2017 for Christian women in leadership.
The organization connects international Christian women leaders into forming a community.

[05:20] Cherice’s Background

She grew up in a dysfunctional, broken home.
Cherice grew up in California but moved to Idaho at the age 14 to live with her father.
A friend from school invited her to a youth group one night, where she heard the voice of God for the first time.
That night, she gave her life to the Lord, which changed everything. This experience was the foundation of her relationship with God, along with the rest of her life and relationships.

[10:39] Challenges as a Teen

Although there were still challenges, Cherice felt a call to ministry after her encounter that night. The whole trajectory of her life, including her plans, changed because of it.
Cherice wanted to learn the foundation of the word “ministry” and start her leadership journey in the ministry. She ended up going to Christ for the Nation, a bible school in Dallas.
Despite facing pressure to go to a traditional college, she felt instant belongingness in the bible school.

[14:05] What Calling Means

Calling is the innate desire we feel inside of our hearts to make a difference. It is purpose.
Cherice had a great desire in her heart to minister. While she didn’t know exactly what that would look like, she knew she wanted to start there.
The vision of Nameless Collaborative is for women who have a clear understanding of their purpose. Furthermore, they must be on the path to creating a ministry, organization, or a Kingdom-focused business.
Cherice and her husband felt the same calling when they first met: to go to the unreached people groups.
But purpose changes over time. Upon learning, growing, and evaluating the situation, she and her husband started their first business in 2006, which became a success.

[24:22] Business in the Christian Realm

Business in the Christian realm is a blue ocean; it is so wide open. However, she feels Christianity is somewhat behind in the world of business.
Cherice and her husband moved to China for a year in 2010. There, they built a legally-licensed marketing company with a Chinese business partner, distributing Christian content on over 20 websites in China.
Through the years they were overseas, they worked with different business partners. Some of them were family members.
Good and open communication is key to avoiding issues when running a business from a distance.
They constantly remind themselves of the work they’re doing because, as humans, we can get discouraged fast. Everything is part of God’s plan.

[31:53] “We have to continue to remind each other all the time of the work we're doing because you get discouraged fast.” - Click Here to Tweet This

[33:35] Weighing Between Business and Calling

Cherice did not struggle with balancing ministry and business.
All is ministry as long as you’re obedient to God’s calling for the season.
Everyday life is ministry, not just your occupation.
Listen to the full episode to know how Cherice’s family acquired and overcame the COVID-19 infection.

[42:55] How Nameless Collaborative Began

Cherice got the idea to build the organization after seeing her husband collaborate with men in business.
It dawned upon her how these types of collaborations are rare with women.
Cherice envisioned the organization as a community of women who lead and understand the dynamics of being a leader.
She then began to look for women that could “sharpen” each other.
It is called the “Nameless” because it is not about making their names great but making His name great to advance the Kingdom.

[47:43] The Dynamic Among Women Leaders

The atmosphere was collaborative rather than competitive.
Women are free to share what they do and who they are.
Nobody's bragging because everyone is of high capacity.
Everyone feels secure in who God wants them to be and what He’s called them to do.

[50:40] How You Can Work Toward Security

Cherice believes that security is found in your identity. Without identity, security is going to be a struggle.
Always maintain a posture of service and try to create a culture of serving.
Do not compete. Be real, and don’t put yourself in a position that’s fake.
Rather than focusing on prolonging insecurity, spend your time on what God has called us to do as Christians.
Leaders should always be in a position of cultivating.

[53:11] “A lot of us can call ourselves Christians, but I think it comes down to that relationship that you have with the Lord. It is a daily surrender to Him.” - Click Here to Tweet This

[57:12] The Importance of a Routine

Cherice follows a regular morning routine that includes working out with her husband and spending alone time before the kids wake up.
Stewardship starts with yourself.
She feels like a different person whenever she fails to follow her routine.
Cherice spends some time in her routine to sit with the Father and be at the right place of peace.
It’s important to prioritize activities for the day. Cherice organizes activities in a planner and separates them into home life and work priorities.

[01:01:28] “Even if you have no spiritual relationship, just sit down quietly and try to listen.” - Click Here to Tweet This

[01:03:37] What Men Need to Know About Working with Women

Women and men were created to complement each other and work together.
Be secure enough to listen to a woman’s point of view.
Find ways to work together.
Have a humble heart—you might not have all of the answers.

[01:07:14] Reaching Out and Connecting with Nameless Collaborative

Cherice works with people from different backgrounds. She looks for women who can lead other people.
She hopes to connect with women in a place of leadership and who need that kind of community around them.
Listen to the full podcast to learn more about Nameless Collaborative’s current and upcoming projects!

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To growing and becoming all we are created to be,

Tim