Women Interrupting

Real leadership doesn’t always start with a title—it often begins with interruption.

For women called to great influence and impact, this kind of interruption feels scheduled, confrontational, sacred, and deeply personal. It’s not the kind you can hand off to someone else you deem more capable, more educated, or more influential.

The more you try to silence her, the more the discomfort refuses to dissipate like it once did. This interruption will not let you rest—it keeps pressing you forward because time is a precious commodity that can no longer be wasted. Not only is your life impacted, but you know your action or inaction has implications on the lives of others.

My Interruption.

I remember a time in my career when I was furthering my nursing education and chose to interrupt by asking for tuition assistance beyond what the policy allowed. My motivation was simple: I could not fathom taking out yet another student loan to cover the overage. When I asked, I was promptly told “No.”

To this day, I’m still not sure how it all came together, but just two weeks later, the very leader I had approached stopped me at the elevator and said, “Hey, we’ve approved for the cap to be removed on the tuition policy. You can have the remainder of your tuition paid for!”

The true shock and awe came when I later learned that not only would I receive full tuition coverage, but I would also be awarded a completion bonus—and so would every nurse after me. What I thought was a personal ask for help became a policy shift that opened doors for others.

I had no idea that the courage to ask for more than what was available would create a ripple effect that benefited many.

My question to you is this: What have you interrupted?

• Are you interrupting rooms where you were once expected to stay quiet and be thankful for your seat?

• Are you refusing to let fear claim your tongue when it’s time to ask for your worth instead of accepting less pay?

• Have you stopped saying “yes” out of guilt when every part of you wanted to say “no”?

• Have you finally chosen to walk away from what was comfortable but no longer resonates with your purpose?

• Or maybe you’ve decided to shed the shrinking-violet act that kept others comfortable, and now you show up fully as yourself unapologetically.

These interruptions aren’t small. They are powerful life pivots that force us to look within and choose growth over comfort, courage over silence, and obedience to God's ever evolving purpose for our lives over familial or society’s approval.

 In this season, I’ll be leaning into conversations with women who have chosen to interrupt—women who walked away, spoke up, pivoted, or rose up when it wasn’t easy. Their stories will remind us all that leadership is less about position and more about courage.

If you have a story of interruption or know a women whose courage to interrupt deserves to be seen or shared, I invite you to share your own story or nominate a women you admire. Together, we'll highlight voices that remind us all: leadership is less about titles and more about the courage to fulfill ones own purpose.

NOMINATE