Dr. Elizabeth Conerly Smith, PhD, LPC, BCTMH

I attribute my success to my faith and my relationship with the Lord. I know that, “Except the Lord builds the house, they who labor work in vain.” Consequently, I owe all that I have and all that I hope to be to God.

I also thank God for my beautiful family: my son, Alex; my daughters, Sydney and Kristyn; and my husband of 35 years, Frank.

A constant voice in my heart is that of my mother, who told me as a child, “If you’re going to do something, do it right.” My goal is to serve God through my calling and fulfill my purpose in life. I believe part of that purpose is helping others achieve their own God-given purpose.

For I truly believe that it is never too late to be what God has made you to be.

The best career advice I received for years was, “Do it afraid.” Over time, I have expanded that advice for myself: take up courage and do it in faith. Fear may still be present, but I do not have to allow it to make my decisions for me.

That perspective gives practical meaning to the Scripture, “Faith without works is dead.” Faith requires movement. I may not have every answer, every resource, or complete certainty about what comes next, but I have learned that sometimes clarity comes after we take the first faithful step.

My advice to young women entering this field is to take the time to understand who you are before allowing the industry to tell you who you should become.

One of the practices I use in my coaching, counseling, and Soul CARE Rise™ app is called The Pour In™, part of the Soul CARE pathway. It is a reflective practice informed by narrative approaches and spiritual meditation. For me, that can mean sitting quietly with a pen and paper during prayer and asking important questions: Who am I? What am I called to do? What gifts and experiences have prepared me for this moment? What am I supposed to contribute? Then I make space to listen, reflect, and write.

I would encourage young women to do the same kind of inner work. Learn your profession, develop your skills, embrace new technology, and remain open to growth—but do not lose yourself while trying to fit into someone else's definition of success. Your experiences, values, gifts, and even the challenges you have overcome can become part of what makes your contribution uniquely yours.

And remember that your path does not have to unfold according to someone else's timeline. You can grow, change directions, discover a new calling, or begin again. There is a quote often attributed to George Eliot that has stayed with me: “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

I believe that. It is never too late to become more fully who God created you to be.

One of the biggest challenges in my field right now is learning how to embrace innovation without losing the human connection—and for women, that challenge is often compounded by the many responsibilities we are already carrying.

Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work, communicate, learn, lead, and deliver services. The technology is moving quickly, but people do not always move at the same pace. Women are being asked to adapt to new technologies while continuing to lead businesses, build careers, care for families, support communities, manage households, nurture relationships, and attend to their own health and well-being. Too often, the expectation becomes that technology should simply help us do more, when the greater opportunity is to help us work more intentionally and carry less unnecessary burden.

That is where I see tremendous possibility.

AI can help women reduce repetitive tasks, organize information, improve communication, streamline workflows, expand the reach of our expertise, and reclaim valuable time. Used thoughtfully, technology can create capacity—not so that we can fill every newly available moment with another responsibility, but so that we have greater space for strategic thinking, creativity, relationships, rest, leadership, and the parts of our lives that matter most.

At the same time, we have to be intentional about how AI is implemented. The most meaningful innovation happens when technology supports people rather than attempts to replace them. That is why my work emphasizes human-centered AI—using smart systems while protecting human judgment, ethics, relationships, care, and the unique strengths people bring to their work.

I believe women have an extraordinary opportunity in this moment not simply to adapt to technological change, but to help shape it. We bring perspectives informed by leadership, caregiving, resilience, relationship-building, creativity, and the complexity of navigating multiple roles. Those experiences have value in conversations about what responsible and useful technology should look like.

For me, the opportunity is bigger than simply learning a new technology. It is helping women and organizations use innovation in ways that align with who they are, what they value, and the people they are called to serve. Whether I am working in counseling, coaching, education, leadership, or AI consulting, my goal remains the same: Clinical Excellence. Human Connection. Innovative Solutions.

Technology may change the tools we use, but it should help us work and live more effectively without losing ourselves—or the soul of the work—in the process.

I tell you, I was in my devotion today... The Word of God talks about how we are the temple of God... Because your religion is nothing if you don't care about others. So, that is the foundation of taking care of... our first ministry, other than loving God, the greatest commandment, love God with your everything, yeah? is loving others as you love yourself... our first ministry is our family... Make sure you take care of you first... I gotta make sure I take care of my house first, my babies, my children... being able to love and help other people tonight.