Dr. Grace Nichols

I attribute my success to being mentored by great people that God has placed in my life. I've not reached where I am by myself. I'm part of a great community of flourishers, and I'm encouraged every day by them, by the stories that I hear, by their transformation, and by how they're contributing in their homes, environments, communities, and church. That community and those relationships are something that I treasure. It's the people around me and the circle I'm in that have made all the difference.

The best career advice I ever received was to remain teachable. I think sometimes we can accomplish a lot of things and we can feel like we've arrived, but every day when we wake up, it's an opportunity for us to learn and to grow and just to connect with our God-given purpose, because there's always more. We've never reached the pinnacle of whatever it is that we're called to do in life. So just remaining teachable and enjoying the journey, not being so driven that we're kind of going through the cycle of life, but really, really flourishing in the sense of just enjoying life.

I would tell young women that there is nothing impossible. With God, all things are possible. If you make a decision, you set a goal, there's nothing that should stop you from accomplishing the goal that you set. You might have to take baby steps to get to it, or in some cases, you might be able to transition smoothly through it because of how you're aligned with whatever it is you're doing. But you're unstoppable. That's what I would encourage everyone to know, that we are unstoppable, and there is nothing impossible for us to do. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

The biggest challenge I see is just looking for ways to continue to grow globally. That platform is huge, and there's so many changes when you're in the online space. I would say just growing with the new technology, with everything that we're facing now in terms of the online space. But it's a challenge that's also a beautiful challenge. It's one that I take on because I know that we're in that space, and as things develop, we have to grow. I'm always looking for ways to enhance the online experience to make it exciting, because that's one of the things that I thrive on, whether I'm teaching in person or online. I want it to feel energetic and alive and just a wonderful experience for everyone. We navigate through life, but at the same time, technology should not be threatening to us. It should be something that we enjoy the experience.

The values most important to me are integrity, honoring authority, confidence, resilience, and love for people. I'm a woman of integrity. I'm a woman of authority, but also under authority, so I know how to respect and honor the authority over me. I'm confident in who I am and not intimidated by anything or any challenge that might present itself. I'm resilient. And I love people. It doesn't matter who God sends, I'm going to work just as hard at everyone that comes into my space, really showing love, showing up, being fully present, and being a part of the transformation process.